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The Gift: Day 01

By: bluefox07



EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE & SIMPLY_CYN

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

"I'm reposting 'The Gift' here before I post the new version of it this fall. I suppose I'd for the original version to be here for people to compare and contrast with the new one. Some sections of the story were lost and I had to rewrite them from memory, so if it's a little different... well, then it's a little different. The narrative is very raw. This story was a total learning experience if ever I had one. I wrote this story just after I joined the site back 2004. Enjoy!"

*

SUNDAY

"Why are we doing this again?" Daniel asked, his sunglasses reflecting the bright morning sunlight as he and his best friend Jessie cruised the coastal highway in.

"For fun, man," Jesse smiled and reclined back, feeling good as he maneuvered the rolling curves of the blacktop. His white 1987 Firebird roared along, it's throaty engine echoing off the hillside.

"It's all bullshit you know," he replied. 

"So what?"

"So, why pay for bullshit?"

Jesse frowned. "Didn't you ever see 'Mallrats'?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Okay, the psychic in that movie did her readings topless. Maybe this one will too."

"She had a three fucking nipples," Daniel laughed, "You know what the odds are of finding a topless psychic?"

"Pretty thin," Jesse nodded, "But imagine if we did."

"Shit," Daniel rolled his blue eyes, "She'll probably look like Irene Ryan with titties bouncing off her shins."

"There's an image," Jesse commented as they pulled off the highway and entered the small town of Derridge. The place was a good example of upper-middle class America, and according to the informational sign at the base of the off ramp, the population was just over one thousand. It was a tourism-based economy for sure as they cruised down Main Street, surrounded by souvenir shops, bait shops, café's and one small theater. The salty air was thick here, a reminder that the ocean breached the mainland only a half mile away. The citizens of the town went about their business, cheerful and almost oblivious to the two newcomers.

"Not one single Negro" Jesse muttered, "Nothing but vanilla."

"What do you expect?" Daniel asked. "Not everyone has a year-round tan like you. You think they're racists?"

Jesse's deep, dark eyes gleamed with amusement. "No. It just means all the black folk are too smart to live this close to the water."

"Bite me," Daniel said as he watched the storefronts pass by.

"There it is," he said, pointing to a small brick building nestled between the theater and a bookstore called "The Book Worm." The bold pink neon of the sign mounted to the building told the universe that "Madame Helena's World of the Supernatural" was open for business. It took them five minutes to find a decent spot to park, and they ended up walking from the far end of the street back to their destination. As they crossed the street, Jesse became aware of people looking at them.

He was dressed in his usual work boots, loose fitting jeans and red t-shirt. He always wore red, as it just seemed to compliment his mocha colored skin better than any other color. Daniel was in his khakis and sweatshirt, the anger tiger mascot of their high school tearing across the chest and leaping out. They didn't look too out of the ordinary in his opinion, and yet it seemed everyone was taking notice. Being strangers to them and all, he guessed he couldn't blame them. Or maybe it was just they didn't get much color in their town on a regular basis. Either way, their not-so-subtle appraisal of them made him feel uneasy.

"You get the feeling we're being watched?" he asked Daniel.

"They just can't figure out what a smart black man like you is doing so close to the water," he smirked.

"Smart ass."

They reached the glass door and Jesse opened it, the jingle of a bell heralding their entrance.

Upon stepping inside Madame Helena's World of the Supernatural, they were bombarded by a wave of Egyptian incense. It invaded their nostrils relentlessly and made Daniel feel lightheaded as they walked in. Jessie waved his hands around and coughed as they looked through the smoky atmosphere of the shop. The walls were cluttered with all kinds of psychic paraphernalia and trinkets, from assorted sizes of crystal ball to healing crystals to voodoo dolls and finally to dream catchers, hanging by the hundred from the acoustic tiled ceiling. Blue and red lighting set the mood for the establishment, turning Jessie's dark skin purple as they looked around.

"Holy shit," he coughed.

"I know," Daniel chuckled as he picked up a voodoo doll from one of the many display tables. He pulled and tugged at the small, burlap arms.

"Check this out," Jesse leaned in over the display counter, his shaved head reflecting blue light. A statue of a naked woman sporting the biggest pair of breasts he had ever seen hugging some dragon-like monster sat prominently on display. He commented, "She had nice titties, but the whole bestiality thing is too much."

Daniel looked at the statue. "Wow, she must have back problems."

"It's got theme, I'll give it that," Jesse said as he looked around the shop.

"So where's your topless, three-nippled psychic?" Daniel muttered.

"I don't do readings topless," a withered voice from the far corner of the shop spoke up, old and frail yet with a power that made them both jump, "And as to a third nipple, well, that's none of your business really."

From out of her hiding place came an ancient, hunched over woman. Her hair was snow white, hanging in long strands from her skull to the middle of her back. The lines of her face were cut deep while her eyes seemed to regard them with a mild curiosity from their cavernous sockets. Her lips were wrinkled and dry, behind which sat uneven and discolored teeth. Her clothes were simple, neutral colors and seemed to be better suited for life in the Middle Ages. Jesse recalled a dream he had suffered all his childhood, about a witch chasing him on a broomstick, trying to eat him.

It was as if his nightmare had found substance and crossed over into the real world. He forced a smile on his face.

"Madame Helena, I presume?" Daniel offered his hand amiably.

"Presume nothing here," she raised an overgrown brow and looked at him coolly, "Although you already assume too much about that which you know nothing."

"Ma'am?" Jesse asked.

"Presumption and assumption go hand in hand, young one," she smiled at him, concentrating for a moment on him as though she saw something that surprised her. She added, "You're a smart one."

"We were wondering if you could-" Jesse began, but was cut off.

"If I could read your thoughts, see your future?" she offered.

"Yes ma'am."

"Twenty dollars for the both of you," she said flatly and turned, motioning for them to follow her. They went back to where she had been sitting in the shadows and found a doorway, covered by thick gypsy curtains. They passed through, and Jesse got a nose full of dust. He sneezed violently. A cold draft blew across his arms, causing him to shiver. There was something wrong here, something not quite right. The air even felt different, smelling of ancient things and richly accumulated dust. This place was somehow alive and he could feel it. It was as if crossing the threshold from the store to this room had been the equivalent of stepping off a cliff into nothingness. He felt like he was falling. 

He suddenly wasn't so sure this was a good idea.

Daniel how ever was warming up to it.

"So how do you do it?" he asked, a subtle vein of patronization running through his words.

"Do what, Daniel?" she asked as she sat down at a round table in the middle of the dimly lit room.

"Read minds, " he said, and then frowned, "How did you know my name?"

"Wait and see," she cackled.

"No crystal ball?" Jesse nodded to the center of the table, which was empty save for the elaborate purple and gold tapestry draped over the tabletop. He could almost hear the repetitious thuds of a distant, powerful heartbeat.

"None required for a psychic of my ability," she said, "The money, please."

Jesse pulled a twenty out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"If you really can do what you say, why not use that power to help with world peace?" Daniel asked petulantly, "Aren't most real psychics against using their power for profit?"

She eyed Daniel with a cold amusement and calculation, like a cat regarding it's prey just before the attack. Jesse felt himself starting to sweat as he watched her dark eyes assess Daniel, as if though she were marking him. He knew they had stepped into something way too big for them, and as he was about to speak up and leave, she spoke.

"There is a price to pay for any power not of this world," she cracked her knobby knuckles with a sickeningly loud series of pops that echoed through the room, "And being noble does not pay the bills."

"I see," Daniel looked at Jesse, his eyes betraying the laugh he was barely holding at bay.

"What would you like me to tell you?" the old woman asked.

Daniel looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, his blue eyes looking to the wall behind her as if for inspiration.

"Madame Helena, tell me what I'm thinking," he said.

"You're thinking I am a fraud, that I couldn't read your mind if it was printed on the front page of the Sunday newspaper," she smiled.

"Too easy, what else?"

"Don't be a dick, man..." Jesse punched him in the shoulder. He was sure fucking with the old woman was a fatal mistake.

"You didn't want to come here today," she said.

"That's obvious," Daniel said dryly.

"But not because of me," she said, "You were up late fucking another man's woman. Her name was Elena, and you two had sex in your parents bedroom while they were out to a movie..."

Daniel's jaw dropped.

"Elena?" Jesse asked, his eyes wide, "You fucked Eric's girl?"

"Shut up," Daniel hissed, his eyes stuck on the old woman. "How do you know?"

"She accidentally cut your penis with her teeth," she reported frankly as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back a little, "Just a little cut, but it hurt like hell, didn't it?"

Daniel looked at Jesse, who looked to him for confirmation. Daniel felt his hands grow suddenly cold and sweaty as he looked at her, his mouth gaped open. "That's right," he said, "That's exactly right."

"Shall I tell you more?"

"Dan, let's get out of here," Jesse said, nodding to the curtain draped doorway.

"No, wait," Dan shook his head, his eyes never leaving the pale gray orbs of Madame Helena's ancient eyes.

"I can tell you anything you wish," she said, her claw-like hands folded neatly on the table in front of them. "Anything at all."

"Okay," Dan licked his lips, "Okay. When I was fifteen, something happened to me. What was it?"

"You were in a car accident. A dark green suburban struck the car you and your mother were riding in," she said, "You broke your arm and four ribs. Your mother received a blow to the head, but survived the crash. From time to time she gets bad headaches that make her cry."

"Holy shit!" Dan laughed, thoroughly taken in by her powers, "That's absolutely right."

Jesse looked at the woman cautiously, his stomach doing flip-flops. He looked at Dan, who was so transfixed on Madame Helena's demonstration of psychic abilities that he couldn't have cared less if a bomb went off under his ass. He saw something move out of the corner of his left eye, and he slowly turned his head, afraid yet unable to resist looking. He found himself looking into a fun house mirror across the room from them sitting up against the wall, reflecting the kitschy atmosphere of the shop and warping it into a bizarre nightmarish realm where heads were too big for freakishly small bodies and perspective lost all its meaning.

"Dan, we need to go," Jesse muttered, a chill running down his spine.

"You doubt me?" the old woman smiled, revealing haggard yellow teeth a shade a way from brown.

Jesse swallowed hard. "No ma'am."

"You fear me?"

Jesse shook his head. "No ma'am, only your powers."

"There is no such thing as an evil power, child," she seemed to look right into his soul as she spoke, "Only the desires of those who wield it determines it's use. Pure of heart sees birth to good, evil at soul sees death to all."

"Dan, let's book."

"I am not a witch," she said, "Despite your childhood dreams, I am no witch."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jesse said as he began to stand up.

"Sit!" she hissed, and Jesse found himself sitting down. It was if some invisible hand had grasped his shoulder and was forcing him down gently to the chair.

"Ma'am, I see no good coming out of this. Please let us go," Jesse said.

"You cannot see good if all you expect is evil," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

She sighed heavily, and held his eyes with her own. "It's been long since I have tasted the thrill of flesh or the passion of the heart. Both my own are too weak now for anything more than what you see here. The wealth you carelessly spend in youth I covet now, even for a token of, in my old age."

"Drop the bullshit," Daniel rolled his eyes, "What are you saying?"

The old woman lifted her fingers at Daniel and his mouth shut suddenly, clicking closed as he teeth struck together. He could look at her, wide-eyed as she spoke, "Before me sits the true balance of human nature. Each of you sits at one end of spectrum, black and white, true and false, smart and dumb... I see you both as you really are. You will be my newest amusement. How the fortunes change, yes?"

Both boys were silent.

"You live in an age where the wizards are dead, the dragons are slain and the values of the noble are long forgotten," she shook her head, "You come to me for a cheap thrill, as though I am a whore desperate for your charity. I spread myself for no man or woman, and I will not play the fool for your amusement."

"If we've offended you," Jesse offered apologetically.

"No offense taken in what you have yet to do," she grinned sardonically, "But know this; in one week's time you will know of what I speak. You will both commit grievous acts against yourselves and others before this is done. Blood will spill and the arrogant will fall."

"We should really be going," Jesse smiled, trying not to let his fear show though, and failing miserably.

"I offer this deal," she looked at her hands for a moment, as if considering what to say next, "For a believer is worth more than a skeptic... I'll give you both a taste of what it is to have real power for one week. You doubt my powers, so I offer them to you for seven days starting today, the day of rest. One week is all, and then the magic will be spent. I give you the chance to see what is truly in your hearts and find yourselves."

"What?" Daniel asked, her invisible grip on his mouth released.

"Go now," she motioned to the door, her eyes beginning to water with fatigue.

"But we paid for-" Daniel protested.

"Out now!" she hissed, drawing her tattered rags to her face, as if though hiding from them as she shrunk into the shadows of the cramped room. "You wish to see the future then you must go out and find it, for it is not in my will or my desire to show you anymore than I have. Away now and see what awaits you."

They hurried out of the shop, Jesse almost knocking over one of her display tables as they went. He had never been so happy to be outside, the fresh ocean air cleansing his raw nose, sweeping away the incense and horrible smell of whatever evil resided there. The door clattered shut behind them, and Daniel laughed.

"That was too fucking weird," he laughed, "She knew about me and Elena."

"Jesus," Jesse breathed as they walked back to the car, "She was a fucking nutcase."

"Dude, she knew about Elena accidentally cutting me," he marveled, "She knew."

"You're fucking another guy's girl, man," Jesse rolled his eyes, "That is fucking low."

"What do you know?" Daniel asked, still amazed by the display he had just seen. They got in the car and sat there for a moment, reflecting.

"What do you think she meant by giving us a taste of real power for week?" Jesse muttered as he started the car, "What was that? And that part about blood being spilled?"

"She was just fucking with us," Daniel said.

A gorgeous blonde woman strolled past them at that moment, her hair bouncing from side to side as she walked. They both couldn't help but stare at her as she went, her ass tightly encased in her wranglers, flexing and un-flexing as she walked. Her top allowed a generous of view of her large cleavage, displayed for maximum effect. They bounced perkily up and down as she passed them, her boots clicking on the concrete of the sidewalk.

"I would love to see those titties," Daniel licked his lips.

And then the world went eerily silent, and neither one of them would ever forget what happened next.

The blonde stopped suddenly, as though she had forgotten something and was considering going back. She turned, her face blank and yet oddly confused as she walked back towards them. Jesse watched her come closer to the car, and thought for a moment she might pass them by. She reached the car and stopped, looking at Daniel with her large, expressive green eyes. She then grabbed the bottom of her top with both hands, her arms crossed and pulled it off. Jesse jumped in his seat as she stood before them, topless in public, the fabric of her bra glistening in the sunlight. Daniel only stared at her, as if though hypnotized. The blonde then reached behind her back and unhooked her black lacy bra. She pulled it away, letting her massive breasts hang free in the morning sun. They were milky and perfectly round, the areolas pink and the nipples erect as she stared at him.

Jesse heard people gasping in shock and stopping behind them on the street as this strange scene played out. The blonde just stood there, her tits not more than a foot away from Daniels face as the street came to a stand still. Daniel just sat there, frozen.

"Sarah!" someone shouted from across the street, 'What are you doing?!"

Her eyes fluttered and she woke up from her trance. She looked around, suddenly confused and then down at her naked chest. Her mouth opened in horror as she realized she was outside and topless, the entire town staring at her. Her hands immediately slapped to her breasts in a vain effort to hide herself.

"Oh my God," she whispered, looking around wildly, "What the fuck?"

"Uhm," Daniel began, but she was already running away down the street, her bewildered neighbors standing around in an awkward silence. Jesse and Daniel slowly turned and looked at each other, their eyes wide and mouths slung open stupidly.

"What was that?" Jesse asked.

***

On the freeway again, going at least fifteen miles over the speed limit, Jesse and Daniel tried to figure out what had happened.

"I just thought it and it happened," Daniel explained, "She just flashed me because I wanted her to."

"Impossible," Jesse shook his head, "Impossible."

"Dude, you saw it," Daniel said, "That old bitch did something to us."

"You just can't control people like that," he said, "It's not possible."

Behind them, an expensive red Mustang convertible was vying to pass them, revving it's engine and riding their asses.

"Asshole," Jesse looked in the rearview mirror as he slowed down and moved over as much as he could to the shoulder to make room, "Just go!"

"I'll bet I can make who ever that is slap themselves," Daniel said giddily as the car moved up beside them. In the passenger seat was an older man, probably in his fifties, with gray hair and ponytail. His passenger was a gorgeous brunette, the latest addition to his midlife crisis probably. The man looked over and flipped them the finger, a shit-eating grin on his face as he proceeded to impress his trophy-girl by confidently yelling, "Get off the fucking road if you can't keep speed, dip-shit!"


The Gift: Day 01



"Hey man!" Daniel shouted back, "Why don't you and your cock-juggling thunder cunt of a girlfriend go get bent?!"

The woman's mouth dropped open and Jesse heard her shouting back a string of scathing obscenities as the old man gritted his teeth.

"You little asshole, why don't you and your nigg-" and he was cut off as he slapped himself with one hand. He looked comically at his hand in shock, and then over at Daniel again.

"What was that?" Daniel shouted, "Was that a racial slur there, Methuselah?"

"You little fu-" and his hand rocked his own face again... and again and again and again. Daniel was rolling with laughter as the man beat himself up, his girlfriend looking at him as though he had gone crazy. Jesse looked over at the impotent rage of their would be harasser as he smacked himself over and over. He smiled and felt a laugh building up as he heard the girl shout at him to stop, asking what the fuck he was doing.

"My friend here is gonna pop the clutch!" Daniel smiled sweetly as he batted his eyes at them, "We politely ask you to eat our dust!"

And then the red convertible slowed down, slower and slower as Daniel made the driver put his foot on the brake pedal and press down. He looked at them, now falling behind, with pure rage as the convertible pulled to the shoulder and came to stop. Jesse looked in the rear view mirror and saw him still slapping himself as the rounded they bend and were out of sight and gone.

"That was great," Jesse laughed, "How did you do that?"

"I just thought it and made it happen," he chuckled, "Wait a minute."

Jesse watched Daniel from the corner of his eye as he squinted his eyes in concentration. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm having that douche bag toss his keys over the embankment, just in case he wants to follow us."

"Cold, man," Jesse smiled, "Cold."

"What about you," he asked, "Do you feel anything different?"

"Not really," Jesse shrugged.

"Well I know a good way to test out our new powers," he smiled devilishly.

Jesse looked at him. "What?"

"The Lucky Beaver."

***

"My parents are going to kill me, Dan," Jesse said as they went into the strip club. The bright colored lights were flashing everywhere in the lobby, promoting the right mood and atmosphere for the sexual establishment. They passed the beefy bouncers at the door to the dance arena and stepped into the experiment. Three large platforms stretched out from the far wall, glittering in the orange and red lights. On each of the stages, three naked women danced and ground against the shiny poles that ran from stage to ceiling. They gyrated their hips and humped the floor as they teased the hooting and hollering crowd of horny men. The beat of the music was thunderous as the bass from the speakers shook the walls.

"It'll be worth it, brother," Daniel smiled, his excitement over his plan making his voice shake, "Believe me."

"Doesn't this seem a little," Jesse frowned, "Wrong to you?"

"Look, you just take care of the men," he said, "And let me handle the women."

"That's a phrase I never ever wanted to hear anyone say to me," Jesse sighed, and yet he found he was thrilled at the idea of what Daniel had in mind. It was ambitious, especially for two guys who had just discovered the gift of telepathy and telekinesis. There were so many variables involved in this, and Jesse found him self uncertain as to what he could actually do. But if they succeeded... 

They sat down confidently at the bar and ordered two beers from the bartender. The man was short, bald and fat and seemed to be made of a lumpy, waxy compound as his skin glittered in the multi-colored lights. He was about to card them when Daniel intervened.

"And your name is?" Daniel asked.

The bartender seemed to jump, as though someone had goosed him from behind. He looked confused for a moment, and then blinked, "Bob."

"How ya doing Bob?"

"I need to see your I.D.'s gentlemen."

"You don't need to see our identification," Daniel waved his hand in front of the fat bartender.

"I don't need to see your identification," Bob told them flatly.

"We can go about our business," he suggested.

There was silent moment between them, as though Bob were fighting him off. Finally, "You can go about your business," he agreed.

"We'd love two bottles of beer," he smiled warmly, "On the house."

"On the house," Bob replied and reached under the counter, opened the mini-fridge and popped open two beers for them.

Daniel took a long chug off his bottle, and then eyed the bartender. He added, "We're on the droids you're looking for."

"Knock it off," Jesse laughed as he slapped the back of Daniel's head.

"You're on the droids I'm looking for," he repeated as he stared at Daniel and then wandered off into the haze of The Lucky Beaver, completely hypnotized.

"What?" Daniel laughed.

"Mother-fucker will be looking all over this club now for R2-D2."

"I hope he finds him," Daniel took another chug on his beer.

"You're really taking to this, aren't you?" Jesse eyed him as he took a drink.

"Like a duck to water," he agreed.

"Maybe we're being too cocky. This is big, man."

"Relax."

Daniel winked at Jesse and worked his way to the stage. Jesse looked out at the room and counted at least thirty men surrounding the stages and lounging at the tables. Jesse put his beer down and took a deep breath. He concentrated on the men, not really sure if it would work, and began to project his thoughts. At first nothing happened, and then slowly, the hoots, hollers and whistles grew more and more quiet and sporadic as Jesse sent them his singular command. He could actually feel them fighting him, confused, trying to understand why they were being compelled to stand up from their seats and move away. 

"Leave," Jesse's mind thundered and intoned throughout the men in the building.

The men began to get up one by one and walk towards the exit. It was a mass, silent exodus as they mindlessly walked away from their beers, pretzels, cigarettes and naked women. As they went, they passed Daniel, who was holding the back door open. In his hand he held a bowl he had stolen from one of the tables, it's content's of pretzels emptied onto the carpet in a crispy heap. Each man moved like a zombie, and under Jesse's direction, reached into their pockets and simply dropped their money off into the bowl. Jesse concentrated harder, and none of the men resisted. They were weak, at his control and he found himself aroused by the power he now possessed. He began to understand the joy and glee Daniel had felt on the highway fucking with that asshole motorist. It was almost intoxicating as he watched them all shuffle outside to their cars.

"God bless you sir," Daniel said as a wad of dollar bills the size of a grapefruit landed in the bowl.

"Now", Jesse closed his eyes and thought very hard, "Get in your cars, go home and go to sleep."

The dancers on the stage, and the girls on the floor watched with silent bewilderment as all the patrons emptied out of The Lucky Beaver. Jesse could sense the bouncers and D.J. becoming suspicious, and he easily reached out and calmed them down, making them return to their respective duties. He grasped their thoughts and held them there in a grip, a grip he somehow knew could be clenched too tight. And if it ever went too tight, he supposed he could kill someone. Against his very nature, this thought sent an erotic chill through him. He instructed the bouncers to close the front doors and lock them and the D.J. to put some decent music on the speakers.

The last man filed out and the door slammed shut with a thick, metallic *clank*! Below the green glow of the exit sign, Daniel held a bowl that probably contained four thousand dollars, his face beaming with pride and pure bliss. Jesse raised his beer to him in a salute as the women on the stage looked at them, their faces crossed with mute questions. The one closest to Daniel opened her mouth to speak, but quickly fell under his influence. He held up a finger to his lips and hushed them all, their arms falling limply at their sides. Daniel hurried over to the bar and set the bowl full of money down next to Jesse.

"Ladies, if you would please come over here?" he motioned for them all to come to him. The three strippers slowly stepped off the stage, their bare breasts jiggling and swaying as they seductively walked over to them. The girls from the floor, three of them by Jesse's count, followed suit, driven by Daniel's will. As they moved, so unquestioning in his control, Jesse realized that Daniel seemed to have more control, a more precise working knowledge of the gift given to them by Madame Helena. The women lined up in front of the two young men, as though they were troops assembled for a strict inspection. Jesse felt his cock straining against his boxers as he looked at the six incredible sexy women standing before him, their bodies glistening in the hot lights. 

"Okay," Daniel clapped his hands, "Could we have names please?"

The first one who spoke up was a dark skinned, voluptuous woman in a g-string with tits that hung down like water balloons off her toned torso. Her hair was curly and full, spiraling down in long, heavy locks. She looked at Daniel and smiled, "My name is Erica."

"Beautiful name," Daniel replied as he felt her tits, cupping them and massaging them. Erica made no move to stop him, only smiling at him suggestively.

"My name is Donna," a slim, athletic redhead smiled at Jesse, her eyes on the bulge of his crotch. Jesse licked his lips and scratched his goatee, smiling back at her. Her large areolas covered most of her small tits, and her stomach was traced by the contours of her defined abs. Her nipples were erect, seeming to point right at him.

Jesse smiled broadly at her.

"And you would be?" Daniel asked the third stripper as he ran a hand through her short, black hair. She was clearly of Italian descent, her olive colored skin bold and warm even in the shifting rainbow coloring of the stage lights. Her eyes were dark and intense, her body a perfect testament to curve and proportion. She wore nothing, her g-string cast off a half hour ago in her quest for a decent night's wages. Now, she looked hungrily to Jesse, her black painted fingernails caressing her stomach and pubic area slowly.

"Destiny," she said softly.

"That's your real name?" Jesse asked.

"Yes," she replied, her gaze on him powerful and relentless.

"My name is Brenda," the next girl said. She wore a black leather skirt and matching string bikini-top. Her hair was a jet black, her bangs hanging down just above her blue eyes. She had a sexy gothic quality to her, her skin evenly pale and creamy in contrast to her dark hair. She had a tattoo of a rabbit on her arm and a butterfly on the swell of her left breast. From the looks of it, Brenda's tits were even bigger than Erica's. The two large mounds of flesh were barely restrained by the taut leather top.

"Look at those cannons, Jesse," Daniel remarked as he passed her, commenting like a proud drill sergeant of an exceptional recruit.

"I'm impressed," Jesse smiled, so horny now he felt like his head was spinning off his neck like a top.

"You like black men, Brenda?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," she said shyly.

"Why is that?"

"I hear they have big cocks," she said evenly, and then looked at Jesse, "Do you have a big cock?"

Jesse shifted in his chair. "I do now."

Daniel moved to the last two girls, and was delighted to find that they were identical twins. Both of them blonde haired, blue eyed with long legs and perky tits. They wore matching leopard print bikinis, their flaxen hair pulled back behind their heads.

"And the Double Mint Twins would be?" Daniel looked them over, his confidence bordering on arrogance as his eyes devoured their bodies.

"Sandy and Candy," they intoned.

Daniel laughed, "Beautiful!"

He returned to his bar stool and sat down, holding up the bowl full of money. He smiled at the girls and grabbed a handful of the ill-gotten cash. "This, ladies, is every last dollar all those other jerks brought in here tonight. I'm sure they weren't going to give you all of this, despite your best and most sensuous efforts. But my friend Jesse here and I are generous, especially with other people's money. So, this is for you in exchange for nothing more than a simple good time."

Jesse's heart was pounding in his chest as he saw all the girls smile and nod in agreement, drunk with the influence of Daniel's newfound powerful telepathy. From the speakers came the smooth, mellow tunes of Eric Clapton as the six women approached them. Their movements were fluid and catlike, dripping with sexual intent and need. They seemed to gain their momentum in slow motion, and Jesse memorized every detail of their approach. He was lost in Erica's deep black eyes as she licked her full lips, her tongue running purposefully from one corner of her mouth to the other. His eyes fell to her breasts, their natural fullness jiggling with each foot fall, her thighs following suit as the muscles beneath brought her closer to him.

Jesse felt like he was in a dream, disconnected from his body as Erica, Brenda and Destiny and put their hands on him. Erica slid around to his left side and began kissing him, her hands clasped around his face as her tongue forced into his mouth. He returned the passionate kiss as Destiny grabbed hold of his t-shirt and literally ripped it off his body with one powerful motion. He felt her nails gently rake over his muscular stomach and down to his jeans. Destiny smiled at him wickedly as she rubbed his bulge back and forth, Brenda kneeling down, her face possessed of a ravenous hunger. They slid up his body, dragging their breasts along the whole way. Jesse groaned at the feeling of their silky tits against him. They both kissed his nipples and stomach as Erica leaned Jesse back against the bar, still sucking on his tongue, her huge breasts cupped by his strong hands.

Sandy, Candy and Donna attacked Daniel, causing him to drop the bowl of money on the floor. They pulled him to his feet and got into what looked like a group hug at first, but then they all four brought their mouths together and began licking. Daniel felt his seven inch cock go rock hard in his khaki's as their three tongues slid against his own wetly and passionately. They were softly moaning against him as they kissed him, their hands tugging at his clothes and massaging his crotch through his pants. He felt down Donna's body with one hand and grasped her bare ass while he took his other hand and pushed Sandy's bikini bottom aside. He slipped two fingers into her cunt and began working back and forth slowly, relishing the hot interior of her sex. Sandy moaned a little as she and her sister undressed one another, untying the thin spaghetti straps of their tops and then letting them fall to the floor. Daniel looked at their tits and felt like he might come right then and there.

"Yes," Sandy moaned as Candy pulled her bikini bottoms down. Daniel pulled his fingers out for a moment as she discarded them and then resumed his finger fucking. Donna undid his pants and yanked them down, taking his underwear with them. His cock sprung forth, hard and ready for them. Donna grabbed Daniel and took him to the floor as Sandy and Candy began kissing each other, groping at each others breasts and rubbing their thighs against each other's swollen pussies.

Destiny got Jesse's pants off and then pulled his boxers away. Jesses thick, hard cock stood proudly erect at nine inches, his bulbous head dark and throbbing. She licked her lips as she sucked him into her mouth, somehow completely deep-throating him as she grasped his heavy balls and began massaging. Jesse gasped as she sucked his dick, her head bobbing up and down on his shaft. Brenda undid her leather bikini top and let it fall away as Erica looked to her, finished for the moment with his mouth. Jesse looked dumbfounded at her mammoth breasts, so large that they cast twin shadows covering her stomach.

"How big are those?" Jesse croaked.

Brenda cupped them and began massaging them, her hips swaying back and forth as she licked her lips, "38 G," she said softly.

"Oh my God," Jesse shook his head as she traded places with Destiny and bent forward. She wrapped her tits around his cock, the hard black stony length of it almost completely lost in her creamy breasts. Her hair hung down and tickled the sensitive skin of his pubic area as she began tit fucking him, her eyes burning into his. Destiny went to his right side and leaned forward as Erica met her lips. They joined together passionately, their kisses wet and sloppy. Jesse found himself looking at two sets of breasts right in front of his face as they made out, so he set to work, trying to distract himself from the pleasure below. He licked their nipples and massaged them. He cupped their breasts in his hands and squeezed, tweaking their nipples and making them moan loudly as they kissed.

As Brenda continued her tit fucking, Jesse slid his hands back over Destiny and Erica's asses, slowly coming around to their cunts. He slipped his fingers into them both and began slowly working in and out. Erica moaned and muttered something as Destiny gasped. As he worked his fingers inside, Brenda began sucking on his cock, playing with his head and swirling with her tongue. He could feel an orgasm building up inside him, swelling like a balloon, expanding to the point of no return. 

Jesse was dimly aware that Donna was now bouncing up and down on Daniels cock, her red hair flailing back and forth wildly. Her back arched and face upturned, she moaned in the pleasure of their sex. Daniel was grunting forcefully, his hands grasping her hips and controlling her powerful thrusts. Sandy walked on her knees over Daniels face, lifted one leg over him and lowered her pussy to his eager mouth. Candy joined her, resuming their kissing as Sandy fingered her sister.

"Shit," Jesse growled as his cock went rigid like reinforced steel. Brenda sucked hard at his cock, her fingers groping his testicles as his body tightened. She released his cock from her mouth just as he felt the incredible sensation shoot up his shaft. He let out a half moan- half scream, and Erica and Destiny turned to see his cock explode. Semen erupted from his swollen head and spattered Destiny's face and Erica's chest. Long thick ropes of the hot sticky fluid spurted out onto his stomach and chest. He grasped the edge of the bar for support as he was wracked by the orgasm.

Destiny moaned suddenly, her breathing rapid and shallow as she dug into Jesse's chest for support. The power of his orgasm had leapt to her and forced an immediate response. She felt her inner sex quiver and begin tingling so intensely that she almost fell over. She looked at Erica and Brenda, her eyes wide with confusion and pleasure. They shared similar expressions as they began shaking. Destiny's eyes rolled back into her head as she put one hand to her cunt. It felt so hot she thought it might catch fire as the wave of their shared orgasm began to build up speed, as it somehow became larger than all three of the women themselves. She could feel them all being swept up in it as they convulsed in the blinding light of the sensations surging through their bodies.

Jesse was drunk with power as he stimulated them. He wasn't even aware he was doing it so much as he was feeling it. He grabbed their minds and held them there, going directly to the source of their sexuality. Their collective moans and whimpers as he caused the wave to crest was like music to his ears. Next to them, he heard the three with Daniel building to their own crescendo, touched and pulled in by the power of his mind. Even Daniel had been caught up in the tidal force of their group orgasm. He moaned and groaned as he never had before. Donna screamed out, her nipples so erect they could have cut glass.




The Gift: Day 01



And then it hit with a force so strong that Brenda collapsed to the floor, holding her gushing pussy as she orgasmed. Every muscle in Destiny's body went taut as she lost herself and drenched her thighs with her sweet nectar. Erica gasped, as though she couldn't breath, her fingers pulling at her nipples as she came. Donna seemed to pass out in the middle of a thrust and fall forward onto Sandy's back as Daniel groaned and came. Sandy herself let loose and drenched Daniel's face and the carpet below him. Candy convulsed as she rode the power of the orgasm, her mouth open wide in a display of pure lustful enjoyment.

Jesse suddenly felt his head spinning as stars and specks of color swam into his field of vision. His skull felt too small, as though his brain was swelling. There was a sharp pain in his left temple that stabbed into his mind. He tried to yell out but couldn't as he felt himself losing consciousness. He intuitively knew that he had pushed it too far, that he had somehow overloaded the power the old woman had given him. He tried to call out for Daniel, for help, but simply fell into darkness.

All around him, Destiny, Erica, Brenda, Donna, Sandy, Candy and Daniel passed out and lay on the floor.

As the world went dark, he could hear Madame Helena whispering to him, "I see you both as you really are..."

...to be continued... 



The Gift: Day 02



EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE & SIMPLY_CYN

*

MONDAY

Before he woke up, Jesse had the distinct impression he was falling. The sudden rush of vertigo caused his stomach to flip and he instinctively jerked his arms out to catch himself. His eyes popped open and he found his hands digging into the mattress, his whole body tensed. Morning sun was warmly beating against the blinds of his bedroom window, razor thin shafts of light streaking onto his naked body warming him. Jesse rolled over onto his stomach and looked at the small alarm clock on his nightstand. The glowing red LED numbers told him it was eight in the morning.

"Holy shit," he mumbled to himself. He had another hour before he had to be at the high school, a thought he didn't relish.

Jesse tried to sit up and was rocked by another sensation. His head began pounding, like some railroad dick was beating him with a club repeatedly for being caught in a boxcar. He gently grasped his head with both hands, eyes crunched shut and lips drawn back. He knew he hadn't been drinking that much last night.

"Fuck," he whispered, "Last night..."

He grabbed his phone and dialed Daniel's number as quickly as his shaking fingers would allow. As the phone on the other end of the line rang, Jesse looked himself over. He was surprised to find that there were a number of hickies on his chest, stomach and thighs. His thick, long cock hung semi-erect between his legs, the weight of it warmly comfortable on his heavy sack. He ran his fingers over his shaven groin, slowly becoming aware that he was very sore.

"What did we do last night?" he asked himself quietly.

The other end picked up. "Hello?" Daniel asked, his voice sedated and drowsy.

"Dan," Jesse said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, "Question is, are you?"

"What the fuck happened?"

"You passed out."

"I passed out?"

"At the strip club," Daniel reminded him.

The memories came back all at once. "Six strippers..."

"Yeah," Daniel laughed, "You knocked yourself out with the three you had. Banged your head on the bar when you fell."

Jesse rubbed his left temple. "Shit."

"Yep."

"So it all really happened?" Jesse asked, still unable to accept that he and Daniel had seduced six strippers the night before and fucked all of them at the same time. It was too crazy.

"Oh yes," Daniel grunted, probably as he sat himself up in bed. He said, "You wanna hear some crazy shit?"

Jesse shrugged, still flabbergasted. "Sure."

"After I dropped you off last night, I get home and find my mom and dad going at it serious. They're just yelling and pissing and moaning, so I was able to sneak in no problem. I listened from the top of the stairs, and it turns out my old man was at The Lucky Beaver last night. I didn't see him when we forced everyone out. I took my old man's money and booted him out!"

"This must be a Kodak moment for you," Jesse commented.

"Mom wanted to know where all his money went," Daniel laughed, "Dad didn't have a clue!"

"Daniel," Jesse frowned suddenly, "How did you sneak me past my parents?"

"Shit, I just fucked with their minds a little and we snuck you right past them."

"Oh," Jesse nodded, and then, "What do you mean 'we'?"

"I had a couple of the body guards from the strip club help," Daniel said casually, "You're a big, heavy strapping black man. Little ol' white men like me can't lift you up by our lonesomes."

"What did you do with the bouncers?"

"I had them believing they were undercover policemen, so I sent them down to the station to give their official reports to Sheriff Baker," Daniel giggled.

"Evil, man," Jesse rolled his eyes.

"So what are we going to do at school today?" 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, who are we going to fuck with?"

"Why do we have to fuck with anybody man? We had an orgy at the club last night," Jesse walked over to his dresser and pulled out some clean clothes, "Isn't that enough?"

"Fuck no," Daniel retorted, "Are you high? Madame Dried Apple Head told us we had this power for a week starting yesterday. I'm not going to waste this."

"Dan, doesn't this all seem a little," Jesse sighed, leaning against his dresser, "... a little wrong?"

"No, not at all," he replied, "In fact, I have another experiment in mind for today."

"Dude, you're gonna get us in trouble," Jesse warned, "We were pushing our luck at the Beaver, who knows what will happen when those strippers remember what we did."

"I made them believe we were just their fuck buddies," Daniel reassured him, "That they were the ones who came onto us."

"How can you be sure? We don't know shit about this power the fortune teller gave us."

"I know enough," Daniel said, "Now get your ass moving. We have work to do."

Daniel hung up without another word, leaving Jesse to ponder the ramifications of their sexual excursion only hours ago. He felt the sting of worry and guilt over what they had done. It was one thing to make all the men in the club toss their money and leave, but to have forced the strippers into fucking them? Did mind control constitute a form of rape? Jesse didn't like that idea. 

At the time, it had seemed like a lot of fun. Shit, it was a whole fucking lot of fun. But as he started to grasp the consequences of what they had done, Jesse grew uneasy.

"Knock it off, J," he mumbled to himself.

Besides, as much as he was worried about the moral implications of their new abilities, he was also intrigued and excited. He remembered now with great clarity his encounter last night, the sensation of being pleasured by three women at once. He recalled their breasts and their tongues and the moment he looked down and saw all three of them licking his cock. 

"Fucking temptation," Jesse shook his head as he wrapped a towel around his waist, tucked his new clothes under his arm and went to the shower, "What's the point of having this gift if we don't use it?"

***

Daniel sat in fifth period biology, his eyes hanging heavily and a small droplet of drool beginning to form at the corner of his mouth. The clock was slowly rounding to two-thirty in the afternoon. Almost there. His blonde hair was swept back from his face by his hand, now supporting the side of his head surely and steadily. He hadn't been sure of when he wanted to initiate his experiment for the day, and his only thoughts beyond sleep were on the subject of sex.

He looked lazily over at Tina Moss, sitting one row over from him. She was looking gorgeous as always, her dark hair falling to her shoulders in long locks. She wore a tank top today that did nothing but put a second, blue fabric skin over her tanned, voluptuous body. Daniel eyed her ass, resting comfortably in her chair and covered by a pair of white shorts. He looked at her, wishing he could just reach out and grab her.

He recalled the time he had asked Tina to a dance, and she had told him that she wouldn't go with him if he were the last man on earth.

'Bitch,' he thought sourly.

"Mister Miller," a stern feminine voice called from the front of the room.

Daniel snapped up immediately. "Yes, Mrs. Brewster?"

"Falling asleep on the job?"

"No ma'am," Daniel lied.

Mrs. Brewster looked at him doubtfully, her glasses shining in the overhead lights. Her piercing blue eyes regarded him with such a doubt that it almost made him uncomfortable. She clasped her hands behind her back, forcing her large breasts out and forward, stretching the fabric of her blouse. She walked back to him, the other kids in the class snickering and watching with bemused interest. The rhythmic sounds of her pantyhose rubbing together as she walked was a countdown to her arrival as well as a small turn on for Daniel. She stood in front of him, her heavy breasts eye level with him. She said, "What are we going to do with you?"

Daniel felt himself getting angry, but tried to be courteous. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Brewster. It won't happen again."

"Did you know I could fail you?" she asked simply, "Stop you from graduating?"

The classroom went absolutely silent. 

"Yes," he nodded. Who the fuck did she think she was? Why was she making this classroom business? To embarrass him? 

No, better yet, she was making an example out of him.

"Would you like me to fail you?" she asked, her curly blonde hair catching the sunlight from the window.

Daniel said nothing as he contemplated.

"Mr. Miller? Hello? Any thoughts? Or should I just send you to the principal's office now?"

Daniel looked away. He knew if he wanted to, he could teach her a lesson. The bitch would be deserving of it too, in his opinion. Daniel swallowed hard as he considered using his gift. His eyes lit up as he realized this would be a perfect time for an experiment. He could feel the loud silence of the room, all their eyes on him, waiting for the moment he would crack and give in. 

They would not have it. He wasn't going to give them the pleasure today.

"Anything, Mr. Miller?" she asked impatiently.

Daniel looked to her thoughtfully, cleared his throat and politely said, "Fuck off."

Mrs. Brewster looked as though she had been slapped across the face with a sledgehammer.

"Excuse me?" she said, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Or how about this, Mrs. Brewster?" Daniel said quietly as he leveled his blue eyes against hers, "How would you like me to fuck you?"

Mrs. Brewster's jaw fell open, her eyes the size of saucers behind her glasses. There were muted gasps and a couple of "Oh my Gods" from his classmates. He could hear some of the guys up front beginning to laugh.

"What did you say?" she gasped, a blush rising to her face.

"I said," Daniel repeated as though speaking to child, "How would you like it if I stripped you bare-ass naked, bent you over your desk, and fucked the shit out of you?"

Daniel could feel the rage and indignation burning within her, and he saw in her mind what she meant to do next.

Mrs. Brewster raised her hand in the air, ready for the strike when something seized and stopped her midair. It was like an invisible hand was holding her wrist, restraining her from hitting Daniel. The classroom watched as their teacher stood there, arm raised high and frozen. Daniel opened his mind to her and let himself seep into her thoughts. It was surprisingly easy to do and definitely simpler than the job he and Jesse had pulled at The Lucky Beaver the night before. Sliding through her mind was like cutting a slab of warm butter with a knife.

And right now, that was how he felt. Sharp, pointed and deadly.

He stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on her. The expression of anger and shock left Mrs. Brewster's face and was replaced by a placid display of emptiness. She began backing up, slowly working her way back to the front of the classroom. The class of thirty students simply watched, dumbfounded as their teacher backed away from Daniel, who was now following her to the front of the room.

Tina leaned over to Steve Rubens and asked, "What's happening?"

Steve shrugged, his round face etched with pure awe.

"Steven," Daniel looked at the chubby lineman sitting in the back of the room. Steven's body shook for a moment as Daniel grabbed his mind. Tina looked at him, uncertain of what to do. 

"Go and lock the door. Pull the blind down," Daniel commanded.

Steven stood up and did as he was told. Once Daniel heard the metallic click of the lock, he made sure Mrs. Brewster was completely under his control and then sat down in her chair. He put his feet up on her desk and allowed his sway to fall over the entire room. He arrogantly looked them all over, preening like some smug tomcat on a high wooden fence. He could feel their thoughts, all of them as he took a moment to establish his grip on them. He was in dangerous territory now, and if he wasn't careful things could seriously back fire.

And yet, he felt so fucking powerful, so completely in control of all these assholes that had made his life miserable over the years. Here they were, pathetically bent to his will. 

And why not? 

If he had the power, why not use it? Why not spoon-feed them their comeuppance like the petty, jealous and hurtful little fucks they were?

Daniel looked out at his classmates, smiling broadly. "Hello class."

"Hello Daniel," they answered in unison.

Daniel laughed. Like puppets on a string...

Daniel felt a surge of power he had never known before. For eighteen years, he had been eeking his way through life, always at the bottom of the social food chain. He had suffered the jocks arrogance and cruelty for too long, the rich bitch's rejections and the overall contempt his fellow classmates had for him. 

Daniel knew he was a geek... a loser... a footnote to the history of his class. All the things he was and all the ideas he wanted to share meant nothing to them. All because his look, or his voice or the even the fucking air around him didn't quite fit in. Something about him just didn't quite strike them the right way. And since the majority rules in a democracy while the privileged few hold complete power, Daniel was put down. He was an outcast, cut away from the rest of his peers. By God, the majority rules.

Only Jesse had ever respected him and taken the time to get to know him. The rest? 

He looked at their blank faces. For so long, he had wanted their approval, their understanding, and their friendship... and they had refused.

Now, he realized he had the potential to make them understand him, to make them see what he had so desperately wanted them to realize. The jocks would know that all the muscle in the world, all the touchdowns and write-ups in the paper weren't worth shit in the real world. All these backstabbing thunder cunts he had longed for and jerked off thinking about night after lonely night would see that looks only go skin deep. He would make them see their errors, right along with Mrs. Brewster. 

In that moment, he no longer cared so much about having the football team for friends or the cheerleaders for girlfriends. He only thought of getting even.

He thought of leveling the playing field, and making them pay... pay right out the ass if that's what it took to get the life back that was rightfully his. 

"Today," Daniel addressed the room, still kicked back in the large, comfy chair that had formerly been Mrs. Brewster's. "Today, class, we are going to learn a little something about biology."

They all stared at him, unable to move, unable to think and yet totally understanding him. He wanted them to understand what was to follow.

"Mrs. Brewster runs this class like a cast-iron bitch from hell," he said, the words he had practiced saying in his mind for years flowing from his mouth, tasting like an exceptionally well-aged wine "And really, does that stimulate anyone to learn anything except how to count all the bumps and grooves in the wall texture?"

The class sat motionless, focused on the new seat of power in Biology 101. 

"Mrs. Brewster," Daniel motioned for his teacher, "What's your name?"

"Diane," she said.

Daniel smiled. "Diane... pretty name... have you been teaching biology long?"

She looked at Daniel for a moment, his hold on her broken momentarily, just long enough for a single spiteful look. Daniel tightened his mental grip on her, making her gasp.

"Ten years..." she said.

"Nice," Daniel nodded. "You married?"

"Yes."

"For how long, Diane?"

"Fifteen years," she replied, still trying to resist him, "How are you doing this?"

"Ah," he raised a finger, glaring at her, "Time for questions later."

"Daniel, stop this," she began, but was cut off by a searing flash of pain in her head. Daniel probed into her mind further, intentionally making his passage rough and painful. He thought maybe it was the difference between consensual sex and rape. Welcomed softness versus uninvited and brutal invasion.... 

He paused for a moment. Was this rape? 

Diane's eyes watered a little, and Daniel eased up on her.

"No, Mrs. Diane Brewster," Daniel shook his head, "You started this, I'll finish it."

"Started what?"

"How old are you?"

"Forty-five..."

"Are you happily married Diane?" Daniel asked, "Tell the truth and shame the devil..."

"No," she blurted out, shocked she had revealed that deeply hidden fact. Diane's eyes looked away in humiliation as the word echoed in her mind.

"Does your husband fulfill you sexually?"

"No," she blurted again.

"So, it's safe to say you're sexually frustrated, yes?" Daniel asked sympathetically.

Diane nodded despite herself. She didn't want to nod, to agree with anything this little fucker was saying. Her mind screamed against the bondage Daniel had imposed on her. 

But there was a part of her desperate to unload this secret. There was a desire beginning to swell from within her as she revealed these intimate things in front of her students. She knew it was wrong, but Daniel was affecting her like alcohol, and she could nothing to stop the thoughts being introduced in her mind. She could not resist the persuasive and seductive voice in the back of her mind.

Diane..." Daniel began.

"No, please," she begged, knowing full well what he was going to ask next.

"Diane," Daniel asked, gesturing to the captivated classroom, "Do you ever fantasize about any of us?"

Small beads of sweat had formed on Diane's forehead as she tried to hold back her response. But it was as if her body and her thoughts were on autopilot, taking her mind along for the ride. She said, "Yes I have."

Daniel looked at his classmates, wide eyed. "You hear that?"

"Damn you," Diane managed. She felt her pussy becoming wet and slick as she lost herself to Daniel's manipulation.

"Okay class," he addressed his peers, "Who here thinks Mrs. Brewster is a fox?"

Every guy in the classroom raised his hand save for Barry Stone in the back. Barry was the captain of the football team, and one of the biggest womanizers on campus. He was always considered to be the Brad Pitt-look-alike of the school, and every girl had some degree of a crush on him. Barry sat motionless in his chair. Daniel noticed this, and decided to save him for a little later.

"You're popular, Diane," Daniel said as he walked over to her and ran his hands over her thick curves.

"Flattered," she said.

"You know," Daniel commented as he slid his hands over her large breasts, "You have the biggest set of tits I've seen here at the school. How big are these?"

"38 triple D," she said, trying to beat back the arousal Daniel was stirring up inside her.

"That's big," Daniel nodded. "Would mind showing me your tits?"

"No," Diane glared at him, both furious with anger and drunk with a sexual desire so strong her cunt was now dripping, soaking her panties. She tried to reason against the flood of erotic thoughts being pumped into her head as she watched her hands rise up and begin tugging at her blouse. She slowly undid the buttons one by one as Daniel and the rest of the class watched. She pulled the fabric back to reveal her huge, milky white breasts. Her stomach was still a little heavy from her last child a year ago, but any inhibitions she might have had were trampled and killed as her blouse fell to the floor.

