Chapter 24

Michael Jensen initiated yet another shift in Estel's demeanor at this point. Mandy was a helpful companion for Estel on her quest for entertainment, even if the younger girl looked perplexed by Estel's constant need to occupy her time when she wasn't doing Michael's bidding.

She has started to take on a regular rhythm. Skiing in the mornings, Estel slowly improved her skiing abilities. She had lunch and a brief break, was carried by Mandy to whatever activity her companions had invented for the afternoon, returned home for dinner, and so on. Michael had the evenings to himself, and after dinner each day, Estel would join him in the study for what was meant to be a review of his day's writing.

Estel had discovered her own way of managing this specific thorn in her side as well, however. Typically, she would take the pages Michael had completed that day to her room before dinner, read them the few times she had to get ready, and then make nice sounds when he discussed his job with he