Cassie hurried over to the administrative area just as her last class before lunch let out. She peeked into the Principal's office. "Um, Miss Fuller?"

Marcie gave a little start as she looked up. "Oh! Oh, yes, sorry," she said with a sheepish smile, brushing strands of hair from her eyes. "Um ... Miss Bendon is not available right now ..."

"I didn't come to see her, Miss Fuller, I wanted to see you."

Marcie blinked in surprise. "Me? But ... oh! You're the girl ... Cassie?"

Cassie nodded with a wisp of a smile. There was a pained look in her eyes. "Cassie Kendall, yes. I was the one that asked to see Richie in, um, detention."

"Yes, I remember you, my dear," Marcie said with a smile. She giggled. "That was so romantic!"

Cassie's smile became more uneasy. "Um ... but all the trouble I caused that second time ..."

Marcie waved a hand of dismissal at her. "Don't worry about that, Cassie."

"You didn't get in trouble for it?"

"Oh, no, of course not! Miss Bendon would never do that. She knows it wasn't my fault. She's very good to me, you know."

"But it was my fault ..."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Cassie. I'm more worried about you."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes. Did you make up with him?"

Cassie looked confused. "Make up?"

"With your boyfriend. You two were very upset ..."

"Oh! Yes. Yes, we did."

Marcie beamed. "Oh, good! He's lucky to have such a sweet girl like you."

Cassie blushed at this. At the same time, she realized that something was not right. "And you're sure Principal Bendon was not upset with you, Miss Fuller?"

"Oh, definitely! Miss Bendon has been really nice to me. She's really been helping me these last few days. I ... um ... something the matter, Cassie?"

Cassie had been staring at her. She realized only now that Marcie was dressed so differently from what she had remembered seeing in detention. It was such that Marcie would have been unrecognizable were it not for those glasses and the voice. Even then, her mannerisms seemed ... off somehow.

It was the oddest sensation, but she could not put it into words. It was just an inherent sense of wrongness.

"Nothing, Miss Fuller," Cassie said softly. "Glad to hear that you're not upset about what happened. Um ... I should get going to lunch."

Marcie smiled. "Okay, Cassie. Please, feel free to stop by again anytime. Well, anytime you're not in class, that is." She giggled.

Cassie smiled weakly in return and left.

Jason found only Richie waiting for him outside the auditorium when his lunch period hit. Just as he was about to speak, Cassie came running up, out of breath. "Sorry," she panted. "Just came from Miss Fuller ... let me catch my breath ..."

"I haven't spotted a single one all day," Jason said with a sigh. "Any of you had any luck?"

Still panting, Cassie shook her head. Richie just shrugged.

"Was that a 'no' or an 'I don't give a shit'?" Jason asked Richie in irritation.

"Hey, lay off, 'kay? I'm not havin' a good morning. Who the fuck gives a pop quiz on a Friday?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "You ask that about Mondays as well. All right, never mind. Maybe Heather and Melinda had better luck. At least I hope so."

"Wait, here comes Melinda ..." Cassie began, immediately trailing off when she saw the distressed state Melinda was in.

"Jason! Oh, God, Jason!" Melinda cried as she came to a clumsy stop in her haste. Her face was screwed up in anguish.

"Melinda, what is it?" Jason demanded. "What happened?"

"It's Heather. My teacher, in my last class ... he said she went home sick!"

"What??"

Melinda paused a moment to catch her breath, cursing softly. "Principal Bendon came into my class and said something to Mr. Mills. Then Mr. Mills calls me to the desk and tells me Heather came down with something and that Mom came and took her home."

"Oh, no, Melinda, she didn't see the nurse, did she?" Cassie said, horror-struck.

"I don't know! He couldn't tell me, and Principal Bendon was gone by then! Oh my God!"

"All right, all right, let's not panic!" Jason said, though his own voice was edgy and quavered slightly. "Maybe there's something perfectly innocent going on here."

"Like hell there is!" Melinda snarled. "They did something to her!"

"We don't know that yet."

"But it's possible, isn't it? Isn't it?!"

"Shit, Melinda, get a freakin' grip," Richie said. "Not everything is ... ow!"

Melinda had punched him in the arm as hard as she could. "Shut up, Richie! Just shut the fuck up!"

"What the hell you ...!"

"Just because you don't care doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do!"

"Then stop acting like a little whiny brat all the time!"

"Better than an ignorant jerk like you!"

