Chapter 51

Cassie took a deep breath as she stood before her fellow Harbingers and let it go in a sigh of relief that she had something substantial to say to them. "Mrs. Radson called me early this morning. She's finished the potion."

She heard Diane's sigh of relief, but she did not need her empathic sense to see the fear in Diane's eyes as well. She shared some of it, and wished Ned had let her finish what she had to say to him earlier. She felt a spike of anticipation from Richie and could not help but give him a forlorn look. While she was glad the responsibility for the decision over the disposition of the potion had been lifted from her, she still felt that no matter what was decided, it would be unfair to someone.

"So when ... when do we take it?" Diane asked in a small voice.

"I'd like everyone to meet at Mrs. Radson's this afternoon. I know some of you will be late because--" She stopped herself as she caught Melinda's sullen face. "Um, well, you know. And I'm sorry if you can't make it, Melinda."

"Not like it's going to matter anyway," Melinda muttered.

Cassie's mood was crashing just as fast as it had been elevated. She wanted to do something for everyone despite clearly lacking the resources to do so. Ned squeezed her shoulder, as if sensing her dilemma. She had to focus. She had two priorities: rescuing Jason and protecting Diane. Everything else was going to have to wait.

"Um ... anyway ... just make it as soon as you can. I'll be there early but we won't start without the rest of you."

Diane gave her a nervous look. "So ... she's going to give to us today? Just like that?"

"She said it spoiled quickly," Cassie said. "So I imagine she'll be dispensing it today once we're all there."

"I sure as hell don't want to wait," Richie declared.

Cassie wanted to say something to manage his expectations, but Ned squeezed her shoulder again. He was right; anything she would say now would cause an argument or leave bad feelings between her fellow Harbingers.

She glanced at Melinda. The constant flood of despair mixed with tainted, induced lust made her mildly nauseous. She felt guilty for all the times she complained about how pushy and whiny Melinda could be. She would have given anything to have that Melinda back. If anyone were deserving of the potion...

Cassie stopped that line of thought right there. She had no business making those sorts of judgments. Perhaps that might suit her mother but not her.

"Cassie, is she going to teach us how to use this thing it will give us?" Diane asked.

"What the hell is there to learn about it?" Richie demanded. "You drink it, your brain splits. Or something like that. All I know is then the Darkness can't do fucking jack shit to you."

"I don't mean just for the protection. I mean if we want to use it to ... um..."

Diane gave Cassie a sheepish look. Cassie doubted Debby understood what the others intended.

"Look, of course she's gonna tell us all that shit," Richie said. "Why the hell else is she going to give it to us?"

"She is giving it out largely for protection," Cassie felt obliged to say despite how Richie narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm the one who has to go after Jason, and even then I'm going to do it from a distance."

"I can handle it. Mrs. Radson knows it, or she sure as hell better know it. I've stood up to my mother before. I can deal with this."

"It's not that simple, Richie. It--"

"For chrissakes, quit worrying about it. You're the one who said I had my father helping to protect me."

Cassie was at a loss for words. She glanced at Diane, who looked on with reluctant interest. Cassie had never meant for Richie to use that supposed link -- if it really existed -- as a universal panacea.

"Yeah, I think mebbe all our jawin' 'bout it is just so much hot air," Ned drawled. "Mrs. R. is the expert, so why don't we jus' wait and let her sort it all out."

"You can't fucking tell me you don't want some of it, too," Richie said.

Ned paused. "Gotta admit, I'm curious. But I don't need it. I guess I'm kinda flyin' under the Dark Poobah's radar 'cuz I don't have superpowers like the rest of you." He smirked. "I'm just the Nose, the team mascot."

Diane's lips twitched into a tiny smile. "I'd hardly call what I can do a superpower, Ned."

"So what about me?" Melinda suddenly piped.

Cassie's heart sank. "I ... um..."

Melinda's eyes shimmered, and she shook her head. "No, forget I said anything. I know, I can't get there, no one can get it to me, and I'm too far gone anyway."

"I didn't mean ... Melinda, no one is too far gone, not even ... um..." Cassie trailed off. No matter who she mentioned, either Jason or Heather, it would come out sounding wrong, and she sensed Melinda was close to bursting into tears.

"Face it, Cassie," Melinda said in a low, quavering voice. "It's over for me. Next week I get to be a s-sex slave full time."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Richie demanded.

Melinda shivered. "Aunt Jo all but told me ... she said..." She swallowed and glanced between the other Harbingers. Her lips twisted into a frown. "Just forget it. Keep your fucking pity to yourself, I don't deserve it."

Cassie was close to tears herself. "Melinda, please, don't say that. I-I wish ... If only I..."

