Gina stepped off the school bus and walked along the side of the road as if the high heels had become second nature to her. Despite the cold breeze, she gave no notice to the chill against her bare legs. A car passing the other way slowed as it approached, its driver pausing to gawk at her strutting stride before peeling away. Gina flushed with pleasure.

She approached her house and slowed as she crossed the intersection with the dirt road. Her eyes twitched, and her head made an aborted turn towards the road. She told herself that there was nothing more to see, and nothing else to think about. Victor would be home soon, and he would expect her to be properly prepared.

Gina replayed her school day in her head. She wished Victor had been around for her counseling session. It always helped ease her doubts and confusion. She had done everything Victor would have wanted of her, but her actions were riddled with tiny hesitations.

It was a full minute before Gina realized that she had come to a dead stop in the middle of the intersection. Her legs tensed but would not move her forward.

She turned her head and looked down the dirt road. The aspens stilled as the breeze died. The silence was near absolute.

Finally, Gina started towards the house again, her heels scraping the asphalt. She turned her gaze away from the road only when it was no longer visible to her.

Gina let herself into the house. Her mother emerged from the kitchen, wearing only her apron. "Victor was detained and will be a little late coming home," Roberta said.

Gina nodded. She looked towards the stairs.

"You're to prepare yourself properly anyway, but he left word that you may give yourself some sexual relief if you need it."

"All right." She headed up the stairs.

"Oh, Gina, dear! One more thing."

Gina stopped on the second step and turned.

Roberta beamed. "Victor had a very lovely costume delivered to the house for your Halloween party. It's upstairs on your bed."

"Does he want me to try it on?"

"He didn't say so directly, but I am sure he would be pleased if you did so." Roberta smiled. "I've seen it. I think you'll feel very sexy in that costume."

A tiny shiver rippled through Gina's body. "Like the clothes I wore today did?"

"Oh, even more than that. I daresay that it will be hard to stop thinking about sex while you're wearing it."

Gina glanced up the stairs again, her eyes suddenly cloudy. "But Victor always wants me naked when--"

"Gina, this is a costume Victor got for you. I am sure he meant for you to wear it, especially if it means it will help you become a fully sexual being."

Gina nodded. "Yes, of course. I understand."

She headed up the stairs. Her pussy was warm and moist again by the time she reached the top, and her eyes were riveted on the doorway of her room as she approached in mounting anticipation.

In her room, a gold-trimmed box lay in the exact center of the mattress, a bright red ribbon wrapped around it and tied into a neat bow.

Gina stepped up to the bed. Her body quivered, and a gentle, husky sigh passed her lips. Yet as she reached forward and pulled the box towards her, she looked up. Her gaze fell on the window and lingered, leaving her again frozen as she had been at the intersection.

She blinked rapidly and looked down at the box. She withdrew her hands. First things first. She had to be naked before she could think of trying anything on.

Gina stripped off her school clothes, taking longer with each piece she removed. The hot pants came off last, her fingers sliding under the waistband for half a minute before pulling them down her legs. She looked at the box, intending to lift the cover ...

... only to find herself again looking towards the window.

She tore her gaze from it again. Her hands were still poised to lift the cover from the box. Her fingers suddenly felt stiff. She lifted her hands and flexed the fingers until the sensation passed.

"Is everything okay, Gina?"

Gina blinked. She was once more staring at the window.

"Gina?"

Gina finally turned towards her mother standing in the door. "I'm fine, Mom, why?"

"You've been quiet for awhile. I wanted to know if you were having any difficulty with the costume."

"I'm getting to it now."

"Only now?"

Gina looked perplexed. "I'm sorry?"

"It's been twenty minutes, Gina, I was hoping to see you in it before Victor came home."

Gina frowned and looked at the clock on her night table. It could not have been that long. It had taken her only a minute or two to undress, and then ...

She tried to turn towards the window again. She stopped herself and averted her eyes from it. "I'm okay, Mom, I just ... I'll just be a few more minutes."

"Okay, but call me if there's anything wrong."

Gina nodded in response only after her mother had left the room. She turned back towards the box, hesitated, then yanked off the cover.

