Freak [Zianourry] - COMPLETE

Chapter 20

A few weeks later
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I'd been rescued by Finn, driven to his house for two days to get my fitness up in his families gym, before I was reunited with the rest of our archery team for the rest of that week. We'd perfected what we'd practised and now, we were here.
"Welcome to the international archery competition! Are you excited?" The host smiled, his suit too groomed, teeth too white, shoes too polished and hair too gelled for my liking. "Over one thousand teams entered, our highest number yet, but we're down to our final, best, ten!"
"This is it." Finn's smile was bright, as we walked onstage with the other teams, bows in hand.
"Now, this won't just test skill, imagination, intelligence and teamwork, no. This competition will have a series of small events that our contestants couldn't revise for, so, without further ado, let's look at our mini tests!" Everyone's eyes turned to the huge screen, which displayed several titles.
'Best Bow'. Sprang out at me, and I looked down at my pristine bow, a grin creeping onto my face.
"Well, there's five. One for each of us, it says. Louis, you take best bow." Finn scanned the screen carefully. "Trix, you take agility. Nick, you take... Oh, that's tough. Stamina, strength, agility, best bow and inventive targeting? What the hell is that?"
"Sounds like it's a strategic way of taking down an opponent." I said quietly.
"Good point, Louis." Finn flashed me a smile. "Okay. Nick, you take strength, Kat, you take inventive targeting, and I'll take stamina."
"Sounds good." Trixie bounced on the balls of her feet. With agility, I knew her slender, light frame would come to good use. Nick was quite broad, not as fast, but that just suited. Kat was clever enough to think her way around whatever was thrown at her, and Finn was just being bloody perfect. Again.
"Team Seven!" Kat gasped. "That's good."
"Hopefully. It'd be worse going first, as the judges will be harsher, but we stand less of a chance if the other teams are bad." Finn looked at our contestants closely. "Well. Pub tonight, either way."
"I'm taking it easier than I did last time." I shook my head, making them all laugh.
"Team One! Would you like to step forwards!" The host called into the microphone and everyone applauded. "We start with our mini tests, then move onto accuracy, then distance, then teamwork, then intelligence, then the beloved free time! All at once, as well. Team One, take it away."
A muscular man stepped forwards, but he wasn't that broad. Stamina was first. "You have to run for as long as possible, shooting the targets along the way. The longer you run, the harder it gets." The host announced as he took his place in the middle of the arena. Machinery whirred to life and he started running against the moving floor, rolling and shooting out a target.
Time flew by, the team performing very well, until it came to their free time. Everyone was flipping around, when a piercing shriek shook the air, blood splattering to the floor. "Oh, dear god." Trixie whimpered, going dangerously pale. A girl had been shot in the eye, and paramedics were rushing onto the stage.
"Don't look, Trix." Nick pulled her into a hug, Finn shielding Kat's eyes. Someone fainted nearby, but I gritted my teeth.
"You either, Louis." Finn said firmly, turning me away with an arm around my shoulders, making sure both Kat and I couldn't see. He didn't look up, and I admired him for the fact that he didn't see himself as stronger, even when he protected us.
"Well..." The host sounded weak. "I guess we have to move onto the second team."
Team Two worked their way through, but their team was built more for speed and agility than strength and stamina, and it showed. Our team had a good mix, so I started to feel a little more confident, trying to forget what had happened.
Team Three was the opposite. Four were good, but boring.
"They're some to watch." Finn clucked his tongue as Team Five sped their way through the tasks, making minimal mistakes. "Best you've got, team."
"Team Six!" When this was announced, I payed every bit of attention, memorising how everything went, so I wouldn't mess up. Half an hour later... "Team Seven!" We stood straighter, walking towards the stage proudly and confidently. My previous act would not work here, and we knew it. Everything was planned out by Finn, and he knew what he was doing.
"So! Our first member, for stamina, please!" Finn walked forwards, his gaze firm, telling everyone who he was, why he was here, and how much better he was, without seeming arrogant. He performed brilliantly, not missing a beat, flipping, rolling, running and shooting for what seemed like forever. "Round of applause!" Finn, who was panting and sweaty, trudged back over to us.
"That was the best so far!" Trixie smiled as Nick walked forwards, and she was right. Maybe being a mutant helped.
"Strength!" The host shouted, and the audience applauded. Nick managed to shoot the bow easily, which was set to have a very hard drawback, before he skimmed his fingers over the weights. Many different weights were laid out, and you had to throw as accurately as possible, at the highest weight.
Nick suddenly shifted, the heavy weight flying through the air. Paper shredding filled the air as it drove straight through the target, making people gasp. Everyone was silent, until Nick bowed and walked back over to us.
"I love you, buddy." Finn was laughing. "Oh my god."
"Nick..." Kat was in tears. "You actually ripped it!"
"Pfft, why not?" Nick smirked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall of the stands. Trixie walked elegantly forwards, almost drifting, an impression she wanted to give.
Agility was tough. It was about speed, as well, being able to contort and twist your body in the split second, before you had to attack and run. Trixie was fighting strong, until her ankle snagged like others had done and she went flying. We thought it was over, and the audience even began to clap.
However, Trixie wasn't having it. As she landed, she didn't stop, but flipped over the ground, down the length of the stage, leaping gracefully into the air at the end. Her sophisticated finish made the judges nod, and we grinned.
"Best Bow!" My heart stopped, but feelings Finn's hand encouragingly against my back, I straightened my quiver and walked forwards confidently, a gentle smile in place.
