ã€ŠWhat Went Before the Gestalt: Book 0 of The Behemoth Gestaltã€‹


 Z Day -4,756

    Author''s Note

    First off, this is what I like to call a shits and giggles book¡ª

    No-no-no-no, bullshit. You don¡¯t get to say shits or giggles or anything else! Your ass is going to sit there in the corner and not say a word. You decided to cut all this from the first book and turn it into Book 0. Then your lazy ass decides, instead of writing a complete prequel book, you¡¯ll have me narrate the cut flashbacks and ¡°flesh it out a bit.¡±

    So, no, you don¡¯t get an author¡¯s note. You¡¯re going to sit in the corner and think about what you¡¯ve done while I get this over with.

    Now that that¡¯s taken care of¡­

    For those out there who think they must read books in order, that means you haven¡¯t read Book 1 yet. Let me introduce myself; I¡¯m Rhiannon Kachou. You¡¯ll meet up with me properly in the back half of Book 1, which is a whole other load of crap I¡¯m still pissed off about, but I won¡¯t get into that right now.

    For those who¡¯ve already read Book 1 and just had to find out what went on before, there¡¯s no completionist achievement here, you know. You can just move on to Book 2 already. No? Fine, whatever.

    Someone told the big guy upstairs that publishers don¡¯t like really long books, especially for first-time authors. This book is a collection of flashbacks that were cut from Book 1 due to size and someone¡¯s impatience for Z Day (you know who you are.) If you have nothing better to do, you can go back and compare the two and figure out what fits where.

    The scenes piece together James and Shae¡¯s relationship during his high school years. Fair warning, this is some serious young adult fiction, aside from the porny parts, which he also cut. Maybe he¡¯ll make a Book -1 where he just puts all the adult scenes he¡¯s written and cut. Now that, I would be happy to narrate instead of this teeny-bopper crap.

    Well, I guess I¡¯ve stalled enough. I¡¯ll try to make this somewhat bearable. But just remember, you¡¯re reading this by choice. No one is forcing you; you can move on to the more grown-up, zombie-oriented parts in Book 1 and beyond, you know.

    Oh yeah, spoiler alert: there are no zombies in here; we¡¯re way before Z Day. Fair warning.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    Easter egg/spoiler alert 2, he had this whole running bit through the books about James¡¯s kid having to watch everything through Books 1 and 2 so they could be prepped for what was coming in Book 3, but he cut that out, too. So, you won¡¯t see any of that either.

    No big loss; it was a half-baked idea to begin with.

    Besides, Viola is a HUGE pain in the ass. You¡¯ll understand later.

    Z Day -4,756

    [See, told you. WAY before Z Day. OK, I¡¯ll let baby James talk now. -Rhiannon]

    JAMES

    ¡°James, get up; you''re going to be late for the bus!¡±

    I moaned but managed to roll out of bed at my mother''s yell. Glancing at my watch, I realized I had less than 10 minutes to get to the bus.

    ¡°I''m leaving; see you tonight. Love you!¡± my mom said.

    I heard the front door slam, marking my mother heading off to work. I glanced around as I headed to the bathroom. My younger sister, Miria, had already left for school. She rode her bike to the local junior high school as she was five years younger than me.

    I finished brushing my teeth and glanced in the mirror. My face had finally cleared up to the point that I only had the occasional zit. I''d let my dishwater-blonde hair grow out a bit but still kept it in regs. It looked greasy this morning, but I didn''t have time for a quick shower. I washed the sleep out of my eyes, noting they were green today. They seemed to bounce between green and blue every day, so I was never sure what they would be from one day to the next.

    I threw on a pair of old jeans with holes in the knees and a T-shirt. The holes weren¡¯t so much a style choice but more an ¡°I¡¯m broke and can¡¯t afford new ones¡± choice. I pulled on a pair of old black combat boots and my hand-me-down black trench coat. As I ran through the kitchen, I grabbed a package of cherry pop tarts and headed out the door.

    My mother couldn¡¯t seem to catch a break. She¡¯d had to move onto my grandparent''s property a few years ago after she''d divorced her second husband. She worked her tail off trying to care for my sister and me.

    My grandparent¡¯s place was on the outskirts of South Austin in a neighborhood that hadn''t been fully ¡°civilized¡± yet. On the West side of the street were your typical cookie-cutter houses, while the East side was still wooded. My grandparents had moved in and built their place back when they were outside the city limits. They had watched Austin grow around them, so now they had nearly an acre of land where most houses in the neighborhood might have a quarter of that.

    My grandfather had converted a large greenhouse on their property into a small three-bedroom house with a living/dining/kitchen combo room. The whole place might have been 600 square feet. It was so small my sister and my rooms didn''t have doors. Where doors should have been, we had bed sheets hanging from tension rods. But I couldn¡¯t complain, I had my own room.

    I waived at my grandparents¡¯ house as I crossed the yard. I loved my grandfather to pieces. He was funny, clever and could do anything with his hands. My grandmother was much more standoffish, and we had never been close. I didn''t know if anyone saw me, but I was in too much of a hurry to worry about it.

    I saw the bus waiting for me so I ran. I arrived at the bus stop out of breath as I wasn¡¯t in the greatest shape to begin with. Too much TV and computer time and not enough outside time had taken its toll. I jumped on the bus and grabbed a seat in the middle, next to my friends.

    Megan was a senior who lived up the road from me. I''d been crushing on her since last year but never had the nerve to ask her out. We''d become good friends, and I would typically walk her home even though I would have to double back to my house.

    Pete was another senior on the bus. He was right at two meters tall and looked like he should be playing for the NBA, not a high school team. He was kind and would give you the shirt off his back if you asked. We had gym together and he once convinced me to try out with him for the school soccer team. At tryouts, I''d collided with one of the other guys as we raced for the ball and knocked myself out, effectively ending my soccer career.

    ¡°Hey, James,¡± Megan and Pete said, breaking off their conversation with Paul, a guy I didn''t know much about aside from the fact he really liked BBC programs like Doctor Who. He still seemed nice enough, though.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± I managed around a mouthful of dry pop-tart. I had always been the quiet one of any group. I mostly kept to myself and only occasionally added to any conversation. I had to really know someone before I could relax and be myself. It didn''t happen very often.

    The conversation resumed about last night''s TV shows, and I half followed it, mostly just watching Megan.

    I''d asked one of our mutual friends if Megan had any feelings towards me. They told me Megan didn''t, but I couldn''t accept that. There''s no way she didn''t feel something for me, not with how she talked to me and hung out and stuff. I knew I would have to ask her myself, but I didn''t know if I had the nerve. And what if it was true? Then what? I smiled and nodded as the conversation continued and I found myself holding my breath every time Megan smiled at me.

    R. J. High School, where I attended, was in a not-so-nice part of town. I wouldn''t call it the slums, but you could see them from the parking lot.

    School and I didn¡¯t exactly get along. I was one of the few whose birthday just happened to fall in the magic spot that kept me from starting school when I should have. Instead, I started a year later than everyone else. This guaranteed I¡¯d always be the oldest kid in class.

    To add insult to injury, I¡¯m not a great scholar. Somehow, math is easy for me, but that¡¯s it. I get bored in class, then sidetracked, and eventually, I tune the teacher out and do my own thing. This led to me repeating my freshman year. So, thanks to my birthday and my atrocious attention span, I was pretty much two years older than anyone else in my class. Being an 18 year-old sophomore isn¡¯t as great as it sounds.

    Everyone at school pretty much left me alone due to how old I looked. Even though I was technically only a sophomore, I looked older than most of the seniors. Half the people in school thought I was a drug dealer, and the other half thought I was an undercover narcotics officer.

    Because of this, I found my social click centered around upperclassmen. Constantly hanging out with them had matured me to the point I didn''t enjoy hanging out with anyone in my grade or lower. It wasn¡¯t that I was a snob; I couldn¡¯t afford to be. I just didn¡¯t find their company that interesting.

    My first class was my favorite: Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC). I''d joined this year, having watched the people in it last year. I liked the structure of the program, even if it meant I had to shave every day. Being able to grow a full beard since the sixth grade was not as cool as it sounded.

    I really enjoyed Chief Ramirez, the enlisted head of the program. He was a retired military policeman and missileer whose son was in the Border Patrol down in South Texas. The Chief was a great guy whose heart was always in the right place.

    I could not say the same about Colonel Finchner, the officer of the program. He was a pain in the rear. Strict, inflexible and uncaring, I did everything possible to avoid him.

    None of my friends were in JROTC or my next class, history. Megan and Pete were both in my math class, though. I''d placed high in math and ended up with them as partners.

    My lunch period followed. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what I¡¯d been told about Megan''s feelings or lack of towards me. I finally found my courage as we sat down together for lunch.

    ¡°Hey Megan, can I talk to you?¡± my stomach was doing flip-flops.

    ¡°Sure, James, what''s up?¡± she followed me over to an empty table, leaving our friends behind.

    ¡°Well,¡± I began, sweat breaking out across my forehead, ¡°I, uh, wanted to talk to you for a minute.¡±

    ¡°Yup, that''s why I''m here,¡± she mused. ¡°What is it?¡±

    I tried to swallow the lump in my throat that threatened to choke me. ¡°Uh, I talked with Tina last night and wanted to know,¡± I coughed, trying to clear my throat. ¡°Do you...like me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, silly, we''re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± she smiled.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I sighed, almost giving up, but I couldn''t stop now. ¡°But, do you like me as...more...than a friend?¡±

    Her smile faltered.

    ¡°James, don¡¯t get me wrong, I like you, but just as a friend¡­¡± The rest of Megan¡¯s words were lost as a roaring sound filled my ears. I could feel my face flush, and in the blink of an eye, the girl I¡¯d been crushing on for the last year and a half patted my hand and escaped back to our group¡¯s regular table.

    I don¡¯t know how long I sat there in a daze, staring off into space while the rest of the cafeteria moved on around me. Megan had been my first real crush, and it had taken me so long to get up the nerve to ask if she had feelings for me.

    A slight blur of movement drew my attention to the next table. I caught a brief glance of a dark-haired girl waving. I wasn¡¯t sure who she was waving at, but before I could turn and look, the space across from me was suddenly filled.

    [OK, pause, time-out, car! Whatever stops this shit show. Yeah, that blurry dark-haired girl? Guess who that was? Yeah, me. See? I was here the whole damned time right from the beginning, from before that, if you want to get technical. I came before the blonde short-stack, and that a-hole still cut me out of the story! Wait, right, you haven¡¯t read that yet. Sorry, OK, rant over. Game-on! -Rhiannon]

    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t go well.¡±

    The newcomer¡¯s words brought me out of my stupor.

    ¡°Wh¡­what?¡± I looked at the girl across from me. I¡¯d never seen her before. Neither had I seen a girl with white hair like she had. It was cut in a lopsided pixie cut, with her bangs falling into her eyes.

    She scowled in the direction Megan had gone. ¡°Her, the one who gave you the brush off. Not a very kind way to do that,¡± she puffed air up to push her bangs out of her eyes. ¡°I mean seriously,¡± she went on, ¡°who still uses the ¡®we¡¯re just friends¡¯ speech? That¡¯s an old one, even for me.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°But we are friends,¡± I offered feebly.

    She frowned at me. ¡°Wake up. If she was really your friend, she would have come up with something better than the ¡®I like you as a friend¡¯ bit. You know, give you a way to protect your manly pride, as it were,¡± she grinned at me.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I managed.

    ¡°Oh, me?¡± she seemed to think about it, ¡°I¡¯m Shae.¡± She hesitated, glancing around before saying, ¡°Want to get out of here? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be useless the rest of the day if your hurt puppy dog expression is any indication.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a hurt puppy dog!¡± Not that it wasn¡¯t true, but her words still made me mad.

    ¡°My bad,¡± Shae said, holding up her hands in defense.

    The bell rang then.

    ¡°I gotta get to class,¡± I said as I stood up and headed for the door. *Who was that?* I thought. At the door, I stopped and glanced back.

    Shae was leaning back in her chair, watching me with an odd smile. Her fingers gave me a little wave as I was leaving. The last thing I saw of her was her piercing blue eyes that seemed to say something to me I didn¡¯t understand.

    Just as the strange girl had predicted, the rest of the day was miserable. All I could think of was the bus ride home. What was going to happen when I got on the bus this afternoon? Would Megan talk to me? Would I still walk her home¡­did I want to walk her home? I wasn''t sure. We''d walked home together all year. Did I still want to, now that she¡¯d rejected me? Part of me was angry at her, and another part was angry at myself. All of me was embarrassed and confused.

    It turned out I didn''t have to worry about the bus. The short-haired girl, Shae, awaited me when I walked outside. She was leaning against a white Monte Carlo, a bit older but still in good condition. It was a beast of a car with a solid body, a decent engine, and a backseat the size of a twin bed. But I wouldn''t find out that last part until much later.

    Shae gave me a most peculiar look and nodded towards the car. My heart was suddenly pounding in my chest, and I found myself inexplicably walking towards her, away from the buses.

    *This must be some sort of setup for a joke. One of the guys had to have put this girl up to this. There''s no way a girl who looked like her would give me a second glance,* I thought.

    I noticed her clothes for the first time. She wore an open-neck white blouse tucked into a pair of black jeans and ankle boots. She leaned against the side of the car with the calm grace of a panther lying in wait of its prey.

    My scalp started to tingle as I broke out in a sweat that had nothing to do with the Texas heat. I hated that I seemed to be sweaty all the time. It could be twenty degrees outside and snowing (if it ever snowed here), and I''d still be sweating!

    Time seemed to slow down as I approached, giving me time to get a proper look at her. She was a bit shorter than my meter seventy-five height, athletically built but still curvy in opposition to my stouter physique. Her skin was light but with a slight olive tone that didn¡¯t quite fit. Above her strong jaw was a pair of lips, full and luscious, causing my sweat to intensify.

    ¡°I wanted to apologize for earlier. I¡¯m not used to being forward, and I think I might have overdone it a bit,¡± Shae said.

    I could only nod dumbly in reply.

    ¡°Give you a ride home¡­as a way of an apology?¡± Shae smiled, breaking whatever trance she¡¯d held me in.

    I looked up, past her smile, to those mysterious blue eyes that had caught me before. They were a deep, rich blue that I instantly knew I¡¯d do anything for. I shook my head, trying to free myself from this strange control she seemed to have me in and glanced away.

    ¡°Uh,¡± I said, finally finding my voice.

    *Uh? What do you mean, uh? A really hot girl is offering you a lift. What¡¯s there to think about?* my inner voice asked me incredulously.

    *I don¡¯t know who she is; I don¡¯t even think she goes to this school!* I thought back.

    *So what?*

    *I don¡¯t want to get kidnapped!* I thought.

    *Who the heck would want to kidnap you? Now listen, I¡¯ve two words for you: hot and girl!* my inner voice practically screamed.

    *Yeah, but¡ª*

    *Which would you rather do, sit on a smelly old bus with the girl that just dumped you for the next hour¡ª* the voice started.

    I glanced at the bus. *Well, we weren¡¯t really going out, so she couldn¡¯t¡ª*

    *OOOOOOOOrrrrr, get in the hot girl¡¯s car, maybe get kidnapped, but you¡¯ll be in a HOT GIRL¡¯S CAR!*

    *Fine.* This conversation with myself all occurred within a split second. I usually talked to myself. It helped with the boredom school always brought on.

    ¡°Sure. This your car?¡± I finally said.

    ¡°Nope, stole it off one of the locals,¡± Shae¡¯s quick smile was reflected in her eyes. ¡°Hop in.¡±

    I paused at the car door, hand on the handle.

    *Get in the car!* my inner self screamed at me.

    I obeyed and climbed in.

    ¡°So,¡± she started as we left the parking lot, ¡°what was the deal with...¡±

    ¡°Megan,¡± I provided.

    ¡°Yeah, Megan. What''s her story?¡±

    So, I broke down and told her about the last year, how we''d become friends, how I''d wanted more and apparently, she didn''t. It was a relatively short story once I said it out loud. When it was over, I sat there in silence, trying to figure out why I¡¯d told her all of that.

    ¡°Well my friend, it sounds to me like you''re better off,¡± Shae said cheerily.

    I grumbled under my breath.

    ¡°What was that?¡± she glanced at me.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°You like to mumble, don''t you?¡± she asked.

    I sighed. ¡°Sometimes.¡± When I looked over at her, she was grinning.

    ¡°I''ve never seen you around,¡± I managed to get out. I kept finding myself staring at her and forced myself to look away.

    ¡°Oh. I was visiting someone when I stumbled across your little soap opera there in the lunchroom. You looked so down; I figured you could use someone to perk you up.¡± She glanced at me, ¡°did it work?¡±

    I thought a moment, unsure what to say.

    ¡°Yeah, didn''t think so,¡± she looked back at the road as I gave her another direction towards my house. ¡°So, you from around here?¡± she asked.

    She sounded like she was using a line from a bar...not that I''d ever been in a bar, but I''d seen plenty on TV. ¡°I was born here. How about you?¡±

    ¡°A true Austinite, nice.¡± Ignoring my question, she continued, ¡°Got any family?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I started, slowly getting over my terminal shyness. I realized I was happy just to be talking to this girl. The more I looked at her, the more beautiful I thought she was. I ripped my eyes away from the staring once again. ¡°Mom, sister, grandparents. My dad''s up in Georgetown. You from around here?¡±

    ¡°Wow, lots of family here; they all from Austin, too?¡± she plowed on.

    ¡°No,¡± I went on, noticing she was avoiding all my questions. But every time she looked at me with those rich blue eyes, I forgot everything else. ¡°Father is from Detroit, while my mom is from Houston. My grandfather was a master plumber who moved around a lot.¡±

    The next several minutes were filled with chitchat about nothing. Like I said before, I am the quiet type, so chitchat was something I avoided. I could listen all day; people said I was a good listener but never engaged. Now, I was chattering away as if it were second nature. Something about this girl compelled me against my instincts.

    By the time we got to my house, she had a dossier on my life, and I still knew nothing about her.

    ¡°Thanks for the ride,¡± I lamely offered, ignoring the voice in my head that¡¯d been getting steadily louder during the ride.

    ¡°No sweat,¡± Shae said.

    ¡°Will you be at school tomorrow?¡± Trying desperately to think of something to say to keep her here a little longer. Something that wasn¡¯t the perverted ideas from my inner self¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Dunno. Maybe,¡± She smiled as she drove off.

    I watched her go, unable to look away from the departing taillights. ¡°Did that just happen? What was that?¡± I caught myself thinking aloud and had to shake my head to clear it.

    My brain finally pulled together something clever to say right about the time I walked into my house. It never failed; I could never say the right thing at the right time. I always came up with something great after missing the moment. I wondered if I¡¯d ever get better at that. The folks in the movies always knew what to say.

    *I¡¯m an idiot,* I thought, and for once, my inner self didn¡¯t argue.

    I did my homework in a haze. I kept staring at my books while replaying moments from the day. The smile Shae¡¯d had on her face when I left the cafeteria. The way she puffed her bangs out of her eyes. The strange perfume she wore that had cut through the old car smell. I finally gave up on my homework, telling myself I¡¯d do it on the bus in the morning. It would give me a reason not to talk to Megan unless Shae gave me a ride to school instead. This thought kept me up well after I¡¯d gone to bed. I wished I¡¯d gotten her phone number, not that I¡¯d have the courage to call.

    *Sure, yeah, as if knowing she would be picking you up in the morning would help you fall asleep,* I thought. My mind raced from one outlandish fantasy to another before sleep finally claimed me.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    [So, James didn¡¯t know about the following part. I learned it from Shae much later, so I¡¯ll fill you in a bit on what was going on from her perspective. Otherwise, this whole thing will be a sausage fest¡­not that that¡¯s a bad thing, mind you. -Rhiannon]

    SHAE

    I stared at the waterfall printed on the tiny ceramic thimble. The words ¡°Niagara Falls¡± were written in stylized cursive.

    ¡°I have no idea why you collect these things,¡± I said, placing the thimble back on the display rack. There had to be 100 of the tourist trinkets on the shelf, proudly on display for all to see. They were immaculate, not a speck of dust among them.

    ¡°What, thimbles? They¡¯re great! Small, cheap and easy to get. No matter where you go in the world, you can find one,¡± Shelby said, lounging back in her overstuffed chair.

    Night had fallen over the city, and I¡¯d found myself drawn to visit my only friend in this town. I first met Shelby while on a mission in Seattle, and we¡¯d hit it off immediately. I¡¯d lived most of my new life in Louisiana, with a brief stint in Houston, unlike Shelby, who never seemed to stay anywhere longer than a decade or so. Her carefree and adventurous attitude was infectious to all those around her. Her ¡®spirit¡¯ was why I was in the spot I was now.

    ¡°But it''s an old lady hobby,¡± I protested as I picked up another with Japanese writing on it and a picture of a Torii. ¡°And what is this, the sacred thimble?¡±

    ¡°Shae, I am an old lady,¡± Shelby laughed. She looked as if she might be in her early 30s. As she crossed the room and took the thimble from me before placing it back on the display with the greatest care. Once it was down, she turned and faced me. ¡°OK, what is up with you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I said innocently.

    Taking me by both arms, Shelby forced me to look at her. ¡°You know I love your company, but you were just here last night. Your normal routine would have you lounging in your room with your nose stuck in a book tonight.¡±

    ¡°Last night is kind of why I¡¯m here,¡± I said, avoiding her eyes.

    Shelby sighed. ¡°What I said was true. You¡¯ve been alone as long as I¡¯ve known you, Shae. You need someone or something to take an interest in. Hell, even a pet,¡± Shelby grinned and walked back to her chair before flopping down in it.

    Shelby¡¯s home was nestled deep in the hill country; her closest neighbor was several kilometers away, giving her absolute privacy. The house wasn¡¯t big, but it was lavish. The decorating was something out of a funhouse, as no two things matched, and all the colors clashed. The house was a collection of things Shelby had picked up in her wanderings across the globe.

    ¡°I¡¯m quite happy the way I am,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so in a rut,¡± Shelby shook her head.

    ¡°A rut?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re all about wakeup, go to work, go home, go to bed. That¡¯s it, and you actually like it!¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°Hey, I read. And besides, what''s wrong with that? My master is pleased with my work.¡±

    ¡°Your master is a dried-up old coot from ages long past!¡± Shelby threw up her hands.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I snapped.

    ¡°No offense, don¡¯t get yourself into a tizzy. I¡¯m just saying she is in as much of a rut as you are. I can¡¯t remember the last time she left her compound.¡±

    ¡°Why would she leave? She has everything she needs. If she wants something, she has it brought to her. She doesn¡¯t need to go out,¡± I said, realizing I wasn¡¯t sure if I was defending my master or myself anymore.

    ¡°That is all well and good for someone her age. You, on the other hand, are young, gorgeous and in desperate need of a social life,¡± Shelby said.

