Coach Zaid walked into the gym, he was excited about the announcement that he was about to make, he took a look around the gym and said,
"Good morning, everyone.
As you all know the Olympics are approaching, today I will test you all to grade your skills, the top 10 students will participate in the Olympics, and those who fail today will get another chance in 2 weeks and it's going to be their last chance,
If you fail to make it to the Olympics it's going to be the end for you, I'm sure you all know that."
Maya smirked and said
"Yeah, we know.
Let's just get started, I could not sleep last night I'm fired up."
Coach Zaid turned to Maya and said
"Alright Maya, do you wanna go first?"
Maya got up and exclaimed
"Well yeah I would love to "
Coach Zaid smiled and said
"Alright, let's begin."
Maya played so well, much better than when she first participated in the table tennis club.
Nora cheered her on and said
"You're Impressive"
Maya bowed like a princess and said
"Thank you.
Good luck to you."
Nora smiled confidently and said
"Thanks"
Coach Zaid took a little break then he got up again and turned to Nora.
"Alright, Nora, you're next.",
Nora was ready, she stepped up and said "Yes, couch."
The first 2 rounds ended in a tie.
Coach Zaid said "Nice, Nora, as expected.
Take a 5-minute break, drink some water then we will continue."
Maya cheered for Nora and said
"Wow, you made the coach break a sweat and played toe to toe against him.
You're awesome at this rate you will win a medal!"
Nora smiled and said "Thanks."
Maya handed her a bottle of water and said "Here drink some water, you look tired and you must rest."
Nora drank some water and said
"Thanks, do you think he was taking me seriously?"
Maya insisted that he was, she said
"Come on, have you ever seen him sit against any of us?
I believe that you can beat him if you try harder!"
Nora felt proud, she was flattered, she said "Well then, watch me closely, I'm about to go all out."
Maya cheered "Go for it girl!"
The third round also ended in a tie, but this time it was like a match between two professionals instead of a match between a couch and a student.
Coach Zaid noticed that Nora was getting slower, he asked "Do you need a break, Nora?"
Nora refused, she said"No, I'm ok.
Let's carry on, I don't want to cool down."
Coach Zaid smirked and said
"Alright, if you say so."
At the beginning of the fourth round, Nora dominated the match.
Maya clapped and cheered for Nora, she yelled "Amazing Nora!
You can do it!"
Coach Zaid rolled his eyes and said
"Oh, don't be so full of yourself.
I just got serious."
Nora's eyes were burning, she looked him dead in the eye and said
"Bring it on."
The match carried on, it was very intense with both players doing their best.
Near the end of the fourth round, Coach Zaid was winning.
Maya was still cheering for Nora, she said"Never mind that Nora you can still win, it's not over yet!"
Nora wiped away the sweat off her forehead and said
"I know, I'm not done yet!"
Nora was at her limit, she lost so many points because she was exhausted.
She could barely hold the racket, yet she was still pushing herself.
Coach Zaid stopped the Match eventually and said "Ok, I've seen enough."
Nora rejected his order and exclaimed, "But the match hasn't ended yet!"
Coach Zaid looked her up and down, he could see how tired she was, in a gentle tone he said "It's alright Nora, you don't have to carry on I can see that you're ready for the Olympics.
If we carry on you might pass out, do you think I haven't noticed?
I'll give you a stamina training session, your skills are perfect all you need now is to rest and do some stamina training."
Nora finally stopped being stubborn, she put down her racket and said"OK couch, thank you so much.."
Nora immediately passed out before she could finish her sentence.
She had long passed her limit,
She had been training nonstop for weeks.
After a couple of f hours, Nora woke up in the infirmary.
Doctor Ahmed was the only one there, he saw her wake up from the corner of his eye.
"So you finally woke up." He said without turning to her.
Nora was confused, she asked "What happened?
Why am I here?"
Doctor Ahmed answered without turning to her "You passed out during practice.
Your blood pressure is low, eat these snacks and relax
You don't need to attend classes today, just get some rest."
Nora got up from the sleeping position, she decided that she needed to get back to her room so she said "Ok, thanks, doctor.
If that's all can I go rest in my room?"
Doctor Ahmed was looking at some papers then he finally turned to her and said "Sure, but go straight to bed, don't do anything."