"Take the bra off, Diane," Daniel whispered, his eyes devouring the tops of her breasts, dying to see what was contained behind the black, lacy fabric of her bra.

Diane unclasped the hooks between her breasts and slid it off, allowing her heavy tits to hang freely. Her nipples were erect and seemed to be pointing directly at Daniel. He marveled at the size of her water balloon-like breasts and the proportional areolas. Diane stood in front of him topless, and while she was swimming in a sea of sexual desire, she also knew her career was over.

How could she ever explain this? A student made her do it?




The Gift: Day 02



"Mmm," Daniel leaned down and licked her nipples, making her shiver. "Beautiful. You know, for a forty-five year-old, you don't look a day over thirty..."

"Thank you," she said, uncertain how much she was actually hating this now. It was like she was forgetting where she was, or whom she was in front of. The only thing she knew for certain was she needed to have a man now, a man who wasn't like her husband, and a man who could please her and make her scream. 

Daniel seemed to sense this, for with when he opened his mouth next, he summed it all up with six simple words.

"Mrs. Brewster needs a good humping," he looked to the guys. He smiled wickedly and decided if he were going to do this, he would go all the way. "Gentlemen, stand up."

Fifteen guys stood up all at once. Daniel knew most of them, and the idea of what was to follow made him laugh to himself. He stretched out into their minds and prepared himself. He looked and saw Barry was standing also. The jock was glaring at him, and Daniel could sense his hate. It was time for the king to be de-throned.

"Barry Stone," Daniel said pointing to him like a perverse game show host, "Captain of the football team. And the big man on campus, yes class?"

Everyone nodded.

"Yes, we all know it don't we?" Daniel sighed, his hand held out in resignation, "We all know our place, don't we. Barry sits at the top and eats like a king, you all support him and put up with his bullshit, and the rest of us bottom feeders wipe your asses after you shit on us..."

Tina was looking at Daniel, contempt scribbled across her pretty face.

Daniel asked, "Even if I was the last man on earth?"

She managed to nod, her dislike of Daniel growing exponentially.

Daniel flipped his wrist at her and Tina felt a hard slap across her face. Her cheek stung and throbbed as the phantom hand belted her again, drawing tears from her large green eyes. Daniel felt a stab of regret of what he did in the heat of the moment, but he quickly buried it.

"No, it won't come to that," he shook his head, his mind burning with a righteous fury. He pointed to the corner of the classroom. "Get your ass over there," he growled.

Tina walked to the corner and Daniel made sure she buried her face into the wall. She cried out a little, and everyone knew she was pressing her face into the wall hard. Fear began to grip the students, one by one as they realized Daniel was not fucking around. He was in charge, and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

"Ladies," Daniel looked lovingly at the fifteen girls sitting in the classroom, "We're all eighteen years old, right?"

There was a murmur of agreement, though Lindsay Gorsuch, the head cheerleader stood up and said, "I'm nineteen."

"Ah, Lindsay, good," Daniel smiled, feeling an erection building in his briefs as he walked back and stood by Lindsay. She was tall, brunette and trim. Her athletic build and constant workout routine had resulted in killer abs, but a reduced bust line. Daniel was a tit man, but her toned legs made up for what her chest lacked. He hugged Lindsay from behind, something he never imagined in a million years he would ever have been able to do. He was thrilled when Lindsay leaned back into him comfortably. Her hair smelled of lavender.

"Have you fucked Barry?" he asked her.

"No," she shook her head, "We made out last year but that's it."

"But Lindsay," Daniel grasped her, face plastered with shock, "Barry's been telling his brown shirts in the locker room that he fucked you in the ass... and that you loved it."

Lindsay glared at Barry, who only fumed with impotent rage.

"You know, Barry has quite a reputation on campus for being a ladies man. Did you know that ladies?" Daniel smiled.

There was a lot of collective nodding.

Barry looked at him, like a caged wolf ready to rip his throat out. Daniel probed into his mind deeper and finally found what he had been looking for, something he had suspected for a long time about Mr. Popular but had never been able to prove. Barry must have sensed what Daniel was going to do, and he made to move against him. Daniel simply raised his brow and commanded Barry to stand still. The muscular jock did as he was told.

"Have any of them women in this classroom fucked Barry Stone? Raise your hand," Daniel smiled.

Not one hand went up.

"How many of you ladies would like to?"

All the women raised their hands, including Diane Brewster. Daniel smiled and laughed.

Daniel raised a devilish brow. "Has anyone in here fucked Barry Stone?"

Slowly, Brendan Keel and Eric Rogers raised their hands. Brendan's normally cool, richly Hispanic face was now white with fear as he watched his hand rise up. Eric, the running back for the team, closed his eyes in embarrassment as he raised his hand, his face turning as red as his hair. There were quiet gasps and muffled laughter from the classroom as everyone looked at them. Barry's face was burning hot with anger and humiliation.

"Well, this is new," Daniel put his hands on his hips. "I'm shocked."

"Fuck you, Miller," Barry spat out.

Daniel snapped his head around and tightened his grip on the star athlete. There was a flash of pure rage within him that electrified the room as Barry shrunk back, truly afraid of the loser he had been tormenting since fifth grade. Barry's mouth worked silently in a quiet prayer as Daniel put in his mind the images of fates worse than death. It wasn't so much that Barry was afraid of the horrific images in his mind, but his ever-growing belief that Daniel would and could actually do those things to him.

"Barry," Daniel glared, "Take your clothes off."

"What?"

"Take your clothes off now."

Barry quickly stripped off his green and blue jersey and dropped his khakis. He wore no underwear, and he was soon bare ass naked. It was true he was muscular and sculpted, every line of his body honed to perfection. And yet, hanging limply between his legs and framed by a thick patch of dark pubic hair was what had to be a two-inch penis, thin and sorrowful. 

The girls began to giggle amongst themselves as the straight men in the room only chuckled. Barry's face was portrait of despair as he revealed his less than spectacular package to the room.

"All the touchdowns and all the praise in the world won't make a pencil into a flagstaff," Daniel commented dryly.

"Fucking faggots," Glenn Martin, the wide receiver laughed. His dark features were crossed with disgust as he regarding his once close teammates.

"Passing moral judgments, are we?" Daniel eyed him. 

Glenn looked unsure all of a sudden, and he shook his head.

"Afraid of the nasty gay man?"

"No, Daniel, no," he laughed, and his uncertainty gave way to terror as Daniel thought of what to do next. He put his hands up diplomatically, "Please Daniel, no."

"Walk a mile in their shoes," Daniel said. "Brendan, Eric... Barry, go fuck Glenn."

Glenn's eyes were wide and terrified as his teammates approached him. Glenn tried to move, but found his feet glued to the floor as Barry put his hands on him. He tried to scream, cry out as Brendan tore at his clothes and Eric yanked his pants down. Daniel laughed and called the attention of the class to him as he walked back up to the front of the room. Glenn closed his eyes as Barry kissed him full on the mouth. He felt a hairy chin, Brendan's maybe, scrape his bare stomach and suck his cock into their mouth.

"Barry likes the butt-fucking," Daniel told Glenn, "Don't ya Barry?"

Barry only grunted as he sucked Glenn's tongue.

"Now," Daniel clasped his hands, "Biology 101."

He turned to Mrs. Brewster and smiled broadly. "Diane," he said as he unbuckled his belt, "We're going to show the class how reproduction happens."

***

Jesse sat alone in the gym.

Everyone else had gone out running on the track with Coach Sheffield over an hour ago. It wasn't so much that the ex-marine had wanted to take his class on a mile run around the campus, it was more that Jesse just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He had planted the thought in the coach's mind and that was all it took.

He sat on the bleachers, his head resting against his knees as he contemplated what had happened to him and Daniel. He remember the old woman and her crazy talk right before she had given them what Daniel called "The Gift."

"What the fuck is going on?" he asked himself. He looked over to the far corner of the gymnasium and saw the large, wire mesh bucket of balls. Jesse squinted at the bucket, concentrating on the three basketballs that sat a top the pile. He tried to imagine their weight, the texture and smell of the rubber in his mind. He envisioned grasping the ball and lifting it up. 

Instead of lifting up slowly, the first ball rocketed up to the ceiling of the gym thirty feet into the air. It rebounded off the ceiling with an echoing slap and slammed back down to the floor. Jesse smiled and launched the second ball, this time guiding it to the hoop at the far end of the gym. The net swished and the ball bounced to the ground. Jesse laughed.

"Sweet," he smiled as he launched the third basketball from the barrel and tried to make it spin circles in the air. It hovered for a moment and then shot off on it's own like a bullet and out of control. Jesse realized that the ball was speeding directly towards him and he threw himself off the bleachers to the floor. The ball hit hard into the wooden planks and ricocheted away.

"Fuck," he muttered as he got up.

"Nice dodge," a voice said from the entrance to the gym.

Jesse jumped up and saw Elena Morales standing in the wide doorway. As always, she looked gorgeous. Her long, natural curly black hair hung down in powerful, thick waves around her perfect face and neck. Her olive skin was warm and her dark eyes filled with amusement. Her full, rosy lips were cocked into a half-smile as she folded her arms across her large breasts. If there was one student on campus who could look that good in a gym uniform, it was Elena.

"Thanks," Jesse stuttered, brushing himself off.

"You must have kicked ass in dodge ball," she smiled, walking towards him. Jesse tried to inconspicuously watch her toned legs as she approached. The small, black gym shorts she wore seemed to tease more than anything.

"I guess," he sat back down on the bottom bleacher row.

Elena sat down beside him and asked, "Who threw the ball at you?"

"Excuse me?" Jesse hadn't been careful enough to consider that people might see him tossing balls around with his mind.

"The ball that nearly creamed you? Who threw it?"

"One of the guys in the locker room," Jesse nodded to the open door way of the men's changing room.

Elena nodded.

"Something on your mind?" Jesse asked. He tried not to stare at her.

"No," she shook her head, and then, "Well, yes... I uh..."

Jesse smiled. His heart raced at the thought of her asking him something. He rapidly considered what it might be... did she want a study partner... a ride home maybe? A father to her future children? A sex slave? Jesse asked, "What is it?"

Elena laughed nervously. "You're friends with Daniel Miller, right?"

"Yeah," Jesse said, "We get along okay. Not brothers or anything, but we're cool."

Elena nodded. "Listen... has Daniel said anything about me?"

Jesse immediately thought of how Madame Helena had known about Elena giving Daniel a blowjob the night before. The thought sickened Jesse. Or maybe it just made him jealous. 

Jesse shrugged, "He might have said something..."

Elena seemed to panic for a moment, her mouth open. "What did he say?"

"Uhm," Jesse looked away, feeling embarrassed, "Uh, he said that you two..."

"What?"

Jesse sighed. "He said you gave him head."

Elena nodded, her eyes lit with fire and lips pursed. "That fucker."

"He only told me though," Jesse reassured her, placing a hand on her back, "No one else."

"Fuck," she hissed, putting her head in her hands. Her thick hair obscured her features as she shook her head, "We had a fucking deal."

"I don't understand," Jesse said. 

Elena looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"Not that it's any of my business," Jesse said quickly, feigning disinterest and yet knowing full well he wanted to know what could have possibly happened to cause Elena Morales, one of the most beautiful girls in school to suck on the dick of Daniel Miller, the low end of the high school social scale.

"I'm failing biology," she said quietly, "Mrs. Brewster is going to fail me, and if I didn't score high on the next few tests, that would be it for me."

Jesse had an idea now of what had happened. "So Daniel offered to help in exchange for a little, uh, help."

"Yeah," Elena confessed, thoroughly disgusted and embarrassed.

"Hey, it's cool okay?" Jesse offered, "Shit happens right?"

"I made a bad fucking choice," she said.

"Well," Jesse eyed her, "Yeah, you did. But Eric won't find out. Your secret is safe. I promise."

Elena was silent for a moment, and Jesse could sense her confliction about her boyfriend Eric Rogers. She had been dating the popular running back for the school team since their freshman year, and Jesse had always assumed they were happy. But now he could sense a small spark of uncertainty in her. Or was it wishful thinking on his part?

Finally, she spoke. "Eric... doesn't need to know."

"He won't," Jesse reassured again, "I'll talk to Daniel."

Elena looked at him for a moment. "You know, you have nice eyes."

Jesse grinned like a fool, unable to hide his happiness at her small compliment.

And then he felt it in the back of his mind. It was like a blast from an air horn on a locomotive, speeding by and deafening. The sound pounded in his skull and he almost fell over. Suddenly his eyes were filled with the images of Daniel and the biology class. He felt Daniel's rage and anger radiating through him like waves of intense heat from a forest fire. Something had pissed Daniel off, more than anything had ever pissed him off before in his life. He also sensed something darker inside Daniel's emotional state, something that was just as cool and cold as his anger was hot. It wasn't pleasant or kind, or even very human as Jesse backed away from the growing threat in his mind.

"Are you okay?" Elena grabbed his muscular arm, supporting him.

Jesse looked at her, "Yeah, just dizzy."

"You almost fell over," she frowned, her voice genuinely concerned, "You want to go to the school nurse?"

"No, it's cool," he managed and stood up. Daniel was in the biology classroom, and he was doing something not good. 

Jesse swallowed hard.

"It's cool," he repeated.

"You sure?" she asked, not letting go of his arm. It was like she wanted to say more to him. And if there had been time, he would have been happy to hear it. 

"Absolutely," he smiled at Elena and ran out of the gym, his footfalls echoing throughout the large structure. Elena stood there alone, not sure as to what had just happened. She walked over to the lone basketball resting against the wall, the one that she had seen almost peg Jesse in the face. She picked it up and bounced it a few times.

'Whoever threw this must have a strong arm,' she thought as she walked towards the ball barrel. 

Elena then looked to the entrance of the boy's locker room, and back at where Jesse had been sitting. She walked over to the doorway and was greeted with the smell of body odor and urine, aged by about twenty years worth of students. She listened at the entrance of the locker room and heard no one. Not even a shower running. She looked back at the bleachers again and threw the ball with all her might. It sailed maybe thirty feet and then fell short, rolling to the center of the gym.

"Somebody really strong," she said to herself.

***

Jesse quietly hurried up the stairs, passing the other classrooms in session. He looked at one of the hallway clocks and saw that school was about to be let out. He rounded the corner to the dead-end hall leading to the biology classroom and lab. He stood by the door for moment, putting his ear to the cool metal door and listened. He could hear muffled grunts and groans, like people were exercising just beyond the door.

"What the fuck?" he frowned and tried to open the door. It was locked. Jesse jiggled the handle, and as he fought the lock, he heard what could only be described as an orgasmic moan. 

"Oh no," he shook his head, fearing the worst as he focused his mind on the door lock. He concentrated hard on the simple mechanism and after a moment was rewarded with a well oiled *click*. Jesse turned the knob and stepped into the afternoon biology class.

"No fucking way," he gasped.

Every one was either naked or partially naked. Thirty students and one teacher were conducting the largest orgy Jesse had ever seen. Lindsay Gorsuch was lying on top of Peter Willis, bare ass naked. Her back was to him and Jesse could see a thick cock was planted deeply in her ass. Rich Fells had taken the task of fucking her pussy with a gleeful gusto, his hips thrusting at Lindsay like there was no tomorrow. Lindsay looked over at Jesse and winked as she rode her double fuck. Mike Welsh knelt down by her face and presented his thick schlong to her mouth. Lindsay sucked it in and massaged his balls as she successfully filled her major orifices with cock.

"Jesse," came the deep, pathetic voice of Glenn Martin to his left. Jesse turned and saw that Barry and Brendan had bent him over one of the desks and tied his hands to one of the support pipes with shoelace. Brendan was busy on Glenn's cock, sucking and slurping on him. Barry was giving Brendan a hand job, a look of both complete joy and pain on his face as he jacked his friend off. Behind Glenn was Eric Rogers, Elena's boyfriend and longtime lothario of the campus. He was fucking Glenn in the ass, whooping and slapping the man's cheeks. Glenn's ass was red and smarted from Eric's encouragement.

"Help me," he sighed, a long thick rope of semen spattered across his face. 

Jesse felt the blood drain out of his face, his dark skin turning an ashen gray.

"Want a fuck?" Eric asked gleefully as he rammed Glenn's ass, "I'm almost finished."

"No fucking way," Jesse stared. 

All around the room, there were threesomes, foursomes and fivesomes. Girls in their chairs, half naked as guys they didn't even really know or like ate them out. He saw two guys sixty-nining each other while three members of the cheerleading squad triple-sucked Steve Rubens off by the large bookcase of text books in the back of the room. Steve was naked as a jaybird, his corpulent body bared for all to see. The three cheerleaders had their skirts hiked up, showing their asses off and kneeled before Steve as though he were some pagan god. They were topless, their tits hanging loose and rubbing against Steve's leg as they sucked him off.

Jesse put his hand on the back of one of the seats and then immediately drew back as though he had touched a hot stove. A huge glob of cum was dripping down the seat back, and he had just put his hand in it. He looked over to left and saw Ryan Manning, in all his chubby glory, whacking himself off and spurting cum everywhere.

Jesse wiped his hand off on a jacket and looked to the front of the classroom. 

Daniel and Mrs. Brewster were fucking like rabbits on her desk. Daniel was lying flat on his back, hands gripping Mrs. Brewster's hips as she thrusted up and down on his shaft. Her huge tits were bouncing up and down as they slapped wetly together. Her head was thrown back in ecstasy and she was fucking Daniel for all she was worth. The desk rocked and creaked, the wooden joints and metal nails never meant for such vigorous activities.

"Daniel!" Jesse called. 

Daniel didn't look up.

"Daniel! What the fuck are you doing?!" he called again and was interrupted by Lindsay. She pressed her tight body against him and grasped his cock through his gym shorts. Jesse became suddenly aware that he had grown an erection watching all this happen, and Lindsay was only too happy to help him out.




The Gift: Day 02



"I've always wondered what a black man's cock looks like," she whispered and started pulling his shorts down. Jesse was tempted for a moment, the same way he was tempted back at The Lucky Beaver. But this time, he surprised himself by taking her hands and pushing her gently away. 

"Not right now, baby," Jesse smiled apologetically.

Jesse made his way through the orgy to Daniel, who was completely enthralled in his erotic symphony. Someone, maybe Alicia Stone or Sarah Brower hit her orgasm and sang out, making him jump. All he could hear were moans, groans and the wet slurping and sliding sounds of sex. The room smelled of semen and musk, filled to the corners with the hormones of thirty eighteen year olds having sex. Jesse felt his heart sink as he realized a lot of them were having sex for the first time today. How many had been waiting for marriage? How many had been ready for all this?

How many would be scarred?

Hot semen streaked across his calves, and Jesse jumped back with a cry.

"What the fuck man?" he shouted, looking down at the floor and seeing Josh Harrington spattering himself with his own cum as he orgasmed. Sarah Brower was jerking him off and milking him dry as she worked him over. Jesse couldn't help but stare at her perfect breasts for a moment, the way they moved and swayed with her jerking motions. Jesse took a shirt from one of the chairs and wiped his leg off.

"I am taking a fucking shower when I get out of here..." he muttered. He finally reached Daniel and his biology teacher. Mrs. Brewster was oblivious to his presence as she fucked Daniel. Up close, Jesse realized that Daniel wasn't wearing a condom. In fact, as he looked around the room, he realized no one was wearing condoms. Jesse felt a wave a sheer terror wash over him.

"Daniel!" he shouted, "Daniel, stop this shit! You're gonna get someone pregnant!"

Daniel only continued his violation of Mrs. Brewster.

Jesse turned to her, feeling like he was in some fucked up kind of nightmare, "Mrs. Brewster! Can you hear me?"

"Jesse," she moaned, her words punctuated by each thrust of her hips, "Jesse help me please..."

"I don't know what to do," Jesse shook his head. Daniel had gone too fucking far with this. Way too fucking far. Jesse supposed in retrospect that they had crossed that line at The Lucky Beaver. He should have fucking known better.

"Please," she whispered breathlessly, a mix of lust and desperation dripping from her lips as she spoke.

Jesse licked his lips and thought of what he could do. If he fucked with Daniel, and did something to provoke him, people might get hurt. If the gift Madame Helena had given them was powerful enough to control minds, did that mean they could destroy minds as well? Jesse looked to all the poor bastards in the classroom, caught up in a very real illusion Daniel had created for them. He turned to his friends and then made his choice.

As he worked his way out of the room, he noticed someone standing in the corner. Tina Moss had her face pressed into the wall, her arms hanging limply at her side. She wasn't moving, and Jesse felt sick to his stomach. Surely, Daniel wouldn't take it so far as to kill anyone...

He touched her shoulder.

"Tina?" he asked gently.

"Please help me," came her muffled voice from the corner, "Please."

Jesse felt a sudden flash of anger, and he looked back at Daniel, still enjoying his ride with Mrs. Brewster. He focused on Tina and willed her to move out of the corner. He felt the resistance in his mind, resistance from Daniel. Jesse slowly worked his way beyond Daniel and held Tina with his thoughts. He grasped her shoulders and pulled her out of the corner. When she turned to face him, Jesse saw her nose was broken. Twin snail trails of blood were oozing from her nostrils.

"Thank you," Tina wept as she hugged Jesse and went limp.

Jesse scooped her up in his arms and held her He ran out of the classroom, taking care not to step on anyone and made for the school office. As he ran, he didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not. It wasn't that he doubted Daniel had to be stopped, but he wondered if he was stopping him the right way. 

"Holy shit!" Elena called from behind them as Jesse carried Tina down the stairs to the office, "What happened?!"

"Get the door," Jesse shouted as he reached the office door.

"Oh my God, Tina," Elena opened the door, one hand covering her mouth.

Jesse breathed deeply and walked in. The two secretaries were chatting quietly amongst themselves as they filed papers. They looked up at him simultaneously.

"What happened?" one of them asked as they hurried over to him..

"Tina's nose might be broken," Jesse said and motioned behind him, "You might want get some help. Something is happening in Mrs. Brewster's class, and it isn't good."

***

As Diane Brewster orgasmed and flooded her desk with her own vaginal fluid, Daniel opened his eyes and looked beyond the real world to what lay beneath. He could see Jesse, and he knew that his friend had taken that little cunt Tina with him. He felt angry with Jesse, as he knew Jesse was angry with him. Daniel sighed as he watched Jesse go into the office with Tina in his arms. 

"Why are you complicating this?" Daniel asked.

Friend or not, if Jesse ruined this, he could never forgive him.

... to be continued...



The Gift: Day 03



EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE & SIMPLY_CYN

*

TUESDAY

"Tell me again what you saw," Andy Shaver leaned back in his large, comfortable chair and scratched his full bushy beard. The chair was meant to imply the position of someone in authority. It quietly said that only a person in charge could sit in such a luxurious and stately chair. It had belonged to three principals before him and all of them had possessed that unquestioned presence throughout the school. In his mind, the chair that sat beyond the Royal Oak desk in the principal's office was a throne. Thus, as the one sitting in it, he assumed responsibility for those who didn't. Of course, their "rule" had been in slightly less cynical years when respect for authority was far more common than it was today.

And until today, Andy had been sure there was nothing happening inside the confines of his school that he couldn't handle.

"Mr. Shaver," Jesse sighed and rubbed his temples, "How many ways can I tell this story?"

"Right now, I have thirty students who are all on suspension for conducting what can only be described as an orgy in the biology classroom," Mr. Shaver said frankly, "I have a very emotionally disturbed teacher who will probably will never teach again, let alone escape the impending lawsuits and possible jail time. I have damn near sixty parents who want to blame and lynch someone and the press is about to start making up their own stories. You'll tell the story as many times as you have to."

"I told you, I was walking by the classroom when I heard some funny sounds," Jesse said, "I opened the door and saw everyone doing, well, each other. Mrs. Brewster was with Daniel Miller and Tina was in the corner with a bloody nose. I got her out and ran for help. That's it."

Mr. Shaver frowned and removed his wire-rimmed glasses from his round, beet-red face. It was very clear that Shaver was more comfortable with his nose buried in school business reports and administrative duties than anything close to dealing with sex. He still couldn't believe the event had even happened. He'd never dreamed in a million years that so many students, so many good students would go on a sudden sexual tirade like this. And the notion of Diane Brewster, one of the most respected members of the faculty, being involved still seemed ridiculous to him. He wouldn't have believed it had he not been the one to pull her naked body off the top of her desk. The look on her face as he covered her with his jacket haunted him. She was scared to death and yet caught in the throes of some animalist lust.

"Daniel Miller wasn't even at school yesterday," Mr. Shaver said, "I was in there, and I can tell you I didn't see Daniel.

Jesse shook his head, "Sir, he was. I saw him. Everyone saw him. Ask the other kids."

"Everyone in that classroom has been questioned thoroughly, and no one can remember Daniel being there, let alone anything else," Mr. Shaver replied.

"They have no memory of it?" Jesse asked himself more than he did Mr. Shaver. Had Daniel been able to wipe out people's memory of the day that completely? He recalled the night they had messed with the strippers at The Lucky Beaver. Daniel had made them all believe lies about what happened to them. Could he have mind-wiped an entire student body and faculty? If Daniel could do that then might be no limit to what he could do. The bottom line was, he had the power to do it and he had shown he wasn't afraid to use it.

"No memory at all," Mr. Shaver confirmed, "Nor does Mrs. Brewster."

"Check the attendance logs," Jesses said suddenly, "That'll prove he was here."

"I already did, Jesse," he replied, his hands up in a calming motion, "He wasn't here yesterday. And even if he had been, what would that prove?"

Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. How could he honestly tell Mr. Shaver that Daniel had been given the gift of complete mind control from a funky old hag as some kind of cosmic twist of fate? That Daniel had then mind-fucked thirty kids and one teacher into an orgy and then somehow erased their memories of the experience, leaving them with nothing but a lot of unanswered questions and deep psychological scars? Shaver would have him locked up in the booby hatch.

"Jesse," Mr. Shaver smiled and put his glasses back on his blunt nose. The hefty man walked around his desk and stood in front of Jesse, his hands buried in the pockets of his slacks. He asked, "Have you seen Daniel since yesterday?"

"No," Jesse shook his head. That was odd indeed. Jesse had tried calling Daniel's house several times but to no avail. Under the direction of the authorities and school faculty his parents had confined him to the house. They said that until they knew what was happening, he was to stay close to home. As much as he wanted to find Daniel and figured what the fuck he was doing, he also had grown a little fearful of his friend. A part of him warned that staying away from Daniel might just be for the best.

"Look," Mr. Shaver sighed, "This has been an ordeal for everyone involved. As much as I appreciate what you did for Tina, I also know that you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything, sir," Jesse reassured him.

"You're a good kid. An honest kid I think, and that's why I know you're lying," Mr. Shaver said, a hint of disappointment creeping into his voice. Jesse wanted to crawl under the rug and die. He had always known he was on the up and up, and that most of the staff liked him just fine. He even had come to think of some of the teachers as friends, in a strictly academic sense of course. Jesse had always taken pride in the looks of respect he got from the faculty, and he knew that not only was he good student, he was a damned good black student on top of it all.

"Mr. Shaver," Jesse ran a hand over his shaved scalp, "If you want to figure this mess out, then you gotta talk to Daniel Miller."

Mr. Shaver nodded. He wasn't happy with any of this, and he was tired of pressing Jesse for the details. He returned to his seat of power and sat down not feeling at all like he was charge. In fact, Shaver had never felt more out of control in his life. His authority as principal wasn't enough to solve this and it goaded him to no end. He felt bad over his impotence in the matter and he felt even worse over his lack of knowledge about it but the most horrible part was that so many lives had been affected so adversely. It hadn't been a school shooting, but after seeing the blank, shell-shocked faces on the kids in that room as they were pulled out by the staff and police... hell, it might as well have been.

And then there was poor Diane Brewster...

Mr. Shaver folded his hands together in front of him on the desk and looked at Jesse for a moment. Finally, he spoke, "Okay. I'm not going to question you to death. But please, if you can remember anything, call the police or call me. This is serious Jesse."

Jesse sat in silence, all of sudden feeling very hot and embarrassed. His baggy jeans seemed to confining on him, his Redwings jersey uncomfortably itchy. He could feel something, no, someone in the back of his mind. Someone was picking around and digging for information and he knew exactly who it was. Jesse took a deep breath and blocked himself off to Daniel. There was a moment when he could feel the burn of Daniel's anger touch him. It was hot and painful in his mind for a few seconds, and then gone. Daniel was pissed. 

And Jesse didn't much care at the moment.

"You're excused," Mr. Shaver said.

"Thank you sir," Jesse stood up and left as quickly as he could. He was already feeling guilty over what he and Daniel had done to the strippers at The Lucky Beaver on Sunday night, and now he was fighting off guilt over his classmates. He knew he wasn't the one responsible and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he could've done something to prevent it. As much as he may not have liked some of them, they didn't deserve all that. Jesse wondered how they would deal with it all, how many would be able to move on and process what had happened to them. How many wouldn't?

Once out in the hallway, Jesse wasn't sure where he was going to go. It was three-thirty and school was over. Steady streams of freshman, sophomores and juniors were filling the hallways in a stampede to go home. The entire senior class had been dismissed for the rest of the week. It made Jesse realize just how small the school was. Thirty seniors constituted a quarter of the school population, and when they weren't there the normally frenzied rush to get the hell off the campus seemed less than spectacular.

A few of the lower classmen regarded Jesse with strange looks and questioning glances as they passed by to their lockers. Maybe it was the look on his face that made them all not commit to asking him questions, or maybe it was the fact that they just didn't know what questions to ask. Either way, he was a small stationary island in the flood of students flooding the halls as the three-thirty bell finally finished ringing.

Jesse took a deep breath and walked to the gym. The huge gymnasium was alive with echoes and ghosts of the voices outside in the parking lot. The lights were dimmed down low and the doors to the locker rooms all shut tight. For some reason, Jesse had the crazy image flash in his mind of sailors securing their ship before a storm. Button down the hatches and secure the rigging and all that bull shit. Get below deck and stay there until the storm was over.

That's how the school felt, all the students and teachers buttoning up the hatches and getting below deck before they got swept away by the storm.

"What the fuck am I going to do?" he whispered and walked into the shadows of the gym. Jesse nearly had a heart attack when a voice spoke back to him from the far corner of the gym, echoing and seemingly bodiless.

"That depends," the voice said.

Jesse stood still for a moment, his nipples going rock hard as a shiver arched its way down his spine.

"Dan?"

The heavy double doors that he had just walked through slammed shut and locked. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed painfully though the empty, now barely lit gym. Jesse was suddenly gripped with a panic that told him to run, to turn and beat on the doors until someone opened them. The lights dimmed even more and then finally went black.

"No one is going to open them," Daniel said quietly.

"Another mind fuck, Dan?"

"Security."

He thought about yelling for help, but knew it would do no good. As long as Daniel had influence over the people outside Jesse could fire off a hundred rounds in a mini-gun and no one would hear him. He swallowed hard and then steeled himself, clenching his fists and standing tall. He was not going to be afraid, let alone be afraid of Daniel Miller. He looked into the shadows and asked, "So what's the deal here?"

"What's the deal?" Daniel snorted, "I was going to ask you the same question."

"Thirty kids," Jesse said into the dark, "Thirty of them. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that the look on Glenn Martin's face as he got gang raped was a fucking Kodak moment," Daniel laughed, still hidden in the shadows.

Jesse took a step forward, his sneakers squeaking on the gym floor. "And what about Tina?"

"What about her?"

"You broke her nose."

"I broke half the cherries in that classroom yesterday," Daniel told him, his voice filled with a sadistic satisfaction, "What's you're point?"

"Dude, you can't do that shit. You stirred up a fucking scandal."

"Not my problem."

"It's our problem," Jesse countered, "We started this shit. It's one thing to fuck around with people and mess with them a little, it's a whole other thing to make yourself an orgy in the middle of fifth period bio."

"Did you see Mrs. Brewster?"

Jesse rolled his eyes, "Yes, I did."

"She has got the best set of titties I have ever seen."

"She'll never teach again, you know that? She might even go to jail."

"Good, she can be the sweetheart of the cell block," Daniel laughed, this time much closer to him. Jesse squinted, straining to see his friend.

"Jesus, Dan..."

"You want to know something?" he echoed.

Jesse was silent for a moment, and then asked, "What?"

"You want to know how I felt?"

Jesse said nothing.

"I felt righteous," Daniel said, "They all got what they deserved. The homophobe got his ass stretched, the fat guy got a threesome and the geeks fucked the cheerleaders. Football players got a taste of what it means to be truly fucked over by their teammates. They got their asses knocked down a peg or two..."

"And you were the man to show them their place, is that it?"

"That bitch Brewster needed to be humiliated, she needed to be taught a lesson," Daniel explained, his anger barely in check as the air in the gym grew cold, "I've watched all these mother fucks walk around here like they're God's gift or something and I'm fucking tired of it, Jess."

"Look," Jesse reasoned, "I know that dip shits like Glenn Martin and Brendan Keel deserve a good ass-kicking. I know that Tina hurt your feelings man, but this is insane. You ever stop to think that some of the girls might get pregnant?"

"Only six of them did," Daniel said.

"What?!" Jesse staggered back. He didn't know what had shocked him more, the number of girls or the brutal simplicity in which Daniel reported it.

"Six of them got pregnant."

"How do you know?"

He could almost see Daniel smiling, "Because I can see everything now, Jesse. Just like I saw you grab Tina out of the corner and take her to the office."

"What's happened to you, man?" Jesse asked.

"Just like I know you tried to rat me out to Shaver just a little bit a go..."

There was tense silence that seemed to thunder in his ears as Jesse strained to see anything.

"Dan?"

Jesse walked around slowly, his eyes slowly starting to adjust to the darkness of the gym. His heart was pounding in his chest as he vainly searched the ocean of blackness around him. He suddenly felt exposed, naked and uncomfortable around his friend. He could feel Daniel in his mind, so close to him and yet just out of reach. Jesse realized Daniel was toying with him like a cat might paw a mouse around the kitchen before killing it. 

More than that, he was establishing authority.

Jesse turned and focused on the double doors. He poured all his thoughts, all his will into making the doors open. Imagining his hands on the door handles, he gritted his teeth and pictured them opening. There was phantom shove against him as Daniel fought back, struggling to keep them shut. He could hear the metal straining under the battle of their wills, the telekinesis pushing on the doors from all directions. He could feel pressure building up behind his eyes as sweat popped out on his forehead. Jesse grimaced and pushed harder, forcing all his might on the doors. In the darkness, he heard a grunt that echoed through the open space.

'Not as powerful as you thought,' Jesse thought.

The wood and drywall around the metal frame began to snap and splinter in loud pops and cracks.

Jesse could feel his brain becoming too large for his skull and he had to stop. The doors groaned and creaked back into place as they stopped fighting and the pressure was released.

"Nice try, Jesse," Daniel huffed somewhere to his left.

"You're making a mistake," Jesse managed in between deep breaths.

"No, you are. We have this gift for four more days. Use it, Jesse."

Jesse braced himself against his knees, slightly bent over and dizzy. "Not like this, Dan. Not like this."

"Okay then," Daniel regarded him so coldly that Jesse wouldn't have been surprised if icicles had suddenly formed and spiked their way down from the ceiling, "We're friends, and I'd like us to stay that way. So you just keep out of my business from here on out. You fuck with me again, I'll fix you."

"You threatening me?" Jesse pushed.

Daniel was silent for a moment, and then said, "When I threaten you, Jesse, you'll know it."

Jesse smiled to himself, "Was that a threat?"

No reply came from the shadows.

"Stay out of your way or what, Dan? You'll kill me?"

"I'm warning you as a friend..."

Jesse wiped the sweat from his forehead, "What else are friends for, right?"

"We are friends," Daniel repeated, his voice laced with irritation, "And that's the only reason why I didn't mind fuck you like I did the others."

"That was awfully big of you," he replied and then said, "Let me ask you something. After all, you see everything now...tell me, what happens when things go back to normal and you're just plain old Daniel Miller again? What then?"

No reply, only pitch-black shadows and cold silence. Jesse realized that somehow the gym had grown even darker than before. It seemed the shadows were reacting to Daniels anger and becoming almost tangible, a rolling ichor devoid of light that was enveloping him.

Jesse wasn't above admitting he felt truly afraid, and he knew he should stop, but pressed on, "What happens when you can't mind-fuck people into leaving you alone or loving you? What happens when all those parents come looking for the guy responsible for their sons and daughters being raped?"

"They won't find out. I'm in control."

Jesse shook his head, "No man. No you're not."

"Yes I am," Daniel insisted quietly.

"What will you do when Glenn has the upper hand again, when you go back to your old life?" Jesse shouted. He could feel Daniel's anger building up like molten magma under a cinder cone, but more importantly, he felt uncertainty creeping into the equation. Maybe Daniel hadn't thought that far ahead?

"Shut up, Jesse."

Of course he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"What'll you do, huh?!" Jesse echoed through the gym and raised his arms.

"Shut up!"

"You don't know, do you?!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

Jesse felt the air get sucked out of his lungs as he was lifted up off the gym floor and sent reeling backwards. His arms and legs flailed in the wind as he flipped over and became disorientate. Up became down and left became right as he spun in the blackness. The sensations were surreal as he tumbled through the nightmare he knew Daniel was willingly subjecting him to. His stomach turned over and threatened to release his breakfast and lunch in a single violent ejection as he was tossed hurled the air. Then there was a bone-crunching crack and Jesse felt the harsh reality of the gym wall meet his backside in a full impact.

Jesse gasped for air like a fish out of water and slid down the wall and landed in a heap, stifling his gag reflex as he tried to roll over. Air rushed back into his lungs as Daniel released him from his grip. Slowly, his muscles responded as his vision filled with bright bursts of colored light. His back burned with a deeply rooted pain as the base of his skull cried out in protest. After a few minutes, Jesse managed to stand on wobbling legs and grasped the wall for support. He could taste blood in mouth, metallic and bitter. 

"Okay, Danny-Boy," he breathed, "I'll stay out of your way."

The entrance doors unlocked suddenly and flew open, slamming against the walls in the corridor outside with twin bangs. The lights flickered above him and gradually began to illuminate the gym with their fluorescent bulbs. Jesse wildly looked around for Daniel, and couldn't see any sign of him. Except for him, the gym was empty. Jesse laughed to himself and let his body slump to the floor.

"Shit," he whispered and blacked out.

***

One the day Daniel Miller wiped the memories of his classmates and forced the school secretaries to falsify their records to show he had been absent (at home with the flu the poor boy) he discovered his gift went beyond anything the old haggard bitch had told them. When Madame Helena put the cosmic touch on them, she'd only thrown vague and clichéd descriptions of they would be able to do. Both he and Jesse had believed the old woman to be a nutcase, a frighteningly accurate nutcase when it came to reading their minds and telling them about their pasts, but a nutcase none-the-less.




The Gift: Day 03



Daniel had thought at first the power within was much larger than his capacity. He instinctively knew it, like he knew that his heart worked day in and day out to pump blood through his body. He never questioned it or even thought twice about it. It simply did what it was supposed to by some miracle of natural evolution. In this same way, he knew that whatever had been placed in his and Jesse's hands was unstoppable, almost an entity in and of itself. It was a basic element, something that surrounded people everyday in everyway. Daniel could see this power now, and where he once thought he could do make it do small tricks, he now realized he could also bend it to his will.

At first, there had been respect, even a little fear of it. That fear had lasted no more than thirty seconds. He'd caused a woman to flip her shirt up and flash him just by thinking it. He had been left dumbfounded, much like the woman who flashed her tits to him, and yet amazed by the effortless manner in which he seemed to be able to use it. At the strip club, he knew he had indulged himself, maybe even over indulged himself. Daniel figured that he and Jesse had technically robbed every man at the club, including his own father, of their hard earned cash to use for themselves. Daniel even allowed for the possibility that what he and Jesse did do the strippers was in fact a form of rape, not that any law was in place for mind control in terms of sexual violations.

But the fear of the power became a memory, a fade out emotion that he easily overlooked.

When Jesse had passed out, overloaded from the sensations of three women taking turns on his cock and the stress of controlling so many people, Daniel had known the fear again. It seemed Jesse was unable to control the power as he could, and Daniel wondered endlessly about that fact. The more he wondered, the more he began to doubt himself. Jesse had seemed so reluctant to participate in the strip club, but through some coaxing gave in. And then, with all this power at his disposal, all he did the next day was bounce some basketballs around the gym and flirt with Elena?

Daniel realized that Jesse was weak. He was afraid to use the power, to command it and change what he didn't like. Daniel had gotten over that fear when he had finally had enough of Mrs. Brewster's droning babble and bad attitude. He'd humiliated her in front of the class and brought her down off her high horse. Once she was down on the ground with the other grunts, she began to see things differently. All of them had, every last fucking one of them.

Daniel had power now, real power. He had tossed his friend around the gym and smacked him into the wall without even leaving his bed. He marveled at his abilities but again had to contend with the fear. If Jesse were faltering in using the gift, would the same thing happen to him?

"Daniel?" came a voice called from the hallway outside his bedroom.

Daniel didn't even open his eyes as he lay back on his bed, naked with a healthy erection that pointed straight up at him, as though offering directions for any women who might stop by. His sighed gently, letting his mind stretch out and find the source of the voice. He could already feel her thoughts, and he was sure it was a she. He could feel her feminine essence in the air like a shark senses blood underwater from a distance. It wasn't his mother and it wasn't his sister... no, it was someone else. Someone close to him.

"I'm here," Daniel smiled to himself and put his arms behind his head. A rush of adrenaline coursed through him as he realized who was coming up the stairs. With the twitch of an eyebrow, the blinds over his window fell shut and the drapes swished together. The overhead light dimmed to a soft hue and cast an atmospheric spell over the room.

"Hey, do you have my cell phone?" Erin Miller asked as she swung his door open. Her large brown eyes didn't fall on her naked cousin immediately, her focus instead on the sudden change in lighting form the hall to the room. Erin had traveled three paces inside the bedroom, her sandals clapping against her heels as she walked, before she turned and looked down at the bed. Her eyes went wide, and Daniel relished the sudden sensation of her shock, embarrassment and undeniable arousal at seeing him naked on the bed. 

He was surprised to find a memory flashing in his mind's eye from her, or rather a fantasy involving him.

"Oh my God, Daniel!" she cried and turned away, her slender hands clasped over her beet red cheeks. Her long, black hair swung wide as she turned away from him.

"Erin," Daniel said, "Hello."

"What are you doing?" she hissed, her face to the wall. Daniel could sense the anger in her voice, but he knew it was a ruse. She was putting on a face the world had told her she must put on, a façade to hide the truth that she wanted to fuck her cousin silly and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Daniel saw the erotic thoughts spinning through her mind and making her pussy become slick with forbidden anticipation.

She wanted him, and he knew it. He could already sense her nipples becoming hard in the confined space of her bra, her breasts tingling with a sensual throb. He could feel her inner sex preparing for it wanted, what it needed from him. Daniel reached into her mind and encouraged her to fantasize about him, to think those sexy erotic thoughts that would soon lead her from the doorway to his bed.

'You can't rape the willing,' he thought to himself.

"I'm laying here relaxing," he replied calmly. His cock was now erected to a stony hardness, protruding up from his pubes like a monument to his own perceived sex appeal.

"Put some clothes on," she said. Daniel watched her from behind, her shapely ass full and firm under her white khaki shorts. He saw no panty line and let his gaze follow the curves of her tanned, muscular legs.

"Why?" Daniel asked and laughed, "Don't you like seeing me this way?"

Erin hesitated for a moment, and then, "Yes, I do mind very much."

"I think you like it, Erin," Daniel told her, "I think you're lying to me."

"Fuck you," she snorted and made to leave, "You got my phone or not, you pervert?"

"Tell me," Daniel ignored her, "When was the last time you got fucked?"

"Excuse me?" she laughed incredulously, her resolve slowly fading under his mental massaging of her mind. Daniel envisioned gentle and firm fingers reaching out to her, touching her beyond the flesh and releasing the tension of her muscles. He could feel her fighting him and yet there was a part of her deep down inside that was welcoming him with open arms.

"Touch me, Erin."

"Daniel, " she shook her head, still with her back turned to him, "No, I can't."

"Don't you want me?"

"You're my cousin," she insisted, her arms crossed over her breasts, "It's wrong."

"Says who?" Daniel smiled. He was so thoroughly enjoying this that he was grinning from ear to ear.

"No, we can't," she said softly.

"Turn around," Daniel said.

Slowly, Erin turned, her eyes looking down as she faced him. Daniel raised his hand and gently forced her arms down to her side. He saw her nipples had gone rigid in the ribbed blue tank top she wore, prominent through the lacy bra that held her firm, perky breasts. Daniel smiled and sat up on the bed, sliding his way to a sitting position in front of her. His thick cock poked his navel, the head bulbous and a deep red.

"How do you feel?" Daniel asked, making no effort to hide his erection or interest in her. 

"I feel like I'm doing something really wrong," she replied, her voice shaking. Daniel could sense it wasn't fear that made her tremble, but rather a desire she had buried long ago.

"We could keep it a secret," Daniel offered. He looked to her crotch and began mentally stimulating her clit, focusing on the hard little love button and creating the sensations of his tongue on her. Erin jumped as he began, her eyes wide and legs shaking as she breathed deeply.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her hands clenched, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Daniel asked innocently and intensified his psychic cunnilingus.

"Oh God," she huffed, her breathing short and shallow as Daniel performed a trick no other man had ever even dreamed possible before now. He concentrated on bringing Erin to an orgasm in less than sixty seconds without laying a finger on her. He wrapped his mind around her clit, which now was erected out from its hiding place and hypersensitive. Erin moaned as he licked her with his thoughts, long slow licks that pulled and teased the button.

"Do you like that, Erin?" Daniel licked his lips.

Erin swayed back and forth, her eyes closed and lips slightly parted, "Daniel... what are you doing to me?"

Daniel jolted her cunt with his power, sending a surge of pure erotic energy through her body. Erin cried out and almost fell over, her legs opening wide to keep balance. Daniel could see a wet spot forming in the crotch of her shorts. The air was scented with her musk. He breathed her in deeply and continued.

"Do you like that, Erin?"

"Yes," she breathed, her hands on her stomach and waist as he orgasm receded, "Yes..."

"Open your eyes, Erin," Daniel told her, "Look at me."

Erin opened her beautiful brown eyes and gazed at him, both confused and so horny she could hardly see straight. She watched herself look down at his cock, her eyes memorizing all eight inches of his rod. She felt the overwhelming urge to get down on her knees and pull it into her mouth. Her heart raced as she considered the thought and then the fact that this was actually happening despite herself. Part of her screamed to turn around and leave, but her body would not comply. Most of her mind ignored that little voice, seduced by an irresistible force.

"I want you to suck my cock," Daniel said politely. He grasped his shaft by the base and offered it to her.

Her eyes widened in both hunger and resistance, "No Danny. No, we can't."

"I know you want to," he said suggestively.

"I know," Erin felt her resolve slipping more and more as her legs carried her forward, powered by the thrumming energy between her legs.

"Then do it," he encouraged her.

"Danny, please," she shook her head and licked her lips. She looked up at him, her eyes brimming over with lust and need. If Daniel saw the defeat behind her gaze, he made no indication he had done so. He reached as far into her inhibitions as he could, grabbed them violently and tried to throw them away. He could feel them weakening but not letting go of her. 

She was strong.

"You're cock is beautiful," she whispered as she struggled against him. 

Erin placed her hands on his muscular thighs and began sliding them up slowly towards his crotch. She could only watch as her hands opened and squeezed alternately on his inner thighs. She lowered to her knees and settled into place before him. 

'What am I doing?' she thought frantically.

She looked up at her cousin again and despite all she knew to be true about her and who she was and all the fighting to the contrary, she was seeing him as a sexual creature. She didn't want to, she didn't want to ever know him like this and yet she felt herself being led along like a blind woman. She knew this was wrong, and she knew that afterwards she wouldn't be able to look at him again. She searched herself for answers, but was only greeted by more leg trembling shocks in her sex.

She lowered her face down to his penis as he leaned back. It stubbornly stood out from his thick patch of dark pubic hair in an eight inch long pole. She could see it still slowly growing in front of her, subtlety bobbing up and down as blood rushed in through thick veins that covered his shaft. The thick, round head was swollen to deep purple now as a bubble of translucent precum oozed and formed from the small eye at it's top. The droplet of semen grew and grew until it began running down the side of the helmet shaped tip. His member boldly throbbed before her, just past the end of her delicate nose. Erin ran her tongue over her lips as she admired him, hungry and ready.

"Touch me, Erin," Daniel whispered. 

Erin felt it jerk slightly as her thin fingers finally touched the rigid flesh and ran across the surface. Her hand stroked up and down along the length of his thick shaft and Daniel closed his eyes. She felt herself becoming so wet that her juices were now dribbling down her inner thighs, the material of her shorts unable to saturate anymore fluid.

"Daniel we can't to this," she moaned in protest, the words sounding hollow even to her as she stroked his aching dick.

"Are you feeling wet, Erin?"

Erin tried to close her legs as something suddenly began to bloom in her crotch. A sudden rush of heat exploded between her legs and a flood of warm fluids drenched her panties. Erin cried out a throaty moan of desire as her panties clung to her lips in a wet, second skin. Her hips bucked wildly as the undeniable pressure in her sex grew like a tidal wave, building up speed and size as it rushed towards her little island of sanity. 

Images that she was sure were not her own filled her mind like a thick mist, clouding her judgment. In the swirling shape of influence she could see her taking his cock her mouth as she knelt before him, now completely naked and free with him. She wondered if she was seeing what he wanted her to see, or if it was her own thoughts being brought to light? 

Daniel saw her hips rocking back and forth provocatively as she held his cock in her hand. She was unconsciously trying to rub her pussy against herself and find release. Daniel knew another orgasm was building fast and relentlessly inside her, a formless entity that had robbed her of any self-control she had. Erin might have been unusually resistant to his power, but against the physical pleasures he was causing her body to unleashing upon her she had no defense. 

