Gina lowered her hand once more with a small sense of disappointment.

She was always the good student, but it meant little unless someone acknowledged it. Otherwise, how would she know she was performing up to par? Yet Ms. Hollis ignored her, instead asking questions of people that would struggle with the answers. She even dropped hints when they didn't get the answer quite right.

She wondered if Ms. Hollis simply did not see her hand. Ms. Hollis had spent much of the class wandering among the students behind the first row. Gina could not turn around to look for fear of drawing more admonishment for not facing forward.

She had other motivations for peeking behind her. The idea of asking Brad to the Halloween party excited her. Her pussy was still warm from the afterglow of her tryst in the counselor's office. She wanted to look at him, to see if he would acknowledge her with a little knowing smile.

Gina finally dared to turn around enough so that her gaze fell on Brad. A tiny shiver rippled through her body. His eyes darted between his textbook and Ms. Hollis, and he shuffled his feet under the desk. For a brief moment, his eyes skirted the other students, but his gaze slid by Gina without pause.

Did he really have sex with her right in the office?

Why would she even doubt that it happened?

Gina's vision wavered as the two question sat in conflicting juxtaposition in her head, and she caught something odd out of the corner of her eye.

Her gaze fell on Heather again. She was sitting straight in her seat, hands folded before her, her blouse and bra on the floor ...

Gina blinked. No, Heather was dressed. Why did she think that ...

Heather's hands were raised, fingers curled as if wrapped around something, hands sliding back and forth. Her mouth was open, and her head bobbed as if ...

Gina blinked again. Wait, that wasn't right. Heather was just sitting there. Her hands were on the desk. But her hips had slid forward, and her legs ...

... were closed, her feet on the floor. But ...

Gina snapped herself forward again as Ms. Hollis turned towards the front of the class and held her breath as her teacher walked by. Something stirred in the recesses of her mind, like murmuring or whispering from the shadows, just below the threshold of comprehension. Was she about to hear the voice again? Was she doing something wrong?

You need to ask Brad to the party.

Gina took a slow, deep breath and let it go as a low sigh.

It is proper for you to ask him.

Yes, of course, it was. She did not need to concern herself with Heather.

And it is proper for him to agree.

That made sense to her. Brad shouldn't refuse her. That just wouldn't be right. Victor said so, and she had to trust him. She did trust him.

Ms. Hollis moved to the front of the class and proceeded with the conclusion of the lesson. Gina paid strict attention to the rest of the class while her pussy tingled with anticipation.

For a moment, Heather felt as if Jason, Melinda, and Diane had somehow joined her in the room and were standing right behind her. Her surroundings shimmered like a camera going of focus. The moment was fleeting, and she was again by herself, still sucking four cocks in turn with an insatiable hunger.

She could not stop herself, or push them away, or ignore her own craving for cum. But she did not have to accept it.

(normal)

She could still hear it, like a distant voice, trying to convince her of her supposed error.

(expected)

One of the boys uttered a strained groan, and his cock exploded in Heather's mouth. Heather panted hard through her nose and tilted her head back so she didn't spill a drop. She gurgled as she swallowed once, then twice as his cock throbbed long and hard. When he drew his spent cock from her mouth, she exhaled and her pussy ached from the powerful scent of his seed.

The boy next to him jammed his cock into her mouth and grabbed her hair, pumping her head against his shaft. Heather shuddered as hands slid around her waist. She drew her legs together long enough for her jeans and panties to be pulled off. She thrust her hips forward and groaned as a cock finally plunged into her soaked cunt.

(your duty)

Heather trembled hard, and she gasped in delight as a second cock erupted in her mouth. She milked the bottom half of his cock with her fingers, eager to swallow every last drop and anxious to move on to the next cock, her body aching for cum as her lungs might ache for air.

(as always)

Heather whimpered as she swallowed and licked his cock clean. No, not as always. It wasn't always like this. It ...

(is always like this)

Heather pulled back, and her hand grabbed the next needy cock. She devoured it as if starved. Her breath was sharp and quick, her body rocking faster as her pussy was drilled deeper and harder. Pleasure rose and stopped short of her peak. She spread her legs until her thigh muscles stretched, and her head bobbed liked a piston.