She saw little detail at first, as all the pieces were black. She set the cover aside and grabbed the first piece that had caught her eye, one that sported a dull sheen.

She lifted from the box something that looked similar to the hot pants she had worn to school, except these were even more skimpy and smelled of new leather. She set it down on the bed and grabbed the next piece. It was the top, also of leather, little more than two half-cups supported by thin straps.

She found the stockings next: black fishnets with hooks for garters, which she found beside them. She set both beside the other pieces.

Finally she pulled out the last item. She stared at her newest set of high heels, turning them over in her hands, her brow wrinkling. The heels were five inches. She doubted she could wear them. They seemed more appropriate for someone older than she.

Gina shook her head as she lowered the shoes. Her doubts made no sense. She was on her way to becoming a fully realized sexual being. The shoes were part of that process.

And now she was staring at the window again.

This time she assumed it just happened to be in her line of sight when she had lowered the shoes. Her eyes flicked from the window to the costume. The skin around her hips and her bosom tingled as if in anticipation of the new outfit snuggled against them. Her pussy was damp and needy just from the thought of properly presenting for Victor when he returned.

Her hand strayed towards her sex. Her mother had told her she could grant herself relief. Yet the costume would give her what she wanted: closure, a final commitment to her future. The constant little bouts of doubt and the strange voices in her head would fall silent at last.

And yet her eyes rose to the window once more.

Her hand fell away. She stepped up to the window and peered outside, but saw nothing. She had no idea what it was she thought she might see.

Gina jerked her gaze from the window when she heard the front door close. A muffled conversation followed, then heavy footfalls coming up the stairs.

She pulled herself away from the window, quelling the urge to look again. Stephanie was not there, she was not in Gina's head, and probably never existed. She stood beside the costume just as Victor walked in.

Victor's eyes slid from Gina to the costume, and then glanced at the window. He smiled. "Good afternoon, Gina. Your mother was concerned that perhaps you do not find the costume to your liking."

"I just got it out of the box," said Gina. "Do you want me to try it on now?"

Victor checked with his avatar in Gina's head and nodded once.

Gina spun around and picked up one of the stockings. She sat down on the edge of the bed and eased her foot into the tight fabric. Victor watched the black fishnet slide up Gina's graceful leg. He allowed himself to admire her beauty, even become aroused by it.

Gina paused just as she pulled it over her knee.

Victor's smile broadened. "Yes?"

Gina tugged the stocking further up her leg. The fabric felt unreal, smoother than silk, sliding over her skin as if she were covered in a fine sheen of oil. Where it wrapped itself taut against her leg, it felt more like a soft, pleasant warmth swaddling her body.

"It feels nice," Gina said, her voice growing husky. "Very nice."

She pulled the stocking into place, the upper edge a few inches short of her groin. She pulled on the other one, letting out her breath in a slow sigh as she wriggled her toes within their stretchy black second skin.

"What did your mother tell you about the costume?" Victor asked.

Gina pulled the second stocking over her thigh and rose to her feet. Her legs glided as if showing them off to an unseen audience. "It would make me feel sexy," she said in a breathless voice. "And I'd think about sex all the time."

Victor looked over the remaining pieces. "Save the bottom part for last, Gina. Put on the top next."

Gina picked it up and looked inside the cups. A button of gel-like material lay near the center of each. She put her arms through the thin straps and pulled them over her shoulders. She fit the cups over her breasts and felt them draw her nipples into the soft, yielding gel, as if sucked into place. The cups seemed to melt into her skin, becoming an extension of her own body.

As she pulled the straps tight in the back, the nipples tingled as if brushed by teasing fingertips. Every movement renewed the touch, never more than just a light caress.

"Now how do you feel?" Victor asked.

Gina turned herself one way and then the other. Each time her breasts bounced, she felt the zephyr touch on her nipples. She imagined what it would be like to have Brad's fingers there, or his tongue. Her pussy ached, like it had back at school whenever she strutted down the halls.

"Horny," Gina whispered, her breath soft and panting.

"Now the shoes."

Gina picked up the shoes and placed them on the floor. She clutched the edge of the bed as she slid her feet into them. Her feet seemed to merge with the shoes. Her legs felt warm, tingly, and wonderful. She stood up straight with no hesitation. Her balance was perfect, the downward point of her feet now the norm rather than a novelty.

