My Healer

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My Healer

By Chris

Grace silently gazed out the passenger window as her sister Maryanne, who also happened to be her best friend, drove her to the bus depot. Maryanne wasn't her real sister, she didn't have any blood siblings, she was actually her foster sister but between them, they were real sisters.

Normally Maryanne was a talker but she was silent today, though Maryanne had a hold her hand giving it a squeeze every once in a while. This was all the communication that they needed as they had done all their talking before they began this sad trip. Grace looked over from the window looking at Maryanne's huge belly that almost reached the bottom of the steering wheel. That made her smile knowing that Maryanne would soon be busy taking care of Little Grace and not morning her death. They rode on in silence until they arrived at the bus depot. When Grace looked back over at Maryanne she saw the first tears running down her face. That wanted to make her cry but she couldn't allow herself to do so, she had done all her crying and now was the time to be strong for what she knew that she had to do.

They both got out of the car, going over to the bus that was to take Grace away. It was there that Maryanne made her final attempt to get her to stop what she was going to do. Grace knew that it was coming and had prepared herself for it.

"You know you can stay with Billy and me, we'll take care of you." Maryanne said to her with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"No, you and silly Billy will have your hands full in a couple of weeks with Little Grace, she is who you need care for now. She's going to be your new best friend and I know you'll love her even more than you do me." Grace told her as she leaned in giving Maryanne a hug and feeling Little Grace give her a kick.

"See Little Grace wants you to stay," Maryanne said as she pulled back placing her hand to her big belly.

Grace smiled as she reached down to feel Maryanne's belly where Little Grace was still kicking. She then leaned back in giving Maryanne a kiss on the cheek. "Now when Little Grace keeps you up all night fussing, remember that's it's me whispering into her ear that you don't need any sleep." Grace said with a smile.

"I will," Maryanne sobbed more that said as she had begun to really cry.

Grace leaned down giving a kiss to Maryanne's belly feeling Little Grace calm down and stop kicking. She then gave Maryanne a kiss and a last hug holding onto her a moment just wanting to remember her sister and how much she loved her.

Maryanne whispered into her ear, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's the way I want to go, now remember after this moment, you morn no more for me, I'm going to be in a better place." Grace told her.

"I love you," Maryanne told her. "You're the best friend and sister that a girl could ever have."

"I love you too, now take care of Little Grace and give her an extra kiss every night for me." Grace told her giving Little Grace another kiss through Maryanne's belly and then Maryanne a kiss before pulling away and getting onto the waiting bus.

It was a struggle getting up the steps and she just hoped that she had enough strength in her poor body to complete this last task that she had set for herself. She sat down by the window looking out at Maryanne who was crying so hard not even trying to wipe the tears away. She blew her a kiss as the bus started forward and only after the bus was one the road did Grace allow herself to shed the tears for the girl that made growing up in a foster home bearable. Actually Maryanne had made it more than bearable; she had made growing up there an adventure.

Grace put her head back against the head rest and she closed her eyes. She let her mind wander back to when she five and was being escorted up the steps to what would be her new home. She had been removed from her parent's home because they had been arrested for dealing drugs. She was scared to death as the door opened and there was a lady there with a big smile welcoming her into her new home. The lady seemed nice but this wasn't her home. Grace wanted to bolt from this house that smelled funny and return to her own home that wasn't perfect but had to be better than what she feared this place would be.

However this was the moment that would make everything okay. She looked up to see this thin blond hair girl who was about her age come bouncing down the stairs. She had this big smile on her face and suddenly the house wasn't so scary. The girl came to her taking her hand and started to pull her to the stairs. She said that her name was Maryanne and she was so happy to have a new sister. Maryanne didn't give her much of a chance to talk as she was doing all the talking while showing her the room that they would be sharing. There was only one bed in the room so Grace knew that she would also have to share the bed with this strange talkative girl. Once Maryanne put all of Grace's clothes away for her, she grabbed her hand and Grace found herself being dragged back down the stairs and outside to play with her new sister and who would quickly become her best friend.

Grace eventually learned how to get Maryanne to quit talking and get a few words in herself but for the most part she was content to just let Maryanne jabber away. Maryanne was very carefree and fun loving so she was the perfect friend to a quiet intra-perspective girl like she was. When they moved into their teenage years, Maryanne began to talk about boys; Grace found that she had no interest in them as she slowly began to realize that she was attracted to girls.

She talked to Maryanne about this and Maryanne simply declared that Grace was a lesbian and she was cool with that. Nothing changed between them except Maryanne talked about all the cute guys in their school and Grace talked about all the cute girls. This memory made Grace smile and she knew that she would miss Maryanne but she knew that Billy was a good man and would take care of her. She didn't like Billy at first, she thought of him as just a silly boy thus she began to call him Silly Billy which both Maryanne and Billy hated but Grace had to admit that Billy did make Maryanne laugh and that he loved her best friend. But about then was when Grace found her own first love and that made things better for her. She now had things to tell Maryanne when they came back home from their respective dates. Some nights they would stay up all night just talking about the love that they had found. They were both happy for each other and that made them grow even closer if that was possible.

And when they graduated high school Billy proposed to Maryanne and so Grace proudly served as Maryanne's maid of honor when they went to the justice of the peace to be married with just the three of them there. From there, Maryanne went to work and made a home of hers and Billy's little apartment while Grace went to college to study history, something that she had always loved.

She smiled as she had these thoughts but soon the movement of the bus put her to sleep. Her body was about drained, the last blood transfusion that she was able to receive was over two weeks ago and its effects were quickly wearing off. When she woke, it took her a moment to regain her bearings and she realized that she had almost slept too long. The bus had made its way into northern California and was moving along the coastal highway. She got her things together which was only a small bag with a few of her favorite clothes and things that she wanted with her. She looked out the window at the ocean and she inhaled its scent. It brought back the memory of when she and Maryanne had drove down here when Maryanne got her driver's license. They had gotten one of Billy's friends to get them a couple of beers. They stopped at this little restaurant and got something to eat before walking into the woods and out onto a bluff overlooking the ocean. They sat at the edge of the bluff looking down at the big waves crashing onto the rocks down below them. They only drank about half of their beers as they decided that they really didn't like the taste of beer. But that wasn't the point; they drank something that they weren't allowed to drink. It was a fun day and evening that they spent together, just the two of them. So when Grace decided to end her life her own way, rather than allowing the genetic disease that she had been cursed with take her life, she knew this was the place to do it. It held fond memories for her and Maryanne and someplace that Maryanne could take Little Grace showing her where her namesake was.

The bus soon pulled off the road in front of a restaurant. This was why she picked this bus to take, as it stopped near where she wanted to be and she wouldn't have to walk very far. She waited for everyone to get off the bus before getting off herself; she walked slowly while holding onto the seats as she went up the aisle. She slowly stepped off the bus with the bus driver's help. She stood there for a moment waiting for the bus driver to go into the restaurant before she slipped off to the side of the restaurant and into the woods.

She had to lean up against some of the trees to rest as she made her way toward the bluff. She could feel her heart pounding and she just hoped that it wouldn't give out before she made it to the buff. She eventually made her way to the bluff where she had to rest for a moment. Once she got her breath back, she pulled her bag up to her chest. She took in a deep breath as she composed her thoughts.