(happens all the time)

Heather wanted to believe that she craved so much cock that she loved taking her turn rewarding class participation. If only Ms. Hollis would pick her every time! But Ms. Hollis didn't, and couldn't, because it simply didn't happen.

(always happens)

Heather gurgled again as the next cock throbbed in her mouth, cum dribbling down her chin. She swallowed, sucked, licked clean, and let go. The third one was plunged into her mouth while she was still licking her lips. Her pussy was ready to explode.

She tried to tap into whatever power had managed to let her crack the false reality, but only a faint, ghostlike apparition of her fellow Harbingers appeared to her for a scant few seconds. The last cock in her mouth shuddered, and her cunt clenched. She hung at the edge for another excruciating moment, then let go with a hot jet of her own cum.

Terri paused at the head of the class to observe her handiwork as she pushed Heather's reality play towards its conclusion.

Terri knew the class would wonder about the brief pause, or the small, sly smile on her lips. She supposed she could have altered her students' perception of that as well, but she poured much of her concentration into Heather.

Seeing Heather pantomime oral sex was quite amusing. Terri was amazed to what lengths Heather's body and mind would go in order to maintain the illusion of her reality. When Terri envisioned one of the boys removing her blouse and bra, Heather obliged by stripping them off herself. When Terri convinced Heather that a boy was fucking her, she stuck her own fingers in her cunt.

And now, after a distinct splash of Heather's cum and her loud cry, she would wipe her wet fingers on something without remembering that she did it, just to reinforce the illusion to her befuddled brain.

"Read the next chapter before class tomorrow," Terri announced. "Let's see if you can keep this up and do as well in question and answer as you did today."

Some appeared nonplussed at the praise, but otherwise made no further note of it. None of them noticed Heather as she woke up to the fact that the class was over.

"Perhaps if you continue along these lines, you may all just past this course," said Terri.

Heather looked up. Terri look at her and smiled. She had willed Heather to hear instead, "I am sure Miss Sovert will be happy to continue rewarding those of you that do well."

Heather offered a weak smile in return and gathered her clothes just as the bell rang. She was still dressing as the other students stood and filed out.

"Miss Sovert."

Heather pulled on her bra and looked up.

"Please see me before you go to your next class."

Heather hesitated, then nodded.

Terri's pussy tingled at the possibilities of what she would make Heather wear to the Halloween party. A harem costume, perhaps. The flowing veils would look wonderful against her legs and hips. Or a belly dancer, with a tight top to make her generous tits stand out. Or an exotic dancer, with little tassels and beads that swayed with her sensuous walk.

Heather gathered her books and approached the desk just as the last of the other students left the room. "Um ... yes, Ms. Hollis?"

"You did very well today, Miss Sovert," said Terri. "You must absolutely adore cock."

Heather shivered and said nothing.

"Naturally, I expected nothing less of you, just from what I've seen when it was your turn before."

Heather shifted her weight and look as if she were about to say something. Terri paused, but Heather remained quiet.

"Always so enthusiastic. Every time you've done it."

Heather swallowed. Her eyes shimmered and darted along Terri's outline rather than look at her directly.

Terri leaned forward. "I can arrange for a lot more cock for you, Miss Sovert. A lot more. Just come see me after school today."

Heather trembled. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Hollis."

Terri's smile faded, and her eyebrows rose.

"I can't ... I can't make it. Not today."

Terri's eyes narrowed. "You want to. I can tell you do. More cock for your hot little twat."

Heather moaned.

"After school today, Miss Sovert."

Heather was shaking. "I ... I ... can't ..."

"You can't," Terri said, her tone flat.

Heather shook her head, as if not trusting her voice.

Terri scrutinized Heather for a silent few seconds. Her lips drew into a tight, forced smile. "Very well, Miss Sovert. But tomorrow, perhaps we will see if you like pussy as much as you do cock. Now get to your next class."

Heather paused, turned, and finally fled.

Ned bolted out of his class and dashed down the hallway before the exodus of students from third period became a crushing mass. He sidled up alongside Cassie in a few long strides. "Yo."

Cassie flinched, her hand flying to her bosom. "Goodness, Ned!"

