Alkalians

by Caleb S. Bugai

  “…Aw dude, you’re screwed. Lyn is gonna bite your head off, if she ever catches you outside. But, as long as you stay in here, you should be…” A clawed forepaw, crackling with electric power, stabs through the door, making the three jump back again. “Although, spirits know I’ve been wrong about these things, before!”

  Rose, briefly speechless, looks back to the men, a searing look lingering on Matt. “So, you didn’t stop, with Amelia, this whole time. How many times, Matt?”

  Matt looks back to her, barely meeting her eyes, as Sean glances between them and the door. “Rose, please, it wasn’t…”

  “Matt. How, many, times?”

  “…Six. But, it was just for the sex, it wasn’t because I didn’t…”

  “Stop, Matt. Just stop.” As Sean gapes again, Rose surprises them both when she goes to the door, not in morph. Sean exclaims, “Rose, what are you doing? You, you’re not thinking of…” When Rose opens the door, he nearly faints, falling back onto the couch. “Spirits, why?”

  Stepping out through the threshold, Rose stands between the cabin and Lyn in her Wolf morph, her fangs bared in a snarl and cold fire in her eyes. A crowd of students, mostly freshmen but including those of higher classes, have gathered around the scene. When Lyn growls at her, Rose doesn’t flinch, crossing her arms while glaring back at her. “Go ahead, Lyn, tear through me when I’m not in morph, and you’ll be no better than Cain.”

  Her bold statement seems to reach Lyn, who snarls before demorphing. The fire in her eyes fiercer when they are paler, she remarks, “So, not only does that bastard cheat on me with my own ally, but he sends his roommate bitch out to defend him. Is he going to come out for what’s coming to him, or do I have to deal with you, first?”

  Rose says nothing, again immune to Lyn’s intimidation, before she steps forward and sends gasps through the crowd when she swiftly slaps Lyn hard across the face, almost knocking her over. As Lyn staggers, feeling her bruising cheek, Rose says, “How dare you react to Matt, like this.”

  Still stunned from the slap, Lyn starts, “How dare I? How dare he! He and I were together, and…”

  “No, you were not.” Stepping forward again, causing Lyn to step back, the crowd watches in awe as Rose proclaims, “There was nothing between you, and you were the one too oblivious from your own expectations to see it. You were the one making the moves on him, but you never noticed the way Matt would shrug you off, did you? I did, back at that little dinner you had for us. And if I could see that one time, what does that make you, when you’ve probably done it more times since?”

  Flabbergasted, Lyn tries, “But, but, last night, he and I, we were going to, to do it, but he…”

  “He rejected you, didn’t he?” The look on Lyn’s face proof enough, Rose goes on, circling her like a cruel interrogator. “If that wasn’t a clear enough sign to you then, you really are blind or just plain arrogant, Lyn. Do you know why he rejected you? Because he’s been doing it with Amelia. Am I right?” Lyn meekly nods, and the crowd murmurs with intrigue. “That’s why he rejected you, Lyn. He was having affairs with another, and he wasn’t going to cheat on her, with you. He was the one being honest, and you were the one tempting him to do wrong. You know what that makes you?” As Lyn is close to tears, Rose gets in close, harshly spitting, “You are the faithless one here, not Amelia, not Matt.”

  “I, I, I thought…I just wanted…”

  “Wanted? Wanted?” Rose shakes her head in disgust. “You conceited bitch. You, and Cain, and Irene, and so many other seniors. You all make me sick. You all think you should have whatever you want, just because you’re seniors. You think, just because you’re the highest class on this campus, you can do whatever you want, you can take from everyone else, force them to bend to your every whim. Well, the truth is, Lyn, you can’t. You can’t always have what you want, and just like Cain, you’ve gone and tried to make an innocent man’s life hell because he unintentionally crossed you. Just like Cain, you are a two-faced, selfish, and corrupt boss student.” As Lyn falls to her knees, breaking down into sobbing, Rose turns away, ignoring her and the impressed crowd, and stomps back into the cabin, the door slapping shut behind her.

