*Ding* “you have mail”

Another interruption in me studies, the computer chiming an a calling for me attention. Even though I should ignore it an get on with me math homework the thoughts of what it might be drew me in like a spider to a web. I never could resist the temptations of a talking with people even if it was through a bunch of letters on a page.

From: Admin
To: Cassie Marie Smith.

Dear Miss Smith,

For your continued dedication to class and willingness to participate in a variety of school sponsored events the drama department has requested your attendance on Friday 12 Sep 08 for the Orchestra’s recital in the great hall.

We are sure that you will conduct yourself in a manner conducive to the proper manners that all young women at Shokushu hold themselves too and be a proper diplomat for the school. You shall shortly receive a proper invitation from your host for the evening.

We look forward to your participation and are sure that you will do all possible to ensure your hosts enjoyment of the evening’s entertainment.

Admin

“ohhh wow….” The words falling from me lips. Sum body important wuz a coming an….an they had picked lil ole me. I mean like WOW….me. An Friday…this Friday. What wuz I gonna wear? An who wuz this person? So much to do an it only being Sunday evening. I had to tell sum body…this wuz too exciting to jus keep to me self.

The chair tipped an clattered to the floor as I got up. I hugged me arms to me chest an swirled, a small dance of sorts. Humming, I bounced to the bedroom to check out me closet for sum thing….anything suitable to wear. Clothes flew, some to the bed, others back into the closet.

Did I even have anything appropriate? Anything worthy….casual…elegant…oh darn, there were too many questions that had to be answered. I had no idea what they wore to these sorts of things except from them movies I watched with ma an pa…and the dresses in them were long an flowing an full of sparkles an stuff. I had nothing like that, then maybe they would want me in the school uniform…

‘Oh lord” I prayed….’give me a sign please?’ the excitement bubbling all ‘bouts me frantic efforts.

I'd been informed of the event long before and applied to go as a special guest attendee under my name of course. Everyon e knew the prodigy Christopher M. Belmont II at least everyone in scientific circles... of course they also knew how I'd gotten here due to the obituary and funeral that had been televised and my body being launched into deep space. I was told I'd be formally inviting a delightful young red headed woman by the name of Cassie Marie Smith. I'd begged for belnades though it seemed my request fell upon deaf ears. Thus I decided to make the best of a night at the opera. I gathered what I'd need and wrote a simple letter to have delivered with a boxed dress and lingerie set.


A knock came to her door and I'd place the box down with a note.

Dear Cassie,

I would be honored if you'd accompany me to the event the adminastration has been so kind as to allow me to attend. Within the box is the dress I'd like you to wear and a small gift from me that I probably will never see you in. Do accept both with my humble thanks for your willingness to escort me and spend the evening during the event with me.

Sincerly,
Professor Belmont Multiple PhD

A simple to the point letter. within the box she'd find a set of Lingerie and a gorgeous dress I only hoped she'd like what I had spent so much life energy in creating for her.

The box still sat upon me bed, the clothes carefully laid upon the satin sheets. Once more I read the note, once more I looked at the outfit and wondered for a moment at motives. Honestly, it was a tade too much I reckoned. But the part that really got me goat was that lil comment ‘bout small gifts an a probably see me in ‘um. Probably….like never. Oh I liked um all right, but what kind of girl did he think I wuz an all. Did he really think he wuz gonna get into those panties? Not that there wuz much to um an all. But if I wuz to act the proper young lady for sum stuffy ole professor a thinking he wuz getting his hands across me lines he had another thing coming.

At least the dress, while it hinted at being all naked an stuff had a liner so I wouldn’t showing off anything even with that teddy like top an tiny lil ole panties. I held um up once more, letting the lace an soft fabric whisper cross me skin. They wuz jus ‘bout translucent, them things. Maybe it wuz a good thing me body didn’t grow no hair down there no more. I think it’d be even more noticeable how shear they wuz.

Me chest rose an feel with one great big breathe….Well, as a proper lady an all it would show poor form to turn down the request to be wearing what he asked me too. Though I reckon I’d best put his hands to right an make sure he understood to touchy, no feely till I got a wedding ring. An I really didn’t want one of them so I felt kinda safe with that statement.

With fly’s a buzzing ‘bout in me tummy I walked the way to the concert hall the six inch heals going click, click, click on the hard concrete. It’d taken me 2 whole hours to prepare. Even with help from Michael. Me hair danced ‘bout me back an shoulders as I walked, shining in the full moon like a sheet of flame. The dress hugged me like a second skin and swished with a musical rustle with each step. To say I did not like it would have been a lie….I loved it. Still even as I walked the scent of strawberries an vanilla swirling ‘bout me I could not help but fidget with me hands. Nerves I reckon.

