Author's Note: Well, the first race finally starts here! Not much else to say, just read and enjoy!
***
Getting There
By Taryn
Chapter 5: The First Race
***
Rahiki stepped onto a podium in the front of the breakfast cabin and surveyed its inhabitants with anxious eyes. He took hold of the microphone that was positioned at the center of the podium and tapped it lightly. "Excuse me," he said quietly, his voice echoing throughout the cabin. But nobody noticed. As Rahiki continued to look around, he saw food flying everywhere, kids running around to different tables to talk, and one odd, plump boy in the midst of all the chaos, calmly reading a large book.
He cleared his throat noisily in the microphone. "I said EXCUSE ME," he uttered the words so loudly that the microphone gave a painful screech for several seconds after. The chatter amongst the cabin quickly died down, and the kids all let out moans of protest and clamped their hands over their ears.
"Yes, well," Rahiki said into the microphone in a normal tone, "now that I've got your attention, I wanted to let you know that the first race will begin in an estimated twenty minutes! You are advised to promptly finish eating and report to the equipment tent to get the gear you will need for the race."
"What are we gonna have to do?" yelled a teenage boy dressed from head to toe in Quiksilver Snowboarding gear.
Rahiki smiled down at the boy. "I will let you know right before the race itself starts. But I can tell you that you will need to get your skateboards and bikes from the equipment tent. That is all."
The chatter in the cabin resumed almost immediately, and Audrey turned to look at Otto excitedly. "I can't believe this!" she squealed. "The race is actually going to start soon! This is so exciting!"
Otto, who was frantically trying to mop up the orange juice he had spilled all over his pants moments ago, nodded distractedly. "Yep, real exciting.."
When they were all finished with their breakfasts minutes later, Otto, Twister, Reggie, Audrey, and Sammy made their way through the crowd of participants, out of the breakfast cabin, and onto the closest path that would lead them to the equipment tent.
"Man, I'm so excited!" said Twister with a grin as he bounced up and down while he walked. "This is gonna be awesome!"
"I know!" screeched Reggie as she smiled and twirled around once, sending specks of dirt and dust flying from the ground.
"I'm really nervous..," Sammy muttered, clutching his Lord of the Rings book to his chest with both hands. "I just hope I don't break any bones.."
Twister rolled his eyes. Everybody snickered except Otto, who had his hands in his pockets and was lost in thought. He still couldn't help thinking about Theodore, and it was driving him crazy. And he hadn't seen his dad all morning. Not only did he feel bad about fighting with him the other night, but when he had woken up that morning he felt incredibly stupid about what he had done at the meeting as well. Everything was just making him anxious.
Audrey looked at Otto as they walked and frowned up at him. To his bewilderment, she put her arm around his shoulders and rested her head on his shoulder, still walking. After a moment Otto realized that she was just playing around.
"Otto, what are you thinking about now?" she asked, teasing him.
He sighed and shrugged. "Just stuff," he said miserably.
"Well, don't let anything distract you while you're racing. I want to beat you fair and square!" she said playfully, taking her head from his shoulder.
Otto rolled his eyes and smiled. Audrey had the power to make him feel better and forget all about whatever was on his mind. "Oh yeah?" he asked, his eyes now shining just as brightly as hers. "Not if I can help it!"
Audrey giggled, and Otto chased her the rest of the way to the equipment tent, leaving Twister, Reggie, and Sammy alone. The three teens heard their rapid steps in the dirt grow more and more distant.
"Like I said before," Reggie muttered to Twister, "He totally likes her!"
* * *
Every teenager who was in the race stood just behind the starting line. Otto could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. The race was about to begin. Once they had gotten to the equipment tent, he and Audrey had thoroughly checked out his equipment one last time to make sure it was okay, and everything seemed fine. As they had exited the tent, Otto had felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
They were all at a new area of New Zealand, called the Kalamazoo Prarie, where the first race was to take place. It was a huge stretch of land, and as Otto looked forward past the finish line he could see it going on an on for what seemed like miles. Right now he and all the other race participants were standing in one long line on a very wide dirt path that continued a long way up a tremendous hill. All the parents and other spectators, Otto knew, would be waiting for them at the finish line..
Rahiki stood in front of all the competitors with a loud-speaker in one hand, looking around at them all with excitement. He licked his lips, held the loud-speaker up to his mouth, and said, "The race will begin in two minutes, boys and girls! I am about to explain to you what is required of you at this time."
At that, any trace of conversation suddenly died down, and there was a dead silence throughout the Kalamazoo Prarie as every one of the thirty-or-so anxious heads behind the starting line turned to look up at Rahiki. A large bird flew overhead and made a loud chrip, but nobody seemed to notice.
Rahiki smiled and took a deep breath, bringing the loud-speaker up to his lips once more. "Everybody will start by running up this hill," he explained, gesturing his hand behind him as to indicate the area. "It is about one mile long itself. If you are confused as to where to run, all you have to do is follow the dirt path. Your skate boards will be waiting for you at the top of the hill. You are to locate your board amongst the others and skate down the rest of the hill. I have to warn you, however, that it will be very steep." Out of the corner of his eye, Otto saw Sammy gulp and wipe some perspiration from his face. "You will eventually reach four 10-foot grinding polls positioned over a small pond," Rahiki continued. "You can grind any one of your choice. If you fall into the pond, you have to keep trying until you make it. If you try to walk around the pond instead, you will be caught. We have cameras hidden all over the forest to catch any misbehavior that might be involved. Anyway! After you grind the
poll, you will continue to skate on the path, which will now change from dirt to cement, for another quarter-mile. You should arrive at a bike stand, which will hold all your bikes. You will leave your skateboard and begin biking the three miles to the finish line. The first team to have all its members finish gets one star for this round. The first person to finish also gets a star for this round. As you all already know, the person with the most stars in the end will be considered the winner of the sponsorship. And the team with the most stars will get all the free RE-PLAY sports gear. I wish you all the best of luck. Agaubm the race will start in two minutes!" Rahiki lowered the loud-speaker and walked off to the side of the racing path.
Everyone began talking to each other excitedly, quickly breaking the neat line they had been arranged in behind the starting line. Reggie, Twister, and Sam quickly walked up to Otto.
"Hey, Rocket Boy! Are you ready for the first race?" asked Reggie with a grin. "Not still scared of 'ickle Theodore, are you?" she cooed.
