Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed

In between my classes on Monday, I made time to go over to the campus newspaper office so I could ask the staff for another favor.  After I explained to those present about how the visit to the hospital went and what the nurses and doctors had said, I asked my favor.  I wanted one of the reporters to write an article about our visit to the children’s ward, and I even downloaded copies of the photos and videos that had been sent to us so they could use them as a basis for the article.  If possible, they might even be able to use one of the photos when the article is printed.  I also asked them to thank each group and all of the individuals that had donated to the cause, and they didn’t have a problem agreeing to my request, so I left their office quite happy.

When the article came out the following week, I was surprised by the number of responses that Devin and I received from the students in our residence hall, as well as from those that had donated.  Besides using a picture of Santa and me with one of the patients, the article also used both of our names.

“Great job,” a student from the second floor of the residence hall told us.  “That article and the photo were very touching.”

“I’m glad you suggested that we help you do it,” a donor chimed in later. 

Shortly after that, we ran into the president of the fraternity who was worried that Devin and I were too small and slender to play Santa.  “Hey, you guys were right about Mac’s grandfather.  He really does look like Santa.  And Mac, you showed a lot of guts dressing up like an elf, but why didn’t we see you in the photo, Devin?”

“I wasn’t feeling well that day and didn’t want to go to the hospital and give the kids something that would possibly make their condition even worse.  We wanted to give the kids presents, not another illness.”

“Yes, that was probably a wise move then.”

A few of our professors even commented about the article and said things such as, “Your involvement in the community and with the sick children at the hospital was very nice to see.”  Others said things like, “It shows that you care about others by doing whatever you can to make Christmas a little brighter for a bunch of sick children.”  We knew this wouldn’t help our grades, but at least it left our professors with a positive impression of us. 

The attention over what we’d done at the hospital began to fade as we entered the end of January and everyone’s attention turned to other things.  In addition to our classes and studying for quizzes and tests, along with completing assignments, we took some time out to have a little fun as well.  Besides the private time that Devin and I spent with each other in our room, we also attended a few of the home basketball games.  We did this with some of the new friends we’d made at the residence hall, as well as a few more from our classes. 

Going to the games together allowed us to get to know some of the others in a more casual setting, and we quickly discovered those we’d prefer to avoid and those we would like to get to know better.  Those we chose to avoid were for different reasons.  Some were due to their lack of commitment to their educational endeavors, as well as homophobic comments they made in our presence, since they hadn’t discovered that Devin and I were a couple yet.  

On the other hand, there were others that we drew even closer to, since our values and interests were aligned.  Our personalities also meshed together as well, so we ended up spending a great deal of time with them when we weren’t consumed with other things, such as studying.  Unfortunately, none of them were gay, at least not that we knew, although they were supportive of the LGBTQ community. 

Things were proceeding quite unremarkably until I woke one morning in the middle of February.  As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Devin lying on his side, staring at me and smiling. 

“Good morning, my love, and Happy Valentine’s Day,” he stated as he handed me an envelope. 

“Oh, shit.  I’ve been so busy that I never thought about Valentine’s Day,” I responded.  “I’ll have to get you a card later.”

“Don’t worry about it.  Just open the card I gave you.”

“I can’t.  I feel guilty that I don’t have anything to give you.” 

“Then don’t think about it.  Just open the card.”

Reluctantly, I pulled the card out of the envelope.  It was a lovely Hallmark card with an equally lovely verse. 

No matter how long I’ve known you,

I love you more and more each day

Promise we will always be together
I won’t survive any other way

Happy Valentine’s Day, my dear
I’ll love you until my dying day

It was signed, ‘With All My Love, Devin’, and he wrote an additional note.  ‘I made a reservation for us to eat at Dominick’s tonight, so don’t ruin your appetite before then.’ 

“I love you too, but you didn’t have to do all of this.  We can just eat at the dining hall and you can save your money.”

“No, I insist we go to Dominick’s.  I’ve already made the reservation.”

