I jumped as soon as I heard Coach Hummel's voice and soon met the lake with a large splash. I swiftly kicked my legs and ran my arms in a chopping motion to get across the lake. Whenever I brought my head up for air I noticed people different distances away but none ahead of me. After a dozen or so strokes I noticed Tiffany in my vision, her face focused on getting to the other side. A sudden rage flowed through me as I began to change my technique. Instead of using the standard movements I had practiced for months, the water seemed to sense my anger and urgency and quickly moved out of my way. I felt like I was flying through the air, not swimming through a crowded and rough lake. My eyes closed briefly, and when I opened them I was in shock. My hands met dirt. I climbed out of the water not caring how wet I was and surveyed the competition. No one had even made it halfway across yet. Tiffany and Ugly Face were doing the best out of the rest but they could only move through the lake so fast. And what was once a tranquil lake minutes earlier had transformed into a chaotic mass of water, not unlike the ocean in the middle of a heavy storm. I shuddered, thankful I had made it out before getting caught up in that mess. I turned around to find a man looking at me in awe, a blue badge reading "Volunteer" proudly placed on his chest.
"Do you have any bikes I can borrow?" I politely asked. His head shook as he escaped from his stupor.
"Yes we have a few over here, any that strike your fancy?". I walked over to inspect his wares. The first bike's owner was most likely a girl, the pink frills and pony stickers were a strong indicator of that. The second was a mountain bike. It was a little larger than what I was comfortable with, but the mud stains told me this bike had seen some action. The third bike was similar to the first but lacked the frills. I grimaced. Weren't there any bikes here that weren't overly girly or caked in dirt? Just as I was beginning to lose hope, I saw a gleam of silver at the end of the rack. I approached with care, noting the spotless tires and silver frame.
"Can I use this one?" I asked him.
"Uh sure. To be honest, I didn't even know we had that bike. Must have been recently donated" he mused.
I shrugged, thanking him for the bike. As I lifted it off of the rack I noticed how light it was. I gingerly sat on the silver seat, afraid of it not being able to support my weight. Luckily it held up just fine, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I gripped the dark green handlebars experimentally. They felt comfortable in my hands, smooth yet solid. I smiled. This race was turning out easier than I thought.
The next ten miles passed by like a dream. There were flags pinned to various trees that you were supposed to stay inside of to remain in the course, but since the only manageable way to navigate through the forest was on a dirt trail I gave up looking for those brief glimpses of neon orange flapping in the wind and focused on the ground in front of me. Bushes and tree branches whipped at my elbows as I sped along. I hadn't seen any of my competitors since I glanced back at the lake earlier. I heard a few shouts behind me once I was a few miles into the ride, but those were most likely just people getting tripped up and whatnot. Racing with so many people was occasionally hazardous, injuries were bound to occur. I saw a clearing up in front of me sped up. As I broke through the treeline a bench and a pair of bored volunteers greeted me. I rode up to them and slowed to a halt.
"Finally! We've been waiting here for hours" a tall skinny blonde complained as I dismounted my bike.
"Now now Linda, the head coordinator clearly said to wait a few hours before showing up" the guy with brown wavy hair chided.
"Doesn't mean it wasn't boring" Linda pouted. She crossed her arms as she looked me over. "No offense kid, but Mark and I were expecting someone with a little more…talent to show up first". My eyes narrowed at her tone but I restrained myself. I needed to save my energy for the eight mile run I had ahead of me.
"Well I'm happy to surprise you" I smiled as I rolled my wheels over to a bike rack, grass whipping at my shins.
"It's alright kiddo we believe in you!" Mark shouted after me with a wide grin on his face. I ran away on a new trail leaving shouts of encouragement from Mark in the distance. After several minutes I reached a nice rhythm and ran with a decent pace. Soft pitter patters from woodland creatures filled my ears as I jogged through the forest. My ears began to register a faint drone on the horizon which grew in both intensity and pitch as I approached it. That power line marked my entrance back into civilization, accompanied with a small one-way road into town. I heard my feet clop along the asphalt for what seemed like hours before roofs began appearing over my head. There was no movement to be seen as I ran through the town. It was like one of those ghost towns you hear about in horror stories, but I hadn't encountered any ghosts so far. I was startled by a noise when I reached what seemed to be the center of the small town. A figure in the distance was rapidly approaching me. After a few seconds I was able to make out the figure's face. I gasped. It was Ugly Face! But how is that possible? I wondered. He continued charging right at me, his face contorted in an ugly snarl befitting his namesake. I nimbly jumped to the left as he lumbered right past me, his body carrying him several meters before he realized that he had been eluded.
"Who are you?" I ask him, panting. He says nothing but glares at me, his shiny horn reflecting the sun into my eyes. Wait, his horn? Since when does Ugly Face have a horn? I shook aside my questions and began running away from him, an enraged bellow escaping his mouth. Still in disbelief, I look backwards to ensure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. He was no longer wearing his sweat pants and muscle shirt that he was in the gym. Instead he was wearing plates of armor and waving a battle axe by his side as he ran. That is one ugly minotaur I thought to myself as I turned around. How did I know that and why am I not freaked out by him wearing armor and having a freaking axe in his hand? I had too many questions on my mind and the minotaur was slowly gaining on me. I couldn't outrun him forever, especially after the five or so miles I had already ran. I would have to face him.