She could not resist taking a step or two. Pleasure flooded from her legs and gathered in her pussy. Her nipples were hard and erect, the slide of the gel across them like the slow lick of a tongue.

"Now the last piece."

Gina turned towards the bed again, eager to please and be pleased. She picked up the bottom piece, holding it up so she could see the shine of the supple leather. Her eyes flicked to the side, towards the window.

Towards the window.

The window.

The ...

"Gina."

Gina blinked a few times and turned her head towards him.

"What were you staring at just now?"

"I wasn't, I--"

"You were." Victor stepped forward and gestured for her to turn around and face him. "What was it?"

"I was ... I was just looking at the window."

"Why?"

She paused and glanced back towards it for a moment. "I thought I saw something. A bird. They light in the trees right behind my bedroom."

Victor nodded. "Put on the bottom piece of the costume."

"Yes, of course."

Gina bent down and stepped into the garment. She pulled it up her legs, letting her breath go in a rush as they slid over her stockings, leaving trails of tingly pleasure. She shimmied her hips into its tight grip. Her movements made her breasts heave and sway, nipples stroked by an unseen touch.

As she pulled the pants to her waist, it hugged her ass cheeks, molding itself to them until the surface of the leather was contoured to her own smooth curves. The crotch settled against her pussy and squeezed against her warm and wet folds.

She gyrated her hips. The material slid against her slick flesh, her pussy now achy and hot.

"Take a few steps around the room for me, Gina," said Victor.

Gina started to walk. Each step sent thrills of pleasure through her nipples and her pussy. Each tilt of her hips gave her a gentle stroke to her folds, each twist of her torso and bounce of her breasts a soft flick to her nipples. This time when she passed by the window, she afforded it no more than a brief glance.

Victor smiled as she returned to him. By the time she stood before him again, she was panting, her body shivering with desire. Even standing still, the mere pressure against her sex was enough to send little sparks of pleasure that flitted down her legs. She held herself with one leg bent before her, like a hooker flaunting herself on a street corner.

"And now what are you thinking about?" Victor asked.

"Brad," Gina moaned. "Having sex with Brad."

"Can you think of anything else at the moment?"

Gina paused and swayed. She looked up at Victor with dark, sultry eyes and nodded.

"Oh? What would that be?"

"Sex with you."

Victor smiled. "Soon." He cupped one of her breasts. She shuddered as pleasure exploded across her breast and radiated through her body. Her pussy rose as if stroked. "But for now, you'll keep this costume on."

His hand touched her crotch. Her pleasure rose once more, drowning her in sensual bliss.

"In fact, you simply cannot remove it."

Gina nodded. She had known that. It made sense as the erotic images cascaded through her head.

"Do you know why?" Victor asked. "It is not because I told you."

Gina paused. A thought coalesced in the miasma of lust. "Because ... because I need to become a fully sexual being, like Mom said."

"Very good. You're absolutely right. You're already on your way, Gina."

Gina smiled. She knew she could count on Victor to chase the demons from her head.

"Cassie, can you describe to me again that experience you had last night?" Jason said as he and Cassie came down the stairs after they had dressed. "The one where you said Stephanie talked to you."

Melinda looked up. She and Richie were also dressed and sitting in the living room. Richie lounged on the sofa, his back propped up against one end, a leg stretched out across the cushions.

"There were a lot of emotions tied up with that," said Cassie. "I'm not sure I've sorted them out yet."

"I'm more interested in the physical part of it. I want to know where you saw Stephanie each time."

"You mean where in Haven?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Well, the first one I'm not sure was in Haven. The truck driver must have been just outside of town."

"Can you remember anything else about it? Did you see anything that was nearby?"

"There was a wall along one side of the road," Cassie said. She shook her head. "No, not a wall, it looked more natural than that."

"A cliff?"

Cassie nodded. "It could be, yes."

"That sounds like Mesa Ridge Road."

"I know where that is," Melinda piped. "My parents took that road sometimes when we used to go camping years ago. It's the only real way to get to Haven from the south."

Jason nodded. "Cassie, you said the second one was in a warehouse?"

