by Megan Linski
That was a dangerous number. Luckily, the two Toaqua girls were too busy fawning over my brother to read too much into what we were saying.
Ezra stood up. “Ladies.” He offered an arm to each girl, and they took it as they swaggered toward the dance floor. Three more Toaqua girls materialized around my brother, and I swear all of them were fine taking turns dancing with him.
Jonah leaned in once Ezra was gone. “Dude, does he know?” he asked, thumbing at Ezra.
“Yes,” I said lowly, before I grimaced and glanced at my girlfrie— I mean, Sophia. “Sorry, Soph.”
“I don’t care,” she said, and she waved her hand. “I’m fine with your brother knowing.”
Of course she didn’t mind, because she didn’t know what that meant. “The more people who know about… us… the more we’re at risk,” I told her.
“Is there an us?” Imogen asked curiously, her happiness back. She and Jonah leaned forward like they couldn’t wait to hear all the juicy details.
“Who are you guys, the Hawkei tabloid reporters?” I asked. “You two know because there was no keeping it from you during the tournament, but now that we’re back home you need to mind your own business.”
Thankfully, that was the moment the music changed from classical to modern, and the lights darkened, giving the ballroom a club-like atmosphere. Jonah jumped up from his seat like he’d been electrocuted, gossip about my love life forgotten.
“This is my song!” he squealed, and ran onto the dance floor. Squeaks followed, racing after her Elementai almost deliriously.
Imogen jumped up from the table and grabbed Sophia’s hand. “Come on!” The two girls raced off after Jonah. Esis and Sassy scampered to follow. I got up to lean against a pillar and watch them from afar.
Imogen and Sophia didn’t hold back at all. The girls bounced up and down to the music, grinding against each other like we were at a strip club. They pounded their fists into the air, did a waltz, and then the tango. At one point Imogen got down and did the worm, rising up on all fours to shake her butt. Sophia slapped it, and they almost fell over laughing. They were fun to watch. It’s like they didn’t care about what people thought of them, only having fun.
Jonah was worse than the both of them. He was twerking in the middle of the dance floor, shaking his ass so hard I'm surprised it didn’t fall off. Squeaks copied him, wiggling her hindquarters until the music increased in tempo and she did her best moonwalk.
It didn’t help that Jonah was requesting the filthiest songs he could think of. The DJ made faces, but since Jonah was a Cup Champion, he couldn’t protest. Some other gay dude in a purple suit, with eye glitter and false eyelashes, sauntered onto the floor with his griffin Familiar. He did some crazy sick moves, gliding along the floor like he had choreographed steps for each song. Jonah copied him until half the dance floor stood back to watch them in complete awe.
I was pretty sure Jonah had spent the last few months practicing his moves more than preparing for the cup. It pissed me off a little, but the tournament was over now, so whatever. He could have his fun.
People were watching on the sidelines, whispering to each other and laughing under their breath at my team’s ridiculous dance moves. But fuck them. They were having the time of their lives out there.
“Hey, you were on their team. Do you think Sophia Henley and Imogen Ahnild are lesbians?” a dude I didn’t even know leaned over and asked me when Sophia and Imogen started doing some sort of sexy dance against each other. His friend was next to him, watching me carefully for a response.
“Um, no fucking way,” I said, irritated. “They’re just friends.”
“I swear that Sophia girl is bisexual,” the other bro said, nodding his head as if that sealed the deal.
Couldn’t confirm that for sure, but at least I knew she liked dick. I mean... I couldn’t say for certain, because I hadn’t shown that part of me to her yet and didn’t know that she wouldn’t run off screaming, but I was pretty sure she was into dudes. The way she was dirty dancing with Imogen, though, even made me wonder.
Imogen knelt down on the floor. She pulled a small box from her dress and presented it to Sophia, opening it like it contained a wedding ring. There was a small bracelet inside, one it looked like Imogen had made, with Koigni and Nivita charms attached. Sophia squealed and pretended to accept the fake proposal tearfully. It made me chuckle how close they were.
