Chapter 9

Richie was halfway to the classroom door before Cassie realized he was on his way out. She dashed away, her heart thumping in fear that she was about to be caught spying on him. She shoved her way through the crowd to escape, her cheeks glowing faintly pink.

She flung her gaze behind her even as she continued to plow forward. She half-expected to see an angry Richie on her heels. So when she came to a sudden stop after bumping into someone in front of her, she nearly shrieked. Instead, it came out as a single, sudden, high-pitched gasp.

"Whoa, hey, babe, I'm sorry I startled ya."

"Oh, Ned, no, it's okay," Cassie gushed in relief.

Ned looked at her in concern. "You all right?"

Cassie's head snapped around one more time, throwing her curls into his face. She nudged him further down the hall before speaking to him again. "Ned, I just spotted Richie with his teacher Linda Davis again."

"Oh, yeah, that's what I was comin' ta tell ya," Ned said. "Ran inta Melinda earlier. She's on the warpath about Richie. Says she caught 'im with her yesterday."

Cassie sighed despondently. "And I just caught something from him now."

"I thought ya had trouble hearing what he was sayin' in there."

Cassie's cheeks went a little more red. "I took a peek. I poked my head in for a moment."

"Oh man, did he catch ya? Is that why ya were runnin'?"

"No, I don't think he did. I know it was dangerous, but I had to know. Ned, they were talking ... really intimately. Richie said something about sex ... well ... about fucking anyway." Cassie's voice became a barely audible whisper on that word, cheeks scarlet. "And Miss Davis was looking ... um..."

"Like the lack of a bed was the only thing stopping 'em from doin' the fandango?"

Cassie swallowed and nodded meekly, unable to meet his eyes.

"Hoo boy," Ned sighed.

"Ned, Richie can't be controlling her, not directly, can he?"

Ned shrugged. "I dunno, babe, I really don't. I mean, we don't see that funky Aura on him. Mebbe we should just ask him."

Cassie's eyes widened. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know how he flies off the handle so easily."

"Only when Melinda gets his goat. By the way, when did she become Miss Popular?"

Cassie tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"Seems these days Melinda's always got a gaggle o'gigglin' girls around her whenever I see her. Seems like she picked up a fan or three."

Something about that didn't seem right. Cassie had known Melinda in grammar school. Even though she was one grade ahead of Melinda, there had been enough contact between them for Cassie to know that Melinda was something of a loner, much like herself. It was why they had become friends, at least before Cassie had to go on to high school and her connections to the dreamworld became much stronger.

That friendship had nearly been ruined when Melinda came to Haven High. Melinda couldn't relate to her anymore, at least not until after Nyssa had tried to enslave her and the Harbingers had rescued her. The experience had changed Cassie.

It was apparent to Cassie now that something far more mundane was changing Melinda, and she wondered if that had anything to do with Melinda's recent aggressiveness.

"Well, supposedly Heather was unpopular until she got to Haven High, so maybe Melinda's just following the same pattern," said Cassie.

"Huh. Yeah, I seem to remember Heather bein' sorta a bit cocky, too."

Cassie refused to go there. She hated bad-mouthing friends. "Anyway, Ned, about Richie..."

"Oh, yeah. Well, have Jason talk to him, then. He seems to do okay with him."

"I'm still worried about Jason."

Ned had nothing to offer on that subject. In fact, he not expected to get into this at all. He had used Melinda as little more than an excuse to go find Cassie for his own reasons. He had wanted to make it look like it was something that happened to come to him on the spur of the moment. He did not want to look like he had been planning it for a week.

Cassie looked up at him. "Ned, you have any idea what Jason thinks about this?"

"I think he's sorta in denial about it. He wants something to prove that Richie really is going fer his teacher. Sounded like he might've had a plan cooked up. Dreams not telling ya anything about Richie and Miss Davis?"

Cassie shook her head, exasperation in her eyes. "I've been focused so much on Melissa and trying to figure out why I'm so blocked on her that I haven't given much time to anything else. Maybe we can talk about that over lunch."

"Um, yeah, sure," Ned said uncertainly.

"Well, I better get to my next class." She started to walk away. "See you..."

"Cassie, wait!"

Cassie stopped and turned. "Yes?"

Ned swallowed. "Uh..."

"Something wrong?"

"Uh..."

"Ned, we'll both be late for class. What..."

"Wouldyagooutwithme?"

