Discovery (10 page)

Grace smiled at Gregory and took his hand, intending to speak to Lady Covington and Old Man Hillary before the elderly patrons made an early night of it. As she worked her way over to their table, timidly smiling and thanking the other guests she encountered, out of nowhere Mr. and Mrs. Reich appeared in front of her and stopped Grace dead in her tracks.

“Grace, dear. Happy birthday and thank you so much for inviting us.” Mr. Reich looked dashing in his tailored black tuxedo and diamond cufflinks.

Mrs. Reich just stood there and purred a smile at Grace. She looked spectacular as always in a tight black strapless gown that proved her body had not aged in years. Large diamonds covered her ears and neckline and she appeared to belong more at the Oscars than a birthday party for some random club waitress. Despite her fashion sense however, Mrs. Reich did look a little out of place with her large, black Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses hiding her eyes. It was night, the room's light was dimmed, and yet here she was, still wearing those sunglasses like she had every other time Grace had seen her. Grace thought there must be something very wrong with Mrs. Reich's eyes.

“So when will we get to see you and my son show off your dancing skills?” Mr. Reich interrupted Grace's silent critique.

“Oh, I don't know. Annie has this whole night planned so I'm just going to do what she tells me to do.”

“Grace, dear.” Lady Covington's voice rose up behind Mr. Reich like a song and her large body soon followed, wedging in between Mr. and Mrs. Reich without an invitation. She pulled Grace toward the elder club members' table and never acknowledged the Reichs' presence.

“It was nice talking to you,” Grace called back to the Reichs whose facial expressions now reflected resentment rather than the smiles they had had earlier. Mr. Reich glared at Gregory and then walked away with Mrs. Reich who still wore her ridiculous sunglasses.

“Look who I found,” Lady Covington exclaimed to her table as she pulled Grace along like an aunt showing off her favorite niece. Lady Covington dragged her from guest to guest around the large round table with each one fawning over Grace like she was a celebrity.

“There's the birthday girl!” Mr. Hillary smiled as he rose from his seat to take Grace's hand. He bowed and kissed it lightly as if she were royalty. In his black dinner tuxedo, Grace could see why all the older ladies at the club doted on him.

“Thank you so much for coming.” Grace held both Mr. Hillary's hands in hers.

“I am truly honored to be invited,” he replied with another deep bow.

As if on cue, Gregory came up behind Grace and handed her a drink. “Here you go. Thought you could use this.”

“Thanks.” Grace took a long sip of vodka and cranberry juice.

Mr. Hillary eyeballed Gregory as he continued, “And where is our Ben tonight?”

“I … I'm not sure.” Grace motioned to Gregory who was now standing beside her. “Mr. Hillary, have you met Gregory Reich? He and his family are new members at the club.”

Gregory stuck his hand out. “Mr. Hillary, it's so very nice to meet you. I hear you have quite a mean golf game.”

Mr. Hillary took Gregory's hand but pain immediately fell over the elderly gentleman's face. He quickly pulled his hand out of Gregory's grasp and shook it. “And you have quite a mean handshake, son,” replied Mr. Hillary as he placed his still shaking hand in his trouser pocket. Turning to Grace he said, “Now, you should run along Gracie. I'm sure your other guests want to see you too.”

Grace smiled and said her goodbyes to the rest of the table before Gregory pulled her toward Annie, who was still bickering with Julian at the back of the room.

“Julian, you are not in charge here. I am,” Annie was saying to her nemesis as Grace walked up.

“Hey Julian.” Grace intentionally did not give him a chance to respond to Annie's rebuke. She took another drink and its coolness calmed her nervous breathing.

“Hello, Grace. Happy birthday,” he said matter-of-factly. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your celebration.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just get the cake ready, you British freak,” she said before turning to Grace and Gregory.

Julian narrowed his eyes but then simply shook his head and silently walked back toward the kitchen.

“Annie! Be nice,” Grace scolded. She took another sip of her drink and realized she had already finished off her first one of the night.

