My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie For Heritage Day, Dad dressed me as a frost giant. It was not so bad as when he dressed me as Sigurd the Volsung for Hero Day - at least with the frost giant, people normally guessed Marvel or Thor. As it were, I was forced to carry around a club and wear a caveman-like tunic as everyone else marched around in clogs or tucked baguettes under their arms. "And where is your family from, Olivia?" my teacher asked candidly. I could hear the students giggle as I stood in front of them. I smirked. "While it looks like we were Neanderthals," I explained, "we're from the Scandinavian area. Norway, Sweden, the like." "I see." My teacher cocked an eyebrow at me. "And the outfit...?" I sighed. "Let's just say my dad's really into Norse mythology." "And the Thor movies, right, Olivia?" blurted out one student, causing more laughter. "Yes," I said, then sneered evil...

By the time security was called, Lily was gone, bounding over the fence and leaving skids of risen mud behind her heels. The rain was coming down heavier than ever, her wool mask damp and even itchier than before against her face. Leaping across one slope, she came to a halt by a clearing to gasp for air, only to hear her sister's voice beside her. "While you were running, I got the goods."