At least, Vicky and Simone were talking and Fran and Connie were saying, ‘Yes,’ and ‘Uh-huh,’ at intervals but otherwise failing (even Connie)...to get a word in edgeways. The twins embraced me and started kissing me but still kept prattling until finally I said, in a calm but clear voice, ‘Twins, be quiet.’ It was like magic. They stopped dead. Both Fran and Connie opened their mouths to take advantage of this rare opportunity to speak but I held up a hand to hush them. I put my other hand to my. She was so cute, that’s what attracted me to her in the first place. She seemed so out of place there. Yes, she was a slave and was going to remain one.“My rules are simple. Obey and you might find life very pleasant. Disobey and find life difficult. For example you may kneel now.”She went down, trying to be graceful for me but not fully succeeding. It would come with time and practice. She kept her back straight and settled on her knees and legs, she opened her legs slightly and with a. "Excellent," said Vera. "So, how are we doing financially, Helga?" Sheturned to the woman sitting on her other side. Helga was dressed in herusual dark pantsuit outfit, but teamed with a crisp white blouse.Helga laughed. "You'd think this was a million dollar enterprise. No, weonly have a few hundred bucks in the account. As you know, we allcontribute ten dollars each month but our expenses are not much. Wehardly have to buy anything, in fact." She peered at a sheet below her."We occasionally. That seems like a foolish thing to believe, and what could it have to do with Will and Katy being missing.Everyone here is walking and talking as if saying something will make more of the family disappear. Why they are doing that, I don't know. I suppose it is sort of like not talking about the Tong leader back on earth. You could never be sure that the person you were talking to wasn't going to report you or try to get a reward for turning over someone who was disloyal to the Tong.Worse yet.