N.B. Spellings (if correct) are in UK English. All the characters in this story are fictitious, any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The author neither condones or endorses any of the activities detailed in this story, which could well be illegal in certain jurisdictions. I'm adding (for legal reasons) that apparently if you're under-age you mustn't read this, so if that's the case go away and grow up.

Author's Note.

Unlike the first time this story was posted, I'm not desperately scratching away with my Quill in order to keep a few chapters ahead of my readers, for those who stay the course it's 86 chapters long, and I've recently had former readers bug me for those last six, but I thought with a total repost more people could follow the entire adventure, only this time to it's conclusion.

Some eagle eyed viewers may have noted Anna is now eleven, but the story code age has not been revised upwards, that's because we do meet a few more younger models, it may even need to be revised downwards. I'm re-reading this myself for this posting, so please give me a little leeway if the codes don't always keep up with the narrative.

If or when readers from the old days find this story, please drop me a line, Chris can pass forward your email to me without attaching it to your comments posted about the story.

Okay here are Chapters 46 to 50

Chapter 46

At the sound of her alarm clock Anna rolled over to hit the button then lay on her tummy a hand between her legs, starting to get that nice feeling, then she stopped, her bladder was too full and she was concerned it might end badly after-all she was too old to wet the bed. She appreciated the reliable heating system and carpeted floors as she ran to make a quick pit stop, but then hurried back to her bed to continue where she had left off.

Her busy fingers resumed their task, dipping down to find her inner wetness to spread on her little button that was coming to life from it's hiding place, as she tried out different ways of stimulating herself. Her left hand alternated, first trying to join in between her legs then toying with her budding breasts, rubbing over her nipples and squeezing the small mounds that were starting to form on her chest. At times her barely growing breasts ached or gave her some discomfort, but this morning they tingled nicely as the sensations throughout her body rose to a peak.

Anna repeated her actions having several cums until sounds from the bathroom informed her that her sister was getting ready for the day ahead. Very satisfied from her pleasant interlude Anna went to get up, as she raised the duvet she became aware of the waft of her own musky scent of feminine arousal from under the covers, causing her to squeeze her thighs together enjoying the last fading tingles of pleasure. It was tempting to stay, but she had to focus on her plans for the day ahead.

She had heard from other girls how teenage boys would Jack-off several times a day to the point where they would rub themselves sore from doing it, now she was beginning to see herself why people liked doing sex stuff. Talking to some of the older models especially during her recent talks on their private models chat zone, she was now well informed that their pictures or videos were a source of inspiration for men who would Jack-off or wank while viewing their images. Wank was another of the new sex words she had learned, for it seemed there was an endless list of terms when it came to sex as there were pet names or slang for everything. Her current favourites were pussy, clit and cum.

Anna chose to wear a long skirt with thick soft tights due the colder weather they were now experiencing, and after checking they had everything they needed to take with them they called for a cab. En-route they stopped at a patisserie for some breakfast pastries for the crew, and a few treats for later in the shooting, even snagging a hot meat pie for their grateful driver that morning.

They buzzed Irisha's number, and she asked them to come up as she wasn't yet ready, on arriving they found her mum was also in, as she wasn't due at the Studio till mid-morning when they expected custom to build up with the number of models and staff that would be in later. Nine weeks on it was hard to believe this was the same woman who'd had the sallow sunken features, hacking cough, and a broken spirit, she now looked the picture of health and vitality, and it was plain to see where her daughter got her elfin good looks.

They ran through Irisha's check list, it being surprising all the things they took to a shoot where they would in fact be wearing so little. As they walked across to the neighbouring block the bare trees in the park were moving in the steadily increasing wind, and it looked as if winter was starting to move in with a strong possibility of snow descending upon the city soon. They already had a set of keys, so let themselves in, turning up the heat in the apartment as they didn't want to be covered in goose bumps when they got started.

The girls placed their clothing for the shoot, along with a few additional props in one of the two bedrooms, then laid out the breakfast goodies in the kitchen, putting away those treats they would have later. Looking through the range of beverages in the kitchen they each chose a different flavour of fruit tea, then accused Valya of sniffing out the boiling water as she arrived at that moment with John and Oksana, having come over together from the Studio. John complained he was being used to haul all the heavy kit once again, but he would be taking publicity stills, also using a secondary video camera for fill in and transition shots used for the editing of the finished product.

The women restrained themselves at the table, but John dug in saying how hard he had been working, besides he didn't have a figure to watch, though Anna may have disagreed with that point, out loud she still made fun of him. Oksana from talks with the girls had a fair idea how things would pan out, but John was given a run through of the action and storyline of the two consecutive shoots they planned to run that day.

The girls would start by decorating the tree, and a child's fishing net on a pole from out of shot, would be used to sprinkle pine needles on the jumpers they would be wearing. This would be the beginning of their undressing, next they would run string around the room to hang Christmas cards and garlands, Marta pointing out where little hooks were fitted into the corners, plus a few places along the walls just below the ceiling for this purpose.

Though there were scripted parts, they would play it by ear, and it would not matter about breaks or cuts in the action as they wanted to have a mix of angles, they would be adding a low level themed music soundtrack after the final video edit, that would make it seem like one continuous take from multiple cameras. After talking it through, then confirming the running order Irisha and Anna got changed into their outfits, and visiting the bathroom Anna checked out her pussy, after the workout earlier that morning it still looked a little flushed, having retained that slick, slightly sticky wetness. Her investigation involved just a little more clit rubbing which brought back a nice tingly feeling, she didn't get off, but left the bathroom with a warm glow.

Both girls had minimal make up, some blusher and simple hair styles, Irisha with her new page boy cut, and Anna with her hair in a pony tail, Irisha also had a bit more eye-liner, and then they were ready, putting their sweaters on at the last moment.

“Action!”

The girls were by the front door seen hanging their coats on the rack, surrounded by many shopping bags, in the opening lines they called each other by name but didn't bother this time mentioning each others age. They had the appearance of only just having returned from a shopping trip, and the camera followed them across the room to the tree, where Natasha thanked her friend for coming round to lend a hand with the decorations.

Laura asked where Natasha's pets were, as they were bound to want to join in the fun and cause mayhem. Natasha peeked into the bedroom with the camera unable to see into the room where she was looking.

“My pets won't bother us, the two pussies are spread out on the bed, and my dog is out playing piggy-back with that cute poodle down the road, so we will be unmolested.”

John as second unit video had been cued to catch Laura's expression to that comment as her eyebrows rose, though all the English dialogue was still beyond his understanding. The two girls moved right up to the tree as Natasha explained how she wanted to decorate it, and Valya gently shook the net of pine needles sprinkling the girls standing below.

“Oh no Natasha, your tree is shedding its needles all over our new winter jumpers, we best take them off or we will be getting pricked all over Christmas.”

Each girl removed their woollen jumper, Laura now displaying her new white lacy B-cup bra emphasizing her well shaped breasts, while Natasha with her little girl pre-bra type of halter top which accented the small swellings on her chest, decorated with the little teddy bear motifs. Both girls wore skirts that were above the knee, although not too short in deference to the chilly seasonal weather, with white knee socks for Natasha and shear hold-up type stockings for Laura even if that wasn't yet apparent to the viewers.

The girls helped each other brush the needles from their hair, the grooming being in a way intimate, without going beyond the bounds of their usual Studio output. John was ready for next bit of the dialogue, knowing he was expected to record Irisha again when Anna came out with her next lines.

“We shall have to be careful where we sit Laura, I certainly don't want to get a prick up my bum! I'm sure that would hurt me.”

Marta looked on from behind the cameras, her face glowing a little, but happy with how the double entendres had been delivered so far, out of the mouths of babes, but showing that the older girl might be latching onto the same wavelength as their intended audience.

The action and dialogue moved on as the girls grabbed the bags of tinsel and lights to begin on the tree, being up a ladder so they could start at the top and work their way down, with Oksana shooting close in from a low angle, as the girls took turns ascending the ladder, with John moving back to catch the broader view. As Laura placed the angel on the apex of the tree Oksana panned down her taught body, till she was looking up the girl's legs from below the ladder, showing for the first time the bare flesh of her thighs between the tops of her stockings and the lacy white panties that could now be seen.

“Now pass me the balls Natasha, I like the new ones you have this year, they're larger than the old ones, I like the bigger balls.”

Once they had done the higher reaches and no longer needed the ladder the girls decided to take off their skirts, so as not to get pine needles on them when they sat on the floor, and Natasha got cushions for them to kneel on while they worked. This entailed a lot of bending and stretching to hang their various baubles around the lower limbs of the tree.

Some of the fatter sparkling tinsel garlands looked like a prop that a stripper might use on stage, so of course the girls draped each other in the gaudy coloured snakes that they wound round their lithe bodies in a parody of some exotic dance troupe. They went on to hang decorations along the walls needing the ladder again, which brought both the girls legs and panties up close for the cameras to capture.

Anna had carefully unpicked the stitching to remove the gusset liner from her new panties, even going so far as to rub the remaining fabric on a rough surface to wear it thinner so that it might be more revealing. Her subtle move made the panties look worn and older other than the colourful image of the smiling bear, and the growing damp patch that was clearly visible and growing throughout the shoot.

Next they fixed up the sets of balloons that were in a less than subtle arrangement of of a long slightly curved one with two round ones, then they ran a string between two fixings in order to display the pile of cards they had ready. They took turns reading the greetings cards before hanging each one in place, giving many of the website's most popular girls a name check, with a supposed witty comment. Whoever had written the cards had used different coloured pens, and styles of writing for a look of authenticity.

The script then had the girls complain of the heat, first loosing their tops, then removing their panties, before getting on with the business of piling the brightly wrapped parcels at the base of the tree. The girls read off the names on the various tags, shaking some of them to try and guess their contents, until of course Laura found the phallic shape gift having her name on it and 'innocently' included the joke about never having enough batteries for your toys at this time of year.

Now naked apart from her socks Anna retrieved a rocking horse from the second bedroom which she sat astride rocking back and forth, saying it was for her younger cousin who always loved to rock on her uncle's knee. Natasha saying she was really too old for this sort of toy, she much preferred to ride bareback on the real thing, leaving the sentence hanging so viewers might wonder as to whether she was really talking of uncles or horses.

The sketch ended up with the girls switching on the tree lights, then lighting some tall decorative candles, before standing side by side in socks and stockings as they wished everyone a happy Christmas and waved to the camera and blew kisses.

“Right that's a wrap” called Oksana.

The girls jumped up and down, Marta coming to join them saying how well they had done, and not even needing any cuts, just as one long take. Because John had been elected as second unit video full time, he had given Valya a few tips and set up a stills camera for her leaving all the setting on full auto, so she was able to take their publicity shots to promote this video shoot. John now took this opportunity to visit the bathroom as things had got uncomfortable during the shoot and required rearranging, and besides trying to take a pee might help it subside.

The girls just donned lightweight robes while they sat at the kitchen table awaiting fresh drinks, and soon they were discussing how they thought the shoot had gone, with the appearance of a link cable they soon saw the raw results from the cameras displayed on the girl's laptop, all giggling and howling at the antics on screen. Marta watched John who was leaning over in the second row to view the action, as they played rewinds, with the various bits of dialogue translated for his and Valya's benefit. She could see that he also enjoyed the funny script that accompanied the action on screen, once it was explained.

Oksana was pleased to have the second viewpoint, and talked about the editing she had planned to capture the best erotic or comedic effect that would enhance the final product. They all appreciated the snacks the girls had brought along, and Anna teased John that she hadn't got him any chocolate this time.

Oksana was thinking about how much the shoots at the Studio had changed recently, for she had now done a good number of English dialogue videos with numerous girls, some using scripts from Marta, but other creative models had thrown their hats into the ring, and there were some talented girls out there. Having such practical experience at a young age would help give them the confidence to get jobs in either the media or entertainment industries, or be a stepping stone for art college.

After kicking back for a while relaxing, they began work to modify their set for the second shoot of the day, in order that it would look like this had been shot a week or more later.

Sergio had arranged for two matching sets of balloons, one set having been inflated over a week ago, and were now looking tired and wilting compared to the fresh ones that were blown up the day before. Now each group was replaced by it's sadder counterpart, while the tall candles were replaced with others that were melted to a stub, leaving no details overlooked even the calender was replaced showing January of the coming year. Additional greetings cards were distributed, presents were removed from under the tree, and spare pine needles scattered below along with a few scraps of torn wrapping paper.

Anna seemed to be learning new stuff all the time, and one of the models who went to their school recently pointed out a foreign magazine article about how women as they got older sometimes had bladder problems, and wet themselves if they coughed or laughed suddenly. It was all about doing Kegal exercises, which Anna found interesting when she tried them, as it was fun practising when she peed, and it also made the tingles last longer when she played with herself.

Right now she was doing them at the table with no one aware of what she was doing, but she could feel the muscular contractions were keeping her pussy juiced up, so she would be naturally wet for her next scene.

Valya got to work on the girls look for their coming shoot, changing the colour of their eye make up, and adding some hair clips to Irisha's hair, while Anna's pony tail was replaced by putting her hair in two loose side bunches with big colourful scrunchies holding them in place. Soon the girls were ready to get dressed, Anna had a pleated tartan skirt, a blouse with frilly details with ankle socks and childish panties adorned with little seasonal motifs.

They weren't that childish, as they had been modified in a similar way to the last pair, and she did spend a few moments playing in the bathroom to ensure enough wetness showed through before the action started. Anna also tugged on her nipples to make them stand out more, and to enhance their colour in the hope they might be visible through the thin top as she wasn't wearing anything else below her blouse.

