That Was Then
Late Winter
Early Spring
- 1 - Lilac
- 2 - Departure
- 3 - Escape
- 4 - Consequences
- 5 - Girl Power
- 6 - Pivot Points
- 7 - Sewing Bees
- 8 - If At First ...
- 9 - Moving On
Late Spring
- 10 - Green Ham
- 11 - Shopping
- 12 - Arguements!
- 13 - More Shopping
- 14 - Routines
- 15 - Yet More Shopping
- 16 - Too Close For Comfort
- 17 - Blood Trail
- 18 - First-Aid
- 19 - Semblance Of Normality
Summer
Late Spring
10 - Green Ham
"Cheese please", said Lottie.
Sophia-Grace, slice of bread in hand, didn't respond.
"Cheeseey, wheesey, cheesey, pleaseey", sang Lottie, holding out her hand.
"Sorry, what?", queried Sophia-Grace.
"Cheeeeeeeeeesssssssseeeeeeeeeeeee!!!", squealed Lottie.
"Ok", answered Sophia-Grace, placing ham on the bread and passing it to Lottie.
"I thiiiiiiinnnnnkkkkkkkkk", giggled Ona, while Lottie carefully removed the ham with slightly opalescent green edges and replaced it with two slices of rubbery cheese, "your Sis wants a 'Deano Buttie' for her lunch!"
Giggling, Lottie and Ona resumed their game at the back of the bus. The anthropomorphised animals had escaped from the wildlife park and were travelling by boat (a box Deano had adapted for them) across Simgaea having many fun adventures. The panda and seal were currently watching the tiger stalk the orangutang, wondering when it was going to eat it for dinner.
Slice of bread hanging from her hand, Sophia-Grace watched Deano, as she absent-mindedly placed the ham Lottie had so carefully removed, onto the bread.
Deano was flat on his back, shirt off, half under one of the bench seats towards the front. Whatever he was doing was sending interesting ripples over his stomach muscles. With a final grunt, creating a pattern on his abs that Sophia-Grace had to fight an urge to trace with her finger, he rolled out from beneath the seat.
"Thanks", he said, reaching for the sandwich. Sophia-Grace mutely handed it to him, mesmerised. Giggles and laughter erupted from the back of the bus.
Sophia-Grace was alone in the bus, she'd hung back, pretending to look for something, after they'd packed away lunch. Lottie and Ona had gone exploring, she could hear them laughing and shouting from the rocks behind the bus, while Deano was doing something outside. She knelt and peered under the seat. It was the one she sat on while they travelled - not so far back that she couldn't see out the front, but not immediately behind Deano so it didn't look like she was keeping an eye on his driving. She could make out nothing in the gloom under the seat.
"I've fixed the squeak", Deano said from the front steps.
9 - Moving On