The Explorer (Men Of The North #12) - Elin Peer Page 0,1
million times.”
“Not the big one. None of us have.”
Just then I nearly slipped. Tightening my grip on the branch above me, I felt adrenaline rushing through me and my heartbeat spiked from fear. “I said, go, Indy, I don’t need you staring at me.”
He hesitated for a second and then he climbed upward, leaving me to regret that I’d ever run after my brother and Indiana to begin with. If only I wasn’t so bloody curious. Now I was forced to prove that I could be one of the boys. I had to find a way to overcome my fear and climb this stupid monstrous tree.
Every branch higher was a victory. When I was midway, Mason was coming down again.
“I told you not to climb up. Why don’t you ever listen?” he said.
“If you can do it, so can I.”
“Aubri, stop, you’re going to kill yourself,” Mason shouted after me as I kept climbing. “Seriously, don’t go any higher. It’s windy and slippery up there.”
I believed him, but with my heart in my throat and my palms wet from fear, I still kept going. Mason had made it all the way up, which proved to me that it was possible.
Later, when it was Indiana’s turn to pass me on his way down, he pleaded with me once again.
“You don’t have to do this, Aubri. No girl has ever made it this high up. Look, you can see above the forest from here and the Mansion looks tiny, doesn’t it?”
We stood for a moment on each side of the giant trunk of the tree, looking out over the million pine trees that surrounded the Gray Manor where I lived.
“Did you see your island from the top?” I asked Indiana, who lived on Victoria’s Island with his family.
“I did. It’s beautiful but let’s go down together. I’ll help you.”
My stubborn nature wouldn’t allow me to give up before I reached the top. “I’ll see you down there. I’m going up.”
“Be careful, Aubri,” Indiana warned.
It felt like I climbed forever, and when I finally reached the top, my arms and legs felt like jelly. There were more branches above me, but the part that I was holding on to was already swaying so I decided not to go any further.
The view from here was endless. I had to be at least two hundred feet above the ground and looking down scared me.
To my left I could see water and Victoria’s Island, where the Boulder family and the school of inclusion was located.
Going up had felt dangerous but climbing back down felt even scarier. Half the time, I couldn’t see where I was placing my foot.
Why had I wanted to climb this stupid tree anyway? Suddenly, my parents’ warning to never climb tall trees without safety equipment sounded like good advice.
Twice, I almost slipped, and my chest was starting to feel too small for my poor heart, which was racing to keep up with the fear and exhaustion that I felt.
“Take it slow and move your foot a little to the right.”
Indiana had waited for me where he last saw me. I felt like crying with relief that he was here to help me, but I wouldn’t show him.
Indiana wasn’t that much older, but he was bright, athletic, and more patient than Mason and me.
Together we climbed down with him guiding me to place my hands and feet right.
“Are you okay? You look tired.”
“I’m fine!” I said harshly, but I was beyond tired. My limbs were shaking with exhaustion.
“You’re almost there, just keep going,” Indiana encouraged me.
“I know!” Looking down, I could see Mason standing on the ground looking up at us.
I had twenty feet between the ground and me when I lost concentration and my eagerness made me speed up.
“Careful.”
Indiana’s scream of warning sounded as I slipped and fell back over.
The lowest branch took the worst of my fall, but one of the branches tore open the skin on my jawline.
“Fuuuck!!!” Mason shouted and ran to me.
Don’t cry. Never cry. I told myself as I lay flat on the ground with all the air knocked out of my body.
“I told you it was dangerous,” Mason scolded me. “Now, Dad is gonna blame me and Indy.”
Indiana had made it down to the ground and came running. “Your face, Aubri… Are you all right?”
Trying to sit up, I lifted my hands to my face and felt moisture. I looked at my shaking hands; my fingers were smeared in blood. “Oh no.”