I slept better than I'd slept in ….forever. It was a sweet, contented sleep. Filled with wonderful dreams.... none of which I could recall, except for the fact that they were ….wonderful and life affirming... I was a bit annoyed at myself for savoring the tenor of my dreams without being able to consciously recall a single one. Still, I awakened refreshed and content in my own ….Katherine's own... bed for the first time in a very, very long time. And it seemed long overdue.

Monday, March 19, 2007, late afternoon

Poe Cottage

My name is Claire Olivia Milton. Or at least… It used to be.

I was born on 2nd March 1990, the second daughter of three, to two loving parents. My father is a manager at a big investment firm, my mother- 15 years his junior- was his secretary until she fell in love with him, got married and had three kids. Growing up I wanted for nothing- I lived in a big house, was spoiled rotten, went to the best schools… And yet, from a very young age I knew something was wrong, not with my family, but with me.

In the not too distant future, evolution has taken humanity down a different path. In a society where gender is controlled with numbers, one young man finds that being evolved might not be such a good thing.

Jem… Chapter 127

Jem…Chapter 127 by Bailey Summers Copyright © 2013 Bailey Summers All Rights Reserved.

If I hadn't been panicked enough at the thought of being a celebrity auction item ….I couldn't help but think back to Rado Mitruczeck's twisted vacuum packed beauty 'exhibit'.... my anxiety spiraled out of control when I spied a familiar face in the audience.

“Come on, smile!” Katie urges me. Despite the cold, I beam a wide, toothy grin as Katie snaps photograph after photograph of me in my warm, snuggly outfit. I’m wearing a pair of tight, skinny jeans that show off my increasingly feminine curves, on top of which I have a pair of long, knee-high boots with a chunky 3” platform heel. My warm pink coat covers a tight red wool sweater, and my long brown hair is covered by a light grey woollen hat.

“Please tell me we’re done?” I beg as I try to warm my red-tipped fingers on my coat.

A father is asked what he would do to save his son

(I'm no good at Gimp or Photoshop, you'll just have to imagine that Iris has thistle-colored eyes. Though I do now have an anime-ish avatar depicting Iris.)

Unconventional Chapter 2

*Before…

It kind of drives home the lonely. Even with the crowd at the shop, I’m not there enough to make it really something social. I just want to be around people that get me.

But there’s parts no one will get.

But hey honestly just being with a lot of people like me would be really cool, more than cool.

I’m excited…I’ve got my bags packed and my con stuff too and tomorrow I’m off to Halifax airport and just maybe the best summer of my life.

Even if I can’t be…me.

I’ll get the hell out of here for a while.

Hey…okay whoever this person is on the message board, they’re kind of funny…