Chapter 5B

Following Sharon's orders I washed and went to the kitchen to cook breakfast, in the kitchen, however, I found Pauline was already there. She was wearing a frilly apron and nothing else, I gave a small laugh, and she turned around. "Oh, it's you. Is Sharon still alive?" She asked me.

I groaned, "She is, but I'm not sure about me!" I said hearing Pauline laugh at that, "What can I do to help you?" I asked her.

"While I'm dressed I'd better do the bacon, sausages and eggs, so can you do the toast for me?" Pauline asked, I noticed she seemed different in her attitude to me, I didn't understand why and so I asked her. She smiled, "It's simple, while I was teaching you I had to be in control, so I had to sound and be harsh with you, but now we've got past that stage I can be myself!" She gave me a quick hug.

I responded to her but was quickly turned around to the table, "Cut the bread and then toast it!" She instructed me — I noticed that there wasn't any sliced bread, just a large loaf and a bread knife, Pauline talked me thought cutting the bread into the right size slices for the toaster.

I checked the coffee was ready and that there was also cold orange juice available in a jug for those who wanted it (mainly Pauline, Billie-Jo and myself). I turned to Pauline, "Shall we take this to them or make them come here?" I asked her.

She smiled and went to a cupboard and took out three tray affairs, these had folded legs on them to allow them to be rested on a surface to provide support for whatever was placed on them. "You take these and carry the toast and drink on the top one, I'll bring the plates." She told me. I couldn't see how she was going to be able to carry the five plates up the stairs but her attitude told me that she had it covered.

I found out how well covered it was when, as I was about to climb the stairs up to the bedrooms Pauline stopped me. "Hold on Alice, you're going to over-balance like that." She said.

"Well how else can I get this upstairs?" I asked her, she gave an infuriating smile and then turned to the wall. There was a panelled area which I had ignored as just decorations, but at the press of a concealed button it opened up to show three shelves, Pauline placed her dishes on the first two shelves and then stood by to allow me to load the bottom shelf.

She then pressed a button inside the contraption and stood back as the door closed, "Race you upstairs!" she said and took off laughing. I followed her trying to tag her back as she dodged my arms.

As we got to the top of the stairs Pauline turned around and faced me. "Slave Alice, why are you running on the stairs?" She asked me seriously.

Somehow I stopped and I lowered my head, "I'm sorry Mistress Pauline, but I was just following you." I said uncertain why I was reacting as I was, but it seemed natural to respond like that.

"Alice? Alice please look at me." Pauline asked gently, I raised my head. "I'm sorry Alice that was nasty of me." She had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong Pauline?" I asked her and ran up the last few steps to hold her, "Please tell me, I'll try to make it better." I told her as I hugged her.

"I was told by Master to make sure that you weren't trying to fool us; that you were really into your new life." She said but that didn't explain what was wrong.

I didn't speak but just held her, she kissed my cheek. "You are really one of us sister." She said.

"I agree." The voice of my Master said from his bedroom door. "Well done Alice, you obeyed perfectly." He said. "Now can we have breakfast?" He said smiling.

I went with Pauline to where the lift would be. She pressed another concealed button and the doors opened, we retrieved our burdens and, with Pauline leading the way, we went into the Master Bedroom.

In the bed was Billie-Jo who looked dishevelled but happy. Pauline directed me to place a tray where Billie-Jo was seated and then another for Master. In some kind of magicians' movement she managed to place two plates onto Billie-Jo's tray along with two glasses which she took from my pile. She placed a cup of coffee on Master's tray and then turned to leave the room.

I followed her to where Sharon was seated listening to the CD again, she looked up as we entered, "Oh good. Where do you want me?" She asked.

"You look good enough where you are." Pauline said with a smile and directed me to place a tray over Sharon's legs; on this tray she placed the last two plates and a cup of coffee and a glass for orange juice. "Enjoy!" She said and left the room.

"This is very good you know, how much did you do of it?" Sharon asked me.

"I only did the toast and the orange juice." I said slightly despondent.

"Well the toast is nicely done as well." She said smiling which made me laugh.

"So Alice, what's going to happen today?" She asked me.

I didn't have to think about it. "Well, I'll have to go downstairs for my exercises. After that I'll have self defence lessons with Pauline. After lunch I'll have school work to do then its dinner time. After that I've got my book to read for an hour before bedtime." I told her.

"Don't you mind having to do the same thing every day?" Sharon asked me sounding interested.

"Not really, at least I know what's happening each day, in some way it's very reassuring, I have something solid to depend on." I said.

"So you find this structured routine comforting. Is that it?" She asked me.

"I suppose so. I mean it's not as if I've got control over my life anymore." I said, putting it into words makes it seem so dull, but it was true.

Sharon nodded but didn't comment and so we completed our breakfast in silence.

After we'd finished Sharon turned on the player again and I listened to my voice again. It was slightly embarrassing and I could feel my face going red as Sharon watched me closely.

