Saving Gracie (4 page)

The door of the chamber slid shut and, as predicted, the walls of the chamber seemed to close in around her like a trash compactor. Kathryn felt beads of sweat form on her brow. Just stay cool, she thought. Nano seconds before she reached full-throttle panic, a high frequency hum resonated through the chamber, followed by vibrant rays of neon lights ricocheting off the walls. The bottom button on the control panel glowed red. The next one up, orange, then yellow and the last button to light beamed neon green. The top three buttons remained unlit.             

The humming psychedelic light show stopped and the door of the small enclosure opened. Kathryn lifted the blue-tinted glasses from the bridge of her nose and peeked out. “I got four out of seven. Is that good?”

Maggie seemed to avoid direct eye contact. “I’m sure it’ll all work out, dear. C’mon, luv. We’ve a schedule to keep.”

CHAPTER 6

QUINLAN AND MAGGIE

Maggie led Kathryn to a third building down the street, similar in structure but much larger than the Intake and VSD-EC buildings. Ruth met them in the lobby.

Maggie turned to Kathryn. “Hungry, luv?”

“Starved,” Kathryn said.

“There you go,” Maggie pointed to an adjacent area stemming from the main lobby, filled with comfortable over-stuffed furniture and an elegant buffet line.

Kathryn made a beeline for the food.

~~~

“How’d she do?” Ruth asked.

Maggie glanced into the eating area and, seeing Kathryn pile fruit onto a plate, felt sure their conversation would not be overheard. “I’d say she’s hanging on a bit to her Earth life.”

“I was afraid of that.” Ruth shook her head. “She has a long history of over-reacting when it comes to her daughter, Grace.”

“And why is that, luv?” Maggie asked.

“Ever hear of a helicopter mom?” Ruby asked.

Maggie shook her head.

Ruth made a swirling whistle sound, her index finger circling in the air. “Named after my sister,” she said. “Helicopter moms hover. They try to control
everything
.” A pause. “Kathryn never allowed Grace to do anything for herself. Of course, in her eyes she wanted to be the perfect mother. It’s like she embraced motherhood with clenched fists.” Ruth shuddered at the thought.

“Sounds like she went a bit overboard,” Maggie said, her concern for Kathryn bumped up a notch…or three.

“Ya think?” Ruth said.

They joined Kathryn, whose plate was filled with plumb strawberries, perfectly ripe mangos, avocados and fresh pineapple. A second plate of assorted cheese and crackers hovered nearby.

“I’ll leave you to your meal.” Maggie placed a hand on Kathryn’s shoulder, “Your sister will show you to your next appointment.”

Maggie left the building and returned to her office, plopping down in her chair. “She’s a bloody mess, that one is.” She powered on her electronic notebook and began on what she was sure would be a lengthy report on the new arrival.

~~~

Kathryn, enthralled by the luscious fruit, hardly noticed Maggie’s absence. She looked around and found Ruth staring at her. “What?” she asked.

“So, what do you think so far?” Ruth asked. “Still don’t believe in this nonsense?”

Kathryn paused before answering, her mouth stuffed. “Well, I certainly didn’t think it’d be anything like this.”

“Like what?” Ruth asked.

“I can’t decide if I’m in
The Twilight Zone
or a fairy tale,” Kathryn replied. “Although I did like the water slide.”

“What do you think about Maggie?”

“Love the accent.” Kathryn plucked another strawberry from her plate. “But during the nap thing I had an
awful
dream.”

“You had a dream?”

“Awful. Gracie completely screwed up my King Ranch Chicken.”

Ruth’s eyebrows rose. “This happened
in
the peach room?”

“I call it the Dreamsicle room,” Kathryn said. “But yeah. Anyway, Gracie—”

“Wait a minute,” Ruth said, “back up. You dreamed about Gracie
during
the procedure?”

“I just told you that.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” Ruth took Kathryn’s arm. “We’ve got to get going.”

Kathryn watched Ruth check her in at the reception desk and receive a key. Once inside the elevator Ruth inserted the key and pushed the top button.

“Look, taking instructions from other people is not your strong suit,” Ruth said. “But you’ve got to pay attention to what you’re being asked to do.”

“Why, is there going to be a test?” Kathryn snickered.

“Listen to me!” Ruth gave Kathryn the big-sister stare.

“Oh no,” Kathryn feigned fright. “Not
the look
.”

