Just like the tradition wanted it, the girls were the first ones to run.
The starting signal was now in less than ten minutes and Alice's palms were sweaty, her heart was beating fast in her chest, and nervousness was tightening her stomach. Already aligned on the starting line with the rest of her teammates, she was jumping on the spot and slapping her thighs to make the blood flow in her leg muscles.
The atmosphere was electric.
On the two sides, behind the rows of flags delimiting the trail, the public and male contestant were gathered, already cheering for their team. Alice spotted Megan on the left side, smiling and waving at her, standing with a group of friends as usual. On the right side, Jungkook and his coven were all talking cheerfully, and the raven-haired boy winked at her, making Alice look down at her feet.
"Five minutes before the race starts," someone said in the speakers.
The girl gritted her teeth. Somehow, having Jungkook and all of his coven witnessing her performance was stressing her even further. She felt like she had a lot to prove and didn't want them to see her fail. For an instant, Alice was tempted to use Jungkook's powers, just for the start to give her an extra boost. However she took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back, knowing perfectly that she wouldn't do that. She wasn't a cheater.
"One minute before the race starts."
The girls around her were already in position, fists clenched, and faces determined, spikes digging deep in the humid earth and their ponytails decorated with ribbons grazing their backs. Alice joined them, right foot in front of her left, legs apart and knees bent.
Just like if you were ready to fly away.
"Three, two, one!"
The detonation was heard over the cheers of the crowd, and the race started.
Two hundred girls sprinted together to reach the forest at exactly the same time. For a moment, it was complete chaos as they pushed each other to get a head start, nudging their neighbours with their elbows and shoulders bumping into shoulders.
Alice breathed out deeply, all of her anxiety disappearing as soon as her feet started to pummel the soft ground, long controlled strides already bringing her in the front of the pack.
She avoided a girl falling face first to her left and followed the rest of the group running into the grass and making their way into the forest. At this point, she didn't hear or see anything; she was just focused on those little flags showing her the way into the dark woods.
In there, everything was muffled. The leaves were yellow, orange and brown, drawing a carpet on the ground for the runners to follow. The forest was rather young, and the trees were thin and grey, the thick layer of branches over her head hiding the sun. The coaches were right and the trail was muddy, enough for Alice to appreciate her spikes. She ran into a puddle of mud without slowing down and drops of dirty water covered her legs up to her knees, drenching her socks.
She didn't care at all however; her heart was pounding regularly in her ears, her breathing was controlled, her legs hitting the ground at a fast pace and her rhythm was perfect.
In front of her she could see the ponytails of the girls running ahead, swaying from side to side as they ran in the mud, their calves already covered in dirt. She could also feel at the back of her neck the heavy breaths of the girls just behind her, waiting for a chance to outrun her.
Not today ladies.
Alice felt good, she felt in control, so she picked up the pace a little, just enough to pass the few girls in front of her.
Deeper into the forest, the trees were denser, and the tree trunks were covered in yellow and orange moss. In there, she could hear the sounds of the birds chirping and the insects buzzing, a soothing addition to the gasps of the other runners as well as the pounding of their feet on the trail.
However, it wasn't like Alice could really admire the scenery, despite its charm; she needed to stay focused on where her feet were going. The path was full of roots, branches and other obstacles.
A girl right in front of her slipped on the humid leaves and fell down in the middle of the path with a whimper, scraping her knees on a rock. Alice simply passed her without slowing down. In the woods, it was everyone for themselves. She wondered how far she had run so far and wasn't really able to guess. Time and distance felt like two foreign concepts in the forest.
That's when the path started to elevate and rise into the mountain.
Breathing a little louder, Alice forced her legs to do bigger strides, her shoes biting the earth with assurance. Again, she passed a couple of girls that were breathing heavily, gritting their teeth when they saw the brunette outrun them.
After that, Alice couldn't see anyone in front of her. Although she knew she wasn't in first position and other girls were further up in the mountain, she guessed that she was at least in the first quarter of the pack.
The trail continued to go up, until her calves started to burn and her thighs to quiver with the effort. When the trail finally turned right on a flat plateau, the girl let out a relived sigh and accelerated the pace again. At this point the path was more rocky than muddy, and she could hear the sound of her spikes clicking on the stone.
After that, the trail turned left, and it started to go down at a slight angle. Fortunately, the ground was leafy and muddy again, so her spikes sunk in the earth, making it easier to keep her balance.
She loved the descent. With nobody around her, she could enjoy the nature by herself, just throwing her whole weight in front of her and praying she wouldn't tumble down the path. Her spiked heels were sinking in the mud, slowing down her momentum, but she still felt her heart rising in her throat and the delicious fear of a freefall.
Finally, the trail became flat again. Alice coughed, feeling her saliva getting thicker in her mouth and her legs burn from the top of her buttock to the soles of her feet. She was getting tired, but she kept pushing her body, accelerating a little again, and knowing that if she didn't slow down soon, she was going to cramp.
Almost there.
She could see two other girls in front of her now, their blond ponytails shimmering in the little bit of sunlight that was getting through the canopy. They were still further, but she was gaining on them, and if she continued with this pace, maybe, just maybe, she would be able to reach them.
The thunder of the crowd suddenly traveled to her ears, only a murmur through the trees for now, and the end of the path became visible in front of her; white light appearing where the end of the woods stood.
At this point, Alice gave all that was left in her body. She sprinted, ignoring the pain in her legs rising into her abs and to her shoulders, she ignored her damp toes and muddy socks, and just ran as fast as her legs would go, rising her knees high and projecting her feet forward.
She finally reached the grass and was blinded by the sun, the muffled sounds of the crowd reaching her ears as a loud screech. The faces of the people behind the flags were blurred and she realized that she was tearing up.
The two girls were now meters in front of her.
She winced in pain, and finally outran one of them in a few strides.
The other one was just a little further and she forced her legs again.
Both girls crossed the finish line at the same time.
The crowd roared, and suddenly all of Alice's senses came back heightened as she halted. She closed her eyes and put her hands against her ears, overwhelmed, before walking a bit further from the finish line and the crowd. The impact on her body of such a physical effort wasn't agreeable and she felt her stomach turn, enough to wonder if she was going to be sick. Her whole body was hurting, her breathing was chaotic, her eyes were tearing up and she was sweaty, but felt cold just like if she had a fever.
Just breathe.
She was standing still, bent down with her hands on her knees and waiting for the nausea to pass when Megan practically jumped on her, screaming loudly in her ears.
"You were legendary!" she yelled, hugging her back, while Alice was still trying to catch her breath.
"I-I... water please," she mumbled.
She was starting to feel a little better, but her saliva was so thick on her tongue that she couldn't speak. As soon as Megan passed her a water bottle, she took a long satisfying sip.
"I'm so proud! This was certainly your best race so far," Megan chirped, "I always knew you were good; never knew you were that good."
"What's my time?" asked Alice, suddenly feeling her initial anxiousness coming back at full speed.
When Megan told her time, she couldn't believe it. It was truly by far her best race.
"And what's my rank?" she asked, hopeful.
"You arrived in sixth position!"
Alice was shocked. She never thought she would be that good.
On the corner of her eyes she saw Jungkook walking towards her, hands in the pocket of his black hoodie and smiling brightly at her, sparkly eyes meeting her gaze.