"Bawa mereka ke ruangan itu!" perintah Daris lagi menunjuk sebuah ruangan yang masing-masing disekat oleh kain. Preman itu dengan patuh menuruti ucapan bos mereka. Memperlakukan mereka dengan kasar, tak peduli pria ataupun wanita. Hanya satu yang Daris inginkan yaitu kehancuran mereka semua.

In the year 841 after the great expansion, there is no greater thrill than MAC (Mass Acceleration Crafts) racing.

Ayr Lite, is one of the best MAC pilots in the galaxy. He is hard working, well mannered and a person of integrity thus he was nicknamed "The Gentleman" on his debut year, however the MAC championship has, for 6 years, always remained out of his reach turning his title into "The Defeated Gentleman".

At the end of each MAC Pro Circuit Season 70, the Gauss Relay team announced they would end their relationship with "The Gentleman" for the next season.

The press was going wild with the news, it was true that the Gentleman had not been able to achieve the championship, but it was no doubt he was one of the best pilots. Rumors were going wild on who his next sponsor would be.

The Gentleman had not expected to depend on others from the beginning. He created different business that could allow him to create his own team.

The preparations were ready, he needed a few key persons to help him manage everything. He had a plan to find the talent he needed. Everything was ready.

The preparation phase before the MAC Pro Circuit Season 41 was almost over, and no confirmation on who would sponsor the Gentleman, every big name on MAC racing had already announced their pilots.

On the last day for inscriptions a new team registered, Sweet Defeat.

In the year 841 after the great expansion, there is no greater thrill than MAC (Mass Acceleration Crafts) racing.

Ayr Lite, is one of the best MAC pilots in the galaxy. He is hard working, well mannered and a person of integrity thus he was nicknamed "The Gentleman" on his debut year, however the MAC championship has, for 6 years, always remained out of his reach, making many turn his title into "The Defeated Gentleman".

At the end of each MAC Pro Circuit Season 70, the Gauss Relay team announced they would end their relationship with "The Gentleman" for the next season. 

The press is going wild with the news, it was true that the Gentleman had not been able to achieve the championship, but it was no doubt he was one of the best pilots. What would the Ayr Lite do, Where would he go?.

A young pilot from the ascension league, faces an impasse. What is needed to become better, to reach the Pro Circuit, an opportunity presents, and perhaps and answer.

A retired pilot, is called by friend. A promise made in the past, a chance to return to the Pro Circuit. 

A inexperienced and young assistant to help share responsibilities way over the salary. 

The preparation phase for season 71 of the MAC Pro Circuit is about to begin, the complete list of teams for the season is revealed. The last team for the season, is a brand new team, in its roster however there is a very know name. Perhaps the only way to have the team you want, is to make it yourself. Will it be enough?.


Excerpt from 'Dangerous Curves' 
 (Dangerous Curves #1)

Jax Hamill glanced around the bar, looking to spot any trouble before it got started. In his five years as the owner of Dangerous Curves, five years as a bouncer, and more than fifteen years as a regular bar patron, he'd seen how trouble actually had a vibe. Like steam rising off a cup of coffee, trouble could move the air around a person, a couple, a group. Jax had become damn good at seeing those vibrations  sometimes long before the people involved even knew that they were on the verge of losing it and starting something.
His deep green eyes scanned the bar again, taking it all in. A few weird things going on  like what the hell is that uptown blonde in the white sweater even fucking doing here, and why is she all over Mac?  but no red flags. Just a regular Saturday night, as far as he could tell. That was when he spotted her sitting at the far end of the bar by herself.
In a room full of activity and buzz, she was totally motionless; in a bar that was heaving with dancing, laughing, drinking people, she looked all alone. Removed and distant. She was leaning back on the bar, intently watching the games at the pool tables. She looked lost in her own little world, so Jax allowed himself to just stare at her. 
Jesus Christ, look at that hair dark red curls tumbling all the way down her back, just begging for him to grab them in his fists and pull her mouth up to his. Her lips were full and so were her breasts, her skin was pale and delicate, and looked like it'd be soft under his rough fingers. 
She was the strangest combination of fire and silk, of generous curves and rigid control, and he longed to feel her heat and her smoothness. He wanted to watch her lose all hold on herself, to just let go. With him. Tonight, in one of the bar back rooms.
With a confidence born of years of successful womanizing, he sauntered over to her now, and sat down on the empty stool next to her.
"Hey there, Red."
She glanced over at him. Those cool blue eyes took him in for sure, in all his hard, muscular glory, and she raised her eyebrows.
"Let me save you some time here, Stud," she said.
He grinned. "'Stud'?"
"'Red'?" she rejoined.
He held up his massive hands, and grinned again. "OK, OK. Fair enough."
"I'm not your type, trust me. So just try your luck elsewhere." She turned her drink around and around between her hands. "I'm a good girl, and I don't go home with bikers."
"Well, thank Christ for that," Jax said. "'Cause I'm not a biker."
"No?" she said looking him up and down, taking in his boots, jeans, black t-shirt, and tattoos that ran the whole length of both his arms.
"Nope. I mean, I have a motorcycle, but I'm not in any kind of club or gang, or whatever the hell you may be thinking." He moved a bit closer to her. "I'm a business owner."
"Huh." Red didn't seem all that impressed.
"This business, actually," he said. 
"This is your bar?"
"Yep." Jax caught Aidan's eye, and nodded at him to bring him a beer. "So what are you doing here, doll?"
"I'm not really here."
"You're not? You sure as hell look here to me."
"No. I'm with my friend, and she's here."
He leaned back. "Let me guess. The blonde in white."
"You got it in one," she said. "She's here looking to cut loose a bit, and I'm just waiting for her to make her move, either way."
Jax took a sip of his beer. "What move?"
Red shrugged. "It depends. She may come to her senses in the next few minutes, and say she wants to leave. Or she may decide to go home with that guy she's dancing and drinking with  if he'll have her, of course."
"That's Mac," Jax said. "If your friend's looking for a one-night stand, she chose well, believe me. He'd go home with a chair if it was hot enough for him."
She glanced at him again. "Charming. It also makes me worry more."
"Hey, no, hold on. Mac's a good guy. Your friend would be OK with him, I swear it. He'd never hurt her or force her, if that thought had crossed your mind."
She looked over at Mac, and Jax knew exactly what she was seeing. The man was over six feet and more than two hundred pounds of solid muscle and tattoos, with long, blond hair and hard blue eyes. Nothing soft or safe about him at first glance, but Jax knew better. 
The blonde could do way worse for a meaningless fuck, and Mac would oblige her if she extended an invitation to spend the night together, for damn sure. He was a gentleman in his own way  always made sure that the ladies came first, and he even made them coffee the morning after.
Red turned back to him. "Well, I don't think it's going to come to that."
"How come?"
"Because Ellen's boyfriend is sure to show up any minute."
"Uh-oh." Automatically, Jax looked at the door. "How do you know?"
"Because she angry-drunk texted him about twenty minutes ago. Told his cheating ass that she's here, dancing with sexy bikers and downing tequila shots, and that he can just deal with it."
Jax groaned. "Yeah?"
"Yep." She glanced at her watch. "I figure he'll be here in about ten minutes, so if Mac wants to go home with Ellen, he'd better move fast."
"Goddamn it," Jax said. "So she's looking to make him jealous, is that it?"
"Yeah, I think so. He did cheat on her  again  and I guess she's just had enough. I think she really wanted to go home with some guy at first, but as soon as she texted Richard, I knew that she wasn't serious about it anymore she's just trying to make him come running. I guess it's a messed-up power play. Or maybe she's hoping that he'll realize what he has with her, and that'll straighten him out."
"You think it will?"
She shrugged. "I doubt it. The guy can't keep it in his pants to save his life."
Jax laughed. "So would you do this if your man cheated on you, Red? Dance and flirt with strangers, and then tell your boyfriend about it?"
She shook her beautiful head. "No. I'd dump him for good."
"Yeah? How can you be so sure?"
"Because that's exactly what I did do when my ex cheated on me."
"Sorry, Red. That sucks."
But maybe this means she's single maybe I can get my hands on her after all. All of her, all over her.
"Yeah," she said. "But it's OK, Stud."
He laughed again, surprised at how relaxed he was around her. She looked over at him, and her lips curved up a bit. It was the closest thing to a smile she'd given him so far, and he was encouraged.
Just then, the door flew open and a guy came rushing in, looking around wildly.
"Oh, man," Red said. "Get ready for the drama."
Jax got to his feet. "That's him?"
"Richard. Yeah."
"Be right back, doll."
She nodded. "Good luck."
"It's my place, Red. Luck I don't need."