She looked up and licked her lips as she acquiesced her body to the force of her cousin's mind. Her eyes burned with a sultry passion as felt her heart let go of the fear. Her nipples were now painfully hard in her bra, rubbing and scraping against the fabric. The vision of his cock in her mouth came back to her. She lowered her head but felt compelled to keep her eyes locked with Daniel as she slipped her hands around his waist and then further back to his ass cheeks. 

Erin felt as though a powerful hand was pressed to the back of her head, guiding her and urging her forward. Her mouth parted open and she slid her tongue out. She licked the tip of his head and tasted his salty precum. Her heart raced as he rewarded her by stimulating her already sopping sex even further. Erin reached between his legs and cupped his heavy ball sack. It was hot and pulsing under her touch. She could imagine all the semen churning inside. Erin sucked his head into her mouth and she knew that he intended to orgasm across her face.

She gently squeezed his swollen testicles as she swirled her tongue around his cock, letting the heat of her mouth and slickness of her tongue intensify his pleasure. Daniel groaned as his cock jerked back slightly in a jolt of pleasure. Erin moaned, her lips sealed around his shaft and gave another squeeze, this time a little bit harder. Erin knew she was beyond her right mind now, and as she experienced feelings of excitement over his reactions to her mouth, she wondered if she had lost her mind.

All she had wanted was her cell phone, and now she was giving head to her cousin like it were her mission in life 

"Suck on my balls, Erin," Daniel breathed.

Erin released his member from her wet mouth with a *pop* and watched it spring back. Her head tilted down and to the side as she stroked his dick vigorously. She was shocked when she actually smiled in anticipation and positioned her mouth over his sack. She licked it slowly and then began French kissing it, her lips sliding wetly over the wrinkled surface of his scrotum. Daniel felt himself getting closer and closer to the orgasm, but concentrated and staved it off. He felt her suck one of his balls into her mouth and gently tongue it, rolling it around and teasing him. 

Her hand rapidly worked up and down his thick shaft in a frenzy of sexual excitement. She abandoned herself to the impulses of her sex and tightened her fingers around his girth. She wanted him to get the hint that this what her vagina might feel like sliding up and down on his thick meat. She allowed her fingernail to scrape over the thick head mixing both pleasure and pain. Daniel hissed and bit his lip as his cock shuddered. He looked down and saw his head was leaking. It wetly slid under her fingers and lubed her hand up, creating a slick friction that electrified him.

"Fuck yeah," he grunted. The wet sounds of her semen greased hand pumping his shaft made him shiver.

Erin sucked both his balls in her mouth, her lips stretched wide to accommodate his heavy equipment. He felt them squeeze together in the small space of her mouth. She desperately sucked and jerked on him to prepare him for the milking of his sack. Her hands beat up and down his shaft wildly and brutally as he cried out in a masochistic throe of ecstasy.

No longer the woman she had been five minutes ago, Erin smiled and as she nibbled on his balls, she let her free hand slowly slide up his thigh and to the crescent of his ass. Daniel was leaned back far enough now to have revealed his asshole. Erin pushed with her finger into the tight opening and probed for his sphincter. Daniel gasped, surprised for the first time since he had started this as she slowly pushed finger into the opening. Daniel jerked his hips forward and almost screamed as she lightly bore down on his sack, creating an immense pressure. For all the pain, he found a powerful vein of pleasure streaking out from his groin. 

Erin let her finger slide into his asshole up to the knuckle and felt his muscle tighten. She worked her finger gently against the muscle as her other hand jerked him off with a vengeance. Suddenly, in her mind she could see his release coming. He was going to orgasm in the next few seconds, and she was seeing it before it happened. Erin realized she was seeing his thoughts, experiencing his feelings as though they were her own. Daniel's eyes rolled back into his head as Erin's mouth pulled on his balls. He dug his hands into the bedspread and clutched as her finger sensually massaged his prostate. 

She felt his body tighten and hold as the moment came, a deep moan rising from his throat. Erin suddenly jammed her finger as deep as she could go into his asshole. Daniel shouted and blew his load, a thick long stream of hot semen spurting from his swollen head. Erin kept her hand on his pulsing shaft and felt the fluid rocketing up like lava in a volcano. She continued her jerking motions, milking the cum from his sack. She released his balls from her mouth and came up as another gob of spunk ejaculated and sprayed hotly across her cheek.

But Erin wasn't finished yet, and her constant stimulation of his rod and the finger massaging his prostate kept him active and shooting. She lowered her face to his spurting member and opened her mouth. She caught some of it on her tongue and swallowed as a long dribble of the white liquid dripped from her chin. The goo was dripping into his pubes as she sucked his cock into her mouth. His orgasm began to subside and her mouth filled with semen. She made to swallow but was too slow for the volume Daniel was putting out. She gagged a little as the final spurt of cum oozed from his head and into her mouth.

'What am I doing?' she thought and swallowed.

***

"Jess?"

Jesse opened his eyes slowly, the voice calling his name echoing through his mind.

"Who?" he asked simply, his head feeling like it had split in two pieces.




The Gift: Day 03



"It's me, Elena," a soft voice said. Her felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, steadily bracing him. Jesse looked around at a blurry world filled with misshapen blobs of color and flares of light that burned his eyes. Her reached out for Elena and found her arms. His stomach felt like it had been stepped on by the entire high school marching band, upset and nauseated. He winced as a sharp stab of pain shot from his left shoulder and seared all the way down his back.

"Elena," he whispered. He breathed deep and smelled the lavender perfume she always wore, accenting the air around her and making it hers.

"Jesus, what happened?" she asked and ran a finger over his cheek, "Who did this to you?"

"Not sure," Jesse lied, "It was dark."

"I'm going to get help," Elena told him and squeezed his shoulder gently.

Jesse grabbed her arm, "No, wait. Please don't. It's cool."

"It's not cool," she argued, "You look like you went three rounds with Mike Tyson."

"I still got my ear?" he joked and coughed, his ribs suddenly feeling way too small for his burning lungs. 'What did Daniel do to me?' he thought weakly.

"Can you move?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah I think so."

"Good, I'll take you home," she said and put her arm around him. Together, they both stood up. Jesse was sure he was going to topple over as vertigo slammed his senses and robbed him of his balance. He gripped Elena's arm tightly and steadied himself against her. His vision was slowly but surely returning, and he could now see her Latin features more clearly than before. He also saw that he was still in the gym, and apparently still in the same place Daniel had thrown him after their fight.

"What is going on?" Elena straightened out his shirt.

Jesse wanted to tell her, wanted to tell someone what was happening here. But he knew she would do what he had known Mr. Shaver would have done. She would have laughed and offered him a nice straight jacket for all the trouble of coming up with such an inventive story. 

But what if he were able to prove it to her? If he could show her evidence that he and Daniel had turned into legitimate phenomenons of telekinetic and psychic ability then maybe she could help him.

'I need help either way,' he squinted as he turned to face Elena, 'Daniel's kicking my ass.'

"Okay, I'll tell you," Jesse said as blood slowly trickled from his nose, "But not here."

"Your place?"

Jesse thought for a moment, and then said, "No, lets go out to Boone's Ranch."

Elena nodded, "You got it."

Jesse let her help him out the side door of the gym and into the day light. He closed his eyes as the sunlight attacked his sensitive pupils, still adjusted to the darkness of the gym and then of his black out. He felt safe for the moment in Elena's arms as she escorted him to her car at the far end of the lot. A few lower classmen passed by them, shaded with looks of interest and anticipatory gossip as Elena helped Jesse into the car. He briefly considered that if Elena did end up believing him, what help would she be against Daniel?

He sat down in the passenger side seat and sighed.

*** 

As Erin was about to remove her shirt and reveal the tits Daniel had fantasized about for so long his concentration was interrupted by the familiar chime of the front door bell. He cursed and forced Erin into place, frozen as though she were a statue. Her hands were gripped firmly on the bottom of her shirt and had only lifted it past her navel, revealing a delicate rose tattoo that circled her sexy button. Her eyes looked into empty space, motionless, as she stood there unable to move. 

Daniel thundered the stairs, making sure to check the hallway clock as he went. It was now four in the afternoon, and his parents weren't due home for another three hours and he sure as hell wasn't expecting company. Everyone at the school was brainwashed as far he was concerned, and no one else knew what was going on. He thought for a moment maybe Jesse had come looking for him, but as he probed outside the front door with his mind, he could not feel his former friend's thoughts.

'Former friend,' he thought to himself and remember how Jesse had fought him in the gym.

Daniel made no effort to put any clothes on as he ran through the living room and to the front door. He squinted and looked through the peephole, expecting maybe the mail man at best or the police at worst. He had his fears that Jesse would contact the police, but after the pasting he had given him at the school, Daniel thought he might be a little wiser than that. 

Daniel smiled. It was his neighbor Julia, looking as attractive and sexy as ever.

He opened the door enough to poke his head out and say, "Hello.". 

"Hi Danny," Julia replied warmly, "Is your mom in?"

"No, I'm sorry," Daniel shook his head as his cock hardened behind the door.

Julia was a quiet and somewhat reserved housewife who lived four doors down in one of the larger houses on the block. She was married to a guy named Steve, an accountant if Daniel remembered correctly, and from what he could see they seemed happy together. Though, there were nights when he would go for his summer walks and he would hear vicious arguing from the second story of the blue, white-trimmed house. They had moved to the block ten years ago when he was eight. Even then, Daniel had been a little suspicious of their seemingly perfect household. And as he had gotten older, he had come to believe that all was really not as well as they projected.

Daniel let his eyes briefly fall over her body, taking in her voluptuous curves and committing them to memory. Her brunette hair was pulled back in a conservative bun, revealing her slender neck and freckled shoulders. He wondered what she looked like beneath the elegantly simple summer dress she wore. The yellow fabric stuck to her body and offered the outline of her bra and g-string underneath.

"Any idea when she'll be back?" she asked.

Daniel didn't hear her, and Julia immediately felt self-conscious. Still, in the back of her mind, she was just as curious as to why Daniel was hiding behind the door. She could see his bare shoulder sticking out from behind the door. As she looked past his shoulder, she saw the mirror over the fireplace in the living opposite them. In the tiny sliver of open space, she could see them reflected in the glass. Her heart jumped as she realized Daniel wasn't clothed. His ass was firm and round in the reflection, and she felt both ashamed and excited. 

In fact, since Julia had first knocked on the door she noticed a sudden sexual excitement within her she could not explain.

"Daniel?"

"Hmm?" he muttered dreamily and looked up from her torso, his eyes bright and filled with an animal lust she used to see in the eyes of her husband.

"When will your mom be back?" she asked, suddenly feeling hot and uncomfortable. She realized her nipples were tingling, and she couldn't help but steal another look at the mirror in the living room.

Daniel noticed her quick glance, and allowed himself to read her mind. She was in fact thinking of having sex with him, of opening the door up and taking him right there. But like Erin, she was fighting her better judgment and talking herself out of the impulsive needs tearing at her.

"Mom and dad are both at work," Daniel smiled politely and opened the door a little bit more.

"Damn" she sighed, the disappointment in her voice obvious even to someone without psychic abilities, "I'll come back later, then."

"You know," Daniel massaged her mind gently, "You can wait here for them if you like."

Julia hesitated, a blush rising to her face. Daniel eased himself into her mind, her resistance being much, much lower than Erin's had been. He supposed that was because Erin had been his cousin, and she had much stronger opposition to fucking a relative than someone who wasn't. But Julia wasn't related, and what's more, her mind was already roaming free, disgusted and fed up with her husband. Daniel could almost taste her sexual excitement as he stimulated her.

"I can't," she smiled, her nipples protruding out like small spikes on her large breasts. She noticed them, but instead of crossing her arms like she normally would have, she let Daniel look. Julia couldn't believe she was being this bold.

"Sure you can," Daniel urged her and opened the door a little more, revealing his slender, muscular physique halfway. Julia looked down and saw his pubic area, still covered by the door mostly, but the patch of dark hair that grew at the base of his cock was partially visible and the smooth lines of his body beckoned her.

"You're naked," she whispered, with the same shock Erin had had said it earlier. But this time, there was no battle of morality inside. She simply felt herself growing impossibly aroused so fast that it made her head light. Julia brushed a way the thin film of sweat forming over her brow.

"Yes I am," Daniel agreed, "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, I would," Julia said immediately. 

Daniel back up, still keeping himself covered by the door and motioned for her to come inside. Her heart pounding like a jackhammer in her chest, Julia entered. Daniel closed the door and walked to the kitchen, holding Julia's hand gently. Julia only looked down his trim stomach and to the semi-erect cock hanging down over a thick set of balls. Dark hair framed the base of his impressive tool, and Julia suddenly wanted very much to touch him.

"You like sugar in your tea?" Daniel asked as he opened the fridge and took out the pitcher of sun tea.

"Yes please," Julia licked her full lips and then let her gaze fall back to his dick. She couldn't believe this was happening, it all seemed so surreal as she rubbed her legs together and realized her cunt was getting hot and wet. She took a deep breath and said, "You've grown so much since I last saw you."

Daniel shrugged, "I am eighteen you know. People sprout up."

"Yes they do," she nodded and smiled as Daniel handed her the tea. She took a long drink, her eyes never leaving his body.

Daniel stood in front of her calmly and coolly, as though there were nothing strange about his nudity in front of his married, older neighbor. She was only thirty-seven, though she looked as though she might be ten years younger. He gawked at her breasts again, marveling at the size and implied volume of the fleshy mounds as the yellow fabric of the sundress stretched tight across her bust line. Her nipples were unavoidable as he stared, indicators of her train of thought and what she really wanted.

"How's your husband?" Daniel asked and walked over to her and stood behind her.

"He's okay," she said quietly as Daniel began massaging her shoulders. Julia didn't stop him, even as he subtly worked his hands over the caps of her shoulders and let the yellow straps fall away to reveal bare skin.

"Yeah?" Daniel asked.

"He's away a lot now," she told him and closed her eyes as he rubbed her shoulder muscles, "He's never really home anymore."

"That's a shame," Daniel observed and kneaded her flesh gently, "I'd be home every night."

"You're so sweet," she smiled and sighed lustily as her crotch screamed for attention.

"Seriously, Julia," Daniel persisted and pulled the fabric of her dress down a little more to expose her back. It rolled down in the front to reveal the slopes of her milky breasts and the cups of her strapless white bra. He added, "You're a gorgeous, attractive woman. Who wouldn't want to come to you?"

Julia laughed nervously as his hands touched under her shoulder blades and began massaging, "Oh, I'm an old maid, Daniel."

"Old my ass," Daniel chuckled, "You're the hottest woman on the block."

Julia then heard herself say, "It does get lonely though, Daniel. I spend most of my nights alone..."

Daniel ran his fingers over the line of her spine and then began unhooking her bra. He felt no resistance from her as he finally unclasped the last hook and let the bra pull apart under the weight of her tits.

"That's a crime, Julia. Honest to God, your husband is a moron."

"Yes he is," she breathed deeply and suddenly saw images of his cock in front of her, looking tantalizing delicious and ready for her touch. She felt a hot hardness against her ass as she sat her tea down on the kitchen counter and opened her eyes.

"I wish I could help," Daniel whispered in her ear and began kissing down her neck, planting hot wet French kisses the whole way.

"I wish you could too," she whimpered as his hands slid around her sides and pulled the dress and bra down from her tits. She breathed faster as the cool conditioned air of the house blew against her naked breasts. Her nipples pointed out and away as his strong, large hands cupped her tits and squeezed. The soft flesh was silky and enticing, everything he had ever imagined them to be through all his years of curiosity.

"Oh God," she whispered huskily and leaned back against his chest, their flesh touching and conducting sensual electricity between them, "Oh Daniel."

"Yes, Julia?" Daniel smiled broadly as he nibbled on her ear lobe, rolling her nipples between his fingers.

"Fuck me," she breathed and turned around, her sultry eyes confirming what he already knew. She hadn't come over her with intention of fucking her best friend's son, but now she wanted nothing else. "Fuck me now."

Daniel pulled her to him and kissed her softly, their mouths parting open slowly while their tongues intertwined in a sensual slide. His hands ran all over her - face, back, breasts, legs. Julia immediately sought out his tense ass and squeezed hard. His hands slid the yellow sundress off her hips and let it fall to the floor in a heap. Julia kicked her sandals off along with the dress and pressed herself against him, her tongue urgently probing his mouth as she massaged his ass. Daniel ran his hand down her stomach and below to the small patch of cloth that covered her pussy. He slid his fingers beneath her g-string and began to rub her already hard clitoris. She moaned into his mouth as she sucked on his tongue. 

"I want that cock," she purred into his ear and grasped his rock hard penis. She pinched the head of his shaft lightly between her thumb and forefinger, making Daniel jump a little. It was so hot and hard in her hand as she squeezed it gently and began to rub it. She could feel pre-cum on oozing from the small eye at the tip of his head. Julia pushed him against the counter and knelt down in front of him. Daniel smiled, thinking of how rare it was to get two blowjobs from two different women in one day. Of course, he had gotten head from three women Sunday night, and then gotten head again yesterday... 

'Life is good,' he thought triumphantly to himself.

She took it into her mouth and slowly began to suck passionately. She brought her hand around to his ass and squeezed his shaft at the base with the other. She bobbed her head on it back and forth and back and forth on him like well-oiled machine. Daniel gasped as she sucked hard and deep throated him, sucking his eight inches all the way down her throat.

"Fuck," he moaned as she sucked him hard.

Julia worked her magic on her neighbor's son in a way her husband had never imagined she was capable of. Julia didn't even know she was capable of this as she expertly sucked him off, the motions and technique just coming to her through some strange osmosis. She kneaded his sack gently and slurped on his shaft as Daniel second orgasm for the day began to swell up inside him.

"You're going to make me cum," he growled and ran his hands through her hair, causing the bun to fall out and letting her hair cascade down around her shoulders.

'Good,' he heard her think as she bobbed her head faster. The orgasm took him by surprise and exploded in her throat. Daniel shook violently and groaned as his cock stiffened and blew his load. Julie drank his cum and then released his cock from her mouth. He looked down and saw her pull away, a thick rope of semen hanging from her lower lip to his tip. She flicked her tongue out and slurped it up as she rubbed his shaft. She milked him dry to the last drop as his cum was squeezed out by Julia's clenched fist. She ran her tongue along his shaft from end to the other, licking him clean and teasing him even more. 

"My turn now." she smiled.

"Yes it is," Daniel smiled wickedly and cocked his brow.

"What was that look?" Julia giggled, her tits jiggling in the soft light of the kitchen.

"Erin!" Daniel called, "Come on down."

***

Jesse looked at his watch. The simple LED readout said it was only four-forty five, but it felt much later to him. His vision had finally cleared and he could see straight again. Elena had stopped on the way out of town at the 7-11 and grabbed some sodas, plastic bags and ice for them to use. Jesse wondered how he was going to even start explaining the bizarre circumstances of his life right now, let alone convince her that he wasn't crazy. He felt sick at the idea of involving Elena in this mess, but he also knew that beyond the chance she might write him off entirely, he might be endangering her life by telling her. But someone had to know. Daniel wasn't exactly playing by the rules anymore. Tina's broken nose and the beating he doled out to him earlier was proof of that.

"Things ain't been cool since Sunday," Jesse grunted to himself.

"What?" Elena asked as she navigated her rusty blue Volkswagen Beetle down the dusty side road that led to Boones Ranch. The ranch wasn't really anything more than a pile of broken wood and over grown grass around a pond now, but in it's heyday around the nineteen fifties, it had been a popular vacation resort. Golden brown tall grass waved in the summer breeze as dust kicked up in a plume behind the small car.

"I said we fucked up, Elena."

"Us?"

"No, me and Daniel."

"I don't understand," she shook her head as the entrance to the ranch grew larger in the windshield.

Jesse took a deep breath, and then spoke, "You ever have something happen to you that you couldn't explain?"

Elena thought for a moment, "Sure, I guess."

"You ever been given a gift from a total stranger that's a lot of fun but so fucking dangerous that if you turn your back on it, it'll bite you in the ass?"

"What are you talking about? Like a dog?"

"No," Jesse smiled as he took some ice from the 44 ounce cup between his legs and put a handful of it in one of the plastic bags, "No, not like a dog."

Elena pulled up to the remains of the Boones Ranch Guest house and parked the car in the shade of a huge oak tree. They got out and took a moment to smell the fresh air. The busy and constant buzzing of summer insects and frogs near the pond permeated the soundscape of the open field. The afternoon sunlight was brilliant against the gold grass, and Jesse wished for a moment he hadn't made some of the choice he had made in the last few days. The simplicity of nature made him realize the complexity of his life with a sorrowful irony.

Jesse leaned against the thick trunk of the ancient oak tree and pressed the makeshift icepack against his left shoulder. He said, "I should have just said no."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Elena shook her head, her dark eyes never leaving his.

"Okay," Jesse sighed and nodded, "Here it goes. Sunday afternoon, Daniel and I drove up to Derridge to goof off for the day. We met this funky old lady named Madame Helena, and we paid her to read our futures and fortunes, you know? Bull shit like that. Anyway, we thought she was full of shit until she started telling us things about ourselves that she couldn't have known."

"Like what?" Elena frowned and sat back against the hood of the bug, sipping her soda.

"She knew that you gave Dan head the night before," Jesse said.





The Gift: Day 03



"What?" Elena furrowed her brow, both embarrassed and fascinated, "How could she know that?"

"Don't know. She even knew that you nicked him with your teeth."

Elena looked away, soothing her ego as her dignity took a hit, "There's a detail I could have lived without ever hearing about again."

"The point is, this shit seemed to be legit," Jesse explained, "Before we left, she put some kind of spell or curse on us. She called it a gift, and said we'd have it for seven days starting right then."

"What was it she gave you?"

"At first, we weren't sure," Jesse remembered that moment when the blond with the big tits flashed them and rubbed her nipples in front of them in public because Daniel had just thought it about it happening, "But then Dan made this chick flash us."

"Well," Elena said slowly, "I can see why a woman might flash you, but not him. Maybe she was interested in you?"

"Even if she was, the girl wasn't making a private invite, you hear me? She pulled her titties out and rubbed them like she was in some goddam porno on the main drag," Jesse laughed, "And Dan made it happen."

"He made it happen?" she asked doubtfully.

"Whatever that old hag did to us gave us a power, Elena," Jesse strained to find the right words, "We can move shit with our minds, make people do things whether they want to do them or not. That's what happened in fifth period bio yesterday. Daniel mind fucked thirty kids and Mrs. Brewster into an orgy and then put the whammy on everyone else to cover it up."

Elena looked at her friend, uncertain of how to even respond, "That's not possible."

"I know, but it happened anyway," Jesse insisted. His arm throbbed with a dull pain deep inside the muscle as he told her the story, "But that's what he did."

"And what happened to you?"

"Daniel didn't like me interfering. So he decided to educate me."

"Daniel Miller beat you up?" Elena laughed, "Jesse, you're two times bigger than he is and probably the strongest guy on campus. Daniel is a geek, there's no way he could've taken you."

"It was him," Jesse said flatly.

"It was dark," Elena suggested, "It could have been anyone that jumped you in there."

"Daniel used his mind to throw me against the wall," he told her and pointed to his bruised left shoulder and forehead, "Look at the wall next time we're in there, and you'll see the dent I left."

Elena was quiet for a moment, her arms folded over her breasts as she sat on the hood. She sighed and ran her hand through her thick, black hair. Jesse noticed the sunlight was catching on her, lighting her up and illuminating her olive skin. She looked beautiful, and Jesse had to remind himself not to get carried away. If he thought about her too much, he might cause her to do something she didn't want to do. He thought of the girls at the strip club, and how they had been violated. 

No, Jesse cared for her way too much for that to happen.

She stood up and walked over to him, her boots crunching in the dried twigs, leaves and grass. She looked at him and said, "Okay. You can move shit with your mind?"

"Yeah," Jesse said.

"Prove it."

Jesse smiled and turned to face her car. He focused his mind on the vehicle, feeling out its weight and texture. He imagined the components of the engine and rubber of the tires and how heavy they might be. His mind surged along the contours of the small car's body, sizing it up as he began to command it to life. He saturated the car with his energy and as he focused and he could taste the bitter sting of motor oil in the back of his throat. The harsh smell of the car's reality attacked his nose as he squinted, dropped the bag of ice and raised his right hand up and out to the car. He cracked his knuckles and locked his fingers open.

"Jesse, come on," Elena laughed and was about to tell him to give it up when the car groaned. She looked at the tires, her mouth hanging open stupidly as the springs in the shock absorbers slowly uncoiled. Jesse grunted, his teeth bore as his hand shook. He surged with the power and it coursed through his veins as he willed the car into the air.

"Fuck me running," Elena whispered as the tires slowly lifted off the ground, small chunks of gravel falling away and bouncing into the grass. The frame moaned and shifted as the car hovered an inch off the ground, then two and then six inches. The right front tire began to spin lazily as Elena watched her blue VW lift into the air before her eyes. She could see the undercarriage of the car, dirty and stained with grease and mud. The windshield slowly crested over the top of the oak tree and then into the sunlight. The chrome trim gleamed brightly, and Elena began laughing.

"Oh my God!" she shouted and slowly shuffled to the side to get a better view. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Elena pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and when her arm registered the pain, she knew it was true.

"Jesse!" she laughed, "Jesse this is amazing!"

Jesse didn't respond. 

She looked and saw him standing there, body tight and frozen in place as his finger stretched out to the car now floating twenty feet in the air. His dark skin seemed to ripple with power, and as Elena approached him she could feel heat radiating off his body in waves. The cords in his neck were poking out, the veins in his strong arms full and pulsating. Sweat was beaded all over his face as he slowly lowered his arm. The bug began descending back to earth, leaving the sunlight and becoming shaded by the oak tree once more. Jesse grunted, his lips drawn back and away from his perfect white teeth. Finally, the car came to a rest and Jesse let out a sigh of exhaustion.

"There," he huffed and leaned back against the tree, "You see?"

"I don't know what to say," Elena looked at him.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked, wiping the sweat from his face. He saw his nose had started bleeding again as he pulled his hand back and saw a red smear.

"Yes," she nodded and put her hand on his shoulder gently, "Oh my God, Jesse."

"And that's not even half of what Daniel can do..."

Elena took a tissue from her pocket and wiped his bloody nose, "You mean he's even more powerful that that?"

"It seems that way," Jesse nodded, his breathing still deep and rapid, "But I don't know why."

"That's not good," Elena muttered.

"Tell me about it," Jesse laughed half-heartedly, "No one will believe me either. He mind-wiped everyone in the school to believe he wasn't even there yesterday. He's gone loopy over this shit, Elena. In the gym, before he played volleyball with my body, he told me six of the girls in that class got pregnant."

"No way," Elena shook her head, "Dan's an ass, but he's not that fucking cruel."

"He is, Elena," Jesse said, "He broke Tina's face, he's all but gotten Mrs. Brewster thrown in jail and now six girls are gonna be moms next year. And you didn't see what he did to the football team..."

Elena wasn't sure she wanted to know either, but asked, "What happened?"

"Let's just say the guys know each other inside and out now," Jesse said grimly, "They were taking turns fucking Glenn Martin in the back row."

"Eric?" she asked, but already somehow knowing that her boyfriend had been involved.

"Him too," Jesse said, "I'm sorry, Elena."

She looked down at her hands, stained with Jesse's blood. After a long moment, she looked up and said, "I already knew he was gay. He's just in denial, and I think that's why he doesn't really pay much attention to me anymore."

"It could have just been the influence Daniel had him under," Jesse reminded her, "It might not be what it appeared."

"He is," she waved her hand, "Trust me."

"I feel so fucking bad over this," Jesse stood up, "Mrs. Brewster may be a bitch, but she doesn't deserve to go to jail. And those kids deserved a fucking future, or at least the right to choose their future before Daniel chose it for them."

"How do we stop him?" she asked plainly.

"What?"

"How do we stop him from hurting anyone else?" she asked.

Jesse smiled, for this time since this whole mess started feeling not so alone. He looked at her for a moment, and again was taken how beautiful she was. He finally said, "We?"

"You're going to need help," she told him.

"You could get hurt," Jesse warned her. He thought for a minute she might back down and change her mind, and if she had he wouldn't have blamed her. Elena glanced at her car and put her hands on her hips, her fingers brushing the fabric of her blue jeans. Jesse felt himself wanting to tell her to just runaway, to just get in her can get the hell out of Dodge before the real shit hit the fan. And it would too. Daniel was showing no signs of slowing down, and they still had four more days to go.

"You could get hurt too," she said quietly and almost said something else. Jesse could sense her bringing the words to her lips and trying to push them out. But in the end, she swallowed the thought and left it at that.

"Okay then," Jesse nodded.

"What now?"

Jesse thought for a moment, his shoulder and back still burning in pain. "You feel like taking a road trip?"

"Where to?"

"We need to talk to Madam Helena," Jesse said, "She's the only adult who can help us right now."

Elena nodded and took his hand in hers.

"Let's go," she smiled.

***

Daniel and Julia watched as Erin slowly pulled her blue tank top off and revealed a lacy black bra. The cups were generous but did little to hide her cleavage, her chest already flushed red from the orgasm Daniel had caused her to have earlier. Erin smiled mutely at them as her hands caressed her tight body and teased them. She lolled her head back and let her hair hang down as she cupped her tits in her hands and massaged them through her bra.

She looked at Julia and smiled seductively as she hugged herself and brought her hands to her bra straps. Daniel could the sense the natural inclination Erin had towards women, and he couldn't blame his cousin for being so interested in Julia. Julia only sat back on the couch, her hand resting on Daniel recovering cock as she watched Erin. Julia wasn't a lesbian, purely heterosexual. But there was a part of her that was turned on by all this.

"What do you think?" Daniel asked and ran his finger over her left nipple. He could help but stare at her huge breasts, so perfect and round as he played with her hard nub.

"She's beautiful," Julia smiled and kissed Daniel, quickly returning her gaze to Erin's strip tease. Erin let the straps fall down and she unclasped the front of her bra. The cups pulled away and revealed her perky tits, accented with a slight tan line but full and sensual. They weren't as big as Julia's, but they made Daniel's dick swell under Julia's hand. Erin pinched and pulled at her hard, small brown nipples and licked her lips as she stared at Daniel.

"I hate you for this," she said to her cousin as she gyrated her hips.

Daniel felt nothing as she managed to somehow spat the barb out at him, one small protest. He tightened his grip on her mind and smiled broadly, "I don't really give a fuck, bitch. Now dance."

"There's no music, Danny," Julia smiled and purred in his ear.

Daniel sighed and blinked his eyes at the stereo system in the entertainment center. Suddenly the speakers on either side of the couch hummed to life and the hard-hitting music of Areosmith blared out, filling the living room. Steven Tyler belted out "Love in an Elevator" as Erin was carried away by the relentless beat of the music. She let her body sway into the rhythm as she began grinding out the most erotic strip tease Daniel had ever seen.

"So much better," Julia squeezed his cock.

Erin winked at Julia and put her arms over her head, arching her back so that her breasts stuck out boldly.

"Your tits are so sexy, Erin," Julia called out, surprising Daniel. 

She stood up and walked over to Erin as she danced and began gyrating with her, moving her hips back and forth in such a way that Daniel thought he might cream himself right there. Julia looked at Daniel, her eyes calling to him and saying a thousand small erotic phrases that there just wasn't time to verbalize, and ran her hands along Erin's athletic body, seeking out her breasts. Erin rubbed her ass against Julia as the older woman cupped her tits from behind, playing with her nipples and licking her neck.

Erin quivered as Julia's soft hands massaged her breasts and the woman's tongue danced over her naked flesh. She felt so fucking horny as Julia's huge tits pressed into her back and created an almost maddening pressure. Erin positioned herself and pushed her breasts into Julia's palms, unable to stop herself. Her hands encircled the firm globes, squeezing tightly on her flesh. Julia's touch was gentle and soft as though they had been lovers forever. She could feel her nipples begin to harden and was not ashamed that her body was reacting to what this woman she didn't even know was doing to her. Erin willingly leaned back against Julia and slid her hands back to her round ass.

"You like that, Erin?" Daniel asked as he stroked his shaft.

"Yes I do," she purred and squeezed Julia's buttocks.

"Julia?" Daniel asked.

"I like you both," she smiled and licked Erin's ear.

The song dictated their pace as Erin danced her tease with Julia, her eyes fixed on Daniel's hard cock as his hand worked the throbbing flesh in his palm, stroking up and down. She put her hands over Julia's and squeezed, trembling at the power surging through her body. She could feel her panties, soaked and clinging to her lips become even wetter as her pussy lubed up. Her back arched again, her nipples gloriously hard against Julia's palm, the dark areola's outlining the hard, pink nipples that darted out from the center. 

"Very good Erin," Daniel stared at her, his hand still working his cock, "Why don't you and Julia lay down on the floor for me?"

Erin smiled despite herself and lay down, Julia following suit and propping herself up on one hand beside her. Erin stretched out her arms over her head and let her breasts stick out in the air, her nipples teased and long. Her vagina was quivering in her panties, hot and needful of not only Daniel's cock, but of Julia's mouth. Julia ran her finger up from Erin's navel, between her breasts and to her chin.

"So pretty," she whispered to Julia and looked to Daniel as he walked over to them. She couldn't take her eyes off of his fully erect cock or the large balls that hung down between his legs. Despite her resentment towards Daniel, Erin could not help but stare and lust after him. He knelt down beside her, watching her eyes on his cock as he positioned his knees on both sides of her stomach. Erin shivered as his balls rubbed over her stomach. His cock jerked in anticipation, moving closer to her firm breasts. 

"I want to tit fuck you, Erin," He said simply. 

Erin's hands moved to cup her breasts from the side, jumping as she felt his hot flesh touch her silky breasts. She saw the head move over her skin, leaving a glistening trail of pre-cum on her as he moved it between her tits. She pushed her breasts around his cock, trapping his thickness between her tits in a tight fit. His fingers touched her nipples, sending a shiver through her body. He pulled on them, making them stretch, his strong fingers pulling almost painfully. Still, as with when she had ran her fingernail over his head, she could feel the wetness between her legs spreading and dripping in spite of the pain.

Daniel looked to Julia, who immediately began running her tongue over his cock and Erin's breasts. Erin moaned as she felt the hot tongue circling her, leaving a wet line behind in the wake. Julia slurped her tongue all over the mounds of her tits and the length of his cock until they were slick. 

"Just like that baby," Daniel whispered and began pumping his cock back and forth between her breasts, his eyes staring down at his swollen head as it pushed out the top of her tits. Daniel enjoyed the powerful long strokes, feeling her luxurious flesh running over his hard cock, her nipples occasionally touching his head in a delightful tease. He saw her straining to keep her tits around his cock, his powerful strokes pushing harder than she could manage. 

"You like watching me tit-fuck her, Julia?" Daniel breathed and looked at Julia.

"Makes me jealous," she stood up on her knees and kissed Daniel passionately as he fucked Erin's tits. He gave her one last thrust, his cock pushing out the other end, banging into her chin. 

"Then lay down," he ordered. Julia laid on her back as Daniel dismounted Erin and then mounted her. It took only a moment for him to position his cock between her massive tits, his sack pressed warmly against her flesh.

"Lick us, Erin," he told his cousin. Erin bathed them in her saliva, taking extra special care to make sure Julia's orbs were shiny and slick. She nibbled on her large nipple, sucking the erect nipple into her mouth earnestly.

"Now, Erin you need to leave her alone," he said. Erin reluctantly withdrew as Daniel began tit-fucking Julia, working his cock in and out of her cleavage. His head barely came through to the other side of her mounds, poking out only when he thrusted hard. He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of her silky tits around his throbbing cock, the wet friction that made him shiver and his nipples grow hard.

Daniel reached down with his hand and placed his fingers on her chin. He gently guided her head down and lined up her luscious mouth with the thrust of his cock. He said "Suck me, Julia." 

Julia began licking his head as it came through, lashing out at it and playing with it. Her skin was turning red from the hard flesh that pushed back and forth relentlessly. She looked at the cock as it pushed through each time, glistening in the light, a combination of the saliva and pre-cum dripping from the head. Julia moaned as the head of his cock slipped into her mouth briefly and then shot back out. On the next thrust her lips gripped him before he pulled back, her tongue trying to run over the head.

"Fuck, you feel so good," he growled, his cock thrusts becoming more urgent, the need to release his cum reaching a critical point. He reached down with his hands, completely covering hers and pushed her tits closer together. He looked over and saw Erin had pulled down her shorts and panties and was leaned back against the couch, her legs spread wide open and two fingers jammed into her cunt. She was finger fucking herself as she watched them, her mouth open and her breasts heaving under her rapid breathing.

"Cum for me," Julia encouraged him and flicked her tongue across his cock, "Cum for me now!" 

Julia felt her hips buck involuntarily. She moaned their hands held her breasts tightly around his thick cock, rapidly plunging in and out of her cleavage. She felt him jerk, shoving his cock harder than before, sending it flying through her tits, the thick head popping out the other end in a wet spurt. She saw the head expand and freeze momentarily as the tiny slit in the head was forced open under the pressure of the impending orgasm. Hot sticky ropes of semen blasted out across her face and slapped wetly against her skin. Julia opened her mouth to catch some of the fluid as Daniel made his final efforts fucking her tits. She looked down and saw his semen oozing over her huge breasts as Daniel cock went limp in her cleavage.

***

As Elena drove the small VW Bug north on the coastal highway, Jesse sat in silence. He could already feel something growing in the back of his mind, something that was cold and brutal. It reminded of being in the gym with Daniel, alone and in the storm of his anger. He shivered despite the heat of the late spring afternoon and crossed his arms as best he could. He knew that feeling very well now, and over the last few days had come to know it as a calling card of Daniel's work. He was at it again somewhere, and Jesse knew that this latest violation was probably nothing short of another lurid and probably illegal sexual escapade.




The Gift: Day 03



"You okay?" Elena asked over the steady thrum of the engine.

Jesse nodded, "Yeah... It's just that I can, well, I can feel him in the back of my head."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's weird. It's like whenever he does something with the gift, I can feel it."

"You know what he's doing?" Elena signaled a lane change to pass a slow semi-truck. The engine bore down and sped the bug past the huge eighteen-wheeler as they started up a long grade. Jesse watched the massive tires spin by as the trailers and then the cab passed by and behind him. 

"He's doing something wrong, I know that," Jesse shook his head, and then added almost as an after thought, "And he's having a lot of fun doing it."

Elena thought of the orgy in the classroom and said, "I can only imagine."

Jesse leaned his head back against the bucket seat and breathed deeply. He didn't know what he was going to say to Madame Helena, of if there was anything he even could say to her. He didn't want the gift anymore, of that he was absolutely certain. He only hoped that Madame Helena would take it away as easily as she had given it to him. Four more days of this shit wasn't going to do anything but drive him to the bug house and back, and Jesse had no intentions of spending the remainder of his senior year butting heads with his friend in a psychic war.

"You think she'll be there?"

"She'll be there," Jesse reassured her. He didn't know how he knew that, but he felt certain the old woman would be in her shop. Something told him that she might even be waiting for them, already aware that they were coming to see her and what was weighing so heavily on their minds. 

***

Placing Julia's legs onto his shoulders, Daniel buried his tongue deep into her swollen cunt. Her sex was smooth, silky and shaved as he breathed in her scent and lapped at her juices. Julia massaged her tits as Daniel explored her inner depths with his tongue, her eyes closed and mouth twisted into a smile. He paused momentarily to lick his fingers and then set to work rubbing her clit with gentle but firm pressure. Julia writhed under his touch, softly moaning and pulling at her nipples as his pace picked up. Daniel slid his tongue out of her succulent folds and began flicking her hard love button while his fingers roamed south, tracing the connective line of her ass to her pussy. He found her hole and slowly slid two fingers deep inside her. He worked them back and forth as he attacked her clit, and Julia almost squealed in delight.

Erin watched quietly as her cousin ate Julia out. She watched them on the floor of the living room, their naked bodies breaking out in a light sweat. Erin crawled over to them and leaned her face into Julia's. She kissed Julia on her full, supple lips and was surprised when she felt Julia's hands on the back of her head, pulling her in deeply. Julia's tongue danced with Erin's in a wet expression of primal need. Erin broke the kiss and lifted one leg over Julia's head, bringing her pussy directly over Julia's mouth. She settled into her position as Julia slid her hands up Erin's thighs and to her buttocks. Julia had never eaten a woman out before, never even considered it until today. Still, she planted a hot kiss on Erin's lips and began suckling, using Daniel's lead as her guide.

"Yes," Erin hissed as her hips began thrusting in time with Julia's tongue.

Julia moaned as her orgasm approached. She squirmed under his tongue, and with a muffled cry into Erin's sopping cunt her pussy spasmed hard and Daniel was rewarded with her cum squirting out onto his face and dribbling down his neck. Her nectar was sweet and perfect. He felt her warm cum run down his chin and into the carpet. Julia was panting like a bitch in heat, and that was exactly how Daniel saw her now. 

A bitch to be serviced.

Grasping her hips, and being careful not to disturb the cunnilingus Julia was gracing Erin with, Daniel raised her up a little and brought his cock to bear. Julia knew what was coming and braced herself as his full, round head pressed against her moist flesh. She whimpered lustily as his shaft suddenly slid into her, filling her up and stretching her out a little bit. She quivered as she reeled from the double impact of her recent orgasm and now this strong, young cock pounding in and out of her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and rocked her hips back and forth, increasing her licks and nibbles to Erin's cunt. 

"Daniel baby yes, Ohhhh, fuck me... please fuck me... Fuck me!! Ohhh god fuck me, you fuck sooo good!" Julia moaned into Erin's pussy, her hands tight on the flesh of her ass cheeks.

Daniel relished in her moans and felt himself rise to a new level as he rammed his thick rod in and out of her with machine like precision. Daniel felt in control, he felt as though these two women were at his mercy and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted to do with them. Julia shuddered and cried out as his cock and mental stimulation of her pussy brought her to yet another climax. He knew that the numerous orgasms he was giving her would not have been possible without the gift, and he silently thanked Madame Helena.

Daniel projected a new image into their minds, a new position that he wanted to get into. They quietly complied and switched. Erin got off Julia's face and laid flat on her back as Julia got to her hands and knees. She buried her face in Erin's cunt once again, resuming her work on making Erin cum. Erin was flushed red, overwhelmed by the sensations of their threesome. Julia stuck her curved ass out in the air, welcoming Daniel to fuck her. 

"Fuck my ass, Danny," she paused to whisper, "Fuck me hard."

His cock was already slick with her nectar and his own precum, so Daniel found no resistance in sliding into Julia's tight ass hole. She shuddered as the pole passed into her and created a pressure and pleasure she never knew existed. Her husband would never have agreed to anal sex, and like so many things recently, she really had never really given it much thought. But now she moaned her approval as he slowly sank in and her ass adjusted to the girth of his dick. He buried his rod into her until her ass cheeks were pressed tight against him. He tightly grasped her hips and then began humping her.

Her ass tightened and squeezed his shaft as he fucked her, either in natural protest on in simple erotic spasms. Daniel huffed and growled as though he were reverting to some primitive psyche, some raw state of mind that only knew instinct and instant gratification. Beads of sweat formed on his skin in the afternoon sunlight that poured through the living room windows. As much as he was ramming her ass, Julia was meeting him by shoving her ass back to meet his powerful thrusts.

Julia's fingers slowly found her clit and began rubbing it furiously as Daniel pounded her from behind. She amazed herself with the intensity and need she had for tongue fucking Erin, her mouth wildly attacking the young girl's snatch. Judging by Erin's slowly increasing moans and whimpers she figured the feeling was completely mutual. She lapped at her and formed a seal over her clit with her lips. 

"Fuck yeah," Daniel urged as he felt the pressure building up in his balls and rising. He could hear his scrotum slapping against her perfect cheeks as he slammed her hard and fast. 

"Cum for us Daniel!" Erin shouted suddenly, her voice wracked with unearthly pleasure as she orgasmed all over Julia's face, "Fuck!"

Daniel's dick exploded. He reeled, hardly able to breathe as his cock pumped out what felt like gallons of hot cum deep inside Julia's ass. He slumped forward as he came, bracing himself with his hands on Julia's hips as his eyes spun and stars twinkled everywhere. As his thrusts slowly came to a rest and his cock deflated, Daniel pulled himself out of her hole and sat back, tired and spent.

"You two are ama-" he stopped mid-sentence, suddenly feeling something at the base of his skull. There was something there, like a splinter in his mind. He realized that it had been there for a while, unnoticed as he engaged in his threesome. He cursed himself for not having been more alert as he focused on the shapeless thought in his mind. As he concentrated he saw not only Jesse but Elena as well, driving somewhere that was almost out of his range. He could see them there, driving and talking (about him, no doubt). He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but he knew something was wrong. 

From the expression on Jesse's face, it seemed obvious he was going to try and stop him after all.

"Apparently we didn't learn our lesson, did we?' Daniel growled.

"What was that?" Julia smiled as she Erin laid together on the floor. Daniel glared at them and with an angry flip of his wrist he froze them in place. He felt irritated, no more than that he felt down right pissed at the moment and the last thing he needed was stupid questions from dumb bitches. Julia's amused and satisfied smile was solidified into place as her hand fixed over Erin's breast in a permanent caress. Erin, who had been getting up on one shoulder when Daniel made his impulsive decision, only stared just beyond Julia's large breasts, her gaze caught in mid motion. They were two incredibly beautiful and incredibly frozen statues in the middle of his living room.

"You fuck," Daniel spat as he stood up and paced the living room. He focused on the vase of flowers on the kitchen table and with one thought, the porcelain jetted across the room and shattered against the wall as though he had thrown it by hand. The flowers and water fell to the floor along with jagged chunks of broken vase.

"Where are you going?" he asked out loud and tried to see them again, tried to look around in the vision. He saw the interior of Elena's bug, and for that he would punish Jesse severely. He gave that word a moment of consideration; punishment. There was a time when he would have considered the idea of him punishing anyone ridiculous. Now, he understood that with power came the responsibility to use that power. He had warned Jesse to stay away from Elena, that Elena was his and his alone. Daniel had even beaten the shit of him to show how serious he was, that he was in charge here and that Jesse was clearly second to him.

"Clearly second," Daniel said out loud and nodded, "He's weak."

And Jesse was weak. He was too afraid to use the gift the way it supposed to be used. Jesse recoiled from the awesome and unlimited possibilities of the gift like some pathetic coward. Jesse didn't deserve the gift anymore than he deserved Elena Morales, and by God he did not deserve Elena Morales one goddam bit. She was someone who was supposed to be with a man of action, of power and of ambition. Daniel had become all that and more.

Jesse wasn't good enough for her; he had told him that and tried to make him understand. And yet, here they were, driving somewhere together. Daniel looked, his eyes almost pulsing with fury as he searched the vision for clues as to where they were going. And then he noticed out the driver side window of the car the vast blue expanse of the ocean. They were on the coastal highway, driving north based on the position of the ocean. He wondered where they might be going, and then it hit him with the force of freight train.

"Madame Helena," his whispered, "He's going for help."

Daniel felt the nauseating grip of panic as he considered what might happen if that old bitch got involved. Could she nullify his gift, take it away as easily as she had given it? He still had four days left and he needed time to finish what he had started. He had overcome the fear and was now ready to use this marvelous gift. He was only getting started, and the idea of losing the gift had not really been a reality for him until now.

"Fuck you, Jesse," he said quietly, comforting himself, "Fuck you, man. I'm not going anywhere."

He looked at his hands, so powerful and assured now that he was in charge. How could he even allow for the thought of losing his gift? Who was to decide if he were to lose it or not? Madame Helena had to learn how to give this power, and if she could do it then so could he. He would learn where it came from and once he had figured it out, he would keep the gift for himself. He decided that when the time came, he would not allow her to take his power. He would fight her and Jesse and even Elena if the need be.

"I'm staying right here," he repeated, "Right here, do you hear me?"

***

Jesse and Elena rolled into Derridge around six-thirty that evening at a steady twenty-five miles an hour. The town looked utterly deserted, not a single man, woman or child out on the streets. Deep bluish purple shadows had already formed in the streets and crevasses of the whitewashed buildings and historic structures as the sun hit the stride of its descent for the night. The streetlights started flickering on as they cruised down the main street, both of them with their windows rolled down.

"It's the town that dreaded sunset," Elena commented dryly.

Jesse breathed in the cool ocean air. He was feeling a little better physically now, his arm and back recovering from his blow against the gym wall. He rested his right hand out the window as they drove, spreading his fingers and feeling the air. Even before they stopped and parked in the exact sport he and Daniel had not three days ago, he could feel it. He said, "There's no wind."

"So?" Elena shut the bug off. The engine coughed and sputtered for a moment before violent shudder into silence.

Jesse looked at her, "When was the last time you were at the beach and there wasn't even a little wind?"

They got out of the car and stood quietly in the deserted street. Elena licked her index finger and held it up. After a few moments, she said, "You're right. There is no wind."

Jesse didn't know if it meant anything or not, but he knew how it made him feel. He calmed his upset nerves as best he as they walked across the silent main drag of Derridge to the shithouse of a shop a Madame Helena called home. A neon light advertising that she was indeed open for business boded well for them, and Jesse took comfort that at least he would have some answers today if nothing else. 

"You all right?" Elena asked.

Jesse stopped at the door and took a deep breath. He lied, "Yeah, I'm cool."

Elena nodded and then slipped her fingers into his hand. Jesse couldn't believe it as he felt a blush rush to his cheeks. Her touch was gentle and firm as she laced her fingers with his and held his hand securely. She looked at him and smiled, "Me too then."

The door opened and the smell of incense and mothballs assaulted them. Jesse immediately worked his way back past the tables of kitschy merchandise, statues and aphrodisiacs to the rear of the shop. It was here he and Daniel had first met Madame Helena, and it was here that Jesse hoped to find her again. He boldly walked through the shop, Elena close behind him.

