Hades Ain't Got Nothing on Us

Ch. 13 - Leap of Faith

Against his protests to accepting another surprise gift, Rob found himself in Sephy's car somewhere in L.A. County. In his wonderings of the infinite possibilities, he had forgotten to track where they were heading. For the last thirty minutes, they were navigating through unmarked roads not suitable for automobile traffic. The sound of the waves made it obvious they were right on the shore, but when he looked straight ahead he saw only stars. No water.

Sephy pulled into a wooded clearing next to Anna's lone Range Rover.

"Anna's here?"

"Sure she is."

Sephy replied as if it was common knowledge.

Since her birthday party, Anna had been noticeably friendlier to Rob. On her orders, her dogs showered him in hugs and kisses each time he dropped by the house, so much that Rob took to keeping a change of clothes in his car. She no longer harassed him for details on his outings with Sephy, or tried to weasel her way in on their plans. She treated him like a member of her family, like an equal.

Anna's headlights blinked on, revealing a wooden platform with railings jutting straight into the night sky.

"She's a bungee operator, you know, trained in New Zealand."

"Bungee?" he repeated.

"We're commemorating the completion of your junior year with a hundred foot free fall!"

A rush of adrenaline boiled Rob's blood at this revelation. Heat radiated through his body and exploded at his brain stem. He imagined himself flying through the air, Eskimo-kissing the saltwater waves. His heart beat quickly now, but he wasn't sure if it was because of excitement or worry. It pushed through his back and against the car seat, thrusting him slightly forward with each palpitation.

Anna eagerly pulled Rob from the car.

"Is this your first bungee?"

"Can't you tell?"

Anna slid her hand to Rob's wrist. His pulse was unstoppable.

"It's mine too," Sephy said. "I thought it'd be one of the few experiences we could try for the first time together. Is it too much?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Anna answered. "Leo and I built the rig ourselves. Granted, our licenses expired in 1984, but we tested it this afternoon and the design is flawless. Did you want to go together or separately?"

Rob imagined himself panting like a dog in Sephy's face, his heart pushing against hers with the sort of force that was indicative of a coward.

"Separately," he blurted.

"Then let's get you harnessed."

Anna carefully prepared Rob for flight. Being so close to him, she could easily tell his nerves were increasing with every strap she strapped. She pretended to adjust the bands around his back to whisper in his ear.

"Are you all right? You seem nervous."

"I'm fine," he lied.

Anna steadied his twitching hand.

"It's the cold," he said dismissively.

With her chin down, she looked up at him doubtfully with her eyes rolled. If Anna didn't care about Rob's dignity, she would have exposed his denial and put the kibosh on the whole operation. Instead, she did what she could do quell his tremors.

She swept her hand over the sky, and as if she'd adjusted a dimmer switch, the moon doubled in luminescence.

In the unnaturally bright moonlight, Rob could see they spared no expense for his safety, and that eased him a bit. In addition to a thick band belted around his waist, there were thinner bands wrapped around his shoulders, which were all connected to a strange protrusion from his torso. Looking like an aerated umbilical cord, the bungee cord was bright red and wrinkled.