The Thorns Upon the Roses Ch. 06

Chapter 6

Monday - Week 1

I woke up groggy, as if every hour of sleep had been interrupted by a prick in my neck, an awkward roll that woke me up, or the mattress itself being one of the most uncomfortable planks of wood I had ever slept upon, but those weren't the actual reasons I couldn't sleep. The work had been tedious, and I had spent close to another hour in the bathroom, but last night had truly been an experience into the world of women.

My legs had taken too long to properly shave. They were thick with hair, but after a ridiculous amount of time, they were buttery smooth. Next, my chest. There was never much hair there to begin with, but from neck to navel, I was hairless. Then my armpits. Then I looked at my caged penis. I could tell my pubes were starting to grow, but I could only get so close. I gave up, and I foraged in the vanity for a body lotion that would make me smooth, as I could remember unpacking one. Then I spotted a bottle next to it with a curious name. Hair-No-More. I read the instructions, and scrubbed a little around my cage. I jumped back in the shower and sure enough, the pubes fell straight off. I wished I had found this before I did my legs...

But this morning, I was tired, and I was nervous, and I couldn't stop feeling my legs. I had never felt them so smooth, but on top of the body lotion they were smooth in a way that began to tease me at times.

Class started in an hour and a half, so I got ready with some basic make-up, a wake-up shower, and I snacked on the food from yesterday. It was terrible, but I was starving. Yesterday also had a better taste in my mouth. I was still feeling everything from the previous day, but Kripke had scared me straight, and I figured that I would rather be alive and depressed in some psycho-mansion, than I would prefer to be disposed of. With a forced smile, I told myself today would be better.

I couldn't remember what I should wear for my first day, nor could I tell if the uniform was mandatory, but the outfit was going to be on its third day of use, so I decided to try something new. Instead, I put on some black slacks and a light grey blouse. My backpack was by the door full of things the Doctor had stocked for me, but I had only ever given it a glance as I noticed it on my first day, and it had been full of generic supplies for a college course.

With a shrug, I slipped on some black pumps, pulled on my backpack, and exited the room with the door hissing open. I turned down the hall and immediately was face-to-face with Abby.

"Hey," I said. I wasn't about to look as humiliated as I felt. "How's it going!"

"Hi," Abby said as she pulled her own backpack on. "I talked to Avery about your stuff. Did she tell you anything?"

"Oh yeah, she mentioned it when she came by yesterday. I was just so tired... that I figured I'd see you again. And get my stuff then!" I hoped that had sounded convincing.

Abby smiled her pearly white teeth at me and said, "Here, I'll grab it for you. It's only sitting on my dresser." Abby walked into her room, and the door hissed shut behind her. After a moment, she hadn't returned, so I walked to the door as it opened to see the room empty of Abby.

"Hello?" I asked to the empty room.

"I stepped into the bathroom; it'll be a second!"

I walked in, and suddenly this room had a different feeling than when I had been in here a few days ago. It felt more like an office. Cold, sterile, and maybe calculated to have a welcoming look. I looked over at her dresser and there was nothing upon it.

"Abby? Aren't we going to be late?"

From behind me I heard, "I would never be late for class." I turned to see Abby with her hands behind her back, and a smile again across her face, but this time it was mutated into a smirk. "Jess, take a seat."

Something inside me told me to run. I listened, only for the door to not open behind me. I pressed against it. I knocked on it. I slammed on it. It wouldn't budge.

"Honey, sit down. I only want to talk about the lake."

"Uhh," I stammered, "I'm not sure I want to. Fun it happened! Sad it's over. New chapters, you know?"

"I disagree." Abby took slow steps toward me until she had me pressed against the door. As her body pressed against mine, I could feel the heat from under her skirt pressing back against me. "Jess, I asked for you to take a seat. Why won't you listen to me?" Her voice was slow and calm. If I were drunk, it would have sounded like a flirty way to talk to me. Was that how it had actually sounded the other night?

"Sit? Okay, just um. Abby, maybe give me an inch or two so I don't need to be cornered into the doorway? How does that sound?"

Abby's hand went down to my crotch, and she grabbed my caged dick with her entire hand. She began to squeeze slightly. My body crumbled as it stood. Any breath of wind would have knocked me over completely.

"Yesterday, I wanted to see you again. Why didn't you come over here?"

