Unfair, but at least I won’t slam into the hard ground here.
Their grid is huge, and there’s no doubt I’ll break my neck if I fall from the top.
I run around the arena until my lungs are burning and my muscles are trembling, then I jog through the entrance at the bottom and stop at the stand.
So many buttons. With a grin, I press them all.
Ropes drop, bouncing in front of the grid. The scaffolds screech as they swing into place.
Holy. Shit.
I gape at the seven scaffolds, all hanging precariously from chains, zigzagging across the dome. Not a single scaffold lines up with the other, and wrecking balls swing hazardously between each scaffold.
Ugh. This is going to be difficult.
Some are lower than others, whereas others are slightly higher.
Just like rooftops.
Then I spot a ladder that reminds me of the one I had to climb with Chance the night I met him. Rungs are missing, and I realize it’s the reason Chance knew what to do.
I jog toward the other entrance and up the pathway to get to the top, where I’ll jump onto the first scaffold.
My eyes dart over the obstacle ahead. The scaffolds will still knock into each other if the wrecking balls don’t get in the way. Either way, momentum is still going to be a problem.
Here goes nothing.
I sprint and leap into the air, stretching my arms wide. I soar for a second or two, and pulling my legs in, I land in a crouching position.
Yes!
This time there’s no long hair falling in my face.
The scaffold starts to swing, and I dart forward. I have to jump to the left to reach the next scaffold. I land too close to the edge and scramble to the middle. Moving into a crouching position, my fingers pressing into the metal platform, I take a deep breath of air.
The wrecking ball comes barreling past between the scaffolds.
If that thing hits me, it’s going to hurt like hell.
The next scaffold is to my right and lower. It’s an easy jump, but there’s no time to celebrate, because the next one is positioned higher.
I wait for the wrecking ball to swing past, then launch my body forward. I push off the platform with all my strength.
The few inches higher make a huge difference, and my shins slam into the edge. I manage to grab hold of the chain and pull myself up, dragging my lower body onto the scaffold just as the wrecking ball swings past.
That was too close for comfort. I have to do better.
As I move into a crouching position, a slow clap of hands sounds up from below.
Peeking over the side, I see my mother standing at the bottom. She’s dressed in a tight-fitting black shirt and pants, looking like a soldier.
“You have to do better than that,” she calls out as she walks up the pathway. “I’ll make you a deal.” She starts to jog toward the point where she can jump onto the first scaffold. “If I catch you, I can give you the beating I should’ve given you when you were little.”
“What?” I gasp.
I was a good child. She told me so.
“If I don’t, and you catch me, I’ll let you call me mom.”
Anger fills my chest like a destructive force. “You’re assuming I want to call you mother,” I spit the words at her.
Her mouth sets into a hard line, and as she speeds up, I focus my attention on the next scaffold, determined to catch her just so I can prove I’m better than her.
I jump from scaffold to scaffold until I reach the end, where I can use a rope to climb to the bottom. I push my body harder than I ever have as I run to the pathway and dart up it.
Reaching the top, I see her jumping to the fifth scaffold. My eyes dart to the wrecking balls, swinging between the platforms, and not thinking twice, I run for the last wrecking ball.
I don’t care if it’s cheating. I just want to catch her.
I launch myself off the pathway and stretch my body as far as possible. I hear my heart pounding in my ear.
One beat.
Two beats.
With my right hand, I manage to grab hold of the chain. Air rushes over my lips, then the rest of my body slams against the top of the ball.
Jesus.
Don’t let go.
You can do this.
I tighten my grip on the chain and pull myself up to stand on the steel ball.
My mother stops as the ball swings toward the platform she’s on, then a grin spreads over her face, and I watch as she braces herself.
I jump, and a second later, my body slams into hers. The momentum takes us over the edge, and we fall to the net below.
Her arms lock around me, and she rolls us off the net, then we’re dropping to the ground. My back takes the full brunt of the fall, and I groan from the ache shuddering through my body.