“Won’t Dominick’s be busy tonight and wasn’t it difficult to get a reservation?”

“Yes, they’ll be very busy, but no, I didn’t have a problem making a reservation and it’s set for 7:00.  My last name carries a lot of weight at Dominick’s, since my family has spent so much time and money there over the years.”

“Don’t you want to save your money for something else?”

“No, I want to spend it on you.”

“But I feel bad, since I haven’t done anything for you.”

“You can make up for it at another time if you want, but it isn’t necessary.  All I want is you.”

“All I want is you too, so you don’t have to go to all of this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all.  It’s my pleasure, so stop acting this way.  Just accept my love and what I want to do for you.  I don’t expect anything in return, except your love.”

“Ok, but next year I’ll be ready for you.”

Since I was feeling so guilty about this, in between classes I used my Ram Card and hopped on the campus transit so I could go out and get something for Devin.  It was merely a Godiva Chocolatier Classic Gold Box of candy and a card, which wasn’t nearly as lovely as the one he gave me, but at least it was something.  I’d been afraid that I wouldn’t be able to find a gift for him at this late date, but the Godiva chocolates must have been too expensive for most people to buy, because there were still a few boxes left.  I also added a personal message to the card, so at least now I had something to give him before we went to Dominick’s for dinner. 

When we met up later, I gave Devin the card and candy.

“I told you that you didn’t have to do anything in return,” he stated after I handed him both items. 

“I know, and it isn’t much, but at least now I feel better that I’m able to give you something as well.”  

“Thank you, I appreciate it, and we can both have some candy for dessert when we get back from Dominick’s.”

We then walked over to the house to get the SUV so we could go to the restaurant.  We were seated at a table for two that was located against an interior wall, and there was a candle and a small vase with a red rose in it.  They were both placed near the wall so they wouldn’t fall off the table or block our view of each other, and they helped to set a very romantic mood.  Since we aren’t old enough to order a bottle of wine, we both had to settle for sodas instead, and then we ordered our meals. 

The entire evening was wonderful and extremely romantic, and after we drove back to the house and Devin had locked the SUV in the garage, we walked back to our residence hall.  As soon as the door shut behind us, I looked at Devin and spoke. 

“Thank you.  I had a marvelous time, and now I’ve got one more present for you.”

I started kissing him as I slowly removed his clothes, and without hesitation he began to remove my clothes as well.  As soon as we were both naked, we went through some standard foreplay, and then he made love to me.  He made sure I got off as well, but I was more concerned about taking care of him.  It was the least I could do after the wonderful and attentive evening he had just given me. 

After we finished, we both had some candy before we headed to the communal bathroom so we could perform our nightly ritual and brush our teeth.  When we returned to our room, we made sure to set the alarms on our phones so we wouldn’t be late for our classes, and then we cuddled on Devin’s bed and kissed some more before we fell asleep. 

I was still walking in sort of a daze for the next couple of days, but then on Friday things changed slightly.  That’s because Barry, one of the RAs, stopped Devin and me as we were returning to our room after supper. 

“Hey, I need to speak with you two, but I want to do it in private, so will you please step into my room?”

“Sure, Barry, is there a problem?” I replied, and then we entered his room and he closed the door.   

“Sort of, but not with either of you.  Since I know you guys are really decent and like to help others, I was hoping I could count on you to assist me and the other RAs with a problem.” 

“Ok, so what’s up?” Devin responded.

“A couple of co-eds were raped during the first semester, but the rapes weren’t reported to the student body.  Those in charge believed the rapes were isolated incidents and hoped that campus security could handle the problem without alarming the female students.  It appears they were overly optimistic, though, because another girl was raped on Valentine’s night.” 

“That’s awful.  It’s supposed to be a day for romantic love, not rape,” I responded reflexively, and angrily.

“Yes, you’re right, and now the college is asking all of the RAs to be on the alert to prevent another incident, and I was hoping you two could help me keep an eye out for the guy who is doing this.  I have a composite drawing that I’m willing to share with you, but you have to keep all of this to yourselves.  The college doesn’t want this getting out and causing a panic, at least not yet.”

