"Professors never seem to remember this." Evan glanced at the time. They were actually running a bit early for a change. "You still have a few minutes to study now."
Oliver gave him a look.
"That is, if you want."
"I'm not studying eight in the morning! What am I, a robot?"
Joby suddenly breezed into the kitchen, still in his pajamas. "G'morning!" Yawning, he dug through the kitchen cabinet, only to startle the napping cat inside. "Whoops! Noodles! I guess ya didn't wanna sleep with Samantha, huh?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow, making Evan do a double take. Only then did he notice Joby's hair. Instead of being gelled up into spikes, it was down in natural waves and flops.
For a minute, Evan and Oliver both stayed perfectly silent.
Joby watched Noodles hop down from the kitchen cabinet, then he glanced back at the others. "What?"
First a chortle, then both Evan and Oliver burst out laughing.
"What?" Joby's face turned red as his hands shot up protectively to his hair. "What is it?"
"Your... Your hair!" Oliver couldn't stand straight from laughing. "Man, I hardly recognized you for a minute!"
"What's so funny about it?" Yet Joby was trying his best to shield it. "Just felt like wearing it different today..."
"I could understand when you were sick, but now..." Evan fell over on the table.
"So curly!" Oliver clung to the fridge handle for support.
"It ain't curly!"
Noodles snapped her head up as Samantha came in.
"Hi, guys. And hi, Oods." Bending down, Samantha gave the cat a quick chin rub. "I was wondering where you went, you little ginger snap."
The LaPerm gave a happy click in response.
Evan tried his best not to retch at this.
Oliver scrunched his face. "What? Oh, yeah! Samantha! Check out the law-breaking street artist's new hairstyle! He looks almost preppy now!"
"Preppy?" Joby repeated. "Yuck!"
Samantha glanced at him. "Aw, so you did wear it without gel again!"
"Aw?" Oliver exchanged confused looks with Evan.
"Don't you mean ew?" Evan asked her.
Ignoring them, Samantha went over to Joby. "I think it suits you." She reached out and touched a strand of his hair for a second. At his surprised look, she laughed a little and blushed. "It's a lot softer now. Don't you think?"
"Ehhh..." Oliver looked at Evan.
"Ehhh..." Evan looked at Oliver.
She seemed to just remember them. "Aren't you supposed to be in class? It's 8:30."
"No," Evan said. "The clock says..." He glanced back at it. It still said 8:00 exactly. "Oh shit."
"Oh shit is right!" Oliver jumped up. "We're late!"
As the two rushed out the door, Joby called after them, "Look who looks stupid now! Oho ho ho!"
By the time Evan and Oliver were walking into the classroom, it was 8:40 according to the wall clock. At the front of the room, Dr. Ilesha continued to go over the information in her PowerPoint, not once even looking up. Evan knew from experience that she rarely ever did. All class, she would ramble on and as soon as class was about over, she'd ask if there were any questions. Of course, no one wanted to stay and risk being late for their next class, so often she never had the chance to reiterate the class material. Oliver sometimes went to see her during office hours, but Evan couldn't be bothered. As long as he was passing.
"According to the study, most people would obey the authority figure and issue the high voltage shock to the participant, regardless of the danger involved. And so..."
Evan fought back a yawn. It was too early for this.
"The study was repeated, but this time..."
Oliver nudged Evan. "Know why Joby did his hair like that?"
Shaking his head, Evan shrugged.
"Most people will obey an authority figure at all costs..."
Oliver rolled his eyes at the lecture before grinning again. "Samantha?"
Evan made a face at him.
Making a circle with one hand, Oliver moved a finger towards it.
Evan smacked his arm.
As a nearby classmate gasped, people snapped their heads in the two boys' direction, expecting a fight.
Evan mouthed to them, "A fly on his arm."
The classmates lost interest and went back to taking notes.
Pouting, Oliver waited a moment before elbowing Evan again.
