The Partham Chronicles

Part 25 - To easy to See

The air was dry, the track felt solid under his palms and Aaden knew that this was going to be an easy win.

He sent a wave through the ground as he took his position at the starting line. He wanted to know if the ground would support the trick he wanted to try. He shifted his weight on his legs and steadied his position.

As soon as the whistle blew he shot off the ground and focused on the finish line. Sending a strong frequency from his feet to the ground, the same way Neela had done when they raced in the orchard. The only trick here was that he had to send a wave through his running shoes. He had tried it for weeks. After long gruelling sessions. He felt the pulse and was able to push ahead. He had to manage a particular frequency which could pass through his running shoes without causing any structural damage to the shoes or causing overheating. This was no easy task.

At first, he could only feel the soles of the shoes

Cutting through the air he reached the finish line.

He was sweating profusely and panting. Bending down and resting his palms on his knees he gasped for air. The trick had taken a lot of his energy, especially the precise point where he had to push the wave through the soles of his shoes. He had to learn how to control the amount of energy spent so there was no need for continuous waves. He sent them only at points where he thought he needed them. Still, it drained him.

" Fucking traitor..." He heard Ishil's voice beside him.

"Huh?"

" You have been practising alone, isn't it?" He was frowning at him." I thought I was your best friend."

" I don't understand-"

" Don't even try to lie..." he interrupted, " I know your form," he was panting hard. " I like to see you win, I always do. But this..." He waved his hand in the air." This is unnatural. How did you improve so quickly?"

Have I made it look so obvious, he thought. Before he could say something, the crowd from the stands burst out towards them, cheering and hooting. The coach congratulated both of them.

" Let's celebrate at the cafe across the street, it's my treat," the coach said and told them to go and change.

This was the last tournament of the season, and as always, Aaden and Ishil were at the top of their game.

Throughout their time in the cafe, Ishil gave Aaden death glares, staring at him, unforgivingly but not saying a word. It made Aaden very uncomfortable. Avoiding him was not a possibility and facing him was a big problem.

Ishil didn't speak to him until they left the cafe. Aaden felt a bit of a pang in his chest. He hated lying, and more than that, he hated lying to Ishil. The worst part was that Ishil could see right through him, through his lies.

When they left the cafe. Ishil cornered him near the parking lot. " What do you have to say? Don't for once think that I forgot about the race. It's just that I didn't want to create a scene in front of the coach and others," he said.

" I don't know what you are talking about, seriously. I have done nothing at all." Aaden found his voice breaking at the lie.

" Dude, stop pretending. You know exactly what I am talking about. I have known you for more than a decade now. We have been racing together for as long as I can remember. I know your form. I know your weaknesses and strengths. You cannot fool me." He took a long breath and squared his shoulders.

" Look, you haven't been yourself lately. Most of the time, I catch you preoccupied with your thoughts, staring into space, with a dumb expression on your face. But I didn't ask because I thought it must be something personal. It has started to bug me now. And in the past two races, I have seen you do wonders. Something like this doesn't happen overnight." He looked very agitated and walked a little close to him." Just tell me the truth, don't you want to practice with me anymore? Am I not good enough? Or have you found someone to coach you? Just... Tell me the truth and let's get it over with."