Digital Prisoner Ch. 01

The sidekicks laughed even louder at Melody's final comment. Amanda's heart was beating like it had back when she ran cross-country in high school and she was racing towards the finish line. It pumped hard and strong and she could feel her temples throb with the pulse. Her arms and legs felt numb but alive and empowered, running on automatic. She dropped the toothbrush into the sink and spun around towards Melody. Her mind abandoned its control of her body as she cleared the distance to her rival in three quick strides. Her arm swung back and then forward as she arrived in front of the shocked blonde. Her fist connected cleanly with Melody's nose and the girl instantly dropped to her knees.

"Oh my god you flat skinny BITCH!" Melody shouted into her hands as they covered her face and collected some of the blood that began to run from her injured nose. Amanda reared back and swung again, not as solidly but sidearm and flailing as she punched her enemy repeatedly on the top of the head. She had lost all control. Melody began to scream as the raging brunette attacked her.

Melody fell back trying to escape the assault and her robe opened, showing that she had been nude underneath the entire time. Amanda placed a shot right into the girl's exposed full right breast. "WHY!?" Amanda demanded as she knelt over her adversary. "Why would you do something like that? Why do you hate me?" She stood up without giving Melody a chance to answer and drove her bare heel forcefully into the blonde's trimmed pubis. "You cunt!"

Melody screamed louder with the fresh assault and her hands covered her injured chest and sex. She started to curl into a fetal position. "I didn't... I didn't...," she muttered. Melody looked up at Amanda with honest fear. Clearly this had not been an expected outcome of this evenings teasing. "I didn't really, I swear. We just wanted to have...," she searched he mind for the simplest phrase to describe their motive, "...the last laugh." Melody's chest rose and fell rapidly as the girl tried to recover from her sudden attack. She continued to make soft, pained noises as she breathed. Her hands went back to her face and tried to wipe away some of the blood as she rolled onto her back. The terrycloth robe was now acting more like a blanket beneath the girl and did nothing to provide any modesty. Melody's toned and stereotypically cheerleader-esque figure was on display. Her c-cup boobs were firm but natural and fell slightly to each side of her chest. Her nipples were hard, either from the cold or the adrenaline, and the areolas formed pink-shaded circles the size of a quarter. Her torso had a narrow waist that flared into soft hips and provided a smooth flat canvas to display her silver naval ring and the narrowly tapered triangle of pubic hair that she kept neatly manicured.

"So you're a liar, too?" enquired a glaring Amanda. Fire still lit up her eyes and another jolt of fear shot through Melody.

"I... I just mean that I didn't. I didn't do it."

Amanda gave a humpf and snatched the toothbrush out of the sink. She walked slowly back towards Melody and knelt back down across her hips. She held the toothbrush in front of Melody's face. "You shouldn't bully people. And you shouldn't lie." She swung her hand behind her back and let the bristles find the vee of her enemy's thighs. She traced the brush slowly up to the soft lips of the girl's pussy and wiggled the bristles into the folds. Melody's eyes flew wide open and her body literally shook with fear. She felt paralyzed. The remnants of toothpaste began to tingle uncomfortably as it was spread up and down her slit. From her hooded clit to her rosey pink entrance the brush painted a path of both excitement and burning. Amanda tilted her wrist and pushed the bristles against the small, soft opening. The toothbrush slid in easily for a couple of inches and Amanda's hand let go.

Instantly Amanda seemed to come back to her senses. The fire left her eyes and her whole body relaxed, slumping forward and almost seeming ready to fall off of her conquered foe. Jenny ran forward and grabbed her friend under her arms, lifting her up.

"Come on Panda, come on. You gotta go. This isn't you." She turned Amanda around and helped her friend towards the door. Melody still lay on the ground as she extricated the toothbrush slowly.

Once back in the dorm room, Amanda broke down into tears as the pent up emotions from the fight broke free and washed over her mind and her heart. Jenny squeezed her close and stroked her head softly, feeling the tears dampen her shoulder.