"What?"
"You know those two like each other, right?"
Groaning, Evan shook his head and pretended to pay attention to Dr. Ilesha. He didn't want to hear about this. Besides, there was no way that Samantha and Joby were compatible. They were an odd pair of friends, and that was it. What would Samantha see in an unemployed street artist, and what the heck would Joby see in an overachieving biology major? It was absurd.
Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door. Dr. Ilesha went to check it, then disappeared outside.
"Yeah, less notes to take!" Oliver flipped his pencil into the air.
"Maybe she's got a meeting and she'll cancel class early," Evan said.
"Hopefully. Maybe she'll push back the exam until Monday?"
"I hope so. I really don't feel like studying this week..."
"I hear you, man. Me neither."
After several minutes had passed, Dr. Ilesha came back into the room. She suddenly looked a lot more awake. "May I have your attention? ...We've been asked to assist another university with a study of theirs. Everyone, please line up in the hallway and await their instructions."
Oliver glanced at Evan. "Well...this is different."
Out in the halls, long lines of students were waiting. As his class continued to creep up more and more, Evan was shocked once he caught a glimpse of their "researchers" ― it was a group of steel-gray Tranludes. His classmates kept whispering about this, as they'd never seen an actual Tranlude before. If they even realized that was who the strangers were.
After Evan pointed this out to Oliver, his friend had to do a double take. "Those...are Tranludes?"
"Yeah. I saw them with my own eyes when I was with Professor Lemmings."
Oliver scrunched an eye. "And they're all gray like that? With the long legs?"
"Yeah. What are they doing here?"
"Dunno. But they seem to have permission." Oliver stared at them hard. "I don't like the looks of them. Look too much like aliens or something."
"Shh."
Once they had moved up some more, Evan and Oliver could peek ahead. The Tranludes seemed to be having students interact with something small. Multiple objects? Evan couldn't quite catch a glimpse, but the Tranludes seemed to be bringing an object or so to each student.
"Next!"
As the line inched up some more, now he could see it.
Five stones.
Wide-eyed, he spun to Oliver. "Moons―" He caught himself. "What are they..."
"I don't know, man, but I'm starting to think Sam and Joby were onto something," Oliver said.
After three more students finished, it was Oliver's turn. Evan watched as his friend approached the Tranludes.
"Just put your hand on each for a second," one instructed.
First a yellowish stone with a hint of purple was offered. Oliver laid his hand on it. Evan didn't notice anything.
Next was a clear one with streaks of white. Still nothing unusual when Oliver touched it.
What are they looking for? Evan wondered. Am I just missing something?
Now it was a pale orange stone. Oliver touched this one and paused, glancing at the Tranludes.
One nodded and scribbled away in a notebook. "Okay, next."
While walking off, Oliver mumbled in Evan's direction, "Unbelievable."
Okay, I definitely missed something...
Evan took a step forward, then hesitated at the sight of the Tranludes. They all looked fairly young, but their eyes had a narrowness to them. He remembered how they could read minds,
or so he'd heard.
It made him feel even more self-conscious.
"Be quick now." One extended the first stone to him, the yellowish one.
Half-expecting to feel a jolt, Evan laid a hand on it. He was surprised when he felt nothing.
Next the blue stone. Smooth and cold, but not unusual for a stone.
Then the orange one, which Oliver had noticed something about. But Evan didn't notice anything odd. He was becoming even more confused by the minute.
Was it a physical sensation he was looking for or a visual cue? Or something else entirely?
After trying a shimmering white one with no luck, it was time for the last stone. This one was clear with a hint of blue. There was no mistaking it: this was the same stone that Samantha had found from the shooting star.
Sure this familiar gem would do it for him, Evan was astonished when nothing happened when he touched this one either. He could only look up at the Tranludes.
"Hm..." One flipped through the notebook. "Well... We'll need you to come with us for additional tests."
