Frank was grateful to have someone to talk to on the bus the next morning. Jason took advantage of it as well. With the two of them together, the bullies on the bus were less likely to pick on him, save for a passing comment. Though even this did not stop Richie.

Richie looked irritated when he saw Frank and Jason sitting together and barely said a word past a simple greeting to Jason. Frank flashed Richie a smug look, though it faded when the bus made its final stop and Heather and Melinda came aboard.

"Um, hey, I'll see you later, okay?" Frank said to Jason, rising from his seat.

"Oh, wait, you don't have to ..." Jason began.

Before he could finish, Melinda rushed over and slid into the vacated seat even before Frank had straightened up completely. "Yes, he does," she said with a grin.

Jason gave Frank a helpless look. Frank just returned it with a wan smile. "I'll catch you at lunchtime."

"Sure thing. Hey, Frank, you want to come over today? After school, I mean."

Now Melinda's grin faded. Across the aisle, Heather found a seat next to Richie, feeling a little chagrined that Melinda was not sitting next to her.

Frank paused a moment. "Seriously?"

"Sure. I can give you the wireless bridge you wanted and you can show me those Trek sites I don't know about."

Frank grinned. "Deal. See ya later."

Melinda sighed. "Just great," she muttered.

Jason looked at her. "What?"

"I was going to have the house to myself again," Melinda said in a low voice.

"Oh, were you?" said Heather. "News to me."

Melinda just stuck her tongue out at her big sister.

"Alone? But I thought your Mom would be home."

"No, she's working full time now."

Jason paused. "Not at the ..."

"Yes, at the same place," Heather said sharply. "The same damn place."

"What the hell does she do there?" Richie asked.

"That's just it. She won't tell us. I've asked her several times now, and ..."

"Heather, I really don't want to talk about this, okay?" Melinda said in a forlorn voice. She appeared to slide in her seat closer to Jason, as if seeking his comfort. She turned to him. "I was just hoping you'd want to spend more time with me."

Jason hesitated. He was still very new to the idea of having a girlfriend. "Er ... well, yeah, I do to, but ... "

"He'd rather nerd-out with the shrimp than make out with the girl," Richie said with a smirk, rolling his eyes. "Funny, when I look at Frank, I don't see no fine ..."

"You say one more thing about my boobs and I swear I'll kick you!" Melinda piped. She immediately blushed when several other students on the bus snickered at this, but she didn't care.

"Jesus. Okay, fine. Jason, call off your attack-girl, willya?"

Jason actually managed a small smile at this.

"Do you suppose they'll start the medical program today?" Heather asked in a slightly quavering voice. Some of her dreams the night before had not been very restful. They were repeats of the same imagery that she had had the day before while talking with Diane.

Jason was about to reply when Richie cut in. "Stop worrying about it. My Mom called in sick to work today, so she's fixing to head down to the school later. By lunchtime, the program will be gone. Poof."

"You better be right about that ..."

"Well, if I'm not, the brainiac here has a backup plan."

Melinda blinked. "You do?" she asked Jason.

Jason looked surprised as well. "I do?"

"Yeah, you were talking about going to see the nurse yourself. Get the lowdown on her."

"Oh, that," Jason said. He glanced nervously towards the back of the bus. "Well, it was Frank's idea, actually."

"What, you told him about all this?" Melinda asked incredulously. "And he didn't think you were nuts?"

"No, no, he suggested it for, uh, other reasons."

Richie snorted. "The shrimp wanted to see if lookin' at the nurse would give him a boner."

Jason glared at him. "Will you stop calling him that?"

"But what good would seeing the nurse do?" asked Melinda.

"To see if we even need to worry about any of this. If she has the aura. If she doesn't, then it's not such a big deal."

Melinda made an "ohhh" sound and nodded, but Heather looked wary. "I don't know about that, Jason," Heather said.

"What do you mean?"

"It ... it sounds dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Richie said with a derisive laugh. "What's so dangerous about looking at a nurse? Unless any of you had that stuff like leap out at you or something."

All eyes shifted to Melinda, the most sensitive of the four of them in this area. She just shook her head.

"I just have a funny feeling about it, that's all."

Melinda gave her sister an odd look. "Heather, what's with you? You've been acting really weird."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Ever since you got back from the mall yesterday. Like you're spooked about something."

Heather paused, then just shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's in your head, runt."

"It's not in my head. And stop calling me that."

Heather had not realized she had been acting any differently, but she was not terribly surprised. She did not understand the thoughts she had been having lately, even less so than the feelings she had for Melinda. Unfortunately, this new problem was not enough to mask the old. The evening before, seeing Melinda partially nude as she readied for bed and thinking of what she had been doing earlier made Heather feel jealous again.

After going to bed, she had managed to quell her jealousy, but was unable to do anything with her lingering arousal. Rather than give into it, she had steadfastly ignored it, but it took her a long time to fall asleep.

