Hey there, my friends. I will be doing my best to update a LOT in the next week, because I will be gone for two freaking weeks at the start of June, giving me no time to do it then.

A special thanks to all those who have sent in messages and reviews! I hope I can thank you properly with great chapters and quick updates. Even so, THANK YOU! It means so much.

Love you!

-wise_yet_harmless

ELLA'S POINT OF VIEW

"Watch out, there are lots of cracks and dips in the pavement," I said, warning Iggy. We walked along, hand in hand through the busy amusement park. We had done almost every ride twice, because Iggy insisted they were better the second time around. He claimed after you knew what was going to happen and that you were, in fact, not going to die, you could relax and enjoy the ride more fully.

While I was amused he had spent so much time thinking about it, his claim held credibility. We had run around the park all day, jumping from line to line until it made my head spin. It was the most fun I had enjoyed in a long time, and part of me hoped it would never end.

"Hey El?"

"Yes?"

"Let's go on the ferris wheel."

I hadn't been expecting that. Iggy enjoyed rides where he knew what was going on, and on a ferris wheel he wouldn't be able to tell how high we were or how fast we were going. Even so, I steered him towards the long line in front of the massive ride.

"I think-I think I'm going to accept that scholarship."

My stomach dropped. So that was why he wanted to come. He wanted to talk about his schooling. I had been trying to avoid the subject for a week. I knew it was rude of me to ignore such a fantastic accomplishment like this, but the thought of him leaving...it terrified me a little. I tried to convince myself that nothing would really change, but how could I be sure?

"El?"

I blinked, realizing I had been silent for the past few minutes.

"My apologies. I got lost in my thoughts."

"Well?"

"I think it's great that you are doing what you enjoy."

"El, there's something you're not telling me. I can sense it."

He was right, of course. I tried to think of a way to say how I felt without being overly needy and selfish.

"I will miss you while you're gone," I admitted quietly, looking down at the pavement. Iggy sighed and dropped my hand before wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"I won't be that far," he promised, rubbing his thumbs along the back of my arms. "I don't really want to leave, but I gotta do something with myself, yknow? Then I can open a restaurant downtown, like I've always wanted to."

"I know," I said, stepping back from his embrace. I held his hand in front of me and squeezed them. "I am happy you are accomplishing your goals. I really am." Iggy smiled, putting his arms around my shoulders.

"Although," he said in an overly cocky and teasing voice, "when I've got these looks and mad cooking skills, I might have a hard time keeping the ladies away."

I laughed, feeling relieved. Iggy abandoning me for another girl was the least of my worries. Iggy was good looking and fun to be around, but he was impatient with other people. He often said he needed me around to keep himself in line, as I was a 'soft-spoken reminder to be civil'.

"You poor thing; the life of an attractive and popular cook sounds exhausting," I teased back. Iggy held a hand to his forehead, leaning heavily on me as if he were about to faint.

"Oh, it is. You just wouldn't understand."

"No, but if you don't find your manly strength back soon we're going to miss our turn on the ride."

That worked well, as Iggy stood up quickly, listening. An attendant ushered us into one of the cars and locked us in, leaving us on our own again.

"How high does this go?" Iggy asked, curious. I looked up, trying to form a guess.

"I don't know, honestly. Three stories?"

"Awesome."

When the ride reached the very tip of its orbit, it stopped.

"Looks like we're at the top," I observed. From my vantage point, the world seemed very far away, and very small. It seemed quieter as well, the sounds of the park muffled by the distance. Iggy was silent, his eyes shut in concentration. I held one of his hands in both of my own, watching him.

"Iggy," I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Iggy smiled a little, looking wistful.

"I was just thinking about how you-"

Iggy stopped. His eyes sprang open, and his face paled.

It startled me. For a fraction of a second I was afraid that Iggy was sick, but that was not what his face was telling me. He looked helpless and forlorn, like he was witnessing a horrible tragedy.

"Iggy, what's wr-"

"Shh!"

Just then I heard it.

Screaming.

Not the kind people give when they're having fun or they're thrilled by a ride.

Not the surprised kind.

No.

This was the kind of scream people gave when they feared for their lives.

My blood ran ice cold and I looked out over the park, desperately searching for where the screams had come from. My eyes found a trail of smoke, looking like it spanned across the park. After a moment of scanning the park did I realize what was missing.

"Iggy, the ride the goes across the park..."

"What?!"

"The gondolas a-are gone."

MAX'S POINT OF VIEW

Let's talk about humans. We're funny creatures, aren't we? We're gullible, sensitive and easily angered. We will happily believe something that would benefit us. I guess that makes us pretty selfish. It seems like all we want is to improve our situation. Even if that means we'll trick, cheat, steal, lie... In the end, the hard truth is still true and we're no better off than before. Even so, when the next guy comes along promising wealth or popularity, we jump to join in, don't we?

We know it might not work, in fact, we may know for a fact it won't do squat. Some part of us just hopes against hope that someway somehow things will work out for our benefit. We'll get rich through the lottery, we'll get skinnier even if we eat more, we'll ace a test we didn't study for or we'll find someone who will still care when we act like a jerk. They're unrealistic, selfish hopes. No one would put money on those bets, but we still put ourselves out there as someone who hoped it would happen.

It doesn't make sense. We, as loving, hating, hoping human beings do not make any sense. We couldn't hardly explain it if we wanted to- but some part of us, at least at the beginning, hoped for that happy unbelievable ending though every odd was agaisnt it. They can tell us anything they want. It's unlikely, improbable, impossible- but no matter what, we'll always look up and wish on the first star we see every night. Hope is a drug that every human seems to be using, with no intention to stop.

Even if means we crash and burn in the end.

I guess that's why when I felt my stomach drop, part of me thought huh, I didn't think this ride had a drop.

Just a small thought, like I had just noticed the clouds blocking the sunlight. It was a quiet thought, in the back of my mind. Not very important, no big deal.

It was only a heartbeat later that I realized my mistake. It wasn't because I finally made the dire connection. It wasn't because I was afraid. No, it was because, when I looked at Fang, I saw his hair starting to lift up, like it was being teased by a wind blowing from the ground up. I also saw his eyes get a fraction bigger with honest, clear, childlike fear. He looked straight at me, like he couldn't tear his eyes away. It couldn't have been longer than a second.

It was then that another, much more influential thought came into my head.

This ride DOESN'T have a drop.

The world disappeared. There was no sound, no heat, no distractions. I didn't think about what was going to happen. I didn't think about my family. I didn't think about if I was scared or not. I didn't think about the rushing air lifting my clothes and hair. I didn't think about what had gone wrong. I didn't think about how much time we had left.

There was nothing.

Nothing but

Fang and I.

And

we

were

falling.