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.

Even when you are a budding young sorceress, life is what happens when you least expect it. Just almost normal life things. Taking a stand against bullying in school. Waking your Mom up at an inopportune time. Learning the consequences of beating on another girl's boyfriend a little too enthusiastically. Finding out the hard way that male mosquitoes can sting sometimes. You know, life things.

“Can I give you a call? Something a bit weird happened this morning. X” read my message to Claire.

I’d been unable to concentrate since getting back from my coffee with Sarah. I’d taken Barney for a short, fifteen minute walk, skipped lunch and then tried to continue my studying. I was finding myself reading the same paragraphs over and over, and each time wouldn’t have been able to recall much of the material.

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

Just before her Saturday class at the dojang, Christie is all suited up and hoping for some sparring practice. Her next advancement test is only a couple of weeks away, and she wants to be ready!. Some things go right. Some others, eh, not so much. In the end, however, a great many things in Christie's future may start to change.

On the run geisha style.

Amanda wakes up in time to see her daughter Christie dancing. Mother and daughter discuss the fallout from Amanda's confrontation with the Dance Coach. Christie begins experiencing strange dreams.

John is a seasonal worker who often moved from one ranch to the next.
However, his newest job might become his undoing.
It isn't the ranch owner, a certified bad-ass witch, who turns out to be his opponent, but the very herd she keeps.
John can only trust himself. Not a good sign as he might be too curious for his own good.

This story takes place in the "Fashionable Witches" verse and can be read stand-alone.

Hospitals are one of the most depressing places on earth. Everything reeks of antiseptic and disinfectant, the food is bland and the portions are small. Plus, you can't have a moment's peace to yourself and you have no privacy whatsoever. And guess what? I'm going to be spending my Easter Weekend here on the fifth floor of Mississippi Medical Center because mother nature hates me.

A week later a plan was in place. Simon had arranged a meal in his favorite Italian restaurant for his three fellow board members.
The board members were the ones Simon suspected the most.

Mel was to get friendly with them after the wine started flowing. Simon was unsure if he wanted to put Mel through having to be “friendly”. This surprised her, he had blackmailed her into living as a woman, and had practically raped her. Now he was concerned for her welfare.

E’volvo’lution Chapter 6

We got back to the truck yard and Anders called for a meeting in the afternoon. I was told to just relax until then so I went and sat with Berget. She was very appreciative of my business look and sent me off to different places to get papers for her.

The ploy worked as I got a lot of ‘hubba hubba’ comments, and I really felt good when we went off for lunch.

“Whatever you have to say, make it quick, Connie. These long-distance calls are adding up. I’ve called you from L.A., Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto—”