by P. S. Power
A half hour later Chris came out of Britney's room, smiling but looking a little frustrated too, so Kate guessed the show went well and that they'd indeed beaten Karen coming back. She called the boy over and asked if he'd help Jelly move her stuff the same way.
He said he would.
“She's a Mage, right? So no chance she'll put on a show for me? Ah well. She still seams nice enough, so why not? It's not like it's hard labor carrying bags and some furniture ten feet.”
Kate felt a little awkward suddenly, because the talk she wanted to have with the boy wasn't one her own life experience or education ever addressed at all. This seemed a Human kind of thing to her, but Merri had been too embarrassed to bring it up with him herself, and Zack wouldn't have known what to say any better than she did, so it made sense for her to step forward here. At that moment she almost chickened out, so forced herself to start speaking quickly, so she'd have to go on with it.
“Look, Chris... I've kind of been elected to have a talk with you about girls and boys... Don't worry, this isn't the birds and the bees, you either already know that or Humans are way more backwards about sex than I thought. As the new Line-Walker a lot of people are going to start throwing themselves at you and offering to have sex with you...” Looking at the boy she noticed him flush a bit. Not blush, but a secondary sexual reaction, a flush of color that reddened his face a bit.
“That's fine. I don't care if you have sex with everyone you meet for the next ten years, personally. Zack told me that you functionally can't get sick and probably won't age much now, leaving you a little stuck at this age in body. We'll work on that, but we get a little time. I think I can age you up a little in a couple of years though, so don't let that bother you. You can get girls pregnant, so think about that before you do anything. Alede and Vampires can't get pregnant and Trolleinkein aren't fertile with Humans. Some Weres can and do get pregnant that way so watch out. You could sleep with the Bats though and be fine, since they have a hard time having kids.
“What I'm getting at is that you're going to be treated a bit like an Alede, even by the Alede and a lot of people are going to want things from you, transportation, feeding, maybe even money. That they want these things, that doesn't mean that they all like you though, OK? They may, or they may not, each case is different.”
She held her breath, finding out that people might like you only for sex was primary education for her kind, and considered a good thing, but for this Human boy...
He shrugged and grinned at her lopsidedly, “Yeah. I get that. But how do I tell the difference and does it really matter? I mean, if you like me because I can, I don't know, work a computer, does that mean that your affection is that much different than a person that likes me for my good looks, or other talents or even money?”
They talked about this as they walked, going quiet when they got to Jelly's room. The girl sat in the middle of her stuff, looking forlorn.
“Oh!” She said, wiping away a bit of a tear from her right eye. “I thought I'd been forgotten and everyone had left without me...” She took a deep breath which shuddered half way through and looked down at the floor, embarrassed about having thought that.
Chris walked over and asked what she wanted to load across first then, picking up the bags she pointed to turned and walked through the rift to her room. He came back about a half second later.
“There's someone in your room, a man... I don't think he saw me, but he was wearing a mask, so I don't think it's just your secret boyfriend.”
Jelly spun and asked him if he was serious. He peeked his head into the room quickly without totally going through the rift at all. Pulling back he nodded, he looked around and spotted her small digital camera on top of her a soft, green colored, duffel bag. The camera was a girlish shiny pink that really suited Jelly, but looked odd even being held by Chris.
“Can I borrow this?” He asked, getting a nod in return.
He popped through the short-cut again, head only, then stuck the camera through and clicked pictures, pulling it back after three of them.
Each showed a man, wearing a black face mask, a ski-mask that no one even had any more except for people involved in crime, or who worked on television shows about crime, and in each he turned a little more, as if he'd heard something.
Chris looked at the pictures carefully and turned halfway to Jelly, who took the camera from him.
“Anyone you know?”
She shook her head.
“Um. Kate... Can I sleep in your room tonight?” She asked, looking more than a little frightened.
Kate just nodded.
Chapter ten
Kate called Willet to set up a sweep of the room, just in case the person had left anything, and also asked Hilda to come in and see if she could pick up a scent trail. The only problem with all this being that Gretchen, Jelly's roommate had returned and began loading things into the room. No one knew what to do to get the other girl out long enough to check things out and Willet would be showing up at the mansion to be brought through into the room with his expert.
It was Don that came up with a plan, one which surprised Kate and Blaine when he suggested it.
“Tell her the truth. I don't mean about the short-cut into her room, but that your friend's little brother got some pictures of a guy in your room. It could be anything, but your uncle, who's a security expert, is coming to check everything out, because he dotes on you. You know that it's nothing and the pictures may not even be real, since my little brother has a crush on you and may just be trying to impress you...”
Jelly smiled and went through the rift to Kate's room, Chris bringing both of them and Hilda through then went back to get Willet when he showed up.
Kate stayed in the room, so that they wouldn't overwhelm poor Gretchen. On the good side, Jelly told her that while a bit noisy, the girl had a sense of humor and adventure, always doing art for the drama club, even though she couldn't act her way out of an imaginary paper bag.
“That's what she told me, not my own judgment there. She may be great, I've never seen her do any acting at all.”
