He took both my hands in his, startling me. “I’d like to make it up to you."

FRANKIE

I clicked the top back onto the lipstick and replaced it carefully in the dressing table drawer along with the other make up I’d used. Studying myself in the mirror, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I felt relaxed - for the first time in a long while. Perhaps for the first time since my sister, two years older than me, had left home to go to college in the US ten weeks ago. I missed her enormously. We were close - much closer than most siblings, but we had our parents to thank for that.

Hi Mom and Dad,

Just thought I should let you know that I'm still alive. Barely.

Doom Valley has been really interesting. I've been killed about twenty times. Don't worry I got better.

And guess what, have a nemesis. Three of them actually. One of them is a paladin who thinks I'm evil incarnate, he almost killed me.
I've also almost been brainwashed three times, those were from my other two nemesis's? Nemeses?

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 59
Alys was waiting for us at the Uni, along with both of our mothers, which was a surprise. Mam, my Mam, of course, was straight to the point, as well as to a hands-on inspection of my nose, after a chuckled comment to Alys.

“Put Enfys down, love!”

Part 3

The three of us sat there, stunned. Derek had a big grin on his face and then he took up the explanation.

“We will want you to do the tour in period dress. We know that this is a bit of an imposition, but it would add to the accuracy of the delivery. You may have noticed a lot of pictures taken, late in the tour, today. I don’t think any of you saw what we saw.”

When Paths Cross 2

Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Hammerstein is at the cusp of finishing high school in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. He has a seemingly ideal life and is blessed with loving parents, a cute baby sister, and great friends. Nicholas is a gifted student and martial artist who has dreams of leaving for college at the end of his senior year. But, living in a world of Emergent humans, he will soon find his life turned upside down as his life and the fate of a kingdom hang in the balance. His future and theirs will be determined by how he navigates the drastic changes in his body and the magical and superpowered Mergent population he joins.

What does yourself look like today?

Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Hammerstein is at the cusp of finishing high school in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. He has a seemingly ideal life and is blessed with loving parents, a cute baby sister, and great friends. Nicholas is a gifted student and martial artist who has dreams of leaving for college at the end of his senior year. But, living in a world of Emergent humans, he will soon find his life turned upside down as his life and the fate of a kingdom hang in the balance. His future and theirs will be determined by how he navigates the drastic changes in his body and the magical and superpowered Mergent population he joins.

The orinal story was written as a bit of topical fun for Coronation Day, but I decided that there was still a bit of life left in it and completed a sequel following on with how Lou's life changed.

Desdemonia and the rest of the council filed into their respective places around the dais where I sat, holding my tentacular head.

“Seth!” April yelled up at me in Desdemonia’s voice. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea!”

“We need to reverse this!” I said, and everyone held their ears. My voice was rather high-pitched and strident.

“Even if we could, it would just find another way into this reality!” Desdemonia said in April’s voice. “This way, we can at least terminate it upon entry into this realm.”

Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Hammerstein is at the cusp of finishing high school in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. He has a seemingly ideal life and is blessed with loving parents, a cute baby sister, and great friends. Nicholas is a gifted student and martial artist who has dreams of leaving for college at the end of his senior year. But, living in a world of Emergent humans, he will soon find his life turned upside down as his life and the fate of a kingdom hang in the balance. His future and theirs will be determined by how he navigates the drastic changes in his body and the magical and superpowered Mergent population he joins.

“And now,” April flourished Desdemonia’s hands, “Comes the moment we’ve all been waiting for.” She beckoned to me.

I took a deep breath. This was it.

If I took that step forward, I could be leaving humanity behind forever, doomed to an eternity, or perhaps, many eternities as another being entirely. Something so completely alien, even aliens from another galaxy would be more familiar. In exchange for what?

I saw the scowling faces of my parents. I was happy they were there. Hopefully, they would make sure there was no funny business.

Drying off after the hot tub, I leaned over and quietly asked Ella, “What exactly is a manicure and pedicure?”

“You really are a boy,” she whispered, her smile taking any potential sting out of her words. “They're going to clean, massage, and colour our hands, feet, and nails. It feels really nice, just relax and go with it.”