Lillibeth Tripp's Arc

Chapter 1 of 9

Lillibeth Tripp tightened her belt and stared at the knife and compass laid on her windowsill. Tomorrow she would fly to the edge of the world. But the knife was for ground work, and the compass pointed only where feet could walk. The open sky would peel her apart without something more. She slipped out before dawn and found the heavy storage vault at the edge of town. Through its reinforced glass she saw helmets, harnesses, and folded gear stacked in neat rows. She traded the small pouch of coins she had saved for years. The keeper pushed a sleek suit across the counter, its panels shifting green and violet under the lamp. Lillibeth carried it to the tall wooden practice tower outside. She climbed the spiral beams and zipped the suit tight against her small frame. The bioluminescent rails hummed beside her as she stepped off the top platform. The suit caught the wind. She glided, steady, alive. When her boots touched the beam again, she was shaking, but smiling. The sky was hers now. Tomorrow, she would leave.