Alkalians (25 page)

***

The following days go by casually for
Matt and his friends. They get through their classes and homework,
Rose continues her exercises and training with Professor Serpanz,
Sean spends the most of his time at the casino, and Matt passes
time studying and chatting with Lyn, Amelia, and the other women.
He has yet to have another private lesson with Amelia. Matt also
notices that the students around him in class or throughout campus
are becoming more tolerant of his presence. Even though they won’t
talk or stay near him for too long, they no longer cast scared and
hateful looks at him.

To avoid any more confrontations with
Cain or others, Matt also stays away from the pit arena at the
casino. In fact, to Sean’s curiosity, they get no trouble from
Cain, his thugs, or any of the other boss students anywhere else.
Due to the lack of threats from anybody, the three freshmen begin
to lower their guard.

***

About one week after Matt and Sean’s
victories at the casino, Sean finds himself in the college library,
working on a project for biology class. The library consists of a
large room with the walls covered by shelves of books, aisles made
by tall, full bookshelves, and several tables of different size
spread about the floor. Sean is at a small table alone with an open
book at his right and his work on the left. He wears a yellow,
long-sleeved shirt instead of his usual brown vest.

Sean is having a difficult
time with his project. After thumping his head on the table a few
times, he growls to himself, “Man, I
hate
biology! I don’t care about
getting complex with these plants and animals, I just don’t care
for it! Arggh! Okay, Sean, concentrate. Just jot stuff down, and
then you can get help from Rose later.”

He looks back to his work,
writing down information from the book. “Megatron Dragon,
also-known-as
Metallic Supremus
Dracos
. Family is Saurian Dracos. Genus is
Metallic Dracos. Carnivore, top of the food chain in its ecosystem.
Unique features include three heads, two of them mechanized, lack
of wings, tyrannosaur-like body structure, and the ability to
transmit an aura of psychic powers…”

A voice says from behind him, “Hello,
Sean. How’s the studying treating you?”

Perking up at the familiar, sweet
voice, he turns around in his chair to find Cynthia standing by
him. Surprised to see her again, and in the library of all places,
he replies, “Oh, uh, hi there, Cynthia. What are you doing
here?”

“
Oh, I just wanted to
talk. Do you mind if I sit?” Before Sean can reply, she enters the
chair next to him, letting one of her bare legs peek out from the
long skirt. Sean can’t help but notice it has a dark tan, like the
rest of her visible skin. As he fantasizes about whether her entire
body is tanned the alluring shade of red, the sharp, delightful
scent of spices fills his nostrils. Stroking some hair away from
her face with the back of her hand, Cynthia asks, “So, is it
true?”

Distracted by more fantasies of
deciphering where exactly her skin smells so good, Sean responds,
“What?”

Cynthia looks at him with
an amused grin and explains, “You know, about you and Tony. The
story going around tells you clobbered him in brains
and
brawn.”

Finding something to focus on besides
her, Sean replies, “Oh, that! Yeah, it was pretty cool. Who thought
I could do it, especially with my reputation? Heh, it was only a
week ago, but it now seems like a funny memory from far
away.”

“
Indeed. Now, that’s what
has me so curious.” She leans toward him, and the perfume’s
strength increases. “You couldn’t fight at all last year, and you
only just got the basics down this first week back. How did you do
it?”

After a nervous gulp, trying to keep
more fantasies out of his head, Sean sputters, “Uh, I had some
help, here and there, and, um…”

“
Do you want to talk
somewhere else?”

Sean almost falls out of
his seat. Did Cynthia Volvaron just ask
him
out? He suddenly wonders if she
is sane at the moment. “Uh, I hate to ask, Cynthia, but are you
feeling like yourself right now?”

“
Oh, I’m perfectly fine.
But the real question is…” She lays her hand upon his notebook.
“Are you?”

“…
Gah.” Sean is baffled.
What was Cynthia up to? Should he go for it, anyway? “What exactly
did you want to do?”

