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VIII

Traps

"Augh. Tight," Alix croaked as the saleswoman adjusted the bra. After a moment or two, which Alix thought would never end, the human woman unhooked the bra and added it to the small pile on the bench next to where Heather was sitting. Heather was trying not to laugh at the expression on her daughter's face, but from the dirty looks Alix was giving her, she was not succeeding very well. The saleswoman picked up the tape measure and did a few more measurements. Finally, she sighed and put the tape measure into her pocket.

"Well, young lady. It looks like you'll have to go to a C-cup after all. Wait here, I'll be back in a moment." The woman collected the discarded bras, opened the curtain to the changing room, and closed it behind her before moving down the hall to the showroom.

Alix looked at her mother mournfully as she put her shirt back on, more for modesty than from the slight chill in the room.

"Why do I have to be measured again? Can't I just get one off the shelf," Alix asked.

"We need to make sure that they fit comfortably, hun. If they don't, you could hurt yourself," Heather said with a patient smile.

"But it's embarrassing," Alix whined, blushing fiercely. "And she keeps choosing the lacy ones."

Heather actually barked out a laugh. Standing up, she patted her daughter on the head. "Oh, my. My ever modest daughter. I'll go speak with her. I'll also see if Kaelyn is back as well. Wait here."

Heather picked up her purse and walked out of the changing room. Alix sat on the bench and thought back over the week.

It had started off great with her birthday on Sunday. She had her family, and friends, surrounding her, and truly had felt happy. It had been the first time in a long time that she had felt like she had belonged. Then things had gotten a little weird when her parents had sat her down and told her about what really happened on Friday. Alix was not sure if they had been pulling her leg at first, but had come to the conclusion that they were not based on the serious expressions on their faces. The truth had been confirmed later that day when Rebecca had dropped off Alix's homework. Alix still did not know what to think about it. Her, being about to use magic? She was not sure if she should be thrilled, or terrified. Alix had a sneaking feeling that it was a little of both.

Rebecca had stayed for a little and they had done their homework together. Alix had taken the time to tutor Rebecca in math, and they had passed an enjoyable afternoon, doing their schoolwork at their own pace, when they were not being interrupted by Salem. Angel also stopped by on her way home, checking in on Alix. Turned out she lived only three houses down, so Angel gave Alix her phone number and told Alix to give her a call if she needed anything. Tuesday and Wednesday passed much the same.

On Thursday, things got interesting, both in a good, and a bad, way. Several of her fellow classmates started by asking her all sorts of questions about what had happened at the track. Alix, of course had nothing to tell them. She could not even remember what had happened. That did not stop them from asking one question after another, badgering Alix almost to tears, where Rebecca and the teachers had to step in to intervene. During Fifth Period, Angel joined her aunt in looking after Alix, as Ms. Lake cleared a lane at the racing pool and had Alix do laps. Dressed in the new swimsuit, several of the boys gawked at her until Ms. Lake hissed them back to their own activities. When Alix began to swim, she got the attention of everyone around the pool. As Ms. Lake said later, Alix swam so naturally, she might have been a Sharlin in a previous life.

That afternoon, just as the school day was ending, Alix was called to Mr. Son'Stygia's office. Once there, they had a brief talk about what happened on the Friday, last week. The VP explained that they would have to do some tests to find the extent of her powers, and then they would have to find a suitable trainer. He warned her that it could take sometime to conduct the tests and find the trainer, but if she had any weird feelings, or any questions about magic for that matter, to come see him. When Alix left Mr. Son'Stygia's office, she found Angel waiting for her. Rebecca, who was the Kendo team's leading champion, had early tournament practice, and Kaelyn was busy with the track and field team. Micah had decided to wait for Rebecca, so only Angel and Alix had walked home. On the way, Alix had talked about her discussion with the VP, and then Angel dropped the bombshell, telling Alix about her own ability for the first time. At first, Alix had been shocked, the feeling of being manipulated and betrayed rising inside of her. Then, looking at Angel's sorrowful and worried face, Alix had realized that Angel had not acted out of any sort of malice, but out of a need to protect and heal. And with that realization came the understanding of what it must have been like to be born with that power. Alix forgave Angel, and they spent the rest of the walk home talking about Angel's power, and what it was like to grow up with the ability to feel other people's emotions.

Friday had been almost a repeat of Thursday, save that the VP was out at a conference. In Fifth Period, some of the other students had challenged Alix to a race. Ms. Lake approved it, but only so long as Angel and Mako kept an eye on things from the water. Alix beat everyone by a full ten seconds. Angel suspected that she could do even better, but had persuaded her aunt, and the faster members of the swim team, not to pursue it. 'Let's move in baby steps,' Angel told them. Alix and Angel had a quiet walk home, now talking about swimming. Today, Alix's mother had taken her shopping, a trip Heather had originally intended to take a week ago. When they had entered the mall, they had found Kaelyn window shopping for new party dress she could wear to the Harvest Night Festival party coming up next month. After a short talk, she had joined them. When Alix and Heather had stopped to pick up some bras, Kaelyn had gone to get something to drink.

