Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter 13

“I don’t know why you are so nervous, Deb, it isn’t like you don’t know most of them. It’s just one new person, what’s the big deal?”

“Jamie, you don’t understand. I can’t explain it, but, something about this guy. All I know is that Karen is supposed to be deeply in love with him and Emily said that he can’t stand her. It’s all I need, for this guy, whoever he is, to pay attention to me and make Karen that much more of a pain in the butt for me. It will make this another very miserable summer vacation for us all and I don’t want that. Emily said that she really wanted this new guy; I keep forgetting his name, to have a really good time. Apparently he grew up in a home where there wasn’t a lot of fun.”

“So why is she bringing Karen if there’s going to be such a problem? Sheesh, Deb, you’d think that Emily would figure it out that Karen doesn’t mix with anyone.”

“Once again, Jamie, you don’t understand. Karen belongs in this group just as surely as Jared or Grant or anyone else for that matter. I don’t know why, but I just know that without Karen, this group wouldn’t be complete. I miss you, Jamie.”

“Well, you are the one who told me to take the scholarship, Deb. So it’s partly your fault that I’m here in England and you are there in Idaho. Look, just do what you can to stay below the radar, you are good at that. And don’t let Karen walk all over you, something you aren’t good at. Maybe this time will be different.”

“Maybe. Look, I have to go. They will be here in a couple of hours and I have to finish my half day at work. I’ll tell them all hi for you. Good luck in your finals, Jamie.”

“Yeah, thanks, Deb. And don’t forget, tweak Mike’s nose for me.” With a giggle, Jamie hung up and left Debra wondering why this visit was making her even more nervous than the other ones. She hoped it was just for the reasons she told Jamie, that it was Karen and not looking forward to a week of listening to her complain.

As the morning wore on, she didn’t have time to think about this afternoon and her meeting with Emily and the whole group. How they had all managed to get the same time off was still something of a mystery. Maybe, somehow, this week would be different.

Shægnek chuckled to herself as she delicately colored another section of glass green. She knew why they had all managed to get together this week, it was time. This would probably be worse and better than any of them could ever imagine. The window she was working on would be the last of the prophecy and then it would be complete.

In her glee at almost being done with the greatest prophecy given to her care, she missed the First’s thoughts and feelings about the Second. A few cracks appeared in the vase and the statue. A few of the mosaic tiles tarnished and a thread in her tapestry came loose. Fate was again stepping in and this time, not even Shægnek would be aware of the small changes until it was too late to fix them.

“Debra, your shift is just about over. Are you ready?”

Debra almost jumped under the stack of towels she was helping Chris take up to the supply closet on the second floor. “Not right now, Kim. Talk to me when I’m done.”

Turning around and heading for the employee stairs again, Debra felt herself collide with someone and felt her whole world sink. If Kim had waited just a few seconds, she would have seen whoever it was and wouldn’t have run over him. She only hoped that it was someone who would understand rather than someone who would make trouble for her.

Kim rushed over and helped Debra pick up the now scattered towels before either of them looked at who had been knocked over. Then Debra let Kim take the towels as payback for making her run into a customer.

“I’m really sorry, Sir, I didn’t see you. Please, let me help you.” Debra still hadn’t seen who it was as she gathered the scattered luggage, glad that she hadn’t sprung any of it open. When she stood up, she met a pair of blue eyes that made her take a step backwards and almost fall again. If it hadn’t been for his hand shooting out to stop her from stumbling, she would have fallen again.

“It’s quite alright, Miss. I didn’t see you either. Are you okay?”

Debra felt everything inside of her turn to water as his voice washed over her and then came the fear and the tightening in her stomach. She liked this man, yet she was afraid of him at the same time.

“Miss?” Phil couldn’t believe it. This girl had just plowed into him, knocking him over and he was apologizing to her for it. Something about her soft blue-gray eyes made his heart stop beating for a moment. She wasn’t stunningly beautiful like Emily, or chicly fashionable like Karen, but she had something that made her the most brilliant diamond he had ever seen.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sir. I must have hit my head when I fell, I’m a little dizzy. Would you like me to help you to your room? Do you know which it is?” Debra’s stomach didn’t stop fluttering and she knew her words were stumbling over each other to get out. Mentally, she tried to pull herself together.