"Stop it!" Jason cried, stepping between them as other students started to glance curiously in their direction. "You're going to draw attention to us, dammit."

"But, Jason, he ...!" Melinda started.

Jason placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Look, never mind him, okay? How about we look in on Heather when we get home, before we go looking for Becky?"

"But ... b-but if she's g-got the aura ..." Melinda said in a tiny, frightened voice. "Y-you better look in on her."

Jason shook his head. "No. I ... I might be her target for all I know."

Richie snorted.

Jason and Melinda turned their heads sharply towards him. Cassie just looked on in confusion. She knew about the House but not all the sordid details of what had gone on between them all. While her dreams had indeed given her a glimpse into this as well, they were so wildly erotic that she had been too embarrassed to note them in great detail in her journal.

"What?" Jason demanded.

"I think you've got a real high opinion of yourself, dude," Richie said, laughing.

Jason bristled. He almost wanted to tell Richie then and there that during the House episode, Heather had practically proclaimed that Jason had been a much better sexual partner than Richie had ever been. Or could possibly hope to be.

"Yeah. A well-deserved one," Melinda muttered.

Jason could not help but break into a brief smile at this. "Melinda, you better check on her when we get home. You'd be safe from her even if ... well, you know ..."

Melinda paled. Cassie put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure it's not that," Cassie said, though she wasn't entirely convinced herself.

"Y'know, she could be, I don't know, actually sick?" Richie said sarcastically.

"Richie, if you say one more word, I ...!" Melinda spat.

"Melinda, wait, calm down," said Jason. "Richie actually has a point. I mean, yeah, the timing sucks, but we can still do this. Cassie will just have to go it alone with Ned."

Cassie's eyes momentarily widened at this, but she just nodded. Her instinct was to tell them she was too scared to even consider it alone, but that just made her feel guilty. They had saved her from doing something bad to Richie, and probably herself as well, and they deserved something for that. She owed it to them to go through with this.

"I can do it," Cassie finally said, though with less conviction than she had hoped.

Jason sighed. "I just wish I knew whether she had found anyone before she went home sick."

"If she's really sick, she may not have been able to check."

"God, I know this sounds horrible, but I hope my sister is sick as a dog," Melinda said in a hollow voice.

Cassie bit her lip. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Heather had been on the verge of another Precog vision, she was sure of it. That would be just the time to try and take her, before she could warn the others. But the idea that Nyssa somehow knew of their abilities was too chilling a thought to consider.

She had initially intended to tell them about her odd visit with Marcie Fuller. She felt there was something important she was missing. Yet it had to take a back seat for the time being.

"Yeah, I guess I do, too," Jason said softly. "Look, everyone, we can't just stop, okay? We still have the rest of the day to get through. We may still find one more that she's intending to take. And maybe Heather did see someone and can tell us later tonight when she's feeling better."

"But it will be too late then to find out who she's after!" Melinda piped.

"Yeah, but it's better than nothing."

Melinda sighed and nodded.

Jason turned to Richie. "I guess it's too much to ask that you not be in detention this afternoon, right?"

"Yep," Richie replied, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards.

Jason just shook his head. "All right, Melinda, you better get to class."

"I think this is the first time I've ever been worried about my sister," Melinda lamented to Cassie before parting company.

"She's really upset," Cassie commented softly to the others after Melinda was out of earshot.

"She'll get over it," Richie drawled.

"You know, you could be a little more helpful," Jason said sharply.

"What did you want me to do, stand up and cheer?"

"You could stop being such a wiseass all the time."

Richie gave a bark of laughter. Cassie gave him a sharp look. Whatever comment Richie might have made at that point he aborted when his eyes met Cassie's and beheld the anger in them. Instead he just muttered, "Yeah, okay. Sorry."

"You know, I don't think you are," Cassie said flatly.

Richie looked at her. His eyes shimmered and fear flickered across them for just a brief instant, as if afraid that Cassie were going to come after him again. "So how do you know that? Yer dreams tellin' ya stuff again, huh?"

Cassie stiffened and her lips drew to a thin line. Yes, her dreams were telling her more. And some of them involved Richie, some very disturbing ones, much more so than the ones that involved Marcie. She had held them back because she thought they might be manifestations of her own residual anger towards him. Now she felt she needed to tell the others, but she couldn't do it while Richie was still around. She had to wait until the afternoon when she could talk to the others in the parking lot. She for one was actually glad that Richie was still in detention.