As it turned out, Kaelyn was the first person to come back and see Alix.

"Alix, you in there," Kaelyn asked from the other side of the curtain.

"Yeah, come on in."

Kaelyn came past the curtain with a smile on her face, and seemed to be a little disappointed to find Alix without a pile of bras next to her and her shirt on. She was dressed in a white, long sleeved, one piece dress, that fell to her upper knees, with yellow roses spiraling down from her left shoulder and around the whole dress. When the roses met the bottom of the dress, they circled the hem of the skirt. Over this went a blue coat that barely made it to her waist, and had no hope of covering her chest. A light gray trilby sat on top of her head, and her small, rhinestone studded purse, hung across her chest from the right shoulder, so that the purse itself rested against her left hip. Around her neck was a gold rope necklace, a gift from her father. On her right ring finger was a ring shaped like a fox that was grabbing it's own tail in its mouth. Kaelyn wore this ring constantly, and refused to say where she had gotten it, or who had given it to her. The fact that Kaelyn refused to talk about it, as she was normally very talkative, if not out right chatty, said that whoever gave it to her was quite special to her. Alix had to remind herself that while Kaelyn looked quite plain at school, her parents were business executives and very well off.

Alix, in contrast, looked very plain, whether in her school uniform or out. She wore a flowing black skirt that stopped three inches above her upper knees. A simple, dark brown leather belt went around this, from which two pouches hung, one pouch black, the other a dark purple. The black one held her wallet, and the purple one held her portable. Alix almost never wore makeup, and if something did not fit into her pocket, she did not carry it. Rebecca, who used a man's wallet, was the only one of her friends that understood this kind of outlook in a female. Micah, who had three sister who were big into fashion, had not understood this anymore than Kaelyn or Angel had. Alix's shirt was an unadorned purple, long sleeved pull over. She had a simple, black colored light coat on the bench next to her. And her only decoration was the ear cuff she had gotten from Jon. Kaelyn, who would on occasion wear earrings, had asked Alix why she had never had her ears pierced. Alix had replied that she had enough pain in her life to deal with, and Kaelyn had dropped the suggestion.Besides, Alix had told herself, it gave bullies another target.

"Any luck," Kaelyn asked.

Alix sighed and leaned back against the wall behind the bench. Kaelyn could not help but notice that she did not look too good. "Looks like I'm a C. That makes me larger than both Mom and Nova."

"And the designs?"

Alix scowled, not looking at her friend, and the smile on Kaelyn's face disappeared in surprise.

"I have to go to the Teen's Department to find cloths that would fit me, but I have to go to the Woman's Department to get my underwear. And the only thing the saleswoman seems to be able to find is covered in lace and exposing. I just want something comfortable to wear." Alix absently brushed a lock of her hair back over her left eye, a habit she had developed sense her hair had gotten long enough to do so.

"And what if you find that special someone," Kaelyn asked as the smile returned to her face.

"Now you sound like Beckie," Alix said rubbing her eyes with her right hand. The hand then moved down to her abdomen. Kaelyn saw Alix rub the abdomen, and thought she knew what was going on.

"You're having you period, aren't you," Kaelyn said. It was more a comment than a question.

"Yeah. It's early, and it really hurts," Alix said leaning forward.

"Why didn't you tell your Mom?"

"I didn't want to bother her. And I need to get these bras. All of mine are too small now."

Kaelyn nodded. "Look, I now a store that caters to Foxlings, Stygians, and Bympyrs, located on the other side of the mall. They tend to have more practical cloths than this place does, and in the proper sizes. You get fully dressed and I'll talk to your Mom."

Kaelyn left and Alix removed her shirt to put her bra back on. She had just finished redressing when her mother came back into the dressing room, concern written across her face.

"Alix, you should have told me," Heather said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't bother me," Heather barked, suddenly very angry. Alix's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise, and a little bit of fear. A small bit of distress could also be seen in those eyes. Heather took one look at her daughter, took a deep breath, and then let it out in a long sigh. Sitting down next to Alix, Heather drew her into a hug. "Hunie, I love you very much, and there are times when you touch the wrong nerve, but you are very important to me and your father. You can't keep all these things inside of you. If you're not feeling well, or you're afraid of something, tell us. We won't judge you. We won't condemn you. We simply want you to feel good."

Alix rested her head on her mother's shoulder and sniffed. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"Shh. It's OK," Heather said. "Come on. Kaelyn told me about that store. If they have what we need, it will be worth the trip."

