Despite what Alex had told her, Tania had a hard time believing he’d recruited that many people until the next morning. She’d only just shut the faux wood door to her room when the girl beside her, who Tania had only seen a handful of times before this, popped her head out of her room.
“Going to the caf? Wait a sec will you? I’ll come too,” she said before her head disappeared.
Tania just stood there, staring at the closed wood door. This can’t be because of Alexander, she thought in shock. Maybe she’s just trying to be friendly…? Please tell me this isn’t because of Alexander!
In no more then two minutes, the girl reappeared, smiling. “Alright. Let’s go.”
“I’m sorry but I forgot your name,” Tania said.
The girl laughed. “That’s alright. We’ve seen each other like what? Six times prior to this? I’m Nyssa. And you’re of course Tania Davies.”
Tania winced. “I’d ask you how you remembered but I have a feeling I know the answer to that.”
Nyssa laughed again. “Yeah I got recruited by Alex. Me, Natalie, Genevieve and Jenna were standing outside and he just came up, asked us if we lived here and when we said we did, he asked us if we knew the girl who lived in room one-sixteen. I said I lived in one-eighteen and that I sort of knew you. So he asked us if we could make sure you didn’t go anywhere by yourself cause some crazy girl is trying to kill you. Is there really someone trying to kill you?” The girl said all of this very fast and Tania had to pay careful attention to catch it all.
“I don’t think kill me is the correct term for it. She just wants to get rid of me,” Tania replied sighing.
“Still that’s got to suck. I mean you actually have someone who wants you dead. Well whatever. We’ll make sure she doesn’t get a chance. As a bonus I’ll be able to put on my job application ‘has worked as a bodyguard’. Bet most employers don’t see that one too often.”
Tania had to laugh. “I’m sure they don’t,” she said as the pair entered the cafeteria.
Waving to one another, the two separated, Tania heading to her table and Nyssa to where her own friends sat. Alex and his friends were already there and Tania sat down into the chair between Alex and Madison that had obviously been left empty for her. “Just so we’re very clear on this Alexander, I want you to know that I hate you.”
Alex laughed. “I see you’ve already met some of my recruits.”
“How many people in my building do you have doing this? Nyssa told me about at least three besides herself.”
“I don’t know exact numbers. I’m guessing somewhere around twenty, probably nearer thirty,” Alex told her, unable to keep from grinning. He loved to make Tania squawk.
And squawk she did. “What? Thirty? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Nope. People are getting really enthusiastic about this. I expect a lot more recruits by the end of the day. Now I want you to behave and stay with your friends today. No trying to slip off,” Alex said in a mock-lecture, shaking his finger at her.
Tania rolled her eyes. “Yes mother.”
The others laughed and normal conversation resumed. Tania couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to sit there surrounded by her friends, talking and laughing with them, knowing they cared about her.
After an incident-free weekend, Tania, though she hated the very thought, had to admit that Alex’s plan seemed to be working. Leaving her room, Tania wondered who was going to be walking her to class today. Alex had said it’d be one of his group walking her to every class as that was the most routine part of her day and thus the most dangerous time. Looking through the window, she smiled and walked out. “Hey Ilana.”
The dryad smiled. “Morning Tania. Where am I taking you?”
“Humanities, two-thirty six. I hope this isn’t cutting into your free time or anything.”
Ilana chuckled. “It’s not. I’d just be sitting around Alex and Theron’s doing nothing. Probably end up hitting one of the boys for something.”
“Do you spend a lot of time over there?”
“Whenever I don’t have class or club stuff I’m over there. So most of my spare time. It’s not like I really have anything else to do.”
Tania frowned. “Why not go bother some of your other friends.”
“I would except there aren’t any. There’s the members of the Environmental Club but I don’t really know any of them really well.”
“Wait are you telling me the only people you hang out with is Alexander and the boys?”
Ilana smiled. “And you. And your friends a bit I guess.”
“Alright that’s it. I’m kidnapping you this Saturday. You can’t spend all your time with those boys. You’ll come with us and we’ll have a girls’ day. We’ll go get our nails done, go shopping and then sit around someone’s room and gossip. Honestly I can’t imagine how you deal with those four boys all by yourself all the time. I’d have shot one of them by now.”
The dryad laughed. “You get used to them. But a girls’ day does sound nice. If you and your friends don’t mind putting up with me.”