"Um, sorry," Ned said. "Wow, yer really on edge."

"Just worried about Heather. For several reasons."

"Yeah, that's why I rushed outta my class."

"Sometimes I wish I could get my insights when I'm awake," Cassie said. "Just to know what's going on."

"Or get inta Heather's head and give her hand or something."

"I really don't know if I can ever control this new ability enough to do that. I'm too afraid of what might happen if--"

Ned craned his neck. "Hey, is that Jason?"

Cassie looked down the corridor and saw Jason rushing towards them with an intense look on his face. Cassie's heart sank. "Oh no. What's happened now?"

"Cassie!" Jason cried. "Cassie, I got to talk to you about something."

"Oh, goodness, Jason, what happened to Heather?"

"I haven't seen her yet, but I think she's okay. That's what I want to talk to you about. Something happened during the last class that--"

"Jason!" came a shrill cry from behind him. "There he is, Diane!"

"What's all the ruckus?" Ned asked as Melinda and Diane ran towards them.

Melinda stumbled to a stop before Jason, ignoring everyone else. "Jason, where's Heather?! She's okay, isn't she?"

"I haven't seen her, Melinda, I was just--"

"Jason, I saw her! I was in her head or something, right in the middle of class!"

"It happened to me, too!" Diane said. "It was like I could see through her eyes for a moment. I felt something weird, like ..."

"... like something being drained from me, but not really ..."

"... and I think she took something from us, like she was trying to get us to help her somehow ..."

"Guys! Guys! You gotta hear this!" came a shout as Richie burst from the crowd and skidded to a stop. "Holy crap, you won't believe the weird shit I saw in Heather's class!"

Melinda rounded on him. "Did you feel it, too?!"

Richie frowned. "Huh? Feel what? Look, don't get started on me about getting off on what I saw, okay?"

"I don't mean that! I mean when Heather tried to--"

"Wait, stop, please!" Cassie called out. "One at a time!"

"Yes, I agree," Jason said, though his own voice was excited as well. "Okay, Melinda, Diane, you two both felt it. Richie, I guess you didn't feel anything."

"Feel what, for Chrissakes?!" Richie demanded.

Jason turned away from him. "Ned, Cassie, you two didn't feel anything unusual during this last class?"

The two of them shook their heads. "What was it?" Cassie asked. "Were you linked to her somehow, is that it?"

"I don't know how else to explain it, so I guess that works as best as any explanation," said Jason. "But I'm not sure what--"

"There she is!" Melinda shouted.

"For crying out loud, runt, the whole school can hear you," Heather complained, though her voice was shaky.

Cassie gasped. "Goodness, Heather, are you all right?"

"No Aura!" Melinda proclaimed after staring hard at her sister for a few seconds. "We did it! We stopped her!"

"I think I'm all right, Cassie, but I wasn't sure for awhile," Heather said. "Ms. Hollis was still trying to convince me everything was normal."

"The others said they helped you somehow," said Cassie, her own voice catching some of the excitement. "Is that true? Did they link to you somehow?"

"I'm not sure exactly what happened, but something did, and I think it was the only thing that--"

"For fuck's sake, lemme tell you what I saw!" Richie yelled, and then launched into his version of events before anyone could object, his words frantic and rapid-fire.

Ned nodded. "Yeah, I figgered as much."

"What?" Melinda cried. "I don't even understand what Richie saw!"

"Look, the Nose did some nosin' around, see? Found a few people from Heather's class. No one remembers anything about no sex happenin' in Jolly Holly's class yesterday. Yeah, got a few weird stares for askin' a question like that, but something jus' bugged me about Heather's story from yesterday."

"I wasn't lying, Ned," Heather said coldly.

"An' I ain't sayin' ya were. Jus' like I believe ya if ya say ya were doin' it again today."

"I was! Or ... at least I thought I was," she said as she glanced at Richie.

"I know what I saw," Richie declared. "Nothin' until the end, then it was like someone hitting the wrong button at the TV station and sending out porn instead of the ballgame."

"Jason, what does this all mean?" Diane asked. "Did we just help Heather? Did something actually happen or do we just think it did?"

"Or did Ms. Hollis make Richie think he didn't see anything?" Jason suggested. "As for the link, maybe Cassie could better answer that."

