Today the entire clan arrived in force for dinner. It was almost as if they could feel it in the air, or maybe it was the invitations Case and Mom Walker sent out.
However it happened, everyone was there including Mario. When I told him what we'd found out about Matt's wife I don't think there was a force on earth that could have kept him from coming. Even Alan's scowling was nothing in comparison to Mario's need to comfort Matt, and some good old fashioned venting.
I think it was good for both of them.
Ray's PT's been coming along well and the replacement seems to be a big hit. I felt really bad when I saw him though-I should have been there for him more. It seems to be the sum of my relationships right now: "I should have been there."
Ray did set me straight though. It would seem if I understand him correctly, that I am not the center of the universe, nor am I responsible for everything that goes on in it.
That maybe true, but more often than not, I'm the one catching flack for it.
Looking at the gathered family, I wonder if these people really did do their homework on the boys. If they just stopped at me and Case, well-that was their mistake.
We have our own contingent of medics; shaman in almost every flavor imaginable; law enforcement and retired military from almost every branch of the service. No-they didn't do a full check of the situation, and that was their mistake.
No, their mistake was coming after me and mine. It's time we show them that.
I spent the day with Matt and the walls of 3x5's.
We've now highlighted the ones we think are associated with the current 'situation' in orange, the ones we're not sure if they're related are marked in yellow if we're leaning towards 'yes' and blank we don't think they are but can't prove it. The things we know aren't related are highlighted in green. Needless to say almost everything Matt has supplied is highlighted in Orange or yellow.
There are very few 'green' items.
You get the idea. I've ended up sending messages to both the Tir and Atzelan. They knew something was up long before I did and I'm wondering if they aren't telling more because they don't know it or we aren't supposed to know it. Not that I expect a straight answer. Elves and Coatl aren't know for being up front about anything.
Okay, so not only are my friends good at dropping in unexpectedly to deliver odd messages, they also seem to sit around and wait until I'm ready to ask the right questions before they elaborate.
Now to be fair I think Jenna didn't know the particulars and until I had more details everything just seemed unrelated. The Ghosts had the information but it's hard to tell which threads of the spider's web actually involve me-and how many of them I just happen to walk into when I'm moving from Point A to Point B.
As for a certain Coatl… well… he's a Coatl and feathered snakes are more than just similar to dragons in passing. He's got his own situations to deal with and I should be thankful that he thought enough to warn me. I just want everything handed to me with an operator's manual ready for download.
Life just never works that way. With some of the names and a better idea of what's been going on, Jenna was able to… not so much tell me what she knew as possibly indicate that one path might be more likely than the other.
Yeah…
As for he who sends Coatl feathers (Yachacheq) I never really expected an answer from him, so I was kind of surprise when I got a travel brochure for Mysterious Amazonia.
Why is this starting to look like a road show?
You know, for all the technology and advances in magic we've had in this world-a lot of the time it still feels like I'm using a Magic 8 Ball for information.
"Will our attackers attack today?" - A: Very doubtful
"Will we figure this out in time?" - A: Reply hazy try again
"Will you ever give me a straight answer?" - A: My sources say no
So we have old enemies looking for us, we figured that one out on our own, and someone thinks we should go on vacation to the area where my last visit with my brothers culminated in almost but not quite complete chaos and disappointment.
I came out here … why?
My next question is: Can the Seattle Regional Assistant Chief Deputy UCAS Marshal put himself and his family in the witness relocation program? 'Cuase I'm thinking that might be the way to go. Alas, 'Outlook not so good' and 'Very doubtful' have reared their ugly heads.
On the bright side… it's spring in Amazonia.
We seem to have more protective issues to deal with than I originally thought. I want to leave Bri with the Walkers on Council Isle. Bri doesn't feel that's fair, but agrees that she'd be much safer there than where we're going.
Case feels that Bri shouldn't be with just family and that one of us should stay behind. I know he's right and I know he's the better fighter but… This is more my fight than it is his.
I couldn't pull the 'you'll need a medic' card, since Case is a fully certified and licensed medic. I couldn't pull a lot of cards from my deck but mostly because I was feeling a little queasy again today and Nathan had gotten tired of my objecting.
"Jess," he said. "Think."
When I stared at him blankly he almost laughed, which ticked me off.
"Jess…" he said raising his hands defensively. "You haven't been feeling well…"
He kept saying things like he wanted me to build on it, finally he just looked at him and shook his head. "You are so dense sometimes Jess… it's endearing but… think. How long have you been sick… IN THE MORNING??"
That actually made me stop.
And think…
And visit Trina professionally
Happy birthday Bri….
Looks like you'll be getting your birthday wish and you and I will be staying put while the others head to Amazonia.
My emotions are a jumble and it would be easy to blame it on hormones but that's not the problem. It's not that my husband and brothers, both by birth and by adoption, are going to be facing dangers we can only imagine. It isn't even that Tabs is going.
We've all faced danger before, so much so we don't usually think about it. No, I'm worried and angry and frustrated because I'm not going to be going with them.
On the intellectual level I understand. I know that I would be a liability in the field. I remember being on the bike during the first trimester with Bri. It wasn't bad, but I could feel my balance changing and when you have to rely on an instinctual move-a change in balance can be a very bad thing.
Philip and his people have already headed out. I wouldn't be surprised if they were on the ground before I even got the message from Yachacheq. Hopefully they'll have found a safe location to use as a base of operations before the others are ready to head out.
Case and Jonathan have been deep in plans with members of the Council and the Marshal Service. Case can only go to Amazonia as a Marshal if he's picking up a suspect, and let's face it, the chances of that are slim and nil.
I wonder if any of us will be working the same jobs when this is over. I'm trying not to worry, I mean the majority of them are still here but I know that could change at a moment's notice.
I just want my family safe--
. . .
Copyright 2010 M.T. Decker