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From: A Strange Geek <astraYOURngegeek@comMINDcast.net>
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Subject: {ASSM} Melissa's Rite 06/31 (mf mF MF ff fF fsolo teen inc oral voy mc nc toys humil magic)
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<1st attachment, "Chapter06.txt" begin>

WARNING: This is a work of erotic fiction. It contains depictions of
nudity and graphic sex.

Author: A Strange Geek
Title: Melissa's Rite
Universe: Haven
Summary: The Darkness has found a new ally in Melissa, a 15 year old
girl bent on revenge on those that have wronged her. The others must
stop her before she gains more power and takes control of them all.

Part: 6 of 31
Keywords: mf, mF, MF, ff, fF, fsolo, teen, inc, oral, voy, mc, nc,
toys, humil, magic

Copyright A Strange Geek, 2007

Feedback welcome! Please email me at astraYOURngegeek@comMINDcast.net
( lose YOUR MIND to email me )

Or to send anonymous feedback, use the form at bottom of HTML version:

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/A_Strange_Geek/www/novels/MRite/Chapter06.html



---------------

The doorbell rang.

Susan shivered. She drew in her breath softly and let it go as a slow,
lustful sigh as her pussy throbbed very gently. The hand holding her
book trembled. She placed the book next to her on the sofa, turning her
head towards the kitchen. Her mother did not emerge. She had hoped to
be spared having to answer the door herself, but her mother was likely
already in the back yard.

She stood up. Her panties clung wetly to her mound. She tried to think
of telling Melissa that her mother was out. It wouldn't be a lie. She
was out in the back yard. She just didn't have to mention that.

Her soft orgasm had subsided, but her pussy still felt achy and in need
of greater release. It had started sometime after she rose that
morning. Her mother already suspected something was wrong. Susan could
tell from the way her mother regarded her whenever they were alone.

Susan strode to the door and opened it.

Melissa smiled. "Good morning," she said brightly. "Is your Mom home?"

"She's out," Susan said immediately, but after a short pause added, "
.... i-in the back yard."

She flushed with pleasure as her pussy throbbed briefly in another
wispy climax.

Melissa's grin broadened. "You're learning, aren't you? How easily the
mind can be molded with the promise of pleasure. Mind if I come in?"

"I'd love for you to come in," said Susan. The gentle throbbing
continued.

Melissa stepped inside. "And you didn't warn your mother I was coming?"

"No, Melissa, I didn't."

"Good girl, Susan. Now, fetch your mother for me."

Susan tried one last measure of defiance. She stood her ground for a
few moments, trying to think of anything other than obeying Melissa's
command. Thoughts of the horrible things that Melissa could do to her
mother flickered across her mind. It wasn't enough.

"Susan?" Melissa said, looking at her expectantly.

Susan clenched her hands into fists. She was losing the battle. The
addiction was too strong. "Yes, of course. I-I'd love for you to meet
her, Melissa."

Her pussy swam in hot sexual delight.

Melissa giggled. "You're so cute when you're trying to resist me."

Suddenly, the low-level orgasm stopped and the ache in Susan's sex
retreated. She gave Melissa a stricken look.

"No more for you right now. You'll get rewarded once I have what I
want. Now fetch her."

Susan nodded and headed through the kitchen.

The back door opened up onto a small patio, and beyond that down a
small set of steps was the yard. The grass had long been replaced with
myriad bushes and plants that were more native to the area, at her
mother's insistence. Tall junipers rose up on two sides, and a high
privacy fence spanned the third. It was effectively isolated from the
neighbors, save for some gaps here and there in the trees.

A clearing had been created in the center of the yard. Debby Radson
stood here, her flowing blue robe drawn more modestly around her body,
though she still wore nothing underneath. She would have preferred to
perform her rituals in the nude, but this was as much as she could get
away with without the neighbors complaining. She already chafed at the
fact that Bill would not let her inscribe a proper pentagram.

Debby's back was to the house, yet she sensed her daughter's approach.
She paused in her preparations and turned.

Susan smiled, standing at the top of the steps. "Mom, a friend of mine
just came over. I'd really love you to meet her."

Debby suppressed a sigh. "Susan, dear, can she come back later? I'm
going to be a bit busy for ..."

Her voice trailed off. There was something odd about Susan's smile.

"Please, Mom. I really want you to meet her."

Susan's pussy was still damp, and it tingled as she obeyed Melissa's
commands. It kept her aroused, teasing her body with the promise of
greater reward. Even now, looking directly at her mother, she was
unable to give her mother any conscious sign or clue that something was
amiss.

But Debby already knew. She could sense her daughter's increased sexual
excitement. It both baffled and scared her. "What does she want,
Susan?"

"She ... she wants to meet you."

"Why?"

Susan paused. She squirmed, her hips sliding back and forth as she
shifted her weight between her feet. "I just thought it would be a nice
idea, that's all."

Debby started towards her daughter, but came to a sudden stop just as
she reached the stairs, her eyes widening as an icy chill suddenly
passed through her.

There was something inside the house, a malevolent power that made the
hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The only time she had ever felt
something similar was about two weeks ago. She had felt it emanating
from somewhere within the high school as she drove past it. The next
time she tried to go near the school to pinpoint it, it had vanished.

She feared now it was the very same power, or at least from the same
source.

"Susan, I want you to go to your room and close the door," said Debby.
Her voice was steady and unyielding, her eyes hard. They both masked
how frightened she actually was. "And don't come out until I tell you."

