For reasons that seemed obvious at the time, I dreamed about my grandfather again that night. He and the other old man I’d seen in my previous dream were sitting around a fire, talking in low voices, frequently glancing at me where I was tied up and struggling to get loose.

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

The pen on the other side of the table tapped constantly against the cold wood beneath it. With it, Natalie’s legs bounced, restless and anxious.

“So, Nathan.” The interviewer said. “Tell me about yourself.”

In the past, Natalie had never been one to struggle with that kind of question. She always aced it without a hitch.

Now, of course, things were very different.

It’s so easy, so natural, when they’re little. I wish it stayed that way! I snorted as my grammy's old saying ran through my head: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Only Sixteen 20

Changing one's image is never easy. If you were ready to go public with a new image, who would be the first person you showed it to?

Darryl pulled the Mustang into the parking lot at George Pratt’s office. It was a nice building; definitely upscale. He and Marcia got out and went inside where they were ushered through to Pratt’s private office. Pratt, Heather Shore, and a social worker they hadn’t met were present. Pratt introduced her as Caroline Ogilvy.

Heather was seated in a chair, looking very sullen. Marcia sat down beside her and asked how she was doing.

Rather than answer, Heather just shook her head. She didn’t want to talk.

Just blow out the candles
Oh little boy, when will you learn?
You don't play with fire
Unless you wanna get burned
Wanna get burned

The brawl in the hall was the top subject from a lot of mouths. Some embellishments were made. I did not know how to perform a shoryuken and Anthony did not pin me against the wall only for me to vault over him. I got a few glares and a few asking why I didn’t try out for wrestling, but I waved them off.

Chapter 36

On arriving home mum didn't waste any time in telling me to have a quick bath ready for my date that evening. Rather than argue, I did as I was told, as I actually felt like I needed a nice hot relaxing bath to soothe away the stresses of the day.

As I lay in the bath, I checked my legs to see whether there was any hair growth and was relieved to find only found a few rogue hairs. I used mum’s lady shaver to remove the offending hairs and lay back in the bath and enjoyed the hot bubbles.

Summary: When I am writing one story and another story idea starts bubbling up in my head, it is not always a peaceful co-existence or handoff. Sometimes, the characters from the two different stories try to dominate my thoughts. The winner gets me to finish their story first. This is the tale of when Amanda, from my story, True Self Syndrome, started to fight for my attention, while I was still working on a story called, Teacher's Recommendation (note that story is still unfinished and unposted). Marla and Elizabeth from that story confront Amanda.

Prince Taylor is now getting used to the new school and all its strange ways. He is worried that the school is changing him, and he is becoming something he would have hated a few months ago

The Friday after Thanksgiving is traditionally a day one avoids shopping centers unless one has a specific deal they wish to take advantage of. Not Faith. Faith loved Black Friday, as it’s known – the hustle, the stampede of shoppers – she loved it.

She dragged me to the mall to buy me more clothes. She was not happy with the style she assumed Shelly inflicted on me. She said, “I can’t accept you as my older sister with the conservative clothes you wear.”

“They aren’t conservative.”

Lisa and Blake take a momentous step forward in their new lives together and make definite wedding plans. Lisa bonds ever more closely to her girlfriends at the chemise party. Josephine's surprise sends Lisa into seventh heaven.

Super Speedway Gas Station, Yorktown, Va.

Jada couldn’t believe she had to come in and work on Thanksgiving. She turned and returned to the manager's office to find out why she had to work.

“Bruce, why am I working on Thanksgiving Day from two until closed? I thought I was going to have it off?” Jada stands in the doorway of Bruce’s office.

Sergei spent most of the rest of the day in his hotel room working on a variety of plans for resolving the problem he faced in that there was no way in hell, was he going to kill a young woman.

I don’t know how long I’ve been doing this. Being me. Being Toni. It’s been a week, I guess, and not even a full week with a couple of days at work, but looking around my bedroom the evidence I’m not old Tony any more seems to be mounting.

Practical Joke
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I had to make up my mind about how to cope when I woke up looking like this. It was supposed to be the ultimate cruel practical joke, and at the time I had to admit a sneaking admiration for just how cruel it was.