I held my breath and did as instructed. When the seesaw shifted, my stomach dropped. Even though I had been warned, I let out a yelp.
“You’re good. You did it!” Arnie exclaimed. “You got this.”
Letting out a shaky breath, I took the last few steps to get off the contraption and back on solid ground.
“How much further?” I called, not sure how much more of this I could take. Surely there was a better way to practice communicating than this spectacle. Then again, that probablywouldn’t make good TV. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled as I thought of the camera guys who were more than likely trailing me right now for the best angle. Maybe I wasn’t ready to take my blindfold off just yet.
“You’re doing amazing, Calla. You’re almost there!”
In hindsight, it was probably a good thing Arnie and I were in our chosen roles. I’m not sure I had it in me to be as loud and as encouraging as he was.
“What now?” I could barely hear him over Trace and Sofia screaming over each other. We must all be close to the end, because I could feel the energy shifting.
“Right. Two steps. Yes! there you go!”
I followed his instructions, my nerves forgotten now that adrenaline had taken over.
“Now straight!” Arnie cried.
I quickened my pace, sensing the end was near.
“Wait, slow down.” I heard Arnie’s frantic cry a second too late. I barreled into a hard body before losing my footing. Strong hands gripped my forearms and stopped me from toppling backward.
“Whoa, there.” I recognized the voice as Eli’s instantly.
“Sorry,” I said, latching onto his forearm for a moment to catch my balance.
“Going pretty fast there. Trying to beat me?” I could hear the grin in his voice.
“I mean, isn’t that the whole point?”
I waited for him to release me, but his hands lingered around my arms. It felt like fire where he touched me. His warm breath hit my face and my whole body lit up like a Christmas tree. I hadn’t been this close to a man in years.
Was that sad?
Piper would say yes. Hence the entire reason I now foundmyself barreling blindfolded through a maze, attempting toput myself back out there.
“Eli, go. What are you doing?” Sofia’s voice rang through. “Turn around and go straight.”
Eli squeezed my arms lightly and whispered, “Good luck.”
Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel his absence as if I had just stepped out of a magnetic force field.
“Go, Calla. The coast is clear!”
Forcing my mind back into the game, I listened closely to Arnie as he guided me forward and to the right.
“Okay, now get on your hands and knees and crawl forward. There’s a beam blocking your path.”
“Are you serious?” I asked bitterly. But I followed his directions, knowing that the quicker I moved, the sooner I’d be out of here. As soon as my hand hit the ground, it sank in about an inch. I jerked it away.
“Mud?” I exclaimed in horror. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Shoot, my bad! I thought it might be better if you weren’t dreading it.”
I grumbled a few choice words before placing my hand back in the mud and moving my body forward.
They’d better provide complimentary laundry services after this.
