Storm Chaser: Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Elena stepped onto the sidewalk and proceeded briskly to the garage where her car was parked. She clutched the stack of transfer papers with tight fingers.

“A valentine’s gift,” she muttered. “He sent me a valentine’s gift.” She thought for a moment. “And I opened it in front of Andre. Andre, his cousin. Who I have a date with. Tonight.” She reached the garage, got into her car, placed the papers and her purse in the passenger’s seat, turned the key in the ignition and backed out into the street.

“Okay,” she said to herself. She used the same calming voice she had used on Jasmine and many of the other pilots throughout the day. Somehow it didn’t help. “I can send them back with a note that couldn’t accept such a personal gift from a business partner.” She took a deep breath. That was it she could send it back. Elena drove to the hotel.

“I wonder why he sent old lady pajamas,” she mused. “Not that lingerie would be any more appropriate but I don’t think that I look like the old lady pajamas type. He could have sent perfume…” She shook the thought away. “He shouldn’t have sent anything.” She said firmly. She turned into the hotel parking garage and found a spot by the elevators. She parked and got out of the car with the transfer papers. “That is the end of it. There are more important things to take care of.”

The first item on her list was to find her grandfather. Alexandro would know who was serving as the council’s secretary for this gathering. She had no doubt that the council would consider business under the guise of attending the opening of Nibbles. And since many of the heads of house from different families were here much internal business could be completes. She walked through the carpeted halls. No doubt there were several power plays taking place behind these closed doors. She shook that thought away as it was nearly as distasteful to contemplate as Peter’s gift. She just wanted to deal with the transfers and return home to prep for a night of bowling with Andre. She smiled at the thought, hoping the earlier delivery would not put a pall on the evening. Elena knocked on the door. The door swung open almost immediately. Marcus grinned at her.

“We had a bet going as to when you would get here,” He said.

“Really,” Elena answered. Marcus stepped aside and Elena entered the suite. Alexandro was sitting at a small table. He was sipping from a small glass of fizzy water. The opened water bottle was placed on the table along with several open file folders. His eyes danced with amusement. “So who won the bet?”

“It would be crass to tell,” Alexandro said placing the glass back on the table. He rose and gave her a hug. She smiled and inhaled deeply. He always smelled of the sea after a storm. “So what do you have for me?”

“”I’m not sure it is for you?” Elena said. Alexandro lead her back to the table and they both took a seat. Marcus placed a bottle of sparkling water and a glass in front of Elena. “Thanks,” She told him. She twisted the cap and poured water into the glass. Alexandro raised an eyebrow.

“Not really for me?”

“Well the list of names of the pilots I agreed to have transferred here would be for you.” She handed him the top sheet. It contained the names of the pilots and where they were transferring from. “These,” she said waving the rest of the papers. “Need to go to each of their former heads of house to complete the transfer.”

“I see,” Alexandro said with a smile. “So they are not really for me.” He scanned down the list of names. “You have been busy.” He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He flipped it open and dialed a number from memory.

“Yes,” he said into the phone when it was answered. “This is Alexandro Calabrese in room…” He paused.

“34-309,” Marcus supplied.

“34-309,” Alexandro continued. “I require the services of Jeremy.” He flipped the phone closed and placed it on the table. “Now,” he said turning his attention to Elena. “Tell me about Nibbles.” Elena began to cover the details of the first full day of sales. In less time than she would have thought possible a knock sounded at the door. She paused her report as Marcus opened the door and ushered in a man in his early twenties. The man had close cropped brown hair, neatly combed, a clean shaven face and a differential air. He wore a blain black suit with a white dress shirt and a gray necktie. His black wingtips had been polished to a high gloss. Elena assumed this was Jeremy.

“These need to be delivered to the individual heads of house listed on each page. We will expect confirmation of delivery.” Alexandro waved to Elena who lifted the stack of papers. Jeremy took them, nodded once, turned and left the room. Marcus closed the door behind him.

“Somehow I never pictured the cookware as actually selling,” Alexandro said resuming their conversation as if it had not been interrupted. “I thought it would merely serve as a creative backdrop. Makes me wonder what they are actually using it for.” As Elena had wondered the same thing earlier she only smiled at the comment and continued with her report. Although her grandfather didn’t take notes she knew he was listening to every word and spinning out theories of his own as to what else might serve as a viable commodity.

He asked questions, of course, rather than making her simply recite the doings of the store. She would submit a paper copy to both him and Peter. Elena had the feeling Peter would also want a one on one interview like this and was not looking forward to the experience. She pushed thoughts of Peter far away as she talked. She was not sure what her grandfather’s reaction would be to the gift. She had the feeling Peter did not send pajama’s to every business partner. After what seemed like an eternity Jeremy returned with a stack of receipts. He handed the stack to Alexandro, who passed them to Elena without so much as a glance. Elena shuffled through them, mentally ticking off names. All of the transfer papers had been delivered. She had the confirmation in her hands.

“Thanks you,” she told Jeremy. He nodded to her once and turned his attention to Alexandro.

“That will be all,” he said. Jeremy nodded again turned and left. Elena wondered if he was trained to be quiet or if he actually had no voice at all. She wouldn’t put it past the council to make certain that they hired mutes for their messengers. Silently she wondered what the equal opportunity employment folks would think of the job posting. Would posting a notice requiring a disability be considered discrimination against healthy people? With the confirmation receipts in hand Elena quickly took her leave, declining Alexandro’s dinner invitation. He looked thoughtful as he said his goodbyes.

‘Probably wondering what else I am doing on a Monday night,’ she thought as she rode the elevator from the 34th floor to the garage level. Personally she saw no reason to enlighten him. While she had been in the hotel the shadows had lengthened. She glanced at the clock. 5:28. Andre was picking her up around seven.

“Plenty of time,” she told herself. She could grab a quick bite to eat and get ready with time to spare. “As long as no one stops by.” She tapped the steering wheel. This would not be a good time for a military drop by. Elena parked and took the back stairs up to her apartment. Luckily the landing was clear. She let herself into her apartment with a feeling of relief.

A little while later she was up to her neck in rose scented bubbles. She sighed contentedly as her muscles relaxed. The shower may act up in the old apartment but the deep bath more than made up for it when she wanted a bubble bath. While she lounged she mentally ran through her wardrobe, trying to pick the perfect outfit. When her fingers started to turn pruny she extricated herself from the dying bubbles and began her pre date ritual. By the time 7 pm rolled around she was ready to go and felt pretty inside and out. Peter was no more than a distant memory. Andre was right on time and they drove to the bowling alley.