The nerves were in apprehension to what fat old man I would be sitting with an trying hard to be good an kind by laughing at his bad jokes. I jus knew that a good thing wuz too much an there had to be a bad side to it all. Still I smiled as I reached the steps of the concert hall and the small crowd making there way inside. Mostly professors from the school….even the headmaster was there at the entrance shaking hands an being all cordial. A group of men stood to the side, a couple of older gents, there hair grey an thin, a couple middle aged men an one scrawny young guy talking an a making the others laugh at sum thing. I had to wonder which of the old guys wuz me “date” for the evening, the one that had bought this expensive looking dress an the way to skimpy clothing underneath.

Well at least me roommate had liked um….For a moment I stood with me heart hammering in me chest utterly not sure of what to do next.

I spent much of the day curious if I had done the right thing in creating her an outfit like that. Perhaps I'd assumed too much from the fiery red locks in the picture I'd been given. I sighed as I took a place among various older gentlemen, At least ten of them were disguised beings of the island waiting for their 'prey' to escort them to one of the one way glassed boxes of the auditorium. I offered a deep sigh as the disguised one walked away with their prey and softly smiled when I spotted the fiery haired beauty. I stepped from the crowd of elderly professors and approached her looking down to the ground. I looked no older than eighteen. I wore my usual clothing, it was formal enough as far as I saw it.

"Uhm, hello there Miss Marie Smith right?"

I asked looking at the picture the headmaster had given me with a soft nod.

"Forgive me dear you look beautiful in the dress madam. I do hope you enjoyed the other gift as well... I hope i didn't assume poorly that you enjoyed that sort of thing, I was told that the garments were popular with college women."

I was obviously flustered speaking with her.

The young one, a mere boy broke form the cluster of older gentlemen an approached me. Probably to talk or sum such thing, I shifted me gaze once more. Looking past the young man I searched the remaining individuals for any sign of who me escort wuz to be for the evening. That’s when I heard his voice.

Looking down me jaw jus ‘bout hit the floor. Well that’s how I felt, his oh so proper accent an diction as if he hailed from some hootie dotie society page family. For a moment all I could do wuz stare downwards at his cute upturned face an wish I had gone with flats. I could see the blush creep into his face, an felt me own suddenly start up as if in sympathy. For the life of me I could think of nothing to say or do….the moment seemed to pass all the slower as I think we both stammered an guffawed.

“uh…yur….Professor Belmount Multiple PhD?” Like I should have said it that way. I felt me toes wiggle in me mouth, “ummm….ah, well….I thought you’d be older…I mean like, I thought it took a lot of time to get to be a professor an…oh lordy I’m a making a fool of me self. An…well … yes um thanks for the dress, an like the well other stuff. I mean it is wonderful an fits so well….however did you get like me size an know well, I don’t know what the other girls wear an it did seem a bit forward, like one of those thigns you’d buy for a wife on a special occasion but not sum body you’d never met. It…well it can send all the wrong signals so I want yah to know yah ain’t finding out if I’m wearing it or not an yur hands had better stay like a perfect gentlemen’s will. That’s me rules. I ain’t like some girls, an I….sorry…I’m prattling on ‘gain an I am to be a perfect hostess…so.”

I offered me arm like any woman of proper breeding would be a doing. “ Dr. PHD what do yah teach anyway? Umm….an I’m sorry ‘bout the shoes…I…I could go without um an all. I mean like I should know better. “But the hem of yur dress, well it seemed to work a bit better with me legs a lil taller, after all I didn’t wanna get it dirty. “

I nodded simply as she addressed me taking her arm, my skin perhaps feeling a little colder than one might be used to. I took a breath or two before speaking.

"Yes... though my surname is belmont, the multiple PhD thing was just something I'm used to... I have six doctorates... it takes seven years or so... I was in college at age seven."

I noddeed to her my sensitive feelings to the nature of the flow of mana in the universe was picking up that a few of my unfortunate brothers on the island were taking their prey in the soundproof rooms already much to my disgust.

"And you can call me by my middle name if you wish, it's Morris by the way and feel free yo wear your shoes; I'm used to people being taller than me."

I informed her with a bright smile and hum. So I was a short 18 year old... I didn't mind at all I was comfortable with it already.

"And I didn't expect to be seeing if you were or weren't really, I was expecting not to anyway, I'm not quite a lecher like my colleages. I'm from the same generation as you; a proper one dear, and I'm sure from similar upbringing... what little I had."

