Chapter 9

Tracing a slash of red paint, she asked with awe,

"Do you know how to ride?"

"Let's find out."

She turned wide eyes to him. "Brandon-"

"I'm kidding."

She narrowed her eyes in distrust.

"I promise I was kidding. I know how to ride."

"Brandon, I'm too young to die. Or be on the food chain of water habitants."

"Not to say that you would, but if you were to die, this would be a pretty sweet way, don't you think?"

Her look turned murderous, "Brandon slot-in-middle-name Wade, if we die, I will hunt down your spirit in the afterlife and do my best to kill it. I don't want us to end up lying six feet under, with our mothers patting their faces wondering where it all went wrong under the snarling sky and cawing birds!" She spoke with gusto.

"Wow. What a colourful imagination you have," he said, slightly flustered.

"I'm not kidding. How many times have you done this before?"

"Only a thousand times."

Not even the wind possessed the ability to change directions as quickly as her face went from gr