Page 6 of Monster Girl

I’m tugging the map I brought out of my pocket when I run into someone. Stumbling back, I end up dropping the itty bitty folded bit of paper. Shit. Before I scramble after it I mumble an apology, which obviously isn’t enough for the guy because he curses under his breath and grabs my shoulder. The move has me jerking my head up with a death glare aimed his way before I shove his hand off of me. “What gives? I apologised, it was an accident.”

The scowl this huge guy is sporting has me sighing, intuition telling me he’s going to make a bigger deal about this then he needs to. When I straighten up properly, map clasped in my hand, his expression morphs from angry, to a leer and my jaw twitches. I can’t tell his species by his looks, and without heightened senses, I’m going in blind if he wants to turn this into a physical altercation. The heat in this man’s dark eyes has me wanting to jump in a boiling hot shower and scrub off a few layers of skin while I’m at it. It doesn’t help when he opens his mouth either.

“Apology not accepted, but I know a way you can make it up to me.” The suggestive tone to his words has me scanning the area to find the biggest guy around. Despite not wanting to, I spent a lot of the carriage ride to the portal running through how I should react in a scenario like this. Without magic, I’m practically blood in the water for pricks like this guy. I suck in a centering breath when I struggle to find a potential ally immediately.Hmm, come on, there has to be one somewhere.

My eyes latch onto one, but I dismiss him moments afterwards. His aura is just as bad as this guys.Wait, no, no, yes! Bingo. I make a beeline for a pink haired man that’s standing about a hundred metres from me, who appears to be checking his phone. I finally respond to Mr Creeper who is following me. “No thanks.”

A quick flick of my eyes to the side shows that brown hair guy’s face is turning a mottled red, and I quicken my steps towards the pink haired guy. Yeah, creative nicknames, I know. The moment I’m within reach of him I step into his side and wrap an arm around his waist. He tenses, eyes jolting up from where he was staring at his phone. He peers down at me, his brow furrowed as he slips his phone into his pocket, so I stretch up on my toes a smidge to whisper in his ear, “Please, play along.” I’m not usually one to back down from anything, but having an ally that’s bigger and stronger than a potential threat gives a better advantage than going it alone.. So relying on a random stranger it is. Surprisingly I feel his body relax at my words.Huh.

Before I can think about it too much, I refocus on Mr Creeper. “Oh, you’re still here.”

I leave it at that and watch as the guy falters, his eyes shifting between me and the pink haired guy. Without missing a beat, the man I’m leaning on casually rests an arm around my shoulders, playing along and I get a whiff of peppermint and dark chocolate which has my mouth watering. The big oaf in front of us draws my attention again and I thank the Goddess the guy is playing along. The asshole seems to get the message and takes a single step back before sending me a scowl that says this isn’t over, then disappears into the sea of supes. I let out a tortured groan. Of course I’d manage to provoke a random guy on my first day.Dammit. Running a hand through my hair, I slide a glance at pink hair dude... whose waist I still have my other arm around.Oops. I draw back and give him a huge smile and a quick “Thanks,” before ducking into the crowd.Okay, now to find the office building… without a map… and without a guide. Aww shit.Using my height as an advantage I move onto my tiptoes and look over the sea of students, but it’s no help.

I’m about to choose a random direction that isn’t the same way the other guy went, when I hear a voice call, “Hey, wait up! You can’t do that then run off.” My head whips in the direction it came from and my brows raise when I realise it’s pink hair guy. Surprised, I slow my footsteps and wait for him to catch up to me. I study him with a curious expression, taking him in fully now. He’s striking with his full lips, and his bright silver eyes contrast his spiked up vibrant natural pink hair and lighter toned pink skin. The guy must be at least 6 foot 5 and I appreciate the fact that he’s taller than me. That was a rare occurrence back home, not that I ran into a lot of supernatural men my age. Most were old grumpy farts. Hell, out of the two guys I dated, or well, had ‘fun’ with, one was shorter than me, and the other was my height. Yeah, it can suck sometimes being a taller girl.

“What’s up?” I ask him with a slow blink, kind of wondering why he isn’t running for the hills. I mean, a random girl—me—just came up to him and practically groped him without explanation, then took off. Yeah, when I put it like that it sounds really bad.

He gives me an odd look. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. What was that about?”

Worried I’m going to be late to the office, I start walking backwards in a direction that Ihopeis the right one, while I answer the guy.Hmm, I really need to ask what his name is. “Uh, yeah I’m alright. Thanks for that back there by the way.”

