The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 17

Zoey

I gawked at the towering structure before me. A combination of wood and metal, it spread and twisted around like some strange creature. Behind it, the sky created a dramatic backdrop for whatever was about to play out.

Stitch planted his hands on his hips and grinned up at the structure. "Welcome to the Jungle, a favorite play place of young trainees. It can be used for teams or individuals. It's a complete course, so you just follow it to the end. Your balance, agility, and instincts will all be tested. The current record is 2 minutes and 37 seconds."

"I'm never going to break that," I gasped.

"I don't expect you to," Stitch countered. "I brought you here because I think this will be more up your alley. Some people run this for training; some run it for fun. I've been pushing you through regular training, so now I think it's only fair to give you something more fun to do. Just give it a go and see what happens."

I puffed out my cheeks for a second. "Do you really think I can make it through without falling off? It looks pretty high off the ground."

"There's a safety net in place," Stitch assured me. "Even if you fall—which I don't believe you will because you're stronger than you think—the net will catch you. You won't get hurt."

I seriously doubted that, but I would try to believe him. Knowing my luck, I'd get tangled in the net and get hurt anyway. Regardless of what I thought might happen, I needed to try... even if it was just to prove something to myself.

"Where do I start?"

Stitch pointed to the ladder just off to our left. "Climb up that, and you're on your way. Remember: there's no time pressure; just make it through."

I nodded and jogged over to the ladder. I glanced over my shoulder, feeling a little spark of strength when Stitch gave me a double thumbs up. It was just walkways, swinging steps and rings, and ladders. It's not like I had to dodge projectiles in the meantime. My balance and agility had been top-notch once, so maybe I hadn't completely lost that.

I climbed up the metal ladder and hauled myself onto the platform at the top. Graceful, no; but I wasn't going for style points. I just wanted to make it through this obstacle course without looking like a complete clutz.

Probably a solid 20 minutes later, I finally climbed down the ladder at the end of the course. I'd only fallen into the net once—a small victory in my mind—and I managed to keep the squeaks of surprise to a minimum. Granted, I'd still managed to twist my ankle a little at some point. Stitch had cheered me on from the ground the whole time, occasionally calling out suggestions of how to get through various parts. When I reached the ground, he had a big smile on his face.

"How does it feel to get through that?"

"Mentally? It feels good, like I did something great," I shrugged. "Physically... I'll let you know. I think some of my muscles are still in shock."

Stitch chuckled but still cast a quick analytic look over my person. I could see his medic mind doing a survey, checking if anything needed attention. With his training, he would probably spot something that I didn't even notice.

"You did very well, Zoey," he finally announced. "Most people take about half an hour to get through this course the first time. Granted, you've had previous training that helped you through it."

"You think it helped?" I sighed, looking back at 'the Jungle.' "It's been awhile since I've done anything like this."

He shrugged. "I saw you correct your balance and make footing choices in ways that new recruits wouldn't know about. Like I said before, you're stronger than you think."