It had been a few hours since Rachael had been forced to close Modez Fashion early due to the leak. She had found Carly’s number shortly after she had arrived home. She was calling her to thank her for all of the hard work she had put in that morning to help her save her business. When she called the number there was no answer so she left a message.
She tried an hour or so later only to have the same result.
Maybe she had gone out it was a Saturday after all. As Rachael didn’t open the store on a Sunday, she had experimented with Sunday opening just after she had started the business but she found out quickly that it was costing her more to be open than she was making so she had decided against it. She thought that she might go out for a drink or two herself. She hated going out on her own and decided to call one of her friends to go out with. She again thought about Carly but she hadn’t answered when she had called her before she decided against it. She chose to call another friend instead.
Back in the store….
“Sister it is time for Celeste to announce the next Challenge,” Victoria told Carly as she came nearer.
“Already Sister It doesn’t seem that long since she set the last one,” Carly replied.
“She was giving you and Dalia a chance to speak before setting it,” Victoria said.
“We speak to each other but she did not want to listen to anything Sister. We should find out what the next challenge is.” Carly said as the two of them walked back to the center of the store.
“Sisters it is time for the next challenge unless our sisters have decided amongst themselves,” Celeste said as all of the sisterhood gathered together.
Carly tried to shake her head in a gesture to say that she and Dalia had not reached an agreement but found it very difficult to do so.
“We did talk sisters but we did not decide anything.” Dalia told the awaiting sisterhood. By speaking first she hoped it would make it seem as if Carly was being the stubborn one and not her.
“Then the challenges continue,” Celeste said.
“What is the next challenge sister?” Carly asked impatiently.
“The challenge of gracefulness,” Celeste announced.
Carly was the first of the assembled gathering to break the silence.
“Sister I do not know what that means.” She noticed for the first time the difference in how she sounded out loud against how she sounded in her own head but she had more pressing things to deal with.
“This challenge will be won by the true sister as she will be the one holding the most graceful pose. The soft body can not be as graceful as a true member of the sisterhood.” Celeste informed the group in front of her.
This was a challenge that Dalia had been hoping would be chosen as it was one she could lose without a worry especially considering how the former Human was now acting. Not long till she accepts her place within the sisterhood and I gain the place she vacates in the human world she thought as she walked back to the spot she had been using to gather her thoughts in. In reality, it was the place where she spoke to her outside support. The human who was helping, guiding her through the Rite of Exchange. The same rite that this friend had gone through herself when she had been one of the unchanging.