“So do I get to see Bob when he is complete?” She asked as talk turned to his werewolf mask.

“Of course,” Andre said with a grin. “Might take a few more weeks though.”

“So maybe by the time I get back from my next run?”

“Probably,” Andre said. “Mateo said you were looking at shipping out this Friday.”

“Yup,” Elena said with a nod. “Mateo’s new equipment should be installed and ready to use. We are planning on testing the potential channel in safe space and then going to the docking facility. We’ll be taking the Sea Rascal’s cargo there instead of going on a run.”

“So no Matrovean?”

“Nope, no Matrovean.”

“You sound disappointed,” Andre said with a laugh.

“A little,” Elena confessed. “I know it is safer but …”

“Running from raiders is an adrenaline high?” Andre suggested.

“Something like that. Mateo is glad for the lack of raiders.”

“And the fact that he gets to test his new toys?”

“And that he gets to test his new toys,” Elena confirmed. “He is quite excited about that.”

“You are going to be mostly sky side for a while then?”

“I think we’ll be more in transit actually. We want to get as much information as we can and get the info processed before we try taking the ship through into new space. Plus we need to stock up on additional supplies for Nibbles during the season so we don’t run into short supply in the off season months. I think we’ll probably end up with only enough time for transfer at the docking facility and maybe a night or two earthside to check on the status.”

“A pilot’s life,” Andre commented.

“At least during the season.” They pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley. The sign out front was a hold over from the 1950s with neon lit bowling pins and a bowling ball. The lights were sequenced so the ball rolled towards the pins and knocked them down in a strike before starting again. They went inside, got their shoes, ball and lane and Andre set up the score card.

“I should warn you,” he said. “I am competitive.”

“Really? Does that mean that if it looks like I’m winning I should throw the game?” She teased.

“God no,” he said. “If I can’t win fair I don’t want to win. If I think you threw the game I’d pout. And that isn’t pretty for anyone.”

“Well if it helps. I remember being really bad at this.”

“Actually I’m not that great either,” he confessed. “So it might end up being a competition to see which of us is the worst.” He grinned and waved a hand to the standing pins. “Ladies first.”

Elena took her ball up to the line. “Do they give awards for the world’s worst bowler?” She asked. “Cause I think I’d want a trophy for that.” The game progressed and Elena was happy to see none of the tension she had feared. Apparently Andre had decided to forget about Peter as well. About midway through their set a siren sounded and the lights went out. Both of them looked around in the semi darkness.

Lights began to strobe and smoke was pumped from vents near the ceiling. A man’s voice sounded over the intercom announcing that laser light bowling had begun. Loud techno music began to play, cutting off most of the casual conversation. Comments were made in passing but they had to yell them in each other’s ears to be heard. When she leaned in to comment she could smell the light crisp scent of Andre’s skin. They found themselves laughing harder as the strobe lights affected their bowling abilities. At one point Andre’s release of his bowling ball coordinated badly with the lights and his ball ended up on their neighbor’s lane. The pins fell down in a perfect strike. The teenager on the next lane gave Andre a thumbs up when he tried to apologize.

“I still think that should have counted,” Andre said as they were leaving the bowling alley.

“It was a strike on someone else’s lane,” Elena reminded him. “The computers tallying the score can’t see who bowled the frame.” Elena rubbed her ears.

“Still ringing?” Andre asked.

“Just a bit from that last song. It was that series of high pitched notes that got me. Something about the sound hit my ears in just the right way.”

“You know what would help?” Andre asked.

“What?”

“Cheese fries.”

“Cheese fries will help my ears.”

“That is my theory,” Andre said. “There is a place down the road that makes great cheese fries. We could test the theory.”

“We could. I’ve always been a proponent of alternative medicines. Especially ones that don’t taste like wheat grass.” They drove to a small bar set into the corner of a shopping center.

“The location leaves a bit to be desired, but the food is great,” Andre told her. On a Monday night the bar was mostly empty and they were shown to a booth right away. A few inveterate drinkers were lined up on their stools at the bar but they didn’t seem inclined to pay any attention to the newcomers. Andre ordered the cheese fries and they each got a Newcastle to sip while they waited.

“I hear beer is good to the ear ringing as well,” Andre told her. “Something about the hops.”

“Is that general knowledge as well?” she asked. Andre mock frowned at her.

“Can I help it if you miss some of the common knowledge news bulletins that the rest of us get?”

“I still want to see a foot note on Genghis Kahn,” she told him as she took a sip of her drink. Talk flowed easily between them and ad quite a broad range. Elena found herself smiling more than she had in a while. By unspoken consent they stayed away from the more serious topics. They were midway through the cheese fries when Andre’s gaze wandered to the door. He frowned at what he saw.

“Do I want to ask?” Elena said.

“Jonathan,” Andre responded. Elena nodded but didn’t bother looking around. “He is taking a seat.”

“Maybe he didn’t see us.” Elena said. She picked up a fry loaded with cheese and bacon bits.

“Maybe,” Andre said. “He doesn’t seem to be looking over here and we are kind of in shadow.” They both sat quietly wondering how long they could go unnoticed. Andre gave a start and blinked hard.

“What?” Elena asked.

“Peter.”

“What, are they both following us?”

“I don’t think so,” Andre said slowly. He slid a little more into the booth’s shadow and Elena guessed Peter was looking around. “He is taking a seat with Jonathan.”

“Should we be looking for Smith next?” Elena said. She took a sip of her beer.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Andre told her. “Jonathan seems pretty intent to talk to Peter.” Different scenarios skittered through Elena’s mind.

“You don’t think Jonathan is spying on the military for the council do you?” She asked.

“I don’t know. If he is, I bet it is a recent development. I doubt he is guild raised.”

“Why is that?”

“Well between you, me and Mateo we know a hefty slice of those in our basic age range who were guild raised. But he doesn’t really have the look.”

“Maybe he left the guild for the military. Or has family that is guild raised,” Elena suggested.

“The waitress dropped off their drinks and Jonathan just handed Peter something.”

“What?” Elena asked, intrigued. After months of being the one other people were spying on she felt giddy at being the one doing the spying. ‘Well actually Andre is doing the spying,’ she admitted. ‘I’m just getting a report.’

“Looks like papers. Can’t tell much from here.”