“See. Total lesbians,” the bro added.
Great. The way this school was, half the student body would be utterly convinced the girls were engaged and getting married next summer. People were so stupid. They were just girls being girls.
Though if the Elders did suspect they were engaged lesbians from different Houses (which, if it did happen, I was leaving this whole society) at least it wouldn't be as severe… because they couldn't reproduce together. They’d probably just end up with some jail time and a fine.
It was different with us. I could get her pregnant. And that’s what the Elders feared the most.
“Sophia is cute, though,” the bro said, interrupting my thoughts. “Too bad she’s from Koigni.”
“For sure. What I’d give to get my hands on that body. Sucks she’s not Nivita,” the other dude groaned.
“Hey, back off,” I growled. The guys stared at me with open mouths, and I stomped off before my big mouth could get me into more trouble. I couldn’t be protective or jealous. Not in public.
And it sucked. I had noticed that half the guys in here were eyeing Sophia, especially the Koigni guys who knew they actually had a chance.
But maybe they didn’t have a chance, because her heart belonged to me.
Watching her out there, enjoying herself with Imogen and Jonah, made me think back to our second kiss in the garden and how perfect it’d been. In the moment, I couldn’t control myself. After a week of not feeling those lips against mine, I just had to kiss her. When she’d practically forced me to grab her ass, I nearly came right then and there. Sophia had the most perfect ass. It was better than even my dreams had been. I was scared to touch her, because I worried she’d get triggered because of what that creep had done to her on prom night.
But she didn’t. She wanted me just as badly as I wanted her. Which boggled my mind. How could someone as incredible as her, love me?
Sophia gestured for me to join her and Imogen. I shook my head, and she frowned. She seemed hurt.
Sophia didn't understand. She thought I didn't want to be with her. That wasn’t it at all. She wasn't taking this seriously. If people found out about us, we could be banished or imprisoned. Worse, we could be executed.
She would be separated from Esis. I didn't have anything to lose in this game, but I wouldn't do that to her.
Still… her words gave me hope. Maybe there was a way we could change the rules. Maybe the tribe would make an exception for us.
It was doubtful.
Sophia kept glancing at me. It made me feel bad. She really wanted me out there with her.
Fuck it. I went to the bar, ordered another shot, and took it before I strolled onto the dance floor.
At this point, Sophia and Imogen did some sort of coordinated dance— though I was pretty sure Imogen had made it up off the top of her head and that Sophia was just following along. Esis and Sassy copied them, trying to duplicate the moves their Elementai were making. Jonah had joined in, and with Squeaks as backup, they looked like a horribly uncoordinated boy band.
Sophia saw me coming. She reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me in.
I was a terrible dancer. I couldn’t keep up with the rest of them, but I still tried to follow Imogen’s movements, trying to play along. People moved off the dance floor and gave us room as we started tripping over each other, then getting down the rhythm of the dance. At the end of the song, we pretty much fell against each other laughing. I was breathless, and Sophia gasped for air. Her eyes sparkled, like she wished this night would never end.
If I was
a sap, I’d say something nauseating, like I believed in that moment the four of us would be friends forever.
The lights came up again. Dinner was ready. We staggered off the dance floor and returned to our table. Baine was sitting there waiting for us. As our tournament mentor, he was supposed to eat with us.
“People were staring at Imogen and me when we were dancing,” Sophia said before we sat down. “Like we were freaks.”
“They’re just jealous they don’t have the courage to dance like that,” I told her gently. “Don’t let them bother you. Their opinions don’t matter.”
We sat down, and Baine grinned at us. “Enjoying the ball?”
“Yes,” we all responded in unison. Servers started bringing us plates of roast corn, ground cake, buffalo steak, a sweet berry mixture, and a bowl of mutton stew.
Oh, thank the ancestors. I hadn’t had such a good meal in like, weeks. The hospital food wasn’t bad, but it was nothing like the school’s cooking.
