{{Thank you, Ama. I'll go back and read through all of this in a little while. I try to do so anyway once a week. It's no wonder that authors have to rewrite their stories over and over!

Oh, and thanks for the sweet little PM. I'll miss you guys, too! :heart: }}


"What?" demanded Allyson. When he didn't return an answer, she blused. "Oh."

A moment of awkward silence passed.

"Ummm... Do you want something to drink?" asked Allyson, heading for the kitchen, a bit fast-paced. "I have tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider."

JC followed at a distance.

"Uhh... I think I'll just have some water," he answered, leaning on the kitchen island.

"What?!" exclaimed Allyson, removing two mugs from the overhead cabinet and placing them sharply on the counter. "I offer you something hot to take the chill out of the night and you opt for water?"

"Well, my reasoning is quite simple. IN regards to tea, knowing you, you only have dessert teas, which are too sweet for my liking. THe hot chocolate you have in the powdered American kind, and" continued JC, opening the refridgerator door, "you have about a teaspoon left of cider. So, yes, I think I'll just have water."

Allyson narrowed her eyes. "I know! Coffee."

"You drink coffee?"

"Well," said Allyson, crossing the kitchen. "I normally wouldn't, but my mother visited back in July and left an untouched bag of Starbucks here." She climbed up on the counter to see on the top shelf of the corner cabinet. "So, I stashed it. Aa-hah! Here it is!" She pulled a bag down from the counter and showed it to JC, still kneeling on the counter top.

"Catch!" said Allyson, tossing the bag to JC.

"Good old French Roast. Excellent. But do you even have a coffee maker?" he responded.

"Look beside the fridge. I got one of those single cup things because it can also make hot water for tea and hot chocolate. It's faster than a microwave, too," replied Allyson, hopping down from the counter.

"I'm impressed," remarked JC, heading for the coffee maker. "Just wait until Jennifer and Tanya hear about this!"

"Tanya's still in Paris?" asked Allyson, bringing the mugs over to JC.

"Mm-hmm. She's teaching art at that American high school." He scooped coffee grinds into the top of the machine and placed the mug on the hot plate.

"That's great!" said Allyson, getting water for both JC and herself. "I should really e-mail her. I never got along as well with her as I did with Jenn, so I've barely thought about sending an e-mail now and then."

"I'm sure she'd be glad to hear from you."

A whine echoed through the house from Katie.

"Oh! Katie!" exclaimed Allyson. "Do you want your leash off, girl?"

Katie wagged her tail in response.

"Then come on over, silly!" Katie's nails clicked against the floor as she came trotting over to Allyson. Allyson unhooked her leash and gave her a good rub.

"Come on, girl. I'll go light a fire." Katie danced in front of Allyson's feet as she made her way over to the fireplace. Katie was excited that Allyson was paying attention to her. All evening she had been focused on the stranger who was now in the house. Katie wasn't sure if she liked this newcomer. He smelled funny and Katie didn't like the way he sometimes looked at Allyson. Katie growled quietly to herself.

"Katie!" scolded Allyson. "What has gotten into you, huh?"

Katie never acted like this. She might quietly buff for the first minute of meeting someone, but growling was a very rare occurance.

Katie returned Allyson's scolding with a look of remorse, and Allyson couldn't help but to rub her head.

"You, are just a trouble-maker," she remarked. Allyson then knelt and started the fire. Just as she was getting the fire ablaze, a mug appeared in front of her face.

"Thought I'd bring you your hot chocolate," said JC.

"That was sweet," replied Allyson, taking the mug from him and standing. They both sat in opposite armchairs, and drank their hot drinks. As they talked, Allyson lost complete sense of time, and she only noticed how late it was when she began yawning.

In mid-yawn, Allyson looked at the clock on the mantle.

"12:30!" she exclaimed, fighting the urge to jump out of her chair. Her exclamation woke Katie, who was napping in the warmth of the now-dying fire, causing her to bark with surprise. "Oh God! I haven't even started packing!"

"Do you need some help?" asked J.C. his eyes following Allyson as she rose from her hair and began making her way to the kitchen in a hurry.

"Oh, no, I'll be fine on my own," replied Allyson from the kitchen.

