First thing's first.
I have a Twitter! Yes, it surprised me too, but I decided that some people like Facebook, some people like Tumblr, and some people like Twitter. My Twitter name is @LynZineStories (I cannot believe that LynZine was taken. Who knew?) You can also follow me with that little black box to the right. But, if you prefer, here are the links to the Twitter page and the Facebook page.
https://twitter.com/LynZineStories
https://www.facebook.com/LynZine
http://lynzine.tumblr.com/



Alright, social media stuff out of the way! Now on to the <strike>fun</strike> important stuff!

Did everyone like the week of stories? Perhaps it should be a monthly event?

I'm also very excited about a 1930s series I'm working on called "Miss. Magic". I've even started writing and posting articles on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as a lead up to the release. 

The fifth installment of Out of the Shadows.

Felicity watched the man sitting next to the window like a hawk. Not that anyone would notice that she was. Felicity hadn’t looked directly at him since she handed him his order. This was bad, very bad. Felicity fretted, though giving no outward sign of her distress. She knew that guy, or at least, knew of him. He was Jiang Chen, known on the FBI most wanted list as John Chin, spy for hire.

Felicity knew he didn’t recognize her. They’d never met face to face, though she had defeated him in a round about way when she stymied one of his employer’s plans. Her face was probably rattling around somewhere in the back of his mind. That wasn’t the problem. He wouldn’t recognize her unless she did something to draw his attention. The problem was that he was watching the building across the street. The building where most of the café’s costumers came from. The building where Sally worked. Felicity was stuck. She couldn’t exactly call the cops. Nothing could be traced to her. Why did she even care?!

Felicity’s phone pinged with Sally’s order. The phone chime heralded a bell in her own mind. This was a stupid idea, but she was going to do it anyway. Felicity prepared an extra cup of coffee. When Sally walked in Felicity kept their usual banter to a minimum. Then she handed Sally the extra coffee and asked her to give it to John Howle. Felicity was grateful that Sally knew practically everyone so that she didn’t have to specify ‘head of security’ in front of Chen.

Ten minutes later, Howle walked in the café. Felicity met his eyes, looked at Chen and back at Howle. Howle glanced at Chen, then placed his order. Felicity almost took a sip before giving it to Howle. That would look weird. She popped the top on the cup. Howle took the cup but didn’t drink it. He walked over to a table, taking Chen’s picture subtly enough that it was obvious to Felicity he’d done this kind of thing before. (Though not nearly as much as her and Chen.)

Felicity’s shift ended and she fled the café as quickly as she could while still looking casual. The arrest of ‘John Chen’ was on the news that night. There was nothing to tie Felicity to it except the cup in Howle’s office. Scribbled under the brown coffee cup sleeve were the words “Get down here. Now!”

My first ever attempt at a scary story! Not exactly my line, though I used to dabble in psychological twists. I thought that I really should have posted a scary story during my week of a story a day (with it being October), so this is me rectifying that. Comments are always welcome! May you have chills and thrills.



Dean crashed through the brush that grew thick under the black trees. How was he supposed to know Valerie had a boyfriend?! She certainly never said anything! A string of curse words ran through his mind as he heard Valerie’s boyfriend, Hank, shouting after him. Hank was far too close for Dean’s comfort. Dean plunged deep into the woods.

It wasn’t long before Dean was hopelessly lost in the dark forest. Every time Dean thought he’d lost Hank he heard something, a crash in the distance, the ear-splitting snap of a twig that sent him scrambling in the other direction. Finally, Dean’s legs gave way. He was on his knees, breathing heavily. The trees were so thick that he had no way of knowing the clouds had moved to cover the moon. A shadow shifted behind the exhausted man. It moved noiselessly towards Dean, until it was directly above him.

Dean’s scream echoed for miles before it faded away to nothing.
 
