.Something woke me. But was it something real or had I dreamt it?A sound.It was still dark, though I could faintly see a thin line of flickering orang...e around the door so the fire was still lit in the main room. The wind was still howling outside, blasting tiny pellets of ice noisily against the bothy’s corrugated roof. I concentrated, straining to work out just what I'd heard. Wondering if I'd hear it again.There. A quiet gasp. Like a sharp intake of breath …“Aah …”Then again a few seconds. Might help pay off those hefty student loans and..." "You really think I could get them to notice me? Look how short I am," Abby interjects. "Of course they would notice you; you're beautiful, Abby!" Brandon blurts and then wishes he could take it back. He cringes a bit and drops his head waiting for her reaction. They have always been good friends and he doesn't want to cross any invisible boundaries and ruin their friendship. Much to Brandon's surprise, Abby does not coil away at his. Now they had another good reason: they avoided some fraternal clashes that might arise. When the children grew to puberty, continuing the charade should have made them observe normal male female (incest) barriers. With Sophie's father unknown and birth mother deceased, there was no hurry revealing the truth because there was no one for Sophie to meet.But not everything can be pre-planned to perfection. Sophie was mentally ahead of the curve - way ahead. Her brother (Luke) was not gifted at. Tandy appeared to be in her late twenties, much younger than he expected. Her body, John noticed subsequently, was not resting on the bed, but was suspended on a strange contraption of ropes, metal bars and pulleys. “I hope I don’t make you feel uncomfortable. I am …you know… quite a sight,” she said. “Not at all.” Most of her body was in plaster. Her entire torso and her right arm, as well as her right leg (excluding the foot). Only her left arm was completely free, dangling by the side of.