Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter One

It was a crisp fall afternoon, the day already had been long and it was only lunch. Debra hated the first week of school, but the very first day was always particularly bad. There was all the confusion of new students and new classes to find in the crowded halls. Add to that getting back into the routine of seven classes a day, the homework that always follows, the new teachers to try to figure out, and trying to remember that blasted locker combination and not confuse it with last year’s. This was Debra’s first year of high school; a freshman, the low kid on the totem pole, the one that everyone steps on just because they could. And in Debra’s case, she was short enough that a few of the taller ones actually did run over her.

Debra’s older brother, Eric, was a senior this year. He divested himself of his little sister as soon as he could. Eric ran with the jocks and although he wasn’t the class star, he was one of those that everyone knew by face if not by name. Although he didn’t want his sister to get into trouble, he also didn’t want her tagging after him and ruining his image. Debra understood this and steered clear of him and his friends, she never did like the jocks anyway.

Eric was tall with dark hair and almost green eyes. He could run the four-forty in under a minute and was known to make more than a few touchdowns in any given season. He also enjoyed basketball, baseball, and track. He didn’t have the build for wrestling as his strength was wiry not bulky, but he could hold his own in weight training. Although he wasn’t stupid, Eric knew when it came to brains, his little sister Debra was definitely the star in the family.

Debra had dishwater brown hair, in her opinion, and blue-gray eyes. She was short and a little on the curvaceous side as opposed to her brother’s tall slender build. Where she concentrated on the advance placement classes, her brother could only hold a low C in the normal classes. She always felt a little smug about being smarter than he was even though she was also jealous of his talent in the sport arena.

The lunch line seemed to drag on forever. Debra looked at her watch again. They only had thirty minutes for the tasteless slop, and already fifteen of them had been wasted trying to get to the lunch counter. She could hear Eric and his buddies laughing and talking about the freshmen standing in line, still waiting for their lunches. But she was used to him and his friends so was able to shut them out. Others in the line turned red from the attention and tried to hide it or turn their backs to the seniors.

Meeting the eyes of her brother, Debra just sighed and turned back to the book in her hands, her backpack slung over one shoulder. Eric nudged his best friend in the ribs and the two of them left the cafeteria to wander the halls and check out the new girls in school. He didn’t like hearing some of the comments made about his sister and knew the only way to get away from it was to leave.

After her brother left, Debra looked around the room and saw a single figure sitting by herself at a table. She looked like she belonged in middle school or grammar school, rather than high school. Her medium brown hair hung in two braids tied with ribbons while huge, thick rimmed glasses hid hazel eyes. Debra wondered who she was.

Then it was her turn in line. She looked at the selection and felt her stomach churn. Eric had been right for once, the food here wasn’t worth the trouble of eating. Starting tomorrow, she would follow his example and bring a lunch from home. But for today, she selected one of the soggy hamburgers and a paper tray of limp fries along with the biggest drink they served. She paid for it at the end of the line, and then turned to try to find a place to sit in the zoo that passed for the cafeteria.

It was then she spotted that girl again. With nothing to lose, Debra headed to her table and sat down next to her. It was the only table that wasn’t packed to near breaking with laughing, shouting, chattering students. This table was empty, but for the two girls.

“Hello. I’m Debra Collins.” She looked over at the tray in front of the girl. Then she scanned the titles on spines of the books stacked up next to her. “Damn, you don’t believe in starting out easy, do you?”

The girl looked at Debra warily at first. Then at incredulous tone of Debra’s last statement, she stiffened. But she realized by the look on Debra’s face that she wasn’t being mocked by the tone, it was more of a commiseration. She looked at the titles on Debra’s books and understood.

“I’m Jamie Goodwin.” Then she sighed softly. “I don’t want to take these classes, but, my parents are making me. They want me to get a scholarship to Harvard or something and study math and science.”

Picking up her bottle of lemonade and shaking it, Debra nodded knowingly. Then she cracked open the bottle carefully, holding it away from her in case it exploded and covered her and Jamie with sticky pink liquid. But it behaved and didn’t fizz up and boil over the top. Then she took a long drink of the tangy sweet juice.

