Prediction Essay

Lena is just a normal 17-year old girl, living in Portland, Maine, with a government that believes love is a disease. Because of this, all citizens are required to get a procedure, a “cure” that takes away all feelings of love, when they turn eighteen. Ever since her mother gave in to the supposed disease, Lena has been looking forward to the day she will be cured, just 95 days away. But she learns that the was once a time when love wasn’t considered a disease, even thought to be healthy. I believe that Lena is going to bring that back and convince the government that love is not a bad thing, because she meets someone who changes her life and compels her to break rules.
At first, Lena didn't give much thought to the cure and the way the government controlled life. It was a normal, everyday thing. But when her best friend Hana started listening to music not approved by the government, Lena suddenly became curious about Hana's life. When Hana invited Lena to a party, Lena at first objected, but soon became curious, even though she knew it was illegal. She finds a mix of boys and girls, and gets a strange feeling in her gut. Lena sees Alex, an Invalid who lived in the Wilds, at a party while searching for Hana. When regulators find out, Alex rescues Lena by leading her to a closet. After Alex and Lena share a kiss, Lena realizes that she wants to spend her life with him. Of course, him being an invalid, they can't be together. Even so, they meet secretly.

When Lena gets much more comfortable with being around Alex, she tells him about her family. When she mentions that her mom had a special necklace, Alex says that Lena's mom may be alive. He takes her to the Crypts, which is like jail, and finds the cell where Lena's mom was. But when they get there, they find that her mom has escaped by, over a period of many years, scratching a round hole in the wall with her necklace. Now that Lena knows her mom is alive, I think she will do anything she can to find her.

Lena learns that Alex lived in the Wilds, unregulated land outside of Portland. There are no rules there, which sounded really appealing to Lena. She believes her mom ran off to the Wilds, so she would not be found. Lena desperately wants to find her, so Alex offers to escape with her. Lena and Alex plan their escape. But they get caught, and Lena's aunt schedules her procedure to be done early. But Alex cares too much for Lena, and helps her escape into the Wilds.

With Lena’s clever wits and Alex’s quick thinking, I think the two can stay together and successfully live together in the Wilds. The fact that Lena’s mom isn't really dead is driving Lena on, so she can find her mom. Alex desperately wants to be with Lena, and protect her. Eventually, I think Lena and Alex will find a way to convince everyone that love is not a disease, and that they have been living under a blanket of lies for their whole lives.


My ending:
"Mom, when are we getting home?" Lena asked, holding Alex's hand.
"We're almost in Portland. Be patient!" Lena's mom exclaimed, laughing.
"I wonder if it's changed at all since we've been gone," Alex said thoughtfully.
"Oh my gosh, what if it's completely gone?!" Lena panicked, suddenly cutting off all circulation from Alex's hand, which she had been holding for a while.
"Relax, Lena! Remember they show they daily weather reports for the whole area? We just saw one this morning!" Alex said.
"Oh...right...but something could have happened after then," Lena mumbled, clearly embarrassed.
"Look, there it is. See? You had nothing to worry about." Lena's mom had bent back a couple of tree branches and they were now standing directly in front of the fence of Portland.
"We made it! Alex, I can't believe everything's still here!" Lena exclaimed.
"Yeah, I know! Come on, let's go!" Alex said, picking Lena up and running to the fence.