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“That’s it, Siriarna, you’ve nailed it! The clue must be hidden somewhere in the sportsground.” Braxton says jumping to his feet with fresh enthusiasm.
Reaching down, he pulls me to my feet. We’re standing face to face now, eyes meeting. Pulse racing, I pull my gaze away and glance over my shoulder, making sure there are no teamslurking nearby. “We’re good to go,” I say staring at the meadow’s sleeping flowers.
“Oh, ah, good.”
We move briskly, but my steps cannot keep up with my racing heartbeat.
Past the Learning Facility we traipse until we arrive at the adjacent sports fields. Two teams are already on the fields surveying the perimeter. Braxton tells me he thinks the clue will be at the finish line on the circular track. It’s a good thought, but I don’t see how a clue could be hidden in the open space. Still, we move toward the line, search the track, but do not find a clue. This is getting frustrating. My fellow Propensity members, Astrid and Eloise, have now joined us at the line.
“Wanna work together on this one?” Eloise suggests.
“Yeah, good idea,” I agree and read the clue out loud to the four of us.
“Ithasto be here at the finish line. That’s all that makes sense,” says Astrid.
Braxton nods his agreement. “Let’s spread out.”
The four of us stretch across the marked finish line, me closest to the grassed centre of the oval. I bend down to remove a stone from my shoe, and see flagpole holes punched into the ground. When standing, they were camouflaged by blades of grass, but my lowered position exposes their concealment. Immediately, I know I’ve found the right location. A smile spreads across my face.
Bending down, I take two clues from the hole. I pass one to Eloise and the other to Braxton. Another team is rushing to our location after witnessing the last clue’s hiding place. The stakes are high, and the race is heating up as every team scrambles to claim victory.
“Thanks, Siriarna,” the girls intone, accepting the clue.
Amicably we separate, ready to continue the challenge inour own team of two. Before they leave, Eloise informs us that Roman, Alexandraya, Melodie and Davina were all heading out of the field gate when they arrived. That confirms at least two teams are ahead of us.
Braxton watches my expression change and drapes an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’re still in this. Finding the guise won’t be easy. I have complete faith in us, we can still win this,” he says positively.
We open the last clue:
Can you solve the final riddle?
Start by meeting in the middle;
Use the clues to connect;
Take one step back and reflect;
The final guise is rather bright;
And is hidden in plain sight.
“The middle has to be the Zen,” I say to Braxton who nods his head in agreement.
“Any idea about the rest of the riddle?”
“None at all?yet.”
On our way through the gate, another three teams enter the sports fields. This race is getting closer with every passing minute.
Once in the Zen, I see Roman, Alexandraya, Melodie, Davina, Brooklyn, and Sage all scattered around the space at various sites. Braxton and I sit away from the other teams on the dock, near the river.
With my feet dangling in the crystal clear water, I study the last clue. Nothing immediately pops to my mind. Taking a break, I peer into the river. The reflection staring back at me isn’t blank. Flipping the clue over in my hand, I spy a faint black mark inscribed in the corner.
Barely able to contain my excitement, I ask Braxton to passme the other clues. As suspected, there are faint marks on the back of each piece. I assemble them into a form that makes a pattern and summon my Propensity power, electrostatically adhering the four separate paper pieces into one big square.
“Siriarna?"
I stop Braxton mid-sentence, grab his hand, and drag him toward the light pillars.