"Well, at least let me wash these two cups for you," insisted J.C., joining Allyson.

"If you insist," said Allyson. She set her mug into the sink and then rushed up the stairs to her bedroom. Here, Allyson pulled her suitcase our from under her bed and dumped it on top of the clothes she'd spread out earlier when getting ready to meet J.C. She threw open her closet doors and began rumaging for business wear that wasn't dirty and fir for high corporate meetings. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to choose from.

Allyson pulled out four outfits and spread them out over the bed below the suitcase.

"I like the pink one," said J.C., causing Allyson to jump, "Although the black really does say 'corporate'. Pink is more feminine."

"Then I'll be dull and take the black. It makes much more sense, especially as a first impression," said Allyson, decidedly.

"Now you just have to decide on casuals," said J.C., leaning against the door. Allyson glance backwards at him.

"Thank won't take too long," she replied, cooly as she placed the sleeveless black dress and its cardigan into the bottom of the suicase.

"Really?" asked J.C. "Because you are going to Bringham, you know."

"What difference does that make?" Allyson asked, halting her folding for a split second.

"Well, as I understand it, you must have left people behind in Bringham, like childhood friends and parents, that you are now presented with the possibility of running into again."

Allyson shrugged and crossed to her dresser. Above it hung a large mirror that her mother had given her as part of her house-warming present. She looked pale. Allyson touched her cheeks.

"What about some of the stuff under the suitcase?" asked J.C., moving to the bed and lifting the suitcase lid. In the mirror, Allyson flushed. "What did you pull all of this out for anyway?"

Allyson's blush deepened.

"Oh really?" said J.C., now thoroughly intrigued. Allyson spun around as J.C. held up a black dress with frilled short sleeves with white trim. "Cute. Why a 'no'?"

"It looked too flirty," said Allyson, crossing her arms.

Hey guys. So it seems to me as though we're letting this crumble a bit. So, I went and read through our posts, and it's kind of confusing having to keep up with three characters at once (do our readers agree?) Anyway, I think we either need to abandon this story-line, or re-vamp it so that only one character "speaks" at a time. PM me to let me know what you think.

Dear Readers,
If you have any opinion on the above topic, please PM me, okami, or Ama. If we do end up re-vamping the thread, it will be a lot easier if there aren't excess posts littered throughout. That's not to say we don't value your opnion, just PM us instead. Thank You very much!

Please ignore the above message!!! I accidentally posted it in the wrong thread!! So sorry!! :sweat:

Never. You posted this is the wrong thread!! Ha ha!

Oh my God! You're right, Okami!! I'm sorry! I'll go post that in the right place now. Man, I'm embarrased. Hopefuly you won't get floded with PMs!! ^.^

It's alright, dear. And don't worry, I haven't got a single PM yet!

As for everyone else, I will be updating soon, I'm just encountering a bit of writer's block (by the name of British Studies exam on Wednesday). Just be patient.

Nevermore, would you like me to hide the message? It wouldn't take very long. That way people don't get confused XD

Send me a PM if you want me to, because I tend to wander really slowly and forget things XD

Sorry everyone for any confusion caused by Never's mistake. I'm starting back up the story-line now! In case you don't quite remember what just happened, J.C. is "helping" Allyson pack and has found the outfits Allyson had rejected for her evening out with him.



"Too flirty!" remarked J.C. "Allyson, when have you ever been too flirty! You're one of the modest girls I know! This dress is neither low cut nor short skirted. I hardly consider it flirtatious at all."

"Are you going to be helpful or just comment on my rejects?" demanded Allyson as J.C. held up yet another outfit lying on her bed.

"At least take something for a night out," replied J.C., still admiring the article of clothing he held up. Allyson rolled her eyes.

"Give me that," she said, stiding over to him and pulling the chiffron blouse from his hands.

"Take this one," J.C. handed her a short-sleeved laced-over dress.

"It's short-sleeved."

"My dear Allyson, that is why God invented coats." Allyson had to laugh. The clock in the hall chimed 1:00.

"J.C. go back to your hotel," said Allyson. He sighed.

