SAFE FOR NOW

BY THE ONE

Continued from “No Song Unsung”

Darkness met Nicole’s slowly opening eyes. A loud bang had brought her out of her drugged sleep. She was disoriented and confused, unable to figure out at all where she was. She tried to call, “Hello?” but all that came out were mumbles. Her jaw hurt as she tried to speak.

Realizing with a jolt that her jaw hurt because she couldn’t close her mouth, Nicole began trying to get up. Of course this was pointless. She realized that she couldn’t move her arms, and that her legs were held high in the air. Something hard and very uncomfortable was tightly closed around her butt. It felt smooth, and every time she tried to struggle she slid along the floor, gaining no ground with her bonds. Panicking, Nicole let out an unintelligible scream for help. She heard faint voices above her, and screamed as loud as she could. She knew they could hear her! Why weren’t they coming to help her?

Then with a sick feeling, it dawned on Nicole that the people talking above her head somewhere were the ones who had captured her. Where was she? What was going to happen to her? Had the men from the Industry returned?

No. Her captor had spoken to her before knocking her out. It had been a female voice. A young, familiar female voice. Lisa.

At that moment vibrators she hadn’t felt before came alive inside her. Crying out in surprise, Nicole squirmed backwards in an attempt to get away from the stimulations. When nothing went away she realized the same device that was locked around her butt and waist was holding the vibrators in. As the vibrations increased intensity, the helpless captive squealed in desperation and writhed in her restraints to try and dislodge the chastity belt. She felt herself sliding over the point of no return toward an orgasm. She frantically worked her legs and wrists to free herself, but all she achieved was to tire herself out. Unusually quickly, her crotch convulsed and she was catapulted into the disembodied floating sensation that came with a climax. The vibrators never let up and never slowed…

An eternity later Nicole felt herself drifting back down to reality. The stimulation was gone; the vibrators had turned off. She felt completely drained and exhausted, her legs burned from fighting the ropes and her wrists ached from straining at the cuffs. Saliva ran between her forced-open lips, falling on her naked chest and running down her body to ooze inside the locked belt. Too exhausted to keep herself awake, she drifted off into a strangely peaceful sleep…

Some time later, the captive awoke. Realizing that a lot of time could have passed while she slept she wondered when she would be freed or if she was to be freed at all. Had she been forgotten? Was anyone else here with her somewhere? And for that matter where was ‘here?’

There was no light to speak of in her dreary prison, and Nicole could smell the age and dirtiness of wherever she was. Dust disturbed by her thrashing struggles got in her nose and eyes and dried out her throat, making breathing difficult. There was no discernable difference between having her eyes open and having them closed. This feeling of blind helplessness frightened claustrophobic Nicole, and she had to concentrate on taking deep breaths to slow her racing heart.

As she buried her fear, at least temporarily, Nicole began to sort evidence out in her head, trying to find answers to her own questions. Before the vibrators had activated she had heard voices above her. She was sitting on a cold, concrete floor in a very old, dusty place. If people had been above her, then…where could she be? It didn’t make sense. Okay. Don’t panic again. That doesn’t work out…move on to something else…

She couldn’t escape. She had already fought her bonds for a long time, and the cuffs and ropes hadn’t given an inch. If she was to die here, then there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. But that didn’t make sense either. Nicole knew Lisa, and if Lisa was indeed the mastermind behind this whole ordeal, then death wasn’t what she had in mind. She wanted submission. Nicole concluded that the extent of her torture would be to remain here for a very long time, then be released but made a slave…like Heather and Emilie were. That fit the pattern Lisa seemed to make.

Nicole dragged herself backward so she could lean against the wall behind her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The small satisfaction of figuring out who had done this to her gave her quite a comfort. A semblance of order in a chaotic predicament calmed her a little.

Then she heard a noise. A scraping, clawing noise coming from the darkness to her right. She stared into the blackness, barely breathing. She heard of few squeaks and more scrabbling. The silence. Nicole held her breath, shaking.

In an instant, something small and furry jumped onto her stomach. Nicole screamed and thrashed, throwing the mouse off of her. It scampered away into the darkness, squealing in distress.

But Nicole was far more traumatized than the mouse. She hated mice, and they scared and disgusted her. Now she was imprisoned naked in a very old, dirty, cold place, with mice. For the first time during her ordeal Nicole began to cry. She sobbed, crying out pitifully to nonexistent rescuers. She was afraid, cold, and in pain everywhere. Her legs and wrists burned from the restraints, and her crotch was starting to hurt from the vibrators. Every twitch of her mouth was agony, thanks to the ball gag.

In an attempt to calm herself Nicole thought of other things. She thought of singing, and music. She pictured Amy’s warm smile and Jeremy’s comforting arms. If she concentrated she could almost feel him. But the hard concrete and the biting ropes and chains soon brought her back to her horrible reality.