She closed her eyes and thought about the items on her bag, a few of her favorite outfits and her US history book that she so loved and what got her into history when she was in high school. She was wearing her favorite outfit, denim overall shorts and the pink tee shirt that Maryanne had given to her. It had Bitch and Proud of It written across the front.

She then looked out at over ocean, to which she was about to give her body. Again she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt the ocean wind against her face and she could also feel the cool mist coming up the cliff from where the waves crashed into the rocks far down below. Slowly a calmness came upon her and she began to lean forward. She felt at peace with herself as she began to fall forward.

She was just reaching the point of no return when she felt something at her back grabbing onto the straps of her overalls. She felt herself being pulled backwards as she yelled "What the fuck!"

Grace landed on her ass with a thump as she felt two arms engulfing her body. The shock jarred her brain and it took her a moment to clear her head. When she did, she found that she was sitting at the edge of the bluff with a tan leg lying across her legs and an equally tan arm was wrapped across her chest. She felt the other arm around her back with the hands of those arms clasped together at her right side.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Grace yelled as she struggled against the person that had prevented her from ending her life the way she wanted it to end.

"I'm saving you," Came from the soft voice woman that Grace could now see was holding onto her tightly.

"I didn't ask for you to save me, I wanted to die my way." Grace said turning her attention to the face of the soft spoken woman.

"I know you didn't ask me to save you but I couldn't let you die when I could prevent your death." The young woman with soft caring light blue eyes told her.

Grace wanted to scream at the stupid woman that no one could prevent her death; it was going to happen and happen soon. However as she looked into those soft caring light blue eyes, she felt the rage that she was feeling inside of her dissipate a little. As much as she wanted to tell the young woman to "Fuck Off" she couldn't.

Instead she found herself saying in a very calm tone of voice, "But you can't save me, I have a very rare genetic blood disease that prevents my blood from providing by body the nutrients that it needs to survive. I was fine until a couple of years ago when some of my genes just seemed to stop functioning and I got sick. A genetic research doctor at the university that I was attending discovered what was happening to me. The only thing that is keeping me alive is blood transfusions but I seemed to have used up my allotment of them. So you see, I'm going to die soon no matter what so please let me up so that I can die my way and not in some bed wasting away until my body can no longer function."

"Well that does make my job more difficult but not impossible however I do have a request of you. Once I have you well, I want you to show me this world of yours and tell me about its history." The young long black haired woman said.

Grace had to smile as there wouldn't be anything more she would love to do, teach history but that was a dream that she would never be able to fulfill. She thought for a second and then she figured that maybe if she would humor this young woman then she would release her and she would be able to complete the mission that she had set out to do, which was to die her own way.

"I would love to do that," Grace said with what she hoped was a sincere smile hoping that she was hiding her real intentions.

"Great," the woman said with a big smile that showed her perfectly white teeth. "Now let me see what kind of shape you're in and what I'll have to do to make you whole again."

The young woman relaxed her grip, placing her right hand just inside the front flap of Grace's overalls and onto her belly. The left hand released her arm going to her side holding onto her while not really gripping her at all. Grace knew that her opening was coming as even the young woman's legs seem to relax. She was just about to make her move when she felt the young woman using her left hand to raise her tee shirt.

"Hey, what you doing?" Grace said with alarm in her voice.

"Shhhh... I'm just going to feel your heart. Now just relax and breathe slowly so I can get a good feel for your body." The young woman told her is such a calm soothing tone of voice that Grace found herself obeying her.

She felt the woman's small warm hand touch her side and move up her bony ribs. Grace saw the young woman frown as her face turned to one of pure concentration. Grace waited for the young woman to frown and show her disgust for her emancipated body but she never did. When her hand moved to just under Grace's bra and thus over her heart, Grace felt a warmth began to come over her body. It started from around her heart and radiated outward from there. Grace found that her breathing was becoming less labored and her heart rate slow down. Then something strange began to happen as she felt like she was feeling stronger, not much stronger but just a little.

Grace began to study this woman's face and into those blue eyes that seemed to be looking into her body and not at her. Grace stared at this woman's face who was somehow was making her feel better, not great but better. The young woman had shoulder length black hair that was so shinny that it almost giving off a blue tint in the bright sunlight. The woman wasn't saying anything but then Grace began to hear a low hum come from the woman. It seemed like it wasn't really coming from her throat but somewhere deeper within her. Time seemed to slow down and all Grace could do was to look at this woman's face who had her warm hand over her heart and she almost believe that maybe this woman could help her but her mind couldn't quite believe that. However somewhere in her heart that was feeling stronger, she felt like the young woman could.

Eventually the young woman's hand began to move away from her heart and her lips began to turn into a warm smile. "It looks like I got my work cut out for me but then I've always loved a challenge. Come on; let's get you someplace where I can heal you." She said to Grace as her smile got bigger and Grace saw the confidence in the young woman's eyes.

"What's your name?" Grace said as she suddenly needed to know who this woman was.

"Ahh.. I go by Hope here..." she said as her smile turned a little shy that seemed to tell Grace more than what was sinking into her head but then again, her head was pretty confused at that moment, wanting to believe that Hope could heal her and fearful that she couldn't.

"What is your name?" Hope asked of her.

"I'm Grace," Grace told her wanting to say and ask more but her brain had too many questions going through it that it couldn't form any clear thoughts.

"Well Grace, let's get our asses off this wet grass and head to someplace where I can do my healing." Hope told her pulling her arms away and she moved her leg from across Grace's legs thus releasing her.

Grace knew that this was her last chance to dive off the cliff and end the suffering that she had gone through for the past two years. However for some reason that thought went out of her head as soon as it went into it, instead she just sat there and watched as Hope stood up. She looked up at Hope and really got a good look at this strange woman.

The sun reflected off of Hope's shinny black hair and the sun seemed to make her eyes sparkle. Grace's eyes went down to what Hope was wearing. The dress or whatever it was had long wide sleeves that went down past Hope's elbows. The top part of her dress was form fitting around her breasts showing that she had probably C size breasts and at the waist it became free flowing again. The bottom part went down to her ankles where Hope had on a pair of sandals. She didn't really see a seam and she wasn't sure how it all came together but it appeared to be a wrap of some type. However it was the colors that really set it off. There were designs in the material that Grace had never seen in any clothing before. It drew your eyes to it and the person within the dress but yet it didn't overpower the person looking it, it seemed to show off the woman within the dress. All Grace could think was that the dress and the young woman within the dress were very beautiful.

When Hope lowered her hand down to Grace, she automatically reached to taking the hand and letting Hope help her up. Hope bent down picking up Grace's bag that she had dropped and then she picked up another large cloth bag that seemed to be made of the same material as Hope's dress.

"Come on my dear," Hope said and it was then that Grace noticed that Hope had an accent that she had never heard before. It wasn't any type of American accent yet if also didn't have any type for foreign accent either and she had met a lot of foreign exchange students while at the University. Hope, she realized had been speaking slowly and carefully pronouncing her words, yet they were clear and Grace had no trouble knowing what Hope was saying to her.

"Where are we going?" Grace asked.

"I don't know someplace where you can rest and I can work." Hope told her and then she gave Grace's hand a squeeze. She put both bags across her shoulder and she kept a hold of Grace's hand as she began to walk slowly back toward the restaurant.

Grace began to walk and she discovered that she had more strength in her legs than she had before however they were still weak. Whatever Hope had done to her did help but she knew that she was still very sick and she still figured that she would die within a couple of weeks if not days. They walked slowly and as they walked, Grace would try and glance over at Hope. She was trying to be discreet and not give away that she was checking this young woman out.

