inhale

or, "Aesop? Aesop Who?"

Roger often referred to Leslie as a "living contradiction." She had an outlandishly outgoing and unabashed personality that was far too large for a woman who seemed so delicate and petite in every other way. Her bright, playful smile and twinkling blue eyes only served to add to her air of impishness. Her oversized attitude had been the second thing that had drawn Roger to her; he’d always had a thing for redheads.

Caitlin had many things. She had a trim, tan physique, beautiful sandy blonde hair, a stunning smile, popularity at school, and a coveted spot on the cheerleading squad. But for all of that, she wasn't happy. Some weekends she would feel so sad that she'd stay indoors all day, refusing to respond to anyone. She became quite a skilled actress maintaining a happy facade at school, but then would come home and cry for no reason. She knew she had a problem and, after a while, decided to take her mother's advice and get some medicinal help.

It had been a couple of weeks since Kamiko began her training with Tomoko-sensei. During this period, she refined her skills at a rapid and efficient rate that impressed Tomoko. By the end of the first week, Kamiko was able to not only inflate and deflate herself with hardly any mishaps, but she could do so in half the amount of time it took her on her first try. Tomoko-sensei would start off each day at six in the morning sharp. If Kamiko didn’t get up in time, Tomoko would just roll the groggy girl out of bed and have her quickly eat her plain breakfast of fried rice and miso soup.