The school bell rang throughout the cafeteria signaling the students to head over to the obstacle courses. Anyone from school can watch these obstacle courses since it is a good opportunity to see the type of courses they came up with this year.
We started to follow the crowd of students to head to the obstacle course behind the school grounds. Once we got outside of the double doors, my brothers separated themselves from the group.
Over their shoulders, my brothers shouted in sync, "Break a leg, Cress!"
"I will!" Well not for real that would be bad.
Speaking up from beside me Finn chuckled saying, "Now we wouldn't want that would we Cress? "
I smacked his arm in mock anger knowing what he truly meant. He's insinuating that I could actually break my leg. Just how much does Finn believe in my athletic abilities.
"Don't pay any attention to him Cress. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Rosaleen cheerfully said as she linked her arms with mine.
We followed the students to the stadiums as Finn was directed over to the starting line by the Phy Ed teacher. The roar of excited chatter filled the air as the anticipation of the Juniors obstacle course hung in the air.
Finding an empty spot on the bleachers proved to be a challenge amidst the sea of students already gathered there. Lilac led the way, weaving us a path through the crowd, politely excusing us as we squeezed past groups of chatting classmates.
We finally found a spot in the middle of the stadium about halfway up which provided a prime view of the obstacle course in front of us.
Scanning the course, I immediately spotted Finn standing off to the side talking to some of his buddies. He was easy to find because of his untamed hair that always seems to go in every which way.
Rosaleen exclaimed next to my right bouncing slightly in her spot as she pointed in the direction of the starting line, "Oh there's Finn!"
Just then the buzz of the announcer's microphone spread throughout the stadium. The audience immediately went quiet in anticipation.
A man's voice sounded announcing, "May I have everyone's attention! In just a few minutes the Juniors obstacle course will begin. But first I must remind the students in the stadiums to stay in their seats while the first group goes. Each course will take the contestants about 10 minutes to finish so please be patient. Good luck everyone!"
The crowd roared to life with everyone leaning slightly forward. The first group of twenty boys lined up at the starting line. Finn was one of them as he assumed a position slightly bent down with arms stretched out.
A bang resounded, having the contestants sprint forward right through a mud pit and over some hurdles. One boy fell down into the mud right away getting a round of laughs from the crowd.
A burly dude knocked down a couple of hurdles and a boy without a shirt on lead the contestants with Finn following close. The crowd got louder in front of us. They must be the shirtless guy's friends for getting such a good reaction out of them. Not too far behind him was a group of three boys vying for third position.
Then they disappeared into the forest following the path that led them to the unknown. They will eventually circle back to the finish line. The directors must have wanted the rest of the obstacle course to be a mystery so the younger classmen watching will have a challenge too.
"Wow that first part went by fast. I wonder what other obstacles are in the woods," Rosaleen questioned.
"Yeah, I wonder. They even started them with going through a mud pit to make the rest of the course more difficult," I responded.
"Hey, your Cress, right? The twins' younger sister," a girl next to us asked.
Some students immediately turned their heads to face us after hearing the twins being mentioned. Everyone knows who she is talking about since it is a rare occurrence to have twin boys be born from an Alpha. I guess I will never get used to my brother's popularity.
The girl's short auburn hair glistened in the sunlight as an expectant smile graced her delicate features. Her mate sat next to her with his arm lazily draped over her shoulder. However, his demeanor showed his protectiveness over her as he took a glance our way.
I hesitated for a moment before responding, "Yeah, Jake and Jared are my brothers."
"I don't mean anything by it. I just heard you guys talking about Finn and I knew he went to the same pack as them," she continued not wanting me to get the wrong idea.
"Oh, yeah. Finn is a close friend of ours."
She smiled before continuing, "I was very impressed by your brother's performance today."
She leaned close to me whispering, "My mate is a huge fan of your brothers after seeing their fighting skills at Summer Training Camp this past year. He actually wanted me to ask you if they would be able to give him some pointers since he has an upcoming warrior test this winter."
