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feeling the coolness of the simple glass hardware beneath her fingers. A twinge of apprehension fluttered in her stomach. Opening the door, she stepped into an expansive room, furnishings, walls and carpet all gleaming white. Iridescent white lights beamed down from the ceiling, illuminating the large space.
    “Please come in.” A polished, elegant voice sounded from a polished, elegant woman, also dressed in white, behind a massive polished alabaster desk. She had a stunning natural beauty and wore no jewelry, with only a modest amount of makeup powdering her glowing complexion. Her pitch-dark hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck, a stark contrast to her attire and the rest of the room’s furnishings
    Kathryn fought the urge to curtsey to Her Royal Whiteness.
    “My name is Mary. Please have a seat,” she said in a soft voice.
    “Thank you.” Kathryn slipped into a chair directly in front of the large white desk. “I’m Kathryn.”
    “Yes.” The beautiful woman brushed an elegant finger on an electronic touchpad inserted seamlessly into the top of her desk.
    “Let’s see.” Mary moved screens across the pad. “I see you completed the Q & A with Albert, and…” her voice trailed off. “You’ve met with Maggie, correct”
    “Correct.” Kathryn swallowed hard when Mary raised her eyes.
    “Veils of Self-Deception,” Mary started. “How did that go?”
    “Fine,” Kathryn lied.
    Mary dropped her eyes to the touch screen. “And the Energy Centers procedure? Completed?”
    “The colored elevator button thing?”
    Mary studied Kathryn. “Yes, the colored elevator…thing.”
    “I got four out of seven,” Kathryn announced, her chest puffed outward. Not bad .
    “Four out of seven.” Mary made a notation on the touch screen.
    Kathryn held her breath. Wrong answer?
    Mary cleared her throat. “You seem nervous.”
    “No, not at all,” Kathryn said. “Well…yes.
    “I understand,” Mary said, “Why don’t you close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
    Kathryn did as she was instructed, sucked in a quick gulp of air and blew out, squeezing her eyes tighter.
    “My dear, that was not a deep breath.” Mary’s voice flowed like Musak. “Try again. Allow your body and mind to open.”
    Kathryn prickled at the order, but remembered Ruth’s warning about listening. She closed her eyes and inhaled, shaking her hands out of their balled fists.
    “Keep going,” Mary instructed. “Three, four, five, six. Now exhale slowly.”
    “Whoa,” Kathryn felt the room spin, causing her eyes to fly open.
    “Strange sensation, I know,” Mary said, “Once more.”
    Following Mary’s instructions, Kathryn gripped the arms of her chair for balance.
    “Very well. You may open your eyes.” The woman wrote additional notes on the touchpad. “This completes your initial screening.”
    Kathryn released an audible sigh. “Did I pass?”
    “Let’s just say you didn’t fail.” Mary ran a slender finger down the electronic pad. “Now, let’s see,” she said. “About your name.”
    “My name? It’s Kathryn.”
    “Well. Yes, dear.” Mary raised her eyes. “That was your Earth name. Your Celestial name is,” she paused, “Quinlan. Quite lovely, I should think.”
    “Quinlan?”
    “According to the records, yes.” Mary reached across the desk and pushed a button on a white monitor.
    “Ruby, would you come in, please?”             
    Through a side door a woman entered wearing a black button-down shirt, black cargo pants, red Keds and a blue vest with the word “Peace” hand-written on the front pocket. Blue tinted sunglasses held her limp shoulder-length hair away from her face. She had a rock-solid stocky build and posed a strong contrast to Mary’s all-whiteness.
    “Ruby, this is Quinlan. She recently joined us and will be your new assignment.” Mary paused. “Quinlan, this is Ruby.”
    Quinlan placed her hand in the chubby extended one and winced at Ruby’s