"Where is she?" Jesse muttered and craned his head around, scanning the layout of the shop.

"Maybe she's in the can?" Elena offered.

"Madame Helena?" Jesse called out.

There was no response, only the gentle twinkling and chiming of her hanging trinkets as a spectral breeze drafted by them.

"No wind outside, but a steady breeze in here," Elena shivered and stood closer to Jesse. There was something wrong with this place. She could feel it in the back of her mind. It was like the building itself were breathing on them and watching, waiting for the moment to swallow them whole. Were it not for Jesse needing help, she wouldn't have come in here for all the fortunes Madame Helena could crank out in a day for free.

"Madame Helena, I need to talk to you!" Jesse shouted, "It's important!"

And then, from the shadows of the back room entry came a withered voice, cracked and familiar, "Important, Jesse? A bit late in the day for importance."

The old witch shuffled out of the darkened doorway and looked them over, her craggy face twisted into a smile. She reached out a knobby wrinkled hand and grabbed Jesse's powerful arm. Elena looked at was taken by the contrast of their skin in the neon lighting of the shop. His arm was so dark and thick as compared to her bony, pale limb that looked as though it might shatter just by being next to him.

"What did you do to us?" Jesse asked.

"I gave you the gift," she smiled and raised a claw like finger that shook with severe arthritis, "But only for seven days. On Sunday at noon your time will be up."

"Take it back now," Jesse said, "Take it back from both of us."

The old woman looked at him, yellow eyes wide with surprise, "You don't want the gift?"

"No ma'am, I do not," he replied and followed her into the shadows of the doorway to the back room where she told her fortunes. Elena followed closely.

Helena rounded the cloth-covered table in the center of the pillow filled room as they entered. Again, the overpowering stink of rot and mothballs hit them hard and Jesse had to keep his eyes from watering too much as they sat down across the table from her. Elena put her hand to her nose as her lungs hitched in anticipation of a sneeze. She looked to Madame Helena apologetically.

"Elena Morales," the witch smiled as warmly as she could, "So much prettier than the memory your friend shared."

Elena nodded thankfully, still fighting off the sneeze, "Thank you."

"Ma'am," Jesse spoke up, "The gift is too much. You have to take it back."

"I cannot," she said flatly and placed her gnarled hands flat on the table, "Even if I could, I would not."

"Why?" Jesse asked impatiently, "Why not?"

"What good would the gift be if it did not run its course?" she asked him, "You act as though it were a thing to be given and taken at our convenience. I assure you, it is not."

"What?"

The witch eyed him, her yellowed corneas bright even in the dim light, and said "The gift is all around us, every day and everywhere. No one ever sees it or even knows it exists save for a few. And even then, they cannot bend it to their will. The gift chooses the recipient, not I."

"You're talking as if though it were alive," Elena frowned and glanced at Jesse.

"It is child, it is," the witch told her, "As much as you or I or him."

"How? Why did it pick me and Daniel?"

"It picked you through me," she said, "It saw you and him and new it's time had come again..."

"Okay," Jesse raised his hands diplomatically as his frustration began to leak through into his voice, "With all the weird shit I've seen in the last few days, I can allow for a cosmic psychic power that can control people's minds and move shit around. Hell, I'm honored the gift chose me... but look; people are getting hurt because of this. We can't control the gift at all. Daniel's gone ape shit down there with this and people are getting hurt, ma'am. Please, can't we talk the gift into removing itself?"

"The gift will leave when all is done," the witch said slowly, "Not before."

"Ma'am," Elena stepped in, "I don't think you understand. Daniel is ruining people's lives. He's forcing himself on others and breaking the law."

"As will happen when men are given absolute power," Helena pulled her dark robes close to her withered body, "Did you not expect absolute corruption?"

"He is abusing the gift, ma'am," Elena persisted.

"Both of them are just as guilty," she snapped and pointed to Jesse, "Though this one hasn't compounded his mistake."

"Mistake?" Elena looked to Jesse, her eyes demanding an answer, "Mistake?"

"Later," he said from the corner of his mouth, not wanting to remember the incident at the strip club. Elena held her gaze on him for a moment and then looked back to Madame Helena. Jesse could feel the sudden uncertainty in her heart about him bloom like a black flower as the suggestion that he too had been abusing the power was presented. Jesse looked down at his hands, unsure of how to proceed.




The Gift: Day 04



EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE and SIMPLY_CYN

*

WEDNESDAY

"What now?" Elena asked. 

"I'm not sure," Jesse said as a salty sea breeze caressed his face. 

When they had first arrived in Derridge last night, there had been no wind at all. The town was unnaturally silent and motionless, like a dead body. It seemed the falling of night had taken the soul of the small city. The conversation with Madame Helena had left them both feeling equally empty and alone. The only sign of life was that of the ocean crashing to the shore in the distance. So that was where they had gone and ultimately spent the sleepless night. 

Yet, with the rising sun also came the wind rolling in from the ocean. He could hear the buoys beginning to sound slowly as the bruised early morning sky healed and transformed into a full palate of warm pastels. Thin slices of white feathered clouds drifted aimlessly on the horizon. If Jesse hadn't been so discouraged, he might have appreciated the natural beauty in front of him. 

"Well, this is good," Elena muttered through a powerful yawn. 

She'd had no qualms about sitting on the beach with Jesse. Truthfully, there wasn't any place she would have rather been. They had just sat there, feet bare in the sand and leaning against one of the gigantic craggy boulders on the high beach. The tide had ebbed, receding back to the edge of the world and rolled lazily while the virgin sun consumed the remains of the night. 

"Our parents are going to kill us," Jesse rubbed his eyes. 

"Being out all night like this?" she shrugged, "My dad will send me to reform school." 

Neither one of them had said it, but more than anything fear had kept them here on the shoreline. Jesse had no desire to go back to Castleton Rock yet. His beloved hometown had become a place of horror and anxiety for him. Daniel would be waiting for him, as he would be waiting for Elena. By now he would have sensed their absence from the town and would know something was up. 

Jesse remembered the beating Daniel had given him in the high school gym. How ironic that the school outcast should give one of the star football players such vicious and unforgiving beating. His shoulder flared with dull pain as he stretched. He doubted he would ever forget it. In the space of three days, he and his friend had become enemies. They were the kind of enemies that knew each other, and as Jesse gazed out at the infinite, he thought that they might have even loved each other as brothers do. The thought had never occurred to him before, but now it was a concept he couldn't shake away. 

"We have to stop him," Jesse said quietly, his eyes fixed on the white crests of the incoming waves. The sound of the ocean always used to soothe him, but now it did nothing. 

"You're right," Elena nodded and rested her head against the big, pitted rock, "But how? Madame Helena won't step in." 

"That bitch," Jesse said with more than a hint of reproach in his voice, "She started this shit, she should end it." 

"One thing's for sure. We can't figure out how to do it in Castleton Rock. Daniel will know we're planning something." 

"He already does," he shook his head, "Daniel may be a crazy asshole, but he's not a stupid asshole." 

"There's gotta be a way," Elena said, "We need to think. What do other people do in situations like this?" 

"There are other people in situations like this?" he asked, "Who have you been hanging around with?" 

"I mean movies," Elena slapped his shoulder, "In the movies, when the shit hits the fan, the heroes usually have to retreat and regroup for a little bit to come up with a plan." 

"Heroes," Jesse repeated and remembered what happened at the Lucky Beaver on Sunday night. He shook his head, "I'm not a hero." 

"Like it or not," she looked at him, "You are." 

Jesse felt that sickening guilt rising inside him again like thick bile. Heroes were the people who saved old women from burning buildings and children from shit-kicking bullies. A hero always did what was right, like Superman. A hero was strong and didn't give in to temptation. Real heroes sure as fuck didn't hypnotize women into sleeping with them for a little over-the-top sexual gratification. 

But that's exactly what Jesse and Daniel had done. He thought about the strippers they had duped into an orgy at the club. It had all seemed so easy at the time, so perfectly right to just reach out and take what he wanted. At the very least, he had no complaints while the three insanely gorgeous women sucked on his dick and fucked him until his eyes crossed, begging him for more. 

But the next day? 

Jesse pushed the guilt back as far as he could and asked, "Any thoughts?" 

A seagull squawked and soared overhead in the lavender sky. Elena sighed and then said, "My Aunt Rosa." 

"Aunt Rosa?" Jesse said doubtfully. 

"My Aunt Rosa lives about an hour away from here in Gold Beach," Elena said, "She has beachfront property and we can hide there until we figure this out." 

"What?" Jesse laughed, "Our parents will probably have called the cops by now." 

"Put the whammy on them." 

"You're joking?" 

"Put the whammy on them," Elena insisted, "Make them think we're off somewhere else or something. You can do it." 

Jesse thought about her idea for a moment and then said, "Okay. But what about Aunt Rosa? Won't she be a little curious?" 

"How can she be curious," she smiled and raised a sly brow, "if she's on vacation in Barbados? We have the place to ourselves for a whole week." 

"Nice," Jesse nodded and smiled at her, "Very nice." 

"Thank you," Elena smiled and put her hand on his. 

Their eyes locked for a moment and Jesse suddenly felt the urge to kiss her. He knew he wanted to, and he could feel she wanted him to. There had been a heavy sexual tension between them since they left town yesterday. It was as if the realization that they were alone in facing Daniel had opened up a new door of possibilities. 

In his mind, he saw them kissing and touching each other until they couldn't hold back. The prospect of feeling of her silky skin against his was an awful temptation, and the urge to caress her large breasts was powerful. But he couldn't be certain if what she was feeling was real or an unintentional manipulation on his part.

Jesse wondered if he could be trusted to not influence her. 

"But," Jesse cleared his throat and stood up, the morning sun warm on his shaved scalp and illuminating his mocha skin, "We'll have to go back to Castleton Rock to 'fix' our parents." 

Elena pulled her hand back, "I know." 

Jesse was quiet and then said, "Elena, this could be dangerous. You don't have to go." 

"I know," she stood up and stretched her back. Even in loose fitting jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, Elena looked sexy. Her full, dark hair was strangely defiant of the sun, and yet radiant at the same time. 

"I just," he paused, and then finished, "I just don't want anything to happen to you." 

"Jesse," Elena looked at him, ''No matter what, I'm in this now. Daniel has us both marked. I'd rather be with you than be alone when he comes calling." 

"Okay," Jesse said, his eyes lingering on hers for a second, "Let's do it." 

***

Daniel sat in the living room of his parent's house as the morning sun shone through the windows in square patches that lighted on the shadowy floor. Like Jesse and Elena, he had not slept during the night. His mind had been wild with visions of the future, possible avenues that fate might take against him. He knew that Jesse and that bitch were out there somewhere, beyond his range and plotting against him. Their fear was potent and foul even so far away. 

That Jesse had gone running to Madame Helena when things got rough hadn't surprised him. His handsome black friend had been overwhelmed by the power of the gift the first night at the strip club. Jesse had lost control and passed out at the Lucky Beaver, his mind unable to handle the weight of his gift. He had not the control to bend the gift and use it as it should have been used. The power of the gift was testing them both now, seeking a new master. 

Daniel could sense the power behind his gift yearning to be controlled and used. It wanted him to possess it and use it to its full extent. It was a treasure to him, a precious possession that allowed him to take his rightful place in the world. The gift was not only power over other people, but over everything around him. 

"Amazing," he whispered to himself as he stretched his hand out to the couch across from him and focused. The sofa lifted into the air with an effortless leap and hovered to the ceiling. Daniel could feel the weight of the couch in his mind, the astral muscles of the gift stretching and suspending the bulk. He twirled it around in circles as he pondered his next move. 

"The gift," Daniel said and looked over to the two women in the corner of the room, "Is power. It needs to be mastered." 

Julia, his neighbor since he was a little boy, raised her head from the humble bow she and Erin had been observing since late last night. Both women were on their knees in the comer of the living room, naked and wearing dog collars. Daniel had made them wear the collars after finding them in the bottom drawer of the kitchen cabinet. Julia was wearing a red one that hung loosely around her slender neck while Erin wore a blue one that was just a little too tight. 

"Can we get up now Danny?" Julia asked 

Daniel rolled his eyes and turned in his chair, "Excuse me?" 

Julia could barely look at him. 

When she had come over the day before, she had only wanted to talk to Daniel's mom. She couldn't remember how she'd come to be in this compromising and degrading position, but she also couldn't deny that she was enjoying it too. The paradox of her hatred and lust for this eighteen-year-old boy's sexual perversion vexed her. She was a thirty eight year old housewife, not a sex slave. And yet she was on her knees and bowed reverently, her heavy breasts resting on the floor. They were swollen and raw from the night before and coated with Daniel's hardened semen. 

"I asked," Julia kept her eyes down at her hands. A thick length of rope had bound her wrists together. She dug her fingers into the carpet and continued, "I asked if Erin and I could get up-" 

She felt Daniel glaring at her and then added, "-Master?" 

Daniel got up from his chair, the couch still rotating overhead and walked to the two women. Julia remained on her forearms and knees, but Erin was looking up at him, her eyes blazing. It unnerved Daniel that he couldn't quite dominate her. He was able to do a lot with his cousin, but her heart wouldn't give him complete control. He frowned and with the twitch of his eye summoned the six-foot long whip from the kitchen table. It zipped across the distance and slapped into his hand comfortably. Daniel looked down at the rolled leather device. 

It had been his father's until last night. Apparently, his mom and dad enjoyed the kinkier side sex more than he had ever imagined. Oh, he had heard them in their room late at night when they thought he was sleeping. He heard the slap of leather against flesh and lusty painful moans of his whore mother. He gritted his teeth at the thought of her. Until last night, he had never imagined his mother as a whore. 

When she and his father had walked through the front door and found him, Julia and Erin fucking earlier this morning, they had been outraged. For all their seemingly righteous anger, Daniel scanned their minds and found that they too had been being naughty. They were swingers, and much to Daniels surprise, had been swapping with four other couples in town for years now. He wanted to scream when he saw the images of his mother being fucked by not one but four other men. He had never wanted to see the sight of her riding a stranger, her tits bouncing and her mouth moaning out those little sex noises. 

But he had seen it. 

He had seen it and decided that they needed to be educated. They would pay for the humiliation. He had made them pay from the moment his father began yelling and screaming about Erin being naked on the floor. And they were still paying. He could hear them on the stairwell paying all they had to give. And once they were done doing that, he would take everything else. 

"Julia," Daniel said and uncurled the whip slowly, running his fingers over the braids of leather, "Do you need another lesson?" 

"No lesson," Julia shook her head. From her shoulders down to the cheeks of her ass was an erratic collection of red welts, crossed and angry against her skin. 

Daniel had taken care not break her skin during the multiple lessons that had led to his exhaustion this morning, but apparently his consideration of not drawing blood was not to be rewarded. 

"What are you looking at, cunt?" he stared at Erin. Her backside was also marked, stinging and throbbing from his abuse. She bit down hard on the t-shirt he had tied around her mouth to gag her with. Her eyes were red and bloodshot as she glared at him. Daniel leaned down and eyed her, asking, "What the fuck are you looking at?" 

"Answer him," Julia whispered. Daniel lashed out and struck Julia across the back again. The whip cracked and echoed in the silent interior of the house like rolling thunder. Julia sucked in air and bit her lip as the pain seared through her raw back. 

"Shut the fuck up!" Daniel bellowed. 

"Sorry," Julia cried as Daniel whipped her again, "Sorry Master!" 

Daniel then unleashed the whip against Erin's face. The sting of the tail had barely begun to register as the whip finished its' circuit. She resisted the urge to cry out as a long welt formed on her cheek. Daniel grabbed her tied wrists and pulled her up. His strength was augmented with the power of the gift as he lifted her into the air. Her bare feet dangled inches above the carpet as Daniel looked to the kitchen. 

The silverware drawer shot out of the counter as thought it had been shot from a cannon and landed on the floor, scattering knives, spoons and forks across the floor. Four big carving knives rose up from the floor and then flew into the living room. They sliced through the air and arched up to the ceiling like torpedoes. Daniel maneuvered them to catch the rope he had used to bind Erin's wrists and pin her to the ceiling. He made sure that the ropes were penetrated by the blades, but not cut. The knives dug into the drywall ceiling and lodged in a support beam. With a simple thought, the tips of the blades bent inside the wood so they wouldn't slip out. 

"Now," he said as his cock began to stir at the sight of his cousin hanging by her arms from the ceiling, "Today's lesson will be abject humiliation." 

Erin closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping her wits about her. She could feel Daniel running his hands over her body, pinching and pulling on her nipples. She felt his fingers rub her cunt and search for her clit. She was aroused despite her anger, and when he pulled back her clitoral hood and began pinching her button she almost screamed. 

"Not good enough," Daniel muttered and lashed her. 

Erin closed her eyes tight as the blood drained from her hands and arms. He 

wanted her to cry out. She knew she couldn't. Erin would not give him the satisfaction. 

"Does it hurt?" Daniel asked and whipped her again. 

Erin said nothing. 

"Bitch!" he screamed and whipped her legs and breasts furiously. Daniel lost control of himself and wildly attacked her, his lips drawn back in a sneer and his eyes wide with pure rage. The whip cracked and snapped off her skin repeatedly as Julia curled into a ball on the floor. Her ears rang with sound of leather tearing flesh and she thought she might go mad. Finally, as spittle flew from Daniel's open mouth and as his hulking erection slapped against his thigh, he relented. 

"Wait a minute ... " he paused. 

He took a deep breath and felt a tingle behind his eyes. Daniel looked around the living room, his eyes seeing far beyond the wood and plaster. He could feel Jesse and Elena returning to Castleton Rock on the freeway, both afraid and yet both determined. He could feel them both coming closer as though they were emerging from a thick fog. And they were coming with a purpose.

Daniel dropped the whip to the floor and breathed, "You're back then." 

He looked at Erin for a moment and considered letting her go. Her body was red and hatched with painful marks. Blood was trickling slowly from several wounds. Her legs were shaking as her arms turned a ghostly white. Her eyes were closed tight, tears rolling down her cheeks and to the cloth gagging her. Her breasts were raw. Her nipples ached from the violent whipping. And still she did not scream. 

"Bitches stay here," Daniel said and left them in the living room. He reached the stairwell and saw his mother and father were blocking his passage, both naked and both still enduring their punishment. The large pink dildo (another favorite of his mother's) he had taken from their bedroom was still lodged up his father's wide, hairy ass. It was magically pumping in and out under the power of the gift. He saw his father had passed out sometime between one this morning and now, his face pressed into the stairs above him and his ass sticking in the air. Daniel raised himself above the human roadblock and floated up to his room. 

Below his bare feet passed his mother. She was naked but still awake. With both hands she had taken her other two dildos and shoved them inside her pussy. She was still fucking herself, but was now in pain more than anything else. The clothespins Daniel had made his father clip to her nipples were still there as well. She was breathlessly moaning and begging to be released. She looked to the man who had once been her son for mercy. 

Daniel would not meet her eyes. 

He went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hot steam enveloped him as he concentrated on Jesse and Elena. They were about a half an hour away from town now, and he wanted to be ready for them. He felt out into the town of Castleton Rock, into the minds of his neighbors, friends and classmates. He reached into their minds and began his work, instilling the fear in them. Hundreds of individual minds, some half asleep others awake seized and squirmed in his grip. 

Daniel felt his anger grow as he sensed the bond between Jesse and Elena that was slowly growing. It was being nurtured and encouraged in spite of the warning he had given Jesse. 

"You don't want to listen?" Daniel stepped into the shower, his eyes raging, "Fine. I'll teach you." 

Daniel gritted his teeth and thought of Elena. "I'll teach you all."

***

Once the front door had slammed shut behind Daniel, Erin began struggling against the ropes. Her hands were numb and her arms were tingling under an attack of pins and needles. She looked up and saw the four kitchen knives deeply embedded in the wall She pulled as best she could on the rope, but to no avail. She looked down and saw Julia at her feet. She tried to yell at her but had no luck. Either the cloth was gagging her too much or Julia wasn't listening. 

Or both.

Erin began to swing back and forth. She heard a small ripping sound and looked up. Several stray fibers were broken and sticking out from the bulk of the line. She swung again and this time more fibers severed, weakening the rope. Erin clung on to the desperate hope in her heart as she gathered all her strength and resumed swinging back and forth. 

Blood began to trickle down her arms and to her pits from her wrists as the rope burned and cut her. She ignored the pain and kept swinging, growling and grunting against each searing rub. Tears squirted from her eyes as she rocked forward and then back again. Above her, the drywall was creaking and crumbling. She could hear the metal blades moaning from their burrow in the wood. 




The Gift: Day 04



With a final, mighty thrust she swung forward and the rope sliced open against the blades. She fell to the floor and landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her lungs. She clawed at the gag and once she had pulled it down she sucked in as much air as she could. Erin threw her head back and gasped as her lungs greedily took the cool air in. She looked at Julia, who remained unmoved. 

"Hey," Erin croaked, her throat parched dry as she rolled over to Julia, "Hey ... are you okay?" 

Julia didn't move. 

Erin put her hand the woman's bare shoulder and then withdrew quickly. Julia was frozen. Her skin was cold to the touch. Daniel had frozen her somehow. Erin scrambled back into the middle of the living room, her eyes wide. Julia's milky skin was suddenly tinting blue right before her very eyes. Erin thought she might be dead. 

"Oh my God," she managed. 

Erin felt a sudden tightness in her chest. It was panic and fear clutching at her lungs and threatening to trigger a case of hysterical asthma. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the welts on her bruised body screamed. Erin sat up on her knees and then sensed something moving above her. 

She looked up and saw the couch still spinning in the air. She froze in place as the large sofa spun under the power of Daniel's unholy magic above her. The impulse to run suddenly hit her and her body tensed, ready to bolt. Her hands grasped the carpet and her feet began to push off as Daniel released his hold on the large piece of furniture, letting it drop. 

She screamed and then was silenced as the corner of the heavy piece of furniture caught the back of her head and smashed it into the floor. There was a loud, wet cracking sound followed immediately by a tremendous thud. Pinned under the couch, Erin's body twitched once, twice and then moved no more. Thick blood oozed from her broken face and stained the white carpet. 

Her aunt would have been very upset. 

Except that she was very busy in the stairwell at the moment and bloodstains on the carpet was the last thing on her mind. Daniel's mother would continue to bone herself with the two exceptionally large rubbery dildos until later on around suppertime when she would finally collapse from exhaustion and begin to freeze over as Julia had done. By the time dessert would have been served, both of Daniel's parents would be frozen solid and very much dead.

***

No one on the main street of Castleton Rock, California noticed the blue VW bug come rolling into town. The sputter of the old engine didn't seem to faze anyone or draw any attention. They didn't see Elena park the car by the California Three Theaters and turn the tires to the curb. No one seemed to even care as the new arrivals looked around at the crowd, eyes wide and filled with disbelief. The populace was too consumed by their own individual orders and pleasures given to them earlier. They were on a different schedule now, and for the time being, these two kids weren't of any importance. 

Elena and Jesse were silent as they pushed past the large crowds of people filling the downtown square of Castleton Rock. Young and old alike were out and about as helium filled balloons of all colors rainbowed the downtown drag. It was a sea of faces that one could easily get lost in. Jesse could feel Daniel's presence in every single person. He was like a powerful fog, a thick mist in which the whole town had lost their inhibitions and sense of self. 

"You smell that?" Elena asked as she and Jesse worked their way through the crowd. 

"Smells like popcorn," Jesse said, "And cotton candy." 

"Did the circus come to town?" Elena laughed as a clown with a big red nose and green hair came waddling up to her. She stood back as the clown smiled broadly and pulled a long balloon out of his pocket. He put the rubber to his red grease painted lips and blew hard, dramatically exaggerating his efforts. The balloon filled and stretched with air to a four-foot length. The orange skin of the balloon bulged and reflected the morning sun. 

"There's no circus due here that I know of," Jesse frowned and looked out across the ocean of happy faces, "It's the middle of a school week for Christ's sake." 

The clown danced, his baggy purple and yellow-striped suit fluttering in the breeze. He twisted and turned the balloon quickly, crafting it into a new shape. Elena smiled and looked at Jesse. The clown offered her a small balloon giraffe, perched on his outstretched white-gloved hand. He opened his mouth with an infectious smile as Elena took the gift. 

"Thank you," she smiled, "It's perfect." 

The clown put his hands to his stomach and enjoyed a hearty belly laugh. He waved Elena off dismissively with one gay hand gesture and then pranced away. Jess had never like clowns. He'd read that book by Stephen King about a killer clown, and ever since then he feared them more than he feared any werewolf or vampire. He watched the clown disappear into the crowd and then shivered. As happy as the clown had seemed though, he had been influenced by Daniel. 

"Daniel's been busy here," Jesse said to Elena, "Don't let your guard down." "Why did he bring a carnival here?" she wondered and looked at the comical 

balloon giraffe. 

Jesse took her hand so they wouldn't get separated and waded through the crowd. He would have preferred to drive to his house, but Main Street was the one connective road between north and south Castleton Rock. They would have to walk through the mess of people attending the impromptu carnival. As they reached the corner of Main and Pine Street, Jesse saw that it was indeed a large carnival, complete with a Ferris wheel and miniature roller coaster that had invaded the town. 

"Where did this come from?" Jesse asked. 

"Maybe they just decided to drop by," Elena offered as a group of kids went running by them, faces stuffed with wispy fluffs of pink cotton candy. Three shirtless boys stuffed the cotton candy in their faces and grinned almost euphorically. She added, "Or maybe they were going somewhere else and Daniel 'convinced' them to stay." 

"Maybe," Jesse shrugged. 

''This might work for us though," Elena grunted as another couple pushed past them rudely heading back down Main Street, "All these people could make it harder for him to find us." 

"True," Jesse said and then ran right into Tina Moss. 

"I'm so sorry," Tina braced herself against Jesse, eyes wide and surprised. Her lids were under scored with slight purple bruising from where Daniel had broken her nose during his fifth period biology class orgy on Monday. The bridge of her nose was slightly swollen as she looked at Jesse, momentarily acting as if though she didn't recognize him. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a ponytail. Tina smiled at Jesse as best she could and said, "Oh hi." 

"You okay?" Jesse asked as he gripped her arms. Elena noticed the way Tina had placed her hands on Jesse's chest, the way her fingers were gently spread out across the red fabric of his shirt and more resting on his pecs than anything else. She looked Tina over and saw she was wearing short white daisy dukes and a tight blue tank top that did more than just flatter her sexy figure. It absolutely advertised her firm breasts and made enough cleavage to hide a phonebook in. Elena felt a sudden twinge of jealousy. 

"I'm fine," Tina smiled, "Thanks to you." 

"You remember what happened?" 

"How could I forget?" Tina rolled her eyes uncomfortably. 

"When Principal Shaver questioned me about what happened, he said no one 

remembered," Jesse spoke above the crowd, "Not even you." 

Tina looked down. "I had to lie." 

"Why?" Elena asked. 

"Daniel," she began and then stopped, her eyes suddenly filled with sick miserable fear. 

"Tina, come on," Jesse grabbed her shoulders and squeezed gently, further cultivating Elena's jealousy, "What happened?" 

"I can't," Tina insisted. Behind her the large red Ferris wheel started up, slowly rounding and spinning on its massive gears and thrilling the townsfolk. Generic country music piped out from the large speakers in the game booths and kids lost their parent's hard earned money to highway robbery and clever, unbeatable games. 

"Please," Jesse asked. 

Tina looked down at her white sneakers and then said, "He'll hurt me again." Jesse put one muscular arm around her shoulders and walked her through the 

crowd to the eave over the entrance to the Pizza Factory across the street. In the shaded cover of storefront awning, he sat Tina down on the brickwork half wall below the wide windows of the pizzeria. Elena sat on her opposite side and did everything she could to bury the jealousy inside her. 

She knew she shouldn't be jealous. She and Jesse weren't together, and of all things in the world she had a boyfriend. Elena had been dating Eric for months, and never once looked at Jesse in the way she was now. She had no reason to be getting all worked up over Tina making eyes at him. Elena knew that her reaction was ridiculous, and yet, she couldn't help it. She sighed as Jesse spoke.

"Who will hurt you?" she asked. As if she didn't already know. 

"Daniel," Tina whispered, her eyes darting around. 

"He made you lie?" Elena asked. 

"He said if I didn't lie about him being in the room when everything happened, he'd make sure my nose wasn't the only broken thing on my body." 

"Jesus," Jesse muttered. Daniel really had gone around the bend. "Asshole," Elena said. "Have you seen him here?" 

Jesse looked to her, "Is Daniel here at the carnival?" 

"Not that I've seen," Tina shook her head. 

Elena folded her arms and looked out at the crowd of people in the city center. Standing by the centerpiece fountain that divided Pine Street were her parents. She could only see their faces through the thick congregation of people. Her dad was talking to her mom as they ate hot dogs. Elena's heart jumped as they looked over and saw her. She thought for sure her father's round, first-generation Mexican immigrant face was going to turn red and scowl. Instead, he smiled warmly and beckoned for her. Her mother turned and smiled, joining in with a wave. 

"My mom and dad are here," Elena said and looked to Jesse, "What do I do?" Jesse turned and saw them. He shrugged, "Uhm, keep em busy for a minute." 

"Keep 'em busy?" Elena snorted, "While you do what?" 

"Tina was in the classroom when Daniel went crazy," Jesse said, "She was the only he couldn't make have sex. We need her." 

"Okay," Elena said. The words "we need her" irritated her like a pebble in her shoe. Elena had no need for Tina Moss and her perky, perfect tits and her perfect hair and her perfect features. She swallowed her annoyance and said, "I'll be right back." 

"Cool," Jesse nodded and then added, "Elena?" 

"Yeah?" she paused, her cheeks turning red. 

"Don't be gone long." 

Elena gave as much of a smile as she could and then disappeared into the crowd. Jesse turned back to Tina and thought for a minute. If Tina did have some resistance to Daniel's abilities, then maybe he could figure out what it was. He would need to be able to overcome the power of the gift in order to face Daniel without getting killed. So far, no one except Tina had been able to effectively resist his manipulations. Jesse needed to figure out how to nullify Daniel's power, and Tina was the best lead he had. 

"What is going on here, Jesse?" Tina asked and leaned forward, her full breasts creating a deep crevasse of cleavage in her tank top. Jesse couldn't help but notice. He shook his head and looked up. She said, "What happened in that classroom? Mrs. Brewster and half the senior class in an orgy? It's insane." 

"Yeah," Jesse nodded as he rested his hands on his knees, "It's fucked up." "Did Daniel cause this?" 

Jesse looked at her and said, "Yeah he did." 

"How?" 

He thought about telling her the whole story, but in the end decided against it. Instead, he said, "Dan's changing, Tina. He can do things that other people can't." 

"I'll say," she said. 

Jesse looked into the crowd and searched for Elena. She was nowhere to be seen as the sea of people shifted and moved in all directions. He stood up and craned his neck to look over all the heads. Her parents were gone from their resting place in front of the fountain. He felt a sudden burst of anxiety in his stomach as he realized that Elena had strayed from his sight. He muttered, "Shit." 

"What is it?" Tina stood beside him, her hand on his thick bicep. "Elena is gone." 

"I'm sure she's all right." 

Jesse squinted as the sun beat down on Castleton Rock in a blinding morning 

light. 

Tina tugged his arm, "There's something I want to show you." 

"What?" Jesse asked, his eyes never leaving the moving mass of people. He 

couldn't see Elena anywhere. Where the hell was she? 

"I may have something that can help you." 

That caught his attention. Jesse turned and asked, "What is it?" 

Tina grabbed his large black hand with her small, petite white ones and pulled, "Come on. You don't have much time." 

***

"What the blue fuck?" 

The first thing Elena noticed was that her dad was wearing his pajamas still. 

Standing in front of the public memorial fountain, her father was in his red pinstriped white pajamas and black slippers. His fringe of black and gray-peppered hair was frizzed out and disheveled while his thick mustache was laced with pink remnants of cotton candy. He looked to her smiled dreamily. 

"Papa?" she asked timidly. 

Until she had cleared the crowd of people clogging Main Street, she had only seen her mother's face and neck. Now, to her horror and surprise, she found her mother was wearing a lacy black teddy. Maria Morales was no spring chicken, a little heavy around the middle after four children, and she always dressed to minimize her childbearing side effects. But now, her humongous breasts (a genetic trait for all the women in Elena's family) and stretched stomach were jiggling in front of the entire city. She was dressed in an outfit that had no cups, only two holes for the breasts to go through. 

Elena was speechless as her inappropriately dressed 45-year-old mother and 50year-old father beckoned to her. 

"Come home," he father said, his voice sounding slow and sedated. 

Her eyes kept darting back to her mother's huge tits and the dinner plate sized areolas, glistening in the sun. As she got closer, she realized that both her mother and father were lubed up in some kind of oil. Her mother's nipples were hard and protruding out as her breasts hung down heavily, blue veins faintly visible under the skin. Her father was sporting a tremendous hard-on as he reached over and grasped one of his wife's bare tits and played with the oily nipple. 

"We'll have so much fun," her mother called. 

"No fucking way," she whispered and then froze. 

Somehow, the fact that everyone at the carnival was dressed strangely had eluded both her and Jesse. People were in various states of undress as they ambled around, their jovial interest in the fun and games fading into a zombie state of sedation. She saw Mr. Gardner, the owner of the gas station out on Buckboard Lane walking around bare ass naked, his seventy five year old body jiggling and shaking like her mother's tits did now. Some of the people were in their underwear while others had neglected to remember their bras or boxer shorts. Elena felt herself panicking as a man passed behind her. 

She turned and slapped him as his naked penis grazed her jeans. She looked and saw the long, limp cock catch on her thigh and then slide away from her. Mr. Shaver, the school principal, was dressed in his shirt and red tie, but had forgotten his pants and underwear when he left this morning. His head snapped back from her slap, the sound of flesh striking flesh echoing though the slowly dimming noise of the hundreds of people around her. He looked as though he were waking from a dream, eyes fluttering and mouth open in shock. 

"What the hell?" he recoiled. Mr. Shaver looked at Elena, shocked and embarrassed. He opened his mouth to apologize and then fogged over again as his face went placid. The high school principal began shuffling away from her. 

Elena wanted to leave now. To hell with putting whammy on anyone. She turned and looked back at the Pizza Factory. Her heart jumped as she saw that Jesse and Tina were gone. 

"Fuck!" Elena groaned and then a hand fell on her shoulder. 

"Such foul language," someone behind her whispered as the crowd fell dead silent. The Ferris wheel moaned and suddenly stopped. The wheels of the miniature cars on the small kiddy-roller coaster squealed and ground to a halt. The annoying country music fell quiet and everyone in the crowd, the whole town turned and faced her with one unified movement. They all looked to her with a retarded mindless gaze, their mouths slack and bodies not their own. Elena didn't need to turn around to see who was talking to her. 

"What have you done?" Elena asked. 

"The question is," Daniel said into her ear, "What haven't I done?" 

Elena turned and brought her fist around, hoping to take him in the face. But Daniel caught her blow and squeezed her hand. She knew now that this whole carnival was a trap, a distraction to keep Jesse from pinpointing him. She felt her heart sink into her stomach as the people she had once called "friends" and "family" ambled towards her like something out of a George Romero movie. They closed in on her and reached out for her body. She felt hands pulling on her clothes and jerking back as she fought against them. 

Her sweatshirt tore at the seams and the gray fabric opened wide to reveal her naturally tanned skin. The useless arms of her sweatshirt were tugged away and sent flying into the crowd as her shoes and socks came off. Elena kicked as someone grabbed a tangle of her dark hair and pulled. She felt herself rise into the air on the strength of the crowd. 

Hands groped at her pants and t-shirt. She heard the definitive sounds of fabric ripping open again as several hands pulled at her shirt in all directions. She made to scream but felt a hand cover her mouth and seal her lips. People were touching her all over as she tried to bend her legs so that her jeans wouldn't come off. With a mighty tug, her pants were gone and lost to the mob. Fingers slid into her panties. Her bra straps were yanked and snapped and Elena found herself naked in a sea of strangers in a place she could no longer call home. 

"Don't fear," Daniel said as something slipped into her sex, "Don't fear."

***

The inside of the Pizza Factory was empty. 

It seemed that no one had even bothered to show up to work yet, even though it was going on noon now. Jesse followed Tina through the rows of benches and tables across the red and white-checkered floor. The smell of spices and Italian food was thick and made Jesse realize just how hungry he really was. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and his stomach was growling. Outside, the crowd was still moving and but had fallen silent somehow. He turned to look but Tina urgently pulled on his hand. 

"Come on," her voice echoed in the empty restaurant. 

"Tina," Jesse said, "What is going on?" 

They walked past the front counter and salad bar and past the large freezers where the pizza dough was kept. The kitchen was darkened and Jesse had the sudden impulse not to go inside, to turn around and get the fuck out. Tina led him in and flipped on the lights. He looked around and saw the kitchen was empty, save for the industrial sized sinks, racks of cooking supplies, the large sheet metal table in the middle of the room and the gigantic mixer. 

Jesse leaned against the table and said, "Okay." 

"Daniel can do more than just control people's minds now," Tina said. 




The Gift: Day 04



"Tina, you said you-" 

"Jesse," she put a finger to his lips and said, "He can do so many things." "He's out of his fucking mind," Jesse said as Tina put her palms on his chest. 

"There's only one way you can beat him," she whispered. The presence of Daniel was all over her. How had he missed it? 

"How?" Jesse asked, feeling both stupid and angry. Even if there was a way to beat him, how was Tina going to know? He wondered what had possessed him to even come here in the first place. 

"Join him," she said. 

"I gotta go," Jesse smiled politely and slowly backed up to the exit leading to the dining area. He reached the doorway and then stopped. He then felt a strong grip on his arms, two hands holding him in place. The strength behind the hands was incredible as he summoned all the power he had, both psychic and physical. He looked down and saw his veins bulging and his muscles rippling against two small white hands. 

"Jesse," Diane Brewster whispered in his ear, "Don't fight it." 

"What the shit?" Jesse breathed, "How are you doing this?" 

"Daniel gave us the power," Tina walked over to him and slipped her hands under his t-shirt. She worked her hands up over his chiseled frame and felt his body. Tina licked her lips and smiled as she played with his nipples. Jesse looked away, trying to swallow his fear and ignore the erection in his pants. 

"I've wanted to touch you for so long," she whispered. 

"Daniel mind-fucked you," Jesse said as Diane escorted him back to the center of the kitchen and let him go. Jesse flexed his arms. He never would have imagined his biology teacher capable of being so much stronger than he was, but here she was controlling him as though he were a small child. 

"Is that what you think?" she replied. Diane was dressed jeans and a t-shirt. She was braless, her full breasts hanging down loosely under the fabric and swaying with her movements. Her nipples were erected and poking through the material of her dark blue shirt. 

"He set us free," Diane ran her hands through her curly blonde hair and took her trademark glasses off. She looked at them reproachfully and then tossed them to the ground where they shattered. She smiled slyly at Jesse, "He helped us." 

"But look what he did to you, Mrs. Brewster," Jesse argued as Tina rubbed herself up against him, making sure to grind against his cock. 

"He helped me see what I really want," Diane told him and put one hand on the metal table as she smiled, "I was living a jailed life, Jesse. Held back by rules and morals and a fear of all things taboo." 

Tina stepped to the side as Diane Brewster, the 1999 Teacher of the Year for Castleton Rock High School, put her thigh between her student's legs and kissed him. Jesse grabbed her arms but Diane was unmovable. Her tongue slipped out from her lips and wrapped around Jesses'. Her hand found his bulge and began gently rubbing back and forth, making him feel a little lightheaded. Her blonde hair fell against his dark face as she and Tina grasped his shirt and with one unified motion ripped it off his body. 

"This is wrong," Jesse said, feeling that hot temptation again. It was the same seductive reasoning that had led him to do what he did at The Lucky Beaver. He could already feel his defenses breaking down under the hands of Tina Moss and Diane Brewster. Their fingers were all over his body, pinching and rubbing his nipples and sliding over his hard abs. 

"Is it so wrong to want to express yourself?" Diane asked as Tina began unzipping his jeans. 

"Not like this," Jesse resisted. His jeans became loose and started falling away. "Is it wrong for a woman-" Diane looked at Tina and smiled, "-for two women to want to be with an attractive man?" 

"No," Jesse shook his head, "But this ain't real ... " 

"Are you sure?" Tina asked as his pants fell to the floor. She ran her hand over his barely covered shaft. He could feel the waistband across his cock and knew that his head was poking out of his shorts. Tina rubbed his penis, pressing it against him. He felt the fiery heat from his cock head touch his navel and knew he wouldn't last long against them. She said, "Are you sure this isn't real? Is it so wrong, Jesse?" 

"Fuck," Jesse began to sweat as Tina pulled his boxers down off his hips and his ten-inch long cock sprang free. 

"Is it so wrong for two white women to lust after such a perfect black man?" Diane licked her lips and grasped his throbbing member. She smiled and closed her eyes as she felt the bulging veins throbbing and the intense heat from his stony length. She breathed against him, "So big, Jesse. Mmmm, I'll bet you're a real stallion in the sack." 

"Speaking of sacks," Tina said to Diane and motioned between his legs. They stood back and admired the heavy testicles hanging down behind his large, thick meat. Tina cupped his scrotum in her hands and felt the two large balls, gently kneading back and forth. 

"No," Jesse whispered. His protest sounded just as weak to him as it did to Diane and Tina. 

"Don't you want me?" Diane asked as she pinched the head of his dick, making him shiver. She released his hardness and grasped the bottom of her t-shirt. In one smooth motion, she pulled her shirt off and revealed her huge milky breasts to him. Her areolas were pink and beautiful while her nipples were hard and long. They jiggled like big water balloons as she reached down and undid her jeans. They fell to the ground and she kicked them away, losing her sandals in the process. Her pussy was clean-shaven and glistening in the kitchen lights. 

"Mrs. Brewster, please," Jesse appealed as his muscular chest rose and fell rapidly. He wanted her badly. He couldn't deny it. He watched Tina follow suit and pull her tank top off to reveal her tight, athletic body to him. He felt dizzy as Tina and Diane fondled each other in front of him, his mind swimming in a sea of sexual desire. Tina looked right at him and leaned forward to kiss Diane's nipples. 

"Fuck us," Diane said and began stroking his cock. 

"No," Jesse closed his eyes, his cock rippling out waves of pleasure. 

"Fuck us, Jesse," Tina chimed in and grasped his shaft just above Diane's hand. 

Together they began jerking him off. 

Jesse let himself fall against the cool metal table, his back arched and his naked body glistening with sweat as the two women gave him the most intense hand job he had ever known. He felt their tongues begin lapping at his length, tickling and teasing him as his orgasm began to build up in his sack like a volcano. He was dimly aware of Diane slurping on his precum, her tongue licking it up and then swallowing it. He could feel Tina massaging his balls in an effort to milk every last drop from him. 

"I can't," he whispered, but knew there was no point to arguing. He could have sat there and argued all he wanted to but it still would have happened anyway. He was weak, as he had been weak before the power came to him and as he would be after. Jesse remembered how Elena had referred to him as being the hero. He felt deep guilt inside at that, and even then he had known it wasn't true. Heroes fought off this kind of shit. A real hero would have found a way to escape. A real hero wouldn't be enjoying it. 

But he was. 

He cursed himself.

*** 

Elena woke up in a dark place, her eyes unfocused. 

She could feel something soft beneath her, like she was on a bed. Her eyes adjusted slowly as the world came into focus for her. Everything felt different to her as she brought her hand to her forehead. It felt like her skull was splitting in two pieces. Upon a second look around, she found it wasn't as dark as she had thought. There was some kind of warm light around her. Her eyes realigned and she saw candles around her. 

Elena sat up and noticed that her stomach felt uncomfortably tight. She looked down and saw that she was clothed again, or at the very least semi-clothed. An intricate crimson red corset was wrapped around her, adorned with small buckles and cinching her waistline while pushing her full breasts forward. A thin layer of silky red lace hid her breasts with a barely-there transparent material bra. Red stiletto high-heels had been strapped on her feet, the thin supports running all the way to her upper calf. 

"You gotta be kidding me..." she opened her legs and noticed that not only was she wearing a g-string, but also that the thong was crotchless. Her once well-trimmed pussy had been shaved clean while she had been asleep. She looked to her left and saw a large mirror beside the canopy bed she had been placed on. Her hair was elegantly brushed and pulled into an exotic French coif. Her lips were delicately painted a deep maroon to compliment her new attire. Someone had done a first-class make-up job on her while she slept as well. 

"I prefer my women to be clean shaven," a voice said. 

Elena turned, her legs smooth against the black satin sheets of the bed. A hundred candles had been placed around the bed, illuminating the world around her. She realized that she was outside, from the looks of it in the Castleton Rock City Park on the high knoll that over looked the river. A fresh breeze flickered the candles for a moment in the evening light as Daniel emerged from the haze of incense and shadows. 

The man before her was not the boy she had known. Daniel looked different, his dark hair slicked back and his clothes far too romantic for the type of guy he was. His white shirt was loose and open, revealing his thin chest. His pants were black leather. Elena thought that kind of outfit might have worked on Jesse, but for Daniel ... he was like a boy trying to play dress up. But there was a dangerous edge to him as he walked towards her. 

"What have you done?" Elena asked. 

"Try to calm down," Daniel raised his hand inoffensively, "Nothing is going to happen to you if you just relax for a minute." 

"You call what happened down town nothing?" she glared at him, her heart aching and embarrassed. The whole town had stripped her naked and done God knew what to her while she was unconscious. 

"I call that evening the score," Daniel remarked and knelt down by the foot of the bed. He raised two full, elegant wine glasses in each hand and offered one to her. Elena took the glass of wine and then tossed it away. It shattered against a rock out of her sight as she glared at him. 

"Those glasses came from the Tavern," Daniel told her, "The wine too. It's a shame to waste it like that." 

"And the bed?" she asked and then pointed at her outfit, "The clothes? Where did they come from?" 

"Donated," Daniel sipped his wine, "By some of the finer families in town." "Donated," Elena repeated. 

Daniel saw his explanation wasn't holding any weight with her and sighed, "This town has been thanking me for their enlightenment. This is just a small sample." 

"Oh, you've enlightened them," Elena smiled sarcastically, "Tell me, will you enlighten me?" 

"I hope you'll come around on your own," Daniel said and sat his wine glass 

down on the ground. 

"Well, I have some thoughts about that," she said. 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah," Elena slipped over to the side of the bed and hung her legs off as she looked at Daniel, "Why don't you give my ass a candy-coated kiss and then go back to that hole you crawled out of?" 

Daniel smiled and eyed her. Elena realized that he was trying to see inside her, to see into her mind. She could feel him poking and prodding, but as powerful as she knew he was, he wasn't getting anywhere. She could hear him pounding against her walls, echoing in her mind, but the control wasn't there. He grimaced a little and his eye twitched as he tried harder. Elena smiled. 

"What's the matter, Danny-Boy?" she asked him, "Having a little trouble penetrating me?" 

"Shut up," he whispered and ceased his attack, beads of sweat on his forehead. He huffed for a moment as though he had truly exerted himself. She wondered what was keeping him from invading her, what secret had protected her from his mind. 

"Where's my mom and dad?" she asked. 

"Who cares?" 

"Me, you asshole." 

"I put them away in their beds," he sneered, "Happy?" 

"And Jesse?" 

Daniel smiled wickedly, "He's busy." 

"Tina?" 

"She's my errand girl," Daniel said, "She's going to take care of Jesse for me." "Why not do it yourself?" Elena asked, "Or does Jesse intimidate you?" "Because I have more pressing matters to attend to." 

Elena then realized the truth, "You're going to kill him ... " 

Daniel was silent, his face an unreadable wall. 

"You're gonna kill him?" she asked, her eyes wide, '"He's your friend!" 

"No, he's not." 

"You fucking coward," she glared at him, "Sending someone to do your dirty 

work." 

"Jesse would suspect me, not Tina ... or Mrs. Brewster." 

"Mrs. Brewster?! The teacher?!" 

"Very astute you are ... " 

Elena clutched her fists. '"Where and how?" 

"Why do you care?" 

"Because I do, you pansy-assed fuck nut!" 

"Name calling," he commented, '"How common to the lower end of the racial spectrum ... " 

Elena hocked a huge lunger from her throat and spat it on Daniel. It landed with a wet splat on his cheek and slowly rolled down. His eyes remained neutral and passive, only his gray eyes flickering with anger as he took one of the satin sheets and wiped his face off. Daniel nodded to himself and then sat the sheet down gently. 

"You fucking beaner bitch," he growled and slapped her hard. Elena was rocked by the power in his blow. She landed on the edge of the mattress, her head hanging off into the evening air as her cheek stung with invisible needle pricks. It felt like she had been hit with a baseball bat. 

Then, Daniel grabbed her by the straps of her lingerie and hauled her up to a standing position on the bed. He hissed, "Lets not pretend your anything more than two generations removed from the fucking Frito Bandito fence jumpers. You're the ethnic slop we have to deal with. You might be good for a fuck, but you're nothing compared to a real woman." 

"A real woman?" Elena asked thoughtfully. 

"You will fuck me tonight," he looked into her eyes. He was trying to break in again, and as he held her there on the verge of rape, she felt no fear.

"You want me to fuck you?" she whispered in his ear and pulled him close, letting her breasts rub against his hollow chest. 

"You ARE going to fuck me, bitch," he growled and pulled her hair, yanking her head back so he could look into her eyes again as his hard cock pressed against her naked thigh, "You'll be begging me to before the night's done." 

"Okay Daniel," she said breathlessly, "I'll fuck you up." 

"That's my bitch," he smiled and leaned in for a kiss. 

Elena waited until his lips grazed hers and then brought her knee up with all her might. She felt his balls crunch under the impact of her kneecap to his scrotum. Daniel squealed a high-pitch moan as his eyes rolled back into his head. His grip loosened up on her straps and began to falter, swaying back and forth as his hands fell to his broken crotch. She smiled at him and stood back on the bed. 

