Prelude:

      Once upon a time, a man crept through a hospital.  He pursued a 
custom that was ancient before humans first learned to build houses of 
stone and scratch meaningful squiggles into clay tablets.  He carried a 
basket with a baby in it.  Slipping into the hospital nursery, he looked 
around the room.  Which one should I take, he wondered.  Blasted Fall 
People, he thought.  They WOULD have to stop making it easy to tell 
people's social status by their surroundings...what if my charge ends up 
with some poor beggar family?  The Queen will be quite annoyed.  

      Well, no better way to choose than this...He took out his favorite 
feather and tossed it into the air.  It drifted on the air currents, then 
finally settled down onto one baby near the wall.  Right.  That's the 
one.  He put the baby in his charge into the crib and popped that baby 
into the basket.  A little glamour insured no one would be able to tell 
the difference.  Now I have to go deliver the rest of this lot...

     The nurse on duty blinked as she looked up and saw a man appear to 
step into one of the windows of the nursery and vanish.  She put down her 
coffee.  This is the last time I have a cappucino after midnight, she 
decided.

     She got up and went to check the babies, just to be sure. They were 
all there, and thank God, they were ALL still asleep.  She shook her
head.  I must be seeing things.  He couldn't get out through the
window...they don't open, and he should have been right in front of
me...and how would he have gotten in?  I hate these late shifts, 
she thought.  

*************************************************************************

The Summer People:

Episode 1:  "First Contact ^_^ "

by John Biles

****************************************************************************

Harry said:

     I was hanging out at Angel and Tanya's room, waiting for Angel to 
get back from the library so we could go get some dinner.  Tanya and I 
were listening to her Enya CD and discussing what we'd do in Angel's D&D 
campaign this Saturday.  They have a big bedroom, with two desks, their 
beds, and a ton of posters everywhere.  The TV used to live on Tanya's 
desk, but they exiled it to the living room.  I was sprawled out on 
Angel's bed, while Tanya was perched up on her desk.

      Tanya's an old friend of mine from high school.  She introduced me 
to Angel, in fact.  As usual, she was wearing a green blouse and blue 
jeans.  She has long blonde hair, lavender eyes, and one of the best 
bodies I've ever seen.  I've never seen anyone else with eyes like 
hers.  They're beautiful...heck, she's beautiful.  I had a crush on 
her for years...okay, I'm not exactly over it, either.  I just can't get 
her out of my head.  The fact that she actually likes me just blows me 
away.  Of course, I knew her when she looked more like a boy than I do, 
so that helps.  We grew up together.  I think she knows how I feel about 
her.  That's one reason she hooked me up with Angel, I think.  I still 
find myself hanging on her sometimes.

      Tanya said, "So, Harry, we have to find the lich-king's staff, right?  
And destroy it so he can be killed?"

      I nodded.  "That's right.  Now I was talking to Angel last night 
and she slipped up and told me that the staff is in the lair of that 
dragon, Morgon."

      She laughed.  "The one we ran away from when were were third level?"

      I nodded.  "You know the way she plans EVERYTHING in advance.  She 
probably had this planned from that point on."

      "Knowing her, she probably planned this in the eighth grade, then 
forgot WHEN she was going to do it."  She laughed and so did I.

      Suddenly, the door of the dorm room flew open and Angel sprinted 
in.  She dumped her bookbag, saw me, and ran over to me, hurling herself 
at me.  I whacked my head on the wall as she slammed into me.  I blinked, 
wondering if she wanted to wrestle or something, then realized she was 
crying.  "Angel, what's wrong?"

      "This nutcase with a sword tried to kill me!!!!"

*************************************************************************

Angel Said:

     The library doors banged shut behind me.  I don't know why, but I 
can't seem to get out of the library without the doors slamming 
themselves.  Maybe I'm special.  I sprinted down the steps, despite the 
fact that this caused my bookbag to slam into my leg every few seconds, 
because I wanted to get back to the dorm in time for Star Trek.  

     After sprinting halfway across campus, I promptly realized that Star 
Trek wasn't on until nine that night, so I was running for nothing.  I 
sighed.  Keeping track of when things happen isn't my strong point.  I 
try to plan ahead so I won't miss things, then I end up getting my plans 
scrambled.  I walked more slowly, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze 
blowing around me.  There were leaves on the ground as I passed by the 
parking garage, and the wind was stirring them into little squalls 
around my feet.

      A mental image struck me and I closed my eyes.  In my mind, I could 
feel the wind picking up, the leaves sweeping around me like a storm, in 
the twilight of the setting sun.  I opened my eyes, and to my surprise, 
the wind WAS picking up, and the leaves were swirling around me.  It was 
scary and exhilarating at the same time.  I laughed, dropping my book bag 
and luxuriated for a moment in pretending I was actually causing this.  

     It was a wonderful feeling.  I feel so powerless sometimes...It's 
nice to have power even if it is imaginary power.  My reverie came to an 
end when a voice spoke to me.  "So, you are the one."

     It was a woman's voice, clear and harsh.  I opened my eyes and saw 
the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.  She made me feel like a slug 
just by existing.  Her hair was long and pure white, going down to 
mid-back.  It was gathered up in one of those women's renaissance jeweled 
hats like you always saw Anne Boleyn wearing. Her green eyes stared at me 
like I was a specimen on a slide.  Her ears were somewhat pointed and 
slanted back at an odd angle.   Her beauty was stunning, perfect like an 
ice sculpture and just as cold.  She wore blue and black clothing, 
garbed like a Renaissance queen.  I wondered for a moment if she was in 
the Society for Creative Anachronism.  I'd like to join that, but I
don't have time.   

