Page 50 of Dryad, Try Again
An insane idea sparks in my mind. “What if…this place was available?”
“Ooh, I sense a plan,” Shonda sings with a smile.
“What if I borrow the place to make my grand gesture to Kovi?” My heart thumps harder as I say the words out loud.
“Will that mummy let you keep the place open?” Rachel asks.
“He sure will!” Seth says.
We all jump and yelp at the sight of Seth sitting on a backwards chair by our table.
“Jeez!” Shonda yelps.
“Give us a warning!” Owen chastises.
“I’m so down,” Seth says with a grin. “What’s the plan, Tan?”
“How did you hear us?” Owen mutters.
Seth shrugs. “I overhear everything on campus. Tanner’s not the only new student struggling with a monster boyfriend.”
We all chuckle. The campus rumor mill has been abuzz with queer love stories this semester.
“So, what are we going to do?” Seth asks with a huge grin.
“I…I think…” I wipe my palms on my lap. This plan could break my heart or save me. “I think I need to go shopping for lanterns.” The four faces gaze at me in confused silence as a plan hatches in my brain—it’s time for me to make my move.
21
KOVI
I must admit,being on a monster college campus is a good time tonight. It’s the twentieth anniversary of the Halloween Wave and there’s a blood moon—life doesn’t get more “creepy” than that. We’re having our huge Halloween Ball, and the campus is humming with excitement. Most importantly, with the sun almost down, I get to stretch my branches, literally. My body burns with paranormal energy, and I raise my vines up to the sky, simply because I can.
I’m fully shifted, romping around the quad, and the vibe is…fang-tastic? Monster-rific? Some other corny pun, I guess. All of us monsters are so thrilled to be ourselves, and so many have their abilities amplified. The path toward the student union building where the dance is being held is a sight to behold. Werewolves roam across the grass, rolling with werebears, play-fighting, while several vampires hoot and holler. Bat shifters, owl shifters, and my phoenix friend Felicia soar through the air. A minotaur is gently tossing humans onto some blob shifters who bounce them off. We’re all big monstrous kids.
The faculty has set up some photo booths to commemorate the event, like a non-alcoholic, on-campus pregame. Several friend groups use the colorful backdrops for their own photos, while other groups of human students use tonight as an excuse to mingle with monsters. I read that human colleges find these photo booths cheesy, but not at Creelin—no, tonight, we’re fully embracing Creepin U.
A phone camera flashes as yet another group of human girls and one ogre take a selfie with me. I naturally have to bend down to be in it, but I’m flattered they want pictures with the “big talking tree” —their words, not mine. They ask for permission before clinging to my vines, and I allow them to swing on me like a jungle gym for a few moments. On any other day I’d probably say no, but it’s the biggest holiday of monsterkind. Tonight, I adore being part of this community, and seeing humans and monsters congregate puts the biggest smile on my wooden face.
After several minutes of taking photos, two ghosts float through the quad announcing that the dance doors are open. Everyone whoops and hollers, then proceeds to march toward the union. Sure, some kids are going to get drunk at an afterparty—it’s the U in Creepin U—but it feels like all of campus is genuinely looking forward to the ball.
Except maybe me. My smile fades and I wave off the last of the humans making their way to the dance. Girls are dressed in gothic black skirts, and gentlemen are wearing suit jackets of various hues. I spot some monsters, slithering about, laughing with human partners dressed in masks and costumes. They’re almost all paired up, and my heart aches. I wassoclose to being like them, too. The loneliness gnaws at my roots more than ever tonight.
Tanner gave me a taste of what happiness with another guy could be.
I sigh and wander around the corner to the library. Nearly everyone has left the quad, and zombies begin taking down the photobooths. I try to ignore the pounding of music and cheers from inside the student union. Some solitude by my favorite tree might do me good, and I don’t want to wander to the forest tonight. Maybe, if I wait by a campus tree, I can spot Tanner. My need to watch over him and make sure he’s having a good time is purely platonic, right?
“SSsssssagghh!”
I nearly leap at the hissing sound below. Being ten feet tall makes it difficult to see the ground, but I’m usually careful of not squashing any woodland creatures. But this is no critter, it’s a shifter!
“I’m so sorry,” I say with my deep, dryad voice. It’s harder to articulate words in this form, but the glowing moon has made it nearly impossible for me to shift back while outside.
“It’sss fine,” the voice says. Peering down, I spot a talking pile of rope. No, it’s a snake! It’s coiled up in a round wrap, like an organized garden hose. But its head is inside the massive silver coil.
“Niko?” Do gorgons look like this?
“Not Niko. I’m Reyssssson,” he says in a raspy tongue.
