by K. Manna
Wash it away. Wash it all away, down the drain and far away from me.
Back through the maze of bushes, we walked silently together. We entered the open circle where the others waited for us to join them. I stood nervously with my head down, waiting for the results to be given. But before they were, Dr. Avery took out his scanner, checking over all the injuries that had been healed during the Royals Rise event. First, he looked at Indee and his victim, an innocent-looking schoolgirl. Then his gaze turned to Bree and her pretty girl victim, and finally, he turned to me and my victim, tatted-up Donovan. All three victims were of similar athletic physique.
Consulting his device again, Dr. Avery pressed buttons and adjusted settings to get a better look at our healed body parts from different angles.
How interesting. Now, if only I could read what he is looking at.
I tried to read Dr. Avery’s facial expressions. He mouthed silent words to himself that I couldn’t decipher.
When Dr. Avery finished checking the screen, he and Sir Felix walked a distance away and began whispering.
I wish I could hear as well as Lottie right now.
The time had finally come. Sir Felix stood facing only the three healers now. I held Bree’s dainty hand while Indee held her other hand. We impatiently waited together to hear the results. Only Bree’s face displayed a large, hopeful smile. Indee and I had more serious facial expressions.
Sir Felix began speaking loudly and clearly. “The results are in. We have a winner! Let me tell all of you that this decision was an immensely difficult one. All three of you did extremely well and healed very closely, time wise. But after checking the injuries over, we have found a definite deciding factor.” He looked in Bree’s direction. “Maybree …”
Bree spoke impatiently. “Yes, yes?”
Sir Felix went on. “Dr. Avery has found a fissure in your bone, which proves that your healing has not been fully completed. Healing completely, all the way through, is extremely important, especially on one’s self. You have not been chosen because of this finding.”
Bree’s smile disappeared. Her lower lip began to quiver. “Are you serious? I-I can’t believe this. I truly didn’t win? You should check it again. It must be a mistake.”
“I’m sorry, Maybree, there is no need to recheck. It is a definite fissure,” Sir Felix said, looking to Indee and me as Bree stepped back, excluding herself. Indee and I immediately grabbed for each other’s hand. “It came down to the two of you. Indee, you struggled quite a bit with removing the bullet from inside of your abdomen, and Margo, you struggled with healing Donovan’s dislocated shoulder. But in the end, both of you finished successfully.” Sir Felix’s eyes trailed back and forth between the two of us; silence filled the air.
“The difficult decision,” he went on, “has been made by the royals. Ultimately, it boils down to the most important healing ability, and that is healing one’s self. Margo, you successfully healed yourself in all tests, and the struggle with Donovan’s shoulder took less time than did Indee’s struggle with healing the bullet from his abdomen. Margo, you are in fact the Royals Rise winner!”
Wh-wh-what the hell? Really?
“Wh-what?” I asked, dumbfounded.
Sir Felix smiled. “You have won, Margo! How do you feel right now?”
Happy tears filled my eyes. “Like I’m in a dream. I-I can’t believe that I won. This doesn’t seem real.”
Sir Felix walked over to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Well, you have won. This is not a dream. I can guarantee you that.” He began walking forward while still holding onto me. “Miss Selks, you had better make your way up to the royal balcony and have your picture taken so that you may join the royal family. We have more to look forward to after a short break.”
Before heading to the royal balcony, I turned and hugged Bree and Indee. “Good luck,” I whispered to each.
My heart no longer felt like it was in itty-bitty pieces in the pit of my stomach. It felt happy, whole, and back where it belonged. After getting my photo taken, Leenda guided me toward the royal family. Five men sat in front of a large screen, a much larger screen than we had watched from below. All five of them sat in fancy jeweled chairs, looking so … royal. Preston stood in the back of the balcony, munching beside the tables topped with food. The Zylo noticed Leenda and me approaching.
The Zylo stood up and came toward us, cupping my hands in his. “You did wonderfully, young lady. We are all very impressed.” He directed me toward the others and handed me a check.
