Rose and Deshica

  Chapter Two

  Getting to Draiman Deli was no problem since Rick had made the drive many times after becoming a Guardian. Half of the team now worked at the family-owned store along with Eve's twin sister Dawn and occasionally their mother Rose if she was having a good day. Chris was now working here because Rose's cancer had started to catch up to her and the sisters needed someone else to help with the day to day operations. Dawn was taking a break when Rick and Vanessa came through the door and it was obvious that this was a great time for Dawn to take her lunch because the store was having its mid-afternoon lull. Chris greeted his former roommate and his cousin as they came in, “What's up guys? Anything you need?”

  Rick pulled the gem out of hiding, “Actually C.D., we can use your help in identifying this.”

  Chris turned his eyes to his cousin, “Nessie, you know what I told you about doing something like this: you have to let the guy make the first move. It may the 'modern womanism' or whatever to propose to the guy and get him something to recognize the engagement but Rick needs to do this on his own. If he's going to do it right you have to actually let him do it.”

  Vanessa was about to argue with her cousin about the fact that she and Rick weren't even labeling themselves as dating or anything along those lines but Rick cut her off, “Seriously, we need you to see if you can tell us what this is. Found it out in Gail's yard while shoveling snow for her and it doesn't act like the usual rock would act. I'll tell you more after you look at it.”

  Vanessa watched intently to see if the gem pricked Chris while he took the gem but nothing happened to him. Chris held the gem within half a foot of his face to scrutinize it but he got nothing from it. Handing the gem back to Rick, Chris announced, “No idea what it is. It's not a rock or a mineral of any kind that I can tell you. Maybe it's alien or something and that's why I can't get a read on it. What'd it do anyways?”

  Rick looked over to Vanessa to see if she was going to answer but she remained silent. Rick decided that it would be better to show Chris than to tell him, so without warning Vanessa he moved the gem closer to her so Chris could see the needles suddenly protrude from it. Chris took the gem from Rick's hand for a second look at it, “Damn, that is some crazy stuff. I would have thought that it would have stabbed me if it was gonna do it to anybody but I guess I lucked out on this one. I wonder why it doesn't like you Nessie.”

  Vanessa looked at her hands, “I don't know. Gail and Mouse looked at it and Mouse didn't trust it any more than I do now.”

  Chris immediately put the gem on the counter after hearing that, “Last thing I need is to get cut while working with meat. Surprised that I haven't done that yet with all the blades I work with here but who knows?”

  Rick pointed at the gem, “Anything you can tell us about this at all? Just try a little harder. We want to know what would be able to do this, to act like it had a mind of its own.”

  Chris leaned on the counter and studied the gem, “All I can tell you is it is green. Call me smartass if you want because that much is obvious but that's all I can tell you. Mama Nature did not make this. Only suggestion I have is to check up with either Dice or Stonehenge because one of them might be able to give you a better idea about it. I just don't know anything about it. Sorry.”

  Rick pocketed the gem, “Thanks for trying. Haven't been able to get in touch with Stonehenge lately so I think we'll hit up Dice. Has Eve been talking to the big guy without telling the rest of us? I know that she's closer to him than the rest of us but it's not like him to just go off for this long without saying anything to us to let us know where he's going or how long he'll be gone.”

  Chris shrugged his shoulders, “If she has talked to him I don't know. I really don't think she has just because of Mama Draiman's health. I might be wrong but I don't think so. Anyhoo, when you find something out let me know. If it is actually nature-made I want to know why I can't figure it out.”