1) Meg knew in her heart her own fear was what always kept her and Sky apart. The fear of Sky rejecting her, the fear of seeming foolish, the fear that once she revealed her feelings that everything would change. Fear was a mighty weight, and one that dragged down her heart and spirit.

2) The tiny ledge her family perched upon was getting shaky and there was nothing to grab onto if they fell.

3) Carved in white stone was a beautiful woman in several layers of flowing silks. Her thickly wrapped braids flowed down her back like water. She crouched around an oblong-shaped drum. Six rods extended from the drum’s edge, pulling the hide head of the kpanlogo drum taut. One of the woman’s hands rested on the drum’s edge, and the other hand was held high in the air, as if it were about to lower to join the first. Children danced all around the abundantly-framed African woman. The little ones wore clothing from all over the world, matching the varied faces of the children themselves. Each child bore some form of wings that jutted from his or her back.

4) Sky looked up at the clicking sound from the dining room as her son came through the doorway. The tip of his cane moved rhythmically over the floor. Kiely’s and Roger’s eyes widened in surprise as they watched Drake cross the kitchen and set the bag he carried on the counter. 

A look of pity crossed Kiely’s face. “I never knew your son was…” 

“So tall.” Her brother quickly cut her off. “I’m Roger, and this is my sister Kiely. Good to meet you.”

5) “Hon, it takes people time.” Sky squeezed his shoulders. She knew how much this stuff bugged him, but it was best not to let him dwell on it. “By the time you start school the girls are gonna expect you to carry their books for them and hold doors open.” 

“They don’t do that stuff anymore, mom.” Drake scrunched his nose. “It’s old fashioned.” 

“Respect is never out of style. Mark my words. The girls will notice you for it.”

6) Sky just couldn’t wrap her brain around what she’d seen. She hoped being in the house would awaken some memories from her childhood, but nothing could have prepared her for anything like this.

7) The magic had burned inside Meg and her older brother since they were young. Meg found ways to focus that frustration, letting out bits of her magic secretly. A solitary pleasure. That had been enough for her. For her brother, he wanted it all. He wanted to go back to the old ways, to learn from the teachers and seek the ancient knowledge long lost. Unable to do this, he turned to drinking. Even his wife and son proved unable to motivate him to change, and in the end, John had simply vanished.

8) “Pleasure.” Meg coughed nervously and pulled her hand away, stuffing it shyly in the pocket of her jeans. “So are you on the back-breaking crew or the fragile box-packing crew, Sabrina?” 

“How charming.” Sabrina shook her thick, wavy hair and it cascaded over her back and shoulders. “You know, Meg, you’re one of the first new people I’ve met that didn’t assume what I could or couldn’t do based on my looks.”

9) Was he still out there somewhere or had something happened to take him away from them? Whatever the answer, Sky swore she was going to find it no matter what it took.

10) A trio of women carved from white marble stood watched over the small pool. In the center was a woman heavy with child. She had long hair made of seaweed. She wore a flowing gown that was trimmed with seafoam, shells, and coral. To her left was a teen girl with short curly hair, her head adorned with a wreath of poppies. She was covered all in flowers and leaves, and held a bouquet of wheat and lilies. On the far right was an old woman in a flowing hood cloak. Long strands of bones hung from her like jewelry and a snake-topped staff was gripped in her grizzled left hand.

11) “Leys are sacred structures and sites through the planet that are believed to be places of great magical energy. Scientists who study these places and have taken readings have recorded higher levels of electrical activity at these ‘hot spots’ than in the land surrounding them.”

12) “Your family has always been the keepers of this place. The caretakers.”

13) Meg wasn’t just going to stand around and pine this time. There was a gorgeous woman in arms’ reach who wanted her. There was nothing wrong with her having a good time.


Okay, that’s it for now. Got a wee bit more packing to do and might take a nap if I can manage it. Wish me luck (I haven’t been on a plant since like 91’), and I’ll try to get online to post about the convention while I am gone.