"You do know that you have a very good voice for reading. I wonder where I can get a copy of this?" Sharon said.

"You can have this one." I said wanting to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

But Sharon shook her head, "No Alice, that is your own copy, you should keep it!" She said and completely refused to take it.

In order to stop listening I decided to take out the dirty plates and placed them on the tray and then carried them out to the lift. I found the hidden button and the door opened, I put the tray inside.

I then went to the Master Paul's bedroom, the plates were clear of food but Master Paul was busy, I could only see his back as his buttocks moved in a rhythmic motion. The girl beneath him, Pauline, looked at me with a smile on her lips. Billie-Jo was seated away from them with a wistful look on her face.

I quickly picked up the trays from where they lay on the floor and carried them out to the lift. Billie-Jo nodded to me as I left the room.

I found there were three buttons inside the lift, after thinking about it I pressed the middle button and quickly withdrew my hand. The doors closed and I walked down the stairs.

I collected the trays and took them to the kitchen where I washed the plates, cups and glasses, before putting them away.

I now had nothing to do, but I didn't like this and so I went down to the basement, I wasn't certain if this was allowed but I found out the tape that Pauline used and put it into the video player, I then turned on the television and began to move with the person on the screen.

I'm not sure how long I'd been exercising, but once, when I was doing the arm swings, I saw Pauline just behind me matching my movements.

All too soon, or so it seemed, the tape ended. I placed my hands on my knees and breathed deeply to recover myself.

"That was excellent Alice; may I ask how long you were working out for?" Master Paul asked me.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry master, I don't know. All I did was to follow the tape's instructions, but I don't remember the last few exercises before though." I said still breathing hard.

"That's because I've never let you do them before, I thought they were too advanced for you." Pauline said, she was breathing hard as well!

"Well I wouldn't like to have done all that!" Sharon said — she was massaging Billie-Jo's leg as she spoke.

"No that was an excellent show, and thank you for doing the washing up... you could have used the dishwasher you know." Master Paul said, and I noticed he was undressing as he did so.

"I wasn't sure if I was allowed to, master and so I did it by hand. I hope I didn't leave too much of a mess?" I said knowing I had tidied up the kitchen after me.

"Stop fishing for complements young lady! Now, have you rested enough?" Master Paul asked me, he had undressed completely but was now putting on a strange device around his cock and balls.

"Yes Master." And I turned and bowed to Pauline as I had been taught.

"No Alice, you're too used to Pauline by now, there is a new opponent for you to face." Master Paul said. As I turned to face him he bowed to me, I automatically bowed back.

"Don't hold back Alice, I want you to really attack and defend yourself." He said while Pauline pulled the mats into the centre of the room.

"But what if I hurt you master?" I asked him.

"Then I deserve to be hurt Alice. Shall we start?" Master said and indicated the mat; I walked past him only to find he had wrapped his arms around my neck. He was trying to strangle me!

I instinctively drove my elbow into his stomach, hearing his breath explode from his lungs as I did so, he relaxed his hold slightly which allowed me to grab hold of his hand, pulling on the little finger, twisting it, bringing his arm away from me.

Pauline's voice came to me, "That's right Alice! The little finger is the most vulnerable and easiest to break!"

I grabbed hold of his wrist and bent forward suddenly, bring Master over my back and onto the mat. As he landed I brought my hand down onto his sternum to knock the wind from him — I didn't even pause to think, but as my hand came down I looked into my Master's eyes and hesitated.

Master brought his hands up and grabbed hold of my arm, he twisted round, pulling me down onto the ground, he managed to end up sitting on me, and he leered at me, "Quite good, but just imagine I was Red. Would he hold back? Now don't play around Slave Alice! Defend yourself!" Master Paul said.

It was as if a veil had been pulled from my eyes. It was Red's fault that my family had been broken and destroyed! He'd taken away my father, changed my mother and brought me to this! I managed to free my arm and made the only move possible. I drove my fist into his crotch! It wasn't a legal move, and if this had been a competition I would have been disqualified.

Master Paul rolled off of me and went into a ball, I got up and went to check on him but his arms moved out to grab me again, I jumped back, away from his reach.

"But you should be in agony?" I said surprised.

"That's what a box and athletics support's supposed to do, now no holding back!" Paul told me and there was a strange look on his face, a look that I'd seen in Red's eyes.

Somehow I knew that this wasn't Paul... it was someone else!

I looked at Pauline, trying to get her to notice what I had seen, but she was talking to Sharon and shaking her head, I felt sure she'd also seen what I had.

"Well... come on bitch! Just try to beat me!" Not Paul said and lashed out with his fist, it wasn't pulled and it wasn't a karate move it was a savage move. I just managed to move out of its way and kicked Paul hard behind the knee, forcing him down onto one leg. He had the advantage of size and weight, an advantage I had to change — don't tell me that size doesn't matter, it does!