      The wind died down and I spoke.  "The one?  The one what?"

      "The one I must kill."

      Not SCA.  I don't think they're normally homocidal.  I started 
backing up.  "Uhh...kill?"

      She gestured and a sword of ice appeared in her hands.  "I've been 
looking for you for a long time, Flamehair."

      I instinctively reached up and pulled down a lock of my hair where 
I could see it.  Yep.  Still a boring, mousy brown.  "Umm...my hair is 
brown."

      She laughed and stepped closer.  "Don't play games with me.  You 
must be the one.  Now drop that mortal visage and face me."

      Definitely a nutcase.  Who the heck does she think I am?  I wished 
desperately that I had my fencing equipment, but since class is on MWF, 
and this is Tuesday, no such luck.  "I don't...I don't have my sword with 
me."  I looked around.  NO ONE in sight.  Where the heck is everyone?  
Where's a campus cop when you NEED one.  

      She blinked.  "Well, that will just make my job easier.  Very 
foolish of you."

      "Why do you think I'm this Flamehair person?"

      "Who else could you be?"  She lunged forward, and I backpedalled.  
I didn't want to turn and run...the distance to the nearest building was 
too far. I'm a good runner, but I didn't want to risk being stabbed in 
the back.  

      "My name is Angela Bedos-Rezak, not FLAMEHAIR, for one THING!  
I'm a college student, not a...whatever you are."  She was good.  I could 
see from the way she handled her sword, she knew what she was doing.  It 
was made of some kind of white metal, with a blue haft.  The blade was 
thin, but not quite thin enough to be a rapier.

      The problem with backpedalling is you trip over things.  I did.  A 
tree root snagged my foot and I toppled.  She laughed.  "I'd almost think 
you weren't Flamehair from the way you're acting."

      "I'm not, you IDIOT!"  I shouted.  This must be a bad pizza-induced 
nightmare.

      A voice spoke from nearby.  "She's not."  I turned and looked.  It 
was another beautiful person. This one was male, though.  He looked like 
a statue of a Greek god come to life, except with CLOTHING.  He too wore 
Renaissance style garb, coat, tights, and all, complete with a funky hat 
over his short red hair and hazel eyes.  "I'm Flamehair.  Can't you tell 
she's female, Splinter?"

     Splinter slapped her forehead.  "I meant Aquamarine...This isn't my 
day."  

     He laughed.  "Getting senile in your old age?"  His voice was 
lyrical.  I felt like I could listen to it happily forever.  Looking at 
him forever wouldn't be too bad either.  "She's not Aquamarine, either."

     "But..she..."

     "Since when was a strong wind and leaves a sign of being one of the 
Summer People, Splinter?"

     "She was making the wind!"

     "Aquamarine has power over water, not wind."

     Splinter paused.  "Well, I'll kill you instead, then!"

     He sighed.  "Whatever.  This is not your time.  Samhain has not yet 
come."

     "Neither will you withdraw as you should.  I have as much right to 
be here as you will in a month."

     I decided it was time to get the hell out of Dodge, so to speak.  I 
started trying to circle around to my bookbag.  I'd abandon it if I had 
to, but I REALLY didn't want to lose it unless I must.

     They had come to blows by the time I reached it.  They were both 
good swordfighters.  They danced about in a blurry of stroke, 
counterstroke, and parries.  I grabbed my bookbag and ran, hoping I would 
never see them again, no matter how good looking the guy was...I didn't 
need nutcases in my life.  I didn't know what was going on, and didn't 
want to know.  As with many of my wishes, this one didn't come true either...

**************************************************************************

Harry said:

      I wasn't sure what to say.  Angel would never make up something 
like that.  On the other hand, it sounded completely insane.  I glanced 
over at Tanya.  She had gotten off the desk and come over to us.  She sat 
down on the bed by me, reached over, and hugged Angel.  "Don't worry.  
You're safe now.  We won't let anything happen to you."  She gave me that 
look I knew so well that says, 'Back me up, bucko.'

      "Don't worry.  We'll call the campus police and tell them about 
those nuts.  They'll find them in no time."  I made hand gestures at 
Tanya, who blinked, then smiled at me.  She went to the closet and got 
Angel's fencing gear, and brought it over to the bed.  Angel lay against 
me, breathing heavily, but the tears were gone.  I stroked her hair 
slowly.  "Your stuff is right here if they show up again."

      Angel reached over and grasped her rapier like it was a lifeline.  
She's a pretty decent fencer.  She's been taking the class every semester 
since she started here.  She even talked me into it this semester.  I 
think she started it so she could chase Thomas.  At least I don't have 
to worry about THAT anymore...He's...well, I think he's dating Tanya...or 
something.  They have a weird relationship I don't quite understand.  At 
least, I don't THINK Angel is after him anymore.  

      Angel tilted her head up to look at my face, letting go of the 
rapier.  "You...you don't think I'm going nuts, do you?"

      I blinked.  "Of course not."  I took the hand that had been playing 
with her hair, which is rather short, shorter than mine, actually, and 
pulled her head closer to mine, then kissed her.  She got big eyes and I 
heard Tanya gasp.  We'd never kissed while someone was watching before.  

      I could almost feel Angel's heart beat.  Her arms swung around me 
tightly, then she suddenly realized Tanya was watching too. For a moment, 
she hesitated, then she kissed me harder.  The scary thing, as I look 
back at it, was that this was probably one of the most romantic moments 
in our relationship to that date.  Neither of us is exactly...adept at 
romance.  Tanya and Thomas had to practically lock us in a room together to 
get us to kiss the first time.  

