farther forward. Based on her stance, Gaia could see that she had the smaller girlâs wrist in her meaty hand and was twisting. That was it. That was the final straw. Gaiaâs indignation overpowered her fear.
In a flash she leapt halfway down the alley, landing, Jackie Chan style, just behind the assailant. She stepped one foot in front of Largeâs right leg and reached her right arm out, grabbing hold of the intertwinedhands. Using all of the force of the right side of her body, she jerked her hand forcefully, causing the thwarted criminal to let go of her victim and flipping her over in an instant.
As soon as Large hit the ground, Gaia stepped squarely over her. âBack off,â she growled, hoping like hell that her rapid-fire heart palpitations werenât actually audible. Inside her head, the sound was deafening.
The diminutive victimâa mousy, washed-out blond who couldnât have weighed more than ninety-five poundsâtook the opportunity to bolt. She dashed down the alley at warp speed without so much as a thank-you to her savior, who was doing her best at the moment to avoid turning pale.
Gaia was used to passing out after a massive physical exertion. This didnât qualify. The waves of blurriness that danced before her eyes could only be attributed to her fear, she knew. This hadnât been a fight, had barely been more than a scuffle. She wasnât having a blackout, she was having a spaz-out, like a typical girlie-girl scared out of her wits.
Be careful what you wish for
, she thought fleetingly, unamused by the irony of the situation. She squelched the spaz urge as best she could, managing to squawk in what she hoped was a vaguely threatening tone, âPick on someone your own size.â
Large responded with an unimpressed grunt but didnât make the mistake of trying to move or otherwiseoverpower Gaia. She turned her head to one side, looking away and obviously willing Gaia to be off, finally. The crisis had been averted.
Gaiaâs heartbeat finally slowed. The immediate threat had passed. This girl wasnât going to fight back. She could do this. She was prepared for this. It was a calculated risk, and it had worked. She exhaled deeply, relieved.
She turned on her heel to leave, to resume the dayâs events as though theyâd never been briefly interrupted by superhero crime-stopping pursuits. As she stalked out of the alley, though, she couldnât help but glance back over her shoulder. Thankfully, Large was making no attempt to rise from the pavement. But Gaia noticed something she hadnât seen before. A glint of color against the black-and-gray asphalt.
Slowly, cautiously, she edged back toward the scene of the crime. Leaning forward, she could now make out a colored piece of paper flattened against the ground. It almost looked like the tattoo prizes that could be found in the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. She knelt down and peeled the paper up into her hand with her fingernail, studying the image more closely. A strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail during the scuffle dropped into her line of vision and she pushed it impatiently back. The illustration was unmistakable. It was a small square of white paper,and just in the center, gleaming brightly at her, were four perfect renderings of a bright, vivid polka dot. Instantly Gaia realized what she held in her hand, what she was looking at. And instantly a feeling of dread overtook her.
Oranges
.
gender dynamics
Ed had no idea who this hot-and-cold mannequin was.
The Order of the Day
FOR THE THIRD TIME THAT AFTERNOON Jake retrieved the crumpled e-mail printout from the back pocket of his jeans, smoothed it out as much as was possible at this point, and squinted at the address.
121 Canal Street
He stared again at the simple white door that stood before him. One twenty-one, no doubt about it. He inhaled deeply. The air was heady with exhaust fumes, exotic cooking spices, and ripe
In a flash she leapt halfway down the alley, landing, Jackie Chan style, just behind the assailant. She stepped one foot in front of Largeâs right leg and reached her right arm out, grabbing hold of the intertwinedhands. Using all of the force of the right side of her body, she jerked her hand forcefully, causing the thwarted criminal to let go of her victim and flipping her over in an instant.
As soon as Large hit the ground, Gaia stepped squarely over her. âBack off,â she growled, hoping like hell that her rapid-fire heart palpitations werenât actually audible. Inside her head, the sound was deafening.
The diminutive victimâa mousy, washed-out blond who couldnât have weighed more than ninety-five poundsâtook the opportunity to bolt. She dashed down the alley at warp speed without so much as a thank-you to her savior, who was doing her best at the moment to avoid turning pale.
Gaia was used to passing out after a massive physical exertion. This didnât qualify. The waves of blurriness that danced before her eyes could only be attributed to her fear, she knew. This hadnât been a fight, had barely been more than a scuffle. She wasnât having a blackout, she was having a spaz-out, like a typical girlie-girl scared out of her wits.
Be careful what you wish for
, she thought fleetingly, unamused by the irony of the situation. She squelched the spaz urge as best she could, managing to squawk in what she hoped was a vaguely threatening tone, âPick on someone your own size.â
Large responded with an unimpressed grunt but didnât make the mistake of trying to move or otherwiseoverpower Gaia. She turned her head to one side, looking away and obviously willing Gaia to be off, finally. The crisis had been averted.
Gaiaâs heartbeat finally slowed. The immediate threat had passed. This girl wasnât going to fight back. She could do this. She was prepared for this. It was a calculated risk, and it had worked. She exhaled deeply, relieved.
She turned on her heel to leave, to resume the dayâs events as though theyâd never been briefly interrupted by superhero crime-stopping pursuits. As she stalked out of the alley, though, she couldnât help but glance back over her shoulder. Thankfully, Large was making no attempt to rise from the pavement. But Gaia noticed something she hadnât seen before. A glint of color against the black-and-gray asphalt.
Slowly, cautiously, she edged back toward the scene of the crime. Leaning forward, she could now make out a colored piece of paper flattened against the ground. It almost looked like the tattoo prizes that could be found in the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. She knelt down and peeled the paper up into her hand with her fingernail, studying the image more closely. A strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail during the scuffle dropped into her line of vision and she pushed it impatiently back. The illustration was unmistakable. It was a small square of white paper,and just in the center, gleaming brightly at her, were four perfect renderings of a bright, vivid polka dot. Instantly Gaia realized what she held in her hand, what she was looking at. And instantly a feeling of dread overtook her.
Oranges
.
gender dynamics
Ed had no idea who this hot-and-cold mannequin was.
The Order of the Day
FOR THE THIRD TIME THAT AFTERNOON Jake retrieved the crumpled e-mail printout from the back pocket of his jeans, smoothed it out as much as was possible at this point, and squinted at the address.
121 Canal Street
He stared again at the simple white door that stood before him. One twenty-one, no doubt about it. He inhaled deeply. The air was heady with exhaust fumes, exotic cooking spices, and ripe
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