    I rolled my eyes at her and blew my bangs out of my eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, I meant to ask last night,¡± Shelby continued, ¡°what¡¯s with the hair? Last trip down you were sporting your traditional blonde. Now you¡¯re snow white, and I don¡¯t mean the Disney character.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I woke up one morning and it was white. Nothing I do will change it. Dyes don¡¯t seem to take,¡± I said.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Shelby frowned in thought.

    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you like it? I thought it looked kind of good.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s cute on you and all,¡± Shelby said. ¡°It''s just that after so many years, it''s not like you to up and change.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t do this, it did it on its own!¡± I barked. ¡°Besides, this sort of thing is known to happen to my people¡ª"

    The sound of the front door opening interrupted my reply, which was good because I didn¡¯t know where I was going. The door closed, and a man entered the room a moment later.

    ¡°Hi,¡± the dark, curly-haired man said. He was young, in his mid-twenties and from somewhere in what was currently known as the Middle East. He was also Shelby¡¯s current, personal tap boy.

    ¡°Hello, Malik,¡± I said.

    Malik moved to Shelby before leaning down and kissing her hello.

    ¡°Hiya you. Good day?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°More or less. You need anything?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m all good,¡± Shelby smiled up at him.

    ¡°OK, gonna go take a shower,¡± Malik nodded at me and left the room.

    ¡°Have fun!¡± Shelby¡¯s voice trailed after him before turning back to me. ¡°And that¡¯s what you need.¡±

    I made a face.

    ¡°No, not him!¡± Shelby laughed. ¡°You need companionship.¡±

    ¡°So you said,¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Besides, this Pagoda character is a stickler on protocol. If you don¡¯t get yourself a local tap boy, he¡¯ll assign you one.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯d never touch them,¡± I said sharply.

    ¡°Exactly. We both know how that would go. The last thing you need is to be rocking the boat with everything that¡¯s going on right now,¡± Shelby said.

    My sigh was my only answer.

    ¡°So, like I said last night, go find someone. Or hell, multiple someones, for that matter. Man, woman, whatever. I¡¯m not judgy.¡±

    I snorted at that one.

    ¡°In this century, women are allowed to go after men, you know. It¡¯s encouraged!¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°So you said last night, and I told you I¡¯d never pursued a man before,¡± I said.

    ¡°And what did I tell you?¡±

    ¡°Not to go after a man, go after a child,¡± I droned. ¡°Which is a bit foul even for you, Shelby.¡±

    ¡°Not a child,¡± Shelby corrected me, ¡°a boy. High school boys seem rather popular nowadays. As an added bonus, they¡¯re full of hormones, so they¡¯re always ready for¡ª¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± I held up my hand to stop her from going into detail.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying you might want to try what they have to offer,¡± Shelby said. ¡°I found Malik at a high school carnival.¡±

    ¡°So you said last night. Then you told me to go cruising high schools,¡± I said.

    ¡°No, I dared you to go cruising high schools, knowing there was no way in hell you¡¯d go through with it. Then I could mock you mercilessly about¡ª¡±

    ¡°I cruised a high school,¡± I said, sick of waiting for her to shut up so I could speak.

    ¡°Get out!¡± Shelby sat up and leaned towards me, her face a mask of shock. ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day that my dearest Shae would go cradle robbing!¡± Shelby¡¯s grin was ear to ear. ¡°But seriously, the next time you go, you need to¡ª¡±

    ¡°What makes you think I didn¡¯t find someone?¡± I said in an offended tone.

    Shelby looked at me flatly. ¡°You went to one school. OK, so you look about the right age for a high school senior so no one would stop you. You probably walked around for what, 15 minutes and decided it was a stupid idea before¡ª¡±

    ¡°I found someone,¡± I said more calmly than I felt.

    ¡°Shut. Up!¡± Shelby came across the room and dragged me down onto the couch. ¡°Tell me everything!¡± The look of excited anticipation on Shelby¡¯s face was contagious.

    ¡°Well, most of what you said was true. No one bothered me as I walked around, and after about 15 minutes, I was done. I¡¯d never been to a modern school; I had no idea what I was doing. Just because I looked like them didn¡¯t mean I was like them. Looking at them and thinking about¡­well¡­I just couldn¡¯t. They¡¯re children, Shelby.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Shelby said, hanging on my every word.

    ¡°I was on my way out when I came across a boy asking a girl out and her turning him down flat,¡± I paused, remembering the crestfallen look on James¡¯s face.

    ¡°She friend-zoned him?¡±

    ¡°Friend-zone?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The whole ¡®I just want to be friends¡¯ spiel.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yes, I guess she friend-whatever¡¯d him,¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Harsh,¡± Shelby hissed. ¡°She could have let the kid feel her up at least to save his pride.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said! Well, mostly. She left the poor guy just sitting there with his heart ripped out,¡± I said.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°I sat down and tried to console him, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Shelby nodded, ¡°and how did that go?¡±

    ¡°About as well as you¡¯d expect. He got up and left,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­a bit out of practice.¡±

    ¡°I should think. When was the last time you were on a date?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, thinking back. ¡°Not since¡­¡± I trailed off in memory, my finger tapping my lips.

    ¡°OK, wow,¡± Shelby leaned back. ¡°Was he at least cute?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah, but he¡¯s a child, you know?¡±

    ¡°When you were his age, were you a child?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°Well¡­no,¡± I admitted.

    ¡°No, you weren¡¯t,¡± Shelby said with finality. ¡°You were out on that ship, sailing the coast robbing¡ª¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t then, Shelby. Things have changed quite a bit,¡± I said firmly.

    Shelby leaned back and looked at me for a moment. ¡°So¡­not going to see him again?¡±

    ¡°I gave him a ride home,¡± I said.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t have a car?¡±

    ¡°No, he was going to ride the school bus home,¡± hearing it aloud, I cringed.

    ¡°Do I want to know how old¡ª¡±

    ¡°This was your idea!¡± I snapped.

    ¡°OK, OK,¡± Shelby held up her hands in defense. ¡°Well, this is good.¡± Shelby sounded like she was trying to convince herself. ¡°You actually went out. You got out of your comfort zone; I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­don¡¯t condescend me. Shut up!¡± I shook my head.

    Shelby eyed me suspiciously. ¡°You going to see him again?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said. ¡°I head back in the morning, so I won¡¯t know my schedule till I get home.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to see him again?¡± Shelby cocked her head to the side, examining me.

    I was long in reply and ended up simply shrugging.

    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°James,¡± I said. Saying his name sent something shooting through my stomach.

    ¡°James. James is good, better than Bubba, which seems unusually popular around these parts,¡± Shelby smiled. ¡°Actually, I knew a Bubba once. He was really good at¡­¡± and Shelby was off on one of her wild stories. There was no interrupting her once she got going.

    I sat and listened as she told her tale but found my thoughts drifting back to the boy named James.

 Z Day -4,755

    <u>Z Day -4,755</u>

    <u>JAMES</u>

    Shae wasn¡¯t there in the morning. I sighed with my morning trudge to the school bus stop. I could see Megan coming down the street about the time the bus pulled up. She was usually early, but today, maybe she wasn¡¯t looking forward to the bus either.

    I quickly got a seat and opened my unfinished homework, trying to ignore the world. Well, not the world, really, just her.

    ¡°Hi, James,¡± Megan said as she passed by.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I half waved, a pencil in my hand, my eyes never leaving the book. She paused by my seat for a moment and then, without a word, headed back to find her own seat. Luckily, the rest of the ride was uneventful.

    Shae wasn¡¯t there at lunch. I sat alone, my books out, giving me an excuse to ignore Megan, who was sitting with our friends at our normal table. I¡¯d caught her glancing my way several times, but she turned away when I looked up.

    Girls continued to confuse me. I got along with girls better than guys for the most part. They were more comfortable to be around and easier to talk to¡­usually. That is, until you asked one out, apparently. Then, the entire friendship dynamic changed. It didn¡¯t matter if they said yes or no (not that anyone had ever said yes to me before.) Everything changed. Everything suddenly became suspect. What did that mean? What are they thinking? Can I say this without hurting someone¡¯s feelings?

    I¡¯d been asking around about Shae at school but so far, no one knew who I was talking about. The office didn¡¯t recognize her when I tried to describe her. I was starting to worry I¡¯d imagined the whole thing as I couldn¡¯t even find someone who¡¯d seen her in the lunch room yesterday.

    Shae wasn¡¯t there after school, meaning another bus ride home. Megan only glanced my way this time when she passed; my nose stuck in a Douglas Adams novel. I eavesdropped on the chatter behind me, where Megan sat, but my name never came up. I buried myself back in my book and tried not to think about the end of the bus ride.

    As soon as the bus stopped, I was off and down the street. I knew we¡¯d eventually have to talk, but it wouldn¡¯t be today.

    The rest of the week was the same: I avoided Megan and no Shae. So, when Shae was suddenly waiting for me after school the following week, I was in disbelief.

    ¡°I thought you had disappeared or something,¡± I said.

    ¡°Or something,¡± Shae agreed with a sly smile. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you home.¡±

    ¡°I am so glad you came back,¡± I said once we were on the move.

    She raised one eyebrow as she looked at me.

    ¡°I mean, I thought I¡¯d imagined you or something,¡± I said.

    ¡°Or something,¡± the corner of her mouth turned up slightly. ¡°You normally imagine women?¡± she teased.

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± I shut my mouth, realizing what I¡¯d just said.

    She laughed.

    ¡°Oh boy,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°What?¡± she glanced at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get me into so much trouble,¡± I managed, trying to laugh off my embarrassment.

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± I heard her say under her breath. ¡°How so?¡± she said in a normal voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s too easy to talk to you,¡± I complained.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bad thing?¡± she asked.

    ¡°When it¡¯s someone I just met? Yeah, it¡¯s¡­odd for me¡­¡± my sentence just sorta fizzled.

    Shae seemed amused. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being honest. It¡¯s a trait not many people have anymore.¡±

    ¡°My head filter just doesn¡¯t work sometimes, especially when I get flustered,¡± I sighed.

    She looked at me slyly. ¡°Do I get you flustered?¡±

    My answering blush saved me from having to speak.

    That was about how our conversations went over the next few weeks. We¡¯d talk, and she would make innuendos that I either wouldn¡¯t catch until after I got home, or I¡¯d clam up in embarrassment. Meanwhile, my inner self screamed at me to do something about it.

    The strange part was sometimes; she¡¯d say something and then seem embarrassed about it, like me. It was almost like she wasn¡¯t used to talking to boys, even though to me, she seemed cool and confident.

    I came to find out she was only in town every other week or so. She was a courier for a company in town and made regular trips all over the country. When she¡¯d be in town, she¡¯d give me a ride home. When she wasn¡¯t, I continued to ride the dread bus.

    ¡°You¡¯re still not talking to her?¡± Shae asked the following week. She¡¯d noticed the silent exchange between Megan and me as I crossed the parking lot to Shae¡¯s car.

    ¡°What do you mean? Talk to who?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The queen of England,¡± she growled, ¡°who do you think? Megan was your friend before all of this, wasn¡¯t she? You¡¯re going to have to talk to her eventually, you know that, right?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still my friend,¡± I said uncomfortably.

    ¡°Then you need to talk to her; friends are important,¡± Shae said seriously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need friends; I¡¯ve got you,¡± I managed. It just came out of my mouth, no filter. I immediately felt my cheeks get hot.

    She looked at me sideways. ¡°I¡¯m not always around. What do you do when I¡¯m not here?¡± Thankfully, she seemed to be ignoring my blush.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got friends, we hang out, play games, you know¡­stuff.¡±

    ¡°And do these friends happen to live in Canada?¡± she teased.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± she sighed. ¡°What stuff?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    I hesitated. I was a gamer, and gaming wasn¡¯t very ¡°cool¡± to most people. But I didn¡¯t have anything else. ¡°We play role-playing games,¡± I said quietly, praying this wouldn¡¯t be the last time I got a ride home.

    ¡°Like Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff?¡± her voice wasn¡¯t as condescending as I¡¯d thought it would be.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I was impressed. Not many people knew what a role-playing game was, let alone the title of one. ¡°How do you know that name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the name here and there,¡± she said.

    ¡°Tell me it wasn¡¯t from the news,¡± I groaned. The TV had done a series of not-so-nice stories about D&D a while back. I dreaded having to explain how I didn¡¯t worship the devil.

    ¡°No,¡± she laughed. ¡°I also have friends, you know. What else do you and your friends do?¡±

    ¡°Boffguard.¡±

    ¡°Boff-what?¡± Shae choked.

    ¡°Uh, boffer games.¡± She clearly didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, so I continued. ¡°You dress up, run around the park and beat each other up with foam swords.¡±

    The pause before she replied was painful. ¡°So, no dice.¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°Rock, paper, scissors?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, never mind. So, you just beat the crud out of each other?¡± the curiosity in her voice got my hopes up that she didn¡¯t consider me a complete loser.

    ¡°About the sum of it,¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°When?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You want to go?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Why is that so surprising?¡± she sounded offended.

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s just¡­¡± I backpedaled.

    ¡°What?¡± she sounded exasperated. ¡°Just spit it out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a very popular game,¡± I said.

    ¡°Popular with whom?¡± her eyebrow rose again; I was starting to find it strangely attractive. Of course, everything about her was attractive to me.

    ¡°With¡­you know¡­people¡­¡®normal¡¯ people,¡± I was blushing again; it seemed like I was always blushing around her.

    She exploded with laughter. ¡°And I¡¯m a ¡®normal¡¯ person?¡± she found that hilarious for some reason.

    ¡°Well, yeah, I mean, look at you,¡± My lack of a mouth filter struck again.

    Her laughter stopped. She turned to me, head tilted, completely ignoring the road. ¡°What about me?¡±

    I sputtered and stammered as a turn came into view that she couldn¡¯t possibly see. It was obvious she wasn¡¯t going to move until she got an answer. ¡°You¡­uh¡­well, you¡¯re gorgeous; there¡¯s no way you¡¯d be into the geek scene.¡±

    Her hands flashed on the wheel, taking the turn without taking her eyes off me. Her blue eyes seemed to harden, making it hard for me to breathe.

    ¡°So¡­girls can¡¯t be into your geek scene?¡± she asked slowly.

    ¡°Oh, no, no, no, girls can,¡± I tried lamely.

    ¡°They can¡¯t be pretty, though?¡± she continued.

    ¡°Not in my experience.¡± Her expression had me too off balance to think rationally.

    ¡°Not in your¡­¡± she started, then turned back to face the road. ¡°You¡¯re an eejit,¡± she shook her head.

    The rest of the ride was in silence as I replayed the conversation repeatedly in my head. It was true, though. I couldn¡¯t recall having seen an attractive girl at any of the gaming shops around town. Then I started to really think about it. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have a lot of experience,¡± I mumbled.

    She said nothing until we got to my house.

    ¡°Thanks for the lift,¡± I said as I got out of the car. ¡°Um, sorry,¡± I said meekly and started to turn.

    ¡°What time is it at?¡± her voice made me jump.

    ¡°Is what at?¡± Her stare made me continue quickly. ¡°Ten o¡¯clock Sunday, Barrison Park.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna come?¡± I was shocked.

    ¡°Well, someone¡¯s got to broaden your experience,¡± she sighed. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be able to knock some sense into that thick head of yours.¡±

    Before I could open my mouth to say something, she was gone. My head spun. She was going to be here Sunday. She¡¯d never been here more than once every other week. Now, I would get to see her twice in one week. And then it hit me, what I¡¯d said in the car. I¡¯d called her beautiful and then insulted her in the same sentence.

    My inner voice just shook its head at me in disgust.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>SHAE</u>

    ¡°You¡¯ve been a busy girl,¡± Shelby said as she brushed her hair.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, leaning against the doorframe of Shelby¡¯s bathroom and watching her preen.

    ¡°Word on the street is you¡¯ve been asking to hang out here more than is¡­needed?¡± Shelby said.

    I frowned at her.

    ¡°I mean, not that I¡¯m complaining,¡± Shelby said. ¡°I love seeing you so often; you¡¯re much more interesting than the locals here. But with how often you¡¯re coming around now, you might as well be a local.¡± She turned and pointed her hairbrush at me. ¡°Don¡¯t get boring on me,¡± she threatened me in mock seriousness.

    I touched my chest and gave her an innocent look.

    Shelby rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. ¡°What do you think?¡± Shelby had cut her hair since I saw her last. What was once a curly mass of brown hair was now in a simple pixie cut like mine. Granted, her hair was a bit more symmetrical than mine, but at least it was still her original brown.

    ¡°It works,¡± I nodded.

    ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Shelby moved another piece of hair to make it look just so. ¡°It''s been forever since I had short hair, and I¡¯ve never tried this style before. How do you¡ª¡±

    I spent the next few minutes helping her fix her hair in a way that was comfortable for her. I¡¯d been doing it so long that I had her done up in no time.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Shelby started.

    ¡°Here it comes,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°What? You¡¯ve seen him for a couple of weeks now. How¡¯s it coming?¡±

    ¡°You mean, have I tapped him yet?¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Well¡­yeah. That was kinda the whole point of this, wasn¡¯t it?¡± With a final flick of the brush, Shelby nodded at the mirror and headed to the back patio.

    The back patio was simple, with just a few wrought iron chairs and a table. The view out across the Texas hill country was amazing in the dying light.

    ¡°Oh, you got the pool working,¡± I said, indicating the kidney-shaped pool.

    ¡°Yeah, I figured if you¡¯re gonna have a pool at your house, you might as well use it,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to bring a suit next time.¡±

    ¡°Malik isn¡¯t here, feel free,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°Nah, maybe next time,¡± I said.

    ¡°Are you getting shy on me?¡± she looked at me curiously.

    We¡¯d never been shy around one another in the past. She was like a sister to me at this point. I wasn¡¯t sure where this was coming from, either.

    ¡°Now quit avoiding my question,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°Just once, could we have a conversation where a man wasn¡¯t involved?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Shelby started, ¡°but you didn¡¯t pick up a girl at that high school; you grabbed a boy. Had you nabbed a girl, I¡¯d be asking about her now, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    I sighed in defeat and told her about James and my most recent conversation.

    ¡°Boff¡­what?¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°Yeah, I know, but it''s what he does,¡± I said.

    ¡°Well, it sounds more interesting than those summits we attend, but that¡¯s not saying much. I mean, who the hell uses rock, paper, scissors as a system to resolve combat?¡± Shelby shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re going to go to his game this Sunday?¡±

    ¡°I said I would, didn¡¯t I? You going deaf in your old age?¡± I teased.

    ¡°Bite your tongue woman,¡± Shelby said. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised you¡¯re taking the next step.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you know I¡ª¡± I started but bit my tongue.

    Shelby eyed me suspiciously. ¡°I meant you were having a day out with him. What were you thinking? Wait, are you going to tap him?¡± Shelby asked excitedly.

    I sighed and flopped in one of the chairs before covering my face with my hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Shelby said, kneeling in front of me and pulling my hands from my face. ¡°It¡¯s a tap, Shae. Not a bloodbinding. Why all this drama?¡±

    ¡°It''s that he¡¯s still just a boy,¡± I said.

    ¡°Trust me, a modern high schooler is not a boy. Besides, a tap is practically a handshake to us. It''s not like you¡¯re bringing him into the fold or anything,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand these feelings I¡¯m having. They¡¯re confusing and don¡¯t make any sense.¡± Abruptly, I stood up and turned away from her.

    ¡°Feelings?¡± Shelby stood but kept her distance. ¡°What feelings?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just it, I don¡¯t know,¡± I said in frustration. I didn¡¯t hear Shelby approach, but I felt her hand rest gently on my back.

    ¡°It''s probably just a physical attraction, Shae, nothing more,¡± Shelby chuckled softly.

    I didn¡¯t say anything for a while.

    ¡°What if it is something else?¡± I whispered. I honestly couldn¡¯t remember the last time I had feelings for anybody.

    ¡°If it is, we¡¯ll deal with it when it comes.¡± Shelby wrapped her arms around me and held me for a moment before continuing. ¡°Besides, you might enjoy a little cradle-robbing.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± I laughed before clearing my throat and turning around.

    ¡°You know what you should do?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°Get my head examined?¡± I offered.

    ¡°You should take him to Drakes.¡±

    ¡°Drakes? I don¡¯t know; Drakes can be a bit intimidating to the uninitiated,¡± I said.

    ¡°Stop overthinking it,¡± Shelby said. ¡°Drakes is¡­confidential. You won¡¯t be seen if you don¡¯t want to be. Plus, it''s safe. Just in case, you can top off if you need to before you do the deed.¡±

    I rolled my eyes, ¡°Now, who¡¯s making more out of this than there is? I don¡¯t think¡ª¡± was all I got out before Shelby picked me up and threw me, clothes and all, into the pool twenty feet. I came up sputtering after a moment.

    ¡°Stop thinking!¡± Shelby yelled at me. ¡°If you analyze this, you¡¯re going to screw it up. This is really simple; just go with it,¡± she said before jumping into the pool next to me.

 Z Day -4,711

    <u>Z Day -4,711</u>

    <u>JAMES</u>

    I blocked the first strike with my sword and dodged out of the way of its follow-up. I liked the longer weapons. I could strike low and take out the legs of my opponents like I was doing now. I made short work of my target and turned to see how Shae was doing.

    Shae¡¯s movements were fluid. She seemed to dance in and around her opponents, quickly downing two before turning to a third. An arrow sailed through the air straight towards the back of her head. I was sure she would get pasted, but she leaned to the side at the last moment and it struck her last opponent in the chest.

    I watched as Trent, complete in his lizardman costume, took the archer out with a few well-placed blows. Trent was an upperclassman in my school and had been the one to introduce me to this game. He quickly became one of my best friends.

    Shae turned and looked at me. Her bronzed face was positively glowing with the size of the grin on it. She seemed to have gotten a little more sun since the last time I¡¯d seen her.

    I was still shocked Shae had shown up. Our boffer group wasn¡¯t anything fancy, just a dozen or so folks dressing up and beating each other up for the most part. I¡¯d never taken with the dressing up part, usually wearing my black military pants and a tank top. I¡¯d taken to wearing that sort of thing as it didn¡¯t tear easily, unlike some of the ¡®period¡¯ clothes others wore to the park. To tell the truth, I found the military-style clothes relatively comfortable.

    I still hadn¡¯t figured out what it was about Shae that kept me so befuddled. I mean, yeah, she was beautiful, but it was more than that. Every time she was around, I couldn¡¯t help but be completely enamored. All I could think about was her and the strange looks she¡¯d give me as I talked about the most mundane things. Or that silly grin of hers that would make her eyes crinkle.

    I¡¯d finally done as Shae said and sat beside Megan at lunch. I didn''t really say anything to her other than ¡°Hey.¡± But after a while, the awkwardness seemed to fade. She turned and asked me a question, and I gave her a normal answer.

    After that, we returned to the old ''normal.'' I would walk with her to my house, but that was as far as I went. I didn''t walk her all the way home anymore, and she seemed OK with that.

    Megan eventually asked me about Shae.

