Chapter 30

Although it normally came far too soon, the wait for lights out that day felt like an eternity. As the last glow of twilight slowly faded away, and darkness fell on Scirewood Academy, Ms. Rosen, more or less the permanent dormitory supervisor now, came into the Elite’s bunk room to count heads. She lingered in the doorway.

“How’s everyone doing?” she asked empathetically.

Alexis turned away in her bed to face the wall. Grace worried about her. She’d been sullen, and her depression only seemed to deepen with each passing day. Until a couple days ago, that is, when she returned from her solitude with a look of determination on her face, as if she’d made up her mind about something. Alexis didn’t talk about it when asked, but Grace feared the worst.

“Fine,” Addison Murphy said in a small voice.

The elfin freshman, once a radiant sunflower, now shrank from the light. She’d been singled out by the men of Morgan Hill and terribly brutalized. Especially by that cop, the one they called Reggie, who wouldn’t keep his hand off her.

If she closed her eyes, Grace still heard his head striking the edge of the bunk bed as he fell, and the choking sound he made when he convulsed on the ground, and the deafening crack of Charmagne’s rifle as she shot him over and over. And she saw the blood. So much blood, it seemed impossible that one human body could hold it all inside. Those scarring memories would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“If anyone wants to talk, I’m right upstairs,” Ms. Rosen offered. “Good night.”

When she’d gone, Grace dropped from her bunk and collected her backpack from the back of her desk chair. She was already dressed in her cutest cotton romper that buttoned in the front, and a lightweight cardigan in case it got chilly.

“Where are you going?” Leah Carter asked, and Alexis rolled back over.

“Out.”

“Out where?”

“Does this have anything to do with those flowers?” Hannah Hall asked.

“Maybe,” Grace said with a guilty smile.

“Who gave them to you?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, but that wasn’t true.

“I bet it was one of those soldiers,” Samantha Bryant speculated.

“Maybe it was Mr. Messina,” Leah countered.

Alexis sat upright, her face stricken. “What?”

“No!” Grace said quickly. “It definitely wasn’t Mr. Messina. I’m pretty sure you’re right, Sammy. I think it might have been that hot one, Adrián. He’s been giving me looks lately.”

The lie seemed to do the trick, as Alexis slowly lowered herself back down onto her bunk. The others oohed and ahhed and promised they wouldn’t wait up as she slipped out the window and silently closed it behind her.

Although dark inside the bunk room, the spectral aurora illuminated the campus with its greenish-blue light. Grace stuck to the darkened woods and skirted the north side of the pond, before dashing across the open lawn to Leavitt Hall.

Sgt. Chapman shot up from his seat and slapped Specialist Draper on the shoulder, pointing over the railing. “Shit, I got movement! One o’clock, moving fast from left to right, heading straight for the fort!”

The sniper rifle, balanced on its bipod, rested on the mountain home’s heavy, wooden, dining room table. Made of a single thick slab of live edge maple, they’d dragged it out onto the deck to function as a stable shooting platform. Draper engaged the night sight and pivoted the weapon toward the grid sector Chapman indicated.

“Got him! Target. Oh, wait ... Well, hello there. Where are you off to?”

“What is it?”

Draper lowered the rifle. “It’s just one of the students, Sergeant.”

“Huh? Let me see that.”

Chapman traded places with him and put his eye to the viewfinder. He found her streaking across the lawn. The long flowing hair, bare slender legs, and tiny backpack were a dead giveaway.

“Where the fuck is she going?” he wondered aloud.

“Hell I know,” Draper said, sitting back down. “Damn, you really got my heart going.”

“Think we should tell someone?” Chapman asked, still following her movements.

“If you want to run all the way down that hill, just to snitch on a high school girl, be my guest.”

Chapman was silent for a long time. “Nah. Fuck that.” He moved the sight ahead of her, to where she was running, and scanned the stone building. “Wait a second. I’ve got movement on the rooftop.”

Draper stood. “Tango?”

Chapman looked at him over his shoulder and flashed him a huge grin. “Nope. But I think we’re definitely going to see some shit tonight.”

Grace reached the deep shadows at the corner of Leavitt Hall, completely undetected. After a short pause to catch her breath, she slinked along the base of the great stone building toward the front door. The note didn’t say where to meet, but the main entrance seemed the logical place.

The door stood open. Taped to it was another note.

Close Me

She stepped into the darkened entryway and pulled the door shut. Her pulse quickened at the sight of small votive candles flickering in glass holders, arranged on the floor in a line that led to the second floor stairwell. She followed them up, finding others which guided her to the next stairwell. The rooftop stairs, at the top of which stood a door that no student was ever allowed to use. Yet it too was open.

She climbed to the top and stepped out onto the roof. Endora stood barefoot, waiting for her, and butterflies fluttered in Grace’s stomach when she saw her.

Endora wore dark, high-cut denim shorts with frayed cuffs that flattered her wide hips and shapely, pale thighs. Her top was a form-fitting, midriff Led Zeppelin t-shirt that had been painstakingly slashed and woven into a striking V-shaped pattern from her neckline to her navel, revealing deep cleavage and the gentle curve of her full breasts underneath. Some of her long dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, with the rest allowed to cascade over her shoulders.

