“Are you ready?” Odi said. He heard the words leave his lips but the irony tugged at his mind. He wasn’t ready. How could he expect her to be ready? Everything– every moment lead to this morning. This cold, sunny morning. He was not ready. He was not–

Small, soft fingers found their way between his own. They squeezed. He squeezed. The fears didn’t subside, but that wasn’t the point. He had a teammate– a partner to face the fears with together.

Wilona looked up at Odi. It wasn’t perfection or lack-there-of. It wasn’t love at first sight, for she certainly never expected that. It wasn’t any of the versions of love that had been romanticized so often as to seem common and expected. He was there. He was himself. It was unfolded and I described, this feeling. A level of comfort? Perhaps. It was more like a bond one might expect between who people that had already spent five decades together. It was confidence. It was support. It was patience. He was, though shew struggled to admit this to herself, more a friend than even Edmund would have been able to be.

They parted to change into their uniforms. When they emerged, Dr. Edden intercepted them. She said nothing but placed a hand on each of their shoulders. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Wilona and Odi shared confused glances. Then, with a glance at them both, she turned and hurried towards the starting line.

A fresh flood of nerves hit them both but it was no longer out of anxiety. Now, it was excitement. It was time to run.

Students from a dozen schools gathered at the edge of Wooded Park; a merely fourteen hundred acre are in the middle of the city filled with trees, a small river, and eight outdoor venues each sporting wildly different experiences for those wishing to visit. Among them were an outdoor theatre, a massive botanical garden, and a pond-side eatery complete with rowboats. This is merely to show you that, while there are paved portions of the park, the Harriers would all be running in grassy fields and wooded areas as is the tradition.

Wilona, Odi, Lyn, and the rest of the Huber Prep team gathered to one side– a veritable sea of purple and white. Edmund, Sara, and Pod had staked out a spot near the end of the path. They readied themselves in hopes of a reason to cheer.

Soon, those who wished to run gathered at the start. A fair few were simply there as part of the team. They had no aim for victory. Merely to be part of something.

A short, balding man stepped from the crowed. He hobbled slowly over to a temporary stage built for the event. As he ascended the shoddy steps, two in the crowd of runners recognized him.

“Mr. Allerton?” Odi asked. Wilona’s ear pricked at this.

“How do you know Mr. Allerton?” Wilona asked?

“How do you know him?” Odi replied.

“He’s may neighbor!”

“Oh. That’s sensible. I met him the first day I came to Huber. He was… just sort of wandering the halls.”

Wilona turned as Allerton made it to the microphone.

“That’s very odd,” she said to herself.

“Welcome Harriers!” Mr. Allerton’s voice boomed over the crowd. Any remaining chatter died down.

“It doesn’t matter much who I am. I simply wanted to offer my gratitude and support. Run well. Don’t look back.”

He pulled a small whistle from an inside coat pocket and gave it a short trill.

They ran. Through the fields. Through the trees. Across a wide bridge that spanned a smooth river. They ran. Past onlooking park goers, works placing lights in trees for the holidays, and an absurd number of dogs. They ran. Through the sweat and the pain, in a herd of youth, they ran.

Five kilometers of winding path marked by flags through the park. Wilona keeping pace with Odi out of sheer determination, but she could feel herself draining. A pang of panic crossed her mind. The base pace was faster than she was accustomed. At this rate, she would wear out sooner than she’s thought… at this rate.

Wilona looked back. The rest of the Huber prep runners were struggling, too. None of them were prepared for this. They hadn’t expected the other schools to be this fast. There was no hope for any of them. They’d lost before the race even began. The only one who had a chance was…

Wilona looked up at Odi whose eyes were catching on every runner that inched passed him. He looked antsy. He looked worried.

“Odi,” Wilona said between breaths. “Don’t lose on our account.”

Odi looked to Wilona and then to the rest of the Huber Prep team.

“I can’t leave my team behind,” Odi said.

“You have to, because we are going to lose otherwise. Run. I’ll see you at the finish line.”

Odi gather Wilona a long smile. He then raise his fist over his head and heard the sounds of his teammates from behind. He easily increased his pace and quickly began closing the gap between him and the lead runners. Wilona slowed and drifted back to the rest.

“All we have to do now is finish,” she said.

Odi pressed forward, earning annoyed looks from every runner he passed.

In the frosty late-autumn air, a warmth spread through his core. He felt good. Better than he’d ever felt. There was no drag, his breathing was steady, and the images of his team and Wilona burned strong in his mind. He wasn’t running to let his mind wander. Every step had a purpose.

Two kilometers in, they reached a dense patch of trees. A thin path wound through but a few runners were risking it and cutting through the underbrush. Odi didn’t want there to be any reason for his win to be in question. He was still a dozen or so runners behind but he had no doubt that he’d overtake them in time. He pressed into the woods.

They dodged branches and and each others’ feet as the beams of light pierced the canopy and danced overhead. The runners in front of Odi hesitated their speed. He grinned. This was an easy chance.

He livened his pace, striding forward, and nearly dancing around the few remaining runners. He was suddenly very grateful for Sarah’s dance lessons (yes this was another skipped moment. It was rather humorous and adorable if I ever get around to writing it).

The wind shifted through the trees, formerly a light push from the side, it was now a strong flow at his back propelling him forward. For a moment… just a moment… he imagined the end of the race. His friends gathered around, Wilona… in his arms–

The ground reached out and caught his right foot as he stepped. He twisted in the air as he fell, earth and leaves rushing towards his head. A couple of small pops followed by a deafening crack rang through the trees and Odi howled.

The runners behind him came to a sudden stop. He could hear their chatter but the world spun. A wash of nausea forced him to vomit. The pain was blinding, clouding what had just happened.

“What happened? Why did everyone stop?” someone called from the back.

“A guy fell. Foot caught a root.”

“What do we do?”

“We keep going. He screwed up.”

“He looks bad, we need to get someone.”

“And lose the race?”

“His team will be here shortly. He’s a Huber Prep. They’ll deal with him.”

“I suppose.”

“Come on.”

Feet began rumbling past him as he twisted on the ground. The earth of cold and hard. His leg was somehow both on fire and being continuously shocked at the same time.

The pain overtook him. He felt consciousness slip. His head lulled and body went limp.

Still, runners hurried past. Gasps were uttered and a few slowed to avoid his limbs and vomit but they hurried past. Until a sudden scream brought the Huber Prep team to a halt.

“LYN! Lyn get over here! Jasper, Holly, Declan, Jane, I need your help, too. One of you run back and tell the EMTs.”

Wilona knew better than to move him yet, so instead she knelt in the dirt by his head and watched him breath. The five runners she called over were all in the medical field and they began carefully examining him.