Otto scowled at her. "Fine, thanks, Reg," he muttered acidly. But he smiled at Twister and Sammy. "What about you guys? How's my team doing?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," said Twister confidently.
Sam rocked in place and grabbed his stomach. "I'm so nervous, I think I'm gonna barf! Did you hear what Rahiki just said? We're gonna have to run a mile uphill! And then grind poles?!"
Otto rolled his eyes. "You'll do fine, Sam. We've done stuff much more hardcore than this back at home! Don't worry."
"Hey, guys!" called Audrey, jogging toward them.
"Hi, Audrey," said Twister, moving to make room for her in the small circle their team had formed.
"Hey," she said as she stopped between him and Reggie. "I just wanted to tell all of you good luck. Even though we're on different teams, I hope you all do great in the race."
Reggie smiled. "You too, Audrey. Good luck!"
"Yeah, good luck, Audrey," said Twister.
"I'm sure you'll do much better than me!" said Sammy.
"Get ready to lose, Audrey," said Otto, teasing her. "I want to beat you fair and square."
She grinned. "Not if I can help it."
Otto smiled and shook his head. "Good luck," he said seriously.
Audrey tilted her head to one side and nodded. "Thanks you guys," she said happily. "Well, I'd better get back to Theodore before he throws a fit," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She gave one last wave before she disappeared back to her team.
"I see you're hanging out with Rocket's band of losers," Theodore muttered to Audrey with a frown when she had rejoined her own group.
Audrey looked at him angrily and spoke through gritted teeth, "How dare you - telling Otto to leave me alone! I have my own mind, and I'm gonna give you a piece of it when this race ends!" Audrey turned her back sharply, now facing Jason and Summer, the other two members of her team.
"He is so incredibly stupid!" she hissed to the two of them.
Jason shrugged and grinned. "You know him, Audrey," he muttered to her, "Always has to be in the way." He walked over to Theodore, leaving Audrey to talk to Summer.
"Dude, if you're trying to make her like you, I'd say your plan is taking a turn for the worst!" he said seriously to his best friend, once they were out of hearing distance from Audrey.
"Oh, be quiet!" whispered Theodore, stealing a glance at her.
"One minute until the race starts!" yelled Rahiki through his loud-speaker, startling most of the teenagers.
"Are you still planning to get back at Rocket? Did you mess with his gear or something?" asked Jason quietly.
Theodore sighed. "I figured that would be too predictable, so I didn't do anything yet."
Jason snorted. "So you didn't do anything at all?"
"Shut up," Theodore said quickly. "Maybe there's still some damage I can do while we're racing."
Jason looked at Theodore, puzzled. "What do you-"
"Everybody, please line up behind the starting line!" yelled Rahiki, his loud-speaker booming and echoing throughout the empty prarie. "The race is about to begin!"
"You'll see," muttered Theodore. "Good things come to those who wait, Jase." He lined up between Audrey and Summer. Neither of them even gave him a second glance.
Otto, Twister, Reggie, and Sammy lined up side by side, ready to go. All Otto could think about now was running as fast as he possibly could and winning the race. Rahiki stood at the side of the wide dirt racing path, and aimed a pistol toward the clear blue sky.
"On my count!" he yelled to everybody. "Get ready," Everyone leaned forward. "Get set..," they all arched their backs, prepared to go at top speed. Otto's heart was beating.. faster.. faster.. faster.. he knew he was ready.. This was it.. "GO!!!" The sound of a shot pierced the air, and at that moment, thirty-some pairs of feet dashed over the starting line and onward up the hill. The first race had begun.
Otto felt his feet pounding hard on the dirt path, and all he could see was the bodies of the people around him, running at surprisingly fast paces. Otto closed his eyes and forced his legs to go faster, and the next thing he knew, he had passed the majority of the teens, and was up in front with Theodore, Audrey, and Reggie. They were, Otto realized, probably the best athletes out of everyone there.
Audrey started to take the lead slightly, her legs moving so fast that her body was a mere blur. The path began to slant upward, making it suddenly harder for Otto to run. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Reggie had fallen a little behind. But to his surprise, he was exactly in line with Theodore. He gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster, but it seemed as though Theodore was doing the same.
Meanwhile, Twister had managed to catch up slightly. Most people had slowed down as the hill began to slant upward, and he was right behind Reggie now, determined to make good time. Sammy was trying to pace himself and thus jogging at a calm pace. Nobody else was using this method, however, putting him currently in last place.
Audrey was still in the lead. She had been part of her school's track team ever since she was in the fourth grade, and through dozens of medals and trophies earned over the years, she had proved to be an excellent long distance runner. It all seemed to be paying off now, because as she flew up the hill, she knew that nobody else could run like her. The hill was only one mile long, so it was no real challenge. Audrey stole a quick glance backward, and saw that she was leading by a fairly safe distance of about twenty feet. The first people she noticed were Otto and Theodore - running exactly at the same speed, right next to each other. Both their faces were screwed up with concentration, and at the sight of the two of them Audrey's stomach gave a nervous squirm.
Otto was breathing hard as he continued to dash up the hill. His attempts to get in front of Theodore only resulted in an even more painful stitch in his side. He didn't know how Audrey could run so fast. She was getting even farther and farther ahead as the seconds flew by. Otto didn't understand it.. Back at home, he had been the best athlete - period. Nobody would ever dare to challenge him to a one-on-one competition of any kind, especially running, because they all knew Otto would win by a longshot. But now, Otto realized, he was no longer the best. He looked upward briefly, and was able to see the peak of the hill. It seemed so far away..
Theodore was getting even more nervous as he and Otto neared the top of the hill. It was impossible to pass him up. Theodore knew that he and Otto were both exactly tied for second place at the moment, and the slightest alteration in his running speed would make him fall behind. He needed to think of something to stall Otto, but what..?
Audrey was there first. She saw the hill's peak only yards above and dashed up the rest of the slope as fast as she could. She almost collided with the pile of skateboards that sat neatly atop the hill, but skidded to a halt just before sending them all down the hill. She quickly found her skateboard out of the bunch - for it was the only one of its kind, with a bright white dove - mounted it, and without so much as a second glance backward, began to roll down the other side of the hill. It was dangerously steep, and she wondered briefly what would happen if she fell..