    ¡°So, who''s the girl that''s been giving you rides home?¡±

    ¡°What? Oh, that''s Shae. She''s a friend.¡± After that, Megan didn''t ask about her again. I couldn''t tell if there was something more to that or not. After a while, I didn''t care.

    The only thing that bothered me about my new-found relationship with Shae, aside from the fact that it didn¡¯t seem to be moving out of the ¡°just friends¡± stage, was that I hadn¡¯t been able to track her down. I didn''t have a phone number or address or anything for her. I had no way of contacting her until she just showed up.

    ¡°James, get your head in the game!¡± Mark said, breaking my flashback. I followed his lead as he blasted through one opponent after another as if he¡¯d been made for this. Mark was another of my best friends from school. He was my age, and I tried to keep up with him but didn¡¯t have his prowess, so he soon left me behind.

    I caught a glance of Shae and couldn¡¯t look away. I chalked it up to the cut-off jeans she was wearing that were showcasing her legs. Her borrowed white tunic barely contained the two things any red-blooded boy couldn¡¯t help but notice. My heart was beating out a rhythm you could dance to, and it wasn¡¯t because of the melee.

    Shae caught me looking, and another of those odd looks I could never decipher flashed across her face. She moved to me through the few remaining combatants and whispered in my ear, ¡°We¡¯re going out tonight.¡±

    Her words caused me to freeze, allowing the approaching foe to decimate me. Not that I minded; her words had just caused my heart to stop. I suddenly blinked, not realizing how I¡¯d ended up on the ground. The guy that had beat me down was asking if I was OK. I waved him off and looked around for Shae. I found her next to a water jug someone had brought.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± I managed, dusting myself off. I could still feel the flush in my cheeks from her words.

    ¡°Hmmm? Oh, we¡¯re going out tonight. I know just the club you¡¯d like.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what kinda club I liked; I¡¯d never been to one. ¡°But I don¡¯t have an ID,¡± I said.

    ¡°An ID?¡± Shae asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I mean, I¡¯m 18 and all, but my mom said I couldn¡¯t get a driver¡¯s license until I graduated.¡± This was true. This was a rule my mother laid down in hopes it would give me motivation to stay in school and actually pass my classes. So far, so good; I mean, getting all Cs was still passing.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not a problem at Drakes for someone with your mature looks,¡± Shae patted me on the cheek

    While I didn¡¯t feel as confident as she did, I was too busy focused on her touch. Her fingers grazing my cheek sent iced lightning jolting through me and straight down to my groin. My family wasn¡¯t touchy-feely, so any touching was practically intimate to me.

    ¡°Now, come on, I still have a little fight left in me,¡± she said, turning back to the field.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>JAMES</u>

    I wasn¡¯t sure if the club called Drakes was my type or not. The building appeared to be a plain warehouse, but I didn¡¯t catch much detail as I was distracted by her holding my hand. Her hand was icy cold, like she''d been holding a can of soda. I didn¡¯t have time to ponder that as she quickly led me into the club''s darkness.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I didn¡¯t have much in the way of nice dress clothes. I wore my best pair of jeans (no holes) and one of the two button-down long-sleeve shirts in my closet. My jeans covered my combat boots, but they still looked decent.

    She was dressed almost as simply but didn¡¯t look it. She wore a pair of blue jeans that I swear were painted on. A black sleeveless shirt ¡®thing¡¯ that buttoned down the front, coming to a point but leaving her midriff bare. She also wore black boots, but they had spiked heels that I had no idea how she walked in.

    As we walked in, a live rock band was performing rather loudly. I couldn¡¯t make out the lyrics for the sound of the guitars, but no one else seemed to mind. The lights were dimmed down to non-existent. If it wasn¡¯t for the stage, I probably couldn¡¯t have seen my hand in front of my face.

    Shae continued to pull me towards a slightly raised set of tables well back from the humming amplifiers. She pulled me into a high-backed booth beside her.

    I saw her lips move but, thanks to the band, had no clue what she was saying.

    ¡°WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DRINK?¡± she shouted.

    ¡°UH, A COKE,¡± I managed.

    She smiled at me and glanced at the stage.

    My eyes followed hers. There was a small dance floor we¡¯d skirted on the way in. It was full of people facing the stage and dancing to the music. The cigarette smoke was thick and caused me to cough a few times. I really hoped she didn¡¯t ask me to dance. I didn¡¯t want to completely embarrass myself on our first date.

    When I glanced back at her, she watched me with an intense expression I hadn¡¯t seen before. She pushed a glass towards me, one that I hadn¡¯t seen arrive¡­or her order, for that matter. She held her own cup, not clear glass like mine but a dark ceramic-looking one, kinda like a coffee mug without the handle.

    I picked up the drink and took a sip. It was Coke, alright, but mixed with ice and something bitter. It wasn¡¯t as bad as the beer my father had given me as a kid. That had been disgusting and still was to me. I¡¯d had a sip of wine before, but it was too dry and bitter for my taste. How a liquid could be dry was beyond me. Aside from those and the occasional sip of a wine cooler, I¡¯d never drank before. I must have made a sour face because she chuckled at me.

    Shae watched me over the rim of her cup as she took another swallow. She looked¡­ strangely apprehensive.

    Not wanting to look like a ¡°wuss,¡± I took a large swallow. The alcohol burned at first, but it quickly faded to a smooth, warm, smoky taste I kinda liked. As soon as it hit my empty stomach, though, it turned into a lead ball. I tried to hide my discomfort by taking another sip. The more sips I took, the more the bitter burning faded and was replaced with a smooth smokiness I liked. Far too quickly, my glass was empty.

    It seemed someone had turned down the amplifiers; that or my ears had gone numb. Regardless, a pleasant warmth was starting to fill me now. I turned back to Shae, and the room took a moment to catch up. When my vision cleared, she¡¯d put her cup down and was in my face.

    Shae leaned forward, and our lips touched.

    I fell into the kiss completely. Our lips parted, and tongues danced. My blood roared in my ears while the warmth of her mouth seemed to fill me with need.

    I¡¯d had plenty of kissing practice in the past. We used to spend weekends in Houston with one of my mom¡¯s old high school friends and their family. They had a daughter, Chlo¨¦ (the same age as me) and a son (the same age as Miria.) While our parents would talk and watch TV downstairs, we kids would be upstairs ¡®playing.¡¯

    I didn¡¯t know what my sister had been doing, but Chloe¡¯ and I had been in her room teaching each other to kiss. She¡¯d been the one to start it; I¡¯d not had the nerve, of course. Chloe¡¯ was a good practice coach, but we¡¯d never gone beyond kissing. This continued for a while until my mom stopped going to Houston. It had been fun and educational while it had lasted.

    Combining all that time into one kiss still didn¡¯t compare with Shae¡¯s lips. Thanks to liquid courage, my hands began to roam Shae¡¯s body of their own accord; she hesitated momentarily but didn¡¯t stop me. But I kept coming back to her mouth. It just pulled me in, bringing me closer to her until I was deep in her arms. The rest of the world seemed to slip away.

    The music broke off abruptly as the crowd roared, breaking the trance, mood, or whatever we had been in, and I found myself out of breath in Shae¡¯s arms. I lifted my head from her shoulder and slowly sat up. The whole room seemed to spin lazily.

    ¡°Easy there,¡± Shae said in a normal voice now that the band was on a break.

    I grabbed the table with both hands to stop it from jumping around. My stomach chose that moment to start complaining about what I¡¯d put in it.

    Shae seemed to sense my state and shook her head, ¡°First time?¡±

    ¡°What? No,¡± I croaked, staring at the table and willing my body not to get sick.

    ¡°Not the kiss, silly. You¡¯ve obviously had some coaching; I meant the Jack,¡± she said, stroking my hair.

    Jack Daniels, so that¡¯s what had been in my drink. My expression seemed to be answer enough for her.

    ¡°The bathroom¡¯s around to the left,¡± She pointed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I started to protest, but then I realized that I did. ¡°Thanks,¡± I managed through clenched teeth as I attempted to get to my feet. My legs obeyed through sheer force of will and started me across the room. Either my head was on crooked, or the world was tilted. I knew I was walking in a straight line, but with every step, it felt like I was trying to walk up the wall beside me.

    I managed to make my way, as dignified as I could, to the bathroom before being violently ill. After throwing up everything but my shoes, I took a few minutes and washed my face. The cold water seemed to help. While the world still moved awkwardly, it didn¡¯t feel like I was walking through an earthquake anymore.

    Luckily, there were small toothbrush/toothpaste packages next to the sink. I hadn¡¯t seen them on the way in, but I was a little preoccupied at the time. Twenty minutes later and three times brushing my teeth, I slid back into the booth beside Shae.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I croaked.

    Shae shook her head and smiled, ¡°I thought you might be hungry, so I ordered you something.¡±

    I started to say the thought of food would send me running back to the bathroom, but the smell of the burger at the table made me realize I was famished. I wolfed down the burger while she watched on.

    When I glanced at her, she said, ¡°I¡¯m on a diet,¡± and waved off the food.

    I didn¡¯t believe her. From what I¡¯d seen, she didn¡¯t need to be on a diet. But then again, maybe that¡¯s how she managed it. Her body was toned, but not the ribs showing skinny you see on models nowadays. She had hips and curves, ones I admired every chance I got.

    We left shortly after, and she drove me home. I couldn¡¯t believe we¡¯d been in there for over three hours. I vowed to be careful if Jack Daniels and I crossed paths again. My ears rang, and my clothes stank of cigarettes, but my head slowly cleared with the cool night air.

    Shae took my hand and kissed me again when we parked in my driveway. Her hand was warm now, not like before. The kiss wasn¡¯t like the one in the club, but it still caused my heart to start racing and my pants to become uncomfortable.

    After a moment more, she broke it off. ¡°Next time,¡± she purred.

    I managed to extract myself from the car without embarrassing myself and quietly snuck into my house. I balled up my clothes and buried them in the closet, hoping my mom wouldn¡¯t smell the smoke on them. I usually played Dungeons and Dragons on Sundays, so she was used to me staying out late. But she also knew none of my friends smoked. I was too worried about my mother finding out where I¡¯d been to notice the blood stains on my collar.

    Once again, sleep eluded me as the events of the evening churned in my mind. I was just too keyed up. Somewhere in all that chaos, sleep finally found me.

    The next day, I discovered what a hangover was. I was sick as a dog and ended up staying home from school and lying in bed all day. I¡¯d always heard you had a headache and threw up and such, but I hadn¡¯t known about the chills and fever. Apparently, not only was I a ¡°lightweight,¡± but I think I may be allergic to alcohol.

 Z Day -4,709

    <u>Z Day -4,709</u>

    <u>SHAE</u>

    The honor of being a courier was one that had to be earned over years of dedication and service. I earned mine the hard way and clawed my way to the top. As a courier, I was given the authority to act and make decisions for my master.

    Before and after any event a master couldn¡¯t attend, a courier would be armed with the most up-to-date information from their master via a mindtouch. These were deep mind links where a master ¡®reshaped¡¯ the courier¡¯s thought process to more mirror their own. With enough time, the courier could predict how their master would respond to most questions.

    The short flight from Austin brought me to my master¡¯s chambers. They weren¡¯t the gaudy gothic halls I¡¯d seen more than once among the old ones. Instead, my master had gone for the simple American country-style home with specially coated windows and even a little garden out back. It was a bright and airy place I had always felt comfortable in. It reminded me of what ¡®normal¡¯ should feel like.

    My master was sitting at a small breakfast table reading an old, beat-up romance novel and didn¡¯t bother looking up when I entered. I never understood the appeal of romance novels; they were usually quite terrible, but they were my master¡¯s guilty pleasure. Judging by the well-read state, this novel was one of my master¡¯s favorites.

    ¡°Hungry?¡± the ancient voice asked.

    ¡°No, master, I ate before I came,¡± I said.

    My master sniffed and took my hand. The old master¡¯s hands were slightly gaunt and wrinkled as that of an 80-year-old. With the slow rate of aging most vampires suffered, there was no telling how old my master truly was.

    ¡°You¡¯ve tapped him. Sit, tell me about it,¡± The master ordered, pulling a small metal tube from the table. She placed it against my finger, the tiny needle within allowing a drop of blood to well up. The master touched the dot of blood and sighed as I began to tell my story.

    We sat, not moving as our minds were joined, and we ¡®talked.¡¯ At last, my master broke the link and patted my hand. ¡°Poor child, I feel you¡¯re in for more than you bargained for with that boy.¡±

    ¡°How so, master?¡± I asked curiously.

    Chuckling, ¡°Oh dear,¡± was all my master said and looked outside. ¡°Do you see that hummingbird out near the feeder?¡±

    I knew the master¡¯s fondness for the creatures and saw it hovering outside. Its head dipped in and out of the small feeder, drinking the sickly-sweet nectar inside.

    ¡°A hummingbird has to work so hard to keep aloft, its wings flapping so fast you can¡¯t see it without effort.¡± My master continued, ¡°But while you or I could never get our arms to move that fast, the bird does it without thinking; it''s instinct. It doesn¡¯t have to think about it to make it happen; it just does what it feels it needs to do.¡± The master turned those pale hazel eyes on me. ¡°What do you feel you need to do, child?¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    The question caught me off guard, and I didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, child. There will be plenty of time for you to figure out how to flap your arms later. For now, we need to discuss business. But, before we get on with it, I will say that your timing is impeccable, as you will need your tap boy for the coming summit.¡±

    I was startled. ¡°Do you really think¡­I mean, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll be ready in time, master.¡±

    ¡°That is his purpose after all, now hush. All will be well. Give me your hand, and let us begin,¡± my master¡¯s smile offered no room for hesitation. The master¡¯s will was one which their most basic inclination translated to a command in my mind. I took my master¡¯s hand as we started.

    I dreaded returning to Pagoda. He had claimed the Austin region as his own, and my job was to relay my master¡¯s wishes. My master chided me for my foolish notions of dread. Yes, Pagoda was a pompous, arrogant so-in-so, in my master¡¯s words, but he served a purpose even if I could not understand it.

    In time, I would learn the reasons behind my master¡¯s actions, but not today.

    Mentally dressed down, I focused on allowing my master to construct my thoughts in a manner that would be most helpful. I enjoyed this part. My master¡¯s touch was tender and warm in my mind, something I tried to emulate on those I tapped. The skilled thoughts of my ancient master were precise and never erred. In no time, I was released to rest.

    Afterward, I watched as my master slumped from the effort. Such gentle precision was taxing on my master, making me appreciate it all the more. I¡¯d heard of other couriers whose masters were not so caring. They would sludge through their mind, slapping together what they needed without concern for the courier. This usually burned out the courier quickly, but that was little concern to those masters. To them, couriers were cheap and expendable.

    But to my master, I was family. For this reason, I strived to make my master proud. As family, we took care of one another. I consoled my master, offering sustenance from my body.

    ¡°No child, such things are for the young; I need not your essence. Go now; we both need rest. I want you to stay a while in case I change my mind.¡±

    I bowed out and returned to my residence on the property. Even though I was only in residence a handful of days a month, I¡¯d taken the time to decorate it to my tastes. Like Shelby, I picked things from my travels about the world that touched me. Unlike Shelby, I was selective in what I brought home.

    My travels to the various domains kept me constantly on the move for my master. I didn¡¯t mind, except when I had to deal with the likes of Pagoda. Luckily, couriers didn¡¯t have to make physical contact with those they carried messages to. If they did, it would negate the point of the mental preparation, as one master can undo the mental locks of another.

    Instead, a courier would exchange information with another courier, each acting as a buffer for their masters. Communication took a bit longer, but it was safer, more secure, and traditional.

    I knew the process worked but didn¡¯t try to understand how it worked. I¡¯d come across a few who had tried to take advantage of me, thinking my youthful appearance meant I was indeed a youth. They had been caught, punished and removed from their positions.

    My head throbbed as I lay down in my bed. Picking up the book on the bedside table, I opened it to where I¡¯d left off and started to read to calm my mind. James kept popping into my head, distracting me. At first, I felt bad for him, the look on his face when he returned from the bathroom at Drakes. But I couldn¡¯t help chuckling; he was too adorable. I smiled as I turned back to my book.

 Z Day -4,689

    Z Day -4,689

    [Are you really reading these date thingies? -Rhiannon]

    <u>JAMES</u>

    ¡°Keep this on, and don¡¯t take it off,¡± Shae said, tying the red leather strip to my arm.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­a symbol of my house.¡±

    ¡°Your house?¡± I frowned.

    ¡°Yes, and it says you belong to my house, so no one is allowed to bother you,¡± Shae said.

    I hesitated. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know about this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, you promised.¡± Shae persuaded. ¡°I went to your game; you said you¡¯d come to mine.¡±

    I¡¯d never been to a vampire live action role-playing (LARP) game before. I¡¯d always avoided them because they were odd and the people that went to them even stranger. But she was right. She¡¯d come to my park and offered to bring me to hers. I didn¡¯t even know how to say no to her, so here I was, standing in the parking lot of the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

    The greenbelt was just a shallow valley that wandered through the Southwest part of town. There was a creek down there, but it was dry nine months out of the year as it was now. The trees were thick, and I couldn¡¯t see the bottom of the valley, just the small path that wound down into the ravine.

    It had been a few weeks since our ¡®date night¡¯ at Drakes, and I hadn¡¯t seen Shae until she showed up unannounced at the boffer park. She played for a while and then told me she wanted to take me to her park. She played a vampire LARP at her park, which was, in her words, ¡°cool.¡±

    Despite the feelings of rejection I always seemed to have with her disappearing acts, I could never turn her down. In truth, I was ecstatic to see her; she could have asked me to jump off the bridge over Barton Creek, and I would have done so happily.

    She¡¯d brought me some ¡°garb¡± from days past but with modern touches: high necks, billowy sleeves, and lots of buttons and straps. Shae had to help me into the costume. At first, I felt silly, but I must admit that the clothes fit well, and I thought I looked pretty good.

    Shae led me down into the forest and reviewed the rules on the way. ¡°There¡¯s no actual combat like at your park. When a conflict arises, we play rock, paper, scissors to determine the outcome.¡±

    ¡°Rock, paper, scissors? The hand game?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yep, that is, if you can¡¯t talk your way around it. That¡¯s part of the fun, seeing what you can talk other people into,¡± she grinned.

    ¡°One, two, three, go. That rock, paper, scissors?¡± I mimicked my hand, striking my fist, still in disbelief.

    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t make it up; deal with it. Oh, and I¡¯m a¡­Duchess here, so be careful how you talk to me,¡± she said smartly.

    ¡°Duchess?¡± I managed.

    ¡°Yes, and you¡­you¡¯re my¡­tap boy.¡± She seemed to falter with the sentence.

    ¡°Tap boy?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, you know, the guy that goes to the bar, turns the tap on the barrel, and wine comes out. Tap boy,¡± she recovered.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m your servant? Doesn¡¯t sound like much fun for me,¡± I frowned.

    She stopped and turned, a ¡°silly boy¡± smile on her face. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll like this.¡± She kissed me. It was short but deep and left me breathless. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll make it worth your while.¡± The mischievous grin widened as she took a step back and opened her coat.

    It had been chilly for Austin, and she was wearing a light, full-length coat. What was underneath the simple black coat were leather boots that ran up to her knees. Her black, almost spandex-like pants left nothing to the imagination. As I worked my way up, she was wearing some sort of black bodice with green embroidery work that made me have to adjust my trousers. A black lace choker and long-sleeved gloves finished off the outfit.

    ¡°Close your mouth, dear,¡± she grinned as she closed the coat. ¡°Now come on, or we¡¯ll be late.¡± She spun on her heel and continued down the path into the descending night.

    It had been a bit of a hike to get to where the summit, as Shae called it, was. I wondered what I¡¯d gotten myself into when we finally entered a clearing where the others were gathered. As I glanced around at all the leather and skin showing, I now knew why this gathering was so far from the public eye. Anyone stumbling onto this would think they¡¯d walked into an S&M party.

    Unfortunately, not everyone there pulled it off as well as Shae did. Several people looked as if they¡¯d stepped out of a magazine shoot. Others wore too much makeup and should never be in the same room as spandex. Most of the men here were much older than me and held an intimidation factor I didn¡¯t understand. A handful of teenagers were talking in a small circle off by themselves.

    Shae told me she was a ¡®visiting dignitary¡¯ in this game. She represented another region and was here to discuss diplomatic relations with the local clan.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± With a squeeze of my arm, she left me and stepped up into what appeared to be the head honcho¡¯s circle of flunkies. I still didn¡¯t see the point as they were standing around talking when someone barged in, talking loudly and gesturing wildly about some decision they¡¯d made, apparently against him. It became intense but seemed to fizzle as they talked him down.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>SHAE</u>

    I glanced back at James as I left him. I felt bad about leaving him alone, but if I didn¡¯t check in right away, it would be a breach of etiquette. I couldn¡¯t bring him with me to the high circle for the same reason. I hoped this didn¡¯t take long and that I could get back to him quickly.

    I waited just outside the circle until Pagoda acknowledged me. He was an oily man who always made my skin crawl. He was clever, though; I had to give him that. He¡¯d been climbing the power ladder quickly and could now lay sole claim to the Austin area. I knew he was overconfident in himself, though, and I secretly hoped someone would finally smack him down. I wasn¡¯t 100% sure if these were my feelings or my master¡¯s bleeding through. It was probably both.

    I made the traditional platitudes before being dismissed to join the others of the high circle. Nodding to each of the other couriers and guests present, I made my way to the only person I trusted here.

    Shelby made room for me as I joined her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here tonight,¡± I said quietly to her.

    ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t expecting it either.¡± Shelby frowned. ¡°But it seems the glorious leader here wanted all the prominent figures of the area to make an appearance tonight. Who knew I was considered prominent?¡±

    I slowly smiled at Shelby¡¯s annoyance. She had a way of going unnoticed in the communities she stopped in; she frequently flaunted the fact.

    ¡°What happened to your ¡®under the radar¡¯ system of hiding?¡± I teased.

    ¡°What indeed.¡± Shelby frowned in annoyance.

    Just then, one of the local minor celebrities burst into the circle, making a fuss about how someone had slighted him. It was more posturing. I knew the house, and there had been no slight. All of this was just a show to try and earn a boon.

    I rolled my eyes and started to say something when Shelby cut me off.

    ¡°Is that him?¡± She was glancing over her shoulder.

    I looked and saw she was staring at James.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Oh, he is cute.¡± Shelby grinned. ¡°And just the right type. I gotta say, you do know how to pick them.¡±

    I knew the tone of her voice. She was eyeing James up like he was a piece of meat to devour. Her mouth was practically watering.

    ¡°Keep your paws to yourself, you hussy.¡± I teased her.

    ¡°What?¡± Shelby said with mock innocence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®what¡¯ me. I know you,¡± I said.

    Shelby turned back to me with a smile. ¡°Yes, and you know I wouldn¡¯t dream of interrupting your tryst.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes you would.¡± I shot back.

    ¡°True, but I wouldn¡¯t DO anything about it.¡± Shelby chuckled.

