Chapter Five #2
Talia ran forward first. She grabbed the board with both hands and lifted it by the sides.
A flicker of surprise lit up her face, and Sabine nearly said, “I told you so.” The board was heavier than it looked.
But never mind that. Sabine didn’t have time to be smug.
She sprinted beside Talia and picked up the single rope and ball at her feet.
She quickly looped the rope into a circle and placed the ball in its center.
“Clever,” Talia said, watching her from beneath her long lashes. She stared long enough to make Sabine wonder if they were a genetic gift or professionally installed.
Then she caught herself pondering something so useless and pulled her gaze away from Talia’s lashes to the other teams. She wasn’t the only one smart enough to lock the ball in place.
“Not clever enough,” she muttered, ignoring the knot in her stomach. “You should get going. But take your time. We need to get through the course the first time around.”
Talia nodded and headed for the first obstacle.
It was a low bamboo beam. Nothing fancy.
Talia ducked under it easily and immediately started running toward the narrow balance log.
Sabine did too. She got there first. She quickly grabbed the next rope and ball before adding them to the pile.
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but it did actually feel heavier.
Talia winced, which would’ve been fine if they were at the very end, but there were at least six more obstacles standing in the way of victory.
“Are you alright?” Sabine asked. If Talia’s shoulder was actually a problem, they were close to screwed.
With added weight at every course, there was only so much the shoulder could take before the stabilizers tapped out and the joint started complaining.
Ugh! She should have insisted on carrying the board herself.
“Fine,” Talia said. But she wasn’t looking at Sabine. Red flag. Instead, she stepped onto the log and shuffled forward. Sabine followed. She was wearing a pair of Nike Airs but wished she were barefoot; at least then her toes could grip the wood.
Sabine didn’t dare look at the other teams.
Never mind. She couldn’t help herself.
Isla and Taye were already at the fourth obstacle, which was a tunnel of vines.
Connie and Charlize seemed to have hit a setback.
A ball had dropped, and they were starting over.
And Amy and Shakira were far ahead of everyone.
Sabine could just see the back of Amy’s head as they reached the sandpit.
“We need to move faster!” she called out to Talia, who had just reached the staggered crates.
She heaved the board higher while Sabine carefully placed another ball and rope, then stepped onto a crate.
It wobbled under her foot, making Sabine’s heart lurch.
She wanted more than anything to grab the board and take over.
She’d even collect the rope and balls along the way herself if she were allowed to. She’d flick them up with her feet.
“Who came up with this challenge?” Talia muttered under her breath as she moved into a deep lunge to step over a crate. “It’s only the first day.”
“Just move,” Sabine muttered, feeling impatient.
She was already out ahead, waiting for Talia to catch up.
If she’d just paired with Shakira, who looked like she could sprint a hundred meters in under ten seconds, they’d be winning this.
And she wanted to win this. Not just for the luxury of pillows, but also for the bragging rights.
She’d always be the first challenge winner of the first season of Outlast Her. “Quickly,” she added.
“I’m moving as quickly as I can,” Talia snapped back when she caught up at the start of the tunnel of vines.
They completed it without any real hassle, although Sabine had held her breath when one of the balls had wobbled and nearly toppled over.
Talia’s righting reaction had been spot on, even Sabine had to admit that.
Thereafter, they quickly managed through the tunnel of vines, and then the sandpit came up with what looked like a dozen tiny mountains in their path.
The mounds were so uneven, the sand so soft, even her younger brother Derek’s dirt bike would find it difficult to get across.
Sabine pictured his bike spinning wildly, tires flinging.
Then she pictured herself reaching the finish line first and urged, “Faster! Shakira and Amy are almost done, but we can catch up.”
“Oh, shit!” Talia winced so hard that the board tilted to the side. One rope slipped, which she tried to save, but compensating could only get her so far. Two balls rolled off the edge.
Sabine squeaked. Yes, squeaked, like a damn mouse. She wasn’t even aware she could make that kind of sound. She wasn’t even aware that her entire body would feel like it was sinking into sand with the weight of failure. Or that she could be this thoroughly disappointed over a ridiculous game.
“Start over!” Vivian called, brandishing a hand in the air.