Heather looked up as Brad and Gina entered the classroom together. Her attempt to quell her anger towards Brad failed. She wanted to believe that his fawning over Gina had not been his idea, though she realized she had no right to feel jealous if she was the one that had rejected him. Brad was as much a victim as Gina.

Heather could feel it herself. She could let herself believe that it made sense for Brad and Gina to be together. From what little she heard of their conversation, she learned that they were planning to leave the party early. She hoped she would have a mind enough under her own control after suffering through Ms. Hollis' class to allow her to tell the others.

The last stragglers entered the classroom, and Ms. Hollis strode across the front of the room. Just as Ms. Hollis started to close the door, Marcie Fuller appeared, and the door almost closed on her foot. Ms. Hollis pushed on the door for another second even after Marcie's presence was obvious to her.

Marcie handed Ms. Hollis a yellow slip. Heather's stomach turned to ice when she realized it was an absence excuse slip. The only three faculty members authorized to issue such a thing were Bendon, Seeger, or Victor.

Ms. Hollis gave Marcie an annoyed look, sighed, and turned towards the class.

Not me not me not me not me ... Heather thought.

"Heather Sovert," Ms. Hollis called out in a peevish voice.

Heather sighed. "Yes, Ms. Hollis?"

"The Principal wants to see you in her office."

Heather was tempted to ask why just to stall for time. She did not consider this any better than being stuck with Ms. Hollis. It felt like Nyssa all over again.

Heather stood and headed to the door. Ms. Hollis thrust the absence slip towards her. When Heather tried to take it, Ms. Hollis held onto it and forced Heather to look up.

"Don't think you'll avoid me that easily," Ms. Hollis said with a sly smile. "Even if Laura monopolizes you today, I'll have you every day that she doesn't."

Heather's eyes burned, but she said nothing, nor did she shrink from Ms. Hollis' gaze.

"I'm already arranging things at my place. You're going to look so lovely in a shiny metal slave collar and chain."

Heather ground her teeth until her jaw ached. She snatched the note from Ms. Hollis' hand and barreled out the door.

She very nearly stomped down the corridor as Melinda might do. At the first hallway intersection, she let out a tremulous sigh and leaned hard against the lockers, the rattle echoing in the empty hallway.

The lockers kept rattling as she trembled. She took another deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself. Stop it. Ms. Hollis won't do that do you. We'll just keep control of her , or program her, or something.

Her hands balled into fists as she allowed herself a moment of pure fury. She banged them against the lockers behind her, ignoring the flare of pain across the side of one hand as it caught the handle.

"Miss Sovert, what are you doing out here?"

Heather was startled enough after hearing her name that she gasped and did not hear the rest. "What?? I'm sorry, I--"

"I asked you what you were doing out here, Miss Sovert," asked Seeger.

Heather contemplated feigning innocence, or claiming she was skipping class, but she saw his eyes flick down to her hands, where a corner of the yellow absence slip protruded from between the fingers of her clenched fist. She uttered a ragged sigh and unclenched her hand, lifting the crumpled note.

Seeger frowned and took the absence slip. His eyes darted over it. "Why is Ms. Bendon summoning you, Miss Sovert?"

"I don't know, Mr. Seeger. Maybe I did something else wrong."

"Did you?"

Heather had no idea how to reply. For one insane moment she had the notion of telling him the absolute truth about Ms. Bendon.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me, Miss Sovert?" Seeger said, urgency edging his voice.

Heather stared at him. She could almost fool herself into thinking that genuine concern lay buried among the jowls of his dour face. Yet he was hardly in a position to help her. He was part of the problem: a faculty member that was either influenced by the Darkness or oblivious to it, just like most other adults in Haven.

Heather shook her head. "No, Mr. Seeger," she said in a calmer voice. She stepped away from the lockers and forced her other hand to unclench. She took the note back, Seeger's fingers clinging to it for a second longer. "I better go see what she wants. Um ... thank you for your concern."

Seeger stepped aside and let her by.

Heather hurried down the hall. For a moment she hated him for delaying her. Ms. Bendon was sure to blame her for her tardiness just to have an excuse to punish her.

As she drew near the Principal's office, her pussy tingled, and she put an extra swing into her hips. The delicious sensation of her lacy underwear rubbing against her smooth skin elicited a soft moan. The urge to model it for Ms. Bendon sent pleasant little tingles through her breasts and sex.

