Adela looked straight at me and her eyes glowed yellow again. If I was not in pain, I would've made a joke about how much it resembled a pair of traffic lights. It took less than a minute for the stump on my right shoulder to collect enough mass eventually forming a solid arm. Flexing my arms and fingers, I was pleased that it worked just as well as before.

I threw the copy of the marriage license at him, which in reflection was stupid because it wasn't tied down with a large piece of marble, and it wound up flittering away until it landed beside him. "You want to explain this? Oh," I waved my left hand at him displaying the monster mound of diamond attached to my finger. "And this?"

Because of their mutual suspicion, Luke has difficulty communicating with those he believes are the Daughters of Time. His new hosts make certain requests that cause him some heart-searching.

Old Mrs. Pirelli was yelling at me from her backyard, "Joy! Come down from there! Yer gonna break ya neck!"

"Only if I fall. How you doing Mrs. P.?"

"What?!" she hollared, squinting into the harsh sun, "What're ya doin' up on the roof?"

"Cleaning out the rain gutters."

"That's a man's job! Let yer bruthah do that!" she cried.

This was the woman whose Nativity scene had been blown up by my sister and her idiot headbanger friends. She hadn't spoken to Joy since. Now not only was she speaking to me, she seemed inordinantly concerned for my safety. She warbled hysterically, "No Joy, leave that for Teddy to do! You've gonna get hurt!"

"Hey, I can do any job he can! Haven't you heard?" Maybe the sun had gotten to my brain, or maybe I was just irritated at this old busy-body telling me what a girl could and couldn't do, but suddenly I was performing a jerky go-go dance and singing loudly, "The sisterrrrs are doin' it for themselves! Standin' on our own two feet, and ringin' our own bells!"

"For God's sake, STOP THAT!" she shrieked, alarmed at my dancing so close to the roof's edge. That crazy Joy Farranino was being crazy again...

I'm getting pretty good at this, I thought as I applied mascara from the new tube I had bought with a deft, unflinching hand. The lip liner I'd put on before my lipstick made my lips appear a critical millimeter or so plumper at the places where they seemed to need it ....... In a way this wasn't unlike those portraits I had painted for my whole family for Christmas a few years back. Each had its own unique set of criteria, which it would reveal to you as you worked on it; and sometimes you needed to fudge the truth a bit. Like softening the features (just enough, it still had to look like her...) on that one I did for my Aunt Livia, who was a dead ringer for Anthony Quinn...

There was no telling what Papa would think of my efforts this morning. As unforgiveable as Joy's crimes were to him, it was likely that no matter what I wore or did or said he'd continue to see me as having snake's eyes, horns and a tail. This mission of mine to fix his relationship with my sister by pretending to be her had a real Don Quixote feel to it. Everything I'd seen so far told me it was doomed to fail. But nonetheless I'd polished up my armor + was sallying forth once again...

College Fees by Susan Louise Montague

 
When John Philips goes to college it is the single biggest achievement of his life. Orphaned at a young age he is managing to pay the expensive college fees with the help of an aged benefactor. He moves into a house off campus which he is sharing with three beautiful young women with whome he gets along famously. Studying hard to make a future career for himself and having secured top grades in his first semester everything seems to be going amazingly well, however as fate would have it John's benefactor dies intestate after just his first semester. With no funds coming in the college tells John it will grant him a small bursary for his fees due to his high grades but that he will have to find a means of keeping and feeding himself. In the middle of a recession and with no money John turns to his friends and house mates Susan, Pamela, and Cindy for help. At first he baulks at their novel idea for him to earn some money which would involve him working as a girl but eventually gives in as he has no other choice and this sets him on a road to self discovery he never would have dreamed of taking.....

Work weekend continues and Caitlin figures out more stuff about herself. But what is the problem now?

Chapter 15

The Half-Lilin Chapter 13 by Shin Eris

Mom let go of my lips, pushed my head to the side and whispered, "Glyph Shield: Thurisaz!"

There was a loud boom and I closed my eyes, hugging mom tightly. Then I heard two voices, male and female, saying, "What the hell?!!!"

I opened my eyes. Mom's face was one of shock, so I looked behind. Uriel's face was a picture of outrage. Between us, was a spear with its tip buried to the ground. I can barely make out the word 'Amphillogiai'.

Mom suddenly let out a great laugh, "Uriel, it seems like your old friend has something to say about your habit of abducting brides."

Forever Claire, Chapter 12

Mary Windham wanted to teach her daughter to be charitable. One day Claire would inherit Windham Manor and the fortune that went with it.

It is morning of the second day of work weekend and Caitlin and the other pledges are rudely awakened and tossed into another fun day of labor. However, the whole issue that was revealed is making things a touch uncomfortable.

Vasily was plainly nervous, fidgeting in the back seat as they approached the glass and steel edifice that was CareGiver’s Orlando facility. The heat as they stepped out into the sun was an oppressive blast in the face even though it was still early in the day and He found himself adding to his nervous perspiration with genuine sweat as the foursome entered the building and strolled across the lobby to find Anne at her usual post.