Sky Jump

by Anastasia Bolinder

  “How can all of this fit into one place?” I asked shaking my head.

  Keten smiled and gripped my hand tighter.

  “They sure do enjoy seeing what they can fit into a concrete world of a school,” he said with a smile. We raced into the room and he walked me down isles of paintings depicting monsters of history as we sauntered along.

  Coming to the third level I stayed away from the rail as an odd catch held at the bottom of my stomach. A wall was covered with paintings that looked very old.

  My lips froze as we came to a bloody war scene that made me stop completely.

  Keten looked to me and realized my interest in the painting. Creatures and people were strewn across a battle field and a single horse-like creature reared and pawed the air while many around it were wounded and dead.

  “That’s one of the oldest pieces La’ket has. It’s an artist’s rendition of the Skyjump legend and the battle.” Keten said in a hushed tone.

  I stepped closer and felt the painter’s precision as the lighting fell in dark swaths as if the light was being blotted out. One lone Skyjump in beast form reared with open wounds littering it’s white and brown hide. It would not fall before it’s opposition, which was not in the sight of the viewer, but was felt through the emotion of it all.

  “SkyJump’s sound and look amazing, don’t they?” Keten asked.

  My attention was taken from the painting nearly as easily as I had fallen into its stroked depths.

  Glancing at him while he looked to the painting with a slight tilt of his head that made him look older.

  “Imagine being a person who can turn into creatures as regal as that.” He said and again I wanted to blush but less in a school girl way and more in a dreamy way, like in the movies.

  The silence as I watched him look to the painting said everything. For all of one moment the words held on my tongue of telling him who and what I was, it would make everything easier!

  My lips opened but Keten shrugged before I could speak and came out of his thinking,

  “Sorry, I let myself drone on and that’s all kinds of trouble,” he said. When his eyes looked to me I felt him on the verge of saying something but pulling back, he put a hand to his neck like he often did.

  Moving my hand to his, I smiled and wondered if I could come back and get a picture of the painting. For the moment, it was almost a sacred place to not be photographed as I nodded to Keten.

  “It’s okay, I get into trouble all the time.” I said with a wink, and Keten seemed to take back his cool and collected air as he smiled to me.

  Starting back down the flights of zigzagging steps made my throat tight and my gut hold as I glanced down and realized we were a good distance off the ground.

  Keten looked to me and then tilted his head and I knew he was wondering something.

  “Did you feel dizzy?” He finally asked.

  I stopped on the second flight of steps and tilted my head,

  “Feel dizzy? When?” I asked confused, looking at him.

  “When you were in the rope tunnel,” he asked as if amazed I had forgotten so easily.

  In all honesty I was amazed as well. Opening my lips, I was about to say, ‘no,’ when I looked to the ground and realized it had been haze blurred in my vision.

  “Did you shake or feel like your stomach was rolling around?” He asked again looking at me honestly.

  I thought about it and then bit my lips, I had felt all of it.

  “If I did, what would it mean?” I asked, not truly wanting an answer yet knowing I needed it to pass the test which even now still made my stomach churn.

  “You’re afraid of heights,” he said matter of factly.

  For once I felt slightly mad with him as I started down the stairs with him chasing after me.

  “Quil, that has to be it,” he said as he came to my side.

  Glancing at him, I felt knots weave and slither in my chest at the idea,

  “Keten, I can’t be afraid of heights!” I said and started down again.

  It was a joke to think that I could be afraid of heights.

  Coming to the bottom level, I kept walking as if to try and not face the idea. Afraid? It could be true. When Keten grabbed my arm and stopped me from walking, I turned around to face him as I found his eyes looking me over.

  “Why can’t you?” He asked poignantly as only a friend could.

  “Because I’m…” My words echoed in the room but were stopped seconds from disaster that I knew would have me in a lecture by my dad for the rest of my life had I done.

  “You’re what?” Keten asked completely confused as he looked me over, truly trying to help me and understand.

  Looking away from his face I suddenly realized how horrid it was that I couldn’t say anything about being a SkyJump. It was a huge part of who I was and if I wanted friends you gave them your truths, not lies. The alternative was disobeying my father. It all felt confusing as I finally put a hand to my temple.

  “Okay, so if I am afraid of heights, what do I do?” I asked him, changing the subject back and hoping he followed.

  Tilting his head, I could see he considered asking more but came to my question as we eased back from one another.

  “Maybe try being up somewhere high again?” He said and glanced behind us at the three levels we had been up, “Like we just did, you were fine right?” He asked, looking to me.

  Looking away from his eyes I considered saying I was fine. I had to lie sometimes, but it did not mean I should the rest of the time.

  “I did feel queasy when we came down the steps and well..” I glanced away from him. I was an idiot. A SkyJump afraid of heights, you could not possibly be less of a reject by this point. “…I wouldn’t get close to the edge. What am I going to do?” I said dejectedly.

  A hand kindly took mine and I looked up to Keten who smiled and slightly weary, but kindly put his hand to my chin and made my face look up.

