Chapter 11: Wednesday Afternoon

Kara stepped through the doors and glanced around. Wait, where are you guys? You’re not at the usual table.

Yeah. Kara quietly made her way towards the table. What of him?

Simply put, he decided to form a counter cult to the original one. One that is convinced that some terrible illness is driving us to madness, and that only the seed of the rightful members can cure us of it.

She waived at the others, sat down quietly, and began to eat. I see what you mean about meager pickings. And how dare they disrespect us like that!

My muse, just because they claim to follow one ideal, doesn’t mean they actually do. I’m not surprised that there might be some closeted boys in the bunch. Kara quickly finished her food, then turned to the others, and smiled at Pia’s raised sketch pad. “Do our ‘conversations’ really look that interesting?”

“You’ll see when I’m done. Please though, don’t stop.”

Kara grinned, shrugged at the others, and turned back to Emanuel and Allison. I wonder what it is that Pia’s seeing that’s so interesting to her.

Exactly. Kara glanced quickly at Pia, who smiled and nodded her head. I think Pia’s done with her drawing.

“Okay, what’s so important that you insisted they stay quiet?” Shelley asked.

“I noticed something interesting during the start of their ‘conversation’, and wanted to make sure I was seeing it correctly. Here, let me show you guys.” Pia turned her sketchbook around towards them.

“I don’t see anything new” Laura replied.

“You don’t see the colors connecting them?” Cosette asked, pointing to one of the strands of silver.

“Yeah, so?”

“Look more closely. They’re not solid. In fact, they look like the message tubes that the drive through sections of old banks sometimes have.”

Kara smirked as Laura leaned in closer. “Oh, you’re right. What of it though?”

“What are those darker short lines inside of the ‘tubes’ supposed to be?” Shelley asked.

“Are they supposed to represent the words we were ‘speaking’ to each other, Pia?”

Pia grinned. “Exactly Kara!”

“Wait...” Laura started. “You actually saw what they were ‘saying’ to each other?”

“Not in enough detail to understand what they were talking about. But, definitely enough to get a sense of the emphasis placed on some of them, and the mood of the conversation.” She turned to them. “That’s quite a gift you three have there.”

“It is quite handy sometimes” Emanuel replied.

“Sometimes? Most of the time Manny. Especially while making love. Right darling?”

Kara blushed, and grinned. “Yeah ... not needing to physically speak to communicate a want or need allows us to do more than we might otherwise be able to.”

She watched as Shelley glanced around, then motioned them in close and began to whisper. “By the way, have you all heard the newest rumor?”

“Does it have something to do with us?” Allison asked.

“Somewhat, but not directly. Okay, so rumor has it that two teachers may be preparing to quit.”

Kara glanced at Emanuel and Allison. “I think I can guess one of the teachers. Harner, right?” Allison replied.

“Yeah. Also, a Mr. Pontas.”

“Do the rumors suggest why they might be quitting?” Tony asked.

“Totally. Harner supposedly feels like her beliefs are under attack, and no longer feels safe here. Pontas seems to believe that this administration listens more to the students than the teachers, and that his authority and ability to teach is being trampled upon by the VP and his student agents.”

Kara watched the smirks break out on Allison and Emanuel’s faces, and joined them in the hearty laugh that followed a moment later. “Oh, that’s a good one. His ego finally takes a little bit of a hit, and suddenly his authority is being ‘trampled upon’.”

“Harner seemed reasonable, if a little conservative at first. But, to throw out a student simply because they’re friends with us is ridiculous. If the administration is really out to get her, than it’s been pretty gentle to her so far. If anything, she’s been attacking us.”

“To be fair precious, I think she really believes the crap Benerdon was feeding her. Besides, if you think about it, Benerdon was one of the few allies she really had here. And we did play a direct part in her retreat from the school.”

“From everything you two told me, I don’t think that’s true” Pia started. “You merely defended yourself from her vicious slander, and saved the VP the work of having to collect all of the evidence she stupidly left behind. She’s the real villain here, and if Harner is butt hurt that she no longer has such an obviously unreliable ally, then she’s delusional.”

