October 24th, Wednesday, Chili's restaurant Bar & Grill 4:55 pm The long, arduous dinner rush was no time to be stressed out over personal burdens. Amy Nguyen had a lot on her plate- figuratively, and soon, literally- and to be drenched in all that now, when her workload would be at its greatest, would be fatal. Prior to cleansing her mind with some tai chi and meditation, Amy had felt herself wobbling under the weight of everything: school, work, soccer, personal relationships, and particularly this whole bribery fiasco. Once upon a time, she believed that occupying herself with other interests, besides working and secluding herself in her apartment, would be beneficiary to her health and end up turning her into a better person, but all it seemed to do was make things worse. She'd never quit school, or the team, or break off any of the teetering friendships she had made, not even if they all made her collapse, but something had to give. Her funds were dwindling, so it couldn't be her job- she couldn't even afford a vacation. Maybe she just needed to talk this over with Wang Taitai. "Okay, I'm ready," she whispered to herself as she straightened her waitress' tie. Her mind was arbitrarily clear, and all her concerns were put away to think about later. The Buddha's most basic teaching stated that in order to achieve happiness, she would have to surrender her desires; maybe that included her concerns as well. She put on her work-smile and strolled to the first table, wishing she could drop that blasted stutter of hers. How easily it reared its ugly head when she met strangers. "W-w-welcome to Chili's," she attempted, veneering her speech with a broader smile. "M-my name's Amy and I'll b-b-be your server. How are we all d-doing tod-d-day?" "Fine," came the general response. Ugh, Amy hated that word. They may as well say "nothing". But whatever. "Can we just have some beers first to start us off? Miller Light will be fine." "Ok-kay, coming r-r-right up. D-do I have to card anyone f-f-f-first?" The group laughed politely; they were all clearly middle-aged men. Normally she would never pander like this, but if it brought loads of tips- and it usually did... She went to the bar and placed the order, pausing to glimpse at one of the televisions. Every channel was either news or sports, neither of which was of any interest to her. Still, she looked, if only to see, by some small chance, if there was anything there about the soccer bribery scandal. She visited three more tables before retrieving all the drinks: sodas, waters, the beer, a mixed platter- and with skillful balance that belied her shaky, lanky appearance, she delivered them in order, no problem. Two of the tables asked for appetizers, while another still wasn't ready to order. More customers came pouring in through the door, and Amy remembered to smile whenever their eyes met hers. She was fully in "automatic" mode after an hour. She visited tables, talked, was flirted on (usually by older men), strolled around, balanced drinks, carried heavy platters of steaming-hot food, pocketed tips, and did everything she could to keep her earlier concerns at bay. It wasn't difficult at all: it's hard to think about much when you're fully concentrating on a task. But Amy got tired, too, and was looking forward to her first short break when a television screen caught her eye. She couldn't hear it, of course, due to the noise of people and music around her, but she could see just fine, and she could read the scrolling captions. The report made her freeze where she stood, drawing immediate attention and concern. "In local news," the captions read (next to an inflammatory picture of a checkered dollar sign hanging precariously over the words "Local Sports Scandal"), "a sports team in a local university is being suspected of paying other teams to purposely lose games. After authorities conducted a brief investigation, with the cooperation of university Chairman Helmuth Fitzgerald, it has been suggested that the women's soccer team may have been involved in the alleged bribery. Although the institution's Dean was unavailable for comment, the Chairman stated that, quote, 'Carnegie itself has nothing to do with this, and the student body at large should not be held at fault'. He then declared a suspension of all further games until further notice, and issues an investigation into selective student-athletes' activities and backgrounds." The report then described matters in other counties, but Amy had heard enough. A suspension of all games? An investigation into her activities- and background?! And it was all over the news now! Amy felt sick enough to vomit; it was at that inopportune moment when all of her concerns, worries, and outside thoughts came bursting out of their cage to assault her, much like the demons from Pandora's jar. It was little wonder she collapsed. 