"Oh, ew! Ewww!" Melinda cried.

"Yeah, fuck you, Melinda," Richie muttered, unable to conjure enough anger to summon a stronger rebuttal.

"What is this with you, the gross-out moment of the day?!"

"Oh, real sensitive, runt," Heather said.

"But his own mother!"

"Were you even listening? She's making him do it! And we're not ones to talk, you know."

"But this is different!"

"Yeah? How?"

Melinda paused, flustered. "I don't know, it just is!"

Ned frowned. "No offense or nuthin', Melinda, but grow up."

Melinda gave him a shocked look. Cassie appeared surprised as well.

"Yeah, that's right," Ned said. "Sorry, but I get kinda tired of yer whining all the time. I mean, I know some of this stuff freaks ya out, but we all got problems. Jus' try ta think of someone else's feelings fer a change."

Melinda glared at him, but her expression softened when she shifted her eyes to Richie. "I wasn't trying to be mean, okay? Really, I wasn't. I just ... maybe I just don't want to be reminded of some things."

Melinda still remembered how it felt to writhe in helpless lust in her mother's lap while her sister was in danger. She had believed she would never see Heather again.

Heather understood and lay a hand on Melinda's shoulder. Melinda yanked her shoulder from her sister's touch and turned away from the others.

"Look, I'm sorry," Ned said in a more contrite voice. "I didn't mean ta go hurtin' yer feelings."

"It's okay, Ned," Cassie said, stepping forward. No further words could make it better, and she needed to talk to Heather before class. "Richie, do you need any help from us? Anything at all?"

Richie thrust his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Dunno what you can do. I just gotta deal with it."

"But it sounds like we're helping, doesn't it?" Diane said. "You said it was angry when it thought you were with the rest of us."

"And how it got easier to resist when he really was," Cassie said in a flat voice. She looked at Jason. The others did as well.

"Well, yes, I suppose it could be that," Jason said. "We won't know for sure until we all, um ... you know ..."

Melinda whirled around. "What do you mean 'we all?' Cassie and Ned won't ..." She looked at them. They looked back. "What?? You mean you're actually ... that you're going to ..."

"First sensitivity, now tact," Heather muttered.

"Melinda, please," Cassie said. "That's between Heather and I. I want to talk to her about it after we get inside, so let's not dally too much longer."

Cassie hated sounding like she was giving orders. She feared if she did it too much, she'd develop the same attitude as her parents. They expected people to listen and obey just because they had money and influence, and tended to surround themselves with people that reinforced their perceptions. She wanted no part of that.

Heather looked at Cassie in surprise. "Cassie, you really want ...? All right, we'll talk about that later."

"Either way, this is pretty serious," Jason said. "The Darkness is targeting one of us specifically."

"He's got no Aura," Melinda said. "Not even that little one he had when Cassie got mixed up with Nyssa. I'd see it if he had even a tiny bit."

"I don't feel like I got it in me," Richie said. His shoulders drew inward. "You kinda know it if you had it before."

"But why Richie and not someone else?" Diane asked.

Jason glanced at Richie. "Well -- and no offense, Richie, because we know it's not true -- the Darkness might see him as the weakest of us."

"Of course that's not true, the weakest is me," Diane said, her face morose.

"But the Darkness has no connection to you. No one near you is affected by the Darkness, and you don't even live near an energy line. The Darkness must know or guessed that Richie had problems fitting back into the group."

"No, you're right, dude, I'm the weakest," Richie said. "And it started on me before I got mixed up in Heather's little club. I got no idea how I stopped it, cuz I sure as hell didn't do it myself. It thinks I know how I did it, and I'm just letting the fucker keep guessing wrong."

"Yes, do that for as long as you can," said Jason. "It will throw the Darkness off-balance and distract it until we can think of something."

"Jason, maybe this fits in with what I told you on the bus about what my mother said to me and Melinda this morning," Heather said. "If the Darkness is going after Richie, maybe it's not really doing anything through Ms. Hollis. You said you thought the Darkness was weaker now because we defeated Melissa."

