When Richie boarded the school bus Monday morning, Jason spared him only a momentary glance before being forced to look away. Richie's aura was darker and more malignant than it had first appeared the day before. Jason could not look at it without feeling his stomach clench.

Richie appeared to pause at this obvious snub. His eyes narrowed and he tensed for a moment. He eventually subsided and went to sit in another part of the bus.

It was the next stop that Jason was dreading more than this. His heart thumped in his chest when the door opened and Heather and Melinda came aboard.

His breath caught in his throat. He could see the aura around Heather as he had before. What tugged at his heart, however, was the fact that there was a faint one around Melinda as well. He felt something lurch inside of him when Melinda raised her eyes and looked at him.

There was a moment's pause for the both of them as their gazes met. Heather had her arm around her sister's waist, holding her close. She came to a stop a second after Melinda did.

For just a very brief moment there seemed to be a flicker of lucidity in Melinda's eyes.

... struggle ... still fighting ... must not fight ... submit ... submit ... call Mistress ... Mistress come ...

Jason's mouth dropped open.

The whisper in his mind had become coherent for the first time. He was hearing a manifestation of the patterns in Melinda's aura. When the realization came to him that he was hearing what amounted to the voice of the Darkness, he shivered violently in his seat.

Heather saw the exchanged look. A thought came to her to let it continue. Jason saw this in Heather's eyes and lifted his gaze to her. Heather's Darkness swam into his perceptions.

... stop ... do not allow ... she is yours ... yours alone ... your slave ... your pet ...

The thought of kindness was banished. Heather's arm tightened around Melinda's waist, and she leaned over to whisper something in Melinda's ear. Melinda shivered and uttered a short, lusty sigh as her eyes glazed over into obedience again before Heather forced her to turn away.

Jason took a deep, shuddering breath and swallowed hard. This new ability was as terrifying as it was fascinating.

The bus ride to the school seemed a lot longer this time. When it finally pulled into the parking lot, Jason lingered and let his friends -- he still thought of them as such even now -- leave the bus first. Heather and Melinda glanced oddly at him as they passed. Richie stopped and even glowered at him briefly before moving on.

Cassie arrived a very short time later. She waved to him and rushed over. Just as she drew close, there was a brief shout off to the other side and Diane came running up a moment later.

"Sorry, Jason," Diane said, panting. "I didn't want to run into Heather, not if she's like you told me." She blinked and glanced over to Cassie. "Er, hi ..."

"Diane Woodrow," Jason said to Cassie, gesturing to Diane. He did the reverse and said, "Cassie Kendall."

They nodded and smiled nervously at each other. Each knew about the other. Diane knew Cassie was that "dreamy weirdo" that she and Heather used to snicker about. Cassie knew Diane was one of the people that would make fun of her if given the chance.

Not that any of this mattered to either of them anymore.

Diane glanced at the doors of the school, through which Heather was about to go. "So ... you two can see something? You can see something around her?"

"You told her about the auras?" Cassie asked cautiously.

"I told her everything," Jason said. "I had to, she deserved to know. Her mother is affected."

Diane bit her lip. "I can't see anything." She clutched her books to her bosom and shivered. "Maybe it's better that I don't. I couldn't imagine myself getting close to anyone that I saw with something like you described."

"Well, once they have it, it's generally, um, too late," Jason said, stumbling over the words briefly.

"Or at least we think so," Cassie said quickly. "Maybe if we stop Nyssa, they'll be okay."

Jason wanted to believe this. From the whispers of the Darkness, it sounded like it needed to constantly work at keeping control of Melinda. At the same time, he knew if he tried to focus on ways to free Melinda, it would distract him from the greater goal. Yet his voice was strained when he voiced his thoughts. "No, we don't mess with people that have gone over already. Just the ones that haven't finished it. But I think she won't be taking any today, if the pattern from last week holds up."

The two girls nodded. "So what do we do today?" asked Cassie.

"Well, we have to watch anyway for who goes to see Nyssa just in case. But we really need to concentrate on Ned and Becky. We're going to need them desperately later in the week to track down more of Nyssa's victims."

"Jason, I realized this morning why Ned looked familiar to me last Friday," said Cassie. "He's in some of my classes. He's in the same year we are."

"So we'll approach him at lunch."

"Becky's in my year," Diane said. "And I know where she lives. I haven't spoken with her in ages, though."

"Can't you just talk to her at lunch?"

"Well, I can try, but ... but I'm not sure she'll believe me."

"She'll have seen an aura by now," Jason pointed out. "That will make it easier. But if you have trouble then one of us can go with you after school. Probably Cassie, since she has transportation."

"And she can see these auras. She'll know more of what she's talking about."

"Exactly."

"Okay," Cassie said. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Jason paused a moment. "I think it would be a good idea to try to avoid Heather, Melinda, or Richie for awhile."

Cassie and Diane exchanged a look. "You don't think they'd ... well, spy on us or something?" Diane asked.

