Street Rat Rules

by word puzzler

Ezra knows how to survive. He has his rules, his experience, his own way of getting things done, and it works. . .most of the time. These are his rules, his survival guide, and how he learned them. (It's listed as complete, but I'm open to adding suggestions if anyone has any. All future updates will be placed before the last two chapters, ending won't change.)

10. Only as Far as You Can Come Back Down

Rule# 11 "Only go up if you can get down."

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They skidded to a stop at the edge of the building. He looked down and gulped. The ground looked really far away.

"Hmm, doable," she mumbled, scanning the area below them. "Come on!"

She jumped and he gasped, lurching forward to see her clinging to a windowsill only to drop down onto a stall roof. She slid down onto a crate and landed cat like on the dirt road.

"Your turn," She called up softly. He bit his lip.

"I don't think. . ." he muttered, dropping his eyes to his hands which were twisting his shirt.

"Come on, Ezra. I wouldn't make you do it if I didn't think you could." He looked down to see her standing directly below him, smiling. She raised her arms. "And if you can't, I'm right here. Won't let you fall, remember?"

The unease faded, not gone but no longer holding him in place. He smiled and crouched down, letting his body slide off the roof until he was just clinging to it with his fingers. Taking a deep breath, he let go.

He did manage to catch the windowsill and land on the stall roof, though it was more like he slowed his fall with the window and fell on the roof but he survived and that's what mattered. Getting onto the crate, however, proved trickier. He'd almost made it, too! Well sort of, if you count missing it by a foot, 'almost.'

He fell, eyes screwed shut as he braced himself for the impact of landing on the unforgiving ground.

"Oomph!"

His eyes opened slowly and he looked down at the still hard but too soft and oddly lumpy ground. A hand landed on his head and shoved him back off the oddly lumpy ground.

"You," she said, rubbing her ribs and wincing, "are heavy!"

"Yeah, well you're lumpy!" It was a stupid retort, but he was too busy being happy that she had caught him to really care.

"New rule," she said, flicking him on the head. "Only go up if you can get back down. Got it?"

"Got it!" He gave her a sloppy salute and she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, lead butt, we got stuff to do."

He followed, but not without a quick glance back up at the roof. It still looked really far, but he thought, just maybe, next time he'd be able to make it. And if not? Well, he knew, truly knew, he could trust in the voice guiding him and that even if he fell there would be someone there to catch him.