Whoa, awesome! I get the same amount as Preston? Holy bananas, I have never had so much money all to myself before.
“Each winner will receive the same amount. Enjoy!” the Zylo beamed.
The Zyon stood up with the others.
Oh, he looks so handsome. Look at his smile, so perfect. Please kiss me now. Who cares if all of these people are around? I don’t really care. Just kiss me.
“Congratulations, Margo!” The Zyon smiled with a glimmer in his eye. “I would like to introduce you to my uncles. As of tomorrow, we will all be family.”
Shyly, I smiled, feeling so inferior compared to all of this royal masculinity in front of me.
“This is Uncle Jude.” The Zyon gestured toward a man with speckles of gray in his dark hair and smiling, sky-blue eyes.
“Very nice to meet you, darling,” Uncle Jude said, shaking my hand.
The Zyon stepped toward a shorter, more plump man with dirty-blond curls but the same sky-blue eyes. “This is my wild uncle, Nigel.”
“Whoa! You heal beautifully, young lady. Glad to have you joining our family,” Uncle Nigel said in a loud, excited voice.
“And here is Uncle Demetri,” the Zyon pointed out.
Uncle Demetri stood taller than the others and had a leaner, younger look.
He is definitely the most handsome of the brothers. Something about him reminds me of Eli. Oh, it’s the smile. Yup, that’s it.
Uncle Demetri’s smile radiated confidence and charm that surely gave him no problem with getting the ladies.
Shaking my hand with his strong, firm grip, Uncle Demetri said, “You are something. I know whom to come to if I am wounded. You really pulled through that last test. That couldn’t have been easy.”
I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t, but I didn’t give up.”
“No, you sure didn’t and never should. That shows what a strong person you truly are,” Uncle Demetri said with genuine eyes.
Aw, what a nice guy.
For a second, he made me forget my feelings of inferiority.
Uncle Nigel laughed. “Ha! Margo, you really did outshine the other two young ladies. Good work.”
I didn’t say anything, only smiled.
Poor Indee, mistaken for a girl again. I will just keep my mouth shut. I thought the same thing once, too.
“Well, we should all take our seats because the Royals Rise will continue very soon. Margo, feel free to grab a bite to eat or a chilled drink in back,” the Zylo offered.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
Actually, as hungry and thirsty as I felt from using so much energy, I felt even more drained and exhausted. All I wanted to do was fall into one of the comfy chairs and simply relax. So that was what I did: plopped, sprawled, and relaxed, not wanting anything more in the world at the moment.
Everything is perfect. Just perfect!
After all that I had learned, practiced, and endured, look where I sat now. It had all worked out to my advantage even after feeling such hopelessness and dread. I sat in a royal chair on the royal balcony with the royal family and soon would be given the royal name. Everything was so dang royal, and wonderfully so.
Sir Felix appeared on the massive screen with Sasha and Cole on either side of him. Of course, I rooted for Sasha because I knew her better and had spent more time with
her. Cole was a nice guy, though. So if he did happen to win, I would be happy for him. Oh, how hard it must have been for Lottie to watch both her friend and her boyfriend up against each other. Woman to man. Muscle to muscle.
Hmm, who will win?
“Wow, look at how tall that young lady is. I bet she is even taller than you, Demetri,” Uncle Nigel commented loudly.
Then Uncle Demetri said, “Well, we all know she is definitely taller than you, stunted older brother.”
“Ha-ha, most people are. I never grew as tall as my brothers, Leon, because your Uncle Demetri stole all the height from me. What a prick. Wouldn’t you agree, Leon?” Uncle Nigel asked the Zyon with a laugh.
The whole clique of royal men laughed together at that.
“You are something, Uncle Nigel. How could Uncle Demetri possibly have stolen your height when he was born after you?” Zyon Leon asked.
“Ah, he just did, my boy. That is my only excuse for being a short man. Oh, it looks like they are getting started. That is enough about my short stature. Let us watch. This shall be exciting,” Uncle Nigel said.
