It didn’t take long enough to make it to css. I got stopped four times. Four! Why the hell did those freaks go after me?! The first was a rge wolf eared guy, his skin was an ashen bck and had rge muscles. He was like some weird hybrid of an olympic distance jumper and a disc thrower, lean torso and bulky arms and legs. He snarled at me but it just looked like some weird angry handsome guy. He jumped at me but I just fpped my wings and he……………. Flew, up then fell down……… from the ceiling…at the end of the hall.

  I wasn’t even a quarter of the way down that same hall when a slime rolled out in front of me. It was a nice gssy blue, its body wobbled and jiggled like a fruit cake when a part of it turned into a hand with four fingers. A hand the size of a three foot shelf. He shouted in what sounded like a dark knight of space, deep and echoey.

  “Thou shan’t pass! For I, the grand Blue, Hermes will fell you!” It announced in a poorly accented middle ages voice.

  I stared at it as its hand formed into a nce that looked like a pig tail grew behind the slime. It leaned back on the tail like a spring trying to build tension. But already in a rush, I sped walked past it.

  “Hold up! I haven’t even attacked yet! You can’t igno-” It shouted but I already rushed past far enough that the crowd lining the walls quickly closed in on it. Cutting it off from chasing me. Followed by a wet squishy sound.

  “My mistress!” An Oni jumped out in front of me as I turned the corner. He quickly fell to his knees, looking up at me with pleading eyes. “Beg you! Please let me become part of your future harem! I promise I will make an amazing carpet!” Oh great! It was that creep.

  “What an insult.” “Such a male isn’t fit to grace our dragoness.” “Why does this dirt still go here?”

  Those comments caught me off guard, looking around, the hall was mostly mia. They stood as a wall of crossed arms, clenched fists and angrily smming tails. Each one gring in some level of disgust, frustration and few looked like they wanted to puke. Sadly for them and me, their harsh words only brought a quivering smile to the Oni’s face.

  “Hehe~. Your followers’ thorny words are unworthy of me~!” He happily giggled. The guy even huffed air out his mouth like he just ran a full three miles without stopping.

  I gred at him and moved to walk past him but a tentacle wrapped around him like he was rolled up in a rug. It then dragged him into the crowd while he cried mistress. The one that did that was one of those octogirls who sat a good head taller than me. She bowed her head, trying to hide a nervous look as the mia’s gres snapped to her. Looking her up and down like she was a cheeky little shit.

  “Forgive my stupid friend…..Please.” She begged.

  “Wait! Nooo-my Mistress! I lov-AHAHAH!” The Oni began only to be forcibly stretched out by the girl’s tentacle. As he shouted, her tentacle shifted until one of its suckers csped over his mouth with a wet, gooey kissing sound.

  I stared at his wriggling form with a frown. Hopefully she never lets him go. I looked back at her. “Just keep……that person on a short leash……. Far away from me.” I said almost in a deadpan voice. The nearby mia clicked their tongues and a few even nodded at the octo-girl.

  I turned and walked away with wider, quicker steps. If I’m lucky that girl will solve his horrid needs. If not then hopefully asking a teacher to step in wil-

  “Hey bitch. Was hoping you’d pass by here. Heh-ha.” Came an oddly brutish voice. And it came from a minotaur just reaching six feet but not quite yet. Weirdly enough, she wore a blue flower in her blonde hair and a nice pale gray pleated skirt and puffy sleeved shirt. If anything she looked like a cute princess with her curled hair and flower neckce.

  And just like that every mia’s head snapped to face her like lions to fresh meat.

  Great! Another one! What’s next? A whole gang? A club and their parents? Should I bring a spray bottle and squirt them every time one approaches me?! I stared at her as I considered how’d this stupid dance would go. Luckily like the others, she lowered her head and looked away.

  I moved closer, just enough to swat her with a wing if she tried anything.

  She stepped back at this. “I-I…uh…..” Her eyes started to water as she stared at a poster with a wolf eared guy in ripped up clothes and a guitar.

  I could be mean, could even be a jerk and it wasn’t wrong to consider with being called a bitch. “What do you want?” I settled for mild annoyance. Turn that inch into a mile. Girls can hit girls after all.

  “Pl-please! Don’t hurt me!” She quickly held up a folded paper with her shaking hand.

  I stepped forward, she flinched, I took the paper and she darted back into the crowd, pushed her way through and ran into a restroom. I sighed, putting the paper in a pocket and moving on. I probably made her shit herself…… I should be happy but really, I just felt worse.

  Even with several of the mia nodding approvingly didn’t do anything for me. Sure, an ass should be fed their crap. Jerks and power crazed morons should be shown their pce, it’s the nguage they speak. But being an ass to every little annoyance? That’s not what I want to go back to.

  I shuffled into my css while I worried about skeletons sneaking back into my life. I didn’t really pay attention to anyone I passed. Ignoring Penny and Jean waving at me, ignored Mr. Minnow when he wrote something on the board. I just moved to my desk and sat down.

  I’m not dead or dying. Nothing that drastic. Just………. Am I…? Should I be just living out other Oliver’s life like he did? Am I just retracing old steps just in scales?

  I shook my head. No…. if that were the case then my friends wouldn’t be so surprised about things. I’m just nervous. Win or lose…. Will I be left alone, will my friends be fine? What did Mark get himself into? Will I get past the problem or is it one that changes things?