    I glanced back at the goings on of the high circle and saw there was still nothing of importance being said.

    ¡°How long is this going to be? They¡¯re not doing anything.¡± Shelby glanced at where I was looking.

    ¡°Yeah, Pagoda has a thing about the proprieties.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Pagoda needs to get over himself,¡± Shelby muttered.

    I agreed with Shelby¡¯s assessment but kept it to myself.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go get in line to deliver my messages,¡± I said.

    ¡°I still have no idea why you like this sort of thing,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°It¡¯s an important job, Shelby,¡± I said defensively.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it isn¡¯t, I¡¯m just saying it seems like a crap job if you have to put up with attending these things all the time.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not all bad,¡± I said. ¡°Some are actually quite nice.¡±

    ¡°And this one?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°Oh, this one is all kinds of boring. Now let me go do my job so I can get out of here.¡± I grinned.

    ¡°Why? Big plans after?¡± Shelby leered.

    ¡°Oh, stop it.¡± I frowned. Shelby enjoyed teasing me, more so since I met James.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Shelby exclaimed, causing me to hesitate.

    ¡°What?¡± I turned to see what was going on.

    ¡°He found Malik.¡± Shelby purred, a mischievous grin curling across her face.

    I looked and saw James approaching Shelby¡¯s tap boy, Malik. I knew Malik. He was a good guy, but he shared Shelby¡¯s¡­appetites. I needed to hurry and get my job done in case James needed rescuing.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>JAMES</u>

    Looking around, I found other leather arm bands like mine. Most of them were young like I was and didn¡¯t want to talk until I came across Malik.

    ¡°Malik,¡± he said in the introduction, holding out his hand. He was in his late 20s, and from the smell, he¡¯d already had a few beers. I hadn¡¯t seen any alcohol, so I figured Malik had tanked up in the parking lot before the event.

    ¡°James,¡± I said nervously.

    ¡°First time?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± was all I managed.

    ¡°Relax. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been told, but no one here bites,¡± he smiled, giving me a subtle once-over, ¡°unless you ask nicely, that is.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said intelligently in response to his not-so-subtle advance. I hadn¡¯t been with a woman yet, let alone a man. I didn¡¯t think I was ready for that sort of thing yet.

    ¡°Relax!¡± Malik laughed loudly and reached over to slap me on the shoulder but stopped just short of touching me. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you. Lighten up!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help it; his lightheartedness was infectious and made me smile as I relaxed.

    ¡°There you go,¡± he bowed slightly, ¡°my job here is done.¡±

    I caught one of the other arm-banded men rolling his eyes at Malik¡¯s theatrics.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°God, I hate these big council summits,¡± Malik said. ¡°They¡¯re so slow and booooooring!¡± he drew the word out, his voice slightly louder than it need be.

    I caught two other tap boys shaking their heads at each other.

    ¡°Normally, we¡¯d have hunts and chases and backstabbing and such. But tonight¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even think anyone¡¯s been drinking!¡± he stressed the last word and looked about in disgust. ¡°At least the drinking livens things up!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡ª¡± was all I got out before he continued.

    ¡°I¡¯m just hoping this ends early so I can spend some quality time with my mistress,¡± he leered at me while waggling his eyebrows, ¡°right?¡±

    I was pretty sure I knew what he meant but didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything as Malik suddenly straightened up and looked away from me. When I tried to say something, Malik cut me off with a wave of his hand and whispered, ¡°Herk¡¯s coming.¡±

    Before I could ask who Herk was, I found out.

    A way too tall man approached us, walking with a slow, strange stride. Herk was thin to the point of being gaunt; his skin was pulled taunt across his sharp cheekbones. He wore a black leather trench coat buttoned all the way up, and his skin was so white he had to be wearing makeup. Herk stretched out a bony hand towards us.

    ¡°Chaaaaaaaz,¡± Herk drew the name out in a throaty sound. ¡°It has been too long. You have been missed. How fairs your mistress?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s well,¡± Malik managed through clenched teeth.

    Herk leaned in close. ¡°Why, Malik, if I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think you weren¡¯t happy to see me.¡± He patted Malik on the cheek, causing my skin to crawl. ¡°Didn¡¯t we used to have such wonderful times together?¡±

    The whole scene was starting to creep me out, and I turned to look for Shae when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°And who is this?¡± Herk started, his grip like iron and kept me from moving.

    ¡°James,¡± I managed. Herk¡¯s pale face was too close; it was almost overwhelming. I could feel the man¡¯s cold hands radiating through my clothes. I couldn¡¯t identify what his breath smelt like, but it caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up.

    ¡°And who do you serve?¡± Herk¡¯s voice was smooth but made the remnant lizard part of my brain wonder if I could find my way back to the car without Shae.

    Malik thankfully rescued me when I couldn¡¯t find my voice, ¡°He serves Her Grace Shae.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Herk removed his hand and rubbed his fingers together as if touching me had soiled him. ¡°Our¡­ambassador.¡± He glanced at me once more before taking a step back. ¡°Gentlemen,¡± and Herk was gone.

    ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± I exploded. I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been holding my breath at the end.

    ¡°That¡¯s Herk. He¡¯s¡­well, he¡¯s a bit old-fashioned,¡± Malik said.

    ¡°You used to hang out with that guy?¡± I asked incredulously.

    ¡°It was¡­he was¡­oh, I don¡¯t know. I was younger and didn¡¯t know any better. I¡¯m just glad we¡¯re not together anymore,¡± Malik said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I said dumbly. My whole life, I¡¯d lived in Austin. Unlike most people, I didn¡¯t care what you did with whom. I hung out with plenty of ¡°alternate-lifestyle¡± friends at our BBS parties because they seemed more ¡°normal¡± than straight people. But I had never been witness to what looked to be some sort of same-sex domestic spat before. ¡°Glad to hear it?¡± I offered.

    Malik laughed, ¡°Just be glad you¡¯re with Shae. Otherwise, he¡¯d try to recruit you.¡±

    I instantly resented how casually he used her name. The wave of jealousy came from nowhere.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your dander up. Shae and I have known each other a while, and no, not like that. I¡¯m not her¡­type. But it appears you are,¡± his smile defused my hostility immediately and left me feeling foolish.

    We spoke for quite a while. Malik ran a small drive-up photo booth in the parking lot of one of the larger strip malls. It was one of those open 24-hour deals offering photo developing within the hour. He was telling me of some of the more ¡®interesting¡¯ photos he¡¯d been asked to develop when Shae appeared.

    ¡°Malik, keep your claws out of my tap boy if you please,¡± Shae scolded.

    ¡°Oh please, I¡¯m not one for robbing the cradle, unlike some I know,¡± Malik teased.

    ¡°You¡¯re shameless,¡± Shae grinned.

    ¡°And you¡¯re lovely,¡± Malik wooed.

    ¡°Charmer,¡± Shae smiled warmly at him.

    He bowed, accepting a graceful defeat.

    She turned to me, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you out of here; this is not what I expected tonight. Malik, I¡¯d make an excuse and get Shelby out of here; I don¡¯t like the looks of what¡¯s coming.¡±

    ¡°Trouble?¡± Malik perked up at the thought of some excitement.

    ¡°Not the fun kind,¡± Shae scowled.

    I had no idea what they were talking about and searched their faces for clues.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Shae grabbed my hand and led me off before I could say goodbye.

    Once we were well away, she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Normally, there¡¯s more entertainment and less politics. This was a bad idea,¡± she seemed genuinely disappointed.

    ¡°No, it was¡­nice,¡± I said with a weak grin.

    She looked back over her shoulder at me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re a terrible liar.¡±

    I started to say something but shut my mouth before my foot fell into it. ¡°What now, your Grace?¡± I managed, heavily emphasizing the latter and bowing as best I knew how.

    She smirked at me. ¡°Please, don¡¯t ever do that again.¡± A smile broke across her visage, ¡°Now, let¡¯s get out of here and find something more interesting to do. I was thinking the overlook?¡±

    My heart caught in my throat.

    When they¡¯d built the new highway around the city, they¡¯d cut through the surrounding hill country. One particular stretch gave a great view of the city¡¯s skyline, which was beautiful at night. Not that anyone actually looked at the scenery. It was a dark part of the highway where most went to make out. Even though it was right on the side of the road and regularly patrolled by the police, it didn¡¯t stop people from their midnight rendezvous.

    The windows steamed up in Shae¡¯s car in no time. At first, I wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing, but when she pushed my passenger seat all the way back and knelt in front of me, things almost ended right there. She was gentle and patient and made it last much longer than I thought it could. I could have sworn we were there for hours. Whenever I was with her, time didn¡¯t seem to work right.

    We cuddled in the lush back seat for quite a while before she took me home.

    I was starving when I got back and quietly raided the fridge to avoid waking my mom. On the way to my room, I stopped to use the bathroom and noticed some blood on my thigh. It wasn¡¯t a lot, just enough to cause a small dot on my shorts. There was a small red line on my thigh, but it looked more like an old scratch. Shae¡¯s half-moon earrings came to mind, and I thought maybe one of them had scratched me. A goofy smile curled across my face, thinking about it as I made my way to my room. I quickly drifted off, a myriad of dirty thoughts filling my mind.

    The next morning, I was sick again, even though I didn¡¯t recall drinking anything the night before. Once again, I had to stay home, fighting off the sudden flu bug I¡¯d somehow picked up.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    [Bet you don¡¯t know what these are either. -Rhiannon]

    <u>SHAE</u>

    I had trouble getting to sleep that night. Politics were easy for me. I may not always enjoy them, but I know how to maneuver the channels and predict outcomes. Tonight, I saw the seeds of bad things on the horizon. Little changes always precede big moves. With tonight''s talks, I needed to warn my master of my suspicions.

    The time I spent with James somehow pushed everything else aside and gave me time to enjoy myself in a way I hadn¡¯t known before. Remembering the look on his face sent a mischievous thrill through me, even now. Normally, I didn¡¯t consider myself adventurous when it came to relations. But introducing James to the wonders of a physical relationship, which I was only beginning to discover myself, was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Perhaps it was that terrified part of my brain that awoke the old nightmare.

    The nightmare was the same as ever, the memory of that awful time before my master. The memory could disappear for years at a time only to resurface when I least expected it. This time, it was as if it had sensed my happiness and came to make sure I never forgot my past.

    The cabin stank with the smell of sweat and mildew. The room pitched back and forth as the ocean tossed the galleon about. I pulled the shambles of my clothes tighter about me as the tattered blanket did little to fight back the chill of the night.

    The door creaked open, its frame filled by the hulking

    shadow. The eyes, two spots darker than the rest of the silhouette, stared at me with hunger. It came for me, all sharp knives and pain. My mouth opened, and my chest heaved, but the scream refused to come out.

    Its hand reached for me again and I shrank from it. *No, not again!* my mind cried out as my voice had abandoned me. In vain, I lashed out with hands and feet, but everywhere I struck felt like cold, unyielding iron.

    The ship lurched, and I lunged. The door was still open, and I was through it in four strides.

    The remains of my clothes fell away in my frantic bid for freedom. I shivered beneath the night sky and tried to focus on the dark deck around me. No torch or lantern lit the night, and thick clouds hid the moon¡¯s light. I shuddered, but not because of the cold sea air.

    The deck creaked, and suddenly, there was someone before me. This wasn¡¯t my captor, my tormentor, but still someone familiar.

    ¡°Mr. Jacobs?¡± I called to my former first mate, hoping I was right. I couldn¡¯t control my terror or desperation as both laced my voice. I didn¡¯t care if he heard it; pride was something I could no longer afford.

    All my life, I¡¯d had to be better than the men. It was a lesson my D¨¢ had drilled into me until it stuck. Keeping the men¡¯s respect aboard a working ship had been hard, but I managed it. They kept me in command because I kept them in bounty. Contrary to popular myth, a pirate captain was elected. Fear could only keep men in line for so long. Keeping them in riches lasted much longer. But my last order had been a mistake. It ended my career and condemned my crew to perpetual servitude.

    The fat galleon had not been filled with merchant riches. Instead, it carried death. The ship hadn¡¯t given us much of a fight, surrendering almost immediately. But as soon as my men were aboard, they fell to the deck. It was as if crossing the gunwale had robbed them of their spirits. Then, they stood up, able as ever, but now they only listened to his orders. The only thing dead about my former crew were their eyes.

    Dead eyes stared down at me now as I looked up into the face of my former first mate.

    ¡°Help me!¡± I pleaded, but the thing that had once been Mr. Jacobs stood mute. The black pools that had once been his eyes seemed to swallow me, filling me with a coldness that did not come from the night air.

    Hearing footsteps behind me, I pushed past the silent man in panic. I pleaded with a deck hand I came to next. His name was Aengus; I¡¯d known his wife and child. He stood silent, his cold stare watching me as I went from one man to another in my flight across the deck. Before I knew it, I was out on the prow and had nowhere to go.

    Turning back, I saw him slowly approaching. His eyes seemed to darken as his mouth came closer. I feared the silver blade in his hand; I was intimately familiar with it. But not this night; he would not have me. No, not again.

    I climbed awkwardly around the rigging, something I¡¯d once been nimble as a cat with, and jumped.

    Eyes closed, I waited for the sea''s cold embrace, knowing its freezing waters would welcome me. But that welcoming darkness never came. When my eyes opened, I was back in the cabin, and the door was opening once more.

    This time, my scream woke me, escaping the never-ending nightmare. I shook myself fully awake, trying to clear my mind of the horrid memories. They didn¡¯t go easily, churning over and again as those long years of captivity refused to release me.

    The door flew open as Shelby came running in, ¡°Shae? Are you OK?¡±

    Malik appeared a few moments later, standing in the doorway. They were both still in night clothes. Shelby¡¯s were much finer than Malik¡¯s plain boxers.

    ¡°I¡¯m OK,¡± I said as I sat up and turned on the lights, banishing the remaining darkness. I was soaked in sweat and tears while my bedsheets were a tangle. I knew I wouldn¡¯t be getting back to sleep again tonight.

    ¡°Was it?¡± Shelby asked. When I nodded, she turned to Malik, ¡°It''s OK now, Malik, go back to bed.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Malik yawned.

    Shelby nodded and turned back to me.

    I waited for Malik to leave and the sound of their bedroom door closing before taking a deep breath. ¡°I need to get out of this room,¡± I said, noticing my hands were trembling. The room reminded me too much of that stinking cabin.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Shelby said, pulling me to my feet. She quietly led me outside and sat me in one of the reclining chairs before disappearing inside.

    I stared up at the night sky as the sounds of crickets were my only companion. The sky was ablaze with stars; I guessed it was close to 1 a.m. I watched the vast darkness above me, wondering for the umpteenth time what was out there and hoping I¡¯d be around long enough to find out.

    I jerked in surprise as Shelby pushed a warm mug into my hand. This time, it was a Hard Rock Caf¨¦ Sydney. I¡¯d never had the same mug twice in all my visits here. It was always a Hard Rock Caf¨¦ mug, but always a different location. I automatically took a sip.

    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Shelby said quietly as she wormed her way into my chair and lay beside me. It was a little uncomfortable, but I welcomed her warmth on the chilly night.

    ¡°A couple of years now, at least,¡± I said, taking another sip.

    ¡°I thought Doreen had banished that nightmare.¡±

    ¡°So did I,¡± I said quietly.

    ¡°Guess your master¡¯s not as all-powerful as you thought,¡± Shelby nudged me playfully.

    With our natural night vision, I knew she could see my eye roll from behind my mug.

    ¡°From the state of your bed, I figured it¡¯s still as bad, but is it still the same nightmare? Or has it changed at all?¡± Shelby pulled a blanket from a bin next to the chair and draped it over us.

    ¡°Same as ever. Always the same,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sweetie,¡± Shelby said, awkwardly wrapping an arm around me.

    ¡°Me too.¡± I moved so I could rest my head against her, snuggling into her arms. I kept sipping from my mug in silence.

    This was far from the first time Shelby had to console me after this nightmare haunted me. It had been more traumatic for Shelby than me the first time. We¡¯d been asleep in the same bed, and my flailing had left her with bruises.

    ¡°Oh girl,¡± Shelby sighed and pulled me tight. ¡°What are we going to do with you?¡±

    We were quiet for a while, staring out into the dark countryside. Occasionally, a shooting star would streak across the sky, interrupting the serenity. Then, Shelby shattered the silence in her usual out-of-left-field fashion.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m still mad at you,¡± she said with so much false injury I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    ¡°Oh? Why this time?¡±

    ¡°You told Malik to pull me out of that summit,¡± Shelby said.

    I looked up at her in confusion. ¡°Yeah, so?¡±

    ¡°Well, he was drunk.¡±

    ¡°Still not seeing the problem, Malik is usually drunk at those things.¡± I put my head back down on her shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah, so you should know that when he¡¯s drunk, he¡¯s kinda forgetful. He didn¡¯t come and get me for over an hour!¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No! I had to sit there and listen to Pagoda drone on and on about local policy for another hour before Malik came stumbling over.¡±

    ¡°Poor thing,¡± I chuckled again.

    ¡°It''s not funny!¡± Shelby said. ¡°First, you tap that boy and don¡¯t bother to come to tell me about it; then you leave me at Pagoda¡¯s mercy. I swear, it¡¯s like you¡¯re not even my friend anymore.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°If you wanted to know, all you had to do was ask. Not all of this¡­¡± I motioned at her with my hand. ¡°Whatever this is.¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Shelby said stubbornly, ¡°is my righteous indignation as your friend. And I am hurt by your unfriend-like and selfish attitude.¡±

    We locked eyes for a moment before the laughter took us.

    ¡°Fine. As your friend,¡± I stressed the word, ¡°if it will ease your pain, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± I said, stifling my laughter.

    ¡°It might. Depends on your details. I¡¯ll let you know,¡± Shelby said shortly.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a perv.¡± I sighed before telling her everything that happened up and through tonight.

    ¡°I¡¯m a perv?¡± Shelby finally said. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to do all those other things after you tap him. You could always just give him the memory of it.¡±

    ¡°I¡­like the other things,¡± I said, biting my lip, embarrassed.

    ¡°Good! I just wanted to make sure. It''s about time,¡± Shelby nudged me again. ¡°Let me know if you need some pointers,¡± She smiled and kissed the top of my head.

    We sat in silence for a few minutes, the crisp chill of the early morning breeze teasing my exposed flesh.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The warmth of my beverage was causing my body to relax more with every sip.

    ¡°Why you¡¯re enjoying this boy so much.¡±

    The way she said it caused me to pause, ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡±

    ¡°This is James¡¯s first real relationship, right?¡± Shelby asked.

    I nodded.

    ¡°And, for all practical purposes, this is your first as well?¡± Shelby said with a touch of hesitation.

    ¡°Well, there is¡ª¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count Shae, and you know it,¡± Shelby chastised. ¡°Honesty please,¡± she said in her best schoolmarm voice.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said simply.

    ¡°There you go. You¡¯re learning together. You can both take your time figuring this out. If you make a mistake, neither of you know any better,¡± Shelby chuckled softly. ¡°I wish I could watch; I bet it''s adorable.¡±

    ¡°You want to watch?¡± I looked sideways at her.

    Shelby sighed. ¡°Not like that,¡± she nudged me.

    Another quiet few minutes passed before I spoke again.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually eating food just to be with him, Shelby,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Oh honey,¡± Shelby wrapped a warm arm around me. ¡°I know how you feel about eating. That¡¯s a pretty serious commitment for you. I¡­hope he appreciates it.¡±

    I chuckled and snuggled closer into her. ¡°It¡¯s funny,¡± I started.

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°He talks about the most mundane things you could imagine,¡± I said.

    ¡°So?¡± Shelby looked down at me.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop listening. It''s fascinating!¡± I said, head still on her chest.

    ¡°Mundane things are fascinating?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°Yes! He talks about his family and his daily life. All the things I don¡¯t have¡­things I¡¯ve never had. I listen to him talk and imagine me doing those things.¡±

    ¡°Sounds¡­kinda boring actually,¡± Shelby said. ¡°You mean like doing dishes and cleaning the house?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess it could be boring from a certain perspective,¡± I admitted. ¡°But, listening to him talk about them¡­did you know, they have this new electric broom?¡±

    ¡°You mean a vacuum cleaner? Yeah, everybody knows about those. You can¡¯t be that out of touch,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°Yes, but did you know it could suck up water too? Water, dirt, it can clean up anything!¡± I said.

    ¡°OK, I didn¡¯t know about the water thing. But still, I think I need to put you to work around the house here. See if I can ground you in reality a bit. Besides, Malik could use the help,¡± Shelby grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m not cleaning your house,¡± I said stubbornly.

    ¡°Oh, but you¡¯d be cute in a maid outfit!¡± Shelby complained.

    ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible.¡±

 Z Day -6,454

    Z Day -6,454

    [Did you notice I reversed the first two numbers? -Rhiannon]

    <u>JAMES</u>

    ¡°Will you go to the ball with me?¡± There, I''d said it. I¡¯d said it fast but managed to get it out before I lost my nerve. I''d almost waited too long, as Shae had been turning onto my street when I finally got the courage to ask.

    ¡°What''s that, Cinderella?¡± Shae teased.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s this military ball coming up for my JROTC class. It''s a formal dining out, and we were told we were allowed to bring someone. And I thought if you weren''t doing anything and if you were in town, then maybe you might want to go. With me,¡± I finally stopped talking when she stopped the car. I was still looking down at my hands when she answered.

    ¡°What''s a dining out?¡± Shae asked.

    ¡°It''s a big dinner at one of the hotel ballrooms here. We get dressed up in our military uniforms, have food, they do some speeches, and there''s even dancing.¡±

    ¡°You dance?¡± she asked, both eyebrows raised.

    ¡°Well, there is dancing. I didn''t say I danced.¡± It was suddenly hot in the car, even though the windows were down.

    ¡°If you wear your uniform, what would I wear?¡±

    ¡°It''s a formal...so whatever for a formal?¡± I had no clue what that meant for girls.

    She chuckled, ¡°When is it?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I couldn''t believe she was considering it. ¡°Uh, it''s on the 18th at 1800...er 6 o''clock.¡±

    ¡°The 18th...¡± she tapped her chin as she thought. ¡°I think that''s doable.¡±

    ¡°You''ll go?¡± my voice cracked.

    She smiled kindly at me. I didn''t realize it was her wolf in sheep''s clothing smile. ¡°As long as you''ll dance with me.¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡± There were beads of sweat on my forehead now. I hadn''t danced since I was little. And even then, it had been with my mom or my grandmother.

    She looked at me expectantly.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I squeaked.

    ¡°Good, then it''s a date,¡± she said.

    I''d asked a girl out on a date! The thought ran through my head. I''d asked Shae out on a date, and she''d said yes!

    ¡°Hello?¡± she waved her hand in front of my face as I was staring off into space. She snapped her fingers a couple of times, and I blinked.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I looked over at her.

    ¡°It''s a date. Now get before your mom starts thinking we''re making out in here,¡± she shooed me out of the car.

