Authors note - This story is in the format expected for the new 25th anniversary contest. I enjoy writing these stories, but I am not too fussed about entering or winning contests. I hope this may act as a stimulus for other authors to enter when entries are allowed on 1st May.

Nu-U-Inc

by Columbine

Chapter 9 – Who Am I. . .?

Galafriëlla

Arbret law was quirky and it gave all the right to whatever medical procedures they wanted, providing of course that they could pay for them. What the law did not do was allow any privacy, so medical staff could legally take money for informing any one they chose concerning the GRS treatment of the trans or the psychological problems dealt with by psychiatrists. It was a system that ensured conformity due to fear and any who was in any way different was hounded and victimised mercilessly.

For the rest of the afternoon, Genesis and Ramona shut themselves in their rooms so they could gather up the stuff they needed for their road trip-changes of clothes, cell phone chargers, and books to read when they got bored. While she was packing her stuff, Genesis got out her phone and called Jesse to ask him to accompany her on her trip.

After a few rings, Jesse answered his phone. "Hey," his voice said. "Who's this?"

"It's me. Genesis."

"What...Genesis? That new intern at Pride Laboratories who walked off?"

"Yes, it's me."

"What do you want?"

Shotgun Motherhood
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Don't forget. Friday is my girls night out.”

“So soon?” Michael said. “No, wait. I guess it's been over a month. What do you gals do on these girls nights out?”

“Nothing really,” Barbara said. “Jennifer, Latitia, and I just go to a bar and have a few cocktails. Talk about our husbands. The normal girls night stuff. If you are curious, you can always come with.”

When I next returned to the dream, I pulled the pad out of the pack and was glad to see I’d established communication. But I was confused by the content of the message. “Dear Sarah,” the message began. “I’m Tommy. I’m also in high school. I named my character Elissa.”

So somebody responded, but it’s somebody else who visits here like me and not the girl herself. And it’s a boy. Being a girl here might feel strange to him.

Chapter 5

When I let myself in, I looked around and decided that I wasn’t going to bed until I had given the place a clean. I spent the morning, after clearing some space in the wardrobe and drawers for my new things, with a broom and duster, giving everything a good clean. Seeing that it was all modern surface finishes, it didn’t take as long as I thought it would.

“Jake wasn’t my boyfriend!”

“Talk, talk, talk, you Littons. It’s a wonder you managed to survive, all these centuries. Or at least, to reproduce.”

Leslie went back to his old job the next day and handed his notice in.

I was really starting to hate being in this room. The last time was only three days ago, right before falling unconscious, and then there was the time I was sentenced to five weeks of detention. At least this time I wasn't getting into trouble, or starting to feel sick. Dumbledore and Hagrid were having a private conversation, loud enough to hear that they were talking, but not loud enough to actually hear what they were saying. So I was just sitting there bored. Absent-mindedly I started looking at my fingernails. My face curled when I saw I had chipped the nail on my right index.

After flubbing a powerful incantation, meant to give newly coronated Demon Queens the wisdom of their ancestors, Devilla Satanne awakens to memories of her past life as Jacob Divington, a human from Earth. Having gained a new perspective on life, she quickly comes to a rather horrifying conclusion: she's been a complete and utter brat! No wonder everyone hates her!

And then there's the fact that she's apparently been reincarnated as the villainess of Tower Conquest, a lesbian porn game with a surprisingly intricate plot. One in which the Heroine conquers Dimona Tower, turning Devilla's people against her in the process. In victory, the Heroine brings about a glorious age of peace between demons and humans for the first time in millennia. ...Which actually sounds pretty good for her people, come to think of it. Devilla knows her terrible behavior is beyond forgiveness, but maybe she can still make up for her past mistakes? She just needs to make sure the events of the game unfold correctly. Though there is one little detail she'd like to change - the part where Devilla herself is killed or enslaved!

The series cover was commissioned from https://twitter.com/HaizeUqei

Sunny
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

They used to tease me at school and called me “Stunty” because I was small. It was like my growth was stunted all over – not just height but weight too. And I was slow to puberty. Stunted development – stunted all round, so they said, but when you are small you learn to handle things with humor, or at least that worked for me. I guess I just decided to turn my nickname on its head and learn to live with it. So, I decided to seek my fortune as a stunt man in Hollywood.

Sidelined by Bryony Marsh
Reposted from my blog, Sugar and Spiiice