Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Author: Invid Fan
Title: The Mind Knows
Universe: From the Aether Comes Life, and Love
Summary: What is real...  what is true...  and how much of that can the
mind accept?  Ai's growing circle of companions try and understand their
world and hers.  Can they keep her safe...  and themselves sane?
Keywords: mf, mff, mult, cons, rom, paranormal

   **** Companion story to "Violets Are..."

   From the Aether Comes Life, and Love: 1.If The Spirit is Willing 2.The
Flesh is Strong 3.The Mind Knows 4.The Heart Believes

   ****

   The Mind Knows By Invid Fan (c) 2011

   The creatures were staring at her.

   Cindi didn't have to look up to know that.  She could feel their eyes.
Cold.  hateful.  Wanting to hurt her, to mock her, to destroy her life. 
Stay focused, she told herself.  You've lived with this for ages, you can
survive this now.  Walking down the hallway to her locker, her eyes caught
glimpses of the strange beings only she could see.  They, at this moment,
didn't bother her.

   It was the middle schoolers who were the real monsters.

   She shouldn't have taken Julie's advice.  At least, not yet.  It was too
much of a change, in a life that had been constant (if horrible) up till
then.  Change led to being noticed, and being notice to...

   "Who the hell is that?!"

   The voice came from some boy at the lockers across from hers.  Cindi
ignored it, spinning the combination into her lock.  Always ignore them.

   "Why is her hair...  red?"

   That was a girl, to her right.  Cindi sighed, opening the locker.  Yup,
this was a bad idea.

   ****

   Cindi plopped her book bag down on the cafeteria table, sat, and took
out her lunch bag.  She always sat in the same place, in the corner.  There
were few enough students eating this period that the table could be left
empty by all her betters, for which she was grateful.  She could eat her
baloney and cheese sandwich in peace.

   Baloney...  baloney and cheese, on rye bread.  One of her comfort foods,
and probably the most important because she could make it herself.  Mom had
always fixed it for her, cut diagonally, whenever she was sad.  Which was
always, it seemed.  When nobody believed her about the monsters, and
nothing would make them go away...  Mom was there with a sandwich and glass
of milk to make it all better.

   When had Mom stopped trying?

   "Hi Cindi."

   Julie sat down across from her, back to the rest of the room.  Over her
head, for the cheerful elf of a girl was barely four feet tall, Cindi could
see the 8th graders the popular girl usually sat with looking over at them
with amazement.  Why, she could almost read in their minds, was Julie
talking to the freak?  Was it some new form of torture they should go over
and watch?  She looked back down at her new friend.

   "You shouldn't be over here." It came out almost as a whisper.  Despite
the past week, she still was not used to talking.  Especially in public. 
Julie shrugged.

   "Yes I should." She pulled out her own lunch bag, removing a salad and
hunk of chocolate cake, along with diet Pepsi.  Hands opening the
containers with practiced automation, she gave Cindi a considering look. 
"The hair looks good.  Is that close to your real color?"

   "Um...  yeah." Cindi blushed a bit.  Once she had told the others that
her raven black hair was indeed dyed, also confirming to Bill that the
white streak was a nod to Polgara from the Belgariad books, the girls had
been insistent that she go back to her natural color.  She was not, really,
goth by nature, and had only picked that niche so people would leave her
alone.  Julie, and particularly Ai, wanted her to become the "real" Cindi.
Whoever that was.

   "I like it," Julie said, nodding.  "It stands out, especially if you
keep wearing black."

   "That's why I colored it," Cindi muttered, looking around again.  Her
eyes suddenly shot over to the closest table.  A shimmering orange furry
creature, about the size of a cat, was crouching to pounce on a boy lifting
a cup of soup up to his mouth.  "Henry is going to get burned."

   She said it with no emotion, but Julie whipped her head around just in
time to see his elbow get jostled by another kid, the soup pouring over his
front.  Henry jumped to his feet, giving a yell of pain, while his friends
laughed.  Julie turned back to Cindi, eyes wide.

   "Orange thing?"

   "Orange thing."

   ****

   Ai danced into the bedroom.

   She was happy.  As happy as she had ever been in her life, which now she
considered to be about nine days long.  The idea of days, let alone time,
was new.  Everything was new!  That made her happy.  Having friends made
her happy.  Having family made her happy.  Happy made her happy!

   Spinning across the floor, she stopped in front of the full sized mirror
against the wall of Betty's bedroom.  Betty, as her sister, obviously
wouldn't mind that Ai was there.  They were family!  Family was also new,
and different from Friends.  Bill had made sure Ai knew, and understood,
the difference.  Family were those around you who you liked, but didn't
feed you.  Only Ai's friends, Bill and Julie, fed her.  She wasn't to ask
for food from anyone else.  That was disappointing, but she understood. 
Feeding Ai was rather special, and intimate.  Only special and close people
SHOULD feed Ai.  Maybe Cindi would be her friend soon...

   Looking in the mirror, Ai once again admired her birthday gifts. 
Birthday's were also new!  Bill had declared that Saturday was her one week
birthday, and everyone was there for the party.  Parties were new, and
wonderful!  There had been music, food (although not Ai food, and she had
been told by Bill not to ask), games, and presents!  Presents were fun! 
They were things you were given, that you didn't have to give back!  Until
then, she had been wearing outfits of Betty's that her sister would want
back at some point.  Now, however, she had wonderful clothing that was
hers!

   Ai stood still, regarding her image in the mirror.  Her skin was a nice
medium blue with a tinge of grey today, Bill having fed her last night. 
Shortish black hair framed her thin face, large black eyes looking back
with a smile that matched that of her dark blue lips.  The thin body was
partially covered by what Betty had called a "sun dress", light green in
color and held up by two small tied shoulder straps.  She loved it, and it
was hers!  Ai spun again, the bottom of the dress flying up, revealing that
indeed it was the only thing she was wearing.  Clothing...  bothered her,
but dresses like this were almost like wearing nothing.

   There was a flash of sun on metal, and smiling Ai stopped her spinning
and fingered the small gold locket and chain around her neck.  Bill... 
Bill, her Bill, had given it to her.  Inside the golden heart, there was a
small picture of him.  No longer need she go anywhere without her Bill.  He
was always with her!

   That thought made her want to look at him again.  Spinning around, Ai
quickly ran to Betty's bed and threw herself onto it, rolling over onto her
back.  Her thin fingers worked the catch on the locket, and with a happy
sigh Ai looked at Bill.

   Bill was love.

   He also was your normal, somewhat geeky and maybe a bit overweight brown
haired fourteen year old boy, but Ai saw more than that.  She saw his soul.
And, she thought, he saw hers.  Maybe, in fact, he GAVE Ai her soul!  He
gave her life, after all.  Life, and happiness.  Love.  Friendship. 
Kisses.

   Julie was also love...

   The sound of a car door slamming broke into her contemplation of love.
There...  should not be a car door slamming.  Bus came first, with Bill and
Betty and Julie and Jenny, THEN car doors, first with Mom then later Dad.
There should be no car door!  Jumping up, Ai ran to the bedroom window and
looked out over the front lawn.

   There was a red car in the driveway.

   The family had no red car.

   Stranger!

   There was a stranger!

   What were the rules?  Bill had given her rules.  Things to do in time of
danger.

   1.  Look and see where the stranger was.

   Ai looked and saw the head of a woman walking past the front of the
house, towards the front door.  No!

   2.  Decide which hiding place was the easiest to go to without being
seen, and go there.

   She couldn't get to any!  Ai couldn't go across the street to Julie's
house, as the stranger was there!  She couldn't go to the basement, or even
flee the house to the shelter as the front door was right at the bottom of
the stairs and there was a big window there!  She was trapped!

   The doorbell rang...

   ****

   The school bus came to an air braked stop, the doors swung open, and two
teens and two almost teens exited.  Doors closed, the bus drove off. 
Another school day was done.

   Bill looked down at his feet.  About two inches of snow had fallen since
that morning, it looked like.  Wonderful.  While this was Julie's driveway,
most likely he'd end up helping shovel it as well as his own.  He couldn't
even ask for money, as they were friends.  Not that he minded, naturally,
and it wasn't much snow, but still...

   "Bill!"

   His sister's voice brought his head up, gaze following her finger
towards their house across the street.  There was a car in the driveway,
and a stranger walking around holding something.

   That was bad.

   "Do you know her?" Julie asked, both hands holding onto Bill's right
arm. Bill glanced at Betty, who shook her head.

   "Don't know her.  What should we do, Bill?"

   "We go over and drive her away!" Jenny stated.  "Man, you three are
wimps!" The twelve year old shook her head at them, shifted her book bag on
her back, and started across the street.  Chuckling, Bill, then the others,
followed.

   The evil stranger in question was a rather pretty young woman, maybe
college aged, maybe older.  Asian features could be seen behind her large
glasses, and she was dressed in typical Buffalo winter gear chosen for
comfort and not fashion: knit hat, bulky winter coat, and heavy boots.  The
tracks from those boots were all around the front and side of the house,
although she had stayed on the un-shoveled sidewalk and driveway.  In her
hands, lacking gloves now shoved into coat pockets, was some small
electrical device that looked like a cross between a cell phone and a
voltage meter.  She was moving it around and staring intently at the
display.  Jenny led the group around the car and up behind her.

   "Who are you!"

   The woman jumped.

   She did not, though, run, or act as if she was doing anything wrong. 
That was a good sign, Bill supposed.  If anything good could be said about
strangers in this time and place.  Seeing the kids, the woman looked
relieved, and, putting her strange instrument in her pocket, spoke.

   "Oh!  Hi!  Who are you?  Do you know who lives here, and when they'll be
home?"

   Jenny took charge.  The last to be let in on the secret of Ai, Julie's
younger sister had thrown herself into the idea of protecting their new
friend with the same dedication she put into dancing.  A lifetime of having
to compete with her talented sibling had caused Jenny to always strive to
be her equal.  Surprisingly, she usually achieved that, wiping out the two
years head start.  Practice.  Perfection.  That was her mantra.  Now to
that she added a third 'P': Protection.

   "Mommy said not to talk to strangers!"

   Bill raised an eyebrow at the girl.  The voice coming out was childish,
nothing like her normal speech.  Jenny's posture also now resembled an
elementary school kid, more reflecting her diminutive size, even shorter
than Julie's four feet, than reality.  Her eyes looked scared, as if this
woman before them was a child molester.

   "Oh, um...  of course!  That's smart of your mommy!" Now there was worry
in the stranger's voice.  Things were way off script.  Her eyes turned to
Bill, "obviously" the older of the four, and her hand fumbled in her coat
pocket.  "OK, just a second...  here!" She pulled out and handed a business
card to Bill, who showed it to the others.

   "Paranormal Research of Buffalo"

   Fuck.  Bill's mind raced.  His father's mistake of the previous week,
letting slip something innocent about Ai during a poker game, was indeed
coming back to bite them.  He loved his dad, and respected him, but
secretive he was not.  Mom wouldn't even tell Dad what the kids were
getting for Christmas.  Bill looked back at the woman, face full of all the
disbelief and scorn he could fake.

   "'PROB'?  You're kidding me."

   "No!  We're a serious group!  Oh, my name is Tammy, by the way!  We
heard something about a ghost or something at this house, and as I was
driving this way today thought I'd try and talk to the people!  Is it your
house?" She looked them over.  Obviously, at least some of them were
siblings.  Jenny shrank back behind Bill, clutching his coat.

   "Mommy said not to tell anyone things like that!  Strangers want to hurt
us!  Julie, call Mommy!"

   Now the woman was frightened.  This was a misunderstanding she did NOT
want to get involved in!

   "Um, no, don't, I'm sorry I'm frightening you!  I'll be going!  Give
your parents the card, and have them call me!" She almost ran to her car,
taking such a large detour around the kids that she actually went down the
passenger side of her vehicle and around the back to get to the driver's
door.  The car roared to life, jerked forward four feet, causing the kids
to jump, before screeching to a halt as the frazzled woman forgot to put it
in reverse.  This wasn't her day!  A few seconds later she was out on the
road...  then gone.

   Bill put his hand on Jenny's hat covered head, rubbing it back and forth
while grinning at the girl.

   "Good work!"

   "I always wanted to try that," she replied, expression smug.  Julie gave
her sister a quick hug, then looked at Bill.

   "We have to check on Ai!"

   ****

   Ai wasn't in the Den.

   "Betty, check the basement.  Jenny, the back yard.  I'll go upstairs!"
Bill quickly moved into the living room, not waiting for replies.  Julie
took her jacket off and said she'd search down here, but Bill was already
at the stairway.  Ai was somewhere, hiding, probably scared.  He reached
the top almost before he had started.

   "Ai!  It's Bill!  It's safe!"

   There was a rustle from his bedroom to the left.  Rushing in, Bill's
eyes immediately saw the closed closet door.  Very slowly, he walked up to
it.

   "Ai, it me.  It's OK.  She's gone.  You can come out now."

   The sound of moving clothes hangers came from within, followed by a
pitiful moan.

   "Bill?"

   He opened the door, and saw a shaking, terrified Ai standing among his
shirts.  Stretching out his arms, Bill only had to wait a moment before she
threw her cold body against him.

   "Bill!"

   "Did you find her?!"

   "Yes!" Footsteps pounded on the wooden stairs, and in a moment the three
girls surrounded the pair in the bedroom.  Ai's head was buried in Bill's
coat covered chest, his hands gently caressing her smooth, icy skin.  Both
Betty and Jenny blushed at the intimacy of the moment.

   "Is she OK?" Betty asked.  Her blush intensified as Julie moved behind
Ai to press against her, making a hugging Ai sandwich.  Not even
considering how this looked to the youngsters, Bill nodded.

   "She's fine.  Frightened, but fine.  Just needs some attention now."

   "Um...  right." Betty knew where this was going.  She turned to Jenny.
"Let's go shovel the driveways."

   "Wait, what?" Her oldest friend didn't hear what she just heard.  Betty
grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room.

   "I said, let's shovel!"

   Jenny let herself be half pulled down the stairs before she realized
what was going to happen.  She stopped.

   "Wait, you mean...  those three..." Betty nodded, pulling her arm again
to get them away from the not closed bedroom before they could overhear
anything.  "Whoa..."

   "Yeah..."

   ****

   Julie did remember to close the bedroom door, although her mind was only
half aware of doing so.  Being with Ai made you...  focus on her, and
perhaps even more so on what she was focused on.  Which was always Bill...

   Bill was nude already, his clothing in a pile at his feet.  Ai pressed
against him as Julie walked up behind, shedding her own clothing.  Nothing
was said...  nothing needed to be said.  Bill lightly kissed the whimpering
blue grey creature, hands running over her smooth skin.  She was still
wearing the sundress, and Julie found herself aching to remove it and see
Ai's perfect body.  She had to be nude first, though.  There was no reason,
but that's how it had to be.  Sweater now on the floor, revealing small
well formed breasts unencumbered by a bra, Julie's jeans and panties soon
followed.  She never thought she'd be the type of girl to go to school
braless, but Ai was changing her.A Making Julie more...  sensual.

   Standing behind Ai, Julie reached up and undid the knots on her shoulder
straps.  The dress fell silently to the floor, exposing that beautiful back
and the dark blue ridge up Ai's spine.  Julie ran a hand down it, marveling
at the icy feel, noting Ai's shiver at the touch.  Ai broke the kiss with
Bill as Julie pressed her warm nude body against the cold one before her.

   "May I drink from you Bill?"

   Like she even had to ask, thought a smiling Julie.  She heard Bill
chuckle in reply.

   "Anything for you, Ai."

   Bill stepped back from her, Julie moving as well to stand beside Ai,
then he sat down on the side of his bed.  His cock was big and hard,
drawing Julie's eyes as if her entire existence was focused on that one
organ.  As one she and Ai stepped forward, then dropped to their knees
before Bill.  Julie wet her lips, all anticipation, watching as Ai slowly
lowered her head to lick the top of her food source.  Ai then pulled back,
and it was Julie's turn.  Leaning down, she let her tongue lightly flick
over the head.  God, the smell...  the taste...  none of the talk from the
older girls had prepared her for this.  Just touching him made her feel...
alive.

   Bill's hands found both of their heads, as the two girls took turns
licking and sucking his cock.  While Ai was having her turn, Julie found
herself running her hands over her companion's cold body, relishing its
feel and trying to pleasure her as best she could.  When it was her turn,
she could feel Ai return the favor, cold hands traveling down to cup her
bottom and press an icy digit into her two openings.  This would cause
Julie to gasp or moan around Bill, which in turn caused Bill to caress her
head even more.

   "It's coming!"

   So warned, Julie reluctantly released him, only pulling back slightly as
Ai took Bill back into her mouth.  Julie wanted so much to feel that warm
liquid rush into her mouth, to taste the essence of her lover, but Ai
needed it.  Needed Bill's love to survive.  Maybe someday, when they had
time to make love as often as they wanted, Ai could share her meal with
Julie...

   "Ah!" Bill came.  Face not even an inch away from Ai's, Julie saw the
pulses of blue rush through her friend's face as she swallowed down Bill's
seed.  She kissed and licked Ai's cheek, feeling the difference in
temperature as the hot, white substance passed just under the skin.  Ai's
arm curled around her waist, holding them close, savoring this moment
together.

   Ai's head lifted, releasing Bill from her mouth.  He was still hard, and
only half drained.  Ai could now control how much she fed, which in turn
controlled how long Bill could pleasure them.  A win for all parties
involved.  She turned to the flushed, excited Julie, and smiled.

   "Love him."

   Julie returned the smile, then leaned in for a slow kiss of thanks.  She
could taste Bill on Ai's lips, exciting her all the more.  She stood,
looked at Bill, and saw his eyes greedily taking in her sexy, compact form.
Julie posed for a moment, breasts thrust out, fingers running through the
brown patch of hair between her legs.  Then she moved and knelt on the bed,
straddling the still sitting Bill.  They looked into each other's eyes,
wanting the moment to last forever.  Cold touched between Julie's legs, and
she felt Ai position Bill at her wet opening.  Bill shifted, and just the
tip entered.

   "I love you, Julie..."

   "Love you!"

