Your Wish Come True (revised): Chapter 11 - Continuing Education free porn video

Your Wish Come True by Pol Roger Chapter 11 Continuing Education After adventures spiritual and temporal, she finds out what she needs to know MANDY was up again bright and early. She dressed in loose gym clothes, attached her iPod Shuffle, and headed out into the cold drizzly morning, the hood of her top up and her breath steaming as she ran. This time she headed towards Chelsea, through Sloane Square and past the Army Pensioners Hospital to the River. She ran down Grosvenor Street along the river, crossed over Vauxhall Bridge, and rested for a while in Vauxhall Gardens. She began to feel the cold, so she ran along the Albert Embankment, past the Tate Britain Gallery on the other side of the River right up to Westminster Bridge. There was comparatively little traffic at this hour on a Sunday. Everything was quiet and hushed in the cold grey light. She crossed back over the River, pausing for a while to take in the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey beyond. She really was very lucky to live in such a beautiful city as London, she reflected, so glorious even on a cold misty morning. She continued her run past the Abbey, along Victoria Street, past New Scotland Yard and the Westminster City Hall. She reached Westminster Cathedral, where numbers of people were coming out after the early Mass. She stopped at the entrance to the square and watched them, breathing heavily and leaning over with her hands on her knees. She smiled as a black couple in their thirties whom she had seen leave the cathedral came past her. They smiled back, their white teeth flashing. She felt a longing to go inside, out of the cold, but her running clothes seemed inappropriate for going to church. So she started off again, much slower than she had been running up till then. She ran past Victoria Station, where there were larger numbers of people, mostly tourists, many carrying enormous backpacks or dragging cases along on wheels. Mandy picked up the pace again, heading down Buckingham Road. She could have turned up Eccleston Street or Elizabeth Street, which would take her towards home, but she decided to keep going as far as Pimlico Road. Time was getting on by now, and Emma might wonder where she had got to. So she turned up the nearest street and found herself heading up Bourne Street, a fairly narrow street of smallish terraces and apartments. About halfway up she noticed a few people going into a little church, which was set back from the street amongst some other buildings. Again she paused and watched them, exchanging smiles with a few, who were chatting away to each other or rubbing their hands in the cold. She looked up at the sign. "St Mary the Virgin" it said. The first Mass wasn't until nine o'clock, so these people must be arriving early. There was High Mass at eleven o'clock, and Evensong and Benediction at six that night. Perhaps she might come back tonight, as it was so close to home, she thought. She took out her mobile phone and rang the number Andy had saved in her phone. ?Main bedroom, run bath? she said. Then she headed for home, which was just around two corners. She ran her thumb on the scanner and the door unlocked. Emma was waiting at the door in her dressing gown, holding out a cup of tea. ?Here?s your tea,? she said. ?How did you know I was coming home?? asked Mandy panting hard, and accepting the tea gratefully. ?I got up about half an hour ago and was wondering where you were. Then I heard the bath in your room start running by itself about five minutes ago and I knew you mustn?t be far away,? Emma laughed. ?Where have you been?? ?Just out for a run,? Mandy said, ?down to the River at Chelsea and across the other side, then back past the Abbey and Victoria Station.? ?Wow!? said Emma. ?You probably ran ten or twelve miles. How long did it take?? ?I left just before seven, so about an hour and a half I suppose,? Mandy said. ?I wasn?t really hurrying, and I stopped quite a few times to rest. You must be exhausted, Emma said, astonished. I am a bit puffed, but a nice bath will put me right. It?s relaxing, actually. You should come too, sometime, said Mandy. Do you do this often? asked Emma. ?Not really. I went for an early run yesterday,? Mandy replied, gulping down her tea and heading downstairs for her bath. ?I?ve been thinking I might do it regularly. Perhaps not so far though, as a rule. It?s probably safer running in the park. More fun, too. There?s lots of other runners in the park. But today was all right; the traffic?s pretty quiet on Sunday mornings. ?And Emma, did you know that Frederick Chopin gave his first London concert in a house a few doors away?? Mandy remarked. ?They?ve got this plaque whatsit on the outside. It?s on the corner of the house.? SHE dropped her clothes on the bathroom floor and climbed into the Jacuzzi. Emma leaned against the wall, watching her. She was thinking how gracefully Mandy moved. When she first saw her last week she had moved so clumsily that Emma had thought she had some disability. Mandy noticed Emma looking at her. ?Why don?t you get in too?? she said. ?It?s big enough for two,? she added. Emma considered. ?All right,? she said, and letting her dressing gown drop to the ground, she climbed into the bath with Mandy. They shampooed each other?s hair and then took turns giving each other a neck and shoulder massage. Then they relaxed for a while, enjoying the jets of water caressing their bodies, loosely holding hands under the water. ?Oh, Em, this is beautiful,? Mandy said. ?You won?t believe where that water?s blowing.? ?I think I have some idea,? Emma said in a strained voice. ?But I can?t believe you just said that. Oh, god, this is so fucking great!? The two girls laughed together. They were silent for a while, their eyes closed. Suddenly Emma stood up and climbed out of the bath. ?This is getting a bit freaky,? she said. Her breasts were hard and her nipples erect. Her body was pink and flushed. ?I?m going to need some privacy for a while,? she added, and picking up her dressing gown she went to the second bedroom, which she had used the night before and which it was understood would be hers. ?Me too,? said Mandy. She was sorry Emma was going, but relieved as well. Once Emma had gone, Mandy moved herself into a squatting position so that her clitoris was directly above a water jet. She massaged her breasts with her hands, allowing some of the side jets to blow against them as well. It took a minute or two, but eventually she felt her orgasm (which had been hovering out of reach for quite a while) begin to build at last. She squatted closer to the water jet, moving her pelvis back and forth very slightly. Finally it came, seeming to vibrate its way up her body from her toes to her head. Then she relaxed, allowing herself to lean back into the water limply. She got out of the bath after a short time and dried her hair quickly and expertly, afterwards applying a little eye makeup and dressing in a denim mini skirt over warm black tights and silver and white runners, and a warm long-sleeved pink and white top. She hoped Emma was finished, because she had had an idea. She found Emma dressed and sitting on her bed. ?Hi, can I come in?? she asked, not waiting to be given permission. Emma looked up. ?Well, that was disturbing,? she said. ?What was?? asked Mandy, concerned. ?In the bath,? said Emma, ?and?afterwards,? she added cryptically. Mandy wasn?t sure what Emma meant. ?Is something wrong?? she asked tentatively. ?Maybe I shouldn?t be moving in,? said Emma. ?Why?? Mandy said in an alarmed voice. ?Have I done something I shouldn?t have?? ?Don?t you think it was wrong, the two of us fooling around in the bath?? Emma asked. ?We weren?t fooling round,? said Mandy, trying to recall. ?Were we? We gave