"Alright. I may as well get some sleep before another round of meetings tomorrow. Feel free to call me as soon as your out of yours; it'll give me a chance to duck out of Snoreville!" He gave her a quick bise on the cheek, and then was gone, leaving Allyson to smile contendly to herself.

CHAPTER THREE

As the plane made its decent towards the runway of Bringham International Airport, Allyson's stomach seemed to lurch upwards. This phenomenon had been occuring off and on throughout the entire plane ride and Allyson had no idea why, given that she had never been motion sick in her life. Even when encountering turbulence on a trans-atlantic flight to Paris her sophomore year. Unfortunately, these stomach jumps had occured more frequently the closer the plane got to Bringham. Allyson couldn't help feeling incredibly tense about this trip; she had some odd sense that things wouldn't go well.

Bringham International Airport was surprisingly small for an airport that catered direct flights to several different countries. And it was no surprise for Allyson when the pilot announced that they would be disembarking from the plan via a portable staircase; the gates at Bringham were usually full and so, about five years ago, they added a section for gateless disembarkment. She also wasn't surprised when Eric was one of the ones to complain. As the plane came to a stop, Allyson watched the scenery slow.

Everything was of course as familiar as the back of her hand, the low-lying hills in the North, and the Pebblestone Mountains to the West. And then the was, of course, the aerial of the city of Bringham itself. Bringham could easily be characterized as a green city, Allyson decided. The central park of the city was the outdoor mall and series of parks, the largest and most central being Hemmingway Park. Not a stone's throw away from Hemmingway Mall, was Bringham University, where Allyson had spent her freshman year of college. The university was fairly large, and added still more green space to the aerial map. From here it was not but a 10 minute walk north to reach the "real" downtown with skyscrappers and all the important city buildings. Out from this large central hub fanned the many suburbs and small commercial districts, dotted with a neighborhood park or two. The east side's industrial build-up was consider by many to be the only blemish to eco-friendly Bringham. Allyson could, of course, find a plethora of other faults--like how you could never find a good restaurant to eat at past 8:00 on the weekends, or that the university was taking over too much of central Bringham, making it unfriendly to younger students--but then, she'd lived her almost all her life.

But although Allyson was landing in a green paradise that she was unable to experience in Hudson, or even during most of college, she was apprehensive because, as J.C. had pointed out last night, she was bound to run into someone she knew. And what was she supposed to do then?

As the wheels finally hit the runway at Bringham International Airport, Allyson's stomach clenched so hard, she nearly choked.

Once off the plane, Allyson and Eric hurried through the airport. They had landed at 8:00 which left two hours to get breakfast and find Tower Games for the meeting. Allyson wanted nothing more than to have this trip done and be back in Hudson where she was safe from the past. Eric was on the other side of the fence, and tried several times, in vain, to get Allyson to slow down. Finally, he told her that she needed to eat something; she was awfully pale, after all. In fact, he would pay. Grumpy, Allyson had no choice but to follow Eric as he went into the ariport cafe for breakfast.

The hostess seated them at a table for two by a window that looked out over the runway to the hilld beyond. Menus were placed in front of them, and a waiter came to take their drink orders.

"Orange juice, please," said Allyson, setting her menu down on the table in front of her. As the waiter left, Allyson dropped her head into her hands, and rubbed at her temples. Traveling always gave her a migrane.

"Headache?" asked Eric. Allyson glared at him.

"Here," he pulled a bottle of ibuprofen from his backpack and handed it to her. Allyson took two pills with the water that was already placed on the table, and handed the bottle back to Eric.

"Well," said Eric, "Bringham certainly is well placed. Mountains and the ocean! Quite a little paradise, don't you think?" Allyson merely shrugged. "Oh come on, you have to admit it's nicer than Hudson!"

"Looks can be deceiving," returned Allyson. Their drinks were brought, and Allyson sipped on her orange juice. "I don't think I'm hungry."

"What?! Well, at least order some toast. You can't give a presentation on an empty stomach. Besides, eating will probably help that headache of yours." Allyson shrugged. The waiter returned, and Eric ordered for the both of them--toast, eggs, bacon, and sausage.

"I could have ordered myself," said Allyson.

"But you wouldn't have," returned Eric. Allyson had to admit that he was right; although she hated to do so. While they waited for their food, Eric continued his efforts to get Allyson to admit that Bringham was a paradise on Earth.

