"What can you offer us as an alternative?" You will govern a system, and raise our children, as they should be raised, in accordance with Tandra law. ...The Tandra Empire will flourish again, and all of us will have the rights and responsibilities of any citizen. I imagine you have heard of what it used to be like?" Yes, I have, and how will you bring this all about?" Most of those systems will be making weapons soon, to fight any and all aggressors. We have developed a new shield that does not. “Yes. I know I’m due in three weeks or so, but I feel fine. Just a bit tired, so if we don’t go out for ice cream I won’t complain.”“We’ll come straight home after the movie. Tomorrow will be a long day because of the party. I need to tell you two about a ‘fun’ development today.”The three of us joined hands and walked home while I explained what was going on.June 16, 1990, Chicago, Illinois“Morning, Jorge! Good to see you here!” I said when I walked into Alex’s restaurant on Saturday. The way the last rays of thesun strike the high, craggy mountains of my homeland to give them a pale bloodiness.The clouds, bruising from purple to a smoky blue, stretching where they will.The smell of night, that after-a-rain clean musk of soil and breezes carryingsap on the wind. The sound of it; that first swell of frustration and struggle,the dead in the middle of the night, the quickening of the early morning. Thecruel power I feel growing in me as the sky dies from blue to black. The. Bryan waited for everyone to leave the gym and then he went into the locker room. He found Michelle sitting there with an ice bag on her ankle. Bryan walks in and says, “Hey…. You alright?” Michelle says, “Hahaha I did this so my parents wouldn’t get on my butt on what time I get home tonight ;)” Bryan (Bryan’s dad is a math teacher at the high school. His dad gave him a key to his room just in case) grabs her hand and all her stuff and said come with me. Bryan takes her to the room opens it.