offended. Instead, she looked determined.
Lacey trotted off and returned twenty seconds later with a step stool, about five feet high.
“Get on,” she commanded.
“What, why? This is so stu–”
“Get on!” Lacey repeated forcefully, in a voice quite unlike the calm serene “Lacey” that Noelle had met the other night.
Obediently, Noelle climbed to the top and faced Lacey.
“Now what?” she demanded.
“Turn around,” Lacey said firmly as she made a whirling motion with her index finger.
Noelle did so. Ten seconds. Forty. Fifty passed by while Lacey muttered something to the other Unwanteds. Impatiently Noelle whirled around as she saw the other Extras lined up in a row with their arms outstretched.
“I didn’t tell you to face them,” Lacey began.
“But what are you going to make me do?” Noelle asked, curiously with a hint of exasperation.
“Turn around, Noelle!”
“Answer my question first,”
“Turn around, and I will tell you.”
Noelle spun around as Lacey meandered over to the other side of the platform.
“Now cross your arms in front of your chest. Form them like an ‘X’,” Lacey commanded.
“What are you going to make – ?”
“You’ll see in a minute,” Lacey groaned with a hint of impatience. “Now find a spot on the ceiling and stare at it. I don’t want you to take your eyes off of it, okay? Have you found the spot?”
Noelle picked a tile with a very large crack which she assumed during stormy days would have a bucket parallel toward it to collect the raindrops that entered through the crevice.
“Yes, I found a spot.”
“Good,” Lacey said. “Now keep staring at it, and I want you to fall backwards.”
“Wait, what?!”
“Fall backwards,” Lacey repeated.
Noelle pulled her gaze off of the ceiling crevice as she stared at Lacey in disbelief. Inevitably she glanced downward and realized just how high five feet seemed. Then she swiftly gazed at the crowd before she returned her gaze to Lacey.
“No,” she answered firmly.
“‘No’ what?”
“I’m not falling backwards,” Noelle answered defiantly as she pulled her arms out of the X shape on her chest and crossed them. “It’s way too high up here. Plus I don’t really know any of the people catching me. So, no, I’m not falling backwards.”
Lacey mimicked Noelle’s defiant stance.
“Oh yes you are,” she answered sounding scarily alike to a fed-up mother. “I’m going to tell you exactly what you’re going to do. You’re going to turn right back around and place your hands like and X across your chest. You’re going to find that spot on the ceiling, and you’ll fall backwards without another word.
“And you know why you’re going to do it, Noelle? Because you’re going to learn to trust, to take a step of faith and fall. That spot you see in the ceiling is your plan for your life, and when you begin to trust and take that step of faith, you’re going to see it and want to reach for it, and your heart is going to sink when it begins to fall away.
“The joy is in the journey, and you’ll see why. When you let go of those selfish dreams, you’ll learn how glad you were when you took that step of faith. And that Noelle is why you’re going to fall into their arms.”
Noelle opened her mouth to argue but closed it again as she processed the words, but she decided to unleash her one last once of defiance on Lacey.
“And if I don’t?”
Lacey’s mouth twisted into a thin smile, “Then you will sleep outside tonight. We will lock you out of the cabin.”
“But – ”
“No ‘buts’ or yours is going to be freezing outside the cabin tonight. Now turn around and fall.”
Obediently Noelle spun around and placed her arms perpendicularly across her chest. She glanced up at the ceiling tile and tried her best not to think about how far she would have to collapse.
She clamped her eyes shut and threw her body weight backwards.
Halfway through the free-fall she wanted
Lacey trotted off and returned twenty seconds later with a step stool, about five feet high.
“Get on,” she commanded.
“What, why? This is so stu–”
“Get on!” Lacey repeated forcefully, in a voice quite unlike the calm serene “Lacey” that Noelle had met the other night.
Obediently, Noelle climbed to the top and faced Lacey.
“Now what?” she demanded.
“Turn around,” Lacey said firmly as she made a whirling motion with her index finger.
Noelle did so. Ten seconds. Forty. Fifty passed by while Lacey muttered something to the other Unwanteds. Impatiently Noelle whirled around as she saw the other Extras lined up in a row with their arms outstretched.
“I didn’t tell you to face them,” Lacey began.
“But what are you going to make me do?” Noelle asked, curiously with a hint of exasperation.
“Turn around, Noelle!”
“Answer my question first,”
“Turn around, and I will tell you.”
Noelle spun around as Lacey meandered over to the other side of the platform.
“Now cross your arms in front of your chest. Form them like an ‘X’,” Lacey commanded.
“What are you going to make – ?”
“You’ll see in a minute,” Lacey groaned with a hint of impatience. “Now find a spot on the ceiling and stare at it. I don’t want you to take your eyes off of it, okay? Have you found the spot?”
Noelle picked a tile with a very large crack which she assumed during stormy days would have a bucket parallel toward it to collect the raindrops that entered through the crevice.
“Yes, I found a spot.”
“Good,” Lacey said. “Now keep staring at it, and I want you to fall backwards.”
“Wait, what?!”
“Fall backwards,” Lacey repeated.
Noelle pulled her gaze off of the ceiling crevice as she stared at Lacey in disbelief. Inevitably she glanced downward and realized just how high five feet seemed. Then she swiftly gazed at the crowd before she returned her gaze to Lacey.
“No,” she answered firmly.
“‘No’ what?”
“I’m not falling backwards,” Noelle answered defiantly as she pulled her arms out of the X shape on her chest and crossed them. “It’s way too high up here. Plus I don’t really know any of the people catching me. So, no, I’m not falling backwards.”
Lacey mimicked Noelle’s defiant stance.
“Oh yes you are,” she answered sounding scarily alike to a fed-up mother. “I’m going to tell you exactly what you’re going to do. You’re going to turn right back around and place your hands like and X across your chest. You’re going to find that spot on the ceiling, and you’ll fall backwards without another word.
“And you know why you’re going to do it, Noelle? Because you’re going to learn to trust, to take a step of faith and fall. That spot you see in the ceiling is your plan for your life, and when you begin to trust and take that step of faith, you’re going to see it and want to reach for it, and your heart is going to sink when it begins to fall away.
“The joy is in the journey, and you’ll see why. When you let go of those selfish dreams, you’ll learn how glad you were when you took that step of faith. And that Noelle is why you’re going to fall into their arms.”
Noelle opened her mouth to argue but closed it again as she processed the words, but she decided to unleash her one last once of defiance on Lacey.
“And if I don’t?”
Lacey’s mouth twisted into a thin smile, “Then you will sleep outside tonight. We will lock you out of the cabin.”
“But – ”
“No ‘buts’ or yours is going to be freezing outside the cabin tonight. Now turn around and fall.”
Obediently Noelle spun around and placed her arms perpendicularly across her chest. She glanced up at the ceiling tile and tried her best not to think about how far she would have to collapse.
She clamped her eyes shut and threw her body weight backwards.
Halfway through the free-fall she wanted
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