FOUR

At breakfast the next morning everyone was still laughing over Earl and Georges moving of Cristy.
"I'm supposed to be the crazy one" Joan told them with a smile.
This brought a wave of laughter from everyone but Cristy.
"What am I missing? she asked.
This sent everyone into further hysterics.
After everyone calmed down Ann filled an amazed Cristy in on Joan’s early life.
"I can't believe I'm sharing breakfast with Joan of Arc" Cristy finally said.
Later that morning Cristy sat quietly alone on the poolside patio at Ann and Amy's house. Her mind was still coming to terms with first meeting George and learning there were other people like her and the shock of being reunited with Amy and Ann.
The French doors leading into the study were open and she could hear Earl spinning a tale of how he had once saved a damsel in distress from a dragon in China.
"Earl! You should be ashamed of yourself for telling a tale like that" she heard Kate say.
"I'm sorry Sister, I won't do it again" Earl replied.
"Everyone knows that damsels don't exist" Kate then said to everyone’s laughter.
Kate then came outside and sat beside Cristy. Her head was uncovered and she was dressed in a light blue habit. They sat together in silence for a while and then Kate spoke.
"It can be a bit overwhelming at times" she said softly.
" How did you learn you were different?" Cristy asked her.
Kate told her that she had been in a convent in Belgium when the Germans invaded at the start of WWII.
" I was at a nearby refugee camp when several SS soldiers arrived and seized several teens. They stood them up against the wall and I ran over and stood between them and the soldiers. One of the soldiers shot me and I fell down. I got up and all of them emptied their machine guns into me. When I got back up unharmed they were afraid and ran away. The only evidence I had been shot were the holes in the front and back of my habit. The boys who had been arrested ran away also."
"Did anyone else see what happened?" asked Cristy.
"Almost everyone there, several of my fellow Sisters and our Mother Superior saw what happened" replied Kate. "Everyone was too frightened to say anything."
"Later in the war" Kate went on, "I would go out in the midst of the fighting and help the wounded. Almost everyone who saw me thought I was a hallucination. On several occasions I returned to the convent with my clothing shot into tatters. All of my fellow sisters were afraid and wouldn't speak to me. I left when the fighting was over and traveled around Europe, helping where I could. I later learned that my Mother Superior had reported the incidents to Rome. The Vatican did an investigation and I was later quietly named a Saint. The Church supports me and keeps my gift a secret. Only the Pope has access to the file on me."
"That's amazing" Cristy told her as they sat together.
"You haven't heard anyone else's stories " smiled Kate. “They make mine sound boring."
"I met Earl during the war" Kate continued. "He was a combat correspondent and witnessed my being struck with bullets and remaining unharmed while tending the wounded. He introduced himself and told me about his self and the others like us." A year later I was able to meet Joan, Samantha and George in Scotland. We've been family ever since."
"Are you still a practicing nun?" Cristy then asked her.
"I am" Kate replied "I'm sort of a free agent though. I spend much of my time managing relief operations and charitable organizations."
Joan came and joined them, she handed Cristy a drink then sat beside her.
"Feeling a little culture shocked?" she asked with a smile.
"Now that's the understatement of the year" replied Cristy with a laugh.
"I'll let you two talk by yourselves" Kate said as she stood up.
"During times like these" said Joan, "I think of a line from the movie Animal House- 'My advice to you, start drinking heavily!' "
Both of them laughed heartily and when they calmed down Joan told how she learned she was different.
"Several years after I had the visions I was with the army at the siege of Orleans" Joan said. "We had a brief skirmish outside the walls and I was sitting on my horse catching my breath. One of the Knights rode up to me and said he'd sent for the surgeon. I told him I was not hurt, then realized from the expression on his face that I was. I looked down and there was a bolt buried in my thigh and an arrow embedded so deeply in my chest the head was protruding from my back. I knew then I was going to die and I grew angry at what had happened. I then reached down and ripped the bolt from my leg and snapped the arrow off behind my back. I pulled it from my chest and felt lightheaded. One of the knights helped me from my horse and I lay back on the ground. I never felt any pain and when the surgeon arrived he could find no marks on me. He got angry at having his time wasted and stormed off. I then got back on my horse as if nothing had happened. Only a handful of soldiers had seen what happened, they said it was a miracle and never spoke of it to anyone."
"What happened when you were burned at the stake?" Cristy asked her.
Joan sat quietly for a moment and Cristy sensed it was difficult for her to talk about.
"I never felt any pain or received any injury from the fire" she spoke softly. My clothes and the cord binding me to the post burnt away. After nearly fifteen minutes had passed I realized I was alive and unharmed. I stepped out of the flames and walked through the silent crowd, they parted and let me pass. After taking some clothing from a nearby inn I walked out of town. The next day I was meet by a company of monks and their Abbot. They were returning to England from a pilgrimage to Notre Dame. They had seen what had happened the day before and thought it a miracle. The Abbot invited me to accompany them to England and I went with them. It was several months before I really accepted the fact I was still alive."
While Joan had been speaking Amy had joined them and sat listening.

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Cheers, Jesse Ward.