We walked though to the broad doors linked arm in arm. Sum how I felt much more comfortable now, the great words of the headmaster in praise of this young man made me take notice once more an realized that behind the slight an cute exterior wuz a really smart guy. Maybe the kind yah bring home to ma and pa to have dinner. One of them dinners were yah get the thumbs up or down at. I shook me headmasters hands, an those of um…his young wife, well at least that wuz what I thought she wuz.

We were in. I let Morris lead as I had no idea were we where a going.

“really…like 7 in school…an, an so like that’s sooo young. Did yah have friends to play with…I mean like yur own age an stuff. It must have been hard, I mean I miss me friends from back home an all, but I made sum new ones here. But like for you, all that time with older guys an stuff. Did they give yah a hard time for being so smart an showing um all up in front of the girls. Guys can be like that…well present company I do reckon excepted. I mean did you even get to date, yah got really good manners an yah talk real smart like, so the smarter girls must have been interested these last couple of years. Sum times I feel its lucky I even got in to school…I can do math perty well, an music an even a lil acting. OH….”

We walked till he stopped in front of sum door, the rest of the audience long since having gone their separate ways.

“Have I been stealing all the conversation. I’m like that yah know, especially when I get a lil nervous like. So, what wuz home like for yah. I grew up in a small town in the United States of America with me Ma an Pa. Real good folks. An yah?”

"Oh it's fine Miss Smith. Lets begin simply; I had no friends my own age, They all got mad at me when I spoke most of the time. The older guys treated me well enough because if they didn't they'd never get a date again because I always had a mob of the college girls around me clamouring over my cuteness. I've been on dates in my life with a girl my own age whom I'd fallen in love with when I was fourteen... I unfortunately lost her... Her name was Pandora... We were both far too mature for our ages... We were engaged before an unfortunate accident seperated us."

I sighed softly nodding my head softly before looking over the room; various snacks drinks and other items in the room displayed for an enjoyable time within as well as speakers to allow for us to hear the performance. I sighed easing my breath listening to her.

"I grew up with a woman named Claire Cleopatra, my father Simon and the butler Shane. My father died when I was six. My mother I never met. Cleo died four years ago and I was left alone. I grew up in a small rural area away from civilization."

Like what wuz up with the glass in front of the box? Music wuz meant to be heard live, to be felt, to be enjoyed without all the electronic noise that filtered an distorted its real texture. Still one should not look a gift horse in the mouth as pa used to say to me. Well, I wuz here an able to enjoy this grand opera performance in good company. Not some old guy…but a young man me own age.

It hit me then as he spoke of old loves an relationships that I had really never been on a date, well not one that finished on good terms. His hands an mouth had gotten a lil frisky an that had been it. Wuz I that far behind in social development? All those private girls schools, an now a university as well.

“Mature, I’ll say…the more I think ‘bout it I realize I’ve been on one date me whole life an I had to send him a packing when his hands got too frisky. In some ways yur more a real date than that one. “ I reached out an gave him a simple quick hug then released. Sum thing I’d have done with any girl as a friendly gesture. Why not a guy as well.

“Kinda sound like yah lost the love of yur life with Pandora an all. I….I think that god has a plan for all our lives an no doubt you will meet sum one an take a fancy to her. Yah know, you have the cutest accent an way of saying things I have ever heard. I can tell yur really smart an nice. “

Like any girl with good manners I patiently waited for him to pull the chair back on offer me a seat. He seemed to be a smart sensible young man of good etiquette.

“Gads, I…I don’t know what to say. Both me parents are alive an well an I miss um terrible by being so far from um an having to go to summer school this last summer to keep me studies up. Perty soon it will be two whole years of not seeing um an here you have had lots of years. I’m really sorry an all, an I have to say I think yur doing a great job dealing with it all…I think I’d have been flat on the floor in a lil ole ball all curled up tight like one of them rolly polly bugs yah find in the garden an such. Yuh know the ones that have the hard shell an curl into a ball when yah poke um. That would be me, feeling like sum body wuz a poking me. Lord have mercy on yur soul, it must have been dreadful to have been raised by yur professors an a university more or less.”

I gazed into his face, wondering how someone could endure such pain….oh but for the strength of the lord almighty I wouldn’t be able…..

”Let me give yah a hug” I held out me arms, an stooped a lil so it wouldn’t be as awkward as our heals might make it. Its like I could almost feel the pain in his heart.

