My name is Michael Briden, an eighteen-year-old senior at Walter Ridge high school. Today is Friday, the last day of my incarceration, the last day I'll ever have to attend this sad excuse for a high school because tomorrow afternoon my class will walk across the stage and receive our high school diplomas. And Sunday will begin a new life for me and my two siblings. It will be the day Mark and I, die.

CHAPTER 23
Late Spring saw Rhod walking, after a fashion, and myself back at work, which was both a delight and a pain. A delight and a pain in both cases, I should add, for while my boy was most definitely becoming his own person, his new-found mobility was a mixed blessing indeed.

I had never lived with a cat before, so I had been most attentive when Blake had talked me through Cat Defence for Beginners.

The year was 1887 and Marshal Steven Whitlock was hot on the heels of the Dermit gang when they were all thrown from their horses by a fiery explosion in the sky. Waking four hundred years later, he finds himself and the world radically changed.

"Jewelry is sacred to me so I’m taking it all!” I suggested.

 

Fantastic Mars
10. Jewels of Mars

by Erin Halfelven

“The Many Faces Go To War: Chapter 6”
By = Fayanora

Chapter Six: So Many Questions!

Notes: This is the sequel to “The Many Faces of Har---er, Adira Potter.” If you haven't read that series yet, this one isn't going to make much sense. Also, a reminder for anyone who forgot: the person formerly known as Harry still exists, she's just transgender in this one, her new name is Adira, nicknamed “Addy.”

The first day back at school after the break was cold and overcast, the weather mirroring the moods of the student body. Mr. Burns, the English teacher, on the other hand, walked into class with a smile on his face. “Hope you all enjoyed Twelfth Night. Does anyone know what twelfth Night is?” I knew, but I didn’t want to call attention tp myself. “Anyone?” he repeated. Reluctantly, I raised my hand.

“Mr. Evans?” he said.

“It’s the end of the Christmas Season, and involves a lot of drinking and eating.”

“Very good,” Mr. Burns responded, “which is tomorrow for those who care. Please remember that your papers are due on Wednesday, which is Epiphany. From your papers I should be able to discover who actually read the play and who only surfed the internet for easy answers.”

I felt smug. Not only had my friends and I read it together and discussed it among ourselves, but I had actually written my paper, It was entitled: ‘Twelfth Night - Successful Cross-Dressing.’ In my paper I also made references to Cheribino’s cross-dressing in Der Rosenkavalier.

“If I help with dinner, does that mean that I can stay in the kitchen the whole time?” I responded.

“No!” she announced. She turned to me, and added, “And you will wear a suit.”

“A suit?” I questioned. I knew what she meant, but I decided to be a smart alec. “I have this nice suit with a pencil skirt and matching tailored jacket. Maybe a ruffled blouse?”

Amy thought this was humorous, and began to chuckle. My father didn’t. “You know darn well what your mother meant, so stop being a smarty pants,” he exploded.

“Maybe that should be ‘smarty panties’,” Amy said under her breath.

Unfortunately our father heard this and he said, “You behave yourself, young lady.”

Date with Spider-Man Part 3

ake up before Abby, after sneaking away trying not to wake her I decide to make breakfast, might as well have her at her happiest when I break the news that I have a date with Tom. Still, in just my underwear I put on an apron and begin making pancakes. As I'm flipping them, Abby comes up from behind and gives me a hug.

"Well, don't I just have the sweetest girlfriend?." She says squeezing me from behind.

I turn, standing on my toes, and I kiss her on the cheek. "And don't you forget it, hehe."

Usually I write, to quote a Guest Reader, ”short, light and witty tales”. However, every now and then I post a dark story. This is a rather dark story. Actually I think it’s quite dark which is why I have flagged CAUTION above. Please note that there is a reason why.

I never liked driving into town. People acted strangely around me so I usually stayed on my property and put off going as long as I could. Now I really needed the petrol so this morning I went into town. ”Old” Tom at the petrol station wondered why I filled up three jerry cans of petrol. I told him that I was getting old and the new ride-on mower was a gas guzzler. The lawn between the Old House and the lake is huge. So is the Old House. My family built it some 200 years ago. Then we had already owned the land for over a century. Quite a lot of land. Most of it still untouched forests, lakes and mountains. Most people never realized where the border between the National Park and the Delaforge land was. We have always had a very strong bond - the Delaforges and the land.

The school had a course in Civics during the first semester of the year with U.S. History during the second semester. For reasons which were rather unclear, all seniors had to take the Civics course and pass periodic exams in Civics to be allowed to graduate.

Becky, Sue, Joe and I were doing a joint study session at Joe’s house. The topic was the functions of the federal, state and local governments, and how they interrelated. Joe, the cynic, expounded, “All these layers of government do is pass silly laws, tax us to death, and then spend the money foolishly.”

“Yeah,” opined Sue, “let’s say that Roy was all dressed up as Renee, which washroom would he or she be allowed to use?” She turned to me and said, “What do you do?”

“Learn to hold your water and not drink too many soft drinks.” I responded, not wanting to go into the issue too deeply.

"You could just have a taste?” I suggested.

 

Fantastic Mars
9. Warriors of Mars

by Erin Halfelven

CHAPTER 21
They wheeled me off to the maternity ward, or somewhere, and all I remember is watching the lights pass overhead. I was utterly exhausted, but they got me in, after some rather painful cleaning up, and Mam had a new nighty for me, which made an amazing difference.

Hang on. Mam?

“When did you get here?”

“Three and a half hours ago, love. I stopped to get you some fresh stuff. Thought you’d want it”

“Yeah, but I only went I there… Mam, how long was I messing about? Labour?”

Flight Lieutenant Second Class Jason Cole is the fifth generation in a long line of military family members and the third of the current generation. Unlike his older brother and sister Jason cannot be fitted with a bio-A.I. This one fact will led him on the greatest adventure of his young life.