"Fuck you!" she screamed and plastered a hard right hook across his face. Daniel arched backwards and flew off the bed. His head caught on the edge of the mattress and bounced up, legs flailing in the air. The full weight of his body made in the impact of his head to the ground worse than it could have been. Daniel saw stars and then was out cold. 

Elena stepped down from the bed and slowly walked to Daniel. The high heeled pumps were killing her legs as she stood over him, but she didn't care right then. She put her hands on her hips and felt truly good for the first time since she had gotten back into town. She knelt down by him and grabbed his hair, hoisting his face up off the ground. Dirt, blood and grass were stuck to his cheek and forehead. She said, "Va la cogida tú mismo, tú pinchazo del galleta-asno." 

Elena stood and kicked the unconscious would-be rapist in the side as hard as she could. 

"Adios, mother fucker," she flipped him off and set off through the park. She took only a minute to un-strap the stiletto pumps and fling them into the trees. 

*** 

Diane pushed Jesse back onto the table as she and Tina flicked their wet tongues out on his cock. Jesse could hardly think as the orgasm threatened to crest and overwhelm him. He could feel his cock straining against his flesh as it grew harder and harder, the head now swollen to a deep black purple. His hands gripped the edges of the table as his cock jerked and the breath was stolen from his lungs. 

The orgasm seized his body and he tensed up as hot white semen exploded from the small opening of his penis and rocketed up in the air. Diane and Tina leaned in and began licking as the gobs of sticky fluid spattered them. He pumped spurt after spurt of cum out of his cock while they stroked him and massaged his balls. Jesse groaned under the intense pleasure as they milked him for all he was worth. 

Diane licked allover his stomach and chest, gathering the sweet salty fluid in her mouth as Tina polished his cock clean. Jesse braced himself on his elbows and huffed, watching them slurp up his semen. As they finished, Tina kissed the tip of his ebbing erection and then turned to Diane. 

"I want some," she whispered and got on her knees. Jesse looked and saw her beautiful face just past his cock as Diane stood in front of her. Tina massaged Diane's breasts as his former biology teacher leaned forward and opened her mouth. Cum dribbled out of her mouth and fell into Tina's eager oral cavity. She stuck her tongue out and caught the fluid as Diane leaned in for a kiss. Jesse felt his cock harden as he watched them sharing his cum. He closed his eyes and fell back to the table. 

As she swallowed his semen, Tina reached behind her with her free hand and grasped the large, 18-inch long kitchen knife off the counter. She squeezed Diane's breast and looked at her with a wicked grin. 

Diane laughed.

*** 

Elena finally made it back on to Main Street as the orange sodium street lamps flickered on. Leaves and small twigs were stuck to her sweaty body, the journey through the brush surrounding the park difficult and uphill all the way. Small scratches from wicked branches and thorns marked her legs and arms. The thin silky fabric that had been draped over her tits was gone, snagged on a tree branch. One of the straps of her transparent red bra was broken and hanging loose. 

The sky was filled with stars as she stepped out on to the sidewalk by the baseball field. There were no cars anywhere to be seen, no traffic of any kind. She was out in the north end of town, and it would take ten minutes to reach downtown. She ran barefoot down the sidewalk, trying not to stub her toes as she went. Elena wondered if anyone would notice her attire, and then thought better of it. The whole town was under Daniel's influence, and from what she had seen nobody was dressing by code anymore. 

As she ran past the Shell gas station, she noticed that there didn't seem to be anyone around. The restaurants were empty and the gas station was abandoned. She left the gas station behind her, heading for the bridge that stretched over the river canyon. She said to herself, "Fucking weird ... " 

Her bare feet echoed as she reached the Memorial Bridge, a long connector that bridged the gulf between north and south Castleton Rock. The only sound she could hear was her own heavy breathing and the rumbling of the river eight hundred feet below in the bottom of the canyon as she ran across the quarter-mile long bridge. Wind blew through her hair and chilled her as she sprinted. Her lungs were beginning to ache as she pushed herself harder and harder. The muscles in her thighs reminded her that though she looked like everything to the contrary, she was out of shape. 




The Gift: Day 04



"Breathing," she huffed as a fresh sweat broke out over her body and cooled her down, "Breathing is the key."

*** 

Diane mounted Jesse, her feet planted on the tabletop as she squatted over his solid pole. She grasped his shaft and guided it into her sopping pussy. She cried out with a wild grin on her face as his bulbous head spread her lips apart and sank into her sex. His thick shaft spread her out and stretched her vagina as she took in two inches, then three and then four. Her body was electrified as his penis throbbed inside her. She braced her hands against his pecs and continued to impale herself on his long manhood. 

"Oh fuck," she managed through her continuous moans and groans of pleasure and pain, "Oh fuck yes ... that feels ... so ... fucking ... good .... Jesse ... " 

Tina came up behind her and massaged her tits for her as she began riding Jesse's cock like a cowgirl on a raging bull. Jesse gritted his teeth as she worked his cock over, her sex incredible hot and wet. He could feel her juices trickling down his balls and to the crack of his ass as she went wild on him. Her hips bucked up and down wildly, her tits bouncing against Tina's hands as she relished his powerful member. 

"Mmmm, Jesse," Diane moaned as her nipples suddenly hardened to points, "How can I ever repay you for this?" 

Diane felt Tina's hand slip away from her tit for a moment. She lowered her hand to Jesse's side and felt her former student slip her the knife. Diane tightened her grip on the cold plastic handle and thrust her hips down hard, taking in eight of Jesse's ten inches. 

"I'm going to loose it here," Jesse grunted, his eyes closed as he grasped her hips. 

"I know you are," Diane whispered.

*** 

Castleton Rock had transformed from a small coastal mountain hamlet to a freak show in less than eight hours. As Elena walked through the brightly lit streets, she felt she might as well have been in a citywide production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show. " From the moment she walked out from under the freeway overpass just beyond the Memorial Bridge, she knew that things had gone from bad to worse. The streets were filled with people. She could smell marijuana and cigarette smoke in the air, along with the powerful stench of heavily fried carnival foods and cotton candy. 

As she waded into the crowd, she saw several members of the Lions Club dress in the kinkiest S&M gear she had ever seen. The old men were practically naked, save for the small black leather g-strings and studded harnessed they wore. Alvin Dell, who ran the Minute Market out in the north end of town, had unzipped his vinyl underwear in the front and was letting his penis swing back and forth in the air. A tuft of snow white hair bristled from his fetish underwear as he and his fellow Lions ran down the sidewalks (actually, they were ambling on arthritic joints more than anything) and threw hard candy at the crowd of half naked and fully nude townsfolk. 

Amongst the whooping and cavorting of the orgy, Elena saw the town priest, Father Scanlon, chasing two naked women around the veranda of the Candlelight Inn. He ran through the front yard of the Inn, naked save for his white collar and played grab ass with the two attractive women. Elena thought she recognized the girls, but they were moving so fast all she could really identify was their naked bodies and their platinum blonde hair. 

It took her a half hour of pushing past the previously inhibited cross-dressers, homosexuals and other citizens before she was back downtown. Powerful orange, yellow and red lights had created a hot, smoky ambience in the center of town. The lights were strung everywhere, along the building roofs and windows and even around the lampposts. She could see several large spotlights dotting the roadside on the sidewalks, burning with a hellish luminescence. 

The buildings that had seemed so benign to her before took on a sinister menace as they loomed over the sidewalks. The Timberline Bank was an angry facade, its windows darkened eyeholes and the door an open, gaping maw. The theater was a huge cave, its former neutral coloring in tans and browns now yellow and dark, bloody red. 

A hazy fog of smoke was drifting in and out of the buildings as she walked past her VW bug. In the hot lights of the citywide party, she saw her boyfriend Eric and Brendan Keel on the hood of her car and in each other's arms. Two of the most valuable football players at Castleton High were not only dressed in women's clothes, but were jerking each other off slowly and passionately. Elena's mouth dropped open as she looked at her boyfriend. 

Eric was wearing fishnet stockings and black lingerie, the cups hanging down in empty half-rounds to reveal his muscular chest. His tongue flicked in and out of Brendan's mouth in a way Elena had always thought was reserved for her. 

"Eric?" she said over the constant roar of the crowd. 

Eric said nothing as his garter belt-wearing teammate brought him closer and closer to orgasm. Brendan was working his hard cock back and forth tenderly and intimately, taking great care to give his lover every benefit of the stroke. Elena stepped closer and was about to interrupt when Eric cried out in the most feminine voice she had ever heard from a guy and blew his wad. Brendan laughed giddily and lowered his face down to clean up. 

"Okay, we're officially broken up," she threw her hands up and continued forward. 

She looked over the crowd, searching for any sign of Jesse. All she could see were smiling, happy and even orgasmic faces as she worked her way towards Pine Street. The lights from the Ferris wheel were spinning and shining off the walls as it rotated round and round. In the cage seats were a dozen naked people. The cages were rocking back and forth as each couple engaged in their own special sex act. Towards the bottom, she saw two people enjoying anal sex so much that the woman was howling like a banshee as her partner rammed her. Elena squinted and then moaned, "My parents?" 

Her father and mother raised into the air as the wheel turned, fucking like rabbits. 

Elena shook her head and felt sick. She looked down at the corset she had been put into and thought about taking it off. It was beginning to hurt a little as her ribs and midsection compressed. Wild laughter to her left caught her attention. 

In the ring toss booth, the traditional coke bottles had been removed and four men were sitting on the tables naked, their cocks erect and sticking out. Several women had gathered around and were tossing the glow-in-the-dark plastic rings at the men. One of the naked guys had several rings looped around his sizable penis. He held his tool out, grasping it by the base as the giggling women played their game. 

"You gotta be shittin' me ... " Elena said. 

The women themselves were in various states of undress. Elena recognized Mrs. Barnes, the school lunch lady in all her pudgy glory at the ring toss. She was wearing only her blue panties, allowing for a much too generous view of her stomach and mammoth flat breasts. Beside her stood Ms. Henson, the town librarian. Ms. Henson was wearing an elaborate latex outfit that shined like it was made of liquid in the hot lights. It hugged the curves of her body so completely that when she turned after tossing her eighteenth ring around on of the cocks in the booth, she could see her camel toe glistening under the material. 

All around Elena people were up against the walls, in the corners, and on the street having sex or enticing others to have sex. There was the musky smell of intimacy in the air. Castleton Rock had lost control of its passions and pleasures. Elena had never seen this much nudity in one day. She imagined she probably never would have seen this much nudity in one lifetime had it not been for Daniel.

Music started up on the makeshift stage at the rear of Pine Street, behind the water fountain. Through the sparkling water, Elena watched seven old women hop up on stage and beginning shaking their aged bodies to the beat of John Cougar Mellencamp. Elena didn't know whether to laugh or scream as the naked old women did their rusty bump and grind for a roaring crowd. Their glasses flashed in the yellow light as their pendulous breasts slapped around their stomachs comically. 

"If my deepest, darkest despair had choreography and music," Elena whispered to herself as one of the old women lost her white wig, "This would be it." 

She turned and looked at the Pizza Factory. The windows were dark and foreboding, save for a sliver of white light that seemed to be coming from the kitchen. She looked and waited to see if anyone was moving inside. The pizzeria was the last place she had seen Jesse, and she could think of no other place to begin looking for him. She crossed the street and stood under the Ferris wheel to get a better view. Above her, she heard her parents still going at it strong. 

A shadow moved along the wall of the kitchen and then Tina Moss stepped into view. She was naked and not at all concerned about it. 

"Naked much?" Elena strained her eyes to see through the fiery haze. 

The shadow on the wall was that of another woman, Mrs. Brewster probably. Her shadow looked like it was raising something into the air. Elena began running, pushing through the dense crowd of naked people, bumping and slamming. 

In the shadows hand there appeared to be a knife. 

*** 

Jesse was lost in the depths of Diane Brewster. 

He tried to open his eyes but couldn't. He felt absolutely drunk and beyond the confines of common sense and reason. There was a part of him that knew he was wrong; that what he was engaging in was against everything he had learned in the last few days. This was a betrayal of everything he had been warning Daniel against. Now how could honestly face Daniel and bring him down for losing control without being a hypocrite? 

Jesse groaned as his orgasm began to bubble in the hot place of his physical pleasure. He felt it rising, unstoppable and powerful against his every judgment and need to be better than this. The tingling sensations in his groin made him feel weak against the tide of sexual ecstasy carrying his rationale far, far away. Jesse tried to hold on to who he was with slippery fingers. And then he sensed it. 

He could see the knife in the air, the blade gleaming in the harsh kitchen lights. 

He could see the delicate hand holding the handle so tight that the knuckles were white. The blade was shaking in the assailants' hand. Jesse saw her eyes, wide and filled with purpose, and yet devoid of any emotion. He saw Tina behind his soon-to-be murder and it was here that Jesse found himself again. 

His eyes popped open as Diane Brewster hammered the long knife down towards his face. Instead of rolling or putting his hands up, Jesse glared at her and focused. His eyes burned with a blue fire, glowing as his teacher's hand froze midair. The tip of the metal blade was an inch from his left eye as she frowned and tried to finish her task. Jesse could feel conflict inside her to kill him despite what her heart wanted. He looked at the knife and focused. It began to glow with its' own heat and turn a hot yellow as the metal superheated.

"Shit!" Diane screamed and threw the smoking knife away. It clattered against the wall and fell into the sink where it hissed and steamed against some excess water in the basin. 

"No more," Jesse said simply. Diane Brewster lifted up off his cock as though by magic and then flew across the kitchen and landed on the counter top. Her head struck the wall and she didn't move, her naked body fallen limp on the wooden counter. Tina turned, her face contorted with an anger that wasn't hers. Daniel was pissed and ready to up the ante. 

Tina lunged and with a one swift kick, Jesse's boot connected with her jaw. There a loud pop as her jaw broke and she fell to the floor. Jesse sat up and looked at her. He hopped down of the table and felt her neck for a pulse. She was alive, but was going to have one fuck of a headache when she woke up. He shook his head, "Sorry Tina." 

His pants around his ankles, Jesse wobbled over to the sink and ran the cold water. He splashed the icy liquid on his painfully erect cock. Shivers went up and down his spine as his erection grudgingly began to ebb and retract. He knew there was no way he could walk with his dick hard like that, let alone run. And he had a sneaking suspicion he'd have to be running a lot before he and Elena made it to their safe house. Outside, he could hear a huge commotion as he pulled his shorts and pants back up and buckled his belt. His shirt was fucked up beyond all hope, so he didn't bother. 

Jesse ran through the restaurant, almost tripping over one of the tables. He reached the exit and was about to open it when a woman slammed into the glass door. He looked at her and she looked at him. It was Elena, but she was dressed in the sexiest outfit he had ever seen. He took a minute to look her over and admire the crimson corset, g-string and see through bra. Jesse smiled. 

"What happened to you?" he asked, his eyes pasted on her tits as he opened the door. 

"What happened to you?" she slapped the back of his shaved head. 

"Tina and Mrs. Brewster attacked me," he said and then noticed the carnal carnival in the middle of town. His jaw dropped upon the stepping out in the smoking red night and seeing all the naked people. He shook his head and looked at Elena, "What the fuck happened? Are we in Pottersville?" 

"Daniel happened," Elena said. 

"Holy shit." 

"We gotta go," Elena grabbed his hand and pulled him into the crowd. 

Jesse felt naked bodies and wet things being pushed and pressed against him as they hurried. He didn't want to even know what was being slapped and mashed against his bare torso as they worked their way back to the bug. Jesse felt someone reach for his crotch. He yelled and turned to see Mr. Shaver, the principal of the high school groping for his pants and grinning like a fool. The man was bare ass naked. 

"Be a good boy, Jesse," Shaver giggled and pinched his puffy nipples exuberantly, "Let me play with you ... " 

Jesse had had enough. He drew his fist back and smashed Shaver in the face. 

Blood spurted from his nose as the principal fell back into the sea of nudity. Jesse massaged his knuckles and then followed Elena. They reached the blue VW bug and found Eric and Brendan still on the hood, only now they were engaged in a vigorous anal fuck. Eric was pounding Brendan's ass hard, grunting and growling and slapping his cheeks. Brendan was holding onto the roof of the car as Eric braced himself on the hood, his hands tight around his lover's waist. 

"Just get in!" Elena shouted. 

"Ah geez, guys," Jesse pulled the door open and fell into the seat as the car rocked from the two football players outside. The shocks were squeaking and the fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror bobbed and swayed. Jesse looked and realized he could see all the action of their sexual antics as Brendan splayed his legs. His heavy balls and hard penis were almost eye level with Jesse, jumping back and forth with Eric's thrusts. Jesse looked to the drivers seat as Elena sat down and felt under the seat. 

"What are you doing?" Jesse asked. 

"They took my keys earlier," she said as she felt around, "Took my clothes too." 

"Couldn't tell..." 

"The whole town is under his influence now." 

Jesse cringed as Brendan encouraged Eric to fuck him harder and asked, "What about our parents?" 

"They're not going to worry about us ... " 

"Why not?" 

"Well," Elena found the spare key and pushed it into the ignition, "My folks are fucking on the Ferns wheel in front of twenty-five hundred people. How are your mom and dad?" 

Jesse wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he couldn't just leave. He said, "We gotta make sure they're okay." 

"I think they'll be fine, Jesse," she started the car, "They're probably partying somewhere." 

He hated the idea of leaving his family here, and was about to argue the point when he noticed Elena's stare. She was looking out the front window, her mouth slightly open. Jesse turned and saw the entire crowd had fallen silent again, this time all of them had gathered around the car. Hundreds of seminude people of all ages, most whom they recognized from one place or another, were staring at them. Brendan and Eric had finished their session and were standing in front of the naked mob. From behind them came Diane Brewster and Tina Moss, also still naked. A snail trail of blood was leaking from Tina's nose to her full lips. 

"Oh fuck," Jesse muttered. Their eyes were glazed over and angry, their faces 

placid and yet somehow filled with murderous intent. 

"We need to go now," Elena said and revved the engine. 

"What are you going to do?" Jesse asked. 

"We can't stay here," Elena insisted, "If Daniel gets a hold of us that's it. He's already really pissed at me ... " 

"You can't just drive through them!" Jesse argued. 

A brick smashed the windshield and sprayed them with chunks of glass. Jesse uncovered his eyes and looked to Elena. He said, "Floor it." 

The wall of people began moving forward as Elena pressed her bare foot to the gas pedal and the bug lunged forward. Some of them moved to one side as the car began rolling forward, but some of them just stood in the way defiantly. Legs thudded on the bumper and bodies rolled off the hood of as countless hands reached out and slapped the windows. They were trying to break in and grab them from the vehicle, their once happy and content faces now visages of horror and unspeakable anger. The demonic red and yellow lights from the carnival were turning them into strange parodies of demons and damned souls straight out of the inferno. 

The clown that had made the balloon giraffe for Elena earlier jumped up on the hood of the car, his big floppy black shoes slapping against the metal. His pasty white skin was burning yellow in the powerful lights as his eyes glittered with rage. He drew one gloved hand back and punched into the open windshield. Elena ducked down and the fist missed her head. Jesse concentrated on the possessed clown. His eyes began to glow again as he summoned the power of the gift. 

The clown's angry face suddenly shifted to complete surprise as the lamppost coming up behind him creaked and bent over. Jesse warped the post down as the clown turned and his face caught on the steel pole. There was a thick, resounding *clang* sound as the clown was caught and knocked away from the car. The pole sparked and tore the paint off the roof of the bug as they passed. Jesse looked out his window and saw the clown rolling away into the crowd. The big red nose that had been glued to the clown's face bounced in over the dashboard and landed in Elena's lap. 

"Jesus help me," Elena pressed her lips together and hit the gas hard. The engine kicked in and faces blurred by them. Jesse was rocked back and forth as people bounced off the car and landed hard on the road behind them. He craned his head around and saw them giving chase as the bug sped down the street doing forty-five. Bare feet slapped hard against the pavement as they ran. It sounded like a herd of wild animals behind them as the good people of Castleton Rock chased the only two people not under Daniel's control down the Main Street. They grew smaller and smaller in the rear window as the car left downtown and drove into the quiet and darkened southern end of the city. 

"Oh God I hope we didn't kill anyone ... " Jesse said as the cool night air blew in his face. 

"I hope not too," Elena nodded. 

"He's lost his fucking mind," he said, "He's lost it. All those people!" 

"I think I figured it out," Elena said as she checked the rearview mirror. The naked mob was nowhere to be seen. She eased off the clutch and down shifted as she pulled over to the side of the road in front of the Baptist Church. She looked around again just to be safe and then said, "Something happened while we were split up." 




The Gift: Day 04



"Obviously," Jesse looked at her clothes. 

"Yeah, obviously," Elena pointed to the hickies on his stomach. Jesse smiled sheepishly and felt a hot embarrassed blush rise in his cheeks. She said, "I think I know why Daniel hasn't been able to control you or me." 

"Okay." 

"He tried to get inside my head after the mob took me," she said, "But it was like he couldn't break through my head. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it." 

"How did you stop him?" 

"That's the funny thing," she smiled and laughed a little, "I didn't even try. I should have been really scared, but I wasn't. I think being afraid makes it easy for him to control people." 

"Fear?" Jesse frowned, "You mean everyone in this town is afraid?" 

"It could be anything," she ventured and thought for a minute, "The kids in the bio class ... I mean come on, who isn't scared in high school? Afraid of not being popular, of not being good enough, of not graduating, of not being loved ... all of us have that inside us. I think Daniel takes our fear, whatever it might be and uses it to get inside. I think he does it without even knowing it." 

Jesse looked at her, "And you're not afraid?" 

"I guess I'm just as afraid as anyone else," Elena said, "But at that moment, I was angry. It's not ruling me, you know? He couldn't find a way in." 

Jesse leaned back in the seat and thought about what she was saying. 

"It could also explain why you're having a harder time with this 'gift'," she added, "You're afraid of what you might become because of it. You feel guilty over what happened that first night." 

"I don't get it." 

"Remember what Madame Helena said? She told us that the gift doesn't favor those with strong morals or conscience. If you've been feeling guilty and convicted over something you've done, then it's not going to be as strong." 

"That makes sense," Jesse bit on his thumbnail for a moment, "But tonight I was able to use the power like Daniel did. I tossed Mrs. Brewster off me with my mind right before she tried to kill me. And then I bent that lamp post to get rid of Bozo back there." 

"How were you feeling?" she asked. 

Jesse thought, "Angry. But I also felt calm too. It was weird." 

"Anger," Elena said, "Anger is what keeps the power out." 

Jesse looked out the window and thought for a moment. He then said, "Ever since Madame Helena gave us the gift, I've been feeling scared and guilty. I haven't been really angry until tonight." 

"It's time to get pissed then," Elena smiled and then jumped, her eyes wide. 

Behind them in the shadows, a window shattered and the night became alive with the sound of running feet and shouting voices. The woods around Castleton Rock echoed with angry yells and almost feral expressions of rage as Daniel's impromptu army charged forward. And then they appeared in the dim light, pale and naked and reduced to animal instincts as they jabbered and slobbered their way towards the VW bug. Elena slammed the car into gear and kicked up dust and gravel behind her as the car surged forward. 

Rocks and garbage hailed down on the body of the bug as the mob tried to keep up. From somewhere in the crowd a flaming bottle of whiskey arched into the night sky and then plummeted towards the car. It smashed on the hood and spread a liquid coating of fire that splashed down through the broken windshield and on to the dashboard. 

"Holy shit!" Jesse yelled and grasped the dash cover with one hand. His skin burned as he yanked and flipped it out and away from them through the window. He hissed and covered his burnt hand protectively to his stomach as Elena slapped her smoldering steering wheel cover with both hands. She tore it off and threw it out as her car burned. She turned suddenly and barreled towards the freeway onramp heading south. Flaming alcohol spilled away to the road and drizzled down the side of the car. 

They entered the freeway still blazing and almost collided with a huge eighteen wheeler. It blared its horn as Elena jockeyed her tiny car through the traffic. The fire on the hood suffocated in the wind and died down as the flaming whiskey was blown from the car and to the road. The engine groaned and the tail pipe sputtered as Elena pressed the gas pedal to the floor. She coaxed the car up to sixty-five and roared down the freeway until they reached a rest stop. She almost missed it completely as the right front tire blew out and sent the car into a mad wobble and turn. 

"Hang on!" she screamed, trying to correct the birthing skid. The bug leapt up over the triangular divider between the off ramp and the freeway. It caught air for a moment and then slammed back to the ground. Sparks flew from underneath the car as the rubber of her mangled tire ripped and tore away, exposing the rim to blacktop. Jesse suddenly reached over and buckled his seat belt as they careened down the incline of the ramp, jerking to and fro. Elena turned the wheel and sent the car into the shoulder. Gravel and dirt spewed in all directions as the rough surface slowed them down and shook the entire vehicle. 

In a cloud of dust the bug came to a stop, it's body burnt black and smoking as the headlights blazed into the night. The brake lights flashed for a minute and then went dark. After a long moment, Elena released her foot from the brake pedal. Jesse sat still, his arms locked against the door and seat and his eyes so wide Elena thought they might pop out. He looked over to her and exhaled a long release of tension. He said, "Nice driving." 

"Well," she shrugged, looked at her burned dashboard and sighed, "I don't like to brag." 

Jesse saw lights emerging from the fading cloud of dust and smoke. The neon sign of the rest stop was about a hundred yards away, nestled in the thick pine and cedar trees. There were a couple cars parked there, but not enough people to ask any questions. He said, "I gotta pee." 

"Me too." 

Jesse motioned to the rest stop and said, "Can you drive this heap to your aunt's house?" 

Elena shrugged, "That depends." 

"On what?" 

She nodded to the right front end of the car, "Can you change a tire?" 

*** 

Daniel rubbed his jaw. It throbbed with a dull pain that wasn't terribly comfortable. Still, he preferred that to the painfully sharp swelling in his battered testicles. 

He had wanted her to know how much he appreciated her by giving her clothes that were more in line with his view of beauty, by giving her the very finest his town had to offer. He had gone to all that trouble to make Elena feel wanted and sexy, and she had rejected him out of hand. More than that, she had openly defied him. He supposed that she could be forgiven for saying no to him. She could even be forgiven for her harsh words and blatant disrespect for him. Truly, how was she to know what he had become? How was she to know that he was superior in every way? 

She had yet to be educated. 

But, the bitch had broken his balls. Somehow she had found a way to block his power and resist him. She had made him doubt his own gift and caused him to have a moment of hesitation. It was that moment she used to overcome him. And then to add insult to injury, she had punched him like he was some little cunt. He had felt his hold on the town slip a little when she knocked him out. In the darkness, he had felt the snare loosen over all them. He figured that's probably why Jesse was able to escape Diane and Tina.

Daniel stood in the darkened main drag of his town, a lonely tyrant whose subjects were too filled with fear of retribution to face him. They had let Jesse and Elena escape. He knew they didn't understand what was at stake here. The fact that they had made it out of Castleton Rock meant that there was the possibility of outside interference now. While the gift offered him a vast array of powers, Daniel was not so vain as to believe he didn't have limitations still. The carnival had been unlucky enough to stop in town over night. It had been more for his protection than amusement to keep them here in the celebration of the liberation of Castleton Rock. The few motorists that had come into town during his coup today had been easily taken over, but he wondered just how many he could control. 

"It doesn't matter," he told himself. 

Soon he would be the master of the gift, the sole possessor of the unearthly power Madame Helena had so foolishly given them. When that happened, it wouldn't matter how many people came into Castleton Rock. He wouldn't have to lift a finger to cloud their thoughts and ease them into his order. Before that could come to pass, though, he would have to rid himself of the competition. 

Jesse was like another suitor for the favor of the power. Every time Daniel was near his former friend, he could feel the battle between them for control. The power favored Daniel, of that much he was absolutely sure. But there was a small part of the intangible fabric of its' nature that was interested in his opponent in the same way it was fascinated with him. The gift could almost be like an indecisive bitch loving two men at the same time. He imagined that was also why Jesse had escaped his trap. 

He was learning and beginning to understand. 

Daniel shook his head and walked back towards the quiet carnival. There were people strewn allover the sidewalks and street, their legs broken or backs crushed from the daring escape his friends had made. He looked down on them as they moaned and cried from the pain. He wanted to feel sympathy and compassion for them, but he couldn't. The fact of the matter was, he simply did not care. He didn't care about them anymore than he had cared when the couch had dropped on Erin's face earlier that morning and killed her. 

"Please," someone called from down by his left foot. 

Daniel looked and saw the mangled body of one of the clowns that had come in with the carnival. His white painted face was spattered with blood, his nose broken and his legs bent backwards at an impossible angle. The man's back had been broken when the lamppost bent down and scraped him off the car. The once jovial funnyman looked to his master with tear filled eyes and said, "I'm dying." 

"Yes you are," Daniel agreed. 

"Please help me," the clown asked as blood trickled from his mouth into the wild tufts of his orange hair. 

"You're in great pain?" Daniel knelt down and looked into his servants' eyes. The man behind the greasepaint had fallen under his whims like everyone else had. When that had happened, his life became property that belonged to Daniel. And Daniel was responsible for him now, in life and death. 

The clown tried to nod his head, "Yes ... and I can't feel my legs." 

"You want me to end your pain?" 

"Please?" the clown asked desperately.

Daniel looked around and saw the moonlit faces of his citizens looking at him from the shadows of the dark buildings. Occasionally, the yellow lights from the center of the carnival would flash across the walls and windows and reveal them to his sight. They were looking to him to be merciful, to be kind and gracious as anyone in power should be. Daniel took a deep breath and looked at the clown. He asked softly, "Do you have a family?" 

"A wife," he gurgled and convulsed for a second, and then, "Two daughters." Daniel nodded, "Do you believe they love you?" 

"Yes I do." 

He put his hand on the clown's forehead, "What is your name?" 

"Jack Skinner." 

"Jack," he repeated and closed his eyes, opening himself up to the outer world and reaching out to find Jack's wife as he simultaneously searched the clown's memories. After a short minute, Daniel found her. He could see her in their home, not too far from Castleton Rock actually. Jack's two daughters were sleeping in their bunk bed, and in his mind's eye he saw them smiling and content. But Jack's wife ... well, she was busy in their bedroom. 

"Your wife is cheating on you at this very moment," Daniel told him flatly, "As you lay dying, she is filling her mouth with another man's cock, Jack." 

"No," the clown said. 

"Yes," Daniel corrected him and then let the vision pass from his mind to the clown's brain. His arm and hand acted as a conductor for the psychic energy as they watched the vision together. The clown named Jack began to cry and Daniel only showed him a few seconds more of the adulterous habits of his beloved wife. He released Jack from his grip and stood tall. Daniel's face was impassive and harsh in the warm lights. He watched his servant weep over his broken heart, a pain Daniel knew was worse than that of his broken body. 

''Women,'' Daniel thought of Elena and felt a surge of righteous anger, "Are traitorous whores. All women are, Jack." 

The clown only cried. 

"I'm truly sorry Jack." 

"Please ... " 

"I release you," Daniel held his hand out, palm open and fingers wide. The people hiding in the shadows watched silently. 

Daniel then made a sudden hard fist. The clown cried out, his voice high pitched and watery as his skull cracked and inwardly crushed under an invisible force. The bone shattered and caved in as though it made of Styrofoam. His screams stopped as his painted face collapsed in on itself with a grotesque squelching sound. Blood and gray matter gushed from his destroyed eye sockets and nose in a disgusting flood. The clown named Jack spasmed and then died on Main Street of Castleton Rock, California. 

Daniel turned to the empty street and addressed those in hiding, "Am I not merciful?" 

He felt that as a man possessed of a god's powers, he should also show them mercy. He had been harsh on them. He had been brutal on Erin and his parents, and even on Jesse back in the gym of the high school yesterday. If he was going to claim the power of a god, then he should also display the mercy of a god. He knew that he wasn't a deity, but the temptation to think of himself as one was becoming more and more irresistible with each passing moment. 

"Am I not merciful?" he shouted into the streets, his voice echoing. 

He looked down at the dead clown. Who but a god could decide who lived and who died with such absolute impunity? Who but a god could bend the people to his will in such a definitive way? He felt comfort in thinking of himself as a "God in Training." But if he was a god among men, then what did that make Jesse? 

He felt a sudden tingling in his stomach, a strange exuberance that electrified his fingers and toes as he looked at his balled up fist. He opened his hand slowly and looked at the vessel of the gift, the chosen tool for using the power. His eyes were alive and wide as he realized the truth about his destiny. All his time being stepped on and made fun of by others had been a test of his character. Those horrible times had been the fire in which his metal was smelted and purified. How could he have ever known what it meant to give mercy unless he had experience an existence without it? 

For the first time in his life, Daniel began to understand who he really was. 

"I am merciful," he whispered. 

No one replied. 

They didn't need to.



The Gift: Day 05



THE GIFT: DAY 05 

EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE and SIMPLY_CYN

*

THURSDAY

It was a little past six in the morning when the charred shell that had once been a vintage 1963 Volkswagen Beetle turned down the long driveway leading to Rosa Morales gorgeous glass house. The construct was of modern ideology, with emphasis on sleek design and reflective property rather than practical daily living. It was made to dazzle. The two-story home sat high on a craggy bluff over looking the Pacific Ocean and glimmered like a pristine diamond. The walls were plated with reinforced glass, the few actual opaque walls colored a light gray-beige. The roof was tilted towards the ocean as the rising sun warmed and lit up the large, stately house. 

The still smoking husk of the tiny car sputtered and popped its way down the long concrete driveway, pulling to a stop by the large glass front doors. The muffler coughed and then spewed a plume of dark blue smoke as the engine died and the tired bug rested. The doors swung open, their metal hinges moaning in protest as two weary passengers stepped out into the cool, salty air. Fog was still drifting along the coastline and the not too distant crash of waves could be heard over the edge of the bluff. 

"You weren't kidding," Jesse looked up at the huge glass mansion, "What a place." 

Elena closed the door to her mangled car and sighed. The front bumper groaned and fell to the driveway with a loud metallic *clang* that echoed through the quiet morning air. She felt like crying, but instead shook her head and shrugged, "Aunt Rosa believes in buying only the best." 

"She got any spare clothes laying around?" Jesse asked, feeling doubtful the sixty-year old Hispanic woman would keep anything that fit an 18-year-old guy. And even if she did, he was certain none of it would suite his tastes. Still, he wanted to change his clothes and get a shower. His favorite shirt had been ripped apart the night before by his biology teacher and the school flirt. He had been shirtless ever since, and his pants were seared and blackened from when the car had caught fire. 

"Nothing that would look good on you," Elena smiled, "Unless you like wraparound skirts and billowy white blouses." 

"Yeah," Jesse shook his head and rubbed his eyes, "I got a whole closet full of that kinda shit at home." 

He looked over at Elena and smiled. Though she was tired and worn out, she still looked beautiful. Her thick, dark hair was trying to hold to its elegantly coifed style, but was losing the battle. Thick curls and tangles hung down around the sides of her olive skinned face. Her crimson lipstick was smeared a little and the red bra strap of her forced lingerie had snapped and was hanging loosely. The matching corset was still firmly in place and Jesse noticed that her crotchless g-string was open and exposing her sex.

"Uhm," Jesse looked away, both embarrassed and aroused, "You're smiling at me."

"What?" she asked and then looked down. She covered her crotch with her hands and blushed, "This outfit wasn't my idea." 

"Daniel?" 

"Who else?" she looked away from him, thoroughly embarrassed. Jesse unbuckled his baggy jeans and pulled them down over his boots. As he sat down on the driveway to slide them off, Elena caught a glimpse of his member through the open leg of his boxers. It was a dark chocolate color against the fabric of his shorts. She smiled to herself, blushing a little more and then straightened up as he handed his jeans to her. 

"Thank you," Elena said and put them on, cinching the belt tight. As she leaned forward to pull them up and buckle the belt Jesse watched her large breasts form a hanging cleavage that was only making his arousal harder to conceal. His black boxer shorts wouldn't hide his erection for very long, so he turned to face the house. 

"Got a key?" he asked and tried to think of all the baseball and football scores he could remember. 

"This way," Elena said and walked towards the wooden slat side gate. The combination of jeans and the elaborate lingerie hugging her voluptuous body made Jesse squirm. He didn't want to influence Elena the way he had others in the last few days. He was beginning to realize that as much as he was physically attracted to his classmate, he was also beginning to feel a strong fondness for her. He supposed that was bound to happen in the process of almost being killed by a power-hungry homicidal, psychically endowed telekinetic asshole. 

Could happen to anyone. 

'And her ass is perfect,' he thought to himself as they rounded the garage and entered the backyard, her shapely buttocks pulling and tugging on the fabric of his jeans as she walked. 

"Rosa keeps a pretty tight security system for the house," Elena said as she went to the pine-framed hot tub nestled against the back of the house and knelt down at its base. She felt around under the bottom framework for a moment and said, "She owns one of the few houses along this stretch of shoreline. It's all private beaches for about six miles. Costs a lot of money to have a view like this." 

Rosa's backyard looked right out across the slate blue expanse of the ocean. For the first time since this whole mess had started, Jesse felt a little peace. The view took his breath away as the last of the morning fog burned clear in the glowing sunlight and seagulls squawked and soared overhead. He could see a few boats out towards the horizon, their hulls bright and like beacons on the sea. 

"Beautiful," he breathed deeply and closed his eyes. There was a warm spatter on his bare shoulder. He looked and saw a large mess of bird shit pasted on his skin. He sighed and glared up at the sky. A lazy white gull squawked and soared away. 

"You bastard," he muttered. A dirty pink towel was laying in the grass beside the tub. Jesse took it and quickly wiped the feces off. 

"Found it," Elena grunted. She was flat on her back, her arm stretched under the large wooden framework of the hot tub. With a triumphant smile she pulled back and held out a series of brass and silver keys on a small ring. She got up and flipped through them, "'Rosa always said if I had an emergency, I could use her place. So don't fuck anything up, got it?" 

"Got it," Jesse nodded and discreetly tossed the towel away. 

Elena unlocked the back door to the garage, which was a few feet away from the hot tub and hurried over to a small key pad mounted by the inner doorway as the alarm system sounded. Jesse covered his ears as the sirens wailed and then stopped suddenly. Elena grinned sheepishly and motioned for him to follow her. 

The two-car garage was empty save for the black Mercedes Benz that seemed to beg Jesse's for attention. As Elena stepped into opened the door leading to the kitchen, he stopped and admired the sleek car. His heart was racing almost as fast as it had seeing Elena's impressive cleavage in her lingerie. He whistled and forgot all about him being half naked and just communed with machine. It was something he didn't expect Elena to understand. He simply enjoyed the unattainable vehicle for a few minutes until she came back out from the kitchen and said, "Will you get your ass in here?" 

The inside of the glass house was immaculate and as amazing as the outside. 

Elegant beige furniture lined the many rooms while the living room was dominated by a huge, flat screen plasma television set. The walls were adorned with high-class Mexican art and sculptures. Masks of every shape and size were displayed in a professional-quality exhibition in the hallways. 

"Okay," Elena said and motioned to the long staircase, "Bathroom is up stairs. Go ahead and get showered. I'll try and find you some clothes." 

"Cool," Jesse said and started up the long flight of stairs that began in the living room by the front door and followed the shape of the house all the way up in a grand, sprawling display of modem architecture. 

Once on the second floor, Jesse took off his boots and socks. His feet seemed to sigh with relief as he walked across the silky, white carpeting. After opening two bedrooms and three closets, he finally found the huge glass and crystalline bathroom. He marveled at the level of craftsmanship that must have gone into the making of this glorified outhouse. He dropped his shorts and kicked them away as he stepped into the walk-in shower and turned the water on. 

The hot water sprayed him in a fine mist and he lathered up with the soap on the small shelf behind him. The Irish Spring smelled fantastic as he washed his aching body. In the back of his mind, he replayed the events of the night before. He could still vividly recall how Mrs. Brewster and Tina Moss had seduced him in the Pizza Factory. He felt himself grow hard again as he recalled the sensations of the double blowjob they had given him. They had been all over his body, kissing and licking and sucking. And Jesse had enjoyed every minute of it, despite himself. 

Well, he had enjoyed it until they tried to kill him. 

"Fuck," he muttered and washed his groin, the soapy water feeling just a little too good against his swelling member. After a moment of hesitation, he gave in and began masturbating. Only instead of Mrs. Brewster and Tina Moss, he thought of Elena Morales. Surely that was safe enough. No one could get hurt or inadvertently manipulated with him simply focusing on himself and an erotic fantasy.

*** 

In the downstairs laundry room, Elena prodded through a basket of throwaway clothes that Rosa kept for gardening. As she sorted through the jumbled mass of oddly matched clothing, her body began to tingle. She couldn't keep the image of Jesse's cock out of her mind. The vision of seeing his penis in the leg of his boxers had been burned into her memory. She tried to dismiss the thought. She knew she had a lot more to do right now than fantasize about Jesse. 

"It was just a penis," she said to herself and pulled out a pair of gray sweat pants. She held them at arm's length from her, judging the size. In her mind, all she could think of Jesse. As she let her thoughts wander, she began to imagine him naked and laying in front of her on a bed with light blue sheets. She let her eyes covet his strong, finely sculpted dark body with a lingering need that surprised her. She knew she was attracted to him, but until this moment she hadn't realized just how much. A slippery wetness had formed in her sex and was encouraging her to go further with her fantasy. 

She leaned against the washing machine and sighed as her nipples became delightfully hard in what was left of her flimsy bra. Her breasts were rising and falling steadily as she felt a wave a pure lust wash over her. The sensual feelings deep inside her body made her eyes flutter a little, the image of Jesse holding his cock out to her burning with in her mind. The thought of touching him, running her fingers over his smoothly shaved scalp and feeling his solid muscles enticed her. 

Before she knew it, she had pulled one of her breasts out from the translucent red bra and was pulling and pinching her sensitive dark nipple. It was hard and long as she rubbed it between her fingers. She imagined Jesse doing this to her as her breathing increased and a sultry murmur slipped from her full lips. 

"What am I doing?" she whispered to herself, the sweat pants still in her tightly gripped hand.

*** 

Jesse imagined Elena pulling her breast of her flimsy bra and rubbing her nipple back and forth for him as he held his stony, thick ten-inch cock out to her. He could feel his orgasm rising inside his balls, hot and fast. He braced himself against the shower wall with one arm as he stroked his engorged shaft quickly, back and forth and alternating pressure as he went. He closed his eyes as water cascaded down his trim body, his cock hard and erected to its full length. 

"Elena," he whispered as the tingling sensation of rising semen thrummed in the base of his cock. 

*** 

Elena was walking up the stairs, her left breast still hanging out of her bra and her pussy sliding back and forth against itself as she went. She had never felt so wet before in her life. She wondered whether he was influencing her, if he had somehow succeeded where Daniel had failed. Her feet carried forward as her heart pounded in her chest. The long thick tangles of her hair fell to her shoulders as she reached the second floor. 

She could hear the shower running. 

Through the sliver of space between the narrowly open door and the frame, she saw Jesse showering. His body was beautiful and wet, glistening in the warm lights of the crystalline bathroom. He was against the wall, turned away from her slightly but not so much that she couldn't see his long penis gripped firmly in his hand. Jesse was stroking himself back and forth in such a way that Elena felt she might just lose control of herself. 

His deep, throaty moans were never meant to be heard by anyone, but as she engaged in her small act of voyeurism, she enjoyed them as much as he was. 

"Elena," Jesse whispered, barely audible over the spray of hot water. 

Elena stepped back, as though her name had brought her out of a trance. She shook her head and blinked. She quietly set the sweat pants down inside the doorway and walked away. It wasn't that she believed Jesse was manipulating her. In fact, she knew for certain he wasn't. And even if he had, would she have really cared? What scared her was that her sudden arousal and trip of the stairs had been of her own free will. 

"This is crazy," she mumbled to herself. 

*** 

Absolute power. 

That was the governing thought behind Daniel's actions as he watched the citizens of Castleton Rock clear the streets of garbage and leftovers from last night's citywide party. From his perch on the Pine Street water fountain, he oversaw their cleanup efforts. None of them had dressed or changed or even showered from the night before. He saw a great many naked people working hard for him to make the town over as he saw fit. 

After all, as he was the one in charge it was his job to make sure everything was beautiful and well kept. 

He could feel their fear still. While many of them had simply let go of their inhibitions and welcomed the influence of the gift, some resisted. Like his late cousin Erin, they constantly questioned what Daniel was doing and always had thoughts of a contrary nature in the backs of their minds. He supposed there wasn't much he could do about that. And there weren't enough of them to pose a threat. He was in control. 

"Daniel," a voice said from below him. 

Daniel looked down to see Mr. Shaver, the principal of the high school standing respectfully with his hands behind his back and also completely naked. He felt a twinge of disgust as he looked the man over. The huge potbelly and jiggling man breasts made it hard for him to see the authority figure Shaver had once been. Squiggly pink stretch marks indicated his ever-growing waistline and physique in clusters around his armpits, stomach and hips. Daniel said, "What?" 

"Mr. Brower was wondering when he could start the carnival rides back up again?" 

"Brower," Daniel thought for a moment, trying to place the face, "Oh, the skinny guy who runs the carnival. Tell him as soon as this drag is cleaned then he can run all the rides he likes." 

"Okay Daniel," Shaver smiled and gave him a small salute. 

"Shaver?" 

"Yes?" 

"Put some clothes on, you fat fuck." 

Shaver smiled and nodded, taking the insult with a happy attitude, "Yes sir."

Daniel sat back and sighed. He had only a few days left to master his gift before the time allotted to him was up. The idea of losing his gift was unbearable to him. Life was so much easier and livable when in the position of power. Going back to his old way of life, eeking it out at the bottom of the food chain was the worst fate he could think of. He would rather have died than go back to that. 

Then an attractive woman walked by, her skin a gorgeous mocha color. Daniel recognized her at once and called to her, "Mrs. Hopewell?" 

The pretty black woman looked up from her cleaning duties as she dumped several used beer cans into the trashcan by the Pizza Factory. Her face gave no hint of her older age. At forty-eight, she looked like a thirty year old woman in her prime. She wore one of the outfits Daniel had deemed worthy of the new look. She wore thigh-high stockings and a matching black garter belt. Her silky midnight panties hugged tight to her body as she walked towards him. She might have been a few pounds overweight, but she wore it well and in all the right places. A heavy, large set of ebony breasts were barely contained by her lacy black bra as the crowd parted for her passage. Her high-heeled stilettos clicked and clacked on the cement. 

"Yes?' she asked, her dark eyes fixed on his. 

"You tired of working?" 

"No," she shook her head and licked her lips. 

Daniel smiled to himself, "Where's your son?" 

"I'm not sure," she said, "Jesse seems to go wherever he wants whenever he 

wants." 

"How disrespectful," Daniel patted the concrete beside him. 

"I know," she agreed and sat down, her legs touching his. 

"You also know that Jesse has been very bad?" 

"Very," she leaned over and licked his lips with a long slow lap. 

"I want you," Daniel told her. 

"I want you, too," Jesse's mother whispered in his ear. 

Daniel looked at her and asked, "What's your first name?" 

"Nicole." 

Daniel pulled her to him and began kissing her, her full lips like velvet against his. Her tongue wildly danced with his as she reached down and rubbed the bulge in his leather pants. His hands found their way to her hair and ran through it as she rubbed him back and forth. He said, "I've been dreaming of this since Jesse and 1 were little." 

"You can have me," she moaned in his ear as he necked on her, "Would you like that?" 

"Yes." 

"Take me then," she said as he suckled on her chocolate skin. 

"How bad do you want me?" he asked. 

Daniel dragged his tongue from the nape of her neck to the twin mounds of her breasts. She whispered, "I'd do anything to fuck you ... " 

"Anything at all?" 

She squeezed his bulge. "Anything." 

Daniel massaged her mind and slipped a wicked notion into her mind that Nicole Hopewell would never have entertained if she had been herself. 

"Would you kill for me?" 

"Yes," she whispered. 

Daniel stepped into the water of the fountain, Nicole's hand in his own. The water was cool around his feet. He unbuttoned his shirt and cast it off, revealing his wiry frame to her. Daniel quickly took his leather pants off and dropped them to the ground. His long penis was becoming aroused as he stood naked in front of the whole town. The people below continued about their business as he held his cock in his hand gently and looked at Nicole. 

"What do you like?" he asked her and stroked his thick member. He could have easily read her thoughts, but instead tried the old fashioned approach, "What turns you on?" 

"I like it when a man talks dirty to me," she replied as her nipples hardened behind the satin cups of her bra. 

"How dirty, Nicole?" he asked. 

"So dirty," she said and rubbed her pussy through her panties, "That it makes me blush." 

"Would you like me to tongue fuck your pussy?" 

"Yes," she said, a small smile on her full lips. 

"Would you like me to take my dick and fuck your cunt hard or soft?" 

"Hard," she licked her lips and eyed his hardening shaft. 

"Would you suck my cock off?" 

"Yes." 

"Would you let me cum in your mouth?" 

"Yes ... " 

"Fill your mouth up with a load of hot, sticky cum?" 

"Yes," she breathed and began pulling her panties down. Daniel could see her pussy was well trimmed and groomed. The kinky black hair was tightly clipped and glistening with anticipation. She parted her dark lips and revealed her pink interior. Daniel was reminded of his favorite candy bar. The strawberry Charleston Chew was similarly colored and he imagined she probably tasted just as sweet. He watched her pull back her clitoral hood and begin coaxing the button. 




The Gift: Day 05



"You want me to eat your cunt out?" he asked her as the black panties went floating by. 

Nicole sat down on the concrete lip of the fountain and spread her legs wide. She motioned for him to come to her with one finger, her eyes alive with primal need and want. Daniel knelt down before her ran his tongue along the silky interior of her thighs. Nicole moaned under her breath as he slowly licked her slit from end to end. 

"Oh that feels so good," she shivered and ran her hands through his hair. He noticed the skin of her cheeks was flushed. 