“Debra!” Once again she jumped as a familiar voice called out to her. The suitcases were taken from her grasp as arms encircled her in a bear hug and she was lifted off of her feet. “It’s been forever, beautiful, how are you doing?”

“Grant, if you don’t put her down and let her get some air, she’ll never be able to answer you.” Jared chuckled softly and gave Debra a more reserved hug as soon as Grant had turned her loose. “It’s good to see you again, Debra. But, I thought you had the week off as well.”

“She does, Jer, but she had to work a part day today to get the rest of the week off. It is the beginning of summer here and the start of the busiest time of year for the resort. Isn’t that right, Debra?” Mike said, coming up and ruffling Debra’s hair. He was still chuckling over seeing her run over Phil like he was a speed bump.

“Oh, Phil, I see you’ve met Debra. Debra, this is my boss, Phil Bennington. Phil, this is Debra Collins, the one we came to visit and one of my best friends.” Emily said as she entered, followed by Karen who was grumbling about the service.

As everyone was speaking at her, Debra couldn’t help but feel about three inches tall and wanted to crawl further and further under the carpet. She gave them all a smile as they greeted her with a hug and in Darin’s case a kiss. “Phil? I’m really sorry again. I have another half hour before I’m off. If you want to get checked in and settled in your rooms, I can finish my shift and then meet you for a late lunch in about forty-five minutes. Okay?”

She didn’t give them much of a chance to answer as she turned and almost fled from the main hall of the resort and up the employee stairs. “Debra!” She didn’t stop but went into the supply room on the second floor and back behind the stacks of dirty sheets and towels that needed to be washed. Putting a load into the first empty washer, she tried to block out the last few minutes.

It was too much and she felt like throwing up. First was the problem of running over Phil. Then was her reaction to him. Then came all the hugging and touching and talking so loud. She wondered if it were too late for her plead sick and just go home and curl up in bed. Darin she was able to handle, and maybe Emily…but the others… She prayed she would be strong enough to handle the whole week with them.

Debra was able to work washing, drying, and folding clean laundry for some time before she was interrupted by Kim and Chris. They didn’t say anything as they watched her, but they exchanged worried glances and silently fell into help her out.

“Darin said that they would meet you on the outdoor patio for lunch, Debra.” Chris offered as the time ticked by and Debra’s shift ended.

“That Mike is so cute, Debra. Can you see if he wants a date for tomorrow night when I’m off?” Kim giggled as she put a stack of sheets on the shelf. “I have to get to California, especially if they grow them that gorgeous all the time.”

“Thank you, both of you. I suppose I should clock out and change and go meet them. I just don’t know if I’m up to this. It was hard enough this last winter with just Darin. But with all of them…I just hope I have the strength to get through it and then let things get back to normal.” Debra gave them both a half-hearted smile and went down to the employee lounge and clocked out. She took the extra clothes from her locker and went into the bathroom to change.

“Ah ha, there you are!” Mike almost pounced on her as she exited the employee’s lounge. “We’ve been lying in wait for you, Debra. There’s no escape… hey, what’s wrong? Why are you so jumpy? Debra?” Mike’s whole tone changed when Debra gave a small startled scream and dropped her duffle bag when he all but leaped on her from behind.

“It’s nothing, Mike. It’s just been a crazy day. I hope that Phil is okay, I mean, after I ran him over like that.” She gave him a smile that was fake, and he knew it, but didn’t push. Darin had told him that something had happened to Debra last year and that he wasn’t to ask about it but to be extra careful around her for a while.

“Oh, he’s fine. He was worried about you, if you want to know. Did you want to know?” Mike was just a little too eager; anything to put a kink in Karen’s plans this week would be wonderful for him.

“Not really, Mike. Phil seems nice enough and I’m sure he’s a great boss and all, but I’m going out with Darin and I’m very happy with your cousin.”

Mike gave her a grin and took the duffle bag from her and wouldn’t hear of her protests as he guided her to the outdoor dining area. A large table had been set and most of the others were there already waiting for her and Mike to join them.

“Where did you find her, Mike?”

“I was finishing changing and he scared the life out of me as I was coming from the employee area, Grant, if you must know. I did say that when I was finished I would join you. Did you think I was going to try to escape out the front while you were in the back?”

