Chapter 14

"Okay so let's come up with something that no one has ever seen before!" Astrid began.

"So what if instead of just a race for athletic people, we put some mental challenges in there too," Hiccup suggested.

"That could work. Maybe make it strategy like?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

The pair got so caught up in their planning that they completely lost track of time. Suddenly, Astrid felt the familiar feel of vibration from within her pocket. As she removed the buzzing electronic device, she took note of the time. Crap! It's almost midnight already! "Hey, dad…" she mumbled softly. "Yes, yes, I know it's late." "I just lost track of time." "Yes, I'll head home now." "Yeah sorry I was working on my lab report over at my lab partner's house." "Hiccup Haddock." "Okay, bye dad."

"Sorry Astrid, I didn't realize it had gotten so late," Hiccup apologized.

"No, no…It's not your fault. I completely lost track of time too. But if it hadn't been for all your sarcasm, we may have finished at a reasonable time," she said as she punched Hiccup firmly in the shoulder. The punch meant to be a little lighter, but Astrid never went half-hearted on anything. "Really though, I had a lot of fun tonight." She hesitated for a moment, brushing her bangs away from her face, "thanks again for the ice cream…and for everything else." Just like the night when Hiccup rescued her, Astrid leaned over and planted a kiss on his smooth cheek before turning to head out the door. The same electrifying feeling sprung into her lips and spread across her body in a wave of warmth. Just before jumping into her car, she looked back at the magnificent house one last time; Hiccup was still standing by the front door, his left hand touching the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him.

Astrid woke up early the next morning for her cross country meet. As she gathered her uniform and running shoes, she couldn't help but wish that she was on her way to the race that she and Hiccup had been planning the previous night instead of to a cross country one. This got Astrid thinking about the details of the Labor Day race. It turned out to not really be an obstacle course, but it was still to be fun. So far they had come up with a set of rules that included several laps around a circuit. Racers had to collect various items throughout the loop. And at the final check point, racers would have to figure out what the items meant. In addition, there would be one special article that only one racer could find and it would merit a grand prize at the awards ceremony. While this race was unique in that it included both physical and academic aspects, Astrid was most excited about the theme of it- Dragons! She and Hiccup both decided on this theme as the official symbol of Berk County was the Dragon. All decorations would be dragon-themed and racers would be strongly encouraged to dress up as dragons or dragon riders.

As Astrid stepped up to the start line before the gun sent the runners on their way, she was still thinking about the upcoming Dragon Race. She was so excited for it. When the starter finally sounded the gun, Astrid imagined herself as a dragon, taking off to go see the world from above. Her daydream propelled her around the turns and up the hills, her imaginary wings flapping with vigor. However, when Astrid got past the first mile, it finally sunk in that she was actually running a race which required a lot of energy instead of soaring high above the clouds. It was go time now, she determined, staring down the runners in front of her.

The finish was going to be close- Astrid was desperately trying to fight off Heather. They had been battling and exchanging leads throughout the entire third mile. Astrid tried to imagine herself as a dragon once again. This gave her the last push of adrenaline that propelled her across the line, fractions of a second in front of her rival.

In her exhausted state, Astrid thought she saw Hiccup standing at the finish line; unfortunately, her heart fell as she realized that her oxygen-deprived brain had deceived her. Instead, she was greeted by an extremely large hand and clipboard on her shoulder. "Good race lad! Ya sure powered through that finish, er!" Gobber cheered excitedly.

Hiccup called Astrid Sunday afternoon with some not so good news. Apparently, the mayor was not pleased with the duo changing the mechanics of the annual race that had been running for many, many years. This news hit her like a wrecking ball; this new race was something that she was truly excited for and really enjoyed planning. It helped distract her from the stress of senior year. And besides, what was so bad about trying something new and starting new traditions? "Please, can you try to change his mind? Tell him how amazing it's going to be!" Astrid pleaded.

"You don't know my father. He's typically not one for change… or compromise. Let's just get some decorations for the regular Labor Day race that match the previous years."

"Come on! I'm sure you can at least try to convince him otherwise!"

"Yeahh…about that. That's a no go."

"Okayyy, whatever you say. We are definitely not going to plan the Dragon Race then," Astrid remarked sardonically.

"I thought we were supposed to be on the same team here!"