Marysol James was raised in a small town in Canada and is still a small-town girl at heart. She's a cancer survivor, cinnamon bun lover, and hardcore caffeine addict. If you'd like to stay on top of her news, please visit her official author's website at www.marysoljames.com

When Emma Cartwright gets some very (very) bad health news, she handles it in just about the last way that anybody who knows her would expect. Namely, she heads out alone to a bar on Friday night, intent on having her first-ever one-night-stand. A single night of escape with a scorching guy, and then she’ll focus on her treatment and recovery. After all, what’s one night, really? 

Ever since coming back from Afghanistan two years ago, Dean Jessop’s life is all about ‘just one night’. No commitment; nothing permanent; nothing long-term. He meets Emma and one night of hot sex later, she sneaks out of Dean’s place while he sleeps – and they both think that’s it. Neither expects to see the other ever again. 

A month later, a chance encounter brings them back in to each other’s lives. They strike an agreement which includes: casual sex only, nothing too personal, and they can end it anytime with a single word. What Emma and Dean don’t count on is developing strong and real feelings for each other, despite Emma hiding her disease and Dean running from his guilt. 

When Dean finally tells Emma what happened in Afghanistan, she wonders if she can confess her own dark secret. But can she really expect him to forgive her for hiding her illness from him? If she tells him the truth, will he be there for her through it all? And can she help him make peace with his own demons?


BOOK ONE: DANGEROUS CURVES
Jax Hamill glanced around the bar, looking to spot any trouble before it got started. In his five years as the owner of Dangerous Curves, five years as a bouncer, and more than fifteen years as a regular bar patron, he'd seen how trouble actually had a vibe. Like steam rising off a cup of coffee, trouble could move the air around a person, a couple, a group. Jax had become damn good at seeing those vibrations  sometimes long before the people involved even knew that they were on the verge of losing it and starting something.
His dark-green eyes scanned the bar again, taking it all in. A few weird things going on  like what the hell is that uptown blonde in the white sweater even fucking doing here, and why is she all over Mac?  but no red flags. Just a regular Saturday night, as far as he could tell. That was when he spotted her sitting at the far end of the bar by herself.
In a room full of activity and buzz, she was totally motionless; in a bar that was heaving with dancing, laughing, drinking people, she looked all alone. Removed and distant. She was leaning back on the bar, intently watching the games at the pool tables. She looked lost in her own little world, so Jax allowed himself to just stare at her. 
Jesus Christ, look at that hair dark red curls tumbling all the way down her back, just begging for him to grab them in his fists and pull her mouth up to his. Her lips were full and so were her breasts, her skin was pale and delicate, and looked like it'd be soft under his rough fingers. 
She was the strangest combination of fire and silk, of generous curves and rigid control, and he longed to feel her heat and her smoothness. He wanted to watch her lose all hold on herself, to just let go. With him. Tonight, in one of the bar back rooms.
With a confidence born of years of successful womanizing, he sauntered over to her now, and sat down on the empty stool next to her.
"Hey there, Red."
She glanced over at him. Those cool blue eyes took him in for sure, in all his hard, muscular glory, and she raised her eyebrows.
"Let me save you some time here, Stud," she said.
He grinned. "Stud'?"
"Red'?" she rejoined.
He held up his massive hands, and grinned again. "OK, OK. Fair enough."
"I'm not your type, trust me. So just try your luck elsewhere." She turned her drink around and around between her hands. "I'm a good girl, and I don't go home with bikers."
"Well, thank Christ for that," Jax said. "Cause I'm not a biker."
"No?" she said looking him up and down, taking in his boots, jeans, black t-shirt, and tattoos that ran the whole length of both his arms.
"Nope. I mean, I have a motorcycle, but I'm not in any kind of club or gang, or whatever the hell you may be thinking." He moved a bit closer to her. "I'm a business owner."
"Huh." Red didn't seem all that impressed.
"This business, actually," he said. 
"This is your bar?"
"Yep." Jax caught Aidan's eye, and nodded at him to bring him a beer. "So what are you doing here, doll?"
"I'm not really here."
"You're not? You sure as hell look here to me."
"No. I'm with my friend, and she's here."
He leaned back. "Let me guess. The blonde in white."
"You got it in one," she said. "She's here looking to cut loose a bit, and I'm just waiting for her to make her move, either way."
Jax took a sip of his beer. "What move?"
Red shrugged. "It depends. She may come to her senses in the next few minutes, and say she wants to leave. Or she may decide to go home with that guy she's dancing and drinking with  if he'll have her, of course."
"That's Mac," Jax said. "If your friend's looking for a one-night stand, she chose well, believe me. He'd go home with a chair if it was hot enough for him."
She glanced at him again. "Charming. It also makes me worry more."
"Hey, no, hold on. Mac's a good guy. Your friend would be OK with him, I swear it. He'd never hurt her or force her, if that thought had crossed your mind."
She looked over at Mac, and Jax knew exactly what she was seeing. The man was over six feet and more than two hundred pounds of solid muscle and tattoos, with long, blond hair and hard blue eyes. Nothing soft or safe about him at first glance, but Jax knew better. 
The blonde could do way worse for a meaningless fuck, and Mac would oblige her if she extended an invitation to spend the night together, for damn sure. He was a gentleman in his own way  always made sure that the ladies came first, and he even made them coffee the morning after.
Red turned back to him. "Well, I don't think it's going to come to that."
"How come?"
"Because Ellen's boyfriend is sure to show up any minute."
"Uh-oh." Automatically, Jax looked at the door. "How do you know?"
"Because she angry-drunk texted him about twenty minutes ago. Told his cheating ass that she's here, dancing with sexy bikers and downing tequila shots, and that he can just deal with it."
Jax groaned. "Yeah?"
"Yep." She glanced at her watch. "I figure he'll be here in about ten minutes, so if Mac wants to go home with Ellen, he'd better move fast."
"Goddamn it," Jax said. "So she's looking to make him jealous, is that it?"
"Yeah, I think so. He did cheat on her  again  and I guess she's just had enough. I think she really wanted to go home with some guy at first, but as soon as she texted Richard, I knew that she wasn't serious about it anymore she's just trying to make him come running. I guess it's a messed-up power play. Or maybe she's hoping that he'll realize what he has with her, and that'll straighten him out."
"You think it will?"
She shrugged. "I doubt it. The guy can't keep it in his pants to save his life."
Jax laughed. "So would you do this if your man cheated on you, Red? Dance and flirt with strangers, and then tell your boyfriend about it?"
She shook her beautiful head. "No. I'd dump him for good."
"Yeah? How can you be so sure?"
"Because that's exactly what I did do when my ex cheated on me."
"Sorry, Red. That sucks."
But maybe this means she's single maybe I can get my hands on her after all. All of her, all over her.
"Yeah," she said. "But it's OK, Stud."
He laughed again, surprised at how relaxed he was around her. She looked over at him, and her lips curved up a bit. It was the closest thing to a smile she'd given him so far, and he was encouraged.
Just then, the door flew open and a guy came rushing in, looking around wildly.
"Oh, man," Red said. "Get ready for the drama."
Jax got to his feet. "That's him?"
"Richard. Yeah."
"Be right back, doll."
She nodded. "Good luck."
"It's my place, Red. Luck I don't need."