"Yes. I saw lots of stereos and televisions and such."

"It must have been the electronics store in the mall," said Jason. "It's the only place in town selling consumer electronics that's big enough to have a warehouse. And the last one, you have any idea where that house was?"

Cassie shook her head. "I'm sorry, Jason, I don't. Oh, wait, I do remember seeing a light twinkling in the sky."

"A plane?"

Cassie shook her head again. "No, it didn't move, but it did blink sort of like a plane."

"It might have been a light on top of a cell phone tower," Jason said. "There's one just to the west of the city park."

"How do you remember all that shit, man?" Richie drawled.

"You tend to remember these things when you stare at maps of Haven as much as I have," Jason said. "Which is exactly what I've been doing since I got that diagram of all the lines of energy under Haven from Elizabeth's notes."

"I-I know what you're going to say," Cassie said, her eyes glistening. "I was traveling along one of those lines last night, wasn't I?"

Melinda gaped. "You what?!"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I think," said Jason. "Most likely the line that passes under your mansion. I'll bet I can plot those three locations right along the line or pretty close to it."

Cassie turned towards the sofa, her gait unsteady. Richie withdrew his leg seconds before Cassie fell onto a cushion at the other end. "Hey, you okay?" Richie asked.

Cassie nodded. "Just a bit ... in a bit of shock at the revelation. I mean, I think I knew that was the only explanation, but I didn't want to think about it."

"I'm not sure I want to, either," Melinda said. "That can't be safe! Doesn't the Darkness use those things?"

"Not really, at least not physically," Jason said. "Or it would have been able to strike at us through them. Remember how it took the Rite of Power to get it to move out of the node. I think it's still pretty much trapped there right now."

Cassie looked up. "Jason, I saw it! I saw the Darkness sitting at the end of that energy line. It was after the last manifestation."

"Which would have put you at the closest point to the Inn of those three locations," Jason said. "It makes sense to me."

"Well, that makes one of us!" Melinda cried. "Cassie, please don't do that again! If that thing ever got to you while you were--"

"I don't even know how I did it the first time," said Cassie, some irritation edging her voice. "What happened was like an out-of-body experience, or an astral projection. I've never come even close to doing something like that on my own."

"Except gettin' into people's dreams," Richie said.

"No, I think that was something else. I didn't feel the sense of displacement like I did last night. Melinda, please don't panic. I really think it was Stephanie that was pulling me along. She's the one with that ability, not me."

"Some ability!" Melinda said.

"Yes, it is!" Cassie said, standing up. "Jason, projection like that is a very powerful psychic ability, and Stephanie has it. If things were different, with that kind of help ..."

She trailed off, not knowing where else to go with it. Jason just nodded.

Richie glanced between the two of them and frowned. "So, why don't we try to find her?"

"We don't have a clue where she is," Jason said.

"Yeah, you do. Use your nerd-powers again. She's gotta be along the same line, right?"

"Well, yes. But where along that line?"

"She's a prisoner inside her own mind, Richie," Cassie said. "If she's anywhere, she likely doesn't even know who she is anymore. Someone is controlling her, probably--" Her eyes widened. She looked towards Jason. "Probably to keep her powers in check!"

Jason looked thoughtful.

"Think about it, Jason! If Victor's been doing this every year, and he tried to get Stephanie, and these powers of hers stopped him somehow--"

"And he's so obsessed with secrecy that he couldn't risk her exposing his scheme," Jason said.

"Okay, wait, I don't get this shit," Richie said. "What's he doing with these girls he takes every year?"

"We don't know yet that's what he's doing. I still have to get home to analyze--"

"Look, just pretend we know that, okay?" Richie snapped. "He takes some girl each year, fucks with her head and turns her into a slut, and then what?"

"I think it's pretty obvious what he's doing with them, Richie," Melinda said, wrinkling her nose.

"No, it ain't. Tell me."

Melinda rolled her eyes. "He's keeping them for his own little perverted slave harem."

"Nah, that ain't it. Think about it, huh? If that's all he's doing to them, then why all the crap with Stephanie? Look, when I had that stupid vision at the grave, that dude kept goin' on that Victor failed. So how the fuck did he fail if he's got control over her?"

