Michelle Peyton Michelle came home from work, riding her bike. Once it was parked in the garage and secured, she walked across the empty stall into the kitchen. From there, she passed through the kitchen and dining room, continuing around the corner to the living room. Exiting through the front door, she retrieved the mail and returned to the kitchen. "Let's see... bill, bill, Christmas card from daddy... bill... junk, junk, junk... oh well. The box of Grandma's Christmas cookies should be along soon," she said to herself as she tossed the mail onto the dining room table. Finding that the coffee machine still had a cup or two of coffee from earli
The Reality of Twelve Days December 25th, 2007 Wow, another great Christmas! I got a new camera, a few movies and a video game, lots of great clothes... I can't wait to make good use of everything. Hopefully next year will be just as grand. All the presents were wonderful, yes- but a card labeled 'my secret admirer' was a bit strange. It said to expect twelve days of Christmas over the next coming days. What in the heck is that supposed to mean? I asked around the family- nobody wanted to claim ownership of the funny card. I guess I'll just have to watch the coming days and see what happens.Decembe
Christmas Rush Gotta make it home on time.....Grocery store's a riot scene, the mall's parking lot has been declaired a disaster zone. The toy department at Target may as well be quarantined by the fire marshall. So many people are stranded in the Star Wars aisle that I lost my wookie...Gotta get that last present.....All I need is an accident on 494... that's the quickest way anywhere. The mall closes at ten, the Wal Mart closes at midnight... there won't be enough time!Gotta find some figgy pudding.....Great mix, yeah that one Jello makes... but it always sells out! And the chocolate pudding gets on my shirt and never comes clean. Lime jello
Shelly's Sister Ch 1 Shelly's Sister About a week after meeting Michelle's friend Xenia, things were fairly routine around the Claxion house on 15th Ave and 75th Street. Summer as it still was, we had been experiencing some cooler days. If not for Shelly's insistance, I would've probably drained the pool by now. "But Gregory, it's not even fall yet! You usually wait until after your birthday to empty it," Shelly begged. "And it was 37 degrees last night. I remember the pool manufacturer explicitly cautioning me about allowing the pool to freeze. After this weekend my hands will surely be tied," I replie
Party Panic Ch 1 Shelly's Birthday Although I'm writing this a little bit past her birthday, it was back in July when it happened. So let's chalk this one up to a belated birthday... although I didn't forget when it came on the 24th of that month. The story really starts on the 18th of July, however, as I was at a ball game with my buddy Charlie. We were cheering on our hometeam Twins, just to once again be disapointed. Even though they're actually a good team this year. "Lousy Indians anyways," I muttered as we left the ball park. "Hey, you know how Radke operates. If he gets past the first two innings, he's good for the rest of the game," Ch
Shelly's Sister Ch 2 Once the hide-a-bed was set up, Michelle went into the bathroom with a spare T-shirt and a pair of fleece sweatshorts. In the meantime, I finished the bed with two pillows and three blankets. I was out of mints, however. Minutes later, a flat-faced Michelle walked across the game room and, without a word, entered her bedroom and closed the door. That same moment, a now dressed Emina walked out of the bathroom. "Bed's here, you know where the bathroom is, and extra blankets are here. I'll make breakfast in the morning, and you and Shelly can reunion all you want. It's nice that you made it, Emina... and I'm glad to have you as a guest
Party Panic Ch 2 With Sunday over with, I was free to enjoy the rest of my weekend on Monday, since Shelly usually works that day. I took the time to clean up, purge a little laundry and a few things around the house; annual mailing of the bills, bank trip, et all. But that evening soon arrived, and at around eight o'clock sharp, Charlie was at the door. "Are we ready to go, G?" he asked, as soon as I let him in. "Go? Go where?" I asked. "To the bar, fool! Is Shelly around?" he asked as Shelly came into the living room. "Do we have company? It was... I'm sorry, I don't remember your name," Shelly said. "Charlie Buck. Shelly, good to see you ag
