The Afflicted Ch. 07

"What? Ridiculous. Our colony here isn't large enough to have two Academies. You two are allowed to see each other on a social basis and here in school - we just don't want you living under the same roof to avoid temptation. Following along those same lines you are of course forbidden from sneaking off with each other. I think we all know what activities you are to avoid... Claude! How wonderful to see you."

She hugged Claude warmly and pulled the two of them further to the side.

"Hello Aimée," said Claude, moving to hug his sister.

"Brother, it is pleasant to see you, I suppose," said Aimée.

She folded her arms and turned pointedly at an angle so she needn't look into his face. Brana took in the interchange with a knowing eye, but chose not to dwell on it at that specific moment.

"Listen, I know your heads must be reeling but I wanted to check in with you on an important topic. Have either of you mentioned your mother's former name to anyone?"

They both thought back and realized they hadn't.

"Good," said Brana. "You may hear many things but for now I need you to steer clear of even your own last names if possible. Above all else, avoid revealing to anyone that your mother was once known as Frederique La Teilière."

"But why?" asked Aimée.

"Probably for no reason," said Brana in a comforting tone. "A minor security measure, but for now it is easier for all for you to merely be Claude and Aimée, our new arrivals, and nothing more."

The two of them agreed and then were led by Brana into the Academy. Both of them had separate ideas in their heads about what they were going to see - but the vision they both entertained in their heads had to do with rows of desks and chalkboards.

The classroom they entered had a chalkboard, upon which was written complex equations, but that was where the match between their expectations of going to a normal school and what the Academy was like ended. There were no straight rows of chairs, no strict bells to signal when classes began and ended.

There were large padded chairs, a few benches, and massive pillows strewn about the room. Classes started when the students arrived and ended when the teacher felt the lesson was learned. Greeting all of the students warmly was handsome man with piercing grey eyes and a short-cropped black beard. Brana led them straight to him.

"Jabir, my love," said Brana, kissing the man affectionately on the cheek. "These are our two newest students - Aimée and Claude. I believe you received a communication of their arrival."

"I did indeed," said Jabir with a knowing look to the two of them. "As always, it is an honor to have new students. Simply find a place and we shall begin. I thank you Brana."

Though it was often a challenge to guess an Afflicted's age, there was no doubt from the wisdom in Jabir's eyes that he had seen many centuries on this earth.

Claude sought out a seat near Jacob, and then he gasped suddenly upon seeing a lovely redhead enter the room.

"Jacob, it's her," whispered Claude. "It's the nurse!"

"The nurse? Where?"

"There, in the red skirt."

"That's not a nurse, that's Abby."

"Yes, Abigail the redheaded nurse," insisted Claude. "What is she doing here? Is someone sick?"

"I am a bit," said Jacob in a stunned tone. "Abby is my sister. Do you remember the redheaded beauty I told you about?"

"Oh," stammered Claude, "Jacob, if I would have known I would have..."

"Forget it," said Jacob softly - though his face belied some of the emotions roiling beneath the surface.

"Hey, who is that beautiful brunette who's shooting both of us daggers?" asked Jacob.

"That would be my sister," said Claude.

"Well, based on the looks she's giving me - I don't think you need to fear me stepping into the same territory you have."

Claude was perplexed by Aimée's behavior since he'd seen her. It seemed even odder that she would be exhibiting such hatred toward Jacob as well. He was just about to confront her about it when Jabir stepped into the center of the room and began talking.

"Today, we have a special lesson," said Jabir once all of the students had arrived. "It is a lesson in one of the darkest times in the history of our kind."

Jabir laid the groundwork for the lesson, touching on stories Claude and Aimée had heard. He spoke of the first Colony on an island in the Mediterranean, to the subsequent foundation of the Council, to the times in the catacombs beneath Rome and Florence when they had lived in peace with the early Christians, and even been their allies. He followed on to the days in Petra, where an actual Colony had lived in the open - the city in the rock allowing their kind to dwell with mortals both night and day, since the city was within the desert rock and no sun was let into the buildings carved below ground. Jabir painted the tapestry of their history with a deft brush and then arrived at the centerpiece of the lesson.