"Richie's got a point," Jason said. "Whatever he's doing, there's more to it than just controlling someone."

"Jason, in the times I talked to Stephanie -- well, to her projection -- it sounded like Victor tried to make her change seem natural to her," Cassie said. "If what I saw of Stephanie in school was what really happened back then, I think there were some signs that Victor was failing. It's the same thing with Gina. He's trying to make it seem like what she's doing is perfectly normal, but some part of her psyche is not convinced and is fighting back. And Stephanie must have appeared to her as well. First she thought I was Stephanie, then she asked me if I was her 'help.' I think Stephanie set this up from the start. She intended for me to help Gina." Cassie gasped. "Oh, goodness, all those dreams I got in the past at Halloween means she's been calling for help to stop Victor all this time!"

Jason's face turned grave.

Melinda's eyes widened. "What is it, Jason?"

"Cassie, you need to tread very carefully," Jason said. "I don't think Victor knows what you've been doing yet. We're very lucky he didn't find out about you today when he could still get to you at school."

"I have to come into town tomorrow to meet with the costume-maker," Cassie said. "But it will be a brief trip."

"Still, I'd rather you have some sort of protection. Maybe Ned can go with you?"

Cassie nearly objected. Any contact with him would cause her to fall in line with his perceptions about Diane. Yet she was selfish enough (from her own point of view) to want his comfort and companionship. "But what about Melinda? Someone needs to protect her, according to Heather's visions."

"I was hoping Heather would," Jason said.

"My mother practically sold her into slavery!" Melinda cried. "You think Mom's going to let Heather protect me? Jason, maybe you can--"

"I can't," Jason said. "I have too many chores to do tomorrow. I can't afford to antagonize my parents right now."

"I'll do it," Richie said.

Melinda snapped her gaze towards him and narrowed her eyes.

Richie smirked. "What?"

"You just want a chance to boink me again."

Richie glanced at Jason and decided against his initial response. "Yeah, well ... kinda hard to do that in the street."

"The street?"

"Not like I can just walk into your house and hang out."

"Then how will you protect me?"

"Look, if someone's gunnin' for you, they gotta get you out of the house, right? Jason said if Victor could just take us out in our homes, he'd just do it. So he's gotta make you leave the house."

"So what will you do?" Melinda demanded. "Just hang out in the neighborhood until you see me leave my house?"

"Yeah, why not? Not like I got anything better to do on weekends outside of baseball season."

"Thank you, Richie," Jason said. "We better get going. If I'm not home in about twenty minutes, I'll be in trouble. I had to really wrangle for this time as it is, which is why I have so many chores tomorrow."

"Harry will still let you ride with me, Jason," Cassie said. "I'll take you over."

"What about me?" Melinda piped.

"Fer chrissakes, it's not that far," Richie said, standing up. "I'm just gonna walk home."

"But it's cold outside."

Richie frowned. "Whine whine whine, is that all you ever do?"

Melinda opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it closed again without a word. She let out a forced breath. "Fine. I'll go with you. But I want to know something first. Did anyone else sense something really funny from Diane and Ned? I mean, it was like they did it or something, but that can't be right."

Cassie and Jason exchanged a look.

Melinda gaped. "Ohmigod, no!"

"Now what's your problem?" Richie said.

"Diane's a lesbian, you bozo!"

"So now she's bi. Big fucking deal."

"It is a big deal, Richie, but not in the way Melinda thinks," Jason said. He hesitated when Melinda gave him a strange look. "Um ... I think it will get more clear over the weekend after Ned talks to us about it."

"You're not making any sense," Melinda said. "But I guess whatever happened was supposed to happen, right?"

Cassie let out a small, inaudible sigh. It's already started, she thought.

Richie raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and thrust his hands into his pockets. "Anyway, I'm outta here. See ya all in the funny papers."

He started towards the back door, not bothering to look behind him. Melinda frowned and jogged to catch up. Jason waited until the two of them were gone before speaking to Cassie again. "Yeah, I know, it's already happening."

Cassie rubbed her temples. "We have to do it this weekend. Whatever we do with Diane, with these spells, we have to do it this weekend."