Then she heard another noise, but this one wasn’t mice. It was hurried, rapid footsteps above her, coming toward her. She let out a scream with renewed volume, then another, begging for freedom. The footsteps stopped a little distance away from her. She heard metal being manipulated, then a square of light appeared as a hatch-like door was opened. Someone descended a rung ladder bolted to the wall and shut the door behind them. Nicole made a questioning noise before a flashlight blazed to life, temporarily blinding her. As her eyes adjusted to the piercing light, she heard a voice full of concern address her and ask if she was alright. In the glow of the flashlight, Nicole saw Heather coming toward her, a set of keys in her hand.

Seeing Nicole’s dirty and tear-streaked face, Heather rushed to her friend’s side. “Oh no! Are you alright?”

Nicole moaned through her gag. Heather set her keys and light down and unbuckled the strap around Nicole’s head to take gag off. Nicole coughed violently as new air flowed down her parched throat. She said hoarsely, “Help me!”

“I’m here for you, Nicole,” Heather said, “Just hold still.” Nicole closed her eyes as Heather freed her wrists. Her arms fell limp at her sides, weak from struggling. Heather then gently manipulated the ropes around Nicole’s legs, allowing her to slip free without untying the knots. This had to look like a legitimate escape.

Once released from the chastity belt’s grip, Nicole slumped on the ground, too exhausted and relieved to speak. Heather gathered her friend up in a soothing embrace, slowly rocking her as Nicole buried her face in her rescuer’s shoulder.

After a moment Heather pulled away. “Come on,” she urged, “We need to get you cleaned up.”

“How…how did you find me?” Nicole asked. Moving her mouth still hurt.

Heather looked at the ground. “I was here when she did it to you,” she said quietly.

“Who?”

“Lisa.”

Nicole looked stricken. “And you let it happen?”

“I couldn’t do anything, ‘Cole,” Heather said, “You know what I am! If I said or did anything Lisa would punish me!”

Nicole looked like she wanted to persist, but stopped herself. “Thank you,” she said instead, “For coming for me.”

“Lisa planned to soften you up by leaving you down here all day,” Heather explained, “Then she would come and get you, but she wanted to make you…one of us. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Aren’t you putting yourself in danger by helping me?”

“I’m afraid so,” Heather said, looking behind her, “Lisa would kill me if she ever found out that I freed you. Come on. It’s our lunch period. We have plenty of time to get you cleaned up.”

Heather helped Nicole to her feet, and before they left she readjusted a few aspects of the scene. She re-locked the cuffs to make it look like Nicole had slipped out. The ropes already had that appearance. She took the keys and chastity belt with them.

It wasn’t until Nicole hauled herself out of the cellar passage and flopped onto her back that she realized where she was. She lay gazing up at the curtains and lights of the stage, and began to laugh. She hadn’t been fifty feet from the spot she stood that morning singing.

Heather shut the door to the sub-floor passage and helped Nicole up again. As they left the stage she replaced the key ring on a hidden nail in the wall where Lisa had left them. There was no evidence to suggest that Nicole had been rescued. Everything looked like she had simply gotten away.

After cleaning herself up in the bathroom and shaking the dust out of her clothes, Nicole dressed. There were still marks on her wrists from the cuffs, but her long-sleeved shirt hid them well enough. She fixed her hair and looked at herself in a full-length mirror in a dressing room to make sure no evidence of her bondage was showing. Satisfied that she was at last presentable, she walked back out into the hall.

Nicole had obviously missed lunch, and Heather had as well in order to save her friend. Both were now very hungry, and they raided the mini-fridge in the directors’ office that they knew was always stocked with something good.

Just as Nicole finished devouring an apple, the bell rang to signal the official end of lunch and the start of afternoon classes. The girls hurried down the hall so as not to be late, but before they parted to go to their separate classes, Nicole grabbed Heather one last time, thanking her for saving her. Heather just smiled and returned the hug, always on the lookout for Lisa.

Everything went smoothly until the end of the day, when all the music students returned to either band or chorus. On the way, Lisa, walking beside Heather and full of anticipation at the prospect of getting a new slavegirl, met Nicole’s eyes as she ducked into the chorus room. Lisa stopped short and grabbed Heather’s arm, and with unnecessary force dragged her into the bathroom. Taking Heather furiously by the throat, Lisa slammed her up against the wall, demanding, “How did she get away!?”

“I…don’t…know!” Heather gasped, trying to pry Lisa’s hands away.

“You little cunt! You let her go!”

“No! I swear it wasn’t me! Please!”

“I have witnesses saying you left lunch for an unusually long time, and now I see that girl walking around free. Her hot little ass is supposed to be under the stage! How the hell did she get away!? Tell me!!”

“Lisa I don’t know!” Heather choked, “I didn’t let her go!”

