Holly had a new friend who was an old friend, and a new conundrum... ----- Chapter 26. "Okay, I like that," Nikki said with a grin. Tierra looked confused. "Is there a joke in Dex's character's name? I don't get it." "Seriously?" Holly said. "Geraldine 'Geri' Rigger? Never heard the term 'jerry-rig' or 'jury-rig'?" "Nope." "Basically," Dex began, then stopped as he realized Holly and Seika had already started speaking—both of whom stopped at the same time. After a couple of "oh, wait, sorry" [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 24
October 13, 2017 By Leave a Comment
They were explaining the situation to Seika's parents... ----- Chapter 24. "Both died a while back, honestly. Look, I know this is all crazy and you're going to need a lot of time to adjust, but there's one more big bomb we've got to drop on you." "Another?" Dave looked torn between amusement and outrage. "More than changing the whole world we've known and telling us Seika's some kind of . . . magical soldier-girl?" "Sorry, sir, but yes, and if we don't tell you . . . it's all about the willing sacrifice, right? I [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 23
October 11, 2017 By 3 Comments
As Seika had noted, telling her parents was going to be the hard part of this... Chapter 23. "Well, Trayne? You called this meeting, it's your show," Mrs. Cooper said. "Little Van's over with one of his friends for the night." Marilynn Cooper was almost as petite as her husband was huge, but she had her daughter's sharp gaze and an adult aura of responsibility. Both parents are formidable, Silvertail thought. And both must be our allies in what is to come. He thought of how badly this could end, and cringed [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 22
October 9, 2017 By Leave a Comment
They'd survived the night, but there were some more dangerous waters ahead... ----- Chapter 22. "Seika's been looking forward to coming over so much," Mr. Cooper said, with a broad smile. "She could barely wait to get into the car. Thought she might just run over here herself!" Holly smiled back, as did Trayne Owen. But inside, Holly felt roiling nervous tension that was taking everything she had to hide. I'm so worried . . . Worried that Seika would run away when she learned the truth. It shocked Holly how much [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 21
October 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Well, they'd beaten the monster, but sometimes that's just the start of the problems... _____ Chapter 21. "Daddy!" Holly jumped up from the stiff-backed plastic chair that sat on one side of the simple table and leapt into Mr. Owen's somewhat startled embrace with such force that even the much taller man was almost knocked over. She was disconcerted to realize how little of her joy and relief was feigned, and how much of it was real. For a moment . . . it was like having my father show up when I needed him most. [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 16
September 25, 2017 By 7 Comments
Well, Holly was finally going to school... ----- Chapter 16. "Hey, um, Holly?" Holly looked up to see another girl looking uncertainly down at her. Black girl, average height, just a little heavy, big poofy hair she's forced into two huge ponytails . . . dammit, brain, give me her name! Steve knew he was usually bad with names, so he'd been working on trying to do some mnemonic associations with the classmates he'd heard the names of. Hair wasn't tied back, looked like a starburst first day, name was strange, and [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 15
September 22, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Holly had had a bit of a jolt at the end of her first day of school... ----- Chapter 15. "Holly, calm down and tell me what is wrong!" Trayne Owen struggled to keep from losing control and reverting to Silvertail. "You walked in the door and started talking so fast I can't make heads or tails of—" "Dex is at my school!" she said, voice unsteady. "He was right there, getting on the bus, my God I was so lucky he didn't look at me, but he could have and someday he will and—" "Holly!" he shouted. She jumped and fell [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 13
September 18, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Even heroes can get a case of nerves before a big day... ----- Chapter 13. "Holly? You need to go to sleep!" Mr. Owen said, looking in and seeing her sitting at her computer. Holly sighed, tried to smile and failed. "I can't sleep, Dad . . . Silvertail." The confusion that had made her change the name she used threatened to overwhelm her. Sometimes I almost forget being Steve Russ, and that terrifies me beyond words. He sat down in one of the other chairs, pushing back the graying black hair that needed a [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 11
September 13, 2017 By 1 Comment
Something had interrupted Holly and Trayne's day out... ----- Chapter 11. Holly dove reflexively to the side, rolling and pushing herself up against the wall, and saw Silvertail—Mr. Owen—already in the corner. The black mass flowed, an avalanche of night, and abruptly red and blue and yellow eyes appeared along the shapeless flanks, uncountable mouths opened, and a gibbering laughter echoed from them all, in voices from ear-piercingly high to basso profundo growls that shuddered through the air. The tide of [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura
September 11, 2017 By 2 Comments
Holly Owen was practicing being herself... ----- Chapter 10. "Nice to get out of the house!" Holly said, probably for the fourth time in the last hour now that she thought of it. But it was true. The last few weeks had been spent mostly indoors, practicing the many different aspects of just being a teenage girl . . . and learning the pitfalls. These included mundane annoyances like finding that a five-foot-seven-inch teenage girl couldn't reach shelves that Stephen Russ at over six feet had no trouble [ Continue reading... ]
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