Wishing Pearl Page 15

  Tricia nodded and sat on her bed. “Yep. She might be tough to get along with at first, but once you break through, she’s the most loyal friend you could want.”

  “Why should I go easy on her? She’s plain rude. That thing about the knife brawl … uncalled for.” Olivia shook her head. “How old is she anyway?” Olivia dropped to her knees beside her suitcase and began to unzip it.

  Skye bent to help Olivia get the bag open. “She’s about to turn sixteen, but she’s been on her own since she was twelve. Her mom and brother got killed in a drive-by shooting by a rival Mexican gang.” Skye’s eyes teared up. “She’ll tell you stories about how she survived the past three and a half years. You’ll understand more about her then.”

  “Well, I don’t see her opening up to me about her deep, dark secrets anytime soon. But I’ll give her a chance. I just hope she lightens up—soon.”

  “What’s in this little case?” Skye held up the black plastic box and turned it over in her hands.

  “Oh, that’s my oboe.” Olivia wondered if she’d ever get to practice. Ju-Ju would probably hate the sound as much as Charles did. Good-bye scholarship if that turned out to be the case.

  “Oboe? Cool!” Tricia pulled out a longer black instrument case from under her bed. “I play the flute. Hey, maybe we can practice together sometime.”

  Had there ever been an oboe-flute duo before? Was the world ready for something like that? Was Olivia?

  “New girl. What’s your name?” A large aproned woman in a white chef’s hat held a bag of potatoes in her chapped hands.

  “I’m Olivia.” She stepped forward hesitantly into the sea of teenage sous-chefs, most of whom she hadn’t even met yet.

  “Okay, Olivia. I’m Marilyn, the cook. You’ll be on potatoes tonight.” She set the bag down next to three others just like it. “They need to be washed well. Poke a few holes in them with this.” She held up a meat fork. “Then place them on the rack in the oven. Turn them after twenty minutes. Can you handle that?” She winked—the first sign of personality from her ruddy face.

  “Sounds easy enough.” Olivia shrugged and pulled a potato from the bag. At least she didn’t have to peel them.

  “So, my girls are on cooking detail tonight?” A thin woman in an amethyst velour warm-up suit walked into the kitchen signing her words as she spoke. She approached Olivia with her hand outstretched. “I’m Tammy.” She shook Olivia’s hand then laid one hand flat and brushed the other one across the top of it. Then she put two fingers upright and parallel to each other. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Olivia had turned to put some potatoes in the oven but set them down instead and adjusted her stance to make sure Tammy could see her lips. “Nice to meet you, too.” She spoke clearly and enunciated every word while she brushed the palms of her hands together and pointed at Tammy.

  Tammy’s eyes opened wide. She probably wasn’t used to people, especially teenage girls, using sign language when they met her. “I’m your counselor. I take care of the girls in your room and the room right across the hall from you. You and I will get together once a week for a counseling session, and I’m here if you have any problems or concerns anytime at all. I’m really glad you’re here, Olivia.” She touched Olivia’s hand and smiled then took a cart loaded with dishes and pushed it out to the dining room, where another group of girls bustled around setting up for dinner.

  “Tammy’s awesome. You’ll love her,” Skye whispered as she stepped behind Olivia at the worktable.

  Tricia nodded. “She’s my favorite of all the counselors.”

  “Where are the other two?”

  “Patty’s out in the dining room.” She steered Olivia to the little porthole window on the swinging door. “She’s the supershort one with the curly red hair. Her group is on setup and teardown this week. Donna’s girls have laundry duty.” Tricia grimaced.

  “What? You don’t like Donna or laundry?”

  “Both, I guess. Donna is stunning—like America’s Next Top Model gorgeous—so people think she’s going to be cool. But she’s so moody.”

  “Yep. I used to be in Donna’s group when I first got here.” Skye nodded. “She can be tough to read. Sometimes she’s great, but you never know when she’s going to get crabby. But she has a good heart deep down. You just have to work hard to see it.”

