Finding Amy

Sending Amy a message through the website was probably not going to get a response but she was sure as hell going to do it anyway.

Amy had not replied to her personal e-mails or even her cell phone messages since she had disappeared either.

Ashley had lost count of how many messages she had sent already, but this website was a new development and anything was possible.

There was also one other important piece of the puzzle that had to be considered.

Who had sent her the e-mail that had put Ashley on this path?

That simple message containing the link to Amy's profile had changed everything.

Maybe it was just a member of the 'dark palace' site who had met Amy, or maybe it was something more. Maybe they even knew where she was!

All Ashley knew was that the e-mail had been sent from an anonymous 'hotmail' address and the address itself was just a meaningless string of letters and numbers.

Either way she had already sent several e-mails to the address, in fact, it was the first thing she had done.

A week had passed now since that time and the response, predictably, had been nothing but silence.

It would be the first of many false leads to come, but she didn't let that faze her. She already had a back-up plan. In fact, she had several of them.

Ashley made a quick 'anonymous' profile on the 'dark palace' website and then used it to send a message to 'fallen_angel5'.

****

Amy I know it's you.

This is Ash. If you get this please, please call me.

I miss you, I've been so worried.

Please call. I don't care about any of this and

what you've been doing.

All my love, your best friend always,

Ash.

****

Ashley couldn't help but cry as she wrote that message. She felt a lot better once she had sent it, even thought she knew it was unlikely she would get a response.

"Step one complete!" She announced to herself with satisfaction.

'Step two' was also simple. The website had a forum. A place where members could post subject threads and other members could respond to them.

Ashley logged onto the 'general forum' and created her own thread.

It was called 'I'm looking for Fallen_Angel5'. In it she wrote a brief note asking people to contact her if anyone had met the mysterious 'Angel'.

The third step was another long shot. She sent an e-mail to the website administrator.

She repeated the whole story about her search for Amy and once more she begged for help.

For a woman not used to begging it seemed to be becoming a regular occurrence, but it was a means to an end, at least that's how Ashley was able to rationalize it.

Quite honestly she doubted if that approach would work, especially without the police to back her up, but it was worth a try.

'Day One Complete' Ashley wrote at the bottom of the legal pad along with the date.

It was January 10th.

2

So began the waiting game.

The next day Ashley received an e-mail from the website administrator.

It was courteous, but it was the brush off she had expected.

****

"We are happy co-operate fully with all members of law enforcement (provided the correct legal channels are followed) however due to the confidential nature of this site we cannot divulge confidential information to private citizens regardless of the reasons given.

We are sympathetic Miss Thomson and we wish you all the best but we cannot help you at this time."

****

Ashley was not surprised by their response. She knew it was a long shot but at least she had tried.

Posting in the website's forum had also turned out to be a waste of time. Judging by the amount of visits received, it turned out that less than one percent of the website members even visited the forums.

After 48 hours her post had only registered twenty views and no replies.

Unsurprisingly there had been no reply to her message to 'fallen_angel5' either.

That made it three swings and three misses for Ashley, but she was not beaten yet.

So far she had done everything the right way, the legal way, but that didn't mean there weren't other ways to get the job done.

The first 48 hours had been a failure, but then again, she had expected that. The next morning she changed her approach.

It was time for plan 'B'.

Ashley tore away the top page of the legal pad on her kitchen table.

The next three pages were all filled with words and phrases.

All of them were linked to Amy in some way. There were, pets, places, relatives and more.

Ashley had spent a good part of that first day compiling that list.

This had been her plan all along.

It was important to her that she had gone through the motions and tried to do the right thing first, but that phase was over now.

Ashley went to the login page and this time entered in a new name.

****

Login Name: fallen_angel5

Password:

****

"Here we go" Ashley said out loud.

She knew it was going to take a very long time, there were literally hundreds of words and phrases for her to try.

She was hoping Amy had used something familiar as her password, something from her past, but who's to say that she hadn't just opened up the nearest book and used the first word she saw.

