DISCONTINUED

Chapter 30

Homecoming had always been a pretty big deal at their school, and the whole "you're all going to die when we tell you to" cloud they now lived under didn't seem to have really dampened anyone's spirits. If anything, people seemed glad for the distraction as all the weekend's festivities thus far had been as well attended and high spirited as she could ever remember them having been in past years.

Luna sat quietly and surveyed the crowd with equal parts disbelief and disdain.

"Idiots."

"Sorry Lu, what did you say?" Bo asked, Luna's muttering having been lost in the noise of the crowd around them.

"I said, what a bunch of idiots. I mean, look at them? I bet there are people here in the crowd that are going to be executed this week, or next, or sometime this month. I guarantee it. And yet here they are, just hanging out, getting ready to watch a football game. A freaking football game." She looked at Bo and threw up her hands, her voice raised in exasperation. "Seriously Bo, like what the actual HELL???"

People nearby stopped to turn and look at them. Bo smiled weakly as if to say, "everything's fine" and they all returned to their conversations.

He leaned in closer to Luna so he could talk to her without raising his voice. "Whoa, whoa. Easy there Lu. Settle down ok?"

Luna screwed up her face at him. "Quit talking to me like I'm a horse or something. And no, I'm not going to settle down. In fact, I'm about this close to standing up and yelling at everyone to get their heads out of their butts already and do something! Anything. At least just stop pretending that all of this is ok. Even that would be a good start."

She continued, her voice growing louder, causing people to once again start looking their way. "At least we're doing something, right? Maybe it's not much, but it's something... it's a reminder that everything isn't fine. And I guarantee you I'm not done either." She was really agitated now.

Bo flashed another quick "everything's ok" grin and a nod at those around them before moving even closer to whisper in Luna's ear. "Lu, shhh! Keep your voice down." He glanced nervously around them. "The wrong people might hear you Lu. You don't want to get busted!" He paused and his voice softened as he looked into her eyes and pleaded with her. "Just settle down, ok?"

Luna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Ok, ok. You're right. I'm ok."

She knew that Bo had agreed to be her "partner in crime" not just to help her but also to do what he could to protect her, and she was truly thankful for that. She knew that she had a tendency to lead with her heart more than her head - she was more like her Mom than her Dad in that way - which didn't always help her make the most rational of decisions.

It hadn't been difficult for her and Bo to carry out her plan. While most people were afraid to actually be involved per se in anything even remotely "subversive" or anti-establishment for fear of retribution, they found lots of folks that were more than willing to turn a blind eye.

She looked around at the stands that were now jam packed. She was particularly happy to see how full the VIP section had gotten.

"Hey Lu, look!" Bo tapped her leg as he stood and pointed. She stood with him. Soon everyone was standing and cheering.

At the far end of the stadium the band was about to lead the team onto the field. They could see Olivia there near the front with her flute.

Luna turned and looked at Bo, her eyes full of anticipation, an impish grin creeping over her face.

The band began marching onto the field led by the school's mascot, a tiger, followed by two cheerleaders, each holding one end of a banner that was rolled up like a scroll. As the band played, the filled to capacity crowd of idiots in denial clapped and chanted, and the players all jumped up and down, hooting and hollering and bashing each other as only testosterone filled teenage boys can do.

As they approached the 20-yard line the two cheerleaders began walking away from each other, unscrolling the banner on which was written the school's battle cry. As the familiar slogan was gradually revealed the announcer began leading the raucous crowd in an echoing chant.

"We..."

"WE..."

"are..."

"ARE..."

"all..."

"ALL..."

"Tigers!"

"TI..."

While the announcer continued as scripted, "We are all Tigers! We are all Tigers!", most of the crowd abruptly stopped their chant mid-sentence.

What had just moments ago been a very amped-up group now suddenly grew eerily quiet as they saw what Bo and Luna saw... saw what Bo and Luna had been waiting to see. The word "Tigers" on the now completely unrolled banner had been painted over in white and in its place had been written the word "EXPIRING!".

The band continued playing until they reached mid field, but they and the players that they led were clearly confused by the crowd that had now gone silent. Then the band stopped, and things got really quiet. It was super awkward. The announcer had gone silent too, apparently at a loss for words.

We are all EXPIRING!

Luna heard someone in the crowd near them say it out loud, seemingly almost just reading it to themselves. Then someone else repeated the "new" slogan, this time louder and less hesitant.

"We are all EXPIRING!"

Slowly others began to join in, quietly at first, then louder and louder as more and more people took up the cry, buoyed by each other's courage.

"We are all EXPIRING! We are all EXPIRING!"

Soon the crowd was almost as loud as it had been initially. Some refused to join in but those that did more than made up for them with their enthusiasm.

"WE ARE ALL EXPIRING!"

Bo looked at Luna, but Luna was staring at the VIP section where a lot of confused and very angry looks were being exchanged. Luna smiled. A bigger, more genuine smile than had crossed her face in a long time. She'd gotten under their skin alright, and she couldn't have been happier about it. She'd done it. She'd done something. And the feeling that it gave her guaranteed that there would be more "somethings" to come.