Ryan’s foolish and childish behaviour causes Eve to take a firmer stance with him. Meanwhile, despite his earlier bravado, Ryan learns just how deeply the serum runs. While he struggles with this, a simple knock on the door of the apartment changes everything.

Excerpt: I nodded, “No more closed door bullshit?”

Eve said, “None. We can talk about the adoption too. You’ve got a choice in this, Ryan. If you don’t want us to adopt you, we can look at other options. The best thing for you now though is to try to maintain control. Fight your impulses. You might find that when you start putting your thoughts down that you can better understand yourself and what you are going through.”

I had expected a completely different conversation, one that involved a lot of screaming and threats. If anything, I was impressed with Eve’s calm demeanour. That feeling of warmth was still there, but now that I understood what Eve was trying to do, it felt different. Maybe she was really just trying to help?

“The Many Faces of Adira Potter: Chapter 21”
By = Fayanora

Chapter Twenty-one: Sirius Business

Note 1: Text in 'Italics and British quotes' is Parseltongue.

Note 2: Once more, I apologize for the bits and pieces of canon dialogue/narration here and there.

The world now knows of Kaylee’s existence. As talk of adoption heats up, Ryan’s mind, twisted by the serum begins to play tricks on him. Meanwhile, Ryan struggles with trying to reassert his identity through something other than the formerly tantalizing opposite sex.

Excerpt: But this was nothing like the sudden warmth I felt when the little girl hugged her mother. The warmth was not heat, unlike a blanket covering a shivering form, it elicited a response from my heart. I knew heartache, at least as long it took for me to find another girl, and another, to fill the void left by Hannah, but this was something else entirely.

My heart, my chest, my brain- everything was filled to bursting with an overwhelming sense of love- to give and receive it in an immeasurable fashion. The only thing similar to it was the intense, incredible high I got from sex, but it wasn’t lust, the hard wrenching of parts, stares and longing, until the moment of climax, and then nothing- no, it was something real. Lasting.

And that’s why it scared the fuck out of me. Because it didn’t exist. To me it had to be the serum, and I was staring at my future if I embraced this world.

Somewhere, the moon shines above the clouds in a land called...

Bian
(Bee-Onn)
by Erin Halfelven

Thanks as always to Robyn Hood, Emily and Cressar. And to everyone who has commented and kept with the story :)

I hope you enjoy this, the penultimate episode of Consequences

Part Nine

We are sat backstage as Tina searches for illicit cigarettes in her handbag.

"Gawd Tina, I am soooo glad we hang out now," I say in a loud whisper. "I can't believe I was spending time with that munter Andi and her sadsack friends." Tina smiles conspiratorially at me.

With things quickly deteriorating in Egypt, can Alex and her sisters keep Pharaoh and his royal family alive long enough to make it back to the Temple of the Sun to begin their politically-driven journey to their next life? How does a very, very…VERY, abstract chess match figure into their pre-procession preparations? Only time will tell.

Finally understanding that he cannot wage the war against the serum alone, Ryan accepts Greg and Eve’s help. After the close call with the doll, Greg’s suggests a trip to the beach to wake up the old Ryan Sullivan. Ryan readily accepts, but the trip will hardly be a simple day at the beach. While there will be a multitude of flesh to attract a red-blooded male, there also exists many attractions to awaken the little girl within.

Excerpt: The door closed and the footsteps rapidly retreated. I was left holding a plastic doll, and while my humiliation in Greg’s presence was staggering to both my male ego and my adult self, I couldn’t help but want to continue playing. It was like some drug filling my mind and body with such a real sense of happiness that it was easy to ignore the fact that such actions were eating away at Ryan Sullivan. The toys, the sense of adventure, the world of imagination that Hermie spoke of were the vultures circling over the soon-to-be corpse.

But it was rainbows, cotton candy, pretty dresses, and a life where finding someone to play with would be my greatest worry. I knew that children worried about more important stuff. Some of them even faced crippling anxiety. A friend of mine, the same one with all the incredible video games, was a wreck every time his dad went on a tour of duty. I knew better, but the drug swimming in my system was smiles and sunshine.

