Earth s CoreChapter 9 Earth s Cores Are Peculiar
- 4 years ago
- 43
- 0
November 1978
I woke up Monday morning feeling uneasy about everything. The last week had brought to the surface some kind of problem with Jennifer. I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. I knew she was unhappy with Melanie. Her visceral reaction to Melanie was similar to her original reaction to Becky. It made me wonder if the same would come for Joyce at some time. What would I do in that case?
I could understand better if Jennifer hadn’t refused my offer of a promise ring. I had offered her to be exclusive, and I was sure that I could keep that promise. I understood her desire to let me have freedom in Sweden. I was driving myself crazy again. I kept analyzing my situation over and over and couldn’t make heads or tails out of it.
I went to swim laps before school, hoping that it would help clear my head, but it didn’t work. I took a long hot shower which also didn’t work. I got on bus #8 and sat in my usual seat. As the bus made its rounds, I went over and over what had happened over the last two years. And I kept coming back to one thing. I couldn’t accept that analysis and tried other lines of attack. They all led to the same point.
Something was wrong with Jennifer and Melanie. What was the difference between Melanie and Becky? And then it dawned on me. Now I knew what was bothering her! What scared her! We had even talked about it. At lunch, I asked Jennifer to talk privately. I knew school was a bad place to do it, but I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything and needed to talk to her.
“Jennifer, we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Why you’re OK with me having sex with Becky and not Melanie? Why you have such a visceral reaction to Melanie?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on Jen. You basically told me to screw Becky silly and do it until she couldn’t walk. When Melanie asked for the same thing, you freaked out. Both of them said they loved me. Becky still hopes for a relationship down the road. Melanie is actually willing to settle just for sex, but would like a relationship. What’s the difference?”
“I don’t know, it’s just different,” she said softly.
“I can tell you what it is. What it is that scares you; what really freaks you out.”
“Can you really?”
“Melanie scares you because you like it when you two are together and kiss and stuff. Not only do you like it, you want to do it. And thinking about it turns you on in a way you can’t handle. You’re freaked out by it.”
She started crying, and I knew I was right.
“Jennifer, truthfully, did you like it?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“And it scares you.”
“Yes,” she whispered again.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“So your response to your fear was to lash out at Melanie.”
“Yes. And she tried to kill herself because I did.”
“Right now, blame isn’t what it important. Helping Melanie is.”
“I still feel guilty.”
“Jennifer, she’s alive. Let’s help her. But let’s help you, too.”
“Help me?”
“Yes. Figure out how you can be Melanie’s friend and not be afraid. She needs us as friends.”
“But what about my desire to do stuff with her?”
“I seem to recall a similar conversation between us about me and my sister. You think I’m not scared about that? Scared out of my mind?”
“You’re scared?”
“Terrified! What if I hurt her? What if it ruins our relationship? What if it harms her psychological state? What if we get caught?”
“But you’re going to do it, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Jennifer. I am. Because despite all the fears, all the concerns, I love Stephanie. And if that’s what she really, truly wants, I’ll do that for her.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. I figured that no matter what you said, when push came to shove, you would refuse.”
“I can’t. Just like you can’t with Melanie.”
“What?”
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Then don’t cut her out of your life. I’m not telling you to do stuff with her, but don’t lash out at her because you’re afraid. Would you let me lash out at Stephanie because of my fears?”
“No.”
“And you’re not leaving me for her?”
“No! Of course not!” Jennifer said, surprised.
“OK. So, can we fix this with Melanie?”
Jennifer sighed.
“Yes. We can. We can fix it!” she said firmly, “Let’s get Larry to take us after school. We’ll fix it.”
I felt a lot better. Now it was a matter of getting my friend healthy. I found Larry, and he agreed to drive us right after school. I called home and told dad and he said it was OK.
We arrived at the hospital to find Mrs. Spencer with Melanie. I asked the nurse to have her come out.
“Mrs. Spencer, I think I can fix most of the issues if Jennifer and I can see Melanie together for about ten minutes. Can you get permission for that?”
“How?”
“We know the source of the problem that pushed her over the edge. She’ll still need help to find out why she tried to kill herself, but I think we can solve the thing that pushed her over the edge. We’re pretty sure that we can fix our friendship.”
“Give me a few minutes.”
