Your Master Requires Your Presence · Part 5

Your Master Requires Your Presence · Part 5 (5/6)
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u. Every decision I have made about your life has been toward what I thought was best for you. Being here is no exception.

”I will come for you when you’re finished, Cathy, but not until then. No one here will let you leave; no matter how much you threaten or beg here you remain. You will not be released until I’m satisfied you’ve learned your lesson. But never think I will abandon you or forget about you. I miss you every day.”

He bent down and kissed her one last time, then walked out the door, closing it behind him. She heard the Warden lock the door behind her Master, then the lights in the room went off again. Tired, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her Master. Still strapped down to the bed, unable to move and at the mercy of anyone who came into the room nevertheless she felt safe, protected by her master, trusting him to watch out for her. Whatever her future held, she knew he would be there for her, she would feel his presence.

Though Cathy was bound tightly to the bed, still she was happy and content. As she fell asleep she thought of her master, now absent but always watching over her. She was disappointed she would have to remain here, more than a little annoyed her master had left that belt on her, but she trusted him, accepted his judgment that she had not finished her lessons.

He knew her too well; he was right about not needing her consent any more. She couldn’t tell him no. He had paid for her kidnapping and confinement here, all serious crimes, but he rightly wasn’t worried about it. Even if she somehow escaped in the next few minutes she wouldn’t go to the police. That explained in part how this place could operate; no one who left would ever consider filing a complaint. Cathy sighed as she drifted off to sleep. Somehow masters always rigged the game with rules to let them win, she thought drowsily.

A Lapse Sometime later she was awakened by a Warden's hand shaking her shoulder. Sleepily she looked up at him, momentarily confused, forgetting where she was. She started to sit up…and suddenly remembered where she was when the bed straps halted her movements. The Warden walked over to the foot of the bed, released her ankles, then walked back to the head and freed her wrists. Cathy carefully did not move, waiting to be told what she should do next. The Warden stepped back, waiting for a moment. When Cathy did not move, he nodded in approval and gestured for her to stand up. Cathy quickly got up, stretching her stiff muscles for a moment before standing in front of the guard, head lowered. He took out a pair of handcuffs, locked her wrists together in front of her, and then led her to the door, holding the chain between the cuffs in his hand.

He took her through the open door, and then closed it behind her. He stood by the door for a moment, still holding her wrists, until a line of women came by in the hallway. Her Warden placed Cathy at the end of the line, wrists in cuffs on a common chain, then the group moved on at a command from the Warden at the head of the line.

In the showers and during classes afterward Cathy looked for Paula. There was so much to talk about; Cathy hoped they would be assigned to the same cell tonight, so they would have some time to talk. She felt sure she would be going home soon, and she wanted to tell her friend all about it. But she didn't see Paula at all, and that evening she was put in with three others she had never met before. Cathy was disappointed, and did ask her cellmates if they had seen Paula, but none of them knew who she was.

The next day was back to normal: eat, shower, classes, inspections, but still no sign of Paula. Cathy hadn't seen her all day, and neither had any of the other women. Cathy was concerned, what had happened to her? Had she broken a rule? Was she being punished somewhere else, isolated from her friends? Cathy knew it was forbidden to ask a Warden or a teacher, it was even risky to ask the other women. No one seemed to know what had happened.

Several days passed, always following the same routine. Every day Cathy looked for her friend, asked about her, and every day the same answer, no one had seen her. The days and evenings seemed to be so long and empty without those conversations with Paula. Cathy had no one to talk to, no one to share her thoughts, no helpful advice about the day's lessons. And she especially missed her master. As wonderful as his visit was, he had not yet returned, and her desire for him was as strong as ever. More than once her hand had again found its way between her legs, and more than once it had been stopped by that frustrating steel plate covering her.

Day after day the loss of her friend and her own needs built up within her. The constant confinement, the lack of privacy, the Wardens always watching her, her missing master, all combined to make Cathy edgy, sullen and irritable. She wasn’t speaking to the other women, and she obeyed orders reluctantly and with little enthusiasm. Matters came to a head during an afternoon class.

Cathy had been depressed all day. Her one friend was gone, her master had abandoned her, and she felt cut off, lost, no hope of ever escaping the misery of this place. She had forced herself to go through the motions yet one more day, and now she was in an afternoon class, listening to the teacher, Sarah again, lecturing on how to kneel at a master's side. Cathy was only half listening to Sarah, more concerned with her own problems.

