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  ‘Whatever,’ said Kat.

  ‘It’s true, Kat. He’s more bothered about how he looks up there – whether I’ve got his good side on camera – than anything to do with safety. We’ve all thought it, so don’t kid yourself.’

  ‘Looking good?’ said Kat, turning on Johnny. ‘You of all people should know about that being a major priority!’

  ‘I look good because up there I do everything by the letter,’ said Johnny, sounding serious for once. ‘I certainly don’t put you guys at risk. Ever.’

  Kat started to say something, but then just turned and walked out. The café door slammed behind her as she left.

  ‘I thought that all went rather well,’ said Johnny, grimacing. ‘Pity we’re now utterly screwed.’

  ‘How’s that then?’ asked Ethan.

  Johnny sighed, and Ethan looked over at Luke, who just shrugged. Everyone seemed very downbeat.

  ‘Can’t believe the same thing’s happened again,’ said Johnny. ‘Do you think we’ll ever make a full team?’

  ‘It is not quite the same this time, though, is it?’ said Natalya. ‘Jake did not just disappear without trace.’

  Ethan rested his tray on the table and stared at Natalya. ‘What do you mean? Who disappeared?’ He saw Johnny and Luke glance at her.

  Johnny leaned forward, folded his hands, looked serious (serious didn’t really suit him, thought Ethan). ‘It’s nothing,’ he said. ‘We lost a member of our crew a few months back. Jake was trying out as the replacement.’

  ‘So what happened to him?’ asked Ethan. ‘Why did he disappear?’

  Natalya opened her mouth to speak, but Luke got in first.

  ‘Nothing that mysterious,’ he said. ‘It just didn’t work out. One day he was here, the next he wasn’t.’

  ‘And we’ve never heard anything from him since,’ finished Johnny. He grinned. ‘I think he was intimidated by my amazing talent.’

  Something about Natalya’s expression told Ethan he wasn’t getting the whole story. She had a distant look, like she was staring through Johnny, rather than at him, but she didn’t argue. And Ethan didn’t see any point in prying further. Hell, if Jake was their second team member to go, they were allowed to be a bit pissed off and weird about it.

  It was a few moments before anyone said anything more. The silence felt awkward, and Ethan didn’t fancy being the one to spark a conversation, so he cleared and cleaned a couple of empty tables.

  At last Natalya spoke. ‘We will just have to deal with it,’ she said. ‘It is not the end of the world.’

  ‘Not for you maybe,’ said Johnny.

  ‘Not for any of us,’ replied Natalya. ‘Jake was not safe, he took risks – we all knew that. Now he is gone and that is a good thing.’

  Johnny and Luke were silent.

  ‘Sam really does rule this place, doesn’t he?’ said Ethan.

  ‘Totally,’ said Luke. ‘He’ll never see Jake as reliable now. And on a team you have to be. It’s vital. Everyone’s depending on you up there. It’s not a place to get complacent. Mess up in a formation or a stack? That’s what kills skydivers. It’s never the equipment. It’s always human error.’

  ‘Or stupidity,’ said Johnny.

  Silence.

  But it was so loud, it was deafening.

  ‘It is down to Sam,’ said Natalya, finally breaking the silence. ‘It is his call. We have to trust his decision. We all know that.’

  ‘But that’s just it, isn’t it?’ said Johnny. ‘We do trust his decision. Which means we’re screwed because we now don’t have enough members to make up a skydiving team.’ He leaned over the table and raised a glass. ‘Here’s to Jake – who ruined everything by being a tit.’

  9

  It was late afternoon. After the incident with Jake the day before, Ethan was happy it had all been fairly quiet. He was just getting onto his bike to head home when the sound of footsteps on gravel made him turn. A man wearing sunglasses and an expensive-looking dark suit had emerged from a black saloon car and was striding towards the café. He was younger than Sam, older than Luke – probably mid thirties. And his blond hair was swept back. He looked like an accountant, albeit one with a sense of style.

  Sam came out of the café and shook the man’s hand, then turned and spotted Ethan. Sam said something to the man, nodded, then came over.

  ‘Ethan,’ he said. ‘Good day?’

  Ethan nodded, and noticed that the man in the suit was still looking at him.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Sam. ‘And it’s about to get a whole lot better. You jump today.’

