The Second Place Sister

The weight of it all, the absurdity, was just too much. His head ached. He couldn't stop thinking about it, putting the pieces together, but eventually sleep overtook him.

He awoke with a start as the sound of crashing wood and screams echoed through the house. He heard Melanie scream Stephanie name, and the sound of pounding steps running down the hall. John leaped off the couch and shot up the steps to find the door to Tori's room splintered open.

"Where is it you fucking cunt?" Stephanie's shriek came from within.

John barreled through the broken door, blood pounding in his ears, just as Cindy rolled across the floor. Melanie struggled with Stephanie, who was on top of her sister, screaming. Cindy pushed herself off the floor and launched her tiny body into Stephanie, taking the bigger girl, and Melanie over sideways. Tori, free now, quickly rolled out of bed and ran behind her father.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Stephanie screamed, looking as though she was absolutely serious.

Melanie and Cindy pinned her down, while John stood over her, his face twisted with anger.

"Stephanie!" He yelled.

Her furious gaze fell on him, softened, and she stopped fighting.

"Daddy," she choked.

"Baby, please, you need to stop this. I know what you did," he said, and felt himself choke.

Melanie and Cindy both looked at him curiously. John motioned for them to get up, and he cradled his daughter in his arms.

"Stop this, Stephie, I'm begging you, please. No more. I know everything, and It has to stop,"

"You...you took it, didn't you?" She said, her face turning white.

"Yes, and I had a visit from the FBI,"

"The FBI? John, what the hell is going on?" Melanie shouted.

Mike had made it up the stairs now, and had his arms around Tori and Cindy.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Stephanie spat, her voice full of venom.

She pointed her finger at Tori, her hand shaking with rage, "I hate you," she cursed, "I fucking hate you, you stupid cunt,"

Every face in the room looked at her as though she'd grown an extra head.

"They loved you more than me. Everyone loved perfect little Tori, always in first," she went on in a little sing song voice. John could feel her shaking with fury as he held her, "It was never Stephie with a gold medal, never Stephie that had the friends, the boyfriend, first in the class. It was you!"

Tori looked completely lost. Her eyes filled with tears. This couldn't be right. Stephanie loved her, she was protecting her, looking out for her because she was sick! But now, her sister really was a crazy person, on a tirade blaming Tori for everything.

"But look at you now, you fucking perfect little princess. You're nothing but a dumb slut that can't even control her own cunt," Stephanie laughed wickedly.

John pushed her away as if he realized he'd been hugging a viper, got off the bed and stood with his family.

"Stephie," Tori said softly.

"Shut up! Don't you Stephie me, you bitch! You've always held me in contempt. I was the embarrassing sister in your perfect little world,"

"Stephie, no,"

"Don't you lie to me!" She snapped, and stood up, flipping her hair out of her face.

Stephanie looked at her cowering sister, and started to laugh maniacally, almost doubling over. She straightened up, tears of joy in her eyes, as she looked at her sister.

"Oh, but this is exactly what you deserve, Tori. Everything you had, all the success, all of it, gone. And do you know who took it from you? I did,"

"I don't understand," Tori said, confused.

"Of course you don't. All you can think about is your cunt, and I did that. Who do you think put fucking drugs in your locker? Who tipped off the police? Who dosed you with the shit that made you fail those piss tests? I did it, and I'm glad!"

Her entire family stood stunned as her admission poured from Stephanie's mouth. All of them, except for Tori.

"You...you f, framed me? You, Stephie?"

"Yes, yes, yes you dumb whore! Oh, and I arranged for your special rehabilitation. How is that feeling, sissy? Are you feeling...rehabilitated?"

Her grin was pure evil, and Tori saw that her sister had finally gone over the edge. Her eyes were completely hysterical as her entire life collapsed on top of her.

"You...the clinic? You made me...you made me a slut!" Tori cried as it all came together.

"And a good one, too, didn't I, pussy girl?"

"Stephie, why? I loved you!"

Tori's heart broke, the little bit of control, her sister, that she had been clinging to was suddenly dashed apart. But even the hatred pouring off of her wasn't enough to break her love.

"Stop it! You don't! You're a liar!" Stephanie screamed.

