“Good- evening,” Janet said, checking her watch as Ellie walked through the door. “Making sure it is still evening and not early tomorrow morning.”

“Hilarious,” Ellie snorted as she dropped her handbag on the coffee table and flopped down onto the sofa. “It’s only, what, 8pm?”

My entry in the double dip contest.

"My God. A criminal. She’s a damn criminal! What am I, a magnet for psychos?"

It was my first week in the city, I had just turned 17, and since I wanted to go to college in the city, my family thought it was best for me to start getting used to living there a year ahead and I enrolled in an online high school program for my last year, it wasn’t a big deal for me since I didn’t have more than 1 close friend, Eliza, who I knew since we were 5, and pretty much didn’t care about anyone else in my school.

“Sophie…” The brown-haired woman heard a distant voice coo, waking her from her slumber. “Sophie… Wake up, birthday girl!”

“Umf,” Sophie moaned as a pair of soft hands gently shook her awake. “My birthday’s not ‘will Wednesday, for god’s sake…”

The life of Emerald Jocelyn Stubbe is full of heart ache, but also wonder. When she died at the age of 41, she quickly finds herself 35 years in the past, only she's inhabiting the body of her six-year-old self. Will she break under the stress of reliving her life or will she make it better than it had been before.

Small Preview:

“Another question?” Becca asks, grinning as several members of the assembled crowd eagerly raise their hands. “Okay, you at the back!”

“What are your favourite tracks on the new album?” The journalist asks, making the four of us grin.

“Ooh, good question!” Adeola chuckles, even though it’s a question we’ve already been asked several times over the last ten days. “Mine’s probably ‘Overcast’, we’ve never really done a ‘dark’ song before, it was fun to mix it up a little. Bex?”

That Sunday night was a quiet one for all of us. I surprised mom and dad by making no protest when dad said I needed to be in bed. I'm not sure, but that may be due to the feelings Allison and I have been going through since that jerk Dawtrim tried to kidnap us Thursday night.

Anyhow I was in bed a few minutes later and soon asleep, that sleep broken by dreams several times. Most of the dreams, well, the ones that I could remember when I woke up, were about Dawtrim and had him successfully kidnapping and abusing us. Scary shit, oh, yeah!

"Miracles do happen, then?" Janet asked, making Ellie roll her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, her fluffy pink dressing gown wrapped around her to shield her from the morning autumn air.

"So I'm excited about today," Ellie shrugged. "Sue me. And besides, it's not like I shouldn't be eager to get back to college- it's not like my summer holidays have been anything to write home about."

The story of Jack and Jill's roommate, Niki, who undergoes her own transition despite family disapproval and an uncertain future. Takes place during Black Ring 1-3.

Thirteen is an awkward age, stranded somewhere between ‘just a kid’ and ‘old enough to know better’. At thirteen Halloween costumes are the peak of uncool; trick or treating is something for babies, and high school parties are a long way away. But that wouldn’t stop Grayson from making the most of the holiday.

The next morning I had a bit of a headache. I went to the bathroom and took some of my sister’s pain medication. For some reason, they came in a little foil pack with individual pills labeled with different days. Strange!

I showered, using Sarah’s body wash because I was out. As I applied it to my skin I felt a strange tingling! I checked the label to see that it had a special exfoliating formula.

After my all my disappointments last week, I was sure that it was finally my time.

“I’m sorry, I think you’re a little too short to play Romeo,” the drama teacher told me. “Maybe try out for a different role.”

“I know. I’ll try out for Juliet! I’m sure I’ll make the perfect female love interest.”

The teacher looked at me strangely. “I was thinking something more… appropriate to your talents. Maybe Verona Citizen #1.” I was crushed, but I tried to remain firm. I could always try again next year!

The fair wound down on the following Saturday night, with the final visitors to the fair leaving just after midnight.

Dad had firmly but politely told off both Allison and I for not having gone to bed already, then said we had better get there rather quickly. As the simple thought of one of dad's 'punishments' is not something I look forward to experiencing, I was soon in our RV and in my bed.

The crowds had been no bigger over the last two days of the fair than they had been before. In fact, they might have been smaller.

## 4 ##

Abby, Nicole, Rachel and I were in the aquarium watching the fish in the large tank. Nicole and Rachel were near the front watching the fish swim to and fro, getting excited when they saw one they'd not seen yet.

"What do you think our parents are talking about?" I asked Abby, who turned to look at me.

"Probably what to do with all of the stuff..." Abby replied.

I glanced down at our sisters as I saw movement near the large glass wall that separated us from the fishes. "What stuff?"

“Oh my god, I promised myself I wouldn’t get so emotional…” Laura sobs as she fans her thickly made-up face with her hands, or rather, the dark red fingernails on the ends of her hands. Even though we’re at school today, Laura, Suriya, Harriet, Nicole, Mia and even Megan, have opted to come to school today looking as feminine as possible, because they know that today is the one day they won’t be punished for it. This is because, apart from their exams, today is the last day that any of them will ever set foot in this school.

I wasn't out of it for more than a minute or two, as far as I know. Someone put some smelling salts under my nose, and... I came out of it.

It still took a few minutes for me to really be aware of what was going on around me, I guess that shocked me more than I had expected.

I leaned against mom, listening to Dr. Sandridge as she explained in more detail while a nurse lurked nearby watching me. Maybe the doctor just wanted to play it safe and prevent any repeats. Either that, or have a nurse immediately available if something did happen again.