MAIN Sara smiles

Day 81

Sara and Karen lay in bed together. Karen had begun wearing pajamas to bed also. Sara had gotten Monica to collect several sets of pajamas of varying sizes from the third floor. Olivia had once told Sara that she had been up there and that it was filled with dusty furniture including dressers and trunks filled to bursting with clothes, jewelry, and old trinkets. There was no electricity or central air on that floor and over the last hundred years as the house emptied of people it had simply become a storage area and trash dump.

After her first week in the mansion, Sara had found herself becoming mostly celibate. From time to time a host would insist on doing something sexual with her but for the most part, she avoided it. The Masters seemed obsessed with pleasure and any time they had free time their first thought was finding someone else to have sex with. Sara enjoyed having Old Karen to chat and cuddle with. She told New Karen that she was practicing 'being human' and the Master had simply begun letting itself fall asleep early during the hour it had pledged to relinquish control.

Cory had become a pet of some other Master so they had the room to themselves now. And as Sara turned out the light for the night Karen wrapped her arms around her to hold her tight. The hour or so she got every day to be free had been secured by Sara and she would be forever thankful.

Day 82

"Rise and shine you filthy rebels!" came the cry at 6 am sharp. Sara reached for her glasses out of habit. Her eyes no longer needed them but her body still wasn't awake enough to remember. Karen was mechanically shedding her PJs letting them fall to the floor in a heap at her feet before she marched out of the room. Sara rolled over to see why Monica hadn't given her standard greeting and felt a lump in her throat as she saw Olivia close the door behind Karen. Sara lept out of bed and hugged Olivia, she hadn't gotten out of bed so fast in years.

Sara hugged the shorter Olivia tightly against her and said, "You're back."

As Sara released her Olivia just smiled and said, "As good as ever." and laughed at her little joke.

Sara held on to one of Olivia's hands and said, "Where were you?"

"In the dungeon, "she said with an impish smile. "Seriously Jennifer has built herself a little prison down in the basement. It's not like medieval ****. But a decent-sized room with no windows and a really sturdy new door. No one is getting out of there unless Jennifer wants them to. There is kind of a guard room and I saw three doors leading out of it that all looked new."

"So she has room to hold three people hostage or something?" Sara said half to herself.

"Oh no, way more than three people. There were two others in the one-room I was in. But I bet ten or twelve could fit. It would be tight though. That's not counting whatever is behind doors number two and three." Olivia said more seriously.

Sara asked, "Who else was in there with you?"

"The first few days I was alone. Then they threw Tabitha Johnson in there, she was one of the quiet ones. Must have spilled tea on Jennifer or something. Then two days ago they threw in a guy... no a man really." Olivia replied.

"What was his story?" asked Sara.

"No idea, I tried talking to him but he ignored me and Tabitha," Olivia said.

"Was he like Billy?" said Sara

Olivia shook her head, "No he was normal. I mean I could see a Master on his back but it wasn't controlling him. He just refused to talk to us. A couple of times they took him out for a half-hour or so but that was it. They would open the little window at the top of the door and say something like, the yanks win the pen ant, or something. He would go into zombie mode and when they opened the door he walked out all friendly. A while later he would come back and after closing the door they would say, release him, and he would go back to human. That's the only time he talked, he would yell and swear at them through the door. Nothing your delicate ears want to hear though."

Sara led Olivia by the hand to the chairs by the window and they sat down. Sara stared outside for a minute before Olivia said, "So how did they punish you?"

Sara kept looking outside, "They won't let me leave the second floor. It's not terrible but still just a bigger prison cell than yours." After a moment she added, "And they replaced you with that boring Monica, she was a bit of a robot before she had a Master, now..." Sara just shook her head.

They sat quietly for a while Sara looking outside and Olivia fidgeting. Finally, she said, "You have a lot more stuff than last time I was here."

"Yeah, I got Monica to bring everything over from my old room. She is good at fetching things." Sara said looking around the room.

"How are the interviews going?" Olivia asked.

"I decided to start over again. I realized that the way I was choosing people to interview was skewing the results." Sara said.

"Screwing the results?" Olivia asked with a quizzical look.

"Close enough," Sara said with a tiny laugh. "I was choosing Masters that seemed interesting or important and ignoring all the drones. And that was a mistake because most of them... us are drones."

"You don't have to play word games with me, we are friends and we are both different, remember?" Olivia said with a bright smile.

"Sorry, I'm getting used to not trusting anyone." Sara looked down at the floor blushing.