Marcie looked up at Heather's approach and gave her a smile that was part sunny, part dreamy. "Ms. Bendon will see you now."

Heather did not know what disturbed her more, the little shiver that ran through Marcie as she said the Principal's name or the same shiver that rippled through her own body and left behind hot, moist heat in her pussy.

Heather stepped past Marcie's desk and opened the door.

Ms. Bendon looked up and smiled. It was devoid of warmth, the smile of someone who sat smug upon her throne while supplicants groveled for her favor. She gestured to a chair in front of her desk. "Please, Miss Sovert, make yourself more comfortable and sit down."

Heather did not move from the threshold for a few seconds to convince herself she was not yet in Ms. Bendon's total thrall. She finally closed the door behind her and lowered herself into the seat.

Ms. Bendon leaned forward and steepled her fingers. "Perhaps you didn't hear me. I said, get comfortable."

Heather's confusion lasted only a few seconds. What had started as a mild desire now escalated to a burning need. Letting out a husky sigh, she stood up and took off her blouse. Her nipples were two tingly, hard pebbles pressed to the inside of her bra. She twisted her torso as she dropped her blouse to the floor just to feel them rub against the cups. Her hips tilted and swayed as her jeans slid down her legs. She tugged her panties snug against her mound to a flood of moist warmth.

Heather sat down as the Dark power slithered into her mind again. She moaned and shuddered, her pussy suddenly aching and needy. Her hand slid down her body in a slow, sensual glide and slipped under her panties. Her legs parted, and she panted as her fingers massaged aroused flesh.

Ms. Bendon sat in silence, watching. Heather moaned as her pleasure rose. She dipped her fingers into her cunt on an unspoken command, flicking her clit with the pad of her thumb. She panted hard as she drew close to orgasm and whimpered as she strained at the edge.

Ms. Bendon relented, and the urge eased. Heather was close to climax, but she knew how the Darkness used the moment of orgasm to entrench itself deeper in its victim. As much as she wanted to cum, she ignored the compulsion. Her fingers relaxed, but remained pressed to her wet flesh.

"You do understand a great deal, don't you?" Ms. Bendon said in a silky voice. "Oh, I'll make you cum soon enough. And then you'll just adore frigging your sweet little pussy for me whenever we're alone."

"Is that what you wanted me for?" Heather said, her tone challenging but shaky.

Ms. Bendon raised a finger. "Remember who I am. Use the proper title of respect."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Bendon."

"Try again."

Anger and despair both flashed in Heather's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mistress."

"Better. No, that is not all I want of you. You -- and I am sure, your fellow Harbingers -- have information I want."

The urge crept over Heather again. Her fingers massaged her clit with deep, firm strokes that stoked her pleasure in rising waves until she panted and writhed.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Victor Mann."

Heather opened her mouth to protest, but uttered a loud moan instead. She shivered and stroked herself faster, her lust rising to a fever pitch, her legs spreading further apart.

"I want to know exactly what he is doing in Haven and at this school. I want to know what his intentions are."

Heather's hips bucked, the chair squeaking as she finger-fucked herself. She gasped as she strained at the edge. "Uhhnng ... oh God ... uhnn ..."

"Tell me if you want to cum, Heather," said Ms. Bendon.

Heather slid out of the chair, falling to her knees, her fingers thrusting in frantic but useless effort.

"Tell me if you ever want to cum while you're my slave, if you don't want me to leave you wet, wanting, and insane with lust."

Like a light switch flipping off, the urge to masturbate left Heather all at once. She rubbed herself for another few seconds before she whimpered and settled back on her feet, panting hard. She withdrew her wet fingers from under her panties and shivered with the lingering ache in her sex.

"Well?" Ms. Bendon said. "I'm waiting."

Heather resented telling Ms. Bendon anything. The fact that Ms. Bendon wanted the information had proven what the Harbingers had suspected, that she was in the dark about Victor's activities. Yet now Heather worried that whatever she might say would drive Ms. Bendon to seek an alliance with him.

"I'm not going to ask you again, slave," said Ms. Bendon. "And perhaps that is what you need to be reminded of. You are my slave. Even though I cannot command you every moment of every day, you do not stop being my slave when you are not in my presence, nor do we have to wait until the first week that I have you to consider you my slave."

Heather let out a ragged sigh and shuddered. More tendrils of the Darkness wrapped around her mind. Her pussy rose and strained on its own, as if eager to reward her for her obedience.

