I'm posting this a little early as I have a solo story ready to post on the 25th. Not really Christmas themed but hopefully, a bit of feelgood for these dark grey days of December. The last part of this tale will appear on the 29th. [now back to the story]

A Sister 'til Christmas 4 & 5
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Oooh, I'm getting nervous... Christmas will do that too me. I put 4 and 5 together so the whole story is out by Christmas Eve... This will be fun, I promise... I hope YOU like it...

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"We, my dear, are going to Philly."

I was freezing, I had my arms tightly around myself, with only my black pocketbook for warmth.

Part Six

"Be wary of any politician who supports a position by claiming it's a matter of 'common sense,'" said Drake, wryly.

He and Vic were in his office at the Detroit Federal Building. He had called her in without explanation, and opened with that after she was seated.

"Is that appropriate to anything in particular or just a general bit of shared wisdom?" said Vic.

Part Five

This particular Friday was turning out to be a bad day for Vic. Though not as bad as the early morning had been for some of Detroit's female, late teen inhabitants. Vic arrived at work to find a note already on her desk to see her boss.

"Tell me about your late night call, yesterday," said Drake.

"I was in bed, sound asleep, when I got an emergency call. The night manager of a bar downtown called 911 to say that a mind-controlling super was having his way with young women, and since supers were suspected to be involved the cops called me.

A Sister 'til Christmas 3
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Okay, here we are easing into the holidays, another big date and a little backstory... Just a little time shifting, nothing too major.... I hope YOU like it...

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I was looking at my phone, I had three texts from Sara, I didn't want to be rude and answer them.

Part Four

At the next Monday's weekly briefing the main topic was the current dearth of known hero supers available in most of the US. The explanations were valid, if annoying.

"The earthquake in Morocco is occupying supers who operate internationally, and storms in North America are keeping most of the teams who focus on the US busy," said Special Agent in Charge Drake. "We can make requests of Bureau headquarters for help, but the fact is that unless we have a major emergency, we're on our own."

"So, no change from the usual," said Cal Pavolin, sourly.

Part Three

One of the more interesting - because the responses of those affected were so variable - tasks for members of the Bureau was delivering powers testing results to someone. Policy stated that the results of tests given by Bureau personnel or someone certified by the Bureau, and were not to be sent through the mail if there was a Bureau of Special Resources office within a three hour drive of the person. Further away and the test results would be mailed. They were never given over the phone or by e-mail.

A Sister 'til Christmas 2
By Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Hi, just suddenly realized how close this Christmas thing is a coming... Phew, I better get moving... I hope YOU like it...

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'Listen to me baby
Listen to my plea
I'm in the middle of nowhere
And it's worrying me'

Masks XXVII: Tales Old and New

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

The domestic bliss of the Peltior household was disturbed by a muffled exclamation from the kitchen.

"You all right in there?" asked Michelle, concerned, from their couch in the living room.

"I broke another garlic press," said Vic, sourly.

"It's all those fingertip pushups," said Michelle, laughing. "I've shown you how to smack the flat of a knife blade to crush garlic."

"Yeah, but the last time I tried that I... well, let's just say I used too much focus."

The few dozen words in the summary part of the email from ‘Sam’ was enough to turn Sergei’s world upside down a few dozen times.

Frock Therapy
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

If I blame anyone for anything that happened, then I would blame my job.

I worked on a trading floor with a bunch of young men. There were some women. But let’s face it, stock trading suits the male ego. Women give up and move on to something without the bullshit. That was what I wanted to do, but I stayed on until the pressure drove me crazy.

In an overpopulated world rescuing the wrong person can be a crime.
Ambulance driver Nick and his partner Eliza were sentenced to forty years in prison.
But after a year they get a strange offer.
The company Nixen will pay off their debt and get them out of jail.
All they have to do is go to space for a year.
And to give up their body.
Not to worry, their new ones will be shiny and will have a tail.

Sergei retreated away from the supermarket entrance and waited. Several minutes ticked by before ‘she’ emerged. He ducked down behind an SUV. He saw her stop in the entrance and look around almost as if she was expecting someone to be there.

For reasons that seemed obvious at the time, I dreamed about my grandfather again that night. He and the other old man I’d seen in my previous dream were sitting around a fire, talking in low voices, frequently glancing at me where I was tied up and struggling to get loose.

Darryl pulled the Mustang into the parking lot at George Pratt’s office. It was a nice building; definitely upscale. He and Marcia got out and went inside where they were ushered through to Pratt’s private office. Pratt, Heather Shore, and a social worker they hadn’t met were present. Pratt introduced her as Caroline Ogilvy.

Heather was seated in a chair, looking very sullen. Marcia sat down beside her and asked how she was doing.

Rather than answer, Heather just shook her head. She didn’t want to talk.

As I said at the beginning of Chapter One, I have to thank Jill and Eric for their input into this story. I hope that I achieved something we can all be proud of.
Marianne

Chapter 39

The upshot of the whole thing was, as usual, a lift in sales of all the albums that Josie had been on, even the forgotten one she did with the girl group in L.A. I got Allan to put all my part of those sales into a trust fund for the twins, which also took the proceeds of the sale of their family home, as well as their shares of the estate.

Chapter 38

By the time we got near Christmas, again, there had been another shift in focus. Ali had been invited to apply for the Juilliard School in New York, a singular honor for one so young. She, however, wanted none of it. In the middle of the year, she would have finished high school and was certain that if Wayne County was good enough for her Aunty Pet, it was good enough for her.

Summary: Discovering who you are is not easy when you're nine. Especially, when Mom wants you to clean your room.