Marysol James was raised in a small town in Canada and is still a small-town girl at heart. She's a cancer survivor, cinnamon bun lover, and hardcore caffeine addict.

Marysol crosses genres in her writing, happily and enthusiastically. To date, she's published 28 steamy, sexy, slinky Contemporary Erotic Romances spread over five different series, including the Amazon and iBooks best selling 'Unseen Enemy', 'Dangerous Curves', and 'Road Devils MC' series. Her books incorporate action and adventure, suspense, military elements, and some surprising plot twists and turns.

Besides her romances, Marysol also writes crisp, clever, Contemporary Literature. It can be dark and provocative at times and magical realism features heavily in her books. She loves moving between the worlds of magical realism and glorious romance, and she's grateful every day to be able to do both.

If you'd like to stay on top of her news, please visit her official author's website at www.marysoljames.com

Jax Hamill is a man who has changed his life – with lots of hard work and even more dumb luck. He’s left the hell of his younger and wilder days behind, and now he has a bar, a house, a truck, and a bike. Oh, and all the casual sex in a bar back room that a man like him may desire. Jax lives his carefree life for ‘now’, and keeps things ‘temporary’. At least he did…until she threw everything he thought in to question.

Sarah Matthews is a woman who would love to change her life in some ways. By default and sheer bad luck, she juggles a staggering number of responsibilities, both personal and professional. She’s single, stressed, and seriously in need of some fun. If only she could escape her overly-scheduled, vanilla life, and cut loose… just for a little while.

When Jax and Sarah decide to get together – just temporarily and just for fun – it changes both of their lives for the better. But when a man from Sarah’s past returns, it changes everything for the worse. In fact, it couldn’t be worse. As Sarah fights to come back to him, Jax is forced to confront the kind of person he was, who he is now, and the kind of man that he wants to be… both for Sarah, and for himself.


Novis was confused by what he had just heard. Just the other day he had seen the club room completely packed. VSW was the most popular game in the world and the club had at least 50 members, but right now Alex and Scarlett were telling him they were the only members left.

"You saw the person leave right now, didn't you? everyone has been coming to me nonstop to quit." Alex explained.

"Do you know why?" Novis asked.

Alex clenched his fist before answering
"It's Mac, he's threatening everyone who is in the club or anyone who wants to join."

Novis felt bad, Scarlett had explained what was happening in the club. If Novis had never helped out in the first place then perhaps they still could have gone to the tournament. Mac clearly held a grudge against him and Scarlett and was punishing the club for it.

"Even if I was to join, including Scarlett that only makes three of us. We still wouldn't be able to join the tournament."

Alex remained silent. He knew Novis was right. Even if he could convince Novis to join the team would there be anyone else willing to join? There were very few people who would be willing to go against Mac and his gang.

Although Novis would have liked to help there was nothing he could do. Arthur had already beaten Mac. Another beating wasn't going to do anything.

With no other option left, Novis decided to leave the two of them and head home.

Alex currently felt so useless, his eyes started to water up. His dream was slowly fading away in front of him and there was nothing he could do.

"Don't worry Alex, I'm sure we will be able to find someone. I'll talk to my friends. Even if their complete beginners I'm sure we can do something to train them up in time." Scarlett said.

Just then, the clubrooms doors slid open and in walked a tall athletic blonde boy. It was Dan.
"Hi is this the VSW club room?" Dan asked.

Alex and Scarlett looked at each other and smiled.

****

Novis's mind was distracted by the situation at the VSW club. If perhaps he was stronger then he could guarantee the protection of the other students. He could do this with the help of Arthur but it felt wrong of him to rely on Arthurs help every time. 

When Novis arrived home, he went straight into his gaming capsule to play a few games. He had this pent-up energy that he needed to release.

As he went online, he selected the warrior Heros puer. Novis wanted to see how far he had come and hoped he would be able to improve his ranking.

Novis went ahead and selected the middle position. He wanted to focus on one on one battles to improve his fighting abilities. The first game went well. Novis defeated his opponent only using the Chain blade but his opponent was far too weak for him to learn anything.

He carried on pushing forward with his red army until eventually reaching the blue base and capturing the flag. Novis thought at this rate, he would be out of the bronze rankings in no time and people would no longer be able to look down on him.

The next match, again Novice selected mid, this time he decided to use the dual blades. Every game he wanted to practice using a different weapon to improve himself in battle. This game was similar to the last. Novis easily defeated his opponent. But as soon as he did, he heard his teammates urging him to come back to the base as soon as possible.

Before Novis could reach his base, the enemy team had captured the flag. Novis thought there was nothing he could do and was just unlucky that he had bad teammates.

Then the next match a similar thing happened. As soon as Novis was about to defeat his opponent, the player ran away behind his tower. Novis would then push forward and the player would come back all healed up. The person would keep repeating this until Novice heard the system message.

<Red Team losses>

Novis was starting to get annoyed, Novis continued to play the game but the matches ended up in the same pattern. Every time he would win a game, he would lose two games never allowing him to rank up.

Novis was getting frustrated, he would always overpower the person in mid but still would keep losing his games. Novis left the capsule and tried to think about what went wrong.

"Arthur do you know what I'm doing wrong?"

"Hmm. It seems like to me your focus on the opponent in front of you and not on the whole game."

"But I'm doing the same thing you did aren't I."

"Yes, but it seems like the teammates I would play with had a better understanding of the game. They reacted the battlefield well and gave instructions well. The players you are playing with are inexperienced, perhaps they need guidance."

Novis thought about what Arthur said, but Arthur wasn't able to help him much because when he played the game the players, he played along with were more skilful due to their rank being in gold. He needed the help of someone who had gone through the ranks before. From a lowly bronze tier to a high tier. 

Then it hit him, there was a person who had done that exact thing before. He was even living under the same roof as himself, his brother Bill.

Novis quickly stormed into his brother's room. Novis explained to Bill that he had a problem ranking up but didn't think it was his skill level. The two of them then decided to watch Novis's games together.

"To be honest you're not doing anything wrong, eventually you should rank up like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well look at it this way, if both teams are playing with random players and there in the same rank as you. If you played 1000 games then it should eventually even out to a 50/50-win rate. If you truly don't belong in that tier range, then your skill level will tip the tables. How good you are will decide how often you win your matches. All you need is a higher win rate than 50% to rank up."

Novis understood what his brother meant. That if he was truly good at the game then eventually, he would rank up causing the balance between the teams to tip. But Novis wanted to get stronger, currently, he was playing against incredibly week people and wouldn't be able to play with stronger people for a while.

Bill saw that Novis didn't like his answer.
"There is another way, play with someone experienced. They can call the shots for you and tell your team what to do. If I was in your games, I would be bossing all the useless people around. The problem with Bronze 5 is that it's the lowest rank possible. Meaning there really is a big difference in people's skill level down there. There might be people who deserve to be ranked even lower than that but they can't get any lower. We call this elo hell."

"But I haven't played the game for long, I don't really know how to get out of this elo hell?"

"Then play with someone who does."

"Can I play with you?"

