"Oh my god, Adaline! That was so badass!" Jake woops as August and I take a seat at our table.
"Oh my, what?" My brow creases as I look at the enthusiastic boy with a large smile.
"It was an expression back before the wars when religion was still important." I stiffen at his explanation and look between the other competitors from sector two.
Vivian catches my wariness and explains. "This clod is a bit of a history buff. We're constantly telling him to watch what he says so that he isn't carted off for treason." She hisses the last bit at Jake and fixes a glare in his direction.
"Like anyone is listening. Get this, that expression is where today's 'Oh my stars' expression came from. When religion and all other controversial points were banned, people turned their focus to the stars because it couldn't be argued that they were there. It's also why 'stars' became a curse word when the atmosphere became mostly covered by pollution. People were no longer able to see the one thing they could look up to so they started cursing them out."
Nina who's sitting across from Jake kicks him under the table and his explanation ends. "Stars, Nina! Was that really necessary?"
Nina and Vivian both roll their eyes. "Sorry, brother. You had started on another one of your tangents." Andy shakes his head like it pains him to admit that the girls were right.
Jake crosses his arms and looks back to me. "Anyway, what you did was intense."
"Were you really hindered by the harness on your first climb? Or was that just an excuse to one-up everybody?" Nina's words catch me off guard. I've been expecting Jake's responses, he says something of the sort every meal.
"The harness didn't fit right so there were straps and buckles hanging off of me everywhere. While I was climbing the first time, I thought that one of those loose buckles was a hold and went to stand on it, instead, I ended up falling off the wall." August presses on the table in front of me, irritated that I haven't gotten food for myself yet and gets it himself.
"I can't believe you actually went up there without a harness." Andy stuffs himself with food as he talks, sending small pieces of bread toward a disgusted Vivian.
I hold back a laugh at the two of them. "Well, somebody told me that they heard about people planning to go after me and I had to show everyone that I'm not one to be messed with." I shrug and start nibbling at a pear.
As soon as I start eating, I am hit by how starved I am, and like Andy, start to fill myself full. Over the two weeks that we've been here, I've only ever picked at my food and never ate more than necessary. Today was different, I was famished and ate more than I would in a whole day.
"Well, I think that you showed those people, both of you." Jake looks between August and I and praises our performances.
"Pardon?" August sets his fork on the tray, his mashed potatoes forgotten.
"August, my man, you couldn't seriously think that a twenty-second, a singer at that, getting the second-best scores on both climbs isn't going to impress people." Jake snorts at thought like it was obvious.
August and I share a glance then look back at the third. "I don't understand."
"Most of the people with your ranks did well, yes. Though most twenty-seconds end in the twelfth-place range. The ones that score higher are usually the pair dancing or hand-balancing performers." I'm still lost in his reasoning and Jake sighs, disappointed by our lack of knowledge. "Singing and playing guitar doesn't make you super strong!"
"Ooh." We both finally understand and I think about it. It's true, August wouldn't be nearly as strong as he is if he didn't lift weights with Andrew regularly.
YOU ARE READING
Submit (Book 1, The Karyln Trials)
Fiksi Ilmiah*Completed* We are only a number... How would you feel if when you were born, your whole life was set in front of you? If how you were treated was all dependent on where in the year you were born? Well, welcome to Karyln, formerly known as the Unit...