Tania snorted. “It’s not putting up with, it’s having fun with.”
“Thank you Tania.”
“No thanks necessary. You’re my friend. Besides you have to put up with walking me all over campus.”
“But it’s fun. Besides if I didn’t, something would happen to you and then who would I have to rescue me from the nefarious clutches of the boys?”
Now it was Tania’s turn to laugh. “I can think of several people who would enjoy being trapped in their ‘nefarious clutches’.”
“They obviously don’t know them like we do.”
“Of course. I sometimes wonder about my own sanity because despite knowing them as I do, I still hang out with them.”
“Hey that applies to me to.”
“But you being crazy is just a given. Anyone spending as much time around them as you have has got to be nuts,” Tania teased.
“You little brat!” Ilana cried, grabbing Tania and putting her in a headlock. The two struggled briefly before breaking apart and laughing. “I’ll see you later,” Ilana told her.
Waving, Tania went into her classroom, smiling.
“You’re slow.”
“Class ran long. Besides it’s your fault for waiting for me.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “You know you’re not allowed to go anywhere by yourself and so someone is going to be waiting for you.”
Tania rolled her eyes. “I still think this is overkill.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Alex replied. He’d discussed it with the others and they’d all agreed it was best not to mention to Tania the dead squirrel that had been pinned to the wall beside her window with a knife. Luckily it had been Ilana who’d seen it first and had been able to get a tree to cover it up before anyone else had seen it. This had him worried. It seemed Mara’s aggression was worsening. Heaving an inward sigh, Alex returned his attention to Tania.
“You find this fun, don’t you?”
Alex smirked, holding the door open for Tania as they exited the Humanities building. “Of course. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t for your own good.”
Tania sighed as she walked beside Alex under the cloud-filled sky. “How long do you think this’ll be necessary?”
“Depends on how stubborn, crazy and fixated Mara is. If we’re thinking optimistically, she may give up quickly, may switch targets or may just leave in which case it could be any time now. Of course if we think pessimistically, as I am, this may just strengthen her obsession and she may become fixated on you as the source of all her problems. If that happens it’ll likely be for the rest of the semester and probably the rest of the year as well.”
“The rest of the year!”
“I’m just thinking worst case scenario. She’ll likely give up before then. She’ll be frustrated for a while but once she fully realizes the fact that she can’t get anywhere near you without someone catching her at it, she should back off.” I hope, Alex thought wryly.
“Well I’m going to think optimistically because I absolutely refuse accept the fact that I’d have to be tailed for the rest of the year. It’s ridiculous.”
“Hey it’s not that bad. You get company wherever you go and in the winter you’ll like walking with Aiden. Instant warm-up.”
“Please tell me there’s other ways.”
“There are but I’m reluctant to use them this early on. I promise if she hasn’t shown any signs of backing off by Halloween I’ll try other methods but you have to be patient until then. You’re welcome to complain to me and the others all you want but don’t berate the volunteers.”
Tania stiffened. “I wouldn’t do that. They’re all helping me, someone they barely know. It would be terribly rude and ungrateful to get mad at them for it.”
Alex ruffled her hair with a smile. “Just checking. I know you’d be the last person to pull something like that but then again better safe than sorry.”
“Is that your favourite proverb or something?”
“Something like that,” Alex replied with an enigmatic smile.
“I still don’t understand you. I don’t think I ever will.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“No really, you should join. It’d be awesome!” Candice said excitedly, blue eyes alight.
Tania smiled. “I really don’t have the time and I’m really not any kind of singer.”
“You just need to practice,” Heather said.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Lynn wheedled.
Shaking her head, Tania caught sight of a familiar figure approaching through the shadows and waved him over.
Alex grinned when he saw Tania and the group surrounding her. “Good evening ladies. Thank you for watching Tania for me,” He told them, using his most charming smile.
The three girls practically melted at his feet. “I-It was nothing,” Candice stammered.
“Uh, we’ll see you later,” Heather said.
Lynn just nodded dumbly and the three ran off in the opposite direction.
Tania glared at Alex, hands on her hips. “Did you have to do that to them? Is it some sort of requirement for you to attempt to charm everyone you meet?”
“No. It’s just fun. Besides charming people are required to charm people” Alex replied.
Tania rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go. I have homework to do.”
Laughing, Alex followed her onto the now so familiar path that led to her residence. “Oh I almost forgot,” Alex said grabbing Tania’s arm to stop her. “This is for you.” Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a black ribbon on which a key was tied which he dropped over Tania’s head.
