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The others arrived, frantically asking what had happened. Gabe looked at Carter and told them
Enapay’s
pant leg was caught under the plow and they cut him loose. Carter looked at Gabe with a confused look, wondering why he was being so casual about his friend lying that just died in front of them. Carter’s eyes filled with tears and his heart was broken over the loss of his Indian brother. Memories quickly flashed of the two of them playing on the reservation as kids.  He kneeled to the ground beside his friend and took his hand. Gabriel watched, and then it happened.

“Carter?”
Enapay
said softly.  “What happened?” He slowly stood up with his leg perfectly intact. In fact, the only thing torn on
Enapay
was his pant leg, just as Gabe had described.
Enapay
had no memory of anything to the contrary.

Carter jumped back in disbelief of what had just happened. His eyes widened and he immediately turned to Gabe for reassurance of what he was seeing. Gabe just nodded back at him and instantly Carter knew to remain quiet about what he had witnessed. He nodded back to say thank you to Gabe for saving his friend. Vie came over to Carter and told him he looked awful. She said his face looked like he had just seen a ghost. Carter looked at Gabe and said, “Not a ghost, but perhaps a miracle”. Vie looked at Carter and then at Gabe, wondering what on earth just happened between the two of them. She really hated being in the dark!

“Well this has been an eventful day!” Thomas announced to break the tension.

“Who’s hungry?” he said inviting everyone into his home for a celebration feast.

They all headed back to the ranch. Carter stopped and told Vie he would catch up with her. Vie watched as Carter ran back to Gabriel and gave him the “man hug”.  “Now what has gotten into the two of them,” she thought to herself. Vie hated not being kept in the loop and especially hated secrets, and she knew they were keeping a whopper. Sarah took her hand and said “Come
on Vie,” and led her into the house.
Vie’s
update would have to wait, but the curiosity was killing her.

“Gabe?” Carter called to him.

“I just want to say thank you,” he spoke humbly.

“For what?”
Gabe answered back.

“For what you did, however you did it. You know, for
Enapay
?” Carter reminded him.

“I did nothing. It was you Carter, it was all you,” Gabe said proudly walking away from him.

Carter caught up with him and said, “Can you teach me?”

“Teach you?” he replied, curious about what young Carter wanted to learn.

“Can you teach me to focus?” he said hoping Gabe understood that he heard him loud and clear.

Gabriel smiled again proudly knowing Carter had received the message without him speaking a word. Their mission was underway. Carter Stone was on his way to enlightenment.

Chapter 15

Mending Fences

The alarm went off and Vie hit the shut off button and jumped out of bed. Another night of no sleep was wearing her down, but today was Saturday and she had plans to go star gazing with Carter for their class assignment. Vie thought a cold shower and a day with Carter would revive her more than any amount of sleep could. She was excited to start the day and to see Carter Stone.

Vie went into the bathroom to start the shower. “Fascinating,” she thought out loud when starting her shower. Every time she turned the water on and saw it spray out from the shower head, it astonished her. The only experience Vie had with water falling down like that was the water that fell from the clouds in the sky when it rained. Cleansing oneself is a daily ritual Guardians do not have to do. Their bodies, like their souls, are naturally purified and cleansed and showers are not needed. But Vie enjoyed it immensely anyways.

Like cleansing, sleep was a concept foreign to Vie since Guardians don’t have to sleep either. But while Vie was in Vivian’s vessel, she would be required to sleep to regenerate the body until the merge was complete. Then Vie would be able to operate in the vessel like a Guardian, void of human rituals, but at full capacity.  For now, Vie needed the sleep the human vessel craved and needed to sustain itself. The sleep thing was becoming a problem for Vie since her encounter with Lucian in her dreams. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would be forced to meet the darkness again, but today was not that day.

Vie stepped into the shower enjoying every second of the water trickling down her face. Henry was downstairs listening to her sing while she showered. The sounds of her angelic voice filled the room with a joyous harmony that warmed Henry’s heart. Henry told her that he loved hearing her sing in the shower and Vie told him she was unaware that she even did it. Singing just came naturally to Vie. It was like an emotion for her. She sings when she is happy, sad, lost, scared, and especially when she is angry. It is just who she is, it is her gift.

Vie rifled through Vivian’s closet again, unable to find something suitable for her star gazing assignment with Carter. “What, no jeans?” she thought to herself. “There have to be jeans.  What earthly teenager doesn’t wear jeans?” Frustrated, she hollered down to Henry but he didn’t answer. Vie pulled out a little tiny piece of fabric that appeared to be a skirt and a tank top that wouldn’t cover anyone’s top. “Gosh Vivian, what were you thinking?” she said holding the top up to her in the mirror in her room. “I don’t think so,” she said looking into the mirror. She looked again and this time she noticed the reflection of Vivian looking back at her. She never really looked at herself in the human vessel until now.

