[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.“You don’t know?”Monson sighed; of course he did not know.He never knew.Artorius gave him a wide, slightly lecherous smile.“The cheerleading squad is performing, Grey.The cheerleading squad.”From what Monson pieced together, apparently a cheerleading squad was a group of girls that attended the various sports games to cheer for their school’s team, and apparently it was a big deal.It sounded kind of silly to him; why the games needed something like that was beyond him.Seemed like sort of a waste of time and resources.It was not until Monson saw the girls in their cheerleading attire that he decided how wrong he was.The cheerleaders wore short red skirts with gold trim that were cropped above mid-thigh, showing off their strong, tanned legs.Allegedly, the attire was designed to make their acrobatic feats easier, but Monson was sure that was not the only reason.Sleeveless white and gold tops that did not quite cover the midriff begged for attention from anyone fortunate enough to be close to the girls.Bright white shoes with no visible sock rounded out the outfit and gave the blatantly sexualized ensemble a wholesome touch that did not quite help Monson shake off the feeling that really, he should be averting his eyes.Understandably, many of the cameramen and reporters seemed just as enthralled by the cheerleading “practice” as the male members of the student body.Predictably and more than once, Monson caught these gentlemen ogling the girls.There were just too many wealthy, beautiful girls at this school to avoid making an event of this.Again, thought Monson, leave it to the rich to make something bigger than it deserves.The tryouts, the media, the cheerleading squad—all of it came as a great shock to Monson, who had never seen anything resembling this before.His astonishment reached a new level, however, when Taris and Indigo, both wearing cheerleading attire, seemed to compete for his attention after their practice.“So what do you think?” Indigo asked him as she twirled in a circle, holding the skirt with the tips of her fingers.“I look good, don’t I?”During the cheerleading performance, Monson had found himself thinking how good she did in fact look.It was just difficult to answer when Artorius was so obviously affected by her.“Uhh…yes, I think you look rather nice.”She beamed.“Monson! There you are!”All three of them turned in unison and spotted Taris Green.“Where have you been, Grey? I’ve been looking for you.”Monson gave her a confused look.Where had he been? He had been there the entire time.“Taris, what—”Taris cut him off.“And who is this?” She glared at Indigo.Indigo gave her a very nasty sneer but did not answer.“Anyway,” said Taris, continuing as if Indigo wasn’t even there, “Monson, what were you saying? Oh that’s right.You were telling me how good I look in my outfit.”Indigo prevented Monson from answering.“He was telling you, or you were forcing him to do so?”The conversation devolved from there.Finally Monson and Artorius were able to extricate themselves from the polite yet furious girls.Monson made a mental note to try to keep those two away from each other in the future.*****The hours flew by.Before Monson knew it, evening was upon them and the sun began to descend between two of the four mountains that made up Coren County.Sunlight broke through distant rain clouds, creating a colorful, shadowy show upon the ground.Perched on one of the grass knolls surrounding the Yard and Battlegrounds, Monson looked around as the sky darkened.The tryout venue was a very different sight now that all the reporters were gone—and presumably now partying at one of the reception halls.Monson wasn’t sure why he himself was still lingering around the stands.He needed to leave; Casey and Artorius were probably waiting for him.But he was reluctant to do so.The breeze was slightly scented and refreshing, and while he had every reason to get up and leave, he had all the more reason to stay.It was quiet here.Voices interrupted Monson’s musings.It sounded like an argument.Curious, Monson stood up and followed the sound.The voices were…musical, unlike any he had previously heard.They drew him to them.Unable to resist, he walked slowly away from his spot on the hill away from the lighted stands.He stepped from the path, using the glint of the full moon through the foliage as guidance.A spot of light loomed on the path in front of him.The voices came from that spot.“It is my place to act.You know this; it is the task that has been set before me,” said a female voice
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]