"They're under Nyssa's control. If she told them to do it, they'd do it. We can't trust them anymore."

"How do we know who to trust, then?" Diane asked nervously.

"Simple. Anyone who doesn't have an aura ... oh ..."

Diane sighed. "Now I'm worried I'll be more a burden than a help."

"No, Diane, please, we do need you. Just don't share any information with anyone."

Diane nodded. "All right."

"Let's just meet after school," said Jason. "No point in meeting in the middle of the day anymore like we used to."

The three of them headed off towards the school entrance.

Marcie arrived at the office ahead of her boss as she always did. As she settled into her seat, she could actually feel the scantiness of her new underwear by the subtle difference in the way the seat felt to her now. When she pulled her hips forward to roll her chair to the desk, her panties tugged against her slot slightly.

She felt a small wave of warmth flow over her body. It faded as she signed on to the system and checked her email, though it left a lingering, mild heat between her legs. It wasn't enough to get her wet, but she was close.

A small smile came to her lips. It felt nice. It wasn't overwhelming like it had been the night before. Still, the thought of the continuous pleasure she had felt all evening sent a small shudder through her body.

Marcie looked up when she saw movement at the doorway. "Good morning, Miss Bendon," she said brightly.

Laura stopped by Marcie's desk. "Good morning, Marcie."

Marcie felt another little wave of warmth at the sound of Laura's voice. "Um, you wanted me to remind you, Miss Bendon. You have a faculty meeting at ten this morning."

"Thank you. It should be short." Laura smiled slightly. "Generally the faculty tends not to question my decisions so much anymore. Glad to see they've finally come into line."

"Of course, Miss Bendon."

Laura's smile widened a touch. "How are you feeling this morning, Marcie?"

Marcie blinked a few times. The warmth in her sex was increasing. "Feeling, Miss Bendon?"

"Yes, feeling. You do remember what I told you to do last night, don't you?"

"Oh ... you mean when you said I should keeping thinking ... um ..." Marcie paused and swallowed. The warmth was becoming a liquid heat as her thoughts seemed to slip into another rhythm that she had not intended. It was like dinner the night before again.

"How does it feel, Marcie?"

"Feels good ..." Marcie murmured with a soft sigh. Her cheeks reddened. "But I-I shouldn't ... I have to ..."

"Have to what?"

"Well ... do my job, Miss Bendon, of course!"

Laura chuckled. "I'll bet you can do your job better, actually."

Marcie stared. "Better?"

"You just said it feels good. Just a nice, gentle pleasure, isn't it?"

"Mmm, yes," Marcie said softly.

"Well, I can safely say that this is the happiest I've seen you in a long time, and happy people are productive people. So this is for the best. Isn't it?"

It made so much more sense to her now. Laura was right. She could trust that Laura knew what was best for her. Laura always did. Laura was always right. "Yes, Miss Bendon. Of course it is. I'm sorry I questioned it."

"It's quite all right, Marcie. Anything else you need me to clear up?"

"Just ... just one thing, Miss Bendon ..."

"Yes?"

Marcie shifted in her seat and felt the dampness now in her folds. "H-how are you doing this to me?" Marcie asked in a whisper.

Laura grinned. "That's just it. I'm not doing anything to you. You're doing it to yourself."

"I am?"

"Oh, yes. You wanted to be sexy all along. All I did was help bring it out. And that's what you're feeling now."

Marcie swallowed. She knew there was something wrong with that logic, but pleasure was fogging her mind. She could focus only on it or her job.

Or on Laura's voice.

Laura flashed another smile and turned away. "Carry on, Marcie."

"Yes, Miss Bendon," Marcie breathed.

"Ned?"

He had barely heard the summons. Ned "The Nose" Lussander had holed up in a far corner of the cafeteria, picking at his food. He kept his eyes lowered, trying to avoid looking at anyone for more than a second or two.

"Hey, Ned, got a minute?"

Ned wanted to just melt into the floor and disappear. He risked raising his eyes, then flinched. "What the hell do you want?" he snapped.

He was not looking at Jason, the one that had called his name. Instead, his now angry gaze was held on Cassie, who stood just behind Jason and off to the side. She bit her lip and glanced nervously at Jason.

"Haven't you caused me enough problems, huh?!" Ned cried, clenching his hands into fists.

"Jason, I-I better go ..." said Cassie.

"No, wait, Cassie ..." began Jason.

"No, he's just going to be upset with me. You can explain things as well as I can. I'll just grab some lunch and sit over where we normally do."

Ned's brow furrowed as he listened to this exchange. When Jason looked back to him, he demanded, "Explain what to me?"

Jason slid into a seat under Ned's wary gaze and looked at him. Jason paused a moment, trying not to let his eyes rest anywhere in particular, for fear that Ned would call him out on it. It was clear how Ned got his nickname, though the boy was nowhere near as ugly as Jason had been led to believe by what he had heard from the other students. Ned's nose was indeed rather bulbous, but not discolored or disfigured in the least. It was simply rather broad and thick, the nostrils high and wide. They flared slightly as he breathed.