    I was out of the car in a flash. I could see her chuckling as she drove away.

    I had a date.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>SHAE</u>

    ¡°I need your help!¡± I said in a panic before Shelby had the door all the way open.

    ¡°Well, hello to you too,¡± Shelby said as she stepped aside and ushered me in.

    ¡°James asked me to some military thing called a dining out and I said yes and now I have to get something to wear and I don¡¯t have anything here and I have to figure out what¡ª¡± I said in one breath nonstop.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Shelby said, closing the door behind us. ¡°Sit down and breathe.¡±

    I sat obediently and watched as Shelby went into the kitchen. When she returned, she handed me a mug with a ¡°Hard Rock London¡± logo and sat beside me on the couch.

    ¡°OK,¡± Shelby said patiently. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°James asked me to a dining out,¡± I said slowly.

    ¡°What is a dining out? Is that like a school dance or something? Tell me you¡¯re not wound up over a dance¡ª¡±

    The look I gave Shelby made her stop. ¡°It''s some sort of military dinner or something,¡± I said.

    ¡°Military?¡± Shelby looked back over her shoulder. ¡°Hey, Malik! What¡¯s a dining out?¡±

    Malik¡¯s voice came from somewhere else in the house a moment later. ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°A dining out. It¡¯s a military thing,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°Just because I was in the military,¡± Malik appeared in the room from a back hallway, ¡°doesn¡¯t mean I know everything about the military.¡±

    ¡°Do you know or not?¡± Shelby asked, exasperated.

    ¡°Of course I know; what do you take me for?¡± Malik intelligently chose to remain just outside of Shelby¡¯s reach. So, when Shelby blindly swung out behind her, she missed. ¡°A dining out is a formal military ball where people who aren¡¯t in the military can attend.¡±

    ¡°Is there a dining in?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Malik smiled devilishly. ¡°That¡¯s when the civies aren¡¯t allowed, and the real fun happens. The stories I could tell you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe later. What all is involved with a dining out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Malik frowned. ¡°Much more boring. Food, speeches, dancing, pretty much the mundane stuff that is there to look pretty for the brass.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more,¡± I said as Malik spent the next 20 minutes laying out what to expect.

    ¡°Now, all I need is a dress.¡± I chewed my thumbnail.

    ¡°And a car,¡± Shelby said.

    ¡°What''s wrong with my car?¡± I asked in a hurt tone.

    ¡°That hooptie out there? You don¡¯t roll up to a formal event in something like that. Where¡¯s your sense of style?¡± Shelby sighed in disgust. ¡°Now, a dress I can hook you up with.¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah, no,¡± Malik said, still out of arms reach.

    ¡°What do you mean no?¡± Shelby eyed Malik as he came around her chair, still out of reach.

    ¡°Honey, I know your wardrobe. You¡¯ve got some amazing pieces, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the sort of thing you¡¯d wear to one of these.¡±

    Shelby didn¡¯t say a word, but I had the feeling someone would be in trouble once I left.

    ¡°I know a guy,¡± Malik started, ¡°he can get you what you need, trust me.¡± Malik¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle as he pulled me to my feet. ¡°Let''s see what we¡¯re working with.¡±

    Malik had me turn in place and strike a few poses as he took mental notes. He then asked permission before placing his hands on various parts of my body. None of it was sexual, but it didn¡¯t keep Shelby from eyeing him suspiciously.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Malik said finally, ¡°that¡¯ll work. How long do we have?¡±

    I told him when the event was, and he smiled happily.

    ¡°Plenty of time. I¡¯ll get you squared away. Trust me, when I¡¯m through with you, you¡¯ll have men fainting and women cussing you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Malik,¡± I said.

    ¡°Yeah, thanks Malik,¡± Shelby said in agitation. ¡°And where has this ¡®guy¡¯ of yours been when I needed a new dress, huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right where he¡¯s always been. You just never needed my help before.¡± Malik looked at her innocently.

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Shelby looked at him with daggers. ¡°We¡¯re having words later.¡±

    ¡°Oh, goodie!¡± Malik clapped his hands.

    I cleared my throat to make sure they remembered I was there before something started that I didn¡¯t want to see. ¡°Now I¡¯ll just need a car, apparently. I guess I can hire one?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. You can borrow mine,¡± Malik said off-handedly.

    ¡°Oh? Do you drive something with ¡®style¡¯?¡± I glared at Shelby when I said it.

    ¡°You could say that,¡± Malik grinned.

 Z Day -A Bunch

    <u>Z Day -A Bunch</u>

    <u>JAMES</u>

    The night of the dining out, I was a wreck. Shae said she''d pick me up at 5:30, and I was literally running around double and triple-checking everything beforehand. I''d set my uniform up the night prior but kept checking it for lint or medals out of place, anything. I was wearing the white shirt and a bow tie that was required instead of the standard blue shirt and long tie. I wasn''t used to it since it was only required with the formal uniform. The tight neck bothered me, and the bow tie refused to stay straight.

    When a knock came at the door, I tried to get there first, but my mom was already letting Shae inside. This would be the first time my mother met Shae, and I was nervous.

    When I saw Shae, I literally stopped in my tracks, my jaw hitting the ground. I had to look like one of those Tex Avery cartoons, but you would understand if you''d seen what I was looking at.

    Shae wore a shimmery, sleeveless, emerald green dress with a t-back. The dress was low cut in the front and just seemed to slither down her body, pooling at the bottom in a slight excess like a train on a wedding gown. She wore a matching green lace piece around her throat that covered most of what her low-cut dress exposed and climbed up her neck like a choker. She''d slicked her hair straight back in the tamest fashion I''d ever seen on her. She topped it off with a pair of emerald earrings, one longer than the other. I swear to God, she looked like she''d just stepped off the red carpet.

    I couldn''t breathe.

    ¡°Good evening Ms. Sable. It''s a pleasure to meet you finally,¡± Shae said.

    ¡°Yes, please come in,¡± Mom said.

    The three of us stood in the small space that was the living room of my house.

    ¡°Hello, James,¡± the vision that was Shae spoke my name, finally thawing me from my paralysis. ¡°You ready to go?¡±

    I couldn''t speak and instead held up a finger in an ¡°I''ll be right back¡± gesture as I needed to grab my uniform jacket that and restart my heart. I tripped over my mom¡¯s papasan chair as I left, losing all my cool points. When I came back, my mother and Shae were chatting.

    ¡°Well, don''t you look dashing?¡± Shae grinned, now seeing me in my full uniform. I realized she''d never seen me in it before.

    My cheeks were on fire as I managed to say, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°It speaks,¡± My mother ribbed me. ¡°How late does this thing run again?¡±

    ¡°About ten o''clock, Mom.¡± I knew she already knew that.

    ¡°We''ll be back by ten-thirty, Ms. Sable.¡± Shae had caught on to what my mom was hinting at.

    ¡°Alright, have fun, you two,¡± my mother said as we made our escape.

    Once outside, the cool night air helped me find my voice again. ¡°You look amazing.¡± My voice cracked, and I had to clear my throat. ¡°Really.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn''t think you noticed,¡± She poked fun at me. ¡°I mean, you were bubbling over with the compliments inside.¡±

    ¡°I literally couldn''t speak,¡± I choked out.

    ¡°Oh?¡± she asked innocently.

    ¡°You''re too pretty,¡± I said, opening the car door for her.

    ¡°Too pretty?¡± She looked at me. ¡°Is that a problem? I could change; I think I have some jeans in the back.¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± I yelped. ¡°I mean, no. You look perfect; please don''t change anything.¡±

    She smiled and kissed me on the cheek as she slid inside the car.

    I held onto the car door tightly to keep from falling over. I closed the door and moved around to slide into the passenger side.

    Tonight, she wasn''t driving her normal car. Tonight, an older black Chevy Impala glimmered in the twilight. I only knew the name because I saw it on the back when I walked around. It was sleek and sounded like the muscle car it was as she fired it up.

    ¡°Nice car,¡± I said.

    ¡°Thanks, a friend let me borrow it. I was told my car wouldn¡¯t cut it for such a fancy night,¡± Shae said, pulling out of the driveway, her tone sounding slightly annoyed.

    On the drive over, I kept catching myself glancing at her, but she kept her eyes on the road more than usual. It was almost like she was as nervous as I was.

    ¡°So,¡± she started when we were about halfway there. ¡°Anything I should know for this military ball thing?¡±

    ¡°Uh, not really.¡± I hadn''t been to one before, but the Chief had given us a lot of instructions. ¡°When we get there, there will be a receiving line where all the special guests and officers will be. I''ll do the introductions, and you just have to shake hands. Then there¡¯s a bit of a social hour where we sorta mingle. Then dinner. After dinner, there will be some talking, a speaker, then dessert and a band.¡±

    ¡°There''s going to be a real band?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah, apparently, the Chief pulled a few strings and brought up an Air Force jazz band from Lackland for this,¡± I said.

    ¡°Sounds fun.¡± She smiled, seeming to relax a little. ¡°Wait, you''re going to do introductions? And mingle?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I said cautiously.

    ¡°This I gotta see,¡± she grinned. By now, she was all too familiar with my terminal shyness.

    When we pulled into the parking lot, I got out and opened the door for her. She waited for me patiently as I made my way around the car. The formal uniform was a bit bulkier than I was used to and made me move more awkwardly than my usual awkwardness.

    As soon as she was out of the car, she frowned and rubbed the spot on my cheek where she¡¯d kissed me earlier. ¡°Better,¡± she said before taking my arm, another first. I tensed up as we started walking. We automatically fell into step together; our strides were the same. We meshed.

    I held the door again as we entered the building, and once inside, she retook my arm. I felt ten feet tall, but in reality, Shae was now the same height as me, thanks to her heels. My heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest.

    ¡°Relax,¡± she whispered to me as we approached the entrance to the ballroom. ¡°You''ll be fine, honest.¡±

    There were a few people in the receiving line ahead of us. Those of us in the JROTC program had to wear the uniform, regardless if we were male or female. Our guests could wear suits and dresses, of which there were quite a few. I saw more formal dresses than I''d ever seen before. I''d never been to any formal event other than a wedding, and even there, people weren''t as dressed up as here.

    No one here looked half as good as Shae did, which was apparent as we started down the receiving line. I introduced Shae to each person in line, and when we finally got to the Chief, I managed to relax a bit.

    ¡°Good evening, Chief. Chief Ramirez, this is my date, Shae. Shae, this is Chief Ramirez,¡± I managed to say without stuttering. The hour I¡¯d spent practicing that line had paid off.

    ¡°Very nice to meet you,¡± he said, shaking her hand with gentle formality. ¡°This is my wife, Claire. Claire, this is Cadet Sable and his date Shae.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, ma''am.¡± I shook her hand just as the Chief had Shae''s.

    ¡°Do you go to R.J., Shae?¡± Chief asked.

    ¡°Oh no, sir, I''m out of school already,¡± she smiled, the hint of dimples coming out. I''d never seen them before; how''d I missed that?

    ¡°How''d the two of you meet then?¡± Chief asked.

    ¡°A pleasant happenstance,¡± Shae began. ¡°I was at the school visiting a friend and rescued James here from having his heart stomped on by an evil harpy,¡± she grinned.

    Chief looked at me and chuckled. ¡°Seems you have a guardian angel looking out for you.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea, sir,¡± I managed before we had to move on as more people were coming up behind us.

    We found the table we''d been assigned and glanced around.

    ¡°Nice man, your Chief,¡± Shae said as she picked up a glass of water from the table.

    ¡°He really is,¡± I started, ¡°the best teacher I''ve ever had.¡±

    We mingled a bit; by mingled, I mean Shae dragged me around the room, making me introduce her to other people. After a while, I got used to the expressions other people gave us. Men seemed to ogle Shae, while women seemed to shoot daggers at her. Both looked at me incredulously. Shae looked in her early twenties. That was only a guess, as she never told me how old she was, and I honestly didn''t care. Plus, I sucked at guessing ages.

    There was an official photographer in one corner who had set up a backdrop and a flower pedestal. We stood in line, and when it was our turn, the photographer had us stand together with my left arm around her waist and her left hand on my chest. I may not have been able to breathe, but my smile was probably the biggest one of my life.

    I kept catching myself staring at her just as much as other people were. We were standing behind our chairs, waiting for the opening ceremonies to start, when she finally said something.

    ¡°You know, while I do enjoy the attention, it tends to make a girl a bit self-conscious when you stare the way you do,¡± Shae said.

    ¡°I''m sorry, I just can''t help it. You''re absolutely stunning,¡± I said.

    I got full dimples for that comment. *How the hell had I not seen those things?* I thought.

    ¡°Why can''t we sit again?¡± Shae asked.

    ¡°We have to wait for the official party, AKA the big wigs. Then they''ll post the colors, sing the anthem, and when the official party sits, then we can sit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± she said as if remembering it.

    It didn''t take long, and it was kind of nice to see Shae slightly out of her element. She always seemed calm and collected, but here she was, a little unsure, unfamiliar with all the etiquette.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    When we were finally seated and they started serving food, I looked down at the 15 different pieces of silverware in front of me. I looked around the table, and everyone else seemed as lost as I was.

    ¡°Need a hand?¡± Shae looked over at me.

    ¡°Yeah...it looks more like I''m about to do surgery, not have dinner,¡± I managed.

    She laughed a gentle bell of a laugh and then started pointing out what each piece did. After a moment, the whole table was listening to her impromptu cutlery lesson. This seemed to help break the ice, and everyone started talking afterward.

    I didn''t know the couples on either side of us as they were both upperclassmen, but I did know Jerry across the table as he was in my first-year flight. He''d come with another of our first-year flight members, Dana. They looked more like friends than a couple.

    The meal was good, but the speakers that followed were boring. OK, to be fair, I have no idea what they spoke about, as I spent the entire time just watching Shae. She found my hand and squeezed it several times while telling me to stop staring.

    All too soon, dessert was served, and the band started up. The official party took the dance floor first, not that anyone else seemed to be that eager. But more people braved it once they were dancing, and the Chief was out there with his wife.

    I was starting to sweat bullets again.

    ¡°Come on, let''s get it over with,¡± she grinned at me and stood up.

    I hesitated as she held out her hand.

    ¡°I guarantee if you don''t, someone else will,¡± she threatened.

    That did it. The thought of someone else dancing with her was enough to get me out of my chair.

    I wiped my hands on my pants as we stepped onto the dance floor, and I took her hand, placing the other on her waist. I could feel her warmth through the thin material of the dress. As we started dancing, she looked at me, surprised.

    ¡°You know how to two-step?¡± Shae said in surprise.

    ¡°Yeah, but don''t get too impressed. It''s the only thing I know,¡± I said as we moved awkwardly around the floor. I wasn''t the most graceful person to begin with, and the uniform didn''t help matters. On the other hand, she was as smooth as the dress she was wearing. She just flowed across the floor, responding to my slightest direction.

    ¡°I thought you didn''t dance,¡± she gave me a suspicious look.

    ¡°The two-step doesn¡¯t count. It¡¯s pretty much mandatory learning in Texas,¡± I said as I focused on not stepping on her toes or dress. ¡°When I was younger, my mom and grandparents used to go out to a local dance hall and bring us kids. They usually made us dance at least once, then we could just sorta hang around.¡±

    ¡°Sounds nice,¡± Shae said.

    ¡°It was, now that I think about it. I didn''t think so at the time, of course. It was a more traditional place, not a bar, club, or even a honky-tonk. Just a place people went to dance.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should check it out sometime. I could teach you some new moves,¡± she grinned.

    ¡°I''d like that.¡± I was surprised I meant it.

    The music changed then to a slower number, and we slipped into a slow shuffle. She put both arms around my neck as I put mine on her waist. We didn''t say anything; we just looked at each other while we swayed. It was strangely nice.

    By the song''s end, I''d forgotten where we were, so when the clapping started, it made me jump.

    ¡°Don''t those hurt?¡± I asked, pointing at her high heels as we took a break and sat down.

    She looked at her shoes and then smiled at me. ¡°Of course they do.¡±

    ¡°Then why wear them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t they make my legs look good?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Your legs are just fine the way they are; you don''t need to break your toes for that,¡± I said.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Boys can be so dense sometimes.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡± I asked, confused.

    ¡°Forget it. Come on,¡± and she pulled me back to the dance floor.

    A while later, we were dancing to another slow song. The night was coming to a close; the official party had already left. Shae had her head on my shoulder this time as we slowly twirled about the floor.

    ¡°Did I mention you looked nice tonight?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Mmm-hmmm. You might have mentioned it once or twice.¡± She didn''t seem tired, just really relaxed against me.

    ¡°Well, you do.¡± As much as dancing made me nervous, I could do this with her forever.

    ¡°You look pretty good in a uniform, too,¡± she said.

    ¡°This thing? I look like a bus driver,¡± I said.

    She laughed. ¡°Maybe, but you make a mighty fine-looking bus driver.¡±

    The song ended, and she sighed. ¡°We should get you home before you turn into a pumpkin. Or your mom threatens me again.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± We were walking out in the parking lot by this point. Once again, the cool night air seemed to help clear my head.

    ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± she said, leaning back against the side of the car.

    ¡°No, tell me,¡± I said as I leaned against her, gently pressing her against the car.

    She laughed. ¡°She just wanted to remind me of the statutory rape laws in Texas.¡±

    ¡°She what?¡± I said incredulously, leaning back a moment before coming close to her face again.

    ¡°Apparently, she fears for your virtue with me.¡± Her eyes were mischievous.

    ¡°But I¡¯m 18,¡± I frowned. I thought a moment and then smiled. ¡°It wasn''t you; it was this dress,¡± and I surprised myself by leaning down and kissing her. It started off slowly but quickly built.

    ¡°What, this old thing?¡± she mumbled as we came up for air.

    ¡°Probably illegal in 17 states,¡± I said, kissing her again. I''d never been the aggressive one, but having been this close to her all night, I couldn''t help it.

    ¡°23.¡± She kissed me back with just as much enthusiasm.

    Minutes passed this way as the rest of the world disappeared again. My hands slid down her back and pulled her into me, crushing our bodies together.

    ¡°UGH!¡± she finally groaned, breaking off from me. ¡°I have to get you home.¡± She kissed me again before breaking away once more. ¡°As much as I love parking lot dancing with you, you need to get in the car,¡± she growled at me, and I reluctantly stepped to the other side of the car.

    By the time I got in, she had the car started and was pulling away. ¡°Come over here,¡± she said, patting the place next to her on the bench seat. I slid over, and her arm pulled me closer so our legs touched. She placed her hand on my thigh, making me jump.

    ¡°I''m not trying to be a tease, really. We just don''t have the time and...I want to be close to you,¡± she said.

    ¡°I''m not complaining,¡± I managed

    She took my hand and put it on her thigh before returning to mine. ¡°See?¡± Her hand kept running up and down my thigh as we drove.

    All I could manage was gently squeezing her thigh; I wasn''t sure what else I could get away with.

    ¡°So...¡± I managed after a few minutes. ¡°What exactly are the statutory rape laws in Texas?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm?¡± she seemed to be in her own world for a moment. ¡°Well, if you were a tad younger and since I''m a little bit older than you, doing this,¡± she slid her hand further up my thigh, making me gasp, ¡°might get me put in jail.¡±

    ¡°Not by me,¡± I managed to squeak out.

    ¡°No, I wouldn''t think so,¡± she grinned.

    She looked at her watch when we pulled into my neighborhood, and she nodded. She pulled the car over on the undeveloped side of my street, beneath some trees, and threw it into park. The next thing I knew, the engine and lights were off. She pushed me down onto my back and kissed me fiercely.

    We seemed to pick up right where we had left off in the parking lot. My hands clawed at her back as she ground against me, her mouth all over mine. Then she kissed my neck, and my body was on fire with the urgent need of blind teenage lust.

    An intense few minutes of kissing and grinding followed that quickly fogged up the windows. I was willing to risk my mother''s wrath and be late, but she wasn''t about to get on her bad side. So, our brief make-out session ended prematurely, and she drove me the last few blocks home.

    We pulled in right at 10:30 and had the windows down to try and clear the fog.

    ¡°We should have left earlier,¡± I said softly.

    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Any more of that, and I wouldn''t have brought you home,¡± she grinned. ¡°Besides, I liked dancing with you.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, we should have left earlier,¡± I grinned back.

    ¡°You''re bad. Now kiss me and go,¡± she said.

    I behaved myself and kept the kiss short. ¡°When can I see you again?¡± My hormones were raging and gave me the courage to ask.

    ¡°Sooner than you think.¡± She touched my thigh once more before pushing me out of the car. She waved as she backed out of the driveway.

    I slowly walked back to the house, trying to calm my body down before I got to the door. It didn''t work; I was still way too keyed up. I took my jacket off and held it in front of me. Good thing, too, my ribbons had come undone and were hanging sideways from our frantic few minutes.

    ¡°How was it?¡± my mom asked as I walked in. She was sitting right next to the door, watching TV.

    ¡°Oh, it was fun. The Chief''s wife is really nice.¡± I threw it out there, hoping to steer the conversation. ¡°They had this stuffed chicken that was really good.¡±

    She glanced up at me, ¡°That''s good; glad you had a nice time.¡± She clicked off the TV. ¡°Well, lock up. I''m heading to bed. Got work in the morning. Night!¡± and she went into her room and closed the door.

    I frowned. *That was too easy,* I thought. I went and hung up my uniform before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I flipped the light on, I froze. I had lipstick on my face and a fat hickey on my neck. There was no way my mom had missed either of those.

    I groaned and headed back to my bed, my teeth forgotten. I''d probably get an earful in the morning, but I was too tired to worry about that now. The frantic night''s events seemed to catch up to me, and I collapsed on my bed, out cold.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>SHAE</u>

    Shelby was standing on the front porch when I pulled up. She¡¯d probably heard the car coming from a few kilometers away and had rushed outside to meet me. She was practically bouncing when I turned off the car and headed towards the house. I didn¡¯t even make it to the porch before Shelby was firing questions at me.

    I ignored her and stepped into the house. I dropped my heels in the hall and found Malik in the living room.

    ¡°How long has she been out there?¡± I asked.

    ¡°About 20 minutes,¡± Malik grinned.

    I tossed him his keys. ¡°Thanks for the loaner. I think it made quite the impression.¡±

    ¡°Of course, why wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Malik grinned and stood up. ¡°Best you deal with that before she pops.¡±

    I turned and found Shelby practically vibrating with barely contained excitement. ¡°WELL?!?¡± she finally burst.

    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her teenage-like enthusiasm. ¡°It was good,¡± I finally said.

    ¡°Good?¡± She just looked at me. ¡°It was good,¡± she repeated.

    ¡°Yeah, it was a nice time.¡± I had to turn away from her to hide my grin.

    ¡°A nice time? All that prep. The dress. The car. The hair, which is still so hot, by the way. All of that, and it was just a nice time?¡± Shelby said incredulously.

