Dentelle (18 page)

I scrutinized the end of the gauntlet, noting a
series of fast-swinging, closely-placed oil drums. It would be difficult to
make it through there without getting annihilated, which is probably why no one
ever had. The final segment, absent of obstacles, looked less challenging,
until I noted the moving floorboards. Designed like an elongated chessboard,
square sections of the floor randomly opened and closed. After watching for a
minute, I realized there was no set pattern for the trapdoors. Luck would be a
bigger factor than skill.

That’s when it hit me. An epic idea. What if you
knew, or could sense, when the oil drums were about to hit you or knew
beforehand when the floors would open beneath you? Then could you make it all
the way through? I remembered Ahanu’s parting words. He’d said something about
if I was up for the challenge, he thought I would succeed. Was he talking about
the gauntlet? Could I do it?

Excitedly, I grabbed Christina by the shoulder.
“What are the prizes for beating the gauntlet?”

With her mouth ajar and her eyes blinking
rapidly, she said, “Wow! You’re Essence is…crazy…over the top...”

She wavered little bit, and I steadied her.
“Thanks. Now tell me exactly what the winner gets.”

“Well, there’s two things. First, you know how
you can’t just join any Circle? Most of the time you have to apply and hope you
get accepted?”

“Yeah,” I said excitedly.

“So, the first prize is that you can choose any
Circle you want to live in, and if you’re linked you’re partner goes with you.
Even if the Circle you choose is overcrowded and isn’t currently accepting new
members, it doesn’t matter. They still have to take you. Then again, who
wouldn’t want someone who’d defeated the gauntlet?”

A smile crossed my lips and my brain went into
overdrive as I thought about the possibilities if I were to win. Worst case
scenario, Jason and Madison move to Bangor, and even though I’d already
persuaded the Senior Council I should stay in Bellingham, I’d have a trump
card. I could move Ash and I to Bangor, as well. No one would see that one
coming, except maybe Carlos. And boy, would it turn some heads and ignite a few
tempers. But hey, what could they do about it?

“And the second prize?” I asked, tapping my
fingers together.

“This is gonna sound wild, I know. But that
person automatically becomes a member of the Senior Council. They can attend
the conferences, call for meetings, and vote just like everyone else.” She blew
out a breath and shook her head. “Being a Council member is huge, because you
have a voice that will be heard. You can express your ideas and opinions as
well as those of the Circle you belong to. And you could potentially affect the
outcome of an important issue.” She crinkled her nose. “Now, you see why people
attempt the gauntlet?”

I nodded and stared off into the distance.
“Power. And a voice.”

“Uh, Lexi. You have a funny faraway look in your
eyes. You’re not seriously considering it?” She scooted closer and peered in my
face. “Are you?”

Suddenly, it all became clear. I had a unique
combination of abilities. My Flair allowed me to defend myself against anything
or anyone that was about to threaten me. I should be able to anticipate the
movements of the obstacles on the gauntlet and adjust my response accordingly,
thus avoid being knocked off. I rubbed my arms excitedly and stared at the
gauntlet with new vision. Oh yes! I could feel it in my blood. I was made to
run the gauntlet. And beat it!

Besides that, the Senior Council needed a person
who could represent the younger generation of Guardians. Someone who could
bring new ideas and who promoted fairness. Someone who was different but whose
differences sparked curiosity and maybe a little respect, but not fear.

I could do that. Not to mention, I needed
representation in a big way. Who better to help format a special set of
Dentelle guidelines than me – the only Dentelle? There was no one else.

It was time I stepped up to the plate. Accepted
who I was and took a leading role. I had the communication skills and
confidence to stand up for what I believed in. Now, I just needed to commit
myself.

“Lexi? Earth to Lexi. Are you going to run the
gauntlet?”

“Oh yeah,” I said excitedly, grabbing
Christina’s arm. “And beat it, too! Thanks for all the information, but I gotta
go. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Before she could respond, I was on my way. I
asked Ash to find out who, if anyone, was representing Bellingham in the
challenge, and when I found out it was Trevon, I sought him out. Before long,
he and I had switched places, and I was in line with plans to defy the odds.
Adrenaline kicked my heart into overdrive, and I could feel the increased blood
flow to my muscles. I jogged in place and then stretched. I felt good. Better
than I had all week. Even more pumped up than during the archery finals.

