the living are hungry hodnes [ lexark ]

23] ai hod yu in

"So then she's standing at the top of the pyramid, holding the flag she captured, proud as ever that she just beat out all the other teams. The girl she had a crush on, from another program, was cheering her on, so she bows." Lyndsey is having a hard time getting out the story because she is laughing so hard.

"Then she turns around to face the rest of us, having no idea that the back of her pants were burned off in the last obstacle." She laughs again, before catching her breath. "Then she takes another bow, while mooning the girl and everyone else on that side of the auditorium. Everyone went nuts! Ms. Ego thought it was from her performance, but really we couldn't get over the fact she had just mooned all the high ranking officers that were in attendance for the competition."

I'm laughing so hard that I snort. Then I just laugh harder. I'm crying by the time Elyza and Maree walk up to us. Well, Maree is crawling towards us, because she heard the retelling of the story and fell to her knees laughing.

I grab Elyza by her shirt and pull her in for a kiss. When I break away I ask, "So you couldn't even feel a draft back there?" She glares and tries to pull away but I don't let her, and kiss her again.

"Ha. Ha. I knew they were burned. I did it as a practical joke, obviously. It's me we're talking about here, Hodnes."

"You liar!" Lyndsey accuses. "You were so embarrassed you didn't come to chow for a whole week!"

"I'm going to kill you Lyndsey." She growls.

"Also a lie. You would never hurt me, and don't even pretend in front of Alicia here, because I can tell she sees right through your bullshit too." She looks at me and I nod in confirmation. Then she smiles smugly to Elyza.

"You think you're so funny don't you?" She asks Lyndsey.

"And beautiful. Cunning some would say.."
Lyndsey starts before Elyza becomes a sore sport and walks away. She looks at me and sighs. "Ok I guess that's enough for today. There is always tomorrow though! I have years of embarrassment to catch up on."

"If you girls are done, we can start the pyre and start heading out to the farm." Elyza says from where Skai's body is sitting waiting to be lit.

Way to be a buzz kill, Elyza.

Knowing we should get down to business, we head over to the pyre. The light mood of the last few minutes had vanished instantly. Even Maree gets serious when Elyza lights the pyre.

"Yu gonplei ste odon." The three of them whisper as it catches fire. Elyza puts her arm around me and whispers the translation "Her fight is over."

We watch as the controlled flames burn for a while. I didn't really know Skai, besides when she was trying to kidnap me, or was choking me and punching me in the face..but I know she wasn't always that way. She was their sister, they loved her and I killed her. I feel tears building and then they start falling.