    ¡°Shae, play nice,¡± Malik said from the other room. ¡°You¡¯re going to give her a stroke or something.¡±

    As I turned, Shelby plowed into me, tossing me on the couch and sitting on my chest. ¡°Talk!¡±

    ¡°OK, OK, watch the dress,¡± I relented and gave her the highlights of tonight¡¯s events.

    ¡°He danced? Really?¡± Shelby was beaming at me with excitement. ¡°Malik?¡±

    ¡°Yes, precious?¡± Malik answered from the other room.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take me dancing? I want to go dancing!¡± she pouted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get my keys,¡± he said as I heard the jingling of car keys.

    I giggled, actually giggled at how they were together. They were made for one another, and I was more than a little jealous.

    ¡°What else?¡± Shelby said, still sitting on my chest.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to tell,¡± I said, finally pushing her off me. Her tiny frame weighed next to nothing.

    ¡°There must be more. You can¡¯t have all that and then¡­nothing.¡± Shelby looked at me incredulously.

    I sighed. ¡°He had to be home by 10:30,¡± I groaned as I heard it come out of my mouth.

    Shelby, bless her heart, bit both her lips, trying to keep a straight face. ¡°Oh,¡± was all she said¡­at first. I watched her struggle internally as it took all her control to calmly say, ¡°Did he have to get home to his mommy?¡± And then she completely collapsed in belly laughs.

    Malik entered the room while Shelby was still rolling on the floor, laughing. ¡°Did you just make her snort?¡± Malik asked me.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said slowly as Shelby snorted with laughter again. ¡°She been drinking?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Not off me,¡± he said. ¡°But she has been jumping up to check the front door every 10 minutes tonight. She¡¯s been like a lonely puppy waiting on their master to get home.¡± He shrugged.

    Shelby sat up, tears streaming down her face. She tried to control herself, but the occasional chuckle still escaped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shae. I don¡¯t mean to¡­really. I know how rough it can be on a school night!¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s off again,¡± Malik said as Shelby continued laughing hysterically.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed,¡± I said as I picked my shoes up and headed back to the room Shelby had started letting me use when I was in town.

    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Shelby said, causing me to pause at my door. ¡°You¡¯ve still got 20 minutes till curfew!¡±

    I rolled my eyes and slammed the door behind me, muffling Shelby¡¯s renewed laughter.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>JAMES</u>

    Surprisingly, my mom didn''t say anything in the morning and left for work like usual.

    While I seemed to have caught a reprieve at home, school was a nightmare. News of Shae and her dress had made it through the social grapevine. By lunchtime, I was now dating a 30-year-old supermodel who drove a classic muscle car. People I didn''t know were coming up and asking questions. People were pointing, giggling, and whispering in the halls as I passed by.

    When I sat down at our lunch table, I was about ready to ditch school and go home.

    ¡°There he is, Mr. Popularity!¡± Pete called.

    ¡°Oh, not you, too,¡± I groaned.

    ¡°Can I get your autograph?¡± Paul joked.

    ¡°Is she really a model for a European magazine?¡± Mark asked.

    ¡°A 30-year-old, you dog!¡± Pete continued.

    ¡°Actually, I just want to know about the car,¡± Paul said seriously.

    ¡°Knock it off guys,¡± Megan cut through all of them.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I managed.

    ¡°Just a friend, huh?¡± she said before mumbling, ¡°Nice hickey,¡± just loud enough for me to hear.

    I put my head in my hands and groaned.

    A pair of hands clamped down on my shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Trent said. ¡°Late night?¡±

    I pulled my hands from my face in time to see Trent slide into a chair across from me, laughing.

    ¡°But seriously, what¡¯s the deal?¡± Trent grinned, popping a tater tot into his mouth.

    Sighing loudly, I gave my friends the basic facts, leaving out everything personal. Afterwards, everyone just looked at me.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not buying it,¡± Mark said.

    ¡°Definitely not the whole story,¡± Trent agreed.

    ¡°Now, hold on,¡± Megan interrupted. ¡°Maybe he just doesn¡¯t want to share all the sordid details with the gutter-minded.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I nodded to her.

    ¡°So, there are sordid details then?¡± Megan grinned.

    I picked up my tray and left the table with many a jeer and catcall following in my wake.

 Z Day -4,615

    Z Day -4,615

    [You went back and looked to see if this number was right, didn¡¯t you? -Rhiannon]

    <u>JAMES</u>

    Several months of on-and-off dating passed, and then it was summer break. I had taken Shae out to meet my father, and we''d had a nice visit.

    My father lived out in the country, away from the city lights, where you could still see the stars. That night Shae and I had been laying on the hood of her car and watching the twinkling night sky. We¡¯d come to be able to enjoy just be close to one another without having to say anything. It was something I¡¯d come to love. When we¡¯d first met, I felt I had to fill every silence, even if I wasn¡¯t the talkative one. Now, we could sit together and enjoy the silence.

    I rolled onto my side and propped myself up on my elbow. I reached over and turned her face to me. ¡°Um¡­¡± I started.

    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Shae looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡­I think I¡¯m falling in love with you.¡± it was just something that tumbled out of my head. It wasn¡¯t planned; it was completely spontaneous. But as soon as I said it, I knew it was true. I just couldn''t believe I''d said it aloud.

    She searched my eyes for a long time before speaking. ¡°You have no idea how that makes me feel, James.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure, but I thought I saw her eyes well up just a little. I¡¯d never seen her cry, not even when she¡¯d been knocked down playing Boffguard and ripped her shoulder open on a tree root. The whole time, not one peep, not a tear, nothing.

    After that, we kissed for a long while, and she held me close until we were both still.

    ¡°I <u>do</u> love you,¡± she said, sounding as if trying to convince herself.

    I almost missed her words; she said them so gently. When I looked at her, she was staring at the stars again; this time, there were tears in her eyes.

    I''d been surprised when she''d showed up at my doorstep the following morning to pick me up.

    ¡°So where is it that we¡¯re going?¡± I asked, looking out the car window at the Barton Creek Greenbelt. ¡°It¡¯s not another summit meeting, is it?¡± I still remember the last time she took me to the greenbelt. Aside from meeting Malik, I didn¡¯t enjoy it much. It was daytime, though, so I doubted it.

    ¡°No, silly,¡± she reached over and patted my leg, sending my pulse through the roof. Her hand was unusually warm, even through my jean shorts. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a surprise. Now, just sit there like a good boy and be still,¡± she grinned at me evilly.

    Ever since I¡¯d made one little cradle-robbing joke, she¡¯d been relentlessly calling me ¡°boy.¡± We drove a few minutes before turning onto a dirt road with a metal arm bar marked ¡°Private Property ¨C NO TRESPASSING.¡± She got out and opened the bar, closing it after we passed through.

    The road wound through the forest until another fence appeared, this time with a guard shack. A younger-looking man stepped out wearing black shorts and a short-sleeved khaki shirt. He wore dark sunglasses and a grim expression.

    Shae slowed momentarily before the gate swung open for her, and the guard stepped back into the shack.

    ¡°Is he still away?¡± Shae had rolled her window down and slowed as she approached the guard. As the guard nodded, she added, ¡°Is the grotto available? Thanks,¡± she said at his second nod and drove on.

    ¡°Does it talk?¡± I asked once we were out of earshot.

    ¡°Most are told not to,¡± she said.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked.

    ¡°This is a¡­safe place. I wanted to bring you somewhere we could relax in private.¡±

    ¡°In private?¡± I asked, my voice cracking slightly.

    Her devilish grin was her only response.

    The things in my stomach weren¡¯t butterflies. Whatever they were, they were a lot heavier¡­and they wore combat boots. While I¡¯d grown comfortable in Shae¡¯s company over the past few months, she was still a woman, a creature I had little experience with. To say she could still make me nervous was an understatement.

    The forest thickened, creating a canopy above the road at this point. I¡¯d never been anywhere in Austin where trees were this thick. The road ended a few minutes later at a small building. She parked, and we made our way into the building. All the building housed was a large metal stairwell down into darkness.

    Seeing the look on my face, she grabbed my hand and tugged, ¡°Come on fraidy cat.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized, ¡°but it looks like the stairwell in that Aliens movie.¡±

    ¡°I promise,¡± she made a small crossing her heart motion. ¡°There are no slimy bug monsters down there. As a matter of fact, you might not want to come back once you see what¡¯s waiting for you.¡±

    Her grin made my heart do this weird double-beat thing, causing me to cough. She just patted me on the back and pulled me down the stairs. We went down a few stories before coming out onto a concrete pad with a single door.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Shae still had the same grin on her face as before. She reminded me of a child on Christmas morning getting ready to go downstairs for presents. She pulled the door open, and I gasped.

    The room beyond was massive, easily the size of a football field. The walls were smooth rock, curving around the room and sloping into the domed roof. The roof seemed made of segmented glass, and I could see the sunlight coming through the trees above us. The room''s floor was an uneven stone worn smooth from time.

    As we walked towards the center of the room a large opening in the floor became visible. Sunlight was streaming down on it from above. Other smaller openings began to appear in the floor the closer to the center we came. The bottom of each opening was dark, the sunlight not reaching all the way down.

    ¡°No monsters, huh?¡± I eyed the seemingly bottomless pits.

    ¡°Hush,¡± she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

    As we neared the center ledge, I realized how warm it was in the room. With the entire room seeming carved from solid rock, it should be teeth-chattering cold. Instead, sweat was starting to roll down the center of my back.

    My eyes bulged as we arrived at the center of the room. Below us was a series of tiered ledges that ran around the rim of the hole all the way down to a large pool of water. The edges of the pool were a clear green that slowly changed to a deep sapphire blue the closer to the center it got. The pool''s center appeared to go straight down into darkness.

    ¡°Wow!¡± I managed, my mouth open. The sound of shoes being dropped made me turn. Shae was pulling off her clothes.

    ¡°Yeah, tell me about it. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this outside of Europe,¡± she continued, pulling off her socks.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I swallowed, ¡°what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Going swimming silly, what else?¡± she said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say we were going swimming. I don¡¯t have a suit,¡± I said cautiously.

    She paused long enough to look up at me, ¡°Neither do I,¡± she said and pulled off her shirt.

    I gulped and looked away from her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen me naked before,¡± she said in exasperation.

    ¡°Yeah, in the dark,¡± I countered.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re missing the show,¡± she teased.

    I glanced out of the corner of my eye just as she started pulling down her shorts. I think she¡¯d planned it that way as I quickly looked away again, my face on fire.

    The next thing I heard was bare feet slapping on the stone floor, followed by a grunt of effort. I glanced to my left just in time to see her clear the ledge in a swan dive. The water had to be at least 10 meters below us. Add to the fact she had to clear the ledges below that moved closer to the center as you went down. I couldn¡¯t believe it as she hit the pool''s center perfectly.

    As the splash subsided, I realized my mouth was hanging open and closed it.

    She came to the surface, her hair slicked back. ¡°Come on.¡± She motioned to the side of the inner wall, ¡°There¡¯s a walkway down if you are afraid to jump.¡±

    ¡°Afraid to jump? Are you kidding me? How¡¯d you do that?¡± I gawked.

    I could barely make out her shrug in the water far below. I started down the long staircase, spiraling along the edge of the wall. When I finally reached the bottom, I found a pristine sand beach leading to the pool. ¡°What is this place?¡± I marveled.

    ¡°It¡¯s owned by one of the local corporations and is a retreat for their VIPs.¡± She glanced at me while treading water. ¡°Now quit stalling.¡± She smiled as I gulped, then rolled her eyes and turned around. ¡°Fine,¡± she muttered.

    Taking my shoes and socks off, I gasped as my feet touched the sand. The sand was warm, as if the sun had been beating down on it all day. As the sand cradled my feet, its warmth radiated up my legs. Now I knew why the room was so warm; it was a giant heated rock.

    ¡°The whole place is like that.¡± She didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°They put heating coils in and under everything. It¡¯s nice for when the weather turns cold,¡± she said. ¡°You might have noticed the ceiling.¡±

    I was pretty sure she was talking to give me time to get my nerves up. I got my clothes off in record time and was almost to the water when I saw her head turn. I jumped.

    The water hit me like a fist. The icy cold shocked my body, causing me to shake uncontrollably. It hurt so bad I couldn¡¯t even yell; it felt like my chest was imploding.

    ¡°Oh, did I forget to mention it¡¯s a spring-fed pool?¡± she smiled evilly.

    I tried to cuss but still couldn¡¯t speak; instead, I pointed at her and made rude gestures.

    ¡°If it¡¯s too cold, you can always get out,¡± her eyes flashed, her mouth in a crooked grin. ¡°But this time, I¡¯ll watch.¡±

    I was too cold to keep being angry.

    She swam closer to me, and suddenly, the cold wasn¡¯t so bad. Her hands reached out and lightly touched my face. Her hand felt like fire compared to the water; it was exquisite.

    ¡°Better?¡± she said after a minute.

    I nodded, teeth chattering.

    ¡°Just keep moving; you¡¯ll get used to it,¡± she said softly, her hand caressing my neck and pulling me to her. She wrapped her arms around me and seemed to be able to keep us both afloat with just her legs. Her body felt like it was a hot coal. If I didn''t know better, I''d say she was running a fever.

    When her lips touched mine, it was as if fire exploded in my chest and quickly spread to the rest of my body. I could feel her hand still on my neck and another on my back, holding me tightly to her. That wasn¡¯t all I could feel of her body as mine responded in kind. I don¡¯t know how long our mouths danced, but the need for air eventually caused me to break away.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Wow,¡± I gasped.

    ¡°Mmmm hmmm,¡± she said, her voice husky. ¡°How long can you hold your breath?¡± her eyes twinkled, causing my heart to do another of those double-beat things.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t swim all that often,¡± I said honestly.

    ¡°Hmmm,¡± she nodded. ¡°Thought so, stay right here.¡± And she was gone.

    The water¡¯s cold suddenly raced into the place where her body had been, and I sank beneath the surface. I quickly started treading water and sputtered to the surface as I could see her pale form retreating into the darkness below. My mind was racing as I suddenly found myself alone in this massive room that was as quiet as a tomb. This time, a shudder went through me that wasn¡¯t due to the water¡¯s temperature. I felt something brush against my leg and jumped as she surfaced beside me.

    ¡°Got it!¡± she said triumphantly. ¡°Here,¡± she held out a small canister with a face mask attached to it. Seeing my confusion, ¡°It''s canned air. The maintenance guys keep some down here, just in case.¡±

    ¡°But, where...¡± I started.

    ¡°It''s a surprise,¡± she scolded me.

    I shuddered at the thought of another surprise but listened to her as she showed me how to use the mask. The place she wanted to go was apparently a ways underwater.

    ¡°Now, the current under here can get strong, so just relax. I''ll pull you along so you don''t have to worry.¡± Seeing the anxiety in my eyes, she pecked me lightly on the lips, ¡°Trust me.¡±

    ¡°Won''t you need a mask?¡± I asked.

    She shook her head and helped me put the mask on. The next thing I knew, she was pulling me deeper down into the darkness. I tried to relax and let her pull me like she said. All too quickly, I had no idea which way was up in the total darkness. I wondered how she knew where she was going. My breathing was so heavy it was starting to fog up the mask.

    I wasn''t sure how long we were down there, but finally, we seemed to make a series of turns, and my head broke the surface of the water.

    ¡°Hold still, I''m going to get out and turn on the lights, OK?¡± she said.

    I nodded, and she was gone. I floated in the darkness before I heard a click, and orange light began to hum to life. Another click and another heater hummed on. Soon, a small cave came into view. Before I knew it, I pulled the mask off and stared open-mouthed.

    ¡°You like it?¡± She held her hand out to pull me from the water onto the small outcrop of rock. Several blankets and towels lined the ground around us. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the walls and ceilings.

    ¡°That is absolutely amazing. Is this pretty much just one giant...¡± I whispered, faltering, unable to think of the word.

    ¡°Geode? Yup, pretty much. I found it while exploring this cave system. The entire hill country around here is riddled with small caves. I''d been waiting for the aquifer to be low enough for this room to be open,¡± she was toweling off her hair while explaining.

    I was still sitting and staring when she draped a towel over my shoulders. I hadn''t realized I''d started shaking again. The battery-powered heaters were warming the small room quickly, but I was still wet and started to shiver. When she leaned against my back and kissed me on the neck, I stopped shivering and started sweating. The feeling of her bare skin against mine caused me to shudder.

    ¡°Do you know why I brought you here?¡± her voice was low and throaty in my ear.

    I shook my head, ¡°Geology lesson?¡±

    She smiled, her lips to my throat, ¡°No.¡±

    Her breath caused goose bumps to crawl across my flesh.

    ¡°You and I,¡± she kissed my shoulder, pulling the towel to the side. ¡°We¡¯ve done a few things,¡± she kissed my shoulder blade, running the towel across my chest. ¡°But there''s one thing we haven''t tried.¡± She returned to kissing my neck, ¡°And now I want that.¡±

    Her hand slid under my arm and to my chest.

    I sat in stunned silence as my brain ran in circles like a Muppet whose head was on fire.

    ¡°I haven''t in a long while.¡± Her bare body pressed against mine. ¡°I haven''t wanted to.¡± She kissed the back of my ear as her arms snaked around me. ¡°But I want to, with you.¡±

    My mind was reeling. I was in sensory overload from everything going on. I pushed everything to the back of my mind and focused on her touch, her breath, her words. ¡°I''ve,¡± I sucked in a shallow breath, ¡°I''ve never...¡±

    ¡°Shhhh...¡± she soothed, her nose nuzzling my ear.

    The heaters were working overtime, and the room was getting hot.

    ¡°I,¡± I was kicking myself for it, but I had to ask because it had been bugging me since that first day in the cafeteria. ¡°Why me?¡± I could feel her chuckle against me, all too aware of her breasts pressing against my back.

    Her breath was in my ear. ¡°You have no idea how special you are to me.¡± She kissed the other side of my neck. ¡°I''ve never found someone quite like you. I never thought I could.¡± Her lips brushed my ear, her hand sliding down my chest, sending a jolt through my body. ¡°And I''ve decided not to let go,¡± her hand pulled my head to the side and kissed me deeply.

    She pulled me around and pushed me down as she pressed her body atop mine. I was on fire. I kept waiting for steam to spill out from between us. My blood was pounding in my ears, and my body was already on a razor''s edge. To try and calm myself down, I switched places with her and started paying attention to her. I kissed down her neck, biting gently as she giggled. But the giggling stopped as my mouth slid lower. I nipped and teased while my hand explored lower before my mouth followed.

    I took my time. She guided me with gentle directions, helping to bring her to the edge and over. As she lay there panting, I slid up atop her. When her eyes opened again, she kissed me deeply. We seemed to mesh perfectly.

    I''d been worried about lasting, but I was so nervous it seemed to keep me in check. Looking down at her beneath me, I couldn''t imagine what I''d done in a previous life to deserve her. Maybe save the world from a secret alien invasion or something. All I knew was there was no other place in the universe I wanted to be other than right here, right now.

    Sometime later, we lie beside each other. Sweat was pouring down my body as I snuggled beside her and tried to calm my racing heart. She smiled at me and closed her eyes. I then realized I was lying next to a beautiful woman...a naked, beautiful woman. I reached out, the back of my fingers tracing down her jaw, causing her to smile. I didn''t stop, my hands sliding down her neck to her chest. When she didn''t stop me, I took my time. There was nothing hurried or frantic, just exploring.

    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± she asked, her eyes still closed.

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± I said honestly.

    ¡°I think I do,¡± she smiled.

    As we continued to ¡°play,¡± I realized we''d never been like this before. Usually, when we¡¯d been together, it was hurried or frantic. This time, it was almost calm¡­even if we were naked, lying in a cave lit by space heaters. Something occurred to me then. ¡°How long have you been setting this up?¡±

    The look on her face reminded me of a young girl, sheepish and caught in the act. She rolled onto her side to look at me. Her hand reached out and stroked my face softly. ¡°You, sir, were worth the wait,¡± she said softly.

    I shook my head sheepishly.

    ¡°Why don''t you believe me when I say good things about you?¡± she propped herself up on an elbow.

    ¡°I don''t know. It''s just, you''re so incredible, and I''m just...me,¡± I stuttered.

    She smacked me on the cheek a little harder than playful. ¡°You saying I have terrible taste in men?¡±

    ¡°I''m saying something might be wrong with your head,¡± I said.

    I hadn''t seen her put her hand in the water, but she lifted it now and dripped icy water across my chest, causing me to gasp. She smiled, running her hand down my torso. ¡°Why do you find it so hard to believe there might just be something amazing about you?¡±

    ¡°Amazing?¡± I scoffed.

    ¡°Yes, you eejit. Amazing. Do you know how many other girls think that as well?¡± Her nails ran down my arm, causing me to shudder.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You really don''t get it, do you?¡± She looked into my eyes. ¡°Who damaged you? Who made you think you weren''t worth anything?¡± She took my hand and brought it to her mouth, kissing my fingers. ¡°You are special to me. I want you. I''ve never had anyone in my life who was half as precious to me as you are.¡± She looked at my stunned expression. ¡°I love you, even if you are an eejit. And if you still don''t believe that after today, then it''s your head that''s damaged,¡± and with that, she was on me.

    There was no soft, delicate love-making as before. This was pure and painfully passionate. There was an undercurrent of need, anxiety, and eventually acceptance. More was said with eyes than our mouths ever could.

    Sometime later, we were spooning in silence. My eyes burned, and my throat ached. I felt like I''d been through the wringer.

    ¡°You tired?¡± she whispered over her shoulder.

    ¡°Not really,¡± I tried.

    ¡°Exhausted?¡± she grinned.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I chuckled honestly.

    ¡°Good.¡± She pressed herself back into me more as I loosely draped my arm around her. ¡°You believe me yet? That I really do love you?¡±

    ¡°I''m starting to get the picture,¡± I whispered, pulling her tighter against me.

    ¡°Good,¡± she smiled, feeling me stir slightly behind her. She could feel my breathing slowing and smiled. ¡°I''ve worn you out.¡±

    ¡°No, not even close,¡± I stifled a yawn, and she smirked. ¡°Well, maybe a little,¡± I said.

    ¡°Good, I was starting to think my feminine wiles were wearing off on you,¡± she said.

    ¡°I don''t think that could happen,¡± I said.

    ¡°You saying you''re not going to get tired of me?¡± she wiggled suggestively.

    ¡°Don''t think that''s possible, luv,¡± I said, kissing her ear.

    She smiled.

    We made our way back sometime later. She''d have to go back for all the gear she''d left behind, but there was enough time for that later. When we were back in the main chamber, she convinced me to lie out with her on the warm rocks for a while.

    I had to admit, it did feel good. I was uncomfortable with my nudity, especially in such a ¡°public¡± place. But true to her word, we weren''t disturbed.

    She lay on her stomach beside me while I was propped up on my elbow. My free hand slowly ran a finger down her back and over the soft curve of her rear.

    ¡°Did you know,¡± I started, emboldened by our recent amorous adventures, ¡°that you have the most perfect behind?¡± This time, I ran my whole hand over the gentle swell of her rear, sending a shiver of delight up her spine.