“I hoped you would come,” she said, extending her hand.

Grace slowly reached for her. Despite the slight chill in the air, Endora’s hand felt warm and soft. She led Grace to where a plush comforter had been spread out on the small flat portion of the mansard roof, with several pillows arranged on top of it. A large wicker basket sat off to the side.

“Would you like to sit?” Endora asked.

“Okay,” Grace said in a soft voice.

She couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous to meet someone before. And she couldn’t take her eyes off Endora. She’d known the sixteen-year old for years, and not once had she ever seen her wear something so revealing. She looked so incredibly sexy! How have I never noticed her before? Grace wondered.

The two girls sat next to each other on the blanket and shared a long look. Grace found her intense gaze mesmerizing. For several long seconds neither said a word until, at last, Grace lowered her eyes.

“You’re so beautiful,” Endora told her.

Grace lifted her eyes again and smiled appreciatively. “Thank you. And you look ... wow. I mean, I love your outfit.”

Endora looked down at herself and plucked at her shirt, then pulled at the frayed ends of her cutoffs. “I pulled these out of the trash and made them last night.”

“Wow, that’s really amazing. I’d definitely wear that top. So cute.”

Endora looked at her and asked, “You don’t think it’s too much?”

“No way,” Grace said, shaking her head. “Not at all. It looks so good on you. You look ... so good.”

“I come up here most nights to watch it,” Endora said, lifting her chin to gaze at the aurora hanging in the sky.

“I’ve never been up here before,” Grace said, looking around the rooftop.

Her eyes quickly returned to Endora, and she took a moment to appreciate how every one of her womanly curves was so perfectly accentuated. The soft bend of her waist, the swell of her breasts, and the gentle slope of her thighs. The girl exuded femininity. Then she tilted her head back to take in the view.

“I brought some things for us,” Endora said, leaning over to reach into the wicker basket.

“Oh yeah?”

“This is supposed to be pretty good,” she said, holding up a bottle of white wine. “Or at least, that’s what I heard. I don’t really drink, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Oh my god, where’d you get that?” Grace asked.

“The liquor store.”

Grace paused, then covered her mouth and laughed. “Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know. And I actually don’t drink either.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay. We don’t have to open it.”

Endora started to put it back, but Grace placed her hand on her bare knee. Her skin felt impossibly smooth. “No, wait. I think I’d like to try it. I mean, if you do too.”

Endora looked at the bottle and shrugged. “Sure.”

From the basket, she produced two stemless plastic wine glasses, then twisted off the cap and poured the wine.

“Cheers,” Grace said, holding up her glass.

Endora touched hers to it, and then the two girls took a sip and made identical faces.

“Hmm,” Grace said with a furrowed brow, smacking her lips. “It’s, um, really tart.”

“You think so?” Endora asked, holding up her glass to eye level and swirling the wine. “I actually find it to be delightfully unpretentious, with hints of green apple and apricots.”

Grace gawked. “Seriously?”

Endora fixed her with one of her intense stares. “No. I’m just fucking with you. It tastes like shit.”

It took a moment to register, then Grace blew a laugh through her nose and Endora smiled at her. They both set their glasses down.

“You have a really pretty smile,” Grace said.

Endora looked uncomfortable. She didn’t seem to know how to take the compliment. Grace put her hand back on her leg, but this time on her thigh.

“I think you’re really pretty when you smile.”

Endora looked at her hand, and put hers on top of it. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted.

Grace exhaled a relieved breath and smiled. “Me neither,” she said with a nervous laugh. Then something occurred to her. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How did you even know?”

It took a while for Endora to answer. “I’m not sure, exactly, but when I look at you, I get this feeling.”

“What kind of feeling?” Grace asked, looking into her eyes.

“The kind of feeling where you recognize yourself in someone else.”

Grace’s heart lifted and she smiled. For her entire sheltered, parochial life, she’d felt alone; her heart trapped in a cage built of social expectations, peer pressure, family disapproval, and religious bigotry. She had no friends with whom she could talk about her feelings, for fear they might ridicule her for them, or worse, tell her parents. No one close to her understood who she really was.

She’d also never had an opportunity to fully express her desires before now. Seizing the moment, Grace impulsively leaned forward, but immediately second guessed herself. Am I being too forward? she wondered. What if I’m wrong? Her doubts were assuaged when Endora met her halfway and closed her eyes.

Their first kiss was tentative and tender, and Grace was grateful for that because she’d never kissed a girl before and wasn’t sure what to expect. But after kissing Endora, she wished she’d done it a lot sooner. The powerful sensations and emotions that coursed through her far exceeded even her wildest imagination. Endora’s lips were soft and warm, and tasted of strawberry lip balm.

As the kiss progressed, it became more exploratory. Grace introduced her tongue, and Endora accepted it into her mouth. Their lips moved over one another in a playful dance that sent a tingle racing through her body, until she felt it throb between her legs, and that’s when an urgent, high-pitched whine escaped the back of her throat.