"Richie, stop making fun of her," Jason demanded.

"Hey, she don't tell me what to do, and you don't either. Got it?"

Jason paused and then slowly nodded. "Yeah. I get it. I finally get it. More than you realize."

Richie's eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? What the fuck does that mean?"

"Nothing. Just forget it."

Richie snorted in derision as he started to walk away.

"So where are you going?"

"To get some lunch."

"And you don't want to sit with us?" Cassie asked.

Richie paused just as he was going to cross the threshold into the lunchroom. He turned and smirked. "Yeah. Maybe I don't."

He ducked into the lunchroom and was quickly lost in the crowd of students.

"Jason! Jason, wait up a second."

Jason was on his way out of the school building at the end of classes for the day. He was feeling very frustrated and almost didn't respond to Cassie's hail. Before the last class, Melinda had already told him that she had not seen the third of Nyssa's victims today. Frankly, Jason had thought that Melinda had let her worry over Heather distract her to the point where she missed seeing the third victim, but he had refrained from calling her out on it. Still, it had upset him.

Jason finally stopped and turned. "What's up, Cassie? Can't this wait until we get outside?"

"Melinda was looking really upset when I last saw her. I didn't want her to hear this."

"Hear what?"

"I'm really worried about Richie."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah, aren't we all?"

"No, I don't think I mean it in the way you do. I had this dream. It had Nyssa in it. And that silvery stuff. But this time, it was like Richie was giving it to her rather than her taking it."

Jason paused a moment before he replied. "Cassie, have your dreams ever been predictive in nature?"

"Not really. I mean, I dreamed stuff about the House when you guys were dealing with that, but I think it was about at the same time. This is when I really wish we had Heather here. If anyone could Precog this it would be her."

"Yeah, it was her that let us save him from ... er, well, you know."

Cassie smiled wanly. "It's okay, I've sort of come to terms with that now. You don't have to tiptoe around it anymore."

Jason managed a smile. "I just want to be nicer to you than maybe some other people have been."

Cassie's smile became more natural. "That's really sweet, Jason, thank you. No wonder Melinda's crazy about you."

Jason looked at her in surprise. "She is?"

Cassie giggled. "Yeah, boys really are the last to know, aren't they? Of course she is." She paused. "I mean ... you really like her, too, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah, of course I do. I just didn't think ..."

"Boys generally don't."

Jason stared at her. Cassie blushed at her own boldness and then giggled again. Jason cracked a small smile.

"So, uh, anyway ... about Richie ..." Cassie said, sounding a little flustered.

"Oh, um, yeah. Well, if we weren't down a person, I'd say we send one of us to go look for him and see that he's okay, but we're going to have to trust that maybe we're interpreting it wrong. I mean, I saw him briefly after I got out of last class and he didn't have the aura. So I figure he's safe from Nyssa for now."

Cassie paused and nodded slowly. "There's just something that bothers me, though."

"What's that?"

"The way he was giving it to her in the dream. Like he wanted to. With the other dreams it was always that she took something. You understand what I mean?"

"I do. But ... well, that would mean that he was going to Nyssa himself, and that's just crazy. Who would want to willingly do that, now that we know what she's doing?"

"I hope you're right, Jason."

"We better head outside, before Melinda wonders where we are."

Cassie nodded and walked with him. "Oh, and there was something else. About Miss Fuller. I went to ..."

Before she could continue, Melinda gave an indignant huff when they came into view. "About time! I was starting to think Nyssa got you two!"

"Did you see anyone in your last period, Melinda?" Jason asked.

Melinda shook her head.

"I didn't either," Cassie said. She would have to let the subject of Marcie Fuller wait again.

"Damn. That means we came up zero today."

"We still have to help save Ned and Becky," Melinda said. "That'll help, right?"

"I hope so."

"So how are we going to do this?"

"The only way we can. Cassie tracks Ned and you and I go for Becky."

"After we check on Heather, right?" Melinda asked. When Jason gave her a dubious look, she clasped her hands together and pleaded, "Please, Jason? Please?"

"Yes, all right, but it has to be fast, okay?"

"I get dropped off first anyway, so it's going to take you time to get home and get your bike over there."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, true. Okay, but you have to be ready to go once I'm there."

"Jason?" Cassie asked in an uncertain voice. "I'm not sure how I'm going to do this."

