Chapter 8

By the following morning, the questions swirling through the city had finally reached the clan’s doorstep, their urgency amplified by rumor, fear, and the relentless churn of public debate. Chief among them was one that threatened to divide the community more sharply than any other: Should hunters be allowed to attend school alongside normal children?

Chapter Seven — The Receiving

An attendant struck the old bell at the head of the table once, and the low, worn note it gave off — the same note that had sent them out of the last room and into this one — brought the whole hall back to silence.

Wychwood Day Eight

MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada:
Daisy and Jessie look at the two teenage transgender girls they rescued from a human trafficker. When the band noticed the girls, they saw that they had been doped up and dressed inappropriately for their age. Daisy got pissed and got right into the trafficker's face and pulled the switchblade she always carries for personal protection.

That remark brought a proper laugh, but Nora managed to wind it back down.

“Ah, teenagers: who’d have ‘em, ey?”

Her face fell.

“Sorry, Maz. Didn’t think”

My lover simply smiled.

“Water and bridges, water and bridges. Got him back now, and not letting him go again. Anyway, got his sister to get through it in a few years”

“Swap notes then, love?”

Road Trip
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

We had always talked about doing it, fresh out a high school and before committing ourselves to three years at college – the Great American Road Trip. Just the two us and a Kombi van that my uncle said we could have if we got it working. Just me and my best pal since Elementary School – Andrew Logan.

The Judge called the court to order after the short break.
“Mr Fox, you may begin your cross-examination of this witness.”

“Thank you, My Lord.”

It was another lovely morning, and I asked at the reception after our ‘camp breakfast’ about swimming sites more suitable for small children.

“Ah, mate, Bandy Creek’ll do you right. Let me show you on the map… Here. Then, if you head out to Twilight Beach, it’s sheltered. No nasty rips. There’s no shark reports at the moment, but if you want to be sure, we’ve got a new shark net out in front of the Pier Hotel. Good place to feed as well”

The River Goddess
A Short Story from my latest anthology - Accidental Woman
By Maryanne Peters

We all had enough money to make sure that we did at least one fishing trip every year – just the three of us guys together, Braydon, Kade and me. We fish rivers and lakes. I confess I don’t like fishing in the sea in a rolling boat. People say that the sea offers more adventure, but we just went further to find adventure.

I grew up in the 1980s and early 1990s as part of Generation X. Looking back, high school was one of the most confusing periods of my life, and the effects of that confusion still influence my relationships today.

I was transgender, although I didn't have a word for it back then. The vocabulary simply wasn't part of my world. I didn't know there were other people who felt the way I did, and I certainly didn't know that what I was experiencing had a name. All I knew was that I desperately wanted to be a girl, yet every mirror reminded me that everyone else saw me as a boy.

Author's Note: It's done. 309 pages in print.

I wrote the book that I needed to read in 2017. When I finally faced the fact that I might be transgender, but couldn't let myself believe and used autogynephilia as an excuse to bury it.

I'm releasing the ebook on Jul 21st, but I wanted to offer everyone here a chance to read the EDITIED version for free. I went through the manuscript three times and fixed so many typos. I added about 10,000 words, new chapters, and an epilogue, I even learned that OK is spelled okay.

A slightly nervous Dido entered the Witness Box. Being on the floor of the court was a very different experience from sitting in the public gallery.

“Please repeat the words on the card,” said the Bailiff.