The Competition
"What happened?" Duo frowned as the group took seats in the back of the room.
"I'm not sure... we just went over time," Jess said quietly. Some of them went to another room to watch some of the other teams.
"How? You guys had it perfect at Regionals." Jess shook her head.
"I could feel it about halfway through," she said. "It just didn't feel like us when we were up there."
"You didn't sound like yourself," Duo said. "You seemed scared."
"Me? or the group?"
"You." Jess sighed.
"I guess I was."
"We would like to welcome the next SIFE team," the room coordinator announced. The next team entered the room. Jess went to another room after the team was done to watch the World Cup Champions from two years ago, La Sierra University. Duo had gone back to the first room when he saw how crowded La Sierra was. It was standing room only, and he didn't want to get knocked over. Still unsteady on his crutches, Duo was nervous about falling.
As it was, they'd had to find an elevator for him in the building because the only other way up was an escalator again. Duo was really beginning to hate escalators.
Of course, getting him back and forth from the hotel and the convention center was getting to be another test in his balance. The hotel was on a steep hill and going down was rather precarious... even for someone not on crutches. Elsa had almost fallen the night before when they were returning from the opening ceremonies. Duo wasn't much better off. In fact, he was probably worse off for it.
Either way, when the competitions were done for the night, the group made their way back to the hotel and had a late night in the restaurant downstairs. They talked and drank and ate... and avoided mentioning the five tornadoes that were circling the city.
"Vultures, I tell you," Jess said. "They're circling like vultures."
"I remember a tornado..." Jill said. "We were in Florida. I threw myself on top of my daughter as the windows blew out all around the house."
"I've been in one," Walter added. "It gets really still right before it happens." Jess shuddered.
"I don't like the idea of them... I really don't," she said. "I don't mind thunderstorms anymore, and I'll even go outside and watch that incredible lightening streaking down from the sky like we saw earlier, but..." She shook her head. "I don't like tornadoes. They actually scare me."
"That and fires, right?" Duo asked.
"Fires... facinate and frighten me at the same time," Jess said. "I like watching them, but I want to know where it is. If I'm home sleeping and there's the chance that I might not wake up before it gets me... that scares me." She shook her head. "It took me a while to get past having my car burn to nothing when I was driving home from school several years ago." Mia's eyes widened.
"You never told us that," she said.
"I had bad car accident," Marta said. "Last year... They were surprised I survived. It's why I wanted to travel day before. My leg hurt a lot when we finally got here." Duo sort of made a face, but jumped in his chair a bit when Jess poked him.
"Well, I'm done," Patrice said at that point. Everyone had their fill of drinks and everything else by that poing. "I think I'll head up to the room." With that, everyone seemed to agree.
Everyone except Jess. She stayed in the bar downstairs, watching the weather channel.
"You can go to bed, you know," Quatre said. "I'm sure someone will come up and wake everyone if things get bad."
"I guess..." Jess watched as the red line across the bottom scrolled an update on locations across the screen. "I'm a heavy sleeper, though..." The TV began beeping again with the Emergency Broadcast signal. Quatre put his hand on her shoulder.
"Come outside... Jill, Julie, and Walter are out there." They walked outside. The small group was talking tornadoes as a streak of lightening came down outside town, right between the buildings. Jess shuddered again. Two other SIFE students from another school were also out there.
"Where are you guys from?" the one girl asked.
"New York," Julie said. "We're not used to this kind of weather." The group laughed.
"Neither are we. We're from North Dakota." Jess looked up as another streak made itself known across the sky.
"You know," she said, "I wouldn't normally look up standing on a city street like this." Walter laughed.
"Yeah, in New York, that's the mark of a tourist," he said. The two other girls laughed.
"Of course, it probably is here, too... like any large city... but there's no one around to notice that I'm looking up," Jess said. "I guess it doesn't matter much."
"It's really deserted here," Jill said. "And I don't think it's just the weather."
"No," Walter said. "It's hard to believe how quiet it is here."
"Even the Plaza was less crowded than I thought it would have been on a Sunday," Jess commented. "I mean... I really do feel like I'm up in Buffalo again. We had enough time to stand in the middle of the street up there and snap a picture without interruptions."
"What time?"
"It was like noon."
"Now that's deserted," Walter said with a laugh.
Eventually, the group broke up. Jess was still nervous about going back to her room. They were on the 16th floor, and she felt like she wouldn't wake up if someone pounded on the door to evacuate.
"I'm sure Kathie'll hear it," Walter said reassuringly. "She'll get you guys up." Jess nodded.