"But Heather doesn't have an Aura!" Melinda whined, as if disappointed at this fact.

"Melinda, I never had one, even while it was happening," Heather said.

"This is freaky," Ned said. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I," Cassie said. "Heather, it's possible that the others did somehow share some sort of link to you. Goodness knows my own ability means it's possible, but I can't tell you anything beyond that. Just because I have this Gift doesn't mean I'm an expert on it. Maybe we should talk to Mrs. Radson again, or try to find something in Elizabeth's journal about it."

"It wasn't even a complete protection, either, Cassie," Heather said. "I still couldn't stop what I was doing, I was just able to realize that it wasn't right. It was like Ms. Hollis was going out of her way to convince me what I was doing was perfectly normal. I never felt something like that before."

Jason craned his neck. The crowd had thinned, and Vice Principal Seeger approached from the other end of the hall, glowering at the students that had not yet made it to the next class. "Damn, we have to get to class. We better meet after school to talk about this. Everybody has to find a way to get to the house this afternoon."

Heather, Melinda, Cassie, and Ned nodded. Richie thrust his hands into his pockets and said nothing. Diane shifted her weight.

Jason was again forced to abandon an opportunity to tell the others about the pendant fragment and the Book. He felt he was violating his own order about calling attention to anything unusual.

"Jason, what about talking to Mrs. Radson?" Cassie asked.

"We have to get straight what happened first, and we don't have time to do that now. None of us would really know what to say to her." He lowered his voice. "Seeger's almost here. We have to get going. We'll meet briefly after last class."

The Harbingers broke up, Seeger's frowning countenance in their wake.

Diane was halfway to her class when she sighed and cursed herself. She had missed a chance to mention the note from the counselor.

She took out the envelope as she crossed the threshold into her fourth period class. She wasn't required to go. She could ignore it and tell the others later. That would be the safe thing to do.

She fell into her seat and stared at the envelope. Finally she let out a long sigh and stood, sweeping the envelope into her hand. She yanked out the absence slip, grabbed her books, and headed to the front. The teacher gave her a curious look.

"Um, I have to be excused from the class," Diane said. Her eyes darted towards the class, and she lowered her voice. "I have an appointment with the school counselor."

Brad trudged from his third to his fourth period. He stopped by his locker to unload some of his books, but the lock jammed on him again. Instead of jiggling it in the way that always worked, he slammed his fist into the locker door and stomped off.

Only now did he finally accept that Heather was unavailable. He had considered asking her out on a date separate from the party, but didn't see the point. He suspected that her claim that Ms. Hollis forbade her to have a date was bogus. He was sure there was some sort of regulation or law against a teacher doing such a thing.

He had the wild idea of complaining to Seeger about it, but rolled his eyes at the thought of grousing to the Vice Principal about his love life.

Brad failed to notice footsteps scrambling to keep up with him as he approached his next class. "Brad?"

Brad continued for a few seconds as if oblivious, then stopped just short of the door. He turned around, frowning. "Yeah, what? Huh?"

Brad flinched as his eyes fell on Gina.

Gina smiled. "Brad, I wanted to ask you something."

Brad's eyebrows knitted. "You're, uh, Jenny, right? Jenny Cal-something."

"Gina Caligano," she corrected in a gentle tone.

"Yeah. What is it?"

Gina's hips squirmed. When she spoke again, her voice had a faint husky cadence. "I'd like you to take me to the Halloween party this coming Monday, please."

Brad hesitated, as if the words had trouble penetrating his brain. "Huh? Are you serious?" he blurted before he could stop himself.

"Yes, I'm serious," Gina replied, no trace of hostility or sarcasm in her voice. "I thought it proper that I should ask you."

"You did?" Brad said, more a statement than a question.

"It seems proper for me to ask you." Gina shivered, and her eyes grew sultry. "I really would like to go with you to the party."

Brad opened his mouth, but the intended words of gentle rejection would not reach his throat. He closed his mouth and stared at her.

Gina endured the silence for a few seconds more before she felt compelled to speak again. "It just seems like the right thing to do, for us to go together. Doesn't it?"