Daniel began stimulating her with his mind again, bombarding her with vivid images of sex. He painted graphic pictures of a huge white cock plunging in and out of her sopping wet pussy, her dark skin stretched and straining to contain the girth. Nicole sighed and her legs jerked a little as Daniel flicked her clit with his tongue. He gripped her ass and squeezed her cheeks, spreading them and then kneading them. 

Daniel lowered his mouth to her dripping wet cunt, and began licking her slowly. 

He danced around in her dripping entrance for a few minutes and then attacked her hard clit with his tongue 

"Oh god yes, that's it," she gasped loudly. It had been so long since anyone had done that to her, and she gripped the cement lip hard for support. Her feet splashed in the water as he ravaged her clit. "That's so good Daniel... "

And then he began rubbing it with his tongue, back and forth and side to side. 

Nicole was indeed very sweet tasting. Her sex secreted a divine nectar as he played with her clit, forsaking the rest of her pussy and going for the kill. She ran her hands through his hair, her mouth an open "0" of pleasure as she rode the rhythm of his tongue, the muscles in her legs quivering and shaking. His strong hands slid over her hips, up her stomach and then over her tits. He kneaded them, massaging them and teasing them through her bra as he worked her clit. 

Nicole didn't know how much time had passed before she came. Her hips bucked and her body tensed up as the heat of her orgasm erupted inside her. She was dimly aware of her own voice, shouting "Yes, Yes, YES!" over and over again as she was swept away. She could hear herself moaning in rapturous ways she had never experienced before, saying things she had never dreamed of saying to her husband. She was so far gone the thought of her husband meant nothing to her. He was a foreign memory. 

"Baby yes," she bit her lip as her body rode the tail end of her climax. She squealed suddenly as the electricity of another orgasm burned though her, causing explosions her behind her eyes and a flood of wetness that drenched her thighs. Nicole cried out into the morning light as Daniel gave her a tongue-lashing she'd never forget. 

"Ohhhhh," she moaned, crying as she came down from the high. "Was that good, Nicole?" Daniel asked, his face wet with her cum. 

"Oh baby it was so fucking good," she breathed and looked down at him. "Suck my dick," he ordered her. 

"You want me to suck it off for you baby?" 

"Suck it, bitch," he growled and switched places with her. A large wet spot was dark against the light colored concrete where she had been sitting. Daniel braced him himself and leaned back as she knelt down before him. 

Nicole smiled and ran her fingers over the length of his long cock, letting her nails tickle every inch as she went. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft, and was thrilled to find that she could only barely touch her fingertips together around the circumference. She snaked her tongue our and circled each of his large testicles, hanging firm and heavy at the base of his cock. She worked her way up his shaft and over to the crest of his penis. 

Daniel was moaning quietly from the back of his throat as she teased him. Nicole saw a shiny bead of translucent pre-cum forming at the eye of his head, a hint of what was to follow. She licked his salty fluid and savored the taste in her mouth. Her tongue lolled over his bulbous head and she lapped at his member with the enthusiasm of a cat at a saucer of milk. 

"Daniel," Nicole said quietly as he opened his eyes and looked at her, "Who do you want me to kill?" 

"Your son," he said evenly, waiting for her to resist, "He's been very bad." Nicole frowned as she processed his words. Daniel could feel the conflict inside her and tightened his hold on her. Her mind was like a ripe, sweet fruit in his palm. He knew if he squeezed too hard, she would burst. If he held her too loosely, she would slip away. Slowly, Nicole's resistance faded under the intense sensations Daniel was feeding into her mind. Her brain could only barely translate the information, relentlessly pumping powerful pheromones and hormones into her blood stream. 

"Oh fuck," she gasped, almost biting his cock as her pussy quivered and another orgasm flushed through her sex. She was moaning like the whore Daniel always knew her to be. He loved what he was seeing. 

"Very bad," Daniel said to her, "You know what he did?" 

Nicole whimpered her curiosity. 

"He's been fucking strippers," he said, "Three of them at the same time." "No," she whispered as she began stroking his cock again. 

"Yes," he replied, "And he's been fucking a teacher from his schooL .. " 

"He knows better," she said. Somewhere deep down inside her, a voice told her that she knew better too. 

"He has to be punished," Daniel wooed her as she licked his head, cleaning off 

more of his pre-cum. 

Nicole sucked on his head. 

"Kill him for me," he whispered. 

"Yes," she moaned as her pussy began to spasm again. She couldn't think straight as her sex bombed her with overwhelming sensations and emotions. 

"Kill for me," he closed his eyes and focused on her. 

"Yes," she agreed as she reached back with one hand and unhooked her bra. The lacy garment came off and fell to the water where it floated away with current of the fountain. Water sprinkled them from above as she succumbed to his will. Daniel felt her obedience lock into place like an iron clamp. 

"Anything for you," Nicole said as she lowered her head and grasped his thick shaft with one hand. She tilted the stony cock towards her lips and licked his head, tracing its bulbous swollen mass around like it was an ice-cream cone. Daniel drew a sharp breath and squirmed a little underneath her, his cock jerking up from her tongue. She smiled at him and then took part of his head into her mouth, letting her lips form an indescribable suction over the tip. Daniel watched as her red lips wetly slid over his entire head, and then enveloped it completely. 

Her teeth gently brushed against the sensitive skin, her saliva forming a hot submersion for his throbbing cock as she sucked him in. Throaty moans of approval escaped her, the vibrations of her voice tingling his cock and making him groan. Then she began bobbing up and down, taking in almost three quarters of his shaft before he felt his tip hit the back of her throat. 

As Nicole sucked, she started making circular motions with her head, alternating the intensity of her oral stimulation. She massaged his balls, rubbing them together and gently kneading them as though she were going to milk him. Daniel fed her more vivid imagery of sex, stirring her drive into a frenzy as she attacked his member. 

"Make me cum," he whispered, his hands locked together over his head as he tried to keep up with his rapid breathing. The wet slurping sounds that escaped her mouth each time she bobbed up seemed to echo through the entire town square. He looked to his left and saw Rob Hopewell watching them. Nicole's husband looked calm and spaced out as he stood on the comer of the street just beside the stage. His dark eyes were glazed over as he watched, both obedient and sad at the same time. 

Daniel winked at him. 

Nicole picked up her speed, letting her tongue drag his cock, wrapping around it with each thrust of her head. Then came the moment when his cock went rigid as steel, followed by an explosion of wet, sticky warmth in her mouth. It shot all the way back to her throat. She swallowed immediately, and was rewarded with a sweet salty taste as he unloaded in her mouth. His cock spasmed and jerked as he moaned out loud, the cords in his neck tight and exposed. 

He finally finished, and she released him from her mouth. 

Nicole fell back in the fountain and sat on her ass. She could hardly breath as excess semen ran down her chin and dripped on her full tits. Daniel stood up and stretched. The whole town had paused to watch their oral escapades. He smiled at them and then glared expectantly. One by one, they went back to work. 

"And now, Nicole," Daniel helped her up to her feet and then motioned for her to bend over. Nicole did as she was instructed and grasped the lip of the fountain. She angled her ass to Daniel and spread her legs. He ran one finger along her puckered hole and then to the slit of her pussy. He smiled, "To seal the deal."

*** 

Jesse looked out across the open stretch of beach, his bare feet deep in the warm sand. A light breeze cut through the sweats Elena had given him as he focused on the small boat Rosa kept tied up on the high beach. His purpose now was to train himself to confront Daniel. He had to be one hundred percent ready and able to match Daniel blow for blow. He took a deep breath and stared at the sheet metal dingy. 

The boat shook and then slowly rose into the air, its bow pointing down slightly as the aft end tilted high. Wet sand fell away from the hull of the small boat and plopped on the beach in thick wet clumps that reminded Elena of cream of wheat. Jesse pinpointed his thoughts on the shape of the boat and the weight. He felt out with invisible fingers and caressed the cool aluminum craft. The chain followed the boat up until its' length was pulled tight. 

"I have a question," Elena said quietly. She was leaning against a huge log of driftwood to Jesse's left, dressed in one of her aunt's flowery wraparound skirts and white shirt. He had tried to convince her to stay in the house. She was a distraction for him as it was, but the way she looked in the tight fitting shirt and the way the fabric of her skirt hugged her hips made him want to think about things other than practice. 

"What?" Jesse asked. 

"Why not wait until Sunday afternoon?" she asked as the wind gracefully blew her hair to one side, "Madame Helena said the gift will disappear from you both Sunday at noon." 

"And how many people will get hurt between now and then?" he replied and looked at her, "Daniel is fucking that town up. You should have seen Mrs. Brewster and Tina. They weren't themselves anymore." 

"You should have seen my mom and pop," Elena shuddered, remembering her mother in that revealing lingerie, "It was like 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'... " 

Jesse laughed, but there was a serious doubt between them. A lot of people had gotten hurt during their escape from Castleton Rock. They had hit at least twenty people doing forty-five down main street and maybe even run over a couple of them in the process. Even then, the clown Jesse had scraped off the roof of their car had to be dead. You don't get hit with a lamppost going that fast and live to tell about it. 

"You know," Jesse said, "Even if we beat Daniel and Madame Helena takes back the gift, the damage is done." 

"I know," Elena nodded and then said, "Which is the part I don't get. How could Madame Helena give you this gift when she knew this would happen?" 

"She told us 'blood would spill and the arrogant would fall' before it was all over," Jesse recalled as a large wave crashed into the beach behind him, "She said that we would 'commit grievous acts against ourselves and others' too. I guess she knew what she was talking about." 

"This seems awfully extreme to make a point about someone's character," Elena shook her head, "I mean, come on now. Who jeopardizes so many people just to test two high school guys in a battle of good versus evil?" 

"I don't know." 

"I think she's up to something," Elena told him. 

"You think?" Jesse laughed as he lowered the boat to the beach gently. "There's got to be more to this ... " 

"I know there is more to it. That's why she won't help." 

A cool breeze caressed them from the ocean. 

"What happened?" Elena asked suddenly, "What happened at The Lucky Beaver?" 

Jesse had been dreading this question ever since Madame Helena brought it up during their visit with her on Tuesday evening. He hadn't wanted Elena to know what happened, and the idea of revealing his own guilt to her made him feel nauseated. Jesse shook his head and rubbed his bare stomach with one hand. There was no way out of it, so he just decided to come clean with her. He owed her that much. 

"Daniel and I went to the Beaver," he told her, "We used the gift to make all the men there give us their money." 

"You robbed them?" Elena looked at him, her eyes filled with disbelief. 

"Yeah," Jesse admitted as his stomach turned over. The look of disappointment in her eyes cut him to the quick and he reluctantly went on, "And then we seduced the strippers." 

"You seduced strippers?" Elena stood up, "Plural?" 

"Well," Jesse writhed under her glare, his eyes unable to meet hers, "Yeah." There was a loud silence between them for a moment. 

Elena was burning red as she crossed her arms and asked, "How many, Jesse?" 

Jesse sighed. "Three." 

"Altogether?" 

"Each." 

"Oh my God!" she shouted at him. She walked across the beach, sand kicking up behind her and she shoved him hard in the chest, "What the fuck is wrong with you?! You're just as fucking bad as he is!" 

"I know," Jesse backed up from her, his arms raised inoffensively. 

"How could you do that?" she asked him. 

"I lost control," he said. It was all he could think of, and it was totally the truth. He said, "I was overwhelmed with the power of the gift, Elena. Okay? It got the best of me and I did something stupid. I have to live with it for the rest of my life."  

"That's awfully big of you," Elena said curtly and then as an afterthought, "I'm sure Mrs. Brewster and Tina Moss appreciate your moral standing on the matter," 

"I didn't mean to sleep with them!" 

"You fucking slept with them both?!" Elena yelled incredulously and slapped one hand to her forehead as her suspicions were confirmed, "What is the matter with you?" 

"Look," Jesse felt himself getting mad, "You don't understand what this shit has done to me or Daniel. Don't sit there and judge me. You can't make me feel any worse about this than I already do!" 

"I can try!" Elena shot back and then planted a hard punch right in the middle of his face. Jesse reeled back and landed on his ass hard as blood trickled from his nose. 

"What the fuck was that for?!" 

"I thought you were different!" Elena screamed at him, "Jesus Christ, I am so 

fucking stupid." 

"So you hit me?!" 

"Fuck!"

"Elena," Jesse began through pain induced tears.

"Don't fucking talk to me." 

"Tell me ... did Daniel cut his dick on your upper or lower teeth?" he asked as he wiped his bloody nose. 

"Excuse me," Elena put her finger up in a warning, "That has nothing to do with this ... " 

"But it does." 

"It's a cheap shot," she fired back, "A low blow," 

"No," Jesse stood up and glared at her, "Just a blow, isn't that right? I wonder how Eric might have felt about you polishing Dan's knob for him?" 

"Fuck you," Elena said and flipped him the bird. 

Jesse felt the rage inside him flare like an inferno. He bellowed and whipped his hand to the small boat chained to the rock face. The side of the boat scraped loudly against the boulders, startling Elena as it sailed into the air as though shot from a cannon. The heavy steel chain went tight and then snapped as a weak link gave way. It cut through the sky and sped like a bullet over their heads. The little boat smashed against another large boulder a few feet away. It exploded in a hail of wood and sheet metal debris that fell to the sand. 

Jesse was fuming, his strong chest heaving up and down as he glared at Elena. His lips were pursed tight as he walked over to her and raised his hand to strike her. Elena put her arms up and ducked, falling to her knees. She waited for the blow. 

"You see?" Jesse said softly in a strange contrast to his position, his hand still raised, "I could do a lot of things. But I choose not to." 

Elena looked up and saw him lower his hand, his powerful arm pulsing with power and every sinewy muscle pulled tight. 

"It's all about making the right fucking decision," he said and pointed to the wrecked boat, "I'm making a choice, Elena. Daniel is taking his shit out on the whole fucking town, and I got the same problems as he does. So do you." 

Elena just stared up at him, her lips parted slightly. 

"I am not the man I used to be." 

Elena looked down at her hands. 

"I choose to be better than that," he said and looked out at the ocean, "It took me until just now to realize I don't need any goddam gift for that." 

Elena got up off her knees and stood face to face with Jesse. She wanted to say she was sorry for yelling at him and hitting him. She wanted to tell him just how much she was growing to like him, and how as time went on the term 'like' was becoming less and less accurate for what she felt. Elena wanted nothing more than to embrace him and hold him close to her body as she would a lover. 

Instead, she said, "I'm not the woman I was before, either." 

Jesse said, "I can't change what I did. But maybe I can make up for it?" 

Elena nodded and put one hand to his stubbled cheek, "Maybe we both can."

A smoldering hot moment passed between them that said everything they had both wanted to tell each other over the last few days but couldn't. After all the sexual fantasies Jesse had conjured up about this woman, after all the secretive lusting and admiring her from afar, it was a simple touch to his face that made him fall beyond lust and into love with her. Far past the pleasures of the body and the mind came the simple relief of human contact. 

Jesse put his hand to hers. "I'm scared," he said. 

Elena smiled and gently pulled him to her. She pressed her lips against his and kissed him with all the tenderness she had wanted from her boyfriend and never received. Elena wanted to cry when Jesse returned her gentle notion in full. She broke their kiss only for a moment to say, "I'm scared too." 

Jesse hugged her. 

At least he wasn't alone.

*** 

Daniel watched with no small amount satisfaction as the quarter-mile long bridge that connected the north end of town to the south end collapsed. Concrete and steel snapped and exploded as the two tons of dynamite he had taken from the city public works department was detonated. The shockwave blew the leaves off some of the oaks growing on the inclined canyon walls. The bridge seemed to ripple and wave as twenty four iron and concrete support pillars shattered in a plume of dust and flame. 

The entire town watched from the south side of the canyon as the debris plummeted eight hundred feet into the bottom of the wide ravine. The river splashed out of its banks as the rubble sank into the riverbed and diverted its flow. The flattop expanse of the bridge cracked with an earsplitting scream of twisting metal and hard pavement. The bridge whined so loudly many of Daniel's servants had to cover their ears. The canyon rumbled and echoed as the ground shook beneath all their feet. 

A mighty dust cloud billowed into the evening sky, a dark and menacing formation that seemed to have a life all it's own. Daniel listened to the sounds of the destruction, watching the long stretch of elevated road tilt and break away into crazy pieces. He had driven across that bridge so many times in his life that he had lost count. The bridge had been a symbol of the town, an icon that was deeply embedded into the collective psyche of Castleton Rock. 




The Gift: Day 05



As the last of the broken bridge finally fell to the bottom of the canyon, Daniel walked over to the jagged ledge of blacktop and looked down. Roiling dust and smoke obscured his view. He hocked up a really sticky lunger and spat it into the smoky abyss. He watched it speed down and away from him in the faded light until it disappeared into one of the dangerous roils of the debris cloud. He could still hear metal framework twisting and snapping as rocks and boulders tumbled down the canyon walls. 

"Well done," he turned to the crowd and addressed them. A strong gust of wind caused his white shirt to billow. He turned to the mayor, who was dressed only in his boxer shorts, and said, "You and the Public Works Office have done a fine job, Mayor Wendell." 

Mayor Wendell smiled and absently nodded his head. His legendary expressions of small town aristocracy and superiority were nowhere to be found tonight. His gaunt, white face said everything Daniel needed to know. The lanky blowhard wouldn't be touting this as a victory in his next election. The most powerful man in Castleton Rock had been formally educated and brought into the light. More importantly, the man was humbled now. 

Daniel laughed. 

"Now listen here," he shouted, "'All of you go back to your homes and wait. I have some business to take care of out of town. If anyone so much as farts without permission, they'll join the remains of that bridge at the bottom of the canyon. Understand?"  

"Yes," two thousand people chanted at once. 

The crowd of townsfolk was packed in around him, most of them backed into the overpass tunnel of the interstate freeway. Their voices echoed through the canyon almost as loudly as the destruction of the bridge had done. Daniel knew he would have to freeze them, as he had done Julia the day before. It was easier to keep them that way than trying to control them all at once. Besides, he needed his full strength for his next task. Worrying about the people in Castleton Rock was last thing he wanted right now. 

"Move," he raised his hands up and made a separating gesture. The crowd of half naked and zombified sex slaves slowly began to move to either side of him, making a clear passage for him to walk. Daniel walked past the sea of faces and felt a bit like Moses crossing the Red Sea. Like that salty water thousands of years ago, all these people were moving to his command, reverently making way. 

He would leave by the highway out of the south end of town. The interstate highway was the only way to get out of Castleton Rock and head north now that the city bridge was gone. This was as Daniel wanted it to be. The town would have to be sealed off and protected. He would leave the southbound onramps open to traffic. When Jesse came for him, the fewer ways in to town the better. 

Daniel smiled to himself, feeling bold and powerful in his black leather pants and fine white shirt, his shiny black boots clicking on the pavement. 

"It's time," he thought to himself, "'It's time." 

*** 

The sun was setting and the entire sky was on fire with hot reds, oranges and yellows. 

From the moment they had kissed that morning until now, Jesse and Elena hadn't left each other. They hadn't bothered with condoms or even to check and see if anyone was watching them. They simply immersed themselves in each other and forgot about the world for as long as they could. 

"This all seems so surreal," Elena told him as she traced his lips with one finger. In the hot light of the setting star, her body glowed with an avaricious luminescence. Jesse still could not take his eyes off her. Each of her breasts were evenly tanned and revealed no hint that she had ever worn a bikini in her life. A shade darker than her soft skin, her areolas spread out in perfect dollar-sized circles. Elena's nipples were long and beautifully erect, her sensitive nubs casting thin shadows across the smooth terrain of her bosom. 

"Yes it does," Jesse propped himself up on one arm and momentarily took his gaze off her. He looked out at the ocean and smiled. It was the same feeling he had experience early when they had arrived that morning. So much had happened in the last few hours, and his mind was still running to catch up. In a way he felt somewhat like the ocean itself. His potential vast and hidden, only a small fraction of who he was could be seen from afar. The waves on the beach were perfect representations of his understanding. He could only go so far up the beach and then loose his momentum, slipping back. But that didn't stop him from trying again. 

That was how he felt with Elena. He felt like he could try again. "There's something I need to tell you," Elena said softly. 

Jesse looked to her as a cool breeze whispered over his naked body. He asked, "What is it?" 

"Don't freak out on me, okay?" she looked at him, her eyes filled with bold courage and subtle uncertainty at the same time. The breeze caused some of her thick hair to blow in front of her face as she said, "I think I'm-" 

Jesse waited for her to finish as she struggled with her words. "It's okay," he said and touched her face gently. 

She smiled and kissed his fingers, "I'm in love with you." 

A sudden exhilarating sensation swarmed through his body as he replayed the words over and over in his mind. The waves were beginning to touch their feet as the tide gradually came in. The funny thing about it was the normally frigid water that made up the Pacific Ocean felt warm somehow to them. Jesse didn't shiver as another wave snaked up to their feet, this time cresting at his calves. His nipples hardened and he smiled at Elena. He said, "1 love you too." 

They came together and kissed as their white sheet began soak through with seawater. Glistening foam gathered around them as they kissed for what seemed like forever, their bodies pressed closely together. Elena grasped Jesse's buttocks and rolled him on top of her, wrapping her elegant legs around his waist. Their tongues slid together in a deliciously smooth caress that did more to express their erotic intentions than anything else. Gentle licks and rubbing from their open mouths set them afire in the surf.

For the first time in his life, Jesse felt complete. He felt truly and wholly complete. He held Elena, touched her and memorized every contour of her body. He drank her in as a man might do had he been lost in the desert. Jesse had been thirsty for so long, the awkward years of youth giving way to adulthood parching him as he dreamed of something more. 

As they made love together, he realized that this fulfillment was perhaps the greatest gift of all. It required no control and no contemplation about right and wrong. It simply was what it was. The power in each thrust, each soulful kiss and cry of pleasure made him stronger than anything Madame Helena could have ever bestowed on him. And as he came to his climax, he was not hindered by worries of how long he had lasted with her or what he might rate as a lover. He simply buried his face in her chest and released.

It was that simple.

***

A few hours away, in the small coastal city where Jesse and Daniel had first received their gift, the people of Derridge were nowhere to be seen. The town was empty, hollowed out and devoid of life. To the casual passerby, it might seem they were victims of a mass abduction, or perhaps in hiding from a nameless evil. The town was deserted. Abandoned and left for dead, either in spirit or in the flesh made no difference. Something dark had woken here, roused from a long slumber.

Only Madame Helena, the withered old witch of a woman, remained. She sat on the front porch of her small shop in a white wicker rocking chair. She was wrapped in harsh black robes made from hearty sackcloth. There had been a time when she had hated the feeling of the material against her skin. In the early days, she still wanted to show her beauty and tempt the men around her. In those glorious days, before she learned the power of the gift, she had lusted after many things.

A lone figured approached her from the evening light, walking down the road. It was the boy, Daniel. He was filled with hate, anger and a malicious sexuality. He was hungry, as she had been before him. He wanted more. He wanted it all. And he was coming after her to get it. But she knew this would happen. True, she could not see the ultimate end result of this game, but she could see the events leading to the climax.

Helena had hoped the black boy Jesse would be the one to come to her. He was full of potential, and more so than Daniel he was strong at heart. She had wanted him, wanted his heart and his body. She had craved his mind from the moment she had met him, but she knew also that his heart belonged to another. How could she steal a heart that was not his?

"You return?" she asked the approaching figure.

"Yes," Daniel said and stood before her.

"What would you have of me?"

"I want what you have," he said evenly, "I want it permanently."

"That's a choice yet to be made."

"I need it, Madame."

"You cannot control it."

"I can. I will."

"So sure are you?"

"Give it to me now," he said.

Helena chuckled through her rotted teeth.

"Now, old woman."

"Old am I?" she cocked a bristled brow, "You know not of what you speak."

"Now."

"Do you know who I am, child?"

Daniel made to move on her, but she raised her hand and he froze. Daniel's eyes went wide. He couldn't move.

"I am eternal," Helena said and stood tall, letting her robes fall away. The wrinkled woman revealed herself to him, naked and worn out. Her tired body sagged down under the pull of gravity in a nauseous droop. She cackled and eyed him intensely. No, she would have preferred Jesse to this arrogant little fop. But he would do. He would have to do.

"Here, boy," she put her hand to his chest and rested her palm there, "Have a taste of what it is to carry such a burden."

Daniel felt white flame burn through his body, smoldering inside him. He couldn't scream or call out. He simply stood there as Helena began her work.

"The gift will choose," she said as her face began to change. The wrinkles disappeared into gold hue olive flesh as her wiry white hair fell out. Long black strands of shiny obsidian hair sprouted from her scalp and grew down to her shoulder caps in a shiny cascade. Her body coalesced and changed, her height returning to what it had been in her youth so many centuries ago. She stood there, six feet tall and balanced on two muscular legs dotted with golden dew.

"You'll see," she whispered. Her tired flesh was seared away in a sudden maelstrom of supernatural fire that seemed to burst from the air around her. Her breasts lifted and returned to their natural state, generous and pear shaped. They were plentiful and perfect, the nipples hard and areolas small. The dusty remains of her pubic hair fell away and were replaced by fine black strands in a triangular shape just above her slit. Her sex was rejuvenated, suddenly fertile and lush with sumptuous moisture.

She looked at Daniel, her face that of a regal Egyptian princess. A subtle aura hung about her exotic features as the flames of change died away and she was restored. She breathed deeply through lungs that no longer hurt. The sea breeze filled her to capacity and she looked into the sky with eyes that burned like the setting sun.

Helena laughed.

"And now," she reached into Daniel's mind and body, "It's time for you to learn..."

She kissed him deeply, her hands running over his body.

Daniel could something happening to him, as though he were somehow getting bigger. He could feel his body changing, a strange orgasmic rush of pleasure and pain that arced through his body like lightning. He shivered.

"...And time for you to be rewarded," Helena smiled as she broke her kiss with him.

A sudden burst of light engulfed Daniel. He was consumed by the fires of the gift in a single, violent display of otherworldly power. The gift tore at his body, ripping flesh away and searing his soul. He tried to scream but had no air with which to report. He was changing, becoming something more. At first he was filled with fear, but after a few eternal moments, he embraced the savagery of his transformation.

"That's right," the naked witch stood back, admiring her handiwork, "Become, my love."

The fires burned so hot the cement beneath Daniel's feet began to crack in loud pops and snaps.

"Burn, my love."

The pillar of fire reached high into the heavens, furious and beyond control now.

"Burn so bright."

Finally, Daniel found his voice. He screamed rapturously. Helena stepped into the inferno with him and touched his new body. Her sex was throbbing and ready for what she knew must follow. She placed a hand on his cock and rubbed it gently. She looked into the flames and saw needful eyes glowing back at her. She smiled.

"Take me," she whispered, "Take me and become." 

Daniel smiled and did just that...

o be continued...



The Gift: Day 06



THE GIFT: DAY 06

EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE and SIMPLY_CYN

*

FRIDAY

-The following is a collection of text transcripts from television news reports on the strange events that took place in Castleton Rock, California in the spring of 2005:

FROM CHANNEL SEVEN NEWS, REDDING, CA

6:00 P.M.

THERESA ALEXANDER:

"Hello and good evening, I'm Theresa Alexander reporting for channel 7 news just south of the small city of Castleton Rock where events that can only be described as bizarre are taking place as we speak. If you look behind me you can see traffic in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 backed up for miles. As of right now, we can confirm that this is the biggest traffic jam in the history of California, spanning over sixty miles from Castleton Rock to the southern city limits of Redding.

The situation is no better on the north side of town as southbound traffic has been jammed clear into Yreka over fifty miles north towards the Oregon border. The cause of this amazing and unprecedented event is, incredibly enough, a wall of automobiles stretched hundreds of feet across the freeway at the north and south city boundaries of Castleton Rock. Stacked ten to fifteen vehicles high, four vehicles thick and in some places twenty-nine vehicles long this wall of metal and glass is apparently immovable. How these walls were built and the manner in which they were done so quickly continues to baffle everyone from motorists to government officials.

Efforts to clear the roadblock by the CHP and Cal-Trans have proven futile, including trying to drive a local snowplow through the wall of cars. Plans to bring in wrecking equipment from Redding have been severely hindered due to bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions. Hundreds of people are currently stranded on the freeway with no way to get home. Governor Arnold Shwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for Siskiyou and Shasta counties and authorized the National Guard to try and move the barrier blocking this vital stretch of highway..."

BOB BARNETT (in the News 7 studio):

"Theresa, there have been reports of mass hysteria in Castleton Rock and even cases of mob mentality murders. Has there been any communication with the city since this event eight hours ago?"

THERESA ALEXANDER:

"At this point I would have to say no. As you can see over my shoulder, several helicopters have flown over the small city in an effort to find out more information but their searches have revealed a ghost town. No one can be seen anywhere on the streets and the town appears to be deserted. Attempts to reach people inside via the phone has failed. Fifteen minutes ago police tried contacting people inside the city with visual communication methods and even with a loud speaker. Thus far, nothing has worked.  

The only visual indication of activity in the city is a small mobile carnival in the center of the downtown area. We've been able to see a large Ferris wheel and some other rides, but there is absolutely no one out and about.

Attempts to enter the town by state and county police have proven to be extremely dangerous and in one case, fatal. Wild animals ranging from mosquitoes, rats, squirrels and dogs to bears and mountain lions have attacked law enforcement officials when they get too close to the city. One officer, Deputy John Baxter of the CHP was rushed to Mercy Medical Mount Shasta to be treated for over six hundred mosquito bites. An officer from the state police was actually killed by several rampaging bucks. The deer apparently gored him to death as he tried to enter town by hiking down the highway embankment to my left. Until family is notified, his name is being withheld."

BOB BARNETT:

"What about the trains? I understand that Union Pacific runs several freight trains through Castleton Rock, as does Amtrak..."

THERESA ALEXANDER:

"Believe it or not a similar event to what we see here has occurred on the tracks that run along the banks of the Sacramento River. Again, mimicking what has happened here on Interstate 5 a train was derailed last night around eleven-thirty. An estimated 30, 000 gallons of pesticide was dumped into the river as a result. Efforts to evacuate the towns south of Castleton Rock along the river are currently underway, but hindered by phenomenal traffic conditions.

The tracks coming into the city from the north have been blocked by a rockslide near the Cantara Loop between Castleton Rock and Mount Shasta. We've also learned the connective bridge that runs parallel with I-5 and links north and south Dunsmuir over the Sacramento River bed canyon has been destroyed. Details are sketchy at best, but this does work in favor of clean-up crews on the pesticide spill as rubble had dammed up the river and reduced it's flow by nearly 90%. 

To sum this up Bob, Castleton Rock has been sealed off from the rest of state through a series of unprecedented natural disasters and frankly unbelievable phenomenon."

BOB BARNETT:

"Thank you Theresa...

That was Theresa Alexander from Interstate 5 just south of Castleton Rock."

FROM CHANNEL 10 NEWS, MEDFORD, OR

10:00 P.M. SPECIAL REPORT

MICHAEL CORTEZ (in the studio):

"It has been twelve hours now since the amazing developments in Castleton Rock, California. Rescue and Biohazard teams have been working around the clock along with local firefighting crews to clear the terminally jammed Interstate 5 highway and return people to their homes. There have been several cases of dehydration and severe sunstroke and in one case, death.

The roadblocks at the north and south ends of the city are still in place despite efforts to blow them apart with plastic explosives and dynamite. In the footage you see here the powerful blasts that are normally used to demolish buildings in precision drops didn't even make a dent in the wall of cars. As of this moment, there is no explanation for this freak occurrence.

-NEWSCLIP FROM THE SCENE,

INTERVIEW WITH DEMOLITIONS EXPERT CARL MATHERS, CHP:

"It's the craziest thing I've ever seen... the explosive charges where enough to clear twice this size. It's like the bombs simply didn't exist."

-NEWSCLIP FROM THE SCENE,

INTERVIEW WITH CHP OFFICER MATT TURNER:

"Those explosives should have moved every car on the freeway but all we did was blow a crate the size of Taco Bell in the middle of Interstate 5. We are currently regrouping to consider other options."

-NEWSCLIP FROM GOVERNOR'S PRESS CONFERENCE,

GOVERNOR ARNOLD SHWARZENEGGER:

"I have every confidence in the abilities of the California Highway Patrol and the various agencies working with them to solve this crisis."

MICHAEL CORTEZ:

"There are no easy answers to the mystery surrounding the Castleton Rock Disaster. Oregon and California officials have requested that citizens stay off the highway and have declared statewide emergencies as traffic has now backed up to Ashland and at its current rate is expected to reach Portland before this time tomorrow night. In California, cars are in gridlock conditions from Castleton Rock to Woodland, just outside Sacramento.

But perhaps the strangest aspect of this event is what we are showing you now. In the night sky over the city you can see a bright haze of green and blue light that seems to be originating from the center of town. Experts have not been able to identify this phenomenon any more than they have been able to explain the forces keeping the car blockades in place.

Many people believe what is happening has biblical context to the end times while other are convinced that UFO activity is behind the event. Proximity to Mount Shasta, a well-known site for UFO and New Age followers had prompted renewed speculation amongst those in Alien Abduction groups that an invasion is forthcoming.

-NEWSCLIP TAKEN FROM CHANNEL SEVEN NEWS,

INTERVIEW WITH TOWANDA SHELLBACH (resident of Weed, California):

"People don't want to believe it's happening, but just look at the light over that city? What do you think that is? Swamp gas? Why can't anyone be seen in the city? How can cars stack themselves in the middle of the freeway? I'm telling you this is only the beginning... get ready, because they're coming. They're already here."

NEWSCLIP FROM CHANNEL 10,

INTERVIEW WITH RANDY BEITTERMAN (resident of Talent, Oregon):

"Of course it's aliens. Mount Shasta is a known landing site for the visitors for years now. It's a place where they commune with us, man. Even the Dalai Lama himself said the mountain was a holy place. I know they're here. I can feel it, my friend."

MICHAEL CORTEZ:

"More as it develops."

***

It was ten in the evening, less than 24 hours to go before the gift was to be taken back from Jesse and Daniel, restoring one of them to a normal human being again. Time seemed to pass as slowly as the universe could make allowance for. Circumstances had quickly escalated out of control pretty much since Madame Helena had cursed them with the gift only six days ago. The countdown to when she would relieve them of this burden was an all-consuming thought for Jesse, and even in the moments when he found a little relaxation for his body, his mind would not allow him to be complacent. He had to act. 

As Jesse sat on the soft, sprawling couch with Elena and watched the news, he wondered if the word "normal" could ever be used in his vocabulary again. Because of what they had done with the gift, the world was being affected now. People were afraid and lives were changing because none of them knew what was happening. And even if they did know, would it have brought them any comfort? He wondered how the citizens of Castleton Rock would ever be able to return to their old lives again.

Normal? That word lost all it's meaning when cars began stacking themselves up in neat little rows across Interstate 5. The concept of "normal" went out the window with Daniel's sanity when the power of the gift corrupted him. He knew Daniel was in there somewhere, hiding out in the shadows of their home and manipulating everyone and everything around him. Jesse wondered if Daniel had any clue as to the havoc he was creating.

"Jesus Christ," Elena shook her head as she relaxed against Jesse's muscular chest. The image on the television set relayed the massive wall of cars at the north end of town, a long line of traffic backed up behind it. 

"I think we need Jesus on our side, baby," he smiled ruefully. He could make out the busted frames and bodies of Celica's, Explorers, Beetles and even a few SUV's and one two-trailer semi tractor-trailer. It was a surreal sight as the news helicopters circled over the perfectly designed and impossible to breach pile-up.

"This shit is national now," Elena sat up, "Once you and Daniel lose your gifts, they'll go in looking for blood. The estimated cost of this little game he's playing is well over two million now..."

"Where did you hear that?" Jesse asked as Elena rubbed his bare stomach, her hand wonderfully light against his mocha colored skin.

"Arnold got on the tube today," she said, "The Governator gave a speech telling everyone to be calm and not to panic right before he delivered he that bomb shell."

"Right," Jesse rolled his eyes and sighed, "How the hell am I going to get back into Castleton Rock?"

Elena looked down at her hands, her long thick dark hair hanging loosely around her neck. Jesse leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder, playing with the spaghetti strap of her red tank top. He smiled, "Hey, you okay?"

"Jesse," she said quietly, "Why go back at all? Madame Helena said this would be all over by noon on Sunday. Let's just sit back and let Daniel get what he deserves."

Jesse took a deep breath and ran a hand over his smooth, shaved scalp. He said, "Madame Helena ain't being straight with us. She's up to something. I can feel it. If we leave Daniel alone in there, how many people will die before Sunday at noon? Mrs. Brewster, Tina, your mom... my dad? I have to try and stop him."

"He's built a wall of cars the bomb squad can't blow up!" Elena exclaimed as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. Jesse smiled to himself, unable to keep from scanning her round ass working back and forth under her Spider-Man underoos. Even when she was mad, Elena still looked sexy as hell. And in that form fitting red tank top that did nothing but accentuate her large, round breasts and her fluid shape Jesse had to pinch himself to stay on subject.

"Maybe I can break through them," Jesse shrugged and followed her in as he discreetly picked the wedgie his blue sweats had formed in the crack of his ass, "Bombs may not do much, but against the gift?"

"Yeah," she looked at him, "And reveal what you can do on national T.V.? Good thinking."

Jesse shrugged, "I can't just sit here."

"I don't want you to go, Jesse," she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk, "I hate to break this to you, but all you've been able to do so far is toss boats around on the beach and make light posts bend over."

"That's nothing to sneeze at," he said, his ego slightly wounded, "But hey, I moved that entire line of lounge chairs off your aunties private beach now didn't I?"

She looked at him as she poured herself a glass of milk, thoroughly unimpressed. She raised one eyebrow and said, "Lounge chairs against derailed trains. Yeah, that'll do it."

Jesse folded his muscular arms across his chest and laughed, "Baby, don't worry okay? Everything will be fine. If I leave by eleven, I can be there by midnight. Maybe I can slip into town along one of the logging trails that cut into the canyon wall?"

"Pissed off deer, Jesse," Elena took a drink, "That one cop got mauled by rabid deer. Now what the fuck is that?"

"The bucks getting' revenge for Bambi's mother," Jesse pulled her to him by her waist and kissed her nose, "Seriously, I'll figure it out when I get there."

"Excuse me?" Elena slapped his shoulder, "You're going alone?"

"Well yeah."

"If you think I'm letting you go back to face him alone then you are fucking crazy," she said matter-of-factly as her full breasts pressed up against his pecs, "I'm coming with you."

"It's not safe," Jesse said, "I may not be able to protect you."

"Don't even think about it."

Jesse sighed and stared at the ceiling. Elena had been with him since the beginning of this mess for the most part. She had been his rock in many ways as he dealt with the temptations of his newfound mental abilities and telekinesis she was his conscience. They had been friends before the madness started, before Daniel started hurting people and becoming more of a monster than a man. Now, through their shared experience they had found they were truly more than just friends. They were in love.

It was because he loved her that he couldn't let Elena go with him. He looked at her, taking her exotic Hispanic features and drinking deeply of her dark eyes as she stared at him. He couldn't imagine anyone hurting her. He didn't want Daniel anywhere near her. He knew what his former friend had in mind when it came to Elena. In fact, it was their respective feelings for Elena that had divided them the most. And Daniel had tried to take her and seduce her, even rape her if what Elena had told him was right.

Jesse could not allow that to happen again.

"Okay," he lied, "You're with me all the way. Just promise me you'll do what I tell you in there."

"As long as you do what I say," Elena said and kissed him deeply. Her tongue rolled over his wetly and created a wonderful tension between their bodies Jesse had come to love in the last few days.

"You're not mad at me?"

A small smile stretched on her full lips and a blush bloomed on her cheeks, warming up her olive colored complexion. She put her face against his bare chest and inhaled his cologne, relishing the feeling of his powerful muscles around her. She felt so safe with him. It was the same feeling she had from coming home after a long drive on a cold winter night and finding a roaring fire and a warm meal waiting for her. Jesse felt comfortable and safe.

"You know what might be fun?"

"What?" he suckled on her neck as his cock hardened in his sweats.

"Having something to eat," she ran her fingers over his smooth scalp.

"Mmmm," he smiled into her skin, "What did you have in mind?"

"Would you like some watermelon?" she asked, tracing small circles with her fingernails across his broad backside.

"Would love some," Jesse said as he purposefully rubbed his stony length against her bare thigh. She obviously felt it growing because as she broke their embrace she looked down and cocked an eyebrow, "I think he's still hungry..."

"Well you're highly addictive..."

She smiled.

"A great natural flavor and half the fat..."

"Shut up," she giggled. Elena rolled her eyes. She actually giggled.

"You're like the best potato chips ever," he ignored her and ground his hips against her, "Once you pop you can't stop."

"Smooth," she laughed.

"Smooth like the-"

"You want to get laid?" she put a finger to his lips.

Jesse smiled and nodded his head as his kissed her finger.

"Then shut up," she smiled and opened the fridge again. Jesse looked at the clock on the wall, and saw he had plenty of time to linger with Elena. He would have to leave soon if he hoped to get anything done before the deadline hit. He felt bad that he had to lie to her, but consoled himself with the reality that her safety was non-negotiable. Jesse leaned against the kitchen counter and took a deep breath. The pleasant scent of authentic Mexican cooking caressed his nose as he took a moment to marvel at Rosa Morales kitchen.

"Does Rosa actually use all those?" he motioned to the huge frying pans and woks hanging over the large stove, "Or are they just for show?"

"Both," Elena said casually and looked at the bulge in his crotch. She motioned to it with her head as she cut open the large watermelon, "You actually use all that, or is it just for show?"

Jesse smiled broadly, "Both."

"I see," Elena smiled and sliced the melon up into long, thin sections. Her tight red tank top was cut low enough to reveal the slopes of her full breasts. They jiggled and moved with her slicing motions, enticing him and making him feel lightheaded. She looked up and saw him gawking. Elena smiled and tugged her top down a little more as she opened the refrigerator door and looked inside.

"You tease," Jesse laughed.

"You're not complaining are you?" Elena bent over, her tight ass stuck out in the air. The image of Spider-Man swing from his web over the New York skyline curved and bulged with her prefect cheeks. Jesse felt himself growing more and more aroused as she dug through the large bottom drawer. The underoos had hiked their way up the curve of her ass and revealed her equally tanned buttocks as well as her intentions towards him. Jesse felt his cock twitch as he leaned over a little and took in the view of her lips as they pressed against her underwear. The moist folds of her sex seemed to call out to him through fabric, begging for the touch of his lips and fingers. 

He slipped off his sweats and quietly walked across the kitchen to her. He placed his hands on her hips and slid his hands slowly across her cheeks lovingly and appreciatively. Elena jumped at the sensation of his rough hands on her skin but did not move away. Jesse pulled her back to him, making sure his throbbing erection was right between her ass cheeks and pushed the door shut.

"Do you want the melon first or did you just want to fuck?" Elena closed her eyes as he pressed her up against the cold door. Her nipples went hard as shivers ran down her body from the cool plastic covering of the fridge door. His breathing was hot and heavy on her neck as he held her. Elena ran her hands over his powerful arms, enjoying simply being with him.




The Gift: Day 06



"We can do both," Jesse whispered in her ear and licked her smooth lobe. She sighed lustily as he grasped the bottom of her tank top and began pulling up. She shivered at the shirt slid up over the large swells of her tits and then over the erected skin of her nipples. Her hot flesh pressed up against the refrigerator and she smiled as her nipples tingled. Elena could hardly think as her pussy become suddenly wet and delightfully slick. She gripped the edges of the fridge and grinded her ass against his hard member.

"You know we're not going to be able stop," she said, loving the sensations coming from her breasts as they pressed against the icy door. Jesse parted her legs and knelt down behind her. She stood there, legs wide as she braced herself against the door and waited for him to begin. She felt him pull on her underoos and in a simple motion they were gone from her body. 

"You're being bad," she whispered.

"Very bad," Jesse positioned himself on his knees so that he could slip his tongue into her wet folds. She gasped out loud as he applied a slow, long lick down the length of her slit, keeping his tongue firmly pressed against her.

He reached up to the counter and grabbed one of the melon slices she had carved out. He parted her lips with two fingers, opening her pussy up just enough to let him see the hot pink inner folds. He inhaled her sex and smiled. Elena laughed a little as he slid the slice against her tight pussy. And electric muscle spasm cut through her body and singed up her spine as he worked the cool, wet fruit around in her sex.

"You like that?" Jesse asked softly.

"Yes," she smiled.

She moaned and spread her legs wider, encouraging Jesse to use more than just the fruit. Jesse readily agreed and repositioned himself under her, leaving the slice of melon firmly embedded in her cunt. Elena squeezed the melon with her pussy, pulling her muscles tight and enjoying the new sensations it stirred deep inside her. Jesse then slowly began working his tongue into her, lapping up the sweet melon juices that were dripping out of her. He gently ran the tip of his experienced tongue along her soft folds, making her squirm and moan. 

Jesse suckled and lapped at the naked skin of her pussy with a tongue that knew nothing for retreat. Elena was now whimpering loudly as he stimulated her, her approval of his moves coming out in deep moans and heavy breathing. Her body seemed to roll with a sexual wave of power as she gripped the fridge to keep her balance.

"Oh God, Jesse," she managed as he drove his tongue in and out of her, taking time to nibble at the fruit between licks. She couldn't decided which felt better; the deep penetration of the slice of watermelon or Jesse's tongue acrobatics. Elena's thighs began to shake with small tremors as the pleasure became too intense for her already strained legs. She slowly slid down against Jesse, letting him lean back against the door as her breasts grazed his face. 

"Oh Jesse," she rubbed his scalp and thick neck.

"So perfect," He licked her nipples quickly as she finally came to a rest in his lap, her pussy now soaking wet.

"I love you," she looked at him as she massaged his strong pecs and ran her fingers over his abs. He could also feel the piece of watermelon still inside her pussy, hard against his cock. It slid up into her body even further as they grinded on each other. She pushed him back and marveled at his hard body, her fingers playing with his hard nipples.

"I love you too," he whispered and cupped her breasts in his hands, massaging them and tweaking her nipples. Elena had such long nipples, the longest Jesse had ever seen at about an inch in length. He loved playing with them and watching the reactions she displayed in her moans and in the looks on her face. He rolled the hard nubs in his fingers and she closed her eyes, lips partly opened and tongue slowly sliding across her teeth.

Jesse suddenly lifted her up into his powerful arms sat her on the kitchen counter. She laced her fingers behind her head as she laid back and opened her legs wide for him.

Jesse licked his lips and brought his face down to her swollen pussy. She wrapped her legs around him, her thighs clenched tight on his neck as he ravaged her cunt. She squealed uncontrollably as he nibbled on her clit while his chin pushed on the slice of melon. 

Jesse lowered his mouth and put his lips to her engorged vagina. He began suckling on her and opened her sex up wide. He felt the edge of the melon slip into his mouth and bit down gently, slowly pulling the long slice out. He watched it exit her hole, dripping with a mix of fruit juice and her own sweet nectar. Jesse held it between his teeth and brought himself up onto the counter top, dragging the melon slice across her stomach and her breasts as he went.

"Now who's teasing?" she asked huskily.

Jesse smiled and continued his way up, leaving a sticky wet trail. 

Elena rose up to meet him, hungrily biting into the fruit. They consumed the melon together slowly, each one taking turns holding it in their mouth as it grew smaller and smaller. Jesse worked his cock against her sex, rubbing back and forth and letting his swollen head catch on her opening occasionally as they ate. She opened her lips and gently bit into the last bit of the melon. A chunk fell away and landed on her neck, slowly sliding down to her sternum and then her breasts. Jesse quickly dove down and ate it off her, making sure to get her tits nice and juiced up as he ate.

"Aren't you glad Aunt Rosa bought seedless melon?" Elena asked after him, her hands sliding all over his shoulders. 

"This wouldn't be as much fun with seeds," Jesse smiled and kissed her passionately, "All that spitting..."

"You know I never spit," she winked at him. She hoped down from the counter and pushed Jesse back against the stove. He watched Elena work her hand up and down along the shaft of his ten-inch long cock, tenderly stroking and rubbing the dark meat. Her tits were jiggling and swaying with her jerking motions as she licked her lips and grinned wickedly at him. 

Elena leaned forward and began rubbing his cock around on her breasts, teasing her nipples with it, leaving a small snail-trail of pre-cum across her flesh. She pressed his hard dick between her cleavage and began jacking him off with her tits. Elena tucked her chin in to look down at the big, swollen purple-black head of Jesse's cock protruding from between her creamy breasts. The world was shaking for Jesse as she tit-fucked him, the feeling of her silky flesh against his throbbing member almost too much to bear.

"Would you like me to suck on it?" she asked, releasing his cock from between the heavenly confines of her cleavage.

"What's the magic word?"

"Oh shit," he laughed.

"Please," she teased him. 

"Please," Jesse groaned and reached up to the back of her neck, pulling her down towards his cock. Elena gripped his cock tightly as he guided her.

"You know," she licked his tip and looked up at him, "Since our freshman year, I've wondered what you taste like."

"And know that you know?" Jesse asked as she pressed her lips to his cock.

"Well, you know what they say," she looked him as she licked and rubbed his head around on her tongue, sliding it across her sultry lips, "Once you have black you never go back."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Jesse said, her arousal of his cock so intense that he felt like he might explode right there. 

"And you taste good," she breathed, "So fucking good." 

At that point, Jesse found the worries about Daniel and Madame Helena were thousands of miles away. Her touch was like being jolted with a pure, hot strike of erotic lightning. Jesse shivered as his cock pulsed and throbbed in her slender hands. She kissed his head wetly and delivered a long slow purposeful lick that made Jesse's eyes roll back into his head. She kissed it several times, moving her lips around on the eye of his cock, sliding down the shaft and back up again. 

The tip of her tongue slid out from between her lips and danced over his head lightly. She tickled the head of his cock with it, causing bursts of heat to go searing through his body. Jesse groaned as she bathed his dick with her tongue, making it shiny and wet with saliva. Jesse struggled to force back the swell of his orgasm as she worked her magic on him. 

