Andrea Stevens
by an anonymous author
Andrea looked out the window. Snow. Lots of it. That late in March. Unpredicted, and ruining her plans. Oh well. She would make the most out of it. Andrea had been organizing a girls night. Not an easy thing to do around here. It was at least 50 km to the nearest town, and that didn't have much to offer for a girls night. Also, with kids and husbands to take care of, most women she had invited found it difficult to be away from home for more than an evening. Andrea didn't have those problems anymore. Although formally still married, Jim was traveling most of the time, trying to sell the latest DIY gadgets to every hardware store in the country. Once every three months or so, he would call her saying he would be home the next day, sleep most of the time for three days straight, mow the lawn, and be off again. Andrea didn't quite understand the lawn mowing thing. Some sort of territorial thing, maybe. As for their children, Jamie and Lisa were wonderful girls, but they were going to the university now, making lives of their own. Andrea had decided it was time for a change. Organizing a girls night for her friends seemed to be a safe start. Deep inside, Andrea felt the party might also be a good-bye event, but she hadn't admitted to it yet, let alone told it to someone.
Organizing entertainment out here had proven even more difficult than she though it would be. Yet the Tupperware (TM) party turned out to be fun. The saleswoman was nice and witty, and she restricted herself mostly to selling stuff that was actually useful. After that, there had been cake and coffee, and then a combined cosmetics and "upperware party". A couple of her friends and neighbors had been given a makeover, and they looked really stunning. The women were having fun trying out spicy underwear and talking about some of the toys depicted in the catalogue. Somewhat to Andrea's surprise, none of the women were very shy, and there had been a lot of skin to see. Even to a point were Lisa, who had come over to help her mother with food and drinks, had felt a little awkward.
The top of the bill was going to be Tony the Magnificent. He was the nicest looking entertainer that actually wanted to come out this far, and his price was reasonable. He even promised to put together a girls night special. His secretary/assistant had called five minutes ago that they were stuck in the snow, and that they wouldn't make it.
Oh well. It had been fun. More so that Andrea had anticipated. Time to make some fresh coffee and tell the others that Tony bailed out. She had just started the coffee machine when the bell rang. Moving into the hall she saw that Lisa had already answered. In the door stood a woman in her mid thirties. She was wearing a thick winter coat, gloves, snow boots and ski trousers. All Andrea could see was her face. A friendly face, somewhat pale but with a healthy blush. The woman said to Lisa that she was stuck in the snow and that the cell phone network was down and asked if she could make a call.
"Of course you can", said Andrea, waving the woman in. "The phone is in the study. Right this way. Can I offer you a cup of coffee to warm up?"
Andrea ushered the woman into the study, pointing to the phone, taking her coat and introducing herself to the newly arrived guest. The woman replied that yes, she would love a cup of coffee, that she wouldn't take long, and that her name was Annabel.
Five minutes later, Annabel was sitting in the living room, drinking her coffee and considering her options. The weather forecast was now predicting more snow overnight. She would not make it to her destination tonight. None of her colleges would, either. As Andrea passed by (carrying a tray of home-made biscuits), she asked if there was a hotel nearby.
"A hotel? The nearest one is 45 km to the south. But I wouldn't recommend it. Bad reputation".
Another option gone. And sleeping in the car in this weather wasn't a good idea either.
"You can sleep here, if you want. Some of my friends are staying overnight and the house is big enough. You can have Jamie's room if you want to. There is plenty of food for tonight, and breakfast will not be a problem either."
Before Annabel could answer, Andrea disappeared into the kitchen. Sleep here? What a generous offer. Annabel decided to follow Andrea into the kitchen. "Are you sure that's ok?"
"Of course. I can't send you out again in this weather. And as I said, the house is big enough. It's nice to have it filled with people for a change."
"I don't have that much cash..."
Andrea shook her head. "I don't want to hear it. You're our guest tonight, just like the rest of the bunch."
"Thanks," said Annabel. "That's very kind."
"You're welcome."
They both moved into the living room again. The women in there had finally convinced Lisa into a makeover. She was wearing a wonderful set of black silk underwear, and the cosmetics saleswoman was demonstrating a new line of products targeted specifically at young women. The demo was done very well, highlighting Lisa's best features with barely noticeable splashes of color. Lisa looked stunning, and Andrea felt proud.
"You have a wonderful daughter," said Annabel.
