The Champion's Exam promises riches, adventure and the title that creates legends.
Only on problem; it is known for killing its applicants.
Eko Malone, a twelve-year-old boy stuck on an island his entire life, has only known one thing about his pa...
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Eko stared at Nira, she had been lying down in the sun for over ten minutes without moving or saying a word. He poked her in the ribs, "You alive?" he asked.
Nira groaned, "No..."
The little fishing town was one part of many. Emerald Island was an island originally known for the jewels capable of being harvested, specifically emeralds, and people came from all around the world to work. The island was now mainly used for vacation homes, fishing related work or harvesting, since the island was very diverse in products and a rich island. The island was truly an island not many people lived, only worked. Eko and Nira lived on Emerald Island and knew everybody who lived and visited.
Whenever someone new came on one of the fishing ships, or was going to work the season, they would meet them in the hopes of hearing stories or making a friend their own age, as there were only a handful of kids on the island. There were mainly adults and the elderly.
Eko glanced around at fishermen, there were a handful of new apprentices dragging crates behind them or somehow holding enormous, monstrous looking fish. Eko knew apprentices didn't stay for more than a day or two at a time, so he didn't bother talking to them, just watching them follow the abusive calls of foreign masters.
"Can't you just take in the noise? The warmth of the sun? We nearly died like... an hour ago," Nira said, her eyes yet to open.
Eko rolled his eyes. "There's a time for that, but I'm all hyper, I can't just relax after something like that!"
Nira smiled, "Well if you don't dry off, Rita will put two and two together as to how we ended up like this."
Eko folded his arms, "I doubt she'll guess that we fell into a Nectar Bee hive, disturbed them, ran through a forest and jumped into the lake from a cliff. That's way too specific even for her to guess!" Eko exclaimed.
Nira opened her eyes and sat up. "You underestimate her, Eko. She's remarkably good at guessing these things."
Eko puffed his cheeks and laid back down, his arm slipping off the edge of the dock to touch the ocean water. The small town was more of an oversized dock than anything, several docks for several boats and nearby areas designed for larger ships, with just a handful of shops on land for the fishermen to entertain themselves, that being a bistro, a bait shop, fishing equipment store and most other forms of repair work.
After all, Emerald Island was more of a pit stop than an actual economy island.
"The Champion Exam is coming up," Eko commented looking out to the water.
Nira nodded, "That is a fact." She watched as a rookie apprentice slipped and all the produce he was holding fell on the floor, anything alive flopped around desperately for escape, but only a handful made it to the end of the dock to splash into the water. His boss was so furious he made the apprentice dive into the water after them.
