Chapter 23

"You are a foolish, foolish girl, Miss Hendell."

Melissa was too thunderstruck to reply. She simply stared at the Principal in disbelief.

Laura leveled a cold gaze at her. "I learned of your petty little display of power over Miss Sovert in the lunchroom."

"Petty?!" Melissa exploded. "Do you know what they did to me over the summer? You have any idea how much they humiliated..."

Laura waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, we all know how cruel and unfair everyone has been to you. Really, you are starting to sound like a broken record."

Melissa fumed. She lashed out mentally, only to feel her attack slam into that impenetrable, dark barrier. In her mind's eye, it was like a blackness that appeared as if it would suck her in as much as it would keep her out. Her jaw tightened as she relented.

"Are you quite done?" Laura asked in a bored voice.

"You can't defend against a physical attack. I could seriously hurt you."

"Yes, you could. And it would be just as pointless as what you did today."

"It was not pointless! I humiliated the both of them in front of the whole school! Heather ran out of there crying her eyes out! Everyone else taunted Diane until she left, too!"

Laura sighed and started to shake her head, then thought better of it and looked Melissa in the eye. "Fine. We'll go with your version, then. You humiliated them. Good job. I guess that means they're both cowering in fear of what you might do next. They couldn't even show their faces in the lunchroom out of the sheer terror of being ridiculed again."

Melissa clenched her teeth. "Shut up."

"Except that none of that happened. They returned to the cafeteria, didn't they? Your stooge Mr. Weston made them kiss each other again, didn't he? They went right on with their lunch, didn't they?"

"Shut up!"

Laura raised a finger in admonishment and frowned. "Do not use that tone with me. I am still your Principal, and I will punish you for it if it happens again."

Melissa bit down a retort and clenched her fists. Laura took a half step back and braced herself. A few seconds later, a plant was knocked off its shelf, its clay pot shattering on impact with the floor.

Laura sighed and folded her arms. "Really, now, Miss Hendell, I am growing tired of having to explain why I have to keep paying the janitorial staff overtime for cleaning my office."

Melissa said nothing and gave Laura a sullen look.

"My point in all this, Miss Hendell, is that this is energy best spent towards your ultimate goal. Thanks to my Mistress, I have a certain degree of power I can use to provide cover for your actions, but it is limited. You are pushing that limit."

"I've already reached my goal," Melissa snapped. "Well, part of it. I have the spell. I know what I need to do for the Rite."

Laura's gaze intensified. "Tell me."

Reluctantly, Melissa explained what she had seen.

Laura paused a long moment, turning away from Melissa and pacing the length of her office once. "Interesting. It's more complex than I thought it would be."

"Tell me about it. It's going to take me another day to get the receptacle done. I have to find someone to do it for me, since I don't have the skills or the patience to learn them."

"And the incantation is likely rather powerful. Why are you wasting your energy?"

"I am not wasting it! It's letting me fuck with Heather's mind."

"And you didn't heed what I said about how they can detect..."

"Yes, I did. I've been careful. I've been subtle."

Laura raised an eyebrow dubiously. "You? Subtle?"

"Yes, me, subtle. I'm not controlling her. I just messed with her perceptions. I'm getting good at that. It will make it easier for me to take her and Diane so I can use them for the Rite."

Laura still appeared doubtful, but nodded for Melissa to continue.

"I'm screwing with Diane as well. I've already made it so she'll want Heather to enslave her. All I had to do was snip a few of her inhibitions, just like Heather. Not really direct control, so they won't notice it. Then once Diane is enslaved to Heather, I take Heather. They both deliver themselves to me for the Rite. So, see, my revenge on them was useful after all."

Laura considered for a long moment.

"It will work," Melissa insisted. "They don't know about the link with the pendant. They don't know I've been spying on them whenever they hold the book. Cassie's dreams about me are being blocked. And I'm blocking Susan's mother from trying to tell them anything about it. They know the Rite was done before, but they don't know that the Rite was stopped, or that it can be stopped. I was that careful."

Laura finally nodded slowly. "Yes, it might work. If you don't screw it up. If you can really push Miss Sovert into making her control of Miss Woodrow permanent without alerting the others."

"I have it under control. By the end of the week, I'll have the Rite done. Then it's all mine."

Laura smiled. "Yes, it will all be yours. I guess I underestimated you, Miss Hendell. Very well, you may go. But I warn you. You need to be less obvious in the future. Don't rock the boat this close to having it all."

"I'll be careful. I'm almost there. Thank you for your help, Ms. Bendon."

