Chapter 35

Gina returned to her bedroom after breakfast to find that her clothing for the day had again been arranged for her, arrayed in a neat line atop her bed.

Some changes had been made from the previous day's attire. The skirt had been replaced by rather abbreviated shorts. She took them into her hands and discovered that they were hot pants, made of a stretchy material similar to spandex. Accompanying the shorts was a tube top of a similar material, with a high cutoff and a triangular opening below the top hemline. Lying next to it were sheer black stockings. The shoes sported longer heels; the day before they seemed no more than two inches. These appeared to be at least three inches.

Her eyes scanned the bed but could find no underwear. She raised her eyes and turned her gaze towards her dresser.

"There's no underwear for a reason, Gina."

Gina spun around. Victor stood in the doorway. "I'm not to wear underwear?" Gina asked.

"You won't need it with this particular outfit," said Victor.

She looked back down at the clothing, her gaze dubious.

Victor observed her hesitation with a thoughtful eye. He folded his arms. "Put them on, Gina."

Gina glanced down at her hands as if she had forgotten she was still holding the hot pants. She stepped into them and pulled them up her legs. They met resistance as she lifted them past her thighs, the material having to stretch to get around her hips. It pulled snug against her sex and her ass, her folds appearing in faint relief. She lifted the waistband and let it go with a light snap.

"These clothes will help you present much better," said Victor.

As she turned to pick up the top, the pants seemed to rub her pussy. She believed it had to be an illusion, but her rising heat was not. It felt good. It made her look good. It made her...

(more slutty)

The top dropped from her fingers to the bed. Gina just stared at it.

"Is something the matter?" Victor asked.

Gina blinked and picked up the top. "No, I'm fine."

"You seem hesitant this morning."

Gina turned to face him, but said nothing.

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Did you sleep okay?"

She paused. "Um ... yes, I think so."

"Hmm. You sound uncertain."

"I had some odd dreams."

"Did you see Stephanie in your dreams, Gina?"

Gina shook her head.

"Are you sure of that?"

Gina paused. She had seen someone in her dreams. It was...

(not Stephanie)

... but Victor may want to know that...

(didn't dream of Stephanie)

... because it might be important if he knew that another person was...

(DIDN'T DREAM OF STEPHANIE)

"I didn't dream of Stephanie," Gina said.

Victor nodded. "Put on the top, Gina."

Gina pulled the top over her head, grunting with the effort to tug it down over her torso. The top clutched her breasts, the cutout positioned over the cleft between them. Some of the soft flesh squeezed against the edges as if trying to escape. As she turned, her boobs jiggled, and the material rubbed against her stiffening nipples.

Victor smiled. "Oh, yes, you'll present so much better. Think on that as you put on the stockings and the shoes."

Gina sat down on the bed and took one of the stockings in her hands. As she slipped the silky material over her calf, she felt a tingle in her sex. She imagined all the boys watching her, their eyes drawn to her jiggly boobs and her stocking-clad legs. She let out a soft, husky sigh as her foot filled the end of the stocking.

She turned to grab the other one, and her tits moved inside her tube top. She envisioned many eyes upon her, watching the plump flesh roll. Her nipples became hard and tingly. She slipped the other stocking over her leg, her pussy swelling against the fabric of the pants.

By the time she had slid her feet into the shoes and stood, a pleasant warmth washed over her whole body.

(look more slutty)

But that's what she was supposed to look like, or so Gina thought. She didn't understand why her thoughts had called attention to it. It couldn't be wrong if Victor said it was okay.

"Gina."

Gina looked up. "Um, yes?"

"Are you preoccupied?"

Gina paused, waiting for the odd thoughts to return. When they remained at bay, she shook her head.

Victor stepped forward. "Have you offered yourself for sex to anyone at school?"

"Yes. Brad."

"And how did it make you feel?"

A tiny smile touched Gina's lips. "It felt nice. I was very excited."

"Very good."

"I think he wants to do it before the party."

"And do you want to?"

