door.
They didn't somersault like she had with Josh. She spread her arms immediately, pushing into an arch as hard as she could, making sure she went down belly first. Martin and Froggy had tight hold of her, one either side, their toes flicking up behind them as they clutched the yellow handholds of her jumpsuit.
The wind rushed up, but there was that same feeling of weightlessness; that same burst of warmth in her chest. The adrenaline surge twisted her lips into an inane grin.
Lucy glanced at her altimeter.
'11,000!' she shouted under her left forearm at Marty.
He smiled, cheeks and jowls flapping in the wind.
Lucy fought the updraft to turn her head.
'11,000!' she shouted under her right arm at Froggy.
His beard was rendered almost straight by terminal velocity, eyes fixing her hard through his goggles. His lips parted in a blinding white grin.
She didn't know how they could hear her. She couldn't even hear it herself beyond the rush of wind. Lucy checked her heading, fixing Berry Head on the horizon. She checked right, then left before looking at her altimeter again.
9,000?
Froggy's gloved hand appeared in front of her face, two fingers outstretched.
Straighten your legs.
Lucy did so very slowly. The last of the bruises was only just fading from wind tunnel training when she'd gone at it too quick.
She checked the altimeter again.
8,000 feet.
She quickly went through the practice pulls, arching as hard as she could, reaching out in front of her face with her left hand to steady herself, reaching back with her right, blinking in relief as she felt the drogue through her gloves. She repeated the practice pull again and again.
Lucy saw Froggy's thumb and forefinger gripped in an O.
Circle of awareness.
She checked her altimeter; shook it.
That can't be right...
6,000 feet.
When Lucy jumped with Josh, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Freefall seemed to go on forever. All her instincts told her the altimeter was wrong - she couldn't be that low already. She squinted at it again.
5,500.
"Only an idiot knows better than the alti," she remembered Martin saying in training. She saw Froggy's hand again, forefinger outstretched. Her stomach lurched.
Pull.
She heeded the warning; she didn't want them deploying for her. Lucy quickly waved off.
She arched deeply, reaching out in front of her with her left hand one more time, snaring the drogue with her right, throwing it out to the wind. She felt Martin and Froggy let go; a sharp jolt and she was shooting upward. She looked up.
‘One thousand and one, one thousand and… '
Lucy grinned up at the square canopy. She heard the wind calm, the gentle flap above her head: blue on miraculous blue.
She felt the sun on her face; the rush. Lucy squealed and clapped in excitement. She reached up, pulling the toggles from the risers with a sharp tug. She looked down at the chequered fields of North Devon; the glittering sea, the blue sky. It was perfect. Now all she had to do was land this thing.
Lucy saw Josh in his tight white t-shirt and navy blue jump pants sprinting across the field towards her as she honed in on the wet grass. She ignored him, flaring; bending, dropping and rolling just like she'd been told. It didn't hurt. She got up, and kept running until she heard the parachute slump down behind her.
He came at her, pulling her into his strong arms, pressing her against his warm chest. She breathed in his scent as he held her against him.
'Lucy!' he panted. 'Are you OK?'
He held her back, hands pinning her hard by the shoulders, eyes a bright green blaze.
'OK?' she whooped. 'I'm fantastic!'
She stood there, beaming proudly. She was bouncing off the walls.
He studied her for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. Lucy's grin sank. He was frowning.
'Is this thing working or what?' he murmured, wrenching the walkie talkie from her harness and shaking
They didn't somersault like she had with Josh. She spread her arms immediately, pushing into an arch as hard as she could, making sure she went down belly first. Martin and Froggy had tight hold of her, one either side, their toes flicking up behind them as they clutched the yellow handholds of her jumpsuit.
The wind rushed up, but there was that same feeling of weightlessness; that same burst of warmth in her chest. The adrenaline surge twisted her lips into an inane grin.
Lucy glanced at her altimeter.
'11,000!' she shouted under her left forearm at Marty.
He smiled, cheeks and jowls flapping in the wind.
Lucy fought the updraft to turn her head.
'11,000!' she shouted under her right arm at Froggy.
His beard was rendered almost straight by terminal velocity, eyes fixing her hard through his goggles. His lips parted in a blinding white grin.
She didn't know how they could hear her. She couldn't even hear it herself beyond the rush of wind. Lucy checked her heading, fixing Berry Head on the horizon. She checked right, then left before looking at her altimeter again.
9,000?
Froggy's gloved hand appeared in front of her face, two fingers outstretched.
Straighten your legs.
Lucy did so very slowly. The last of the bruises was only just fading from wind tunnel training when she'd gone at it too quick.
She checked the altimeter again.
8,000 feet.
She quickly went through the practice pulls, arching as hard as she could, reaching out in front of her face with her left hand to steady herself, reaching back with her right, blinking in relief as she felt the drogue through her gloves. She repeated the practice pull again and again.
Lucy saw Froggy's thumb and forefinger gripped in an O.
Circle of awareness.
She checked her altimeter; shook it.
That can't be right...
6,000 feet.
When Lucy jumped with Josh, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Freefall seemed to go on forever. All her instincts told her the altimeter was wrong - she couldn't be that low already. She squinted at it again.
5,500.
"Only an idiot knows better than the alti," she remembered Martin saying in training. She saw Froggy's hand again, forefinger outstretched. Her stomach lurched.
Pull.
She heeded the warning; she didn't want them deploying for her. Lucy quickly waved off.
She arched deeply, reaching out in front of her with her left hand one more time, snaring the drogue with her right, throwing it out to the wind. She felt Martin and Froggy let go; a sharp jolt and she was shooting upward. She looked up.
‘One thousand and one, one thousand and… '
Lucy grinned up at the square canopy. She heard the wind calm, the gentle flap above her head: blue on miraculous blue.
She felt the sun on her face; the rush. Lucy squealed and clapped in excitement. She reached up, pulling the toggles from the risers with a sharp tug. She looked down at the chequered fields of North Devon; the glittering sea, the blue sky. It was perfect. Now all she had to do was land this thing.
Lucy saw Josh in his tight white t-shirt and navy blue jump pants sprinting across the field towards her as she honed in on the wet grass. She ignored him, flaring; bending, dropping and rolling just like she'd been told. It didn't hurt. She got up, and kept running until she heard the parachute slump down behind her.
He came at her, pulling her into his strong arms, pressing her against his warm chest. She breathed in his scent as he held her against him.
'Lucy!' he panted. 'Are you OK?'
He held her back, hands pinning her hard by the shoulders, eyes a bright green blaze.
'OK?' she whooped. 'I'm fantastic!'
She stood there, beaming proudly. She was bouncing off the walls.
He studied her for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. Lucy's grin sank. He was frowning.
'Is this thing working or what?' he murmured, wrenching the walkie talkie from her harness and shaking
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