Is it horrible that, while being completely terrified, I’m still like, cool, kinky, can we take them home?
Son of a bitch, I need help.,
Focus!
“And now!” Olmec announces. “Each remaining team will be given two Questions of Knowledge in order to grab your medallions from the temple. Answer correctly, and you can move up the steps, answer wrong, and you’ll be taken to the pit of doom.”
I gulp. “Do we want to know what the—”
“Nope,” Ivy interrupts. “Just focus. You did good in history class, right?”
History. History. History. Ivy always had her hair pulled back in high school. It was a bit lighter then, and I remember wondering what it would be like to pull it tight and kiss down her neck and—
“Jack?”
“So good at history,” I answer. “Like a pro. Aced it.” Really, just aced studying her, but how hard can it be, right?
I gulp and wait.
“Silver Snakes!” Olmec-Max announces. “Your first question!”
Fucking Blue Barracudas. I’m already mad, and they haven’t even been asked anything yet.
We’re destroying them. We have to. I have a BJ on the line. I mean, also a job promotion, money; wait, why is that coming second?
Hah, coming second.
Fuck, my focus is shit!
Focus!
I nod my head way too much and hold Ivy’s hand. “Were, um, you good at history? Just asking in case my brain explodes from visions of my CEO as Olmec.”
“Flunked.”
“Shit, serious?”
She laughs. “I like it when you’re afraid.”
Despite the total fear, I smile and whisper, “I like it when you’re brave.”
Her steps falter. I hold onto her and slowly walk up to whatever doom we’re about to face and wait.
“What are,” Olmec-Max starts, “the seven wonders of the ancient world?”
Panic sets in.
“Both partners,” he says. “Get a chance to answer. If you have one wrong answer you’ll be sent back down the stairs toward the pit of doom where, sadly, the rest of your teammates, except one, have all fallen into.”
“Is there beer there?” I laugh.
Ivy elbows again in that same rib. “Not the time.”
“Sorry, I make bad jokes when I’m nervous.”
“They actually don’t serve beer in Hell,” Olmec says like he has legit pit of doom knowledge. “They do have filtered water though, you know, because of the heat and dehydration’s a bitch. Anyway!” He cackles, which is almost scarier than him serving water in hell. “You have sixty seconds until the next team takes over. Good luck. May the odds ever be in your favor!”
“We go from Squid Games to Hunger Games?” Ivy mutters. “What is this?”
“Corporate America,” I say bitterly. “Corporate America.”
“In three, two, one!” Olmec announces.
“Um, there’s, um, there’s the Hanging Gardens of Babylon!” I shout and hear a ding. “The Great Pyramid of Giza?”
And literally, that’s all I can remember.
“Um…” Ivy clings to me hard. “Okay, let me think.”
“Forty-five seconds left,” Olmec announces.
I sigh. “We can do this. Just think…”
I think back to history class and panic.
“Breathe,” Ivy says. “Focus, I think the Colosseum is one of them too?”
Another ding sounds.
We have four left and are running out of time.
I take a deep breath again.
I know we can do this; it’s just the pressure.
“Do you really want to go into the pit of doom?” she asks under her breath. “There are temple soldiers there and little tiny Olmecs just ready to devour you whole!”
“Colossus of Rhodes!” I shout. “The Lighthouse, the um, Lighthouse of Alexandria!” More dings. “The temple! Temple of Art—er, Artemis! The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and… and…”
Ten seconds are left. I can hear the countdown from everyone around me, but I’ve got nothing, absolutely nothing; all I keep thinking is a stupid Roman road because, yay engineering, you guys killed it.
Agh!
“Mausoleum!” Ivy shouts. “The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus!”
Stunned, my mouth drops open. “Are you serious? How did you know that?”
“Oh.” She sounds out of breath. “I was a history major.”
“THE HELL!” I roar. “I almost died!”
“I saved you!” she yells back. “Plus, wasn’t it invigorating? Don’t you feel more alive? Less dead? Less afraid of Olmec!”
A loud rumble occurs around the set. “You may proceed five steps!”
Olmec still sounds creepy, but I’m so freaked out about the stupid pit of doom I’m happy to walk right toward him.
“That was manipulative,” I say.
“And we still won.” She laughs.
“If you elbow me again, I swear—“
This time I feel a kiss on my cheek. “Sorry, missed your mouth; maybe next time.”
I grunt. “You missed more than my mouth.”
“Inappropriate.”
“And yet you still owe me.”
“And you”—she rubs up against me—“owe me… right?”
I groan out loud. “I would so much prefer burying my face between your—”
“Silver Snakes!”
“Sir, yes sir!” I shout.
Ivy bursts out laughing.
“It appears your competition”—fucking Anderson—“have also made it up five steps. In order for each of you to make it to the Temple Run, you have to answer one more question. If the great Olmec deems it honest and wise, you may proceed and gather your three medallions in the final stage. But remember, this isn’t just physical. We promised this would be your second to last test, but for fun”—Oh yeah, sure, fun—“we’re combining both mental and physical. Are you ready for your questions?”