"Yes. I have another daughter. Jamie. Blond hair instead of black. Two years older and equally stunning. They are doing great at the university as well. The best of what Jim left me."
Sensing some tension Annabel decided not to ask about Jim.
"So, Annabel. What do you do for a living?"
Annabel hesitated a fraction of a second. "I'm a magician."
"Really? You don't know Tony the magnificent, do you?"
"Tony? I've met him a few times. Why?"
"I had him booked for tonight but he's stuck in the snow, just like you."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Andrea's eyes suddenly sparkled. "Could you perform for us? Tony the magnificent insisted on being paid in cash, so I have the money here. That would be great. You do have your equipment with you, don't you?"
Annabel hesitated. "I have some of my equipment in the van. But I don't have my assistants..."
"Isn't there anything you can show us? Lisa and me could assist you if you tell us what to do. We already have a little stage set up in Jim's workshop. It's a more cozy place than it sounds. It's heated, and we can make more room if you want to."
Some more hesitation of Annabel.
"You would save the day," Andrea said, in a voice that would melt a significant section of the polar ice cap.
"Maybe I should first tell you about the type of show I do", said Annabel.
With that, she moved a bit closer, and whispered something into Andrea's ear. Andrea seemed to be taken aback a little. She thought about what she heard for a couple of seconds, and then made a decision.
"I'm still game, if you are. I have promised a show to my friends, after all. Just tell me what to do."
"You don't actually need to do anything. Everything is self-contained. In fact, the less you know, the better. But I think you should let me show you some of the costumes you would be wearing. Then you can decide."
About an hour and a half, things were ready for the show. Lisa had been left to run things in the house while Annabel and Andrea set things up. Much to Annabel's surprise, Andrea had little or no concern about the costumes, even though Annabel suggested it might be a little risky to perform like that in front of her friends and neighbors. With a little help from Annabel zipping and lacing up, Andrea put on the first costume. The costume fit Andrea quite well. In fact, Andrea seemed to fit the costume in a way Annabel had never seen with any of her regular assistants. Annabel insisted Andrea should wear it a while to get used to it. Putting on thick winter clothes over the costume, she went outside and helped Annabel driving the van up to the side door of the workshop. Together, they unloaded the equipment. By the time they were finished Jim's workshop almost looked like a real theater, complete with backdrop, sound system and lighting. All the guests moved over from the living room. Not even Lisa had been able to get any info on what was about to be performed. Since Andrea was involved in the show, Lisa inherited the role of hostess and did the announcements with flair.
"Ladies." The women settled down and looked at Lisa. "As you all know my mom promised you a show tonight."
Nodding and confirms form the audience. "According to plan, we had invited Tony the magnificent, who promised a girls night special. Unfortunately, he couldn't be here because of the snow." Some signs of disappointment.
"However, fate brought Annabel to us. She is a magician and has agreed to present us some highlights from her show. Exceptionally, her assistant tonight is my mother, Andrea Stevens. As far as I can tell, they've never met before, and I've been asked to stress that there will be no camera tricks. So without further ado, here are Annabel and Andrea."
As Lisa returned to her seat, the lights went dark except for a single blue spot centre stage. On cue, Annabel walked out on stage and into the circle of light. She was wearing a big black cape, which was hiding all of her except her head. Her hair was a flaming red and her makeup was designed to bring home a single message: sweet and dangerous. Taking of her cape, she revealed herself wearing a black figure-hugging leotard and a pair of black boots. The material of the leotard had the strange property of showing off her figure while at the same time making it hard to pinpoint her exact location. Annabel folded her cape into a rectangle about 1 meter wide and 40 cm high. Stooping down, she held the cloth to the floor, and then moved it upwards. As she did that, Andrea gradually came into view: feet, legs, body, head. Annabel discarded the cape to the side with flourish. The audience applauded politely, until they realized what Andrea was wearing.
Andrea herself hadn't realized the impact her costume would make. She was wearing a black leader full body suit. The fit was more than skin tight, showing off her body in the best possible way. Worked into the suite were cuffs for her wrists and ankles, with steel rings worked into them. She had a belt around her waist, which seemed to have been pulled at least three stops too tight. She was wearing a leader choker, which also had several steel rings worked into it. Her long black hair had been gathered in a pony tail and was pulled through one of those rings of the choker and tied down. In this way she was forced to keep her head up high, which helped drawing attention to the bright red ball gag that was jammed between her teeth. Lisa's jaw hit the floor.
