On the Line (Alternate Places Book 3)

by P. S. Power

  “Then there's Meriposa the Elf and Helga the Troll, and really who knows what they look like right? I mean, Elves are all like two feet tall, though some of them are really pretty and the Trolls are all covered with hair and never bathe and don't wear clothes, so I don't see how that works. But Hartley's a really nice guy, so maybe he can see past that kind of thing? I think it would be kind of disgusting, you know? A big hairy troll in bed with you?”

  Kate knew she had to correct this somehow, since she liked Britney, who conceivably could one day meet some of the kinds of people she was discussing, and didn't want her to be back handed through a wall, or end up with four foot of Alfric steel through her middle, for merely saying things that pretty much anyone with her background would have said. Heck, two years ago she'd have said the same kind of things, not knowing any better herself and now some of her best friends were like the people the other Alede girl had been talking about. For that matter, everyone she'd been talking about was one of her best friends.

  “Um... not to be too big of a geek, but I think you got some things wrong there... Libby does have a good heart, but she didn't poison Hartley, she just led him into a trap. Claire never did porn, at least not that I know about. Meriposa of the Dawn is an Alfric, which is an elf to you and me, but they don't like being called that,” She directed this at Don so it wouldn't seem like she was lecturing Britney, even though it felt to her like it at the moment. “Hilda is a Trolleinkein. Calling them Trolls is a bit like calling a black person the N-word, so... yeah, don't do that!” She smiled big and winked at everyone. Britney's eyes went huge.

  “Wow. You really know this stuff... What's Helga, I mean Hilda look like? Is she covered in hair like big-foot or something?”

  Kate explained how, since most people were like humans, even if covered in hair or scales or what not, they tended to be people underneath it all. At least the ones that hung around with Hartley. That meant that Hilda, when she shaved her body hair off, looked like an attractive blonde woman, even if she was really tall, being about six-six.

  “Anyway, even though she's technically married to Hartley, she's actually dating Troy...”

  This opened a discussion about sex with non-humans and if it could be considered morally acceptable. Don brought it up as a topic, and found that all of his friends thought that it would be fine to have sex with whomever, as long as they could consent.

  “So, you know, Troy counts...” She smiled then, but no one else did. Finally Blaine asked who exactly Troy might be.

  “Hartley's best friend? The really nice Human guy that kept him alive for years when he couldn't hold a job? Am I the only one that knows that part of the story?” Also a person that she'd slept with for a while. It had gotten kind of serious, but Troy had backed off, getting that she just wasn't like he was. Not that he wouldn't have sex with her now, but he'd stopped trying to make her into his Human girlfriend. No, now he was trying that with Hilda. Still, he really was trying to understand her ways, which were a lot different than where he'd come from.

  Britney looked like she wanted to take notes or something but Blaine didn't and used the lull to try and turn the topic toward martial arts, which Britney turned back toward the fights Hartley had won over the last year. Kate kept her mouth shut this time, even though most of the information turned out to be wrong.

  At about midnight, she kicked everyone out, since she had someone coming in a few minutes. Britney asked her who, casually, not really expecting an answer, she got one though.

  “Oh...Hartley. He comes to visit every couple of days.”

  The room went silent for a bit, until she winked at everyone a slow smile on her face.

  Don nodded, standing up, used to being kicked out of rooms so that other people could have sex by now. “Is that a euphemism for masturbation? Because if it is, I'd be more than happy to stay and watch. Or help, you know, whatever you need... I'm always here for you.” He spread his hands as if saying it would only be natural for him to be helpful.

  She laughed and walked them all to the door.

  “Nothing like that. If it were just that, I'd let all of you stay. Now go, before my appointment gets here... you'll scare him off.”

  Don looked a little troubled, but left. Probably because calling it an appointment sounded a little like she was either tutoring someone, or turning tricks. No one tutored that late, so...

  The other two actually had some things they needed to take care of themselves, they realized and left pretty quickly. The door hadn't been closed for five minutes when Zack stepped through the rift that hung in the middle of the room. He said "hi" as he walked over to give her a hug before lifting up her shirt so that he could pass a huge amount of energy to her. His hand laid on the flat of her stomach, near the umbilical core of her body, which was how Alede passed energy to their children, too. It felt a little odd at times to her, Kate not being a child, but the amount of energy was just too much to turn down.

  He waited for her to push him away, trusting her not to be creepy about the whole thing and get off on it. She kept her mind still as she orgasmed, making sure she didn't shake too much or give in too early to the pleasure that ran through her. Zack could get funny about things like that, she knew and if she wanted him to keep feeding her, which was way easier than collecting the same amount of energy herself, she had to hide what it did to her body. He knew, of course, on some level, but as long as she didn't let it show, he'd go out of his way to let her get all the energy she could from him, which he didn't do for everyone, not even his friends.

  When they finished she sat down and gestured for him to, covering the fact that her legs had almost given out. She told him all about her new friends, martial arts practice and how much they all loved Merri's fruit juice. He jumped up and disappeared suddenly, coming back a few minutes later, with three large boxes loaded with food from Merri and some clothing for her from her mom.