“So, you’re not asking others to help too?”

“No, Adam, and I decided not to do that, but some of the other RAs might be asking a few of the students they trust to assist them as well.  It’s just that the administration wants us to keep this as low key as possible for now.” 

“So, what do you want us to do?”

“I want you to see if you can help us spot anyone acting suspiciously or who matches the composite.  I trust you guys, because it’s obvious that neither of you is the rapist.”

“Why do you say that?” Devin demanded, slightly annoyed. 

“First of all, the rapist is said to be between 6’ (180 cm) and 6’ 2” (188 cm) tall, so I know it can’t be either of you.  The second is that you two are boyfriends, aren’t you?”

“Uh, what makes you, um, say that?” I stammered. 

“Well, you’re always together and I’ve been told that you shower together as well, so you are boyfriends, aren’t you?  I mean there’s nothing wrong with it, but its part of the reason I thought I could recruit you to assist me.”

“Yeah, we’re boyfriends.  We just didn’t think anyone else knew we were.”

“Well, showering together in a private stall kind of gave it away, and I saw how you two were acting with each other on Valentine’s Day and it only reinforced my opinion.  So, will you help out with this?”

“Yes, we’ll be happy to do whatever we can,” Devin answered. 

Barry then gave us a copy of the composite drawing of the suspect that the heads of housing and security had given to each of the RAs.  After we looked at it, I asked a question. 

“This composite shows a white guy in a Colorado Rockies baseball cap and a Colorado Rockies sweatshirt.  Was he wearing those items during each of the rapes?”

“Yes, he was, at least according to two of the victims.  The other one wasn’t able to give a description, because she was unconscious at the time the rape took place.”

“When did the rapes occur?”

“The first happened following a party after the next to last home football game, the one before Homecoming Weekend.  The girl said she didn’t have very much to drink, but she passed out and couldn’t remember anything that had happened later.  She knew something was terribly wrong, because when she came to she discovered she was mostly naked.  We’re assuming she’d probably been slipped a roofie at some point.” 

“You mean a date rape drug?”

“Yes, that’s what campus security suspects.”

“So, I take it she was the one who couldn’t identify the rapist, but could she at least tell you about the people she remembers being with?”

“No, she couldn’t recall anything at all from that evening, not even before the rape took place, so Campus security has had to rely on the memories of the other two girls.”

“Where was the party held?” Devin asked. 

“It was outdoors, near the athletic fields, and security figures that whoever raped her must have waited until the roofie kicked in before he did anything.  Since she most likely would have appeared to be intoxicated, he could have helped her walk to a more secluded location before he raped her.  Most people probably wouldn’t have thought anything about it, even if they had seen them walking away together.  They probably would have just concluded they wanted a little privacy or he was helping her back to her room.”

“Ah, I see, but what about the second rape?  When did that happen?”

“It happened the week before finals.  The girl was leaving the library just as it was closing and was grabbed from behind as soon as she got outside.  She said the guy held a rather large knife at her throat and told her that if she didn’t scream or fight she would live, and then he guided her behind the library where he raped her.  She said he was wearing a cloth mask over the lower half of his face at first, but it slipped down at one point, and since there was a decent amount of moonlight she was able to get a good look at him.  She gave campus security a pretty good description of the guy, and utilizing a computer program that law enforcement agencies use, they were able to make the composite drawing that I gave you.”

“That’s good for us, but not for him.  What about the most recent girl?” 

“She was returning to her residence hall after dark on Valentine’s Day, and as soon as she unlocked the door of her room, he grabbed her from behind and forced her inside.  He also had a knife and told her something similar to what he’d told the second girl, and then he raped her on the bed.”

“Wasn’t he afraid she’d have a roommate?” Devin asked.

“No, she has a single room.”

“Did she get a good look at him?” I followed.  

“To his dismay, she did.  Even though he pushed her inside the room before she could turn the light on, there was still enough light coming through the window that allowed her to see his features.”

