The Vale Of Tears

Chapter 2: Bittersweet

'I wish we could try this again in reverse. This time we could begin in ashes and end in butterflies.'

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"How many times do I have to tell you there's no way I'm gonna do that," Avery sighed.

"Yes. You are," Kyan grinned with a glint in his eyes.

"No I can't do it. I don't have a death wish. Do you have any idea how many things could go wrong?"

"Pfft, stop being so paranoid, Ave. I've already told you, tons of people go sky diving all the time. It's spontaneous. It's new. It's fun. It's gonna be the most unforgettable memory we'll make. Come on, this is something I really wanna do with you. Please?" he pouted and looked at her with his puppy dog eyes.

She opened her mouth to refuse but his eyes were her weakness. She gave a dejected sigh. "Okay, fine. But if I die, I will never forgive you. I will hunt you down from my grave. And what are you, some sky diving advertisement?"

"Yesss," he jumped into the air and let out a loud whoop. "And also, yes." He winked.

They were hanging out at the beach. Kyan had been trying to convince Avery to go sky diving with him for two days. Within the week, they had done a lot of things they hadn't before. They went snorkeling, scuba diving, camping at night, and now they were going to go sky diving. It had been a tiring and hectic week but neither of them wanted it to end. Because that would mean that they'll have to say goodbye.

"Okay, I'll call and make the arrangements," Kyan said after finally calming down.

When Kyan called the company, they told him that the only available date within the week was Friday, which was also the last day that they had together since Avery was leaving on Saturday.

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On Friday morning, Avery woke up with her stomach in knots. She couldn't even eat her breakfast because of the nerves. She only managed to drink a glass of orange juice but had to empty her stomach right after. She looked sick with worry and Kyan had a hard time hiding his own nervousness and calming her down.

When they reached the place, she was looking even paler, but the scenery was breathtaking enough to distract Avery from her fears.

They had signed up to do tandem jumps since they didn't have enough time and because it was their first time doing it. They met their instructor who was a guy that appeared to be in his late thirties.

"Hello, I'm Lance. I'll be your instructor for today," he smiled and held out a hand for them to shake.

After introductions, he led them inside and started explaining all the basics.
"So, you guys are going to do a tandem jump. It consists of an experienced jumper called a 'Tandem master', and the passenger, which would be you. The tandem master rides on the back and he would wear an extra-large parachute system that can safely suspend two people. You would be wearing a specially designed harness that would attach in four points to the front of the tandem master. A free fall usually lasts for around forty-five to sixty seconds which would be followed by a four-minute canopy ride to the ground. Any questions?" he asked.

Avery was still feeling skeptical. "How safe exactly is this?" she asked nervously.

"It's normal to feel scared and nervous before your first sky dive, but I assure you that it is completely safe," he reassured her. "When you do a tandem jump, there's very little to worry about in terms of your safety. The tandem master would be strapped to your back and will stay there for the entirety of your jump. They will be the ones pulling the cord in the parachute and if there are any problems - which is very unlikely - they will be the ones to correct things on the fly. Basically, when you're doing a tandem jump, the only thing you need to worry about is enjoying the view. Everything else is taken care for you," he smiled.