      I completely lost track of what was going on for a few minutes.  
There was nothing in the world but her.  Finally, Tanya said, "AHEM.  
Enough lip-lock for now.  We need to call the campus cops before we forget."

     Angel smiled, an odd, triumphant smile.  I wasn't quite sure why.  
"Right."  She went to call the cops.

******************************************************************************

Angel said:  

     I was in a vague state of shock for a fair amount of the evening.  
We told the cops everything I knew...which pretty much amounted to making 
me sound like a nutcase.  Not fun.  Finally, we could go eat.  Naturally, 
of course, the cafeteria was long closed by the time we finished that.  
Luckily, I have a car, so I told Harry, "Looks like you get to take me 
out to eat."

     He bowed and said, "As you command, m'lady.  Shall we be dining at 
Chez Burger or Chez Chicken tonight?"

     I laughed a little.  Harry isn't the most romantic boyfriend...okay, 
he's not very romantic at all, but I have to admit he knows how to make 
me laugh, to cheer me up.  Mock high manners is one of his specialties.  
I reciprocated by opening the door of the car for him.  "I think we'll be 
dining on the fine gourmet foods of Burger King tonight."

      We took off down the road.  I knew the route by heart.  I eat there 
FAR too often.  I could probably drive from my dorm to Burger King with 
my eyes poked out.  Possibly with my head cut off too.  Harry didn't say 
much, probably because as usual he was fiddling with the radio.  Harry 
can't listen to the same radio station for more than two songs without 
having to find another one.  He broke the "random" button on his CD 
player in a month after he bought it.  This really drives me nuts 
sometimes...I haven't listened to a record all the way through since 
we started dating.

       As it was, though, this all freed my mind to drift back to our 
recent kiss.  It was the first time we'd kissed with people watching.  
Heck, it was the first time we'd kissed that I hadn't spent hours, maybe 
days planning it in advance.  It was the first one he'd initiated.  Even 
with...Tanya watching.  

      I sighed.  Nothing quite like dating a guy you know has the hots 
for your roommate.  Heck, I thought they WERE dating when I met them.  
Tanya and I have been rooming together since we were freshmen.  Now we're 
juniors, but I'm still not any closer to quite understanding what's going 
on with her and Harry.  

      Sometimes, they're more intimate than Harry and I are.  At least, 
I'm pretty sure he tells her things he doesn't tell me.  Of course, 
sometimes its because he's trying to get advice on how to deal with me.  
I'd think sometimes she was trying to steal him from me...except, she set 
us up.  If she wanted Harry, she'd have him.  She convinced me to stop 
wasting my time on Thomas...

      I met Thomas on my first day of school here.  I had a mega-crush on 
him from square one. Given I have the romantic skills of say, a rock, and 
only slightly better looks, I never had a chance.  But we did get to be 
friends, at least.  We're both in the fencing club, and we both play 
role-playing games.  He runs Champions on Fridays, and I run Dungeons and 
Dragons on Saturdays.  He's a genius.  I wish I could be half as good a 
gamemaster as he is.  He's so creative and handsome and...I'm sorry, I'm 
gushing.  

       I looked over at Harry, staring at his face, his short red hair, 
his tiny little nose.  He'd kissed me.  Just when I really needed it 
too.  It had been a far more passionate kiss than any of the others.  
Even with Tanya watching.  I smiled.  Maybe we'd both just needed time 
to get comfortable with each other.  Should I hold his hand at Burger 
King, I wondered.  I shouldn't be so nervous about this, I thought.  
He's my boyfriend.  We can kiss and hold hands whenever we want.  Why am 
I always so...nervous about it?  It's like I expect the world to explode 
whenever we do that, I thought.  

      I wonder what he'd do if I just grabbed him when we got out of the 
car and kissed him.  Maybe I will, I thought.  Yes, when we get out, I'll 
just casually circle around the car, grab him, and kiss him.  Should I 
wrap my arms around him first?  Yes, that would be a good idea.

      I suddenly started out of my reverie, realizing I had parked the 
car without realizing it.  In fact, Harry had circled around the car, 
opened my door, and asked me, "You okay?  You're staring off into space 
again."

      "Uh...I'm fine."  Okay, change plan.  I decided to grab him as soon 
as I got the door open.  However, by the time I got out, he was already 
on his way into Burger King.  I sighed.

**************************************************************************

Harry said:

      Angel really confuses me sometimes.  She just stares off into space 
for no reason, then always says everything is okay.  It's when she does 
it while driving that I really get worried.  She quickly caught up with 
me inside Burger King and looked a bit irritated, but when I asked her 
what was wrong, she still wouldn't tell me.  It really drives me nuts 
when she does that.

     She relaxed pretty quickly, though.  That's one good thing about 
Angel.  She doesn't STAY angry for very long.  Which is good, because I 
seem to have a million ways to aggravate her, none of which she'll ever 
tell me what they are so I can DO something about them.  

     We got our food quickly and sat down to eat.  Deciding to avoid the 
topic of her recent experience to avoid bothering her, I decided to 
probe for more information about the upcoming adventure this Saturday.  
Yes, that's abusing my position as a boyfriend, but hey, rank hath its 
privileges, you know.

      "So what are we going to be going up against this Saturday?  
Anything you can tell me about?"

      Angel gave me one of those odd looks that means I chose the wrong 
opening gambit.  The vaguely disappointed look.  Okay, switch topics.  
"Okay, you don't want to give me any hints.  Fair enough.  What 
about..."  I started.

