Free Fall of Hope (Book 1): Real Heroes Don't Wear Capes by R.M. Grace Page A

Danny refers to it as luck.
    One
thing still startles Danny about what happened—the Walkman in
her pocket carried on playing through the attack. The earphones flew
from her ears as she fell backwards and screamed. When Danny fell to
shield her from the jaws, he could hear, “I'd give you my
world. Open up, everything's waiting for you.” Those lyrics
still wind around in his mind like a damn roller coaster.
    “ What
kind of kid listens to Fleetwood Mac, anyway?” That's all he
says about it to conceal the true astonishment bubbling on the
inside.
    Talking
about roller coasters, Danny also dreamed about the fairground that
comes to the Common twice a year.
    Bobby
loved when the fairground came because Benji would take him. They
would walk around with candy floss and play in the arcades all day.
Benji would try the claws until he won Bobby a teddy, then have
shoot-outs in the zombie booths. Going on the ghost train wasn't
scary with him because he would let him link arms and hold his face
against his shoulder if it was too scary. Bobby thinks about the
picture in the kitchen of them at the front entrance with the roller
coaster in the background. Visiting there was the best times in his
life and he almost tears up at the thought.
    Like
everyone else, he and Danny took the bus to the Common that year.
Upon arriving, it was obvious something was different. Usually cars
parked across the field and people crowded the area, coming and
going. Yet, on this day more people than usual crowded the entrance.
The atmosphere was different, especially from when he went with his
brother. It wasn't full of excitement and joy, but thick with
confusion.
    No
rides were bashing or clanging together, nor were any bells ringing
inside the arcades. He could hear no screams, or the creepy music
they played around the ghost train to add suspense. Instead, people
were standing around with their faces in their hands. Many were
staring at the floor, or glancing around with desperation and
longing. The place was sombre—a severe contrast to every other
time.
    It
was July 15th—a week until the summer holidays in 2011. After
that, they would be in Year 5— a year of coursework before
their GCSE's.
    Bobby
hadn't enjoyed rides since Benji died. Yet, Danny said they were
going to release some steam before the real hard work began, so he
agreed to go.
    As
they made their way through the crowds, it became evident something
terrible had happened—the ambulance in front of the Ferris
wheel confirmed that.
    Five
days earlier, Danny confessed to having a “daydream”
about a kid falling from a fairground ride. Danny claimed he fell
into a doze while in History class, but Bobby is doubtful. It is out
of character for Danny to do anything rude like that on school
grounds. He would never admit that seeing the Welsh girl falling from
a ride was a vision though.
    The
day after the fairground, the incident was first page news on the
local telegraph. They discovered the ten-year-old girl, who plunged
to her death from the Ferris wheel, wasn't Welsh. Her whole family
were from Coventry and Leamington. However, the photograph the paper
used of the girl must have been where Danny picked up the Welsh theme
from. She was sitting cross-legged on the grass in a white t-shirt.
In her lap was a soft, red dragon with green ribbons attached to its
head and tail.
    Glancing
about them now, Bobby wonders why he is bothering to ask Danny any of
this. After all, he's experienced many more similar occurrences.
    “ It
wasn't like that though, I'm not even sure it is a real place. It's
impossible,” he says, mumbling the last part to himself.
    Danny
scrunches his face to express the words, “what do you call my
dreams—possible?”
    “ It
wasn't a premonition—”
    “ Luck.”
    “ Whatever.
It's not that. Have you ever dreamed of a strange place where you've
never been?”
    “ Strange
how?”
    “ I
don't know. Unrealistic—something imaginary, like from a
fairy-tale, or