October 21st, Sunday, Prestige Apartments 5:35 pm After releasing the day's stress through her daily exercise regiment- and cooling off with a nice, long bath- Stacie Rosewood felt like she was ready for the last few hours of the day. She had done everything she could to keep the bribery issue under wraps, so now it was only a matter of trusting that her faith would be rewarded. In all likelihood, her worst fears would be brought to life and everything she had worked so hard for would be ruined, but now, for a moment, she could at least pretend everything would turn out all right. She was just beginning to prepare dinner and was about ready to call her son and daughter, to see if they wanted to join her, when the phone mysteriously rang. The suddenness surprised her, and she jerked back, hand still outstretched. She picked it up after the third ring, wary of the unknown number. "Belfiske residence," she said, using her married name. The calm that she had acquired not long ago met its demise, and she sat down in a slump, feeling weak. "Sir, this is untrue. No one at this school has ever bribed another team. ...No, I do not have proof. But you don't have proof to the contrary, either. ...Oh, dear God, are you serious?" she hissed, now mortally frightened. The words there's going to be an inquiry opened stabbed her mercilessly, and it took fifty years of discipline, training, and learning just for her to stay calm. "Sir, please, listen. We have to be discreet about this. Carnegie is a young school; it does not need this sort of publicity. ...No, the public does not need to know! This is a private matter that is still based on groundless accusations! ...Sir, I will not stand for this! You do not have my permission for this! I will see to it that you are removed from our campus as soon as..." She froze. He began reasoning with her very icily. Fitzgerald himself would've been disgusted. "Very well," she sighed. "I suppose there is nothing I can do if the law is concerned. But we still do not want a spectacle to be made of this. ...You will have to prove they are guilty beforehand, and I have faith in... Well, the nerve!" She slammed her phone down and nearly collapsed on her counter. The smell of burning noodles, spinach, sauce, and shrimp snapped her away from her daze back to the stove, and she began to weep as she stirred her overcooked meal. They would be here tomorrow. Take my love, take my land Take me where I cannot stand I don't care, I'm still free You can't take the sky from me Take me out to the black Tell them I ain't comin' back Burn the land and boil the sea You can't take the sky from me There's no place I can be Since I found serenity But you can't take the sky from me... "Powder Keg" "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Kasumi and I were just on a date. We didn't have our phones with us." Valencia looked wounded as she faced down her teammates the following morning before classes, not that she had any reason to be offended by their persistence. The truth was the she and Kasumi had been too busy engaged with sex to bother hearing (or answering) their phones, and had been out of touch for the entire day. There was no way she would tell them something like that, and because they kept hounding her for a better reason, she snapped. Shannon sighed and placed her hands atop her head. "Y'oughta show a little more responsibility. I know being in love is fun and all, but this was an emergency." "What sort of emergency?" "Not enough time before classes to explain it all," Jennifer said. "Short version, there's probably going to be some trouble heading our way. The American justice system will get flipped on its head." "Isn't that always the case?" "That's not very fair," Shannon grumbled. "Look, just stay on ya toes. The Chairman thinks we fixed those last two games, and knowing him, he'll use everything in his powah to get ridda us." Valencia gawked. "How could we fix them? Five of us were out sick recently!" "You had time to go on your date," Jen pointed. "Anyway, let's try not to let it get to us today. Some of us have been talking, and we thought it would be nice to have a party. You know, a little something for the whole team. Who knows, we might need a little cheering up before long." "Actually, we could make it a belated birthday pahty," Shannon added. "Kaz had hers on the eighteenth, and Elisa had it on the fifteenth." "Oh really? I didn't know they had theirs so close together. Alice's is the day after Elisa's." "Get outta here! She nevah told us!" "You know Alice," Valencia shrugged. "She's not that close to anybody. Elisa's the same way, from what I've seen. I'm surprised that Kasumi didn't tell anybody, though. I mean, she and I went out together for hers..." "Elisa told me not to make a big deal out of it," Shannon said with a warm smile. "Of course, after hearin' that, we all know I'm gonna do the exact opposite! Ha! Three gals in one day! I wondah when everyone else'll have their birthday?" "I won't have mine until April," Jennifer gestured. "But Terra's is on Valentine's Day. We could do something special for her." "Maybe we could buy her something inappropriately sexy!" Valencia chuckled, ribbing Shannon suggestively. The Bostonian blonde rolled her eyes. "I hope you mean that in a platonic way. I felt weird enough buyin' my gal-friends back home that crap. I'll do it if she's gettin' married, but that's as far as I'll go." "I'm sure