Chapter 17 RISEN
Rusty
opened hi s eyes. He lay flat on his back, bright light shining down, blinding him. His body was wrapped in the smoothest silk. All the pain was gone. It was warm and quiet. The thought that he was dead crossed his mind for a moment. A s he lay there Rusty thought he could hear movement nearby, like someone shuffling their feet acro ss a tile floor. His eyes adjusted to the light and he co uld now see that it wasnt the brilliance of heaven but a standard issue fluorescent bulb, with a light beige ceiling surrounding it. Perplexed, Rusty pulled his head forward and attempted to prop him self up on his elbows before being shot down in absolute agony . It felt like a blunt steel railroad spike being rammed straight through his rib cage. He screamed in anguish, head thrown back and fists curled into white knuckle balls. Suddenly he was submerged with every ache and mi sery from every point of hi s body . Rustys teeth slammed together and he co uld s wear he heard one crack. Through the torment Rusty felt hands grip him firmly by the shoulders and an unfamiliar voice calling out directions. Inject oxy-co-done? What was oxycodone? Within moment s relief rushed through Rustys veins. The pain subsided to a manageable anguish and the hands let go of his shoulders. R elea eleased of the pain, Rusty was able to open his eyes again and take a few dazed looks around. He was in a bed. There was a wooden chair nearby and a window looking o ut on some buildings in an urban setting. A doctor was leaning over him, a nurse behind him taking note s off a beeping machine, and on the other side of the bed stood his mother. Mom? Her eyes lit up. She reached a hand out and placed it gingerly on his head. Shhh, its okay Rus, relax. Her voice was calm but the look on her face told everything . Something had happened to him, something serious. Beginning to panic, Rusty again tried to sit up straight but was forced back again by a wave of unbelievable pain in his left side. Breathing hard, Rusty was barely intelligible as he gasped, What happened? Why am I here? Why does, ah, why does my side hurt so bad? Mom, please tell me. Pushing aside a strand of his hair, his mother remained soothing and said I will, I will. Just try to sit back and relax . But Rusty was determined . He pushed against the bed and managed to get him self into a sitting position. Panting from the exertion, he said No, now. I want to know now. Rustys
mother sighed. She gave him a small pat on the shoulder and said, One day out of the nest and youre already this stubborn. Fine, but dont get too upset when you hear. Turning her head to the door, she called out Lee, Jenna, he s awake now. You can come in.
The door s wung open and both Lee and Jenna ran into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed and peering over at their fallen friend . Lee was the first to speak. Damn son, you got wrecked. Lee! Rustys mother said, Language! Lee sheepishly rocked his head and said Sorry Ms. K. Jenna ignored the interr uption and said to Rusty, Howre you feeling? Rusty rubbed
his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes and said, Like ten miles of broken road. It was only then he happened to look down and see that he wa s shirtless, with bandages wrapped firmly around his chest and abdomen. Touching his left side lightly, a fresh surge of pain coursed through and he winced. He realized that breathing wa s harder than usual. What happened to me? All three of them were silent as they passed their gaze from one to the other . Lee stepped around the side of the bed, p ulled a small laptop out of his bag, and said, Maybe its best if we show you first. Opening the screen, Lee quickly pulled up an Internet video entitled Horrifying Fall at Pro/Am. Lee opened the clip and Rusty was greeted to the image of himself, racing over the top of the Freestyle course tower. The video had only ambient sound, with the thunder of the m usic and the roar of the crowd all that co uld be heard. It looked like it was ripped straight from a kid's cellphone, standing somewhere near the center of the audience. Looking at himself from the outside in, Rusty could see how sluggish and weak he had become, something hed failed to appreciate during the run. He saw himself pause, take the deep breath, and r un towards the gap. Rusty s wallowed hard, remembering the terror of what came next . It was clear from the moment he took off for the sideflip that he wouldnt make it across. Sure enough, Rusty watched with horror as his ribcage smashed into the metal coping of the opposite tower, his head snapping around like a rag doll. He saw himself scramble to hold on, his left arm snatching at the platforms edge, all to no avail . His arm twisted hideously and he fell, pl ummeting to the gro und. The image failed to keep up and he disappeared behind the head s of the people standing in front of the cameraman . Lee exited the video and set the laptop a side. That's one of the only video s that's leaked onto the Net. The television broadcasters have the right s to anything published online and they haven't relea sed their footage yet . All other sources are being shut down. Rusty
it?
