Chapter Five – Subtleties and Nuances

Having successfully escaped, Danielle and Steven are in hiding with Katerina and Hans. Steven tells Danielle things that she would rather set aside while Katerina Scholl decides that Danielle needs a little coaching in the womanly arts. The escape begins to take a bad turn.

I hovered my mouse over the ‘call’ button for a good minute before I finally closed my eyes, sighed, and worked up the nerve to click. It took a second for my laptop to register what I’d done but soon enough the familiar ringtone broke through and I could see the word ‘connecting’ on the screen. I waited for ten, twenty seconds thinking they weren’t going to pick up. I think I was hoping they weren’t going to pick up; my parents were never pleasant to talk to and even less so since I’d unexpectedly changed my major.

		Weeping Willow Part 1 War of the Wills by **Sigh** Copyright© 2019 plaintivesigh All Rights Reserved.

15-year-old Bill is unable. Unable to obey, unable to live in peace with others, and ... unable to cry.

Sliding the phone back into my pocket I quietly used the bathroom and exited back into the hallway. It was a bare hall; no pictures or anything hanging up on the walls, and I only passed one other room. Passing out of the mouth of the hall I emerged into the kitchen where Shelby was stood at the stove stirring stew beneath a yellow hood light, contrasted against the white lights of the kitchen and a backdrop of faded, peeling wallpaper. Zeke sat at the kitchen table, the shotgun apart as he cleaned it carefully with a series of brushes and fluids.

Raben made several decisions concerning the future of the Clan Corvo. The massive continual influx of people into Senegal from neighboring areas was too great for a smooth assimilation. For the last 18 years an average of 120,000 neighboring people per year were joining the Clan Corvo from adjoining tribal areas due to the ever escalating tribal warfare in search of slaves. The Clan Corvo represented peace, stability, and plentiful food. The Raven Raiders fielded 25 divisions who patrolled the ever expanding Senegal borders. Any armed incursions were met with overwhelming force and the utter destruction of the antagonists with most going into the Clan’s 3 year slavery. As tribes joined, they brought their land with them into the Clan Corvo, thus expanding the Senegal borders. With security and plentiful food, by 400 CE the birthrate soared to 3% while the infrastructure struggled to keep pace. By 411, the population in the African colony had soared to 5,095,711 people meaning the 3% population growth equaled 139,403 people. Raben decided that for the next 5 years to relocate 140,000 people into Barmaz while Barmaz raised their emigration to 63,000 people.

“I’m sorry Ma’am,” The voice on the other end of the phone said. “We can’t accommodate a transgender individual at our shelter. While I’m sure he’s a great…person, we can’t house him with the women.”

“You can’t house her with the men either!” I said angrily. “Do you know what could happen?”

“Did you try the shelter over on Bradbury?” The woman asked. I wanted to jump through the phone and strangle her.

“Of course I tried them,” I snapped. “They said the exact same thing and this is INSANE! You can’t just turn people away! Hello? Hello?!”

Chapter Three - Oberst Kurt Wessel

Danielle is getting very comfortable in her new guise and performing exceptionally well as the female lead in the prison camp play but her love scenes with Steven are very unmoving. Until... she discovers that being made love to as a woman can be quite delightful. The camp commander sees Danielle perform and invites her to his house for a very interesting evening.

CHAPTER 71
Afterwards, as so often in my life, I was able to talk with my lover. I couldn’t imagine how I would ever be able to cope without him there to take the load at least partly from my shoulders, but I was certain he felt the same way about the support I offered him.

“Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“Might need some help A few cracks showing”

“You, girl, what’s your name? Why you sleepin’ on my lawn?” A gruff voice stirred me to life as the world came to me through squinted eyes and my vision was flooded with rays of light filtered by a thick canopy of tree branches far overhead. My skull pounded from a trauma I couldn’t recall and my hand dug into dirt as I coughed and sputtered to life. “What’s your name little girl? You’d best be about answerin’ me!”

Two middle aged ladies clattered with confidence into the lounge carrying shopping bags and handbags. “Hello dear!” the first one said, without a care. “We’ve come to see Charles, is he in? I hope you don’t mind, we saw the lights were on and there was someone in the lounge.”

Charlie rapidly realised that while his Aunty Lilly had not immediately recognised him, the other lady, his mother surely would.

‘Sink or swim’ thought Charlie. “He’s here, please sit down both of you.”

The last of my girls to get married was Keely and Kalley. They got married the following summer. Keira and James were blessed with Ashley and Amanda. Karla had Frank, Jr. in January. I have had the pleasure of bringing all of my grandchildren into this world.

Kennedy and Mark's surrogate had Troy and Jace later that year, Keely and Peter had Madison. Then Marsha 18 months later.