XXI. Mourning and Mothering

Chapter 6

Before I left the doctor, I made an appointment for the following Friday to get my results. I would have to hang around for the opening sale if all the others were anything to go by. I went back to the hotel and had dinner there. I had an early night but didn’t sleep quickly. I kept wondering if I had done the right things today.

©2025 SammyC

Not being at work first thing on Monday morning felt like a step down a path I did not want to take. Abuela’s path. “You must take care of this,” she’d told me. “Of him.”

Well, screw that.

Chapter 5

We both had a laugh, and I added another note, ‘Get signwriting stuff’. I did a rough calculation based on the size of the figures and told her how much wall needed to be cleared.

No one knows exactly when the aliens came and began slowly infiltrating the human race. Twenty years ago, when I was twenty-nine, the news began reporting incidents of strange behavior from people around the world. I was just starting my neurosurgery practice at the time. The medical community believed this was a new strain of virus that was spreading at epidemic proportions. Initially it was thought to be a variant of the Vika virus as it seemed to affect the brain first.

Author's Note: There is sex in this story. Some of it is explicitly described. I've seen folks post in the comments of other stories they were surprised or unhappy with this. Be forewarned.

A group of people wake up in a video game world and are forced to work together to survive and find out how to escape.

It’s time for some answers.

Chapter 22 recap.

She’s had enough rest, I think, watching Lorien’s confused but slowly softening expression. The tension in his body has eased, and his mind is clear again. Time to let her deal with this.

©2025 SammyC

Chapter 13: Facing the Music

The afternoon sun blazed down, shimmering off the surface of the pool as Yuqi floated lazily on her back, trying to relax. The water was cool and inviting, a stark contrast to the heat of the day. Kelly swam laps nearby, occasionally splashing Yuqi for no reason other than to be annoying. The day had been quiet, the kind of peace Yuqi knew wouldn’t last forever.

Training Strategy Meeting -- in the boy's lockerroom!

Pete's Vagina
63. Locker Room
by Erin Halfelven

Here we are again. Please enjoy.

“Are you wearing lipstick?” Mike asked.

I nodded.

“Melissa, is he your personal make-up model?”

“Would you like to be my next artistic marvel?” Melissa asked with a subtle flirty hint to her voice.

“I could use a little hair work, maybe.”

“Oh, I can do a lot more.”

“We noticed,” Chad replied as we stepped into the building.

The hallway was crowded with cheerleaders, advisors, coaches and administrators.

©2025 SammyC

“He’s alive! This boy’s still breathing—”

 
 
XII. The Feast of Fractured Mirrors

The farmhouse table groaned beneath casseroles that reeked of clove and false piety. John’s mother—a woman who starched her hymns—leaned in, her gaze lingering on Lanie’s sun-kissed cheeks and the demure lace dress that was Georgia. “What a vision,” she sighed as if this moment could be preserved like a jar of pickled beets.

Chapter 2

I followed the girls to the café on a shopping mall called Above Bar Street. It wasn’t very far, and had everything you would need, especially banks. There was a branch of the one I used, just five minutes from the office.

We all had a light lunch, with me following the girls to try the salad. It would not have been a good look if I had ordered a burger. I did note the range that they had, for when I was here on my own. There! I was already thinking about being here for real.

Chapter 12: What’s in the Box

Kelly crossed her arms, her face a mix of impatience and curiosity. “Well, are you going to open the chests, or are we just going to stare at them all day?” The mystery of the chests seemed to hang in the air, adding to the intrigue.

Yuqi glanced at her parents, then down at the three chests sitting in front of her. They felt heavy, not just physically but with a sense of importance she couldn’t explain. Her medallion seemed to hum faintly against her skin as though it wanted her to proceed.

©2025 SammyC

“My folks may be able to help get your car back.”

“I’d like to hope so,” I replied, for as much as I wanted to go and tell my parents about the theft of my car I did not want to tell them, pending any disaster that would occur from allowing the car to be stolen.

“Don’t worry too much about it. It’s just a car.”

The New Girl at Uskweirs Manor

a pastoral romance by Miriam Robern

Out of Bridewell

London, November 1812

Author's request: Take a quick moment and do share your feedback. It is the greatest gift you can give this moth.
 
 
Week Five: Silk Chemise Brokered Between Thighs