      She interrupted me.  "Do you think I'm pretty, Harry?"

      I blinked.  Angel never asks me things like that.  "Yes, I do."

      Now she blinked.  "You really mean that?"

      "Why would I say that if I didn't mean it?"  Why do people bother 
asking me questions, then don't believe me when I answer them?

      She paused.  "Because...because...I'm not feeling...That girl...she 
was totally psycho, but she was so beautiful.  I just felt like...so 
insignificant.  Like I didn't even matter.  Like..."  Her voice was 
shaking.  I couldn't believe it.  Even when she's down, she doesn't get 
this down.  Her dog died and she didn't get this down.  At least, she 
never let me know about it.  

      I reached over and took her hand and squeezed it, not sure what to 
do.  I haven't exactly had many girlfriends...okay, Angel's my first 
one.  Probably because I wasted High School and a year of College chasing 
Tanya.  Heck, I came to Thornton U just to chase her, basically.  I don't 
know what it is...I just can't fully get her off my mind.

      Don't take me wrong.  I really do care about Angel...but it's just 
not quite the same.  I wouldn't have chased Angel for years on end like I 
did Tanya.  I worry a lot about what Angel thinks about friendship with 
Tanya.  I think she knows...how I feel.  I wish I could stop, just cut 
out that part of me so I could give all my love to her, but I don't 
know how.  

      I tried to shove that all out of my mind.  "You're not 
insignificant, Angela Lynn Bedos-Rezak."  Always use someone's full 
name when you want them to know you're serious.  "I think you're very 
pretty and a wonderful person."  She is pretty.  Not as pretty as say 
Tanya, but she is cute.  Especially her eyes.  She has wonderful 
blue-green eyes.  I wish she'd grow her hair out a bit, but it's a lovely 
brown color, and short or long, it looks good.  "You're very smart and 
interesting to talk to, and very creative."

      She blushed and squirmed a bit.  "I..uh..."

      "Don't worry.  I won't be running off to live with a psycho girl 
with pointy ears anytime soon."

      Angel smiled.

      "I've got my own psycho girl right here."  I hoped it would come 
off as humor, not an insult.

      The fry in my face told me I had succeeded.  The food fight was 
soon in progress.

**************************************************************************

Angel said:

      Sometimes I have to practically hit Harry in the head to get him to 
realize I need comforting.  We drove back to campus after we finished 
eating, then took a walk together.  A breeze was blowing the leaves 
again.  We headed down the hill from the library, kicking up leaves.  We 
were walking arm in arm.  We don't do that often.  I wish we did.  I 
snuggled a little closer to Harry, who started, then smiled at me.  

      It was a cloudless night, and the stars and the moon shone 
brightly.  We were deep in the heart of Texas too.  Hey, don't hit me!  
Harry chose this moment to trip over a tree root.  Sometimes I wonder if 
God gave trees roots just to knock Harry down.  Given our linked arms, he 
pulled me down with him.  I landed on top of him, in fact.  Our faces 
were very close.  Hmmm.  This seems like destiny WANTS us to kiss, I 
thought.  Well, who am I to fight fate?

      Just as I closed my eyes, I heard movement.  A voice.  "Need help, 
Harry?  Looks like Angie is trying to have her way with you."

      It was Thomas.  I blushed.  A lot.  We both got up hesitantly, looking 
embarrassed.  Thomas is tall with short blond hair.  He always wears 
these expensive shirts and slacks.  Yeah, it screams he has money, 
but he does and he looks good, so I don't care.  He's so handsome, I 
just want to DIE after I look at him so that can be my last memory of life.
I'm gushing again.  He smiled at me.  "You okay, Angie?  Tanya told me 
you got attacked by some nutcases."

      Tanya and Thomas are dating...or something.  I sometimes wonder about 
exactly where I stand with Harry...even THEY don't know where they stand 
with each other.  I know they've...uh, you know.  Either that or Tanya 
lies in her sleep.  Which wouldn't surprise me sometimes, but that's 
another story.  Harry and I, on the other hand, haven't done that.  We're 
both kinda paranoid about me getting pregnant...All three of my sisters 
were pregnant by 21, then got married, and got divorced within three 
years.  I don't want to make the family batting average 1.000 for that.  

      We're both virgins, we're both trying to wait until marriage...and 
we both want it to be special.  Special moments tend to be pretty rare.  
And I think we're both scared to try anything.  I just...I don't know 
what to do...except in vague, general terms.  Plus, I kinda feel like I 
need to get Thomas out of my head before I try...It wouldn't be fair to 
Harry if I was in bed with him, but thinking about Thomas.  

     "I'm fine, Thomas.  I just hope...she doesn't show up again."  For a 
moment, I thought about how I ought to start carrying my rapier more 
often, then shook my head.  This isn't the middle ages.  Carrying a sword 
gets you stared at.  

     "It sounded from what Tanya told me that she mistook you for someone 
else.  I'm sure she'll be off bugging whoever."  Thomas paused.  "Heading 
back to the dorm?"

     "Yep."  Harry said.  "You heading that way?"

     "Yep."  Thomas tagged along with us and we talked about the weekend's 
upcoming gaming.  Finally, we got into the much warmer dorm and hopped in 
the elevator.  We all live in Muggleton Towers.  It's male on the odd 
numbered floors, female on the even numbered ones.  Basically co-ed, 
really, since every suite has its own bathroom, kitchen, etc, so men roam 
the female floor basically at will and vice versa.  Since no one ever 
roams the halls naked, unlike over in the freshmen dorms with communal 
bathrooms, the RAs don't really care if we break the rules.  Thomas got off 
on 5.  That's where he and Harry live, though not together.

