Part 2 (1/2)
Chapter Seven.
The drive from the airport to the Olympic Village, just north of the city, pa.s.sed in a blur for Ca.s.s. It was late afternoon and the streets were just as crowded as the airport had been. Her companion was silent on the drive, muttering occasionally at the scooters and pedestrians who darted in and out of traffic.
So far, her introduction to the team, or one member of it, had not been very positive. Hopefully the other women were more...personable. After two aborted attempts at conversation, Ca.s.s gave up and pulled out her camera. The little Canon was her one indulgence in the past year, and she was going to put it to good use. As the van whipped in and out of the endless stream of traffic, Ca.s.s snapped what photos she could in the dying light of the day. When the van jerked again to a sudden halt, Ca.s.s threw her arm up defensively. ”Whoa!”
”Sorry,” muttered Laura. ”It's nuts out here this time of day.”
Wondering if she was warming up slightly, Ca.s.s ventured, ”I thought they said no cars were allowed in the city for the Games?”
”Not till the actual events begin, and that's not for another six weeks.”
Laura didn't take her eyes off the road, nor did she offer any more information, and Ca.s.s gave up. At one intersection she watched as a man balanced a pole across his shoulders. From each end of the pole hung suspended two large-and presumably heavy, judging from the bend in the pole-packages. Musicians and vendors competed for attention, and Ca.s.s was certain the vendors were winning. One elderly woman in gray, loose-fitting clothing resembling decorative pajamas, held a large, orange bullhorn to her lips and was shouting into it to anyone who came near. Ca.s.s a.s.sumed she was hoping someone would buy the oranges piled in the cart beside her.
There were bicycles everywhere, two-wheeled and three-wheeled. Ca.s.s craned her neck to watch as a three-wheeled version, one wheel in back, two in front, creaked past. On board, in the cargo area up front, was a lime-green refrigerator and a woman. The woman caught Ca.s.s's eye and bowed her head in dignified, if silent, greeting as Laura pulled the van past and whipped them around the corner.
It was a blur of color, sound and smell. As they pa.s.sed one street, Ca.s.s saw a large crowd gathering around what looked to be an accident site. The normal volume of the street sounds was ratcheted up here, with men and women waving their arms, punctuating their words with sharp gestures. And over all of it lay the pervasive, stifling humidity.
It was hot.
Suffocatingly hot. Even at, Ca.s.s checked her watch, eight fifteen p.m., it was almost too hot to breathe.
Slowly the noise and chaos abated as they neared what was clearly a newer area of the city. Flashes of darkness flew past her window and Ca.s.s smelled bursts of green and damp. A park. A large one. More lights and sounds, but this time with a less frenetic feel, and then the van rolled to a stop before a well-lit building resembling an apartment complex.
Ca.s.s looked over at Laura, surprised to find her staring straight ahead, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her features, or what Ca.s.s could see of them in the growing darkness and in profile, were set, her expression hard. Ca.s.s cleared her throat softly, but no response. Perplexed, she tried again to catch Laura's attention, this time giving a soft cough and reaching out to touch the other woman's arm. Laura's response was far from what she expected.
Laura whipped her head around, her auburn curls flying. She flinched at Ca.s.s's touch, then physically recoiled.
Ca.s.s opened her mouth to speak but something stopped her. Something in Laura's eyes. For a moment, a long moment, Ca.s.s realized that Laura wasn't seeing her, Ca.s.s, but...something else. Or someone. Again, as it had in the airport, came that brief ache as she looked into Laura's sea-green eyes. The pain that swam there...lurked. It tugged at Ca.s.s. Again she tried to speak, but this time it was Laura who stopped her. In a flash, that brief window into her teammate was closed. Slammed shut. Instead Ca.s.s was met with a steely gaze that very clearly said, ”Back off.”
Recoiling from the sudden emptiness, Ca.s.s could only stutter, ”A-are you, okay?”
Laura started again, almost as if she was surprised to see Ca.s.s in the van with her. Her face cleared and the lines Ca.s.s had seen were replaced by the blank, almost indifferent look she'd worn earlier. ”Yes. Fine. Let's get going. I think there's enough light left for me to get out on the water.” Slamming the door behind her, Laura headed toward the building, leaving Ca.s.s inside the van, her mouth open.
”Uh, fine. Great.” Muttering to herself as she grabbed her duffel, Ca.s.s continued sarcastically to the empty van, ”No, don't bother, I've got it.” Now completely alone she continued, ”Oh, you're too kind, no really, I can manage.” This last was said to Laura's retreating back; the woman clearly had no intention of helping her, or even welcoming her to the squad. It's gotta be better inside, right?