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... "Fallen Angels, Part One" The first of the autumn rains had started earlier that month, but they didn't become serious until now. The sky was unpleasantly dark gray as far as the eye could see, and from it came a chill and a wind hitherto alien to the denizens of fair weather now scurrying for shelter. It was now madness to be out any longer than necessary; the drizzle had turned to showers, and then buckets; umbrellas soon lost their worth as the volume of water came down, saturating the earth. Even Fleur's faithful cavalcade was bewildered at this aerial ocean: they could not protect their alpha wolf very well as she made her way to the gymnasium. "What's up with the weather?" one of them questioned. "These are more like summer rains." "It always rains like this around autumn," another commented. "I'm surprised the weather's held out this long." "And the sky's a total mess," a third observed. She dared peek beyond her canopy, getting her face and glasses splashed. "Gray as far as the eye can see. Weather like this makes you wonder if there was ever a sun." "Don't be so theatrical!" Fleur snapped. When they arrived, someone handed her a towel and some combs, and she straightened herself out as best she could. Leena had called an emergency meeting of the team, and this was the only place they could gather in conditions like this. Normally, Fleur wouldn't have bothered coming in bad weather- or sometimes even under favorable circumstances- but this time, even she could make exceptions. It's not every day your whole life is screwed over. Well, unless you're Fleur Lacroix, of course. "Don't feel like you have to wait for me," she commanded her troops. "I'll simply call for a taxi...or maybe some caring soul here will give me a ride." She smiled frostily and went in, flicking the last drops of rain from her hands. Her predecessors were a sorry sort: a dozen drenched rats sulking in the cold, shuddering for warmth and dreading the more dire storms to come. Fleur might have laughed at them, but now that they were all sharing in some misery, she could at last be generous, and feign pity. Some, admittedly, were as calm as her, taking this news (and the weather) quite well. She saw Terra nonchalantly reading one of those silly Japanese comics of hers, Jennifer playing with her cell phone, Kasumi flirting with Valencia, and Arina steadfastly reading. Rain grinned at her and waved her over: what a sweetheart, she had saved a seat. "I could make so many 300 jokes right now," she stated. Fleur winced. "Three what?" "You know, something like, oh, 'the sky will rain black with arrows, and you shall now fight in the shade'! You know, cuz' it was pouring out there, and your group was like a phalanx with their umbrellas..." "Try talking to me when you've taken your meds," she answered coldly, huffing past and taking an abandoned seat. While it was true that Rain wasn't "all there" today, she was in fact much healthier than normal: she was starting to see good grades again. She distinctly heard Fleur sighing, "Ignorance must really be bliss", then noticed Felicity coming in, looking beaten. Somehow Fausta had escaped nature's wrath- she looked like she just stepped out of a salon- but Shannon, carted in by a patient Elisa, looked downright disastrous. Rain laid down on the bleachers and stared at the ceiling until the meeting started; only Amy was absent. "Uh, hey everybody," Leena said not long after coming through the double doors, rainfall in her wake. "Sorry to drag you all out here in this godforsaken weather, but it couldn't be helped. There's something we need to discuss, and it concerns the whole team. I'm sure you all know what I mean." After a meaningful pause, Leena remarked, "Where's Nguyen?" Everyone looked at Felicity. She just shrugged. "I guess I could call her now, but it's six-thirty. She'll still be working." "Try anyway. In the meantime, I need the rest of you to get this message to her, in case she can't make it. Now I'm sure you're all aware of what's going on recently, and if you aren't, let me go over it quickly. Not long after we won our last two games, an anonymous tipster called the Chairman and accused us of paying the two teams to throw the game for us. Evidently, this person