Transcendent

by Lisa Beeson

  “Show her the roof,” Leo said from the couch.

  Cam’s eyes lit up. “Aww yeah, the roof! Come with me, Pipes, you’ll love this.” He went over to one of the windows by his bed that led out to the fire escape. She climbed out after him and got up onto the roof. It was a large flat space enclosed by a waist high parapet, filled with old lawn furniture, fold out chairs, and card tables. They had rigged up strings of Christmas lights and garden lamps all around for when it got dark. “Sometimes, we have small parties up here, but nothing too crazy or Hawk will kick us out. He’s pretty strict about that kind of stuff. He lives in that apartment building over there…,” he pointed to a tall building about a block away. “He lives about half way up in the apartment that faces the shop. It has a perfect view of the rooftop, so he spies on us sometimes.” Still looking towards the apartment, he smiled. “Oh look, Lucy’s coloring by the window. She is the cutest three-year-old ever. She has one of those little kid lisps where their R’s sound like W’s. Hawk’s wife, Marissa, brings her by the store sometimes, but don’t say anything about the Aviary, okay. Marissa would pitch a fit if she knew Hawk was letting minors live upstairs, especially one as young as you.”

  Ari nodded and pretended to zip her lips. She walked over to where Cam was standing and tried to see Lucy at the window, but it was too far for her to see. “Wow, you can really see her coloring?” she asked in amazement.

  “Yup. And if you amped me, I’d be able to see right through the wall as well.”

  Ari was almost tempted to try and do it, just to see if she could learn to see like him. But she hadn’t figured out how to amp on purpose yet, so that experiment would just have to wait for now. She walked around to look at the view. They had a really great panoramic of the city.

  “Wait till you see it around sunset, the view is magnificent,” Cam promised.

  Chapter 20

  The next day, while she waited for her mask to be ready, Ari decided to clean up the apartment. She was kind of scared to find out where the mystery smell was coming from, but it needed to be dealt with. And she wasn’t going to step another foot inside that bathroom until it was sprayed down with bleach and scoured from top to bottom.

  Borrowing a vacuum and some cleaning supplies from down stairs, she got down to work. She opened all the windows to air the place out. And while moving the furniture around so that it had a comprehensive floor plan, she narrowed the mystery smell down to a moldy ham & cheese sandwich that had been shoved under the red 1950’s couch. She had to put on rubber gloves to clean the bathroom, it was so gross. She scrubbed through about three layers of dirt and grime to get to the tile and porcelain underneath.

  Boys are such disgusting creatures.

  It took her almost all day, but the place was finally clean and suitable for habitation. Cam had been working in the store all day, and Leo had been off working on her mask. So, when they came upstairs before dinner, they opened the door and stood there, stunned. Cam took a big whiff. “What’s that smell?”

  Ari flopped down, exhausted, onto the mustard-yellow 1970’s couch and flung an arm over her eyes. “Cleanliness, Cam. That smell is cleanliness. I know it’s a foreign concept for you guys, but trust me, it’s a good thing.”

  Leo plopped down on the couch facing the T.V. and turned on the gaming system. “I like it. I say we keep her.”

  Ari sat up. “Hey, this isn’t going to be some Cinderella situation going on here. You two need to help out too.”

  “Yeah, yeah…sure thing, Pipes,” Cam mumbled on his way to the bathroom. He opened the door and gasped. “Did you redo the bathroom? I like the white tile.”

  Ari flopped back on the couch and sighed. “They’ve always been white, Cam. They’re just clean now, and we’re going to keep them that way!” she warned.

  The next day, Ari’s mask was ready. Leo handed it to her and told her how to put it on. Following his instructions, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was a half-mask that only covered the top portion of her face. No one would be able to see her eyes, because they had mirrored lenses like her sunglasses. There was a small camera lens in the middle of her forehead, but she barely noticed it because the mask was so beautifully painted. Overall, it was a blackish hue, but when she turned her head back and forth, the light caught hints of purple, blue, and green threaded through it.

  Leo came up behind her. “It was Cam’s idea to make you a starling. He said that they are song birds, and their feathers have an iridescent shine, kind of like your hair.”