She glanced at Richie, hoping he would say something to pull Melinda back. Sometimes he had a better knack for dealing with Melinda than anyone else beside Jason. Instead, he stood there, just staring, his hands sinking deeper into his pockets, his shoulders hunched. Cassie was too upset to get any sort of clear feeling from him, other than he was debating something with himself.

"Cassie, couldn't there be enough for four?" Diane suggested in a tentative voice. "Or maybe we could stretch it a little if--"

"No, I said forget it!" Melinda cried, wiping one of her eyes. "You all need it more than I do. I can't do shit with it. Who the hell do I have to rescue? My mother? When she wanted to be this way?"

"We don't know that yet," Diane said.

"Spare me, okay? I said I don't give a shit what you see. It doesn't matter anymore." She sniffled and shook her head, looking towards the school. She let out a husky sigh. "I have to get inside and show off my pussy to more guys. Later."

Melinda fled. Cassie could not call out as her throat had closed up, and it took all her willpower not to cry. Ned squeezed her shoulders, and she managed to let out her next breath without sobbing.

"Richie and I will keep going," Diane said to Cassie. "We'll find out what happened to her mother. Maybe it will do some good."

Cassie nodded in appreciation, though she doubted they would ever find anything which could help Melinda get out from under her Aunt Jo's influence, and Melinda's blind hatred was only going to make her even more vulnerable to manipulation.

"If we can get into that fucking house, that is," Richie muttered.

"I ... took care of that," Cassie said.

Diane stared. "You did?"

"Of course she did!" Richie declared. "She's loaded. She just had to throw some money at whoever owns it now and--"

"Actually, the house is caught up in legal wrangling and has been sitting empty for some time," Cassie said in a stiff voice. "Nevertheless, I arranged for the guard on duty today to let you in and give you free reign of the place as long as you don't take anything. Please don't ask me to explain how I did it."

Richie's eyebrows rose, and his lips curled into a lascivious smirk. It disappeared the moment Ned glared at him.

"Anyway, we better head inside. We'll talk again later," Cassie said in a hasty voice.

Diane nodded and headed away. Richie hesitated, then jogged to catch up with Diane. Cassie let out a long sigh and draped her hand over her eyes. Ned slipped an arm around her. "You did as good as you coulda done, babe."

"I know," said Cassie. "I just never feel like it's enough. I wonder if this is how Jason felt all that time Richie was dealing with his mother and Jason had no help to offer."

Ned steered her towards the entrance. Cassie did not care for once what Harry was thinking as his gaze narrowed on them. Cassie snuggled up against Ned and hardly took any notice of her surroundings as they passed through the door into the school.

"Ahem. Miss Kendall."

Cassie blinked and stopped. She and Ned turned around. "Um ... yes, Mr. Seeger?"

Seeger scowled, but his eyes betrayed doubt. "If you would, Miss Kendall, I would like to see you in my office before your first class."

Cassie's heart thumped. While she had intended to see Seeger anyway, she could only imagine what else had gone wrong. "Did I do something wrong, Mr.--"

"No, Miss Kendall. But I fear I have."

Cassie's mouth dropped open, and she exchanged an equally confused look with Ned.

Seeger sighed. "Forgive me for abusing my position of authority, but report to my office. Now."

Melinda managed to avoid lifting her skirt more than three times despite how warm and wet her pussy was and so deserving of being shown off. By the time she reached her locker, she was panting softly from pent-up lust. Not that it mattered if she satisfied it now, for it would only return with a vengeance when she sat in her first class of the day.

She wondered which of the boys she would pick. It would have to be someone nearby so he didn't have to strain his neck too much to look. She imagined a few more would want to look, but she had to hide herself from them when they did. Only the one she picked would get the special viewing and the privilege of watching her slowly masturbate.

For that was what a slut did: make false promises to one guy and mercilessly tease the others. None would get to shove his cock into her, even the one she picked, even as much as she would want it the more he looked at her.

Melinda caught someone approaching out of the corner of her eye and was surprised to see Heather walking towards her. "Hi, Melinda," Heather said in a slightly husky but otherwise normal voice.

"Um, hi," Melinda said. Her eyes swept over her older sister. "So did Bendon take that whatever-it-was off you?"

"Yes, my punishment is over. I'm her good little girl again."

Melinda shuddered. "I wish you'd stop saying things like that. I feel like I'm in Stepford High instead of Haven High. So what do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you if you tried to give yourself to Jason yet."

Melinda peered at Heather. "Why are you saying that? In fact ... how are you able to talk to me at all? Last time you were totally spaced-out by Thursday."

"Please, Melinda, answer me. Did you try to give yourself to him yet?"

Melinda slowly shook her head. "Actually, I tried, and he sort of said 'no.' Or at least he said he had to think about it, which is just as good as a 'no' right now."

"Could you hold off for a little longer?"