"Well, all right, fine," Heather snapped, folding her arms. "Maybe I'm nervous about this whole thing, okay?"

Melinda smirked. "And my big sis was supposed to be the one that didn't give a shit."

"I never said that."

"You just seemed to act that way about the new semester. Especially when I was concerned about it."

"Hey, I looked after you yesterday."

"Yeah, fine, you did. Would've helped a hell of a lot more if you tried that when I was freaking out about it the week before."

Heather uttered an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? I ... wait. You want me to help? Okay, then. I've been trying to find out how to stop seeing the aura on someone."

Melinda stared at Heather. "What?? How?"

"I don't know yet. I'm getting some ideas, but I'm not sure. It has something to do with the way I look at her, but ..."

"And you didn't tell me?" Melinda said indignantly.

"I'm telling you now! Give me a break!"

"Look, I hate to break up the cat fight," Richie said with a smirk, earning him glares from both girls, "Point is, you might as well just stop talking about it now. My Mom'll handle it. Problem is solved. Another victory for the, uh ..." He paused and looked over to Jason. "So what do we call ourselves?"

Jason stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

Richie smirked. "Well, we gotta have a snappy name, you know?"

Now Melinda and Heather stared at him as well.

Richie rolled his eyes and leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Look, you guys are the ones so gung-ho about all this stamping out evil or whatever the hell it is we're doin'. So we oughta have some fun with it. Come up with a cool name. Like the Fantastic Four or something."

Melinda groaned and shook her head. Heather snorted. Jason gave Richie a look. "You can't use that name, it's trademarked," he said.

"Well, shit, I didn't mean use that, it was just an example!"

"Should we be talking about this so openly on the bus?" Melinda asked.

Richie raised his head for a moment. "They stopped paying attention soon as we stopped talking about your boobs."

"We were not talking about ...!"

"Look, chill, okay? I'm just sayin' that if you're gonna force me to deal with this, I wanna have some fun with it."

"There's nothing fun about it, Richie," Melinda said darkly.

Richie threw up his hands. "All right, never mind. Shit. If we're gonna hafta deal with this, I just wanted to make it so we're not so gloom and doom about it, that's all."

"Talk to us after your Mom gets rid of the medical program," Heather said.

Unlike the day before, there was no hesitation. Laura strode from her car and into the school building with a crisp walk, each step filled with purpose and confidence. She actually looked forward to the day.

It had been a new person that had awoken that morning. For the first time in a very long while she greeted the day with eagerness. Quickly her attitude had been rewarded. As she strolled to her office, her pussy was suffused with sweet warmth. She could feel the moisture in her slot, enough to give her a mild euphoria, not quite enough to make her panties damp.

Yet she knew she could be kindled to full arousal and burning need at a single thought from Nyssa. She took a slow, deep breath as she savored that thought.

Laura passed Marcie's desk without looking at her underling. "Good morning, Marcie."

"Oh, Miss Bendon!" Marcie cried, leaping out of her chair, a small sticky-note in one hand. She began following Laura into the office, only to utter a short gasp of surprise when Laura suddenly stopped and turned.

For a moment, Marcie just stared wide-eyed at Laura and clutched the note to her bosom.

"Yes, Marcie, what is it?" Laura asked in a pleasant voice.

"Um, you ... you have an appointment this morning, Miss Bendon."

"I don't recall making one, Marcie."

"You got a call ... from a parent ..." Marcie paused and sheepishly handed the note to Laura.

Laura gave Marcie a puzzled look and snatched the note from her underling. She raised a single eyebrow as she peered down at it. "Sandra Gardner," she said tonelessly.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bendon! I know you don't like parents that insist on seeing you this early, but ... but she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and I ..."

Laura held up a hand and Marcie immediately silenced. "That's fine, Marcie. I'll see her."

"She's going to complain about the medical program, isn't she?"

"Most likely. But that is not your concern, Marcie."

"Well, I was just curious. She was the one that got the pager program stopped last year, wasn't she?"

"While this is true, Marcie, it ..."

"Are you going to let her stop the medical program, Miss Bendon? I'm just curious since ..."

"Marcie."

Again, Marcie immediately quieted herself, giving Laura an apologetic look.

"All I need you to do is your job," Laura said.

"Yes, Miss Bendon."

"And to do as you're told."

There was a slight hesitation. "Of course, Miss Bendon. I always try."

"Then if I tell you to forget about this?" Laura held up the note.

Marcie's eyes flicked over to it briefly and then back to Laura's face. "Then ... I'll forget about it, Miss Bendon."

Laura smiled. Marcie smiled with her.

"Very good, Marcie. Carry on."

"Yes, Miss Bendon."

Laura watched Marcie return to her desk before turning away and heading into the office.

