Chapter 13: Facing the Music

The afternoon sun blazed down, shimmering off the surface of the pool as Yuqi floated lazily on her back, trying to relax. The water was cool and inviting, a stark contrast to the heat of the day. Kelly swam laps nearby, occasionally splashing Yuqi for no reason other than to be annoying. The day had been quiet, the kind of peace Yuqi knew wouldn’t last forever.

This is an alternate take on Dawning... Or How I Survived a Plane Crash, Sort Of which is the same up to the kiss. If you have just read that story, you can skip down three or four pages (to “kiss a boy”) and pick up how this version goes.

The darkness never changes, but sometimes it smells different. After 400 years, whether my eyes are open or closed matters because it’s how I communicate. One if by land, two if I see….

PART FIVE
LUCY/1960s YVES SAINT LAURENT

Training Strategy Meeting -- in the boy's lockerroom!

Pete's Vagina
63. Locker Room
by Erin Halfelven

Here we are again. Please enjoy.

Chapter 2 of 3 – Release

And it gets worse in this chapter. Honestly, be cautious.

“Are you wearing lipstick?” Mike asked.

I nodded.

“Melissa, is he your personal make-up model?”

“Would you like to be my next artistic marvel?” Melissa asked with a subtle flirty hint to her voice.

“I could use a little hair work, maybe.”

“Oh, I can do a lot more.”

“We noticed,” Chad replied as we stepped into the building.

The hallway was crowded with cheerleaders, advisors, coaches and administrators.

©2025 SammyC

“He’s alive! This boy’s still breathing—”

 
 
XII. The Feast of Fractured Mirrors

The farmhouse table groaned beneath casseroles that reeked of clove and false piety. John’s mother—a woman who starched her hymns—leaned in, her gaze lingering on Lanie’s sun-kissed cheeks and the demure lace dress that was Georgia. “What a vision,” she sighed as if this moment could be preserved like a jar of pickled beets.

Once the party was over, it was time for me to plan starting college. I accepted one of several pre-made class listings for first years. Making living arrangements was often even tougher than picking classes in college on Earth, but here it was pretty easy. There were dorms, and there was a single room for each person, with doors that would allow them to pair up couples in adjoining rooms.

Chapter 2

I followed the girls to the café on a shopping mall called Above Bar Street. It wasn’t very far, and had everything you would need, especially banks. There was a branch of the one I used, just five minutes from the office.

We all had a light lunch, with me following the girls to try the salad. It would not have been a good look if I had ordered a burger. I did note the range that they had, for when I was here on my own. There! I was already thinking about being here for real.

Chapter 1 of 3 – Draw

This one's a rough one. Proceed at your own risk.