she'll settle for a nice flowery card scented with perfume," Jennifer smirked. Shannon swatted her head and marched ahead of them; the other two laughed. "You gotta love her. She may be homophobic, but she's awfully adorable about it." "That didn't feel adorable," Jennifer grinned. "I wonder why she's like that. She's not from the south or anything." "Ach, who knows. It's like asking what I saw in a geek like you." "Or what I saw in a fashion diva like you." They winked at each other and laughed; it felt good poking fun at their own mistakes. Before they could take another step, however, they stopped and noticed a crowd of people surrounding their friend. Shannon was trying to fend them off, but she had been caught off guard and was helpless. Jennifer and Valencia trotted to her aid, and discovered that her aggressors were reporters. "...re you haven't heard anything else? What about a confirmation, or a denial?" "...s false, prove it! If it's true, why risk such a blatant controversy right now?" "...w many would you say could afford to bribe the other players?" "And why go after these two? Why not Anolis or Lovelace?" "Who's to say they didn't? Both those teams are better than yours and everyone knows it! How else do you explain the results?" "Miss, if I could just get a comment regarding your opinion? Oh, there are some others! Excuse me, do either of you play for the soccer team here?" A few of the reporters broke off and blocked their path. Jennifer felt flustered as she was shoved right next to Shannon, like a cattle being led to slaughter. "Yes, but- excuse us! What is all this? We're trying to get to class!" "If I could just have a moment of your time, Miss!" "Do you consider your actions immoral?" "Is there going to be an investigation?" "Regarding the character of the other players..." "Could interview the others..." "Excuse me, ma'am, just one word..." "A comment, please! Denial or confession? Do you..." A loud, piercing whistle broke the rabble as daylight surely breaks the darkness. When the girls unplugged their sore ears, they turned to see Elisa standing there, armed with a whistle and a megaphone. "Excuse me," she called, "you are interfering with the rights of privacy our students have. If you do not leave these poor girls alone and allow them through, I will have no choice but to call campus security. Whatever makes you think they wish to speak with you before their own breakfasts have settled?" "Miss, we have as much right to be here as they do," one of the reporters grunted. "That's right! And some of us are here under the protection of local legislature! There's been talk of the soccer team here bribing other players, and an investigation's been opened. Do you really think the campus police will turn us away?" Undaunted, Elisa lowered her megaphone and smiled softly. "Well, you've had fair warning. Gentlemen, if you would." Five security officers arrived at the scene, stalling the mob of reporters just long enough for the girls to run away. Once they were in the clear, Jennifer tackled Elisa and hugged her with powerful, thankful arms. "Ohmygod, you were so awesome back there! I really thought I was gonna get trampled!" "Or at least suffocated," Valencia grumbled as she dusted herself off. "Sheesh! Is this how American paparazzi treats their scandals? They barely raised an eyebrow for Adrian Felix's French designs. Now that was a travesty! Then again, it was eight years ago." "You really saved our bacon," Shannon gasped, glowing with gratitude. She gave Elisa a hug once Jennifer was pried off; the young librarian turned red and tittered humbly. "It was nothing. I despise vultures like that. Do a hundred good deeds and they're nowhere to be found, but one false rumor... Oh dear, I hope this hasn't been happening all over campus!" "We don't have time to be worrying about that," Shannon said as she glanced at her watch. "Aww, hell! Miss Connahs is gonna have my ass on a platta if I ain't there in five minutes! Be seein' ya around! Don't you two fahget what we was talkin' about earliah!" "Same goes for you!" Valencia quickly turned to Elisa and gave her a friendly peck on the cheek. "For rescuing us. See you at lunch, okay?" "Um, but..." "Thanks again, Berkeley!" Jennifer exclaimed with a hasty wave. "We owe you one, big-time!" And just like that, they were off again, leaving the poor girl alone. She sighed and, not with a little pride, held her head up and smiled. Hopefully she would remember to give the whistle and megaphone back to Mr. Warren. --Jennifer Andre, family: Landon & Mina, Jaye & Jake Andre; left midfielder-- "Dear God, is it happening already?" Helmuth Fitzgerald growled to himself, and to the crowd amassed outside his office door, as he sat with a clenched fist and clenched teeth. "It hasn't even been a day. How did it get out so quickly? Damnation, Rosewood's children must've let it slip. Well, this is her responsibility, then. I see no reason why I have to assume anything. I certainly wasn't the one who told anybody. Ahhh," he sighed, "how I wish I could avoid this. I would rather lose our wager and wait four more years for my music hall than have this fall on us. But it must be confronted, mustn't it? Let us hope I can dispel it peacefully and quickly." He straightened his collar and stepped outside amidst the noise. Fitzgerald was a man who could command the situation at hand with only a gesture, or a look- or so he prided himself