"KALES MAE!!!" a voice bellowed from the shadows beside one of the tour vans you had been flinging marshmallows over. When the bellow-er came into the light of the fire you grinned to yourself over the irony from before. Shadows and all.

"What?" you bellowed back as you slyly handed Katie your stick so she could reload you with ammo. You might be feeling like shit deep down inside really, the flaming marshmallow game a good distraction, but you figured you were going to run with your current mood.

"What the fuck happened to my damn clothes!" your brother bellowed from in front of the closest bus, still far from your trash can fire but within its light. You could see him holding up what looked like a smoldering pile of rags in his hands.

"Uh, mine as well," Syn added from beside him as he held up his own pile of smoldering rags.

"Why do you always assume it's me when something goes wrong?" you asked with a scoff as you followed Katie's suite and put your marshmallow ammo into the fire. Just enough to slowly get it aflame but not enough to burn it while you egged your brother on.

"Because this involved MY things, and it didn't only go wrong it went up in fucking FLAMES! So that automatically points in your direction!" Matt growled as he shook the shambles that use to be his shirts at you. Syn seemed to be doing just the same, though in a less aggressive manner. He was either taking it better then your brother, which would mean that they were only plain t-shirts, or he was planning something shifty in return.

"Hey Johnny is the fire bug not me! It could have been his fault!" you yelled back indignantly as you rotated your marshmallow. It was almost perfect and ready for it's final flame, a glance at Katie's proved hers was right with yours. Nudging Katie with your elbow you took your marshmallow out of the fire and made it look like you were going to blow it out and eat it as you pulled it back towards you. You saw Katie swallowing a grin as she did the same, aiming more towards the guys then she had been before. Oh to be connected to someone on a devious plot without having to talk was a glorious thing!

"Because Johnny was just backstage with us and nowhere even NEAR our shit Kales Mae! These were good shirts of mine! " your brother fumed as he took a step closer to you, clothes still held out in front of him for you to see.

"Oh suck it bro! I'll buy you new ones!" you shouted back before nodding your head at Katie as a signal. At the nod of your head the both of you let go of your flexed sticks and sent your burning projectiles at your brother and Syn both. You were hoping they were smart enough to at least dodge the piles of flaming sugar but you weren't going to hold your breath on that fact.

"As soon as you heard your brother utter a garbled "what the fuck?" at your flamed marshmallow you grabbed the flask of Knob Creek and went to push Katie to get her attention. But she seemed to be on the same page as you once again as she had already leapt off the picnic table and had grabbed the one open bag of marshmallows as well. The two of you crouched down behind the picnic bench as you giggled drunkenly over the curses your brother and Syn were letting fly as they battled the lit sugar goo you had hit them with.

"Kales Mae! Katie! This is not only JUST begun, it's OVER for the two of you! You are dead. I call an honor duel!" your brother shouted as he stomped out the tiny piles of marshmallow still smoking on the ground. You groaned outwardly as you knew what this meant, it had been something you and your brother had created when you were younger.

"Fine! Time, place, weapon!" you yelled from your hidden position, waiting to fill the very confused looking Katie beside you in as soon as you and your brother had figured out the logistics of the duel.

"Here, fifteen minutes, and whatever it is you used to destroy some of my tour shirts!" your brother stated as you rose to look him in the eye across the fire.

"Teams," you stated back, knowing it was all his choice since he called for the honor duel.

"Me, Syn, Johnny, and Jimmy," your brother called out.

"Hey that's not. . ." you started to yell back, trying to interrupt him. You couldn't believe the nerve he had for taking that as his team!

"Hold it!" your brother called out, cutting off your rant. "You, Katie, Bert, and Zacky," you brother finished with a smug look on his face.

"You're such a little fuck-bag Shadows!" you shouted back as you crossed your arms across your chest. He was doing this on purpose! He was deliberately fucking you over and you knew he knew it too! Syn's shocked and then smug look would have given it away regardless and you shot him your own death look when you caught him doing it. Syn simply flipped you off and continued to look like the kid that got away with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I'll concede by not involving anyone else from any other band," Matt put out, almost like a peace offering. And a peace offering it was. By that statement he couldn't involve any other band member from any other band, so that meant Jeph wouldn't be getting involved. At least your brother wasn't a total douche bag it seemed.

"Agreed. Fifteen minutes then. But you need to send Bert and Shit-sicle here to us when you leave," you stated firmly. There was no way in the seven hells you were going to look for Zacky! If he was going to be on your team at your brothers request then Matt was going to have to do the work to get him here. And to break the news that he was going to be on your team as well.

"Fine. Fifteen," Matt agreed before he turned away and left, Syn in tow behind him.

"We're fucked you know that right?" you sighed as you turned to look at Katie who was now sitting on the seat of the picnic table.

"Maybe not, Zacky may be an ass-hat. And Bert may be a four year old. But I invented this game, and you're my young protege. They don't know what they're up against really. So we got a game plan?" Katie rattled off as she stood, dusted off her backside and stretched like she was preparing for a marathon. Which this inevitably was going to turn out to be in the end.

"True, true. Well for one I need less obvious clothes," you pointed out as you looked down at your bright colored attire. "If you'll go grab me a dark hoodie or something I'll start working on what to do. And remember, be quick as we only have fifteen minutes before game on," you urged as you started going over battle strategies in your head.

