Monster Exchange Program

by Mark Albany

  I tucked my phone back in my pocket and stepped out of the empty supply closet I’d hidden in. Clutching my weapons pack and backpack, I looked around to make sure that there wasn’t anything or anyone watching me as I moved away, straightening my shirt and rolling my shoulders.

  “Hey!”

  I jumped, then turned to see Kelly jogging over to me.

  “Hey,” I finally replied, tapping nervously on my tusks. I knew that she wasn’t close enough to have heard my conversation with Ryko, but I was starting to grow more and more paranoid. Hard to tell what I was looking for, these days.

  “Where did you run off to?” Kelly asked, stepping next to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

  “I had classes to get to,” I said, looking around.

  “They canceled classes for the day,” Kelly pointed out. “Another girl’s gone missing, and they want everyone to stay inside and out of the way until it’s been fully investigated.”

  “Campus security isn’t going to get anything done out here,” I said, taking a moment before letting my hands come around her to pull her closer to me. This felt good, I realized. Right.

  “Do you think you can do any better?” she asked, looking up into my eyes.

  “You’re setting the bar a little low, but yes, I do,” I said with a small grin.

  “Well then, shouldn’t you protect your girls instead of investigating?” She pulled back, then took my hand and tugged me over to walk with her. There was a feeling of fear across the entire campus, and as two people who knew what was happening, it was best if we stayed together.

  “Fair enough,” I finally grumbled, keeping my head on a near-constant swivel. I had no idea how a demon would attack in broad daylight without some serious alarms going off, but it apparently had. We needed to find out how.

  I needed to find out how.

  My eyes suddenly narrowed as I turned my face toward Kelly. “I wasn’t aware that you two were ‘my girls.’”

  She shrugged and winked at me. “Well, you’re aware now, buster.”

  “Okay,” I grunted. I mulled over that statement and decided that now wasn’t the time to think about it. There was work to be done, and I could do it with her beside me. Hell, I might as well try and get her help, right? “Right. Anyway, I’ve been trying to figure out how to rush a frat, and all I’ve gotten so far is invites to parties at the houses in question. They want me to come, but I guess it’s not just a party if they’re looking over potential candidates.”

  “Right,” Kelly said, threading her fingers through mine as we walked. “Rushing a frat is an interesting process. The people running recruitment want to make sure you’ll be a good fit with their group, socially more than anything else. What’s the best way to determine how someone fits in socially? With a party, of course! Some of the more exclusive places have classier parties, but the ones that are running recruitment out in the open are the ones that will be throwing keggers and the like. Not classy, but still fun if that’s your kind of thing.”

  “Do all humans just know about this kind of stuff, or did you research it?” I asked, tilting my head as I squeezed her hand in mine.

  She smirked back at me. “A bit of both. My parents are very dedicated alumni, so they made sure that I knew everything there was to know about the college culture out here. It wasn’t that difficult, you know, once it was ingrained in me. Also, I looked into joining a sorority in my freshman year but ended up getting too involved in classes to do anything else. I’ve been considering rushing one of the sororities this year, though.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a handful of pamphlets.

  “Are you sure you should do that?” I asked. “The attacks seem pretty focused on sorority girls. Are you going to try and avoid those where girls went missing?”

  “Well, the missing girls have come from four different sororities, so I don’t think that anyone is being targeted,” Kelly replied, although a hint of a shadow crossed her face at the prospect. “Still, I’m not going to let some shadowy kidnapper keep me from making the most of my college experience.

  What if the kidnapper was a monster or monsters? I thought.

  Considering that her knowledge of what happened came from Jen’s version of events, it didn’t surprise me that she didn’t know there was a demon on campus. In my experience, one of the biggest things that separates humans and trolls is human capacity to believe in almost everything aside from the stuff that’s sometimes staring you in the face.

  “So, what’s up, big guy? Kelly asked. “You down with going to rush with me, or what?