Baine immediately dug in. He wasn’t as bad of an eater as I was, but he ate loudly and had to constantly use his napkin to smear away the juices on his face. I couldn’t understand this obsession women had over him.
“By the way… how did we win, Professor? I thought for sure we’d come in last,” I asked before taking a bite. I tried to eat more politely this time, seeing as we were at a ball after all.
“You mean you didn’t watch the recaps?” Baine’s eyes widened.
I glanced at my teammates, and we all shared the same expression. I didn’t have to ask. None of us wanted to watch the replay of our Cup win. We probably would, someday. Right now, it was just too fresh.
“Well, let’s see.” Baine raised his fingers and started ticking off names. “The Yellow Team failed at the first task. None of them made it out of the ocean alive.”
A pit sank in my stomach. That’s what I’d been afraid of.
Baine continued, as if he wasn’t talking about college kids dying and just making polite dinner conversation.
“The Silver Team came in third, but lost one of its members in the avalanche. The Blue Team was fourth, but only had two members left by the time they made it to the end. Two died, one from the avalanche and and one from dehydration,” Baine noted. “Purple and Orange were both next, but they decided to unify their teams instead of fighting, and they made it to the end together, although there were only six of them left by that point.”
Baine cleared his throat and eyed Sophia. I could tell he was thinking about how our team and Haley’s had fought against each other. Nobody had brought it up, because it wasn’t polite and anything was legal during the Elemental Cup. But it was still shocking, because it hadn’t been done before. As far as I knew, no one in the history of the Cup had ever murdered their teammates.
“What about the rest?” Jonah asked, clearly to steer the conversation away from Haley’s insanity.
Baine shrugged. “The Green Team tried to avoid the mountains, but got lost in the woods and had to backtrack, which cost them a few days. And, well, the Red Team… I’m sure you’ve heard what happened with them.”
Baine made a unfortunate expression. Out of the corner of the room, Madame Doya came into view, Naomi prowling proudly at her side.
Every move that she made was elegant and poised. She was a gorgeous lady, and beautiful to watch, even if she was the most evil woman in the world… though I was pretty sure Haley had booted her to second place in the past few weeks.
It had to be an embarrassment for Doya to only have Haley survive, even if she did get second place. Her behavior… or rather, her murders… had been filmed on live TV for all to see.
Those families weren’t going to be happy with the Koigni tribe. They’d blame every Fire person alive for their kids’ deaths, not just Doya and Haley. Despite nearly winning the Cup, Haley had shamed her tribe. And I was sure Sophia’s incredible display during the Fire challenge didn’t do much for any of the other tribes but make them all nervous.
It seemed like we were heading toward a war. And since I was pretty sure Sophia would be at the center of it, that scared the hell out of me.
“The Pink Team came in last, but they took their time and made sure they were prepared before they went into any challenges.” Baine slurped the last of his soup. “Besides the Pink Team, you were the only other team that had all four members survive.”
That was a humbling statement. “It sounded like we just got lucky,” I said.
“Way to ruin everything,” Sophia said, and she elbowed me.
“You won because you paced yourself well and worked together. None of the other teams took care of each other like you four did,” Baine said. “Not to mention that instead of doing things the conventional way, all of you did things in a way that worked best for you.”
We all looked at each other with soft smiles. Baine was right. We had each other’s backs. Now and always.
Baine rambled on and on about the rest of the teams and how they had performed during the tournament, which was fine, because it gave the rest of us time to eat. I had my meal down in seconds, though Imogen and Sophia took forever. I’m pretty sure Jonah drank more than he ate.
As Baine went on about how the other contestants had died... falls, cave-ins, or lost within the region… I got a little confused. As far as I could remember, there were deaths every year, but the death toll had been steadily going up every year since I’d attended Orenda. Were the Elders making the contest harder or something?
I’d noticed Baine’s eyes had hardly left Madame Doya’s form the minute she strolled into the room. He rose to his feet and bowed to us.
