Awkward Stars

Chapter 16

chapter sixteen

emma montoya

As I somersault onto the mat, I can't believe I got through that. Days ago, I would never have thought I would be here sprinting across moving logs, but now it seems like fate has guided me to this place all along. Jenna and I's--

Jenna.

I forgot about my best friend. I stand up immediately and try and jump off the mats, but I am zapped by a volt of electricity. Justin has trapped me on here, until I finish. "Let me off," I cry. "I need to get Jenna." My knee twitches. This isn't right, this isn't fair. I have been so wound up in the lies these "Awks" have been feeding me, I forgot about my own best friend, my sister.

"You will get to her when you finish training," Justin lies.

I yell back, "No. She's in danger and if I'm some kind of protection I need to save her."

"You won't be able to if you aren't ready. Two more obstacles and you're done for the day."

There's a wall in front of me, but I've lost to much hope to run up it. I take one effortless attempt and floor burns my elbows. It's so high in the air and I get angrier every time I fail. I feel my head pounding and my heart racing. I don't work well under pressure.

Use that fury to get up that wall, the girl tells me. I don't look over to see her.

I take a few pace back and start running. My hands grip a cold bar and I know I have almost reached the top. My knees give way from the shock earlier and I am left to pull myself up with my hands. My knuckles go white and I shift my weight from side to side to get a leg up and over the top.

As I pull myself up and sit on the top, I feel as though I am going to fall. I crawl over to the edge on the other side and find myself looking down into a pile of spikes. There is no way down but too... I gulp.

Jump.

They don't look all that sharp after all, I guess. Fear racks my body and I can feel my hand shaking as I stand up. I drag my heels to the edge of the platform and close my eyes. My balance shifts and a gust of air wraps around me. I can sense myself falling down, right on top of the spikes at the bottom of the wall.

But no pain comes. Neither do the spikes. Maybe it was an illusion to the eye, but I don't hit any sharp objects, only a black mat with a triangular pattern across it.

I brush myself off, though nothing has made me dirty and grin, proud of myself. It's that feeling that lets you think you can accomplish anything. It's happened so few times to me, that I plan on treasuring it forever. And that would start by completing these monkey bars.

They look simple enough. I've done monkey bars before, once or twice. I grab the first bar and swing myself forward to the next one, but the back one breaks aways. I quickly transfer both hands to the second bar before that breaks away too. And with that I fall of the course and fail my first attempt. That sense of proudness I had had evaporated quickly.

A whistle blows and I stand up, my face drops.

But I don't see Justin watching me.

xxx

Hey Turtles,

Who's watching her? Who was helping her out, and may I add, illegally... ? 

Katherine