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“Kiera!” Malik hollered.
Ellery’s eyes opened and she searched for the little girl.
Derek leaned over the balcony ledge, and Ellery followed his gaze.
Kiera had her arms and legs wrapped around a brass pole and was sliding down it. The pole ran along the exterior wall to a small grass ledge far below, one of the gardens Ellery had seen earlier.
“I turned away to give you two some privacy and she was gone,” Malik muttered.
The girl released the pole ten feet before it ended and did an impressive backflip. She landed easily on the grass, then leaned her head back and gestured for the rest of them to come down.
Ellery laughed. “Sheisa wild child.”
Derek smiled and gestured. “Would you like to?”
“Of course I do.” She winked and climbed onto the balcony ledge, edging over to the metal pole. She was ten stories off the small patch of grass, but beyond that the world fell away to the valley below. There would be no coming back from that fall. Ellery breathed in the fresh air, loving the challenge and the danger. Derek always made her feel like life could be happy and that fun did exist.
“And people think I’m nuts,” Malik muttered.
“You aren’t coming?” Derek climbed up as well.
“You two go play Ninja Warrior with the twelve year old,” Malik said. “I choose life.”
Ellery knew that was from a movie, but she didn’t think the stunt was that dangerous. She reached the pole that attached solidly above her to the roof line and wrapped her arms and legs around it, sliding down with wild abandon. Her hair streamed out around her and her stomach hopped happily. She was in her element.
Would kissing Derek feel as good as this wild ride down a metal pole?
“Yes!” Kiera screamed as Ellery slowed her speed ten feet off the ground, flipped, and landed next to the little girl.
Derek, of course, couldn’t be bested. He slowed down fifteen feet off the ground and did a double backflip.
He landed and they both clapped.
“You’re all insane,” Malik hollered down to them.
They cheered louder, and Kiera jumped into Derek’s arms.
“I love you both so much!” she cried out. “Nobody else understands me.”
Ellery grinned. She wished she’d had a sister like this.
Derek turned toward her and both he and Kiera captured her with their blue eyes. Her heart seemed to catch and then race. She was meant to be part of this family.
If only she could stay here.
She couldn’t.
So she’d better enjoy every second.
She tore her gaze away and looked out at the view. “What other tricks can you show us?” she asked Kiera, focusing back on the girl but carefully avoiding her older brother’s gaze.
“Lots and lots! You’ll do crazy stunts with me?”
“For sure.”
“Let’s go,” Kiera cheered.
Crazy stunts would be a good distraction right now. She had no clue what reality she was in, but it wasn’t a real one.