Cassie blinked. "What?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Ned paused for a long moment, then finally said, "Um, o-okay, never mind, I understand..."

"I'd love to."

Ned fell silent again.

Cassie slowly smiled. "I'd love to," she repeated in a soft voice.

"Okay. Um ... okay. Great. Tonight, then?"

"I have to go with my parents to some formal function tonight, but I'm free tomorrow."

"Ah, cool. Tomorrow it is."

The two of them stood standing there, several feet apart, grinning at each other. It was only the bell that shattered the moment.

"Oh goodness! I'm late!" Cassie cried.

"Babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. I'll talk to you later. Bye!" Cassie waved and dashed down the hall.

Ned just stared and finally lifted his own hand to wave, even though she had already ducked down a side corridor and out of sight, leaving him standing in the hallway alone.

Ned finally lowered his hand and took a deep breath. It did little to calm him.

He thought he had the hard part behind him. But now he realized he had no idea where to take her, what to do with her, or how to get her alone without being chaperoned by her driver.

Then again, considering his growing sexual desire for her and what he had done the last time such a thing became an obsession, perhaps being left alone with her was a bad idea.

"Heather, are you okay?"

Heather gave Diane a confused look. "Huh?"

Diane made a face. "You're doing it again."

"I am not," Heather replied automatically. "I mean, doing what?"

"Zoning out on me like that. Pretending you're paying attention to me."

Heather put down her fork into her half-finished lunch. "I'm sorry, Diane, I didn't mean to."

"It's all right," Diane said in a softer voice, though she still felt hurt. "But is something the matter? It wasn't anything I said to you, was it?"

"Diane, stop worrying about that. That's about the third time you've said something like that to me today."

Diane blushed. "I-I didn't realize ... Anyway, is something wrong?"

Heather sighed and glanced around the cafeteria. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," she said in a low voice.

"What is it?"

Heather hesitated. She picked up her fork and pushed the remnants of her lunch around the plate. "I'm not sure how to say it. Diane, this is going to seem like a weird question, and you don't have to answer it if it's too personal."

Diane's eyes widened. She simply nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Have you noticed anything strange the last week or so? In your own feelings, I mean?"

Diane's lips parted. Her heart thumped as panic fluttered briefly inside her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, have you been thinking about ... about sex a lot? Or just more than you used to?"

Diane swallowed. What was she supposed to say? Did this mean that Heather was picking up on Diane's feelings?

"Have you?" Diane asked, unable to bring herself to answering the question directly.

"Well, I told you about Melinda."

"Um, yeah. You still having a problem with that?"

"Well, it was better this morning but ... it's not her, Diane, not really. I..." Heather sighed. She shook her head and dropped her fork with a clatter. "This is not making any sense to you, is it?"

"Well, no, not really. You said it was better. So what's the problem?"

Heather looked around again. She slid her seat closer to Diane. "Diane, please, please don't let on I told you this," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I had sex with Jason yesterday."

Diane gasped, looking shocked. "What??"

"Well, oral sex, anyway," Heather amended quickly, though her cheeks had colored. She smiled faintly. "But it was pretty good."

Diane looked stricken for a moment before she caught herself. She had a foolish notion that perhaps Heather was about to save her the trouble and confess feelings for her. Instead, it made her fear that Heather remained a confirmed heterosexual and would want nothing to do with a more intimate relationship with Diane.

Heather saw Diane's reaction and misinterpreted it. "Diane, don't worry, Melinda knows about this. She suggested it herself."

Diane stared. "Heather, you really have me confused now. What the hell is going on? Why did she tell you to do this?"

"It was her idea to see if it would make me stop bugging her. She thought if I started 'getting some' that I'd stop wanting her."

Diane nodded quickly. Some hope had returned to her. "So that's the only reason you did it?"

"Yes. Mostly. I mean ... well, you know about the House. We did it there. He was pretty good. Really good, actually. He..." Heather stopped herself and squirmed in her seat. "See, this is what I mean. It's like I can't turn my mind off about sex now. It was bad when it was just Melinda, but..."

"Are you still thinking about Melinda?" Diane asked. Blood rushed in her ears.

"Yes, dammit. It's like doing it with Jason only made it go away for a little while. But I just want to know why I'm so highly sexed in the first place, never mind who I want to do it with!"

Heather's cheeks were bright pink. Diane realized that it was taking a lot for Heather to admit this. She had a great deal of admiration for Heather, which only fueled her own passions for her friend.