"Or perhaps it is just the opposite that you wish to avoid," said Ms. Bendon, her voice rising. "Perhaps you need to cum over and over. Perhaps once an hour. Imagine trying to get through the school day having an intense, pussy-gushing climax once every period."

Heather sensed the Principal's increasing frustration. She closed her eyes and let her precognitive eye gaze upon her mindscape, but it projected no visions. No feelings of dread nor dire predictions materialized.

"A-All right," Heather said in a tiny voice.

Ms. Bendon let out a long sigh that sounded like relief.

Heather could not remember all the intricate details in her current state. She hoped Ms. Bendon would settle for the highlights. "Victor wants to enslave a girl named Gina Caligano."

"I know that already," snapped Ms. Bendon.

"He does this every year. Every year around Halloween he takes a sixteen year old girl. First he makes her into a slut, then he makes her a slave on Halloween."

Ms. Bendon nodded slowly. "Go on."

Heather wiped away a tear. Despite the lack of portents, she still felt that this was a betrayal. "He's been doing this for a long time. At least twenty-one years. He has someone change around the school records, or he makes other students transfer between schools to cover his tracks so no one misses the girl."

"What someone? Who's helping him?"

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know!" Heather lied. She wanted to keep at least one secret for the sake of her own dignity. "He probably has some people helping him, maybe other slaves, I really don't know. I just know he's real good at this. He has to be if he can do it that long without anyone knowing."

Ms. Bendon lapsed into a long, thoughtful silence. Her lips twisted into a smirk. "And I suppose you and your fellow Harbingers are going to try something stupid, like stop him from taking Gina."

Heather said nothing. A trace of defiance glistened in her eyes.

"Or, perhaps, stop him entirely. It would be just like your band of budding revolutionaries." Ms. Bendon leaned forward. "Just tell your friends not to step on my toes."

Heather stared. "I-I'm sorry?"

Ms. Bendon smiled. "Oh, yes, Heather, that's right. I don't care what you do with Victor. Either he'll turn the lot of you into sex thralls, or -- by some divine miracle -- you'll defeat him and stop his interference in this town and my school. Either way, I come out ahead."

Heather was almost of the mind to say "but you were ordered to help the Darkness."

"And when I say don't step on my toes, that includes trying something equally foolish, like 'rescuing' you from me. You're going to make sure that they don't try."

"I don't understand."

"Don't play dumb. You're far smarter than your big boobs and sexy figure suggest. I know the Harbingers have developed some sort of powers. You used them against my Mistress and then against Melissa. Each threat was more powerful than the last, therefore your powers must be getting stronger as well. If you defeat Victor, they will be stronger yet."

Heather swallowed. "Then ... then maybe I can't really stop them. They'll do it anyway."

Ms. Bendon's eyes gleamed. "Not unless you want me to have your sister as a slave alongside you."

Heather's blood ran cold, and she gave Ms. Bendon a stricken look.

"I know a little something about her you don't. Something Victor and his cohorts did to her. Something that could let me enslave her given enough time."

Heather's lower lip trembled. Her eyes blazed. "Y-you're lying. You're lying! You have to be!"

"Do you want to take that chance?"

Heather said nothing. She could only stare and tremble in fear and rage.

"Perhaps I will arrange a demonstration," said Ms. Bendon. "Or perhaps you will simply see it for yourself. That is my condition, slave. That's my payment for looking the other way if you go after Victor."

"Wh-what about Ms. Hollis?"

"What about her?" Ms. Bendon asked, sounding bored.

"She's ... she's in it with Victor ..."

"Then feel free to target her as well." Ms. Bendon's lips curled into a sly smile when she witnessed the brief moment of shock on Heather's face. "Hmm, so you were already planning something against her."

"I didn't say that!" Heather cried.

Ms. Bendon waved a hand. "As I told your mother, Terri Hollis is an idiot. If she cannot defend herself against your ilk, why the hell should I care?"

For the next few seconds, the only sound was that of Heather's labored breathing. "The ... they ... they'll need me to help ..."

"I suppose I could spare you for a short while at the party. Yes, I see we understand each other now. Very well."

Heather gasped. She rocked on her knees and moaned as the urges again crashed over her like a tidal wave. She clenched her hands into fists, shaking with the effort to resist it just to spite Ms. Bendon. She finally thrust her hand under her panties and whipped her fingers back and forth against her clit.

She came at once, crying out and spurting hard against her hand. Cum squirted out from behind her panties and leaked through her fingers, soaking her crotch. She stroked herself until she was spent, then fell forward and panted hard into the carpet, cum still dripping from her crotch and trickling down her thighs.