  Having watched from peeking past the door, Matt and Sean step back from Rose, both amazed at what she did. Sean puts it into words when he says, “Wow. Now that was history being made. Never have I seen a freshman not only speak down a senior, but also make her cry. Wow. How, Rose, did you do that?”

  “Simple, Sean.” Giving a look to Matt, she says, “I spoke the truth.”

  The look, and the word, pumping shame into him, Matt cringes while trying to find a reply. “Rose, I, I don’t, I don’t know what…”

  “I do. You have to make a choice, Matt. You have to choose between Amelia, or me. You can’t have us both.” Without another word, Rose turns and marches up the stairs to her bedroom.

  A moment after her bedroom door closed, Sean steps up behind Matt, glancing between him and upstairs, before asking, “So, how long have you been doing it with Rose?”

  Palming his forehead with a sigh, Matt has to explain, “Sean, I have not had intercourse with Rose. We’ve only been showering together, that’s all.”

  “Oh? Hmm. Well, that’s pretty close to the whole deal, isn’t it?” Only shaking his head, Matt doesn’t reply as he trudges up the stairs to his room. Sean asks after him, “Isn’t it!?” before he hears Matt’s door close. Scratching his head, he looks back to the cabin door and the hole left in it. “I guess I have to be the one to go get someone to fix that.” Sighing, he goes to the door and out of the cabin.

  ***

  Night comes, and Matt is still in his bedroom, brooding over his guilt. He is changed into his nightclothes, but his thoughts are still whirling like a maelstrom over what he has done, why he did them, and his feelings towards Lyn, Amelia, and Rose. He doesn’t understand how the women, excluding Amelia, are so quick to be mad about his sexual encounters with her. He also wonders how sex, which is a relieving and enjoyable exercise, is such a bad thing to consider or mention in the first place. The wonder doesn’t matter, though, as Rose’s ultimatum comes back to him, and he knows she’s right. Letting out a tired breath, he reaches for his prescription to put himself to sleep when a soft knocking on the door pauses him. “Matt? Are you still awake?”

  “Yeah. You can come in.”

  The door opens, and Rose steps into his bedroom, garbed in her green nightgown. She closes the door, crosses the room to Matt’s bed, and sits down beside him. A moment of silence passes with her staring ahead to the floor and Matt looking to the ceiling before she says, “I’m sorry, Matt, for my anger at you earlier.”

  Matt nods, shaking the pills in their bottle before setting them down. “It’s fine, Rose. You had every right to be mad at me. I, uh, thank you, Rose. Thank you for confronting Lyn, for me.”

  Rose nods. “Yeah. I shouldn’t have, but, I knew you were the victim, you had gotten yourself into the mess unintentionally. And besides, I didn’t want Lyn to tear down our cabin, just to get at you.” Matt smiles a little at the afterthought, but he frowns again before she continues, turning to him. “Listen, Matt. Normally, I wouldn’t be speaking to you so soon about this, but tomorrow is the Royale Project final, which we’re partners in. If we’re going to have a chance in winning that fight, we have to be able to work together, with nothing between us. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah. I understand.” He manages to look back to her, hesitant from the sincerity in her bright green eyes. “Rose, the reason I was, uh, with Amelia, was so that I wouldn’t wind up doing it with you. I didn’t want that to come between us, to disrupt what we had going.” He sighs, looking away. “And yet, it still did come between us, just indirectly.”

  Rose wonders at his reasoning before asking him, “So, you were having sex with Amelia, to not have sex with me?”

  “Well, that was the intention, yeah. I mean, we’re just supposed to be friends, you know, and, I didn’t
want my physical desires to tempt me to go beyond that, with you. I fulfilled those desires, then, with Amelia, but the one time became a second time, and then a third, and, yeah. I got carried away with her.”

  “Uh huh. But, Matt, what if I had physical desires for you? What if I made a move on you?”

  Matt considers the circumstance, trying to put himself mentally through it, before he shrugs and says, “Well, I guess we would have done it, if that was what you wanted, too. Right?”

