Jules is meeting his hero.
Lionel “Lightning” Jones. The world’s most famous daredevil. In his star-spangled leather jumpsuits and capes, he has jumped over cars, school busses, waterfalls, and canyons on his motorcycle. He has thick blond hair, a Pepsodent smile, and claims to have broken every bone in his body at least once. And the network has sent him to Preston Mills, Ontario, to look at the site of The Mile Jump.
The cameras are rolling. Jules is sweating, baking in the heat of the September sun. Finally, some dry weather. Better late than never. Lightning Jones looks out over the end of the ramp, then down at his feet.
“When’s the jump?”
“September twenty-third. Ten days away!” Jules tries for a smile, thinks he might make some kind of joke, but nothing comes to him. His throat hurts. Lightning turns away from him, squints into the sunlight.
“Shouldn’t the ground settle or something? Didn’t they just finish this thing?”
“It’s fine. Totally fine. That’s what they tell me, anyway.” Jules laughs unconvincingly, clears his throat. “It has to be.” Only that last syllable doesn’t quite make it out. His voice stops abruptly. His throat is closing, Jules is sure of it. The camera swings back toward Lightning.
“Sure looks like a dangerous jump to me, boy. If you land in that water, you better have someone to get you out quick.” He shakes his head and puts his hand on Jules’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t do it. No, sir.”
Whump, whump, whump. Jules can hear his own heartbeat, and something shadowy darts at the outside edge of his vision. The air seems to hum around his head.
Lightning pats Jules twice on the shoulder and turns on his big wide smile for the camera. “You never know. Could be the daredevil stunt to end them all, buddy!”
The cameraman nods, takes the camera off his shoulder, and starts packing up. Lightning reaches out and shakes Jules’s hand. He shrugs and turns to walk away down the ramp. Jules turns to follow him and almost trips. Pins and needles shoot up his leg. His foot has fallen asleep. Goddamn thing. Always doing that these days.
Two days later, Sammy calls to say the network thinks the jump is too risky to broadcast live.
Jules is pretty sure he knows what that means.