Looking at the key, Tania frowned. “What’s it for?”
“It’s a key to Theron and my’s apartment. Just in case, for whatever reason, you need to get in and no one’s there.”
“It’s really not necessary. I doubt I’ll be over there if you guys aren’t.”
Alex shrugged. “The others all have keys and I thought I’d better give you one as well. If something happens and none of us are around, you can hide in the apartment. Anyone trying to force their way in are going to have a nasty time of it.”
Tania shook her head and tucked the key into her sweater. “I have a feeling I don’t want to know why anyone would be having a nasty time trying to break into your guys’ place.”
“I think it’s pretty funny.”
“You would,” Tania replied darkly.
“The others find it funny as well.”
“But they’ve spent so much time around you that they’ve become corrupted.”
“They were mostly like that before they met me.”
“Mostly being the operative word.”
“Well I may have done a little,” Alex admitted, grinning.
“More than a little I’m sure.”
“You always think the worst of me,” the vampire complained.
“That’s because you’re always doing things that annoy me. I have to be on my guard or I’ll really freak out.”
“That’d be pretty funny.”
“My point exactly.”
Alex threw his head back and laughed. The moonlight streaming down through the trees reflected off his black eyes, making them glow silver. He grinned down at Tania, his whole face alight with amusement mixed with moonlight. “It’s all in fun. I’m not really serious. Most of the time.”
“It’s not most of the time that I’m worried about.”
Laughing again, Alex led the way into the circle of yellow light that marked the perimeter of Tania’s residence at night. “Remember,” Alex began and Tania joined in. “Don’t go anywhere by yourself.”
Grinning, Alex ruffled her hair. “Just reminding you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Tania.”
“Goodnight Alexander.”
“Hey Tania.”
“Afternoon Tania.”
“Not dead yet, eh Tania?”
Chuckling, the black-haired girl took her usual seat in Art and Architecture. “No. Somehow I managed to get through another day without dying. I know you’re all disappointed.”
Sean flashed a grin at her. “Disappointed? Why would we be disappointed? There’s still plenty of weeks left in the semester so you still have lots of opportunities left.”
Angela elbowed Sean in the side. “Behave,” She told him.
“Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise.” Evan laughed.
The brown-haired girl gestured rudely in Evan’s direction and this time the whole class laughed. Tania couldn’t help but smile as the others took their seats as their prof entered. As much as it irked her, Alexander had been right. She was making more friends through the whole bodyguarding business. Everyone in her classes now knew who she was even if they weren’t members of the guard squad. People just started talking to her now and Tania found her classes a great deal more fun as a result.
Tania turned and waved goodbye to the group of girls who’d waited with her, before running to catch up to Alex. “So when are you going to call an end to this guarding nonsense?”
“When we’re certain she’s given up.”
“It’s been days and I haven’t seen so much as a glimpse of her. I think we’re in the clear.”
Alex shook his head. “Not seeing her is no proof that she’s finished. In fact it’s a bit worrying.” Not to mention You’re Dead Bitch being written beside your window in animal blood. I’m glad we started the early morning check for that kind of thing. It’d have been hard to explain to the authorities. Alex continued “She should have at least made an attempt even with the bodyguards. It makes me think she’s planning something.”
“Are you always this paranoid?”
“This is serious. Making a mistake could very well land you in the hospital if not the morgue.”
“I’m glad you have such a cheerful and happy outlook on life.”
“If I want that I’ll come talk to you.”
“It’s not my fault you’re so pessimistic. And just because she hasn’t appeared doesn’t mean she’s planning something. This might be her way of giving up.”
“In my experience that is rarely the case.”
“Oh and I’m sure you have lots of experience in this kind of thing,” Tania replied sarcastically.
“Enough. I have enough experience to know what to predict.”
Tania stopped and stared at him. He sounded…bitter. That’s not like him, Tania thought worriedly. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. “What happened?”
Alex looked at her, eyes invisible in the darkness. “It’s…nothing. Don’t worry about it,” He said, turning away.
“But…”
He cut her off. “It’s an old problem of mine, one you don’t need to concern yourself with.”
“If I can help…”
“You can’t. No one can. Let’s just drop it.”
“Ok,” Tania replied before linking her arm with his. He sounds so lonely and pained. I never thought he’d have anything like this weighing him down, she thought as she began swinging their joined arms.
