Are you ready to rumble? Christie McKellar faces off with Madame Renee Coulter! A young dancer's future apparently hangs in the balance.

Christie is having one of those repetitive dream experiences again, only this one feels somehow urgent - like she needs to do something and soon. Trying her new meditation skills is a possibility. What to do? Sometimes, a girl just really needs her Mom and her Grandfather.

Chapter 3 - Outfitting Annie

School on Wednesday took forever.

I was really looking forward to going out with Mom and Kate, and the idea of being Annie for the outing had moved from yeah, OK to this is going to be fun! Something had clicked when I saw myself as the girl version of me. On stage, Annie was a character, a role I was playing; off stage, the Annie I saw in the mirror was me as a different person.

More life experiences for our emerging sorceress. A girls' lunch at school gets disrupted by a troll. Thanksgiving is for Sorcery lessons and practical exams. Christie gets a dancing pal. Christmas plans are put on hold by a flu bug.

Even when you are a budding young sorceress, life is what happens when you least expect it. Just almost normal life things. Taking a stand against bullying in school. Waking your Mom up at an inopportune time. Learning the consequences of beating on another girl's boyfriend a little too enthusiastically. Finding out the hard way that male mosquitoes can sting sometimes. You know, life things.

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you…Don't… Watch…Out!

"Little Orphant Annie"
James Whitcomb Riley
1885

Just before her Saturday class at the dojang, Christie is all suited up and hoping for some sparring practice. Her next advancement test is only a couple of weeks away, and she wants to be ready!. Some things go right. Some others, eh, not so much. In the end, however, a great many things in Christie's future may start to change.

Hospitals are one of the most depressing places on earth. Everything reeks of antiseptic and disinfectant, the food is bland and the portions are small. Plus, you can't have a moment's peace to yourself and you have no privacy whatsoever. And guess what? I'm going to be spending my Easter Weekend here on the fifth floor of Mississippi Medical Center because mother nature hates me.

Don’t-05

The next few hours were very much a blur. I was searched several times before I was taken to Shrewsbury Police Station for questioning. My requests for something to eat were ignored.

"These could be evidence," said the detective who was assigned to question me as he held up an unopened pack of six energy bars. From the look of him, Detective Sergeant Saunders was a rookie in the Plain Clothes world. He had no dress sense at all and trying to wear shirts that were at least one if not two sizes too small for him, did not present an air of confidence or authority

“Whatever you have to say, make it quick, Connie. These long-distance calls are adding up. I’ve called you from L.A., Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto—”

"What do you want with him?" I yelled as Mikey rushed to my side.

I watched in dismay as both police officers stood on either side of Ollie and gestured for him to walk.

"What did he do?" I screamed panicked but neither of them would say a word to me.

"Harris, I need you take her to the parking lot. Her mother is waiting there" was all Coach said. He wouldn't even look at me.

"What did you do?" I raised my voice at Coach but even that couldn't get a response from him.

"Now, Harris" Coach repeated sternly.

E’volvo’lution Chapter 5

We kissed a bit more and then she said that we had to work again in the morning. We got back on the bikes and went to our respective homes. Astrid was still up when I got in and she took one look at my face, “A good night, I see.”

I suppose that I looked blank so she laughed, “You can always tell when a girl has had a good night, especially when she’s forgotten to redo her lipstick.”

E’volvo’lution Chapter 4

Tuesday, my second day of work, was a very early start. Now I had my phone I could set the alarm so was up and dressed and out of the house before six. I had got Astrid to unglue the special panties last night.

Although they had outlets that allowed me to do my business, I had started to itch underneath. It had been lovely having a shower this morning and the special panties were all right just pulled on, now that I was mainly wearing jeans.

[the next day]

Jennifer escorted me into the anonymous building once again. She sat me down in the same room that we’d used the day before.

“I’m sorry about my reaction yesterday. What you said took me by surprise and… I couldn’t help myself smile. I’m afraid that it is a trait of mine that goes back to when I was a child. According to my shrink, it is my way of deflecting unexpected news.”

Isabel goes home properly.

E’volvo’lution Chapter 3

He looked so radiant I gave him a peck on the cheek, much to my wonderment. Then we were back to photos and explanation but this time I was also being asked about the specifications and was able to hold my own.

I tried to get them interested in the electric just a couple of trucks away but most wanted to talk about lots of capacity and brute strength.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled to change schools for my junior year. That meant that I would try to fit in a school with already established groupings. Awkward. To make things even more awkward I was the only new student in junior year apart from the more notorious one. A transgender girl started at the same time as I.