BLUE BLOOD

12 | i didn't know you had a sister

I mean, who the fuck jumps off a plane in the middle of the night? For a game?

It was also the reason why as soon as I heard people coming, my hands grabbed for the parachutes stored in the cabinets I had felt in the dark. It was lucky that I did, otherwise we would be waiting like everyone else.

When it was quiet with only the sound of air whipping from the open exit door, we knew they had jumped. 

Avery's grasp on me loosened. Wordlessly, he let go of me and I felt the absence of his heat.

I peered out of the exit, seeing only the stars and two parachutes drifting down. Helen and Blake. Then, as the plane veered forward, I caught the site of grass and trees on other side of buildings and houses.

"We're really jumping then?" I asked, trying not to shout because it was so loud.

"You tell me," Avery started strapping a parachute around him. "Don't you like to win?"

"Not at the risk of my life," I gritted out, finding in irritating that I was putting on the parachute as well. I didn't need to ask him what to do. I've already done this before.

Avery gave me a look. "Lying isn't really your forte."

"Oh shut up," I snapped, swallowing as the cold air whipped around me. "You're such an asshole."

Avery's gear was ready. He turned to lift an eyebrow at me, assessing me. "I never claimed I wasn't one."

"You planned to leave me. You were going to jump without me," I said, my eyes locking with his silver ones. He didn't deny it, nor did he look away. "But something changed." Still no answer. So I took another guess. "Some of them secretly teamed up against you. Helen and Blake. Kalina and Mason. They were hoping I would be the reason you lost."

And I thought Mason was harmless, with no intentions.

I was starting to see that these people were more complicated than they let on.

"As I said before," Avery repeated, "we had an agreement. It wasn't personal."

Of course it wasn't.

Kalina warned me, didn't she? He would do anything to win. But of course, they all thought it would hurt my feelings.

"What?" I tilted my head at him. "Did you think I would cry? I don't give a damn that you would have left me."

"You aren't angry?" The amusement was clear in his words.

"My father once told me that when the axe came into the woods, many of the trees said, 'At least the handle is one of us.'" I shrugged. "I would have left you too."

"I know," Avery said, his sharp jawline tightening. Then, he gestured towards the opened exit of the plane, where we could see the stars and island. "After you."

I only gave him a hard smile. "You're lucky they were wrong about me. You would still be on this damn plane without me."

And then, I jumped.

My stomach dropped as the familiar feeling of falling took over. Everything tingled in a way that would have scared me if I didn't love it. I loved it so much. I was laughing. 

Avery dove past me, his parachute still not activated like mine. He smirked and saluted me as he fell past me, head first, ignoring the fact that he was dangerously approaching the ground. I could see his muscles tensing and straining.

Clearly, he had a death wish.

I didn't, so I activated my parachute at a dangerous, but safe distance, and watched as Avery precariously dove toward the trees. I thought he lost control until at the last moment possible, his parachute bloomed and then Avery was slowly falling to an open field.