“So, he didn’t have a mask on this time?”

“Apparently not.  He must have figured it would be too obvious if he was wearing it in the residence hall, or he might have considered it wasn’t worth it, since it had slipped down the time before.”

“What about DNA?” I demanded.  “Surely, he must have left some DNA behind, either inside her or on the bedding.” 

“That’s the thing.  He seemed to already be wearing a condom, and the last girl told us he was also wearing latex gloves.  It seems to indicate that he must have been planning on raping someone that night, but maybe not that girl in particular.  Security concluded that once he spotted his victims and realized they were alone, he must have followed them and waited for his chance.”

“If he had the condom on already, then he must be a shower, not a grower.”

“Huh?” Barry grunted. 

“It means his penis size doesn’t change much between when it’s flaccid and erect.  That’s why he was able to put the condom on in advance.  There wouldn’t be much difference in size, either flaccid or erect, so the condom wouldn’t slip off.” 

“If you say so, but I’ve never looked at other guys’ dicks that closely before.”

“Since he didn’t leave any biologicals behind and it seems he prefers to attack his victims after dark,” Devin stated, coming to my rescue, “he apparently knows what he’s doing.  He also threatens them with a knife to keep them quiet, unless they’re already unconscious.”  

“Yes, and from the description the girls gave of the knife, security concluded that he is using a hunting knife,” Barry confirmed. 

“What’s going to happen if we don’t catch the guy?” I followed. 

“We’ve been advised that if there’s another rape, the administration is going to alert the entire student body about the rapes and set down some restrictions on what we’re able to do after dark.  If that should happen, then students won’t be allowed to leave their rooms or go anywhere except in groups of two or more.” 

“I understand why they might want the female students to do that, so they don’t get raped, but why would they want us guys to do it too?”

“It’s to make certain that none of us is the rapist.  Security figures if the rapist is a male student, then he won’t rape anyone if there’s someone else with him.”

“Ok, that makes sense then.”

“And the administration says that in addition to those things, all social gatherings, except for sporting events, will be banned after sundown.  We were also told that if it’s necessary to put these rules into effect, then anyone violating them will face swift and severe punishment, up to and including expulsion.” 

“Then I guess we’d better do our best to prevent another rape from happening,” Devin stated.

Now that we’d agreed to help, we left Barry’s room.  Devin stopped me once we got out in the hallway and the door had shut behind us. 

“I want to go to the house and get the SUV.  I need to go shopping for a few items if I’m going to do this.”

I merely nodded and didn’t say anything until we were outside, and then I wanted to know what he was planning to purchase. 

“I’ll need something to wear that will help me blend into the darkness, as well as a couple of other items that I’ll require.”

“You mean you can’t wear something that you already own to do this?”

“No, most of the stuff I have will make me stand out in the dark and I’ll need to blend in with the background if I’m going to be successful.  Besides, it will be colder at night and I’ll want something that will keep me warm and won’t be too tight if I have to transition.”

“Ok, I understand, but wouldn’t it be easier to do this if you changed into a dog or a cat?”

“Possibly, if I just want to observe, but if I need to stop the guy and have to transition back into a human form then I’d be completely naked.”

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t think about that.  Maybe I should buy the same things so I can help you.”

“No, I’ll be more inconspicuous if I’m alone, because if I’m outside where there is a street light and people can see my face, then I don’t want them to see anything that would give me away later.  They won’t recognize me after I transition, but they might recognize you, and that would negate any advantage I’d gain by being able to change my appearance.” 

“So, I can’t do this with you?”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“Damn, I can’t wait until I’m a skinwalker and we can do these things together.”

During our shopping trip, Devin selected two different hoodies that were even larger than what he normally wore.  He did this because he felt he might need to transition into a larger person than he would have otherwise, since the guy was reported to be quite big.  One of the hoodies was midnight blue and the other was light gray, and then he picked out two pairs of sweat pants in the same colors. 

“I can understand the reason you picked out the blue items, but why did you pick out the gray items as well?” 

