Chapter 9 - Meeting The Family

I was going to Ursuline!

Done deal, right?

Oh for the simple outlook of a eleven-year-old.

Chapter 8 - Ursuline Academy

"And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company this morning, Annie?" asked Dad at breakfast.

"Why Dad, isn't my presence always a pleasure?"

"I refuse to answer because I might have to tell the truth."

"Chip, be nice to your daughter."

"He's never nice to me," grumped Kate.

"I guess that means you don't want a lift to the mall?" snarked Dad.

"I'll just have my boyfriend take me."

"Joanna! Where's my baseball bat?"

“Umf,” Sophie grunted as her eyes slowly opened and she found herself in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. “He- hello?”

“Ah, bonjour!” The familiar voice of Sophie’s roommate replied with an excited squeak that made Sophie wince.

“Not so loud, please!” Sophie groaned as the throbbing in her head intensified. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Time for you to be getting out of bed,” Francine replied in an authoritative voice. “Today is a big day!”

Chapter 4 - Annie And The Angel

I wore my new print dress home at Kate's insistence - she thinks that having a sister could be fun. Dad and Sam did some silly grunting and chest pounding thing when we got home to prove how great their men's night out was, but we sophisticated women just ignored the gorillas in the living room. We women had better things to do, like finish my homework and go to bed; after all it was a school night. Looking back as an adult having to go to bed so early shocks me, but back then I really did need the sleep. That school bus came awful early.

Chapter 2 - Annie Off The Stage

Annie was a great success, which made me want to spend more time on the stage. I was hooked on the bright lights and the greasepaint, just like my parents. The hardest part of the whole thing was the my name in the program.

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you…Don't… Watch…Out!

"Little Orphant Annie"
James Whitcomb Riley
1885

“Morning!” beamed my Mum, as we saw each other on the landing, both making our ways towards the top of the stairs. She was far too cheery for this time of the morning, if you were to ask me.

“Mornin’,” I mumbled back, as I started to head down the stairs, my Mum a few paces behind.

“This is very early for you,” commented my Mum, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine, thanks,” I continued to mumble, as my Mum followed me into the kitchen.

Link: The Road to Hell Title Page and Description

--

Joss sighed as he worked on the commission painting. Knowing it needed to be delivered within two weeks, he wanted it done that day so the oils had time to dry. Smiling as he shook his head, he continued to add details to the dog's ears. Four years and a double degree and I'm using it to paint a rich woman's dead Airedale! he chuckled to himself.

Link: The Road to Hell Title Page and Description

--

Joss was happier than he'd ever thought possible. In the days that followed Thanksgiving, he'd started staying over at Judy's house more and more often. While he cared for the Edwards family and knew they loved him for himself, he loved Judy far more than his own mother. Once she became a licensed foster home in mid-December, Judy took over care of Joss officially, moving him from one house to the other with Joyce and Hank's blessings.

This is about the little sensible voice that many of us have that keeps us from harm. It also, perhaps keeps us from being who I we were meant to be.

It started way before I remember. The voice in my head. The little sensible voice that keeps me from harm. The one that I always listen too.
At 5 my mother tried to dress me in a pair of girl’s knickers, I refused as sensible voice told me. “Your brother will be shouting to everyone that you wear knickers if you do” He was probably right.

Link: The Road to Hell Title Page and Description

--

To give him a room of his own, Hank and Joyce Edwards worked every spare minute to convert their den into another bedroom. Previous foster children had shared a room either with Tracy if they were a girl or David if a boy, but the family quickly realized that Joss didn't really fit either and did their best to adapt.

“Mmm. That feels good.”

We continued for at least another hour, just like we had been before we went to sleep last night. Kissing, cuddling, holding and continuing to explore each other’s bodies.

We kissed and cuddled in bed for what felt like hours. I couldn’t believe just how exciting I was finding exploring James’s muscular body. A body that I had seen in sports changing rooms, and ignored, many times before.

I wanted to stay here in this moment forever. With my man, treating me like his girl.

Link: The Road to Hell Title Page and Description

CAUTION - Referenced Attempted Suicide

--

The following day Dr. Benson talked with Joss for another two hours after his IV and catheter were removed. Sure that he understood his patient, he needed to see how he handled other people. On the afternoon of the fourth day of his observation, the first guest he allowed to see Joss was his father.

I made zero progress in putting any of my new clothes away. I had just chilled out, curled up in the single corner of my king size bed that had been kept clear of clothes. For what was probably an hour, I played on my phone. I don’t use social media, but I do watch YouTube. Lots lately. The last hour had been makeup tutorials and clothing haul reviews. I couldn’t get enough of it.

I went downstairs to get a drink, and found my Mum and Sister both in the kitchen.

“Mum’s home?” I said in surprise, as Claire pulled onto the driveway.

Seeing my Mum back from work before 7pm at the earliest was unusual. She was a bit of a workaholic, albeit a very successful one. As the divisional CEO of a large segment within a FTSE100 consumer goods business, the financial rewards almost matched how hard she worked. My Dad, before he died, had been the Group CFO of the same business, him and my mother having met each other at work many years ago.

“Oh, so is that another robe I’ve lost? Have you still got the black pyjamas, too?” asked my sister, across the breakfast bar in the kitchen. “I assumed you’d slept in the pink ones from last night.”

“Good morning!” I said, much more brightly than I felt. “I got into bed with them on last night, and they were far too warm. And yeah, I slept in the black set, I’ve got them on underneath now.” I loosened the robe slightly, to display the strap of the black silk pyjamas underneath. I’d not returned them after trying them on last night. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Excuse me. Sarah. Have you seen that key you gave me earlier?” I asked

Sarah looked confused, “Not since I gave it to you earlier. Why? Have you lost it?”

“I don’t think so. I left it in the keyhole, after locking it from the inside, to stop, erm…” I paused.

“Yes, to stop anyone else bursting in. Sorry again about that,” said Sarah, picking up my pause.

“Well, the room is now locked. With my other costumes in there,” I went on.

“Oh,” said Sarah, “just your costumes? Your change of clothes is still in the gymnasium?”

“Yes, Sarah.”

Instead of heading to the holding area, it was a shorter route for me to head first to the gymnasium changing rooms, and pick up my two other costumes. I therefore went in a different direction to the boys that were now likely already in the holding room, and I returned down the route I had just walked.

The sound made by my high-heeled sandals clicking along the wooden flooring was almost hypnotic. Despite this being the furthest I’d ever walked in heels, and also the first time wearing some outside my own house, I was ‘in the zone’. What had once taken serious concentration to avoid breaking my ankle was now coming almost naturally.