Enmity by Rosemary Le Beau & Ek Balam Definitions of enmity on the Web: hostility: a state of deep-seated ill-will hostility: the feeling of a hostile person; "he could no longer contain his hostility" The library was chock full of cadets studying for exams but Ek Balam was proud of himself. He'd gotten there early and secured what he considered the best seat which was, in fact, a large overstuffed chair in the corner. Not only was it perfect for sprawling in while reading, sprawling being Ek's favorite way of studying, but it afforded him a full view of the room as well, satisfying his deeply ingrained hunting sensibilities. A true hunter kept his eyes on everyone, watching for prey as well as competition. Ek huffed softly under his breath as his dark eyes surveyed his fellow Engineering cadets. Ixchel still prodded him about his attitude and sense of superiority but Ek honestly didn't believe either was unfounded. He was a better engineer already than most of the people in the library and it took great self restraint for him to hold back in stating just that. Eventually, Ek admitted that studying any more that day was useless. He knew as much as he was going to know so he dropped his PADD onto the chair and decided to amuse himself by watching the room. When he was younger, even before he met Ixchel and thus realized what he was, he often amused himself by watching his surroundings. Then, his preferred spot was elevated and camouflaged but, for now, his chair would do. None of his quad mates were there so Ek, even after three years at the Academy, didn't really know any of the people present since, as one of his quad mates was prone to opine, Ek wasn't exactly the most approachable kind of guy. Ek didn't care what most people thought anyway and the ones whose opinions mattered were definitely not part of Starfleet. He hmmphed softly to himself, the smile on his face what those quad mates called condescending. Finally, his interest was grabbed by the postures of one particular group of four. One female cadet stood, hands on her hips, facing three males. All of them were Human as far as Ek could tell but that was not what interested him. Rather, it was the fact that the female's body language suggested that she was angry, tense enough to pounce even if it seemed that the three males were physically more capable than her. This, Ek told himself, ought to be good. He unfolded himself from his comfortable chair, his stretch to straighten up feline in its grace and totality, then casually moved closer. "You know," he heard the female, who had the oddest frame of white hair around her face, say, "the fact that you got this far at the Academy with that attitude amazes me. It's contrary to everything Starfleet stands for." "And it amazes me that they let people like you in the Fleet to begin with," the man, who sported a blond buzz cut began. "Your kind is genetically altered. You aren't supposed to exist." Ek stopped in his tracks at that, tilting his head as if doing so would help him hear better. One of them? He suppressed a shiver of disgust along with the urge to spit in revulsion. At the same time, he also realized that the four of them had the attention of every cadet in the room, all pretense of studying forgotten in the face of something infinitely more interesting. A good fight was always more interesting than studying, even for third year cadets. For Ek, however, his interest had nothing to do with watching a good fight. This was personal. His steps as feather light as his namesake when it was on the prowl, he moved closer, the look in his eyes making him look older than he was and infinitely more dangerous than he seemed. "Your kind disgust me," the second male cadet, a heavy set fellow with curly hair, said. "One day you sit here like regular people and the next --poof!--you're pulling a Khan or Colonel Green." "You know what disgusts me?" asked a deep rich voice. "People who are too ignorant and stupid to walk upright never mind get past age old stereotypes." Rosie's head, along with everyone else's, turned to see who spoke. The cadet was average height with a lean muscular build and a deeply tanned complexion. Not Magni, she told herself, but not bad at all. It was the eyes, she decided. They were dark brown, so dark that they almost seemed black, yet they were lit with something that made them glitter, something feral and dangerous. "Not only are you ignorant," said the stranger, those eyes watching them all, "you're stupid. You're starting a fight in front of witnesses. We're all cadets but I somehow think there would be more than enough officers soon enough if you started anything. I hope to hell that you all don't ever command a ship I'm on with observation skills like you have now." He seemed to almost spit on the floor in disgust before adding, "Idiots." The dark eyed cadet stood, arms crossed over his chest once he was done speaking, watching them all in turn with that gaze of his. Finally, the three males who'd confronted Rosie walked away, muttering under their breath as they left. The rest of the room, realizing, somewhat disappointedly, that their entertainment was not going to be forthcoming, returned to their scholastic drudgery. Rosie then watched as the dark eyed cadet simply turned away, picked up a PADD from the corner chair, and headed for the exit. "Hey, wait up," she called, running to catch up to the mystery man. Ek didn't bother to hide the sigh he let out. He had to stop or she would simply keep after him and thus stay in his vicinity much longer than he wanted her to. "What," he demanded sharply, stopping on the pathway back to the atrium. He whipped around and stared at her. "I've got places to be." That brought Rosie up short but she offered him a smile anyway. "Rosemary Le Beau. Just wanted to say thanks fir the help back there. Not too many people would have stuck up for me." "No," Ek began, his voice thick with acid laden disgust, "you have it all wrong. I was not 'sticking up' for you. Think what I said. I said I was disgusted by stupidity and ignorance. That's it." Unbidden, his lips, usually soft and sensual, curled into a sneer as he stalked toward her, one arm and its index finger extended. "Your kind disgusts me but you are as you were born, not created unnaturally. I don't like you or your kind but I hate stupid and ignorant even more." With that, Ek actually spat on the ground then stalked off, muttering under his breath in a language that Rosie wasn't familiar with. She didn't need to know the language though. She had no doubt but that the man was full of anger and disgust. If he were a cat, she could have pictured a wildly lashing tail that preceded an attack. For herself, she sighed aloud, refusing to allow tears. She was too angry herself. "Stupid son of a bitch," she muttered, knowing she'd never forget the man's face. So said Surak: Kaiidth. What is, is. **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15?ncid=aolhom00030000000001)