Ca.s.s checked in with the security at the front desk and endured the paperwork and identification-check process to get her official credentials. She did stop and stare in wonder at the official plastic-encased identification tag the guard handed her. There it was, in neat black lettering on a white background. ”Ca.s.sandra Flynn, United States.” Just below her name were the five Olympic rings and despite her exhaustion she couldn't resist running her fingers slowly over first her name and then the rings.
The guard cleared his throat and Ca.s.s sheepishly ducked her head and shrugged. She glanced up to find him smiling back at her, his eyes sparkling with kindness. Ca.s.s thanked him again and reached down for her bag. She hung the badge from her neck and looked around in confusion. Laura was nowhere to be seen. Now dead-on-her-feet tired, she numbly followed the guard's directions to the elevators and prayed she could stay awake long enough to be coherent when she met the remainder of the team.
Chapter Eight.
Ca.s.s slept for nearly eight hours. She gradually came awake to the sound of m.u.f.fled conversation and soft laughter just outside her door. She was stiff, the kind of stiff that came from sleeping in one position for a long time. She rolled onto her back and began to stretch, slowly bringing circulation back to limbs that still felt leaden with fatigue. As she woke she took note of her room, taking in details she'd missed the night before. The ceiling looked closer than she expected and it took her a moment to remember that she was on the top bunk. With a loud sigh she extended her arms and arched her back, a soft groan escaping as she indulged in the stretch. The door to her room opened and a blond head peeked around the corner.
”Hey roomie, you're awake?”
”Um...yeah. Hey, Amy.”
Amy Lindquist, c.o.xswain of the eight-member crew, stepped all the way into the room and closed the door. Ca.s.s vaguely remembered being reintroduced to her the night-or was it day?-before. Ca.s.s's memories of her arrival in the village were hazy, but she had managed to exchange a few words with her roommate before she'd climbed up and into bed. Amy grinned up at her and plopped into a small plastic chair.
”I'm surprised you remember, you were pretty out of it when you got here. Long flight, eh?”
Ca.s.s nodded as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bunk. With a light grunt she pushed and dropped down onto the floor to continue her stretching. It felt good to be up and moving. Now that she was awake, however, her body was making it known that it had been neglected too long.
”Yeah. Excuse me a sec.” Ca.s.s ducked into the small bathroom, Amy's voice following her.
”I totally get it. We, the team I mean, we trained in j.a.pan for six weeks before coming here. When we landed there I was really wiped out. But that made the transition to here a lot easier. But man...that flight.”
Ca.s.s came out, wiping her face and swallowing the last taste of the toothpaste she'd just used. She felt almost human again. Next up on her agenda were food and meeting the team, hopefully in that order.
”So, what's on the schedule for the day? How much have I missed?” She glanced around then asked, ”What time is it?”
”It's just after two thirty in the morning.”
”Oh.” Ca.s.s sat on the lower bunk and stared at her roommate. ”Wow.”
Amy fished in her gym bag and pulled out a Power Bar. She tossed it to Ca.s.s, who tore into it eagerly. ”Here, this should hold you till morning. You were out. Coach came by after practice but you were already asleep. She told us to let you sleep it out and we'd get you hooked up with the team in the morning.”
”Thanks.” Ca.s.s waved the now empty wrapper at Amy. ”How come you're up? I mean, it is two thirty in the morning.”
Amy grinned again at her, her wide smile prompting Ca.s.s to smile in return. ”I ah, was out a bit later than I'd planned tonight. My guy's on the men's team and we had a late dinner.” Amy grabbed two bottles of water and tossed one to Ca.s.s who drank gratefully.
”Thanks, I hate long flights. I always get so thirsty.”
”Me too. Coach says to make sure we stay hydrated here.”
Ca.s.s nodded and stretched again, enjoying the flexibility of well-rested muscles. She extended her left leg and then bent it, aware as always of the increased tension along the scarred skin.
”Mind if I ask?” Amy gestured with her bottle of water to Ca.s.s's leg.
”No, I don't mind.” Ca.s.s took another long swallow of water. ”Me versus a pizza guy. I lost.” She flexed her leg again, pleased that despite the long flight she had no pain or stiffness.
”Ouch.”
”Yup.”
Amy studied her for a moment. ”That's why you were off the circuit last year.”
”Yeah. Long recovery.” Ca.s.s finished her bottle and looked for the trash, wondering how she could gracefully change the subject. She didn't want to focus on her leg anymore. She'd wasted enough time, lost enough time to a stupid accident. Now she just wanted to move forward. ”So, I guess tomorrow-”
The door to their room opened and a new face peeked in. She glanced from Amy to Ca.s.s and back again then turned and spoke to someone outside.