I patted myself dry and looked at myself in the mirror. I likedwhat I saw and decided to remain naked while I made coffee and toast forbreakfast.I had...my breakfast at the computer and finished some assignments I hadstarted on Friday and hadn't finished them because of my lost weekend. Iemailed them to the office, checked my emails and tried to make a fewphone calls but it wasn't nine o'clock yet so I turned on the TV to watchthe morning news. I was surprised to see "The Simpsons." The room. I was absolutely nice to you.”“Uh-huh, because you wanted to work soo hard for my approval? When mom first introduced us, I wanted to hurl. My dad was a real man – God rest his soul – and all I could think was, ‘Mom’s dating this?’”Bill scooped a forkful of rice into his mouth with a blank expression.“Screw you, Frankie.”“No, you can’t.” * The Lordes’ front door clicked open to expose the mismatched silhouettes of Amanda’s most important duo. If their earlier civility piqued her interest,. She looked in her wardrobe and decided on what to wear. She decided that she better look respectable and settled upon a satin, long sleeved white blouse and a silky black skirt that covered her knees. Not her usual attire, but Bryony thought it was best to be smartly dressed for her dinner with the Head Mistress. At 6:30pm, she made one last check that she had everything and picked up her overnight bag. Bryony placed her mobile phone in her purse and locked the door behind her. She unlocked her. She wasn’t a biologist or a vet like Sousa or Clayton, and so she had a harder time telling the two genders apart. This one seemed female to her though, its snout seemed shorter than Sleethe’s, who she had now grown accustomed to seeing during their stay on the cargo freighter. It watched her curiously as she peered over the blanket at it, wary as she watched its nostrils flare to take in her scent. It hit her with a burst of subsonic vibrations, dizzying her and making her buck reflexively,.