On the Line (Alternate Places Book 3)

by P. S. Power

  The next day went by in the same fashion. Everything clear to her, the lines of force and emotion speaking to her constantly. Not just from people, but objects and even ideas, at least the ones in her own head. It was fascinating in a way. Everything seemed so new and different, even though it was all the same as it had been before.

  When she came out from math class, a sound hit her from across the commons. It carried with it a line. One that got her attention instantly. It was red, but also held fear, not just anger.

  First there was a small cry. It sounded familiar to her, from somewhere. Then a thud, followed by the sounds of kicking. She saw where it came from, and started running toward it as fast as she could. There, on the ground, lay Blaine, a few spots of blood coming from him already, decorating the white snow.

  She ran as fast as she dared, her feet landing flat, shifting her weight over them with each step, as Master Wu-Li had taught her to do by oiling the smooth floor in the back room of his herb shop. As slow as it felt, running this way would get her there a lot faster than falling down would. She pushed herself, trying to make her feet move faster. Focusing as she ran, she slowed time. It didn't go into that deep, slow crawl that Zack assured her would be possible. Not yet, so she concentrated on moving, feeling her own body slow, her limbs feeling heavier until she almost reached the scene of the attack.

  One man, large and beefy, sat on top of Blaine, punching at him, though not too effectively. Two others stood, one kicked at her friend's side and stomach when he could, the other stood back, ready to kick, but not moving in yet. The greatest danger, she saw, came from the man actively kicking him. He landed heavy blows repeatedly, and didn't seem to be getting tired at all yet. She kept running at him and made herself not slow down, even though instinct screamed at her to stop. To turn aside, or at least protect herself by hesitating. She ducked her head and raised her right elbow instead, driving it into the man's neck as she ran into and then through where he had just been.

  The guy went down hard and didn't get back up. Unconscious it seemed, since his life energy still moved. She turned to the next most dangerous man in this situation, the one punching Blaine in the face and head. The Incubus had protected himself, pulling the other man toward him and trying to throw him off. The cold snowy ground acted against him though, his feet sliding, not allowing purchase as he tried to push the large man sideways, slipping again as he tried to work his way free. The men screamed at him as he worked to escape. There were words in there somewhere, she could tell. She heard them, but couldn't be bothered to make note of it.

  She dealt with the next man by simply kicking him in the back of the head. A simple stomping motion, which nearly made her feet slide out from under her. Doing it again, ready for the slide this time, she knocked the man out, then turned to defend against the third man.

  It turned out that she didn't need to though, as Jelly had run up and pointed something at him, making him fall down, screaming in pain. Kate saw what it was, a small crystal, about the size of her thumb. A lot of Mages used similar things, she knew. A shiny band of silver shot out of it, hitting the man. The first attacker tried to get up, so she kicked him in the groin as hard as she could, hoping that it would both keep him down, and prevent any breeding he may do in the future.

  “Jelly, don't let that guy get up!”

  The girl looked around, cupping her hand by her side, keeping the small object held pointed toward that man, leaving him writhing. Kate moved over to Blaine, who rolled to his side, and put a single hand out, so that she could help him stand. Like all Alede men, he was small. Light compared to the other men on the ground at the moment.

  “Only three of them? Man I'm embarrassed.” Blood poured from his mouth as he spoke, something white, a tooth Kate thought, got pulled from the bloody mess of his face and quickly put away in a pocket. A different man, dark skinned and even shorter than Jelly, so something under five two or so, came over and handed Blaine a handkerchief, so that he could sop up some of the blood. Just as they were about to leave, not knowing what else to do, campus security drove up in a little cart.

  The security man may have looked like a rent-a-cop, but he moved quickly and professionally to secure the area, and called in back up. Insisting that everyone stay exactly where they were, which meant the three attackers had to stay on the ground. It looked cold and hard to Kate. Good, she thought, it probably won't teach them anything, but at least it makes them that much more miserable right now.

  Five minutes later about ten campus security members stood around taking everyone's stories one by one. The small black man went first, at his own insistence, telling them what he heard and saw, a look of revulsion on his face.

  “I was walking, headed to class, poly-sci and I saw these three,” He clarified by pointing at each of the men still on the ground, two of them still holding body parts. The ones Kate dealt with, the other just sitting, dazed, but unharmed. Whatever Jelly did to him, it didn't seem to be permanent. “Tackle that little guy with the blond hair. Well, that one big guy tackled him, from behind, and then his buddies ran up and started kicking him. They were screaming at him, something like, 'you fag, we're going to fuck you' and the others were all like, 'yeah, we'll fuck you up the ass, you homo.' things like that. I think they were planning to rape him or something. I was gearing up to help, you know, by screaming or maybe calling out for them to stop, cause I'm no great fighter, when that woman there flew at those huge guys and started kicking their butts. I was going to help then, so I started running over, cause, you know, I figured I'd look bad, if some girl could take them out, and I did nothing, but that smaller woman ran over and, uh, punched that guy in the stomach. So I didn't have to do anything.” He gave his name as Morgan Hier and then stood back, while the others were interviewed in turn.