“Damn,” Elena said. “I wish we knew. Jonathan has been up to some strange stuff lately.” She told Andre about Kiera’s apartment.

“Do you think he did that on Smith’s orders or on his own?”

“I don’t know.”

“Peter is leaving,” Andre said.

“Did Peter give him something in trade for the papers?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh,” Elena said leaning back in her booth. “I wonder if that is because he took the initiative and contacted Peter about something rather than Pater paying him for information.”

“He could have paid him with a wire transfer,” Andre countered.

“True.” Elena sighed “Why does it seem like everyone around me has devious plans?”

“Maybe you just attract those sorts of people,” Andre said with a smile.

“Must be the new soap I’m using,” she returned.

“He finished his drink and is getting up to go,” Andre said. “He looks thoughtful as if he didn’t really expect whatever response Peter gave him but isn’t all that upset about it.”

“Like he is trying to figure out a way to use it?” Elena asked.

“Yeah.”

“I know that look well. It is one of grandfather’s favorites.”

“I can imagine.” Andre leaned back in his seat. “He is gone now. I wonder what is going to come of that.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The last of the interviews ended and Elena trudged up the stairs to the conference room. With each meeting she had handed an empty journal to a grateful pilot and received a folder full of more references than she would ever want to check. All of the transfer forms had been signed and now awaited delivery. She stared at the stacks as if transfixed.

“Obviously I have gone insane,” she said to the room. A low chuckle caused her to turn her head. Andre was standing in the doorway. He walked over to the small dorm scale fridge that lived below the table holding the coffee pot. He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her.

“To counter balance the coffee,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said twisting the cap off. She took a healthy swig of the water and felt it wash away some of the acidic taste too much coffee left behind.

“So how did it go?” Andre indicated the papers on the table before bending to get his own bottle of water.

“Eighteen pilots.” She said. Her voice still held a note of disbelief. “At this moment eighteen pilots are looking for apartments in the neighborhood. A couple of them still have channel riding ships and will be docking up at Grant’s Inlet. The military has moved on to bugging my neighbor’s apartment, I have a partnership with one of the two most lethal council members, who is opening a consulting firm down the street. I have the other deadliest council member seeking to form an alliance with me and I agreed to have eighteen pilots transferred here. Obviously I have gone insane.” Elena sank into the chair she had spent most of the day in and let out a deep breath. It was shaky on the end. Andre took another seat.

“They say Lady Luck favors the bold,” he told her. “Although personally, I would be stopping by a local religious shop for a metal of St. Jude.” Elena laughed, recognizing there was a little hysteria in it but feeling better nonetheless. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I couldn’t turn them away,” she said. “They just looked so …” hundreds of words flew through her mind, “Broken,” she concluded. “I couldn’t turn them away.”

“I know,” Andre said with a smile. “So we have eighteen pilots moving in. At least it won’t be boring.”

“I think boring is the least of our worries.” Footsteps sounded on the stairwell and they both turned to see Roger toting a couple of boxes up the stairs. The both jumped up to help him.

“I’ve got it,” he told them setting the boxes on the floor by Elena’s chair. “There a couple more downstairs but they seem to be individual bottles of wine along with notes of congrats for last night.” Roger beamed with pride.

“Really?” Elena said. She reached for the top box. It was white with a silver elastic bow. “This looks more like a dress box than anything.” She looked at the box below it. “But I bet the case of wine is from Doug.” She tugged off the silver elastic and opened the box. She folded back the tissue and at first only saw lots of red silk. Frowning, she reached in. The silk separated into two pieces. They were pajamas. Elena held the top part up. It had a rounded neck held together by a bone toggle and long sleeves. If she had put the shirt on, it would reach nearly to her knees. She set it aside and pulled out the pants. They were baggy, but had an elastic waist band. “Someone sent me old lady pajamas?” she asked, confused. Andre shrugged.

“Looks like,” he said.

“That seems odd,” Roger added slowly.

“Was there a card?” Elena asked.

“Not that I saw,” Roger said. “It might have fallen out and gotten mixed in with the wine.” Elena looked down.

“Oh there’s something in the bottom of the box.” She set the pajama pants on top of the shirt and removed a card from the box. It was the sixe of a card that would come with a floral arrangement. Elena slid the card out of the unsealed envelope. The five words on it made her eyes widen.

‘Elena, Happy Valentine’s day, Peter.’ Elena slid the card back into the envelope. She put it back in the box and put the pajamas on top. Both men watched as she put the lid back on the box. Elena pushed the box away from her as if it contained a live snake. She looked up to find them staring.

“It was a valentine’s gift,” she stammered. She could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks and down her throat.”

“Ah,” Roger said. “I see.” His tone was carefully neutral.

“It was from Peter,” Andre said, no question at all. He had an odd look on his face and a curiously flat tone to his voice.

“Yeah,” Elena confirmed the not quite question.

“Well then,” Roger said. “Perhaps he felt as business partners…” His voice trailed off as he was unable to find a logical conclusion to his sentence.

“I wonder if he sent old lady pajamas to your grandfather too,” Andre said. “As business partners.” The odd look had vanished. A tilted grin met her eyes when she looked at him. Andre winked back at her. She was sure it was just for show but she had no idea what she could actually say to him.

“Now that would be an amusing sight,” she said with a bit of a laugh. Elena pulled up the card that went with the box of wine. She was fairly certain Doug had sent it and opened the card with no qualms. “Doug sends his thanks. Apparently the Wineshop had one of their best nights ever last night.” Elena looked at the wine. “Is everyone in today?” she asked Roger.

“Yes I believe so.”

“Good,” she said. “I think there are enough bottles that everyone can take one home with them. After all they did help make it a success and should share in the congratulations, don’t you think?”

“I think that is a great idea,” Roger said.

“Good,” Elena stood and picked up her stack of transfer papers. “Would you mind seeing to that? I have to go get some papers signed at the hotel.”

“Not a problem,” Roger said.

Elena smiled picked up her coat and purse and left the conference room. She hoped she didn’t look like she was running away.

Storm Chaser: Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Morning came far too early for Elena’s liking and she rubbed her bleary eyes as she turned off her alarm clock. She could still see the small handwriting of the guild books swimming behind her closed lids. She glanced at the dream journal she kept. If she had a dream, it was not one she remembered. For the first time in a while she did not begin her day by making notes. As she went through her morning routine the lack of dreams made her feel a little off balance. She laughed as she doled out Spin’s morning chow.