"Okay, then what's up with Ms. Hollis, huh?" Ned said. "What's her game and what's she tryin' ta do if she's not workin' for the Big Black Smoky Kahuna? I keep thinkin' we're missin' something right under our collective schnozz."

"I don't know, we're just going to have to keep alert," said Jason. "Maybe we'll know something more after, uh, later today. Listen, there's something else I've been meaning to tell you all--"

"Jason, I hate to cut you off, but I really need time to talk to Heather," Cassie said, looking pained.

Jason sighed. "All right. I guess it can keep for a little longer."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's nothing immediately critical, just something about the Book."

"Is it still safe?" Heather asked, an edge of alarm in her voice.

"Yes, definitely. We'll talk later. Let's get inside."

Victor returned to his office after delivering his two envelopes to their appropriate homerooms. Halfway back to his office, he sensed who was waiting for him, and thus it was no surprise to see Terri standing just outside his door.

"I am quite busy this morning, so I hope this will be brief," said Victor without looking her way as he passed.

She slipped inside after him and closed the door, leaning her back against it. "I guess that depends on what you tell me," she said, folding her arms.

Victor sat down behind his desk. "I am in no mood for your conundrums today. Please get to the point in as few words as possible."

"Heather is resisting me."

"By 'few' I meant 'the minimum number to convey your problem, complaint, or question.' You have failed in that regard and thus wasted more time."

Terri paused, as if considering her words -- and her tone. "I thought that would be implied. She is resisting me and I do not wish her to resist me."

"But yet again, you fail to state what you wish me to do."

"At the very least, share with me your thoughts as to why."

Victor sensed the accusing tone in her voice, even as much as she attempted to hide it. He had an idea of what she was thinking, that he had imbued her with less than an optimal amount of his ability. He had done no such thing. He had given her exactly what he would have if her true purpose were to assist in procuring a slave for him.

He had not, however, compensated for the fact that her target was a Harbinger.

"Perhaps your skill in using it is in question," Victor said. "I thought that was implied as well."

Victor enjoyed watching her bristle and then pretend as if she had hidden her reaction. It would serve to keep her off-balance. He thought it was only a matter of time before she entered into either open conflict or a convenience-of-the-moment alliance with Laura Bendon. He preferred the former, but assumed the latter was a possibility and wanted Terri's critical thinking to be degraded.

"I did not think there was any skill involved for it," Terri blurted.

Victor raised a single eyebrow.

Terri blanched and stiffened. "I didn't mean it quite as it sounded."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. You have shown your inability to be clear and direct today."

"What I meant, Victor, was that I had assumed that the skill came with the power, that I did not have to learn how to use it."

Terri was right; it did come with the proper skill. It would be difficult for her to not use it properly. "There is a difference between simple skill and experience. You have very much of one and very little of the other." He paused a beat to let her anger seethe before adding, "Not that the latter is your fault, considering you have had the power for only a few days."

Had Terri been thinking clearly, Victor reasoned, she might have seen the obvious problem: why would he have given her the power if he thought she would fail? It would make no sense, and she would be forced to come to the conclusion that it must be Heather that was somehow different. By playing to Terri's hurt ego and her fear of crossing him, he hoped to delay her realization a little longer and thus keep her out of the way.

"So you're telling me that I just need to keep at it," Terri said in a flat voice.

"A reasonable conclusion, I would say."

Terri sighed. "All right. I'll continue to work on her today. I may have to push her a little harder. I know you berate others when they do that."

Victor waved a hand. "Do what you need."

Terri nodded, then curled her lips into a wicked smile.

"Now, please go, I have a busy schedule today."

Terri nodded again and let herself out.

"Cassie, you don't have to do this."

The words were empty even to Heather. She felt obligated to say them, even as images of a naked Cassie teased her mind's eye.

Cassie sighed as she fished for a book from her locker, keeping her eyes averted from Heather for the moment. "You know that's not true," she said in a low voice.

Heather did not respond, unable to compel herself to compound the first lie with another.

"It's going to happen eventually, whether I want it to or not," said Cassie.

"But do you really want to?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It does to me."

Cassie turned her head.

