A Quiet Strength - Paying the Piper
by Anon Allsop

-Part Two-

-Six-

Max sat in the Intensive Care Unit's waiting area, a tall young doctor approached. "Mr. Augustus?" Max nodded, the doctor took a seat beside him on the couch. "Your daughter is resting now, Elise is pretty severely injured. She has bleeding on her brain, and for now, we're keeping her in a medically induced coma."

"Will she live, Doc?" Max asked without looking up.

The Doctor inhaled deeply, "There are no guarantees, Mr. Augustus. Any brain injury is life threatening, there is always a danger when it involves the brain. Your daughter has had some serious trauma, the next 72 hours will tell us quite a bit. Go on home, sir, get some rest, we'll let you know if anything changes.

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Chapter *32*Canned Heat

The following morning's ride was pretty straightforward, no specific aims, no special requirements. Despite that it was a much more disciplined affair than when we started last week, we formed up into a rotation without prompting, no one trying to burst the pack or shying from their turn. That's not to say it wasn't a hard ride, we headed across to Glossop before turning south over some fairly tough climbs to Chapel en le Frith before heading back towards Manchester.

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Chapter *31*Pattern Break

Tuesday was back to the daily formula of ride, lunch, lecture, gym that we've so easily got used to. It was after dinner that our (tor) mentors threw the proverbial spanner into what we expected.

In which...wishing to avoid a dull visit to her grandmother, Lady Ann Neville takes drastic steps; giving her a holiday from herself and getting a little too much information on how the lower orders live.

Chapter One

Lady & Servant

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England 1908.

It seemed to Burt that his life was always spent with his face pressed against the glass.

He worshipped Lady Ann Neville more than he did god in church, but Burt was only the stable hand at her father's vast estate, Griply Hall. His job was to muck out and groom the horses and perform manual labour around the estate. He was forbidden even from entering the manor house. He scraped an existence in the reflected light from this affluent and powerful family but he could never be one of them.

Still, he had his dreams – dreams that one day she would smile at him and say that - no it was too stupid for words. The distance between them was greater than it was to China. He might as well howl at the moon like a dumb animal. Lady Ann had hardly noticed him while they were growing up. Why would she notice him now? He was dirty and coarse; a big hairy man who couldn’t even talk in a gentile way. She would never consider him as a friend, let alone a husband. He had no money, no education and no prospects. He could barely read or write. He had no proper manners and didn’t know the first thing about how to be a gentleman.

Atalanta's Story- Chapter 5 Again this is edited by William Durr and any errors left are mine.

This chapter is shorter than any of the others. A transition period from male to female. From childhood to the journey into adulthood. It takes place the same night as the barbecue does.

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Atalanta's Story- Chapter 4. My thanks again go to William Durr for his help, encouragement, and editing. Any errors are mine though. As a reminder this is a Whateley Academy Fanfiction.

This is a shorter chapter. Atalanta dresses up and goes to a barbecue where she dances and learns a valuable lesson and gains more insight into her change.