Powerless Revision 1 (18 page)

Aoi found the same items in her chest, and she barked at her team to start rolling snow and piling it up against the wall. The snow they had already moved gave them a big head start over Vern’s team.

Applying pressure to millions and millions of snowflakes, the students on Vern and Aoi’s teams packed and pushed the icy snow together. The snow, however, refused to pack because it was too cold to carry moisture. Because of that, Aoi’s snowman quickly became nothing more than a heap of snow. They threw snow upon it only for it to slide down and slope outwards.

“We’re gonna need a lot more than this!” said Mira, alerting her teammates. They took their shovels, ran out of the gate, and started ferrying snow back in.

While outside, they saw the members of Vern’s team turn fist-sized snowballs into hay-bail sized snow rolls. Like an ox pulling a plow, Dennis casually strolled a few feet in front of his teammates, who harvested the snow and directed it back through the gate toward their section of the wall. Before long, several such rolls as tall as any of the students lined the wall in Vern’s area.

The peak of Mt. Aoi extended up to the second floor, and the students realized they would need to incorporate that walkway into their pile and have it lead up to the top of the wall. As long as they had enough snow, they planned, it would be possible to run right up the side and off the edge.

“Finally! What a relief,” Roselyn cheered when her team struck the chest, but she scratched her head over how to get through the lock. “I think it’s safe to assume we have to do the same thing. Let’s start piling snow. We can still do this!” But she looked at how far behind her team was, marked by the two rising snow piles, and she knew her team had already lost.

Her area looked like a minefield, but Jeremy troubled her more than any of the holes. He sat in the snow watching the heated race between the other teams, oblivious to his own. Roselyn couldn’t figure out why he would want to risk finishing the academy at the bottom of the class. The thought of such a finish sent a shameful quiver through her heart, and she scurried to move the snow along with her teammates. She prayed for anything to happen to allow her to catch up.

Across the courtyard, Mira called her rushing teammates’ attention to a problem that struck her.

“We should pile snow on the other side of the wall too, so we land without getting hurt!”

“Are you crazy?” Aoi responded after heaving a shovel-full of snow up onto the pile. “They’re catching up! We need to get this over and done with as soon as possible!” Urgency and desperation rang in her voice, and Mira saw her glance up at the top of the heap to calculate if she could make the jump. They carried most of the snow up to the second level and packed it on from there, while trying to avoid a glance at the neat and organized rolls stacking up along the wall on the other side.

Once the massive mound consumed the second floor and led clear up to the top of the wall, Aoi made the decision that the time had come to start sending people over.

“Mira, you go first! Everyone else, keep piling snow!” The mountain suddenly looked more terrifying when it came time to climb it, but Mira swallowed her fear and took some space for a running start. From a full sprint, she leapt at it and attempted to stomp and pull her way up. She sunk into the soft snow and it felt like she wasn’t going anywhere. But the frozen clumps and icy chunks held enough to support her climb. She felt the snow give way behind her, but she made her way up.

Her heart beat through her chest and she gasped for air. The snow and her effort drowned out the sound of the cheering spectators. She was all alone in an avalanche. Reaching her arm up for her next advance, it startled her when there wasn’t any snow to grab. She looked up and only a sea of clouds lay before her. She stood up and looked down at the long drop down. The wind tossed her hair and the fresh air felt good in her heaving lungs.

She turned back to look behind her. She could see her path all the way down to the bottom, where Aoi stood, frantically waving her arms and telling her to jump. Vern’s team stacked the snow bails; it wouldn’t be long before they too made their ascent. Turning back to the drop off, she tried to convince herself that the snow would cushion her fall.

Aiming for a thick drift of snow, she jumped from the top and let gravity drag her back down to Earth. She felt weightless for a moment, but then the ground rushed up under her and smacked into her. She crashed into the snow and a raw tingle went through her body. She took a few deep breaths and then felt good enough to get up.

The rest of the team hurriedly repaired the damage Mira had done during her ascent and the next climber prepared himself. Mira could hear Andrew straining and puffing before he even got near the top. Seeing him emerge, she quickly hustled out of the way. She watched him jump and then spin in the air, finally landing on his upper back.

Fearing that he had seriously injured himself, Mira rushed over to the pair of legs dangling in the air. But when she pulled him out, all she saw was a big grin on his face.

“Two down, three to go. We’re gonna win this thing!”

Together, they rushed around to the front and entered the outpost through the gate. Roselyn’s team still had a long ways to go, but it looked like only one more roll would be enough for Vern’s team to make it over.

Andrew and Mira made it back to their area just in time to watch Rowland muscle his way up the mountain of snow. He furiously leap-frogged his way up, straining to make progress against the sinking snow. Grunting, his ascent seemed to be nothing more than an act of pure will. But he grew exhausted and weary at the top, dropping over the edge with none of the tenacity that propelled him there.

Only Aoi and Chucky remained. She told him to go and Chucky floundered against the snow like a fish out of water. Steam rose from his back and the snow became oily and slick. She shook her head in disgust at his pathetic attempt and made a run at the top herself. She used Chucky’s back as a springboard up the mountain, and soon she sprinted to the top and launched herself off the edge without any hesitation. She sailed through the air and out of sight, only to reappear through the gate moments later.

At the same time, Vern had begun to scale the carefully constructed stack of giant snowballs. The snow had frozen in place and felt solid as a rock. He leapt up and up until he found the precipice. But when he got there, instead of jumping, he called for the next member to go, and he pulled them up with his power, making the climbing an effortless affair. It only took Kurt a minute before he made it over the edge.

Meanwhile, Aoi struggled to heave Chucky up the soft and cushy mound.

“Are you even trying to climb? Just pull yourself up!” she yelled while pushing him up from below.

