I held my dress in front of my body. "Hello, pretty girl!" he said. "Oh, this is gonna be fun! I can't wait to see Dad's reaction when you skip into ...he room in your pretty pink dress! And Mom says you have to tell him it was all your idea!" "Shut up! Get out of here!" "Or what? Gonna hit me?" I ignored him, and stepped into my dress. I reached behind my back and started zipping it up. "Need some help with your dress, Melissa?" "I can zip up my own dress, thanks." I cringed as he. I was glad I had no neighbors, or they would probably say I was killing someone. I pulled back more and I felt it begin to move. She was now crying and shaking. I knew how it hurt, but I had to do it. My hand went up to cautiously stroke her hips, calming her down. As I pulled more, I could feel it coming out of her. After ten minutes or so, it was out, hanging between my teeth. I spit it out and pulled her up into a tight hug. She sobbed into my shoulder and spread her legs, in pain. “Oh my. "Now then, young man. What exactly was that display about?" she saidsternly."The fact that 'young man' doesn't apply to me. I'm a girl. And I am sotired of trying to be something I'm not."She sighed, and said, "I am going to have to call in your parents." Doesn't matter. I've graduated, this summer I turn eighteen, and I canmake my own choices. I don't know what my options are, but I knowthere's no way I can pretend anymore. Its killing me. They can decide ifthey'd rather have a dead son or a. There were six glyphs just outside the circle. I could feel the webs of magic that spun from one to the other but there were also strands that went up towards the ceiling.I looked at Artimas, “there are spell strands that go up to the ceiling.”He came over to look at the glyphs, “this is tied into the blood key. It is a second half of the lock. The strands of magic will pull the ceiling down if both halves are not used.”I looked around the circle at the six glyphs, “now to find which lock to.