Melinda narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Heather looked uncertain but suddenly shivered and let out a husky sigh. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and dreamy. "Because I feel something will happen on Monday."

"But Aunt Jo wants to take me as her slave by Monday!"

"Please, Melinda, you have to wait until then."

"You're not making any sense."

"Please, do it for me."

"But why would..." Melinda trailed off. Her eyes widened. "Did you have a precog? You saw something will happen on Monday?"

"Something like that, yeah," Heather said. She smiled and swayed her hips. "So will you do it for me, baby sis?"

Melinda uttered a husky sigh and shivered as her skin flushed hot. "I-I asked you not to call me that."

"Sorry. But will you do it?"

Melinda frowned. Heather's little slip had left her pussy aching, and she was dying to show off her self-pleasuring skills to one of the boys. "I'll try. But ... if Aunt Jo takes me..."

"She won't, I promise."

Melinda wanted to believe her sister. She had no other hope. She doubted she could take much more. It had been a struggle that morning just to maintain her anger and frustration. It was all too easy to fall into the rhythm Aunt Jo wished of her, if for no other reason than sheer exhaustion at resisting it.

She had sensed over the past few days that Jo had been holding back. Jo had avoided complete control for the fun of humiliating her, or perhaps to weaken her resolve and thus enslave her more easily. She felt Jo had succeeded on both accounts.

But if I had some of that potion, maybe I could hold out against her, Melinda thought.

"All right," Melinda said in a quavering but hopeful voice. "I'll do it."

Seeger wrung his hands, a gesture he had not done in some years. He stared across the desk at Cassie as if in disbelief that this was the girl he had intended to see. He had thought Jason's selection of the Kendall daughter to be inspired; who better than someone used to an environment of influence and leadership to take on the role Jason had been forced to depart?

Now he saw just a little girl, looking as scared and worried as he felt. He almost reconsidered this course of action, but he had no other options. It was this or nothing. A long shot at best, even if the Harbingers were at full strength, but his conscience would bother him a lot more in the long run if he did not try.

What was remarkable, however, was how the girl looked at him. Her face betrayed as much sympathy as it did confusion and worry, as if she already sensed what he was feeling or could read his thoughts.

"Miss Kendall," Seeger said in an uneven voice. "I fear ... I fear I may have bitten off more than I can chew."

"Sir?" Cassie asked, nonplussed. "I don't understand."

"When I heard what Laura ... what that woman is doing to and with the older Miss Sovert, I..." Seeger swallowed and wiped his face with his hand. "I could not just sit by the sidelines and do nothing! Especially after hearing what she also reportedly did with multiple male students of this school."

Cassie blinked. "Has she been influencing other students as well into--"

Seeger could not stop himself from talking, as if he needed to hear his own voice, even the more frantic it became. "I tried to find evidence on my own. I tried to interview the boys I suspected Laura had ... trysted with. Few would admit to it. Those who did had not enough to say nor had any hard evidence to back it up."

Cassie gave the appearance of someone trying not to become exasperated and failing. "Mr. Seeger, what is it you want of me? The Harbingers are very taxed right now and can't handle much more."

"I understand that, Miss Kendall." Seeger paused, his eyes misty. "I am to blame for this. I acted too rashly. Simply put, if I do not find some hard evidence of Laura's impropriety with the students, I will be forced out of my position by the end of this coming Monday."

Cassie gasped and placed her hand over her heart. "Oh, goodness, Mr. Seeger, I ... we ... w-we don't want to lose you."

For a moment, Seeger was too stricken for words. Never in all his years had a student expressed anything close to the genuine affection he sensed from Cassie. First Jason had given him the utmost respect, and now this. Even if he failed and was forced out, at least he could take some solace from this.

"I don't expect heroics," Seeger said in a shaky voice. "But if you or the others have anything ... anything at all ... that I could use, I beg of you to pass it my way."

Cassie did not respond. She simply stared at him, and he could not tell if it were shock or revulsion.

"The very request would be enough to kick me out of here before Monday," Seeger said in a hushed if still urgent voice. "But if there is evidence, it ... it has to be of the act itself." He swallowed, suddenly feeling like he needed a shower. "Just her word against Laura's would not be enough, not with the mental influence she can likely exert over the members of the school board."

"I-I don't know if we could do that," said Cassie. "Not ... not that we wouldn't give you that evidence if we had it. We would trust you with it."

Seeger let out a quavering sigh. "That means a great deal to me, Miss Kendall."

"I just don't know for the life of me how we would get anything like that."

Seeger nodded. "I understand. And I will think no less of you or your fellow Harbingers if this is beyond your capabilities at the moment. I feel content that I asked for the help."

Cassie sighed, and Seeger heard in that one sound a far greater responsibility than he had ever meant to bestow upon her. He felt both foolish and selfish.

