The Race

The sharp sound of a whistle annoyed Conner, but at least he knew indefinitely that the race had begun. He waited and watched as the first runners made their way towards him and the other second runners.

"Come on, Megan, you can do!" he cheered for her telepathically. Though he was sure that she didn't need him to cheer her on, he did it anyway. He supposed it was the least he could do.

"I know, Conner. Get ready, I'm almost there," she replied. All the other runners around him were getting ready to take up their positions.

Conner joined them; he had one hand reaching behind him to be passed the baton, while leaning forward, ready to run.

It wasn't too long before Conner felt the plastic baton in his hand, immediately he sprinted towards Clark's sections of the race.

"Go, Conner, go!" Megan hollered for him to go despite being out of breath.

"And the Kent team takes the lead with Megan Morse coming in first for her section, and with Conner Kent taking a good head start," someone announced over a loud speaker for the convince of the other team members in the other areas of the track.

Phew, that means we've got some points, Peter thought with a relieved smile.

"Sounds like your teams doing pretty good," someone said as they approached him.

"Huh?"

"You're teammate, Megan, she beat my brother, Arty, in the first leg," clarified Abel as he joined Peter in relaxing against the wooden fence.

"Yeah, I guess she did." Peter shrugged as he waited for the next section of the race to finish.

"Well, I hope your Conner's pretty fast, 'cause he's gonna have to be to be able to beat Sal," Abel continued. "He's pretty fast, but then again we always line our slowest up first and then progress to the fastest."

"Smart tactic," Peter commented uneasily. "But I'm sure we have a chance if Conner places first on his leg."

"Folks, the second leg is complete, and the Kent team is going strong. Conner's placed first and Clark's surging forward," the commentator announced as if on cue.

"Well, we're about to see if you're right." Abel gave Peter something of a knowing smile as they took their places on their starting line.

Yeah, we sure will.

"Come on, let's go see Peter win this," Megan squealed as Conner joined her behind the fence. Before he had time to even agree, she was practically dragging him towards Peter's leg of the race. They hurried over the field and quickly positioned themselves at the finish line.

They arrived just as the third racers rounded the corner. Conner could see that Clark was in first, but just barely. He could see that Clark was holding back and letting the Holt runner eat his dust.

"Come on, Clark, you're almost there," Megan hollered as they watched the runner approach.

"Hey, isn't that Abel right beside Peter?" Conner asked when he spotted Peter standing beside the shaggy haired teen.

"Yeah, that can't be good," she replied. "I hope Peter's okay with that."

"Clark's coming in fast, and has taken first for the third leg. The Kent team is taking this race by storm, and now it's up to their first time participant Peter Parker," someone announced as the baton was handed off.

This is it! I've got to give it everything, my team is counting on me. When Peter felt the plastic tube in his hand, he took off as fast as he possibly could. At the corner of the field, he could see Megan and Conner. Megan looked like she was cheering him on, but all he could really hear was his pounding heart beat in his ears.

It wasn't too soon before other runners were trying to catch up to him, but surprisingly the only one who accomplished catching up with him was Abel.

The other young man was running along with Peter and had a determined look and a smile on his face.

"Finally, some real competition," Abel breathlessly said as he matched his pace to Peter's.

Abel sped up and seemed to want to push Peter to do the same, and he did.

"What's going on?" Megan asked Conner as they witnessed Abel and Peter match each other's pace and then accelerate.

"I don't know." Conner shrugged. It looked like Peter was perfectly capable of winning the race, what had they been afraid of? Even without the head start, it looked like Peter could have easily taken first.

"I didn't know Peter could go that fast," Clark said as he joined Conner and Megan. "Looks like he really didn't need such a head start after all."

"Go on, Abel! Make the sorry shrimp eat your dust!" a boy about the age of twelve called to Abel as the runner rounded the corner.

"He's not gonna make it, Arty," Conner heard the twelve-year-old's lanky companion say. "We're gonna have to do something about that."

Conner looked at the pair. They apparently were part of the Holt team, but where was the third member?

"Can't you go any faster, Parker?" Abel said as they pushed each other faster.

"Yeah, I can, can you?" Peter quipped back. Half forgetting that he was running a relay race. Part of him forgot that he was Peter Parker at the moment and thought that he was Spider-Man, while the other part remained conscious of that fact and kept him in check.

It was actually becoming fun. Running against someone in a friendly competition wasn't so bad after all.

They were approaching the finish line, and when Abel made no reply, Peter knew it was time to become serious. That he was running for something more than fun.

I'm gonna win this. I'm gonna ….Wha?

A strong tingling sensation sparked in the back of his head suddenly. It was his spider-sense.

Something's attacking or so says the forewarning pain in my head, but what and where?

Peter didn't see anything dangerous; in fact he wondered just what in Kansas would attack him while he was playing the Family Games.

It can't be broken-

Before he could react in his usual time, he went stumbling to the ground. Something had hit his ankle and he went tumbling towards the ground, the baton falling from his hands despite his stick-to-everything power.

"Ow, ow, OW!" Peter groaned as he quickly managed to get up.

"Come on, Peter, get up! You're almost there!" he heard Megan call to him.

Right, I'm almost there. He grabbed the baton and ignored the pain from his scrapped knees and probably bruised leg as he again started to run.

Conner frowned as Peter fell. He'd seen what happened. A rock, underhandedly thrown by Arty, had been thrown onto the track right as Peter and Abel passed the two members of the Holt team. He didn't know if anyone else saw it, but they sure notice Peter fall.

"Come on, Peter, get up!" Megan yelled urgently, probably restraining herself not to rush on the track and assist their teammate. "You're almost there!"

Peter got up, evidently hurt, but continued on.

"That's it, Peter, you've got it!" Clark yelled as he caught up with Abel, but the two were almost at the finish line.

Almost there, just a little bit longer, Peter told himself as his strides matched Abel's once again. It still looked to be anyone's race, but after the fall Peter was a little more determined to win.

In a matter of seconds, he and Abel were matching each other speed and then Peter was ahead of the other teen. In a matter of seconds, the race was over, and he'd won.

"Folks, this was one of the most exciting relay races yet," said the commentator. "In a surprising turn of events, the Kent team has won, but only just. Someone get some bandages for Peter."

Sorry for taking far too long to get this down, but I hope this works for making it up to. All your suggestions were useful for creating this chapter, and I think it actually got a mind of its own, because I never orginally intended for Peter to win, but he did and this is getting interesting.

As usual, leave your suggestion, ideas, comments, concerns, rantings, and ravings right on the review page. If I don't reply, it doesn't mean I'm dead or ignoring my lovely review, it means I'm on a missions trip and don't have WiFi or a WiFi capable device to respond to your reviews.

I want to send a specail thank you to everyone, this story is still in the beginning and there will be action stuff, but all you guys who are at a number of seventy-five are sticking through this and reading it right now. That's totally awesome.

Oh, while I'm gone go to my poll on my profile and tell me what event is next on the agenda. Please and thank you

~Rayner out