"No! Please, Stephie,"

The last thing the unhinged teenage expected was for Tori to hug her, but that's exactly what happened. Tori pulled Stephanie into her arms and cried into her hair.

"I love you, Stephie," she cried, "please don't do this. I forgive you! Just please, come back. Please, I can't do this without you, Stephie!"

Stephanie, completely caught off guard, didn't know how to react. Her hate didn't have a response for this.

"I need you to take care of me, Stephie," Tori said, "And I'll take care of you, too. If you can carry me, I can carry you, sissy. I don't care if it's uphill all the way, and covered in ice and snow. I love you so much, Stephie. Please, please, just come back from wherever you are,"

"What?" Stephanie asked, astonished, the anger flagging.

"Don't you see, Stephie? You didn't take anything from me," Tori said, holding her close, "You gave me everything I was missing. This last week, I've never been closer to you, to mom and dad, Mike, not even Tim. I would never have this if it weren't for you, and I don't hate you! I just want you to come back to me, because I love you so much! And if you hadn't sent me to that place, then what would have happened to Cindy? You gave her a home, and a family, Stephie,"

"But, I...I..."

"I mean, yeah, it was pretty fucked up, I'm not gonna say it wasn't," Tori laughed, "but look at who we became because of it,"

John and Melanie surged forward and wrapped their arms around the girls. Mike and Cindy stood aloof, but held each other.

"How can you say that, Tori?" Stephanie wondered, "How can you possibly forgive me? You'll never be the same. It's impossible to turn back,"

"I don't care. I don't want to be that person anymore, not after all of this. I just need you to help me, to keep me under control and to love me. Please love me, Stephie, because I love you,"

"And we love you," John said, "but it doesn't mean you aren't grounded for turning your sister into an insatiable slut,"

Melanie and Tori laughed, but Stephanie felt the last bit of rage leave her body, and she cried again. She was so tired, so empty without the years of hate to cling to. Tori brushed her parents away, and helped Stephanie to her bed. She crawled in next to her, and draped her arm around her waist.

"I love you, Stephie," She said.

Stephanie just sobbed. Tori looked over her shoulder and pleaded with her eyes for her family to leave. Mike and Cindy drifted out. Melanie and John, a little more reluctantly, left holding hands. Tori no longer had much of a door to shut, so they just left it and went downstairs. Melanie pulled her husband down onto the couch with her.

"So, I'm still a little unclear as to what the hell is going on here. Do you mind filling me in?"

John took a deep breath, let it out, and started from the beginning of what he'd been able to piece together.

*Sisters*

"I can carry you,"

The words rang in Stephanie's ears as she lay cradled in Tori's arms. It struck her because of the dream, the same dream that plagued her over and ever. Stephanie was smart. She knew that the memory of that day was her subconscious latching onto a fond memory of a time her sister had been there, had helped her. It was a way for the guilt to reach the front of her mind, after being pushed so far back for so long.

She'd tried so hard to convince herself that Tori deserved everything that Stephanie had done to her, but once she got it out, admitted it all to her family, it felt small and stupid. Maybe it wouldn't have, if Tori had admitted that she felt the same way, that she had lived her life looking down on Stephanie. But it hadn't happened that way. Tori had reacted differently, and it was so hard to hold onto the hate in the face of such powerful love.

She also had to admit to herself that the last week had made it much more difficult to justify her hate. When they'd entered their teen years, the twins had begun to drift apart. They developed new friendships, grew into their own personalities, and Tori had become more distant, more aloof. That was when the hate really began to grow. Stephanie felt snubbed as Tori became more popular, more successful.

Since coming home, though, Tori had been completely different. The intimacy they'd shared over the last seven days had brought them so close. Maybe, closer than they had ever been. She could feel, every time Tori looked at her, each time she told her she loved her, with each lick and suck between her legs, she could feel the truth of that love. And, it had begun to chip away at the rocky core of disdain that she had been holding for so long.

"I can't do this without you, Stephie. Please come back to me!"

Those simple words, feeling the the truth of them in Tori's embrace, had shattered the thick walls Stephanie had built around her heart. She didn't just feel bad, or guilty for what she'd done. She was destroyed. What she had done, it wasn't forgivable, and yet she'd been forgiven, totally and completely, and that was what hurt the most. Even in the face of life-altering change, having everything stripped away from her, Tori could say such a thing and mean it. It wasn't Tori that deserved the pain, the humiliation. It was herself.