"Note to myself," said Ms. Bendon with a wry smile. "Buy more towels before you stay at my house for the first time."

Heather rose to all fours. "I need one now," she said in a low voice.

"Wrong. Try again."

"May I have a towel to clean up with, Mistress?"

"No," said Ms. Bendon. "Get dressed and head back to class. Perhaps smelling like a whore for awhile will remind you of your place when you're dealing with me."

Heather slowly rose, still panting. She refused to meet Ms. Bendon's eyes, but not from humiliation. She was beyond that and deep into contained fury. She did not want Ms. Bendon to see her anger and use it as an excuse to keep her longer or punish her further.

Smelling like a whore? She could take that. People had seen her masturbate in class; this was nothing compared to that. None of it mattered. The Harbingers now had carte blanche to do what they needed to do. What she had to suffer for it was irrelevant.

Yet the thought of turning the tables on Ms. Hollis seemed sweeter than it ever had.

Seeger had never known himself to fidget. He also had never known himself to be this worried over a single student. Moreover, he had never known himself to be this reluctant to confront a fellow faculty member, even one that was technically his superior.

Yet all three were in evidence in Seeger's office.

He tried to busy himself, as he had left his door open in order to hear the click of Laura's office door opening. This in itself was unusual enough, as insular as he was, that other faculty gawked at him as they passed.

When he finally heard the noise, he bolted from his seat, his chair nearly toppling over behind him. He got to the door just as Heather Sovert passed Marcie's desk. His eyes immediately scanned Heather for any sign of ...

Of what?

He had no idea what he was looking for. Physical abuse? None of his suspicions of Laura ever suggested that she would raise a hand to any child, let alone one of the students. As for any other sort of abuse...

Seeger wiped his face with his hand. That line of thinking stopped now. It was not appropriate for someone his age, regardless of the very untitillating nature of the thoughts it had conjured.

He steeled himself and ventured forth from his office, his steps displaying a confidence he no longer felt. He heard another click and turned his head. Laura had closed the door to her office and now Marcie was no longer in evidence. Seeger clenched his jaw and started after Heather.

Heather had a head start and had entered the hallway. He widened his stride to catch up, but just as he passed the threshold, he sniffed and stopped dead.

Seeger's eyebrows rose. He sniffed once more, and at once the denials began in his head. He could not possibly have any idea what such a thing smelled like after so many years. His mind was too twisted with the lurid stories told by Mr. Gardner and Mr. Weston, that was all.

He turned away from the hall. Something on the floor glistened in a shaft of sunlight. He lowered his gaze and narrowed his eyes. A single drop of fluid lay along the path from Laura's office to the hallway.

Seeger looked around. He crouched and dabbed his finger against the droplet and bolted to his feet. He looked around again, then brought his fingertip near his nose and took a single, tentative sniff.

His eyes widened. One of his denials vanished. Some odors were simply never forgotten.

Seeger ducked out of the administrative area and into the nearest washroom. He washed his hands twice and felt the urge to find Heather and apologize for violating her, only to scowl at himself in the mirror for his foolishness.

He needed to find the truth, if for the sake of his own sanity if nothing else.

"It is almost the end of third period, sir," said Kelly.

"They all gather after every period, sir," said Lynn. "They did that after the first two periods, even though it made some of them late for their next class."

Victor nodded and regarded his two cultists. The first order of business had been to ensure they would use no title for him other than "sir" in public. He had to nudge their minds a bit to accomplish it. "There are three more brethren at the school, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Kelly replied. "We have successfully established control over the perceptions of the student body. It was surprisingly easy."

It was not surprising to Victor. He understood the same thing that Elizabeth Jellison had before him: sexual energy could be harnessed, and Victor could turn it inward to help enforce his own power. Teenagers were very sexual beings, regardless of whether they did the act or not, and thus the easiest to manipulate.

"We're ready whenever you are, sir," said Lynn.

Victor sensed the eagerness in her voice and her thoughts. "Fetch the other three, Lynn, and get them into position now."

Lynn smiled. She bowed her head and left.

"So you will confront them now, sir?" Kelly asked.

Victor stood. "Yes, we need to show a strong hand. I must impress upon them what we can do. Jason may feel brave in the knowledge that I cannot simply snatch both Book and pendant from him, but he must be made to see the danger that we pose to his friends."