  Tricia lifted a giant colander of green beans into the sink to be rinsed. “She’s a perfect example of how beauty can be more of a curse than a blessing. Sometimes it’s better to be unattractive than to be beautiful and have to fight hard to stay that way.”

  Olivia chuckled. “Well, if anyone would know about that, it would be you. But I wouldn’t mind the chance to find out for myself.”

  “You say that. But you have no idea …” Tricia shook her head. “Besides, you are beautiful.”

  “Not like you.”

  “Trust me. It’s caused me more problems than anything in my life. Still does to this day. Gaining weight like I have recently is the kiss of death for someone like me. I mean, everything good about myself is wrapped up in how I look … and now …” Her eyes welled up with tears.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. Tricia, get a grip. You’ve gained what? Five pounds?” Ju-Ju looked her up and down.

  “Eight!”

  “I love ya, but you’re just fishing for compliments now. Talk it out with Tammy, and let’s pick a different subject. One not quite so pink and girlie.”

  Tricia’s eyes clouded over just before the smile lit up her face. She gave a swift nod. “You’re right.”

  Notes to self: no girl talk with Ju-Ju, and steer clear of Donna.

  Chapter 16

  The girls filed out into the hallway and blended in with the other semi-sleepwalkers coming out of their rooms. They shuffled silently to the prayer commons. Olivia fought the urge to ask how many of them were happy about this little facet of their morning routine.

  Should be interesting. The prayer commons was the one room she hadn’t seen on the tour. They walked all the way past the dining hall, through the foyer, and toward a huge arched doorway beside the front door.

  Olivia’s jaw dropped as she stepped into the majestic prayer room. The stained-glass windows visible from the front yard lined the cathedral-type space. There, on the far side, was the nativity scene window Justin said he liked best. She gazed up to the carved ceilings that were pitched like those of an old church. A small stage with the pipes of a huge organ lining the wall behind it faced the back of the room. What could that be for?

  The cobblestone floors felt bumpy and uneven under her feet. Olivia imagined a dozen monks on their knees, laying those stones in vowed silence. Area rugs had been scattered around the room to create clustered groupings with chairs, couches, love seats, and oversized beanbags in odd formations.

  Olivia hung back as girls repositioned their seats in groups or found a private place to sit by themselves, presumably to pray. But Olivia bet sleep reigned at the top of their agenda, far higher than prayer. At least it did hers. She followed her roommates’ lead and dragged a beanbag chair to the corner by the window depicting Jesus praying in a garden. Olivia scrunched down into her chair and waited. Did they pray out loud? She had no intention of doing that—ever.

  Ben stepped to the center of the room and cleared his throat. He lifted his hands, raised his face to the early morning sunshine streaming through the dewy window portraying Christ’s resurrection. And he began to pray. “Father, I thank You for another beautiful day. I open our quiet time with a simple request that You meet us here.”

  Oh? Maybe Olivia would feel God’s presence right here in the chapel.

  Ben finished praying and then released them to their own private time with God—whatever that meant.

  Olivia closed her eyes and then peeked around the room through tiny slits at the other girls. One or two actually did seem to be sleeping, but some of the others, like Tricia and Ju-Ju, had their eyes closed as they moved their lips. Skye and a few other
girls were writing in journals. Several read their Bibles, and a couple of clusters seemed to actually be praying together. Were they kidding her with this stuff? There was no way she could make it through this every single day and not embarrass herself by snoring. She’d have to find out if there was some stiff penalty for sleeping during prayer time.

  Okay. Focus. At least she could try it out and see what the fuss was all about.

  What did she feel? Nothing, really. If she closed her eyes, she didn’t even sense the presence of the other girls, let alone some unseen and likely unreal deity who hadn’t ever been there for her before. What did she expect? Lightning bolts to course through her body? An earthquake? It would take something big like that to make religion real to her.

  “What’s the point of snowshoeing, anyway?” Olivia smoothed the lumps and tugged the blanket to cover the corner of the sheet that hung down the side of the bed. Good enough. She straightened her pillows to help cover the mess. Where was Norma when she needed her?

