Beanstalk in action
When she was fully dressed, Lue stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had never looked so fine. Tight black pants, a long-sleeved scarlet tie up. Ankle length black lace up boots covered her feet; her dragger and purse hung from a slim leather belt. True, it was her mother's, but the clothes fit her perfectly.
The second test is going to be a practical test, all the years of training you have got to polish, show off, a week from now. She was nervous, about the training. There will be five days in which all the Examinees practice together. On the sixth day it will be given for a rest and on the last day afternoon, they'll all have to play the game. The game changes every year so all they could do is train and prepare for everything. The thought of meeting with other examinees face to face makes her queasy. She turn the roll she have just taken from the kitchen basket over and over in her hands, but her appetite is gone.
Do I really want this? Lue thought as she was passing through the main field of Ixtal, the field filled with the morning glory, bouncing, crumbling under her feet, she did not notice. She felt that she resembles them in one or another way. As the name suggests, most morning glory flowers unfurl into full bloom in the early morning. The flowers usually start to fade a few hours before the corolla begins to display visible curling, same as Lue, her thoughts start to strangle one another a night, thousands of questions, not even knowing what she really wanna do.
Will mom be alright? if I ever got the invitation. She though to herself and kept walking with those empty eyes, she have gravitated so much towards other's desires and thought that she could not even identify the rhythm of her own. Before she realized, she was standing right in front of the school gate, seeing all the tenth graders out for the training, she clenched her draggers tightly. Everyone's out there with their desires, and they are striving for it, but why she is doing this? maybe a part of her did not wish to end up like her dad.
She closed her eyes for a moment taking a short trip down her memory lane, her mother, she was proud of her dad. She wanted Lue to grow up and become someone like him. someone who can fight for her dreams and desires, someone she can always count on. She slowly opened her eyes took a breathe and out. Her eyes, a spark- no, a fire- of defiance showing in her expression, she smiled. She finally knew it, why she have to keep going, what is the purpose. Its for her mom, she wants to give her a better life, she wanted to see her smile like that, the same as in the family picture.
That morning Lue met her worst nightmare, she might have regretted being too determined earlier today, she wasn't expecting this.
"Listen up!" Mr.Kael exclaimed, "whoever cannot finish the obstacle course in a timely manner will have to polish everyone's weapons. Understood?" said Mr.Kael with a clear subordination and the lack of redundant emotions.
"Fuc...dgeee," Lue said, clearly trying to change her wording. Mr.Kael marched over to Lue and in the corner of her eye she saw Eve scoot over a little as if she did not want to be near her.
Lue swallowed her saliva as she looked at him, her head tilting backwards, he is not lanky at all, there is bulk on him; muscles beneath the T-shirt. The man is clearly a giant, she wondered how many jokes and comments about his stature he gets daily, jibes about the air being thin up there. She low-key felt like a dwarf.
"You said something, Miss Solane?" Mr.Kael yelled, his split flying into her face. She tried very hard to prevent herself from wiping it away. "No, sir, sorry, sir"
She blurted out.
Who was she kidding!
Eve glanced up at Lue. Her eyes were bring and laughing above tight with holding lips, then almost failing when Lue saw her from the corner of her eyes and they made an eye contact.
Yeah, nope, apologizing did nothing. Mr.Kael insulting her left and right, told her how pathetic she was before making her and Eve do 50 push-ups. By the time Mr.Kael walked away she could see the steam coming out of Eve's head.
"Dude, not cool!" she said, "You owe me."
She nodded, it was reflex reaction but she will bite her tongue around here specially near that BEANSTALK or otherwise she would be a laughing stock and buff arms from all the push-ups she may have to do.
The obstacle course, a vertically constructed made of brick and got cemented with a length and height much greater than its thickness that divided a small part of ground. Lue could feel a cold sweat passing over like a ghost at a séance. There was no denying the sensation sweat dripping off her body. Their bodies were slick with sweat as they lingered in the P.M, lost in the heat and cursing- no, hoodoo, continued as Mr.Kael asked everyone to gather up and segregated them in served groups.
Each group consisted more than ten students, mixed with every tenth graders of different sections. Fortuitous, Eve and Lue ended up in the same group, Eve rushed towards the starting point of the line. The far the better.
When the whistle blew all students ran towards the obstacle course. Eve second behind the most sharp-witted person in the world, Lorek and Lue way in the back. Never a surprise. She manage to make her way to the first obstacle: the wall. How in the hel- world was she suppose to climb this thing?
"move it," a girl about five feet ten inch said as she shoved Lue to the ground. Mud splashed up in the places she'd rather not discuss, making her feel kind of crappy, " Seriously?" she said.
The girl tuned back and said in a mocking tone, "yeah, seriously. And I hope you like the not very nice smell of mud."
"What are you talking about?" Lue said while trying to pick herself from the mud.
"This is not some normal mud. It is a foul smelling mud, it is a natural by-product of the breakdown of organic debris, but I do not know why it smells so bad-"
Lue grabbed 5'10 girls leg and made her slip...right into the mud as she moved away and made a perfect landing on the land.
"The foul odour comes from anaerobic bacteria feasting on all the yummy rotting organic matters like the person I am seeing right now."
Lue removed the mud from her and throws it on her and turned the other way. Upon a closer look there were some small ledge. Lue started climbing, when she was half way through it she got this feeling, if she turn her head too far she could unbalance and the drop- let's not talk about it.
Already the adrenaline crossing unchecked, urging her to do what she cannot. Sure her muscles are stronger and she is more awake that she have ever been and this was not a situation where running hard for a long time going to help.
There are handholds here, she know it. Her right leg slipped from one of ledges, her left hand paining, it's all sweaty. She's going to fall. In that splits of seconds her right leg found some support, without hesitating she used the opportunity and grabbed the walls end, before disappearing behind the enormous wall she looked down. The five feet ten inches girl back in the mud, her eyebrows came down and together, the eyes glare, and there is a narrowing of the lip corners. Most of all, her right side of the face had a nice footprint. NOT GUILTY.