"You want me to call someone? Jake, maybe?" Jenny wasn't sure how close Amanda really was with Jake. They had gone out a couple of times since meeting during orientation, and Amanda had seemed to fool around with him once, but Jenny was in the dark about the details of their relationship. She had only ever seen Jake once, a decent looking if relatively average college guy with close cropped, light brown hair and a short but fit build.

"No." Amanda whispered and drew in a breath. She straightened herself, ran her hands along her sides smoothing down her cami top. "No, Jake doesn't need to know that I went psychotic. I don't even know what happened to me, Jen. I was just -," Amanda shook her head and rolled her eyes, searching for the right word. She exhaled loudly and left the sentence unfinished. "Anyhow, I should lay down. I'm meeting Mark tomorrow morning at the coffee shop at seven. He had Professor Douglas for comparative lit last year and he was gonna give me some exam stuff and talk about the paper we need to write."

Jenny took an opportunity to lighten the mood and responded jokingly, "Tell your brother to take Calc II so he can give me all the tips next semester." The two girls gave a weak giggle.

***

Amanda hadn't slept much and it was plain to see as she sipped her coffee and waited for Mark to show up. The circles under her eyes were noticeable, but she hadn't bothered with makeup. Amanda rarely bothered with makeup anyways and she had been too tired to care if she wasn't looking her best. She took another sip as Mark plopped himself into the seat across from her.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Mark chirped. "Just a couple of weeks in and you already look like a grad student. How late can the nights possibly be this early on?" He smiled at his own quip and tossed a folder down. "Here's some study guides and any questions that I remember from the tests. I also put in a copy of my essay that she had graded so you can get a sense of what she reads for and how she comments. Douglas isn't a bad prof, just pay attention to her lectures and be your usual diligent self. If you're tired because you're hung over, congratulations. That's been a long time coming. I've been waiting for you to cut loose."

Amanda shook her head and dismissed him with a wave. "No, just tired. Girl dorm drama that I'm not about to get into with you. I have been to a couple of parties, though. Nothing wild, but I'm having a good time."

"Glad to hear it. Nothing wrong with enjoying the college years. I've had a good time, as you know. Even the frats aren't all that bad." Mark stopped a moment and considered something before speaking again. "You probably wanna avoid any parties at Rho House... They aren't a fraternity, it used to be a frat house a long time ago but now it's really just a house with a certain type of renter and a well-known reputation. The guys that rent the house throw some crazy parties, but I've heard that the parties can get a little out of control and some of the girls have said they don't feel safe there." He shrugged his shoulders and took a long drink.

"But that's so... me," Amanda said with a smirk, "Out of control." She was joking, of course, but as she finished speaking she thought back to the fight and shivered. She did not like feeling out of control. "Anyhow, thanks for this," she patted the folder and stood up, "I'll see ya soon."

As they both got ready to leave, Mark paused and was reflective once more. "Hey, as for the dorm drama, your best bet is to have a chat and sort it out. Whatever happened, I'm sure you can clear the air and that's way better than having stuff hang over you for the whole school year. You're going to live in the dorm for the next six months and you don't want to be stressed in your new home." Mark nodded to himself, please with his own advice, and went on his way.

***

For the next week Amanda kept thinking about what to say to Melody and trying to find the right time to apologize. Just a couple of days after the incident she saw Melody in the hall, but her former tormenter quickly turned around and skittered away when Amanda started heading in her direction. Amanda still wasn't sure what she would say, but she at least wanted to apologize for escalating the situation to a physical confrontation. As rude and mean as Melody had been, Amanda didn't feel terribly proud of the punishment she had dished out.

About a week after the bathroom showdown, as Amanda was heading back from class, her phone dinged with the distinctive sound of an incoming text. Shifting her backpack and reaching into her purse, Amanda pulled out her iPhone 6 and checked the message. She stopped walking immediately. On her lock screen was a message from someone listed as Unknown.

"You haven't even apologized yet."

Amanda's mind whirled and her stomach dropped. "Who the fuck is sending this and how do they know about that?" she thought to herself. After a moment's hesitation she collected herself. Clearly it wasn't Melody; she'd run away. It must be one of her bitch friends. One of the one's who'd been snickering in the bathroom that day and who hadn't lifted a finger to help their friend when Amanda had gone wild on her. Amanda tried to take the initiative back with a confrontational reply.