“
Oh, just talk to you
about things. Alone. Without interruption.” There is a hinting
glimmer in her rosy eyes. “How about your place? I’ve forgotten
what the freshmen cabins are like.”

Sean can’t resist anymore.
Acting on impulse, he answers while slamming shut his textbook,
“Sure, why not!? It would be
wonderful
to have you over! Forget
about my silly homework here, I couldn’t keep
you
waiting!”

***

Some time later, Sean opens the door
to his cabin, and he and Cynthia enter. While Sean closes the door
behind him, Cynthia looks about the entrance room intently. She
says, “Wow, the space in here is so small. My senior cabin probably
has three times the capacity and comfort.”

“
Oh, well, me and my
roommates still love it.” Sean bobs with his legs as Cynthia turns
back to him. “So, now what?”

Cynthia looks sweetly at
him, saying, “Why Sean, surely you know how a private date goes.
What do
you
think
we should do?”

Sean forces a smile, his face flushed
red and his shoulders twitching. Clearing his throat, he says,
“Hey, I really have to use the restroom. While I do that, why don’t
you explore the rest of the cabin? I’ll only be a minute!” He
rushes to the bathroom, vanishing behind the door.

With Sean out of the way, Cynthia has
found her chance. Wasting no time, she searches the bedrooms. First
she checks the room by the kitchen. She finds it repulsive with
clothes and papers scattered all around and the bed unmade. Must be
Sean’s.

She then heads upstairs and checks the
room on the right. It is the opposite of the room by the kitchen,
plus it has a dresser full of women’s clothing. But it doesn’t have
what she was looking for.

Finally, upon entering the last room,
she finds it, a prescription bottle upon the desk by the bed.
Grabbing and peering at it, her growing excitement is cut short
when she reads, “Anti-Insomnia Capsules. Prescription drug for
Matthew Calamos. Please take once per night, one pill only. Side
effects are limited.”

Sighing, Cynthia figures her search is
somewhat fruitful, and then wonders what to do with Sean. How could
she conveniently get away from him? Her attention returns to the
pills. She obtains one from the capsule, eats it, and places the
bottle back where it was. She exits the room and heads back
downstairs, intending for the drug to knock her out before she
actually did anything with Sean.

Cynthia leans against the kitchen
counter, making herself appear pretty, before Sean comes out from
the bathroom. He isn’t a nervous wreck anymore as he acts like a
charming gentleman, just as he did in their contest of words and
will at the casino before, and asks her, “So, what do you think of
my humble estate, milady?”

Cynthia tries wooing him by bringing
her left leg across the other, showing a little of her hip, and
answers, “It’s alright. Now then, what would you like to talk
about?”

Impervious to Cynthia’s lures, Sean
says, “Oh, a few things of importance, I suppose. But first, how
about I get us some drinks?” He heads past her into the kitchen and
retrieves two bottles from the fridge. “How about some of my
favorite, vodka? It gets people to unwind, if you know what I
mean.”

Cynthia, at first unsure what would
happen if she took alcohol with the pill, yet decides she can’t
appear to have odd behavior as she says with a smirk, “Sure, that
would be fine, Sean.”

“
Ah, excellent!” Sean
opens the bottles before handing one of them to her, and they both
sit down on the couch. They each take hearty sips before Sean asks,
“Now, what’s with the change of heart? Last I remember, when I
tried asking you out last year, you called me a pauper and stomped
over me. After that, I thought you would never bat an eye toward me
again. Am I wrong?”

Cynthia sighs before replying, “Well,
I guess I must be changing. The men around my grade, they feel old
and wearing to me. I’ve realized that trying out some fresh blood
might not be so bad.” Her flashing eyes stare at him. “And why not
start with the freshman prodigy?”

Sean blinks at her. “Freshman prodigy?
Heh, I think you may have the wrong guy. Don’t you mean my bud,
Matt? He’s the real hotshot around here.”

