Chapter 6: Back to School

1 May 2017 [Mon]

Monday, my first day back. I had decided, for the sake of appearances, to wear the sling for the next week but without the securing strap. That’s why I had asked Rachel to drive me in the bug instead of driving myself.

At school, I met with Phoebe 15 minutes before first period to discuss what she had said about the day of the shooting and who she had told.

“Well, I told the police that there were several rooms where students could have a little privacy. The junior partner smiled and said there was someplace sheltered he would use for privacy when he went here. I also said Brad must have made some assumptions when I left the cafeteria, and gone home to get his gun. I told everyone else that I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I told the police that we left the cafeteria at the same time, but that Brad couldn’t have seen, so I didn’t know why he had thought what he did. So our stories line up there. Neither confirming nor denying it. I also turned a section of the bunker into a BDSM dungeon.”— No need to tell her I did it after the fact. —”I plan on saying you were helping me finish it up; maybe even that you were going to take Brad down there after school. I just need to get the person who told Brad to either stay quiet or support the story. If you’re okay with that, I’ll have the rumor mill going by the end of today’s classes.”

“I’m okay with that. I’d rather nobody knows I’m responsible for Brad’s breakdown.” Thankfully she didn’t ask me who told, if I knew who it was, or how I would find out. I hadn’t been able to come up with satisfactory answers to explain what I knew.

“You’re no more responsible for Brad shooting at me, than he is for us screwing.”

After we said goodbye, I headed to Study Hall in the library, where I was hoping to run into Linda. Linda had Study Hall first period as well and we both preferred the library to the computer lab. She was my oldest friend, my most frequent ‘study’ partner, and we had agreed to go to Senior Prom as friends. While I couldn’t go with Rachel, she deserved to know things had changed and decide if she still wanted to go together.

I sat next to her so we could talk quietly. “I need to talk to you about Prom.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I’ve fallen in love–”

“And you’re going to take her instead of me.” Linda, like each of my ‘study’ partners, had been told from the start that I had planned on not being monogamous but I wasn’t going to continue ‘studying’ while I was in love with someone.

“No ... I can’t go with her, she wants to be discreet for several reasons. In fact, I still want to go with you, but there is a difference between going with a friend that is also single and going with a friend that can’t go with the person they love. It was something I had to consider when you suggested we go together. I thought you had the right to know and to decide if you still want to go with me.”

“Except, I didn’t ask you to take me because we’re friends and I can’t go with the guy I’m in love with. I asked you because you are the guy I love and I wanted you to know before graduation, but you misunderstood.”

Her admission surprised me and left me speechless for what felt like a long time. “I don’t think it’s right to take you to Prom, as friends, knowing how you feel, and knowing I don’t feel the same.–”

“So you’re going to leave me dateless on Prom night.”

“No. I’m going to ask you out. I’ve spent the last three and a half years keeping my thoughts and feelings towards you on the level of sex and friendship, not only because of our ‘study’ agreement but also because you said you were already in love. I think I owe you at least a few nights between now and Prom to try to feel differently.”

“Really, but what about your ... the girl you’re in love with.”

“You know, and she knows, that I’m not monogamous. This is a good time and a good way to find out if she’s really okay with that. Also, I know you have shared my body with other girls in bed, but if we really get together, we’ll have to see if you’re also okay sharing my heart.” A thought occurred to me and I had to give it voice. “Am I the reason you chose Rutgers?”

Linda gave me one of her coy smiles. “You’re the reason I applied to all the schools I did; they were the ones you said you were applying to.”

“Well, is seven on Wednesdays and Fridays okay with you; I’ll come up with an activity for Wednesdays and you come up with one for Fridays, and I’ll pay for both. I got my inheritance, so don’t worry about the cost.”

“Any time after six is okay. I’m curious; when did you meet this other girl?”

“I’ve known her for years and there wasn’t anything, but when I saw her after the shooting, it was just different. Things have moved quickly since then. Actually, including you, only two people even know I’ve fallen in love.”

We sat there, silently studying, together for the rest of the period. I would steal short glances at her and wonder why I hadn’t seen it. We had been friends since before I was supposed to have girl friends. I also wondered if I would be able to return her feelings;

Before fourth period I found a quiet bathroom and conjured my avatar, shifted it into transparent hues, and used it to search for Marci while I went to class. 15 minutes later, I was in class discussing the similarities of indentured servitude–which often led to slavery–to company towns, and mortgages. At the same time, my avatar had found Marci and was starting to form the connection to her mind. It was more difficult to be delicate without a binding talisman or my DNA.

When the bell rang, Marci was compelled to head to bunk room A01 instead of the cafeteria. That is where I found her. A01 now had a winch that was automatic and a sharp tug would start the motor and timer. Which is why I found Marci cuffed at the wrists and ankles, and three inches off the ground.

I walked up to her, slightly invading her personal space. “Before we can talk, it’s important that you know I’ve altered your dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; you can’t lie to me. So, say you’re happy to see me down here.”

“I’m ha ... I’m ha ... I’m ... scared shitless to see you down here.”

“That’s good. Now why did you tell Brad that you saw Phoebe and I fucking?

“Because I did.”

“But you were supposed to be her friend, keep her confidences, have her back; why did you betray her? Why did you even follow her down here?”

“I followed her down here because Brad was off campus and she was acting horny, and I told Brad because I wanted him to dump her and give me a chance.”

“Your reasons were completely sexual? You weren’t glad that Brad became violent?”

