Free Perfect Sacrifice by Jack Parker Page B

However, despite how few people came out this way, there were always a lot of people there, and not one of them would ever leave their cold home.
    Ray reached the entrance to the cemetery, the barred, metal gates hanging wide open, welcoming her to a beautifully decorated memorial grounds. There were grave stones everywhere, some nothing but a block of cement stuck in the soil. Others were magnificent statues, carved from polished marble or normal stone. They were all beautiful nonetheless, despite the simplicity of most.
    She walked forward, her attention on one stone in particular. She knew exactly where it was, what it said, and who was under it. There wasn't a huge headstone or an angel carved statue shining in the light of God. There was only a small stone plate imbedded in the ground, words and numbers etched onto the silver plating over the polished rock.
    Ray stopped in front of it, staring down at the piece of rock and metal. Right now, she didn't care about the fact that the wind was pulling at her jacket, at her hair, or that it stung like ice against her skin. She kept her attention fully on the stone before her.
    "Hey Lee," she said softly, a weak smile crossing her face. As she read the words and numbers over and over again in her mind, old memories started fading back from their resting places. She hated it, but she somehow found solace in those faded pictures in her mind.
    * * * *
    "Lee?" questioned a little girl as she pulled on the coat sleeve of a young man. He looked down at her, a smile playing on his face, reaching his soft black eyes. His golden locks fell just past his ears, his bangs partially covering his face. However, his expression was still easy to see.
    "What is it, Ray?" he asked her kindly.
    "What's that?" she questioned, pointing her five-year-old index finger at a large black cat made of metal. Even though it was just a machine, it looked so much like a real feline. The boy looked to the mechanical creature she was asking about, his smile widening.
    "That's a Geno," he told her.
    "Geno?" she questioned, her cherry eyes sparkling. Her long silvery blue hair was pulled into a ponytail, adding to the innocence she represented in her silky sundress and white sandals. She was just like all little girls were. She looked almost too blameless to be real, as if she was nothing more than a living doll.
    "They're robots," Lee began explaining. "They can be a cat, a bird, a fish, or they can even look like us."
    "Really?" she asked, obviously excited about the concept. "What do they do?"
    "People use them to battle," he explained. His eyes narrowed a little, but his smile didn't falter. He continued to stare out the window, looking into the docking bay at a group of Genos owned by the GRC. Their pilots were walking around, some chatting aimlessly while others seemed to be modifying their mechanical partners. All of them were currently in training to be top fighters. They were going to be the best of the best, or at least that was what everyone was hoping for.
    "Someday," Lee began, "I'm gonna pilot one."
    "You are?" questioned Ray as she looked up at her older brother. He was acting more like a man of twenty than a boy of fifteen, his eyes hard and focused on the black beasts below them.
    "I'm gonna pilot them, and I'll become a knight for the GRC," he told his sister, his voice never once faltering in its confidence. "I'll be the best there is."
    "No one'll beat you," she told him with pride shining in her eyes. He only smiled in response.
    "Someday…"
    * * * *
    Ray closed her eyes, fighting off tears that had been threatening to fall for over eleven years. She kept thinking about how unfair it was. Lee had only just begun his training as a knight. It all happened so fast. She hated to think about it, but the scene wouldn't leave her alone. It clawed at her mind, shredding every piece of contentment she had left. A wry smile managed to cross her face as she once again succeeded to hold back her