“Who knew I’d start to miss it?” She said as Spin gulped her breakfast down as if afraid it would disappear. “Don’t choke,” Elena cautioned her.

Elena decided that she would take a larger purse than her usual one today since she wanted to have the guild books on hand in case she needed to check details. They were slimmer volumes than many of the council books, for which she was grateful, but they still demanded a larger space than her wallet and keys usually called for. With the transfer complete, Elena buttoned up her coat, picked up the purse and headed out the door. Once Elena was on the street she took a deep breath and smiled. Winter still held sway but there was something in the air that said spring was not a lost cause.

‘Perhaps it is just the valentine’s decorations,’ Elena thought to herself as she walked. Valentine’s Day was three days away and everywhere she turned there were splashes of red and pink. ‘A definite change from the gray and white of winter,’ she thought. It was more than the paper hearts that brought to mind spring though. Here and there she could see the little dashes of green in the dark earth where the snow had been cleared, heralding the arrival of the early spring annuals.

“Hopefully a deep frost won’t take them out,” Elena said. This early in the year that was still a possibility. As she rounded the corner she saw a bundled form waiting in front of Nibbles. Elena slowed her pace at first, but sped up a little when she realized the person waiting was Jasmine Anderson. Elena wondered how long she had been standing there.

“Good morning,” she said brightly as she approached. She got a shy smile and a mumbled greeting in return. As Elena unlocked the door to Nibbles, Jasmine shifted her weight slightly from foot to foot and fiddled with the ends of the scarf she had draped around her neck. Elena realized she was nervous and smiled reassuringly as she opened the door.

“The manager’s should be in shortly,” Elena told her. In fact she had seen Roger’s car turn into the street as she swung the door open. She knew Susan wouldn’t be too far behind. The two women stepped inside and Elena shut the door behind her. She locked it as well but left the alarm disengaged. “We’ll leave Roger to open up shall we,” Elena said. “Watch your step.” In the semi darkness of the unopened shop Elena threaded her way around the displays and up the main staircase to the conference room. “Why don’t you get settled while I make some coffee?” Elena said. Jasmine reminded her of a skittish colt she had seen on a visit to a farm once and Elena tried to keep her tone calm and friendly, just as the horse trainer had told her to when holding an apple out to the young horse.

“Yes Ma’am,” was the quiet response. Apparently it was loud enough for Andre to hear because the footsteps she heard approaching the door stopped and then retreated.

‘I guess Andre will have to make his own coffee this morning,’ Elena thought with a smile. Jasmine moved nearly silently as Elena shucked off her own coat and set the coffeepot to brew. She motioned Jasmine to a seat and took a chair across the table from her so that they would be facing each other. She hoped the large conference table didn’t look too imposing.

Jasmine placed a large file folder on the table in front of her. Her fingers toyed with the edges, until she caught herself and clasped her hands together on top of the folder. Elena could see the knuckles of her hands bleed white with the force of the pressure. Her long black hair was pulled back in a tight bun. The hairstyle added to the illusion of a tightly wrapped individual. When Elena had asked Alexandro about Jasmine and the fact that Riko was her council head even though her last name was Anderson she had been informed that Jasmine’s mother came from Riko’s line while her father had been of the Anderson line. Jasmine was taller than Riko but still had the delicate features the council member boasted. Elena could see where the two lines blended.

“Well, I received your request for transfer,” Elena began, not quite sure how a conversation like this should start.

“Yes ma’am,” Jasmine said. She took a deep breath and then with her exhalation words streamed out as if she had kept them bottled too long. “I have a letter from my council head approving my application for transfer as well as all of my documents both pre and post grounding and all of the records I thought would apply but I can get anyotherrecordsyoumightneed.” The last came out in a blur as if Jasmine were running out of breath. She sucked in air and pushed the folder towards Elena in a jerky motion.

Elena smiled and took the folder. She opened it and flipped through the first few pages. Riko had been the one to sign the paper giving permission to apply for transfer. Elena was not surprised by that maneuver and wondered if she thought Jasmine would report back to her the workings of Elena’s daily life. She noticed the date coincided with the first trip through with the military and thought it interesting. Riko had not yet approached her or heard of Mateo’s transfer at the time.

“You have been grounded for six years?” Elena asked, reading through the file.

“Yes,” Jasmine said.

“By the Calling,” Elena asked softly. She received a tight nod in response. The stigma of the Calling was not one usually discussed. “The Calling grounded me five years ago.” Elena told her. Jasmine leaned in.

“But you can pilot again,” she said. Her eyes were bright with longing. Elena nodded.

“Yes, I can pilot again.”

“You can show me how?”

“Riko could…”

“No,” Jasmine cut her off. The force behind the word was more than Elena had heard from her and she blinked in surprise. “When I was grounded I was useless to her. She does not waste time on useless things.” There was a world of bitterness in the last word and Elena simply nodded instead of pressing too hard.

“You have been running transport duty since being grounded?” she asked instead.

“Yes,” Jasmine confirmed. She appeared to be pulling herself together. “Mostly between the Mei Ling and port.” Elena nodded. Transport duty was something of an embarrassment for a pilot. Often it was given as punishment. A pilot grounded or not, knew where the channels were. A transport ship had none of the equipment a channel rider possessed and was deliberately too heavy to pass into the channels so all a pilot could do would be to take goods from a channel rider into port. It shortened the amount of time a channel rider had to be earthside during the busy season but was a galling route for a pilot to run.

“I see,” Elena said. Avoiding things such as transport duty had been one of the reasons she had left the guild all together when the calling became too great. She had no doubt Therese would have made that insult and as many more as could be found sting. She imagined Riko would be even better at things of that nature than Therese would ever be. Elena scanned Jasmine’s pre-grounding record. It was quite impressive and she let out a low whistle.

“The Wastnal run for three years without loosing a ship,” Elena said. “Impressive.”

“It was a near thing a couple of times,” Jasmine said with a smile.

“I’ll bet.” Elena smiled and closed the report. “I have no problem with your transfer but there are some issues that might cause you to reconsider.” Jasmine opened her mouth but before she could speak Elena cut her off. “Please, hear what they are before accepting. Even if you don’t want to transfer we can arrange a temporary transfer so you can work on dealing with the Calling. I won’t send you back with out that even if you don’t want to stay,” Elena reassured her. Jasmine nodded slowly.