After closing the door behind her, Laura allowed herself a small smile and a soft sigh of excitement. Her pussy felt hot and her nipples were hard and rising to points, raising two bumps on her blouse.

It was going to be so easy. Marcie was already ever so obedient. It was just a matter of turning her thoughts and desires such that she would be obedient where Laura really needed her. She was so looking forward to that. It gave her job true meaning again.

She closed her eyes. It had another advantage. It helped her forget what she had done to achieve her current state of bliss.

Cassie had come to an important decision. She had decided that enough was enough.

She had spent the better part of the drive down from the mesa deep in thought over this. By the time the driver brought her over the river and into Haven proper, she had resolved it in her own mind.

It was as simple as this: Cassie liked Richie. She wanted to know if he liked her in return.

That's all she needed to know. She had to know. Self-pleasuring herself to thoughts of him was bittersweet at best. She wanted to know if there were even a chance of any of those feelings being reciprocated. She wanted to stop feeling guilty for touching herself with Richie in her mind.

Cassie glanced out of the window for the first time since the drive began. She looked almost surprised to see houses, trees, and grass, instead of rock and scrub.

Her heart pounded. It would not be much longer now. By the end of that day -- by the end of the morning if she could swing it -- she would know.

Cassie was not looking for him to pledge to be her boyfriend, as much as she might have wanted such a thing. She just wanted the chance. She thought he had already given her that when he actually sat down and talked to her that wonderful day last semester. That had been one of the best days of her life since the dreams began.

Cassie allowed herself a small smile.

She had to be right. He did want her. Why would he lead her on like that? Just a case of being kind? No, not Richie. Not the kid that took every opportunity to laugh at the other kids that happened to be clumsy or unattractive.

Well, true, he did cut back on that since he became friends with Jason. But she doubted that the friendship itself had had that kind of effect on him. It would not have made him help her collect all her notes from her history class after someone had vandalized her locker and left them strewn all over the hallway. It would not have made him stick around afterward until she had stopped crying.

He had even apologized for not finding a batch of the notes, even though it wasn't his fault.

But what had really impressed her was how he had come to her days later, the missing notes in hand, smiling and offering to sit and have lunch with her.

Over lunch, he had claimed to have searched high and low for them after hours, just to return them. True, it had been too late then. The paper she had due had to be re-done from scratch. But the gesture had been appreciated, and over lunch, she had simply gushed at him, telling him everything about herself.

Including the dreams.

Cassie took a deep breath to calm herself as the limo turned into the Haven High School parking lot. She quietly collected her things, stepping out of the car the moment it came to a stop.

Harry's timing was impeccable as always. There stood Richie and his friends, having arrived by school bus not moments before. His little entourage.

Cassie cast a lingering gaze towards them. Her eyes clouded over. She sometimes dreamed about them as well. But none of what they did made any sense to her. Perhaps she would talk to him about it. Perhaps if he ...

She turned her eyes away and walked with long, purposeful strides into the building, again ignoring Melinda's friendly wave and shout. Cassie took another deep breath. She could not get ahead of herself. Concentrate on finding out what he felt about her now. The rest can wait.

One way or the other, she would get what she wanted.

"What is with her?" Melinda demanded, giving a pebble an indignant kick with her foot.

"I told you, Melinda, she's a freakazoid," said Richie.

"Will you stop making fun of her?!"

"I'm not! I'm tellin' it like it is! Don't believe me? Go talk to her."

"Well, I would, if she would pay attention when I wave to her."

"Just find her in the hallway some day and ask her about her dreams," Richie said with a snicker.

Melinda gave him an odd look. "Huh?"

"Except you probably won't hafta, she'll tell you anyway."

"So? Everyone has dreams. What's the big deal with talking about them?"

Richie sighed and rolled his eyes. "Because she describes some really weird shit, that's why. And she never shuts up about them. You try to change the subject and it comes back up. Everything has something to do with her dreams."

"Oh, and like you never became obsessed with anything?" Heather cut in.

"Never like that, man," Richie said.

Jason suddenly made some coughing sounds, injecting the word "baseball" in the middle of them.

Richie made a face at him. "Yeah, not like Roswell conspiracy theories or Star Trek like some geeks that shall remain you, huh? Anyway, at least I can talk about something different."

"I heard Cassie was making eyes at you over the summer," Heather said with a smirk.

Richie slapped his forehead. "Fuck, if I hear that one more time ..."

"Oh, getting teased about that, are you?" Melinda piped. "Yeah, my heart bleeds for you. Right. Date any teachers lately, by the way?"

"Melinda!" Richie growled through clenched teeth. "I don't wanna hear about that anymore!"

"Then stop acting like a total jerk all the time!"

"Look, will the two of you knock it off?!" Jason cried in exasperation.

