The Blame Game

Chapter Two

He then opens the gate and we scramble onto the ride. I can hear him as he begins addressing the next group, "Tickets please...." I stifle a small giggle.

I sit down between Victoria and Sierra, and Li is just on the other side of Sierra. "Hey Charity, are you okay?" she asks, concerned. Sometimes I think she is too observant.

"Um, yeah I'm fine. Just... brings back bad memories. You know, of Michael." I say. They all know what happened; after my parents died in a car crash, Michael went a little crazy in the head, started doing drugs and stuff. Then about six months after my parents died, he jumped off Seals Cliff and killed himself. That was a year ago.

" Oh, I totally forgot! We can get off if you want, I won't mind...much." Victoria says. Sierra hushes her quickly and wraps an arm around me.

"No it's okay." I say reassuringly. In truth, I want to be as far away from here as possible, but I don't want to disappoint my friends.

"Alright, but we won't go on anymore like this one afterwards. Right guys?" Sierra says, and the others all nod in agreement.

The ride begins slowly as the cage rises up the tall pole, swinging slightly in the wind. I close my eyes and hope it ends soon.

"Dudes, check it out. We're almost at the top." Brodie says, leaning forward and straining his head as far back as it can go to get a better look. I lean forward shakily too and look up. He's right; we're about five metres from the top. And that's when it drops.

Suddenly the entire cage starts falling rapidly, and I'm flung backwards into my seat. I scream in fear and clutch at someone's hand. The safety harness that I'm wearing starts digging into my legs, and I realise that I'm actually being pushed upwards by the force of motion. I open my eyes just a crack and see that the others are experiencing the same thing. Then it stops suddenly. And shoots back to the top again at high speed.

"Holy Sh-" Brodie says, but I don't hear the last part. He sounds like he's having the time of his life. Meanwhile I'm over here wishing it would end.

"Haha, this is totally wicked!" Victoria yells excitedly, and I barely hear her even though she is right beside me.

I'm actually surprised none of us have thrown up yet, considering the chips and drinks we just had.

There is a loud bang as the cage slams into the shield at the top of the pole and it stops. My ears are ringing from the noise, and I have to shake my head to clear it.

I remember this part. I used to watch it every time from the ground, wishing I could go on the ride. The first terror is the sudden fall. Then the second is the sudden rise. And then the whole thing stops at the top, and it's up there for ages. After while people start swinging their legs and trying to squirm out of their seats. And then it drops again.

The final drop isn't quite as bad as the first. Sure, it's unexpected, but at least I know it will stop at the bottom. I hope. I have always wondered what would happen if the brakes didn't work and the whole thing slammed into the earth like a giant brick. Undoubtedly everyone on the ride would die.

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"Guys, can we please never ever in a million years do that again? Ever?" I say, climbing shakily off the cursed ride.

Thankfully, we survived the final fall, but the feeling after getting off is much worse than I'd expected. My legs are all jelly, and I'm slightly lightheaded. I look around at the rest of the group but they all seem perfectly fine. Victoria is busy readjusting her hair after it got windblown on the ride.