looked away from Lee and stared down at his torso. He said quietly, How bad i s
The doctor on his right chimed in and said, You were unconscious for hours due to shock. But considering how hard you hit the lip, it' s not as serious as it could have been . You broke three ribs, nearly punctured a lung, and dislocated your left shoulder when you tried to hold on. Tore a few ligaments too. Of course thats on top of the broken bone in your foot and the overall phy sical and mental exha ustion. Taking in the information as quickly as he could, Rusty skipped ahead and a sked, But how did I survive the fall? There werent any cra sh pads and the drop went straight down. Because there was an angel on your side. An unseen womans voice, young and vibrant Kirra. She stepped through the open doorway and joined the other s at Rustys bedside. Smiling with a halfway grin, she finished by saying Owen caught you. Rusty stared.
It had to be joke . You're kidding right? Owen wasn't even there.
Kirra's grin grew a little wider as she said, I can be very convincing. But it's the truth. Owen somehow sensed what you were going to do and knew you weren't going to make the flip. He charged the stage and got there j ust in time to get underneath you and break your fall. Rusty
listened in disbelief . That made it twice now that Owen had saved him from certain death . Rusty looked from side to side, mouth moving but nothing able to come out. It was all too much. Finally he managed to stammer, Where is he? Kirra took a deep sigh and folded her arms behind her back. Jail, unfortunately . I'm on my way to bail him out, figured I'd stop by and get an update on you before I did. Jail? Rusty asked with disbelief, They arre sted him for saving my life? He's getting bail because he saved your life. He got arrested for knocking o ut two security guards. They thought he wa s a madman rushing the stage so they tried to stop him. And nothing stops Owen when he's driven. Yeah, I guess so. Rusty replied. An awkward ten sion followed his final statement as everyone searched for the right thing to say . The doctor, having been witne ss to many such occasions in the hospital, broke the silence by retrieving a tattered shirt from the bed stand and handing it to Rusty, saying This was the shirt you were wearing when you were brought in. I'm afraid we had to c ut it off in order to treat yo u. Would you like to keep it or should I have the n urse dispose of it?
Rusty
took the shirt from the doctor and laid it out in his lap. It had been ha stily cut straight up the middle, a jagged line slicing the word R ISE ISE in two. The small tears and fixed seams had ripped open wider, leaving the shirt as little more than a shredded piece of faded red cloth . There was no hope for it now . No repairs could ever be made. Rusty slowly
traced his fingers over the white letter s. He looked up, gazed blankly at the faces of his family and friends, and then dropped hi s head low. He tried to speak but all that came out was a stifled gasp. Too much, too much. His mother took the hint and said to the doctor, We'll keep it, thank yo u for holding onto it. She motioned to Lee, Jenna, and Kirra and said, I think Rus would like to be alone for a while. The group nodded in agreement and began q uietly filing toward the door. Just before they left Rusty called out saying, Kirra, wait! Kirra, the first to leave, t urned back around and leaned against the doorway, saying Yeah? What's up? Rusty s wallowed hard and said,
Tell Owen, when you see him; that uh, tell him thank you. And that, he already saved me once. This second time wasn't for me. It was for him. And for my dad. He'll understand. Kirra cocked her head to the side slightly but didn't q uestion Rusty's response. Okay, I'll tell him. She slid out the doorway and said over her shoulder, But be ready for his wrath when you get back on your feet. If you thought training was hard before just wait till you see what advanced students go through. Rusty
hesitated before meekly replying, Yeah, we'll see.
Lee and Jenna were the next to leave, giving Rusty a simple wave goodbye and telling him to call them when he was feeling better. The doctor and the n urse followed close behind. Rusty's mother was the last in the room, and before leaving she said to him, I'll be right down the hall if you need me. I know that look on yo ur face. Your father alway s got it when he had too many thoughts running through his mind. R est, sort them out. I'll come see you in a little while. And as simple as that, Rusty was alone once again. Time passed and night fell. Out the window of hi s modest hospital suite, Rusty looked upon the sharp, rich color of The City . It looked different now, more inten se and colorf ul than ever before. The video billboards flashed with silent talking heads, the neon of the stores and the florescent of the office b uilding s lighting up the world below like suns.