Susan gave her mother a puzzled look. She hesitated, then nodded slowly
before heading back to the house.

Debby followed close behind, placing a hand protectively on her
daughter's shoulder. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, blood rushing
in her ears. The sensation got worse the further into the house she
went. She felt a vague sense of revulsion that something like this was
inside her house, a place she had considered a sanctuary from whatever
evils lay in Haven.

Debby came to a stop just inside the living room. Her hand squeezed
Susan's shoulder and brought her to a stop as well.

Melissa looked up from the sofa and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs.
Radson."

Debby was too astonished to speak.

For the first time, she was able to see a stain of darkness around
someone without advance preparation. She could see it only faintly,
just wisps of inky black slithering around Melissa like thin tentacles.
If she looked just off to the side, they disappeared from view. She
shuddered at what she might have seen had she had time to prepare for
it.

"Go to your room, Susan," Debby said softly into Susan's ear, never
taking her eyes from Melissa.

Susan started away from her mother.

Melissa turned her head. When Susan got to the bottom of the stairs,
Melissa called out, "Leaving so soon, Susan?"

Susan stopped and turned.

"Susan," Debby said firmly. "Go to your room as I told you."

"I would rather she stay, Mrs. Radson."

Debby glanced at her daughter. Susan remained where she was, looking to
Melissa rather than her mother.

Debby felt another icy chill. This girl had some sort of hold over
Susan. Debby had hoped she had read the signs wrong. She wanted to
overcome Melissa's influence, but not at the expense of having Susan be
nothing more than a pawn that they exchanged between them.

"Very well," said Debby.

Susan left the stairs and sat down next to Melissa.

"Mrs. Radson, I'm hoping you can help me with something," said Melissa.

Debby studied the young girl. Reading her was hard. Beyond the wispy
darkness, there were little more clues to be had.

She noticed a slim gold chain around Melissa's neck. Whatever was
attached to it lay hidden under Melissa's blouse. Her intuition told
her what it was already, which sent another chill through her.

"Please, won't you sit down?"

Debby saw how Melissa carried herself with supreme confidence, as if
expecting no one to defy her. Debby paused just a moment to make sure
she was still acting of her own volition before advancing and sitting
down in the easy chair.

"My name is Melissa Hendell," said Melissa. "I'm a good friend of Susan
here."

Debby glanced at Susan. Susan gave her mother a furtive glance and
subsided, leaving her hands folded demurely in her lap. "I don't
remember her mentioning you."

"Oh? That's too bad. And surprising, considering how kind she was to
me."

Susan shuddered.

Debby was under no illusions about her daughter. She knew Susan could
be unkind to people, and she had called the girl out on it many times.
It was one of the reasons she thought Susan needed more time to mature
before she could handle the responsibility of the pendant. "Kind? In
what way?"

"She gave me something very important. Something special. Something you
might know more about."

Melissa's fingers tugged at the chain, though she did not quite pull
the pendant out. It was as if she were teasing Debby, daring her to
guess Melissa's secret.

Debby looked at her daughter again. Susan's eyes were downcast. Her
breath was short, and she occasionally squirmed in her seat. Debby
shifted her gaze to Melissa and tried to look defiant. "And why would
you think I would know anything about this, Melissa?"

"Oh, come now, Mrs. Radson. I know you're Pagan. And I bet you're a
practicing Witch as well. You would most certainly know about things
like this."

"I don't profess to know everything."

Melissa grinned. "Perhaps. Maybe that's why you lost it so easily."

Debby took a deep breath. Her heart thumped, and she fought to keep her
voice steady. "I don't want to play any more games. You have my
pendant."

Melissa smiled and plucked the pentacle from between her breasts. She
twirled it by its chain.

"That does not belong to you."

"Oh, but it does, Mrs. Radson. Your daughter gave it to me."

Susan did not appear to react. Debby could still sense the heightened
sexual arousal in her daughter. It was clear to her that supernatural
power was keeping her that way.

"The pendant was not hers to give," Debby said in a louder voice. "She
.... took it from me when I was not home. Though I don't blame her for
that."

This made Susan look up, her eyes holding a surprised look behind the
dark lust.

Melissa let the pendant fall against her bosom. "Well, that's rather
generous of you, isn't it? I would have punished her myself."

Debby ignored this. She had to get the pendant back. It was more
dangerous than she had realized. She had known that the pendant could
influence others. Her mother had warned her about it and had taught her
how to shield her mind from it.

But her mother had never warned her about its ability to influence
those that did not possess it yet.

"I want to know more about this pendant, Mrs. Radson. I want to know
everything about it."

"I'll tell you about it, Melissa, if you give it back to me first."

"Give it back? When it has done me such a world of good?" Melissa
smiled. "For the first time in a very long while, I feel like I'm in
control. Isn't that a good thing? To be in control?"

Debby was unable to keep fear from causing a quaver in her voice. "Is
that ... is that what you have done to my daughter?"

Melissa's smile faded. "Maybe I'm not as generous as you. Maybe I
believed she needed to be punished."

Debby's voice rose. "Punished for what? Nothing deserves what you're
doing to her!"

"I'm not here to discuss your precious daughter," Melissa sneered. "I
want to hear everything you know about this pendant. It's a key to
power, isn't it? Even more than I have now?"

"I don't know how you got the power you already have, Melissa, but I'm
not going to give you more."

