I smelled death and decay and rot on my blind date, even though he smiled with bright white teeth and dressed nicely and was handsome and funny and wore tasteful cologne. I never wore my nose plugs on dates or interviews or anything important. My grandmother would have told me never to wear nose plugs at all, but she'd lived in the country. She'd ( Read more... )

The persuader came to their house late that night, after they'd banked the fire and and made up their kits for the next day. They tried to bolt the door when they saw it coming, but all the persuader had to do was ask them, very nicely, to open the door for it. And in it came. It persuaded them to feed it their lunches. It persuaded them to start ( Read more... )

"Do you think they'll guess?" Nayla whispered, leaning closer to her sib-sister and running her long nails along the side of her face. "Never," answered Laya. "We are too clever for them, dearest not-sister." Layla chuckled throatily. "Most dear of not-sisters!" Nayla sighed and leaned against Laya, feeling the vibration of the spaceship ( Read more... )