The Seven...

Chapter Five: Pride

Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.
C. S. Lewis

Chapter Five: Pride...

......"And coming down the track its our star track runner! He's in first place! 300 meters to go! Can we take home the gold!? They're flying down the track! Ohno! The Dodgers are trailing close behind! 200 meters to go! Could they take the lead! Ohmy! It's a close one! Oh they're running neck to neck! 100 meters to go! Oh! I can't watch! 50 meters to the finish line folks! Oh! It's to close to call! To close to call! 10 meters everyone! HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS! THEY'RE STILL BATTLING FOR THE FIRST!! OH! AND IT'S FINISHED! THEY BOTH RAN ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AT THE SAME TIME! COULD IT BE A TIE?! Let's go down and see what are cameras caught!"

I slowed down after crossing that finish line, feeling victory course through my veins. I know I won, Please everyone knows that I won that race. Without a doubt this Championship Gold Medal belongs to Echo Handson the best runner alive!

"Echo! Echo! You did great!" My little brother about the age of 8 crashed into my leg hugging me tightly, He glanced up at me with a genuine smile on his face. Ah, his smiles bring me joy my little brother Union held onto my hand and he began his 100 million questions I lived the way his eyes lit up when he admired how I ran and he says how he wants to be just like me when he grows up,"...Echo! Are you listening?!" He yelled up at me, I lifted him up and tossed him in the air. He squealed in delight when he came back down he tightly hugged my neck,"I love you Echo."

"Union! Where are you?! Union!" Oh god. Here we go. My parents...over protective bunch I tell you what. Union pulled away from me and I held him while my parents made there way over to me my big macho 'man' of a father with his hair usual hair combed back and his black pinstriped suit. Typical. Then my mother. Love that woman. She was...well...Use to be this gleaming walking bag of life. Ever since she married the man she's been acting differently, she's more quiet. She stays in the house a lot she's more prone to hide in her garden and sit in her little reading area..She never talks to me anymore a few days after her marriage with this man. He took my mother's innocence...She never in her life treated me like he does, now she had a child with him she won't leave him now for sure now but there has to be a way for us to get away.

"Echo! My boy! Great race! Great race! I see your brother has found you now let's go time is wasting." He hit me on the back hard almost knocking the wind out of me I cut my eyes towards him,"The judges haven't announced the winner yet..." I said through gritted teeth, his sly smile snuck on his face.

"Oh...Right..Well, then we all know that you were a little off by maybe an inch or two so there is no way you could have got that so there is no use of sitting around here waiting-"

"Don't be mean to Echo! He won! And I know he did! Isn't that right brother?!" Union screamed, his father gave him an cold glare that easily took down his happiness he rested his head against my shoulder. How dare he...I glanced at my mother her eyes were wide and she was slightly shaking her head no. She was actually warning me. Please.

Look at your pride.
It has made you utterly helpless.
When you say something
In a positive way,
Out of nowhere pride appears.
When you say something
In a negative way,
Again out of nowhere pride appears.
Alas, how helpless you are.

 

 

"Listen here you-" As soon as started I didn't get to finish before the man announcing the champion cleared his throat overhead everybody's attention suddenly turned to the man on the stand holding a gold medal in his hand,"Attention! Ladies! And Gentlemen! I give you our new champ! Our new Rookie 500 meter run....." He glanced down at his note card then back at the anticipating crowd my heart thumped in my chest as loud as Union's was,"Everyone please! Give a warm arouf of applause to our champion Jason Feeler!" 

My heart sank.

"You see son...We don't always get what we what. Better luck next time....If there is a next time..Let's go I don't want to hit traffic." My step-father ordered, My mother when like she was suppose to without looking back. I was hurt to the core...If I lost something my mother always gave me show kind and encoruaging words now she cant even look back at me or say any damn thing to me! No!

I'll be damned if I lose anything else! I lost my mother but I'm not going to lost my brother the only thing that I will start fighting for now is myself and for the sake of Union.