"Unfortunately, our ranks are too far apart, you can only team up with people two whole ranks higher than you. If you're in bronze you can play with a silver or gold at best."

Novis had gotten his answer but still didn't really know what he could do to improve his win rate. Arthur wasn't the best at tactics he was only good at coaching a fight.

Just as Novis was about to leave the room, his brother called out to him.
"Hey bro, if you really think you got better, how about a one on one," Bill asked.

________________________________________________________
Gaming terms. 
Elo Hell: Is a term used by players when they are unable to rank up, due to bad players causing you to lose the game.

Winner of #WPC100

An ordinary schoolboy, Novis Talen Stumbles upon an old sword while clearing his grandfather's dojo. From inside the sword came out a sprit named Arthur who dedicated his life to the sword. Together, Arthur wishes to find an unbeatable sword style, while Novis starts to gain interest in a VRMOBA game called Virtual Sword Warriors and walks down the road of Esports. 

UPDATES DAILY
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Art work and more!

"The shelter of your heart."
"What, Gregg?"
He'd said it out loud. The Goddamn words. Right in front of Vanessa. In front of all them. The first time he'd laid eyes on Mac in four years and they popped right out of his mouth. His wife looked at him cockeyed, then, when Gregg said, "Nothing, sorry," Vanessa turned her attention to the matter at hand. 
Once a year, the Selfridges and Wyatts would meet, face to face, family in full to family in full, to show there was no remaining bad blood. Always in Sunshine Beach proper. Always on neutral ground. It was always cordial. Always civil. And everyone left with their body parts intact, despite the general consensus being that all in attendance need a long, hot shower to wash off the evening's stink of the rival family. It was about all anyone could stand, but it was necessary. A show of good faith. Once a year.
That was three months ago, yet here family contingents stood just outside the wrought iron gates of Freehold. On the one side, their backs to their own gate, the Wyatts greeted their guests openly. In the middle was Tracy Wyatt, head of the house and top of the food chain. She was flanked on both sides by her sisters, Astrid and Patience and they were in turn flanked by Tracy's husband, Derek and one of the Wyatt men, Robert or David. To Gregg, they all looked the same, but his attention was wrapped around the sight of his former lover and ultimate betrayer. Ten feet away from him, standing slightly behind her mother. 
"So, you're Charlotte," Gregg has said when they were introduced five years ago.
"Mac," she'd said, shaking out her long, wavy blonde hair. Then, she'd dropped a coy smile. "Gregg."
It was over before it began, they just didn't know it yet.
"We have business," Brandon said to Tracy.
Gregg tried to focus on the conversation. To back his father's play. It was him and Brandon and Vanessa and Uncle Ray. Each perking with psionic energy and ready for a fight. God, look at her. She was so feminine back then. At the same time innocent and precocious. A party girl with mommy and daddy issues. And what is it about daddy issues that makes a girl so good in the sack? Not that such existential questions were part of Gregg's repertoire back then. Nope, if he couldn't drink it, sniff it, fuck it- or, best of all, fuck it up- he wasn't interested. But, this was really interesting right here. She'd put on muscle. Still slender and taut, but it looked like she'd taken a few licks since he'd seen her last. And the tattoos. Her skin had been flawless. Sun kissed and tan from mornings surfing in Sunshine Beach. She looked like a road map of bad decisions. Then, why can't you stop staring at her? he thought. You know why. Murder.
"Business," Tracy said. "What would you like to talk about, Brandon?"
"You," Brandon said, but looked at Mac.
Tracy put a hand just above her breasts as if to say, "Little Ole Me?"
"For four years, Sunshine Beach had been a nice place, I'd say," Brandon said, ignoring the gesture. "Everyone's making money. Everyone's free to practice their beliefs. No bloodshed. No unchecked animosity. Wouldn't you agree?"
"The weather's been nice at least," Tracy said.
"Games," Brandon said shaking his head.
"Games," Tracy agreed.
"I've come here to your home, without weapons, without accusations, because of this good thing we have. Because of the agreement we've made."
"The truce," Tracy said.
"I didn't have to come here like this, Tracy. There were other ways discussed."
"I bet there were."
"I see," Brandon said. The frown that creased his lips seemed much more at home than the half-smile he approached with. "I want you to think very hard about what you say to me, Tracy Wyatt. Given our circumstances."
Tracy sighed as if bored. Gregg looked at his father and uncle then to his wife then finally to Mac. You had to come back. You just had to. If this talk goes south, I'm going to have to light you on fire, Girl. You must know that. And you came back anyway. The fuck is wrong with you?
But, he knew what was wrong with her. What she had to deal with. How her mind would turn on her. The things she would do. With no sense of consequences. Gregg couldn't be sure, but it looked like Mac was repeatedly tap, tap, tapping her thigh with her hand. Not a good sign if memory served.
Tracy, lowered her head and raised her eyes and said, "No."
"No?" Brandon said. His eyes widened in shock for just a second, then he regained his composure. 
"She stays."
Mac reached out to her mother, but pulled back.
"Are you saying you're willing to throw away everything we've built? The peace we have?"
"No," Tracy said. "I'm saying you're saying that."
Brandon clenched a fist. Gregg took a step forward, followed by his wife.
"That bitch has no right to be here," Vanessa said. "You promised."
Tracy ignored Vanessa, keeping her eyes on Brandon. "My daughter has come home. She needs her family. If your boy, Virgil, showed back up, would you throw him to the wolves, Brandon?"
"I'd keep the peace."
"So will I."
It stood like that for some time. The Wyatts. The Selfridges. Waiting. Trying not to itch. Trying not to blink. 
"Compromise," Ray Selfridge said, breaking the silence.
Brandon looked at his brother, eyes blazing. Ray took a step forward out of Brandon's direct eye contact. 
"I'm listening," Tracy said.
"As sheriff of Sunshine Beach," Ray said. "I'm charged with keeping the peace. Law and Order. There's gotta be something we both want."
Tracy smiled. Brandon did not.
"What are you proposing?" Tracy asked.
"Right now, there's a young man in the hospital. A Selfridge boy," Ray said. "You're daughter put him there."
Tracy snap-turned to Mac. Her smile evaporated. Even in the evening light, Gregg could see the color rise in her face. 
"You didn't know," Brandon said, the satisfaction at her ignorance evident in his slitted eyes.
Tracy's glare stayed on Mac for another few seconds then she turned back to her Selfridge counterpart. "My sister Astrid's potions are legendary. She will accompany you to your suffering kin and she will attend to his wounds. He'll be good as new."
"That would be kind of you," Ray said. "We'd-"
"That's not enough," Brandon interrupted.
"I'm afraid that's all you're going to get, Brandon. Unless you'd like to press the issue?"
Gregg felt the air go heavy. The force of it shoved him back. Vanessa and Ray likewise.
"Woman," Brandon said, "You forget how I treated you, last time we tussled?"
"Oh no, Brandon," Tracy said, they she winked and regain her smile. "I have not."
Brandon's milky white eye twitched. Tracy's gift.
This is happening, Gregg thought. This is fucking happening. Mac, Goddamn you.
"Then, maybe, we should-"
"Wait!" Mac said, stepping out in front of her mother. "What if…?"
"What if what?" Ray asked, desperately trying to de-escalate. 
"I didn't know he was a Selfridge. Either of them. Not that that's an excuse. So, what if you know, they could just knock me around for a while. Really get in there. Take their pound of flesh. Astrid's potion can always heal me after, but those two get to even the score. Would that satisfy you?"
The Selfridges looked at each other. Gregg looked at Mac. You don't want a piece of me. Not after what you did. Not after what we both did.
"Brandon?" Ray said.
The air grew lighter, if only just a little. Brandon said, "First you heal, Dash. Then, him and his sister get to take what's theirs out of that girl's hide. Cause she didn't know."
"And she stays," Tracy said.
"And she stays," Ray said. "Right?"
The two brothers stared at each other for a long time.
The air around Brandon tightened again, then he let it go. Without another word, he turned and started walking back to his truck. 
"Astrid," Tracy said and Astrid disappeared back through the gate toward the mansion.
"All right, then," Ray said. "We'll see her at the hospital tonight?"
"As soon as she can get there," Tracy said. 
"One of our boys'll be around for your daughter in the morning."
"Good night, Sheriff."
"Right," Ray said, turned and, taking Gregg and Vanessa by the arms, headed toward Brandon's truck.
Gregg stole a final glance at Mac, but let himself be led.
Out of earshot, Gregg said, "You can't be fucking serious, Uncle Ray. Letting her stay in Sunshine Beach. After what she did."
"Your daddy and I had a little talk, back there," Ray said inside of Gregg's head. "Let's get your cousin healed up. And after this business is concluded and the dust settles, we'll just go ahead and see which Wyatts stay in Sunshine Beach and which ones don't."
Then, they got in the truck and drove away.

