Free Shadow Demons by Sarra Cannon Page A

up to the very top of the pyramid. I kept waiting for my mind to go fuzzy. For the routine to disappear or glitch in some way. But it didn’t. The last seconds of the routine stretched out in my mind, and I had to trust that everything was right. I had to trust the spell on my shoes and believe that the girls on the squad were going to catch me.
    My stomach tightened, but I didn’t let my smile fade. As the final seconds of the music sounded, I felt Allison and the other girls below me sink down, then push me high into the air. I flew up high, my body twisting and soaring. The music thumped and my heart pounded in my ears. Fear rushed through my veins. As I spun, flashes of the floor and the girls waiting below twisted in and out of my vision. Finally, after what felt like an eternity in the air, I landed safely in the arms of my fellow cheerleaders.
    Relief flooded through me. I smiled as they pushed me back into the air for our final formation. I raised my hands in the air, my chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath. The music ended and the crowd roared. We’d done it. And I hadn’t died. Win-win.
    Who knew being a cheerleader could be so stressful?

Someday, I would Have To Choose
     
    Waiting on the scores that afternoon felt like an eternity. Each cheerleading team sat together on the gym floor as the head judge – the cheerleading coach at the University of Georgia – read the names of the winners.
    The glossy wooden floor was cold against my legs. Lark sat to one side of me. Allison on the other. We held hands and huddled together. The Peachville High cheerleading squad had never won first place at a regional competition. Usually, Meredith and Caroline’s school in Cypress won first, but they weren’t competing this year. After Caroline’s disappearance and illness, their coach decided it would be best for them to sit out for a year instead of pushing the girls to practice during the crisis. So here we were, hoping to win for the very first time.
    “Come on,” Lark whispered. She squeezed my hand tight and bit her lip.
    Personally, I had a lot more important things to worry about than whether or not we were going to the state cheerleading competition this year. On the other hand, state competition was in Atlanta every year, and it would be fun to get out of this small town and back into the city for a weekend.
    “Thank you so much to all the teams who participated this year,” the lady from UGA said. “All of the judges had a very tough decision today. We saw a lot of talent and some unique routines out there today. Every one of you should be proud of yourselves. Go on. Let’s give all of our participants a hand for coming out today.”
    The gym erupted in applause, but Lark and Allison didn’t let go of my hands. I looked up to where Jackson was sitting at the top of the bleachers. Our eyes met and he smiled. I rolled my eyes and he laughed, leaning back against the wall with one foot up on the seat in front of him.
    “Like I said, this really was a close competition today, but we do have a winner,” the UGA coach said. Her voice was high and perky and excited, as if she herself had just won the big prize. “Coming in third place is the team from Cochran.”
    Squeals echoed throughout the gym as the girls from Cochran, with their purple and gold uniforms, jumped up and accepted their trophy. Most of them were smiling, but a few of the girls were obviously disappointed. Probably seniors. Their last chance to go to state denied. I swallowed nervously. This was my first chance. I’d never been part of a team like this. I’d never known what it was like to work together the way we’d all been working for the past few months. Suddenly, I realized how much I wanted us to win.
    “Second place this year goes to,” the woman paused. The gym fell completely silent. Lark squeezed my hand harder. “Hawkinsville High School.”
    More shouts of excitement. The red and white team from Hawkinsville