“All right, I’ll listen first.”

“Good.” Elena explained about the military and how they had come to know of the guild and that they were watching and building their own ships. She told Jasmine about Peter and Alexandro’s involvement in Nibbles and that Riko was pushing for an alliance. She did not explain what she and Mateo were doing. That could wait until the spoke of the Calling. As she finished, Elena realized both that the coffee had finished brewing and that Jasmine was rubbing her temple. Elena didn’t know if Jasmine was just processing the information of if she had a Calling related nightmare. “Would you like some coffee?” She asked Jasmine as she stood. “It’ll help with the headache.” Jasmine blinked.

“It will?”

“It helped me,” Elena said. That Jasmine did not know this surprised her as Riko and Siobhan had been the ones to tell her. She fixed two cups and handed one to Jasmine before sitting back down with her own cup.

“If you do decide to transfer here you will need to have some form of employment, even if it is just for show. I’d rather not have the military know other pilots were moving into the area.” Privately Elena wondered how long that pretense could be maintained. What was the critical mass for the guild in a confined area? Jasmine nodded slowly as she sipped.

“I think I can arrange something,” she said slowly. “Would I have to work with Riko?”

“If the alliance goes through I think we can arrange it so that you don’t work with her directly if that makes you feel better. I can’t promise you that you won’t run into her now and again.”

“As long as I don’t have to work directly for her again I will be fine.” Jasmine responded firmly. “If I have to see her I can do that. I just don’t want to work for her.”

“We should be able to manage that.” Elena told her.

“Good,” Jasmine said. “I can accept the military and the danger it represents. I would like to continue with the transfer if you are willing.” Elena smiled. Inwardly she wondered how bad things had gotten for Jasmine at home.

“All right then,” she said. Elena stood and walked over to the shelves against the wall. The shelves still looked empty now that the off world goods had been named, relabeled and the samples were no longer needed. Elena took a file folder and a leather bound notebook from a mostly empty shelf and walked back to her seat. She opened the folder and took out the top three pages. After a few seconds of digging around in her purse Elena also came up with a pen. The document was only one page long. She signed each page and then handed the three pages to Jasmine. Jasmine scanned the transfer acceptance letter and then signed her name to each of the pages on the appropriate line.

“One copy is for your files, one for mine and one for Riko’s. I can send it to her if you would prefer or you could hand it to her yourself. I believe she is still in town.” Elena was unsure if Jasmine would prefer to have Elena deal with Riko or if she would want the satisfaction of severing the ties in person. Jasmine handed two copies of the letter back to her. Elena tucked one in the front of Jasmine’s folder and left the other on top.

“I’d prefer you sent it to her.”

“Not a problem. She will have it by the end of the day.” Jasmine’s smile took ten years off of her face and Elena realized that she was actually older than Jasmine. “Now the first thing you have to know about the Calling is that it isn’t a disease to be cured but an evolution of ability.” Elena explained what she had learned and how she had worked on it. She passed the leather journal to Jasmine. She took the blank book as if it contained the holiest of scriptures.

“That is why Mateo is working with you,” Jasmine said after Elena stopped talking and she had a moment to think things through. Elena nodded. Jasmine was quick.

“Yes,” she said. I’m not about to go charging into a new channel without taking some safety precautions.” She paused a moment and took a sip of coffee. “This is why Riko wants to work with me. She doesn’t know the details but she suspects Mateo and I are working on something.”

“She is many things,” Jasmine said. “Stupid isn’t one of them. You are the first pilot to overcome the Calling and you immediately contact Mateo who is known for finding solutions to new problems. The fact that you can deal with the Calling means that other pilots who have been grounded will come to you. If they can be ‘fixed’ then you will end up with the largest alliance of pilots in your house. She would defiantly want an alliance.”

“And I thought it was to get back at Peter,” Elena said. She thought of the interviews she had lined up for the day. It made Jasmine’s assessment seem plausible.

“That would be a bonus,” Jasmine said. “There is certainly no love lost between them. But power and wealth are what would drive her.”

“I don’t suppose you know why they don’t like each other?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Oh well. Worth a shot to ask. I suppose I could ask Peter,” she said. Jasmine giggled then covered her mouth as though surprised by the sound.

“I can’t imagine Black Pete being very forthcoming with an answer.”

“Only if telling me would benefit him,” Elena said. “I haven’t mentioned the alliance Riko is seeking, even though I’m sure he already knows.” Elena sighed heavily and rubbed her temple. “Great now I’m playing politics.” The thought made her grumpy.

“Happens to the best of us,” Jasmine said. She had a few more questions for Elena, primarily regarding the neighborhood and the availability of apartments. Elena strongly suspected Jasmine would be moving straight from the hotel to a place of her own without bothering to return home. Elena shrugged off the thought as not her concern as she wished Jasmine goodbye and escorted her back down the stairs.

Jasmine was clutching the journal and the letter of transfer to her chest like a treasured infant. She had a smile on her face and her movements were no longer hesitant and nervous. As she saw Jasmine out Elena noticed her next appointment lingering among the cookware. She looked as nervous as Jasmine had been. Elena greeted her with a warm smile and led her back upstairs. She had the feeling it was going to be a long day.

Storm Chaser: Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Elena paced the living room. Her headache was back and her hand was wrapped tightly around her cell phone. Scenarios raced through her mind and ended up snarled in a giant mental traffic jam. Was Kiera being watched because of her? Did Jonathan suspect that she was a pilot and so bugged her apartment on the grounds that it might prove useful? Did they think that because Kiera kept her mail when she was out of town, just as Elena kept hers that they were good enough friends to share secrets? Elena thought about Kiera’s nervousness in the presence of Smith and Jonathan. Did Kiera have something to hide? Did Jonathan suspect her of something completely unrelated to Elena?

“Who knew?” she said to herself as she paced, “The world might not revolve around me after all.” Elena stopped as a though hit her. Was Kiera working with Jonathan? Elena turned the thought over. It was possible but she didn’t think so. None of her mail was opened, Kiera wasn’t suddenly asking questions. She had lived here for over a year before Elena moved into the building so she hadn’t followed her here. Elena looked down at the phone and thought about the bugs in her own apartment.

“Kiera’s place might not be bugged, but then again it might be. And Jonathan could just be a perv with a secret crush. I suppose everything doesn’t have to have diabolical motives.” Elena scrolled through her contacts list to find Kiera’s cell phone number. She pressed the call button. The phone rang twice before Kiera picked up.

