Chapter 16

Melinda wished she hadn't picked this park. It brought back too many memories.

It was the same park where she and Jason had talked the first time that they had realized the power the House possessed, when it had allowed Jason to make Melinda masturbate in front of him. They had debated what the House was all about. Failing to find any answers, they had instead debated whether to continuing visiting it.

They had decided in favor. Now look where it had gotten her.

She was grateful to see the now familiar black limo drive up and let Cassie off. Cassie paused and looked around warily, as if having second thoughts. Finally she looked towards Melinda, who was sitting in a section of the playground that had been closed for repairs.

It had been that way when Jason and Melinda had come here, too. Some things never change in Haven.

Melinda tried to smile as Cassie approached her. "Hi, Cassie."

"Hi," Cassie said in a tiny voice. She looked as if she expected someone to strike her.

Melinda shifted in her seat and offered Cassie more of the bench. Cassie hesitated before sitting down.

Melinda opened her mouth to speak and paused. She looked into Cassie's face and changed what was she was going to say. "Are you all right?"

"I didn't sleep well last night, Melinda," Cassie said in a forlorn voice. "My dreams... too disturbing..."

"I'm sorry I had to call you down here like this. I just didn't think we could do this over the phone."

Cassie nodded slowly, her eyes downcast.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Cassie paused a long moment. She took a deep breath and let it go, her body visibly shuddering. "My dreams... they were about the nurse..."

Melinda swallowed. "You mean Nyssa?"

Cassie shivered at the name. "She... sh-she did something to me..."

"I know, Cassie. It... what you tried to do, it wasn't your fault..."

Cassie looked up. Melinda flinched at the haunted look in her friend's eyes.

"That's the terrible thing about it, Melinda," said Cassie. "It was my fault."

"But how? Nyssa controlled your mind! You can't stand up against that!"

"You don't understand, Melinda! What I did to him... what I tried to do... I wanted to do it!"

Melinda just stared, falling silent.

Cassie sighed. "Richie... he hurt me when he told me..." She stopped and took a deep breath. "No, I won't cry again... a-anyway... I wanted to do that. I wanted to have him do whatever I wanted. I wanted him to hang on every word I said. You can't understand that."

"Yes, I can!" Melinda piped. "It was a fantasy, right? Not something you'd normally do. Just something you thought about, right?"

Cassie paused and nodded slowly.

"You never expected to be able to actually do it. Come on, we all have stuff like that. We all have things we think about but..."

"But you don't know what it's like to have someone make them real for you!" Cassie cried, almost on the verge of tears again.

Melinda paused and gave her a deadpan look. "Yes, I do, Cassie," she said softly.

Cassie stared. "You can't possibly..."

"Yes, I can, because it happened to me!"

Cassie's eyes widened. "What? You mean... the nurse... ?"

"No, not the nurse. Remember I told you something odd happened to me over the summer? You wanted to know what it was. That's what it was. Me, Jason, Heather, and Richie. We all found this house, it had some sort of strange power in it. It let us... i-it let us t-take control of each other. Make... make them do things we wanted."

Cassie's mouth dropped open. "My dreams..." she breathed. "I dreamed about a house and four... oh my God..."

Melinda gasped when Cassie suddenly went pale. "Cassie! What's wrong?!"

"Melinda, wh-when did that happen to you? When over the summer exactly?"

"Um... last week or two of July, why?"

Cassie's eyes were wide. "That's the same time I... I never... I never thought those dreams might be real... they were too fantastic..."

"Okay, Cassie, calm down," Melinda said, draping an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay."

"You don't understand, Melinda! My dreams... this... this means they show me what's really happening... they're not symbolic at all! I never thought..."

"Look, never mind that for now," Melinda said a bit impatiently. "The point is, I understand what happened to you. It screwed us up, too. We managed to leave it behind, but..."

Cassie had to take a few moments to calm herself. She wanted too much to explore this new revelation about the significance of her dreams. She had seen so many things that were confusing or disturbing to her. So many people doing things that seemed odd to her.

Or did seem odd to her. With this new turn of events, some of the things she had seen were making chilling sense to her now.

Yet she was still torn up enough inside about Richie that she had to keep talking, now that Melinda got her to open up about it. "Melinda, I still want to do it... if she offered the power to me again... I'd take it. In a second. I'd use it."

Melinda sighed. "Yeah," she said softly. "I know that feeling, too."