each other a massage.? Emma shook her head. ?It felt like more than a massage. Mandy, I was really turned on,? she said miserably. ?I was too,? said Mandy, ?but that was the water jets. You can?t help that.? Emma considered this. ?Maybe you?re right,? she said, brightening a little. ?Perhaps it was just the water.? Emma thought some more. ?So, it?s not, like, incest or anything?? ?Incest!? said Mandy in alarm. ?Why would it be incest?? ?You?re supposed to be my father,? Emma said through clenched teeth. ?Or that?s what you keep telling me.? Mandy felt confused. ?But Em, how could it be incest? We didn?t do anything.? ?Didn?t do anything!? Emma said, unconvinced. ?I don?t remember doing anything,? Mandy said, almost to herself. So many unusual things had been happening lately, and she had certainly been behaving in strange ways. Had something happened between Emma and her that she didn?t recall? Emma said, ?Maybe not incest, exactly. But two naked chicks in the bath, giving each other massages, that?s kind of kinky.? ?Oh,? said Mandy quietly. ?I?m sorry, Em.? Then she added, ?Are you sure it was kinky? It was just a bath. I thought it was fun.? Again Emma pondered. ?I may be overreacting,? she said after a while. Mandy waited to see if Emma was going to continue. ?By the way, you give great massages,? she finally added. ?So do you,? Mandy said. Emma was calmer now, and thoughtful. Mandy reached up and put her arm around her shoulder. Emma looked at her uncertainly, but did not resist. ?Actually, I came in to say I had a really great idea,? Mandy said. Emma looked at her questioningly. ?It just occurred to me. I think you need a car,? Mandy continued, ?and I thought we could go shopping for one today.? ?A car!? said Emma. ?It would be handy. But what about you? It?s your money. You should have the car.? ?Maybe we should both have cars then, although I haven?t had a car for a couple of years now, and don?t really miss it. But I really want you to have a car. If you?re going to be running round seeing lawyers and bankers and stuff, and studying as well, you?re going to need a car.? ?What sort of car?? said Emma, starting to become interested. ?We need to think about it. We could go online and check things out. We should do some research.? ?No,? Mandy said, ?I?ve got a better idea. We?ll rent a car for the day, and just head out looking for car dealers. What do you think?? ?I think it sounds brilliant! Thank you! No, wait,? said Emma, ?I have to finish two term assignments by today. I have to hand them in tomorrow. It?s really important, and I?ve actually let things slip a bit this week.? Mandy felt disappointed. ?Perhaps we can go during the week, then.? She remembered this was the week she had to start school. It was not something she wanted to think about right now. ?Well, before you get started on your assignment, maybe we could have breakfast somewhere first,? said Mandy. ?Shall we go to the Dorchester?? Emma grinned at Mandy. ?Yes!? she said. THEY spent over two hours at the Dorchester Hotel having breakfast and talking about what sort of cars they might look at next week, and trying to see whether they recognised any of the people coming and going in the Promenade Restaurant where they were eating or the lobby. They had quite a bit to eat, so neither of them would need much for lunch. Finally Emma announced that she really had to go back home and work on her assignments. ?But you?ll be back tonight, won?t you?? asked Mandy. ?Tomorrow?s my first day at school remember, and I?d really like you there in the morning if you can,? she added. ?You?re really nervous about it, aren?t you?? said Emma. ?Shit scared,? Mandy said seriously. They had paid the bill and were almost out the door into Park Lane. They gave each other a hug and Emma took a taxi while Mandy decided to walk home through the park. She wondered what she could do for the rest of the day. She still hadn?t set up an e-mail account or done very much with her new computer yet. It had been easy to access the apartment?s computer on its internal network, but as yet she hadn?t tried to do very much through her laptop, for example accessing the CCTV cameras in the apartment via the web. Or she could try different ways to do her hair for school tomorrow, maybe even trying on her uniform to see which hairstyle looked best. Then she had an idea. She jumped on a bus at Hyde Park Corner, which took her to the top of her street and she hurried home. She quickly looked up Mercedes Benz car dealers and found the nearest one, which was in Chelsea. She took a taxi straight there. Mandy wandered round the showroom for a while. She thought she already knew vaguely what she wanted, but decided she would just check out the cars in her own time first. ?Beautiful car, isn?t it?? said a smiling salesman. He was in his early thirties, very tall and solidly built. He seemed like a giant to Mandy, and he was standing very close, having come up behind her while she was bending down looking through the driver?s window of a CLS-Class Mercedes, whose shape she had thought very appealing. She came to about chest height on him, and had to tilt her head up to look at his face. She felt a little flustered. ?Oh, hi. Umm, yeah, it is,? she said. ?Need any help with anything, darlin??? he said. She noticed him glance over her head and exchange some kind of look with someone behind her. ?Thanks. I?m fine at the moment. Just looking for now,? she said. He hesitated for a moment, then said, ?Fine. No problem,? and left her, going over to another salesman, the one who had been behind her near the showroom office. The one who had been talking to her gave a shrug and the other salesman was laughing. Mandy turned back to examining the cars. The showroom was quite crowded and busy with customers. There were a lot of couples looking at cars together, and some families with children of different ages. Every so often, she noticed different salesmen watching her and apparently discussing her, because they had been looking and even gesturing in her direction but quickly turned away when she looked at them. After trying out the driver?s seats of a few models, her ideas were becoming clearer. She had initially thought of getting a small cabriolet roadster, an SLK, but she had gone off this when she inspected one. It was a lovely car, but with only two seats it might not be practical for driving friends around for example. She had decided definitely, though, that it needed to be a convertible. And with a folding hard steel top, it would be the ideal car for both summer and London winters. She had therefore finished examining an SLK 55 AMG and was preparing to look at the bigger (and much more expensive) SL model. She thought she was ready for some help now, so she looked around the showroom. Most of the sales staff were talking to customers, but two or three were standing idle, chatting to each other. She looked in their direction to attract the attention of one of them, but they all hastily looked away. Odd, she thought. She started to give some signals that she would appreciate some assistance, such as slamming the car door rather loudly and giving a commentary in a loud mutter to herself on her explorations, but no one was coming over. ?Are you alright there, Miss?? It was a red-faced salesman with a large paunch. She had noticed him talking to a family with four young children for the last little while, as the children had been quite noisy, and the older teenage boy had been provoking and teasing the next oldest girl. They now seemed to have left. He seemed a little out of breath. He was looking around, as though he was trying to find someone else. ?Hi,? said Mandy, bending a little at the knees and then straightening up again, ?can you show me that one there, please?? She pointed to an SL coup? cabriolet. ?This one?? he said