Cia

I see bare knee and boxers. Naughty!

The emotions in this one seesaw back and forth so much. You really capture that with this chapter. I like that Charlie came to the realization on his own and then made sure to give Tina the truth. He may seem weak in some ways but he really is very strong. And c'mon... he can find Mr. Reed. He's got his name and that he's a bookstore owner. In the world of the internet he just needs a bit of ingenuity and drive to find him, even before that it wouldn't be too hard. How are they going to meet up again? I know they will. Don't make us hurt you. Bring back Mr. Reed!!!

I really view this story as a character tale. That makes these sorts of chapters vital. We need to know how the characters act and why they do so. Charlie's a baker when stressed, it helps him relax. I do that too so it helped me relate to him. I found it interesting he 'felt' more of a reaction to Mr. Scott than he did when thinking of Tina. Did you write it that way on purpose or was it just the way he seemed in your head?

Oh, I like Mr. Reeds What... He's funny and sweet too. I'm seeing love interest in the future. Well I hope I am, he's too perfect not to! The storyline isn't twisty and new but I'm so drawn into the characters and who they are combined with their interactions that it doesn't matter. It's great the way it is.

So we see a bit more of Charlie's character. He doesn't panic, he thinks of others, he's very loyal (never been late to work before), and he's well liked since the nurse was concerned for him. You've written a very likable protagonist. I don't want him with Tina now, she seems like too much of a wench for a nice guy like him. Great flow, the chapter was over before I knew it. I love stories that suck me in that way.

Okay, so I'm lame. I HATE waiting for updates but I seem to be able to put a story down for a while and then wait so I can read several chapters at once. So you'll get a lot of reviews in chunks from me because I really like this story. It was really interesting to find out about Charlie's back story and it definitely explained part of his psyche. But even in just 2 chapters you have made him such a complex character we can tell he has sooo much more to tell us before we can see how he came to be who and how he is. I'm also very interested in Mr. Dark Coat. Will Charlie get the chance to save his savior? Hmm... on to chapter 3, yay for not having to wait!!

The story is good, your writing flows really well with few mistakes as usual. You did tone down the 'perfect' a bit, though maybe the part I remember as being really obnoxious of 'Hero' hasn't come yet There were just a few things that bugged me though. A 'perfectly toned' 4 year old waist? Most 4 year olds are not toned, it just seemed off. Very weird to think of a pre-schooler in that light. Also, Charlie's mom 'hopped' over to them when the sandbox incident occured? That produced a very funny mental picture but I just can't imagine why she would be hopping. I know I've read the beginning parts of this story, it will be very interesting to see where it goes from there and what you've made of it.

Okay, so... 2 votes for a sequel for Hiding but for the most part it's a single voice for each story.... hmm. Does this mean you guys will mostly be happy no matter what I post? LOL. Okay, so I guess I'll go with whatever flows from my fingers when I open the blank word doc. Thanks for those who voted and commented! If anyone else has any compelling arguements, please share

snickers. I actually like Ag's suggestion, it does fit. We love ya anyway though

I've faced this with an elderly family member and with patients of my own. Young people, older people, mindless, cognizant... it's hard. I DO NOT want to ever be kept alive on life support. I don't have a living will but I have told every single family member I have that would be involved in those decisions that fact. In my husband's family there have been a lot of medical folk so when his grandfather was on support and we faced this decision as a family every single one of us said goodbye with sad hearts but we all agreed. The person lying in the bed is not the family member we knew and keeping them alive would be wrong. So often people on life support that don't get better after a few days just get worse. Add in infections, sores, pain... there really is no good outcome. That being said, I don't agree with starvation as a way of death. It can take weeks that route if the person is not being kept alive on a breathing machine, which is what I think the poll meant to say. There would need to be another way, a more humane way. The biggest thing would not be letting it get to that point, imo. That's where making sure you have a concrete plan for yourself and making sure those who would be facing the decision in your stead know it is crucial. How I live is up to me, if I can not say at the moment I need to that I wish to live or die I want those I love making that hard choice knowing I would support them letting me go. I wouldn't want to leave my family behind to face the pain seeing me in that condition would bring them.

LOL KC, been there! When I used to be in nursing I always carrried pens (always being stolen, yep, grrr) and mefix, scissors, scrap paper... 2 front pockets in each shirt, 2 hip pockets and 2 leg pockets... Not to mention scrubs are super comfy. Switching over to office clothes for the job I had after that was quite the shock, I actually had to worry about colors and appearance again, lol!

So I'm pulled almost equally in a lot of these story ideas. So I thought I'd ask the readers what they think. What story has ended t hat leaves you wanting to find out what happens next the most?

Cliffhanger? I see no cliffhanger! I think you cry wolf!! This one was very much about the shift in emotions based on all the stresses the characters are facing. It's very much that phase of the story. And yes, loincloths are nice but a bit too 'obvious' for out of the jungle, lol.

