Admission Ch. 03

Betty

Miranda looked around at the room adorned in thickly varnished panelling, trimmed in old woodwork. The two beds were larger than she expected with fresh sheets folded on top of them beside four fluffy pillows. They were surrounded on two sides by shelves with sliding panels and doors, dividing them into medium and small compartments. The detail in the woodwork seemed to tell the story of a forest with carved trees in the doors. The head of the bed had wolves, great cats, and other predators creeping through the woods. Near the foot, there were deer, rabbits, and other prey animals. At a glimpse, she spotted two small rabbits carved into the corner of the footboard, immortalized as they bred.

She looked around for her suitcases and found no trace of them. With hopes that they'd be delivered soon, she decided to unpack her backpack at least. There were forms in there that she'd need when she went down to the Admissions office and she wanted to claim the South side of the room. She laid the backpack out on the bed, unzipped it then flopped the whole thing open so it lay like a splayed clam. In no short order, she put her five favourite books about magic on the shelf in the corner by the head of the bed.

When the door opened, she was on her hands and knees there, her bottom facing the entry. Realizing that her short skirt had risen, exposing her cheeks nearly completely, she straightened and pulled its hem down. "That's quite a sight," giggled a young woman playfully. "What a nice caboose!"

Miranda laughed, blushed, and turned around so she could slip off the bed. "Sorry for mooning, I didn't expect to be doing a lot of bending over today."

The petite blonde nodded, grinning. "Oh, thank the Gods, I'm in the right room," she said, wrapping her arms around her for a momentary hug. She was only a couple of inches taller. "I couldn't tell for sure until I saw your face. I'm Betty," she stepped back and looked her roommate up and down. "You're gorgeous. I mean, I saw your head shots, my mother pulled strings in admissions so I'd get the first pick of roommates, but you're so pretty. I suppose the Service Students are supposed to be. I saw Scott outside. He's one of the Service Student Guys. So dreamy. My mother warned me about him. She said it would be like a German Sheppard mounting a chihuahua if he and I got together, and I'm still a virgin. Oh, I'd be the chihuahua in this situation. So, you're really a Service Student? I mean, aren't you afraid of what might happen? You read the old Succubus book, right? I mean, the ending, where she gets strapped into that machine. Don't get me wrong, I only heard about the story, I don't actually have that book, it wasn't allowed on my shelves. I'm sorry, I just realized you haven't been able to say a word. I talk a lot, you'll get used to it. There I go again, so, what do you think of the room?"

Miranda gave Betty a moment to make sure she was finished talking then looked around. There was one window overlooking the lake and the wall walk around it. Beneath it was a heavy oak desk that was large enough for two chairs. "I like it. I've never seen carvings like these before."

"Master Raymond did it, like, a hundred years ago or something. Then he disappeared. Some people say he cast a spell so he could live in the forest he carved forever. It's in every room of the castle except for the really modern bits. That's why they put all the outlets in spots where there's no art."

"So, you chose me to be your roommate?" Miranda asked as she opened the sub-packet with her intimates. There were three new g-strings along with a bra that she'd forgotten about.

"Of course. My parents are alumni and donors, so I get to choose my roommate. Well, they're also paying a lot of money for one of the best Dorm rooms, so I get to choose my roomie or not to have one at all." Betty stopped talking as she slowly took a blue g-string from the bag as though it was a hidden treasure. "Wow, this is just a soft patch, kind of like the ones you're wearing now," she breathed. "I love it. I need to know where you got it." She was holding it by the tag as it turned in front of her eyes. "I was never allowed to order sexy undies."

"I got it online, I'll share the site," Miranda replied. "You can have those though, I got a five-pack and I haven't worn those yet."

"Can I have the pink ones instead?" she asked, tugging the tag on those.

"Sure," Miranda replied.

"My parents would never let me run around in that, even if I put a skirt on to hide my bum." she giggled at herself and Miranda joined in, enjoying how the word 'bum' sounded so different with an English accent. "But I'm going to learn so much here, and not just about magic. That's one of the reasons why I chose you. Everything you said in your application and in the questionnaire seemed so nice, and I wanted to learn from your journey as a Service Student. I always imagined them to be so sexual when they got here, not nice or - I don't know - personable."

"I find it's like a switch went off the morning I came of age. I think about sex half the time or more these days."

"You too? I've been boy crazy all summer, but I live behind walls with all kinds of security. You must have had much more fun, I hope you like telling stories, I'd love to hear..." she was interrupted by a firm knock at the door. "Well, they found me," she sighed.

"Who?" Miranda asked.

