Project Moonlark: A Fanfiction

10. THE GAMES BEGIN

No one was concentrating during Trials, or Skills, or Language, or Rules, and no one even bothered to rush to the cafeteria the moment the bell rang, because everyone was too excited about the Battle after lunch.

I did, however, pay attention to everything the teachers said, worried about the exams starting this Thursday. It was very hard to concentrate in such a noisy environment, and the teachers didn't seem particularly happy with it, either.

"Wow," Dex told me during Trials. "Kristen, the Shark representative for the Final Flight. Impressive."

"Flying's not that hard," I lied. "You should try out for the battle sometime, Dex. Let the Unicorns stand a chance."

"I'm no good," Dex mumbled. "Sorry."

"Hey, you're not bad. I saw you use telekinesis to burst through Miss Washington's force field. You also managed to distract her for a long time. Admit it, you're pretty decent."

"No," Dex said. "Too much pressure. I'll let Emma Myers do her thing. She's a great captain."

"Emma," I said. That name sounded familiar. Then I remembered the girl from my Enlightened Language class. She was really sweet. She didn't seem like much of a leader to me, though.

"Problem is, she and Jenna—a Shark, are best friends. No one even knew it was possible. They're so different," Dex continued. I thought about Rob and I. We were very different, too. But we were still friends. Was that allowed in the elvin world? Surely it had to be.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked Dex.

"Not really. It's just unusual—oh, look. We're learning about Fatal Flowers. Careful, you do not wanna touch one. The moment your fingers come into contact with those powdery, bright yellow petals, you die. Lots of people make them into paints, because they're very beautiful."

I looked up at the screen. Sure enough, the projector showed a picture of a beautiful butterscotch colored wall covered with a lacy texture. I thanked Dex for reminding me to get back to the lesson. I couldn't afford to be distracted anymore, this close to the test.

The competitors were called up early to get ready, and this time, there would be no inter-house exchange. We gathered in some blue room labeled Sharks near the field. It reminded me of a dressing room. We were strictly not allowed to talk to anyone from another house. That left me with Jenna and Taylor, the only two people in my house that I knew.

"I realized those idiots never taught you how the flying event actually works," Jenna told me suddenly. "There are a lot of rules. It's very different from the racing you were doing at Everglen."

"Really?" I asked, suddenly worried. What had they kept from me? I'd thought I'd had an edge in the competition, but now I wasn't so sure. Why would they hide something from me? That didn't seem like something they'd do.

"Yup. Did they not tell you that you have to fly through hoops? And that your performance is also judged, not just your speed? Did they tell you about making trails, timers, bells, fires..." Jenna could see the terror in my face. "Kristen, do you even know what you're going into?"

"No." I admitted, my voice barely audible now. That was when Taylor decided to look over. Her lips were pursed, and she was definitely not smiling. She looked too gorgeous, it wasn't fair. Oh, what did it matter? This competition was going to be the death of me!

Jenna took a deep breath. "It's okay, alright? I'll explain the rules, and we still have a few minutes more to practice before Costume and Interview time. But you need to promise me that you won't back down on the last second. Promise me you won't give up immediately, Kristen." Her eyes raged with ferocity. I couldn't do anything but nod.