James positioned the participants. A red fabric square marked the gate, ten yards away. Noah had two soft strips attached at his hips. The three black belts would try to remove them with light touches. There would be one practice round and two short timed attempts. Any rough contact would end the attempt. Noah could choose not to continue after any round.
During the practice round, Blake rushed forward too quickly, and Noah stepped around him without effort. Troy laughed and adjusted his stance. Evan watched Noah’s feet with the same worried concentration he had shown at the open house. James reminded them that the exercise was about coordination and control, not aggression.
The first timed attempt began on a whistle. Noah moved toward the open side of the mat, but Blake anticipated the route and shifted across it. Evan closed the gap behind him. Troy approached from the right. Noah pivoted, looking for an exit that had already narrowed, and reached too far with his injured shoulder. Evan touched one strip. Blake touched the other before Noah could recover.
The whistle sounded. It had taken fourteen seconds.
A few spectators clapped. Somebody near the bleachers laughed. Noah stood still for a moment, heat rising through his face. He had imagined failing, but imagination had not included the sick twist in his stomach or the sound of Blake’s pleased exhale.
Eleanor approached. “Do you want to continue?”
Noah looked toward the bleachers. Lily was watching without smiling. Sarah’s hands were folded together. Walt gave him a small nod that meant nothing more than I see you.
“Yes,” Noah said. “After I fix what I did wrong.”
“What was it?”
“I kept looking at the person in front of me. I forgot the whole room.”
Eleanor smiled. “Then you’ve learned something.”
In the second round, the three started from a different arrangement. Blake stood nearest the gate; Troy was a little behind him, and Evan waited on Noah’s left. Noah did not stare at Blake. He looked past all three toward the red square and, for an instant, at the side boundary where James was standing.
The whistle sounded.
Noah moved away from the gate at first, drawing Troy toward him. Troy stepped in quickly, expecting Noah to turn back, but Noah changed direction before contact. Evan came forward to block. Noah slipped through the open space between Evan’s reach and the boundary, not touching him. Blake rushed to intercept, then stopped short as Noah angled behind him. Troy reached a strip and pulled it loose. The other remained attached.
For a moment Noah appeared trapped near the far corner. The crowd rose in a single nervous movement. He lowered his center of gravity, paused as Blake committed to one side, and crossed in the opposite direction. He did not strike or throw. He simply recognized an opening, moved through it, and reached the red square with one strip still in place.
The whistle sounded again.
Seventeen seconds had passed.
There was a silence, then applause so sudden Lily nearly dropped her scarf. Noah stood breathing hard, his palm against the red square. Troy looked down at the fabric strip in his hand. Evan smiled despite himself. Blake stared at the floor as though it had betrayed him.