My job is momma and most people can tell by my purse. I avoid using my pockets for things because I'm notorious for washing cell phones and chapsticks. I just risked an eye peeking into my purse and at this time I have a wallet with all my cards, cash, checkbook ect..., 2 bags of fruit snacks, lotion, bandaids, many receipts, 3 pens I can see, mace on my keychain and my keys, a one way cpr kit with gloves, my cell phone, 2 kinds of chapstick, a small pocket knife/scissor combo, an uncashed check (only for $9), two hair ties, a claw clip hair thingy, a small mirror, a stack of business cards for my MOMS club and scotch tape oddly enough, lol. I only carry a medium size purse so it's kinda stuffed full And I'm boring so my purses are always brown or black leather, it lasts and doesn't show dirt.

Ramble... please ramble! LOL. Thank you so much! I always re-read stories I truly love so hearing you did that with mine is great to hear, definitely encourages me to keep writing. I hope you continue to enjoy my other stories. Not all of them are as happy throughout but I'm a sucker for a happy ever after for the most part so if that is your preference just keep reading! Thanks so much for the review!

I forgot to reply to this review? Gasp! Sorry hun! I know the ears are totally nums for me too. I like my fantasy stories to at least have some grounding in reality so readers can really see it. Thanks so much for the review!

I'm glad you liked it! I actually switched pov to Nat and continued their story in Paper Trail but the story isn't finished as I hit a huge block writing it It's on my list to really try to finish. Thank you so much for the review!

The next chapter is posted, Enjoy!!! Let me know what you think. Good/bad, Like/Don't like! Two of a Kind Chapter 7

The sterile white walls of the clinic and the smells of the antiseptic made Bashta wrinkle his nose. He looked over at Cavel and Piscel who both rubbed their noses as well. The place was empty, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The streetlights shining on the blinds covering the windows made them look orange, casting black stripes across the white floor. "Wow, that's bad," Cavel said with a wince when he took a breath. "Has it always smelled this bad?" he asked Piscel. "It's the

LOL, I hadn't even announced this yet! Talk about on the ball! Anyhooo.... Congrats!!

The hard question of this topic is not what you think is right or wrong overall but what you would do if it were YOUR child. Being a parent and watching your child be in pain for any reason is hard. You want to fix it, be it with a kiss and a bandaid or a medicine or a surgery. You feel their highs and lows in life right along with them. My daughter's stomach hurt when she thought about going to school her first year almost every morning and we did 5 minute tummy rubs and wouldn't you know it, my stomach churned as I worried about her feeling that stress away from home and me not being there to make it better. She outgrew it and I always acted as if she was fine at school but you can be sure her teacher got a visit from me in person to tell her about her anxiety issues and to please watch out for any overt signs of it. It's what we do as parents. We worry, we care, we fix things if we can. If we can't, our hearts tend to get a bit bruised too. Bullying is insidious. It can be physical harm that hurts but the emotional toll is often the worst. Self-consciousness, lack of self-esteem, reactionary anger issues, lashing out... those are all things just the victims can feel. The circles of effect go beyond that one person though. I understand wanting to reduce that. My son was born with 1 testicle and yeah, we worry a bit about his locker room experiences as he gets older. The decision we made was a compromise. If he decides to have a surgery to get a prosthetic then we'll let him. (yes, they do that but obviously not until kids are old enough for it not to need to be redone) It'll be his choice though, if he's worried or feels like it really affects how he sees himself or others will then why not if it's not harmful or risky? That's where doctors and parents come in to help their kids or make the choices for them. It's not like the parents said, her ears are just too big and her earrings look funny, let's trim a bit here and here and why don't you reshape this or that to make her more appealing to boys (or girls) by being more beautiful. I'm sure those people exist but they are by far the norm. For the most part we want happy, well adjusted kids that feel at home in the bodies they have, yes, but sometimes they need a bit of help. Don't judge til you've been there.

This story is harder in it's way to read than Escaping the Pain. Fortunately I do have 'happier' stories too. I try to avoid having too many characters be gay because it's not realistic but in this case it was warranted in the story based on what I was looking to write and the possibility of writing further on it. Look for more about Joey to come!

Me too!!! I'm glad you liked the ending. I left it open to perhaps continue this in a college tale. I just have to find the time to write it, lol!

I'm not a confronter. If that girl was alone I wouldn't be able to stop from going over at that time though. My biggest thing would most likely get evidence and and call the cops. My phone records now and I'd probably try to get a license plate number to police the second they left. I've done similar things in the past in other situations where it wasn't as serious, like when I witnessed a woman put a puppy in her trunk. I got her plate number and called the cops so when she tried to drive off she ended up getting pulled over. For the most part the law is going to be able to protect a person way better than I could so I'd err on the side of caution and try to let them deal with anything less than a critical situation. If all else fails I carry mace and know how to aim a good swift kick where it will do the most good on men.

Awww, but harassing my fav authors for more content just makes my day!!! Are you sure it's in bad form? Good thing they all know me well enough to know that I am not mean as I bother them. I save the truly evil whip snapping for my writers. They live in fear though.