Making The October Fall

• Tasharni McLean-Lowe, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2018

When I enrolled for the Montgomery Fighting Academy in August, I never thought I would be this nervous about not getting into a school. Sailing over the Mediterranean Sea, I quickly realise this is my first test, I look around to boat and there is another person in the boat an African teenage male, he looks like a hunter, a fighter, 6ft tall, dark-skinned but really skinny like he would give up his food for other a kind-hearted person then he stirs, he's alive he sits up and I tell him, "I am Shayla Vittra, have you enrolled in an organisation?"
"Yes, Shayla I have for a living."
"Well, this is a test to get there."
"Shayla, I am Noah Collins."
"Hi Noah, we need to work together."
"We certainly do."
I notice a box like a treasure chest behind him.
"Can you move the chest behind you an inch please?"
He does what I ask and then water rushes in, he puts it back in place.
"What’s in it?"
"Key?"
"Excuse me?"
"It needs a key."
A key of course it does then I see something tied to his neck.
"What’s around your neck?"
"Nothing."
"No there is."
He turns the chain around as I sit there watching him.
A key.
It's too easy.
"Wait, that can't be it."
I move to the side of the boat and I notice we are anchored and there is a key on the anchor and a note.
"Can you swim?"
"Not well."
"Okay, I'll go."
I take my shirt and pants off and I dive in, swim down and reach the anchor. I grab the note key and cut us away from the anchor then I go on the boat and Noah helps me in and I hand him the key and I read the note aloud.
“By now you have figured out that this is the first of many tests, make it to the island alive you pass, if you die you fail, if you come out without injuries bonus to you.”
"Okay, Noah open the chest."
"Okie Dokey."
He opens the chest and it has spare wood, a motor, food, water also 10 litres of petroleum and nails, but no hammer. I see a rock and I fix the boat while Noah hands me the tools and then Noah drives until sunset then we swap and I drive while he sleeps, that goes for two days until we arrive at the island and we are first here.