Not Paul kicked out with his feet, but I jumped back and delivered a kick of my own again to the back of his knee. "Why you little cow!" He said and got to his feet, favouring his leg as its muscles protested.

"I might be little, and I might be female, but never..." I kicked him again, hitting the same leg, "... ever..." This time as he dropped to the ground I got to his neck and scissored my legs around it, squeezing and choking him. "Call me a cow!" I kept up the pressure, feeling his weakening struggles as he tried to gain his breath, I knew I was killing my master, but I had to stop him. Pauline had already told me that the thighs had the strongest muscles in the human body, I was just proving this.

Finally Master stopped struggling and I released my hold, I moved my hand to his throat and tried to find a pulse... nothing. I looked to Sharon and screamed out. "I've killed my Master!"

Paul

To start let me say that the news of my death were greatly exaggerated. I did have a stiff neck and my throat was sore, but that was all.

I came too on the bed in the basement; Sharon was listening to my heartbeat. "What happened?" I asked her.

"Why? What was the last thing you remember?" Sharon said.

"I... I was just getting ready to test Alice on self defence... and then I woke up just now. What the blazes happened?" I said now worried even more.

"Paul, this room is monitored at all times isn't it?" Sharon asked, I nodded and got up walking to the computer, first I looked around.

"Where are the girls?" I asked.

"I sent them upstairs. Poor Alice was so distraught; she believed she had killed you." At my look she nodded, "She had just choked you out, what else could she think?"

I entered a command on the screen and watched as Alice and Pauline finished their exercises, I watched as Pauline placed the mats in the room, and then I was aghast as I jumped Alice from behind. I looked from the screen to Sharon; she nodded to the screen as Alice freed herself and threw me. I felt my hand, the little finger did feel sore as well as my back, I was impressed with the way she defended herself, I paused the file and sat down.

"You don't remember any of that?" Sharon asked me and I shook my head.

"No, not at all. It's like watching someone else!" I appealed to Sharon, "What's wrong with me?" I asked.

She shook her head, "It's what Elizabeth though! You know in olden days it could be called possession but..." She rummaged in her bag, "It only seems to be when you lose your temper, and as the girls get older you'll find they can be annoying without knowing it." She took out a pill-bottle, "These are tranquillisers, keep doing the breathing exercises and if that doesn't work then take two of these, Elizabeth suggested them if things went too far."

I nodded and took the bottle, and then I played the rest of the file. It was more than weird watching this thing using my body to attack Alice. But she was marvellous in her defence and attack, doing all the right things. It was as if whatever it was in my body had no idea of karate at all, that was its undoing. I sat and watched wincing as Alice drove her fist into me but I knew 'I' was faking the pain and almost shouted at the screen as Alice went to check on 'me' and I was please as she dodged 'my' attack.

I almost cheered as she brought 'me' to my knees, I thought she attacked my neck a bit too soon but she persisted and managed to knock me out.

"Phewwww! She was good wasn't she?" I said to Sharon.

"I don't know I've never studied self defence." She said, "But she seemed to have dealt with you well enough." She added watching me.

"That wasn't me fighting, whoever it was didn't have access to my karate skill, I'm glad to say. Otherwise the outcome would have been different." I said.

"Or are you just saying that? Come on Paul come clean." She said.

"The best offence is sometimes not to fight at all." I misquoted from the Book of War.

"Why's that?" Sharon asked.

"It confuses the hell out of your enemies!" I said with a smile. Then I toggled the communicator button. "Girls will you all come downstairs please." I said.

"Alice, well done. You defended yourself quickly and accurately, I'm proud of you." I said to the shaking girl.

"But Master I hurt you, I almost killed you!" She said and burst into tears.

I took her into my arms, "Alice, I'm fine, honestly. I've got an aching back and neck, but that's nothing, you did what you had to do without thinking about who I was. That's what you were in training for, to protect yourself and anyone else with you." I told her.

"But Master... It wasn't you!" she said softly.

"I know! And that's why I was so happy that you defeated... whatever it was. The last time Pauline had to resort to a needle to bring me down, and you didn't even have that. So smile Alice, you've passed the test completely. I think you'll soon be leaving us." I told her which made her cry even more.

"What's wrong Alice?" Billie-Jo asked.

"I... I don't want to go! You can't make me you just can't!" She said.

I held her again, "Slave Alice you can't stay here, you have a new life waiting for you, I promise you that you'll be happy and you can always get in touch with us at any time, no matter where you are." I told her.

"Master, I know how to calm her. Can you let me help her?" Billie-Jo asked me gently. I nodded my head and turned the crying girl around to face Billie-Jo who was back in the wheelchair.

"Alice, come here." Billie-Jo gently said opening her arms and welcoming Alice into her hold.

"But I want to stay, please Billie-Jo can't you make him change his mind?" Alice pleaded with her friend.

"Alice. Sister, you have to spread your wings! Trust master he's doing the best for you." Billie-Jo said stroking Alice's back.