"Allyson? Allyson Grey?" came the sudden voice at Allyson's elbow. Allyson turned her head to find a thin woman with curly brown hair dressed in a pastel yellow pencil dress, white petent heels, a white sun hat, and large sunglasses.

"It is!" she exlaimed, removing her sunglasses to reveal crystal blue eyes. "It's Megan Lee! From high school!" She turned a chair from the neighboring table out to face Allyson and sat down.

"My God!" she breathed. "Allyson Grey. It's been so long I hardly know you! What are you doing back in Bringham? And who's the man?"

It took Allyson a moment to find her voice. "Uhmm... This is Eric. We're here in Bringham to meet with Tower Games."

"I see, I see. So we're a business woman, then, huh?"

"Yeah. Universal Graphics in Hudson, Illinois."

"Mm-hmm. What happened to that artsy teenager I knew back in high school, hmm?"

"Uhh... she graduated and got a good-paying job."

"Ahhh..."

"Wait a minute," said Eric. "You two know each other. And you used to live here."

"Mm-hmmm," nodded Allyson.

"We were best friends back at Bringham High," said Megan, cheerfully. "I'll bet you're wondering about me."

"Not particuarly," thought Allyson.

"Well, let's see. You transfered sophomore year, right?" Allyson nodded. "Okay. Well, junior year, I met Robbie--Robert Daniels, you know, the son of Mark Daniels, Alberta Publishing? In any case, I finished the pre-law program, and Robbie and I got engaged. Then, I went on to Harvard and Robbie climbed up through his father's company--he's the CEO now. We're getting married in June. Isn't it exciting!"

"Yeah. That's really wonderful Megan."

"So... what about you?" inquiried Megan. Luckily, Allyson didn't have to answer, as "Robbie" appraoched with drinks for the two of them. "Oh! Robbie, dear, I want you to meet Allyson Grey. We were friends way back in high school."

"Oh," said Robbie, raising his eyebrows. "It's nice to meet you, Allyson."

Allyson smiled.

"Allyson's out here on business."

"Is that so?" asked Robbie.

"Mm-hmm, with ... what was it you said?" continued Megan.

"Ummm... I work for Universal Graphics. Eric and I are here for a meeting with Tower Games. We're working with them on their upcoming game," said Allyson.

"Oh. That's very nice." An awkward silence followed, interupted only by the waiter with Eric and Allyson's food.

"So," said Eric. "Are you two traveling someplace?"

"Yes, actually. Ou flight to San Francisco leaves in an hour. Megan has just accepted a job at Banks & Banks, and so we're going out there to buy a house," replied Robbie. "My father isn't the happiest with my transfering to the office out there, but Banks & Banks is a great opportunity for Megan and I don't want to stunt any opportunities that come her way."

"Isn't he just the sweetest?" remarked Megan. Allyson nodded and cut into her egg.

This new affluent Megan seated across the aisle from Allyson with her overly-supportive fiancée was fast-becoming excessively annoying. Allyson couldn't stand the way she went on talking about herself and her "Robbie." Not once during the half hour of suffering through her talk did Megan actually take interest enough to ask Allyson how she was doing, or what she was doing, for that matter. It was blatantly obvious to Allyson that this characteristic was one thing that had never changed in her old high school friend. It was also one of the reasons why Allyson was able to keep from trying to keep in touch with her. It had proved harder for her other friends, but she was determined to stick to her new life and not look back at the past. The past was the past and to Allyson there was no point in revisiting it.

As the breakfast wore on, and so did Megan's chatter, Allyson grew testier and testier. A flight attendant came over the intercom to announce that flight United flight 287 to San Francisco was now boarding. Megan and Robbie left to board--they were flying first class--and Megan insisted on saying goodbye to Allyson in the usual manner of the classy--a bis. This kind of goodbye always made Allyson angry because those who practiced it in the US had no idea where it came from or even the proper way to give a bis. Nonetheless, Allyson obliged and the happy couple parted at last. Allyson's irritation did not, however, and Eric began to take note of it.

