His return to the series of activities he was used to was a long, multifaceted journey, filled with various challenges and flicts. He went through tless jumps, learning how to fall and how not to fall. It’s fair to say that physical activity of this magnitude now meant he had gai least a minimal amount of experien skydiving. Even Jack hadn’t touched a cigarette or any form of tobaoke for days now—it was a strahing, trying to give his best.

  -Well, sdrels, you’ve pletely surpassed my expectations. You’ve made a small step forward, but now es a special exercise. This one be questioned for its difficulty, and it will be different for each of you.- Major Walce said, as they prepared for the drills. Onpleted, they'd be sidered graduated after their first jump, a difficult and trolled one.

  It took some time to get to the right location and even more time to board the helicopter. The military apahem—there was er teacher than practice itself. Alongside them, the soldiers looked a bit pale, as did Ahough he ha with nerves of steel. They were all worthy soldiers, each possessing outstanding abilities in bat. Billy was already pig up some of these skills.

  -The first to jump will be you—Andrew, Gray, David, Jack, and Thomas. Private Brighton will be the st to follow, as she already has experienpared to you.- Major Walstructed with certainty and authority, ensuring they all knew what had to be dohey boarded the helicopter, and before they k, they were asding into the sky. The helicopter took them he coast, free from any obstacles.

  -Don’t jump into the sea thinking it’ll soften your fall. It’s better to nd on the grass. We’ve cleared the area of any rocks or uneven ground. Calcute the jump as I’ve expined before—let your body guide you, steer with your hands, and hold on to the ropes like we practiced. Be careful and make sure the parachute is secured before the jump.- Walce shouted with force. The odds of the parachute not opening were practically ent, thanks to the backup, so there was nothing to fear. The trick was not to get hurt during the nding. That’s why they practiced the nding so much, from 3,000 feet in the air.

  -Did you hear that, gentlemen? This is nothing pared to flying a pne. If we’re afraid of something this simple, that would just be pin stupid.- Gray said as he jumped into the void, shouting something he really shouldn’t have, but it was his first time. He felt the wind on his face, the ground so far below rushing up to meet him. The fall only took seds. He spread his arms, feeling the wind hitting his fa full force. Then the parachute opened—a strong tug sent him s through the air, falling slowly, not fast, not easily. It was like a graceful dest, an arrogant flight that lifted him toward the sky.

  In the helicopter, everyoched Gray’s fall with renewed ce. One by ohey jumped with their newfound strength, and Billy followed, ughing. Kate watched the dest with fear in her eyes. She had vertigo, which was normal—anyone would feel that way before such a task.

  -You’re up .- Major Walce ordered, standing tall and pletely calm about what was happening. As they prepared to jump, Kate hesitated. That’s why Private Brighton was by her side—he strapped their vests together, and they jumped together. Three weeks of training had not been in vain.

  She jumped with the private, serious, and somewhat robust man, and the jump left her in shock. She could see the difference, but she made the jump without much trouble.

  Billy was euphoric, filled with a reckless desire to leap, a desire that took him to the skies and made him feel alive. It was as if he were entering a state of emptiness, a pce of pead wildness. A pce where he ected with nature itself. He opened his parachute and floated through the sky, a cloudy sky filled with mystery. It id journey of self-awareness, and in that moment, he felt the beauty of life—he felt alive, a being in harmony with existence.

  He nded on the grass, just as he had practiced. He spun midair, walked in a quick circle, and found his baer a big diagonal leap. He staggered a bit but mao stick the nding. Even with the training, it was still far from easy.

  ***

  He ran toward the soldiers, all of them having pleted their jumps.

  -That was intense. Don’t you think? It was way more plicated than I expected.- Andrew said, breathing heavily, adrenaliill c through him after the jump.

  -Well, now that we’ve pleted the course, I don’t see any more obstacles before we start flying. I ’t wait to pilot a pne. - Gray murmured as he packed up his parachute, folding it ly for the use. The jump had been necessary, and worth it.

  -The G-fory face… - Thomas said with a grin, delighted at how fast he fell toward the ground, watg the earth’s curvature, feeling like the stars were falling to meet him as he turhe pne.

  -Their lives are something else. That sounds way more fun than just singing at a cert. - Billy chimed in.

  -You shut up! It was fantastic how we danced in the clouds! The rest of your life is b—dating supermodels, meeting the Rolling Stones, dining at the best restaurants—stop being so pretentious.- Andrew retorted, pointing at him.

  -There you go again. Fun is fun, pin and simple.- Billy replied, taking in the unusualness of it all.

  They began anizing the ndscape around them—a beautiful se that sighe right moment, a majestic sight.

  -A song that takes you wherever you want to go… Experiences like these require a lot of work. - Billy whispered to himself.

  Stronger by Kanye West, with a piano over the vocals, could be a better song than just one full of autotune. A powerful voice, something clearer, maybe with a soft drum and an acoustic guitar, could bring the song to life.

  ...