“Are you kidding, I lost my lunch when I heard what had happened.”

“You haven’t heard what happened. I’ve put a lot into making sure nobody ever hears what really happened, and letting people know your role in all this could reveal some of that.” It took several minutes to make the changes to her mind that would become her punishment. “Your actions caused the death of someone I care about, would have caused my death and Phoebe’s if I hadn’t stopped him, and even if Brad had acted the way you wanted him to, it would have hurt your friend.

“You’re not going to talk about following us to the bunker last Tuesday or what has happened here today. You will publicly apologize to Phoebe; however, you will tell her that you wanted Brad to breakup with her so you could have her, not him.

“Also, since you were motivated by lust, your sexual desire will be increased, and while your body will react normally to sexual stimuli, the pleasure center in your brain will not. From now on, you will crave sex more but get no pleasure from it.”

“You can’t do that. Even if you could, I would tell everyone.”

“I wasn’t telling you what to do. I was telling you what I had done. You will do what I said for the same reason you came down here and restrained yourself. Your memories of the events you’re not allowed to speak of have been marked and fake memories have been added. New memories you create when thinking about marked ones will inherit that mark. Once I leave, that mark will repress them and prevent you from speaking or writing if you manage to dig them up.

“There are three exceptions that will allow you to enjoy sex: First Phoebe. If she forgives you, and willingly has sex with you, you’ll feel the pleasure. Next your soul-mate. When you have sex with your soul-mate the real pleasure comes from the soul, not the brain. Finally, the person that was hurt most by your actions. If you can figure that out, you’ll be able to experience as much pleasure from them as you give. Here’s a hint, it’s not me.

“Now, I’m going to drop this timer to three minutes. You’ll have time for a quick lunch before fifth. You should be glad you did what you did for lust, I had darker punishments prepared for darker motives, and this can be set for up to 96 hours.”

I left and had just started eating when Marci came into the cafeteria. She started out heading to the lunch line but was compelled to turn when she saw Phoebe. I had chosen a seat near enough to Phoebe to listen in and see how things went, but when Marci was halfway there I was joined by Linda, Amy, Mitch, Sarah, Sarah’s girlfriend Kim, and Erica.

Erica greeted me saying, “I here you’re no longer going to be studying with me.”

“And you’re taking Linda out on a proper date.” Added Sarah.

“ ... in the middle of the week.” Continued Kim.

“When did this happen? I thought you were a dedicated polyamorist,” said Mitch.

“It happened this morning when I was talking to Linda about Prom. I found out that I was the one she’s been waiting for. As for polyamory, I haven’t changed my mind. When you have a chance at a mutually beneficial ‘academic’ partnership, you shouldn’t cheapen it with casual ‘studying’. However, that doesn’t rule out other equally beneficial partnerships.” At this point I saw Phoebe slap Marci, then take her by the wrist and escort her from the room.

“Well said.” Responded Amy, which drew a glance from Mitch. Mitch was the only member of the SHHS Special Section that never ‘studied’. He only made love and always in a dedicated relationship. She took his hand, “I didn’t say I agreed, I just said it was well stated. Actually, the most successful ‘academic’ partnerships have been exclusive.”

We were all going to Prom together and the rest of our conversation revolved around our plans.

Sarah and Kim were going to be the first same-sex couple to go to our school Prom, instead of the citywide LGBTQIA+ (don’t get me started) Prom, so Mitch and Amy, and Linda and I wanted to be there to deal with any bigot that got mouthy, or worse.

Pete had been going out with Becca and Erica, who were also going out together, and was trying to decide between asking Erica and Becca when they heard us talking about our plans. Erica suggested that he ask them both so they could not only help but also draw some of the potential fire.

After school, I went to swim team practice but was excused from future practices, because of my wound and because we had already had our last meet. With my extra time, I headed off campus to get some things done while Rachel was at lacrosse.

As soon as I found out how Linda felt, I had decided whether it was our last date or the night I first made love to her, I wanted to make Prom special for Linda; to give her the night she deserved and I had several stops to make for that to happen.

First was the limo service. I paid the full price for the group’s limo for Prom night, I even paid a gratuity in advance and had them reverse the charges for everyone else’s share of the deposit. I also paid for a separate limo for Linda and I for all day before Prom.

Next, I stopped at TBC Occasions. Supposedly they had the best selection of the best gowns, so I checked their prices before my third stop. At the bank, I got a $1000 VISA prepaid card that would buy any dress at TBC.

My last stop before returning to pick up Rachel was at Genome Bio-Analysis. GBA advertised the most advanced DNA analysis. Their tests went beyond the standard paternity and known genetic diseases; they analyzed every unrecognized sequence. I gave my blood sample in the office, took a sample kit to give to everyone still living at home, and had sample request kits sent to all of my aunts, my great aunt, Mom’s parents and brother, all of my cousins, Allison, and Heather. Each kit included a message that a member of the family had expressed medical concerns, which I became aware of after I had taken over the trust. With Rachel’s fear of “mutant babies” this was not technically a lie, but my intent was to break the family legacy that caused us to hate each other.

I had tried this before. When I started my training, one of the first things I learned was how to ‘see’ magic; not just Life, but also Death and Divine. I had seen the dual golden strands that connected me to my sisters. When I returned home that summer, I had found that there were 21 pairs of coiled strands connecting my sisters and I to each other. I tried to sever one, but it was strengthened by the others. I tried several times as my power increased, but the only progress I had made was last week and that had been accidental.