“I think all of you are missing one part of her unhappiness. Apparently, as your fame’s grown, and with it your cult, she’s been under more and more pressure from the growing portion of the student body that supports you in some way.” Tony paused. “In a manner of speaking, she is under attack. Kara’s attempt yesterday really didn’t help much with quelling that part of the mob.”

Kara stared in disbelief at Tony. “I would hope that she’d be adult enough to recognize when something is outside of our control. But it seems that’s not the case. So, instead of behaving like the adult she’s supposed to be...”

“She lashes out like a child might. That’s the problem we have with her, Tony. Why are we expected to be adults, when one of our teachers isn’t held to the same standard?”

“Your observation isn’t entirely right Ms. Kirse” Mrs. Frauhold suddenly added. “She is being held accountable for unprofessional behavior. The acting principal is seeing to that personally.”

Kara slowly turned around to face her. “How much did you...”

“Starting from that laugh. Generally, a bunch of students gathered close and whispering among themselves is nothing to worry about. But, when several of them are among the social elite, it’s appropriate to be a little concerned.”

“Social elite? Really?” Laura responded.

“You’ve heard high school social structures sometimes compared to royal courts, right?” They all nodded their heads. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Mr. Lopez has been the King among the jocks for quite some time. And when recent events propelled a previously unknown like Ms. Kirse to Queen, people will start to take notice. Add in Ms. Foster’s very recent ascension to royal consort, and that makes three ‘royals’ at one table. The rest of you will likely see your rank rise as the weeks go on too.”

Kara watched as anger quickly flashed on Allison’s face. Please don’t, my muse. It’s not worth it.

Yes it is. Royal consort makes it sound like you’re just some high value whore, or at best, an outsider who can be thrown away whenever we feel like it. That’s not right. But don’t worry, I’ll be careful with what I say.

And how too?

Yes. “Mrs. Frauhold, you know better than most just how demeaning it is to call Kara just a royal consort. It’s not accurate, and it sends the wrong message about us.”

“It’s a problem with the royal model Ms. Kirse. There really isn’t room for a king to have to queens; and it’s completely unheard of for a queen to have another queen.”

“Is it right to say that we wield a lot of power?”

“Yes.”

“Then we can say that both of those things are possible in the model, and that’s exactly what we are. A king and two queens.”

“Or we can be more than royals. To some here, we already are.”

“I suppose so Ms. Foster. Some royal families were said to be sanctioned by a deity.”

“Mrs. Frauhold, don’t forget societies where the king or queen was also a deity. So, you could say we’re both.”

“Still, you three are proving my point. If you have enough social power to make polyamorous relationships normal within historically resistant power structures, then you have more power than you might believe. So, seeing all of you whispering together suggests that we should know what’s going on.”

“Nothing. We’re simply trying to stay in the loop about what’s happening ourselves. Especially when that news could effect some of us. The three of us are just fortunate that this particular news doesn’t.”

“How so? Don’t you two have her for English? And Ms. Foster; don’t you have him for Math?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Harner made it very clear we were not welcome in her classroom again, and refused to budge on that stance. So we’re no longer in her class. Ask Mr. Litski if you want” Emanuel replied.

“And Mr. Pontas made it clear that there’s only one way I’m returning to his class; and frankly, his requirements are unreasonable. I also have an excuse out of that class until he changes his mind. And if the rumors are to be believed, then I won’t need to worry about that for long.”

Mrs. Frauhold glanced down nervously, then lowered her voice. “Oh ... those ‘rumors’. Unless the acting principal can do something significant, I’m afraid they’re going to turn out true.”

Allison shook her head sadly. “I don’t think there’s anything he can do; not without betraying what’s best for the school. The conditions both of them have are too radical for him to even consider.”

“Oh? Why do you say that Ms. Kirse?”

“She wants an environment where no one can question her beliefs. That’s completely counter to what schools exist to do.”