“Oh, he'll get over it,” Annie said. “Besides, he just hates not having any control over me or your party tonight.”

Gregory laughed. “You do like your control Annie, don't you?”

“Absolutely. Now you all run along and go get us some more drinks,” she commanded.

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Gregory saluted Annie before taking Grace's empty glass and heading over to the drink table.

Grace was feeling a little looser and wondered if her drink might have something to do with it. Maybe she should lay off the alcohol for now. She surveyed the room's faces, smiling at those she recognized and at those she did not.

“He's not here,” said Annie, watching Grace's face.

“Who?”

“Ben.”

Grace felt blood rush to her cheeks. “I know he's not here. I asked him not to come remember.”

“Yeah, well, then stop looking for him. Concentrate on Gregory, who looks hot by the way.”

The two girls looked over at the drink table where the Reich brothers were gathering their next round of libations.

“I told you this was going to be a great summer,” Annie said as Gregory and Andrew started heading back their way.

“Here you are birthday girl,” said Gregory, handing Grace her drink and kissing her lightly on the cheek. The touch of Gregory's lips sent prickly sparks down Grace's spine and she leaned in to him as if magnetized to his side.

“There sure are a lot of people here,” said Grace looking around the room. “Some of these people I don't even recognize.”

“Maybe the owner invited some people as well,” Andrew quickly responded.

“I'm sure we have some party crashers. This
is
the party of the year from what I hear,” said Gregory. “Do you want me to ask them to leave?” He placed his arm around Grace's waist and pulled her closer to him.

“No.” Grace smiled. “It's all good. The more the merrier.” Gregory's touch once again put Grace at ease and her wooziness returned with his presence. Either that or her drink was stronger than she thought. “How much alcohol did you put in this?” she asked, leaning face forward into Gregory's arms.

“Enough. Is it okay?”

“It's fine.” Grace's words began to slur out of her mouth. After a few more sips of her drink, she felt totally relaxed despite the fact that the room's details were beginning to disappear into a blur of colors. She could no longer see the guests at the far side of the room, and even up close Gregory's face had a slight haziness to it. The decorative foliage hanging from the ceiling's wooden beams transformed into vague ripples of green and the tiny white lights now glared instead of twinkled. Even the flower centerpieces melted into one round blob of color floating in front of Grace's eyes. Nothing was distinct anymore.

“Happy birthday, Grace.” Tom's voice floated through the room's colors as they swirled around and eventually came together to form his face.

“Tom!” Grace exclaimed when his face was close enough to be a little clearer. She leaned further into Gregory's arms and slurred, “Your brother didn't show.”

“You asked him not to, remember?” Tom looked into Grace's eyes. “Uh, are you okay?”

“Couldn't be peachier.” Grace now smiled with only one side of her face and she was having a hard time focusing.

“She's fine,” Gregory interrupted. “She's just a little excited.”

“Are you sure you're okay Gracie?” Tom pressed, ignoring Gregory.

“Yes. I'm fine!” Grace hissed. “My gosh! You're worse than your brother.” Grace swayed a little before she slurred over her shoulder, “Annie! I believe it's time for cake!”

“Okay.” Annie winked at Tom. “Whatever you say, Birthday Girl.” Annie turned and headed back to the kitchen, leaving Grace weaving between Gregory and Andrew.

Tom silently stared at Gregory and Andrew, both of whom stood on either side of Grace to control her balance. The Reich brothers returned his stare.

“Nice talking to you, Grace.” Tom leaned in to kiss her cheek and then abruptly walked away.

“You too,” Grace called after him with a wave of her hand. Tom disappeared back into the room's colors again and the only detail she could see now were the red eyes of Gregory and Andrew who still stood on either side of her, holding her up by each arm. She turned her head, casting her hazy gaze back and forth from Gregory to Andrew. “I think you put too much vodka in this drink. Cause I see red eyes and I don't like red eyes,” she slurred.

“Boys, calm down. It's not time yet,” Grace heard Mr. Reich's perfect voice rumble through the room's swirling colors at the same moment the brothers' red eyes disappeared.