Astrid walked into homeroom on Monday and placed a single sheet of paper in front of Hiccup. It had the words "First Annual Berk County Dragon Race" printed in bold letters at the top. The page further went on to list some of the rules, highlighting Awards will be given to top finishers. Prizes will be given to all finishers who can complete the puzzle in addition to a GRAND PRIZE that will be given to the racer than finds the special object! However, what dominated the page the most was an ornately drawn dragon, flying above the clouds. Astrid had spent all of Sunday night coming up with these race flyers and she really hoped that Hiccup would like them. She had even gotten her Uncle Bucket to do the drawing, as he was known for his amazing artwork. The girl saw the way he picked up the piece of paper and scrutinized it, turning it slightly in front of him, just as she had done when he handed her the pre-lab.

"What do you think?" she asked eagerly.

"It's really good. I do love them…but I told you we can have the Dragon Race."

"Oh come on! Once your dad sees these and some of the other decorations I made, he won't be able to resist!"

"Um trust me, he will. Again, very, very stubborn."

"Well then, I think I know what I'll have to do," Astrid pronounced in a cunning voice.

"Oh boy!" Hiccup moaned.

Astrid realized that she should use her role as senior class president to her advantage. Because of this, pretty much everyone in the school knew her. She would tell her fellow classmates about their race idea and have them pass it on to others who lived in Berk County. She hoped that if a town full of people supported the Dragon Race, then it would be impossible for the mayor to refuse. How would he be able to deny his people of something they liked and were looking forward to? However, Astrid knew that Hiccup would condone this plan; that's why she would have to implement it behind his back. She decided to start with the twins, Ruff and Tuff, because they were very well known for their loud mouths. And she supposed, who better than Scott, the quarterback of the football team to spread news around. Everyone was sure to listen to him, whether they liked it or not.

At lunch, Astrid called over a group of people. "Okay, listen up everyone. It's very important that you pay attention and back me up with what I am about to say."

"But…" Scott tried.

"Just hear me out, okay?"

"Fine, but you never listen to me when I ask you out." Astrid really didn't know how to respond to this, so she decided to just ignore the burly guy in front of her.

"So you all know about the annual Berk County Labor Day Race, right?" Astrid received looks of confusion from her fellow classmates. "Exactly! Just what I thought" she continued. "But what if we made the Labor Day race something new and exciting, something for everyone to enjoy!"

Scott interrupted again, "but isn't a race supposed to be for only those who can run and are athletic…like me?"

"You're missing the point. Traditionally, yes but not this race. We were thinking of doing a Dragon Race. I know how it sounds, but there will be objects that will need to be collected throughout the course. On the final lap, each racer has to figure out the hidden message in their collected objects. Plus there will be one super-secret item hidden that is worth the grand prize- probably money of some sort. Racers will receive prizes for both finishing the course first as well as completing the hidden message. And the rules of any regular race remain too, that being the fastest person wins. Any questions?"

"Yeah, how is it a Dragon Race?" Tuff asked, scratching his head.

"Oh! Thank you! I completely forgot to mention that. Yes, it's called a Dragon Race because the official symbol of Berk County is the dragon! So everything will be dragon themed. Racers are encouraged to dress up as dragons or dragon riders or just anything dragon related. That way, it can be fun for people of all ages. We are still working out the details, but I plan to post these," she said, producing the stack of fliers that she had shown Hiccup earlier this morning, "all around to get everyone from the county to come."

"So what's in it for us?" Scott probed.

"Well, you get to say that you were part of the planning for the first annual Berk County Dragon Race. That's something you can put on college aps. And it will really fun, I promise! Not to mention, racing is a great way to blow off steam during senior year."

"You can count on us for getting the word out. It actually sounds kinda fun. I like races. Me and Ruff and gonna kill it!" Tuff cheered.

"Do we get to blow up anything or set stuff on fire?" Ruff asked. Astrid shot the girl a face that said "are you kidding me."

"No. No you will not get to blow up anything." Both Ruff and Tuff looked utterly disappointed.

As Astrid was getting ready to exit the school building at the end of the day, she was a very annoyed looking Hiccup, quickly approaching her. "Astrid! What are all these!" Hiccup screeched and pointed to the several Dragon Race flyers hanging around the school. "I thought we agreed on no Dragon Race."

"Oh come on Hiccup! Everyone loved the idea. Pretty much all the seniors are backing me up on this. Seriously, it's going to be fun. They all are going to help us out with all the race rules."

"And who are they?"

"Oh you know, the twins Ruff and Tuff, Scott, the whole cross country team, pretty much everyone."

"Oh great…" Hiccup grunted. "How am I going to explain this one to my dad?"

"Well, what exactly does he have to do to get ready for it? If you tell him you are all done with the decorations, there really isn't much more to prepare."

"I guess I'm not really sure what else he has to do other than announcements. So you're pretty much saying we are just going to go behind his back and doing it anyways."

"Welll… he can't deny his people what they want, can they now!