"Melinda, come down here, please."

Melinda's head popped up from the side of the bed, one arm still thrust under it looking for the last of her notebooks. She peered over a pile of its sisters, their pink covers dulled by dust and partially torn from their spiral bindings.

She was not sure why she wanted those old notebooks, filled with the rather naive if imaginable fan-fiction ramblings of a then eleven year old girl. They held sentimental value, she supposed, besides being the one thing whose existence she had managed to keep secret from her intolerable older sister.

"Mom, I'm kinda busy!" Melinda yelled. She gathered the notebooks and muttered under her breath as she stuffed them into her backpack on the floor, "And I've had enough of your fucking pussy to last me a decade."

"Melinda, get down here now."

Melinda's head popped up again, and she leaned on the mattress, heaving a sigh. "Shit, what now?" she muttered, and realized the irony of the statement at once. How could she possibly get into any more trouble than she already was? Perhaps she should be glad it sounded like something more mundane rather than an excuse to sexually humiliate her.

Melinda gave the bulging backpack one more look and shoved it under the bed, squashing it with both hands to make it fit. She stood and bolted for the door.

The more she thought of her "contingency plan," the sillier it seemed. Running away from home had to be the biggest cliche there was. Where would she go, and how would she resist the urge to return home to her mother's delicious pussy? Her only recourse would be to go to Mrs. Radson and hope she had some sort of hocus-pocus which would set her right.

It's not silly, it's stupid, she thought as she flew through the hallway and bounded down the stairs. She had not bothered to put her slippers back on, her bare feet chilled by the lingering morning cold the furnace had yet to chase away. She did not complain, for they were some of the few parts of her body which were actually exposed that morning.

"What is it, Mom? I was right in the middle of something ..." She trailed off and slowed her descent when she saw her mother had company.

Sitting in the easy chair across from Penny was a middle-aged woman with straight black hair framing a round face. Her small red lips were slightly pursed, as if caught between a frown and a pout. Eyes of dark sea green flicked towards Melinda in silent evaluation. Her formidable bosom was wrapped in a fuzzy sweater, which reminded Melinda of a cat raising its fur to look more intimidating.

"Your Aunt Jo stopped by," said Penny in a cool voice. "She had something rather interesting to tell me about an incident which happened over Thanksgiving."

Melinda slowly descended the remaining stairs, looking on in confusion. "I don't even remember talking to Aunt Jo during--"

"This involved my son, Ken, young lady," Jo said, her lips curling into a short, humorless smile.

Melinda's eyes widened, and she froze at the bottom of the steps. She stared at her mother in confusion. Why would this matter to her? She figured no one had come to find them because her mother had made sure no one would. For all she knew, her mother had orchestrated the whole thing to keep Melinda busy.

"Do you know what she may be talking about, Melinda?" Penny asked.

Melinda knew that tone all too well, and she was in no mood to be defensive or submissive. "If you're asking me that, you already know the answer."

"Do you always take such a rude tone with your mother?" Jo asked in a lilting, lofty voice.

Melinda had the urge to blurt out "I don't consider her my mother anymore," but she held her tongue. Instead, she remained at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the banister post. "It's the truth, isn't it? You both already know what I did."

Jo exchanged a look with Penny, and both cast a skeptical look at Melinda.

Melinda frowned. "You're going to make me come out and say it, aren't you? Fine. Ken boinked me in the study before dinner. Satisfied?"

"I'm not sure I care for your attitude," said Jo in a mixed voice of admonishment and amusement.

"And I don't care for these bogus questions, so we're even. Can I go now?"

"Melinda, come in here," Penny snapped.

Melinda hesitated, her fingers clutching the post. Finally she let out a forced sigh of exasperation and flounced into the living room, trying to ignore her aunt's steady gaze and her flushed skin. Her eyes darted between the two women. She saw the family resemblance; large breasts apparently ran on her mother's side of the family.

And Ken had the nerve to feed me all that bullshit about having boobs too big, she thought. His own mother has even bigger ones. Big, mature, plump ...

Melinda cut off her own thought by trying to conjure the most unsexy image possible, and the vision of herself taking a school exam entered her head. Some of the faint buzz of arousal in her pussy subsided.

"So how are you going to punish me for this, Mom?" Melinda said in a loud voice. "Should I tell Aunt Jo how you've punished me for stuff already, so she knows how good you are at it?"

"Stand in front of me, Melinda," said Jo in a low voice.

Melinda stared. "Why?"

"Do as you're told," Penny said.

"Why?" Melinda repeated. "What are you going to do to me? Just do it and get it over with, okay?!"

"This is between you and me," said Jo. "Now come here like a good little girl."

The buzz became a tingling, and Melinda shot a dark look at her mother. Penny responded with a single slow shake of her head which Melinda had no idea how to interpret. She stepped forward and turned towards her aunt. She tried to keep her gaze focused on Jo's eyes, but they flicked down every time Jo took a breath, watching her bosom swell and stretch the already tight sweater.

"So you admit you had sex with my son?" Jo asked.

"Yes, I did," said Melinda. "I don't know why no one caught us before this."

