Leap of faith

      With each step I take I become closer to the edge... of insanity. Who in their right mind would do what I am doing, who in their right mind would jump off of a 700 hundred foot cliff. I have no parachute, no wind suit, or bungee cord. I don't have a soft pillow to cushion me or an ocean to swallow me up. All I have are my thoughts. I take a step closer. Now my toes are hanging over the rocky ledge, I am bear foot. The autumn wind is chilling my feet. I take a step back, and then another and another. Before I know it I am running away from the edge only to find myself turning around and charging full speed towards the edge. My senses sharpen. The grass is cool and damp, I see each leaf fall and hit the ground with a soft tap. I hear  the leaves crunch beneath my toes. I feel the wind blowing in heavy circles around me trying to stop my decent. What I'm doing goes against nature. No teenage girl should do what I am doing unless she has a date with death. I'm back to the edge of the cliff, perhaps for the last time.

      I leap off the cliff  with every fiber of my being. I spread my arms and legs wide just like sky divers do. For the first 10 milliseconds I am completely fine. after 11 milliseconds I have lost all of my wits and hating everything about myself. I open my mouth to scream but the speed of my fall steals all of the air from my lungs. As I plunge down my stomach flies into my throat. I can hear my  heart pounding in my ears, It's exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I close my eyes as the inevitable happens. I hit the ground.

     There is nothing but darkness at first, slowly the light starts to filter through my closed eyelids. My eyes snap open. I don't believe it. I'm not dead. Or maybe I am I wonder, but then I'm reminded that my lungs are empty and take the deepest breath I have ever taken in my 15 years of life. Definitely not dead I reassure myself. I hear clapping as footsteps approach me. I roll over and sit up, starring into the face of the boy who just changed my life forever.

     "Nice work! I thought you were dead for a second there but you pulled through all right!" says the boy smirking.

     "How-," I say breathing deeply "did you know that would work?"

     He shrugs. "I had a feeling, I'm very intuitive."

     He reaches down and offers me a hand. I take it and stand up dusting myself off.

      I have so many questions now. "Why aren't I dead? how did I survive that? How did you know? Can you do that too? how long have you-"

     "Your special, " He says pointing at me. " I'm special." He says pointing to himself." My name is Beck and your name is ..." He waits for me to answer.

     "Kayla." I finally answer.

     "Good, Kayla come with me."  He says as he starts making his way back through the woods.

     "Go with you where?" I ask as I fall into step behind him.

     "To do that again of course." He says as he saunters on.

     " Jump?" I squeak. 

     "Yeah, your form was decent but you had a pitiful landing." He calls over his shoulder as he starts jogging ahead of me.

    "It was my first time!," I shout back. I'm getting irritated now.

     "Yeah and you looked about as graceful as a demented moose with the added agility of a sloth." At this he breaks into a full sprint.

     "Hey!" I chase after him.

     It's only a matter of seconds before I realize that he is running inhumanly fast. Soon he is completely out of sight even though the path stretches on straight for another half a mile. I stop running, I look around in a circle, there is no sign of life anywhere.

     "So when do we start your training?" He asks from behind me.

      "What are you?" I whisper.

     "You'll see soon enough ." he begins to laugh.  

      As he laughs he begins to disappear. All that's left of him now is a floating  hand. I bite back a scream as the hand lurches at me and seizes my wrist. I stand in awe as I slowly disappear too. Almost as if I was never there in the first place.