Maragana Girl
Copyright 2004 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/
EC's deviantART collection - http://caligula20171.deviantart.com/ 

(warnings: judicial corporal punishment, forced public nudity, sex between adults, 
references to drug use, references to violence)

Chapter 25 – Tiffany's Three Demerits

While Kim and her friends were occupied with the first week of their concert tour, 
Upper Danubia struggled through an ever-deepening political crisis. For the first 
time since the Second World War, the Duchy faced the prospect of political 
instability. The conservative government of the Party of the Duchy fell in the 
Parliament's first no-confidence vote since 1940. The Prime Minister immediately 
called elections assuming, correctly as it turned out, the deputies of the opposition 
Greater Danubian Progressive Party were not yet organized enough to win an 
election outright.

On July 29, the day after the successful concert of "Socrates' Mistresses" in 
Warsaw, the Duchy held the first out of a series of chaotic national elections. 
During the campaign the opposition deputies savagely attacked the government's 
disastrous handling of the previous year's fires in Rika Chorna province, which 
resonated among dispossessed voters in the entire eastern part of the country. 
However, the economic program the Greater Danubian Progressive Party put 
forward was frightening because of the commitments its leaders had made to 
foreign corporations. Included in the opposition's plans were the immediate 
abolition of many of the country's oldest institutions and social services, the 
removal of all legal protection for local businesses, and the immediate removal of 
most border security. The "Progressives" openly argued for closing Upper 
Danubia's public transportation system and encouraging the public to buy and 
import private automobiles. As for the farmland that would be destroyed by the 
proposed roads, the solution would be to import food from the European 
Community.

The proposal that most frightened much of the public about the opposition's 
program, however, was the idea to systematically log Upper Danubia's forests, in 
order to pay for road building and other large-scale development projects. Several 
international logging firms already had contracts pending to clear out the forests. 
All that was needed was a clear victory by the Greater Danubian Progressive 
Party.

As insane as the massive logging projects may have sounded to the western half 
of the country, to voters in the eastern half of Upper Danubia logging made 
perfect sense. Logging would remove the region's fire hazard once and for all, as 
well as finance the reconstruction of Rika Chorna and other fire-affected 
provinces. It was a financial quick fix that had its attractions, but any educated 
person realized the ultimate price would be far greater than any short-term gain 
for the east.

There was one final part of the opposition's program that struck real fear into the 
hearts of Danube City's 2,000 criminals: jails. The "Progressives" wanted to bring 
Upper Danubia's justice system in line with the rest of the world by rounding up 
all convicted criminals and putting them in jail. The incarceration program would 
begin with a concentration camp outside Danube City, which would stay in 
operation until a proper prison could be constructed. Once the prison was built, 
criminals would move in, be issued prison uniforms, have their collars removed, 
and spend the rest of their sentences in prison cells. Sure it would be costly and 
pull the criminals away from their families and jobs, but isn't that the way the rest 
of the world does it? Besides, a lucrative prison construction contract was waiting 
for a US corporation paying the campaign contributions of several opposition 
candidates.

Two nights before the election the Parliament's independent deputies invited 
Spokesman Vladim Dukov to address a campaign rally. He gave an angry speech 
to a large crowd, exhorting the public to reject the "insane" proposals of 
"capitalism in its most savage manifestation". He attacked globalization and the 
neo-conservative push to turn the world over to corporate interests. As she 
listened to him speak Kim realized, in spite of his kindness to her and his 
understanding of US citizens as individuals, Dukov did not like the United States 
as a society and rejected much of what its government stood for.

"We need to cultivate our land and we need to eat! We need to be safe! We need 
to walk down our streets in peace and breathe clean air! We do not need to 
become a nation of automobiles, international logging companies, pollution, and 
crime! We must not become a nation of people working 60 hours a week to buy 
imported products we don't need! And we must not sacrifice our identity on the 
altar of global commerce! I reject that false god, and I urge you to do the same!"

Dukov's speech killed the prospect of an outright victory by the "Progressives" 
and earned him some real political enemies in the Parliament. The popular vote 
split three ways, between the "Nobility", the "Progressives", and the unorganized 
group of dissidents from the two parties. Following the election, the Party of the 
Duchy formed an unstable coalition with the Duchy's independent deputies to set 
up a government. The new government would last a total of three weeks before 
the independents defected in a no-confidence vote and forced yet another election. 
The nation's Prime Minister later resigned in disgust, leaving Upper Danubia in 
political crisis with no real leadership.