Theodore and Otto were still alongside each other, not far behind Audrey. Otto had seen her reach the top of the hill and continue down the other side, and it made him extremely anxious. Theodore's speed quickened and he managed to get slightly in front of him just before they reached the top. Once he got there, he also skidded to an abrupt stop, ignoring the throbbing pain in both of his legs. Theodore frantically scanned all the equipment. He spotted his own board right away, but he was looking for Otto's.. He immediately saw a long, slim board, sitting slightly astray from all the others, with the word 'Rocket' painted on the back. Theodore quickly ran over to the skateboard and picked it up just as Otto appeared at the top as well.
"Hey!" Otto exclaimed angrily, his eyes surveying Theodore, "What are you doing with my skateboard?"
"Go fetch, Rocket," Theodore said coldly. He tossed Otto's board down the side of the hill that they had just come from with all his might. He picked up his own board and sped down the other side after Audrey before Otto even had time to blink. He immediately spun around and watched in horror as his skateboard flew right back down the hill. He'd lose the race for sure if he chased after it and had to run the mile up again.. A wave of panic rushed over him. Theodore had gotten him after all..
Reggie started running faster up the hill. She had slowed down to a jog for a couple of minutes, biding some of her energy, but now she knew she had the power to sprint the rest of the way up the hill. Just as she neared the top, she saw a figure standing there. She was completely bewildered to find, as she neared the top, that it was her brother.
"Otto, what are you doing?" she screamed to him as she continued to run upward.
Otto, jolted abruptly out of his panicked state, squinted and saw his sister coming up the hill toward him. His skateboard was doing cartwheels down the hill, but it hadn't passed her up yet.. There was still hope.. "Reg! Grab my board!" he bellowed loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.
"What?" Reggie muttered to herself. But just then, as she skimmed the ground briefly, she saw Otto's skateboard tumbling back down the path toward her, picking up speed. She grabbed it right as it was about to fly down past her and hurriedly scrambled the rest of the way up, thrusting it toward Otto as soon as he was within reach.
"Thanks Reg," Otto said hastily as he grabbed and mounted his board. He started down the hill, leaving Reggie to hunt for her own board.
Audrey flew down the hill so fast that it was staring to scare her a little bit. The bushes and trees around her were only blurs as she sped by, her skateboard occasionally wobbling dangerously. She wondered if anything had happened yet between Otto and Theodore.
In partial answer to her question, a loud voice called to her from behind: "Hey, Audrey!" It was Theodore.
Audrey, surprised by his voice, took a quick look behind her while struggling to stay balanced on her board, and saw Theodore about forty feet away. She couldn't see Otto, but she suspected that the little speck in the distance near the top of the hill was him.
How did Otto get so far behind? she wondered, looking back at the path ahead of her. But she shook the thought out of her head and tried to get her board to go faster. The last thing she wanted to do was tie with Theodore. The path was almost starting to become level now; she could feel the ground changing beneath her feet.
Otto was filled with such an intense rage that he was barely aware of what he was doing. He knew now that he hated Theodore. He would've given anything at that very moment to punch him as hard as he could in the face or, at the very least, beat him in the race. He didn't care anymore if he finished second or third, as long as he did better than him. Otto cruised down the hill on his skateboard easily, and he knew that Reggie wasn't far behind him. As he looked downward, he could see Audrey in the distance as a mere speck. But he also saw a flash of chocolate-brown hair not far behind.. He gritted his teeth and bended his knees, trying to get as much speed as possible. He should be where Theodore is..
Theodore started sweating. He wondered what had happened to Otto and was beginning to think that maybe what he did to his board wasn't such a smart move. What if Otto told on him, and he got disqualified from the competitiont? Theodore's heart pounded hard in his chest at the very thought.
Otto realized that he needed to act quickly if he wanted to regain his position in second place. Slowly, gradually, he neared Theodore. He decided he would try to distract him. Otto squinted and could see that Theodore wasn't very far in front anymore.
"Hey, ugly!" yelled Otto.
Theodore's heart stopped for a moment as he looked behind him and saw Otto catching up. He wondered frantically how he had managed to catch up so fast..
"You didn't think I'd make it, did you?" yelled Otto, trying to keep Theodore looking at him instead of where he was going.
Theodore's body was frozen in place, and he just let his skateboard roll him down the hill. His eyes were fixated on Otto. He couldn't believe that he had caught up so fast. All of a sudden, Theodore's skateboard came to an abupt stop, and he flew several feet into the air before landing hard on the ground. He had run into a huge rock on the side of the path.
"Yes!" yelled Otto savagely. This was his chance to take second place. While Theodore was in shock, and trying to realize what just happened, Otto flew right by him on his board and yelled, "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line, lame-o!" He laughed and turned his head to the path before him, and realized that his only competition now was Audrey. He gulped, trying to pick up speed as the hill ended and the ground finally leveled.
Audrey had heard Otto yell to Theodore, and wondered what had happened. She didn't dare look behind her.
Otto was going as fast as he could. He didn't want Theodore to catch up to him now. That would just make things worse. The next thing Otto needed to focus on was passing up Audrey and getting first place. He knew he could do it..
Audrey glided over the path like it was nothing. She knew she was in the lead by at least a quarter mile. She glanced over her shoulder, and no longer saw Theodore. Instead, to her great surprise, she saw Otto! He was no more than fifty feet away from her. She smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see it.
The grinding polls were just up ahead. Audrey had been slightly nervous about that since the race had started. She couldn't grind well at all - it was one of the few skateboarding tricks she had never really been fond of, and thus ignored and avoided. But now, as she saw the poles right up ahead, she felt a wave of panic rush through her. It would be really embarrassing if she fell off the poll and into the pond - especially if Otto saw.. What would he think of her then?
Audrey was right in front of the polls now, and decided to use the one all the way on the left. Holding her breath, she leaped up onto the poll with her skate board, and slid along easily for half of the way, thinking hopefully that she just might make it. But then she leaned too far to the left, and before she could even blink, she fell backward into the pond, her surroundings blurred around her.
Otto had gotten to the grinding polls just in time to see Audrey fall. His mouth dropped. He had seen her do such a perfect grind on the ramp the other day.. He skated over to the shallow pond and hastily took hold of her arm and hoisted her back up onto her feet.
Audrey was surprised to see that Otto had caught up to her, and even more blown away that he was actually helping her. He was her competition! She smiled as she stood before him, somewhat shaky.