Tears slid down Cassie's face. The two of them embraced each other.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone," Cassie sobbed. "I wouldn't have hurt Richie... please believe me..."

"I do, Cassie, I do. Really. It's okay." She slowly broke off the embrace. "But do you see why I have to talk to you? I have to find out what she did to you. How she did it. She's doing this with more students at the school."

"I know... but I barely remember anything from when I came into her office. Just... " Cassie shivered. "Those eyes of hers... and..."

She slowly rubbed a hand up and down one arm.

"Something wrong?" asked Melinda.

"Huh?"

"Your arm. You keep rubbing it."

"Oh... uh, nothing... thought it hurt or something but..."

"Wait. Did she hurt your arm somehow?"

"Yes... no... I... I don't know." Cassie paused a moment and then sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Melinda, I just can't remember."

"It's okay."

"All I remember is feeling really good. The best I ever felt in my life. Like nothing could go wrong."

"I know that feeling, too. I think that's what the power does to you. It makes it so you want to keep using it. Like you get addicted to it or something."

Cassie shivered. "Does i-it go away?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Melinda hesitated for a moment. "Um, yes... it does. Mostly."

"God, I hope it does..."

"And remember what I said, Cassie. Even though it's your own fantasy, it's not your fault. It's not natural for someone to be able to grant fantasies like that."

Cassie managed a small smile. "Thank you, Melinda. You really are a friend." She stood up. "I better get going."

Melinda stood with her and nodded. "Thanks for talking to me."

"Did it help? Can... can you use it to stop her?"

Melinda sighed. "I don't know if we can stop her, but it does help. Here, let me walk with you to your car."

Cassie nodded and turned, sweeping her gaze into the open part of the playground. Suddenly she uttered a single, frightened gasp, her face a mask of horror, her eyes wide and staring.

"Huh? What is it, Cassie?" Melinda said worriedly. "What is it you're looking... ?"

Then Melinda saw it as well. A man with two young children. His body was surrounded by the black miasma of darkness.

"Oh my God..." Cassie breathed. "What... wh-what is that... it's... it's horrible!"

It took a moment for realization to dawn. "Cassie, you can see it??" Melinda cried. "You can see the darkness?!"

"You see it too? You really see it? I'm not finally going insane?!"

"No, no, shhh, you're okay," Melinda said as Cassie started to shake. "Cassie, you never saw this before? Ever?"

"Not until last night in my dreams. And now here... what... what is it?"

Melinda's heart raced. "We don't know. We just know it as the Darkness."

It was only then that Melinda realized she had elevated the Darkness in her mind to something more tangible. It was more than just the abstract concept that it had been up until this point. Now she felt as if it had an identity, that it was deserving of a title rather than just a simple word.

She shivered. It also meant that she could envision it trying to reach out and touch them, like a physical being could.

"It's terrible... " Cassie whimpered. "... my God... "

And now Melinda remembered something Mara had said: Those that you save will become allies against the Darkness.

"I have to tell the others about this," Melinda said excitedly. "I think you can see it now because we saved you. Cassie, before we pulled you off Richie, you had this around you."

Cassie whipped her head around and stared at Melinda in revulsion.

"You don't anymore," Melinda said quickly. "It vanished completely the moment we pulled you from Richie and you snapped out of it. You're free of it. And that may be why you can see it now."

"I don't want to see it, Melinda!"

"Join the club, Cassie, but we can and we have to deal with it."

Cassie swallowed hard as she forced herself to look at the Darkness around the man again. It slithered around him like tentacles from some horrible Lovecraftian nightmare. If anything could scare her off from wanting to take the power again, that was it.

"What about the others? Jason and Heather? Richie?"

"They can all see it. Richie not as good, and Jason's was sort of... turned off for a bit by Nyssa."

Cassie turned fully toward Melinda. "If I really did have that around me... then you really did save me something awful. I have to pay that back somehow..."

"Oh, Cassie, you don't..."

"Please, just promise me, if there's anything I can do to help... you'll let me know.

Melinda slowly smiled. "I will, Cassie. I promise."

"You know," mused Mark Darrens as he swirled the remainder of his coffee in his mug. "I was thinking that this would be a perfect day to get in some rounds of golf."

From the other end of the dining room table, Frank smiled at his father. "Sure thing, Dad."