She went to the nurses’ station, and they called the staff psychologist’s office. The psychologist came up and talked to me. I explained that we were the ones who had upset her so badly, had realized it, and that we both needed to apologize to her and let her know we loved her. She gave us permission.
We walked into the room.
“Hi, Melanie, I brought someone to see you.”
“Jennifer?” she said, frowning. “Why?”
“Because we both need to apologize to you. And Jennifer needs to explain something to you.”
“Apologize? Why?”
“Melanie, I’m sorry I lashed out at you,” Jennifer said. “I shouldn’t have done it. We can fix this.”
“How?”
“First off, you get well. Second, you go to Prom with Steve. Third, you have my permission to screw him silly on Prom night.”
“What?!”
“Melanie, I freaked out because I liked kissing you and all that other stuff. And it scared me. I’m sorry. If you want to fuck his brains out, do it. But you have to get healthy first.”
Melanie’s eyes were almost bugging out as she took in what Jennifer had just said. Even though I’d talked it over with Jennifer, how would Melanie react?
“Really, Jennifer?”
“Yes, Melanie. And we’ll talk. The three of us. We can figure this out.”
Melanie beamed, the clouds on her face disappeared in an instant.
“I’m looking forward to Prom,” I said.
“Thanks, Steve. Thanks, Jennifer,” she whispered.
“We should go. We have limited time in here together,” I said.
“OK.”
“I think you can have what you wanted last time.”
I leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Jennifer looked at me and I nodded. She leaned over and kissed Melanie on the lips.
Melanie looked radiant.
We walked out.
“Doctor, I think you’ll find her attitude completely changed.”
“What?! Let me go talk to her. Wait here, please.”
“OK,” I said.
“When we’re done here, I need to go somewhere private with you!” Jennifer whispered.
About 20 minutes later, the psychologist came out.
“That’s the most amazing turnaround in attitude. She still has issues, especially with the suicidal thoughts as a response to emotional trauma, but you two restoring your friendship with her has been a big step. I think we can work on the core problems now.”
“Thanks, Doctor,” I said.
I called Dad from a payphone and told him I was having dinner at Jennifer’s and her mom would bring me home.
“Jennifer, let’s go to your house, OK?”
“Sure! I’ll call my mom and make sure it’s OK for Larry and you to come to dinner.”
She made the call, got a positive response, and we headed out. Once dinner was over, Larry left and Jennifer and I went to the basement. I had thought we’d end up in her room, but I guess she wanted to talk.
“Let’s talk,” she said.
“Sure,” I agreed.
“How do we move forward? How do we know the right thing to do?”
“All we can do is do our best at any given moment. Look at how many mistakes we make. But in the end, we find the right thing to do. Remember my struggle with hurting people? And how you told me not to stop trying to love people? Well, that’s all we can do. Try to do the right thing, fix any mistakes and move on. That’s what I do. And I mess up all the time.”
“I remember you said that at one point, you could only do the right thing after doing the wrong thing. That’s a horrible way to live.”
“Yeah, but it’s life. I’ve learned that. You can’t avoid hurting people. It’s impossible. I tried. Birgit tried to avoid hurting me by not doing anything about her feelings and that hurt me, and we lost about eight months of a possible relationship. I ended up hurting both Becky and you by trying to avoid hurting you.”
“That sucks,” Jennifer sighed.
“It does. But what’s the alternative? Melanie’s solution?”
“NO!”
“Exactly. I had a few months of therapy to help me get past Birgit. And look at all the crap I went through. And I dragged you through it with me.”
“No, I went willingly; you didn’t drag me.”
“Yes, you did. And we went willingly to help Melanie. It’s not going to be pretty despite her attitude change today. There’s something deeply wrong with Melanie that is going to take a professional to find and help her with. I went willingly to help Bethany through her situation. I spent most of that time walking through mine fields and stepping on land mines. And yet, look what happened.”
“Yeah, you did your magic, screwed her silly, gave her some orgasms, and she’s now a normal person dating a Junior!”
“As if it were that easy. Oh, and she gave as good as she got in the screwing department!”
“Wow! And you know I’m teasing.”
“This is hard Jennifer. We have friends who have problems. WE have problems. We have to deal with them. I don’t care to discuss the alternative to not working on the problems.”
“Can we discuss me?”
“Yes.”
“Why am I afraid?”