----------

Kim returned to the hospital to visit Tiffany on the 29th, the same day of the first 
round of elections taking place around the country. She entered the hospital 
grounds right at 9:00, expecting to spend the entire allotted three hours with her 
client. Kim was not surprised to see Tiffany still in her room, but she was 
surprised to see that her physical appearance had only slightly improved. Tiffany's 
intern reminded Kim that her client not only had spent the entire week cleaning 
out the drugs from her body, but also undergoing treatment for venereal disease 
and amoebas. 

"She's had a rough week, but I think once we discontinue the antibiotics she'll feel 
much better. She's definitely past any danger of seizures, so I think we'll collar her 
today after her medical evaluation. Tomorrow we'll fix her teeth, and on Tuesday 
she'll start the regular exercise regimen with the other patients."

"How's her attitude been?"

"Apprentice, about the attitude…that's not been so good. She earned three 
demerits on Thursday, which is something I want to discuss with you. Our 
program includes a system of merits and demerits, which is one of the ways we 
encourage our patients to cooperate and behave appropriately. We issue merits 
based on good behavior and cooperation. A demerit results from a refusal to 
cooperate, or in the case of your client, disrespect and dishonesty. We've had 
quite a bit of unpleasantness from Tiffany over the last week. Some of that is to 
be expected, due to her medical condition. However, last Thursday we directed 
her to spend some time on a treadmill to check her heart and blood circulation. 
We run a total of three sessions on the treadmill to check a patient's endurance. 
Tiffany co-operated the first round, but she became rebellious after that. She…I 
presume it's an American manner of insulting…circled her eyes around when we 
issued our instructions, and then, in English, she called the doctor a 'cock-sucking 
fag' and to 'go fuck himself'. We did not understand what the term 'cock-sucking 
fag' meant, so I tried to look it up. I never figured out what the first word meant. 
The best I could figure is that it has something to do with sucking on chickens. 
The second word has two meanings, and I presume she was not calling the doctor 
a pile of firewood."

Kim sighed. "No. In the US that means only one thing, and it's an insult. A pretty 
bad one."

"Very well Apprentice. Then that is one demerit. I confronted Tiffany about the 
gesture with her eyes and her vocabulary, and she flatly denied both. Perhaps the 
gesture with her eyes was a misinterpretation on my part, but what she said was 
quite clear, and I am not the only person in the room who heard it. Several other 
patients witnessed the incident. We issued her a second demerit for lying and a 
third for the fact the incident took place in front of other patients."

"So…what is a demerit? What does that actually mean?"

"A demerit involves a formal apology and five strokes of the switch."

"And she's got three? That's fifteen strokes?"

"That is correct. Fifteen strokes and three formal apologies. Had she earned any 
merits, a merit would have canceled demerit. Unfortunately Tiffany did nothing 
this past week to earn a merit. To be honest, her behavior outside the Thursday 
incident has not been very cooperative."

Kim shook her head. The intern continued.

"I've discussed this matter with the doctors involved, and perhaps we 
can…postpone the corporal punishment until next weekend and hope she can earn 
a merit or two. That wouldn't sit well with the other patients, but perhaps it would 
motivate your client."

"Very well, Intern. I'll talk to her, and see what's going on."

Kim then returned to Tiffany's room, to find the patient sitting up and a bit 
restless. She gave Tiffany a sharp look and pointed at the floor. Tiffany sadly got 
on her knees and touched her forehead to the ground.

"OK, Tiffany, let's remember our protocol…it's 'Good morning Apprentice Lee. I 
am pleased you have safely returned.'"

Once she repeated the formal greeting, Kim invited Tiffany for a walk across the 
hospital grounds, to begin conversing with her. At first Kim gave Tiffany an 
update on her own life and the concert in Warsaw, and then went into detail about 
what Tiffany's life would be like once her trial was over. Kim wanted to 
emphasize that Tiffany would indeed have real life after her rehab and trial. 

Kim continued with some questions about Tiffany's current life, beginning with 
how she planned to maintain contact with her friends and relatives in the US.

"I don't know who I'll stay in touch with. The only person who really cares about 
me is Joe. I know I…I gotta write him and tell him I…guess I'm doing OK. I don't 
know. I'm so doped up with antibiotics that I really don't know how I'm supposed 
to be feeling."