"So who are we interviewing today?" Olivia asked trying to cheer her friend.

"Well... you see," Sara hesitated. "I made a list of random names, and Jennifer is next. But I am too afraid of her to talk to her. So I have been putting it off. Want to see my new painting?"

Olivia stood up and said, "Yes, but not right now. Right now we should go and see Jennifer. You don't need to ask her for an interview. Just talk to her to get used to it."

Sara leaned back in her chair and looked up at Olivia, unsure.

"Don't worry I'll be there with you, Jennifer is just a big phony anyways. Don't let her act fool you. When she is alone with just her," Olivia changed her voice to a funny falsetto, "most loyal retainers." Olivia chuckled and continued, "She is just a normal dopey teenage girl... in fact come to think of it, for a Master, she is as different as we are, in her own way."

Olivia held out a hand to Sara and Sara took it as she got up. "Ok, lead on."

Olivia led Sara down the hall to Jennifer's chambers. There were a dozen women also there a few were just standing, staring blankly. Most were paired up on the floor in 69s, scissoring or just simply eating one another out. They had to step carefully to get through the bodies. Olivia didn't pause to knock on the door and just opened it and lead Sara in.

Inside Jennifer was talking to a former classmate kneeling before her, Jennifer had acquired a scepter of sorts and was using it to poke at some of the fat on the girl's side saying, "Just remember diet is important. Losing weight is not a matter of metabolic manipulation and exercise alone."

The girl just said, "Yes my Queen," as she was poked and prodded.

Sara looked around the room. Most of the pillows were gone. The only people in the room besides Jennifer and the young woman were Hannah and Monica standing to either side of Jennifer's throne and Samantha who was sitting by Jennifer's left foot on a small stool. Hannah was holding a rather fancy-looking cloak. Monica was holding what looked to be a pretty heavy club of some sort, everyone was naked.

Jennifer withdrew the scepter and waited a few seconds, then said, "That's all, off with you."

As the girl got up and scurried out Jennifer leaned in towards Samantha and said, "Ashley and Amanda were always so infatuated with the pretty ones. They should have started with the chubbos like her to give their Masters time to make them pretty like us."

Samantha turned her head and said, "But then they would have taken you last my Queen."

Jennifer lifted an eyebrow smugly and sat back in her thrown without saying another word.

Olivia stepped forward and took a knee and bowed her head, "My queen, we are here because Sara has a request of you. Please hear her out."

Jennifer looked at Sara and tilted her head saying, "Yes my subjects... Sara was it?"

Sara knew full well that Jennifer had no doubt who she was talking to. And almost frowned at the intentional rudeness. Instead, she walked up to where Olivia still knelt and said, "Yes, I... Ummm... I want."

Jennifer raised an annoyed eyebrow and waited, holding in a laugh at this feeble, pretend queen.

Sara's eyes wandered to the cloak Hannah was holding and she was inspired. "I want access to the third floor."

Jennifer tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Why would a queen like you want to go into a dark, dirty, and dusty place like that?"

Sara was feeling a little better now and said, "I am no Queen. I am an Inquisitor and as such, it is my duty to learn about this place, our nest."

Jennifer was very pleased by this and leaned back into her throne. Feeling generous she said, "Very well Inquisitor, I will grant you access to the third floor AND the first. But not the basement, It is far too dank and dirty for even an Inquisitor. And if you so much as step one foot outside, even on the porch. You might never leave your wing of the second floor again. Got it?"

Sara curtsied and said, "Thank you, my queen." As best she could without giggling at the absurdity.

Candy lay naked in bed. Her hand brushed the firm thigh of her bedmate and she thought of beginning another session of rigorous lovemaking. Instead, she rolled out of bed, there was work to do. She was ready to spawn again and had to find a good candidate.

Her current bedmate had been a fantastic find, but had been pure luck. As her other helpers spawned over the last five days most had ended up with less favorable specimens. Old widows and a not very attractive hiker who had been visiting the area.

Candy had learned from her amazing bedmate Laurie that the cottage Jake was staying in was one of about twenty old bunk houses that had been converted to rental cottages. They served the needs of hunters, fishermen, and general nature lovers for whom the area was a bit of a secret hideaway. These transient people would have been perfect targets if they weren't almost exclusively older men. The one hiker they had gotten lucky with was a short dumpy woman in her late thirties who had come here to get close to nature and get some exercise while escaping her boring nine to five cubicle in the city. After meeting Cindy she had decided to rent the place out for the rest of the summer and quit her job. Candy had more exciting work for her now.

