"Where do we look?" asked Trevor.

            Melanie didn't answer verbally. By way of explanation her stomach growled. Right on cue, again, she thought. She grabbed Trevor and smiled at him widely as she tossed him into her mouth. Gulping him down as she did Trey before she looked over at Troy and Steve, searching together under the bed.

*  *  *

            Trevor was being forced down her esophagus with the smell of Melanie’s mint breath lingering in his nostrils. He was in her esophagus, being pushed towards her stomach. It was a scary idea to get used to. Really, there was no getting used to it. Trevor had just been SWALLOWED! Swallowed alive! How could this possible happen to him? To him! He was someone else's food. Melanie had convinced him of her friendship but now he realized that all she ever wanted was to eat them. From the moment she had set eyes on them in the cafeteria they were done for.

            A valve below him opened and he was forced, kicking and screaming, into the belly of the girl. "Noooooo!" Splash! He belly flopped into her belly. How terribly funny.

            "Who's there? Trevor is that you?" said a familiar voice from the darkness.

            "Trey?"

            "She ate us man. I can't believe it. Oh Hell. We're gunna die in here. We're not going to make it. Melanie help!"

            "Melanie let us out!" joined in Trey.

            Melanie was now kneeling over Steve and Troy. "We were just thinking that James might..." said Steve but stopped suddenly.

            "Hang on!" he said. "I hear a call for help." Troy listened too and Melanie realized too late where they cries of help were coming from. In a flash she clapped a hand over her belly and gave them both a warm smile.

            "Melanie. Those voices were coming from your abdomen," said Troy slowly. He and Steve exchanged a glance.

            Melanie's belly gurgled. "There's room for two more. Interested?" asked Melanie. As one, the two boys ran for cover under the bed. Steve looked back as Melanie's fingers caught him up and extracted him from the dusty carpet.

            Within Melanie's stomach, Trey and Trevor were washed sideways as Melanie knelt down. Trey screamed, no longer capable of speaking. Trevor was still pleading with Melanie to release them. The possibility seemed remote but surely, thought Trevor, she wouldn’t keep us in here and digest us! We're supposed to be her friends!

            Melanie and Steve looked at each other for a moment. Melanie could have sworn that she saw contentment in his eyes but she didn't have time to investigate further. “Sorry there isn’t time for chocolate syrup right now. You’ll be good anyway,” whispered Melanie.  She put him in her mouth and was already leaning down to look under the bed as she swallowed him alive and whole.

             Troy made it to the back of the bed and cut right, running along the wall. He noticed that Melanie was not coming after him. She seemed to be going after a dresser to the right of the bed. Oh no! Josh was over there in plain sight, looking up at Melanie as she approached.

            "I didn't see James yet Melanie," said Josh with a weak smile of friendliness mixed with frustration at not finding a trace of the missing.

            "Oh?" said Melanie, feigning surprise. "I think the others might be closer to finding him than you think. Perhaps you should join them."

            "I would like that Melanie. I want to be helpful," he said.

            "Oh I'm sure I will value your contribution quite a lot."

            "You will?" said Josh, his face lighting up like a bulb.

            "Oh yes," said Melanie, returning his smile as she reached out for him.

            "RUN!" screamed Troy from under the bed. "She's going to eat you!" Both Josh and Melanie looked at the bed to see an out of breath Troy standing there. Everyone started moving at once. Troy started running back under the bed. Melanie followed him on her hands and knees and Josh ran under the dresser.

            Josh made the cover and turned to look back. He got a good view of Melanie, her back to him. In her hands she held the wiggling form of Troy. She brought him to her face and as she turned towards him, Josh saw her swallow something. The only thing she could have swallowed was Troy.

            Her belly was exposed. Josh couldn't believe the man who had just saved his life was now trapped within that beautifully fit stomach. Melanie's eyes found Josh and he immediately retreated further under the dresser as Melanie came closer. She was so beautiful. He had a crush on her and was shocked to discover that he was even more attracted to her than he had been a moment ago.

            Melanie lay down on her stomach to see under the crack between the dresser and the floor. There stood Josh, out of reach since the crack was too small to fit a hand through.

            "Come on out Josh. I'll make it quick. It's actually a lot of fun."

            "For whom?" asked Josh.

            "Well, me. But other guys I've eaten have enjoyed it."

            "Maybe being digested alive isn't my idea of a good time."

            "No, but digesting you alive is my idea of one," said Melanie with a grin. "Come on out. It's fun. Besides you'll have plenty of company in there right now."

            "No way."