Kim and Tiffany walked out to the edge of the forest park, which was a place 
Tiffany would come to know very well over the next several weeks during the 
rehab program's afternoon hikes. For a long time both women stared at the woods, 
while Kim tried to think how she could bring up the subject of Tiffany's behavior 
and the resulting demerits. Finally she asked:

"What about things here at the hospital? How do you feel you're doing?"

Tiffany was quiet for a moment. Kim knew her well enough to realize that she 
was struggling with whether or not to tell the truth or simply gloss over what 
happened. Finally Tiffany sighed.

"Kim…I mean Apprentice Lee, I don't know if you talked to the doctors 
yet…about something that happened Thursday. I kinda…said some things on 
Thursday…to the doctor…and…I think...I’m in some sort of trouble."

"Why? What made you talk to him like that?"

"I don't know. You know how I am with my mouth. And I didn't feel good and I 
was in a pissy mood, and they…do you know what happened?"

"I heard the intern's version of the story, so I know that much. What I need is to 
hear your side. Did they do anything wrong, anything to make you upset?"

"Not really, they just kept insisting on that treadmill test. But I starting to feel 
kinda sick and I mouthed off, and totally shocked everyone in the room. I think 
the other patients were more shocked than the doctors. It's like…I don't 
know…like the other patients are madder at me than the staff. They tried to be 
friendly at the beginning, but they haven't talked to me since Thursday…and that's 
got me a bit scared."

"Yeah, I guess it would. Tiffany, you just don't do that in this country, insulting 
someone and then lying about it. The Danubians get pissed about lying, because 
they're real big on this whole concept of 'honor'. Part of that thing with the 'honor' 
is you don't lie, and another part of it is you take responsibility for what you do. 
The other patients are avoiding you because you dishonored yourself. You know, 
if you just would have 'fessed-up and apologized…"

"I know I should've, but I…just can't. I've never apologized for anything."

"Well, this afternoon you're gonna have to. You owe the doctors three apologies, 
and you're gonna have to say it like you mean it. Nobody's gonna talk to you until 
you apologize."

"Yeah, I know. But the intern said something else…that they’re gonna punish me.

"Maybe. What's happened is you got what they call 'demerits', three of 'em; first 
for the insult, and then for lying about what you said, and the third for doing it in 
front of the other patients. Do you know what a demerit is?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"An apology is part of a demerit. The other part is five strokes of the switch. You 
got three demerits."

Tiffany gasped. "You mean…they're gonna whip me?"

"Well, that's what I'm not sure about. The intern said that maybe they could put it 
off 'till next Sunday, to see if you can get make up for it this week. The way their 
system works is if you get a 'merit' for good behavior, that'll cancel a demerit. If 
you could get three merits, that would cancel your punishment."

Tiffany's next question surprised Kim.

"Apprentice Lee…do they…ever do that for other patients…I mean…postpone a 
whipping to see if they can make up for it the next week?"

"No. In fact, the intern said it wouldn't sit well with the other patients, 'cause it's 
not the normal way they do things. But I guess they're willing to make an 
exception for you, 'cause you're a foreigner and maybe they think you don't 
understand the system or you didn't know what you were doing."

Tiffany struggled with the information and the possibility of a reprieve. For a long 
time she was quiet. Then Kim noticed a change in her expression. The change was 
slight, but it was noticeable. 

"On Thursday…I knew what I was doing. I just thought, because they didn't speak 
English, I could get away with it." Tiffany swallowed and continued, "I 
just…I'm…I really don't want to do anything that's gonna piss off the other 
patients, any more than they are already. I mean, Kim…I mean…Apprentice 
Lee…I gotta live with everyone here until the end of August, and I…just…can't 
have them…not speak to me…'cause I got special treatment."

"So…what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"I don't…I just think…I think the best thing would be for me to just get it over 
with. I…if I got punished, like normal…do you think the other patients would 
speak to me again?"

Kim thought for a moment, trying to draw upon her knowledge of Danubian 
society to answer Tiffany's question.

