" I began scrubbing the plates as she left. My housemates had all gone home for the weekend, so Lucy had suggested we have a night in and watch Crouch...ng Tiger Hidden Dragon for the nth time, as we both loved that film. I'd already cooked us both a stir fry to get into the Chinese spirit, as it were, and once I'd finished the dishes I got the sake that Lucy had bought (she couldn't find a Chinese wine, so she thought a Japanese one would have to do) and poured some for each of us while she. ..nine moviesI've been in? No, I haven't, have I? And you know my speciality, mytalent, my...mimicry, right? So come on, just tell me what you think" I don't know, Bob, it's a hell of a risk. What if you get caught?There'd be a hell of a backlash against us. You know what they're likeover there- they don't like anything that isn't normal, and this, Bob,this isn't normal! But it's a great idea, and the public like this kindof thing, but you do realise that if you get caught, if people figure. But loving people… it hurt. He loved the Robison’s and Nate, but it wasn’t the same as loving his parents, uncle or Lila was. With the Robison’s no matter how they tried to make him feel included, he was on the outside looking in. They weren’t his but he was okay with that, it made life less complicated. But with Lila… he couldn’t separate himself from her. He felt everything she felt. Her smile made his heart lighter and her sadness made him shrivel up inside. She had the power to make him. “How many strokes so far?” he asked her. “Twelve!” she responded. Suddenly he brought the cane crashing down on her bottom. She screamed out as the searing pain shot through her body. The safe word was on her lips. Her head told her to scream it out but her heart told her ‘no’. Instead she said thank you and reeled off the number. The next few minutes were a blur to Gina. The last five strokes were administered quickly but painfully, each one bringing a loud scream from her mouth and the safe.