“The same reason I am. Life presents us with scary situations all the time. We’re teenagers with very few experiences. But you know what? Even adults are afraid.”
“Like?”
“My mom is afraid that I’m growing up. She’s scared to death of that. Melanie’s parents are afraid that Melanie might try to kill herself again. Becky’s parents are afraid she’s going to pine for me forever. Your parents are afraid we won’t last. And so on. And those are just SOME of their problems. I’m sure they have problems with their relationships, their friends, and their work.”
“True.”
“And I already told you how scared I am of the situation with Stephanie; just like you’re scared of the situation with Melanie.”
“So what do I do?”
“I can’t answer that for you. There are two choices, do it or don’t. But don’t blame Melanie for how you feel. I have the same choice with Stephanie, do it or don’t. But I can’t lash out at her or blame her for how I feel.”
“True. You’re really going to make love to Stephanie? You really have decided to do what she asked?”
“Yes, Jennifer. I don’t see any reasonable way to turn her down. I’ll deal with my fears. They’re mine. She’s absolutely sure that’s what she wants.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I let her know I knew what she wanted. And she knows that I’ll do it when she asks.”
“Oh my God!”
“Wait, I thought you said it was beautiful and I shouldn’t worry about what other people think?”
“I wasn’t objecting. I just thought you would let your fears stop it. Can you help me get past my fears?”
“Do you want to? Really want to?”
May 15, 1992, Glencoe, Illinois “Join me in my study, if you would,” Noel Spurgeon said when we finished our dessert. It had been an interesting evening. Samantha and I had talked for a bit before we’d been summoned to dinner. The meal had been prepared by a chef and was served by a white-coated young man. Again, this was a far cry from Lois at the van Hoeks’ house. What wasn’t a far cry was the fact that I was having dinner with a man who knew I was going to be sleeping with his daughter...
June 23, 1994, Oguni, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan My first week in Japan flew by, and a routine developed. Sakurako would wake me; I’d exercise and run, then shower and have breakfast, and share tea with Sakurako. After breakfast, I’d meditate, and then have my training session. After lunch, I’d work in the garden, or, as I had this day, wash the floors in the house. Hiroshi would accompany me back to the cottage and we’d talk while I washed up and dressed for dinner. After dinner, I’d spend...
“The ancients took war seriously. The AIs made sure we trained until the last second, and we have tasks yet to complete,” said Linda. Porquenta says he is benefitting far more than he expected from the contact with both Jones and the ships, but he is hard-pressed to keep up. The AIs analyze every battle in exhaustive detail. They asked for information about every aspect of the vessel from the Schlogg about our moon dreadnaught. They are continually talking to the teams on the ground in Bekta...
June 15, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “That’s everything, I think,” I said. “My luggage is in the trunk of the car, I have my passport, tickets, and money, both dollars and yen. I can’t think of anything else.” “I’ll see you in five weeks,” Elyse said, giving me a quick hug. “Did you see they rioted in Vancouver last night because they lost the Stanley Cup?” I chuckled, “Only Canadians would riot when they LOSE the Cup! I did see that on the front page of the Trib. Are we ready?” “Michelle and...
August 1981, Chicago, Illinois On Sunday morning, I made my usual call to Karin. I described everything in the apartment and all the things I’d done during the week, including the reception. Both of us would start school in a week and we were both looking forward to it. When we finished talking, I went out for my run, showered, and ate breakfast. I made some tea, started a load of laundry, and then turned on the stereo. I put on an REO Speedwagon album and then relaxed on the couch with the...
August 21, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “Unbelievable,” I said when I read the headline from the Chicago Tribune. “It says here that Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki was nominated to be Prime Minister of Poland.” I hadn’t had a chance to read the paper on Sunday because it hadn’t been delivered before we left for the race track in Michigan. “So now what?” Kara asked. “We’re in totally uncharted territory. Your guess is as good as anyone’s right about now.” “Steve, do you have a minute?”...
July, 1983, Chicago, Illinois I woke up early on the First of July, because my body clock was still set to Swedish time. The flight back had been long but uneventful, and I was happy that the businessman in the seat next to me hadn’t wanted to talk. I read, wrote some longhand journal entries, ate, and generally relaxed while the plane zipped over the Atlantic. I’d come home, taken a sauna, eaten a light meal, and gone straight to bed, not bothering to check messages, look at the mail that...