"I don't know if you know me or not, but ..."

"Yeah, I know you. You're the class brainiac Jason."

Usually Jason could tell if that was meant as an epithet or not. This time he wasn't sure and simply let it go. "I know what happened Friday."

Ned's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah? So what is this? You gonna threaten me with telling people if I don't do something for ya?"

"No, nothing like that. I just need to talk to you about it."

Ned shook his head and bolted up from his seat, sending his chair clattering backwards. "Fuck you, man! Nothing to talk about, see? I got fucked up and that chick that just left helped cause it."

"Ned, wait! She didn't do anything, it was all Nyssa's fault, the school nurse."

Ned shivered at the mention of her name. "Don't ... d-don't mention her again ... " he said in a scared voice. "In fact, just get away from me. Leave me alone."

Ned edged around Jason's seat and started away.

"Ned! Wait! I can see it too! I can see the Darkness!"

Ned froze. "What?" he said in a low voice.

"The auras. The blackness around some people."

Ned whirled around, his face pale.

Jason nodded and gave him a sympathetic look. "Yeah, that was my reaction, too, when I first saw them. Cassie can see them as well."

"Cassie? That's what she did to me?"

"No, Ned. She didn't do it. I mean, she triggered it, but you can see them because you've been touched by the Darkness but didn't fall to it."

Ned shook his head. "Wait, brainiac, you're not making sense." He yanked out a chair and plopped back down into it. "Start from the beginning and assume I don't know diddly-squat. Because I don't."

"It's really simple, Ned," Jason said earnestly. "Nyssa did something to you. She made you want to act out your fantasy. She gave you power to do it. But if you went ahead with that, you would have been enslaved to Nyssa."

Ned blinked and gave Jason an alarmed look. "Enslaved? But she ... she promised ..."

"Yeah, she promised you power over sometime. I know. That's how she works. She's doing it to other people. Those are the auras you're seeing."

Ned's jaw dropped. He suddenly started looking at himself in quiet desperation.

"No, you don't have it, not anymore. It disappeared the moment Cassie stopped you from ... from enslaving someone."

Ned looked back at Jason. His face hardened, though his cheeks grew red at the same time. "I wasn't gonna hurt her. I mean that! I wasn't gonna hurt her!"

"I know. It's okay."

Ned sighed. "I still want her."

"Yeah, I know that, too. Cassie knows it better than I do. She almost did the same thing to someone else. Some friends of mine and I stopped her. That's why she can see the auras, same as you."

Ned swallowed. His eyes shimmered. "Jason, dude ... this is driving me fuckin' nutsoid, man!" he said, his voice cracking. "I thought I was going freakin' insane. Shit, man, I saw this crap around people in church for cryin' out loud!"

"You're not crazy. They're really there."

"How do I make it stop?"

"I don't know if you can. But do you want to stop more people from getting it?"

Ned snorted. "You mean stop people from making as big a fool out of themselves as I did? Yeah, I guess so. How?"

"By helping my friends find out who's going to be taken next by Nyssa and stop them like Cassie stopped you."

Ned paused a long moment. Finally he answered it with a question of his own. "If I help you with this, will it hurt Nyssa? Will it fuck with the bitch that did this?"

Jason had no idea if they were having an effect at all, but he thought he could be allowed a lie here. "You bet it will, Ned."

Ned raised a hand and high-fived Jason. "I'm in, dude. What do you want me to do?"

Jason couldn't help but smile. "Give me some contact information. Phone number, instant message, email, that sort of thing. It won't be until later in the week that we can do something, but we're desperate for people to help."

Ned dutifully gave him all the information he wanted. "Man, this better work," he said as he rose from his chair. "I don't want to think about a whole school full of people with that black shit around them."

"You and me both, Ned," said Jason.

Nyssa strolled slowly around her slave, her heels clacking loudly on the tile. She lay a hand against Laura's cheek and felt her slave shudder satisfactorily. She played with Laura's hair as she came around behind her slave. She smiled wickedly as she glanced between Laura's parted knees, just in time to see another drop fall from her slave's pussy and into a growing puddle on the floor.

Laura was on her knees, remaining still and submissive, her body naked save for a thick leather collar about her throat. She panted hard, her body shaking with desire. Her nipples were two hardened points on her breasts.

Nyssa had asked nothing of her since placing the collar on her. She simply drove Laura to higher and higher heights of arousal without allowing relief.

Nyssa walked around her slave one more time. She hooked a single finger into Laura's collar, giving it a light tug. Laura moaned loudly. Another drop splashed to the puddle between her knees.

"This will be our little secret, my pet," Nyssa cooed. "No one else will see it ... Well, there were people that could see it, but I've taken care of all of them. Except Jason."

Nyssa removed her finger and bent over to whisper hotly in Laura's ear. "But you'll see it ... you'll always see it ... and feel it ... it will never go away ... it will never be removed ... even after I'm gone, it will always be there."

