Chapter 15

When Willow and Marian went into the apartment, Garry was sitting with the TV on. He got up gave Willow a hug and a kiss, and then hugged Marian.

“I expect that you’ve eaten already. I had dinner here, so why don’t I grab a bottle out of the kitchen, and you can relax for a little while.”

The girls sat down while he went to get a bottle and some glasses. After they had all taken a sip, he looked at Willow.

“So, what great feats of governance have you achieved today?”

Chapter 14

Maude stayed sitting at her desk, and the other two took seats, with Willow on the chesterfield. The door opened and Kelly ushered a young woman in. Willow rose and gave her a welcoming hug, feeling the girl trembling as she did so.

“Come and sit down next to me. The lady behind the desk is Dame Mordaunt Modelle, the other is Janice, her PA. You’ve already met Kelly, or our receptionist and Jill of all things. I’m Willow Randall, so relax, sit down and tell us how you came to be here with us.”

Chapter 13

The remainder of the year was full of meetings, get-togethers, talking to voters, and the odd party. The political ones were now far more important than before, and the board meetings were interesting, now she was a candidate. The school meeting was extra special. It wasn’t that they hadn’t had an old scholar as an MP before, it was just that one had never been under thirty with that prospect. The Head told her, with a smile, that she would be called on to attend more of the social events if she won.

Chapter 12

Two very important things happened in that January. The first was the sale of the shopping centre being finalised, with Willows’ payment going into her personal account, and the shares issued in her name. The new owner was originally based in Australia, and this was one of their expansion projects into the UK. The share price was around seven pounds each. Most of the others put theirs on the market to add to their cash payment, but Willow held on to hers, as a million shares in a huge company wasn’t something she could pass up.

.

C

Chapter 21 – The Iron Ridge

The mountain’s silence didn’t last long. First came a low, mechanical hum rolling across the slope, trembling the icy stones beneath their boots. Kara’s team re-formed at the edge of the ruined pillbox, boots crunching over spent shell casings and scorched metal fragments. The smell of burnt alloy hung in the thin air, sharp and bitter, mingling with the ozone tang from discharged plasma. Flickers of ruined circuitry pulsed in the visor light from each soldier’s HUD, painting the ground with ghostly blue reflections.