Her balance was perfect, as always.

She had practiced this maneuver a thousand times. She could do it blindfolded or in her sleep. But today, something had felt wrong. Shea’s instincts screamed at some unknown fear. She should have said no. She should have put off the performance for another day. Her coach said it was just nerves; “The first big performance in a while, you know.” So, Shea’s marvelous act was added to the schedule.

Her balance was perfect, as always.

High in the air, the tightrope wire under her feet felt strong. But something was off. She couldn’t put her finger on it. The uneasy feeling not only persisted, but also grew stronger as her performance proceeded. Was the ending part of the wrongness? Shea concentrated on her breathing and making her motions slow and fluid. In trying to prolong her movements and delay the inevitable ending, Shea never noticed that she was giving the best performance of her career. Her instincts kept screeching at her.

As her body worked through the maneuvers, Shea’s mind searched for options. What about the end of the show would cause a problem? Her balance was perfect; the wire taut and strong. The platforms at either end seemed empty. Lack of a net to catch her never bothered her before; nor did it now. Would something fall from above? Shea glanced up as a spot in her performance allowed her to search the rafters. Such was the pose she held that many photographers in the audience gasped and tried desperately to capture the moment.

Her body continued the slow, graceful maneuvers. Above was safe, but her gut continued its apprehensive dance. It was about the ending. She was sure of it.

Halfway through the routine, Shea’s body contorted upon the wire. Her act seemed impossible and fearless to the spectators. Continuous practice for months allowed her to make the move flawlessly. It looked almost easy for all its impossibility. Now, Shea’s performance speed would increase. It must increase in order to achieve the feats involved. But still, her mind was frantically searching for escape.

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Maybe if she had a different ending? Shea almost stumbled at the thought. There was a section of her current ending that made her vulnerable. If trouble came at the right moment…

And then she knew.

The danger came not from above or below. The danger lay within the act itself… and with the one person who knew the act as well as she did. But only if it was performed flawlessly.

If Shea made a mistake, she could save her life. However, she could also lose any future in this career. She would have to fall, and without a net, she may never walk the wire again. That choice was so unfair! Shea loved performing on the tightrope wire and her heart constricted to think of losing it. No! She would not choose that path. There had to be an alternative. Shea’s mind grasped for ideas.

She decided to change the ending for her routine. Without any prior practice and without giving any warning to her murderer, she would have to perform it perfectly. To make a mistake would be death. As a consolation, if she died making that mistake, the world would know the identity of her killer. However, a flawless maneuver on her part would both save her life and catch the culprit in the act; in front of an audience. It was worth the risk.

Quickly now, in a few moments her routine would call for the ending. Shea ran through the new movements in her mind. She focused on success and imagined her body performing. Some of her new maneuvers would coincide with the original ending. This would give her killer less time to adjust his strategy. It would force him into the place she desired him to be.

Now! It was time.

Her balance was perfect, as always.

Shea tucked and rolled her body along the strong wire. Where she would originally have risen to her feet, instead she grasped a nearly invisible, razor sharp wire in her hands. The killer, on the other side of the wire, was unprepared as she yanked and pulled him into view on the platform. Her hands, bleeding, didn’t even sting at this point. She was focused.

Shea ran for the platform on the opposite side from her killer; mentally marking the spot where she would have to jump. Her coach, already in the spotlight, had nothing to lose. He unclasped the wire from the platform; in the eyes of a thousand witnesses.

Shea reached her mark just as the wire was unhooked. She counted on it! She needed the wire to give a little slack or her jump would not succeed.

Her timing was perfect.

Her balance was perfect, as always.

Shea leapt for the platform.