“Be serious a minute. It’s wonderful here. You’ll love it. But you’ve got to listen to someone else for a change. You think you have answers to everything and that may have been so back there. But you’re here now.”

The elevator stopped. The doors opened and Kathryn was pushed out of the elevator.

“So be good,” Ruth said.

Kathryn watched the doors close. She turned and came face to face with a young woman with ash-blonde hair, high cheekbones and clear blue eyes. “This way, please.” She led Kathryn through three sets of doors, each of which had to be securely closed before opening the next. After locking the last set of doors, the woman extended her arm in a
Price is Right
gesture, motioning toward a set of towering white enameled double doors.

Kathryn fought back a tacky remark, remembering Ruth’s recent advice, and settled for a smile and a polite nod. She placed a hand on the doorknob, feeling the coolness of the simple glass hardware beneath her fingers. A twinge of apprehension fluttered in her stomach. Opening the door, she stepped into an expansive room, furnishings, walls and carpet all gleaming white. Iridescent white lights beamed down from the ceiling, illuminating the large space.

“Please come in.” A polished, elegant voice sounded from a polished, elegant woman, also dressed in white, behind a massive polished alabaster desk. She had a stunning natural beauty and wore no jewelry, with only a modest amount of makeup powdering her glowing complexion. Her pitch-dark hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck, a stark contrast to her attire and the rest of the room’s furnishings

Kathryn fought the urge to curtsey to Her Royal Whiteness.

“My name is Mary. Please have a seat,” she said in a soft voice.

“Thank you.” Kathryn slipped into a chair directly in front of the large white desk. “I’m Kathryn.”

“Yes.” The beautiful woman brushed an elegant finger on an electronic touchpad inserted seamlessly into the top of her desk.

“Let’s see.” Mary moved screens across the pad. “I see you completed the Q & A with Albert, and…” her voice trailed off. “You’ve met with Maggie, correct”

“Correct.” Kathryn swallowed hard when Mary raised her eyes.

“Veils of Self-Deception,” Mary started. “How did that go?”

“Fine,” Kathryn lied.

Mary dropped her eyes to the touch screen. “And the Energy Centers procedure? Completed?”

“The colored elevator button thing?”

Mary studied Kathryn. “Yes, the colored elevator…thing.”

“I got four out of seven,” Kathryn announced, her chest puffed outward.
Not bad
.

“Four out of seven.” Mary made a notation on the touch screen.

Kathryn held her breath.
Wrong answer?

Mary cleared her throat. “You seem nervous.”

“No, not at all,” Kathryn said. “Well…yes.

“I understand,” Mary said, “Why don’t you close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

Kathryn did as she was instructed, sucked in a quick gulp of air and blew out, squeezing her eyes tighter.

“My dear, that was
not
a deep breath.” Mary’s voice flowed like Musak. “Try again. Allow your body and mind to open.”

Kathryn prickled at the order, but remembered Ruth’s warning about listening. She closed her eyes and inhaled, shaking her hands out of their balled fists.

“Keep going,” Mary instructed. “Three, four, five, six. Now exhale slowly.”

“Whoa,” Kathryn felt the room spin, causing her eyes to fly open.

“Strange sensation, I know,” Mary said, “Once more.”

Following Mary’s instructions, Kathryn gripped the arms of her chair for balance.

“Very well. You may open your eyes.” The woman wrote additional notes on the touchpad. “This completes your initial screening.”

Kathryn released an audible sigh. “Did I pass?”

“Let’s just say you didn’t fail.” Mary ran a slender finger down the electronic pad. “Now, let’s see,” she said. “About your name.”

“My name? It’s Kathryn.”

“Well. Yes, dear.” Mary raised her eyes. “That was your Earth name. Your Celestial name is,” she paused, “Quinlan. Quite lovely, I should think.”

“Quinlan?”

“According to the records, yes.” Mary reached across the desk and pushed a button on a white monitor.

“Ruby, would you come in, please?”             

Through a side door a woman entered wearing a black button-down shirt, black cargo pants, red Keds and a blue vest with the word “Peace” hand-written on the front pocket. Blue tinted sunglasses held her limp shoulder-length hair away from her face. She had a rock-solid stocky build and posed a strong contrast to Mary’s all-whiteness.

“Ruby, this is Quinlan. She recently joined us and will be your new assignment.” Mary paused. “Quinlan, this is Ruby.”

Quinlan placed her hand in the chubby extended one and winced at Ruby’s vice-like grip.

