Scrutinizing his tense brow and tight expression, I softened mine. “Will you be okay?”
“Of course, Maiden. Now, go on. It’s time to begin.”
Unease built in my gut, but I couldn’t push for answers with the rest of the parents watching us.
I stared up from below, awed by the height, and grew more nervous when Izzy’s panicked face appeared a few levels up. The structure was tall and had to be sturdy enough to hold our weight, but it was rickety at best. Beams of wood swayed within the support structure built around them.
As Izzy worked her way to the top, the bell sounded in the distance.
Morgan had finished the course.
I smiled as she walked over to the crowd and her parents. Her mom’s matching red hair stood out from a distance as she wrapped her in a hug.
Refocusing, I entered the space beside Landon and climbed a set of creaking wooden steps to the first level. Wood wrapped around a center beam to create a path, narrow but easy for me to work my way around. With one hand on the center beam, I took careful steps as I made the first loop.
The slight incline eventually led to a second landing, and the only way to the next loop up was a series of ropes and wood slats set at the level of my feet.
Grabbing the first rope, I pulled it toward me and stepped on the wood slat. I kept my grip tight on the rope as I took a breath and left the safety of the landing.
The rope swayed, and I got close enough to the second rope but needed to adjust my grip to grab it. Using my weight to swing my body forward, I moved through the six ropes and slats until I made it to the other side.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I was safely on the landing.
When I glanced down at Landon, Vivian and Angela entered the course.
Landon waited until they made their way to the first landing before finding me. He forced a smile, and I tried not to worry as he walked over to meet his father.
Refocusing on the path in front of me, I began the second winding loop up to the third landing.
The higher I climbed, the more the wind rocked the structure. I held onto the beam the path wrapped around whenever it swayed before continuing on, and I panicked when I came face-to-face with Izzy in the middle.
“Oh, shoot. Hi, Quinn.” She panted for breath as she hugged the center beam with me. “I should’ve waited until you reached the landing. I didn’t see you.”
The plank beneath our feet wasn’t wide enough to walk around each other without risking a fall. Not at the same time. Quickly assessing the options, she either had to walk back to the landing, or one of us could hug the beam and the other could go around.
When I said as much to Izzy, she paled. The beam swayed, and she closed her eyes as sweat dripped down her temple. “I don’t know if I can go back.”
“Just hold onto the beam as close as you can, alright?”
She nodded tightly and squeezed her eyes shut as she gripped the beam.
I refused to look down. Plastering my front to her back, I inched my way around her as slowly and carefully as I could, hugging her and holding on when the beam swayed.
“Oh god, we’re going to die,” she moaned.
Once I was safely around her, I laughed. “You’re good to go, Izzy. Be careful.”
She peeked one emerald green eye open, saw me on her other side, and exhaled. “You too. Watch your step at the top.”
With a wink, she took a deep breath and continued back down. I headed for the third landing, where a rope bridge led to the next. I caught my breath as I walked across.
Slowly but surely, I made my way to the top.
And because I was a monumental idiot, I looked down.
My eyes widened, and I latched onto the closet beam as terror, and bile, rose in my throat. Nausea pitched my stomach into roils that forced a dry heave.
I hadn’t been scared of heights before, but I’d also never climbed a free-standing structure without a harness or safety rope, so here I was.
