The Vampire Secret (Vol.1 Book 1)

The Vampire Secret-Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After a thirty minute lesson on how to safely use the zip line hooks, we were finally ready to actually ride one. I was relived; their attitudes toward everyone finally let me decide to trust them and I finally got to ride a zip line! Now that I was sure I wasn’t going to have a nervous wreck, I knew today was going to be awesome. 

Let’s just hope it stays that way. Not like it will. The thought flew into my head as I followed the crowd to my-first-good-thing-that-happened-ever-since-the-beginning-of-this-stupid-thing. I rolled my eyes and kept going. I was having second thoughts again, that’s all. I always have those annoying things. The worst thing about them is that sometimes they’re right.

I felt like I was in the middle of a pep rally the way everyone was acting. The excited atmosphere washed away all of the doubt I was feeling a moment before and made me feel like I was back home. Some of the really excited people were doing cartwheels and letting out excited squeals. Of course, I would never do that in public but in the inside I was doing the same. 

It seemed like a millennia before I saw a huge tree towering over me with ladders and wooden platforms attached to it. I could just barely see the actual zip line and couldn’t see where it leads to. All I knew was that it was higher than most of the trees-the rest would envelope you in a curtain of green. I could almost feel the wind fly past me as I looked into the distance. Or was that actually the wind? This is going to be awesome.

You’ll regret saying that. The voice threw itself into my head, making me dizzy. It didn’t exactly sound like a conscience at all. In fact, it sounded more like someone was talking to me. Making sure I looked like I was glancing up at the trees, I looked around to see if anyone was looked suspicious. 

My gaze ended up falling on Minda, the only one that truly creeps me out. Of course it would be her. Alexandria, the one who’s part of all of this. The one my life revolves around. I know it’s her who’s talking to me; who else could’ve done it? At least, that’s what I hope.

“Alright you guys, it’s time to give this a whirl,” Zareb yelled. He didn’t use a bullhorn; his voice was loud enough. Even though all the noise coming from over six-hundred people, his voice was victorious. The screams of excitement didn’t even compare to his booming voice. 

We were all told to climb up the latters until we reached the top platform in one straight line. We had to grab our gear on the way up. Then Francisco would strap us on and push us on our way to “being as free as a bird.” When we get to the end, Anita would take our hooks and we would climb down. All the other guides would make sure everything was happening safely. At least people seemed to follow that rule. I could tell what was going through their minds: I must do this! No matter what! 

I was somewhere close to the front; about twenty other kids were ahead of me. Surprisingly, I didn’t exactly care. “Minda” was on my mind. What was it that Antonio said about her? What was she doing here and how did she get here in the first place? Well, why and how is Alexandria here? And what was that shadowy thing I saw on her? Wait, on or underneath? Ugh!

I snapped out of it just when Logan was getting strapped on. You could tell he was totally pumped by the way he was moving; trying to push Francisco away so he could do some weird daredevil trick he was probably planning. His grey eyes showed pure determination-I could tell that even by looking at the back of his head. For a moment, I could actually see him living out his dream as the world’s best daredevil. Then it happened. 

Logan eventually pulled free of Francisco’s grasp, but not before he put it on right. As soon as he ran off the wooden platform he was falling sixty-five feet to his death. I knew people were screaming, yelling, even crying for him but all I could hear was the blood pumping in my ears. I could feel the air rushing by his tall and built body, his heart racing a mile a minute, and the struggle to get a breath in.