Eric had sat quietly, and rather awkwardly, across from Allyson through the whole meal, where he clearly noted her rising agitation. As time passed by, Allyson's replies to Megan became shorter and curter, and her movements to cut her bacon or eggs jerked more and more. Her jaw tensed more and more often as Megan's chatter ran on, and Eric thought for sure that Allyson would lose her cool at any minute. Indeed, Allyson had often snapped at Eric over more trifling matters than her current situation. Instinctively, he knew that her irritation had to do with something more than a chatter-filled breakfast with an old friend. Looking back, Eric realized that Allyson had been testy since this morning when he picked up early in the morning to head for the airport. He'd chalked it up to having to wake-up much earlier than necessary and expected that by the time they landed, her testiness would have evaporated. Apparently that wasn't the case, so her moodiness couldn't be directly linked to little sleep. The mystery of Allyson's moodiness and irritability drove Eric deep into thought.

If Allyson's irritability didn't stem from lack of sleep or from one conversation with an old friend, then what did it derive from? And why was she so quick to negate any positive comment that Eric made about Bringham? It was her hometown, shouldn't she care at least a little bit for it? Even if it wasn't that great of town, as she would have him believe, wouldn't at least fudge it over a bit with nostalgia? From what Eric knew about Allyson, which, admittedly wasn't very much at all, she didn't seem to have a bad background, so wouldn't there be some sort of good sentiments and nostalgia at coming back to one's hometown, if even for only a day or two? And why was she opting to stay at the hotel instead of staying at her parent's house? He was sure she'd said that they still lived here, so why wouldn't she want to stay with them? Perhaps she'd had a worst past than he thought she had.

Eric looked at Allyson's face thoughtfully. Her face was truly pleasant to look at, frowning in irritation as it was. Several years ago, after reading Jane Eyre, Eric become intrigued with the Victorian idea of physiognomy, and now he often referred to these kinds of "rules" when looking at someone's face. Allyson's physiognomy reflected the pleasantness Eric found within it. She had a high, slightly prominent forehead; a slightly large nose; a small, delicate mouth; and bright, green eyes beneath dark, straight eyebrows. All of this was encased on an oval face with a wispy frame of dark brown curls. And even while in the midst of frowning, the smile lines around her eyes and mouth were evident. He couldn't see a reason why any man wouldn't be attracted to her.

Thinking of this reminded him of that French boy Allyson had met with for lunch yesterday. He suspected that their relationship was more than what Allyson had said, and this made him slightly jealous. How was he suposed to compete with a French guy?

The movement of Allyson's friend and her fiancee drew Eric out of his thoughts, and he shook hands with them as they left to board their plane.

"Thank God!" exclaimed Allyson after the couple had vacated the area. "I was starting to get a headache!" They finished the last bites of their breakfast, paid their bill, and left to get a taxi to the hotel.

On the way to the hotel, Allyson's eyes remained glued to the familiar world passing by outside the taxi window. Here was Beech Park where she'd spend sunny Sunday afternoon playing after Mass; here was St. Martin's University Parish where she had her First Communion; here was Bringham Elementary School, the mall, the bright Farmer's Market, the aquarium, the mosaic park, the IMAX theater.... Every time a place with any sentimental value passed in front of the window pane, Allyson's heart let out a quiet, whistful sigh that her Reason quickly suppressed; there was no need to think of the past when she lived in the present.

To keep herself from her memories, Allyson, with effort, removed her gaze from the world outside the cab and kept her eyes fixed on the back of the driver's seat.

It took nearly a half hour to get from the airport to the Manor Hotel. The Manor, as it was affectionately called, was the most expensive and luxurious hotel in Bringham. Built in the early 1900s on the expansive grounds of the old Milner Estate to mimic the popular Holiday Camps in Great Britain, its four-story white wood front was impressive with a two-story veranda and central tower sporting a plethora of American flags. The cab was greeted by a porter, who, after discovering from the receptionist who the guests were and what rooms they would be staying in, took their bags upstairs for them.

From the Manor, the cab brought Allyson and Eric into the heart of Bringham's business district to the Wilson Commerce Building. The building was the tallest building in Bringham, and used to be the most modern as well. It was constructed entirely from glass in the shape of an egg. Although the building was quite inspiring, the interior was what made the building an attraction to tourists, as well as fifth grade classrooms.

