“What’s happened?” he asked before it became plainlyobvious.
There in thehallway stood both Crispin and Dorian. Both were semi-dressed likehimself, wearing only pyjama bottoms, looking quite freaked out.Cowering in the corner in front of them, completely petrified wasthe girl from the front porch.
“Damn it, what are you two up to?” Kell scoffed, pushing pastthem, moving towards the terrified girl.
“Nothing!” Crispin responded indignantly. “I merely got up totake a piss. How was I supposed to know that she was in there?”
“He’s right, Kell. It’s not his fault,” Dorian said, backing uphis distraught friend.
“See, this is exactly why shecannot stay here!” Crispin said with his chin updefiantly.
“For God’s sake! Can’t you see you’re scaring her?” Kell spat,shaking his head. “Now back off and leave her to me.” Taking pityon the diminutive girl, he knelt down slowly by her side. “What’swrong with you two? It’s not like you’ve never been aroundwomen.”
“Like you’re some kind of expert!” Crispin snarked.
“Hey… you’re all right, love,” Kell said, ignoring Crispin’sremark. “It’s Becky right?”
Becky’s heartraced in her chest. Imagine her shock, having woken up in a strangebed, not knowing how she had gotten there. When she had gathered upthe courage to investigate her situation, she realized that sheneeded to pee before she could do anything else. She managed tostumble her way in the dark and find the bathroom.
She had justfinished taking care of business when the door was abruptly flungopen to reveal to her one of the oddest looking creatures she hadever seen.
***
“What the… fuck!” he gasped, just as shocked as she.
Literallyjumping off the toilet and staring wide-eyed at the ghostlyapparition, Becky let out a blood-curdling scream. Reacting purelyon instinct, she bolted. Using all of her might, she pushed by him,consequently crashing into a second wraith-like creature.
Though judgingfrom the force of the impact into a solid mass of muscle and bone,she came quickly to the conclusion that these apparitions were notghosts at all, but two very real men.
“Holy shit, Crispin, what did you do to her?” In reaction,Dorian caught her by the shoulders, but when she screamed again, heinstantly let her go.
“Me? Nothing! Aw, fuck, here he comes.”
In theterrifying moments that followed, all kinds of scenarios racedthrough Becky’s imagination. That she had been drugged, kidnappedand taken as a sex slave was the most vivid in the forefront of hermind.
No, it couldn’thappen like this. She would end up another statistic of frat houseviolence. The saddest part would be that no one would notice hermissing from her dorm. No one would care to look for her. Not untilit was too late. How many unanswered calls from Granny would ittake for the poor old lady to realize something was wrong? Oh, theguilt. Poor Granny would be devastated. She would blameherself.
Then a thirdlooming figure appeared. She was doomed. She could never outrunthem all. Overwhelmed, Becky fell to the floor and cowered into thecorner, frozen with fear.
“Hey… you’re okay,” Kell said, attempting to reach her, if onlyto remove her hands from her face.
“Nooo…!” Becky screamed, swatting him away. He backed offimmediately, holding his hands up in surrender.
“Uh huh, nice to see you haven’t lost the touch, Kell.” Crispinchuckled over his shoulder.
Kell? Had she just heard him right?Suddenly, she remembered. She had dragged her suitcase all the wayhere, earlier that afternoon. She had knocked on the door but noone was home. She couldn’t possibly go back to the dorm. Life wasunbearable there. Too tired to think, she had slumped onto thecouch on the porch for a much-needed rest. She must have fallenasleep.
“Turn the lights on, would you?” Kell barked in frustration.“She probably doesn’t know where she is.”
“Right, that must be it,” Dorian said, flicking the lightswitch.
“Becky, Rebecca?” Kell repeated, using his most non-threateningvoice.
“Kelley?” She sheepishly brushed her dishevelled hair from herface, wiped away at her tears and looked up at him. “It’s you.” Shebreathed a ragged sigh of relief. Her large liquid green eyesdarted furtively over his shoulder at Crispin and Dorian. Sherecognized them now. They were Kelley’s friends from the diner theother day. They must live here too. Of course, suddenly it all madesense. They were housemates.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said with relief, realizing that shehad finally come around.
“Kelley…” she repeated just to be sure.
“Yes, he’s Kelley, I’m Crispin and this is Dorian,” Crispinspat mockingly. “You are?”
“I said back off, didn’t I?” Kell growled.
Startlingslightly at the venom in Crispin’s voice, Becky took comfort in thefact that Kelley was crouched before her, the wide breadth of hislong legs cradling her, his broad shoulders shielding her from thedaggers in Crispin’s eyes.
“B-Becky,” she stammered, taking them all in best she could inthe dimly-lit hallway. Aside from the scowl, Crispin was strikinglyhandsome if not a tad feminine in appearance. He had long wavyblack hair similar to Kell’s, but he wasn’t quite as tall orsolidly built. He was more willowy and slender in stature but veryattractive nevertheless. Dorian was something else altogether. Hewas quite muscular but without unnecessary bulk of a body builder.His head was shaved on both sides and he had a big messy mohawk ofsorts, inky black, of course. He was covered in an array of tattoosand had a few interesting piercings here and there. He had angularfeatures, boyish, and rugged. He was quite handsome in his ownway.
All three ofthem were shirtless and very distractingly so. Averting her eyesfrom all those well-formed pectorals, biceps, and six packs, Beckyfocused on Kelley’s concerned face instead.
“You okay now?” Dorian asked, peeking in over Kelley’sshoulder. “We didn’t mean to scare you. Mind you, I think you gaveus quite the fright? Isn’t that right, Crispin?”
“Right… some nerve,” Crispin bit out. “Suddenly a guy can’teven take a piss in peace. Why exactly are you here,Becky?”
Kell sighed,resting his chin in his hand, his elbow on his bent knee. “Perhapswe should all just go back to bed, and deal with this in themorning.”
“I knocked… but no one answered,” she started to explain asKell helped her up.
“We weren’t expecting you,” he simply said, leading her backinto her room. Curious, Crispin and Dorian followed,