It's been four years since the magical Wyatt family and the psionic Selfridge family called a truce to their centuries long war for Sunshine Beach. Now, these once rival supernatural bootleggers have found a peace and prosperity heretofore unknown throughout their acrimonious history. Everyone is making money. Everyone is free to practice their contrary spiritual beliefs without conflict. While all is not right with the world, it's pretty damn good. But, then Charlotte "Mac" Wyatt comes back town. Enigmatic, violent, sexually charged and mentally ill, Mac was a symbol of the world she left behind and her return a catalyst to bizarre, unstable future.

Gregg Selfridge thought the past was dead and buried. He'd put his wild years behind him, the drinking, the cheating, the fighting, but most of all his tumultuous, clandestine love affair with Mac Wyatt. Her exile was conditional of the truce. After the fire that nearly burned Sunshine Beach to the ground, the Wyatts and Selfridges saw just what their violence had wrought and struck a tentative accord. Instrumental in the blaze, Mac had to go. And to Gregg's way of thinking, thank God, cause she took their lies with her.

But, now that Mac has returned, the generational sins of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters will again come to light as old tensions, old grudges and old secrets threaten to reignite an inferno that could eat the Wyatts and Selfridges alive.

Welcome to the twisted world of Sunshine Beach.

Welcome to the Feud.

On the East side of the U.S, there is a city called Manila City aka Smashville due to its residents, which consists of gamers. The most popular game is Super Smash Bros Ultimate which a lot of people got into playing. Actually, Gaming became very popular and ever since Smash Ultimate came out, it was the #1 Game that's been sold worldwide. 


There's a kid named Lorenzo Rivera. He is the son of David Rivera who is one of the top players of the Elite Players of Smash. David is friends with Akihiro or Hiro for short. His main is Marth while David's main is Mario and Little Mac in a way. David's son Lorenzo was so interested in Little Mac as a kid. Every time his father would pick another character, he would cry because the pro gamer didn't choose the young Boxer from the Bronx. 

Before his father and his best friend left for Japan, David gave his son a grey hat with a black bill. Over the bill, it was Little Mac's symbol from the Smash Bros Series. His father's last words before he left was "Son. You have the potential to be one of if not THE greatest Smash Player of all time. I see it in you. Remember, It's not about winning, It's about sending a message. The Spirit of the player is the most important thing. There is no good or bad character; It's all in the player who uses them. Good luck my son and...goodbye." David hugged his son and left for Japan for important business. Ever since then, Lorenzo never took off the hat his father gave him. He wore it as a symbol of himself and who he was. It was that precious gift that his own father brought for him and he loved it. Ever since his father left, Ren lived with his mother and his younger sister. 


Ren begins his life in High School so his mom signed him up to a school called Manila City High School. Maria Rivera woke him up for his first day of school and drove him to school. "Have a nice day at school honey." His mother said as she gave him a kiss on his forehead. He gets a little shaky as he gets out of his mom's car and walks through the courtyard of Manila High.

The Gamer walks inside the school as he is a little nervous. He walked through the halls as a lot of the students there glanced at him. Ren is guided to the class he will be in. The teacher gets an email on her phone about the new student and sees him at the door. She lets him in and walks in. "Class. We have a new student today. Go ahead and introduce yourself dear." The teacher said softly. Ren introduces himself to the class. "H-hello… My name is Lorenzo Rivera but you can call me Ren." The gamer said nervously. The students just look at him. The Teen Mac player feels the stiff coldness from everyone's stare. Ren walks back to his seat and sits down as the first period starts. 

During break, Ren takes out his switch and plays Smash Ultimate. A random guy who looks like he's in the same grade walks up to the gamer. "Hey, Are you the new kid?" He asked. Ren nods. "I'm Emmanuel! You can call me E-Man. Nice to meet ya!" Ren pauses the game as he puts it down and shakes his hand. "I'm Ren. Nice to meet you too." 


"You like Smash bros?" Emmanuel asked. The gamer nods. "Who is your main?" "My Main is Little Mac." Ren said nervously. "Hey, We barely see Little Mac mains around this city. You should come with me after school to the school's gaming club." E-Man said. "Really?" The Gamer said as he got a shiver down his spine. "Sure man! Don't get nervous. You'll love the members there." Ren's friend said happily.


The school bell rang and it was time to leave school. Ren was packing his bag as he was deep in thought. Emmanuel met him outside his class and they both walked to the Gaming Club. "You're going to like these guys. They're really nice people and fun to have around." Emanuel explains. The two gamers arrive at the Gaming Club and E-Man opens the door for Ren. They both walked in and inside the gaming club, you see 8 people playing different games. "Hey guys! I have brought in a new member to the gaming club!" Emmanuel announced. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at E-Man. He put his arm around Ren and introduced him to the group. "This is Lorenzo Rivera. He's a gamer as well and he plays Smash Bros." Emmanuel explained. 

The members looked at him and then looked at each other. "Ren, these are the members of the School's Gaming club." Emmanuel says as he points to each member left to right. "Jason, Elizabeth but we call her Eli, Nathan, Natalie, Joseph, and Olivia. The president of this club is Chloe Johnson. The Co-Pres is Paula Tendo and she's the real deal. Paula is the best Smash player in the whole school." Ren's best friend mentioned. "Well before he can even join the club, he has to take the entry test." Jason said. "Yes. The test is of course a video game. Since you are a Smash player, Super Smash Bros is the game we are going to test you in. If you can beat us as in myself, Elizabeth, Joseph, Natalie, Nathan, Jason, and the Co-President in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, You will be an official member of the Gaming club." Olivia explained.  "Are you up to the challenge?" Jason asked the new kid. Emmanuel puts his hand on Ren's shoulder. "You got this dude. I believe in you." E-man whispered.

 The shy gamer looks at his friend and nods. "Alright. I accept the challenge." Ren said bravely. "Ok." Jason begins. "You will have one match with each of us. You will start with Olivia, then Eli, then Joseph, Natalie, Nathan, myself, and Paula. The people who haven't battled you yet or already fought you will watch you to see how you do against the next person. Do you understand?" Jason asked. Ren nodded as his friend handed him a Pro-Switch Controller. The Mac Main takes the controller as he is ready to battle. Olivia walks up to the tv as she sits down. The Gaming Club's switch is already set up. The Stage has already been chosen so Olivia and Ren chooses their character. Olivia chose Rosalina and Luma as Ren chose Little Mac. "Hmm…. Little Mac huh? We barely see players like that here at our school." Jason thought. "Let's see what he got." And so the Gaming Club's entry test begins. 