"Yes," Gina said. "But ... that's for him to decide."

Victor smiled. "Yes, very good indeed. You're learning."

"So I should let him if he wants to do it before the party?"

"Certainly. As you said, it's what he wants that matters. Now, you should get on to school. Oh, and I will not be seeing you today in my office. I have an errand to run this morning. I will be here when you return home from school."

Gina nodded and picked up her books. Her gait was measured as she walked towards the door. While the higher heels would require some time for her to adjust, she was more concerned about how her walk would look to others. She hoped it made her legs stand out more.

Victor watched her go and waited until he heard her leave through the front door. He took out his cell phone and dialed Charles. "How is Lydia this morning?"

"Quiet," said Charles, his voice flat. "But I can't say the same for earlier this morning."

Victor frowned. "Explain."

"I wish I could. My servants tell me she was very restless all night. At one point it was so bad it looked as if she were convulsing. Suddenly, right before dawn, she became still."

Victor said nothing. He looked towards the window.

"Victor, it was like a damned light switch flipped off. She's more quiet now than she's ever been. I don't know what it is, but something is really giving me the creeps."

"Spare me your superstitious nonsense."

"You yourself said that the veil is exceptionally weak this year. What if something else is going on? What if Lydia has tapped into something? You've never had this much trouble acquiring a new slave, not since--."

"Stop it," Victor snapped. "Halloween is part of a natural energy cycle, nothing more. There are no ghosts or ghouls. There are no wraiths or demons. I am quite disappointed in you, Charles. I thought you didn't buy into the pablum that I feed to the cultists."

Charles was silent.

I know what it is, came the thought of the Darkness in a tone that was between curious and smug. He senses my presence. He has done your work in Haven for many years. It was inevitable that he would sense me.

Victor had suspected as much himself but had hoped he was wrong. He found his association with the Darkness more chafing every day. "This is nothing more than the remaining core of Lydia's old personality tapping into her psychic abilities," Victor said. "It is quite possible that she has just burnt herself out in a vain attempt to gain sway over Gina."

"Did you sense her in Gina's head?"

"Not directly. My avatar had encountered something which had injected a brief but strong sensation of fear into Gina's psyche last night. Fear is a very powerful emotion, Charles. It opens the mind and leaves a lingering resonance the same way that sex and pleasure can, but in a much more crude fashion. Its only advantage is that it is faster."

"You think Lydia did that? To open up Gina's mind so she could get into it?"

"Yes. The attempt failed, and it won't happen again. You will watch her. If she becomes agitated, you will sedate her and keep her sedated."

Charles sighed. "I'll try."

"You will do what I say. 'Try' will not be sufficient."

"Sedation cannot be used willy-nilly on someone whose mind has been altered as drastically as hers, unless you want another death on your hands!"

Victor's face was a mask of stone. His fingers tightened around the phone. "That death is not on my hands."

"I'm sorry, Victor, poor choice of words on my part."

Victor was silent for a few seconds. He stared at the trees beyond the window, as if willing his eyes to penetrate them and peer into the graveyard that lay on the other side. "Do what you can, Charles, and contact me if you have any difficulties."

He snapped the cell phone closed a split-second after the final word had passed his lips.

Victor closed his eyes and put his hands together as if in prayer. He kept his breathing slow and regular until the dark thoughts of anger and resentment had passed. He had allowed himself to become unsettled. This was not acceptable. It did not work for the Darkness, and it would not work for him.

I sensed something last night, Victor, the Darkness said. Something along one of the energy lines.

Victor nodded. The Darkness had been partially right. Pure Presence is for the dead. What Lydia had accomplished was Projection. She used the energy lines to project her essence around Haven.

And how have I not sensed her before this? the Darkness thundered in Victor's head. In order to Project herself to the school or to Gina's neighborhood, she had to pass through the node to cross the lines! WHY HAVE I NOT SENSED HER?!

To this Victor had no reply.

