Elegant Emotions

9 – Elegant Outcome

The morning before the finals, Aaron and Erika were still attempting to find a solution to their complicated problem.

“Finally, done,” Aaron declared, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Erika took a glance at her watch. “Wow, we’ll be late if we don’t get there. No time to waste.”

“That guy could perish in minutes. You copy the stuff then. I’ll get the keys and start the car.”

Hence, Aaron and Erika rushed out of the house, hopped into the car, and raced towards Luna’s high school. It was not all down to if they would make it in time.

FINAL MATCH

“Today we arrive at the final match of the competition. That’s it folks. Lucky last. This match is between Luna Tashida, and Danny Mars, both having played sensationally in each round to make it here. It’s been a long way, and you both are one step away from victory. Wish you two the best of luck,” said Miss Anderson.

“Let the match begin,” announced Mr. Jackson.

A puffed Aaron and Erika quietly sneaked to the audience stand, trying not to disturb the others.

“We made it in time, Aaron,” said Erika, glancing around.

“Yeah, it hasn’t even begun yet. I wonder why. We’re like ten minutes late already. Wait! Something’s not right.” Aaron glanced at the arena. “Where’s Luna?”

“Sorry, as you can see, our other contestant Luna Tashida has not arrived yet. We have already postponed once. If she does not come in the next ten minutes, Danny Mars will be announced the winner,” said Mr. Jackson.

“That’s such a shame,” commented Miss Anderson. “Where did Luna go? She was on time every match. This has never happened to her. Let’s ask her brother at the stand.”

The camera turned to Aaron and Erika and an assistant handed him a microphone.

“Do you know what happened to Luna?” Miss Anderson began asking.

“No, Miss. I don’t. I haven’t seen her since the last match,” Aaron replied honestly. “I wasn’t home for the last days.”

“Alright, we’ll just wait the ten minutes as stated,” concluded Miss Anderson.

As ten minutes elapsed, everyone silently waited for Luna’s arrival. However, time was nearly up. Mr. Jackson had his watch aligned, ready to announce the winner.

“Aaron, shouldn’t we go find her?” Erika asked.

“Yes, but on a second thought this might be a better ending for everyone. We could just explain she became sick and unfortunately had to miss out. Lame or not, it works.”

“No, but I mean we should see how she’s doing. There’s still something wrong about her not turning up.”

“You’re right. We’ll get going.”

“I will now announce the winner of this match, and the winner of the competition as Danny Mars,” said Mr. Jackson.

Aaron and Erika headed off to find Luna.

“And I thought Luna would have won after defeating me like that,” said Rita. “I never expected to lose that match, but I thought I’d be watching her match with you guys to make up. She sure is full of surprises.”

“I’ve been watching every match here in the hall. This one is absolutely disappointing, especially for a final,” said Clare.

“Let’s just go do something else,” suggested Andy.

There were many more in the hall that became restlessly as the match had ended before it even began. Danny Mars had been declared the winner due to Luna Tashida’s absence, causing a huge debate within the crowds. The rumor of the event being a setup spread even further.

Arriving at Aaron’s home, Aaron and Erika searched the house for Luna. They easily found her in her bedroom, silently sleeping.

“She’s not sick, is she? We shouldn’t have left her alone like that Aaron,” began Erika. “Where’s the thermometer? She looks like she has fever. Her cheeks are red.”

“I don’t even think she’s asleep to begin with. It feels more like Luna’s trying to avoid the situation. Right, Luna?” Aaron replied.

Luna remained silent.

“Thermometer, Aaron,” Erika reminded him.

“If she doesn’t want to answer, we’ll go,” declared Aaron. “There’s a lot of clean up work to be done. With the finals ending like that, I bet we’ll be interviewed and reprimanded by the audience. She might have a tough ride for the rest of school.”

In frustration, Erika dashed out herself to search for the thermometer.

Meanwhile Aaron put a hand to Luna’s forehead. “It’s cold enough to me. Wonder if I’m having a fever myself.”

“Bro...” Luna muttered, opening her eyes.

“You finally decided to speak.”

“Sorry...you’re right, but I didn’t know what to do. You weren’t around during this time. I became really afraid of myself, especially when I held that gun. I knew it was a toy, but it was freaking scary.”

“It’s okay. Relax. It’ll be all over now. You just do what you’re supposed to do when the time comes. The rest will be fine.”

“You’re okay with me skipping the finals? I thought you’d shout at me even more.”

“In fact, it was a better idea than what I could come up with.”

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind.”

A/N:

Sorry for the huge delay. I finally got around to finishing this chapter. I’ve been too busy with assignments and other annoying things. This is practically the end of part 1, which introduces the competition to when the issues start to arise. I’ll start part 2 in maybe a few weeks, since I’ll first want to revise the earlier chapters. I want to put in all the descriptions and other things I missed.

Most stories – the main characters win – exceptions are rare, but if the plot fits, and I can make a difference, so be it! Sorry for the let down, but there were fights enough...

I want to do more action! It’s going to be a few chapters later at least unfortunately. No more fun! Nah, most of the plot will unfold very soon so you may like to gather up all the hints and start guessing. This competition wasn’t just about people fighting and practising for it. That’s the hint.

If this does happen to catch more attention, I’d be planning for a rewrite and a sequel, but no prequel – it’d be a romance story from the flashback, and that’s not that fun on its own. I’ve had many people say the plot/concept is interesting, yet my writing’s not as good, so hopefully when this finishes, I’ll be a bit better, and then will be able to fix things up.

To be continued...