A Party Trick at Thirty Thousand Feet Chapter 01

For my best friend Rebecca’s birthday, the five of us take a helicopter over the snowy mountains to watch the sunrise.

Halfway through the flight, smoke suddenly starts pouring out of the cockpit. The pilot turns to us and shouts,

“Something’s wrong! We need to lighten the load and get out now!”

My childhood friend Jonathan is the first to shove a parachute pack into my arms.

“Juli, you go first. You’re the lightest!”

My brother Will fastens his own harness and urgently pushes me toward the open cabin door.

“You’re afraid of heights, right? Just close your eyes and jump! We’ll be right behind you!”

Rebecca wipes away her tears and nods encouragingly.

My boyfriend Caleb gives my hand a squeeze before letting go.

“I promised your dad I’d always put you first, no matter what. Now, JUMP!”

I bite my lip and jump.

The moment the wind roars in my ears, I pull the parachute cord.

But instead of a parachute, a shower of colorful confetti bursts open above me, along with a card.

[Congratulations! You’ve completed your fear-of-heights challenge!]

Laughter erupts through my headset.

Jonathan is laughing so hard he can barely catch his breath.

“I told you! She’s more afraid of the unknown than she is of heights!”

Caleb’s voice comes through the clearest.

“Babe, don’t be mad. It was just a little prank.”

“There’s a backup parachute behind you. The release handle is on your left. We’ll come get you in a minute.”

I reach behind me to feel for it, but there’s no handle on the left.

In fact, the entire parachute pack is empty.

“Caleb, there’s really no handle on the left!”

I scream into the microphone clipped to my collar, struggling against the freezing wind.

The terrifying sensation of falling makes my stomach twist as the icy mountain air rushes past me.

For a few seconds, all I hear through the headset is static.

Then Jonathan bursts out laughing again.

“Juli, are you seriously making up a stupid lie like that just to avoid jumping?”

His voice reaches me from thousands of feet above, dripping with condescending amusement.

I frantically reach around and feel for the handle again.

My fingers scrape against rough canvas.

There’s really nothing there.

Just a wad of soft padding.

“WILL!”

“Will, PLEASE!”

My voice trembles as I cry out.

“Help me! I can’t find the handle! The parachute pack is empty!”

Will lets out an impatient scoff over the radio.

“We watched you put that parachute on ourselves. How could it possibly be empty?”

“When are you finally going to get over this dramatic nonsense?”

“If Rebecca hadn’t suggested this tough-love approach, were you planning to let your fear hold us back forever?”

Every word hits me like a hammer.

The wind makes it hard to hear anything else.

My body feels like a ragged piece of cloth, hurtling straight toward the dark canopy of the old-growth forest below.

Rebecca’s voice cuts in at just the right moment.

“Juli, just close your eyes and feel the wind, okay?”

“This is such an amazing birthday present. I really want you to enjoy it with me.”

I force my eyes to stay open.

The jagged treetops below are growing larger by the second.

“Caleb…”

I call the last person left. The man I’ve loved for six years.

“Please, help me.”

Caleb sighs on the other end, sounding like he’s trying to calm down a child throwing a tantrum.

“That’s enough, Juli.”

“Your tracker shows you’re about to land in the safe zone in the forest.”

“Send us a signal once you touch down. We’ll land and come get you.”

“Be a good girl. Don’t ruin Rebecca’s birthday.”

Then he cuts off the communication.

In the final second, the wind seems to fall silent.

I disappear into the thick canopy of the old-growth forest.

Back inside the helicopter, the one that was supposedly having trouble and on the verge of an emergency landing, everything is perfectly fine.

There’s no smoke in the cabin. Not a single warning light is flashing.

The pilot who had shouted at us earlier is now taking off his headset, grinning at Jonathan.

“You guys really know how to put on a show. That girl went completely white when she jumped!”

Jonathan raises his eyebrows smugly.

“If we didn’t push her this far, she wouldn’t even dare stand on a second-floor balcony.”

Rebecca cradles a cup of hot coffee, leaning against Will.

“Do you think Juli is really crying from fear? I’m a little worried about her.”

Will gently strokes her hair.

“Let her cry. It’s better than having her use her fear of heights as an excuse to monopolize Caleb every single day.”

Caleb sits in the seat farthest from the others, holding a tracking device with a blinking red dot.

He glances at the screen, making sure the dot has stopped near the edge of the old-growth forest.

Then, without much thought, he presses the radio button.

“Juli, if you’ve landed safely, let us know.”