The Fastest Finish

by Catherine Hapka

  What’s a wildcard show, you ask? Well, I’m going to tell you! It works like this:

  In two weeks, there will be another day of tryouts in all the same locations as last time—​which means one of them is right down the road in North Creek again, where my teammates and I tried out.

  The course will be different from last time, since the producers assume some of the same people will try out again. (Though nobody who actually made the semis is allowed to try again even if they didn’t make the finals—​they want to give new people a chance.)

  A bunch of ninjas will make it through to the wildcard show. It’s going to be a little different from our semis shows, since it will tape at all six semifinals locations, but the show’s editors will combine it all into one show. Complicated, right? But that way all the wildcard ninjas from across the country can compete against each other—​the courses will be identical in all the locations, and Mellie Monroe can still host them all, thanks to the wonders of technology, ha ha!

  They’re expecting tons of people to try out this time, since the show is way more famous now—​everyone is watching!

  The best ten finishers from the wildcard show will advance to the finals competition on Labor Day weekend—​just like the top ten ninjas from each of the original semifinals shows. EXCEPT . . .

  . . . if there aren’t ten wildcard ninjas who score better than the lowest-scoring finalists from the original semis, then the alternates from those shows get called back for the finals instead. (Which means my friend Ty still has a great shot at competing! Whoo!)

  So that makes the finals even bigger and better and more awesome!!!! I can’t WAIT to see what happens!

  Seven

  “It’s not fair,” Ty muttered, glaring down at the cereal floating in his bowl.

  His mother glanced up from her coffee and sighed. “Ty . . .”

  “No, I mean it.” He shifted his glare to his parents, who were both watching him now. “I know you said I should stop griping about this. But seriously, who came up with such a stupid plan?”

  “The producers of the show,” his father said from over by the stove, where he was making eggs. “And clearly they don’t think it’s stupid.”

  “Well, they’re wrong.” Ty scowled. “I should have a shot at one of those wildcard spots! I’m probably a better ninja than anyone who’ll try out this time.”

  His mom shrugged. “That may or may not be true, but it’s not the point.”

  “Then what is the point?” Ty shoved his bowl away, sloshing milk on the table, but not caring. “I should be on that finals show, not some newbie!”

  “We talked about this last night,” Ty’s dad said. “We can’t read the producers’ minds, but there are plenty of reasons why they might have decided to set it up this way.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “One, they want to give more kids a chance to compete. Two, it’s a way to pump up the drama—​everyone will want to find out whether ten new ninjas will beat the alternates.”

  Ty’s mother nodded. “TV’s all about the ratings.”

  “Now you sound like Mackenzie,” Ty muttered. She’d said pretty much the same thing when she told them about the wildcard stuff yesterday. But it still didn’t make sense to Ty.

  “Chin up, Ty, and stop complaining,” his dad said. “You’re still an alternate. That puts you a step ahead of some of your teammates. They can’t try out for the wildcard, either, which means they have no shot at the finals.”

  “Yeah, but they don’t care that much.” Ty shook his head. Mackenzie and Kevin both actually seemed excited about the whole wildcard thing. He didn’t get it. “Anyway, it’s not fair.”

  “Since when is life fair?” His mother shrugged. “All you can do is your best, and see what happens.”

  “Whatever,” Ty grumbled. He knew his parents were right. Maybe he’d luck out; maybe he’d get called in as an alternate, just like JJ. But he hated having something like that be totally out of his control.

  * * *

  Ty was still in a bad mood when that day’s training session began. After their warm-up, Tara decided to start on the structure the kids called the Climbing Thing. It was a sturdy metal frame with lots of bars, ropes, and rings hanging from it.

  “Try to get across from this corner to that one,” she announced, pointing out a diagonal path. “No legs allowed, just arms. Who wants to try first?”

  “I will,” Mackenzie said with a laugh. “Because there’s no way I can do that.”

  “Be positive,” Tara chided her.

  Mackenzie grinned. “Okay, I’m positive I can’t do that!”

