Theo the Street Kid and the Extraordinary Competition

Chapter 28 - Stage Three: The Garden of Treachery

After a final high-calorie meal, the remaining three contestants were taken to the entrance of a beautiful and lush green garden.
Fenced in, the garden contained all sorts of vibrant and blossoming trees and plants and bushes that produced all kinds of exotic fruits.
Mr Sotia held out both arms for silence, then said, "Welcome to the third and final stage. Here we are at the Garden of Treachery. You might wonder why it's so treacherous. Take a look at that."
He pointed at an innocent-looking purple orchid.
Attracted by the nectar, a bee landed on it.
As soon as the insect was close enough, the purple orchid gripped it with one arm and shoved it into its mouth.
It was then that Theo realized that the orchid was not an orchid at all.
It was a purple orchid mantis, a praying mantis that liked to camouflaged itself among real orchids so it could catch unsuspecting prey.
The referee continued, "This time, you'll all be on foot. We need you to retrieve a special rare fruit, called the Numbamosa, from the Numbamosa Tree located in the very middle of the garden known as Central Bliss. It is most likely heavily-guarded by who-knows-what, so you'll have to use your wits. It is the tallest tree in the garden so you can't miss it."
He paused, then said, "As you can see, nothing is as it seems here. You all must be very careful. The King sent men to retrieve the Numbamosas, but none ever returned with the delicious fruit."
Theo looked at this opponents.
This was it. It was down to the wire. The championship would go to one of them. The stakes were so high now. He couldn't afford to mess up.
I can do this, he thought. I survived on the streets by myself for this long already. I can win this whole thing!
He looked at Sovana, who nodded at him, as though to confirm their alliance.
So far, she had not tried to sabotage him, but he still didn't trust her.
Who knew what she had planned?
Then, Theo looked at Borm, who smirked back at him.
Theo was filled with rage.
Even if he didn't win, he was going to do whatever he could to keep Borm from winning.
Theo wanted the championship so badly that he could taste it.
He prepared himself. It was crunch time and he needed to be on his A game.
Mr. Sotia pointed to the white finish line behind him. "Remember, since this is the last stage, it's double elimination. Whoever is first to return and cross the finish line with a numbamosa fruit will be the champion of the Extraordinary Competition! Don't forget: to the victor go $1,000,000. The stakes are higher than ever."
Then, he fired a gun into the air. "Ready, set, go!"
The three of them sprinted into the garden.
Soon, Sovana wandered off somewhere and Theo and Borm were left alone.
Theo didn't know the way to this Central Bliss place where the Numbamosa Tree was. The referee had said that it was the tallest tree in the garden, but when the oak trees and the low-hanging mist and clouds blocked most visibility.
Perhaps Borm knew where he was going.
He inspected Borm.
His old rival looked as tired as he did.
Born also looked smug and superior, as though he knew something that Theo didn't.
"Alright," Theo said. "Spill the beans. What is it?"
"You're as good as dead," he said, as they passed oak tree after oak tree.
"Why's that?" asked Theo, songbirds chirping around them.
"Because Sovana and I have an alliance," he said. "We're going to knock you out at this final stage. It's two against one. And then, she and I will duke it out ourselves, without you in the race."
Theo wasn't surprised that Sovana had double-crossed him. His initial instincts had told him not to trust her and he was spot on.
She had said, "Just you and me. We can have no other allies."
And yet, she had talked to Borm and made another ally.
Theo smiled. "That's funny. Because she made the same deal with me."
Boom's expression turned from disbelief, surprise and then fury.
"That backstabbing bitch!" he muttered under his breath. "She said she and I could have no other allies."
"She said the same thing to me. Don't you get it?" said Theo. "She's just trying to cover her own back."
"Then I'll cover mine," said Borm.
He dashed off in the other direction, toward a swamp.
"Wait!" Theo called after him. "Where are you going?"
But his arch-nemesis did not respond.
Theo had the feeling that Borm was so enraged at Sovana's double-dealing that he was going to murder her.
Good, Theo thought. Less competition for me.
Theo didn't want to play dirty, but the others were already doing so. He had to fight fire with fire.
Sovana hadn't honoured his alliance with him, so why should he?
She had broken her word. He felt hurt and betrayed.
Theo now found himself alone.
He surveyed his environment.
He had to reach the middle part of the garden, but the fog still reduced visibility.
He needed to find that Numbamosa Tree.
But where was it?
He took one more step.
A hiss alerted him.
He froze.
Behind him was a cobra.
In front of him was a poisonous blue frog.
And he was caught between them both.