Sweet Reckoning

Marna pulled me down into her lap on the bed and shook her head at me. What was that about? Why were her eyes so sad? She was a beautiful person. I wanted to tell her so. I opened my mouth to speak, but she quickly pinched my lips with two fingers.

The serious look in her eyes scratched at my brain, trying to unearth something I needed to remember. Something was coming soon. Something big. A meeting. Those men weren’t very nice, and I was going to show them who was boss. Not me; I mean, of course I was not the boss, but the big guy was. The Big Guy. He could see me now, see what I’d done. I was a failure. I couldn’t control my emotions as the shame overcame me, so I buried my face in Marna’s shoulder. She rubbed my back. I could almost hear Patti’s voice telling me not to cry. Hush, baby, you’re all right.

When I finished my quiet bout of tears, we lay back on the bed and I felt lost in a fluffy sea of down. It was soft and I was warm all over and I wanted everyone to feel this cozy. I saw now that the music was blaring from the television. As I watched the images without really seeing them, I zoned out. My mind went blank. And blank, much like calm, was good. I lay there warm and numb and thoughtless for who knew how long. Then everything was black.

Sometime later I pushed my heavy eyes open, and the room started to spin. I sat up halfway and groaned. Wow, it was really spinning, round and round like a carnival ride. Ugh. I didn’t feel so good. I covered my mouth.

“I think I’m going to take a shower,” Ginger said, looking pointedly at me.

“Hells yeah!” Blake said. “Shower time.”

Ginger pulled me up and put a finger sternly to my lips. Marna went to my other side to help me walk.

It was quieter in the bathroom with no music, then one of them switched on a television up in the corner of the giant marble bathroom. Why was there a TV in the bathroom? I wasn’t able to ask. The spinning was turning to a rolling in my stomach.

We three girls turned to see Blake standing there, too. Ginger scowled and lifted her stilettoed heel impressively high, placing it in the middle of his chest and kicking him out. He stood outside of the bathroom with a grin, and Ginger shut the door in his face. Marna kissed my cheek softly and touched a finger to my lips to remind me to stay quiet. She stripped me down to my underwear while Ginger turned on the shower water.

I groaned, bending.

They quickly helped me into the shower stall. It was just in time. I went down on my hands and knees, vomiting hot liquor and stomach acid, vile and sweet, and when that was all gone, I still heaved. The hot water stung my sensitive skin. My temples pounded, and my mouth was sour and dry. I wanted to tip my head back and catch some water, but I didn’t have the strength in my neck. My stomach was still churning. I heaved several more times and then started crying.

I looked up enough to see Kaidan come in. The sisters shook their heads at him and tried to push him back, but he swept past them and opened the shower door. They watched him warily for a moment as he unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off and throwing it across the sink.

Everything hurt. I moaned.

Kaidan sat outside of the shower stall on the marble floor and put an arm around my body, pulling my back up against him and holding me. I clung to his arm in front of me, resting my head on it as my body shuddered under the stream of hot water.

When most of the alcohol had burned from my body, and my mind was shifting back into the alertness of reality, I felt very naked and ashamed. I turned slightly and looked at Kaidan behind me. Our eyes met and he nodded. He pulled away and left the bathroom, wiping his soaked arm on the way out.

Marna came over with a towel for me and we turned off the shower. I was still shaky as I stood, and my stomach was not right. Physically, I felt weak. Mentally, I was more scared than I’d ever been. I started shivering with my hair dripping onto the floor. Marna took one of the fluffy white robes and wrapped it around me. It was huge. I tried to towel dry my hair. I could hardly sit up straight. Worst timing ever for a hangover.

I tried to think of everything that had happened, but there were many blank spots in my memory. Had I done or said anything that could incriminate us? I remembered dancing. When exactly had the other Neph shown up? I flashed to a memory of Kaidan kissing me on the couch, and I was horrified to recall how I’d baited him. I looked up at Marna and Ginger. They had saved us from ourselves. I could have ruined everything.

Marna sat me down at the vanity and took a brush from her bag, working it through my wet hair. Ginger filled a glass with water and set it in front of me. I emptied it all and gave her a small smile, which she did not return. I grabbed her hand and she stilled.

I’m sorry, I signed to her.

She surprised me by grinning. You can be mean, she signed. It was nice to see.

My face flushed and I shook my head. Ginger patted my shoulder with her free hand, then pulled the other hand from my grip to pick up the blow-dryer.

The hot air felt good on my head. My body shook every few seconds with tiny tremors. I was so tired.

“Order us some food, Kaidan,” Ginger shouted at the door. “I think we’ve all worked up an appetite.” My stomach growled at the mention of food, and I realized that I was completely famished.

I took Marna’s wrist and looked at her watch. It was eleven o’clock. We had somewhere between one and four hours to prepare for hell on earth.

What was I going to do? I felt completely unprepared. How could I ready myself for a spiritual battle under these circumstances? What would Patti do?

Wait. That was it. I knew exactly what she would do.