After she left the infirmary Nora took a walk around campus, she needed to clear her head.
Things were getting too stressful, she needed a break.
She was lost in thought when Hani approached her.
"Hey." He said.
Nora turned to him and said "Hi."
Hani seemed worried he said in a gentle tone "I heard that you passed out.
How do you feel, are you ok?"
Nora felt his concern and she felt bad for making others worry, she replied
"Yeah I'm fine, the doctor told me to get some rest, I pushed myself too much that's all."
It was awkward for a few seconds, Nora wanted to leave but it seemed like Hani had something to say.
Hani finally broke the silence and said"There is a misunderstanding that I need to clear up.
You Heard everyone call me the mysterious prodigy, right?"
Nora nodded and said "Yeah, even Coach Zaid says that.
He said that in front of everyone in the club.
Everyone calls you the mysterious prodigy."
Hani suddenly seemed uncomfortable, he said in a choked voice"Yeah, I don't like that nickname."
Nora was confused, she asked, "Why?"
Hani sighed, and he decided to tell her the truth"Because I'm not a prodigy.
When I first joined the club most of them were much better than me."
Nora didn't understand what he was trying to say so she asked"But you worked hard and won in the end, that's all that matters."
Hani shook his head and honestly said
"Nora, please take care of yourself.
"Winning a medal is not all that matters, don't push yourself to corners."
Nora asked, "What do you mean?"
Hani carried on and said "I can't tell you the details but, the truth is.
I cheated to win the golden medal."
Nora was beyond shocked, at first she wasn't sure if she had heard him right. "What?"
Hani's eyes were serious, he said in a firm tone"I was pressured, not just by my determination to win, but by other people as well.
In the end, I took a certain drug that boosted my stamina and overall physicality."
Nora was having a hard time believing it so she asked"How did you pass the drug test when you participated in the Olympics?"
Hani said, "We bribed them."
Nora couldn't believe it, she said "What? people can do that?"
Hani nodded, he said, "Well, certain people can."
Nora didn't know what to think, she asked"Why are you telling me this?"
Hani said "Because you've been training nonstop for weeks, I was worried you might go down the same path.
After I won the Olympics I suffered from many diseases.
They were the side effects of the drug."
Nora finally understood why Hani had been acting weird, she was happy to know that he was genuinely worried about her and had warned her from taking the false path, so she said "Thank you for your concern, but you should know I would never do that."
Hani smiled genuinely, he said "Of course not, you're a hard worker and a decent athlete.
"You're nothing like me.
Just please be careful and take care of yourself."
Nora smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern."
Hani said, "You won't tell anyone about this right?"
Nora replied "Despite what you just said, you've helped me so much.
I've learned so much from you, you're still a great player.
I believe that you could have won a medal without drugs."
Hani's eyes darkened he said
"I don't know about that.
My greatest regret is the fact that I could never know."
A couple of hours later Battol walked into their shared room.
"I'm home!" She exclaimed like sunshine.
Nora smiled at her innocence and said "Welcome back."
Battol smiled genuinely and said
"Hey, you're already back!
That's the first, are you going to train till midnight again?"
Nora shook her head and said. "No, I'll just rest today."
Battol said "Oh, ok in that case, wait, what?
Are you sure?"
Nora nodded her head and said, "Yeah, I need to get some sleep."
Battol was surprised, she asked, "What happened?"
Nora rolled her eyes and said "Nothing, I just talked to Hani, and he advised me to get some rest."
Battol was relieved, she said, "Finally, someone talked some sense into you."
Nora said in a serious tone"I'm sorry that I made you worry."
Battol was shocked, she said "What?...where is this coming from?
You're acting weird today, just go to sleep."
Nora chuckled and said
"Ok, good night."
Battol smiled gently as she got ready for bed as well, she said: "Sleep well."
The next day Battol had chess training with Professor Warda
"What is this opening?" She asked
Battle answered, "I learned it from my dad when I was little."
Professor Warda looked deeply into Battol's eyes, then she said "I see, is your dad the one who taught you chess?"
Battle answered, "Yeah, he tried teaching my younger siblings too but they didn't enjoy it."
Professor Warda asked, "Have you participated in local chess tournaments?"
