I grasp my hand against the rock face, trying to find a good hold to grip on. The rough structure has many grooves, some better for holding than others. My hand comes across a small indent deep enough for my hand, I grip onto it like my life depends on it. I lean back slightly, my heart beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings as I search for a decent foothold. I push up on a sturdy hold that’s by my hip and stand solely on my left foot. I quickly find a hold for my right, balancing as I reach into the bag on my hip for a hook to put into the rock. The metal clangs against rock, a chalky sound bouncing off as it clicks into place so only the hook part is sticking out. I grab the line from my harness that’s uncomfortably tight around my legs and hips and slide it.

“See! I told you it isn’t that hard!” Bucky shouts up at me from where he’s climbing at the end of the safety rope. He’s about 20 feet down, collecting the hooks as he passes them. His shaggy brown hair falls freely not contained by the highly recommended lifesaving head device. 

“Oh, shut up!” I roll my eyes grinning, “I told you, I’ve done this several times.”  I look towards the top, my blenders blocking out the blazing sun. We’re about 4 feet from the top, the sight that is waiting will be worth the 121 foot climb, the equivalent of climbing the Excalibur Tower, a rush of electricity flows through me like water sending my heart into a frenzy. Reaching for the next grip to haul myself over the edge. I find a small shelf to step onto with my left foot, that has my weathered climbing shoe, getting a sturdy grip on the rock. I push to get over the edge, scrambling to stand  once I manage to do so. 

The bright sun is blocked by a huge mountain that is sporadic in the shadow it casts on the horizon, four familiar faces stare deep in thought back at me. I smile in stunned silence as I step forward to get a better view, but a sharp tug stops me. A clenching hold surrounds my chest as my head whips around to see the rope on my harness, I quickly detach the clip and set it down on a small sharp rock protruding from the ground. I walk towards the edge nearest to the magnificent structure in front of me. Smiling in astonishment as I stare at the national monument I have heard so many stories about. I reach into my small bag and grab my camera that holds many memories of me and Bucky. I smile as the rush of memories flood back of all the trips Bucky and- Bucky! I jerk out of my thoughts and spin around to see the rope pull the rock out of the ground. My camera falls from my hands as I run towards the rope. 

“Becca!” His scream throws icy spears aimed at my heart, so cold it restricts the air from entering my lungs. I race to grab the rope as it speeds towards the edge, threatening to end a life that I hold dearly. I dive towards the rope as it flies off the edge, reaching my hand out hoping to catch the slippery cord. 

“Bucky, hold on!” I feel something caught in my grip, before it yanks me with it, dragging me against the rough terrain. I hear Bucky’s scream echoing mine and know he lost his grip on the mountain. A tight fiery grip squeezes my heart and spreads through my veins at the realization of what I did, I killed him, I let the safety clip go and now we are dead because of it. God, how can I be so stupid? 

“Becca! Hey! Snap out of it! We’re okay!” What? Aren’t we dead? I slowly open my eyes, the light flooding me, I blink trying to adjust to the new angle. A deep pressure in my ankle is keeping us from moving, I see Bucky swinging at the other end of the rope, his harness supporting the weight of him as he clings to the rope with one hand and tries to get a grip on a ledge near him, but missing it as he is pulled away from it from momentum. I’m still gripping onto the rope in a death grip with both hands, my hips still on the top of the cliff, but my upper half is hanging off the cliff. “Can you pull me up?” 

Locking eyes with his ice blue eyes meeting mine, nodding quickly, taking a deep breath before pulling on the rope. I haul it up to my harness and smoothly lock it into place, I loosen the slack, making sure it will hold his weight and not drop him, the rope stays in place ensuring it's safe to let go. I place my hands on the rock face and get a good grip on the narrow shelf I used earlier. I pull a little on my foot to test the strength of whatever is holding it, it doesn’t budge. I push up with my arms so my body is like a plank, I pull with my foot to get me back over the edge. A white hot fire burns from my ankle but I ignore it in order to get myself into a kneeling position on solid ground. I get up and take a deep breath before I start to pull on the rope with all my strength. Adrenaline runs through my veins helping me pull my brother up to the safety of the plateau of the clifftop. A pile of rope slowly accumulates behind me as I use all my strength and willingness into this task. 

After what seems to be an hour a hand appears on the edge, soon followed by another and a sweaty head topped with floppy brown hair drenched in sweat.

 “We are never, I mean never doing this big of a climb ever again, ok?” He pants as he pulls himself up fully and lays down next to me. I feel something cold on my cheeks as I realize how blurry my vision has become. I quickly wipe away the tears and sweat hoping to stop the oncoming flood, but to no avail as everything that could have happened and had happened caught up with me as well as the pain.

“I’m sorry, I forgot that it wasn’t the normal course,” I stutter, guilt washes over me as I watch him lay there heaving breaths of air. He glances over at me and swears under his breath. He sits up, and kneels on his knees, beckoning me forward. I go to, but am stopped by pain and a heavy pressure on my ankle. “I can’t!” I panic as I look at my foot, which is now wedged in between two rocks. 

“Hey, hey, Becca, calm down ok, look at me,” he coaxes, “Rebecca look at me,” He says more sternly when I don’t look up, I meet his gaze with more tears spilling down my face. “Look, I’m okay, nothing happened except a small scare ok? You didn’t do anything on purpose okay? Now, I need you to take a deep breath and we’ll call someone to come pick us up, and get your foot out of there.” He moves over and wraps his arms around me, holding me close as I bury my head into his chest.

My tears slowly come to a stop as I sniff pathetically as I listen to the rumble of his voice through his chest talking to someone on the phone. The vibrations slowly lull me to sleep, exhaustion pulling me under as I start to dream about climbing the cliff again.