I took a bath in the downstairs bathroom. Usually this was reserved for guests, but since Dad was…gone, and I was stuck in this older woman’s body, I decided to relocate to the guest room. It felt strange being in my old room anyway.

Mom had decked out the guest bathroom with bath bombs, robes, and candles. I filled the tub, dropped in a lavender bath bomb, then lit a few candles. Removing my clothes, I stared into the mirror.

Author's note: I have been asked by several of my readers to continue on with this story. I went through my old documents and found the notes I had made for chapter 2 before I lost all motivation to do anything. I started writing this at the beginning of my deepest depression. I just couldn't focus on anything or find the motivation to do anything. I am in a better place now and I hope that I can complete this story that so many people liked.

Take your Daughter to Work
In Response to a Challenge
By Maryanne Peters

Crying

To those who helped I give my blessing.
To the rest, may you one day receive what you deserve,
On my deathbed, alone as always,

Occulta puella. [Hidden Girl]

Somehow, in the midst of her crying the night before, Natalie was able to fall asleep. She didn’t know how, the adrenaline rush she got from her suicide attempt had to have been enough to keep her awake and alert, but whether she wanted to or not, she fell asleep.

Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Hammerstein is at the cusp of finishing high school in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. He has a seemingly ideal life and is blessed with loving parents, a cute baby sister, and great friends. Nicholas is a gifted student and martial artist who has dreams of leaving for college at the end of his senior year. But, living in a world of Emergent humans, he will soon find his life turned upside down as his life and the fate of a kingdom hang in the balance. His future and theirs will be determined by how he navigates the drastic changes in his body and the magical and superpowered Mergent population he joins.

Girls Just Want to have Fun
-3-
Accessory Shopping and Ear Piercing

A new opportunity comes up for Jo to develop her career, and slide even deeper into the new life she is creating.

Double Deuce, Washington D.C.:
“Yee Haw!”

Cassady and Juni were competing against each other on the mechanical bull. Both women were dressed in skimpy clothes and riding the bulls like pros. Cassady had a large pitcher of beer in her hands as she bounced up and down wildly on the bull she was on. She looks over and noticed Juni was matching her bull’s speed and performance as well.

The following morning, I was roused from my slumber by Mir'tan's movements. As she flashed me a sweet smile, she leaned in for a tender kiss. "Good morning, Lor'hi. I'll be back in just a moment." Winking at me, she disappeared into the bathroom. My heart swelled with contentment as I lay there, grinning and taking a deep breath.

Curiously, I asked my AI, "Kitty, what does Lor'hi mean?"

This story is both an entry into the April 2023 “take your daughter to work day” challenge and a personal homage to a classic shared world from the archives of BCTS.

I could see the plume of smoke rising over the cornfields from several miles away. Not the thick, rolling smoke of a hungry blaze, but the puffs and wisps of a fire nearly burned out. Despite it being over a decade since I last fought a major fire, I still felt the same pulse of adrenaline and the bitter taste of fear and anticipation. As I approached the site along the narrow country road, I pulled over to let the coroner and a police cruiser pass in the other direction. If anything, that made the anticipation worse.

Looking for Trouble
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Ryan Tolliver rode out of the south, looking for Trouble. That is how this story might begin. Not looking for trouble, but looking for Trouble with a capital T. Trouble Lumiere. Ryan might have called her his lady love. But she was no lady. Not in any sense.

I swam a few laps, then made April’s mint Julep. There was some fresh fruit already laid out along with some boiled eggs that I wolfed down.

About an hour later, April stepped out of the house and onto the porch.

She’d styled her gray streaked dark hair in one of Desdemonia’s twisted updos, and layered on the makeup but not quite as thick as her mother. She wore a wraparound dress with sensible sandals, and huge sunglasses.

“April?” I said.

She took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said.