“Well, at any rate, I’m glad you four did so well,” he said, rather hurriedly. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”
Baine went to the center of the room and held out a hand to Madame Doya. Naomi growled, but after a moment, Doya took it, and soon they were turning on the dance floor. Baine’s awkward and stiff dad-moves looked very strange next to Doya’s intricate twirling.
Baine and Doya danced in a very proper way together. It more or less looked polite. I figured it was expected of them to dance together, since they were both the top two mentors this year.
“I wish the Hawkei didn’t celebrate death,” Sophia said, and she whooshed out a breath. “I don’t understand how they can watch their children die and be happy about it. This Cup is so cruel. I wish there was a different way.”
“Well, no one’s really happy,” Jonah explained. “It’s just what’s done.”
Imogen pursed her lips like she didn’t agree, but didn’t say anything. Sophia looked sad.
“This is how our society is, Sophia,” I told her quietly. “People don’t really consider it barbaric. Just how things are.”
She bounced her foot. “Well, maybe someday the rules will be changed, and the Cup won’t require sacrifices.”
There she went again with changing the rules. She didn’t get it. No one could change anything, not even if they wanted to.
The servers brought out peach crumble for dessert, and the invitation of sugar was at least enough to get Sophia talking about more pleasant things.
“Are you sticking around during the break?” Sophia asked me. She fed Esis a bit of peach crumble off her fork, and he nearly fell over with how delicious it was.
“I, uh, won’t be around much,” I said regrettably. “After Christmas I usually travel with my Dad on the Hozho to Europe. Water tribe stuff.”
“Aw.” She seemed disappointed. “But isn’t Ezra supposed to handle that stuff from now on?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, but Dad still wants my help, I guess.”
Which was hopeful. Maybe if I couldn’t be chief, Dad could still give me a place in the tribe. Not something as entitled as Elder, but at least some position where I could be useful.
“Hm. Well, I’ll miss you,” she said.
“I’ll miss you too, pawee.”
Imogen and Jonah gave each other another cute
sy glance when I called Sophia that, and I sent them a death glare. Imogen and Jonah totally knew was I was calling her, and I bet they’d told her, the little shits.
“What are you doing over break, Jonah?” Sophia asked. She gave her fork to Esis, and he used it to suck down the rest of her dessert.
“I’m going to every rave this side of California!” Jonah practically yelled. “Squeaks and I are going to hit all the Hawkei nightclubs, won’t we, girl?”
Squeaks squeaked excitedly, thrilled at the prospect of partying with Jonah over New Year’s.
I made an obnoxious sound. Jonah was going to come back next semester with a month-long hangover— Squeaks, too.
“Are you spending Christmas with your fam—?” Sophia started, but I quickly shook my head no at her. She went quiet. Luckily, Jonah hadn’t heard her.
“Jonah’s spending Christmas with my family,” I told Sophia quickly. “He usually does.”
“Oh.” Sophia said quietly. “Are his parents here to celebrate our Cup win?”
Unfortunately, Jonah had heard that. “They couldn’t be here. They were, uh, busy,” Jonah said quickly. Then, after a few seconds, he hurriedly added, “But I’m sure they’re proud of me.”
Sophia had the good sense not to ask any more questions. Personally, I was glad Jonah’s asshole parents weren’t here, along with his snobby older sister and her stuck-up girlfriend. Jonah’s family was awful. Though it looked like he still wasn’t over sticking up for them, which broke my heart. I’d hoped he’d finally seen the light, but I guess not yet.
Imogen changed the subject, thank the ancestors. “We’re spending a quiet Christmas at home before we go exploring the Mayan ruins in Guatemala.”
“I don’t know where I’m going to go,” Sophia said glumly. “I’m sure Doya won’t let me go back home.”
“You can stay with me,” Imogen offered cheerfully. “Mom would love to have you. We always need extra help exploring.”
“Thanks, Im.” The girls smiled brightly at each other.
“Will Cade be there?” I teased. I knew his family usually vacationed in South America this time every year.