“Very well, what about the other one?”

“He wants the right to fully control the classroom, including all noise. I imagine, if he had his way, no student would be able to ask for anything that might ‘disrupt’ his class. While we’ll all agree that as the teacher of the class he is entitled to a level of respect, no average teacher is worthy of that level. And he had the gall to insist Kara delay her graduation by a year.”

“That’s a bit much. What kind of a ‘disruption’ could cause someone to react that strongly?”

“Please bear in mind that this happened before I fully realized I’d been telepathically connected to my loves. So apparently I was broadcasting some of my thoughts, and when I started to pick up on them clearly it was such a surprise that I gasped audibly. It really wasn’t that loud, and it only lasted for a moment or two before I went back to being completely quiet. But apparently that little noise was enough for him to brand me a ‘huge disruption’ to his class. I’d be willing to offer the apology he asked for; that’s not too unreasonable. But that second part was insane.”

“I see now. I’m not sure what he was thinking with that request.”

“And when the acting principal refused to side with him on that, and ruled that any absences he marks for kicking me out of his class will be ignored, that must have been too much for his ego.” She paused for a moment. “I could understand if Mr. Kline was annoyed with me. The fun they were having that period was just too much for me, and I didn’t have the ability to temporarily put up a wall to stop the sharing yet.”

“We didn’t realize the range on the ‘network’ was that strong either.”

“I know, my muse. I’m not angry about that. Even so, I did my best to not draw attention to the orgasm I had no control over. I’m honestly not sure if he even noticed that I had one.”

Mrs. Frauhold laughed softly. “If he was doing his usual trick of showing an educational film, I’m not surprised. I guess there really is nothing to be done to keep them.”

“He’s honestly no big loss; the only reason I’ve been able to follow his lessons so far is that I’m good with math. Losing her would be something of a loss though.”

Kara watched many of the mouths around her drop.

They don’t realize what we do about her, do they partner?

No. But I heard enough from you two that I can add something and make this clear.

Go ahead darling.

“I know, I sound insane. But honestly, there are so few balancing voices here when it comes to the Program. If we don’t have at least some, then the possibility of it going off the rails because we’re all too enthusiastic and not careful enough is real. But if she’s already been poisoned by Benerdon, then there isn’t much that any of us can do about stopping her.” She paused and glanced up at the clock. “Besides, how can we really learn if we don’t have multiple viewpoints to hear in the first place?”

Mrs. Frauhold looked thoughtful for a moment. “Those are ... some very good points.”

Emanuel smiled. “Before everything went crazy, we had a really good conversation about the Program in her class. I think it was critical for many of our classmates that they could hear the issues we’d had up to that point.”

“Issues? With the Program?”

“Sort of. Allison and I noted how the school felt like a bunch of hungry sharks, and the feeding frenzy of the first few days was nuts. I don’t think that’s an issue with the Program itself, per se ... rather, the issue is the lack of ground work before the Program kicked off in full.”

“Do you agree with him, Ms. Foster?”

“Yes, but not from experience. I’m benefiting immensely from the existence of the cult; I haven’t had nearly as many RRs as I expected I’d have. Truthfully, sometimes I actively want more than I’m getting naturally.”

“I felt that way towards the end of last week too. The ‘new toy’ smell had worn off, and suddenly we weren’t quite as interesting to others at that point” Allison added.

“I’ll need to bring this to the attention of my superiors; along with a warning to look out for the kind of thing that the former principal tried to do.”

Allison looked up hopefully. “Oh, can you also mention that they should seriously revise some of the lesson materials they provide? The scenes for Drama were frankly exploitative, and some of the poses for Art were no better than bad porn. And I’m sure that if you talk to most of the teachers, they’ll raise serious concerns with just how invasive the Program’s hand is in their classes. If they weren’t so heavy handed, anti-Program responses from teachers wouldn’t be so bad.”

“What do you mean by the first part of your statement Ms. Kirse?”

