In The Shadows

Chapter Thirteen

Right foot. Left foot.

The banner was my oasis. The pool of crystal clear water surrounded by soft, blanket grass, in the midst of dust and sand and wind. And I knew with a few more steps I could wash away the dryness that coated the inside of my mouth in a thick, suffocating layer.

Right foot. Left foot.

My left boot scuffed against the ground in the loose and flimsy state without its usual shoestring. Every scuff, every clank of the metal lids, nothing was compared to the racing of my heart. I could hear the voices, the shouts, the murmurs, and the commands echoing from all around me. But nothing could register correctly without becoming clouded by the adrenaline pounding in my ears.

Right foot. Left foot.

I raised my eyes up to the horizon, momentarily distracted by what he thought. Either the boy from the village or the officer from the arrest, whoever he really was, I wanted to know if he was watching. Would he be smirking like he did in the village? Or would he be merciless and unforgiving?

Right foot. Left foot.

I accidentally brushed an arm with my right boot, flinching away from the person who was swallowed whole by the inflated vest. My thoughts immediately returned to Lauren and Irine, and those unspoken promises I had made of taking down the banner.

Right foot. Left foot.

Trainees, or maybe officers, were running out of the alley of a building next to me in the hopes of cutting me off. But I was too close to victory to stop. I could practically hear the midnight material of the banner whip around in the slight breeze.

Right foot. Left foot.

I fell into a rhythm, continuing to hug the trash can lids to my body with the desperate hoping and wishing that they wouldn't fall and fail on me now.

"Hey!" The shout came from one of the fallen kids, lying on the ground below me. Her arm snaked around my boot and I almost fell. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Get off of me!" My voice was urgent and pleading, rising as I yelled back to her. Panic rose in my throat, making it hard to breathe.

Anger etched deep lines into the trainee's face. "There is absolutely no way you are winning this by cheating."

She wasn't alone, and soon more arms wrapped around my legs. They became as tight as the vines that used to choke the life out of the trees back home. The voices attached to them cried out in anger and frustration, drowning out my desperate pleading. I scratched and punched and pushed before I finally tripped, my arms moving away from the sides of my trash can lids. The sides of my vest were in full view, vulnerable and open to anyone.

I surveyed the buildings, the tops, the alleyways, the windows, and counted the dark figures I could spy ducking and darting from visibility. That number equaled the number of snipers, of trainees, of those willing to cut my journey short by the simple pull of their finger. The sun glared into my eyes, causing my vision to grow blurry with tears.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Fi-

The blank pounded into the side of my rib cage, not allowing me to finish my count. Grunts and groans erupted below me as my body exploded. The reaction between the blank and my vest was instantaneous, so fast that it seemed to happen in one breath. The shoestring strained and ripped, giving the trash can lids the ability to fling off like frisbees into the crowd of fallen trainees. More cries sounded from where they landed and clanged on the ground.

I was hyperventilating, seeing stars and seeing darkness all at the same time. The shock of my vest blowing up seemed to cut off my circulation. I couldn't feel my legs. I couldn't feel my arms. I felt like my head was going to pop off, that the vest would just get tighter and tighter until I was an unidentifiable, wriggling mess.

I closed my eyes, then opened them. Then closed them again, and opened. The third time, my breathing seemed more regular and my head seemed less fuzzy. It was only then that I could see where I had landed.

I was at the foot of the steps that lead up to the banner. I peered my head around to find that I was also the trainee who had made it the farthest.

My lips twitched in pride at the sight.

Because I may not have won, but I had come a long way. Now, lying here, I may seem like the wick of a candle, small and shaky. But I would continue to grow, for my family and for myself. I would grow into the flame of a roaring fire with the vibrant reds and oranges of a rising sun. 

*****

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Peace out :)

-Scarlett