An idea had occured to Dendrite. A dark, elaborate, monstrous idea. First, the location; There were many complicated passages and vents built in the school buildings, almost as though the architects wanted someone to be able to get around secretly. After 15 minutes or so of patient wriggling, Dendrite slipped out of a grating in a far corner of a building.

Books; Shelves and shelves of them. The paper always produced a slight musty odor, though Dendrite was certain dust was assiduously vacuumed away from the facility on a regular basis. It was amazing just how many books there were in this building, shelves reaching up ten feet high. What information had the humans wanted so badly that they had brought all these books from Earth; or was everything replicated and fake for appearances? And of course, this was the Restricted Area; What secret knowledge had the masters of the island need to store in this manner that was almost-but-not-quite inaccessible to the students?

In any case, a bit of poking around campus computer systems had revealed that some student had requested access to this area. Dendrite hadn't recognized the name, but he rarely bothered with names anyway. This just meant that someone would be visiting this section soon. And they would probably make their way...here.

Dendrite turned a corner into a reading area. It was a cozy space in front of a wall with a full-length window. There were two large tables, each with half a dozen chairs, and a small grouping of chairs near the window as well. It seemed the Restricted Area was one or two floors up, as the window opened into space with a large maple growing right outside. The green leaves blocked most of the view both inside and out of the window, though sunlight was streaming in from above.

Dendrite allowed itself a dark laugh as it surveyed the scene. The alien pulled off what another species might call a backpack, taking out an array of small, high-tech devices.

A camera right on the ceiling, free to gaze around the reading area. One on the window, looking in; two cameras on each side of the area, grasping high bookshelves. A few adhered to the underside of the tables, ready to extend and get a ground-level view of whatever might happen. And a couple more light fixtures in the ceiling to make sure everything could be seen. It was better to be overprepared than under, after all.

These cameras had been carefully chosen. They could record for several days and move to follow various subjects. They were not invisible; far from it. They had small red lights and periodically emitted whirring sounds...and they simply looked like cameras, with large glass lenses. Sure, Dendrite could have found cameras that were basically impossible for humans to see...But where would be the fun in that?

Now all that was left was to wait...

So this was the girl! Dendrite knew this one. Every curve and crevice of her body...Well, there might be one or two crevices left unexplored, but there were always opportunities to remedy that.

Dendrite slithered out from the dark corner where it had been observing the girl. The creature loomed up behind her as she pored over her book, tendrils reaching out for her arms.

"Citara..."

Dendrite slithered over toward the girl, watching her. A tentacle reached out to catch her hand before she could reach the phone. "Oh, come back here, Citara," the dark voice murmured. Another tentacle looped around the girl's waist, pulling her against the alien's bulk.

Dendrite chuckled deeply. "No, I could never get enough of you, my sweet Citara." One of the tendrils touched her chin, turning her head back to face the alien as its large eye gazed at her. "Oh, yes...I am certain I'll enjoy you..."

Dendrite chuckled deeply. "Now...my name, among humans, is Dendrite. You may feel free to say it, or yell it, as seems appropriate..." The tendrils tightened around Citara's waist, wrists and shoulders. "Now let's get to know each other even better." The alien suddenly lifted Citara up slightly and carried her back to the table. "Would you like a seat? Or would you prefer to stand...or, perhaps, lay down?" The creature laughed lewdly.

"Oh, you're finding your spirit," Dendrite growled in her ear. "I wonder if I'll be able to change your mind..." A couple of tentacles slid around to the front of Citara's body, rubbing at her chest through her shirt, tracing the outlines of her breasts.

"No one will hear you," the alien hissed. "Oh, I've made sure of that. I've planned this very carefully, Citara. Your body deserves careful attention!" Of course, Dendrite hadn't known the exact student who would appear, but there was no need for her to know that...

"Now let's get a good look at you." Dendrite pulled Citara's arms out to the sides and forced her to lean back slightly. The tendrils groping at her chest began to pull at her shirt and pull it off.

Dendrite laughed as the girl struggled. The tendrils pulled her shirt upward, up until her chest was exposed, then further up until the alien had stripped it off her completely. The alien held her arms above her head and tossed the shirt onto the table. "Good," Dendrite murmured. "You do look pretty like this..." At this point one of the cameras attached to the bookshelves whirred and stretched out a bit, obviously pointed right at Citara.