"I don't know about the hospital. I can tell you that with a group of ordinary 
criminals, if you turned down a special favor and asked to be treated like 
everyone else, it would get the others to respect you again. Anyhow, the way a 
switching works in this country is you deal with it, it hurts like hell for a while, 
and then it's over. Like, with our sentences…me and my friends from the 
band…once our collars came off, with the Danubian government it's as though 
our convictions never happened. I've got one friend who just entered the police 
academy, and well, here I am, as a legal Apprentice. I don't see why it would be 
any different with you. You screw up, you get your butt whipped for it, and then 
you're done."

"I really don't want to worry about this next week. I just want to forget about it."

"Well, you're not going to just forget about it. The welts will hurt for several 
days."

"I mean, the others…"

"I think it would fix your problem, if you're worried about getting along with the 
other patients."

Tiffany drew a deep breath. Her voice quivered slightly with her next statement.

"Then…I guess I'll just take the demerits and get it over with."

"You mean the switching?"

Kim's client nervously nodded.

"Yeah."

"It'll be 15 strokes."

"I know. I'll just deal with it."

Tiffany began twisting her hands and fidgeting. Before she and Kim returned to 
the hospital, she had one final question for her custodian.

"Kim...I mean Apprentice Lee, could you stay with me when I get punished, you 
know, to make sure I don't get hurt, like in court?"

"Sure. If you've got the guts to go through with this, then the least I can do is stay 
with you."

As they made their way back across the hospital grounds to the main building, 
Kim knew that, in her own way, Tiffany was about to make an important step in 
her personal transformation away from being a drug addict. For the first time in 
her life she had decided to directly face the consequences of something she had 
done wrong. She had turned down special treatment in order to regain the respect 
of her fellow patients. Tiffany's acceptance of her situation contained the seed of 
understanding the Danubian concept of "honor".

Kim approached the intern with her very forlorn client trailing behind her. Kim 
motioned with her fingertips for Tiffany to kneel. She then saluted the intern and 
addressed him in Danubian.

"Intern, I have discussed the situation concerning the three demerits with my 
client, Tiffany Walker. Tiffany understands she dishonored herself last Thursday 
and is willing to accept the consequences of her behavior. I do not believe a 
postponement of her demerits is necessary."

"Very well Apprentice. I think that's for the best. I was more concerned about 
how the other patients would view this, much more than the staff. It's been a bit 
difficult for all of us, given that Tiffany Walker is from a different country, and 
we're really not sure how we should behave around her. If she can accept her role 
as a patient and abide by our rules, I think that will make all of our lives much 
easier."

"Intern, I do have one request to make. As her Spokeswoman, I would like to be 
present during her punishment."

"I don't see why that would be a problem. If you come back here about 5:00, the 
head doctor will issue you a hospital pass."

----------

Kim decided to spend the early part of the afternoon at a nearby beach along the 
river. She pulled off her dress and for a while walked naked, with her clothes over 
her arm and her shoes in her hand, along the water's edge. After a few minutes she 
had the good fortune to run into her fellow-vocalist Valia and her family. Kim 
spent several pleasant hours just relaxing, for the first time in well over a month, 
as she swam and played cards with Valia, her boyfriend, and her younger brother.

Kim returned to the hospital in a relaxed and very upbeat mood. As promised, she 
was issued a special after-hours visitor's pass and made her way to the substance 
abuse department of the sprawling complex. She found the program's 40 patients 
sitting in a large classroom filling out questionnaires. Two doctors and five 
interns were standing in a group at the instructor's podium; looking over test 
results and organizing case files.

Tiffany and a middle-aged man wearing an alcoholic's collar were kneeling at the 
front of the room, facing the wall. The Danubian words "pogánit jéttit" were 
written in black magic marker on each of their backs, which, translated literally, 
meant "improper behavior". Kim realized the magic marker was indelible and 
would take several days to wash off. The humiliation of being marked was part of 
the demerit.

As soon as he noticed Kim was present, the intern called two security guards on a 
pager. The guards, a man and a woman, entered the room, as the head doctor 
loudly whistled. The patients quickly stood at attention, with the exception of the 
two demerits. The male guard was carrying a police switch.

The female guard approached the kneeling man and told him to stand up. Once he 
did so she took his arm and led him to the head doctor. He knelt and touched his 
forehead to the floor. Then he knelt upright and spoke: "Doctor, I committed a 
transgression that I need to apologize for. I pretended to be sick last Monday to 
avoid working in the garden. I lied about my physical condition, and wish to 
express remorse for my dishonesty. I request that I be appropriately punished for 
dishonoring myself."