"Uh, but I'm in class now..." Evan inched back.
"Your professor has already agreed to full cooperation. You'll be excused."
Evan glanced at the remaining students waiting behind him.
Every inch of his being was screaming a resounding No!
But instead, he found himself saying, "Okay. But I can't be late to my next class."
As it neared 9:45, Samantha hurried to the science building and her lab class, with Joby tagging along. Goggles in pocket, gloves on hand, Samantha was feeling ready for science today. She had even reviewed today's exercise in her book beforehand, being sure to jot down her predictions for the outcome. It seemed good practice to form her own hypotheses and really think things through before ever even snipping a leaf or mixing some combination of elements.
Joby, however, was trying his best to pop her bubble again.
"Are you suuuure? You never take any days off!" Joby yanked her back by the handle of her book bag. "We could play video games all day!"
"Sorry, but no." Stopping, she turned around to face him, striking a self-important pose. "I'm even wearing my white lab coat today!" She motioned at her white jacket and laughed. "It'll have to do until I get a real one, anyway."
"Heh heh, yeah." Joby looked more disturbed than impressed. "But buddy...even scientists have fun every once in awhile."
"Oh, I have fun!" Clasping her hands, she squirmed in delight. "Labs are the best part of science! Besides field work. That I love. ...Or at least, it sounds fun ― I've never actually tried it yet."
"Uh...huh." Joby eyed her, now looking concerned. "But..."
"We can play games later. Right now, I'm ready to go blow some stuff up! Hee hee!"
"What lab is this?"
"Chemistry. My biology one is Thursday."
Joby stuck his tongue out. "You're this excited over chemistry?"
"Yeah! Chemistry is actually kinda hard... But it's always exciting when you mix something together and it starts to smoke or something. You never know what it's going to do."
"You know that...dumb...table thing?"
"The periodic table? Yeah, sure." She beamed. "What about it?"
Joby let out a long sigh. "Samantha, I think ya need help, baby..."
"What? A psychologist?" She laughed. "Yeah, I'm friends with two of them, but you see all the good that's done."
"Don'tcha feel like messing around with that rock some more?"
She blinked. "The rock? Oh, yeah..." She glanced down at the moonstone piece dangling from her neck. "I'm still not having any luck. It's hard... I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I don't know what element it's for or anything."
"Well, maybe ya wanna take the day off, ya know...to mess with that some more."
"Nice try, mister, but I'm ready for my mixtures and explosions today." She resumed walking.
"Oh, c'mon..." He grabbed her by the book bag again. "You want mixtures and experimenting? I can show you all that stuff..." His hands found her hips.
Gasping, she smacked his hands away. "Quit it before I call campus police. You aren't even supposed to be here."
"Weh, weh, weh. Can I come to class with you then?" He hopped in her face, grinning. "I wanna blow some stuff up too!"
"I'm going to be late..." She swerved around him and kept going.
"Oh, c'mon! You aren't no fun today!"
"Go find a job, Joby. It would do you some good."
Soon she arrived outside her lab class. Pausing outside the door, she double checked her bag to make sure she had everything. She did. She went inside the room and found a seat. Many students were already waiting.
In the center of the room, tables were set up for the students to sit at. The chemistry equipment waited against the walls on the counters. The room always had a strange smell to it, but Samantha never minded.
Dr. Rehls was a stickler for time management. He hated when students were tardy, and he hated for people to not be ready to go before class even began. For this reason, Samantha wasted no time in tying her hair up, slipping on her lab coat, and adjusting her goggles and gloves.
Just as she was finishing, she was surprised when she heard Joby's voice: "Samantha!" His head was poking in the doorway. "Oliver wants to talk witcha!"
"Oliver?" She glanced at the time. Class was about to start. With a groan, she got up and went over to him. "The professor's going to be here any minute."