"You'll probably have to do the same thing that we did with you. We got to you just before you were going to ... whatever it was ... to Richie. That seemed to disrupt it and snapped both of you out of it."

"I have to wait until the last minute?"

Jason exchanged a look with Melinda. "Um, actually, I don't know. We just simply burst in and yanked you away from him."

"Cassie, was there something you were going to do to him?" Melinda asked suddenly. "Something that was supposed to finish what you had started?"

Cassie thought for a moment and then blushed. "Uh ... y-yes ... I, uh, was going to, um ..." She waved a hand briefly. "You know."

Jason and Melinda just looked at her blankly.

Cassie's blush deepened. She leaned over and said in a barely audible whisper. "I was going to ... to make him c-cum."

Melinda's eyes widened and her own cheeks flushed pink. "Oh."

"No, wait, that makes sense," Jason said.

Melinda blinked at him. "It does?"

"Well, everything that's been happening -- and not just with Nyssa, but the House as well -- revolves around sex. It would make sense that she'd use that to finalize control over someone."

Cassie paled. "Oh my God ... I think Nyssa did that to me ... that's why I felt ..." She shivered violently.

"It's okay, Cassie," Melinda said softly.

"So that's what you have to do," Jason said. "Stop Ned before he makes his victim, uh, cum."

Cassie nodded quickly, though she was still in something of a state of shock over the realization that Nyssa had touched her in that manner. She gave a start with the school bus behind Jason and Melinda blared its horn.

"Whut's the matter wid you kids, huh?!" came Mr. Bradley's irascible voice. "God, it's you 'uns again!"

"We better go," Jason said, dashing for the bus.

"Cassie, call me!" Melinda called out as she ran as well. "Let me know what happened!"

Cassie nodded and quickly made her way to the limo. In her increasing nervousness, all thoughts of Miss Fuller were relegated to the back of her mind. There were more important matters to worry about now other than her own vague misgivings about someone she hardly knew.

As he had the day before, Richie lingered at his locker until the hallways were nearly empty. This time, however, the time was not spent coming to a decision. He had already done that. Instead, he wanted to make sure his friends were gone. This time he did not want to be "rescued."

This was not to say that he did not have second thoughts.

He cast one last glance towards the east wing of the school and sighed through his nose as he slammed his locker shut. No one would do anything for his mother. Then again, after witnessing what he had, he was no longer sure that anything could be done for her anymore. And in either case, what sort of obligation did he have to the others and their little games?

Nothing. Not a thing. At least that's how he had reasoned it.

Control or be controlled. Those were his options. Jason and crew seemed to think there was another option, but Richie realized now that they were wrong. His mother had to be right. She knew a lot more about it than they did. She was stupid enough to let herself be controlled. Richie had almost fallen for that as well. This was his chance to grab the power when he could.

And if some of the thoughts he was having about Haven itself were right, it was really all he could do to look out for himself.

He started towards the nurse's station. Yes, there was a price to pay. He figured he'd have to do what Nyssa told him. But really, was that so bad? When he could have someone of his own to control? That's how it worked in the real world anyway. Those that had the power used it on their underlings, and they in turn used it on their underlings, and so on. It was impossible to be at the top, but he could at least be in a position where he had people lower than him. Richie figured this would be a bargain at any price.

Richie did not hesitate. He walked up to the door and let himself in, closing it behind him even as Nyssa watched with a playful smile from the door to the examination room.

Nyssa did not advance on him. She didn't need to. He came willingly, walking across the reception area with the stride of someone that had made up his mind. Her smile widened as she sensed this. While it was true that it was not as much fun to take someone who was willing, she was not one to refuse a gift when it was offered to her.

Richie grew excited in Nyssa's presence. Already he felt his cock harden as he approached her. By the time she lightly touched her fingers to his cheek, he was completely erect. He drew in his breath slowly as her caress gently stimulated him, making him rise as if his member were being stroked directly.

Nyssa gave him a wicked grin, and her hand dropped. Now she did what he had only imagined in his mind's eye a moment ago, fingers playing along his crotch. He uttered a low moan.

"You are quite ready for this, aren't you, Richie?" Nyssa said in a hot, sultry voice.

Richie took a deep breath and let it go. "Yeah, I'm ready," he said huskily. "Do it."

"And you know what you are giving me? You know you will be mine after this?"

"But I'll still get to control her, right? I still get Linda Davis?"