  I smiled. “What’s in it for me?”

  “You get to keep an eye on me, keep me safe, and it’s a lot more fun when you’re with someone you know. And there’s a lot of overlap between the sorority and fraternity rushes, so that’s actually one of the better ways to do it.”

  It did sound like a good idea. I didn’t want anything trying to take Kelly away, and having her Sherpa me around campus through rush sounded like fun—and a helluva good way to further my investigation.

  “I’d like nothing better,” I finally said with a small smile, and reached down to stroke her cheek. She leaned into the touch and then turned, lightly biting my fingers.

  The parties, or keggers as I’d learned to call them, started a little after dusk. Considering that the campus was pretty much deserted until they started, it was easy to run through some basic investigations in the meantime. Keeping Kelly out of the loop was difficult since she insisted on following me around, but that only made it more interesting. She knew that I’d saved Jen from the attack, and she figured that I would be curious enough to follow up on it, especially if it was to protect ‘my girls.’ The more complicated bit was having to use the tech I had on hand for precisely this reason without her suspecting.

  I’d found that the easiest way to get somebody to ignore what you’re doing is to involve them in it. So, I told Kelly that we should talk with people and see if anyone knew anything about either the most recent disappearance or any of the other ones. While Kelly did this, hustling off to chat with a girl or a guy, I opened my backpack to inspect the goodies hidden inside: my service weapon, various electronic gizmos including tracking devices, and sound and signals detection discs, tiny metal spheres that could be slapped on almost anything.

  I removed several sound detection devices and covertly secured them at strategic locations. What I liked about the Bureau’s tech was that these gadgets were particularly well-suited to detect certain frequencies, including the high-pitched chatter that was usually exchanged between demons. The bastards had a way of clucking their tongues that sounded like knives being rubbed together. It wasn’t something humans could detect, but I usually could, and the sound trackers always could.

  Kelly and I collected some useful information. With the devices in place and synched to a small handheld PDA I kept in my pocket, it felt like a productive day. With the work done and the sun setting, I realized it was time to put my party face on.

  Kelly told me that it was good to start with some of the places that I wasn’t interested in joining. I was still avoiding the Pi Kappa Phi house since I didn’t want to deal with the likes of Cal anymore, although now that I thought about it, that did seem like the kind of place where the kidnapping types would hang out.

  That was a snap judgment from having met only one of the members, though, and ‘met’ was a strong word. ‘Almost clashed with’ fit better.

  We began our journey, moving past several of the first fraternity houses that I wasn’t interested in and partying alongside girls from various sororities that Kelly wasn’t interested in joining. Kelly said that the idea was to come in, have a beer, shoot the shit with some of the locals, and then head out, saying that we were going through the frat row and visiting all the parties. A lot of people did that, and very few stayed at the first party they arrived at.

  Much of it was a blur as we moseyed up to the front stairs of the various frat houses.
We got some strange looks from the brothers, who nevertheless allowed us inside. I was a head-length taller than everyone else and nearly two times wider, which meant that they gave me a wide berth and nobody fucked with us. The basements were where the action was, and we were handed cups and given booze as we stood back or swayed to the beat of the music as strobe lights created strange shadows that danced on the walls.

  There were more houses and more booze, shots from blocks of ice, and black lights. Some of the frats were filled with stoners, others with jocks, some were whiter than winter frost, and others were more diverse. Some of the brothers were restrained, and others were wild men, strapping on helmets to play “wall ball” where they received a football and proceeded to run through the drywall in the basement. Only a human would be dumb enough to do something like that.

  It was a lot of fun, although about three house visits in, I got the feeling that, despite being friends with Jen, Kelly wasn’t much of a party girl. She looked like she was having fun, of course, but she didn’t look like she was going to last very long. Five or six small red beer cups in, and she was already leaning on my arm for balance as we headed off to the next party.

