So maybe this level of deception, that goddamn mystery gravy, made some sense at least. Still, what I couldn't wrap my mind around was the happiness clause. There simply wasn't any way one could think that tricking me, drugging me, ending my sex life and stealing my Serenex would make me happy. The command had to have been working, right? She'd been so free with her nudity, seemed so preoccupied with pleasing me. Had that all been an act? My capacity to read body language seemed to dull when the body was gorgeous and naked, it seemed. I thought back to what they'd discussed earlier, about seducing me into giving up the Serenex. Not how someone who was trying to make me happy would describe it at all. But that made no sense. I'd seen her standing there slack-jawed beside Megan and Cassie when I ran into my yard that day! She'd sat while I programmed her and Megan for hours, glassy-eyed and barely responsive... With the same exact expression I'd had when they found me, supposedly full
"All right. Now it's moment of truth time. Into the kitchen, asshole," ordered Isa. The two of them followed me in. I thought of the big gob of drug-laden potatoes in the trash and hoped they'd buried it under their own leavings. Isa's arms were folded behind her back; I didn't know if she had the taser with her or not. Candy squeezed past me and opened a cabinet next to the microwave. The lower section contained a spice rack, its contents neatly organized save for a few bits still sitting out on the counter. The upper shelf held cooking sprays, wooden skewers, baking soda, a plastic bottle of honey shaped like a bear, and, buried in the back, my canister of Serenex. She had to stretch to pull it down, but she managed. The two of them drew close, pinning me between them right up against the sink. I read the room. They'd gotten what they needed out of my Serenex, neutralizing me completely. Nothing left for them to do now but deprive me of the rest of it. Shit, these bitches were goi
During the summer months, it was easy for a single teacher's house to transition from a comforting retreat into a self-imposed prison. On the weekends, I still got out to see my friends, and otherwise there was the occasional errand to run, but as time passed, time increasingly lost meaning. Grocery shopping was as likely to happen at 3 AM as it was during daylight hours. It was liberating, in a sense, but simultaneously disorienting. One year I had managed to land a summer school position to help keep me grounded, but the others, I had needed to adapt on my own. One of those adaptations had been Baxton Park. It was a decently sized public park, mostly a softball field and open grass but with a few pavilions and a wooded area at the east end. Squirrels and birds were in abundance, along with the occasional sighting of a raccoon or a hawk. One day, simply to be out of the house for a while, I took my lunch there and ate it sitting on a small grassy hill overlooking the field, leaning
Come on, come on, pick up pick up pick up! "Hello?" "Candace! Oh thank-" "What in the name of all that's unholy are you calling me for at this hour, Canon?" "Look, I know it's late, I'm sorry, but-" "Late? Christ, it's after two! You have some nerve." "I really am sorry, I swear. Now just shut up and listen to me - there isn't much-" "Did you tell me to shut up? Don't youdare tell me what to do, buster! After what you pulled, you're lucky you aren't on your way to prison. Believe me, if we could have found a way, you would be." "Yes, you made that very clear earlier, and I didn't mean to be rude, but please if you'll hear me out for just a-" "Great, now you woke Isa." Her voice through the phone was suddenly muffled. "No, mama, it's that asshole again... Idid have it on vibrate, but he must have called a hundred times... We can't tell him to go fuck himself, because he might actually try to do it... I know you meant it metaphorically-" "Figuratively," I mumbled. " -but mayb
Candy returned. "We're handling this. You stay wherever the fuck you are, hear me? So help me, if you already found a way to slither out of this, I won't be able to rein Isa in next time. I don't think I'd even try." "Paranoid much? God, Candace, I... ya know, fine. I won't call again, but keep me in the loop, OK? I'm halfway to shitting myself over this. Promise me you'll tell me once everything is under control." "We're going to get them back under theirown control, Canon. Don't you worry." "I don't care about any of that any more. I just don't want anyone to... crap, I'm repeating myself. Let me know? And... you know. You two be careful too." "Yeah." The phone went dead. Minutes passed like hours. Candy had said don't call, but she hadn't said don't text. I could still do that without letting her know her plan had failed as badly as mine. I know you said not to call, but... anything yet? Don't be a little bitch. Candace is seeing if they're parked on the street. Might be l
The eye roll redirected to Isa. Seriously? Like lashing out at LGBTQ people only hurt the bullies doing so? Good grief. I'd seen her talk students down in school more than once before. Hell, she'd been the one to pacify Taylor over the whole chapstick incident! Oh, well. It was two in the morning, and she had two armed and malicious students in her home. I supposed it was reasonable she wasn't at her best. Abbie and Taylor continued to banter with Isa. Meanwhile, my phone notified me Candy was typing, and a few moments later, I got a response. I think it's working. Fuck. Abbie brought a bat. Taylor a knife as big as my arm! They set them down now. Tasey Mae is back in her holster too. Tasey Mae? Good god, they'd given it a nickname? Isa resumed her efforts to get to the heart of the matter. "Look, nobody is judging you for anything that's happened these past couple weeks. I checked this stuff out with the help of professionals, and you wouldn't believe what's in it." (This stuff,
"Yep. I figured they were good at being scary as hell, while you're good at being sweet and lovable, so I let you all do what you do best. Meanwhile, I kept the line open with... her," I pointed to Candy, not wanting to use her name and snap her out of her stupor. "I knew they'd want to 'fix' you like they tried to fix me, so I just waited until I was sure the Serenex was in the open and you had Isa's attention, and then... I told her about my plan." "Dumb fucking cunt never saw it coming." Abbie drew up in Candy's face and laughed mockingly. "Oh, they did at first. The good officer was watching her phone - she knew not to trust your coach around me. I worried she might be smart enough to suspect that angle. But I also knew if you came in here armed and dangerous, the officer would be the one dealing with you." Abbie eyed at the weapon at her sister's feet warily. "I seriously thought she was gonna tase us for a sec there, C-dawg." "I would've for real knifed that bitch. Fuckin' t
The girls quibbled back and forth, though anyone watching could tell they were all waiting for me to say something. Let them wait. We had hours - all day, if we felt like giving them another spritz or two - and it would only take moments to do the job. The hundred copies method had been an amusing foray into the allure of abusing teacher-student power dynamics, but it had also been childish and unnecessary. No, I would do this right, and only do this when I knew what "right" meant. "We do... as little as possible," I announced at last. Their conversation ended immediately. "What?!" the Sterns demanded in concert. Even Cassie looked surprised. Abbie scowled through the wall at the two women. "We cannot leave these two backstabbers to do it again. You fucking know they will!" I held out my hand cautioningly. "I'm not saying we do nothing. We protect ourselves, yes. Keep them from interfering with us, let us go about our affairs without any more shenanigans. But we're not giving in to