Chapter Two

The popular girls all gave squeals of laughter as I dropped to my hands and knees in front of April. I heard groans from the rest of the students, and dimly heard Jeff say; "Aw, dude! Don't do it man!"

I refused to let myself feel humiliated. This was April's twisted sense of payback. I was protecting Mitzy from her rage and possible magical repercussions. April was a powerful witch and when in a fury, Witches had been known to wreak havoc on those less powerful. If I could become her target, even for one day, it could spare lives.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 44 Spring, Broadband, and Natural Justice

Since being a toddler, Violet had heard many conversations concerning war, it was something regularly discussed by Bearthwaite men, a number of who had served in the armed forces, and she had taken it all in, for to her the Bearthwaite view made perfect sense. Much of what she’d heard over and over again could be summarised in short pithy sentences. ‘Wars are caused by idiots who have the principles that ordinary blokes don’t give a toss about, but end up dying for anyway.’ ‘The number of armed conflicts a nation gets involved in is a measure of the incompetence and stupidity of its leaders because in the end all conflicts are settled around the negotiating table. It doesn’t actually require that much intelligence to have the negotiations before the conflict.’ ‘A squaddie I knew a long time ago who’d been in the mob for twenty-odd years once telt me that a battle that doesn’t happen is one won by the lads on both sides.’

Story:
Hill Street High School was built in the early 1990's in response to the town's recent growth. Too, the old school was a remnant of the 1920's, and looked it. The town had eventually given in to the inevitable and voted in a new school.

The new building had everything. As befitted area weather, it was totally enclosed (except for the athletic fields, of course). Yet its public areas never felt claustrophobic, for it relied a great deal on glass. The cafeteria was large and clean, the library well-stocked even with fiction, and the gymnasium included an indoor pool.

Warning: there is some sexual violence in this story, as well as explicit mention of female body parts.

My Brilliant Idea

April 2004