Dream Bound: Book One | ✓ [COMPLETE]

Dream Bound - Chapter Thirteen

                               Dream Bound

                            Chapter Thirteen

                                   day seven

    Ghosts are just like heights. They can’t necessarily hurt you, can they? Just breathe in...and breathe out. That’s it -- get a steady rhythm going. See? It’s not so bad, now is it?

    “Ivy?” I jumped, sweaty hands slipping from the crevices on the rock. Gripping the the slippery rock tighter, I turned my head in his direction. “Open your eyes.”

    “Nope. I’m okay, thanks,” I responded, a little too quickly. My hands hurt from holding on so tightly, but I wasn’t about to put an end to that strategy now. He laughed, the sound very laidback. Sure, the guy with wings isn’t afraid of rock climbing.

    “How do you plan on finding your way with your eyes closed?”

    The safety belt strapped around my waist suddenly felt loose. Eyes still closed, I grappled for the rope suspending me midair with one hand. How far up, exactly, were we?

    “Echolocation.” I tried to come off as humorous, but the waver in my voice was unmistakable.

    “Very funny. Now open your eyes.”

    With great reluctance, I did. The warm sunshine was blinding. For a moment, all I could see was a piercing white color. Blinking hard, I peered upward. As I gripped the rope with one hand, I shielded my eyes with the other. He had a safety belt, too, even a rope. I wasn’t sure why he was putting up the charade, when all he had to do was open his wings and he was as free as a bird.

    “A little help please?” I asked, digging the toes of my sneakers deeper into the minuscule valleys. He smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling. I glared at him.

    “You can do it,” he told me cheerfully. The stupid grin on his face told me he thought otherwise. “I thought you might like this. Besides, we’re really not that far up.”

    Twisting, my head spun dizzily as I looked down. For me, that was an understatement. We couldn’t have been more than ten feet up, but it felt like fifty. I swallowed, returning my gaze to the craggy cliff side in front of me.

    “Says the guy who is half bird!” I snapped. This rewarded me with a whole hearted chuckle.

    “Half bird, huh? That’s a first.” Shifting his weight, he began climbing again.

    Leaving me stranded...again. I sighed, wiping perspiration off my forehead before I resumed watching him climb. It was fascinating, really. He didn’t use his wings to his advantage. With the safety belt and climbing ropes, he fully pulled his weight.

    One foot at a time, he eased himself up the rocks. A few pebbles loosened, falling back as he pushed them out of their hiding places. One or two bounced off my head as they passed me. I listened. After a moment, I could hear them smacking off the ground. I reassured myself with the fact that I really  wasn’t that far up.

    Until you start climbing again, my inner monologue reminded me happily. A few minutes passed. A few feet up, Colton paused. Gripping the rope with one hand, he twisted. Upon seeing my expression, he feigned hurt.

    “Aren’t you having fun?”

    “No.”

    “C’mon Ivy. You’re acting like I’m about to feed you to sharks. We’re rock climbing, not free falling out of planes.”