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MELODY - LOST FROM HOME [ part 12 ] I’d finished sorting out the plans for the next few days teaching, I realised that I needed to find out about this town I was in. I’ve already mentioned that the majority of the people here are female, but I notice that the main jobs are covered by men with women working below them (no pun intended), I thought I’d walk in the city park while the weather was fine, again I noticed that the deputies walked in pairs, although I did find out later that I’d been calling them the wrong name. They were polite but seemed to know who I was, either I was famous in this town - or I was the subject of a ‘watch’ order, probably the latter giving the warning of No. 1- I was beginning to think I was in the world of ‘The Prisoner’ but this was America, not some blasted village in Wales! I resisted the urge to say ‘be seeing you’ as I’d most probably have to explain the joke. I sat down on a park bench as these thought were going through my head, I was disturbed by a person sitting beside me, I turned my head to find I was looking at Evans, he was dressed much as his deputies, he was looking back at me and spoke, “So I hear you’re doing community service!” He said. I grunted and then expanded on the subject. “You could say that Sheriff,” I started but he interrupted me. “Sorry son but you’ve got that wrong. I’m not a sheriff, I’m the Police Commander, we don’t have a sheriff’s department here, but a police station.” I tried to assimilate that information and had to ask, “So the deputies I keep seeing are Officers?” I was trying to sort this out correctly, he nodded, “My apologies Commander Evans, I was thinking they have sheriffs here, I’ll remember that.” “That would be appreciated. So how are you settling in?” He was sounding friendly, but I knew that you had to be wary of the law (whatever name it disguised itself in!). “Well the boarding room is comfortable, and the job I’ve been given is surprisingly interesting.” I told him, trying to keep things friendly. “So I understand, but I’m warning you if I hear of any problems, my people will be after you in an instant.” He said, still friendly but with a hint of steel in his voice. “Commander, I’m under constant observation at the School, and I’ve notice that your people are watching me closely, I’m aware that this town has helped me and expects me to repay their help, I always repay my debts, it’s an idiosyncracy with me and don’t worry about the children I’m educating, I’m employed as a teacher and that is what I’ll be. When I’m employed as a kidnapper - then I’m the best one around, although your people were very good at their job as well.” I told him. He smiled at me, a predator smile - all teeth, “Hell son, that was the secondary team, they needed the practise!” he said. And then he added, “They’re still learning, you shouldn’t have know they were there, but you did, and you were able to pass on instruction before they got you” “Well I had to be careful,” I told him, “I had Melody sitting on my lap, if I’d dropped off I could have fallen on top of her and hurt her, I’m glad they did hesitate, it gave me a chance to place her on the bed safely.” He nodded, “Well I’ll pass your thanks on.” And he just sat there. I was starting to feel uncomfortable sitting here, but was determined not to show it, so I changed the subject. “I noticed that most of your officers are female, by that I’ve never seen any men apart from you, what’s the deal?” He shrugged, “I must admit I’ve only been here a few months, and that’s the way the place’s been. It seems that the previous commander was also the only man in charge.” I just stared at him, “Isn’t that a bit strange?” I asked him. He nodded, “Yep. I thought that at first, but it seems that how they do thing here, it works for them, and if a thing’s not broken why try to fix it? They know what they’re doing, and as I say they’re very good at their job.” His eyes started to bore into me as he said that. “Don’t worry commander,” I said, “I’ve already go the message about that!” Again I thought I’d better change the subject, “What’s happening with Melody Jones?” He seemed to think for a moment, as if weighing his words, then decided. “We’ve get the local FBI office to report that the kidnapper was caught here, but after a fire fight his body was recovered, he shouldn’t have resisted arrest.” I gave a grim smile, “I suppose the agent here are female?” Evans nodded, for a moment I wondered how Ropeville had managed that? I always believed that FBI agents were posted anywhere except their own homes. But then nothing here would surprise me. “And our patient, ‘Veronica Jenkins’ is recovering after her ordeal, Elizabeth thinks she’ll be recovered enough to rejoin the world” He looked at me as if expecting a comment. “You know she thinks highly of you.” He added as I kept quiet. “Elizabeth? Yes I know.” I said, he shook his head. “No, Veronica, she feels she can trust you.” He leaned in close to me, “I hope you’re not going to prove her wrong!” he said, looking directly into my eyes. “Commander!” I said, “Apart