words out of nowhere. I solved it, and Echo was immediately cheering and Flip pulled me in for a hug. I felt like I earned a spot in their little family.
Echo then said we could go out on the field, and I followed one of our strongest and most daring players. This seemed like a great idea at first, until I realized how out of shape I’ ve become and the weather was very hot and humid. However, I held my own until it was time to return to the base for our next mission. Hot and sweaty, I was given one of Honu’ s cruel puzzles, a clear skull, loosely tied to the Indiana Jones crystal skull. I was partnered with Jess who is very like-minded. Together, even while watching the assembly video, we struggled to put together the puzzle. We were both frazzled and, afterward, we both admitted we almost cried when we couldn’ t find the right pieces or when I broke the puzzle twice. Our team cheered us on, especially Echo, and we got some light-hearted taunts from the Assassins( like siblings poking fun at each other). I even hid our progress under my hand when they tried peeking. We persisted and ultimately won for the Illuminati. I remember gripping it tightly to present to Honu and Lani.
The day consisted of more ciphers, field control, and gameplay. For the final battle of the day, I returned to the field. Luckily, a teammate loaned me a gun after mine developed an air leak— another example of Ohana PB’ s goal of being the best paintball family. I pushed as far as I could, but the Red Assassins dominated the field and had us pinned down. At the end of day one, it was no surprise that the Red Assassins were in the lead.
The next morning, it was heartwarming to see my daughter connecting with the paintball community. Rob“ Slim” Maryland, even though he was on the opposing team, bonded with her so much that she let him wear her prized mushroom hat and gave him a Slim Jim. She’ ll never forget that moment— it perfectly illustrates how great the paintball community can be.
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