When they entered the building, Eric's gaze was immediately captivated by its sheer magnificence. 20 floors above was another dome displaying an intricate stained glass landscape of the city of Bringham. The offices were located on layers and layers of balconys around the outer rim of the interior, leaving the ceiling visible from the lobby. Stuptified, Eric stared at the splendor of that ceiling with his mouth open like a schoolboy.

Allyson on the other hand was not affected by the splendor of the Wilson Commerce Building; multiple field trips to see the building in elementary school had disenchanted it. She was halfway to the elevators before she noticed that Eric was stuck just inside the doors. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and went to fetch him.

"You look like a six-year old," she remarked. Eric immediately straightened up, cleared his throat and fixed his tie.

"Allyson," he chided, "stop staring at the ceiling; you're a grown woman!"

"We're going to be late for our meeting," replied Allyson, ignoring his comment.

"Then what are we doing standing here?" demanded Eric. He headed to where he supposed the elevators were located.

"The elevators are this way," said Allyson, pointing in the opposite direction. Eric stopped.

"Maybe you should lead," he said, turning around.

Tower Games was located on the twelfth floor and the elevator ride up was smooth and accompanied by traditional elevator music. Eric was clearly nervous. He ran his hands through his hair repeatedly and his eyes kept darting back and forth.

"Calm down, Eric. You're not going to be on trial. Besides, we've already sealed the deal; we're just here to finalize things," said Allyson. He answered her efforts with a tentative smile. On the twelfth floor, they were directed by a friendly receptionist to the conference room clear on the other side of the ring. On their way there, they passed by room after room of computers and other technical quipment for the making of video and computer games. Employees bent over their work, or, in a few rooms, gathered around each others' desk chatting. It was like any other office.

The conference room was just like the rooms back at Universal Graphics with their long central table and white boards at one end. This room, however, had a much nicer view. The glass wall looked out to offer a stunning panorama of the city of Bringham at its most pleasant angle. From here you could see both skylines--the skyline of the upper district against the mountains, and the buildings lining the boardwalk and beach along the sea front.

{{Oh my God. It's been a month. I'm really sorry about that, my dear readers! I promise I'll have an update by the end of the week!!}}

{{Ok! So here's the update I promised for last week....}}

Looking out the window, Allyson found her eyes drawn to the west, where the majority of her memories dwelt. As the pair gazed out the mural of glass, the door to the conference room behind them opened. David Keyes, the founder and president of Tower Games strode into the room, followed by the many members of his team for this new project. Allyson and Eric were introduced, and then they took their seats in the places of honor next to the CEOs of the company.

“Thank you for flying out here on such a short notice, Ms. Grey, Mr. Rye,” began David Keyes. “But we wanted to get started with this project as soon as possible.”

“That’s perfectly understandable, Mr. Keyes,” replied Allyson.

“Good, then we’re in agreement. I received Mr. Graham’s e-mail about your suggestions, and I believe you’re right. If we don’t expand our genre a bit, then we’ll end up in just as a bad a pickle as your company has found itself in! I ran it past our creative directors, and Mr. Walt has come up with what I think is a brilliant idea. Mr. Walt, if you would…” Mr Walt stood, and moved to the end of the room to present. His tugged down on his suit jacket before beginning.

“I did a little bit of research on what games are selling right now, and I noticed that simulation games seem to be in high demand, especially Altas Games’ Living City series. So then I started thinking how you take that sort of game to the next level, without delving into army and combat simulations. And the idea came to me the other night when I was watching my daughter play with her dollhouse. We have these games dealing with the simulation of city that one builds and manages oneself, why not make those cities more personal and deal directly with the people inhabiting the cities? So instead of controlling a city, the player would be controlling the people and families living within that city.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” remarked Eric. “Kids all over the world enjoy playing dolls, even some adults do. And if you can’t appeal to society on that branch, you can always advertise it as playing God. I think it’s brilliant!”

“My thoughts exactly, Mr. Rye,” stated David Keyes, nodding to Mr. Walt. “Now the question is: how are we going to incorporate Universal Graphics?”

“Well, obviously the player will have to create the people, and then at least the house the family lives in, so that offers plenty of design options,” said Eric.