I squealed for a second in pain and fear before lying, "I didn't feel great. Stomach bug or something."

Abby squeezed tighter, and my balls began to cry out louder. "Don't lie to me."

"Fuck you! Oh God, let go!" I pushed back hard, but my strength was siphoned from me. I pushed against Abby, and it felt like a light tap. Her dick began to push against my thigh, and I could feel its warmth growing. "Please, Abby!"

"Please? You left me at the cabin! You avoided me yesterday! You..." Abby blinked and the rage inside her subsided. She let go of my dick and stepped back. Another step back, and she stumbled, and fell hard onto the floor.

I was practically wheezing from being out of breath from pain. I slid down against the door and spread my legs as I massaged my balls through my pants. "Abby, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Abby looked at me, echoing the fear I had in my eyes. "What the hell was that?"

If I wasn't blinded by the assault, I would have had something better to say. Instead, I simply said, "Yeah. Yeah, that's a question!"

"I think the Doctor changed my prescriptions again," Abby said. "I don't know what that was, but I felt it come over me the second I saw you in the hallway."

"Prescription," I asked?

"You're already taking some. Its in your food, just like ours. We all eat the same stuff, and its all spiked with something. For me it started a few weeks in. I got a bottle of pills after one of the Doctor's classes, and for a month I was taking them. I hear everyone gets them at some point, but they don't really do the same thing for everyone."

"Great," I said, "So the Doc gave you murder pills."

Abby stood up and walked over to me as she extended her hand, showcasing her new French-tip manicure. Wait, how did I know that's a French-tip? "It wasn't a murder pill."

I grabbed Abby's hand and winced as I came up. "Then what was it?"

Abby looked to the side and avoided the question. "Let's get to class, Jess. I'm sorry." Abby grabbed my hand in hers and said, "Seriously, I'm really sorry."

I dropped her soft hand and said, "Sorry!? Abby, stop taking the pills! Obviously, they're all whack or something!"

Abby pressed a button next to me on the wall, and I heard the door unlock behind me. As she hit the button, her face was so close to mine, I could feel the air coming out of her nose, and I I'm sure she could feel the tremble in my breath. As if it were an echo in a cave, somewhere deep down within me wanted to start kissing her again, but Abby said, "Would you take whatever the Doc offers for an extra 10K?"

I looked down into her eyes, and I realized she was taller than I had thought. Up close, I stood only a couple inches taller than her, but before, she had seemed much smaller.

Abby moved away from me and grabbed her backpack off the bed. "We can talk later. Class starts soon!"

---

As Abby pointed them out to me, Madeline and Chelsea were already sitting next to one another in the front of the class, and yet again, these lavishly beautiful women acted as if I were one of them. With nothing giving them away as men, I genuinely couldn't tell if they were transformed or naturally women, but it didn't matter to me.

Immediately, Madeline took to me, and her entire demeanor radiated "Big Sister" energy. Practically under her wings, Madeline was already arranging for a nail session as today ended, because hers "needed to be fixed, pronto!" Madeline was the living embodiment of a lighthouse, whose lights were her eyes, and when they looked at you, it was as if everyone should be looking at you. Deep, green, with speckles of brown, her eyes were a treasure to behold.

Chelsea said next to nothing outside of a polite, "Hello."

"But anyway, Abby, you missed a great week for books. Ave was all like, deep into explaining metaphors or those things I don't pick up on in books, and I had this moment where I was like, 'Wow! This book makes so much more sense!' Totally missed it. I'm sure you had fun. What were you up to?"

"Oh, I took Jess on a hike, but then we lost track of time."

Madeline turned to me to monologue again. "Isn't it just so beautiful out here? I love the mountains, and I love the birds! I can hear them sometimes from my room! Ugh, isn't the lake house just perfect! One time, Chels and I were doing laps in the lake, and I swear, we could have been Insta-famous from how we looked in the water. National freakin' Geographic needs to take a few pics of this place. Did you see the lake house? Oh, it's amazing!"

Madeline doesn't know I went to the lake house! My heart began to soar knowing what happened between Abby and I was still a secret. Knowing that, I gained a little more respect for Abby.

"Oh yeah, the lake house was so beautiful. We went down there and... dipped our toes into the water for a minute. It's something, alright."