"Thanks," she muttered gratefully as she quickly her board from out of the pond.
"No problem," said Otto quickly, turning around to go back to the beginning of the poles. He grinned. "I want to beat you fair and square."
Audrey smiled again. "Oh really? Let's go, then!"
"You don't have to tell me twice," Otto muttered under his breath as he backed up to get speed. "Bend your knees more," he said casually as he skated toward a pole and leapt up onto it, grinding across with complete ease. "See you at the finish line." And he disappeared down the path.
Audrey grinned at the spot he had just been in. She really liked him, she realized. This time, she grinded the poll easily. She flew down the path and caught up with him in no time. When Otto saw her, he raised his eyebrows.
"You're fast!" he muttered.
"You know it," said Audrey, breathing hard.
They skated side by side for about two minutes, each trying repeatedly to pass the other, but with no luck. Eventually they heard people grinding the polls behind them. It made Otto a bit anxious to go faster. He knew Audrey was a good athlete, but he didn't know that she was this good. He almost regretted helping her up by the polls - if he hadn't, he would have been in the lead..
Audrey was completely focused on winning the race now. As long as she and Otto were in front of Theodore, she had nothing else to worry about. It seemed like the quarter-mile went by so fast, because before they knew it, Otto and Audrey were at the bike rack. Audrey kicked her skateboard aside and quickly found her bike. Otto did the same. They took off and began to speed down the rest of the path, still side by side. As Audrey was riding, she looked behind her to see if anybody else was close by. She saw two kids far in the distance. She looked ahead and pedaled faster, taking notice to the fact that both her legs were starting to ache significantly.
For the first mile, Otto and Audrey were far in the lead. As hard as they tried, as hard as they pedaled, neither one could pass the other. Both of them were getting quite tired.
Theodore was livid at this point. All he could think about was getting to Otto. Once he did that, he wasn't sure what he would do, but it would be something involving a meeting between his fist and Otto's face. Otto had cost him a win. Plus, he was up in front with Audrey.. He was really going to pay now..
Reggie and Twister were having a blast. Even though they weren't in the lead, they were still making good time, and were confident that their team would take first place for this race. But the they were still wondering which person would finish first - Otto, Audrey, or Theodore?
Audrey and Otto had biked two miles on the path now. There was just one mile left. Otto's legs hurt so badly that he could barley feel them anymore. He gritted his teeth and kept on going. All Audrey could think about was winning, or even tieing with Otto - either way, she'd be immensely satisfied. She glanced at him and saw that he was hunched over and in deep concentration, his eyes fixated ahead. All of a sudden, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Anybody miss me?" yelled Theodore. Audrey and Otto whipped their heads back with horror and saw that Theodore had caught up to them. He wasn't more than ten feet behind, and the look in his eyes gave Otto shivers. He was so shocked that he nearly stopped pedaling. But he felt a mix of panic and anxiety that gave him the rush he needed to go on.
Audrey was more nervous than ever now. Just when she thought Theodore was out of their way, he appeared out of nowhere. She just pedaled her bike harder and hoped that the race would be over soon. As she squinted, she could see the finish line up ahead, and could almost hear the spectators cheering.
"Otto, look !" she muttered, nodding forward. "Not much farther."
Otto smiled when he saw what Audrey was referring to. If he could just keep it up for a little while longer, this would all be over..
"Did you hear what I said?" Theodore shouted. His voice was much clearer now. Audrey reluctantly looked behind her, and saw that he was even closer now. She gulped and glanced nervously at Otto.
Otto's mind raced. If Theodore caught up to them, he'd surely do something destructive. He just didn't know what to do anymore.
"You guys must be deaf!" said Theodore. He didn't have to yell anymore, because he was directly behind Otto. "You're going to pay!" he said angrily. He pedaled harder, and was now in between Audrey and Otto. He kicked one leg toward Otto, hoping to knock him off his bike. Otto swerved to the right and dodged Theodore.
Audrey saw what was happening.. "What are you doing?!" she screamed angrily at him. "Don't you dare try that again!"
Theodore didn't answer. Instead, he tried to ram Otto with his own bike. Otto used his hand to push him away. Theodore wasn't expecting that, and started to lose his balance. He fell off his bike with a painful crash, narrowly missing Audrey.
Otto, horrified, kept pedaling. As he neared the finish line he prayed that none of the spectators had seen what had just happened.. Audrey didn't know what to say, so she just kept her eyes on the finish line. It was less than fifty feet away now.
"This is it," Audrey muttered. She could hear people cheering them on.
The two were now going at full speed, both hunched forward. They looked at each other quickly, and then looked back at the finish line. It was right there.. Ten feet away.. Five.. Two.. Before Otto knew it, he and Audrey had broken the silk ribbon that marked the finish. The race was finally over..
The sound of peoples' screams were so loud that Audrey barley heard Rahiki say, "Ladies and gentlemen! We have a tie! The winners of the first race are Audrey Parker and Otto Rocket!"
Audrey slammed on the her breaks and waited until her bike stopped completely, the tires scratching loudly against the dirt, before throwing it down on the ground. Her throat was incredibly sore, she was gasping for breath, she was sweaty and undoubtedly smelly, and her legs were so numb that she had to look down to make sure she still had them. But despite all that, she felt like the happiest person alive. It had been a long race, and she was so glad it was over. Audrey looked at Otto, who had also thrown down his bike and was panting as well. She smiled.
"Good race," she said between breaths, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees.
"Yeah," said Otto, trying unsuccessfully to regulate his breathing pattern. He was only faintly aware of the fact that he and Audrey had won. The crowd was screaming so loudly, and it make his head pound uncomfortably.
Audrey looked at Otto for a moment, and then, before she could stop herself, went over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle in a brief embrace. He closed his eyes and hugged her back. After five seconds, they let go. Otto blushed and looked down, now almost completely sure that this was all a dream.
Audrey grinned. There, she thought to herself with satisfaction, That was't so hard. She looked around at the screaming spectators waved at them enthusiastically, which only resulted in even louder screams. While she was absorbed in the crowd's attention, Theodore crossed the finish line slowly on his bike, not seeming very happy at all. Otto held his breath as he watch him hurl his bike into the ground and trudge away silently. As Theodore passed, he looked directly at him. He didn't seem particularly angry, but the look in his eyes gave Otto an uneasy feeling, and somehow he knew that things were about to get much worse.
