The Exchange Students - 5. Chapter 5

**

As we were leaving, my mom whispered into my ear. "You certainly have yourself a looker, and he seems very nice. They didn't make boys like that when I was your age. I trust you to be careful, but I expect you to have the time of your life."

She kissed me on the cheek, and we left for San Francisco.

**

Something strange happened on our way back to the city.

I was sitting between Oscar and Jakob in the second row of the SUV. I couldn’t be happier. Frank and Emma sat in the front. Carson and Brad sat in the third row.

As we drove up Highway 101, passing San Bruno, Frank said calmly yet seriously, “Carson, behind us; dark sedan with two males in the front seat.”

I heard Carson and saw Oscar and Jakob turn and look out the back window. At the same time, Frank slowed, drawing the sedan closer to us.

“It’s a father driving his son home from soccer practice. We’re Ok,” said Carson.

"Who? What?” I asked.

"It’s nothing important," said Oscar.

"It sounded like it was important," Emma said to Frank.

"I’m just being paranoid."

Something was going on. The Norwegians were acting mysteriously and didn't want us to know why.

"it’s going to be a little crowded at my house tonight, said Brad. My Aunt Sudie is visiting from Maine and she’s in your regular room. You’ll have to sleep with me in my room, and I’m warning you that ratatouille gave me gas."

Laughing his ass off, Jakob said. "Poor Matt, you'll need an oxygen tank to get through the night.”

“You should stay with us,” said Oscar. ”We have plenty of room."

“If it’s not too much trouble?” I asked.

“No trouble at all," said Frank. "We can have a sauna party. Matt and Emma, you’re invited too."

"I’ll be there," said Brad. "I don’t really have gas, and I love the sauna," he snickered.

We all laughed along with Brad.

"What about you, Emma?" said Frank.

I could see Emma thinking about it. “I’m not sure my mom will go along with it. Maybe if I told her I was spending the evening with Amy, she would let me come. I’ll call Amy."

“Yes, invite her too, and be sure to get permission to go camping this weekend. Maybe Amy can join us,” said Frank.

We agreed to meet at 6:30 at the Norwegians' Edgehill house. Party! This should be interesting.

We dropped Emma and Brad off at their homes and proceeded to the Norwegian's house. Oscar showed me to a bedroom on the second floor.

“I’m sorry, there isn’t a private bath attached to this room. You can use the bathroom across the hall. Jakob and I share it,” said Oscar. “We keep it relatively clean.”

“I have to share with my younger brother, and our bathroom isn’t always spotless. I promise not to leave a mess,” I chuckled.

We snacked on a sweet brown cheese called brunost, served on warm, crisp bread. The meal was unexpectedly tasty. It had a caramel flavor and hit the spot. I’m experiencing so many new things.

Brad arrived a little before 6:30 and enthusiastically accepted a Norwegian lager from Frank. I was sticking to non-alcoholic beverages that night.

I received a text from Emma a little after six thirty, letting me know she and Amy were in an Uber only a few minutes from the house.

Oscar, Jakob, and I went to the front porch and greeted them at the door. Oscar escorted Emma and Amy on a house tour and joined us in the front room for a beverage and snacks.

Emma made a beeline to Frank and Amy to Brad. I was with Oscar, and Brad and Jakob picked up their usual good-natured banter.

I could tell that Emma, Brad, and Amy were nervous. None of us knew how this sauna was going to play out. I’ll admit I was anxious about being naked in front of Emma and Amy. It wasn’t sexual for me, just strange. I doubt Brad had ever seen Amy naked. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind.

“The sauna is heated,” said Frank. “Is everyone ready to sweat?”

We headed to the changing room.

The Norwegians stripped down quickly, wrapped towels around their waste, and entered the sauna. They were facing toward the bench as they stripped, so none of us saw their genitals, but their asses were superb. As expected, I started to get chubby, but I had the foresight to jerk off in the bathroom before Brad, Emma, and Amy arrived, and I controlled it.

Brad was not nearly as casual about stripping down in front of the girls as he was in front of me last week.

I took a deep breath and stripped down to my boxer briefs, then wrapped a towel around my waist and slipped off my shorts. Brad followed my lead, and much to Brad and my discomfort, the girl stood and watched us. It was embarrassing. Securely wrapped in our towels, we entered the sauna. I was brave enough this time to sit next to Oscar on one of the upper benches. He is so sexy!

Brad sat on one of the lower benches and nervously waited for Amy and Emma. Brad may be imperturbable most of the time, but at this moment, he appeared as insecure as me.

First, Emma, followed by Amy, entered the sauna. They both had a towel wrapped around their bodies, barely hiding the goods. One errant move, and they’d flash us. Even I thought they looked hot. I could hear Brad breathing hard.

Amy walked up to Brad and, in a sultry voice, said, “I thought the towels were for sitting on, not covering up.”

Brad gulped, “Yeah, but…but we’re all naked under these towels.”

“I know,” said Amy. “Show me what you got.”

Brad went beat red and fidgeted back and forth. “Are you sure you want me to?”

She stood striking a sexy feminine pose while looking him up and down.

