Summertime Blues, by MagicianX
Chapter 1: Cherry Bomb
***
It was three o'clock when the sun dimmed and the clouds rolled in. Cara Ashton, flat on her stomach and stretched across a beach towel, regarded the darkening sky with disapproval before turning to her sister.
"I think we've used up our Saturday," she observed, bobbing her chin upwards at a particularly foreboding cumulonimbus. "Ready to go?"
JJ's eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, and Cara was unable to tell whether she had been asleep

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX
Chapter 2: Bad Reputation
***
Saturday morning found Cara rounding the corner of Carpenter Street and Holden Avenue, sweating and breathing hard, but feeling strong and content as she neared the end of an hour's running. The rainclouds had spent themselves over the previous night, and the new day was hot and bright.
"
Light a candle's end / You are a light turned low
," sang her iPod, and she mouthed the words along with it as she passed a fragrant tree heavy with

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX
Chapter 3: A.C.D.C.
***
"
All right, guys, we're back and that was
Basket Case
, from what anyone with any kind of taste agrees was Green Day's first truly great album,
Dookie
. On the other hand, if you're like my wife and think that
Dookie
is where Green Day sold out, then you probably live in a hollow tree and still listen to eight-track tapes.
"
"
Hold up there. Let's not insult our tree-dwelling fans."
"You're right. To any squirrels or birds out there, my

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX
Chapter 4: Love is All Around
***
Over the next few days, Cara found her usually rock-solid willpower faltering dangerously. She managed to resist rereading the issue of
Gourmand
until the weekend, but ultimately gave in and devoured it several more times cover-to-cover. When she was certain that she knew every word by heart, her mind committed further treachery by reminding her that JJ held another half-dozen issues in her possession.
"No way," she muttered, and

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX


Chapter 5: Crimson & Clover


***


"Cara! Hey, Cara!"


Without turning away from her mirror, Cara awarded JJ's reflection a cursory glance. "What is it?"


JJ was leaning in through the doorway, a hanger in each hand. "Which one should I wear tonight? Cool or cute?"


There was a brief moment of silence as Cara finished applying her eyeliner, then turned to regard JJ's selections. She surveyed them with some derisio

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX
Chapter 6: Light of Day
***
The computer on Cara's desk gave a
plink
just as she entered the room, hair still wet from the bath. She moved to check it, sighing. Sighs had become increasingly frequent since the visit to Blackmill.
There was an email in her inbox, sent from an unfamiliar address. She opened it with curiosity and some apprehension.
Dear Miss Ashton,
I was delighted to read your message and can almost guarantee that you would be welcomed into our pro

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX
Chapter 7: I Want You
***
Summer was ending, and throughout Michigan Falls, the youths who would once again be students cursed their fortunes. Those who had procrastinated rushed (or, more often, were dragged) to purchase supplies and hunt for last-minute bargains on new clothes or backpacks. Others with more foresight did their best to take advantage of the day, and the local mall, movie theaters, and restaurants were flooded with adolescents desperate to pack as

Summertime Blues, by MagicianX


Chapter 8: Activity Grrls


***


The lights in the private lounge were low and warm, scarcely more than pinpricks of amber scattered around the ceiling. In the soft glow, the couches and chairs were reduced to vague contours; the EB-0 was the most solid form in the room, resting in a corner where it had been placed for safe-keeping. Something pale and sheer lay on the carpet beside it -- a discarded draping of cloth, a golden 'B' just visible within the fo