My mouth remains open wide. I didn't know what to do. My life flashed before my eyes. My family, my old house, my time on the streets. Even the bakery. I was speechless. I couldn't move. I was in absolute shock. I could barely her Elise's screams. They echoed through my ears.
I will lose this battle. I cannot win. I won't. I'll let my sisters down, I'll let my side down. And the worst thing is, I'll let my parents down. Maybe I could win, but even if I did I would have to live with the thought that I had hurt someone.
My face tensed and hardened. I would do my best to win.
"Will, you can't lose." Elise said.
"I'll do my best." I look at the baker. "Keep them safe. Please."
"Don't worry, I will. Be safe." He said.
I embrace Elise. Then whisper, "see you in two weeks." She smiles
"I hope so."
I stand. Everyone stares. Watching my every move as I make my way over to the climbing wall where the announcer stood. I see out of the corner all the eyes on me.
I look up. It was high. Like very high. High enough for someone to die if they fell. I place my hand on the walls first grip above my head. Then I bring my foot up to another. I repeat the process sometimes stopping to take a breath. If I let go there's nothing to break my fall besides the hard cement. So I don't dare look down to see how high I am. All I can and will do is look up and climb. I was close now. Very close. Maybe five feet away from the top I sped up the process. I was drenched in sweat. My hands were also sweaty. My left hand slips from the grip. I quickly wipe the sweat on my shirt then resume climbing. I sigh as my head looks over the top. Then I pull myself onto the platform.
I stand, wiping the sweat off my face and hands. What lie before me was even worse than the climbing wall. The obstacle course. I shiver as I think about the razor-sharp knives. I could almost hear them slicing through the air, already. I make my way down the hall to where it was.

I dodged a knife almost immediately as it whizzed past my ear. I wasn't expecting that, yet. That's what is supposed to happen. It's quite scary when you think about it. Knives slashing through the air. The metal clanging as it hits the floor. Or even the knives shooting through the air. I shiver as I hear the blades. It seemed almost impossible to get through that. I have to. Or Ill be made fun of by each side. I would lose my sisters and my mother and father would see me die on television. Well if they're still even alive. I wouldn't know, though. It would be a quick and painless death, hopefully. But Ill try not to die. For my sisters. For my parents, too. I ponder at what she would say if she saw me now.

I snap out of my trance as another knife flies and grazes my shirt leaving a hole. I pick up the two knives and an idea comes to mind. "Maybe I could block the knives flying at me with these." I thought. Only then did I remember the swoosh, bang and clang of the blades flying through the air. And the blades hitting the ground with a "clang" or even hitting the wall with a "bang". I memorized the patterns. Clang, bang, swoosh. It was a pattern I needed to know to get past. Clang, bang, swoosh. The pattern goes on as I walk towards the first blade. I couldn't back down now.

I slide under the blade just before it hits the ground. I stand and run past the other just as it hits the wall. Then I duck as the blade glides through the air aimed at my head. I hold the knife and hit it. It hits the blade with a horrible screeching noise of metal against metal.

I drop the knives and look forward at the two blades swinging one down low and one swinging above. There's only one way through. I had to dive through the two blades. Not too high. Not too low. One mistake could kill me. I prepare myself then I dive. It seems as if the world goes in slow motion then I snap out of my trance and hit the ground hard. I sigh in relief making it seem as if it were impossible. If it was, I had just done the impossible which is probably not true. It was just luck, probably. I hadn't seen anyone do this on television, though. It was just the three things to dodge. Then again, they did add a new challenge each year. I needed to hurry to the announcer before my time was up. I probably had about five minutes. I had to get there before Mira. Whoever she was.

I ran as fast as I could to the ladder which I climbed to where the announcer stood. Mira wasn't there yet which surprised me.

"Hello, Will! You came here fast. Nobody ever makes it this fast. You made the record." He said.

Wow, I didn't think I had gone very fast. It seemed like I had been down there for a while.

"How long did it take me?" I ask. He checks his watch.

"Sixty-seconds if this watch is telling the truth." He said.

I looked down below to see Mira still climbing up the climbing wall. How was that sixty-seconds? I thought that had taken me a while.

The announcer shows me a screen. It was showing me climbing up the wall and me dodging the knives. Then it shows me climbing up the ladder and making it here. I thought I'd never make it. I even thought I would die. But here I am. At the top. I had gotten the record. Out of all those people who did this. I made the best time?

"Wow." I said.

"After everything you just went through all you have to say is 'wow'?" He said to me.

"I'm probably just tired." I say.

He hands me a bottle of water and I drink all of it within two-minutes. About a minute later Mira appears. He looks at her and nods then he hands her a bottle of water once she drinks it he says,"Will and Mira will fight for there sides in two weeks. You will all see it happen very soon. Good-bye to all and happy fighting."