After introductions were made, Sir Felix instructed Sasha and Cole to stand quite a distance apart in front of the large speckled rocks engraved with royal symbols that sat on the ground at their feet. These rocks were much bigger than the previous rocks I had seen them working with. Just looking at them made my back hurt, but the expressions on Sasha’s and Cole’s faces showed no concern at all. They were actually laughing about something, looking pumped up and ready to go.
“The third competitor, Jeremiah Pepick, will not be competing against Sasha and Cole due to a very serious and unfortunate mishap,” Sir Felix explained, then turned toward the competitors. “In front of each of you is a seven-hundred-pound rock. When my whistle blows, you will both carefully raise the rock above your head with both hands and throw it as far as possible.”
Off to the side on the screen, I noticed Sonya standing alert and ready, obviously in case any injuries occurred, which by the looks of it could be very possible.
“Wait for the sound of the whistle,” Sir Felix raised his voice, walking backwards.
WHOOT!
Immediately, Sasha and Cole bent down, picking up the rock in front of them with no problem. Their hands lifted the heavy rock above their head and threw it in front of them. Cole’s rock flew faster through the air, passing signs in the grass denoting distance in yards. It tumbled onto the ground, kicking up chunks of grass and mud. It looked like the rock landed several yards past the ninety-yard line, slightly farther than Sasha’s.
“Whoop, whoop! That’s what I’m talking about!” Cole yelled.
Sasha made a silly pouty face. “Blah, blah, blah. You’re just a better thrower than I am, football boy!”
Cole laughed. “Ha-ha. Make any excuse you want, Sasha.”
Sasha rolled her eyes.
“Very good. We will now move on,” Sir Felix said, walking in a different direction. “Please follow me.”
Sasha and Cole each stood in front of a gigantic clear ball that held a reflective silver “Z” inside of it.
“You will be pushing this large ball in front of you. It weighs approximately sixteen hundred pounds. As you can see, each ball sits in a holder that leads down its own individual winding path. This path will slope up a ramp and finally finish at the opposite end. You will need to push your ball into the final holder. At the sound of the whistle, you may begin,” Sir Felix explained.
The glass balls were gigantic. They were definitely taller than Sasha, and she was a pretty tall chick. And the width of the ball looked slightly wider than the length of both of her arms stretched out sideways.
Sasha must have heard my thoughts … weird.
At that very moment, Sasha wrapped her arms around the ball in front of her, pretending to give it a big hug. Then she smiled at the camera. Her arms didn’t quite reach halfway around the ball, but it was pretty close.
Both Sasha and Cole had their hands ready and waiting on the back of their gigantic Z-ball in front of them. A moment later, a royal-blue light beamed up from beneath Cole’s ball, covering Cole in a blue glow. Sasha’s light was the color green, casting a green glow on the front of her body.
The whistle blew loudly.
The game is on! Hurry! Hurry, Sasha!
They pushed and shoved until their balls moved out from the concave holders and onto the curving silver path ahead. It reminded me of a bowling ball moving through the gutter, except this was much bigger. Cole moved more quickly than Sasha, but she wasn’t that far behind, only a few footsteps. Then each of their paths became wave-like, twisting here and there. This was where Sasha gained the lead by having more control over her ball during the twists and turns. Cole had to slow down to prevent his ball from rolling out of the path.
When the winding portion of the path ended, a long straight shot lay ahead. Cole slowly began to gain on Sasha again. My heart thumped inside my chest while watching all the adrenaline action. So much strength, speed, and so many change-ups kept me wanting more.
“Come on, Sasha. You are so close,” I whispered to myself.
Near the end of the straight path, it began to slope upward, as Sir Felix said it would. This steep slope was coming up, and coming up fast.
Their strength amazes me. Just look at their strong hands making it look so easy to push such a humongous ball. Such craziness.
