The first thing Elena Holt had learned about running was that the pain always lied.
It told her to stop long before she actually needed to.
Her lungs burned, her legs ached.
Every muscle from her hips down screamed at her to slow down, to give in, to let somebody else have the finish line.
But pain was a liar.
Elena knew that.
So she kept running.
Her shoes struck the track in a steady rhythm.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.
The morning air was cold enough to sting her throat, and the sky above Milton Keynes was the particular shade of grey that seemed to belong exclusively to England.
It wasn't raining yet, but Elena knew better than to trust it.
She glanced at the digital clock on the trackside wall.
7:14 A.M.
She had been running for almost an hour.
Her ponytail had come loose somewhere around the fourth lap. A strand of brown hair was now stuck to her cheek with sweat, but she ignored it.
She was on her final hundred metres.
Her coach's voice echoed somewhere in the back of her mind.
Don't watch the clock.
Naturally, she watched the clock.
Don't think about the finish.
She thought about the finish.
And for God's sake, don't start sprinting too early.
Elena immediately started sprinting.
Her legs responded with a familiar burst of power.
The track blurred, the cold air rushed past her, the finish line came closer.
Ten metres.
Five.
Three.
Two—
She crossed it.
Elena stumbled forward for several steps before finally slowing to a walk.
She bent over, hands resting on her knees.
For a moment, she could hear nothing except her own heartbeat.
Then she looked up.
The stopwatch in her hand was still running.
She stopped it.
Her eyes widened.
She stared at the time.
Once.
Twice.
As though the numbers might change if she stared hard enough.
They didn't.
A grin slowly spread across her face.
Elena: "No way."
???: "Interesting performance."
Elena jumped.
She turned around.
Her coach, Daniel, stood several metres away with his arms folded across his chest.
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The Vesper Effect
FanfictionElena Holt had always believed that pain was something you could run through. A talented British track athlete, Elena's life has always revolved around one thing: running. After earning a scholarship that takes her from England to New York, she's fi...