I could hear Oscar chuckling next to me.

“Do it, Brad,” shouted Jakob. “Show her what you’ve got!”

Brad reached for the tucked corner of his towel with a trembling hand and hesitated.

“Just kidding,” Amy said as she whipped off her towel, revealing a two-piece bathing suit. “Maybe we can ‘show and tell in private later.”

Brad let out a relieved breath, smiled, and motioned Amy to join him on the bench.

After twenty minutes, Oscar, Jakob, and I headed to the plunge pool. It was still a shock and took my breath away, but I was getting to like it … sort of.

The party was over. Everyone appeared relaxed and ready for a good night's sleep.

Emma and Amy took an Uber home while Brad said his goodbyes and headed down the hill to his house. The Norwegians and I had to get up early to drive to Tahoe in the morning. We all drifted to our bedrooms and prepared for bed.

At ten o’clock, I woke up and realized I hadn’t brushed my teeth. I know it’s silly, and I could miss one tooth brushing, but I’d been brushing every night since I’ve had teeth, and it didn’t seem right to skip it.

I grabbed my brush and toothpaste and headed to the bathroom across the hall. The door was closed, and I could see a light under it. I thought, ‘No problem, I know there are more bedrooms and a couple of baths on the finished basement level.

I tiptoed down the steps to the main level, opened a door to the right, and descended to the basement. I’d only been on this level once when Jakob gave me a house tour on my first visit. I had no idea where the bathrooms were. I didn’t want to walk in on someone trying to sleep, so I crept down the hallway, listening at the door of each room and opening the door a crack. The first room was a closet; the second was a bedroom with a bedside light illuminated, but no one was in the room. There was the sound of a hum emanating from the third door. I thought it might be an exhaust fan in a bathroom, so I cautiously turned the knob. It was an office with a half dozen large monitors set up in a half circle around a desk.

I was about to close the door and continue my search for a bathroom when I noticed an image of the new guy, Ralph, from Friday's Science class on one of the screens.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I walked into the room to get a better look. The image was from a site with the heading Bundesnachrichtendienst (BDN) and labeled, 'Classified, Albert Horschel-suspected Ahnenerbe affiliation.

‘What’s going on!’ I thought with a growing sense of dread. I quickly scanned the other monitors. One was tracking the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS), another Agencja Wywiadu, and, to my shock, the FBI, CIA, and NSA.

“You shouldn’t be here, Matt.”

I spun to discover Carson standing at the door, staring at me menacingly.

My adrenaline roared, leaving me flushed, short of breath, and nearly paralyzed with alarm.

I forced myself to say, “I…I was looking for the bathroom.

Carson stood staring at me. “It’s the next room down the hallway. Follow me.”

As I exited the room, he stood beside the door. Carson turned and locked the door to the office.

He directed me to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door and found Carson in the hallway. He escorted me to the steps leading up to the main level and said.

“Sleep well, Matt.”

I did sleep well, eventually. I awoke to knocking on the guest room door. I answered the door, fighting my way out of my early morning daze.

It was Jakob. “Are you ready, Matt? We want to get an early start,” he exclaimed.

“Can you give me fifteen minutes?” I mumbled.

“Sure, we’re all downstairs.”

I checked my watch; it was 4:30 a.m. I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

After the encounter with Carson, I didn’t know what kind of reception I would receive that morning. I went downstairs, and Oscar greeted me with a smile.

“We prepared you granola, yogurt, and fruit to go. You can eat in the car.”

The Norwegians, including Carson, were acting like their usual friendly selves. It seemed my nosy behavior from the night before wasn’t an issue.

I loaded my stuff into the SUV. I noticed several wooden boxes stored in the back.

We picked up a sleepy Brad first and then Emma and Amy.

We took I-80 across the Bay Bridge, following the signs to Sacramento and Tahoe.

Just past Sacramento, Frank said, “Matt, Brad, Emma, and Amy, we want to explain something to you.” He paused before continuing, “We have a group of people from Europe looking for us.”

“We hoped to disappear in the vastness of the United States,” said Carson, “but we fear they have found us. Ralph, the new student, might be an advanced guard. More could follow him.”

“We feel it is futile to continue to attempt to evade them,” said Frank. “They are a threat.

Emma, Amy, Brad, and I sat silently, not comprehending what Frank and Carson were trying to tell us.

“But why are they after you?” I asked.

I could see the Norwegians exchanging looks.

“We were part of a program called Ahnenerbe,” said Carson. “There are at least four locations of operation: one in Norway, two in Germany, and one in Poland. The Norwegian branch dissolved six months ago. We’ve been on the run ever since.”

“Ahnenerbe depends on secrecy to survive, and the other branches consider us dangerous,” said Frank.

“What do you plan to do?” Emma asked.

“We plan to expose them and eliminate the risk,” stated Carson. “It will be difficult to convince enforcement agencies of their existence and even more difficult to convince them to take action, but their influence is growing, and we must act soon. They have powerful allies.”

”What can I do to help?” I asked.

“Yeah, what can we do?” said Amy, Brad and Emma.