“And if you take a step further, say, allowing the player to create a neighborhood from certain templates, then you have more options, as well,” continued Allyson. “And the designers at Universal Graphics are certainly capable of generating designs for anything thrown at them.”

“Yes, yes, I suppose you’re right, but I of course want to use some of my own designers on the graphics team, as well. I suppose we’ll just have to have a combined team, which will mean relocating some of your designers, and perhaps even yourselves, to our location so we’re not trying to do everything long distance.”

“We’ll pass our decisions on to Mr. Graham, of course, but I’m sure we can find people willing to relocate for a while,” replied Eric. Allyson merely smiled her fake agreement. She was sure there would be people willing to relocate, but she was not one of them. She did not want to have to uproot her life when she was just becoming fully adjusted, especially if it meant coming back here to Bringham where her past reigned.

"Well, that went well!" remarked Eric, on their way out of the Wilson Building. Allyson nodded briskly. "What? Don't you think it went well?"

"I nodded, didn't I?" snapped Allyson, pushing the turnabout to leave the building.

"Well, yeah, but you wouldn't be snapping so much if something wasn't bothering you. So what is it?" Eric caught the door and followed her out.

"I'm fine! I'm just hungry, that's all."

"Hungry?! You ate two hours ago!" exclaimed Eric.

"A person can get hungry within two hours, Eric," said Allyson, stepping to the curb and raising her arm to hail a cab. Eric stepped forward and brought her arm down.

"Then let's walk around and find someplace to eat; I want to see part of the city I could be living in!"

"Well, then walk around!" snapped Allyson, pulling her arm away.

"If you'll remember, I don't know where anything is; I need a guide."

"If this is your way of asking me to show you around, it's a very bad method."

"Oh, come on, Allyson. We can go back to the hotel after lunch," bargained Eric.

"Fine," stated Allyson, heaving an exasperated sigh.

"Yes! Then where are we headed?"

"Downtown," said Allyson, walking down the street.

"Downtown? Isn't taht where we are?" asked Eric, walking along beside her.

"No, we're in the business district. We'll have to take the bus to get downtown. Bringham's layed out into a district grid. So you have the industrial and manafacturing district on the outskirts, and the shipping district along the northern edge of the coastline, and of course the business district, the comerical district, and all of the scattered residential districts. It actually makes it a lot easier to get around, having everything sperated like that," was Allyson's long reply.

"Hmm... interesting. So then, downtown is in the comercial district, right? Is that the rest of the coastline?"

"You would think so, wouldn't you? But, actually, downtown is more central. What's along the coastline is Old Town and some very expensive hotels and houses, of course. Here's the bus stop. The bus should be here any minute."

"The buses are that regular?!" said Eric, surprised. Back in the city, the buses were never on time, and even when they were on schedule, you usually had to wait anywhere from 20 minutes to a half hour for the bus. This was why the subway was always so busy.

"Uh-huh. They come every 10 minutes during the day, and every 15 after 8 PM," said Allyson, leaning forward to look up the street around the corner of one of the larger buildings.

"Wow. That must be nice," said Eric.

"It's convinient, I guess," shrugged Allyson. "Here it comes. If the price hasn't gone up, it costs a dollar."

"Not bad," said Eric, pulling out his wallet. "It costs $1.50 back in the city."

"That's why I never take the bus. In a lot of ways, it's cheaper to take the subway!" The bus arrived, and Eric and Allyson boarded. Allyson slid into a seat close to the back and next to one of the grimy windows, and Eric sat down next to her.

Wow. It's been more than a month now since my last little writing... sorry, my dear readers! I've hit a massive wall of writer's block! If anyone has any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them! And I promise to post something before I head off to France for a semester!

Hi, okamimyst.
In the future, I'm going to have to insist that you post your updates chapter-by-chapter, not bit-by-bit as you write them. While you may not have ill-intentions, it is cheating the gold system to have, say, four twenty gold posts when it should be only one.
What you can do is keep one post for each chapter from now on, and then edit the new bits into it, and then make a post in the thread to announce the new addition. :yes: That way you can still share things as soon as they're written, but the gold you earn for it is more fair. :)