“Lexi?”

“Yeah,
Ash?”

“You got
this?”

“Easy.”
I laughed.
“I can feel it.”

“I just
found out what the winner takes home… So, you thinking we might be moving to
Bangor?”

“Could happen.
Don’t want to mess up this passionate thing you’ve got going with Madison.”

Laughter.
“Yeah,
I’ve got some work to do there. Been hearing the words ‘that was a big mistake’
every time I try and approach her today.”

 
“You’ll bring her around. I have no doubts,”
I said, tying my shoes in double-knots, not wanting to take any chances on a
stupid mistake.

“You just
win this so I can bring her around. Oh, and Jason says this was a brilliant
idea and can’t believe none of us thought of it. Also, we’ll all be waiting for
you when you come out the other side of the gauntlet.”

“See ya
there.”

When it was finally my turn, there was some
confusion as to whether or not Trevon could bow out and I could take his place.
So I waited patiently while they sorted through logistics. But as soon as I
caught a glimpse of Carlos and Mr. Wright hurrying towards the stage, I decided
I wasn’t waiting for anyone’s permission. Knowing those two, they’d find a
multitude of reasons why I couldn’t participate. Bolting up the stairs to the
platform, I glimpsed their red faces and noted Carlos was waving his hands in
the air.

Oh yeah! I thought. They are freaking out! That
could only mean one thing – they also believed I could do it. That unexpected
and unintended vote of confidence was like adding a cherry along with my
grandma’s homemade bourbon caramel sauce on top of a sundae. Ava Rose and I
lived for cherries! She didn’t know about the caramel sauce, but I lived for
it, too!

I stepped up to the first section, which was a
series of sliding metal sheets. Some rose from the floor, some slipped along a
track side to side, and the rest dropped from above. The metal scraping sounds
were loud. They reminded me of when my mom sharpened her kitchen knives on the
whetstone. Only this was more like a whole room full of swords being sharpened
at once. After a moment, I realized they moved in a looping pattern, so I
wouldn’t even need to rely on my Flair. I counted, watched, and waited. When I
was sure of the pattern, I launched myself over the first slide, like I was
jumping over a hurdle. From there I dodged left and right, ducked under a few
metal sheets and vaulted over a couple more. I breathed a sigh of relief when I
scrambled between the final two sheets. One down several more to go.

Next came the spikes. They jutted up from the
floor and stopped at varying heights before sliding back down again. They moved
quickly and unpredictably, reminding me of the Whac-A-Mole arcade game I’d
played when I was younger. Except the concept was very different. Rather than
whacking moles with a mallet, I’d be trying to avoid stepping on them – spikes
which could easily pierce through my foot and cause damage. Yuck! Nasty
thought, that. Several people had already dodged the spikes, though, so I knew
it couldn’t be that difficult. Once I had the rhythm all figured out, I hopped
through without any problems and came to an abrupt halt before the paddles.

From a rotating beam, different-sized wood
paddles – with small barbs of all things – extended outward and rotated in a
continuous circle. The trick here was to move fast while jumping, crawling, and
rolling at all the right times. While it was a bit of a work-out, I made it
through and only got nipped once on my butt. Leaning over, I rested my hands on
my knees and caught my breath while surveying the mini-wrecking balls where
Jaydon had failed. Upon closer inspection, I saw they were actually the
cannonball concretions that Madison had used during her target competition. The
sun pounded against my face and arms, and I wiped my brow. No doubt, I was
burning to a crisp. I’d tuned out everything else around me until now, so I
smiled when I realized the crowd was cheering uproariously. I could barely hear
the Zac Brown Band song filtering through the speakers.

