Chapter 4

	I walked around the perimeter of campus a couple of times to give some thought to their fairy tale. I had told Melisa I would be taking the weekend after Dr. Lawren's final paper to unwind before finals. They must have started planning when she passed the information on.

	Back at the dorm, I changed before heading to the gym. I spent twenty minutes on the treadmill with Melisa and Doris Alex on my mind. When I moved towards the weight area, Janet intercepted me.

	"You're looking intense," she said in a mildly flirtatious voice. Janet was the girl who got slapped on the bus. She had jet-black hair, warm brown eyes, and was about three inches shorter than Melisa. While Melisa's curves were symmetrical, Janet had a plump behind and breasts. The dance team kept the rest of her body tight, but her curves defied attempts at flattening them.

	"Hey," I said.

	"What's got you serious?" she asked.

	I shook my head and smiled.

	"You know, David, you're going to have to open up at some point," she half-joked. She leaned closer. For the first time, I did not take a step back. Janet had always played around the edge of expressing more than vocal gratitude for the bus incident. She raised an eyebrow and, in another first, stepped back. I would have done it to maintain personal space, but Janet...

	We talked while I recovered from the harder than usual treadmill run. Except for those times when she hinted at something more, Janet treated me like the rest of her sorority, as if I were Melisa's private domain.

	The weights pushed the Brotherhood out of my mind until I got to the bench press. I prepared the weight on the bar after a warm-up set and looked around for a spotter, but the student worker was helping someone else.

	"I'll do it, David," Janet said from behind me. She was smiling from the stand behind the bar when I turned towards her. "You only need a little help at the end, right?"

	I nodded and lay down on the bench. The first and second sets were fine. On the third set, she bent over the bar after I set it on the rails. Her t-shirt was too large at the neck; in our relative positions, I got a good view of her sports bra struggling to contain her breasts.

	She smiled down at me. Her necklace fell from the neck of her t-shirt. The Sibling ring came to a stop a couple of inches from my face. Melisa told me Janet was a one of them, but it had not been real until I saw the white ring and the way Janet's eyes focused her world on me.  She tucked the ring back into her shirt and maneuvered under the bar until I felt her breath on my ear.

	"I came when Doris Alex told me you were a Brother candidate," Janet whispered. "I have dreamed of you, David."

					-----

	I sat staring at the TV screen when Melisa opened the door and walked in.

	"Hi!" she said, leaning against my bed.

	"Hello."

	She watched me for a couple of minutes. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts again; not as nice or as tight as the night before though.

	"You have some questions," she said looking down at the mattress. I turned the TV off before putting a finger under her chin and making her look at me.

	"What's with the tails?" I asked. She looked confused; I could see the truth of it in her eyes. She did not know what I was talking about.

	People had been following me since I left Professor Ryan's office after witnessing Doris Alex's command performance. The tails were professionals, but I could feel their attention as I walked around campus. The sensitivity was an effect of extremely acute senses. The NCOs drilled in trust for those 'feelings'. Knowing when someone was focused on me saved my life when the too-young officer made his mistake; it just did not save Jason's.

	Sensing the eyes on the back of my head changed the complexion of the Brotherhood. Whatever else, they took secrecy seriously.

	I smiled at Melisa, "I talked to Janet this afternoon. How long have you known I was a Brother candidate?"

	"All of my life," she replied. My face must have shown the confusion. She jumped up on the bed and sat facing me.

	"My father beat my mother," she said softly. "She called the cops the first time he hit me instead of her. I was three years old, but I remember how it felt."

	She stopped and put her hand in mine. It felt like she was drawing the strength to continue.

	"One of the cops who answered the call was a Brother," she said. "Ronald didn't like my father at all...he liked mom though. He stopped by every day for six months to make sure we were okay. I think mom would have gone back to my father if it wasn't for Ronald. He held my mom up when she needed it, and she stuck the divorce out. A year later, we moved into his house. I knew there was something different about Ronald. There were other women around, but my mom never said anything about it, like she did with my father. I didn't care: I was happy, Mom was happy. I was ten when I witnessed my mom, Ronald, and another Sibling having sex. I didn't ask my mom about it, I asked my Dad."