* * * * * *

The hooded figure saw all three Foxlings leave and was about to follow when it saw the crow moving between the rafters near the roof. The hand wrapped around the beads shook with anger. That damn crow was keeping too close of an eye on the girl. The figure could get rid of the crow, but that would draw too much attention from the wrong people, and it would ruin all the plans the figure had already set in motion. The figure doubted if it's own teacher would let the figure live for much longer if that sort of attention was brought down. No, there had to be another way to get at the girl. The figure though for a long moment, letting the ladies get out of it's sight. Then it looked up, nodded to itself, and was gone.

* * * * * *

Salem looked up at Alix and let out a complaint of chirps. Alix chuckled and made room for him on the couch. Angel and Kaelyn smiled as the Martin jumped up and curled up next to his mistress. Alix reached down and stroked his fur as all three sets of eyes returned to the TV. It was Sunday and both Angel and Kaelyn had come over for a movie and TV series marathon. Angel had brought a movie called 'The Mirror in The Window,' a romantic movie that took place in a medieval setting and where the damsel in distress became the heroine. Not a single eye was dry at the happy end of the movie.

Kaelyn had brought an adventure/comedy series called 'Have Tank, Will Travel.' The series, only thirteen episodes long, followed the adventures of a mercenary on a post apocalyptic world as he traveled across the ruined land in a refurbished tank. That one of the supporting cast was a young, tall red Foxling may have explained some of Kaelyn's fascination with the series. The show, despite the obvious antics, turned out to be enjoyable, and both Angel and Alix had found themselves gripping their sides in laughter several times. After the ninth episode, they had stopped for lunch, which Heather had cooked with delight.

Heather was pleased to have Alix's friends over. Alix had become much happier and out going since she had started attending the school, and with the addition of friends, she was on her way to having something of a normal life. While the three girls sat around the kitchen table eating, they talked about a variety of subjects, from boys, to sports, to the stuff they had just watched. Heather bustled around the kitchen, listening to their talk without comment. She noticed how open Alix was, and how easily she dropped into the conversations. The other Foxling actually had her talking about boys, to Heather's surprise, and the Sharlin had her contemplating about joining the swimming team again. The house felt complete for the first time since Jon had moved away, and Heather was loving it.

After lunch was over, the three girls returned to the living room and finished Kaelyn's series. Alix then put on the first session of 'Captain Longfin.' The other two girls had become instantly fascinated after the first episode. Episode Five had a profound effect on all of them, as it dealt with the highly aggressive Krakens of New Hades, a water covered planet in the Bardic Sector of space. The planet had remained uninhabited, despite having an abundance of useable water, primarily due to the Krakens, an octopod like life form that could grow up to a mile in length. And with no natural predators, they dominated the food chain. At one point in the show, the crew had been attacked by a small Kraken, and the camera had looked down into a wide, circular mouth, lined with foot long, spike like teeth. Kaelyn had given a scream and ran out of the room. Angel had ended up curled up in the chair, her tail wrapped around her, hugging the pillow she had been sitting on a moment earlier, and staring over it with wide eyes. Alix had ended up in a similar position on the couch, but had placed her hands over her eyes, only to end up watching the rest of the scene through her fingers, unable to look away. Poor Salem had ended up with the his tail puffed up at his mistress' fright, but being unable to identify the source of it, had ended up circling around the couch cushions. Heather had come in to see what was going on, and had stopped, gaping and unable to look away. Alix and Heather had missed this episode, and Henry, who had see it, had wisely said nothing about it. Kaelyn came back in a few minutes later, after everything had calmed down, and Alix had paused the show to give everyone a chance to recover from the shock. The rest of the show was recorded from remote, using probes, and from the safety of the crews ship in orbit.

Henry had come home, after doing some shopping, during the eighth episode; a more peaceful episode that dealt with the coral reefs of Terranova's neighboring planet of New Gettysburg. Saying hello to everyone, he went up and changed, then came down and joined the girls until dinner was ready. Salem was a little upset with the presence of a third person on the couch, but contented himself when Alix allowed him on her lap. Heather called all of them to dinner just as the episode came to an end. Like at lunch, everything seemed to go naturally as the girls talked about what they had watched. A couple of times, the whole table was filled with laughter. Henry looked over at his daughter and smiled. She was slowly coming out of that shell that had developed over the last eight years. It also revealed how beautiful a person she actually was, and not just physically.

After dinner, Henry had Angel and Kaelyn collect their items, and he drove them home. It was a school night after all. Alix helped her mother to clean up after every one had left. Some of the steak that Heather had cooked was left, and not really understanding what she was doing, Alix cut a portion of it up into small nuggets, and put it into a small bowl. Taking the bowl with her, she stepped outside, and put it on the grass next to the steps that lead up to the front door. Looking up into the tree, she spotted the crow, and gave it a wave.

"Are you hungry," she asked. "I know it's not much, and it might not be what you're use to, but you're welcome to it."

The crow flew down and landed a pace away. It's head cocked as it looked at the bowl, then hopped closer. Tentatively, it took up a morsel and swallowed it whole. It then looked up at Alix, and gave two of those queer whistles before going back to the bowl and gobbling down the rest of the steak. Alix smiled, and then stroked the bird's back.