Vie stood staring and wondering why Gabriel thought they looked so much alike.  She just didn’t see the resemblance. She moved in closer to the mirror, looking at her eyes, watching them look back at her. She concentrated hard hoping she would see a glimpse into Vivian’s soul, hoping she could see what was going on in her life, hoping she could help her.  She moved closer, staring intently, still channeling the energy from her vessel.

“Vivian?” Henry knocked on her door calling her name.

The unexpected sound of Henry’s voice startled Vie and she was jolted back, tripping over the pile of clothes she left in the middle of the room, landing on her butt with a “thump.” Worried about the thump Henry heard, he raced into the room in a panic, asking if she was alright.

“I’m good dad,” she said jumping to her feet and straightening out her tussled hair.

“I heard a thump,” Henry said looking at her unconvinced that nothing had happened.

“Oh, I’m fine.  I just…tripped over these clothes,” she said pointing to the pile in the center of her room. “I’m alright dad really, just a little clumsy I guess,” she said shrugging her shoulders.

“Clumsy?” he said. “Honey you are anything but clumsy. Ten years of ballet lessons are proof of that,” Henry said looking at Vie suspiciously, just like he did in the hospital room when the doctor said she was a comedian.

“Well, you know dad I’m still trying to get my bearing
s
,” she said covering for her stumble and thinking it figured Vivian was a ballet student, which was nothing like Vie at all.

“Oh, hey dad?
  I can’t seem to find any of my jeans or tee shirts?  Are they in the laundry?” Henry raised his eyebrow again in response to her wardrobe request. Vivian was not a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl, especially not this past year. Vie noticed the hint of suspicion that she had gotten to know very well studying Henry’s face. She was beginning to think she might have to actually wear one of her ridiculous skirts to normalize things with him again.

“Jeans huh?” he said. “Nope, haven’t seen any jeans lying around here,” Henry said looking at her as if she were a complete stranger.

Henry asked his daughter what time she had to meet Carter for the assignment they were working on. Vie told him he was picking her up at two o’clock. Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took out a black plastic card and handed it to Vie. She was a bit confused about what Henry wanted her to do with the shiny plastic card. Henry explained that he had to go down to the church and work on his Sunday sermon. Vie just stood there holding the card and looking at Henry, not sure what she was suppose do next.

“Vivian…call
Kade
and go to the mall to get your jeans,” he said giving her permission to leave.

“Oh and by the way honey, if you wanted to go shopping for a new outfit, all you had to do was ask.” Henry kissed her forehead like he always did and said, “I’ll see you tonight Kiddo. Have fun with your…friend,” he said winking with approval.

“Call
Kade
huh?”
Vie thought out loud, looking at the card. Vie picked up the phone and dialed her friend.
Kade
was happy to hear from Vivian and even more excited to spend the morning at the mall with her old best friend.
Kade
wasted no time and within fifteen minutes she arrived at the Thorne home and the two of them headed off to the mall.

“So…”
Kade
said. “Any plans tonight?”

“Actually, I do, have plans,” Vie responded.

“Oh that’s right I forgot. Saturday nights are date nights for you and Jeremy. Where are you guys off to tonight?” she asked.

“
Kade
, I’m not going out with Jeremy tonight. In fact, Jeremy and I are…well…we are no longer together…as boyfriend and girlfriend anyways,” Vie said trying to explain the complicated situation.

“Oh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry Vivian,”
Kade
said surprised by the announcement.

“Don’t be. Really
Kade
, it’s better this way for now,” Vie explained further.

“Oh and its Vie,” she corrected
Kade
.

“What?”
Kade
responded confused.

“My name.
I would like it very much if you would call me Vie?” she hoped
Kade
would understand.

“Oh yeah…that’s right! Sorry Vie, I totally forgot. Actually I
kinda
like it. It fits the new you,” she added smiling.

“So I’ve been told,” Vie replied back laughing.

“So why are we here at the mall? You said you needed a new outfit for a date tonight?”
Kade
questioned.

“I do,” Vie said.  “I have plans tonight with Carter,” she said.

The street light was green but
Kade
came to a roaring stop at the intersection and repeated loudly, “You have plans with Carter Stone tonight?” she shouted wide eyed and obviously shocked. “Does Jeremy know?” she asked.

“I did tell him I had an assignment to do with Carter, but I really don’t think it is any of his business where I go or what I do. Like I said we are on a break,” Vie said nonchalantly.

“Well I guess Jeremy should have seen this coming,”
Kade
said.

“See what coming?” Vie asked.

“The break up.
I mean the two of you were having problems for a long time before you had surgery. I guess I assumed you worked it all out,” she replied.

“
Hmmmm
,” Violet thought to herself.  “So Jeremy and Vivian were having problems? I wonder what kind of problems? Maybe Jeremy isn’t such an open book after all,” Vie thought. Vie decided she need to probe this matter a little further with
Kade
. If
Kade
knows anything about what was going on with Vivian, then I am all ears.