"Uhhhnnn ..." Laura moaned loudly as she felt herself drowning in pleasure from Nyssa's words.

"No matter how much you control your new slave-to-be, you'll always remember that you're my little toy." She laid her hand lightly on Laura's head. "Mmm, oh yes, I can sense it ... you're reveling in the power I gave you ... you're having so much fun with little Marcie, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mistress," Laura moaned. "She's a-almost mine ... by the weekend, I'll h-have her ... I'll ... uhhh ... uhhhhnn ..."

Nyssa giggled. "See how much pleasure it brings you? Oh yes, my pet, you're fully one with the Darkness now. Now I have no worries about leaving you behind when I go."

"Thank you, Mistress."

Nyssa kept her hand on Laura's head as she stepped in front of her slave. She smiled down at Laura. "It was a good harvest today, my pet."

She stepped forward, lifting her uniform up, exposing her own wetness to her slave. Laura's eyes gazed upon it with anticipation as Nyssa's fingers curled into Laura's hair.

"A very good one." Nyssa slid her feet apart and tilted Laura's head back. "Another week, and I will have enough to spread to other students in the school."

She pulled Laura towards her. Laura breathed deeply, shivering as she smelled her Mistress' arousal.

Nyssa grinned. "Mmm, you like that, don't you, slave? You like the smell of my pussy." She tightened her grip on Laura's hair. "The more I keep you from it, the more desperately horny you get and the more pleasure you feel. Isn't that right?"

"Uhhhnn ... uhhh ! ..." Laura gasped. She closed her eyes and shuddered violently.

"Please me, and you'll be rewarded." Nyssa let go of Laura's hair.

Laura leaned forward and buried her face between Nyssa's legs, moaning constantly as she licked at her Mistress' pussy.

"Mmm, nice ... very nice, pet ..." Nyssa said as she gently stroked Laura's hair. "Just keep thinking of when you'll make Marcie do this for you. How insane will you drive her with pleasure and anticipation before you grant her release? How far into your control will you take her? How mindless a fucktoy do you want?"

Laura breathed heavily into Nyssa's pussy as she licked, probing her Mistress' folds hard with her tongue. Nyssa tilted her head back and sighed in contentment at the sweet, slow rise of her pleasure.

"Mmm, yes," Nyssa moaned. She grabbed her own breasts and squeezed them, sighing in exquisite delight. When she spoke again, it was in a sultry whisper. "With what I've taken from the others, I can give their desires to anyone else ... I can spread the chaos faster ... infect more of them anew at the same time ... harvest even more ... doubling each time ... no one will stop it ..."

Nyssa looked down as she began to pant lightly herself. Laura clutched at Nyssa's legs, pushing her face against Nyssa's sex, tongue lapping hungrily. Laura's own pussy begins to rise, more fluid trickling down the insides of her thighs, a deep ache reaching up into her as her need for release climbed to unbearable levels. Yet nothing would distract her from her Mistress' pleasure. Nyssa's needs came first before her own.

She would so miss this when Nyssa had to leave.

"Mmmm ... only two people stand in the way ... the Dreamer, and Jason ... but she's nothing without him ... she's nothing without the ability to see the Darkness. Once I have Jason, it will all be complete ... it will ... ohhh ... oh yes! ... oh yes! ... ohhh! ..."

Nyssa felt her orgasm explode inside her, her body already primed by her own erotic thoughts of her plans for the school. Laura gurgled as she was drenched with a single, large spurt of liquid heat from Nyssa's pussy. Laura drew Nyssa closer and sucked at Nyssa's clit. Nyssa's hips tried to buck from the force of her climax as she screamed in pleasure.

Nyssa finally staggered back from her slave, panting wildly. After a few moments, she gazed at her now trembling pet. Moisture dripped from both Laura's face and her pussy.

"Your reward," Nyssa purred.

The next moment, Laura screamed out her own pleasure as well. When her powerful orgasm was over, she lay on her side on the floor, her chest heaving, her eyes closed.

Nyssa stepped over to her and traced her fingers over the collar. Even as spent was she was, Laura responded, shivering slightly.

"No, my pet," Nyssa whispered. "You cannot be mindless. Yes, I can sense the desire in you ... just like you sensed Marcie's secret desires ... you'd love nothing more than to lose whatever mind you have left save for my voice and my pleasure.

"But I need you. I need you as you are. I cannot do what I have done today too many more times, for that would surely rob you of your mind. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress ... " Laura moaned softly.

Nyssa withdrew her hand and stood. She gestured. Slowly, Laura rose to her feet, still panting lightly.

"But ... for the one called Jason ... for him, I will not be as merciful ..."

"We'll have to do this quick, Jason, my bus doesn't have as patient a driver as yours," Diane said as she jogged over to Jason and Cassie.

Jason smirked, as he didn't think his driver was any more patient than any other. "Well, I guess that depends on whether you talked to Becky or not."