Richie sighed and turned away. Melinda looked stricken at the sudden rebuke and glared at him. "Fine. At least you have plans for today after school. Plans that don't include me!"

"How was I supposed to know you'd have the house again?"

"She didn't, and she doesn't," Heather declared. Melinda whirled around and gave her sister an indignant look, but Heather cut her off before she could speak again. "Melinda, no. I'm not going to just run off every day just because you want to fool around with your boyfriend."

Melinda's mouth dropped open and she blushed furiously. She shot a deadly gaze at her sister and left in a huff, stamping off towards the school entrance.

Jason sighed and gave Heather an annoyed look. "Did you have to get her that upset?"

"Look at it this way," said Heather with a wry grin. "Now she's furious with me instead of you."

Jason blinked at this. "Oh. Uh, thanks."

Heather smiled weakly. Truth be told, she was not at all sure that her own motivations were that altruistic.

"I just wish everyone would shut the fuck up about Miss Davis," Richie said darkly. "And Cassie, for that matter."

"I thought she had the hots for you or something," Heather commented mildly.

"Argh! She doesn't! Don't even joke about that!"

"You may want to tell her that, then."

Richie made a face. "I don't have to tell her anything. She's not interested in me."

"That's not what I heard."

"I don't give a shit what you heard."

"Why would she be interested in you, Richie?" asked Jason.

"She's not! Fuck!"

"Theoretically, then," Jason persisted. "If she were, you have any idea why?"

Richie sighed in exasperation. "Well, all right ... I was nice to her once last semester. Then I ate with her in the lunchroom. That was long enough to find out what kind of freak she was. She sorta bugged me a bit til the end of the semester, but then I heard squat from her til a few weeks ago."

Heather gave Richie an odd look. "You? Nice? Just out of the blue?"

"And why is that so surprising, huh?"

Heather just chuckled. "Yeah, my mistake. I forgot, you're the nicest guy here and God's gift to us."

Jason snorted. Richie glared at him. Heather laughed and turned away from them, heading towards the school entrance.

Richie watched her go, shaking his head. "Shit, what the hell is it with girls these days, huh?"

Jason couldn't help but see the irony in Richie asking Jason for such advice. It made him feel a little better about his cluelessness when it came to Melinda. He just shrugged at Richie in response. "We better get inside before we're late for homeroom."

"Man ... this year is gonna really suck." He glanced over towards the visitor parking lot as they headed towards the school. He smirked as his eyes fell on the familiar blue Chevy. "Well, some things are lookin' up."

Jason peered. "That your Mom's car?"

"Yep. After lunch, they'll be taking the medical program out with the trash."

"Yes, Ms. Gardner, Marcie told me you, ah, made an appointment to see me," said Laura with a polite smile. "Please, have a seat. Oh, and close the door behind you if you would, so we won't be disturbed."

Sandra regarded the principal for a long moment, her hand still on the door knob. Now that she had been asked specifically to close the door, she felt she should leave it open. Nevertheless, considering the dressing-down Sandra intended to deliver, perhaps it was best not to compound the embarrassment to the principal. She did as Laura requested.

"May I ask what this is about?" Laura asked.

Sandra turned and shot a glare at the principal. "Oh, I think you know exactly what this is about, Miss Bendon." She surged forward and fell into the proffered seat, dropping her purse heavily to the side.

Laura looked at Sandra and realized with wry amusement that she was attired more like a student than a parent. It was quite apparent that Sandra wished to show that she had no intention of putting on airs. She was dressed in faded denim shorts and a rather worn t-shirt. Her feet were covered in sandals that were close to falling apart. Her hair was a bit frizzy, as if she had not bothered even to so much as brush it out that morning.

It had been the same thing she had done the year before, when she had come to complain about the pager program. And Laura was thinking now the same thing that she had then: it simply made Sandra look like cheap white trash.

Laura leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk and folding her hands. "Since Richard Gardner is currently not on the detention list, I can safely assume this has nothing to do with him."

"Well, actually, Miss Bendon, it does have to do with him. See, I don't particularly care for you and this damn school -- once again -- trying to act like his goddamn parent."

"I take it this would be about the medical program we're instituting at this school?"

"Hey, got it in one, I guess I should be impressed. Too bad some of your smarts don't filter down to the kids' heads, considering the idiots that this place churns out every year. Maybe you should be concentrating on that problem instead of my kid's health, huh?"

Laura fixed her gaze unwaveringly on Sandra. "And is it wrong to be concerned about the students' health, Ms. Gardner?"

"I didn't say that! Don't try turning my words around."

"I wouldn't think of it. But surely you can see our side in this? It's important to assure the well-being of all the students as a whole."

Sandra narrowed her eyes. "So then let me send my kid off to a doctor I can trust and have him send you a medical report."