“The blue items will help me blend into the shadows at night, but I’ll need the gray items when I’m looking for the guy during the daytime.  Light colors won’t stand out as much in a crowd as the darker or brighter colors, and since both the hoodies and sweat pants are very plain, with no logos, they won’t be very memorable.”

“Ah, I see.”

We then went to some other departments so he could select a few other items, and then I followed him to the checkout.  Once we were back in the SUV, I asked another question.

“So, what exactly are you planning on doing to find this guy?”

“I’ll keep changing both my size and appearance so he won’t get suspicious if he happens to spot me.  That’s because I won’t be the same person every time, although I’ll still be dressed the same way.” 

“So, what am I supposed to do while you’re doing this?”

“We can both be on the lookout for the guy when we’re going to and from our classes, as well as when we’re going to the dining hall to eat, but at night and on the weekend I’ll be doing it alone.  We’ll still be together at different times, such as when we go out for breakfast or meeting up for lunch and supper, but then I’ll be prowling around campus alone.  If I’m with anyone else, then the rapist might be able to figure out what I’m doing if he constantly spots us together.  Even if I don’t look the same each time, you will.”

“Ok, I understand, but I can’t wait until I can do things like this with you.”

“Yeah, I know.”

As soon as we dropped the SUV off at the house and returned to our room, Devin put on the blue sweats and prepared to go out looking for the guy.  I walked him down to the lobby and Barry saw us before Devin had a chance to go outside. 

“Damn, Devin.  Don’t you own anything that fits you?  It seems as if most of the stuff you wear is way too big on you.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m hoping I’ll grow into these things.”

“Wait!  Aren’t you a little old for that?”

“No, not if I’m a late bloomer.  I’ve heard stories about guys that didn’t start growing until they were in their late teens or early twenties, so I’m hoping I’m one of those guys.”

“Ok, but in the meantime it looks as if you’re wearing someone else’s clothes.”

“Yeah, I guess maybe I do.” 

“Aren’t you going with him?” Barry asked after Devin exited the building without me.  

“No, I’ve got some studying to do and he wanted to go out alone to see if he might be able to spot the guy.  That’s why he’s wearing the dark blue clothing, so he’ll be less likely to be seen.”

“And they’re big enough on him that he can pretend to be a turtle if he is spotted.  He can pull his head, arms, and legs into what he’s wearing and no one will know he’s there.”  Barry laughed after saying this, and then he continued making his rounds. 

When it started getting late and Devin hadn’t returned yet, I began to worry.  I didn’t know what else I could do and I was a nervous wreck until I heard him inserting the key into the lock.  It’s also when I finally released the air that I’d been holding in my lungs. 

“Why are you getting back so late?” I snapped after I’d inhaled a fresh lungful of air. 

“Easy there, Mac.  I knew the guy sometimes hunts for his victims until it gets quite late, so I stayed out late as well.”

“Where did you look for him?”

“I checked out the sororities first, and then I came back to this area and hung out around the residence halls.”

“How did you do that without being noticed?”

“I changed into a black man so my skin tone wouldn’t give me away, and I also used a couple of the other items that I’d purchased as well.  I put the colored mouth guard in my mouth so my teeth wouldn’t give me away, and I also wore the glasses with the yellow lenses that are supposed to help you see better at night.  That way I could still see what was going on and the whites of my eyes wouldn’t give me away either, and then I stayed in the shadows where I wouldn’t be spotted.    I don’t think anyone paid any attention to what I was doing, but it’s just that there’s such a large area to cover.”

“Yeah, I guess the odds of catching him aren’t very good, are they?  I wish I was a skinwalker and could do this with you.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m not going to give up.  He’ll make a mistake sooner or later and I’ll spot something that gives him away.  Then, I’ll just follow him until he attempts to grab another girl.”

“I truly hope you’re able to catch him.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Seeing we hadn’t spent much time together today, Devin tried to make up for it now.  We made love and it was wonderful, and then we went to shower and perform our nightly ritual before we cuddled together on his bed and fell asleep.