"Thank you for confiding in me, Mr. Seeger," Cassie said. "I'll tell the others. Maybe someone will come up with something."

"Thank you, Miss Kendall, that is all I ask. It's almost time for your first class, so we should end this here."

Cassie nodded, stood, and headed towards the door in silence. Seeger very nearly called her back to tell her to forget the whole thing. Instead, he spread his hands over the top of the desk as he watched the door close behind her.

Seeger let out a despondent sigh and shook his head.

Cassie stared at the congealing mess on her plate that would have been her lunch had she any appetite. She sensed Ned was going to try yet again to nudge her into eating something. She was sure she would snap at him if he did, so she chose to explode at the situation instead before he could speak.

"I can't believe this is happening," Cassie said. "It's too surreal. Never mind that I can barely keep up with everything else that's going on right now."

"He did tell ya he wasn't expectin' much," Ned said in a tentative voice.

"Maybe that's what he said, Ned, but that sure was not what he was feeling. He's at a complete dead end. He's counting on us, and I know I'll feel terrible if we let him down."

"Well, fuck, there has to be something we can do," Richie grumbled. "We should be jumping at the chance to kick Bendon's sorry ass out of here."

"And jus' what d'ya have in mind fer us ta do?" Ned said in a sour voice. "Hide in the bushes under a window with a camera?"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Yeah, an' what's yer brilliant excuse if ya get caught?"

"But that's what it comes down to, isn't it?" Cassie said. "He couldn't come out and say it, but that's what Mr. Seeger wants. It would have to be a photograph or a video."

"I told you," Richie sneered at Ned.

Ned frowned. "I ain't dismissin' the idea itself, I jus' don't see how we're gonna pull it off."

"I don't want anyone else taking any more risks!" Cassie exclaimed. "I'm already worried about Diane and what she's trying to do for Heather."

"We can't let this go!" Richie declared. "We can't let Bendon kick Seeger out of here." He paused and blinked. "Shit. You really know things are fucked up when I'm the one defending Saggy-Seeger."

"Would you please stop calling him that?!" Cassie cried.

"Oh, chill out, Cassie, everyone calls him that."

"I'd like to think he's earned a little more respect than that considering how he's risking everything for the school."

"Whoa, pardners, settle down," Ned drawled. "We're gonna be doin' the Dark Poobah's job for it at this rate. Okay, look, lemme poke around a bit and see if I can figger out something."

Cassie stamped her foot and whirled around to face him. "I absolutely refuse to see you put yourself in harm's way over this."

Ned held his hands up. "Babe, I ain't gonna go near Bendon or her house without yer stamp of approval. That's a promise."

Cassie frowned for a moment, then let out a short sigh and shook her head, draping a hand over her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just ... I-I've just never been this nervous before. If it were just the ... what Mrs. Radson was working on, or just the danger to Diane, or..." She trailed off when it started to sound like lame excuses to her own ears.

"Then how the hell are we supposed to do anything if we don't go over there?" Richie demanded. "Why not just try it?"

"'Cuz we gotta know what we're gettin' ourselves inta first, that's why," said Ned. "Hey, I'm the one who jus' loves ta go in with both guns blazin', but we don't 'xactly have a lotta resources, ya know?"

Cassie could not express how grateful she was that Ned had tempered his more gung ho attitudes of late. If she had to deal with him wanting to fly off in every direction, it would not be long before she screamed at him. "Even in the best of times, Ned, this would be something very tricky to pull off, and we have only four days to do it."

"I know. Which is why I'm gonna start with a little, ah, social engineerin'."

Richie stared at him. "What what?"

Cassie's eyes widened. "Wait, are you talking about approaching this by hacking into something?"

"Now what the fuck are you talking about?" Richie demanded.

"Not necessarily," Ned said. "But I remember jawin' with Jason about his hackin' stuff at one point. He mentioned how ya can get inta some systems by jus' findin' out who uses it and trickin' 'em inta givin' ya their passwords. Or ya jus' find out who might have a weak password that can be cracked. I figger mebbe I can treat Bendon's house like that an' see if I come up with something we can use."

Cassie gave him an admonishing look. "Ned, you just said you wouldn't go near either Bendon or her house if I didn't approve, and I'm not about to--"

"Not Bendon. Heather."

"Are you fucking serious?" Richie snorted. "Did you get a good look at her today? She's like totally lost it now."

"Yeah, an' that's what made me think about it. She's zoned out enough that she ain't got her mental censors workin' right. Unless Bendon thought ta tell her ta say nothin' 'bout what goes on there, I'll bet I can practically get a floor plan from her."

"But won't she go back and tell Bendon that you talked to her?" Cassie asked.

"Well, yeah, mebbe. But it's not like I'm gonna be askin' her if there just happen to be easy places ta hide where ya can get good pictures of the action from. I hope ta be a little more subtle than that."