It was my fault. Her exploration made me very self-conscious of my own secret. Her freedom and bravery highlighted my owncloseted fears. Andrea first...began to show signs of being a Tomboy justbefore her puberty. She never wore any kind of "girlish" fashion. Thenshe chopped her hair. cut it in a very masculine cut. Her clothes gotmore and more boyish. She stopped shaving her legs. By her Junior yearshe wore a tux to prom. I was actually a little jealous. but she couldhave been a lesbian. Maya just bought a brand new Beamer and was dying to be seen driving the luxurious automobile. Sharon accepted gleefully, knowing she wouldn’t have to drive. She rubbed her palms together as she planned on letting her hair down for once. At times, she wasn’t quite sure why she and Maya had become fast friends. For all intents and purposes, they were complete opposites. Maya was very well off. Sharon barely made ends meet. Maya loved all things expensive and shiny. Sharon treasured family,. They carried a Gatling rail gun. A half-pound depleted uranium slug hitting you at Mach 10 speeds will really mess up your day.But all of this wasn’t of any concern to me. We had no intention of starting an unwinnable shooting war. But I did like seeing all those thirsty thoroughbreds gulping fuel like it there was no tomorrow.I was also interested in their troop carriers. I knew they were out there, just outside our sensor range. What I wanted to know was how many of them were there. Each. The dreamscape firmed. He found himself standing at the edge of a rock-strewn torrent. White water frothed and lashed around the boulders, spilling into grey-black pools that swirled and spilled, down and away. A thick mist hung overhead, obscuring the light. He stood alone, the thundering sounds and cold spray buffeting his face.He turned and saw behind him an endless sagebrush plain. Upstream and downstream lay thick tangles of red willows. Across the torrent, up the steep slope, he marvelled.