As we flew, a sudden calm came over me. My mind went blind to everything but sensation. The air ruffled my skirts against my legs, my hair tickled against my collarbone. Wind entered through the bottom of the helmet and smelled sweet, like approaching rain. My skin prickled into goosebumps. I watched the beautiful landscape fly by beneath us. It was as if the ground was moving and we were the ones staying still.
With confidence, I loosened my grip on Valin, meaning to mimic his position. Before I could, he ran his hand over both of mine, gently gripping them to keeping me from letting go. He turned his head and glanced at me through his visor, his eyes smiling. I smiled back.
As simple fun as it seemed, I realized Valin and I had something very important in common. Few people I knew understood the desire to make everything stop, if only for a moment. To lose yourself in the deafening silence.
I always ran to the places where no one could bother me, where I could let my mind be free from the daily minutia. Under water, everything seemed dulled, muted. When I was in the ocean, nothing could bother me but me.
The water was amazing, but flying... I would fly every minute if I could.
In my arms, I felt Valin sigh, and all too soon, he leaned us forward and returned his hands to the controls. The machine fell quicker, picking up its earlier speed. My stomach rose into my throat and I muffled a scream to keep from losing its contents into my helmet. The machine slowed slightly and leveled out just above some tall grass. I breathed slowly and laid my head against Valin's back, my nausea subsiding closer to ground.
Then I realized we were still going straight.
"Stop, the cliffs!" I shouted just in time for Valin to swing the bike sideways to a stop.
We both removed our helmets and leaned to look the short distance to the jagged rocks and rough waves below.
"That could have ended badly," he laughed, and I joined him.
The laughter faded but my smile did not. "Valin, that was..." I trailed off, trying to find the words to describe an unbelievable experience. "That was amazing."
"Wasn't it?" He gave me his half-smile over his shoulder.
I blushed and nodded. "Thank you."
He eyed me for a moment, still smirking. "Anytime," he said. He turned and placed his helmet back on.
"Where are we going now?" I asked, placing my helmet back on as he did. I was still riding the high of flying, and I was not ready for it to end yet. "You can cover a lot of ground on this thing, right? There's a place I can show you, if you want."
Valin squinted at me through the lens of his helmet. "Sure. Where to?"
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