“Well, the thought had occurred to us, Debra. You didn’t look too happy when you ran from us in the lobby.” Emily said as she scanned the menu.

“I didn’t run.” Debra said under her breath, but the only ones who heard her were Phil and Darin.

“So, what’s good to eat in this place, Debra? I mean, I see a lot of hamburgers, I hope that isn’t the height of this backwater hotel’s gourmet dining.”

“Actually, Karen, you are looking at the children’s menu if you are seeing hamburgers. We don’t serve those on the adult menus.” Debra smiled at the blond woman as she turned pink at the easy tone Debra had. “I would recommend the mushroom stuffed potato skins and the marsala-marinated trout. They are a specialty of this region and very good. But if all you are up to are hamburgers, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind fixing one with avocado on it for you, Karen.”

“You don’t have to get nasty about it, Debra. I was just asking.” Karen shut up after saying this, hoping that she didn’t look too bad in Phil’s eyes. The last thing she needed was for this hick girl to come off looking better than she did. Maybe she didn’t pick the right topic to discuss with Debra, after all, Debra did work for this place.

Karen got in as many digs as she could throughout the meal and what made her even angrier was the fact that Debra didn’t rise to one of them. In fact, just the opposite was true, the ruder Karen was the more polite and nice Debra was. It was one of the most frustrating afternoons of Karen’s life. She had never known anyone who wouldn’t rise to the bait when the right buttons were pushed.

“So, Debra, where are all these cute guys that Emily keeps talking about when she comes here for a visit. And do you know if any of them are good in bed?”

Debra stood up, pale and slightly shaking. “I’m going to go home and take a cool shower and maybe take a nap before tonight. It’s been a long morning and afternoon already for me. I’ll meet you tonight in the lobby. And Karen, you might want to talk to Kim about the cute guys around here; I’m dating Darin, as you know so I don’t keep track of them.”

Karen turned pink again at the reminder that even if Phil did show interest in Debra, Darin had already staked her as his and Phil wasn’t the type to poach. But why had she paled before leaving and why was Darin suddenly scowling at her like she had just committed murder.

“Karen, why can’t you ever learn to just shut up?” Darin hissed at her before leaving the table, throwing his napkin down on his plate and stalking off.

“What? All I did was ask…”

“We know what you asked, Karen and we also know that you’ve been trying to bait her all afternoon. Why don’t we all go and cool off before tonight.” Emily said and then got up and left as well.

Shægnek smiled as things started to come together. The assassin was making it harder and harder for the others to accept her and the First was trying harder and harder to keep the assassin as part of the group. Even damaged as she was, the First was still a very strong and cunning person and more than equal to the tasks that she was going to be called upon to fulfill.

It was interesting that the Second seemed to be drawn to the First even more strongly than anyone else, yet the Second is the one person that the First seemed to be avoiding the most. Twice she had made a point of reminding people she was with the Wer and very happy about it. For a moment, Shægnek wondered why the First did run from the group as a whole earlier. But then brushed it away as she placed a piece of yellow glass into the design, one piece was left and it was complete. Trying to decide which she needed most to balance out the flowers in the image of glass, she wavered between purple and red. Finally, she decided that purple would be the final color set in the masterpiece. Easing the final piece into place, she felt the music that signaled the completion of the prophecy.

“It’s done? Where is the rest of it, Shægnek?” Chaos almost made her drop the final piece of the prophecy, the stained glass, in his exuberance to get his hands on the final pieces, not realizing that he had missed several of the other ones as he searched for the easy answers.

“It’s all around you, Chaos. Prophecy takes many different forms and in each, a piece was placed. To find all the answers, you must look around you and see beyond the surface of what you perceive. Even the written word has meanings and shading that you can’t understand by simply reading the words. You must search beyond what you have seen and then, all will be revealed to you.”

Shægnek hung the stained glass in the empty pane above the door of her library. As the light caught the different colors, the room lit up and the music of the completed prophecy joined the celebration of the colors splayed around the room. Within the next few days, the catalyst would happen and the two halves would meet for the first time. It was both a time for rejoicing and a time to fear. This prophecy would usher in the darkest time for Sandeenai as well as the brightest. For a moment, the goddess wished those within the weave and web of the prophecy luck, and then she turned off the light of her library and went to join the others to watch the game begin.