Chapter 27: Mac
“I don’t feel like going back to the school tonight. Let’s crash at Edge’s house and go back in the morning.”
Cutter made a face that indicated he didn’t love that plan, but he didn’t argue. Edge’s father had a mansion built into the mountains not too far away from the exclusive ski town where our school was located. Both Cutter and I had spent plenty of time in the modern, yet rustic monstrosity, but I doubted he’d been there since his falling out with his former best friend.
He reluctantly let me drag him to an all-night diner after the party broke up. I wasn’t ready to go back to my dorm. I wasn’t prepared to wrap my head around whatever the hell was going on between me and the Rockstar, and me and the Allstar. Unfortunately, Cutter was far more observant than his other half had ever been.
“So, which one are you trying to con into bed? The blond who you couldn’t stop staring at all night, or the jacked one with the dark hair who you couldn’t keep your hands off of? Don’t they share a room? Do you have any idea how fucking messy it’s going to get if they’re both interested in your dumbass? And how’s that going to play out when you dip on one or both of them like you always do?” I liked Cutter’s voice. It was surprisingly gentle considering how gruff and blunt his personality was.
I poked absently at my greasy food and bit back a frustrated sigh. “I was trying to con them into bed with each other. Somewhere along the way, that plan got royally screwed up, though.”
Cutter’s dark eyebrows arched upward. “Are they even gay? Were you trying to make two straight dudes hook up for your own amusement?” He shook his head, disgust stamped across his nearly perfect features. “That’s messed up even for you, Mac.”
I hummed a little sound of agreement and stopped pretending like I was going to eat. “Theo, the athlete, seems to be bi-sexual. Klein, the musician, I think he might lean a little closer to your end of the spectrum. I don’t think he’s fully demi-sexual, but he definitely doesn’t get led around by his dick. He’s a little more complicated than the average bear. He was so closed off and disinterested in everything until Theo started getting under his skin, and until I started messing with him.” I smirked at Cutter and tapped my fingers on the table. “Granted, I didn’t know any of that for sure when I started pushing them together. I just had a hunch. So, I guess I’m as screwed up as you think I am.” It had all started as fun and games when I was bored, but now it was decidedly something else.
Cutter swore under his breath and reached for the mug of coffee that was sitting in front of him. “The games you rich dicks like to play with everyone, you know they aren’t fun for anyone but you, right? And why do you keep saying I’m demi-sexual or whatever? Why do I need some label to explain how I am, or what I feel? Why can’t I just be?”
I shrugged. “Those games, we’re taught to play them from the moment we can speak. They become second nature. As for the label, think of it as the same thing as being a Libra or a Leo. Or when I say I’m a real-redhead and people automatically go ‘ahhhh’. It’s not a label for you but for others so they have a starting point to decide if they want to invest the time in trying to figure you out.”
He made a face. “Sounds like a warning label. Aside from that, don’t you care about the people who get hurt when they realize there’s no winning against you? Do you ever give any consideration to the lives you ruin and the damage you do while having your fun?” He sounded so bitter, and I couldn’t say I blamed him. Being confused about your feelings was rough. Realizing you were in love with your best friend a moment too late was even harsher. He had a lot to be resentful of, and he wasn’t wrong in how he viewed all the garbage Edge and I had pulled on others over the years.
I tapped my fingers even harder on the tabletop. It almost hurt, but the sting was good for getting my foggy head to focus. “Do you know why Edge could never see you as anything other than his best friend?”
Cutter stiffened and squared his shoulders. His expression was scary because it was a sore subject, but he still asked, “Why?”
I placed my hand flat on the table and leaned forward dramatically. “Because you were always walking behind him. You always let him lead and you just followed obediently. He had to look over his shoulder to see you, and guys like Rutledge Darby don’t look behind them. They expect people to follow. Bash showed up and refused to stand behind anyone. From day one, he was right in front of Edge, and now, he stands next to him in everything. Before, when Edge made a mess or got in trouble, you were there to clean up after him and to take the blame. Bash doesn’t do that. He makes Edge get his hands dirty by forcing him to clean up the messes together. His biggest appeal is that he keeps Edge accountable. No one else ever dared to do that before.”


Theo Sandoval doesn’t belong here, there, or anywhere.
Klein Warren doesn’t believe in a damn thing.
Malachi ‘Mac’ O’Shea isn’t interested in trying to behave.
One wants to be the best but can’t get past his meager beginnings.
One wants to be famous but can’t overcome his crippling fear.
One wants to be free from the heavy chains of his dangerous legacy but has no way out.
Three young men from very different backgrounds, whose paths would never normally cross, will ultimately end up shaping each other's futures. With little in common and a million unanswered questions about the growing feelings between them, it shouldn’t be an easy feat for the three boys to fall in love. However, the past has proven that anything is possible at Castle Pines, an elite, boys only private school tucked away high in the Colorado mountains that brought these very different boys together.
Somehow this unexpected trio makes learning all about love and sex look effortless... until cold, hard reality comes crashing in.
The truth is, some differences are just too big to overcome, and making the choice to walk away from what you’ve always known can be impossible.

The Allstar The Rockstar and The Gangstar  is created by Imogene Kash, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author


