"Yeah" said the woman at the bar at the Faculty Club. "I devoted my life to the study of deserts, tried to get people to appreciate them for the fascinating, rich, environmentally diverse communities that they are. Did a couple of PBS specials, served as president of the Society for the Study of Deserts one year. Kind of seems like a waste now. All those species going to go extinct, maybe outside of zoos--all those fascinating adaptations. Did you know there's a mouse that metabolizes water so efficiently its urine is actually solid? Dead as the dinosaurs. Hit me again."
She sipped her freshly-made martini and turned to the woman on the next bar stool. "So what do you do?"
"Prostate cancer research."
The TV above the bar was showing an interview with a former Olympic weightlifter, now a sweet-looking, elfin girl. She was having trouble opening jars.
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OK, thought Shelly, this is one of Master's weird tests--he wants me to obey only him and no one else. She seized the knife from the strange woman and stabbed her face. Blood came everywhere as the woman sought to protect herself. Shelly kept stabbing, going for the body, until the woman stopped moving. She waited for Master to come. Maybe she could stab him!
Then she noticed that the dead woman in the room had a tattoo of an eagle, in the exact place under the arm where Master had his.
Suddenly Shelly was hit with a shock as she felt her body change. The many sorenesses and pains and scars that were the legacy of the sadistic treatment she had received over the years vanished, as her body was restored to health and youth. She looked down, and saw shapely curves, not the skinny body that years of undernourishment and hunger had produced. Even her mind seemed to be working better than it had in years. Was this some trick of the Master's? It did not seem like the sort of thing he would do, even if he had the power.
Cautiously, Shelly left the dead body behind and went forth to explore the house, knife in hand.
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A mental picture of an evening out for drinks with Mary and Lucy flashed through Elizabeth's mind. Three hot young things, and a thirtysomething trying to keep up, like someone trying to be the hip mom. I can't do this, she thought, I just can't. "I'm sorry" she said "I"ve got something else going on tonight. Maybe Robbie could join you."
She handed the phone to her wife. Mark and Luke had been her friends, much more than her husbands, but soon she heard Robbie gabbing away like she and Mary had been friends forever. They made a date for drinks at a bar for young people, whatever that concept meant anymore, not the kind of quiet cocktail lounge Elizabeth preferred.
If I go to Maria's thing, Elizabeth thought, I can bring Billie with me--I'm sure they're child-friendly.
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"I'd love to" said Regina. "How about you, Aziz?"
"Sounds interesting enough. I wonder if there's a universe where everyone turned into gay men?"
James chuckled. "Probably." He led the women through the door under a sign reading "Choose Your Own Universe."
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"Your record as a jobs counselor is impressive, although I admit it took us sometime going through old records to find it. Frankly, a whole lot of people are going to need what you do, as the economy reshapes itself for the great change. I mean, imagine how many businesses catering to men are just obsolete. What do you think it's like for someone who sunk their life savings in a menswear chain franchise right now? Or, heaven help us, everyone who went into geriatric care when then was going to be the big thing. And how many more women will need to be served? And changes in physical strength, in appearance. I'll be blunt--someone with your experience is a hot ticket. Can you start Monday?"
Sabrina Carter smiled. "I'd love to."