A smile touched Kelly's lips. "Should we reveal what we left in Melinda?"

"No. It is best that we keep that secret for now, though they are intelligent enough to discover it for themselves before long. I granted permission for this on the condition that it would be held in reserve. I am thinking ahead, beyond Halloween, when I am gone and you will need to keep the Harbingers in check."

Kelly nodded. "Of course, sir."

"And make sure your cohort understands this as well. Her eagerness can be a bane as well as a blessing."

"Understood, sir."

Victor stepped out from behind his desk. "Let's go."

Richie was on his way to Melinda's third period class when the bell rang. He waited just to the side of the door, then grabbed Melinda's arm the moment she stepped over the threshold and escorted her away. Melinda yelped and tried to yank her arm away before she realized who it was.

"Nice way to scare the shit out of me, Richie!" Melinda snapped.

"Good, then you won't need to use the bathroom," Richie said.

Melinda made disgusted noise. At the same time, she glanced over her shoulder. "I thought I saw one of them again, Richie, just before class. I think it was Kelly."

"Don't sweat it. We're not gonna let her touch you."

Melinda gave him a dubious look but said nothing. Her heart hammered from the shock of being grabbed by Richie, and it refused to calm down. When Diane and Heather appeared, Melinda broke away from Richie and rushed to her older sister. "Heather, you okay? I sensed something over the ... shit, Heather, your Aura is darker again, what the fuck?!"

"Look, chill, runt," Heather said, an edge of desperation to her voice. "I'm okay. I didn't call for anyone to help me."

"You never do, even when you need it!"

"Stop exaggerating."

"I'm not! It was Ms. Bendon, wasn't it? She was screwing with you again."

"It doesn't matter. Not after some of the things she said to me. But I want to wait until Jason shows up before--"

"There he is!" Melinda shouted, pointing.

"Yeah, and now the whole fucking school knows," Richie grumbled.

Jason ran up to them, Cassie and Ned on his heels. "Everyone okay? Heather, you got into something during your class, but it felt like it was with--"

"Jason, please listen to me," Heather said. "Ms. Bendon doesn't care if we go after Victor or Ms. Hollis. She even said she would let me join up with you to help."

"Wait, what?" Melinda said.

"Well, we kinda knew Victor an' the Principal of Darkness were dancin' ta diff'rent tunes," Ned said.

"But to actually help us against him?" Cassie said, bewildered.

"I know, it would seem counterproductive," Jason said. "But she must consider Victor a bigger threat than us."

"Which ain't sayin' much fer what she thinks our chances are," Ned said.

"It doesn't matter. We'll take advantage of whatever we can get."

"Unless it's just a trap of some kind," Melinda muttered.

"I don't think so," Ned said. "Ms. Bendon don't strike me as one of yer great criminal masterminds, if ya know what I mean."

"She's an opportunist," said Jason. "She's not for us as much as against Victor."

"Look, stop fucking analyzing it," Richie said. "Now we can go fuck over Ms. Hollis as much as we want."

"I don't want to do anything more to her than we have to," Cassie said.

"Let's not worry about it now," Jason said. "We'll have to figure out a way to get her away from the party, though. Maybe if Ms. Bendon is really willing to--"

"Um, ixnay on the artypay lanspay, dude," Ned said, looking past Richie. "Evil School Counselor and minions at twelve-o'clock."

Melinda raced to Jason's side, her eyes shimmering. "That's them," she said in a tiny voice. "K-Kelly and Lynn."

Jason nodded. He had recognized them.

"Which one's ass do you want me to kick first?" Richie said.

"Richie, no!" Cassie hissed.

"Richie, please, don't move against them," Jason said.

Richie whirled around to face him, teeth clenched and bared. "Why the fuck not, man?!"

"Dude, even I'm with Jason on this one," Ned said. "We'll get our chance, jus' not now."

Richie clenched his hands into fists. Cassie uttered a small gasp when she saw him twitch, thinking he was about to lunge at them. Instead, he slapped his fists to his sides and uttered a curse before turning around and shooting a look of pure venom at Victor.

Jason lifted his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it go, then started forward, Melinda still clinging to his arm. Heather grasped Melinda's arm and pulled her back.

"No, stop it, Heather, I--"

Heather pulled Melinda to her. "Melinda, please," Heather whispered in her sister's ear. "He has to be the one to confront Victor."

"Just b-because you saw it in your stupid vision," Melinda said in a miserable voice. Her eyes glistened. She swallowed and let out a ragged breath, wiping one eye.