"Very well, patient Dima. Once you are chastised, I will accept your apology."

Tiffany was next. The male guard looked at Kim, who instructed her client to 
stand up in English. The guard then took Tiffany's arm and led her to the head 
doctor. Tiffany knelt and looked nervously at Kim. Kim noticed the other patients 
were watching very intently, curious to see if she actually was going to apologize.

"OK. What you need to do is look at the doctor and say 'Doctor, I committed a 
transgression that I need to apologize for.' I'll translate."

Once Tiffany spoke and Kim translated, the Apprentice continued. "Now, say the 
following: 'I insulted you because I did not want to exercise last Thursday. What I 
said was in English, but I greatly dishonored you.”

When Tiffany repeated Kim’s words and Kim translated the statement to 
Danubian, she continued: “My second offense was to tell a lie because I wanted to 
deceive you. I did this in front of other patients, not thinking about your honor or 
anyone else's. I want to say I'm sorry for my behavior. I ask that I be appropriately 
punished for dishonoring myself."

As best she could, Tiffany stumbled over the long statement in English while her 
mentor translated. As soon as the other patients heard the translation, their 
expressions changed somewhat.  They were very pleased that Tiffany was willing 
to accept the consequences of her scandalous behavior. She now could re-join the 
group once her punishment was over. The head doctor answered in Danubian:

"Very well, patient Tiffany. Once you are chastised, I will accept your apology 
and this incident will fade from our memories."

Kim's translation was "OK Tiffany, they'll drop this and forget about it after they 
whip your butt."

The guards led Tiffany and the alcoholic to the hospital grounds as the doctors 
and other patients filed behind. There was a pole located in the middle of a grassy 
area that had several metal loops welded to one side. Kim realized the pole was a 
whipping post. 

The guards took out two sets of leather cuffs and attached them to the wrists of 
the culprits. Because he had only one demerit, the man would be punished first. 
However, what his punishment lacked in severity it more than made up with 
humiliation. Kim later learned he had entered the rehabilitation program 
voluntarily, because his wife threatened to divorce him if he did not stop drinking. 
He was an ordinary citizen with a good job and three children. Until recently he 
had led a respectable life, before his drinking got the better of him. Finally, on the 
verge of losing both his job and his marriage, he entered rehab. Now, here he was, 
a respected citizen with children, being cuffed naked to a whipping post for a 
stupid lie he had told earlier in the week. Kim noticed he did not really seem to be 
afraid, but it was obvious that he was horribly embarrassed.

The male guard handed the switch to his female partner and attached the patient's 
wrists to the pole. As was the custom in the National Police, the hospital rules 
stated that a person of the opposite sex should punish an errant patient in the 
rehab program. It was a humbling experience, especially for substance abusers 
who were married or had serious relationships. 

The guard then told the man to spread his legs and arch his back. The patient 
sighed, but complied. The female guard positioned herself and tapped the man's 
bottom with her switch as he closed his eyes and waited for the first stroke.

The female guard struck hard, as hard as any police officer would have struck. 
Her victim gasped and turned slightly, but then tried to properly reposition 
himself for the second stroke. As soon as he was back into position, his bottom 
sticking out and his feet spread, the guard struck again. The patient gasped as 
sweat started collecting on his forehead. Once again the guard waited for her 
victim to reposition himself, and laid a third cruel stroke to the man's bottom.

Kim winced as the blows landed, but, having endured three full criminal 
switchings herself, she knew the patient's punishment was relatively mild. While 
it was true the strokes were every bit as hard as strokes issued by a police officer, 
there would be only five, which was something anyone could endure. Sure 
enough, the man made it through the fifth stroke without making any sound apart 
from his breathing. The guards released him and he rejoined the other patients. He 
tried to avoid rubbing the five red stripes across his bottom, but every so often he 
winced as his hands went over his backside. Still, he had made it through his 
punishment properly and gave Tiffany an example of how she needed to behave.

The guard glanced at Kim, who turned to her client. "Alright Tiffany, you're up." 
Tiffany shot a frightened glance at Kim as she got up off her knees. Kim gently 
squeezed her arm.

"OK. It's gonna hurt like hell, and it's supposed to. It'll feel like you're being cut 
open, but they won't do anything to hurt you for real. Now, one thing. 
Please…please try not to scream or cry if you can possibly help it. If you really 
want to get the respect of the other patients, you'll tough it out as best you can."

