Runaway

Chapter 19

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~Uploaded April 28th, 2014

I really wish that Dylan's proposal to become co-captains had come with a manual or instructions or something. Maybe I wouldn't be so nervous then. How To Captain A Paintball Team For Dummies. Yep, that sounded about right.

It was a bit past 8:30 on Saturday morning, at paintball practice for our team. We had done our warm-ups and were currently being instructed on how to load the guns. Everyone had done it pretty quickly and got it right the first time around, except for Evan, who complained that his gun magazine was sticking. It so wasn't.

"Alright", Mr. Tanner announced in a gruff tone of voice. "You'll be splitting the group into two teams. You'll have half an hour to find an orange flag I've hidden somewhere in the forest. Fire at each other upon necessity. We'll do the same thing next week but with different teams. The point of this exercise is to promote teamwork. Learn to work with, and not against each other." Mr. Tanner turned to me and Dylan.

"Dani, Dylan, since the two of you are team captains, you'll be in charge of your respective groups. Take your three members and gear up."

"Wait!", Evan said. Mr. Tanner turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't we get to, I don't know, shoot at targets first? Do some drills? Aren't you going to teach us stuff?"

"I believe in learning on the job", he said simply. "Remember your mistakes and make sure you don't repeat them. I'll blow the whistle when it's time to get going."

"Alright", I said to Dylan. "So, teams."

"Yep. He does this exercise every year, so don't stress out too much." He could tell I was stressed? "Anyways, I pick Brody." The tall brunette hefted his gun on his shoulder and walked over to Dylan's side. "Your turn."

"I'm aware of that", I muttered beneath my breath. "I pick..." I surveyed the rest of the team.

All of them were good shots, that was a given, but I needed people that could be quick, fast, and quiet, not to mention would follow orders and not question anything. Someone who knew the layout of the forest. And the underdog advantage had always worked in my favour. They thought I was too small, or too weak, to escape the base. And yet, here I was, standing in the bright September sunshine, hundreds of miles away. An underdog...

"Nolan", I said. The redhead looked confused, like no one had ever picked him first. Then he picked up his gun and walked over to my side.

"Andie." It figures. Andie walked over with a smile and high fived Brody's outstretched hand.

"Teddy." She got a look of panic on her pale face as she looked between me and Nolan. She tried to cover it up and slowly walked over. I had a feeling that a lecture would be coming my way afterwards.

"Garrett." That was Dylan's last team member, which meant I had Evan as mine. I could work with that.

We started gearing up, pulling on vests and goggles and knee and elbow pads. Our teams were distinguished by coloured scarves tied to our front vest pockets. My team was blue, Dylan's was red.

"Line up everyone!", Mr. Tanner called out. We walked up to the forest tree line. "Remember, only shoot if necessary, and bring back that flag. You have half an hour starting..." He glimpsed at his watch. I tensed my leg muscles, ready to run. "Now!" He blew the whistle and we were off.

I gestured for my team to follow me to the left side of the forest. We ran over the soft grass and old tree roots, around trees and eventually stopped by a large oak.