I was being tugged along by Howie (I had shortened his name; Howard just seemed too formal).  His nose was stuck to the ground; he zigzagged all over the path.  Mack and Vera were moving steadily behind me.  Mack tried to push Vera the way Howie moved, but she quickly put a stop to that.  "If you don't stop playing, I'm going to fall and die on this gravel."

Howie was persistent, but I managed to slow him down enough for Mack and Vera to catch up.  

"And you're sure you don't know why we're here?"

"I don't know, honestly.  Adam just told me to come to Stillwater."

It was April, and Mack had had his license for long enough to drive all of us up to Stillwater, Minnesota, where a surprise was waiting for us, according to Adam.  The closer we got to the place Adam gave directions to, the denser the crowds of people got.  Suddenly, we emerged on a clearing.  

A clearing filled with brightly-colored hot air balloons.

As we walked past them, we were occasionally blasted by intense heat from the balloons.  Mack poked my shoulder and pointed towards a rainbow-colored balloon.  Adam was standing there with Bridget.  They both were waving their hands.  

Howie yanked viciously at his leash in order to get to his friends.  Mack used quite a bit of force to push Vera across the grass.  

"How about a hot air balloon ride?" Bridget was almost as excited as I was.  

We barely managed to fit inside one balloon.  It was the five of us, including the pilot, a friendly, portly man.  I clutched onto both Mack and Adam; I was quite nervous.  There were a few other balloons high in the sky, and it didn't seem very long until we were level with them.  

I was trembling.  Mack held my hands in his and blew on them.  "Cold?"

"Just a little scared.  We're really high up."

Vera certainly wasn't scared; she leaned over the barricade as far as her chair would allow.  "But look at all of the colors."  

I moved cautiously to the guardrail and peered over the edge.  Spring was in full bloom in Minnesota.  The land was a patchwork of green forests, brown farm fields, and blue lakes.  I noticed that Adam was hovering towards the center of the balloon.  He trembled when a gust of wind blew through.  I touched his arm.  "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm...managing." 

I linked my arm in his.  "This is wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it."

I looked around at the people around me.  I thought about a younger me, who woke up one morning on my birthday and met my best friend.  She would come to know lively Vera, tough and free.  I was certain I still had a few things to learn from her about confidence and persistence.  Younger me would meet Mack, someone who would teach me not to judge too prematurely.  He was examining both the land and sky above the balloon and then turned to look back at me with a smile.  

Younger me would accept Bridget into my life, into my heart.  She would be the mother and sister I never had.  I knew I would love her until the end of my days.  

I thought about the nightmare I had had the fall before: the one where I died.  I knew that such a thing could never come true.  Nothing was coming for me; I was going to be okay.

I leaned my head against Adam's forearm.  Adam, my loyal friend and mentor.  At that moment, I didn't feel scared for any reason.  I was safe, knowing my family was with me and that they weren't going anywhere.  I scratched Howie between the ears.  Adam bopped his nose.  

Where was I when the rockets came to life,

And carried you away into the alligator sky?

Even though I'll never know what's up ahead,

I'm never letting go.

I'm never letting go!

I hope that you enjoyed this story.  Of June was the first story I wrote on Wattpad, so I'm very sentimental towards this two books.  And maybe they won't be my last Owl City stories.  

Happy New Year, everyone, and according to Adam Young, Owl City will return in 2017. 

I love you.

~Luna