Falling Stars (Shooting Stars 5)

that!" Ice said with her eyes wide.

Cinnamon stared at her a moment and then

smiled.

"You know, there's no reason why you can't

make them your trophies. Men think that sex is

designed for their pleasure only.

"But that's far from true," she added. She

looked at Rose. "Am I right. Rose?"

"I don't think of either of us as a trophy," she

said softly. "As long as you both respect each other.' Cinnamon seemed disappointed in her

response. She looked like she was searching for an

ally in her war with the world.

"I'm tired," she said, rising. "This conversation

is to be continued."

Rose and Ice got up as well.

"What's first tomorrow?" Rose asked. "After breakfast, we all meet with our specialist

in the morning, and then in the afternoon, we're all

meeting with Mr. Masters to perfect our consonants

and vowels," I said.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with my

vowels a good laxative wouldn't fix." Cinnamon said. For a split second, all of us looked at her as if

she had gone mad and then, we all laughed so hard I

was sure, thick walls or not, we would bring the boys

back out to see what was happening.

No one came.

We said good night and I began to prepare for

my first night in a strange house, sleeping in a strange

bed,

After I washed and put on my nightgown, a brand-new one Mommy had bought me. I sat at my vanity table and brushed my hair, just as I always did. For most of my life, my Uncle Simon lived across from my room at home, above the barn in a makeshift apartment. Sometimes, he would sit at his window and watch and listen to me practice my violin before I went to bed. For him. I suppose my window resembled a television screen. When I was older. I realized I had to pull down my shades when I was dressing and undressing, of course. although I never saw or felt him looking at me in any lustful way. He was always so protective of me, doing my chores for me, especially if he thought Grandad had given me something to do that was too hard. It was almost as if I had a second father, or maybe an older brother watching over me, giving me a sense of security.

I surely could use him here. I thought, and then suddenly realized that my thoughts had gone to him because I had the strangest feeling I was being watched right now. I gazed in the mirror and shifted to the left a bit. My heart stopped and started. There was a shadow in the window behind me.. I was sure of it, because a moment later, it was gone.