Together We Fall

Chapter 72

Chapter Seventy Two

I don't give him a chance to reply as I jump out of his grasp and take off running out of the room and down the hill. He's faster than me by a thousand so I know at any moment he'll be passing me.

"You little cheater," he laughs from behind me and I know he's going slow just to enjoy the chase.

I giggle and quicken my pace, sprinting down the hill.

Just as we're about to reach the bottom, he allows himself to catch me. His arms band around my stomach and he pulls me to him, "I win."

I laugh and shove him off of me. He lets me go and watches as I near the rope. I find a big stick leaning up against the tree and realize they must use it to get the rope in their hands.

He watches me with amusement evident on his face as I try and bring the rope closer but the dang stick isn't long enough.

"We need to find a longer stick," I tell him, words strained against my stretching.

He strides over to me, taking the stick and grabbing the rope easily, "Not a longer stick, just longer arms."

Huh. Well alright then. Whatever gets me swinging through the air faster!

I grip the rope, walking backwards with it until I'm satisfied with the distance and height of the hill. Then, in one swift motion I leap into the air, tackling the rope with my thighs and resting on the knot.

It begins falling back down, I keep my legs flat in front of me to avoid hitting them on the grass. And then the grass is gone and I'm soaring over the lake. It's so much prettier from the sky. The birds seem louder and the breeze is harder. I feel like I'm flying.

Then it's time for me to let go.

I drop the rope and loosen the grip on my legs. The fall is quick but I keep my body tight until I hit the water.

I resurface to see Trace looking at me with astonishment.

"Come on! You try it!" I shout happily.

He cocks his head to the side, "Me," points to himself, "jump in there," at the lake, "with that?" points at the rope still swinging through the air. "No way."

The ground is at least five feet above the lake but once you're on the swing you're looking at over ten feet. It's not a high jump, just exhilarating.

"Fine, if you don't want to have the experience of a lifetime then don't do it."

My Trace, such a baby when it comes to pain, heights, lambs, or bugs. But let fire or a cliff or a spider try and mess with the people he cares about and he'd get over his fear in an instant.

He nods, not taking the bait, "I won't."

Well, that didn't work.

He rushes towards the middle of the hill, stops and turns to face me. He winks once before taking off in a full sprint down the hill and towards the water. He jumps from the edge, transforming his body into a ball as it nears the water.

Giant waves push against my face from his splash and I laugh. A few seconds later, he's above water.

"What's your biggest fear?" he asks me randomly and I pause for a moment to comprehend his question.

What's your biggest fear? That's easy. But I'd never make the answer to it easy, that'd end the conversation too fast. I can talk to Trace all day.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I tease, floating on my back.

He nods, "I would. You know that I'm afraid of heights, but you've never mentioned to me something your scared of."