"Yeah... I hope so."
"I'm not sure... we just went over time," Jess said quietly. Some of them went to another room to watch some of the other teams.
"How? You guys had it perfect at Regionals." Jess shook her head.
"I could feel it about halfway through," she said. "It just didn't feel like us when we were up there."
"You didn't sound like yourself," Duo said. "You seemed scared."
"Me? or the group?"
"You." Jess sighed.
"I guess I was."
"We would like to welcome the next SIFE team," the room coordinator announced. The next team entered the room. Jess went to another room after the team was done to watch the World Cup Champions from two years ago, La Sierra University. Duo had gone back to the first room when he saw how crowded La Sierra was. It was standing room only, and he didn't want to get knocked over. Still unsteady on his crutches, Duo was nervous about falling.
As it was, they'd had to find an elevator for him in the building because the only other way up was an escalator again. Duo was really beginning to hate escalators.
Of course, getting him back and forth from the hotel and the convention center was getting to be another test in his balance. The hotel was on a steep hill and going down was rather precarious... even for someone not on crutches. Elsa had almost fallen the night before when they were returning from the opening ceremonies. Duo wasn't much better off. In fact, he was probably worse off for it.
Either way, when the competitions were done for the night, the group made their way back to the hotel and had a late night in the restaurant downstairs. They talked and drank and ate... and avoided mentioning the five tornadoes that were circling the city.
"Vultures, I tell you," Jess said. "They're circling like vultures."
"I remember a tornado..." Jill said. "We were in Florida. I threw myself on top of my daughter as the windows blew out all around the house."
"I've been in one," Walter added. "It gets really still right before it happens." Jess shuddered.
"I don't like the idea of them... I really don't," she said. "I don't mind thunderstorms anymore, and I'll even go outside and watch that incredible lightening streaking down from the sky like we saw earlier, but..." She shook her head. "I don't like tornadoes. They actually scare me."
"That and fires, right?" Duo asked.
"Fires... facinate and frighten me at the same time," Jess said. "I like watching them, but I want to know where it is. If I'm home sleeping and there's the chance that I might not wake up before it gets me... that scares me." She shook her head. "It took me a while to get past having my car burn to nothing when I was driving home from school several years ago." Mia's eyes widened.
"You never told us that," she said.
"I had bad car accident," Marta said. "Last year... They were surprised I survived. It's why I wanted to travel day before. My leg hurt a lot when we finally got here." Duo sort of made a face, but jumped in his chair a bit when Jess poked him.
"Well, I'm done," Patrice said at that point. Everyone had their fill of drinks and everything else by that poing. "I think I'll head up to the room." With that, everyone seemed to agree.
Everyone except Jess. She stayed in the bar downstairs, watching the weather channel.
"You can go to bed, you know," Quatre said. "I'm sure someone will come up and wake everyone if things get bad."
"I guess..." Jess watched as the red line across the bottom scrolled an update on locations across the screen. "I'm a heavy sleeper, though..." The TV began beeping again with the Emergency Broadcast signal. Quatre put his hand on her shoulder.
"Come outside... Jill, Julie, and Walter are out there." They walked outside. The small group was talking tornadoes as a streak of lightening came down outside town, right between the buildings. Jess shuddered again. Two other SIFE students from another school were also out there.
"Where are you guys from?" the one girl asked.
"New York," Julie said. "We're not used to this kind of weather." The group laughed.
"Neither are we. We're from North Dakota." Jess looked up as another streak made itself known across the sky.
"You know," she said, "I wouldn't normally look up standing on a city street like this." Walter laughed.
"Yeah, in New York, that's the mark of a tourist," he said. The two other girls laughed.
"Of course, it probably is here, too... like any large city... but there's no one around to notice that I'm looking up," Jess said. "I guess it doesn't matter much."
"It's really deserted here," Jill said. "And I don't think it's just the weather."
"No," Walter said. "It's hard to believe how quiet it is here."
"Even the Plaza was less crowded than I thought it would have been on a Sunday," Jess commented. "I mean... I really do feel like I'm up in Buffalo again. We had enough time to stand in the middle of the street up there and snap a picture without interruptions."
"What time?"
"It was like noon."
"Now that's deserted," Walter said with a laugh.
Eventually, the group broke up. Jess was still nervous about going back to her room. They were on the 16th floor, and she felt like she wouldn't wake up if someone pounded on the door to evacuate.
"I'm sure Kathie'll hear it," Walter said reassuringly. "She'll get you guys up." Jess nodded.
"Yeah... I hope so."
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