Nyssa giggled softly. "You do have your priorities straight, don't you?"

"Damn right I do," Richie replied with an an impish grin.

Nyssa pressed her hand harder into him. Richie let go with another deep moan, closing his eyes as the pleasure overcame him. She leaned over and whispered hotly into his ear, "Then let's not wait a moment longer, my pet ..."

Richie shuddered with anticipation and desire as Nyssa led him inside the examination room.

Melinda unlocked the front door to her house and paused at the threshold. Heart pounding, she stepped into the silence and closed the door behind her, locking it quickly, as if not wanting to keep her back turned for even a second.

She advanced cautiously up the stairs and hesitated just outside the bedroom. Her mouth and throat were dry. She was trembling.

I'm sorry, Heather, she thought, but if I see even the tiniest bit of black, I'm running.

Melinda was about to peek her head into the room but thought better of it. She instead called out softly from the hall, "Heather? Are you there?"

Only more silence answered her.

She took a deep breath and let it go. She peeked around the door frame, eyes darting everywhere. "Heather?"

When she finally let her eyes settle, she could see that the room was empty.

Melinda's heart leapt into her throat. Did that mean Heather was waiting somewhere, ready to pounce on her the moment her back was turned? But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? The ones Nyssa took only did that to their victims. Nothing had happened when Cassie had confronted her about being followed.

"Heather, stop this, you're scaring me!" Melinda finally called out loudly.

"Melinda, is that you?"

Melinda nearly jumped. The sound had come from the bedroom, but it was strangely muffled. The next moment, she heard the toilet flush.

She let out a relieved sigh and stepped inside. She waited a moment for Heather to emerge, but the door to the bathroom remained closed. "Heather, you okay?"

"'Are you okay' she asks," came Heather's sarcastic reply from behind the closed door. "I'm tossing my breakfast and the runt asks if I'm okay."

Melinda actually grinned slightly at being called "runt" this time. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said in a relieved voice. Actually, she was ecstatic. Heather really was sick after all. "Can you come out for a moment?"

"Ugh, no, I'm still puking my guts out."

An uneasy feeling was coming over Melinda. "I just want to talk to you about ..."

"Look, you and Jason can handle Becky, right? And Cassie's got Ned?"

"Yeah, that's how we divided it up."

"Then just go on. I'll be fine. I'll see you when you get back."

"Um, okay. I hope you feel better soon."

"Yeah, me too."

Melinda turned and headed out.

After a few minutes, the door to the bathroom opened a crack. There was a pause until the sound of the front door opening and closing downstairs came to Heather.

She emerged from the bathroom. She drew in a deep breath and let it go with just as deep a shudder.

That had been hard. Very hard. The proximity of her little sister had made her wet and aching. It was all she could do not to come out and make an advance on Melinda right then and there. But she knew that might have scared her little sister away. She might not have been able to get enough control of Melinda before she was able to break free.

And then there was Jason.

He would know something had happened, even if Heather had been successful. Through a bond she shared with Nyssa, as all her pets did, she sensed that Jason was trouble.

Yes, it was all very logical and well reasoned, and it satisfied the Darkness.

And somehow, she had managed to conceal her true reasons for it from this entity: even though she herself was lost, at least two others could be saved.

Richie quietly entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"You're late again for detention, Mr. Gardner."

Richie gave Miss Davis an impassive look but said nothing. Instead, he simply took his seat as he always did.

"This is the second day in a row," Miss Davis continued, tapping a nail on the desk. "Care to explain why?"

Richie just shrugged. A sly smile touched his lips.

"Something amusing, Mr. Gardner?"

His smile only broadened.

Miss Davis sighed in frustration and slid off her chair. She had tried familiarity with him, and that did not work. She had tried meeting him on an intellectual level (knowing full well that Richie was anything but stupid, no matter how he acted to the contrary sometimes). So now she would revert to this. She was the teacher, the superior, he was the student, the underling. He would do as he was told.

Miss Davis stood beside her desk and paused a moment, staring at him. "Have you nothing to say in your defense?"

Richie shook his head.

She scrutinized him for a moment before walking over to him, folding her arms. Richie glanced at them, and then her breasts. His smile grew sly, and he made no effort to hide where his attentions were at the moment. He let his gaze linger there until finally raising it to Miss Davis' eyes.

She met his gaze with a steely-eyed one of her own. "I don't take the silent treatment, Mr. Gardner. You will speak to me, and not resort to gestures all afternoon."