 
 
Hank’s anger had long since been replaced by fear. All he’d been able to think about was getting his hands on the rat who had been making out with his girlfriend. That had been hours ago. Now he wandered the woods, his cell phone out of range and low on battery. He really should know this area better! Hank berated himself. He was out there often enough partying. It was the only place he saw Valerie, since she lived out here. But Hank had never really gone into the woods alone… and never at night.

Hank jolted as something skittered away in the brush. Probably just a rabbit, Hank shook himself. It was eerie how clearly he remembered his grandmother’s stories about these woods. They always ended with a whispered warning to stay out of the forest. Hank swallowed. It was just a bunch of superstitious nonsense he thought he grew out of when he was nine. But here… It didn’t feel like nonsense anymore. Hank shook himself. Get a gri-

A scream pierced the night. Hank froze. That wasn’t an animal. Hank began to run. Blind panic dictated the direction. He had to get out of these woods! It was inevitable that he would fall. Still, he tried to move forward, using the trunk of a tree to pull himself up. Hank’s hands and knees were bleeding, but worse than that, his ankle twisted awkwardly when he fell. Hank could barely put his weight on it. He limped onwards. The moon appeared between the trees. Hank was grateful for the light, though it wouldn’t be long before it was covered by another cloud.

Suddenly Hank realized that if he could see the moon the tree must be thinning. He limped faster, hope surging through him. Hope that turned to ash when he realized that it was just a clearing in this endless forest. At least it would be out of these ominous trees. He’d stay there till morning. His path darkened as he made his way to the clearing. Hank glanced up. The cloud had drifted in front of the moon again.

Something hit hank from behind. He stumbled forward, he was struck again. Hank fell. The second he hit the ground he turned over to look at his attacker. He gaped. Valerie stood over him.

“Oh, thank god!” Hank almost sobbed in relief. Valerie began to laugh. Hank stilled. There was something wrong. Valerie looked different in the shadows. When Hank’s eyes dropped to her hands he saw they were coated in blood. Hank touched the back of his head. His hand came away wet and red. It was his blood on Valerie’s hands. His sense of dread increased as Valerie’s laughter grew.

The woods were full of her empty laughter.

“Is it ready yet?” Ronin demanded. He glanced nervously between the window and the witch.
 
“These things take time!” Kali snapped. She was striking the plants in the bowl repeatedly, trying to reduce it to a mash as quickly as she could.
 
“We might not have time.” Collins ran into the room. Spots on his clothing were still smoking. A few bruises were starting to form and there was a cut in his shoulder turning the fabric of his once white shirt red. “The outer barrier just came down. We need the banishing spell now!”
 
“Maybe you should have told me that before you summoned a demon!” Kali shouted. She through down the stone and coated her forearms and hands with the paste.
 
“You said he was your ex!” Ronin snapped, somewhat defensive but mainly fearful.
 
“We thought that mean he was safe!” Collins added frantically.
 
“I also said he was a monster! Remember that?!” Kali was writing runes on a mirror with the paste coating her hands as quickly and carefully as possible.
 
“We thought it was a metaphor!” Ronin stared anxiously out the window. The second ward fell with a flare of orange and a rumble of thunder.
 
“It wasn’t!” Kali reached for him and yanked out a tuft of hair.
 
“Hey!” Ronin yelped, grabbing the back of his head.
 
“I need it.” Kali set the changeling’s hair on fire and blew the ashes over the mirror. Ronin looked dejectedly over at Collins, his terror momentarily forgotten.
 
“Do I have a bald spot?” He asked moving his hand.
 
“Not the time for that.” Kali tried to throw her hair over her shoulders and out of the way without breaking pace or getting past on it.
 
“I don’t see one.” Collins assured Ronin before he grabbed a clip off the table and pulled Kali’s hair out of her face.
 
“Thanks.” Kali muttered distractedly. She worked on the spell another three minutes. Outside two more wards fell in a flash of purple, green, and blue.
 
“I’ll see if I can hold him off.” Collins said standing.

The fourth installment of Out of the Shadows.