A close target. A far target. A moving target. Arrows knocked, I struck the three bullseyes quickly. "And, now we judge the bow." The host walked forwards and I lifted it in the air. Cameras pointed at it, projecting it onto the screen as people gossiped. "Nice bow! Oh, look! A matching quiver! We saw you at the nationals, didn't we?"
"Yes, you did. It was a pleasure to meet so many lovely people, as there is here today." I smiled brightly. "It was a huge honour to come here, I must admit."
"And, where did you get your bow? What made you choose it?"
"A friend made it, actually, from scratch, specifically to match my needs. She's a wonderful woman, so thanks to Lela if she's watching." My eyes sparkled as I grinned at the camera, and I heard a few people sigh, making my grin grow, amused.
"What do you think about your team?" Once again, the microphone was at my mouth.
"They're the best friends I could have ever asked for. Honestly, they're such a fun bunch, and I think that's important, because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for their amazing support." Awws filled the arena, and I blushed lightly, still smiling.
"And your team leader?"
"All I can say is that he's perfect. But annoying. Still love you, Finn!" Everyone was laughing as I walked back over.
"Good impression. And enjoy your last competition, Mr. Annoyed!" Finn rolled his eyes at me. Kat took her place. Water flowed over the stage, making it slippery, while dummies appeared around her in a circle, closing in fast.
She spun around, sniping them out one by one rapidly, but occasionally switching sides in the blink of an eye to keep her back covered. When Kat was done, everyone applauded and she left, panting slightly. Everyone but me had been short of breath afterwards, thinking about it.
"Distance. That's three people. Teamwork, all. Accuracy, two. Intelligence, two. Free time, all of us." Finn sighed. "Okay. Nick and I'll take the accuracy, distance... Louis, you and..."
"Don't be modest, Finn. Go for bloody all of them." Trixie rolled her eyes impatiently.
"Fine! Louis, you, me and Kat on distance, Trixie and Kat on intelligence." Finn chuckled. "I'm not going to disturb that, it's more agility than intelligence, as there's not a lot going on up there."
"Rude." Kat retorted.
"As shown by amazing comebacks." I snorted as the stage was cleared. "Distance. Yay."
"Don't worry." Finn clapped me on the back as it was announced, and Trixie and Nick stayed at the edges as we walked forwards, to the end of the area.
"In this, the target will move progressively further and further away. You all have to try every stage, and if you miss the gold, you're out. Even if one person is standing at twenty feet, if they strike the one hundred foot target, that's what they get." The host smiled.
Targets appeared quite close, and we shot them easily, people dashing out and fetching our arrows, putting them in a tray by Nick and Trixie as the next target was set up. All in the space of ten seconds.
We moved easily through the targets, mine and Kat's arrows started wavering slightly at fifty feet, Kat's more so. Finn was still bang on, having trained hours every week for years.
Kat was out at seventy feet, making her go and find her arrows in the tray as Finn and I still shot the targets down, my arrows drifting more, but still firmly in the gold until I realised what I was doing wrong. We weren't allowed to converse, but I heard Finns eye roll as I hurriedly adjusted my bow, setting it to something easier for far away targets.
My arrow hit the bullseye bang on, making us both grin. The two targets went up five feet further away, and we shot them down.
Fifteen feet later, my arrows started to drift again, but I was doing well. At one hundred at twenty feet, I was out, but Finn was still fine. People were muttering, including the judges at his one hundred and fifty foot arrow hitting the bullseye.
We nattered at the sidelines, knowing it would still be a while. The second best archer we'd seen today had been eliminated at one hundred and seventy feet, and we doubted the teams after us would be as good. Finn could hit a bullseye (sometimes) at two hundred feet. Staying in this wouldn't be too hard.
"This is not true! There's something going on." The team leader next to us narrowed his eyes. Someone was a sore loser. His teammate caught my eye, and I glared back, albeit feeling uneasy.
"Ignore him, Lou." Trixie whispered in my ear, but she too watched them subtly. When her gaze slid away, I glanced over to Finn again, who was at one hundred and eight feet.
The tiniest of movements made me grip my bow tighter, fingers curling around an arrow. My eyes watched discreetly, before I lunged, everyone falling silent.
An arrow clattered to the ground, deflected by my bow. Everyone was watching us, as the spotlight had constantly been on our team, Finn and us. I straightened.
"Sabotage," I said clearly, people listening closely. "Is cowardice. You shot for our heart, with malicious intentions. It is not a good thing." Holding his gaze, I walked back to my team before I turned away.
The competition continued, but the team somehow disappeared. "You just bloody saved our lives." Nick said with wide eyes.
"I had a gut feeling they were going to do that." I shrugged.
"And, OUT!" The host yelled as Finn's arrow didn't reach the gold at two hundred and fifteen feet. "An incredible performance!"
"Well done!" We cheered as he yawned, leaning on the wall next to us.
"Tiring. Just set the target further away to start with." Finn rolled his eyes, but seemed jittery from how close we'd come to being shot.
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What felt like forever later, our free time was announced. Our time was much longer than normal, but I took it as a good thing. We had a polished performance, and started shooting and rolling, diving and leaping over and around one another, dodging and deflecting targets.
The final part, Finn and I were weaving our way around the three others who were shooting and tumbling about, making it look discreet, before we span, our arrows sailing towards each other.
Kat, Trixie and Nick had hit the ground instantly and simultaneously, and we both ducked down as our arrows collided, splitting in half, sending a shower of glitter into the air.
"Well done! Team Eight!" We'd done everything we could. Now, we had to wait.