  “You’re going to prove it doesn’t matter and that you can do it. Just like the blocks,” he said with a grin.

  I wanted to tilt my head at his touch. He had his hand under my chin and for the first time he caught me blush. I stepped back from him. I could see he was slightly unnerved by the move as well, yet seeming to enjoy my reaction, he smiled, taking my hand again.

  “Now come on, I will not let this night be a waste and we will figure it out, Quil. That’s a promise.” He nodded and we started out of the art gallery.

  For the rest of the evening we wandered the halls and still only covered a small portion of the rooms at the front of the building. We walked and talked about why it could be that I was afraid of heights when SkyJumping never frightened me. I admitted it might be because I had grown up SkyJumping but never jumping ropes or crawling through rope tunnels.

  Keten agreed those were good points.

  We had visited a room full of skeletons which I found creepy and would not go in as the lights were dim. Keten had smiled and pulled me in but I planted my heels and after nearly being dragged, I laughed and ran from the room as he chased me.

  With my camera in hand as I ran, I looked back at him and snapped a shot slightly blinding him for a moment as I slowed. When the picture came into view with Keten stumbling after me it showed his face very close with his hands reaching out and a grin on his lips with his short hair waving behind him.

  I started giggling and nearly collapsed to the floor when Keten asked what was so funny. When he saw the photo, he had tried to take it from me and said it should be burned.

  We ran through the halls but later as I closed my door and entered my room with a smile it was the only picture I still grasped with a tender love.

  Walking to my bulletin board I put it next to the picture of my father and me and slowed when I wondered what my father would think of Keten.

  My mind soon moved to the problem of me having a fear of heights. Keten and I considered had to be from when I had fallen. If my dad knew I had no idea what he woul
d do, but I felt completely stupid.

  A SkyJump afraid of heights. I mean, come on!

  Turning aside as my bed squeaked, my thoughts came back to Keten as his one advice was that I needed to be up somewhere high again.

  Glancing above me as if it would hold the answer, I found the banner as a dark silhouette. My mind suddenly clicked as one piece fit with another and I glanced to my desk where nails sat for what I planned to do of putting up a few more things on my walls over the weekend.

  Looking back up, I smiled and almost without thinking I leaned over and kissed the picture of Keten and spoke in a slightly excited whisper,

  “You’re a genius!”

  Chapter 20

  “The weekend drew on with the week just around the bend.”

  It took four hours to find sleep but considering I was lying in a hammock like bed made of my plush comforter about seven feet off the ground, it was less than I would have thought it would take. I had nightmares of falling.

  I was sure swaying in the air added to my fear when waking up.

  Climbing to the wall from in the hammock with Saturday not needing me up for classes, I climbed down the nails I had strategically placed on the wall. Before, my hands never would have shaken. My fingers now twitched and my chest held until I was close enough to the ground that I nearly touched it.

  As I got ready to meet Alissa to go to Zac’s match, which I thought I might miss after spending a few hours getting the banner down, hanging the comforter hammock up. I was sure I was afraid of heights from the way my legs shook when I had climbed up to get in, waiting for it to come crashing down but finding it held me with no problem.

  The height was my problem. I would still have to deal with it before the coming week was over.

  Grabbing my bag, I stubbed my toe on my bed and nearly knocked over my guitar in the process.

  I wished I could have slightly more room then the bed allowed. I considered that maybe I could get the bed removed. In my mind, I imagined not only what Lucy would say but the other students if they saw that.

  Leaving my room with my hair back and feeling still drained from the idea of what I had to overcome in a week’s time, I wanted to see Alissa and Zac.

  I passed groups of girls talking about clothing and left the girl’s wing to move through the lazier crowds of students that lined the halls walking, or stopped talking, to go to the class next to Mr. Sheplar’s. As I passed the doors I glanced in to find a group of student’s practicing climbing the wall.

  Keten had said he would have spent today with me in there, but he knew people always reserved it before the first test of the year.

  Coming to the next door, my insides compressed and felt slightly sick. I stopped in front of the door, where Zac’s fencing class was held, to look in. I found the room had an open section just out of view that was raised and had no walls around it. Though stadium seating was set all around the room. I walked in and internally prayed Alissa found a bench at the lower levels as the scaffolding made me feel weary.

  “QUIL!” A voice called as the room buzzed and it seemed I was late as everyone else was already seated.

  It was a smaller crowd than I would have expected.

  Turning to the right, I started for Alissa as she waved from a first-row metal seat. I passed students and heard conversations about who each person thought would win. I was impressed to hear almost everyone spoke highly of Zac.

  Nearly sliding off the bench as I sat down too quickly, Alissa grabbed for my bag, and we slid partially off before we both sat up trying to act like nothing had happened.

  Before either of us could speak, a fit of giggles rose and we desperately tried to quiet down as students glanced at us and an announcer of the fencing match stepped onto the platform.

  “So how was last night with Keten?” Alissa asked when we both had come back from giggling.

  Straightening my back I looked to her.

  “It was nice and he helped me figure out what happened.” I said, suddenly feeling the slight ache in my chest.

