Quick Note: Chapter 9 goes up in two weeks, and from then on it will be a chapter per week. Enjoy!

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Over the next two weeks, Jennifer found herself watching James with a new, quiet intensity. It started from a place of care, a desire to monitor him after his breakdown, to take his emotional temperature and ensure he wasn’t spiralling again. But the more she watched, the more she noticed what they had both seen in the mirror that night.

My mouth and eyes were dry, sunlight through my parents window caused me to stir. I rubbed my eyes a little, after opening them I realised what a mistake that was. I had been wearing mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow last night and hadn't removed it prior to sleep. The black smudged transfer on my hands led me to expect the same on my face.

Bob waited for me after Drama Club. He had two tickets to the premiere of the new Secret Sissy Spy film. Actually it was Secret Sissy Spy 3. Technically that film had had its Hollywood premiere already but this was the national cinema premiere. He had won the tickets in a call-in radio show.

“Why don’t you go there with your girlfriend?” and then I remembered that his latest girlfriend was history. Bob had quite a lot of history. Rather ironic since he got Ds in that subject.

“No, I just want to see an action movie with a friend that appreciates action movies.”

Over the next few years, I gradually taught her more and more things. Ellie continued to amaze me with how bright she really was, and how much she could learn. She seemed as capable as any woman of her apparent age.

Following the consequences of allowing himself to be drawn further and further from manhood, Pat now found himself forced to face the family members who had always questioned who wore the pants in the relationship--though they had never suspected the truth of his current wardrobe.
You'll notice this part strays even further from the original story than the first, though it still follows the same conclusion.

Twilight

It began like a normal day at the dock. As always, I wore my lavender summer dress and one-inch heel sandals. Every day I went out at sunrise and came back exactly at twilight. But this day would be different.

This story is set in a real place, a real time and is based around a real incident. I have used generic terms such as Militia and Infiltrators as I don’t want readers to be distracted by the politics. Anyone who is familiar with the area will be easily able to identify these groups and even the location of my platoon base. But none of this is important: The story is about the people.

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“A wadi patrol?”