   Julie dropped down, causing both teens to groan.  For the next five
minutes she rode him, both lost in a world of pleasure.  Ai stayed sitting
on the floor, watching where they were joined.  It fascinated her, not just
the act of love, but the act of loving.  For two people to give so much,
and yet each get more than they gave!  And if three increased it even more,
what about four...  or five...

   Sensing it was time, Ai moved her hands and caressed the joining.  Julie
felt the cold, and shuddered.  Her orgasm hit hard, body clamping down on
Bill.  His release came a moment later, and she could feel it.  Feel each
pulse as it rushed into her body.  Julie dropped her body down till she was
pressed against Bill's hot sweaty torso, shuddering with each new release.
Five...  six...  Finally, it stopped.  Her breathing was ragged, the
pleasure overpowering, her body still unable to handle it even after almost
a half dozen times with Bill and Ai.  Enough of her mind was left, though,
to know it wasn't over yet.  Resisting the urge, nay, need, to keep Bill
inside her, Julie began to crawl up his body.  She felt him slide out,
moaning at the loss, but kept going until her face was above his.

   Bill's eyes opened.  Her beautiful brown eyes looked back, and without a
word they kissed.  Ai took that moment to move up, spread Julie's legs, and
attach her mouth to the young teen.  Bill's seed, which moments before had
rocketed far into her, now began a backwards journey flavored with Julie's
own essence.

   She didn't know which made her cum more.

   ****

   Shirley turned the car off the two lane almost-country road and on to
Ledge Lane.  Between the farm on the other side of Griener, the abandoned
development site to the west that now had sledding hills, and the woods to
the east, this two street development was like an oasis of suburbia in the
sticks.  Or a canker sore in farm country, depending.  That a large
shopping mall entrance was literally across the street from the other end
of the lane made it all somewhat surreal.

   Not as surreal as having blue ghouls living with you, but still.

   The street wasn't plowed yet, so she went slowly.  The car was four
wheel drive, but growing up here she knew better than to trust that more
than she had to.  Better safe than sorry, especially this close to home. 
Let the idiots kill themselves.

   Movement to her right caught Shirley's eye.  Were the girls...  yes...
they were.  Her daughter Betty and Gretchen's youngest Jenny were... 
shoveling Gretchen's driveway.  Huh.  Well, that was NICE of them, but
there had to be a reason.  She wondered what they had been up to, that
needed this kind of atonement.  Had to have been big.

   Two houses later she turned left into her own driveway.  Her... 
freshly, if badly, shoveled driveway.

   Huh.

   Parking at the top, She got out, looked around at the evidence of at
least an hour's activity, glanced at the girls again...  then glanced up at
her son's window.

   Ah.  That's what they had been staying away from.

   Naturally.

   Why couldn't her kids be in a gang or something?

   ****

   Tom looked at the business card in his hand.  Turned it over.  Turned it
back again.  Still said the same thing.  Darn.  He had been hoping that
would fix things.

   "Yup," he sighed, "this is the group Hiro mentioned last week.  I
remember the stupid name." His eyes caught Shirley's, and Tom could see
the...  disappointment in his wife's eyes.  He had screwed up.  Beer plus
friends plus time to kill equaled not keeping his big mouth shut.  That he
had known, the very instant the one sentence left his mouth, he had put his
new family member in danger...  that was the worst part.  He hadn't even
had the luxury of a couple hours ignorance.  No, Tom was able to regret his
folly immediately.

   "I thought you told him you were kidding!" Betty's eyes were pleading,
and Tom felt even more like shit.  His daughter was the world to him, and
to disappoint HER as well as everyone else!  He dropped his hands into his
lap, leaning back in his recliner.

   "I TRIED!  And I thought he bought it!  But either I was really
convincing with that one sentence, or I'm a horrible liar.  Besides," he
added, "I haven't seen Hiro since then to...  check." His wife gave him a
look he knew all too well.  "I know!  I've been busy, OK?  I should have,
but..  well..."

   He gave one more sigh, then sat up, rotating his shoulders to stretch
tired muscles.  He took another look at the offending card.

   "The card game tomorrow is actually at Hiro's.  I'll get there a bit
early, and have him call off the wolves.  I think I can be somewhat... 
persuasive about how we don't want to be bothered." He smiled at Betty, and
she returned it.  A few times her former basketball playing father had
managed to solve problems by just standing there...  intimidating the
problem in question.  Shirley sighed, reaching over and touching his arm.

   "Just say as little as possible.  Don't even mention what he thinks you
may or may not have said.  We just don't want to be bothered." Tom nodded,
covering her hand with his.  The love in his eyes shown.  He wouldn't
disappoint her again.  Shirley turned to Ai and her son sitting on the
couch.

   "Bill, after your homework is done, go through the drill with Ai.  Make
sure she can get to the shelter at night." He nodded, hand covering Ai's in
a mirror of his father's.  Shirley noted it, and again wondered where this
was all going to end up.  So many unknowns...  and both a lifetime and no
time in which to find answers.

   ****

   It was a cold, windy night.  Bill was bundled up, both a knit hat and
the thick hood of his jacket up over his head.  He rarely used the hood,
but the windchill had to be close to zero.  Zero Fahrenheit, that is. 
While metric was better in many situations, and Celsius is a better unit of
measure in science, Fahrenheit was just more...  human in scale.  You could
actually experience, in the course of one year, the entire zero to one
hundred degree range!  Besides...  zero Celsius isn't cold!  You can walk
outside without a jacket in that if there's no wind!

   "Wind!"

   Ai, of course, didn't even need a jacket now.  She was practically
dancing across the snowy field next to him, ecstatic to be outside.  The
blue jacket she wore was purely for decoration, her bare feet much more
mobile than his heavy boots.  Not as much traction, though, and she'd
already fallen twice into drifts.  The second time on purpose.  Now almost
to the tree line, Ai stopped and looked up.  Bill came up beside his friend
and followed her gaze.

   The night sky was clear, the stars shining like they only do on a winter
night.  Bill wasn't great with constellations, but he picked out the big
and small dippers.  Turning to Ai, he saw...  wonder in her face.

   "What...  what is it, Bill?  What are those..."

   "Stars...  balls of fire, like the sun, but all far, far away.  You
could travel for a lifetime and never get to them.  Aren't they beautiful?"

   "It is..." Tears started to fall down her face.  How they didn't freeze
instantly against her skin, let alone the wind, he had no idea.

   "What is it, Ai?"

   "Bill...  thank you..."

   "For what?"

   "For...  making me alive." She turned to him.  "I would not see the
stars, REALLY see the stars...  if not for you." Pressing against Bill, her
lips gently touched his.  This was love, he thought.  Sex was one thing,
but...  love was moments like this.

   "Come on," he said, taking her bare hand in his gloved one.  "We can
still be seen here." They moved into the woods.

   ****

   "I think I've discovered a flaw in our plan."

   Bill looked down at the snowy mound before them.  They were at the
backup entrance to the closed gypsum mine, now also the entrance to "their"
fallout shelter/Ai hiddy hole.  The last two snowfalls, and the wind, had
covered the near ground level iron doors again.

   "Flaw?"

   "Well, I mean, if you're running here, Ai, in a panic, are you going to
be able to dig out the doors to get in?  Never mind if there's someone
behind you and you have to hurry!" He shook his head.  "It was such a good
idea, too.  And cool.  Hell, I wouldn't mind living down there, at least
for a few weeks at a time."

   Ai looked at the snow, considering.  Her practical knowledge was
limited, as of yet, but...

   "Shovel!" Bill looked at her, amused.

   "Shovel?"

   "Bring shovel!  I can dig!" Ai paused, considering it again, then
nodded. "I can shovel easily!  Strong!"

   Bill just had to laugh at that.

   "Well, OK, that'll be our plan.  We'll leave a shovel next to the keys,
and you'll have to remember to grab both when you run out of the house. 
Right?"

   "Right!"

   "Good.  Now let's get the hell home."

   ****

   Julie lay stretched out on her bed, full concentration focused on the
laptop in front of her.  School work was done, and she still had a half
hour or so for the more important work of searching the interweb.  Giant
stuffed frog Horsey at her side, the teen filled her browser tab with
obscure and often insane religious and occult sites.  Somewhere, in all the
madness, was mention of creatures like Ai.  In over a week she had yet to
find any, but Julie was persistent.  The next step would be searching out
copies of out of print books...

   There was a knock at the bedroom door.

   "Enter!"

   Her mom stepped in, the serious look on her face replaced by a grin when
she saw Julie.  Between the frog and the old, faded Smurfs nightgown, her
daughter looked eight again.  The door closed, and Gretchen sat down on the
edge of the bed.

   "Can we talk, Honey?"

   Julie looked up from the laptop.  Gone was the time when she would have
been frantically trying to hide the contents of the screen.  She had
learned much about her mother in the past week, and if anything the shared
secret of Ai had brought the women of the house closer together than at any
time since the death of their dad.  Seeing her mom's once again serious
expression, the laptop was pushed aside as she sat up and slid over to sit
next to Mom.  Horsey joined her, enjoying having his head scratched.

   Gretchen wasn't sure where to begin.

   "I...  you were over at the Darrow's again after school today?"

   "Um, yeah..." Julie blushed a bit, hugging Horsey closer.  Gretchen
sighed.

   "I know you're...  helping 'feed' Ai, and what that entails.  I can't
say I'm all that happy with it, but Mrs.  Darrow and I have talked about it
and...  I accept it.  Are...  are you OK with what's going on?"

   Julie looked up at her mom.  Mom was...  well, if Mom wasn't showing
Julie respect as an adult and concern out of love, those things didn't
exist.  Such questions could only be answered with complete honesty.

   "It's fun...  I like it.  I like...  being with Bill, and Ai.  More than
like." She grinned, and Mom returned it and reached around to hug Julie. 
The two women stayed close together like that, Julie laying her head down
on Gretchen's shoulder.  "I didn't want to go so fast in all this.  I
wanted...  well, to date Bill.  I'd never done more than kiss before, maybe
let a boy touch my boobs.  Now I'm...  I LOVE it, and don't want to stop,
but I wish I could be with Bill more.  I...  I just want us to talk, hold
hands..."

   Gretchen squeezed her daughter again, sighing.  She wasn't sure which
was harder, being a teen or being the mother of one.

   "I do wish you had been able to wait longer, honey.  You're too young,
emotionally, for all you're physically and mentally more than old enough.
At least it's with Bill, though.  I'm happy about that." Her daughter's
hand snaked around her waist to return a hug at that.  "Shirley said you
guys think Ai is...  well, that the birth control aspect is covered.  OK.
But, I think we should put you on the Pill anyway.  Just to be safe.  I
don't want you popping out babies yet."

   "What if I do?"

   Gretchen looked down at her daughter.  Worry was clear on Julie's face,
worry that was the result of long nights thinking.  She kissed the top of
Julie's head.

   "Then we accept that, and deal with the consequences as a loving family.
I don't WANT to have to, God knows, but never worry that I might hate you,
or a baby.  I'll always love you."

   Julie grabbed her mom with both arms, hugging tightly.  Mom was
wonderful.  Head pressed against Mom's small, soft breast, she spoke.

   "I...  I don't think the Pill is a good idea, Mom.  That changes my
hormones, right?  That might not be good for Ai.  She...  she says I'm
nourishing her almost as much as Bill is, making her healthier and
stronger. We can't risk changing that."

   Gretchen ran her hand up and down her daughter's back.

   "If you think that's best, then I trust you.  Now, time for bed."

   ****

   "I'm telling you, the Dragonriders are all gay!"

   Bill and Bobby walked through the middle school hallway, ignoring all
around them as they argued this important issue.  Bill, in particular, was
doing his best to not pay attention to his surroundings.  Bobby's ghostly
companion was giving his friend a blow job as she floated before his
crotch, and that was one place you did NOT want to stare during a
conversation like this.  That her eyes, like that of all the creatures, was
actually on Bill didn't help.

   "Look, Bill said, the expert on the topic as he'd been reading the
series since sixth grade, "yes, when the dragons mate the guys bang the
other male dragon rider.  But the rest of the time most of them go with
women!  That's not gay!"

   "What is it then?"

   "Dragons with benefits?"

   This cracked both of them up.  The library door was before them, though,
so the two friends took a moment to compose themselves.  Laughter
contained, they entered.

   Mark was already at their usual table, math book out.  The blond
obviously hadn't finished last night's homework.  Under the table, Bill saw
Mark's creature doing its thing.  Unless it was the math giving him a hard
on, that had to be distracting.  Actually, truth be told, Mark's ghostly
companion at times distracted Bill.  While most of the creatures he could
see were females of one sort or another, Mark's was...  well, you couldn't
tell.  It COULD be a flat chested girl.  Or, it could be a long haired boy.
In the plain white tunic it was impossible to say.  Bill had yet to figure
out if the gender of the creatures had any real meaning, and wished he
could talk openly to Mark about it.  If he was gay, it would be some
evidence in that direction.  But...  such topics were off limits.

   Bill's eyes caught red in the back corner of the library.  Ah, Cindi. 
It was funny: obviously, she had been using the library the same times they
had for the entire year, yet he had never noticed her before.  Bill had
known of her, but honestly thought their paths just never crossed.  Amazing
how your attention manages to edit out things that don't concern you.

   "Hey, guys." Bobby had already sat down next to Mark, and the two gave
their friend a bemused look.  "I have to go talk to someone for a few
minutes.  It shouldn't take too long."

   "Who?" Bobby looked confused.  There was no one else here, apart from
the librarian who, truth be told, he wouldn't mind talking to alone back in
the stacks.  Mark, however, looked over his shoulder, then back at Bill
with a contemptuous look.

   "Her?  What, Julie isn't enough for you?"

   "Wait, what?  What about Julie?" Now Bobby was more confused.  What did
his ex have to do with anything?

   "Bill here," Mark explained dryly, "is going with Julie, and now also
wants to be with the Freak."

   Bobby looked up at his friend, stunned...  and hurt.  Bill tried to
think of what to say, but couldn't on short notice.

   "You said you two were just talking about nothing!"

   "We were, then!  Things...  changed.  Look, did you go around talking
about it when you and her were together?"

   "Every chance I got!"

   This brought laughter from both Bill and Mark, and a stern look from
Miss Trenten.

   "And now," Bill went on, quieter, "I can see how much of that was just
you bragging." Bobby's eyes shot up, a slight blush rising to his face. 
Bill shook his head.  "Just kidding.  I'd never pry.  Look, you two, I have
to talk to Cindi for a bit, OK?  I'll be back later." He walked away not
waiting for an answer.

   Cindi was at a small round table, with just two chairs.  She looked up
as Bill approached, eyes apprehensive.  She still wore all black, a one
piece dress today, and no makeup.  Not that she needed any, in Bill's
opinion.

   "Can I sit?"

   Cindi nodded, watching as Bill put his books down and joined her. 
Neither spoke for a few moments.  Finally, Cindi seemed to gather her
courage and brought out a spiral notebook.

   "I...  did what Julie asked.  I made a list of all the creatures, or
lots of them.  What I think they do." She slid the book over to Bill, who
raised an eyebrow at the unicorn and rainbow on the cover.  Cindi gave a
slight smile.  "I do have a slight sense of humor."

   Bill nodded, opening the book.  Inside...  was madness.

   She had drawn pictures.  She wasn't a great artist, and her hand had
been trembling while looking at some of the things, but...  Bill quickly
leafed through it, then closed the cover and met Cindi's eyes.

   "How are you still sane?"

   "I'm not."

   Bill thought.

   "Look, can you come over?  Dad's playing poker, so Julie's family is
coming over for pizza or something.  Mom will drive you home.  We can go
over your book, talk..." She looked reluctant.  "Please?"

   Nobody ever said "please" to her...

   ****

   The notebook was opened up on the coffee table, its contents speaking
loudly in the silence of the room.  Shirley and Gretchen sat on the couch,
reading intently, slowly flipping the pages, while the six teens, almost
teens, and Ai, sat on the floor around them.  Now and then one of them
would look around the room, wondering which of these...  things were around
them, horrible and invisible.  Shirley finally sat back up, regarding
Cindi.

   "Impressive work." The girl blushed at that.  "There seem to be... 
families of these creatures, divided by skin color and function.  That how
you see it?"

   "Yeah..." Cindi gathered her thoughts.  Being with adults who... 
understood her was so different.  "Yeah.  Blue is pleasure, orange is pain,
red is death, green...  mental?  It's hard to tell, and it's not like I've
really TRIED to look at them.  If anything, I do my best not to see."
Shirley nodded, fully understanding.  Her eyes were full of compassion, but
not the kind that humiliated Cindi.  No...  there was respect as well in
that gaze, and Cindi began to wish this was the family she had been born
into.

   "If you can handle it, I'd like to work with you to research all this
better.  We need to know a lot more than we do, and you're our one link to
Ai's world." The idea of working...  as an equal!...  with this woman
appealed to Cindi, and she nodded despite the horror of what was being
asked.  Shirley smiled.  "Thank you.  Now, you can control somewhat how
much you can see?"

   "Yeah, a bit.  If I try, I can...  only see those affecting me, or those
who will touch those around me.  If I'm tired, or just waking up...  I see
ALL of them." Cindi shuddered at this, only stiffening a bit when Julie
reached around to give her a comforting hug.  Bill, sitting on the other
side of Julie with Ai, spoke up.

   "When they're not doing anything, the creatures just sort of stand off
to the side.  You can see them lined up against the wall of the classroom,
waiting to do their job." His mom looked over at Ai.

   "What did you think about, when you were doing nothing like that?"

   Ai thought.  As the seconds ticked by, and the gathered waited for her
reply, her expression slowly became incredulous and upset.  She looked up
at her new Mom.

   "I...  I can no longer remember!  It's all gone!" Shirley's eyebrows
shot up at that.  Damn it, she should have gotten more out of the creature
earlier.  Ah, well.  Science marches on.  Shirley waited for Ai to calm
down, helped by Bill's hug, then went on.

   "Do you think you could see other creatures, either your own kind or
others?" Ai considered it again.

   "No...  I...  knew others were there, my others, but always I was
looking at Bill.  Remember that much.  Why...  why is it going away?!?"

