Mimic

Running Myself Out

        The next morning, I awoke to a knocking on the door. It was quiet, but not as gentle as when M'gann knocked. I got out of bed and opened the door slightly. Standing there was Robin. Suddenly I remembered how he was supposed to train me.

        "Hello," I said.

        "Hey. Did I wake you up?"

        "No," I lied.

        "If you don't mind, I would like to see exactly what you can do, so I know where to start."

        "Ok," I said, nodding, "What time is it?"

        "Seven."

        "I'll be ready in ten minutes," I said.

        "Do you know where the gym is?" Robin asked. I didn't know, but I nodded anyway. I could find it. Robin then turned on his heel and started walking away.

        I shut the door and got out a purple shirt and black leggings and quickly put them on. I put on my sneakers and tied up my hair in a bun. I walked out of my room, and after a few minutes of wandering around I found Robin standing in the gym. It was huge. The floor was shiny steel, and the walls had the same rocky texture they had in my room. There was gymnastic equipment in one section of the gym. In another, there were metal benches. I walked up to Robin.

        "What do you want me to do?" I asked politely.

        "Well first we should warm up," he said, "Let's run around the gym."

        I was surprised when he started jogging at a steady pace. Honestly, I thought he would just make me run while he sat on the bench playing on his phone or something. I ran up beside him and then started to match his pace. After who knows how long, I started to get a little tired. When I looked over to Robin, he looked completely fine. Come on, I told myself, You can't let Bird Boy beat you. I kept telling myself this until my lungs felt like they were going to shrivel up and die. I looked over to Robin again, and he looked out of breath. But not dying like I was. Every breath hurt, every step became agony. Keep going, keep going. You can do this. Suddenly I stumbled. and fell on the floor. I cursed myself in my head. My legs had gotten so tired they refused to work.

        "Are you ok?" Robin asked. He had stopped running and was now crouched beside me. I nodded, and he tried to help me up, but I ended up falling again. I looked at the ground, shameful at how unfit I was. "Why didn't you ask for a break?" he asked.

        "Because I didn't need one," I said, trying to sound matter-of-fact.

        "Obviously you did," Robin muttered, "I'm going to get you some water." He walked out of the gym.

        Why am I so stupid? Why did I think I could do this? I can't do this. I need to quit the team. But then Father will be mad at me. Furious at me. I couldn't go back to him. And I can't live on the street. Maybe one of Mom's friends would take me in. But I don't really want to stay with any of my Aunts. Oh, God! What should I do?

        "Here's some water," Robin said, coming back into the gym and crouching beside me. I wanted to say that I didn't need the water because I am not weak, but I desperately needed the water. I snatched it from his hands and began chugging it down. I drained the whole bottle before I twisted the cap back on. I sighed with relief. My lungs stopped burning.

        "Thanks," I muttered, "And I'm sorry for failing you."

        "What?" Robin asked, looking shocked, "You didn't fail me. Just remember your limits, ok?"

        "You're not mad?" I asked. Now it was my turn to be shocked. Father or Uncle would have been screaming at me already. Robin shook his head.

        "Actually, you ran for a really long time. It was impressive," he said.

        "So," I said, "What's next?"

        Robin smiled and shook his head slightly.

        "Nothing," he answered, "You ran yourself out on the warm up. How about we train this afternoon?"

        "Sure," I said and nodded, eager for another chance to prove myself.