"If Richie can keep Melinda out of trouble, then we can arrange to meet sometime late tomorrow or Sunday."

"And then what do we do with whatever power we get?" Cassie asked.

"Use it to protect ourselves. And to get Gina out from under Victor. And free Diane from Victor's post-hypnotic suggestion."

"If we can get ourselves to do that last one."

Jason bit his lip and gave Cassie a rueful look. "Yes, there is that."

The last place Heather wanted to go was home.

She had no idea how to react to her mother. Part of her wanted to scream at the woman for trading her own daughter away as a part-time sex slave, but part of her demanded to know what else she thought her mother could have done.

Heather dreaded emerging from the school and finding her mother waiting for her. It was a surprise who she found instead.

"Hi," Diane said as Heather approached, a tiny smile ghosting her lips.

"What are you doing here?" Heather asked. "I mean, I'm glad you're here, but--"

"Master doesn't live far away. He told me I could walk back here by the time you were done. I just got here about thirty seconds ago."

Heather nodded and blinked. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"That I just got here?"

"No, before that. You ... did you just refer to Ned as 'Master?'"

Diane nodded and smiled.

"You're not serious."

"I'm his slave."

"Then that stuff I sensed over the link, you were--" Heather gasped. "You fucked him?!"

"Yes, of course."

"But--!"

"I'm his slave, I do what he tells me."

Heather was silent, her lips parting as if to speak, but confusion clouded her eyes.

"This is what I was meant to do," Diane said.

Heather blinked again and shook her head. "Shit, Diane, this is like the other day with us, isn't it?"

"What difference does it make?"

Heather stared at Diane.

"Really, what difference does it make?" she repeated, stepping closer. "You all need me to be this."

When Heather was able to speak again, she had to force the words from her head. "Diane, this ... this is just ... so screwed up."

"I'm not just his slave, if that's what you're upset about," said Diane.

"Huh?"

"I'm yours, too."

"You're ... well ... n-no, you're not."

"I have to be," Diane said, her voice growing husky. "To the whole group. All the Harbingers."

Heather swallowed. Despite what she had gone through, her pussy warmed again. "Did Ned tell you to come over here and talk to me like this? S-so you could affect me, too?"

"Yes, Master told me to make sure I talked to you."

Heather clenched her hands into fists. "I am so going to--"

"You already want me as your slave," Diane said.

Heather let out a quavering breath. She had fought the desire since she first saw Diane standing outside the school. Now it rose up from the back of her mind and threatened to sweep the rest of her along with it.

She wanted to say that they would find a way to get Diane out of this mess. She wanted to tell Diane that they could reverse it when they didn't need her anymore for the spell. Her intentions competed with images of Diane kneeling naked at Heather's feet and looking up with adoring, obedient eyes.

"I can't ... I can't do anything with you now," Heather said.

"I understand, Mistress."

Heather's skin flushed. This was exactly what she would have wanted from Diane as a slave. Not mindlessness, not like the spell that Melissa had almost made her cast on Diane. Just a quiet, unassuming, and willing submission.

It's not willing if Victor is making her do it, Heather thought, but it could do nothing to stop the tidal swell of sexual heat that enveloped her at the thought of owning Diane.

"I have to get home, too," Diane said. "Cassie gave me a number to call to get a taxi. I better get going or my mother will worry about me."

"Don't tell her about this, Diane," Heather said. "Don't breathe a word of it."

Diane nodded. "Of course not, Mistress."

Each mention of the title pushed Heather further into the abyss. Ms. Bendon and Ms. Hollis had worn down her will. She had little strength or desire to resist any further. "Are you going to talk to the others?"

"Master Ned said he would talk to Cassie and Jason," said Diane. She smiled. "He told me to talk to you and thought you might talk to Melinda. She could talk to Richie."

"And then you'd be a slave to all of them."

Diane shivered. "Yes, Mistress."

"What does that do to you?" Heather asked. "I mean, when you think about it, how do you feel?"

"It feels good," Diane said, swinging her hips. She placed a hand over the crotch of her jeans. "It makes me wet."

Heather smiled. "Does it?"

Diane nodded, letting out a small lustful sigh.

"And when someone gives you an order?"