  “I told Merri about how much your friends appreciated her efforts. She should have something for them by tomorrow, she said. I think she wants to do something special for them, since they're your people... That's what she said at least.” He got their names from her again and gave her another hug before he left, reminding her to take at least a little time to study, if she could. She laughed and sent him on his way.

  After putting the food and clothing away, she sat down at her desk and started reading up on the Orient as much as possible on-line. After all, that paper wouldn't write itself, right?

  Chapter two

  She had a good, at least Kate hoped it would be decent, outline for her paper by breakfast the next day and headed over to the research library as soon as it opened, to see if she could find the books she needed for the research. Kate double checked her math before going, and decided that if she'd done anything wrong, it would have to stay that way, because she couldn't find the errors.

  The library was a treasure, and while she couldn't check anything out, she got most of the information she needed in about three hours. The place smelled like old books and new carpet, the brown and close weaved floor covering didn't look that new, but it seemed serviceable enough. It was clean at least.

  A boy watched her while she worked, a little too intensely for normal comfort, but when she looked up at him and smiled he got up and left instead of coming over to meet her. Probably shy. She tried to memorize his face just in case she saw him again. People liked it when you noticed them, she knew. He looked fairly average, but looks weren't the hallmark of a good person. Maybe he'd be fun?

  Hours later she sat in class, thinking about the research she'd done when Professor Eilis brought up an interesting question.

  “All right, first person to answer this correctly gets ten points extra credit on the final. I'm ready to make a note of it now, so it's seriously worth trying here... What was the single most important thing transported on the overland trade routes? What made the biggest difference to the world at that time?”

  He waited, taking
several answers, most he discarded and a few which he gave people partial credit for, making a note in a small book. Kate took notes herself, based on what he noted. Pigments, metals, and rare clays all made the list.

  Finally he looked around the room, seeing no one else had raised their hand.

  “Anyone else? How about you Kate, you seem good at this kind of thing...” He looked her dead in the eye, which surprised her a bit, since she hadn't known that he knew her name, especially without checking a list first.

  The idea had come to her a while before, but she hadn't said anything, not wanting to seem pushy, but since he'd called on her and she needed to say something, she went with it.

  “Ideas? Specifically new techniques, and skills. Glass working, kilns, metal working, how to make and use dyes... That kind of thing?”

  He stood up and started making a noise as if a bell were going off, clapping as he did so.

  “Ding, ding, ding! Very good! Ten points for you! Good, now defend the idea please, Kate.” He waited for her to list off all the ideas she could think of, and what effects they had on the progression of the world, nodding along and finally telling everyone else to take notes so he wouldn't have to repeat all this later. His voice sounded jovial, but people still wrote it all down. No one even glared at her over it, which she'd feared.

  After class he winked at her and warned her that he expected her paper to be extra special, since she obviously wasn't an average student. This made her want to blush. She'd have been fine if he'd suggested she have sex with him for her grade, but telling her that he expected her to do well based on effort? Intellectual effort at that? It made her feel both proud and uneasy at the same time.

  Kate made a point of doing more work on her paper before dinner. As it stood right now she'd have to find some way to cut a few pages of text, since the thing was already too long, coming in at about eight single spaced printed pages and it was only supposed to be five. She hoped she could get a little leeway as to length, if she made sure everything in it had a reason for being there.

  When she got to dinner, this time dressed to go work out afterwards, Don waited for her at the same table, looking a bit better kept this time. His hair neatly brushed and styled, his clothing looked straight and clean, almost like it had been ironed, which would be silly for sweats, and he smelled nice. Not that he hadn't the day before, but this time he had on something that smelled like pumpkin pie spice. Since all the Alede would know that most North Americans got more than a little aroused from that scent, in clinical trials, she had no doubt that someone had helped him come up with the idea.

  Kate didn't know if it was the scent, but she did feel a little aroused herself. Of course, being wanted and having someone make an effort over you never hurt in that regard, she knew. Even if you were trying to attract a Succubus. She walked over and gave him a big hug, taking in the scent.

  “Hmmm, you smell yummy!” She sat next to him, making sure her chair was close enough that her leg could brush against his lightly.

  Looking down at the table top, he mumbled an invitation to her, so distorted and soft that she almost didn't catch it, even with her hearing, which was about thirty times better than a regular person's. She cleared her throat and nudged him a little bit, so that he'd say it again.

  “Sorry... I... Well, the cinema here is playing the first three Star Wars movies back to back and I wondered if you'd like to go with me to see them this Saturday, I mean, if you want...” His gaze stayed on the table top, as if he expected her to simply say no, or possibly make fun of him over having asked her at all. That of course would be silly of him to think, she obviously liked him well enough to hang out with him, though he could still be thinking that she was hanging out with Blaine and Britney, being relatives, and he just happened to be there when they were.

