Chapter 11

Monday Afternoon

The library was, as always, quiet. I sat with my arm across Runner’s back, resting my head on his shoulder. I looked up as Runner leaned back from his reading, frowning. “So ... the world goes around the sun...” he began uncertainly.

“Uh-huh.”

“So why does it look like the sun is going around the world?”

“It’s because the world is spinning around...” I thought about how to explain it. “Here, stand up.”

Runner blinked, but rose out of his chair.

“Okay, say the table here is the sun, and you’re the world. I want you go slowly around the table, and keep turning around and around while you’re doing it.”

Runner smiled. “Like this?” Runner began turning in place, sidling gradually around the table.

Tate was looking up at us curiously from the other end of the library. I smiled back at him, and said to Runner, “Okay, stop here a minute. You’re facing the table. That’s like the sun being right up overhead. Now turn, and watch where the table is ... no, keep looking straight ahead. Now you’re seeing the table off to your side. It’s getting close to the edge of your vision. Keep turning ... See, now you can’t see the table. It’s behind you. And now ... here it comes again, from your other side. Now it’s right in front of you again. It’s like the table moved in a big circle all around you, but it wasn’t really moving at all. You were moving.”

Runner looked at me wide eyed, his jaw dropping. “So tonight when we’re in bed, the sun will be...” He pointed to the floor. “There? And we can’t see it because the world is in the way?”

I grinned and nodded vigorously. “Right!”

Runner shook his head, looking amazed. “I always wondered where it went at night. I got afraid sometimes it wouldn’t come back.” He suddenly gave me a serious look. “Amy ... You help me learn so many new things. After this weekend you won’t be here...”

I cut Runner off gently, putting both hands on his shoulders, saying softly, “You can learn all this without me. I don’t have to be here. You’ve been learning how to learn, so you can do it on your own. Just remember — there’s always a reason for everything, even the things that really confuse you at first. There’s a reason. There’s always a reason. You can find out what it is. Don’t let it scare you while you’re trying to find out.” I grinned. “And if you do need me, you’ll be carrying me around in your head.” I tapped the side of his head. “In your thinking. You’ll remember this talk today, right here. You’ll remember me telling you not to feel scared, or feel bad because you’re confused. Remember me telling you to think about all those times when your confusion went away because you understood, and tell yourself that will always happen again. You’ll learn and you’ll understand. I know you will.”

Runner’s face seemed aglow. He threw his arms around me. “I will remember.”

We held each other for a time. I was startled to hear a throat clearing nearby. I looked up to see Melissa.

“I figured I’d find you here,” Melissa began apologetically. “I was thinking ... since tomorrow night is our last time, do you want me to be ... ummm ... Miranda? You know, the clothes, the hair?”

I turned to face her, my hand still rubbing Runner’s back. I shook my head. “No, honey. I’ve always got Miranda with me. The person I want to say goodbye to is Melissa. I love you for you, not because you remind me of someone else.”

Melissa beamed at me, leaned forward, and kissed me.

Monday Night

I sat on the bed in Holden’s and Hamish’s room, looking up at the two brothers. “Okay, I won’t say anything while you’re doing it.” I reached out and kicked the lever on the platform, then sat back and wrapped my arms around my shins, trying to imagine myself as a mere spectator of their pair hanging.

As soon as they were airborne, Hamish smoothly thrust his right thigh between Holden’s, who gripped it tightly. They began moving against each other, briefly touching hips, cocks, lips together. They were working on shorter breathing cycles, constantly shifting their leg grips on each other to allow them each a single, deep breath during each cycle. Comparing their performance with my memory of a month previous, they were much more sensual, less mechanical now than when they had first been learning. The leg lifts for nipple kisses still required effort, but flowed much more smoothly now.

The best sign of how far they had advanced was the tingling between my legs that began seconds after they started. I began rubbing myself, involuntary sighs escaping my throat.

When Hamish waggled his foot, it took a moment for me to remember that I was not a mere spectator, that I needed to move the lever to raise the platform again.

Once both boys stood on the solid surface, I grinned and clapped my hands. “That looked great! And...” I paused, and chuckled. “There ought to be a drum roll for this, but I’ll just say it — you don’t need me anymore. Of course you need to make the program a little longer than that, and you should start working on a script for whoever assists you to follow. If you want some ideas on that, Melissa would be really good. But you know what you need to know about the techniques and training.”