“Then where were you during lunch?”

“In the bathroom!”

“What!?”

“The bathroom!” Heather thought up a lie as fast as she could. “It’s that time of the month for me! Please, I would never betray you!”

Lisa’s eyes looked glazed, as if she was lost in a daydream. But her grip on Heather’s throat was tightening.

“Lisa! I…can’t….breathe…”

Lisa looked up suddenly, as if hearing Heather for the first time. She quickly let go of her gasping subject, who collapsed on the floor clutching her throat and coughing.

“How could she have escaped?” Lisa muttered, almost to herself, “How could she have escaped? It was perfect! She couldn’t have! It’s not possible!” Reeling from the shock of her apparent failure to keep Nicole captive, Lisa swirled off to the stage to inspect the scene, leaving Heather to catch her breath on the floor.

Neither Heather nor Lisa saw Nicole again that day. But after school during the time the mistresses met, Lisa’s fiery release of frustration could be heard outside their private room. Nikki, Emilie, and Heather listened together as Lisa screamed to Alice and Kristen about her failure.

“I don’t understand it! It was perfect! Her hands were cuffed above her head and her legs were tied together as tight as I could make the knots! I suspended her legs in the air so she had no leverage at all. She was gagged, and completely in the dark. How did she get away!?”

Alice’s voice could be heard saying, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

“I don’t make mistakes!” Lisa shot back, “And this ‘mistake’ might have cost us all our secrets!”

“Did you talk to Heather?”

“Yes. I don’t think she did it, but I get the feeling she’s keeping something from me. I think she knows what happened.”

“Let’s bring her in here.”

A moment later the door opened and Lisa called Heather in. Slowly and fearfully Heather rose and went to her beckoning mistress. “Yes?” she asked timidly.

“Heather,” Lisa said quietly, “I want you to be very honest with me right now. If you tell the truth, there will be no consequences. If you lie and I find out about it, you will answer to the whip.”

Heather gulped at the threat.

“Did you let Nicole go today?”

“No!”

“Then explain how she escaped. She was bound and chained in total darkness, and in a very awkward position. How did she do it?”

“Well,” began Heather, thinking fast, “I haven’t looked at the scene yet, but I guess she could’ve slipped out of the cuffs. Once she had her hands free, she could’ve just untied herself and left.”

“Slipped out of the cuffs? Those were my best chains! You can’t just ‘slip out of them,’ especially not if you’re as inexperienced as she is!”

Heather offered, “Nicole does have pretty small hands…”

“I don’t care!” Lisa exploded, “It doesn’t matter! Her hands can’t be much smaller than yours, and we know from experience that you can’t get out of them, no matter how you try!”

“I don’t know how she did it! Some people are good at getting out of bondage.” “Some people are good? Okay, but one piece doesn’t fit that story, my dear. How did she get out of the chastity belt?”

Heather felt her pulse race and her face flush. Had she forgotten to take the device with her when she had freed Nicole? She decided to play along.

“She got out of it?” she asked, seemingly in wonder, “How do you know? Was it still there when you went down?”

Lisa gave Alice a sideways glance. “No, Heather. It wasn’t there.”

“Then how do you know she got out of it?”

“I don’t. At least not until tomorrow morning. There is no possible way to escape that device without the keys, and only Alice and I have them. Tomorrow, if our little friend Nicole is still wearing it, then we’ll know she escaped herself. If she isn’t wearing it, we’ll know that…someone…let her out. And only one other person had access to my keys today. You!” She poked Heather threateningly. “Now, is there anything you would like to tell me?”

It was now or never. She elected for ‘never.’ “I know you suspect me, Mistress. I didn’t let her go. Didn’t you say I was to take over for you next year? Why would I let my own future slave go free?”

The mistresses looked at each other. Then Lisa said, “You may go, Heather.”

Heather curtsied and left hastily to rejoin Nikki and Emilie. She felt utter dread about what would happen to her when Lisa discovered Nicole was totally free.

Her fears were unfounded, however. The next day, neither Nicole nor Amy came to school. With the convenience of the situation gone, Alice and Kristin convinced Lisa to let it go. All three had felt that Heather had been honest. Also, the threats about the chastity belt being impossible to remove had been empty ones. There were other ways of getting it off. And, they reasoned, with an extra day, Nicole would have plenty of time to figure out how. It would be unfair to use such tainted evidence against Heather, especially considering her near-perfect record of loyalty and obedience. Nicole and Heather were both safe. At least for the time being.

But Heather wasn’t entirely willing to return to life as usual. She was unnerved by her new discoveries involving Lisa’s plans for her, as well as seeing just how far her mistress would go to satisfy her fetishes. She had always been accepting of her role in life, as long as it kept the whip and crop away from her. But something had awakened in the young slave. A desire to be her own person again, and not just property. A burning desire for her old freedom…