Rating: NC-17 for sexual context between consenting adult women.
UBER J/7
Thanks to my Glynis and Snowolf for helping me out betareading, and to Jay for helping me plot. I always appreciate your efforts and encouragement.

Back to "The Seven Women of Raven's Island" - part 1

The Seven Women of Raven’s Island

© GB

Part 2.

Julia stretched her slender arms above her head as she turned around to glance at the sleeping form behind her. Marion was lying on her stomach with her head buried in the pillow. The bedcovers had slipped down and uncovered a smooth, pale shoulder. The interior designer leaned over the other woman and pressed a gentle kiss on the warm skin. Marion stirred but did not wake up.

"Darling?" Julia whispered and kissed the shoulder and then the tousled, chocolate brown hair. "It’s time to go up."

"Mm …"

Marion did not move.

"Come on, wake up now." The younger woman smiled and pushed the hair away from Marion’s neck. Kissing it with gentle lips she let her tongue caress the hairline.

"Mm …"

Deciding that she would need a more decisive approach, Julia pulled the bed sheet down and uncovered a curvaceous body that she knew as well as she knew her own. Cupping her hand around Marion’s bottom, she gave a squeeze and nibbled her neck. She moved away just in time when the sales manager snapped her head up, glaring at her between unruly tresses of hair.

"Julia!" the dark haired woman husked. "What time is it?"

"Seven o’clock. You wanted to radio Kathryn early this morning."

Marion sighed and flipped over to her back, tugging at the missing bed sheet. Frowning, she rubbed her forehead as she pulled Julia closer.

"Oh, right," she murmured. "This will not be pretty. Kathryn won’t like having their vacation interrupted."

"I know," Julia concurred as she snuggled closer, happy that Marion seemed more approachable this morning. Nuzzling the softness just below the other woman’s ear, she planted a kiss there.

"They had looked forward to staying at the island for at least a few weeks and now she’ll want to come back right away. Damn, she won’t have a choice. Poor Seven."

"Yeah, she needed the rest too – and to be alone with Kathryn. They have had a rough time of it. There was a time after the kidnapping when I thought Kathryn would come down with an ulcer or collapse."

Marion pressed her lips against Julia’s forehead.

"I know. That’s why I hate having to radio them but there’s no other way. It is her company after all."

Getting up on an elbow, Julia looked down at her partner.

"You can’t help it; it’s not your fault." She looked into Marion’s eyes, as if to gauge the other woman’s likely response in advance. Slowly, uncertain of how it would be met, she leaned in to kiss Marion.

Half holding her breath, she was pleasantly surprised to feel the other woman parting her lips under her own. Julia’s heart started racing and she gave a muted whimper as her arm gave in. She fell over Marion, deepening the kiss.

Strong arms circled her and held her close as they kissed. Julia could not believe the emotions flooding her, drowning the carefully controlled pain that she had carried with her ever since Seven’s kidnapping.

Marion’s tongue met hers, gently caressing and playing with it. Julia returned the kiss with as much love as relief. Eventually she raised her head and looked down at the older woman whose eyes reflected her own emotions.

Suddenly tears well up, spilled over and ran down Julia’s cheeks. Marion raised a hand and wiped them away, a frown appearing on her forehead.

"Oh, honey," she whispered. "Please, don’t cry."

"I’m sorry," Julia replied, a catch in her voice. "I …"

She swallowed hard and hid her face in Marion’s hair. She had not meant to ruin the first real moment of closeness in months and now she was afraid that her partner would tense up again and become … what she had become after Seven’s abduction. Marion had suffered from a tremendous amount of guilt ever since she had plotted against Kathryn Janeway’s fiancée together with Eric Avery two years ago. The man’s latest illegal endeavours had added to that guilt.

At first, Marion had tried to push Julia out of her life, having decided that she herself did not deserve her partner’s love. It had taken a lot of effort and stubbornness on Julia’s part to convince her lover that they both deserved happiness – and each other. Still, after almost two months, they had not made love once even if they slept in the same bed every night. They had shared quick kisses but Marion had put up a wall, which Julia had not been able to tear down or climb over.

Now that she had briefly felt the old connection with Marion, she was devastated when it seemed to have slipped through her fingers.