"Have you?"

"I'm not one of her lackey's." came the quick reply. Amanda was once again taken aback. Whoever sent the text had almost anticipated her reply. This was clearly planned out ahead of time. They had expected this, or maybe a set of different options, and had already thought at least a few messages ahead like a chess match. Things rapidly darkened with the next text.

"Go home and read the message that is waiting for you."

Amanda felt a bolt of cold terror run through her. She didn't reply, she just ran for home. As she ran she looked constantly over her shoulder, convinced now that someone was watching her and enjoying her panic. Her head bobbed on a swivel going back and forth as she made her way across the campus and entered what she thought was the sanctuary of her own room.

Jenny was nowhere to be found and the room was silent and still, in sharp contrast to Amanda's breathing which was frantic and gasping. Her eyes swept the room to see if there was anything noticeably disrupted, looking for signs that someone had been in the room or left some sort of message. There was no note, no envelope, just the simple familiarity of the two roommates' shared space.

"It must be on the computer," Manda thought to herself as she struggled to calm herself with slow, deep breaths. She plopped herself down and flipped up the screen of her laptop. The computer sprang to life and the bright display, a background image featuring Seurat's famous Sunday Afternoon, materialized instantly. In the center of the screen was a small, untitled window with a simple button in the center labeled "open".

Amanda clicked on the button and a video file instantly filled the screen. Shaky camera footage and hollow audio meant the clip was not a quality production, but the images of Melody on her back writhing in pain as Amanda stomped on her sex were in clear high definition.

The young coed froze as she watched the video and relived the fight that she had been trying to keep out of her mind. She took in a long slow breath as she watched herself on the film. Her hand raised, grasping the toothbrush, the video slowed down into a slow motion mode as the bristles were brought down and slipped roughly inside of Melody's unwelcoming pussy. Amanda quickly began to hit keys, trying to close the window in a panic, but she was unsuccessful. The video sped up to show Jenny lifting her friend up and all but dragging her limp body away.

After the clip the screen went to black and a crisp sans serif text appeared across the blanked screen: "I recently came into possession of this video that shows you sexually assaulting a classmate. I have since searched for evidence that you have expressed some form of regret or remorse for your actions, but I have seen no proof of that." Shortly after the message was read it was quickly replaced. "I have decided to turn the video over to the police and ask them to investigate this crime. The only way to prevent me from doing so is to get a recorded message from the victim stating that you are forgiven."

Amanda's mind was continually hung up on the words assault, regret, and crime. She hadn't seen it as assault; she just lost her temper from the teasing. She knew that wasn't the right way to behave, but this video didn't show any of the teasing. It must have been filmed by one of that bitch's little minions. And she did feel remorse. She did feel bad. How many times had she tried to find the right time to apologize or to begin to mend fences? It wasn't her fault that Melody avoided her - well, it was her fault, she reconsidered, but id didn't matter. She'd wanted to apologize but it just never worked out. And a crime... my God. How could her response to being terrorized be considered a crime? Amanda took a deep breath. All of this ran through her mind chaotically in the span of a couple of seconds.

The screen switched text again. "In addition to her forgiveness, she must acknowledge that you have granted her three wishes. Imagine you are a genie; to gain and keep your freedom you must grant three wishes. I wouldn't want her to exonerate you too easily purely out of kindness. You must pay some small cost for your terrorizing actions."

Amanda was indignant. Questions whipped through her mind rapidly, powered by her inner hostility. How could this be happening? Why in God's name should she go and grovel, making promises to Melody when all of this was her fault? How could she not? Would this mystery hacker really notify the police? Was it really just Melody? No, she wouldn't be able to do this phone and computer stuff. She was a psych major for God's sake.

The monitor re-aired the final few seconds of the fight clip in real time with audio and the screen cut to a final message:

"If you do not make contact with Melody tonight the clip gets sent. I will know."

The message hung on the screen in the same crisp but rounded font for a couple of seconds and disappeared.

