Chapter 16

I had another bad night. I don't really remember what I am dreaming, just wake up terrified. I usually wake to the sound of my own scream. I am shaking and crying and I don't even recall what has made me so scared. In the end, I can't get back to sleep, so even though it is the middle of the night I tried to get up.

Flight Lieutenant Second Class Jason Cole is the fifth generation in a long line of military family members and the third of the current generation. Unlike his older brother and sister Jason cannot be fitted with a bio-A.I. This one fact will led him on the greatest adventure of his young life.

Chapter 15 Sophia's POV

I woke up with Gem spooning me comfortingly. I had another wake in the middle of the night screaming episodes. Gem had done a wonderful job of calming me down, but she needed her sleep and it wasn't fair for me to keep interrupting it. I was thinking of offering to sleep on the sofa, but the flat was so small, I would only be a couple of metres away and I'm sure you would need to be in another country to not hear my screams.

Chapter 14

Singing? As Dillan I had never liked my voice, so sang as little as possible. The only singing I had done as Sophia was to a few songs in the car with Gem. “Err...only in the car.” I replied.

“What was the last song you sang?” She asked me.

I blushed since it was one of her songs and for some reason that made me feel embarrassed. “Gratitude.”

She laughed. “Come with me.” She jumped off the couch again and headed off at a fast pace. I don't think she knows how to do anything with less than full energy.

Chapter 12

After breakfast we dropped off the hire car and entered the airport. After checking in our luggage there really was nothing to do for hours, waiting for our flight. It did give me a chance to interrogate Gem. She was pretty open about herself, but couldn't tell me much about what was going to happen after we arrived, because she didn't know.

Chapter 11 Sophia's POV

I woke up still wrapped in Gem's arms. She was snoring mildly, so I knew she was still fast asleep. I felt a little embarrassed about my middle of the night freak out. My male pride had taken another blow. Considering the circumstances, that was not necessarily a bad thing and there was something nice in not having to be the strong one.

Chapter 10 part 2 Gem's POV

No Fricken Way! I thought for probably the hundredth time. I started reading the last entry but that made no sense, so I went back a few days and that confused me more. I ended up flicking back to find something that I could comprehend. That turned out to be a week before the holiday. There, Richard was Richard and behaved exactly how Amy had told me. Then there was the bus journey and everything changed.

Flight Lieutenant Second Class Jason Cole is the fifth generation in a long line of military family members and the third of the current generation. Unlike his older brother and sister Jason cannot be fitted with a bio-A.I. This one fact will led him on the greatest adventure of his young life.

Chapter 9

Gem had hired a car so we drove to the police station using the GPS. I stuck close to her side which seemed to help me with my anxiety. They led us to a room and brought out my family suitcases and boxes filled with all our stuff. Gem suggested that I fill the suitcases with all my clothes and everything of my parents apart from their clothes, which would be donated or discarded. She needed to fill out some paperwork so I was left to my own devices. Since there was no one else in the room I was fine with that.

Some of the set-up hadn't been finished by the late evening of Wednesday after we arrived at the site, so some folks stayed on site on Thursday morning to finish it, the rest of us would find some way to relax while we wandered around Greenville to see what we could discover.

We were up by about 7 AM, even without using an alarm. I guess we're used to being on the go early, even when we aren't doing anything.

Walking back home from Aurora's Halloween party, Underdog and the cosmonaut were far from the strangest thing on the streets this warm Halloween weekend night. It seemed all the frustrated creativity in West Hollywood came out that night.

“Ruble for your thought” I said in my lame attempt at a 'Natasha' accent.
He chuckled quietly. “I was just thinking about that guy at the party. The one who gave me his card. I told him I don't do musical impressions.... well, not singers.... sure, I can play like anyone from Hendrix to Alvino Rey, but.... voices? ….man, that's something else.... still he seems to think we could do something together. ….I have no idea what.....”

“One way to find out.” I said quietly. “Call the guy Monday.” Colin nodded but remained lost in thought. “...but if he wants you to come in the underdog costume... hang up!”

That worked. Colin let out one loud laugh. And the grin returned to his face as he came back to the present.

Colin and I were inseparable through the holiday season.

Chapter 7

I woke up groggily, staring around me trying to work out where I was. I could feel my arms and body strapped down. The roof above me was clearly a car and there was something over my nose and mouth. A strange man leaned over me looking me in the eyes. I felt a surge of fear and my heart started beating faster. The fact that I was trapped was not helping me to calm down. He was speaking to me but I couldn't understand him. I was edging towards panic with my breath coming in quicker.

Chapter 5

Jen and I only really had one full day left and, although it was fun, there was an element of sadness there too. We had been practically glued together for years, so a forced separation, even for only a week felt troubling. At least she would be able to explain everything to my parents, not a conversation that I was looking forward to. It's not that I expected them to be unaccepting or anything. It just feels awkward to turn up looking like a complete stranger and give them the love and hugs that I would want to.