seems to have some convincing evidence, because the Chairman is taking these allegations seriously. Somehow or other, this was all leaked outside to the press, and ever since they got wind of it, everything has avalanched. The Chairman has since suspended us from playing any further games until the issue is resolved. He currently believes- hold on, let me finish- he believes that one of us, or several of us, had a direct hand in this, and has been going through your personal files and mine in an attempt to sieve out possible suspects. This is also his way of...I hate to even be thinking it...weeding out potential threats to the school. In summary, we're all under a big magnifying glass, and the Chairman can burn us whenever he chooses." "Um, Leena?" said Lauren as she raised her hand. "Can I just speak on behalf of the entire team and say what a load of donkey dung this is?" "Hear, hear!" Terra shouted. "Lauren, this is serious," Kasumi said. "You might not have anything to worry about, but some of us like our privacy." "But that's what so fucking out of whack about this!" she replied. "We all know that Evil Lord Gary's been out for us ever since day one, and now someone's come along and dropped a way to get rid of us right into his lap! Do you honestly believe that ass-face is gonna play fair?" "You're seeing bogeymen everywhere," Elisa groaned. "Most of us may not like him, but the Chairman is a professional. He's not some Grand Inquisitor who goes around blindly expelling everyone he doesn't like. And if he really were out to get us, don't you think he would've at least kept the public out of this?" "Hey, all I'm saying is that he'll use any weapon he can get his grimy mitts on." "At the expense of the entire school?!" she balked. "Settle down," Leena called out. "I understand you're all frustrated, but this is the way things are now. I'm sorry, but this is out of my hands. The best thing for you to do is to take this seriously, cooperate if you're asked to, go about your daily lives, and for the love of God, don't draw any unnecessary attention to yourself." "I ain't the one responsible!" Lauren shrieked, feeling exposed. "I mean all of us," Leena said. "I don't like this any more than any of you do, but right now we'll just have to bear it. Stick by each other and give your teammates support. We have to prove to everyone that we're better than their expectations." "How? By being good and obeying their orders?" "That is precisely how we need to act, Miss Ofdensen. And if you can't do that, then bite your tongue and stay indoors until this is all over. The rest of you, I'll see you this Saturday. We might also have a meeting next Wednesday- umm, dressing up is optional, of course." A few girls chuckled; next week was Halloween. Leena added that they would not be having a meeting on the third of November, though she did not specify why, and before letting them go, assured them that she was always willing to help them if they needed her. Before leaving the gym, Felicity walked up to her coach and said, "Sorry, I couldn't reach her. I tried four times." "And when did you have the time to call her during this meeting?" Leena smirked. She laughed at Felicity's expression and told her, "That's okay. I'll bet I sounded pretty boring. Still, I didn't know which of you were still in the dark, so I had to be sure. Are you going to be okay?" "Me? Sure, why?" "Well..." Her smile sobered, and became almost motherly. "It's just that when you first signed on, you looked like you had given up on living. It was like looking at a phantom- a very skilled phantom, but obviously one under very heavy stress. More than anyone should have, regardless of their age. I'm sorry, that makes it sound like I was prying, doesn't it?" "No," Felicity sighed, hanging her head a little. "You're right, I was just going through a lot. And I still am, kind of, but I think I can handle it now. Really." "All right, I'll hold you to that. Hey, call me once you've gotten hold of Amy, okay? I know she's supposed to be working right now, but something's bugging me about that. And...um, just between us, look out for Nadia, too. She looks as bad as you did when you first showed up." Felicity had noticed as well; it was impossible not to. Nadia looked as dark and dreary as the weather, and she had not even spoken during the entire meeting, not to her or Elisa or anyone. She walked like the living dead and might have wiped tears from her eyes as she came in from the rain; it was hard to tell. Nadia had been a friend and more to Felicity when she was going through her