   "Because you're with me," Bill said, squeezing his lover.  "I'm sorry."
Ai responded by caressing his cheek and giving him a quick kiss.  Cindi
looked at the creature with awe.  The idea of LOSING the ability to see...
was there hope?

   Gretchen, who'd kept looking through the notebook, sat up again and cast
a speculative gaze at Ai.  She'd rather be told what was true than try and
find out herself, but a question had formed in her mind.

   "Ai.  If you tried, really hard, do you think you could see one of the
creatures?" Shirley gave her old friend a quick look.  That, actually, was
a good question.  Why hadn't she thought of it?  Probably because she was
more worried about upsetting her son by treating Ai like a test subject. 
Emotional distance has its advantages.  She saw Ai looking at Bill for
help.

   "It's up to you, Ai.  If you want to try it, we'll be here for backup."
Ai slowly nodded, then looked at Cindi.

   "Where...  is one?"

   Cindi cast her gaze around, looking for a good target.  Something not
too embarrassing, which left out the small bluish primates sucking on a
couple of the female nipples in the room.

   "There," she pointed, indicating a spot in front of an empty chair. 
"There's one standing there, maybe five feet tall."

   "Don't tell us what it looks like," Shirley said.  "Ai, focus on that
point and try and see."

   The blue girl nodded, swung her body around so she was sitting facing
the chair, and began to concentrate.  All were quiet, even the sound of
breathing stopped.  Ai's eyes were wide, hands on her knees, body leaning
forward.  Could she?...  yes, wait...  she thought she saw...

   Cindi caught a flash of orange movement in the corner of her eye. 
Swinging her head around, her eyes widened in terror.  Coming at her at
amazing speed was...  evil.  It was bright orange.  Long, thin arms and
legs met at a body that was no more than a small circle.  Running half on
all fours, it tore across the dining room and into the living room.  It's
head...  it had no head, just two rows of jagged, glistening white teeth,
set almost in a duckbill, one foot radius half circles joined at the body.
It threw itself at Ai.  Cindy leapt to her feet, screaming.

   "No!"

   The creature's jaw closed on Ai's head, and Ai screamed in agony.

   "Ai!"

   "What is it!?"

   All they could see was Ai shrieking, hands holding her head, eyes wide
and staring at the living room chair across from her.  Her cry was high
pitched and pitiful, her mind unable to form words in the horror of the
moment.

   Cindi had to do something.  Something.  The others were all at Ai's
side, ignorant of the problem.  She had to...

   Cindi leapt over to Ai.  One foot almost crushing Jenny's hand before it
was quickly pulled out of the way, she planted herself next to the orange
thing.  Its teeth were half way into Ai's skull, the sound of the crunching
echoing in her ears.  She reached out to grab one of its arms, her hands
passing through it like the creature wasn't there.  Which, it wasn't.  What
could she...  Cindi tried again.  Bill was frantically trying to pull Ai's
head towards her, away from whatever she was seeing, thinking that was the
problem.  Concentrating, Cindi again grabbed at the arm.  Once...  twice...


   Her hands touched solid, burning hot flesh.

   Cindi let out a scream.  Her hand jerked away, but at the same instant
Bill managed to yank Ai's head and the creature released it from his jaws.
Ai collapsed sobbing into his arms, head buried in Bill's chest, as Cindi
staggered back.  Small orange cat creatures leapt up to lick her throbbing
hands.

   The large orange thing stood still for a moment, then turned towards
Cindi.  She could read no emotion into its faceless gaze, but trembled as
that open mouth seemed to beckon to her.  Was she next?  After what seemed
like an eternity, its mouth closed, followed by the creature turning and
running through the window out into the falling snow.

   Cindi collapsed.

   ****

   The smell of fresh baked pizza woke her.

   Cindi was lying on the couch, a knitted blanket that had been thrown
over the back of it now spread out over her.  Turning her head, she saw a
large rectangular tray of pizza now half empty sitting on the coffee table.
Everyone was sitting around the room, mostly on chairs pulled in from the
dining room.  Mrs.  Cutter saw her awaken, and putting down her plate
quickly came over.

   "You OK, honey?"

   Cindi struggled to sit up, tossing the blanket off next to her.  She
felt fine.

   "What happened?"

   "Oh, lots of things," Bill said, putting his own plate down and coming
over to sit next to her.  Gretchen sat down on her other side.  "What do
you remember?"

   "Um...  Ai was being attacked, and I actually managed to touch it."

   That got everyone's attention.  Ai came over, sitting on the coffee
table in front of Cindi.  Betty quickly moved the pizza pan so her butt
wasn't right in the cheese.  Ai's eyes were wide.

   "What attacked me?"

   "It was..." Cindy shook her head.  "A big orange creature, all mouth. 
It was biting your head.  I don't think I'm the one that got rid of it, but
it gave me a look before it ran off.  What do YOU think happened?"

   Bill answered that.

   "I think it's the opposite of what she was like before.  Before she was
real, Ai could turn solid for short periods of time, but it always hurt
her, with the pain growing with time.  Now, she CAN turn back- I actually
saw her hands start to flicker- but the pain is horrible."

   "NEVER want to go back!" Ai shook her head violently, causing Bill to
reach out and caress her bare knee.

   "And we'll never ask you to do that again."

   Shirley nodded.

   "It's good to know, though.  Best to find out what's bad now, when the
situation is controlled, than have that happen when Ai is alone and we
can't help her." She noted Cindi eyeing the pizza, and laughed.  "Go on,
have a slice!  We put it in after all the excitement calmed down.  You were
only out for a little bit." Shirley's eyes went to the picture window
behind the couch.  "Snow's really starting to come down.  We probably
should think about taking you home soon.  When are your parents expecting
you back?"

   Cindi finished chewing her first bite, swallowing.  It was good pizza,
with sliced tomatoes and pepperoni on it.  The crust was thick, and soft.

   "They don't know I'm gone yet." Shirley's eyes widened at that. 
"They're never home till seven anyway.  Not that they care where I am." She
took another bite of the pizza.  So good...

   ****

   They ate and talked for the next hour.  Cindi, Shirley saw, was becoming
more and more at ease with them.  That was good.  The poor girl just needed
a good support network, friends and family to fall back on.  Shirley wasn't
one to act without good data, but right then she wanted nothing more than
to slap Cindi's mother.  No matter how things must have looked from her
end, there was no excuse for pulling away from her offspring as seems to
have been the case...

   "It's getting bad out there, Mom." Jenny stood at the large window next
to the front door, looking out.  Gretchen walked over next to her. 
Reaching over, she turned off the hallway light for a better view of the
darkness outside.  She turned back to the others in the living room.

   "Regular blizzard.  I'm almost tempted to have you drive us across the
street, but to be honest I don't think anyone should be driving tonight."

   Shirley's eyes shot open.  Tom!  In all this, she had forgotten why he
wasn't there!  Betty jumped to her feet, eyes mirroring her mom's.

   "I'll check the weather on the Mac!" She was off, Jenny following.

   Bill stood, and walked over to the large plate glass window in the
dining room looking out over the back yard.  Visibility barely went back to
the old swing set, the howl of the wind just audible.  Ai and Julie came to
stand on either side of him, his arms going out to wrap around their
waists. Ai turned her gaze to him.

   "Is all that snow...  bad?"

   "If you have to go somewhere, yes.  If you're home, then it's just
something pretty to look at.  School will probably be canceled tomorrow if
this keeps up." He saw his Mom in the kitchen, on the phone.

   "Tom, where are you right now?  Have you looked at the weather?...  Yes,
it's getting bad.  I think you should start back...  It's MY car that has
the four wheel drive...  Of course I'm worrying too much, someone has to!
Just start home, OK?...  OK, I'll give you till 8, but you'd better be on
the road by then...  I need you here, OK?...  Love you..." She hung up
slowly, hand almost caressing the handset as she let go of it.  For a
moment, she looked like an awkward teen girl instead of the strong mother
Bill knew her to be.  He turned his gaze back to the window.  That part of
his Mom was supposed to stay hidden...

   Shirley walked back into the dining room and over next to the three
teens.  Julie was on the end, so that's the one she put her arm around and
hugged as the four looked out over the blizzard.

   "Dad should be home by nine, if not sooner.  I think we should call it
an evening." She turned and looked over at Gretchen in the living room. 
"You guys going to be OK walking home?" Julie scoffed next to her.

   "We won't melt, Mrs.  Darrow!"

   "She's worried about us freezing!" came the disgusted reply from Jenny
as she came back from the computer room with Betty.  "They already have
some driving bans in the south towns."

   Shirley nodded.  Time to get everyone home.

   "Mrs.  Darrow?"

   Turning, she saw Cindi coming up to her.  The girl looked awkward,
unsure.

   "What is it, Honey?" She seemed to blush at bit at being called that.

   "Mrs.  Darrow, could...  could I stay here?  Tonight?"

   Shirley released Julie and walked up to the redhead, putting her hands
on Cindi's shoulders.

   "We have to get you home, Honey.  Your mom and dad will be worried."

   "No they won't," she groaned, closing her eyes.  "They won't care.  I
can just leave a message that I'm here." Her eyes opened, looking up into
Shirley's clearly upset face.  "Please.  I...  I like it here, and you
shouldn't be driving..."

   Shirley glanced over at Gretchen, who was grabbing her coat from the
stairs banister.

   "Oh, let her stay.  The last thing we need are two cars out on the
road."

   Shirley sighed.

   "OK, if your parents say it's OK, you can stay.  It's not like we'll
have to worry about school tomorrow.  We'll pull a sleeping bag out and you
can sleep with Betty." Betty ran up to them smiling.

   "Slumber party!"

   ****

   Her parents hadn't cared.  Mom had actually been home already, and not
noticed that her daughter wasn't just hiding in her room.  Cindi hung up
the phone, crying.  It had only taken an evening of kindness to wipe out
years of built up defenses.  She didn't want to go back.  Ever.  Looking
up, she saw Mrs.  Darrow watching her.  The woman was so kind to her, and
smart...  she saw Bill's mom open her arms for her, and Cindi's last
defenses crumbled.  Throwing herself into the waiting hug, she buried her
face into Shirley's chest as the tears came.  Shirley just held her, not
saying anything, letting her hands gently run up and down her back.

   ****

   It was 10 PM.

   They had spent the evening watching TV.  A good Nova documentary on
Mars, which fascinated Ai, was followed by some Mythbusters off of the
Tivo. As time went by, with no sign of Dad pulling into the driveway, Bill
and Betty increasingly gave each other worried looks.  Snow was still
blowing outside, and one drift completely covered the bushes in front of
the den window and was starting to cover the window itself.  Adam was just
declaring cold fusion busted when Shirley stood.

   "OK, everyone, bedtime."

   Betty looked like she was about to state the obvious, but stopped.  Mom
knew...  there was no point mentioning it.  Instead, she went over to hug
her.  Shirley held her tight.

   "Daddy will be home soon, don't worry.  I'll try his cell phone again.
He probably forgot to charge it." Betty nodded into her chest, then raised
her head for a quick goodnight kiss.  Releasing her Mom, she led the three
others upstairs.

   Shirley watched them go, then walked up to the den's front window. 
There were no cars on the winding side street, nor did she know if any
could in fact get through.  Fishing in her pocket, she brought out her
phone again.

   "Hi, it's Shirley, Tom Darrow's wife.  Yeah, hi.  Um, I was wondering if
Tom has left the party yet...  He left about seven thirty?....  oh... 
thanks.  Yeah, I'm sure he's OK too.  Have a good night..."

   She leaned forward, forehead pressing against the cold window pane. 
Where was her Tommy...

   ****

   The sound of the kitchen phone ringing echoed through the upstairs hall
and into the two bedrooms.  Teens only half asleep jolted upright, looked
at the clock, and tossed on enough clothing to make them decent.  It was
11:15 PM.  Only one reason someone would call this late...

   They reached the kitchen just as Shirley was hanging up the phone.  She
was shaking.  An open bottle of wine was on the table beside her.

   "Mom?"

   "Your dad...  there was an accident."

   Betty's hand shot out and grabbed Bill's.  Ai and Cindi stood behind
them, both unsure how to react if for different reasons.  Shirley shook her
head to clear it.  She had no time for self pity.

   "It was a bad wreck, and he's been taken to Millard Fillmore Suburban.
I'm going over there."

   "Mom, no!"

   "Take us!"

   She looked at her children, then their two guests.  Shirley saw Cindi
glance up at her forehead the same moment a throbbing headache started, and
just had to give a tired laugh.

   "OK, Cindi, what just landed on my head?"

   Cindi's eyes widened, her expression then becoming sheepish.

   "It's like an orange jellyfish, with suckers attached to your forehead."

   "That's what I thought." Her gaze returned to her anxious children. 
"No, you can't come, and yes I'm going.  Or, yes I'm going and no you can't
come.  Whatever."

   "Mom," Bill pleaded, "it's bad out there.  You shouldn't drive!" Shirley
moved into the hallway, the teens parting for her, and went to the front
door.  She opened it stepping out onto the concrete steps, looking to the
north.  The wind was partially blocked, but cold still flooded the house.

   "Griener looks like it was plowed not that long ago.  If I can make it
to the end of the street, I should be fine.  It's only a few minutes to
Suburban." She stepped back and closed the door again, turning on the hall
light and opening the closet to get her coat.  "I'll call you as soon as I
get to the hospital, then again once I find out how your father is." Coat
was on, as well as her fur hat and gloves.  "Bill, you're in charge.  I'll
call Gretchen from the hospital so she knows what's up.  I'll probably
spend the night there."

   He nodded, then quickly stepped forward and gave her a quick hug.  Betty
followed suit...  as did Ai.  Shirley, as always, was a bit unsettled by
Ai, but she smiled down at the creature.

   "Be good, Ai.  Do whatever Bill says."

   She nodded.

   "OK Mom.  I want Dad to be OK."

   Shirley still wasn't used to being called that by her, either.  When
Cindi came over for a hug, though, she was expecting it.

   "It'll be OK, Honey.  I'll see you tomorrow."

   Shirley fastened her coat, and started towards the den door into the
garage.  Pausing as she reached it, she turned to her waiting real and
adopted children.

   "Naturally, if I can't get out of the driveway I'll see you a lot sooner
than that."

   Three minutes later, they watched her minivan back out of the driveway,
leaving large ruts in the snow, and power its way forward towards Griener.

   She was gone.

   ****

   There was no thought of sleep among the four.  Bill and Betty, almost in
a daze, walked back into the kitchen, Ai and Cindi following.  Bill turned
the gas burner on under the tea kettle, while Betty opened a cupboard.

   "Do you like marshmallows, Cindi?"

   "Um...  no."

   "Good.  Neither does Bill.  More for me." She got down a box of hot
chocolate packets and an unopened bag of mini marshmallows.  Bill had three
cups ready, and began opening the packets of brown powder.

   Ai sat on the counter next to the refrigerator, watching.  She wished
she could eat, and drink, food.  It wasn't so much the desire to taste, as
she more than enjoyed the taste of Bill and Julie, but instead a
fascination with the ritual of eating.  There was custom, and a certain way
each type of food was prepared, served, and eaten.  It brought the family
together, or helped make them happy when things were sad.  Ai had tried
some things, but they made her feel horrible.  Only the product of love
suited her.

   Ai wondered if some could be saved, so she could eat with others at
times like this...

   The kettle whistle signaled it was time, and soon the three humans were
sitting at the kitchen table with Ai staying on the counter.  Betty, in her
normal seat, was closest to the wall phone.  Now and then she'd glance up
at it, willing a ring.  Finally, Ai broke the silence.

   "Will Mom and Dad be OK?"

   Bill closed his eyes.  So much for NOT talking about that.  He turned in
his chair and looked over at Ai.

   "They should be OK.  We just have to wait until Mom calls.  There's
nothing else we can do."

   "You're so lucky," Cindi said, looking down at her hot chocolate.  She
was wearing a pink robe of Betty's, having been sleeping in only her
underwear.  "Your parents love you so much..."

   Betty and Bill exchanged glances.  They wanted to ask, but the manners
they had been raised with prevented such prying into someone's private
life. Luckily, Ai had no such filter.

   "Why is your family broken?" Ai slid onto her feet, walking up beside
Cindy and dropping down to sit on the floor next to her.  Cindi looked down
at her, eyes wide.  With a shudder she closed them.

   "You don't have to tell us," Bill said, tentatively reaching over and
touching her hand.  She shook her head violently.

   "I want to..."

   ****

   Her parents hadn't wanted kids.

   Well...  that wasn't exactly true.  They didn't want the reality of
children.  The problems, the effort, the waste of time and money.  The
idealized IDEA of children, though...  that appealed to the couple.  Both
had been only children of well off professional parents.  Well behaved,
reasonably happy, and no burden on their busy Mothers.  Any child they had
would naturally be the same, so with the same mindset that some buy a pet
with, they had a daughter.

   For a while, all was well.  Cindi's mom treated her like a large, living
doll, to be dressed up and fussed over, shown off to friends, and spoiled.
Cindi was happy.  Oh, there was probably a bit too much time spent in
daycare, and Dad didn't play with her that much, but there were "girls
nights out", shopping trips, and toys.  Life was good.

   It started in 1st grade.  Young Cindi started seeing...  colors.  Blues,
greens, oranges...  splotches of color floating around her world.  When she
told her Mommy about them, Mom laughed, rubbed Cindi's head, and said she
had a wonderful imagination.  In art, she'd draw pictures of the colors,
and the teachers said she had wonderful artistic skill and vision, which
made her parents even more proud.  Her paintings were hung up on the
classroom walls.  No one else could see the colors, but that was OK.  She
learned not to talk about them too much, and all was well.

   The horrors started in 3rd Grade.

   She had been sleeping that night with her left arm under her body.  The
weight, naturally, cut off some of the blood flow, causing it to tingle. 
Her arm was "asleep", which in turn woke her up.  Groaning, Cindi turned
her head towards that side of her body, lifted her chest, and pulled her
arm out where she could see it.

   Orange monsters with thousands of teeth were eating her arm.