  Kate realized that the men had been yelling something about Blaine being a homosexual, but they hadn't seemed like rapists to her. More like they wanted to kill her friend. Still, no matter why they attacked, an allegation of homosexual rape in public, even attempted, would get them in a lot more trouble than if they were just drunkenly brawling on the college grounds. She repeated what Morgan had told them, changing the words just a little like she'd been taught in school, crying, letting her fear and reaction show plainly now that everything was over.

  “They were trying to kill him!” She cried, then made it sound like she'd only pushed the attackers away, their wounds being due to falling, though she admitted she'd kicked one of the men in the groin. Since he'd have to go to the hospital to make sure nothing ruptured, there had to be an explanation that seemed reasonable. The campus police called in the local police when they realized that this looked like a hate crime, meaning that everyone had to stay and give another statement.

  The police wanted Blaine to go to the hospital, but he refused, saying that he couldn't afford the medical bills. Kate knew that what he couldn't afford was too close a scrutiny to his wounds, since he could heal them by simply transforming at any time, as long as the wounds didn't heal completely before he did it. As soon as he had the energy, he could shift and repair himself, but not if the doctors reported things like missing teeth or broken bones.

  Morgan, the small man, dressed in a very heavy black coat that looked oversized for him, helped Blaine back to his room, taking his arm. Jelly moved in on the other side doing the same, supporting him between them. Then Kate led them back to the dorm room he shared with Don. Morgan left them at the door, telling them all to be careful. Oddly enough he stared at Jelly when he said this and patted his pocket, while looking where she'd hidden the crystal she'd used to subdue the man earlier. She nodded and looked down for a bit before following the others into the room.

  Don stood inside the door, having been studying on his bed it looked like, based on the books and papers strewn about it. He took Blaine gently by the arm and led him to the other bed, that had a worn but comfortable looking old quilt on it, so that he could sit. Kate filled him in on what
happened, while Jelly fussed over him ineffectively, getting him water and finding Don's stash of band-aids.

  When Britney got there, she started crying. Sobbing inconsolably.

  Really it seemed a bit over the top to Kate. Blaine was a fighter, after all. Sometimes you got beaten up. It happened, and he wasn't going to be all that worked up over it, she didn't think. More like embarrassed.

  Don moved to her and put an arm around her, which she turned into a hug. After a few minutes she looked at her brother and sobbed again.

  “I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!”

  Chapter four

  The girl was pretty even when her eyes were red and slightly puffy, if in a dewy pink sort of way. One that she'd somehow coordinated her soft pink shirt with. Brit went silent and refused to say anything else after her first words on the matter. She looked at Kate hard, then Blaine. Her right hand, with the last two fingers curled under pulled slowly across her stomach. One of the hand signals letting other Alede know that the subject of the moment wouldn't be safe to talk about in present company. Meaning Don and Jelly.

  “Brit... If people are going to be attacking us, then I think we should all know about it, don't you?” Kaitlyn said, trying to sound reassuring.

  The blonde looked down and shook her head again, making the same sign over and over. Finally Jelly stood up and excused herself, saying that she had a report due. Blaine struggled to sit up, his ribs obviously more than a little sore, gasping as he tried to get the short girl to stop for a second. He worked his mouth, coated with blood that had run into the cuts and cracks around his lips.

  “Jelly... thanks for helping me out earlier. I didn't see it, but from what that guy Morgan said, you really saved me.” He put his arm out as if to give her a hug, then thought better of it and chuckled a little, clearly in pain even from that. “I'd hate to have had that go on much longer... When I get better we should hang out or something.”

  Don shook his head, sitting next to Britney, who still cried, hanging on to him for comfort.

  “Dang man, even beaten up you managed to make that sound all sexy and alluring. 'We should... hang out or something'. I should take notes.” He sounded playful, trying to raise everyone's spirits.

  Jelly grinned at him, then, giving Kate a meaningful look, cast a single line of thought toward her, one that said she'd explain later, then turned and left.

  Britney didn't try to hurry Don out of the room, which could have been for comfort. It probably was in part, but it also served to keep her from having to spill what she knew. Kate caught this instantly and Don got it a second later. She almost asked Don to leave, when he moved away from the crying girl a little, and told her to just spit it out.

  “How is this your fault? Did you hire those guys to attack your brother? I don't see how this could be about you. I'm your friend, both of you... I think you can tell me what's wrong. I mean, I know you both sleep with a lot of people, guys, girls, groups of people... unless you're secretly into kids or animals, I'm good with it... So, what could you have possibly done to make this happen? Sleep with the wrong guys somehow? Or girls? But how would that get Blaine beaten up? I'm confused...” He also sounded it.

  Britney just cried harder for a few minutes, then, surprising Kate, choked out the whole story. Secrecy was always hard for Alede, especially young ones, as she's learned the other day, spilling everything to Britney.