own Hell, and it was time to pay her back. "I'll definitely get on it. Thanks, Coach." "You're welcome. Although," she added wryly, once she was alone, "I don't know what I did to deserve any thanks." - Fleur Lacroix, family: Henry and Marie Lacroix; right midfielder- "Damn it, I hate the rain." Shannon Threal looked up at the bleak, weeping sky for a moment as stray flecks tapped her face. She wiped them off with her sleeve and buried herself beneath a rain jacket. It was only a few steps to Elisa's car, but the weather was so unruly that it was more like swimming than walking. Three jackets would not have sufficed; only a fish could be comfortable in this rain. Elisa was soaked, too, but she wasn't fitful or ornery; Shannon acted like someone had thrown her into a trash bin and kicked her while she was down. She shivered and kept wiping her face; Elisa couldn't help but think she was crying. She wanted to say something to make her friend and roommate feel better, but she knew full well how ineffective her consolation would be. Instead she took a deep breath and drove out of the gymnasium parking lot. Soon, however, even her modesty and consideration couldn't hold out much longer. "Dear, I understand that this is a hard time for us all, but you know that if you need someone to talk to, I would be more than willing to listen. Really, don't hold back on my account." "No thanks," she grumbled. "I don't wanna unload all my crap on you. I'm just going through some tough shit right now. ...Uh, sorry about the language. I'm just too freakin' pissed off to mind what I say." Elisa giggled gently. "You never mind what you say, even when you're in a good mood." At last Shannon smiled. "Yeah, you're right. God, what a day for it to rain, huh?" "Yes. I hear it won't be much better tomorrow." "Crap. Well, it hasn't rained for a really long time- we had a bit of a drought this summah, didn't we?" "Yes. I'm glad things are, uh, precipitating well, but I'd prefer soft gentle showers. If this keeps up, we'll have a flood." "Yeah. Sheesh, that's the last thing we need. Hey Lisa?" "Yes, dear?" She hesitated, and tried to smile, if only to convey some of the gratitude she had for her infinitely patient and stalwart friend. "Uh, when we get back to the apahtment, maybe we can have some cocoa or coffee or whatevah it is ya want..." "Hot tea, please. I've just bought a box of ginger and I think you'll like it." "That's swell," she replied warmly. "And, uh, while we're relaxin' and stuff, maybe I can let'cha in on all this shit that's happening to me. Um, if ya still wanna hear it." "It's entirely up to you, dear. We can just sit and enjoy the silence." "I appreciate that," she said lovingly, "but I think I owe it to ya. You've been a saint and more to me evah since we moved in togethah, and...well, I figya ya wanna know more about me. Like I kind of owe ya." "Oh, you don't owe me anything," Elisa said sweetly. "Except half the rent, of course!" "Of course. But you did ask. Damn, I wish we had a garage. Or at least a fireplace." They pulled into the Hill n' Dale Apartments parking lot, as close to their place as they could, and braced themselves for the downpour. Elisa let out a melodic sigh. "At least we've got plenty of towels around. We're going to need them." "How's the tea?" "Mmn, bettah than I hoped. Heh, you English and your teas." "Irish, darling, I'm Irish. At least I think so. Do you need any more towels?" "No thanks. I guess I already took a showah, huh?" "Several by my count!" Elisa chuckled. Shannon smiled and slurped her drink quietly. It didn't taste at all like she thought- evidently, ginger and gingerbread were two completely different flavors- it had a strange sweetness and a little tang to it, but it certainly warmed her up. Thankfully, the power had not gone off yet- they were only experiencing rain, not thunder- so they could converse, or just sit, in the light and heat. "Let's see," Shannon began, nursing her cup. "I guess it ain't no stretch to say I played soccer long befoah I evah heard of Cahnegie. Prob'ly as soon as I could walk, maybe even earlier. I was in the state finals every year of junya high, and we won for two of those years. I got into a fairly good team in high school, but my coach was a total pill, a by-the-book bitch if I evah saw one. Holly Yarlis, that's her name. We won state championship in my sophomore year, and we woulda won junya year, too, if some A-hole from hell didn't fuck things up. Oops." "I don't mind," Elisa said with a smile. "Use whatever language best befits your story." Shannon's smile