Elena then sucked him into her mouth, the back of her throat hot, slick and soft against his swollen head. She didn't gag once as she moaned and then began vigorously sucking and rolling her tongue. Her breathing was hot and undeniable against Jesse's flesh as she sucked him off, her nostrils blowing intense blasts of heat against pelvic area. The head of his cock was enveloped in the warm wetness of her mouth, her tongue wriggling under his shaft. Elena's head bobbed up and down on him fiercely.

"Oh shit," he hissed through gritted teeth as she slurped and sucked on his member. Jesse could feel the orgasm building up fast. He gripped the countertop and clutched tight as he moaned and grunted under her expert oral stimulation. Elena sensed his impending climax as she feverishly kicked up her pace and ravaged his dick with her mouth as he had down her clit earlier. Jesse could feel her spittle dribbling down his heavy sack and to the crack of his ass as she forced him to his climax.

"Fuck!" Jesse cried out as his body tensed and he froze up. He cried out and released his load into her mouth. 

"Cum for me baby," she said as his cock slipped from her mouth, still spurting hot ropes of sticky spunk. Jesse watched as his semen splattered across her big tits in long, thick gobs. Elena smiled hungrily as a gob of his cum stretched from her chin to her chest in a single viscous white line. She took one finger and scooped it up. Elena looked at him, her dark eyes smoldering, and licked her finger clean.

"Come here," Jesse pulled her up to him as she swallowed his sweet semen. 

Their heated kisses became frantic as they shared an undeniable mutual need for each other that raged like an inferno. Jesse attacked her mouth and let his hands slide down her back and to her ass where he kneaded and massaged her. They lay down on the floor and Elena straddled him. He squeezed her cheeks, pushing her drenched sex closer to his rigid cock. She shifted her weight, pressing her lips against him and leaving a delightful wet trail. Her juices slowly seeped out as her desire blossomed into a passionate flower. Elena smiled with pure, unadulterated joy as she ground her slit against him. She felt his large head spreading her apart, and she eased him in slowly.

"God Elena," he groaned as her muscles constricted around him and tried to compensate for his girth. They moved against each other in a trembling, almost awkward moment of familiarizing themselves with each other. Ever since they had given into their desires on the beach yesterday evening, they had not been able to relent from their lovemaking. Each time was like the first time, the sensations of the new union were too addictive to ignore. As her pussy once again fell in love with his thick cock, their motions quickened into a desperate race to please each other.

Elena worked her body into a hard pace quickly as she succumbed to the primal demands of her womanhood. Her breasts bounced back and forth with their rhythm, small beads of sweat starting to fall away from her painfully erect nipples. The floor creaked slightly as they humped against each other, keeping time for them. Elena was ravenous for his flesh, moving with such a fevered urgency that bold groans of lust began escaping from Jesse's throat as he fought off his orgasm. Elena bore down on him, fucking faster and faster while their skin collided in wet, violent slaps. 

A thin film of sweat broke out over their naked bodies to cool them as their lovemaking reached an almost angry pitch. Elena leaned forward and rabidly kissed him, her tongue dancing wildly about in his mouth. Her breasts slid wetly against his hard chest, the nipples tickling him with their hard nubs. Elena gripped his hands with hers, lacing their fingers together as they fucked, working together for a mutual climax. They could hardly breath as the moment came near for them.

"Yes," Elena gasped as she broke their kiss, "Yes baby!" 

Jesse tensed and let out a deep groan when Elena's muscles began to erratically spasm around his hard shaft. Each contraction leading up to her orgasm caused him to lose a little more control over the flood of semen he was holding back. Elena cried out and threw her head back into the shadows of the kitchen. Her hair flung wildly as her body spasmed, the moment of her orgasm now at hand. 

"Yes baby!" Jesse growled and rammed himself deep inside her, burying the tip of his cock into her cervix just as he lost control of himself. A fountain of hot cream sprayed her insides as he gritted his teeth and rode the lighting of his orgasm.

"Oh my God!" Elena's voice hitched for a moment as she tried to catch her breath, her entire body whip lashing against him. Her cunt ejected her juices in a torrent that splashed his balls and the black and white checkered floor beneath. Though her orgasmed had passed, she kept on humping him, forcing herself to ride his cock as the overwhelming sensations radiating from her sex made her fingers and toes go numb.

There was a long silence in the kitchen as Elena came down from her high, slowly and surely coming to rest as his cock deflated inside her. Rain was spattering the kitchen window gently as a storm began to blow in from the ocean. The kitchen was filled with not only the musk of their sex but also the radiance of their newfound love together. Jesse knew that when it came to fucking, he and Elena were on fire. But they were doing something far more relevant than fucking now.

They were recreating what he had discovered with her on the beach last night. They had achieved something he had always hoped to find. It was elusive and rare by his thinking, and though he had never had it before until Elena, he knew enough to recognize it when he saw it. They were making love.

"Would you like to join me in bed once more before we leave?" he asked suddenly.

"Do you need to ask?" she huffed and dragged her fingernails down his chest and stomach.

***

Daniel walked through the city of Castleton Rock.

He didn't worry about the helicopters thundering overhead as the eleven o'clock hour rolled around. He knew that for all their technology, they were blind to the power of the gift. The gift had given him the ability to cloud their instruments and even cloud their minds to see whatever he wanted them to see. He inhaled deeply the almost-fresh mountain air, tainted with the slightly acidic taste of the pesticide that dumped into the river when he wrecked the train earlier.

That was most unfortunate in his opinion. Had he known the chemical agent was in one of the boxcars, he would have simply uncoupled the cars from the locomotive and wrecked it by itself. But then, he wouldn't have had the pleasure or the heart stopping experience of watching the wreck happen. The ear splitting squeal of metal twisting and the commanding boom of speeding steel against rock in a cataclysmic display of destruction was the stuff little boys feverishly imagined as they played in their bedrooms and sandboxes.

Daniel felt not unlike a child again, graced with new toys and secure in the knowledge that Castleton Rock was his sandbox now.

The people in it were his toy soldiers. He positioned them and manipulated them to his own designs. It was enormously gratifying to feel them squirm under his grip, their sense of free will crushed by his domination. Everyone in the city, both young and old had bowed before him now. There was a time, less than a week ago when he had been a nobody. He had been the class punching bag at Castleton Rock High and a seriously pathetic one at that.

But now?

Daniel looked down at his superior physique, eyeing the sinewy muscles of his body. He hadn't always been this way. The chiseled muscles and powerful arms were benefits of the gift. He felt its energy surging through his veins like an erotic fire that fueled his lust for more power with an insatiable glee. Daniel only bothered with clothes to the point of wearing his black leather pants and black boots. He appeared more as a god of beefcake posters than the nerd he had once been.

Women, all the women in town whether they were married or not had bowed to him and shared his bed. Since his return from Derridge earlier that morning, he had made use of his new body. His appetite was insatiable; as was the lust of the power he carried within. The women were like ripe, delicious apples to him. He would admire them, peel away their clothes and feast on their juices. Once finished, he would toss the cores of their souls to the lower men around him. 

He was a sharing god. He believed in rewarding those dedicated to his faith.

It was Helena who had shown him the truth about himself. When he had returned to Derridge the day before, he had intended to kill Helena and be done with her. Instead he found her vastly more powerful than he had ever imagined. She had been ready for him, even waiting outside for his arrival. She had known his plans and despite his treachery she let him live. She had revealed her true nature to him and exposed him to the power behind the gift in its purest form. And as he would do with his own sick, skinny body Madame Helena cast off her old withered shell like a deceptive cloak and the creature within was revealed. And what a beautiful creature she was.

Daniel could not forget her touch as they transformed together. She looked to be akin to an Egyptian goddess, her skin as tanned as the fine sand he remembered seeing at the beach. Her hair was straight and silky, cut with bangs that reminded him of Cleopatra in ancient wall paintings. She stood like a powerfully conceived statue. Her legs were long and powerful, her arms slender yet imposing. Her breasts were full and defiant of the natural pull of gravity. Her eyes glowed like blue fire and her smile was like ivory framed and concealed by ruby lips.

She had captivated him through her looks, and the sex they enjoyed together during his becoming had been the stuff only a true god could enjoy. Simple women no longer held his interest. He supposed that was why he had gone through so many of them during his initial hours back in town. He had been frustrated by this unquenchable thirst, and in his rage he had wrecked trains and created the wall of cars to keep people out. He was angry, and the world would know it soon enough.

He had given those outside a warning to stay away, yet his actions went unheeded

If Castleton Rock was his sandbox, then he had to protect it. At least until he mastered the gift and its limitless power. He could feel the Sunday deadline coming closer and closer. He secretly dreaded the noon hour when the prediction of his power being taken would be brought to light. Helena had assured him if he was worthy, the gift would choose him as it's new vessel. Daniel was determined to pass the test and gain this high honor. It was his destiny.

Only one man truly stood between him and his dreams. Jesse, his former friend had opposed him at almost every turn it seemed. It troubled Daniel he couldn't find Jesse, and even with the broad range of his powers that could see beyond the flesh and earth he was blind as to where his nemesis was. He had searched as far as his mind would allow and found no sign of him or Elena Morales. It was of little importance though. Jesse would soon come here to fight him and try to take the power from him.

That would of course lead the unpleasant task of killing him. Before, Daniel had sent others to do it for him. Daniel had not had the mettle to kill his best friend when he had the chance despite his new state of mind. The idea had stabbed and wounded him deeply, and though he knew it had to be done he wished it weren't so. Now, after seeing what Jesse could be capable of when he returned, Daniel was less than sympathetic.




The Gift: Day 06



Jesse had taken Elena from him. The woman had been his for the taking, and he had warned Jesse fairly well in advance to avoid any problems. He had assumed that Jesse would heed his words and understand that Elena was off limits. There were so many women in the world. Why did he have to have this particular one? Daniel had asked himself that question over and over during as he pondered his friend's motives He could only conclude that Jesse was controlling her and bending her to his will. Otherwise, why would she turn away from him? What woman in Castleton Rock could truly resist Daniel?

Daniel felt a cool breeze caress his naked torso as he walked down the hazy Main Street drag of Castleton Rock. His nipples hardened as he looked up into the night sky. The stars were blotted out by the intensity of the light coming from the California Theater just past where the carnival was set up. Helena had established her home there when Daniel had brought her back to Castleton Rock with him. The spectral green and blue mist seeping from the building seemed to have a life of it's own. To Daniel, it seemed to be guarding her sanctuary.

Outside the theater sat hundreds of the town's citizens, now dressed more in simple sheets and togas. Daniel figured Helena wanted to remind herself of home, the place she had grown up in. He knew Helena was old, but the presence of so many throwbacks and recreations of ancient Egyptian and Greek styles was evidence she went further back than he had ever imagined.

The crowd parted for him in reverent silence as he stepped up to the main doors. He looked back at them, all their faces possessed of a ghostly radiance as they watched him. Daniel opened the door and looked away from them. He couldn't help but feel that no matter how much he altered their minds, they would always retain the knowledge that he had committed the act of psychic rape a thousand times over on them. Something in their hollow eyes condemned him through their forced worship at his feet.

Once inside, the powerful aroma of fine incense and fresh plants greeted him. Five women stood by the twin double doors of the main downstairs theater, two standing like sentinels in front of each door. Diane Brewster was among the young women standing guard. He recognized all the girls there as ones from his senior class. They stood naked and covered with individually colored body tattoo designs.

He stopped in front of Diane. 

The beautiful and former biology teacher of Castleton Rock High was stripped of her clothes save for a silky wrap of cloth around her hips. Her full breasts were adorned with fluid blue tattoos that complimented her pale, milky complexion. The long, elaborate designs were clearly a mix of Egyptian and Greek influences that followed the natural curves of her body. Her hair had been braided and pulled back from her face. Her eyes, bold and blue looked out straight ahead as she grasped a long wooden bo in her left hand, the base of which was planted firmly in the red carpet of the lobby.

"Daniel," she looked to him with lusty eyes.

"Diane," he smiled and reached out, cupping her breasts in his strong hands, "When Helena releases you I want to see you."

"Yes, Master," she whispered huskily.

He had gotten used to the title of "master." Daniel liked it, and he felt through the last week he had even earned it.

"Is she in?"

"She is expecting you."

Daniel kissed Diane on the lips, a long sensual wet coupling that reminded her not only of his interest in her but also who was in control. Diane reached down and gripped his cock through his pants. The foot long penis he had acquired through the power of the gift was at rest in his pants leg, but the touch of Diane Brewster's needy hands made it stir. Daniel broke the kiss and smiled, "Soon..."

Diane smiled and returned to her watch.

He resisted the urge to turn on the lights as he walked into the theater. Daniel did not like the dark, but also knew that Helena could be very vengeful if even her smallest of wishes were not carried out. She had already killed several people since her arrival, including the Principal Shaver whose only mistake was draping a length of silk on her bed that didn't match the color scheme. It took shaver an hour to die as Daniel had watched Helena slowly boil the man's brain inside his skull. Finally, when the agonizing screams and gurgling pleas for help had silenced Daniel saw her smile. Helena admired her handiwork and walked away from the bloody corpse Principal Shaver with all the compassion of a cowboy motorist passing a dead squirrel on some desolate desert highway.

He knew Helena was still far more powerful than he was and he dared not oppose her. To be truthful, he dared not oppose her yet. It was inevitable that eventually he would have to overthrow her. He didn't like answering to anyone, but for the time being he didn't mind playing it cool as her right hand man. When a bigger kid takes over your sandbox, you wait for the right moment to dispatch her and reclaim what is yours.

'Enjoy this while it lasts,' he thought as he looked around the massive room.

The inner theater had been transformed into a recreation of an ancient Egyptian temple, complete with elaborate paintings on the walls, plants and ferns and exotic draperies of fine cloth (most likely taken from the Import Sewing Shop next to the flower boutique). One of her first acts, as the de facto queen of Castleton Rock, was to make use of her servants to furnish her palace. She had the people of the town bring their fine clothes and furniture to the theater to create her chambers. Her bed, a luxurious four post king sized bed from the mayor's house had been placed in the downstairs theater on the stage in front of the massive movie screen.

'Offerings for the queen,' Daniel mussed silently.

Sitting in an elegant plush antique wing backed chair was Helena herself. She sat casually in her seat, appearing as more a lounging and bored predator than anything else. Her authority was not diminished at all, but there was a certain impatience weighing heavily across her pristine features. She seemed to glow with an angry radiance as the thousands of candles around her burned. Her eyes shifted from their troubled meditation on the back of the theater to Daniel as he walked down the right side aisle of the theater.

"What is it?" Helena asked from the dim light of the stage as the candlelight flickered in an unseen breeze.

"I did everything you asked," Daniel told her. Why did he feel like he was her servant? The words "My Lady" had almost slipped from his mouth at the end of his sentence. He felt the strongest suspicion that if she was particular enough on the subject, she might even have him bowing before her on one knee before all was said and done.

"Good," the beautiful witch said as her unearthly eyes regarded him with a cool internal flame. 

"When Jesse comes here," Daniel asked, feeling cold and suddenly unsure of himself, "What will we do?"

"You fear him?"

Daniel held back the sarcasm he felt stinging the back of his throat, "No."

"You will do what you must," Helena said flatly.

"And the gift will choose?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, Daniel," she nodded, almost like a tired mother dealing with a petulant child asking far too many questions, "And the gift will choose."

He sensed her annoyance and decided to back off. She was far too powerful to upset at this point. The possibility that she might have some influence over who received the full power of the gift wasn't lost on him. He reminded himself of that every time he entertained an errant thought of lashing out against her. After spending the last few days as an absolute ruler in Castleton Rock, he was sure that his attitude around her needed adjustment. He was very powerful, that was true. But he wasn't all-powerful. 

Not yet anyway.

"He will be here soon," Helena smiled and leaned back in the chair, her silky white robes strangely iridescent in the low lights, "Be ready, Daniel."

"Of course," he smiled and turned on his heel to leave.

"Oh, and Daniel?"

He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, "Yes?"

"Don't underestimate your friend," she reminded him evenly.

"I won't," Daniel assured her. He walked up the long incline of the theater aisle and then out the double doors into the lobby. He could feel Jesse getting closer now. It was entirely possible that he might already be inside the city limits by now. Getting past the wild animals wouldn't be a problem for Jesse. The cops had tried to get through, but then they hadn't been blessed with the gift.

And if Jesse didn't make it through, that was one less problem to deal with.

Daniel stepped out into the night and waited.

***

Jesse stood still as the two large black bears blocked the logging road.

He had driven down the I-5 corridor to Mott Road, the northern most exit into Castleton Rock heading south. The drive had been a surreal experience. The southbound lanes were clogged with cars and impassable even on the shoulder. After a few minutes of debate he decided to see how traffic was on the other side of the concrete dividers.

So he drove along the shoulder of the northbound lanes heading south, which aside from the initial disorientation of driving on the wrong side of the road proved to be easier than he thought it would be. He stayed on the shoulder all the way to Mount Shasta where the traffic lightened up. He was able to cloud the vision of those he passed so they didn't see him until it was too late. Once he was at Mott Road, he pulled off the highway using the onramp for his off ramp.

"Up is down, right is left and black is white," he had said to himself. He hadn't really known what he meant by that, but the phrase carried some special meaning for him as he geared up for his journey.

His choice to walk from there had been out of concern for Elena's aunt and because he did not want to be seen by police or anyone else. The black BMW he had "borrowed" from Rosa Morales garage was a precision work of art and definitely stood out no matter where it went. Jesse also doubted very much Rosa or Elena would be pleased with him if something happened to it. He would be lucky if they didn't kill him for taking it, but considering Elena's Volkswagen probably wouldn't survive the trip he took it anyway. He pulled it to the shoulder behind a large road sign and locked it up tight. 

The night sky here was alive with the klieg lights from the Cal-Trans crews trying to move the roadblocks on the highway. There was also the strange illumination coming from the center of downtown Castleton Rock. He had no idea what the mist was or how Daniel had created it (if he created it at all) but he knew it was scaring the shit out of people. Looking at it during his long hike scared him half to death. But, it provided fairly good light and saved him from walking off the logging road and falling to his death.

This also made it a little easier to find the trail leading up to the logging road from Siskiyou Avenue, which connected with the onramp a few feet from where he had hidden Rosa Morales BMW. From there, he had followed a hiking trail up into the hills and found the rugged, tire-chewing stretch of road that lined the western side of the canyon. He hadn't been up on this road in years, but it has somehow managed to remain exactly as he remembered it from his childhood. Many times he had gone biking along this rough stretch of isolated back road, always by himself. The entire town could be seen from this place, nestled in the canyon. It was a place he could think and gain perspective on his pre-pubescent and teenage worries.

Now, it was a place he pondered his adult concerns as well. 

And, he hoped that because Daniel had never been there with him before it might be a little bit safer to use it. The two angry bears now before him revealed the flaw in his logic. Jesse swallowed hard and raised his hands, palms out. He was beginning to sweat in his clothes. It was a shame too, because he had just bought them at Wal-Mart before he left town to come here. He could feel his blue shirt becoming damp and his tan cargo pants uncomfortable as he stood there, his hiking boots planted in the rusty dirt of the road. Overhead clouds were billowing in, bringing with them the promise of a good-sized thunderstorm.

"Easy," he whispered as he held his hands out to them.

The lead bear, a mother bear from the looks of it, wasn't up on her hind legs yet but she was growling at him. That in and of itself was enough to make Jesse worry about wetting his pants. The feral sound was low in bass and pitch as she pulled back her muzzle to reveal a strong set of gleaming teeth. In the light from the highway and town, he could see her thick dark coat of fur was raised and heckled. The smaller bear, her juvenile cub he figured, was equally as pissed. Jesse calmed his mind and tried to reach out to the animals with his thoughts.

Until now, he had only used his gift to deal with other people and inanimate objects. Opening himself up to the bears agitated state of mind was the equivalent of being shell-shocked from a grenade. The animal was all instinct and emotion and Jesse staggered back a little as he tried to compensate for the sudden rush of boiling attitude. The feelings of protection and anger weren't specifically defined against him, but they were honestly rooted in keeping her cub safe. These powerful emotions had been heightened and increased ten fold by another influence, and Jesse didn't need to ask whom.

"Hey there Big Momma," Jesse smiled and got down on his knees. He thought he remembered somewhere that being taller than a bear made you a threat or some bullshit like that. He reached into the bears minds and began trying to soothe them with the calm he forced himself to feel. The mother bear back up a little, confused and agitated as he penetrated her mind. The juvenile only looked to its mother as they growled and snarled and drooled.

"Easy now," he coaxed them back towards the bushes on the left side of the narrow road. The mother bear sidestepped and then paused, looking at him and trying to figure out just what the hell he was. Jesse could feel her confusion but continued to sedate her. Jesse slowly walked forward on his knees, his hands held out to the bears as he began to pass them. The two animals were now to his left side as closed his eyes and stood up straight.

He could sense the road ahead of him and could see it in the darkness of his closed eyes as he concentrated. Jesse trusted his senses as he turned and began walking backwards, still keeping his face to the bears and his eyes shut tight. The sedation of the wild animals wasn't easy and he began to feel fatigued as he backed his way down the road. He could hear the mother bear grunting and pounding her massive paw against the dirt. He could smell her carrion breath even from his position ten feet away. 

"I'm just passing through, baby," he said quietly. His heart was thumping smoothly in his chest and yet he felt like he might keel over dead from a heart attack at any moment. The strange calm of his body against the fear he was suppressing created an almost unbearable tension. He focused and reminded himself if the animals caught him off guard, they would attack.

Jesse shivered as he inhaled deeply, his sweat soaked shirt catching a cool breeze that rustled the cedar and pine trees around him. His eyes jolted open as the sounds of snapping twigs and branches assaulted his ears. He looked and saw the bears tearing off through the woods, running away from him. Jesse smiled and laughed nervously as he realized that he was out of danger for the moment. The noisy reports of their exit into the woods, heading down the side of the hill towards the riverbed, echoed through the canyon. Jesse wrinkled his nose as he caught a whiff of the acrid chemical smell lacing the breeze.

"Daniel, you asshole," he muttered.

As he continued on, he wondered just how bad the pesticide spill had been. He thought back to his junior high school years, remembering when the railroad running through Castleton Rock had been under the thumb of Southern Pacific. One of their trains had jumped the tracks near Cantara Loop and dumped a toxic pesticide in the river back in the early nineties, killing just about every fish, plant and animal that lived along the river banks. The resulting lawsuits put the outfit under and if he remembered right, they got bought out by Union Pacific.

Jesse wondered if they would fare better than their predecessors?

He reached the high point of the logging trail with out further incident and was able to looked down into town. The bluish-green haze floating over the city was thick and obscured everything but the shapes of the buildings. He could make out the California Theater and to the north he could see where the Memorial Bridge had been. It was strange seeing the bridge gone, a massive chasm of open space where a sturdy and well-known landmark had once been. Jesse shook his head and quietly mourned the bridge and the poisoned river.

"Good job, Dan," he said out loud and stepped to the edge of the logging road. He looked down into the murky shadows of the hillside and steeled himself for the long climb down. He figured it would take him a half hour to reach the bottom of the hill and he hoped his memory had been accurate of the road. If he were right, he would step out onto Butterfly Avenue. The avenue ran along a mile-stretch of the river in the middle of town as the very bottom of the riverbed canyon. It was the lowest point in Castleton Rock and probably the easiest way to enter town undetected from this side of the canyon. He could see sporadic lights from the houses along the avenue and he hoped that no one was out and about.

"Okay then," he whispered to himself and began climbing down the hillside, his boots slipping and sliding on the thick layers of brown leaves left behind from numerous winters past. He knew he was making far too much noise as he made his descent. Small twigs snapped and bushes rustled as he tried to control his climb down. Though it might have just been him being overly paranoid, it felt as thought the town itself was watching him and waiting for him to enter.

Finally, he reached the bottom of the hill and stepped out on Butterfly Avenue. The familiar roar of the Sacramento River was gone. In its place was a silence unlike any he had ever heard before. There were occasional car horns honking from the highway further away and the faint echoes of heavy machinery down south in the canyon trying to clear the train crash. Jesse felt like some half-assed astronaut stepping into an oddly familiar and yet strange new world.

"Like the fucking 'Twilight Zone'," he said to himself.

He looked up at the sky and marveled at the simple beauty of the luminescent haze hovering over the city. He wondered if Daniel was causing the light show or if it were something far more sinister?

The street was dark, all the sodium lamps burnt out or shattered. In the eerie light he could see broken glass glinting and litter scattered across the sidewalks and blacktop. As he walked he came upon an overturned car that was still smoldering. Black smoke lazily wafted out from the dented and smashed hood as the left rear tire spun slowly. The stench of the chemical spill was stronger here, underscored by the smell of gasoline. It may have been bad here, but he knew it was even worse further down river. At least here, there wasn't any pesticide spilled.

When he arrived at the small bridge that connected Butterfly Avenue with Sacramento Avenue, the sadly diminished remains of the river trickling by in a channel too wide for it he saw that the light was brighter towards where the theater was up on Main Street. There still was no sign of any people here on the lower street, but he could feel Daniel all around him. And there was something else he couldn't quite identify as well. It was equally as potent as Daniel, if not more powerful.




The Gift: Day 06



Jesse looked over his shoulder and recommitted to his journey into town. If anyone did see him, he doubted he would be able to outrun an entire town of Daniel's converts. That hill he had come down was too treacherous to climb back up in the dim light. It was all the way from here on out.

Jesse stepped out onto Sacramento Avenue and began walking.

***

Elena woke up, her eyes blurred and her head splitting in two.

It was dark all around her and there was a moment of real panic as she tried to establish where she was. She half expected to find Daniel standing over her, leering and ready to commit a most violent act against her. She was relieved to find that she was in her Aunt's guest room. The ocean was roaring outside steadily, crashing against the shore as a storm at sea passed over into the mainland. She felt the sheet next to her and found Jesse was gone.

And then she remembered.

She bolted upright in the bed. She was still naked from their lovemaking, and she could recall their erotic romp from the kitchen to the bedroom. And then something had happened. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead as she tried to make the memories surface. The feeling of being pushed, as Daniel had tried to do in the city park a few days ago, made her shiver.

"He knocked me out," she realized dismally and shook her head, "That asshole."

Jesse had used his gift when she was vulnerable during their lovemaking to keep her from going with him. Her pulse raced in anger as she stood up and gingerly walked down the hall. She was thankful her aunt had kept nightlights in all the bathrooms for night trips. The full glare of the hot, halogen lights would have been too much for her eyes in their current condition. She felt like she was under the worst hangover ever as she sat down on the toilet and opened the top drawer of the sink basin cabinet.

"You suicidal son of a bitch," she whispered and pulled out the bottle of aspirin. After popping five of them and dry swallowing, she walked down the stairs and stepped outside. She looked at her watch and found it was now after midnight. It was Saturday morning now and if Jesse had left right after their lovemaking, he would be in Castleton Rock by now. That is if he was able to get past the nasty traps Daniel had undoubtedly set for him.

"Jesse," she bit her lip, "Damn it."

The ocean was black like liquid obsidian. The rolling crests of the moderate waves were the only highlights on the vast expanse of choppy water. She could feel phantom pelts of rain on her face and chest as she closed her robe around herself. She could admit that she was frightened to going back, just as frightened as she would have been sailing out into this storm. But she had told herself that when she did, it would be with Jesse at her side and she wouldn't be alone.

She was furious at him for putting her in this position. He didn't understand that she absolutely had to go back with him. Her commitment to his fight wasn't just some flavor of the week cause or something she was blindly going into. The stakes were just as high for her as they were for Jesse. Elena shook her head and felt like crying as she walked back inside, the wind caressing her with invisible fingers and making her hair billow to one side.

Elena looked back at the tumultuous ocean beyond the bluff on which the house sat and knew it was time. She hadn't come all this way to simply be put aside when Jesse would need her the most. She dressed quickly, throwing on jeans and t-shirt with her sneakers. She pulled her hair back and went for the keys to her aunt's car. Her blood ran cold when she found they were not in the second drawer of Rosa's bureau anymore. Elena ran down to the garage and when she opened the door, she cursed, "Shit!"

The garage was empty, the BMW long gone. 

Elena hurried back inside and found the keys to her VW bug. Rain began to fall as the storm moved inland and the small car sputtered and choked, belching out plumes of blue smog. The little car had been all but destroyed during their escape from Castleton Rock two days ago. The shell of the sturdy little car was burned and dented and the interior hadn't fared much better. The rear bumper was gone and when she turned on the lights, only one of the lamps worked. The windshield wipers moved sluggishly despite the fact there was no windshield to wipe as she put the charred bug in reverse.

"Come on baby," she coaxed her car, "Just one more trip..." 

She could feel the engine threatening to die as she backed out of the long driveway and pulled into the street. The gears grinded and the car groaned as she slipped into first gear and she gave it some gas. The bug lurched forward and then picked up speed as she silently prayed for a miracle. Rain sleeted in through the open windshield and soaked her scorched dashboard and her clothes. The smell of fired plastic and rubber was still thick and almost palpable as she smacked her mouth in disgust from the airborne flavor.

The car had been a gift from her father on her sweet sixteenth birthday, and she had thought it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her one reservation was that the car wasn't painted yellow, like the bug the detective drove in the Kinsey Milhone books by Sue Grafton. She hoped someday to have the money to pay for a new paint job, but now that looked like less and less of a reality.

"I'm sorry, baby," she ran her hand over the ashes of her dash cover, "But you did good. Just get me home... one more time, baby..."

Lightning arced across the swirling expanse of thunderheads as the Volkswagen sputtered and smoked along the coastal highway doing it's personal best, seventy-one miles an hour.

"One more time..."

***

When Jesse had come back to Castleton Rock the first time, it looked like a nightmarish extension of hell. As the evening had fallen on that Wednesday night, red and orange lights from the carnival Daniel had highjacked revealed a scene from some S&M world of pain snuff film. People he knew, some from the time he was a little boy, had been naked or close to being naked and out in the streets, partying and living it up. He had seen old men and women in harnesses and leather bondage gear (he wasn't even sure where they had gotten that shit... the town had no sex shop, the nearest one being in Redding... but then, everyone's got to have secrets, right?), people having sex right on the main street and not caring one little bit if anyone saw them.

Again, he thought of the comic debauchery featured in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." How funny that movie had seemed to him when he watched it, but now having seen some of the realities of it taken to the furthest extreme he suddenly saw it all in a different light. These people weren't Richard O'Brien dancing his ass off and singing about doing the Time Warp again. They weren't even close to the irreverent transvestite played Tim Curry. They were shadowy reflections of something dark in and of itself. Daniel had taken Castleton Rock and perverted it into something it was never meant to be.

Looking back on the experience, he now could see that what Daniel had done wasn't simply summed up with mind control. He had unlocked all their secret and darkest fantasies. Their inhibitions had been lifted from them and the whole town transformed into a raving mob looking for the most instant gratification they could find. With their inhibitions gone, Daniel had been able to control them much more easily.

And as such, the people Jesse had known all his life turned on him and Elena, trying to kill them as they escaped from Castleton Rock that night. As loud as the town had been that night it was now just as quiet. As he walked up the long, steep hill by the police station that let out on Main Street from Sacramento Avenue he couldn't hear even a dog barking. Distant echoes from the jammed highway were audible, but Jesse had the feeling he was in some kind of bubble. The haze was strong here and Jesse could now see that it was more of a humid, wet mist. It swirled and sparkled subtly before his eyes as he walked down the main drag. 

The visibility was limited to about twenty feet in front of him as the neon colored steamy mist coalesced and formed phantom shapes that tricked his eyes. Overturned cars emerged from the thick soupy cover like great hulking masses of faded out shadows. Shattered glass crunched under his boots as he passed the hardware store. He looked up and saw a fire had gutted the store out viciously. Black streaks of soot were burned on the eave of the building and the air was thick with the stink of fried rubber, plastic and paint.

"Oh man," he whispered, peering into the blackened husky of the business that once been a lynchpin to the local economy.

He passed the real estates offices and then the flower shop. All the windows had been busted out into the streets. He thought that was odd, but then considering the mass hysteria that had gripped Castleton Rock recently he figured it was all part and parcel to the madness. If people were willing to strip naked and fuck in the middle of the street then certainly everyone breaking out their windows from the inside out wasn't inconceivable.

The Pizza Factory came next. He felt a shudder, remembering the seduction he had been victim to there. Mrs. Brewster, his biology teacher and his classmate Tina Moss had lured him there not only to get in his pants but also to kill him. He wondered where they were now. Had Daniel punished them like some kind of vengeful god for failing in their task? Had he killed them as some kind of example to the others? Considering the healthy deity complex Daniel had developed as of late, Jesse supposed that was possible too.

Something fell over and crashed to the ground to his left across the street. He looked and realized the carnival was still there. In the rolling mist he could see the Ferris wheel lights slowly turning as the ride spun listlessly. There was no music and no noise. The giant wheel simply spun silently in the living fog. Jesse could the mist touching him and caressing him like spectral fingers. Something other than Daniel was here in Castleton Rock, something darker and more insidious.

As the carnival lights glowed and as the world remained as silent as a dead corpse in a tomb, Jesse walked on to the theater. He didn't know why, but he felt instinctively that Daniel was there, or at the very least there was something he needed to see there. He could feel the presence of the gift there in the back of his brain like a football sized tumor the closer he got to it. The theater was radiating the power like a nuclear bomb with a serious leak.

The lights for the billboard were on and burning brightly in the mist. Those lights hadn't been on in years. The theater had closed when he was in junior high. The man who ran it, Nat Stevens had been charging a then outrageous matinee price of nine dollars a show and the public would have none of it (he claimed the only difference between a matinee showing and an evening showing was that a matinee was scheduled before six in the evening... price was inconsequential to the change). The theater had been open from the day it was finished in 1953 to the day Stevens ran it into the ground in the fall of 2000. 

"I guess it's open for business again," Jesse muttered and cautiously approached the theater. His boots clicked against the ground but did not echo as he reached the red and blue doors to the building. He could smell incense and through the diamond shaped windows in the doors he could see the lights in the lobby were on. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled.

"Alright," he grasped the door handle and pulled it open, "Let's do this."

He thought about Elena and hoped she was okay. His heart rested a little easier though knowing she was safe at Rosa's house on the coast and not here.

Jesse stepped inside.

***

Elena pulled off to the side of the road as the connective highway met up with the Interstate 5 junction. The cars were bumper-to-bumper and she could see no way of remotely getting past the clogged lanes on the shoulder of the road. The rain was hammering down mercilessly as her view was filled with red taillights and lightning flashes in the sky. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she considered her options. The bug sputtered and coughed as she slipped it into neutral and looked around.

After a few minutes of scanning her surroundings, she realized there was no way to get down to Castleton Rock with anything less than helicopter. Horns were honking and blaring as she put her head on the steering wheel and felt like crying. Water was dripping down her face and her clothes were stuck to her body as finally entertained the very real possibility that she would not be able to join Jesse. He was still at least two hours away in good driving conditions, and from the mess sprawling out before she knew that the conditions were anything but.

And then a thought seized her mind.

"That's it," she sat up straight and threw the bug in reverse. She backed up enough to flip a U-turn and head back the other way. Five minutes later she came to an overpass that stretched over the interstate highway. She sped across it and found what she was looking for. An off ramp for northbound traffic was there. She looked down and saw that the two lanes of highway were clear for the most part, but more importantly the shoulder was clear. 

"Why not?" she said after a moment of cursory contemplation. She hit the gas and roared down the off ramp into the northbound traffic of Interstate 5. A green semi-truck was speeding up the ramp as she jerked to her left and tore the gravel off the shoulder. The massive truck rocked her car as it passed her, leaving her in the wind and spray of its wake. Her tires dug down deep for purchase in the ground as she kept her foot on the gas pedal, slipping from the blacktop into the dirt. The trucker blared his horn as the two-trailered monster moved on and away from her. Elena smiled and waved her middle finger out the broken window of the driver side door, "Yeah back at ya pal!"

She eased the car back onto the shoulder and kicked it into gear, mustering all the speed she could from the little bug. The Volkswagen shuddered and moaned as the engine pressed itself to the limit. Through the air vents she could smell something under the hood getting very hot as she reached seventy miles an hour. Cars blurred past her and sped by like bullets as she maneuvered the little car down the shoulder of the Interstate 5 corridor.

"Okay," she told herself as her heart raced, "We're doing good."

The bug's muffler belched out a shotgun blast as blue smoke escaped from the tail pipe. She patted the steering wheel.

"Very good, baby."

***

The lobby Jesse remembered from his childhood was gone. 

It had been transformed and re-imagined as a bizarre conglomeration of ancient designs and more modern architectural philosophies. Elaborate lengths of red and purple silk hung from the ceilings with gold braids and tassels holding them in place. The elegant cloth rippled in an unfelt breeze. The snack bar was completely gone and in its place was a collection of beautiful potted plants and ferns. Jesse recognized them from the nursery down on Sacramento Avenue. The pots in which they were planted were of a special design by the woman who owned the place. Almost every business in town had one of those potted plants.

In front of the doors to the main theater stood four women. Jesse recognized them all from his school. Tina Moss, Lindsay Gorsuch, Alicia Stone and Sarah Brower were only vaguely reminiscent of the flighty high school seniors he had known a mere week ago. They looked more like a quartet of Amazon warriors, and had it not been for the bizarre circumstances Jesse might have been inclined to laugh. They looked like relics from the past, all them wearing heavy make-up that made them resemble bizarre variations on ancient Egyptian women. 

Dark eyeliner framed their unwavering eyes and swept out to fine points as the corners of their lids. Jesse noticed that not one of them wore any clothes save for a loose fitting wrap that hung from the hips and barely covered their pubic areas. The cloth was silky, like the material hanging from the ceiling but a faded white color that revealed more than it hid. All of them had elaborate body paintings that swirled and rolled in sweeping lines over their curves. Someone had taken great care to make each design different from the other, both in color and in expression.

Jesse stood silently in front of them, watching and waiting as they stared off into an unknown expanse of thought, eyes open, focused and waiting. Blue paint had decorated Tina's voluptuous body from head to toe while Lindsay wore a dark red design over her athletic frame. Both women stood by the left entry, grasping long wooden poles they kept secure at their sides. Alicia wore green, the swirls of her design culminating in a beautiful accentuation of her full breasts. Sarah Brower bore the color of a golden yellow that stood out on her dark chocolate skin like the stripes on a wasp. All four women wore their hair in thick braids and stood at perfect attention.

"Hi," Jesse said, breaking the silence.

Tina turned her head slowly and looked at Jesse. She seemed to be indifferent to him as a human being in every sense as her bright blue eyes scanned his face. She lowered her staff into a defensive position as she left the doorway and blocked his path. Joining her from the right entrance was Sarah Brower. He noticed that both Lindsay and Alicia remained still and unmoved. They knew how to cover all their weak points. Jesse began to feel like he was in some fucked up, over-sexed Cecil B. DeMille movie.

Or, at the very least, one of Ed Wood's finer masterpieces.

"You will come with me," Tina said flatly.

"Will I?" Jesse felt a little nervous as he looked at them both. They were serious, and he no doubt those staffs could crack his head wide open if he wasn't careful. Sarah moved to the side a little, just in case he decided to make a run for it.

"My master wishes to speak with you," Sarah said, "You will do as you are commanded."

"You tell Daniel I'll talk to him out here."

"Daniel," Tina said with no small measure of impatience, "Is not my master. He is the dog of the Queen."

"The dog of the Queen?" Jesse smirked, "When did he get demoted?"

"Silence," Sarah hissed.

"Who the fuck do you think you're fooling?" Jesse laughed, "Sarah, you can't even get your cat to quit spraying your couch. You're ordering me around?"

"You will do as you're told," Tina eyed him coldly, "Or we will close your mouth for you."

"Still bitter over the other night?" Jesse winked, knowing he wasn't helping his situation.

"My Queen will have your overly-inflated head," she said.

"Your Queen can lick the tip of my overly-inflated head and shove it right up her ass," Jesse said dryly.

"Silence," Sarah warned him, "Your ego swells, pig."

"And proudly, you pompous bitch."

Sarah jabbed her staff into his ribs, "Silence you dog!"

Jesse flinched and rubbed the sore spot, "Okay, who talks like that?"

"You can speak to our master or die on the end of our staffs," Tina said flatly.

"Well, when you spin a cliché like that..." Jesse shrugged and nodded, "Show me the way."

"A wise choice," Sarah eyed Jesse and then went to position herself behind him. Jesse suddenly lunged out and grabbed the staff from her, jerking back as hard as he could. He swept the staff down and took out Sarah's legs from under her. She screamed and fell to the red carpet directly on her ass. Jesse jumped back, and being fully aware he knew absolutely nothing about martial arts or anything so elegant as fighting with a staff, he wielded it like a baseball bat and brought the weapon down hard on her chest. Sarah cried out and rolled to her side, wheezing.




The Gift: Day 06



"Sorry, baby," Jesse said, feeling genuinely bad he had to hit her so hard. And then Tina's staff whizzed by his ear, nearly taking it off in the process. He jumped back and brought his staff to bear as she slammed hers down. The impact vibrated through his arms as she wildly attacked him, her eyes wild with rage. He countered her blows as best he could before she smashed her staff into his knuckles. Jesse yelped and dropped the pole as he waved his throbbing hand.

Tina swung her staff and caught him in the face, sending him reeling back into a collection of tapestries that had been draped in front of the box office entrance. Jesse tumbled over, his eyes blurry as he massaged his jaw, "The bitch must pay..."

Tina raised her staff high for the final blow as Jesse pistoned his hand out and used his gift. Tina huffed as the air was forced out of her lungs and an invisible hand shoved her back and up into the air. She sailed across the lobby and landed hard in the potted plants upside down. Alicia and Lindsay looked at each other and then charged him, screaming.

"Momma said never to hit a woman," he closed his eyes and summoned his strength. He reached out with his mind and ripped the billowing maroon colored silk from the ceiling clean away. It wrapped around the two women like a ghostly serpent, binding them into submission. Alicia fell forward, her balance compromised from the shock of the sudden attack of cloth and smashed her face into the floor. Lindsay managed to free one arm from her silk cocoon but Jesse shoved her back with his mind. She bounced off the far wall, shattering an old movie poster display.

"Over did that one," he cringed as Lindsay moaned and then didn't move.

Jesse stood up and after a moment of surveying the damage, he looked to the double doors to his left. He knew that Daniel had to be in there. All of his antics up until now had been theatrically evil, and Jesse could think of no better place for him to set up shop. The town belonged to him, and he could pick and choose any place he wanted. The theater was large, spacious and over-dramatic, a perfect throne room for a false god.

He looked down at the unconscious body of Alicia Stone and her friends. He shook his head, "So they founded the Isle of Lesbos..."

And then the back of his head exploded in pain as something connected hard with his skull. Jesse saw stars and bright colors as his eyes rolled and his field of vision suddenly faded away. He collapsed to the floor and Tina Moss stood over him, her eyes livid with anger and her lips drawn back in a raging snarl. She kicked him hard in the ribs and rolled him over, ready to finish her work.

"Hold," came a quiet voice from the open double-doors of the theater.

"My Lady," Tina breathed, "He attacked us."

"Bring him inside," Diane Brewster said. She could sense Tina's desire to finish him off, such a predatorily savage need inside such a fragile woman. Diane raised a brow and said, "Now, if you please."

Tina took a deep breath and lowered her staff.

"Yes, my Lady," she bowed her head.

***

Daniel watched the helicopter fly over and then hover above the police station. It's rotor blades chopped through the air and swirled the brilliant blue mist around in miniature cyclones as it slowly descended down low enough to be within twenty feet of the roof top. Six black ropes fell out of the open sliding door of the chopper, along which immediately followed six men in black clothing. Daniel thought they might be S.W.A.T. or some kind of special law enforcement unit.

Either way, they were trespassing.

He watched them disperse from the center of the roof and disconnect from their lines quickly. The helicopter lifted back into the open air as the mist curled and wisped around violently. Daniel noticed that each man was armed with what he thought might be machine guns. Red laser target beams emitted from each weapon, creating a stark contrast to the luminescent fog around the six intruders.

They quickly began running across the roof. Daniel could sense their thoughts as they went about their business. They were here to gather information and report back. Their fear was like thick, overbearing cologne that he could smell even from his perch on the roof of the city office just across the street. They were terrified, but they were also committed to carrying out their mission. In fact, they were as dedicated to theirs as Daniel was dedicated to his.

As the helicopter circled overhead, undoubtedly recording their progress, Daniel decided to give the men watching a good show. He concentrated on the roof access and sealed the door shut. He watched the men struggle with it vainly. The lead intruder raised his weapon to fire and that was when Daniel seized his mind. Daniel forced his way inside the man's head and discovered his name was John. It turned out John was a lieutenant with the Sacramento S.W.A.T. team and that he had been sent here to not only gather information, but to also find and capture the ones responsible if possible. Daniel shook his head.

He focused on John's mind and began to flex his incredible grip.

***

From the helicopter, the pilot and co-pilot watched through infrared video surveillance as Lieutenant John Rogers stopped dead in his tracks on the roof. His gun was poised to blow the lock off the door, but the lieutenant seemed to be frozen in place. The two pilot looked at each other and shrugged.

"What the hell is he doing?" 

Five miles away, sitting in a luxurious command R.V. near the gas station where Jesse and Elena had been only a few nights ago, Lt. Rogers' superiors watched with equally confused expressions.

"What the fuck is he doing?" someone whispered.

And then Lt. Rogers turned and fired on his team.

"Rogers!" came a panicked voice over the radio from the mobile H.Q., "Rogers stand down! What the fuck?!"

On various monitors, the pilots and men in charge watched as the twice-decorated police officer gunned down his own men before they could even react. The first officer went down under multiple shots to the legs and torso, followed by the second and third officer. The fourth member of the team tried to fire off his gun but caught a bullet in the face, blowing the back of his head and helmet clean off. The fifth officer took Rogers in the chest but was too late. The possessed lieutenant blasted him with sustained machine fire until what was left of him reeled back and tumbled off the roof to the street below.

"Oh Jesus," the pilot groaned and then saw Rogers aiming at the helicopter itself.

"Go go go!" his co-pilot screamed. The chopper banked and began to pull away as bullets tore through their underside and sparks exploded all over the cockpit. A fire ignited just below the control panel and burned his legs and Rogers relentlessly gunned them. The engines whined and sparked under the strain of keeping them airborne as bullets destroyed the huey.

"What the hell is he doing?" the pilot screamed and then doubled over as seventeen rounds drilled up through his thighs and buttocks and into his body. Blood spattered the canopy of the helicopter as he leaned forward and died.

"Mayday!" the co-pilot yelled as smoked choked his lungs, "Mayday mayday!"

He heard more bullets ripping and clinking through the metal skin of the chopper and then was suddenly silenced as one caught him under his chin and blasted through the top of his head.

The chopper began spinning out of control.

***

Daniel watched the dark helicopter spin wildly and lose altitude as it descended towards the train tracks and the riverbed. Smoke billowed from the dying machine as it disappeared behind the police station and the other buildings on the hill between Main Street and Sacramento Avenue. It fell from sight and then a moment later the night lit up with flames and burning wreckage.

The blast blew out windows for a two-block radius as the chopper exploded just in front of the Eagle's Hall. The rotor spun and broke away, slicing through several telephone poles before lodging in an old red Ford truck. Flaming debris fell onto the tracks and spat into the dwindled riverbed. The explosion echoed through the canyon in a violent rumble that sounded more like a hellish dragon bellowing in response to being woken up from a centuries long sleep.

Daniel looked at the last man on the roof of the police station. He seized the John's mind again and sent him a message.

***

In the comfort of their trailer, members of the FBI and local police watched as the helicopter burned. No one could really say anything of any relevance as they stared, open mouthed and wide-eyed. Their reactions said all that would ever need to be said. The insane scenario that had just played out before them was unlike anything any of the experienced men had ever seen. And it had all been caught on the evening news. 

The infrared camera that had been mounted to the choppers flickered and began to distort as the fire burned it. The image wobbled and then went dead. From the radio came this simple message: "Stay away from my city."

It was John Rogers speaking to them from the roof of the police station, but they all knew deep down it wasn't really him talking.

Somehow, they just knew.

Then there was a gunshot.

And the radio simply crackled and hissed.

***

Lieutenant Rogers stood for only moment, the bullet wound in his head still fresh and then fell over backwards. Daniel watched for few minutes, like a little boy who had just burned a line of ants in front of his house on a hot summer day. It felt strange, killing them all as he had done. He felt invigorated and filled with energy, as he had been with the man he had killed out of mercy the night Jesse and Elena had escaped him. He also felt a stronger sense of purpose.

The power of the gift felt even more substantial than before. Daniel smiled broadly to himself, completely satisfied and totally at peace with his actions. The intruders were dead and the helicopter was gone. Now the men in charge of the outside world knew they were up against more than just unexplained phenomenon now. These men, many of who believed that God did not exist, would be educated. God did exist, and Daniel would show them that he and he alone wielded that power.

He stood and left the dead men there to rot.

***

Jesse had been expecting to see Daniel sitting atop the stage in the theater like some self-important god, deep in thought and quiet contemplation. Instead, he saw a beautiful woman dressed in elegant robes waiting for him. Her muscular tanned legs were exposed as the cloak of the white outfit split in an upside down "V" shape from her collarbone down. A simple wrap of cloth stretched around her hips in the same fashion that Tina and her cohorts had worn. The woman's large, golden breasts were not hidden by anything other than two very exquisite nipple rings.

Tina jabbed Jesse in the back with her staff, forcing him to walk up the stairs to the stage. He did so grudgingly, wishing more and more he had made sure she was knocked out before he had turned his back on her. He noticed that Diane Brewster was walking along side him, dressed in the same manner as Tina and others had been.

"Mrs. Brewster?" he asked silently.

"Shut up," came another jab into his ribs from Tina. 

