Well we are back. Updates may have longer wait times because, as is mentioned briefly in this chapter, I have a job now. So I apologize .
Don't worry about it.
Thanks Brenna ^^ Anyhow, Chris is to thank for this chapter as it was his original idea. So thanks to him too.
WIN!!!
Without further ado (and hopefully no more silly comments), on with chapter five!
October 29, 2009
A large, one level building made of white stone appeared into view as the group rounded a street corner. Stamped across one of the facts of the building were the words 'Carling Heights Arena.' Chris marched along in front, hands tucked into his jacket pockets and a huge smile on his face to which Brenna appeared suitably wary of. She looked at the building with a skeptical eye and shared a worried glance with Shawnee.
"Why did you agree to this?" Shawnee shrugged to her friend's question.
"I have absolutely no idea." Aramis raised an eyebrow to her.
"You are the leader of this mess and you have not the slightest clue as to why you agreed to his scheme?"
"Pretty much. Have a problem with that old priest?" Said priest looked away with a disgusted sound and Alexiss giggled to herself.
They walked in and the musketeers found their arms wrapped around themselves and shivering. The building was cold as the winter season and their breath floated before them in small puffs. Chris walked up to the desk where a man sat behind it and he looked up with a bored stare.
"Can I help you?"
"I booked one of the ice rinks for a couple of hours." Chris said, handing over a piece of paper. The man took it from him and punched something in a computer.
"Alright. Rink A is the one you booked." Chris nodded and the man said nothing more, silently sending his on his way.
"Chris, why did you book an ice rink?" Jordan asked, perplexed. Chris shrugged and said "I was bored." Athos glared at the tall teen.
"Perhaps next time, when you are bored, you will choose a place that is a lot less cold!" The other three nodded in agreement and Chris walked through a door to the left that opened into a larger area surrounded by tall plexi-glass panes attached to a border set around a large frozen space.
"There is ice inside this building?" Porthos asked, pressing his cold fingers against the glass. Joey laughed.
"Well what did you think there was in an ice rink?" He quipped. Shawnee glanced around in confusion.
"Hey where did Chris vanish to?" There was a sudden loud smack and Porthos turned back to the glass only to gave a small, uncharacteristic start. Chris was there on the other side with his face pressed against the glass in a contorted expression. He waved and pulled himself off, running in place for a moment with his shoes before sliding down to the other end of the rink. Brenna ran around the side, waving for the others to follow, and came to a spot where the wall opened into a door. She gripped the edge of the wall tightly under her fingers and stepped on to the ice, balancing herself on her sneakers.
She pushed off from the wall and slid a short distance away before shuffling her feet and moving in a circle on the ice. Jordan pushed past the musketeers who were crowding the doorway and made no hesitation as he bolted out on to the slippery surface with ease.
"What the devil are you children doing?" D'Artagnan called as the three of them slipped and slid and raced around. Shawnee rested her folded arms on the barrier and watched silently with Alexiss as she laughed boisterously when Joey climbed on the ice and promptly fell, tripping Jordan and sending him sprawling as he passed.
"A little thing called skating gentlemen. Normally we'd have special shoes to do this but right now, who cares?" Aramis looked at her slyly.
"Then why are you not skating?" Shawnee blushed and looked down, twiddling her fingers.
"Can't skate." She murmured. Alexiss squeezed her in a hug and Shawnee patted her head awkwardly until she let go. Chris made a running start and upon reaching the middle of the rink dropped onto his butt and with a happy cry, slid along with wild abandon until there was another smack as he collided with the wall once more.
"Chris, are you alright?!" Shawnee yelled, leaning over the wall precariously. Chris stretched his hands up with thumbs up to everyone and they could hear him laughing. Porthos frowned and put a foot on the ice.
"If he can do this skating thing then so can I." He gave in reasoning to the surprised looks of his friends. He held on to the wall and then when he thought himself steady, let go. He took a step and dropped immediately to the ground with the laughter of the others ringing out.
"Porthos you can't walk on it!" Brenna shouted between giggles. "You have to glide!" She demonstrated with almost noble grace and stopped in the center of the ice to give them all a dignified bow and straightened up with a smirk. Shawnee shook her head with a smile.
"Easy does it noble girl." She catcalled. "Don't let your ego get ahead of you now." Brenna stuck out her tongue and gestured for Porthos to try and stand. He reached up and took hold of the wall to pull himself upright then let go again. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, forcing them not to rise, and glide stiffly across to her. His arms were thrown out wide like a tightrope walker and Brenna grabbed hold of his hands to stop him.
"See? It's easy!" Chris had finally gotten up from his collision with the wall and had made his way over.
"Race you old man!" Porthos's eyes went wide with indignation.
"Old man? How dare you!" He protested. The pair went to the other end and Brenna and Jordan moved to the side warily. As the two males slide down to the other end of the rink, Brenna leaned against the wall besides Shawnee and smiled.