Melissa's lips curled into an evil smile. "Susan, take off your
clothes."

Debby blinked. She was not sure she had heard Melissa correctly. It was
not until Susan stood and pulled off her top that she realized she had
heard every word with cold clarity.

"Susan, stop it," Debby called out desperately. "/Stop it./"

Susan's hands faltered as she undid the button on her jeans. Her cheeks
blushed scarlet, and she trembled. Yet it did not stop her. She
unzipped her jeans and pushed them down her legs.

Debby wanted to stand up and grab Susan's hands, but she was afraid of
hurting her daughter. What little she had been taught about possession
had warned against physically restraining the possessed unless it was a
life-threatening situation. Battles like this had to be fought
spiritually.

"Why do you want to stop her?" Melissa said smoothly. "She's very
attractive. Isn't she, Mrs. Radson?"

Debby looked confused. Her eyes shifted between Melissa and Susan, then
clung to the latter. Susan stepped out of her jeans, standing in her
underwear. Her panties were darkly stained. Debby was taken by her
daughter's beauty, as if really seeing her for the first time.

She watched as Susan slipped off her bra, breasts spilling out. Susan
was indeed beautiful. Even sexy. She wondered how she had not noticed
before ...

"No!" Debby covered her eyes with her hand, allowing her to turn her
head away. She curled her free hand into a fist and slammed it against
a hand rest of the chair. Slowly, the Darkness retreated from her mind,
as well as her illicit thoughts. Utter revulsion came in its wake.

Melissa looked only mildly surprised that Debby had shielded against
her. She felt she could get through it if she concentrated hard enough,
but she hoped it would be unnecessary. It was more energy she had to
spend, and she had a limited amount as it was. If she pushed too hard,
she would lose some of her control over Brad or Sam. She already had to
write off Jim for the moment. What little control she had remaining
over him would likely be gone by the time she was finished here.

"You can't keep me out forever," Melissa said.

Debby dropped her hand from her eyes and faced Melissa. She looked up
in time to see Susan slide her panties down her legs and push them
aside with her foot. Susan sat back down on the sofa, naked, her pussy
wet and shiny.

Debby could feel the Darkness reaching for her again, trying to get
into her head and mold her emotions and perceptions. She was panting
with the effort to resist it.

"Answer my question," Melissa demanded, dropping all pretense of
politeness. "Am I right? That this pendant can lead me to greater
power?"

Debby's fingers curled tightly around the hand rests. "You a-already
have power ..." she said breathlessly.

Melissa did not rise to the bait. She had already explained herself to
Susan. She didn't need to repeat it. "Susan, masturbate. But don't
cum."

Susan whimpered in embarrassment, but dutifully opened her legs and
slipped her fingers into her wet slit with a squishing sound. She
massaged her clit with gentle, circular strokes, moaning softly.

Debby looked horrified. "Melissa, stop it! Stop making her do that!"

"But you like it. You find it really sexy and erotic."

The pressure on her mind was nearly intolerable. Tendrils of Darkness
leaked in like many tiny leaks in a dam. She felt a small tingle in her
sex. Her nipples hardened. "I-I'll tell you what I know," she said in a
strained voice. "But ... b-but let Susan go. Let her go, please.
/Please/."

"You have no clue what she did to me, do you?!" Melissa roared. "You
have no fucking clue! Your precious little girl wanted to leave me tied
up naked in the forest for a night! You think I should let her go after
that?!"

"What??" Debby stared at Susan. "No, that's not possible, she ... She
didn't ... Susan, y-you ... you /couldn't ...!/"

Susan's eyes glistened with guilt, even as she panted and whimpered in
rising sexual delight. Her fingers worked her cunt, pumping gently in
and out before drawing them up over her clit again with deep, firm
strokes that made her thighs quiver with her mounting pleasure.

Debby was stricken, shaking her head. "No ... no, the pendant ... it
had to be the pendant ..."

"Oh, but Susan was being cruel to me long before she gave me the
pendant. Her and that cunt Ann Went. Oh, no, you can't push it off on
that."

Debby was losing the battle. Her legs parted as her pussy grew hot and
wet. Her eyes kept sliding over to Susan. Wild, intensely erotic
thoughts tried to slip into her mind. She was growing increasingly
helpless to resist it.

"Getting nice and horny, aren't you?" Melissa said with vicious glee.
"Susan is such a sexy little slut, isn't she?"

"S-stop ... stop it ..."

"So horny your pussy it just begging for relief."

Debby panted hard, her whole body shivering with intense arousal. Her
legs parted further, pulling the robe apart. One half slid from her leg
and revealed her lightly furred mound. Moisture gathered in her slit
and coated the insides of her thighs near her pussy.

"You should know, Mrs. Radson, that thanks to her little stunt, she has
gotten very, very good at licking twat. Would you like to see for
yourself?"

Debby moaned. "No, please ... please don't ... don't make her ...!"

But Susan had already stopped masturbating and was sliding off the sofa
and onto the floor. Panting with desire, she crawled over to her mother
and pulled the robe aside. Debby tried to get out the chair, but her
body would not respond to her. As she watched Susan approach, it was as
if her legs moved of their own accord, spreading wide.

Susan's hands trembled as they touched Debby's thighs. Debby shivered
in both excitement and revulsion. Susan's eyes were glazed, her
breathing hard, her eyes fixed on her mother's pussy.