superfluously. ?That?s a very nice car, and very expensive, young lady.? She went over and sat in the driver?s seat and tried it for comfort. It was absolutely wonderful, but she felt as though she was sitting a little too low down. ?Can you adjust the seat height?? she said. ?You can adjust just about everything,? he said rather impatiently, ?and it will remember the favourite settings of up to five different people.? ?Different people?? said Mandy, ?That?s perfect! Is it possible to have a test drive?? He smiled politely, but seemed reluctant, and was looking around the showroom again. ?Are you here with someone? Your father perhaps, or mother?? he added hastily. ?No, it?s for me,? Mandy said. ?It?s alright,? she added, ?I?ve got my provisional driver?s license. Here, see?? Mandy had pulled out her purse from her handbag. It was the first time she had used her newly acquired driver?s license with her new identity, and it gave her a slight thrill. She showed it to the salesman, smiling proudly. ?Miranda Vero,? he read from the license. ?So you?re seventeen and no doubt you?ll be going for your test very soon. Congratulations.? ?Thank you. But call me Mandy, please,? Mandy said. ?Are you with anyone, Mandy?? ?No, it?s just me. I was going to come with my friend, Emma, but she had some homework to do so she couldn?t come. It?s due tomorrow or something. Anyway?? Mandy paused. The man didn?t seem to want to be helpful. He had turned towards another man who was also beginning to look at the SL coupe and said, ?Be with you shortly, Sir,? before turning back to Mandy. ?Would you excuse me for just a moment?? he said, and went over to the other man and began to discuss the car. He hadn?t forgotten Mandy completely. He smiled in her direction briefly as he conducted the other customer to the front of the car to look under the bonnet. He glanced up one more time and gave her a wink. Mandy waited, but the salesman had become completely absorbed with talking to the other man. She began to look around to see if she could talk to another salesman. They all seemed to be occupied with other customers. She wandered up and down for a while, swinging her handbag nonchalantly so as not to appear annoyed. She noticed there was another SL coup? in the showroom, so she went over to it and began examining the space in the back-seat area. She found the mechanism for shifting the front seats and got into the back. Not bad, she thought. Her legs barely reached the back of the front seat. She poked around in the various compartments to see how big they were. She looked at the sound system, which seemed very impressive. She tried a few buttons. A saleswoman had come over with a customer, a slight grey-headed man in his forties wearing a white turtleneck top and a black leather jacket and tight jeans. She was a rather large woman, about forty, big and blond in black pants and a black jacket. ?Would you mind, dear?? she said, indicating that she wanted Mandy to get out of the car. Mandy got out, feeling a little annoyed. She waited for the saleswoman to finish with the slim man but they seemed to taking their time. They appeared to be flirting with each other, though the man struck Mandy as a bit gay. She wandered over to the showroom office, thinking that someone might notice her loitering and give her some help. A lot of people looked at her, and several smiled. She smiled back but no one offered to help her. One salesman seemed to get a very guilty look on his face when she looked at him, and he appeared to suddenly remember something and rushed off hurriedly. She put her head into the office. There was a pale young man of about twenty or so sitting at a computer screen. ?Hi, I?m just looking for someone to give me a hand about cars,? she said. The man looked up. ?Right,? he said, ?I?ll just find someone.? ?Can?t you help me?? asked Mandy. ?No one else seems to want to talk to me.? He was very tall and thin, and had a rather anxious expression, Mandy thought to herself. He had black hair and very blue eyes. ?Umm, I?m not supposed to be doing any selling until next week. It?s my first day, actually. I?ve just been putting orders through the system.? He looked at her in a puzzled way. ?No one will talk to you, you say?? ?They keep muttering and turning away. Has someone stuck something silly on my back?? She turned around so he could see, then turned back to face him. ?No,? he said laughing. ?Nothing there.? She liked his laugh. So you?ve never sold a car before?? asked Mandy. ?Umm, no, not yet. I?ve only been working for four hours, actually. I?ve done the training,? he added brightly. ?How would you like to sell your first car on your first day?? Mandy said. ?S-o, you want to buy a car?? said the young man cautiously. ?Is this a car shop?? Mandy said, smiling encouragingly. He looked at her blankly. ?You?re pretty young,? he replied. ?So are you,? Mandy said. The young man reddened slightly. Mandy continued, ?I just want to have a test drive of an SL coupe. I really think I?m going to get one, but I want to be sure.? ?Today?? said the man, beginning to look excited. ?If I like it,? Mandy replied. ?You?re winding me up,? said the young man. ?Do you want to sell a car or not?? Mandy glared at him. He seemed to hesitate for a few moments. ?Wait here,? he said at last, ?I?ll just have to ask.? He came back a few moments later. ?Come with me, quick,? he said, grabbing a set of keys from the desk drawer. ?So they don?t mind you giving me a test drive?? Mandy said. ?I was beginning to think you didn?t serve young women,? she added with a giggle. ?Shh,? said the man. ?Just follow me.? They went into the car service yard and the man looked around nervously. An SL coup? was parked there with its hard roof up. He unlocked it remotely with the key and got into the passenger seat, motioning Mandy towards the driver?s seat. ?Get in, quick,? he said. Mandy sat in the driver?s seat as he had said. ?Close the door,? he said. She closed it. ?I?m Nathan, by the way,? he said, smiling at last. ?I?m Mandy.? ?I told them I had an angry bloke who?d been kept waiting who wanted to go for a test drive straight away and they said yes,? Nathan said. ?An angry bloke!? Mandy said, amused. ?Yeah. I?ll probably get the sack when we get back. Cool nose ring, by the way.? ?Thanks,? Mandy beamed. Nathan seemed to have relaxed at last. He got Mandy to put the smart key in its lock. Then he explained the controls and systems, and finally asked Mandy to start the car with the start button. She began to pull out of the yard. The car gave a jerk and she braked suddenly. ?You do know how to drive, don?t you?? said Nathan, beginning to sound a little anxious again. ?I?ve been driving for twenty-eight years,? said Mandy, concentrating hard and manoeuvring the car slowly out of the yard. ?How long?? Nathan yelped, his fingers clutching the sides of his seat. ?Hmm? Oh, sorry. I?ve got a provisional license, actually,? Mandy answered. ?Shit!? said Nathan. ?What?s wrong? You are twenty-one, aren?t you?? ?Yes,? answered Nathan. ?There?s no problem then, is there? The car just gave me a surprise, that?s all; moved too quickly. I?ll get used to it.? The tip of her tongue protruded from her open mouth with the effort of concentration as she tried to judge the angle as she approached the out ramp. It seemed to be harder to judge distances than it used to be, Mandy was thinking. ?It?s really big, isn?t it?? Mandy remarked, waiting for a break in the traffic. ?No,? answered Nathan unhappily. ?It isn?t at all big.? Suddenly the wheels gave a screech and she swerved out into the traffic. ?My last car was a lot easier to drive, you know. This one doesn?t quite feel right.? ?It?s supposed to be a driver?s dream,? Nathan said through clenched teeth. Then he added, ?What do you mean ?your last car?? You haven?t got a license