Battle answered "Yeah, I participated in so many, I won a medal every time.
But they were mostly part of the charity events, and there weren't many strong players."
Professor Warda asked "I see.
Well, this opening that you just used
Is a very risky one, those who use it are newbies who do not know what they are doing.
Or they are professionals who know exactly what they are doing well.
Which one was your dad?"
Battol said "I don't know.
Come to think of it, he never told me how he learned chess."
Professor Warda exclaimed"Checkmate."
Battol sadly said
"God, I lost again!"
While she was walking back to her room she was thinking loudly, she was tired and done with everything "I'm so tired!
It's the same every day!
she said she would train me well but I keep losing over and over again how am I going to win a medal at this rate?
All the other courses are extremely hard as well, what were they thinking when they selected me to study here."
As she was loudly whining thinking she was alone a guy suddenly approached her and said "I was wondering the same thing.
The fact that you were selected even though you're from a small town in Malaysia makes me curious.
Why would they search for students there? or how did you capture their attention in the first place?"
Battle jumped back, took a defensive pose, and yelled "Who are you?
You came out of nowhere!
were you stalking me?"
The guy answered calmly while smoking a cigarette "Yes, I've been stalking you for a while, you're making me curious?"
Battol was freaking out, she yelled
"What a weirdo, or I will report you to the security team!"
The guy rolled his eyes and said "Relax, the only reason I showed up is that I decided to help you.
I want you to join my group."
Battol was confused and she asked"What?"
The guy impatiently said "We are not supposed to tell the freshman about this, but I don't care about the rules.
I'm going to tell you everything and make everything clear to you.
It will make things much easier for" me.
Battol wasn't following, she asked
"What are you talking about?"
The guy said "In the second year, each student must join a group.
Each group is supported by a certain sponsor, company, or even a country.
So of course each group has its own beliefs or ideologies.
That's why when a freshman from their country or who has the same ideology as them joins this institution they help him adapt
And they do everything in their power to make sure they pass the first year, especially when that student is a very smart one.
You must have noticed how all the upperclassmen are kind and helpful."
Battle nodded her head and said "Yeah, I noticed.
Wow, this place is more complicated than I expected."
The guy carried on"Anyway, you've caught my attention and I wanna help you so you can join my group next year."
Battol was still wary of him, she asked
"What makes you so sure that I wanna join your group?"
The guy said "Who else are you going to join?
the only other group that is interested in you is weak.
And the last time I checked they are a new group, and their sponsors are a weak company who have no real influence."
Battol was confused and she asked
"Wait, who are you talking about?"
The guy said
"Your Friend Maha, she's the representative of that group."
Battol was beyond shocked, she exclaimed "Maha! so she's been helping us because she wants us to join her?
Well then I'll join her group, she helped us so much and we became good friends."
The guy rolled his eyes and said
"Oh please, what did she do for you? Do you think that the power of friendship will help you pass all the courses?
You've been struggling with the language course right?
From now on you will be studying with native speakers of English, Spanish Arabic, and Mandarin.
As for chess Professor Warda is a great coach but she's kind of slow.
so I'll accelerate the process by making you train with the chess champions of our group."
Battol
"Wait, why are you doing this?
Why are you interested in me in the first place?"
The guy explained "I already told you, you made me curious.
You caught their attention from a small town in Malaysia, there is something about you.
You see it's kind of a hobby for me, all the groups chose students from their hometowns or countries but I like collecting rare pieces.
The students come from mysterious and less fortunate backgrounds.
The ones who had the least advantages in being selected yet made it here without even trying.
Those are the real jewels, the real prodigies."
Battol was more confused than ever, she hesitantly asked "So what is the name of your group?"
"The Peace Seekers and I'm James their leader, here's my phone number, our colleagues will contact you tomorrow to help you with everything you need.
Congrats on becoming part of the peace seekers.
See you later." He said casually as he walked away and waved goodbye.
Battol's jaw dropped, she said to herself
"What a brat, he's so full of himself.
He just decided that I'd become part of them.
Didn't even give me a chance to think about it!
What should I do?
Maha is a good friend to me, she introduced me to Manal and Ahlam and Ahlam is helping me with Spanish.
They are all so nice and good to me.
What should I do?"