Free Transmigration by J. T. McIntosh

him.
     
     
"Why so cold, Virgin?" Ross said. "I've forgiven you."
     
     
"For not jumping into bed with you?" Again she tried to pass.
     
     
"That and other things. What happened to you yesterday morning after

the spook session?"
     
     
"I stayed to talk to Mr. Fletcher."
     
     
"That zombie? At least your virginity would be safe with him."
     
     
"Will you stop talking like that?" she said irritably. "And stop calling

me Virgin."
     
     
"Why, Virgin? Is the form of address anachronistic? Are you like the

girl Virginia who was called Virgin for short, but not for long?"
     
     
As she made a really determined effort to get by, and he had to grab her

arm to stop her, he went on more placatingly: "All right, I'll call you

Maiden. That's anachronistic too, but in a more tactful way. How did

you get on with the zombie, Maiden?"
     
     
"You saw the results."
     
     
"I don't mean that, Maiden. How did you get on with him? Did he put his

hand on your knee?"
     
     
"Why don't you change the record sometimes?" she said wearily. "You're

not even amusing. You're too predictable."
     
     
"Because I'm talking about sex, you mean? It was your idea to vamp the

zombie, Maiden. Was it a success? Did he invite you back to his web?"
     
     
Anita seemed to make up her mind. "Listen, Ross," she said grimly. "You're

already in trouble with the Principal. And you don't really want to be

kicked out, do you? You'd make a show of it as usual, like the time when

they were going to give you the MacPherson Prize and you pretended you'd

forgotten about it and didn't turn up."
     
     
She was not without weapons against Ross, it seemed. He retorted angrily:

"I won that prize. It was mine."
     
     
"But when you didn't turn up and later sent a puerile message that you'd

been detained by pressing business, jumping on grapes at the Principal's

vineyard, the committee decided to withdraw the award. And you were mad

as fire."
     
     
"I won it! It was mine!"
     
     
She laughed with genuine scom. "Ross, you're a spoiled kid. I didn't

know it at first. But I know it now. Your secret is out."
     
     
He took a step toward her, murder in his eyes.
     
     
"Now don't try that," she said softly. "Never try to be a tough guy with

me, Ross. I'm not rotten like you, and I'm certainly not vindictive,

but if anyone ever really annoyed me, really made me loathe him, I think

I'd hound him to his grave."
     
     
It was then that a tiny youth in a white coat, who must be at least

sixteen but didn't look it, appeared at Ross's shoulder and said

breathlessly: "Are you Ian Ross?"
     
     
Ross recovered instantly. "I have that honor, infant."
     
     
"Mr. Baudaker wants you."
     
     
"But I don't want him."
     
     
The youth shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, I've told you. Can you tell

me where to find a girl called Anita Somerset?"
     
     
Ross leered. "I could, if you were to make it worth my while."
     
     
"Where is she, then?"
     
     
"Right here, infant, inflaming us both to fiery passion with her

presence."
     
     
"Oh . . . are you Anita Somerset?"
     
     
The girl smiled at him to compensate for Ross. "Yes."
     
     
"Mr. Baudaker wants you too."
     
     
He turned on his heel and ran off, whistling.
     
     
"Come and have a pint of wallop with me," said Ross.
     
     
"But Baudaker -- "
     
     
"You don't imagine I come running when bald little elderly lab office-boys

summon me?"
     
     
"No, I don't," said Anita, suddenly amused. "You couldn't go and see

Baudaker now, could you, Ross? It wouldn't be in your part. You only took

part in that session the night before last because nobody wanted you,

yet you did behave, you did work, because nobody expected you to, and you

didn't sneer over the results because we were all waiting for it. Don't

you realize, Ross, you're ten times more predictable than anybody else?"
     
     
"Nobody's predictable. Let's go and see what Baudaker wants."
     
     
"That's what I mean," said Anita