UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(6)

Their own safety set aside, a few students laid on their stomachs and knees to reach through the rails to grab onto Brody as he slowly pulled his own weight up to where his feet could find purchase on the catwalk.

Mina felt like she couldn’t breathe until Brody had stepped back over the railing and was safe. Once he was out of danger she fell to her knees on the diamond shaped grating, ignoring the painful prods as she was overcome with a feeling of intense relief. Brody’s backpack was dumped on the floor next to her and it looked as if Brody was trying to lean down and talk to Mina, but Steven and Frank pulled him away in excitement. Mina looked at the ripped backpack and had to blink twice to see if she was delusional. The rip she had heard was Brody’s backpack ripping, and it was in the exact same place and size as the hole in her backpack from this morning. Only he could probably afford to buy a new one.

Even though Brody was safe, Mina felt like she wasn’t. She felt as if she was being smothered. As if some unseen force was watching her, judging her, and the feeling was becoming unbearably strong. She felt trapped.

Claire looked rattled and scared, her blonde hair disheveled, her safety hat gone. Limping she tried to stand and gain control of the students who were celebrating, hugging and crying. Several students slapped Mina’s back.

“That was awesome!”

“I can’t believe you acted to so quick?”

“You saved his life.”

“Way to go Grimes!”

“I think it’s time we go,” Claire spoke, her eyes downcast shamefully. Everyone followed her to the closest emergency exit and down the steps to a side door that led outside. The bright sunlight touching the students' faces seemed to burn away the weary fog that had previously overtaken them.

Mina felt the feeling of unease slightly diminish once she was a good distance away from the building, but it didn’t leave.

They took the long way and walked around the side of the bakery until they came to the front entrance and the bus. Mr. West was there along with the gentlemen who had greeted them when they first arrived. For an irresponsible chaperone, Mr. West was quick to see that there was a problem. He read the agitation on Claire’s face and instantly came alert.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“There was an unfortunate accident on the catwalk,” Claire spoke up, her face red with embarrassment.

Mr. West’s eyes went wide in fear. His bald head looked like a pendulum as he began swinging it back and forth, trying to take a head count of his pack of unruly students.

“Yeah, Brody almost died!” Steven blurted out. Savannah let out a high pitched squeak of alarm.

“He fell backward off of the catwalk, but Grimes…I mean Mina, saved him!” Frank yelled.

Nothing else could be heard over the roar of voices as everyone spoke up at once trying to relay their own version of the death-defying story. Mina was uncomfortable with all of the staring, so she tried to maneuver to the outside of the crowd and duck behind Nan, who no longer was preoccupied with her phone.

B.J. paled and looked to Claire. “Is this true? How could you have let this happen?”

Claire pinched her lips together angrily. “It wasn’t my fault; they were messing around on the catwalk and a support cinch failed.” She pointed at Steven and Frank.

Mina’s stomach dropped and she felt sick. None of them knew the real reason. None of this would have happened if Mina hadn’t dropped her chewed up number two pencil. This whole mess started because of how clumsy Mina was and her inherited bad luck. It was another epic disaster to add to her list in her sock drawer at home. She felt so disheartened.

“Why would you take them on the catwalk Claire?” B.J. accused. His round face turning red like a tomato with anger, but that didn’t dissuade Claire.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been taking people on the catwalk for years and it’s never bothered you before. It’s the best view of the factory floor and I’ve always ended the tours up there.”

They drew closer together and the heated argument became undistinguishable amongst the growing babble of twenty students. Mr. West’s head seemed to be shaking in disbelief and he kept looking over at Mina skeptically. Mina didn’t blame him. She could hardly believe her own actions.

“Brody!” Savannah cried out and ran to him, stopping short a few feet away. “Are you okay?” She asked hesitantly, unsure of her reception.

Brody looked past her and over the heads of the students, searching for something or someone. It wasn’t until he panned the crowd and found Mina hiding behind Nan, that he finally responded. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he answered vaguely. Brody frowned when Mina didn’t look at him. He had been watching her and never once she did glance his way after she saved him. He tried to thank her for saving his life and was about to when Steven and Frank pulled him away.

Why didn’t he ever notice how pretty Mina was? Brody guessed it was because he was always distracted or surrounded by girls so often they tended to blend into the background. And she was quiet, clumsy definitely, but reserved at the same time. It wasn’t until he was falling and had a second of monumental life-changing clarity, that he realized how far he had shut himself away from the world. Brody never really lived the life that he was capable of. Sure his family had money and he was considered a spoiled rich kid, but he hadn’t done anything to change the world.