-20-
Oliver Blackthorn

Aureo has to get out of town. Fast and by any means.
Hiring on to the Neville Express - a thousand-wagon-long train - gives him the chance to start his life anew.
In more ways than he expects.

Nana Bev locates Jamie and begins to track her from their spaceship 'Digger'. Now the military become involved because of Jamie's high status value as a donor.

Part 9

When we got back to the table and sat down we were quizzed by Annette on how we knew Mrs. Butcher, and I said that it had been in a professional capacity in an earlier life.

Annette wanted to know what my profession was and I just said, “Drunkard, but I’m over that now.”

We found out that Mr. Butcher was the Chairman of the Industry Board and the Head of the Building Approvals on the local council. He and his wife were the main organisers of this event and we were told that if we were going to help out everyone was happy with that.

Changing Roles
By Julie Dawn Cole
Chapter 5

‘Now then Jules let me look at you please. They made a good job of the uniform don’t you agree? Turn around please let me see you from the back. I hope you like it. It looks snug and comfortable. No bumps or VPL to be seen. I don’t think you need to bother changing the trousers to a men’s cut. I recommend you keep that style and fit.’

High school begins for Luke and his friends -- and fourth grade begins for Ruth.

Coincidence, Luck or Fate?

The Fates of the ancient Greeks plotted and wove the threads of mankind. The Furies dealt with the tangles caused by the choices of those mere mortals. [Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos; Tisiphone, Alecto, Megaera]. You meddle with Fate and Fury alike at the risk of them noticing you. That’s a real risk.

“Have you ever talked to someone who really understands what it is like to be the real you?” asked Maxine when I had recovered at least a bit of my composure.

I shook my head.

In the end we shall be reunited with our distant kin and the oligarchs will have had to realise there are some wars that are not worth trying to win. Ukrainians and Russians, though at war, are both western Europeans, but we are not.

Part 5

I told her about being woken at that time, and that the odd feeling had faded a bit before two, so I could sleep again.

She was a quiet for a while, “It didn’t seem right about the magic bit until now. Now I’m certain that my butch sister left the food court in your old body. It all adds up, how did a burglar know where everything was here?”

“The whole point of me going out with you all for the last few weeks has been to get me to learn how to act and react in situations and to be comfortable in the company of women and understand how you all relate to each other. You’ve all done such a good job, I probably think more like a woman than a man now when I am out with you all. You all make me feel like just another one of the girls, so you should all just act as you would if I was another girl, and there is no need to make any allowances for me. I’m getting used to it all, in fact most of the time I am just getting on with things and how I am dressed and acting is just me behaving naturally, I am not even thinking anymore about what I should be doing.”

I had always been fascinated by cheerleading, or was it cheerleaders? They were just so cute in their uniforms. So happy and positive. The way they moved. Yes, I really liked cheerleaders. I dreamt about dating one. And then there was the choreography. Yeah, sounds strange for a newly minted high school freshman boy but I had a thing for choreography. I just couldn’t stop watching dance videos. Lately I had started to wonder how to improve the stuff I watched.

Anyway, my fascination with cheerleaders was the reason I was watching the tryouts. I wasn’t the only boy watching. The stands were not exactly crowded but there were a fair number of both girls and boys, mostly boys though, watching the tryouts. Some of the girls down there were good, some not so good. Watching a particularly bad example I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. That’s a character fault of mine. Speaking before thinking. You know, open mouth, insert foot.

Changing Roles
By Julie Dawn Cole
Chapter 4

There are reasons why a boy wants to go shopping alone.

Things begin to fall into place for Jane, in her investigations and in her personal life too.