Just making some collard greens for dinner later on. How’s the trip?”“Great we went on walking tour of the cave. It was tiring. So we ate a late...lunch and came back to the room to take it easy.”“Well, I understand that. Have you talked to anyone lately.”“Randall called me Saturday. We spoke for a while. Melissa,” she referred to her sister, “and I have been texting off and on this past weekend.”“Oh okay. She’s been busy with Julian’s father being sick and all.”“Yeah. I know. He’s not doing to. Never, ever speak outof turn again!” Then, swiftly bringing her jewelled foot upward, shekicked his mouth shut.To the cheers of the crowd, Tamsin and Zenda drove the captives into thePalace stables where they handed them over to the stable workers. “Hosethem down and then prepare them for the parade, the two old ones to pullthe Princess’s chariot, the girls to pull the Queen’s carriage and theboys to be saddled. Be sure they are put in appropriate livery fittingthe occasion.”“Certainly Ma’am”. ”Max allowed himself a small smile. The “tell your friends” had been a running joke among their little group pretty much the whole time they’d been having their occasional poker nights. It was frequently spoken when all five of them were in the room. In Brownfield Mills, they had no other real friends. On all but a handful of occasions, the game was just the five then, when Lev arrived, six.This time, he actually had someone to call. Paige picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Max. What’s up?”“We. "Be sure to record for Intel." Coming on now, General."The screen changed from a schematic of the battlefield area to a live shot of a balding, middle-aged man dressed in Martian camouflage fatigues. He had a single star on each of his lapels. His face looked tired, defeated, with bags under both bloodshot eyes."This is General Zoloft," Zoloft said. "Commanding officer of the Eden area MPG units." General Dickenson," Dickenson returned. "WestHem Marine Corps. I am commander of the Eden theater.