Diane's fingers settled. "I feel like someone's stroking me there."

Heather lay her hand against Diane's arm. "Trying to touch yourself, slave?"

Diane's eyes widened. She looked down and yanked her hand away. "No, Mistress!"

"You sure?"

"I just--"

"You can't do that unless someone tells you to do it."

"Yes, Mistress!"

"No touching yourself, not even at home, unless someone tells you to do it."

"Yes, of course, Mistress."

Heather let out a long breath. Her suppressed frustrations bubbled up and found vent in Diane's submissiveness. She wanted to order Diane home with her and use her for the next few hours, just so she would feel in control again.

She managed to suppress her impulse, but for no altruistic reason. She didn't want to give her mother the satisfaction of seeing Heather do the same thing Penny might have done herself.

Heather's lips curled into a wicked smile. "This evening, after your parents have gone to bed, I want you to masturbate yourself silly. Cum at least twice for me."

Diane moaned, her hips twitching. "Yes, Mistress."

"Good girl. Now, let's go find someplace to call for that taxi. I think I'll need to share it with you."

They walked down the street towards the pay phone on the other side of the nearby intersection.

From the top of the stairs of the east entrance of the school, concealed in the shade of the building, Seeger's face creased into a deep frown as the two girls headed away.

Victor stepped into the den and closed the door behind him, his cell phone warbling. He headed towards the window in the back of the room, located below Gina's, and flipped open his phone. "Yes, Charles?"

Charles' voice was curt. "It's done. It's been arranged."

Victor peered out the window. A stand of aspens blocked his view of the dirt road. He watched a fox slink among the dormant undergrowth. "When and where?"

"Have the girl sent down Green Avenue, then west on Columbine. Best time would be around ten or eleven in the morning."

"Isn't that in the middle of a residential neighborhood? Hillcrest, I believe."

"Yes, but there are a good number of cultists that live in that area. They will begin molding their neighbor's perceptions tonight so they will see nothing. The intent is to take her quickly anyway."

"Very good."

"Getting her there is up to you, Victor," Charles said.

"I already have that in hand. Her mother will send her on an errand."

Charles was silent for a moment. "Her own mother is in on this?"

"She is a woman I have dealt with in the past. She served the cult for a short time. Things did not quite work out, but once one pledges loyalty to me, it is a lifetime oath."

"Nevertheless, she has to have an excuse to send her daughter down that way."

"There is a pharmacy at the other end of Columbine, where it meets with Fairview," said Victor. "I shall instruct her to send Melinda that way."

"And what will insure she takes that path and does not attempt to come at it from the other end?"

"She will have to suspect she is being led into danger. Melinda tends not to wish to inconvenience herself. She will not want to take the longer path unless she has a reason to do so."

Charles sighed. "I hope you're right."

"As you said, it is for me to be concerned with those details. Where will you be keeping her?"

"At my mansion. I have no place else I can send her where I would trust that the cult will not get carried away."

Victor frowned. "Charles, they will do as I instruct them. Nothing more and nothing less. If I tell them not to take things further, they will not."

"Nevertheless, I thought you might want someone you trusted overseeing this operation, as critical as it seems to you."

"That is true. I concur with your decision, so long as you keep her clear of Lydia. They are not to know of each other's presence."

"There will be no trouble there," Charles said. "Lydia's room is virtually soundproof. And you said you expect this girl's stay to be brief."

"With luck, you will not need to keep her the night."

A relieved sigh came over the phone. "That would indeed be a good thing."

"I will contact you again tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I would like you to have someone watching Lydia every second tonight. If she starts to get agitated or restless, sedate her immediately."

"Victor, remember what I--"

"Sedate her. No arguments. I will not tolerate any further disruption of my plans."

He snapped the phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket.

He paused to put himself back into the right frame of mind. This should be a happy occasion. He was finalizing another slave, one that opened the door to a great many possibilities. By his most recent calculations, his breeding program would allow him to recover the cost of his "prototype" despite the sixteen-year delay before he reaped the reward.

Roberta had raised Gina to be obedient, to follow authority, to accept a predestined path. All Victor had to do was make that her source of comfort. Anything else would be considered an aberration.