Laura simply nodded again, still smiling. Melissa smiled as well and left.

Laura narrowed her eyes as the door closed. She allowed herself her own private, secretive little grin.

Without Cassie to give them a ride, it took Heather and Diane longer to reach the meeting place. They had to go home first and then meet at the mall before heading over together. Diane had not wanted to tell Cassie what they were doing, knowing how she felt about the book.

Upon entering the house, they rushed up the stairs to the bedroom they had used the day before. The covers were still upset from when they had last used the bed.

"Okay, so what are these spells that you want me to try on you?" Heather asked after closing the door behind them.

Diane fished a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her jeans. She looked down at it, pausing as if having second thoughts. She held it out to Heather, her hand trembling a bit.

Heather gave Diane a small smile as she took the proffered paper and unfolded it. "There's four of them here. Which ones did you want me to do? And what do they do?"

"Try the first one," Diane said, her voice quavering in anticipation. "It ... it lets you control my pussy. You can make it do what you want without even touching it."

Heather looked up. "Are you serious?"

Diane bit her lip and nodded. She squeezed her thighs together as heat gathered.

"Well, okay ... let me see if I can get this right ... Cassie said the marks mean I emphasize the parts that follow ... okay." She cleared her throat. "Thri'quixl'altkas yirlos ron'indna!"

Diane uttered a tiny gasp and flinched. There was a sudden, powerful tingling in her pussy that made her visibly shiver. It would have driven her mad if it had continued, but it quickly faded to a softer sensation, as if she had just inserted a very gentle vibrator into her vagina.

"Are you all right?" Heather asked with concern. "Did that do anything?"

"I think so. I feel a bit strange. It feels nice, but..."

Heather smiled. "Nice? Your pussy getting nice and wet?"

Diane smiled faintly. She was about to reply when her eyes suddenly widened and her mouth dropped open.

"What's the matter?"

Diane closed her eyes and let out a long, sultry sigh. Her pussy swam in steamy arousal. "Oh my God ... uhh ... y-yes, I think it worked..."

"What do you ... wait, are you wet now? Just from me telling you?"

Diane swallowed and nodded.

"So ... if I said you should get really horny right now..."

Diane moaned and trembled. Her hips writhed, moisture oozing from her crotch as her panties became soaked. Her pussy felt swollen and achy. She panted softly.

Heather stared in astonishment at first, then slowly smiled. "Cum."

"Uhhhnn!!" Diane fell forward, clutching at her lover as her pussy throbbed. Her hips jerked with each spasm. She panted hard, her hot breath steaming past Heather's ear. "Uhhh! ... Ohhh! ... oh Heather ... uhhh..."

Heather hugged Diane tightly until her powerful orgasm faded and her body went limp. "You okay?" Heather asked with a trace of amusement in her voice.

"Y-yes ... Oh God ... th-that was incredible..." Diane breathed.

Heather gently broke off the embrace. "Diane, take your clothes off for me."

Diane blushed faintly, but smiled and nodded. She started to unbutton her blouse.

Heather watched, her own pussy growing damp in anticipation. When the blouse had dropped to the floor, Heather said, "I think you're starting to get horny again."

Diane shivered and moaned softly.

"You'll get more horny each time you take off another piece of clothing."

Diane's heart thumped. She slipped the cups of her bra from her breasts. She felt another wave of lust pass over her and gather in her sex. She quivered as she reached down to remove her jeans.

Heather giggled and began to undress. "This is going to be fun."

Richie was a model student when it came to detention. He was so used to it that, despite his brief hiatus from it, it had become more like a chore he might do around the house. It just needed to be done, and there was no point in trying to avoid it.

He ignored the scrutinizing gaze of Mr. Seeger and the angry glare from Brad. He simply went about his task until Seeger declared that detention was over.

"Mr. Gardner, one moment."

Richie had been halfway out the door. Ahead of him, Brad turned his head and sniggered. Richie surreptitiously gave Brad the finger before turning around to face the Vice Principal. "Yeah, Mr. Seeger?"

Seeger waited for Brad to depart before speaking again. He fixed his calculating gaze on Richie and said, "I wish you to tell me the truth in answering my next question, Mr. Gardner. Can you do that for me?"

Richie paused. "Was that the question, Mr. Seeger?"

Seeger glowered. "Do not be a wise guy, Mr. Gardner. I wish to know something. I wish you to tell me exactly why you had attacked Mr. Weston last week."

Richie was a bit nonplussed at the question. "Uh, because he was bothering Heather."

"And you expect me to believe you have suddenly decided to become so chivalrous?"

"Huh?"