"Yeah, but Oliver really wanted to..." Joby trailed off as Oliver himself suddenly appeared, breathless and wide-eyed.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Y-yeah... It's Evan."
Her coat suddenly felt too tight. "What about him?"
"He's gone. Whew..." Oliver gasped for air. "Can't find 'im..."
Cringing, Samantha poked her head out and scanned the hallway. Dr. Rehls was nowhere in sight...for now.
"Listen, can we talk somewhere else?" she asked.
The three of them headed around a corner, nearly being run over by a handful of students running late.
"What happened?" Samantha removed her goggles. "Are you sure he didn't go to his next class?"
"Pretty sure. But there's more to it. A group of Tranludes showed up." Oliver went on to explain everything.
Once he finished, Samantha said, "So he hasn't come back yet?"
"No. He was gone for the rest of class. He never even came back for his stuff." Oliver held up Evan's book bag. "I can't find him. And you guys just left the apartment?"
"Yep," Joby said.
"But what would they want with him?" Samantha asked. "If anything, since he couldn't use any of the moonstones, I thought they'd be less interested."
"Which one could you use, Oliver?" Joby asked.
"An orange one. It flickered when I touched it."
Samantha stared down at her stone. "Maybe he can use a rarer one, one they don't have yet."
Oliver shrugged. "Possibly. But we have to find him."
"Let's check the apartment first. If he isn't there, then we'll need to ask a professor."
Samantha, Oliver, and Joby left the science building and began the long track to the apartment. Luckily for them, their apartment was right next to Crest University, so it was within walking distance.
However, on the way, Samantha noticed a strange guy. He towered above everyone, even though he had on a book bag and was carrying a notebook, just like a normal student. As they were passing him, Samantha stared. The guy glanced her way for a second.
Red eyes.
He quickly turned away again.
As soon as they were a decent distance away, Samantha stopped Joby and Oliver. "That tall guy back there..." She nodded her head in his direction. "He's a Tranlude."
"Ya sure?" Joby looked over his shoulder. "Sure is awfully tall, huh?"
"I think he tried shape-shifting, but he missed some things. Like his red eyes." She watched the Tranlude scribble in his notebook. "Maybe we shou
ld follow him."
"You think he'll go where the others took Evan?" Oliver guessed.
"Maybe. Maybe not." She shrugged. "But it's our best bet right now. Just try to be discreet about it. Don't let him know we're following."
Once the Tranlude headed for the sidewalks, the three friends fell in line behind him, being sure to follow at a distance. The college sidewalks were always busy anyway, so following someone wasn't anything unusual. There were even some students behind them, yapping away about some party for the weekend.
The Tranlude left the campus grounds and continued through town. Fewer students were coming this far out. Samantha and the boys had to hang even farther back, all the while trying to seem interested in the passing shops.
Finally, as they neared the outer skirts of town, the Tranlude took a turn into an old warehouse. Oddly enough, the parking lot was empty. The building itself was old and worn looking, as if abandoned.
"Weird place for him to go," Samantha said.
"Well, do we follow?" Oliver nervously eyed the tall building. "I don't like the looks of this place."
"There had to be a reason for him to come here. There are never Tranludes on campus. Why only today? He must have something to do with everything."
"Eh..."
"Oh, c'mon," Joby said. "They might have Evan in there!"
Oliver squared his shoulders. "You're right. For our man Evan!" He put a fist up.
"Foo!" Joby did the same.
Samantha bashed their fists together. "Brofist later! Let's just go!"
As they were heading for the door, Joby continued to chuckle to himself, saying, "Bromance..."
Chapter 14
Evan walked from one end of the room to another. He was still at a lost.
Ever since being dragged off by the Tranludes, things were confusing to him. He was shocked he could be abducted right from his college campus, in front of many students, all because the Tranludes had taken the form of police officers.
They had claimed Evan was a criminal.
Nobody seemed to believe Evan when he argued otherwise, insisting the cops were shifted Tranludes.
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