Alex laughed at this. “You’re just like a little kid,” He said as he used his free arm to tousle her head.
Tania let him do it. “I am not. It’s called being playful.”
“I think childish is the better word.”
She made a face. “Is not.”
“Starting an ‘is not, is too’ fight merely proves my point.”
“I hate you.”
Alex grinned. “I know.”
Tania made a rude gesture before running off down the path. Laughing, Alex chased after her all the way to Tania’s residence.
After another Friday night spent at Alex and Theron’s, Tania began the trek home with Ilana, both of them belting out the lyrics to the Ghostbusters theme song. Halfway through the pair dissolved into laughter.
“So come meet us at the bus station around eleven-ish,” Tania told Ilana. “The movie starts at quarter to one, so we should get there in plenty of time.”
The dryad smiled. “Alright. Thanks again Tania.”
Tania flapped her hands at her. “Don’t thank me. It’s going to be a lot of fun for us too. We’ll corrupt you, make you super girly and mess with the boys’ heads.”
Ilana laughed. “That’ll be the icing on the cake.”
“Damn straight and it’ll serve them right for teasing us all the time.”
“This is going to be awesome.”
Tania laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” She said, climbing the stairs up to the door.
“Tomorrow,” Ilana promised.
Waving, Tania let herself inside.
Tania woke up all at once and froze where she lay in her bed. Again she heard a soft scraping sound coming from the other side of her door. Sitting up slowly, she scanned her dark room, looking for anything amiss. In the darkness all she could make out were the big bulky shadows of her dresser and desk and the smaller shadows of her discarded housecoat and jacket. When she heard the sound for the third time, she quietly reached out, grabbed her purse and as silently as she could manage, unzipped it.
Hearing the door to her room open and shut quickly, Tania began frantically rummaging in her purse, all concern with being quiet gone. A shadow suddenly appeared beside her bed, causing Tania to jerk backwards into her pillows.
“You’re really are stupid, aren’t you?” The figure asked.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Tania replied, heart beginning to race.
“You should have listened to me,” Mara continued as if Tania hadn’t spoken. “You should have stayed away from him but instead you clung to him like the little skank you are.”
“Mara, I think you should leave and…”
“You shut up!” The girl screeched. “This is all your fault! Once you’re gone everything will be the way it should be.”
Now Tania saw the knife Mara was holding and paled. “Let’s talk about this calmly so…”
“We’re done talking,” Mara hissed. “We were done talking when you ignored my warnings. You’re going to die right now!”
With those last words, Mara launched herself towards Tania, the hand holding the knife leading. Tania brought her right hand up and pushed down hard on the button of her pepper spray, before rolling off her bed. With a shriek, Mara jumped backward and landed crouched down, using her free hand to wipe away her streaming eyes. “You bitch!” She screamed.
Tania didn’t waste any time. She raced out of her residence, still clutching her bottle of pepper spray, passing several people who’d come to see what all the noise was about. She burst out the doors and flew down the stairs, hearing people beginning to shout behind her and then more ominously, the howl of some kind of canine. If she’s a were, there’s no way I can outrun her, Tania thought, looking around the empty campus desperately. Her gaze lit on one of the larger trees out front and she bolted towards that promise of a safe haven.
Scrambling up the tree, Tania didn’t stop until she’d reached the middle of the tree and from there she looked down just in time to see a large dog-type creature jump up and attempt to catch hold of the lowest branch. From where she clung to the tree’s trunk, Tania could almost believe the branch moved out of the way of the were-animal.
Howling again, Mara returned to her human form and tried to grab the tree limb again and again the branch moved away, this time Tania was certain of it. “You whore!” Mara roared, brandishing her knife which flashed under the light of the quarter moon. “I’m going to kill you the second you come down here!”
“Then I’m not coming down.”
“You can’t stay up there forever and when you touch the ground I’ll cut you up!”
“Cops’ll be here way before I have to come down.”
“I’ll kill you from here then,” Mara screeched, pulling her arm back, ready to throw the knife.
“Somehow I doubt that,” A new voice remarked.
Tania turned and sighed with relief at what she saw. Alex stood on the little hill to the left of them, flanked on either side by his friends. “You have two choices as I see it Mara. One, you drop the knife and either wait for the police to show up or make a run for it. Two, you persist in threatening Tania and we take you down ourselves,” Alex hissed the last bit.
