It Starts With Him

09

 Picture: Rocco Forbes (One of the Outlaws)

My eyes widen as I notice them pointing at us, and my gasp audibly fills the thin air around us.

"Shit," Ace mutters under his breath. He immediately grabs me by the waist and moves me so I'm standing on the rung again instead of sitting on it. He moves stealthily as he swings himself through the rungs and grips onto a pole. And when I say pole, I mean a pole at least 60 feet tall. It's one of the things holding the whole Ferris Wheel up and steady.

"We have to slide down," Ace says hastily, his breath quick and movements sharp. My heart falls to my feet, but I nod. He's right. It's the only way to get down fast enough.  The guys have started moving towards us, and they'll be here soon if we don't hurry.

"You go after me," Ace says, his eyes trained on the ground below him. "Don't make your grip too tight, and don't look down. Don't rush, either. Just move carefully," he explains and I shush him. "Would you go down already?" I whisper - or maybe I yell - and he smiles despite our current circumstance.

He seems to listen to me, and he starts to inch down the pole. He goes about 10 feet, then catches himself. Then another 10 feet. Then another. I watch in anticipation until his feet hit the ground. He looks up at me and signals for me to come down.

I swallow and wipe my hands on my shirt. They're so clammy, it wouldn't shock me if I fell to my death in a mere second. 

Don't think like that, you idiot. 

I slip in between the rungs and despite my mind telling me not to, I glance over to look at the guys. They're getting closer, jogging now instead of walking. I take a deep breath and coil my fingers around the pole. I lace my legs around it and let myself drop a bit. Okay, so far so good. I drop another food and whimper.

"Devyn, hurry up!" Ace calls from below me, and I do exactly what he told me not to do. I look down to scowl at him but immediately feel my head rush with vertigo. The ground sways back in forth and I blink quickly trying to clear my vision. 

"Isn't that exactly what you told me not to do?" I counter, my teeth gritted and voice shaky. I take a deep breath and rest my head against the cool metal of the pole. Okay, I can do this easily. Just inch down as I did before-

My hands slip and I drop about 10 feet, which is 10 times more than I wanted to. I gasp and cling to it desperately. I frantically try to grasp the pole with my hands, but they're so slick with sweat that it's close to impossible. My grasp fails, and I feel myself plummet. My arms and legs are still wrapped around the pole, but I'm sailing down at nearly full speed. 

"Devyn, you idiot!"

Wind rushes past me, my hair flying in every direction possible, getting stuck in my eyes and mouth. My stomach feels as if it's stuck in my throat, and I clench my eyes shut. Oh my God. Oh my God.

After what feels like hours of falling to my imminent death, and basically accepting my fate, I land in a cushioned area; the only pain in my body is my teeth from grinding together. I don't let go of the pole - my limbs are coiled around it like an anaconda with its prey. 

"Devyn, let go," a voice says softly in my ear. My eyes fly open and I come to my senses. Ace caught me. He wouldn't have been able to do that if I was free-falling, so I find myself feeling grateful for the pole to help slow me down.

I slowly and shakily ungird myself from the metal rod and let myself fall into Ace's arms. My legs feel like jello and I am genuinely unsure if I'd be able to stand. "You're stupid, Devyn," Ace mumbles, but I can tell there's a smile in his voice. He sets me down, one hand still grasping my elbow, and I roll my eyes and balance myself.