"I'm glad you like it," Alix said as she picked up the empty bowl, and stood up. The crow gave another whistle and flew into the tree branches.

"Good night," Alix said before she headed back inside.

* * * * * *

Alix stepped onto the third floor of her school, massaging her abdomen. It was Monday, and she was having cramps again, which meant that the medication she had taken earlier had either worn off, or had been ineffective. Regardless, it also meant that she would have to go through First Period while dealing with the pain. She hoped that everyone would leave her alone today, as she did not feel like dealing with anyone who had a lot of questions, or wanted a race. Not today. Of course that excluded her friends and family. Part of her wished that she could have stayed home today, but Alix had already missed a lot of school, and she could not take the chance of being suspended from this school. But is was more than the pain that made her want to stay home. Something in the back of head was nagging her. A warning of danger, perhaps. Or it might have been the simple fact that she 'did not' feel good that was driving the feeling. It was hard to tell, so she had come to school.

Alix turned to go down the hall that led to her classroom, when she spotted Kaelyn at he end of the far side of the hall, talking to one of the teachers. Looking a little closer, Alix noticed that it was Gwyrthur ap Greidawl, to her surprise. Mr. ap Greidawl, or Mr. Greidawl as he preferred to be called, was head of the Library as well as the teacher in charge of ancient history and occult knowledge. There was a rumor floating around that he also monitored magical activities in the school. No one had ever seen him do any magic though, and those that have been caught doing magic had never seen Mr. Greidawl anywhere near the area, but the rumor had persisted anyway. The fact that he did nothing to curb or dismiss this rumor did not help matters.

Tall for a Foxling, Mr. Greidawl stood at five foot three with mostly maroon colored fur, and two scarlet stripes running from his black nose, along the side of his snout, to the back part of his cheeks, where they blended into the rest of his maroon fur. The tips of his ears, and his long, bushy tail, were capped in black fur. The fur on his hands were a dark charcoal color, as if he had burned them a long time ago, and the fur that had grown back had taken on the same colorization. White fur ran from his chin, to his throat, to were it disappeared under his shirt collar. Two cyan colored eyes looked out over his snout, at the moment burning with anger. Like Mr. Son'Stygia, he was dressed more like an old fashioned Victorian gentleman from Old Terra than a modern day school teacher. This style of dress did not help to quell the rumor about the Librarian either. He had a pair of straight cut trousers on, with no visible belt or suspenders apparent. Like all Foxlings, he had no need of foot wear, having large paws to walk around on. These paws were covered in the same maroon colored fur, with the toes capped with the same black fur as those on his ears and tail. A white, short collared shirt covered his chest, with a black waistcoat over that. Over this went an indigo blazer with an almost archaic look to it.

As Alix approached the door to her classroom, Mr. Greidawl made a few angry gestures and his mouth moved fast, as if he was delivering a heated lecture. Kaelyn was looking at the floor, her ears flat against her head, and her tail wrapped around her legs. She looked suitably chastised. The teacher made another gesture, as if asking a question, to which Kaelyn nodded and said something in response. Mr. Greidawl then looked at his watch, made a dismissive gesture, and moved toward the stairs at the far side of the hallway. Kaelyn looked after him for a moment, then turned to walk slowly toward their classroom. She did not look up as she walked, and did not realize Alix was there until Kaelyn almost walked into her. Kaelyn looked up sharply and took a couple of steps backward, then relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Alix," she said as she placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief. "You gave me such a fright."

"Sorry," Alix said. "Are you alright?"

"You saw that," Kaelyn asked. Alix nodded. Looking a little ashamed, she looked away. "I did something stupid."

"I couldn't hear what was said, if that is what you were worried about," Alix said, "but Mr. Greidawl looked very upset."

"I...ah...I...," Kaelyn sputtered as she played with the ring on her finger.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Alix said.

Kaelyn let out a long sigh. "Thanks, Alix. That means a lot. But it was simply that I messed up, big time. I was doing some research for a history paper and I accidentally damaged a rare text. Mr. Greidawl was out, so I left the book on his desk with a note. He reamed me out for not taking proper care with delicate books, and for not trying to find him immediately. Now, he'll have to restore the book all over again."

"Was the lecture warranted?"

Kaelyn looked sheepishly at her friend. "I'm afraid it was."

"Is he going to punish you any for it?"

"He's restricting my access to the library. 'No admittance without supervision.' I believe that was what he said."

"Well at least you weren't banned. Come on, we'd better go in before the bell rings."

* * * * * *

Alix sat in the middle of Third Period's Social Sciences with Mrs. Steele, a tall, lean human, with dark brown hair drawn up in a bun, sweating bullets and trying not to get sick. Her cramps had returned, again, double what they had been earlier. The fur on her face was plastered to the skin, and the pain was making her stomach upset. What she did not understand was why the medication seemed not to be working. It had worked just fine yesterday, but did not seem to be working at all today. Alix's stomach fluttered for a moment, and she placed a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up.