grew brighter as she took another swig. Mmm, this ginger tea only got better the further down she went. She'd have to buy a box herself. "Well, all right, if you say so. Anyway, lemme skip ahead a bit to this one game we was playin'. There were some scouts there- you know, for colleges and big schools like that- and I was seven-hundred degrees of psyched about it. I was literally giddy, okay- like bouncing around, ready to burst. To gals like us, scouts meant a full ride scholarship. They meant fame and glory. They meant an education. For me, that meant a future. I would've done all kinds of demeanin' things to get their attention. And...that's sort of where this story takes a turn." "Oh, dear, perhaps you shouldn't say any more, then," Elisa whispered. "I think I can connect the rest of the story myself. You were caught doing...something...and you're afraid that now we're being under investigation, it'll come back to haunt you." "No, but you're close," she replied quietly. "You're very close. Let me explain everything befoah you throw ya pity pahty. There was this one gal on the team- I mentioned her earliah- her name was Trudy Vong. Brr! I don't think I'll evah forget that name for as long as I live! She was a dyke, Lisa, and the worst kind you could imagine. It's thanks to her that I get all suspicious around the rest of the team. Well, you know. Those o' them that're like that. I mean, I like you and Kasumi okay- ahh, but getting back to the story, Trudy was an ogah. That's the only way I could describe her. She was an ogah and a bitch, and she had it in for me. We were perfect on the field, though, which actually made things worse. One day, after the game with the scouts watchin', everyone took showahs, and I, of course, waited my turn. I nevah liked showerin' with othah gals, even if they was my friends. It just made me feel awkward, and I've always liked my privacy. Well. I got the last stall and took my time, and guess who should show up to point her big ugly dyke nose around but you-know-who." "Uh-oh," Elisa murmured. "Yeah, exactly. But it gets worse. She always picked the showah next to me cuz' she thought I was some closet case, and since she already slept with like half the team- hell, maybe even alla them- she evidently thought I was next on the list. So we had our little spat as usual, and I tried to ignore her, and then she says she got this intahview with The Boston Globe. I dunno about you, Leese, but that was enough to get my attention, and that rat-bastahd of a bitch knew it. She also knew I'd do damn near anything to have my name dropped, so, uh...we sorta made this deal." "Do I want to know what it was?" Elisa asked sickly. Shannon sighed deeply. "She stuck her fucking nasty tongue down my throat and I was fucking stupid enough to let her! I shoulda nevah let that ass-face get the bettah of me and I've been payin' for it evah since! One stupid little mistake and it's come back to haunt me all these years later! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!" Elisa jerked back, spilling some of her tea, as Shannon crashed her fists into the chair's armrest, sending a small vibration across the entire apartment. But then, Shannon started to cry, and she quickly raked her forearm over her face, sniffling hoarsely. "Sorry, I didn't mean to erupt like that. It just brings some bad memories back. I'm sorry." "Perfectly all right, dear!" Elisa exclaimed breathlessly, still reeling from the shock. "After hearing what happened, I can understand your anger. I'd be infuriated as well if she did that to me. Please tell me you didn't...ah...have sex with that whore!" "No, thank God," she grumbled. "We just kissed, ugh. But she nevah meant to hold up her enda the deal. She just wanted to get undah my fucking panties and- aw, hell, I know we was both naked, but you know what I mean- all she wanted was to fucking sleep with me! She pushed me too far, so I pushed back. Well, I hit her, anyway. Hahd. Too hahd. She slipped and fell, got a concussion...went to the freakin' hospital...and guess who gets busted for assault?" "That's horrible!" Elisa exclaimed. "You should've been given a medal!" "What?" Shannon had never been so surprised that she actually spat her drink out, until now. She had to clean it off her clothes and towels as she sputtered and coughed. "Yes!" Elisa exclaimed haughtily. "You went too easy on her! You should've bitten her tongue off before punching her." Shannon couldn't help but laugh after hearing her sweet, humble, meek little roommate say something so blatantly out of character, but she was