Street Signs

Chapter 16

I barely looked at Cheveyo who was in front till there was no whistling still. I observed if he was also nervous about the game like any other team leader; however, I could see no hint that he was being tensed. In fact, I could say through his posture and facial expression that he was more than ready for this.

And in time, the pipe had been whistled.

Every team ran to reach the first obstacle which was passing in a pool of mud that was about two feet deep. In every group, there were fifty members, and that was why everyone was taking longers to pass over the mud since it was sticky and was about ten-meter wide.

Even I was having a hard time stepping on my feet and walking on the mud because it felt like it was eating me. Despite the difficulty, I could still smile because I just found it fun and interesting. My teammates, particularly my classmates that were next to me, did not stop mouthing and laughing as if they forgot already that it was a game we had to win not a game for us to just have fun. Nonetheless, even I could laugh with them because this first stage was indeed hilarious.

While stepping on my feet, something under the mud seemed to tickle my skin as if they had put worms inside. With that thought, I tried to walk faster because I felt loathed and uncomfortable with those tickles that could never stop.

"HEYO! MAKE IT FASTER!" Cheveyo shouted as soon as he stepped over the mud pool. He stayed there and assisted the team to get out of the pool as well. "YOU CAN DO IT, GUYS! FASTER, JUST PLEASE, FASTER!"

As commanded by the superior, we tried moving even faster until we finally reached the very end of the pool. While getting out, the smile on their faces exhibited brightly as the sun that was radiating in the blue.

While stepping my feet out of the mud pool, I wandered my eyes around and looked at the other teams to see if they were behind us you ahead of us already. However, my focus was set on Cheveyo who just scolded me as he held my hands, trying to pull me out of the mud.

"Don't focus on them," he said. "Focus on the team you belonged. Go on and make your move faster."

I got myself out of the pool in haste and ran as fast as I could to reach the second stage which was climbing a ten-foot wall in order to get to the other side. Though I had my protective gears with me, I was still afraid I could fall since I wasn't used to facing heights.

On the wall, there were ropes. The whole team should help one another in order for one to come across it. Since it was not recommended to climb the rope by at least ten persons, the team had decided to get on one's shoulder until we could reach the highest. The males did the layover, while they assisted all the females to get on the wall.

I was watching the other girls being carried by the boys until it was my turn already. I took a deep breath and convinced myself that ten feet were just short. I was about to catch the hands being held to me when another hand came into my sight.

"Let me."

With those two words, I felt the heat and even though I could not see my face, I knew I was becoming red. For some time I looked at that guy who was offering his hands to me not until the guys shouted at us saying,

"LEADER CHEVEYO, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

Instead of giving my hands to Cheveyo, I raised them to the guy who was waiting for me to accept his hand. My heart was beating fast as the males worked altogether in sending me to the top. There was a stench of fear in me, having the thought that any time, I could make a wrong move and fall on the ground. Nevertheless, I was fighting with that negative thinking and just tried boosting myself because I wasn't in a fairytale that when I fall, someone would catch me.

With the high fighting spirit I put on me, I was able to reach the top. And looking to the other side, there was a jumping trampoline waiting to catch me. With my heart still beating fast, I was thinking of how would I jump on it because it still looked risky on me. While preparing myself to jump, the other girls that were already on the other side, cheered for me. Hearing those shouts of encouragement, I was being pushed to take the risk already, and so in time, I did it.

As soon as my feet touched the trampoline, all the girls in my team expressed a loud whoop of joy. A sweet smile touched my lip knowing that I made it successfully. I just faced one of my fears!

And since the remaining ones on the other side where only the guys, we waited for them because we were not allowed to move on being incomplete. We were a team and we must work as a team, so while waiting, we also had taken time to cheer for them. Those loud yells were not wasted, fortunately, because, in just a short time, all the males were able to arrive at us.

When everyone in the team was on the other side already, we ran right away to the next stage where there were lots of bricks, walls, and other hindrances we needed to pass on. There were big and small tires we must surpass. We also had to climb walls and go on through holding unto the horizontal ladders until we reach the very end. Aside from these, we also had to crawl over the narrow portal and run circular over the thick-stemmed tree five times before we could finally get to the next step.

My sweats were running down already all over my skin and I was breathing hard while continuing to run with my teammates. So far, this was the most exhausting activity I had ever done in my life, and I did not think so if I would do this again.

"C'MON, GUYS! RUN FASTER!" Cheveyo shouted to the whole team as he noticed that the other teams were becoming ahead of us.

I could not really see Cheveyo totally since I was at the last line, but I knew he was sweating already as well due to trying so hard to win. I did not care actually if we would bring home the bacon in this game but thinking of the leader's effort as well as the members', I could swallow my pride.

"Brielle, how is it going?" one of my classmates who was running beside me, asked.

"Good, just a bit tiring," I answered, looking at the big portal we had to pass through.

"Inside that portal is just black. I think we are going to find something there," she said. "Anyway, run faster! See you there!" She went ahead of me already since she ran swiftly.

On the other side, I was doing my best to be in line with my team. Until I also was able to reach the portal, just as what my classmate had told me, it was dark there and all I could see were vectors.

"Everybody," Cheveyo's voice aroused in the portal, "stop. You should stay where you are and don't make a move without me giving you a signal. Is that clear?"

"CLEAR!" everyone said in chorus with full conviction.

"Good. Now, I'll explain to you everything, so listen carefully. Before we entered this portal, I was given a paper; it is written there that we should look for the key that was hidden in here-"

The portal was filled with murmurs then, causing Cheveyo to pause from speaking.

"Would you like to finish me first before complaining?" Cheveyo asked, that even we could not see him, his eyes seemed to be burning because of the attitude he had seen to his members. "Sure it is dark in here, but of course we are given a tool for finding. I have here five flashlights that we can use. It is limited only, so I have to group everyone into ten. Now, group yourselves into ten, and when you're fine already, I'll give you the tool."

As Cheveyo opened the light for us to see one another, we also had taken the quick time to group ourselves into ten. When finally done, as promised, he gave every group a flashlight, and that began the finding.

Everyone wandered around the portal and looked for the one key that was hidden there. Though we were many for one key, we still had a hard time discovering it because the portal was wide and it had winding ways. Aside from that, one flashlight could not light the whole place because it was not too strong, as if the coordinators sabotaged all teams about it for us to have difficulty in finding the key.

The other members that were with me were talking of a second plan when we could not find the key. Some said we should depart from each other because they were losing their patience already; however, some said that we should not do it because one Cheveyo knew about it, he would surely get mad at us. Besides, one could not move without the flashlight, so in the end, we chose to work together than solo.