On the same warm and sunny afternoon, Sawyer and I picnic there at the top of the hill, looking out over a view that, in the real world, would take my breath in a good way. We wash down our six-inch steak and cheese subs with Mountain Dew, then hold hands as we push onward down the hill and deeper into the forest. Though I'm sure he's thinking the same thing as me, that this is wasted effort at this point, neither of us bring it up. Instead, we talk about things we miss from the real world.

Sawyer says, "I miss my blue raspberry slushes from the gas station and the nachos from the football concession stand."

"I miss making out in the weeds at Schneider's Pond," I say, "And the playlist on my iPod and my Twilight blanket."

"What Twilight blanket?"

"You know, the one with Robert Pattinson on it. That's another thing I miss: the movie theater."

"You have a blanket with Robert Pattinson's face on it?" Sawyer asks in disbelief.

"Yeah. I've had it since I was like, thirteen. He was my celebrity crush. I was an Edward girl. That's probably why I'm attracted to you. You have pale skin and brown hair like him."

"I thought all the girls were crazy about the werewolf guy."

"Taylor Lautner? Yeah, some were. You were either Team Edward or Team Jake." I smile at the memory. "Gosh, those were the days."

"I never watched any of the Twilight movies. I'm pretty sure it was a girl thing."

I pull him to a stop there in the woods. "I'm going to make you watch Twilight, whether it's in the real world or at the cabin."

"We'll see." He grins. "So, do you want to tell me what you were going to put on your bucket list yet?"

I don't see a reason in keeping it secret anymore. I know in my heart this is no dream I'm going to wake up from. This is reality now, and we're just chasing stars.

"Just the basics, really. Community college - if I could've managed to bring my grades up. Travel. Get married and have kids..." I stare at the ground as we walk, but from the corner of my eye, I can see Sawyer eyeballing me.

I finally come right out and admit, "I would've wanted to marry you, Sawyer. You're the one."

He squeezes my hand. "I wanted to marry you, too. That's why I always hounded you about straightening up. I love you. You're my one." He leans over and pecks me on the lips. Suddenly I feel like bawling.

"As long as I have you," I squeak, "Nothing else matters."

We decide to stop early and set up camp for the day. We both gather sticks and branches for a fire, then Sawyer builds the firepit and fire while I lay out the sleeping bags and break two small green branches off of a nearby bush to use as hot dog skewers. By the time the stars are glistening, we're sitting in front of a warm, roaring fire, bellies full and cuddling under a shared blanket. I lay my head on Sawyer's shoulder. He belches.

"Well, I don't think we ever would've taken a camping trip in the real world," Sawyer says. 

"Probably not," I answer. "If we did, we would've gotten too drunk to remember much of it."

His shoulder bounces with a laugh. "That's true. You know, I've been thinking a lot about life since I've been here. I've been thinking things like: what's the point of highfalutin careers and big, fancy houses and strict diets? It's all temporary. You don't take your money or your sports car or your social status with you when you go. Why can't people be happy with a job that pays the bills and a clean house that's just big enough? And if a person wants a cupcake or a bacon cheeseburger, they should just eat it."

I look up at him. "Are you trying to say we should be happy here?"

He shrugs and answers mid-yawn, "I guess I'm saying we have no reason not to be." 

"Well, it's over anyway. I think I've finally accepted my fate. There's no way we're going to stay awake all night, and I feel okay knowing that. I have to. There's no other choice."

"What about your wish? You really don't think there's a plane parked somewhere out there with an impatient pilot waiting for us? Or maybe a couple giant birds circling around to carry us Lord of the Rings-style?"

I grin. "If there is, we'll never know."

As I stare into the fire, I hear a voice break through the silence as though it were coming from underwater. This time though, it's not the voice of my mother.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl..."

I stiffen up, and Sawyer feels it against his body.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

I don't answer because I'm too shaken by the familiarity of the male voice. Baby girl. That was always what my father called me. And that was his voice.

Sawyer's hand grips my shoulder and pulls me up. "Autumn?"

When I finally meet his eyes, mine are tear-filled.

"What's wrong?" He asks, concerned.

"I- I've been hearing voices," I stutter. "Well, one voice. My mom's. Until now. I just heard my dad."