When Irisha made her pit stop next, she caught a faint hint of girlish excitement in the air, smiling that her younger friend was turned on at the thought of the coming show, she noticed that she herself was not unaffected by the exhibitionism. Having seen all of Anna's work she now realised that her state of excitement was often evident, and seemed to give the images a more erotic feel, with that in mind she rubbed herself for a moment thinking about a certain older boy who'd been paying her a lot of attention. It soon produced the desired result as she pulled her panties up tight against her now damp swollen lips.

Marta did one last check that all the props were in place and wished the girls luck as they got into position for the opening scene. Irisha now in her Laura persona put on her coat and stepped outside.

“Action!”

Ding-Dong.

The main camera was focused on the door, John yet to take part, Natasha rushing into the frame to open the door, and invite her friend into her home. Laura kicked off her shoes, removed her coat and the two girls hugged, kissing each other on both cheeks as they wished each other a happy new year.

As they stepped apart the big red tongue logo could be seen on the black sweatshirt that the older girl was wearing, above a dark suede skirt. Natasha admired her friends outfit and complimented on how good it looked, but questioned if it was wise to wear it for the task at hand. The skirt came off to be hung carefully over a chair, with a little red thong now visible below the hem of her top, and her long legs bare other than little ankle socks.

Laura's next line was a set up as she asked her friend why she hadn't put the skirt in her bedroom.

“It's a mess in there, my pussys toys are spread out all over the bed, you cant get them to tidy the place up after they finish playing. And besides my doggy is hiding under the bed, as the man down the road didn't think my mongrel was good enough to be playing piggy-back with his prize poodle, and chased him all over the park until he managed to escape and run home.”

Laura's broad smile could be seen over her friends shoulder as she gave the younger girl another hug. Next Laura made a comment about all the additional cards that were now on display and Natasha with a twinkle in her eye had the idea for an ad-lib.

“Well yes I've a fair number of friends from overseas, and so sometimes those cards arrive a bit later than from friends closer to home.”

Laura picked up on this. “I've also got friends abroad but probably not as many as you, but it's nice to know that they think of me at Christmas.”

They got back on script as they talked of taking down the decorations, at which point Laura suggested Natasha would be in danger of snagging her nice new lacy blouse on the tree which gave the queue for her to start undressing. They now had a nice counterpoint with the long bare legs of one girl and the bare chest of the other. When Laura went up the ladder she started by stretching up to remove the angel from the top of the tree.

As her sweatshirt rose to show her taught bare tummy, it also revealed the design on the front of her red panties, printed just above the crotch was a sprig of mistletoe which many of their viewers would appreciate, wishing to kiss that forbidden young flesh laying below that picture. Leaning over to reach the topmost decoration, she raised one leg sideways to maintain her balance giving a view of the now visibly damp gusset of her panties.

Natasha stretching up to collect each item from her friend up the ladder now displayed her slowly budding breasts to the camera, which her fans had seen quietly blossoming over the past several months even if she herself was unhappy concerning their tardy progress. As the scene went on Laura's bum was at eye level to the camera, giving good all round views as she twisted about, with fine close ups of the string that went up between the cheeks of her ass, the little pucker divided, and the flushed darker skin either side of the narrow triangle of cloth, with a few stray pubic hairs on show at such close quarters.

Natasha made a sudden exclamation saying as how she'd nearly snagged her skirt on the ladder, holding the hem up high looking for any imaginary damage, and showing off her pale pastel panties with the little seasonal designs. She now removed the skirt and Laura now complaining of feeling hot lost her sweatshirt to show off a red bra which matched her thong because it also had a mistletoe image inviting the audience to kiss each breast.

With both girls down to their underwear, Natasha dragged a glass coffee table over so they would have somewhere to sort the baubles they had removed. Now with the ladder out of the way they needed to strip the lower part of the tree, and Laura went to her bag to get something out. Saying how she had got some in-line skates as a present, thinking to bring along the knee and elbow pads they could use when down on the floor.

Laura wore the knee pads, then slipped the smaller elbow pads up Natasha's slimmer legs to protect her knees from the spikey pine needles. John thought how cute the two girls were in their current get up as they crawled about the base of the tree, their two bottoms facing him legs spread for balance with damp camel toes grabbing his attention, Anna's little bum wiggling about as she swept up the mess with a dustpan and brush.

As the girls settled down at the table to box up the sparkling baubles, their lithe bodies on show through the glass top, Natasha complained she thought a pine needle had got in her panties, and took them off, Laura said she hadn't been pricked at all that morning, but took her bra and panty set off anyway as she liked to be naked.

“You have to be careful handling these balls they are very delicate, and you wouldn't want to damage them.” Said Laura, “Yes they're the biggest balls I've ever seen.” Replied Anna.

They each got up from the table a few times to display all their goodies to the cameras, then got the ladder out again to get down the hanging swags and the balloons, with Laura making veiled comments about not liking it when they went down while holding aloft one deflating red sausage shaped example. She then 'discovered' an unused balloon on the shelf unit, and blew hard to inflate it, it was the long skinny kind, and on reaching half a metre long she let it go.

Both girls laughed at the farting sound as it whizzed off round the room.

“Do you want some of these mince pies, they're very fruity?” Asked Natasha.

“No, I'd better not, I got really stuffed over Christmas, several times, so I need to watch my figure.” She said, as she rubbed her hand low over her slim stomach just above her mound giving the impression she might not have been talking of food – if you had a dirty mind.

Natasha innocently asked the older girl what had become of the round cylindrical present that had been under the tree, to which Laura replied it was at home in her bedroom, and perhaps in a few years time Anna might get one too, without actually saying what it was. The girls talked of a few other gifts, and how much her younger cousin had enjoyed the rocking horse though she still loved to rock on her uncle's knee as well.

The girls stood up going through a little more dialogue about going back to school with the start of a new term, and speculating what adventures the coming year would bring.

“Come on Laura let's go into my bedroom and pet the pussys, they get restless if you don't play with them every day.”

“What a good idea, I'm coming, but first we should say goodbye.”

The girls wished their audience a happy new year, waving and blowing kisses, then turned round to head into the bedroom holding hands, leaving their fans with a view of two cute rear ends before the door closed behind them.

“Cut, that's a wrap. Well done girls that was fantastic!”

Chapter 47

With the majority of their potential audience celebrating Christmas in just two weeks time Oksana was keen to get on with starting the edit on part one, they wouldn't release part two until the first week of the new year so that edit could wait, besides she would soon be rushed off her feet. The impending end of the school term for this year meant she would be snowed under with bookings, so Sunday or not she had to knuckle down.

It had been great having John run a second camera, though more at home with stills his framing was good, and those shots were mostly to cut for expressions or add a second view point to liven up the overall presentation, plus it gave her editorial options. Of all the make up artists at the studio Valya would be her first choice, she had rapport with the girls putting them at ease before they got on set, and she was always willing to help out with other tasks. John had been confident Valya could produce half a dozen promo stills for each of the movies, and just from seeing the raw images on the laptop Oksana saw there was material they could work with.

They had ordered in pizzas to celebrate the successful conclusion of wrapping both videos in the same session, with the girls showered and changed, and the big SUV loaded by the time the food arrived. Any time she worked on one of Marta's projects there was a script, along with a little stick figure story board outlining the flow of the action, which made for a well organised set that normally ran to time with minimal snags or need for retakes.

Her work had recently become more interesting with the explosion of 'Talkies in English', now the older style silent shoots overlaid with music tracks were becoming a smaller part of her output. Talk around the studio was that models from right across the country were seeking out teachers, taking as many lessons per week as they could cram in so that they could join in this new trend. Oksana had even got one of the tech guys to change the permissions on her workstation so she could view the new Talk to the Models Forum, that allowed her to see what all the fuss was about.

It had been a total shock hearing how much these rich Yankees paid for their Platinum grade membership, just so they could talk to the girls, and she had followed a few threads seeing how the girls had these dudes wrapped around their fingers. Surprisingly it hadn't been just a bunch of pervs like she'd imagined, there were fun lively discussions on many topics, and the guys seemed genuinely interested in the models day to day lives, and the opinions that they held on various subjects.

She had no complaints about what the Studio charged their members, because her recent pay cheques had been the highest ever, with commission payments from their new style videos being responsible for this radical improvement, though her previous earnings were nothing to be sneezed at. She was seriously thinking of at least two foreign holidays next year, with plans on treating her parents to a nice trip away on the coast in the summer.

Sipping her now lukewarm coffee she set her mind to the task at hand, wanting to have the final cut nailed before she went home that night, at his own workstation John had the more simple task of selecting and cropping three or four promotional stills for each of the two shoots they had done earlier.

School had a week and a half to run till the end of term, and wouldn't resume until the tenth of the month giving them a two and a half week break, Anna found out in a private moment with Svetlana their English teacher, that she would be making a visit to their old home town during that time to settle some issues. She would be ending the lease on her apartment, then just arrange the shipment of a few keepsakes back to the city, as there was little sense keeping the place on just as a venue for holding intense summer courses.

She had spoken to Ivan and he'd agreed that it was a waste spending money on rent for her old place, and she could stay where she was year round with any additional pupils coming to the city rather than their old town, and besides the girls could fit in some photo shoots during that same visit. Now having Nana Olga and Gramps living close by nobody would have any ties to the town where they used to live, and quite frankly neither of the sisters would regret severing all links with that dreadfully depressing place.

Marta noted that it had taken less than four months for the English initiative to become a major priority on Ivan's agenda, firmly committing time and additional resources to helping as many girls as possible take part. The TTMF and the videos had raised the profile of the Studio that he ran above that of others within the network, and now they were having to play catch up, using those ideas that had been pioneered here first.

Once she stopped concentrating on her various schemes, ideas, or the script plots, Marta became more focused on tensions within her own body, in particular the twinges that told her, her period was due on Wednesday, and though she didn't feel enthusiastic about her dance class after school, she knew she would feel better in herself after a bout of mild exercise. She was also sure that the pill helped keep her body in check, as some girls got a dose of the trots at this stage in their cycle, and she didn't seem to have the extremes of mood change she had noticed among some of her class mates.

On Wednesday Anna phoned the stables, keen to find out what restrictions or closures there might be during the coming holiday season, and was pleased to find out that staff were always on hand as the horses still needed looking after each day, so there would only be four days when they wouldn't have the numbers of staff needed for clients to ride safely. She loved riding, it had been a totally brilliant birthday gift, and at the local shop where they ordered magazines she had enquired about equestrian titles, and as they lived on the outskirts of the most upmarket area of the suburbs the newsagent had a few locals who ordered a publication about horse riding, and all things related to that topic.

The big animals were so powerful but gentle, she loved petting them and stroking their coats, she had her favourites, and they seemed to know when she had quartered apples hidden in her pocket nudging her to hand them over. When she was sitting up high, there was a good view, and the movement of the horse sort of came up through the saddle, that was another thing she liked, so far she'd only done walking and trotting, but she was excited at the thought of a canter or a gallop, and going over jumps looked fun but scary.

After Anna had completed her homework, she was on the phone to her friends, then she thought she would ring Dmitri at the Studio to see if her latest video had been released yet, sure he would know the state of play. He was pleased to hear from her, and jokingly said he was bound to know what was happening, as he was her number one fan, as it said so on the photo up on his wall. She could hear the faint tapping of keys in the background as he checked on the relevant screen to determine the trends on current releases.

“Well the good news is all your other fans seem to keep their eyes peeled, and for some reason or other download your videos when they appear on the site. Oksana didn't hang about, it went live Monday afternoon, and word soon spread on the members forum, and looking on my screen you swapped out with a girl you covered for earlier, so you haven't been on the models forum yet this week or you would have heard.”

“You and Irisha must be doing something right because sales are doing very nicely, Ded-Moroz, or Santa Claus as our members call him, will have a bulging sack for you two this year and no mistake. You and Marta should pop your head in the door, it must be more than a fortnight since I've seen the either of you.”

After she put the phone down Anna thought she should make a list of people at the Studio they should send cards to, and many of them deserved gifts as a show of appreciation for all they had done to help over the past year. The thought of all the friends they had made was a cause to smile, and she would enjoy choosing gifts for them.

Thursday Chess club was cancelled as it was the last full week on the school calender, so Marta came straight home from school, on the walk back to the house Eve broke the news that their mums were both aware that the other's respective daughters were involved in the Studio, and had apparently known this from the day they first met, Anna said it had been fun thinking they had this secret, but Marta had sort of guessed that it was unlikely the women hadn't worked it out from the available clues.

After getting changed Marta sat in the study away from the noise of her brothers, a book out on the table that showed games played by the grand masters, her chess set was laid out as she followed the moves as they were written. The carved pieces were so beautifully finished, their weight lending gravitas to the war that waged on the field of battle, even the now empty box sitting to one side was a work of art in itself. She looked up to see Karl enter the room, she hadn't heard the bell, someone else must have let him in.

Texting her this week he could tell she wasn't her normal lively self and he sort of guessed the reason, and had come round to see what he could do. They sat talking for some time, till he persuaded her he might be able to help. Marta had said from the start they should be able to talk about any subject together, but how could she really explain to a boy what it felt like to be a girl, and yet her Karl was doing his best to ease her discomfort.

Sitting on the sofa, Marta was on his lap laying back against his chest, wrapped in his strong arms as he lightly rubbed her tummy, hands slipping down following above the line of her hip bones to the apex of her sex, just under the waistband of her panties. Relaxed she closed her eyes, enjoying the intimate touch of his fingers on her skin, unsure if it was the distraction or slow soothing movements that made her feel so much better.

Karl knew none of his old classmates would understand his relationship with Marta, they had always engendered an atmosphere of macho spirit, girls were for one thing, and that was for the instant gratification of a guy - end of story. Yet sometimes he wondered how some of those lads were getting on, did any of them have worthwhile jobs, or any job at all, and did any of them share the closeness with a girl that he felt with Marta?