"Alix, are you alright," Kaelyn asked in a whisper, from her desk next to Alix's.

"I'm not feeling too good," Alix admitted.

"Your period," Kaelyn asked.

Alix only nodded, lowering her head, and placing it in her hands. Kaelyn instantly raised her hand, drawing the attention of their teacher.

"Yes, Ms. Duskcoat, what is it?"

"Ms. Astarte isn't feeling too good, Ma'am. Can I have permission to take her to the restroom?"

The teacher glanced at Alix, saw the condition she was in, then reached behind the lectern, and pulled out two hall passes. Stepping over to Kaelyn, she handed both of them to her.

"Come back as soon as you can," Mrs. Steele said. "Take her to the Nurse's Office if she gets worse."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you," Kaelyn said and helped Alix to her feet. Rebecca moved, as if to get up, but Kaelyn waved her off. Slowly, the two of them moved out to the hallway and down to the restroom. With a disgusted sound, Kaelyn noticed the 'out of order' sign on the door. She then moved Alix to the stairs and down to the second floor. The restroom there was in working condition, and was usually empty this time of day, though it was subjected to waves of students when it got closer to lunch time. Kaelyn deposited Alix on the toilet in the first stall, and then stepped back, pausing to see if her friend was alright.

"Should I get the nurse," Kaelyn asked.

Alix shook her head no, already feeling a little better in the cooler air of the restroom. "No, I think I'll be alright. Just give me a little while and I think I'll be fine. You go on back. No sense in both of us missing class."

Kaelyn looked at Alix for a moment, biting her lower lip. She thought about protesting, but knew already that it would just make Alix more miserable. The red Foxling finally just nodded, and held out one of the hall passes.

"Alright, but take this. No sense in getting into trouble for not feeling well. If you need me, don't hesitate to call. The school rules be damned." Kaelyn passed once more, then waved and closed the stall door. She stepped out of the restroom and headed back to their classroom, thinking to herself that if Alix took too long, Kaelyn would come back and check up on her.

Alix sat still for a long moment, and then raised her skirt, dropped her panties, and relieved herself. She sat there for a long moment, leaning against the wall behind the toilet, and felt better for it. Standing up, she cleaned herself up and began to redress. Alix heard the door open, and for a moment, she thought it was Kaelyn returning to check up on her. She was relieved when she heard several feet on the tile floor. A group of girls coming in to refresh themselves, Alix thought. Adjusting her skirt, Alix opened the stall door, and walked into a large muscular chest. Stepping backwards, Alix looked up into the face of Bruce Campbell.

"Bruce? What are..." Alix glanced around as she suddenly realized that the human male was not alone. He had his whole crew with him. Old fears began to stir inside Alix. The other two human boys had mocking sneers on their faces. The female Ratin was the only one who looked doubtful about what was going on. She kept glancing between Bruce, Alix, and the door, fear filling her eyes.

Bruce gave Alix a wicked grin. "Took some work to get you alone, and that stupid friend of yours almost ruined it. Thankfully, she had the good sense to leave before we had to do something drastic. But now that you really are a bitch, and not just looking like one, it's time we had a little fun."

"What are you...No." Alix eyes went wide in terror and revulsion. She took a step back towards the stall. "No. Please!"

Alix moved to run, but the other two boys tackled her, grabbing her arms and holding her in place. Bruce walked over, cupped her chin, and looked into her eyes.

"You know, I think you look even better as a girl than you did as a boy. I have no idea how you ended up changing, but I'm not arguing with the results," Bruce said as he stroked the fur on Alix's chin, and gazed into her eyes with a predatory stare.

"Bruce, I don't think-" the Ratin girl started.

Bruce whirled on her, and the girl flinched in terror, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You keep your trap shut, bitch! Now get the fuck out in the hall and keep an eye out for any teachers. See that we're not interrupted."

The girl bit her lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. Glancing at Alix, an unspoken apology in her eyes, she turned and walked out of the restroom. Bruce turned back to Alix, the wicked smile back on his face, grabbed a handful of her blouse, and pulled. The blouse tore, revealing the brand new white bra under it.

"NO!!" Alix began to kick and struggle with a force that surprised all three boys. The two holding her arms held on, but it was holding a bucking bronco. Bruce dodged one knee, and a couple of kicks, unable to get any closer, but he moved right in front of one kick. Alix's left paw caught him in his stomach, knocking the air out of him, and sending him crashing up against the sinks. He grabbed his stomach and coughed. Thankfully, he had not lost his breakfast.

"Pin the fucking bitch," Bruce croaked as he fought to catch his breath.