"You understand now, don't you?" Melissa said. "Like Susan did. Sex is
power. It can be used to control people, even without making them into
puppets. If I make her lick your cunt, Mrs. Radson, you'll want her to
do it again. And again. And again."

Debby sobbed once, a tear trickling out of one eye.

"So tell me what I want to know. Tell me about the pendant."

Debby whimpered as Susan suddenly leaned forward but stopped just short
of her pussy.

"Th-the pendant ... it's ... it's c-connected with a book," Debby
croaked. She immediately felt a surge of guilt.

"A book? What kind of book?"

"A book, with ... w-with a ritual ... a rite ... the Rite of Power. The
pendant was used as a focus ..."

"Power? What kind of power? Where?" Melissa cried, her excitement
rising.

"U-under Haven ... a node ... l-lines of energy converge, a-and the
Rite taps it, the pendant focuses it ..."

Melissa smiled. "And where is this book?"

"I don't know."

Her smiled faded. Her hand curled around the pendant. "Don't lie to me.
Where is the book?"

"I don't know!" Debby cried, another tear wetting her face. "I really
don't know! I was never told! Please ... please believe me ... /I don't
know/ ... my mother knew but she never told me before she passed away
...."

Melissa felt frustrated. She didn't want to have to go as far as she
did in forcing the information from Susan's mother, and now she
discovered it was incomplete. The knowledge she had was useless without
this missing piece.

And yet the pendant was compelling her. It wanted her to find the book.
It wanted the Rite to be done. She had the sense that it had been
attempted once before but not completed. Yes, that would explain some
of the emotions she felt in her dreams. A feeling of longing and
frustration, of being on the edge of a great revelation and falling
just short of understanding.

"The Rite was done before, wasn't it?" Melissa said softly, her eyes
unfocused. "But not finished. It was stopped."

Debby swallowed, her breathing ragged as she struggled in vain against
the hold that Melissa had on her mind. The more she tried to fight it,
the more intense her arousal became, until she desired the touch of her
daughter's tongue in her folds on her own. "M-my mother stopped it,
then she hid the book," Debby said hoarsely. "P-please, Melissa ...
don't seek it out ... don't ..."

Melissa wasn't listening. She rose slowly to her feet. "Thank you, Mrs.
Radson, you've been most helpful."

Debby uttered a sigh, but her arousal remained heightened, and Susan
remained kneeling between her legs. Her eyes flicked helplessly from
Susan to Melissa, silently imploring.

"Susan," Melissa said calmly, though her voice was edged with
irritation. "Eat your mother out."

Debby gasped. "No! No, please, don't ... uhhh! ... ohhh! ... ohh,
Goddess ... no ... uhhn ..."

Susan's face was plastered to her mother's pussy, her tongue licking
with wild abandon. She panted and moaned, the taste of her mother's
cunt making her own arousal spike until moisture dripped from her slit.

"And don't stop eating her until she cums six times."

"S-stop ..." Debby croaked, though her body shivered with intense
pleasure. She closed her eyes tightly as she tilted her head back,
trying to push out the Darkness. She could feel it worming its way into
her mind, shaping her desires and her needs. Even as a new tear
trickled from the corner of her eye, she moaned and called out lustily,
"Ohhh, Susan ... oh, yes ... uhhh ... Goddess, that feels so good ..."

Debby had been left with her own self intact. She could see what was
happening to her but was helpless to stop it. Even as she called out,
her cheeks burned with humiliation

"Six times," Melissa repeated. "That should be enough to make you beg
to have Susan lick you every day."

Debby struggled to break through the incestuous lust. "Uhhhn ... wh-why
.... why did you do this ... ohh ... I-I told you what I knew ..."

"Because, Mrs. Radson, I don't believe you've told me everything. This
will give you some incentive to reconsider. And if you don't tell me,
you'll find out what your daughter's pussy tastes like."

She turned and headed out of the house without a backwards glance.

Melissa made it as far as the street before she had to stop. Her hands
were clenched into fists, her eyes blazing in anger.

She was furious with Susan's mother. Debby had forced Melissa to push
her, and push hard. She had not intended to go as far as she did, but
she had not expected Debby to put up such a fight. It was the first
time she had experienced any real resistance to her power. With as much
power as it had taken against Debby, she had lost her control over Sam
as well. She had only Brad still under her thrall out of the boys she
had taken.

Melissa lips curled into a small smile.

She knew that Brad had been Heather Sovert's boyfriend before Ann. She
had not forgotten about Heather. Or Diane. She remembered quite clearly
what they had done to her. She remembered it because it was the very
first act of humiliation perpetrated against her in Haven. Melissa,
straight as an arrow, being kissed by a girl. And her first kiss as
well, a special moment that had been irreparably ruined.

Everything she did to Susan and Ann was retribution for that incident.
Heather and Diane had made her kiss another girl, so she made other
straight girls fuck like rabbits in heat. In some ways she hated
Heather and Diane more than Susan and Ann. But Susan and Ann had been
her immediate targets, the ones that had pushed her into taking the
Power. She owed them for that.

She could not take them as she had Susan and Ann unless she
concentrated all her remaining energy. She could conceivably have all
four of them as her puppets, but that would leave her with nothing
left, not even enough to torture her fellow students at Haven High.

No, if she wanted to get at either of them, it would have to be
indirectly, until she gained the greater power that she sought.