Waking up in time for supper she felt so much better despite the lump that had formed under her butt, smiling she thanked Karl for being so nice to her, whispering in his ear that she had a little surprise planned for the following week that he might like. Of course Karl stayed for supper, happy to join in with the conversations around the table and always keen to sample Ella's cooking.

With the Studio system it was not often that the models parents got to meet one another, other than occasions when the girls mothers might meet in passing, so generally speaking they didn't meet socially. In Kiev as there was such a relatively high concentration of girls attending the two most popular schools, they were slowly becoming the exception to the rule, even if the majority of that contact was at school events.

Because of two recent innovations a wider circle of girls were socialising through meeting via the TTMF, and their own private talking shop, the girls chat zone which was hosted on the Studio's network for the girls benefit. The banking of sets for future release, getting an education, including English and other languages, and planning financially for a time after their modelling were frequent topics, other than those common to teen girls everywhere.

Though none of them would have used the term, they were thinking about their pensions, and there had been excited discussions about the Goose sisters investment using property development. Many of the city girls knew of it first hand, having seen the glossy magazine spreads in two publications, so could speak knowledgeably on the subject, Irisha had even visited the house a few times in person, and knew that links were being maintained with the workers in case other big projects should come to light.

The idea of some investment club had been talked about after the sale of that house, and how with enough girls chipping-in for a slice of the action, they would not have to pay the greedy banks for loaning them any money. Marta had joined in at the time, saying that with the onset of winter, it was the wrong time to think of building work, and they'd need a legal person to make sure everything was done fairly, a third point was she didn't know if her dad would agree to setting up another project also having his real job to consider.

The girls were familiar with the Studio system, whereby each of the people involved with one of their photo-sets got a share from the sales, and realised that paying top rates to those who ran the scheme, for both labour and the clever ideas that would guarantee the resale were important factors in the success of their investment. The outcome was Marta said they should each talk with their parents, and if enough girls were serious about taking part come the spring, she would see if her dad was willing to find them a suitable project.

On her next visit to the local newsagent the family's regular haul of periodicals was once more increased, as Marta ordered the two fancy property magazines that they had conned to run simultaneous features on the house that they had recently sold. She also intended to stop by a couple of property agents on a regular basis to pick up their current listings, to keep an eye on any trends in the market, and would ask Karl to do the same with any websites dealing with city properties. For now this could simmer on the back burner.

As Marta expected she was just spotting on Saturday morning, so she spoke to the salon lady about her appointment, to check if the tentative Sunday afternoon booking was still available. They had met and spoken many times on her previous visits, it was just that before she hadn't been aware that the lady also specialised in that type of treatment.

It seemed such a surreal conversation to be having with this woman, Galina, who said as Marta was probably a bit nervous, (that was an understatement), that it was best to just shower and take a pain pill, then she would do the trimming to length prior to the actual waxing process itself.

“Look Marta, probably nothing I say will make you feel less embarrassed, but I do this for women and girls every day and you haven't got anything different from what I've seen hundreds of times before. Why not bring along one of your favourite CD's, then you can listen to that while we work on your new appearance.”

The sisters did some serious shopping on the Saturday, and on Sunday Anna was going to spend the day round at Gina's to read ahead on their science class, as they'd intended the week before, when Anna had got home early, and Karl had been round. The cab company did well taking and fetching them from shopping one day, then two cars taking them off in opposite directions on the next.

Marta looked at herself in the full length mirror in her room, she was freshly showered and dried, her gently waved hair brushed, generally pleased with her current appearance, no longer fixated about the blemishes on her face, in fact no longer thinking of them as the disfiguring scars as she had once viewed them. She was focusing upon the pubic hair that was about to be sacrificed on the altar of the salon treatment table. The last time she had been hairless down there would have been nearly three years ago, although she had no intention of backing out now the decision was made.

She had heard some girls talk of it crudely as their 'welcome mat' but from Marta's point of view, and from what she had been told, guys found it much more welcoming without the jungle of pubes to fight their way through. To keep warm she would be wearing her new high leather boots with thick socks and a calf length skirt as she may or may not be wearing panties on the way back. She was taking a big old soft baggy pair of panties in her backpack for the journey home just in case, and she had a second pain pill as well.

Her cab arrived and Marta slipped into her new winter coat, catching her reflection in the hall mirror she was startled to see the girl gazing back looked like she had stepped out of the pages of some fashion magazine, smiling she picked up her bag and set off.

She had debated whether to tell Anna, but in the end was worried she might chicken out at the last minute, and she didn't want to spoil Anna's perception of her brave older sister, though in Marta's eyes it was the other way about, with Anna the one to have made the bravest decision, one that had altered all their lives.

Marta had taken to wearing her ID badge on a cord so she could wear it round her neck that way she didn't need to clip it to a different top if she took off a jumper or got changed. In the salon it was mayhem, each chair was filled, and two girls on hold awaiting their turn for whatever primping they would need for their shoot that afternoon. All of the staff were busy, and there were now three apprentices learning their trade at the hands of the expert stylists who worked at the salon.

She'd heard tales of hair salons in the city that took on girls just for a trail period without pay to see if they were suitable as trainees, but after a week or two when the girls asked if they would get the position, they were told to leave as they had only been tricked into providing free labour. With such high unemployment this was a really nasty but common occurrence, but for these girls that would not be the case, having got recommended via word of mouth.

Galina came out of a side door, which previously Marta thought had been their break room or stores for the vast number of beauty products the women used to produce the fantastic results for the girls who were due on set for photo or video sessions.

Galina hung up Marta's coat and invited her though to the area she had not seen before, there were two treatment rooms with 'engaged' lights above each door and there was also a shower room if needed, and they had their own toilets.

Sensing the girls nervousness Galina showed her round, and lead her to one of the rooms to explain what they would do.

There were shelves where Marta could put her clothes, and she could wear one of the salon T-shirts, that she could take home with her, this was so they could avoid accidentally getting wax on Marta's own clothes. After a trim they would use a numbing gel, then after that started to work, spray antiseptic toner onto a cotton balls to wipe over each area prior to applying the wax then a strip was placed on the wax smoothed down then pulled off taking with it the offending hairs.

Marta was left alone to get undressed, and was told to leave her choice of music by the player, and Galina would start that when she came back. Marta stripped off now feeling very self conscious, and quickly reached for a T-shirt in the drawer she had been shown that would have her size. Marta pulled one out and had to laugh, all over the shirt at different angles had been printed the word 'Ouch' in various fonts and sizes.

Galina knocked before she came in, Marta wasn't feeling nearly so bad, and they talked of the style that Marta wanted, how she had wavered between going for the full Brazilian or to just leave the little landing strip, Galina opined that the landing strip was more popular with older women, whereas younger women or girls favoured the full Monty or leaving a triangle or butterfly shaped patch. Having doubts about maintaining anything fancy Galina agreed it was more trouble than it was worth, so it was settled that everything was going.

Marta watched the deft movement of scissors about her nether regions, too scared to move for fear of getting cut, but Galina continued chatting away the same as if she were in the salon styling hair at the other end.

“I never name names, but before I started here I was at a posh spar which closed down, and one lady would come in for a 'regular' style bikini wax, so basically bare lips, and a big but neat triangle that would be fine with modest swimwear. The odd difference was one top corner of the triangle was waxed out as well, this highlighted a small tattoo – it was a little stick figure with a lawnmower.”

In between gasps and exclamations from Marta the stories continued, as warm wax, strips of cloth or whatever, and unguents, lotions and talc were being applied as required, and Marta was asked to adopt some very revealing poses, even getting up on all fours so as any stray hairs 'back there' could be dealt with. Even her lips were pulled this way and that to enable every last follicle to be reached, leaving no room whatever for modesty.

While wax was being dabbed on at one end Marta had a tissue dabbing her eyes, because it had certainly made them water, though she had been complimented on her restraint and lack of swearing, which lead to a further batch of stories. Finally when it was over she had expected to feel worse, but overall she just felt a bit tender, and wouldn't be up for horse riding for a couple of days.

With the procedure complete she was given instructions plus some products to take home in order to prevent irritation, and told about the cream that would help prevent ingrowing hairs. Galina held up a big magnifying hand mirror so Marta could more easily inspect her new depilated condition, she was pleased with how it looked, and if she hadn't been, there was little she could do about it now anyway.

When Marta voiced that comment out loud, she was told that she could always wear a pubic wig, and of course Marta thought this was a joke until she was shown a catalogue featuring a variety of those products, which she found were called merkins. They talked some more as Marta asked whether she should wear undies on the way home retrieving the soft baggy ones she had brought along, feeling the panties and the lining material of the skirt, Galina said the panties would be the softer option giving the most comfort.

Marta fingers strayed across the fleshy mound above her sex where just an hour before she had sported a little forest, and now it was silky smooth, not the slightest hint hair had ever grown on that spot. She couldn't wait to see Karl's face, she couldn't imagine what he would say when he saw her new look.

As if reading her thoughts, Galina spoke up, “He'll like it, they always do!”

For the first time since arriving Marta turned bright red.

Chapter 48

Marta's new look revealed, and a young enquiring mind pondering a mystery.

Getting ready for bed Anna went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, her sister was on the throne having a pee, the sound reflected, echoing as sounds do in a tiled room, before she had a mouthful of brush and toothpaste, Anna turned to ask Marta a question.

The question was momentarily forgotten as she let out a squeal, “Marta you've shaved off your pussy hair!”

“No I haven't.” She said with a grin; finished, she wiped and stood up, giving a clearer view of the now denuded area.

“Okay, if your going to play games, I doubt if it fell out by itself, and if you didn't shave it off, did you get Karl to pull it out with his teeth?”

“I talked to Valya about it and got myself waxed, it hurt like hell but it's supposed to get easier after the second or third time, and it's supposed to last for weeks, you should see the T-shirt I got from Galina, it's over in the laundry basket.”

Anna was amused by the shirt, and pressed Marta for all the details with thoughts of teeth on hold, wanting to know about the full procedure. At the end of the tale, Anna slipped off her panties and bent double to inspect her own pubic area that didn't exhibit the level of maturity of her older sister, the lips being thinner and less prominent. If she looked really carefully a few of her very fine body hairs were just a shade darker, maybe a tad thicker, but it probably wouldn't take long to count them as they were so few in number.

This lead on to a discussion about many of the older models on the site, because none of the younger girls were encouraged to depilate, it was the general opinion that members liked to see the slow emergence of the usual signs of each girl's advancing adolescence. On the other hand as the girls grew into their womanly charms, some of them then tried to slow down those apparent signs which showed their advancing maturity.

The sisters were in agreement that pictures of girls who had shaved or trimmed badly were not very attractive, all scratchy looking, like when their dad threatened to smooch them, and he had what he called a six o'clock shadow. It was not so common among the models on their own site, but they had seen numerous examples elsewhere, when girls sported a rash or little bumps from the inexpert attentions of a razor. Memories of all those images were one factor that prompted Marta's final choice to go for a professional waxing.

Being a short week, Marta wouldn't have any gym classes, so any locker-room revelations would be a surprise for next term, but Anna was as keen as Marta to find out how Karl would react to this new smooth look. Her mum came up trumps with the announcement she would be taking the boys shopping straight after school on Tuesday, with Anna having said she would go round to Eve's house as they were going to team up working on some script ideas Eve had talked about. Marta thanked her sister, as she knew how much Anna would have liked to stay and watch, but she'd get a full and detailed report afterwards.

Karl had a call from Marta on Monday, asking if he could leave work early the next day, of course that would be no problem, with working hours at the Studio being rather flexible, providing you got your work done. He was beginning to look forward to Tuesdays as it was rapidly becoming his favourite day of the week, though he enjoyed any time spent with Marta, even last Thursday when she had been under the weather due to the time of the month. The net had been useful giving tips on how heat or massage would be helpful.

It had been an awkward topic to start with, you didn't just strike up a conversation with a girl asking if she was 'on the rag' as his cruder classmates would've said, Dmitri had been right when he said girls were mercurial by nature, as he tried to be sensitive to her varying moods. She had been patient with him, explaining about mood swings, zit break outs, and cramps, and he felt he had more than enough information to be glad he wasn't a girl, but from what she had said, she had it considerably easier than most, so she was unlikely to go all mental on him.

He still hadn't had the opportunity to invite her round to see his bedroom, and as he had the all clear, it was a tempting idea as his parents worked office hours, with no siblings to turn up unexpectedly. He was still unsure how long Anna had been inside the house, then there was the fact Marta kept no secrets from her younger sister, so he didn't know how he would face her next time they met. Would she be imagining him and Marta having anal sex, it was best not to dwell on that thought, there lies madness, and embarrassment.

His instructions were to be there by 4:15 so they would have the best part of two hours, as she didn't expect anyone back before 6:30 but wanted a margin of safety so they were washed, dressed and behaving themselves by the time anyone was due to show up.

He had the timing down pat arriving just a few minutes early after a brisk walk from the station, keen to see her as they hadn't had any converging free time over the weekend. Marta attacked him the moment he was through the door, playing tongue hockey with her hands under his coat wrapped around his waist. A greeting like that made him grateful that this gorgeous little brunette was his girlfriend, he couldn't imagine what he had done to get so lucky.

Seeing how revved up she was he took hold of her firm butt lifting her up and spinning her round, she giggled biting his ear telling him if he wanted to know what the surprise was they needed to go upstairs. Hand in hand they raced to her room, Marta insisting he strip and sit on the bed to await the show, while she stood there wearing a fairly typical schoolgirl outfit of neat grey pleated skirt, and white school blouse complete with a tie.

