Rachel took three seconds to watch Paige enter the school. It was a sight that filled her with pride and sorrow in equal measure. She sighed as she pulled away and downed the last bit of her smoothie, wondering if she could maybe figure out a way to make Summer Camp Crafts work out.

***

Rachel walked out onto the training grounds and felt like a kid about to step out onto a playground. Shed run this course at least a dozen times before and had essentially obliterated it each time. She wondered if shed be able to beat her personal best time todaya time that was the second fastest the Richmond, Virginia, branch of the bureau had ever recorded.

Earlier in her career, shed come out and run the course for the fun of it. Nearly two miles of rugged woodland terrain right on the edge of Henrico County, complete with rope ladders, log obstacles, and a grueling quarter of a mile incline. At the end of it was a small open field where shed then complete several firearms drills. Now, though, it was not for fun (though she did enjoy it). Shed been asked to run the course as part of a skills assessment required by the bureau.

The proctor was standing a few feet to her right as she waited at the start of the course. Shed spoken to him a few times before; his name was Griffith, a fifty year-old that had also once been an agent but had a debilitating knee injury that put him out of the game. He was typing something into a smart pad as he looked up to her. Gmorning, Mrs. Gift. You doing good?

Of course. Any day out at the obstacle course is a favorite.

Glad to hear it, Griffith said. As you know, there will be another proctor waiting for you on the other end. And this time around, theres going to be a bit more attention paid to your results.

Whys that? Rachel asked, already looking forward to the challenge.

The higher ups know you have the second best time on this course. Because the first best is more than five years old, from an agent thats relocated to Salt Lake City, theyve got their eyes on you. Between me and you, theyd be pleased if you broke your old record. But if you could beat that one…

Got it, Rachel said, already priming herself.

Ready? he asked.

Rachel gave a nod and readied herself into a runners position. At the sound of the proctors whistle, she took off without pause. Her muscles seemed to react joyfully right away. Shed read an article not too long ago about how experienced surfers often felt a surge of something very close to euphoria the moment they straddled their board and saw a wave starting to form nearby. She thought it might be very similar to how she felt whenever any physical task was presented to her.