    ¡°Oh really? And you speak from what experience?¡± she teased.

    ¡°I''ve spent exhaustive research on the admiration of the female form through various printed materials,¡± I said.

    ¡°Exhaustive? Admiration? Is that what they''re calling reading Playboy nowadays?¡± she said.

    ¡°Oh, I don''t read it. I admire the photography,¡± I said.

    She laughed, and I swatted her on the rear lightly. A slight gasp escaped her lips that I made a mental note of for later.

    ¡°Come on, we should be getting back,¡± she sighed.

    I groaned as I let her help me to my feet.

    We walked back to the car sometime later, hand in hand, fully dressed now. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I leaned over to smell her hair''s fresh, clean scent. Flashbacks of the past several hours replayed in my mind, causing me not to notice when she suddenly stiffened against me.

    We were almost at the top of the stairs when it happened.

    ¡°Don''t say anything; just walk to the car,¡± Shae said seriously.

    ¡°What¡ª¡± I started, but she hissed at me to be silent and follow her directions.

    As we left the building, a new security guard stood in a full suit outside the door. Another stood next to a dark gray town car with windows tinted so dark I couldn''t make out if anyone was inside. I guessed there was; otherwise, there wouldn''t be a guard standing next to the car door.

    Shae practically pushed me towards her car at a quick march. We''d almost made it when the sound of the town car''s door opening froze us in place with her hand on her door handle.

    ¡°Shae!¡± a male voice called from the town car.

    I turned to see a tall man with long, black hair step out of the town car. He wore an expensive-looking three-piece suit that looked like he stepped off the page of GQ. It took me a minute to recognize him. He was the big shot in charge during the vampire LARP Shae had taken me to.

    Shae tried to push me into the car, but his voice cut her off.

    ¡°And who is this?¡± his words froze her on the spot.

    After a moment, I felt Shae deflate and motion for us to turn around.

    ¡°Ah, is this the tap boy that was so special you turned down all my offers?¡± the man said.

    Shae bristled but appeared to be keeping her temper in check. It was apparent she did not enjoy the company of this man.

    ¡°Yes, Pagoda,¡± she started through clenched teeth, ¡°he is.¡±

    When it was obvious she wouldn''t say more, Pagoda gave me the once over with disdainful eyes. He took a single sniff and seemed to be dismissing me.

    Shae pushed me into the car.

    ¡°Now, you won''t forget about court this evening, will you? You know it¡¯s a formal affair.¡± He glanced in my direction, ¡°Fortunately, you will not need any help tonight.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Pagoda, I wouldn''t dream of missing a formal function of your court,¡± she said stiffly.

    He stared at her for one long moment, then sniffed again. ¡°Yes, see that you don¡¯t. Now run along; I have things to attend to,¡± and with that, he spun on his heel and retreated to his car.

    Shae watched from outside my car door as Pagoda drove back down the road. She acted almost like she was protecting me by putting herself between us.

    ¡°Trouble?¡± I ventured.

    ¡°He''s pompous and arrogant but harmless as far as I can tell,¡± she said, not taking her eye off the road until the town car was out of sight.

    ¡°Doesn''t seem that way to me,¡± I said.

    ¡°How so?¡± she asked when she was back in the car.

    ¡°He¡¯s definitely interested in you,¡± I said.

    ¡°He wants to control everybody,¡± she shook her head and started the car.

    I wasn¡¯t sure what was really going on. It was apparent that little scene had nothing to do with the LARP. Maybe Shae worked for him? I wasn¡¯t sure, and I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d tell me if I asked, so I kept my mouth shut as we headed back toward civilization.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>SHAE</u>

    ¡°Shae?¡± Shelby¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper as she cautiously stepped out on the patio behind her house.

    I was reclined in Shelby¡¯s pool, arms resting on the top edges. It was late evening, and the house had been empty when I arrived. I wandered around in a daze before finally settling on relaxing in the pool until someone got home. A trail of my clothes led to the pool from the house.

    Shelby approached me as if I were a trapped animal about to bolt. She moved the empty mugs that were beside me and sat on the pool¡¯s edge.

    I slowly looked up, my eyes having a hard time focusing on her. We stared at one another in silence for a moment.

    ¡°Go away, Malik,¡± Shelby said, not looking away from me.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Malik said and closed the door to the house.

    Shedding her clothes, Shelby slipped into the pool next to me. ¡°Shae?¡± she tried again.

    ¡°Oh, haigh Shelby,¡± I said slowly.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Shelby stood beside me but was careful not to touch me.

    ¡°T¨¢,¡± I slurred slightly. ¡°T¨¢ ruda¨ª cine¨¢l doil¨¦ir.¡±

    ¡°Yes, OK,¡± Shelby nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t speak Erse Shae, you know that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± I said.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking my spiked supply,¡± Shelby pointed at the dozen mugs beside me. ¡°You always get like this when you drink.¡±

    I smiled and nodded.

    Shelby gently touched my cheek, ¡°What¡¯s going on sweetie?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, rinne m¨¦ gr¨¢ le James.¡±

    ¡°English Shae. What about James?¡±

    ¡°I took him to the grotto,¡± I said, closing my eyes.

    Shelby gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°You did? Really?¡±

    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± I swayed in the water a little; it was nice. ¡°Your pool is really nice.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. When did you take James to the grotto?¡± Shelby asked.

    ¡°Tar ¨¦is d¨® a r¨¢ go raibh gr¨¢ aige dom,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Engl¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then I told him I loved him.¡± There was a long silence. I opened my eyes to find Shelby staring at me in shock. ¡°C¨¦n f¨¢th go bhfuil do sh¨²ile chomh m¨®r?¡± I reached up and patted her cheek, ¡°I mean, they¡¯re pretty and all, but way too big.¡±

    ¡°Shae,¡± Shelby said slowly. ¡°Did you tell James you loved him?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± I nodded.

    ¡°And he said he loved you?¡±

    I nodded again.

    ¡°And how does that make you feel?¡± Shelby said patiently as if talking to a small child.

    I grinned like an idiot.

    Shelby¡¯s grin mirrored my own.

    Then she was hugging me. It was nice¡­she was warm.

    ¡°Malik!¡± Shelby bellowed.

    ¡°Yup?¡± he said, appearing at the back door.

    ¡°Bring us booze, lots of booze and then get lost.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Malik obliged.

    Shelby turned back to me with an evil grin, ¡°And you, my drunken sister, you¡¯re gonna tell me everything.¡±

 Z Day - (1)

    Z Day -

    [FYI, the last number was correct. Also, I¡¯m not doing this anymore. -Rhiannon]

    <u>JAMES</u>

    The rest of the summer between my sophomore and junior years was literally magical. I saw Shae nearly every day. She¡¯d come pick me up and take me to a new place. I still got sick occasionally after our more intimate visits, and I was briefly afraid I¡¯d picked up some sort of STD from her. But after a couple of weeks, those symptoms faded, and I forgot about them.

    School started back up, and my days with Shae became less frequent. She¡¯d somehow arranged with her work to be in Austin for the summer. But now, she was back to work and constantly coming and going.

    A month passed, and I somehow convinced her to go to a Sci-Fi convention with me in Dallas for the weekend. I¡¯d told my mother I was staying up there with ¡°the guys,¡± as I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d approve of me being in another city with Shae. It wasn¡¯t a total lie; Mark and Trent were there, just not in the same room as us.

    I''d exposed Shae to my ultimate geek side at the con. I explained the dealer''s room, how panels worked, the cosplay contest, and gaming. I did have to explain hentai tentacle porn to her, which was one of the weirder conversations we¡¯d ever had. She¡¯d caught sight of it in one of the after-hours video rooms and couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it.

    I¡¯d shown her the role-playing games, and while she enjoyed the storytelling aspect, in her words, she didn¡¯t have the ¡°imagination¡± to keep her interested in the game itself. She enjoyed the war-gaming more as she could see everything going on, but there were too many rules, and it took an hour to do two minutes of a fight.

    More than anything else, Shae enjoyed the dance on Saturday night, even if it was my most uncomfortable event.

    At the end of the weekend, I felt I¡¯d given Shae a good indoctrination to all things geek.

    Things were going well. It should have been a warning, but I was too young to realize it.

    ¡°So, how are things going with you and¡­Shae?¡± Liam asked, grabbing a soda from his mini-fridge.

    I turned from the window of Liam¡¯s dorm room and looked at him. ¡°Good, things are good.¡±

    Liam was the oldest of our little group now. He¡¯d run into Trent at one of the local comic book shops, and they got to talking. Before long, he was hosting our gaming sessions as well as carting those of us without cars around.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Mark laughed, ¡°I¡¯d say, considering how you two were acting last weekend.¡± He was leaning back in a chair around the small table covered with maps and metal miniatures depicting monsters.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start with that,¡± I said, looking back out the window, hoping to see Trent¡¯s car so we could get started.

    Trying to schedule a gaming session was always hard with our various schedules. Trent had full-time work now that he¡¯d graduated, Liam had full-time college, and Mark and I still had various high school activities.

    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is y¡¯all were pretty cozy all weekend,¡± Mark said.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Liam said. ¡°Now I wish I could have gone to the con.¡± Turning to Mark, ¡°What did I miss?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say the two of them were inseparable, especially in their own room,¡± Mark leered.

    ¡°You had a private room, just the two of you?¡± Liam¡¯s eyebrows rose.

    I didn¡¯t look from the window as I could feel my cheeks burning.

    ¡°Sounds pretty serious. When do I get to meet this mystery woman?¡± Liam asked.

    I liked Liam. He was always calm, easy to talk to, and took his time before adding to a conversation. His intuition was incredibly sharp. He had this habit of guessing a TV show¡¯s plot five minutes in, and the annoying part was he was always right.

    ¡°Just come to the park,¡± Mark said. ¡°She¡¯s there all the time now.¡±

    ¡°I might just do that,¡± Liam said. ¡°Or, you might consider asking her to join us one of these evenings.¡±

    When I didn¡¯t say anything, Liam continued.

    ¡°You know that girls do play these types of games, don¡¯t you?¡± Liam said.

    Mark laughed, ¡°Not that I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    Liam smiled at Mark, ¡°You don¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°What? Why not?¡± Mark asked.

    ¡°How often do you go out to places where there is gaming out in the open?¡± Liam asked.

    ¡°Well¡ª¡±

    ¡°This past weekend, you went to a convention that had gaming. How many women did you see playing?¡± Liam calmly asked.

    ¡°Uh¡­actually, now that you mention it. There were several,¡± Mark frowned in thought.

    ¡°There are a lot here on campus as well. Check the commons sometime. It''s open to everybody. There are games going on there all the time, and plenty of girls take part.¡± Liam turned to me, ¡°So how about it? Want to invite her along sometime?¡±

    I turned and walked over to my chair before flopping down. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s not into role-playing so much.¡±

    ¡°What about wargaming? I could always set something up. Or just a board game,¡± Liam pressed.

    ¡°OK-OK, I¡¯ll introduce you,¡± I said, shaking my head.

    ¡°Why so reluctant? You ashamed of your girlfriend or something?¡± Liam asked.

    Mark snorted with laughter.

    ¡°What?¡± Liam looked at Mark.

    ¡°Wait till you meet her. It''s more like she should be ashamed to be seen in public with James here,¡± Mark laughed.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Liam turned to me with an almost fatherly expression. ¡°Did someone out of your league take an interest?¡±

    I felt my cheeks burning again and grabbed my soda to try and cover my embarrassment.

    ¡°Out of his league?¡± Mark scoffed. ¡°She¡¯s not in his galaxy, Liam.¡±

    I shot a glare at Mark and considered a rude hand gesture.

    Liam leaned closer to me with a serious expression on his face. ¡°James, there¡¯s no such thing as ¡®out of your league.¡¯ That¡¯s something bad writers made up. Anybody can care for anybody. It doesn¡¯t matter their class, race, age, or even sex. Love is love, man. If you¡¯ve found it, cherish it.¡±

    Just then, the door opened, and Trent came in.

    ¡°Oh, thank Christ!¡± Mark said.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, I had¡ª¡± Trent stopped in the doorway, reading the strange tension in the room. ¡°What I miss?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, Trent, just Liam¡¯s love lessons for James here,¡± Mark said.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Trent said, closing the door.

    ¡°Just wait,¡± Liam looked at Mark, ¡°your time will come.¡±

    ¡°Can we just game?¡± I said, grabbing my dice bag and hoping to avoid any more discussion of my love life.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Liam grinned broadly at me before turning to Trent as he sat down and opened his backpack. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on women in gaming, Trent?¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± I groaned.

 Z Day - (2)

    Z Day -

    [I don¡¯t care; it doesn¡¯t matter. -Rhiannon]

    <u>SHAE</u>

    ¡°I want you to stay away from Pagoda for a while,¡± my master said.

    ¡°Why, master?¡± We¡¯d just finished a deep mind touch, and I was eager to return to Austin.

    ¡°I believe your priorities are beginning to stray,¡± my master said.

    ¡°Never, I am yours, master,¡± I said, hurt by my master¡¯s words.

    My master looked at me for a long moment, searching my face. ¡°Yes, I see that. But I feel you are losing yourself to your passions. No, let me finish,¡± my master said, stopping me before I could interrupt.

    ¡°It is good to have passion. I was once young, as you are. But I learned that these types of feelings, the ones you¡¯ve denied yourself for so long, aren¡¯t healthy between two such as you. It will not end well, and before you get to the point of making a terrible mistake, I am going to save you from yourself.¡±

    ¡°But master¡ª¡± I tried.

    ¡°Silence, child. It¡¯s for your own good, and I will hear no more of it,¡± my master said adamantly.

    ¡°Yes, master,¡± I attempted to compose myself and conceal my displeasure.

    ¡°Now leave me; your schoolgirl whims have left me in a foul temper.¡±

    Nodding, I withdrew to my room.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>THE MASTER DOREEN</u>

    [OK, this bit, I¡¯m not sure how exactly it came to be. Supposedly, Natalie (you¡¯ll meet that bimbo in Book 1) pulled this out of Shae¡¯s head. How she managed to get the parts Shae wasn¡¯t around for is a mystery. -Rhiannon]

    Once Shae had left the room, a young man in a deep blue suit came to stand beside me.

    ¡°You summoned me, master,¡± Willard said.

    ¡°Yes, I want you to watch our young courier. She will need support soon; as I understand it, support is one of your talents,¡± I said.

    He nodded.

    ¡°Good. I don¡¯t want her seeing that boy anymore. She is starting to rush her job to be with him,¡± I said.

    ¡°Would it not be simpler to remove the obstacle, master?¡±

    I chuckled and patted his cheek. ¡°Oh, Willard, for all your talents, you still have much to learn of a young girl''s heart.¡±

    ¡°Young, master?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s relative to experience, I¡¯m afraid, not numbers on a calendar,¡± I sighed. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid she would fracture if he were to befall a tragic accident. She¡¯s not one for giving away any part of herself; time has taught her this, and I thought she¡¯d taken it to heart. But apparently, this boy has somehow claimed part of her, and although she has yet to accept that reality, she relishes it.¡±

    ¡°You see deeply into her mind, master,¡± Willard said.

    ¡°No child, it doesn¡¯t take a mindtouch to see what goes on here,¡± I scoffed. ¡°You only have to open your eyes to the facts. Don¡¯t look at me like that, else I pluck the eyes from your head. Once you¡¯re near my age, you¡¯ll understand. IF you make it that long.¡±

    Willard bowed again. ¡°I live to serve.¡±

    ¡°Quit sucking up and go make your twisted little plans for my darling. I don¡¯t wish her damaged, but I want this boy exercised from her spirit so I can get her back to work.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, master.¡± Willard bowed a final time and was gone.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Once alone, my attention was drawn to the serenity of my garden outside. As I stared out the window, my mind wandered back to the boy I once cherished and the tragic ending that ensued.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>SHAE</u>

    I found myself making courier runs to new locations every week. I had no idea my master¡¯s political reach stretched so far. I found myself as far North as Canada and as far South as Panama. But I was never allowed back to Texas, let alone Austin, not even as a layover. My master¡¯s orders were strict.

    Then, there was my new ¡°companion,¡± Willard. I knew my master had assigned him to watch me, but he¡¯d never admit it. He claimed his job was to train me on all the routes so I could more diversify myself in case of emergency. Whenever I mentioned the fact I didn¡¯t need a babysitter, he¡¯d hold up his hands helplessly and say it was our master¡¯s will. I couldn¡¯t argue the point, as I knew it to be true.

    But overall, Willard was a pleasant companion. He was never rude nor intrusive. If I wanted privacy, he gave it to me. His charm and good looks seemed to have a universal effect on women. It appeared to come to him with a practiced ease.

    The more we traveled, the more I became used to him. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to dislike the man; there was nothing to dislike. His tendency to always dress in a suit came to annoy me after a while, but I¡¯d learned long ago that everyone had their quirks.

    It became a challenge to me after that to come up with visiting locations where he couldn¡¯t wear a suit. I thought I had him when we went to a beach in Mexico, but sure enough, he¡¯d worn a suit.

    So far, my tenacity was losing to his stubbornness. At least the game was helping to take my mind off James.

    It seemed everywhere I went, I¡¯d see his face. After a while, I had to mentally force myself to stop, as it was driving me crazy.

    I knew I could get along without James. I¡¯d existed a long time just fine without him. I didn¡¯t NEED him¡­I just wanted him with me. A human¡¯s life was short, and to miss any part of it was a loss.

    But, my master¡¯s decree was final, our bond enforced it. If she didn¡¯t want me around him, I wouldn¡¯t be. That¡¯s all there was to it. Anytime I tried to bring the subject up, I was immediately silenced or assigned another duty to keep me busy.

    It was starting to get hard not to hold a grudge against the woman who created me.

    (¡Þ*0)?(0*¡Þ)

    <u>THE MASTER DOREEN</u>

    [Look, more mumbo jumbo. -Rhiannon]

    ¡°I have to send Shae back to Pagoda,¡± I said in defeat.

    ¡°But master, it¡¯s only been four months, and I¡¯m just now starting to gain her trust,¡± Willard said.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯ve managed to achieve in four months? You disappoint me, Willard. Your reputation¡­never mind. I don¡¯t have any choice in the matter. Pagoda seems to have some fixation with her and has demanded her personally.¡±

    ¡°Demanded master?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°Yes, yes. It seems his star is in a rising house, and he¡¯s been granted boons. On this point, I could refuse, but what would it gain me? I would have to admit I could not control the simple lust of one of my couriers; how would that make me look?¡±

    ¡°You could say it was a personal matter that you felt Pagoda had some sort of slight¡ª¡±

    ¡°Pish posh. I¡¯d have to back that claim, and a simple mindtouch would wipe that away. No, I have no choice but to bend to his wishes,¡± I frowned.

    ¡°Master¡­if I may¡ª¡± Willard said.

    ¡°Why am I so concerned with this boy¡¯s hold on Shae?¡± I sighed and sat back in the ancient rocking chair I¡¯d loved for so long. ¡°Have you ever been in love? REAL love, not simple loin love?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Willard began.

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t think so. Well, this girl has a touch of it and doesn¡¯t realize it. She also doesn¡¯t realize it will get her killed. She¡¯ll do the most stupid things out of love for this boy and not think twice about it. This makes him a liability to not only her but to me as well. Anything she does while out in the world is a direct reflection of me.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you simply turn the boy?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°The thought has crossed my mind. But I¡¯ve checked on him. He has too many ties to the real world to drop off the map. I don¡¯t think his personality would accept it, either. Besides, we all know that even if he survived the turn, ¡®things¡¯ tended to change. If they split apart because of this, she¡¯d never forgive me. No, if he is to be turned, she will be the one to have to do it. But I don¡¯t think she ever will.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°She still sees him as a simple tap boy,¡± I said. ¡°She loves him as such and doesn¡¯t realize the truth of it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you give her enough credit, master¡­no disrespect,¡± Willard added quickly when I glanced at him.

    ¡°Have you touched her mind, Willard? No, I thought not. Don¡¯t speculate on things you don¡¯t understand. She won¡¯t do it; this I am certain. Before you ask, I¡¯ve considered killing Shae as well. But this would be a terrible waste. I¡¯ve spent so long molding this girl.

    ¡°Do you know where I found her? She was a slave to a pirate. This¡­I hesitate to call him a man; he was one of our darker brethren. He¡¯d enchanted his ship so that all aboard fell under his power completely. He killed the few whom the spell failed to work on, except for her. Her, he kept in his room as his own personal tap girl. This was well before our current practices and laws. He kept her young using his arts and held her against her will for over twenty years. Twenty years of doing as he pleased to that poor girl,¡± I spat in disgust.

    ¡°If I had not crossed him in Cuba, she¡¯d probably still be chained inside that stinking cabin. It took me nearly twice as long to nurse her back to health, having turned her early to speed up the process. I guess I was feeling soft back then. Nowadays, I would have simply put her out of her misery like I did the rest of that damned crew. But no, I took her under my wing and put her back together again. She¡¯s the only real daughter I¡¯ve ever known,¡± I said.

    Willard stood in silence.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ve told you more than you need to know. Away now, before I decide to take the thoughts back from you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡± Willard bowed and backed towards the door.

    ¡°Willard?¡± I said.

    ¡°Maser?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°Do not speak of this again, nor to her,¡± I said.

    ¡°Of course, master.¡±

 Z Day - (3)

    Z Day -

    [Really? You¡¯re still reading these? -Rhiannon]

    <u>JAMES</u>

    Shae disappeared shortly into my junior year, not long after the convention. It left me in a complete funk. The first month wasn¡¯t too bad; I was used to her extended absences. But after spending so much time together over the summer, I¡¯d started withdrawing.

    After the second month, I started to worry. She¡¯d never been gone this long before, and I still had no way of contacting her. I didn¡¯t understand why she was so reluctant with her information.

    My schoolwork started to suffer. I wasn¡¯t paying any attention to my classes and then found I didn¡¯t even care enough to go to school anymore. I¡¯d still go to my first class of the day, JROTC, because it was the only one I enjoyed. Afterward, I sometimes just left school and took a bus to hang out at the mall until it was time to go home.

    My mother had relented and finally got me my driver¡¯s license. I¡¯d picked up an old beat-up car and had a part-time job at a grocery store. My mother had pushed me into getting the job, probably in an attempt to get some motivation going in me. I trudged through the job so I could afford to get around town, usually trying to track down Shae at any of our old haunts.

    My repeated school absences came to my mother''s attention, who was unhappy for obvious reasons. When asked why I skipped school, I couldn¡¯t really give an answer, at least not one that would satisfy her.

    After another month of skipping school, I was kicked out. I¡¯d missed too many days to make up and was told I could come back the next semester, but it would be my final chance.

    My mother, fearing I might not go back and instead just drop out of school, sent me to live with my father. She hoped he could find a way to get me back into school.

    I changed jobs and started working at a movie theater near his house. My father didn¡¯t pressure me to return to school and figured I¡¯d get bored doing nothing and eventually decide to return on my own.