upon- and so he glared, and raised his hand, until they were silent. "Thank you. I was hoping we could avoid disturbing my neighbors. You see, I am not the lone occupant of this building. In fact, if at all possible, I would like to handle this as silently as possible. Which means that if you have any questions, you must raise your hands and be patient. Do not speak unless I stare directly at you. Otherwise, this interview shall be concluded immediately, and I will summon campus security to escort you off the premises. Are we agreed?" "But we have a written warrant from local authorities giving us full rights and coverage to- " Fitzgerald instantly silenced him with a glacial stare, the kind that could even make taller, larger people shut their mouths and pay attention. Nothing could intimidate him, not even a former General or a governor's orders. "Those are my terms. My unconditional terms. Take them or leave at once. Now- you, on the far left. I do not need to hear your name or whatever tabloid you are employed by. Simply present one question and leave me with an answer." "Uh, yes sir," he stammered. "First, uh, could we have your name, sir? For the record?" "You already know that," he waved dismissively. "If you did not, you would not be gathered here before my office. Next question." "All right," he sighed. "Sir...how long ago did you hear about this accusation?" "Yesterday afternoon, at about one-thirty. I was in my office attending to some other matters. I am quite surprised a media frenzy has been whipped already." "We were just informed ourselves, not that long ago," he admitted. Fitzgerald's eyes twitched imperceptibly. So, it was true, then. But could Rosewood's children have amassed a gathering like this without even meaning to? Of course, it didn't really matter who let the proverbial cat out of the bag: it was out; that was the important part. The next person on the right posed their question: "Do you know if these accusations are true or not?" "No. I have been performing a private investigation ever since hearing about it, and I have no conclusive proof. If such a transaction had been made, it was perpetuated by a student who has considerable funding at their disposal, and who, perhaps, has some disagreeable episode from their past eroding their reasoning away." "Why do you say th- " He silenced the reporter with a gesture, and pointed to the next one. She nervously glanced at her neighbor before speaking. "Sir, why do you believe the student was rich and...ah...had some emotional issue prior to this, uh, episode?" "Obviously, they could not have afforded to bribe both teams with the sufficient funds unless they had them. This led me to speculate the few students of wealth we have on our teams. Next, I reasoned that whatever their motive, it was not merely caused by their desire to win, for even a loss to both teams would not affect their chances come the championship games in spring. In other words, something must've disturbed them enough to bring this all about." "Sir, what is the school's stance on this act?" "Carnegie has completely washed its hands of the whole foul debacle!" he exclaimed sharply. "If you record nothing else, ladies and gentlemen, burn that into your minds! Whether an actual bribery has taken place or not, the college itself has nothing to do with it! We consider cheating to be on the same level as any other serious crime!" "So would you, say, expel the student if- " Fitzgerald glared. Next reporter. "Um, yes. Would that student be expelled?" "If there was conclusive proof that a transaction took place...yes. But not under any other circumstances." "Sir, you've been quoted before as saying that you would not tolerate anything that, uh...besmirched the good reputation this academy has earned. Uh, would you then, umm, be convinced to expel anyone if Carnegie was seen in a poor light?" "That will not happen so long as the press and the media do not turn this into a circus," he snorted bitterly. "Frankly, considering its reputation, I wouldn't put it past them. I would hate to use my authority in that way, but if it absolutely came down to it...no," he moaned wearily. "I would need a decision from the entire board of directors. A majority vote. Next question, please." "Earlier you mentioned the character of the players coming into question. Do you know anything about them, sir, and could any of them possibly be involved in this, given their, ah...standing?" "Yes, I have been researching them a little," he admitted numbly. "I anticipated their character would be thrown into question, so I examined their private files- as I and the Dean have the right to do, prior to their enrollment- and have found some who...may be more susceptible to these acts than the others. Believe me when I say that this is an isolated incident, and the actions of a select few must not be weighed against the majority! But first I would like to verify the validity of these claims before finding a culprit." "Are any of the other students in danger? If there are men and women wandering around here with...conditions, shouldn't everyone be warned? I mean, who knows what these people may have lurking around!" "We all have our skeletons," he grumbled, feeling very weary. Fitzgerald hated this sort of attention even more than the students- he loathed it; he abhorred it. No school was perfect, but he didn't want a mob focusing on the hairline cracks Carnegie had, not when its