Page 104 of The Daredevil

I believed in love. It was my oxygen, the air I breathed, the silence that hummed in her absence, the sweet fragrance that tantalized me whenever I missed her, and the lovely mist that blanketed the morning landscape before it was ready to wake. She was all these beautiful things and more to me.

Michelle was the most precious treasure I had in my life. Because of that, I had to protect her at all costs.

Aunt Klara was right about love being inexplicable and profound. I couldn’t wait to inform her I’d been wrong to dismiss it. Finding my definition of love had made it mine.

I’d wanted to tell her I loved her that night, but shock and emotions stymied me, delaying the message. When I received that pertinent phone call, I had to delay telling her. She’d find out later when everything was resolved. Right now, I didn’t want to risk her life.

All dressed, Michelle faced me, looking worried. “I’m scared to death. I don’t know why I agreed to do this.”

“You like embarking on an adventure. Do you trust me?”

She placed a hand on my cheek and pinched lightly. “With my life.”

Smiling, I placed a hand on either side of her shoulders. “We’ll be doing tandem skydiving. You’ll be attached to me. There’s a harness and a parachute built for two.”

“Oh.” She glanced at the equipment next to us and faced me again. “That makes it better.”

I pulled out a black feather from my pocket and waved it in front of her. “I want you to hold this in your hand and let it go when you’re in the air. Think of this feather as the ‘monster’ in yourcloset—the ugly thing you’ve been afraid of.” I brushed the feather against her nose. “I know you said you’re healing because the monster is behind closed doors. But it’s still there in your psyche. You need to eradicate it, remove it permanently. It’s time to empty the closet, Michelle.”

Her eyes glistened, and I could tell she held back tears.

“I never considered the monster to be soft and pretty like this feather,” she said with a laugh.

“Everything is perspective, love. You saw it through fear—your imagination from the side angle, from upside down, from a skewed view, never fully seeing it for what it is. It’s an opportunity to learn about yourself and regain your power.” I placed the feather in her palm. “You can imagine the ugliness however you want. Some people believe crows are birds of the underworld. So return it—and everything associated with it—to where it belongs.”

She tilted her head, emotions swirling in her eyes. “How long have you been thinking about this?”

“For a while now.” I shrugged. “Symbolically, you’re releasing pain and darkness. Let the wind take care of it. Let it go.”

Tears made sparkling rivers down her cheeks. “What are you, a philosopher now?”

“No, just an observer.” I wiped her tears with my gloved hand. “Being with you has grounded me, allowing me to see things clearly.”

“And you took me here to experience danger. Skydiving is risky.”

“Love is riskier. Love can destroy your soul, whereas skydiving can destroy your physical body. I can deal with physical pain, but not an injured soul. You’re my soul.”

She threw her arms around me. “Thank you for everything.”

CHAPTERFIFTY-FIVE

MICHELLE

Erratic nerves wrangledinside me as I stood strapped to Royce at the opened door of the plane. The sun was bright, and there were a few clouds in the distance. My heart raced at the excitement and fear.

You’re my soul.

But after thinking about these words, the fear subsided. Was that his way of saying he loved me? It felt like it, and I folded the sacred message and tucked it into my heart.

I wanted to tell him I wasn’t scared anymore, but thrilled to be experiencing this with him. The wind roared like a beast. The movies lied when they showed people having conversations while they leaped from the plane. I couldn’t hear anything but the rushing wind, much less chitchat.

I gripped the black feather tightly and let out a slow sigh, bracing for the jump.

It’s time for you to go, monster. Thank you for the lessons.

I didn’t know why I was being nice to it. It had terrified me, but also taught me strength, perseverance, and courage. So I was grateful for those lessons.

Be a proton, always positive.

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