   Cindi shot up, screaming.  Shaking her arm frantically, she looked
around.  There were other creatures.  Small blue ones, on her dresser.  An
orange girl with horrible purple eyes standing by the door.  She screamed
again, her parents finally bursting into the room expecting a fire, or a
rapist.  Instead...  they saw their nine year old daughter waving her left
arm, yelling about monsters eating her.

   The trips to the psychologists started the next week.

   Her parents sent her to therapy.  They filled her with drugs.  They
checked her eyes.  They did everything...  but believe.

   At first, Mom tried to comfort her, tried to help ease Cindi's mind and
body.  But, as time went on, both parents began to see it less as a case of
an illness their daughter could be cured of, and more...  that she was
broken.  Defective.  You can not do to a broken child what you can with a
defective pet, though.  It must stay in your home, be fed, clothed. 
However...  you don't have to love it.

   They stopped coming when she called.  Cindi stopped calling.  She
withdrew, putting up what defenses she could against the horrors.  She
thought of death, but feared the thought of one of the red creatures coming
for her.  Cindi would SEE death, look it in the eye...  no, she had to
live...

   ****

   "But...  your mom and dad must love you!" Betty was in tears.  Never had
she heard anything so sad!

   "But that would be WORSE!" Cindi cried, looking at the girl.  "If they
love me, then WHY?!?  Why do this to me?!?  Better they hate me, so there's
a reason!"

   Bill didn't know what to do.  Reaching over, he grabbed her hand.  It
was cold.  Gripping it tightly, he drew her eyes to his.

   "You have us now, Cindi.  We'll love you." He could see she wanted to
believe that.  WANTED, with all her heart, to be talked into thinking she
was loved.  The horrible part was it didn't even have to be true.  She just
wanted...  to believe.

   Ai rose to her feet, putting her cold hands on Cindi's cheeks and
swinging her head around to face her.  The girl shuddered at the touch. 
Their eyes locked.  Remembering something, Ai looked over at Bill.

   "Friend, or sister?"

   The temptation was there.  Bill was horny teen enough to want a harem.
But...  he loved Julie, and Ai.  He needed no one else.

   "Sister."

   Ai nodded, smiling, and looked down at the confused girl in her hands.
Leaning down, she kissed Cindi gently on the forehead.

   "You are my sister.  I love you.  I will always love you."

   Any reply Cindi might have had was interrupted by the phone ringing.

   Betty was on her feet in an instant, grabbing the handset.

   "Hello!"

   The three watched her face, waiting for the look of horror that would
tell them the bad news.  Instead, she held the phone out towards Bill.

   "She wants to talk to you."

   That could be good or bad.

   "Hi Mom."

   "Bill." He could hear the stress in her voice.  "Sorry I didn't call
sooner.  It's horrible out there..."

   "How's Dad?"

   "He's in surgery.  I talked to the paramedics.  It was a bad crash, the
car is totaled.  They think he went off the road and hit a tree, then
another car slid into him.  But...  he should be OK."

   Bill let out a deep, relieved sigh, turned and gave his sister the
thumbs up sign.  Betty raised her arms in celebration, then grabbed Ai and
hugged her.  Their Mom kept talking.

   "He got a nasty crack to the head, and his right arm is broken, and
there were some internal injuries.  I'm going to spend the night here.  He
should be out of surgery in an hour or so.  Go to bed, I won't wake you
unless something comes up."

   "OK.  Love you, Mom."

   "Love you, Billy."

   He hung up.  Sleep...  how could they sleep?

   ****

   Bill lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling.  There were no lights
tonight.  Due to the curve of the street outside, he was used to seeing
headlights of cars shining on his ceiling, doing a back and forth dance
before sliding away from his window.  The road outside was empty, though.
Even the tracks of his mom had been filled in by the wind.

   Ai, as always, lay next to him, nude on top of the covers as he lay nude
under them.  He so wished they could lie together, but their body
temperatures were too different.  He could only hold her for short periods
of time.  Maybe, as the years went on, she'd become warmer...

   "Sleep, Bill," she muttered, hand running over his covered form.  "You
need sleep."

   "Trying," he said.  Maybe if he just closed his eyes, and tried not to
think...

   There was a sound down stairs, like a door closing.  Had they left the
den door partly open, and it had blown shut?  No, it opened inwards, it
would blow open...  there was a rustling sound now, close to the front
door. Was Mom home?  No...  now someone was coming upstairs.  Bill started
to raise himself up onto his elbows, keeping the warm covers over him as
much as possible, when the bedroom door opened.

   Standing there, wearing hastily donned snow pants and winter jacket over
a faded Smurfs nightgown, was Julie.  Her feet were bare on the wood floor.

   "Julie!"

   Behind her, he could see Betty's door open a crack to see what was going
on, then close again.  Julie dropped her jacket to the floor, closing the
door behind her as her hands came free, undid her snow pants and pulled the
gown over her head.

   "Your mom called," she said, standing there nude in the dim light from
the street.  "I thought you could use help sleeping."

   Bill moved back to the middle of the bed as Julie walked forward,
feeling Ai's weight shift behind him as she made room.  Julie slipped under
the covers, pulling them up over her,moving up till she lie touching him.
They faced each other, hands going up to caress soft cheeks.

   "I know what it's like," she said, body pressing up against his.  "My
sister couldn't sleep alone for a week after Dad..."

   Bill silenced her with a kiss, which turned into more.  Hands began
running over warm, hidden flesh.  Mouths kissed necks, ears, breasts. 
Julie rolled Bill on his back, straddling him.  Her eyes shining in the
dark, she turned to Ai who was lying next to them.

   "May I eat?"

   She heard Bill catch his breath as Ai nodded, smiling.

   "Taste his love."

   Julie moved backwards, sliding over Bill's trembling body till she
vanished under the covers.  The movement stopped, only to be replaced by
Bill's groan as he was engulfed by her warm, wet mouth.

   He trembled.  She took her time, marking the reaction to each caress of
her tongue, coming back again and again to what pleased.  He was hers this
time, to do with as she will.  And she willed....

   The first burst flooded her small mouth.  She savored the taste.  Not
incredible, no, but the fact that it was her Bill's made it the sweetest
nectar.  She swallowed as he shot again, and again.  Julie imagined the
same pulses of energy and life flowing through her, as they did through Ai.
Imagined her lover's seed making her whole.

   When she came back up, Bill's eyes looked at her with all the love she
could ever want.  That, she thought, must be the real path to a man's
heart. He kissed her so tenderly Julie thought her heart would break, then
cuddled her small form against his tired body.

   Ai watched as the two lovers fell asleep.  She adjusted the covers over
them, making sure they would be warm all night.  Her job done, Ai walked to
the window behind Bill's desk and looked out at the road.  Two of her
family were out there.  They should all be here, with her.  She had to
protect them, just as they protect her.  Somehow...

   ****

   They found her still standing there in the morning.

   ****

   Cindi lie awake in Betty's sleeping bag, looking at the morning sun
drift through the bedroom windows.  She couldn't see a clock from where she
was on the floor, but given her internal clock it was maybe 6:30.  Despite
the cold floor, the unfamiliar room, and Betty tossing the turning
throughout the night...  Cindi had slept like a baby.  Life...  was good to
her.  It may not last, and tomorrow may be the start of new horrors and
loneliness, but...  she would look back on last night forever.  However
long that might be.

   Maybe it was the dog.

   Shifting in the bag, a soft bell could be heard near her ear.  Cindi
reached around and pulled the stuffed dog out, holding it above her head.
Blue Bell, Betty had said, was his name, and very appropriate that was. 
The soft cuddly dog, worn with over a decade of love, had a small round
bell in the end of one of its big floppy ears.  Cindy pulled him into a
tight hug.  Another friend to add to her growing collection.

   There was a faint knocking at the bedroom door.  A groan came from
somewhere in the bed, followed by a mass of tangled black hair rising up
out of the covers.

   "Whoisit," the hair mumbled.  The knock came again, and the hair
repeated its mumble, louder this time.  The door opened a crack, and a very
awake Julie popped her freshly showered face into the room.

   "Ah, hi.  I forgot to bring any clothes with me."

   ****

   The three girls came downstairs, Julie and Cindi fully dressed and Betty
still in her nightgown.  "If it's a snow day, I'm enjoying it", she had
said.  She had, though, found a skirt and a small blouse for Julie.  The
three females figured Bill would love it, as if Julie bent over at all, her
boobs would be there for anyone tall enough to see.  Betty had offered to
find a clean outfit for Cindi, but she said yesterday's dress wasn't that
bad.  Besides, she didn't stink like they did.

   They found Bill and Ai in the kitchen, making breakfast.  The smell of
sausage greeted them, and Bill was grilling up pancakes.  Ai carefully, and
proudly, was pouring orange juice into glasses and putting them on the
table.

   "Well!" said Betty archly, taking her seat, "I see someone built up an
appetite last night."

   "Yup, I'm starved!" Julie agreed, sitting and taking up her fork and
knife.  "Bring on the sausage!"

   It took Betty almost falling out of her chair laughing, and Bill giving
her a look, for Julie to recognize what she had just said.  Smiling, she
just shrugged.  She loved any sausage Bill wanted to give her.

   "Any word?" Cindi asked, moving to take her seat.  Bill shook his head.

   "Mom may be napping, if she could nap, or she doesn't think we'd be
awake yet.  In any event, I'm not going to call and disturb her.  It's not
like we can do anything." Bill added the last batch of pancakes to the
platter, turned off the burner, and carried it and the sausage over.  "It's
real maple syrup, Cindi, so you don't have to drown the pancakes to taste
something."

   "Yeah," Julie agreed.  "The first time Mrs.  Darrow served me some, I
dumped half a bottle on my plate 'cause I'm so used to that fake crap. 
Man, was that strong!  Didn't find out till later she paid over ten dollars
for that bottle!"

   "Some things are worth it," Betty agreed.

   ****

   A plow came through the street about 8 AM.  Ai watched it go by,
fascinated.  One moment the street was a nice smooth white, the next a
black path ran down it.  There was something new and exciting to see every
day when you're alive!  It was still snowing, but the wind had died down so
it was just a gentle white rain.  That said, the road was no longer black
after a few minutes.

   Not long after, the phone rang.

   "Hi, Bill, it's Mrs.  Cutter.  Heard from your mom yet?"

   "Not since last night.  How about you?"

   "She called after your Dad got out of surgery, but that's the last I
heard.  I assume Julie is over with you?"

   "Uh...  yeah."

   "Just making sure." There was a resigned sound to her voice, but she
quickly became her normal, upbeat self.  "So, here's the plan.  Have you
guys had breakfast yet?"

   "Yup.  We were up early."

   "Good.  Now that the street is plowed, how about you come over here, dig
me out, and we'll head down to Suburban.  Your Mom probably needs some
things, and we can take her out to lunch."

   "OK.  I'll gather the work crew."

   ****

   Ai watched out the window as Bill shoveled out the driveway across the
street.  She wished she could help.  She always wished she could help.  Her
other friends were out there, Jenny too, and it looked like so much fun...
Her eyes caught Julie bringing her arm back, to throw something at her
Bill! It hit him in the chest...  and he laughed!  Oh!  They're playing! 
She wanted to play too!  She wanted to be like them...

   ****

   Cindi stepped out of the hospital elevator, and almost immediately took
a reflexive step back into the car.  God!  They...  were everywhere!

   Her eyes flicked up, down, all around the second floor corridor. 
Translucent orange creatures filled every view.  Large, small, with teeth,
mallet like hands, stingers...  bright orange, dark orange, yellowish
orange...  and Red.  She saw Red.  It vanished into the ceiling, but there
was Red!

   Bill and the others were already ten feet down the hall when she snapped
out of it.  Thinking fast, Cindi ran up to Mrs.  Cutter.

   "Um, I'm sorry, but...  I can't go in there." They stopped and looked at
her, a worried look on Bill's face.  "I...  I'm seeing a lot here, and I
don't want to.  Plus I don't know your dad anyway!" Cindi was almost
babbling, a state nobody would of imagined possible for the quiet teen. 
Gretchen looked at the redhead with sympathetic understanding.  Glancing
back behind them, she turned Cindi around.

   "It's OK.  Don't worry.  Why don't you wait in that lounge area over
there by the window?  We'll be back soon."

   "Thank you!"

   She almost ran, but kept it to as fast a walk as she could.  She could
sit.  Close her eyes.  Not see them.  If she can't see them, it's like
they're not there.  They weren't after her anyway!

   Reaching the couch, she threw herself into it and risked a glance back.
She could just see Jenny in the back of the group turning a corner,
catching her eye and tossing a wave back at Cindi.  Then...  she was alone.

   With the things.

   Cindi hugged herself.  Alone again.  Alone...  Her defenses.  She had to
put her defenses back up.  She could do this.  HAD done this.  It wasn't
hard.  All she had to do was...

   Red exploded into the corner of her eye, causing Cindi's head to whip
reflexively towards it.  There, one foot away from her...  was a young
preteen with dark Red skin.

   Her hair was bright yellow, falling loosely past her shoulders.  Her
eyes were pure white, large circles set above a small button nose and full
light red lips.  A white toga of silk clad her otherwise bare body.  The
thing had walked right through the exterior wall, and the couch Cindi
shrank back against.  Without a pause, it continued its journey down the
hospital hallway.

   "Oh, god..." Cindi had never seen one of these, one of...  the girls,
except when they came for her Grandpa.  And her unborn cousin.  Only when
someone she knew...  Bill's Dad!  She shot to her feet.  She had to warn
them!  Maybe they could save him!  Before her newfound courage could leave
her, she took two bold steps forward...

   ...and the Red thing halted.

   Cindi abruptly stopped herself, almost losing her balance.  The Red
thing started its slow walk again.  What the...?  Cindi started forward
again...

   The Red girl stopped.

   This time, Cindi kept walking, until she was right behind the creature.
It barely came up to her breasts.  Stopping again, the ghoul chose that
moment to begin walking.

   The thought came to Cindi at once.  The...  creatures, monsters...  were
both the now, and the future.  They KNEW when they would be needed, and
went to that spot so as to be ready when the time came.  This...  girl
thing, was going where someone was going to die.

   And if Cindi went there, nobody would die and the girl wouldn't be
needed.

   She could save someone.

   The Red girl kept walking forward.  Every time Cindi moved it stopped,
so she'd have to let it get a bit of a head start so she knew which room to
go to.  They played this deadly game of red-light, green light for thirty
feet before the creature turned and vanished through a wooden door.

   This was it.

   Rushing up, not bothering to note the room number, Cindi grabbed the
knob and burst into the room.

   Her momentum took her straight through the creature, but she didn't
notice.  There, at the far end of the two bed hospital room, was a sad,
horrible sight.  Letting go of the door handle, Cindi slowly walked forward
as the door swung closed behind her.

   Four women sat in chairs next to the dying girl.  Four women, all
different, all holding hands as if they were one.  The brown skinned one
was in tears, unable to look anymore at her girl.  A waif of a woman,
almost as short as the Cutter's but with long brown hair that put theirs to
shame, was being strong, stronger than she had ever thought herself
capable, for her family.  The sadness behind the glasses of the curly
haired blonde made Cindi's heart ache.  It was like the death of love.  On
the end was a Chinese girl, pregnant, head bowed.  Both hands clutched that
of the blonde.  And, on the bed...

   A girl.  A teen...  almost a woman.  Skin of creamy chocolate.  Hair
silky black.  Cindi's breath literally stopped on seeing that face.  She...
the girl was beautiful.  Such beauty...  could not die...

   Eyes, flashing, Cindi saw her killers.  Two dark orange creatures,
attacking the girl, tormenting her, preparing her for the Red death waiting
by the door.  One, like a leach, was on her head.  The other, kneeling over
her on the bed itself, had its arm deep inside the girl's chest.  Moving
quickly, still not knowing what was expected of her, Cindi went to the side
of the bed opposite the women.

   The blonde one saw her first.  Blurry eyes tried to focus on the
stranger in their midst.

   "Oh, I'm sorry...  who are you?  Are you one of Violet's friends?"

   Violet...  she was Violet...  Cindi looked down at the girl.  I.V.'s
were in both arms, her head was bandaged...  large, firm breasts shown
under the...

   NO!  No time for that!  Looking up past the confused women, Cindi saw
the Red girl coming closer.  No time!  Thinking quickly, she reached for
the head slug.  The Red thing took another step.  She reached for the arm
in the chest...  and the Red creature stopped.  That was it.

   "Who ARE you!?" The woman began to sense something was wrong.

   No time!  Cindi reached out, grabbed at the orange arm impaling the
girl...  and her hand passed through it.  Have to concentrate!  She tried
again.  Focus.  Focus on the point...  there!  Her hand shot out, closing
on burning, oily skin.

   She gritted her teeth.  All four women were on their feet now.  No time!
She pulled.  Nothing.  The pain was unbearable.  Needed more leverage! 
Cindi spread her feet apart, shot her other hand out to grab just above the
first...  and YANKED!

   The orange monstrosity's fist, tipped with writhing snakes, came out
with a silent "plop".  Cindi found herself staggering back against the
window, hands no longer holding the thing but still burning.  Small orange
creatures were leaping up to give her the pain she had earned.

   "Call the nurse!  What is she doing?!?"

   The blonde with glasses was rounding the bed quickly.  No time!  With
one final burst of energy, Cindi lunged for the dying girl's head and
yanked on the orange leach.  It came off with ease, once again causing her
to fall backwards.  She was caught by the strong arms of the blonde.

   "What did you DO?!" The hoarse snarl in Cindi's ear was that of a lion
protecting her cub, accompanied by short nails biting into her bare arms.
Cindi ignored her.  She only had eyes for the beautiful creature on the
bed. Had she been in time?  Had she....

   The girl coughed.

   The dark woman, whose complexion matched the girl, let out a scream as
eyes fluttered open.  Opened...  and looked into Cindi's soul.

   "Red..." came a faint, creaking voice from between dry lips.  Any
further sound was drowned out by the women in the room, calling for nurses,
crying, screaming for joy.

   "What did you do...!" The voice in her ear now was amazed, ecstatic, one
of wonder and hope.  Cindi's mind was a whirl of confusion and pain.

   "Must go!" She twisted out the woman's grip easily, trying not to
actually run for the door.  Two nurses burst in, ignoring her as they
rushed past.  Her mind paid no heed to the flood of words coming from the
bed, although "where's Daddy" wound its way into her consciousness.  At the
door, hand on the handle, she paused and looked back.