At noon every day, her helpers gathered at Laurie's house. The house was on the main highway but the driveway was long enough and the house far enough back that no casual passerby would notice the group of women gathering there. Candy wore a flowery kimono as she walked into the living room.

"What do you have for me fuck toys?" she said casually. Six of the seven women broke out cellphones the seventh had an old digital camera. They all one by one showed Candy pictures that they had taken of local women. Two of them were attractive enough, in their late twenties to early thirties. But both were married with young children. Perhaps they would be a fun roll in the hay for Candy but they were not going to be fun on any kind of a regular basis. Perhaps they would fall to one of the others, but Candy wanted all of her women to be special.

Candy was unsatisfied and summoned Laurie and Alice, the two youngest locals to go with her. She had found Laurie through pure luck, Candy hoped to strike gold twice. The three were sitting in Laurie's car in the parking lot of the **** store when lightning did indeed strike again.

The woman Candy spotted was wearing a leopard print dress that stopped just above her knees and high heels. She had long blonde hair and walked like she was born in six-inch heels. She was some distance away, across the street walking into the diner. Candy jumped when she saw her. From that distance, she couldn't see her clearly but she knew that a woman like that belonged in her gang.

Candy quickly got out of the car and trotted across the street in pursuit. As she walked in she saw the woman sitting down in the far booth a waitress handing her a menu and chatting. Candy waited to be seated, the waitress started toward her but was suddenly cut off by another waitress. She was the last of Candy's helpers. She had missed the noon meeting because she had to work.

"What do you want," she said in a harsh whisper as she picked up a menu for Candy. "Jake is in the back working and Julie eats here from time to time, you shouldn't be here."

"I want her," Candy said calmly pointing at the woman in the leopard skin dress.

The waitress followed Candy's finger to the back booth and said, "She isn't on the menu."

Candy smiled and said, "Every woman in this village is on my menu. It's just a matter of when I decide to pluck them. And today it is her turn."

The waitress began walking Candy to an open booth, but Candy passed her and continued to the back booth. There were several empty booths between it and the next occupied one, Candy passed them all. Her waitress helper caught up just as Candy sat down across from her prey. As she handed Candy the menu she said to the other woman, "I'm so sorry she just insisted on sitting with you." the waitress then shuffled away.

Candy was a little disappointed. The woman was probably pushing fifty. Still, she was pretty and undeniably sexy, but she was clearly losing her battle with time and gravity. As the woman began to speak Candy thought to herself about how her monster claimed to be able to work miracles with a body, perhaps this would be a worthy test.

"So kitten, what business do you have with me today?" The woman asked, her voice was sweet and just a bit husky. But undeniably confident and in control.

Candy was so turned on by her voice, that she began to gush out words, "I love your dress and the way you walk. Your hair, your makeup, the way you talk, hell the way you are looking at me right now. You are a woman. And I don't just mean a female of the species, I mean a REAL woman. The kind that men kill each other over, I want to be a woman like that, a woman like you."

The woman just looked back at Candy, neither impressed nor embarrassed. She just sat examining Candy, looking at her, into her. The woman lifted a small handbag from the seat next to her and opened it, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, never taking her eyes off of Candy. She lifted a hand and waved it in the air over her head. A waitress ran up with a battered old ashtray and the woman lit a cigarette and began smoking, pulling in a long drag and after several seconds letting out a cloud of smoke.

Candy sat unflinching under the gaze she could almost feel pushing up against her, probing her. The woman knocked some ash into the ashtray and set the cigarette down. "So kitten you want to be a woman? It takes more than words and moxie. You have to really live it. I didn't come in here on the arm of some man. I was sitting all alone until you disturbed me. Being a woman sometimes means gambling everything to get what you want, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Think you can handle that kitten."

Candy took a deep breath and said, "I can't stand to lose, I never want to lose ever. Until a few weeks ago I thought that I had been dealt a losing hand and had no chance at happiness but now... now I won't lose. No matter what it takes."

The woman smiled and said, "My name is Angela, what's yours? Or do you prefer kitten?"

Candy actually blushed, this woman could call her kitten anytime, she said, "I'm Candy, but you can call me kitten if you prefer."

Angela smiled, "Candy isn't a very classy name, shame on your parents. But Candy it is. So what are you having today Candy?" Angela again waived a hand in the air. The waitress was at another table but she quickly finished up there and hustled to Angela's side.

Candy had a very pleasant lunch and once Angela took Candy back to the old house on the lake her late husband had left her Candy had an even tastier dessert.