She was about her height, maybe an inch or so taller which would put Hope at about five foot eight inches tall. She had nice breasts, being what appeared to be C cup, larger than her own B cup which she doubt she was even that now that she had lost so much weight. The next thing that she noticed was that there wasn't any hair on Hope's arms, that she found strange but maybe where she came from, she shaved their arms as well as their legs. Her face and arms were just as tan as her legs were something that Grace was a bit envious of.

As they walked further, Grace began to tired and she had to just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. She was beginning to wonder if she would make it back to the restaurant without having to ask Hope to let her rest. She had to make several stops just getting to the bluff so she figured that she would need at least that many if not more to get back. However about the time that Grace was going to ask Hope to stop, the woods opened up and they walked into the parking lot. Hope guided her over to a bench, helping her to sit down. She put both of their bags beside of Grace before telling her to wait there as she went in to find them a ride to someplace that they could stay awhile.

The sun was high in the sky and the warmth it gave off warmed her body. While she sat there, she knew that she had missed her chance to jump off the bluff. There was no way that she could make it back there on her own now. She was pissed at Hope for ruining her well laid out plans and now she would be left to die the one way she didn't want to die. She had it in her mind that she was going to cuss Hope out and demand that she take her back to the bluff and allow her to complete her mission whenever Hope came back out of the restaurant.

She got what she was going to say in her mind and was ready to say it however when Hope did come out of the restaurant, she had a elderly couple in tow. They both appeared to be in their eighties at the very least and they also had big smiles on their faces. They looked like they would be any child's dream grandparents. They had this kind and friendly expressions on their faces and the lady was talking away to Hope. Grace knew that her plans to demand of Hope to take her back so that she could dive off the bluff just went back out the window. She wondered why today of all days that she would have the bad luck of meeting the friendliest people on this earth.

"Grace, this is Mr. and Mrs. Brantford, they know this little hotel that rents by the month. They say that's it really nice and has a little kitchen. They agreed to take us there." Hope told her with this big smile on her face.

"Hope can I have a word with you in private," Grace said.

However before Hope could even say anything, Mrs. Brantford came up to her and got a good look at her. "Oh honey child, you look ill, do we need to take you to a hospital?" Then she put her hand to Grace's forehead as if she was trying to see if she was running a temperature.

"No she'll be fine. I just need to get her some rest and some good food." Hope told Mrs. Brantford.

"Well we need to move this child out of this hot sun, Herman go get the car and let's get this poor girl where she can rest," Mrs. Brantford told her husband who dutifully walked on into the parking lot.

Mrs. Brantford then sat down beside of Grace and took her left hand in hers. She began to pat her hand with her own bony hand. "Now when we get you to the motel, I want you to take a long nap and you...," she said looking up at Hope, "...go get her some orange juice. I have a glass every morning and I've never been sick a day in my life."

"I will ma'am," Hope said giving Mrs. Brantford a soft smile. Mrs. Brantford then went on to tell Hope what to feed this "Poor Child" while they waited for Herman to get the car. Grace began to get tired of being called a child but to an eighty year old, she was still just a child.

The main problem was that Grace never got a chance to get that word in with Hope. When Herman brought the car around, Mrs. Brantford insisted on helping Hope get Grace to the car and Grace didn't have the heart to tell Mrs. Brantford to let her be. Her intent was to die that day by diving off the bluff and not being saved by some strange young woman and then helped more by an eighty year old couple. But then again, by this moment she was feeling so tired that she didn't have the energy to walk back to the bluff. She could only hope that she would have enough energy to jump tomorrow.

Mrs. Brantford insisted on getting into the back of the big car with Grace and for the whole trip, she told Hope all the things that she should feed this "Poor Child" to make her better. Hope played her part by seeming to take it all in as Mrs. Brantford chatted away.

The hotel was about thirty minutes away and when they got there Hope went into the office as Grace sat out in the car with Mr. and Mrs. Brantford, who was patting Grace's hand the whole time. It only took Hope about ten minutes to get a room and when she came back out, she motioned for Herman to follow her. They circled around to the back of the hotel and Grace saw that the hotel overlooked another bluff and she knew that maybe she would be able to finish her mission after all. This gave her some hope and she had to smile. Hope unlocked the apartment door before coming out to get Grace who was already getting out of the car.

She started for the bluff while Hope got their bags however she was so weak that Hope had more than enough time to get their bags, say goodbye to the Brantford's, and still come to her and guide her back toward the room.

"I need to have a word with you," Grace said as forcefully as she could muster.

"I know you do but first I want to get you into the room to let you lay down and then we can talk." Hope told her.

"I want you to take me back to my bluff!" Grace told Hope forcefully this time.

"I know you do," Hope told her while guiding her through the door.

Grace glanced around and saw that while the place didn't look like much from the outside, it look nice on the inside. It also smelled clean and looked even cleaner. That part she liked but being trapped in this room with this strange young woman was another thing.

"Come over here and lay down for me, I want you to rest," Hope told her guiding her onto the bed and pretty much forcing her to lay back.

"I don't want to sleep," Grace told Hope feeling a bit of anger rise within her.

"But I need for you to sleep..." Hope said and then she placed her hand on Grace's forehead.

Grace started to reach up and slap Hope's hand away in a fit of anger, however before she could even begin to do so; she felt something change within her body. First the anger went away, and then she felt a calm peace flow through her body, her eyelids got heavy, and then she fell into a deep sleep. The last thing that she heard, which made no sense to her was, "Sleep my sweet girl and let me heal your body..."

When she awoke, she found that she was now under the covers. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was about eight-thirty and from the way the light was coming from between the slightly opened curtains, she figured that it was in the evening and the sun was setting. That meant that she had been asleep about five or six hours. She didn't see Hope and she started to call out to her but then changed her mind. She figured that now was her time to make a run for it or at least what she could manage which was more like a fast walk at best. She started to push down the covers when she realized that she was naked under the covers.

"That bitch, she undressed me!" Grace said to herself. This really pissed her off as she didn't like Hope doing that to her while she was asleep and she couldn't see any reason for her to do so. She could sleep just fine in her clothes. It was about this time that she realized that she really had to pee, like any second. So she grabbed the light top bed cover wrapping it around her body while she got out of the bed. She clutched it around her as she made a dash to the bathroom, never realizing that she was actually running. She got to the bathroom slamming the door behind of her. She looked up and saw herself in the mirror in front of her.

However the person that was looking back at her wasn't the same person that she had seen in the mirror for the last couple of years. The girl that was now looking back at her didn't have dark circles under her eyes. The sunken pasty toned cheeks were replaced with ones that while not exactly full at least had some meat to them and had that rosy tones that she loved. She opened the bed cover that she had wrapped around her and she saw a body that she also hadn't seen in two years. Her sagging breasts were back to their normal firm form, and while still small at least she had breasts again. She looked on down at her body and though she was still too thin, she saw that she had meat on her bones again and actually a little fat on her lower belly.

She looked back up at her face putting her hands to her cheeks just to make sure that it really was her own body that she was looking at. When she felt her hands, no longer ice cold, touch her cheeks, she said aloud, "Oh MY God!" Then she felt faint and her bladder let go.