   The Red girl stood, looking at her.  Its expression was vacant, horrible
white eyes like those of a doll.  As Cindi looked, though...  the thing's
light red lip curled up into a smile.

   Cindi fled.

   ****

   Bill stood next to his sleeping father.

   He had to take it on faith that it was sleep, natural sleep, and not a
coma or some drug induced unconsciousness.  Standing there, looking down at
the bruised, bandaged form of the most important man in his life, the
reality of how close he had come to losing him finally hit Bill.  He almost
lost...  Dad.

   Something warm and soft entered his right hand.  Without looking, he
squeezed Julie's comforting hand as she leaned against him.  She had gone
through worse than this, he thought...  and at a younger age.  Yet, she was
comforting HIM!  Memories of her own dad had to be flowing through her
mind. Turning, he pulled Julie into a hug.  Her face buried itself into his
chest, the feel of her tears causing him to hold even tighter.  What had he
ever done to deserve the love of a girl like her...

   Bill's eyes fell on his Mom.  She was standing behind Betty, arms
wrapped around her daughter as they looked on at Dad.  Mom's chin rested on
Betty's head, a mirror of how Dad would often stand with Mom as they looked
out over a sunset.  He caught Mom's eye, and let out a deep sigh.

   "When can he come home?"

   Her own sigh came back, unconsciously showing where her son acquired
that trait.  Shirley looked over at Gretchen, standing with Jenny by the
end of the bed.

   "They're going to want to keep him here a few days, at least.  Make sure
there are no complications, that they have everything back where it's
supposed to be.  Who knows when he'll be able to get back to work.  Maybe
not till sometime next month."

   Gretchen nodded.  Her own memories of her Nick, four years gone, were
not as raw as they were for her daughters.  She had said her goodbyes.  Now
her mind was remembering the practical lessons learned from that horror,
ways she could help her old friend, ease her burden.

   "Anything you need, just ask.  Me or the girls would be more than happy
to take shifts being nurse when you need time for yourself." Both Jenny and
Julie nodded, although to Bill it seemed like Julie was wiping her nose on
him.  Gretchen walked over to Shirley, putting a comforting hand on her
back.  "Speaking of which, we're taking you out to lunch."

   "I can eat here," Shirley said, shaking her head.  Gretchen's hand slid
towards her until she was gripping Shirley's arm near the elbow.

   "You can, but you won't.  I have rope in the car if we need it, but
you're coming with us.  He'll still be here, and you need a break."

   "You always were a bitch," Shirley said with a sigh.  Jenny gave her
best friend's mother a long look, then glanced up at her Mom.

   "I'm not allowed to agree with her, am I, Mom?"

   "Not if you ever want to date."

   ****

   Cindi sat back on the couch in the 2nd floor waiting area.  Her hands
were in her lap, palms up.  Try as she might, she couldn't tear her eyes
away from them.

   These hands...  had saved someone.

   They also hurt.  Touching the orange things had been like grabbing solid
fire, but much as Ai was freezing to the touch without having the same
lasting effects as grabbing something sub-zero, so too Cindi had the pain
of horrible burns without any actual skin damage.  Her pain would fade...
once these small orange cats stopped licking her palms.

   She could make them go away.  Cindi knew that now.  She could, with some
struggle, stop at least this symptom of injury.  But...  she wouldn't. 
That would be wrong.  Selfish.  She had earned this pain.  It was the
result of doing good, a badge of honor.  She was more than strong enough to
deal with this.

   But, what of the rest of it?  She...  had saved a life.  Confronted the
horrible orange things, and saved a life.  God!  What that MEANT!  The
ramifications!  Mrs.  Darrow would be thrilled!  Cindi could...  could,
what?  Be seen as a freak?  Studied, laughed at, persecuted, dissected,
called evil, worshiped, burned as a witch...

   Why should that worry her?

   Mrs.  Darrow could be trusted.  All her new family could be.  Cindi just
had to be open and honest with them, about everything.  They would help
her. Make her safe.  Make her happy.

   ...as happy as looking into the eyes of that beautiful girl had made
her...

   "May I sit?"

   The unfamiliar voice came from above her.  Cindi paid it no mind.  The
pain in her palms was starting to fade, the creatures licking slower...

   Feeling the couch move under added weight, she looked to her left.

   The woman was vaguely familiar.  She was thin, amazingly thin- Cindi
could see the bones in her arm.  It was a healthy thin, though, born of
genetics and not starvation.  Long brown hair, held in a ponytail by a
white scrunchy, fell past her waist.  Her face...  her face was tired, worn
with the ravages not of years, but of recent days.  She was dressed in
jeans and a light sweater, cute but practical.  The stranger was looking at
Cindi with kind, questioning eyes.  Where did she know...

   Cindi's eyes widened.

   "You're from the room," she whispered.  The stranger nodded slowly.

   "My name's Taylor.  I want...  well, we want to thank you.  For what,"
and she gave a tired laugh, "we don't know, but something happened. 
Something wonderful."

   Cindi looked back down at her hands.  She was down to one orange cat
creature, licking each hand in turn.

   "What's your name, child?"

   "Cindi..."

   Taylor's eyes widened a bit at that, causing Cindi to narrow her eyes
suspiciously.  Taylor quickly explained.

   "We have a daughter Cindy, next youngest after Violet.  Did...  do you
know Violet?"

   "No..." Cindi closed her eyes.  She could see the older girl.  See the
outline of her breasts, see those eyes...

   "Violet...  she's OK, now.  I mean...  she's OK!  After all this... 
she's OK!" Cindi looked at the woman again.  What could she say?

   "I'm...  glad."

   "It's been..." Taylor turned her head and looked out the window.  Snow
was coming down again, the road only still visible because of the
headlights.  "There was an accident Saturday.  Bad.  We lost our..." She
paused.  It was a pause of suppression, of what Cindi didn't know. 
"Violet's dad died."

   Cindi sat up, stunned.  She didn't even know Violet, but her heart ached
for the teen.

   "And...  we thought we had lost our oldest baby.  She's been unconscious
since then.  Till...  till you came." Taylor looked at Cindi like she was
an angel, which made her blush.

   "I..."

   "She wants to talk to you.  To her...  'Red Witch'." Cindi was shocked,
first that the dark beauty wanted to see her, and then again at being
called that!  It took a moment to realize that she was still wearing a
black dress.  Of course she looked like a witch!

   "I'm not a witch..."

   "You can tell her that," Taylor said, smiling a knowing smile.  "But...
not today.  Or tomorrow.  We..." She looked back down the long hallway. 
"...  we need time to mourn, as a family.  Violet most of all, maybe, as
she just found out." The woman paused, looking down at the simple wedding
ring on her hand.  A ripple of grief flowed over her face, then was pushed
aside.  Shaking her head, Taylor's hands went to her purse.  Pulling out a
wallet, she fished through it.  For a moment Cindi had the disturbing
thought that this woman was going to try and pay her, but a moment later
she had pulled out a photograph and a pen.  Taylor jotted numbers on the
back, then handed the small picture to Cindi.

   "Call her this weekend.  After things have calmed down."

   Cindi looked at the phone number, then flipped it over and looked at the
photo.  Once again the sheer beauty of the girl threatened to overwhelm
her. Taylor noticed this, but made no comment.  Fate was a powerful force
in her family.  If it was to be, so be it.  She stood.

   "Again...  thank you."

   When Cindi looked up a few moments later, She was gone.

   ****

   The two twelve year old boys made their way down the plowed, but rapidly
filling in, street.  Carrying snow shovels and other instruments of
destruction, the two eyed shoveled driveway after shoveled driveway.  The
tallest, shifting his gear to his other shoulder, shook his head in
disgust.

   "Look at this.  Because YOU wanted to sleep in, everyone beat us down
here.  'Hey,' you said, 'lets get up and make money shoveling!'.  Then you
sleep to almost noon!"

   "I said I was sorry, man!  You should have woke me!"

   Keith wasn't going to admit that his friend had a point, that he himself
had slept in till 10 AM.  No, this was something to be lorded over Antonio
for the next month or two.  His gaze traveled up into the sky.  Snow was
coming down again, heavier now.  Not good.

   "Well, I say we turn around.  Nothing down here to shovel, and it's just
going to fill in again anyways.  Who's going to pay us to do the job twice"

   "What about that one?" Antonio pointed at a white two-story with some
brick about four houses down, on the curve.  There were no cars, but the
driveway was full of snow.  Keith shook his head.

   "Probably nobody home."

   "Let's see anyway.  Be stupid to miss out on money because we stopped
here."

   Keith sighed.  He was starting to hate his friend.  They could be
sledding.

   A couple minutes later, the two trudged up the long, inclined driveway.
The snow was up past their knees, making the trip more fun than either
really wanted.

   "What do you think," Antonio asked, "ten bucks each?"

   "I say we forget it.  Gah, look at this drift!  Twenty each!" Pushing
through the wind sculpted mound, they found the next ten feet much more
reasonable at about a foot high.  "Stupid wind."

   Antonio made it up to the garage door, which had its own drift in front
of it, peering in.  Empty.  Well, might as well ring the front doorbell
anyway while they were up here.  No pain, no pain.  Turning, he saw no sign
of where the walkway was.  The drift went from a foot up the first set of
windows, and flowed down till it settled at about two feet high.  He looked
down at his feet.

   "You have snow in your boots?"

   "Of course I have snow in my boots!  The snow's twice as high!  Let's go
home!"

   Antonio blew out a disappointed breath.  So much for their first money
making endeavor.  Maybe they could declare bankruptcy...  Resigned to his
fate, he took a glance into the large window behind the drift.

   A blue face looked back at him.

   "Gah!  What the hell!" He instinctively jumped back, falling into the
drift behind him.  Keith looked at him with an amused expression.

   "What?"

   "Someone in there wearing a mask!" He scrambled to his feet, gaze going
back to the window.  A form was running away from him, and through a door.

   "Was it a kid?"

   "He ran away!" The thought struck Antonio.  "Someone in a mask in a
deserted house!  Maybe some kid is robbing it!"

   Keith was about to laugh at his friend's imagination, when the sound of
a door banging open came from the rear of the house.  He looked at Antonio
with new found respect, and growing excitement.  A robbery!  Antonio
quickly struggled past him towards the side of the house.

   "Come on!"

   The two dropped their shovels, running as best they could around the
garage.  The drifts weren't too bad here, but they were slowed enough that
by the time they had a good view of the back yard, all they could see was a
figure wearing white entering the fields.  Glancing at the back of the
house, they could see the rear door swinging wide open.

   "Do we chase him?"

   "And do what when we catch him?  Naw.  Let the the adults deal with it."
Keith looked at the open door.  "Let's leave a note with our name and phone
numbers.  If they call the police we can help."

   ****

   Ai ran.

   Bare legs and feet pumped as fast as they could.  Like a deer, she
practically leapt through the snow, graceful limbs slipping from the snow's
grasp.  The white sheet she wore fluttered behind like a cape, while her
hands had a death grip on both the keys and the shovel.

   They had seen her.

   More!  They had come and seen her running away!  Were chasing her!  She
just knew it!  Ai didn't dare look back.  Didn't dare take her attention
away from her goal.  Find the shelter!  Enter the shelter!  Wait for Bill
to come for her!

   She had been watching TV.  Watching it, and not the road.  There had
been no car door, so there had been no reason for her to go hide.  Who
where they?!?  The same as the evil woman before?!?  Didn't matter.  Run.
Hide.

   She was half way across the field when her foot struck something solid
under the snow.  Ai fell face forward, half burying herself in a drift. 
For a moment, she just lay there.  It felt so weird...  then the panic came
back.  No time!  They were after her!  Ai jumped to her feet, grabbed the
shovel again...

   Her other hand was empty.

   The wind picked up, snow blowing rapidly before her eyes.  The keys! 
She needed the shelter keys!  Ai fell to her knees, frantically shoving her
hands into the snow.  Where!  Must find them!  Her white sheet billowed. 
It had been Jenny's idea, a poncho providing not just a covering but
helping her blend in against the snow.  Now the wind blew it in her way,
making it impossible...

   Found it!  Her hand grabbed the metal ring and key, grip tightening till
the edge dug a painful groove into her palm.  She was up and running. 
Don't look back.  You know they're there!

   Ai ran.

   ****

   Cindi stood at the end of her driveway.

   Mrs.  Cutter had dropped her off there less than a minute ago, taking
the slight detour on her way home with the other kids.  Bill had asked if
she wanted to stay with them, spend another day with friends, but...  she
had to go home sometime.

   Whether she had to stay, that was something else altogether.

   Lunch with Mrs.  Darrow had been quiet, Bill and his sister listening
quietly as their Mom talked out all that was now in the family's future. 
So many changes, at least in the short term.  Cindi's respect for the woman
had jumped to new heights.  She was so...  focused, and practical, even in
the face of heartache.  And, Cindi could see the heartache.  It was in
every move she made, every catch in her voice.  To love someone that
much... Would Cindi ever...?

   She hadn't told about her adventures raising sexy girls from near death.
The time...  just hadn't been right.  Tomorrow.  Maybe in school.  Cindi
had to understand it herself first.

   For now...  she had to focus on entering that house.

   Cindi didn't want to.  Standing there, in the snow, looking at the large
"McMansion" monstrosity four times as big as the three of them needed, she
realized how much she hated all of it.  Not just how her parents treated
her...  but what they did with their lives.  How they had been raising her,
before it all came crashing down.  She may still, in her heart, love them,
but that love didn't extend up to her mind.

   Someone had been paid to plow the driveway- heaven forbid her Dad do
manual labor like that- so despite the new snow it was an easy slog up to
the front door.  Cindi's hand reluctantly went to turn the knob...  locked.
Bringing out her keys, she was almost disappointed that they still worked.
One of these days the locks would be changed on her.  An ever growing part
of her was looking forward to it.

   Taking her coat off, Cindi glanced into the living room.  Her father was
sitting watching something on the flatscreen TV.  Should she say something?
Announce that she was home?  No, what's the point.  They don't...

   "Oh, it's you."

   Cindi's eyes widened as she saw her Dad turn to look at her.  She did
love him.  Despite everything, she wanted to make him happy.  Just seeing
him again, after being away...

   "Your mom didn't think you'd bother coming back."

   It was like a slap.

   Don't answer, she told herself.  Never ask a question you don't want to
know the truth about.  She couldn't help it, though.  It came out almost of
its own volition.

   "If I didn't...  would you care?"

   Dad turned back to the TV.

   Answer enough.

   ****

   In her room, Cindi lay on her bed, still in yesterday's dress, head on a
frilly pillow.  The room around her was pink.  Pink, and full of the
decorations of a little girl.  Unchanged since the creatures arrived to
kill off that girl.  Or...  was she dead?  Could Cindi be that girl again,
and if so, did she want that?  Or...  was she now someone new, a third
stage in her life?  Maybe that was it.  Regardless, she wasn't the same
cringing loner who had slipped a note into Bill's locker a week ago.

   What she was, was still open to debate.

   One answer as to that seems to have been found.  Her hand reached into a
small pocket, pulling out the wallet photo and holding it up before her. 
The beautiful eyes of Violet looked back, making their way into her soul as
Cindi's heart beat faster.  She liked girls.  Or, at least a girl.  So be
it.  There was movement at the end of the bed.  Cindi's eyes, looking over
picture, widened as a furry blue monkey made it's way up onto the bed and
began walking towards her.  She tensed.  The creature had never come for
her before.  Never had she entertained those thoughts...  because the
thoughts would draw a creature.  To LET one of them come near her?  Never!

   But, now...

   The thing was walking on all fours up her legs.  She didn't feel a
thing, naturally.  Cindi's eyes went back down to the photo.  Those lips...
what would it be like, to kiss those soft, red lips?

   Her nipples began to harden.

   Glancing up again, she saw the translucent monkey standing on her
stomach, hands reaching down through the thin layer of her dress and bra to
tweak her.  Its eyes were black, soul-less, but as Cindi looked at this two
foot tall animal touching her...

   An image went through her mind, of Violet's brown hand caressing her
bare breast, and she felt wetness between her legs.  The creature's tail
was now down there, gently rubbing.  Her body, long ready for such
stimulation, was aching for more.  Cindi wanted to just tear her clothing
off, rubbing herself all over...  she found, instead, one hand reaching out
to pet the creature.

   Her hand touched the soft, cold fur.  There had been no conscious
willing, the way it had been with the orange things.  He was just...  there
for her.  She rubbed her hands through it, reveling in the feel as she also
reveled in the feelings its hands and tail were giving her.

   Then she saw it.

   Its eyes...  changed!  Just like Bill had said!  One moment, they were
empty.  Then...  she SAW a soul enter them!  The monkey lowered its head,
whirling black eyes looking at her.  As her hands continued to stroke it,
she felt it press its body up against her.  She also...  groaned.  Its
hands...  they now cupped her breasts, squeezing though her bra.  It's
tail, feeling solid despite passing through her panties, actually... 
parted her lips as it rubbed!  Cindi's head fell back and eyes closed as
feelings she'd never experienced ran through her body.  Her mind projected
images of Violet, each more romantic than the next, as the creature
increased its speed and pressure.  Oh, god...  her hands tightened on the
monkey as her body tensed.  Something...

   She came.

   Some time later, perhaps only seconds, Cindi regained awareness of
reality.  Her bed.  The ceiling.  The...  blue furry monkey slowly removing
its hands and tail from her most intimate areas.  She was still gripping
the creature, which she could feel trembling slightly, so she eased her
hold and returned to caressing it.  Ro had given her so much pleasure, and
had to be rewarded.  With difficulty, Cindi sat up, Ro backing up on his
two feet a bit till he was standing in her lap with his hands below her
breasts.

   "Oh, you're such a good boy!" Cindy reached up and scratched Ro behind
the ears.  He liked this, moving his head in to snuggle against her
breasts. She could feel the cold fur on her bare skin under her dress.

   It was then that she realized, exactly, what had just happened.

   Ro raised his head, looking up at her.  There was love in the creature's
eyes.  Love...  and friendship.  What had she done!