"You coming out or no?"
"No." Brenna frowned and pulled on her hand, leading her towards the door.
"Why not?"
"I can't skate."
"I'll teach you." Shawnee set a foot on the ice unknowingly. Brenna pulled a little harder.
"Come on! It'll be fun!" The girl led her friend away from the wall and to the other side. Shawnee looked back, suddenly realizing where she was.
"You tricked me!" Brenna nodded with a bright smile and laughed as Shawnee tried to cuff her about the head but overcompensated and fell flat on her face. She glared up at the taller girl and remained lying upon the ice, folding her arms and pouting.
"Aramis! You're next!" Brenna called over. Alexiss laughed as the priest's face paled slightly and he looked at the ice shiftily.
"Don't worry Aramis." She soothed. "The evil ice won't kill you." He spun to face the short girl with wide eyes.
"Evil ice?!"
"Alexiss! Stop scaring them and let them find out for themselves!" Shawnee yelled from the cold, wet flooring. Jordan came over and began to taunt him, backing away from the wall whenever Aramis tried to swipe at him.
"You have to come on the ice to get me." Aramis made a low sound in his throat and glared at the ice as he stood in the doorway. He tentatively placed his feet and as soon as he believed himself steady, he took off after Jordan. There was another crack as Porthos and Chris hit the wall back the way they'd come and laughing as Shawnee dug her nails into Brenna's arm as she tried to keep her feet under her.
D'Artagnan and Athos remained with Alexiss behind the wall, watching as everyone enjoyed the slippery cold surface. Joey skidded to a stop before the two girls and muttered something quickly, waving over to the three of them. D'Artagnan frowned, narrowing his eyes in suspicion when he saw the two of them look their way then begin to whisper.
"Athos, I believe those girls are plotting something." He stated quietly. Athos looked up and upon seeing them, he nodded.
"Yes they are. Most likely how to get us on to the ice to try this 'skating.'" He said grimly, pulling out his pocket watch to check the time. He gave a small start when he looked up to see Joey was standing in front of them with a large grin.
"You guys coming out here or what?" The two musketeers shared a look then glared at him.
"No." They said simultaneously. Joey raised an eyebrow at Alexiss who shrugged.
"Ask the Captain." She said, pointing over to Shawnee who was watching with an amused smile. D'Artagnan tapped his fingers on his crossed arms thoughtfully, watching as she gestured and whispered to Joey and Brenna. Chris came over, followed by Porthos, Jordan, and Aramis but she shooed them away. Joey returned and waved for Alexiss to go to the where the open area ended on that side of the wall. He had her lean over the wall and whispered quickly in her ear to which she nodded with a giggle and a smile.
"Hey there!" She skipped back over, giving the two men a bright smile. Athos watched her warily, keeping an eye on Joey as well who had followed her back over and was standing by the open wall door.
"Yes?"
"How would you like to go for a walk?"
"To where?" D'Artagnan asked. Alexiss smiled and, grabbing their arms, turned them towards the ice with a feat of strength that would be considered unusual for such a small girl. They blinked in confusion then realization as they tried to pull away. She gave them a hard shove, causing them to stumble and trip over the lip of the step. Joey pulled their sleeves and dragged them the rest of the way on as Alexiss slammed shut the door. Athos leaned back, bracing himself with a hand behind him and another stuck out in front, legs spread apart with a look of particular discomfort. D'Artagnan had leaned forward, his legs almost going into a split and hands pressed hard flat against the chilly floor. He craned his neck around his arm to look at Athos, an expression of pain across his own features.
"Isn't this fun guys?" Shawnee asked, leaning down to look the musketeer Captain in the eye. She was given a vicious glare in return, promising great pain if he ever was able to walk again after being stuck in that position. Brenna smiled at Athos whose mouth twitched as he bit his tongue and focused on remaining standing.
Chris winked at Jordan and began to glide towards the two men, picking up speed. Shawnee looked up and paled. "Chris stop!" She yelled. He didn't listen and kept coming. She wrapped her arms around D'Artagnan and dropped both of them to the ground. Brenna tackled Athos and they slid across the ice like penguins. Chris skidded his feet, flailing his arms and feet.
"Whoa whoa whoa!!" He cried as he slammed into another wall leading into an open area. His body remained stuck to the door as it swung open and after a few seconds delay, he flopped back on the ground with a groan.
"Chris!" The girls yelled as they left the musketeer's sides to check on him. He sat up and laughed. "Do it again!"
"Chris, you're an idiot." Shawnee said fondly, cuffing him around the head. The two of them made their way back on the ice and Chris went to follow when he looked back and smiled. A door sat a little way around the corner with a metal label upon it saying "Storage."
D'Artagnan and Athos held each other's arms and held themselves upright; taking small shuffling steps as they tried to get off the ice but every time they came close, one of the girls grabbed them and pulled them back out again.