Brad's eyes were drawn to hers. His lips were tugged into a small smile. "Uh, yeah, I guess you're right."

"So you'll take me to the party, then?"

Brad's smile widened. He felt a familiar stirring in his crotch. "Yeah, sure, I'll take you."

Gina nodded and let out a quavering, excited sigh. "I'll look forward to it. Maybe we can ..."

She trailed off, leaving her thought unspoken, but the intent slid into Brad's mind as if greased. His cock swelled. "Yeah, maybe," he said in a low, lustful voice.

"Okay! We better get to class. I'll talk to you later."

Gina ducked inside. Brad stood for another moment, blinked a few times as if coming out of a daze, and stepped inside after her.

Diane peered into the office, clutching the door frame. "Um, Doctor Mann?"

Victor smiled and stood. "You must be Diane." He gestured towards the sofa. "Please, come in and sit down. And call me Victor, if you would."

Diane managed a tiny smile and a single nod. She closed the door behind her and crossed the room. Her eyes darted about the office, falling first on the ticking clock and then the wide window. Morning sun played on the branches of the pine trees at the edge of the school grounds, the dusting of snow that had coated them during the night already gone.

As she took her seat, her view was blocked when Victor lowered the blinds. The room fell into shadow. The tick of the clock suddenly dominated her senses.

"I tend to prefer the lighting more subdued, as it makes for a more relaxed atmosphere," said Victor. "Is it too much?"

"It is a bit hard to see," Diane admitted.

"No problem." Victor sat down and reached his hand across his desk. A desk lamp clicked on and cast a bright glow like a small spotlight before Victor. "Better?"

Diane's eyes fell on the diffuse spot of light on Victor's desk, where it gleamed from a shiny gold pen. It did not do much to illuminate the rest of the room, but there was enough ambient light that it made it a little easier to see. Not wanting to be seen as a complainer, she nodded once.

Victor folded his hands before him, just inside the circle of light. "I am very glad you decided to come see me, Diane. I would like to help, but I can only do that if you want to be helped."

Diane lifted her eyes to Victor's face, but it hovered just outside the reach of the light. "Help?"

Victor laced his fingers together, the movement again drawing Diane's gaze as he started to speak. "I understand that something happened to you recently that I am sure had a profound impact."

Diane stared at Victor's hands. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"I had heard that you were -- I suppose one could say 'forced' -- into revealing something rather intimate about yourself in front of many of your peers."

Diane's eyes widened. Her gaze again tried to pick out his face from the dimness, but her eyes had adjusted to the bright circle of light. "Oh, you mean that day in the cafeteria, when I ... uh ..."

"When you kissed Heather Sovert, yes."

Diane swallowed and blushed.

"My apologies if that embarrassed you." He unlaced his fingers. Diane abandoned her search for his face and focused on his hands instead.

In the pause that followed, Diane felt compelled to say something to break the silence. "I ... no, you didn't ... I mean, that's sort of over and done with, isn't it?"

Victor picked up the gold pen and held it between his fingers. "It's over in the sense that the event has occurred, yes. But such things can have lasting consequences."

Diane's eyes focused on the pen as Victor twirled it slowly under the light. Another pause, and with it another compulsion to respond. "I guess I hadn't thought of it that way."

"It is true that you're a lesbian."

"Yes, but ..."

Light glinted from the polished clip of the pen into Diane's eyes. "And of course there is nothing wrong with that."

The gold pen flicked its reflected light into her eyes again. She felt no compulsion this time to speak, as the monotonous tick of the clock saturated her ears.

"Your sexual orientation is nothing to be ashamed of, and certainly nothing to be feared."

The light from the pen flashed over her eyes in a steady rhythm, the clock a sonorous beat against her eardrums. Some of her anxiety eased. She saw no point in making any sort of comment. He made so much sense that it was far better for her to just listen.

"You can relax in the knowledge that your orientation is perfectly normal and acceptable."

The two stimuli became synchronized, a flash of light for each tick, a tick for each flash of light.

Diane let out a slow breath. A sense of relief came over her, a wonderful feeling that she could finally wind down a bit from all the dramatic tension. She could accept herself and what she was, every word from Victor's mouth filled with wisdom.