"What?" Sawyer's tone is both gentle and confused. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I was just...hearing things, I don't know. Obviously, they're not here. It's just their muffled voices coming out of thin air. I wonder if maybe they're speaking to me through the veil. You know, like a prayer or something. But Dad...I haven't heard from him since he left three years ago."

I watch as Sawyer absorbs the information.

"You haven't been hearing things?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Not a thing. So, what do you think it means?"

"If Dad's reaching out to me now, then I guess..." I pause as I gather the strength to say it aloud. "I guess he got word that I passed away."

Sawyer's hand slips into mine and his thumb caresses the back of it. 

He asks, "Are you still okay with letting go then?"

"I have to be. It's over."

He gives me a look then that seems to cut right into my soul. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

I force a half smile for him. "I know."

The two of us slip into silence, seemingly waiting for sleep to overtake us. Sitting side by side on our pallet on the ground, Sawyer struggles to stay conscious through the soothing song of night.

"Do you mind if I lie down?" He finally asks.

"No, go ahead."

"Are you sure?"

I nod and cover a yawn with my hand. "We gave it our all. There's nothing else we can do."

"Okay." He grabs the other sleeping bag from the ground beside us, unrolls it, then lies down and snuggles in. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

I shake my head. "I'm going to make it as long as I can."

"Oh. Well, I'll try too."

Despite saying that, within five minutes, Sawyer is snoring. I stare at him confusedly, wondering when the reset is going to take. A few more minutes and still nothing happens. I wonder to myself: do we both have to be asleep to reset back to the cabin? Well, that would've been a great thing to know from the beginning.

My mind reels. This means it doesn't have to be over. If I could stay awake for a few hours longer, then I could wake him up and we could take turns. But I shake that thought from my head. It's grabbing at straws and I know it. I've made my decision and accepted my fate. So, I lie down beside Sawyer under my own sleeping bag and finally allow my eyes to close.

"Autumn?" A gentle voice questions. A hand grips my shoulder and gives it a shake. I turn over with a groan. "Autumn, wake up."

I reluctantly open my eyes onto Sawyer. He's sitting on my bedside.

"Hey," I greet him tiredly. It's no surprise waking up in my room this time. I assume he's coming to check on me and make sure I'm still okay with it.

"It's okay, Sawyer. Really. I-"

He interrupts me. "It's not that. I just woke up and went to the living room, and...well, you need to see this."

"Huh?" I question. "I don't want to get up yet." I throw the covers over my head.

"Autumn!" Sawyer jerks them down. "Just come on."

I glance out the window to get an estimate of the time. The sun is shining brightly. So, afternoon or early evening sometime, meaning I slept all night and half the day.

I sit up with a sigh, and Sawyer leads me by the arm into the living room and to the front door. He opens it and motions for me to step out. The brightness hurts my unadjusted eyes, so I squint and use my hand to block the sun.

"Look on the dock." Sawyer directs me.

I glance over and immediately see the reason for his urgency.

A rainbow-striped hot air balloon is parked on the dock, and in the basket, an elderly man in a brightly colored, striped blazer and tan hat stands waiting. The pilot. He waves eagerly at us. My hand falls to my side. Sawyer and I trade glances.

"About that lost wish..." He trails off. 

I shake my head, too taken aback to say much. "So...what now?"

I look at Sawyer. He shrugs. "That's up to you. Either we try it or we don't."

I shuffle my feet on the wood, feeling conflicted. I remember last night. I know something now I didn't know then: As long as one of us is awake, we don't reset. A real possibility stands at my doorstep now, the biggest chance I have at maybe making it back to the real world; maybe rising from the dead. The question: to go or not to go?

"What are you thinking?" Sawyer asks.

I bite my lip. "There's something I need to tell you."

He stares at me curiously, waiting for me to continue.

"You fell asleep first last night. I was still awake, and I waited for the reset to bring us back, but it never came. Not until I went to sleep too. As long as one of us is awake, the reset won't take."

I see a sparkle in Sawyer's eyes all of a sudden. "So...this could actually happen now? We could leave?"

I nod.

"Then we have to try it." He states. That sparkle, I realize, is the first flicker of hope I've seen from him. 

"Okay," I agree simply.

"Okay?" His eyebrows rise.

"Let's do it." I smile.