I desperately needed help.

Ryan faces the consequences for mouthing off to Mrs. Feinstein in a way that puts his acting skills to the ultimate test. Meanwhile, the continued vulnerability displayed by Ryan brings out Eve’s softer side, and while it brings the two closer together, the closeness raises concerns, especially with regard to Eve’s strange behaviour.

Excerpt:
I felt my mouth droop into a frown, my emotions fluctuating wildly, like a roller coaster suddenly thrown into reverse. I looked up and Eve’s features had softened. Her caramel skin was radiant, her eyes welcoming, and her mouth formed a gentle smile. Her expression screamed, “Tell me what’s wrong, baby girl, and I’ll make it better.”

I pulled away from her, stomping my feet in the shiny black shoes that Eve was making me wear. I hated the little straps that went across my stockinged feet. I had worn a similar outfit in the studio with the same dress. I cursed myself for bringing the dresses and shoes from the studio, but I didn’t have any other outfits outside of the sparkly blue butterfly shirt and jeans. Still, it meant that I could avoid a shopping trip with Eve, which would undoubtedly have crushed my male ego even further.

After the visit to the studio, with his frustration mounting, Ryan retreats to one of his old vices. While the obsession with video games had seemingly doomed Mark and Devon, a greater danger looms just outside his window.

Excerpt:

A skipping rope slapped gently against the asphalt, each jump and each giggle caused candy-coated claws to dig into my mind, the claws digging deeper and deeper as my desire to join the girls grew.

“Wow! You did three skips that time! I wanna be good like that!”

I looked out the window and saw a skipping rope tied to a telephone pole. Two girls, one of them Kaylee’s age and one Ashley’s, were taking turns holding the rope. Each time they failed to jump the rope, they switched places. The whiney, nattering voice of the younger girl should have been a massive turnoff, like a beautiful girl with a mannish voice, but instead, it planted a powerful need, an alien yearning to reach out to these girls- to play with them, but it also caused a resurgence of doubt.

“Would they even want to play with me?”

Part 4

We’re all sitting around in Peter’s Mum’s kitchen. Peter has his electric guitar attached to a little amp and I’m on an acoustic. Ian has a bass, which isn’t connected to anything and Paddy has a single snare drum.

“Okay, shall we try it one more time?” Peter asks. We all nod nervously and I notice Peter’s little sister watching us from the doorway.

“Hot topic is the way that we rhyme,” Esse sings, she has such a great natural voice.

Thanks as always to Robyn and Cressar, and to all of you who read and comment. Enjoy!

Part 3

I spot Poppy waiting for me at the bus stop just before she sees me. She's wearing a vintage dress, Doc Martins and an old leather jacket. The girl's got style and it makes me feel self conscious about my scruffy skin-tights, hoodie and duffel coat. The tight jeans pull against the lower half of my body as I walk, making me even more self-aware. There are curves where there shouldn’t be and something missing up front.

Chapter 11 Synopsis. Cousin Bonnie and her friend Tammy punish Baby Jennie for peeing on Bonnie. Bonnie explains the reason why she wants to torture Baby Jennie.

Chapter 11. Potty-training Baby Jennie

Despite being free from the terror of the studio, Ryan grapples with the knowledge that while he retains his adult mind, the outside world sees the sweet, diminutive Kaylee. An unaccompanied six year old girl on the streets of one of the most populated cities in the US also brings plenty of unwanted attention, and as such, it is clear he will need help. Whether he seeks out his mother or his small group of trusted friends, Ryan will have to act quickly as the longer he remains alone the greater the chance that the unwanted attention brings the authorities, and with it, a host of unanswerable questions.

Excerpt: “Are you waiting for your mommy, sweetie?” The old woman smiled, and while I felt safe in her presence, internally- it was like great swathes of barbed wire had nested in my brain. Each word and gesture from the woman, from her kindly expression to the way she sat, it echoed what I already knew- the world would see Kaylee, and they would treat her accordingly.