  Alissa tilted her head,

  “So what happened?” She asked looking to me.

  “Keten and I am sure that I’m afraid of heights.” I said, putting a hand to the back of my head as I kept my voice low.

  “Afraid of heights?” Alissa called.

  I nearly jumped to cover her lips as suddenly I realized I saw Jacob and Lucy sitting on the top row of one of the stands directly across from us.

  My eyes widened as I saw them. Alissa fallowed my gaze and a scowl crossed her lips as the announcer motioned and spoke of the two competitors, one of which was Zac.

  “Competing against Clive Welce is Zac Lepton!” The announcer said as Zac nodded holding his fencing mask and his saber to the ground while his padded suit made him look beefy.

  Alissa stood and clapped and I followed her lead and yelled to him as he looked to us and winked with a confident smile.

  “We’ll talk later.” I said through the side of my mouth to Alissa and she nodded as the announcer jumped off the stage while Zac and his opponent Clive got into position.

  The rest of the hour we watched as Zac parried and met with clattering metal to metal of his opponent’s blade, all while they swayed and seemed to almost prance as they took each thrust or parry.

  My heart throbbed as I watched them move. The idea of running and prancing came to mind and it felt nearly an eternity since I had run as a SkyJump beast.

  Pushing away those thoughts was not as hard as I thought they would be as I saw Lucy glare my way and Jack’s eyes hide under his brow as he snarled over at me.

  They were two people I desperately did not want to have around at any cost. My nose still hurt from his punch after all this time as if my mind and my feelings about them were beyond avoidance.

  By the time the match reached its peak. Zac had Clive on the edge and with one thrust Clive tried to make a move to hit Zac. He went over the edge and with a jumping cheer Zac had won the first of the competitions to a boy he had said was quite skilled and did intimidate him.

  Once the cheering hushed, Zac was given a medallion that looked to be of the school’s crest with a sword under the hands holding the world.

  Rushing up to him as the students dispersed Zac shook hands with Clive and both joked about the next time they fought.

  “Great job, Zac.” Alissa said and nodded to him.

  “Yeah, you sure are good with a sword.” I added, wishing I had something classier to say.

  Zac smiled and nodded to us.

  “Why thank you, but I don’t see a pack of girls after me yet.” He said with a cheesy smile and with that, Alissa punched him in the leg.

  I tried to hide my smile as laughter bubbled in my throat as Zac jumped away from Alissa, he too laughed lightly.

  “Come on, let’s go get some lunch.” Alissa said nodding to him.

  Leaving the fencing room, I realized that Lucy and Jack had nearly seemed to vanish. A slight fear held that I hated not knowing where they were...

  Grabbing a choice between hotdogs and burgers we headed to our table with Alissa and I both having hotdogs and Zac had a few of each and two bags of chips.

  “Honestly, are you a pig?” Alissa asked him with a disgusted frown.

  Zac smiled,

  “I think I am,” he said and without another word started oinking like a pig as he ate.

  Alissa looked to me as he continued though he stopped as his food was in more need of the room in his mouth then his oinks.

  “So, you’re afraid of heights?” Alissa asked skeptically.

  I nodded and took a bite of my hotdog with relish. It was good my mind was not in my eating as it would have tasted bland and cold.

  “Yeah.” I said simply and Zac tilted his head.

  “But you Skyjump?” He voiced with a tilt of his brow.

  I explained our idea about my fall being the cause and both seemed to nod in agreement as we ate.

  “What are yo
u going to do? The test is next week and the coming week is all fight training until then.” Alissa said with her brows knitting together.

  Shrugging, I thought about my hammock in my room. I only hoped it would help, but I had no idea if it would actually help me get over my fear.

  “I guess I go places that are high up and hope I get a day to train before the test?” I said and shrugged.

  We all talked about ideas, but no matter what, Zac’s idea to make me sleep walk through the test was about the best we all came up with.

  That night, we played Left of Ladder in the game room and it helped ease my mind from the challenge I now faced. As we played, Alissa nearly jumped out of her seat grabbing for her bag unexpectedly and both Zac and I looked to her worried.

  “What’s the matter?” We asked her.

  She pulled a letter from her bag and turned to me with a roll of her eyes as she spoke,

  “I just remembered I got this letter from my family and this one is for you from Clara.” Alissa said, handing me the pink letter with a paw stamp on the outside.

  “That’s what you startle us for?!” Zac asked blinking at her.

  Alissa glared at him,

  “What? I just forgot, ok.” She said and sat down with a humph.

  I had wanted to open the letter there but decided I would wait until I got back to my room. It was very late when I finally arrived in the ever-shrinking room as what now looked like a cocoon hung above.

  I decided that was a good name for it. If I was to become a butterfly and ace my test I first had to expect my cocoon to transform me.

  Removing my bag, I sat down at my desk and brought Clara’s letter before me. Opening the seal, I realized I did enjoy getting mail as a thrill of holding a letter in my hands made me realize how cramped I was starting to feel in one place that never moved.