Ziva zipped through her homework easily, grumbling about having to spend the year in school.
"What's up, Z?" Thalia inquired, smirking at her older sister with a knowing look.
"Shut up, Thal..." Ziva grinned back, playfully shoving her sister.
"You know you like sitting here with me, doing homework. Come on. This is so totally worth all of the classes. And translations. And exams. And papers. And..."
"You're not helping your cause, Nathalia. Seriously"
Thalia just grinned in response, returning to her algebra.
"Okay, fine, you know what?" Ziva slammed down her French book, not willing to look at Proust any longer, much less work on making a translation into English. "We are just going to have to settle this the old fashioned way."
"No!!!!!!!!"
"Come on. Get up. Up. Up!"
Ziva cranked the portable radio player up as loud as it would go, blaring Stravinsky's Rite of Spring throughout the forest.
"You know," she shouted above the music, "the rules of engagement?"
Thalia twirled in response and began to go through a series of complicated ballet movements, Ziva watching closely, memorizing every minute detail.
At the end of piece, the two girls lay side by side laughing. As always, the dance-off had begun with mock seriousness, sisters leaping and twirling with surprising agility and beauty over the sticks and other detritus that lay on the forest floor. However, it had quickly devolved into a ridiculous display that resembled two drunken sorority girls attempting to perform karate.
"I declare this event a tie."
"No, no. I think I beat you. My dance was much more creative and..."
"You don't even have a word."
"Okay, but..."
"Ziva!"
Ziva jumped up at the sound of her father's voice. "Harah!"
"Don't worry about the stuff, Ziv. I'll clean up. Just run back as fast as you can."
Ziva leaned over to give Thalia a kiss and darted toward her house, adeptly avoiding the trees and fallen logs as she sprinted.