Selection redo

A choice

I wake up and have to blink because of the bright white light surrounding me. Then the realization hits me. I'm dead. I'm dead? My next thought is that if I died, Maxon must have died too. I scream out his name, but there's no reply. Suddenly, I find myself in the palace hospital wing. How did I end up here? Then I look at the cot in the room. That's me. My family is leaning over me. I gauge their reactions. My mother is in a chair, sobbing and holding Gerad in her lap. May is stroking my forehead, tiny tears running down her cheeks. Kenna buried her face in James' chest, and he's comforting her with a stricken expression on his face. Mary, Paige, and some of my other maids are sitting in a cluster, their shoulders sagging. I know I can't do anything about it, and it makes me feel so lonely and helpless.

I'm back in the bright place, but this time I have company. "Daddy." I cry, rushing to him. "Shhh, it's okay, kitten." He says. "Dad, am I really dead?" I ask. "It's kind of hard to know at this point. You're what they call 'stuck in limbo'." I want to ask who 'they' are, but I never get a chance because I see another figure rushing toward us, calling my name. Maxon! I run to the person and meet him halfway. "America." He breathes, taking me in for an impromptu embrace. "I love you." I say. "I love you more." He says, planting a kiss on my head. My dad beckons for us to rejoin him, and we dash over. "Maxon, America, I need to explain something to the both of you. Your bodies are conflicted between death and life, struggling to decide whether you belong in that world or this one." "What does that mean for us?" Maxon asks, his forehead creasing. "That means that you have a choice to make. You can either return, in comas, or you can complete a task." "What kind of task?" I ask, processing his words. "It depends on the person. For you, the task is that you have to complete a piece of your lives over again." "Wait, do you mean we have to go back in time?" Maxon says, his voice incredulous. "So to speak." My dad says. "Well, whatever it is, we'll do it." I say, and my husband nods in agreement. "Okay, then. You'll have to relive the Selection again." I raise my eyebrows. Beside me, Maxon chuckles. "That makes the whole thing easier! I'll just eliminate all the other girls and pick America!" Dad shakes his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Only America gets to keep her memories." "What?!?!?" Maxon and I say in unison. "You'll have to start from scratch." I bite my lip. "So when do we start?" I ask. "Right now. Oh, and kitten?" I turn to face him. "Just remember- Bad for things happen when you tamper with the future."