Chapter 6

I turned around. "Yeah?"

Alex scratched his head nervously. "I must say, there might be another challenge I had to call you for."

I signed. "Really? Alright let's go." I turned and headed to the training gym, but Alex grabbed my arm.

"No, it's this way." He pointed to a hallway. "We're doing gymnastics."

I groaned. "Ugh. I've never been good at gymnastics. I'll probably be failing this one."

Alex laughed and patted me on my shoulder. "Don't worry! You're not going to be competing, you're going to be learning how to combine magic and gymnastics."

I shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'm going to like it."

I ran into the room Alex had pointed at. It should have been the gymnasium, but the chairs and exercise equipment had been moved out and ready for me. In the middle of the room was a middle aged man. He had a curly mustache and looked a bit like the artist Salvador. He walked up to me and around me murmuring things like "Yes, she will do quite well." and "What strong legs!".

I assumed he was my teacher. I held out my hand to shake his and he eyed it. "I'm sorry my dear, I don't touch my pupils hands. It blocks my essence."

Well he's a bit of a psycho. I thought, but I won't judge. I took my hand back and asked, "So when do we start?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Lesson 1: Do not ask questions. They are unpredictable and you never get the answer you want."

"O-oh." I said, startled. "Oo-kay." A little more than psycho.

"Now then" he continued, "come with me" He motioned to a seat at the back.

I followed him and moved to sit down. "No!!!" he yelled. "You must not sit on Francis Jhon Vanderlièn Curota's chair!"

I frowned, confused. "Francis Jhon Vander- who what now?"

"Me!" he yelled, worked up. "That is my chair!"

I took a step back and put my hands up. "Ok, I'm sorry, I didn't know. You can have this chair."

He sniffed and sat down. "Now then. I am your teacher. You may call me Mr. Curota. There are a few rules. One, no questions. You listen and you do. Two, don't argue or talk back. You listen and you do. Three, do exactly as I say, no matter how strange. You listen and you do. Four, patience is necessary. You listen and-"

"Yes, yes." I interrupted. "You listen and you do. I know."

"What did I just say?" he asked, sounding aggravated. "Patience is necessary."

I nodded as he continued. "Five, the magic tools we will be using are not toys. Be careful with them. Six, this is not to have fun. These are skills that you need to know in order to be our leader. No messing around."

I nodded again, still a bit annoyed. This is going to be hard to do with a teacher like him. He pressed a button on the wall and the gymnasium deteriorated away. Replacing it was a huge room filled with ledges and pillars. At the far end of the room was a pedestal with a gold crown. Mr. Curota walked over to me. "Your goal is to get to the other side of the room, grab the crown, and make it back, all without touching the ground. This will give me an idea of how much potential you have."

I gaped at what he had said. "But- but that's impossible!"

Mr. Curota gave me the "evil eye". "What did I say about not talking back? You don't want to fail before I have even started, do you?"

I sighed. If this was just the start, I really would need a lot of patience. I looked around the room. It was a large room, almost the size of an elementary cafeteria. The walls were paved black, and the ledges, pillars, and bars around the room were a stark white. I would have to swing and climb my way to the end. It seemed impossible.

I took a deep breath and walked forward. Mr. Curota took a step back and watched me from behind. I grabbed onto a ledge and pulled myself up, looking for my next step.

The ledge shook and I grabbed on harder. "What was tha-'' I stopped, realizing I couldn't ask questions.

I decided that it was another part of the challenge and I jumped onto the next ledge. The building shook more and I slipped. "Woah!" I yelled

I grabbed onto a bar above and hung there. Mr. Curota walked up to me. "Faster. Go faster. The building shakes because you are afraid. Fly. You must fly. Fly through the air."

I scowled and grabbed onto the bar stronger and started to swing back and forth. I let go at the last moment and stumbled onto another ledge. I jumped, not giving myself any time to be afraid. I landed on a platform, with a long bar underneath me. I slipped down onto the bar and balanced on it. I walked forward slowly, leaning from side to side. I trembled, and the building shook again.

I stumbled again and took another deep breath. "Fly. Fly through the air." I murmured to myself.

I ran on top of the bar and took a flying leap. I grabbed onto another bar above me and let go. I swung through the air, landing on my knees on top of another platform. I looked ahead to see how far I had gotten. I gasped, because the end platform was moving steadily away from me!

"Ah yes." He said. "The longer you take the faster it moves away. Better fly quickly."

I groaned and jumped onto a pillar, stumbling. My foot slipped and I grabbed on harder. I pulled myself up and grabbed at a platform above me, my arms burning. I jumped and grabbed onto a bar, with enough force to let go and get propelled onto another pillar. I sat there for a moment, catching my breath. I stood up on the pillar, balancing then jumped onto a platform.

Ahead of me was the platform! "Almost there." I whispered to myself.

I yelled, stumbling. "Steady, girl." I said to myself, sounding like I was training a dog. The pillars and platforms shook from my fear.

I jumped off the pillar just as my foot slipped underneath me, making me fall off. The scream was knocked out of me when I hit a platform underneath the pillar. I sat up, my body aching. I looked up and grabbed onto the pillar and climbed back up. "That was some good luck." I murmured.

I got onto the platform next to the end and I smiled. As I jumped to the end point, a loud alarm rang through the building I was in.