Laura forced herself to stay in bed until 9:00.  It was Saturday.  It was the day you were allowed to sleep in.  Questions kept nipping at Laura like tiny dogs.

Who were the Conspiracy of Saviors?

What were they up against?

What's with all the strange events in Fredericton?

Laura sighed and turned towards the clock again.  7:30.  Ok, 7:30 was to early to go over and ask Abby, but it wasn't too early to get out of bed.

Liz was not pleased at losing her automatic hot water bottle.  She stretched -- turning herself into a very long and skinny cat.  Her stub tail waggled in irritation.  Then she curled up in the warm hollow left by Laura's body.

The yapping questions followed Laura into the bathroom. She shut the shower stll door on them and had her morning shower in peace.  The warm spray did much to relax her jumpy nerves.  She reveled in the scent of the fruity shampoo she loved.  She left the shower in a better state and was not able to wait patiently until a more social hour to call on Abby.

She stepped out of the bathroom into her hallway of a kitchen.  She plugged in the kettle and when searching for her tea bags. Her cupboards were filled with canned dinners and canned soups.  She found the tea bags stuffed in the tea pot her mother had given her as an apartment warming present.  Laura decided to go all out and brought out the dusty tea pot.  SHe emptied the tea bags onto the table.  SHe would have to find a better home for them later.  She rinsed the pot out in the sink and gave it a quick wipe with the dish cloth.  She put in a couple bags of orange peko tea and poured the boiling water from the electric kettle into the pot then let it sit.

She went to her dresser to decide what she wanted to wear.  She chose a comfortable pair of rust coloured cordoroy pants, some wooly grey socks, and another big fluffy sweater.  This one was brown with a tan stripe around the chest.  The stripe was decorated in an OXO pattern.

She chased Liz off the bed so she could make it. She then tidied up the few out of place items.  Her insides calm and her outsides tidy, Laura poured herself a cup of tea and sat in thought on one of the mismatched kitchen chairs.

Its not like she didn't want to join the Conspiracy of Saviors.  It beat being a web jocket for a company that didn't know or appreciate what you did.  They could find a replacement for her in a second.  The local colleges were turning out Multimedia Internet Specialist by the handful every month.  Some of them were even capable.

Laura sipped her tea.

It was exciting to think of being an International Monster Hunter. Jetting all over the world. Freeing people. Attacking monsters.

Was that what she was afraid of?  Her computer skills didn't make her a very good fighter. But maybe everyone didn't have to be on the front lines.  She could help by tracking down information.  Finding connections.  Ku'uaki did not say anything about actually going toe to toe with monsters.  That was Abby's job.

Now it was sounding more appealing.  She did not want to be in the limelight.  She was very well suited to be in the background supporting the star.

Laura took another sip.

Something was still trying to hold her back.

She was afraid of failing.  She was afraid of making a mistake and someone else getting hurt.  Or even dying.

She wanted to stay in her safe job.  Nothing new ever happened.  The whole corporation was based on things staying the same. I guess that's why they are eventually brought down. Life is built on change.  Living things change.  Living things grow.

Laura paused, her bottom lip barely touching the tea cup.

I want to live ... so I must change.

Liz decided that Laura had been still for long enough.  She hopped into her lap and settled her self with her back against Laura's stomach.  Laura put her cup down and started to stroke her cat.

Things were going to be ok.