By now Andrea was very aware of being centre-stage in a very tight, kinky outfit. When she had tried it on before, there had been a lot of slack, making it feel like an innocent mock-up of a fetish costume. Somehow, it had changed into the real thing: a tight leather body suite showing of her body and restricting her movements.
Annabel seemed to have changed also. She had the same pale face as before, but the healthy blush had changed into a stern face, with straight dark lips and a cold glow in the eyes.
Grabbing her at her shoulders, Annabel turned Andrea so that her back was facing the audience. This showed that the waist section of the costume had a build-in corset, with hooks and straps to pull things extra tight. Annabel started working on the straps. Andrea was now forced to take very shallow breaths. She tried to signal to Annabel that things felt tight enough as it was, but Annabel reacted by clipping her wrist cuffs to the waist belt, keeping her hands out of the way. Annabel managed to take Andrea's waist down by almost an inch. She also pulled the pony tail somewhat tighter, forcing Andrea's chin even higher. She then turned Andrea so that she was facing the audience again, and finished by clipped a leash onto the choker. Most of the audience was staring at Andrea with their mouths wide open, and quite a few of them forgot to breathe.
Leaving Andrea alone for a minute, Annabel moved to the side of the stage to pick up some equipment. Changing the stage lights into bright yellows and reds, she moved a strange-looking table and a Perspex box to the centre of the stage. An unintelligible music started playing, just loud enough to provide a somewhat ominous soundscape. Using the leash, Andrea was led to the table. As Andrea sat down onto the table, Annabel picked up the Perspex box up and showed it up close to the audience. The box was made of thick sheets of Perspex joined together with strips of chromed metal and thick bolts. The lid was made of two pieces, each solidly hinged at three points. When the two parts of the lid were closed, they left a big open hole in the middle. Annabel also pointed out a smaller hole on one side of the box.
Putting the Perspex box down again, Annabel gestured to Andrea, who moved to the middle of the table with some difficulty (with her hands still clipped to her belt, and her movements and breathing restricted by the corset and the ball gag). Mounted to the table was a strange construction: a set of bars almost looking like the frame of the back of a chair, and in from on that two catches looking somewhat like snowboard bindings without a bottom. As Andrea sat with her back against the metal bars, Annabel started pushing Andrea's legs back, until her feet were caught behind the catches. Then, Andrea's hands were unclipped form her waist, and folded in front of her chest. Finally, the Perspex box was put under the table, lid open. Only when Annabel moved to the back of the table and started cranking a handle it became clear what was going to happen: bits of the table started moving, and formed some sort of chute towards the Perspex box. At the same time, the iron bars enclosing Andrea moved inwards. The purpose of the whole contraption was to squeeze a non-contortionist into a small Perspex box. Andrea only figured it out a couple of seconds before the audience. She had felt the pressure increase on her body already tightly strapped in, and had tried to get Annabel's attention to raise some sort of protest. She had run out of breath quickly, and her attempts at shouting were barely audible. Annabel seemed to have missed it anyway. Now Andrea noticed how the support fell away beneath her. She failed to notice how she didn't feel any pain.
Slowly, Andrea felt herself slide into the Perspex box. Her feet were pointing inwards, with her toes closely together. Her knees were somewhere close to her shoulders, pushing her arms into her chest.
After 2 minutes, Andrea was finally completely in the box. The table was moved up and out of the way. In the middle of the stage, brightly lit, was Lisa's mom, wearing black leather fetish gear and packed tightly in a Perspex box, with only her head sticking out. Before closing the lid, Annabel took Andrea's left hand and fed it through the hole which was now on the right of the box (left for the audience). Then she put something around Andrea's neck which looked somewhat like the top part of an inflatable life jacket. She finally closed the two parts of the lid, trapping Andrea's neck in it, her pony tail still pulled tight forcing her chin up. The lid was a tight fit.
Going to the side of the stage again, Annabel retrieved a lift on wheels (normally used for moving heavy stage gear or a medium-size safe). Connecting four chains into hooks bolted to the four corners of the Perspex box and turning a crank, she lifted the box and Andrea about 1.5 meters. Blocking the lift in this position, Annabel went to the side of the stage once more, and retrieved a set of stainless steel spikes. These were put under Andrea's box.