"Then, came the birth of Frederique La Teilière. That is a name you should remember."

Aimée gasped and Claude almost did the same.

"I see you've heard the tale," said Jabir with a smile. "It is a quite remarkable story, and all of it true."

Jabir proceeded to narrate the story which neither Claude nor Aimée had ever heard, but which was surprisingly similar to the one Frederique had told to Palo not a day before.

"And so," said Jabir, concluding his narrative, "Frederique took the life of the Weasel, Jacito, and that of her beloved husband in one blow. The saddest part of that chapter was the fact that there was no safety for Frederique, our savior. The binding to Jacito meant that his followers had nothing but hatred for the one who took his life. Frederique fled her homeland. Some say she perished, some say she has been in hiding ever since. Nobody but the most trusted Council members are privy to the truth. Some say she may be returning soon - that the last of Jacito's ilk have finally been discovered.

"I heard something," said Diana. "Just yesterday I had dinner with my parents and they said someone had seen a glimpse of the great Frederique in the entry plaza."

"I heard the same thing," said Jabir slyly. "Though the story is as yet unsubstantiated. It did prompt me to refresh our memories of her tale. John, tell me, how would you discover a follower of Jacito?"

"Well," Johnny mused, "I'd use the blood test Galen devised."

"Very good," said Jabir. "An effective method, no doubt, and we are all still tested on a regular basis. But we can hardly check everyone every day. What other means? How else would you discover those who'd been taken?"

"Changes in behavior," said Oppo. "If they are obsessed with someone they'll do things differently. They'll stop going to the theatre, or attending their usual clubs; that sort of thing."

"It's like," started Abby... but then she stopped herself.

"Go on, it's like what?" prodded Jabir.

"I was just going to say; it's like they were in love. Take me, for example. If I was enlisted to seek people out I would try and sense people who were madly, head-over-heels in love. We get like that, don't we? When we're in love we can only think of that one person. But if that fixation had a biological basis it would be even stronger. I would first study someone who was in that first crazy manic love, and then I'd look for people with the same traits - but magnified."

"Very good, Abby," said Jabir.

Jabir segued into more academic topics, but Aimée and Claude were reeling with so much information, especially having learned that their mother was the savior of their kind. After hearing that information, they weren't the best of students for the rest of the lesson.

For the mid-evening break, the cadets usually went back to the dorms since it only took a couple of minutes to get back. Quite often, the cadets would visit the dorm that they weren't staying in. However, the two brothers and two sisters had no choice but to go to their own dorms. They rode back in silence, especially Aimée and Abby who rode on opposite sides and ends of the train.

Both of them were...flummoxed, for lack of a better word. Aimée was angry at Abby for many reasons that she knew were irrational, but she didn't care. She was jealous, of course. She acknowledged that in herself. However, she was angry, in a way. She had been prepared to let go, to enjoy this time of freedom and simply enjoy sex for a while.

Abby's emotional betrayal had pulled her back into the vortex of swirling and confusing emotions.

Now, there was more to think about; her mother. Frederique... the great Frederique La Teilière. How on earth and why on earth had her mother kept this thing from her all this time?

As for Abby, the young redhead was wrestling with her own share of emotions: How could she long for both Claude and Jacob at such a deep emotional level? She had found such a good friend in Aimée, a kindred spirit and instant friend. In the heat of the moment, Abby was sure she had lost her friendship with the lovely brunette who already felt like a sister to her.

Both of them felt one thing, however, and that was longing. Abby's 'milking' session with Claude had certainly been wonderful but it still left the deep well of her body wanting. Oppo had been a true lust session, but with her mind in the wrong place.

Abby needed Afflicted companionship worse than usual on this day. This was probably due to the emotions surging about inside of her. Though her symbiote did not have an awareness of what she was thinking it certainly reacted to what she was feeling. If she was lonely, that certainly stimulated the afflicted cells within her body and made them want a companion all the more..

Aimée would have been satisfied with her morning romp with Johnny, but the angst raging inside of her seemed to unsettle her Affliction as well and it was calling to her - begging her to seek out something to soothe her ragged nerves.

When they stepped into the dorm, Jackie had preceded them and she followed the usual custom of removing her dress and undergarments at the entrance and hanging them on a hook.

