13. There You Are #2
“They certainly are.” Aeden locked his eyes onto the their backs as he followed them across the field.
They were fast approaching the imposing forest, the pine trees rising high into the sky.
Now they were getting closer to them, they looked even bigger, their evergreen leaves blocking out the sun as they approached an opening between two of the trees, each of which had a red ribbon wrapped around it.
“Wow,” Harrison said, already struggling for breath, “you can run fast. Like, really fast.” His speech was fragmented as he tried to run and talk at the same time.
“I – don’t – think – I can – keep – this up.
” He stumbled slightly, and for a brief moment, Aeden worried that Harrison was about to face-plant into the ground.
He just about managed to gather himself, however, and slowed down his pace to something more manageable.
Kael and the other pacesetter entered the forest first. Having already run the route, they knew exactly what to expect.
Aeden gave a quick glance to either side of him and could see that he was at the front of everyone with Vivienne, Cassian, and a couple other students.
They had already opened up a gap between them and the rest.
When they reached the waypoint and passed through into the forest, the outside noise of the world stopped, and suddenly all that could be heard was the breathing of Aeden and the others, and the rustling of leaves and fallen branches as they stepped onto them.
Aeden could see the pacesetters just ahead of them.
All he wanted was to finish in the first group, and he had started off strong.
He knew his athletic ability was greater than many in the Support class.
It was how he had trained himself in the build-up to joining the academy.
Now was the time to prove that the Support class could hold its own.
He just needed to manage it without drawing any more attention to himself.
After all, if the faculty caught wind of why he was really here, they would soon kick him out.
The course between the trees was not easy to navigate, especially when running through at speed. Roots reached out from the sides like mini traps, waiting to snare and trip students as they ran by.
Everything was darker inside the forest, the tree canopy above dense and unforgiving.
Remaining focused, Aeden continued to run fast and hard, his determination growing with every step.
A searing pain ripped through Aeden’s stomach, and he cried out in pain, doubling over and stopping in his tracks.
“Are you okay?” Vivienne asked, stopping beside him. Cassian stopped immediately, too .
“I don’t know.” Aeden’s head started spinning. The pulling sensation had returned and was gripping his stomach again, stronger than ever. “Keep going, I’ll catch up,” he said.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind hanging back.”
“No, go on, I don’t want you both falling behind because of me. I’ll try again when the others reach me.”
Aeden started worrying about the pain as it intensified. It was bad enough that he patted his stomach just to check he hadn’t been stabbed. “Go,” he demanded.
Vivienne and Cassian set back off. Aeden knew he would be able to catch up if he really pushed himself. Had he torn something? As he took deep breaths, another wave of pain wrapped around him.
Behind him, he could hear the next group of students catching up, so he decided to set off and see if he could run it off. The pain didn’t worsen when he moved, which seemed promising; he just couldn’t understand what was causing it.
He exhaled deeply and once again tried to stop himself from vomiting as he continued his run around the course, determined to make it to the end. A strange, overwhelming urge to veer off track became unbearable. It was as if his legs acted of their own volition as he left the track.
He knew what the repercussions would be.
Failure wasn’t an option. And yet, it was as if his instincts had taken over completely.
The pain in his stomach dulled slightly as he trekked further into the forest, away from the trail.
It was just like the night before, except this time a lot more painful.
Aeden continued to run, letting his instincts guide him.
All he was able to hear was his own breathing and footsteps.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been running or how far away from the others he was.
All he knew was that he was well off track by now, being drawn to something like a moth to a flame, despite knowing that he had to complete the course, he had to finish this test.
His foot snagged as he caught it on a root that wrapped around his ankle, slamming him to the ground. His momentum sent him rolling down an embankment of dirt that he hadn’t seen. The world spun around him as he bounced up off the ground at speed, feeling every rock and bush that he skidded over.
He stopped when he slammed into the ground with a sickening thud and gasped for air. He hoped he was only winded, but he knew it would be a miracle if he hadn’t broken his ribs.
He looked up at the embankment that he had fallen down. Perhaps if he followed it around, he would be able to climb back up.
As he stood up, he felt a wetness on his face, and when he brushed his fingers through his hair, it was to find wet blood.
“Shit!” he cursed. What had he been thinking? Why had he gone off the path?
When he took a step forward, he let out a yelp of pain as he quickly realised he had damaged his ankle. He looked down at his foot. It definitely shouldn’t have been pointing at that angle.
“Shit.” He looked around. When he saw the entrance to a cave, he knew he should have run; nothing good ever came from delving into a deep, dark cave in the middle of the forest.
And yet it was calling to him.
In an almost trance-like state, Aeden headed towards it.