Hamish beamed at me. “Thank you!” He kissed Holden.

Holden laughed. “So are you going to untie our hands?”

I smiled. “Thought you liked to be tied. You seemed happy enough with it last night.”

Both boys laughed. Holden said, “That was so cool. We ran straight back to Melissa’s room after we saw you and Jana like that. Melissa made us sit through the end of that movie she and Runner were watching...”

Hamish continued, “ ... and then they tried to tell us they wanted to wait for another night, and not have to run around gathering the harnesses and ropes and all that...”

“ ... But we did a little tag team begging, and they knew we wouldn’t let them alone...”

“And after they got us all set up like that, Melissa said they might leave us like that all night...”

“ ... but they came back about one a.m. Some night we want them to leave us tied all night...”

“ ... but only if we don’t need to do much the next day, because we were so wiped out. We came so many times!”

Holden — “It just feels so amazing! It’s like...”

I laughed. “Hey, I know what it feels like, remember?” I stood and untied Hamish’s hands; Hamish untied Holden and they removed their nooses.

The boys jumped down from the platform, and unexpectedly pressed up against me from either side. Hamish, on my right, leaned in and began giving me kiss-licks on the side of my neck. Holden did the same on my left.

The breath ran out of me in a rush, and I squeezed my eyes shut. My entire body seemed to be pulsating, vibrating. I had often been with two students at once, but it seemed far more intense, more sensual, for my perceptions to tell me I was being petted and fondled by the same boy in two places at the same time.

My eyes were still closed; I wasn’t sure which of them unsnapped my bra, and which was unzipping my shorts, pulling them down with my panties. Now they had moved around, one in front and one behind me. The one in front pressed his chest against my breasts, his belly against mine, and his cock against my labia, bare skin to bare skin. He put his hands on either side of my face, holding my head as he kissed me, his tongue deep in my mouth. The one behind rubbed his stomach on my back, cock brushing back and forth against my buttocks, running his hands up and down my sides from my breasts to my hips. And while he was doing all this, he kept on giving kiss-licks on the back of my neck.

I moaned helplessly, then gasped in a sharp breath as both brothers let their fingers slide down between my legs, one slipping a finger inside my pussy, one in my rear entry. I managed to stammer, in a hoarse whisper, “I thought ... thought we weRRRRe! g-going to watch a movie.”

The brother in front snickered, and asked softly, “Are you kidding?”

I lay on my back on the brothers’ bed, my eyes half-closed, floating on post-orgasmic bliss. Holden lay my left, Hamish on my right, each with one leg draped over one of mine, each with one arm under my back, each with one hand cupping my breast, playing idly with it. Each had his head on one of my shoulders, occasionally kissing my cheek.

Holden said softly, “We wish we could see your hanging...”

Hamish continued the thought with, “But we were talking before you came, and if missing your hanging is the price we have to pay for everything you’ve done for us, we’re really glad to pay it...”

“We just never imagined, when I was leaving home to come here and Hamish had to stay behind for a year, that we could end up being in classes together, and graduate together...”

“And these pair-hangings we’re going to be doing! To be able to put on shows where everybody can see the special love we have...”

Holden finished, “And it’s never been stronger than now! Nothing has ever made me feel so close to Hamish before...”

“Whenever we feel that closeness, we’ll think about you.”

Tears were streaming from my eyes now. “Really, you know I didn’t make any of that happen by myself...”

Holden giggled. “Oh, shut up, Amy. Just let us think of you the way we want to.”

Hamish leaned in and kissed me under the chin. “And then we’ll shut up too, if that makes you feel better.”

I grinned through my tears. “What’ll we do then, if nobody’s going to talk?”

In answer, both brothers rolled onto my body, covering me, and began another round of kiss-licks. I shivered, and found I was ready for another session of lovemaking.

Tuesday Morning

I felt a quiver inside as Tina smiled and directed me into the Dean’s office. This may be my last time in here. I looked around, taking in details I’d never noticed before. A photo of the Dean shaking hands with the mayor. A framed award from the Chamber of Commerce.

