*******

Bijoux LaRuex ducked behind the full, blooming Hydrangea and tried not to sneeze. The gates of Hestia State were closing slowly behind the gleaming BMW, and this was her first and best chance. Scurrying out from under the foliage, she flung herself forward, just barely clearing the heavy wrought iron as the gates clanged shut.

Smiling breathlessly, she carefully smoothed the wrinkles out of the newspaper she'd clutched to her heaving bosom and looked again at the photo there. She sighed, her eyes tearing with the emotions the whelmed up within her.

Those eyes! That smile! That voice! She closed her eyes, a dreamy smile curving her lips. Oh, the way he'd said her name... Bea-jouuu... Could any man be more perfect?

"Oy! Who's there!"

Squeaking with fright, Bijoux tried to run, only to find herself face first in the drive as her caught skirt kept her in place.

Dang it! Determinedly, she pushed herself up, and yanked her skirt free with a rip. Leaping to her feet, she ran for the cover of the trees. She'd come this far, gosh darn it, no one would come between her and her man now. Not that nasty little jumped-up secretary, Kendra, not that insane Dean Emmy, not... She shot a look over her shoulder and grimaced. Not even what appeared to be an oddly dressed boy trying to chase her down while holding on to his hair extension.

Looking behind her, she didn't see the exposed tree roots until she tripped over them and fell. Whimpering, she pulled herself painfully to her knees, then froze as the boy chasing her ran past and disappeared. Sitting back against the trunk, she breathed deeply and gratefully. She'd just rest here until she got her breath back. Then she'd continue with her plan.

The plan had come to her while listening to the fire-personnel talk about the women at HSU. Their crazy antics were quite the talk of Estrogen County, but no one would dare go up against them. Of course not, she thought, not while they had the General's -- she sighed -- protection. And that's when she decided to come to HSU. All she had to do was disguise herself and mingle with the student body, go to a few classes and hang out in the Administration Building until the man of her dreams appeared.

She sighed again. A glazed and dazed look coming over her face as she reached into her Gucci handbag and pulled out her tape recorder. Pressing play, she smiled dreamily into space as she listened her interview with General Kenobi. Why she'd gotten fired from her job at the Coruscant Enquirer, she'd never understand. It was clearly her finest work yet.

"Yub yub?"

Startled, she yelped as she turned toward the sound. A small teddy-bearish creature stood before her, blinking quizzically.

"Oh," she gasped. "You scared me."

The creature's only response was to bat its large eyes again and cock its head.

"Aren't you the cutest lil' thing? But, there's something familiar about yo--"

"YUB YUB YUB!" the creature snarled, brandishing a hoe.

Bijoux screamed, leapt to her feet, and began running.