The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Thirty-Eight

After spending a tumultuous night in what was supposed to be a cushy hotel bed, Naomi wasn't in the best shape to compete. Unfortunately, it showed. The second Malcolm saw her at breakfast, he exclaimed over the dark circles under her eyes. Sam then likened her appearance to a harbinger of death in front of Quinn. And even Figgis went on about the importance of steady sleep cycles in an attempt to smooth things over.

By the time Coach Scott announced they were departing the hotel for the beach, Naomi's mood had reached foul proportions. On the ride to Crown Beach, she attempted to alleviate her stress by taking in Aequor's Eco-Day celebration. It was as lovely and festive as Oliver had suggested. There were signs out promoting awareness on saving energy and the environment, blue and green lights decorated businesses in honor of Aequor's ecosystem. Naomi slightly held onto the misguided thought they might spot Mrs. Tinkle somewhere among the crowded streets.

Normally, Crown Beach would be extremely active but their rented car stopped at a fairly sparse stretch of sand. Absent of any sunbathing tourists, the only sign of life was an imposing boat by the long pier.

"Is that for us?" Naomi balked at the sight. Meanwhile, Oliver practically jumped with joy. Remembering his love of the sea, she envied him. She was all for a dip in the water but she'd never been sailing before.

"Yes, it is. The Judges will explain more properly," Mr. Whitman answered as they walked down the pier. At the end of the dock, the judges were already waiting with Frank and Teddy.

Naomi's shoulders tensed at the sight of the sleazy duo unpacking their equipment. They had laid out the large reflecto-monitor, but also had several other boxes and cases laid out on the pier. They seemed to hold miniature replicas of the reflecto-monitors, potentially for shooting on the go.

For his part, Judge Sherwood seemed unfazed by his encounter with Teddy yesterday. He grinned at them with a rather upbeat morning greeting.

"How are our lovely contestants this morning?" he asked the group.

The students chorused their slew of positive greetings, although Naomi certainly didn't feel like it. She knew she should pay close attention to what the judges were going to tell them, but she was still sleep-deprived from last night. She did her best to tune in as the judges explained the reasoning behind their task.

"For this trial, all three teams will be traveling together to make it to The Cove," Judge Kingsley started them off. "The Cove is an extremely special attraction on Crown Beach for its history. It is said the water mage goddess, Thia, ruled over the waters of Aequor. She protected the sea from any intruders that might harm her people or the water sprites who followed her."

"Your goal is to make it to The Cove using teamwork. But as the trial riddle suggested, you will have chances to show your special abilities. There will be various challenges on your journey and you should take turns facing them. Your eventual scores will be a combination of how well you did with the challenges and with working together. When you reach The Cove, you will receive further instruction. Meanwhile, Sam and Figgis will be onboard for protection purposes, and Frank and Teddy will be as well to control the free-floating reflecto-monitors," Judge Wren continued.

"Yep, these babies will be able to capture everything," Frank winked with glee.

Naomi ignored him and contained a massive eye roll. After the judges filled them with their final instructions, everyone was ready to take off.

As Naomi's turn came to step onboard, she looked down at the wooden planks uneasily. The ship looked well-built but the judges' words had her questioning its stability. The instructions for the trial were simple enough but they didn't truly know what would lay ahead on uncharted waters.