"What do you say, Abby? Are you going to join me again?" she asked.

"Well, I..."

"I will," said Aimée.

With a glare to Abby, Aimée began unbuttoning her dress. It was a challenge, of sorts - an irrational, juvenile, immature challenge-but one which Abby rose to.

"Wonderful!" said Jackie, "If this keeps up, I'll have the whole dorm naked in less than a week.

There was the usual buzz in the lounge as the students wolfed down a mid-evening meal brought on by young metabolisms of any variety. The conversation, however, waned quickly as the three beauties walked into the room with nothing to hide; literally.

A couple of the boys whistled, and the other girls wore bemused expressions on their faces.

As for Aimée and Abby, they simply walked through with heads held high exuding a confidence neither one of them necessarily felt. It was more a case of not wanting to be shown up by the other. They grabbed some food and sat down at a table. The conversation among the others soon began again, though it was a bit more reserved and there was more than a little muttering about what was going on.

As the girls ate, they scanned the room. Jackie was usually more of a predatory lover, but Aimée and Abby were quickly learning that if one puts oneself out there - one needs to be able to return the attention. Aimée found her eyes drawn the most to a shy, blond boy who kept stealing glances at her from a distant table. He was from the other dorm and she hadn't yet learned his name. Abby found her thoughts lingering on Vladislav, the boisterous Russian from their dorm with whom she had only shared a few kisses.

Once finished with her meal, Aimée cleared her dishes and crossed boldly to the blond and held out her hand.

"Aimée."

"Uhmm, Anders," said the shy Norwegian.

"Anders, I like that name. Would you like to go for a swim, Anders?"

Anders could merely nod and follow Aimée who had already started for the pool in the opposite wing.

"Care for a dip, Vlad?"

Vladislav jumped at the voice in his ear. While he had been watching the interchange between Aimée and Anders, Abby had crept up beside him.

"Absolutely," stammered the shocked Russian.

With a cute shrug of her shoulders, Jackie started for the pool as well.

"A swim sounds good, I think," she said to no one in particular. "Who'd like to join me?"

Three boys jumped up and started to follow her.

"Just one for this time, boys," she said, without even looking back. "We've only got half an hour - no time for any sort of threesome or moresome fun."

The three boys looked to each other and gave the nod to Tony, the boy who had jumped up first.

Aimée and Abby were already in the pool when Anders and Vlad arrived and started to disrobe.

"Race?" suggested Aimée.

"I'd love to," said Abby. "Four lengths."

And they were off.

"Why do I feel like we're being used as pawns in some sort of argument," mused Anders.

"I think vee szhould hope they argue more often," mused Vlad in his Russian accent.

Aimée struck out with a smooth, swift stroke and was prepared to look back over her shoulder and see Abby lagging behind. She just didn't have the look of a swimmer and Aimée was confident she could beat the busty redhead easily.

Aimée was wrong. Since she had awakened, Abby had been overwhelmed with a desperate need to exercise. In part, the constant activity was a good way of shielding herself. One of the disadvantages of being an empath was being subject to the emotions of everyone around. Over time, she had learned to shield herself and focus her receptors, but in the beginning the buffer of the water around her head and the focus on her efforts in the pool had helped filter out the world. Some days she had spent four or more hours in the water. Even her blindness wasn't an issue. She had learned to sense the end of the pool drawing near and had mastered turning. She was more than a match for Aimée. The first length, Aimée led. The second, Abby overtook her and led through half way through the third length when Aimée caught up to her. For the remainder of the race, the two swam exactly parallel to each other.

Meanwhile, Jackie had settled into the water with Tony in the third lane and was kissing him feverishly, barely aware of the competition beside them. By the second lap, she was riding him in the water, making waves of her own.

Vlad and Anders, with nothing better to do, sat down with their legs in the pool at the end of the lanes where the girls who had brought them there were racing. The two girls touched the wall and looked up to them for the verdict.

"Tie," said Vlad.

"I concur," agreed Anders.

"Damn it!" cried Aimée. "One more. Down and back."

"Fine!" said Abby. "Anders, count us off."

