My cheeks were flushed from concentrating so hard on finishing the intelligence portion of the test. I answered all 90 questions with only a few moments to spare when the 45-minute timer went off. We had to pass down all of our exams and pens to the end of the rows. They then shuffled us out of the main hallway and lead out farther into the campus grounds taking a left down a very steep hill.
I should have known that Alayna would have found me again and to my surprise I didn't mind her company. I don't usually like spending time with others, mostly in my own little world. However, Alayna has become a calming presence as we endure these trials together today. They lead us even farther down the cement pathway until we came across a white painted strip running across the road.
The staff stood still at the line and waited for the rest of our herd to join in a clump once again. This time I noticed a handsome looking man at the very front of our group. He had dark black hair that sat messily on his head and in his face. His skin tan and his eyes were piercing blue, I could even see them from the back of the group with my blonde-haired friend. I don't know why I caught myself staring at him, but I had to physically peel my eyes away.
"Shortly we will begin your physical aspect of your aptitude tests, unlike the other groups that just chose agility or intelligence the lot of you picked adaptability. That means you need to be great at both of those two categories in an effortless way. We cannot waste our time on overly confident imbeciles. This is your last chance to leave," an older looking man that a greasy come over and a suit way too tight for his body shape shouted out to us. To my surprise about ten kids of the 50 of us took off in the direction of the main campus.
Not showing any emotion on his face he turns back to our group as a whole, "now that those people are gone, I need everyone to be in pairs. This obstacle course is for partners and yes you will be graded as partners. Choose wisely. You have one minute."
The group of students frantically searched for partners, and I just looked to Alayna who links her arm through mine and smiles. Thankfully, this would be one less stressor before yet another test. She has saved me from my own social anxiety twice already today!
"Alright please spread out with your partners so the stragglers can find one another." Another pause as the students did as they were told. "This is an obstacle course, there are no rules other than complete each task. If you fight that's on you, just know it will be used for better or worse in your grading. Spread out and line up to begin."
Alayna and I pushed to the front of the group through a really large and built group of men at the front. They snarled and cursed at us as we pushed through, we didn't care we needed an advantage. She and I were both short, let's just hope our little legs could work fast enough. Surprisingly as I pushed to the front, I didn't see the handsome man again.
With little time to get mentally prepped they shot off a race gun into the air. Alayna and I began our sprint, the men that we pushed through bumped into us as they ran past to the first obstacle. We turned the corner on the obstacle path and our first task would be to get up and over a 10 foot tall brick wall. Alayna and I looked to one another she looked determined if not anything else.
"Let me go up first," I said to her, " I can hold myself by the feet to get you up there." She says nothing but nods her head in agreement as she ran up to the wall before me. She turned and held her hands in a cup position. We had no time to worry about the other competitors' just yet. I ran at her full speed and placed my foot in her hands. She and I extended at the same time to boost me as I catapulted from her hand to the top of the wall.
I grabbed the top of the wall and pushed myself to the top. I turn as quickly as I can to face the direction I just came from and put my arms on the side and locked my feet on the edge. When my feet were secure I straightened my body forward to drop my head and extended out my arms when fully stable. She grabbed my hands that were dangling and with both of us pulling she was easily and quickly able to scale my body to the top of the wall in only three steps. Once at the top she grabbed my hand to hoist me up.
With both of our behinds on the edge we leaned forward and did a forward roll once we hit the ground to cushion the fall. Thankfully it worked well and my adrenaline was going so hard I could barely feel anything. We continued running in the middle of the pack and a bunch of people slowed down up ahead of us. The closer we got the more I could hear fast turbulent running water.
"We have to cross a river," Alayna yelled to me. Oh goodie, crossing a river, and a rushing one while we are at it. The student group ahead of us was slowly dwindling down as some of them attempted to cross on the unstable logs placed in the center of the river to the other side. They were fastened by cords on either end of the log seconds away from being ripped in half.
We slowed down our run and I motioned for us to move towards upstream and find a faster way to cross without waiting single file across the already strained logs. We didn't get very far when I saw a limb hanging across the river. It was as thick as my thigh in girth and made it 3/4 of the way across the river before thinning out. I pointed to our new method of crossing and Alayna ran to the tree trunk and began scaling it without hesitation.
I was kind of amazed how well we could work together already. Only ten kids had crossed when we began scooting down the long branch. A few students saw us and began running our way to either attempting our same idea or sabotage us as I finished my ascent up the trunk. Alayna finally made it to her spot and with hands latched tight she lets her body swing by her hands on the branch. She made her body swing back and forth, and when she had enough momentum, she propelled herself to the other side landing feet first on the grass. With two thumbs up she smiles and then it quickly fades as she points to the base of the tree where the meat heads were starting to ascend.
I realize I don't have much time to scoot across in Alayna's fashion. Instead, I stood up on the branch and while using the other smaller branches up by my head I was able to quickly cross the branch to the end. I mimicked my partner's movements to situate myself to swing across the river. As I began to swing my body back and forth, I could feel the branch shaking even more.
Those stupid lugs were jumping up and down on the branch I was on like a bunch of apes trying to get me to fall in the river. A moment of panic overcame my body as I realized what they were doing and had to close my eyes and force myself into changing my breathing back to deep paced breaths. I used their movements of shaking me to make one final jump to the edge. I launched myself with everything in me and my feet landed at the edge of the bank. Oh no, my weight is too far back I am going to fall; and then a small hand grabs my jacket and yanks me onto safety.