“Hello.” Kiera answered, the sounds of traffic filtered in around her voice.

“Kiera, hi. It’s Elena,” she began, even though she knew caller id had already announced her.

“Hi, going out of town again so soon?”

“Well yes actually,” Elena said with a laugh. “I’m leaving this Friday. Are you at home right now?”

“Um, no I’m on my way there actually. Is something wrong?”

“Possibly, would you mind stopping by when you get in?”

“Sure, no problem.” Kiera answered.

“Great, I’ll see you then.” They said their good byes and hung up. Elena took off her coat, put her cell phone on the charger and changed into a faded pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. She wiggled her bare toes on the wooden floor boards and decided socks were in order. She tugged out a pair from the drawer and was walking back towards the living room when Kiera knocked. Elena let her in. Kiera unbuttoned her coat and looked at Elena with a slight frown of concern as she sat on the couch to pull her socks on.

“So what was the matter,” Kiera asked taking a seat next to Elena on the couch. “You had a concerned tone.”

“Yeah,” Elena said. “Do you remember the two military men who keep popping by?”

“They are hard to forget.”

“The younger one, do you know him?”

“I only met him when he was asking questions, why?” Kiera’s frown deepened.

“I was hoping you did,” Elena said. She took a deep breathe and took the verbal plunge. “When I came home a little while ago I used the back stairs instead of the main stairwell.”

“Because it is closer to the garage.”

“Yeah. Well Jonathan was in the hallway and he didn’t see me because he was looking only at the main stairs.”

“The back stairs are easy to overlook if you don’t know they are there or don’t use them a lot.” Kiera said nervously. “But they are visible from your doorway.”

“But not really from yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yeah, he was going into your apartment. He was in there about ten minutes or so.” Elena looked at Kiera’s face and caught a brief flash of something that looked a bit like panic skitter across her face. It was gone almost before Elena could identify it.

“Why would he go into my place?”

“I don’t know,” Elena said shaking her head. “I know they are trying to find out more information about me. Maybe they thought you knew something that could help them.” Elena braced herself for questions about the smuggling information she had supposedly been working on with Smith. The questions didn’t come. She could tell Kiera was thinking a lot but had a feeling she was not likely to hear those thoughts. Elena mentally shrugged. It wasn’t as if she weren’t keeping secrets as well.

“Then wouldn’t they just ask me more questions instead of going into my place?”

“That would be the polite thing to do.” Elena paused. “I found several electronic bugs in my place.” Kiera looked startled but Elena pressed on. “A friend gave me one of those detection wands. I’d be happy to help you go over you place to see if any were put in.”

“Bugs?” Kiera said softly. “Like they didn’t think I would tell them the truth about you?”

“More than likely,” Elena said. Kiera looked relieved and Elena wondered what her neighbor was hiding.

“You could help get rid of them?”

“Sure. It’s the least I could do since they invaded your home because of me.” Elena still felt guilty about that. Even if the military was watching Kiera for other reasons, she was still the reason they had been in the building. Elena got the bug detector and the two women went to Kiera’s apartment to begin their search. Spin followed them over and watched amusedly as Elena began waving the magic wand of detection over things. Kiera absently stroked the kitten while she watched. Elena felt a bit silly with an audience but continued anyway. Kiera’s apartment had a lot more life in it than Elena’s and she found herself somewhat envious.

After 5 years Elena had picked up a few knickknacks here and there but the entire apartment was mostly utilitarian. Kiera’s apartment contained much more life. Plants were arranged on windowsills and in stands where light would hit. Kiera had one of the apartments with a balcony, which Elena didn’t have and she envied the small container garden Kiera had created. Tomatoes hung down from an upside-down plant stand, herb sprouted from various brightly colored pots. In the center of it was a small table with two chairs. In consideration for the outside temperatures Kiera had a movable glass enclosure that turned the balcony into a small greenhouse.

Elena had to admit she would never have been able to keep all of the plants alive. Even without piloting she was gone more often than not. Spin mewled, calling Elena’s attention to the giant fish tank against the wall. Small silvery fish darted around while larger ones swam leisurely, looking like gemstones in the overhead lights.

“Those are not for you,” she warned the cat. Spin paid no attention to her and continued watching the fish. Kiera laughed.

“The lid is on tight, she can’t get in,” Kiera told her. Elena continued her search. In the end she had three of the same metal roundels she had found in her apartment. Both women stared at the bugs.

“Well then,” Kiera said. She walked to the kitchen and took out a zip lock back from one of the drawers. She took the three bugs from Elena and slipped them inside. To Elena’s amusement she then added a scoopful of blue gravel from a bag she kept in a cabinet under the fish tank. Kiera squeezed all the air out of the bag, zipped it closed and opened the top corner of the fish tank. She dropped the bag into the corner of the tank and watched it slowly drift towards the bottom. The little bit of air still trapped in the bag kept it floating slightly above the bottom. The little silver fish darted away from it like flashes of light and slowly one or two approached it, darting around to investigate this new addition to their undersea world.

“I wouldn’t want the metal to leak into the water which is why I didn’t just drop them in alone,” Kiera explained. “Do you think that will do?”

“Yeah, I don’t think they will be able to hear much.”

“Good,” Kiera nodded. “Thanks.”

“No problem. And if you ever want to do another sweep.” Elena waved the wand in the air.

“Oh trust me, I will be calling. After all it’s the bugs you don’t find that you have to worry about.”

“True,” Elena answered, thinking she might want to make a routine of sweeping her apartment and businesses for bugs. She inwardly sighed. ‘Yet another thing to add to the to do list,’ she thought. She and Spin left Kiera’s apartment and returned to their own. After the warmth and vibrancy of Kiera’s it felt a little cold. Elena shrugged off the sensation.

“After all,” she told Spin while she took leftovers from the fridge and began to heat up dinner, “Even with all the time in the world I couldn’t keep one of those plants alive. I have the anti-green thumb.” Spin meowed and watched the plate containing the chicken make its way from the counter to the microwave. “I wonder if that is a super hero power?” Elena mused.

She had visions of herself in a mask and cape with an outfit containing an ex-ed out green thumb as a logo. The outfit looked more like a child’s pair of footed pajamas than a cool spandex affair the comic books would have given her. She shrugged.

