“In the end, the worst-case scenario is that I can’t see her until next Summer. That would totally suck, but I managed that with Jennifer while I ...as in Sweden, and I don’t see Kara deceiving me like Jennifer did. I will have to find some way to talk to her, but I think I can manage that, even if her parents monitor her phone calls.”“Wow, you’re resigned to not seeing her? And you’re not losing it?” Bethany asked incredulously.“No, I’m not resigned to that. I said it’s a worst-case scenario and. . .?” A slight smile briefly crossed her face, and we made eye contact for the first time. She had a lovely face with large soulful brown eyes, an upturned ‘pixie’ nose and rich full lips. There was definitely some exotic blood in her lineage. “I can’t accept charity,” she mumbled as she studied my face intently. Her voice was almost angelic and her mannerisms oozed childlike innocence. She leaned toward me, spilling the money onto the console. Her tiny hands were quite deft as the slid. After what seemed like forever, I drifted off. When I woke, James was gone. I got up and showered, got dressed and headed to work. What had he set up? What had he done? Had I agreed to anything? It was all troubling and exciting at the same time. When I got home, no one was there. I relaxed. I went to the basement and ran a few miles and then showered and went to the kitchen. I made myself a quick meal, and went back upstairs and got into some clothes. I had never been a girl that thought I. The initial horror and disgust of what she told him had abated. If he where honest with himself, he had suspected that defeat would mean destruction, and he had almost accepted it after that final message all those years ago. But the fact they had turned him into a Grojan rather than a Grojani played on his mind. He was also growing to accept that the 'plastic surgery' was no such thing, he was more and more convinced he had been genetically manipulated. And when a Grojan had reportedly never.