Tiffany nodded, but Kim could tell she already was on the verge of tears, even 
before the first blow was struck. Sadly she moved to the post and the two waiting 
guards. The female guard attached metal clips to the cuffs on her wrists and raised 
her arms to one of the higher metal loops. She clipped the cuffs to the loop and 
then tapped the insides of Tiffany's thighs with her fingertips to force them apart. 
She then put her fingertips on Tiffany's waist to move her backwards and have her 
bottom sticking out.

"You, American Tiffany. This how you stand, you listen me?"

Tiffany nodded, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

There were no preliminaries to the punishment. The female guard stepped back as 
her male co-worker positioned himself to whip Tiffany. He struck hard, hard 
enough to make all of the females in the group watching flinch in sympathy. 
Tiffany bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, but did not make any noise. Kim 
was relieved, because she had been afraid her client might not endure a switching 
very well. Tiffany bent her knees slightly and moved her body forward. Kim 
admonished her in English.

"Tiffany, get back in position. The quicker you get your butt out, the quicker 
this'll be over."

Tiffany gasped and nodded. She shifted herself back out. The moment her bottom 
was flexed back into position Tiffany felt another searing blow across her exposed 
backside. Her eyes were completely filled with tears and her lip was getting 
bruised from her teeth biting down from the pain, but Tiffany was determined to 
not cry out. 

Patient Tiffany Walker struggled to get herself back into position. The pain from 
the strokes was a horrible experience, and yet, deep down inside, she was happy 
this was happening to her. This experience: being tied naked to a whipping post in 
a foreign country, being subjected and beaten by people who did not speak her 
language…somehow filled Tiffany with a sense of relief, as though her soul had 
been contaminated and now it was being cleansed. Tiffany now realized how 
much she would be forced to turn away from everything she had been just two 
weeks before. The pain tearing into her drove that message home. This was real. 
Her life had changed and there was no going back. 

As the pain mounted in her bottom from the increasing collection of reddish 
welts, Tiffany's mind focused on a single purpose in life…don't scream…don't 
scream. For the first time in a while she was able to forget about the selfishness, 
impulsiveness, and self-pity, as well as the resulting guilt and self-hatred, that had 
filled her thoughts for several years. At the same time she felt relief from having 
finally done something wrong, confessing to it, apologizing, and accepting the 
consequences. Tiffany was learning what it was to live a life in which each of her 
actions had consequences that were immediate and direct results of the things she 
had done wrong. She found that reassuring: considering that in her previous life 
the consequences for her actions came days or weeks afterwards, and usually in 
convoluted ways that never made any sense.

The punishment was over only about ten minutes after it began. Tiffany almost 
blacked out after the final stroke and her face was totally wet from her tears, but 
she had managed to not cry, to the amazement of everyone watching. The guards 
undid Tiffany's cuffs and released her. She fell into Kim's arms. Her tears wet 
Kim's shoulder and the sleeve of her blouse, but she still managed to stay quiet, 
even as the pain in her welts mounted. Finally Kim whispered into her client's ear.

"You did good. Really good, Tiffany. I'm proud of you."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah. You're gonna be OK. You're gonna get past all this, and then you'll have a 
life that's worth living."

Tiffany finally took her place in formation with the other patients. Kim knew, 
from observing the others and from her knowledge of Danubian society, that 
Tiffany had redeemed herself among the doctors, and more importantly, her peers. 
She could look forward to participating as a fully accepted member of the group 
during the activities the following week.

The final part of Tiffany's incorporation into the hospital program came a few 
minutes later, when she was fitted with a red fiberglass medical collar. The collar 
was a clear indication she was progressing with her detox treatment, because the 
doctors only collared patients who were past the danger of seizures and ready to 
fully participate in the program's busy schedule. Tiffany would spend a good 
portion of the following day sitting in a dental chair, but once her teeth were taken 
care of, she would begin a regimen of rigorous exercising to finish cleaning and 
restoring her body.

That night, as Kim got ready to leave, Tiffany showed correct protocol. She knelt 
properly, and, in spite of the pain from her welts and bruises, she crisply placed 
her hands on the floor and touched her forehead to the ground.

"Goodbye, until we meet again, Apprentice Lee."

"Goodbye, Tiffany. I'll see you next Sunday."