"Yes, it does matter," Heather repeated. "Cassie, I'm not doing this because I suddenly have this thing for everyone. I get this way because I'm compelled to do it."

Cassie waited, watching Heather's eyes. They twitched slightly, as if wanting to go somewhere else but held to Cassie's face by sheer force of will.

Heather finally let out a small, husky sigh. "Please don't tell me you're going to do this unless you're really sure."

A tiny shiver passed through Cassie. "You're already thinking about it."

"I can't help it. It's like it's on automatic. I can't turn it off."

"That's what I meant when I said that it will happen eventually. You'll keep thinking about it until you compel me to do it anyway. I want to decide for myself while I still can."

Heather nodded, not trusting her voice. She wanted to stop staring at Cassie. Every minute that passed, Heather's thoughts about Cassie turned more erotic. The compulsion was stronger than with the others, attracted by the lure of what had been denied to her.

Warmth flowed over Cassie's body. "We better get this talk done quickly, before I get too excited."

"Yes, of course. Is there something you want me to do?"

"I was going to ask you if you could go easy on Ned and I, but that's not really something you can do, is it? You get so wrapped up in it yourself that you can't really control it."

"No, I think I can. Or I can let someone else control it."

Cassie tilted her head.

"Like with Richie yesterday. He sort of put his foot down and didn't want to be controlled. So something let him control me, so I would do everything he liked. Maybe that will happen with you and Ned."

Cassie looked thoughtful, then alarmed. "I don't want to control anyone, period."

"It wasn't quite like that."

"I don't even want to do it indirectly! And I'm sure Ned doesn't either, not considering how many times he got upset when he thought he was doing it to me."

Heather shrugged her shoulders and uttered a helpless sigh.

"I know, I'm not making any sense," Cassie said.

"Cassie, whatever this is, I'm pretty sure it's on our side," said Heather. "I can't tell you how I know, I just do. So maybe it will make it easier for you."

"But you don't know that."

Heather's eyes grew dark, her voice soft. "No, I don't, not for sure. I'm sorry."

"And you still want me." Another husky sigh escaped past her lips. "You're making me want it, too."

Heather took a step closer to Cassie. Cassie's eyes widened, and one foot drew back as if in retreat. "I know," said Heather. "I did warn you."

Cassie swallowed. "H-Heather, I've ... I've never done it with another ..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it, even as her pussy tingled at the idea.

Heather wanted to tell her that she could confine herself to the guys, but the words refused to come. Her thoughts dwelled on Cassie's naked body nestled between her legs, or Cassie's lips around her nipple, or tasting Cassie's helpless pussy as the others held her down.

Cassie shuddered and clutched her books to her body. "I-I think I better go."

She started to turn away. Heather grabbed her arm, then let go at once, as if trying to abort the action. Cassie uttered a tiny gasp and whirled around anyway, her wide eyes locked with Heather's.

"I'm sorry," Heather breathed. "I want you, Cassie. Maybe I'm being made to want you, but I can't tell the difference."

"It's okay," Cassie said in a breathless voice, her pussy aching and damp. "You've ... you've made me want it, too. But at least I got to decide before that happened."

Heather nodded slowly and forced herself to draw back. Cassie bit her lip to suppress a moan and trotted away.

"Hey, Richie."

Richie paused to check his locker once more before closing the door. "Yo. Whassup?"

"There was something interesting in the news this morning," said Jason.

Richie leaned against the lockers, giving Jason a level look. "Oh yeah?"

"Something about the police finding a body in the old airfield."

Richie said nothing, though his eyes held challenge.

"They said it might let them finally close some old murder case."

"Huh. Imagine that."

"The parents are really happy about it. They said it would bring closure to the whole thing for them."

"Yeah? Hurray for closure, then."

The two of them stared at one another for a long moment. Richie's gaze shimmered slightly.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Jason asked.

Richie pushed off from the lockers and shrugged.

"I won't tell the others if you don't want me to."

"Good."

"But I just wanted to let you know that what you did was really cool."

Richie shifted his weight, then frowned and shrugged again. "Look, I dunno why I did it, okay? I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. Fuck, I hate this power."

