Confronting Katarina

Annie was fidgeting with her fingers, nervous, in an empty classroom. It was only natural of course, all kinds of people had little tics and behavioral tells they would return to in moments of pressure. And meeting up with Katarina like this was nerve inducing for several reasons.

The door opened, not slammed or rushed, but calmly pushed. Mary-Ann and Louise walked in, closely followed by their mistress Katarina. Annie could understand them, in a way. A girl who knew she’d do nearly anything for power and status could relate, in a way, to why other girls might willingly become the minion of a star in hopes of one day being considered adjacent to her light.

Mary-Ann was a girl of medium height, with sandy colored hair held back by a cream colored hairband. She was a little gangly, slender limbs being just a touch uncoordinated, but she wasn’t a bad looking girl. Nearly all of the students at this school were at least decent looking.

Louise was a brunette, her hair kept relatively short for a girl, hovering just above her shoulders. She was the same height as Mary-Ann, more or less, although she was curvier. A part of Annie idly wondered if Katarina had chosen these two as her minions because she was taller than them, and if they had the same height it made for a nice visual impression when they flanked her walking through the corridors.

It seemed like today was the first day Annie really paid much attention to them, as normally her eyes were immediately drawn to Katarina. It was obvious why; Katarina was gorgeous, and had a certain compelling charisma and authority to her that almost drew people’s gaze without their permission. Maybe Annie was trying to focus on the minions to stop her nerves, knowing that making eye contact with an imposing Katarina might be too much for this moment. Or maybe it was because today, she knew-

“Well Annie, I hope for your sake you have good news today. Why, it would be a terrible shame for one of this school’s only scholarship students to be so unceremoniously kicked from this institution. And who knows? If that happened, maybe the entire future of scholarships at Thornton academy would be called into question? Would it be one bad apple spoiling the batch, or simply confirmation of something so many have suspected. The general orchard is rotten and impure and disgusting, outside of some well appointed areas, given superior treatment as befits their superior nature, naturally.”

Katarina’s mocking tone crashed the train of Annie’s meandering thoughts, the well appointed condescension causing anger to flare in her heart.

What a bitch!

“G-good news?”

Annie stuttered out. Truthfully, she was taken a back by what Katarina had said. It just caused the other girls to laugh.

“Yes. You’re aware of the term, correct? You’ve been incredibly lucky all your life, even getting to be a student here in the first place. So I trust that luck has carried over into what I asked of you?”

“Katarina… what you asked is impossible. Victoria always keeps her phone on her, and she’s always with her friends. She’s disgusted with me just because I’m not part of her clique and it’s not like I can get close to her or anything. You’ve got to re-consider this. Aren’t you meant to be the student council president? Someone who looks after all the students in the school, because it’s the right thing to do?”

Katarina smirked, failing to contain her mirth, before she replied.

“Oh, Annie. Annie, Annie, Annie. I had thought you to be a lot smarter than that. Maybe even someone who could recognize the true order of the world, for having seen from all sorts of levels within it. I now understand that you’re so typically mediocre instead. Becoming the student council president to help the students? So naive. I did that for power.

And really, that’s the true reality of the world. People having power over others, and the highest goal a person can have is to pursue power for it’s own sake. I thought someone like you, who’d risen so far above your natural station, would understand that. I guess not.”

“So… I guess you’re not going to let me off the hook for failing to get Victoria’s phone?”

Katarina just laughed, her minions joining her, amplifying her chorus of mockery.

“Oh, Annie. If nothing else, you have given me a laugh. No, now I’m going to expose your affair in front of everyone. You’ll be expelled, Mr. Laithewaite fired, and everyone will know not to mess with me. Really, fear is one of the best ways to control a population, so this will be a major victory.

The thing you need to realize, Annie, is that no matter what, I was going to win. You had one chance to save yourself, and every other path would lead to you losing. But for me, it’s victory no matter what. And it always will be.”

Katarina laughed, a cold, self-satisfied and cruel sound, while Annie just lowered her head in defeat. Really, this was always how these things ended. The rich and the powerful enjoyed the spoils of victory, growing stronger and stronger, while those who had failed to serve them as faithful, successful tools were discarded.