The Dean stood and offered me his hand. I was stunned, and couldn’t think what to do for a moment, but recovered my senses enough to shake hands with him.

Sitting, I began, “Sir, I just want to thank you for ... for everything. Everything in my life in the last four years.” I wanted to go on, but couldn’t think how to expand on that.

He smiled. “I’d like to offer you my thanks as well. I’d make a list, but I’m sure you know what would be on it.”

I blushed. “I was just trying to ... be a NooseMeister. I think all of us have our own version of what that means. Everything I’ve done comes out of what being a NooseMeister means to me.”

“You’ve added quite a lot to what it means.”

My eyes stung with tears, and I tried to palm them away. “Shit. I told myself I wasn’t going to do this.”

He smiled and pushed a box of tissues toward me. I blinked in surprise, took several, and blotted my eyes with them. I looked questioningly at him, and he smiled and shrugged. “I’ve done a lot of exit interviews.”

I laughed through my tears, then sobered as a thought struck me. “I’m sure every one of those graduates has added to your pride and the school’s reputation. I hope I can do that.”

He smiled again. “Not something I’m really worried about.” He sat back now, tapping his pen idly. The smile widened. “For old times’ sake, is there anything more you want to persuade me to do?”

I burst out laughing. It felt odd doing it while still crying. I sniffled and tried to recover. “N-No, Sir. I think I’m about done with that.” Then I had another idea. “Oh! Wait! There is one thing.”

He folded his arms. “Thought there would be.”

I thought over how to put my wish into words. “This is kind of vague. You’ll just have to figure out what it means when the situation arises. I think you’ll be okay with it, though.” I looked at the floor, seeking the words there. “Sometime ... You’ll get another applicant like Grant. Technically perfect, unlimited potential. Someone you’re positive you want as a student. But ... ummm, sort of deficient in social skills, maybe. When that happens ... get them together with someone like me. I don’t mean I’m especially brilliant and can fix everybody’s problem. But Grant and I ... we were just right for each other. For hanging, he was the best teacher I could ever have had. And I found I could ... open him up. Make him more approachable. We ... I guess the best word is, we elevated each other. You can make that happen again, if you find the right fit.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I should bring these two hypothetical students together? I take it you mean pair them up from the beginning. How would I identify them that early?”

I leaned forward and gave him a small smile. “I know how you are at reading people, Sir. I think you’ll know as soon as you interview them.”

He sat back thoughtfully. At last he nodded. “I will promise to keep that in mind.”

I grinned. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Anything else?”

I waited a moment to see whether further inspiration would strike. At last I shook my head. “No, Sir.”

The Dean rose to signal the end of the interview; then, to my surprise, he came around the desk. I stood up to meet him; he held out his arms, I leaned against him and felt his arms go around me.

I couldn’t help it — I was sobbing openly now. With no idea the words were about to come out of me, I blurted, “I love you, Sir.”

I felt his arms tighten slightly around me. It was enough. He and I both knew; a NooseMeister doesn’t need to hear words.

Tuesday Afternoon

I wasn’t sure I wanted to say goodbye to Puppy, but I felt a need I couldn’t shake off. I owed my life, or at least my escape from the island, to her. I had no way to make her understand that she would never see me again after this week, but I still needed to say goodbye.

Puppy had so many new friends, lavishing so much of the physical intimacy she loved on her, that I wasn’t entirely sure she attached any special significance to me as a person anymore. At least, I hoped that was the case. I didn’t want her to mope around unhappily from missing me.

After an initial round of face-licking, Puppy was content to lie quietly facing me, her stubby limbs entangled with mine, our faces close enough that no effort was required to kiss occasionally.

I sighed, wishing again that we could have given Puppy a more complete people-life. Looking into her eyes, I saw contentment there, and decided that was enough. How many people have that much?

Or have pink hair?

Puppy was slightly startled when I reversed my position beside her. I started licking Puppy between her legs, and she immediately reciprocated. Soon we were both moaning. Just before I lost myself in the world of pure sensations, I reflected that Puppy never sounded so much like a normal girl as when she was nearing orgasm. And that, I thought, was just right.

Leading Puppy by her leash, I knocked at the door to Melissa’s and Jana’s room, and heard Jana’s voice saying, “In.”