“Option one is safer for you but option two is more fun for us,” Theron rumbled, a harsh grin spread across his face.
Mara took a step backwards, clutching the knife to her chest as she stared at the group. “I…” She took another step backwards. “I…” Suddenly she whirled about, dropped the knife and sprinted across the residence quad, finally disappearing into the forest on the far side.
Alex nodded once to Theron, whose grin widened before he loped off after Mara. “You can come down now,” Ilana called out.
Tania nodded and began her slow descent. The last thing she wanted was to fall out of a tree and break something after all this. As she climbed down, the branches kept moving in ways that eased her descent, the lowest branch actually touched the ground as it lowered so she didn’t have to jump. As soon as she was down, the tree straightened and returned to its earlier position and not a moment too soon. They heard people shouting and they saw several figures run out of Tania’s residence and head their way.
“Before they get here I have one question for you Tania,” Alex said.
“What?”
“Why in the name of God didn’t you call for help?” He snapped.
“I…oh. I forgot,” Tania admitted, shamefaced.
“You…I…”
Ilana put a hand on his arm. “Enough Alex. Everything turned out alright,” she told him before smiling at Tania. “That was a smart thing, climbing the tree.”
“Why was it moving?”
Alex snorted. “And once again she proves she has no idea what she’s doing.”
“I’m dryad remember? My tree may be gone but I can talk to the others. As soon as you touched the tree I was told. I asked the tree to keep anyone else from climbing it which is why Mara couldn’t get up.”
Tania was about to reply but the first of the people from her residence finally reached them. It’s was Nyssa. “Oh my god Tania! Are you ok? She didn’t hurt you did she? I called Security and the cops. They should be here soon. She had a knife! I saw it. Did she get away?”
Kayne appeared to be impressed at the speed in which Nyssa said all this. Tania smiled and replied “I’m fine. She ran off into the forest.”
“Theron went after her,” Alex added.
At this point several other people arrived and soon Tania found herself at the centre of a loud and angry crowd. It was like someone had kicked a beehive, the way people kept boiling out of their buildings to join the buzzing assembly, all of them centred about Tania, as if she was the queen bee herself. Eventually Security arrived and began trying to disperse the mob. It wasn’t until the police arrived that anyone actually left and it was with great reluctance that they did so. Finally it was only Tania, Alex, Ilana, Kayne, Aiden, Nyssa and Tania’s RA, Melissa left.
“We were called about an assault of some sort,” The lead officer said.
“That’d have been Mara. She was trying to kill Tania and she had a knife and everything and…” Nyssa was cut off by Melissa laying a hand on her shoulder.
“Mara got into our residence and then proceeded to break into Tania’s room. I was woken up when I heard the shouting coming from the room. When I came out into the hall, I saw Tania run by and a short while later Mara followed. She was carrying a knife at the time and was screaming about how she was going to kill Tania.” Melissa said quietly and calmly.
“Thanks you,” The officer said before turning over to where Tania and the others stood. “Which one of you is Tania?”
“I am,” The black-haired girl replied.
“Was this the first time you’d been attacked by this Mara?”
“It was the first time she attacked me with a knife.”
“Mara has been harassing Tania for a while now. This is the second time she’s tried to kill her that we know of,” Alex said.
Tania glared at him but remained silent.
“Second attempt on her life?” The officer asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She was pushed down a long flight of stairs by Mara earlier,” Alex answered, tilting his chin up, challenging the officer to dismiss it.
“And this wasn’t reported to the police?”
“No. Tania didn’t tell us about it either until after she was nearly killed.”
“Alexander, shut up,” Tania snapped.
The officer continued to jot things down into his little notebook. “Now where has this Mara character gone?”
Tania pointed to the forest where they’d seen her disappear. “She ran in there.”
“Theron went after her. He’ll bring her in if he can catch her,” Alex added.
“Who is Theron?”
“One of our friends,” Alex replied.
“And he went to apprehend the suspect?”
Alex shrugged. “If he can catch her. She had a head start.”
“You should leave catching suspects to the pros.”
“I did.”
The officer gave Alex a stern look before turning to Tania. “Now I want you to describe what happened. Take as much time as you need,” he said kindly.
With a final glare at Alex, Tania explained the events that had ended with the arrival of Alex and the others, leaving out only the facts that had to do with Mara not being human.