  “It’s beautiful, Leo. Thank you,” she said, marveling at the gorgeous mask in the mirror.

  Leo smiled self-consciously. “No problem, it’ll be nice to have new blood in The Flock.”

  “What kind of bird is your mask?”

  “Cam wanted me to be a peacock, but I chose the peregrine falcon. They’re known for their speed, and out of the original five, I was the fastest so…,” he shrugged his shoulders and left it at that.

  Ari took off her mask and ruffled her hair. “Who are the other people in The Flock?”

  They went back to the couches and sat down. “Well, there’s Tank, you know him. Because of his mohawk, his mask is a red-crested woodpecker. And uh…well…he’s a self-professed ladies’ man, to put it politely.”

  Ari couldn’t help herself, she had to laugh.

  Leo chuckled. “…exactly. Anyway, then there’s Ozzy. He’s the oldest of the group. His mask is an osprey. And Tally, the guy you replaced, his mask was an owl.”

  “What about Cam? What’s his bird?”

  “He’s a bald eagle.”

  Ari giggled to herself. Well, that explains ‘Eagle Eye Cam’. What a goof.

  That afternoon, Hawk called The Flock into his office. Tank and Ozzy were already there when Cam, Ari, and Leo filed in. Hawk was sitting behind his desk, as usual, and when they were all settled, he began the meeting. “Alright, as everyone knows by now, Tally’s gone, and his spot has been filled by…” He looked at Ari, not sure what to call her.

  “…Pipes,” Cam called out the same time as she said, “Ari.”

  She glared at Cam. “It’s Ari. You all can call me Ari.”

  “Okay, Tally’s spot has been filled by Ari. Now, Oz…,” he said turning towards Ozzy who was sitting in the corner, “…I think you’re the only one who hasn’t seen or heard about her running the gauntlet, but believe me, she’s the real deal.”

  Ozzy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, brandishing the tattoos on his forearms and biceps. He didn’t have as many as Tank, but they were well done and eye-catching. Leo had said that Ozzy was the oldest in the group, but he still only looked to be in his early twenties. His dark, curly hair reached down to the nape of his neck, and his eyes were the same dark brown. They stood out against his fair skin as he looked Ari over. “Tally was the real deal, Hawk. This is just a little girl. There’s no possible way she is even in the same league as him.”

  Cam had been casually leaning back and balancing on the two rear legs of his chair, but when Ozzy finished talking, he slammed down all four legs onto the floor and faced him. “We all know that you and Tal were BFF’s, Oz. But he’s gone off to greener pastures.” He put a friendly arm around Ari’s shoulders. “This ‘little girl’ was able to run the gauntlet in two minutes flat. She beat Leo, who’s had the fastest time so far, by six seconds. So before you go spewing your negativity all over the place, how about you just trust that Hawk knows what he’s talking about and shut your mouth.”

  Ari appreciated Cam sticking up for her, but his well-intentioned speech wasn’t going to make Ozzy warm up to her anytime soon. Besides, she agreed with Ozzy. Maybe she wasn’t in the same league as the infamous Tally. What if the gauntlet was just a fluke? Was she just kidding herself thinking that she could do something like this?

  Tank shifted in his seat and glanced over at Ozzy. “I saw her in action, man. She’s good. Like freakishly good.”

  “Whatever…,” Ozzy
sulked, motioning for Hawk to continue.

  With the drama over, Cam resumed his previous relaxed position, and continued his air of laid back affability.

  Hawk cleared his throat and pressed on. “Right, well, it’s almost been three weeks since the last video, so I figured this afternoon would be as good a time as any for Ari’s debut.” He paused and pushed back from his desk to fish out a shirt from one of his drawers, and tossed it over to Ari. She caught it and held it up in front of her. It was violet with the store’s logo on it in gold.

  “Sarah said it was your size, so it should fit,” Hawk said, rubbing at his beard.

  “Cool, thanks,” Ari said smiling. She felt like she was an official member of a cool secret club now.

  “Okay, get to it,” Hawk said, bringing the meeting to a close. “Oz, I want the video up by Friday.”

  Ozzy nodded, then stood up and faced the rest of the group. “Alright guys, live at four on the rooftop.”