      He got off.  "You coming, Harry?"

      Harry started to get off, but I held onto him.  "Nope, he's coming 
with me."

      Harry blinked.  "Right.  What she said."

      This time Thomas blinked as the elevator door closed.  I giggled 
faintly.  Harry said slowly, "Planning to have your way with me, then?"

      I laughed louder.  "Yes."  I kissed him.  It felt good.  We were 
both getting into it when the elevator door opened for the sixth floor,
and five gum-chewing sorority girls got on.  We both blushed.  We got off
at eight, my floor.  He walked me down the hallway to my room.  "Want to 
come in?"

      He checked his watch.  "Sure.  We're missing Star Trek."

      I howled, opened the door, and sprinted in.  Okay, I AM a junkie.  
Tanya was there watching Star Trek in our 'living room'.  Luckily for my 
sanity, she had remembered to tape it.  

      We sat and watched Star Trek: Voyager. It was a pretty good 
episode, but I won't tell you which one so I don't spoil anything for 
you.  When it was almost over, the phone rang.  "It's for you,"  Tanya 
said to me, after answering the phone.  

      I got up.  "Who is it?"

      "Dunno."

      "Hello?"

      I recognized the voice at once.  "Hello, Miss Bedos-Rezak.  I 
regret to inform you that our mutual acquaintance has not yet satisfied 
herself that you are indeed, not Aquamarine."  It was the pointed ears 
guy.  Flamehair.  

     "How did you get this number?"

     "You're listed in the campus directory."  Flamehair sounded faintly
amused.

     "How did you get my NAME?"  I, on the other hand, was not feeling
amused.

     "Who is it?" Harry asked as he came over to me.

     Flamehair laughed.  "You sort of shouted it to the heavens."

     I paused.  Okay, I did.  "So she's still out to kill me?"

     "Is it the police, Angel?"  Harry put a hand on my shoulder.  I 
smiled faintly.  

     "It's the crazy guy...he says the crazy girl is still after me."

     "I truly regret you have been drawn into this.  Aquamarine and I 
should soon put an end to this...but...I thought you should know."  
Flamehair sighed.  

     "Who the heck is this nutcase and who does she think I am?"

     "She is an Sidhe assassin, and somewhat of a dimwit.  The Queen 
of the Winter Court must have sent her to assassinate Aquamarine."

     I nodded dumbly.  Either someone has really advanced delusions or I 
was in serious trouble.  I chose to believe the former.  "But why ME?"

     "Who knows.  She thought you were using Glamour."

     "I don't know any magic!"

     I could almost hear him blink.  "You know what Glamour is?"

     "What do you think I am, a dimwit?  Of course I do.  Faerie magic.  
So you think you're a fairy?"

     He laughed.  "I know I am.  Perhaps we shall meet again.  Be on 
guard, Miss Bedos-Rezak.  Splinter is a twit, but a dangerous one.  
Be careful who you accept food from."

     "Huh?"

      He had hung up.

      Harry looked nervous.  "What did he have to say?  How'd he find you?"

      I told Harry everything.  

      Harry sighed.  "I wish I could do something about this...if he can 
find you..."

      "She can.  I told her my name."  I slapped my forehead.  

      Tanya coughed.  "Urk.  That's NOT good.  Of course, she doesn't 
have a key to get in."

      "She could.  What if she LIVES here?"

      Now we were all getting panicked.  "Should we call the cops?"

      "We should...for what it'll be worth.  They probably think this is 
all a prank."

      We called them.  Harry was right.  They still didn't take this very 
seriously.  By the time we finished, it was getting late.  Harry sighed.  
"Don't let anyone in you don't know."

      "We're not stupid, Harry."  Tanya said.  "She'll be safe.  You two 
lovebirds can kiss and junk before Harry goes home while I take a bath." 
She winked.  "Try not to make too much noise."  

       She stepped into the bathroom.  Harry blushed.  

     I sighed.  "What a mess."

     "You sure you'll be okay?"

     "Well, unless she uses her magic powers to teleport into here, I 
don't think she'll get in."  We both laughed.  

      He hugged me.  "I wouldn't be happy if anything happened to you."

      Neither would I.  "Me neither.  You be careful too."  We kissed 
again.  For once, we weren't interrupted.  I think we kissed more that 
day than we normally did in a week.  Not that I minded, of course.  

     I slept well that night, and dreamed of Harry fighting Splinter and 
me having to save him because he couldn't do his fencing stance 
correctly.  It was a pleasant dream.  

************************************************************************

Harry said:

       I knew when I woke up it was going to be one of those days.  You 
know, the kind where you have a dream about a psychotic elf-girl trying 
to kill you and your girlfriend has to save you.  Then you wake up on the 
floor with your teddy bear trying to crawl into your mouth and kill you.  
Or something.

       I sighed.  The weird thing was that I must have slept THROUGH 
falling off the bed.  I didn't feel any particular pain or soreness, so I 
must have been on the floor for a while.  I still haven't quite figured 
out how I do this, but it happens a lot.  Maybe I sleepwalk or 
something.  

       The day could have gotten better, but it decided not to.  The cold 
water suddenly ran out while I was in the shower and I got scalded.  I 
was late to class, the teacher got mad at me, blah, blah, you know how it 
goes.  