So here the story ends. Annie was expelled, Mr. Laithewaite fired, and Katarina’s power grew. Of course, this was only a preamble for her. To truly win this year, she would have to defeat Victoria to become uncontested queen of the school. But the chapter involving Annie was coming to a close.

“You know Katarina, you’re right about a lot of things.”

Annie’s voice was quiet, but it held a certain knowing resolve now, and unexpected steel. If she’d had any doubts or fears before, it seemed they had quickly disappeared. She looked up, and seeing the conviction in her eyes, Katarina felt an internal pause for the first time since the conversation had begun.

“You’re smart and slick, and your power, privilege and cunning means you always will win against someone like me. I don’t have any of that, except for maybe my smarts and cunning. But it’s not a fair fight for a lot of reasons. How could I expect to win? The game is rigged from the start.”

Katarina raised her eyebrow.

“Exactly. Well, it was cute that you tried at least, but-”

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking.”

Annie stared into Katarina’s eyes, suddenly shutting her up with an authority the taller girl would have never anticipated. It was as startling as it was angering for Katarina.

“Huh? How dare you! Don’t you understand your situation-”

“Girls, seize her.”

Louise and Mary-Ann turned on Katarina in an instant, grabbing her arms in place. The brunette’s eyes went wide in shock at the sudden betrayal.

“Wha- what are you two doing? Let me go this instant!”

Katarina flicked her head from left to right, expecting the usual subservient, sycophantic adoration and obedience from her minions. Instead, she saw hungry, sinister looks in their eyes, as though they were looking at a tasty morsel they were about to feast on.

“Mary-Ann! Louise! What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know I’ll destroy you for this? Why would you throw away your status, your positions, everything I’ve given you?”

“Maybe they’ve finally decided to help the underdog for once.”

Annie teased, only for Katarina to scoff at the idea. It seemed so ludicrous for her that it even took her out of her shock for a moment.

“As if. The only thing these two had less of than a spine was a moral conscious.”

“Well, maybe we really have just decided to start playing for the good guys team!”

Mary-Ann commented, running her hands along Katarina’s side, enjoying the feel of her body through her uniform. Louise continued:

“Or, at least the slightly less evil side. I guess.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Arghh!”

Katarina yelped in pain, as she felt a sudden piercing sensation at the back of her neck. It stung, until a second later in didn’t. Instead, seeming to spread from the point of contact was a lethargic, gentle blissful feeling. Like sunshine infused honey was filling her veins and making her bones all pliable, or her insides were turning into fluffy clouds that were dissipating as pleasantly as they were quickly.

“What… what did you do to me?”

Her words were slightly slurred, as though her vocal chords were looser and less co-ordinated than they should be, yet her eyes had the strangest conflict of emotions within them. Righteous anger meeting indulgent bliss, an affronted indignant spite mingling with pliant, relaxed restfulness.

“Ohh, nothing in particular~”

Giggled Mary-Ann, before in unison with Louise she whispered:

“Just made you more accommodating for someone more worthy~”

Annie stepped forward, at once excited and nervous. She looked over Katarina, seeing the way her limbs were becoming flexible and loose, like a bouncy castle being deflated.

“How… how does this work? Will it work okay?”

“Of course it will! I’ve done this before, after all.”

Louise smiled at her, warm and encouraging. It was a world away from the usual snide, sour expression she normally wore, wandering in Katarina’s wake, trying to gain her mistress's favor.

“Althoughhhh, you do have to be naked for it to work.”

Mary-Ann giggled, looking up and down Annie’s face with teasing enthusiasm, while the Asian girl just blushed in response. Similar to Louise, Mary-Ann coming across as bubbly, cute and teasing was the furthest thing from her everyday rude and cloying character, never missing a chance to put someone down if it might make Katarina laugh.

Katarina was struggling to think straight, her mind laced with a bizarre foreign pleasure, but deep within her alarm bells were frantically trying to get the rest of her alerted to how strange and twisted this situation really was. Her out of character minions, the shocking reversal of fortune and power that somehow lead the ungrateful peasant girl in front of her to be in control of the situation. It was infuriating.

As for Annie though, she bit her lip as she looked over the partially deflated Katarina. It was as fascinating as it was horrifying, but what it represented… for a girl like Annie, with her particularly covetous nature, this was a dream come true.