Courage

Chapter 3

I nervously walked into the room, holding Ashlyn's hand, sweating. I was absolutely terrified. I didn't want her to die. She couldn't. But, quoting The Hunger Games, the odds were not in her favor. I walked through the door, giving Ashlyn's hand a reassuring squeeze.

I walked calmly through the door, my eyes widening as I saw what was on the other side.

A huge obstacle course stretched through the entire room. A huge ladder led up to the top of the course, 200 feet in the air. Tiny poles led the way, then switched to gruesome spikes, turning in fast sweeps. A horrible realization came. No one would survive.

Ashlyn threatened to collapse, but me and Christine held her up, holding her tight before death. My hands sparked with anticipation, and I forced it deep down. I would need it later, but not now. Rough hands tore me away from my friends. I screamed, beating at the arms that held me.

"No! You cannot HAVE THEM!" I pulsed just enough that the man flinched, creating an opening. I rammed my head back, and screamed as someone forced Ashlyn up the ladder. Christine was almost to the top. I leaped up the ladder, landing in the middle, quickly catching up with Christine, then jumped, coming above her. I grabbed her hand, helping her. Ashlyn soon scrambled up, and we held each other, sobbing.

I turned to face the narrow poles, wide enough for my two feet to barely squeeze together. I stepped onto it, hearing my friends crying and screaming behind me. I jumped as hard as I could, barely catching the top of the next pole, wrapping my legs around it as I reached up and heaved myself to the top. I turned around, lay on my stomach, then reached Ashlyn. She backed away.

"You have too!" More tears streamed down my face. "They'll torture you!"

She looked at me, eyes wide.

Then she jumped, sailing through the air. I caught her hand, the only thing stopping her from falling to her death. She clasped my hand with her other, and I stood up, laying her hands on the pole.

"I'm going to jump to the other one." I called Christine. "Ashlyn, make sure to help her." She nodded.

I took a deep breath, then leaped towards the second, my power drawing me towards the metal. So, I'm like a magnet now? I thought, smiling. That would be useful. I landed on the pole gracefully. Christine was hanging on the other pole, and I quickly got into the same position as before. Ashlyn caught my hand as Christine rose shakily to her feet, then I jumped to the next one.

For the next 30 minutes, we repeated this over and over until we got to the second section. Rotating spikes.

Stained red.

I shuddered, thinking of the young boys and girls who were shredded in those twisting points of death. I breathed in sharply, taking in energy like I did earlier. My skin glowed faintly, not enough to show in the bright light. I turned, seeing Ashlyn and Christine join me on the platform.

"We're dead." Christine said, numb.

"No, we are not." We are dead if we don't finish this.

Ashlyn stepped forward, and I grabbed her hand, pulling her back right before her head was taken off by a passing spike. This is morbid. What kind of school is this? WHAT WHERE MY PARENTS THINKING?!

I screamed as I rolled towards the edge, Ashlyn on top of me. I rolled closer to the edge, instinctively flaring my power, and my body magnetized to the metal. I reached for Ashlyn, who wasn't so lucky. Her hand had barely caught the side of the platform, and I grabbed it, hauling her up.

"That was," I said, breathing heavily, "too close." Ashlyn rolled onto the platform breathless, and Christine immediately hugged her. "I thought you were dead for sure!" A few tears were leaking down her cheeks.