The boys reacted as they violently spun Alix around, and slammed her into the tiled floor, stunning her. The boy on her left grabbed her arm in both hands, and placed his right knee on her back, trapping her against the floor. The other boy placed one hand just above her right elbow and the other against the shoulder. Bruce coughed once, walked up behind Alix, and reached down, flipping her skirt up. He then tore her panties down, not bothering to pull them all the way off. Alix was recovering now, and began to struggle all over again. She began to struggle all the more when she heard the sound of a zipper being pulled open. A moment later, her legs were spread open, her tail, which had been flicking back and forth wildly, was pinned against her back, and an intense, burning pain entered her lower abdomen. She screamed as tears flooded her eyes.

The boy holding her right arm let go of it, trapped it under his knees, and slammed her muzzle shut with the hand pressed against the top of her snout. "Keep quiet if you know what's good for you," he growled. "No sense in getting hurt more than necessary, right?"

There was a sharp rap on the door, warning of someone approaching. Everyone froze, save Alix, who still struggled to get away, unsuccessfully.

"Aida, what are you doing down her," came a familiar voice.

"Micah, how are you," came the Ratin girl's nervous voice. "Girl's restroom is broken, and there's a line for this one." She gave another rap on the door for added effect. "Come on, hurry up."

Micah gave a sympathetic chuckle. "Yeah, the boy's restroom has the same problem. Can you believe it, some one removed the sign and forgot to actually fix the restroom. So, now I'm down here. Well, I'll see you later. Oh, if you see your boyfriend, tell him Mrs. Steele is looking for him, and she's really pissed. Bruce needs to stop skipping that class."

Aida gave him a nervous laugh. "Right, I'll tell him. See you around."

The boy holding Alix's muzzle shut had relaxed his grip as he had listened to the conversation, and Alix took full advantage of it now. Drawing in a large breath, she screamed.

"MICAH!!"

The boy's fist slammed into the side of her face a split second later.

"Shut it," he growled under his breath.

There was a pause outside.

"Wait, was that...That was Alix!"

There was the sound of a switchblade being drawn.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave now and keep your mouth shut," came Aida's voice, though she sounded less than convincing.

There was another pause, and then came the sound of Micah running down the hall. The boys sighed in relief, and Bruce started all over again. Alix pressed her face against the floor and began to cry.

* * * * * *

Angel felt sick. A feeling of fear and disgust had been steadily grown all period, and now her stomach churned with the intensity of it. She was having a hard time concentrating on her math class, and she had been resisting the urge to run to the restroom. She was also trying to figure out where this feeling was coming from. Angel was about to raise her hand to ask to use the restroom, when there came the sound of pounding feet out in the hall. Everyone looked up in surprise as Micah, who was in their class, ran past the door and moved further down the hall. And then a realization hit Angel. Alix. It had to be. And if this feeling was this strong... Angel stood up as a wild fear began to grip her. Ignoring her teacher, who asked what was going on, Angel ran out into the hallway, following Micah.

* * * * * *

Micah paused in the doorway and looked around, a desperate and wild look on his face. Mrs. Steele looked up in surprise, a little annoyed at being interrupted.

"Mr. Jameson, what is the meaning-"

Micah ignored her and shouted over to Rebecca, "Beckie! Someone's attacking Alix! Girl's restroom, second floor!"

There was a collective gasp before anyone could move. Rebecca was already halfway out the door, and Kaelyn was halfway down the hall before Angel met up with Rebecca and Micah. Kaelyn would not be able to help physically; in point of fact, she would be in the way. An enraged Bympyr was not something to mess with, and Rebecca was no exception to this. The Foxling knew who could help though, and she headed toward his office as fast as she could.

* * * * * *

Ferynus looked up from his paperwork at the sound of a loud and insistent tapping on glass. Looking over to the window, he saw what looked like a large crow tapping it's beak against the window in a wild, desperate motion. Seeing him look up, it spread it's wings and gave a loud, plaintive caw. The Stygian looked at it curiously, trying to remember why it looked familiar, then moved to get up and investigate the bird, when the door to his office crashed open. Kaelyn Duskcoat stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame for support, panting heavily. She looked up at him, tried to say something, but only managed to gasp for air instead, drawing in more air in a fit of

coughing.

"Ms. Duskcoat, what seems to be the problem," Ferynus asked as he stepped down out of his chair.

"Alix," Kaelyn finally gasped. "Attacked...restroom...second...floor."

A look of horror crossed Ferynus' face, and he shot a glance at the window. The bird was gone, and he suddenly knew what had happened. The crow was trying to warn him. Trying to get him to move. And he had failed to heed it. He was getting too comfortable with this current assignment, and he had forgotten his true job. Without any further pause, he ran out of his office and down the hall towards the stairs, moving incredibly fast for someone of his size. Kaelyn leaned against the wall outside of the VP's office, and dialed one-eleven.