Jo gave her a tiny smile. "I suppose you could congratulate yourself then. I would never have found out if Ken hadn't told me."

Melinda's hands clenched into fists. "Guess he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut."

"I was a little upset when I heard you had sex with him that afternoon."

Melinda shrugged. "Guess I can't please everyone. I must've pleased Ken, though, if he bragged about it to his own mother."

"No, he wasn't bragging. I found out by ... other means."

Melinda's eyes widened, and her eyes flicked over Jo's outline. No Aura, she thought. So Mom didn't do anything to ...

She turned her head when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye, then spun away from Jo when she saw the sofa was empty. "Mom! Wait, what--?!"

"This is between you and Aunt Jo, honey," Penny said from the end of the hall which led to the study. "We'll talk about this later."

Melinda wanted to protest when Jo called out, "Melinda, keep facing me until I tell you otherwise."

Melinda spun back around and stared. No taint of the Darkness whatsoever. Was she jumping at shadows? Was this really nothing more than it seemed? Was she about to get a standard lecture against the evils of promiscuity?

As Jo's gaze swept Melinda slowly from head to toe and back again, her eyes once more roamed over her aunt's pump bosom, wide, mature hips, and solid legs.

"I was a little surprised to hear that you had given in to him," said Jo. "I knew my son would try, but I didn't think he would succeed."

"And why the hell not?" Melinda blurted. She no longer cared how she would be perceived speaking to an adult in this manner (even one as attractive as Aunt Jo). It remained the only way to hold out against unwanted lust.

"It was my understanding your desires lay elsewhere."

"I don't ... I ... J-Jason and I are not boinking each other that much!"

"I don't mean him, either."

Melinda let out a ragged sigh, her pussy suffused with wet warmth. Her nipples throbbed when Jo's eyes drifted over them, as if the woman's gaze had a tangible presence.

Jo's lips curled into a small, sly smile. "I think I know why Ken pursued you. It was your tits, wasn't it?"

Melinda's cheeks grew warm. Hearing an adult say such a thing still felt vaguely embarrassing, yet it did nothing to quell the growing ache in her pussy, and her eyes would not leave Jo's body.

Jo stood, Melinda's eyes following the slow bounce of her breasts until she spoke again. "I think I need to see what my son found so fascinating."

Melinda uttered a tiny gasp and shook her head, but she uttered no protest nor backed away when Jo grasped the bottom of Melinda's shirt and lifted. This isn't happening, Melinda cried out in her head. This can't be happening again! She has no Aura! What's going on?!

She shuddered as Aunt Jo's fingers brushed her skin. She let out a slow, husky sigh as her bra was revealed, the hardened nipples two swollen knobs poking the fabric. Melinda's arms remained down; Jo tugged once, and Melinda's brief recalcitrance was met with a disapproving look which melted the last of her resistance. She lifted her arms and let the shirt be removed.

Jo slipped her hands behind Melinda's back, and her bosom brushed against Melinda's. Melinda bit her lip to suppress a moan, her mind suddenly flush with imagery of her aunt's naked breasts playing against hers, tingly nipples sliding across soft flesh in softly throbbing delight.

The bra came away without Melinda realizing it, Jo's gaze falling upon them before the flesh had stopped rippling. The nipples stood out as hard nubs, the areolae swollen and tingling.

Jo dropped the bra and smiled. She cupped her hands around Melinda's breasts, fondling and squeezing them until Melinda uttered a soft moan and leaned into the touch. "Yes, I can see why my son thought he would like these," Jo purred. "And I'm doubly disappointed that you did give into him when I could have had them myself."

Melinda wondered if she were in a nightmare and had not yet woken up. If Aunt Jo had any propensities like this in the past, she had kept it well-hidden. Then again, Melinda did not have big boobs the last time she had seen her aunt.

"I guess I could have been a little more aggressive," Aunt Jo said as she rubbed Melinda's nipples. "I could have been a little more direct."

Melinda whimpered, her pussy aching in need. Her hips writhed, her jeans suddenly too tight, her panties tugged too far into her folds.

"Then I came over today and realized I didn't have to, that your mother was far more accommodating than she ever had been."

Melinda's eyes widened as Jo's hand reached down and started undoing her jeans. "W-wait, what did you mean by ... n-no stop, please, just ... uhngg ..."

Melinda closed her eyes when Jo's hand slipped under her panties, and she rocked her hips to Jo's fingers thrusting into her tight pussy. Whatever thought she had mattered no longer, her pussy running liquid around Jo's skilled fingers.

"Oh, you are sooo wet," Jo cooed. She withdrew her hands. "But you're going to have to do something for me before I let you cum. Now, watch me."

Melinda gave Aunt Jo a look of disappointment at the cessation of the gentle pleasure, but when the pall of lust began to lift, her muscles tensed as if preparing to bolt. One trembling foot slid back until Jo's sweater came off, her massive bosom bouncing as she tossed it aside.

Melinda's eyes would not leave the plump mounds of soft flesh as the blouse fell away, leaving only a lacy bra holding them back. Jo smiled and flicked her bra straps, making her breasts jiggle before Melinda's lusty gaze.

