As Stacy walked back to her dorm room she found herself going through an older residential neighborhood with some big houses. Some of them appeared to be student apartment buildings, and she wished she were staying there rather than in a dorm. Maybe another year.

In one of the houses she passed, Susan was looking out the window of her apartment thinking about a few more minor tweaks that needed to be made in the orientation plan. While she’d basically been assigned to just reworking the previous year’s plan, there were a few more things that needed to be done, and some suggestions from Dr. Thompson and others that needed to be incorporated. The plan was proving to be a work in progress, and it probably would get minor changes up until the end of the week, when she’d start presenting it.

She glanced at the girl walking past, almost certainly a new student she thought – the girl had that appearance of being in a strange place, taking in something new. Susan could remember the same feeling when she’d first settled into Southern several years before. She’d had more experience back then than most kids her age of walking through a new place, wondering at the sights and what new adventures she’d have there with her junior year of high school in Germany, and had had even more since then with Japan and China behind her as well. It seemed likely that most of the new students she’d be dealing with in the near future would be at the start of their first real experience of being on their own in a new place.

While it was important – no vital – to get through to these kids the challenges they would have to face at Southern, she had to remember that they would be facing more adaptations to their new lives than just having a lot of studies to deal with. In one respect, deRidder’s vague plans gave a little more attention to that aspect of things than last year’s orientation had managed. The Dean of Students hadn’t exactly been barking up the wrong tree, though he certainly hadn’t been barking up the right one, either.

What’s more, it seemed likely that the University Ombudsman was going to get drawn into some of those issues, too. While Susan couldn’t be a “Dear Abby” to the students, it was clear that there were times she would have to be a listening ear. The feeling was strong enough that she pulled up her list of things she wanted to raise with Dr. Thompson sooner or later, and made a note titled, “Student Advice Counselor.” The note was only a couple of sentences, but even as she typed it she understood it was going to be part of her job, at least for the time being. Hopefully this part wouldn’t grow and consume the job.

She had just finished the note when there was a tapping on the door of her apartment. She got up to discover it was Cody. “So how are you today?” she asked.

“Pretty good, considering I’ve got to work a night shift again tonight,” Cody told her. “Susan, do you have a minute?”

“Sure,” she said. “It’s Sunday, so I’m only planning on spending ten or twelve hours on this orientation plan. Why don’t you come in? I’m pretty sure I have something cold in the refrigerator.”

“I’ll come in, but I’ll pass on the something cold,” he said. “So what do you think of the new renters?”

“They all seem to be OK, given that I don’t remember any of them from Spearfish Lake. I wonder how those four are going to be able to manage the two-bedroom apartment. They’re crammed in there pretty tight.”

“Jan and I warned them of that, but they don’t seem to mind. It’ll be interesting to see how well it’s worked for them in a few weeks. They all seem to be very good friends anyway, so that ought to help them keep up the friendship.”

“There’ll be surprises, there always are,” she counseled. “But when you get right down to it, so long as they keep the noise down it’s not my worry. It’s yours. I haven’t owned this building in a few years, and right now I’m just as grateful.”

“Yeah, you avoid a few of the tough ones that way. Look, I just need to fill you in on something, just so you’ll be aware of it. This is, uh, sort of confidential, but it’s something you probably ought to be forewarned about.”

“Trouble?”

“I don’t know. Jan and I just spent a while talking with the Halifax kid. This is something the kids in the big apartment all know about, in fact, helped her with it. It seems Nancy was something of the school lesbian back in Spearfish Lake.”

“From what I remember of the gossip around the place, the short time I was actually there and heard any gossip, it always seems like there’s one around every high school.”

“Jan and I had one in our class, too, at least a girl who everyone thought was a lesbian. Whether she was or not is open to question. Nancy really was one, although to be honest it doesn’t sound like she was very serious about it. But there was another girl in the class who was a lot more serious about it, and Nancy thinks she’s being stalked by her.”

“She ought to be far enough away from Spearfish Lake for it not to be an issue.”

“You’d think so, but it turns out the girl is going to Meriwether College, and that’s only like sixty miles from here. According to Nancy, the girl insisted that Nancy go to Meriwether with her, so the kids in the big apartment snuck her out of town. Everybody is a little concerned that this girl at Meriwether is going to pitch a fit, come down here and make a scene, and maybe get violent.”

“If she does, wouldn’t it fall in your department? I mean, the blue-suited one?”