Mary stared blankly at the coin sitting on top of her cousin’s headstone. Evan had been killed in action years ago, but Mary still visited his grave often. Mary’s shaking hand reached out to steady herself against the cool marble of the stone. It supported her the way that Evan did when he was alive. Mary saw a lot of coins on Evan’s headstone. A penny was left after someone visited. They left a nickel if they trained with him and a dime if they served with him. You only left a quarter if you were with someone when they died.

Evan was separated from his squadron before he was killed. Mary didn’t know all of it through the tangle of classified red tape, but she knew that Evan died alone. So why was there a bright and shiny quarter sitting on top of his grave? The light reflecting off the quarter blurred along with the rest of Mary’s vision as her eyes filled with tears. The single thought in her mind was an echoing question. Who left a quarter on Evan’s grave?
 


Felicity knew that visiting the young man’s grave had been low risk, but it was the first thing connected to her old life she’d done since she went into hiding. She couldn’t help being a little bit paranoid. Felicity changed buses again, swapping out her wig and clothing between them. It had been a foolish thing to do, to visit the grave, but when she’d noticed the cemetery on a map it had nagged at her: especially with Sally suddenly waxing poetic about the importance of keeping promises.

Felicity had never intended to keep her promise to Evan. Her promise to leave a coin at his grave. She thought it was just his way of forcing her to get his body back to the USA and she’d done that. It had been easy to arrange for his squadron to find the corpse. Now that Felicity lived an extended bus ride away from the military cemetery where he was interred it was harder to think of an excuse for why she shouldn’t go. No one would be watching for her there Going would fulfill a dead man’s last request, something that all of her rational mind said didn’t matter because the dead were dead. Except apparently now it mattered to her.

So Felicity went. She thought about the young man she’d had the brief privilege to know. Felicity stood at the head stone, uncertain of what she should be feeling. In the end, Felicity sighed and put a quarter on the marble marker, unhappy, but unable to truly regret her actions that day. It seemed a bit macabre for her to leave a quarter there. Then again, Evan would probably appreciate the irony. That was the kind of guy he was.

Felicity wasn’t expecting a trip down memory lane when she accepted Teddy’s invitation to a movie marathon with his college friends. She’d been looking forward to it. Hanging out with other people for fun was one of the perks of her new life. It had taken some time to become accustomed to, but as Felicity’s initial wariness wore off she found that she enjoyed it. Felicity had been amused when she arrived at the theatre to find it was Spy Saturday and they would be showing spy movies from the forties to the present. Teddy waved her over, excitedly.

“These can be pretty silly.” Teddy admitted. Misinterpreting Felicity’s raised eyebrow. “But it’s funny to pick them apart.”

“They aren’t that silly.” A brown haired boy rolled brown eyes. “Just because our Teddy is a film snob.”
“I am not a film snob!” Teddy quickly denied. He turned to Felicity. “I’m not.” The half concealed grins and snickers from the other four suggested otherwise.

Felicity didn’t have to pay for her ticket. This was an activity for the Cinema Critics, a college club, and if six people came the club paid. One of the Critics had dropped out last minute, so Felicity was filling in. “Is this the Sasha who came by the café a few months ago?” Felicity inquired.

“That’s the one.” Teddy nodded. He nudged the boy next to him, a slight smile on his face.

“Well, then,” Felicity shrugged off her jacket and tied it around her shoulders. She pulled the front of her shirt so her neckline went a little lower, and then flipped her hair over her head, leaning over as she ran her fingers through it. When she flipped it back into place it was in a side part. Felicity’s entire stance had changed.

“Just call me Sasha.” Felicity said brightly. There was a spit second of silence before the Cinema Critics were stumbled over themselves, demanding how she’d done that. Was she an actress? Felicity stood there in Sasha’s borrowed stance, chest slightly forward, one hand habitually resting on the curve of her waist, feeling somewhat pleased with herself. Until one of them, Taylor, started pestering her about a role in his student film. She was mildly relieved when Teddy asked her to stop imitating Sasha before she creeped everyone out.