As she started up the sloping ramp, Sasha was only a few paces in front of Cole. She pushed and pushed her way up, making all kinds of funky faces. Cole cruised up his ramp with surprising speed.
Where did he get such a burst of energy? Oh, hurry up, Sasha. Cole is gaining on you.
As their slopes came closer to the finish, they became even more steep. Both balls inched forward as their weight pressed heavily on human hands. I could tell this was very difficult for the both of them. But again, somehow, Cole seemed to spark another burst of energy as he gave a nice swift shove to his ball. The silver, gleaming “Z” spun along inside the ball until the ball jolted to an abrupt stop.
KERPLUNK!
The ball slammed into the finishing dip, and blue-and-white lights began flashing brightly. A fraction of a second later, Sasha’s ball slipped into its holder, causing green-and-white lights to flash.
“Whoa! I’m hotter than hot today!” Cole’s voice hollered through the speakers.
Sasha puckered her lips. “You might be hot as fire right now, but that fire is gonna burn out real soon.”
That made Cole laugh. “Oh, are you water now, the water that’s gonna put my blazing-hot fire out?”
“You know it!” Sasha put her hands on her hips, turning with a swirl of her head.
Sir Felix interrupted the trash talking with an explanation of the next muscle-straining activity. “Over here, there are two weight racks, one for each of you. You will begin by standing behind the bar. Each bar holds four weights on either side, each weighing three hundred pounds, thus totaling a mighty twenty-four hundred pounds.” Sir Felix placed his hands on the bar in front of him. “At the sound of my whistle, each of you will begin by carefully lifting your bar over your head and lowering it so that it rests upon your shoulders. You will walk about one hundred and fifty feet toward the staircase directly in front of you. One careful step at a time, you will ascend the staircase, where you will find a second weight rack at the top. Return the weight to the rack and your time will be recorded.” He clasped his hands together. “All understood?”
“Yup.” Cole nodded.
Sasha also nodded in agreement. “Got it.”
“Very well. Sasha take the green bar and Cole the blue,” Sir Felix said.
Sasha sent a sassy smile Cole’s way. “I got this one. You can run along to loser central because I’m winning this one, boy.”
“You wish.” Cole hurriedly
ran for the blue weight stand.
When Sir Felix saw that they were both in starting position, hands firmly grasping onto the bar, he brought the whistle to his lips. “Whoot!”
With so much weight to lift, Cole’s face blossomed red instantly, while Sasha’s grew a soft pink. Loud growls came from Cole’s mouth as he pulled the bar up over his head. Little grunting noises came from Sasha as she did the same, moving with focus and determination in her eyes.
Hurry! Hurry! Sasha, hurry up, woman!
Cole kept winning round after round. Things were not looking good for Sasha so far. If she didn’t start winning—like immediately …
With the weighted bars resting on their shoulders, each of them took slow, careful steps toward the staircases in front of them. The massive weights that they were carrying made me imagine their spines snapping in half. It might have happened if they had been normal human beings, but they weren’t. Nope, they had the energy and strength of legendary he-men.
Oh, no. Did Cole just wobble?
Only steps before the staircase, Cole seemed a little uneasy. His body swayed awkwardly to one side, causing him to slow down and concentrate to keep the weight over his feet. On the other staircase, Sasha cautiously began to make her way up, step after step, higher and higher. One, two, three, four … all the way up to the very last stair.
I gripped my legs with anticipation, my heart fluttering with jumping joy now that she had passed up Cole.
Oh, damn! Watch out, Sasha.
Cole regained his balance, following shortly behind. Sasha kept on, squeezing her lips tightly together, as she began to lift the bar up from her shoulders, over her head, and steadily set it into the grooves of the stand.
“Yes, Sasha! You did it!” I excitedly said to myself. “That’s my girl. I knew you had it in you.”
Sasha jumped up and down with black sweaty curls sticking to her face, screaming wildly. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoaa!”
Cole’s bar slid into the holder, his head shaking back and forth as he rolled his shoulders.