“Debra, isn’t that your brother over there; the one with the dreamy eyes and dark hair?” The longing of a crush in her voice made Debra look at Jamie before looking to where she was pointing. She wasn’t sure when Eric had returned but it annoyed her all the same. It had become an unspoken law between them that she didn’t mess with his lifestyle and he didn’t mess with hers. But the scowl on his face as he looked at her tray was crossing the line. She glared at him and he just shrugged it off with a smirk of his own. “It must be wonderful to have a handsome older brother.”

“It isn’t, trust me. Eric is . . . well . . . Eric. And don’t let those eyes fool you; he isn’t as “wonderful” as you think. And his feet stink.”

Jamie looked at the disgust on Debra’s face and started to giggle. Then Debra realized how she sounded and joined Jamie. The bell for the end of lunch rang before they could talk anymore and the two girls rushed to gather their books and dump their untouched lunches in the garbage and put the trays on the cart.

As they raced down the hall, determined to not be late, they noticed they were heading in the same direction. Then when they stopped in front of the same door, they laughed again. Inside the room, they sat next to each other, by the window and in the middle of the row. It was the one place the popular kids didn’t want, too near where the teacher would prowl and too far from the door.

This was the one class both girls had been looking forward to, though neither had said so until much later. It was their advance English class and because it was taught at an elevated level, it was smaller than other freshman English classes. They would also get the chance to get more in depth to the work they would be doing. The teacher had the reputation of being one of the hardest graders in the whole school, but that didn’t daunt the new friends. Exchanging a silent look, Debra and Jamie set to work to destroy the curve for the rest of the class.

They both took their time gathering their books after the bell rang. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Debra. It was nice meeting you.” Jamie seemed as reluctant to leave Debra’s side as Debra was to leave Jamie’s.

“Maybe we can get together and read the first novel on the reading list. I also enjoy having someone to talk books with.” Debra offered.

Jamie smiled and nodded, then glanced at the clock. “Oh crap, only two minutes to get to the other side of the school. Catch you later, Debra.” Jamie said and rushed from the room. Debra also raced from the room, bumping into her brother who was coming in for his next class.

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise at the slight flush on his sister’s cheeks. But she was gone before he could ask her about it. He wondered for a moment what could be so interesting in a stupid English class that would fluster his calm sister. He was used to the baby of the family, Connie, getting excited by everything, but Debra was always so level headed. For just a moment, Eric wondered if maybe some boy had caught her eye. Then he shook it off as a bad joke. His little sister wouldn’t have a crush on some high school boy, would she? What a laugh. She had better taste than that.

At the end of the day, Debra was able to talk to Jamie again. The halls were almost empty as Debra sat by the doors nearest the gym and the parking lot. She was already four chapters into the first required reading book of her English class. Jamie was just coming from one of the labs and spotted Debra on the floor reading.

The school halls formed a block figure 8 sitting on its side. The main hall was the center and led off to the back door and into the baseball diamonds, tennis courts, auto shop, and the teacher’s parking lot. The top of eight was the Science lab and portables for the over flows. English class rooms lined the right side of the 8 and Government and History classes the left side. The bottom of the eight was the Home Economic, Math, and Music classes. The Gym, Library, and Cafeteria’s had their own smaller buildings attached to the main building by the Science labs. The student parking was behind the gym and cafeteria.

Jamie walked over and sat next to Debra. Her black canvas duffle, that carried her books, made a dull thump on the floor next to her as she dropped it. Debra looked up, about to get angry with Eric for bugging her, when she saw it was Jamie. Sharing a friendly smile, Jamie leaned back against the wall, slid down to sit next to Debra, and let out a long sigh of relief.

“I hate the first week of school.” Debra turned to stare at Jamie as the younger girl spoke aloud the thoughts going through her mind. Jamie looked at Debra. “Don’t tell me you love it. I will have to hate you too then.”