June 1977 When I got home, I grabbed a Coke and some chips and went right to my room. I didn’t think I could deal with my parents or Jeff or Stephanie. I just needed to be by myself. That wouldn’t seem odd to anyone, because I often went to my room to read. In addition, I now had the TV I’d received for my birthday. I flipped it on to WXIX Channel 19 and reruns of Gilligan’s Island and Green Acres played in the background while I read. I had to get my mind clear for the final exams that...
July, 1982, Milford, Ohio I woke up early on Friday morning to make breakfast for Kara and her mom before she went to work. Mrs. Blanchard was surprised, but very pleased. After her mom left for work, Kara gave me a fierce kiss. “Thanks for staying in and cooking breakfast for us,” Kara said. “I hope that doesn’t cause you trouble with Stephanie, with you breaking your normal routine.” “Don’t worry about it,” I said, kissing her back. “We got in a bit later than I expected, and she’ll...
July, 1983, Chicago, Illinois After Rosie left, I stripped the sheets from my bed, as well as the cover of the duvet, and tossed everything into the washing machine. I lit a lavender candle in the room, and then swept and dusted. I did a quick spot-check of the rest of the house and noticed that the tub in the sauna needed to be cleaned. I scrubbed it, then mopped the sauna floor with a damp sponge mop. I finished cleaning the sauna about the time the washing machine finished, so I moved...
May 26, 1991, Iron Mountain, Michigan “Shall we see if we can find a farm?” I asked at breakfast on Sunday morning. “That sounds like a great idea,” Jessica said. “There’s a visitor’s bureau in town,” Kara said. “I saw it when we were here the first time.” “I’m sorry I ruined that vacation,” Jessica said. “Ruined?” I protested. “Are you kidding? Getting you back was way more important than a few days of vacation!” “I agree,” Kara added. “Jess, you know exactly how bad off Steve was...
August, 1984, Chicago, Illinois The rest of the week proceeded as expected - class on Wednesday, as well as the usual visit from Penny, work on Thursday, and class on Friday. Kara and I had lunch together at IIT, Sofia practiced her driving and parking, and I hung out with Mark Agnini after class for beers. Staci and I got into a couple of interesting debates about the Old Testament that Mark had to break up to allow others in the class to participate. She was very much of the ‘directly...
The second in April, year 5785. Three o'clock in the afternoon. A line of eleven parked busses stretched to a bit over a hundred meters at the entrance to tunnel seventy seven from cave twenty five. Families from all over cave twenty five accompanied their eligible youngsters and saw them get on the busses. Approximately six hundred and forty participants were about to be sent from cave twenty five, this year. For the second consecutive year Zetsa volunteered as the representative...
"Family elder Dulsan! Family elder Buthon!" The men and women, Mist Users of the Derneldar family, cried as they doubted their own eyes. In a swift confrontation, which was supposed to be in their advantage, two of their family elders, Core Masters, died too quickly and gruesomely. Dinar and the remaining four Core Masters showed restraint on the outside, but on the inside they felt as if a macabre force was suffocating them, surpassing even their auras from breaking out. What represented...
March 25, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “What time do I need to have you home?” “8:00pm will be fine,” Misty replied. “My parents are in Normal visiting my brother at Illinois State. They aren’t supposed to be home before 10:00pm.” Misty and I were in my car on the way to the NIKA apartment which, fortunately, was not being used. With our expansion, it was in more or less regular use, and that meant I didn’t have access to it as often as I would have liked. I was glad there had been a delay in...
Of Zushi's group of eight, the five boys walked barefooted in the shallow water of the river, less than a meter from the river's banks, where the three girls followed at the same pace. Zax turned his Soul Sense On and Off every ten minutes as if it was a light switch. If there were Earth's Cores in the river, his Soul Sense only enabled him to tell where they were not. One positive thing, which evolved from this tedious repetitiveness, was that little by little Zax got more used to the...
Year 4925, seventy-five years before the new millennia, three humans made a blood oath for peace with two beasts, each side representing its own species. "Your prediction was right, Raroken". On the back of the giant dragon beast, Raroken, sat Raroma crossed arms. The two headed back to their tribe. "The three had the smell of other humans' blood when they arrived; apparently there were disputes over the offer..." "Human beings always the same, yet once in a while there are...
