Gabrielle Gibson sighed and stretched. These kids, she thought, they don't know what it means to suffer, to struggle anymore. They just live in the moment, never caring about the future. Perhaps that is why this is a doomed generation. She sat up, sniffing at the air. Smells like Gran made breakfast, even after I said I would take care of it. Stubborn old woman!



Gabrielle rose from her bed and padded out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. Her grandmother stood before the stove, flipping pancakes, despite her usual elaborate hairstyle and elegant dress. She looked more like the wife of a political figure-- which she had been until her husband's death-- than a typical grandmother.

"Good morning, honey, and how many pancakes would you like?" the old woman asked.

"Gran, I told you I would take care of breakfast. Now sit down."

"I may be old, but I'm not going to break just from cooking breakfast."

"Gran, you are a stubborn old lady!" Gabrielle sighed, leaning against a wall, as a sign of defeat.


"So," her grandmother continued, "tell me about those kids. Is little Charise Marlow still interested in Dunstan? Is Samuel Verona still mooning over Charise?"

"Yes, and yes," Gabrielle replied.

Her grandmother turned and fixed her eyes on her. "You have to get that little girl away from that horrible man, you hear?" Gabrielle nodded.

With a sigh, her grandmother turned back to the pancakes. "You know," she continued, "the man I married was a cruel, horrible man. You see these scars? Every one of them was cause by him. Not to mention, he made me have baby after baby. It got so that I resented the children. Except for your mother, of course."

"Because he wasn't the dad," Gabrielle added, knowing the story well.


"Your grandfather was a kind, talented man-- very loving. But he was also weak-willed. You know, your mother looked enough like him to where my husband realized who the father was. Your grandfather-- your blood grandfather-- died not long after your mother was born. And years passed... and your uncle Azrael came into power... and your mother had you so terribly young..."

Here, the old woman trailed off, lost in thought. A small popping sound from the stove snapped her back to reality. "Oh, the pancakes are done!" she gasped out.