Human bodies were complex. The cold had been weakening her, but it had also been reducing her fever. By the time the girl's core temperature had stabilized, her fever had risen enough to get the attention of the Urgent Care practitioner assigned to triage the cases, but Chris was no longer certain that a consultation with a doctor was needed.
The warm broth he'd given her had stayed down, her congestion seemed to have eased in the steam from the warm bath, and while her fever was high she seemed to have fallen asleep rather than passing out. But he also knew that his own medical knowledge was both shallow and a century out of date, so he waited in the consultation queue anyway.
Her bath had presented a number of other pressing mundane problems as well. He had washed up, started a load of laundry, and then rustled through Mac's possessions quite invasively, without finding much of any clothing suitable for either himself or the girl. She was currently wrapped in an old bathrobe beneath the covers, while he wore a pair of frayed boxers that the elastic had given out in and an elderly dressing gown that was much too small for his current frame.
He could have adjusted his form to suit the available clothing of course, but that would probably cause both the girl, Anne, and Mac even more distress. It would also use more energy, and he was already quite hungry. Which was the next moderately urgent problem.
Mac's cupboards contained plenty of dry and canned goods, and by the dates on a lot of the packages, had contained them for quite some time. He could feed Anne well enough, although fresh citrus and greens would be beneficial, but there was nothing for him to eat here. The screen in his hands flashed, and the Urgent Care video consultation finally connected.
Many of the questions that he'd prepared lies for weren't asked. The doctor didn't bother with history or relations, he was obviously tired, and wanted to keep things quick and concise. He did have to wake Anne to answer a handful of questions on her own, but he suspected that those were simply so that the doctor could judge how severely disoriented her fever was making her.
After giving recommended doses for a few over the counter medicines, signing for a necessary goods quarantine trip permit, and telling him to take her to the hospital if her fever rose another two degrees or stayed this high for more than four days, the doctor wasted a moment to add, "You've done well." The entire consultation had taken less than five minutes.
Chris stared at the web page that announced the call was over and linked him to the permit for one adult. After a moment he clicked the link. Permission to be on the street was all very well, but the store would want money, and the permit wanted identification numbers for the adult in question. He got up and checked Mac's medicine cabinet, and was relieved to find that there were at least a few doses of two of the listed medications present.
He roused Anne again to give her a dose of each, and watched her avoid ever looking at him with consternation. Her hands gripped the covers tightly. She was obviously afraid of him.
"Should I try to find a woman to take care of you instead?" he offered after a moment. He could use the four hours until her next dose to find some kind of food and reshape himself.
"What?" she asked blankly and glanced at him, before quickly turning her face away. "Oh. No, don't. I don't want to risk even more people getting sick."
"Okay," he agreed. After a moment of hesitation, he left it at that. 
Some people rolled with everything life threw at them and met every new face with courage. Others were more like wild animals, who waited cautiously for you to prove that you could be trusted, and fled if you startled them. Most fell somewhere in-between.
He used Mac's iPad to look up the food handler's permit he'd need to apply for the job that Bobby had suggested, and discovered more complications. Proof of up to date vaccinations would be required in addition to proof of identity. If many certifications required such proofs, then it wasn't just 'Chris', 'Gregory's' nephew 'Norris' was going to have problems in a few years too.
He hadn't really cared about the 'loss of privacy' that people complained of in the modern era. The conveniences more than made up for it in his eyes, but it was getting more and more complicated to create a false identity, as more and more records were instantly available and permanently stored where a simple fire couldn't touch them. He could start his new life as an infant of course, but then he would have to risk having family or caretakers discover that he wasn't actually human.
He looked for other 'essential services' jobs, and discovered that even the 'worst' jobs, like waste disposal were currently in very high demand, and that each seemed to require additional certifications of one sort or another. Heavy equipment, health, the list went on and on. Every real online job seemed to be filled as soon as it was posted as well.
An advertisement for protection against identity theft caught his eye, and he grimaced. Anne, the most obvious target, hadn't carried a wallet or any identification either. In her case, it had probably been stolen, because she spoke like a native to the region. Mac was in his eighties, too old to get a job in normal circumstances, let alone in the current competitive environment.
He mentally reviewed the few younger acquaintances he'd had as Gregory. Most of them had been friends in online games, sprinkled with a few cashiers and waitpersons. They were the kind of people who struggled to find and keep some form of decent employment at the best of times. He needed an enemy to steal from, but he hadn't really had any.
The door to the guest room creaked open, it probably hadn't been balanced properly or greased lately, and he looked up to see Anne tottering toward the bathroom. She didn't look at him, but she knew he was there, because she gave him a wide berth, so he stayed still and didn't speak. 
After she finished her business and ventured out again, she asked nervously, "What are you doing?"
Chris looked up and considered her for a moment. She was still avoiding looking at him, mostly, but she glanced at him and pulled the bathrobe tighter. It just emphasised her shape instead of covering it more, but it seemed impolite to point that out.
Maybe she was afraid of him because he wasn't human. They hadn't talked about that, but even though she hadn't struggled against him after making her single comment of realization, it had to bother her. He didn't know if he should bring it up or not.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," she apologized quietly and edged toward the guest room.
He protested quickly, "No, it's fine. Sorry, I was just trying to think of… I'm looking for a job." 
She drew a sharp breath and turned to stare at him. Her stare didn't last long as she shifted her focus to something over his shoulder instead. She frowned and asked doubtfully, "You're looking for a job?"
"There aren't many available right now," he pointed out.
"But you're…" she began, but didn't finish her sentence.
After waiting a minute he made a decision and replied questioningly, "Not human? I still can't conjure money out of thin air." He didn't mention that he could steal some pretty easily. It would eventually result in other problems though.
Her gaze snapped back to his face and she shivered. "I thought that I… What are you?"
"Apparently I'm a very young dragon," he replied with more humor than he'd felt all day. "Your fever is pretty bad, you should get back in bed and stay warm."
"Apparently?" she asked blankly, without moving.
He decided that it was a bad time to mention that he'd been convinced that he was probably a very old vampire for the last few centuries. "That's what an old dragon told me recently," he assured her as he set the tablet down and stood up.
He was a little surprised that she didn't retreat when he walked over and put his arm around her, but she was busy squinting at his face with an intense look of concentration
"I don't… I just see water. When I look at you, or when I close my eyes. Water and branches. Do you ever see things like that?" she asked in a rush as he guided her back toward the guest room.
"No?" he replied uncertainly. "You see water when you look at me?"
"I, just, nevermind. Something's been wrong with my eyes for a long time," she said sadly, and pulled away from him to climb back into the bed on her own.
He stepped forward and tucked her in as though she were a younger child. She didn't look afraid now, she looked sad. "You don't happen to have any enemies do you?" he asked wryly.
The glass he'd left beside her was empty, so he picked it up, as she gazed up at him with wide eyes. Her expression hardened after a moment and she said, "Yeah, I do. Do you eat people?"
He almost dropped the glass, but he managed to catch it. "Not if I can help it," he replied warily. She looked disappointed, so he asked, "Do you happen to know their names, birthdates, and identification numbers?"
Anne's expression brightened. "There's only one that matters," she told him fiercely, "and I know all of his personal information better than he does!"
Chris blinked at her and said, "Ah."

Dragons Waking has been removed and being resubmitted to the Spring 2020 Competition. Sorry for the inconvenience. ありがとうございました

If you heard Mrs Martinez at Home Ec, you'd think she was teaching an entire class of beautiful women. 

It's not that we were Miss Universe material, it's just that Mac and Cheese was a deceptively easy looking dish. 

I mean Mac and Cheese was just Mac stirred into melted cheese right? 

Yes...and no. Let's just say the theory was much simpler than the reality.

Mrs Martinez told us to follow her detailed instructions to the letter.

First we had to fill the pot two-thirds with water, add a tablespoon on salt, and then put it on the stove. 

I couldn't get the stove to light. The safety catch kept switching it off. 

"Oh goodness, Samantha! Don't break my stove!" Mrs Martinez "Aren't girls supposed to be gentle?"

I nearly karate-kicked the damn thing, but I didn't because I was gentle.  

"You need to press it down longer." Zara told me, "Here, let me do it." 

It lit at Zara's first try. 

I took a deep breath, it's okay. Chill. It's just a stupid stove. 

"And your hair..." Mrs Martinez tutted, "It's just a fire hazzard in the kitchen!" 

I had already worn it in a braid or it would have been flaring everywhere. 

"I better not see any blue hair in the food." Mrs Martinez said, "That would be just disgusting."

Like as opposed to seeing any other coloured hair in the food? 

Usually, I'd expect this type of behaviour from certain highschool girls (let's not name names), but from the highschool teacher? I supressed the sigh that nearly escaped and adverted my gaze. 

Luckily someone screamed "Hot!" at the steam and spilled the uncooked Mac across her entire work area. This required Mrs Martinez full attention. I mean, the girls weren't going to berate themselves, you know. 

Zara and I were left in peace to grate the cheese while waiting for the water to boil. Mostly I grated cheese. We had three chunks in different sizes, and only one grater. 

"Be careful not to scrape your fingers." Zara warned. 

But this part was fine. Contrary to popular belief, I had helped in the kitchen before. I could cut and dice and slice, and grate. I was a regular food processor. 

Satisfied that I wasn't going to top up the ingredients with blood, Zara went to check on our water. She yelled and dropped the lid. 

"It's hot!" She told me. 

"Samantha!" Mrs Martinez's shrill voice called across the Home Ec room. My poor wolf ears. 

And I'm sure I don't need to point out that the fallen pot lid was of no fault of my own. 

But Zara might have been hurt, so I had no time to respond to the irate teacher. Instead I went to check on Zara. She was okay, just taken aback by the heat of the steam. 

In the end we put the macaroni into the hot water with a long spatula, scoop by scoop. 

"How long are you going to take just to put the Mac in?" Mrs Martinez complained during the lull of when everyone's Mac was in the pots and there was no more mishaps. 

But you know what they say, there's always a calm before the storm. 