“Shhh, dear,” Mrs. Reich's voice purred behind Grace's ear. “Everything's going to be fine.”

Grace did not ever remember feeling so happy and relaxed. She was sure her drink was helping but she did not care. It was her birthday party and she was with Gregory. The room's colors continued to swirl and she still felt Gregory and Andrew holding her arms, but her right arm began to sting from Gregory's touch. Out of the color swirl a light began to emerge and she heard a familiar song ring in her ears. This was the moment she had dreaded. Grace knew all eyes were on her as the party guests sang “Happy Birthday” but for some reason she did not mind being the center of attention. All she saw was the emerging light coming toward her.

By the time Grace realized the light belonged to the candles on her cake, Annie was standing there nudging her, “Come on, Gracie. Everyone's waiting. Blow out your candles.”

Grace blew, unsuccessfully aiming at the light and missing the candles entirely, so Gregory and Annie leaned over to help.

“It's time for our dance now,” Gregory whispered in Grace's ear after Annie took the cake back into the kitchen for cutting.

Peter Gabriel began singing Grace's favorite old song, “In Your Eyes”, over the Café sound system and Gregory guided Grace toward the dance floor in the middle of the room. Grace's mind was drugged with the tornado of colors swirling around her and her arm still stung from Gregory's touch. They were almost to the center of the dance floor when suddenly Grace felt sick.

Very sick.

Beyond nauseated sick.

She pulled out of Gregory's grasp and groped her way through the room's swirling colors toward the bathroom in the far back corner. She heard Mr. Reich and Gregory calling her name but all she could think about was reaching the bathroom in time. She hurled herself through the door and locked it behind her just before she fell on the floor and threw up in the toilet. She could not believe she was this sick, this suddenly. She had heard of people throwing up before but had never experienced it herself. She never got sick. Everyone knew that. But feeling her body convulse uncontrollably confirmed her diagnosis and that fact frightened Grace, even in her dazed state.

After a few more heaves, and when she was finally and totally empty of her stomach's contents, she stood up and made her way over to the sink. Splashing cold water in her mouth and on her face oddly sparked a rare memory of her parents. Grace looked up at her blurred reflection in the mirror over the sink and saw their faces clearly emerge out of the room's swirling colors. But in the instant this memory flashed, she realized it wasn't the cold-water splash that triggered her memory bank.

It was a smell.

The smell of burnt metal.

The smell that took her back to her parent's car crash.

The bathroom's colors were still too hazy to register anything recognizable but as she leaned over the sink to steady herself, she felt an urgent need to get out of there. Her memory pushed her to unlock the door and leave the bathroom. Something about that smell.

Just as she found enough strength to stand upright and head for the door, two hands came from behind her head and grabbed her shoulders. In that instant, the room's swirling colors disappeared and she was pulled into complete and total darkness.

The Council leader leaned forward in her chair at the head of the long rectangular wooden table. “Tom, I am sure you appreciate the seriousness of this situation,” she said sternly.

“Yes, Madam.” Tom stood straight as a stick facing their Council leader at the opposite end of the large boardroom. She had eyes of blue stone. The other Council members flanked their leader on both sides of the table, each one staring back at Tom. Blue stone eyes were everywhere. Tom had never been called into a Council meeting before and standing there, in the large Southern mansion, in their sacred boardroom, finally meeting the Council's infamous members face-to-face, he felt abnormally weak. He knew Ben's team had messed up. He just never imagined he would be the one called in for it. He wasn't Grace's Guardian. He was the Chosen One. His job had not even begun yet.

“Have you spoken to your brother?” the Council Lieutenant asked.

“No, sir. Not yet.” He'd tried repeatedly, but Ben wasn't answering his cell phone.

“You know this is a serious dereliction of duty, young man,” another Council member stressed.

“Yes, sir.”

“Your brother will be severely punished.”

“Yes, sir.” Even as the Chosen One, Tom had no power to stop the Council from making an example of Ben. For an instant, he was glad Ben was not there. He did not want to be present when the Council handed down his younger brother's punishment.