  “No, Matt. That’s not right.” She puts a hand on his shoulder, gripping firmly, and explains, “If we are not fully committed to each other, no matter who makes the move, the other should be the one responsible to remain abstinent. Therefore, if I made the move, you should stop me. And if you made the move, I should stop you.”

  “Ah. Um, Rose? Do you mean should, or would?”

  “Huh?”

  “I mean, hypothetically, if you did make the move, would I stop you? Or if I made the move, would you stop me? Sean mentioned earlier, what we were doing, is awfully close to crossing into intercourse itself. It wouldn’t take much for one of us to cross over, thus dragging us both into it.”

  Rose considers that, rethinking the circumstance for herself, and her grip on Matt’s shoulder tightens. “Well, I guess. I can’t really say, then, if we would stop ourselves. But, out of our circumstance, I have no intention of losing my chastity here, in school, with someone I haven’t known long enough.” She looks back to Matt. “We should stop bathing together.”

  Matt had been afraid to accept that before, but after their discussion he accepts it. “Yeah, I agree. If you yet don’t want it, then we shouldn’t risk it. But, oh well. It was good while it lasted.”

  “Yeah. It was. And besides, we could always share a hot tub at the casino. It wouldn’t be a problem, there.”

  “Heh, really? You mean no one would mind us feeling and holding each other in the pool?”

  “Well, uh, no, I mean…” Rose comes up short, realizing what the problem is. She reminds Matt, “It wouldn’t, if I was the only one you’re holding. That’s it, Matt, that’s the only problem left between us. You have to make a choice, here and now. Do you want Amelia, or do you want me?”

  Matt pauses, not ready to decide it so soon, but he shakes his head and forces himself to. The matter has to be resolved if they are going to be comfortable fighting together the next day. He closes his eyes, and he weighs his options, his values, and his commitments.

  On the one hand, Amelia was gorgeous, she was kind, and she had enlightened him in sexual affairs, thus giving him confidence around women. On the other hand, though, there was Rose. She was the woman he had seen completely nude, first. She was the one he had bathed with, first. And she was the one who had fought him, almost killed him, and recovered from the ordeal with him. He had been through more with Rose, he had felt more emotionally with her, and he owed more to her, especially after her standing up for him against Lyn. His choice is clear. Matt opens his eyes and looks into Rose’s. “You, Rose. I choose you.”

  Rose shows no reaction at first, gazing back into his eyes, before nodding. “Alright. That’s all I needed to know, Matt.” She glances down, hesitates, and then embraces Matt, surprising him before he hugs her back. They hold the other for a moment before she pulls back and they exchange small smiles. She hesitates again, though, and brings up, “Actually, there’s one more thing, Matt.”

  “What?”

  “Well, I just, need proof that you’re choosing me.” Before Matt can ask what kind of proof, she gives him a look, and he understands before she leans in and they kiss. The kiss is long, deep, and binding, but no more than that when they end it and their eyes open. “Thank you, Matt.” After he nods, she stands up, recomposing herself. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. See you in the morning.” Rose nods with a smile before turning away and leaving the room. After she was gone, Matt sighs, then in relief, and proceeds to take his medicine and sleep, his conscience finally clear for a good night’s rest.

  Chapter 18

  Champion’s Fall

  ***

  The next morning arrives, and with it the moment the entire college has been waiting for. School is out for the day, and in the evening the students flock to the far, sunset side of the primary college building. A towering section of stadium stands, aligned with the college, is filled with not only students and staff but also reporters, cameramen, and eager vacationers who have come from all corners of the country. Flags bearing names of the competitors and banners of the five confederate states are posed among numerous fans, waiting for the chance to sway in the wind. The college residents, and most of the nation itself, brace themselves as the Alkalian College Championship Match, the conclusion to the earlier battle royale and preliminary tournament, is about to begin.

  Stretching out before the stands is a long and wide field of open terrain that spans toward the horizon, where clouds occasionally hide the falling sun. Some hundred yards away from the ever-increasing audience are the three pairs of finalists, positioned to start from colored circles representing the three teams and the points of an equilateral triangle. Dante and Cynthia are in the green circle, Sean and Buster stand in the blue, and the red circle is occupied by Matt and Rose. The circles are spaced to be an even twenty yards apart from each other, and there are no objects of scenery anywhere close by to hide behind.