When she finished talking, her mate tried to discreetly look over at us without me noticing. I smiled at him before he looked away.
"Yeah! I'm sure my brothers could do that. How about I give them his cellphone number so they can get in touch with each other?"
"Sounds good! Thanks so much Cress," she exclaimed.
She immediately started listing his phone number as I typed it into my phone. I hope my brothers don't mind but I think they'll enjoy giving pointers. As future Alpha's it's extremely important for them to build relationships with those from other packs.
"Oh, I don't think I asked for your name?" I questioned feeling bad that I never asked.
"My names Elaina and that's Mike," she said pointing to her mate.
"Nice to meet you Elaina, this is Rosaleen and Lilac from my pack," I said introducing them.
Lilac smiled as Rosaleen gave a little wave.
Elaina smiled warmly saying hi in response. We talked for a little more, it's very refreshing to talk to another girl without pitying me or straight out disliking me.
Well, there's also the chance they only talk to me so that they could meet my brothers. However, she's not the one trying to see my brothers with ulterior motives.
A loud bang above us startled me making me jump in my seat a little. Just then a huge screen materialized out of nowhere hovering just above the obstacle course in front of the stands. It immediately showed the contestants heading out from the forest about two football fields away from us.
I looked at it in awe. It's the first time I saw something like it. It's just like a big tv screen but is clearer if that is even possible. I searched through the crowds to find the wizard that was able to cast the spell to project the image of the contesters.
After a couple of seconds, I noticed an elderly man in a dark blue robe extending his gnarled wooden wand towards the screen murmuring ancient incantations. He faced the screen in concentration as a shimmer of blue light erupted from the tip of his wand to project the events taking place.
Two men stood around him who I assume are his bodyguards. It's very rare to see a wizard especially here at the School of Wolves. A prestigious one, nonetheless.
I caught myself staring as he casted his spell, sparkles of blue fell down like fireworks every so often. However, I guess I wasn't the only finding it intriguing since students around him couldn't take their eyes off of him either. For us, a wizard is very uncommon so when we see one, we're like a child who's stepped outside for the first time.
An arm next to me nudged me disrupting my curiosity towards the wizard. "What's up?" I said turning to Rosaleen.
She looked at me with excitement dancing in her eyes. "That's Grindorf. He's one of the leaders in the Wizard World. Apparently, our Headmaster is a close friend of his and he requested him to come. Wow! I can't believe he actually came," she exclaimed as she leaned forward in her seat to see him better.
Once, I brought my attention back to the screen, it zoomed in on the contestants. The majority of them looked disheveled making me wonder just how hard these courses must be.
Finn was the third one to come out of the forest before the rest followed closely behind. Just then the wall rumbled to life going straight up into the sky. It grew and grew until it couldn't.
Then the rocks on the climbing wall popped out showing them the way up. The man without a shirt on must be an Alphas son with his ability to be in first place.
Without wasting time Finn climbed up the rock wall. Every so often he would push off with his legs to reach a higher positioned rock on the wall. Once at the top he climbed down half of the way before jumping off and landing on the ground. He then ran towards the finish line.
The crowd got louder seeing the group of boy's neck-to-neck as they followed behind the shirtless boy. This provided Finn the motivation he needed as I watched him push his legs to their limit, determined to secure the second-place position. The boy in the lead crossed the finish line just ahead of him, but Finn refused to relent. His resolve fueling every stride.
As the finish line drew nearer, the screen zoomed in to Finn and the boys next to him. Beads of sweat dripped down the side of his face and his wild hair tamed for once by his sweat. The roar of the crowd intensified, spurring Finn on. Behind him, the other contestants trailed not too far behind.
"Come on Finn!" Lilac shouted with her hands cupping her mouth.
Following her lead me and Rosaleen shouted, "Let's go Finn!"