"Julia," Marion murmured and pulled the younger woman closer. "Don’t cry, honey. Here, let me hold you. Shhh …"

Unbelievably, the sales manager pulled her close into a warm embrace; placing small kisses on Julia’s tear stained face. Rocking slowly, she whispered terms of endearment in the younger woman’s ear.

"I know it’s been hard on you, Julia," Marion allowed. "It’s been like a night mare that won’t stop. I just wanted to … Oh, I don’t know. Right now, when we kissed, it was as if nothing of the bad things had ever happened. Julia … honey … kiss me again."

Julia gave another whimper and closed her lips over Marion’s, desperate to feel the old, familiar sensations again. Sliding her tongue over the other woman’s lower lip, she felt Marion open her mouth, give in to her, and she deepened the kiss again.

Marion pulled her close and rolled them around, lips still locked as they drank each other’s kisses with abandon. It was as if they were cascading down a waterfall, each stroke of tongue against tongue moved them further into the passion.

"Is this what you want?" Marion growled. "Is this what you’ve been waiting for?"

There was true pain in the older woman’s voice and Julia wanted her partner more than she had wanted anything else. Her own pleasure was raging inside of her, but that was not what was most important. She wanted Marion to finally give in, to surrender to her.

Rolling them again, Julia ended up on top of Marion, allowing her lips to slide down her lover’s neck, placing open mouth kisses as she approached the soft mounds below. Taking a taut nipple between her lips, she flicked her tongue over it, making Marion moan out loud.

"Julia," the sales manager sighed, arching into the touch. "Oh, God, it’s been … so long …"

Julia nudged Marion’s legs apart, settling there as she suckled the breast beneath her. She reached out for the other breast and pinched the nipple with gentle fingers. The other woman wrapped long, slender legs around Julia’s waist, letting her hands slide up; caress the younger woman’s high cheekbones before burying her fingers in her short mahogany curls.

Pushing the two breasts together, Julia let her tongue work on them with long, languid movements until Marion began to squirm beneath her. Pulling back, the younger woman surprised her partner by flipping her over on her stomach and spreading her legs again.

"Julia!" Marion cried out, clutching a pillow as her body began to tremble.

Sliding her body up along the dark haired woman’s back, while settling between the parted legs, Julia put one hand between them.

"There," she hushed, moving her hand in between Marion’s legs, finding her ready. "Right there." She let her fingers caress the slick folds and find the aching ridge of nerves that held the key to Marion’s pleasure.

Marion groaned into the pillow, arching, pressing her bottom up again Julia. The younger woman knew instinctively to press her thumb into her lover, all the time continuing her ministrations. Marion’s folds drenched her hand and it slid easily between them.

"Yes, oh, please …"

Hearing the voice, that was usually so commanding and quite sarcastic, beg for relief was almost more than Julia could bear. She pressed against Marion’s back and let her own body put more weight on her hand, pressing it further into her lover. She undulated against Marion, kissed her partner’s back as she pushed them both against the precipice.

"I always want you, Marion," she said throatily. "I’ve missed you … I’ve missed this …"

Plunging her thumb in and out she rubbed the moisture over Marion’s swollen sex. The other woman moved beneath her, pushing herself up on hands and knees only to half collapse and hug her pillow again, her knees managing to support them both. Julia clung to Marion with an arm around her waist and her hand buried between her thighs.

"That’s it," she murmured. "You’re so close, darling …"

"Julia!"

Marion moved against her hand, impaling herself on her fingers. Julia knew what her lover wanted and let more fingers join her thumb, filling Marion, stretching her.

The sales manager gave a brief cry and bit into the pillow as the orgasm shook her. Slick muscles clenched rhythmically around Julia’s fingers as Marion rode the waves of pleasure, one after another. Feeling the passion releasing inside her partner, Julia only had to press her own sex against her hand moving in and out of Marion, to fall over the edge. As pleasure exploded between her legs, travelling down the inside of her thighs and up her stomach, she moaned and fell over Marion’s back, slowly removing her hand.

"Marion," she whispered as she slid down onto the bed.

The other woman rolled over on her side, looking at the younger woman with dazed eyes.

"God, Julia …" she began and then her voice betrayed her. "You really wanted me."

Julia’s eyes widened at the unexpected comment.

"Of course, I did … I do. I always want you, darling," she assured her partner.

Marion reached out and pushed a curly tress of hair out of Julia’s face.

"You do, huh?" she murmured. "Then maybe there is hope after all."