Stephanie could feel herself losing her mind as the foundation of resentment, rage, and scorn fell out beneath her. How could she turn around and look into the face that she shared with this person, look into the same eyes as her own, and not wilt with the shame of her actions. But, she had to try, didn't she? If ever she was going to crawl back to some level of sanity, she had to look at Tori.

She rolled over, saw the deep worry in her sister's beautiful face. There wasn't a trace of anger in her eyes. There was only concern, caring, love. How had she been so wrong? Tori's hand stroked her cheek, pushed her hair out of the way. She didn't say anything, but it was enough that she was here.

"What...what have I done, Tori?" Stephanie choked.

"Hush, Stephie. You just let me talk, and you hush, alright?"

Stephanie nodded.

"You know, there may be times where the things we do, well, they don't make sense. They have consequences that we never intended. I can see, now, that I hurt you. I hurt you so badly, Stephie, and the worst part of it is that I never even thought about it. The things you said, well, they were partly true. I drifted away from you, from my best friend. But I never hated you, Stephie. I never looked down on you, and I never stopped loving you. I just didn't, well, I didn't think that I wanted to be like you. You're so compulsive, so risky, and the truth is that I was afraid of what I would be like if I followed you. But now, everything is different. What you did was wrong, yes, I can't lie to you and say it wasn't. But I can understand why, and that makes me accept it. Not only that, I can see what it's done to me, to us, and I've learned something from all of this. I've learned that what I had, the medals, the structure, none of it was important. Not really. It's this that's important, Stephie," she said, and held her hand, "It's you, and it's me. It's mom and dad. It's Mike, and it's Cindy. It's the love, Stephie. And I wouldn't have ever found it again, if you hadn't acted the way you did. Cindy never would have found it, if you hadn't acted. You might not see it this way, but by changing my life, you changed Cindy's for the better. Really, for the better. And if I had to give up some stupid medals, so that she could be happy, then that's a small sacrifice. Over the weekend, when you...you tied me in that chair, which was really hot by the way, well, afterwards I thought really hard about what was happening between us. I decided, then, that I know I can't control myself anymore. Just like Cindy, I'll become consumed and spread my legs for anyone that wants me. Do you know how frightening it is, knowing that you have no control whatsoever? Well, I made a decision that night, and I decided that you would be my control. I trusted you, and I still do, to keep me reigned in, to keep me safe. I still need you to be that, Stephie. You might think that you took that control by sheer force, and took advantage of me, and that might be part of the truth. However, I gave it up to you willingly, too. I know that you'll protect me, even now, after the things you said, I know it. Now, tell me you love me,"

Stephanie felt a pain in her heart, and a lump in her throat. Every word from Tori's mouth was like daggers, piercing her armor, tearing it away. If they'd had this talk a month ago, would it be the same? She thought not, and Tori made good points. Her hate wasn't the liberating, driving force that she'd fooled herself into thinking it was. It was a ball and chain, weighing her down, sinking her. It might have even drowned her, eventually.

"I...I love you," Stephanie said, and this time she found that she really meant it.

"I love you, too, sissy. I love you, and I trust you, and no matter what happens from here forward, I want us to be...to be what we really are. Sisters?"

Tori put her head against Stephanie's, the heat of her skin a comfort, her twin's eyes, wet and red said everything she could have hoped for.

"Sisters." Stephanie declared, and kissed her.

"Stephie,"

"Hmm?"

"I'm still your slut," Tori hissed, "and I like everything about it. Please don't stop."

Stephanie grinned, and said, "Well, I hardly slept at all last night, and that little domination game that mom was playing with me still has me hot as fuck, so I guess you better get to work pussy girl,"

Tori sank beneath the covers, and the sound of Stephanie's moans was like music to her ears.

*Evidence*

Agent Oliver welcomed John Hamlin and his family into a conference room, and seated them around a big, round table. Along with them was John's friend and lawyer, Stu. His wife and girls were beautiful, and the agent felt his stomach turn at what they'd been subjected to. He offered them drinks. Stu, John, and Melanie took coffee, the girls some water.