Andrea forgot being cramped into a tiny box at this point, and started worrying about the spikes. She had no doubts whatsoever that these spikes were real and sharp. With her buttocks, she now also felt small holes in the bottom plate of the box she hadn't notice when she was squeezed in. The holes seemed to be in a pattern rather similar to the arrangements of those spikes.
As Andrea was considering the spikes and the bottom of her box, Annabel retrieved the leash that was still fixed to Andrea's choker. Annabel threaded the leash trough the top pulley of the lift, and then gave it into Andrea's hand sticking out of the box. Finally, she threaded a small plastic tube through the pulley as well, and connected it to a valve of the inflatable device (easily reachable due to some clever design of the box). Finally, everything was ready.
Annabel checked the setup one final time, flashed a wicked grin, and then did two rather unspectacular things. She undid a safety catch on the lift, and switched on a small electric pump mounted on the base plate of the lift.
It took a while before everybody realized what was happening. Andrea was the first to understand. She felt her hand holding on to an increasing weight, and at the same time she felt a pull on her neck. It took her a fraction of a second to realize she was literally holding herself up. It took her even less time to remember the spikes beneath. She was worried now. She was pretty sure the spikes were real, and she did not know how this trick worked. She hadn't asked, and Annabel hadn't told her. She squirmed a little in her box, trying both to get some slack and to get some attention from Annabel. Annabel was a couple of steps to the left, watching.
Andrea's friends and daughter were also watching. They saw the squirming and were surprised at Andrea's acting skills. They were also trying to figure out the plastic tube and the pump. They saw a metallic liquid rising steadily in the tube. They understood. Mercury.
Andrea found out about the mercury about 10 seconds later. First she felt as if an additional weight settled on her shoulders. The weight pressed down on her body, limiting her movements even further At the same time, she felt she felt the leash slipping through her hand. She tightened her grasp. The strain on her neck was now the combined pulling of the leash and her ponytail, with extra weight being added constantly. At the same time, the extra weight pushed her body deeper into the box, while her neck was being pulled up.
Finally, the wickedness of the contraption was becoming clear. Keeping hold of the leash would increase the weight and the pressure on Andrea's body and neck. Letting go would impale her on the spikes. Squirming didn't seem to help in any way, and was getting increasingly difficult. Annabel wasn't going to be any help either, just standing there a couple of feet away, watching. Her daughter and friends and neighbors in the audience thought the fear on her face was part of the show, and marveled at her acting skills. And yes, Andrea had agreed to do this and had accepted Annabel's claim that everything was self-contained and that it would al work out fine.
Andrea kept herself up there for almost 2 minutes. Finally, the leash slipped from her hand. With a scream, she fell. For Andrea and for the spectators, it seemed to take ages. As the spikes were being forced into her body, she finally saw some concern on the faces of her friends and daughter.
As the box stopped moving, Andrea seemed to be in real time again. She felt her hart race. And she felt it keep racing. Which was probably a good sign, given the circumstances. From the corner of her eye, she saw Annabel. For a split second, Annabel's face flashed the friendly smile from before, which was quickly replaced by a wicked grin, sweet and dangerous again.
Andrea then looked at the audience, and relaxed. She had a dozen spikes seemingly impaling her body, and she lived. She was an assistant in a magic show.
The audience wasn't resigning that easy. Andrea's body had been in a tight though well-lit the Perspex box at all times. They had not seen any black panels or suspicious contraptions. They had seen Annabel tap the spikes, and they looked and sounded like solid metal spikes. Yet there was no way you could impale someone on spikes like that. Well, there was, but they wouldn't end up smiling.
Annabel wasn't worried by the lack of applause. This was the normal reaction. She was surprised by Andrea, who reacted surprisingly well to what happened. She hadn't told Andrea what was going to happen, and the whole set was actually designed to intimidate the assistant as well as the audience. Taking Andrea's hand still sticking out of the box, she moved the whole contraption to the front of the stage, rotating it by 360 degrees (thanks to small wheels mounted under the base plate holding the spikes). Seeing Andrea up close and smiling, with some of the spike tips visible sticking out of her body finally made the audience decide they were looking at an illusion. A very good one, and therefore needing lots of applause.