Richie paused another moment, and then spoke. "What would you like me to say, Miss Davis?"

Miss Davis' eyes widened just slightly and her lips parted. She felt a very faint wave of heat pass over her skin. She took a breath and recovered quickly, shrugging it off and ignoring it for the moment. "Tell me why you were late, Mr. Gardner."

"What? I'm not 'Richie' anymore? Why so formal, Linda?"

Miss Davis blinked. It happened again, stronger this time. Her whole body felt lightly flushed. She felt rather warm, as if the AC has suddenly shut off, despite standing almost directly under one of the vents. "We've been over that before," she said, her voice still steady for the most part. "You will address me properly."

Richie grinned impishly. "I'm not sure you want me to do that, actually."

Miss Davis shuddered. She faltered, trying to back up a step and making it only halfway. Her body went from warm to hot. Her heart raced.

"Because I got other things I'd wanna call you instead of just Linda."

She let her breath go as a ragged, husky sigh. Her body trembled as the heat coursing through her body now gathered between her legs.

"I can tell ya a few of 'em if that would interest ya," Richie said with a sly grin.

Linda moaned. Heat burned in her sex. Her legs trembled, her feet wanting to slide apart. She staggered, and her hands landed hard on the desk at which Richie sat.

"Wanna hear them, Linda?"

Linda was panting. "R-Richie ... s-stop ... stop it ..." she moaned.

"Stop what? You don't want me to talk to you anymore?"

Linda whimpered. Her legs gave out and she sank to her knees. Her pussy was growing wet. Her nipples tingled madly, and she had to clench her hands around the edge of the desk to stop herself from touching them.

"Wh-what ... what are you d-doing to me ...?" she gasped.

Richie laughed. "Just what I want for a change, Linda. And guess what? It's gonna be what you want, too."

Linda's arousal mounted to intense proportions. Her knees slid apart. Her pussy dripped into her panties and stained her slacks. Unable to resist the urge anymore, she grabbed her own breasts and kneaded them through her blouse, moaning loudly as her nipples shot bolts of pleasure through her body. She panted wildly as raw lust consumed her.

"Yeah, you're gonna get off just on my voice. No matter what I'm tellin' ya, you'll just love it."

"Oh God, Richie ..." Linda moaned. "P-Please ... d-don't do this ..."

"Yeah, and why not, huh?" Richie snapped. "After what you pulled this summer?"

Linda plunged a hand under her panties, fingers sinking with a loud, wet sound into her cunt. "Uhhn ... oh God ..." she whimpered as she pumped her fingers in and out of herself.

Richie snickered. "Yeah, you get horny just listenin' to my voice. Even if I call you a fuckable slut."

"Uhhnn! ... Oh yeah ... " Linda panted hard, fingering herself with one hand, playing with one of her breasts with the other.

"And that's what you're gonna be. Starting tomorrow."

"Ohhh ... uhh ... t-tomorrow ...?"

"Yeah. Sleep on it tonight, 'kay? But keep thinking about my voice."

"Oh God, yes ... uhnn ... mmm ... I want to cum so badly, Richie ..."

Richie smirked. "Betcha you do. But not now. Tomorrow." He came out from behind his desk. He looked down at her as she kept stroking herself. "Gimme your address."

Linda recited it, interspersed with moans and mewlings of pleasure.

"I'll be there tomorrow. Then you'll cum." Richie headed for the door. He paused and turned. "And then you'll be that nice fuckable slut I imagined over the summer."

Richie turned and headed out the door, leaving Linda masturbating herself desperately to an orgasm that would not come. It was nearly an hour before the effects of his voice wore off enough for her to compose herself.

Cassie's timing was slimmer than the day before. By the time her driver got them to Ned's house, Ned had already arrived and was camped out at the upstairs window again. It wasn't long before the young Asian woman was back as well, approaching from the opposite direction.

Though if it had not been for the distinctive dark hair, eyes, and Asian complexion, Cassie might not have recognized her. Her clothing was a lot more revealing, for one thing. Very abbreviated shorts hugged her hips. A halter-top bared much of her torso. The heels on her shoes were at least four inches.

She also walked differently. There was much more of a swing to her hips. She moved her legs as if wanting to show them off. She occasionally gave a toss of her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Maybe Ned found that gesture sexy.

The young woman disappeared into her house. Not long after, Ned appeared and walked straight over. Seconds after he arrived on the doorstep, the Asian woman appeared.