There was no surprise in this. Ryan Sullivan wasn’t sitting at the bus stop, his legs dangling from the bench, unable to touch the ground. He wasn’t wearing a t-shirt with a glittery butterfly on it, or a pair of pink running shoes that lit up in the dark.

I answered snidely, “No, I’m waiting for a bus.”

Somewhere, the road itself casts shadows in a land called...

Bian
(Bee-Onn)
by Erin Halfelven

With their secondary mission complete, good deeds done, and shore leave coming to an end, Alex and company turn their attention back to their pursuit of Clemson. Has the time thief gone too far by stirring up Pharaoh’s people and how does a reunion between captain, pilot, and starship figure into Khufu and Anna Beth’s future?

Somewhere, pine boughs and red shirts mean something in a land called...

Bian
(Bee-Onn)
by Erin Halfelven

Ashley continues to have a positive impact on Ryan, and this growing bond leads Ashley to reveal a painful secret. With the malleable period soon ending, and with it supposedly their chance to return to normal, Ryan and Ashley confront Dr. Travers and attempt to play upon the man’s morality, yet what they learn may make them yearn for Ms. Daniels.

Excerpt: There wasn’t a modicum of emotion to his voice which matched an equally blank expression when we finally saw his face. I pulled my hand away from Ashley’s, and while this would have amused Ms. Daniels, Dr. Travers remained stone faced. He was dishevelled, even more so than before with a thick beard and a heavy, acrid sweat smell. His lab coat was stained, and so were his shoes- a grimy pair of sneakers. Still, his eyes were vibrant, and within them, I saw a man who was calculating and focused. Just a brief glance showed the intelligence residing there, but there was something else too. The way he looked at us made me think of how my science teacher peered at the foetal pig before it was dissected. It was morbid curiosity.

Chapter 8
With the threat of further regression, Ryan and the other transformed adults fall into their roles. As consummate professionals with a thorough understanding of proper technique and position, the filming unsurprisingly moves quickly. Meanwhile, an exchange with Ms. Daniels forces Ryan to consider life as Kaylee. As the filming continues, Ryan finds himself falling deeper and deeper into character, and when an opportunity comes to demonstrate his brazen, confident self, he struggles to reassert himself.

Excerpt: Ashley replied, “I’m not an expert on this, Ryan, but it sounds like you are fighting growing up. You run away from the things that force you to deal with harsh realities. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t really ever tried. From what you’ve told me with your past relationships and your jobs, you never put yourself in a position where you could grow. Did you know I’ve been in the business since I was eleven years old? I begged my mom before that, but she wouldn’t let me.”

She added, “For some people, it takes a really long time to break into acting. And how long have you been at it? Like two years? You didn’t fail. You just gave up. Just like you are now, but here- you have nowhere to go. Do you really want to let Daniels win?”

Somewhere, rain falls on the Little Ooze in a land called...

Bian
(Bee-Onn)
by Erin Halfelven

Eerie Saloon Character List
by Ellie Dauber and Christopher Leeson

The Trials of the Quill Boys and School Board

Alex and company embark on a three pronged mission which the ‘Time Thief’, Clemson has necessitated. In the process, several things get corrected. Alex finds out firsthand what it is to share one of her sister’s gifts.

By the year 2232, the Earth is now ruled by Amazon women after around 40yrs ago an alien female Amazon force invaded our planet and made females superior , stronger and smarter . Now at the age of 16yrs. Boys will be told of a selection process my friends and I am due to for selection .
this our story how my friends and I lives were changed forever and the people around us and how I went from pleasant boy to someone else who I am now a woman with power.

77 The new Amazonia Earth Colonel

While Ryan’s fever breaks, his body still feels off. However, with the rent due and no payment from the television show yet, he is forced to drag himself into work. While he masks any concern over his health with his usual bravado, his illness impacts his ability to do his job. Ultimately, this bravado, along with an unwillingness to see a doctor initially, could be his downfall.