Free Fall of Heroes by Jeramey Kraatz

set it carefully on the edge of the ice. On the count of three, they pushed, sending the chair-on-skis flying across the lake. Misty screamed at first, which quickly devolved into a fit of laughter as she spun around on the frozen water. When the chair finally came to a stop, Misty floated it back over to the edge of the beach.
    â€œWho’s next?” she asked, catching her breath and grinning from ear to ear.
    â€œI’ll go,” Mallory said, running across the dock.
    Alex stood at the edge of the ice, staring down at it.
    â€œYou look scared,” Kirbie said.
    â€œI’ve never actually been on ice before, I don’t think.”
    He stuck a foot out and tapped.
    â€œAt that rate you’ll never learn how to walk on it,” Kirbie said. She pushed him.
    Alex took a few awkward steps forward before he stopped moving anywhere. Instead his feet just continued to slide without traction every time he tried to move, like he was running in place. Finally his legs went one way and his body went another, and he found himself sitting on the frozen lake water.
    â€œOW!” he said loudly, exaggerating for Kirbie.
    â€œGraceful.” She grinned.
    Alex started to retort, when something yellow caught his eye, half-hidden behind the garage. He smiled and wrapped his thoughts around it. Suddenly a huge inflatable raft was sailing toward him through the air—the raft that Kirbie had tried to carry several of them in when they were first planning on storming Cloak’s base, when everything had felt so hopeless. Kirbie recognized the mischievous look in Alex’s eyes a second too late. The raft hit her, sweeping her legs out from under her as she fell backward into the cushiony yellow plastic with a small scream. Alex could hear her shout the word “jerk” as the raft sailed out to the middle of the cove, Misty chasing after it.
    Gage started back up to his garage, but something caught his leg. A vine shot out of the earth, thick and strong, and pulled him a few feet off the ground.
    â€œNo way,” Kyle said from the ice. His hands were held out in front of him. “You’re not having enough fun. You just spent half an hour in the Gloom. Take a break.”
    Smaller vines started poking around in Gage’s pockets, pulling out any tools and electronics.
    â€œI’ve got all sorts of tests I should be running and—Hey, be careful with that.”
    â€œWhat do you say, Alex? I think he needs to take a little ride on the ski chair.”
    â€œYeah,” Alex said, grinning wide as he carefully stood up on the ice. “He’s right, Gage. Live a little.”
    â€œAlex Knight,” Gage said, a bit flustered, “if you think my idea of fun is jettisoning across a hastily frozen lake in a contraption—”
    The vines tossed him toward the cove, where Alex intercepted him with his thoughts. Gage flew through the air wide-eyed, until he was planted firmly in the chair. He yelped as a telekinetic push sent him flying across the frozen cove. Alex watched a smile take over his friend’s face as Kyle slid over the ice after him.
    There was a flash of silver out on the ice that caused Alex to immediately go on guard, but it was only Mallory. She hadn’t bothered to change out of her Beta uniform. The grinning Cloak skull gleamed in the fading sunlight, and as she laughed and conspired with Misty and Kirbie on the lake, Alex’s father’s words crashed down on him. What would his parents be doing right now? Plotting at the underground base in the War Room? How long before they focused all their resources on finding Alex and the newly rescued Rangers?
    He scanned the ice. Everyone was so excited, so happy . But their downtime would be short. After this—when Lone Star and Lux woke up—they would return to fighting. Now they were in it more than ever. This was probably the last time they’d get to just play around and be kids until it