* * *
A/N: To be continued, as always.. Review, please!
***
Getting There
By Taryn
Chapter 5: The First Race
***
Rahiki stepped onto a podium in the front of the breakfast cabin and surveyed its inhabitants with anxious eyes. He took hold of the microphone that was positioned at the center of the podium and tapped it lightly. "Excuse me," he said quietly, his voice echoing throughout the cabin. But nobody noticed. As Rahiki continued to look around, he saw food flying everywhere, kids running around to different tables to talk, and one odd, plump boy in the midst of all the chaos, calmly reading a large book.
He cleared his throat noisily in the microphone. "I said EXCUSE ME," he uttered the words so loudly that the microphone gave a painful screech for several seconds after. The chatter amongst the cabin quickly died down, and the kids all let out moans of protest and clamped their hands over their ears.
"Yes, well," Rahiki said into the microphone in a normal tone, "now that I've got your attention, I wanted to let you know that the first race will begin in an estimated twenty minutes! You are advised to promptly finish eating and report to the equipment tent to get the gear you will need for the race."
"What are we gonna have to do?" yelled a teenage boy dressed from head to toe in Quiksilver Snowboarding gear.
Rahiki smiled down at the boy. "I will let you know right before the race itself starts. But I can tell you that you will need to get your skateboards and bikes from the equipment tent. That is all."
The chatter in the cabin resumed almost immediately, and Audrey turned to look at Otto excitedly. "I can't believe this!" she squealed. "The race is actually going to start soon! This is so exciting!"
Otto, who was frantically trying to mop up the orange juice he had spilled all over his pants moments ago, nodded distractedly. "Yep, real exciting.."
When they were all finished with their breakfasts minutes later, Otto, Twister, Reggie, Audrey, and Sammy made their way through the crowd of participants, out of the breakfast cabin, and onto the closest path that would lead them to the equipment tent.
"Man, I'm so excited!" said Twister with a grin as he bounced up and down while he walked. "This is gonna be awesome!"
"I know!" screeched Reggie as she smiled and twirled around once, sending specks of dirt and dust flying from the ground.
"I'm really nervous..," Sammy muttered, clutching his Lord of the Rings book to his chest with both hands. "I just hope I don't break any bones.."
Twister rolled his eyes. Everybody snickered except Otto, who had his hands in his pockets and was lost in thought. He still couldn't help thinking about Theodore, and it was driving him crazy. And he hadn't seen his dad all morning. Not only did he feel bad about fighting with him the other night, but when he had woken up that morning he felt incredibly stupid about what he had done at the meeting as well. Everything was just making him anxious.
Audrey looked at Otto as they walked and frowned up at him. To his bewilderment, she put her arm around his shoulders and rested her head on his shoulder, still walking. After a moment Otto realized that she was just playing around.
"Otto, what are you thinking about now?" she asked, teasing him.
He sighed and shrugged. "Just stuff," he said miserably.
"Well, don't let anything distract you while you're racing. I want to beat you fair and square!" she said playfully, taking her head from his shoulder.
Otto rolled his eyes and smiled. Audrey had the power to make him feel better and forget all about whatever was on his mind. "Oh yeah?" he asked, his eyes now shining just as brightly as hers. "Not if I can help it!"
Audrey giggled, and Otto chased her the rest of the way to the equipment tent, leaving Twister, Reggie, and Sammy alone. The three teens heard their rapid steps in the dirt grow more and more distant.
"Like I said before," Reggie muttered to Twister, "He totally likes her!"
* * *
Every teenager who was in the race stood just behind the starting line. Otto could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. The race was about to begin. Once they had gotten to the equipment tent, he and Audrey had thoroughly checked out his equipment one last time to make sure it was okay, and everything seemed fine. As they had exited the tent, Otto had felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
They were all at a new area of New Zealand, called the Kalamazoo Prarie, where the first race was to take place. It was a huge stretch of land, and as Otto looked forward past the finish line he could see it going on an on for what seemed like miles. Right now he and all the other race participants were standing in one long line on a very wide dirt path that continued a long way up a tremendous hill. All the parents and other spectators, Otto knew, would be waiting for them at the finish line..
Rahiki stood in front of all the competitors with a loud-speaker in one hand, looking around at them all with excitement. He licked his lips, held the loud-speaker up to his mouth, and said, "The race will begin in two minutes, boys and girls! I am about to explain to you what is required of you at this time."
At that, any trace of conversation suddenly died down, and there was a dead silence throughout the Kalamazoo Prarie as every one of the thirty-or-so anxious heads behind the starting line turned to look up at Rahiki. A large bird flew overhead and made a loud chrip, but nobody seemed to notice.
Rahiki smiled and took a deep breath, bringing the loud-speaker up to his lips once more. "Everybody will start by running up this hill," he explained, gesturing his hand behind him as to indicate the area. "It is about one mile long itself. If you are confused as to where to run, all you have to do is follow the dirt path. Your skate boards will be waiting for you at the top of the hill. You are to locate your board amongst the others and skate down the rest of the hill. I have to warn you, however, that it will be very steep." Out of the corner of his eye, Otto saw Sammy gulp and wipe some perspiration from his face. "You will eventually reach four 10-foot grinding polls positioned over a small pond," Rahiki continued. "You can grind any one of your choice. If you fall into the pond, you have to keep trying until you make it. If you try to walk around the pond instead, you will be caught. We have cameras hidden all over the forest to catch any misbehavior that might be involved. Anyway! After you grind the
poll, you will continue to skate on the path, which will now change from dirt to cement, for another quarter-mile. You should arrive at a bike stand, which will hold all your bikes. You will leave your skateboard and begin biking the three miles to the finish line. The first team to have all its members finish gets one star for this round. The first person to finish also gets a star for this round. As you all already know, the person with the most stars in the end will be considered the winner of the sponsorship. And the team with the most stars will get all the free RE-PLAY sports gear. I wish you all the best of luck. Agaubm the race will start in two minutes!" Rahiki lowered the loud-speaker and walked off to the side of the racing path.
Everyone began talking to each other excitedly, quickly breaking the neat line they had been arranged in behind the starting line. Reggie, Twister, and Sam quickly walked up to Otto.
"Hey, Rocket Boy! Are you ready for the first race?" asked Reggie with a grin. "Not still scared of 'ickle Theodore, are you?" she cooed.