  The rules of engagement have been explained, both privately to the competitors and broadcasted over the far stands. It will be a free-for-all battle between teams, and the last team standing with one or both members are the winners and official Alkalian College Champions. The competitors will fight until forced to demorph, and they could not endanger the audience. Once they’ve demorphed, they are out of the battle and can no longer be attacked, and they can’t remorph for the rest of the match. Otherwise, in terms of tactics, anything goes.

  The excitement of the crowd is radioactive toward most of the six finalists. Sean and Buster are itching to morph and start fighting, Cynthia taps her foot anxiously, and both Matt and Rose are as nervous as first-time riders of a massive roller coaster. Only Dante appears the most contained, his face lowered as he smokes. As they wait, they can hear the introductions and formalities to the match from a loud speaker in the background, which is for the sake of the audience’s amusement and knowledge of the competitors and their backgrounds. For a long moment, no one has spoken.

  Sean is the one to at last speak out, exclaiming, “Well, isn’t this all convenient? The six of us, all buddies, duking it out in a near free-for-all. If there wasn’t a college championship on the line, one would think we were just having a friendly sparring!”

  “Heh, friendly, indeed,” Buster says, slugging Sean’s shoulder. “By the way, I should probably give you fair warning about this fight.”

  “Eh? Fair warning? Of what?”

  “Well, Sean, you may be somewhat aware of how I fight. You know, with my big guns shooting everything up, my target and all around it. What that means is I’m not good in separating my target from my ally if they happen to be near each other.”

  “…So, what are you saying?”

  “What I’m saying is, if you happen to be doing your brawling against Cynthia, Dante, Rose, or Matt, and I happen to aim my guns at them, I’m not waiting for you to get out of the way.”

  Sean gapes at his partner. “You mean, you’re gonna shoot me, too, if I’m near one of our foes!?”

  “Well, I’m not going to purposely aim at you, but yeah, there is that chance. Hence why I’m just warning you to stay sharp and be aware of where my guns are aiming. And besides, since you’re apparently so fast, you should be fine darting out of my gunfire if needed, right?”

  “Oh, yeah, sure, no problem. I’ll be able to air balance just fine, after you blow my head off!”

  While Sean continues berating Buster, Cynthia chuckles on her side of the field at their exchange. “It would be funny, a
nd convenient, if Buster accidentally knocked out his own ally instead of us. Perhaps we could increase the odds of that happening, Dante.” When he doesn’t reply, she turns to him, noticing his gloomy demeanor. “Dante? Are you okay?”

  “I am okay, I suppose. It’s not this battle that worries me, but my sister.” Dante removes his cigarette to puff a cloud of smoke as dark as his gaze. “It seems no one has seen Irene, in school, on the grounds, or at the casino, since she was let out of the infirmary. And I know she hasn’t been taken in by the officials yet, as it was from them I became aware she’s missing when they asked if I had seen or heard anything of her.”

  “Irene’s gone missing?” Cynthia ponders the news with a grimace. “That is a shame. The only logical reason would be that she’s fled the campus, whether it occurred to her she could be held accountable for her part in Cain’s plot, or she found out I mentioned her part in it when I reported Cain to the officials.”

  Dante raises his hawk eyes to Cynthia. “So, it was you. I was unsure if whoever did it would count her in when exposing Cain or not.”

  “Dante, I’m sorry, but I had to. Irene’s just as bad, if not worse, than Cain, and surely you noticed how she was getting close with James. She could have stirred up more trouble for the community with him if I didn’t take this opportunity to remove her, as well.”

  Dante maintains his piercing stare at her for a moment, causing her to shy away a little, before he looks down again. “I don’t blame you. She was out of control, forsaking all she had been taught, all that was expected of her as a noble heir, to pursue her own, vile interests. And yet, I can’t help but fear that I am somehow responsible. I should have done more, I should have intervened sooner, I…”