"I know."

Richie gave Jason a sharp look. "Do you? I don't think you do. No, you don't. Wasn't bad enough that I could see what happened in the past, now I get to know what dead people were thinking."

No words would come to Jason. He had once thought that Richie's power was a great boon. Who wouldn't want to know how things really happened? When he thought about it, he realized the answer: nearly everyone. People preferred their imperfect view of the past. It made difficult memories easier to accept when they could be sent through a mental filter that downplayed the worst aspects.

He felt like retorting, "Try knowing your own father is in with the Darkness," but that was not only comparing apples and oranges, it sounded like childish one-upsmanship.

"If it helps any, I think you were right the other day when you said you're not going to be called on to do this sort of thing often," Jason said. "I can't think of a reason why we would need you to read the last thoughts of the dead."

"It better stay that way, man, because this things fucks with my head," Richie said, his voice quavering. "It makes me think I'm being pulled into the fucking grave. It freaks me out, and your girlfriend ain't too happy with it, either."

Jason nodded and sighed.

He did like Melinda. When they were together in any capacity other than the Harbingers, she was a sweet girl that seemed to care for him. But her abrasiveness towards the others was getting to him as well.

He was tempted once to find something in the Book that would tame her. That was when he knew he had to talk to Mrs. Radson. Perhaps hearing the "voice" of the Book through the pendant fragment was a blessing. The desire to use the Book was now nil, as he would doubt whose agenda he was following.

He slipped his hand into his pocket and touched the fragment, squeezing his fingers around it. He picked up a very faint sense of the Book. It told him that it still sat safely under his bed.

He felt something else. It could only be described as a patient longing.

"Don't worry too much about Melinda," Jason said. "She means well."

Richie snorted but otherwise did not comment.

"Anyway, I guess I better get to class. We should meet after Heather's class so we can check if she's okay."

"Yeah, sure thing, man. Oh, wait, um ... I wanna ask you something. You know what 'Presence' is? Not like Christmas presents, the other word."

"Presence? You mean the word itself?"

"Nah, I know what the word means, but the dead dude mentioned something about it. Something about not wanting Presence for the girl, so that's why he buried her way out there away from the lines."

Jason's eyebrows rose. "Wait, he knew about the energy lines? And he specifically buried her away from them?

"Yeah, I think that's what he meant."

Jason found himself in a quandary. Presence sounded like a manifestation of spiritual energy, but that was tantamount to believing in ghosts. He was forced to accept the existence of the entity they called the Darkness, but he still held out for some sort of scientific explanation. This required an all-out belief in the supernatural.

But then again, he was doing the same thing in his tacit acceptance of Heather's motivations.

"Shit, was this guy in it with the Darkness?" Richie said.

"I don't know. It sounds possible. I'm not quite sure what Presence means, but I have some ideas. I might want to talk to Mrs. Radson again."

Richie nodded. "Okay, that's cool. Just wanted to make sure I'm not fucking nuts."

Jason smiled. "You're not nuts, Richie. And thank you for telling us about what's going on with you and your Mom."

"Yeah, even if people think I'm a freaking perv."

"Then we're all that way, considering what the rest of us have been doing."

Richie smirked. He glanced around at the passing students. A few that had been staring at them suddenly found something else to look at. "Yeah. Not like we ain't already considered freaks in this school, huh?"

Jason wanted to say that he was used to it, having always been the school nerd. Instead, he clasped Richie on the shoulder. "Let's go, we better get on to class."

Richie nodded and fell into step with his friend. "Yeah. Too bad they won't close this dump because of the Darkness."

Diane walked to her homeroom class on automatic, her thoughts with Heather and the afternoon.

The conflict arose in her mind once more, between her desire for more private time with Heather and her need to submit. Cassie agreeing to participate in Heather's trysts was a shock that was setting in only now.

Diane had never felt any attraction towards Cassie, but she imagined Heather would make her nice and wet anyway. Her own submissive nature would assist, her arousal prompted by her craving to be ordered and controlled. Somehow that now felt artificial.