“Oh well,” she said. “Seems more like a super villain thing than a hero. And that is too much work.” She set her plate on the table, pulled out the two books Alexandro had given her and began to wind her way through the ins and outs of guild politics while she ate.

Storm Chaser Chapter 28

Chapter 28
28.
Elena could feel the beginnings of a headache forming behind her eyes. After brunch she had tallied the receipts and been pleased with the results. She had also created a list of items that appeared to be selling well. She would check with Roger as the week progressed to make sure they were picking up the right items for sale.

Grandfather had chosen the hotel restaurant for the late family lunch. Personally, Elena thought that was cheating on his no business rule but he had looked so pleased she couldn’t get too angry. The three of them had no sooner taken a seat than people would drift by with quick congratulations. Several of the grounded pilots had been there as well and she had made sure to smile at each of them. They did not approach the table but seemed relieved. Alexandro’s dislike of Sunday business was well known.

“Feel like the prize pony after winning the derby yet?” Mateo asked. He was slumped in the passenger’s seat with a slight smile on his face.

“A bit like,” Elena admitted. Mateo laughed.

“Grandfather did look fit to burst.” He said, then shrugged. “At least Therese will be ticked off.”

“There is that. Of course Grandfather couldn’t ask how the books looked after the opening even though he knows I had to take a look.”

“Because you aren’t as firm about no Sunday work as he is.”

“True.”

“You know he is going to call first thing Monday.”

“I know. But unfortunately for him I will be in meetings most of Monday,” Elena thought about it for a second and then added. “And I have plans Monday night so Tuesday will have to do. Unless he catches Roger.”

“And Roger will tell him to talk to you. That is very cruel.”

“I know,” Elena grinned, her headache starting to fade a little.

“So what’s up Monday night? Andre finally work up to asking you out?”

“I seems so,” she answered navigating her way through the four way stop. “Why can people never get this right,” she muttered. “You’d think the stop signs would be a clue.”

“So where are you going?” Mateo asked he batted his eyes at her in a teasing way.

“You are lucking I’m driving so I can’t throw anything at you. We are going bowling.”

“Bowling,” he repeated.

“Yes Bowling.”

“Nice,” Mateo said after a few seconds of thought. “Neutral location, if small talk fails you can talk about how bad you are at bowling and if all else fails you have a heavy object to hurl.”

“Uh huh,” Elena said, turning onto Ralston Dr. “It might also be nice to have something to hurl after my Monday meetings.”

“Anticipating trouble?”

“Not really,” she said. “Just some possible drama. I am really ready to get back sky side.” Beside her Mateo sucked in air sharply between his teeth. Elena laughed. “Relax. I swept the car for bugs and removed the two I found. Currently they are sitting in a potted plant down on Grand Street.”

“A nice addition to the streetscape.”

“I thought so.”

“Are you sure you got all of them?”

“Nope,” Elena said but I am about 85% sure. Peter left me a present for the grand opening last night.” Elena told him about the detector and what she had found. “I’m a little wierded out that Peter can get into my place so easily but I am inclined to be a little forgiving now that there are no bugs in my shower.”

“If it helps any it was probably Thomas who broke in.”

“It doesn’t but thanks.” Elena thought briefly of her parents.

“Is that what is wrong?” Mateo asked.

“It shows?”

“Not well, but there were flashes of things.”

“At brunch Lisa mentioned my parents. It started me thinking a bit that’s all.”

“Anything you want to mention?” Mateo asked as they pulled up in front of the sandwich shop.

“Not in 30 seconds or less. Mostly stuff I need to think about for the moment.”

“We should have plenty of time sky side.”

“When do you think it will be ready?”

“I can get it installed Wednesday and Thursday so we can be ready to sail with the tide come Friday morning if you are ready.” Mateo smiled at Elena’s smile of relief. “You can take the pilot off the ship.”

“True,” she said. “I am so ready to go.” She did some quick math in her head. “Things should be somewhat settled by then. I’m going to be talking to Benjamin Valentine about the possibility of coming. He asked for a ride and if things check out, I’m going to let him join. Any objections?”

“Not really, I don’t know him well. You think it’s wise?”

“Probably not but you will be operating machinery only you know how to deal with and I’m keeping the ship safe. It might be a good idea to have a third person who can pitch in if there is a problem. Besides if things go well all he will be able to see is that we took some readings and slowed down a bit in a safe section of space. He wouldn’t be able to see the channel unless we went through it.”

“Sounds like a good idea. If he can be trusted.”

“That would be why I’ve got the questions.”

“Well I will leave you to your questions.” Mateo said reaching for the handle. “I need to go get ready for my evening’s entertainment.”

“Oh, anyone I know this time?”

“Isa.”

“Therese’s friend Isa?” Elena asked with a grin. Mateo shrugged.

“That would be the one. She’s in town for the opening and staying at the hotel. She wanted to come here but I think that is mostly to see what I was working on with you.”

“I’d watch out for her. She is mean and fights dirty.”

“True, but she is also pretty hot. And she isn’t exactly the kind anyone would keep for more than an evening.” Mateo grinned. “Besides, she’ll mostly be trying to weasel info so she’ll be playing nice.”

“She does love trying to play mind games,” Elena said. Personally Isa always gave her a headache.

“True, but since she isn’t smart enough to be good at them, it really doesn’t matter.” Mateo opened the door and stepped out. He leaned down. “Besides, it will really tick Therese off.” He winked and closed the car door. Elena watched him cross in front of the car and into his building. She shook her head and smiled as she pulled away from the curb. She had forgotten how much amusement Mateo got from tweaking Therese’s tail.

“I suppose everyone needs a hobby,” she muttered with amusement. She drove the short way to her apartment, parked in the garage and used the back entrance into her building. As a consequence she used the back staircase and to her surprise caught Jonathan on the landing. He was watching the main staircase and didn’t hear her. She ducked low hoping to avoid him, even if it did make her feel like a coward. She had to get through the rest of the information in the two books her grandfather had given her before her morning meeting and had no time to play with the military.

To her surprise he popped the lock on Kiera’s apartment and let himself in. Elena watched him sneak in and waited a few seconds. She wasn’t sure if he was watching through the peephole or doing something in her neighbor’s place. Feeling both sneaky and silly, Elena dropped back down to the floor below hers and crossed it to reach the main stair case. She quietly made her way up and let herself into her own apartment.