Diane's mind throbbed with the beat of the clock. The light from the pen twinkled against her shimmering eyes.

"Let yourself relax, Diane. Let go of your worries for now."

Diane's hands fell to her sides. The tension drained from her body. Muscles she had held so tensed now let go. Her surroundings faded into the dimness as her consciousness retreated from all concerns and responsibilities, welcoming the return to calm and peace.

Victor softened his voice, the tick of the clock loud and commanding by comparison. "Complete relaxation." A pause for several beats of the clock and flicks of his pen. "Nothing but the sound of my voice." Another pause. Another set of beats and flashes of light.

Diane's eyelids drooped. Her breathing fell into a slow, deep rhythm. All tension vanished. The room faded into the void, the tick and the flashes of light registering only in her subconscious. Only Victor's soothing voice filled her conscious mind. Nothing else mattered.

"You're floating now, Diane," Victor said. "A soft sea of gentle pleasure."

Diane's lips parted, and another slow sigh drifted past them. The touch of the sofa against her body fell away. Her body was suffused in delightful, comforting warmth.

"It feels wonderful. So very pleasant. So happy here."

Diane's eyes closed. Her lips curled into a serene smile. The steady rise and fall of her chest was the the only movement.

Victor stopped twirling the pen. "You can stay here, Diane, so long as you listen to me and do as I say. Will you do that for me, Diane?"

"Yes, I will," Diane said in a soft, breathy voice from deep within her trance.

"You will do what, Diane?"

"I will do anything you say."

Victor smiled and leaned back in his chair, admiring his work.

He did not have to push Diane very much at all. All he had to do was reinforce her own perceptions of how she believed hypnosis worked, and her mind did the rest for him. Her submissive personality was a boon, as it increased her vulnerability to an authoritative voice once her defenses were lowered. He only brushed her mind with his real power.

And yet even that would have left a mark that the others could have seen had his power come from the Darkness. The Harbinger's detected only the "taint" and not the power. Victor had wondered if his decision to refuse any direct augmentation of his power by the Darkness had been a wise one. He was happy to see his forward-thinking had been rewarded.

You could still become so much more powerful, the Darkness crooned in his head. So powerful that it wouldn't matter if they could see it.

Victor hid his thoughts from his benefactor for the remainder of this session, and turned his attention back to the deeply tranced Diane.

In her fourth-period class, Heather suddenly looked up.

For just a moment, a strange sense of relaxation drifted over her. The hand twirling one of her wavy locks of red hair lay quiescent against the side of her head.

At first the relaxation was welcome. Ms. Hollis had left her on edge with her head spinning with questions and doubts about her own perceptions. Yet when the sensation faded, she realized it had come from outside her head.

She looked around and then down at herself, though she understood how useless a clue that was now. Yet when it became obvious that nothing was happening, she let out a ragged breath and wondered if it were just her own mind telling her she needed to calm down.

Heather glanced at the clock. For some reason, she wondered if Diane were okay.

"Answer my questions truthfully, Diane," said Victor. "If you wish to remain in this happy, pleasant place."

"Yes, of course," Diane said. "I'll do anything you say."

"Then tell me what the significance of the term 'Harbingers' is."

"It's the name some friends of mine use for their group."

"And what does this group do?"

"They fight against the Darkness in Haven."

Victor nodded in satisfaction. Diane had passed his initial test. Her responses to questions whose answers he already knew were truthful and without hesitation. Though the choice of the words "their" and "they" was intriguing. "Their group? You're not part of this group?"

"They tell me I'm part of it, yes."

"But do you believe it?"

"I have no special abilities like they do."

"Like what?"

Diane shifted in her seat, her mouth twitching and her eyes darting under her lids.

"Remain relaxed and calm, Diane," said Victor. "It's pleasant and safe here. The more you do as I say, the more pleasant it will feel."

Diane's settled and was still again.

"Now answer my question. What special abilities do they have that you don't?"

"The Auras. I can't see the Auras," Diane replied. Her last words dissolved into a small sigh as her body was awash in pleasure for her obedience.

Victor had suspected as much, which set up a classic problem for her. She felt like an outsider, unable to share in the same things that her friends did. "How does that make you feel, Diane?"