Get the Book away from them, Victor. I don't care how you do it. I don't care who you enslave, destroy, or KILL. Where the Book is concerned, EVERYONE is expendable.

Victor opened his eyes. "Even me?"

And to this, the Darkness had no reply.

Jason's foot skidded on the thin coating of slushy snow over the gravel as he marched off the bus and into the school parking lot. Heather and Melinda were quick on his heels and bumped into him, almost sending him sprawling.

"There's got to be something in there we can use, Jason!" Melinda said.

"Haven't any of you been listening to me?" Jason cried in exasperation.

"The whole fuckin' bus heard you," Richie grumbled.

"Yeah, so much for keeping the Book a secret," Heather muttered.

"You know, maybe I just don't care anymore," Jason said. "Half the school already thinks we're stark raving mad. What's a few more?"

"Jason, maybe there's something in there that's not as bad as the rest," Melinda said.

"I have yet to find one."

"And what if we don't have any choice?" Heather asked.

Jason sighed. "We're not at that point yet."

"Don't you want to help Diane?"

"You really didn't listen to me, did you? One of the spells you want us to use would require us to enslave her. You're the one that got all upset when I ... uh, used..."

Jason fell silent and turned his head.

Diane toed a clump of slush on the ground, her eyes downcast. "Um, hi."

No one said anything for a few awkward seconds. Finally Heather stepped past the others and stood next to Diane. "We were just talking about how we might use the Book to help us."

Diane looked up. "Use the Book? I thought we're not supposed to do that."

"Those were the old spells. These are new ones that do stuff with the energy lines." Heather glanced at Jason, who glared back. "We're just trying to work out some problems."

"Maybe you shouldn't be telling me this," Diane said, backing away. "If Victor trances me again--"

"He won't. We'll help you fight him off."

Richie snorted. "Sure, right. Like we did last time."

"We didn't have any clue about our powers then!" Heather retorted. "Now at least we know what we're doing."

"That makes one of us."

"Richie's right," Jason said. "We're not sure how much power we can muster against him." He paused when he saw the forlorn look on Diane's face. "I mean ... well, just that--"

Diane shook her head. "No, I understand. I was right all along, and even Jason agrees with me. I think ... I think I better just drop out of the Harbingers for now."

Heather's face fell. "No, Diane, wait--"

"Heather, I have to! If any of you get hurt because Victor made me repeat back to him something I heard, I'll never live it down."

"There has to be something we can do!" Melinda cried. "Jason?"

Jason gave her a sour look. "I don't have all the answers, Melinda. Stop treating me like I do."

Melinda recoiled, a hurt look in her eyes.

Richie frowned and shifted his gaze from her. She was nice to look at when she was just a little upset, but when it was this bad, it was better to look somewhere else. It did nothing to stop his prurient thoughts. He had flirted with an erection while on the bus, and it was threatening to return as he thought ahead to that afternoon.

Yeah, real sensitive, asshole, he chided himself suddenly. She'll be freaking out about her sister in detention.

He had to distract himself with the most unsexy thing he could find. His eyes sought Mr. Seeger and focused on him standing at the top of the steps leading into school.

"Look, I can still hang out with any of you," Diane said. "We just can't be Harbingers when I do."

"Diane, we're working on a way to get you free of him!" Heather said.

"That's fine. Thank you. But don't tell me about it, or Victor will know. Just ... just do it to me." She glanced towards the street, where Cassie's limo was easing into the parking lot. "I better get going. I'll catch you later, Heather."

Heather opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come to her. She watched Diane retreat towards the school building.

"Don't do that to me again," Jason declared.

Heather turned and frowned. "Huh? Do what?"

"You made it sound like I was going to go along with using the Book."

"All right, fine!" Heather cried. "I know, everything in there makes you do bad things to people to get what you want. But maybe it's not so bad if it's not permanent."

"We can't just go grabbing people and do these things to them! That makes us no better than what we're fighting against!"