The next thing she felt was a slight cool breeze behind her and then a pair of strong hands taking a hold of her sides. They held her up and Grace heard the toilet lid being put down and then she felt herself being guided over to the toilet. She felt the cold seat upon her bare ass and that seemed to revive her a little bit.

Grace then heard water running in the sink and she felt a warm wash cloth moving along her legs and her thighs, cleaning the pee from them. A moment later she felt that warm wash cloth at her pussy, wiping the pee residue away. Grace was too much in shock to care that she was naked and that Hope was touching her where she was. However she was beginning to come out of her shock so she was able to see Hope place that wash cloth on the edge of the sink and then she got another one, letting it get wet under the running water from the sink. This time, Hope used the clean wash cloth on her face and Grace could feel the kind caring hands wipe her face and neck off.

"What... What did you do to me?" Grace shuddered out in barely more than a whisper.

"I healed your body," Hope told her simply like she was stating the obvious. "Well at least to the point that your body can take over and do the rest on its own."

"How?" Grace asked while Hope moved the wash cloth down to her shoulders and then over to her back.

"Oh I used a little of this and a lot of that, it's nothing. The main thing is that you're able to now able to complete your promise to me." Hope said while continuing to rub her back with the wash cloth.

"What promise?" Grace had to ask, completely confused about everything.

"The one to teach me about your history, the one you made to me if I could heal you. I did so and once we build your endurance up a little more we can begin our journey." Hope told her with a soft smile.

"Oh," Grace said vaguely remembering that promised that she had just made a few hours before but for some reason, it seemed so long ago now.

Hope's hand was now on her stomach, wiping it off and keeping Grace off balance as she was feeling the warm wash cloth yet she didn't completely. "How did you heal me in a few short hours, are you some kind of faith healer or have you twisted my mind into seeing something that really isn't there?" Grace asked as Hope was now moving the wash cloth around her breasts and that was making a connection with her, enough for her to realize where Hope was touching her. Grace gently pushed Hope's hand away and she saw that Hope didn't seem to mind. She just sat back on her heels on the bathroom floor.

"Mmmm...," Hope said, "No I'm not a faith healer, I'm not religious in any way. And you really are healed, you body is functioning the way that it's suppose to function. I didn't do it in a few of your hours; it took a bit longer than that."

"How much longer?" Grace asked now completely confused.

"Well..." Hope said pausing for a moment while getting to her feet. She seemed to be thinking this over. It was a simple question and Grace couldn't figure out why it took her so long to answer.

"I would say about six weeks, give or take a week," Hope said smiling at her while she leaned over to mop Grace's pee from the floor with the bed cover that was laying there.

"I've been asleep for a month and a half?" Grace asked disbelievingly.

Hope had to think again before she answered as she looked up from the floor while finishing getting Grace's pee up, "Yea, I guess that is about right."

"Did you drug me?" Grace asked.

"No I don't use drugs, I just things natural and my own abilities," Hope told her standing up and putting the bed cover in a laundry hamper.

"Oh I see," Grace said though not seeing at all. She was completely confused by it all and she wasn't sure what she believed, if anything. However her body had changed and she did feel stronger, that was real.

"I tell you what why don't you take a long hot shower and I'll mix us up a fresh batch of my nutritious porridge." Hope suggested giving her a soft smile.

"I am hungry..." Grace said feeling her stomach growl at the mere mention of food.

"Great," Hope said going to the shower and turning on the hot water for Grace.

Grace sat there on the toilet just watching Hope adjust the water temperature for her. Once it seemed to be of the right temperature for Hope, she stood back and held out her hand for Grace. "Come on and I'll help you in."

Grace started to reach out for that hand but then she came to the realization that she had been sitting there this whole time nude, something she wasn't comfortable doing around strangers. Grace put the legs together and she used her right hand that she was about to give to Hope, across her breasts. "I'll get it from here, thanks." She said to her feeling shy being the only one naked.

"Okay," Hope said showing her disappointment for a second. "You take your shower and I'll get to work in the kitchen." Then her slight frown turned to a smile before she walked out of the bathroom however she left the door open.

Grace waited for Hope to leave before she got up. She started to close the door but then didn't, instead she went to the shower, stepping inside before closing the clear glass doors. She stepped up under the water and she let the water run over her body, her new body that she couldn't believe that was real. As she stood there, she felt her stomach growl again and she realized that she was very hungry, this was something normal for her as she was always hungry. The problem before was that no matter what or how much she ate, she never got the benefit of that food no matter how good it was for her. And the more she thought about her hunger, the more she wanted a big juicy cheese burger and lots of fries. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it.

She opened the shower door a few inches, enough for her to stick her head out, "Can we go out and get a cheeseburger instead?" She asked.

A minute later Hole came walking in and Grace turned her body a little so Hope wouldn't have a clear view of her. "Don't you like my cooking?" Hope asked with a smile.

Grace answered without thinking, "No I hate it, it taste terrible." Grace then realized what she had said and while she knew it was true, she didn't have any clue as to how she knew it. She looked at Hope figuring that she had hurt her feelings but to her surprise, she saw that she hadn't.

"Well it is an acquired taste but it is also what you need to finish getting better." Hope told her with her expression that reminded Grace of one of her doctors making a point that indicated that while they disapproved, they were going along with her request. "I'll make you a deal, you pick one meal a day and I pick the other two."

"Okay," Grace said finding herself agreeing when she would rather pick all the meals but something made her agree with Hope as if she knew that Hope was right.

Grace closed the shower door, seeing Hope hesitate for a moment before she saw Hope leave the bathroom leaving her alone again. Grace picked up the bar of soap and a wash cloth that were in the tray. She wet the wash cloth and got the bar of soap before beginning to wash her body. She started with her stomach and she could actually feel some fat there. She moved the wash cloth up to her breasts and they really were like they were before she got sick. She had breast tissue there and they were firm like they once were. She ran the wash cloth over both of her breasts feeling her nipples get hard, something that hadn't occurred in a while. She could almost feel herself get aroused so she stopped knowing Hope was just outside the open bathroom door.

She moved the washcloth over to her ribs on her right side and they weren't as bony as before. She could still feel them but they weren't sticking out against her skin. She found herself smiling as she discovered her new body. When her hands went down to her ass, she found that she actually had an ass. She did love having her old body again; however she was still confused as to how she got it.

She was going to get to the bottom of this and find just how Hope had been able to cure her, if she had cured her. That she still wasn't convinced of yet. There was always the possibility that she had just given her a series of blood transfusions that would eventually wear off and she would be back to where she was. If that was the case, then she wanted to die now before her body began to deteriorate again. She just couldn't go through that again.

She finished washing and she noticed that there was a razor and shaving cream on the tray. She picked up the shaving cream putting it on her right leg. She shaved it as quickly and carefully as she could. Then she did the other leg feeling like she was a woman again. She quickly shaved her underarms before rinsing off. She turned off the shower and reached out getting a towel that she used to dry her body while standing in the shower. She then stepped out with the towel wrapped around her body. When she stepped in front of the mirror, she was prepared for what she was going to see however it still seemed unreal to her. She had gotten used to seeing her body ravaged by her genetic disease and this was just too much to get her mind around. She dried out her hair that had its body back. There were times she hated her hair because it was so full of body that she couldn't do anything with it but today, she loved it again.

She heard Hope moving around in the little apartment and she realized that she needed to get dressed, besides her stomach was growling again and she wanted something to eat, like a big juicy hamburger with lots of fries smothered in ketchup.