The comment frightened Julia in a way she could not quite put her finger on. She gazed at Marion whose eyes had taken on the now familiar distant expression. Knowing she would not get any of her questions answered right now, she sighed and cupped Marion’s cheek with a trembling hand.

"Are you okay?"

Marion gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.

"I’m fine. We have to get up; it’s time to radio Kathryn."

Julia slowly sat up as Marion unceremoniously left the bed. Her partner did not so much as glance over her shoulder before slipping into the large bathroom. The interior designer took Marion’s pillow and pulled it close to her chest, encircling it with both arms. It smelled of her lover.

Closing her eyes, Julia wondered if they would ever be able to heal their relationship and turn it back to what it was.

*****

Seven glanced over her shoulder towards Kathryn who sat by the table onboard Jacob’s boat, reading one document after another on her laptop.

Josh Henderson, Jacob’s son, was at the helm navigating through the inner archipelago, having set a new record getting the two women back to the mainland.

"She looks kind of grim," the young man murmured. "What’s up?"

Seven gave him a lopsided smile.

"Business," she explained noncommittally.

"Figured as much. Pity you only got to spend one night out here."

"Yes, as you know we had planned to take a longer vacation. I am grateful you could come at such short notice, Josh."

"Ah, that’s nothing. The way you and Ms Janeway have taken care of dad, I owe you."

"I’m glad he is doing so much better," Seven smiled and patted Josh’s arm. "When is he coming home?"

"In a few weeks, I think. The rehab clinic has done wonders with him and they say that he’ll be back to his old self after some more physiotherapy. You can imagine how relieved he was to hear that. He misses his boat and the ocean."

Jacob Henderson had taken a serious blow to the head and sustained a subdural haematoma, where a blood vessel had put pressure on his brain. The recovery had been slow but steady and Seven had visited her friend, who had also been a true father figure to her all her life, as often as she could.

"I’m so relieved that he will make a full recovery," she offered. "I have been so worried."

"So have we. If it hadn’t been for Ms Janeway, he wouldn’t have healed this quickly."

Seven knew Josh was right. Kathryn had insisted on paying for Jacob to stay at a state of the art rehabilitation clinic just south of Brimmerton where they lived.

"We’ll be back into port in fifteen minutes," Josh informed her as they rounded the last island before Brimmerton.

"Thanks."

Seven walked over to Kathryn and sat down next to her. Her fiancée had logged on to the company intranet by dialling up via her cell phone. Their phones did not work on Raven’s Island; they were only in range when half way back to Brimmerton.

"Are you able to make any sense of it?" the blonde asked.

"No, not really," the other woman murmured absentmindedly. "It’s odd. The numbers don’t add up. Marion reported that there were some discrepancies but this is even worse than I thought. There has been quite the commotion among the shareholders since this business with Avery and now this …"

Seven suddenly felt nervous, a feeling she had battled on and off ever since her rescue. She found it hard to talk about, even with Kathryn, but she also knew it was normal to go through several different stages after such an ordeal.

"What was Marion’s opinion?"

"She said that she had received a number of complaints shortly after we left, and while looking into it, she had found a series of discrepancies that demanded our return. She did not want the full responsibility when it came to something that might turn out to be a major problem."

Seven frowned at the statement. The old Marion would have thrived at such a challenge, but the sales manager’s confidence had been shredded to bits when Avery had struck a third time. Julia had indicated her worry to Seven on several occasions and the blonde knew that her friend was worried.

"We will be in Brimmerton in a few minutes."

Seven leaned over and kissed Kathryn’s temple.

"Thank you, darling." The CEO began to disconnect the laptop. She glanced up and gave the younger woman a remorseful smile. "We’ll come back out here as soon as I know what’s going on. I’m sorry about this."

"It is all right, Kathryn," the blonde assured. "This is not your fault."

The other woman put an arm around Seven’s waist and squeezed her gently.

"Still, this is not what I had planned," she murmured. "I will make it up to you."

Seven wanted to explain to her partner that she did not need to make up for anything but knew how Kathryn’s mind worked and relented.

"I know you will," she replied instead and hugged her fiancée back. "We both will."

*****

Phoebe put a screwdriver under the lid of the paint can and turned it. It would not budge and she cursed inwardly as the tried turning the tool again. Suddenly her paint stained hand slipped and she felt a sharp pain as the screwdriver sank into the palm of her left hand.