  The guys all nodded, so Ari nodded as well, not fully knowing what they were all nodding about. They all stood up, and Ari followed Cam and Leo back upstairs. When they were back up in the apartment, Ari held up her shirt to get another look at it. “So what’s going on exactly?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

  Cam was scrounging through the fridge, looking for something to snack on. He grabbed a carton of leftover Chinese food and then sat down on the 1970’s couch. “We have about an hour to suit up and get ready before we all meet up on the rooftop for show time.”

  Ari sat down on the other end of the couch. “So how does it all work?”

  He swallowed a mouthful of noodles. “We all have cameras on our masks, which gives the viewer different angles of all the crazy stunts we do. Afterwards, Oz gathers up the memory cards from our cameras and looks over all the footage. Then, he picks out the best shots and edits them together, putting it all to kick-ass music. He can be an asshat sometimes, but he’s a genius when it comes to that stuff. And he’s cool about giving everyone equal screen time.”

  Leo came out of the bathroom wearing his logo shirt, which was green with the logo in orange. He walked over to the fridge and got out an energy drink. He popped the can open and leaned against the counter as he drank.

  Ari nervously fiddled with her fingers. “I guess it’s a little late to tell you guys I’m horribly awkward in front of the camera. I never know what to do with my hands…or my face…or my body in general.”

  Cam laughed. “You’ll be fine, Pipes. Once the mask is on, you’ll feel like a whole other person. And after awhile, you’ll forget all about the cameras and just have fun.”

  “It’s true,” said Leo. “I was no good in front of cameras at first, but I got over it. And Ozzy knows how to make everyone look good.”

  Ari wasn’t so sure, but she’d try to make the best of it anyway. Cam was right, with the mask on, no one would know it was her so it wouldn’t be quite so embarrassing. She went into her alcove, closed the mismatched shower curtains, and changed into her Flock gear.

  Around four o’clock, Tank came up and walked into the apartment without knocking. “Hey losers, you ready? Wait…” he stood there, looking around and smelling the room. “…the usual funk is gone.”

  Cam and Leo both pointed to Ari. She shrugged. “It was gross, so I cleaned up.”

  “Glad someone did. I might start crashing here again,” he said, sauntering around the apartment. Tank’s shirt was red with the logo in white. The sleeves were cut off to make it a muscle shirt, and now Ari knew why he was called Tank. Not only was he built like one, but he had a tattoo of one on his left shoulder. She wondered if it was some sort of chicken and the egg scenario. Which came first: the name or the tattoo? But, before she could ask, Ozzy swept into the apartment and said it was time to go up to the roof. So, Cam, Leo, and Ari got their masks and followed them up to the rooftop.

  Leo put his mask on first and then helped Ari put on hers, adjusting the straps so that the mask would be tight enough to stay stable on her face. Looking around at everyone else, she noticed that everyone’s shirts were a different color. Ozzy’s was black with a yellow logo, and Cam’s was blue with a scarlet logo. She guessed so it would be easier for people to tell them apart with the color variations. She also saw that everyone’s masks were just as beautifully painted as her own, and each mask had mirror tinted lenses in the eye holes. “What about your glasses, Leo? Will you be able to see?”

  “Yeah, my lenses are prescription so I’ll be fine,” he said, coming around in front of her to see how the mask looked on her. He nodded in approval and patted her on the shoulder.

  The guys were stretching and shaking out their muscles, so Ari did the same. Then, Ozzy cleared his throat. “Alright, since this is Ari’s first time, we’ll take an easier route. Cam, you do the intro. Ari…,” he looked over at her, “…you just follow along.”

  Ari nodded uncertainly.

  “Okay everyone, turn on your cameras,” Ozzy instructed.

  Cam showed Ari where the button on the inside of her mask was. Once she pushed it, Ozzy nodded at Cam.

  Cam punched Tank’s arm excitedly. “Tank, look at me.”

  Tank punched him back, looking him in the face. They were about the same height, so it was a direct shot.

