Best Laid Plans

I flinched as the man grabbed my hand and pressed the tiny vial into my hand. I grimaced as he stepped closer to me. 

“We cannot afford a lost at this point,” he said. I tried to step back but he grabbed my arm and squeezed. We stared at each other, only parting when the back door swung open. He smiled and let me go. “We expect perfection, Elliot. The gym needs some good publicity.” 

“That’s all I’ve been giving you,” I snarled. “I don’t need this crap to win.” The man chuckled. 

“Well, now you can go beyond,” the man said. “Take the vial and make us proud.” He patted my shoulders and turn to walk away. I walked back to the building, burying my fist and the vial into my pocket. 

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The Firlus Competition was an annual gathering of the most competent flyers in the kingdom. Hundreds would gather to show off a number of skills. Elegance, stamina, endurance, appearance and a number of other traits were tested and judged at the yearly competition. This was my third year entering the Speed category. I haven’t been able to take first place just yet. There was always something blocking me. Last year was so close it had come down to judge’s decision. Even though I was definitely the better, Laurens was able to snatch the win from me. I was determined to win this year. There would be no need for decision.  

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As the locker room filled with this year’s contestants, I was able to spy out my two friends. They stood in the corner with their heads bent, speaking quietly. When they noticed me, Ant waved me over. Ant was tall for his age and sported a wild mohawk that I thought looked ridiculous when we flew. He naturally had a bend in his back that made him look like a vulture. Next to him was Almond. She was my favorite and my actual competition. She was short and narrow. She kept her hair cut and cropped. I often called her my commander, especially when we trained together. 

“What’s with the doom huddle?” I asked. They both turned to me.  

“You were right,” Ant said. “I heard that Laurens was seen coming out of Judge Faws’ room today.” I frowned at them. 

“You know I don’t like rumors,” I said, crossing my arms. Almond shook her head. 

“It's not a rumor,” she said. “Justin was the one who told us.” My eyebrows rose at the name. Justin was naturally timid and not someone who spread rumors. 

“He’s trying to talk everyone into quitting this race and filing a complaint,” Ant rubbed his neck as he spoke. I rolled my eyes at the idea. The only people we had to complain to were the judges themselves. While they could vote to replace a judge, it was unlikely to happen. Especially since they seem so close. Almond rubbed her head in frustration.   

“This is bull,” She growled. “I just want to race fairly.” I sighed. I just nodded along as the two continued to moaned about the unfairness of the world. As I listened, my pocket seemed to become heavier and heavier. 

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My eyes were locked to the screen as I watched the race begin. The race was divided into two parts. First was a preliminary race for the first timers. The top three in the first race then joined the rest of the contestants in the finals. The returning contestants were judged on their time from last year. You had to be able to clear the track within ten minutes to be able to return and skip the preliminaries.   

My heart pounded in my chest and my back ached with desire. I couldn’t wait to be on the field. Racing was one of the few joys I had in life. I had to walked away from the tv to keep calm. I decided to get a small drink from the concession stand. I frown as I approached when I noticed that Laurens was there. He seemed to be chatting with the cashier.   

I ignored him as I ordered a small water. I tapped as I waited for my drink, turning to walk away as soon as the cashier handed it to me. Before I could walk away fully, a hand held me back. I shrugged the hand off and scowled as Laurens raised both of his. He had a lazy smile on his face and he smelled strongly of cologne. I backed up and looked at him. 

“Hey, you’re that second-place girl from last year,” I remained silent. Instead of taking the hint, he moved so that he was behind me and draped his arm across my shoulder. “Listen, you were pretty good. I was wondering if I could convince you to go easy on me this year. Maybe I can put a good word in the right ears for you.” My eyes widen. I couldn’t believe he was admitting his relationship openly.  I walked forward so that his arm dropped from my shoulders. I felt my face twist into a sneer. 

“No thanks. Not all of us need a hand out to win,” I said. I walked away when I saw his face twist up. 

