Wild Boys

Chapter Fourteen

It was paradise.

The sand was white and so fine it was like walking on clouds with the way their feet sunk. The ocean glittered and twinkled under the sun, vastly stretched out and filling her vision, and Iris thought that even the finest piece of jewelry paled in comparison. The waves lapped gently against the shore, the sound almost a lullaby in her ears. The breeze felt cool against her skin and a salty tang hovered pleasantly in the air.

An island enclosed from the world. It felt like Iris just stepped into a dream, at least until Ares decided to have his fun.

"What are you all standing around for? I want everyone running along the coastline in five. Carry these coconuts with you!" He commanded, a manic smile on his face.

And they ran without questions asked; they expected as much. Iris kept it a priority to stay ahead of the others so she could adore the view without their backs obstructing her vision. It was harder with the weight of coconuts, and she found Lowell easily keeping pace with her. He seemed happy, if not a little bit smug that he wasn't eating her dust unlike before.

"Ditch the coconuts and take a partner!"

There was a moment's pause where every eyes honed in on Iris, obviously the lightest of the bunch. She didn't give them much chance to enact their plans. As soon as Ares said it, she had taken off and seized Mark like a thief of the night. He was the only other boy closest to her weight, but she still grunted with effort. Clearly even with his air of fragility, the boy was full of lean muscles. He was a fighter, for Pete's sake.

He was so startled, it only registered to him once they were halfway through the coast, and soon his face was bursting red and he was blabbering unintelligible words. He could easily be summoning a demon or cursing a poor lad with an eternity of hiccups with the way the words seemed out of this world. Either way, it was the most amusing run Iris has ever had.

"Switch!"

Iris was ready for that. She didn't give Mark a chance to think and just jumped straight onto his back. He only faltered the first few steps, his hands shaking as he tried to grip her firmly before growing steady.

"So you can carry me." Iris said.

"A-Are you o-okay?" He asked, huffing. "Sorry if my hands—"

"I'm fine. You're doing great." She said.

And he was. Iris was sorry that she put him through a task so obviously uncomfortable for him. The fact that he was both trying so hard and still could find the time to be concerned for her stirred something pleasant within her, and she found herself urging him on with words of encouragement. He wasn't nearly as fast, and the other boys began to catch up to them.

There were pairs that screamed they didn't think Ares' double-edged challenge through. Lowell and Colin, the former straining against the huge man and looking seconds from collapsing. His poor knees. He not only had to suffer through the mismatched weight—some pairs took it an obligation to make it harder through mischief.

"Do you see wolf boy?" Steven feigned panic, riding behind a red-haired, freckled boy named Wyatt. "Shit, Colin's muscles swallowed him!"

"Come on, we're nearly there!" Caleb encouraged, occassionally running side by side to those who looked to be having a hard time.

They switched two more times, and each time Mark grew more quiet, not because he had ran out of things to say or had gotten used to her, but he couldn't spare any more breath. By the time Ares' little fun came to an end, there was no one who could utter even a single word, too caught up in making sure their lungs still worked, that they hadn't busted kneecaps. Simply put, that they were still alive and breathing.