Jo paused, then grasped Melinda's hands and tugged her forward. "Here," she said, placing Melinda's trembling hands against her sides. "You remove it for me."

Melinda let out a ragged breath and paused for only a second, as much resistance as her desire would allow. Her face drew close to the heaving mounds as her fingers fumbled for the hooks. When she finally undid the last one, the ends snapped from her fingers, and Jo's breasts rolled out of the cups.

Jo slipped the bra off, her breasts dancing with each movement. Melinda's nipples throbbed with her heartbeat, her pussy hot and wet. Jo drew Melinda forward until their bosoms touched, then slowly twisted her torso back and forth, drawing her hardening nipples across Melinda's flesh. Melinda moaned and shuddered.

"Yes, you like my tits," Jo whispered in Melinda's ear. "You like my nice, mature tits."

Somewhere in the dimness of Melinda's rationality, she wondered how Jo could have possibly known about the trigger unless her mother had revealed it. Another betrayal. Another daughter tossed to the wolves.

Jo nudged Melinda's jeans until they fell down her legs, then tugged the panties down until the crotch peeled away from her wet snatch. After Melinda stepped out of the clothing pooled at her feet, Jo grasped Melinda's hands and drew her towards the sofa. "Now, Melinda, show me how much you love my titties. Show me how much you adore them."

Jo sat down and spread her legs. With a desperate moan, Melinda descended on her and planted her hungry mouth to her aunt's nipple.

The urge to join Cassie as she ran up the stairs with the boys in tow had been strong, but Debby had resisted it by reminding herself that she needed to keep her focus on Diane. She was thankful for her foresight when Diane arrived early before Cassie and the others were finished.

Some of the desire lingered. After taking off her coat, Diane tugged her sweater down, and Debby's gaze was drawn to the little raised bumps of her nipples. A tingling warmth spread through Debby's pussy, but did not fill her with overwhelming lust. She hoped that boded well.

"Come sit with me for a bit, Diane, please," Debby said as she sat on the sofa.

Diane nodded and stepped forward, but paused and glanced up the stairs, where a faint, rhythmic creaking was heard.

"Cassie, Jason, and Ned are here. Oh, not for your lesson," Debby said when Diane looked anxious. "I intend to send them away before we start, but I suspect they want to talk to me first."

Diane took her seat, sitting at the opposite end of the sofa as if fearing premature contact between them. "Um, Mrs. Radson, have you told the others about this? I mean, about my energy channeling ability?"

"Yes, dear, I did. I apologize if that was not what you wanted, but I had to explain what happened."

Diane nodded. "Before we go into it any further with them, first let me see if we get anywhere with this. I just ..." She trailed off and glanced towards the stairs again.

"I don't think anyone will think any less of you," Debby said.

"No, but they won't think any more of me either."

Debby had mixed feelings. While she wanted to help Diane feel better about herself, she did not want it to come from a need to "prove" anything to the others.

Diane sighed and said in a low voice, her cheeks growing pink. "I hate that I can't use this power except when I orgasm."

"You keep associating it with someone taking control of you."

"I know it sounds stupid. I don't know why I'm getting so hung up over it."

"Actually, I think you do."

Diane hesitated. "My submissive streak."

"That's one way to put it, yes," said Debby, though she knew it was not the entire truth. The submissiveness was a symptom and not the cause. In her experience, the precisely wrong way to treat low self-esteem was to state what was "wrong" with the person. No matter how it was worded, it would be interpreted as yet another "deficiency."

"I don't know how to get over it, Mrs. Radson," Diane said. "I thought I had a handle on it after Halloween, but I feel I'm back where I started."

"What I'm going to try to teach you may help. And if I can unblock you as well, that may help further. If you feel like you can take control of your own sexuality, it may ease some of your worries."

Diane gave Debby a forlorn look but nodded. She shifted in her seat. "Okay. So, what are you going to do to me today?"

Debby noted Diane's choice of "to" instead of "with" and realized she had her work cut out for her. "We're going to have to start with the basics, since I don't know how much ability may be inherent. I'm going to teach you some basic meditative techniques designed to help you control your sexual response."

"That sounds kind of complicated."

"Admittedly, it's simple to learn but hard to master. We're not looking for perfection the first go-around, Diane, that's important to understand."

"I just don't know how much time we have before--"

She cut herself off when a door upstairs opened. Cassie ran down the stairs, and to Debby's relief, she looked far less stressed. Ned was beaming, and Jason, while still subdued, no longer acted as if a pall of doom were hovering over him. Each of their sexuality bands in their psychic auras were brilliant and solid with no sign of any Dark taint.

"Oh, Diane, I'm glad you're here!" Cassie said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "You should hear whatever Jason has to tell us."

Diane offered a small smile, which Debby thought seemed forced.

"I don't have a lot more to tell you that I haven't already," said Jason.

Cassie took a seat between Debby and Diane. "Not all of us heard it first hand, and I don't think Diane knows all the details yet."

"Yeah, I wanna hear it straight from the horse's mouth," Ned said as he plopped down onto the floor, leaning his back against the sofa between Cassie's legs. He smirked at Jason. "No offense or nuthin'."