Yet she would still become Heather's sex slave if it meant she would get more time alone with her lover.

Diane did not notice the envelope on her desk until she sat down. She picked it up and turned it over and over in her hands. It was just like the one that had been left the day before. She opened it and read the letter within:

Diane, I am conducting some research for a book about the effects of peer pressure on teenage sexual mores. As an openly lesbian girl, your input would be very useful to my project. I would like to ask you some questions. Some are a bit personal, but your name will not be associated with them in any way. If you could see your way to doing this for me, please use the enclosed absence slip for your first class and stop by my office. You have the chance to be a very useful part of my research. -- Victor

Diane sighed and wondered if she should have told the others about her session with Victor the day before. She doubted she could speak of such intimate details about her life, despite whatever trust she placed in him. Was he even allowed to ask such questions of a student? There had to be some law or school regulation against that.

She read the letter again. Her eyes lingered on the word "useful" whenever it appeared.

She supposed it would not do any harm. She could tell him nothing that he could not glean for himself by listening to the students' gossip.

Unlike Diane, Gina was expecting the envelope. Her eyes were drawn to it as soon as she entered her homeroom class. Her pussy tingled at the thought of presenting herself to Victor for his pleasure, and wet warmth simmered in her folds by the time she extracted the letter and the absence slip.

The memory of Brad's cock in her pussy burned in her mind, and she squirmed in growing sexual heat. She closed her eyes and tilted her head downward as if watching the thrusts of his thick cock into her tight cunt.

Her eyes still closed, she raised her head. Her mind's eye lifted with it. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, and she fliched. For just a second, she saw Victor's body joined to hers.

Gina's moment of shock passed when she convinced herself that she was anticipating what Victor might want of her. Of course Victor had done nothing with her yet. Brad had fucked her last time, despite his apparent dismissive attitude of the event.

Was that how it worked? Was sex supposed to be so casual that it would matter little even so soon after the fact? Was that to be her own attitude towards it? She hoped Victor would explain these things.

She put the letter away, but it would not leave her thoughts. Her pussy buzzed and ached, and her nipples hardened. She would not see him until third class. She worried that she might be distracted enough to do poorly in her other classes.

Gina tried to summon the resistance she had managed earlier that morning, but it was little more than a fragmented memory. Her pussy still burned, her nipples still ached, and she longed to be naked before Victor.

But I can imagine myself resisting.

No, she was delusional. What was she supposed to be resisting? Her life was as it should be. Her mother was ...

(conditioning)

... raising her in an acceptable manner, and she had no need to question it.

There! I heard it again!

Gina sighed, and she slumped in the chair. She was not insane. She was not delusional. She still could sense that something unusual was happening to her, even as her legs spread in an attempt to relieve the growing pressure in her swollen, wet pussy.

Victor smiled. "Good morning. I am very happy you decided to assist me, Diane."

Diane gave him a faint smile in return and slipped into the office, shoulders hunched. She closed the door behind her, holding the knob with the latch withdrawn until the door made soft contact with its frame. The lighting was subdued as before. The office seemed to invite her inside.

"I want to emphasize again how useful you'll be to my research," said Victor as Diane stepped towards the sofa.

Diane's smile widened, and some of her anxiety waned as she sank into the sofa cushion. "I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can." She avoided his name. She was not comfortable with calling someone in authority by his first name.

Victor folded his hands before him. Diane's eyes flicked towards them, as if seeking out the pen that he had held last time. It was absent, as well as the spotlight on his desk. The only thing that was the same was the monotonous tick of the clock.

"If there are any questions that I ask that are too personal for you, please feel free to refuse to answer them," Victor said.

Diane nodded. His voice fell into a natural rhythm with the clock, as did her own thoughts.

"The first thing I would like to know, Diane, is if you feel any sort of pressure against public displays of affection with your girlfriend."

"I'm not sure if I ever really thought about it at all."

"Think about it now and see if it conjures up anything in your head."

Diane was at a loss. She had no control over such things. Heather always got horny first, and then Heather's thoughts made Diane horny in turn. By then, worries over who saw them could not compete with her sexual desire. She shook her head. "I guess the answer is no, I don't really feel any sort of pressure like that."