      At least my hair didn't fall out or something.  Finally, I 
staggered into fencing class, where I promptly got whooped by everyone.  
Well, by Cindi, Thomas, and Angel.  Cindi's the best person in the club.  
Angel is really good, Thomas's better, but Cindi could crush them both 
simultaneously.  She could probably teach the class if she wanted to.  
She's short, with long, dark brown hair.  She's the only person I've ever 
met with fencing scars.  Her dad was an olympic fencer in the seventies.  She 
would have gone this year, but she got sick.  She's taking this class for 
the phys. ed. requirement...not like she NEEDS it.

     I sat back and watched her and Angel go at it after I got whooped.  
It was impressive.  Angel's a lot better at this than she thinks she is.  
Everybody stopped doing what they were supposed to be doing to watch.  Of 
course, Cindi was going easy on her.  Thomas's the only one she really cuts 
loose on.  He has almost as much practice as her.  

     Still, it was like watching an Errol Flynn movie.  Back and forth, 
back and forth.  There's a bunch of technical terms for all the stuff 
they were doing, but I can't ever remember any of them.  They were both 
sweating by the time they were done.  Cindi won, of course, but I 
applauded Angel anyway.  Everyone stowed their gear, except for Angel, 
Cindi, and Thomas, who all have their own personal stuff.  They're in the 
fencing club.  They keep bugging me to join, but I don't like getting 
stomped.  This is just isn't something I was designed for.  Now if they 
had a DOOM club...

     Cindi lives over in one of the scholarship dorms.  Angel and Tanya 
used to live in them, but Muggleton is nicer, so they moved out.  Angel 
and I headed back towards Muggleton.  There's a little stand at one end 
of the quad, run by dining services that sells snackfood and stuff.  We 
stopped by to get something to eat.  The usual guy who runs the place 
wasn't there.  "Hey, what happened to Bob?"  I asked.  

      The girl shrugged.  "He's sick.  What would you like?"

      "A donut and some coke."  Angel said.

      "Ditto for me."

       Mumbling to herself, the girl got us what we ordered.  She was 
slow.  REALLY slow.  I sighed.  At least we weren't in a hurry.  Finally, 
we got our donuts and soda, then it only took about an eternity and a 
half for us to successfully PAY her for them.  Then she started laughing 
as we walked away.  Dining Services really hires some weirdos sometimes.

      We munched on our food as we headed the hill towards Muggleton.  
It's named after some religious guy from the seventeenth century or 
something...Some of his followers helped pay for the dorm, I think.  Of 
course, all the dorms here have weird names.  What sort of maniacs name 
one of the Women's dorms after H.P. Lovecraft?  

     I, of course, brilliantly chose this moment to trip over a tree root, 
fall down, and bang my head.  I think they're out to get me.

*******************************************************************
Angel Said:

     I didn't notice Harry had fallen down at first, so I kept going a 
few steps before he said, "Wait up!"  It was right about that point when 
I suddenly realized something odd was happening.  You know how it gets at 
twilight sometimes?  Everything seems extra crisp and sharp like in a 
photo.  It all just seems...more real, you know?  Well, the sun wasn't 
due to go down for another two hours or so, but suddenly everything was 
like that.  Then I noticed all the people were gone.  Campus is crawling 
with people at this time of day, normally.  Suddenly, there was no one 
around but me and Harry.  I looked at the buildings.  They 
looked...wrong.  Different.  I couldn't quite tell what or why.  It was 
like they had become more...more...more themselves?  The history building 
seemed to reek with age.  The bricks were covered with moss.  I blinked.  
"Umm...Harry..."

      He got up and followed me.  "Yeah.  I can tell.  Where'd everyone go?"

     Shrill laughter cut through the silence.  "Welcome to the other 
side.  Now, I'll be able to properly dispose of you."  It was that 
fruitcake, Splinter, again.  

     "I'm NOT Emerald or Amethyst or whoever the HECK you think I am!"  I 
shouted.  I grabbed my rapier.  This time I was..well, armed anyway.  
Looking around, I soon spotted Splinter, who was closing in.  Harry being 
his usual brave, but stupid self, tried to save me by charging her.  

      She swatted Harry aside, not even bothering to use her sword.  He 
quietly collapsed.  "You're under Flamehair's protection.  That's enough 
for me.  You'll make a good hostage.  I'm sure they must be close to 
finding ...well, enough of that."  She sized me up.  "So you want to 
fight?  Let's fight."

      She closed in, rather overconfidently, and I easily knocked her 
sword aside and stabbed her wrist.  Unfortunately, my rapier is blunted 
with a safety tip, while her sword was not, so this didn't exactly DO 
much.  It annoyed her amusingly though. She got this look of shock that 
was so classic.

      "You HIT ME!"  Fury swept across her face.

      "Amazing."  I started to put some pressure on her.  To my surprise, 
she actually gave ground.  She looked scary, but she wasn't really that 
good.  Only problem was, other than maybe getting lucky and poking her in 
the eye, I couldn't do a lot more than annoy her a lot with my rapier, 
and she wasn't so bad I could disarm her.  

      We kept this up for several minutes and I slowly forced her back 
towards the Quad, for what it was worth.  She was getting increasingly 
more irritated, while I was just getting up to speed.  

      "You're SUPPOSED to lose!"  She shouted.

      "Oh well."  I replied, then whacked her on the cheek.

      That was enough for her.  "Well, I guess I'll have to get serious.  
Freeze."  She pointed at me with her free hand and a blue beam struck me, 
flinging me back into a handy tree.  I shivered. There was ice forming on 
my coat and I hurt pretty badly.  I stared at the ice.  Where the hell 
did that...the bolt...Either I'm going completely insane, I thought, or 
I'm in SERIOUS trouble.  Or both.  