It was cool inside the theatre. A concessions bar lined one wall; popcorn machines and few games littered the lobby. There was even a comfortable sitting area for people who wanted to take a break from the marathon. Felicity counted three easy exists and two unorthodox ones if things got dicey. Which they wouldn’t… The Cinema Critics led Felicity to the best seats, dead center, with more than enough space in front of them to be able to get up if they wanted to. They peppered her with more facts about various films that she never wanted to know before the lights dimmed and the marathon began.

Another Secret Origins story for Hel on Earth. Same universe (and characters) as the Bodyguard.

Stephanie was way too overqualified to be a secretary. She knew it; her boss knew it; and anyone who looked at her resume knew it. Someone who had degrees in computer science and engineering, who spoke three languages, could have better career than personal assistant to a billionaire with ADD.

Stephanie met Andy Stone in college. He’d been irritating and she had been rude. Anyone who commented on her miniskirt (which Andy had) without noticing that it was inspired by the Daleks from Doctor Who (which Andy had not mentioned) was not worth her time. Stephanie was the classic definition of a knockout, with long blond hair and legs. She was also just about the biggest fangirl it was possible to meet. Stephanie learned Japanese just so that she would not have to wait for the subtitles of her favorite anime. She went into computer science and engineering because she thought that if anything SciFi related was going to happen anytime soon it would be in that field. And she wore clothing inspired by her fandoms to filter the boys interested in her looks from the boys interested in her interests… and her looks.

Andy, as it turned out, was interested in her brain. Not long after the incident with her miniskirt Stephanie snidely made a comment about a mistake he’d made in his programming. She hadn’t known at the time that Andy was a “self-made” genius. It was rare for him to make a mistake, and rarer for someone else to catch it. The next thing Stephanie knew she was being paired with the man for every project in every class they shared. Stephanie quickly learned there was more to Andy than a slightly older than normal rich frat boy. He knew a lot more than she expected. Andy had very nearly gotten a degree in chemistry and biology before proceeding to computer science. He left that before he got his degree too.

By the time Stephanie obtained her degrees, Andy’s billionaire parents were insisting Andy take a more active role in one of their companies. Andy offered to pay off Stephanie’s student loans if she’d work as his personal assistant. At first she said no. That was when Andy used her weakness. He took her to robotics demonstrations that his company was running. He showed her behind the scenes work about advanced AI programming that the company was doing. He even let her look at classified plans for the space program for a government contract.

Stephanie accepted the job. Not because of the loans, or the exorbitant salary, but because if anything interesting (a.k.a. SciFi related) was going to happen during Stephanie’s lifetime, Andy Stone was going to be right in the middle of it. Stephanie wanted to make sure that she was involved too.

The second installment of Tides of Trade. Sequel to Danger of Drowning.

Jennifer was having trouble sleeping. Ever since she saved Kevin, and wrangled a heartfelt promise from his parents that he would never throw stones at mermaids again, she’d heard mermaid song drift through her window. Mermaid song was beautiful, eerie, but beautiful. Men could be lured to it; women were immune. None of the men had gone missing, despite the nightly serenade. No one in town was sure why a mermaid was singing each and every night.

The song made Jennifer restless. She was grateful that Alfred, the second prince of Nearsea who relied on her to assist him with paperwork and logistics, was out of town. Jennifer didn’t have as much work to do while he was away. Finally Jennifer couldn’t take it anymore. She kicked off her blankets and got dressed, and then she went for a walk. Jennifer moved through the town, towards the bluffs she knew so well.

Jennifer caught a glimpse of the mermaid as she reached the top of the bluff. It was strange. The mermaid had pulled herself up out of the water on to a stone jutting out of the waves. Most of the time mermaids stayed in the water, their heads barely above the surface, impossible to spot in the black surf. Seeing a mermaid so exposed was rare, and novel enough that Jennifer found herself moving down to the shore for a closer look. The song seemed to falter a moment, then strengthen on Jennifer’s approach.