She looked around and realized that she had no clothes to put on. She started to go out and get some but decided that it was better that that she stayed in the bathroom, so that she could dress there.

"Hope, would you bring me my clothes?" she called out.

A moment later, Hope appeared at the door, not with her clothes in her hands but a dress something like what she was wearing. "There's a little problem with your clothes..." Hope told her.

"You didn't throw them away did you?" Grace asked her a bit upset.

"Oh no," Hope said, "I didn't touch any of your things, everything you had with you are still in your bag."

"Then what's the problem, just bring me my bag and I'll find something to wear," Grace told her getting a little impatient with Hope.

"They won't fit you, there're all too small." Hope told her and Grace remembered that as her body weakened and she got thinner, she had to buy smaller and smaller clothes, up to the point that she had to buy clothes from the young women's section of the stores.

"I did fix one of my outfits for you. You can wear it until we can get something that you'd want to wear." Hope said handing the outfit to Grace.

Grace knew it was either that or go out wearing a towel and that wasn't really an option so she took the offered dress. "What about panties and a bra?" She asked.

Hope gave a shy smile as she said, "I don't have any of those."

Grace didn't like going out without panties or a bra but again she was out of options. "Okay but I do want to get some panties and bras to wear."

Grace waited for a moment and then Hope seemed to get the message as she turned and walked away. Grace waited until she saw that Hope was out of sight before undoing the towel and setting it on the counter. She took another look at her body marveling at how she looked before held up the dress in front of her. She had to admit that it was pretty and it looked like that it would fit her.

She looked the dress over and she tried to figure out how to put it on. She hung the dress on a hook that was on the back of the bathroom door. She had to look for a moment before she realized that the dress was one that a woman would wrap around her body much like some skirts that she had did. However she couldn't find any buttons or snaps to undo to open the dress. She looked from the bottom and she figured the she would just slip it over her body. So she took the dress from the hanger and started to slip it on. The bottom of the dress slipped over her shoulder but once she got to the waist, it wouldn't go any further. It was too tight and she didn't want to tear the dress so she pulled it back off. She looked again for a button or snap to undo the dress but again, she couldn't find anything and she didn't want to start to pull on it. She knew then that she had only one option if she didn't want to go around naked and she didn't. The only thing was that would mean that Hope would see her naked again.

Grace opened the door a crack and called out, "Hope can you tell me how to open this dress?"

"I can but it would be easier to show you. It can be a little complicated the first time you put it on." Hope said from just the other side of the door so Grace figured that Hope was expecting to be called to help her.

"Mmmm... well okay," Grace replied after thinking about it for a second and coming to the conclusion that she had no other options.

Grace opened the door and she saw that Hope was smiling and her eyes were on her face and not her body which made her feel a little better. She did notice that Hope did glance at her as she took the dress from her and that gave her a bit of a nice feeling.

Hope then went to the left side of the dress. "You see this here," Hope asked showing a little seam that Grace didn't see before.

"Yes," Grace said.

"Well you can pull this away and it comes apart." Hope said while showing her by opening the dress.

"It won't tear?" Grace asked amazed that the dress would come apart like that.

"No honey, it's fine. Now get in front of the mirror and let me get behind of you. That way I can show you how to put it on and adjust it to fit you." Hope told her and she stepped back. Grace moved in front of the mirror looking into it as Hope stepped in behind of her.

"Here put you arms through the arm holes," Hope told her and she did so.

Hope stepped in closer and Grace felt Hope's body pressed against her body. It felt kind of nice and gave her a peaceful feeling and a bit of calmness even though she was naked but one look in the mirror showed Grace that Hope's concentration was on showing her how to put the dress on.

"The first thing that you must do is to pull this end across your body and depending on how far you pull it, the tighter or looser the top will be." Hope told her as she pulled the right side of the dress across Grace's body covering her right breast.

"And then you pull the left side back across your body," Hope told her as she did so and now her body was covered with the top making a V at the top however Hope had pulled it up enough so as not to show any of her cleavage for which she was grateful.

Hope then let go of her stepping back. Grace immediately grabbed onto the dress to keep it from falling back open. Grace looked into the mirror and she saw Hope grinning at her just a little so Grace let go of the material. She immediately saw that it stayed in place and that confused her but everything had confused her since she had woken up.

"What's holding it together?" Grace asked her.

Hope seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "It's a new material that clings to itself." She said and Grace gave her another confused and concerned look.

Hope then immediately added, "Don't worry it won't come apart on you until you pull it back apart. You're perfectly safe to walk around in it."

"Okay," Grace said not completely believing her but something in Hope's eyes and her facial expression did go a long way in making her trust what she said.

"You know you look pretty in that, the colors do match your skin tone," Hope told her after she had turned away from the mirror and was now facing her.

Grace felt grateful as it had been a long, long time since anyone had called her pretty. "Thank you," Grace said feeling her face warm at the compliment.

"And if you want to look even sexier, you can adjust how you wrap the dress to show a little more on top." Hope told her with a bit of a twinkle in her eyes.

Grace looked down and saw how that might just work, and it would make her look a little sexier but that wasn't something that she would normally do. "Yes..." Was all she could say as she looked into Hope's warm, caring eyes. There was something about those eyes that made her feel so safe and in peace with herself. It was like all was going to be okay, when Hope was there.

"Ah... maybe we need to get going..." Grace said getting the conversation away from how she looked.

"Yes we do, we've got to put some food in that belly of yours," Hope said with a smile while patting Grace's belly making Grace grin even though she tried not to do so.

Hope gave her a soft smile before turning away and going to her large bag, where she pulled a small bag that seemed to be made from the same material and was just as colorful.

"How we going to get there, do we need to call a cab?" Grace asked while following Hope to the door.

"No we're taking your car." Hope told her with a grin.

"My car, I don't have a car." Grace said giving a look to Hope that pretty much said that she thought that Hope was crazy.

Hope just smiled while opening the door and Grace saw a small red and somewhat strange looking car just outside of the door. "When did you get that?"

"Oh I had it delivered while you were asleep, we needed something for you to use to take me around your country and show me your history." Hope said with a smile. "I do hope that you don't mind that I used it while you slept, but I did borrow it to go get the things that I needed to make for you to eat. And let me tell you, they were hard to find."

"No I don't mind you using it," Grace said with a smile, not knowing what else to say.

"Good, then let's go get you that nasty cheeseburger," Hope told her as she wrinkled her nose at the idea of eating something that she seemed to know wasn't going to be good for her.

"Just wait till you taste that, you won't be wrinkling your nose at it." Grace said with a smile.

"Oh no, I'm getting a salad," Hope told her.

"Nope if I got to eat what you want then you got to eat what I want," Grace told her standing her ground on this point, both literary and figuratively as she wasn't moving from the doorway that she was standing it.

Hope turned and looked at her, staring at her for a moment before she smiled, "Okay, I'll do it your way. I might as well learn about your foods as well as your culture."

"Good," Grace said with a grin, liking that she had won one battle with this strange young woman that seemed to have so much control over her with her ability to make her feel like going along with her was the right thing to do.

