Ever think of something that made you blush all the way down to your navel?

It was Halloween night. The Halloween of two thousand and fourteen. I was eight years old at the time. I was a pale, sickly little boy with long, raven hair. I weighed just under eighty pounds and was a shrimp when compared to the other boys my age. I was also astmatic and prone to coughing fits that lasted for several minutes. That Halloween still comes back to haunt me from time to time. 

Changing Roles
By Julie Dawn Cole
Chapter 21

Chapter 4

Sammy got his phone out and made his call.

“Inspector, we have a positive identification of James Norman as Jamie Murphy, brother of Jock Macready.” He listened for a few moments and then hung up.

“The Inspector says to thank you for that. We have James Norman on our radar as an associate of one of the Angels’ Chapters. I think that he may have a group of thieves who steal the goods and then the items are sent elsewhere for sale in pubs, or even on the internet.”

“That will be a good one, boss,” commented Arty.

Sunday morning was an insane marathon. My Aunt Cat was still a little hung over from the half bottle of wine she had tucked away last night at dinner. And Uncle Sidney looked like he had already Taken Holy Communion. Coffee was the first order of business. Strong, black coffee, thicker than oil and strong enough to take the paint off the side of the house. Then showers, I went first. I had to dash through the shower, dash through shaving my legs, dry off and blow dry my hair and remove the polish from my fingernails. I managed to do all of this in fifteen minutes flat.

Chapter 3

I walked back to the car and got in, pulling down the shade to check my teeth in the mirror. Frank looked at me and raised his eyebrow.

“I’m just checking that I’ve still got white teeth. That womans’ idea of a nice cup of tea would strip paint.”

He laughed as he pulled away from the kerb.

The meeting took place on a Friday I believe, the following day was Saturday. Uncle Sidney at this point seemed content to have me frolic around the house in a pair of skinny jeans and a t- shirt. He rarely said much to me anymore. Though from time to time I saw him peering out the window of his study or pacing up and down the concrete driveway. I was starting to see a different side of him. It was like a change had taken place deep inside of him. I knew when he discovered me wearing a old hand-me down dress, he had tried to scare me straight, the Bible having been his weapon of choice.

A permission slip is a problem.

Opening his eyes, Alexander gingerly sat up on the sofa. His back didn't hurt nearly as much as it had, but he still winced as his bruised and battered muscles let him know they weren't healed. He saw the teen named Dwayne, asleep in a large armchair, his head drooped forward. Muffled snoring came through the wall, that was probably Samantha. He felt Dela deeply asleep in his head.

Breakfast that morning was pan fried turkey bacon, fried eggs sunny side up, and a toasted English muffin with a bit of butter on it to make it palatable. The meal was served with a cup of coffee, strong, black coffee, unsweetened with cream, sugar or milk. I call it dishwater in a cup. My Aunt Cat said however that this was a breakfast befitting a 'Woman' of my class and breeding and that a 'Southern Belle' should always be mindful of the size of her waist. 

She shook her head and grinned at me. “Do you get hate mail?” she asked looking serious.

A gong woke us up for our first breakfast at Doom Valley Prep School. Today was the day we'd meet the older students, see the school and pick our classes, I was dreading every minute of it. While Ella stepped into her closet and came out wearing the blue school dress, I came out in my padded armour. After seeing how bad the freshmen were, I didn't want to even think what the older students were like and had to be ready for anything.

Keir pored over a paper that explained what little was known about the demons biology. Mostly it told how to kill the various types. A large pile of similar papers sat on the small desk of his room. He had sent his living maids to their small ensuite sleeping quarters, leaving only Hanina silently massaging his shoulders, as company.