Chapter 603

Who else could it be but the legendary number one?
“So, Charlotte has been training with us for three days and nobody noticed?”
If she’d just shown up a little more, they would’ve figured it out way sooner.
Team 4 finally caught on too, and everyone felt a little bitter about it. Their eyes were glued to Charlotte now, turning into instant fans. In that moment, Charlotte was their goddess.
Janie saw both teams’ reactions and her smile suddenly froze. She clenched her fists, frustration bubbling up. “So what if she’s number one? She can’t even get past the first obstacle.”
Olivia just smiled quietly. She’d learned her lesson. There were some things better left unsaid, especially when it came to Charlotte. It wasn’t worth making her an enemy, not when she was no real threat. If other people wanted to dig their own graves, that was their problem.
Right as Janie was mocking Charlotte about the “first obstacle,” Charlotte, who had been standing off to the side, suddenly hopped up onto the balance beam. She steadied herself, then strode forward, completely unbothered by the swaying chains under her feet, her balance almost unreal.
Before anyone could even blink, she was already running ahead toward the next challenge.
In no time, Charlotte had reached the third stage.
A girl from Team 4 was still climbing the ladder. When she glanced back and saw Charlotte right behind her, her face went pale. It had taken her a full minute to get this far and she thought Charlotte was still way behind. How did she catch up so fast?
Charlotte gave a tiny, knowing smile. She gripped the ladder, pushed off hard, and launched herself upward. Everyone watched as she cleared the obstacle wall with barely any effort. She glanced back at the girl still struggling, smirked, then took off for the fourth stage, the 100-meter sprint.
After that, she slowed down and walked straight into the final round.
This stage was the hardest. You had to shoot arrows, best three out of five. Three shots had to land in the seventh ring or higher to finish.
Janie had finished so quickly earlier because she was good at archery.
Charlotte glanced at the clock, picked up a bow, nocked an arrow, and let her first shot fly…
It completely missed the target.
The girl who’d finally caught up, still catching her breath, saw an opening and grabbed a bow too.
First shot, eight points.
She looked over at Charlotte with a smug, challenging grin.
Charlotte just smiled back, lazy and unbothered, and shot her second arrow…
Another miss.
Everyone from both teams started looking down in disappointment. They’d expected Charlotte to be just as amazing at sports. Didit matter how fast she was on the course, if
she couldn’t shoot, she could still
lose.
Team 4’s girl took her second shot. Five points. Not enough.
Charlotte checked the clock again, her eyes going a little darker. She raised the bow, aimed, shot…
Bullseye. Ten points.
From missing completely to hitting dead center-how was that even possible?
The other girl started to panic, her hands shaking. Her third shot missed the target altogether.
Charlotte’s third try. Another bullseye.
Fourth arrow, Team 4’s girl scored nine.
Charlotte’s fourth shot, her hand slipped, and she missed.
Now, they each had two qualifying shots and only one arrow left.
If Team 4’s girl could hit this last one, she’d win…
But before she could even let go, Charlotte’s arrow flew past her. It struck the target dead center the shaft stuck halfway through the board.
Bullseye.
Charlotte won.
Her time was three minutes and twenty-nine seconds, just one
second behind Team 1’s best net
record, earning her a shot ata final. showdown against Janie. Content”
The other girl’s bow slipped from her fingers and hit the ground. She just stood
there, totally stunned.
Cotton was speechless.
So was everyone else.