Page 31 of Crew Girl

Cam coaxed one arm into lifting up the one that had a water bottle in it.

Skillz.

“Guys.” He collapsed next to them, leaning back against the wall, closed his eyes against the sun. “Is this thing the last obstacle?”

Ryder grunted. He’d used up all of his words apparently.

Josh affirmed it with another grunt.

Cam grunted his thanks.

So that’s where they were.

Three guys.

Three meters to climb.

Two ropes to climb it.

One stroke seat up for grabs.

No energy left to grab it.

TEAGAN

Teagan’s brain had developed a new skill. Time travel.

As clear as a bell she could see her dad and the girl she’d been before he left. Pushing herself as hard as she could on the erg, trying to hit whatever milestone the two of them had set.

“Sorry, Dad. It hurts too much. I have to stop.”

“You’ve got this, kiddo. I know you can do it.”

This wasn’t the first time she’d hit a wall. Wanted to give up. But Dad always seemed to know what she was capable of before she was. Believed in her more than she believed in herself.

“I know, kid. It’s the pain talking. Your brain is programmed to protect you from pain. But you know from experience, you’re in charge of what you believe. And when you believe something hard enough, your brain starts to believe it, too.”

Her brain believed her dad was a jerk. Had left them like a coward. Left them knowing how much they relied on him.

Her mom’s smile came to her. Bursting with pride and excitement, it hadn’t left her face since she’d gotten the party planning gig that meant she’d be able to pay for Teagan’s tuition. Her mom had succeeded. And done it all on her own.

The last person in the world Teagan had imagined inspiring her was her mom. But Ella Tao-Emerson was scoring aura points left, right, and center these days. Manifesting a way to survive this new, haphazard life they’d found themselves in. Her mom was a lot stronger than Teagan gave her credit for. And also? Her mom was here. The one waiting to cheer for her at the finish line. Maybe channeling her mother was how she’d finish this.

She was a mile away from the final hurdle. What was that, a thousand steps?

It felt impossible.

She took one step forward, just to see if she could.

She could.

She’d convinced one out of eight rowers she was a good cox.

Did she have it in her to convince the other seven?

Nine hundred ninety-nine steps later…

Teagan hadn’t thought she would succumb to actual death doing the Iron Crucible, but she hadn’t willed her body to run/walk/lurch all this way only to find out there was a literal wall to climb.