The Christmas period was very quiet for me. That was a godsend as the last few days of the old company were pretty hectic, so a few days of chilling out in front of the TV, eating and sleeping was very welcome.

“Do you speak French?” he suddenly asked.

Pete's Vagina
57. Moving the Chain
by Erin Halfelven

Jack, Nick, and Cheshire along with their pets have made their way to the temple. All of them were exhausted and had numerous cuts, bruises, and small wounds covering their bodies. Even Sher Khan and Chaos had blood coming from wounds covering their bodies.

Chaos was favoring his right paw. A hunter set a trap and he stepped right into the trap. Jack tended to his injured paw, but it still bothered him.
Samson was resting on Nick’s arm as they stood inside the temple. They spotted a gem hovering over a pit in midair. The pit was to big to jump across.

CHAPTER 44
Two days later, and I was in the office early, Kul as insufferable as ever.

“Got your lunchbox? Clean hanky? Done your homework, son?”

“Oh bugger off!”

We stepped into our new home, and I was immediately enveloped by the serene beauty that surrounded us. The grand hall showcased the same flowing, natural designs that were emblematic of all elven architecture. It was as if the very essence of the forest had been coaxed to form the structure itself. The banister of the curved staircase seemed to have grown organically from the floor, its smooth lines resembling the gentle twists of vines reaching toward the sky.

Here we are again. Please enjoy the silly drones!

No, Nathan wasn’t crazy. To say he was WOULD be crazy. He was a very well adjusted man.

He was just frantically scouring the internet for any evidence of magic being real.

The part of him that still wanted to be rational was thinking “of course magic isn’t real, that’s ridiculous, you’re being ridiculous”. And he was being ridiculous, magic was not something that existed in the real world, and it certainly wasn’t something that sensible, level-headed adults believed in.

[Friday December 16th, Lancashire]

I was at my desk working on the final plan for the rundown of production and not getting anywhere. My mind was not on the task at hand. If I was perfectly honest with myself, the plan was good and didn’t need any revision.

Rose mingles with the people at the banquet. She keeps Sasha in sight, so she can talk to her. As for Ciarán, something about him was rubbing her the wrong way. It was a good thing she came prepared. She walks close to Ciarán and gently drops a small GPS tracker into his side pocket. She also scans his cell phone with hers.

While she is close to Ciarán, she listens in on what he is saying to some guy. They were talking about investments and the newest CEO of some company. Nothing that matters to her. She wasn’t into acquiring or having lots of money like her family.

CHAPTER 43
I didn’t sleep that well that night, and probably came across as a little grumpy over breakfast. Chad and Maryam were off quickly, Kul and I following a little later. The drive into work was a bit tense at first, as Kul clearly picked up on my mood.

“I never met her, Mike. Wish I could have”

“Sorry?”

“Me being silly. If I had been given the chance to meet her, you would never have ended up in Sheffield, so we’d never have met, us two that is, and well, yeah. You’re thinking betrayal, aren’t you?”

Nathan frowned as he took another walk through all the aisles of the store. It was probably the fifteenth or sixteenth time he’d done so. He knew he was wasting his lunch break, but he didn’t care, he just wanted to find Kira.

No matter how many times he looked, she wasn’t anywhere in the store.

He was alone today, evident from how Natalie wasn’t coming out either.

He probably shouldn’t have been as disappointed as he was, but he really wanted someone to talk to.

***

Being Samantha Masters

an homage-prequel to Being Christina Chase

Like You

“Wakey wakey, sunshine,” giggled a voice, coupled with a gentle shake to Sammy’s shoulder.  He wasn’t in bed.  He was on something… not quite hard.  Something smelled weird.  He started, suddenly full awake.

As the USS New Horizons continued its journey toward Bermuda, the first rays of the sun began to break over the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow that painted the sky and the water's surface with a breathtaking palette of orange and yellow. The sea, now a glistening canvas of light, reflected the sun's radiant glow, heralding the arrival of a new day and a fresh start. The gentle sound of the waves lapping against the ship's hull added to the serene atmosphere, creating a symphony of nature's beauty.

Monday started out weird and just got weirder. First, I was up early and spent most of the morning before school trying to decide what to wear for my second date with Ross. It had to be something that would also be good to wear all day in school. It took forever to decide on an outfit that, last week, I probably would have chosen without a second thought. The worst part was my assumption that Ross probably wasn’t thinking about his outfit at all.

continuation of a story I wrote about 10 years ago and couldn't decide what to do with it. Make sure you read the preceding parts before continuing

I awoke the next morning as the light came streaming through my parted curtains. I glanced over at my alarm and it said 8:10. I stretched and sure enough I was free. I didn’t even feel the hobble bands. I swung out of bed, attached the walking bag then switched tubes and got up and made my bed. I put on the peignoir and mules and went out to see what was going on as it seemed quiet out there.