[A/N: Chapter soundtrack: Coheed and Cambria – A Disappearing Act]
Millions of people fell alongside her, they looked in all directions trying to find a handhold so they could halt their fall.
Slowly opening her eyes, the girl swallowed hard, feeling the dryness in her throat.
She hesitated for a moment, then she tightened her grip on the shard. This is probably a terrible idea.
Swinging her legs, she began her countdown.
Three... Two... One... Go!
She propelled herself, reaching out for a shard below, about the size of a broken in half dinner plate.
I remember the first time that I tried monkey bars. I was only five years old and it looked fun, so I decided to give it a shot.
Stretching her full arm length, she grabbed the small shard. It was sharp, a sting shot through her palm. Her teeth clenched as she held on tight.
This!
This is just like monkey bars! She declared inwardly, wincing as she denied the pain.
Looking down, the girl searched and found her next 'bar.' It was long, thin and flat almost like...
A Ruler? Not so bad. You've done this before.
Building up momentum, she swung her legs back and forth once again, aiming for the shard.
Just like lazy summer afternoons, swinging from one playground bar to another.
All around, terrified people were still falling.
Grandpa playing chess, watching from the park bench.
Some people managed to grab onto the shards, other's were not so fortunate...
Then we would eat watermelon and popsicles under a big tree.
Taking a deep breath, she released the shard she was holding.
So yeah, like child's play...
Her fingers scrambled to latch onto the Long shard just in time.
"Ow ow ow ow!" She yelped in pain.
It was like holding a saw, nothing like a ruler at all.
Blood trickled down her fingers, ut she pushed the pain aside.
Looking for the next shard, her golden eyes widened as she saw one below.
Bingo.
It was larger than what she originally aimed for, this one the size of a TV screen.
Like all the other shards, it wasn't a perfect shape; the edges were jagged and uneven, sticking out like sharp teeth.
It floated straight ahead but lower down to her right.
Now, I just need to make it to that shard and I'm home free.
Huh?
Something caught her eye - a flash of light off to the side.
She dared a quick glance without turning her head.
The light bounced off a tiny shard the size of a key, sharp and bright, making her squint against its glare.
She blinked to confirm what she saw.
In that tiny mirror, she saw him...
The fabric of his brown uniform rippled with the speed of his dive.
His short dark hair streamed back, revealing a face with sharp features and a confident grin.
His fingers were spread wide as he aimed for...
That prick!
He's going for the same shard as me!
The voice of reason fought back within her head: Maybe he's just following the same train of thought as me, that this shard looks sturdy enough to support his weight.
Well, I'm not going down without a fight. It's mine! I've... She tilted her head, pausing for a moment... sort of called dibs first.
How...?
Damn it! How do I call dibs on something in this situation?
Tch. I wish I could punch him in the face. Who does he think he is!
Just try and take this from me.
I dare you.
Her eyes darted around frantically.
He's almost here... I need to do something!
No, wait! I've got it! This time, I'll just reach out and grab something from him as he passes by, that'll throw him off.
.
.
.
Or kill him...
Gah!
Deciding against spending another second thinking, in one big swing, she veered her body hard in the direction of the large shard.
Ignoring the risk, the girl stretched her hand as far as she could.
The boy was just a few feet away.
They both reached their arms towards the shard.
She beat him to it.
However, misjudging her distance, the girl missed it by an inch.
No! Please no!
Falling beneath her goal, realizing she undershot, she saw another shard through the reflection on the large glass.
It was directly below her, like a jagged step.
In a split second, she immediately made a bold decision.
With quick reflexes, the girl tucked her knees, catching the shard with her feet.
The soles of her sneakers dug into the edge as she heard a piercing noise.
Nnggghhhh!!!
Her face turned red as she felt the blood pool in both her socks.
It was like stepping on a pile of razor blades.
Grimacing, she used her feet to push off the glass and propel herself upward.
The clever move gave her momentum, allowing her to clamp her fingers around the shard's far edge.
With a strong pull she hoisted herself up, smudging up the glass's surface with blood.
Her feet dangled, and her shoulders slumped. Her armpits hurt from being supported by the edge of the shard.
"Haa... Haa... Haa..." She panted.
Head drooping down, she looked like she was about to pass out. Lifting her head, she let out a tired sigh.
"Okay, I actually did it... now wha-"
WHAM!
Misjudging his own speed, the boy collided with the large shard in a big bear hug.
The shard began to spin in place wildly like a pinwheel caught in a storm.
Argh! What the hell is he doing!
Flattened against the shard's surface like a starfish, he was holding on for dear life.
Instinctively, she followed suit.
Swinging her legs up, she hooked them over the shard's edge.
Her body ached, screamed and protested to let go, but her mind refused.
Don't let go... don't let go...
Gripping the shard even tighter with her feet, she held on not wanting to fall off as it spun out of control, twisting and turning.
Eventually, the shift in weight slowed the spin to a crawl.
With a final spin, the shard stopped its wild dance and came to a halt.
The girl found herself collapsed in a heap on the glass, her chest rose and fell rapidly, gasping for air.
Lying flat on her stomach, she was splayed out across the shard.
Beside her, the boy mirrored her position down to the tee.
Like two human suction cups, their fingers clung to the jagged edges for extra security, while their feet dangled off the side, both too exhausted to move.
The boy let out a breathless laugh, more out of relief than amusement. "Hah! Haha... Ha... Ha... whew... finally... can't believe that worked!"
Looking across at the girl, he smiled at her. "That was wild..."
With a deep breath, the girl gathered herself and lifted her head, turning it to the side. Her golden eyes met his.
"You jerk!" She exploded. "What the hell was that! You almost knocked me right off the shard! In case you didn't notice, I was here first!"
Is what she wanted to say, but she was exhausted, he was exhausted. It really didn't matter now. They were both on the same shard for the moment, so who really cared?
Instead... "You have some real upper body strength," were the words that came out of her mouth.
"I'll take that as a compliment, thanks." He gave her a sly smile.
She didn't know how to respond to this.
"So, what's your name?" He asked.
"My name? Uh, my name is... Mai. Mai Wu." Mai looked at him warily. "And you?"
"Mai..." He pronounced the name slowly. "Wu? That means five in Chinese. Wait... Do you speak Japanese?"
Mai looked at him a bit confused.
Why is he asking all these questions? She thought.
"Japanese? No. I can understand a little, but that's it."
"Huh? Mai, where are you from, really?" He narrowed his brown eyes in suspicion. "You're speaking Japanese, right now. At least, I can understand you perfectly."
Her eyes went wide with surprise.
"Really?" She hadn't considered this before. Tilting her head in confusion, her brows furrowed.
I always figured that my understanding of Japanese was just a side effect of consuming so much media, like being able to read manga and watch anime, stuff like that. Even then, I can't actually speak it.
The boy smiled, enjoying her confusion. "Know what? Forget it. We're in a crazy place... I guess I'll accept anything as possible."
"Right, what was that you asked earlier? My name? My name is Hio Bonjin."
"So... what should I call you? Hio?"
Hio nodded, smiling.
"So, Hio it is."
***
"Well, nice to meet you, Mai. I would risk a hand shake but that would just be torture to us both."
Distracted, looking down frantically and not really paying attention, Mai smiled weakly at Hio's joke. "Yeah, our hands are a bit too busy."
Hio could tell that she was still uneasy about him. He didn't mind, though. He was just happy to have a partner in this dangerous place.
He laughed, enjoying the small bit of banter. But then, as she turned to look at him, her next words caught him completely off guard:
"Hey, um where did the monster down there go?"
To Be Continued...