Cassie took a deep breath. It was now or never. She lifted the handle and the door clicked open.

"Please close the door, Miss Kendall."

Cassie blinked, so surprised at the order that she didn't reply for a few crucial moments. At the door to the house, the young woman had clasped her hands together as if in supplication. "Harry, I ..."

"For safety, you must keep the door closed while you are in the car, Miss Kendall."

Nonplussed, Cassie pulled the door closed again, glancing anxiously at the house. "I want to get out here, Harry," she said. "Sorry I didn't make that clear."

"Is there a shop or a store nearby? Allow me to park closer to it, Miss Kendall." He started the engine.

"No, no! Don't leave! Stop!" Cassie cried out in a panic. The engine died. "I want to get out here, please."

"Why, Miss Kendall?"

Cassie bit her lip. She looked out the window and gasped. Ned was touching her. First along the hip, then up her side ... then he cupped her breast! Cassie could see the young woman trembling from there!

"I have some friends from school on this block that I want to visit. So, please, Harry ..."

"Do you have your parents' permission for that, Miss Kendall?"

Cassie gaped at him. "What??"

"I am allowed to take you to any shop or store you wish, as I have their permission for that. Anyone else, and you ..."

"Yes, yes, I have permission!" Cassie said quickly. "Sorry for forgetting that, Harry. I asked my Mom about it this morning and she said you'd be happy to oblige."

Harry paused for a moment. "If you're quite sure about that, Miss Kendall ..."

"Quite, quite sure! And I'm sure you don't want my mother upset with you for refusing her wishes."

When Harry did not reply right way, Cassie knew that had done it. Before Harry could change his mind, Cassie opened the door and shot out of the car.

As she ran towards the two of them, dozens of ideas flashed through her head over what she would do. Yet it was clear there was only one option open to her: tackle Ned with every ounce of strength she had.

But just as Cassie grew close -- close enough to hear the young woman's heavy panting and deep, quivering moans -- Ned urged her backwards and into the house. Cassie broke into a dead run, pounding down the pavement towards the front door, but just as she turned from the sidewalk, the door had closed.

Cassie skidded to a stop and clenched her fists in frustration. Now what?

Melinda was heading out of the house scant seconds before Jason blazed around the corner on his bicycle. He barely let Melinda say her peace about Heather before reaching out and grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the bike.

"Okay, okay! I'm not in that much of a hurry to get killed ... aieee!"

She clutched at Jason tightly as he took off, breathing heavily into his back and keeping her eyes tightly closed. She didn't move until Jason finally came to a stop at the intersection near Becky's house. He peeked around the corner.

"No sign of her yet," he said softly.

Melinda was panting, her heart pounding. "Oh God ... I think I left my stomach a few blocks back ..." she said in a shaky voice.

Jason rolled his eyes at this. "We better wait and then tail her like yesterday."

"Do you remember your way to the supermarket?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Then just go over there."

Jason paused and shook his head. "No, I think we better wait."

They waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Something's wrong," Jason said. "She should have come out by now."

"I told you to go over to the supermarket!" Melinda piped. "Great, now it's probably too laaaa ...!"

Melinda's last word rose to a near scream as Jason took off again. He pedaled as past as he could until his legs began to hurt. He ignored Melinda's pleas to slow down. He came at the store too fast, misjudging in his mind how far into the block it was from the intersection. He almost plowed into someone's shopping cart as he came to a stop.

Jason gave a sheepish apology to the shopper before he and Melinda quickly dismounted. He sent Melinda in ahead of him as he secured his bike, then ran in after her. He stumbled as his now aching legs refused to work at first.

When he caught up with her, he found her at the end of the third aisle, looking towards the storage room. She turned in frustration when he approached.

"It's closed!"

"Huh? What ... oh." Jason looked past her and saw the door with the "Employees Only" sign was indeed closed. Yet as his eyes darted over it, he gave a wry grin. "It's a swinging door, Melinda. It's not like it's locked."

"But how do we know where they are in there? How big is that room?"

Jason paused. She had a point. A supermarket storeroom was likely to be pretty large.

"We don't even know if they're in there," Melinda whined.

"They have to be," Jason said.

"Why's that?"

"It is logical that she would return to the same place to do the second part of the enslavement. It's what Cassie did."

"So how do we sneak in without warning her?"

To this, Jason had no immediate reply.

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