AAOOOSC! Rivalry!

A couple of hours later, the four power players of the NWHL are back in the meeting room with a second attempt to search for Auston’s location. Yet all the dead ends of the research have led to sitting around lazily, mindlessly going through websites that are not even close to their research.

Hilary has her feet on the desk, scrolling on a tablet; Emily is sitting upside down on her swivel chair, watching a video on her tablet; Nicole is sitting crisscrossed, swiping through pictures; Katie is slouched in her chair, typing one button at a time on her laptop.

“Hello, ladies,” a familiar, tender voice is heard from the doorway.

The four ladies perk up from their electronic devices and peer at the doorway.

Standing in the doorway is the owner of the voice: She is a tall lady with curly dark blond hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a blue sweat jacket and jeans with tennis shoes. This is Jessica Vetter, the goalie and power player of the Minnesota Whitecaps, an independent professional women’s hockey team.

Hilary’s eyes light up at the lady, immediately recognizing who she is. “Jessie!” She places her tablet on the table, stands up, and walks up to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Do you have time for a chat?” Jessica asks, her hands clasped in front of her.

“I’m too busy watching cat videos!” Emily cries out from the other side of her swivel chair’s backrest.

Jessica smiles at the chair where Emily’s feet are sticking out from, chuckling. “I think you have time.” She then saunters into the room and takes a seat at the end of the table.

Hilary retakes her seat as everyone else straightens themselves and turns off their electronic devices.

“What brought you here?” Hilary asks the visitor, her hands interlaced on the table.

“I heard what happened to the NWHL and CWHL.” Jessica places her hand on her chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks for your sympathy!” Nicole tells her happily.

“But I’m not here to cry with you guys,” the new goalie continues. “You guys know who did it, right?”

“Matthews,” the four ladies state dully in unison.

“Yes.” She nods her head. “Truth be told, it’s not the first time he did it.”

Hilary knits her eyebrows at her. “What do you mean?”

“He is capable of dissolving leagues.” She tilts her head. “How else did the Whitecaps become independent?”

Everyone’s eyes grow wide with sudden realization.

Then Jessica begins her story: “We were in the WWHL, Women’s Western Hockey League. A league of five, got up to seven at one point, but there was also the CWHL.

“Does the CWHL have to be in every problem?” Emily cuts in, rolling her eyes.

“Well, the WWHL and CWHL had a magnificent plan to merge for the 2011 through 2012 season,” Jessica answers matter-of-factly. “Yet…” She casts her eyes downward. “...it didn’t work.” She peers back at the others. “Our team got information that the CWHL was planning on sabotaging the race to the playoffs. So we stayed as our own league until it finally gave out in 2015, four years later.

“I didn’t know why, I didn’t know how, until Auston showed himself to me, the last power player standing. He told me that he gave my league that information to avoid merging with the CWHL. And since we were a lonely league with feeble support, we naturally gave out. It was all part of his plan and it worked out for him.”

Hilary appears aghast with her hands over her mouth. “Oh my goodness…”

“Do you know what would’ve prevented from the WWHL from falling out?” Jessica asks with sadness.

“Merging,” Nicole mutters.

The goalie nods her head at her. “That’s right.” She turns to the others. “If we would’ve merged with the CWHL, we could’ve been stronger with more teams and more power players and especially more fans. But with one little fault, that plan blew away and later on, our own league.”

Hilary shakes her head at her with a pitiful expression. “I’m so sorry.”

Jessica holds her palm out at her. “I’m not telling you this information for you to have pity on me. I am telling you this to get a lesson out of it.”

Emily leans over the table and slams her palms against it. “You should’ve merged with the NWHL!”

“The NWHL didn’t exist back then, Pfalzy,” Hilary tells her.

The small skater pulls away from the table. “Right.”

Jessica holds her index finger in the air. “Auston has one purpose: to destroy women’s hockey.” She points her finger at each lady, attentively gazing at them. “You guys and the CWHLers have one purpose: to save women’s hockey. With all of you having one purpose, there is no need to fight against each other.

“Instead, use that energy to merge together, to become united for one cause.” She clasps her hands together, mimicking the two power player societies coming together. “With that, your group becomes stronger with each ability you have and the number count alone. You two merged as one can defeat both of you guys separately. “

Hilary crazily waves her hands in front of her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa--” She drops them with an appalled expression. “So you’re saying that we join together with the CWHLers?”

Jessica nods her head. “Yes.”

“We can’t do that!” The Master holds her hand out to her left. “We don’t like each other! “

“Well, time to get along each other.” She interlaces her fingers on the table. “You have the same goal, right?”

“We should itemize the pros and cons of merging,” Katie suggests, reopening her laptop.

Emily holds a finger in the air. “Con number one: we’ll be stuck with the CWHLers.”

“Pros,” Jessica adds in: “you’ll be stronger, you have one goal, you’ll have more power and options of battling, and it’s one less worry since you don’t need to fight against them AND Matthews.”

Now with her glasses on, Katie stops her typing and nods at the laptop’s screen. “How about cons?” She peers at the others. “Legit cons?”

“The CWHLers might sabotage US,” Hilary snaps, pressing her fingers against her chest.

“That’s why you need to gain each other’s trust,” Jessica tells her. “That is extremely important to work efficiently. And it’d be pretty simple since all your careers are on the line and the goal is something you all are passionate for.”

The other three nod their heads with muttering.

Hilary nods her head at Jessica while processing what she just laid out. “You know what?” She slams her hand on the table. “I believe it’s worth a shot.” She turns to the other three. “The more we have against Auston working TOGETHER, the easier it’d be for us to defeat him.” She raises a fist in the air. “Besides, it’d be a curve ball for him.” She lowers her fist.

“And that’s exactly what Auston wants: division,” Jessica explains. “That’s why he kept the WWHL and CWHL separate: because we’re weaker and more vulnerable alone.”

Katie nods her head with growing understanding. “That makes a great deal of sense.”

Emily throws her fists in the air. “We HAVE to be strong.” She slams them flat on the table. “I’m IN!”

Nicole raises her hand in the air. “Same here!”

Katie pulls off her glasses, pointing them toward Jessica. “You have my agreement.”

Hilary nods her head with a small smile. “Great. We’ll talk to Julie about this right now.”

“That sounds good!” Jessica replies.

Nicole holds her hand in the air with her eyes on Jessica. “One question.”

Jessica turns to her. “Yeah?”

She uses her hand to point to her. “Will you be with us to fight against Auston?”

“Of course.” A warm smile appears on her face. “How could I miss out on an opportunity to save the sport I love the most?”

Notes