Madeline cocked her head back and laughed, "Something alright!" She laughed again, "Jess, you are adorable. Where are you from? Who talks like that?"

"New York. Well, not originally. I was further down the coast for most of my life. Then I went to NYU for college."

Madeline took a moment to take in my words, as if they had requested to be reflected upon. "Wonderful. I'm glad you're here. Mani's at 5? My room is two doors down from Abby's room. Chels sits between us."

Chelsea continued to slouch in her chair, and she showed no interest in the conversation, but then she mumbled, "I'll be there. Mine need a touch-up."

"Well, have fun ladies." Abby pulled out her journal from her bag, and her tone seemed to sink as she said, "I need to meet with Cooper tonight to go over... whatever it is this time."

The girls didn't ask or prod, so I followed the example.

Noise and notoriety walked through the door, and I felt my entire body tense up. Today, she was wearing a grey dress under her white lab coat, and her bag slammed against the desk as she began to organize her body and things. Without ever looking to us, the Doctor asked a blunt, "Where is Blair this morning?"

Madeline answered for the group, "I don't know ma'am."

"Well, I suppose she has another minute before she is technically late." The Doctor was still focused on her things, yet her words still carried that familiar weight that seemed to caress every letter, yet her lips were read to pounce with force at the blink of an eye. "Madeline, how was your tennis lessons yesterday? I could hear you for almost three hours. That's quite a work-out!"

"It was great. Mrs. Kaylee is such a great coach. If she has a review coming up, make sure you note her backswing. Its not even fair to fight against." After she said this, Madeline added a quick, "I hope I wasn't bothering you. I didn't realize you could hear me from your office."

"Oh, it wasn't an eavesdrop, dear. I was just keeping tabs on you. And I'll make sure to note that in Mrs. Kaylee's file. Maybe one day, she can teach you enough to take me on!" For the first time, the Doctor looked up at us, and she seemed sisterly for a moment. But, it was only for a moment, because a new face rushed through the door, half awake, a large t-shirt over gym shorts, and a blanket wrapped around her. "MISS BLAIR! I do believe class begins when I state that it does. Why do you feel the need to be late so often?"

The woman, Blair, had shorter hair than the other women, yet it was full and curly with its brown force. She sat next to Abby and said, "Sorry, Doctor. It won't happen again."

"I believe I've heard that one before, young lady."

"Again, sorry."

"Miss Blair, perhaps I'm not making myself clear enough."

"I meant it! I'm sorry. I didn't sleep well last night. I think this new dosage is..."

"My new dosage? I'm sorry, I don't believe that my prescriptions for you would cause you to never have put any effort into this program."

"Doctor, I just-"

"Perhaps our discussion last week was not curt enough, or perhaps I'm too cryptic with my words. In front of your peers, I'm almost ashamed to speak to you like this, but sometimes it must be done! I will say this one final time, and I can assure you, that I will never say this again: Show up on time, or this will have consequences moreso than the one I will issue to you now. Tonight, meet me in my office. Six o'clock. We will discuss options toward helping your punctuality. If you are not ten minutes early, I will consider you late. I would advise NOT being late."

The Doctor's cold gaze never faltered, and the other girls seemed to not know where to look. I could feel the tension with each tick of the clock on the wall, and each tock was a punch to the nerves. I was terrified of what was awaiting Blair, but more than that, I was worried about what might happen to me should the Doctor think I was looking at her curiously. I didn't dare lift my eyes up off my desk until I heard the Doctor say, "So today, we will be looking into a few natural landmarks across the southern hills of Spain, in a city named Seville..."

Class with other people was strange to say the least. As if any of Spain's landmarks would ever have any importance in our lives, the girls paid attention with heightened scrutiny. They asked clarifying questions, they took detailed notes, and sometimes they even referenced older notes to previous classes. To my shock, Blair seemed to be the one taking the most detailed notes. I struggled to keep up, as the Doctor rolled past ideas, but then would circle back to them.

From Spain's landmarks, the subject dove into the physicality of letters in the English alphabet. "B and P are the same noise, just B has more oomph to it. As you say these letters, P is softer, but we stress the breath more in B. The same goes for D and T. C and Z."

It was like forming constellations out of grains of sand on a beach. I couldn't grasp how one subject might lead to the next, or why we were learning such random things. Seemingly, the Doctor treated us as if we experts in literature, sciences, phonetics, geology...