Diane squirmed. "Like ... like I don't belong. Like I'm useless to them ... ohh ..." Any tension that had threatened to build was released in a contented sigh as she was rewarded once more.

"That's it, Diane, the more you obey, the more pleasurable it will become."

"Mmmm, yes ..." Diane murmured in a breathy voice.

Victor had to be careful how far he pushed. He could incur only so much pleasure before her body would have to resort to sexual stimulation to achieve any more. He did not want this session to leave any telltale signs that the others might detect. "Diane, you and your friends came upon a very special book recently, did you not?"

"I ... I don't ..."

"A special book. A magic book, perhaps. A book that grants power."

Diane drew her breath in sharply. "Y-yes ... yes, we did."

"By 'we' you mean the Harbingers?"

"Yes."

"And the group still has it?"

Diane paused. "Yes."

"Where is it, Diane?"

Diane remained quiet. She squirmed again.

"Where is it, Diane?" Victor repeated, no louder or more insistent than before.

"It's ... Jason ... has it ... at his house ... uhhhn ..."

Diane shivered as a wave of bliss flooded around her. A low heat simmered in her pussy.

"Just one more question, Diane. Will you answer another for me?"

Diane's lips parted, her breath quickening. A barely audible "yes" emerged on a single puff of exhaled air.

"Has the Book changed in any way recently that you know of?"

"Changed? ... Yes ... Rite of Power is gone ..."

"But that's it? No other change?"

"No other change."

Victor nodded. "Very good, Diane. You've been very useful."

"Useful," Diane repeated in a tone of relief. "Thank you."

Victor smiled. "So you want to be useful, Diane?"

"Yes, I want to be useful. I need to be useful."

"Then here is how you can be useful to me, Diane. You can be useful by falling back into this state whenever you hear me, and only me, say the words 'useful Diane of the Harbingers.' Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, I can. I will return to this state whenever you and only you say 'useful Diane of the Harbingers.'"

"Excellent. Very well, then. Now, when I say 'awaken', you will return to your normal, alert self. You will not remember this conversation. You will feel like you have woken up from a nap feeling nicely refreshed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Awaken."

Diane flinched, eyes fluttering. She gasped. "What ... oh! ... Doctor Mann, I ..."

"It's Victor, if you would," Victor said. He smiled. "You appear to have dozed off while I was talking to you. I know my voice has been called relaxing sometimes, but usually not that relaxing."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Diane cried, her cheeks burning.

"Please, no need to apologize."

"It must have been the subdued light."

"Or you were a little stressed and coming here gave you the opportunity to unwind a bit."

"I-I guess so. I'm terribly sorry, I don't recall what we were talking about exactly."

"We spoke of how you are coping with the other students knowing of your sexual orientation."

Diane nodded. "Yes, I remember now. It's not really something I think about, Doctor ... I mean, Victor. It's just sort of the way it is."

"So no resentment over it? Nothing you felt you would have done differently?"

Diane was unsure of how to respond. She could have done without Melissa's interference in the first place, but after the brief but terrifying separation from her body during the Rite, her concerns over her peers were trivial by comparison. She came to the stark realization that whatever popularity she may have enjoyed had been on Heather's coattails. Once Heather had fallen out of favor, so had Diane.

Diane shook her head. "I suppose not. I mean, I'm still the way I am, whether people like it or not. I just don't want them to hurt Heather or I over it."

"I will make sure that the school administration lives up to its obligation to provide a safe environment for all its students," Victor said. "If you are ever the victim of any bullying over this, don't hesitate to report it."

"Yes, of course," Diane replied as was expected of her. She would be more apt to report it to just her immediate friends, especially in a school controlled by Laura Bendon.

Victor smiled. "I believe we are done, then, Diane." He stood up.

Diane stood and looked at the clock in surprise. Had it been that long already? It seemed like only a minute or two had passed since she first arrived.

"I'll let you get back to the remainder of your fourth period class. If you would, please drop by my office tomorrow when you have a chance sometime in the morning, just for a short follow-up. I can write up an absence excuse if we go too long."

"All right. Thank you."

Victor beamed. "A pleasure to meet you, Diane."

Diane smiled and headed out.