Jason stepped past Richie. Both Richie and Ned stood behind him to either side. Cassie and Diane drew close to Heather and Melinda.

As Victor approached, the other students in the hallway gave Victor's group and the Harbingers a wide berth. Their attention never strayed from their own path. Their eyes never turned towards either group, as if the players in this tableau had ceased to exist for them.

Jason glanced to either side. He saw the lines of energy flowing through the other students, guiding them like moving walkways. He raised his eyes to Victor as the man came to a stop just three feet from them. Kelly and Lynn formed a similar if looser phalanx around their Master.

"Good morning, Jason," Victor said in a cheerful voice. "I believe you continue to hold something of great value that I require. Perhaps we can now arrange for a transfer of ownership."

Seeger frowned as he looked towards Jason's locker. He could not have missed them. They had congregated around this locker for the past two periods.

For a moment, he felt a sense of relief. He had only a vague notion of what he was going to do. The direct approach was not viable, as he could not imagine himself saying the words: excuse me, Mr. Conner, but I wish to verify that the incredible idea of mind control running rampant in this school is no more than a sick fantasy.

If Seeger had heard a faculty member ask such a thing of a student, he would recommend referring the person to psychiatric counseling.

Seeger scowled and continued on his normal rounds through the hallways, something he had neglected since this foolish obsession had plagued him. He again entertained the thought of accepting the offer of retirement. It would be far easier on his sanity to let the school go as it may without his involvement. Let Laura have her little queendom. Let ...

Seeger stopped, and found himself staring at nothing.

Nothing appeared in the middle of the hallway up ahead. Students streamed around nothing, oblivious to it. That certainly made sense, since there was nothing to see. Yet Seeger was somehow seeing it.

Seeger closed his eyes, paused, and opened them again. He still saw nothing. His brain still insisted that it saw substance in nothing. But what was he seeing? A bunch of students? A faculty member? The two new staff members he (never) was (saw) very (before) familiar with?

Seeger frowned. Why did he think of those specific people? He was not seeing them. They were not here. Only nothing was here.

Nevertheless, Seeger continued towards nothing at all.

Jason had gone over in his head all morning what he might say at this point. He had guessed right that Victor would be just as polite and calm as always. Yet out of the possibilities, he could not settle on any one response. Thus he said the first thing that came into his head. "I don't have the Book with me."

Victor's smile did not waver. "That is to be expected. But I am sure by now your girlfriend has conveyed to you what she experienced while a guest of my cohorts."

Richie's teeth ground together so hard that Jason could hear it. Behind them, Melinda's lower lip trembled. She stared at Lynn and Kelly in turn, unable to direct her gaze elsewhere. Heather, Cassie, and Diane, however, exchanged puzzled looks, as if they suddenly realized that something was amiss.

Jason's eyes hardened. "Yes, she told me."

"I regretted doing it, Jason," said Victor. "Despite what you may think of me, I generally do not operate that way."

"Yeah, right, you perverted fuckers really had to work at it to get off on it," Richie muttered.

"Calm down, dude," Ned said out of the corner of his mouth. "Don't give 'em an excuse."

"I do not need an excuse for anything that I do," Victor said. "It is very important that you understand that. Everything I do is for a purpose."

Heather and Diane glanced about them. Heather's fingers rose to the buttons of her blouse. Diane gave Heather a questioning look. Cassie's hand rose as well, then stopped as she gasped and staggered back a half-step, her eyes wide.

Richie frowned suddenly. He exchanged a look with Ned. Jason met Victor's gaze with an unwavering one of his own. Melinda bit her lip, ignoring the warm tingle in her pussy.

"What are you going to do with the Book?" Jason asked.

"May I take that to mean that you agree to relinquish it?" asked Victor.

"What are you going to do with the Book?" Jason repeated.

You already know what he will do with it, Jason heard the Book in his head. You don't need to ask him!

"Should that matter? Or are you concerned that I will use the Book on you and your friends once I have it?"

Of course he will! That's why you can't give it to him!

Dammit, SHUT UP, Jason mentally shouted back. To Victor, he said nothing and let as little emotion as possible show on his face.

Cassie squeezed her eyes shut. Can't be real can't be real can't be real ...

Yet when she opened them again, she saw the same thing: all the girls in the hallway were bare from the waist up. They stared at the Harbinger girls with both confused and mocking looks, whispering among themselves and giggling. Cassie felt terribly embarrassed.

