A.N.: Hi! This is my very first delve into Cyberchase writing, so I hope that you like it! I practically live off of your reviews, and I can't wait to get to know this fandom a little better! I don't own Cyberchase or "Electricity" from Billy Elliot, though.
She was going to do it. She was going to get rid of this fear of heights for good. Inez was ready to conquer her lifelong fear in the safest way possible: the camp ropes course.
She and Matt were at Camp Flynn this week having some fun out in Mother Nature. Jackie would have been there, too if it wasn't for her grandmother's eightieth surprise birthday party (Inez thought that unwise, but what the heck.) So it was just her, Matt, and about a hundred other people around their age, not even counting counselors.
She smiled as she looked up the course to where Matt was going across a tightrope.
"Way to go, Matt!" she cheered right before being harnessed in.
It's okay. You're only going up the ladder. Nothing is going to hurt you, and if you're scared, just get down. You're doing this because this may be the one time you'll be around heights and not have to worry about all of Cyberspace. Just climb the ladder.
She began humming to herself. Nothing terrifying had happened yet! In fact, the ladder was quite stable compared to the one her dad had at home. This was almost easy! She vaguely wondered how Matt was doing, only to be at the platform and see him giving her thumbs-up across a terrifying obstacle.
There were five small, thin, wooden platforms. Each one was about a foot long and ten feet wide. Two ropes on each end of the platform suspended them, and each was about three feet away from the next.
"Alright, Inez, you're all strapped in. You can go whenever you're ready," the counselor said cheerfully. Inez nodded and looked up at her support system.
It'll be fine. That woman said that these clips could hold five thousand pounds. You only weigh ninety-one. I doubt you'll break them. Come on, just do it.
With her right hand, she grabbed hold of the nearest rope. Once she was sure she couldn't hold on any tighter, she took her right foot of the sturdy area in between obstacles and onto the tiny piece of wood. She didn't even remember her other foot or hand moving, but the next thing she knew, she was completely on the rocking platform, holding on with both hands like her life depended on it.
"You can do it, Nezzie!" came the loud, enthusiastic voice of Matt.
"Don't call me Nezzie!" she snapped, not even thinking about it.
She was terrified. Honestly, this scared her more than the majority of the times they'd faced Hacker. She smiled a little, imagining his response of "That THE Hacker to you!"
She unwillingly let go of the rope she was grasping so tightly only to grab the next one. With her eyes squeezed firmly shut, she groped around with her right foot until it found a place right by the rope. Her eyes were forced open as she was dragged in two opposing directions. Her glasses were askew, but she didn't dare remove a hand to fix them just yet. She determinedly put her left hand onto the left rope and took a leap of faith.
It's okay. You're okay. It's okay. You're okay.
"Come on, Inez!" Matt cheered. She was momentarily surprised that he was still there, but then remembered that he was waiting for her to be done in order to get across.
"You're doing great, Inez," he said with total sincerity, "Just keep going."
So she did it all again. She was starting to be accustomed to the adrenaline. It felt almost like one of their missions.
Create a scenario. Role-play it if you have to. Just get across to Matt.
Okay, we're on… R-Fair City chasing Hacker on an old roller coaster that has boards missing and isn't very stable. He stole Motherboard's… checkerboard, I don't know. But anyways, he's got his whatever with Buzz and Delete, who aren't too far away. Jackie and Digit are chasing after them, while Matt waits for me.
This seemed like a very possible scenario in her head, so she stuck with it. She grabbed the next rope, but accidentally looked down. How high up was she; thirty, forty, fifty feet? She felt the nervous excitement of a moment before transform into a "holy crap, what do I do now" feeling. Her vision was blurring, and she could feel the warmth of oncoming tears.
"INEZ!" Matt yelled across the twenty or so feet that separated them.
"You're doing great. Just get across. There's a ladder over here, too," he told her.
Just get over to Matt. Then you can get off and calm the heck down! Seriously, imagine if Motherboard saw you like this. She'd be so disappointed in you.
She looked directly at Matt. He was watching her patiently, waiting for her. His eyes were filled with understanding. She smiled and jumped onto the third platform. That was a bad idea. She was moving a lot more than intended, and it was seriously freaking her out.
Deep breathes. Deep breathes. Come on, keep breathing, Inez. It's not that bad. Just get your left foot off of there, and you'll be fine.
In a few seconds, her shoulder hurt, but she was on the third one. So close, too far away. She was almost there. Her palms were sweating, her head was pounding, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get down from there as quickly as possible.
Think about music. What was that song Abuela was singing on the drive here? Something about heart, right? Maybe the song was called heart. She wasn't sure. Okay, a song you actually know.
"I can't really explain it. I haven't got the words," she began singing, "It's a feeling that you can't control."
She grabbed onto the fourth rope.
"I suppose it's like forgetting, losing who you are, and at the same time, something makes you whole."
She didn't care that she was singing to herself at this point. She was on the fourth platform! Only one more to go!
"It's like that there's a music playing in your ear. And I'm listening, and I'm listening and then I disappear."
When did I get off the fourth platform? Forget that, you're almost there!
It was shaky and unstable, but she was almost there.
"And then I feel a change like a fire deep inside. Something bursting me wide open, impossible to hide."
She had one foot on the ending platform. She needed something to grab onto, to support her while she regained her equilibrium. Without thought, she ended up selecting Matt's shoulder as a good place to hold onto.
"Just one more jump," he said. She nodded.
"And suddenly, I'm flying, flying like a bird. Like electricity, electricity sparks inside of me, and I'm free."
She was done. It was over. She'd made it across, and the tears began to fall. Matt pulled her into a gentle hug, hiding her tears from the rest of the camp.
"You did great, Nezzie," he whispered. The hand on her temple began to make soothing circles. If there was one thing he knew, it was how to calm her down.
It was only two hours later that, exhausted, Inez decided to take a nap after lunch. It wasn't unusual, and she was beyond tired. As she plopped onto the bed face down, she hit her head on her stuffed purple dinosaur. She smiled at the thought.
"I'm free," she whispered as she drifted off into sleep.