Untouched (Denazen #1.5)(7)

“Something with a bit of a challenge,” Dez said. “Oh, maybe a table game. A first-person shooter or something?”

“No way. I’ve got just the thing!” Kiernan hopped from the pit as a pair of screaming children came cascading down the slide. “Follow me.”

Ten minutes later, we’d walked across the park—passing more of what Dez called mandatory eats. By the time we arrived at our destination, I’d eaten two corn dogs and something called fried ice cream. Dez said she was impressed because no one she knew could stomach more than one corn dog. I took this as something to be proud of, promptly informing the man we bought a soda from. He didn’t seem overly impressed, though. In fact, he apologized and then, for some reason, directed me to the bathrooms.

We stopped in front of a small crowd gathered around a large red and yellow wall. They were cheering and yelling as two men struggled up a thick-knotted rope. The first made it to the top, jumped down, and proceeded to drop to his belly and crawl through a plastic tube. When he reached the end, he hopped onto a narrow beam hovering over murky-looking water.

The second man was still trying to climb the wall.

“What’s this?”

Kiernan laughed. “This is the Podunk version of American Gladiator. Jeeper’s Jungle. It’s a guy thing.”



Other than the fact that it was a guy thing—which I assumed meant I should do it if I wanted to fit in—it looked fun. Watching as the first man crossed the finish line, my eyes traveled back over the course. I saw at least ten ways he could have cut his time in half.

“Okay,” I said, stepping forward.

Dez’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “Okay, what?”

“Okay. I’m going to do it.”

“The obstacle course?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“Kiernan said it was a guy thing…”

Her confusion melted into a smile. “Another expression. She just meant most girls find it mindless, and yet for some reason, the guys seem to love it.”

“Oh… Well, what do you think?”

“Me? I think it looks awesome.”

“Okay, then,” I repeated. She thought it looked awesome. That was a good thing. And Kiernan said it’s what normal guys did. I wanted that. If not for myself, then for Dez. I wanted to give her normal—at least a little of it. “I’d like to try it.”

“Woo-hoo!” Kiernan yelled, waving her fist in the air. “We got a contender!”

They showed me to the wall where a man in a colorful suit—he must have borrowed his clothing from the Statue Man, too—was standing. He explained the rules. Simply get through the course as fast as you can, making sure to hit all the stations. He also handed me a whistle, saying it was in case I got into trouble. I wasn’t sure what kind of trouble I could get into, but I tucked it away just in case. It never hurt to be prepared.

I was racing against the winner of the last race.

“On your mark…” the man in the yellow suit said.



The previous winner stepped up to the rope. I stayed several feet back.

“Get set…”

The other man grabbed the rope, tugging several times before turning to glare at me. I had a feeling he was trying to be intimidating, but really, he simply looked like he had to use the restroom.

“Go!”

I ran at the wall, leaping and placing my right foot against it. The shoes Dez had bought for me—Vans, she called them—were an excellent source of traction. I was able to scale the wall with ease, grabbing the rope at the top for the added momentum to swing myself over the edge.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar form and a flash of white. Twisting as I neared the tube opening, I glanced out over the crowd but saw nothing. Paranoia. That’s all. When things seemed to be going well—when I felt most happy—that’s when it crept in. Surely something had to be on the verge of going wrong, because someone like me did not deserve this…

I pushed it aside. Through the tube and onto the thin wooden beam. I sprinted forward and across the beam without slowing. From the crowd, I could hear Dez’s voice cheering me on. It pushed my silly paranoia to the back of my mind and urged me forward.

I could see the end of the course. Seven feet. Ten tops. Screams of encouragement drifted from the crowd and it was hard not to smile. Me. They were cheering for me.

The energy of the crowd was intoxicating. So much so that I almost missed the flash of white on the edge of the crowd. I was sure this time it wasn’t simply my imagination. I’d seen it. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I’d seen it. I slowed, coming to a stop a few feet from the painted line on the ground that said Finish. Frantic, I scanned the crowd but saw nothing on first pass. On the second, however, something caught my eye.



Someone.

“Hurry!” Dez called. “Cross the finish line!”

A quick look over my shoulder, and I saw the other man, huffing and puffing—and a shade much redder than before—lumbering toward me. I took three steps and crossed the finish line to a chorus of cheers and excited screams.

From the right, I could see Dez and Kiernan making their way toward me. Instead of circling to meet them, I passed through the exit and crossed back to the waiting area where I’d seen it. Seen him. It had been a man—that I was sure of. Something on the edge of my mind tugged at a memory. Something that didn’t want to be uncovered.