Puzzle Pieces (formerly Reach for the Sky)

Chapter 26

I wake up the next morning with my every nerve buzzing, as though someone replaced every bone and muscle in my body with electric wires. Butterflies churn in my stomach, and I barely can keep down the breakfast I forced myself to eat even though I'm not hungry. I know I'll need the energy later in the race.

Grandmother drives me to the school, early enough that the frost still crunches under my feet. As I step out of the car, she takes my hand and squeezes it. "We're so proud of you, Autumn. We'll be coming to watch in a few hours– I don't know why you have to get there so early."

"Thanks, Grandmother." I lean in and kiss her wrinkled cheek. "I'll see you there."

"Now go!" she says, swatting me away playfully. "The bus is waiting!"

I board the bus with Hope, and Maria follows a few minutes later and sits down next to me.

"How was talking with your mom?" I ask quietly.

"I didn't," she replies. "I woke up early and walked here before she got up." The tone of her voice says she doesn't want to talk about it anymore.

The entire bus is in almost total silence for most of the two-hour drive. Even the boys, normally a very rowdy bunch, are quiet, probably as nervous as I am. The bus ride seems to take forever, but when we finally arrive, it is over too soon. I don't just have butterflies– my stomach is churning enough for there to be several dozen chipmunks fighting in there. I'm so nervous I think I might throw up.

Maria places a comforting hand on my arm. "I'm right here," she tells me. "I'll be right next to you the whole time."

I nod, the words helping to calm my racing heartbeat a little. The panic begins again, though, as we step off the bus and the sounds of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people reach my ears. It seems like everyone in Vermont must be here. The barrage of sounds confuses my senses, and I feel like I'm sure to walk into someone or out in front of a car, Hope unable to pull me away fast enough. Again, Maria seems to read my mind, taking my hand and placing it on her elbow, guiding me like she does in races. I can follow her more closely than I can follow Hope.

Inside the school, we find a corner to claim for our team and set down our bags. "I've got a pen!" Maria declares. "All the girls, line up!"

Confused and deciding I probably missed something everyone else was looking at, I find a place in line with the other girls. Maria places a pen in my hand. "You'll go first," she tells me, like I have any idea what that means.

Finally, she explains what's going on to Sadie, the one freshman on the team, and me. "Every year before states, we all write our names on each other's palms. You'll go down the line first, Autumn, so you don't have to worry about writing over anyone else's name by accident. When we're done, everyone will have every other team member's name written on their palm, as a reminder during the race of who you're running for."

I walk down the line, writing my name on each person's palm, then feeling the tickle of the pen on my hand as they each do the same. We may be seven different girls, but today we are one team with one goal.

The warm-up seems to fly by, and before I know it, I'm handing Hope off to wait patiently with Grandmother and we're finding our team's spot on the start line, ten minutes before the race. We stride out a hundred meters or so and group into a huddle, as other teams around us do the same. This is Maria's show now– as captain, she's probably had her pep talk ready for a while.

"Alright girls," she begins. "We know what we're here for. We know what we're trying to do. East River over there is the four-time defending champion. But right there, they're over there eyeing us. They're afraid of us, because they know we're a fast team.