Victor waited until the door had closed behind her. "They have not yet discovered the true purpose of the Book."

We are fortunate, the Darkness replied. But we cannot delay. You know where the Book is. You must take it.

Victor shook his head. "We've been over this before. The Book must be given. It must be a clean break with its former owner or it will give us problems."

The Darkness seethed but did not protest. It knew Victor was right, but it was impatient. Melissa was the end of a long string of losses, beginning with the Infernal One, the man that had somehow stolen some of its essence. It suspected the Infernal One was still plotting to exploit that power, or take more of its essence for himself.

It could regenerate that lost bit of itself given enough time, but the point was that its sanctity had been violated and its power weakened. Now the Harbingers continued to add insult to that injury! It had to stop, and stop soon, before they learned to turn that insult into more injury.

As soon as class was over, Heather barreled out of the classroom and found Diane by her locker. "Hey, Diane, you okay?"

Diane nodded. "Sure. Give me a minute and I'll be ready to head to the cafeteria with you." Diane closed her locker and flinched when Heather stared at her. "What is it?"

"Did something happen to you during the last period?"

Diane first shook her head, then stopped and paused. "Well, I did go to see the new counselor."

"You did what?"

"That was okay, wasn't it? I mean, all of you said he had no Aura. He's clean."

"Well, yes, but ... why would you want to see him?"

"He sort of invited me. He wanted to see if I had any trouble adjusting to everyone knowing I'm a lesbian."

"Oh." Heather tilted her head. "Do you?"

"Not really, no. I told him that, and he seemed okay with it."

"So he didn't, like, try anything with you?"

Diane's eyes widened. "Try what?"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Try to control you, try to influence you."

"Oh, no, none of that. Why do you ask?"

"In the middle of my last class, I felt something really odd. I wondered if it was coming from you."

Diane looked confused. "I don't understand what you could have felt from me. I didn't need any help. Nothing happened."

"It was like I felt this weird wave of relaxation come over me. It couldn't have come from me, since I was still pretty wound up."

Diane blushed. She was still embarrassed over falling asleep during the session. "I don't know what to tell you, Heather. I'm sorry."

Heather shook her head and slowly smiled. "It's okay. I guess I'm just paranoid. Hey, are you going to be able to get to the house after school?"

"I'll really try, Heather. I just don't know how long I can stay."

Heather's smile turned sultry. "Even if I have some plans for us afterward?"

Diane's skin tingled. "My Mom is getting upset over all this time I spend away from home in the afternoons."

Heather closed until her breasts brushed against Diane's, her hard and taut nipples insistent against Diane's pliant flesh. Even through multiple levels of fabric, sparks of pleasure radiated through Diane's body, and her own nipples stiffened in response.

Heather whispered in Diane's ear, breath husky and hot. "We have to do something, Diane. Not just for us but for the Harbingers." She smiled. "All right ... mostly for us."

Her tongue flicked at Diane's earlobe. Diane nearly melted into the lockers, her legs trembling. "G-god, Heather, I c-can barely think when you do things like that."

"Maybe I don't want you to think all the time," Heather cooed into Diane's ear.

"AHEM."

Diane gasped and scrambled away from her lover. Heather flinched and ran a hand through her hair.

Vice Principal Seeger folded his arms, his eyes narrowing to points as they darted between the two girls. "Is there someplace you are supposed to be, Miss Sovert? Miss Woodrow?"

"The cafeteria," Heather said.

"Yes, the cafeteria," Diane squeaked, her cheeks flaming.

"Then get there, and please keep any visible displays of affection confined to holding each other's hand. Preferably as far from each other's body as possible."

Heather wanted to chuckle at the imagery that triggered in her mind, but she managed to suppress it. Nevertheless, the corners of her mouth tugged upward, and her voice quavered with mirth as she said, "Yes, Mr. Seeger, of course. Come on, Diane."

She snatched Diane's hand in hers, and the two of them left.

Feedback

Did you like this story? Hate it? Printed it and lined the birdcage with it?

Please take a moment to send me some comments about this story. Your comments may remain anonymous if you prefer, or you can include an email address in your comments if you wish a reply.

Since this is a multi-part story, you may wait until the last chapter to send feedback about the story as a whole if you wish.