Diane sighed and shook her head. "I couldn't get close to her in the caf. She had a contingent of her friends around her. She was crying something awful. Apparently her boyfriend dumped her over what happened."

"Oh, no!" Cassie cried.

"I tried sticking around, but she didn't leave until Karen came over. But then Becky sort of freaked out and ran out of the caf. I couldn't catch her before I lost her in the hallway."

"Karen?" asked Jason. "Karen Vance?"

"Yes, that's her. She's one of those acting kind of funny."

"Jason, you think Becky saw it?" Cassie asked in astonishment.

"She might have. If she's really sensitive to it like ... like Melinda used to be."

"Wait, are you talking about those aura things?" Diane asked. "But that was James Nells. Karen was just one of the two he enslaved ... " Diane trailed off, flustered. "God, I can't believe I'm saying things like this ..."

Cassie smiled weakly at her. "It's okay, Diane, we understand."

"The ones enslaved are touched by the Darkness, but not as much at first. So it's fainter. But if she saw enough of it to freak out, she must be really sensitive to it."

"Or it's too late for Karen," Cassie said darkly.

"Well, we don't know that." He refused to believe that there was no hope whatsoever, since it meant he would have to write off Melinda as well. He couldn't believe that, not after what he had "heard" from her aura. "Anyway, Diane, if you didn't talk to her at school, you better ride with Cassie and talk to her at her house."

Diane's eyes widened and she glanced over to where Cassie's driver sat waiting. "You mean I get to ride in the limo? Cool!"

Cassie grinned faintly. "It's really not that big a deal."

"Will Harry allow it?" Jason asked.

"When I asked him if he would let me take a passenger somewhere, his first question was if it was a boy or girl. Once I told him it was a girl, he was okay with it."

"We'll have to remember that in the future when Ned starts helping us."

"Oh, you got Ned? Great!"

"Yeah, he's even eager to do it, too."

Diane sighed. "I don't know if Becky will be that easy."

"You're going to have to try. You may ..."

Jason fell silent as he looked past Diane. Diane and Cassie noticed and turned.

Heather and Melinda approached them. Jason felt his insides clench again. The wispy aura about Melinda seemed to be deeper now, forming a more definite shape around her body. Jason tried to convince himself that he was just seeing things, that it could not be advancing this quickly. Yet even Heather's aura looked darker as well.

Diane stiffened as well and bit her lip nervously, looking every bit like someone who could actually see the aura. In truth, it was invisible to her, but she felt as if there were something just plain wrong about Heather.

It was the smile. It was completely out of place. It looked too chillingly like the smile she saw on her own mother's face that day.

"Hi," Heather said softly as she and Melinda came to a stop before the group.

Melinda stood before her sister quietly. Heather stepped up from behind and placed her hands on Melinda's shoulders, gently drawing Melinda towards her. Melinda let her breath go as a sultry sigh and shivered.

Diane's eyes widened at this. "Uh ... H-Heather?"

"Diane, hi," Heather said. "Look, I'm really sorry for not calling you. Things just sort of came up."

Diane's face hardened a touch. "Yes, so I was told," she said coolly.

Heather's smile faded a bit. "I don't expect you to understand, Diane," Heather said, her voice tight. She squeezed Melinda's shoulders. Melinda moaned.

Jason's eyes dropped to Melinda and her aura.

... succumb ... submit ... give into the sweet pleasure ... no thoughts ... no struggle ...

"Stop that," Jason demanded loudly. "Now."

Heather looked at him. "Stop what?"

"What you're doing to her."

Heather had started kneading Melinda's shoulders gently. Melinda squirmed and squeezed her legs together as she grew damp, whimpering softly. "She's enjoying it," Heather said simply.

"Heather, it's not normal," Cassie said, wrinkling her nose. Her stomach was trying to do flips as she watched. "She's your sister!"

Diane's eyes flicked from Heather to Melinda and back. She swallowed, her heart thumping. It was exactly like Jason had described to her: using sexual pleasure to control someone. When she looked at Melinda, she was convinced that she saw occasional lucidity in those eyes, until the next paroxysm of pleasure took it away.

She wanted to hate Heather for this, but her own strong feelings for Heather were not diminished by what she was seeing, much to her frustration.

Jason simply continued to stare.

... yes ... sweet pleasure ... sweet obedience ... that is all that matters ...

"Jason, you wouldn't even talk to us on the bus," Heather said to Jason. "Melinda was really upset about that. She ..."

... nothing else matters ... not friends ... not family ... not Jason ...

Jason suddenly reached out and grabbed Melinda's arm and yanked her away from Heather. Melinda gasped, then uttered a sharp cry as her arm was wrenched. "What are you ...? I ... no!" Melinda cried, looking back to Heather with a forlorn gaze.

Jason whirled her around until her confused and fearful eyes were looking into his.

... you don't need him ... obey ... submit ...serve your Mistress and be rewarded ...

"Melinda, stop this!" Jason yelled, shaking her. "Snap out of it! Don't let her do this to you! Don't listen to it!"