  Maybe I should ju-

  “Oliver?!” Mr. Minnow called.

  “Huh? Uh, I'm sorry, what was that?” I looked up at him.

  “I asked if you saw Belle today!” He repeated. I looked around, the css was full but Belle was nowhere to be seen. Not an ear, tail or sparkle of his eye hidden anywhere.

  “No. I haven’t seen him since yesterday.” I said after a moment of confusion.

  “Absent it is!” He quickly tapped his tablet before calling out another name.

  Is he sick? Or just really te? I checked my phone. Nope no messages from him and none from Mark. I’ll call him after school if he doesn’t show. If he’s too sick then I might have to rethink our project. Probably need a new group if that’s the case.

  I looked over at Emily who was chewing on her knuckle as she stared at Jean like he was a box of donuts. Her pupils would shrink then grow as she looked at his arm, neck and his chin. Steph on the other hand was pulling out a white medicine bottle from her bag, shook it over her hand and out popped a small pink ball. She quickly inched it near Emily’s mouth but in her crazed state, she jerked away, taking the desk with her. It was then I realized that she had the leg of her desk firmly squeezed between her thighs.

  It was when she moved her head away for a second time that I got up and casually walked over.

  “Hey, are you guys doing ok?” I half whispered.

  “I wonder how those muscles feel under that smooth and salty surface. What was it called again? Epidermis-yahssss-skiiiinnnnn~. I could use that neck as a cup~. HmMm!” Emily muttered to herself while taking deep sniffs like he was hot pie.

  “Hey Oliver. I’m just trying to calm her- down!” Steph moved her hand and Emily leaned to the side, dodging the medicine. “Grhhhhh…. For some reason she came to school without her patch on.” She shot her hand out and Emily headbutted it with her forehead. “Ow!” Steph rubbed her fingers. “Guess I don’t need to worry if she’s becoming a decrowned. Ow.”

  I looked over at her forehead and sure enough, peeking under her bangs were little skin colored nubs. Though they looked a little wider than a normal succubus’ marker thick horns. Maybe they’re just building up fat like a baby before shooting out?

  Steph tried to get her to eat the medicine but she ducked, almost hitting her hand again. “I can’t give up noooOw.” Emily whined before dodging another attempt.

  Turned to see if Mr. Minnow was staring but he was busy, snout first in his book. The words, ‘project time’ written on the board. Turning back, I saw Steph try to coil her tail around Emily, only for her to poke between the tail’s underbelly and top scales.

  “Aah!” Steph squeaked as her shoulders shot upward. That got a few cssmates to look up at her. Onyx began to raise his hands, ready to cheer when Penny poked his neck and shoulder. He quickly fell face first into his desk, his unaffected left arm waving in frustration.

  After that, Steph coiled around herself and tried to hide her reddening face behind her shoulders. “All scales hold sweet candy.” Emily muttered.

  “Emily?” I waved a hand in front of her, her pupils grew huge as she started to follow it. She began to reach for it, instantly snatching my hand between her’s. She looked at it, her eyes following the curve of my pointer cw to its tip, they slowly traveled up my finger to my palm and then my arm.

  While she was distracted I motioned my head at Emily for Steph to act but she watched Emily with wide eyes. I looked back and saw she brought her face a mere inch or two away from my hand while her thumbs tried to smooth out my palm scales. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, holding my hand close. The hell is she doing? Is she smelling the handwash? I didn’t grab something covered in shit did I?!

  “Smells….” She said after a moment. “Sweet…and soft……like melting ice cream……too sweet.” Her eyes slowly traveled up my arm, paused at my neck before she finally met my eyes. “You’re not seeing Kathy probl-” She began with a curious voice but it was at that moment that Steph put the medicine ball in her mouth.

  “What was that?” I asked, pulling my hand away.

  “I guess she was curious about you?” Steph said as she held her hands over Emily’s mouth.

  “What? No- I meant…” I eyed Emily, into the yawning darkness of her eyes. There I saw a faint glow like a dying lightbulb, fading in and out. She blinked and her eyes were back to normal. “Uh…”

  Emily stopped struggling and seemed more rexed. After a few more seconds, Steph let go of her. “Sorry about that.” She looked at her notebook and cringed at the anatomical drawing of a man, ying on his side and hiding his privates with a hand. She took out her wand and started reciting some script and with a white glow, the drawing disappeared as if no one even touched the paper before. “Such a waste…” She sighed.

  “Emily, why weren’t you wearing your patch? Did something happen?” Steph asked, her tail coiling around her.

  “I- uh, my cousin said I could speed up my training if I went a full day without the medicine.” She stared at her notebook with a gre.

  “What!? Anna?” Steph’s face twisted like she wanted to vomit. “Emily…” Steph hugged Emily, rubbing her back, Emily leaned into her while still staring at her notebook.

  My face hardened at that sight. I shook my head and turned around, leaving them to their thing. I sat back on my desk and just watched the ceiling. Smooth, not a single thing out of pce, no cracks. Just normal. Even the walls here didn’t seem weird or out of pce, no magic portals or moving images. Just shelves, books and posters. I looked over at Emily, she was back to writing in her book, her face looked focused but every now and then, she’d look away.

  What was going on? Why did you act like that? Is there something that I’m not aware of at home?

  Why did you say that?

  Beware reading perfection