The artist gave a muted cry and dropped the tool as she clutched her hand.

"Damn!"

"God, Phoebe, what happened?" a worried voice behind her exclaimed.

Phoebe turned her head and saw Adriana standing there, today dressed in a cobalt blue trouser suit over a white shirt. The other woman put her bags down and knelt next to her, mindless of the messy floor cover.

"Your slacks," Phoebe croaked as she carefully opened her hand and watched the blood run down her arm. "Oh, no."

"You need to have that taken care of right away," Adriana insisted, reaching into her pocket for a handkerchief and pressed it on the wound. "That doesn’t look very good."

"I have a first aid kit here somewhere," Phoebe objected. "I’ll just put a band aid on …"

"… and get a nice infection. Why don’t you at least bring the first aid kit and come with me to the ladies room. We can wash it properly and then decide what to do."

Phoebe blinked at the assertiveness and command in Adriana’s voice. She realised that these were traits any lawyer would need to succeed in their profession, but it still surprised her.

"Okay, okay," the artist muttered. "I’ll get it."

"Tell me where it is and I’ll get it. You put pressure on that wound and come with me."

"But don’t you have places to go, people to defend, deals to make?" Phoebe tried with a lopsided smile to show that she was joking as she pointed towards a large wooden box where she kept her things.

Adriana rose, casually brushing her knees off and returned the smile.

"No, I was on my way to lunch and I have no meetings for the rest of the day. I have a major case coming up and I was going to spend the afternoon at the library doing some research."

"Oh."

Knowing she was outmanoeuvred, Phoebe relented. Her hand was throbbing badly and she was beginning to feel concern. What if she had damaged her hand more than she realised? What would happen to the time schedule then? She had two more murals to complete for the city and also an exhibit later in the fall. Her newly acquired gallery depended on it.

"Is the pain bad?" Adriana’s voice was soft and worried.

"No, not all that bad," Phoebe admitted. "I was just thinking that I hope this doesn’t slow me down …"

"Well, I’ll take a look at it in a minute," the attorney said and guided the other woman towards the ladies room down the hall. The room was as old as the building, but clean, and with a woman employed to supervise it. Phoebe smiled weakly at her as she and Adriana entered.

"Hi there, Connie. Had a bit of an accident."

"Oh, Madre de Dios, Phoebe," the woman gushed. "How did that happen?"

"Just being clumsy, I guess. This is Adriana, a friend of mine."

"Connie and I know each other well," Adriana smiled. "We both originate from Argentina and we’ve both worked here forever."

"Ah, this is an exaggeration, querida; you are still a young woman. I however, have been here since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Here, take a seat, Phoebe. Let us look at your hand."

The artist sat down on a stool by the wall and held out her hand, feeling decidely silly to have two women hovering over her for a simple cut.

"Oy, it’s deep," Connie said. "We need lots of soap and water."

She went to run the faucet and opened a new bottle of liquid soap. She waved the two women over to the sink.

"Here, rinse it off under the running water."

Phoebe obeyed and gasped at the sting of the water hitting her broken skin. She looked down at her palm and saw that the cut was just between her thumb and index finger.

"Could have been worse," she sighed. "Could have been my right hand. At least I’ll be able to paint."

"This will sting even more," Connie warned and poured some liquid soap over Phoebe’s hand.

The artist whimpered, closed her eyes as she felt humiliating tears sting behind her eyelids.

"Are you okay?" Adriana asked and circled Phoebe’s waist with a strong arm, pulling her close. "Here, lean against me."

"I’ll get the stool."

"I’m such a wimp," Phoebe groaned as salty tears streamed down her cheeks at the burning sensation in her hand. "I guess this confirms any ideas anyone might have about ‘over-sensitive artists’…"

Adriana smiled.

"Don’t be silly. That must hurt like hell. If it were me, I’d cry like a baby."

Phoebe doubted it. She heard Connie put the stool down behind her and sank down on it, weak at the knees. Adriana let go of her waist as she sat down, which left her feeling a bit cold.

"Now, rinse it off properly. Do you have any band aids with you? Oh, I see the box." Connie fetched the box and gave it to Adriana.

The attorney opened it and browsed through its contents. She found the sterile compresses and gauze bandage and after drying off Phoebe’s hand with a few of the compresses she quickly put the bandage on, securing it with surgical tape.