“I thought that my son could be the heir, I’ve given up my chance the day he was born. Not long after, however, you appeared. And when I heard that you tried to steal the Black Core, I had a bad premonition...” Yurnal narrated in an aggravated tone. He raised his gaze and glared at Zax as if he hoped that mere eyesight could take a life. He may have agreed to hand over the Black Core, but was it going to be an easy exchange? “You won’t get it for free. Even without the other three Black...
October 29, 1996, Chicago, Illinois “Aren’t you going to say SOMETHING?” Penny asked. “About what?” “Oh for fuck’s sake! My engagement!” “I told you ‘congratulations’,” I replied evenly. “And then you went back to work as if I’d said the rain had stopped or we were out of TP in the bathrooms!” “What did you want me to say? I can’t interfere in ANY way with you and Terry. You two need to work it out between yourselves. I’m happy that you’re doing that. But Penny, remember what caused...
"Even within the Core Master level there are more levels?" Zax raised his head quizzically. Carl taught Zax that not all Core Masters are equals and that there is even a level higher than a "Core Master", but he did not think that the Core Master level consists of several levels of its own. Rather, Zax thought that the Core Master level is like every other level before it, made out of four phases. "You are incorrect ... Earth's Core holder, Core Breaker, Mist Master, Mist Lord and...
Though mournful for his nephew's death and resentful toward his killer, Dinar did not let his heart waver. He and the hundreds men and women beside him, who waited together for the threatening Core Masters to arrive, have formulated a plan days ago and by letting them encircle him, Zax was already inside the scope of their formation. Jumping a step back behind the line of armed Core Breakers after Zax's response, Dinar bawled. "First step ON!" His commanding family head's tone resonated...
January 17, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “What time do you have to leave this morning?” Kara asked as we showered together on Tuesday morning. “About 8:30am,” I said. “I’m driving over to get Jeri, then heading to O’Hare. We have an 11:00am flight. Assuming all goes well, we’ll be in the office by 3:00pm Pacific time. We’ll spend a couple hours going over the software then go to dinner. The demo is tomorrow. Our flight back on Thursday leaves LA at 11:00am, so we’ll be home by 8:00pm, I...
June 1977 Friday ended up being a non-event. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure that there was no way on this earth I could say what happened between Birgit and me was a sin. Calling it a sin would debase it into a meaningless act. I could never do that. And the more I thought about Jennie McGrath, the more sure I was that I couldn’t call what she did for me a sin, either. If the church was right, I was going to hell. And frankly, there was no way that could be true. So I...
July 22, 2000, Chicago, Illinois “Albert, do you have everything packed?” Mom asked. “Yes, Mom!” I replied, rolling my eyes because she’d asked before I went to bed. “He’ll be fine, Babe,” Dad said. “Let’s walk to the hospital.” I usually didn’t get up early, but Dad had suggested it would help Mom if I walked to the hospital with her because I was leaving to see Jane for three weeks. Mom, Dad, Aunt Kara and I left the house and headed down the sidewalk towards the hospital where Mom and...
May 14, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Start talking!” Melanie demanded when I sat down in her office about an hour later. “There isn’t much to say. Katya found the information for me when I asked her to look into several things about Brandon Littleton, Kevin Lomax, and John Milton.” “Do you know more about him?” “A LOT more. I don’t think you want to know.” “Probably not, but I’m your criminal defense attorney, and even though San Antonio doesn’t have you involved in this, you know the CPD...
“So, how should we do these Stone’s songs?” Phil asked at our rehearsal session. “I think we all know the music, we just need to come up with a pretty awesome arrangement; we don’t want to sound like yet another cheap cover band.” “I had some ideas, if it’s okay for me to make some suggestions,” Allison said. “Of course it is,” Phil said. “Everyone can have a say, there’s no rule that says you can’t participate in the discussion.” “Thanks, Phil, I guess being the newest here, I’m a bit...
Zax moved fast and stealthily through the meadows of the first Savage Cave and then the group of mountains where the entrance to the second Savage Cage was. His Soul Sense inspected every millimeter of the surrounding, detecting many bird type savage beasts and couple of experts who preferred to cultivate their souls in the cavities of the tall mountains. 'Is this the second level Core Master big sister Hagen found?' Zax found a skinny man with lemon skin tone lurking not far from the...