"But the spell you found said we'd have to use one of us anyway!" Melinda piped. "You just said that Diane would be perfect for--"

"I never said it that way," Jason said. "And Heather is the one that got bent out of shape when--"

"Only because you did it without asking her first." Heather said. "If she's willing to do it, maybe we should consider it."

"Jason, I-I'd volunteer to do it," Melinda said. "But I'm not exactly a virgin myself." Richie snickered. Melinda tried to glare at him and failed. The best she could do was roll her eyes and turn away before her thoughts went places she didn't want them to go. "So maybe there's something else I can volunteer for, okay? So long as it isn't something really weird or icky."

Jason did not have an immediate response. He thought perhaps telling them what he had heard from the Book would dissuade them from this idea. He was spared making the decision when Cassie and Ned came running towards them, with Harry admonishing her from the car against running on the snow-covered gravel.

"Jason!" Cassie called out. "Jason, I think I got through to Gina last night. I think I might have started something."

"I only got bits an' pieces of it," Ned said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder and sneering. "Thanks ta that goober over there that decided ta start listenin' in on our conversations and askin' questions."

"Ned, be nice. Harry is only looking after me, and frankly I'm surprised he let it slide this long. Please, everyone, we don't have a lot of time for me to explain everything. Something else happened that I'm still figuring out, but if I'm right, there might be more to my Gift that I ever realized!"

"Shit, you're acting as if you won the freakin' lottery," Richie said.

"News flash, Richie," Heather said with a smirk. "She's already rich."

"You know what the fuck I meant!"

"Finally figuring out that I'm not communicating with the dead did wonders for my outlook," Cassie said. She gasped as Richie snorted. "Oh, Richie, I didn't mean--!"

Richie waved a hand. "Forget it. Someone's gotta do it, no sense in it bein' two of us. Least I can choose whether I want to do it or not."

"Yes, exactly. I personally want us all to stick with the land of the living. Now listen--"

"Ah, ixnay on that babe," Ned said, gesturing ahead of him. "La Italiana at twelve o'clock."

"What? Oh..."

The Harbingers turned and watched as Gina left the last school bus to arrive and started across the parking lot.

"Holy fuck," Richie muttered.

"Shit, I'm surprised she doesn't fall down walking on those things on the slick ground," Heather muttered.

"Fall?" Melinda cried. "Look at those shorts! She'll freeze her legs off in that thing!"

"That's worse than yesterday," Ned said. "There's a name for girls that dressed like that back in my ol' neighborhood."

"Slut?" Melinda suggested. "Whore? Hooker?"

"Jailbait."

Melinda's eyes widened. "You don't think Mann is... eww!"

"No fuckin' way Seeger's gonna let it go by," Richie said.

They watched in silence as Gina strutted towards the stairs. Seeger had swept his gaze over the parking lot as the students arrived in waves, but now his eyes had found their way to the Harbingers once more.

Gina climbed the stairs. Seeger turned his gaze towards her and watched as she approached, passed, and disappeared into the school. He folded his arms and resumed his scrutiny of the Harbingers.

"Huh," Ned said.

"No, that's what I thought would happen," Jason said. "It's what I said before, that this is viral in nature. She probably believes it's natural for her to dress like that, so Seeger believes it, too."

"Or maybe he just likes looking at her legs like I do," Richie said with a smirk.

"You're sick," Melinda said.

"Would it help if I said you have nice legs, too?"

"I don't ... what??"

Jason sighed and stepped between them. "Proposition my girlfriend later, Richie. Cassie, I'm sorry, but I think we'll have to listen to this later. We need to get inside before Seeger comes after us."

"He's just been standing there all this time," Richie said. "Look, the whole freakin' lot's empty and he's still just standing there."

"Seeger's been acting weird lately," Heather said.

Richie snorted. "Why? He act nice to you or something?"

"Yes, that's exactly what he did!"

Richie blinked. "Fuck, yeah, that is weird."

A frown crossed Cassie's face for a moment. "All right, Jason, I guess this will have to keep until later. Maybe we can find time after school to really talk about it. I mean ... um, well ... after other things."