father had to rely solely on his harem to assist him in times of need. After three brutal months of fighting, there was victory for Om-Am and the Klootzak Army was dismembered and used as feed for the animals. Whenever Simon saw that painting, he felt a strong sense of pride not only in his father but also in the harem 33 Jordan Krall members. These were beings that could have very well refused to do anything but instead they stepped up to the task of defending their home. It often made Simon a bit teary-eyed. Latrina offered Simon a seat. Can I offer you another drink? No, no thanks. I dont like what I saw in the first one. Simon laughed and rolled his eyes. Whats on your mind? She fixed herself a drink, a simple concoction of lemon juice and sweat. You usually dont look so ... tense. Simons eyes dropped to his hands which were tapping on the marble table in front of them. He gave a half-smile that came out looking like a nervous twitch. I had another dream. About June. Oh. Latrina put her drink down and took both of Simons hands into her own. How longs it been? Almost a year? She didnt belong here and you know that. Her face drooped causing wrinkles that reminded Simon of those on the soles of feet. Just because I know something doesnt make the reality of that fact any easier to take. Weve been through this before and I know its probably futile but can I look? One more time? He held Latrinas hands tightly. She shook her head. Youre going to see what youve always seen. Nothing. Shes gone. Gone back to where she belongs. Simon pulled his hands away. I just feel like somethings different. Like shes coming back into my life even though nothings changed. He got up from his seat. Im going to talk to Steven. His divination isnt as accurate as yours but Ill make due. He walked out sulking like a child. Latrina threw her head back in frustration. Idiot. 34 CHAPTER SIX After calling out sick from work for the second day in a row, Kevin went to the store to buy superglue. When he got home, he started attaching the sex doll parts. During this task, he felt the pieces sweat, felt the tiny hairs on the legs and armpits. The weirdness didnt deter him but instead just brought him that much closer to the obsessive goal of recreating this woman, his woman. He reasoned with himself. Im not a fucking weirdo, I know that. Okay, so its a little weird but still. Ive been doing this sort of things for years. Kevin remembered assembling model airplanes as a child. For hours he would lock himself in his room and glue plane after plane together while inhaling the fumes of the glue. In hindsight, he realized that there was a sexual element in his pleasure as if attaching each piece of the plane was like connecting two sex organs together. He remembered when he was ten years old he was putting together a F6F Hellcat and the fumes became too much for him. As he stumbled up from his bed he fainted on top of a magazine. The feature article was on the sitcom Diffrent Strokes and when Kevin awoke, actress Dana Plato was staring up at him. That was the day he got his first erection. He tried masturbating for the first time, one hand on his penis and one on his model plane as his eyes devoured Dana Plato. Kevin remembered that day as he glued together his newly 35 Jordan Krall found friend while Mithra ran around the apartment, chasing imaginary insects. God, whatever happened to Dana Plato? She died, right? Was she murdered? Wait, didnt she kill herself in a porno? Or she was in a porno or something. Wait, she was a lesbian, yeah, I think so. For a second, he imagined her face on the sex dolls body. The image slightly horrified him. A whiff of underarm sweat wafted up to his nostrils. Kevin smelt his own armpits. Its not me, he thought, so...He put his nose to the armpit of the doll and was shocked to find that it stank like it belonged to a woman who just ran three miles in ninety-degree heat. Putting his nose deeper into the armpit, he fondled himself. The