“Pleased to meet you,” Ruby smacked on a large wad of gum, emitting strong whiffs of Juicy Fruit. She had none of the grace and elegance of Mary, yet her eyes beamed warm and friendly. “Do you bowl?”

“Bowl? Uh no, I don’t.” Quinlan answered, puzzled by the question.

Ruby shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll fix that in no time.” Ruby glanced at Mary. “Anything else, Boss?”

“Ruby, please, do
not
call me Boss.” Mary selected a button on the electronic screen, bringing a printer behind her to life. She inserted the printed pages into a folder. “Here is Quinlan’s file. I trust you can take it from here?”

“Sure, no sweat.” Ruby thumbed through the pages while she smacked.

“Hey, this says you’re a south-paw. You sure you don’t bowl?” Ruby asked. “We could really use a lefty.”

Quinlan shook her head.

“And let’s see. You’ll be living with your sister on Moon Shell Drive. Nice place.” Ruby slammed the folder shut and tucked it under her arm. “No need to worry about this one. She’s in good hands.” Ruby turned to Mary and raised her hand in a salute.

“I will forget about that chewing substance in your mouth if you promise to stop saluting me,” Mary said.

Ruby lowered her hand. “Sorry, Boss. Just habit.”

Mary’s eyes narrowed.

“I mean, sorry ma’am.” Ruby pulled Quinlan to her feet. “We’d better go.”

“It’s been a pleasure to meet you. I…hope to see you again sometime,” Quinlan stammered, squelching her desire to curtsey again.

“I’m sure you will, my dear,” she heard Mary reply.

CHAPTER 7

QUINLAN

Outside the building, Ruby slid the blue-tinted glasses over her nose.

“Okay, here’s the deal.” She pawed through one of many cargo pockets on her pants, surfacing moments later with a cell phone. “This is yours. I’m *5 on speed dial.” Smack. “You got questions? You call me. Got it?” Ruby slapped the cell phone into Quinlan’s hand. “*8 is your orientation schedule,” she said. “Moon Shell Drive is up ahead. Let’s walk.” Smack.

Quinlan slipped the cellular device in her pocket and surveyed her surroundings. “Everything is so clean…so fresh looking.”

“Thank you, ma’am. We do our best.” Ruby puffed out her chest, as if she were single-handedly responsible for it all. “By the way, you know anything about the White Sox?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The White Sox. You know, baseball? Chicago? Nellie Fox?”

“No, sorry. Not really a baseball fan,” Quinlan shrugged.

Ruby winced. “What planet did you say you’re from?”

Quinlan glanced at the plus-sized woman with the blue-tinted sunglasses. “Earth?”

“Are you
sure
?” Ruby kept walking. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but the White Sox and baseball are only like…God’s gift to the universe. Exactly
where
on Earth are you from?”

“Houston.”

“Yuk. Too far south for me. The Astros aren’t a bad team though. Nellie played there before he retired.” Ruby blew a bubble. Smack. Then shrugged. “That’s okay, doesn’t matter, I guess.”

Doesn’t matter, she guesses? Quinlan realized she’d seriously started out on the wrong foot with Ruby. First, bowling, now the White Sox and baseball…great.

Anxious for a do-over, Quinlan asked, “Do you like it here?”

Ruby shot her a sideways glance. “Of course. What’s not to like?”

Quinlan corrected herself. “I guess what I mean is…um, do you like your job?”

“Oh, this?” Ruby thumped the folder. “Temporary. I put my time in here and then I can apply for a stewardship. After that? The Advisory Council. Yep, got it all figured out,” Ruby beamed. “This way.” Ruby motioned to the right when they reached Moon Shell Drive.

“Did it take long to adjust to your name when you got here?” Quinlan asked.

Ruby thought a moment. “Well, it’s not like it’s a new name. The Celestial records have been around since…well…forever.” Ruby pushed straggly hair out of her eyes. “You know what’s weird though?” continuing before Quinlan could comment, “and by the way, I’m from Earth too. When we’re there, you know…there, we think we’re so….” she rolled her hand around in a circular motion searching for the right word. “Important.” Smack. Bubble. Pop. “Yeah, important.”

Quinlan raised an eyebrow and waited for Ruby to continue.

“We think we know it all, ya know.” Ruby chuckled. “Like we’re the only ones in the universe.”

“We’re not?” Quinlan’s shock factor shot up a few notches.