  I recognized this next sorority house, especially in the dark. I’d been here the night before to drop Jennifer off after her attack.

  “This is where Jen is,” Kelly explained. There was no slur in her voice yet, which made me wonder if she was pretending to need my help staying upright to keep her hands on my arm while we walked. If so, it was an odd deception, although I didn’t mind having her hands on me.

  We stepped inside. Sure enough, there was Jennifer, who squealed when she saw Kelly. The smaller, curvier of the pair squealed back, and both ran to each other and hugged enthusiastically. My sensitive ears needed earplugs, I mused, rubbing my forehead. Humans loved loud music, but for someone with hearing as sensitive as mine, it was borderline torture.

  I could handle it, though, I thought as both girls turned their attention back to me. Jennifer came closer. Unlike Kelly, who was dressed for comfort in jeans, a shirt with the USC logo on it and a light cardigan, Jennifer was dressed to party in an incredibly short skirt and a form-fitting shirt with a plunging collar line, wearing a pair of tall high heels and with her long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.

  Even with the heels, she needed me to bend down a little for her to kiss my cheek.

  “Nice to see you again, Nate,” she whispered in my ear as her hand came down and squeezed my ass. I tried not to overreact to that as I grinned and kissed her cheek in return.

  “Come on, you two, the party’s just getting started,” Jennifer said, grabbing my and Kelly’s hands and dragging us into the main room where the loud thumping music was playing. “Some guys from Tau Kappa Epsilon just came over and they brought gifts!”

  Tau… oh, right, TKE. I even caught sight of the ‘Peace’ guy, who saw me as well and raised his hand in a slow wave. He was clearly under the influence of something, and I recognized the smell. It wasn’t popular with trolls for some reason, but I’d been around humans for long enough to know the smell of marijuana.

  “Hey, man!” one of the other members called as he walked over to me and slapped me on the shoulder. “Nice to see you around here. You should swing by the TKE house. If you think the party around here is wild, just wait until you see the Source.”

  “The what, now?” I asked, letting the man drag me away from where Jennifer and Kelly were catching up with a couple of their mutual friends. I assumed Jennifer was helping Kelly get a bid for this house.

  “The Source,” the TKE enthusiast said with a chuckle. “It’s what we call our house, man. Do you… is it offensive for me to call you, man?”

  “Not to me, but then half-trolls are known for their thick skin,” I replied as we reached a ping-pong table where all the drinks were being served.

  “Far out, dude,” the TKE guy said, pushing a couple of shots over to me. “Can you hold your liquor, though? I mean, we brought some primo ganja if you’re in the mood for something smoother.”

  “Never tried pot,” I replied. “I don’t really get the point of inhaling smoke into your lungs. But I’ve been drinking the hard stuff since I was twelve since that’s the way trolls roll, so yeah…” I paused, took the first shot glass, and downed it smoothly. Vodka was an interesting substance. It was smooth and didn’t taste like much. I took the second glass and quickly chased the first. “You could say that I can handle my booze.”

  “All right!” TKE man chuckled and poured a couple more shots, claiming one for himself. “Party on, half-troll dude!”

  The man was clearly already under the influence of his own supply. Pot was legal in the state and had been for a while, so I didn’t have an issue with him using it even if I didn’t think I’d like it. And he shared another couple of shots before he headed off, looking like he was feeling a little sick.

  “Hey, Nate, come join us!”

  I turned to see Jennifer and Kelly seated on a long couch, sharing it with a third girl who looked over at me with an excited smile on her lips. She looked enough like Jennifer with her hair done up in a similar ponytail that they could have been sisters, although she wore a summer dress instead.

  I moved over to them. Kelly guided me to the center of the couch, to sit between her and the new girl. Kelly looked like she felt a little better as she laid down on my lap and gazed up at me. Her legs were on Jennifer’s lap.

  “Nate, this is Pearl,” Kelly said, pointing to their friend, who reached over to hug me instead of shaking my offered hand. “Pearl, this is Nate, the guy we’ve been talking about.”

