As the sun rose, its light poured brightly on Cricket's bed into her happy face. She slept happily dreaming of the dress in the milliner's shop. She wanted to return and buy it or at least try it on. Her hazel eyes shone brightly as she got out of bed to face another day. She twirled on the floor imagining she wore the dress. As she twirled and spun, she hummed the song "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story." She bathed q...

When Cricket returned from dinner, she stood looking in the mirror. What she saw did not impress her. She was about 5'5" tall; slim with an almost boyish figure. Her long straight blond hair hung limply, just touching her shoulders. Her smooth pale complexion was almost ghostly. Her eyes were a soft hazel green color, but plain with no radiance gleaming from them, until excitement grabbed her. Her smile was pretty, but se...

Marcia left her sad friends behind. She walked slowly down unfamiliar halls. She looked at all the doors she passed. None of them had names on them. Only gold painted numbers emblazoned each door. After walking what seemed a mile, the door she wanted stood out. She stood in front of the door feeling very small. Fear caused her heart to beat rapidly. Her palms sweated and sweat beaded on her forehead. She wiped her hands o...

Natasha and Damon meet and fall in love. Natasha sat at her desk listening to "All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You" by Heart on her iPod. The phone interrupted her reverie, but she did not mind. Cricket, Cal, Stefan and Monica were at an offsite meeting going over her performance under their tutelage. She had been doing well in every subject except assassination. She hated killing people; it ran against her moral upbring...

Cricket unpacked her clothes and put them away. She stood at the window and watched the village below. Smoke curled up out of all the chimneys. It reminded her of pictures she saw on Christmas cards her family had. She relaxed and smiled. A voice in her head said, "This is not so bad. You will have fun here and learn a lot." As she looked around her room, the castle outside evoked dreamy feelings. The castle made her feel...

Cricket sat staring out the window watching the clouds move past. Her mind was flooded, as a plethora of emotions bombarded her. Her stomach was in a knot, which made her feel, as if she would be sick. She felt lonely, excited, sad, adventurous, cautious and lost. She watched the clouds because she never thought or dreamed she would watch clouds from above rather than below. She had many sleepless nights when she made her...

As the girls sat in Marcia's room, they talked about the party. Marcia asked, "I wonder what happened when the glitter bombs went off. Also how long did they wait until they discovered we left?" "I don't know, but I bet you will hear about it from Sarah. She must be humiliated by now. I hope she was in the room when the glitter fell. That will be a nice mess to clean up." Naomi said. The girls watched a movie and went to...

Marcia wanted to call Naomi after she talked to Sarah, but it was easier to talk to Rebecca and Naomi at school together. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind raced with many thoughts and questions. She knew Ralph would be around at the party. Sarah still held a grudge against Marcia. The Halloween party would certainly test the relationship between the two girls. She slept badly tossing and turning all night. When she w...

Bullyboy skipped lunch. He accomplished what he wanted. Marcia sat confused with the morning's events. She had no idea who did it. It turned out he had an unwitting accomplice who was also a suspect. He knew Rebecca was Marcia's cousin and the school darling. When Marcia arrived, all that disappeared for Rebecca. The logical person for the perpetrator of the prank was Rebecca. Marcia sat alone at lunch. Naomi was out sleu...

I was out one day driving to Lake Tahoe. It was a long way from home, but a nice drive. I was on a back road in Jackson CA, when I stopped at a small diner for lunch. I also needed to take a break and freshen up. The small town beckoned me to stop and visit. When I had plenty of time to drive, I avoided the interstate. California had some interesting small towns in unusual places. Jackson was one of those towns. Jackson w...

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I wandered Golden Gate Park, On one of the most perfect days. The air was clear, With my mind in a haze. The park was almost empty. Few people walked, Kids played games. I stopped to listen, a young man talked. He bored me, so I continued on. I saw another man singing a song. I stopped and watched him. I sat and sang along. A small breeze blew. It lifted his notes into the air. His voice carried with them. It made a tale...

A VJS security officer walked up to Slade with a sheat of papers in his hand. Slade took the papers and examined them. He shook his head and dismissed the officer. The papers were duplicate copies of the warrants filed to examine all of Molly's properties. A second set of warrants contained arrest documents for detaining Carlo for Steve's abduction. He was the prime suspect based on the security video, which showed him ta...

The Christmas present ticked. It sat under the very front of the tree and attracted Smokey's attention. He sniffed at it, walked around it and poked at it with his paw. The glowing ornaments above the present shook, causing the light reflections to dance off the foil wrapping paper. As he prowled around the present, a whirring sound started. He backed away, but the sound continued. Soon, he could not contain his curiosity...

Marcia spent the rest of the day looking at her plight. Bullyboy knew she was there. He had not made any threats, but the gestures were bad enough. He ruined her day. School dragged on and Marcia's depression deepened. By the end of the day, she had no will to leave the classroom. Naomi dragged her to her locker and pulled her outside to walk home. "Come on Marcia. Snap out of it. You will be fine. Remember you are strong...