   "Go on!" she said, softly, gently pushing the creature away.  What would
happen, she thought.  Would it go back, as Bill had said happened to Ai? 
Or...

   Ro jumped off her, looked around, then began to explore the bedroom.  He
was still real!  Invisible, but still with a soul!  Cindi's eyes again went
to her hands.  What could she do?!?

   And how the hell did she know his name was Ro?

   ****

   Bill got out of the Cutter's car, stretching.

   He was tired.  Just the stress of being in the hospital, somehow, sucked
all the energy from you.  Maybe it was actual creatures doing it, draining
the healthy to help heal the sick.  Something to talk to Cindi about.  Mom
was still there, of course.  There was no thought of her leaving, at least
not until Dad woke again and she could talk to him.  After dinner, she
promised.  She'd come home after dinner.  Maybe.

   Betty's face had the same look on it as she came to stand next to her
brother.  Her mittened hand grabbed his bare one.

   "So, what now?"

   Bill looked over at their house.  Snow was coming down hard once again.

   "At some point we have to shovel so mom can pull in, but that can wait.
See if the snow lets up again.  Let's check on Ai, then go from there."

   Mrs.  Cutter nodded at him.

   "I'll be over later and the help the girls get some dinner together. 
Shirley will need good hot food when she gets home.  Maybe stew." With a
wave at the kids, she headed up towards the front door.  Julie came beside
Bill, taking his free hand, and the four started across the street.

   ****

   Betty saw the note immediately.  There were actually three, saying the
same thing, positioned so at least one would be noticed quickly.  She
grabbed it, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

   "Fuck!"

   She tossed it at Bill, sprinting for the back door.  He held it out for
the Cutter girls to read, his own anxiety growing with every word.  Julie
had a death grip on his arm.

   "Oh no!"

   "The keys and cloak are gone!" Betty ran back to them.  "She went to the
shelter!"

   Bill zipped his coat back up, yanked the ski gloves out of his pocket
and put them on.  The others quickly did the same.  He surveyed his troops.

   "Jenny, call your mom and tell her what happened.  We may need her for a
pickup.  Stay here, in case Ai wanders back.  Julie, have a cell phone? 
Good.  Come on!"

   Once out the back door, the first bad news was her tracks were gone. 
You could tell, slightly, someone had passed, but only if you already knew
someone had traveled that way.  Bill's expression hardened.

   "Betty!  Go grab that old red plastic sled!" She ran back inside, then
into the garage.  "We can use it to drag Ai if we need to," he told Julie.
She nodded, shivering in the cold already as Betty returned to them.  The
sled was about four feet long, with a good bit of rope forming a pulling
handle in front.  They started off.

   Bill's fears grew as they made their way across the field.  Because of
how the snow drifted, it was almost impossible to keep to a straight line.
You naturally wanted to follow the path of least resistance, going around
large drifts and following ever changing "trails".  They hit the woods a
good thirty feet south of where they should have, and that was with cutting
back to the correct course now and then.  Ai could never have done it.

   "I don't think she made it to the shelter," he told them once they were
among the trees.  "We have to check, but..." Betty and Julie nodded.  The
wind, even here, was whipping the snow up, closing visibility to less than
twenty feet.  They pressed on.

   Twenty minutes later, they broke through the thicket and found
themselves in the open field behind the gypsum mine.  Running to the marker
they had left, a tall piece of lumber, their fears were confirmed.

   Ai hadn't made it here.

   ****

   Ai stood behind the tree, body pressed up against the rough bark. 
Looking around it, she saw yet another back yard.  Was it hers, finally?

   ...  No.  The house was red, not the white of home.  She pulled her head
back, turned around, and slid her back down the tree until she was sitting
in the snow.  The sheet, now a bit dirty and with some tears, protected her
bottom somewhat.  Ai leaned the shovel against the tree, made sure the keys
were secure in her hand, sighed, and considered her options.

   She was lost.

   That, at least, was obvious.  It had taken her awhile to recognize that
fact.  She had been focused so much on running, and not falling, that the
fact there had been no thicket and path but instead just more trees, a
ditch, and more trees didn't set off alarms.  It wasn't until she saw
bushes before her with a strange back yard beyond it that uncertainty
entered her thoughts.  Ai had followed the bushes for awhile, hoping to
find either of the two fields she knew of, but all she saw were strange
houses, and the end of short dead end roads.  A short rest, and bout of
thinking, resulted in an attempt to retrace her footprints, but after
awhile she found those filled in and blown away by the wind.  Now, she had
to reconsider her options.

   What to do?

   The first question was, what would her Bill do?  Ai brought her hands to
her locket, opening it to gaze at her love.  Bill's strong eyes gazed back
at Ai, filling her with hope, strength...  ideas.  Bill would come for her.
He'd come to the woods, probably with friend Julie and sister Betty.  He
would go to the shelter, see she wasn't there...  and search.  He knew this
area.  So, the question was...  how could Ai make herself easy to find, yet
still hide from others?  For others WERE in these woods.  Ai had seen four
children, pulling a sled, heading towards the start of a dead end road. 
She had dropped to the ground and let them pass, trusting to Jenny's magic
sheet of hiding to protect her.  It had worked.  Now, though, how could she
hide, yet not hide?

   The shovel.

   Ai stood, gripping it.  It was big, with a thick, hollow black shaft and
large plastic curved green blade.  She could put it somewhere, and when
Bill came by he'd notice it and know she was close and begin calling.  Then
she'd come out of hiding!  It was a wonderful plan!  Bill would be so proud
of her, he'd hug and kiss and fuck her!  Ai shivered in happiness at the
thought.  Now, where to put it?

   Following her tracks back away from the houses, Ai came again to the
ditch.  She had crossed it twice so far.  Or she had crossed two ditches.
It was hard to tell.  But, THIS one had been crossed at least once.  The
area around her was somewhat clear of trees, so would make a good spot for
her sign.  Turning the shovel upside down, Ai pushed the handle down into a
large drift.  There.  Stepping back, Ai tilted her head and gave it a
critical look.  Bill should be able to see that.  A gust of wind hit,
causing Ai to stagger a bit and the shovel to tilt backwards.  That wasn't
good.  Considering the matter, Ai stepped up to it again and turned the
shovel so the wind passed on either side of the blade.  There.  Much
better.

   Now, where to hide?

   About twenty feet away was a clump of leafless bushes with a bare patch
inside them.  Ai got down and crawled through a gap in the branches, coming
up in a spot out of the wind and somewhat hidden.  She could just barely
see the shovel from there.  Perfect.

   Ai settled in, bringing up her locket again.

   Bill.

   Things would have to change.  Ai knew that.  She was usually silent when
others spoke, exchanging information and making plans.  Ai listened,
though. Listened as if her life depended on it, for perhaps it did.  This
world was dangerous for her.  That much had been proven.  Bill, and Julie,
had ideas about what the future might be like, with the three of them older
and together.  Ideas that sounded wonderful to Ai.  Julie wanted to marry
Bill, have his babies.  Ai had been unfamiliar with the idea of babies, or
how they were made, so while they were at school she had used the books and
computer as Bill had shown her to look it up.  She couldn't understand many
words, but a search had brought up enough pictures to get a good idea. 
When Bill squirted his love into a girl, it normally would make a baby. 
Someday, he'd put a baby in Julie that way, but...  could he do that to Ai?
Could SHE have his baby?  Ai wanted it.  Listening to Julie talk, and
seeing pictures of babies, made her want one.  It would make Bill happy
too, she thought.  Only problem was, babies were made the same way she ate.
When Bill shot his love into Ai, it turned into food.  Could she...  change
that?  Tell her body not to eat his love, but to turn it into a baby?

   Ai didn't know, but she was distracting herself.  Before babies, she had
to be made safe.  Bill had to hide her, keep her safe.  That could no
longer be done at the house.  What could they do...

   ****

   Bill walked through the woods, eyes everywhere.  Ai could be lying down,
hurt, or hiding, or...  or just walking around.  Hard to say.  Julie and
Betty were spread out on either side of him, ten to fifteen feet away but
still within visual range.  There was no point in getting separated in this
storm, even if civilization was literally all around them.  Go far enough,
you'd hit a house or road.  Only this fact of geography was keeping Bill in
a reasonably good mood: Ai literally couldn't be that far away.

   It was for this reason he let his mind wander.  So much was going on...
and, regretfully, Bill had to admit he was too young for all this.  Too
young to have someone like Ai to take care of, too young to be having a
serious relationship with Julie...  every day was a new crisis.  He just
wanted a month, or even a week, with nothing more important going on than
having to study for a test.

   God, did he just think that?

   "Bill!"

   Betty's shout brought his attention to the task at hand.  Seeing she was
excitedly pointing, Bill's gaze followed her finger forward...  and saw
their green shovel.  He grinned.  Ai was smart, when she wanted to be. 
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted her name.  Julie and Betty
did the same as all three converged on the marker.  Bushes twitched,
moments later giving birth to a dirty white sheet containing Ai.  She leapt
forward, slamming herself into Bill.

   "Bill!  Bill!  Bill!"

   He held Ai tight, nothing existing at that moment except her.  She was
safe.

   Bill looked up at Julie, who already had her phone out.

   "Let's go home."

   ****

   It was four PM before the four of them arrived back at the house.  Bill
had decided just to walk back, since Ai was well rested and unaffected by
the cold.  There was no point risking first finding a street then having to
run up to the front of the house with Ai, especially as the snow was
lighter now and visibility rapidly improving.  They entered through the
back door to find Mrs.  Cutter already there in the kitchen getting things
ready for her stew, and Jenny out front starting on shoveling the driveway.
This guilted Bill and Julie to ignore tired legs and go help, while Betty
put herself on cook's assistant detail.  Ai, wanting to be useful, asked to
help.

   Mrs.  Cutter looked at Ai thoughtfully.

   "Hmm...  think you can use a knife?"

   Ai considered, looking at the one in Julie's Mom's hand.  It looked...
sharp.  Ai glanced down at her own hands, flexing her fingers.  Food, she
had learned, had to be cut, so if Ai ever wanted to help...

   "I can cut," Ai finally said, nodding.  "Show me how?"

   Gretchen, smiling, brought the blue girl over to the cutting board and
introduced her to the world of cutting carrots.

   ****

   Bill and the two sisters, shoveling done, entered the house to find an
excited Ai waiting for them.

   "My blood is orange!"

   ****

   Shirley found herself home a bit before seven.  Turning the engine off,
she let herself collapse back against the seat.  It had been a long time
since she'd had to deal with hospitals, apart from trial runs and other
assorted research ties.  That could be bad enough, as bad as any
bureaucracy, but to have a loved one there?  She hated it.

   Well, of course she hated it.  That was a silly thing to think.  Shirley
gave a tired chuckle.  God, she was tired.

   Stepping out of the car, she reached back in to grab the thick folder on
the passenger seat.  Pamphlets.  Instructions.  Insurance forms.  In home
nursing options.  All to be gone over and dealt with before her love,
hopefully, came home Saturday.

   She was taking the rest of the week off from work, that's all there was
to it.

   The smell of simmering stew hit her as soon as she opened the door into
the den.  The second thing to hit her was Betty, the twelve year old
running up to hug her like she hadn't in years.  It was nice.  Bill came up
to give a more manly, mature hug, which Ai then more than made up for.  She
saw Gretchen coming out of the kitchen, waving a ladle to shoo the children
away from her.

   "Let her sit down and get some food," Gretchen told them, smiling.  Once
the kids were clear, she moved in and gave her old friend a hug and kiss on
the cheek.  "Come on.  Dinner's still hot."

   Bill had put a leaf into the kitchen table, so for the next hour all
seven were able to sit comfortably, Ai taking her place on the counter, as
Shirley ate and talked.  Tom had woken up not long after they dropped her
off from lunch, much too both their delight, and the couple had reaffirmed
their love before moving on to less pressing matters.

   "He wanted to make sure you knew, Bill, that he took care of our 'ghost
hunter' problem.  They won't be back, so Ai should be safe here." Seeing
the looks among the gathered kids, Shirley's shoulders slumped as she put
down her spoon.  "What is it now?"

   "Some kids saw Ai though the window," Betty said, softly.  "They thought
she was a robber in a mask when she fled into the woods.  Left us notes
with their names in case we were calling the cops."

   Shirley closed her eyes.  Naturally.  When the door to one problem is
shut, someone throws a rock through the window.  Sighing, she looked over
at her son.

   "You're not going to stay, are you."

   Bill looked over at Ai, then at Julie next to him, before giving his own
sigh and meeting his Mom's eyes.

   "We won't do anything until Dad is well.  Ai can help look after him,
and his presence will protect her.  After that, though...  we're gonna live
in the shelter.  I'm sorry, Mom, but we have to." Pushing her bowl towards
the center of the table, Shirley leaned forward on her arms giving him a
sad, serious look.

   "What about school?  What about..." She almost said "me", but that was
selfish.  This was a compromise on his part.  She knew that.  They could
just run away somewhere, leave her completely.  He could abandon his mother
to protect this stranger...

   Bill's warm hand engulfed hers.

   "We're not leaving you, Mom.  I love you, and I still need you.  I'll
always need you.  It's just...  it's not safe." Trying not to cry, she
nodded.  Bill swallowed.  "We'll still go to school.  Make the hike every
morning.  Mrs.  Cutter thinks we can get better locks on the iron doors, so
they can lock from either side.  We'll still spend time here, and you guys
can visit, and we can go do things, but...  Ai is not staying in this house
alone again after this week."

   ****

   The door to Cindi's room creaked open, a pair of eyes looking out.  Two
pairs, if you counted the translucent blue monkey down by the floor, but
few in this reality would.  Seeing no sign of human life, the door started
to close again, paused, as if it was considering something, then opened
fully.  Cindi stepped into the hallway, feet bare but still wearing her
black dress from the previous day.  She owned slippers, but for no
conscious reason she wanted to feel the floor under her feet.  Maybe it
felt more witch-like, although sensible witches probably had sensible
shoes. The hall light was off, her parents having no reason to come
upstairs in the six hours Cindi had been in her room.  She could, faintly,
hear the TV going.

   Walking softly, Cindi crept down the hall, then down the back staircase.
Perhaps the only feature of this house she liked, it took her straight to
the kitchen without having to deal with either parent.  She could eat in
peace, pleasing all sides.  Quickly, knowing time might not be on her side,
she grabbed a paper plate and started making a couple baloney sandwiches. A
bunch of bananas were hanging on a hook, so she grabbed one of those too.
That and some diet Pepsi should cover most of the food groups.

   Putting the bread back on top of the refrigerator, Cindi noticed Ro over
by the archway leading to the dining room.  It's amazing, she though, how
quickly she had gotten used to the changes around her.  Ro (and she still
wondered how the hell she knew that was his name) already seemed like a
trusted companion, for all he only got a soul a few hours ago.

   Maybe she just automatically trusted whoever gave her orgasms.

   Ro was looking intently in the direction of the living room, probably
where her parents were given the TV was on.  Plate and pop in hand, she
quietly walked over and peaked around herself.

   Her parents were on the couch, ignoring the TV, huddled instead over
something on the coffee table.  Their voices were not quite audible,
although she thought she heard her name.  Her eyes went down to Ro, who was
himself looking back up at her in confusion.  He was no help.  Eyes back on
her parents, she slowly eased forward.  Their backs were to her, so she
should be safe.  Ro walked at her side, eyes glancing around nervously.  As
if HE would be the one to get yelled at if seen!  Cindi was going to have
to start training him.  She had only taken five steps when Mom's voice
carried over the sitcom.

   "So, this boarding school has the summer program too?"

   No!

   A week ago, she wouldn't have cared.  A week ago, she may have even
welcomed getting away from them.  But not now!  Please, god, not now!  The
instinct to turn and run was great, but through force of will Cindi managed
to back up to the kitchen, then hurry back upstairs.  Once safe in her
room, the door closed, she threw the full plate on her pink vanity then
herself onto the bed, curling up into a ball.

   "No, no, no, no, no..."

   ****

   "Well, we really should be getting home to bed."

   Gretchen stood and stretched, Shirley doing the same.  Giving her friend
a hug, Gretchen chuckled.

   "It's a shame it took events like these for us to spend time together
again."

   "I know.  Stop over anytime."

   Gretchen pulled back, grinning.

   "You'll have to change not just the locks but the secret key hiding
places to keep me away!" She gave Shirley a quick peck on the lips, looking
her in the eye.  "You gonna be OK here alone?"

   "I have the kids, but...  thanks." They regarded each other, hands
sliding down to hips.

   "Whenever you need me."

   The sound of footsteps broke the mood, Gretchen turning to see her
oldest coming towards her.  The two adults parted slightly, not embarrassed
at their closeness but rather not wanting to answer questions.  The answers
would be vague and uninteresting, in any event.  Offers had been made in
the past, but not carried through with.  With the two families becoming
close again, though...  who's to say?

   "Um, Mom?" Julie stood before her, a hopeful expression on her face. 
Gretchen knew what was up, but enjoyed the game.

   "Yes?"

   "Can I stay here tonight again?"

   The two adults shared another glance, Shirley nodding while shaking her
head at the situation the mothers now found themselves in.  Gretchen gave
her daughter a serious look.

   "Planning on moving in here?" Julie blushed.

   "Into the shelter, yes..."

   "Well then," Gretchen said, walking over to two shopping bags by the end
of the couch, "for now you probably just need this." She handed it to
Julie, who on opening it gave a gleeful shout and her mom a hug before
turning to run for the stairs.  "Wait!" Julie turned, and Gretchen grabbed
and tossed the other bag at her.  "In case Jenny wants to spend the night
as well."

   Gretchen went to get her coat as Julie continued her run upstairs,
ignoring Shirley's amused expression.

   "They each have clean outfits for tomorrow.  After that, we'll deal with
it as it comes."

   ****

   Bill lay in the center of his bed, Ai on one side and Julie on the
other. He found both the heat and coldness arousing, complementing each
other in fascinating, erotic ways.  He had seen part of 9 1/2 Weeks, and
the scene with the ice had nothing on what Ai could do.  The two girls were
taking turns kissing him, pulling themselves up over their half of him like
a blanket.  His cock, as hard as one of Mrs.  Viola's Spanish tests, was
trapped between rubbing legs and in danger of wasting food.  He, lovingly,
grabbed each of them by the hair so they'd stop for a moment.