yet.? Then he added, ?What happened to it?? ?Don?t worry, I didn?t crash it.? Mandy said cheerfully. Nathan?s hand gripped the passenger armrest tightly. Mandy drove down Cheyne Walk and followed Cremorne Road into Gunter Grove and Finborough Road into Holland Road and the West Cross Route up to the A40 Westway. The traffic was crawling as usual. She kept going through Chiswick and Brentford and got onto the M4. ?I think I?m getting used to it now,? she said. Nathan seemed more relaxed as well. Nathan had pointed out that it had begun raining again, and when Mandy asked so what, he had pointed out happily that the rain sensing wipers had started automatically. He really did like this car, and was telling her all about it with some enthusiasm, often getting rather technical and losing Mandy a bit. The car was eating up the miles as they raced along the M4, despite there being a lot of Sunday traffic, all travelling very fast. Mandy turned off at Cranford Park up The Parkway to Uxbridge Road, then back through Ealing all the way to Holland Park and finally back to Chelsea. She was enjoying getting to know Nathan, as they talked mostly about bands and music. They gave the sound system a thorough working out. Almost two hours had elapsed when they finally pulled back into the entrance to the car yard. Mandy parked the car back where it had been earlier, but she misjudged it slightly and it ended up at a crooked angle not far enough in and with the back of the car across two parking spaces. She didn?t seem to be bothered by it too much. As soon as they had appeared, one of the other salesmen, the very first Mandy had seen before, had started to come smiling towards them. Nathan got out first, and the man nodded to him. Then Mandy got out and his smile faded. He turned to Nathan. ?Office. Now!? he said, walking up to Mandy and taking the key from her without saying a word. He and Nathan left Mandy where she was and went inside to the office. She followed them in. When the two men reached the office the salesman closed the door, and Mandy could hear his raised voice as she watched them through the large window of the office. She tapped on the glass door and the salesman?s voice stopped. He turned and glared at her. Then he came striding over to the door and flung it open. ?What is it?? he spat. ?I wanted to tell Nathan that I?ve decided to take it,? Mandy said. ?You what?? said the salesman. ?I?m going to take it. Order one, I mean,? she replied. ?You want to buy an SL?? the man asked incredulously. ?That?s right. Nathan?s going to show me some optional extras, aren?t you Nathan?? Nathan was gaping at her open mouthed. The salesman was looking at her suspiciously. ?We have to have a ten per cent deposit for any order, you realise,? he sneered. ?I was hoping I could pay in full,? Mandy said uncertainly. The salesman seemed to be studying Mandy. After a few moments he said, ?You want to order an SL and pay for it in full in advance?? ?Uh-huh,? said Mandy, smiling. ?On this.? She held up her American Express Card. The salesman smirked. ?You know we can check that straight away, don?t you?? ?I suppose so,? said Mandy, ?Wait! How much does it cost, anyway?? The man?s smirk became a sneer again. ?Basic price ?126,962.? He seemed to be about to close the door and get back to berating Nathan. ?Phew! That?s all right then. Can I talk to Nathan about those extras?? Again the salesman seemed to be taken aback. Then his face gradually softened and formed itself into a smile. ?Nathan! Fetch us some coffee, there?s a good lad. Or would you rather a glass of champagne, Miss?I?m sorry, I didn?t catch your name.? ?Vero, Mandy Vero,? Mandy said, ?and I?d really rather have Nathan do the sale, please. I wasn?t ready when you spoke to me, but then when I?d decided I did need help, I waited around for quite a while, and Nathan here was the only one who bothered to give me any assistance. Weren?t you, Nathan?? Mandy called over to him. Nathan smiled uncertainly. ?I?m sorry, Miss Vero. But Nathan has just started with us, you see. He?s not yet cleared for making sales. I?ll finish the sale with you,? the salesman said. ?Oh,? Mandy said casually, ?Well, I?m not sure I really need it today after all. Maybe when Nathan gets cleared I can come back. It gives me a chance to look around more. I probably should think about it some more anyway.? Outwardly Mandy seemed very calm, but she could feel herself starting to shake inside and she could sense her breathing and heart rate getting faster. The force of her emotions was catching her off guard. The big salesman was faltering. ?I?m sure Nathan can look after you if that?s what you?d like,? he said with a forced smile. ?It will be very good experience for Nathan. I?m glad we?ve been able to help you today. Nathan, I?ll leave you to it,? he said. Then he added in a quieter voice, ?but I don?t want any more cock-and-bull rubbish about angry blokes and such-like. You play it straight in future. Understand?? and then walked out. ?Yes, Mike,? Nathan called as he left. Mandy and Nathan went into one of the glassed-in cubicles near the main office and sat down at the desk opposite each other. ?Thanks Mandy,? Nathan said. ?You were great.? Then he added, ?Can you really buy the car?? ?Didn?t you think I could?? asked Mandy. ?Why?d you give me a test drive then?? Nathan shrugged and smiled at Mandy. ?Boy, an SL on my first day. This is brilliant! Are you rich, then?? ?Yes, but only recently,? said Mandy. ?My parents got killed and I inherited a lot of money. I wasn?t rich before that.? ?Wow,? said Nathan. ?Sorry about your parents.? They got down to business. ?So what sort of engine do you want, and what colour? And what options can I show you?? Mandy ordered an SL 65 AMG, which was a V12 engine 5-speed auto with tipfunction and speedtronic cruise control. After some deliberation she ordered Iridium Silver metallic finish with Premium Nappa Leather upholstery in Alpaca Grey. The car was so luxurious there wasn?t much extra needed. But she ordered 5 twin-spoke multi design AMG alloy wheels, a fitted fire extinguisher, a voice activated Linguatronic communications system for wireless bluetooth telephone connection, a 6-disc CD/DVD changer and Cockpit Management and Navigation Display (COMAND) with a BOSE sound system and TV tuner. This brought the price to ?149,580. It would take four days to deliver the car with the specifications and extras Mandy wanted. ?It?s actually not for me. It?s a present for my best friend,? said Mandy, ?so can we make the registration papers out for Emma Charlotte Ross, please? Same address as me.? Mandy picked up on a slight change in Nathan?s demeanour. ?She?s, like, my sister or something, I suppose,? Mandy said. Nathan continued to fill in the form, but his manner seemed to brighten slightly. They arranged registration and insurance, which increased the cost. Finally, he scanned her credit card and keyed in the amount. No problems. Nathan seemed amazed, as if he had really been expecting the card to be rejected. ?With this size transaction, I just have to get authorisation,? he said. He was perspiring as he made the telephone call but after a short discussion he handed the receiver to Mandy. ?They need your authorisation,? he said. ?I?ll just wait outside,? he added and left the room. The person on the phone asked her whether she was Miranda Aisha Vero. She said yes. What was her date of birth? Nineteenth of April, 1990. What was her mother?s maiden name? Mandy faltered. It certainly wasn?t Vere. That was Derek?s mother?s maiden name. What had the birth certificate said? Her mind was swimming. She began to feel nauseated. After ten long seconds, she suddenly remembered: Blythe. It was Blythe. What was her favourite food? Would it be chocolate? Yes, everything was in order. The transaction was