Otto scowled at her. "Fine, thanks, Reg," he muttered acidly. But he smiled at Twister and Sammy. "What about you guys? How's my team doing?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," said Twister confidently.
Sam rocked in place and grabbed his stomach. "I'm so nervous, I think I'm gonna barf! Did you hear what Rahiki just said? We're gonna have to run a mile uphill! And then grind poles?!"
Otto rolled his eyes. "You'll do fine, Sam. We've done stuff much more hardcore than this back at home! Don't worry."
"Hey, guys!" called Audrey, jogging toward them.
"Hi, Audrey," said Twister, moving to make room for her in the small circle their team had formed.
"Hey," she said as she stopped between him and Reggie. "I just wanted to tell all of you good luck. Even though we're on different teams, I hope you all do great in the race."
Reggie smiled. "You too, Audrey. Good luck!"
"Yeah, good luck, Audrey," said Twister.
"I'm sure you'll do much better than me!" said Sammy.
"Get ready to lose, Audrey," said Otto, teasing her. "I want to beat you fair and square."
She grinned. "Not if I can help it."
Otto smiled and shook his head. "Good luck," he said seriously.
Audrey tilted her head to one side and nodded. "Thanks you guys," she said happily. "Well, I'd better get back to Theodore before he throws a fit," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She gave one last wave before she disappeared back to her team.
"I see you're hanging out with Rocket's band of losers," Theodore muttered to Audrey with a frown when she had rejoined her own group.
Audrey looked at him angrily and spoke through gritted teeth, "How dare you - telling Otto to leave me alone! I have my own mind, and I'm gonna give you a piece of it when this race ends!" Audrey turned her back sharply, now facing Jason and Summer, the other two members of her team.
"He is so incredibly stupid!" she hissed to the two of them.
Jason shrugged and grinned. "You know him, Audrey," he muttered to her, "Always has to be in the way." He walked over to Theodore, leaving Audrey to talk to Summer.
"Dude, if you're trying to make her like you, I'd say your plan is taking a turn for the worst!" he said seriously to his best friend, once they were out of hearing distance from Audrey.
"Oh, be quiet!" whispered Theodore, stealing a glance at her.
"One minute until the race starts!" yelled Rahiki through his loud-speaker, startling most of the teenagers.
"Are you still planning to get back at Rocket? Did you mess with his gear or something?" asked Jason quietly.
Theodore sighed. "I figured that would be too predictable, so I didn't do anything yet."
Jason snorted. "So you didn't do anything at all?"
"Shut up," Theodore said quickly. "Maybe there's still some damage I can do while we're racing."
Jason looked at Theodore, puzzled. "What do you-"
"Everybody, please line up behind the starting line!" yelled Rahiki, his loud-speaker booming and echoing throughout the empty prarie. "The race is about to begin!"
"You'll see," muttered Theodore. "Good things come to those who wait, Jase." He lined up between Audrey and Summer. Neither of them even gave him a second glance.
Otto, Twister, Reggie, and Sammy lined up side by side, ready to go. All Otto could think about now was running as fast as he possibly could and winning the race. Rahiki stood at the side of the wide dirt racing path, and aimed a pistol toward the clear blue sky.
"On my count!" he yelled to everybody. "Get ready," Everyone leaned forward. "Get set..," they all arched their backs, prepared to go at top speed. Otto's heart was beating.. faster.. faster.. faster.. he knew he was ready.. This was it.. "GO!!!" The sound of a shot pierced the air, and at that moment, thirty-some pairs of feet dashed over the starting line and onward up the hill. The first race had begun.
Otto felt his feet pounding hard on the dirt path, and all he could see was the bodies of the people around him, running at surprisingly fast paces. Otto closed his eyes and forced his legs to go faster, and the next thing he knew, he had passed the majority of the teens, and was up in front with Theodore, Audrey, and Reggie. They were, Otto realized, probably the best athletes out of everyone there.
Audrey started to take the lead slightly, her legs moving so fast that her body was a mere blur. The path began to slant upward, making it suddenly harder for Otto to run. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Reggie had fallen a little behind. But to his surprise, he was exactly in line with Theodore. He gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster, but it seemed as though Theodore was doing the same.
Meanwhile, Twister had managed to catch up slightly. Most people had slowed down as the hill began to slant upward, and he was right behind Reggie now, determined to make good time. Sammy was trying to pace himself and thus jogging at a calm pace. Nobody else was using this method, however, putting him currently in last place.
Audrey was still in the lead. She had been part of her school's track team ever since she was in the fourth grade, and through dozens of medals and trophies earned over the years, she had proved to be an excellent long distance runner. It all seemed to be paying off now, because as she flew up the hill, she knew that nobody else could run like her. The hill was only one mile long, so it was no real challenge. Audrey stole a quick glance backward, and saw that she was leading by a fairly safe distance of about twenty feet. The first people she noticed were Otto and Theodore - running exactly at the same speed, right next to each other. Both their faces were screwed up with concentration, and at the sight of the two of them Audrey's stomach gave a nervous squirm.
Otto was breathing hard as he continued to dash up the hill. His attempts to get in front of Theodore only resulted in an even more painful stitch in his side. He didn't know how Audrey could run so fast. She was getting even farther and farther ahead as the seconds flew by. Otto didn't understand it.. Back at home, he had been the best athlete - period. Nobody would ever dare to challenge him to a one-on-one competition of any kind, especially running, because they all knew Otto would win by a longshot. But now, Otto realized, he was no longer the best. He looked upward briefly, and was able to see the peak of the hill. It seemed so far away..
Theodore was getting even more nervous as he and Otto neared the top of the hill. It was impossible to pass him up. Theodore knew that he and Otto were both exactly tied for second place at the moment, and the slightest alteration in his running speed would make him fall behind. He needed to think of something to stall Otto, but what..?
Audrey was there first. She saw the hill's peak only yards above and dashed up the rest of the slope as fast as she could. She almost collided with the pile of skateboards that sat neatly atop the hill, but skidded to a halt just before sending them all down the hill. She quickly found her skateboard out of the bunch - for it was the only one of its kind, with a bright white dove - mounted it, and without so much as a second glance backward, began to roll down the other side of the hill. It was dangerously steep, and she wondered briefly what would happen if she fell..
