What’s the ending?

     I’ve done it. I finished to read the book. Before knowing the ending, I predicted it.

What I knew before my prediction!

     Lena passed her evaluation exam successfully. Now she is paired with Brian Scharff and supposed to marry him after procedure. The problem is that Lena fell in love with Alex. The biggest problem is that he is one of the Invalids (found out, they are real not just make-believe stuff). Despite everything, they are secretly dating. One day, they made prohibited journey to the Wilds, Alex showed Lena his home, his native-town. After that Lena realizes that all which was surrounded her and in what she had believed was lie. Now she sees all cruelty of the society’s rules: raids, regulators (“They’ve (government) lied about everything – about fence (between Portland and Wilds), and the existence of the Invalids, about a million other things besides.”). Lena can't forget that her life has been chosen for her. To escape her fate, Lena and Alex decide to run away from Portland and live in the Wilds together.

Real ending

Their plan was delayed by two things:

1. Alex realizes that Lena's mother might still be alive in the Crypts, Portland's mental institution (looked like a prison for sympathizers). To check it, Alex took Lena to visit her mother, but finds out she's escaped (run away). Lena is shocked she thought her mother was dead for twelve years. She realizes that all her relatives knew the truth except her.
2. The night Alex and Lena are supposed to meet, the police and the regulators discover them, and Lena is beaten by the guards but Alex manages to escape. Lena is taken home (Lena's family straps her to a bed because she has the deliria), and the date of her cure is moved up.

     Lena waits patiently for Alex to save her otherwise she will kill herself so that not to be cured. Thankfully for Lena, Alex does save her, and they head for the border on his motorcycle. Pursued by helicopters and men with guns, Lena scales the fence (which separated Portland and the Wilds) to escape. But Alex doesn't make it. He's shot and captured by the Regulators. He orders Lena to run... run into the Wilds, she does (straight for the sequel).

     The very last words in the book are: "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it". These were also Lena's mother's last words to her. In my opinion, Lena was speaking to Alex, letting him know that she'll always love him no matter what.

My own ending

     They tried to run away but won’t make success. They were caught and separated. Lena would be sent to her procedure so that to be cured from love. Alex would be sent to the Crypts. It would be the ending. Then, in the sequel (Pandemonium) she will be trying to find her mother and save Alex, pretending that she is indifferent for everything, persuading everyone that the procedure helped her (like her mother did)…but in fact it didn’t help.

P.S. On the one hand, very curious to see where this series goes and what ending will be; on the other hand, I have no desire to read a sequel. What am I going to do? I haven’t decide yet.