  Cam held up his fingers and counted down to zero. “Hello out there ladies and gents, The Flock is back on the streets. Unfortunately, Mr. Owl has flown off to Hollywood to be a superstar stuntman. So keep an eye out for him in the next big Blockbuster,” he said in his best T.V. personality voice. “And speaking of stars, Mr. Owl’s replacement is our good friend, Ms. Starling…”

  Leo nudged Ari towards Cam as he put an arm around her shoulders to bring her into the shot. “…now, she’s just thirteen years old, but she’s a free running rock star. So you guys got no excuse. Get your lazy butts outta those chairs, and start free-running! As always, the best place to start is at P.K. Hawk’s Sports Store & Gym!” With the plug out of the way, Cam pushed Ari in front of him. “Say hello to the fans, Ms. Starling.”

  Ari had no idea what to say, so she just threw up a peace sign and said, “Yo.”

  Tank was able to hold the shot for about three seconds before he busted out laughing.

  Gah! I’m such a dork!

  Ozzy and Leo were laughing too, and when Tank was able to compose himself, he patted her on the shoulder. “Aw man, that was great.”

  Ari felt like shriveling up and dying of embarrassment right there on the rooftop. Cam gave her a one armed hug to comfort her. “That was fine, Pipes. I thought the peace sign was a nice touch. Now people will think you’re like a Japanese school girl or something. Some people are into that.”

  Ari warily looked up at him, but she could see that he wasn’t trying to make fun of her; he was just trying to make her feel better. So, she didn’t punch him, like she had originally wanted to do.

  Ozzy told everyone that it was time to get started. They all gathered over by the parapet on the right side of the building. Ozzy motioned her over beside him. “Alright Ari, here’s your chance to show me what you got.” There was another building about a foot or so shorter than the one they were on, and there was about a ten to fifteen foot gap between them. “Leo, you go first to show her how it’s done. Tank, you go second. I want different angles of her coming over.”

  Wait, what!? The first thing they’re going to make me do is jump off a building?

  Ari put on her poker face; she really didn’t want to freak out in front of Ozzy.

  “It’s real easy, Ari. Just watch how I do it,” Leo said, backing up so he’d have enough space for a running start.

  Ari moved out of the way and sat on the edge of the parapet so she could watch him land. Ozzy stood behind her while Cam and Tank moved back to give Leo room to jump.

  Leo stretched his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders. Then he sprinted forward, put one foot on the parapet and propelled himself across the gap. He tucked in his legs and e
xtended his arms back behind him, which made him look like a bird. He landed softly on his feet and somersaulted forward to absorb the impact. He stood up and brushed himself off. “See, nothing to it!” he called over.

  Tank backed up and ran forward, launching off the parapet into a sideways flip over the gap and onto the other building. Then Tank and Leo backed up to give Ari plenty of room to land.

  “Here’s your shot, Ari. Prove me wrong,” Ozzy said into her ear.

  Ari took a bracing breath and walked over to where Leo and Tank had started their running jump. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was pounding in her chest. But she’d be damned if she was going to show Ozzy how nervous she was. So, she stretched and rolled her shoulders to stall for time.

  “You can do this, Pipes. After the gauntlet, this is a piece of cake. Just land like I showed you,” Cam said encouragingly.

  Yeah, but the gauntlet was a course in a controlled environment. This is real life, with real life consequences.

  Ari focused like she had on the course, and just like before, mathematical equations marked the path in front of her, telling her what she needed to do to get across to the other building. Looking at the math, she saw that the boys were right; it wasn’t a big deal after all. In fact, if she just stood on top of the parapet and jumped forward, she would make it over just fine. But her logical mind and her primal sense of self-preservation were two entirely different things. So this would just have to be like the first day of dive team – she’d have to suck it up and take the first plunge.

  She locked onto the exact path she wanted to follow and sprinted forward, taking a flying leap off of the parapet. She twisted in the air and did an extended back flip towards the roof of the other building. Slightly bending her knees, she landed on the balls of her feet, just like Cam had taught her to. She stood up and they were all cheering for her, even Ozzy. He dipped the top of his head to concede her victory. He had been wrong.

  With the ability to see the physics of every move she needed to make, paired with her natural athleticism, she was a natural for parkour. All those years of holding herself back were over. She ran, did stunts, vaults, and climbed with everything she had. It truly did feel like The Flock was soaring around the city – nothing could touch them. Ari was finally able to let go, and it was wonderful.