            "Fine. Have it your way. But you'll have to come out from under there sometime and when you do..." she pointed to her mouth and smiled, slowly licking her lips before kissing at him.

            "I am going to eat you Josh," she said simply. "You can choose when to come out of there but when you do I'm going to swallow you whole. Alive Josh. You will be alive in my stomach as I digest you like I am doing to your friends."

            It gave Josh sick chills of pleasure to hear the beautiful young woman Melanie speak to him like that. He almost walked out from under the dresser. Still he stayed put for now, the fear of dying overruling his desire to please and obey her.

            Melanie stood and looked over at the bowl where she had kept the other two seniors. They had just escaped the fishbowl (most impressive) and were making their way across the counter. She stowed over to them.

            "Hey guys," she said. "Guess you saw me eat those other guys there."

            "Yup. Sure did," said Joe, not breaking stride as he spoke.

            "We did rather, yes. Thought we might make a go at running for it," expanded Herb as he ran alongside Joe.

            Joe reached a rope hanging from the desk and slid down it, Herb just behind him. They were afforded a terrific view of Melanie's stomach, where they knew four men were still alive and being digested.

            "You know that if I catch you I'm going to eat you," said Melanie, still watching them.

            "Indeed we do," confirmed Herb. "While we’re on the subject, why aren't you after us now?" By his tone one would think that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. That they were not running for their lives and Melanie had not just eaten four men.

            "I thought it would be fun to give you a head start before we begin hide and go seek," explained Melanie, crouching down to watch them disappear under the desk.

            "Keep dreaming sweetheart, my English friend and I are gunna out fox ya," called Joe as they ran off.

            "Don't be so sure," said Melanie as she stood up again. She winked at David who was sitting on the bed and smiling at her.

*  *  *

             "And then I ate him," said Melanie, finishing the story. She was lying on her back and recounting some of her more memorable meals to Josh who was still under the dresser. He seemed appreciative of the tale but still reluctant to come within reach of Melanie's grasp. "So," said Melanie, turning on her side and looking in at Josh, "How long have you been into vore?"

            "Er, huh?" asked Josh.

            "Vore. You know, being eaten?"

            "Oh well. I was sorry to watch those guys get eaten but it was pretty exciting when you said you were going to get me," fumbled Josh. It was both terrifying and exciting to realize that his friends were inside her belly. Of course, they were powerless to help him.

            "And I will get you," said Melanie. "Sooner or later." She sighed. "Hmm. I think some room opened up. Let me know when you would like to fill the vacancy." She winked at him and got up to search for Joe and Herb.

            Josh watched her begin to search the room for the others, still captivated by her physical beauty. He imagined what it must be like to be tossed about and thrown around in her stomach as she bent this way and that, looking for the other boys. Well, that was what Trey and Troy and James and Steve and Trevor were all going through. It was awful. But somehow he could not shake the feeling of anticipation and enjoyment in the prospect of being devoured alive by this beautiful woman.

            He wondered how long he could hide. A shiver ran down his spine as a thought hit him. Maybe he should just give in to her. He could still see her swallowing Troy in his mind’s eye. It was far too delightful a thought to think that it could be him she ate next. He sat down and wondered how much longer until he gave himself to Melanie. He might be a willing sacrifice for her belly.

*  *  *

            Melanie lay on her bed, every so often checking to see where everyone had gotten to. She’d lost track of the two seniors, and Troy was still under his own hiding space. Melanie hummed up at the ceiling, petting David every now and then while he lay on her stomach.

            She and Troy had a few conversations, usually ending when Troy got nervous and stopped talking. After a great deal of time had passed, Melanie resituated David onto her bed, and moved over to the food she had still in her room.

            “Well you guys don’t seem to be playing around, and all that running I bet has made you hungry. So…” Melanie moved the food plate onto the ground and stood back up, “I’ll leave some food out and you can come and go as you wish. However, just because I put some food out in a gesture of kindness, doesn’t mean I’m any less hungry myself!” She said as she patted her ironclad stomach.

            She laid back down and moved David back to his favourite spot, and she shut her eyes, keeping her ears peeled for any sound that might give away the location of some food. Whether minutes passed, or hours passed, no one knew, only Melanie heard something.

            “No!” A voice far away hissed angrily.

            “Oh come off it, and be quiet! She looks asleep, and I’m famished, I’m sure you are too! I’m just going to get some nourishment; it would be very good for us, as we might be able to keep going longer.”

            Both voices were hushed in whispers, but Melanie heard every sound. “Oh alright, but I’m going over there while you’re out.” There was a short silence.