A Lily Among Blades

Chapter 4

"Fail! This tastes marginally better than what those boys turned up, but it's still horrible!"

I backed off quickly. There go my great cooking skills, I guess. After me was an applicant I hadn't seen before. They were wearing a simple pair of pants and a shirt with a full-length cloak over top. I couldn't see their face but black hair spilled out of the edges of the cloak. I paused to watch them present their dish to Buhara and Menchi.

Buhara passed it, no surprise there. Menchi took a bite and cringed, fanning her mouth. 

"Too spicy! Too dry!" she yelled, desperately trying to find something to drink.

The applicant turned around, grinning.

"That was almost as bad as mine," I commented to them. They paused and turned to me. "My name is Lily. What's yours?"

"Layne. Pardon me, but are you a girl?"

"Yeah. Not many of us here," I was glad to have found another possible friend. Layne didn't look too much older than me, probably around the same age as Kurapika. She leaned in closer to me, whispering, "Don't tell anyone, but I purposely made my dish too dry and spicy. I can't cook anyway and Menchi was getting on my nerves."

I laughed while glancing back at the holdup of people as Menchi drank glass after glass of water.

"Might as well go out with a bang!" Layne said cheerfully. We both smiled again. At least all the other applicants failed as well. I'd honestly be surprised if anyone passed Menchi's superior tastebuds, though they were arguably burnt off by Layne.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go. Talk to you later?" I asked. The older girl nodded and we parted ways.

I walked off to the four boys. Ponzu was nowhere in sight. After limping a little further, I stopped and watched them. Our group was definitely an odd one. The tallest by at least a foot was Leorio, then Kurapika, Gon, and Killua. The last two were about the same height as me.

What would Killua and I do now? Both of us had failed the second phase and I doubted we would get another chance. Would Kil even go with me? He's such good friends with Gon already... obviously, he'd rather travel around with the other boy. Was I still his best friend, or had I been replaced? The thought made me want to cry. Killua was the only friend I'd ever had for longer than a few weeks. The boys laughed at something Gon said, talking smoothly with each other. Maybe I could go with Leorio of Kurapika!

I only entertained the thought for a moment. They were a few years older and wouldn't want to travel with someone so young. Even if they thought of me as a little sister, they'd get tired of me eventually. I'm just a nuisance.

I began to sink further into the despair of where I would go. My thoughts wouldn't leave me alone. I took a few shuffling steps closer to them but stopped. I needed time for myself. The wall seemed like a good place.

Trying to weave through the crowd, however, made me rethink my choice. But I was already too close and too tired to turn around. Finally, my back hit the wall and my body slid down to sit. I sighed deeply, my ankle throbbing from moving so much.

The sky was a pristine blue with a few clouds drifting lazily across the great expanse. A shadow crossed my body and goosebumps rose on my skin. Slowly, a large blimp flew overhead and something was falling through the air. Was that... a package?

As it came closer, I slowly recognized it. My eyes widened and I shielded my face from debris as the person crashed into the ground. The vibration of it shook me out of my pity-fest and I quickly stood. What the heck just happened?

The man, as I could now see, was talking to the examiners.

"You can't fail everyone, Menchi. I would like you to redo the test on the condition that you participate too," he said cheerfully. His robes fluttered around him as the dust settled back on the ground.

"Of course, Chairman," Menchi said, apologizing. Chairman? It was Netero, the head of the Hunter's Association! He was in charge of the Hunter's exam!

"Would you fly us to Mount Split-In-Half?" Menchi asked?

All of the applicants gathered at the edge of the crevasse as Menchi explained the task, then demonstrated. Gasps rippled through the crowded people as she jumped into the chasm. After she successfully grabbed an egg and used the updraft to return, scores of applicants jumped without thinking, only to be killed in the fall.

Then, Gon jumped! Followed closely by Leorio, Killua, and Kurapika. I hesitated for a moment, then threw caution to the wind.

Falling into empty space was exhilarating! As soon as I hit the air, all of my worries melted away and I was caught in the euphoria of the moment. My plans could wait for later, after the exam. Right now, the only thing on my mind was having fun, and nothing was going to stop me.

Grabbing hold next to Killua, I let out a whoop and even did a flip around the web. Hearing the others yell out in shock was enough to make me laugh. Grinning, I faced Killua.

"Hey, Kil," I whispered. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm gonna beat you to the top. Wanna race?" I taunted. Killua grinned back and agreed,

"You're on!"

For the next few minutes, we hung on the webbing and waited. Other applicants got too eager and dropped off. We stayed. Leorio began warning Gon of the fraying ropes. Soon, we wouldn't be able to hang on much longer. 

"NOW!" Gon yelled, and we all let go, grabbing the eggs on the way down. Then we were sent flying back up the chasm with the updraft of cool air. A laugh was torn out of my throat as we went up, and my stomach rose up with the beginning of the fall.

Gon landed first, then Kurapika and Leorio. Only Killua and I, who seemed to have been caught in a stronger draft, were left in the air. Killua was closer. In a desperate attempt to get there first, I twisted around slightly even though it wouldn't do anything. But it did, just not what I wanted.

"Oh, shoot," I muttered, realizing, 'Ah, right. I have a broken ankle!' Thinking as fast as I could, I yelled, "Kurapika, catch!" and threw my egg in his general direction so it wouldn't break. The ground was only a few feet away, and rapidly getting closer.