from the first week or so I will try to rebuild the confidences of my ‘guests’, but with ‘Veronica’ her previous visit she had here was close enough to my scenario that she just fell back into the role. I stopped it when the fuss started, because I knew her uncle would double cross me.” Evans kept staring at me, “Why didn’t you just carry on, I’m sure that there’d be plenty of people willing to pay for her?” I nodded, “Possibly, in fact almost certainly, but at that time, she’d already lost her parents, and now her uncle. . . Did I want to inflict more pain onto her? Even slaves have feelings that need to be considered, and it’s up to their masters to ensure the wellbeing of their slaves, and the last thing for Mel. . . Veronica would be to get her uncle out of the frame. Have her relatives here been informed?” I asked. Evans nodded, “Her aunt is aware of her, but is unable to look after her at the moment, and her grandparents are away at the moment, we’re trying to contact them!” “Good,” I said, “She needs to be with her family, rather than strangers!” I said. Evans was watching me with a strange look in his eyes, “You’re not the type of person I’d expected. I was thinking that you’d be looking after your own skin.” I shook my head. “Oh in the early days I might have, but then I realised that I’d have to take responsibility for my actions, rather that believe that I was beyond the reach of normal laws. People who rely on that are in for a very short live shock,” at his puzzled look I elaborated, “Their lives are the short lived part. You know people like me wouldn’t last very long in prison!” His puzzlement cleared. “So why did you decide to ask for our help?” He said. I relaxed then; Evans had said OUR help, in a way accepting his part in melody’s life. “When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it’s always better to have an airlift ready.” I said. “Is that all we are? An escape route for you” His voice was slightly strained, I shook my head. “Not at all! You didn’t do this for me, you did it for Veronica! A resident of Ropeville, I was just an incidental bystander who attracted your attention.” He laughed at that and shook his head. “Well son, I don’t know how, but you’re right!” His answer shocked me, I hadn’t expected it. “Once we got word that she’d been kidnapped and killed, it raised a flag at the Police Station, we had a team ready to roll if needed, and then all of a sudden we get your transmission to Elizabeth, with the girl sitting with you, she even matched the pictures of her that we had, and listening in to your conversation with her, well I had to make a report, and the instructions were extraction and relocating to here.” He stood up and said as an afterthought, “By the way, we’ve contacted the uncle, told him the kidnapper’s body is here, we’re expecting him to arrive in two days time. Have a nice day!” And with that he strolled off back towards the police station, leaving me with my thoughts. So Victor was going to be in Ropeville in tow days time, I just wonder what could be arranged in such a short time? I returned to my room at the boarding house, wrapped up in my thoughts, I sat down at my desk just collecting my thoughts. “Here you are Mr. Purple,” said a young voice as a cup of coffee was placed by my hand, I turned around to find Pauline standing behind me. “And what are you doing here young lady?” I asked her, she seemed slightly frightened but stood still as she recited. “Mr. Purple, I’m not doing very well in class, the girls don’t really like me because I’m an orphan and shouldn’t really be in here.” I stopped her at that point and pulled her to me. “Pauline, you will never say that you don’t belong. I’m told that girls have a choice when they come here, you chose to remain. The girls born here didn’t make that choice they have to abide with their parents, so if the truth is known then you are more a part of Ropeville than they are!” I paused in my speech; I wasn’t sure if what I said was correct, but I felt that it needed to be said, “As for your standing in class? Who said that? I haven’t, in fact at the moment I’m not sure of any of the class standings.” I was lying with that as I had the records of the class in my briefcase, but I wasn’t going to tell Pauline that! I continued, “I’m just making notes at the moment before I decide on the class positions. Now you have nothing to prove, why don’t you return home and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She started to cry, “They said you wouldn’t let me, they told me you’d send me back, that you don’t want me.” The tears were starting to flow down her cheeks, but as I’ve said before I was used to that. “Not bad, about 8 out of 10, the tears were good.” She stopped crying and looked at me, she was a good actress. “I suppose I was to feel sorry for the poor little orphan and hold onto you? You know me as a teacher, you don’t know what I do for a living, do you?” She warily shook her head, not certain what I was getting to. “Let me tell you, I would go out and pick up young girls your age or younger, and train them to be the best little slaves that I