Ned was excited when Cassie told him that she would be picking him up.
It was not so much getting to ride in the limo again as it was the
company.

He thought he had a golden opportunity for a chance to talk to her
alone. Well, as alone as he could be with the driver in the car, that
is, but it was better than nothing. The restaurant was in the outskirts
of downtown Haven on the west side of town, and Ned was on the east
side. He thought it meant he would have that bit of a drive to get to
know her better. At school they didn't talk much beyond classwork and
their one known shared passion for dream interpretation. And there,
Cassie far surpassed him. He felt he wasn't even in the same league.

Yet Ned found himself a bit tongue-tied, and by the time he managed to
strike up something resembling a conversation, they stopped to pick up
Diane halfway through the trip.

Ned sighed to himself. He was reminded every day now why he had been
resentful at first of Cassie when she had stopped him from enslaving
the Asian beauty that lived across the street from him. It would have
been so much easier that way. Trying to actually talk to a girl was
hard, even one he thought liked him already.

Ned remained silent the rest of the trip, and was annoyed that it went
unnoticed.

When the limo pulled up in front of the restaurant, however, he forgot
his discomfort. He stepped out of the car, his eyes drawn to the awning
that stretched from the top of the front door. Across the front,
written in flowing script, was: /Cipriani's/.

Ned whistled through his teeth. "Whoa. This is a real swanky place,
huh? Hope they don't think we're the help or something."

Cassie giggled as she came around the end of the car. Diane cracked a
smile as well. "Stop it, it's not /that/ bad."

Ned smirked. "Dunno about that, babe. Yer talkin' to a meat-n-potatoes
kinda guy. This is real high-class compared to my usual fare."

"You wouldn't think so to hear my mother talk about it. She thought it
wasn't high-class enough. This is where the 'commoners' eat, in her
opinion."

Ned spotted Jason, Heather, and Melinda coming over to them. "Huh,
well, I guess the rest of 'em here count as commoners, but ..."

"Ha ha, very funny," Melinda piped, sticking her tongue out at Ned.

Ned thumbed his nose back at her. "See, now we just took the place down
a few pegs."

Cassie giggled again. Ned gave her a lopsided smile, the expression on
his face suggesting that he figured out only now that she had been
laughing at his jokes the whole time.

"You sure we'll be able to get in, Cassie?" Jason asked.

Cassie's humor disappeared when she caught the edge in Jason's voice.
Her eyes flicked over the others and confirmed what she had already
guessed: Richie was still absent.

She tried not to sigh as she spoke. "My mother arranged it for me. She
just had to call ahead, throw some money in people's faces, and
everything is set."

Cassie's voice was tight as well. She didn't care for flaunting money
or influence, but at least this time she could claim it was for a
worthwhile cause.

"Well, we better get inside, then."

"But ... um ... okay, Jason."

By now, Ned had noticed the absence as well. "Hey, wait, what about Ri
...."

Ned was abruptly cut off by a nudge of Cassie's elbow to his ribs.

Melinda was not as delicate. She gave Jason a sullen look. "Yeah, and I
bet I know what he's doing now, too."

Jason sighed. "We don't know that," he said tonelessly. There was
little conviction to his voice. "Look, I'll talk to him later and ..."

"Wait, I think that may be him," Heather called out suddenly, pointing.

They all heard the sound of a car racing towards them just as Heather
spoke. Diane jumped away from the curb just as a taxi came to a sudden
halt. Richie clamored out. "Yo. Looks like I got her before the party
started. Cool."

He thrust his hands into his pockets and gave them a cheesy grin.

Melinda narrowed her eyes suspiciously and stared hard at him.
"Nothing," she muttered in a very low voice, audible as more than an
indistinct mumble only to Jason.

Jason was not sure whether to be relieved or upset over Melinda's
assessment of Richie's lack of a Dark Aura. He wasn't even sure that
Richie would acquire one even if he were doing what Melinda suspected.

Cassie was visibly relieved to see Richie. "Well, we're all here, so
let's head inside. The reservation is under my name, so let me go in
first."

Despite Cassie's earlier proclamation, the place did appear as if it
catered to a higher clientele. The lighting was subdued, as was the
background din of conversation, as if they were in a library rather
than a restaurant. All the waiters were dressed in tuxedos. A piano
stood off to the side, though the seat was vacant at the moment.

Cassie did not appear to notice. She looked as if she belonged there,
carrying herself with an almost regal bearing as she walked up to the
maitre d'. Most of the others shuffled their feet and looked down. Only
Richie was still openly ebullient, grinning widely, even waving to some
of the waiters when they happened to look in his direction.

"What the hell are you doing?" Melinda demanded.

"What's it look like, shrimp?" Richie retorted. "I'm bein' friendly to
the natives."

"You look like an idiot doing that."

"Melinda!" Heather hissed softly but urgently, grabbing her sister's
arm. "Stop acting like a little snot for once."

Melinda yanked her arm away and fumed. "Whatever you say, /Mom/."

Heather was about to respond when she noticed several patrons glancing
at them in annoyance. "Look, just behave yourself, okay? This isn't the
burger joint downtown, you know."

Heather wanted to remain angry at Melinda. It helped push away the
other feelings. Melinda was quite content with doing the same. She
folded her arms indignantly and stuck her tongue furiously at her older
sister.

Richie snickered.