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I was a little worked up as I power walked to the lockers. They were empty. It seemed that everybody was watching the current race. I really wished I could punch the look off of Laurens’ face. I plopped down and flexed my hands. It took a moment to calm my body. After the anger came the despair. There was no way for me to win if Laurens had the judges in his pocket. I rested my face in my hands. Then I lifted up and reached into my pocket. The vial sat in my hand and I stared at it. The substance was dark. I knew from word of mouth that it was supposed to help with speed by raising your adrenaline quickly. It took a while to work, but it would last just as long. Frowning, I stood and walked over to the lockers. Nodding to myself, I opened the locker and folded the vial into the clothes that were there. I closed the locker quickly. Taking a deep breath, I walked away from the locker rooms, determined and ready. 

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I grinned as I walk to the beginning of the course that we were flying. The air rushed pass me and I could feel my back flex. I looked over and spotted Almond. We nodded at each other and I grinned savagely. Today was my day to win these races. We all wore matching shorts, but most were shirtless. I was wearing a racing band on my chest that held my gym logo on the back. At the five-minute mark, most people began letting their wings materialize. Everyone made room as people began flexing their wings out. I walked over to the starting line. Almond walked over to my right. Her wings were out and glowing. They were a dark brown with blue tips. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. As the timer started its countdown, I touched the tip of my fingers to the ground and went to my toes.   

When the alarm went off, I pushed off and used the energy of my wings materializing to shoot forward. I beat my wings to keep the lead. I kept close to the ground. The wind flew pass and I felt the world fall away. The course was open and I grinned. I snapped back to the race when I heard some strong wing beats on my right. I flapped harder and gained some height. Before anyone could follow, I shot up and used the new height to see forward. The course dipped and then rose up, creating a wall.  I rose up above it and pushed forward. I could feel the muscles in my back working to speed through the air. I grinned as we came to the wall. As the others slowed to move up the wall, I flew over and dived. I used the dive to speed up and stay in the front of the race. I pushed, panting as I started feeling exhausted. I could see the finish line ahead and I pushed hard. I heard some wing beats behind me but I just kept pushing. As I approached the finish line, I reached forward. I heard the horn blazed when I reached the end.   

I tumbled to a stop and dropped to my hands and knees. My breath huffed as others settled around me. I looked up as the end of the race was announced. After a few breaths, I stood to see the results. As I waited, Almond approached. We high fived and I started to laugh as I came down from the adrenaline. The results were announced with a loud horn. 

“The winner of the race is Elliot Pen!!” 

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I hurried to the locker room after the trophy ceremony. I was determined to get back to the gym to talk to the boss about my win. I was the first to arrive and I hurried to my locker. Almond ambushed me before I could leave though. 

“Hey, you were awesome. How the hell do you pull off that speed boost at the beginning?” Almond blocked me so I couldn’t move. 

“Practice,” I said with a grin. 

“Ah no, you not getting away without an explanation missy,” Almond playfully grabbed at my arm. I laughed and dodged her, turning back to my locker to grab my bag. As we goofed around, the locker room filled with people. Many congratulated me and Ant came over to join the ruckus. After a moment, I felt some body bump me from behind, causing me to stumble into Ant. 

“Hey, watch it,” Almond growled. I turned to see Laurens grinning. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said as he walked over to his locker. “Not all of us can stand around all day. You know, things to do.” I turned my nose up. 

“Yea, I get that,” I said. “Losers tend to be busier than most.” Almond snorted and Ant outright laughed. I watched Laurens face turn red and he snatched his things out of his locker. As he did, a small vial dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. Another contestant bent to pick it up. 

“Hey Laurens, you dropped...,” the man started but then stared at the small vial. I watched as his face turn to an angry snarl. “What the hell is this?” The man yelled and everyone turned to the two. Laurens had a look of confusion on his face. 

“What are you yelling about?” he asked. The man held up the vial.   

“It dropped from your clothes!!” The man shouted. Laurens looked at the bottle. I saw the moment when he recognized the substance. He backed up. 

“Woah, that not mine!” he shouted. The man shoved Laurens and rushed out the room. Laurens ran to follow and half of the locker room followed, including Almond and Ant. I waited for the commotion to die down before leaving and heading to the exit door. I pulled out my phone and text my coach so that he could meet me in the lot. Bobbing my head, I thought back to my race and shrugged. Nothing wrong with a plan B.