	I looked confused again. She smiled and shook her head, "My father died in prison. I remember the first time I called Ronald Dad; he held me so tightly, I knew I wanted someone just like him forever."

	I nodded.

	"I asked Ronald about what I saw in their bedroom. He told me the truth. My mom accepted the white ring after her divorce. On the spot, I asked him what I had to do to become a Sibling. He laughed and said I would have to wait a long time before I could really make that decision. Every morning for two years, I made sure the first words out of my mouth were to tell him I wanted my ring. Something changed though; I think he knew it would happen. I was in his study, and there was a folder on his desk. My dad was the Brother assigned to keep tabs on you, David. He caught me reading your file, but he didn't say anything. He let me check your file every night for any changes. I didn't ask about being a Sibling again until my sixteenth birthday. I walked naked into the kitchen. Ronald was having breakfast with my mother and his other crested Sibling, Joanne. I asked if you were a Brother candidate, and when he nodded I said 'I want to be a Sibling. I want you to train me, Brother.' I gave him my virginity and lost my dad. After they give you the ring, I want you to give my daddy back to me."

	I watched a tear make a trail down her cheek.

	"That's not all your life, Melisa," I said gently.

	"Doris has never known anything except the Brotherhood. I envy her, David," she whispered.

	"This is not what I expected," I sighed.

	"We can change who trains you."
	
	She snicked before continuing, "Janet would LOVE to be the one. Or Doris if you prefer.  I just want..."

	I shook my head.

	"That's not what I meant, Melisa," I assured her.

	"Then?" she asked confused.

	"I like Rachel," I said.

	"David, Doris likes you, Janet likes you a lot," she interrupted. "You a lot more than just like Rachel."

	I laughed softly before going on, "I never thought Rachel and I would get together.  I've known you as long as her, but it was always different with you. Not just that you seemed interested."

	She squeezed my hand when I stopped.

	"I knew... knew, Melisa, that we would be studying someday, you would look up, and say 'We should be together, David.' I never thought you and I wouldn't happen, but I certainly did not imagine this."

	"Do you want to change your mind?" she asked. Those words would have convinced me Melisa did not know about the people following me if I had not already seen it in her eyes. I wondered what else Brothers did not tell Siblings and if there were things Siblings did not tell Brothers.

	"An orphan doesn't walk from an offer of family," I responded. "He might not believe it's real, but he doesn't walk away."

	When I lay down, she followed rested her head on my shoulder. She stroked my chest through the t-shirt. I turned into her so I could run my fingers up and down her spine.

	I thought about the Brotherhood for a long time but had to give it up. I was going to do what I was going to do, thinking about it would not change anything. There had to be more behind the curtain and not all of it good, but I had seen enough of the other side, Siblings, to know where on the stage I wanted to stand.

	I pulled the t-shirt out of Melisa's shorts so I could touch her skin. She arched her back when I rubbed circles on the small of her back. She sat up, pulled the t-shirt over her head and tossed it aside. She wore a flesh-toned bra, barely a wisp of fabric.

	I had not imagined kissing or touching Melisa, like I fantasized about Rachel sometimes. It seemed unnecessary, as if it would ruin what would come.

	Melisa lay down slightly on top of me. I placed my fingertips where her back met her shorts. I ran the pad of my fingers up and down her spine; up and down her back slowly.

	I wet my fingertips on my tongue and went back to moving them along her spine, trying to make the touch so light only the moisture connected us.

	She lay down on her stomach when I got out of bed to put something soft on the CD player.

	Back on the the bed, I straddled her thighs, imprisoning them between my knees. I placed my palms on either side of her spine at her lower back. First the heel of my hands, then I rolled them down and out so as each new spot of my skin touched her, another part of my hand stopped touching her, until only the pads of my fingertips were touching her again.

	My fingers traveled up her back, until I reached her bra strap, I inserted my right index finger underneath, ran it from left to right and back to the left. She put her hands underneath and the bra loosened. She stretched her arms forward so I could take it off. I used the lacy part of the cups on her, making sure to give her neck a lacy caress.

