Mrs. Winstead returns Lucy home the same night, after currently omitted events. Later, Peter and Lucy have dinner with Carol's family, and Peter agrees to try out Bikini Beach.

CHAPTER 98
I sat basking in my smug satisfaction in seeing two girls, who had arrived at the House so utterly broken, now standing up and making the world their own, along with a future. Charlie then dropped a bombshell to match Marlene’s.

“Got my own news, as well! Got a letter on Friday, from the clinic. All sort of fits together with last night”

I had noticed some of her own smugness that day, even though it had almost evaporated in the heat of her time with Seb. Unfortunately, she then started spraying tea as she struggled with laughter,

“We’re not objects!” Sophie chanted, backed by dozens of her friends and colleagues. “We’re not objects!”

“You go, girls!” A passer-by, a young woman in her early twenties, said, giving the picket line a thumbs up as she walked past them and into the vast concourse of Heathrow airport. Nevertheless, Sophie still felt uneasy.

A short story...

Copyright © 2021 by AuP reviner

Catch and Release
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

CHAPTER 96
It felt odd to be home, as always, partly because after weeks sleeping on a campong mat any bed felt as if it would swallow me in softness. There was also the simple fact that I was now arranging my calendar around things other than the girls and my delivery roster.

Those ‘things’ were a real novelty, because they meant spending nights away from the House, because I kept to my rule about overnighting men. Sharing space with another person was another steep and worrying set of lessons.

Meagan yawned and snuggled closer to her pillow. It was big and warm. There was a pleasant scent that she couldn’t quite place. And it seemed to be moving? She opened her eyes and stared at her pillow. Only, it wasn’t a pillow. It was a breast. Bigger than her head. She looked up into the owner’s amber oval eyes.

“Could you please stop doing that,” the owner asked. “They’re sensitive.”

Husbandry
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

The City of Sedalia in the State of Missouri has always been a cattle town. Sedalia was an important railhead for the great Texas Cattle Drive of 1866. The cattle trade was the backbone of the town in the decades that followed. The stockyards for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad were still standing in the year I was born – 1941. After that, the military changed in the center of the city, but not so much on our farm.

CHAPTER 95
As he settled back down beside me, mug of tea in hand, Gemma called over.

“Oy! Not going to help put the tent up?”

Hr turned onto his side to face her, waving vaguely at our little camp.

“I do believe mine is already up, serf”

License to Kiss
A Story
By Maryanne Peters

Scene 1

It was not the first time that he had been in this position; nor was it something that happened with alarming regularity. It seemed to be a hazard of his profession: To recover consciousness and find himself a captive to a bitter enemy.

For 35yrs the border between the Human Empire and Gorgonzola Empire as remained mostly peaceful. The citizens for the Human Empire of this border region are loyal to the last man, woman, and child to the Empire. It was on one of these worlds that gave birth to a legend. The world of Apollo 6 is one of the harshest worlds within the Empire. One so harsh that only it could claim to be the birth world of James J. Owens, the most feared of Death Dealers. A world that is even now poised to give birth to a new legendary warrior. One who shall be baptized in the blood of the Empire’s enemies. Robert Wolff youngest great grandchild of James Owens’ sister Cecilia Owens.

I felt that melty feeling I’d felt in the Fatburger...

Butterscotch
by Erin Halfelven
40. Spectator

CHAPTER 92
I had worked on the basis of there being no pressure in getting into the club, as such places are rarely sold out. Frank had changed into much the same rig as myself, a pair of extremely well-worn jeans, a dark blue fleece jacket and some plain black trainers, clearly taking a lead from my own presentation. I didn’t tell him where we were going, but as I parked up, someone walked past in a pair of those silly patchwork trousers, a squeezebox case in hand, and he laughed in the most relaxed way he could manage.

Susan and Alejandra meet and finalize things within her family. Alejandra deals with her husband once and for all as Natalia finalizes things within her new life and husband Anthony as he finds out what awaits him as Natalia's husband in the Castile Empire

CHAPTER 91
Bert had his own sources of information, god knows where, and he simply told me to stay home until the funeral was done. No questions, no options, just a simple and clear instruction to take what time I needed. The papers were going ballistic over what sounded like open warfare at some MCC’s ‘family-friendly event, and among all the sensationalism were an awful lot of stupid editorials demanding that Something Be Done, and I was utterly in agreement with Bert regarding my fitness to drive.

Lucy returns to Bikini Beach with her friends. Glenn Matsumoto's work leads him to an unwanted visit to Bikini Beach as well. The final four-sevenths was previously published as "Bikini Beach: Glenn Matsumoto Visits".