My brother and I both leap for the winning strike. I can feel victory in my grasp. I can taste the sweetness of it. I jab first, but he blocks me with his right hand, and jabs me with his left.
“Damn.” I whisper to myself.
“Ha-ha, I got you again! With all these wins I doubt you’ll ever beat me,” My brother smirks.
“Oh shut up. Let’s go again.”
“No. I’m tired out from kicking your butt.” He says as he grabs his water bottle.
“Come on Liam, tryouts are tomorrow!” I begged him. “Please I really want some extra practice; I want to impress the people at The Academy.”
“But I don’t need any more practice.” Liam laughs at himself and leaves.
The Academy is a fighting school, a school for the strongest, most brave teenagers in the world. Ever since I saw 2 students fight at the games I knew I had to go. The games are a fight The Academy puts on every ten years, where they find the strongest and smartest teenager in the world. And Liam felt the same as I did about being the best.
Unlike Liam I did everything I could to be the best, from countless hours studying, to long days in the gym. It was different for Liam; he was good at everything he tried as soon as he tried it. Everything I tried that Liam tried, he was better at.
My brother slept the entire three hour drive. It bothered me that he wasn’t nervous. When we got out of the car people immediately started staring. People always stared. I think people were scared because of how much Liam and I looked alike. We were twins, both with the same blue gray eyes, and chestnut hair, it also didn’t help that he was 6’3” and I was 6’, both pretty built.
An hour after we’d got in the building, a tall man with almond eyes pointed at me. As I stood up, I could feel every one’s eyes on me.
“You’ll fight her” I followed his pointy finger to a large girl. She must have been at least 4 inches taller and 60 pounds heavier than me.
When the man blew his whistle, the large girl ran at me like she was going to tackle me. I spun around and ran to the other edge. She did this again only this time I was ready. Her arms spread wide about to tackle me, I swung my fist hitting her right in the nose. She stumbled and fell, passed out.
I grinned as the almond eyed man told me to go through the big red door on the right. As I walked in I saw three men at a blue sheeted table. The man in the middle spoke.
“Choose one of the three, a bow and arrow, a sword, or throwing knives. You will use it to fight a computer simulator, so choose wisely.” I picked up the sword. What me and my brother always practiced with. “You may begin,” he said.
I can remember the lights dimming, and bright orange holograms coming at me left and right, me jabbing, and dodging. Hoping I would finally be good enough.
When I was finished I waited to be called into the head administrator’s office. When I finally got into the office, a short stubby man looked up at me.
“Malia Stone,” He coughed, his voice rough, “your reports are very excellent,” he was stumbling through papers, my heart racing. “But it seems as though you did not make it. I’m truly sorry.”
I left the room, and when I saw Liam I burst into tears. Liam had already been accepted and this was just going to be another thing he beat me at.
When Liam saw me crying he grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the head administrator’s office. We burst in.
“Malia is the strongest, smartest, bravest, most talented girl out there and you would be an idiot not to accept her” My brother spoke with confidence, “and if you do not accept her I will withdraw.”
The head administrator and I looked at Liam bewildered. I smiled. And it was in this moment I realized it was never me against my brother. It was my brother and I against the world.