The 2 Week Challenge

Chapter 2

• 8 weeks later •
DAVID:
I sit nervously in a hard chair, surrounded by around 20 other people also sitting in chairs. I am in a hotel I don't know the name of, in the centre of LA. We spent 6 hours driving here. I am now in a private room where all participants were told to meet.

Sarah clutches my hand and turns towards me, beaming widely. Her eyes are sparkling, electric.

A small, plump man waddles over to us. He is bald and has a jolly face.

"Another pair, I assume?" he asks, grinning. "It's nice to see not all youths are hooligans. Names, please?"

"Sarah and David," says Sarah, smiling. I wish I wasn't here. I wish I was with her, of course, but somewhere else. At the cinema, bowling, cuddled up on a sofa... Just not here.

The man runs a finger down a list of people and then ticks us off.

"Chosen charity is Animal Rescue, yes?"

Sarah nods, her brown hair falling over her shoulders.

"Ok," says the man. "Follow the signs to the back entrance - there is a helicopter waiting for you outside. Good luck." With that, he spins on his heel and waddles away.

Sarah drags me out of the room and into the hallway. She turns to face me.

"This is it," she says softly. She smiles at me, and I hug her. I feel her small body, I feel the bones and the little muscle she has developed in the last 8 weeks. I pull her tightly to me, a secure hug. I feel her heart beating, and bury my head into her hair, getting the smell of coconut and a fresh fragrance I bought for her for her birthday. She always wears it.

I pull away, and together we follow the signs that lead us out the back. Through glass doors, I see 6 helicopters. I wonder why they try to separate us so much? Would it not be better if we tried to make friends and get through this together?

A woman stands by the door. Her hair is scraped back into a bun at the nape of her neck. She is very skinny and very tall.

"Names, please?" the woman asks, with the lowest voice I have ever heard a woman speak in.

We give our names and she points us towards an orange helicopter on the far left. The propellors conduct a strong wind. Sarah's hair is whipped around, framing her face.

"I've never been on a helicopter before!" she shouts over the wind, and crouches her head so she will be able to get inside. I follow her in. We are the last two in the helicopter. We get two seats together at the front, sitting beside a massive window. As soon as we are seated, the helicopter takes off, flying faster than I thought it would. Sarah stares out the window at the vast landscape below, as I look around at the other participants. I didn't realise there would be middle-aged people participating. I just assumed only young people would participate.

After about an hour, Sarah grabs my arm eagerly. "David, look at that island over there!" she says. "That's probably where we will be staying for the next 2 weeks." She kisses me lightly on my cheek, and then holds my hand.

The helicopter stops moving and hovers above the ocean.