Sapphires and Sirens, Chapt 4 - The Spring Festival -Chapter Four Difficult years passed, and Artemis grew more beautiful with every season. Her wicked stepsisters continued to beat down her spirits, and did their best to sour her spirits. "You're so ugly!" "You'll never win a man with those looks!" "Nobody will ever want you!" And if all that emotional scarring wasn't enough, they didn't let up in the physical scarring as well. "Get me some tea!" "Haven't you refilled that coal tender yet?" "Look at all those weeds! Do it again!" But, Artemis remained firm in her convictions. Even though her daily toils were both physically and emotionally trying,
Miss Lamplighter Ch 6 I spat out my gag, gasping and spewing cotton everywhere. The others did as well. "Ugh, how I hate the taste of cotton," Shelly said. "That wasn't so bad. Do you suppose your audio worked?" Michelle asked. I shrugged. "Hope so. That flour idea was worthless, though." "Hopefully one of them touched the back door. At least then we'll have something," Michelle replied. Jeanette turned to us. "Can someone move their hands? I can't hear much of anything." I glanced over my shoulder, as well as checking everyone's backsides. All four of us were bonded with our arms behind our backs, secured with shipping locks. The only way one
Miss Lamplighter, Ch 7 While waiting for Mr. Goatee to get around to interrogatting me, or whatever he was planning, I resorted to counting ceiling tiles. Now that's an efficiant way to fall asleep. Counting sheep? Too much wool and the smell will knock you out before you count to ten. Well, maybe it works for farmers. Except, I didn't really want to sleep in this getup. After a few moments of silence, I began to contemplate whether I was simply being held for safety reasons. Jeanette was the one they had came for- that much was certain. They didn't even know who Michelle and Shelly were, especially now that both their abilities remained undiscovered.
Nagano Castle Chs 18 20 CHAPTER 18: RAIDERS OF THE LOST SEA With camp set up and the guards at Port Rodash silenced, Chris and Roden were able to hold up just southeast of town with no worries. As for Arda, she went back into the water, towards the half-sunken ship. The ship was rotting away rather nicely, and she found that since the last trip she had more things to swim around. Instead of going below to the sea floor to get in, she climbed up to the sea deck, holding a sack that Roden gave her so she could carry more. She carefully crawled across and climbed down into the 1st deck, and into the water. Arda then swam along towards the captain’s cab
Nagano Castle Chs 12 to 14 CHAPTER 12: A MAGICAL RESTORATION The walking continued, nary a word spoken between the two warriors. They were well out of sight from the sea now. Both Chris and Roden had grown tired, and it seemed to Roden that it was time for a rest. “Hey Chris, do you think we can stop and get some sleep now?” Roden asked, stopping along the path. “I would really much rather be able to walk away from the past, even though it will come back to haunt me someday,” Chris said, still walking. Roden caught up. “You are really torn up by this, aren’t you?” he asked. Chris stopped. “Yeah, I am. So what?&#
The Mysterious Specter Ch1 The Mysterious Specter “You wanted to see me, Mr. Miller?” Michelle asked the school principal. “Yes, Michelle. I have a favor to ask of you,” he said. “What kind of favor?” Michelle asked. “There’s a new student coming to Diego High this year, and because it’s her senior year, we were hoping that you’d be able to help her get a feel for the school,” Mr. Miller explained. “Her senior year? That’s too bad that she had to switch schools just before then,” Michelle said. “Yes. You see, Michelle, she’s had a trying childhood- like yourself, I understand
The Mysterious Specter, Ch 2 Later that afternoon, Collette was taught the wheels by the three changers, and soon was a member of the team. “Okay, forward by walking, backwards by backwards...simple...open doors, arms...how do I practice my weapons?” Specter asked. “Well, Dark Rider forced me to learn, although I did eventually figure it out. You should be able to blink to activate the lazers, just focus on your sensors, and the mines...I’m not sure,” Kris explained. “Something to do with focusing on them, maybe?” Michelle asked. “Try it- but a flip mine, not an exploding one,” Alex said. “Right,” Specter
The Mysterious Specter, Ch 3 As soon as the movies were over, the teens decided to break up for the day. “Good movie,” Bret said. “Sure was,” Pattie said. “Ready for the next one?” Kris asked. “No, I should get going- Ally and I were going to hang out for a while,” Michelle said. “Can I come with?” Pattie asked. “Sure- you coming Bret?” Michelle asked. “No, Mom’s expecting us home,” Kris said. Bret glared at her. “Yeah, I guess not, sorry,” Bret said. “Alex?” Pattie asked. “Sorry guys, I’ve gotta get to work. Maybe later,” Alex said. “