  Everyone laughed, even Tara. Then the coach told Mackenzie to go ahead.

  Mackenzie was right—​she didn’t make it all the way across. But she seemed surprised and happy that she managed to get more than halfway.

  “I’ll go next,” Ty said. Working up a sweat always made him feel better, and he needed to take his mind off this whole stupid wildcard thing.

  At Tara’s nod, Ty jumped up and grabbed the set of rings near the starting corner. He swung his legs, gaining momentum until he could reach out one arm and grab a knotted rope. The swing from that carried him easily to the swinging bar.

  Then came a tire swing, and after that a cargo net . . . Ty’s muscles were burning by then, but it felt good. He felt strong—​like a real ninja.

  Next came the hardest part of the challenge—​a fixed bar that was too far away to grab without letting go of the net. That meant Ty had to gather his strength and jump for it.

  “Aaah!” he cried as his right hand missed the bar. His left hand grabbed it, but he felt his grip slipping . . .

  But somehow he held on until he could get his right hand around the bar. Whew! That had been close. Ty was vaguely aware of his friends cheering, but he was already focused on the next step, another set of rings. He got there and then swung over to the first of a set of hanging balls. Two more balls, and he was across!

  “That was awesome, Ty!” Mackenzie cried as the rest of the team cheered.

  Tara smiled. “That’s how you do it,” she agreed, stepping over to give him a fist bump. “JJ? Want to go next?”

  Ty leaned against the wall and caught his breath while he watched his teammate start the challenge. JJ was usually great at this sort of thing. He had an amazing tree house in his backyard, just a few doors down from Ty’s house. It spanned several large oaks and maples, with multiple floors and lots of ropes and ladders and stuff to get around. JJ had even installed a bunch of climbing holds in the trunk of the main tree.

  Sure enough, JJ made it past the halfway point easily. But when he tried to make the jump to the fixed bar, he wasn’t even close.

  “Oops,” he said with a smile as he climbed to his feet on the mat beneath the bar.

  Ty frowned. Why didn’t JJ look more upset about messing up like that? He was a finalist—​he should be taking this seriously!

  But Tara didn’t seem that upset, either. “Good try,” she told JJ. Then she told Izzy to take her turn.

  Izzy didn’t even make it to the fixed bar. She lost her grip on the tire swing.

  Once again, Ty felt annoyed. I did the best, but they’re the finalists. How is that fair? he thought.

  Kevin had just fallen near the middle of the Climbing Thing when the door opened. A skinny Indian kid stepped in and looked around.

  “Is this where the ninja team trains?” he asked in a soft, uncertain voice.

  “Uh-huh,” Ty said, looking him over, wondering why he seemed kind of familiar.

  “Noah!” Mackenzie exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

  Oh, right, Noah. Now Ty remembered. Mackenzie had pointed him out to them at the premiere party, though he couldn’t remember what she’d said about him.

  “Yes, this is the ninja room,” Tara told Noah with a smile. “How can we help you?”

  Noah took another step into the room and cleared his throat. “Um, I want to join the team,” he said
. “I’m going to try out for that wildcard show.”

  Eight

  After his announcement, Noah forced himself to stand up straight and face the ninja team. That tall, muscular kid—​the owners’ son, Ty—​looked shocked.

  “Are you serious?” Ty blurted out.

  The others mostly looked surprised, too. Noah glanced from one face to the other. He knew their names from seeing them on TV, but the only ones he knew in person were the two girls. Well, really he only knew Mackenzie. Izzy Fitzgerald went to the same private school he did, but she was a year ahead of him.

  “That’s amazing!” Mackenzie shrieked, rushing forward. “Noah, you’ll have so much fun! Right, guys?”

  “Um, sure thing,” JJ said.

  Kevin and Izzy nodded. So did Tara.

  “Welcome,” she said, looking him up and down. “Noah, is it? Do you have any experience with ninja type skills?”

  “Not really, no,” Noah said.

