I should be studying. I’d enrolled in a couple of art classes, and the one class I was most anxious to attend– marine biology. Ethan had a full course load, and with all the work he did afternoons and weekends, I was going to have to move in with him if I wanted to see him at all.
There was a knock on the door, and Abby announced that the pizza had arrived. After the four of us ate, Ethan and I snuggled on the couch while Abby got Dutch settled in.
“Come home with me tonight,” Ethan whispered in my ear.
I sighed heavily. I really wanted to, but we couldn’t keep going on like this. I had some urgent business to take care of.
“I promised Abby I’d watch the kittens tonight.”
Ethan looked a little worried, “You’re not having second thoughts… are you?”
“Don’t be silly… It’s just that you need to get some rest. You have an earlier start than I do, and I really did promise Abby. I’ll be there tomorrow. I swear.”
He turned to me seriously, “Marina… I don’t want you to think I’m being pushy. I mean–”
I put my hand to his lips, “Shhh. Can we meet up on campus tomorrow?”
“OK,” he sighed. Then his eyes narrowed playfully, “Did you just shush me?”
“Yeah,” I smiled at him, “What are you gonna do about it?”
“I wouldn’t talk like that,” his eyes sparkled with mischief, “If I were ticklish.”
He caught me before I could get away.
~
Chapter Two
LESSONS
~
The nurse burst into the room, brushing a stray strand of hair from her eyes and groping for the glasses that dangled from a chain on her neck. She glanced at the clipboard with clinical detachment, “So, how long have you been sexually active?”
I sat there, rigid with embarrassment, “Well, I haven’t… I mean I don’t… I mean, we haven’t really done anything… yet. I just wanted to be prepared… you know, just in case.”
She looked up over her glasses, surprise registering on her face, “Seriously?”
Now I really felt like a freak. I had arrived on campus early to keep an appointment at the student health center. I thought it would be relatively easy, but sitting on the exam table, clad only in a paper gown, I wanted to disappear. I felt completely exposed, both literally and figuratively.
I nodded, “Uhm… yes.”
She beamed at me, “That’s terrific! I sure wish we had more like you.” She moved about efficiently, chatting away as she attached the blood pressure cuff to my arm. I tried to keep my heart from racing with nervousness. My palms were sweaty.
“By the time some girls come in here it’s usually too late. We see all kinds of STDs and unplanned pregnancies. It’s a shame, really, because birth control is so much easier than it was in my day.”
I was anxious, worried to see if she could tell anything about my hybrid status from her examination. My scientific curiosity took over, and I kept one eye on the gauge, at the same time watching her face for any sign of alarm. Nothing seemed to raise any red flags, and I slumped with relief. She wrapped up my examination with brisk efficiency.
“Your mother should be very proud of you.”
I took a deep breath, “I hope so.”
I walked out of the clinic with relief, mission accomplished. I slipped my hand into my purse and felt for the Taser, reassuring myself. Somewhere on campus a clock sounded out the hour and I hurried to get to my first class.
The university was known world-wide for its marine biology department. The nearby ocean boasted one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, protected by the nation’s largest marine wildlife sanctuary. The off-campus laboratory was state of the art, and I had some information about it that nobody else did. I was determined to get inside and snoop around.
Yuri had tipped us off that the newest, restricted wing of the enormous research facility contained within it a secret laboratory. Before her untimely death, Congresswoman Watson had been able to install a handpicked director in charge of the operation, all the better to conceal something within the complex. I was burning with curiosity about what they were up to, and determined to find out what they already knew about my sisters.
I entered the classroom with a couple dozen other lost looking freshmen, and took a seat right in the front. A short, sturdy looking man with a bushy head of red hair and a bearded face came in and perched himself