Leigh's Sacrifice

Forty-six seconds. For Leigh’s burning lungs and spent legs it was an eternity, but she pushed them further past physical endurance and into the realm of oblivion. It didn’t matter that she was beating her personal best by over two seconds, if she wanted to be selected, she still needed more. Her limbs became a thing apart from her body, completely detached from her sense of self-preservation. Her entire focus was directed at the stats around her.

Leigh had long ago, programmed her Personalized Computer Implant to display the results she was competing against. She had her own previous best overlaid with the top hundred results of her year. There was still a twelve second gap between her and the average top-hundred, but if she maintained her
She wanted to hit, kick, punch, scream, anything to prevent the inevitable. She was stomping her way out of the track field when her rank fell once more. Leigh punched a wall, releasing another flood of tears as the pain overwhelmed her. She choked, screamed, turned off her entire PCI and walked home. Not having an overlay to rely on, she had to concentrate on where she was going for the first time in years, she occupied herself as much as she could, trying to distract herself. It didn’t work.

For years she had worked single-mindedly on becoming the best. She’d been at the top of her entire region for as long as she could remember, but no matter how far she pushed herself she never seemed able to catch up to the upper ranks. Her physical and intellectual grades were excellent, but theirs were better. Her leadership, judgment, analytical, spatial and even empathic skills were extraordinary, but theirs were better. She sighed, deflated. Her hand was throbbing from the stupid pain she’d inflicted on
Having access to her results, they would already know, so at least she wouldn’t have to tell them. But she knew what they would say. They would praise her for her time on the 5k. When millions were competing against each other, the ranks were determined by such a small margin, they knew how much every second counted. They’d been through the same process themselves and they’d been there when her brother, Akin, annihilated her entire competition. Leigh sighed, not wanting their pride. She felt like a phony every time. Unlike her brother, who’d been top 10 of his entire age-group, she couldn’t even manage to get into the top