Working Fish Ch 3 "Shelly, ahh, right on time. Good to see you," Lee said. She came inside and removed her sunglasses. "I'm on time? Wow, good thing I left when I did. So what is there for me to do?" "Well, you can start by putting your coat in the back. Let me show you around the shop, in one second," he said, as he headed towards the back room. "Cassie? Can you watch the front for a while?" he called. "Okay, sure thing," a girl's voice called back. A moment later, a girl that appeared to be about Shelly's age, except with blonde hair, and not nearly as long; although she was roughly the same in frame. From the start, Shelly could tell that
Working Fish Ch 2 "Something tells me this might be a bad idea... why not a paper route, or mail clerk instead, Shel?" I asked as we returned to the car. "Why not work at a fish store? Who knows more about salt water than me? Like he said, it's been around me all of my life," Shelly said with a smile. "Yes, literally. But what worries me is having to deal with all that water... you are a mermaid after all," I said as I started the car. "Yes, and that's the reason why I should work here. I miss the sea, Greg, you know that! And this way, I can make all kinds of new friends, too! Both fish and people, you'll see!" she replied. I took a deep breath
Working Fish Ch 1 Shelly Gets a Job "Hmm... that fish is still alive after all these years..." I muttered as I reached for the small jar of fish flakes that I kept just above the 25-gallon tank. "What fish is still alive?" Shelly asked, as she overhead me while coming downstairs. Our basement is well-decorated, kept, and full of fun lively things. A pool table and the movie-watching area with its home thearter system and 32-inch flat screen TV are probably the two largest and most obvious advantages. But there are more things down here, including a guest bedroom, a laundry room, a bathroom with the jacuzzi pack (and a tub that a certain mermaid enjo
Sam Chase Ch 8 Several days later, Sam walked into the Burough Grove Lutheran Church on the south side of Diego City. She pulled behind her a packed rolling duffle bag as she entered the quiet sanctuary where Sunday service had ended a few hours earlier. "They told me I'd find you here," Sam said as she approached a pew near the front row where Sarah had been sitting quietly. "Doesn't church let out around eleven?" "Sam," Sarah replied softly. "You haven't returned my calls. What have you been up to lately?" Sam joined her on the bench. "Just trying to understand myself. Weapons training, mostly." "With Sunny?" Sarah asked. Sam nodded. "On
Sam Chase Ch 7 Sunny later drove back to her Aunt Louise's house, where she delivered her page full of apology notes – as herself, of course – and later stayed inside for awhile. Sam had a great deal to think about. Here, she had read so much about the people she imagined as friends: Bret, Michelle, Collette and the others. Yet, she realized she hardly knew any of them. Sure, they had done a lot in their lives, but with only a few exceptions they had acted in defense, certainly not as vigilanties or super heroes. Even Kris Matthews, who operated as Tracker in search of crimes around town, ha
Sam Chase Ch 6 Sunny did not drive to Sarah's house immediately. As she had at least fifteen minutes, she instead parked at a nearby playground and activated her computer. She began to scan for active CCC signals in the immediate area. At first, nothing. But soon, there was a hit. A blue dot appeared on the interstate between Diego City and Malibu. Jackpot. Summer, a sapphire blue Chrysler convertible, was crusing the freeway through downtown Los Angeles through thick rush hour traffic. Her favorite music was playing on the radio… her bag fresh with tags from the airlines and photographs from Hawaii was in her back seat. She was singing alo
Sam Chase Ch 5 By morning, the feeling of having a goal had apparently served Samantha well and she was able to sleep without any further automotive enganglements. Knowing full well that Aunt Louise had church meetings that Thursday morning, Sam was free to make herself at home. Her first contact would be the home address, just as a chance to introduce herself but determine wether or not Michelle was actually willing to open up. After all, Sam knew that revealing herself as a human automobile to others would certainly be bizarre enough; this Michelle woman had been able to assume the form of a convertible for over ten years and would never reveal such a