"Cathy, come to the front and demonstrate the position we just went over.” The words from the teacher caught her by surprise. Cathy hesitantly stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. She looked at Sarah, unsure what to do next.

"Well? Show us how to kneel next to your master's chair," came the teacher's impatient order. Sarah took her pointer stick and tapped the floor in front of Cathy. Furiously trying to remember what the lesson had been about, Cathy knelt, legs wide, sitting on her heels, back straight, hands on her thighs.

"Very nice Cathy…if you were submitting yourself to your master's use. But this lesson was about how you behave when your master has guests. Perhaps if you paid more attention and learned the lesson you would do better and not embarrass your master in the process.” Sarah continued to berate Cathy, touching her with the pointer to emphasize her mistake. "Knees together, remember you most likely will be wearing a dress. And legs to one side, lean against his chair."

Cathy knelt there, humiliated in front of the class. Sarah continued to correct her; Cathy seemed unable to get it right. "Come on Cathy, concentrate on what you are doing. Your master will never come for you as long as you do so poorly.” Sarah crouched down in front of Cathy, the pointer in Sarah's hand touching Cathy's leg.

That comment pushed Cathy over the edge. All her anger and frustration boiled over. Cathy reached out and slapped Sarah’s pointer away with her hand. "Don't tell me what to do. You are not my master. He will come for me and take me away from here, because he loves me," Cathy shouted. The classroom fell silent, no one spoke or moved. Sarah backed away, a look of sadness on her face.. Instantly Cathy regretted what she had done, "Please Miss Sarah, forgive me, I didn't mean to strike you. Please, tell me what to do."

Sarah shook her head. "I'm sorry Cathy, but there isn't anything I can do for you now. Stay where you are, don't move or speak, and when they come for you, don't even try to resist. Class, you are all to remain where you are, don't move, no talking, face front, until I tell you otherwise. Sarah then knelt down, some distance from Cathy, quietly waiting. Cathy looked around, at the class, unsure just what Sarah had meant, then froze when she saw the frightened look on Sarah's face.

Cathy heard a noise behind her, to one side. The teacher's door opened and four large, heavyset Wardens came in, swiftly moving to surround Cathy. She knelt, not daring to move, too scared to even breathe. The Wardens on either side of her grabbed her arms and forced her down onto the floor, pulling her arms behind her back. The guard behind her was locking large heavy cuffs around her ankles, with a steel bar rather than chain linking them. One of the two guards at her side was closing a matching pair of handcuffs around her wrists. The Warden in front of her knelt down, lifted up her head and admonished her, "If you talk you get a gag. I advise you to keep quiet.

The gag is very unpleasant and you will be forced to wear it for some time. Do exactly as I say. Any resistance will only increase your punishment.” Cathy looked up at him, saw the glint of determination in his eyes, and all the fight went out of her.

The Warden on her other side took out a wide padded leather strap and covered her eyes, fastening the blindfold behind her head with a buckle. Hands grasped her arms and pulled her up to a standing position. Someone pulled the ends of a chain, connected to the handcuffs behind her back, around her waist and locked them in front. Her wrists were pulled close against the small of her back. The bar cuffs around her ankles had a swivel where the bar joined the cuff, allowing her some movement for short, hobbled steps. The Wardens turned her around, and began to march her forward, she guessed toward the door they had come in.

The guards forcefully pulled on her, keeping her off balance, unable to keep her feet under her because of the bar between her ankles. She would have fallen several times except for the hands holding her arms. They didn’t let up, virtually dragging her from the classroom.

They went through the door, paused while one Warden locked it behind them before they headed down the hallway. Unable to see, Cathy had no idea where she was being taken. They stopped several times to pass through some kind of door or gate, she wasn't sure. Finally she heard one heavy metal door close behind her, and then a Warden removed her blindfold.

Pay the Price Cathy blinked at the light, letting her eyes adjust before she looked around. She was in a round room, a Warden seated at a circular desk in the center. Around the wall were several small brightly lit cells, some occupied. The Warden at the desk pointed to one empty cell, and her guards led her toward the open cell door. Inside she could see what looked like a high backed chair, facing a mirror. One guard led her to the chair, "Sit" he ordered. She sat down, leaning forward because of the handcuffs behind her back. Two of her escorts held her in the chair, hands on her shoulders, while another removed the cuffs around her ankles.