   "Hey!" Julie was smiling, a hand coming up to grab his hair to see how
he liked it.  Ai copied her, smile and all.

   "Sorry.  Just wanted to let you two know I don't know how much longer I
can stand this sexy assault.  How are you dividing me up today?"

   Julie giggled as Ai looked at her and considered the matter.

   "Julie, Love, will you...  experiment with me?"

   She leaned over to give Ai a sensual kiss.

   "Of course."

   Ai smiled, sitting up and pulling the covers off them.  The two women
looked down at Bill's maleness with hunger, enjoying the same look coming
from his view of them.  Ai positioned Julie over his cock, grinning as the
small girl rubbed herself over the tip.  Ai surprised Bill by lowering
herself over his head, her wet opening over his mouth.

   "Eat of me, Bill..." Julie saw apprehension in her friend's face.  Ai
truly did not know how this would be...  but the idea of feeding her lover
the same way he fed her obviously excited her.  Reaching out to touch Ai's
breasts, Julie dropped herself down as Bill began to lick.

   It was like nothing Bill had ever done before.  He had tasted her
before, brought her cold nectar to his mouth, but never like this.  The
scales on either side of her opening were harder than skin but soft, and
salty.  Her juice was like cold liquid jello, a mix of flavors he had never
experienced before but now could not get enough of.  As his tongue opened
her up it was like a steady drip, every moan from her signaling a doubling
of the flow.  Julie watched this, enthralled, as she rode Bill.  Ai's eyes
were closed, her expression one of exquisite pleasure.  One of Ai's hands
reached out, touching Julie...

   That did it.  Julie came.  Trying not to scream, she felt herself
squeezing Bill, massaging him inside her.  He was close.  She could feel
that.  And she just kept cuming...

   Ai, shaking, lifted herself off of Bill's mouth.

   "Julie...  mine..."

   In bed, a command from Ai could not be disobeyed by the girl.  Julie
lifted herself off, not knowing where the energy came from, collapsing down
next to Bill.  Ai quickly positioned herself and dropped down.  The shock,
of going from hot to cold, was too much.  Bill came.  Ai whimpered in
pleasure, each pulse visible to her lovers as blue pulses shooting
throughout her body.  Bill just lie there, each ejaculation like a fresh
orgasm.

   Finally, full, Ai collapsed on top of him, Bill's member slowly
softening.  Julie, strength slowly returning, crawled up and licked Ai's
juice off his face.  She paused to consider the taste.

   "Next time, I eat her out."

   ****

   Thursday...  it was Thursday...

   Taking his seat on the bus, Bill tried to talk himself out of the
feeling it was Monday again.  Unexpected mid-week vacations really threw
off his body's natural rhythm.  Not that he probably had much.  Also,
despite what you might think, having two beautiful girls sleep with you
does NOT leave you well rested the next morning, especially after a day of
emotional ups and downs and traipsing through the woods.

   Which goes to prove real men don't need rest.

   The bus stopped again.  Looking out the window, Bill saw Bobby and his
sister getting on.  He stared at them.  Something was...  off about the
scene.  The two of them walked down the aisle...  two...

   Bill's eyes widened.  Bobby's blue companion was gone!

   Bobby plopped down next to Bill as the bus lurched forward again.

   "Where were you yesterday, man?  I tried calling a couple times!" He
looked at Bill with all the disappointment of a best friend scorned, which
he probably was.  Bill had been neglecting his friends.  That it was
understandable, given all that was going on, didn't make it right.  Still,
at least Wednesday he'd had a very good excuse.

   "Dad's in the hospital.  He got in a wreck during the storm." Bobby's
eyes bugged out.

   "No!  Oh, damn, I'm sorry!  You should have called!  Is he OK?"

   "He's fucked up, but they say he'll be OK.  They're keeping him till the
weekend, most likely.  Yesterday was...  busy." Bill fell back in the seat.
Bobby turned forward and did the same.

   "I can imagine!  Glad he's gonna be OK, though."

   They were silent for a moment as the next batch of kids filed on.

   "So, what were you reduced to doing without me, Bobby?"

   It took a moment for his friends to answer.  Glancing at him, Bill
saw... embarrassment.  Given what MUST have been part of it, for his
Ai-like girl to vanish (if Ai had been right about that aspect of things,
that they vanished/died the first time you had sex), you'd think he'd be
bragging.  At least friend to friend.  Who had he fucked that he didn't
want to talk about it?

   "Oh, not much.  Went over to Mark's.  Did some sledding."

   Mark didn't have a sister, so...  Bill was confused.  Maybe the answer
would come later.

   ****

   Seeing that Mark's creature was also gone, and the look his two friends
shared, both answered and raised many questions.

   ****

   Shirley had her coat on and was checking her bag, making sure she had
everything Tom had asked for, when Ai slowly came up to her.  The creature,
wearing just a flowered white sundress they'd bought for her, stood
silently.  Shirley suspected Ai was waiting for her to finish, or even
permission to speak.  The two of them...  hadn't been alone together much.
Never, really, now that she thought about it.  And may never again. 
Straightening, Shirley turned to her.

   "What is it, Ai?"

   Ai licked her lips, a habit she must be picking up from Julie.

   "Mom.  I...  I am sorry.  About Bill.  I want to be with you.  All of
you.  I do NOT want to take him away from you.  But, I am now SCARED!"
Shirley could see tears start to form.  Sighing, she tried to think of what
to say.  Ai kept going, though.  "I...  have never been hurt, alone and
hurt, and do not want to be.  If it is bad for me to be seen, and you have
told me this, then I HAVE to go, and my two friends must come with me!  I
am sorry!  Do not hate me!" She was shaking now, her eyes pleading with
Shirley.  She had seen that look in her children many times, a look that
wanted confirmation that love was still there despite some transgression.
There was only one way to answer such a look.

   "Come here, Ai." Opening her arms, Shirley wrapped them around the
crying creature who threw herself into her embrace.  Despite the coat, she
could feel the coldness coming off Ai that in no way reflected the heat of
emotions in this girl.  Shirley reached her right hand up and caressed her
black hair.  "I don't hate you, Ai.  If I'm sometimes cold to you..." The
humor of that comment just then made her pause, but knowing the girl
wouldn't get the joke just went on.  "...if I'm cold to you, it's because I
don't know you well enough, and things are so crazy just now."

   "I want to know you, Mom.  I want to know you well." Ai pulled back, her
face serious as she looked at Shirley.  "You are Bill's Mom, and I will
someday have his baby, so we should be friends."

   Shirley's eyebrows shot up.  OK, that information changed the day's
activities slightly.  Looking at the clock, she turned with her arm around
Ai and began to lead her to the couch.

   "While we're alone, I think we should talk a bit before I go."

   " I like talking!"

   ****

   Julie left her locker and started towards the lunch room.  Sharon and
Martha fell in beside her, chatting away about some boy or other.  Or that
show last night.  Did it make any difference?

   It should.

   She sighed.  Julie loved her friends.  She did.  They were great, fun to
be with, trustworthy, smart, almost as smoking hot as she was...  why
wasn't she paying attention to them?

   Because she had secrets.

   Half the fun of having friends, real friends, is sharing everything. 
Toys.  Clothes.  Other friends.  And secrets.  To be able to confide in
them, totally confident that what you tell them about last night's date
with stay just between you and her.  Breaking that trust destroy's
friendships faster than anything else, and...  having a secret they can't
be trusted with slowly eats away at bonds built up over years.

   "...and Kelly said Bill Darrow went down on her."

   Julie spun her head around, shocked to her core.

   "She said WHAT?!?" Sharon gave her an amused look.

   "Actually she said nothing of the kind.  We just figured you were
ignoring us."

   Julie's shoulders slumped.  She stopped just before the lunchroom doors,
looking back and forth at her companions.  Sharon, she of the fair skin and
curly golden locks falling to her shoulders, and Martha, whose dark brown
skin and short afro made a perfect counterpoint.  They deserved so much
better than how she'd been treating them.  The two had also stopped,
looking and waiting.

   "Look, I'm sorry.  I know I've been a bit distant lately.  It's just..."

   "If being with Bill is doing this to you, dump him," Martha interrupted.
"Not that you've talked about him with us or anything.  We're your
FRIENDS!" Sharon nodded.

   "I know," Julie sighed.  "I know.  Look, we'll...  we'll talk later."
She pushed forward through the cafeteria doors, pausing to look.  Cindi was
already at the table in the corner, not looking happy.  Julie had only
taken two steps in that direction when she heard Sharon's disgusted snort.

   "Again?  Are we not good enough for you anymore?"

   Julie spun, expression pleading.

   "Look, I'm sorry!  I just have to talk to her today, OK?" Their
expressions weren't what she wanted to see, but the damage was done. 
Turning again, Julie quickly walked across the room and tossed her bag next
to the seat across from Cindi before dropping into it.  Cindi looked up at
her, chewing on a bite of her baloney and cheese sandwich.

   "Hi, Cindi!" Julie leaned down to dig her own lunch out of her book bag.
As she came up, she noticed Cindi looking over her head with an expression
of...  half fear, half disappointment.  A moment later the reason became
clear, as Sharon and Martha took seats on either side of Julie.  Julie
looked between them, surprised.

   "Well," said Sharon, pulling a plastic bowl containing a salad out of
her bag, "if you won't sit with us, we'll sit with you."

   "Yup!" Martha had her own lunch out, a small sub and can of diet pop. 
Looking brightly over at Cindi, she smiled.  "So, what are we talking about
today?"

   Julie wanted to die.  Anything she did would upset one of her friends!
She looked across the table at Cindi, eyes pleading with her to understand.
The redhead looked back, eyes sad.  They flicked briefly to the intruders,
and Julie saw her friend seem to come to a decision.  Putting her sandwich
down, she leaned forward towards Julie.

   "I have to leave home.  Can I stay with you or Bill?"

   Without looking, Julie could just feel her friend's eyes bug out.  Part
of her wanted to smile at that reaction.  But, looking at Cindi she knew
this was not a joke on her part.  Opening her own diet pop, she met her
eyes.

   "Is it that bad?"

   Cindi nodded.

   "I heard them talking about boarding schools, starting this summer if
not sooner."

   "I didn't know they still HAD those!" Martha exclaimed.  Cindi ignored
her, eyes fixed on her friend.

   "I can't go.  Not now.  Not when I finally have friends, people who
understand.  Please." Her eyes were pleading.  "Help me, Julie.  You and
Bill are all I have."

   Sharon and Martha looked at each other over Julie's head.  This was so
much more than they expected.  Never had they imagined that whatever their
friend was doing instead of being with them was...  actually important. 
They saw Julie's small hand reach across the table and touch Cindi's.

   "Of course we'll help.  We love you.  We're your family now." Pulling
back, Julie glanced around nervously as she reached into her bag and pulled
out a cell phone.  "I'm going to text.  Cover me."

   Now, THIS her friends were used to.  Quickly moving closer to hide her
actions from any adults, they watched as Julie typed out her message.

   ****

   Shirley lowered the cell phone, Gretchen already having hung up.  Yet
another complication.  Naturally.  They seemed to come in three-packs.

   "Don't tell me you weren't expecting this, Honey."

   She looked over at Tom, sitting up thanks to his adjustable bed and
finishing a surprisingly good hospital lunch.  His expression showed mild
amusement, and despite everything she found herself chuckling.

   "I gave up expecting anything in particular sometime last week." Putting
the cell phone down, she rose and took the tray off the small table in
front of him.  "Want the table put back down?"

   "Naw, leave it up.  I can entertain myself drumming my fingers on it. 
Not," Tom added, reaching out and gripping her arm before she could move
away, "that I wouldn't rather have my fingers playing elsewhere."

   She had the decency to blush, and the horniness to give him a look that
would turn melted butter back into a rock hard stick.

   "Now, Sir, is that how you treat ALL your serving girls?"

   "Only those whom I love and have borne my children...  so, just five."

   Laughing, she whacked his hand.  Putting the lunch tray down, she pulled
her chair even closer to him before sitting again.  Sighing, Shirley
reached onto the bed and took his hand.

   "What are we gonna do, Honey."

   "Which order do you want me to answer in?"

   "Take your pick," she snorted, waving her free hand.  Chuckling, Tom
squeezed her captive hand and rubbed his thumb over her smooth skin.

   "Well, I've only met this Cindi girl once, so I'll trust your judgment
on that one.  Is her home life that bad?"

   "Not in a physical abuse sense, but mentally and emotionally?  Yeah...
she has to get out."

   He nodded.

   "OK.  Have her pack up, be ready when you and Gretchen get there.  Once
the van is packed, you wait until her parents get home." Shirley raised her
eyebrows at that, but Tom nodded.  "We need this to be a clean break.  Let
them know where the girl is, and see if either they'll keep her on their
insurance and such, or if we can get custody.  If they're gonna be calling
the police, doing this does none of us any good."

   "If you think so..."

   "I know so.  Remember, I'm the people person in the house.  Don't worry.
Gretchen will be there to back you up.  Let her do most of the talking. 
You just stand there and look mean." That got another chuckle out of her.
"Actually, this works out well.  The more people down in the shelter, the
better."

   "You think so?  I don't want anyone down there..."

   Tom sat up straighter, looking down at her sad face.  Sometimes she was
still the awkward biology student, who had sat in the same seat for every
college ball game, eyes only on him.  He squeezed her soft hand again,
feeling her wedding ring.

   "Ever since you brought up the idea of the shelter, we both knew they
would end up down there.  It just makes too much sense, despite the
complications." Reluctantly, she nodded.  "I've had time to think, and we
have to start being serious about this.  Make serious, short and long term
plans."

   Shirley nodded, mood improving.  While she had the brains in the
relationship, Tom was no slouch in that department either.  Long term plans
were right up his alley, and he could probably be more objective than her,
at least right then.

   "For example," he said, looking her in the eye, "we don't know if Ai
will even live till the end of the year." Shirley's eyes shot open at that.
God, she could fade that fast!  This wasn't her world!  "Or," he continued,
"she could live as long as Bill does, or even live for a thousand years. 
We just don't know."

   "I would LOVE to give her a good MRI scan", she muttered.

   "That can wait.  For now, our goal should be to both protect her, and
make her life as rich as possible.  Let her experience as much as possible.
We can do that better in the shelter than we can in our little house."

   "Really?  How?"

   He looked surprised.

   "Didn't you look at the place while you were down there?"

   "I saw the bedrooms and living area.  Big, but still..."

   "You didn't see anything," he said, shaking his head.  "They started
building that place before that level of the mine started flooding.  First
thing they did was go WAY in and seal off and waterproof huge galleries,
although only the first couple were finished off before their cold war
enthusiasm, and money, started fading.  Beyond that waterproof door at the
end of the living area is a huge garden." That got her to sit up.  He
nodded.  "There's not just a large hydroponic setup, but actual beds for
plants.  One of the wives insisted on it.  Water for the plants comes from
pumps going down to the lower flooded levels, although that was just
wishful thinking as they didn't know if that would be contaminated once the
nukes started flying.  Ai can be in charge of the plants: it'll give her
something to do, and teach her about beauty and life as well as helping
ease our food budget.  We should let the kids have pets down there for the
same reason.  Un-spayed pets so there will be puppies and kittens, again to
teach her about life.  That should delay thoughts about babies for a bit."

   Shirley chuckled at that.

   "Are the kittens to help with the food budget too?"

   "No, but good old Greg Stanfield told Nick and I that one of the guys
had wanted to put chickens down there.  Something to think about."

   "You really have thought about this.  I'm impressed."

   "And you should be." He raised her hand to his lips, kissing it gently.
Not thinking that was enough, Shirley stood and leaned down to collect a
proper one.  Staying standing, she regarded her mate with twinkling eyes.

   "What else?"

   "Well, a couple other things.  One, we have to work to protect access to
the shelter.  It would be great if we could just dig down and link up to
it..."

   "Are you sure we can't?" Just the thought of connecting it to their
basement made her grin, and Tom returned it.

   "Oh, Nick and I thought of it, believe me.  It was like two kids with a
secret treehouse when we first learned of the place, and we had all these
plans." Tom's eyes clouded for a moment, remembering his friend, but he
quickly went on.  "None of the tunnels come near us, so even if we could
dig down 100 feet it's out of the question.  What we CAN do, though, is get
control of the land around the mine entrance."

   "Can we?"

   "Actually, who knows, but we have to try.  It's too exposed.  I want to
plant trees and such along the road to block the view, so we can enter
unobserved easier and allow Ai up on the surface to play, even during the
day.  Maybe improve the access as well.  It'll be expensive...  we may not
be able to go to Europe."

   He looked at her uncertainly, but Shirley smiled and leaned in for
another kiss.

   "So long as I'm next to you, it doesn't matter where I am...  although,
since it doesn't matter, it might as well be Europe." They laughed.  "That
can wait, though.  Spend what you need to." He nodded.

   "At the very least, maybe we can buy the land leading TO the shelter
from home.  Keep that from being built on for a couple decades."

   Decades...  He was right.  They had to plan decades ahead.

   "Also...  people are going to find out."

   Shirley shook her head.

   "We can keep it quiet.  You didn't mean to..."

   "I'm not thinking about that, Honey.  Think!  Is Bill going to be able
to hide this forever from his friends?  Is Julie?  Hell, I'm willing to bet
Bobby knows about this before school's out.  It's just too big a part of
his life, and as long as he has contact with the 'real' world he's going to
want to bring others in with him...  just like he did with Julie, although
I doubt he wants to fuck Bobby."

   She sighed.  He was right.  When it came to people, he was usually
right.

   "You can bet Julie isn't going to be able to keep her friends out of it
either...  and that's OK." Shirley looked up at this, surprised.  He
nodded. "Bill is going to need a support network.  Friends out there
willing to help with whatever Ai needs.  Some of the wrong people will also
find out, but you know what?  They won't believe it.  It's just too god
damned stupid to be taken seriously...  and we have to encourage that.  If
someone says they saw a blue troll in our house, say it actually was a
Smurf on stilts.  Don't get defensive, just let them see for themselves how
silly it is and that they must have been seeing things.  That's a much
better defense."