A few hours passed, and I could see Blair's yawns increase in frequency with every passing minute. It was suddenly noon, and the Doctor stated, "Class is over for today. Enjoy your lunches, ladies. Blair don't forget about our meeting this evening. Also, this afternoon, Mr. Cooper is going to be screening a movie. I believe he said around three. Either way, it's a pleasure as always, girls.

---

As it was my first time seeing the dining with life, I was almost in shock that my breakfast and lunches before today had looked so bland. Five empty plates were waiting for us, including Blair, who had vocalized how terrible her sleep had been and that she wanted to go nap instead, but reluctantly she had followed along. A large table sat in the middle of the room, with plates, cutlery, glasses for water and wine. Music bounced around the walls with a soft jest as a speaker sat near in a corner, of which some generic light-jazz played out. I wondered if it was elevator music for normal people. Large windows had their blinds pulled to the side, and a breeze swam through the open airways. I could hear birds singing outside, while a warm breeze danced across my arms.

Perhaps the girls had their own seats, but I couldn't tell. They appeared to each pick a plate at random, and they continued to chat among themselves as they sat down and placed their bags around them on empty chairs or the floor alongside them.

Abby hadn't sat down yet, and she said, "I'll be back. I need a bathroom break after that lecture. Anybody else?"

Madeline stood, "Speaking my language, honey."

The two trotted down the hall, so I said to Chelsea and Blair, "Sorry, but I have a question. With class, do you all like, actually learn these things, or is it just note-taking, because... Wow." I reached forward and grabbed my glass of water and sipped it. A taste seemed to linger somewhere in the back of my mouth.

Chelsea said, "I mean, yeah. I learn a ton from the Doc."

"But these subjects are so all over the place."

"You get used to it," Blair said. "But you just pay attention, and that's all that matters." Blair waved at me as she continued, "Nice to finally meet you. I heard we got another, but I never managed to find you. I'm Blair."

"Jess," I waved back.

"The tests are ridiculously easy," Blair continued, "so I'm not sure why she wants us to take such thorough notes, but good notes at the end of a month is an extra 200 big ones. Extra for how well they are on top of the 200."

Chelsea said, "About four months ago..."

"It was six months," Blair corrected, clearly already knowing the story Chelsea was telling.

"Mhm... So, six months ago, I turned in my notes with the Doc, and she gave me 900 dollars for mine. Well, added it to the paystub."

My eyes widened. "No shit. Wait, does she sit down with us and go over our income from time to time?"

"Monthly," Chelsea answered.

"So how did you not remember that you had that meeting six months ago?"

"Because not all of us have a freaky memory like you do, Blair."

"Its not freaky." Blair wiggled her fingers as she leaned forward, "Its part of my superpowers!"

"Ugh." Chelsea leaned back in her chair and looked at the table.

"She denies it Jess, but I got superpowers from this place." Blair looked at me with a lack of sleep for once.

I humored her. "And how did you get them?"

"Its from the drugs the Doc gave me. I noticed pretty soon after taking them, that I had this memory that was like, crystal clear. Seriously! I can recreate any room in my head, top to bottom. Any story? I remember every detail. I didn't use to be like this, but those drugs man! They are kickass sometimes."

"But the ones you're on now? They make you tired or something?"

"Eh, sorta. Its like this, the Doc starts to prescribe them to you eventually. Madeline is the latest to get her dosage. She got here about six weeks before you. They just home in on something the Doc wants, then certain things about the dosage change."

Chelsea chimed in. "Blair, quit talking about this. We're about to eat!"

Completely ignoring Chelsea, Blair steamrolled, "I think the Doc is trying to exhaust me to the point of death, but still see what I can remember while I'm delirious. Its not just in the pills they make you take. That water tastes odd, doesn't it? I've never had water that tasted like that!"

"It's because we are so far into the mountains," Chelsea said, "that it's all filtered by their own gear. It's not going to taste like city water would."

"Seriously," I asked? I tried to suppress the feelings of terror and shock, but this wasn't the first time I had heard these words. Some part of me had laughed it off before, but now... Now I was apparently being drugged for some sick game! "There's no way."

Blair only nodded back to me. I watched the drowsiness kick back in.