“Well, yeah. But while I may be a part-time cop, I can’t be a full-time guard, either. If I’m around and something breaks out I’ll put a stop to it if only to keep peace in the house. But I’m not always here. Look, what I’m asking is to keep your ears open when you’re here. If something breaks out, call my cell or call the police. The Halifax kid is here to study, not to put up with some drama queen.”

“You know,” Susan sighed, “I was just writing a note about that. While kids come here to study, coming here doesn’t always isolate them from personal issues, or baggage they bring with them. I think it’s something I may want to give a little more attention to than I had planned.”

“Well, you’re right on the first part of it, but I can’t tell you how to do your job. I know that Jan and I have had to help kids more with their personal issues over the years than we’ve had to with their study issues.”

“I had to do it when I was a student here and owned this place,” she smiled. “It’s nothing new. So what do you plan to do if this kid from Meriwether really proves to be a pain in the ass?”

“Good question, and it’ll depend on what happens. It could turn into a police issue, or maybe I can just throw her the hell out of the house and make clear she’s not welcome. The kids in the big apartment had some problems a year ago with some bullies up at home, and at least some of them wound up getting personal protection orders. It worked well up there, but I’m not so sure it would do much here. They’re really only a big help after something has happened that breaks the order, so that more or less means trouble could happen again.”

“So, either way, it turns into a wait and see, right?”

“That’s pretty much it,” he said, “which means that I’m asking you to be alert. Like I said, the kids in the big apartment are already aware of this problem so they’ll be on their toes, too.”

“That’s good, but we probably don’t want to let the word out of the house if we don’t have to.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty much nobody else’s business unless it gets out of hand. The Halifax kid seems to be a nice girl, rather on the shy side, and just between you and me, she seems to be a little confused about where she wants to go, I mean in terms of her personal life. She doesn’t need this jazz hanging around her if she can help it.”

“Well, maybe if the chance comes up I can listen to her and maybe pass along a few words of wisdom,” Susan shook her head. “But I don’t want to go butting in unless I’m asked, either. I’m sure I’m going to be asked about enough stuff from new students that I’m not looking for more.”

“I can appreciate that,” Cody nodded. “I sure hope this doesn’t turn into a big deal, and there’s a good chance it won’t. But the heck of it is, you never know for sure.”

*   *   *

It was already too late for breakfast by the time Jack, Vixen, Alan, and Summer got to work on organizing their apartment, but one thing led to another and there was no obvious place to break off and make the grocery run. A little after one, Summer decided she was hungry, so she took the Escort to a burger shack they’d noticed on their way into town and got orders for everybody. Eating involved only a brief break, and soon they were all back at work.

By late afternoon they had gotten the apartment mostly whipped into shape, which included boxing up a lot of things and hauling them out to the trunk of the Escort. They decided to call it quits on the storage at that point, since putting things in the back of the Cherokee didn’t seem secure enough.

“Well,” Summer said as they finished that chore, “we ought to be able to make do from here. Time to do the grocery run.”

“I’ll run up and see if Nancy wants to go with us,” Vixen offered.

A few minutes later the five of them were in the Cherokee. While groceries were on their priority list, they also wanted to drive around town a little and try to get a feel for the place, find out where they would be able to buy things that were needed.

While Nancy was on her own for eating, it had long been more or less worked out among the inhabitants of the two-bedroom apartment that everyone would do lunches on their own, while they would trade off on doing breakfast and dinner. This promised to be an adventure, since they all realized that Summer was the only one among them who really had much of an idea what she was doing around a kitchen. That meant there were likely to be some culinary adventures and disasters coming up in the near future – along with a good number of cans opened along the way.

By the time they got everything back to the house and hauled in, everyone was a little bushed. It had been a busy day, but at least they were now settled in a little. While grocery shopping, Summer had made the offer to cook dinner for the five of them, though she said it probably wouldn’t be anything special. She settled on hamburgers, and soon the first meal was under way in the two-bedroom, as everyone else either tried to help, or at least stay out of the way.

“I’ll have to make this up to you sometime,” Nancy told Summer as she sliced onions, “but I have to admit I’m not much of a cook, either. I figure on eating in the snack bar at least some of the time.”

“I suspect we will at least some, too,” Summer agreed. “I don’t know how this is all going to work out, but we’re watching our pennies, so we all have to learn how to do it. So does it feel any better to be out of Spearfish Lake?”

“It’s like a different world,” Nancy said. “At least for now I can step outside and not have to look over my shoulder for Mary Lou. I’m so glad to have that behind me it’s not funny.”

“I wonder if she even realizes you’re gone yet.”