* * * * * *

Bruce had just finished and he zipped his pants up as he stood up. The other two boys were arguing over who was going to go next. Not that Bruce cared. He had gone first, and that was all he cared about. He thought back on all the strings he had to pull to get at the Foxling, and wondered at the type of payments he would have to make later. Access to either Aida or Alix, he was willing to bet. That was the usual payment for some of the people he dealt with. He could afford it, whatever the payment was, however, and he felt completely secure in the knowledge that it had been worth the investment. All three of the boys had bedded Aida several times already, with some of Bruce's debtors taking payment by spending time with the Ratin as well. She was almost used up. It was time to find a new girl, and Bruce had selected Alix. Her quiet, almost submissive personality made her a perfect candidate.

She had been surprisingly difficult this time, fiercely even, as she had started to struggle against them again after Micah had run off. It had taken several blows to her head before they could get her to give it up. She now lay under the two boys, awaiting the decision on who was going to have her, all the time sobbing softly. Bruce knew he would have to spend a lot more time to break this one then he did Aida, and he was looking forward to it. Aida had been simply to break, coming from a broken home. Bruce had spent sometime with her, being all friendly, then made her his girlfriend, before moving in on what he really wanted. By then, Aida could not back out, as she had no one to turn to. Of course, Bruce was the one she spent the most time with, and she still kept his bed warm at night.

He was suddenly roused from his contemplation by a scream from Aida. A second later, she had burst into the restroom, closed and bolted the door, and turned to the boys, her mouth opening to warn them. That was when something heavy hit the door with a loud thundering thud. The door groaned, but held. The hinges and the wall the bolt was jammed into, did not. They shattered, sending metal and masonry flying in all directions. The door hit Aida in the back, her mouth still open, lifting her off her feet, and sending her crashing into the wall on the far side of the room, some ten feet away. The door nearly hit her again as it careened across the room, smashing one sink, and cracking a mirror. Into the shattered doorway stepped Rebecca, Micah right behind her.

Rebecca, raised to be a warrior by her parents, only needed a glance to tell her what had happened. Micah froze for a moment, aghast at what had happened to a friend. Rebecca's face contorted in rage, unable to contain the hatred and outrage she felt, her lips parting into a fierce snarl, revealing both sets of needle sharp teeth. A low animal like growl escaped from her throat as she stepped forward, her hand drawn into fists, the knuckles groaning under the pressure. Her mind told her all she needed to know. Anyone standing was an enemy.

The boy holding down Alix's right side sprang to his feet, moving to attack, his fists raised like those of a boxer's. He never had the chance to realize he was over matched. Lightning quick, Rebecca grabbed him by the lapels of his blazer and threw him. He slammed into the door of the third stall door, hard enough to knock it off its hinges, into the stall wall, thru it, and into the fourth stall, where he slammed into the tiled wall. Bouncing off the wall, the human boy hit the porcelain toilet, and then slumped down on the floor, leaving spots of blood on both the toilet and the floor. Rebecca did not care. Turning quickly to her left, she saw the third boy on top of Micah, pounding his right fist into Micah's face, while he held the Raccoonin down with his left. Micah had jumped on him when Rebecca had grabbed the boxer. This boy, however, was a wrestler, and had quickly turned the tables on the Raccoonin. After a brief struggle, Micah had found himself pinned under the boy, his right arm broken, and receiving a barrage of blows to his face. The wrestler heard a vicious snarl, and looked up in time to see the back of Rebecca's massive fist. The wrestler was lifted from Micah's prone form by the blow, and slammed into the tiled wall next to the door way hard enough to break the tiles and dent the wall. The human boy slid down the wall to crumple up at its foot, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Bruce took advantage of Rebecca's distraction to deliver a punch to the right side of her face. Eight years ago, if he had the proper training, as well as the physic that he currently had, Bruce might have had a chance against Rebecca or Hector. This, however, would be an optimistic appraisal, as it fails to calculate for the increase in bone density as a Bympyr ages. As it was, it was like punching reinforced concrete, with a sheet of half inch thick armor underneath of it. Something in Bruce's left hand gave way with a loud pop, and he screamed in pain. Rebecca did not even hesitate, and brought her left fist up into his gut, knocking the wind, and what remained of his breakfast, out of him, at the same time lifting him nearly two feet into the air. While still in the air, Rebecca caught him in the same hand by the front of his shirt, and held him at arms length, suspended a foot off the ground. Her right arm cocked back, the muscles on it bulging to such an extent that the seems of her blazer split. Bruce looked into Rebecca's eyes, and knew he was going to die. He could see it. She was not going to pull the punch, and the Bympyr would not hesitate to smash his skull open. And there was nothing he could do to prevent it. His father would not save him this time. For the first time in his life, Bruce Campbell felt the sudden on set of absolute terror.

"You son of a-" Rebecca started to say in a ruff, gravelly voice she could barely control, when another, calm, collected voice rang out.