Feeling a little nervous she typed her first attempt into the password box.

Login Name: fallen_angel5

Password: ashley

PASSWORD INCORRECT

****

"Christ this is going to take forever" Ashley thought as she as she typed in her second attempt.

3

After two hours Ashley had officially hit her one hundredth attempt. On the positive side the website was allowing her a seemingly infinite amount of attempts at the password, but on the negative, the process was appallingly slow.

It took about 20 seconds to start again with each new password attempt, but unperturbed, Ashley diligently pushed on, crossing off each word as she tried it.

Next attempt....

Password - 'jeremiahs'.

Result -- 'PASSWORD INCORRECT'

That word struck a chord with Ashley. Her mind was instantly cast back to that summer of 97' and the fun they had that year.

Jeremiah's was a run-down old night club on the north end of Hampton Beach and virtually the only place in the area that catered to the under-age crowd.

You may not have been able to get a drink inside, but that sure as hell didn't stop you from getting hammered in the parking lot before you went in.

Ashley tried again....

Password -'jeremiahs97'

The screen went blank.

"Not another fucking crash" Ashley almost screamed at the screen. Her computer had crashed almost five times already during the first hour. She was sure it was from sheer boredom.

'Hell perhaps computers do get bored'. That thought made Ashley smile.

She reached for the power button but then abruptly froze as something small caught her eye.

"Oh my fucking god!" She yelled out loud to her empty apartment.

This was no crash and the screen was not entirely empty.

There was a small text link at the very bottom.

'WELCOME BACK ANGEL -- YOU'VE GOT MAIL'

"Please let this be real" Ashley whispered to herself, not daring to believe she had succeeded.

With a shaking had she clicked the link.

What now lay before her was a brand new world.

4

A wave of elation immediately flooded over Ashley as she sat there at her kitchen table.

After all of the frustration and the pain she had been through, she had once again proven that she didn't need anyone but herself.

She alone had done this. She had put her mind to it and made this happen.

To her, it felt as if she had broken some ancient code and discovered the meaning of life.

This was her little moment of triumph.

She practically squealed with delight as she opened the profile to discover folders full of files and a whole account of e-mails and messages.

As expected the most recent sent e-mail was six months old but that almost didn't matter to Ashley. She now had unrestricted access to everything Amy had done in this place.

'She's here in these files' Ashley told herself with growing excitement.

'Amy is right here, and all I have to do is look'.

'Where to start?' That was the big question.

Even after all that had happened, Ashley was still a little nervous about reading her best friend's mail. She didn't have a problem with violating Amy's privacy, she was much more afraid of what she might discover.

Ashley decided to play it safe and start with the folders and files first.

Looking back on it later she would realize that starting with those folders was probably the worst place she could have begun.

There were four large files and each of them contained approximately fifty images.

The contents of those files were about to hit Ashley like a hammer-blow and forever change her perception of her best friend Amy Price.

According to Amy's account settings, some of those files could be viewed by people she had nominated as 'friends' but others were restricted and required permission. Only the last two folders were restricted.

Ashley opened the first folder then without the slightest hesitation. It was called 'Daddy's Little Girl'.

A long line of more than fifty image thumbnails scrolled across the page.

She took a deep breath and then clicked on the first image. It expanded to full size, filling up the entire screen.

"Oh Amy" Ashley said aloud almost on the verge of tears.

It was her alright, there was no doubt about it now. She was sitting on the edge of a large bed in an unfamiliar bedroom.

She had on a cute little black dress with matching hose and heels and she stared directly into the lens of the camera with an intensity that was disarming.

Amy looked almost demure.

She had one leg playfully crossed over the other as she sat.

Ashley had seen her use that pose in photos before. It was 'vintage Amy' and she was clearly playing to the camera like she always had done.

The fifty images played out in a sequence almost like still frames from a movie reel. The person taking the photos was never revealed but it was clear that there was someone behind the camera actively snapping shots and Amy was performing for them.......enthusiastically.