Jason took the last remaining seat, the easy chair, and fell into it with a heavy sigh. "Fine. Maybe the more I repeat it the less freaked out I'll be about it."

Debby noticed the effect of Jason's words if no one else had. Especially Diane, who looked on with a mixture of trepidation and disappointment. She wondered if the others understood that everyone had a breaking point. She sensed Jason approaching his from the tension in his voice as he recounted what had happened over Thanksgiving and his own theory of what this mysterious "job" would be.

After Jason finished his tale, Ned said, "Okay, so what are ya gonna do 'bout it?"

"Do about it? Didn't you just hear me?" Jason snapped.

"Yeah, I did. I hear a whole lotta words and not a lotta action. Where's the action?"

"I've already been through this shit with Richie. I'm not going to get into it again."

"Like hell yer not."

"Ned!" Cassie cried.

"Jason, what do you want us to do?" Debby asked. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Jason appeared somewhat mollified by Debby's words even as he shook his head. "I don't think any of you can do anything, not with that stupid line having moved."

"It's not the move of the line that did it, Jason," Cassie said. "It's the Darkness corrupting it. Or it's using it as a sort of conduit."

"An' I keep comin' back ta the same freaking thing," Ned said. "Why the hell ain't it confined to the node like it's supposed to be?"

"It must be confined or it wouldn't be executing this elaborate plan," said Jason. "Just as Cassie can Project her consciousness down the lines while her body remains in bed, the Darkness is doing something similar, probably with the help of the spells it has remaining in the Book."

"So can we interrupt it or something?" Ned asked. "C'mon, there's gotta be fuckin' something we can do. Pardon my French, Mrs. R."

"It's fine, Ned," Debby said. "Jason, I know you don't want to hurt your mother. Goddess knows I do not want to relive what Melissa made me do with my own daughter. Is there any way you can somehow delay this?"

"Or mebbe ya can claim ta go fer the job and make up a story about ya bein' rejected fer lack of experience or something," Ned said.

"If this is really going to be a job at the Inn, I doubt very much the Darkness could be fooled by that," Jason said.

"Yeah, but mebbe it would jus' stall things 'til--"

"And then to make me actually do it, my mother will be forced to ..." Jason waved his hand vaguely. "Which is what I'm trying to avoid in the first place."

It pained Debby to watch Jason struggle, but no less so to see Ned's frustration. "Then ... then ... fuck, I don't know, run the hell away from home!" Ned cried.

"Jason, I don't like that idea, but I'm wondering now if that really is the only thing you can do," Cassie said. "The Darkness can't make your mother ... um, you know, with you if you're not there."

Jason sighed and gave Debby a pleading look. Debby could give only a small shake of her head in return and immediately felt guilty. She tried to convince herself she was protecting all of them in the long run. If he were caught running away from home, and it was learned Debby had advocated such a thing, she could be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. It would remove her from any role she might have in helping them.

"Yeah, I thought about that," Jason said in a low voice. "How long would it be before I got caught? Look at Richie when he ran off the night Melissa tried the Rite. He got spotted by a cop barely an hour later. You can be sure the Darkness would use whatever people it's influenced to track me down in short order. There's just nowhere to go in a small town like this."

"I think Jason's right," Debby said.

"He can't jus' freakin' give himself up ta the head poobah of evil!" Ned cried.

"I'm not saying I am!" Jason snapped. "I'm just saying I can't avoid taking this job. I doubt very much I can be compromised in such short order. This is not like back in the days of Nyssa when we didn't know what the hell we were doing."

"Yer not gonna be dissuaded from this, are ya?"

Debby glanced at Diane. For the whole conversation she had sat with her hands folded demurely in her lap, her eyes ping-ponging between people as they spoke. A few times near the beginning she would open her mouth to speak, only to have someone else start speaking first. After the third time, she had stopped trying.

"At this point, it's going to be far easier to affect a rescue than it will be to stop it in the first place," said Jason.

Debby shuddered in sympathy when she heard the fear creeping into Jason's voice. No fifteen year old should be required to make this sort of decision.

"That's gonna be a tall order, old hoss," Ned said.

"Maybe not. I think I'm close to something in Elizabeth's journal."

Debby's heart lurched.

"I'm up to the point where she said she's developing a technique where she can draw herself inward into her subconscious to better shield herself from the mind-altering affects of the Darkness. Hell, she even managed to use it with some success against Victor, and it wasn't even meant for that sort of power. That's a really over-simplified explanation, but it would take too long to go into it. She's had some setbacks, but she's really dedicated, and there are still lots of pages of journal left."

Ned turned to Debby. "So what of it, Mrs. R.? Ya remember anything like that? Ya said ya had read it backwards and forwards."

Debby let out a slow sigh. "Yes, I had, but a long time ago. I do remember something of what Jason said, but I don't recall the outcome."

"Couldn't of got far if the big stinker under the Inn is still kickin'."

"Elizabeth was more or less working alone," Jason said. "We're not. Maybe it can overcome one person wielding a defense like that, but seven would be a lot harder. This may even let Melinda break away from her mother and Heather from Ms. Bendon. Or my mother from the Darkness. Or Richie's Mom."