  Ethan hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel up to it; it had just taken him by surprise. He shook his head a little to clear his mind, to think about what Sam had just said.

  ‘Having second thoughts?’

  Ethan shook his head again, realizing Sam had misinterpreted his hesitation. ‘No,’ he said. No way was he backing out. He wanted to be like Johnny and the rest of the team. He wanted to be that good. And it was the first time in his life he’d felt this strongly about anything.

  ‘Then follow me.’ Sam headed off towards the hangar without another word.

  As Ethan followed him, he noticed that the man in the suit was still looking at him, his sunglasses revealing nothing but reflected sky. Then Ethan was through the hangar doors and any thoughts as to who the man in the suit was were gone. This was it: he was about to skydive.

  No one else was around. The last group to jump were now waiting outside for the minibus to take them to the plane.

  ‘Sit. Watch,’ said Sam, pointing at the TV in front of a row of plastic chairs. The screen flickered and Ethan sat down. He’d spent every day since taking the job watching people skydive. He’d heard them talk about it, scream about it, cry about it. He’d even caught bits of the DVD he was about to watch. From first jumpers to seasoned skydivers, they’d all passed through the café, the reception, the shop. And there was one thing he’d realized above all else: skydiving was ninety-five per cent waiting and five per cent adrenaline. If the conditions weren’t right, no one jumped.

  Today the conditions were right.

  The TV was showing a tandem jump. Over a thumping rock soundtrack, the camera panned out from the buckle on a parachute harness to reveal an excited twenty-something girl. She gave a thumbs-up. The scene cut to the interior of a plane, the girl sitting quietly, seriously, between the legs of her instructor – who was smiling and acting very relaxed. Next scene they were sitting at the open door of the plane, feet dangling out, 12,000 feet up in the air. The girl was still sitting between the legs of her instructor and had her head back. He nodded at the camera, and then they jumped. The camera turned blue, spun, then focused on the girl. Ethan couldn’t work out if she was actually smiling or if the wind was just pushing her face into an impression of The Joker. Finally the instructor looked at the camera, crossed his arms, then pulled a cable and disappeared. The film finished with the girl on the ground, leaping around and screaming.

  ‘Simple, really,’ said Sam as the film ended. ‘You’ll love it. Trust me.’

  Ethan glanced up at him. He looked as imposing as ever, but Ethan could see that he meant every word. Not just about loving the tandem he was about to do, but about trusting him.

  ‘How many times have you jumped?’ Ethan asked.

  ‘I’ve lost count,’ said Sam. ‘I went over the four thousand mark years ago.’

  There was no bragging in what he said. It was just simple fact. Ethan was in the presence of a man utterly unlike anyone he’d ever met before. Sam seemed scary at first, but Ethan had come to realize that there was a lot more to him than the rough, tough exterior. He really cared about those who jumped at FreeFall. And he especially cared about Johnny and the rest of his team.

  Sam showed Ethan the kit. ‘This is a tandem rig,’ he explained. ‘It’s larger than a solo rig because it has to hold two of us. It also needs to be able to grab enough air to support two and give the experienced sk
ydiver enough control. After all, it takes us from a hundred and twenty mph to ten mph in just a few seconds.’ He looked Ethan up and down. ‘You weigh around thirteen stone, right?’

  ‘Spot on,’ said Ethan.

  ‘Limit for a tandem is sixteen stone,’ said Sam. ‘Limit for a solo is fifteen. So don’t go eating pies, OK?’

  ‘OK,’ agreed Ethan, wondering just how many pies he’d have to eat before he weighed fifteen stone. Then he asked, ‘How big is the canopy exactly?’ Despite knowing he was well within the weight limit, he suddenly felt a little concerned it wouldn’t be big enough.

  ‘Canopy, eh?’ Sam smiled. ‘Good to hear you’re learning the lingo. Don’t want people coming in thinking my staff are total muppets.’

  Ethan grinned. It seemed Sam had a sense of humour after all.

  ‘All you need to know is that it’s big enough,’ said Sam. ‘Now empty your pockets and put this on.’ He handed Ethan a blue and red jumpsuit. ‘We can’t have anything trailing from us when we’re jumping,’ he explained. ‘It’d be dangerous and could split the canopy. The jumpsuit will protect your clothes and stop any flapping. Trust me, you don’t want to be distracted when you’re jumping.’