If the principal did agree to this, Sandra had no intention of sending Richie to anyone in town. She'd sooner drive him thirty miles to the next major community than have him treated by any doctor in Haven. There was no way she was going to let this town get any hold over him.

Laura uttered a short, suffering sigh. "I am afraid we can't do that, Ms. Gardner."

Sandra paused a moment. So Bendon got herself a backbone over the summer, she thought, one corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk. Well, I have a way around that.

"Miss Bendon, you don't want any trouble for this school, now do you?" Sandra said in a self-satisfied tone of voice.

Laura raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"You want to keep a low profile, don't you? No controversy, that sort of thing."

Laura said nothing in reply, but instead gave a simple nod of her head for Sandra to continue.

"I have a friend, Miss Bendon. A very, very good friend." Sandra's smile became a touch sultry for a moment. "And he happens to be a lawyer. A very, very good lawyer. Do I need to say anything more, Miss Bendon?"

Laura remained silent for a long moment. Finally she leaned back and rose slowly to her feet.

Sandra was a bit surprised at this move, but she remained where she was. She kept her eyes riveted on Laura. When the principal came around the side of the desk, Sandra's gaze tracked her warily.

"Now, Ms. Gardner. There will be no need for that."

Sandra slowly broke into a smile, believing she had won. At the same time, however, something tugged at the back of her mind. There was something subtly wrong with the way Laura looked at her. And now Laura began to move again, her heels making distinct clacking noises that sounded unnaturally loud to Sandra's ears. She felt a twinge of anxiety as Laura approached.

"We can settle this dispute without resorting to legalities," Laura said, her voice softer.

"That's up to you, Miss Bendon," Sandra said, making sure she kept the initiative. "You call off this damn medical program, and I won't have to haul your ass into court. You think I made a big stink last year about the pager program? Wait til you see this."

Laura stopped by the side of Sandra's chair. Sandra raised her eyes to Laura, who smiled pleasantly. Sandra momentarily locked her gaze to Laura's and felt a tiny shudder pass through her. She immediately looked away.

"We will not have to go to court. We can settle this right here."

Sandra felt her anxiety increasing, and now her skin felt warm. When Laura turned and strolled slowly around the back of the chair, Sandra tried to turn in her seat to follow. Instead, Laura's hand came down and gripped the back of the chair, keeping it where it was.

The feeling that something was very wrong here now crept into Sandra's thoughts.

"There's only one way to settle this, Miss Bendon," Sandra said, her voice having lost some of its edge. "Because there's no fucking way I'm letting that nurse touch my son."

Sandra heard nothing for the next few seconds, save for the slow staccato of Laura's steps. Her heart started to pound, and she did not know why.

The steps halted, and there was only the sound of Sandra's quickened breath.

"If you would allow me, Ms. Gardner," Laura spoke from directly behind Sandra, a husky cadence to her voice. "I would like to have some time to convince you of the merits of this program. Surely you will allow me that before you call out the lawyers."

Sandra did not want to give the principal that chance. She had no intention of changing her convictions. She would not let someone she did not know perform any kind of examination on her son. There was simply no changing her mind on that score.

Yet she was finding it difficult to summon up the resolve to tell Laura this. Instead, she kept thinking that it was a perfectly reasonable request. Already, part of her had realized that this was a warning sign, that there was much more to Principal Bendon than she could see. It was not enough to stop her from saying, "All right, go for it."

There was a long pause, and then Laura's heels clacked again. Each step made Sandra's heart thump. She felt increasingly anxious, slowly realizing that she should not be here, that this was a big mistake.

It was ten years ago all over again.

As Laura came into view again, Sandra's fingers curled tightly into the hand rests.

"This medical program, Ms. Gardner, is precisely what the students need," Laura began, casting an intense, unwavering gaze down at Sandra. "It is precisely what this school needs. I daresay, it is what Haven needs."

Those last words made Sandra's eyes widen. Panic rose inside her. Heart racing, she bolted out the chair.

Laura laid a hand on her shoulder. Sandra uttered a short gasp, a visible shudder passing through her body. She gave Laura a look that was equal parts indignation and fear.

"Please," Laura said in a sultry voice. "Sit down, Ms. Gardner. I'm not finished yet."

Sandra tried to move away from the chair. Her legs trembled with the effort.

"Sit down, Ms. Gardner."

It was like trying to fight Richie during the summer. Already she felt the darkness invading her mind, smothering her will and making it difficult to form her own thoughts. It had tricked her. It was working through the principal somehow. And she had fallen for it.

Laura gave Sandra a light nudge against her shoulder. With a desperate sigh, Sandra fell heavily back into her seat.

Laura paused a moment, and walked around the side of the chair and behind Sandra again. Both her hands alighted on Sandra's shoulders. Sandra swallowed, her body trembling as heat flashed in her sex.