Rubbing my hands together, I watched the
concretions. Someone had gathered several different sizes from the Ranch.
Hanging from a large wooden beam, they were secured with metal chains and swung
back and forth like a pendulum. They moved in a continual rhythm, faster then
slower – left, left…right…right…left, left, left…right…right, right. All I had
to do was move in the opposite direction at the same tempo. Confident, I dashed
forward, dodging them effortlessly. Until the end, that is. I was about to step
left and left again, but my Flair kicked in, giving me insight that the last
two cannonballs were gaining momentum, and if I continued I’d be knocked off
the gauntlet.

I froze, stood tall with my hands at my sides,
and barely breathed. There was scarcely enough room for me to stand between two
swinging concretions, but I managed. They “swished” by closely, and I felt a
rush of air. The cannonball in front of me was about face level, and I think if
I had stuck out my tongue, I would have gotten a taste of sedimentary rock as
it rushed by. I allowed my Flair to guide me the rest of the way. I ducked and
then glided forward like I was sliding into home, narrowly avoiding the last
cannonball, which was monstrous – twice the size of an exercise ball.

Holding my hands to my cheeks, I stopped for
another breather. My hands were shaking, and I was experiencing vertigo
something terrible. Everything around me seemed to be moving. I felt as if I’d
been on a merry-go-round for hours. Stretching my arms out, I steadied myself
and sent a blast of Essence throughout my entire body. Funny how well that
worked.

“You
okay?”

“Yep. Just
needed to take care of a little dizziness.”

“You’re
doing awesome! Only three more challenges left.”

“Yeah,
except the next one is like log-rolling without the water. And you know balance
is not my strong point. You remember I got kicked out of yoga, don’t you?”

“No.”

“Totally
true. I kept falling over, and then I’d laugh so hard, I couldn’t continue. By
then I’d disrupted everyone’s concentration. The instructor suggested I might
not want to consider Zumba.”

“Well, you
can laugh as much as you want here. Just don’t fall down.”

“Thanks
for that sagacious advice,”
I said sarcastically.

“Huh?
Whatever. Just glad I could help. Oh, and Jason says if you do fall down, get
up quickly, because it activates a sweeper. It will come across and brush you
off the logs and onto the ground.”

Frowning, I shook my head. Okay, Lexi, I told
myself. It’s now or never. Trusting my Flair, I stepped onto the first log and closed
my eyes. I saw no reason to look at my feet, because it wasn’t like they were
going to leave my body or anything. I held my hands just slightly away from my
chest, but knew from doing squats at the gym, that real balance came from the
legs. I walked forward on the log with tiny steps. With precision my Flair
alerted me the log was about to change directions, so I adapted my step and
walked backwards.

“Showoff”

“Whatever.”

“Hey, did
you know that a hundred steps backwards are equivalent to 1000 steps forwards?”

“Get out
of my head.”

“Just
saying.”

Slowly, I advanced, teetering from log to log,
with my feet switching from a forward step to a backwards gait, and forward
again. Before I knew it, my Flair had guided me to the end, and I’d reached the
next phase:
 
swinging oil drums.

Enthused by the cheering crowd, I turned and
waved. Refocusing, I scrutinized the metal barrels. Someone had created two
different challenges here. First, suspended on chains from a rotating top, the
barrels reminded me of the swing carousel ride at the Puyallup Fair. The
rotating top even tilted, adding extra variations of motion, and I wondered
who’d come up with such crazy ideas. No problem, though. In the second portion,
the metal drums swung back and forth at different velocities, generating a
hypnotic effect. I advanced and just when I thought I had the rates all figured
out, one jerked and bounced unpredictably in all directions. Soon after,
several more of the metal drums lurched and swung erratically. There was no way
any normal Guardian could get through here. With my eyes wide open, I propelled
myself between two barrels and immediately crouched low to the ground as the
bottom of a barrel swung madly above my head. With my Flair guiding me, I
worked my way slowly through the maze, knowing exactly when to move and how
fast to go.

In a matter of seconds, I was standing on the
small platform in front of the final challenge. Seeing all my friends only 15
feet away at the end of the gauntlet brought a huge grin to my face. I made eye
contact with Jason, and as happened so often, my heart fluttered. In that
moment, I felt like I could conquer the world. As I gazed at the trap doors in
front of me, I knew I had the power to control my own life.