Antibodies.

© Copyright to Beverly Taff.

“Come and look at this Bev.” Jamie exclaimed as she adjusted the screen.

I looked up from my Star ship log.

“What’s up Babes?”

“I dunno. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s not in solar orbit. Looks like an extra-solar arrival. It’s a funny colour though.”

I wandered downstairs to find Yasmine and Jennifer looking at a road map.

“What’s up?”

“Look at this,” said Jennifer passing me her phone. A text message was there for everyone to read.

“Urgent. Position compromised as of 13.45. Evacuate. Urgent.”

“Do you have any idea as to what happened?”

Jennifer shook her head.
“None at all. All I know is there in the text which comes from my Commander. By my estimate, we have to leave inside the next twenty minutes.”

Breakfast was brought to me the next morning, it was a simple breakfast, grits, boiled turkey bacon, toast, and milk. Still worn out from the nights before I ate and fell asleep, I awoke in time for lunch, a piece of broiled fish seasoned with just lemon juice and dill, steamed broccoli, and tea. Still tired I ate and again I fell asleep, dinner was a little better, roasted chicken seasoned with lemon and pepper, more steamed broccoli, a small slice of yellow cake with chocolate icing and more tea. Again tired I ate and fell asleep.

Endlessly his parents and siblings bullied Kenneth in their efforts to make him into what they believed he should be, but he smiled, agreed with them and then ignored them.

Chapter 3.13

Wednesday, May 22^nd 2023

It had been several days since French and Brandy had told them what happened to Gerald Parks.

Marcia had hoped they would find that the saw cuts had been made after death – maybe the killer initially planned to dispose of the body in different locations? That wouldn’t be great, but at least it wouldn’t be torture. But no, there was clear evidence that the sawing was done while the poor man was alive.

She found it hard to conceive that people could do things like that to each other. She wished she'd never found out about this case, but she desperately wanted to prove that Bruce had nothing to do with it.

Secret origins...

“Beep! Beep!”

“Eh? What’s that?” I thought to myself, as I slowly woke from my light sleep.

My alarm clocks illuminated display showed that it was just past midnight. With my phone set not to disturb me during the night, I was confused as to why a message alert had woken me. My sleepiness wasn’t helping me think straight.

I reached over to where the now brightly-lit phone was charging, on top of my bedside table.

“You nasty little bitch!” read the message previewed on the home screen, shocking me into a more fully awake state.

Chapter 9 - Meeting The Family

I was going to Ursuline!

Done deal, right?

Oh for the simple outlook of a eleven-year-old.

AA Lock Stock And Barrel 7

Isabel. Entrepreneur and asset stripper.
Edward Thorpe Isabel’s father. Deceased.
Josephine Thorpe Isabel’s mother.
Lucinda Thorpe Isabel’s sister.
Abigail Thorpe Isabel’s 2nd sister
Veronica Thorpe Isabel’s 3rd sister
Jacqueline Thorp Isabel’s youngest sister
Marjorie Tansley Lawyer to Edward Thorpe
Shula Isabel’s bisexual female partner.
Dawn Shula’s lesbian lover and Isabel’s companion
Betty Edward Thorpe’s secretary.
Pete Machine shop supervisor.

Chapter 8 - Ursuline Academy

"And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company this morning, Annie?" asked Dad at breakfast.

"Why Dad, isn't my presence always a pleasure?"

"I refuse to answer because I might have to tell the truth."

"Chip, be nice to your daughter."

"He's never nice to me," grumped Kate.

"I guess that means you don't want a lift to the mall?" snarked Dad.

"I'll just have my boyfriend take me."

"Joanna! Where's my baseball bat?"

Chapter 6 - Party Time

Saturday morning I woke up and I just couldn't help it - with all those new clothes still in the bags I just had to wear them. The party wasn't until two in the afternoon, but I really wanted to try on some of my new things.

I woke up the next morning feeling a little better, I was starting to breathe a little easier, my throat was so sore and I felt my fever starting to retreat. Breakfast was soon served to me, it was a homey breakfast of boiled turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, without salt and pepper of course. Toast without butter, and a small bottle of chocolate milk. Out of hunger I ate every morsel and left not a scrap of egg or a speck of crust on my plate.

Chapter 4 - Annie And The Angel

I wore my new print dress home at Kate's insistence - she thinks that having a sister could be fun. Dad and Sam did some silly grunting and chest pounding thing when we got home to prove how great their men's night out was, but we sophisticated women just ignored the gorillas in the living room. We women had better things to do, like finish my homework and go to bed; after all it was a school night. Looking back as an adult having to go to bed so early shocks me, but back then I really did need the sleep. That school bus came awful early.

Chapter 3 - Outfitting Annie

School on Wednesday took forever.

I was really looking forward to going out with Mom and Kate, and the idea of being Annie for the outing had moved from yeah, OK to this is going to be fun! Something had clicked when I saw myself as the girl version of me. On stage, Annie was a character, a role I was playing; off stage, the Annie I saw in the mirror was me as a different person.

Chapter 2 - Annie Off The Stage

Annie was a great success, which made me want to spend more time on the stage. I was hooked on the bright lights and the greasepaint, just like my parents. The hardest part of the whole thing was the my name in the program.

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you…Don't… Watch…Out!

"Little Orphant Annie"
James Whitcomb Riley
1885

On the run geisha style.