Seeger sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. The point is, Mr. Gardner, is that you claim to have been defending her honor as it were, yet there was no evidence of Mr. Weston having bothered Miss Sovert. Can you account for this?"

Richie hesitated. "You said you wanted me to tell you the truth, right?"

"Yes, if that is not too much trouble."

"Nah, it's fine. You just won't believe it."

"Try me, Mr. Gardner."

Richie shrugged. "'kay. Brad was messin' with her head."

Seeger frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"See? Toldya, Mr. Seeger."

"Are you telling me he was ... playing some sort of psychological trick on her?" It was clear from his voice that he certainly did not consider the likes of Brad intellectual enough to accomplish such a thing.

Richie shook his head. "Nope. He was really gettin' into her head. Y'know, like hypnosis. Mind control. That sorta thing."

Seeger stared at him. "Mind control."

"Yep. Weird, ain't it?"

Seeger's face darkened. "Is this some kind of sick joke, Mr. Gardner? Because if it is, I am not laughing."

"Nope, no joke, Mr. Seeger. And I ain't laughin' either."

"Mind control," Seeger echoed.

"Yep. Been goin' on all over the school since the semester started. There's some seriously weird shi ... er ... stuff going on around here, Mr. Seeger."

Seeger remained silent for a long moment. If this had been a month ago, he would have doubted this child's sanity. The truth was that he had not mentioned to anyone even half of the oddness he had seen at Haven High, not even to his wife. It was not limited to the students, either. Some of the faculty and staff appeared to be acting odd as well. Linda Davis for one. Marcie Fuller for another.

And he was becoming increasingly wary of Laura Bendon.

But mind control? Despite what he had observed, he could not stretch his meager imagination to encompass this.

"Perhaps you believe in such ... such nonsense, Mr. Gardner," Seeger said in a huff. "And perhaps you truly believed you were defending Miss Sovert against this form of alleged attack..."

He paused again. He remembered the stain on Heather's jeans. One eye twitched. He blinked rapidly and pushed the thought aside.

" ... but I would advise you that if you believe such a thing is happening again that you inform a faculty member rather than take matters into your own hands. Now, good day."

He swept an arm towards the door. Richie nodded and headed out.

Richie wondered if Jason would yell at him for spilling the beans to Mr. Seeger. He was frustrated. It was the summer all over again, when he had first discovered the Darkness' control over his mother. He had closed the book on that, but this ability to see the past had opened it again and shoved his face into the pages.

He emerged from the east entrance of the school and saw the black limo waiting. He smirked, wishing some of his rivals could see this.

Cassie waved to him from the back seat of the car. Richie got in, and gravel crunched as the limo turned out of the parking lot and thumped onto the street.

"Everything okay, Richie?" Cassie asked, her hands clutching the handle of the bag that contained the book.

"Huh? Yeah, sure. Why?"

"I saw Brad leave, but it was awhile before you showed up. I thought maybe... "

"That I skipped out on you?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, I wasn't going to say that."

Richie stared at her. He still harbored a tiny amount of resentment towards her. He had hated her for what she had almost done to him despite the fact that it was not her fault, that she had been under Nyssa's thrall. It was harder to hate her for it now, but it was also difficult to let go of it completely.

"Sorry," Richie mumbled. "It's nothing. Saggy Seeger wanted to talk to me, that's all."

Cassie nodded slowly and was silent for awhile. When the silence became too awkward, she turned to Richie again. "Um ... thank you for agreeing to do this."

Richie shrugged. "Got nothin' better to do."

"I mean ... well, I figured that not everything you can see from the past is pleasant."

He shifted in his seat and shrugged again, trying to look uncaring. "Not like I can change what happened."

"If you want to talk about it..."

From the tension in Richie's body, it was obvious to her that he was feeling defensive, but his eyes were soft, almost forlorn, and flicked about the back seat in indecision.

"Richie?"

"It don't matter, Cassie. Really, it don't. She gave up fighting it anyway after that."

Cassie tilted her head. "She? Your mother?"

Richie's eyes shimmered. "Um..."

"You mean you saw what happened to her? How she became..."

"Look, never mind, okay? It was a long frickin' time ago and too much shit's happened since then. She's gone. Maybe if my Dad was around, he'd..."

He trailed off. Cassie looked at him with concern and compassion.

Richie bit his lip. He was close to venting all his frustrations to her. Grief suddenly surged up inside of him. He quelled it, but not before Cassie saw it in his eyes and was moved to reach out a hand to him.

Richie slid closer to the door. "Just let me know when we get there," he muttered, and turned his head to stare out the window.