Ned noticed Cassie looking a bit embarrassed as the maitre d' took a
long, hard look at the teens before turning and snapping his fingers
for a waiter. Ned frowned and turned to the others. "Look, gang, no
offense or nothin', but y'all might wanna check yer tongues at the
door. They don't look like they take kindly to troublemakers."

"Who said I was a troublemaker?!" Melinda whisper-shouted at him.

"Melinda, please," Jason said, tentatively reaching for her arm.

Melinda yanked it away at first, then sighed and stepped closer to him.
"Sorry," she mumbled.

Cassie looked relieved. At least Jason still had some small measure of
control over her. She wished she knew why Melinda was flying off the
handle so much over the past week.

Diane, of course, understood, and sighed. She debated with herself now
over whether she should have pushed the issue with Heather in the park.
It might have been better to let her feelings be known. Instead, now
she had to question every little thing that she did with Heather, as if
afraid of offending her somehow.

A waiter came over to them. "This way, please."

Cassie nodded and gestured to the others to follow.

Diane brought up the rear of the group. She saw the others glance
furtively to the side. She looked on despondently. She knew what they
were doing. They were looking for Auras.

She never felt so inadequate. It was a dreadful feeling. She longed for
the way things used to be, when it was just her and Heather, and her
sexual propensities were properly buried. Together, the two of them
could do no wrong.

They had felt that way even after having played that joke on Melissa.

"Hey, you okay?"

Diane nearly jumped. She had not noticed Heather come alongside her.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine," Diane lied. "Just ... just a bit overwhelming
in here, you know?"

Heather nodded. "Yeah, I hear you. Cassie doesn't think this place is
swank, but wow, I doubt Mom would ever ... um ... I mean back before
...."

Heather trailed off. It was so hard for her to think about her mother
anymore without sinking into despair or becoming enraged. She felt like
she had been orphaned, that she was living with strangers now. Even her
father, who she honestly had not given much thought to for a long
while, didn't seem like anyone she wanted to know.

Diane tried to smile. "It's okay. I understand."

Heather grasped her hand. "I'm really sorry about the park, about
flying off like that, I ..."

They had reached the table, a corner booth, tucked in the recesses of
the restaurant. After the Harbingers had seated themselves, the waiter
handed out menus, took their order for sodas, and bustled off.

"Okay, did anyone see anything?" Jason said urgently to the others.
"Anything at all?"

"Kinda hard to see in here, pardner," Ned drawled.

"You'll know it, Ned," Melinda said. "It really stands out. Blacker
than black. But I didn't see anything myself, Jason."

"Then nada for me, I guess."

Heather and Cassie shook their heads. Richie looked about to shrug,
thought better of it, and said, "Nah, man, nuthin'. Just lotsa snooty
people."

Jason nodded. He looked out over the table. He caught a few other
patrons looking their way. They turned their gaze elsewhere as soon as
Jason looked at them.

"So much for people payin' no attention to us," Richie said with a
smirk.

"I think it's just because we're a bunch of teenagers. They're afraid
we're going to start yelling or get rowdy. I don't think they care what
we say, so long as we're quiet."

"So what do we do now, Jason?" Melinda asked. "What do we talk about?"

"Well, our next moves with Melissa, for one." He turned to Cassie.
"Still nothing?"

Cassie shook her head. "My dreams are as murky as ever. But I'm going
to try something to see if I can figure out what's blocking me. I'm
going to try some lucid dreaming to see if I can break through the
block."

Jason nodded in understanding, but the others looked confused, save for
Ned.

"It's where ya take control of yer dream," Ned explained.

Richie made a face. "You can't do that."

"Ever have a dream where ya realized yer dreamin' in the middle of it?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, that's lucid dreaming for ya."

Richie frowned. "But you can't do it on purpose."

"Yes, you can," Cassie said. "Well, you can do it if you know how. Not
everyone can do it. I can do it at will, though, I just prefer not to
most of the time."

"Thank you, Cassie," Jason said. He looked to the other side of the
table. "Heather?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no, nothing," said Heather. "I'm not feeling like
anything is about to happen to us."

"That just means she hasn't gone after you yet," Melinda piped in a
mocking voice.

"Melinda, /don't start./ I won't go there. Not here."

"But that's what she's going to do, isn't it?"

"What, you happy about that, is that it?"

"I'm not!" Melinda said shrilly, only to have Cassie hiss a "shhh!"
through her teeth. "I'm not," Melinda repeated in a softer but no less
adamant voice. "I just meant maybe if she goes after you, that's how we
can stop her ..."

"You can't use her as bait!" Diane cried softly.

"We're not using /anyone/ as bait," Jason said firmly. "Okay, it's
obvious we have no clue what Melissa is going to do next."

"Shouldn't we find out if she's already got someone?" Ned said. "I
mean, she musta screwed with someone's head by now. Hate ta say it like
that, but ..."

"Wait, I-I might know something," Diane said a touch too loudly. She
forced herself to lower her voice, but she was too excited about having
something to contribute. She was frustrated a second time in her
response when the sodas came and had to wait for the waiter to leave.
"I talked to a friend of mine this morning on the phone. Jill
Harrison."

"Jill?" Heather said in surprise, making a face. "How do you know Jill
'oh I'm so fucking great because I'm the head of the bimbo squad'
Harrison?"

Melinda suddenly spurted her soda out of her mouth as she burst into
giggles.

Heather raised an eyebrow. "Now what, runt?"

"B-bimbo squad??" Melinda cried, trying to keep her voice down.