"Ah, that's very interesting. And very admirable as well."

Diane allowed herself a tiny smile.

"But think for a moment about the other students. They often talk about who is dating who and speculate on their relationships. Do you sense the same thing with you and Heather?"

Diane was more at ease with this question. She wondered why she was anxious in the first place. Victor's office was so relaxing and warm. "No one really talks about us at all. I suppose they consider us rather odd anyway."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I guess I don't, really. I think I prefer it that way. I can't imagine they'd say anything good if they were talking about it."

Victor nodded. "That is entirely possible. Very good."

Diane was pleased. She seemed to be doing this right. She settled into her seat in a more casual stance.

"Now, this next question is indeed a more personal one, but I need to know. Are you and Heather having sex regularly?"

Diane's skin flushed, but she did not hesitate, responding on the next tick of the clock. "Um, yes."

"Do you think any of your peers know?"

"Yes, some of them do. My friends, anyway."

"And have they expressed any opinion whatsoever, or do they not talk about it either?"

"Well, we don't talk about it all the time, no, but they're perfectly fine with it."

Victor smiled. "It's good to have friends like that. Sort of a support group in a way."

Diane nodded at once. He made sense. Every word spoke to a deeper truth.

"Now, Diane, another personal one, and you can decline to answer it: in your sexual relationship with Heather, is there anything at all about it that stands out in your mind?"

Diane's cheeks grow warm. "H-how do you mean?"

"Anything about it that might be thought of as unusual? That, perhaps, a peer might find odd, amusing, whatever. Again, you're not required to answer it, but your response would be rather useful for my research."

In the quiet, the tick of the clock swelled, as if admonishing her for not answering. Victor would not speak again until she had answered. She needed to hear his words again. "I'm very ... v-very submissive when we have sex," Diane said.

Her cheeks burned as she gave her answer, but now it faded. She had no need of embarrassment. She could trust him.

Victor leaned forward. "Just how submissive, Diane?"

"I would be her slave if she let me." Her pussy flushed with pleasure. For a moment, she questioned whether she should be revealing such intimate details, but then Victor did not speak on the beat of the clock. Her attention was drawn to him, each further tick another drumbeat of anxiety.

"Does anyone in your immediate circle of friends know of this propensity?" Victor asked.

Relief flooded over Diane upon hearing his voice again. She answered with no more doubts or fears. "Yes, most of them do, and they don't really seem all that concerned about it."

"So then your submissiveness is not really a concern to yourself, either?"

"How do you mean?"

"Is it something that concerns you at all? Something that you wish you could change?"

"I ... well ... sometimes."

Diane could answer no further. As much as the words wanted to tumble from her mouth, they would hint at the Harbingers and their purpose. Her loyalty to them was still more powerful than her trust of Victor.

"That is delving into matters beyond the need of my research, so we will leave it at that," Victor said. He smiled. "Very good, Diane, you have been a big help."

Diane smiled as well. "Was that the last of the questions?"

"Yes, it was."

"Was that ... useful to you at all?"

"Oh, yes. You've been a very useful Diane of the Harbingers."

Diane let out a slow sigh as her eyes slid closed and her body went limp. A small shudder passed through her as she floated free in a sea of gentle pleasure. The corners of her mouth rose and her lips parted, allowing a tiny, low moan to escape.

"Can you hear me, Diane?" Victor said.

"Yes, I can hear you," she replied in a soft, neutral voice.

"Are you in your relaxed, pleasant place?"

"Yes," Diane whispered.

"Do you remember what you need to do to stay here?"

"Yes. I need to obey you."

"Very good, Diane. Yes, do what I say and you'll keep experiencing this pleasure."

Diane's smile widened. "Mmmm, yes ..."

"Obey me, and you'll continue to be useful."

Diane squirmed. "Yes, I want to be useful. Please let me be useful."

Victor leaned back in his chair and remained silent for the next few minutes as he observed.

If there were any irony to be had, Heather realized, it was that the Darkness was going to make Heather a better student.