She closed the door quietly behind her and leaned against it, peering through the judas hole and into the hallway. From her position she had a clear view of Kiera’s doorway. Elena was fairly sure Jonathan had not slipped back out of the apartment and waited on tiptoes. Her calves were beginning to cramp from her position and she was wondering if she had missed Jonathan’s exit. Silently Kiera’s door opened a sliver. There was a pause and Elena held her breath. Quickly the door opened, Jonathan stepped into the hall, shutting the door behind him and stepping away. He looked towards Elena’s door and stepped towards it. She backed away quickly, avoiding all the squeaky spots. She was standing in the kitchen when Jonathan’s knock sounded. She debated answering. On one hand she didn’t want to talk to him. On the other, he might break in while she was here.

“Hold on,” she called. She walked towards the door, making certain to step on every squeaky board. She leaned heavily on the door, making it rock slightly in its frame. Elena stepped away and opened the door.

“Why is it that no one else ever stops by, just you and Smith?” she asked. “Did you send out a memo?”

“Nope, no memo, just lucky I guess.” He looked her up and down quickly, taking in her coat and purse still slung over her shoulder. “Are you just getting in?”

“Yes and I have a lot of work to do so I don’t really have time to play the why won’t you work for us game. I do have a present for you though.”

“Oh?” Jonathan looked skeptical.

“Hold on a moment.” Elena walked to her guest room and removed the strip of tape from her speaker. There was a slight residue but not as much as she feared. She walked back into the living room and handed the strip to Jonathan who waited on the door step.

“I was especially un-amused by the one in my bathroom. Now if you will excuse me I have some work to do.”

“Okay,” Jonathan said. “I don’t suppose it would help if I said none of this was my idea.” His half smile was a bit rueful and again she got the impression that he just might be a nice guy if he weren’t forced into this particular role. She sighed heavily.

“Not really. But I understand the following orders bit.” He nodded and turned away. She heard his heavy tread on the stairs as she shut the door. Elena leaned on the door and spent a long few moments in thought, wondering what she was going to do with this new turn of events.

Storm Chaser: Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Elena laughed as Tina recounted her latest battle royal with the man they all only knew as Him. Since Tina had taken the job at Groban Inc, Him stories had cropped up frequently and with much good humor. She was far too much the professional to ever give his actual name but couldn’t resist story time over brunch.

“You are so making that up,” Lisa said with a grin.

“Hand to God,” Tina said. Lisa shook her head.

“I certainly hope he had a change of clothes stashed somewhere.” All three shared a laugh. Elena found the light conversation more refreshing and celebratory than last night’s champagne had been. It was nice for a while to not worry over interstellar politics.

“So is it odd working with your grandfather?” Lisa asked. Elena saw Lisa’s inner lawyer swim up for a peek.

“Actually he stays mostly out of the way. He and Peter are mostly silent partners. They come in look over the ad campaigns, nod and smile, then leave again.”

“That would be Peter Baranov?” Lisa asked. This time Tina shook her head.

“I was wondering how long that would take,” Tina said. Lisa frowned and Elena smiled.

“I didn’t actually thing she’d wait this long,” Elena said. “I figured it would come with the coffee not the check.” Elena indicated the mostly empty and ready to be cleared plates. As if on cue the waitress returned to collect their plates. When she was gone Lisa looked pointedly at Elena.

“Yes that would be Peter Baranov.” Elena answered.

“There are rumors about him.” Lisa said. Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise. She figured all of the stories about Peter were guild based and not likely to surface Earth side.

“Really?” Elena said. Lisa smiled.

“You aren’t surprised there are rumors just surprised I’ve heard them.”

“True,” Elena confessed. She had forgotten how sharp Lisa could be.

“Do you want to know what the rumors are?” Lisa asked.

“You know that is a rhetorical question,” Tina said, stirring her coffee. “She had been dying to discuss this with you since she found out.”

“The rumors are,” Lisa continued unfazed, “that while no one really knows that much about him, which is strange in this day and age where you can find out nearly anything about anyone, and that he is somehow involved in the Russian Mafia.” Lisa leaned back in her chair as if awaiting Elena’s rebuttal. Elena shook her head and smiled.

“He does imports and exports and is originally from Moscow and attended Oxford. He still does work in Russia and I have a feeling that the rumors of mafia connections serve him well. My grandfather has known him for years. I saw him often while I was growing up. I think he likes an air of mystery.” Elena couldn’t add that he wasn’t dangerous because it would not only be an outright lie but one that would be blatantly obvious. Anyone spending more than five minutes with Peter knew he was dangerous.

“So you don’t think he is involved with the Russian Mafia?” Lisa asked. Elena sighed.

“I have a feeling that he has some association with them considering the nature of imports and exports but I doubt it amounts to much more than paying extra fees.” Elena said. In this she was fairly confident. Getting involved with highly illegal activities brought the notice of the police. Avoid notice was ingrained on all of them. Peter was council as well as guild raised and would stick to that.

“See, I told you it was something like that,” Tina said.

“It makes sense,” Lisa replied slowly. “But I don’t like the sketchy information about him.”

“Not everyone has all their old files digitized,” Elena said with a smile.

“It would make life easier,” Lisa commented.

“Uh huh,” Elena said. She and Tina shared a smile. Lisa’s need for the entire world’s information at her fingertips was something they both found amusing. She wasn’t happy that the world wide web had gaps.

“You know your information is pretty sparse too,” Lisa said grumpily.

“You looked me up?” Elena asked, not really surprised.

“She looks everyone up,” Tina said.

“True. I’m not surprise it is sparse. I kind of grew up bouncing around.”

“After your parent’s died,” Lisa said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she looked as though she wanted to suck the words back down her throat. “Oh Elena I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

“Its all right,” Elena told her. “It was a long time ago. A boating accident.” Elena thought of that night. Her grandfather’s face solemn as he took her hand and told her she was going to be staying with him for a while. It had been several days before the truth of the matter had actually sunk in. Not for the first time she wondered if it had been an accident. Talk moved on to lighter subjects and Elena pushed the thought away. She left the other two with hugs, smiles and promises to let them know how her date with Andre went. As she walked back to the store, flashes of memory jolted her from within. Little details she had been too scared to look at faces that hadn’t meant anything compared to the news. Peter had been there that night as had Riko. They were background noise. Static that meant nothing to her then.

“But they shouldn’t have been there at all,” Elena muttered to herself. Elena let herself into the back of Nibbles. She once again climbed the steps and set out to record the receipts from the night before. As she worked thoughts began to turn in her head.