"There, how does that feel?"

"Much better."

"You will have to have someone look at it, if it shows any sign of infection."

"Yes, I promise."

Adriana gave her a sceptical look.

"I’ll hold you to it. Even if I have to come around to check it myself, you know."

Phoebe gave her a surprised look and was even more taken aback by the warm feeling the protective words instilled in her.

"You would, huh?" She rolled her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. "Well, I better behave then or you just might end up suing me for breech of contract or something."

Adriana’s eyes sparkled.

"Yes, that just might happen."

They tidied up the sink despite Connie’s objections and left after thanking the older woman for helping them.

When they stood just outside Phoebe’s work area Adriana hesitantly raised her hand and squeezed the artist’s shoulder.

"Are you sure you’re able to go back to work? Shouldn’t you wait until tomorrow at least, to see how the hand is doing?"

The gentle touch on her shoulder generated surprising warmth. Phoebe gently patted it with her unharmed hand.

"You have an annoying habit of being correct," she grinned. "I can’t do any more today since I won’t be able to open the cans with just one hand. I’ll have another go at it tomorrow." There was a brief silence. "Will I see you around then?"

"You bet. I’ll be in quite early, I imagine."

"So will I."

Adriana slowly removed her hand, sliding it out from under Phoebe’s, making the artist realise that she had kept her hand on the attorney’s as they were talking. Blushing she took a step back.

"Thanks for helping me," Phoebe continued, suddenly out of breath.

"I’m just glad I was here. See you tomorrow then."

"Yes … tomorrow."

Phoebe nodded before turning around to lock her wooden box for the day, all the time wondering how such simple words could hold such … anticipation.

*****

Janeway sat behind her desk on the seventy-ninth floor in the Stellar Building. She was going through one document after another and only briefly glanced up as Marion stepped inside.

"Good, you’re here."

"Have you been able to look over the …"

"Yes," Janeway interrupted impatiently, "and this just doesn’t make sense. Not only are we experiencing a minor stockholder uproar due to the upcoming trial, but also … the numbers just don’t add up."

"I know. I thought I had the numbers duplicated by mistake, but then I realised that there is a serious discrepancy. I just can’t understand how and when this changed."

"Neither can I."

They both sat in silence as Marion flipped open her laptop and docked it with the intranet hub on Janeway’s desk.

Janeway glanced at her sales manager. The dark haired woman looked slightly haggard, with dark circles beneath her eyes.

"You okay?" she asked as she scrolled down a page.

"I’m fine."

Janeway recognised the standard answer to the question for what it was. ‘Don’t ask because I won’t tell.’ She had used it countless times herself.

She kept reading the figures in the document and suddenly she sat up ramrod straight in the chair.

"Marion, pull up the digital version of the stockholder certificates again. Read back to me as I check the numbers again."

Marion complied and after a few minutes they both looked up at each other.

"This can’t be!" Marion exclaimed.

"I know. It seems impossible and I have no idea how this came about. There are far too many stockholders. How the hell did this happen?"

Stunned, Janeway leaned back into her chair, pushing the laptop aside. She rubbed her throbbing temple.

"We have to get the stock certificate books and compare. Why don’t you go down to the legal department and get it, and have Ms Green update us digitally as well?"

"All right."

Marion began to get up when Janeway stopped her by raising her hand.

"Come to think of it … what’s Julia up to? It’s late afternoon and perhaps she could come over and we could withdraw to the penthouse and you two could have dinner with Seven and I, after we go over this."

Marion flinched visibly.

"She’s busy, probably working late," she rushed through the sentence, avoiding Janeway’s steady gaze. "I’ll run down …"

"Marion? Are you still no closer to resolving this? I know Julia wants nothing more than to have things back the way they were between the two of you."

Marion rose from her chair and folded her arms in front of her.

"Things will never be the same," she blurted out. "Too much have happened and no matter how Julia might wish for them to be different – they aren’t! I don’t know what the future holds, but things have changed forever."

"Nonsense!" Janeway exclaimed and rose as well. Rounding the desk, she walked up to Marion, invading the sales manager’s personal space. "Everyone has forgiven you. Seven was the first one to ever plead your case to me, Julia loves you with all of her heart and you have become my best friend next to Seven. You made one bad choice when you teamed up with Avery when Seven was new here. After that – you have done nothing else but stand up for us, for the company, for your friends. The only one that hasn’t forgiven you … is you."