She found that the only way to ignore her own feelings and worries was to give her entire attention to her classes. Thus she copied down nearly every word that was spoken in the lecture and tried to focus on the lesson, rather than later re-reading the textbook just enough to muddle through her homework.

So it was to her consternation when her mind suddenly tuned out the instructor's words.

By the time she realized what had happened, she had lost track of what the teacher was saying, her pen still poised in the middle of an incomplete thought in her notebook. Vague concepts floated through her head like mist. Trust. Usefulness. Loyalty.

What the hell? Heather thought, and lifted her head. Her eyes focused on the teacher, but she was busy driving home a major point in the lecture, one that Heather had now missed and would have to read for herself later after all.

She looked around. No Auras anywhere.

Heather flinched. A slow breath passed her lips, and she sank in her seat like a tire deflating. A sudden wave of relaxation rippled over her, and for a moment she felt the urge to sleep. She shook it off, only to sense obedience and submissiveness in its wake.

Yet she was not being compelled to actually obey anyone or submit to anything.

For some reason, she started thinking about Diane.

Diane remained still, save for subtle shifting of her hips as her pussy warmed to the soft pleasure generated in her mind. Her face was peaceful but betrayed anticipation, as she waited for Victor's words to fill her with purpose.

Victor probed her mind with his more active powers, using her hypnotic state to allow him to move about without any resistance from her psyche. He searched for any sign that her fellow Harbingers had been alerted to his presence, but his powers worked differently from those of the Darkness, or of the abilities that the Harbingers used to resist them.

He was counting on that difference to avoid discovery.

"I want to ask you more about that special Book we talked about last time, the one that Jason has."

"Of course," Diane said. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"Good girl. Has its status changed at all?"

Diane considered Jason's words from earlier. "No change."

Victor sensed the hesitation. "No change at all?"

A longer pause. "Jason said something about wanting to talk about it later, but that's it."

"Was there any sense of urgency to this request?"

"No."

Victor nodded once. "So it is still safe with Jason?"

"Yes, he even said it was still safe."

"Is he letting anyone else have the Book, even for a short time?"

"No. He refuses anyone that asks, so we don't ask anymore."

Victor looked thoughtful. "So he is leaving it at home by itself?"

"Yes."

"And he believes it is safe there?"

"Yes, I guess he does."

Victor again probed her mind. He gave her a very small nudge as he spoke again. "Perhaps it is not safe being left alone."

A pause, then a very slight nod of Diane's head.

"It is most definitely not safe being left alone."

"It ... it is not safe ..." Diane mumbled.

Victor eased himself around Diane's psyche like a man skulking in a maze of streets at night, ducking down dark alleys to avoid the harsh revealing light of street lamps. As he had suspected, he had insufficient time to manifest a full avatar in her mind without alerting the other Harbingers. He would have to rely on Diane's own vulnerabilities.

She indeed had a submissive streak, but he found evidence that some of it was induced. She had a predisposition for it, but another had built upon it. He wondered if that was Heather's work, perhaps a residual effect of some of the spells from the Book.

"It is not safe for Jason to leave the Book unattended," Victor said. "You believe that very firmly."

"Y-yes ... yes, it is not safe ... not safe to leave the Book unattended."

Victor nudged her mind along. He wanted it to make sense to her. "Is anyone ever at home while Jason is at school?"

"Her mother, I think."

"She cannot defend the Book. She would succumb easily to the Darkness."

"She ... would succumb ..."

"Pleasure, Diane, continued pleasure for obeying me."

Diane moaned as her pussy grew hot. Her breath became a light pant.

Victor considered. "Diane, lower your jeans and panties."

Without hesitation, Diane stood. First her jeans dropped around her ankles, then she shimmied out of her panties and let them fall. Victor eyed them and then Diane's crotch. Diane's panties were still dry, but her folds were glistening. He did not want to leave any evidence of her trance, but sexual arousal was unavoidable if he wanted to ensure his instructions took without overusing his power.

"Sit."

She obeyed.

"Jason's mother would succumb easily. She cannot protect the Book."

"Yes. Jason's mother cannot protect it."

