Time on My Hands
Chapter 23: 239 CE: The Nerva of It!

Again with his speed and agility Raben quickly outdistanced the troops. By dawn he was alone about a mile from the northern tree line. Creeping to the top of a denuded hill he searched for signs of pursuit. Hundreds of soldiers were spread out across the devastated landscape clearly searching for him. Mounted troops waited where the roads entered the trees looking for him. It was clear they were not about to give up and he was effectively cut off from where he could easily slip away. It seemed nearly the entire garrison had been deployed.

For several minutes he tried to decide what to do. If he continued towards the forest he’d be spotted and swarmed. The mounted troops could cut his escape route until the foot troops reached him. With his battle skills it would be a bloodbath before they took him down. While he knew he’d resurrect, the pain and discomfort of dying was not something he relished. In addition, he knew the bloodied troops would take delight in slicing up his body and putting it on display. If he resurrected while being displayed... the thought was simply untenable.

Having my sister here brought back a lot of memories. Even though she is a year younger than I am she caught up with me in height and for a little bit she was taller until we both stopped at five two. Many people mistook us for twins as we acted alike and drove our parents nuts like most kids. Even with short hair and boy's clothes people thought I was a girl more than half the time. Even worse when she would wear my clothes as well. It somewhat stopped as my voice deepened, but there was always someone who would point it out, or be shocked speechless when I spoke.

Author's Note: This is a sequel to my Non-TG Novel, Missing Without A Trace: A Kelly Mitchell Mystery by Charles Schiman.
This is also a non-tg novel. However, I am a male writing the novel first-person as a female. And I created Kelly as the female person I thought I could have become--my alter ego, if you will--had I been born a girl.

The first novel, Missing Without A Trace: A Kelly Mitchell Mystery, is available for purchase online as a Nook Book at the Barnes and Noble Nook Store.

Part Three

Long ago a magic user of normal skill came across the Medallion of Zulo. Divining its purpose on the first day he studied the item for weeks figuring out every nuance of the mystic item. Using a specially designed box and a ring of the same metal, he was able to link some abilities of the medallion to the ring. Not satisfied he tried several more times to add the full abilities to the ring, but nothing changed. In the end she lost the medallion and surprisingly happy with her new role as a witch.

Unknown number of generations later

 

Gaby Book 16 - Sweet Sixteen

Downtime

Push

I spent Sunday morning in my bed.

I removed my storm window to break into my room and I then slammed my small dresser against the frame. It did squat to prevent anyone, like, say, John, from actually getting in but it made me feel a little better. However the good vibes vanished in seconds as what happened replayed in my head like a bad cut scene.

Alexa B-Side: #28 – Katie & Danny

To put it bluntly, I did not enjoy even a moment of the slightly more than three hour trip home, all I wanted to do was scream.

The problem was that we kept hitting crosswinds, and every time we did, the helicopter would rock a bit, causing me to shift in the seat. That caused a certain very tender part of my anatomy to rub against the surface of the seat through my jeans and underwear.

Let's just say that, by the time we landed at their home base near our camps, I was in a fair bit of pain. No, make that a lot of pain.

CHAPTER 27
I really don’t know where that year went, but the school holidays were soon on us and so was our boy’s first ever trip abroad. We had taken a load of pictures of him, trying to get something suitable for his passport, and in the end the best we could manage made my son look rather like a white Malteser.

We flew from Cardiff this time, meeting the others at a coffee shop before check-in. It was slightly odd, as I remembered Vicky from the trial, but had never really got to know her husband Kevin, and then there were two hyperactive children to engage with, Tara Elaine and Kevin Twm. Bags dropped, kids supplied with amusements, queue through Security, and then sit and wait, then wait some more.

I arrived a few minutes late for work to find the squad room a scene of what can only be described as organised chaos. From the looks on everyone’s faces we’d picked up a new case. I headed for my desk and after slipping off my coat I sat down, started to get my bearings and waited in vain for anyone to remark ‘oh you are back then?’ or some such greeting.

I was just returning from three weeks holiday and I was already feeling slightly miffed that none of my colleagues had even noticed that I’d returned to work.

As I am second-guessing my ability to manage operations as president after today, I am given more reason to doubt. The alarm begins to blare out, and the ship’s computer spoke two of the scariest words known to humankind: “Emergency: Code White”.

If I should die before I wake...

They came from the same direction we had come from, more of the huge green things than I could count. Gunshots banged out from our side, but they had firearms, too, monstrous pistols like the one we had found for Trike.

 

Gaby Book 16 - Sweet Sixteen

Sweating on the Line

Masks XX: The Mystery of the Mechanical Master

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

The video conference call was unusual in more aspects than the fact that all three participants were wearing costumes with masks. The members of Tricorne were planning yet another Spring Break together. However, this time the youngest member was proposing something different from previous teamups.

First I thank Monika for all her efforts at editing. I asked for her help with the French translations and she dug into the story cleaning up a ton of errors including the French. Faeries and Such was posted several weeks earlier. There have been minor revisions to the first part. Nothing which will take away from the second part if one has already read the first and wishes to skip it.
For the past three weeks I either had my head down in the innards of a JD while questioning my sanity or eating dust and dirt when it's running. I lost three weeks getting the land ready for the next planting, Please, I love all of you, but don't expect me to return the volley if you comment.
Life is a gift. Treasure it until it's time to return it.

Chapter 39

We jumped into the limo and drove to my house. I was feeling nervous and a bit scared that mum was going to muck this up for me. On the other hand, Eve had this grin on her face, ready for a confrontation and looking forward to it. I think she was trying to keep me from freaking out by keeping a conversation going. We talked about music generally, favourite songs and artists.

CHAPTER 26
Paula looked round the table, her eyes lingering on Rhod, and I could read her mind. ‘Souvenirs’, Moira had said, and I had to assume she meant one or more varieties of hepatitis. I had read the briefings, spoken to enough girls; was it dirty needles, or simply taking the extra cash for bareback sex from dirty men? It wouldn’t have been HIV, because she almost certainly knew it is nowhere near as contagious as good, old-fashioned liver death.

Image By: RachVerity