*** Where once was nothing, now a dreadful rhythm ringed true. What it was was all it could be, a living pulse, granting life once again. Now aware as...flesh began to knit, the broken shards moved away to allow his lungs resurrecting breath. Raven was numb and his flesh felt almost alien. Aware only of some terrible threats distant and far away, yet too close for escape, he must stand, he must fight. Vengeance! Shattering the tranquil void with raw furry as muscles burned, a violent storm. . and, my inexperience. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.”Sarah snorted. “It’s never stopped you since I’ve known you.”I ignored her remark. “I invited her to the Junior Prom. We did the whole thing ... Tux, prom dress, dinner at Webster’s ... I think Andrea expected it to be the Big Night. When it wasn’t -- well, she dumped me in a rather abrupt manner.”“Oh, you poor boy. And ever since you’ve held that against her.”“No -- that wouldn’t have bothered me, either. You see, right around. ‘Close your eyes’, I commanded. ‘Relax’. She did as I instructed and took a deep breath. I could see the apprehension of the unknown release from her body with my soft touch. I slowly caressed her arms up to her shoulders, then touched her face with the back of my hand. ‘So here are the rules’ I said, noticing an eager curiosity as she reopened her eyes. ‘I will tell you what position I want you in, what panties I want you to wear, all that. You will change in the corner of my bedroom. Since. Gerald took a moment to study Mary's license. "Mary Sealy, from Boone, North Carolina. You just turned nineteen. Well, Mary Sealy, let me guess, this is probably your parent's address, right? Is it possible that you father really is a preacher? Is that much of your story true?" Yeah," she responded morosely."So you're one of those wild preacher's kids. Ever done anything this stupid before, Mary?"She didn't answer, but her expression said a lot. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with them.