Debra shook her head and chuckled softly. “No, Jamie, I just wondered how you knew exactly what I was thinking.” Marking her place in the book, Debra tucked it into her backpack. She then turned her full attention to her new friend, knowing without having to be told that this would be one of those special friendships that would last through the years.

“I don’t know, maybe because I have been thinking it as well. Anyway, you haven’t asked, so I will tell you.” Jamie grinned, knowing she was being confusing on purpose. She wanted to really make sure Debra was for real. In Jamie’s experience, people like Debra were rare and more often than not had ulterior motives.

Debra looked at Jamie confused. “Tell me what? Ask you what?”

Jamie laughed again. The laughter touched the corners of Jamie’s eyes and made them sparkle with what Debra called, “impish glee.” Debra wondered where she lost the thread of the conversation between, “I hate the first week of school.” to “Ask you what?”

“How old I am, Debra. You haven’t asked how old I am. Or why I am in high school instead of fifth grade where I should be.” Jamie watched, delighted by the reaction on Debra’s face. When Debra’s eyes widened and her jaw went slack, Jamie knew that Debra hadn’t even thought about that. Jamie breathed her own sigh of relief when she found out Debra was as genuine as first thought. It would be wonderful to have a true friend.

“When I was in first grade, I was moved up to the fifth grade, and even at that, my parents weren’t happy. They had all sorts of private tutors and special projects to take up my time and keep my mind busy. I don’t know, maybe I was too hyper for them. So, here I am, four years younger than everyone else.”

Debra thought about this before answering. She looked at Jamie and heard again the bitterness behind the light words. “You know, Jamie, age doesn’t matter, not really. I know some jocks who are almost eighteen but who act seven.” Debra wrinkled her nose at this, mentally adding her brother to that list of jocks. “Personally, I would rather be friends with someone younger who I can talk to intelligently than someone older who keeps asking me what words mean. You know?”

The two girls looked at each other and nodded…the understanding complete. Then they started talking about their classes and teachers. When the halls filled again, this time with the sports, music, and drama groups getting out of practice and rehearsals, they stood up. Jamie left to meet her ride out front and Debra went to wait by the car for Eric, but neither girl left without securing plans to share lunch every day and then meet after school to study together until it was time to meet their rides.

Shægnek watched the one destined to be the leader. The tiny girl had potential. She also had cunning as well as charisma that were marvelously well hidden. She drew people without knowing why and helped them to greatness by supporting their dreams and listening to them. And yet her own shyness was a drawback. Shægnek knew that Chaos and his minions would play upon any weakness. So reaching through the window when Chaos was distracted, and as was her nature, she changed fate with a little tweak. Her touch strengthened the First’s strengths and gave her a touch of empathic precognition, something she wasn’t fated to have yet . . . if ever.

Then, Shægnek decided that wasn’t enough. Her whimsical nature unstated. “The situation calls for a little more chaos.” She thought. Debra needed someone, someone not yet in the prophecy . . . or perhaps . . . someone from a second prophecy, to help her. Someone unexpected. The Goddess’ eyes fell upon the younger girl, “Raw, fresh, and the First considers her to be a Heart-friend.” and she smiled. To the other, the goddess gave her an instinctive knowledge of her Heart-Sister, the one called Debra. This instinct would always allow the other to know of her soul mate, through time and space. The link would be neither a help nor a hindrance, simply there to be felt. Shægnek hoped that Debra would be able to use this . . . and so would Jamie . . . and so, when she told Chaos, would he.

Shægnek loved her work. Fate dictated what must happen and whimsy left much open to her. The duality of this made her often side with Chaos, mostly for her amusement. “All these small touches . . . it just makes everything more fun.” She thought. Shægnek didn’t record her little editing of Fate in her scroll. Chaos would have to learn of this on his own later, though she would hint at it whenever she felt it was appropriate. He often sneaked into her library to learn something that might give him an edge. Whimsy played with the Gods as well as with the mortals, and as Chaos was a pawn to Shægnek’s whims so too was she a pawn to Chaos. Even Fate had its whimsies, its checks and balances.