Heather began unbuttoning her blouse and spoke a soft command to Diane. Diane nodded and pulled her sweater up and over her head. Cassie glanced at Heather and was shamed into unbuttoning her own blouse.

Melinda let out a small, husky sigh and staggered back, both horrified and aroused at her own thoughts. She bumped into her sister and turned. "Heather, what the fuck are you doing?!"

The boys turned. "Holy shit, what--?!" Richie began.

Jason stared at the girls for a few seconds before turning back to Victor, his eyes blazing.

"Or perhaps you should be more concerned with what I can already do," said Victor.

Some part of Cassie's mind was still resisting. Her hands trembled as they pulled her blouse off. Diane removed her bra, her movements eager and effortless. Heather had shed her blouse but hesitated a moment before reaching behind her to unhook her bra.

"Stop it!" Melinda shrieked.

Richie wished he had his baseball. He stared at Victor's face, imagining it with a broken and bloody nose.

"You didn't answer my question," Jason said in clipped tones.

"Is that what you want?" said Victor. "Reassurances that I will not use the Book against your friends? I can offer no such guarantee. I can only offer what I will do if you continue to deny me the Book."

Cassie, Heather, and Diane had stripped themselves to the waist. They glanced around once more and then at each other. Cassie blushed and fingered the waist of her skirt.

Melinda wanted to scream at Victor. Instead, she could only glance at Kelly and Lynn and whimper at the weak but inescapable feelings of desire for them.

"Jason, are we gonna just keep takin' this shit from them?!" Richie yelled.

"I gotta admit, boss, I wanna bust some heads myself," Ned said.

I can give you power, Jason, all that you could ever need.

Jason glanced at the girls, then looked back at Victor.

"Should I push them further?" said Victor. "Make them think they need to be naked?"

Heather began to undo her jeans. Cassie whimpered and tugged at her skirt. Diane followed their lead and dropped her jeans down her legs. "Stop it, stop it, stop it," Melinda chanted under her breath.

"Or perhaps make them think they need to masturbate?"

Heather slipped a hand under her panties, Diane following along. Cassie shuddered, her fingers shaking and sliding under the waistband of her panties, but going no further.

Let me give you that power now. Just ask for it. I can do that much!

Jason trembled. He barely heard the Book's words. He looked back at the girls, and his eyes fell on Diane. Something clicked into place in his head. He turned back to Victor. At the edge of his mind, he felt a distant twinge of pain and the strain of unreleased power.

"And then let the rest of the school see them?" Victor said. "Or perhaps just take them away from here where they can be naked and masturbate to their heart's content thinking it is simply the natural order of--"

Take it, Jason! Take it now when his guard is down! Take--!

Jason lunged.

Victor's mind sensed Jason's intention only in the instant before Jason's body could follow through. He turned his body just enough to block the kick to his crotch. The blow landed on his thigh instead, and he teetered off-balance. As he tried to right himself, his head dipped, and one of Jason's flailing fists met his jaw.

Victor stumbled and crashed hard into the lockers.

Abruptly, nothing became Victor Mann leaning against the lockers, rubbing his jaw, while several boys were pulled back from him by the two new staff members.

And for just an instant, Seeger was sure he had seen three partially naked girls.

Seeger blinked, and it almost disappeared. The nudity was gone. The others were there or not there from moment to moment. The harder he stared at it, the more reality seemed to shimmer like mist. As his brain struggled to make sense of what he had just (not) seen, his perception crystallized around a single idea: a student has just struck a teacher.

At once, Victor, the staff members, and Jason Conner all came into sharp focus. Seeger scowled and marched down the hallway.

Around the tableau, several students had slowed or stopped, looking at the Harbingers. Or trying to. Sometimes their eyes slid past, sometimes they focused and widened in shock, only to fade to bewilderment when they could not find what they were sure they had just seen.

Cassie blinked as her manufactured reality faded. She pulled her bra back on and secured it in the back, fighting off the last vestiges of embarrassment. Heather pulled her hand out of her panties and glanced around her in confusion. She finally stared at Cassie, her mouth opening as if to speak. She was jolted out of her mental fog by a sharp shove.

"Put your fucking clothes back on, bubblehead!" Melinda hissed. "You too, Diane!"

Diane obeyed at once, taking it as a command from Mistress to slave.

Jason stopped struggling. Richie slowly followed his lead, then exchanged a glance with Ned. They both looked upon Jason with a mixture of surprise and awe.