Grace stepped from the doorway of the little apartment, starting to head toward the passenger side of the strange looking little red car however Hope was already going in that direction, so that meant that Hope expected her to drive. It had been a while since she had gotten to drive and she had to admit that the thought excited her. It was like another part of her life that had been taken away from her was given back. So she changed directions, going to the driver's side of the car. She opened the door and she started to get in but then she stopped as the inside didn't look like any car that she had ever driven before. And in the back, Grace saw that Hope had a nice supply of the things that she had been fixing for them to eat so she knew that she wouldn't get out of eating it for a long while.

"Come on, get in, I'll tell you how to drive it." Hope told her giving her a big smile as if she knew what Grace was thinking.

"Where did you get this car?" Grace asked while she was slipping in behind the steering wheel.

"I brought it with me from where I came. However when I got here I decided to just take buses and trains to get around so that I could meet more of your people and learn from them. However once I started to heal you, I decided that maybe it could be of some use after all." Hope told her.

"Just where are you from?" Hope asked as she looked around the dashboard trying to figure out just what was what.

"A long, long way from here," Hope told her and going no further than that.

"That doesn't tell me much," Grace told her giving her a frown.

"I know," Hope said again giving her that reassuring smile that she had which made Grace worry less about what she wasn't telling her.

"So how do I drive this thing," Grace said feeling her stomach growl thus putting off pressing Hope about where she was from until later.

"You just use the gear shift to put it into reverse and hit the gas pedal." Hope told her.

"No keys to start it?" Grace asked.

"No, you don't need them." Hope said with that same soft smile.

"Aren't you afraid that someone will steal it?" Grace asked not moving to put the car in gear.

"No, it's programmed for me and once you grasp the steering wheel, it'll be programmed for you. No one else will be able to drive it." Hope told her.

"Okay if you say so..." Grace replied not the least bit convinced in what Hope was telling her about the car. She hesitated for a second before she tentatively took a hold of the steering wheel. She saw a light on the dash briefly light up and it showed some strange looking word but before she could really focus in on it, it went out.

"Good now put the car in reverse," Hope told her.

Grace did so and she saw an R appear to the right side of the dash. She then slowly pushed down on the gas pedal feeling the car back up. She let out a squeal not expecting it to move without starting it so she immediately hit the brake.

"What is this, an electric powered car?" Grace asked.

"No actually it runs on air," Hope told her seriously.

"Yea, right..." Grace replied not believing her in the least though Hope appeared to be serious.

"No it actually does, it's a new type car that is being developed," Hope told her.

"Okay if you say so," Grave told her still not believing what she was being told. There was no way a car could run on air. She had never heard of anyone trying to develop such a car. However she was hungry and she didn't want to argue, so she glanced around her and not seeing any cars pulling out or coming in, she gently pushed on the gas pedal backing out of their parking space. She also noted that the engine made no noise at all.

"So where're we going?" Grace asked.

"Go to your right, I believe that there's a restaurant a short distance down the road." Hope told her and Grace noted that Hope didn't take them back toward the restaurant by the bluff. She obviously wasn't taking any chances there.

Grace pushed down on the gas pedal and the small car moved forward onto the road. She saw that in the center of the dash board was a digital speedometer reading out her speed in mile per hour, below that was the speed in kilometers like most new cars had. However this car also had a third speed listed and it was in characters that made no sense. She wanted to ask what that was but she decided it was best for her to just concentrate on driving this weird car. She got up to about fifty miles per hour and still she heard no sound, except for the air rushing by their open windows. Hope didn't talk while Grace was driving which was fine with her, she was too confused by everything that had happened to her since she had woken up so she just drove and Hope appeared to be content to look out the window and take in the scenery.

About twenty minutes later, they entered a small town. Hope directed her to the restaurant that she had seen. Grace pulled into an open parking space and the put the car into park. The windows rolled up on their own scaring Grace a bit and making Hope smile at her. Grace opened the door and got out while Hope was doing the same. Grace closed her door expecting to hear a click indicating that the doors were locked but nothing happened. Hope had started toward the front of the car so Grace quickly caught up with her.

"Don't worry, no one will steal the car," Hope told her making Grace wonder how Hope knew what she was thinking.

"Okay," Grace said turning her attention to the delicious smells coming from the restaurant.

"God, I'm hungry," Grace said to herself but she said it louder than she meant to.

"We'll get something to fill that belly of yours soon," Hope told her giving her a sweet smile.

"I don't know why I'm so hungry but I am," Grace told her.

"You're body is trying to finish healing itself, and to do that it needs the nutrients that food provides." Hope told her.

Grace stopped just before they got to the door, "Is it really healing itself?" She asked hoping that Hope would give her a positive answer and that it would be something that would make her believe her.

"Your body is going to be fine, you're not sick anymore, you just need to build it back up," Hope told her while putting her hand on Grace's forearm and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay, I believe you," Grace said with a small smile as she was beginning to believe in what Hope was telling her but not completely, at least not yet.

They went on into the restaurant and since it was still early in the evening, they were seated immediately. A moment later, their waitress came to their table to take their order.

"We'll both have the large cheeseburgers, fries and large sweet teas to drink," Grace told the waitress before Hope could even look at the menu.

Hope looked up at her, arching her eyebrows a little, "You told me that I could pick what we eat for one meal a day." Grace said with a grin. "And I told you we were eating cheeseburgers tonight.

"So I did," Hope told her with a smile.

"Have you ever had a cheeseburger before?" Grace asked her.

"No I haven't and I admit that I'm looking forward to it." Hope said giving Grace a genuine smile that made Grace feel a little better about ordering for them both.

"So why do you want to know about our history?" Grace asked of Hope, just as the waitress brought them their teas.

"Do you know much about the history of your country?" Hope asked of her without answering Grace's question.

"Do I know much about our history?" Grace asked back with a big grin on her face. "I was a history major in college before I had to drop out. I love history and hope one day to teach it."

"Well it looks like I picked the right person to show me around then didn't I?" Hope replied with a smile.

"Yes you did," Grace told her and then she hesitated before asking, "Did you already know that about me?"

"No I knew nothing about you when I saw you on the bus. I just saw someone that was in trouble and needed my help and I couldn't keep myself from helping you." Hope told her.

"I guess that it was my good luck that you did see me and then cure me..." Grace said before pausing for a second, "...if you were able to cure me."

Hope didn't frown as she expected for her to do, instead she just gave Grace a soft smile, "Still not convinced are you?"

"I want to and I'm beginning to believe. It's just that I know how sick I was and that there wasn't any medicine that could help me. There are just too few people in this world who have my disease and most never make it past their first birthday so no one will invest in trying to find a cure. And I know that I was close to dying and then I wake up with a new body and find out that I have been asleep for six weeks. It's just all too confusing for me right now to believe anything completely." Grace told her.

"I understand and you were very close to dying. I was a bit worried myself but you're all right now. And I think that as the days pass and you get stronger and not weaker, it'll make it easier for you to believe." Hope told her while reaching over and putting her hand on Grace's hand.

The hand felt warm to Grace and she felt more reassured about it all. Grace was content to just let Hope hold her hand and she did however since the restaurant wasn't busy, their cheeseburgers soon arrived.

"I think I could eat both of these and the fries too," Grace said almost feeling her mouth water just looking down at her juicy cheeseburger.

"Well go ahead," Hope said pushing her plate toward her.

"Oh no, once you have one bite, you'll never think about giving away your cheeseburger ever again." Grace told her pushing Hope's plate back toward her.

