If
I opened the SUV's door a wave of heat rolled out, imediately causing my shirt to wilt and stick to my chest. Quickly sliding into the bucket seat, I stabbed the keys into the ignition to start the engine and the air conditioning. Why didn't I use the remote start, I asked my self, that's why it's there.
I had to drive to a remote spot by 12PM. Otherwise the little voices will be gone. This spot was deep in the woods, the only access was down an old logging road.
********************************************

The prior Wednesday my mother told me that she had made an appointment with a counselor for Friday afternoon, and she handed me a note to give the school excusing me from my afternoon classes.

As I left for school on Friday morning, she said, “The appointment is for 1:30, so try to be home by 1:00.”

My friends were interested in what this was all about, but I had absolutely no clue. “My mother made the appointment but didn’t tell me anything,” I explained.

“Look, if when you get wherever you’re going, and you see men in white coats with a straight jacket, run like hell,” Joe suggested.

My second big mistake was going to school in a skirt the first day after coming back from hospital with a broken bone. It was stupid but it was so much easier a way to deal with the cast.

Of course my first big mistake was to break my leg. I’d have liked to say that I was a victim of unfortunate circumstances or I that I had done something heroic. The simple truth was that I had tried to do something really stupid. I failed. It hurt.

Jimmy Warren trudged down the street with his hands forlornly thrust into his pockets. The eighth grader was lost in his muddled thoughts of only seven months more of middle school hell. Then there would be four years of high school hell. Maybe, if he survived, college would at least be tolerable. The week before Halloween chill wind whipped and swirled the brown dead leaves willi-nilli across the sidewalks and streets. As usual the backpack he carried was filled with books and weighed nearly half his scrawny seventy five pound weight. The added weight hunched his undersized four feet eight inch frame forward making it look like he was fighting hurricane force winds rather then normal fall zephers.

Unfortunately the day had been normal for the smallest boy in his class. Twice Gary Newhouse slammed him into the lockers as they passed from class to class while his stooge Will Kilmer knocked his books and notebooks from his arm immediately followed by crony Jeff Gray kicking them down the crowded hall. In phys-ed they took every opportunity to trip and jeer at him. No matter how hard he tried to avoid the six feet two inch two hundred twenty five pound fifteen year old the bully still unerringly sought him out.

HUGS!
Shauna

Lupita watches Black Wolf as he teaches Haloke to ride a horse. It has been a total of five months since Haloke came into their life. She has managed to figure out most of what has happened to herself. Haloke, on the other hand, was still a mystery. They had gone into Rapid City to see if Haloke was listed as a missing child, but there was no record.

Chapter 17 Sophia's POV

I hadn't been waiting long before Laura came and got me. Instead of going straight out, she took me back to her bedroom and through to one of two walk in robes. Laura already didn't look like Laura. I guess she was wearing a wig, changed her makeup and her clothes to dull herself down. She had gone from movie star glamorous to attractive housewife. Part of it may even have been how she was now moving. Still feminine and graceful, but somehow different.

Chapter 16

I had another bad night. I don't really remember what I am dreaming, just wake up terrified. I usually wake to the sound of my own scream. I am shaking and crying and I don't even recall what has made me so scared. In the end, I can't get back to sleep, so even though it is the middle of the night I tried to get up.

Chapter 15 Sophia's POV

I woke up with Gem spooning me comfortingly. I had another wake in the middle of the night screaming episodes. Gem had done a wonderful job of calming me down, but she needed her sleep and it wasn't fair for me to keep interrupting it. I was thinking of offering to sleep on the sofa, but the flat was so small, I would only be a couple of metres away and I'm sure you would need to be in another country to not hear my screams.

*Before…

It’s doing all this stuff and having a few more drinks as we’re doing it and talking and it’s Terri’s turn as she talks about some cool people she met and that a couple were girls and that mixed in her head with what I was going through and doing and she figured out that she’s… “Maybe Bi or like Pan or whatever.”

After things are done we’re having another round of drinks then grandma says.

“Why don’t you go and change so we can spend time with Robin?”

I swallow my tea and schnapps. “Are you sure?”

I look at her and Mom and then Dad and Grandpa and they’re all nodding and Terri smiles at me. “C’mon Robin let’s go and get you changed.”

*And Now…

Chapter 14

Singing? As Dillan I had never liked my voice, so sang as little as possible. The only singing I had done as Sophia was to a few songs in the car with Gem. “Err...only in the car.” I replied.

“What was the last song you sang?” She asked me.

I blushed since it was one of her songs and for some reason that made me feel embarrassed. “Gratitude.”

She laughed. “Come with me.” She jumped off the couch again and headed off at a fast pace. I don't think she knows how to do anything with less than full energy.

I glared at him when he called me "our little princess."

 
Bian -26-
Hero of the Zero
 
by Erin Halfelven

Innocence

The kindergarten teacher looked at me with a slight bit of concern but then her eyes sparkled as she introduced herself to my mother and myself. I didn’t think about it too much at the time as she invited me to go over to the play area in the middle of the room: model houses and kitchen play sets with small metal bowls and plastic foods; the classroom has more fake food in the refrigerator than we ever had in ours at home.

Immediately after I came home from school on Monday afternoon I changed into my girl clothes, to connect with my experiences. That had been Becky’s suggestion. I then re-read my journal and started on the essay. I noted the stereotypes which were relevant to my experience, and decided to limit my essay to just those points. According to the instructions, Mrs. Benson wanted the essay to be at least one thousand words. My first draft was twice that. I set it aside to polish it over the next few days. I changed out of my girl clothes for supper, to avoid any snide comments from my sister although something in me was saddened when I did.

At that point I realized that having let my feminine side out, she wasn’t going to go away without a struggle. I decided to keep the name Renee for my feminine side.

On a great lake lives a community of people after the fall of civilization.
The former height of mankind forgotten they are reduced to a pre-industrial state.
Beyond the shores of the lake, danger lurks.
But even the lake has its forbidden places.
One young lad, Hengki, is about to dive down to one of them.

Chapter 11 Sophia's POV

I woke up still wrapped in Gem's arms. She was snoring mildly, so I knew she was still fast asleep. I felt a little embarrassed about my middle of the night freak out. My male pride had taken another blow. Considering the circumstances, that was not necessarily a bad thing and there was something nice in not having to be the strong one.

Chapter 10

We drove to a hotel near the airport and Gem arranged a room. Since she had not pre-booked we ended up in a room with a double bed to share. I didn't mind that, and considering my recent state of mind, it was probably a good thing. Gem apologised though and explained that she normally plans way in advance, but this time she had literally driven to the airport with a few clothes and worked it out from there. I asked if I could call Jen on the hotel phone and she agreed.

On the way to the mall, Becky and I explained our essay requirements to my Mom. “Maybe I can help you with it.” she said.

My mother and Becky dropped me off at the men's wear department, and took off on an adventure of their own. As mom explained it, “I’m going to borrow Becky as my daughter for the day to shop with.” For some reason both Mom and Becky began giggling madly.