Thanks for doing that a.s.h.

Wow! I got a 10!!!!!!!
Hey everyone. I have a couple of replies to address regarding chapter seven, then it's on to chapter eight's.
AntigoneUnbound - Mary, thank you. I pondered long and hard before starting to post this story. To hear from you that I am, indeed, doing something right means a lot. Oh, there's a big whodunnit all right, though that's not necessarily going to be the major point of the story. "What?" I hear you say, "Not MORE plot????" I have a thing or two up my sleeve
As far as the newspaper goes, maybe Grace was simply picking up the scent of the delivery boy...maybe not. I like red herrings, though not to eat. Herrings were salted and smoked to become red, and very smelly. As far as I was told, 'to drag a red herring across the trail' (eventually shortened to just 'red herring') was a ploy used by convicts to distract police and their dogs from the scent. These and more fascinating but useless bits of trivia are locked away in Poppy's brain, to be opened only on Bank Holidays and other special occasions.
Talking of scents...I think it's entirely viable for places to carry emotional 'scents.' It will be further addressed at some point.
'Show, don't tell." Yes, I'm having that drummed into me

most pleasant it is, too!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I hope you continue to enjoy this.
astrangerhere - I know, you told me so. As did a number of people. Maybe one day it will sink into my thick skull!
Modjadji - Thank you

Yes, there's a lot of mystery and intrigue. When I was plotting this out, more and more kept coming to mind. One thing led to another and here we are. It's still being added to, there are things that aren't yet set in stone and, yes, we will have some sparkling clean skeletons by the end!
I wanted to write something a little different. I love Tara's character, I did toy briefly with having the girls' roles swapped over but this was the way things turned out, so I'm glad you're liking it!
tinnakaren - On to Chapter Eight now. I like cliffhangers

there are many many more to come. Some may be more hill hangers, others on the Grand Canyon scale of things and, finally, the Everest of cliffhangers. Oh yes, it's a comin'...
sam darls - See? I can do cute! I'm not always a cliffhanger meanie... Well, ok, there was an itty bitty one at the end there... Ok, maybe not so little. Following a.s.h.'s 1-10 scale of cliffhangers, I shall implement a 1-10 scale of how things are, 10 being good. Yesterday was a 1, today, so far, about a 5. Any English kittens wanting to join in with a rousing chorus of 'NHS hospitals suck, yeah, yeah, yeah!' are free to do so. As are any other kittens, actually.
justin - Ooh, questions, questions...answers are: 1) I'm not telling! 2) Maybe 3) Wait and see!

Thanks for reading
Grimlock72 - Yes, this flashback ends in trouble. Not for a while though and it will be pretty obvious when it's coming because of the timeline. I've already told everyone when it's going to be. Unless I suddenly jump a month or so...'cause I
can be sneaky like that.
Idris will be making an appearance at some point and I'm sure we haven't seen the last of that strange woman.
Would you be concerned if such a woman were following you? I know I would.
Thanks for the heads-up on the typo, it's all fixed now.
CEsgirl13 - Hey! Glad you're liking it. Thanks for reading
Updates are on Tuesdays.
pipsberg - Yes, the plot thickens, by the end I think you're going to be able to stand your spoon up in it...
mollyig - I kind of like writing 'playful'. It lets me mess about a little! Next Chapter you will find out what the girls have in store for Molly. Yes, I'm sure that Tara telling Willow she can tell her about anything has helped her but does Tara feel that she can tell Willow everything? Once again, time will tell.
To everyone who's wondering who Idris is: he is Tara's pet monkey from the depths of Borneo. He used to be a lab monkey but escaped by virtue of his modified genes. Now Tara has run away from him, as he was too domineering and wouldn't do any of the housework...
For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
It's never too late to be who you might have been.