"Jason!" Cassie cried, grabbing at his arm. "You're hurting her!"

Jason violently shook off Cassie's hold and took a firm grasp of Melinda's upper arms. Melinda stiffened, her eyes wide and staring as Jason looked into them. "Melinda, please," Jason said in a softer voice. "Please, fight this. Please come back to me. You can do this!"

Melinda blinked rapidly for a few seconds. She drew in her breath sharply, holding it. For a moment it appeared her eyes cleared, that the depth was returning to them.

Melinda's lips moved. Only a bare hint of breath blew through her vocal cords.

... no ... she struggles ... she resists ... deeper ... go deeper ... call Mistress to us ...

" ... s-sorry ..." she whispered, barely louder than the soft breeze around them. " ... I ... c ... can't ..."

Jason's jaw slowly dropped.

Melinda blinked again and her eyes once again glazed back into obedience. When Heather placed her hand on Melinda's shoulder, she retreated from Jason and embraced her sister tightly. Heather ran a hand slowly down Melinda's back. Melinda shuddered and mewled in pleasure.

"That wasn't nice, Jason," Heather said flatly. "That was not nice at all."

"Neither is what you did to her!" Jason spat.

"Jason, it's not her fault," Cassie pleaded. "Nyssa did this to her."

Jason snapped his head around and bit off a retort. He was about to tell Cassie that it was Heather that was screwed up enough to have a desire for her little sister in the first place, but that would have been something he would have had a hard time taking back once said. And he knew -- or at least hoped -- that the House ultimately had something to do with that.

Jason took a deep breath to try to calm himself, but it was clear that the damage was done when Heather spoke again. And when her aura whispered to him.

"You can forget about Melinda being your good little girl now, Jason," Heather said. "I can't trust you not to try and turn her against me."

... keep him away ... she is your slave ... she is your toy ... no one else may play with her ...

Melinda shivered and moaned as she heard her sister. For just a moment, despair filled her despite the Darkness in her mind. Then Heather gently stroked her backside, and quickly her despair faded. She panted in increasing pleasure, driving thoughts of Jason out of her mind.

"Not that I could anyway," Jason said. He waved a hand in frustration. "Fine. Just go."

Heather and Melinda moved through them and towards the bus, Heather keeping her little sister close.

"I don't think you should have done that, Jason," Diane said softly.

"Why did you do that?" Cassie demanded sharply. "You only drove her more into ..."

"Look, I know, lay off, okay?!" Jason cried. He took another deep breath. "Diane, you need to go with Cassie to Becky's and wait for her to get home. We have to get her on our side, no matter what!"

Diane and Cassie just nodded.

Jason gave them a stern look, though he swiped at one eye with the back of his hand before abruptly turning and heading for the bus.

Marcie sat back in her seat and uttered a long, lusty sigh.

Ever since she had talked to Laura that morning, the pleasure never went away. It was a constant warm sensation in her pussy, and occasionally a delightful tingling in her nipples. As it got closer to the end of the day, however, it seemed to increase, as if in preparation for her leaving the office for the day. Now it was distracting her, making any further work impossible.

"Something the matter?"

Marcie jumped in her seat and uttered a little yelp, having failed to hear Laura step out of her office. "M-Miss Bendon, you startled me!"

"Sorry," Laura said with a small smile. "You simply looked as if you were distressed."

Marcie swallowed and turned her gaze to an incomplete document on her PC. "I wanted to finish this one more thing for you before I went home, Miss Bendon, but ... um ..."

"You can't focus on it?"

Marcie blushed and shook her head.

"I think you've done enough work for today, Marcie. You can go home."

Marcie stared, as if the concept were foreign to her. "Home? This early?"

"It is the time most of the staff leaves, Marcie."

"But I still have all this to do, and ... I ..."

Laura cupped Marcie's chin and brought Marcie's gaze to her own.

"It can wait," Laura said softly. "You need something else more than you need work right now, don't you?"

Marcie swallowed, losing herself in Laura's gaze. Her pussy grew hot again. "How d-did you know ...?"

"After all this time together with you, I know you as well as you know yourself. Perhaps ... a little better than that."

Marcie squirmed in her seat. This only made her thighs rub together and squeezed her swelling pussy, making her whimper.

"Miss Bendon ..." began Marcie in a husky voice.

"Yes?"

"You ... y-you wouldn't ever lie to me, would you? You'd always tell me the truth, right, Miss Bendon?"

Laura's face took on a pained look. "Of course I would, Marcie. Why would you ask that? Have I given you reason not to trust me?"

Marcie shrank in her seat as a wave of guilt crashed over her. "No, Miss Bendon," she squeaked. "I'm sorry."

"No need, Marcie, it's okay." Laura lowered her hand. Marcie's eyes remained fixed on Laura's. "I do want you to trust me. I would never want anything less than the best for you. You must understand that."

"I do, Miss Bendon," Marcie said softly. "I do ..."

"Then trust me when I tell you that going home right now is the best thing for you."

