Chapter 57

The mountain's terrain looked more like a staircase rather than the usual, random jagged sections and flat areas. There seemed to be a system or pattern that I wasn't recognizing. I ran on the flat surface, watching out for any slippery, black ice or crumbling paths. I checked the number of competitors: two hundred twenty-three. Damn. If I don't find a group, then I don't think the plan will ever work. But first, I have to prepare for the trap.

I climbed the terrace-like formations on the mountain until I reached a location that a few hundred feet above the spot where the three groups will collide. Now, I just needed to find a large number of rocks, debris, dirt, and water. Actually, I just needed the water! An idea popped into my head. What if I built a dam on top of the locations and let the water out? That would be the easiest and the most viable option, but where do I get the water? I looked around and saw the enormous wall of water sixty feet away from me. I peered down the mountain to see that the place where we set up camp had been relinquished to the water. This isn't half bad! But, how am I supposed to redirect the water from the wall to me?

First, I grabbed a medium-sized stick and drew the area, mechanisms, and path that the water needed to use and follow to make this worked. I sketched the whole thing on the dirt until I reached the water. I tapped my finger against it, and ripples glided over the smooth surface, distorting my reflection. I loved to do that. Then, I experimented with the water. It wasn't a bubble since it wouldn't explode when I poked it. It wasn't like a barrel or bottle of water because the hole that I poked would not cause a reaction where water would pour out of the whole. The water would just fill that part up again. Lastly, I trusted the wooden stick inside the wall and waited. In a matter of seconds, the water from a thirty-three square foot hole exploded out, narrowly missing me. I sighed a breath of relief and watched the jet of water shoot down the water until it hit the earth below with a *BAM*. I ran over and saw a pothole the size of...a watermelon in the ground. I cackled. This was brilliant! The wall was the dam, and all I had to do was get something big enough to tinker with the wall.

I chucked a small rock into the wall. This will be interesting. The rock went in about ten feet before the water erupted from the wall and shot out like a torpedo, carrying the small pebble with it. This was beyond perfect! It didn't matter the size of the object being thrown or poked in. It was the distance in which the object traveled! Good, good. But, how far would I need to throw it in before it can swallow the whole location below? I sat down and started doing the math.

____________________________________________________________________________

Flin POV:

The taxi finally made it to the campus, where Lily pranced off to find her clothes. I followed her quickly, throwing some money to the taxi driver. God damn it, why do my legs need to be shorter than my granddaughters?

A grand building stood in front of me, and a majestic statue of an angel was built right in front of it. The one rugged pathway become smooth stone as we stepped into the building. The ceiling was high above me and everybody else who was there. Lily stopped at a ticket booth and pulled me along. There was an old woman manning the booth though she was younger than me. She said, "Performers can only have a family with them."

Lily stopped in her tracks and leaned back to face the woman. "What about the rest of the people?" she asked.

The woman adjusted her glasses and said, "They have to buy tickets."

Lily refuted this, "But, he's with ME, why can't I bring along a person of MY choosing."

The woman played with her curly black hair and responded, "I don't make the rules, hon'."

I calmed Lily down by saying, "Lily, it's okay. I can afford the ticket, how much would it be?" I raised my head to meet her eyes.

The glasses woman looked at me and said, "Four hundred and fifty credits." Holy shit! That much for a single ticket?

I leaned into Lily's ear and said, "Is the talent that good around here?" It was meant to be a joke, but she was already too focused on getting me out of there.

She turned around to meet the woman and said, "He is my grandfather, so he WILL be coming with me." She dragged me behind her before she yelled, "You can sue my ass for all I care!" I looked back at the woman; her face was twisted into a shock when she heard profanity. I giggled; prim and proper people were too easy to mess with.

As I was getting dragged along through the crowd of people dressed in extravagant clothing, we bumped into three girls. They were around the same age as Lily although their attitudes were nowhere near. "Look who we have here, girls," One of the girls cackled, rallying up her friends. There were two of them who looked identical save for the different shades of green hair color. One of them had darker green, like broccoli, and the other had a lighter color, like...guava. Both of them had snake-like eyes, thin waists, sharp noses, symmetrical faces with blood-colored lips. To men who did not know their nature, they had appealing features: plump breasts, round hips, and revealing clothing were all part of their repertoire. Their pastime hobbies must be dressing like sluts and seducing men. I laughed at my own joke. There was another girl, who I don't think was part of the sisters, with red hair, freckles, yellow-gold eyes, and a flat chest. She was wearing some type of gown that cut off at her chest. She covered her red lips with white gloves and sneered, "Did you bring a hobo in here as well?"

She was annoying. Also, how the fuck were my clothes that of a hobo's? I took my turn to jeer at the red-head, "Lily, I didn't know you had a friend that glued a washboard on her chest. You should have told me, I would've brought some pads!"

The red-head scowled, "You...motherfucker! You dare insult me?!"

I leaned closer to her and said, "You sure you don't wanna use pads?" She kicked me in the shin, only to have her glass slippers shattered on the spot. My clothes were reinforced with steel fibers, what kind of hobo would have that?! I realized that I felt good about owning a seventeen-year-old. I dialed myself down a bit.

The redhead screamed and slowly said, "Lily, I wonder what happened to your dress?" Lily's eyes panicked as she ran off to the room where were dress was supposed to be. The redhead looked at me and said, "You'll pay. Just you wait." She turned around with the help of the green-haired girls and limped into the bathroom to clean her bloodied foot. It was weird to me that no one seemed to notice the broken glass on the floor, but then again, I couldn't care enough to ask. I ran after Lily to check on her dress.