"You are very lucky, Martial son, had Hagen known that you are currently concentrating on comprehending the six bottlenecks of insight instead of cultivation the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement, she would have made you do nothing for a year's time, but trying to comprehend bottlenecks". Kartius chuckled. Zax and his Master left the blue tower and headed to Laivien's valley. "However, your actions are still in need of reprimanding". Kartius's tone changed to severe and his...
May 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois Monday was turning out to be a LONG day. After my run and talk with Gina, and my talk with Elyse, I had a full day at the office scheduled. First was our leadership meeting in the morning, and then I had status meetings with each team. At lunch I’d gone to see Siobhán and explained that I was going to break off the sexual relationship, but that I wanted to remain friends. She was disappointed, but admitted that Thursday would have been the last time, since she...
January 19, 1989, En-Route from LAX to ORD When the engines of the plane started, Jeri reached over and took my hand. She held it while we pushed away from the gate, and taxied for takeoff. Her grip tightened a bit as we hurtled down the runway, but nothing like the death grip she’d had on my arm for the flight out. The plane roared its way into the air and once we leveled out, Jeri’s grip loosened but she didn’t let go of my hand. “How are you doing?” I asked with a touch of...
Alpha Core 13 D, Regrouping By: Stephanie Lynn aka Malissa Madison I'd been driving for about twenty miles when I found myself surrounded by fast moving Muscle Cars. A Charger, and two Mustang Shelby's. the Charger cut in front of me and I automatically braked hard to get out of the box they had me in. but they seemed to anticipate my moves. "Calm down girl, we're here to help you disappear," came the thoughts in my head. I didn't recognize the voices, but something said trust...
A breeze of refinement blew and passed in every reach of Zax's consciousness. The force of perfect completion originated from Zax's newly transformed soul. Deep within the soul itself, the embodiment of existence, the spirit, has taken the shape of a petrified, curled up ten years old boy. "Puah!" The boy opened his sealed mouth, releasing a breath of black particles. The small lifelike particles spun around the spirit and merged with the inward layer of Zax's soul. When the inside of...
September 1982, Chicago, Illinois The weekend was quiet and besides homework, I worked on the program changes for Frank, called Karin, Tatyana, and Kara, and hung out with my usual study group. Monday was refreshingly normal. On Tuesday morning, I handed Katy my completed intake form. She put it in an envelope and stuck it in her bag. She said she’d let me know soon about the interview. On Tuesday afternoon, after having lunch with Stephie, I made my rounds and then I headed over to Sigma...
"Prepare yourself to greet Grandmaster, Martial son". Kartius repeated a last time and averted his gaze to the staircase. "Big brother, I'm sure that you know ... We are waiting for you here". He called and then straightened his black humanoid form. Seeing his Master getting tense up Zax mimicked him and fixed his posture. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! ... Heavy hooves stomped stair after stair after stair with a dominating sound that reverberated through the room, to Zax's head...
October 1982, Chicago, Illinois The drive back to Chicago was as uneventful as usual, and I arrived at the apartment just before 6:00pm. When I arrived, Elyse and Stephie were sitting on the couch and Jackie was sitting on the loveseat. Stephie hopped up as I opened the door and greeted me with a hug and a kiss. “Hi, Peaches!” I said. “Glad you’re home, Yankee!” “Hi, Steve,” Elyse and Jackie both said. “Hey,” I replied. “How was the weekend?” “Well, it was just Kurt with me, Stephie,...
Kartius sat inside a fifty meters deep gorge, shrouded in lava like smoky mist. In his hands he was clasping a black sphere, a Black Core, and on his chest, up where his clavicle was, a lone azure gate was glowing. "Hmm..." Kartius circulated his breath. It helped to bare the pain a little longer, and when it did not, it was good to have the indissoluble Black Core in his hands, to alleviate some of the stress... 'Absolved from Pain and Destruction ... Zax, my Martial son... ' For a...
The hour should have been late at night, but not one could visually tell since very few of the caves in Valgarel possessed a copy or similar formation to the Nightly Cover formation of Kingdom Earth. The debrief and preparations in the blue tower were with accordance to the last scouting report, which meant that the moment all the lines of the formation were ready, the assault would start. Zax stood at the entrance to the tunnel from the side of Grandmaster Kartion's cave. Standing a step...