approved. Her head was pounding with tension, but she felt enormous relief. That had been very close. Nathan came back in and took back the phone, writing down the authorisation number he was given. He explained that Emma would have to sign the ownership and registration papers to collect the car. It should be ready on Thursday with nothing more to pay. The other sales staff had got wind of what was happening and some of those who weren?t dealing with customers had gathered in a cluster to look at Nathan and Mandy in the office finalising the sale. The blond saleswoman came past carrying a tray with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and three champagne glasses. She knocked on the little office door and took it in, and started pouring the champagne. A few more sales staff got some glasses and joined the party. They were congratulating Nathan on his first sale and chatting with and complimenting Mandy. Mandy suddenly felt tired. Standing up to the older salesman had been more stressful than she realised. She made excuses to the man she was talking with and waved goodbye to Nathan at the other end of the office. He waved back and tried to get past the half dozen or so sales staff in the small office to talk to her but she was already out the door of the showroom and getting into a cab. You were great back there, she told herself. I?m quite impressed. Thank you. I was good, wasn?t I? That was the best fun! She laughed aloud. Uh-huh. No, really. You?re amazing, Mandy! Thanks. She sighed contentedly as she watched the rain pattering against the window of the taxi. R BY now it was about three o?clock, and Mandy was beginning to regret missing lunch despite her lavish breakfast. She grilled a steak and made a rocket salad, as well as some chips in the deep fryer. Just the sort of thing to relax and soothe, she thought. Afterwards she had some ice cream straight out of the container. This was a mistake, she thought, after she had finished almost half of it before she realised how much she had eaten. She remembered she wanted to fix up an e-mail account and try out interfacing with the apartment hardware. She sat in front of the TV in the front sitting room with her legs tucked underneath her, thinking how comfortable this was and wondering why she didn?t usually sit like this, and her laptop on the sofa just beside her, plugged into the power so that she didn?t have to rely on the batteries. She set up an e-mail account first. The apartment network was connected to the Internet through an Internet group called Horus Technology, which evidently belonged to the parent company Mandy?s mysterious ?father? had owned?apparently it was called Wedjat Holdings, though Mandy couldn?t recall having every heard of it?and which Mandy supposed she now owned, or at least had interest in. Her address therefore was now [email protected]. She decided to set up an account for Emma as well. It could be an additional address for her if she wanted it. She had been going to try out accessing the apartment?s automatic functions on her MacBook, but the thought of he having to go to school the next day was weighing on her. She visited the school web site to try and learn some more about it and what she should expect. She also wanted to confirm train times to Ealing Broadway. No problem there, every two to five minutes in morning rush hour, and a twenty-minute journey. TIME had got on and she noticed it was after five thirty. Mandy vaguely remembered she had planned to do something that evening. Ah, yes! She was going to go back to the little church in Bourne Street that she had run past that morning. The service was at six o?clock she remembered. She could still make it. She decided she would definitely go. She got a warm jacket (a slim-fitting tan suede jacket with grey fur at the neck and wrists), wrapped a white knotted scarf round her neck, put on a white knitted woollen hat over her loose hair and headed out into the cold damp evening. Mandy walked the six hundred yards or so to the church quite briskly, and arrived about five minutes before the service. The entrance was set back from the street a little, beyond a little forecourt. She went into the porch entrance and down a passageway before she reached the church itself, past pictures (she supposed) covered in purple cloths, and objects she thought might be statues, some with lamps or candles glowing in front of them, which also had purple covers over them. She went past a big wooden object with a door. A confessional, she guessed. A middle-aged woman in a warm grey overcoat greeted her just inside the church itself and handed her some books and leaflets. ?Good evening,? she said, smiling, ?nice to see the rain clearing up a bit, isn?t it?? There were only about thirty people there, but others were still arriving. And the church really was rather small so it felt like a quite a gathering. She was glad, really, that there wasn?t a huge crowd. They were a very mixed group, mostly over forty, Mandy noticed, though there were some in their twenties and thirties, and there was a mother with two young children. Apart from the children, Mandy was the youngest person there. Youngest? If only they knew! Mandy smiled to herself as she reflected on this. She had noticed a pungent smell like sweet and bitter perfume as soon as she came in. Incense, she supposed. Candles seemed to be burning everywhere in the gentle light. As she looked around she noticed that a number of chapels could be glimpsed coming off the main church. Some had people in them, praying. The altar ahead of her was on top of several marble steps and stood in front of an enormous baroque structure with carved cherubs at the top. The altar had ten huge ornate golden candlesticks on it, with the tallest candles she had ever seen in them. There were six very tall ones?three each side of a big domed structure that looked like a miniature building with a curtain in front of it?and four more slightly smaller ones between them, two each side of the little building. Above the domed structure was a huge object covered in purple like the other things in the church. It looked like it might be a cross. A big golden chandelier hung in front of the altar, with dozens of lit candles. The whole interior of the church glowed with gold leaf and what looked like golden-brown stone and marble, and dark wood, making it seem warm despite the cold night and the far from effective heating. The walls were covered in dark-hued frescoes. Mandy chose a seat about a third of the way down. The church was quiet and fairly dimly lit. People were genuflecting as they took their seats and crossing themselves as they knelt down to pray. Mandy did the same when she got to her place. She knelt with her eyes closed for a while. Despite the number of people there, she could have been alone. There was hardly a sound. No one spoke, even those who were obviously with others. Mandy felt she should be praying. As she tried to think what to say she heard some movement behind her. Behind and above her, actually. She turned round and saw a gallery just above where she was sitting. Some people had gone up there and were making shuffling sounds. She saw two young men looking like an advertisement for Hackett?s Outfitters just across the aisle from her looking at her. She smiled at them and they smiled back. They all seem very friendly, she thought. Very quiet and friendly. Then a bell rang behind her, giving her a little start. Immediately the organ began to play. It thundered above her and around her in powerful yet mournful tones. A procession moved languidly past her towards the altar. Two men in short white robes over black gowns (is ?cassocks? the right word? Mandy wondered) carrying tall candles walked either side of another man, dressed the same way, carrying another purple covered object on a pole. It too looked like it might be a covered-up cross. Then followed two more men dressed the same way with their hands joined together. Then some more men who looked as though they might be priests, wearing black hats that had little black tufts. Then came another man in the same robes as the others and finally a priest in a very ornate gold embroidered purple cloak, also wearing one of those little black hats. They came before the altar and the priests all took off their hats and genuflected together. Everyone seemed to know where to go, scattering to various seats. The men with the candles put them in front of the altar and sat on seats to the side. ?O Lord, open thou our lips,? sang the priest. ?And our mouth shall show forth thy praise,? everyone responded. Most of the sound came from the gallery behind Mandy. The choir, she realised. The singing went on, priest and people responding to each other. It?s very soothing, thought Mandy. Then everyone sat down, and there was more chanting, soft and unhurried. It sounded sad yet hopeful. ?Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice. O let thine ears consider well: the voice of my complaint...? That?s how I?ve felt a bit lately, thought Mandy. The sad and solemn sounds seemed to strike a chord. She listened intently as another line seemed to speak to her. ?O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy: and with him is plenteous redemption...? Redemption. Perhaps that was what she had been longing for in recent years. A second chance. A new life. But not like this! It depends how you use it, she told herself. For the first time since her transformation she did not feel panicked when she considered her situation. The chanting had stopped and someone was reading. ?Isaiah? did the woman say? It was about someone who had suffered terribly, though he had done no wrong. He would bear the iniquities of many and make them righteous. They were singing a hymn now. Not like the hymns she had sung in the school chapel when she was a young boy. They had been very rousing patriotic hymns, mostly. This one was being sung without the organ. Again it sounded mournful and solemn, but although it was slow it had a strange and rousing rhythm, and it seemed to suggest a secret promise. ?The royal banners forward go; The Cross shines forth in mystic glow; Where he in flesh, our flesh who made, Our sentence bore, our ransom paid ... ?O Cross, our one reliance, hail! So may thy power with us avail To give new virtue to the saint, And pardon to the penitent ...? The hymn was over. More chanting. Now the priest and others seemed to have stirred. Mandy looked intently to see what was going on. Incense. They were piling incense into a censor, and now the priest was swinging it towards the altar as he walked back and forth. The choir was singing: ?My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my saviour; For he hath regarded: the lowliness of his handmaiden ...? Another reading. The crucifixion of Jesus. Mocking, jeering crowds. His death. The centurion saying, ?Truly this was the Son of God.? Then singing again. ?Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace: according to thy word ...? More chanting. ?I believe in God ...? they all sang. More of the to and fro between priest and people. Everyone seemed to know the correct responses, but Mandy just listened. She hadn?t even opened the books she had been given. She preferred to soak it up. The choir sang something polyphonic. It was hauntingly beautiful, and actually brought Mandy to tears. ?Miserere nostri, Domine,? They sang the same line in Latin over and over, each voice sounding by turns pleading, desperate, longing, hopeful, trusting, serene, as if they represented all of humanity calling out from the toiling masses. Is it Tallis? Palestrina? Mandy seemed to recognise the style vaguely from CDs she once had or perhaps a concert Derek had gone to years ago. There was another hymn. Then one of the priests, not the one who had worn the splendid purple robe (which he had now removed), preached a short sermon from the tall and ornate pulpit. The crosses and images were veiled, he explained, in accordance with the ancient practice of the Catholic Church during Passiontide as a mark of restraint and to help us to focus on the suffering of the Lord. The Cross would be revealed in all its glory on Good Friday as the symbol of our redemption. The gist of what followed seemed to be that it would soon be Holy Week, and everyone should try to find time in their busy lives to enter fully into the mystery of the events being commemorated and they should allow themselves to be transformed by this experience. Allow themselves to be transformed! thought Mandy. What if you don?t have any choice? Still, it was worth thinking about. Another hymn. There was a collection of money and Mandy put in ?20. The music alone was worth that much, she thought. It must be about to finish, she decided. But then she noticed that the robed men had been lighting more candles on the altar during the hymn. Something seemed to be about to happen. Everyone knelt, including all the priests and robed men. One of the priests had put on a golden robe and now went up to the domed structure on the altar and opened a door in it. Bells began to ring, not from the bell tower, but from somewhere in the church. The priest placed something in a big golden stand (which looked a bit like a bedside lamp in the shape of a sun) on the altar. Then, walking backwards to the top of the steps, he too knelt. That must be something very precious in that stand, Mandy thought to herself. Everyone was singing. He knelt while he swung the censor towards the golden stand. There was silence for a while. Then a priest prayed. Then more silence. Everyone was invited to make their own silent prayers to God. I just pray everything works out with school, Mandy thought. That I don?t make a fool of myself. And that Emma and Peter will be okay. And Dianne. More singing and swinging of incense. Something started to happen again. A long golden cloth was put on the shoulders of the priest and tied in front with ribbons. Then he went up to the golden stand. Bells started to ring and one of the robed men swung the censor. The priest picked up the stand. He turned to face the body of the church, and holding the stand in the folds of the big cloth, he traced the shape of a cross with the stand over all the kneeling people. He?s giving a blessing, Mandy realised, a really big important one. Then he put it back on the altar. Some final prayers, a final song as the priest opened the door of the structure again, removed and replaced whatever he had put in it earlier and put away the stand, and all the robed men and priests left. The organ played softly for a while. Many people stayed kneeling and praying. Others were getting up to leave. Mandy felt reluctant to go. Does this mean I believe in God? Mandy asked herself. Don?t be so stupid, of course you believe in God, she thought. She sighed. Time to go. ?Hello,? said the priest who had done all the singing and who had been shaking hands with everyone as they went out the door. He seemed very kind and intelligent and had a very quiet voice. ?Drinks in the Presbytery tonight if you?d like to join us. You?re most welcome. Or some soft drink,? he added as he shook Mandy?s hand. He seemed to be unsure whether she was legally old enough to drink alcohol. The thought occurred to Mandy that probably she wasn?t. Others were heading down the street in a group, evidently having accepted the invitation to have a drink on a cold night. ?Fox and Hounds for us, Father,? one of them called, ?maybe next Sunday.? Some people were standing nearby, smiling at her. ?Thank you so much! That?s very kind,? Mandy answered, ?but I?m afraid I have to get home.? ?Perhaps another