Chris came with Willet and another man, a small, dusky fellow that reminded her a little of an actor she'd seen in a movie that Troy made her watch about a year before. In the movie the actor that looked like him had played a vigilante out to avenge the death of his family. She'd been more concerned with trying to get laid at the time than the movie, but she remembered parts of it. The man looked about fifty, salt and pepper hair and grizzled, several days beard growth and a faded shirt that had probably been around over a decade. He didn't look like good date material right off the bat, but he wasn't there for sex and pizza, she reminded herself. She wondered if the guy might be a little shady and then laughed inside, realizing she'd hired Willet because of what he knew, most of which would probably involve illegal things and people.
The man didn't speak at all. He just looked around her room, holding a small electronic device and checking it carefully. When that was done, he pulled a strange device made of wire, string and crystals, it didn't do anything which seemed to make him happy. At least if that grunt he gave meant happiness and not constipation.
Then he searched everything in the room, even turning over the mattress and checking the bed frame. He found the chamber under the bed that currently held two sleeping Vampires. He knocked on it and shrugged, turning to her after a few seconds.
“Panic room?” He asked indicating the chamber with his hand.
She didn't know if he was trustworthy or not, so she didn't know what to say. Willet told him the truth though, that it held two Vampires working the night detail. The man nodded as if that was a good idea and went on checking everything. He carefully returned everything to the exact position he'd found it in before he started searching.
When he finished they waited for Hilda to call, which took almost half an hour. Gretchen hadn't been a problem, actually agreeing readily to the idea, if just to see her room be swept for
bugs like in a spy movie. They all got caught up with some boys that asked them to a party. Hilda didn't want to be mean, so they kept talking for a lot longer than she'd meant them to. Finally she agreed that they would all go and bring their cute friends, which got the guys to go away.
The room search found not one, but three cameras. Each hidden to watch the spot where Gretchen would be sleeping and changing clothes. This got the girl to begin to feel worried. Then they took all this to the RA, since it had been Human electronics and seemed pointed at the other girl, it wasn't strictly their problem. Willet started to write it off, but stopped himself and shook his head, then asked Hilda and Blaine to step aside with him.
They talked for a few minutes and then came back, telling the RA that Blaine, pretty boy that he was, had rich family members that wanted his girlfriend, Jenifer, to feel safe and secure at school, all of which was, in its own convoluted way, true. They offered to sweep the floor. Most of the students didn't get it, and didn't want strange men that looked more than a little sketchy going through their stuff.
Kate didn't blame them. Who'd look at Willet and his friend and think that these men would ensure their safety? Pilfer their underwear? Yes. Do what they promised? Not nearly as easy to sell to strangers.
They found cameras set up in all the bathrooms and the showers. By the time they found the third one, school officials had shown up and watched them pull out two more. The woman from the school looked shocked and called the Dean directly and asked the men to stay for him to get there. Willet got obviously worried, but the other man just nodded and looked like he belonged there.
Kate got Willet aside for about ten seconds and reminded him that this time he actually hadn't broken any laws and suggested he remember he worked for a security company in Washington. She wished they had cards or something, but told him that he was just there to look out for his niece and had come out thinking that Chris was trying to pull something. Boys will be boys, right?
As it turned out the school officials didn't check into anything and asked if the men would check the other facilities. One other floor in that dorm building had cameras in the showers. Willet offered to call in a whole crew to sweep the campus, at company expense, which the Dean gladly accepted. The police were called in and they got to watch cameras being pulled out themselves.
As darkness fell the school was in a bit of an uproar. No one knew if these cameras had anything to do with the murders or if some pervs were just watching them online. Don came to Kate's room, knocking gently on the heavy door just before the Vampires started to stir, so that they could be passed energy as soon as possible. He held Kate for a second while they waited.
Nikki got out first, then Hawk, who apparently had slept in her arms all day. It could have been worse for him, Kate figured, since Nikki wore nothing but a fairly sheer powder blue shift that didn't hide a lot, it wasn't see through though. Then again, Hawk couldn't feel much of anything, and didn't have a sex drive, so sleeping with a hot girl all day would be a purely aesthetic thing for him.
Don moved toward Nikki first, having learned by now who would be first in line, at least roughly. She pulled the sheer top up slowly, drawing it against her skin in a way that seemed seductive and artistic all at the same time. Don placed his hand on her stomach firmly and started breathing deeply as he fed her while Kaitlyn explained the new situation.
“So that's where we stand right now. We need to get everyone in place for guard duty and I'd like someone to stay with Gretchen for a while, at least at night. Jelly's coming here tonight and maybe Gretchen if she needs to, so everyone remember not to do anything too weird. Right now we need to get Hawk fed too, and then changed for work, all right?” She looked at each person in turn and they all agreed with her, even Don, though he couldn't speak and pass along the needed energy at the same time.
Don fed Hawk next, taking a lot less time than normal with it, which caused the boy to spasm a little, but he didn't say anything about it. When that was done the boy turned to her and waited. Kate smiled and asked him to take off his clothes and hop on the bed. When he did he climbed in face down still not saying anything.