Cassie lowered her hand and sighed softly. She had wanted to try to connect to him as a friend, and now she worried if she had made things worse.

Diane was panting so hard that speech was impossible. She writhed and quivered helplessly in Heather's lap, her back to her lover, her thighs splayed wide over Heather's legs. Her pussy strained hard and glistened in the subdued light. Her intense arousal ran liquid in her folds, oozing down her slit.

Heather cupped Diane's tits, played with them, squeezed the pliant flesh. Each touch sent another tingle of intense pleasure into Diane's pussy, keeping it on the knife's edge of climax. She rubbed the hard nubs of Diane's erect nipples, making Diane shudder and moan her distress.

"Now don't you cum yet," Heather whispered into Diane's ear. "Don't you dare cum."

She dropped a hand from Diane's breast. Diane mewled when Heather's fingers sank into her slit. She rose even further, her pussy aching badly from how close it was to cumming, but relief eluded her. She let out a desperate cry.

Heather giggled. She had cast the second spell on Diane, the one that made every touch drive her lover into delirious sexual arousal. "Too much?"

"Uhhhn ... uhhh ... n-no..." Diane managed to gasp between her pants and moans. She had never been this excited in her life. Even though the orgasm denial was nearly at painful proportions, it was driving her to incredible heights of ecstasy.

"In that case, if you want to cum, you need to do something for me."

"Uhhh ... a-anything ... p-please, tell me ... ohhh!"

Heather speared Diane's tunnel with two fingers. Diane closed her eyes and spread her legs wider as Heather pumped her fingers back and forth. "How good are you at sucking on a girl's tits?"

"Uhnn ... n-never ... never d-did it..."

"Guess you're going to learn, then."

Heather withdrew her fingers and nudged Diane. Diane reluctantly slid from Heather's lap. She staggered a bit as she stood, her legs weak and trembling. She continued panting until the pressure in her cunt eased.

Heather slid from the edge of the bed and lay on her back. She smiled and gestured to Diane.

Diane eagerly climbed on the bed, her pussy still hot and wet. Heather slid her hand lightly along Diane's side. Diane moaned deeply and arched her back as the touch made her pussy strain again.

Diane was breathing hard by the time she brought her mouth to bear on Heather's breast. Her hot breath blew across Heather's nipple, making her lover shiver with delight and the nipple swell and firm.

Diane parted her lips and licked gently at the taut little knob of flesh, rewarded by a breathy moan from Heather. Heather spread her legs as her hand reached behind Diane's head and gently pushed her lover into her tit. Diane opened her mouth more fully and clamped her lips around the nipple, her cheeks dimpling and her tongue lashing.

Heather moaned deeply, her pussy tingling with excitement. Diane was learning quickly. Heather felt Diane's tongue swirl around her nipple, then lap at it like a cat drinking milk.

Heather smiled and ran her hands down Diane's sides. Diane quaked as her pussy strained once more, making her suck harder at Heather's tit. Heather gasped and slid her trembling hands over Diane's ass. Diane mewled into Heather's breast.

"Mmm ... Diane, that's nice..." Heather moaned. "The other one, please..."

As Diane lifted her head, Heather grinned wickedly and reached between Diane's legs. Diane gasped loudly as Heather's fingers sank into her wet folds again. "Hope this doesn't distract you too much."

"Uhhn ... uhh ... oh Heather ... please ... I-I need to cum badly..." Diane begged.

"First do my other tit."

Shaking, Diane lowered her head and took Heather's nipple into her mouth. She sucked hard, squeezing her lips around the firm flesh. Heather panted in her rising delight. Her fingers flicked in firm strokes against Diane's helpless pussy.

It was finally too much for Diane. She broke off, lifting her head, panting so hard she could barely speak. "H-Heather ... God ... p-please... please..."

"Oops, sorry, I guess I got carried away. You may cum."

Diane's pussy rose like a rocket and exploded, her whole body shuddering violently as she came. Her hips jerked several times against Heather's hand. Her climax was so intense that she could not utter a sound for the first few moments. When her throat finally unlocked, she uttered small, strident cries as her cunt spasmed around Heather's fingers.

"Oh, that was a nice one, wasn't it?" Heather cooed.

Diane panted wildly as her orgasm faded. She collapsed against Heather, her head turned to the side, her cheek resting against one of Heather's breasts. She lay limp, breathing heavily through the last ebbing throbs in her pussy.

Heather wrapped her arms around Diane. The touch renewed Diane's arousal, making her shiver. "Wow, still feeling horny when I touch you?"