"My father's men. He pays them so much that they'll do anything for him, but nothing to me no matter how much I tease them. They're so much fun to look at, but so boring." She opened the door and two muscular men in suits brought large suitcases in and, without a glance in her direction, they opened them on Betty's bed. They wore dark sunglasses, and it was strange watching their thick fingers handle all her clothes with delicate efficiency. Most of Betty's clothes looked very high-end, mostly made from satin and silk.

Betty returned to Miranda's bag and watched her put the rest of her things away. "Do you always wear little panties? The string kind?" she asked in a whisper as she spotted the transparent plastic pack of g-strings.

"I went crazy in a lingerie store after my first payday. I kinda realized I liked the feeling of my bum in the breeze, under a skirt, of course," Miranda whispered in return.

Betty rewarded her with a shocked giggle as she covered her glossy pink lips with her hand. "Oh! I never thought about the breeziness of it all."

"You'd look good in the pink ones, try them on for me when they leave," Miranda whispered, further scandalizing her roommate by taking a g-string that was rudely pink from the small pack and handing it to her.

Betty gave them back right away, nodding excitedly. "Give them to me later," she said in a nearly inaudible whisper. Then she spoke in a normal tone and volume. "Why else did I choose you as a roommate, you ask? Well, we like a lot of the same things, the same music, anime, and your photos were amazing. Oh! And we're going to be learning the same school of magic. I turned eighteen one day earlier than you though, so I'm the older one, which is appropriate."

"Give her a kiss and let her go, Betty," a female voice said from the door. "It's time for Miranda's Entry Interview."

Betty was beautiful, with big blue eyes full lips, and a spectacular smile. She reminded Miranda of a few anime characters who followed the template of 'that hyper-active sexy girl who was pretty but extra talkative.' She regarded Miranda uncertainly for a moment, as though she was wondering if her new roommate would accept a smooch.

Miranda decided to give herself to the situation entirely, wrapping her arms around Betty and closing the distance between their lips. Her gloss tasted like bubblegum, and her kiss was tense as she murmured a sweet giggle. It was an exciting, nice moment that left them smiling and blushing at each other. "It's good to meet you."

"Yes, I'm so excited," Betty said.

"Thank you for picking me," Miranda said, squeezing the young woman's hand then letting it go. There was something fun about Betty, and she liked that it was easy to make her blush. It seemed like an irresistible new hobby.

"Okay, you two, I can see you've got plenty of chemistry. Time to put it on hold. This one has business," the instructor said, her full, darkly painted glossy lips turning up in amusement. She gently took Miranda's hand and led her out of the room. "I'm Professor Wind. You can call me Abby. I'm the Mistress of Salacious Arts this year."

"Salacious arts?" Miranda asked.

"The most free-flowing type of energy comes from casual attraction, lust and everything between. Love is another source, but everything else is easier to capture and use."

"Because people shed sexual energy when they're feeling aroused and it just goes to waste if someone doesn't take it," Miranda added, nodding her understanding. "I did a little reading."

"And practice, I see," Abby said, looking at the crystal hanging around her student's neck. "No side-effects, interesting. I think you're ready."

"My luggage is supposed to be delivered soon though. I'm still a little damp, so maybe I should wait and change into something dry?"

"You'll be fine in that," Abby replied, looking her up and down. Her gaze rested on the pink circles showing through her blouse for a moment. "Someone will deliver all the paperwork, your identification and other things from the Admissions office later. You're skipping the line this year. Other than that, are you ready?"

Miranda ignored the nervousness rising in her belly, especially she didn't know why she should be anxious. "For the interview? Sure."

"Don't be sure. I'm still not sure if I'm ready for the mystical arts sometimes. You'll find that a good witch, or magician or priestess - whatever you prefer to call yourself - never stops learning." Her red silk robes were open enough to reveal a hint of her matching bra, and she was wearing shimmery stockings that flashed every time she put a leg forward. The woman was statuesquely sexy and had pointed ears. Abby didn't seem old enough to be a Mistress or a teacher. She stopped at a dorm room door and traced a symbol on the wood then opened it. "You first, we're travelling across the castle in very few steps."

Miranda felt dizzy the moment she crossed the threshold. The floor beneath her feet was still hardwood, but it seemed much older. "I think I need a minute," she said, the world felt like it was spinning out of sync with her feet again.

"Don't worry, it's normal for someone to be disoriented when they skip across the property into a sealed chamber. Come, give me your hands," the tall instructor said, pulling her arms up over her head where they were captured in thick leather cuffs. "Your entry papers made it clear that you should be able to handle a quick path to magical power. The fastest way to gather energy is life theft, which is forbidden. Using salacious power is perhaps the second fastest, and there's nothing wrong with that officially or morally. Once you've learned about that, you'll find tapping into other sources. It'll all make more sense to you soon, don't worry." The sound of a chain moving through a block preceded her being drawn up until her arms were completely up over her head. "Now, let's see if you're actually well suited for your Service Scholarship."