  I returned the hug awkwardly. She kissed my cheek before pulling away.

  “You’re friendly,” I pointed out, and she laughed.

  “I’m excited to meet you,” Pearl replied and reached over to play with Kelly’s hair. “Kelly and Jen have told me so much about you that I feel like I know you already. We were helping to get Kelly a bid for our little Alpha Phi home before the party started in earnest.”

  “Sounds like a fun night,” I said with a small smile, not wanting to appear rude.

  “It is!” Pearl said in a high-pitched voice and reached over to a nearby couch, pulling over a bong that was there. I could smell what was inside from a mile away. It wafted through the entire common room. She took a couple of hits from it and offered it to Kelly, who did the same. I was next and eyed the device skeptically.

  “Have you ever tried it?” Jennifer asked, leaning on my shoulder and pulling my arm around her waist. “It’s something new. They call it angel tears.”

  “Can’t say that I have,” I said. I didn’t want to try it, but this whole night, and in fact, this whole college experience was about trying new things, right? I took the bong from Kelly’s hands and breathed in the smoke coming from the bowl. I held it in my lungs for a few long seconds and then exhaled upwards.

  “What do you think?” Jennifer asked, and I realized that her hands were drifting down to my side, coming down to the spot on my lap that wasn’t covered by Kelly. I didn’t protest, but there was no reaction from my end either.

  “It’s interesting,” I said, noting the effects that one puff had on my body. It was pretty negligible and demanded that I have more for a much more expansive experience, but I wasn’t interested. “But it’s not for me. You guys keep doing your thing, though. Don’t mind me.”

  “We can’t help but mind you,” Jennifer said with a chuckle. She took the bong from me as her other hand kept rubbing my cock through my trousers.

  “I think if you keep doing that, we might need to find someplace a little more… private,” I growled, shifting uncomfortably.

  “I believe I know just the place,” Jennifer said. She put the bong down and stood, offering her hands to Kelly and me to stand. Kelly accepted first. I followed close behind. “You’re welcome to join us if you want, Pearl.”

  The other cheerleader tilted her head, looking a little skeptical,
but she stood and straightened her dress.

  “I do want,” she said with a teasing grin as she walked by me. “But only to confirm some of the outlandish tales that these ladies shared with me. You’d better not disappoint, Nate.”

  I smiled. “I aim to please.”

  I didn’t know what kind of tales Kelly and Jennifer had shared, and I wasn’t sure I wanted them talking about what was supposed to be kept in private, but I didn’t have any real complaints to offer. Kelly took my hand and guided it down to remain on her ass as we moved through the room again, with a couple of those who weren’t already drunk and high watching us curiously. I would have too if I were in their position.

  Pearl went up the stairs first, grabbing Jen’s hand to pull her in close. I walked up with Kelly in my arms and hands since she was intent on starting the party early by kissing my arm and shoulder and guiding my hands over her body as she did.

  By the time we reached the room, Jen and Pearl were already kissing. Pearl’s right hand slipped underneath Jen’s short shirt as the latter gasped. It was a distracting and arousing sight but not enough to drag my attention from Kelly, who’d already pulled her cardigan away and draped her arms around my shoulder as she pulled me down to kiss her tenderly. My hands moved boldly over her body, as I assumed that the way she wanted me to grope her on the stairs hadn’t changed now that we were in private.

  More or less, I thought, as I realized that Pearl watched us intently, making me wonder which stories were shared. There were only three of note.

  Kelly’s hands dipped to my trousers. She undid them and let them drop to the ground as she stroked my cock through my briefs.

  “Feel like stuffing my mouth full again, Nate?” Kelly whispered, her voice thick with need.

  “I promised that I would dirty where your hands were last night,” I reminded her as my fingers dipped between her thighs and stroked her through her jeans, eliciting a soft, needy moan.