“Manny and I both read the scenes that the local committee wants Nancy to use. And I can’t see how anyone would be willing to act those out. The plot in them is worse than most porn, and the underlying messages would have been acceptable twenty years ago; not now. They were all about the sex, and nothing else. Don’t you agree that focusing on sex only goes against the Program goals of making nudity normal?”

“That’s a good point. I haven’t had the chance to give the official materials a good looking over yet.”

“You might want to make that a priority. Far too many of them are awful or heavy handed.”

“Thank you Mr. Lopez. I’ll do that as soon as I can carve out some free time.” She glanced up at the clock. “In fact, my own lunch break will be coming up soon. I can start on some of them then.”

For the main meal? Yes, my pillar. But now, I want dessert. Kara licked her lips and grinned at them.

That will need to wait for later. Be patient just a bit longer darling.

Kara pouted slightly. Okay. The bell rang as she stood up and grabbed her tray. She turned to Emanuel. “Oh, was Lisa able to talk to you earlier?”

“Yeah. The look of shock that suddenly appeared on her face when I gave my response was something else.”

“Followed by a look of longing?”

“Exactly darling. How did you know?”

“It was something Lisa said. She wanted to believe me; from a hopeful place that she might find it someday for herself. But it just seemed so outlandish to accept outright.” She paused and glanced down for a moment. “Did we do her a favor by exposing this possibility? I mean, we don’t know the odds of her finding someone that she’ll connect with the same way.”

They passed through the double doors. “She mentioned that she’d already heard about it as a rumor. That means, darling, that she was already aware of the possibility; after all, you’ve confirmed enough of the more ‘outlandish’ rumors about us. Enough to give that one some amount of credence.” Allison and Emanuel started to turn in the direction of the art room. Kara began turning the other way, then paused and rejoined her lovers. “Wait, isn’t your class in the other direction?”

“That’s another class I’m not welcome in. And I’m not going to start studying for the opt out test until the week is done. So, I figured I could see if Mrs. Rose would appreciate another model.”

“She might. It doesn’t hurt to ask.” Kara smiled at Allison. “Are you okay if you end up being on you own? I want to draw today.”

“Me too” Emanuel added.

“Yeah. It would be a lot of fun to be able to pose with one or both of you again. But I suppose if I really want the true experience, I need to be on my own.”

She quietly took their hands. We could get in trouble for doing this darling.

I don’t care. If the rules allow us to go down on someone in the hallway, but not hold hands, then they make no sense.

Neither do I, darling. I want to be able to pull you in for a big hug, or give you a great passionate kiss during school hours if we want to.

Kara nodded her head. Would you like a kiss now, my muse?

Very much. Kara smiled, stopped, and pulled Allison close for a scorching kiss. I think people are watching us do this.

Of course they are, my muse. It’s not everyday you see two girls kissing in the hallway. Besides, we know you’re liking what this is doing for you.

Ye ... yeah. We should stop though. If we don’t... she paused, moaning into the kiss then Manny may need a change of underwear.

Nope. His filter’s already up. Go ahead, my muse; let the wave burst.

Kara ‘grinned’ as Allison’s orgasm caused her to shake; her scream muffled by the ongoing kiss. She felt her own wave of pleasure break a moment later, causing both of them to shake as the wave rushed through her. Allison broke the kiss and smiled. “Thank you, my love.”

They started towards the art room again. Are either of you hearing the ‘whispers’ from your audience?

Yeah Manny. ‘They came from just kissing? How is that possible?’ and a few ‘They are truly gods among men’. I just hope that doesn’t grow the cult.

It probably will, my muse. At the very least, it should make a number of them really think about the insanity that the extremists are teaching, and realize that it can’t explain how this worked. That should drive any new people to the ‘reasonable’ ones. And Lisa’s eventual articles should help too.

Speaking of Lisa, do you think she’ll hear about this in time for your talk with her tomorrow? Allison ‘asked’.

Definitely. I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t hear about it by the end of the next period. We’re almost there, right?

Allison pointed to a door nearby. “You could say that. Did Litski make Mrs. Rose aware of your interest?”