When he had gazed toward downtown before, from the di stance of his suburban home, the effect wa s dimmed, lost in the distance between him and the source. A familiar but unannounced voice suddenly spoke. It loses something without the sound. Rusty spun
his head around and found Andre Levy by hi s bedside, alone, sitting in a backwards chair, his chin resting on his folded arms. Shocked, Rusty tried to sit up straighter in bed b ut succeeded only in reviving the pain in his side. Hiding his shame as best he could, he said in reply, Andre? What are yo u doing here? Without skipping a beat, Andre contin ued saying, The Cityit loses something without the sounds. The cars, the people, the metal and glass. No ans wer. Maybe he didnt want to say, maybe he didnt know, Rusty couldnt be sure. After their enco unter in the alley, and the live performance he saw at the Pro/Am, Rusty couldnt even be sure Andre was real. He came and went like the wind, a spirit in the night. Rusty decided he wa s too exhausted to care. Best to simply go with the flow . Keeping his left hand firmly placed against his ribs, Rusty s wallowed and said, Yeah, yeah I guess so. Andre tilted his head down and took a sideway s glance at the shredded shirt in Rustys lap. Thats your fathers shirt, R ISE, ISE, right? Yeah. Rusty said hesitantly . Andre looked back up to the window and said matter-of-factly, I had one once, when I was a kid. Original design, red and white. Had it signed by JK too. Rustys
ears twitched. You did? You met my dad?
Y up, Andre said, Back when I was twelve . Just a few month s before he died act ually . He was making an appearance Downtown, putting on a demo and signing autographs. I spent all the ca sh I had to bu y the shirt and get a ticket . Waited four hours to finally see him. Shifting his weight, Andre finished saying, Wore it every day . Trained in it, ate in it, slept in it. Wore it till the letter s faded and the cotton stripped away . I loved that shirt. The day after it finally died, I entered my fir st Pro/Am, as an amateur. I lost. Rustys
mouth went slack. Impossible he thought. You lost? he said incredulously .
Andre scoffed and said, Hard to believe, h uh? I came in 5th place. My sponsors and handlers buried those results, no one know s about it. They want me to look like Superman. The f unny thing was, when I looked at the judges sheets later, there was one comment that they all shared. Tries too hard looks like a bad JK. Andre took a deep breath and sighed. He stood up from the chair, pushed it aside, and started walking toward the door . He called back, Come on, let s go. Rusty stared.
Go? Go where?
Andre opened the door and said, To the roof . Its too quiet in here, we need The City sound. But, can we do that? Rusty said hesitantly, his hand pushing harder again st his side. I dont know if I can A sharp throb of pain c ut Rusty short. Then stay in here and give up. Im going to the roof . Andre stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind him . From the hallway Rusty could hear him say, And bring R ISE ISE with you too. ______________________________________________________________________________ The journey to the roof wa s harder than anything that had come before . At every step Rustys body fought a campaign for surrender. Just making it o ut of bed and thro ugh the door had taken over ten min utes, with Rusty gripping the handrails white-hot for support. Rusty peered o utside and fo und his mother asleep in a chair by the door. The hallway s were eerily empty . Clad in only his s weatpants and a hospital gown, the elevator doors opened and Rusty was instantly hit with a bla st of freezing air. Cursing loudly to himself, he shuffled out onto the packed gravel of the roof, scanning the area for Andre . Rusty
found him on the far side, crouched by the edge of the rooftop that faced the greatest portion of Downtown. Rusty slowly trudged over, the remains of R ISE ISE flapping against his side, caught in the unceasing wind. Finally making his way, Rusty sat down next to Andre and wrapped hi s arms around his chest, teeth already beginning to chatter . Andre cro uched stoically, a statue on the precipice, hi s dreadlock s s winging behind his head. After an eternity of n umbing silence, Rusty said, Its freezing Andre, Andre, why are we w e here? Shhh Andre replied, Listen. Rusty
begrudgingly shut his mouth and listened as best he could. All he could hear was the whipping of the wind and hi s own teeth banging together inside his head. But gradually, bit by bit, Rusty began to hear other sounds. A car horn below. Music from an apartment across the street. Steel girders creaking in the wind. The world had come alive.