Theodore and Otto were still alongside each other, not far behind Audrey. Otto had seen her reach the top of the hill and continue down the other side, and it made him extremely anxious. Theodore's speed quickened and he managed to get slightly in front of him just before they reached the top. Once he got there, he also skidded to an abrupt stop, ignoring the throbbing pain in both of his legs. Theodore frantically scanned all the equipment. He spotted his own board right away, but he was looking for Otto's.. He immediately saw a long, slim board, sitting slightly astray from all the others, with the word 'Rocket' painted on the back. Theodore quickly ran over to the skateboard and picked it up just as Otto appeared at the top as well.
"Hey!" Otto exclaimed angrily, his eyes surveying Theodore, "What are you doing with my skateboard?"
"Go fetch, Rocket," Theodore said coldly. He tossed Otto's board down the side of the hill that they had just come from with all his might. He picked up his own board and sped down the other side after Audrey before Otto even had time to blink. He immediately spun around and watched in horror as his skateboard flew right back down the hill. He'd lose the race for sure if he chased after it and had to run the mile up again.. A wave of panic rushed over him. Theodore had gotten him after all..
Reggie started running faster up the hill. She had slowed down to a jog for a couple of minutes, biding some of her energy, but now she knew she had the power to sprint the rest of the way up the hill. Just as she neared the top, she saw a figure standing there. She was completely bewildered to find, as she neared the top, that it was her brother.
"Otto, what are you doing?" she screamed to him as she continued to run upward.
Otto, jolted abruptly out of his panicked state, squinted and saw his sister coming up the hill toward him. His skateboard was doing cartwheels down the hill, but it hadn't passed her up yet.. There was still hope.. "Reg! Grab my board!" he bellowed loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.
"What?" Reggie muttered to herself. But just then, as she skimmed the ground briefly, she saw Otto's skateboard tumbling back down the path toward her, picking up speed. She grabbed it right as it was about to fly down past her and hurriedly scrambled the rest of the way up, thrusting it toward Otto as soon as he was within reach.
"Thanks Reg," Otto said hastily as he grabbed and mounted his board. He started down the hill, leaving Reggie to hunt for her own board.
Audrey flew down the hill so fast that it was staring to scare her a little bit. The bushes and trees around her were only blurs as she sped by, her skateboard occasionally wobbling dangerously. She wondered if anything had happened yet between Otto and Theodore.
In partial answer to her question, a loud voice called to her from behind: "Hey, Audrey!" It was Theodore.
Audrey, surprised by his voice, took a quick look behind her while struggling to stay balanced on her board, and saw Theodore about forty feet away. She couldn't see Otto, but she suspected that the little speck in the distance near the top of the hill was him.
How did Otto get so far behind? she wondered, looking back at the path ahead of her. But she shook the thought out of her head and tried to get her board to go faster. The last thing she wanted to do was tie with Theodore. The path was almost starting to become level now; she could feel the ground changing beneath her feet.
Otto was filled with such an intense rage that he was barely aware of what he was doing. He knew now that he hated Theodore. He would've given anything at that very moment to punch him as hard as he could in the face or, at the very least, beat him in the race. He didn't care anymore if he finished second or third, as long as he did better than him. Otto cruised down the hill on his skateboard easily, and he knew that Reggie wasn't far behind him. As he looked downward, he could see Audrey in the distance as a mere speck. But he also saw a flash of chocolate-brown hair not far behind.. He gritted his teeth and bended his knees, trying to get as much speed as possible. He should be where Theodore is..
Theodore started sweating. He wondered what had happened to Otto and was beginning to think that maybe what he did to his board wasn't such a smart move. What if Otto told on him, and he got disqualified from the competitiont? Theodore's heart pounded hard in his chest at the very thought.
Otto realized that he needed to act quickly if he wanted to regain his position in second place. Slowly, gradually, he neared Theodore. He decided he would try to distract him. Otto squinted and could see that Theodore wasn't very far in front anymore.
"Hey, ugly!" yelled Otto.
Theodore's heart stopped for a moment as he looked behind him and saw Otto catching up. He wondered frantically how he had managed to catch up so fast..
"You didn't think I'd make it, did you?" yelled Otto, trying to keep Theodore looking at him instead of where he was going.
Theodore's body was frozen in place, and he just let his skateboard roll him down the hill. His eyes were fixated on Otto. He couldn't believe that he had caught up so fast. All of a sudden, Theodore's skateboard came to an abupt stop, and he flew several feet into the air before landing hard on the ground. He had run into a huge rock on the side of the path.
"Yes!" yelled Otto savagely. This was his chance to take second place. While Theodore was in shock, and trying to realize what just happened, Otto flew right by him on his board and yelled, "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line, lame-o!" He laughed and turned his head to the path before him, and realized that his only competition now was Audrey. He gulped, trying to pick up speed as the hill ended and the ground finally leveled.
Audrey had heard Otto yell to Theodore, and wondered what had happened. She didn't dare look behind her.
Otto was going as fast as he could. He didn't want Theodore to catch up to him now. That would just make things worse. The next thing Otto needed to focus on was passing up Audrey and getting first place. He knew he could do it..
Audrey glided over the path like it was nothing. She knew she was in the lead by at least a quarter mile. She glanced over her shoulder, and no longer saw Theodore. Instead, to her great surprise, she saw Otto! He was no more than fifty feet away from her. She smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see it.
The grinding polls were just up ahead. Audrey had been slightly nervous about that since the race had started. She couldn't grind well at all - it was one of the few skateboarding tricks she had never really been fond of, and thus ignored and avoided. But now, as she saw the poles right up ahead, she felt a wave of panic rush through her. It would be really embarrassing if she fell off the poll and into the pond - especially if Otto saw.. What would he think of her then?
Audrey was right in front of the polls now, and decided to use the one all the way on the left. Holding her breath, she leaped up onto the poll with her skate board, and slid along easily for half of the way, thinking hopefully that she just might make it. But then she leaned too far to the left, and before she could even blink, she fell backward into the pond, her surroundings blurred around her.
Otto had gotten to the grinding polls just in time to see Audrey fall. His mouth dropped. He had seen her do such a perfect grind on the ramp the other day.. He skated over to the shallow pond and hastily took hold of her arm and hoisted her back up onto her feet.
Audrey was surprised to see that Otto had caught up to her, and even more blown away that he was actually helping her. He was her competition! She smiled as she stood before him, somewhat shaky.
"Thanks," she muttered gratefully as she quickly her board from out of the pond.