"You see, Ms. Gardner," Laura continued, her voice dropping. Her fingers gently massaged Sandra's shoulders. "We're very excited about this program."

The heat rippled through Sandra's body. She shifted her legs, and liquid warmth suffused her pussy. "I don't want ... I don't want anyone examining ..."

"But think about it for a moment, Ms. Gardner." Laura lifted one of her hands and gently stroked Sandra's cheek. "Just ... think about it ..."

"S-stop ... what are you ..."

Laura crouched behind Sandra's chair. She played with Sandra's hair and whispered into her ear. "I told you we were excited by this. If you think about it yourself ... really think about it ... you will be just as excited as we are ..."

Sandra moaned. Her legs parted and she slumped in the chair in a vain attempt to relieve the growing pressure in her cunt. Her nipples hardened, the mere rise and fall of her bosom with her breath rubbing them against the shirt and sending mad little waves of pleasure through her body.

"P-please ... " Sandra croaked, her voice barely audible as she desperately fought to hold on to her own thoughts. "Don't ... d-don't do this ... j-just ..."

Sandra suddenly drew in her breath sharply as Laura's hands slid downward and very gently massaged her nipples through her shirt.

"G-god, no ... uhhn ... please stop ... "

Sandra panted harder, her pussy rising and straining just short of release.

"You see?" Laura purred. "All you need to do is to think about this medical program, and you'll get so very, very excited. So much so, Sandra, that just one little touch ..."

One of Laura's hands slipped from Sandra's breast and teased open the button at the top of Sandra's zipper.

"... just one little, tiny touch ..."

She pulled down the zipper. A dark, glistening stain appeared in the crotch of Sandra's soaked panties. Laura's fingertip hovered enticingly over Sandra's slot. Sandra writhed and mewled her distress.

"... and you'll cum harder than you ever have in your life."

Sandra moaned loudly, closing her eyes tightly. Her body shook with the effort to stop herself from submitting. Yet each second that passed, more of the darkness invaded her mind, and the need for sexual release grew to painful levels.

She uttered a piteous whimper . It was happening to her again. It was how it got her to do what it wanted ten years ago.

"You see, Ms. Gardner? This program can be rewarding for everyone."

Laura's finger pressed firmly against Sandra's clit through the panties.

Sandra jerked violently in the chair once. Her pussy throbbed so hard that stars danced at the edges of her vision. Her head lolled back as she surrendered completely to a moment of pure sexual ecstasy. Her orgasm rippled through her whole body, her nipples throbbing in time to it, sending relentless waves of all-consuming pleasure through her body.

As she came, a little more of the darkness entered her mind. A whimper issued from her parted lips as she realized that it did not matter. She knew what it had done to her. It was just like before. And as with the first time, she had been virtually powerless to stop it.

Laura withdrew her fingers and stood. She walked casually back to her desk and sat down behind it. Sandra writhed in her seat as the last of her orgasm played out. She was still panting when she lifted her head, moaning softly.

"Now, Ms. Gardner," Laura said, returning to her businesslike voice, as if nothing had ever happened. "Will you withdraw your objection to the medical program?"

Sandra swallowed and took a deep breath. Even as badly as her pussy ached from her powerful orgasm, the words made it tingle with renewed lust. She gave Laura a stricken look, her eyes silently pleading for the principal to reconsider.

"Well, Ms. Gardner?"

Sandra let her breath go as a resigned sigh that held a touch of lingering sexual excitement to it. "Y-yes, Miss Bendon. I ... I don't object anymore."

Laura's lips curled. "Make sure to tell your son. Make sure he knows you're excited about it yourself."

Sandra whimpered. Heat flashed in her pussy again. "I will," she said in a small voice.

"Very good." Laura stood and offered her hand.

Sandra rose shakily to her feet. She took a few moments to pull up her zipper and redo the button, averting her eyes in shame. She took a few quick, deep breaths to calm herself. Finally with a weak smile she lifted her hand and returned a limp handshake.

"I am quite glad that this time, our ... confrontation ... was a little more pleasant," Laura said with a grin.

Sandra just nodded. Without another word, she turned away from the principal's desk. She staggered a bit, paused, then gathered her strength and headed out of the office.

Sandra kept her eyes fixed forward, ignoring everything else around her as she headed down the hallway towards the entrance. Even her son's shout came only faintly to her, altering her step not one bit, her only reaction a catch in her throat as she took her next breath.

Once outside, she dashed the remaining distance to her car, scrambling inside and pulling the door shut with a bang.

She sat with her eyes glazed, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly until her fingers ached. She waited for the heat in her pussy to abate. It retreated until there was a lingering, slow burn, just enough to moisten her folds slightly.

Sandra closed her eyes and sobbed softly. She had let it happen to her again. She had ignored her own warnings and let it happen again. For a second time, another bit of herself had been lost, another bit of herself had been slaved to Haven. The first time had destroyed her marriage. Now the second time threatened to destroy what little relationship she had with her son.