     Splinter closed in slowly, clearly wanting to watch me sweat.  She 
got what she wanted.  I sighed and prepared to surrender.  I couldn't 
fight...whatever she'd done to me.  Fighting to the bitter end when you 
can't win is for idiots.

     Luckily, I was spared that.  "Stop, Splinter. She is under our 
protection,"  said a lilting female voice.  It was another elf-girl.  Her 
hair was long and blue, mostly free, but with two long blue braids in 
front, one over each ear.  Her eyes were lavender, and she dressed in 
dark blues and blacks.  She carried a sword with a blade of some blue 
metal.  Around her neck she wore a silver necklace with an aquamarine set 
into a pendant.  It wasn't too hard for me to guess who this was.

     Splinter stopped and scowled.  "If you want a fight..."

     "Spare me the ominous statements.  Run now or fight me.  Your choice."

     Splinter chose to fight.  I expected them to go at it with swords.  
Instead, they started shouting a bunch of stuff at each other and 
flinging blue bolts of energy around like it was going out of style.  I 
took this opportunity to break the ice off my coat and go check on 
Harry.  He was waking back up.  "We'd better get out of here,"  I said.

     "Can we?"

     I blinked.  "What?"

     "Are you sure we're still...'here'."

     "This is campus, Harry.  We live right over there."

     "Then where's all the people?"  He looked at my coat.  "Where'd all 
that ice come from?"  He then saw the fight and just gaped silently.  

     By now, the two of them were going at it with swords, though swords 
don't normally leave energy trails.  It was beautiful to watch and scary 
at the same time.  Splinter got disarmed rather quickly.  She swore and 
leapt into the air, transforming into a hawk and flew away.  I blinked and 
rubbed my eyes.  Aquamarine sighed.

     "Dang," was all Harry could say.

     Aquamarine strode over to us.  "She didn't hurt you too badly, did 
she?"  she asked me.

     "I think I have a bruise and I'm going to have to put my coat in the 
dryer, but I think I'll be okay."

     "You'd probably be dead if she hadn't wanted to capture you instead 
of kill you."  She sighed.  "You weren't supposed to end up part of 
this.  I'm sorry.  Maybe she won't try again."

     "Who the hell is she?  What's GOING ON?"

     "You've eaten Faerie food, and now you are in Faerieland."

     I blinked.  "What?"

     Harry groaned.  "She was running the food stand.  If you accept food 
from a faerie and eat it..."

     "Well, the legends do exagerate somewhat.  But yes, you have been 
drawn into faerieland."

     "This looks like our school!"  I looked around.  Except for the 
missing people.

     "The parts closest to the mortal realm look much like the lands of 
the Fall people, but as you move away from them..."

     "Fall people?"

     "Humans who do not know of the existence of the Fae.  We of the 
Seelie Court are the Summer People.  Those of the Unseelie Court are the 
Winter People.  Those humans who know of the Fae are the Spring People, 
but they are rare."  She sighed.  "Now you have joined that number.  I 
will try to keep Splinter away from you, but watch out. She is not easily 
deterred."

     "So the two courts are at war with each other?"  Harry asked.

     "War is too big a word, but truly no love has been lost between the 
two for time immemorial.  We fight, we duel, we intrigue.  The time of 
their appointed rule is coming, as the year winds down to its end."  She 
sighed.  "Luckily for you, I do not think the Unseelie see you as a 
threat...it is only Splinter venting her spite over her own stupidity.  
We will keep her from you if we can."

      "I...are there a lot of faeries?"

      Aquamarine smiled.  "They are closer than you might think.  The 
sidhe are few in number, but the petty faeries and the goblins are quite
common. But enough of this.  I must see you safely home."  She 
started walking towards our dorm.  "If Flamehair and I do our job 
correctly, you will need never bother yourself with this again.  This is 
a war that should not have to concern you.  Mortals are not supposed to 
be dragged into it."

      "I still don't understand why Splinter was bugging me in the first 
place."  This all seemed completely insane to me.  Maybe I'm dreaming all 
of this, I thought.  I have to be.  This can't be REAL.  "And what if she 
shows up when you're not around?"

      She paused and handed me a golden ring, set with an aquamarine.  
"Take this.  It will provide some protection against her magic.  And you 
have shown she is no match for you with a sword."

       I put on the ring nervously.  This has to be some kind of 
practical joke.  I've always sort of wished I'd be part of an 
adventure...but this sort of thing doesn't REALLY happen.  Still, it 
couldn't hurt.  

       Harry paused.  "Are faeries really vulnerable to cold iron?"

       "Yes.  Not that you'll find much of that, these days.  Steel isn't 
good enough.  It has to be cold wrought iron, and this is truly rare 
now."  Aquamarine muttered a few words and the doors of our dorm glowed.  
"You have seen her mortal seeming.  Be on your watch, for a faerie's 
mortal guise cares no more for cold iron than you do...though it is no 
tougher than you either.  Be wary, and know we shall do our  best to aid 
you."

      The doors glowed brightly now.  "Pass through these doors and you 
shall return to the world of Fall.  The mortal world from which you 
came."  She stepped out of the way.  "May the light of the Summer Queen 
guide your path."

       "Uh, thanks,"  Harry said.

       I hurried through the doors.  This was all too much for me.  As we 
passed through the doors, normality returned.  There were people 
everywhere as usual.  I looked back and Aquamarine was gone.  I looked at 
Harry, "Do you think we..."

       He pointed to my finger, where the ring still sat.  "That came 
from somewhere, Angel."

