As Ellis' eyes fluttered open, he expected to be greeted by stuffy nurses and strong-smelling medicine.

Instead, he found himself amongst the stars.

A loud hiss made him bolt upright, placing a hand against his chest before he remembered the tubes. His brow furrowed as he followed them to a large container filled with a sea-green liquid. Inside the container was his heart, plugging along sluggishly but beating nonetheless. Unlike the gears and steam that kept it running in the hospital, though, it was now being spurred to life by tiny sparks of electricity.

"I had to make a few adjustments. Improvements, really."

He turned to see a beautiful girl standing before him, a gentle smile on her face. "Zelda," he whispered.

"Hello, Ellis."

He stared in disbelief. "How...why...what..."

Laughing softly, Zelda gently hauled him up onto his feet. "I'll admit, kidnapping you might have been a little rash, but so was stealing my uncle's hot air balloon."

Shaking his head, Ellis glanced down at her. "Why did you do all this?"

"That's a stupid question to ask your sweetheart." Rising up on her toes, she planted a kiss on his lips. "Because I missed you, silly. And I didn't want our one-year anniversary to be celebrated in a hospital."

"This is amazing Zelda. You're amazing."

Moving closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You haven't even seen the full-scope of my amazingness."

Reaching into her blouse pocket, she pulled out a device with a large button. When she pressed it, music filled the air.

A smile crept across Ellis' face as he gazed down at the brilliant girl in his arms. "Another one of your inventions?"

Without a word, Zelda leaned her head against his chest, and they slowly began to sway to the music. It was all perfect. The night, the balloon, the music, her. Perfection.

But he knew it couldn't last.

"Zelda," he whispered into her thick, dark hair. "I'm sorry. I know we made promises for the future, but—"

"Don't," she said. "Don't ruin this moment with logic and facts."

"But the doctors. They say—"

She raised her head and met his eyes. "I'm a prodigy, Ellis, I know what state you're in. But for right now, let's forget about that. Tonight, we're just two sixteen-year-olds in a hot air balloon dancing amongst the stars, celebrating a year of being in love."

Letting out a soft breath, Ellis leaned his forehead against hers. "Very well. For tonight, we'll just be in love."

Weaving her fingers through his messy curls, Zelda drew his face to hers and caught his lips, and in that moment, it was easy to forget his sick heart.

Until it began to beat loudly in its electrified container, making them both burst into laughter.

Ellis raised an eyebrow at Zelda. "Let's see if we can get it to do that again."

Smiling wickedly, she brought her lips close to his and whispered, "My pleasure."