Sam Chase Ch 4 Though other car changers had taken much longer to adjust to their new forms, Sunny, being the prodigy that she was, took to being a truck like a mermaid to water. Sarah found herself hard pressed to keep up, even though Sunny somehow managed to slow down and wait for her. The mere fact that Sunny could even spot other cars and pedestrians was nothing short of a miracle as far as Sarah was concerned. During the drive, Sunny was figuring out things on her computer and radio during the red lights. To her surprise, she came across a police band. The dispatch came on with a report tone. "… dispatch reports a 211A from the First Natio
Sam Chase Ch 3 Moments later, Sam came around. She found herself laying flat upon the floor of the lab. Her entire body was shaking, and aside from a slight dizzyness was other wise unhurt. As she stood up, a sudden realization hit her. Her truck was nowhere to be found. It was just her, standing erect, alone in the middle of the laboratory. But had the procedure been a success? She was too nervous to find out right away. Remembering her plan from before, she powered down the systems and put them back into standby mode. She shut down all the lights. She placed everything back the way it had been when she arrived. Her wallet and the remainder
Sam Chase Ch 2 Finally, sometime around four in the morning and after a late-night call to the Pizza Palace, Sam packed up all the plans from the lab and put the last of her tools in the back of the truck and closed the lid, using a cloth to wipe her fingerprints from the bright yellow paint. "There we go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Jorge was sitting loosely in a desk chair near the corner of the service bay. His eyes were closed, his cheek was moist with drool, and his nose was fluttering with soft snoozing. "Jorge!" He woke with a start. "Is it time for work?" "It's Sunday. The shop's closed on Sunday." Jorge closed his eyes. "Great."
Sam Chase Ch 1 'SUNNY' MISS SAMMY CHASE "Grandpa Thomas!" Dr. Chase looked up from the plans for the lab security fencing as the young redhead ran into his arms. "Samantha? What a surprise." His only grandaughter, Samantha Chase - who goes by the tomboyish nickname Sam - was a grown woman at 22 years old. Her youthful face, reddish brown hair, sparkly green eyes, petite stature and high energy streak has always desguised her age and immaculate intelligence, surprising her professors and fellow researchers frequently. Due to advanced placement and a gifted knack for studies, Sam graduated from high school at age 15 and already earned a masters in
Hawaii Ch 10 Final I'll admit the questioning from Shelly and Emina seemed even more difficult than facing the hotel manager. Because of the power outage, they had been stuck in their rooms for nearly an hour without air conditioning, television, lights or phones. Fortunately, the windows were operable and they at least had fresh air... but the explanations seemed awfully inadequate. "Secrelia this, Secrelia that... if I wasn't on so much pain medicine right now..." I sighed. "Shelly, it's the hangover talking... you drank so much this morning, it's a headache... we'll talk in the morning, okay?" "No, we'll talk now!" N
Hawaii Ch 9 Maybe we were done here in Hawaii. For a change, we were actually enjoying the vacation. As wonderful as that felt, I didn't feel like we had solved anything. Sure, the original goal was to put Nauridia and Tony together - something that went wonderfully - but I didn't feel right leaving Leo to his devices, even if they were ordinary and normal. My afternoon involved driving around Hilo with Michelle. We might've seen a few local art museums, but largely just hung out. It was fun hanging out with her, though I would've much preferred to spend time with Shelly instead. Best of all, there were no automotive emergencies. After a nap on
Hawaii Ch 8 After cooling Summer down, the two of us returned to the lobby of the resort to find the fire captain meeting with the front desk staff, Dr. Leo included. "I see... thank you captain. I appreciate your quick work," Dr. Leo replied after hearing the captain's report. The captain handed Dr. Leo a pamphlet, which was quickly returned. "No thank you, I believe I have insurance. Good day." The captain nodded and left. Dr. Leo came over to Michelle and I. "That was surely uncalled for. You don't do anything small, do you?" Michelle shook her head. "Call it
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