"Someone weird? You mean, like you?" The girl I was talking to, asked, smirking at my dumbstruck face.

It was Wednesday and I had asked a few people if they'd seen any freaks hanging about the campus, looking like they wanted to devour students. So far, I'd either been ignored or made fun of. I'd finished my classes early today and this hardly seemed worth my time.

The girl flicked her hair and sauntered off. I sighed and turned to head back inside the campus. As I did so, Hunter was walking down the steps. He glanced at me then looked away.

Frustration bubbled up inside of me. If I was more confident I'd march after him and demand that he speak to me. Instead, I watched him walk across the quad.

"Wow, you must really like him." A voice said.

I turned round to find Keith leaning against the wall, following my line of sight. Hunter had reached the tree line at the edge of the quad and was talking to his friends. He turned and looked towards me. I ignored him right back and faced Keith.

"He's an aquaintance." I replied.

"An aquaintance that you're in love with?" He grinned.

"No, I'm not. You've got it totally wrong." I shot back, then realised my insistent denial sounded false.

"Clearly. Question is, why would you be in love with someone who ignores you like that?" He said.

I sighed and glanced back at Hunter. He was talking to his friends. He had his head in the palms of his hands and was hunched over. I turned back round to find that Keith had moved slightly closer and was leaning against the stairs, watching.

"We should explore inside the campus." I said, by way of avoding all questions.

It was easy to get inside since it was broad daylight. Students were walking around, going to and from lectures. No one paid any notice to us until Collette appeared. She frowned and walked over. I wanted to hide in that instance.

"Junko?" She said my name like she couldn't believe I was with a guy that wasn't Liam or Hunter. "Who is this?"

"Collette, this is Keith," I murmured, and she smiled.

"Hi." She held out a hand. Keith shook hands with her and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets.

I chatted to Collette, trying to get her to see me later at the dorms. She didn't seem to get the hint and I wanted to groan in frustration. Her eyes suddenly lit up with mischief.

"Oh, I get it." She grinned.

I frowned. What did she get? I glanced at Keith to see if he understood what she was getting at. He smirked at me and I glared at him. Collette reached out and hugged me.

"I'm so happy you're moving on from Hunter. He's so not worth your time." She whispered, pulling back and walking past me.

We walked on and it took me a few minutes to realise what she was implying.

"She thinks we're together!" I said.

"Wow, you're quick. Nothing gets past you." Keith chuckled.

The corridors were emptying out as students either went to their dorms or went to their lectures. You could hear the faint sound of students in lessons, but it was a distant hum. The hallway curved round and we walked down the stairs onto the lower floor. This floor was where the music and arts classes were based.

It was oddly quiet down here. I peeked into the classrooms. There were a few lectures taking place. These rooms were smaller so it was easy to see what was happening. One of the classrooms was empty, except from a piano in the corner.

"We should keep moving." I said.

Keith opened the door and I followed, whining all the way. He went straight for the piano and sat down. He'd lifted the cover before I could stop him.

"What are you doing?" I whisper-yelled.

I stopped short when he started playing. I watched in total confusion, then awe. He was good, not just good, but amazing. I stepped closer and stood next to the piano, smiling at last. Watching him play made all the fear I felt disappear. I don't know how long I stayed there, but he stopped eventually.

Someone was clapping. We both looked round to see a girl standing in the doorway. She was smiling brightly, clapping enthusiastically. Her hair was plaited and as she stepped closer I noticed she was a few inches taller than me. Her bright eyes were rimmed by round glasses.

"That was amazing." She said, letting out a breath she seemed to be holding in.

"Thanks." Keith smiled, looking away.

"Do you go to this college? I've never seen you before." The girl continued.

"No, I study overseas, actually." Keith replied.

This girl seemed kind. I wondered if we could question her without freaking her out and making her leave.

"Hey, do you mind if we ask you some questions?" I was careful. The girl glanced at me and nodded, still in the magic of the piano solo she'd seen a moment ago. "Have you noticed anyone weird hanging around campus?"

She shook her head and I sighed. This was getting us nowhere. I was about to give up when she stopped me.

"Wait. I've never seen anyone, but apparently in lecture hall 3-A, there is meant to be someone sitting in the empty chair at the back right corner, but when everyone leaves, there's no one there."

"Sounds like an urban legend." Keith said.

"Y-yeah, that's excatly what it is." The girl smiled, blushing.

Yep, she definitely liked him. I got the sense she'd say anything if it made Keith happy so I knew we were good to continue. Keith seemed to realise this too.

"Any other ghost stories, sweetheart?" He smirked.

"W-well, apparently one of the lecture halls' furniture gets moved during the night and the drama club have seen shadows moving around back stage." She continued, not taking a breath.

Whatever had abducted the girls must be what was causing all the strange activity around the campus. It meant brekaing into the college at night, which would be very tricky to do. I could get expelled if I got caught. Plus, the curfew was still in place.

"We should go." I said, and Keith nodded.

"W-wait a moment," The girl called. "My name's Sophie. Will I see you again?"

I glanced at Keith and he just shrugged. I glared at him. This poor girl was evidently smitten.

"Maybe, I'm on a break from studying." He grinned, and left.

I waved at her, awkwardly, and followed him. Tonight wasn't going to be easy. I'd never been a rule breaker until recently. I'd already broken curfew and now I'd be entering the college without permission.