"The cheerleading squad, I mean," Heather snapped, though a smile was
tugging at the corners of her mouth. "The teacher who heads it seems to
pick the most brainless ones in senior year for the squad. Anyway,
Diane, how do you know her?"

"Her family knows mine," explained Diane. "Not really much choice on my
part. She seems to think I'm her friend. Or should be, or something.
Anyway, she said that someone she knew in senior year was acting weird.
Susan Radson."

"Susan Radson? Why does that name sound familiar?"

Diane smirked. "Sam? Jim?"

"Oh, /that/ Susan. Yeah, let me guess: Sam found out about Jim and
dumped Susan."

Diane shook her head. "No, she didn't say that."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised. Susan is /such/ a tramp."

"Oh, but face it, Heather, Sam is freaking clueless."

"Yeah, and on top of that, he ..."

Melinda suddenly made gagging noises and pretended to stick her fingers
down her throat.

Heather looked at her younger sister in irritation, but it was Ned that
spoke up. "Um, not sayin' that the soap opera that is Haven High isn't
interestin', but what has this got to do with Melissa?"

"Oh, sorry," Diane said with a lingering grin. For a moment it was just
like the old days, just the two of them gossiping about their peers.
She had almost forgotten the others were there. "Just that Jill said
Susan was acting so oddly that it was creeping her out. Her exact
words, in fact."

"All right, that's someplace to start, then," Jason said. "We might
want to check on these two guys as well. If something's happened to
Susan, and they're close to Susan ..."

Heather smirked. "You could say that, yeah."

Jason managed a ghost of a smile himself. "Then they might be in danger
as well."

"You want to try to get them away from Susan? Lots of luck. The way
they fawn over her is pathetic."

"Yeah, nothing like you and Brad before, right?" Melinda piped.

"Melinda, just shut ..."

"Are you all ready to order?"

Several of them flinched. The waiter gave them an ingratiating smile.

Cassie drew herself up in her seat, and gave the waiter an imperious
look. She suddenly looked several years older. "Not as yet, Marco. You
have such wonderful dishes that we are having a devil of a time
deciding. Please, a few more minutes, if you would."

The waiter smiled. "Of course, madam. Is there anything else you need
to help make your decision?"

"No, that's fine. We simply need more time."

"Very good. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you."
He bowed his head and left.

"Wow. You do that so well," Ned said in open admiration.

Cassie slumped back to her normal self like a balloon deflating. Her
cheeks flushed pink. "Please, don't compliment me for that. It's
something my mother taught me to do. I'm not that proud of it."

"I thought it was freakin' cool!" Richie said with a chuckle. "Shit, he
woulda sung the national anthem if you had asked him to!"

This just made Cassie blush even deeper crimson and shrink in her seat.

Melinda frowned and kicked Richie in the calf.

"What the fuck?!" Richie whisper-shouted, rubbing his bruised leg.

"You're embarrassing her, you twit!" Melinda hissed at him.

"Everyone, let's decide on something to eat," Jason called out, picking
up his menu.

They lapsed into an uneasy silence as they tried to select something
that they could understand from the menu, as most of the selections
were written in Italian. Cassie had to assist them in this endeavor.

"How do you know Italian so well, babe?" Ned asked, obviously
impressed.

Cassie blushed again, but smiled. "Several summers spent in Italy when
I was a kid. My parents own a villa in Tuscany."

Richie frowned and tossed the menu down. "Any way I can order a burger
an' fries here?"

Melinda rolled her eyes. "You do that and I'll die of embarrassment."

"Hey, worth a try, then, huh?"

Melinda glared and went to kick him again, but Heather stopped her.

Cassie quickly picked up the menu and turned it towards Richie. She
pointed to something. "Here, try this one. It's not too fancy."

"You can't tell me you've never been to a nice restaurant before,"
Melinda piped.

"Maybe I can," said Richie. "Maybe my Mom don't have that kinda money,
shrimp. Don't make a lotta dough as a maid."

"Don't call me ...!"

"Your mother's a maid?" Jason asked.

If it had been asked in anything other than a strictly inquisitive
voice -- and by anyone other than Jason -- Richie might have balked.
Even now he felt a bit irritated, though his voice was not as
aggressive as his words. "Yeah, she is. What's it to ya?"

"Nothing. You just never mentioned what she did is all."

Richie made a face and propped his head up with one arm. "Yeah, well
.... I don't think she spends all her time standin' up on the job if ya
know what I mean."

No one said anything in response. Ned glanced around at the others, as
he did not know quite as much about Richie's mother, but decided that
now was not the time to ask. The silence was fortuitous, as the waiter
arrived to take their order.

The silence returned for a short while after the waiter departed, until
Diane finally broke it. "Um, Jason? Do you think I should try and get a
little more chummy with Jill? Find out more about Susan?"

"If she'll let you," Heather said. "Generally she doesn't bother with
anyone that isn't as 'glamorous' as her. Oh, uh, I didn't mean you
weren't attractive, Diane, just ..."

Diane smiled wanly. She was under no illusions about her own beauty.
She always thought she was a little too skinny and not quite endowed
enough. Compared to Heather, her breasts were rather small. And Jill,
compared to Diane, indeed warranted the adjective "glamorous."

"It's okay. Anyway, where her family and mine are close, I can probably
get away with it. Or I just won't try to avoid her like I usually do on
Sundays, when we run into them after church. Besides, she's a lot like
us. She'll gossip at the drop of a hat."