Jennifer walked down to the edge of the waves and began to walk along side them. The moon was waning, but still close to full. Jennifer could see the mermaid clearly in the soft white light. Jennifer’s breath caught slightly as she recognized the singer as Marisol. Jennifer hesitated, turning slightly to go. Marisol lifted her hand and started forward. She almost fell off the rock and her song wavered a moment. Jennifer stopped and looked at her, perplexed. Marisol settled back down and inclined her head, indicating the rocks that stretched out into the water just up the beach. Jennifer didn’t move. She used to visit those rocks to look at the tide pools as a child, jumping from rock to rock to see how far she could go. Jennifer was not doing that in the dark with a mermaid that she’d fought just nights before staring at her.

Marisol nodded at the rocks again. She was making it clear that she wanted Jennifer to go there. Jennifer shook her head. Marisol visibly tensed. Jennifer could hear it reflected in the tautness of her voice. It wouldn’t do to offend the mermaids. Jennifer hesitated. She pointed at a thin outcropping of shore with water on both sides about ten minutes away from her. It was shallow on one side and deep on the other. Jennifer would feel safer there. Marisol relaxed slightly and Jennifer started walking, accompanied by the mermaid’s music.

When Jennifer walked out on to the narrow stretch of land, the mermaid’s voice faded away as she slid into the water. Moments later Marisol’s head rose above the surface on the deep side of the shore. “You look tired.” Marisol said. “It’s cute.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Jennifer remarked drily. “You’ve been keeping me up the past three nights.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Marisol replied, sounding thoroughly unrepentant.

“You should be.” Jennifer crossed her arms. “You’re making people nervous.” She smothered a yawn.

“I’m not sorry for that.” Marisol smiled. “But I will pull it back. If only to insure that you get a decent night sleep.” Marisol splashed water up at Jennifer with her tail. Jennifer did not jump back in time.

“Oh, that’s mature.” Jennifer shivered, soaked to the skin for the second time in less than a week because of the mermaid. Marisol laughed.

“Go get some sleep, Jennifer.” Marisol advised. “I’ll sing a lullaby and then be quiet.” Jennifer looked down at Marisol.

“Thanks.” She said exhaustion coloring her voice.

“Don’t thank me yet.” Marisol smiled predatorily.

“Why?” Jennifer asked, wary despite her fatigue.

“The next time I sing, you come.” Marisol told her gleefully. “And if you don’t, I’ll keep singing.” With that, Marisol dove beneath the waves. Jennifer watched her go. She was too tired to argue anyway.

Jennifer made her way home. An eerie lullaby began as she walked. When she got home she collapsed into bed and drifted asleep to Marisol’s calming melody.

The second installment of Out of the Shadows. Sequel to The New Life.

Felicity was pointedly ignoring the costumer trying to get her attention. He was a rather slimy lobbyist who had taken a shine to her. Felicity wasn’t certain how to respond to his advances. In her old life, she’d have led him on (if he was a mark) or taught him to respect her through a broken finger or two (if he was a colleague). In either case she’d have moved on in a matter of days. Now Felicity was in the same place every day and unable to take any real action against the man who came to “buy coffee”. Felicity had needed to reconsider her strategy.

Thus far, letting him down gently, telling him she wasn’t interested, and inventing an imaginary boyfriend all had zero effect on the man. Today she was trying the age old method that if you ignore a problem, maybe it will go away. Felicity was low on options. She was seriously considering falling back on some old, more permanent, methods of dealing with nuisances.

“Here’s your coffee, General.” She said pleasantly, putting the cardboard cup down between her and General Morris.

“Thank you, my dear.” The general picked up the cup but seemed reluctant to move. Felicity frowned internally. Why wasn’t he leaving? He was going to be late for his meeting. The object of Felicity’s loathing shouldered his way between Felicity and the general.

