" All I knew was I was safe here. I felt safe here. I felt athome as never before. I was also realizing that part of that feeling wasbeing Cindy. I fe...lt safe as Cindy. To be other right now was to be scaredand confused. I wanted to be secure and unfettered by worry. It feltgood.I spent most nights curled up on the couch next to momma as we watched TVand snacked. She would brush her hand through my hair and smile. I worelots of flannel nighties and pink rabbit slippers. Dressed like that Ididn't. "The diminutive vehicle was dressed up to look like a typical one-quarter-scale Sa'arm small armoured personnel carrier by affixing lightweight panels to the sides, rear and front. The Lieutenant-Colonel ordered it to cross the range. It skittered across the gravel with only minimal difficulty, but the moment it hit the snow it spun around as one of the wheels dug into the soft snow. The top-heavy target careened onto its right side. As it keeled over ignominiously like a battered brontosaurus,. Mendoza opened the door slowly, to find her asleep slumped across the piles of books she had been so avidly studying. Mendoza slowly and quietly crossed the cabin to where she lay, deciding on taking her to the bed or covering her with blankets. Up til now she had been in her own little private cabin. Mendoza gently scooped her in his arms, and took her to the bed. Laying her gently down, he placed some soft blankets and his cape over her before turning away to undress. Ava stirred and. While he accepted them being with her, that was all he would tolerate. They couldn’t work out why he didn’t just court her properly. They had also noticed that Vincent didn’t spend as often flirting with the new debutante’s as he had in the past. If he did, it was usually only after a cutting remark from Ulani had him stalking away.Just to annoy the hell out of Vincent, the guys kept up their flirtations with Ulani. They gave her little gifts and vied for who got to escort her to supper or had.