I opened the door and smiled at the sight of Runner on the platform, noose around his neck. Runner grinned. “Amy! Watch!” He nodded down to Jana, who pulled the lever to lower the platform.

I was glad that Puppy no longer barked at the sight of us practicing hanging. She’d become accustomed to the constant sight, and understood now that no one was in danger.

Swinging freely, Runner took a short time to get into a breathing rhythm. Suddenly he put his legs together, made a complex move with his hips, then swung his legs. His whole body made a quarter turn to the side, and stayed there as he used his legs to dampen the motion. I blinked in surprise.

Runner waggled his foot to signal Jana. Moments later, he stood on the platform, beaming at me. “I tried that last night, with Jana, when we were practicing with feet tied. Having my feet together gave me more...” He frowned and looked at Jana. “What was ... Oh! Control. That was the word.” He looked at me again. “I had more control that way.”

I gaped at him. “You made that up yourself?” Turning the body while hanging was always a gradual, laborious process of complex leg moves. As far as I knew, nobody had ever turned as far as Runner just had in a single move.

Runner grinned and nodded.

I tried to decide whether to try to learn the move in my remaining time, and decided against it. I might become proficient with it in a week or two of practice, but I didn’t have that long. A hurried attempt to work it into my routine would just throw everything off. “Where’s Melissa? I was thinking we could all go to dinner.”

Jana answered, “She got called down to the Dean’s office. It didn’t sound like a big deal. It was just a few minutes ago...”

She stopped at the sound of running feet down the hallway. Puppy quickly turned to face the door, a low growl at the back of her throat, prepared to protect her friends from any danger.

Melissa appeared in the doorway, using a hand on the door frame to stop hermomentum, and stood there, grinning and out of breath. I tried to imagine what the Dean could have told her that would make her so happy.

Melissa finally finished steadying herself, and said, still slightly breathless, “Tina just told me ... the Dean said it was okay to tell me...” She stopped again to make another payment on her oxygen debt.

I made a come-on gesture. “Melissa, what the hell is it?”

She stood upright at last without help from the door frame. “They just mailed out letters of acceptance for next year’s class. My sister Maria got accepted!” Melissa was bouncing up and down in place with her fists clenched.

My jaw dropped. I jumped forward to give her a hug. “That’s great, honey!”

Jana quickly untied Runner’s hands, then lunged at Melissa to join in the hug.

I shook my head. “I didn’t even know she’d applied.”

Melissa’s eyes glowed. “I didn’t either! Didn’t know she’d interviewed, or anything. I think the Dean didn’t want to get my hopes up, in case.”

“Did you know she was going to apply?”

Melissa shook her head. “I haven’t seen her for two years. When I left home, I didn’t even think she was interested in hanging! She was talking about going to medical school. That was her latest phase, anyway.”

Runner jumped down from the platform to join the group hug. Puppy barked, and Melissa laughed and knelt to offer a hug at floor level.

Runner asked, “So will you be like Holden and Hamish?”

Melissa giggled as her face was licked. “We’re not quite like them, Runner. I think she’d almost be like a stranger. She went from sixteen years old to eighteen since I left home. Teenagers really change a lot between those ages.”

Runner frowned. “Isn’t that just two years?”

I rubbed Runner’s shoulder fondly. “Growing up here is a little different from what you had, Runner. That age is, well, it’s the time when a person realizes they have all these choices to make.”

Runner nodded, seeming to understand. He looked back at Melissa. “Will she live with us?” Runner would be rooming with Melissa and Jana once I was gone.

Melissa didn’t answer immediately. She looked thoughtful. “It depends on what she wants. She’s probably going to want to spend most of her time with the other First Years. She’ll learn more that way, and I’m sure that’s going to be important to her.”

Runner blinked as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “She’d be in classes with Holden and Hamish. Could she room with them?”

“Ummm ... Runner?” I took his hand. “Don’t say anything about that idea to Holden or Hamish, okay? They have a really special bond, and nobody should mess with that.” I wasn’t sure Runner understood what the word “bond” meant, but he was uncanny about picking up new words from context. He certainly knew the word “bondage,” which was related. “It’s possible they might want to share a room with Maria. But if they do, it should be their idea. Okay?”