Marcie slowly smiled. "Of course."

"And remember what I told you," Laura said in a huskier voice as she stepped back. "It's okay to desire pleasure. It's okay to want it. Or to want more of it."

Marcie shuddered as her body trembled. Her nipples began to throb gently with the pulse of her quickening heartbeat. There was a sense of anticipation and longing in her gaze as she looked at Laura, her eyes turning more sultry.

Laura smiled and turned away. "Good night, Marcie, I'll see you in the morning," she said as she left the office.

Marcie sat quietly for a few moments, panting, waiting for the fires of her lust to fade enough for her to stand and walk to her car. Without realizing it for a few moments, she fingered one of her nipples through her blouse with one hand and rubbed the inside of her thigh with the other. She finally caught herself and stopped, blushing in the process despite sitting alone in the room.

She took a deep breath and stood. Just that movement stimulated her and made the insides of her thighs damp. She thought about the panties snug against her and how soaked they must be by now, which sent another ripple of desire through her.

Marcie moaned loudly and dropped back into her chair. She wasn't going to make it.

She leaned over the desk, spreading her legs in the chair. One hand dipped under her panties and slid over slick, soaked flesh. Her other hand cupped and kneaded her breast through her blouse.

She didn't move with urgency. Her fingers in her pussy moved slowly, teasing and playing with herself gently. Despite her need for release, Laura's words still reverberated in her mind. It was as if she had as great a need to prolong her pleasure as she had to consummate it.

She rubbed her nipple, a hard, throbbing nub pressed against the fabric of her blouse. She could feel the soft touch of the lacy bra under it and shuddered. Her trembling legs spread further apart, letting her fingers slide deeply into her cunt.

As her pleasure rose, she thrust faster until she was shaking with the need for release. She clenched her teeth and uttering a single, continuous high-pitched whimper as she strained at the edge.

She let lose with a shrill cry as she crested, her hips jerking in her seat with her orgasm. The pleasure coursing through her body seemed to rise into her mind, making thought impossible for the next few moments. Her eyes closed and her mouth dropped opened as she slipped into a brief but blissful state of ecstasy.

Her eyes flickered as she came down from her high, her throbs fading as her climax wound down. She moaned, partially from pleasure and partially from disappointment. That state of incredible bliss was rapidly fading. She moaned once more and leaned back limply in the chair, panting softly.

Marcie was not yet satisfied. She still felt hot and wet. But it would do for now until she could get home.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kendall," Harry said as he stood by the side of the limo. "If you wish to enter your friend's house, I must go along as well."

Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Harry, what if I want some privacy?"

"I'm sorry, but my orders from your mother are clear. Where you go, I must go."

Cassie turned to Diane and gave her a pleading look.

Diane took a deep breath. "All right," she said, her voice quavering. "I'll talk to Becky myself."

"I'm really sorry about this, Diane ..."

"No, it's okay. I know Becky better than you do anyway." She glanced down the block at the house into which Becky had disappeared not five minutes ago. She took a deep breath. "If I'm going to help, I need to learn how to do this."

Cassie smiled and gave Diane a brief hug.

Diane turned and headed down the block after a brief pause. She felt her heart begin to pound almost immediately. The truth about Diane was that she was shy. It didn't seem that way to most people because once she got to know someone, she was extremely outgoing. But when meeting someone for the first time, she preferred to do it indirectly, via someone else who already knew the person and with whom she was already comfortable.

Diane was trembling a bit by the time she got to the front door. She paused a moment, as she heard some muffled shouting inside. Finally, she forced herself to ring the doorbell.

A very harried middle-aged woman answered the door. "Yes?" she asked sharply.

"Uh ... Mrs. Davis? I-I was wondering if Becky was home?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she's home, but ..."

"Can I talk to her please, it's very important," Diane said in a rush before she could lose her nerve.

"Look, um ..."

"Diane Woodrow."

"Diane. Could you come back another time? Becky is really upset for some reason and ..."

"I know, her boyfriend dumped her."

Diane bit her lip, realizing only after it came tumbling out of her mouth that she probably should not have said that.

"Aw, for ... really?" the mother said, looking genuinely sympathetic. "No wonder she looks like she's been crying her eyes out. The poor girl. I mean, I did think they were getting a little too serious but he was a nice guy."

"I really need to talk to her about this," Diane said, her voice quavering.

"Well, if you can calm her down, you're most welcome to try. I certainly give up."

Mrs. Davis let Diane in and then went to the base of the stairs. "Becky!"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" came Becky's screech from upstairs.

"I know, I know. One of your friends is here from school and wants to talk to you."

A long pause. "Who?"

"Diane Woodrow."

Another pause. Finally a door opened and Becky came to the top of the stairs. She stared down at Diane for what seemed a long time. Diane wanted to shrink at the scrutiny until she saw the fear in Becky's face.

She's looking for an aura on me, Diane thought.

Becky swallowed and seemed to relax a little. "Okay," she said in a low voice. She gave Diane a single come-here gesture with her arm and retreated into her room.

