She pressed her body tight against the scratchy brick wall to keep from toppling over the edge. Her spine ached from standing motionless for so long. There was no other way to do it though. To escape, she knew she would have to make it across the gap between the two buildings.

He finally got to the same level as her. She stood frozen, watching the cars flash by below them. He became suddenly dizzy; the harsh colors swirling around his head in a whirlpool of paint-like shades, playing with his eyes like a kitten might with a yarn ball.

Her back hugged the wall, her heart pounding in her chest until she thought it might break her ribcage. Just in case, she wrapped one arm around her waist, clasping her other arm to keep warm from the sudden whipping wind. The sky sparkled with stars and she thought it odd that she would be able to see them with all of the city lights, but then dismissed the vague idea without deeper thought.

The colors stopped, he reeled to one side, tipping dangerously far out over the outer edge of the windowsill. He slammed himself back against the bricks again, clinging like ivy. There was nothing else to do but reach for the girl now…

She couldn’t see anything but the ridge on the building opposite her. It seemed jagged- too sharp to jump for- but at the same time, soft like a pillow, inviting her to take a leap. Her legs shook with anxiety. Something touched her arm and she jerked away, slipping-

He tapped her elbow lightly, grabbing for her arm first. She panicked and slipped from her perch, her scream piercing the night air.

Her reflexes took over as she flipped through the air, her hand catching something–the ridge of the building. She screamed, grabbing for anything. Her pulse hammered in her ears now, louder than anything.

The sill beneath him suddenly seemed smaller, too small to support him. His eyes grew wide and something exploded in his inner ear. It sent him off balance once more, his fingers groping for another hold on the bricks behind him. The scream that ripped the air filled his mind, pierced his chest like a knife.

Her fingernails dug into her hold on the ledge. She reached for it blindly again, flailing wildly. The shooting pain that coursed through her foot alerted her that she had found a hold on the wall. She slipped her toe into the tiny hole.

The screaming stopped and he gained his steadiness. The girl dangled perilously from the ledge, only by one hand and on the sill now. He realized that he could help her-that he could be declared the hero of the moment. Then he thought of his purpose.

Pain shot through her hand and she cried out. She slipped from the edge; fell backward. There was nothing else for her to catch onto this time and she twisted around, desperate for anything to grab. There was nothing at all. She shrieked from her very soul.

He stared after the flailing girl. His eyes remained hard as he watched, but something flickered when she cried out.

Her hand caught onto something and she felt as if her shoulder would yank from it’s socket as it jerked her to a stop.

He cursed under his breath and crouched quickly, stretching his arms out to keep his feet planted firmly. It looked as if she had managed to catch hold of a flagpole that stuck horizontally from the building. His mind told him he could just forget about it-just leave then. But then it said he was a coward for not-

She slipped as she tried to get a better hold on the flagpole. There was no rough surface for her hands to catch hold of. It was slippery to the touch and she kept falling the distance she gained. She glanced down at the street below, the cars rushing by. She told herself she could do it, that she could live through it.

He watched in disbelief as she scrambled onto the pole and laid flat on it. There was no way that she could have done it, he was certain of it.

The wind whipped her hair into her face, slapping her wildly. She breathed a sigh of slow relief, the adrenaline still pumping through her veins, keeping her at the alert.

A light flashed from below. A semi rushed by too fast for the city street. The wind behind it rushed up between the two buildings, beating his cheeks harshly. The pole swayed violently in the updraft and the girl fell-

Her arms lost their death grip on the swaying flagpole. They slipped and she was once again dangling by her fingertips. They too one-by-one lost their hold. She stared in horror at the night sky.

He knew it was risky. He knew he would be killed if he did it wrong. He knew they would both die, but he couldn’t watch her die this way, no matter what happened to him.

A figure in the shadows above flipped from the ledge and from the wall to land heavily on the pole. She was sent flying up first from the sudden shock wave, then plunged down-

For an instant, he panicked. She was falling now, screaming again. He threw himself forward, not daring to hope that he would-

A strong hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her to a stop in midair. She looked up, her vision spinning until it rested on the face of the-

Her eyes met his and he tightened his grip on her wrist. He fought his way back onto the pole, bringing her with him. He was breathless, his heart pounding his ribs relentlessly. But he didn’t care. He had done it.

She clung to the pole, shaking violently, a leaf on the breeze. Her arms shook as she took hold of the flagpole where he placed her. His eyes flashed at her, and then he reached for the flag that dangled from the end of the pole.

He grasped the flag, taking one last glance at her. Just before he was ready to swing away-

“Thank you.” She managed a weak smile in his direction.

He couldn’t understand her smile, or the words of gratefulness. He had almost killed her…

The first question came to her mind, but he had already given her a mystified look and slipped from the pole and swung from the flag like it was a vine in the jungle.

o0o0o0o

He glanced up at the girl after he had reached the ground. From her perch on the flagpole she was searching the street for something, each sweep of her eyes taking in all that she saw.

But she never found what she was seeking and the heartbreaking look that overtook her eyes hurt him more than he even knew was possible. But there was nothing else to do but turn away and disappear into the shadows…