Grace then reached out for the salt and had it in her hand when Hope reached out and gently taking her wrist. She shook her head "No" while giving her a smile. Grace wasn't going to argue so she let Hope take the salt away from her however she did immediately pick up the ketchup bottle putting some on her plate despite Hope's frown. So she reached out pulling Hope's plate toward her enough so that she could put some ketchup on Hope's plate making Hope laugh at her.

"Now eat up," Grace said before picking up her own cheeseburger and taking a bite. She then mumbled something out as she chewed.

"What?" Hope said still not having taken a bite of her own cheeseburger.

Grace tried to smile as she chewed and as soon as she was able to swallow, she said, "I said, Oh god is this good!" then she giggled.

"Now eat... Please..." She said to Hope.

Hope gave her a smile before picking up her cheeseburger and taking a smaller bite. Grace held her breath as she waited for Hope to carefully chew and swallow.

"Well?" Grace asked when Hope didn't say anything.

Hope still didn't say anything; instead she picked up a French Fry, dipping it in the ketchup and she put that into her mouth. Only after eating the fry and washing it down with a sip of her tea, "Well this may not be good for either of us, I do believe that just maybe, we'll have to have this again." Hope said somewhat dryly which disappointed Grace more than a little.

"Don't you like it?" Grace asked.

Hope looked at her as if she was trying to decide if she really did or not before her face broke into a big grin and she gave out a little laugh, "Yes I love it. They both taste great."

"Oh you had me scared for a second," Grace said frowning at her but then smiling.

"I know but I just had to tease you a little. However this isn't something either of us need to eat every day." Hope told her.

"I know but I'm going to enjoy it tonight!" Grace said taking another big bite of her cheeseburger.

"So am I!" Hope told her and this time, she did take a bigger bite of her cheeseburger and she was smiling as she did so.

Neither of them talked much as they ate, at least not until they both had pretty much demolished their cheeseburgers. That was went Grace felt her belly getting almost too full and she had to slow down. Hope began to ask her about what she had studied in both high school and at the university. This of course got Grace to talk as there was nothing she liked better than to discuss and even argue about history. They talked or rather Grace talked until they had finished their cheeseburgers and most of their fries, leaving a few as they had no more room in their bellies to put another one in there.

"I would offer to pay at least half but I have no money," Grace said as they were getting up and Hope had picked up their ticket.

"It's okay, I got plenty of money and besides you're doing me a service by showing me around and telling me about your history. I don't think I could have picked a better teacher than you." Hope told her and Grace realized that Hope was being very serious in her compliment.

"Thank you, I hope that I can live up to your expectations of me." Grace told her blushing just a little but also feeling proud that she had impressed Hope so much with what little that she had told her.

"Of that I have no doubt," Hope said while reaching out and grasping her hand and giving it a squeeze before letting it go.

When Hope got to the cashier, she pulled out a stack of money from her dress pocket. The bills were folded over but from what Grace could tell, there had to be a couple of thousand dollars there. Hope peeled a hundred dollar bill from the stack of money handing it to the cashier who like Grace was staring at the money that Hope had in her hand. Grace looked around hoping that no one saw the money. She was glad to see that no one seemed too have noticed but all the same, she wanted t get out of there as quickly as they could.

Once they had gotten out of the restaurant and after a couple of men had passed by them going into the restaurant, Grace stopped Hope as she was heading toward the strange car. "Do you mind if I give you a piece of advice?" Grace asked though she had planned on giving it to her anyway.

"No please do," Hope said before she began heading toward the car again with Grace walking close beside of her so that no one would overhear her.

"When you go to pay for something, just take out as much money as you need. You don't need to flash that much money around. You never know when someone is watching and will try to rob you." Grace told her.

Hope stopped for a moment to think and then she began to walk again, "I'll remember that... Do you think someone would really try and rob me?"

"For that much money, in a flash, I wish we could say that we are better than that but we're not. There are lots of people who would kill you for that much money," Grace told her.

Hope frowned for a second and then she smiled, "Thank you for telling me, maybe I should let you take care of the money and let you pay for things." Hope suggested. Grace thought that she was kidding for a second but then she saw that Hope was obviously very serious.

"Oh no I can't do that, it's your money and I don't want to be responsible for it. What if some of it came up missing..." Grace told her just as they got to the car.

"Would you steal from me?" Hope asked of her from the passenger side of the car.

"Of course not, I don't want any of your money," Grace told her feeling a little hurt that anyone would think that she could steal.

"I didn't think so," Hope said with a knowing smile that made Grace worry as she had every right to do so.

Hope got on into the car and when Grace slid into the driver's seat, Hope had the stack of money out and was handing it to her. "Here you go; now you can pay for everything from now on."

"No I said I didn't want to," Grace told her pushing Hope's hand down and away from her.

"I know but I think it's safer for you to handle the money," Hope said and then she turned and leaned over. She put her hand to Grace's side and as Grace watched, she opened a pocket in the dress Grace was wearing and she pushed the money in it. "Now when you run out, just let me know and I'll give you more."

"But..." Grace said looking down at the pocket that she didn't even know existed until then.

"No buts'," Hope said with a smile and then to change the subject, "I think we need to take a walk when we get back, we both need the exercise."

"I don't want to..." Grace started to protest but Hope stopped her.

"You don't want to take a walk?" Hope asked with her face in a frown like she was disappointed in her.

"No I do want to take a walk, but I..." Grace was staying when Hope gave her an even bigger frown stopping her in midsentence.

"Good then we'll talk a long walk before bed; now take us back to our sleeping place." Hope told her a she turned back forward.

"Okay," Grace said while thinking that one way or another that money was going back to Hope. She put the silent car into reverse and back out of the parking place.

"I found a pathway that goes down to the beach, it's a little steep but I think we can manage," Hope pronounced and she said so in a way that suddenly made Grace look forward to the walk and forget for a moment about the money as she pulled out onto the highway and got them headed back toward the apartment.

"Okay, I'm game," Grace said with a smile, now that her belly was full, she was feeling a burst of energy that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"We'll just walk a little while tonight and maybe in the morning, we can walk a little further. I don't want you to overdo it this first day," Hope told her and again, Grace could almost hear a doctor in Hope coming out.

"And what happens if I overdo it tonight?" Grace just had to ask to see what Hope would tell her.

"Then you won't be able to get out of bed in the morning." Hope said and Grace glanced over at Hope to see if she was serious and she saw that she was. This just took all the promise of a new life right out of her.

"Oh," Grace said feeling suddenly depressed and her face obviously showed that feeling.

"No honey, I didn't mean it that way," Hope said and Grace felt Hope's hand on her arm squeezing it. "I just meant that after pretty much lying in bed for as long as I had to keep you there, your muscles will be strained and you'll be sore from your little toe to every hair on your head."

"So it won't undo whatever you did to make me well if..." Grace asked her.

Hope gave out a little laugh, "What do I have to do to convince you that you're better now?"

Grace had to think that over for a moment as she drove down the highway, she wasn't sure that she had an answer but slowly she knew what the answer was and it was the answer to most questions, "Time... give me time to believe."

"I can do that and while you take that time, you can begin to teach me what I came here to learn." Hope told her with a smile.

"That I can do, I love to teach though I don't have much experience at it." Grace told her.

"That's cool, you can learn to teach as you teach me, I'm a patient student... at least most of the time," Hope told her as she gave out a little laugh.