"C'mon, we're not that bad," Heather said.

"Oh yes you are!" Melinda declared.

"It sounds like a good idea to me, Diane," said Jason. "Okay, I think
we got that all squared away. And remember, don't go near Melissa,
whatever you do."

"Hey, um, ya think we need to keep Heather and Diane here under guard
or something?" Ned asked.

"Under what??" Heather cried.

"I mean, we gotta keep an eye on you two, right? In case Melissa goes
gunnin' for ya when we're not all together. Someone's gotta sound the
alarm if something happens, right? I mean, in school ya don't have to
worry so much 'cuz ..."

"I don't think it will be that bad, Ned, really. I think we're going a
little crazy with this."

Diane picked up on the nervous quaver in Heather's voice. "What about
if the two of us hang together as much as possible this weekend? We ...
oh wait, damn, I can't tomorrow, my parents are taking me to visit
relatives over in Randall. We'll be gone all afternoon."

"Heather, you'll be with your parents tomorrow, won't you?" Cassie
asked.

"Not if I can help it," Heather said. "Melinda can hang out with me."

"Oh, no way, Heather!" Melinda piped. "I'm not going around with your
bubblehead friends!"

"Stop it, runt. You ..."

"Jason's free, he can hang out with you."

Jason blinked. "Huh? I am?"

Melinda gave him a meaningful look. "Yes. You said you wanted to spend
time with her, /didn't you?/"

Heather blinked. "He did?"

"I did? Uh ... I mean ... yes, I did. Yeah, that's fine, I can hang out
with her tomorrow."

Melinda smiled and mouthed "thank you" at him.

Heather looked oddly at the two of them and then shook her head in
confusion.

Their talk turned more conversational until lunch arrived. As the
waiter headed away, Jason glanced at the others. "We do have one more
thing we need to talk about. We need to figure out where to meet
again."

"Guess we could keep doin' this," Ned said with a grin as he tucked
into his meal. "Man, I could go fer this. Um, that is, if it's not too
expensive fer ..."

"My mother would think it was a wonderful idea," Cassie said in a
manner that indicated that she did not share this opinion. "She would
approve of anything that lets me show off our money and influence.
Meals like this, even every day, would be cheap to her."

"Well, this might do in a pinch, but it's harder to do it on weekdays,"
Jason said. "Dinner's the only meal available for this, and our parents
will want us at home."

"But this would at least cover the weekends, right?" Heather asked.

"Yeah, I guess, for now. But we need something else for the weekdays. I
don't want to have to wait a whole week. So, anyone think of anything?"

An awkward silence followed his words.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that."

"Hey, what about we jus' go to the park or something," Ned said. "Or an
empty field on the edge of town. Or just hang out somewhere in the
mall. I mean, yer the one that came up with the idea of no one
bothering ta listen ta us."

"Yeah, everyone here's too busy stuffin' their faces anyway," Richie
said sullenly. He picked at his food, finding that he didn't quite like
it as well as Cassie had suggested.

"Maybe we should stick to places like the mall," Heather suggested.

"Oh yeah, figured you'd like that," Melinda said with a roll of her
eyes.

"Because it would look normal to people, dummy."

"Melinda, think for a moment," Diane said sharply. "How odd would a
bunch of teens hanging out together in a mall look compared to a park
or field?"

"Okay, so maybe we'll try that," Jason said. "It might work if ..."

Melinda suddenly gasped and drew back into her seat as she stared over
the table with frightened eyes.

"Oh no," Cassie whispered, her own eyes widening as she saw it as well.

"Aw, crap," Ned muttered.

Jason's jaw tightened.

A nearby table that had been unoccupied when the Harbingers had arrived
was no longer. The waiter was seating a young couple there. The man
turned to the stricken teens and smiled politely, nodding once before
sitting down. Darkness swirled around his body like a thick fog.

Jason stared at it. The subdued lighting meant nothing. Every pattern
and movement of the Aura came to him in crystal clarity. He could tell
that this was the Aura of one that had been enslaved. It was
unmistakable.

"Jason??" Melinda asked in a frightened voice.

"What is it?" Diane demanded of Heather.

"The man that just looked at us, he has the Aura," said Heather.

"What? Here? But ... oh no, you don't think Melissa knows ...?"

"It's not Melissa," Jason said quietly, still staring. "Melissa didn't
take him. But ..."

"Jason, how do you know that?" Diane asked.

"Shh. Please, be quiet a moment ..."

Jason could just make it out. He could hear it better if he cleared his
head of distraction ...

/Observe them ... listen to them ... what plans do they make ... what
conspiracy do they foment .../

Jason's heart pounded.

/Tell me ... tell me what they know .../

"Jason, what is it?" Melinda cried softly.

Jason took a deep breath, his eyes growing hard. "We can't talk here
any further. Don't say another word about anything."

Richie narrowed his eyes and looked towards the man, then back to Jason
before shaking his head. "Shit, that creeps me out about you, I gotta
admit."

"I don't understand," Diane said helplessly.

"Diane, remember what I told you about Jason," Heather said. "He can
...."

"/No/." Jason said firmly. "Not another word. We can't give them
/anything/. Let's just eat our lunch and get out of here."

The others exchanged nervous glances before settling down to their meal
in silence. None of them had much of an appetite anymore.
<1st attachment end>


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