“I’m doing the best I can!” he said, but the snow gave way underneath them and soon Chucky landed on Aoi at the bottom of the hill.

“Get off of me!” she screamed. “I’m going to rip you apart and throw your pieces over! If only you weren’t such a mammoth!” She threw him up against the snow, turning to push him up with her shoulder and back.

“We need to hurry! Right now! Let’s go!” She shoved him up, tossing him against the wall of snow. She took a step up and caught him as he slid down only to throw him higher.

“Come on! Come on!” she screeched, but Chucky only flopped helplessly in the powder. Gritting her teeth and straining, the small girl dragged a boy twice her size up a mountain of snow. She felt the loss of every second that slipped away as it brought her closer to failure. Chucky yelped from the pain of her yanking and shoving.

The top was only a few feet away, almost close enough for her to throw him over, when she heard a loud roar from the people in the courtyard. Fearing the worst, Aoi looked back to see Dennis, the last one left on Vern’s team, scaling his snowy stairs. Vern pulled him, reeling him up each snow roll. Climbing to the top of one, he lunged on before it melted and collapsed beneath him. Rapidly, he ascended each platform, pulling his legs under him before springing higher.

Aoi grabbed Chucky and carried him in front of her up to the top. Another roar erupted, and Aoi swiveled her head just in time to see Vern and Dennis dip behind the far side of the wall. A soft “No!” escaped her lips. The wind had been knocked out of her, and she collapsed on top of the wall still holding the walrus. She finally became aware of her exhaustion, which irritated every inch of her skin.

“You blew it!” she whispered to Chucky with her eyebrows scrunched like she might cry.

“We can still get second,” he said, but it only served to re-ignite her fury.

“Second? I didn’t come here for second! You want second? I’ll give you second!” Her voice rose and her hands shook with callous contempt. Like he weighed almost nothing, Aoi lifted Chucky out of the snow, spun him around, and then launched him out over the wall.

As soon as he hit the ground, the same bellowing voice emerged from under ground to signal the end of the contest. The members of Roselyn’s team dropped the snow and abandoned their work. Fortst ran out onto the field as the students reformed their line. Once they had all assembled, he made the final announcement.

“The Team Trial is now over. In third place, the team of Roselyn. In second place, the team of Aoi. And in first place, we have the team of Vern!”

The members of Vern’s team jumped and cheered with glee. The other students eyed them dejectedly.

“Captains will evaluate the performances of their teammates and then determine their order of entry for the Final Trial. You’ve all worked very hard today, and you deserve some rest. We’ll take care of the field. Class dismissed!”

The students, tired, weary, and emotional, began to disperse and head for their belongings. Jeremy brushed past Roselyn, and she called out to him.

“Take one guess who will be the first to go in.” But he gave nothing more than a condescending chuckle in reply. “And I hope it means you’ll be the first one out,” she added after he left earshot. A tug came on her sleeve, and Roselyn turned to find Mary with teary eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I just wish there was more I could have done.”

“It’s not your fault,” consoled Roselyn. “We’ll figure out what your gift is in time. It’ll come to you. Let’s go get something hot to drink.” She put her arm around her friend and led her off the field.

***

Chucky, still steaming, tried to wipe his oil off with a towel. He looked up and caught Aoi staring angrily at him, but she quickly looked elsewhere. A moment later she plucked her bag off of the ground and stormed off.

“I’ll show you I’m not so worthless…somehow,” he said to himself. But Mira happened to be nearby and she caught his words.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing,” he said, startled. “Sorry about screwing things up for our team today. I guess the only thing worse than not having a power is having one that isn’t good for anything.” He mumbled, expecting her to walk away, but instead she came and sat down next to him.

“Isn’t good for anything? That just means it’s waiting for you to figure it out. Your mind always has an answer stashed within it. And once you fish it out, the idea will dazzle and delight you. Like this. Watch.”

Mira wiped her hand along Chucky’s arm, collecting a handful of thick oil. She bent down and packed snow around it until it became heavy and dense. She flung it at the wall as hard as she could and it collided with a loud smack.

“That was pretty cool,” Chucky said, entertained.

“And that’s probably far from the best use,” she said, rubbing her oily fingers together. “Do you know what friction is?” Chucky shook his head.

“Friction is the resistance when things rub against each other. When you are sliding on ice, friction is what slows you down. But if you tried to slide on grass, it wouldn’t work at all because there’s so much more friction. But with all this oil, I bet you could slide on grass like it was ice and slide on ice like it was nothing. Have you ever tried sliding on your oil?”

Chucky shook his head. “I haven’t done much more with it than wash it off.”

“Well, you’ve still got a pretty good sweat going. Why don’t you try running out along the snow here and then see how far you can slide through the courtyard?”

Feeling like he didn’t have anything to lose, Chucky got up and got ready to run. He ran forward, pumping his thick calves and thighs, and then sprawled out onto the snow’s icy surface. Instead of slowing down and stopping, Chucky picked up speed and slid clear across the courtyard. He only stopped when he dropped into one of the holes in Roselyn’s territory.

“Ahhhhh!” he hollered as he fell into the hole. The crunching sound made Mira cringe, and she ran over to check on him.

“That was awesome!” he shouted, already climbing out of the hole by the time she got there. “I never would have known about that.”

“And that was with the oil through your clothes. If it had just been skin and oil you could hit the wall hard enough to break some bones!”

“Wow, thanks!”

Taking some satisfaction that Chucky had seemingly forgotten all about what happened in the Team Trial, Mira left him to himself. The students had all gone and the crowd had dispersed. Only Fortst remained to push the dirt back into the holes. He caught Mira’s eye and gave her a polite nod.

***