Chapter 170
Raven
This time, her left foot slid forward, her right foot backward, and for a brief, horrifying moment, she was doing an unintentional split above a swamp filled with God-knows-what.
"KATYA!" Ethan's panicked shout echoed through the swamp.
She recovered—somehow—and locked her knees, trembling like a newborn deer.
I watched Ethan try another approach, then another. Hand gestures. Encouraging words. A demonstration of proper foot placement that looked more like interpretive dance. Nothing worked. The minutes dragged on, each failed attempt more tedious than the last.
My interest waned with each passing second. This was taking forever.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I crouched down, picked up a stick, and started drawing circles in the dirt.
Ethan whirled on me. "What are you doing?"
"Doodling."
"We're about to fail, and you're doodling?!"
"Yep." I added a smiley face to my circle. "Cute, right?"
Ethan looked like he might cry. Or scream. Possibly both. "I've tried everything! Technical instruction! Emotional support! Positive reinforcement! Nothing works! What else is there?!"
I stood slowly, brushing dirt off my knees. My gaze sharpened, locking onto Katya's trembling form.
"She doesn't need encouragement," I said quietly. "Her mental state is fine. She's not panicking. She's just... scared of falling. That's rational. Human."
Ethan frowned. "Then what—"
"And she doesn't need technique," I continued. "She's not coordinated enough to execute complex movements under pressure. Her body won't listen to her brain when adrenaline is screaming at her to freeze."
"So we're screwed."
"No." I smiled. "We just need to give her a simpler solution."
I stepped to the edge of the log and cupped my hands around my mouth.
"KATYA!"
She flinched, nearly losing her balance again. "What?!"
"The rules say you have to cross the log!" I shouted. "They don't say how you have to cross it!"
Katya blinked. "What?"
"Get down on your stomach! Crawl across! Use your arms and legs to distribute your weight evenly! It's physics—four points of contact are more stable than two!"
Silence.
Then—
"You want me to crawl?" Katya's voice was a mix of disbelief and horror.
"Yes!"
"Like... on my belly?"
"Exactly!"
"Across the entire log?"
"Unless you'd prefer to swim through the swamp!" I gestured at the murky water below, where something large and ominous rippled beneath the surface. "Your choice!"
Katya stared at me. Then at the log. Then at the swamp.
Then back at me.
"This is humiliating," she muttered.
"This is smart," I corrected. "Humiliation is temporary. Failure is forever. Well—not forever. But it'll feel like forever when you're stuck on this island eating ration bars while everyone else moves on."
Ethan's jaw dropped. "That's... actually brilliant."
"I know." I flashed him a grin. "I have those occasionally."
"Wait—why didn't you suggest this five minutes ago?!"
"Because watching her struggle was funny." I shrugged. "Also, I wanted to see if you'd figure it out first. You didn't. Disappointing."
Ethan looked like he wanted to throttle me.
On the log, Katya was lowering herself carefully, her movements slow and deliberate. She dropped to her knees first, testing the stability. The log swayed slightly but held.
Then she flattened herself completely, arms stretched forward, legs extended behind her.
HEART RATE: 87 BPM
STRESS INDEX: DROPPING
She started moving. Slowly. Methodically. Inching forward like a caterpillar on a leaf.
The crowd went silent.
Then someone laughed.
"She's crawling! Like a fucking worm!"
"Look at her! The general's daughter is belly-crawling through a survival test!"
"Someone take a picture! This is gold!"
I turned to face the hecklers, my expression icy.
"She's moving forward," I said, my voice cutting through their laughter like a blade. "You're standing still. Who's the embarrassment?"
The laughter died.
Katya kept crawling. Each movement brought her closer to the opposite bank. Her face was set in grim determination, sweat dripping from her forehead, but her heart rate stayed steady.
HEART RATE: 82 BPM
STRESS INDEX: STABLE
Ethan leaned closer to me, his voice barely a whisper. "She's going to make it."
"Of course she is." I smiled. "I told her to."
Minutes passed. The log's far end grew closer. Katya's arms trembled with effort, but she didn't stop. Didn't hesitate.
Finally—finally—her hands touched solid ground.
She collapsed onto the bank, gasping for air, her entire body shaking.
Reeves stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "Time remaining: forty-two seconds."
He made a note on his tablet.
"Katya: Passed."
The clearing erupted into murmurs. Some approving. Most shocked.
Reeves's eyes locked onto me. "Raven. You're up."