A s the sounds found a steady tempo, Andre spoke again. Why did you fall, Rusty? A blunt question. Rusty f umbled for a good ans wer but all he could mutter was, I slipped. Andre didnt react . Instead he asked again plainly, Why did yo u fall? I already told yo u, I slipped. Again Andre asked, Why did you fall? Rusty
became agitated and said forcef ully, Why do you keep asking the same question? I said it twice already, I slipped.
Then Ill ask another question. Why did you enter the Pro/Am? For a girl. Rusty grumbled. Did it work? Rusty sighed.
No.
Why did you start PKFR ? ? Rusty
opened hi s mouth to respond but had no ans wer. Why had he started training? It was only six months ago but it felt like a lifetime . Unable to come up with a good ans wer, Rusty shrugged his shoulders and said, I dont know . Unflinchingly, Unflinchingly, Andre said, And thats why you fell. Rusty
was left dumbstruck. What was Andre talking abo ut? It was like listening to Owen and his inf uriating riddles. Anger flooded Rustys body, forcing aside all his phy sical pain and the chill of the night . Fed up with Andre, with the world, and on his last breath, Rusty stood up and screamed, Thats why I fell? What the hell i s that supposed to mean! I worked harder for that competition than anything in my life! Rusty scratched
at the ground with his bare feet, throwing hi s long hair aside, and continued screaming. I bled for it, I nearly died for it! What give s you the right to tell me who I am and why I failed? Youre not me; you dont know anything about me! Andre, who, thro ugh Rustys entire tirade hadnt moved a muscle, calmly turned over pebbles on the ground and said coolly, You dont know yourself .
Rusty
froze. It was as if the bomb had finally gone off, leaving nothing b ut dust in its wake. Andre stood up from his crouch and turned to face Rusty . He locked eyes, face to face with him, for the fir st time ever. Why did you start training? Why did you enter the competition? Why did yo u fall? You cant ans wer these because you dont know the mo st f undamental thing. You dont know who you are. Youre right. I dont know much about you. But actions are words in our world. And the only honest thing I ever heard yo u say was in the first round of the Freestyle. For those sixty seconds, I saw a man at peace with himself . I saw his soul, scarred yet strong. And everything Ive seen before and after that ha s been somebody else. Andre reached out and took R ISE ISE from Rustys hands. R olling olling the fabric between hi s fingers, he said, I lost my first competition because I wasnt my self . I was trying to be JK. Everyone could see it but me. I was only 15. I didnt come back till I was 23, until I was sure who I was. Pausing a moment to collect his thoughts, Andre said, You were trying to be JK too . You were trying to be the man of that girls dreams. I think you started training because you thought you had to, because it was expected of you. But did you ever ask if this was what you really wanted in the fir st place? Andre lifted his arm and held out R ISE ISE before Rusty . It seems to me you have a choice to make . You need to ask yourself, Is this path for me? The road Im walking, am I pro ud to walk it? Or am I j ust a blind man being led by others, cold, and numb? All the events of the past six months seemed to play back before Rustys eyes like a highlight reel, only cast in a completely different light . Everyone had chosen their path s, for better or wor se. Kirra had given up a promising career to train her own way . Owen, broken as he was, lived exactly as he believed. Even Rustys mother, who suffered everyday without JK, had no do ubts about the life she led. Only Rusty was lifele ss. Only he followed no path . The wind howled around him and the silence ate thro ugh him. Rusty
looked at his father s shirt, then to The City, then back to R ISE ISE. Hesitantly he reached for it and took it in hi s hands. Then, in one fluid motion, he threw it off the roof . The wind caught it, lifted it up, and scattered it into the darkne ss of the night sky . Rusty
watched as it flew away and q uietly said, R ise. R ise against the challenge of life . And find your own way . No matter the co st. That was the point, wasnt it Dad.
Turning to talk to Andre, Rusty found no one at his side. He had vanished, seemingly into thin air. Rusty was conf us used, but then he smiled. It was a fitting end. He turned and strolled back to the elevator. No need to hurry he tho ught, I have a big announcement to make.