'Demure Amy' transformed into 'Angel' as the photos progressed.

By the fifth photo she had spread her legs and hitched up her skirt to reveal the top of her 'thigh-high' stockings.

By the tenth photo she had hiked up the skirt all the way to reveal a black lace thong.

In the next few frames after that Amy had spread her legs even further and now had one hand pressed firmly up against her crotch.

It was clear that she was effectively masturbating herself through her underwear at that point.

She still stared intensely into the camera but her eyes had now become slightly glazed and her mouth formed into an almost smirk as she bit down on her lower lip.

It was difficult to see her friend like this. To see her in such a personal way, and for the first time Ashley felt like an intruder.

Even like this Amy still looked beautiful. That was the most galling part of it all.

Her Ash blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail so tight that it seemed to stretch the skin on her face, making her cheekbones prominent and her jaw-line sharp.

Half way through the images the little dress was discarded to reveal a toned, almost athletic body and a sexy black bra.

Amy continued to work the camera as the following snaps revealed her with one hand working her crotch while the other cupped her breasts.

Most of the final ten shots showed Amy laying down with her eyes closed tightly.

She appeared to be lost within herself. Both hands were now buried deep inside her panties and her back was arched.

The final photo was clearly meant to be the grand finale.

It was intensely personal and a startling sight for Ashley.

Amy's eyes stared wildly into the lens of the camera. Her forehead was creased into tiny furrows as she let out a euphoric open-mouthed scream.

Ashley closed the folder.

It felt like someone had just given her a harsh slap across the face. Her senses reeled and her emotions swirled around inside her like a chaotic storm.

Yes, it was Amy in those photos, but not the Amy she knew.

It was all so primal. So raw.

Her thoughts were immediately cast back to a line from Amy's last letter .

'I'm figuring how to live a different way..A stronger way, and I need some time alone to do it.'

She didn't understand what that line had meant at the time. Only now was she starting to understand its true meaning.

5

Ashley needed some time to think.

If what she had just seen was any indication, then things were only just going to get worse.

She had to steel herself somehow, prepare herself mentally for anything she was about to see.

There was a cafe only a couple of blocks down the street from her apartment. Maybe it was just the distraction she needed.

She got up, put on her coat and headed out the door.

Ashley sat alone in the cafe. The soft hum of voices from the surrounding tables seemed to almost envelop her. It was a noise she found both comforting and distressing at the same time. A contradiction.

She always felt most alone when she was surrounded by strangers.

She began to look at the people around her with a fresh pair of eyes.

There were couples, business types and young mothers with babies. Pretty much your average cafe crowd.

Ashley couldn't help but wonder how many of the people that surrounded her led secret lives just like Amy.

Maybe that young mother at the counter was someone's mistress, or maybe that business man sitting at the table next to her was a sado-masochist. Anything was possible now.

Ashley's mobile phone chirped.

She flashed a glance at the caller i.d. and all of a sudden she felt a little better.

Not so alone, not so confused.

"Hi Nana, how are you......how's Poppa?" Her voice was calm, almost cheerful.

"Oh he's fine darling. How are you sweetheart? We haven't heard from you in so long. I was starting to get worried."

"I'm fine Nana. Work gave me some time off and I'm making the most of it."

Ashley suddenly heard a loud commotion over the phone and she grew concerned.

"What's going on over there Nana? Is everything okay?"

"Oh you know your Poppa sweetheart." Her Nana was almost laughing as she said it. "He gets so worked up whenever he watches a 'Patriots' game. I keep telling him it's only a replay but that makes no never mind to him."

"I know Nana." Ashley said with a smile.

There was a long pause.

"Well, that's great news you got some time off darling, Poppa and I worry about you, we know how hard this Amy thing has been on you."

Ashley thought for a few moments, carefully considering what to say next. Nana and Poppa didn't need to know what she was up to and certainly not what she had just discovered. She knew they would only just worry more.