"That is quite enough," Mr. Son'Stygia said, his voice, though not raised, seemed to echo all around the room. Everything froze in place. A piece of tile, finally breaking free of the wall, hung in the air like a piece of a mobile, without the obvious sign of a string. Motes of dust hung suspended in a fixed position in the air. Drops of saliva flung from Rebecca's snarling jaw were no different. Both Rebecca and Bruce found themselves unable to move, not even their eyes. They could still hear, feel, see and breath, but it was like their bodies were made of stone.

Ferynus stepped into the remains of the restroom, looking as immaculate as if he had just strolled down from his office, instead of running all the way from the school's office building. His hands where placed behind his back, and he looked around the carnage with a calm, dignified air, as if such disasters were everyday occurrences. Mentally, he whistled in disbelief. He had arrived just as Rebecca had smashed the door down, and she had devastated her foes, and the room, in under two minutes. The Stygian had been unable to get his spell off in time, and this was the result. He had also forgotten the savagery that a Bympyr could bring to bare, and why they were the most feared warriors in the galaxy. Suddenly, the sound of soft weeping caught his ears, and he turned towards it. To his total amazement, he saw Alix, curled up into a ball next to the toilet in the first stall. A trail of blood and other fluids ran from between her legs to where she had been held down. A sudden rage rose inside his chest, over powering Ferynus' surprise at finding someone moving in a room that should have been totally paralyzed. His yellow eyes glowed with anger and the power he instinctively pulled to himself. It was only with great effort that he was able to squash it, and let the power drift away.

Angel, who had wisely stayed outside, looked in, and gaped. She knew what Rebecca was capable of if roused, but to actually see it was, well, was beyond words. Then she heard Alix's weeping, and moved over to the Foxling without pausing, even when the VP stood stunned. Angel ignored everything for the moment, concentrating on her friend, pumping soft emotions into the injured Foxling. She put forth all her power, doing something Angel did not even know she could do, soothing damaged nerves, taking the pain to herself, both the physical and the mental. Angel felt the anguish Alix had felt, the terror of the last few minutes, and the pain in her lower abdomen and along her jaw line. Unable to stop herself, Angel began to cry, all the while, she dulled the pain in Alix to such a degree, that it sent the girl into the merciful forgetfulness of sleep. Gently picking Alix up, Angel turned to head for the door. As she did, her eyes fell on the prone wrestler boy that Rebecca had smashed into the wall. Her eyes moved up the wall, following the trail of bright red blood. A rage like nothing she had ever felt before rose in her, fueled by the pain, the anguish she shared with Alix, and the sight of the blood awakening the blood fury of her race. She wanted to bite; wanted to maim; she wanted to kill. Her lips parted in a snarl, revealing all three rows of roughly triangular teeth, giving a hissing growl that is distinct only to Sharlins. Angel took a step towards the boy, her mouth opening wide to bite.

"Angel Marie Lake," Ferynus' voice snapped, bringing Angel back to herself. Her eyes moved over to him, finding a soft, forgiving smile on his face.

"Let it go," he said in a softer voice.

Angel closed her eyes, and concentrated on closing her jaws. It was more difficult than she thought, but when she finally did, all the pain, anger, and hatred flowed out of her, leaving her in control again. She looked back at the Stygian, seeing the smile still on his lips.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Son'Stygia," she said.

"You have no need for apologies, Ms. Lake," Ferynus said. "But you must stay in control of your emotions, for the girl's sake as much as your own. Now go. Have someone call emergency response and have them send over an ambulance. Several."

"Already done," Kaelyn's said as she came in thru the door way. "They're already waiting downstairs."

She took a look around and whistled. Then her eyes fell on Alix, as Angel cradled the black Foxling in her arms, and a look of horror crossed Kaelyn's face.

"Oh My God! Alix," she cried and sprang forward.

"Take Ms. Astarte down to the ambulance. Ms. Duskcoat, you and Ms. Lake are to accompany her, just in case she wakes up before her family makes it to the hospital. It's better to have friends around you than perfect strangers. How many ambulances did they send?"

"Three," Kaelyn said. "I told them we had an enraged Bympyr. More are on their way."

"Quick thinking. Good job," Ferynus said. "Go on now."

The Stygian watched the two girls hurry out of the destroyed restroom before returning his attention back to the frozen combatants. Outside the restroom, students and teachers began to gather, watching Angel and Kaelyn carry off Alix in disbelief. Though they were curious, they dared not get too close to the room.

"Now, Mr. Campbell, we have quite a bit to talk about, starting with..."

Ferynus' voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of something hanging out of the human's trouser pocket. It was a string of black beads made from some sort of black stone, with each bead having a rune carved into it. As Ferynus' eyes slowly returned to Bruce's face, they began to glow brightly, shedding light like a bright lamp. Bruce did not need to see the school's VP to know that he was in deep trouble. He could feel the anger rolling off the usually impassive Stygian.