"There can be no forgiveness…"

Janeway’s temper asserted itself.

"For heaven’s sake, Marion, snap out of it! Everything is not about you. Seven went through an unimaginable ordeal and she needs her friend, the woman she admires, sometimes more than me, I think – not a self-pitying wimp!"

The sales manager stared back at her with widening eyes, apparently stunned beyond words.

"You have to hear it from someone, McDunn. We have all been walking on eggshells around you ever since this happened. There will be no more of that! You have a wonderful woman in your life who has sacrificed a lot to be with you, and I can see her growing increasingly thin and pale every time we get together. Have you even noticed that? She is hurting, Marion, and only you can fix that. Seven misses your mentoring, your friendship … and honestly, I miss the way you challenge me, your sarcastic nature, and our mutual warped sense of humour. You are depriving us of yourself. You’re hurting us by hurting yourself. We have a tough time coming up with the trial and now it seems we have a stockholder problem to boot. Get with the program, Marion, and acknowledge that there is such a thing as absolution for mistakes. Had Julia been in your situation, would you have beaten up on her the way you are torturing yourself?"

Marion staggered to the side and Janeway automatically reached for her, steadying the shocked woman with both hands. She wanted to pull her friend into a hug but decided against it, judging that Marion needed ‘tough love’ right now.

"You’re right of course …" the dark haired woman whispered. "I’m stuck in this trail of thought. How do I break free from it?"

"You make a conscious decision. You tell yourself ‘no more’. You decide to forgive yourself and then when you talk to Julia next time, you ask her forgiveness for how you’ve treated her and shut her out for the last two months."

"That easy, huh?" Marion had tears in her eyes.

"Not easy at all. But don’t think so much; just do it."

Marion nodded slowly.

"Can you call Julia and ask her to join us," she asked Janeway. "I’ll go down to Ms Green and get the books. I’ll see you upstairs."

Satisfied that her employee and friend seemed to have found her bearings, at least for now, Janeway nodded.

"Of course."

As Marion walked towards the door, she halted and looked over her shoulder with a tremulous, lopsided grin.

"You drive a hard bargain, Janeway."

"I do," the CEO conceded, "when things really matter to me."

*****

Marion walked into the legal department on the sixty-third floor and up to Amelia Green, the chief secretary. The attractive woman in her late thirties looked up with a polite smile.

"Ms McDunn, what brings you down here so late?"

"Ms Janeway wants the stock certificate books immediately so I need access to the safe."

Ms Green missed a beat but then reached into her purse for a set of keys.

"Of course, Ms McDunn," she agreed. "Come this way."

Marion followed the other woman into the head office of the Stellar Corporation legal department and watched as Ms Green used the first key to open the barred door leading into the safe. Punching in the code, the thick, steel door swung open. Ms Green reached in for several large boxes containing big packs of books.

The sales manager reached for a small cart and began stacking the boxes.

There was a brief moment of hesitation before the chief secretary handed over the last box to Marion.

"Will that be all, ma’am?" Ms Green asked, her eyes darting to the side.

"No. Ms Janeway wants you to assemble an updated list of all stockholders, regardless of the amount of stock they own, right away."

Ms Green paled.

"But I’m on my way home and …"

Marion frowned when she saw the chief secretary fiddle and almost drop the keys. A warning alarm went of inside of her. Something was wrong.

"Is there a problem, Ms Green?" Her question met with no reply. "Amelia? Ms Janeway wants this done ASAP whether you have to work overtime all night to accommodate."

"But …"

A teardrop rolled down the other woman’s cheek and she leaned against the open safe door.

Marion put the box down on top of the others on the cart and closed the door to the safe, taking the keys out of Amelia Green’s listless hand.

"I think you and I need to talk. We can do this while you pull up those updates, don’t you agree?"

The other woman sobbed but nodded. As if every ounce of energy had been taken from her, the chief secretary walked out to her own office, her steps uncertain. Marion followed, pulling the small cart.

Ms Green sat down at her computer and stared blankly at it.

"Go on," Marion urged, instinctively keeping her voice firm, but not unkind.

She just knew that there was more going on than they knew about and this was her chance to find out.

*****

Continued in "The Seven Women of Raven's Island" - part 3