June 11, 1989, Chicago, Illinois It was just after 3:00am when I kissed Trish goodbye. She’d been an enthusiastic, energetic, and adventurous lover. We’d done just about anything either of us could think of, though her breasts weren’t large enough for a tit-fuck. The last time had been in the shower where we’d ostensibly gone to clean up afterwards, but instead I ended up taking her from behind as she leaned against the wall of the shower. “I think I’ll have you again, Steve Adams,” she...
May 1978 The first couple of weeks in May were busy with school, work, and friends. Except for Becky, I didn’t even have any dates. But I was OK with that. Well, almost OK. I wanted to see Anna, but it likely wasn’t going to happen until school was out. I had tutoring sessions with Melanie, but she still wouldn’t talk to me about anything other than Spanish. Barely a hello. I was grateful for the tutoring, but it was maddening seeing my friend this way. I hoped someday she could understand...
March, 1982, Milford, Ohio As I drove along I-65, I thought about what Stephanie had asked for and what Bethany had said without even knowing about the request. Of course, because Bethany and I were so in tune, she might have actually had an idea that I was struggling with getting involved with my sister again. I kept turning it over and over in my mind and I kept coming to the same conclusion — that I shouldn’t do it. I was torn between doing what Stephanie wanted and doing what Kara and...
September 7, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “That went reasonably well,” Michelle said when her parents drove off. “There were a few times I thought my expression would give away something I shouldn’t. You were messing with me, weren’t you?” She grabbed both my hands and smiled, “I was telling the truth, in my own way. Thank you!” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “So, what’s left?” I asked. “To visit UofC tomorrow and formally withdraw from classes. To spend some time with you and your...
October 1981, Chicago, Illinois I arrived back at the apartment just before 10:00pm and saw the address for the party. I decided I wasn’t particularly interested in going so I put on some music, poured myself a glass of wine, and started reading more about Russia. I was alternating between the history and culture book and the Communist Party book, decided on the history and culture book for this time. I didn’t get much reading done because I was thinking about Tatyana, which led me to...
January 23, 1996, Chicago, Illinois “Father, bless!” I said, greeting Father Basil with upturned palms. “Bless you, Stephen,” he said as I kissed his hand. The waiter showed us to a quiet table along the wall of Roditys in Greektown. He took our drink orders and was back quickly. We placed our food orders right away and he left to put them in with the kitchen. “I’m not quite sure how to address this, so I’m just going to ask you bluntly. Are you the father of Michelle’s baby?” I shook my...
Alpha Core 13D, The Escape By: Stephanie aka Malissa Madison It was never easy for her, she belonged to a branch of the Government that operated in secrecy. She'd been raised by surrogate parents until she was seven, then placed in the barracks with the rest of what was called her Series. She wasn't like most of the others, she could feel it, first there had been the fact that she was in a boy's body. She preferred soft delicate things, appreciating beauty in...
June 29, 1995, Chicago, Illinois On Thursday, I finally had lunch with Melissa again, something I hadn’t been looking forward to. Much like with Cèlia, Melissa and I had passed an inflection point and I was left with sub-optimal paths forward. I’d been struggling with the possible solutions, and all of them had pitfalls. When I walked into Takumi, I had something of a plan. Whether it was good or not would only be known once everything played out. “I spoke to my wives,” I said after we’d...
Waking up Zax was joyful to feel his mom's hand on his face and hearing her voice in the morning, even though the hand slapped him and the voice shouted. "Wake up, honey. Your lunchbox is on the counter". If she kissed him in the forehead and whispered softly Laylen was not his mother. That son of her would not wake up even during a Sun Stone storm, for him it will only be an excuse to skip school. "Get dress and go to school. I'll see you at four". She moved the curtain to allow light...
The mentioning of the Black Core ensued in no reaction of any sort from the two men, other than the shock still plastered on their faces from Zax’s performance. Ozeyn, though, displayed confusion as he wondered what the all too powerful Zax wanted from the pair of tribe elder and his apprentice. “Pretending won’t work”. Zax warned, not caring about the story on how they got and what they know about the Black Core. What he wanted was to receive it and see if both they and Ozeyn could satisfy...