Kate got it immediately, the boy simply expected that someone, probably Don, would be having sex with him and having not been told to do something different, he assumed it would require him to be turned away.
“Hey, go ahead and roll over. This isn't about sex, at least not yet. What I need to do is change you into someone that can stay with Gretchen all night without raising suspicions. I checked with Jelly and Gretchen seems to be into guys, and slightly older guys at that, so we need to age you up a little. It won't hurt... are you ready?” She kept her voice light and happy, the boy just rolled over and nodded, his affect a little flat. She'd have to help him work on that if she could. Faking Human mannerisms made such a big difference in how people responded to a Vampire.
Don moved in beside her and worked his hand up her shirt, sitting turned away from the boy so he could reach her easily and began dumping energy into her, she waited until she was full, and just about to start orgasming before initiating the change. She did a male to male shift this time, not knowing if it would work, but dreading the two hours it would take otherwise. It actually worked pretty well, though she was really glad for the extra energy she got from Don.
Her plan was a simple one and involved Gretchen's favorite television program's star, a ruggedly handsome action hero that played, surprisingly enough, a bodyguard. She'd studied several pictures of the man on the internet earlier, and planned out with a few tweaks that she thought might help a bit. A slightly flatter nose shape, better muscular definition and just enough hint of stubble to look manly and like someone you'd trust to protect you. When she was done Hawk had turned from a rather average looking brown haired teen boy, into a television caliber hottie that should get Gretchen's attention instantly, and make her want to have him staying the night without having to argue the point with her.
Standing up, Hawk made his way to the mirror and looked surprised. An actual look of mild shock took over his face for a moment, before he smiled. The new man looked ripped, his skin a little darker than he'd expected, it seemed, and older than he'd thought. About mid thirties. He looked down and noticed his penis. Kate saw the response and tilted her head at him. The move was a bit coy and playful.
She raised a hand to keep him from speaking, “I know! But Jelly swears that that's what Gretchen keeps saying she wants. So, I've turned you into her perfect man... Just in case you have to sleep with her. No need to leave her disappointed.”
As Jelly had explained it, Gretchen, who'd had several boyfriends and more than a few one night stands during the year would go on and on about wanting a guy with a big one, and had graphically described what she wanted, more than once, to her roommate. Complete with hand gestures, and several times pictorial demonstrations. If Hawk, looking like this, couldn't get the girl's attention, then nothing would.
Grabbing her phone from the table next to her, Kate dialed Willet while Nikki and Don found clothes that would fit new Hawk, who was about as tall as Don, and similar in size, if a little leaner looking. Don gave him a slightly envious look and kept digging through what clothes he had in her room, brought in just for this reason. Thinking about it Kate realized she could probably do this with anyone. At least if they were Human enough looking to start with. If Don wanted to look more like Hawk did, she could make it happen. She'd probably need Zack to pass energy to her while doing it, or Chris, but the whole idea seemed pretty doable, now that she thought about it. Really, it was probably a good skill to practice, if she got a chance.
The outfit they had was perfect for the role, too. A blue workman's button front, faded and slightly worn, and tight blue jeans that really showed off Hawk's new behind. They put a pair of black tennis shoes on his feet and managed to be just generic enough looking that it wouldn't seem like they were dressing him up to be the character from the television show on purpose, while still l
eaving him looking a lot like the actor.
They told Willet to let Gretchen know they'd arranged a guard for her, a Mr. Eugene Hawk. He'd be there within a few hours.
“That's to give her time to get used to the idea. She should like him though, once she sees him.”
When they got off the phone, Gretchen having happily agreed to accepting the service. If feeling a little odd about having a strange man in her dorm room all night. Kate decided to set Nikki up in Don and Blaine's room as had already been decided. That way she could guard them if need be and take care of Don if he needed it, which he would, after everything he'd done with Kate that night.
At about eight Libby showed up through the rift, Chris bringing her and three other men that all looked a lot more professional than Willet or his other friend had, even if their suits looked brand new and she had to step forward and take a price tag off of one of them.
He looked at her and laughed, “I'd heard that the Succubi were friendly, but I'd figured on at least a hug first...” The man smiled at her, his brown mustache wiggling as he wrinkled his nose a little.
Kate, having pulled the tag off of his waist band leaned in and hugged him, getting a laugh from everyone else too. Libby gave her a hug and asked who Mr. Hawk was. The man, who'd been sitting on the bed stood and nodded to her.
“I'm Hawk.” His voice had become deeper, more resonant and seemed almost as if it had been designed to touch all the right parts of a woman's soul. Which, of course, it had been. Kate couldn't have told you what the needed harmonics were in a voice to make it sound both sexy and manly, but on some deep level she knew, and had built it into the boy when she changed him.
Libby looked ready to jump the guy and start doing him in the middle of the room, but instead pulled out a black gun holster with a semi-automatic in it. It looked like a nine millimeter to Kate. The Bat woman took it out and asked him if he knew how to use it.
