Adam pulled out his history notes and started to study for his final midterm exam. He had barely had a few minutes to go over them in the past week. H... should have known he wouldn't get the chance to do it now, either. The business phone started to buzz on the table beside him."Hello," he answered before he thought about it."This is Brent Akers from Dropping Point," a man said loudly. "I'm calling for Derrick Driller." This is he," Adam answered with a sigh. He should have let the call go to. I’d always respected Zander, if I hadn’t liked him. I knew very well the weight he was carrying in his heart, and I knew keenly the corrosive effects of hiding it. Prestira, Patricia, Elena; I didn’t have time to think on them. Their loss would burn a hole in my mind later, but I had trained myself to dam the flood of grief. The Ten looked from the hole in the hut, to me and Zander. “Half of your council has just been wiped out, Brock.” Gorlok, leader of the Kraklari said, “That doesn’t bode. Yvette is tall, lithe-limbed and blonde with pert tits and a peachy arse. Her pale gold hair is long and silky, and she has green eyes. Despite her French name and Scandinavian looks, she's from Bolton! She's wearing just a short, pale blue silk slip. We've been together over a year, met each other's parents and plan to work abroad after Yvette qualifies in the New Year.The day is already warm. We have a rare day off together and are discussing what to do with the day.The door flies wide open. Mom went back to work then. She was already working three nights a week in the emergency room, but now that we were out of the house, she said she was going back to work full time. She and Dad argued about that, but she told him they needed the money and he agreed. She would pack us off on the school bus in the morning, and then go to the hospital, where she worked in the emergency room. The big difference was that we got home before they got home. I was the oldest and got home earliest, so Dad.