   He sat back, tired.

   "We can do this, my Love.  Have faith."

   ****

   "I can't do this."

   Cindi looked at her Mom's car coming down the road.  She was shaking. 
She so wanted to be gone, to go home...  her REAL home, with Mrs.  Darrow
and Bill and Ai.  That's where she belonged.  They should just go.  Now. 
Not have to deal with...

   Mrs.  Cutter put a hand on her shoulder, smiling, and Cindi felt Mrs. 
Darrow caress her head.  The car came closer.

   "Don't worry," Shirley said, eye on the woman now visible driving the
BMW.  "All will be well."

   The three stood to one side of the wide driveway.  Shirley's minivan was
parked in the street, already packed with everything Cindi wanted to start
her new life with.

   It wasn't much.

   Night was already falling, but the streetlights reflecting off the snow
provided more than enough light as the car slowly pulled up the driveway
and stopped.  The woman inside just sat for a few moments, looking at her
daughter and the strangers.  Probably trying to decide if she should just
dial 911, Cindi thought.  A second car, another BMW, came from the other
direction and pulled in behind.  Now with backup, her Mom opened the door
and exited the car.  Her Dad did the same a moment later, quickly walking
up to his wife before the two slowly approached the waiting trio.

   "Good evening," Gretchen said, smiling.  She tried not to let her
distaste for them show.  The woman, whose red hair was pinned up in a bun,
looked at her with a resigned sigh.

   "What has the girl done?"

   Not daughter, not Cindi...  "the girl".  Gretchen's expression hardened
a bit.

   "Cindi has decided, since you don't seem to want her around anymore, to
leave.  We came to help her pack and take her to a better place."

   The man's eyes considered Shirley and Gretchen carefully.

   "So," he said, voice a bit unsure, "has she conned you, with her stupid
visions, into taking her to some religious sect, or is she going to be a
whore?"

   Shirley balled her right hand into a fist.  Gretchen just smiled a happy
smile.

   "She'll still be going to the same school.  We just wanted to make sure
you two had no objection, and to work out the legal aspect.  Mrs.  Darrow
here would prefer to be Cindi's legal guardian, but we'd settle for her
staying on your insurance and you giving us proxy parental rights."

   The two parents looked at each other, then the woman turned to them and
scoffed.

   "Take her, but we're not signing anything.  Do you even know what she
is?"

   That was it.

   Breaking free of her two adult friends, Cindi stepped forward.  Her eyes
flashed as she regarded these...  creatures before her.

   "Do YOU know what I am?  I'm not your daughter Cindi.  You killed her,
years ago.  Deliberate..." She looked deep into the eyes of the woman who
bore her, "...  Murder." There was a flush of recognition on the woman's
face.  And...  fear.  Good.  Her eyes slid over to the male who gave her
half her DNA.  "Nor am I the scared child you refused to comfort.  She
died, alone, unloved.  No..." she shook her head at the man, "she's not
here either."

   The two saw their former daughter put one hand up above her right
shoulder, as if she was holding something invisible.  The girl was insane.
That was all there was...

   There was a flash of blue.

   It was a monster.

   A hideous, blue, furry creature, standing on her shoulder.  Huge black
eyes, snarling white fangs, tail wrapped around her neck.  It let out a
hiss, the two adults almost thrown back in panic....

   Then it was gone.

   "My name is Cynthia.  Go fuck yourselves."

   ****

   "Well!  That went well!"

   Gretchen turned to look at the happy teen in the back seat as they drove
down Maple.  She was smiling, but her eyes darted around wondering where
the invisible monkey was.  Shirley raised her eyes to the rearview mirror
as she drove.

   "When we get home, Cynthia, we're going to have some long conversations.
First, about secrecy, then I think there are some things you haven't told
us yet."

   Cynthia laughed.

   "You have no idea, Mrs.  Darrow!"

   ****

   Saturday was the homecoming.

   Supported by both his wife and son, Tom gingerly walked through the
front door.  The steps had been tough, requiring a rest after mastering all
three, but he was now home.  Nothing else mattered.  Standing in the living
room were Betty, Ai, the three Cutter women, and a semi stranger.  He
stopped in the archway, looking around.

   "Honey, while I was gone these people have changed my house."

   Grinning, Shirley gave him a squeeze with the arm around his waist.

   "That's what you get for wrecking the car."

   While Tom wasn't bedridden, he was still far from healed, so the family
had adapted to his needs.  Both the TV and his recliner had been moved into
the living room, which was closer to the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom
than the den.  The recliner could also easily be slept in if he didn't want
to move.  The hospital had recommended renting a hospital bed, but Tom had
nixed that idea.  They could always bring one in tomorrow if this setup
didn't work out.

   Careful of the cast on his right forearm, Bill and Shirley maneuvered
him over and into his chair.  Legs elevated, Shirley brought the official
family "sick blanket" over to cover him.  The extra soft and fluffy
covering was the traditional sign someone was to be waited on hand and
foot...  but also the sign they were too sick to go play or anything.  You
never WANTED it unless you really felt like crap, but being covered by it
was like being encased in love.

   Now that he was safely settled, Betty and Ai came over to give him
welcome kisses.  He smiled at both his daughters, basking in their
attention.  Gretchen also gave him a kiss, and a wink.  A sidewards glance
at his wife got him rolled eyes but also amusement.  Hmm.  Maybe Shirley
was ready to consider helping Gretchen with her needs.  He knew better than
to say anything, though.  Let her bring it up when she was ready.  His
thoughts were interrupted by the two neighbor girls coming up to give him
welcoming hugs, which he returned as best he could.

   That left the newcomer.

   "Hello...  Cynthia?"

   The black clad redhead nodded, smiling shyly.

   "Hi Mr.  Darrow.  Thank you, for letting me stay here."

   "It's our pleasure, Honey." She blushed, enjoying hearing him call her
that as much as when Mrs.  Darrow said it.  More so, maybe, so long had a
father figure been missing from her life.  "Our home is your home.  Also,
you break it you buy it." This got a giggle out of her, a surprisingly
girlish sound, and laughter from the rest of the family.  Ai looked at him
with a worried expression.

   "I don't have money to buy what I break!"

   "I'll pay for it," Bill said, giving her hand a squeeze.  This got him a
tender kiss, and more laughter from the room.  Tom let his whole body
relax.

   This was what life was all about.

   ****

   It was late afternoon when Cynthia pulled Julie aside.  Most of the
women were in the kitchen getting dinner going, a turkey saved from the
Thanksgiving sales of the previous November, while Bill and Tom watched a
hockey game.  Good natured sexist ribbing flowed between the two groups,
resulting in Betty coming into the living room to help even the odds
against the kitchen.  Actually, she just really wanted to see the game.

   Cynthia looked nervous.  Julie took this in, and led the two of them
into the computer/sewing room and shut the door.

   "What is it, Cynthia?"

   The taller girl blushed.

   "I...  may I borrow your phone, Julie?"

   "Wha...?  Of course!  But why...  oh!" Her eyes widened.  Julie reached
out to touch her friend's arm.  "Are you ready to call her?"

   "Yeah..."

   Cynthia had told the family about her adventures at the hospital,
leaving nothing out.  There could be no secrets now, as any detail could
become important.  She wasn't sure which had been more embarrassing,
telling of how Ro had gained a soul...  or of her feelings for the teen she
had saved.  That being pleasured by a monkey was on the same level as being
lesbian in her mind wasn't something she was proud of, either.

   Seeing the turmoil in her friend's eyes, Julie quietly dug out her phone
and handed it over.

   "Take your time.  She'll be as unsure about all this as you are, most
likely."

   "I don't think that's possible."

   Julie gave her a brief hug, then left, closing the door behind her. 
Cynthia stood there.  This was it.  It had been agony, waiting three days,
wanting yet fearing to dial those numbers written a seeming lifetime ago.
Hand shaking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the photo.  It was
already showing signs of wear, although the woman pictured was as beautiful
as ever.  Should she?  COULD she?

   The number was burned into her memory, but Cynthia turned the photo over
anyway as she activated the phone.  Her heart was beating a hundred times a
second as, slowly, seven buttons were pressed.  She put the phone to the
side of her head, turning the photo back over to gaze at the stranger.

   She could hear the phone ring.

   "Hello?"

   The voice was soft...  sad, and yet strong.  Part of Cindy wanted to
just hang up.  Just go, try again later.  She had made first contact, that
was enough!

   "Um, hi.  Is this...  Violet?"

   "Yes..." The voice was suspicious.  Who else would be answering Violet's
phone.  There was a pause, then her voice became excited and hopeful. 
"Wait, is this...  my Redheaded Witch?"

   Cynthia blushed, her face so warm she just knew the girl on the other
side of the phone could tell.

   "Um, yeah.  Hi."

   "Oh my god!  It's you!  Mommy Taylor said you'd call, but I didn't think
you would!  Wait!" She heard the sound of Violet running, and a door
slamming shut.  "Sorry!  I just didn't want the kids bothering us!  Hi! 
Cindy, is it?

   "Ah, Cynthia, actually.  I just sort of changed it the other day.  It's
a very long story..."

   "I have the feeling," Violet said, humor coming through in her voice,
"that we're both going to have lots of those.  Cynthia...  I like it."

   "Thanks...  I like you." She just blurted it out, her face becoming
twice as red as she heard the words.  Her immediate thought was to
apologize, but she froze.  There was a moment's silence.

   "Do...  do you believe in fate, my Redheaded Witch?"

   "I..." Cynthia swallowed.  "I know lots of things, now.  Enough that I
can't say there is no fate, but also enough that I think fate isn't the
answer most of the time."

   "Our family, maybe, was created by fate.  Daddy," and her voice choked
up for a moment, "Daddy would always joke about it, but I think my mom's
believe.  I think I do too."

   "My story is so strange.  But I want so much to tell you everything. 
You're all I've been able to think of."

   "I keep seeing you, standing there over my bed, your read hair framing
those beautiful eyes..."

   Cynthia closed her eyes, tears running down her face.

   "I think I love you..."

   She heard a gasp, and prepared for the heartbreak of losing her.

   "I love you too..." It came out of the phone as a whisper, hanging there
between them.  Moments ticked by.

   "Cynthia?"

   "Yeah?"

   "Can I see you?  Tonight?"

   "Yes...  have you eaten yet?"

   ****

   The beat up old Ford came to a stop next to the mail box, then slowly
pulled into the driveway.  Parking next to the minivan, Violet turned the
key off, set the emergency break, and sat back in the seat.

   She was here.

   Now what?

   This was crazy.  The whole week had been crazy.  Her life was crazy. 
Images of her Dad again flooded her mind, but with effort she pushed them
down.  Later.  She could mourn some more later.

   Maybe that's why she was here.  For the first time in her seventeen year
old life, Violet was, to a small degree, an outsider in her loving family.
The days she had spent unconscious were time the others had used to mourn
Daddy, to come to grips with the new reality.  Cindy had filled her in
about everything: the chaos, Mommy Taylor going almost catatonic, and Mommy
Rachel basically taking over the family and getting them over the worst of
it.  While Violet wouldn't have wanted to go through all that, when it had
come time for her to grieve she had to do much of it alone.  Her
personality won't allow her to drag family that had finally climbed up a
bit from the loss, and were ecstatic about her recovery, back to the first
stages of grief.  Who could she grab onto...

   The Redheaded Witch.

   Her image was all she saw when she closed her eyes, driving out the
sorrow of loss.  She had no idea what had happened, what it all meant,
but...

   She was finally going to meet her.

   There was a sound.  Turning her head, Violet saw the front door of the
house open...  and there she was.  Red hair.  A black dress, down past her
knees, covered by a dark blue winter coat.  Quickly, Violet opened the car
door and got out.  The Witch stopped in the act of stepping down, looking
at her, taking in the dark skin, straight black hair, bluejeans and
sweatshirt.

   Time froze.

   Slowly, as one, the two women began to walk towards each other.  Violet
was shaking.  God, she was so beautiful...  and young!  She couldn't be
more than a Freshman, if that!  She found her feet stopping of their own
accord a foot away from the vision before her.  The face that looked up at
her was as unnerved and frightened as she herself felt, but rather than
giving her comfort it upset her more.  Violet wanted to make this girl
happy, to never see her sad...

   "Hi, Violet."

   Her voice was quiet, strong, but with a quality as if she wasn't use to
speaking.  Cynthia's hand was extended, white and beautiful.  Violet
extended her own brown hand, first touching those white fingertips then
sliding along the length of her hand.

   "Hi, Cynthia."

   They both shuddered at the contact, their skin moving against each other
feeling more sexual than anything either had ever done.  The Witch closed
her hand, trapping its brown twin, and swallowed.

   "Wow..."

   "Yeah..."

   Cynthia shook herself, trying to gain some control again.  Violet just
let the feelings wash over her.  She just...  wanted this young girl to
tell her all was well, that they'd be together forever.  It was stupid and
silly...  but gods, she needed stupid and silly and love....

   "I...  Violet, this is going so fast, but...  I need to trust you..."

   "Anything, my little Witch..."

   "There are secrets, secrets which are a part of me, which you have to
accept and keep if we're to have anything to do with each other.  If you
can't accept that, you can't accept me..."

   Violet brought her other hand up to grip their joined hands, and Cynthia
did likewise.  Their eyes bore into each other.

   "Anything, Cynthia..."

   The redhead nodded.  Releasing one hand, but keeping a firm grip with
the other, she led the black haired Mayan up the three steps to the front
door.  Opening the storm door, she turned to her.

   "What you're going to see, you can never tell anyone without our
permission.  It is, literally, a matter of life and death." She squeezed
Violet's hand.  "And I will kill to protect her and them."

   Violet nodded.  Anything for her Red Witch.

   The front door opened and she followed her love inside.  Cynthia stopped
them in the middle of an archway looking into the living room...

   She saw Ai.

   "You are a witch..."

   ****

   The first official day of Spring was still a day away, but nature knows
no calendar.  The sun was bright and warm, the snow gone, and birds chirped
above as the teens made their way down the now very familiar trail through
the woods.  The five soaked in the feeling, knowing that another snowstorm
was predicted for mid-week.  Ai in particular took every image in with wide
eyes.  Who knew when she'd next be above ground...

   Bill, large backpack on, led the way holding the leash of Pooh Bear. 
The two year old yellow mutt, part golden retriever, part lots of other
stuff, kept trying to go off exploring.  Bill couldn't decide if this was a
funny or annoying habit, but since he was in a good mood decided on funny.
Julie, not having quite the same success keeping the slightly smaller black
Tippy in line, was veering towards the annoying part of the spectrum.  Ai
walked behind them, enchanted with the animals.  The pets had been bought
the week before, once the date of Dad's return to work was known, and they
had quickly become great friends.  She was NOT to feed from them, though.
Bill and Julie were quite strict about that.  Ai didn't see what the
problem was, as it's not like they were much different than humans, but she
didn't protest.  Bill and Julie really were all she needed in that regard.

   Trailing behind walked Cynthia and Violet, both wearing backpacks,
carrying cat carriers, and holding hands.  The past weeks had not given
them much time to be together, between school and family, but Violet had
jumped in to help prep and stock the shelter with happy gusto.  That her
house was just a few miles away, if in another school district, helped
immensely.  She had not talked much about her new friend to her moms, but
it was impossible to hide the fact she was in love.  Especially when she
announced that she WOULD be going to the University of Buffalo in the Fall,
regardless of who else accepted her.

   "They really want you to come over, you know, so they can get to know
you...  fall down and worship you..." The two laughed at that, Cynthia
squeezing her girlfriend's hand.

   "Soon, soon.  Let me get used to all this first.  I'm sure I'll love
them."

   "The baby should be coming next month, if all goes well.  I'll
definitely want you there for that celebration."

   "Wouldn't miss it."

   ****

   They broke through the trees into the half green, half brown field
behind the old mine.  Making their way down the dirt trail they'd created
in a dozen or more trips, soon they were before the large iron doors. 
Holding Pooh Bear's leash tightly, Bill stood aside as Ai stepped forward
with the key.  She put it in the new stainless steel lock that had been
installed right in the door, allowing it to be locked from both sides, and
easily turned it.  With a big smile, Ai removed the key and pulled the door
open.

   It took a few moments to get the dogs to go down the steps.  Ai ended up
leading the way, then calling to them from the first landing.  After that
things went smoothly.  Violet handed her cat case to Cynthia and reached up
to close and lock the doors above them.

   Ai was now safe.

   Three long metal staircases brought them to the poured cement floor,
with its submarine style door set into it.  Stairs continued down from it
into the entrance room of the shelter.  Cynthia this time sealed the door
behind them, everyone removing their winter gear while Bill and Julie
unleashed the dogs and started up the generators and lights.  Much of the
previous weeks had been spent not just moving food and other supplies down
here, but upgrading the electronics.  There were years worth of diesel,
with stabilizers, to run the generators, but that would have to be
augmented and extended.  Light bulbs were replaced with more efficient
ones, computers upgraded where possible, and appliances were examined to
see what could be done with those.  Jenny had been sent, with much anguish
by her mother but great excitement on her part and confidence on Tom's, up
the ladder on the back of the three story wooden structure covering the
filled main mine shaft to check the solar panels.  They had been replaced,
augmenting their power situation, and while she was up there they hid a
satellite TV dish next to the existing communications antenna.

   All the comforts of home.

   Bill shut down the lights in the shaft above them.

   "All right, let's go in!"

   Skipping over to the submarine door, Ai spun the wheel and opened it.

   The dogs raced in, eager to explore their new home.  Once inside, Violet
and Cynthia put down the cat carriers and released the felines.  They were
more cautious in their explorations, but soon were gone.  Ai sealed the
door, then turned to her four human friends.

   "Thank you."

   She hugged each in turn, crying.  Violet blushed, still not use to the
creature, feeling the cold on her skin long after Ai released her. 
Stepping up into the middle of what they were calling the living room, with
its TVs, couches and chairs, Ai spun around, arms extended.

   "Home!"

   ****

   Next story: The Heart Believes

   Edited by SciFi Nut

   Comments more then welcome.  invidfan@localnet.com
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