Lillian and Gabriella landed in a lavish part of town. It was clean and white. The lawns of the houses were perfectly manicured. The trees neatly pruned and the flowers array of colours like the rainbow. Everything was perfect.
"This is Beverly Hills. We are in Hollywood to witness Troy's life without you. I just need to find his house…" said Lillian
Gabriella looked at everything around her. It was so beautiful. She wished she could live like this. Lillian led her to a blue house with white trim. It was just as neat and perfect as all the other houses. It was large and elegant.
"They can't see or hear us. We are going to go inside and see Troy. He is a star basketball player for the Lakers. He is a sports hero. He has the perfect life." Lillian told Gabriella
"W-well good for him. He's living his dream…I-I'm happy for him." Gabriella was trying not to cry. It hurt to know that he had what he wanted with out her.
"No he isn't living his dream. Ever since he met you, you were his only dream. He doesn't know you, yet he still wants you. He is looking for the perfect girl for him. He won't find her though, because he doesn't know where to look."
Lillian took her inside. They saw Troy sitting in the lounge reading a book. He looked the same as Gabriella, except the eyes. His eyes weren't his clear blue. They had turned a gray, as dark and changing as the sea.
Gabriella saw he was different. He was cold and bitter. He wasn't the Troy she knew and loved.
"He is not the way he used to be. He is cold. A life without love does that to people. He needs you as much as you need him. He completes you just as you complete him. Let's go. We need to see Taylor and Chad before we go and see your future. Come on." Lillian led the way out.
Gabriella looked back at Troy. He was still reading. It broke her heart in to even smaller pieces to see him like that. She followed Lillian out of the house.
"Chad lives not to far away. He also plays basketball. He is the coach of a high school team. Him and Troy lost contact just after high school. They went to different colleges and never really spoke again." Lillian once again took Gabriella's hand and they went to see Chad.
They landed in another part of town. The houses were smaller and the lawns not as well kept. Lillian led Gabriella to a cute green rancher. There was a tiny red car in the front. They went in. The house was a mess. In the kitchen there were dirty dishes everywhere. The hallway was filled with boxes of junk. The living room was crowded with more boxes and furniture.
"You see. Chad's life is empty because he has no one. He fills his life with meaningless objects. He needed Taylor to keep him on his feet. With out her he has nothing. He is a shell of a person."
They saw Chad walk in form the back yard. He had the same hair but he looked different. He looked old. He was only a few months older then Gabriella but he looked several years older then Gabriella's mother!
Gabriella was horrified to see her friend like that. He needed someone. He needed Taylor. What had she done? She had destroyed her life, Troy's, Chad's, and likely Taylor's. How could she be so selfish? It wasn't like her at all.
"Time to go see Taylor." Lillian and Gabriella left and went on their way.
They went to a science lab. It was white and big. They saw Taylor. She looked cheerful enough. They followed her to her office where they saw her sit down and cry.
"Taylor always looks cheerful and happy when she has company. When she is alone she cries. Her life is as empty as the others, but she hides it. No one knows how she really is. She won't get help. She is just as broken as the others."
They didn't stay long. They didn't have to. They knew what was wrong. It was the same with Troy and Chad.
"This next place will come as a shock. Keep in mind that this future is lost. It won't happen, but some things may. The outcome may be the same but with a different cause. One thing is certain…it won't be that much different. You and your friends will still live without love and it will destroy you from the inside out."
Gabriella looked around at the place she was. He face paled. "Y-you c-cant b-be serious?" asked Gabriella. She was visibly afraid. Gabriella began to shake. "T-this I-Isn't r-right!"
"I am sorry Gabriella. You have to look. You have to know. This is the whole point of this expedition. You don't have a choice. I am sorry, really I am."
Gabriella looked down. She read the stone.
Gabriella Isabelle Montez"In Loving Memory to the Greatest Daughter Ever"
September 23.1990 – May 18.2012 Gabriella started to cry. She fell down to her knees. She was shaking uncontrollably. She was scared and sad. "W-why? W-why d-do I-I d-die s-so young? Only twenty-two.""You are so lonely that you start to drink. One night you get drunk and drive off the road. You are so alone and broken that you let go. You could have lived but you choose to die. It is what you wanted. You hated the life you led. It wasn't worth it for you to life the broken, half like you were living. So you just let go."
Gabriella stopped crying. With out Troy her life really wasn't worth anything. She needed him to complete her. She loved him. She knew she loved him.
"Why does love have to hurt so much? Why does it tear you up inside? Why is it the people who we love the most, hurt us the most?" asked Gabriella
"We hurt because we care. We care about the people we love. Love is the best thing on earth. It is also the ultimate weapon. It can rip us up, but it can also lift us up. Love is the greatest feeling in the world. It is what makes life on earth worth living. If you can feel that feeling, even if just for a moment, then all the pain is worth it. You need only move on after the hurt goes away."
Gabriella thought a moment. "The pain you feel is worth the love you get. You wanted me to understand that, right?"
"Yes. Now lets go back to the present. We are almost done here." Lillian took Gabriella's hand and they went into the now darkened sky. Once again they flew into a star. They were on the way to the present. They were on their way to the end of the journey.
The star exploded in a display of fireworks. Pink, green, red, blue, orange, and white sparks were all around Lillian and Gabriella. They didn't get burned.
"Next stop, Troy's house!" screamed Lillian.