He had felt the fancy lace of her panties when his hands had slipped below her short skirt as he had lifted her up, he doubted she had worn such a garment to school, so she must have changed for his benefit. Marta had put on a CD, then began swaying to the beat, her hands moving over her body, then she started to loosen the tie, Karl realising his special surprise was going to be a sexy striptease. Karl junior who had not been sleeping since he got here, sat up even straighter in a show of excitement.

Marta had thought about this, and although she had practised this alone in her room, she felt a little self conscious, at first worried he might think she was being silly, but from his rapt attention she gained assurance that this had been a good idea. After tossing away the blouse she placed one socked foot on his thigh moving it back and forth, until it sunk in he was supposed to take it off, there was less delay tackling the second, but he pulled slowly.

Her white schoolgirl socks were a hit, and it felt so good rubbing up close to his throbbing cock, and with one leg raised up so high he had glimpsed the fancy red panties she was wearing, obviously chosen to cover her more, due to the drop in temperature, and not just for him, though she did look sexy in red. With the second sock he'd had another look, the panties having shifted he thought he'd spied a small damp patch, therefore took his time, slowly removing the sock and trying to move the angle of her leg to improve the view.

Marta was getting into her role, and the skirt was next to go leaving just the white front fastening bra, and the red tie sided panties, she tried to concentrate on the beat as she moved but was distracted at the sight of the pre-cum that was making Karl junior shine in the room's lighting. Although she was still not crazy about the taste or texture, she was prepared to blow her boyfriend for the effect it had on him, and the sense of power and control it gave her. Of course then he would be able to concentrate on eating her pussy.

As the bra parted her hands moved apart, then at last moment she turned away hiding the view he had anticipated, turning again the bra fell to the floor as she cupped her breasts as if in an offering. He wanted to get up and touch her all over, but he knew there was usually some reason when she gave out specific instructions, and he would wait to see what she had in store for him. She turned again bending over and grinding her great rear that had been the subject of all his fantasies of late as it swayed from side to side.

Marta once again turned towards Karl, he looked a bit flushed as she went on with her dance, toying with the strings giving them little tugs as the loops on each bow got smaller. As the track on the CD reached it's crescendo, she gave one last pull....

Karl sat there bug eyed, looking as if he had been about to offer a round of applause, his hands were set, frozen in place, mouth open as he stared at the sight before him.

“Wow! That's just awesome.”

“You like it?”

“You're joking, it's just so neat, you look.. well you know, awesome.”

“So do you think it looks awesome?” Marta joked back seeing as Karl had lost the power of rational speech.

“Would you like to feel how smooth it is?” Which turned out to be a dumb question as he was soon down on the floor, so the subject of his interest was at eye level as his fingers explored the newly exposed silky finish.

Marta found herself transported to the bed as he dove in to investigate with both tongue and fingers, as she experienced whole new vistas of sensual pleasure, deciding that she would never again be sporting foliage in her nether regions. After two shattering orgasms he let up, just gently licking at the junction of her thighs as he looked over the newly revealed landscape, as they talked about the changes.

He sympathised hearing how painful the experience had been, while in the same breath tried to find out if this was to be a permanent change, seeing how much Karl liked the new look she teased him saying how she wasn't sure, and about how often he might need to kiss it better if she were to wax again. He didn't need a written invitation, and got back to work, his tongue trying to burrow deep into her pussy, face glazed with her excitement.

She at last pushed him away too sensitive to take any more, only by telling Karl it was his turn was she able to take a rest from her most overwhelming sexual experience so far, and though she tried to express her feelings toward Karl by extending her most gentle and ardent attentions to his throbbing member, she could hardly delay the results of his pent up excitement, and surges of cum shot across her tongue.

Once more his essence flooded her mouth and rather than swallow she held it, trying to fathom the blend of sensations it caused. Was it starting to taste better, or was it because it had come from Karl? She was undecided, but in her analytical way she suspected that she now associated the odd flavour with the joy and excitement of their sexual exploits.

Snuggled together Karl wondered at his mixture of feelings relaxed and mellow on the one hand while also in a sense energised, wanting to explore again, but wallowing in the easy lassitude of satisfaction in Marta's warm embrace. It would be great to do this every day, but they had to make the most of the private times they could arrange, he got to thinking if newly married couples spent all their time in bed, but no, the realities of life would soon put pay to that. His daydreams were interrupted by someone gently playing with Karl junior who was reviving from his recent oral adventures.

By the time they hit the shower Karl had experienced three orgasms, and Marta was too wasted to figure it out, but she did know for sure Valya had been right, and she would never again be sporting a pubic bush, Karl loved her 'smooth playground' which he proved several times to her immense satisfaction.

As they stood under the streaming water, Karl marvelled at the experience, he'd thought showering or bathing with Marta was brilliant before, and exploring her contours with wet soapy hands had been delicious, but now with one small change it was even better. As she came one more time she felt her whole body stiffen then she turned into a limp noodle from head to feet, to the point where she had to sit down while Karl towelled her dry.

When Ella got back with the boys, she sent them upstairs to get washed and changed, then looking into the lounge she saw Karl sitting on the sofa reading, while Marta was sound asleep with her head in his lap, he just shrugged as they quietly greeted one another. Ella asked if he was staying for supper, already having detected the appetising aroma of the casserole simmering in the kitchen Karl readily agreed.

Turning towards the kitchen Ella smiled to herself, having noted the ends of her daughter's hair being wet, in too much of a hurry with her shower cap no doubt. First she phoned Igor to check he was not going to be late, then she called her friend Magda, talking for a while then asking her to send Anna home if she and Eve had finished whatever it was they had been working on. She got the boys to set the table, and checking the clock put some crusty bread in the low oven to warm.

Ella was pleased that this new level of openness remained between them, and hearing of Marta's exploits had got her own motor revving on occasion, prompting Igor to ask what had got into her, not that he was complaining, she just said she was feeling particularly affectionate and that was good enough for him.

The anal sex had been a surprise, it had been for Karl as well, from Marta's telling of the tale, and then her recent decision to wax had been another shock, Ella could never ever imagine doing that herself, besides she felt too old to make that sort of change, and she didn't want Igor to have a heart attack. If they had been using the empty house to their advantage as she suspected Karl would be aware of this change, and from her daughter's blissfully zonked-out appearance it seemed he'd shown his appreciation of her sacrifice.

The last few days at school were fairly laid back, with everyone excited about the coming holiday, the only class that hadn't lost focus was English lessons. Right from day one it had been made clear there was no room for slackers, the few pupils which gave up were soon replaced by more eager students willing to learn. With class numbers distorted by all the models who got preferential placement, a little over sixty percent of each class were girls, with the remaining boys being from the highest academic achievers on the school roll.

There was an ethos amongst the models to do well at school, so they could be prepared for a second career path after they left modelling, with the concept they could afford to continue with their higher education, they had a more empathic view towards their nerdy male classmates. This was a great ego boost for those guys who found that all the most desirable girls in the school recognised that brains could trump good looks or brawn.

It was via the simple fact of teenage hormones, and observations of the dynamics at play, that the standards across the board in both schools was slowly rising in an academic arms race. Suddenly it was cool to be a nerd, to have aspirations of further education, and to have hopes for a better future.

Schools around the country had hardly closed their gates when the mass exodus began, as girls boarded trains heading off to those hubs where branches of the Studio network were based, some of those girls on their way to Kiev, keen for a little seasonal shopping to fit between their studio bookings. In Kiev as in the other locations there would be a little boost to the local economy from this sudden influx of girls with their chaperones, who'd all need hotel rooms, meals, and the opportunity to buy their friends and family some gifts.

The boys made a valiant try to bring Christmas forwards in line with the west due to their increasing interest in all things foreign, suggesting they could celebrate on the 25th, then again as per local tradition as they'd in the past, with of course the usual New Years gifts that were normally given out in the Ukraine. A swift reminder of the more modest gifts of former years, and of the hardships all around them was all it took to make them more aware of their fortunate position, and to think of the difference between want and need.

Igor was very proud of his sons when they said any extra gifts should go to the people at the Squat as they didn't have any families to celebrate with over the New Year.

He had intended to talk with Melenki about what work they currently had lined up for the winter, he had heard Taras and the other lads of the MMC had regular dog walking jobs around the affluent area they had been working, and keeping some local gardens tidied up, so he called his friend to find out what was happening across the city.

The answer was snow clearance, after the first fall they had been out before it had hardly had time to settle, and had agreements with many of the larger properties to keep their paths and driveways clear for the duration. They had even offered to share the work with any of the men who were between jobs, but there had been a steady trickle of small stuff, with some clients talking of bigger projects come the spring. In the coming week though a lot of time would be spent erecting trees for the New Year celebrations.

The biggest news from the Squat was they were now starting to make more use of the building, using one of the lock-ups on the ground floor for storing tools, there were even lockers for any personal tools belonging to the men, while the second lock-up was being used to store building materials and supplies that were left over, or that they'd acquired.

There were now five women staying who were helping out by doing the laundry and the cooking, even going out on jobs where another pair of hands was needed. It was while they were looking to rearrange accommodations that they finally checked out the old café which had catered to the much diminished industrial estate, finding the kitchen was still in full working order. They were cleaning the place up with the idea it would be better than the ad-hock arrangement they had in the common room at present, thus freeing up space.

With the proper facilities they would find it easier to cook for those who lived there, and as a side issue it might be viable to see if they could claw back the trade the café used to have in serving the nearby factories and businesses. Igor was pleased to see they were making an effort to be self-sustaining, and looking to new revenue streams, laughing at himself for thinking in 'entrepreneur speak', but this now reflected the circles he moved in.

Igor offered to lend whatever help he could, and said he would talk to Yuri about some decorating supplies to brighten the place up, then see if he could get one of the talented guys from the Studio to paint signage for the café if they went ahead with the idea.

They talked for a long time, which was unusual as Igor often wondered what his wife and daughters found to talk about on the phone. They kicked around a few more issues which might impact on the fledgeling company they'd named IMC builders, both men reasonably sure they could cobble together enough work to keep the workers occupied through the winter. If all else failed the men could spend more time working on the building they lived in, as it would benefit them, and add value to Igor's investment.

Melenki spoke fondly of Gramps, and the way he kept his ear to the ground for any work in the area, locals could just have easily been given Melenki's number or Igor's, but having a friendly old codger gave the business a human face, one who was frequently seen about their neighbourhood. It was also a way Igor insured the old man kept his pride, in that he was able to earn his keep and hold his head up. Gramps and Yaroslaw had also struck up a friendship, and they would meet up often either at the cottage to talk about the garden, or over at the Squat when he was there about business.

All the girls who could speak English and were signed up for the TTMF filled all the regular time slots. As many of their audience would be on 'vacation' over the last week of the year, and maybe the start of January, a few volunteers took on the 'extra early' morning slot, or joined in from eight onwards in the evening. Some of the models with lesser skills who had not yet signed up, got to sit in with the regular girls as 'guest speakers' which the members enjoyed, meeting these novices whose faces and bodies they were familiar with, and watching them mangle what little of the language they had learned up to that point.

Despite the Studio's relative anonymity, with all the payments going through third party systems, a few clever and intrepid members had discovered the correct address, and sent greetings cards. Some were just general good wishes to everyone at the site, others were to specific models care of the Studio. Anna decided that her dozen or so cards addressed to Natasha should adorn their office at the Studio.

A few of the girls had been sent money orders, and requests for undergarments to be sent to PO box numbers. This was a hot topic on the girls chat zone as they tried to think of the best response, eventually it was decided to play dumb, and those girls when it was their turn on the TTMF thanked their kind anonymous benefactors, saying that the money had been spent on new underwear and other clothing for children at various orphanages as requested.

From the ribald comments it was clear that many members guessed what those original notes may have asked for, and they applauded the good use to which the money had been spent. Their members were much maligned by society who were unable or unwilling to tell the difference between child lover, and sick pervert. Once it was seen there was a need, a number of the members said they would make donations directly to some of the children's charities that came up in the conversations, as their way of spreading seasonal good will.

For over two weeks a relay of girls maintained a presence on the TTMF for up to twenty hours a day so anyone in their audience regardless of their location around the globe had a chance to talk live, if they were a VIP member, or at least look in if they held a Gold-plus membership. The holiday atmosphere and spirit pervaded the topics, and many taking part were inspired to give to regional or international children's charities. As a result of the girls marathon efforts, the TTMF became a much more solid and cohesive community.

It was illustrated what type of people joined the site, when a news story hit the headlines about a young girl who was abducted off the street and later harmed, the perpetrator was caught, and the girl was saved, but the media screamed paedophile. From the first reports everyone was hoping and praying for the girl's safe return, then there was anger at the continued misuse of a term which had been corrupted from it's original meaning, that was now a catch-all term for the worst abusive deviant psychopaths, or murderers of children. To any sane person it could be seen these were not 'child lovers' in any sense of the term.

The members were the first to condemn the psychotic bastard who had harmed the girl, each having their own views of which circle of hell he belonged in, and how they would like to deal with people of his sort. From then on whenever high profile cases of sexual or physical abuse hit the news, the members vented their hatred and revulsion of the people who had been responsible.

Dismay and anger were also the main response to the rise of political correctness gone mad, when grandmothers were prosecuted for taking pictures of their tiny grandchildren in the bath, they were labelled paedophiles or sex offenders from doing something countless innocent parents and grandparents had been doing since the very advent of photography.

It took a really puerile mind to look for bad intent where none existed. Another subject of much interest, was when true love stories between couples of widely differing ages made the news, and despite protestations of the younger party, the older person was prosecuted for a crime that their partner would not support, and would rally against pressing criminal proceedings. Inevitably the call would be 'this is for your own good, and we are protecting you from abuse' so both parties would be devastated by the separation, and the older one would face time in the grey bar hotel.