  “But he’s an awesome dancer,” Mackenzie spoke up again. “He does it all—​contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and, um, lots of other styles, I think. Right, Noah?”

  “A dancer?” Ty sounded dubious. “This is a ninja team, not a ballet or whatever.”

  “Dancers are athletes, too,” Noah said, a little annoyed by the older guy’s attitude. Everyone in town knew that Ty was pretty much the star of every sports team there was. But Noah guessed he’d still have trouble executing a proper arabesque, never mind a cabriole or a grand jeté.

  “That’s true,” Tara said, smiling. “A well-trained dancer is halfway to being a good ninja. Which is a good thing, since those tryouts are coming up fast.”

  “Yeah. You won’t have much time to get ready,” Ty put in, still sounding kind of aggressive.

  Tara shot him a perplexed look. “Come on in, Noah, and let’s see some of your moves so we can plan your training. Do you have a permission form from your parents?”

  “I just dropped it off at the office.” That was true, though Noah’s parents didn’t know the real reason he’d wanted to join Fit Kidz. They thought he was just there to stay in shape for his next set of auditions. Just cross-training—​like throwing in a few ballroom or hip-hop classes to keep his dancing sharp.

  Ty crossed his arms over his chest. “This won’t take long, will it?” he said. “Because I thought the rest of us were supposed to be training. We have a show to get ready for, remember? Which means we don’t have time to waste on some newbie.”

  “Ty, that’s enough.” Tara sounded annoyed. “One thing we definitely don’t have time for here is rudeness. What happened to your team spirit?”

  “I have plenty of team spirit—​but only for the real team.” Ty glared at her, looking sulky.

  Tara shook her head and sighed, but didn’t say anything else. She turned to Noah, who was feeling more and more uncomfortable—​almost as uncomfortable as the time a couple of years ago when his mom had insisted he try out for the lead in Oliver. Maybe this whole ninja thing wasn’t the best idea . . .

  “Let’s see what you’ve got, Noah,” Tara said cheerfully. She pointed at a set of wooden blocks in the middle of the room. “See what you can do with the balance steps—​you’ve seen the show, right? You know how they work?”

  “Uh-huh.” Noah didn’t tell her that he’d seen National Ninja Champion only a handful of times. Normally he had dance classes in the evening, so he didn’t have much spare time for TV. But after the premiere party he’d read everything he could find about it on the Internet. And seeing the show the other night was still fresh in his mind—​he was sure he could copy what he’d seen. Figuring out how to get through these obstacles had to be easier than remembering choreography.

  “Okay. If you make it through the steps, move on to the climbing wall, try the balance log, and then maybe the hanging rings,” Tara said. “If you’re still feeling good, you could finish with the Loco Ladder. Go!”

  Noah nodded. Everyone was staring at him, but he tried not to let that shake him. This is just like being onstage, he told himself, shaking out his legs as he walked toward the steps. Time to perform.

  The balance steps were five large, sloped blocks of wood set a few feet apart in two staggered rows. Noah knew from watching JNC that he was supposed to leap from one block to another—​and that a lot of people had trouble keeping their balance through the whole set. But years of dancing had given him a good sense of balance and timing, and he made it through easily, landing lightly on the mat at the far end of the steps.

  “Whoo! Go, Noah!” Mackenzie cheered.

  Noah glanced over at her and smiled, then returned his attention to the course. He flexed his hands as he looked up at the climbing wall. Colorful holds were dotted all the way up. His arms were strong, but could he hang on to those tiny blocks of plastic?

  He didn’t stop to worry about it. Behind him, he could hear Ty muttering something to one of the others. But Noah was focused now, the way he always was onstage. Only this wall and his body existed, and he was going to perform.

  His hand slipped once halfway up, and his heart pounded as he imagined himself falling. But somehow he flung his foot up and found the next hold. And then he was at the top!

  He could hear Mackenzie cheering again as he slid down the rope that hung beside the wall. “Good job!” Tara called. “Balance log next.”

  “If you’re not too tired, that is,” Ty added.