Rolling my lips in, I turn around and take up my search again as the crowd starts to thin, but I don’t spot a sign or board that says office or hints to where it might be. What’s the point in having a map if I can’t find any obvious landmarks to point to where I am on the thing? “Hey, do you happen to know where the office is?”

A grin lights up his features, and I feel a tiny smile curl on mine in response. This guy's joy and energy are contagious. “Yeah, sure. I can take you there if you want.”

I agree and we walk in silence for a few minutes before he breaks it. “What’s your name?”

I slide a look at him out of the corner of my eye, but when I find his face innocent enough I answer slowly, “Nessa.” His full lips move as he mouths my name, and a spark of desire curls low in my gut. I give myself a mental scolding.No, Nessa, you just met the guy and he’s just being friendly. Cut that shit out right now, there’s a reason you’re here and it’s not so you can hit on a guy. “What’s yours?” I ask casually, forcing my thoughts out of the gutter.

“Oscar.”

I nod, then sag in relief when I see the office coming up. Now I know why I couldn’t find it, it was inside a bigger building.Duh. I speed up so I’m ahead of Oscar, despite his long strides. “Well, thank you,” I say over my shoulder to Oscar, before turning around and walking backwards so I can see his face as he replies.

He grins, flashing his slightly pointed canines and my tongue flicks out over my lower lip in response. “Dismissing me so soon, Nessa?”

I suck in a breath, my eyes narrowing at the playful glint sparkling in his. “Maybe.” I come to a stop a few feet away from the office entrance, scratching the tip of my nose as I break eye contact with Oscar.

He cocks his head to the side and a strand of his pink hair flops over his forehead. My focus zero’s in on the strand, my fingers twitching with the urge to brush it away and I rock back on my heels, my eyes widening at the stray thought. He tucks it behind his ear, his grin broadening as though he can read my mind.

Biting the inside of my cheek, my gaze shifts to the office and I gesture to it. Having to physically pull myself away from the compelling aura that surrounds Oscar. “I-I should go. Goodbye.”

I turn away quickly and duck inside, but not before I catch Oscar’s words. “For now, Little Monster.”

For some reason the words have a pleasant shiver rolling down my spine. Inside, I approach the front desk and am directed to a second door, but even as I knock my mind is still stuck on Oscar.

Chapter Three — Nessa

Whenanasallyvoicecalls for me to come in, I push the door open and my eyes focus on the man that’s seated behind the desk.He’s rail thin, and the vibe radiating from him instantly has my arm hairs standing on end. If I were to hazard a guess I’d say he’s on some sort of drugs. When my eyes collide with the mans, I internally cringe at my own thoughts before forcing a blank mask to come over my features.Don’t judge a book by its cover. Cool and calm, Nessa. Cool and calm. “Good morning. Uh, I’m Nessa, and I believe we have an appointment?” I say after clearing my throat.

I have to consciously stop myself from shifting under his beady eyed stare. His body is painfully still and I swear he’s barely moved an inch since I’ve been in his presence. I have to hold back from sticking my tongue out just to get a reaction. I twitch when his focus jerks down to read through some paperwork. “Ne-ssa.” He draws out the word like he’s unsure what to make of me. I swallow hard, but hold eye contact when his attention returns to me. Internally I’m cheering when he does a slow blink, then looks away. “You got an acceptance letter?”

My lips part, but no words escape…Acceptance letter?What is he talking about? I received a letter two years ago, but I wasrequestedto attend. When I simply stare at him blankly he huffs. “The letter we sent after you gave us your application? Where is it?”

“Uh, I never sent an application. I was going to put it off another year, but I received a letter stating that I’d been requested to attend here. That was two years ago. Up until now I’ve been doing online classes and have completed all the theory work that isn’t part of the physical studies. All four years worth.” My stomach swirls and my head starts to pound as I try to figure out what the fuck he’s getting at.He should know this.

His brows drop and it only confirms my worries. He doesn’t know about me. “Nessa, that’s impossible.”

My lashes flutter and I grasp at the measly book bag I have at my side. My control over this situation is slipping through my fingers as I rifle through my belongings.I need to go here. I haven’t made it this far, only to hit a wall now.Tugging out the letter I received and the past four reports from my theory lessons over the previous semesters, I let out a relieved sigh before handing them to the man. He takes them, that befuddled expression turning into something else. When he turns his full attention back to me this time, his eyes hold a glint in them that makes my mouth turn dry. “You have no powers?”

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