CHAPTER 71
Rod and Ish were off as soon as the tea was gone, Clara looking extremely nervous, and knowing her as I now did, it would have been that creeping doubt that she could ever be entitled to anything nice, whatever it might be. She went to their room eventually, and as I passed the door with the empty cups, I could hear one side of a conversation, presumably with someone back in the UK. Leave her to it, Rhodes, and sort a list of what would be needed for their trip.

Practice Invisibly

Days 12-14

The next morning Mum was buttering toast while I stood beside the kitchen table in trainers and an old sweatshirt, arguing with Richard about something unimportant. I cannot remember what. I remember enjoying the shape of the argument itself - my voice raised just enough, Richard answering calmly like he knows everything so much better than me, Mum barely listening. Even then, arguing was still something Daniel did without having to think about how Daniel was supposed to do it.

The razor sits on the edge of the bathroom sink. A thin layer of white dust coats the plastic handle. The blades are dulling from the humidity of the shower. I haven't picked it up in two weeks. The dark stubble that used to shadow my jaw every morning stopped growing.

I brace both hands against the porcelain rim and look at the mirror.

Jesus, she thought. It’s a shower, not Grand Theft, Water!

Mark and I (James) were college roommates. We had just finished our junior year, and it was summer break. We were hanging out at my parents’ house, just shooting the shit. My parents were on a month-long vacation without the kids (me and my twin sister, Julie), which meant that we had the house to ourselves. Julie was at work currently, so me and Mark were in the house alone.

The Pantyhose Princess by Anna Olivia © 2026 All rights reserved.

The laundry room was small and smelled faintly of lavender detergent and warm dryer lint. It was Martin’s turn to fold laundry, a chore he usually breezed through without a second thought. But pulling a delicate tangle of black nylon from the basket changed everything.

My Secret Life
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman
Sequel To
Magnolia Blooms & Sakura Petals

-2-
Poolside Brainstorming

Aftermath
Part 3: The Assignment
By Tomi

A new assignment, an unfamiliar identity, and a series of choices that will change Haruto’s life in ways he never expected.

Journey of Cheryl: A View of an Asperger Person through Major Depressive Disorder and Gender Dysphoria.

Chapter 3: Those Good Old Dreams (Revision)

P. S. I decided to discontinue the old chapters 3 and 4 since they were too complex and too dark for the opening chapters.

“Wow, where did you get this little number?” Mona asked when she saw how she was dressed in bed.

“It was my mother’s gift for Victoria.”

“Well she must know that you and Victoria are having sex now.”

“Well, she did see us get married, so she might assume that.”

Chapter 2:

As consciousness surfaced, I became aware of the faint, sterile hum of the medical pod surrounding me—a cocoon of softly glowing panels and translucent shielding that filtered the wan morning light. Metallic air kissed my skin, tinged with the subtle scent of antiseptic and ozone. My eyelids fluttered open, lashes brushing my cheeks, but before I could focus on the world outside the tube, voices cut through the quiet.

Mark Lansing never wanted to stand out. He was perfectly happy disappearing into a football huddle with the rest of the team until one play made him the talk of the town. Thrust into a spotlight he never wanted, every choice can reshape his future, and every decision could transform him in ways he never believed possible. Mark’s destiny will be determined on the field … assuming he can figure out how to dress the part.