Chapter 2:

Leap of Faith. He sat in the deep snow, securing his board to his boots. He looked down the path he was in moments going to be flying down, knowing at the base would be a mob of fans and media ready to stand in awe of his latest feat. He shook all signs of worry and stood, shifting his feet in his boots, making sure there would be no loss of balance this time. He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, then a sudden flash hit his sight.

He heard the sound of himself breathing heavily as he screamed down the hillside on his BMX. The saw the trees that he had to slalom through while he built up momentum. He could smell the air, the crisp smell of the summer air in Alberta. He saw the wooden ramp at the base of the hill leading up to the powerlines which he would launch over. He felt himself peddle harder and harder, knowing he didn't have enough speed yet, but only so much room left to gain it. He felt the hill flatten onto firm concrete as he hit the road, still peddling like a madman. Then he remembered himself peddling so hard that his foot slipped of a peddle, causing his leg to shoot out and throw the bike off balance. He felt the bike leaving the ramp on an angle and flying through the air sideways. He remembered seeing the lines growing closer and closer, then squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth as inevitable agony awaited him in those humming lines.

He snapped out of it, shaking his head. He began to hear a faint sound of the fans chanting "Psymon" way down at the bottom of the mountain. He clenched his teeth and pushed off, there was no turning back now. He ducked low to his board, leaning forward slightly, forcing his board faster and faster. He had to veer slightly left to avoid a pine tree, but otherwise he had a fairly straight run at his target. He ducked lower as he felt the air blister past his face and bare arms. He grimaced from the biting cold that he was flying headlong into. He heard the sounds of the cheers growing louder and louder until he saw the fluorescent lights of the media area come into view. He approached the clearing and was welcomed by screaming fans as they could see only a blur fly down the mountain. He placed his hands down on the board and ducked even lower, causing his ankles to protest the stress they felt. He focused his eyes on the ramp that lay only metres ahead, he would not look up at the powerlines above. He looked to his side with his eyes for a moment, trying to see if he recognized any faces, but he was moving too quickly to see anything but blurs. The ramp was within reach and he forced his eyes shut. He felt himself launch from the ramp and into the air, bringing him into the familiar rush of flight. He felt himself relax as he peaked his launch and began to freefall. He stood on his board and let his arms fall to his sides, stretching them out slightly. He opened his eyes to see the powerlines ahead, they raced closer to him every moment. The flashes of cameras below made Psymon feel disoriented, but he was sure he was going to pass the lines. He shook the dizziness out, the flashes were hurting his head and making him angry. His eyes focused again, but he wished they hadn't. Once the flashes stopped for a second he realized that we was not as high as he thought he was.
"What the? What went wrong? What did I..." He couldn't finish his thoughts as excruciating pain exploded through his body. He heard screams from below as the lines caught him and sent him spiraling back down to the slope below, he was unconscious before he hit the ground. EMTs rushed to Psymon the second he crashed into the snow. Moby hopped the railing that he and Zoe stood behind and also sprinted to Psymon's steaming body. Zoe held her hands up to her mouth, refusing to believe she just saw what she saw. She looked over at some of the other SSX superstars that came to watch the stunt, and all of them wore the same expression. Though many of them disliked Psymon for their own reasons, all of them were concerned for his well being. The only people absent from the stunt were Mac, Kaori and Grif, otherwise all the SSX boarders were there and now hoped for the best for Psymon's safety. There was a frightening silence over the crowd also, the only sounds heard were cries of worry and fright and the odd shout of encouragement to Psymon for him to be okay. The anxiety was too much and soon Nate and Brody hopped the railing to get a closer look at Psymon. EMTs forced the other boarders away, even Moby, and told them to go back to their seats. Zoe didn't blink, she just stared at the swarm of EMTs that huddled around Psymon, concealing him from view. Finally a jeep arrived with a stretcher board and they rolled Psymon onto it. Allegra came to Zoe's side and put her arm around her shoulder.
"He'll be okay, Psymon is the toughest person I've ever met... he has to be okay." Finally the EMTs dispersed and hoisted the stretcher off the ground with Psymon secured to it. A few claps started, followed by applause which led into a thunderous ovation of respect as they loaded Psymon into the back of the jeep. Psymon's mangled body managed to wiggle an arm free and he gave a weak thumbs up to his audience, letting them know he was going to be alright. Now the cheers were deafening , even the other boarders clapped and whistled for Psymon as the jeep pulled away. Zoe let out a relieved sigh and smiled, allowing a few tears to leak out just this once. Moby hopped back over the rail and immediately held Zoe in his arms.
"Is he alright?" her voice was muffled while she buried her face in Moby's chest. He ran his hand along the back of her head and nodded.
"He should be." he said into her hair. "He was really shaken up, but I'm sure that nutbar will be back on the slopes before we know it."