"My lords!" Podan continued his address "We must remind the people that the increased taxes are necessary to aid the war effort and their sacrifices will not be forgotten"

Elara stood beside the other ladies who in turn stood quietly behind the Princess as court was held. The nobles had gathered that morning and for quite some time already, they had been busy discussing legal and administrative matters.

How about another chapter? Please enjoy.

Colonel Decker's response to our report arrived swiftly, outlining the next steps we were to take in light of the situation we had encountered. With his guidance, we formulated a plan to ensure the safety and well-being of the survivors under our care.

"We're to take those in cryo-sleep to the nearest base for further medical treatment and debriefing," I relayed to Mir'tan as we reviewed the Colonel's instructions.

“That actually explains a lot.” Tracy said as she saw me pour the vial into my drink. “Just a tip, you can drink it straight. It keeps people out of your business.”

“It's not that big of a deal is it?”

“Technically, you're now on the market for marriage proposals.”

“I'm only eleven.”

“It's an archaic law, but it's still in place.”

I placed the empty vial in one of my robe pockets and scanned the room to see if anyone else had noticed.

One girl is brave enough to stand up and speak out. How will people react when she does?

Chapter 9

Firstly, though, was the matter of getting this project finished. David and the technical crews were on a plane next morning, bound for a post-production studio. Once they had the film in a rough cut, they would be looking for music to go with it.

Acidalia XVI
By Amanda D

Quantico Marine base Thursday Sept 7th 8:30 am:

Oh my, Tommy thought upon awakening. What did I do last night? I kind of remember getting up and walking around, and yet, it didn’t seem like I was doing it.

While getting dressed, he saw the note next to his computer. Wow, Tommy thought. The amulet really works! Or more likely, Sarah’s gained control of her powers but just needed to be encouraged to visit other places, which was what I hoped for by lying to her about the amulet.

There really isn’t anything more soporific than a thirteen-pound burrito . . . .

After the encounter at the mall, Genesis, Jesse, and Ramona were extremely paranoid. As they drove, they kept an eye out for any cars or vans that might be following them. They didn't see any, but they were still on edge. If Lucas knew they were heading for Atlanta, then he was probably heading there, too.

It took another two days to reach Atlanta. In the late afternoon of February 1, 2024, Ramona got off the highway and entered Atlanta. "Here we are," she said. "Atlanta."

"Rachel Miller lives in an orphanage, right?" Genesis asked.

While this tale has a BSDM theme at the start, it is not about putting anyone into Bondage. Quite the reverse. It is more of a tale of redemption and a change of direction.

Chapter 8

While we were talking, Roger had received a call on his phone, leaving the room to take it. When he came back, he told us that David wanted to take me to dinner, to talk about how things were going, and that he would have to drop me off at home so that I had time to be ready. Anna seized the opportunity.