A few minutes later, pots started to boil over. Mrs Martinez screeched at the first one, and then the second one. At one table, the girls refused to even go near the overboiling pot, they simply ran and hid at the other side of the counter. 

"Turn off the heat!" Mrs Martinez would scream, "Remove the pot from the fire!" 

This turned out to be game changing for me. I managed to take off our pot with a pair of oven gloves and put the whole pot into the sink. I helped save Krystal and Leia's pot too. The trick was the get it off the flame the moment the boiling water and Mac got rowdy in the pot. 

It was hot, the steam, and you needed to be quick. 

But I saw how at another workbench, one of the girls simply took off the lid and turned off the fire. That worked too, at a much calmer pace, I might add.

"I can tell that most of you had never cooked a meal in your life." Mrs Martinez declared. 

Eventually, all the Mac was safely cooked and off the stove. Ours was really "al dente" in the sense that if we had taken it off any earlier, it would still be too hard in some places. 

One of the pots, I think it was at Arlene's workbench had burned. 

It stank. 

Mrs Martinez made some of the girls open the windows. 

Arlene and her partner had to reboil another batch of pasta. Mrs Martinez wasted no time in tormenting them with her constant supervision. 

Mrs Martinez hated Arlene almost as much as she hated me. Poor us.

The cool air felt nice. I sighed a bit in relief. Then I looked back at my workbench. The cheese was grated. We needed to collect milk and butter from the fridge in front of the classroom and we could start on the cheese sauce. 

I looked at Zara, and Zara looked at me, "You collect the milk and butter, I'll drain the pasta." I decided. 

Zara nodded, "Yeah, or else Mrs Mar might pick on you again. Be careful it's hot though." 

Poor Zara, she was worrying for me. I took extra care. I mean, it's just removing pasta from the pot, but I couldn't risk attracting more of Mrs Mar's unforgiving attention. 

I used the same spatula and an oven glove. I know I looked ridiculous BUT I managed to remove the lid, and got most of the pasta into the colander scoop by scoop. Then I simply emptied the last of it in with the others. By then the pot was light, and cooled. 

So I wasn't a Killion in the kitchen. But I was okay. I could boil water and make a sandwich. And now, I could boil a pot of pasta. LEVEL UP!

"Oh my goodness, Samantha! What in the world are you doing?" Mrs Martinez found her way back to me. 

I put down the spatula and took off the oven glove, "I got all the pasta drained." I picked up the colander and showed her. 

"Well, don't let it drip all over my floor!" Mrs Martinez said. 

So I guess I did good. 

Zara came back with a measuring cup of cold milk and a wad of butter, "I can't tell how much butter is 2 tablespoons." 

I looked at the wad and then at the tablespoon she was holding. It looked roughly the right size. I nodded, "Looks right..." 

So we tried it. First we (Zara) started the fire. Then we (me) put the pot back on and added the butter. A thin white film started coating our pot from the inside. It was only a little bit but didn't escape Mrs Martinez's hawk eyes, "SAMANTHA! You didn't wash the pot. The pasta water is going to burn on your pot. Go do it over with a clean pot!" 

Okay. We took out a second pot. I turned the old pot over and the half melted wad of butter went plop into the new pot, splattering out a little, but we got most of it in. What next?

"Zara, we forgot to measure out the dry ingredients!" I realised when I checked the printout. 

So we measured some flour and salt out, just in the nick of time. Carefully we stirred the ingredients in. 

I've never cooked before, and Zara had only ever made instant foods, but I've done science experiments before, so I figured we just had to do it the same way.

I turned down the fire to the smallest setting (I was trying to imitate a Bunsen burner amount of flame), and added the right amount of each ingredient slowly, making sure it gets properly "dissolved" into the mixture. 

Nevermind science experiment, it felt like I was making a witch's stew.

From the smell that our pot was making, we were doing good, which was a kind of magic all on its own. By the third cheese, Zara's eyes were bright with excitement, "I can't believe I'm making macaroni and cheese from scratch." 

Nothing had exploded at our workbench. We didn't even burn anything. 

From the sounds and smells around us, the rest of the workbenches had varying success. I was sure there was more than one burnt cheese sauce just from the smells around me, but I tuned it all out and soon we were stirring in the Mac. 

"Wow." Zara smiled as she took her turn to stir. She had been so excited, she pretty much grabbed the spatula from me. 

I found myself grinning too. 

We nailed it. 

I turned the fire off from under the pot.

"Quick! Let's scoop it out before it gets stuck in the pot." Zara said.

With our trusty spatula, we scooped out the pasta into our food containers. Then we went up to a side counter together to sprinkle on the toppings. 

Zara choose some pepper and more parmesan cheese. I sprinkled dried chives and then a little bit of dried chilli flakes because I remembered Killion using it in pasta and it was delicious. I only used a very little though, just for the color.

"Yours look good." Zara said. She added chives to her box too, but not the chilli flakes because she hated spicy foods. 

We did it! We really, really did it! 

Wow, if I knew cooking was so exciting, I would have joined the cooking club. 

"Goodness! If I knew you girls were so bad, I would have sent all of you to woodwork class!" Mrs Martinez concluded, "Half of you should never be allowed near a stove!"

So at least half of us were destined to become beautiful women by Marcus' mum's definition.

Big-hearted and witty, Samantha Kingsley is the Alpha's daughter who grew up learning to meet everyone's expectations. But Samantha isn't a pup anymore, she's in high school now, and is just about to discover that her life is written by her choices. Not by dreams, or prophecies, or even the moon goddess. This girl is going to protect the happiness of her pack and everyone she loves.

Read her diary here.
Updated every night.

Volume Synopsis
VOL 1
It's the first week of school. Despite my failed attempt to make a friend, I somehow ended up surrounded by a handful of wolf classmates, got accepted by the human "cool" girls, and became a vampire's guard dog? 


VOL 2
I think I'm just starting to get the hang of school. From navigating school halls, new friends, vampires, and school clubs... 
Back home it should have been the usual drill, but things started shifting. And I urm...might have been messing around where I shouldn't.


VOL 3
I had to miss a couple of school days this week due to my ah, long term bout of "anemia". It's been pretty intense at home. My alpha position was challenged, rogues burnt down our home, I rescued my first fight dog, discovered the Lorent's secret oracle, almost rescued my mate...and accidentally stumbled into my Alpha Dad's secret.


VOL 4
My worlds collide as some members from my pack come to my school to sell concert tickets. And when Grandpa Alpha shocked us all by dying, my dad's family comes together to pay their last respects at the Night Forest Pack. 


VOL 5
It's February and the Vampire Queen is celebrating her birthday. Would Rebel's plan to escape work out? Meanwhile, I'm stuck in school dealing with high school drama, an evolving wolf, and a new human sister. In the Red Packlands, war nearly breaks out. (This might have been a very little bit my fault.)

VOL 6
It's the week of Valentine's Day, but I've got a highschool play, Lorent drama, Vampire slaying training, and an underground army to deal with first. And then warlock weather threw an extended snowstorm at us. The whole of Green Packlands goes into lockdown - but what about Valentine's Day?

VOL 7
Exams are a week away, and it feels like my time at Winderhill is really coming to a close. I'm trying to be a good student, but there are paparazzi camped outside my school, I ran with rogues (I'm shocked too), Maria just had to enter her dark cycle in school...My life is too exciting to study for exams.

VOL 8
It's exam week, but I've got far greater problems brewing at home. The prophecies are merging. River's stone had unlocked warlock trouble, the rogue king has moved in, and then there's Uncle Louis' economical problems... one at a time. Just let me survive Code Black and figure out what's going on at Heller's first, and I'm sure everything else will work out somehow.

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