They talked a little more while Grace drove and then once she had parked the car, Hope took her by the hand and began to lead her down the path. It was steep and Grace began to wonder if she would have the energy to make it back up. She was also glad that Hope was holding onto her hand tightly as it gave her some reassurance. While it was still her intention to jump off and end her life, she didn't want to go tumbling down such a bluff and end up injured yet not dead. However Hope guided them down safely without getting them both killed.

Hope let her get her breath before she began to tug at Grace's hand and they began to walk. Grace liked the feel of Hope's hand holding hers though she was just doing so in a friendly manner. She also began to notice the feel of the soft fabric of Hope's dress, that she was wearing, felt against her skin. She also became more aware that she wasn't wearing and panties or a bra. She really hadn't noticed this before because her hunger was controlling all of her thoughts however now as they walked, she became aware of that fact. She had to admit that despite her never wanting to go without undergarments; she kind of liked the feeling of doing so now. It made her feel sexy and alive and also began to get her a bit excited. She then decided that before she let her mind go too far in this direction she needed to get her mind onto something else.

"So what is it you want to learn?" Grace asked Hope to get her mind off what she was thinking.

"Everything you can teach me, from the beginning to now, I want to learn about your culture and what makes you do the things that you do." Hope told her.

"You don't want much do you," Grace said with a laugh.

"Is that too much to ask?" Hope asked turning her head toward Grace with a worried look on her face.

"No but it's not something that I can teach you in a few days, I'd need lots of time to do that, if I even have that time." Grace told her.

"Well I'm not leaving for about..." Hope said pausing again before saying, "... about one of your years, is that enough time?" Hope asked of her.

"Is that when your visa runs out?" Grace asked hoping to gain some insight as to where Hope came from.

Hope gave her a questioning look and she seemed confused but she rebounded quickly, "I just have to return then," She replied and she changed the subject quickly and deftly, "So where do we need to start?"

"Start what?" Grace asked.

"You teaching me," Hope said with a frown but a sweet one all the same.

"Oh, well I guess will start here and visit every historic site that we can find as we slowly make our way to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C." Grace told her.

"And why the Smithsonian?" Hope asked.

"Because it has everything that you need to know, we can learn loads there and I've always wanted to visit there." Grace told her with a smile.

"Then why don't we start there?" Hope logically asked.

"Because it is all the way across the country and we might as well visit other places along the way." Grace told her just as logically.

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess," Hope replied with a smile and she gave Grace's hand a squeeze while saying, "See I knew I picked the right person to guide me."

"Yea but will I live long enough to get us there..." Grace just had to add.

Hope didn't bother to answer that remark; instead she began to quiz Grace about what she knew of the Smithsonian. She pressed Grace to tell her more about the Smithsonian however Grace's knowledge was limited. She knew the general things that they had but she wasn't able to go into the detail that Hope was asking for.

Grace told Hope that they needed was a computer to look into more detail and that Hope said that she could help them with though Grace hadn't seen her with a laptop or anything. But then again, she had only been with her a day, at least a day that she was actually conscious, if what Hope had told her about being asleep for six weeks was right. Anyway they walked for a couple of miles up the beach before turning around and walking slowly back down the beach while the sun began to set. They had just come to their return path up the bluff when the sun started going down over the ocean.

"Isn't that just beautiful..." Hope said as she looked out over the ocean.

"Well yes I guess it is..." Grace replied having seen many sunsets and this one while pretty wasn't that spectacular.

"You guess..." Hope said completely taken aback but Grace's cavalier attitude over such a beautiful scene. "This is so beautiful, so wonderful, so... I don't know the words to use. But just watch this with me and pretend that it's you're first sunset..." Hope told her directing Grace's attention back to the sunset.

Grace turned to face the sunset as it slowly went below the horizon and she tried to see it as Hope was seeing it, like a child seeing something for the first time. She saw the orange and yellow colors and she could feel the emotions that such a sunset could bring forth. "It is beautiful isn't it..."

"Yes it is..." Hope said with a sigh.

They stood there until the sun had completely set and then Hope let out another contented sigh before turning to the path and she took Grace's hand. She began to lead them back up the path in the remaining light. About halfway up, Grace felt her thighs start to protest and it made her worry. She thought not of being out of shape but rather of her illness and feeling the same thing when she pushed her in the least amount, however her mind didn't grasp that she wasn't pushing her body in the least amount but rather very hard. She did make it up to the top however she was completely out of breath once they got to the top. Hope let her rest for a moment before they made their way back into the small apartment.

"I think I need a shower, I'm soaked in sweat," Grace said as she plopped down in one of the chairs still trying to catch her breath.

"Me too, why don't you go ahead," Hope told her.

"No, you go first while I just sit here and rest a moment." Grace told her.

"Okay," Hope said with a smile. She then turned and took a step toward the bathroom before stopping and turning back toward Grace.

"You will be here when I get out, won't you?" Hope asked of her and she looked directly into her eyes.

Grace knew exactly what Hope was asking of her, though the thought hadn't even occurred to her that this would be the perfect time to make a run toward the bluff that was just outside the apartment and not stop until she hit the beach below. But now that Hope had brought it up, the thought did go through her mind but for some reason, it didn't stay there. She saw that Hope was getting a little worried with her delay in answering her question.

Grace allowed a slight smile to come across her face, "Yes I'll be here."

"You promise..." Hope asked probing a bit.

Grace's smile turned a little larger, "Yes I promise... I might be asleep when you come back out but I will be here."

"Good," Hope said with a sweet smile and again she started to turn to go to the bathroom before stopping.

"You know if you're going to be asleep when I get back out, let me have your Tunskan so that I can wash it with mine." Hope told her.

Grace was about to ask what a Tunskan was when she noticed that Hope had reached over to her side and she began to peel her dress open. Grace wanted to look away as she felt like Hope was doing this for a purpose. But Grace found that she was watching as Hope's long Graceful and firm legs came into her eyesight. Her eyes were focused on Hope's legs as the Tunskan came on open. Her eyes when slowly up Hope's body seeing her firm thighs and then they focused in on what was between those legs.

Grace was a bit surprised by two things, one that Hope was wearing no panties and two that Hope shaved her pussy and had obviously done so recently as it was so smooth, in fact it really looked like she had had her pussy hair waxed completely off. She saw that Hope's outer lips completely covered her inner lips and they looked so beautiful, so beautiful that Grace subconsciously licked her lips. Grace didn't notice that Hope let a soft smile come across her lips. Grace's eyes kept going up Hope's body to Hope's belly button however it was like no belly button she had even seen. It was neither an innie nor outie; in fact it was barely visible which Grace found to be strange. Hope had just a hint of fat at her belly but it just added to the erotic nature of Hope's body.

Her eyes traveled on upwards until they were on Hope's breasts which were not covered by a bra of any type. They were so full and firm and the nipples were sticking out an half inch and Grace found her mouth watering. She suddenly felt this need to suck upon those nipples. The weird part was that this feeling wasn't completely sexual in nature though that was a part of it. What Grace found herself feeling was more of an earthly need, like those breasts could bring her life or bring her something that she needed to survive.

Grace's eyes went past those lovely breasts to her face and then she refocused on Hope's whole body. It was then that she realized that Hope had taken her dress off and was holding it loosely in her left hand. Grace was so caught up with Hope's tan erotic body that she failed to realize that Hope had stripped in front of her.

End of Part One.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think of my story. I welcome all comments good or bad. You can email me at numlfl@hotmail.com