Apart from the odd rant, and members getting on their soapbox, life carried on, with the turn of the year, a few more lucky girls got signed-up introduced via existing models, as all the network affiliates were running full pelt, so could not field auditions at this busy time.

Uliana was an exceptionally bright but quiet ten year old who'd jumped a year, she went to the same school as Marta and Anna, Marta knew her through the chess club, and she was also in the school orchestra. She wasn't really shy, it's just that she felt isolated by her intellect, but that didn't hinder her hearing, or her observations. There was a mystery at the school that she couldn't solve, so she kept rearranging the pieces until she could form a hypothesises where they would all fit together.

Many pupils were aware of the loose association of girls that oddly bridged across the age barriers that would normally preclude social interaction, but they didn't view it with the same fascination as Uliana. She started to look for common denominators that bound this group together; they all took their education seriously, even if some were more gifted than others, and like her they all took English lessons, but with a fervent zeal. She continued to make her lists, and noted they tended to be among the better looking girls, plus they took above average care of their appearance.

It was the last clue that lead her to the fact they frequently changed their hair styles more than most, had better manicures, and wore nice clothes even if they weren't that showy, all these things were starting to come together. It was overhearing a comment about the job the father of one of these girls had which began a new line of investigation. When she had more data she noted the group as a whole lived beyond their apparent means, maybe not in a big way, but the signs were there in the hobbies and pastimes these girls enjoyed.

Mobile phones were another anomaly, not that common among adults in the city, but all of this group had one, and they looked to be nice ones, like those carried by the girls that let you know the were rich, and that often came with an attitude. She also discovered at least among the younger girls they were all computer literate, so possibly they had computers at home as well, a further indication of an extra income that was coming from somewhere.

Her imagination ran wild, were they part of an international spy network, or were they all under age call-girls, no that was crazy for she had overheard some of them talk of their personal relationships, and from progress in that department it hardly seemed likely.

Her personal crusade to solve the apparent mystery had slowly turned into an obsession, which after some time came to Marta's attention. This girl who was somewhat a loner and didn't mix much, hadn't been as subtle as she had thought, always hanging around at the periphery of the Studio set looking for clues. The observer was being observed by another analyst who was trying to determine why her friends were becoming a subject of scrutiny.

Marta wondered if she should consult Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' a well known ancient text, but was this really a threat, or the idle curiosity of a girl who felt out of place, separated from her peer group, and trying to discover what held together a social group that had no right to exist under normal circumstances.

First she spoke to Anna, who then confirmed what Marta had seen, Uliana was often there in the background, such a wallflower that she had in a way become invisible, which was a pity, as she had no objectionable traits, it's just that she never seemed to make the effort to join in, other than playing her flute, or playing chess.

Marta planned her ambush, it wasn't difficult to find out the girl's schedule, and the library was the perfect setting for a hushed conversation.

“Hello, Uliana what are you reading?”

She looked up in surprise, it was an older girl, Marta from the chess club, a challenging opponent who she had yet to beat, her younger sister was one of the girls in 'the group' but she wasn't so sure about Marta, if she were one of them, or just linked by association.

“Oh, hello Marta, it's nothing interesting, just reading ahead for my social studies class.”

“I don't know, you're quite good at 'social studies' what have you worked out so far, and I'll think about filling in the gaps.”

The deer in the headlights look, and the colour in her cheeks was all the confirmation that Marta needed, they were both on the same page.

“I didn't mean any harm, honest, it's just a strange dynamic, and it was fun to play the detective, but there must be parts of the puzzle I can't see. I know your sister is a popular member of the group, in fact she seems to be well liked all round, though I couldn't decide about you, if you were 'in' or just mixing with the others because of Anna.”

“That was an astute observation that has more than one answer, so tell me what you do know, then I'll decide what to do.”

Uliana went on to list girls in the group, then laid down the facts she had pieced together, and the conclusions she had reached from the clues so far, ending her summation with the comment that the glue binding the group was a secret they held in common, but she had yet to work out what it could possibly be.

“As I said to someone a little while ago, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you,” Marta said this with a big grin on her face.

“In truth it is a joint secret, and I can see three options at this point, one; I could ask you to leave us alone, but I can see it would keep eating at you. Two; Satisfy your curiosity, and swear you to keep the knowledge to yourself, or three; Let you become a full member by participating, and that idea holds some appeal in that it might also do you some good.”

Uliana looked bug eyed, paying rapt attention to what Marta had to say, curious as to how participating in this secret might be of personal benefit, this was something she should ask Marta about.

“I've got a question, you said if I participated myself it might do me some good, could you sort of expand on that without giving away the big secret?”

“That's a reasonable question that I think I can answer, if you took part in 'whatever it is' I think you would gain in self-confidence, also it would give you a bunch of 'sisters', and you could improve your finances, but it would depend on how you and your parents view some particular issues.”

“Wow, I was sure there was some money involved, but you sure didn't give away many clues so I don't know what to say, and it's just me and mum, she works in the office at the main railway station. I suppose it would be nice having older friends, but it's hard enough when I moved up a year, in that they think I'm too young for them to interact with, while most don't like it that I'm still smarter than them.”

Marta could see the hurt, unshed tears barely held back, differences got you ostracised from the herd, and this girl held a yearning to belong, for some form of acceptance, to hold an ace, other than just her native intelligence, curiosity, and thirst for knowledge.

It was fortuitous that this was the last study period, and at that point the bell should ring announcing the end of the school day.

“Come with me, do you have to rush home or have we got time to talk?”

“No, I would just be sitting at home studying, then start dinner and wait for mum.”

It was the Wednesday of their first week back at school, she met up at the usual place, to journey home with Anna and Eve, for the moment only saying to the others that Uliana was coming over for a game of chess. Not that she could have spoken of the real nature of what they were going to discuss among the press of kids streaming out as they made their way towards the station. From what Marta had said before Anna knew chess was the last thing on the agenda, and guessed it was going to be an interesting afternoon.

Uliana felt excited to be on the edge of some discovery, the station where they emerged was in a very nice area, and soon they were passing a broad park where some boys were having a snowball fight. Eve pealed off to head down a side road and they kept on in the same direction, going past some beautiful big houses each standing on their own plot.

It was a shock to find they turned to walk down the path to the front door of one of those houses, in the cosy warmth of the hallway they took off their boots as Anna called out to tell her mum they had company. Their mum invited her in to sit at the kitchen table for a piece of home made pie and a hot drink, she also met the girls two younger brothers who were arguing about who got to read which comic first.

Anna took the roll of mediator, while Uliana noted that the boys were reading expensive foreign magazines just like their sisters and the other girls who were in 'the group', so now she saw how importantly this family viewed a good education. The pie was delicious, and she wished her mum could cook like that, but she didn't really have the time to practice.

When they had all finished Marta cleared the table, placing all the crockery and cutlery into a dishwasher, something Uliana had never seen before in real life. Where wood floors with the odd rug was the norm for most people, this house had wall to wall carpets all over, and when they got upstairs Uliana counted the number of doors, and it looked as if they all had their own bedrooms.

They ended up going to Anna's room, and they showed her the shared bathroom that lead to Marta's bedroom, either of which was larger than the entire apartment where she lived with her mum. Anna's large bed was dominated by Mr Bear who was maybe taller than herself, but he was moved to the floor so they could all sit there and talk.

The room was beautifully furnished, and she saw there were two laptop computers on the desk, above which there was a notice board covered in sticky notes and reminders, on the other walls were some prints and drawings of horses, and propped in the corner near a music stand was an acoustic guitar. She then noticed both sisters had been watching her take in her surroundings. She was careful to make only general compliments rather than single out any one item, as from politeness Anna might feel obligated to make a present of it, and Uliana thought it very rude of people who sought out gifts in that way.

Marta told her sister the extent of their talk earlier in the library, and the fact she thought it would be safe to reveal what the secret was about, Anna smiled then began telling the story of a girl last May standing in a queue waiting for an audition. Anna thought it fun to tell the story in the third person, as if talking of some faceless stranger.

Uliana listened in awe as the nature of the modelling became clear, but she was riveted by the tale, wanting to know the outcome, hanging on every word, rooting for the heroine as disaster struck with the girl's mother injured, thus unable to act as chaperone, then as an older sister is introduced for the first time in the story as the saviour of the hour, her face showed the dawning light of understanding, her eyes flicking between the two sisters.

At this point Anna paused, but Uliana begged her to go on with the story, which she did, though leaving out any reference to how Irisha came to join them or without giving details of any of the other girls involved, just talking about sharing a set now and then with other local models.

“I swear I won't ever tell anyone, that was like some nineteenth century romantic novel, where the poor heroine triumphs over all the perils and adversities of her journey, to then become the wife of the handsome lord of the manor.”

“Well I wouldn't go that far, but our lives have changed a lot over the past nine months, but I guess you could say Marta has her prince charming.” Anna expected the jab from her sister and tried to dodge out of the way, falling off the bed and landing on top of Mr Bear.

When the laughter died down, Marta asked what Uliana thought about the modelling, the young girl didn't answer straight away, mulling it over, trying to view it dispassionately and looking logically at the pros and cons. It had been unspoken, but she assumed all of the other girls in 'the group' were naked models, and none seemed harmed by the experience, in fact they were among the happiest and most friendly people she'd seen at their school. Marta's comment about a gain in self-confidence came to mind, yes they all had it, so that was a good thing, and finally there was the financial reward. She hadn't the faintest clue what sort of payments were involved for the modelling, though it must be life changing.

Uliana considered what her mum would make of it, she wasn't prudish, she spoke openly of the women who hung around the station in a sad way, but she never put them down for the choices they had been forced to make. “You have to use what you've got kiddo.” That had been her mothers comment, and the reason she encouraged her to study hard, pleased Uliana had been offered a place at her current prestigious school, and that she'd skipped a grade to move upwards. Anna had talked of a 'nest egg' a safety net that would enable all four siblings to continue with higher education at university without hardship.

That last thought was tempting. Uliana wondered if she could really take her clothes off and pose in front of a camera, or more to the point, would anyone want to see her skinny naked body which was straight up and down, in silhouette no different than a boy of her own age. She realised she wasn't 'body conscious' in the way slightly older girls often were, as if in some way constantly worried about the changes taking place. If she could be one of them, would she get that same air of confidence, then as she grew up would she feel more at home in her own body, revelling in the changes rather than fearing them, although there were so many questions, she realised there was only one answer...

Chapter 49

The sisters waited in anticipation as to what Uliana thought about the modelling, they could see she was taking her time to consider her answer.

“I want to thank you for sharing your secret with me, I think it must be very special, doing something so different, and I can see some people would make a big fuss about it, so that's why you have to keep it secret. It's not hurting anybody, and it sounds like you have a lot of fun, anyway it's no one else's business. You didn't say, but I suppose all the other girls do this too, so that must mean Eve, and Gina, and we're like the same age, this has been really, .. well, I don't know what word I'm looking for.”

“Marta, back in the library you came up with three options, letting it go and leaving you all alone; telling me, and swearing to keep it secret, or lastly sort of joining you all. It seems so weird even to think about, but I'm not special, I mean look at Gina, she's all plump and curvy, and Eve is just so pretty, and you too Anna, I can't see there'd be a place for me.”

“Well that proves what I was saying about self-confidence, but think about the Studio girls that are in 'the group' as you thought of them, seen lined up together you would see quiet a range of body shapes, at different stages of development. That's the entire point of the website, showing the beauty of how girls change, do you remember at the start of Anna's story, the poster, girls from eight to fourteen, that's the usual age range to take on newer models, but at our Studio they can go on till about sixteen.”

“There are other Studios as part of the same network, and there are quite a few different websites, some have younger or older girls, they each have their own style, it may seem strange but some have girls that just pose in nice clothes and they don't get naked at all.”

“This is so much to take in, I didn't know girls our age did modelling like this, I mean you see fashion models and stuff, but they always seem so slim and elegant like they have all been cast in a mold, but this is like just any girl can suddenly become special.”

The girls ended up talking right through the afternoon, and to satisfy her innate curiosity Anna showed her several of her own solo picture sets, and her cup cake video, which was accompanied in turn by gasps or laughter as being a star pupil herself, her understanding of English was sufficient to grasp the full extent of the dialogue. Uliana was fascinated by every aspect of what she had seen, wanting to go over each set again and again, to view details of the costumes and sets, and to ask endless questions.

It was almost six o'clock when she realised what the time was, panicked concerning her journey home on the Metro during a busy time of day, also worried she hadn't started on their evening meal, because it would cause her mum extra work when she arrived home. Marta took charge telling Uliana not to worry, Ella had been on a baking spree to stock up the freezer, and provided a meat and vegetable pie that had not yet cooled enough to be put away. Soon it was put inside a Tupperware container for the journey, and Uliana was told how long it would take to heat-up ready for the table.

Anna had called a cab, and both sisters rode with her to the block where she lived, which was a large building of subsidised housing for railway employees. Uliana had never been in a taxi before, but the sisters hadn't thought twice about this mode of transport, they even knew the name of their driver, and he spoke to them as if they were old friends.

Waving to the sisters Uliana quickly went inside out of the cold, her mind in a whirl, dinner this evening with her mum was going to be interesting to say the least, this was likely to be their most personal talk since the one they had on growing up to become a woman. She was framing in her mind how she would approach the subject, and if her mum would agree to meet the boss at the Studio and allow her to become a model. Both sisters were convinced that she would be accepted, Marta telling her about how their own reputation at the Studio had lead to their nickname, and how the offer would be a done deal if that was what she wanted.