"Now, I know you were probably expecting me to spend some more time with you..."

Frank waved a hand of dismissal. "Hey, go for it, Dad. You've been working really hard lately, right?"

Mark took a moment to finish off the rest of his coffee. "Hrm. Harder than I would have liked, mind you," he said as he put his mug down. He gave his son a sheepish look. "I know how much you hate that."

Frank did. Or rather, he used to. His father had been his only defense against his stepsister's cruelty and his stepmother's callousness. When he was home, the girls behaved themselves. That's why it had been so hard on Frank these past few weeks when Mark was gone even on weekends. It had made his life a living hell.

"Yeah, but I can understand it," Frank said in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice. "You just want to do what's best for us and all that. I can deal."

Mark looked mildly surprised at this, but no more surprised than he had been earlier that morning to wake up with this strange compunction to play golf in the first place. He had been looking forward to this weekend to spend more time with his family, and now suddenly he wanted to get away from them. Yet it was what he really wanted to do. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted it.

Mark smiled. "Well, maybe we need to wait and see what the female half of the family thinks first."

Frank grinned broadly. "Oh, I doubt you will have much disagreement on that score."

Seated on either side of the table were mother and daughter. Both appeared to have a veneer of calm, more or less. Yet Mindy squirmed constantly in her seat, while Jenny was panting lightly, her nipples two prominent bumps on her shirt. Both had a slightly vacant look to their eyes.

Mark glanced at them. He took no notice of their condition. "Jenny? Mindy? Any objections to me going out with the boys for some golf?"

"Not at all, Mark," Jenny said in a slightly quavering voice with just a hint of huskiness to it. "Please, have fun."

"Yeah, go ahead," said Mindy, her voice a bit strained. She let her breath go as a sigh. "Have a good game."

Mark chuckled. "First time I've ever seen the two of you this agreeable about anything for awhile now," he said as he pushed himself from the table and stood up. He bent down to start collecting plates.

"Oh, no, let them do it, Dad," Frank said with a grin.

Mark paused, then set down the plates he had already gathered. "If you're sure..."

"Trust me, they won't mind."

"No, not at all," Jenny breathed.

"We'll take care of... everything..." Mindy cooed.

"Very good, then," said Mark. "I'll go get ready."

He pushed his chair in and left the kitchen, humming a tune to himself.

Mark watched him go, then turned his attention back to the others. "So... have a good night's sleep?"

"I tossed and turned all night, Frank," Mindy moaned.

"I couldn't find a comfortable position," Jenny whimpered.

"My pussy was so hot..."

"My nipples wouldn't stop throbbing..."

"I couldn't stop thinking about sex..."

"I kept wanting someone to fondle my tits..."

"We'll take care of all that today, girls," said Frank. "Just as soon as Dad leaves."

Mindy and Jenny looked at him with desirous gazes. "H-how?" Mindy dared to ask.

"Very simple. I finally let you cum."

Mindy moaned in anticipation. Jenny mewled with delight.

"And then, when you do... Mindy, you'll be my little pussy-slut. You'll use that pussy of yours only how I want it to be used. It gets wet when I want it wet. Understand?"

Mindy shuddered and uttered another desperate moan. "Yes..."

"Say it."

"Say... huh?"

"Say it. Say what it is I'm making you."

"A pussy-slut," Mindy said. She smiled dreamily. "I like that. I like how that sounds. Pussy-slut."

"Frank, please," Jenny begged. "Please listen to your stepmother. Please..."

Frank raised an eyebrow.

She grabbed her breasts and squeezed, moaning loudly. "Make me your tit-slut. Please..."

"Of course. Why would I do anything else? Even better... you can get off only when someone's touching your tits. Rubbin' your pussy alone won't do it. It'll get nice and wet, you can touch it all you want, but unless someone's handling your boobs, you don't get off."

Jenny closed her eyes and moaned. "Thank you, Frank..."

"Now, see? Such a small change and such a big difference, Marcie."

Marcie stared at herself in the full-length mirror right outside the dressing rooms. Her cheeks were faintly pink.

"Here, move around a bit..."

Marcie glanced sheepishly at Laura, smiling nervously as Laura guided her such that the skirt swished about her thighs. Below the hem of the skirt, her legs up to just past the knees were exposed.

To Laura's secret delight, Marcie was indeed a budding beauty beneath her schoolmarm coverings. Her legs were a little pale from lack of sunlight, but they were slim and unblemished, the muscles tight and toned.