"On your mark, get set, go!"

The girls blurred the water. Pushed on by the added strength and dexterity of the Affliction, they practically rose up out of the water from their speed. At the very last second, Aimée, with her more streamlined body pushed ahead - touching the wall perhaps two hands ahead of Abby.

"Close," said Jackie, who had paused her activities to watch the end of the race. "But Aimée beat you, Abby."

"Ha!" laughed Aimée in triumph.

"Who cares," said Abby. "I'm here for other things."

Abby swam up between Vlad's legs. Though his member had lost a bit of interest, the sight of Abby, hair streaming with water and her breasts floating just on the surface was more than enough to bring him back to full attention.

"Hello there, Vlad," she said seductively.

"Hello Abby," he said in his thickly accented voice. "I like my view."

"Oh, so do I," she purred, "especially when seen from your eyes."

She stepped up to his stiff rod and kissed it lovingly.

The competition continued. Aimée had no choice but to do the same for Anders. Abby borrowed Anders' eyes and saw her 'competition' taking a surprising amount of his cock into her throat for one so new to lovemaking (she hadn't seen the memory of the lessons and tips from Frederique).

"Doesn't look like a bad idea," said Jackie. "Hop up there, Tony-boy."

Tony did as she suggested and Jackie called over to the two girls.

"First to make their boy pop like a champagne bottle is the victor."

"Good," said Aimée between strokes.

"Mmm hmm," hummed Abby, not wanting to even lose a second to speak in the race she had tacitly already begun.

The only sounds heard were the slurp of the girls' mouths on cocks, the moans of the boys as they were brought closer and closer to climax..

Tony really didn't have a chance, since he'd already been making love to Jackie in the water. He soon cried out and Jackie tipped back her head, letting him spray white streams over her face and chest.

"I win!" she cried, then dipped a finger into a large gob on her left breast to taste it, "in more ways than one."

The other two didn't care.

Abby had switched over to long, slow strokes - swallowing hard to squeeze Vlad's cock with her throat when he was at his deepest. She knew the technique would soon reap rewards. However, she heard a different moan from Anders and sensed he was even closer.

Damn she thought to herself. I won't lose this one, too.

Using a technique she had only employed a few times, she quickly dove through Vlad's mind and found a recent lovemaking session that was fresh in his consciousness. With just a little twist she brought the moment of orgasm straight to the forefront of his mind and senses. Vlad had no choice in the matter and experienced what was in essence a double orgasm.

"Yes!" she cried, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, but she was the victor all the same. She allowed the first blast to fly through the air and splash across her chin (as proof) and then gobbled up the rest of Vlad's delicious cum as Anders cried out with his own climax.

Though Aimée had lost, she certainly wasn't going to neglect her partner. She held his cock a few inches from her mouth and waited for the first blast. Blast was an understatement - the first stream shot straight to the back of her throat and made her practically gag, not from the taste but from the sheer volume of liquid. What she didn't know was Anders was another renowned stallion of the cadets and his volume certainly rivaled that of Claude. Another blast soon followed - and Aimée found herself once again infected with a hopeless case of the giggles.

"Oh! Oh!! Ha ha! How amazing you are!"

She kept giggling and then stood taller and pushed Anders cock between her breasts, laughing and loving the feel of his warm eruptions coating her skin.

"What's so funny?" asked Anders, a bit self-conscious.

"Oh Anders," said Aimée, climbing out of the pool and giving him a big kiss. "Not funny, fun. "

"Well, I'm glad you had fun," said Abby, watching Aimée's joy with just a bit of resentment. "Call it the consolation prize for losing."

"Losing?" said Aimée. "I won the swimming."

"Very well then, we're tied," said Abby. "One more then?"

"Yes," said Aimée. "First of us to climax."

"Sounds good," said Jackie - who knew she wasn't really part of the inexplicable competition, but was happy to tag along. "But we need rules. No hands, and no tongues down below. You have to reach it with just your partner fucking you and nothing else."

"As I said, we're just pawns in this fight - whatever it's about," whispered Anders to Vlad.

"God willing they keep hating each other," said Vlad.

The girls led the boys to reclining lounge chairs by the pool and sat their partners down.