She in fact told her mum about going around to visit some girls who went to her school, and how they'd provided the pie as time had got away from them, then at the end of a very tasty meal she said she wanted to tell her mum a story, asking if she could save any comments till the end of the tale. Uliana then went on to repeat the story that she had heard from Anna that afternoon, going on to describe the amazing house where the family now lived.

Valechka found it hard to believe, but her daughter was a smart girl, and not easily fooled, and she began to fill in more details to answer her mother's questions. One small titbit of information fell into place with a loud thud, from the high windows of the office where she worked, she could see down over the concourse across ticket hall through where all the passengers passed. She'd often noted how the number of young girls travelling with their mother's rose on a Friday afternoon, at times thinking how nice it would be to take her own daughter away for a weekend outing. Could some of those be the weekend influx of models coming into Kiev?

They talked long into the evening, past Uliana's normal bedtime, having a narrow bed and a couch they each had their own place to sleep, but Valechka had a restless night, as her little girl had seemed so keen to join in with this Studio that made images for the internet.

The next day Uliana went to school carrying a note which she gave to Marta, fortunately seeing her in passing in the corridor on the way to her first lesson. Marta anxious to know the contents read it before lessons began.

“Dear Marta,

Thank you for the very tasty pie, it was so big and with just the two of us it will also make a nice meal for a second evening. Rest assured your family story Uliana told me, will be kept in confidence, but I would be keen to speak with your mother to settle some issues in my own mind. As we have no telephone at home, could you please ask your mother to phone me on the number below, and ask for that extension number which will reach my desk.

Yours faithfully ....”

They had both spoken to their mum after the boys had gone up, and told her about the young girl's inquiring mind which had lead to her visit that day. She'd agreed that it must be hard at that age to deal with all the others in her classes being a year or more older than she was, and a boost in confidence would do her good.

Between classes that morning Marta phoned home to relay the the message from Uliana's mum, about how she wanted to have a chat. Ella made the call which surprised Valechka who had not expected to hear from the mother of the two girls until the following day.

Valechka was hesitant on how to approach the subject, apart from which there were many others in the office who could possibly overhear anything she said on the phone, luckily her nearest co-worker left the room so they arranged to meet that afternoon at Ella's house as neither thought they could speak openly at any public meeting place.

Valechka now had to square this with her boss, knowing that by volunteering to take on an unpopular shift the next few Sundays, she could hopefully get the time off she needed at short notice.

Ella left a message on Marta's phone that a meeting had been arranged, then she called Olga asking if she or Gramps would like to pick-up the boys and have them stay for supper that evening. Olga was very happy to have the opportunity to spoil the boys, even saying they could stay overnight as they kept a change of clothes at the cottage, then she could take them in to school the next morning. That solution killed two birds with one stone, so there'd be no little ears about to overhear adult conversations, with the bonus of a happy old couple who could play at being grandparents for a while.

Valechka had taken down Ella's number in case there had been a problem, but her boss had been relieved to have a solution to the sudden weekend rota issue, to cover for the person off sick in hospital, he had said she could take an early lunch, and he would see her in the morning to talk of the tasks on Sunday. Calling back, Ella said to come straight round when she finished work, and she would make her lunch, so Valechka found herself walking from the station wondering if she had made a mistake in taking down the details, though her daughter had spoken of a large park, and if the house number was correct it was just a little further down this avenue.

Stopping she looked up at the house, she could see lawns and flower beds peaking out from under the retreating layer of snow, and tire tracks leading to the built in garage, she was unsure what to do, this would be awkward if she had the wrong house, though for that matter it wouldn't be much different if it was the right one.

The front door opened and a friendly woman asked if she was Valechka, for Ella had been keeping an eye open for anyone on the street, and being a no-through road they didn't get that many people coming past. Ella took her coat and asked if she wanted some slippers to wear, as it was a common courtesy to offer them to visitors to your home.

Valechka couldn't help look all round, it was much as her daughter had described, she had not been exaggerating how nice the house was, and she had received a friendly welcome from Ella who lead her through to the kitchen where she could smell soup simmering on the hob, mingled with smell of something baking in the oven. Ella did not strike her as a woman who was rich, she seemed so normal, going out of her way to put her at ease.

The kitchen had many signs of the four kids who lived there, magnets holding drawings to the fridge door, with books and magazines stacked at one end of a worktop, and a large calender marked with school or family reminders, it was for want of a better word homely.

Ella was soon serving up soup with warm crusty bread as they spoke of their respective children, but Ella was careful to avoid any mention about the missing father that Marta had told her of beforehand, for it would be impolite to raise the issue if Valechka didn't speak of it first. She could hear the pride in the woman's voice in regard to her daughter's school advancement, and the hope she would do better in life than being a railway clerk.

There was a short pause in conversation, as this was a natural opening to move on to the subject that they had so far avoided. Ella made the first move, stating how sceptical they had been the day Anna had come home holding the small poster she had peeled from a shop window. From then on Ella related how the people they'd met from the Studio had been so kind and helpful, their decision to move coming just at the time Igor was about to be made redundant. It had been funny in a way that his old boss thought that Igor was choked-up about being let-go, when he had actually gone in that day to resign, and was choking back a laugh at the strange twist of fate.

Valechka said that although they had never had the time or money to go away on holiday, she could see the attraction of nudist beaches or resorts, for what was the point of having special clothes to swim in, or just to sit in the sun, when it was obvious it could be better enjoyed without that encumbrance. Although she had no issues on that score, she knew that it was a fairly common hangup with some people, especially with foreigners who equated any skin with sex and sinfulness. They joked about all those silly misconceptions which existed in those types of backward blinkered societies.

Then at last the subject came round to how the girls were portrayed in the type of photos that went on the Studio websites, and Ella was able to relate what she had seen first hand when she had accompanied Anna, and about the sets she had been shown on the laptop they used for Studio work. She hadn't really been interested in all the modern computer stuff that her girls and her husband used every day, though Marta did print out grocery lists so that she only had to fill in the numbers, and that was really handy.

Ella went on to say it was just young girls showing off, as girls always would, a way in which to try out their womanly wiles harmlessly, and tease their audience. It was a world away from the sort of lurid and sleazy pornography that some men liked, what it did have was an innocent kind of naughtiness of girls playing dress-up, to take on a role. Then she went on to recount how her older daughter had become involved, now working on writing the little plays which the models performed, and coming up with new ideas for the Studio.

Valechka was soon looking through the foreign magazines that the girls used as learning aids, being an inspiration for how the site members would view teenage girls in their own cultures. Apart from Ukrainian and Russian, Valechka could get by with a smattering of common phrases in languages from the various surrounding countries, though she had never considered the need to learn English. Ella told her she and Igor were very slowly picking it up from their kids, as the girls were quite fluent, and the boys were eager to catch up, as to them it was simply a game.

Marta had earlier decided to skip chess club, and she had spoken to Anna, who'd in turn passed it on to Uliana, that her mum had gone round to see their mum that afternoon to have a chat. The sisters had also spoken to Eve on the way to the station that morning about a possible new recruit, so when all four met after last bell they hung about for the place to clear, then Marta phoned home. As Valechka was still there they all set off to join in the meeting, and Eve called home to say she would be at her friends house.

It had been fascinating to learn about the Studio, and the massive impact it had made in the lives of this family, so much so that Valechka had lost sight of the time herself. After a call from Ella's oldest daughter it seemed she would meet both girls, another girl who also modelled for the website, and her own daughter would be travelling back with them. During her talk with Ella she had come to realise that this business operated on a massive scale, at first she had thought maybe a few dozen, then sixty or seventy, now it seemed it was more than a thousand girls spread right across the country.

A topic raised at the recent network Directors meeting, was a new change in recruitment strategy, whereby they were in talks with a major modelling company involved advertising, promotional work, and catalogue models. By having joint campaigns, they could use TV and radio to find new models, and hold auditions together. The fact some of the men held Directorships in both camps brought this about with very few questions being asked, but it would allow them to reach a wider number of potential fledgling models for each branch.

Back in Ella's kitchen it was getting noisy with four girls all talking at once, but with the introductions Valechka sorted out who was who, and learned that their other visitor was a model from the same school that lived just around the corner. The volume reduced when Ella laid out some after school snacks and drinks, the girls having fun competing to see who could get the best 'moustache' from their hot chocolate drinks. If her daughter hadn't told her that all of the models had academic scores that were among the highest in the school, she may have been worried this was a bunch of air-heads, but Ella had said it was more a case of work hard, play hard, have fun.

Seeing the way these girls were including her daughter in the various topics that came up round the table was heart warming, for she knew how much Uliana had been struggling at school with the feeling of isolation from her older classmates. Even if nothing else came of this, if she gained a few friends it would help her cope better with the problems she faced in class. On the other hand if she was accepted as a model, it could have many benefits maybe increasing her social circle even more, and it would be nice to take her daughter shopping for new clothes, if she could earn a few extra hryvnias.

Marta and Anna cleared the table then went upstairs to get changed taking the other two with them, which lead to a discussion about the children each having their own rooms, and how the Studio people had moved heaven and earth on decorating and refurbishing the house so they could move in quickly. Valechka was given a tour while they waited for the girls return, and was stunned when she saw the murals in the boys bedrooms, as if the rest of the house wasn't amazing enough in itself. Knocking on Marta's door they were invited in, and shown around, then passing through the shared bathroom, through to the Anna's room, where the three youngest were gathered around the desk.

There was a definite horsey theme from the pictures on the wall, and the largest stuffed bear she had ever seen was propped up on the bed. Valechka was offered a seat to view what the girls had been showing her daughter, they were looking at a laptop computer, one of two that sat on the desk. She had seen them on the television, and when passing some high end stores, so she knew they were phenomenally expensive, even at work only a few people used computers, and they were big old desktop types with small screens.

Anna used to be a bit bashful about showing people her own modelling work, but now she quite enjoyed watching their reaction to seeing her do her thing in front of the camera, proud of her professional achievements. She ran through her sets using the slide show facility, but changed to manual when Uliana wanted to flip back to ask questions about about some of the images she hadn't seen the day before. From then on she stepped through sets, giving some more background information from the viewpoint of a model.

Eve said they should view some of her work as well, and as that wasn't on the hard drive Anna logged on to the internal company server by use of her passwords, giving them a brief tour, where Uliana saw some familiar faces from school in the line up. Paging through they got to Kasia, Eve's professional working name, and viewed some of her image sets, as they had admin level access to view any of the material available. She had not yet done a video in English but that was something Anna had been helping her with, so they logged off so Anna could show them her video's that were in a folder on her own machine.

Though Valechka couldn't follow the dialogue she watched as the girl who was standing beside them, on screen went about a smart kitchen as she prepared to do some cooking. From the way the girls were laughing, it seemed what she was saying had to be funny, and as the movie progressed she could see though the accidents were staged, it must have taken a lot of care and practice to produce such a professional looking video.

As Ella had said, it was just adolescent girls finding an outlet for showing off, and in both the photo-sets, and now this video that was exactly what she could see.

Uliana had even more questions and wanted to view more of the material, but her mum said she had seen enough for today, saying she would go back down to see Ella who had returned to her kitchen. All those faces, hundreds of happy girls, wearing bright costumes, beautifully made, and fairytale backgrounds, this was what these girls did, and Valechka could see that they enjoyed their time in front of the camera. Who could even guess that such things existed, all the pictures suggested it was something the girls relished doing, and she could see the appeal, in this realm these girls were superstars in their own right.

It often seemed their lives were lived in shades of grey, and she shuddered to think how those worse off than her faired at this time of the year with the snow and cold a constant factor for much of the winter. Seeing her, Ella asked if she and Uliana liked fish, as they might as well stay to supper, that would be three meals care of Ella this week, as they still had half a pie at home in their little fridge. She was fond of the dish Ella was about to prepare, but like the cost of so many things, it was now a luxury she couldn't afford, one had to watch every last kopeck.

It had been a revelation talking to Ella all afternoon, and now having seen for herself the pictures of models from the the studio, she had no qualms if this was what Uliana wanted to do. This just left one delicate subject that normally it would be rude to discuss, she had no idea what sort of money her daughter could earn by joining the Studio, and from what she had seen so far it looked to be considerable, unless Ella's husband was a business tycoon of some sort.

Ella had expected the question at some point, surprised it had taken this long, Valechka had been hesitant in her approach to the subject, no doubt embarrassed about such a delicate topic. Ella explained how things worked, and how the models, and all the other staff earned percentages based on the sales of each set, and on the set fees for each session in the studio.

Valechka could see the fairness to this approach, and Ella told her of other backstreet operators in the same field who gave the girls one payment, and that was all they got, regardless of how much revenue their pictures made for those that ran these other shady disreputable websites. After talking about the structure of how the girls were paid, and how it got better as they became more popular, Ella added some numbers to the equation which left Valechka's head spinning.

It amused Ella, she had been ready in case the woman fainted, but all that was needed to help her over the shock and revive her was a cup of strong coffee. Valechka needed both hands to steady the cup, she had been prepared to let Uliana take part for the reasons she had already reviewed in her own mind, because she could see how this had fired her daughter's imagination, but now it would be disappointing if Uliana had a change of heart.

She asked Ella if she thought Uliana might get past the auditions, as she had spent much of the previous evening talking about the Studio and the possibility of becoming a model. As both her daughter's had shown a positive reaction to the girl, Ella grinned expressing her opinion that it was almost a done deal, as Marta could wrap Ivan around her little finger. This lead on to talking about the staff, and how everyone from the boss downwards was on a first name basis. Soon Ella spoke about the salon, and how she went at least once a fortnight, though she had felt a little cheeky at first, but many of the local mums made use of this perk, plus it allowed them to meet face to face now and then.