She wiped at her tears with her fingers and started the car to head back home.

Richie stared as his mother disappeared down the corridor.

"Huh," he muttered as he slammed his locker shut. "She's inna hurry all of a sudden."

"Was that someone you know, Richie?"

Richie flinched and whirled around in surprise. "Gah!"

Cassie smiled at him.

"Will you stop sneaking up on me like that?"

Her smile faded a touch. "Oh, um, sorry. I'll, um, try to make more noise next time."

The words "Good, that'll let me run the other way next time" began to cascade from his mind to his mouth, but he stopped them in time. Fine, I won't be a jerk, he though vehemently. "Yeah, that's good, Cassie. Whatever. See ya."

He turned away and headed down the hall, intending to head over to Jason's locker so they could go to the lunchroom together. There was a flurry of crisp footsteps and Cassie appeared at his side again.

"So was she someone you know?" Cassie asked again.

Richie pretended to find something of interest off to the side so he could roll his eyes. "Just my mother, Cassie."

Cassie's eyes widened and she paused to glance back the other way. Richie got a few good long strides ahead of her and she had to jog again briefly to catch up. "That was your Mom??"

"Yeah. Why you sound so surprised at that?"

"I saw her coming out the principal's office not a minute ago."

"Oh, that," Richie said with a smug grin. "Just taking care of a little problem for me, that's all."

"Really? Hmm."

Richie furrowed his brow and stared at her. "So what was that 'hmm' for?"

"Nothing. Er ... well ... she just looked kind of upset when she passed me in the hall."

"Yer seein' things, Cassie, but I should've figured that with you."

"Well, it's just that when she passed by she ..." Cassie trailed off. She cast a slightly annoyed look at Richie. "What do you mean, you should have figured that with me?"

"Nothing, Cassie, nothing. It's cool." Exasperation was creeping into Richie's voice, but he was determined not to hear any more crap from anyone about him being a jerk to people.

Richie liked to pretend that he didn't care what people thought of him. The reality was the opposite. He did care. Not that he necessarily wanted everyone to like him. He had given up on that a long time ago. But now he had three other people that at least pretended to like him. He didn't want to mess that up.

And he wanted to keep Jason's friendship. Some of it was for admittedly self-serving reasons. He didn't want to risk failing any classes that year. He wanted to make sure that Jason would tutor him if he needed it.

And now that meant keeping both Jason and Melinda happy, and Melinda was the one giving him the more grief.

"It's just that she seemed a little more than upset," Cassie persisted.

"What, she was angry? Not surprising, considering ..."

Cassie was shaking her head quickly. "No, no. I mean there was something else going on with her. I ... I could almost sense it. Something really odd."

Richie sighed through his nose. Freakazoid time, he thought ruefully to himself.

Cassie glanced at him with dismay, as if knowing what he was thinking. She wished she could express her feelings better. She knew there was something inherently ... well, wrong about Ms. Gardner, but she couldn't put it into words that would make any sense.

"Look, never mind about her, 'kay?" Richie finally said. "Whatever it is, it's nothing that can't be solved with either a bourbon or a few Marlboros." Or some random guy's cock, he thought ruefully to himself.

Cassie looked taken aback by this. She neither drank nor smoked, either.

"Well, see ya." Richie turned away again. Cassie ran up to him again. Richie stopped and rounded on her. "What now?"

Cassie paused, momentarily flustered. "Um ... listen, uh, do you maybe want to have lunch with me? Maybe ..."

"I'm meeting with Jason and his new sidekick, the Boy Nerd Wonder. Sorry."

Richie again turned and began walking quickly. Ahead of him, Jason and Frank stood at a locker. They turned and Jason was just raising his hand in greeting as Cassie cut in front of Richie and stopped him.

"For cryin' out loud, Cassie, I said ..."

"I just want to ask you something, Richie," Cassie said loudly. She paused and glanced around sheepishly when a few students looked in their direction. She lowered her voice. "I just want to ... to clear the air about something."

Richie gave her a funny look. "Huh?"

Cassie took a deep breath and blurted it all out at once. "Would you go out with me, Richie?"

Richie was so surprised by the question that he did not respond immediately, and Cassie felt her heart pound. Her lips began to curl into an anticipatory smile.

In a few more seconds, Richie recovered, and said swiftly, "No freakin' way."

Cassie's smile died. "Wh-what?"

"What gave you the idea I wanted to go out with you?"

"I-I ... it ... it doesn't have to be, like, today, or tomorrow. I just meant ..."

"No, Cassie. I'm not interested. At all. Sorry."

Richie tried to step around her. Cassie blocked him.

"I don't understand," Cassie said in a forlorn voice, her eyes wide and shimmering.

