It was a warm Saturday in spring. Marcus got up at 11 AM, messed around on his computer for a couple of hours, and did some research for a History essay that was due in two weeks. The season had been over for a month now, and the campus had just stopped talking about how close they had come to a conference championship -- they had lost in the semifinals and had to settle for a meaningless bowl game that was only shown on one of the lesser sports channels. Now basketball season was in full swing and everyone had moved on to talking about their changes. The playoffs were just starting, and it looked like they could make a pretty deep run this year. While the more important players of the football team were always going to be recognized no matter what time of year, the more obscure ones were just like any other college student now. And for a nice guy like Marcus, that meant he could be safely ignored.
Chances were that folks like Fang or his buddy David were already busy living it up. They were out downtown in a nearby city, or at the movies, or just starting the long string of parties that would stretch on long into the night. He just had a Brutus Buster marathon to look forward to and another Saturday night alone. The kangaroo sighed and tried very hard not to think about how boring that sounded. Maybe he could invite Justin over. The rabbit had an odd sense of humor and could be quiet to the point of annoyance, but he was good company. Maybe Jessica, too. She was loud, but anything but boring. Or maybe Chris or Rich? They were definitely weird, but they were better than being alone.
The tall marsupial was just about to pick up his phone when he heard a knock at the door. He flicked an ear and crossed the small dorm room to peek out at the hallway. He wasn't expecting any company. He smirked to himself and thought that maybe Justin was having the same reaction to the prospect of spending the night solo.
There was no one there. All he could see was the door of his neighbor across the hall, Rich. He couldn't hear anyone walking away or anything, but someone had to have knocked. He opened the door and looked around. Then, just to make sure, up towards the ceiling. You could never be too sure that one of the guys hadn't hired a squirrel or something to be in on the prank. He saw and heard no one. As far as he could tell, he was completely alone in his dorm hall.
He was about to shut the door when he noticed the box. It was a small one, about eight inches on each side, and it was wrapped with a ribbon. An envelope had been taped to it.
Marcus couldn't help but grin. The gift was nice because it was so unexpected. He couldn't remember the last time someone had given him a present -- not even on his birthday. Around these parts, a night out to the local bar and double shots were the present of choice.
The kangaroo picked it up and carried it over to his computer desk, leaving the door open. Sure, he was down to his boxers and a tank top, but he had seen people wear a lot less around here. He plucked a card out of the envelope and read the back.
"To Marcus -- I've been a big admirer of your work for a long time, stud, and I know it sucks not getting any recognition for it. So I thought this little present might help you our next season. Please enjoy. Love, Your Secret Admirer."
He felt his heart swell inside of his chest. He, the kicker for a minor college football team, had a secret admirer! Without giving it a second thought, he undid the ribbon and opened the box.
Something leaped out from the box as if it were a jack-in-the-box. He was sprayed with some sort of powder that coated his face and ears, left a fine mist in the air around his head. He breathed out, coughed, but the powder felt like it was burrowing underneath his skin, singing his nostrils and throat as it coated them. The coughing got worse, and he fanned the air in front of his nose to prevent himself from breathing any more. It didn't seem to work.
Suddenly, it was getting hard to breathe. He kept coughing, and his throat spasmed too fast for him to catch his breath. He clutched the chair with one hand, leaned back on his tail, but he still couldn't keep his balance. The room spun. He thought he saw movement beyond his door; someone was coming. Someone would help him. He just needed to get to...
Marcus fell over before he took another step. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.
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