“I’m guessing not, or at least hoping it. With any kind of luck she won’t figure it out until she shows up at Meriwether and finds out I’m not there. Then she’s probably going to have a shit fit.”

“We probably ought to call Ashley sometime and give her a heads-up on the deal,” Summer suggested.

“Probably so, but maybe not yet. You know Ashley, she lives glued to the phone. If she finds out I’m actually here the word can get back to Spearfish Lake in an instant, and then it could get to Mary Lou. At least this way I get a few days of peace and quiet.”

“I can’t help but think that it’s going to turn into an issue sooner or later,” Summer sighed.

“Probably so, but a few days is a few days. Mary Lou is just going to have to accept that she’s not going to boss me around.”

The burgers were soon done. There was a kitchen table, but it was very small, so Summer decided to use it for a buffet for everyone to serve themselves. “This is going to be a problem,” she said to her roommates. “I don’t think the four of us are going to be sitting around the table for dinners very often.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “That table would be small for two of us.”

“I guess we’ll just have to learn to eat on our laps,” Vixen put in. “It could be worse.”

“That’s probably not all we have to get used to,” Alan commented. “I’m really looking forward to learning my way around campus, figuring out what this place is really all about, and getting started on classes. That’s what we’re here for, after all.”

They were just getting finished with their meal when there was a knock on the door. Jack went to answer it, to discover that it was Cody and Jan. “We were just going upstairs,” Cody told them, “and we decided to see how you’re doing at getting settled in.”

“Well, come on in,” Jack told them as he stepped back from the door. “I think we have things more or less under control.”

The older couple came inside, and quite obviously looked around. “Yeah, you’re getting a handle on it,” Cody said. “The question is how to keep a handle on it. Just as a word of advice, you want to keep after things or they’ll get away from you so quick it’s not funny. The four of you are packed in here pretty tight, so I hope you all get along.”

“The four of us have been pretty good friends for a while,” Jack replied. “I won’t say we’ve lived on top of each other like this, but we think we can manage it.”

The seven of them – everyone in the house except Susan – sat around for an hour or more, just getting more familiar with each other. Both Cody and Jan gave them some hints about how to get around Hawthorne, things to look for, and in a few cases, things to avoid, like the Mexican restaurant out on the east end of town. “They really dump the hot stuff in the salsa,” Cody told them. “It doesn’t taste too bad going in, but you’ll absolutely regret it when it comes out.”

“I don’t even think it tastes that good,” Jan added. “There are enough places to eat out and we can’t afford them very often, so that’s one we avoid.”

It was not yet dark when Cody and Jan departed upstairs. “What would you say to breaking out Witches versus Christians?” Summer suggested. “We could break Nancy in on the game.”

“I can’t speak for Vixen,” Jack replied. “But I’m thinking that if we got up early in the morning, we could just hang out a little and see what birds there are around here before we have to get going with all of the check-in stuff.”

“Yeah,” Vixen agreed. “That sounds good to me. If the three of you get going on the game, you’re going to be up till all damn hours. Jack, we might as well turn in sometime pretty soon.”

“You might as well,” Summer smiled, able to read exactly what was behind Jack and Vixen’s words, and while birds may have been part of their motivation it certainly wasn’t all of it.

“Yeah,” Alan grinned. “We’ll try to keep it down if you will.”

Jack and Vixen messed around for a while, but soon were in their bedroom, talking quietly. “Crap,” Vixen said. “I can see that’s going to be a problem.”

“What, getting a chance to be alone?”

“Yeah, and it’s something we’re just going to have to work on,” she shook her head. “Christ, I’ve been horny since we had to break it off this morning.”

“I could be wrong on this, but I don’t think Alan and Summer are going to mind very much if they know we’re getting it on,” Jack said, walking over to Vixen and putting his arms around her for a big kiss they’d denied to each other for hours. “Nancy, well, I don’t know how much we ought to rub her nose in it.”

“Yeah, it would be nice if she had someone,” Vixen agreed, planting her lips on his. It took them a moment before they broke apart, and in the process, Jack pulled Vixen’s camisole over her head as she somehow managed to remove his T-shirt at the same time.

“A lot can happen,” Jack said, checking out the wonder of his lover’s small breasts once again. “I sure hope she manages to work everything out.”

“I do to, but right now I don’t want to worry about it. I’ve got other things to worry about and having some good times in bed is at the head of the list.”

“Well, me too,” Jack replied, pulling Vixen’s shorts and panties down in one quick move. They slid down her legs and landed on the floor. She stepped out of the pile of clothing, and kicked off her shoes, at the same time unbuttoning Jack’s pants.