	After tossing the bra aside, I put my hands flat on her shoulder blades. I massaged her, but only by pressing down on different part of her back: high, placing my hands above her shoulder blades, pressing down, then to her lower back, pressing down. I repeated the massaging pass directing the push her head when I pressed into her.

	Melisa relaxed beneath me. I returned to light fingertip touches up and down her back, occasionaly touching her sides. I pulled the elastic of her shorts down some so I could run my fingertips right and left along the skin under the waistband. Watching Melisa lick and suck pleasure out of her panties made it impossible to be surprised that the 'Bryar' patch was not wearing panties.

	My fingers moved up her side until they came in contact with her breasts. I gave each finger time with what we could touch of her. She raised her buttocks into my groin and lifted her upper body enough to let me circle her areola with each fingertip.

	I took my t-shirt off and lay on top of her. I put weight on her bringing more and more of our skin into contact. I rubbed my chest on her back, moving down her body until I breathed on the skin at the small of her back.

	I blew on the meeting line between her shorts and back, left to right and left again. She lifted her hips to press her ass into my chest. I pressed back down to prevent her hips from coming off the mattress. I lifted off her but trapped her calves with my knees. At either side of her body, I ran my hands from as high as I could reach, down to the elastic of her shorts. I grabbed and used the grip to pull her hips off the bed. She came willingly. I stopped her halfway to my body. All I wanted was to lower the shorts to her knees, that accomplished I pushed her back to the bed.

	Moving up, I put my weight on her. I lay down a path of kisses from neck to her ass and blew on the line that separated her cheeks. I sat back until I was no longer on top of her. I bent Melisa's legs to put her feet on my chest. I grabbed her shorts and slid them off.

	I placed my fingertips on the inside of her knees and traced her calves, her feet, and finally her toes. I blew down the sole of her foot so she felt the coldness of air on her heel. The other foot received the same treatment. The pads of my fingers pressed along the soles of her feet. I repeated the motion with the heel of my hand, applying pressure.

	After straightening her legs, I knelt beside her waist. I touched every part of her I could without bending forward. Her hips came up to tell me she wanted more. I moved to her feet and reached won until my lips made contact with her ankles.

	I watched a movie long before in which a couple played Touch-NoTouch. They got as close as possible to the other person without touching them; the object of the game was to tempt the other player into breaking the plane of no contact. The game was more interesting if played with a leader though, coming as close to touching the other player with hands, lips, and tongue without ever making contact. The occasional touch would happen but not enough to satisfy anyone.

	Lifting my lips from her skin, I ran my hands along Melisa's aura of body warmth. Our heat wed, but I did not touch her. She reacted every time I lost control of the motion enough to break the NoTouch. When I touched between her shoulder blades, she rubbed her chest on the bed.

	My hands stimulated the hair of her arms. It was easier not to touch skin with the fine hairs to tell me when to stop pressing down. I stopped the motion and returned to my position at her feet. I placed my hands on either side of Melisa and used them to keep off her as I went down until my lips floated in her heat.

	The breath of my body fell on her skin. I traced her aura with my lips. Occasionally, I made contact but not enough to satisfy her. Anywhere I encountered hair I moved it with my lips. I made sure the rest of my body made no contact with her. At the small of her back, I extended my tongue out, even closer to her skin than my lips, until I knew she could feel the change of moisture in the air above her.

	I wanted to lick Melisa, to kiss her, fuck her.

	I continued traveling along her body. At her arms, I made sure to sensitize every hair pore by moving each strand with my lips. I moved up to her neck and gathered her hair out of my way. She pushed her forehead into the pillow; she was breathing hard. Every nerve ending on her neck got a wake up call when I moved each small hair in circle. Being extra careful not to touched her, I extended my tongue and moved the hairs around again.

	Finally, the time came. I lay on top of Melisa, making skin to skin contact with her ankles, the back of her thighs, pushing my groin into her ass, and my chest on her back. I bit her where shoulder met neck. She pushed up hard; the sound that escaped her lips dripped need.

	I took my teeth away and lay on my back beside her. She moved until she could rest her face against my shoulder. It was a long time before everything inside us returned to normal and much longer before we fell asleep.