*********************************************************************

Harry said:

     The rest of the evening was fairly normal, considering the 
circumstances.  Angel went off to a study session with some friends and I 
spent the evening doing my math homework and my physics.  Then I went to 
talk to Tanya.  

      She let me in with an odd smile on her face.  "Lemme guess.  This 
is about you and Angie's encounter?"

      I blinked.  "You knew?"

      "I do live with her, you know.  She didn't tell me a LOT, but I 
heard some."  We plopped down on the sofa in their 'living room' to 
talk.  

      I told her everything.  I felt like some kind of crazed drug-taking 
maniac describing some of it, but I just needed to get it all out.  The 
worst part of it was realizing how there was absolutely nothing I could 
do about the situation.  Angel was in danger and I couldn't help at all.
"I guess I sound like a nutcase, eh?"

       Tanya smiled.  "You and Angel aren't the kind of people who just 
start imagining things, and I know you're not on drugs, so unless someone 
put LSD in your donuts, I have to believe you."

       I felt an almost indescribable level of relief.  "Maybe someone 
did...It seemed too realistic to be a hallucination, though.  I just 
don't know what to do."

      "Just relax, Harry.  Sometimes in life, there IS nothing you can 
do.  If you're lucky, the problem will fix itself.  If not, then you 
cross that bridge when you have to.  Maybe you should get Angel to help 
you practice fencing.  You've got a long way to go to catch up with her, 
but..."

       I sighed.  "Fighting's never been my style.  I'm too clumsy.  I 
can hardly see a tree without tripping on its roots.  I bang my head 
against the wall if I sit too close to it."  I slumped down into the 
couch.  "I'm about as useful as two day old toast in this sort of thing."

      Tanya got up, came over, and gave me a hug.  "Don't be a downer, 
Harry.  She may not need a knight in shining armor, but I'm sure she 
knows you'll do your best."  I leaned into the hug.  Tanya's always been 
good at comforting me.  We've been friends since we were really tiny.  I 
don't think anyone understands me as well as she does.  I wish Angel 
did.  Of course, Tanya does have a bit of a lead time-wise in that 
department.  

     "Thanks, Tanya." 

     She smiled.  "No problem."  She sat back down.  "So, how long have 
you and Angel been making out in elevators?"

     I blushed.  One of these days, I'm going to have to kill Thomas and his 
big mouth.

**************************************************************************

Angel Said:

     I slunk back into my room around eleven PM.  It was late, and I was 
tired.  The study session was a success, more or less.  At least I felt I 
had a better idea what was going on.  Tanya and Harry were beating the 
snot out of each other with pillows.  This was about par for the course 
of a typical latenight, but I wasn't quite up to it.  I wanted sleep.  
Badly.  I also wanted to get rid of the lurking feeling that a psychotic 
elf was going to leap out of my closet tonight and kill me.  

      "Hi, Angel!"  Harry said.

      I mumbled something and kept going.  How could they be so 
light-hearted when my LIFE might be in danger?  Either that or Harry and 
I are both going nuts.  I could hardly believe I had just gone to a study 
session, now that I thought about it.  I should have taken my sword.  I 
just...hadn't been thinking.  

       Harry chased after me.  I ignored him and took off my coat and 
tossed it on my bed.  "Time to go home, Harry.  I've got to get some sleep."

      "I'm sorry, Angel, whatever I did.  I guess you're mad cause you 
got stuck fighting Splinter by yourself.  I'm sorry.  I'm not much of a 
guardian."  I turned and looked at him and he looked pretty miserable.  

       I wasn't quite sure what to say.  "I...uhh...That wasn't your 
fault."  That wasn't why I was mad.  As I thought about it, I realized I 
really didn't have a very good reason to be mad, but I didn't want to 
admit it.  "That's not why I'm in a bad mood."

       He stepped a little closer.  "Won't you tell me?  I don't know 
what I've done."

       I wanted to scream something about Tanya at him, but I didn't know 
how to say it.  "You haven't done anything."  Which was the problem.  If 
he had, I could at least get mad at him...I wasn't sure what I wanted at 
this point.

       He looked really confused.  He's good at that.  Too bad it's not a 
profitable skill.  "Why won't you TELL me what I did wrong?"  He was 
starting to get mad now.

       Because I don't want to have to make you stop flirting with Tanya, 
I thought.  You ought to be able to figure this out on your own.  I 
sighed.  "Nothing.  I'm just in a bad mood, and..."

       He smiled faintly.  "You're worried about what might happen, and 
it looked like I didn't care.  I'm sorry.  I just don't know how I can 
protect you..."

       Maybe he wasn't quite so clueless after all.  I sighed again.

      "Hug?" he asked.

      "Yes."  We hugged for a long time.  Finally, it really WAS time for 
him to go.  By then I felt a lot better.

***************************************************************************

Epilogue:

      Flamehair knelt before Duke Silverhand.  "We are still searching 
for Splinter, my lord.  Aquamarine has taken measures to protect the two 
unfortunate Spring people who have been drawn into this.  We're hoping we 
can simply glamour them to forget all this once this is over."

      Duke Silverhand was tall with long brown hair.  He was old for an 
elf, looking like he was in his late forties.  His left hand was long 
gone, cut off with an iron blade in his youth, and replaced with a gnome 
forged silver hand that was just as good, except for a tendency to heat 
up too much in the sun.  His eyes were silver like his hand;  he had been 
Silvereyes in his youth.  "The Queen has other ideas."

       Flamehair blinked.  "What?"

       "Don't ask me.  I didn't even tell her about this.  She came to 
me.  Now let me tell you what she wants you and Aquamarine to do."

       Flamehair could hardly believe the instructions he recieved.