***

Amanda knocked on the door to Melody's room with a reserved rap, but inside she was still furious. She had sworn and yelled at her computer for five minutes after the last message disappeared, long after the screen had returned to its normal appearance. Whoever it was had left, and she had a choice to make.

Amanda banged again on the door and this time heard someone get up and approach. "I just have to set it up right now. I can figure out how to stop this later," she told herself silently. It was the best game plan she could come up with after thinking about it for a solid hour. Just go see Melody, apologize, and even tell her about the wish thing to make double sure the psycho digital blackmailer wouldn't send the tape. Get some time on her side to figure this entire situation out more thoroughly.

The door opened and Melody greeted Amanda with honestly excited eyes but false sincerity in her tone. "Well hello, Manda, what brings you to my door?" the blonde put a finger to her cheek and overacted the clueless stereotype. This was bad news. The Melody that had been slinking around, dodging her and avoiding her was gone. The new Melody felt back on top, back in control and back to her obvious cruel streak.

Maybe she was behind the entire computer screen thing, Amanda thought. It didn't seem to fit, but obviously Melody knew what was coming. Maybe some of those clingy little bitches that follow her around had some real talent. Shit, Amanda wasn't sure. She hadn't even remembered anyone recording the incident, and now she was going to have to walk a verbal minefield with her nemesis. It was no time for speculation. Amanda threw on a clearly fake tone as well.

"Well after the misunderstanding that we had the other day, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry we let that situation get a bit beyond our control."

Melody stepped back and swept her arm wide, gesturing for Amanda to enter. "I'm sure with a little bit of girl talk and some negotiation we can sort this out, Sugar. Why don't you come on in and we can get to business."

The brunette hesitated for a moment, straightened her posture, and tried to step breezily into her rival's dorm room. She took note of the décor; the room was done up in pastel pink, a soft brown, and highlights of powder blue. The entire room was coordinated and designed. Nothing was too matchy-matchy, but everything was purchased with careful consideration and clearly everything was new. There were no hand-me-downs to be found, except probably some vintage clothes in the closet. Amanda looked for a place to sit, but it seemed as though there was only one office chair pulled up to the writing desk with a laptop open but inactive. She stood; awkwardly.

"Why don't you just have a seat on the bed, there, 'Manda and take a deep breath." Melody made no move to sit, but rather remained upright and reached out to guide Amanda down to the duvet covered mattress. "I've seen the regret in your eyes for a while now, Amanda," the southerner went on once Amanda was in her place, "and I know that you want to make things right. So the real question is how can this get put in the past? How can we move on? What can you do to... make up for the terrible incident that occurred?"

The question hung in the air like a deflate helium balloon. It sounded like a rhetorical question, but quickly Amanda realized that Melody really wanted an answer.

"Well I can begin by apologizing, Melody. I know what you must think of me, but please understand that what... transpired that day... isn't a real reflection of the person that I am. I am truly sorry that things descended into... confrontation, and I hope for your forgiveness."

Melody's eyes flared at the apology, but other wise the blonde was unresponsive. She continued to stare down Amanda with fake enthusiasm, highlighted with unwrinkled eyes that made clear the insincerity. A long pause hung in the air and Amanda recognized that she had to follow the mysterious typists directive. Hell, Melody may have already been tipped off...

"Maybe there are a few things I could do to ease the damage," continued the brunette co-ed, "like help you with some homework or take care of some laundry..." she left the options open in hopes that Melody would build off of her suggestions. She was disappointed with the reply.

"If you are going to atone for the grievances that you have committed, Sugar, they will definitely need to be on the order of the humiliation and shame that you inflicted upon me. Doing a couple loads of laundry and writing an essay are not the same as getting punched in the tit and fucked with a toothbrush!" Melody escalated into righteousness quickly. Her tone and her demeanor had flown into a rage and dropped all pretense of amicability. Amanda's eyes widened and she leaned back reflexively as the blonde pressed forward.

"My understanding is that you owe me..."

Holy shit she already knew that Amanda was supposed to grant her three wishes!