The girls came back down to the kitchen as Eve popped in to say goodbye, as she had been called home for supper, the remaining three set the table ready for their own meal. Ella had explained her sons were out on a sleepover without going into any more details, then Uliana asked how her mum had managed to get the afternoon off work, at first she was pleased that she had been able to meet with Ella, though less happy her mum would have to work for three hours each Sunday for the next few weekends.

After a hesitant start, Valechka agreed that if Uliana was still set on trying for an audition to become a model, then she had no objections, she ran up to hug her mum then her two new school friends, as she saw whole new avenues opening in her future. Marta rang the Studio, only to find Ivan had left early that day, she tried another number, and the others listened as she made plans, Uliana nodding at implied questions, only hearing Marta's side of the conversation. When the call ended they all looked to her for answers.

“I caught Ivan on his mobile, now visits from the out of town girls have slacked off Uliana can go in first thing Saturday, and with any luck you can both get your hair and nails done, he said he'll set things up with Carina to do make up, and Sandra to be on camera.”

“You'll like Sandra, she did my audition photo shoot, and Gina usually has Carina do her make-up, so you two will have something in common now.”

Anna went on to relate the story of another model they had watched during a combined photo and video shoot, when Sandra was on camera with Vladimir doing video, and the model had a last minute costume change because of some problem. As the trousers were too tight Carina had crawled on set to pull them off while both the cameras focused on the model's top half, it had been funny but as professionals they had all stifled their laughter.

When Igor got home he was introduced to the girl's school friend and her mum before he had chance to pop up to get washed and changed, as soon as he'd excused himself, he began to wonder at the sudden appearance of this new girl, speculating if she was some new recruit for the Studio. He wouldn't put it past his daughters to introduce another girl into the fold, although he couldn't imagine this had been via the same circumstances as they had found Irisha. That girl had changed, really blossomed, regained her self-respect, and if he wasn't mistaken, was sweet on Taras. He didn't want to interfere with that one, maybe he could ask Melenki to speak with the lad, make sure he treated her right.

Over the meal between pleasantries with their guests, the family did their normal thing of sharing the day's news, and planning ahead to avoid any clash in their respective diaries. Marta and Anna had bumped their visit to the stables, now going on Sunday instead, as they wanted to spend the day at the Studio on Saturday, with Marta working on several Valentines day themes for a few girls, and Anna wanted to help Eve choose a costume for her first English video which they had been working on for weeks.

With the girls talking so openly about Studio business, it confirmed his earlier thoughts, and he said how this evening he felt totally outnumbered with the boys away, therefore he couldn't discus football, beer and fishing. Anna tackled him saying he didn't talk about that stuff anyway as he didn't watch football, drank very little beer, and hadn't been fishing for years. This resulted in banter between the two, Igor insisting surely there must be a law somewhere that said men had to discus those subjects.

Uliana hadn't known what to expect when she had been introduced to this large man, but he seemed nice, like Ann's Mr Bear, big and soft, she hadn't known her own dad, it wasn't a subject her mum liked to talk about, as he had walked out when she was very young. Sometimes she wished her mum would find a nice man, and they would marry, then she'd have a dad like other girls but her mum often worked long hours, it wasn't like overtime, it was just they expected everyone at the office to do so much.

She knew her mum didn't really like her job, and it was odd to think of it as a good job, but many others would be willing to fill her place if she lost it, so everyone put in the time to get their work finished. In a way her mum was stuck, as they would also be homeless if she were ever to loose her job, hopefully if she got to be a model any money she made would help her mum, and she would have less worries.

Uliana loved the food, she hadn't had fish like that before, and they had a dessert too, fruit pie with real thick cream, if she ate like that every day she would get fat, and they still had half a pie at home for tomorrow's supper. Her mum would have saved a bit this week on her grocery bill which was always a hard thing to do in the winter, but foremost in her mind was the audition on Saturday, she didn't know how she would get through school the next day with the butterflies in her tummy.

Though both Valechka and her daughter had travel passes one of the few perks of her job, Ella said they shouldn't be travelling by Metro at this time of the evening, and Igor would give them a lift home, Marta and Anna said they would go along as well for the ride.

Valechka felt like a free-loader, at first it was only meant to be a meeting, but with Ella making lunch then having them both for supper, she had just been swept up by the turn of events. She hoped they didn't think badly of her, for it was good manners to bring at least a small gift when invited round to someone's home for a meal. If the modelling came to anything hopefully she would be in a better position to show her appreciation, and then make amends for her shortcomings.

On the ride back Anna told their dad a little about Uliana and how they had come to meet which raised a chuckle from the man. Anna wanted to know why he found it funny, and he told her he was thinking about what it said in her made-up biography, of how she wanted to be a vet when she grew up, so was she now practising by taking in hurt or wounded girls. Anna normally the joker, took it in good part, and there seemed to be a kernel of truth in there, but she insisted it was more Marta's sympathetic nature than her own that had lead to helping others.

Friday was a day of contrasts, if you like mixed fortunes, as Uliana went round with a fixed smile humming to herself, looking forwards to her audition the next day, buoyed up with confidence from her talk with Anna. The same could not be said for Sofia a fourteen year old, her day was a disaster, on her way into school she slipped on a patch of ice and falling badly broke her arm.

Sofia was one of the Studio girls, she had been going through a rapid growth spurt, and had yet to gain her coordination as sometimes happened in these cases, so she had been feeling clumsy of late. It was fortunate she was walking to school with a fellow model who had the sense to phone the Studio for advice, rather than rely on the state health service.

A private ambulance was quickly on the scene, blaring it's way through the morning traffic, and Sofia was soon receiving the best medical attention.

As the day progressed news of Sofia's accident spread through the Studio girls, who were all concerned to find out how she was, and the extent of her injuries. Marta showed just as much anxiety as the others, for she had been planning a Valentines day video sketch with the girl, now according to the Studio update she had Sofia's left arm was in plaster.

Marta knew the planned dates for Valentines themed releases was in the next two to three weeks, so the sketch they had worked on would be wasted unless another girl could take it on. In a flash of inspiration she knew just what to do about Sofia, this would tick a few boxes as her sister was keen to say, and she knew just what to do with the spare sketch.

Chapter 50

She had been so restless and excited the night before, she was sure her mum must have slipped something into her cocoa to help her sleep, by 7:05 she was ready, looking out over the snow and slush that had refrozen, and the sky promised another fresh fall soon. It was hard waiting for her friends the 'Goose sisters' but they were due to come over in a cab, by ten past, then all four of them would go to the Studio together, but the clock was moving so slowly this morning, as if making fun of her.

At last a nice car came to a halt in front of the building, the door barely open and she was shouting to her mum to grab their coats and stuff, as they were off. It felt strange as the rough fabric of her long skirt brushed over the naked skin of her bottom, but she'd taken note of Anna's advice, having read the printed notes for new models, and she was glad to be wearing her long woollen leggings that would have nearly reached her panties had she been wearing any that morning.

The bathroom in their apartment had a toilet, basin and shower, a shower that had never worked very well, so she had taken a strip wash with a basin of hot water as they both did on most days, thankful the hot water was working so far this winter. Uliana watched all the people huddled up as they passed by in the snug warmth of the cab which looked to be fairly new, Marta sat in the front, and she shared the back seat with her mum and Anna.

Marta was talking to the old driver asking after his grandchildren, so she must know him quite well, but her attention kept drifting to see whereabouts they were in the city, as it gave a different viewpoint travelling in a car, lower down, plus he didn't keep stopping to pick up more passengers, it was nice to travel this way. The area they were in had offices and other businesses, thinking they might be factories or warehouses, then they turned into a new business park which had more modern buildings, then pulled up outside one of those nondescript cubes.

As they approached the reception area Marta waved off any offers of payment for the cab saying it was a business expense on contract, whatever that was. The sisters got badges out of their backpacks, different packs than the ones they took to school, the laminated cards were on cords that they put round their necks, and they had little photos on them. The receptionist had cards already made up for her mum and herself with their names on, but had the words, “Accompanied Visitor” stamped in red, in big letters.

When Marta said they would get processed later, Anna joked that they weren't peas, and that was typical of the silly puns she came out with all the time. The place had a really wonderful canteen, and the best part was everything was free, they had been told of this the day before, with the comment about coming here first to have breakfast. Uliana didn't think she would be hungry, especially after last night, but there were so many tempting things as they moved past the hot and cold selections.

Hearing Anna ask for a freshly boiled egg, and toast Uliana asked for the same, and the lady asked if she liked the yoke runny or thicker, not having asked Anna as she probably knew how her friend wanted hers. When another lady came out of the kitchen to talk with them, she found out it was Irisha's mum, another girl who was fairly new to the school but older, more like Marta's age.

Her mum and Marta had chosen what they wanted from the food on display behind all the little glass doors, but a waitress was going to bring over the eggs, and the drinks they had asked for. She saw some tables had signs saying 'English only at this table' the signs being written all in English. Many of people they saw greeted Anna and Marta so it seemed they were well known and popular at the Studio.

The staff were very kind, even coming to ask if they wanted top-ups for their drinks or any more to eat, but their next stop was the salon, and Uliana had been looking forwards to this, as her mum had a friend that came round to do both of them, and to be truthful she wasn't that good, but she didn't charge much. She couldn't believe how luxurious the salon was, much nicer even than the posh one she passed in the main road, and she had seen their prices in the window, wondering how someone could justify spending so much money simply to have their hair cut.

Like at their last stop everyone knew the sisters, and they were introduced to each of the staff, and two models who were sat in the fancy looking chairs. Soon she and her mum were being pampered, Uliana laid back in the reclined chair blissfully relaxed as fingers massaged the rich creamy scented lather through her hair, saying she would rinse it out then apply the conditioner. By the time the stylist had finished doing her magic, Uliana found it hard to believe the lustrous vibrant locks were the ones she had come in with that morning. She hadn't taken much off her shoulder length hair but it now had a new shape, and looked tons better than she could ever remember.

Looking over she could see her mum was equally pleased, and - or shocked with her own transformation, suspecting that the few greys which had been making an appearance, had now been hidden by the artists that worked here. Her mum fussed not wanting too much done to her nails, as she thought she had been transformed enough, though Uliana was happy to be getting the full works, wanting to make the best impression for her audition.

While having her nails done she saw a lady come out from a side door, when she went to talk with Marta, her older friend blushed and the woman went away laughing, but Uliana had no idea what it was about over the constant chatter and noise of hair dryers.

When the salon staff considered the newcomers 'done' Valechka felt like years had been removed from her appearance, wondering what they would say when they saw her in the office. The salon staff had an answer for that, it was to tell them she had won a makeover in a competition, which seemed like a good idea, as she could never afford to spend that sort of money on herself with so many other bills to pay first.

Marta and Anna were debating whether to visit wardrobe, or to call in on costume design to see what they had available, costume design won out, and their guests were told to expect some stereotypical designer types, giggling as they both made limp wristed hand gestures, going on to say that they were very nice guys, and had a great team of women who worked there making the clothes.

Valechka looked on as the two men greeted the sisters with hugs and air kisses, unsure what to expect when they were introduced, it turned out that as friends of friends they got their hands kissed, which impressed her daughter, being treated like a princess.

In their own lowly position in society, among the manual workers and wage slaves, there tended to be a hard bitten macho mindset, brought out by the struggle to survive, hence Valechka had no experience of meeting any openly gay men, her only references from TV soaps or drama programs. But she wouldn't be judgemental, after all some people would no doubt have comments about the reason she was at the Studio if they heard of it.

From what she could follow, the sisters were regular visitors to this department, pleading to the men's vanity that they must have at least one of their special creations that would look divine on their young friend. A seamstress came forwards and took down all Uliana's vital measurements to determine what current items might be suitable for her to try.

As the debate raged on she could see her daughter's wide eyed expression seeing all the original drawings as they spread across the table, with reasons for and against those that might fit, meanwhile the seamstress came back to check the length of Uliana's trunk from crotch to neck, then made her own suggestion to those gathered around the work table. The appropriate sketch was found, and everyone agreed, so Anna and the lady of the tape took Uliana off to a dressing room, while they all stood there waiting.

Uliana hadn't properly seen the drawing, so she wasn't sure what to expect, but the lady, called Hanna, came back to the large changing room with a box lined with tissue paper that she placed on the table. Anna folded her clothes as she undressed, it was odd having two people stand there but not much different than getting changed for gym classes.

When Hanna lifted back the tissue she gasped, it was all in white, white fur, and a white satin material that had white embroidered patterns, the first part, was like a summer play suit, a sleeveless collared top and short shorts as one garment with a full length zipper. The next item was a surprise, being in the same fabric was a matching wrap around skirt, a square of fur fabric made a short cloak, and a fur headband held tall floppy silky ears, a second look at the skirt revealed a little ball of fur on the back as a rabbits tail.

While they waited around the worktable, Valechka could see through to a large room filled with cutting tables and sewing machines, where a dozen or more women were making costumes, and from what Marta had said only a few staff worked in there at weekends to cover for emergencies. Marta had been constantly on her phone talking to several people about the costume, and talking about studio numbers. Ending her call Marta suggested they use studio four as it had the best backdrop for the costume, but it wouldn't be free for at least an hour; she told the others, saying they could take a tour in the mean time.

When the girls emerged from the changing room Valechka was disappointed that Uliana was not wearing the costume, she was back in her own clothes, with a few words from Marta and they were off on a tour of the Studio complex, it seemed a hive of activity, and she saw other mothers in passing with their girls in tow. Many people called out greetings in their hurry to be somewhere else, and Valechka saw sights from the mundane to the marvellous as she listened to the commentary from their two guides.

It was actually unfair to call the administration offices mundane, as they had nice carpets, modern furniture and lighting, and happy smiling staff, which was a world away from her own experience of office life. As for all the other wonders, it was as if the entire place had been sprinkled with fairy dust, full of bright colours and the frequent sound of laughter. Sometimes she didn't know which way to look, as there were so many interesting things to see, and she didn't want to miss anything.