Accepting the applause, Annabel moved the box to it's original position. Time to get Andrea out of her box. Annabel moved the lift to the wings again, and came back with two stands. One was about the size of a person, and had a curtain fixed to it (open for now), the other one was about 45 cm high and supported a 1 meter long metal tube, with a diameter of approx. 15 centimeters. She was also carrying a purple nylon rope.
The rope was tied to Andrea's hand still sticking out of the box, using the rings in the wrist strap to tie it down firmly. It was then fed through the tube, and the tube was moved against the Perspex box, obscuring Andrea's hand. At the other side of the tube, Annabel put the curtain-holding frame in place, and then she closed the curtain. She moved the curtain stand a bit closer, with the curtain hiding the tube and the first 20 cm or so of the box. She then opened the lid sections of the box. Finally, she took a stand in full view at the other end of the curtain, holding the other end of the pink rope. Getting a good grip and taking a deep breath, she started to pull.
Not much seemed to happen at first, except for the expressions on the faces of Annabel and Andrea. Annabel's face showed the effort she was putting into it, whereas Andrea's face showed surprise, more than anything else. Suddenly, something seemed to give. Andrea's body seemed to be pulled to the left, and her head moved down and to the right. A fraction of a second later, Annabel had pulled in the full length of the rope, with what appeared to be a wrist attached to the other end. Opening the curtain, she showed that Andrea was now standing behind it. She had apparently been pulled through the hole in the box and through the aluminum tube. The black leather costume she had been wearing could still be seen in the Perspex box. Andrea was now wearing a body amour type costume, which seemed to be made of steel. In fact the costume was made of titanium, making it lighter, stronger, more comfortable, and a lot more expensive. The titanium body suite was roughly cut like a swimsuit going up to the neck, and closely followed the contours of the female body encased in it. Arms and legs were covered in what looked like black silk, which seemed to merge with the titanium rather than being part of a leotard worn underneath. Despite the medieval look of things, Andrea felt comfortable, especially in comparison with the last costume. Her skin was touching the metal almost everywhere, but there was no pressure. She could almost breathe normally. While friends and neighbors and daughter were applauding, Annabel had Andrea turn her back to the audience. There were no zippers or hinges to be seen front or back.
When Andrea was facing the audience again, Annabel removed what turned out to be two pieces of black sticky tape. This revealed two one inch holes, with a nipple sticking out of each one. Upon a gesture of Annabel, Andrea lay down on the floor. The lights were brought down a bit, but a set of powerful spots captured Annabel and Andrea. Waving her hands through the air, Annabel produced what looked like a fine gold chain, with something attached to the ends. The something turned out to be nipple clamps, and without further ado, Annabel attached those to the nipples sticking through the titanium costume. Andrea's face showed that they were very real. Turning the spots up a bit more, Annabel grabbed the chain attached to the clamps and pulled. Apparently without any effort she lifted the chain. The chain seemed to pull Andrea up into the air, even though she looked as if her body was still supported by a solid surface. Annabel stopped pulling when Andrea was floating just below her chin. She then let go of the chain, and moved to the wings to get some more equipment. The sight of Andrea floating was impressive. Nothing within view that could give support, bright lights that would reveal any strings or shadows, and all that a mere 3 meters away from the audience. One could see her breathe, but one could not see what was keeping her in the air. Coming back from the wings, Annabel brought a big crystal casket and a small unmarked cardboard box. Putting the box aside for now, she moved the casket under Andrea. She opened the box by sliding the lid to the side, and then pushed Andrea down in the box, but still clear of the floor of the box. She then slid the lid closed again, but leaving a small gap. This clearly excluded some more of the how it was done theories. Out of Andrea's view, Annabel retrieved the cardboard box, and took a big firecracker and a match box from it.
She quickly lit the fire cracker, threw it it the crystal casket, and closed the lid completely. Andrea had missed the fire cracker thing completely, and wondered what the fuss was about. Then came the explosion. Within a fraction of a second, it looked as if Andrea pulled her limbs and head into the titanium shell. Even though this was impossible given space constraints and a wrong morphology, the image was confirmed once the smoke of the fire cracker had cleared. In the box was now a floating titanium swimsuit, with feet, hands and hair barely visible through the openings. Only a pair of nipples was still in full view. Recovering from the surprise, Andrea stretched her limbs and head out again, slowly, like a turtle. For Andrea herself, everything had been instinctive, and only now she was understanding what happened. As she was regaining her normal posture, she felt different. Whereas the shell had felt like a costume before, it now felt as if it was her actual skin. She thought she could feel a draft, and she was sure she felt Annabel's hands flip her over and pushing her down to the floor. She even imagined her nipples being merged to the titanium somehow, rather than sticking through. On the ground, she played along being a turtle, and happily accepted the lettuce leaf Annabel produced out of thin air. While chewing on the lettuce and accepting the applause, Annabel was already moving equipment. She was about to end with a classic.