  ‘Right.’ Ethan promptly emptied his pockets, double-checking each one to make sure. No matter how good a skydiver Sam was, having him distracted at 12,000 feet wouldn’t be good.

  The jumpsuit was a good fit, and once it was on, Sam kitted Ethan up with a helmet and then the harness. It was a very snug fit to say the least, and he was glad he wouldn’t be wearing it for too long.

  Sam positioned Ethan up close and with his back to him and started to rehearse the jump. Ethan had seen people go through this numerous times. To be doing it himself felt amazing.

  ‘Basic body position and commands are simple,’ said Sam. ‘Head back, legs up, arms crossed. Got it?’

  Ethan had a go.

  ‘And when we leave the plane, just arch yourself backwards with your legs between mine. Right?’

  Ethan nodded.

  ‘When we’re clear and stable, I’ll release the drogue chute. That’s the one that will eventually pull out the main canopy. It also helps to stabilize the freefall. I’ll tap again and you pull your arms out like this, right?’

  Ethan said, ‘Yes,’ as Sam got into a skydiving position in front of him, his legs slightly apart, his arms out in front and bent, as if he was holding something heavy above his head.

  As they ran through it again, a message came through over the tannoy.

  ‘That’s us,’ said Sam. ‘Let’s go.’

  Ethan followed, and with each step wondered just what the hell he was doing.

  The minibus that transported people to the runway was the wrong side of knackered, so Ethan was relieved to see that the plane itself wasn’t in a similar state. Silently he followed Sam on board, sitting down between his legs. Everyone was wearing a helmet. It was loud inside, the engines mixing the air into a strangle of howls and revs and squeals. Ethan spotted Johnny opposite him. Johnny smiled and Ethan thought it made him look just a little unhinged. But he was glad his friend was on the plane.

  Ethan felt Sam clip himself into his rig, clamping the two of them together, pulling in tight. A strap was then clipped to Sam. Ethan knew from what Johnny had told him that this was just like a seat belt, attaching him to the plane; it would be released at 1,000 feet. A few days ago Ethan had asked why it was released.

  ‘Well, if the plane’s shagged, you’re better off jumping than crashing with it’ had been Johnny’s simple, smiling answer.

  The pilot said something over the speaker system that Ethan couldn’t understand, and the plane started to move.

  He felt himself bumping off the floor as the plane gathered speed. Then his stomach disappeared and they lifted into the air.

  Looking out through the window, Ethan watched as the ground fell away. He didn’t think it was a good time to mention that he’d never flown before.

  After a few minutes Sam tugged on the harness again, tightening it even further. He flicked his wrist at Ethan, showing him the altimeter reading 10,000 feet. Ethan knew they jumped at 12,000.

  It came around all too quickly. Ethan felt a tap on his shoulder and Sam gave a thumbs-up. Strapped in as he was, Ethan had little choice but to do as Sam did, so he soon found himself sitting with his feet hanging out of the open door of the plane.

  He looked down between his feet at the ground below. Impossible to believe it was 12,000 feet away and that he was about to get back to it by falling.

  Another tap.

  Ethan turned to find Johnny grinning at him, and pointing at the camera on his helmet. He climbed out through the plane doorway and hung onto the edge. Ethan hadn’t asked to be filmed, but he mouthed ‘Cheers!’ to him.

  Sam shouted the commands: ‘Head back, legs up, arms crossed.’

  Ethan obeyed.

  And they jumped into oblivion.

  The world spun and flipped, flipped and spun. It was blue and green and green and blue. For a few seconds Ethan found it impossible to take in. And he couldn’t breathe. Every time he tried to take in air, it was whipped away. But despite the panic he was fighting, he was also smiling. He could feel it; he was grinning so hard it felt like his face would crack.

  The view changed, became stable. Earth below, sky above. Ethan could see it now they were belly-to-earth. Two and a half miles below him, criss-cross roads and patchwork fields stretched away to nothing. It all looked so tiny and so beautiful. Ethan was amazed. And he knew – right then in that moment – that he wanted to do this again. Once would never be enough.