December 5, 2000, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota “I had a good time last night,” I said. “I was surprised you invited a friend!” Mary laughed as we walked into the exam room, “Naomi had a good time as well. You know what a Resident’s life is like.” I nodded, “No social life.” “Exactly. You guys seemed to hit it off pretty well.” “Yes, but I’m not here for that!” “You’re everywhere for that, and you know it!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s just say that you hit the sweet spot -...
"Please, enter and have a seat". "Principal Ram". Inside Don's spacious school principal office, she welcomed in an old man, which seemed to look in his late fifties. The man with light skin, orange hair and red eyes wore a gray suit with fine black designs and was none other than Binjo's father, Dureil Derneldar. "This is not a courtesy visit, so I will not have my secretary serve us anything". From the very moment they sat and were eye to eye, Don's loftiness embedded the air...
Before talking about how long it takes to a practitioner to master the third stage of the Radical Fiery Icy Provocation Qi refining technique, a word of warning must be said. From the four stages of this lurid technique, the third phase of the third stage is the most dangerous! Roughly one out of a one hundred thousand practitioners will have the natural affinity to practice and not suffer the disastrous consequences of this technique. So how long it takes to master the third stage?...
March 1980, Hovås/Göteborg, Sweden I woke early as usual, but just enjoyed being in bed with Katt. When she woke, she hopped out of bed and pulled a robe out of her closet and handed it to me. “There’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Go have your shower, then we’ll have breakfast after I have my shower.” I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, and went back to Katt’s room. She went to shower and came back a few minutes later. She dressed, and I got a very good look at her sexy body...
April 5, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “You missed cuddles this morning!” Birgit said accusingly when I walked into the house about 9:30am. “I know, Pumpkin, but I had a work emergency and had to go see Aunt Joyce and Grandpa A.” “And now we have to get ready for karate!” “I know. We’ll have some family time this afternoon. I don’t have any plans.” “Good!” I hugged her and the rest of the kids, then went to find Kara. We hugged and kissed, and went straight upstairs to get ready for...
September 3, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “Good morning, Sensei,” I said, bowing to Sensei Jim. “Good morning!” he said waving me to a chair in his office. “How was your trip?” I asked. “Enlightening. I spent most of my time acting as a manservant to Sensei Robert and Sensei Hiro.” “He who will lead, must first serve,” I said. “Someday, I’m going to send you to Sensei Hiro, should he live long enough. You understand.” “Does that mean you are now 6th Dan?” I...
This is my Winter Holiday Contest Entry for 2008. Enjoy! –Selena —– Twenty-six degrees below zero, almost total darkness and white-out conditions, but Mary didn’t notice any of it as Finn trudged up behind her, the thick cloud of his breath misting over her shoulder as he watched her work. ‘What’s your depth?’ He had to yell to be heard over both the drill and the generator running it, but Mary didn’t acknowledge his question, too engrossed, determined. Another ten feet. And then another....
At the time of his dormancy, Zax's friends came to visit him on several occasions. Apart from those he grouped with in the Great Earth's Core Pursuit, only a handful of Zax's former schoolmates had visit him, but of the seven whom he got closer to during the event, each and every one of them came to visit him as often as he or she could. At the week that Zax woke up, Laylen and Marco invited his loyal and caring group of friends to surprise their dispirited son. It took a little effort...
With an indifferent expression, Zax turned to the remaining savage beasts and launched himself at the closest one, killing it and moving to the one after that and after that and after that... Unhindered by the weight he once gave death, his body moved naturally and freely. With his mind set on killing, Zax did not ever bother of doing it brutally. To kill, he only needed one gesture of the hand. In a way, when killing was not ruled by hate or pain, its execution was somewhat even...
October 29, 2000, Chicago, Illinois Birgit followed me as far as the stairs, then scooted upstairs when I went to the front door and opened it. “Hi!” Sophie said. “Hi!” I replied and held the door open so she could come into the house. I closed the door behind her then led her to my study where I waited until she went in, and then walked in, closing the door behind me. I nodded to one of the wingback chairs, she sat down in one, and I sat down in the other. “Is something wrong?” she...
August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois I walked in the near 90°F heat to Carla’s place. I was grateful that the humidity of the morning had dropped significantly; otherwise the heat would have been unbearable. By the time I walked up the steps to the apartment over the photography studio and knocked on her door, I had broken into a light sweat. Carla answered almost immediately and invited me inside her studio apartment. The air was moderately cool, and the window air conditioner was running full...