Stephen

A little meltdown already? There will likely be more ahead in the future as Alexi is forced to deal with his separation from Josh. They only have three more weeks in New York together, and I hope they won't be forced to spend it all stressed out, but with so much to deal with I can't see it as being a carefree time. I don't envy them for having to go through it all, but the problems they face won't just go away.

Asher has had quite a day! Starting with anger, and ending with apologies and awkwardness. Poor guy! Isn't that the way life goes? First a drought then a flood. Sometimes life just sucks, doesn't it?

This is a wonderful chapter. Just when things seemed hopeless, Dawson comes to the rescue. What a relief! Now that Travis and Jesse (Riley too?) have an ally, things can move ahead. There's so much secrecy in this plot that I am truly intrigued and captured by this story. Now they all just need to escape the lower levels and get back home so they can move forward, and figure out what's really going on.

It's a nice, warm, supportive, and affectionate family that Mark has. Now you're going to throw a wrench into it, aren't you? I love it already...

Cold War. That's the best equivalent I can come up with for the latest developments with K74. It's better than an outright physical war, and no human life has been lost so far. I wonder how long that aspect will last? K74 has 12 billion people, and the Cadre may feel they have enough to spare. The leaders of Attunga learn more about their opponents, so can't the Cadre do the same? They know now about the comet and the dolphins. How long until they learn about Wirrin? And Sonic. I smell a threat coming.

They kicked the hornet's nest in Aspira, didn't they? At least there's only one down that I could have cared about, -and that's good. I don't know what'll happen when Shay gets to the sweet spot, but I know it will surprise. The description of the heat burning off the carbonous alien was a thing of beauty. We've all seen that distortion, and I thank you for making me aware of it. I'll never see it again and ignore it like before... I'll think of your alien.

Hugh's trip down memory lane isn't much fun, is it? We are fed pieces of his past, but the mysteries only increase. Poor Hugh has been blocking things out for a long time. What was it that Jason told him? It's all quite intriguing. I hope the next chapter comes soon.

Riley's so sweet and innocent, it makes me wonder if that's because of his lost memory or his true nature. As this chapter unfolded, I had increasing feelings of dread, and so it happened: Travis gets caught again. I know it was inevitable, but I still hate to see it happen. I'm going to worry now until the next chapter comes out!

Asher's becoming more fixated by the hour, and while Michael shows interest, he's really still an enigma. I like Asher's friends, they're fun. So then we have the phone call at the end, leaving us with questions and anticipation...and waiting. Is this shameless reader abuse, or what?

This is quite a chapter. Siggi and ' The Bastard' at their best being the worst. I don't know how you'll manage to rehabilitate either one of them enough to make it work for Gunni. It's a puzzle for me. It's part of this story's appeal, but it seems like quite a challenge you've set up.

"This night couldn't get any worse" -Never say that! Haje has quite a night. It starts badly and ends in disaster. Now someone's out to kill him in his mother's house! You hooked me.

Such desperation, but there's also hope, and at least some tiny bit of communication. All is not lost, but I think there's another battle coming up. A battle with some unknown enemy. That's not very encouraging for Pasha, you've set him up for another diabolical challenge, haven't you? Life in this Eden sucks. Where are the serpents?

While first impressions are important, they can be wrong. I didn't like Michael at first, but I'm beginning to now that he seems to be more than a just a drunken blowhard. Now I see him as a sort of rough cut diamond. And he does seem interested in Asher...

Alexi's stage fright is worse than I'd thought. I don't know if anything can change in time for this tour, and it's worrying. Of course Adrian shows up, casting a shadow. How can this upcoming tour proceed? Alexi will fall apart. Josh is good for him, but is not a miracle worker, and what happens when Alexi moves back to Japan?

I somehow missed this chapter when it came out. I'm so glad to see Alexi facing his stage fright demon. And now he's not alone with it. Josh is so good for him, and the 'I love you' comes out at last.

Strange, so sad, -tragic really. It's also inconclusive. Poor Mark, finally got something beautiful he'd never expected. Then loses it after a brief few days. A few days after an eternal life of emptiness. Life doesn't offer only happy endings, does it? We don't always get what we want.

Oh no! You killed Victor! -Or did you? ...

Tension, anticipation mount. Then there's the strange golden magic. I wonder what that is. Some sort of magic I suppose...fascinating.

I'm looking forward to next week's show and tell. Jake will have Daddy there as well as Murray, so it'll be more like a dad and puppy show! Should be fun. I hope Tony's single...

So the story concludes, and at last Ziyu and San acknowledge their love for each other and the teahouse. I'm happy that Ziyu meets San's parents, since their story began with their fathers' close friendship. It all comes around full circle to end a very artistic and beautiful tale. Thank you for sharing it with us.

This is a wonderful chapter. Travis is an amazing boy, and the care and concern he shows for his brother shows how good his character is. He's not just acting out of a sense of obligation or duty, but he's not afraid to admit that he cares for Jesse because he loves his little brother. Most boys his age wouldn't ever acknowledge that, but he's special. A bright light in a dark, hostile world. Riley is surprising, and I wonder how he'll fit into the story. I'll be waiting to see.

Obsession. A young life based on an objective obsession. Not really a whole life as most would call it, because it's just too shallow to be called whole. It's all pointed in a singular direction,...so, so, easy! - Too easy. Then the tables turn, the rules reverse. Master, meet the new master. A new dynamic emerges, It may not be any better, but it makes him re-think all those concretions until they begin to dissolve into a paste, -something a bit deeper at least. Will it be enough? Makes for a better soup when you scrape the bottom of the pan as it is stirred. This is a beautifully rendered piece that fascinates as it sticks you in the thigh with a sharp needle at the last moment...when you weren't expecting it. Is it poison or the cure? No telling.

Oh no, not another tragedy. Poor Cody, now I'm worried. Pine Hill is certainly a surprisingly busy little town. I do love reading about it anyway. There's always something in the air...

As much as I've been enjoying this story, I'm not sure that I like Michael all that much. So far, he reminds me of somebody that I grew to dislike: Type A competitive personality, drinking problem, loudmouthed, etc... it all gets old soon enough. I want to see if he has some depth and sensitivity, and if he can handle losing with grace. At this point I think Asher is too good for him.

Things are looking up for the dolphins at the moment, not so for the K74 AI. I wonder if it can be revived and transferred to a safe place? The rogue scientist made his first move and now there's less chance of predicting his next action. Destructive creature, isn't he? I hope he knows as little about Warrakan as Attunga believes he does, but I have my doubts about that.