As he neared the mystery woman, Jesse saw that her skin was a golden bronze color, the kind of tone that women killed themselves for at tanning salons. Her long black hair was cut in an Egyptian expression of royalty, straight and blunt over the eyes yet adorned with intricate braids to the sides of her cheeks.

"Jesse," the woman smiled, her gold colored lips stretching into a grin that revealed a set of the most perfect, white teeth he had ever seen. Her exotic, pitch black eyes looked down on him as he was forced to stand in front of her. Brilliant gold paint had been lavishly applied to the area between her eyelashes and bold, dark eyebrows. Her lashes were penciled and painted in the style of ancient Egyptians, brining out the fierce whites of her eyes. For a moment, Jesse thought her eyes glowed blue.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked simply.

"Address her with respect," Tina growled and smacked the end of her bo into his face. Blood leaked from Jesse's nose as he stood back and glared at Tina.

"I'm sorry," he wiped his nose, "Who the hell are you, ma'am?"

Jesse fell to the floor as his legs were swept out from underneath him. Tina stood over him, poised to strike.

"Easy," the exotic woman put a hand on Tina's shoulder.

Tina looked at her respectfully and backed off.

"I am Helena," she looked down at Jesse.

"You're not Madame Helena," Jesse laughed. He looked over at Tina and commented, "And you're definitely not Tina Moss anymore."

"Shut up," Tina glared down at him, a thin snail trail of blood oozing from her full bottom lip from their fight earlier. Jesse wasn't wild about her new attitude or murderous hobbies but he had to admit the nude-body tattoo look really agreed with her. He wondered what she would do with herself after this was all over and the power of the gift was taken? When she finally saw through the veil of deceit Daniel had placed over her would she be as dedicated to her newfound way of life? 

Jesse thought not.

"Must you be so brutal?" Helena looked at Tina sharply. For her part, when Tina met Helena's eyes the primal confidence she had been given by the gift wore off and she shrunk back from the witch.

"Forgive me?" she lowered her head.

Diane looked to Jesse for a moment, her eyes sad and resigned.

"You are forgiven," Helena dismissed them with a wave of her hand, leaving her and Jesse alone.

Once Tina and Diane were gone, Jesse stood back up and asked, "Who are you really?"

"I am as I truly am," the witch replied, her dark impenetrable eyes fixed on him.

"You enjoy playing queen for a day?"

"I play for keeps, Jesse," she smiled seductively and added, "When you came into my shop last Sunday, you and Daniel were playing foolishly."

"Bullshit," he laughed, "Where's Daniel?"

"I am Helena."

"Prove it," Jesse said, his voice echoing through the empty theater.

"Your dreams," Helena raised a sexy brow, "You used to dream about being chased by a haggard old witch. She wanted to kill you. You would wake up just as she grabbed your throat and made to stick you in the oven, just like Hansel and Gretel. You would wake up screaming Jesse, alone and afraid in your bed... sometimes wet, other times..."

"Enough," Jesse looked at her.

"... sometimes not," Helena finished.

"Okay, let's say I believe you," Jesse said, "Let's say you really are the haggard old biddy we met in Derridge last Sunday. Let me ask you something... what the fuck is your problem?"

Helena was unabashedly fascinated with him, "Such fire..."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked again, oblivious to her designs on him "You gave two irresponsible assholes like me and Daniel powers that border on godhood and then turn us loose for a week?"

"Yes," she nodded and ran her fingers over the silky robes of her outfit, "Exhilarating, isn't it?"

"How about stupid?" Jesse yelled incredulously and he held his hands open wide, "This whole town has gone to hell in a fucking hand basket because you did this to us!"

People are dead because of you!"

"No," she shook her head slowly and sat down in her regal chair, "Because of you and Daniel."

"That's bullshit!"

"I gave you the power of the gift," Helena said, "But it was you and your friend who acted out with it. It was you who decided how it would be used and in what context, not I. I am not responsible for your actions."

"Give a kid a gun and he shoots himself and you walk free," he laughed and rolled his eyes, "That's real wise."

"You don't like the gift, do you Jesse?"

"What gave me away?" he looked at her sarcastically.

"Very often," the witch took a long drink from her chalice, "We covet what we can't have. Mostly, we desire that which is forbidden. It is our nature."

"Well fuck-a-doodle-doo," Jesse spun his forefinger in the air, "Thank you for that enlightening little pearl of wisdom. What is that from anyway? 'Chicken Shit for the Soul?'" 

"This fight will be most one sided," Helena sighed and leaned back in her chair, "You disappoint me, Jesse. But you do have my sympathies."

"I don't want your sympathy, I don't want your power," he glared at her as he vented his rage out, "And I don't want your goddam gift!"

Helena looked at him, her eyes flashing with both smoldering desire and hatred. She despised him almost as much as she lusted after him. She wanted to tear his clothes away and ravage his body as much as she wanted to run him through with a broad sword. She wanted to taste his mouth and taste the pleasure of his semen as a vampire might drink blood. Her body yearned for him in a way that both frightening and wonderful to her. It had been so long since a man had stirred such primal feelings in her.

"And what will you do if you give up your gift?" Helena asked him, her lips cocked into a knowing half-grin, "How will you protect yourself from Daniel?"

"I'll take my chances," he said.

"And how," she asked, "Will you protect your love?"

"My love?" he paused, suddenly nervous.

"Elena," the witch said, looking as though the name had left a bad taste in her mouth.

"She's not my love," Jesse lied.

"Lying doesn't suit you anymore than corruption and greed does, Jesse," Helena rolled her eyes, "Don't."

"I'm begging you," Jesse said as he walked towards her, "Please take this power back from us, Helena."

"And now you're willing to ask politely?" the witch smiled, "Such a short journey from bold contempt and resolve to begging..."

"I'll do anything you ask," Jesse forced himself to kneel at her feet. Helena couldn't quite believe it as she watched the beautiful black man lower his face to the floor before her humbly. Helena sat up in her chair, her nipples hardening and tingling as she considered her options. She could feel her desires for control over him swelling inside her body like heat from a fire, radiating outward and affecting her every sense. She looked down at him and said, "You would give yourself to me to end this?"

"If it means the end of mine and Daniel's power, then yes."

Helena felt her heart beat faster as her sex became wet and slippery, "To be fair, there is much you need to see before you can commit to me, Jesse."

'Since when are you concerned with fair?' he thought.

"Anything," he said.

"Rise, Jesse," Helena said regally as she stood up from her chair. Jesse stood eye-to-eye with her and less than a few inches away from her nose. They were so close Jesse could feel the electrical field between their bodies sparking and crackling. It was the power of her raw sexuality he felt, pure and unadulterated. Helena was alive with it. It surged through her every vein and every muscle fiber. It was in her very genetic make up, defining her and ruling her as she wished to rule those around her.

Her ambition scared Jesse. He felt as though he were standing in front of a door that led to a deep chasm, an abyssal trench that had no bottom he could ever reach. Through the hot sensations of her body she shared with him Jesse also felt the cold core of her heart. Helena was empty inside, her soul hollowed out by her years of being the vessel for the gift. 

Jesse wanted to step back and run, but he thought of Elena and his parents. He thought of everyone in Castleton Rock who deserved a chance to live. He couldn't ignore his responsibility to these people. Jesse knew deep down that the only way to save them was to insure that Daniel was stopped. If it meant losing his soul to this witch, then so be it. He had taken the gift, and it was his fight to finish.




The Gift: Day 07



EDITOR:

MIRIAM BELLE

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:

MIRIAM BELLE and SIMPLY_CYN

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

-"This is the final installment of "The Gift" series. Thanks again to everyone who supported and stuck with me through the evolution of this story. If you haven't read the first six chapters, you might want to go back and do so now. Otherwise you might get a little lost. Enjoy! --bluefox07"

***

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Jesse felt as though he had been numbed from head to toe.

In the blurry expanse of his vision, he could see the thousands of candles of burning hotly in the dark. The flames looked beautiful in their unfocused brilliance, the fine details of what they were removed and left open to interpretation. The flames reminded Jesse of himself in a completely blunt sort of metaphor. Since he had been cursed with the gift a week ago, he had been unfocused and devoid of any defining details. But like the flames of the candles, he still shined brightly even as his life remained uncertain, his future blurred.

Next to him he could hear the slow and deep respirations of Helena. Even if he had been able to see he would not have looked over to her. She had left her mark on him, and if it had been something as trivial as a facial scar or tattoo he might have only been angry. But Helena had marked his soul. It was as though she had taken a hot branding iron and pressed into the fibers of his being. He could feel her mind inside his as though they were one person.

Jesse stretched out a little under the soft red satin sheets of the four post bed, his muscular body sore and aching from the sexual decathlon he had ran with Helena the night before. He supposed the sex had been great, even fantastic in comparison to a lot of what he had known before. Helena had been a virtual encyclopedia of sexual ins and outs and trade secrets. But there had been no love there. Not like it had been with Elena Morales.

The introduction of making love to someone special, to one very unique person had been something of an epiphany for Jesse. The full realization that he not only was attracted to and loved the woman he was with but also connected to her beyond the moment or even the next morning made him realize what he had been missing. He supposed he might have been romanticizing it all a little bit, but Elena made it so easy to do so while Helena offered him only the proverbial frosting and none of the cake.

"Why are you troubled?" Helena asked suddenly.

Jesse sat up and hung his legs off the side of the bed, "Will you do what you promised today?"

"Aren't you curious, Jesse?"

"About what?"

Helena sat up, her perfect body glowing in the candlelight as she touched his broad shoulders, "About the gift?"

"No," he said flatly.

"You deny yourself all the benefits of the gift," Helena said, "Why treat it as a curse?"

Jesse rubbed his eyes and thought for a moment, "The question is if it's really so wonderful why do you want it to find a new master?"

"The gift chooses as it wills."

Jesse shook his head, "Maybe. But then maybe you're not being totally honest, are you?"

Helena's gaze seemed to burn into the back of his skull, "What are you implying?"

"What happened to you?" he asked, still looking out in the darkness of the theater

"Who are you really?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does."

Helena stood up from the bed and walked in front of Jesse. Her naked body still intrigued him, but he resisted the urges coming from his traitorous cock. She looked at him and said, "I am over three thousand years old, Jesse. I have seen the rise and fall of countless empires. I have seen people born and dead all before I age an hour's time."

Jesse looked up at her.

"I was a priestess in the first true reign of the Egyptian civilization," she said, "I saw many things that are considered to be fantasy by the men living today. I've seen the world come and go into light and darkness Jesse. But it was my ignorance that saw the gift come to me..."

"What is the gift?" Jesse asked quietly.

"The gift is the perfect marrying of good and evil," she told him, "It is the precise balance between the spirit and science, fantasy and fact. It is the place where the rules of this life become wasted and useless. The gift is beyond any human definition of understanding and because of that, it is wild and unpredictable. In me it has lived for thousands of years."

"And now you want out?" he looked at her, "Is that it?"

"One day, my friend Sahra took me to see a fortune teller in the city square. He was old and haggard and seemed to know much of the time before there was a civilization to be ruled. He offered my friend and I the promise of unlimited power for one week, at the end of which we would be returned to normal. At first we both resisted, but I fell prey to it as your friend Daniel has. But now it is a living entity in and of itself, and I feel my time as it's keeper has come to an end."

Jesse's mouth hung open, "You never had any intention of taking the gift back... you couldn't take it back."

Helena was silent for a moment.

"You tricked me," Jesse said.

"You tricked yourself," she said, "No matter what happens the gift will choose and then I will be free of it. I can live my life the way I wanted to and then die. I tire of watching the years go by, Jesse. I'm tired of having no end to my beginning. Thus, as I was burdened with the gift so shall you or Daniel."

"You're fucking insane," Jesse whispered, "You've lost your mind. Daniel will never stop if he's the one chosen."

"That may be," Helena said as she put her hands on her hips, "But it will no longer be my problem."

Jesse stood up and made to lunge for her when he was shoved back hard against the bed. He tried to reach out with his mind and found he could no longer hear her thoughts or anyone else's for that matter. He tried to use the power of the gift and was surprised to find he had been denied. He was negated and useless as he lay there on the bed. He struggled against Helena's invisible grip but to no avail.

"The gift has left you Jesse," she said, "I believe it already knows whom it wants."

Jesse felt tears sting his eyes as he listened to her.

"For what it's worth though," she added, "You would have been a more worthy bearer of the power."

He asked, "And what happened to your friend Sahra?"

Helena smiled in such a way that Jesse's blood ran ice cold. She replied, "I killed her, of course."

***

Elena had just arrived at the Mott Road onramp in the northbound lane when the engine of battered Volkswagen Beetle began to hiccup and then seize. A loud shotgun blast of blue smoke erupted from her tail pipe and Elena could only watch as the car rolled down the incline and the engine died. To the side of the road, just behind one of the large green directional signs she saw something large and shiny in the bushes. The bug stopped in front of the sign and Elena applied parking brake on last time.

"You did good, baby," she patted the steering wheel.

She stepped out onto the shoulder of the road and was surprised at how quiet the world seemed. Only the distant sounds of machinery working down the canyon and the frustrated mumbling of stranded motorists in the southbound lanes carried in the light breeze. Thick clouds hovered above in clusters, unsure if they wanted to storm or dissipate. Wet gravel crunched under tennis shoes as she walked over to the bushes, her clothes still damp from the night before.

She cleared some of the brush away and found her aunt's black BMW parked there. She smiled to herself, happy that Jesse had made it this far alive and that the car wasn't damaged. She replaced the cover of branches and leaves and then began walking down the road. It was getting a little hot for her taste so she removed her t-shirt and threw modesty to the wind. A sports bra never hurt anyone, and she knew if she was going to make in to Castleton Rock then she would have to not be suffering from dehydration.

She looked at her watch and saw it was going on 10 in the morning and that it was Sunday. She cursed under breath. She had very little time left.

As she walked down Mott Road, her dark eyes darted about the roadside to her right, scanning for any angry looking or rabid animals. She remembered the news reports of the animal attacks, and she had no desire to become a main course for the local wildlife. To her left the freeway was jammed, people standing beside their cars talking and arguing and complaining. She couldn't say she blamed them. A lot of these people had been stranded here since yesterday afternoon and she doubted very much any of them had portable potties or extra food with them.

Ahead of her was a sewer lid, partially jarred from its hole in the middle of the road. Elena jogged up to it and shoved it to one side. The heavy steel lid scraped and groaned against the blacktop as she strained to move it. The hole beneath her was dark and forbidding, a semi-foul stench wafting up from the depths of the city's bowels. She knew that Castleton Rock was blocked off to the rest of the world by walls of cars. But had Daniel figured for people coming in under the streets?

"Shit," she cringed as she turned and began climbing down the rod iron ladder into the manhole.

It was probably an eight foot journey down before her sneakers splashed into some foul run off water puddle in the access way. She wiped her hands off on her jeans and pulled her thick, black hair behind her in a ponytail. Her sneakers squished and squelched in the water as she pressed on into the shadows, the day light from the street fading quickly. In her pocket was her cigarette lighter, one of those plastic red Scripto models with the safety button on it. She pulled it out, depressed the button and ignited the flame.

"Well, I've had better ideas," she whispered. The flame from the lighter only provided a pool of light about six feet in diameter around her. The pipes overhead moaned and groaned for a few seconds and then went quiet. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she moved on down the narrow access tunnel.

After five minutes of walking, she reached a three-pronged fork in the tunnel. The passageways looked to be even smaller than the five foot tall one she was in at that moment. Elena crouched down on her haunches and held the lighter up as it became warm in her hand. Above the passage to her left was a small metal sign that read "OUTLET TO NORTH," in the middle "OUTLET TO CENTRAL" and to her right "OUTLET TO SOUTH."

She sighed and let the lighter flicker out. It was hot against her palm as she conserved her limited fuel. The dark was all consuming and she had never felt quite so alone. There were phantom noises and whisperers in the distance, strange moans and scratches she told herself belonged to a flushing toilet or a draining bathtub. But then, how many people in Castleton Rock were taking a baths right now? How many houses were even out this way to begin with?

"Could be anything," she shuddered.

She flicked the lighter back on and looked at her three choices. She knew her expertise with sewer channels and tunnels was about as extensive as her understanding of quantum physics. Getting back into downtown was her goal, so she decided to take the passage marked "CENTRAL." Her decision was based on the hope that "CENTRAL" meant the line ran centrally to the town. She held her breath and said a silent prayer as she gripped the damp, mossy lip of the opening.

"Now there's an aroma," she commented and began breathing through her mouth. The shit drains and piss holes all emptied out down here, and she promised herself when this was all over she would take a bath with industrial strength anti-bacterial soap. From the looks of it, the passage traveled down at a moderate incline and past the range of her lighter. Beside her foot was a small rock. She picked it up and tossed it down into the dark. It bounced and ricocheted off the curved walls for what seemed like forever until the echoes of it's decent died down and all was silent. A chill seized her nerves and Elena steeled herself.

"A little help, God," she whispered and began slowly inching her way down the slimy surface of the passage as filthy run off water trickled beneath her. She had to lean back and use her hands and feet for leverage as the passage became smaller and narrower. Or maybe it was just that her mind was on the verge of a full-fledged panic attack and was imagining claustrophobia. Either way, she pressed on.

She thought of Jesse and kept his face in her mind as she released the button on the lighter and darkness reigned.

"So this is what it's like to be blind."

***

"Beg for mercy," Daniel smiled as Jesse fell to the floor of the stage, his face bloody and his body aching, "Beg me to release you."

"You crazy..." Jesse spit out a clot of blood, "... crazy asshole."

"Again," Daniel said lazily as he sat back in the chair Helena had occupied a short while ago.

Jesse cringed as his mother, under the spell of the gift, pulled her arm back and whipped him with a six-foot long bullwhip. He refused to cry out as the whip tore into his skin from the blade of his left shoulder to his right buttock. The indignity of this torture had been meant to break him. The horror of being stripped naked in front of his own mother and then severely beaten by her had been a shatter point for Jesse. He could feel his will to fight and resist slipping away as the leather whip gripped his flesh and then tore away. The thunderous cracks echoed through the theater as he was beaten.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Daniel told him, his blue eyes alive with a sadistic satisfaction as his former friend suffered in a pool of his own blood, "You can walk away right now."

"Bull shit," Jesse said through gritted teeth as he lay on his side, his left eye swelled almost to the point of being shut, "You're not yourself anymore."

"This is who I really am," Daniel stood up, his boots loud and authorative on the stage as he paced in front of Jesse in the candlelight, "This is the reality, Jesse."

"Is it?" he managed.

"Do you know what it's like to be given everything you ever dreamed of?" he kneeled down beside Jesse and pulled his former friend's head back so he could look into his haggard eyes, "I don't have to worry about being hurt anymore. I don't have to put up with anyone's shit anymore, Jesse. They respect me now."

Jesse uttered a sad laugh, "Do you think that if these people weren't under your grip, if they had a choice... they would serve you or Helena?"

"I know they would."

"You're pathetic man..."

Daniel stood up and glared down at him, "You were given a glorious gift, and you refused it. You could have taken anything you wanted, Jesse. Had anyone you wanted..."

"Just because you can... doesn't m... doesn't mean you should, Danny-Boy..."

Daniel looked to Jesse's mother, who stood silently beside her master. She was dressed in black leather, decked out in full S&M gear right down to the spike-heeled thigh-high boots. Her dark skin somehow glowed in the flickering light as she stepped forward, her heels clicking and marking off the seconds to the next volley of punishment. She looked down at her son, not really seeing him anymore but just a blank face.

Jesse looked up with his good eye at his mother, "Fight him mom."

The whip cracked hard across his buttocks.

"It's over," Daniel told him, "It's near the time now for this to end."

Jesse rolled onto his screaming backside and eyed Daniel. He said, "You do know Helena is fucking us over?"

"She's guiding me," he insisted.

"She's lied to you," Jesse breathed, "She's using us to get rid of the gift. It never was a gift, Dan... it's a curse."

"You're lying," he said.

The whip cracked again, this time across his thighs and catching the head of his penis. Jesse rolled over into the fetal position as his groin exploded with pain, his body shaking violently. His bare feet slapped against the floor as the whip slashed down again, taking him in the ribs. Jesse knew there was not much more he could take before he passed out. But he would pass out and be silent and before he would cry out and give Daniel what he wanted.

"Nicole here can offer you pain," Daniel whispered, "Or she can offer you pleasure."

"Don't use her name," Jesse glared at Daniel and then his eyes went wide, "You didn't..."

"She's a great fuck, Jess."

"Not my mom!" he hissed, "You dickless fuck!"

Daniel laughed and then sat down on the edge of Helena's bed. He motioned for Nicole to come to him again as Jesse raged at him from the floor, unable to move and unable to act out.

"You want to see?" Daniel asked as Nicole kneeled down in front of him, "Do you want to see a small sample of the influence the gift has?"

"Don't do this," Jesse croaked.

"Nicole?" Daniel looked at Jesse's mother, "What would you like to do?"

"I'd like to make you cum," she breathed. Jesse was horrified, hearing those words leave his mother's lips.

"I would love that, Nicole," he replied, as he looked to Jesse and grinned like the cat who had eaten the canary.

"I love your cock," she said huskily and unclasped her leather bra, letting it fall away to reveal her large, chocolate tits. 

"Of course you do," Daniel growled. Jesse didn't know which made him want to puke more, his mother's slutty behavior or Daniel's supreme arrogance.

Daniel smiled and let her push him back on the bed. Nicole unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned and unzipped his black leather pants all-the-while never once letting her eyes fall from his. Daniel shifted slightly as she pulled his pants down over his hips. 

She smiled wickedly and then pulled his red underwear aside, allowing his twelve-inch cock to spring to attention in front of her. She made a soft sound in her throat and licked her lips as she eyed it. She gripped his hot dick in her hand and began to jack him off, pulling down tight and firm as his head turned purple.

"It's so fucking big," she said and glanced appreciatively to his throbbing member.

"You think that's real, mom?" Jesse coughed as his body cried out in agony from the multiple whip slashes, "It's all bull shit. It's the gift. It's a lie..."

"It looks real enough to me," she disregarded her son and worked her hand up and down along the shaft of Daniel's cock, tenderly yet forcefully commanding him. Her tits were jiggling and swaying with her jerking motions as she licked her lips again. Nicole leaned forward and began rubbing his cock around on her breasts, teasing her hard dark nipples with it, leaving a small snail-trail of pre-cum across her flesh. 

She pressed his hard dick between her cleavage and began jacking him off with her tits. Nicole tucked her chin in to look down at the big, swollen purple head of Daniel's cock protruding from between her full breasts. The world was shaking for Daniel as she tit-fucked him, creating an abject lesson in humiliation for her son.

"Would you like me to suck on it, Master?" she asked, releasing his cock from between the heavenly confines of her cleavage. 

"Yes," Daniel groaned and reached up to the back of her neck, pulling her down towards his cock. Nicole gripped his cock tightly as he guided her.

"How's dad, mom?" Jesse closed his eyes, unwilling to see anymore.

"He's out of the way," she licked Daniel's tip and looked over at Jesse, "Daniel freed me from him..."

"You son of a bitch," Jesse glared at Daniel shook his head.

"Do you see now?" Daniel asked as Nicole pressed her lips to his cock, "Do you see what the power can give you?"

"I only see what it allows you to steal..." Jesse said.

"Let me thank you for freeing me," Nicole exalted her master as she licked and rubbed his head around on her face, sliding it across her sultry lips.




The Gift: Day 07



"Yes," Daniel said, her arousal of his cock so intense that he felt like he might explode right there.

Daniel laughed to himself and enjoyed her as Jesse drowned in torment. Her touch was like being jolted with a pure, hot strike of erotic lightning. Nicole ran her tongue over her lips, moistening them before pressing them to the head of his cock again, making it pulse and throb in her hand. She gave him a long slow purposeful lick that made Daniel shiver. She kissed it several times, moving her lips around on the head, sliding down the shaft and back up again. 

The tip of her tongue slid out from between her lips and danced over his head. She tickled the head of his cock with it, causing bursts of heat to go searing through his body. Daniel groaned as she bathed his dick with her tongue, making it shiny with saliva. Nicole then sucked him into her mouth, the back of her throat hot and slick against his head. She only stifled once and then began vigorously sucking and rolling her tongue. 

Her breathing was hot and undeniable against Daniel's flesh as she sucked him off, her nostrils blowing intense blasts of heat against pelvic area. The head of his cock was enveloped in the warm wetness of her mouth, her tongue wriggling under his shaft. Nicole's head bobbed up and down on him passionately, slurping and sucking.

Daniel could feel the orgasm building up fast. He gripped the bedspread and clutched tight as he moaned and grunted under her expert oral stimulation. Nicole sensed his impending climax as she feverishly kicked up her pace and ravaged his member with her mouth. Daniel could feel her saliva dribbling down his sack and to his ass as she brought him to his climax.

"Yes Nicole!" Daniel cried out as he released his load into her mouth. 

"Thank you," she smiled as his cock slipped from her mouth, still spurting hot ropes of sticky cum. Daniel watched as his semen splattered across her tits in long, thick gobs. Nicole licked her lips. A gob of his cum was hanging from her chin in viscous white line. She took one finger and scooped it up. Nicole looked at him, her black eyes smoldering, and licked her finger clean. She pumped his cock with her hand and ran it over her lips again. "Delicious."

"That was amazing," Daniel gasped as she milked him.

"Would you like more, Master?" she asked as she took his fading member and began to lick again. 

Daniel held his breath as she teased him, coaxing his cock to attention for another round. She pumped his cock in her hand and before long he was hardening and becoming erect again. Nicole then worked her way down from his neck, under his ear, across his chest, to his belly and finally to his cock. She massaged his balls and the sucked him into her mouth again. 

"Mmmm," she groaned around his shaft, her voice vibrating through him. She began to slowly move her head up and down, sucking him off and causing a familiar pressure to build in his sack. Her eyes gazed up at Daniel as his cock slid in and out of her mouth, rolling with her tongue and bulging her cheek out. 

"Oh Nicole," Daniel sat up as she sucked on his rod, his legs hanging off the bed. Daniel leaned forward as she worked him over and reached down. He cupped her breasts in his rough hands and held them. They were so big and firm, and yet gravity had no pull on them. He ran his thumbs to her rock-hard nipples, trying to tease her as she relentlessly sucked his knob. Her motions were fluid and rhythmic as she passionately sucked Daniel off. 

Nicole paused for a moment and said, "Please fuck my mouth, Master."

"You've gotta be kidding!" Jesse cried out. 

Daniel slid his fingers into her hair and grasped the back of her head, slowly pushing his cock in her mouth. He grunted and began fucking her face. Nicole moaned as his cock pumped to the back of her throat, her boobs pressed against his thighs like two sumptuous fleshy pillows. Daniel growled as she cupped her large breasts in her slender hands and squeezed them, her nipples standing out as dark nubs against the mocha flesh of her breasts. Nicole whimpered around the girth of his cock in her mouth, sliding her hands all over her tits in a sensual rub. Daniel could feel himself losing control, the orgasm rocketing up through the passage as he fucked her mouth. Nicole only encouraged him more as she grasped his hips and steadied herself. 

"Oh fuck!" Daniel shouted as his cock spasmed and filled her mouth with cum. She violently grabbed his dick with her right hand and pumped it in her mouth. Daniel held her head to his body tight so that she couldn't pull away. Somehow, he doubted she even wanted to as she sucked him hard, slurping the cum in her mouth. As he unloaded in her, some of the thick liquid seeped from the corner of her mouth and dribbled to her chin.

Nicole released his cock from her mouth and Daniel lay back on the bed.

"Thank you again, Master," she murmured, her mouth full of semen. A glob of cum hanging from her chin swayed a little and then fell onto her left breast. 

"You're so good at that," Daniel huffed as he watched the semen on her tit drip down slowly into the crevasse of her cleavage.

"What else can I do for you?" she asked as she tongued her semen-splattered tits.

"Such a good question," Daniel smiled wickedly.

Daniel leaned forward as she stood up, bringing her tits to his face. Daniel licked his own semen from her breasts. She pulled Daniel up to her, his cum slick between their naked torsos and causing them to slide against each other with a wonderful friction. They kissed deeply as he slid his hands up under her gown and massaged her ass. Her leg raised and rubbed against his as they were swept away in a flood of lust. Her panties came off quickly, leaving her in only her black thigh-high boots.

Jesse covered his ears and managed to turn himself away from them.

"Grab onto the bed post," he told her.

"Yes, Master," she bent over, her ass out in the air as Daniel ravenously consumed her. He ran his hand up her back and then down over her ass cheeks, and Nicole responded with a favorable moan to each caress. Daniel fondled her breasts as he kissed her, sucking on her tongue and tweaking her nipples with one hand and massaging her pussy with the other. She was incredibly wet, and there was a heavy scent of sex in the air as he stimulated her. She was ready for him, and Daniel felt his mammoth cock hardening quickly.

He kissed down her sides and to her flank, where dragged his tongue over the curve of her ass, circled her hole and then to her vagina. He stood up and brought his cock to bear. It was rigid again, like a piece of steel. He grasped his cock and traced her vagina with the swollen head, teasing her.

"You want me to fuck you?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered, "Fuck me, Master."

"Where would you like me to fuck you?"

"In my ass, Daniel," she said.

Daniel circled her tight, puckered hole for a moment and then began to slide in. His cock was enclosed by her hot interior, every muscle in her ass tightening and flexing around him. Nicole moaned a little as he filled her up, his girth stretching her out to the limit. Daniel began to fuck her, very slowly at first as he relished every moment of their coupling. He grasped her hips and felt like there wasn't anything he couldn't control; there was nothing beyond him as he started humping her. 

"Yes, Master," she moaned, "Just like that..."

Daniel fucked her hard, his balls swinging to and fro as they found their rhythm and kicked into gear. His muscles were pulled taut as a fresh break of sweat formed and glistened on their bodies, causing them shine in the warm pools of candlelight. Jesse could hear their flesh slapping together, the wet rhythmic pounding and suction of their one-sided sexual encounter. 

"Oh Nicole," he groaned as he went faster and harder and glanced at Jesse.

"Yes, Master," she managed as he pounded her, ramming his thick, long cock into her again and again.

Daniel laughed to himself as he pushed himself faster, his cock plunging in and out so fast and hard that her breathing was being accented with each impact. Her moans were broken with each thrust, every throaty grunt of approval coming from her mouth tuned to his rhythm. He lost track of time and everything else as his eyes clouded over with a misty fog of colors and stars, his breathing so rapid he was sure was going to hyperventilate. He felt his orgasm starting to build, like an unstoppable eruption from a volcano, clogging the neck of a mountain and rushing to the surface.

Nicole screeched out loud, unable to hold back as she bucked against him violently, her fluids gushing out and soaking him. Daniel pulled out just in time to see his load explode over her ass and backside in long, thick sticky ropes. He breathed deep, catching his breath as he staggered back, his cock still pumping semen out onto the floor in powerful spasms.

He breathed deep and looked at Jesse and then at the antique clock beside Helena's bed.

"It's time," he said and smiled, "Finally, it's time."

***

Elena sloshed through knee-deep sewage.

Breathing through her mouth was rapidly becoming less and less effective against the gaseous stench the passage. In a stroke of luck the tunnel had widened out from the three-foot wide pipe she had belly crawled through earlier. She could feel her skin was coated with slime and she knew that there were probably a million different breeds of bacteria crawling across her body. But she pressed on.

She cautiously flipped on the lighter and was delighted to see a long, thick pipe that was marked in white spray paint with the words "Downtown Junction, Pine Street." She was directly under the town square and water fountain. She quickly hurried along the pipe, anxious to be done with this leg of her infiltration. As she ran, she looked above her and watched for sewer lids.

And then something grazed against her leg.

She looked down and saw the bloated the corpse of a man floating in the brown water. She suppressed the urge to scream and shuffled back. The skin was pale white and smeared with red marks. At first she thought the body was in severe decomposition but then she noticed the blue paint above the glassy eye and the wig of orange, matted hair. She leaned in closer and saw that it was the clown that had attacked her and Jesse days before.

His skull was crushed, of that she was certain. The skin was pulled and warped across the shattered face while the one eye that wasn't submerged under water stared lifelessly past her. His clown suit, once bold and colorful was caked with grime, refuse and leaves. Debris was tangled in the mess if orange hair as the head lolled in the choppy water. The man's arms were sprawled out in a hugging motion as he floated past her.

She nearly pissed herself when a slimy, wet millipede crawled out of the clown's ear and wormed its way down the body.

"Oh Jesus," she closed her eyes, hoping the clown and the millipede would be gone when she opened them. Her nipples felt hard against her soaked sports bra as her large breasts heaved in ragged panic. She backed up against the cool concrete wall and tried to control herself. After a moment, without looking down, she waded on past the corpse and found a ladder leading up to the street.

She turned off the lighter and grasped one of the cold, steel rungs.

Elena began to climb.

***

It was overcast and humid again as the clock mounted to the bank on Main Street indicated only fifteen minutes remained until noon. Jesse could see that the entire town had turned out for the event, all of them caricatures of their former selves, dressed in typical S&M gear and all of them shouting and chanting. Diane Brewster led him out into the crowd towards the stage on Pine Street. The carnival was running full tilt as the crowd roared, their voices echoing through the empty streets around them like manic parents of the high school football team might have at homecoming.

Jesse wondered if there would be a homecoming this year. He doubted it as they jeered him and booed, all of the people he had grown up with and known for years shouting into his face and laughing. He felt people slapping at him hard, their open hands striking his skin and batting at his eyes. He could feel wads of spittle spraying his face and bare shoulders as the people screamed and taunted him like some hated criminal. In Daniel and Helena's world, that's what he might as well have been.

"Hey you fucking nigger," the man who had once been the mayor of Castleton Rock screamed as he pushed his way through the crowd towards Jesse, "Fuck you!"

Jesse's head recoiled to his right as the mayor punched him hard in the ear. The world rang out as Jesse lost his balance and fell to his knees. His jeans tore at the knees and cut the skin beneath. Tina Moss and Diane hoisted him back to his feet, their fingers brutally digging into his arms. The beating he had received from his mother and Daniel earlier was still smarting his battered body something fierce, and every step felt like it might be his last.

He looked up with his one good eye and saw Daniel standing on the stage, shirtless and barefoot in his black leather pants. The new and improved Daniel was a creature separate from the old Daniel. Jesse knew deep down that if Daniel had known what would happen because of the gift, he would have rejected it. The man standing beside Helena was a stranger to Jesse, a sadistic murderer and a false god.

"Bring him up!" Daniel thundered out, addressing not only the women escorting Jesse but also the town as a whole. They cheered and whooped and whistled as Helena's Amazonian guards brought Jesse up the stairs and then threw him at Daniel's feet. Jesse didn't cry out as his face smashed into the stage floor. He felt more blood gush from his broken nose. He rolled over onto one side and looked out across the sea of faces.

"Stand up," Daniel said.

Jesse made no effort to move.

Daniel repeated himself, "I said stand up."

"Fuck you," Jesse spat out a gob of clotted blood at his feet.

Daniel's bare foot connected with Jesse's face hard. He rolled a few times before bumping up against Helena's foot. The ancient witch, both beautiful and horrific at the same time, looked down on him coldly. Her impassionate eyes scanned over his broken body slowly and without any sympathy. The witch nodded and turned her back to him, preparing herself for a moment she had been waiting for since the dawn of the first Egyptian sun over the first age.

"The gift," she said to Daniel quietly, "Will now choose."

Her words seemed to command more than just the attention of those around her. The light wind blowing through the air quietly lost its drive and wasted away into nothing. The trees stopped rustling and the world fell quiet as the forces behind the power of the gift began to manifest in the small town. There was a presence there in streets, like an electrical field that caused the hair to rise up on the backs of the people's necks. 

Helena looked down at her hands and turned to Daniel, her face filled with uncontained glee as the curse she had been tricked into keeping began to leave her body. A blue mist, glowing and radiant curled up from out her fingertips as though she were beginning to catch fire. And then the spectral smoke began to weave through the air as the crowd fell silent and watched, their eyes wide and hearts pounding in their chests. The living mist curled and twisted in the air as more and more of it left Helena's body.

The witch laughed and began crying as the gift took its leave of her and floated in the air.

The energy swirled across the stage and then hovered over Jesse. He made no move to bat it away or resist it. He had already tried to avoid this fate once by making a deal with Helena. He had been fooled before and he would not be fooled now. Instead of running, he watched the mist slither in the air above him and shouted out, "It's all a lie Daniel! She wants to pass her curse on to someone else! She's using us!"

"Shut up!" Daniel hissed, hypnotized by the pure supernatural power he saw before him. He felt jealous, even enraged that it had chosen to go to Jesse first. He had been dedicated to the gift, he had used it and made it a part of his life. Daniel had embraced the power as he might have embraced a lover. His concept and reality of love was dependant on this gift. Without it, he was truly nothing.

If Daniel believed nothing else, he believed that.

The mist entered Jesse's body like phantom fire, burning his throat and sinuses as it began to course through him. He remembered the dizzy feeling, the feeling of falling a thousand miles from high up in the air. It was the same feeling he had experience back at The Lucky Beaver a week ago. It was the raw, untapped potential of the power of the gift. It was too much for his body to handle as he started convulsing.

"If it chooses me," he cried out to Daniel, begging him and hoping in agony as his eyes began to bleed and glow with the eerie light of the gift, "Kill me!"

"You will do no such thing," Helena breathed as she watched.

Daniel would kill him, though. If the gift chose Jesse over him, he would do everything he could to kill him. And he wouldn't do it for any reason other than jealous retribution.

And then the gift left Jesse's body and arched through the humid air. It struck Daniel full force and entered his body, searing through his muscles and bones. It was as it had been when Helena transformed him the night before. The energy absorbed him and began to change him again. Daniel felt his heart swell with satisfaction and infinite love as the gift bonded with him and became one with him.

"Beautiful," Helena whispered and then frowned as her right hand twitched suddenly. She looked down at her fingers. They were shaking. In three thousand years, her hands had never faltered.

Daniel cried out in pure joy as the mist spun around him like a small tornado. His hair began to glitter with sparkling blue light as the wind kicked up. Trash and litter zipped through the air as the crowd shielded their eyes from the dust. The giant Ferris wheel creaked and moaned under the gale force wind. The gift was burning brightly now on the stage and rocketing into the sky in an unholy pillar of blue fire. In the heart of this event was Daniel.

Jesse looked up and saw Helena. Her face was no longer smooth and seductive, but now becoming wrinkled and haggard. Her hair was falling out in rapidly graying clumps. He could see the flesh of her scalp slide away with the hair, leaving huge, open wounds on her skull. She looked around as her body began to wither and die from underneath her. Her full lips cracked and hardened, her eyes wildly rolling in their sockets.

"No!" she screamed as she reached for Daniel, "It's not supposed to be this way! I'm free now! I don't want to die yet!"

Jesse watched as she grasped Daniel and tried to choke him. She was trying to take back the gift as the truth of her fate became real. Her long life had been a byproduct of her curse and now that the power of the gift was gone, so was her immunity to aging. She was falling apart and transforming into a walking corpse. Madame Helena, once a beautiful priestess of the ancient world was dying three thousand years later in a country far from her own surrounded by strangers.

Jesse took some comfort from the fact that she would die. He felt she deserved her fate and wondered briefly if that would damn him. He remembered something about only God being righteous enough to judge who lived and who died. But Jesse believed that if there was one woman who needed to be put out of the world's misery, it was Helena. Whether God agreed or not, the power of the gift had made up it's mind apparently when wiry bolts of lightning began exploding from Daniel and the witch.




The Gift: Day 07



Daniel screamed out, his exaltations of joy morphing into wails of pure agony as the power turned inward on him. He could feel his stomach sizzling and expanding outward as the wrath of the gift was unleashed and consumed his flesh. It was his payment in full for the acts he had committed over the last week. All the luxuries he had afforded himself were now being brought to account as he trembled and ignited into blue flames.

The lightning lashed out in bold searing streaks, catching the people in the crowd off guard. It made no difference that they had been influenced and brainwashed by Daniel and Helena. The gift simply acted out with a rage unchecked and unbalanced. Castleton Rock became hot, so hot in fact that days later people would stare with disbelief at the temperatures recorded by a thermographic satellite passing overhead at that moment.

Daniel's eyes boiled in their sockets, shaded white and then withered away into the dry heat of the unknown, leaving two very surprised black holes in his flaming skull. His heart exploded and ruptured his chest outward in a shower of ash. Helena was whipped backwards, her spine snapping in half as her decaying body failed her. With one final scream she was lifted into the air by a stray bolt of energy and then scattered to the winds in a cloud of human debris.

Jesse felt the heat cooking his skin as he rolled off the stage and into the crowd. He could hear people screaming and crying out as they burned alive in the carnage. He could smell the cooking flesh as lighting whip cracked out and took some of them in the face while other times drilling into their bodies and frying them from the inside out. He heard teeth chattering and the sounds of wet things boiling and then exploding. He felt ash flittering down on him as he tried to crawl away.

Daniel's body stood for only a few minutes more before an explosion of the otherworldly power ripped from his insides and rolled outward in a huge shockwave. The last fleeting thoughts of Daniels mind rolled with that tsunami as it swept through town, carrying people and cars away into the air. A white Ford F-350 spun high into the air, doubled over in a wild flip and then smashed through the facade of the Pizza Factory. The gas tank sparked and erupted in a searing ball of flame.

Jesse cried out against the chaos. 

The Ferris wheel groaned as bolts gave way, shooting forth like bullets that punctured concrete and flesh alike. He wavered for a moment and then fell hard to the ground below. The mechanisms holding the super structure in place melted and bubbled, releasing the huge wheel to roll down Pine Street freely. It crushed the blacktop along with the dying people below and made it a hundred feet to the bank before collapsing under the strain of it's own weight. Steel supports and metal squealed in a death knell as the wheel crumpled and crashed into the fronts of the bank and the Pizza Factory.

Every piece of glass, from cups to television screens exploded in the fury of the rage. The paint on the houses superheated and peeled away under the intense temperature of the passing shockwave. Sewer lids shook and then shot sky high as the waterways and pipes beneath the city ruptured and exploded, their watery contents boiling to the point of vaporization. The trees on either side of the canyon blew sideways, their needles and leaves singed black in a mile radius around the downtown area.

On the highway, the wall of cars at either end of the city tilted haphazardly for a few minutes as people scrambled to get back from them. The first few layers of cars tumbled and fell over as the walls lost their cohesion and failed. Screeching metal and explosions rocked the canyon as the roadblocks collapsed into gigantic heaps of smoking scrap. From the safety of their homes, the world watched the spectacle of cars falling from the highway bridge, their windows flashing in the overcast light and then smashing into the dry riverbed below.

The wave of blue fire rolled up the sides of the canyon for a minute and then vanished into thin air as though it had never existed. The wind slowly died down and then all was silent as the world beheld the death of Castleton Rock.

***

It had left him behind.

The image of the pure light burning his corneas was still etched into his blind eyes as he felt around on the ground where he lay. There was fine ash everywhere like silky soot from an intense volcano. He figured that probably wasn't an inaccurate analogy. Daniel had been the weak point for the gift to erupt through, just like molten lava from a crack in the planet's crust. And like any volcano, all anyone could do was get out of the way. He knew that no one had been lucky enough to escape the blast of Daniel's final murderous act. He didn't know how he knew, but that didn't change the fact. 

Still, he called out, "Hello?"

His voice echoed through the empty streets.

"Anybody?" he shouted and got to his hands and knees, feeling his way around, "Is anyone alive out there?"

Jesse's heart sank as he coughed and sneezed on the cremated remains of the good people of Castleton Rock. They hadn't deserved this. None of them had. He thought of his mother and father, both dead and gone. He thought of Diane Brewster and Tina Moss. He thought of Elena's parents. He thought of all the people who had been taken here because of what Madame Helena had allowed. He had tried to save them all and in the end couldn't save any of them. 

Not a single one.

The memories of seeing people being lifted into the air by the lighting was frightening and horrific to him as he reached the curb and sat on the sidewalk. Jesse lamented the pointlessness of it all and blamed himself. If he had acted sooner, if had just killed Daniel when he had the chance, if he had only not gone to Madame Helena's in the first place...

"It would have happened to someone else," he whispered and then added, "Would anyone else have made the right decision?"

Jesse looked into the sky and saw only permanent night as the clouds burned away and the sun shone down brightly.

He waited.

***

When Elena had emerged from the sewer, there was already a huge crowd of people around her. Rather than risk being captured again, she quietly stepped into the shattered doors of the bank and found that the vault was open. Money had been scattered everywhere, a testament to the greed and carelessness of Daniel's regime. Elena had hid behind the corner of the teller's counter and watched through the window as Daniel and Helena addressed the crowd.

When the blue fire ignited and the lightning flared, she had been blown backwards and off her feet by the concussive power in the energy released. There were only a few moments for her to scramble into the open vault and then partially close the heavy door before the shockwave hit. When it did, the door heated and burned her hands. She had staggered back and then waited in silent pain as the Armageddon unfolded outside.

Now, after waiting a good fifteen minutes following the ear-splitting destruction, she pressed herself against the vault door and pushed. She feared it might have been sealed shut in the disaster, but was relieved to find it opening with relative ease. What she saw beyond the open door was seared into her memory forever. Everything was burned. The teller windows, the desks, the carpets, the mural of the Southern Pacific train on the wall... everything. She walked slowly over the broken glass and scorched furniture as ash floated in the air lazily.

Elena stepped out from ruined husk of the bank and into ground zero.

The city of Castleton Rock was gray with ash and black with charred storefronts and overturned cars. Fires smoldered from the partially melted tires as the soot wisped in the air like snow. The sun had come out and the clouds were parting away to reveal bright blue sky. On the side of the canyon rising above the main street she could see blackened trees covering almost a mile's worth of the forest going upwards to the ridge. The remains of the Ferris wheel looked like some alien skeleton under the coating of ash, twisted and gnarled.

She walked through the center of the gray world along Pine Street and saw the carnival was gone, blown to dust. There were black shadows burned into the pavement and walls of the buildings surrounding the divided street. Elena had no doubt that these black scars served as markers for where living people had once stood. When she had emerged from the sewer earlier, she had seen her parents in the crowd of people booing and heckling Jesse. Tears welled in her eyes as she accepted that they were gone, unwilling to let her heart break yet.

She dared not let herself do anything else.

Sitting in front of the ruins of the stage Daniel and Helena had been standing on before everything went to hell was Jesse. His mocha skin was coated with gray ash, his eyes bloody red. As she came closer, she saw that blood from his many wounds had soaked the ash and turned it a wet crimson black. His shoulders were covered with slash marks, as was his back. His shaved head was dotted with cuts and wounds. She put a hand to her mouth and looked at him. 

She wondered if he was dead.

"It's over," he said, breaking the unbearable silence.

Elena took a breath, his voice startling her.

"I know," she whispered and sat down beside him on the curb.

His eyes made her feel frightened. She had to look away from the bloody whites and the ruined black mess of his irises and corneas. After a moment, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Not really," he said and tilted his head towards her, "I can't see."

"How did you survive?" Elena put a trembling hand to his.

"I don't know," Jesse shook his head, and then after a moment, "Did anyone else?"

Elena bit her lip and looked around, "Not that I can see. I hid in the vault at the bank when the whatever it was happened."

"That was smart," Jesse said.

"All the people..." she breathed, looking around, "Our parents... our friends."

"Maybe they have peace now," Jesse offered, though it didn't console him in the slightest. Dead was dead. He wondered if any of them could have lived with what happened, what they had all done? Jesse could feel his heart breaking as the reality of losing his family began to take weight on him. Tears escaped his burned eyes and made clean streaks down his cheeks.

"Don't blame yourself," she said, he voice choking.

Jesse was silent in his guilt.

"You are not responsible for this, Jesse."

He could say nothing in his defense.

"You gave it your best shot," Elena said, "I don't think this would have ended any other way."

Jesse hung his head low.

"You're a good man," Elena looked at him as her eyes became glassy with hot tears. 

"I knew you'd come after me," he said after a long silence.

"I love you," she said and ran a hand through her disheveled hair, "I couldn't leave you to face this alone."

"I love you too," Jesse's voice cracked as his tears became bloody, "I am so sorry."

"Don't talk now," she said softly and put her arm around him. Jesse leaned his head against her shoulder and allowed himself relax as it snowed ash in the afternoon sunlight. They sat there for a long time, alone yet together, and completely separate from the rest of the human race in a dead city. It truly dawned on them both that they now had only each other and no one else to rely on. And while the prospect of the unknown future was frightening, they found comfort in the fact they wouldn't face it alone. 

"Did you get shit on?" Jesse asked as his nose crinkled slightly.

"I had to take a detour through the sewer," she shrugged.

"You need a shower..."

"So do you."

In the distance, there were sounds of sirens approaching as the police and rescue teams entered the town from the south.

"You know they'll never leave us alone if they find us here," Elena told him, "The only two survivors of Castleton Rock."

"Maybe we should leave then," Jesse suggested.

"We'll have to take the detour if we don't want anyone to see us," she said grimly, "You up for it?"

Jesse squeezed her tight and reached into his pant's pocket. He pulled out a set of keys that she immediately recognized as the ones belonging to her aunt's BMW, "I'm ready. Let's go."

They stood up and walked back to the open manhole in front of the remains of the bank. As Jesse sat down and prepared to lower himself inside, he grabbed her arm and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming after me."

Elena wiped a spot clean on his cheek and kissed him gently. She said, "You can spend the rest of our lives trying to make it up to me."

"Deal."

Jesse smiled despite himself as he realized the greatest gift all wasn't the one Daniel had been pursuing or the one he had been trying to earn by saving this town. It was the gift Elena Morales had given so freely and so willingly just by virtue of who she was. She had given him her heart and made love to him. They had become one person and in doing so become more than the sum of their parts. In the midst of having lost everything, Jesse was thankful and grateful for her. He was grateful to simply be alive. 

He took a deep breath, grasped the iron ladder and climbed down into the darkness with her.

"Oh, and Jesse?"

"Yeah," he held her hand as they waded through the tunnels.

"I'm driving," she grabbed the keys from him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

THE END