Cynthia puts on an amused face and
says, “Oh, I wasn’t sure about him, especially with Cain brooding
against him. I felt like staying out of the crossfire, if you know
what I mean. But you…” She lowers her voice to an enticing whisper.
“You should be fine, as long as Tony doesn’t go out of his way for
revenge. And besides, I must admit, you impressed me with our
little game of luck and charm at the casino the other night. And
so, I would like to, oh, continue our little game.” As she says her
intentions, she traces her hand over Sean’s leg, a teasing,
tempting gesture.

Sean, glancing at her hand on his leg
with intrigue, then looks her in the eye and says, “Is that so?
Well then, let’s go right ahead and resume it, shall we?” He takes
another sip from his bottle, smacking his lips. “So, if we are
playing this game of wit, I suppose I have already asked you a
question. Now, you may ask me a question.”

Cynthia wonders what to ask as she
takes another sip of vodka, hoping it would not cause any bad
reactions with the pill she has ingested, before she comes up with
a good question. “So Rose Alamence is in this cabin too, yes? What
is she like?”

“
Ah, yes, Rose! Wouldn’t
you already know much about her, with you two being in the same
music class?”

“
Oh, I guess I would know
a little about her. Like how she is very studious, and plays the
flute well. But, what is she like if she’s not being a student?
What is she like at leisure?”

Sean thinks for a moment, tapping his
bottle against his chin, and replies, “Well, I can tell you she’s
nice. Er, as long as you don’t get her mad. And she’s as athletic
as she is smart, as well as very skilled in her battle
morph.”

“
Indeed. Have you tried
going out with her, yet?”

A bit startled from the
direct question, Sean keeps his stature and says, “Oh, we all know
how hormones can make one think about it, but I have not asked Rose
out! More correctly, I haven’t
dared
to ask her out. I mean, I’ve
only been with her a week, and whenever we’re together, half the
time we’re always butting heads over something.”

Cynthia nods, wondering to herself
when the pill is going to kick in, and reminds him, “Your
turn.”

Sean gulps down more of his vodka,
looks back at her, and then asks with a smirk, “Is it time we went
to the next level of this game, my dear?”

Cynthia mimics his smile, knowing
something he doesn’t, and tells him, “Almost.” Then, she leans
closer to him, their faces inches apart, and for a brief moment
they stay there, as she hopes the pill will make her pass out,
until Sean closes the gap between them, and their lips meet in a
kiss.

In that moment as their kiss lingers,
Cynthia is surprised by not only how the drug isn’t working, but
also of the sudden attraction she has to Sean. Things she had said
earlier, things she really hadn’t meant, then come back to mind.
Perhaps she has grown weary of men her age, and would like to try
with someone younger and fresher to the game.

And why not Sean, she thought. Sure,
he had some odd, embarrassing quirks in his behavior, but he could
be as charming and, as she was learning in their kiss, experienced
as other men she knew of. Sean could be the dark horse of potential
suitors at the college, and she finds herself willing to go for a
ride with him.

Soon, their kiss finally ends, and
they look into each other’s eyes, Sean’s light brown sparkling with
daring and Cynthia’s hot pink burning with desire. Sean smirks
before saying, “Hmm, raspberry, still. I’d dare say, this could
become a favorite flavor of mine.”

“
Yes. Would you like to
taste more of me?” Cynthia whispers suggestively to him, her
panting breath hot against his neck and sweat streaking
her.

Glancing between Cynthia’s skin and
mouth, Sean chuckles, “Heheh, I would like that.” Cynthia suddenly
embraces him, holding him as if she would squeeze the life out of
him while passionately kissing him. A few seconds later, he returns
the kisses just as passionately, his arms wrapped around her to let
his hands caress her back.

A moment goes by before they pause in
their passion, and Cynthia stands up from the couch, grabs Sean’s
arm, and roughly tugs him off the couch, dragging him across the
room and into his bedroom. After the door closes behind them, the
sounds of gasps and moans of pleasure soon come from within the
bedroom.