He could hear murmurings from beyond, and detected a dim shimmering of light through the floorboards above him. Though he was filled with trepidation,...his fears for the girl outweighed his own concern; he carefully ascended the creaky stairs in pursuit of the party. As he reached the next level he found a rudimentary lamp showing the way to the next flight of stairs across a floor which had gaping holes in it, just to add to the difficulties he may face if he needed to make a swift escape. The. After the eight heartbeats appeared, the air suddenly changed, becoming charged and closed in. The moon light shining in the windows vanished, replaced by a grey barrier spell of some type. Tensing up, ready for anything, he watched for the source of the new heartbeats to reveal themselves. Soon thereafter, a file of very large men and women came out from the back of the bar, herding the employees with them. They were wearing an unfamiliar uniform and each one had some type of cestus or katar. .. I got so used to the idea that, well, I wasn't very attractive ... I've never really thought about dressing to attract. I'm not sure even now that Mike sees me as a woman rather than a friend he gets along with well..." Nothing wrong with that, but it would be quite nice for him to know you are a woman. We ... never discussed having your birthmark removed..." No. It's part of me now. I'd like someone to want me as me before even thinking about treatment." Do you mind ... that we let you go. .. well, I didn’t really remember much. I had slightly dark circles beneath my eyes, but they’d go away. There was something about my reflection in the mirror. For the first time in years, it matched the way I thought about myself. Unless I was actually looking in a mirror, I felt ageless. I still thought of myself as a seventeen-year-old but was trapped in a fat, aging body that didn’t get out much. But the crows’ feet that reminded me of my age on most mornings were gone. Smooth. Skin without.