"But I think something is happening to all of us, Diane," Heather said urgently. "Melinda's got a libido that would light up New York, the way she goes at it with Jason. And you heard about Richie, right?"

"Was that what Melinda was getting all whiny about earlier?" Diane asked. She tended to tune Melinda out unless they were meeting as the Harbingers. She still considered Melinda to be something of a brat. "He was trying to do something with his teacher?"

"Yes. Miss Davis, the one he had taken when Nyssa had control of him. But you see my point? It's like our sex drives have shifted into overdrive. Only Cassie and Ned don't seem to be affected at all. So have you felt anything?"

Diane bit her lower lip. "Um, y-yeah, I guess I've felt it, too."

Heather looked relieved. "Anyone in particular?"

Diane's heart raced. "I'd rather not say," she said sheepishly.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Diane shook her head quickly. "I just don't want to mention it where someone might overhear us."

Heather nodded absently, feeling a little foolish for not having waited until after school herself. But it had been weighing on her mind so much she had to tell someone. She managed a small smile. "Can you tell me if it's anyone I know?"

"Um ... you could say that, yeah."

"How about you tell me later after school?"

"After... ? Oh, um, sure."

Heather's smiled widened. "I'll meet you after last class, then? Maybe we can get a ride with Cassie so we don't have to wait to take the bus home first and then have to head over to the mall."

Diane had to quell an urge to refuse the offer, but she realized she couldn't keep going like this without Heather knowing. It frustrated her to think that some outward influence might be pushing her into it by inflaming her own desires. She might have been able to keep these feelings to herself for longer if it were not for that.

But maybe if Heather realized this as well, it would not come as such a shock.

"Sounds good to me, then," Diane said.

"Great. Could you at least tell me if you've told him yet?"

Diane very nearly corrected Heather's pronoun use. "Um, no, not yet, but ... but I'm going to be mentioning it really soon."

"Good. It's better to get that sort of thing out in the open, you know. Hopefully you won't be disappointed."

Diane sighed. "I really hope so, too, Heather."

After trying several times to concentrate on the last lesson of the day and failing, Cassie gave up.

She looked down at her notebook. The page was filled with incomplete thoughts. She would manage to latch on to the instructor's words and begin dutifully copying notes, then her mind would drift off. Her pen would simply slow and stop, a dreamy look coming over her face.

The instructor had given her several disdainful looks and an occasional shake of his head, but he never called her out on it. He, too, had long since given up on her.

Cassie caught one of his looks and blushed in embarrassment. She dropped her pen to the notebook in exasperation and squirmed in her seat. This only made her blush deepen as she felt the fluid warmth between her legs.

Cassie had already been having erotic fantasies about Ned, but she had managed to keep them under control. She kept telling herself there was simply no opportunity to satisfy them, so there was no point in dwelling on them. That all changed when Ned asked her out.

This was one of the dangers of knowing her dreams so well. Knowing her dreams meant knowing her emotions also. She never had cause to say "I don't know why I feel this way." Because her emotional state was never a mystery to her, suppressing her emotions was nearly impossible. The dreamy look that came over her on occasion was simply a self-control mechanism.

Cassie was jolted by the sound of the bell. She had again drifted off, and now she was panting lightly, her pussy hot and tingling. She needed something more interesting than a class lesson to keep her mind off Ned. She had no idea how she was going to handle herself on her date with him.

For all the intensity of her sexual passion, she was still a virgin. She had almost done it with Richie, but she had been under Nyssa's control. She did not want to contemplate the consequences had she succeeded.

Cassie rose from her chair. Her sex felt uncomfortably swollen and achy. She steadfastly ignored it and went to find Jason.

When she rounded the corner and entered the hallway to Jason's locker, she saw Melinda and Richie standing near him. Cassie ducked to the side before she could be seen.

As she watched, there appeared to be a brief, heated discussion between Melinda and Richie. Richie finally gave her a smirk and delivered a parting comment before he turned way. Melinda stamped her foot and blew him a raspberry as he left.

Cassie waited until Richie had disappeared down the hall before approaching them.

"There you are!" Melinda piped at Cassie's approach. "Ned told me you saw Richie with Miss Davis again."

Cassie glanced at Jason for a moment. "Um, yes, I did."

"Did you hear anything he said?" Jason asked.

Cassie hoped Jason was in control of the situation again. "Yes. I heard him talk to her about ... well, about sex..."