Moved to centre stage was what looked like a classic sword basket. It was one of the smaller ones, but certainly not a world record. Annabel helped Andrea stand up and made her step up and into the basket. She picked up a large red silk cloth, and raised it in front of Andrea. A second or so later, she lowered the cloth again, revealing Andrea wearing a light flowery silk dress. After the protection of the titanium shell, Andrea felt almost naked. Annabel picked up the lid of the basket and showed it to the audience. It had two round holes instead of the usual one square hole. Andrea stretched her arms forward, and Annabel fed them through the holes and locked them with handcuffs. Striking a pose with the lid above her head, Annabel waved the cloth in front of Andrea for a second or two, and Andrea disappeared into the basket, lid closed, two hands sticking out of the lid. Swiftly, Annabel proceeded with inserting the usual 4 blades going sideways and the one going straight down. The hands were waving and flexing all the time, indicating Andrea was fine in there despite the swords.
Leaving her assistant alone again, Annabel moved into the wings for a moment. She came back with a large tray, covered with spikes and swords. Annabel gestured to Lisa. "Your turn."
With some hesitation, Lisa climbed onto the stage. Annabel gave her two swords and gestured towards the basket. "Anywhere you want", she said. Lisa put the tip of the sword on the left side of the basket and looked at Annabel, who nodded. She shrugged and slowly pushed her first sword into the basked. Hearing no protest, she moved to the other side and inserted her second sword more quickly. She then touched one of the hands sticking out of the lid. These were definitely real, feeling warm and reacting to her touch. She was almost sure they were her mother's. The rings on them definitely were. As Lisa moved back to her seat, Annabel gestured to the Tupperware saleswoman. She looked at the basket for a moment, assessing where Andrea would be, avoiding the swords already in. She then quickly inserted her two swords. She was rewarded by a muffled shriek and some involuntary movements of the hands. After that, Andrea's next-door neighbor had her turn, hesitating quite long before inserting her swords. Annabel then gestured to the next. Five minutes later, all 29 swords were inserted in the basket. The hands were still moving from time to time, but not waving anymore. Moving in again, Annabel gave the hands an encouraging squeeze, and then quickly removed all 29 swords. Finally, she retrieved a key from her pocket and unlocked the handcuffs. Picking up the silk cloth again, she raised it again hiding the basket and the space above it from view. It seemed to take a little longer this time, but in the end she lowered the cloth again, revealing Andrea. Andrea was still wearing the flowery silk dress, but she looked less glamorous this time. The dress had many holes and tears in it, and each time there was a mark on her skin, like a mosquito bite or a bee sting. She was smiling rather weakly. Andrea and Annabel took their applause with grace, and moved backstage. Lisa announced that this concluded the show and that there was fresh coffee and more biscuits.
Annabel and Andrea were sitting in the kitchen. Most of the guests living nearby had gone home. Those who were going to sleep over were in the living room talking about the show and the underwear and the weather and the kids. When Lisa came into the kitchen to start a fresh brew of coffee, the two women were silent, with Andrea thinking about something.
"Ok," said Andrea.
"Are you sure?" asked Annabel.
"Sure about what?" asked Lisa.
Andrea looked at her daughter with an strange look on her face. "Annabel has offered me a job, and I think I'm going to take it."
"A job?"
"She needs a second assistant, and she thinks I can do it," said Andrea.
"Your mom is talented, good-looking and trusts me. I'm thrilled about working with her," said Annabel.
"That's great," said Lisa. "How soon?"
"We would start two days from now," said Andrea.
"I'm so happy for you. This is exactly what you needed. I'm going to call Jamie right away." Lisa rushed out of the kitchen and into the study.
"We have to work out the details," said Annabel.
"I'm sure we can work out something reasonable," said Andrea
"What about your husband, and what about your house?"
"I'm not too worried about either of those. It's time for me to move on."
"You better say goodbye to your guests, then", said Annabel. "You'll start a new life tomorrow."