I stretch my arms up, then put them down on the mat in front of me. A few more of the younger dorm dwellers are big enough to join the group today and they’re straggling out onto the grass. We’re up to sixty-three now. The ghostly outlines show the newcomers what to do, where to put each limb and when. I’m always impressed that Andrea can handle all those projections, and the music, and lead the exercises all at once. She’s almost as good with her cloud as I am with mine.

She lays in front of everyone in her yoga gear, smiling as she brings her head up, then her feet behind. She curves her body so that her feet are almost touching the top of her head. I still can’t do that one. I do finally get the double hand stand right today. I’m feeling very proud of myself until Andrea shifts her weight and balances vertically supported on a single hand.

Lin looks over at me and smiles. Her smiles are amazing. She can’t even get close to the handstand, but the shape guiding her gives her a good substitute that works a lot of the same muscles. She looks fantastic in her skin-tight outfit. One of the upsides of my condition is that every day it’s like seeing her for the first time again. Yang Song notices the way we’re looking at each other and grumbles something in Chinese. Lin laughs softly. While she clearly doesn’t approve of how close Lin and I have become, she tolerates the situation. Lin was afraid early on that she might murder me, but we’re past that now. At least I think we are.

A ghostly outline appears around me. I’m out of sync and Andrea’s getting me back in line. I lift my left leg higher behind me, balancing on my right foot with my arms stretched out in front of me. The outline disappears and Andrea gives me a smile and a nod. I keep my glances at Lin’s gorgeous face limited enough that I stay synced up with the rest of the class.

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When Andrea finishes and lets the music die down, Yang Song steps forward and starts leading the Tai Chi routine. The slow, fluid motion is refreshing after the pose and hold of Andrea’s program. Yang Song doesn’t instruct the way Andrea’s ghost forms do, she just shows how it’s done and everyone tries their best to follow along. A batch of the sibs and staff shuffle out of the group and others make their way in. Not everyone likes doing both exercise programs. I find the combination invigorating, and it’s a very peaceful atmosphere to get through the ever-growing lower priority entries of my morning read.

I walk close by Lin as we head back to the residence. I want to reach out and hold her hand, but I wait until we’re alone in the upstairs hallway to do it. We try to keep the PDA minimal. Since I moved into the residence from the dorms, our rooms are just down the hall from each other’s. She pauses for a second in front of her door. I dare to hope for a moment that she’ll invite me into her room so we can do more than just hold hands, but instead she just gives me a peck on the cheek and another smile as she slips inside her door.

Oh well. Maybe soon though. Her vitals are definitely still showing strong physical attraction when she’s near me, and I’m sure she’s getting better on all the emotional and mental stuff, though I have no way of measuring any of that.

I continue on to my room and hit the shower. I feel the hot water coursing down my body like I feel the whole campus and the kilometers of desert all around it. I know Jeff’s not coming back, but I keep a vigilant eye on everything anyway, even if it’s a little paranoid. I just hope my sibs can keep up as good a guard while I’m away.