"I think yer puttin' the wooden transport device before the equine locomotive unit."

"You wanted action, this is action," Jason said.

"An' if yer great geek noggin gets 'compromised' as ya put it?"

Jason was silent for a moment, his eyes flicking over the others. "I have some plans for that. I'd rather not say what they are right now."

Debby exchanged glances with the others. No one wanted to state the obvious problem. With the link they shared, if any one were compromised, they all could be.

Ned balled his hands into fists and pounded them once on his thighs. "I freakin' hate this," he growled.

"I think Jason's right," Cassie said. "That's all we can really do right now."

"Yeah, I know, babe, that's why I'm pissed. We keep gettin' painted inta corners like this where we can't do shit."

"I know. Unless ..." Cassie's eyes flicked towards Diane for a moment.

"I-I can help," Diane said in a quavering voice. "I mean ... maybe. Maybe I can."

Debby turned to Diane. "Diane, you don't have to do this if--"

"But I have to! I have this power, I'm supposed to use it, right? Th-that's the whole point." Her eyes darted among the others. "Except I'm having trouble with it. I'm not sure if--"

Debby had to take the time to choose the right words, as she did not want to risk damaging Diane's already fragile ego. This was a huge step. Perhaps not the best timed, but they could not turn back now. "She discovered her ability only a few days ago," Debby said. "She is still trying to control it, and I have agreed to help her. This is very short notice to be asked to do something this new, so please take that into account."

As she said "so please take that into account," she punctuated every other word with a nudge of her toe against Ned's hip. Ned gave Debby a contrite look before he said to Diane, "Don't worry about it. Jus' do the best ya can. Same as any of us."

"Yes, same here," Jason said. "It would be great if you can help, but if the Darkness has that strong a hold over the line--"

"Yeah, ya don't wanna go invitin' it in an' screwin' with yer head, ya know?"

Diane shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "Believe me, if anyone understands what it means to be enslaved, it's me," she said in a very soft voice.

An awkward silence fell over the other Harbingers, and several guilty looks were exchanged among Jason, Cassie, and Ned.

"Cassie, you have something you needed to tell me," Debby said. "Something that happened over Thanksgiving at your house?"

"What? Oh, yes," Cassie said. "But if you had planned to do something with Diane, maybe we should leave."

"I will be asking you to leave at some point, but I fear if we keep putting this off we'll never get a chance to hear it. I don't want to take the chance of missing something important."

"I'm not sure if it even has anything to do with what's going on now."

"I can tell your psyche is disturbed," said Debby. "That alone is reason to tell us, unless you'd rather tell me privately."

"No," Jason said. "No more secrets. I get enough of that from my father. We should all hear this."

"I'm okay with that, Mrs. Radson," Cassie said. "And frankly, the more people who hear it, the better chance someone may have an idea of what's going on, because I have no idea."

Penny opened the door a crack and peered outside. Jo lay stretched out on her back on the sofa, Melinda draped over her and sucking with abandon on her nipple. Melinda's hips writhed and humped against fingers penetrating her helpless pussy. Jo's free hand slid down Melinda's back and caressed her ass, lightly slapping each cheek.

Penny staggered away from the door and fell into a seat before the desk, letting out a ragged sigh and dropping her face into her hands. She sniffled once and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress before forcing herself to raise her head.

Interesting idea.

Penny shuddered as her pussy ached, pleasure trickling through her folds and radiating over her body like ripples on a pond. For a brief moment she felt the icy chill of the Darkness through the perpetual steamy sexual heat which shrouded the thoughts it chose to project into her mind.

She squeezed her eyes shut and suppressed a whimper at a memory which remained burned in her mind with cruel clarity. The Darkness would not touch it, as if wishing to keep it as a reminder of how Penny had fallen. Or rather, how she had chosen to fall. The memory had come up far more often since Halloween, and she wondered if the Darkness were torturing her.

There is no other torture than what you do to yourself, the Darkness "said" in dulcet tones. I do not torture, I reward.

Penny gasped and trembled, her legs parting as her pussy ran molten with lust into her already soaked panties. "Oh God ..." Penny moaned as horrible pleasure rose, her mind bursting with thoughts of Melinda kneeling at the feet of her sister Jo.

As I said, an interesting idea.

"I-I just couldn't do it anymore," Penny moaned. "I-I'm sorry ... it was too much ... my own daughter ... I just couldn't ..."

Her pleasure crested, and her pussy gushed, a dark stain spreading across the crotch of her jeans as she tumbled to the floor. She wrapped her arm around her torso and squeezed her breasts against her blouse, her nipples swollen, hard, and throbbing. She lay on the floor twitching and jerking as the orgasm consumed her.

So you would let your sister have her now.

Penny rolled onto her back, her legs spread, her pussy still throbbing softly. A dark haze of euphoria swept over her mind. Her thoughts were allowed to struggle against it, as if for sport. "V-Victor's gone," Penny said in a husky voice. "He's not coming back."

And that makes your sister safe? Safer than giving her to me? Or for that matter, giving me Heather as well, instead of that stupid cunt of a principal.

