Freerunner

Chapter 13

I had never been so exhausted in my life.

Over the past weeks, I had been training non-stop for the test. During prison sessions, I asked Gabriel to be as harsh as possible when assessing my technique. I forced Elijah to fight me at ¾ of his best pace. It hurt but I imagined each bout of pain as another step closer to freedom. Dante kept a close eye on me, ensuring I didn't overwork myself.

Alex wasn't talking to me. Every time I went to enter his room, he'd throw stuff at me until I left. He avoided going anywhere near me and I often found him in dad's office. I reassured myself that once they'd all left, he'd be keen to start planning our own escape.

I rolled into the cells later that week to find them all waiting for me.

"Here she is," Prince announced. I dropped out of the hole and straightened up.

"What's going on? I'm not particularly used to such a large welcome crowd," I smirked.

Prince stepped forward. "Well, our time here is running short. Extremely short if I say so myself. Therefore, your test will be tomorrow. I hope you're ready."

My heart slammed against my chest. It was too soon. I wasn't ready. My technique was sloppy, my punches were weak and I wasn't ready to say goodbye. My eyes met Dante's and for a moment my legs shook. I took a deep breath and locked my knees.

"Great," I mumbled.

"Sure is," Gabriel stretched. "I'm sick of being cramped in this cell. The guards seem to hate us more every day. Something happen on your end Rose?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "I haven't noticed anything. Maybe someone's planning on attacking?"

We all looked to each other for ideas. When none were produced, Prince cleared his throat.

"Well then, we'll see you outside Pinks."

Outside in the prison yard, I found myself on top of the familiar silver bar. After a lot of begging, Gabriel had agreed to teach me flips. No more simple little jumps. Now I could really look like one of them.

"Okay, do it again," Gabriel said for the fifth time. I faced off Elijah who was standing on the bar opposite me. I focused solely on him, leaving my balance to second nature.

"Three, two, one, fight!"

Elijah moved first. He threw a punch towards my head and I ducked under his arm. I reached up and went to seize his wrist but he retracted it and swept his leg under my feet. I jumped straight up from the crouch position and tried to kick him in the kidneys. He flipped over backwards onto his hands then back to his feet. I ran forward and faked a right hook then went in with my left. He deflected it and went to push me off the bar. I jumped as high as I could and back flipped off before he could come in contact. I could see the ground become the sky and swung my legs over.

Then I hit the concrete.

I stumbled but managed to hold myself up. There was a brief pause then a series of claps. I looked up to see Elijah sitting on the bar, smiling at me.

"I did it?" I said uncertainly. Elijah nodded. I shifted my feet to see the cross marks on the ground right below me. "Yes!" I cheered. "Who's the precision boss now?"

Gabriel laughed. "Well, still me. Not to burst your bubble of course."

I rolled my eyes at him. It didn't matter to me, not one little bit. "Just a tip," he said. "Don't hesitate. You're more likely to get it right if you just go for it."