Chapter the Twenty-ninth: Arousal.

Sara didn't need much time at all to recuperate, Her body was fit and well. I had made sure that her muscles exercised themselves whilst she slept. Apart from the obvious body fluid accumulations that couldn't help but occur, she was fit.

We spent a few days getting reacquainted, walking in the park, eating together, visiting all the others in our 'new-born' group.

After I had awoken her, she had returned to the kitchen to a round of applause.

Aileen wailed and even Aiden wept openly. Karen and Jennifer, never having met her before, simply gaped at the beautiful naked woman in front of them. They embraced her almost formally. Jon and Susan were similarly moved, Jon being a little more obvious in his arousal at the vision. Susan elbowed him in the ribs and they all fell together laughing gently.

Sara was, thankfully, oblivious to the events that had precipitated her imprisonment. The news of our failure to defeat Shaw, the loss of Bernard and Devlin, these were met with incomprehension and sadness. We sat and cuddled for many long sessions whilst I gently told her of the things that had happened.

I noticed that I was losing the feelings of hatred that had spurred me on to try to deal with Shaw. It no longer seemed necessary to have such thoughts. He was just wrong and no extra negativity on my part could make him right. I just knew I had to remove him from the world.

But, Shaw was still a formidable threat to us, even if we were now a more coherent force. We still had to get a break.

It came from a very unexpected quarter.

Life outside of the ethereal had still been proceeding. Jon and Susan both told me about the mundanities of office life. Amy had been wrestling with her exams and the farm was still a working necessity for Aiden. Sara's hospital had been told that she was recuperating from a serious accident at her family's place in Ireland (a small amount of my 'work' ensured that she was not disturbed and all the necessary legalities had been met.) My old life too, was still going on, albeit without me. My skills with 'influencing people' had ensured that I had been quietly accumulating assets for quite some time. The real world went on.

Sara, Maggie and I returned to the house after a day out at the local park, walking the riverside.

On the mat inside the front door was a pretty large pile of mail. Most of it was junk; pizza offers, a couple of samples of wash powder and several bills. Of the others, there was a postcard from Jon, (sent before we had met at the farmhouse) from some sunny beach he and Susan had gone to for the long weekend; a really long letter from my accountant detailing my 'increasing balance' and then one intriguing offer to stand on the board of directors at one of the upper-class schools in the city. Due to my newly improved status in the consultancy circles and my company fortunes being high enough to invite requests for philanthropy, a meeting was arranged for Wednesday, two days hence, to introduce me to the principal and give me a chance to see the 'wonderfully vibrant environment' in which the sons and daughters of the moneyed few learned their manners. Something about the note, the paper or the typing or... something, intrigued me. I sniffed it carefully. The essence of something of Shaw was there; but not exactly by Shaw himself, more like from another person whom Shaw had touched. I needed to investigate.

At Maggie's advice, I phoned and let them know I would be pleased to attend.

The frontage of Mountpleasant College was impressive in that 'old money makes ugly architecture more beautiful' kind of way. It was hidden up a long cedar-lined avenue beyond open playing fields and a walled boundary.

I was shown into the headmaster's office and shown a level of sycophancy of which I had previously been blissfully unaware. His person, I checked, was nothing to do with Shaw. Anything he was doing was not a trap in that sense. My financial 'stability, ' he explained, would enable them to continue the wonderful work that was their duty to give the cream of society. He told me how the invitation to me was only made after a 'serendipitous' discovery of a report detailing my ranking in the local business circles. He was sure I would be a most wonderfully benevolent benefactor of the school. They were so glad they had taken the unusual step of 'cold calling' a person of my stature. I found myself almost ready to heave the shortbread biscuits and tea with which I was being plied and tell the vulture to fuck off when me eye was caught by the latest photograph of the school's pupils displayed on the side wall of the main corridor. I approached it with interest and found my eye drawn to a familiar face. He gleefully explained all about the traditional photograph of the school's alumni and how they had annual pictures that stretched back from this latest one, to the inception of photography.

Angela Shaw stood in the second row, third in from the left. The pretty grade nine student in the school colours. She was little taller than a lot of the other fourteen year olds in her class but more beautiful than them all. Her beaming smile although forced for the camera, was bright enough to put the rest of her form in the shade.

Her eyes though, held mine in a grip. I felt the old feeling that there was more information in the picture than anyone else could see. I knew she was there telling me something. I had to be there too. The feeling of ineffable sadness that stared out from them made me gasp and drop my gaze. We hurried along through the tour, my mind turning over the idea that Angela might need my help and moreover, be able to help me.

I think the weasel behind the headmaster's desk was more amazed that he had succeeded to get me to give them money than anything else. I told him how impressed I was with the school and how flattered I was and how I would certainly be a patron of the board. He fell over himself to congratulate me on the wonderful choice I had made. He hoped I would be able to enjoy my involvement with Mountpleasant.

He didn't realise just how much I would become involved in the place.

Driving home alone in the car, I set my mind to figuring how I could safely deal with one of Shaw's own children. There could indeed be some pretty nasty consequences if I was to leave myself open to an attack from a spawn of his.

But her eyes, they didn't give me the impression of dangerous threat. I fancied I saw something more pleading there. I couldn't decide what it was in reality. I would have to make myself ready for anything, if that wasn't too tall an order.

The next meeting of the school board was at the 'Summer Showcase' where the students put on a show for the dignitaries. It would be a good time to meet the others on the board. I noted with some interest that Peter Shaw was not in the group. I was sure he was not the sort of soul who would be open to giving his time to something as mundane as a school.

It was quite the decision to make, which partner I should take with me to the gala evening? Surprisingly, it was Sara who decided I should take Maggie to the show. Maggie was beautifully turned out in an elegantly cut dress and my dinner suit made us look like we were members of royalty.

I felt quite a charge when Maggie emerged from Sara's room having had Sara help her get dressed. Maggie was now completely at ease with her new beliefs. She thoroughly revelled in the emotional high of her sexual response. And Sara certainly helped her along.

Maggie, it seemed, had exactly the same taste in women as I did. After being 'forced' to confront the taboo, with Nickie, she found herself admitting to wanting a repeat of the experience, and now found no shame in the admission. One evening, soon after moving back to the house and during a dinner together she leaned close to me as Sara went into the kitchen for the water jug and whispered that she couldn't believe how gorgeous Sara was. I told her that Sara would probably reciprocate the emotion. Maggie blushed a little and spent the rest of the meal in a state of some arousal. I didn't let on to Sara despite her quizzical looks my way whenever something was said that Maggie took to be innuendo, and sighed.