I look up at her and she makes sure I'm okay before flipping those ass holes off as we ran to the next obstacle laughing in accomplishment. Before us on this side of the river we could see our next obstacle approaching, it was a large pyramid with ropes crossed over themselves on the face and back of it. We are to crawl up to the peak side and back down over the other side.
No hesitation between my partner and I, we still have those 10 people in front of us so we stepped on our gas and floored it to the obstacle. It is definitely a better option to make it quickly through this one to avoid the meat heads who made it evidently clear they do not want us to succeed. We were the 2 of the four girls in this group. Fucking misogynists.
We scaled the side of the pyramid and only six people were ahead of us and only one of those pairs were on the ground moving on. I crawled quickly up with Alayna was behind me as I passed the center and began my descent. About halfway down the back side I looked to find my partner and she was at the very top of the pyramid still. The assholes had unfortunately already caught up to us and were tugging on her tennis shoe to keep her on their side. I watched as she hugged the ropes and used her free foot to knock the meanest one in the face, this caused her to be launched upwards to the apex of the pyramid.
All I could do was look on and up at her; thankfully she made it over fine enough. The big one now had a real bone to pick with my small blonde-haired partner and I could tell he was going to catch up to her before she could make it all the way down to me. She was descending feet first looking down and couldn't spot what I see; that jughead was about to grasp her top hand in his. I began to go back up to my partner when he stands on the opposite side of the apex and uses his force to push her backwards down the descending side.
I counted all my lucky stars as I wrapped my feet in the ropes they were on and stood upright to brace my partners fall. She fell into my arms and my top leg strained as it held up both of us. Without stopping or even communicating Alayna rolled out of my arms and finished the descent with me not far behind like we had practiced these skills a thousand times. We continued up the pavement to the top of the hill.
I was beginning to get winded, especially now we had to deal with all of this extra bullshit brought on by these guys. We slowed our place at the top of the hill regaining our breathing when we noticed what would be next. There were teachers at the beginning of this obstacle and the remaining teachers including the one barking orders/thinly veiled threats were at the finish line.
They were shouting something to the pairs as they neared, and the students looked rugged and distraught by their words. We looked to each other in apprehension but continued on. This next obstacle was wooden logs sitting upright in the earth. They varied in heights like a wave as they cascaded down the hill.
"Only one person can walk this, the other partner needs to be carried." The words of the teachers brought anxiety to us as well. We looked at the other partners and one partner was on the others back, the other pair in front of us was struggling carrying his enormous partner baby style.
"I need to get on your shoulders," Alayna demanded. Without hesitation I bent my knees and gave her a hand as she placed her right foot into my right hip bone and right hand in my left hand. She and I extended like at the wall together but this time she swung her left leg around to sit securely on my shoulders.
I began walking up to the logs and the first one was ground level, but the next ones went up before going down, then up, and down again to the finish line in a wave pattern. Breathing and with my arms wrapped tight around my partners knees I continue on trying to keep our weight as centered as possible. I can see in our shadow that Alayna has her arms out to the sides. Wow, I didn't even think about doing that for the stability. My heart swelled with joy as I walked up those first three logs easily enough.
Hard part holding our weight as we go down throwing our weight forward. Behind me I can her the hollering and name calling of those damn ass holes yet again. This time I refuse to let them get to either one of us. I confidently and quickly began to descend the logs. At the fourth log, my feet began to wobble as I tried to regain balance. I was shifting my weight too far back; Alayna could feel it as well, so she concaved her back and threw her weight forward. Once again centered, we went down the next two perfectly before the final ascent and descent.
"Flora! They are coming up quickly behind us. They don't look stable though," Alayna called out. I turned to look, and they were about six logs away from us on the stack parallel to our own.
"Alayna, do you trust me," I shouted to my partner. "Yes!" She responded.
I began the ascent back up the way we came while unlocking my arms from her knees. I slid my hands between her legs and placed my feet on two different logs for balance. She grasped my hands and we sat poised and ready.
"On three flip over me keep your knees tucked in and straighten them when I say!" No other communication was to be had with them now only a single log away from us. The guy in the other's arms was winding up his fist like he was some lame ass cartoon character.
"1, 2, 3!" I shouted and bounced Alayna off of my shoulders and she forward flipped over me and her body swung between my legs on the logs. When I swung her back forward the guys were right next to us, and I gave it my everything to get her as high up as quickly as possible. Now! I screamed and she kicked her legs out straight on the apex of the swing and successfully got the big one being carried in his shoulder and knees and the guys flew off of the logs and down about 6 feet to the floor.
Minor and very satisfying win but our test wasn't over yet. Now that we waisted so much energy to get them off of our backs we had to make it up and down the last hill. I pulled my arms up and Alayna crawled up me like a spider monkey back onto y shoulders. Even though she was little I still had to brace myself as she threw about both of our weight.
With her back in her position, I flew through the rest of the logs and once we hit the dirt, she jumped off of me and we made it past the finished line fifth and sixth. The older grumpy man stares at us in disgust as we are the only two collapsed behind the finish line. Laying on our backs in the grass arms over face aggressively breathing, sweating and laughing in disbelief we rested from this insane obstacle course.
It took us about 25 minutes to complete the course, the scragglers that didn't fall off of the logs made it just in time for the 40-minute mark. All those that fell off of any of the obstacles were forced to leave the campus immediately. Thankfully this will be the last I will ever see any of those meat heads.