“I guess we just have to get used to silent lovemaking,” she replied. “I mean, it would be fun to play ‘catch me, fuck me’ like we did out in the woods a few times, but this place isn’t big enough to get a good start.”

“Yeah,” he said, nudging her toward the bed. “I guess that means no screaming during sex like you could do out in the woods, either.”

“It sure would be nice to let go and do it,” she replied. “But it’s probably going to be a long time before we can.”

“We’ll get our chance,” he said as they sat on the bed. He got his arms around her, rolled a little bit, and in a moment they were lying side by side, facing each other.

“You know, this isn’t going to be the greatest deal. I mean, we’ve been working toward coming to college together for so long, but I really wish now we had our own apartment. We could be a little more, uh, open with each other.”

“We can’t afford it. Hell, we can barely afford it as it is, with the four of us sharing this place. We just have to get used to it.”

“I think we can do that. It seems a little awkward, but we can do it. I can’t imagine it happening with roomies we don’t know. At least we know Alan and Summer, and know they’re in pretty much the same boat we are.”

“Oh, I think we’ll make it work just fine,” he said, rubbing his fingers lightly over one of her nipples. “Being crowded together with only limited privacy is one thing, and we ought to be able to handle that. On the other hand, we’ve got lots of new people to meet, and lots of new things to experience. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“I am, too,” she smiled as a shiver of ecstasy rolled through her, fed by Jack’s light touch. “I can barely wait to get started. I mean, now or tomorrow.”

“Let’s just concentrate on tonight,” he said as he rolled to once again bring his lips close to hers. “Tomorrow is going to be a different day, with lots of new things to see and do.”

“Some new birds too, maybe,” she grinned.

“Yeah, there might even be that.”

*   *   *

Kyle Reed glanced up and down Folsom Street. What a Godless place this was! This almost made the travesty upon the honor of God that Hawthorne College had become look mundane by comparison!

If anywhere in the world needed the Word of God, it was here in San Francisco. Even at this hour on a Sunday morning, the place was so filled with people who needed to hear the Word that it was unbelievable – people who needed to change their ways before the Rapture came, so they could stand with righteousness before the judgment of the Master. They should have been in church on this fine day, not out wandering the street like the wanton sinners they were – prostitutes, homosexuals, lesbians, sinners of all descriptions, people who put their pleasure above their salvation, if they even questioned the need for their salvation at all. There was not a Godly person to be seen!

This was a truly repugnant place. So many sinners who needed to hear the Word of God! These people should be in church, not out here parading their sins on the streets!

Maybe he shouldn’t be here, since he hadn’t really felt a true leading to be here, but here he was, and he knew it was his Mission to bring the Word to the unsaved, those who had turned away from the truth. If the Mission to preach here fell to him, it was fine with him. He was just doing God’s bidding, after all.

He opened the trunk of his car – it was God’s Miracle that it had made it this far – and pulled out a plastic milk crate and a crudely lettered sign that said, “HEAR THE WORD OF GOD.” He climbed up on the crate and began to preach to anyone who would listen.

Few did. Most of the passers-by just ignored him or laughed at him. Laughed at the Word of God! How insulting! How disgusting! It just made him madder as time went on. He felt driven to pass along the Word, calling out some of the more repulsive people who passed, calling down the Righteousness of God on the more blatant sinners. How dare they defile the Sabbath!

Hours passed before the ultimate insult occurred. A policeman came by, and asked him to move along; he was creating a public disturbance, and he’d been parked in the parking space for much longer than allowed. Reed protested, saying that it was his Mission to bring sinners to God. How did the authorities dare to drive him away from his Mission for overtime parking.

After a very unpleasant scene with the officer, another policeman showed up, this time driving a cruiser, but even the two officers couldn’t convince Reed to turn away from his Mission from God – he had to spread the Word to the unsaved; perhaps someone would listen.

Once again, he was told to move along, more forcefully now. It seemed incredible that the police, of all people, in a nation that prided itself in its Pledge of Allegiance as being, “One nation, under God,” would attempt to keep him from spreading God’s Word.

Reed became frantic, unwilling to listen, and finally the police had enough. Soon he was handcuffed and placed in the back of the cruiser, still trying to preach God’s Word to the handful of people who had gathered to watch the commotion. As he rode away in the cage in the back of the cruiser, it seemed incredible that the police, of all people, would be taking a man on a Mission from God away from such an unGodly place.

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