"I appreciate you coming in, especially you, Stephanie," Agent Oliver said, "And I'm glad you've decided to help us,"

Tori squeezed her sister's hand under the table.

"Yeah, sure," Stephanie said, looking down.

"I hope you don't mind if I get straight to it," the agent said, "I can't tell you what any evidence would mean to us at this point,"

Stu cleared his throat, "Speaking on behalf of my clients, I have to have certain assurances first. The family has a few concerns, and some requests that we're going to ask you to honor before any further discussion takes place,"

"Go ahead," Oliver said, spreading his hands.

"First, total immunity for Stephanie Hamlin," Stu stated, "my clients would like to work out their internal family issues themselves, and have requested that their children have no part in any legal proceedings until necessary. In exchange for immunity, Stephanie has a great deal of information that we think will be of use to your investigation,"

"That's reasonable. Consider it done,"

"Second, the video evidence that Mr. Hamlin will be furnishing you with contains very graphic images of his daughter, Tori, and we demand that this evidence not be shared with any media outlet, and not be used for any purpose other than prosecution of those involved in the alleged conspiracy,"

"Of course,"

"Very good. If that's agreed, then I have some documentation I'd like you to sign. I assume you have the authority to make good on these promises on behalf of your division?"

"I do,"

Stu passed him some papers, watched him sign them, and put them into his briefcase.

"The floor, is yours, Agent Oliver," Stu said.

"Thank you," he set a recorder on the table, switched it on, "I'll be recording this conversation for the sake of the investigation. I can assure you that anything said in this room will remain private, and will only be shared on an as-needed basis with our legal team, in the event that we are able to move ahead with any prosecution. Is that fair?"

"Yes," Stu said.

"Stephanie," Oliver said, "Could you please recount to me all the events, as you remember them, starting from your first involvement with any individuals known to you as part of the wider network of conspirators?"

Stephanie took a drink of her water, and with a shaky voice began to recount all the awful things she'd done. Tori held her hand under the table. She could tell that it was difficult for Stephanie, especially in front of her parents, to let it out, but she did it.

Mr. Hart, chemistry teacher, was Stephanie's original point of contact. It fit with what Oliver had put together so far. Mr. Hart had befriended Stephanie in her sophomore year, helping her with chemistry and biology homework during her study period. He'd probed her very subtly, and carefully, picking up on her feelings of abandonment and anger toward her sister. When she got into his class as a junior, the following year, their relationship began to become more intimate.

Mr. Hart suggested that he might know of a way to knock Tori down a few pegs, and teach her a lesson. Stephanie, controlled by her anger, had readily agreed. He dropped hints that he knew some friends who were highly skilled at taking young girls under their care, and turning them into sluts. Stephanie, curious and a highly sexual person herself, was soon asking all the right questions.

Her teacher made it quite clear that there were several well-defined formulas that his "friends" had used in the past, to ensure that nothing could be traced back to them, and it would look to all the world as if Tori was a victim of her own mistakes. He went over with her, on several occasions, her role in the planning, the execution, and how things were to be handled once Tori's "adjustments" had been made.

Stephanie, no idiot, knew that nothing came for free. Her part, after the changes had been made, was to pay a great deal of money. At first, Stephanie wasn't certain if it was feasible, but Mr. Hart was quick to present a number of options. They finally settled on building an adult website. They ran several numbers on the potential income from it, and looked extensively at real numbers from hundreds of such sites. The sum Stephanie needed to pay, one million dollars, was a drop in the bucket for the long term income potential involved.

Mr. Hart made it very clear, though, that if she couldn't, or wouldn't pay her debts, that his "friends" had ways of recouping their losses. Many of those involved both girls being used for various sexual enterprises, most likely prostitution in one form or another. Stephanie, sure that she could make the website work, had readily agreed.

Mr. Hart supplied her with a chemical compound that would make it impossible for Tori to pass a drug test, which would be required if she were arrested for possession of controlled substances on school grounds. The compound would also alter Tori's brain chemistry, making her irrational, sexually charged, prone to compulsive masturbation, and unable to focus. All of these would raise red flags with any reasonable person, and when the inevitable charges came, it would be hard for anyone to deny that she had been acting very strangely.