Desire overtook her then, and she leaned into Endora, nearly pushing her backward onto the blanket. Endora responded by moving her legs apart, allowing Grace to nestle between them so that their pelvises touched.

Endora encircled her arms around Grace and pulled her down until she felt Endora’s larger breasts against her own. Grace responded by pressing her mound hard against Endora’s crotch, the stiff seam of her denim shorts digging into her cleft through the thin material of her romper. Endora groaned, sliding her hands down Grace’s back and over the swell of her ass, pulling her down and lifting her hips to meet her.

They made out and grinded against each other, the sensations building, until Grace finally broke their kiss and lifted herself up onto her haunches, her chest lifting with excited breaths.

“What’s wrong?” Endora asked.

Grace glided her hands along the sides of Endora’s thighs and gave her a thoughtful look. “How far do you want to go with me tonight?” Grace asked. “Because I want you, Endora.”

Endora moved her eyes over Grace’s body before settling them back on her face. “Unbutton your top,” Endora said. “Let me see you.”

Grace smiled, looking down at herself while she slowly unbuttoned the front of her romper. Endora wasn’t the only one who’d gone braless that night. Hand-washing clothes in the shower was a pain in the ass, and most of the girls at Overton independently came to the same conclusion over the past couple weeks. A bra was completely unnecessary ninety-nine percent of the time.

When she’d unbuttoned her romper to her waist, Grace slipped the thin straps over her shoulders and bared her small, perfect breasts to Endora.

“Holy fucking shit, Sergeant. Is this for real?” Draper asked as he pressed his face hard against the night sight with his mouth hanging open.

“Fucking told you,” Fulton said with a chuckle. “Just make sure to let me know if that dark haired one takes her clothes off.”

“Uh-huh. Oh wow...”

To have a girl touching her breasts was the fulfillment of a longtime fantasy. Endora was gentle, cupping and supporting them, letting her fingertips glide over her nipples. Grace placed her hands on Endora’s knees, pushing them apart to spread her legs. Glancing down, she saw the hint of her dark pubic hair peeking from beneath the loose cuff of her shorts, and the fact that Endora wasn’t wearing panties thrilled her.

Grace let her fingertips trace along the smooth, sensitive skin of her inner thighs, to the crease of her crotch. Endora laid her head back onto one of the pillows, and Grace looked into her eyes as she teased around her most private area. Her fingers briefly disappeared underneath the cuff. She felt the bump of Endora’s hip bones, and brushed against the curly softness of her bush.

“Take off your top,” Grace said. “Let me see you.”

Endora sat up and quickly pulled her upcycled t-shirt over her head and tossed it aside, propping herself up on her arms. Grace reached for them, letting her fingertips lightly drag along the outer swell of her breasts, then underneath. Full and creamy, they rivaled Alexis’s in their perfection, only they were larger, though not quite as firm.

“They’re so beautiful.”

Endora looked down and lifted her eyebrow. “Really?”

“Oh my god, yes.”

Grace lifted them and pushed them together, then swept her palms up along the sides and then back down over her nipples. Then she palmed them and massaged them in slow circles. She couldn’t take her hand off them, and wanted to touch and play with them for days. The idea of it made her giggle softly.

“Sorry. I’m kind of obsessing over your boobs,” she explained at Endora’s curious look.

“That’s okay. Would you like to see my pussy too?”

Grace froze and stared at her, then slowly nodded. She scooched back a bit so that Endora could bring her legs together enough to unbutton her shorts and pull them off. When she drew her knees up and spread her legs to reveal her pussy, Grace sighed and her heart raced. If her breasts were beautiful, then her pussy was gorgeous.

“Oh my god,” she whispered.

“Do you want to watch me play with myself?” Endora asked, brushing her fingers over her labia.

The question seemed so improbable that it almost didn’t register, and Grace’s affirmative nod was barely perceptible. Had she heard right? Was she really going to play with herself, right in front of her? She’d overheard the other Elites masturbating in their beds before, but she’d never actually seen it in real life. Now that the idea was planted in her mind, however, that’s all she wanted to see.

Endora reached into the basket to retrieve a couple items, and Grace’s eyes grew wide when she saw what they were. With practiced movements, Endora coated the dildo with the lubricant and then used the tip to tease her clit. Grace’s mind couldn’t process what she was seeing. She had expected Endora to finger herself. Not this. Then Grace sucked in a quick breath when Endora placed the dildo at the entrance to her vaginal canal and slowly pushed it inside of herself.

As the dildo disappeared, Endora closed her eyes and parted her lips, exhaling a throaty sigh. The sound of her pleasure raised goose pimples on Grace’s arms and thighs, and caused her to shiver. It was the single most erotic moment of her life.

Endora slowly fucked herself, then opened her eyes. “Take it off so I can look at you while I do this,” she said.

Grace rose up onto her knees and slid her romper down over her ass, then sat back to pull them off completely. This was followed quickly by her panties. When she was naked, Endora smiled, then looked at the basket.

“I brought something for you too,” she said in a breathy voice as the dildo glided in and out of her gripping pussy.

Going to her hands and knees, Grace looked into the basket. There was only one thing left inside. A long, plastic tube with a tapered end. She reached for it and held it up.