overall construction was solid. "And I assure you all that once it has been confirmed that- " "But can't you get a confession from the students? Narrow them down first and then start asking questions!" "I did not permit you to speak, sir!" he barked. "One at a time!" "Sir, do you at least know if the men or the women performed these actions? Who does the student body need to look out for?" "I am warning you, this interview is dangerously close to concluding! You are trying my patience!" "One more question, sir! Perhaps it wasn't the students, but a member of the faculty, or the Coach, or someone even higher up! Maybe the Dean, or..." That was the final straw; the Chairman could take no more. He reached back, through the doors onto the wall, and found his parasol that he always kept there. With a powerful, fluid motion, he swung the umbrella as hard as he could against the other side of the door, creating a cacophonous bang that vibrated through the entire hallway. It silenced the media hounds at once, and they stared in fright at the man glowering before them, his entire body twitching. Gingerly, Fitzgerald pushed his glasses up his nose, took a few steps back, and closed the doors, then put his umbrella away and marched to the center of his office, where he stood and waited, as long as it took, for his rage to subside. It was a full twenty minutes before he had composed himself. "So, what does that leave me to do now? Use the team as a scapegoat after all? Perhaps it can't be helped. I have to save this college from further disgrace." He looked around for the stack of files he and Rosewood sifted through the other day, favoring the pile he considered "troublesome and dangerous". He picked out two names at random, frowning. "Felicity Velur and Alice Hawthorne. I suppose, in this situation, one name is as good as another." --Valencia Durante, family: Rolando, Raquel, & Marina Durante; goalie-- "Ssh, ssh, here they come! Here they come. Everybody be quiet. This is so sweet." As soon as Kasumi, Elisa, and Alice walked into the darkened room, twelve women hopped out of hiding, yelling "Surprise!" all at once. The guests of honor jumped, smiling sheepishly as streamers flew into the air and party favors blew. Valencia, Nadia, and Rain personally ran up to their respective love interests, gave them each a kiss on the chin, and crowned them with leis. "Really, darling, you shouldn't have," Elisa insisted. Nadia smiled warmly. "Eleeza should have more happies with her today. Her friends love to celebrate for her. We are all partying until we drop!" "Sounds like a plan," Alice said as Rain draped an arm over her waist. She went straight to the buffet table, peering over the snacks, giving them an approving nod. Lauren took a small party sausage and bit into it. "Come on, ladies, dig in! Ya don't need any manners at this party!" "What about prudence and civil behavior?" Elisa muttered. Lauren laughed and told her that "some brews'll help fix that!" Berkeley rolled her eyes. "Oh good Lord, Lauren-beer?! You realize there are hardly any of us old enough to drink." "So?" "I certainly am!" Kasumi howled as she took a mug. She had imbibed before, of course, but never legally and never so publically. The dark-haired woman let out another howl before nabbing Valencia and giving her a deep kiss. "I want to thank you all for coming," Chairman Fitzgerald said as he examined all the members of the board. "I did not want this information leaking to the press. They certainly have enough on their plates as it stands. I summoned you here today because I believe you can put all of this into perspective, and judge the situation properly. What we have is a team of sixteen young women of varying ages, backgrounds, incomes, and psychological stabilities. I thought it would be prudent to prove a transaction had taken place between the teams before unmasking any culprit, but after evaluating the characters of these young women, I reconsidered my...pursuit, asking myself if it would be wise to keep people such as these on the team-or the campus-regardless of any bribery implications. In short, do any of these young women pose a danger to the general public? If you would, please read the folders. "First, Felicity Velur. Divorced parents, no motherly contact, an overbearing father, and a fanatical drive to overachieve, both in academics and in sports. Nothing terribly abnormal, but she is our prime suspect in the bribery case. She had made several withdrawals in the past that correspond with the, ah, number in question." "So where's Amy, Felicity? Did you ever get a hold of her?" "Ach, she had to work again today," she grumbled. Alice frowned. "Bummer. I was hoping we could all be here. Say, I know we don't talk much, but...you've really improved since we first met." "I know," she murmured. "I feel like a different person." "Alice Hawthorne, admitted to the Bedford mental institution for latent paranoid schizophrenia, attacking another student, and...according to her parents, who have disowned her, 'immoral sexual practices'. She receives a monthly pension from them, however, so this has caused us concern. She is our other prime suspect. The next student is Amy Nguyen, of Vietnam. She seems shy but ordinary enough, but her family was massacred in a gang war when she was eight years old. I'm worried that something like this may not...ahh, pass entirely. Meaning that she, or someone she is close to, may also