"Got it! I'll be back in a minute!" Katie answered before running off towards some direction where a dark hoodie would be that you could wear. -xXx-
You started roughly moving things around as you went over what you wanted to do when Katie not only showed up with a dark hoodie but other things as well. Including Bert and Zacky. You stared at Zacky vehemently and started to open your mouth before he shot his hands up, cutting you off.

"Before you start I already got it from not only your brother and Bert, but Katie as well. Who can be incredibly frightening when she wants to be honestly. And besides, you set your brothers shit on fire, I can be civil for that," Zacky offered, hands still up in a non-threatening way.

"Good. Here's what I need you to do. Shi-Zacky I need you to set up at least two other trash can fires, in two of the four cans I prepped already. Whatever you have fuel for. Bert I need you to pull the remaining picnic tables to wear you see the piles of rocks I placed and tip them on their sides like barricades. Katie," you listed off and then looked at your best friend. Well newest best friend. Who'd have thought right?

"I got you a hoodie and a black bandana as your hair is kinda, well uh bright. I also got bags of marshmallows for Zacky and Bert, that way each of us has their own. I changed too and also got our guys sticks like ours, god knows what your brother and his team are going to use," Katie listed off. Almost as serious as you had and she didn't even know what she was about to get herself into.

"Another advantage for us then. You show Zacky how to fling and I'll help Bert and show him?" you asked with a nod in both directions the guys had gone.

"Aye, aye Captain!" Katie said with a mock salute and a wink before dropping her hand. "Kales, hey Kales," Katie uttered softly as she grabbed your arm once you had turned to go after Bert. "You gonna be okay?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll be fine, like always," you replied with a shoulder shrug before running off towards Bert as he struggled with another picnic table. It wasn't a total lie, you'd be fine eventually, and you didn't want to see Katie's eyes because you knew she knew the truth of what you said. You didn't want pity or anything at this point. You only wanted answers, and those seemed to be not forthcoming.

"Why does my hoodie say Pac Sun on it?" Bert asked as you got close to him with his flinging stick and bag of marshmallows.

"Uhhh were you wearing something bright before Katie saw you?" you asked, a giggle at what he was wearing. You couldn't believe Katie was sticking him in one of her own hoodies! You made a mental note to replace it as she was not going to want it after he wore it. You were pretty sure that you were the only person on the planet who ever wore anything after Bert had worn it.

"Yeah," Bert replied as he tipped the third picnic table on it's side, near its very own burning trash can fire. It seemed that Zacky had been able to get all additional four cans ablaze with what fuel you had brought for your original fire. Funny that he had been the cause of the start of all this. And at that thought you shuddered. You never wanted to think about how you and Zacky had just been the other night, the booze was helping dull the sick feeling you got from it but didn't blot it out entirely yet.

"It's because we're playing for stealth Bert. I need you to be on your very best ninja behavior for this. Matt called honor duel," you explained as you got a marshmallow ready to show Bert. You didn't need to explain to Bert what that meant thank god, since he had many years ago learned what it meant. Matt had called one on him many years passed.

"Got it. Ninja. Honor duel. They don't stand a chance," Bert answered slyly as he watched you skewer your cylinder of spun sugar.

"Exactly, I don't think anyone actually realizes, or remembers, just how sneaking you can be. So you're going to be one of my wild cards. So listen closely, this is how this works," you whispered as you set your plans and showed Bert the ropes of flaming marshmallow flinging. -xXx-
"You all understand roughly how we're going to go about this?" you asked your team as you twisted your hair back and tied the black bandana around your white and lime green hair. You looked at all of your team mates as they nodded their understanding. Zacky only made eye contact long enough to show that he understood before going back to his own prepping. You didn't know how much he remembered about your encounter the other night but hoped he had just blacked out.

"Good, let's get into position as I can see the others approaching. Swig for courage," you ordered as you put your hood up and tied it in place. You took one last giant swig of the remaining Knob Creek from Katie's flask before handing it to the others for just that purpose.

The other guys had arrived, right on the fifteen minute mark and looked to be attired in the same manner your team was. They seemed to have found their shabbiest and darkest clothing, stuff that they wouldn't care if it got burned or caramelized from the fight about to ensue. Jimmy and Johnny had even put ridiculous black marks under their eyes like football players, very reminiscent of Zacky back in the day. But you pushed the thought from your mind as your brother stepped up to the middle trash can fire, stick with marshmallow in hand.

"In code of the honor duel from old I call you out Kailey Mae Sanders. Duel to the death by flaming marshmallow," Matt said clearly and loudly for everyone to hear.

"And I accept. To the death," you replied, sneering at the use of your full name. But this was an honor duel, you would let it slide this time. You and your brother both stuck your marshmallows into the center fire, setting them aflame. You pulled yours back before your brother, his was starting to fall off by the time he pulled his out. It looked as if skill was on your side for this fight. Marshmallows alight you both took three steps back before someone, sounded like Jimmy, yelled "Begin" at the top of their lungs. At that you ran for the closest upturned picnic table. You only got under cover before you saw the first marshmallow soar way past you into the gravel behind you. Skill was most definitely on your side tonight!

Notes

Honor duel!!!
To the death!!!
Bring it biotches!