"Y-you said ... me in exchange for them ... but I can only do so much to keep them from ... uhhng!"

Her hips rocked as if she were being fucked hard. Her breasts bounced under her blouse, a button popping free. Her pleasure soared once more as alien thoughts of her children's sexual servitude struck across her mind and threaded into her psyche.

Jo has become rather close friends with Kelly. Did you know that? I'll bet you didn't.

Penny closed her eyes and tried to wrap her arms under her breasts to stop them from bouncing. Instead, she grasped and fondled them through the blouse. She panted hard, her hips jerking up in a quick staccato beat as if to match an equally ardent lover.

So is that what you want for Melinda? To be a sex toy for the remnants of Victor's ridiculous little cult?

"N ... N ..." Penny moaned, gasping for breath between each attempted syllable. Her body moved in a frenzy, sweat beading on her forehead. Her muscles tensed, both anticipating a wonderful, blessed orgasm and fearing it more than death itself. Visions of Melinda perpetually naked and wet, playing the part of the good little slut to any woman who would want her, squealing in delight at the chance to lick more pussy, spun through her head as if it were reality.

After all, have you not already decided on a similar fate for Heather?

"No ... t-temporary ... just so I ..."

So you can keep them from me?

Her throat locked as her pussy strained, a wait of seconds which seemed like hours, playing to the dreadful thought that she would never be allowed to cum again no matter how good she behaved. She felt the Darkness shifting in her head, like someone rummaging for something interesting. It pulled tendrils out of her mind at random, leaving tiny windows into her unfettered emotions, where they flared like flames from smoldering remains.

Don't ever think you can go back to your old life. Don't ever think you could be free of me. That was never part of the deal.

Penny threw her head back as her pussy squirted once more, the crotch of her jeans soaked and dripping. She gave no further voice to her orgasm than gasps of pleasure and ragged sighs of desire. The Darkness settled back in place in her mind, smothering her guilt, shame, and remorse.

You are in this for the rest of your life. Do not think I will not keep you after I have broken the Harbingers.

Penny let out one final, slow sigh as her orgasm faded, her muscles going limp. She closed her eyes and sensed her buried feelings as glowing coals shrouded by a thickening fog. She felt an urge to cling to them despite the terrible pain they held which would rip through her psyche like scythes if they were released.

You should consider yourself fortunate that I have allowed you such freedom to decide your daughters' fate for as long as I have. You are privileged in this regard.

"Yes," Penny breathed. "I understand. I ... uhhn ..." She shivered when one final wave of soft pleasure enveloped her body, like a gentle orgasm suffusing her from head to toe. Her mind drifted in a sea of bliss. From the crack in the door, she heard Melinda's moans of helpless pleasure.

I have no reason to be cruel, my pet, said the Darkness in a softer tone. I accept your reluctance. I accept that you first came to me to bargain rather than surrender. Your usefulness to me surpasses any anger I could possibly feel towards you. In fact, quite soon, you will learn just how useful you have been over the past few years.

"Thank you," Penny whispered. "Thank you ..."

"I ... I don't even know where to start," Debby said in a low, astonished voice after Cassie completed her tale.

"Well, that don't inspire confidence," Ned muttered.

Cassie nudged him. "Ned, please."

"Ned, it's not that I can't say anything about it," Debby said. "There's just a lot to sort out. Things like this are never black and white."

"Wait a minute," Jason said.

Debby looked over to him and uttered a small sigh of relief. He had gone stone-still as Cassie went deeper into her tale, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "What is it, Jason? Did you think of something?"

"Yes, but if I'm interrupting ..."

"No, not at all. I would welcome your thoughts on this while I try to sort out my own."

Jason nodded. "Cassie, didn't you once tell us that your mother had not intended to give birth to you in Haven?"

"Yes, that's right," replied Cassie. "When I was born here after all, they decided to stay. I was always curious as to why."

"What's yer point, old hoss?" Ned said.

Jason turned towards him. "Ned, you never told us why your parents moved out here."

Ned looked surprised by the question. "I guess I didn't think it was 'xactly ground-breakin' news, ya know?"

"Humor me, please. Why did they come out here?"

Ned shrugged. "I dunno the whole story. Something 'bout havin' ta get away from some trouble in the old neighborhood. Happened not long after my brother got tossed in jail."

"Oh, my," Debby said. "I'm so sorry, Ned, I never knew."

Ned waved a hand in dismissal. "He made his own problems."

"And your family came all the way out here?" Jason asked.

Ned paused and nodded slowly. "Yeah. Again, what's yer point?"

"You don't think it strange that your city-bred parents took you all the way out here to the Rockies?"

Ned started to shake his head and paused.

Cassie looked at him. "What is it?"

"Huh. Well ... nuthin', really, it's just ... shit, I don't think I ever stopped ta think about it like that. Guess I was jus' too glad ta be away from all the gangs and the crime and whatnot."

"Ned, I hate to keep pushing like this," Jason said. "But has either of your parents held down a steady job since they came out here?"