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

Dusk rolled round really quickly. I'd slept for a while after I arrived back at the dorm and I'd drank far too muich coffee. I turned my light off and opened the window again. My feet touched the grass and I glanced around, hoping that there'd be no sign of any adults. I left my window ajar again and used the shadows to sneak across the quad.

The pathway weaved round towards the back of the college and I was blinded by a torch to my face when I got to the fire exit.

"Oh, it's just that human from last time." David grinned.

He was seated on the wall. The torch was nowhere to be seen and I realised he was lighting flames on each finger. I stepped closer and arched my neck to look.

"Got ya." He grinned when one flame lapped higher and nearly singed my hair.

"Quit doing that." Roger snapped.

He was peaking through a window. Eyes scanning the darkness. The back of the college was the oldest part. It was still waiting to be repaired and that included this fire exit. I'd discovered it when I tripped into the door last year and it opened without an alarm. I'd closed it at the time and told the secretary, but she didn't seem to care all that much. I think her passion died for dealing with students back in her thirties.

I pressed a hand to the door and someone grabbed my arm. I glanced at Keith.

"Are you insane? The alarm will go off." He hissed.

"Nope, it won't." I replied, pushing the door.

Slowly, it creaked open with a metallic screech. We entered the college quickly. The door slid closed and I stared down the corridor. No light was shining through the windows. Roger elbowed David and he lifted a hand, flames ghosted over his fingers, illuminating the darkness.

The light was still dim so it as we walked it cast eerie shadows over the corridors. Our own shadows stretched across the floor and up to the wall. Lecture hall 3-A was down the hall and to the right. Footsteps echoed behind us and I glanced round. A giggle resonated throughout the hallway. It sounded like a child. If a child's ghost was haunting the campus then it couldn't possibly be what we were looking for.

For some reason though, the demons with me had their weapons drawn. Another giggle bounced off the walls.

"Sounds like a child." I whispered.

"It does, doesn't it. Very convincing. Would you say it's a boy or a girl?" Roger asked.

I listened again and I realised it sounded indistinguishable. It sounded neither female or male. A shadow danced across the wall.

"Don't let them hurt me." A soft voice whispered.

My eyes dartetd sideways to see a little, black shape next to me. I side-stepped, covering my mouth to keep from screaming. David aimed his weapon and a bolt of electric shot the shadow. It reeled back and hissed.

"I didn't mean to hurt them," It said. "They were my friends. I want the girl with you to be my friend too. Won't you please let her be my friend?"

The voice was distorting more and more. I whimpered and glanced around. A shadow darted across the way. I nudged Keith and he shot the spot. The 'thing' snarled and reeled back again, circling us. It then took off down the hallway, gaining momentum and size until it was no longer a child. Its laughter bounced off the walls, reverberating as we ran after it.

"Shadow agents are the worst." David whined.

"Shadow agent?" I asked.

"They're awful, little bastards. They feed on human energy. This one has been feeding every thirty years, using urban legends as a means to get round colleges in the area." Keith was jogging next to me.

Where were the girls though? Were they already gone? I supposed that must be true. The shadow slid under the door to lecture hall 3-A. Roger opened the door and stepped in first. The windows near the ceiling allowed faint light to filter into the room. A chair moved across the way and he aimed over there.

I followed and looked around. I could see it, peering out from under a desk, red eyes glaring at the demons. I tilted my head in that direction. Keith got the hint and aimed. With a feral shriek he hit it. The shadow flipped the desk and writhed around in pain.

"Nooo, I just wanted to be friends," It hissed. "They were lonely too. So lonely."

The bolts coursed through it and with another snarl, it disintegrated, shattering into light. The room went quiet and I realised that it had gone. Hard to believe that it had caused so many problems. Keith lowered the gun, slipping it into the holster at the his side. Real, human footsteps echoed down the hallway. Great, we were in trouble now.

David grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side. He pressed a button on the device on his wrist. I closed my eyes, waiting to be found, to be expelled. When I opened my eyes, we were outside in an alleyway between the cafe and a store. I sat down on the floor.

"Will the girls be found?" I asked.

"Sadly no." Keith replied, sitting next to me.

"Shadow agents use pocket dimensions to hide their prey." Roger said.

At least, no more people would go missing now. It was a relief. I set my head against the wall, enjoying the cool feeling against my warm neck. I'd completed a mission with them. Now I could ask a question I'd been dying to ask since SpringWood House.

"What are you guys?" I blurted it out, rather than be tactful.

"Well, we're what humans call demons." David replied.

Demons? That word conjured up many bad things. When I was little I'd had a book of faerie drawings. The book was full of good faeries and bad faeries. The bad ones always looked beautiful in their own sinister way and looking at the three men with me, the same was true of them and of Chris. Beautiful. Sinister. Deadly.

"Demons are the bad guys." I stated, automatically.

"Do we look bad to you?" Keith said.

I glanced at him. In the streetlight, he looked ordinary. Human. His eyes were like a humans. His dark hair was human. He looked like a human.

"You look normal." I replied.

"Good. That's how you think we look. In these forms we are." He grinned.

He stood, holding out a hand and I accepted. I still had more questions, but I wasn't sure I wanted the answers so I'd leave it for today.

Notes