There was a place where the background sets were built, and the backdrops were painted, making it hard to believe they were not in some Hollywood Studio, it was just in this case all the performers were young girls. As they passed down one long corridor, pairs of doors either side were widely spaced out each with stencilled numbers, these were the studios where the photographers worked. The light above number four showed that it was not yet available, so they continued on to the IT department.

As they approached the large mostly open plan area, Anna mentioned in a stage whisper that this was where Marta's boyfriend worked, for once she didn't get poked in the ribs for this, if anything Marta seemed to walk a little taller, proud to have such a smart boyfriend.

Dmitri was his usual charming self, and Alina wanted to hijack Marta for a while, so Anna said they would sit and wait for her to get done. Mother and daughter stopped in unison as they read the plate on the door.

Marta – Development Consultant & Natasha's manager.

Anna shrugged, she had sort of got used to it so it didn't shock her as it did the first time, but her visitors looked all round, Valechka thinking the top administrator at work for all his bluster didn't have such a smart office as this. Uliana immediately saw the chess set on the coffee table, then took in the array of foreign books and magazines, then noted the three cups which were on the bookcase. She read the engravings, 'Best new actress', and 'Best new scriptwriter', but the centre one on a plinth read - 'Lifesavers Award' with the sisters names added below.

Anna related a funny story about two of the cups, but said the third one was a private matter, having a story she couldn't tell. Valechka felt it must have a very deep significance, suspecting the story behind that little cup meant just what it said in the engraving.

Uliana was now sitting at the coffee table, though not much of it was visible, the board was a large one, with nice solid pieces, it seemed silly, but she was sure the game would be better somehow on this scale. She heard a woman's voice from outside the office door calling out Anna's name.

“Hey Anna, haven't seen you in weeks, you got a new girl for me to immortalise on film.”

“Hi Sandra, in case you've forgotten, you don't use film, come on in and meet Uliana, and her mum Valechka.”

Uliana liked Sandra she was really friendly, and she asked questions about her favourite subjects at school and about her hobbies, saying she would let her look at all her cameras when they got in the studio. Marta came in to say four was free, and Carina would pick up the costume then meet them all on set.

Uliana felt swept along on the tide, glad her entourage knew where they were going as she had given up trying to keep track of where they were, she was starting to feel warm, wishing she hadn't been so frugal with the antiperspirant. It felt like she was looking down watching someone else, meeting Carina, Anna helping, and then sat on a high stool clad only in a soft white dressing gown. Colours and sounds became blurred, then suddenly there was this sharp pungent smell and she started coughing, it was like she had woken abruptly from a dream.

Her mum was making a fuss but everyone else was calm, maybe it was the reality, or the excitement, or maybe she just forgot to breathe, but now she felt fine, and had to tell her mum several times that everything was okay. Getting up to walk round cleared her head, and although Anna had told her all about being 'on set' Sandra talked her through what they were going to do then showed her the equipment like she'd promised.

Uliana had never worn make-up, now sitting back in the chair it was Carina's turn to talk her through a new experience, it was an odd feeling of pressure on her eyelids while the subtle blended colours were applied, then she worked on her lashes, but Carina kept talking about what she was doing and that helped. Lipstick was another new thing as well, her only other reference being balm for chapped lips during the cold winter. Looking in the mirror it was still the same face she saw every morning, but not her as well, sort of more defined, Carina had made her look prettier, and her eyes looked bigger, and for once the rosy glow wasn't from the cold.

She was about to start dressing but Anna dragged her off to the adjoining bathroom for a last minute pee and a pep talk, by the end of which Uliana felt ready, this was simply an audition, to practice, she was here to have fun, and learn how to respond to the feedback from the person taking the pictures.

On set Valechka was looking at the costume, finding the level of workmanship exquisite, hard to believe the number of hours it must have taken to make the play-suit alone, and to think some of these costumes were only worn by one girl for one photo-set, which was a pity, but most of the costumes she had seen were hardly normal day wear. Across by the set Marta was talking with Sandra, about how they had turned an audition, stroke learning exercise for another model, into an initial portfolio, and a viable set for release, and asked if Sandra could try the same trick.

With help from Carina and Anna she was soon dressed, then the fur headband with the ears was held in place with lots of clips as that was the only item that wouldn't be coming off. For Uliana the only disappointment was that this costume didn't come with any of the fabulous shoes she had seen some of the girls wearing.

“Right, go break a leg.”

“Anna, that wasn't funny, think about poor Sofia with her broken arm.”

“Oops.”

The set was mostly rocks of various sizes, with masses of foliage, in fact some of the plants were real, but the fake grass had been made lumpy, though it was still soft to sit on, and then Sandra was walking her around the set giving her ideas about how to pose and make use of the various props.

“Okay Uliana I will be ready to start soon, I want to take a lot of pictures, and try out lots of different ideas, perhaps do quite a long set so it's more like the real thing, even maybe take a break part way through. Unlike old fashioned cameras, these are digital therefore no worries about film, so we can take loads of pictures to get the ones we want to keep.”

Having seen loads of pictures on Anna's computer gave her an idea of what to expect, and Anna had helped her do 'transitions', where she moved in stages between poses so as the camera man, or in this case woman had a chance to capture, or comment on what they were looking for. Sandra came up with lots of ideas, telling her to use the cloak more as a prop, and to think herself into the role as a rabbit, which caused her to smile, and set off a flurry of shutter action.

Once the girl started to relax into the situation, the poses got better, and Sandra thought that she had potential, and wouldn't mind working with her in the future, as anyone could see that this would not be her last visit to the Studio. Marta's plan to make a set from this first outing was looking quite possible even this early in proceedings.

Uliana pulled the cord on the cloak, then played hide-n-seek behind the loose square of fur that felt so soft on her skin, as Sandra got her to think about the poses as taking on different shapes, asking her to move around the set to see if she could find the carrots. She was sure there were no carrots but played the inquisitive bunny as instructed anyway, clambering around the set having fun. After trying to twitch her nose she bit her bottom lip to pretend she had rabbit teeth.

Four watchers in the background observed the display on set, Anna making quiet remarks on how well she was taking direction, and using her own initiative. Uliana took her time on the zipper lowering it a little at a time between poses until there was a narrow visible line of flesh from neck to navel, then after highlighting the tail in a few shots she started to loosen the skirt, dropping it to the floor.

Anna smiled, Uliana was in the 'zone' at one with her photographer, mind free of any other distractions, and enjoying the role, and Sandra was bringing out the best in her model, to achieve the results that would show through in the end. She had Uliana expressing herself and thinking of topics that would bring forth natural facial reactions, rather than a strained smile that would ruin the tone of a set.

When Sandra said they were going to take a break for a drink and snack, Uliana thought she would have been happy to carry on posing, but a cool drink in this warm setting would be refreshing. She knew about the straw in her drink to avoid messing up her lipstick, so she was glad of all the little things Anna had told her about. As she wiggled on the seat to get comfortable one side of the outfit slipped off her shoulder, and Anna said that was the sort of move she needed on set, easing out of whatever she was wearing.

Uliana soaked up the praise as they all thought she was doing a good job. She was keen to get back on set, so Sandra could get enough good pictures to convince Ivan the boss that she could be one of the Studio's models. She didn't know how long that would take, but then she could do some real picture sets, and perhaps her mum would worry less, and they might both be able to get new coats this winter.

Sandra was telling her to concentrate, now think of a happy memory; that would be playing in the summer when she was younger, squiggling her toes in a sand bar on the river Dnieper with the sun shinning, and thoughts of ice-cream. She rolled about over the floor and soon the suit was hanging around her waist, she looked up towards the camera, then down at the skin on show. Past her nipples that barely altered the flat plain of her chest, the most visible landmark was the dimple of her inny belly button, then the slight pad of flesh above the narrow indent of her slit that was now revealed by the open zipper.

“That's good Uliana, think naughty, think cheeky, yes that's fine.”

At last she pulled off the the suit that had hung from her thighs, as she proudly stood there grinning, thinking up her next moves. As she now played about naked, she tried all of the poses she had seen, even Anna's signature pose, and tried some of her own as a starfish then stretching like a ballet dancer, till she felt like trying the cloak again, then just draping it over her back so it was like a cape.

Sandra was impressed how expressive the girl could be, her pretty face going through a gamut of emotions, which was a useful trait in the younger girls, but by now she had a mass of images to select from and decided to bring the session to a close, asking her little rabbit to lay down and close her eyes. With a few shots from various angles Sandra called it a day, although that wasn't the case, as she had three more girls booked in for today.

The after shoot, clean up was the same-old same-old, as normal for all the others, but for the mother and daughter, it was part of the whole new world which they had entered, as Anna joked about fitting a seat-belt on the stool to get Uliana to sit still. Carina once again talked though the process of removing make-up, and said she would give her a booklet on adolescent skin care, along with some of the products she would need.

Valechka caught Marta's attention, and they moved away from the table to talk, it turned out the woman was concerned about if she would need to tip all the people who had been helping them, worried about how much the cosmetics Carina spoke of would cost.

“Please stop worrying, all these people are well paid by the Studio, send them a card or present when New Year comes round again if you feel like it, they all want your daughter to do well. Those who work directly with a model earn a bonus relating to how well that model is doing, so if Carina wants to go on holiday twice this year she will make sure 'her girls' don't get spots. I want Uliana to do well as Ivan might decide to give me a bonus for introducing her, so you see everyone here helps one another, as it's good for the Studio and for the models.”

Stepping back to the table the current topic, between cleansing wipes was the choosing of a professional name, Valechka asked if it wasn't a bit premature, but Carina stated Uliana had done very well for a first timer, besides she had some powerful friends, looking up at the two sisters. Anna's Godfather impression was so bad they all started laughing.

It seemed Uliana had been through the alphabet and back, till her mum suggested Inga. She liked that straight away thinking it exotic, not a common name, and it sounded as if it could be Scandinavian, which with her blonde hair would be appropriate. Hanging up the robe she had worn at the table, Uliana pulled out a pair of panties with a flourish, stating she could now wear these on the way home. Anna's instant reply was she should wear the rest of her clothes too, as it was cold outside.

Valechka was startled by the sound of a mobile phone ringing, it was as if everybody here owned one, at work there was a tannoy system, and a few walkie-talkies that hardly ever worked that well.

“Hi, yes of course we're both here,.. No, just finished with make-up,... Okay, give us about fifteen minutes, and warn Tanya we're coming, bye.”

Anna looked around, “Ivan, he's been looking over Sandra's shoulder at the raw set, sorry that means the unedited set, she just wanted to review it on a big screen while she was waiting for her next model.”

Mother and daughter were both looking on expectantly at the mention of the Studio boss, and Anna let the tension build for a moment. “Oh he was curious to know if you were still here, maybe like sign a few papers, that sort of thing, you know, like they do with all our new models.”

From the yelling and jumping up and down it appeared that Uliana was looking forwards to a career in modelling.

Valechka found it hard to come to terms with their informality, as here even the lowliest member of staff would call the boss by his first name, and no one scowled or complained, it was the total opposite of office life as she knew it. Even the work hours from what she'd heard were informal, people coming and going as they pleased, both willing and happy to come in at the drop of a hat when they were needed.

Ivan welcomed them into his office, and to the Studio, assuming Valechka would allow Uliana to become a model. Tanya was on hand with refreshments as always, and when they were all seated, he asked Uliana what she had thought of her experience, and if she would like to continue being a model. He was left in no doubt as to her enthusiasm to take part, and even learned the name by which she wished to be known, he brought up a page on screen, checked a list, then confirmed that she could use Inga as her Studio name.

The sisters offered to leave while they went through the contractual, and financial papers, but Valechka said they should stay and maybe explain any parts she didn't understand.

Ivan was pleased to find out how well Uliana was doing in school, and that she was taking English lessons, suggesting she should enrol for the computing class as well.

Hearing her response that the class was fully booked, and they couldn't afford to own one of their own anyway, Ivan winked knowingly, telling her things often changed.

When at last Valechka thought the last piece of paper had been signed he pushed one more across the table, “That's for the sign on payment and for a set modelling payment.”

Valechka wasn't sure she knew all the terms yet and asked for him to explain.

“Okay, you've signed that Uliana will only work with our network, so as a show of good faith we pay you a retainer, cash in that envelope to help with any immediate expenses, second point, Sandra took a lot of pictures at the audition, as we've agreed to hire Uliana, normally you wouldn't get paid for doing an ordinary audition. But. In this case we have lots of usable material, enough for 'Inga Set-one', so you'll get a modelling fee in the next week for being in the studio, and a week or so after it gets onto the website, we will pay you dependent on the number of times it's downloaded.”

Later in the administration section Uliana got her laminated card marked 'Model' and her mum's card having a picture with a dazed expression bore the title 'Chaperone'.

She was still thinking of the envelope, all those crisp new notes, it made her wonder if every department in the complex had smelling salts on hand, to think she was talking of handing out tips from her paltry earnings; she had moved into a whole new dimension.

Waiting in the nice warm reception area for the cab to come Uliana had an idea, as she wanted to do something special, a week ago unthinkable, she whispered in her mother's ear, a momentary flicker of worry was replaced by a broad smile, of course her daughter was right, she nudged Uliana to go over and ask her friends.

“Marta, Anna, would you please come out with us to celebrate, I was thinking pizza.”

The cab arrived and receptionist watched them rush outside, eager for their pizza's, she just laughed, enthusiastic kids celebrating, she expected it was the same everywhere.

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For the next installment of the A New Model is Discovered franchize, see Chapters 51 through 55.

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