"Why must you make us do this?!" D'Artagnan yelled in a cry of long suffering. His nerves seemed a bit frazzled from the constant falls and his hair was a mess from him pulling on it in agitation. Athos growled angrily, frustrated also since every time his friend went down, he was following right behind him. And because of this circumstance, he would most likely not be sitting too well for the night.
Aramis and Porthos watched all of this without offering to aide, finding their lack of skill on frozen water humourous while they had adapted to it. Shawnee and Brenna circled the two men, sometimes finding themselves either faceplanted upon the ground or on their butts. Although they were unable to prove whether the men had anything to do with these little "mistakes" even though they continuously denied it.
Joey chased Jordan around, sometimes catching him and trapping him in a headlock which he squirmed and brought both of them down then made his escape and it would start all over again while Alexiss bounced and clapped and laughed at every mistake.
"Hey there!" A voice called suddenly. Everyone stopped and turned to see Chris finally emerge from the storage area dressed in a strange get-up. He had on a hockey helmet, a pair of gloves tucked beneath one arm, and carrying an abundance of sticks under his other. He stepped out onto the ice and gestured for everyone to come closer.
"Gentlemen, arm yourselves!" He said as he threw each musketeer a stick. D'Artagnan dropped upon catching his, his face flushing with embarrassment as the other three laughed at his expense. The teens all picked up a stick but to make the teams even, Joey retreated to join Alexiss on the sidelines to keep score.
"Jordan, Shawnee, grab the nets will ya? I left just inside the door." The pair slid to where he'd said and found a pair of hockey nets waiting for them. They dragged one out at a time and set it up in proper place.
"Alright guys! The object of the game is to shoot this:" Here he held up a puck. "Into your opponent's goal using only this." Here he raised the stick and dropped the puck to bat around the thick plastic circle with the scooped wooden curve. Aramis rubbed his chin thoughtfully, watching every move critically. Athos and D'Artagnan watched annoyed boredom and Porthos looked on with excitement.
"You four will play as a team." Jordan waved to the far end of the ice. "And we'll be your opponents. First one to five goals wins." The musketeers nodded and slipped and slid across to the other side with an almost weary gait.
"This should be easy." Brenna said, standing in the right wing forward position. Jordan took up guarding the net with Chris acting as defence. Shawnee took the forward position and waited as the men made their decisions after watching them choose.
Surprisingly, Aramis came up to face off against Shawnee while Athos remained back as a wingman with Porthos in net and D'Artagnan on defence. Joey came out from the side and caught the puck with his foot as Chris shot it over to him. He dropped it and Shawnee stole it immediately, Aramis spinning around in a bit of surprise. Brenna followed her and when she'd passed behind Athos, who had focused more on Shawnee, her friend sent the puck her way. Brenna slapped it hard with the stick and sent it flying between both D'Artagnan's and Porthos's legs.
"Goal!" Joey and Alexiss yelled happily. Aramis growled as Shawnee passed him with a large victorious smirk.
'This... means war!'
Time passed quickly and goals were scored in numerous ways. Athos got one in on Jordan with Aramis's assistance, having been tripped by his teammate and with his stick, accidently flicked it into the top right corner over Jordan's shoulder. Shawnee lost the puck on another one to D'Artagnan but Chris swiped it back when it was passed to Aramis and made a shot from center ice and scored.
The ending result of the time spent on the rink was a win for Montcalm. The musketeers seemed sweaty, tired, beaten (due to their opponents getting a little too into the game and doing some body checking.), but in all, they seemed pleased. The two teams shook hands to the two person applause and left the rink after all struggled to clean up the equipment they had borrowed.
As they stepped outside, revelling in the chill autumn air, Shawnee caught a glance at her watch's face. Her face paled and she threw her courier bag to D'Artagnan with a quick apology and began to run, wallet in hand. "Where are you going?" He called.
"Work! I have to leave now if I want to make on time!" Brenna shook her head as Shawnee rounded the corner to head back up to the bus stop.
"Joey, you're heading past her place aren't you?" When he nodded, she continued. "Then would you mind taking him back there? She seems to have forgotten that."
"Sure no problem." The group marched as one up the street to the corner where they then spilt up with Brenna, Athos, Chris, and Porthos heading down the street and Jordan, Aramis, Joey, D'Artagnan, and Alexiss going the same way Shawnee had. They saw her still running up the inclining street until she turned past the church on the corner and vanished. A bus passed five minutes later.
When D'Artagnan was dropped off at Shawnee's home, he stood on the porch in confusion. He did not have keys and he was standing out there, getting chills from the cooling sweat on his back, and holding a courier bag heavily laden with books.
"What the devil am I supposed to do with this?!"
And with that, it's done already.
HOCKEY WIN!
Yes Chris... It is a win moment. Thanks go out to our only reviewer Kimyco. Come on guys! Reviews are not that hard to write!
See you next time!