" Mitch grabbed his coat. "Mom said Maria was going to try to call on Skype, so I want to be there. Be back in plenty of time, though." How's she doin...g?" Ryan asked, and the others echoed her."Good so far." Mitch nodded. "It's quiet, for the moment. I did have an email this morning, and she said thanks for setting up the Facebook thing. The unit's been getting a kick out of the messages people have been leaving." Great." Ryan squeezed Lara's shoulders; her friend had done all the work setting. In any case, she had no wish to follow her father's footsteps and work as a farm-labourer. She'd already suffered more days of her life than she cared to remember bent over in the fields picking root vegetables and berries. There were much more rewarding careers in London. She might be able to work in a shop. Perhaps she could serve in a coffee shop. Maybe she could even work in an office. Such things were surely not beyond the reaches of possibility.The journey to London was long and tiring.. I wished him to take the bait and attempt to win the corner. ‘Well,’ I said. ‘I will ensure he doubles it to eight if you beat me.’ I waited for him to ask what his forfeit was to be should he lose. But he was already deep in thought. He played like a coward. Perhaps, I thought, he had heard from my father of my prowess in the skirmish-play. I soon had secured three corners, and had him struggling for his life in the fourth corner. Eventually he passed his move. But I refused to end the game by. For instance, she was completely sure that I would go away somewhere after High School, and forget all about her.Like that could happen.And, when she was at the peak of her cycle, her control slipped badly. She didn't know why it was slipping badly then - we only figured that out later - but when that happened, if I was there, her control over things got ... stressed.So, when I came over one night in December, and there was a brand new hot tub on the back deck, and she wanted to try it out ....