Page 119 of Galaxy Games Four-Book Box Set (Galaxy Games)

119

The Bite

W illow

Speaking of optimism, maybe I was a bit optimistic when I thought I could add something to this team. Did I think I could help? All they expect from me is to walk in a straight line and I’m having trouble with that.

Willow? Valor asks in my head.

I resist the urge to say “Polo” and instead say, I hear you loud and clear.

Good, call out to me if you need help. Zedd said there was nothing on this asteroid except wind and sand, which means there might be predators of the humanoid or animal variety.

Right, I say, frowning. I shouldn’t kill the messenger. I’d already had that thought.

This barren planet is playing tricks on me. There isn’t one thing on the horizon I can use as a landmark. I think I’m walking in a straight line, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

The good news is that with nothing on the horizon, the moment the flag comes into view, we’ll be able to call to each other and come running.

The guys insisted I strike out in the middle and they hurried off in ninety-degree angles from me. That way, if I was in danger, they could each hurry to my aid. The farther we walk, though, the farther we are from each other.

I start singing “The Ants Go Marching One by One,” to keep myself from going insane. It may save my sanity, but I doubt Valor appreciates hearing it. I don’t know, maybe he can’t hear the words coming out of my mouth, maybe he can only hear my thoughts. If neither of us die today, I’ll have to ask him about it.

I hear a noise and instantly freeze. I’ve only heard this sound in movies, but I think I know what it is. It sounds like a rattlesnake.

Valor? I call to him. My internal voice is as filled with terror as if I’d said it out loud. There are life forms on this planet in addition to the contestants.

I swivel my head, looking around as far as I can, but see no slithering reptiles. I don’t know whether to be relieved or even more terrified. When I hear the rattle again, my fear ramps up by a thousand. I try to swallow, but my throat is as dry as the desert I’m walking in.

If you hear a rattling sound, it’s a poisonous snake, at least that’s what that means on my planet.

He tells me he’ll relay the information to Braveheart, then his voice turns husky when he urges me to be safe.

I can’t stay still as a statue forever. That’s as certain a death sentence as if I were bitten by a rattlesnake. I’ve got to keep moving.

Finally, there’s a tiny bump on the horizon and I pick up my pace. It helps me get my bearings and go in a straight line. I just wish I saw the damn flagpole.

Braveheart

Valor and I told Willow to walk and conserve her strength, then silently agreed that we would run. The odds of accidentally happening upon the flagpole are stacked against us, especially since the herd of other contestants may have been correct in the first place and are headed in the right direction.

My DNA allows me to run long distances without needing to stop, so I keep running forward. Because of my excellent sense of direction, I think I’m still on a straight course.

Although Valor warned me to listen for the rattling sound, there was no time between hearing the noise and the pain of the animal’s strike on my right ankle.