"Aim High"
Prologue
(March 20th, 2009)
A/N: Plain text – character 1. Bold – character 2. Italics – both characters.
Baby blue is all I see. I scan the vast span before me one last time, as I force myself to focus on what I'm about to do.
I stand on the platform, bend down and the smell of chlorine floods my nostrils as I contemplate my reflection on the static liquid. Blue is my favorite color!
This is what I was born for. It sets me free. It calms me down and unleashes a daredevil, from deep within me, all at once... A rush of adrenaline swamps my whole being and I work my magic...
I'm a statue. I don't move an inch. I still gaze at my changing mirrored image as it shapeshifts slightly. I'm still rooted but I can already taste lightness and liberation taking control of my body, just by thinking of how good it'll make me feel...
And I dive!I'm a… bird in the sky... fish under water! This is me enjoying the best feeling of all: freedom!
This is a daily routine at the start of my day: a good 40 laps - freestyle - in the heated water, with no one around, no interruptions… this is my 'alone time'. I stop, pull myself up and sit by the edge of the pool 'til my heart rate slows down; this is pretty much a 'to-do' before removing the straps of my Speedo swimming suit, as I make my way to the showers.
Rolls, spins, loops, lines, hammerheads - I do them all with my eyes closed, so to speak - piece of cake, no biggy - but nose diving is what really does the kick for me! It's a thrill everytime...and I keep my eyes opened… this is when my heart skips a beat! I do it once, then again… and again… 45 minutes go by and it's 'meditation' enough for me; besides, being low on fuel, that is... So I level back my Stearman PT-17 Biplane before starting a smooth descent.
The lights go off. There's nothing to worry about… The generator will power up in a couple minutes.
I'm less than 100 feet from touchdown. I steady the plane aligning its nose with the fading centre line on the runway.
I'm done. I grab the towel hanging outside the stall, wrap it around me and I stumble on my sports bag, as I exit the booth… it's laying on the floor! Weird… I'm sure I put it on the bench by the door!
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Touchd- Shit! That's the sound of something breaking. I lose control - the right wing scratches the pavement and the plane steers right, towards an old fuselage, in front of the hangar… That was the landing gear for sure! No brakes, no steering capability… What the…! No oil pressure, too? Great. Just great!
I bend down to pick it up but I'm shoved back in…and hard! It wasn't an accident because, whoever it was shoved me again 'til my back hit the cold tiles. No one was supposed to be in here!
I kill the engine but it's too late. I measure the odds of jumping off of the aircraft… I realize there's no time! I brace myself for impact...
Four steps, a swing of a door opening, and a 'click' prior to two loud 'bang's is all I hear before the lights turn back on. The door closes behind the figure whose face I didn't have time to register. My ears are buzzing like crazy; I feel my left shoulder burning as I make my way out to the pool, and that is when an acute pain hits me… I bring my right hand over my clavicle – is this blood?
Next thing I know, my vision starts to blur… I desperately search for my blue Eden with unfocused eyes - it could be my last chance to get lost in it and I'm not wasting it. Found it… And I get lost, barely having enough time to engrave it into memory, before everything goes black!