Victor straightened up, rubbing his jaw. He wiped the corner of his mouth, which streaked the side of his hand with crimson. His eyes blazed until he forced his emotions to a more even keel. The anger vanished, replaced with a simple, hard confidence. He gestured toward Kelly and Lynn, and they let go of Richie and Jason.

Behind them, Heather gasped and covered her breasts with her arms as the remainder of her false reality dissipated. Melinda snatched Heather's bra from the floor and thrust it towards her.

"No more negotiation," Victor said in a cold, steady voice. "No more chances. No more confrontations. You will return the Book to me tonight, either during or immediately after the party. If you do not, I will take Heather, Cassie, and Diane as I did Melinda, except this time it will be permanent. Do I make myself clear?"

Jason looked at Victor long enough to show that he heard, then turned towards the girls. "Are all of you okay?"

Heather nodded, too choked up to speak. She had her bra back on and was buttoning her blouse. Diane was dressed, but Cassie was lagging, only now putting on her dress. Jason's action had shocked her the most of all the Harbingers.

Jason looked at Diane. His awareness of what Victor had done was no longer being subsumed back into the ether of artificial reality. She was still his slave, but he could see the wrongness of it.

"Do I make myself clear?" Victor said in a louder voice.

"He heard you the first time, you fucker," Richie growled.

"That will be quite enough from you, Mr. Gardner!" boomed Seeger.

Victor's head turned. Cassie gasped at what she saw in Victor's face before it became a mask of steel once more.

Seeger's eyes slid from Victor, to Jason, to Kelly and Lynn, to the girls, then back to Victor once more. He stood up straight, his chest swelling. "Just what happened here, Dr. Mann?"

Victor smiled. "My apologies, Seymour, but everything is under control. And, please, call me Victor."

"It did not appear to be 'under control' as you put it, Dr. Mann. It appeared to me as if you were on the receiving end of a physical altercation."

Jason's looked towards Richie and Ned, incredulous. Richie shrugged and Ned simply shook his head.

"There was a disagreement, but it was resolved amiably," said Victor. "There is no need for your further attention into the matter."

Seeger paused, as if weighing Victor's words. For a moment he seemed confused again, as if unsure as to why he was there. "I see."

"I encourage students to hold differing opinions from mine. It occasionally leads to heated debates. Engaging in such in the hallway prior to class was clearly not the best time or place. I take full responsibility for this questionable action."

Seeger again paused. He shifted his gaze to Jason, then to Heather, where it lingered for a few more seconds. The memory of the sight and smell outside Laura's office played again in his head. Some of the confusion retreated.

"I see," Seeger said again in a more confident tone. He turned to Victor. "Very well. Please return to your office. I may question you later on the matter for the official record."

"Of course, I understand," Victor said after a very slight hesitation.

Seeger turned to Kelly and Lynn. "Return to your duties. Whatever they are."

Kelly and Lynn shifted their eyes towards Victor. Victor nodded once. Kelly and Lynn nodded to Seeger and left. Victor fell into step behind them.

"All of you, get to your next class at once," said Seeger to the Harbingers. After a pause, he added, "Except you, Mr. Conner. You will come to my office immediately."

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Melinda shrieked. "Victor started it!"

"This is fucking bullshit!" Richie shouted. "It was that fucking tool that--!"

"ENOUGH!" Seeger bellowed. "Mr. Gardner, you will watch your language! Mr. Conner, to my office, NOW. The rest of you get to class! I will not repeat myself!"

"It's all right," Jason said. When Richie threatened to explode, Jason grabbed his shoulder. "I said it's all right!"

Richie stared at him, then at Seeger, then stomped off, muttering several vile curses.

Heather tugged on Melinda's arm. Melinda shook it off, but followed her sister anyway, Diane trotting close behind. Cassie lingered as Ned went up to Jason and clasped him on the back. Ned grinned, gave him a thumbs-up gesture, and headed away.

Seeger thrusted his hand down the hallway and pointed. Jason trudged off in that direction.

"Damn," Ned muttered as Seeger and Jason left. "I hope Jason doesn't get inta too much trouble. What the hell made Seeger even notice, anyway?"

"Ned, when Seeger arrived, Victor was surprised," Cassie whispered. "Actually surprised! I don't think he expected that at all!"

"Huh. I think our chances of pulling this off went up a notch."

"Assuming Jason doesn't get expelled," Cassie said in a despondent voice.

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