After he removed the ankle cuffs he placed her ankles in heavy padded steel shackles built into the legs of the chair. Then he unlocked the chain around her waist. The two Wardens at her side pushed her forward, while one reached down and released her wrists, pulling the handcuffs and waist chain off her. Both Wardens at her sides immediately grabbed her wrists and arms and forced them into padded metal shackles on the chair arms. Once her wrists and ankles were secure they continued with several leather straps across her legs, arms, and body, fastening her tightly into the chair. There was something odd about the straps. On the inside what looked like metal plates were touching her skin. More ominous were the wires running from the straps to a box in the base of the chair.

They finished by gagging her. It was an impressive piece of apparatus: a wide panel across her lower face, straps around and over her head, and what tasted like a foam rubber insert stuck in her mouth. A final strap went across her forehead, pulling her head back against the chair. Cathy knew serious preparations like these foretold an extremely unpleasant experience as about to commence.

Her original escorts left the cell, and the Warden at the desk entered, standing in front of her. "This is how it works. See those two lights at the bottom of your chair? The green one corresponds to the button under your right hand; the red one on your left. When the light comes on you push the matching button. You hold down the button until the light goes out. Any deviation from those instructions will be punished. You stop only when I tell you.” With those words he turned and left the cell, locking it behind him. Looking down she saw the lights reflected in the mirror.

Cathy sat there, unable to move a muscle, not even able to turn her head. The mirror in front of her showed the extensive restraints holding her, and the Warden in the background, staring at her. She recalled Paula's words when she had first arrived, "discourage improper behavior.” Now Cathy would find out for herself what Paula had meant.

Cathy stared at her reflection in the mirror, strapped into the chair, unable to even turn her head to the side. She pulled against the straps, trying to slip a hand or ankle free, but she was held too well, no escape would be possible. She shifted her weight, trying to move the chair, but it was securely bolted to the floor. As she struggled, testing her bonds, she could see the Warden watching her, expressionless, sitting at the desk.

She gave up trying to free herself, and sat there quietly. How long would they make her sit in the chair, and what would happen after that? Since she had to sit anyway, she closed her eyes, trying to relax and make the best of her situation. Her mind wandered, times with her friends, her master, her time in this school turned prison. For the first time she truly regretted not only running away from her master but also not accepting his decision about that party in the first place. If she had only trusted him, waited for him to explain why she couldn't go to that party…she wouldn't be here.

The red light lit up. She pushed down on the button under her left hand. It had a stiff feel to it. She waited until the light went out. The green one came on next, followed by two more with the red. There has to be more to it than this, she thought. The lights were like some simple child’s game. There didn’t seem to be any pattern to which light came on next, or how long it remained on. There didn’t seem to be any point to pushing buttons but she continued under the assumption they’d find something worse if she didn’t obey.

After two hours and no respite in the lights the game was starting to wear her down. It was boring, the chair was uncomfortable, she was tired and the gag was driving her crazy. Right after the green light went out she closed her eyes for a moment to give them a rest.

The sharp jab in her thigh felt like a hot poker. Her eyes flew open, in time to see the red light on. She slammed her hand down on the button until it went out. Electric shock, she realized after a moment. It had been a mild one but still painful. That explained the wires on the chair straps.

It wasn’t a simple game any longer. The stakes were higher now. No wonder she had that gag stuck in her mouth. It wasn’t to prevent her talking; it was to spare the guard watching her painful screams if she missed another light. Her initial boredom was replaced by grim determination not to close her eyes.

The ordeal went on and on, without even a few minutes rest. She could see the silhouette of the guard in the mirror. Because of the lighting it was difficult to determine if he was actually watching her. Cathy wanted to cry out for help, to somehow beg him to make it stop. The gag frustrated her efforts, muffling her pleas into meaningless garble.

The green light flashed on. Exhausted and disoriented Cathy accidently hit the wrong button. This time the sharp pain was in her back. It felt like she’d been stabbed with a knife. She screamed in agony, though the Warden showed no reaction.

Her world shrunk to the two lights. She battled sleep, fighting to keep her eyes open. Her hands were tired to the point muscles were near to cramping. Still she battled on, desperate to stave off the chair’s punishment for failure.

At some point the lights stopped. She kept both hands poised on the buttons, waiting for them to start again. I have to keep going, she told herself. Suddenly the guard was standing in front of her.

“You’ve earned a rest,” he told her. He reached behind her head and loosened the straps on the gag, pulling it out of her dry mouth. “Here, take a sip of water.” Eagerly she took the straw into her mouth and sucked on cold water. “Not too much,” he warned, pulling it away.