"It's okay Nana, I've put all that behind me now." That was a bold faced lie, but what else was she supposed to say?

"I promise I will visit you and Poppa real soon."

"Make sure you do darling, we miss you."

"I will Nana, and give my love to Poppa okay?"

"I'll do that as soon as the game is over." her Nana replied in that cheery, familiar way that Ashley loved so much.

Ashley smiled to herself as the call ended. Getting Poppa away from a 'Pats' game had always been a virtually impossibility.

She had needed that call. It gave her the strength she needed to go back to her apartment and delve deeper into the 'rabbit hole' that was her friend Amy Price.

6

Once more Ashley sat at her kitchen table with her 'Mac Book' powered up and ready to go.

The break had certainly had the desired effect and getting that call from Nana had really made all the difference.

She pushed on with a renewed vigor and sense of purpose.

'Okay, so Amy has an incredible and perhaps unconventional sex life' Ashley thought to herself. Good for her!

Now that the shock had passed and the dust had settled, Ashley had even begun to admire her for it.

Ashley's own sex life had been nothing to brag about lately.

An endless string of bad dates and unsatisfying one night stands had been about the extent of it.

Hell maybe Amy was even onto a good thing!

She was still nervous about opening the next file, but to her surprise she found she was also excited at the same time.

It felt like she was about to take some kind of twisted, fucked up roller-coaster ride.

Amy was taking her on a strange journey and her curiosity was beginning to outweigh her apprehension and concern.

Ashley opened the next folder.

It's very name alone was enough to give her second thoughts, even with her renewed sense of purpose.

The folder was called 'Fuck Toy'.

That term was familiar.

Amy had used it on her profile page. The connotations it implied just made Ashley even more nervous about what she might see.

Again the image thumbnails scrolled across the screen and again Ashley started at the beginning and worked her way through them.

All of them.

This time there was a definite theme running through the sequence and the first image even made Ashley smile.

Amy actually looked kind of adorable in that first frame.

She sat in the center of a large, expensive looking leather couch.

Her hair was braided into pigtails and her outfit was interesting to say the least.

This little photo-shoot, if that was the right word for it, seemed to be inspired by something a little more playful. Ashley had never indulged in role-playing or any kind of fetish in her own sex life, but Amy it seemed, was no stranger to it.

She looked like an innocent little school-girl in that first shot. No detail was missed.

From her shiny black shoes and white knee high socks, to her short pleated skirt and button-down blouse.

Despite being a twenty nine year old woman, that outfit made her look much much younger.

Amy really did make a pretty convincing school-girl.

It was only the expression on her face that gave her age away. A seductive look with an intensity that only a mature woman could express.

The next couple of frames began very much like the first set of photos.

Amy hiked up her skirt just a little to reveal a set of plain, white 'virgin' panties that she wore underneath.

Only a few frames later and she had bent herself forward over one of the leather arm rests.

The camera changed position with her, giving an almost perfect view of Amy from behind.

This time her skirt was pulled all the way up past her waist.

It was an impressive performance. She seemed so aware of her body that it was almost intimidating.

Amy tensed her muscles as she posed for the next shot making it look like she possessed the tightest, most perfect little rear end on the face of the earth.

The sheer white panties hugged every crevice and hid almost nothing as she pushed her bottom up and toward the camera.

It was an extremely evocative pose.

A pose of submission.

A naughty little girl who was about to receive a spanking.

'Okay this isn't helping me', Ashley thought to herself.

This whole situation was just starting to feel a little wrong. She was starting to realize that seeing these photos probably wasn't going to help her find Amy, but it was all just so incredible.

Compelling even.

'Was it wrong to get a slight kick out of all this?'

Ashley took a long pause and began to really question her own motives.

'God who wouldn't find all this mind-blowing' she finally decided.

It was true. Finding out that your best friend had lived a secret life like this would've made even a saint curious.

Ashley was doing this for Amy. If this was the only way to find her then that made it okay.

Hell she would have to be made out of stone not to at least get some small rise out of all this.