Ruby looked at Quinlan like she’d sprouted a third eye between her brows. “Oh, pu-lease. All the stars on a dark night? The Milky Way? Of course we’re not….” Ruby shot a look at Quinlan and then touched her arm. “Wait…you’re serious?”

“Um….”

“Well, that’s a topic for another day. My point is it’s not till we get here that we get to see the bigger picture.” Ruby swept her arms in a wide arc.

Quinlan nodded in agreement, not that she had a clue what Ruby meant. But it seemed like the right thing to do.

“And…here we are.” Ruby halted. “Home, sweet home.”

Quinlan saw Ruth in a swing on the front porch of a quaint cottage. A picturesque white picket fence framed the property. Quinlan raised a hand in greeting and turned back to Ruby. “So, did it take long? You know, about your name?”

“This last time? Nah, not really.” Ruby winked, turning to head back down the street.

This last time? “So what was your Earth name?” Quinlan yelled at Ruby’s retreating form.

“Fred,” the hefty woman called back without turning. “Later dude,” she shouted over her shoulder.

“Fred,” Quinlan repeated and tilted her head. “Hmm,” she muttered, not completely dismissing the notion Ruby could be pulling a fast one on her. Reaching the front porch, Quinlan asked, “and what’s your name?”

Her sister smiled. “Meghan.”

Quinlan extended her hand. “I’m Quinlan.”

“I know.” 

~~~

Quinlan spent the next week in orientation classes. New subjects challenged her obsessive-compulsive need to proclaim total mastery. But, she couldn’t concentrate. After the excitement of her arrival wore off, worries of Gracie nagged her daily.

“There’s no telling what kind of mess she’s gotten into by now.” Quinlan proclaimed to no one in particular, ignoring how hypocritical she felt after years of blasting Gracie for talking to herself. “Who’s going to help that child?” She hated leaving Gracie. At the time she hadn’t seen any choice. Now she felt the miserable weight of abandoning her daughter.
This is wrong. I shouldn’t be here. I need to get back. But how?

It didn’t help that the classes held absolutely zero interest for her. Bored beyond belief, Quinlan filed her nails during the “Veils of Self-Deception,” napped through “The Bigger Picture,” and counted ceiling tiles during “Energy Centers.”

On the last day of orientation, Quinlan breathed a sigh of relief. She exited the classroom and stuffed the future curriculum brochure into her book bag. Then, realizing Meghan wouldn’t be home for an hour, Quinlan headed for the library. She plopped into a comfortable, unoccupied chair toward the back. A row of tables with computers lined a nearby wall.

She yawned. She hadn’t been sleeping well, self-diagnosing the cause as her obsessive worrying about Gracie…well, that or too much sleeping in class. Thank goodness orientation is over
,
she thought, pulling the brochure out of her book bag.

Quinlan read the introductory section and shook her head. “Great. More boring classes.” She had to choose two majors and two minors, or one major and three minors.

She scanned the list on the first page of major topics. “Two majors. Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”

“Growth Opportunities” [
why?
]

“Self-Deception vs. Self-Awareness” [
I don’t think so
]

“Emotional Attachments” [
don’t see the point
]

“Religion vs. Spirituality” [
not interested
]

“Free Will” [
boring
]

“Control and Other Issues” [
what’s that?
]

“Objectivity vs. Subjectivity” [
can we get on with it?
]

“Relationships, Forgiveness, Kindness, Love” [
know all about that
]

“Innate vs. Learned Knowledge” [
where do they come up with this stuff?
]

“Where Do We Go From Here?” [
whatever…
]

Quinlan sighed. Nothing grabbed her attention. She flipped to the list of minors.

“Herbs and Gardening” [
hmm…maybe
]

“Painting: The Colors of the Spectrum” [
always wanted to learn how to paint
]

“The Five Senses, What They Tell Us” [
wow, there’s five?
]

“Communication Skills” [
I talk, others listen
]

“Listening Skills” [
don’t understand topic
]

“Bowling” [
bowling shirts, not my style
]

“Cooking” [
been there, got a cookbook
]

“Book of the Month Club” [
another possibility
]

“Well, this is more like it.” Quinlan pulled out a pencil marking “Herbs & Gardening,” “Painting,” and “Book of the Month Club.”

“Done,” feeling satisfied with her choices. She flipped back to the list of majors, running her finger down the list, stopping at the only possibility.

“Where Do We Go From Here?” Quinlan read the title aloud, tapping her pencil on the brochure. “I wonder….”