Raising Eleanor

10

CHAPTER 10 - TRYOUTS

"You need to do better if you ever want to meet your goal." said Skye sternly, her hands on her hips, inspecting Elaine's nervous figure on the broom.

It was really bright for such an evening day, Elaine was in the middle of her quidditch tryout. A part of her wanted it all to end, but that would mean not getting in the team and not being able to prove her father wrong.

"I'll try-" she quivered, but Skye interrupted her.

"Don't just try, do it like you mean it!"

"I am." she was getting frustrated, as if everything she had done has never made any progress. In this moment itself, could lose her chance of joining the team. That tone of resentment caught Skye's ear, so she decided to seize that opportunity.

"If you're so pissed, why don't you use your anger?" Skye points to the other person looming in front of the hoops, "Beat him, at least once."

Within that sentence alone, she zoomed in with her flying broomstick, advancing towards the quidditch pitch with the other teammates trying to block her from doing so.

She was so sure that she's doing very well but Skye's harsh critique had her worried.

"Is that the best you got?" fired Skye as she kept an eye on the girl. Her arm went back and her gaze aimed at the upcoming hoops. At first, she struggled because one of them, Roger Davies, had his hand on her broom, trying to shake her off.

"What'cha going to do, Snape?" hissed Roger as he kept bumping to Elaine's side repeatedly, trying to specifically throw her off balance. The ego of this man, and the mention of her father's name burns the light inside her.

It is not going to be a pretty fall if she does.

It caught her off guard when another chaser came by to her other side, and pushed her towards Roger. Now Elaine's stuck in the middle, unable to steer away and escape them. They were controlling her, she couldn't move a bit.

"Escape from it! Use your brain!" That seemed to be a great deal of insult to all Ravenclaws, especially Elaine as she scowled as the gears turned faster inside her head. What's even worse is that they're trying to crash Elaine into one of the nearby stands. Petty move.

"How does a little trip to the infirmary sounds like?' Roger taunted, and his friend snickered as well but she's not going to take that by the heart, as she mustn't lose her focus, her determination to make the team makes her effort easier.

She abruptly stopped her broom from moving forward, in result those two chasers zoomed right forward, clashing towards each other. Right before Elaine steer her broom fast towards the upcoming pitch, getting hard turns, sharp corners, and nearly encountering another chaser that was trying to hit her off the broom.

When the coast is clear and everyone seems to be recovering instead of trying to stop her, she puts all of her strength by her right arm.

I only need to score a goal, she thought to herself.

The adrenaline's getting the best of Elaine as she strikes down the quaffle straight at the keeper's face, and the ball went inside the hoop perfectly. It was never her intention to strike it towards the keeper, he was in the way so sudden.

Thud! The sound of that person's body hits the ground. Of course, being in such sport, everyone should expect injuries in all sorts of way.

"Sorry- are you okay?" She dismounted her broom as she went closer to the fallen Ravenclaw, the guy raised his thumbs up but continued to lay down on the field. He seems to be doing okay, not breaking any bones. "I've never seen such fire power since Skye Parkin herself."