“I don’t think so.” Kara glanced through the open door. “Does she usually look that stressed out?”

“Not in my experience” Emanuel began, then stepped through the door. “Is everything okay Mrs. Rose?”

“No. The model for today had to cancel at the last moment. Are you or Allison willing to model today?”

The model isn’t coming. “We were hoping to draw today. However...” he began, partner please come in “we know a way you can find one quickly.”

“How? I’ve tried everyone who has ever modeled for this class, and none of them can come by at the last minute.”

Kara stepped through the door, watching a smile of relief appear on her face. “I was kind of hoping that you wouldn’t mind a student volunteer. Especially since I’m free this period for the rest of the week.”

“But what about your usual class?”

“I have the acting Principal’s permission to be here right now.” She paused, and glanced at Allison and Emanuel. “Although, I would dearly love another chance to pose with my loves.”

She could ‘see’ the gears turning in Mrs. Rose’s head. “Would you two be willing to do one pose each with her? I’m thinking one solo, and two paired poses.”

Please my loves...

That still leaves us with most of the class time to draw. Okay darling. “Do you have specific poses in mind?”

“A few. None of them overly explicit; unless you want some explicit poses that is. I’m sure the class wouldn’t mind that.”

“Mind it?” Allison started. “They’re probably going to shout for that.” One explicit pose?

I’d like that. Which one of you would like to do one with me?

I will darling. Manny, will you do a pose with our wife as well?

Sure. Something romantic, but not outright sexual though.

“We’ll do it. I’ll take an explicit pose with Kara, while Manny would prefer something romantic and loving.”

Mrs. Rose laughed heartily. “I expected those would be your answers.” She glanced at Allison and Emanuel. “You should take your seats for now. Kara, feel free to hang out in the model changing room for a moment. You can use one of the robes in there when you come out; I want to reinforce to this class that all models are worthy of the respect they give the professionals.”

“Does this mean you’re not using Kara through the program?”

“You’re quite right Allison.” She turned back to Kara. “I’ll have a form for you to fill out after the period is over. If you’re going to be our model for the rest of the week, you might as well get paid for it.”

Kara felt her jaw drop for a moment, then nodded her head. Did I hear her correctly?

She slipped on the soft robe and fuzzy slippers waiting in the little room. Exactly, my muse. I’m reasonably certain I can pick everything up in about a month or so, and do so well enough to score well on the test. The bell suddenly rang, and Kara heard a large number of people rush in. Your classmates do that too?

Yeah. The only ones who joined us before the bell were Pia and the few serious artists in the class. Everyone else ... I just don’t understand why people do that.

Neither do I, my muse; neither do I.

“I know some of you were looking forward to today’s planned model. She was unable to make it because of something that came up at the last minute. However, one of your fellow students graciously volunteered to take her place.”

“Is he in the Program?” one of the girls asked.

“First of all, never assume someone’s gender. Second, yes; although it really doesn’t matter. For this period, she’s a professional model, and I expect all of you to give her the same respect you give the usual models. Am I clear?”

Kara heard a number of soft murmurs. That ... doesn’t really sound like they mean it.

Many of them don’t. Don’t worry though, if anyone tries something stupid Mrs. Rose will make sure they regret it Emanuel thought.

I hope she won’t be too harsh on them.

“We’re ready for you.”

Kara stepped out, and felt a sudden wave of nervousness radiate from somewhere. I wasn’t expecting to feel this nervous.

There’s nothing to worry about. If it helps you, we’re sitting next to Pia; you can look over at us and ignore everyone else.

Thank you, my muse. The nervousness faded, and was quickly replaced with a very subtle pulse of arousal. Kara stepped forward, and stopped at the couch in the middle of the ring of students.

“We’re going to start with a fun pose. Kara, as soon as you’re ready, stand in a stable, rooted position with one of your arms out a little, and the other a few inches from your chest, the closed fist somewhere in the middle. I’ll grab the props you’re going to need.”