  Breakfast sat like a lump in her stomach. She wasn’t used to eating rich food this early, especially not french toast and sausage. At home, the most she ever ate in the mornings was a granola bar and a can of Diet Pepsi.

  Skye flipped her legs forward and vaulted off the covers she had just smoothed. “Oh, it’s great. You’ll love it.”

  “Yeah. I’m usually not one for outdoor activity”—Tricia smoothed her hair—”and even I don’t have a problem with snowshoeing. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I love it. But I don’t mind it.”

  “I think I’d rather sit by the fire in the library and read a book.” Any chance of that happening?

  “Tsk-tsk.” Ju-Ju shook her head. “All I ever hear out of you are complaints. Sounds like you just want to buck the system. You’re not going to get very far in this place like that, girlie.”

  Tricia groaned. “Ju-Ju, would you just lay off of her? You hate being out in the snow, too.”

  “Whatever.” Ju-Ju rolled her eyes. “At least I know when to keep my mouth shut and go with the flow. Unlike our little princess here who thinks the world revolves around her.” The bathroom door slammed as she went inside.

  “Look, I know you guys like her, but I’m really having trouble finding her appeal. And it’s just getting worse between us. What can I do to fix things with her?”

  Skye looked at Tricia, and they both shrugged. “Oh, just give it time.” Tricia waved her hand in a brush-off.

  “Now, don’t you worry your purty little head about it at all. It’ll be just fine.”

  Hard not to smile at Skye’s sweet Southern drawl. A sharp rap on the door made Olivia jump.

  Skye rushed to the door and pulled it open. “Mornin’, Tammy.”

  Tammy grinned and stepped into the room wearing a bubblegum-pink snowsuit and a headband to pull down over her ears. “Morning! You girls about ready for a beautiful day on the mountain?”

  Olivia groaned. “Hiking through the snow really isn’t my thing, but I guess I’m along for the ride whether I like it or not.”

  Tammy nodded and turned to Olivia. “I know this is all new to you, but we’re about wholeness healing here at Diamond Estates. Your mind, body, and heart are all connected. Recreation takes care of the body part. School is for the mind, and church, prayer, and other spiritual things are for the heart.”

  “I get that recreation is important, but is there any reason we can’t choose our own form of recreation?” Olivia made a mental list of the many things she’d prefer to be doing on this cold, snowy Saturday. Reading. Practicing her oboe. Sleeping. Coloring her hair. Painting her nails. Snowshoeing ranked at or very near the bottom—only higher than napping on a bed of nails. On second thought, at least that involved a nap.

  Tammy looked into her eyes. “Let me ask you something. Are you used to getting your own way? Have you had to share much in your life?”

  Not much more than beer money. “I pretty much always get my way.” Something niggled at Olivia, telling her that was all about to change.

  “Well, one of the things you’ll learn while you’re here at Diamond is that life doesn’t always work like that. We have varied activities so everyone gets to do what she enjoys. But we all participate together as a family. Might as well get used to the idea.” Tammy turned and fixed Olivia’s bed-making attempt.

  Uh-oh. Olivia took Tammy’s subtle hint that halfhearted efforts weren’t going to fly.

  “Ready to go?” Tammy smiled.

  Skye, Tricia, and Ju-Ju, dressed for the cold weather, held their gloves and goggles. Olivia scrambled to catch up—thankful Mom had made her pack winter gear. She’d better start acting more agreeable—no reason to get off on the wrong foot with everyone. They probably already thought she was a spoiled brat. She was stuck there, for better or worse, and complaints were only going to cause her more trouble.

  They tromped outside to meet up with the other twenty girls and two counselors by the shed, where they’d fit themselves for snowshoes. She’d get to meet the infamous Donna, who hadn’t come to dinner the night before because of a headache. She seemed to have recovered just fine though. Her beautiful blond waves peeked out from the purple hat atop her head. Olivia could see her sea-green eyes from several yards away. Donna probably wasn’t tall enough to be a supermodel, but she sure had the body and exquisite looks for it. What would someone who looked like that have to be moody about? Tricia had said it wasn’t always easy to be beautiful—that was hard to believe.