"Marcie, do you work out?"

Marcie stopped and blinked. "Huh?"

"Work out."

"Er... yes, Miss Bendon, I do. Why do you ask?"

"You have rather nice legs."

Marcie gaped at Laura. "You... you think my legs are nice?"

Laura smiled and nodded.

Marcie's blush deepened and she giggled softly. She turned and stepped eagerly to the mirror again. She turned one way and then the other, letting her skirt twirl about her a bit. "It does look sort of nice, doesn't it, Miss Bendon?"

"Indeed it does, Marcie."

"I haven't worn something like this since grade school."

Laura was not the least bit surprised. "Then why not take this opportunity to go back to it?"

"Oh... but I couldn't..."

"Why not? In fact, it looks so nice, I insist you wear it to work Monday."

Marcie blinked at Laura in astonishment. "At work, Miss Bendon?"

"Don't you want to look your best at the office?"

"Well, of course, Miss Bendon, but..."

Laura stepped up to Marcie and gazed directly into her eyes. "Come now, Marcie. I just told you that you have rather attractive legs. Surely you want other people to see that?"

Marcie's eyes widened and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Other... other people? Er..."

"Or maybe I just want to see it."

Marcie was silent for a long moment. "You, Miss Bendon?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Laura smiled. "Yes, me, Marcie. After all... I am your boss, aren't I?"

"Oh, yes, of course."

"And you always try to do what I tell you?"

"Always, Miss Bendon! But... well..."

Laura paused. "Okay, Marcie, how about this: If you're free Monday, let me take you out again. We'll go have lunch somewhere and just take a walk. Get you used to wearing that skirt."

Marcie blushed. "You mean... like... in public? Where everyone can... can see it?" she said in a small voice.

"Sure, why not? Unless you don't want people to know you have nice legs."

Her blush deepened and she giggled again.

"So how about it?"

Marcie was still not sure. Yet when she gazed into Laura's eyes, she found it impossible to refuse. "Okay, Miss Bendon."

Jason bound up the stairs to his room and snatched the phone from the hook. He opened the drawer and peered at the LED at the same time. The LED glowed red.

"I've got it up here, Dad," Jason said. "Hello?"

"Jason, this is Melinda," came the hurried voice at the other end. "Listen, I talked to..."

"This will have to be short, Melinda, since we're about to have lunch," Jason said clearly and a bit loudly.

There was a soft click. The LED went out.

"Oh, well, I can call back..."

"No, no, Melinda, it's okay," Jason said in a softer voice. "I had to say that til my Dad got off the other line."

"Oh, okay. Wait... you don't think he'd listen in?"

Jason glanced at the LED. It was still dark. "Well, not at the moment, anyway. So what's up? What happened when you talked to Cassie?"

"Plenty!" Melinda proceeded to tell him all the details about Cassie's feelings, what happened with the nurse, and what happened afterward when Cassie saw the aura. The only thing she left out was Cassie's revelation about the dreams, for she did not understand it completely herself.

"Holy shit. She actually saw it?"

"Jason, that has to be what Mara meant when she said that people we save will be allies. They must gain the ability. And she's willing to help."

Jason's mind was racing. "Okay, now the question is, does Nyssa know all this?"

Melinda was silent for a long moment. "I didn't think of that," she said in a hollow voice. "She must know we messed up what Cassie was trying to do. I mean, if Nyssa was controlling her, she would know, right?"

"I don't know. I guess it's safer to assume that she does know."

"And she knows Cassie can see auras now."

"Well, wait a minute. I just thought of something. Nyssa 'turned off' my ability on purpose, so I wouldn't know what she was up to. But she couldn't have known about the rest of us, or..."

"But she knows about us now!" said Melinda, the growing panic in her voice apparent. "I mean, if you didn't have the ability anymore but we stopped her anyway, she has to be able to figure that out! Oh no! She's going to go after the rest of us!"

"Calm down, Melinda. She hasn't come for us yet. Maybe there are limits to what she can do. Maybe she can only get to us in the school."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't," Jason said flatly. "But the alternative is to stand around scared and do nothing."

Melinda sighed. "I know. But it won't stop me from being scared anyway."

"Hang in there, Melinda. Listen, we'll have to find a way to get all of us together. I might be able to get some time away tomorrow."