Free Dom Wars Round Two by Lucian Bane Page B

clock. "Yes." His victorious murmur betrayed how much his dominant nature hated losing.
    Fury slithered through me when Danielle took the blonde announcer's place. "The second phase is a simple true or false test." Her words flowed like shit on silk. "I'll ask the questions, and first one to blurt the correct answer wins. Extra points if you know the truth to the false answers, too."
    Good. Another break for me. Jeopardy happened to be my favorite game show.
    "Let's begin" She held a small stack of index cards before her. "Lightning never strikes the same place twice."
    " False." We both blurted the answer.
    " I heard Tara first," Danielle said. "Extra ten points if you know the truth of that, Tara."
    I closed my eyes, collecting the data in my brain. "Um. Lightening zig-zags to the ground like a step leader or like a ladder even. Each step determines the next. Left, right, down, sometimes up. An opposite charge meets it, like a streamer and it can come from a telephone pole, a tree, a vehicle, or even all three at the same time." I glanced at Lucian to see if he had the same you're a freak look Danielle had. I found him glaring at me with an odd expression. "…but whichever streamer connects with the descending step leader first will complete the circuit… and trigger a … rush of electricity. A lightning bolt." I cleared my throat.
    " Wow, somebody was paying attention in Science class." Danielle's laughter held ridicule and I scraped at the non-existent fingernail polish on my nails, silently willing an aneurism on her.
    " Oookay, next. As a human body grows larger, its number of bones gets smaller.
    " True."
    " Tara wins again. Lucian, you better pick up the pace. She is Domming you." She put her card behind the deck. "Warts can be caused by touching certain animals, especially toads."
    " False." We both blurted.
    " I think that one is Lucian's." Danielle's perfect browse raised. "Extra ten points for the right answer.
    I listened while he gave an impressively detailed account of my own answer. So he was intelligent. A Smart-ass Dom Dick.
    "Wow, what a pair we have here. Next question. Coffee originated in Brazil."
    " False," I blurted first. "It originated in Ethiopia."
    Lucian snorted a little. "That your final answer Ms. Jeopardy?"
    I gave him my best smug look. "Yes, it is, Mr. Bane."
    Danielle giggled then went on, "And she is correct. Okay. Labrador retrievers were originally bred to retrieve fishing nets."
    " True." Again we both blurted.
    " I think Lucian got that one. And he is correct." She put the card behind the deck. "Ancient Olympic athletes competed nude."
    " True," he blurted faster than I could.
    " Very good. Lucian has tied the challenge. The 'dark side of the Moon' is the same as the 'far side of the Moon'."
    " False!" I yelled first. "The dark side is the side not currently lit and the far side never faces Earth."
    Danielle whistled then gave one of her astonished laughs. "That is correct! Tara is one up. Okay number eight. Franklin Roosevelt is one of the presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore."
    " False," I blurted.  "The four presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt."
    " And Tara leads by two. The Red Sea gets its name from a slaughter that occurred there during Biblical times."
    " False!" Lucian managed a split second ahead of me. "The water is normally an intense blue-green, but occasionally turns reddish brown due to dying algae."
    " Tara, if he gets this last one, he'll tie the score. Horses have three gaits, walk, trot and gallop."
    " False." He gave a broad grin and without skipping a beat, followed with the correct answer. "They also lope or canter, and have various versions of a jog, running walk, pace and several others"
    Danielle clapped like a bratty child. "You both did great! Now with a tied score, we move into a bonus round. If you answer correctly, you receive the point, but if you give the wrong answer, your opponent gets the point