Diane looked back at Mrs. Davis, who just shrugged and shook her head, then gestured up the stairs. Diane took another deep breath and headed up into Becky's room. She found her friend curled up around a stuffed animal on her bed, facing away from the door.

"What do you want?" Becky asked in a small, hurt voice.

"Can ... can I close the door first?"

"I don't care."

Diane closed the door quietly. She didn't know where to begin. "Becky, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I know, so's everyone," Becky said bitterly. "Everyone is so, so sorry. Well, that doesn't do shit, Diane. Unless you can say something else to me, something that means something, you can just get the fuck out!"

Becky had broken down into tears again by the end of her tirade.

Diane swallowed. "I know what you've started seeing."

Becky fell silent, save for some soft sobbing, but did not move.

"I know about the ... the Darkness ... that black stuff around people ..."

Becky rolled over and bolted up in bed.

"You saw one around Karen Vance, didn't you?"

Becky's jaw dropped. "You ... y-you can see it too??"

"Not me directly, but I know some friends that can."

Becky paused a long moment, then started to shake her head. "No. No, you're screwing with me. You are!"

"No, I'm not!" Diane cried. "Please, just listen to me ..."

Becky jumped to her feet and balled her hands into fists, her face red. "You are! You're fucking around with me because you think I'm nuts!"

"No! Come on, Becky, how would I know about this? You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Becky said in a calmer voice. "But I freaked out when Karen came near me. Everyone saw me."

"But they don't know why. I do."

"You said you didn't see it but your friends do. Who?"

"Cassie Kendall."

Becky snorted. "Great. The only other one that can see them has a screw loose herself."

"She's not the only one. Jason Conner can see them, too."

Becky's eyes widened. "Jason? The school nerd? Wait, wasn't he the one that was there at the supermarket when I ... wh-when I ..."

Diane rushed to speak again when Becky looked about to cry again. "From what he told me, he helped stop you. It was because he could see these auras."

Becky nodded absently and sniffled once. "Who else?"

"Ned ... uh ... I don't remember his last name."

"Not Ned the Nose?"

"Yes, him. Yeah, I know, he's a major dweeb. But he's not one to start making up stuff like this. And he can see it for the same reason you can, because you were stopped from ... from doing something ..."

Becky's eyes welled up again and new tears trickled down her face. She shook her head, looking away. "I d-don't know how I-I could have done all that ... I didn't ... I w-wasn't ..."

"It wasn't your fault."

Becky whirled around and stared at Diane.

"It wasn't you. It was the school nurse."

Becky suddenly shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She stumbled back and fell heavily onto the edge of her bed, nearly slipping off and onto the floor. Diane raced forward and grabbed Becky's shoulders to steady her.

Becky swallowed and looked up. "Thanks."

Diane sat down next to Becky. "She did this to you."

"But ... b-but it was my own ..."

"No. Stop it. Please, don't blame yourself. Look, this is how it was explained to me. Everyone has fantasies. Yes, everyone, Becky. But we keep them under control. Nyssa ... the school nurse ... she tries to remove that control."

"It wasn't me, Diane!" Becky cried. "It was like someone else was doing it and I was along for the ride! This isn't fair!"

"I know."

"Why did she do this? Why did she do this to me?!"

Diane was getting desperate. Becky was asking questions to which she had no answers.

Becky shivered violently. "I-I'm remembering things, Diane," she breathed. "Things I ... I didn't recall her doing to me when she ... oh God, what did she do to me ...?"

Becky was crying again, and Diane tried to comfort her, slipping an arm around her waist and holding her close. "You're free of it now. We think once we stop someone, they're free of it for good."

"It doesn't get me Harold back, Diane."

"Well ... maybe we can do that eventually."

Becky straighted up. "Huh?"

Diane felt guilty for making such a promise, even if she had not worded it as such. But she didn't think she'd get Becky on board any other way. "Maybe if we can convince him what really happened ..."

"He'll never believe this!"

"Maybe we can make him believe it if you'll help us."

"Help you do what?"

"Help us do the same for others that we ... they did for you," Diane explained. "They stopped you before you could go through with it. That breaks Nyssa's control over someone."

"And how is that going to help me?"

"If we free enough people, they can vouch for what happened to you." She was grasping at straws with that one, but had no other idea what to say. "It's not hard. You just have to help us spot people with the auras, and then we can try to catch up with them after school and stop them from doing that final bit."

"I don't want to see these things," Becky said in a frightened voice. "I wish they'd go away."

"The aura goes away when you free them."

Becky's eyes widened. "Wait ... does that mean that I ..."

"Yes, you had the aura. But it's gone now. Completely. So will you help?"

A long pause. "Maybe. I mean, okay, I'll try it for a little while. But if it keeps freaking me out to see this stuff, I'm going to have to stop. I'll beg my parents to take me out of the school if I have to."

Diane managed a small smile. "Thank you, Becky. Even a little bit will help."

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