“Hey,” He leaned over the counter towards her. His breath reeked of expensive alcohol. “Can I get some sugar?” Felicity turned her back on him, mildly disgusted. “Hey! You can’t ignore me!” The man snapped indignantly, finally catching on. “I’m a paying costumer!” Something slammed behind her, Felicity whipped around.

“No! You’re not!” Felicity had thought it was her drunken stalker, instead she found Teddy standing resolutely between her and the man, his hands rigid on the counter where he had slammed them. He glared daggers at the man who’d been harassing Felicity. “You’ve been bothering her ALL WEEK. Leave her ALONE!”

“You can’t talk to me like that!” The man spluttered.

“Yes, I can!” Teddy jabbed a finger at a sign next to the cash register. “We have the right to refuse service to anyone and we are refusing service to you. Get out!”

The man set his jaw. “I’m not going anywhere.” He snarled. Felicity moved around the counter.

“I think you’d better leave, son.” General Morris said firmly. The general’s aides were on their toes, both military personnel themselves.

“Make me.” The man challenged them all. His hands curled into fists. General Morris’ mouth tightened.

“I’m warning you, son.” He raised his hands in a placating gesture. It had the reverse affect. The drunk man threw a punch. It was wild, unprofessional, and probably wouldn’t have hurt much if it had connected. It never got the chance. The fool was immobilized before he even realized he’d struck out. All around the room there were slow expressions of dawning comprehension as what they were seeing registered. Felicity holding the unwanted admirer securely in a chokehold. What none of them knew was how closely Felicity had come to snapping his neck. The man made a strangled sound as Felicity adjusted her grip to something less potentially lethal.

“I have tolerated your presence up to now as an exercise in patience.” Felicity said in a controlled voice. “But you just crossed a line.” The man tried to say something but Felicity quite literally cut him off with a tightening of her arm. “I’m not finished.” Felicity said tersely. He quieted. “Now, you are going to get out of this café, and you aren’t going to be back. Do I make myself clear?” Felicity felt the man swallow against her arm. He made a meek affirmative sound. “Good.” Felicity was about to release him when something occurred to her. She turned him towards the general. “Apologize.” She loosed her grip slightly.

“Sorry.” The man rasped, unable to do much more. Felicity turned him towards the door.

“Get out.” She shoved him away. The man stumbled as he bolted for the door. Still a bit woozy from the alcohol. There was a moment of silence as the bell rang his departure. Felicity flushed red. She’d made a spectacle of herself. Then a young woman started clapping, it wasn’t long before the entire café joined in.

“Damn, Felicity.” Teddy gaped at her, but a smile was forming as he lifted his own hands to clap. “I guess that we were being overprotective!”

“That we were.” The general laughed. Something subtle flickered in his eyes that she couldn’t catch.

She was the one who had been overprotective. She'd lashed out far too quickly and effectively to the aggression towards Teddy and General Morris for a mere barista. It might have blown up in her face, but she guess that was part of having friends.

 This one's a bit of a monster. The Bodyguard is a prequel to a longer story I've been working on called Hel on Earth. Hel on Earth is a favorite among my friends who have been dying for me to actually write it out. I will! But I wanted to write a bit about some of the characters you won't meet until the second story, just to get an idea of them. The first story The Stolen Soul will come out within a few months... Hopefully... I'm having some trouble with the hook.

Either way the Bodyguard is very long, so if you only have a minute I'd recommend you go back and read yesterday's story, The New Life, or one of the older Blog Stories, like Living with a Hero or the ever popular Cause and Effect.

Forgive the lack of information on the Hel on Earth page. I lost the original cover before I finished painting it, so there isn't even artwork. I'll whip something up soon. Promise!

I hope that you are enjoying this month's story a day challenge! Leave comments for The Bodyguard here! (I'm not entirely sure how to enable comments on a standard page. I'll look into that.)