Ned snorted. "Yer jokin' right? My parents? It's their freakin' hobby ta see how much they can leach off the government. Pract'cally elevated it ta an art form. I mean, yeah, my father hasta do odd jobs now and then ta bring in some dough fer the rent and beer, but that's 'bout it."

"But what about before that?"

"Before that? Well, yeah, my Dad was a plumber. What's yer ..." He trailed off. "Fuck."

Cassie's eyes widened. "Oh goodness ..."

Debby glanced between them. They had latched onto something, but she was still in the dark. Perhaps if what Cassie had told her had not disturbed her so she would have kept up with the flow of Jason's logic. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"I don't know if it means anything," Jason said, though Debby sensed the growing excitement in his voice and saw the same in his psychic aura. It was a refreshing change. "And I don't think it solves any of our current problems, but--'

"Get on with it, dude," Ned said. "If yer about ta say what I think yer gonna."

Jason turned to Debby. "Cassie is in Haven because her parents mysteriously decided to stay in someplace so antithetical to their nature. Ned's parents brought him here with no prospects for work. Richie came here after a divorce of suspect circumstances. My family moved here because my father decided against all reason to leave a lucrative medical practice in the city and come to a little nowhere town like Haven for a fraction of his former pay, and I know for a fact he's involved in the events in Haven."

"What about Heather and Melinda?" asked Debby. "Or Diane?"

"Melinda told me once that her family moved here when she was just a baby. She never gave me anymore explanation than that, and I had never pressed her because I didn't think it was important. But her father's job remained in the city. This was when the whole work-from-home ethic was still in its infancy."

"But what about me?" Diane suddenly piped. "I'm a native. I was born and raised here."

"What about your parents, Diane?" Jason asked.

"They moved here from Grand Junction. My mother was originally raised in Cheyenne. My family has a history of living in this part of the country, at least on my mother's side."

Jason paused, looking thoughtful.

"Ya may have come along fer the ride, bein' Heather's friend and all that," Ned said.

Diane nodded with a small, forced smile.

Debby took a slow, deep breath. She had only just gotten a handle on Cassie's issues, and now she had to face the possibility that it was just one cog in a much larger and inscrutable machine. "Let's just come out with it. Jason, you're saying you think all the Harbingers are here in Haven because you were meant to be here, as if you were all drawn here somehow."

Cassie let out a slow, quavering sigh.

"I know, it sounds crazy, but--" Jason began.

"No, it is not crazy at all, and that's what makes it rather disturbing," Debby said.

"Even you're connected in a way," Jason said in a lower voice. "Your mother and the Book."

"I don't know what to say. I've never encountered forces on such a scale before."

"And we all have more resistance to the Darkness than most," Jason continued. "We don't fall as easily to it, which is why it has to come up with all these schemes to get at us. It knew it could not take me directly, so it had to move the line and go through my mother."

"So it's like we're all meant ta slay the big bad black dragon," Ned said. "Great. Next we'll be on a quest ta find the sword in the stone or something."

"Ned, I think it is a pretty forgone conclusion that we were going to try to destroy it," Jason said.

The silence which fell was leaden. The cold dread which needled Debby's heart like icicles did nothing to divert her attention from the elephant in the room. No one had ever spoken what the real mission of the Harbingers was, only vague references to conversations with spirits of the long dead such as Mara or to the dry text of a deceased Witch's journal.

The Darkness could not be held at bay, nor could it be escaped, not with the lines at its command. It would only be a matter of time before it found a way to escape its imprisonment, and then it could go anywhere. It did not have to stay in Haven.

Cassie dropped her face into her hands, and Debby fought the instinct to comfort her. Instead, she stood up and let Ned take her place so he could do it himself. Debby turned away just as he wrapped an arm around Cassie's waist and drew her close.

"It's worse for me, isn't it?" Cassie said in a shaky voice. "Something ... s-something happened to me when I was just a child. Something that scared my parents. It had to have something to do w-with the ... the D ..."

Debby turned around and saw tears trickling down Cassie's face. "Cassie, we don't know that," Debby said firmly.

"There's no evidence of that, Cassie," Jason said.

"Hey, c'mon, babe, it's okay," Ned said softly.

"I-I want to believe you all but ..." Cassie said before a sob choked off her words.

"Cassie, you are a girl with powerful psychic abilities," Debby declared. "It's more likely that they started to manifest before you were ready to understand and control them, and it was the side-effects which your parents feared."

"Elizabeth's journal was full of incidents of supposed poltergeists or other similar activity," Jason said. "She traced all of them to boys and girls with budding abilities. Not one was related to the Darkness."

Cassie sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It still scares me that I've blocked out a big chunk of my childhood. I really don't remember what happened to me before puberty other than some really vague memories."

"What was your first strong memory, then?" Debby asked.

Cassie's cheeks colored. "When I had my first ... my first orgasm."

"And your psychic powers manifested soon after that, I suspect." Debby turned to Diane. "And Diane? I don't believe for a minute you just 'came along for the ride.' You might be a focus of some kind. The fact that you can channel line energy--"

"Only because of a spell," Diane said in a miserable voice.

"No. If it were just the spell, you would no longer have it. I believe the spell triggered a latent power. That could be why you're having difficulty with it. It takes more effort to master something which emerges this late."