Victor emerged from the den and entered the dining room, where Roberta had set the table. She smiled and bowed her head as he approached. "Roberta, do you have a moment?"

"Yes, Victor, of course," Roberta said. "The roast has another ten minutes to go."

"Very good. I wanted to show you Gina's costume for the party. I've had her wait upstairs so she can give us both a proper show."

Roberta nodded, her smile widening. She turned her eyes to the top of the stairs.

"Gina, come down now," Victor called out.

Gina emerged from her room, her heels clicking against the floor of the upstairs hall. She paused at the top of the stairs as she had been instructed to do. She gripped the post at the end of the banister and swung her body around like a pole dancer. She slipped a foot between two posts and let the length of her bare leg show between them.

Victor nodded in approval and smiled.

Gina headed down the stairs. Each step was measured, accompanied by an exaggerated swivel of her hips. Her lips parted as she panted again, the crotch of her costume writhing against her folds with each tilt of her hips and sweep of her legs. Each time her foot came down on the next step, her breasts jiggled, and slick pleasure slid over and around her nipples.

Her pussy rose with each step, her movements becoming more fluid and sensual. When she reached the bottom, she let out a soft moan, her pussy swimming in wet heat. The pleasure did not retreat when she stood still, making her sway and quiver.

"Gina, you look wonderful!" Roberta gushed. "Victor made the perfect choice for you."

Gina returned a weak smile. Her hips squirmed as if in anticipation of Victor's next command.

Victor stepped closer and gestured. "Model it for us, Gina. Walk across the room towards the front door and back. But slowly. Remember, presenting is all about letting us see you and experience your sexuality."

Gina gave Victor a tiny, appreciative smile and started across the room.

Gina fell into her role at once. She glided in a perfect strut across the room, each step exuding a sensuality that many women a decade ahead of her did not possess. She had become the costume, its threads twining with her thoughts, her role sewn into its fabric.

Her pussy rose higher still, her breath a deep pant. As she approached the door, she feared she would be left hanging at the edge, denied relief until she had learned some crucial lesson. Yet at the front door, she stopped, twirled around on one foot, and crested.

A long, low moan passed her lips as her pussy throbbed in the tight, hot confines of the costume. Her orgasm did not stop her. She swung her leg forward and started back, her gyrating hips and swaying breasts prolonging her climax. She was trembling by the time she reached the foot of the stairs again.

She turned around once more and waited. Her orgasm lingered, then waned.

"Once more, Gina," Victor said.

Gina didn't hesitate. The costume was another part of her. Her pussy throbbed once more in a soft, rewarding orgasm, which flowed around the vivid erotic thoughts that romped through her mind. In her fantasy, she saw herself with Brad, splayed before him, pussy open and offered. As the waves of pleasure broke over her, she felt the slide of Victor's hard member into her willing folds ...

She blinked once and turned at the front door. Her fantasy resumed. Brad slid his cock home, burying it deep inside her, taking her virginity and opening her body to her true sexual self. Victor thrusted into her and ...

Brad.

Brad thrusted into her.

Brad had sex with her, not Victor. Victor had not touched her yet. She was not ready for him. He would not have taken her without her knowledge. Victor could be trusted. He could always be trusted.

Gina returned to the foot of the stairs and turned once more, one leg thrust forward, the other bent at the knee.

"What are you thinking about, Gina?" Victor asked, looking pleased.

"Sex," Gina breathed.

Victor chuckled. "Could you elaborate?"

"Having sex, getting fucked, sucking cock ... you ..."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"I keep thinking about sex with you. We ... we haven't done it yet ..."

"Was that a question?"

Gina paused, then shook her head. "No. You didn't have sex with me yet."

"That's correct. You are almost ready for me, but not quite. You are most likely projecting your own anticipation at taking the final step. It speaks well for you."

Gina smiled. "Thank you."

Victor ran his fingertips through her hair, his touch light and playful. "I think it's time I start teaching you the proper form of address for someone like me."

Gina tilted her head.

"You know what it is already."

Slowly, Gina nodded.

"Now repeat your gratitude towards me in the proper manner."

"Thank you," said Gina, her lips curling into a small smile. "Master."

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.