"I knew it!" Melinda cried. "I knew it, I knew it!"

"And he said something about four o'clock today, but I don't..."

Melinda gasped and turned to Jason. "He's going to do it again. He's going to make her boink him again today."

"Again?" asked Cassie.

"He's been doing it to her since Friday."

Cassie's eyes widened, but Jason cut in. "We don't know that for sure yet."

"Jason, Ned said something about you having some plan to prove that Richie's really going after Miss Davis?" asked Cassie.

Jason looked a bit guilty. "Yes, um, something like that."

"Jason and I were going to talk about it," Melinda said. "We told Richie we wanted to talk privately about something. Course, the perv thought we were going to talk about sex. Anyway, now that I know that turd is going to see Miss Davis again, I want to follow Richie today and prove that he's making her boink him again."

Jason knew Melinda's logic was flawed. Just because Cassie heard a time mentioned did not mean that Richie was going to see Miss Davis. Even if he did see her, there was nothing Melinda could do to find out what exactly was going on inside. But he subsided without saying a word, unwilling to override her if this is what she really wanted to do.

Damn, did I just act submissive again? Jason puzzled in his head.

"Jason, any word yet on when we can meet again as a group?" Cassie asked, anxious to change the subject. Talking about sex was doing little to dampen her own flame of desire. Her pussy still throbbed faintly with her heartbeat.

Jason shook his head. "No. I haven't a clue yet. Why, did you have anything to report?"

"Other than what I told you already, no."

"What about that lurid dreaming thing?" Melinda asked.

"Lucid dreaming. It hasn't helped."

"About that lucid dreaming, Cassie," Jason began. "Could you... ?"

"So what are you doing with that, anyway?" Melinda said over Jason's words. "Are you trying to get into Melissa's head?"

Cassie gave Melinda an uncomfortable look. "Um ... something like that."

"Can you do that with Richie? You can help prove what he's doing to Miss Davis!"

Cassie sighed. She really thought that Melinda was taking this vendetta of hers too far. While she thought that Richie messing around with a teacher was bad, she was not as hostile towards it as Melinda.

"Melinda, I'd rather not," Cassie said firmly. "I already feel really funny about doing it with Melissa. It's ... it's like invading someone's privacy. If something comes to me on its own, I can accept that, I don't have control over it. I didn't even know my dreams were from real people until I talked to you after I was saved from Nyssa. But I can't just go invading other people's lives like that."

"It's all right, Cassie," Jason forced himself to say. His loyalty to Cassie overrode his submissiveness to Melinda for the moment. "I won't ask you to do something like that. You can stop trying it with Melissa if you want."

"I might want to try one more time, Jason. I'm really concerned about how Melissa is blocking me."

"What, you mean she's actively keeping you out?"

"I think so, and I want to know how."

"Maybe it's that creepy pendant of hers," Melinda said with a shiver.

Cassie looked at Melinda oddly. "Creepy? What's creepy about it?"

"Well, look at it! It's a pentagram. That's evil, isn't it?"

"Not really," Jason said. "That's a common misconception. It has nothing to do with evil per se."

"Then what is it supposed to be?"

"The five-pointed star represents the human form," explained Jason. "The top point is the head, the next two the arms, the bottom two the legs. Very roughly speaking, the direction of the star indicates a value system. Pointed up it means spiritual over material. Pointed down means material over spiritual."

"Hers is pointed down, Jason."

"Yes, but that still doesn't mean..."

"Um, you're going to miss your bus, and I need to meet Heather and Diane outside, since I agreed to give them a ride to the mall," Cassie said. She hated to interrupt it because it was a positive sign that Jason was thinking independently of Melinda.

"Yeah, we better get going," said Jason.

Cassie was about to turn away but stopped. "Wait, Jason, you were trying to ask me something earlier?"

Jason glanced at her. The guilty look came to his eyes again. "Um ... it was nothing, don't worry about it. I'll see you later."

Melissa panted softly as she lay sprawled out on her bed. Her body lay limp and deceptively submissive, her knees spread and drawn up towards her body. Her breasts rolled gently back and forth in time to the slow thrusts of the beefy, sandy-haired boy above her. The pendant lay on the mattress beside her head, the chain still looped around her neck.

Brad's hips swayed against Melissa's body in perfect rhythm, his breathing labored as his cock strained close to the edge but would not go over. It had become a powerful ache that would have had him begging for relief had Melissa allowed him that option.