Diane paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. One corner of her mouth twitched upwards.

Debby was not at all sure that half of what she said was true, but she needed to bolster the girl's flagging confidence. She was more anxious than ever to teach Diane, if for no other reason than to channel some of her sexual energy into calming her troubled spirit.

"I think Mrs. Radson has a point, Diane," Jason said. Diane gave another more firm nod of her head and looked a bit more relaxed. Debby realized she should cease to be stunned by the effect of Jason's words on the others. He was fast becoming the most mature of the group. "You're the exact opposite of all of us in terms of origins, yet you're linked to us. If I had realized this a month ago, I would have never even suggested using that spell on you."

Diane stared in shock, then let out a sigh and gave him a genuine smile, her eyes glistening. "Thank you," she said in a soft voice.

"Mrs. Radson, what do I do?" Cassie pleaded. "I feel like I could find out more if I get inside my mother's head again. It was as if she wanted me to be in there last night. Or ..." She swallowed, looking stricken, and shook her head.

"What is it, babe?"

Cassie shook her head more violently.

Ned hugged her. "I'm really sorry, babe, but I gotta nudge ya on this one. Don't let this eat ya up."

Cassie glared at him, but it quickly dissolved into a mist which filled her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks again. "I'm afraid I got in so easily because ... because I've done it before. I don't mean just this week. It was easy even when I first started. Maybe I got into her head when I was little, and that's why my mother is so frightened of my past!"

"Aw, c'mon, we don't have no proof of that."

"I know! I keep telling myself that, but it's hard not to think about it, and you know how I feel about controlling people."

"Cassie, you didn't discover your ability to influence the minds of others with your Dream Gift until fairly recently," Jason said. "I think Mrs. Radson's explanation is the best one we've had as to why your mother seemed scared."

"Cassie, you know my answer on this, I'm afraid," Debby said, as much as she hated it.

Cassie sighed and nodded, wiping her eyes. "I know. I have to decide for myself."

"If it were me, I'd go fer it," Ned said. "Yer not even tryin' ta control her, ya jus' wanna know more about what happened in the past."

"Yes, but I feel like I'm violating her privacy. Honestly, if my mother was not so awful with people she thinks are beneath her station, I could invite Richie over, and he might be able to see something." She looked at Debby. "Mrs. Radson, what about that space between the line and the mansion? Did I really pass through the mesa?"

"You were not traveling through it in a physical sense, dear," Debby said. "You may have encountered some sort of psychic turbulence, and your mind interpreted it the only way it could."

"But I felt a presence there, sort of like what I felt with Stephanie."

Debby considered. "It is possible there is a small, unmarked graveyard somewhere around the base of the mesa. There's a lot of those here in the west. If that's the case, then you're seeing only their lingering essence. They shouldn't trouble you."

"That's kind of creepy," Diane said with a shudder.

"I'll take creepy over anything to do with the Darkness," Cassie said.

"Yeah, me too, 'specially where yer concerned," Ned said.

Cassie gave him a small smile and embraced him. She let out a small sigh near his ear. "I feel better just getting all this out."

Debby smiled. She felt like she had accomplished something, if only to ease some of Cassie's fears. She had been given so much information to process that it would take her time to come to any definite conclusions. She had a lot of research to do to even begin to make sense of it, but the other Harbingers, even if more mature than their peers, were still teenagers who preferred instant gratification.

"I hate to be the one to say it, but ..." Debby began, looking at Diane.

"No prob, Mrs. R., we've freeloaded enough fer today," Ned said, flashing her a grin.

"Yes, I think this was a useful discussion," Jason said.

"Jason, please feel free to talk to me anytime," Debby said. "Please come over tomorrow if you wish, if for no other reason than I can see you're still okay."

Jason hesitated, then nodded. "I'll try, Mrs. Radson."

"We should all keep in touch," Cassie said as she stood with Ned. "We can't afford to be out of contact now. Jason, do you think it would be possible for you to call me?"

"I don't know. If my father continues to mysteriously defend me like he has, maybe. I really don't want to push my luck."

"If he can't call you and I see him, I'll give you a call, Cassie," Debby said.

Cassie smiled. "Thank you. I'm really glad we have you."

"Me, too," Ned said with a small smile. "If that ain't obvious from all the grief I give ya."

Debby gave him a genuine smile. She wanted to hug him, to give him some of the basic parental affection she was sure he was lacking at home, but she had no idea how he would react to it. "It's fine. I'd rather you speak your mind."

Debby watched them gather their coats and head out the door, waving. Her heart lurched; it was like watching her own family leave. When the door closed behind them, she took a deep breath, then turned to Diane.

Diane had drawn a foot onto the edge of the chair, and she hugged her knee to her chest. "Mrs. Radson, are ... are you sure you want to ...?"

Debby stepped over to her and held out her hand. Diane paused and lifted her own trembling one. Debby grasped it, gave it an affectionate squeeze, and tugged until Diane stood. "I most assuredly want to do this," Debby said in a soft voice. "For I very much think you are worth it."

Diane blinked a few times before her lips curled into a small smile.

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