be targeted. Not a likely suspect, however. The next woman on the list had a very similar situation in her past: one Nadia Khovansky, Russian immigrant. Normal on all accounts save for Mafia connections her father had prior to her birth. Next on the list: Freya von Hohenheim. Now here's an interesting case." "Let's see a big smile...bigger... Okay, Elisa? Could you scoot in just a little closer to Kasumi? Yeah-don't be afraid of her! Put your arm around her. Alice, raise your head a little. Keep looking. Okay-there, got it. One more?" "If I have to," Alice sighed. She hated getting her picture taken. She always ended up kneeling, or standing in the back. Paradoxically, being shoved into hiding only made her stand out even more. Elisa rubbed the spots from her eyes and smiled wearily. "Give it another go, girl. You're much prettier on film than I am." "Ladies, we're all foxes," Kasumi assured them. Freya motioned for them to move in a little closer. "Hold on a second-I want one with the cake in it. Alice, get behind it. Elisa, you and Kasumi stand at either side. I want you all cutting into it at once." "We should've had two cakes," Alice said as she forced herself into another pose. "One to eat and one to throw." "I don't like wasting food," Freya chided her. Alice dipped her finger into the frosting once their photographer wasn't looking and sampled it. Mmmm-but it would taste much better on Rain. "I see little need to get into Miss Threal's file," Fitzgerald mumbled as he dismissed the manila folder. "As soon as those damnable reporters recognized her, it was all she could do to get away. Assault and arrest, and a suspension on her scholastic program! Do we really want such violent people attending our classes, mingling with your sons and daughters? Fleur Lacroix, even worse! Consistently raped by her own father, yet every attempt at psychological evaluation ends with the doctor quitting prematurely! I don't even have the stomach to paraphrase what she said in a few of those interviews. It's as if she's proud of her sordid history. Similarly, though on a much lesser scale, Miss Arina Essylt seems like a destructive, self-loathing narcissist, and has isolated most of her friends, perhaps even those on the team." Essylt smiled to herself as she stood in her little corner. She couldn't remember the last time anybody made even half this amount of effort over her birthday, so she could identify with Elisa's desires. Why make such a big fuss, indeed? It wasn't as if she, or anyone really, was important. Birthdays were nice, but they were a countdown to oblivion, life's funny little clock of death, where every hour dug another inch into the grave. Elisa sat down next to her, exhausted after playing so many games, and glowed with love and warmth. "Whew! I'm completely spent! I feel like I may never stand up again! Are you tired as well?" "Yes," she murmured cheerfully, "but not of the same thing. I am happy for you. You're twenty-two this year, correct?" "Yes, quite a number. I was actually surprised to hear that so many of the others were younger than I." "Myself included. I won't even be twenty until April." Elisa smiled and folded her hands, staring glassily into the distance. Arina envied her. How else could anyone so jittery, so uncertain about themselves, so unconfident and so demeaning be so wonderfully full of joy? Everyone seemed to like Elisa, though she rarely liked herself, and yet here was Arina, stricken with the same disease, with nary a friend on her side save two people even she could not fully comprehend. And one of them was about to steal the birthday girl away. "C'mon, Leese, dance with me! I'm tipsy! It's fun!" "No! Oh, Lauren, no, I'm horrible! I'll step all over your feet!" "So take off those shoes and we'll go barefoot! I don't mind! Sexy...sexy woman! Come on, Jenny, you too! No dorking around." "What does that even mean?" Andre snorted. Arina laughed quietly, and tried not to appear too lonely. Why should her desires ruin everyone else's fun? "So there you have it," Fitzgerald concluded. "In total, eight members of the team could be classified as a deviant and should be examined more carefully. However, I'm optimistic. This means that the other half of the team is without any outstanding fault, and we can trust that they would not have anything to do with this incident. And while there are a few women on the team who might pose the students, or the college, a serious threat, many of them are also basically decent human beings. As I have stated earlier, ladies and gentlemen, we must not let an isolated incident spoil everything. And, of course, we must proceed with the utmost caution. Let us be rid of this scandal before it festers too long, then we may decide on how to go about these dissidents. Thank you, that will be all." "Hey, Alice?" Hawthorne turned around just in time for a hug from Rain. Howlet kissed her ear and gave her a mellow, peaceful smile. "Listen, I don't know if this whole business with the scandal is stressing you out, but don't let it get to you, okay? We've worked too hard to have something like this thrown at us. We're going to be fine." "I know," she said, touching her hand gently. "Thanks. I need a little assurance every now and then or I'll go crazy. And thanks for the party, too." "You're welcome," she whispered, kissing her again. "Happy belated twenty-fourth birthday."
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