time, then,? he said. ?Yes, that would be lovely.? ?Good night,? called the people who had been standing nearby. Mandy said goodbye and began to walk back to the apartment very briskly. It was nearly seven o?clock and Emma might be wondering where she was. BUT there was no one home when Mandy returned. She felt a little hungry, but decided to wait until Emma got back before she had dinner. In the meantime, she could try using the laptop to access the apartment?s automatic functions, since she had noticed earlier that it had already established a connection on the network. Mandy clicked ?connect to server? under ?Go? in the menu bar, and there appeared ?My Apartment? in the list of available drives. Another drive called ?Maintenance? also appeared. It must be part of the apartment?s computer system, she thought. That was probably the one she wanted. She selected it, and a disk image called Maintenance mounted on her computer desktop. Mandy double-clicked it and it opened. There was a single folder on the disk. ?School? it said. She felt a tingle down her spine as she opened the folder. There were two more folders inside, labelled ?GCSEplus? and ?A Levels?. She opened GCSEplus. The folder contained a number of other files. They were called ?Art & Design?, ?Dance?, ?Dress and Textiles?, ?English?, ?English Literature?, ?Ethics?. ?Fashion Design?, ?French?, ?History?, ?Information and Communication Technology?, ?key Skills?, ?Mathematics?, ?Music?, ?Physical Education?, ?Religious Studies? and ?Science?. She looked inside the A Levels folder, and found four other folders named ?Biology?, ?English Language & Literature?, ?General Studies? and ?Performance Studies?. They were all the subjects she was doing for her A Levels, she realised. And the GCSE folders were the subjects she was supposed to have already done. Perhaps the school had sent her some notes. But if that were the case how did they know where to send it? She went back to the GCSE folder and opened English. There seemed to be a lot of processor activity as the file loaded, as the computer?s cooling fan worked away. It must be a very big file, Mandy thought. The screen went blue and filled with numbers. Some sort of code, she supposed. Line after line, millions of numbers. She gazed at it intently. It was important that she keep staring at the numbers, she realised. Why wouldn?t she? They held her riveted. Just keep looking, and it will all be clear, she knew. She remembered thinking how silent it was. She could hear her own breathing, loud and rasping in the utter stillness. She could hear her heart beating. It seemed slow. How calm she felt! She had a sense of time passing, how long she wasn?t sure. She seemed to be on the second file now. Or was it the third. Maybe the fifth. Anyway, she?d looked at quite a few. They were all filled with beautiful numbers that held her mesmerised and unable to look away. She had no desire to look anywhere else anyway. There was no need to think of anything else. No need to think of anything at all. Just ? keep ? looking ? SOMEONE was shaking her. Where was she? She blinked at the brightness of the light. ?Wake up, Mandy. Are you all right? Why were you sitting here in the dark?? It was Emma. ?Oh, hi Em,? said Mandy. ?Have I been asleep? What time is it?? ?It?s after midnight? Emma replied. ?You were really soundly asleep. Sorry I?m so late. I just had to finish those essays or I would?ve been in real trouble. You weren?t worried were you?? ?Worried? No,? Mandy said, yawning. ?Did you say midnight? I must have fallen asleep. I was using the computer. I was about to have something for dinner.? She rubbed her eyes. She had a sharp headache, just behind the eyes. ?Have you been asleep on the couch since dinner time?? Emma barked. ?While I?ve been slaving away all day and night on my assignments?? ?I?I think so,? Mandy said, giving her head a shake and continuing to rub her eyes. She still felt tired. She really felt like she needed to go to bed. ?How did you go with your assignments?? she asked Emma, looking round the room. The curtains were open and she could see it was night outside. ?Curtains, street, close,? she said firmly before Emma could answer, and after a bleep they began to close automatically. Mandy noticed her laptop on the floor near the sofa. It was still open. ?All finished, thank heavens,? Emma said. ?And I?m quite pleased. Have you done anything today apart from sleeping?? Mandy smiled at Emma. ?I?ve done a lot!? she said, ?and I?m preparing a wonderful surprise for you! At least, I hope it?s wonderful.? ?What sort of surprise?? Emma asked, sitting down beside Mandy. Mandy shook her head. ?It won?t be a surprise if I tell you. It will be ready on Thursday. You?ll just have to wait until then.? Mandy started to pick up the computer and was checking to see if it was all right. She hoped it hadn?t fallen off the couch while she slept. She clicked on a few items in the menu bar. Much to her relief it seemed to be working perfectly. Then she noticed the icon on the desktop: Maintenance. ?Wait Em, I?m beginning to remember something. I was checking some stuff on the computer when I found a disk on the network called Maintenance. See? There it is. I thought it was to do with, like, the apartment or something, but it?s not. It?s from ?them?. Look.? She double-clicked on the icon to open it. The folder Ongoing Adaptive Protocol was there. She opened it and the folder School appeared in the open window. She double-clicked on it to open it. A message box appeared: This program has expired and will now uninstall automatically. Okay? ?Look, Em! This afternoon this was full of files on my school subjects. I started looking at them, and I think I went into some sort of a trance.? ?Let me see that,? said Emma, taking the laptop. Nothing she did on the computer seemed to work. ?We?ll have to click ?Okay?,? she said to Mandy. ?I know,? Mandy said. Emma clicked ?Okay?. The box closed and another appeared. It said: Uninstalling A progress bar was underneath the message, and it soon reached the end. The computer now seemed to be functioning normally, except that all windows and programs had closed. Emma tried to open the icon labelled Maintenance. A message came up: The server you are trying to connect to is not available The icon disappeared. ?That?s very strange,? Emma said. ?That could have been hard evidence to back up your story, you know. What was in the files?? Emma asked Mandy. ?I think they were to do with subjects at school. I don?t remember what was in them.? ?Pity they weren?t cheat notes on all the stuff you have to learn,? said Emma. Her tone was light, but she was frowning as she tried to figure out what she had just seen.? ?Yeah, I know!? said Mandy. ?Wouldn?t that have been great!? Emma put the laptop on the sofa between herself and Mandy. She looked at Mandy with concern. Mandy was rubbing her eyes again. ?Are you sure you?re all right?? she said. ?I?m not sure. Emma, I?m studying Biology, right?? Emma confirmed this. Mandy went on, ?It?s Genetics. We?re focussing on Genetics. I?ve never studied Genetics, Emma! I?ve never studied it!? ?Look, you have to pull yourself together. There?s nothing to be gained worrying yourself to death about it. You?ve got a whole year or more.? Emma gave Mandy?s hand a squeeze. ?Em, I think they were cheat notes,? Mandy said. ?What do you mean?? asked Emma. ?DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid) is, like, the genetic material that stores all of the genetic information in its nucleotide sequence,? Mandy began. ?It?s made up of building units called nucleotides. Now a nucleotide contains a nitrogenous base, phosphate group and deoxyribose. An organic molecule containing a nitrogenous base called purine or pyrimidine is present in the nucleotide. Are you with me? Purines can be adenine