"What's there to understand? I don't want to date you."

"Won't you even consider just ..."

"Cassie, I said no!" Richie snapped angrily. "Just leave me alone."

"Wait a minute!" Her voice quavered. Her eyes were wet and she had to blink a few times to clear them, a single tear splashing onto her cheek. She swiped at it in annoyance. "Why were you so nice to me last semester then?"

Richie rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. "Great."

"You didn't have to do that you know! You didn't have to help me collect all those notes that ... that the older kids threw all over the school!"

Richie sighed. "Yeah, okay, fine, I felt sorry for you and wanted to help. It didn't mean ..."

"F-felt ... felt sorry for me??"

"Well ... yeah. I mean, you were cryin' and all, and I didn't wanna see that. So I helped out."

Cassie had to take a deep breath to stop herself from bursting into tears right then and there. When she thought she had herself calmed enough to speak without sobbing, she said, "You ... you can't tell me that's all it was. I mean ... you looked for those other notes! You said you searched everywhere for them for a week!"

Richie stared at her in confusion for a few moments. "Other notes? What other ... oh ... that." His voice trailed off to a near whisper.

Cassie swallowed and sniffled once. When Richie looked away for a moment, she quickly swiped at both eyes with her hands.

"Well, about that, uh ... look, I was kinda desperate, you know? I had that paper due and I didn't have any idea how to ..."

Cassie drew in her breath in a single, dramatic gasp as she stepped back from him. "You ... y-you ... you copied my notes?! That was the only reason you helped me, just to ..."

"No! I didn't help you just to do that. I just sorta took advantage of it when I found them. C'mon, Cassie, you pull freakin' A's and B's, I was trying to pass the fucking course. I ... aw, shit ..."

Tears had started flowing down Cassie's face.

"Look, uh, Cassie, I'm sorry. All right, you want to have lunch, fine. We ..."

"I don't want your pity!" Cassie screamed.

Now the din of conversation from the other students fell to awkward silence.

Cassie's eyes darted to either side, her vision blurred by tears. Her face turned beet-red. She took off down the hallway, roughly shoving Richie out of the way and disappearing down a side corridor.

"Fuck," Richie said.

"You didn't really do that, did you?"

Richie turned towards Jason's voice. "C'mon, man, you heard me. I was failin' that course. You already helped me with the math. I just needed to do that paper to pass and not hafta do summer school."

Jason just stared at him.

"I didn't intend to, okay?!" Richie shouted. "I'm not lyin'! I just saw the notes and grabbed them!"

Jason sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, whatever, Richie." He turned towards Frank. "Come on, let's get some lunch."

Frank just nodded. He risked a glance towards Richie and got a furious glare in return. Frank was sure that if he said a single word now, whatever it was, he would be minus a few teeth a few seconds later.

"What? What, Jason?" Richie called after them. "I don't measure up to your fucking standards or something? Huh? Fine! Fuck you, Jason! Fuck you!"

They turned down another corridor without a backward glance in his direction. He landed a vicious kick on one of the lockers before turning away.

"I took care of it, Nyssa," Laura said in a husky voice. "I handled Sandra Gardner. It ... it was so easy ... I couldn't believe how ..."

"Yes, it was easy." Nyssa strolled up to her slave and lay a hand lightly on Laura's hip. Laura trembled at the touch, her pussy growing steamy and hot. "But Sandra had been ... primed ... by another power. Do not assume Marcie will be that easy."

"I won't, Mistress," Laura said softly. Nyssa's hand slid up her side. She closed her eyes and moaned, shaking with mounting pleasure.

"You've been good for me, slave," Nyssa cooed. Her fingers played over one of the swells of Laura's bosom, teasing the raised bump of her nipple through the blouse. Laura panted hard, her feet sliding apart as her cunt strained. "I'm very pleased."

"Uhhhn ... th-thank you, Mistress."

"Do you wish a reward?"

"Yes ... yes, please ..."

Nyssa giggled softly. She placed a single finger against Laura's body, just under the breasts, and slid it slowly downward. "What is it you live for, Laura? Tell me again."

"The ... the p-pleasure ... I live for the pleasure ... n-nothing else ... nothing ..."

Nyssa's finger hooked onto Laura's skirt and panties and tugged them downward. Laura panted hard, staggering and grabbing the examination table for support. She moaned deeply as she felt Nyssa's finger touch her clit. Barely seconds later, Laura shuddered violently, her pussy exploding into an exquisitely intense orgasm.

Nyssa stepped forward and snuggled against Laura as she came. "A good day for both of us," Nyssa purred into Laura's ear. "For now I know who my first patient will be. Who my first patient must be."

Laura uttered a soft but shrill cry as she clutched at Nyssa, pleasure overwhelming her and filling her with blind obedience to her Mistress.

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