Part Ten

"I checked with Insight," said Aaron, when Melody called from her office the next morning. She was at work, while he was still at home, enjoying a post-breakfast second cup of coffee. A rare luxury, even with his reduced schedule these days. "It agrees with my analysis. However, it can't find her."

"That's... surprising," said Melody. "As well as worrying. I suppose it's not because she's dead?"

"No. Somehow she's actively hiding. I guess it makes sense that someone with superhuman senses would be good at concealing herself."

Chapter 1: Dundee, 2017

Dundee.

The city of my well-spent youth. Compact, affordable, practical; or so some of the more positive reviews seemed to indicate. Not that I really needed a review, but I hadn't been back in twenty years.

There was the Dundee I remembered: not really a tourist destination; a bit dowdy and plain; shops closed by six. Not quite sure what people did for entertainment after dark apart from pubbing. Just your average Scottish city. I didn't think it had really changed.

Barreled
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Barreled - verb - drive or move in a way that is so fast as to almost be out of control.”

The traffic had been awful all day. A journey of only 140 miles had taken six hours. The one saving grace was the booking at a roadside hotel that would give me a night's rest before the second 140 miles I had to do tomorrow. The staff at the hotel knew me from regular family visits.

When sixteen year-old Alex Fairfield defies his Aunt's domineering influence, he discovers the price of liberty may be more than he could possibly afford. A night out on the town results in an ordeal of cross-dressed humiliation as "Allie" learns that some boundaries should never be crossed.

I was behind schedule, so I was up all night trying to draw the most detailed version of Cindy I ever had for the cover of her book. I think I pretty much had her done when I passed out in my chair in front of the drafting board. When I woke up, I was looking at my work. But not the oversized drawing I’d just been working on. Had I fallen and knocked other work out of my desk?

When I cleared my eyes, I realized it was more than that. 360 degrees around me was comic book art. I looked down at myself. I was Cindy.

Chapter 2

I took my time in the bathroom after that. My hands trembled at first as I closed the door behind me, heart still racing in my chest. I leaned against the cool tile, forcing myself to take slow, deliberate breaths—counting each inhale and exhale until the edges of my panic began to blur and soften.

Part Eight

"You don't seem very worried about the President denying some elements of modern science," said Melody, still on the phone with Aaron. "Aren't you afraid he'll influence researchers to post the wrong results?"