A VOICE WORTH BEING HEARD One day when I was leading Chestnut, who was my horse, home, I saw two figures in the distance pointing and snickering as they stared at me. At once I knew who they were, and purposely rearranged my route home so that I passed them—I didn’t want it to appear like I was afraid of them. Bravely, I skirted past them, only for their words to stop me. “You know that you’re never gonna win.” One of them sneered. I ignored them and kept on moving forward. The other one tried a new tactic. “Your mother would never approve of you competing in the chariot race.” I froze in place. How did they know? I had kept it secret that I was training myself for a chariot race. No one paid special attention to me, let alone teach me how to race. This has forced me to learn from a book. The first boy held up the book in my face. “What!” I checked my pocket, but the small book wasn't there. He smiled. “Found this on your desk. It would be a pleasure to tell your mother.” “No! I left it there!” I muttered to myself. “Please don’t. It will be as bad for me as it would be for you.” “Explanation?” He taunted. “Very well. Your mother and my mother are friends. Your mother has a serious deadline that you must be at home by six o’clock.” I pointedly looked at the sun, “It is approximately six-thirty. Your poor mother must be frantic because you aren’t home yet. If you go and tell my mother, she wouldn’t hear a word from you.” I quickly snatched the book from him. “And you’ll need proof.” He looked at me, clearly torn at what he should do. “Come on Anthony.” He hissed, and dashed for his house, pulling his friend behind him. I smiled. That was well done. “Come on Chestnut.” I lead my horse to the stables. A voice behind me made me jump. “What’s making you so happy, Adele?” Relief filled me. That voice belonged to my twin brother, Daniel. “Oh, nothing. It’s nice outside, isn’t it?” I smiled. “I suppose.” In the house, it was unusually empty. “Where is everyone?” I asked, not used to a silent house, with my four sisters and brother. “Katie fell down and got a bruise, so they all went to granny, and gramps house to comfort her. I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved Katie, who was the baby of the family, she could get on my nerves, spoiled as she was. She knew it too, and I bet it was her idea to go to Gramp's house. I didn't get much attention, given that I was born third. My sisters seemed to think of me as a hindrance more than a help. This, and the boys that I had come across when I was leading Chestnut home, propelled me to sign up for the upcoming chariot race. I kept wondering how the announcer would sound as I was striding through the field with Chestnut at my side. This was so exciting! I was actually going to the race. I was going to be competing in the race! I had proudly purchased an iron helmet, with small flower designs scattered across it. I had been saving up for the past two years, and finally earned enough to get it just in time for the race. I looked back when I heard footsteps behind me. My mother was running angrily towards me with Adrian, who was the boy who had threatened to tell her, trailing her with an all too familiar smirk on his face. My mom grasped my arm and dragged me home. “Please don’t make me have to do this, Adele. Can I trust you to stay in the house, or shall I have to lock you in your room on the third floor?” “You don’t dare trust her. She has been hiding this from you for as long as two years.” Agitated, I glared at Adrian, and my heart sank as my mother complied. To my room, I ambled, and once the door was shut, I stared furiously out my
open window. I knew it was foolish, but I whistled the special tune Daniel and I had invented if we were ever in trouble. To my surprise, I heard an identical whistle echoing back at me. I peered out the window with wide eyes. “Daniel!” I exclaimed in a hushed voice. “What are you doing here?” “You whistled, didn’t you? What’s the matter?” I took a deep breath before spilling out the tale of my passion for chariot racing, and how I had been discovered. He was looking at me— astonished—and when I finished, he left without a word. I gave into the gulp in my throat and burst out in tears. No sooner had the tears of a dream being crushed started streaming down my face, than Daniel appeared. Now, he carried a rope ladder. “Meet me at the field. I will prepare Chestnut.” My heart leaped, but before I could thank him, he silently disappeared. I pondered the question nagging me. Had Adrian seen my helmet? Would he recognize me? I swung down the ladder, not able to do anything but hope he hadn’t. I fitted my helmet on my head and joined Daniel in the field where Chestnut stood next to my chariot. “I’m going to have to leave here. Good luck.” Daniel told me before leaving with a wink. I hoisted myself on Chestnut, bemused. I soon righted myself, and brought her to a fast trot, because I did not want to miss my name being called. Chestnut and I trotted in as I heard a voice ringing through the air. “Next up is Hugo Gibson.” I took a deep breath. That was my registered name. I came into view and lined up next to the next contestant: Adrian. I was for once glad for my helmet, hiding my sour expression. He had revealed my secret because he knew I was the better rider. He was just jealous. My confidence faltered for a second, before I looked into the crowd, and saw Daniel. I could do this. “Three, two, one, GO!” We started the race, and I flew ahead of everyone, Taking the lead. The crowd gasped, and I saw Adrian narrowing his eyes at me. “You cheater!” He hatefully whispered next to me. This revealed that he knew my identity, and was attempting to throw me off. I kept my attention on the race undivided, and he was clearly desperate. I heard a sword getting unsheathed, and my heart skipped a beat. How had I forgotten? You were allowed to have weapons in the race. He was aiming for Chestnut, and I sped up to take the blow. Painfully, It slashed my arm, and I went dizzy for a second. No. I had to be courageous. I couldn’t let Adrian win. I put all of my attention to my racing and managed to catch back ahead of Adrian, despite the fatigue threatening to knock me unconscious. I trudged on though, although this time ready to sidestep Adrian. My small movement took precious time though, and Adrian took the chance to speed up. This couldn’t happen. I had been practicing for two years and finally had my chance to shine. I had to win. I pleaded for Chestnut to go faster. She gave a final burst of speed, and we soared across the finish line. We had done it! “Congratulations to Hugo Gibson for first place.” The booming voice of the announcer proclaimed above the noise. “Not so fast! This Hugo is a cheater.” Adrian proclaimed. He made two hurtling strides toward me and yanked off my helmet before I had time to react. In the crowd, someone screamed in shock, and then there was chaos, everyone exclaiming to each other in surprise. The race director took a step toward me and demanded an explanation. Instead of looking directly at him, I looked at the whole crowd. As soon as I started speaking, they immediately quieted down. “I am Adele Miller. I have dedicated my life to training for this race. I am not going to have it spoiled just because I am a girl. I have been dreaming of this day for as long as I can remember. Having thoroughly researched, no rule states that girls are not allowed to race. If I leave the stadium tonight because of an unwritten rule, I will not part with my head down in shame, but with my chin up. Shame on you, who think that I do not deserve to race, merely because I am a girl. I may be the first and last girl to compete in a chariot race, but despite what happens at the end of the night, I am proud of it.” Daniel started to clap, and soon the whole crowd followed his lead. The director looked at me, and then at the crowd, awe, and wonder in his eyes. “Very well then. Adele Miller, I am honored to give you first place in this race.” I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and spotted Daniel in the crowd. His triumphant smile reflected my own as I felt the weight of a solid, pure gold trophy in my hand. I couldn’t believe it. Not only had I spoken up, but my voice had been heard. THE END UwU There's nothing down there. ツ
