Chapter 16: First Day of School

The rest of the summer had been a whirlwind of self-discovery for Yuqi. Between exploring the books and scrolls in her mother’s chest, adjusting to her transformed body, and reconnecting with her family, she’d hardly had time to think about the impending school year. But now, as the first day of sophomore year dawned, the nerves that she’d pushed aside all summer hit her like a freight train, leaving her with a lingering sense of self-doubt.

NEIL
I pointed at Maddy, who smiled as she accepted her dish.

The waitress indicated a dessert menu, I thanked her, and she was off to another table.

“No cuddle, then, that time?”

She knocked back most of her second glass---where had the first one gone?---then looked up at me once more.

MADDY
I settled back against him as we continued down the lane to our digs, his buttock flexing against my hand, his own hand on my hip, and I was feeling almost blissed out. Sod what they had said at school, sod what had been written in the Register when I was born, this, the here and now, or there and then: it was right, fitting, proper. And I had the right dress with me, and shoes to go with it, because my own paranoia had been so worried there’d be a dress code for the dining room.

NEIL
I couldn’t really sleep that night, my nerves all over the place. What if I got another stiffy while talking to her, for example? I woke again at about four, and realised I wasn’t going to drop off again. I rolled over in bed to light up my computer, and yes, there was a room in Durham. Before I could chicken out, I booked it. I doubted that the B and B would complain, as they would keep my money for the extra nights, and kept the space to fit in another guest.

MADDY
I was riding to the supermarket, ready for my version of a Big Shop, which is easy enough to fit onto even a small bike when you live solo, and it was a miserable day, joy to the world. I was musing on whether it was time to get some better footwear for the bike, or at least some waterproof over trousers that were actually proof against water, when the handlebars started to twist in my hand as the rest of the bike shimmied frantically from side to side. My hand let the throttle close, and thank god I didn’t grab the front brake, but as the engine slowed I coasted to a very wobbly stop, where I sat astride the little machine trying not to hyperventilate. What the hell?

Chapter 15: A Game Interrupted

The living room was alive with the sounds of rapid button clicks and the muffled cheers and groans of Yuqi and her friends. They were locked in an intense gaming session, their characters navigating a chaotic level that none of them seemed close to beating.

“Stay behind me!” Ian shouted, frantically dodging an enemy attack.

“I’ve got it covered!” Yuqi replied, her fingers moving quickly over the controller.

Elliot groaned as his character met a sudden, untimely end. “Unbelievable. This game is rigged.”

NEIL
My school days were long past, but they still rode me hard, revisiting when I least expected them, or perhaps when I was least able to handle the memories. I was deep in a sump well below Castleton when something triggered my memories and switched on the classic fear/flight responses. It took me several minutes to put them back behind their wall, as I lay in the cold and dark, seeing and hearing the other boys as they threw whatever they had learned from their parents at me. Thank god I was always so much bigger than they were at all ages. Sticks and stones would never break my bones, but what I understood of their words still bloody hurt.

Chapter 3

Walter drove us back to the agency in the bigger car, with me in the front and the others in the back. Before I got out, he gave me his business card and I told him my mobile number, which he entered into his own phone, ‘so we can coordinate the shoot details’. I stood on the pavement, and we watched him drive away. Janice laughed.

“I wonder if there are more like that at home?”

Chapter 3 Rise to High Priest

I awoke the following morning, the remnants of last night's events lingering in my mind like fragments of a vivid dream. As I gazed into the vanity mirror perched atop my desk, reality struck me with undeniable clarity. The reflection, looking back, was altered, transformed by forces I could scarcely comprehend. There was no escaping the truth—I had changed in ways I'd never imagined possible.

Chapter 2

We hugged and air kissed, then went through to the dining room. We had a table in full view of everybody and got a lot of looks when we were seated. Monica gave me a potted history of the shoots that she had been in since I last saw her, and I gave her a potted history of my own recent past. We were into the main course when she said something that changed the situation.

“Do you know any places I can live in London? Someone called Yvonne from an agency there has bought out my contract with the agency here.”

Chapter 11: The New Kingdom
As I sat upon the elegant throne, a sense of warmth enveloped me, an embrace of magic that sparkled in the air like sunlight on water. More merpeople glided into the throne room, their movements a fluid dance, each figure adorned with shimmering scales that glistened in vibrant hues of deep azure and rich emerald. The light from the majestic throne caught and reflected off their bodies, casting a mesmerizing array of colors across the room.

After getting punished for a fight he didn't start, Taylor's life has taken a turn for the weird. First it was strange dreams then it was a bizarre feeling that something isn't right. Now he's constantly cold and can't figure out why.
But these things are just the beginning of his problems.

Chapter 13: Facing the Music

The afternoon sun blazed down, shimmering off the surface of the pool as Yuqi floated lazily on her back, trying to relax. The water was cool and inviting, a stark contrast to the heat of the day. Kelly swam laps nearby, occasionally splashing Yuqi for no reason other than to be annoying. The day had been quiet, the kind of peace Yuqi knew wouldn’t last forever.

Chapter 2

I followed the girls to the café on a shopping mall called Above Bar Street. It wasn’t very far, and had everything you would need, especially banks. There was a branch of the one I used, just five minutes from the office.

We all had a light lunch, with me following the girls to try the salad. It would not have been a good look if I had ordered a burger. I did note the range that they had, for when I was here on my own. There! I was already thinking about being here for real.

Chapter 12: What’s in the Box

Kelly crossed her arms, her face a mix of impatience and curiosity. “Well, are you going to open the chests, or are we just going to stare at them all day?” The mystery of the chests seemed to hang in the air, adding to the intrigue.

Yuqi glanced at her parents, then down at the three chests sitting in front of her. They felt heavy, not just physically but with a sense of importance she couldn’t explain. Her medallion seemed to hum faintly against her skin as though it wanted her to proceed.