"No problem," said Otto quickly, turning around to go back to the beginning of the poles. He grinned. "I want to beat you fair and square."
Audrey smiled again. "Oh really? Let's go, then!"
"You don't have to tell me twice," Otto muttered under his breath as he backed up to get speed. "Bend your knees more," he said casually as he skated toward a pole and leapt up onto it, grinding across with complete ease. "See you at the finish line." And he disappeared down the path.
Audrey grinned at the spot he had just been in. She really liked him, she realized. This time, she grinded the poll easily. She flew down the path and caught up with him in no time. When Otto saw her, he raised his eyebrows.
"You're fast!" he muttered.
"You know it," said Audrey, breathing hard.
They skated side by side for about two minutes, each trying repeatedly to pass the other, but with no luck. Eventually they heard people grinding the polls behind them. It made Otto a bit anxious to go faster. He knew Audrey was a good athlete, but he didn't know that she was this good. He almost regretted helping her up by the polls - if he hadn't, he would have been in the lead..
Audrey was completely focused on winning the race now. As long as she and Otto were in front of Theodore, she had nothing else to worry about. It seemed like the quarter-mile went by so fast, because before they knew it, Otto and Audrey were at the bike rack. Audrey kicked her skateboard aside and quickly found her bike. Otto did the same. They took off and began to speed down the rest of the path, still side by side. As Audrey was riding, she looked behind her to see if anybody else was close by. She saw two kids far in the distance. She looked ahead and pedaled faster, taking notice to the fact that both her legs were starting to ache significantly.
For the first mile, Otto and Audrey were far in the lead. As hard as they tried, as hard as they pedaled, neither one could pass the other. Both of them were getting quite tired.
Theodore was livid at this point. All he could think about was getting to Otto. Once he did that, he wasn't sure what he would do, but it would be something involving a meeting between his fist and Otto's face. Otto had cost him a win. Plus, he was up in front with Audrey.. He was really going to pay now..
Reggie and Twister were having a blast. Even though they weren't in the lead, they were still making good time, and were confident that their team would take first place for this race. But the they were still wondering which person would finish first - Otto, Audrey, or Theodore?
Audrey and Otto had biked two miles on the path now. There was just one mile left. Otto's legs hurt so badly that he could barley feel them anymore. He gritted his teeth and kept on going. All Audrey could think about was winning, or even tieing with Otto - either way, she'd be immensely satisfied. She glanced at him and saw that he was hunched over and in deep concentration, his eyes fixated ahead. All of a sudden, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Anybody miss me?" yelled Theodore. Audrey and Otto whipped their heads back with horror and saw that Theodore had caught up to them. He wasn't more than ten feet behind, and the look in his eyes gave Otto shivers. He was so shocked that he nearly stopped pedaling. But he felt a mix of panic and anxiety that gave him the rush he needed to go on.
Audrey was more nervous than ever now. Just when she thought Theodore was out of their way, he appeared out of nowhere. She just pedaled her bike harder and hoped that the race would be over soon. As she squinted, she could see the finish line up ahead, and could almost hear the spectators cheering.
"Otto, look !" she muttered, nodding forward. "Not much farther."
Otto smiled when he saw what Audrey was referring to. If he could just keep it up for a little while longer, this would all be over..
"Did you hear what I said?" Theodore shouted. His voice was much clearer now. Audrey reluctantly looked behind her, and saw that he was even closer now. She gulped and glanced nervously at Otto.
Otto's mind raced. If Theodore caught up to them, he'd surely do something destructive. He just didn't know what to do anymore.
"You guys must be deaf!" said Theodore. He didn't have to yell anymore, because he was directly behind Otto. "You're going to pay!" he said angrily. He pedaled harder, and was now in between Audrey and Otto. He kicked one leg toward Otto, hoping to knock him off his bike. Otto swerved to the right and dodged Theodore.
Audrey saw what was happening.. "What are you doing?!" she screamed angrily at him. "Don't you dare try that again!"
Theodore didn't answer. Instead, he tried to ram Otto with his own bike. Otto used his hand to push him away. Theodore wasn't expecting that, and started to lose his balance. He fell off his bike with a painful crash, narrowly missing Audrey.
Otto, horrified, kept pedaling. As he neared the finish line he prayed that none of the spectators had seen what had just happened.. Audrey didn't know what to say, so she just kept her eyes on the finish line. It was less than fifty feet away now.
"This is it," Audrey muttered. She could hear people cheering them on.
The two were now going at full speed, both hunched forward. They looked at each other quickly, and then looked back at the finish line. It was right there.. Ten feet away.. Five.. Two.. Before Otto knew it, he and Audrey had broken the silk ribbon that marked the finish. The race was finally over..
The sound of peoples' screams were so loud that Audrey barley heard Rahiki say, "Ladies and gentlemen! We have a tie! The winners of the first race are Audrey Parker and Otto Rocket!"
Audrey slammed on the her breaks and waited until her bike stopped completely, the tires scratching loudly against the dirt, before throwing it down on the ground. Her throat was incredibly sore, she was gasping for breath, she was sweaty and undoubtedly smelly, and her legs were so numb that she had to look down to make sure she still had them. But despite all that, she felt like the happiest person alive. It had been a long race, and she was so glad it was over. Audrey looked at Otto, who had also thrown down his bike and was panting as well. She smiled.
"Good race," she said between breaths, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees.
"Yeah," said Otto, trying unsuccessfully to regulate his breathing pattern. He was only faintly aware of the fact that he and Audrey had won. The crowd was screaming so loudly, and it make his head pound uncomfortably.
Audrey looked at Otto for a moment, and then, before she could stop herself, went over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle in a brief embrace. He closed his eyes and hugged her back. After five seconds, they let go. Otto blushed and looked down, now almost completely sure that this was all a dream.
Audrey grinned. There, she thought to herself with satisfaction, That was't so hard. She looked around at the screaming spectators waved at them enthusiastically, which only resulted in even louder screams. While she was absorbed in the crowd's attention, Theodore crossed the finish line slowly on his bike, not seeming very happy at all. Otto held his breath as he watch him hurl his bike into the ground and trudge away silently. As Theodore passed, he looked directly at him. He didn't seem particularly angry, but the look in his eyes gave Otto an uneasy feeling, and somehow he knew that things were about to get much worse.
* * *
A/N: To be continued, as always.. Review, please!
