"A young man named Eric visits a spa and gets far more than a massage."
In the bustling office of Downtown Incorporated, Eric Welles sat hunched over his desk, his fingers dancing a frantic tango across the keyboard. The room buzzed with the murmur of colleagues and the rhythmic tap of shoes on linoleum. At...
"Katie and Kieran come to an understanding."
The bottom abruptly fell out of Kieran’s stomach.His ears heard the words, but his brain refused to process them. Surely he hadn’t heard Katie Petersen say something so outrageous. Surely he hadn’t heard the governor's daughter, the most beautiful, most...
"Katie finally makes her move."
Kieran’s first thought when he saw the Grand Floridian Hotel was that it didn’t look like a hotel at all. In fact, with its vaulted red roof and conical spires, it reminded him much more of a castle, or perhaps...
"Katie and Kieran embark on their trip."
The next seven days were some of the longest of Kieran’s life. It was, he reflected, one of the great ironies of the universe that the more you’re looking forward to something, the slower time seems to pass. So it...
"Katie and Kieran begin to grow closer."
Kieran watched her go, his smile fading as utter confusion set in. He’d known of Katie, obviously. Anyone within fifty miles of town knew of the Petersens. He’d seen her around, but she’d never spoken to him before. In fact,...
"The Festival of Fertility finally begins."
As the Festival of Fertility grew closer, the atmosphere in the village was electric. The air was thick with anticipation and the scent of cooking meats filled every corner of Tlacloban. Bonnie lay in the communal hut with the other...
"The names of the girls are announced. Preparations for the Festival begin."
The following morning, Naka-Mur arose at dawn with an unusually somber expression. It was time, at last, to make known the will of the gods to his people and to tell all the Aiwaha which beautiful young women had been...
"Lin makes a life-changing decision. Bonnie's fate is decided."
Harwood and the girls stayed out in the fields for most of the morning. The work kept them all busy, so she had to wait until Tacotl called for a break to go find Naka-Mur and tell him of Bonnie's...
"The town princess wants to get pregnant. She doesn't plan on falling in love too."
Eighteen-year-old Katie Petersen had a skip in her step and a smile on her face as she headed for the bus stop one cold and clear February morning. Her school uniform was fresh from the dry cleaners, her teeth white...
"Bonnie explains her motivations. Metztli finally gets what she wants."
Everyone, even Dr. Harwood, stared at Bonnie in stunned disbelief."You're what?" Richard finally asked, breaking the shocked silence.Bonnie's grin grew wider, a glint of challenge in her eyes. "I'm going to volunteer. Why not? It's not like I've got anything...