  “A few weeks ago, just when the new term started, so less than that, I went to “McC's” the pub that everyone goes to in town? Well in the back bathrooms someone set up a glory hole, so, you know, I figured why not? Guys lined up for like, two hours and I harvested massive energy from it. Something about it being dirty makes the guys produce that much more... Anyway, I realized that I didn't want anyone to know who I was and that everyone would see me leave... So I sort of disguised myself as a boy on the way out. When I do that, I look an awful lot like Blaine, so they must have thought that I was him when I had sex with them. Of course at least some of them should have realized I really was a girl when I was with them, based on what we did, but enough of them saw me looking like that... I'm so sorry!” This all came out frantically, rushed and harried. She hugged Don to her when she finished, as if for protection.

  Blaine stared at her, his eyes flying back and forth between Kate, Don and his sister, finally resting on the blonde.

  “Britney!” He rasped out, his words slurred from the swelling of his mouth. His breath came in short pants as he struggled to say something.

  Don still holding Britney patted her shoulder a bit before speaking.

  “Wait...” He moved back from the girl and held her with both hands, staring into her eyes. Very dramatically. “You're saying... glory holes are real? I thought that was just something made up for the Internet. I mean, I'm as horny as the next guy, but the idea of sticking yourself through a hole in the wall, not knowing who's on the other side, or what they'll do to you...”

  Blaine grunted and tried to speak, but Kaitlyn put a hand out, since the effort obviously caused him pain. “Yeah, they're real, but mainly in the homosexual community. You nailed that one though, they were lucky to find that the guy on the other side was good looking and disease free. Any other glory hole and they'd probably be going in for penicillin right now, if they were lucky.” She went on to discuss the most likely places to find such things and that most of the time when they were put in place somewhere, anymore at least, camera feeds went up online immediately. They could just hope that “McC's” didn't do that, or there could be problems later.

  “In fact, I need to make a call...”

  Pulling out her phone, she hit the third number on her speed dial, which was a direct line to Beautiful Plus, more to the point, it was the number for her mom's desk phone. It rang twice before it picked up.

  “Alede embassy at Underwood, how may I direct your call?” The voice was a rich tenor that sent a small shiver down her spine, even though she'd never had sex with the owner. Actually, most of the time they'd spent together, he'd locked her in small rooms or launched sneak attacks on her when she wasn't looking, trying to trigger a catastrophic power meltdown that would have had her killed if it happened. Only that, that testing he did, the time he spent proving she was better, and the sessions in the void she'd spent with Zack saved her from the national committee putting her down. Like a dog.

  “Norris? Hey is my mom... wait...you know, I think you can handle this one better than she could. We've had an attack on an Alede here... no, I'm fine, it's my friend Blaine, male. Yeah, one of the twins. Anyway, there's a situation and I know we're supposed to report these things...” She covered the whole thing, including the backup she'd gotten from the mage, Jenifer Stone and that Don was in the room, though his hearing wasn't good enough to understand what came over the phone.

  “I see. Hang on a sec.” Music started playing in the background. “OK. We're sending someone through... Lisa insisted. They'll be in your room in about ten minutes. Can you meet them there or do we need directions to your location?”

  Kate thought for a minute and realized that sending someone would probably be the fastest thing to do, and volunteered Don for the task, he just shrugged and left for her room, having a decent idea of where to wait so he wouldn't get hit by Zack and whoever he had with him. She tossed him her key as he left and asked him to hurry.

  Britney wrapped her arms around herself and cried harder.

  “Are they coming to arrest me for being so stupid, do you think?” This came out with sobs, but actually sounded like a joke underneath it all. Dabbing at her eyes, she tried to put on a good face for company, not knowing who would be sent, or even why really. Kate wanted to reassure her, but she didn't know who would be coming either, or where they were from.

  The blood had stopped coming from Blaine's face, for the most part at least, a small bit oozed out when he moved too much, but the swelling choked the worst of it off. Large green and yellow bruises had started to form, not t
urning black or deep purple yet. His right eye had almost closed totally as they sat. Kate raided the mini-fridge and took a can of off brand cola out that had Don's name written on it and handed it over to be pressed against his eye.

  Twenty minutes later a soft knock came at the door. Before opening it, Kaitlyn asked who was there, just in case the attackers had friends or something. The reply came immediately, though softly.

  “It is I, Claire Hawthorn, Ambassador Prime of the S'ethuili at Underwood. With me are Hildegarde Meorgeansdotter warrior of the Trolleinkein and Eustace Frank, Captain of the guard, UCW.” A few heart beats later, a deep but friendly voice rumbled through the door.

  “I prefer Keeber...” The voice said innocently.

  Kate had the door halfway open by the time Keeber had started speaking and jumped into Claire's arms. Hugging the cold woman close to her for a moment and kissing her, signaling the others that this person was known to her. Kate asked them to all come in, stepping out of the way to clear a path for them. Once inside Hilda turned and stood facing the door, her large hand suddenly holding a huge handgun that she pulled out of a messenger bag on her hip. Claire walked all the way into the room with Keeber, both of them searching the space carefully, as if looking for possible traps or an ambush. The big man with the close trimmed but very full beard sniffed the room for a bit.

  “Nothing here unexpected. No magic or Demons as far as I can tell. Hilda, you getting anything?” He addressed this to the back of the powerful looking blonde that still stood before the door, ready to fight if need be.