  Noah almost smiled. He wasn’t even close to tired!

  The balance log looked tricky. It was basically just what its name described—​a huge log hanging horizontally on a metal pole, sort of like a balance beam except that it was free to rotate in either direction with the slightest shift in weight.

  Noah took a few deep breaths, studying the log. Then he vaulted onto it, throwing out his arms to keep his balance as he felt it tip to the left.

  “Easy, Noah!” Mackenzie called. “It’s tricky!”

  But it wasn’t, not really. As soon as Noah found his balance point, he was able to walk perfectly straight, controlling his weight and posture just as he’d been trained to do in his earliest ballet classes.

  This time he heard several cheers as he hopped off at the far end of the obstacle, but he didn’t look around to see who it was. The hanging rings were next. It was harder than he’d expected to swing far enough to grab the next ring, but by the third one, he’d figured it out.

  He was a little winded when he landed at the end, and his arm muscles were feeling the strain of the unusual movements. But he didn’t hesitate, moving on to the Loco Ladder.

  This obstacle had been on the show, too. It was like a giant pegboard. He was supposed to grab the two metal rods sticking out of the lowest holes on the board, then move them one at a time into higher holes to climb the wall, with his entire body weight dangling from his hands. A ninja had to be both strong and precise to conquer this obstacle.

  “You can do it, Noah!” Mackenzie yelled.

  Noah hoped she was right. He jumped up and grabbed the rods, then hung there for a moment, measuring the space to the next hole with his eyes. Somehow it looked farther than it had from below. But all he could do was try.

  He yanked the right-hand peg out of its hole, aiming at the higher one. But it glanced off the edge instead of going in.

  “Aargh!” he cried as he felt his other hand slip. He tried to hang on, but it was no use.

  “Good try, Noah!” Mackenzie called as Noah hit the mat, tucking and rolling automatically. “That’s a hard obstacle.”

  “It is,” Coach Tara agreed, hurrying forward. “You okay? Looks like you know how to take a fall, anyway.”

  Noah forced a smile. “Yeah. That’s one of the first things we learn in dance.”

  Tara chuckled. “Well, good. That’s one thing we won’t have to worry about, then.” She grinned at him. “Welcome to the team, Noah!”

  Nine

  JJ stepped forward with Mackenzie and Kevin to trade fist bumps with Noa
h. “Nice going,” he said. “I’m JJ.”

  “I know.” The new kid shot him a brief smile. “You were great on the show.”

  “Thanks.” JJ grinned. “Looks like you’ll be giving me some competition!”

  Mackenzie laughed. But Izzy and Kevin just traded a look.

  Ty rolled his eyes. “Can we get back to work now?” he grumbled.

  JJ wasn’t sure why Ty was acting so cranky. It would be fun having someone new on the team. Besides, Noah seemed nice. JJ didn’t know much about dancing, but the kid seemed to have some skills. He’d looked almost as good as JJ himself scrambling up the climbing wall, and even better than Izzy on the balance log.

  But there was no time to worry about it. Tara put them back to work right away, including Noah, and for the rest of the session JJ didn’t have the energy to think about anything except what he was doing.

  * * *

  “How was ninja practice today?” JJ’s mom asked when he came into the kitchen a few hours later. Jasmine was there, too, sitting at the table reading a book.

  “Great.” JJ hurried straight to the fridge for a drink. “We got a new team member.”

  “Really?” His sister looked up from her book, brushing a strand of blond hair out of her face. “What do you mean?”

  JJ took a gulp of his sports drink before answering.

  “Close the door, JJ,” his mother scolded.

  “Sorry.” JJ kicked the refrigerator door shut, then collapsed into the seat across from Jasmine. “It’s a kid who heard about the wildcard thing and decided he wants to try out. So he’s on our team now.”

  “Anyone we know?” his mother asked.

  “I don’t think so.” JJ shrugged. “His name’s Noah—​he goes to Izzy’s school. He’s, like, some awesome dancer or something. At least that’s what Mack says.”