or guanine, and pyrimidines are cytosine, thymine or Uracil. Depending on the number of phosphate groups present in nucleotides, they are known as nucleotide monophosphates, diphosphates or triphosphates.? Emma gaped at Mandy. Mandy continued, ?DNA is a very long thread-like molecule?I always knew it was a molecule! ?made up of a very large (and I mean very large) number of deoxyribonucleotides joined together. It?s a linear double stranded polymer made up of deoxyribonucleotides. ?What are they made of? you may ask. Well, Deoxyribonucleotide is made up of a sugar called deoxyribose, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. ?Where will I find it? DNA is located in the nucleus. Now, nucleotides are joined together by a phosphodiester bond in a condensation reaction. A double helix is formed when two strands are joined together by hydrogen bonds.? Mandy was gesturing with her hands to illustrate what she was saying. ?Interestingly, the double helix is anti-parallel! Both the stands run in opposite directions and are parallel to each other.? Mandy shook her head in wonder as she contemplated the double helix. ?Genes?you probably know this?are the functional unit of DNA, usually a segment of DNA in a chromosome. (Oh, by the way, RNA is a ? umm ? yes, a linear polymer in which nucleotides are linked together by means of phosphodiester bridges. Of course it doesn?t form a double helix like DNA.) The genetic information is copied from DNA to mRNA in cells by base complementation mechanisms, therefore the DNA molecule can be hybridized to RNA to detect its own expression.? ?DNA molecules are replicated precisely before cells divide. Every single time! The replication is semi-conservative, with the double strand open to form a replication fork. Then one strand (the leading strand) is synthesized continuously, while the other strand (the lagging strand) is synthesized as Okazaki fragments and then ligated together to form a continuous molecule.? At both ends of the DNA molecules, there is a, like, special structure called telomeres which contain lots of tandem repeats to protect the DNA molecules from shortening. The telomeres affect how our cells age. Among other things of course.? ?That sounds about right,? said Emma doubtfully. She had studied biology for her own A Levels (to AS level), but she had always got muddled by the terminology. Emma was always a humanities girl, not sciences. Like her father, Dianne used to say. ?Want to hear about chromosomes?? said Mandy. ?Go on, ask me anything.? ?How do you know all this? Have you been swatting up? I?m impressed. Actually, very impressed,? Emma said. ?Didn?t you hear what I said, Em? I?ve never studied Genetics. Never. I don?t know why, because it?s actually pretty interesting,? Mandy reflected, ?and not nearly as complicated as I thought.? Emma considered Mandy. ?So how do you explain this?? she asked. ?It was in the files. I told you before, I opened them on the computer and I don?t remember much after that. Until you woke me up just now. But I seem to know all my school subjects.? Mandy seemed to be concentrating. ?I can remember junior and middle school science as well! I know about other biology, and physics and chemistry! Well, a bit, anyway. I know Maths. I understand calculus! (God, I hate calculus!) And I think I can dance! Really dance! I know about clothes design, and textiles. Shit! I know about literary deconstruction! And guess what? There?s something to it! Though falling into disrepute these days, thankfully.? ?Do you mean to tell me,? Emma began, ?that I?ve just spent twelve hours finishing just two assignments which I spent weeks researching, and you downloaded your entire school curriculum straight into your brain in a single afternoon? That?s cheating!? It was Mandy?s turn to gape. ?But don?t you see, Em? This means I can do it! I can actually go through with it! I can finish school! I might even be able to enjoy it a bit, now. Think about it from my point of view. The nightmare just got a bit better. Or it?s changed, anyway,? she added with a little less certainty. Emma looked uncomfortable. ?You?re right of course. I?m really sorry for saying what I said. It?s been a long hard day. And what you say is pretty amazing. If knowledge can be downloaded into the brain, this could change the world. Mandy, this is scary.? ?It?s not just knowledge, don?t forget,? said Mandy, ?my whole DNA and I think personality has been changed. I don?t know whose life I?m living! Or why it?s happening to me. Except I sort of wished it. By accident,? she added, timidly. ?Is it still a nightmare?? Emma said, concerned by what Mandy had said a moment before. ?Sometimes,? she answered. ?Other times I think it?s the best thing that?s ever happened. Maybe if I couldn?t remember being any different I?d be less scared. It?s not knowing who I am that gets to me sometimes. Thank heaven I?ve got you, Em. I?ve said it before, but I don?t know what I?d do without you.? The two girls hugged each other tightly. A troubling thought occurred to Emma. ?Mandy, that?s a lot of knowledge you seem to have suddenly acquires. I wonder?do you think it?s, you know, overwritten other stuff? Memories, or things they didn?t think you?d need any more?? Mandy thought hard. Finally she gave a groan of exasperation. ?How can I remember if I?ve forgotten something?? she said. ?Try and remember something specific,? Emma suggested. ?Do you remember when you first met Mum?? ?Yes,? Mandy answered, ?yes I do. It was at university. We were both at Cambridge. Queen?s College. I met her on her very first day in college. I was a year ahead, of course, reading Music and History as well as Law.? ?Do you remember any Law? Or anything you studied at school as a boy? Who was your teacher in Fifth Grade?? Emma asked. Mandy frowned in concentration. ?I seem to remember Law. Torts and Contracts, Court Procedures, the Finance Act, Conveyancing.? Mandy yawned. ?It?s all there. My school days? St Dunstan?s College, Catford. Lovely school. I would have liked you and Peter to have gone there, but they went co-educational and Dianne was against it. Besides, she went to St Paul?s Girls School herself and wanted the same for you, and then it seemed to make sense to send Peter to St Paul?s.? ?And your Fifth-Grade teacher?? asked Emma. ?Crooks. Mr Crooks. I liked him. Gilbert and Sullivan fan. Emma, it all seems to be still there.? ?Thank heavens!? said Emma, clearly relieved. ?So you also remember ?me? ?and Peter? As babies? Children?? ?I remember, Em,? Mandy said, giving Emma?s hand a squeeze. They sat in relieved silence for a while. ?Did you have dinner?? Mandy said at last. I?m absolutely famished.? ?I had a sandwich about six hours ago, said Emma. ?I could certainly manage a snack. But nothing too fattening. I?ve put on four pounds this week. I?m going on a diet tomorrow. You?d better watch your weight too, the way you seem to eat all the time. Especially chocolate.? ?They headed down to the kitchen. Mandy prepared a cold collation for Emma and grilled cheese on toast for herself. It was after one in the morning when they finished their supper and headed off to bed. Mandy still intended to be up bright and early to be ready to catch the train to Ealing. There was no point taking a taxi in the morning rush hour, a train would be the fastest way to get there. But she certainly didn?t want to be late and get into trouble on her first day. ABOUT two o?clock Emma was woken by a voice. ?Em, are you asleep?? ?Not any more,? she said groggily. ?Em, I can?t get to sleep. Can I sleep with you tonight?? said Mandy. ?All right,? said Emma. ?Climb in.? ?Thanks, Em.? Mandy slid into the bed beside Emma. ?Did I tell you? I went to church earlier tonight,? Mandy said yawning. ?No,? said Emma, ?you didn?t. What for?? Mandy made no reply. She was sound asleep.