also laughing because Elisa was on her side, and that made her feel happier than she had been in years. "I hadn't thought of that," she admitted cheerfully. "And even if I had, that would've meant I'd have to kiss her again." "Oh. Good point." They laughed again; Shannon was glowing once she calmed down and finished her tea. That made telling the rest of her story much easier. "Anyway, Shannon Threal didn't look so hot anymoah now that she had an assault rep. Scholahships dried up and mosta my friends abandoned me, even though they knew perfectly well what a rat that Trudy was, and that she got what was comin' to her. Scott was the only person who believed me, aside from mom and pops. Gettin' inta this school and havin' the chance to play again was like a dream come true, and I'll be damned if all that shit comes to surface again aftah all the hard work I've been through. Anyway, that's the end of my sordid history. Sorry I went all drama queen on you." "There's no apologies necessary, sweetheart," Elisa said lovingly. She got up and walked over to Shannon, kneeling down so she could give her a hug. "You're a good person, and a wonderful friend. I feel so blessed to have you here. I'd like to say 'I love you', but I really don't know how that would make you feel." "You don't hafta be that considerate," she grinned, folding her arms around Elisa. "I love you too, ya know." - Rain Howlet, family: Levi, Karen, & Frank Howlet; defensive midfielder- As Elisa predicted (or more accurately, the forecasters), Thursday morning was just as wet and dreary as the day before, although at least the rain had calmed into a steady stream. Shiki Araya drove Maria and Freya as close to the school entrance as she could get, then scurried outside, opening a large umbrella so her two lovers wouldn't get soaked. Maria gave her a smile and a wink as thanks; Freya was drawn into an embrace. "Be careful, Miss. I promise I'll do everything in my power to help with this investigation and clear the team's name." "Just make sure it's inside the law this time," she replied playfully. They kissed deeply before parting; a few observers saw them and whistled. Maria helped Freya inside and waved to Shiki, looking just a little bit smug. Shiki was jealous, of course, but at least she could rest easy, knowing her mistress was in relatively good hands. As they wandered into the halls and became lost in the sea of humanity, Maria quickly said to Freya, "I know you've heard us say this before, but are you sure you're going to be okay? I mean, you're the team manager and all, and I know that's gotta be stressful enough, but now all this has come down on us, and you don't normally take drastic news well." "I do admit that I haven't been feeling that good," she replied weakly. "But I can still walk, can't I?" "Yeah, but if they open an investigation on the team, they'll know all about my father's suicide, and your mother's death, then it'll be like two years ago all over again. I can't be put through something like that." "You won't," Freya assured her feebly. "I'm a much stronger person now. I can handle bad news better. Still, I'm grateful for your concern. Well, it looks like this is where we go our separate ways." "Yeah." Maria glanced at the hallway, and gave Freya a loving hug, adding a deep kiss of her own. "I'd like to say 'be careful' as well, but you're smart enough to handle yourself. You know where I'll be in case you need me." "Yes. You take care, too!" Freya took a deep breath and wobbled her way down the hallway, sparing one last glimpse at her parting friend. She didn't dare tell Maria how much weaker she was getting- how she wasn't able to eat certain foods, how she had spent several nights cold even with blankets and heat, how sometimes she expelled blood when she used the lady's room, how her muscles occasionally gave out at unpredictable intervals- she couldn't let her be more concerned than she already was. But it was foolish, really: she would find out sooner or later. Freya was proud of herself for making it all the way to Ms. Connors' Networking lab and lecture without any assistance. She even felt giddy: blood rushed to her head and the weight of the world rolled off, like a boulder, as she felt herself floating to the ceiling. She stretched her arms out to catch herself, and felt them shrivel up beneath her weightless ascent. Consciousness teased her and the world became melodic as muffled voices spoke to her, like disembodied spirits. It was all silence and darkness from then on out.
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