“Please, sir. I’ve learned my lesson. I swear I’ll never misbehave again. I…I can’t take any more of this.” Her voice broke. All she wanted to do was escape those lights, close her eyes and sleep.

“You have permission to sleep.” He slipped a cloth bag over her head, blinding her.

“Thank you, sir.” That was all she got out before falling into a deep sleep, despite being strapped into the chair.

When she woke and opened her eyes once again she saw the same image of herself, bound to the chair. A different Warden was at the desk, but he was staring at her, watching her like the other one. Again she pulled at the straps, desperate to get away from that constant stare. But there was no escape, all she could do was sit there and wait. She could not bear to look directly at his reflection, but she could not turn away.

What seemed like hours passed. No one walked by, the room was very quiet; no sounds reached her apart from her own breathing. At least she wasn’t being subjected to those lights. And always there was the Warden, watching her. Once again she shut her eyes, trying to block out that stare and the prospect of the lights starting again. This time sleep did not come. Instead she lived over and over the incident that had brought about her punishment. If only she had paid attention, if only she hadn't been distracted. If only her master had visited her again, she wouldn't have felt so lost…and then she realized, if she had trusted her master, accepted that he would come for her eventually, she wouldn't be in this chair now. For the second time, her own failure to trust her master's actions had only worsened her own situation.

She sat there pondering her actions to date, good and bad, and what had come of them. In retrospect, if she had followed the simple path, allowed her master to do his job, she wouldn't be in this punishment cell, or even in this training school. Instead she would be in her small studio, working on her next painting, waiting for him to come home from work. She smiled, thinking of how incredibly foolish she had been to ever risk losing an idyllic life like that.

She wasn't sure how long she had been in the chair, there was no way to mark the time, and she didn't want to open her eyes and see that Warden's cold stare looking back at her. At any moment he could turn on those hellish lights again. Cathy sat there calmly, resigned to her punishment, knowing she had earned it by her own misdeeds but at the same time praying the Warden wouldn’t take notice of her. Time passed, she drifted, waiting. Eventually they would come and release her, but until then all she could do was sit, think, and hope.

Time had blurred. She might have been there a few hours or several days, she no longer had any idea. The boredom was the worst, except for the alternative. At times a woman would come in and give her some food and water, feeding her by hand. At other times someone would come in and clean her off with a bucket of warm water. No one would speak to her, not a single word. More and more she sought refuge in sleeping, or at least daydreams, anything to help her escape the confines of the chair.

Failure Cathy wasn't sure who it was, but she suddenly felt another presence, close to her. At first she was afraid to open her eyes, knowing the Warden would be there, observing, watching her every move. But, somehow she knew it was not the Warden standing near her. She could sense someone standing over her, behind her, somehow familiar. She opened her eyes, looked into the mirror, and caught her breath, her master's reflection clearly visible. She started to speak, but the word "master" died in her throat when she saw the look in his eyes and on his face. It was the look she had prayed she would never see again: anger and disappointment.

"I know what happened, Cathy, everything. I had hoped to take you home today; instead I find you here. You were doing so well, and then this. I am disappointed that you could not do better. I know the potential is within you, and I hope you will improve in the future.” And with those words he turned away and walked out of the small cell, leaving her behind.

The tears flowed freely from Cathy's eyes. She was crushed, she had failed her master and thrown away her chance for release from the Center. She watched his receding back as he walked away, desperate to call out to him, but knowing she had nothing to say. He was right; it seemed he was always right, she had failed the one person whose approval meant the world to her. At that moment, she resolved she would never again doubt him. She had freely chosen him as her master; she had given herself to him totally, without reservations or limits. She had trusted him to decide for her, guide her path in life. But now she realized it had not been quite the full commitment she had thought it was. She had held back, second guessed him, but no longer.

There was no question now, she would accept him as a master should be, complete and total. If she had doubts or questions, she would tell him, as he always insisted on, but whatever the outcome she would follow his wishes. She would do her best, show him that she could learn. No matter how long, if it was his desire, here she would stay, until he decided to come for her.

Cathy kept her eyes closed, even as she cried from the pain inflicted by her master's harsh words. A few sobs crept out, but she willed herself not to make a sound. She did not have permission. No more improper behavior, she had been well and truly discouraged. Now she understood why Paula had never disobeyed, never broken a single rule. It wasn’t the fear of some physical punishment. That would have been relatively easy to take, especially when she wasn’t given a choice. Far worse was to be left alone day after day, isolated, and her master’s disappo

Your Master Requires Your Presence · Part 5 (5/6)
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