  “Well, that depends...” She told him, seeing him stiffen a tiny bit, as if getting ready for something bad. “Are they playing the real first three movies or those horrible prequels that Lucas put out to cash in on the franchise? Because if it's those three, I highly suggest we go do something more entertaining. Like run head first into a wall for six hours... that could be fun.” The lilt in her voice was playful, of course.

  "The real ones. Though, please don't hit me... but I thought Jar-jar was the best part of those new three." He cleared his throat a little. "Meesa thinks that mees a stereotype! Really, what's not to love?"

  "I'd love to go with you. Maybe we could get some ice-cream after that?"

  "That... well, I'll do it, because I want to impress you with how neat I am, but I have to be honest... the ice cream here sucks. It's a sad and sorry thing, to be sure." He shook his head a little, but didn't take it back.

  They ate in companionable silence for a while, with her gently bumping into his leg with her foot, a game far more entertaining than the food, at least for her, until Blaine and Britney showed up, both settling into their chairs with a thump, staring at Don expectantly.

  Blaine gave him a look.

  “Well... did you ask her?” He asked in a false whisper that the whole room probably heard, even if they had regular hearing.

  Kate nodded and got a wide eyed look on her face, staring at first one Alede and then the other.

  “He did! I have to say, I'm shocked. I mean to just walk up and ask me to have anal sex with him tonight... I said yes, of course, but I'm a little uneasy about doing it outside, dressed only in a dog collar, you know? It gets so cold here. I suggested I just give him a blowjob instead, but he won't hear about it. Said that he'd get too chilly then and there could be a shrinkage problem. The logic was flawless, so what could I do?” Her hands spread wide, she gave them both an innocent look.

  Britney looked at Don sharply then, anger on her face suddenly.

  “Don! How could you? You've only known her for what, two days? You've known me for months and haven't offered me more than a hug! I have to say, I'm more that a bit insulted here...” She shook her head looking down at the table as if she were sad with a huge sigh.

  Blaine just shrugged and his hands coming up to nearly head level.

  “Dude, I told you that you could use the room. You don't have to take her outside, not on the first date at least. It's going to be, what, fifteen degrees tonight? That's cold...”

  Don looked at each of them after a moment blushing scarlet red.

  “Look... I didn't say anal, I said doggy style, she volunteered for anal, what, I'm supposed to say no? That would just be rude. As for the dog collar, well, I mean, I've just had it sitting in that box for years, no reason not to get some use out of it, right? Oh, that reminds me, Blaine, do you have some lube I could borrow for later?”

  Everyone laughed, including the people a table over, who'd heard what the first two had actually talked about before the others had joined them. Kate saw that the girl that sat there each day smiled at her, so she waved a bit.

  Turning back to the table she sobered and told Blaine that Don had indeed asked her to the movie marathon and that she'd said yes. Don nodded, then put a hand out toward Britney, looking slightly guilty it seemed to Kate.

  “But you know, we're just going as friends, right?”

  Kaitlyn turned to him and wrinkled her nose.

  “Going as friends? Isn't that going to make the sex after a little awkward? Oh, and don't worry about the lube, I have plenty.” She rolled her eyes a little on the word plenty, so he'd see she was still playing, even though she did plan on having sex with him. Probably not anal though, since she doubted he'd be into that on the first date.

  They continued to chat in the same vein until it was time to go to the gym and practice. They decided to change things up, using a mixed martial arts format instead of non-contact, and allowed real blows to be thrown. Kaitlyn dominated here as well, though Britney did pretty well against her, in particular, compared to the others, since Don wouldn't actually hit any of them and Blaine didn't seem to be holding a grudge, which Britney did for some reason
.

  The blonde girl straddled her chest, pummeling her with a flurry of blows, none of which were very hard, but several did manage to hit her as she thrust her hips up into the other girl, trying to bridge and throw her off. That didn't work, the girl catching herself on her hands, but Kate managed to pull the other girl close, so that the punches couldn't land with any force.

  After a successful sweep, ending up on top of Britney herself, she did a bit of pummeling of her own, throwing some close elbows, mainly to the chest, so that they wouldn't actually do any damage, past a few bruises.

  Finally they rolled on the blue mat, which felt sticky with sweat and Kate managed to wrap Britney up in a head and arm leg lock. She had to tap out after about twenty seconds, so that she wouldn't go unconscious.

  Afterwards she hugged Kate hard and whispered softly in her ear. “Sorry, I... Just... I think I love him.”

  Kate nodded, because that had been clear to her for a while. Since the first day really. Normal relationships were almost impossible for Alede. Their need to find sexual energy was so high that they simply couldn't expect to hold a single normal person to them. Not if that person ever knew about what they had to do each day. One person couldn't provide them with enough energy to keep going and very few people were really willing to stand by while their wife, husband or sweetie had sex with more people in a week than most people did in a life time. Even the ones that thought they'd be all right with it eventually failed at some point. Most often to their detriment, taking horrible ego damage from the whole situation.