Eighteen-year-old Katie Petersen had a skip in her step and a smile on her face as she headed for the bus stop one cold and clear February morning. Her school uniform was fresh from the dry cleaners, her teeth white and immaculate, and her strawberry-blonde hair hung down to her shoulders and swayed with each step she took. Today was a special day, one she had been looking forward to. Now it was finally here, and Katie wa...

Everyone, even Dr. Harwood, stared at Bonnie in stunned disbelief. "You're what?" Richard finally asked, breaking the shocked silence. Bonnie's grin grew wider, a glint of challenge in her eyes. "I'm going to volunteer. Why not? It's not like I've got anything to lose, right?" "Nothing except your life!" said Brian. "You've got, like, your whole life ahead of you!" "Seriously, Bonnie, have you thought about this at all?"...

It took many more attempts before Lin Ming was able to craft a blowgun that even approached the level of quality she was aiming for, and by that time it was late in the afternoon. Filled with helpless frustration and no small amount of embarrassment, she rose and followed Harwood and the others as the smell of food began to waft from the Great House. All around them, the people of Tlacloban were starting to prepare their...

While Isaiah was busy getting to know Metztli's children, Dr. Harwood was busy scribbling in her field journal. She'd already filled several of them with notes and observations on the Aiwaha and their language, customs, and culture, and there was no end in sight. Every day brought something new, something fascinating to explore further. She bit her lip as she sketched several Aiwaha men returning to Tlacloban with fresh g...

Alex spent the rest of the day squirming with anticipation. She tried to preoccupy herself with other things, like doing some more shopping, taking a nice walk in the park, and even squeezing in a quick nap, but her mind kept wandering back to the evening ahead. She had never been with a couple before, and the thought of being the one in charge, of initiating the shy girlfriend into the world of kinky pleasures, was a hea...

On the other side of the village, Lin Ming sat alone in the hut she shared with the rest of her group and ran her hand across the jaguar pelt over and over. Harwood and the others were off doing something else, but she’d needed some time to process what happened and the professor had understood. Lin was having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that someone, a man, did this for her. I am nothing special, though, sh...

Leslie had been staring at her budget sheet for the past few hours. There was no mistake: she was in trouble. She had just finished her second year of college, and her loans were starting to get out of control. Worse, she had no money to pay for her apartment after the next month. Just to pile on, her car had just broken down, meaning she was going to have to somehow scrounge up money to get a new one while also having no...

The ride home was a blur of anticipation and raw nerves for Alex. What would she tell her parents? What if they found out? But as the taxi pulled up to her house, she realized she didn’t care anymore. She had tasted a freedom that no amount of scolding could ever take away. If tonight was the night her secret career was revealed, so be it. At least then she wouldn't have to live a double life anymore, and that would be a...

One of the reasons jaguars were so hard to hunt, Zolin reflected as he padded through the jungle, was that they left nothing in the way of a visible trail. They were like phantoms, appearing to human eyes as if by accident, and lingering for only scant seconds before vanishing into the green depths of the forest once more. Even finding their scat was difficult. Just finding one was a challenge in and of itself, let alone...