All she had was a steamer trunk, but it was only half full because she was trying to be sensible about what she took. It would look weird if certain things were missing. Once it was all packed, they locked it up and told her to sit on it. Ramon and Star sat on either side of her. "Close your eyes, Lisbet," Ramon whispered in her ear. When she opened them, they were sitting in the middle of Ramon's giant living room. "How...?" Lisbet looked at both of them wondering at least a dozen things all at once. "Magic," Star smiled batting her lashes. "You'll know eventually. Just trust for now. Alright, sweetie?" Star was so cute, reassuring and sweet that Lisbet had to like her. Ramon's cell rang. "I have to go down to the theatre. Do you want to stay here or go along?" he asked the girls. "Can I change first?" Star asked. "Come with me Lisbet. Let's do something different with your hair." This time, they drove - in a car. They sat outside the theatre while Ramon went inside. "Are you feeling a little more comfortable now, honey? I'm so sorry that we had to meet like this and that we can't explain everything to you this now. Seriously, if we did you'd probably go screaming off into the night or it would break your brain. Don't be afraid of anything we may do. We can do things others cannot, because of who we are. We have to be careful though not to abuse what we can do or upset the balance of things - at least not too much. That's why Ramon could only save you, and not your friend. He had one choice and it was you." "Does he always stare at women like that?" "Girlfriend, can you honestly sit there and look me in the eye and tell me that if he was standing in front of you mostly naked, you wouldn't be staring? I don't think so!! "No," Lisbet smiled, blushing slightly. "I don't think I could tell you that." "You don't realize how pretty you are. You're gorgeous! Of course he's going to stare like that," Star winked. Lisbet made a derisive noise and rolled her eyes. "I'm fat." "You are not. I don't ever want to hear you say that again! You are 'voluptuous'. Yes, that's the right word. Tomorrow, after you get some rest, we're going to dye your hair. You decide what color or colors you want." "I like my hair." "You have beautiful hair, but we have to change you up a bit. You can't be you any more. I know you're French but I think you've been in Jolly Old a bit too long. Loosen up. Expand yourself. Experiment! Realize your full potential honey! That what it's all about! You think of a new name for yourself, too. If you don't, you'll be stuck with the one the Council gives you." "I'd ask, but I doubt I'd get an answer." "Look honey, I think all of this would be better coming from Ramon. I have a tendency to say more than I should and I've already had to bite my tongue several times. I was made to promise that I would not run my mouth - too much. I'm here to help you remake yourself, protect you, guide you and be a friend, if you want. Most of us are male and the ones that are female are not exactly girly. They're like amazon women and they have no clue how to be social. I guess that's my job," Star laughed, "but that's alright, we all have our places." ***** Thank you so much for dropping by dear friends. Your visits mean a lot :) Cheers to you all! Ray