"It makes so much sense to you. It's really so obvious."

"So obvious. Yes, of course, it makes sense." Diane writhed as moisture oozed from her slit.

"That's fine, Diane, let the pleasure increase as you take my words as truth."

He paused to better establish himself in her mind. To install a full avatar required sex, but he was concerned that her lesbian nature might engender a subconscious backlash against his advances. He would need a female cult member he trusted to consummate it by proxy, but had no time to arrange such a thing.

Victor collected his thoughts. He needed a laser-like focus. He blocked the Darkness from his mind to avoid even the slightest chance of a taint. "Diane, you are convinced that the Book is not safe unattended. It should be with Jason at all times."

"Yes, of course. Jason should carry it with him at all times."

Victor allowed himself a small smile. He had found a niche for himself in her head. "Yes, Diane, he should. It is proper for you to talk to him about this. It is proper for him to listen and agree with you."

Diane's pant became heavy. Her thighs quivered. The mounting pleasure slid into her pussy like fingers over her clit. "It is proper for him to agree. Proper for him to carry the Book at all times."

"You must speak with Jason about this sometime today. You must speak with him alone. This is how you can be useful, Diane."

Diane let out another husky sigh as her pleasure soared. "Uhnn ... useful ... yes, I want to be useful ..."

"Be useful, Diane. Jason must carry the Book. Be useful and convince him."

"Ung ... y-yes ... yes, I'm useful, I'll convince him."

Victor leaned back in his chair. "Good girl, Diane. Very good, useful girl. Cum."

"Uhnnn!" Diane threw her head back and panted hard as her pussy throbbed.

Victor plucked a few tissues from a box on his desk. He stood and crossed the room, placing them by one of Diane's hands. She curled her fingers around them as her climax wound down.

"Dry your pussy, then put your panties and jeans back on."

Diane did as she was told. Victor took the soiled tissues from her and dropped them into a wastepaper basket as Diane sat on the sofa once more, demure and silent.

"Now, Diane, I will be bringing you out of your trance. You will return to normal once I say 'awaken.' You will not remember you were tranced. You will not remember having the conversation with me. You will make no note of the time passage. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Awaken."

Diane's eyes snapped open and blinked a few times. She smiled. "I'm glad I was able to help you with your research, then."

"You were indeed very helpful and useful, Diane," Victor said, smiling. He glanced at the clock. "Since we are done, you should return to your class. It was a pleasure seeing you again."

Diane nodded and stood. "Thank you." She let herself out.

Heather felt a mild tingling and warmth in her pussy. Weak, vague feelings of pleasure had washed over her, before suddenly withdrawing. All the time she thought about Diane.

So was that all it was, her own anticipation of the afternoon? But wouldn't she be thinking about the rest of them as well? Now all the sensations were gone, as if a light switch had been turned off.

Heather tried to concentrate on the rest of the lesson, but now her concern for Diane distracted her. As soon as class was over, she gathered her things and raced towards the classroom she knew to be Diane's second period and grabbed Diane's arm just as she was about to walk across the threshold.

Diane whirled around in surprise and gasped.

"Sorry to startle you," Heather said with a small smile.

"No, it's fine. Is something wrong?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this is going to sound weird, but ... did something just happen to you during your last class?"

Diane looked perplexed. "Oh, well, I was talking with the school counselor."

"What, again? Why?"

"He wanted to ask me some more questions about how I deal with being a lesbian. It was for some research project."

Heather frowned. "Sounds creepy to me that he'd be so interested in that."

"I just wanted to help." Diane paused. "Do you think I did something wrong?"

"Wrong? No, I guess not. Nothing else happened? Nothing at all?"

Diane shook her head. "Some of the questions were a little personal, but that was it." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Heather, I have to get to my class."

"Sure thing. Just let me know if this counselor wants to talk to you again. I'm not sure I like this. Maybe we should tell Jason about it."

"Oh, I want to talk to Jason about something anyway, so I'll mention it to him then. I have to go, I'll see you later."

Heather nodded and watched Diane duck into the classroom before hurrying away to her own class.

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