  “You must be Olivia.” Donna grabbed her hand and pumped it twice. “I’m Donna. It’s really great to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, t–” Olivia spoke to Donna’s back as the counselor strode away. Okaaay.

  “C’mere, Liv.” Skye beckoned from the end of a bench. “Pick from this here pile.” She gestured to a pile of woven snowshoes with leather straps. “These are the best ones.”

  They all looked exactly the same to Olivia, so she grabbed a pair and carried them outside, away from everyone. She gazed up the mountain into the stillness of the wild. Rustling in those trees could be bears, deer, antelope, wild boar—okay, maybe not wild boar, but how should she know? She wondered what it would be like to face a bear. Mom once said that elderly Indians, when they knew their life was coming to an end, would tie themselves to a tree to let the bears eat them rather than become a burden to their families and suffer through a painful death or debilitating illness. How much of a burden was Olivia?

  “Olivia!”

  “Ah!” She squealed as a male voice boomed her name from the trees behind her. She put her hand on her thumping heart and patted her chest. “You scared me!”

  Justin laughed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you. It never occurred to me you might not have heard me coming down the path.”

  “It’s okay.” Olivia smiled and fanned herself. “I’ll live. I think.” She peered down the snow-covered gravel driveway. “Where did you come from? I don’t see a car.”

  “Oh, we live just over there.” Justin pointed beyond the stables at a white two-story farmhouse—the type postcards always depict with smoke rising from the chimney and an apple pie steaming on the windowsill.

  “That’s nice you live so close. Makes things easier, I’ll bet.”

  “Some things, yes; some things, not so much. But it all works out in the end.” Justin smiled and leaned on a tree, his chestnut waves skimming his shoulders.

  “Justin, come on over.” Ben waved from the doorway to the shed, looking like something out of a Winter Olympics ad from 1985 in a royal blue belted one-piece snowsuit that had obviously been quite pricey in its day.

  “Oops. Didn’t see Dad arrive. Gotta go.” He jogged over to his dad and nodded along while Ben seemed to be instructing him.

  Justin grinned and waved at Olivia as he ran back into the trees.

  “Girls! We ready?” Ben surveyed his array of snow bunnies. He slipped his hands into his waterproof gloves—the male version of her
own—and nodded toward the woods. “We’d better get started. Alicia’s doing all sorts of cooking for when we get back—she has a special afternoon planned.” Ben pulled on his gloves and began the trudge up the hill into the forest.

  “Tammy?” Olivia turned to her right and tried to smile so she wouldn’t be blamed for complaining. “How far do you think we’ll go?” She signed some of her words but also let Tammy read her lips.

  “I’m not sure on the mileage—that would depend on the route he takes.” Tammy signed as she spoke. “We’ll be out here for at least three hours.” With her right thumb and first two fingers, she made three circles around the face of her raised left hand representing a clock.

  Three hours? She hadn’t spent that much time doing any kind of physical exertion outdoors since she was a little girl on a bicycle. Maybe not even then. Olivia knew she had two choices. She could hate every minute of it or try to enjoy herself. Nothing would change the fact that she was stuck out there for the day, so she might as well try to get something out of it. But what?

  “Do you hear what I hear?” Tammy pointed to her ear as she spoke in the same kind of halting, rounded words Jake used. He had trouble with his r‘s, too.

  Olivia tried to listen but shook her head. “All I hear are pine needles crunching and people breathing hard.” What could a deaf person possibly hear that Olivia couldn’t?

  Tammy smiled. “Listen.” She cupped her right hand around her ear.

  Olivia continued her clomp up the trail, grabbing on to tree limbs for support. She tried to concentrate on whatever Tammy thought she heard, but the squeak of the snowshoes pressing into the snow was the only sound that filled Olivia’s ears. “Nothing.” She shook her head.

  “He calls out to me when I’m in His house.” Tammy stopped climbing. She lifted her face, closed her eyes, and breathed deeply.

  No one told me she was a nutso. “Whose house? Who calls out to you?”

  Tammy gestured at the forest all around her. “This is all God’s house. Isn’t it perfect? He made it just for you to enjoy with Him.”