The dining table had been moved into the living room and laid out with snacks and drinks. A mattress had been lain on the floor of the dinning room fo... me to let Phil sow his wild oats. All was ready and I was a nervous wreck. Gina had given me a few drinks to try and calm me down. We heard the guys coming in, so we both went into the dining room and pulled the sliding doors closed. We could hear them chatting away and getting some food when Tom slid open the door and said "Show time ladies.. Passing inches from her unarmored side, the blade made a whistling sound as it missed.Hanna stepped next to the surprised and overbalanced youngster and with casual grace, placed one foot behind his leg and with a gentle shove to his chest, toppled him onto his back.He landed with a whoosh as the air was knocked out of him.The crowd was absolutely silent."Perhaps you should practice falling more?" She said, with concern.Hanna, seeing that the youngster was not moving, offered her hand to help. Richards. Whatever am I going to do with you?"Our zone of silence gradually evaporated as the sisters of the colony drifted into the kitchen for breakfast in ones and twos."Refill your coffee and grab a seat; we've got a group meeting in fifteen minutes," Sheila announced as she excused herself to prepare for the gathering. I set off to the kitchen looking for fresh coffee. Ready or not, a new day was getting underway.It's a fundamental law of the universe: staff meetings seldom begin on time,. Lily tilted her head to one side, giving me her look, the one that held and penetrated secrets. “I brought my sketch book along,” she said. “I want to draw you again.”“Fine,” I said. I was happy for that to happen. Happy to have her in my flat as long as possible. Happy to talk to her, however brief our exchanges.Lily got her bag and took out her pad with a piece of charcoal. She placed the items on the table before taking another tour of the walls, looking especially, I fancied, at the photos.