    The following semester I did go back to school, but not because I¡¯d gotten bored. Shae had shown back up. When she found out what I¡¯d done, her scowl was enough to get me to start going back again. Once I was back in school, Shae¡¯s scowl returned to the devilish smile she would treat me to in our private moments.

    We fell back into our old routine, with her visiting me every other week or so. Time flew by, and while the school year ended, my studies didn¡¯t. Shae stayed on me to do make-up work, summer school, and even take high school credit exams to get back on track with my education. It was hard, but thanks to the few credits I had passed during my first freshman year, I managed to make up for the time I''d lost.

    Shae and my father seemed to get on just fine. My father didn¡¯t mind if I stayed out overnight if I gave him a heads-up about where I would be. My dad even offered to let Shae stay overnight at the house, in my room. We didn¡¯t take him up that offer very often, but when we did, my father would always be so polite in the morning, knocking on the door and speaking through it rather than opening it.

    What cracked me up was the fact Shae and I never did anything when my father was home. We usually just sat up and talked most of the night. I guess my father expected me to be in the throes of passion just for having a girl in my room.

    My father was partly right; I couldn¡¯t get enough of Shae¡¯s company. When she was around, we just seemed to fit together. We grew closer over the summer. Shae seemed to be more open with me and more honest. I wondered if something had happened to her during her extended absence, but she wouldn¡¯t talk about it. I didn¡¯t care; I was still in love.

    Things changed after that. Where we had previously gone and done whatever she decided, now she asked me what I wanted to do. I usually deferred to her, but now and again, I¡¯d think up something. Usually, I caught her by surprise with my suggestions.

    One random weekend, we woke up at 3 a.m. for no reason. I¡¯d decided we¡¯d go rent bikes and ride around Town Lake. We enjoyed the practically deserted bike trails and stopped to enjoy the sunrise. That had been a good day.

    But then it all changed, and it was my fault of course. My mouth filter had once again failed me, typical for a teenage boy. But to me, it still felt like the next logical step.

    We were at a cheap Mexican food joint that served cafeteria-style. You¡¯d raise a little Mexican flag at your table when you wanted more. It was cheesy, but they had good sopapillas; so good Shae actually ate them. She still tended to not eat a lot when we were together. I wasn¡¯t sure if she had a tiny stomach or she just didn¡¯t want me to see her pig out.

    We had just started our second helping of those honey-drenched wonders when I said it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get married,¡± I blurted out.

    I¡¯d never seen her lose her composure before. Sure, an explosive laugh here and there, but never anything like this. It took me a minute to wipe the food pieces off my clothes from where she¡¯d nearly choked on her sopapilla.

    ¡°What?¡± Shae finally managed, waiving off a waitress who thought she was in need of the Heimlich maneuver.

    ¡°I want to marry you,¡± I said slowly.

    She looked at me for a long moment. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said firmly. It had been rattling around in my head for months now, and somehow, the thought had finally escaped.

    ¡°And you¡¯re proposing to me in a Mexican cafeteria?¡± she asked incredulously.

    ¡°Uh, well, yeah¡­and no,¡± I waffled.

    She shook her head and motioned for me to continue.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean get married right now. I mean once I finish school. Then I could propose to you properly with a ring and everything,¡± my delivery was lame, even to my ears. I¡¯d come up with so many ways to do this and now I¡¯d gone and flubbed it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a ring either?¡± she said. ¡°James¡­you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re proposing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± I said with slightly more force.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± she countered. ¡°You have no clue what¡¯s really going on here. Aren¡¯t you happy? Isn¡¯t it enough to enjoy what we have now?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, you know I¡¯m happy; how could you not?¡± I took her hands. ¡°And no, this isn¡¯t enough for me.¡± It was the first truly adult thing I think I¡¯d ever said in my life, and I meant it. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go away anymore, or if you have to, I want to come with you. I don¡¯t want to be without you, and I¡¯m willing to do whatever it takes to keep you with me for the rest of my life.¡±

    She took a long, hard look at me before she pulled her hands back. ¡°James, you don¡¯t know anything about me.¡±

    ¡°I know enough, and I¡¯d like to spend the rest of my life finding out the rest,¡± I said.

    ¡°You just don¡¯t know what you¡¯re asking,¡± she sighed.

    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m asking if you want to spend the rest of your life with me¡­after I graduate from high school, that is,¡± I said.

    She snorted.

    ¡°Yeah, that didn¡¯t sound so great, but I meant it,¡± I managed.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you do,¡± she patted my hands. ¡°But it just won¡¯t work. I love you. Goddess knows why, but I do. There¡¯s just so much you don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Are you married?¡± I asked.

    ¡°What?¡± She looked taken aback. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. You¡¯re not married, I love you, you love me¡­what¡¯s the problem?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re too young to get married,¡± she said firmly.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s never stopped your cradle-robbing ways before,¡± I countered.

    ¡°Everything was going so well; can¡¯t we just wait a while?¡± she sighed.

    ¡°Of course, I said not for another year, silly,¡± I said as if she hadn¡¯t heard me the first several times.

    Shae looked at me for a long moment. ¡°As wonderful a thought as it is, I just can¡¯t see it happening.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Why? Because you¡¯re a vampire?¡± I asked dramatically.

    She froze, her hands clamping down on mine like a vice.

    ¡°Hey, hey, OWW!¡± I yelped.

    She released me immediately, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Shae hissed.

    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± I said, poking a hole nonchalantly in another sopapilla and using a bear-shaped honey jug to fill it. ¡°I¡¯m young and dumb, but I¡¯ve read enough bad fantasy books to know the signs. The only thing I haven¡¯t figured out is what clan you¡¯re with. You strike me as Druhaj, but sometimes you act way too sophisticated for the street gang type.¡±

    I glanced at her just in time to see the terror in her eyes change to confusion. If I hadn¡¯t looked up right then, I wonder how different my life might have been. That brief look of terror, something utterly alien in her eyes, started the tumblers turning in my head. Once they started, they just kept going. Things I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d been worried about suddenly became clear.

    A smile suddenly crept across Shae¡¯s face. ¡°James¡­¡± she started, the relief that had begun flooding across her face froze as she looked at me. ¡°What?¡±

    I froze, that last sopapilla suddenly feeling like a lead weight in my stomach. I felt my face grow hot. ¡°You¡¯re not in a LARP, are you?¡± I whispered and saw that glimpse of terror return to her eyes.

    It took a long time for her to answer. She seemed to be in a mental debate with herself before she came to a decision.

    ¡°How did you¡ª¡± she began.

    I swallowed hard, my mouth having gone dry. I needed to lighten this up quickly, or I would freak out. ¡°You see, I didn¡¯t.¡± I was trying to be funny to cover my nerves. ¡°You, uh, just confirmed it. I¡¯M KIDDING!¡± I leaned back quickly as she looked like she was about to come across the table at me.

    Instead, she stole my sopapilla with a movement faster than should be possible.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I cried.

    ¡°Talk, or the sopapilla gets it,¡± her attempt at a joke fell just as flat as mine had.

    ¡°Well, the blood stains after each of our more¡­private rendezvous for one,¡± I started nervously. ¡°Still haven¡¯t figured out how you¡¯ve been doing it¡­you don¡¯t have fangs that I¡¯ve seen,¡± I glanced up at her briefly, ¡°do you?¡±

    Shae shook her head. She was still watching me like a hawk. She pointed at her earrings.

    ¡°I thought so!¡± I snapped my fingers, relaxing a little, but not much. ¡°The first time I saw the red mark on my thigh,¡± I paused, realizing what I was saying, and my blush deepened. ¡°Uh, the mark was the same size as your earring. I¡¯d thought it had scratched me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re quite sharp,¡± Shae confirmed.

    I nodded. ¡°But how did¡­¡±

    ¡°My saliva is a coagulant,¡± she said flatly.

    ¡°Wait, that would stop the blood flow; how¡¯d you keep from closing the wound when you touched it?¡± I said, completely forgetting where I was. My excitement seemed to blot out the terror in my mind that was slowly creeping up on me.

    She looked at me and replied deadpan, ¡°I sucked.¡±

    I nodded, relaxing a bit more. I was about to ask another question when she continued.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t feel the pain because of the surgical sharpness. Most of us carry something sharp like that. I can also touch your mind when I¡¯m in contact with your blood,¡± she hissed quietly. ¡°And yes, that¡¯s why you lost time; I could do anything I wanted to you. I choose to give my tap boys pleasant euphoric memories.¡± She stopped when she saw my face fall. ¡°Are you sure you want to keep talking about this?¡±

    All I could do was nod while a hundred things ran chaotically through my mind. *Is this real?* I thought.

    Shae sighed and put the food down. ¡°Yes, there are others. I must feed weekly; taking too much from one would be dangerous. And no, you can¡¯t ask me about them.¡± Shae¡¯s face broke into a contemplative stare at nothing. She finally shook her head and dragged me outside by the wrist.

    I didn¡¯t understand the first part of what she muttered next.

    ¡°Is ceann de¡¯s na h-¨®inseacha diabhail th¨². This is not the way this is supposed to happen!¡± Shae growled.

    I had no idea what language that was.

    She stopped outside the car once in the parking lot, lost in thought. ¡°I should just wipe your memory right now and go home.¡± She was pacing back and forth, her hands clenched at her sides in anguish.

    ¡°You can do that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I said I can touch your mind, didn¡¯t I? Weren¡¯t you listening? You¡¯re so smart; you just had to figure this out and complicate everything. Now, what am I supposed to do? Huh? Do you know what would happen if they found out you knew? There¡¯s a reason people don¡¯t believe in us, that we¡¯re just movie monsters,¡± Shae said.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a monster,¡± I objected.

    ¡°Shut up! You really have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I said shut it!¡± she barked, cutting me off. There was real anger in her voice.

    I bit off my reply as she continued to pace between the cars. I¡¯d never seen her like this, nothing even close to this. I wanted to help but had no clue what to do.

    ¡°Get in,¡± she ordered as she unlocked the car.

    We drove out 2222 away from the city and into the hill country. The road was known to be one of the most dangerous roads in the city due to it winding along Austin¡¯s only ¡®cliff,¡¯ the remnants of an extinct fault line.

    After 15 minutes, I couldn¡¯t hold back any longer, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere I can think,¡± she said.

    ¡°Good,¡± I said quietly because I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say.

    She sniffed softly, almost like she could smell my anxiety. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you, James,¡± she said resignedly. ¡°I told you that I love you. I couldn¡¯t kill you if I had to, even if it would make things much easier.¡±

    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± I managed.

    ¡°Just¡­don¡¯t talk for a while, OK?¡± she said softly.

    I shut up again and stared out the window, trying not to glance at her every 30 seconds. I started replaying past encounters in my mind and applying my newfound knowledge. It was obvious when you looked back on it, not that it made me feel any better.

    After a while, she pulled onto a small road with a metal arm bar. She got out and unlocked it before driving through it and securing it behind us. The sign next to the entrance read ¡°Nature Preserve, NO TRESPASSING.¡±

    We drove another ten minutes into the hills before she pulled into a small clearing that overlooked the adjacent hill. When we got out of the car, the only thing around us was the sounds of nature and the clear night sky.

    She climbed up on the car''s hood and sat, chewing on her thumbnail. I quietly sat on the other side of the hood, looking out at the dark scenery and trying not to say anything. The sun had set an hour earlier, but some rays still touched the twilight sky.

    ¡°Oh, come here, I won¡¯t bite,¡± she patted the hood next to her. ¡°Much,¡± she added.

    I sighed and slid over, her joke breaking the moment''s tension.

    Her arm snaked around me, putting her head on my shoulder. ¡°Oh James, what am I going to do?¡±

    The confidence I¡¯d had at the restaurant was long gone. I¡¯d been so proud of myself for figuring this out. But now, when I looked down at the anguish on her face, I wished I could take it back.

    ¡°What if I just forgot all about this? Pretended it didn¡¯t happen?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    Shaking her head, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t work. Cat¡¯s out of the bag now; there¡¯s no going back,¡± her words were forlorn.

    ¡°But you said you could erase my memories,¡± I said stupidly.

    ¡°Yes, but it''s not a precise practice. I don¡¯t think I could live with myself after doing that to you. Not to mention, I can¡¯t just erase my own memories now, can I?¡± she sighed.

    A long silence followed, stretching into an eternity.

    Finally, I couldn¡¯t take the silence anymore and, as always, blurted out the first thing I could think of. ¡°What about crosses, wooden stakes, stuff like that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She looked over at me.

    ¡°You know, the legends. Does stuff like that work on you?¡± I shrugged.

    She paused a moment, seeming to shift gears mentally. She blinked a few times before answering. ¡°Well, crosses don¡¯t mean anything, not even silver ones. Many of my kin enjoy wearing them to thumb their noses at the silly notion. From what I gather, it was more of a belief system anyway. You know, forcing your will on another¡­that is true power. If you can impose your will strong enough, certain people have been able to produce tangible results.¡±

    ¡°As for stakes,¡± Shae continued. ¡°Tell me what creature won¡¯t die if you drive a stake through its heart, wood or otherwise? The same goes for beheading, drawing and quartering, etc. Pretty much once you rip someone¡¯s head off, they¡¯re going to have a really bad day.¡± She looked up to see how her words were affecting me.

    I guess my curious expression made her continue.

    ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not even trying. Let me run down the list.¡± She started ticking off fingers, ¡°Garlic, love the stuff; I think that was just a marketing strategy by garlic farmers, and it worked. Inviting them into your home, nope. Flying, nope. Turning into bats, mist or anything else, not that I¡¯ve seen. Running water, I love the ocean, and we''ve been swimming together. Coffins, only for those freaks with a morbid streak. Your home dirt, nah. We don¡¯t really have to sleep that much to begin with. It¡¯s not like in the movies where the sun comes up, and we become all ¡®dead-like.¡¯ But you already knew that one.

    ¡°On the flip side, we¡¯re tough. You can still shoot us, and we¡¯ll go down with enough bullets, but it¡¯s mainly blood loss that will keep us down. We¡¯re much stronger than normal humans, but each of us is different, just like people. We are fast, not a streak of lightning fast, but enough to lose track of us if you¡¯re not paying complete attention. With some practice, you can walk right up to someone without them noticing until it¡¯s too late.¡± Shae stopped and looked at me.

    My eyes had gone wide, and my mouth was hanging open.

    ¡°OK, information overload. Let¡¯s call this for the night,¡± she said.

    ¡°No,¡± I said after a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Tell me more.¡±

    ¡°Not so fast, tiger; I think you¡¯ve got more than enough to chew on for one night. Sleep on it, and we¡¯ll talk again tomorrow when you¡¯ve had a chance to gather your thoughts.¡± She slid off the car.

    ¡°But¡­¡± I started, knowing there was no way I would be able to sleep tonight.

    She turned back to me.

    ¡°You never answered my question.¡± I fished the box out of my pocket and handed it to her. Inside was a thin gold ring entwined with a streak of black and the smallest diamond chip to top it off.

    ¡°You were serious¡­you were going to propose to me in a Mexican restaurant?¡± she said in disbelief.

    ¡°Well, no,¡± I said coyly. ¡°I was waiting for the right time. I finally got the ring out of layaway last week. It just sorta slipped out¡­that¡¯s not how I meant¡ª¡±

    ¡°James,¡± she shushed me. ¡°You really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re getting yourself into here. What this really means.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I said earnestly. ¡°I love you, I do know that. When you¡¯re gone, I don¡¯t feel whole; there¡¯s always something missing, and it doesn¡¯t go away until you come back.¡±

    ¡°Me marrying you wouldn¡¯t stop that. I¡¯d still have to go away for my work,¡± she said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I lied. ¡°As long as when you came back, it was to me.¡±

    ¡°James¡­¡± she sighed.

    ¡°Like I said, not right away. School starts up again in a week, and it¡¯ll be my senior year. Once I graduate, I¡¯ll be free to travel with you. When you go away, I can go with you,¡± I said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work¡­¡± Shae repeated.

    ¡°Fine. You want to rock, paper, scissors for it?¡± I held up my hands.

    Shae paused, chuckling at the vampire LARP reference. ¡°Goddess, I always hated that. I always wanted to put my ¡®rock¡¯ through someone¡¯s face.¡±

    ¡°Listen,¡± I tried again, gentler, not about to let this go. ¡°You gave me a lot to think about and told me to sleep on it. You do the same. Take it home, try it on for a while, and tell me what you think. Like you said, we can talk more tomorrow.¡±

    After a moment, she sighed in defeat.

    I took her sigh as acceptance. ¡°Great!¡± I slid off the hood of the car and stood next to her. ¡°Just think about it, OK? Please?¡± I gently took her face in my hands and kissed her.

    It took her a moment to respond, but she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in tight. She kissed me so hard I saw stars.

    ¡°You¡¯re hopeless,¡± she said.

    ¡°And you¡¯re beautiful,¡± I replied.

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Just get in the car.¡± Tucking the ring into her pocket, she pushed me away and slid behind the wheel.

    She was so lost in thought that I had to warn her to slow down as we approached the armbar at the bottom of the hill.

    My mind was also racing. Not only had she admitted she was a vampire, but she also hadn¡¯t turned me down. I mean, she was trying to, but there was hesitation. I wasn¡¯t sure how this would turn out, but I kept returning to the fact that she hadn¡¯t said no. That had to count for something, right?

    Too bad Shae disappeared without a trace the next day.

    Owari Book 0

 Epilogue

    <u>Epilogue</u>

    <u>RHIANNON</u>

    So, that¡¯s it. That is everything that went on before Book 1. Except, you know, my part of the story, but you get that later in book 1. Was it worth it? I warned you about the content, so I don¡¯t want to hear any whining. No bitching, griping or complaining, I mean it.

    For what it''s worth, it''s not a terrible story. Just, you know, teenybopper fanfic crap. Now, if I¡¯d been the main character, I guarantee things would have been different¡ªnowhere near as much fluffy stuff. And my sexy parts wouldn¡¯t have been cut or toned down to the level of an after-school special.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Anywho, I need to get back to book 2. There is a lot going on in that one, and you don¡¯t want to miss it. (Spoiler alert: I get hitched!)

    Oh crap, wait. Some of you read this book first and haven¡¯t even read Book 1 yet, have you? Well¡­screw it. Even if you already read Book 1, read it again. Now that you know how this mess got started, some of those scenes might make more sense to you. Who knows, ¡°miracles¡± do happen.

    NEW ACHIEVEMENT

    <u>Completionist</u>

    [OK, I lied; there is an achievement. -Rhiannon]

 Bio-Habitat 00117 Observation Post 36211

    <u>Bio-Habitat 00117</u>

    <u>Observation Post 36211</u>

    <u>CR¡¯EON</u>

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes, that is it.¡± My instructor sighed, her red eyes narrowing.

    My on-the-job training consisted of roughly half an hour of half-hearted instructions. My instructor had apparently been at this post a long time and was eager to get her replacement trained so she could return to her unit. Luckily, the training program I¡¯d absorbed this morning covered most of what I needed to know.

    ¡°Is there any way to turn down the sounds?¡± I asked, peering at the vast array of screens on the various consoles before me. Each one seemed to emit its own symphony of sounds, which, individually, wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Putting them all together resulted in a chaotic mass of distraction.

    ¡°What sounds?¡± my instructor asked, looking up from her wrist comm.

    I indicated all the monitoring screens before me.

    Sighing, the instructor reached out and tapped several screens, causing the noise to lessen slightly. ¡°Cr¡¯eon, each of these screens continuously monitors multiple factors within the Bio-Habitat below. Each has its own distinct sound to help you recognize when there is a problem. You will not learn to distinguish them if you keep them turned off!¡±

    I looked from my instructor¡¯s tail, snapping side-to-side in agitation, to the screen and back. Her red skin continued to darken with anger the longer I looked at her. While the noise was still overwhelming, I dared not open my mouth for fear of another reprisal.

    My wing commander had selected me for this duty after I¡¯d been injured during a training exercise for the fourth time. Most Daemon Corps considered observation duty to be a punishment as it was about as far from combat as you could get. I was excited, though; I¡¯d never held the post before.

    I¡¯d grown a reputation for clumsiness in my wing, but it wasn¡¯t my fault. Every time something bad happened when I was around, somehow, it was my fault. Battle suit canopy slams shut on a wingman¡¯s hand from across the room? My fault. The primary missile rack of your battle suit is full of signal smoke instead of anti-matter? My fault. The arrival gate for my wing is off by 100 kilometers? My fault! Well, to be honest, that last one was my fault as I¡¯d entered the coordinates incorrectly, but still!

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    A new sound came from the console, louder than the rest. ¡°Alright, that chime means it''s time for the daily report. Show me how you¡¯d do one of those,¡± my instructor demanded.

    I turned back to the console and quickly found the report interface. This was my first (and only) day of training. While I was almost as eager to be rid of my instructor as she was to leave, I was still nervous.

    Monitoring a Bio-Habitat was a big deal. Behemoth maintained each as it oversaw the evolution of the species contained within.

    My primary duty as a member of the Daemon Corps was to protect Behemoth from all enemies, primarily the Angel Guard. The AG were terrorists whose sole purpose was to destroy Behemoth and everything associated with it. Once an AG encroached on a Bio-Habitat, we had very little time to mount a response to eliminate the threat. All the while keeping the Bio-Habitat¡¯s occupants unaware of the war, or the fact their world was not their own.

    It took but a moment for me to remember the correct sequence of commands to initiate my report.

    This is Cr¡¯eon, Bio-Habitat 00117, with my Daily report. No detectable Angel Guard activity. Inhabitants remain unaware of their Bio-Hab containment. End of report.

    I glanced up at my instructor, who looked like she wanted to say something but held it back.

    ¡°Fine,¡± my instructor said. ¡°Ensure you encode it before you send it off.¡±

    After a moment of fumbling with the protocol, I encoded the report and sent it to the observation post supervisor. When I looked up, my instructor was gone.

    ¡°My training is over¡­I guess?¡± I said, getting up and walking over to the direct observation platform. The compartment that housed the platform was completely transparent. The floor, ceiling, and walls all provided an unobstructed view of the slowly rotating Bio-Habitat below.

    Tapping on the wall, the image zoomed past the clouds, revealing the brown and green landmasses below. Tapping again the image zoomed in on one of the larger cities.

    I watched as the creatures below went about their daily lives. Vehicles ferried them here and there, across land and sea, completely unaware of my presence above.

    Of its own accord, my tongue dug mercilessly at the fang I¡¯d broken during my training accident. I knew I shouldn¡¯t mess with it, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I was scheduled to have a cyber replacement installed this afternoon and still hadn¡¯t decided on what I should pick. I could just go with a natural-looking replacement, or I could pick something with a bit more utility. My wingmate Wren had both of hers replaced with independent neural-controlled probes. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be getting something that exotic. I¡¯d just have to wait and see.

    I gave the Bio-Habitat¡¯s inhabitants one last look before returning the view to normal and walking back to my console. I sighed and hoped nothing bad happened on my first day.