could produce, they had no choice in the matter, and no matter how they cried or screamed or begged, that was what I did to them, so you can go back to your orphanage and thank your lucky stars that I’m here as a school teacher, not a slave trainer.” I got up to open the door, when I turned to face the girl I found her, naked and kneeling on the floor before me, her head lowered and her arms outspread. “Master, your humble slave awaits your pleasure, this slave is sorry if her acting displeases you, and is ready for any punishment you deem necessary.” I closed the door and walked back to my desk, I sat down and sipped my coffee, it was just right. I looked back at the girl on her knees, she hadn’t moved. “Slave stand up,” She did her eyes looking straight ahead; she didn’t turn her head at all. “You may come here,” she turned on the balls of her feet to face me and then she walked straight to me, her eyes were alive belying the motion of her body, “What are you?” I asked her. Her voice calm and steady she answered me, “I am here to serve my new master, I have several personas pre-programmed into me, this is basic slave mode, and is activated by the rejection of the assigned master.” What was this? A version of Stepford Wives? “Who is Pauline?” I had to ask that question. The calm voice answered me, “Pauline is the default personality, she is the original person from whom the multiple has been constructed, although she is aware of what has happened to her she is completely happy with this, it was part of her agreement with, with” at this point the voice started to stutter, she couldn’t tell me that part of the story. “Slave, stop.” I said I’d heard about such programming, if I forced her to talk then the mind would shatter, “How do I access the others, and how do I call you back?” Her voice was back to the calm measured voice, “Thank you master, to access other personalities just call them by name, to retrieve this basic personality call slave number one, and I await your orders master.” I pondered what I’d been told, was this what the orphanage did to the children, I had to find out. “Pauline” I said, immediately her posture changed, from ramrod slave to frightened young girl, her eyes were watching me, “What just happened?” I asked her. “I’m sorry Mr. Purple, but I didn’t want to go back, so I called for help, and she took over.” She was still frightened but wanted to talk. This was getting me interested, “Are you aware of her actions?” “Oh yes,” she said surprising me, “It was part of the contract I signed when I was seven, I would be given the means to live in Ropeville, but I would be aware of most of them.” I was puzzled by this. “What do you mean, most of them?” She went red, “I’ve been told that there a people who like causing pain, I was told that should this happen to me, then I could blank out the pain by calling another part of me who would feel everything for the people, but wouldn’t pass it onto me.” “Have you ever used that?” I had to ask, she shook her head. “No,” she said, “You’re really my first assignment; oops I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that. You won’t tell will you?” she seemed really ashamed at that slip. I shook my head, “No I won’t tell on you, but you realise that I’m probably being watched all the time, so they might already know,” I smiled at her trying to reassure her, “Just allow one of your personalities to watch over your words and to act as a censor, it shouldn’t be too hard to do, now what is the name of this pain reliever.” Pauline’s eyes dropped and then she softly said, “Pain slut.” I spoke clearly “Pain Slut, stand forth.” Again the girl’s manner and stance changed, her right knee bent slightly and her hand were on her hips, “So what ya want? Whips, chains, large dildos, this body is prime meat, I can take anything you want.” I shook my head, “So you are the one who craves pain, is Pauline aware of this.” The girl shook her head, “Hell man, she’s so doped down she couldn’t feel shit, I’m the one who want to feel the pain, why should I share it with her. She a wimp compared to me, now what are you going to do?” “Pauline return.” The slut vanished and Pauline was looking at me, her hand running up her arms, “Don’t worry I didn’t do anything, just asked a couple of questions that was all.” It was obvious from her reaction that she hadn’t known what was said. I had decided, “Pauline what were your instructions?” She replied quickly, “To stay with you and allow you anything, I was to watch you and attend to your needs without question, when at school I am to remain your pupil and learn as any other pupil in the class, without betraying my current position.” Her eyes dropped again, “I suppose I’d better go back to the orphanage.” She walked to the door. “Pauline?” I said, she turned around, I held up the cup, “I’d like another coffee please, do you have any home work left to do?” Her eyes lit up. “No master,” she said, “I’ve done all my school work before you returned.” I smiled, “Then you may remain here.” I said, she ran into my arms and kissed me. “Thank you master,” she said, “From all of us!” |