  Sam tapped his shoulder and Ethan pulled his arms open.

  He was skydiving!

  ‘Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!’ he screamed. He knew it wasn’t the most inspired thing to say, but he couldn’t think of anything else; he’d just jumped out of a plane! Johnny came into view, and Ethan gave the camera a thumbs-up and said ‘Shit!’ again.

  He felt his cheeks start to ache as the wind ripped past, dragging the breath from his lungs. Another tap on his shoulder. He crossed his arms and felt himself being almost ripped in half.

  Ethan recognized the sound of the canopy opening and looked up as their descent was slowed to a gentle glide.

  ‘Want to steer?’ asked Sam.

  Ethan was stunned by how clearly he could hear him, and he wasn’t even shouting. Everything was suddenly so quiet now that they were no longer plunging through the air. They were drifting with the wind now, so the roar that had echoed in his ears during the freefall was totally gone.

  Before he could refuse, Ethan had his hands clamped to the yellow loops attached to the steering lines of the canopy. He found that the slightest tug with either hand could alter their course.

  ‘DZ’s over there.’ Sam pointed, and Ethan was able to make out the airfield. ‘I’ll take over when you get us close enough.’

  ‘You sure?’ Ethan asked, hardly daring to believe Sam would let him take control up here even for a moment.

  ‘Wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t, Ethan.’

  Ethan felt himself grinning even harder and, with a faint tug left, brought them slowly round.

  A few minutes later, Sam took over, and as the ground approached, he shouted, ‘Feet up, knees up!’

  Ethan did exactly that and they glided in, landing with a brief slide onto their backsides.

  Johnny was in front, filming the landing.

  Sam unclipped Ethan and they stood up. It was all Ethan could do not to yell and scream and jump around like a loon. He felt amazing, on top of the world, completely and utterly alive.

  Johnny walked over, still filming. ‘As I said, life’s too short not to,’ he said, a huge smile on his face.

  Remembering that moment high above the earth, the sensation of falling from the plane, Ethan could think of only one thing to say.

  He swung round to face Sam. ‘When can I do it again?’

  Sam and Johnny looked
at each other and grinned.

  10

  Ethan was sitting on the sofa with his mum and Jo, watching the DVD of his jump. It was a couple of hours since he’d done the tandem with Sam, but he was still buzzing. And Jo hadn’t stopped laughing.

  ‘Check out your face!’ she said. ‘You look hysterical!’ On the screen Ethan’s face was being buffeted by the wind, his cheeks rippling.

  ‘I was doing a hundred and twenty miles an hour,’ he told her. ‘It’s pretty difficult to keep a straight face!’

  ‘I can’t believe that’s you,’ said his mum. She was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her hands clasped together. ‘Weren’t you scared?’

  ‘Not really,’ said Ethan, and he wasn’t lying. ‘You don’t have time to be scared. Sam just gets on with it, takes you through the training, and before you know it you’re at the door of the plane! Then you’re out. It’s such a rush!’

  ‘No way am I ever doing that,’ said Jo, watching as Sam pulled the ripcord and the main canopy exploded behind them. ‘It’s insane.’

  ‘It’s amazing,’ said Ethan. ‘Best thing I’ve ever done.’

  The screen flicked to Ethan and Sam coming in to land.

  ‘Sam looks very forbidding,’ said his mum. ‘Does he ever smile?’

  Ethan laughed. ‘He’s terrifying, but great.’

  As though in response to Ethan’s mother’s question, Sam looked at the camera and smiled. Ethan didn’t think he’d ever forget that moment. To have people like Sam and Johnny proud of what he’d done . . . It felt great!

  The DVD finished and Ethan asked, ‘Want to watch it again?’

  His mum and Jo nodded and he pressed PLAY.

  The screen showed Ethan in the plane, strapped to Sam. But as they watched the footage again, the flat shook to the sound of the front door slamming shut. Dad was home.

  Ethan saw his mum’s eyes close, her head fall forward a little. He moved to stop the DVD before his dad came into the lounge, but he was too late.

  ‘What’s this then? Playing happy families, are we?’

  Ethan turned. His dad was leaning against the doorframe, finishing off a can of lager. For a moment no one said a word. The only sound came from Ethan’s tandem skydive on the TV.