My skin was cold to the touch, but it was always like that now a days. I smiled softly after I'd pulled the chair out for her and took a seat myself eyes watching the opera listening as best I could upset it was through speakers. suddenly the opera stopped playing and the sounds of a girl screaming in terror and the sounds of elastic snaping could be heard as her panties were torn off in a single motion in the booth across from our own.

"What in god's name?!"

I blurted out surprised which in all honesty I was beyond imagining. I shivered slightly my chair falling back sending me to the floor. the sting to my back was uncomfortable though I kept my form for the moment at least. I shook my head slightly and tossed a glass at the speakers that began to pipe in pleasured moans.

"forgive me for saying this but, what in god's earth was that Cassie?!"

(Welcome back…)

The warm embrace of arms, well mine at least as he seemed cold as ice. We were like polar opposites me all fire an red, him all cold an dark. I’d not had loss in me life, not like he had. I’d not grown up with money an such, not like he had. An he wuz proper an dignified were as I wuz barely learned when it came to me Ps an Qs.

Casually I kicked off the heals, so when I stood next we would be closer in height an maybe that next hug wouldn’t be so awkward an all. I proper gentlemen didn’t bury his face in a girls chest unless. Best leave the thought there as I turned me attention to the music.

Oh the music, an thing of beauty an grace if every there wuz one. Gently I swayed in the seat to its beat, feeling the ebb an flow tug at me senses. Voices rose an called to me like the sirens of old did to the men of the tall masted sailing ships. Me date wuz lost to me as the music flowed on an took me to places I’d never been.

Mt reverie is broken by the scream, the music gone. Me date cries out an me skin crawls as if to warn me. Inside, me heart races as adrenaline surges of a sudden. Fight or flight…I think that is what they call it. I look ‘bout an see nothing out of the ordinary as the opera continues. But there is no sound…no sound but the wet slurpy noises an a moan.

“What? Where did the music go?” Me hands shake a bit, as I don’t wish to acknowledge what I might be hearing but me body reacts to the surge of chemistry that swirls anew. I swallow with difficulty past the lump in me throat an hope I am not hearing what it sounded like. I rationalize it, or try as I hear a NOOOooooo cry out, a grunt an the noises grow louder, faster.

Me skin tingles….an I fear this place. Like a deep seated subconscious thing

“I….I….wanna go home….this…this is all wrong, not yah, but….I got the creepies jus … turn it off please…turn it off….an …an find sum one to help….please…”

The sounds continued for a time unhindered by my actions even after I stood and began trying to turn it off.my panic ripping at my energy like a starved lioness. Until finally it stopped and the opera began again. I walked to the door to the booth and sighed trying to open the door; it had been sealed somehow.

"I'm afraid neither of us can leave yet Cassie I'm so sorry... I didn't know they'd lock us n... If I had I'd never have agreed to come. Please forgive me."

I simply answered bowing my head as I returned to the table, a window sliding open with food; I looked at the two plates that were pushed in and walked to them taking a smell.

"Don't touch the food, there's a powerful aphrodisiac on it..."

I warned her as I returned to my seat legs hidden under the table as my feet and shoes began to fade into a transparent mist for a few moments. I placed my hand on my forehead taking a deep breath. I couldn't believe I'd been made a part of this horrible event. the speakers switched again to another room and the sounds of a girl fighting back one of the beasts could be heard ripping cloth heard occasionally.

It didn’t make no sense. Sum thing so beautiful an wonderful could be ruined by these games. Wuz it jus some prank to get even with me for sum thing I might have done? I couldn’t think of no one that would be this mean an all. Still it wuz unsettling an as much as I loved the music I wanted to go. To be gone from here an the strange things that were happening.

“Why would they lock the door….an…an put sum thing poisonous in our food. I swear this is jus like sum twilight zone thing. I mean, why would they want to do this to me an ruin yur time here. The administration is gonna be really mad ‘bout yah not being treated well an all.”

I got up. Sure ‘nough the door wuz locked. I shook it…pounded me palm ‘gainst it an yelled. What more could I do, I mean I felt like a mouse in a cage. Turning I regarded me date once more.

“I’m so sorry ‘bout all these pranks an all. It’s so childish an wrong. Don’cha fret when the administration hears all ‘bout this the’ll be hotter than a tin roof in summertime. Like one of those Mississippi heat waves that sucks the energy right on out of those responsible. Maybe sum of the other girls were a bit jealous at me having the honor of escorting yah this evening. “

The aroma of the food was making me tummy gurgle….

“are yah sure ‘bouts the food cause I think I could eat a cow all by me little lonesome? We’ll it jus ain;t funny to think they did sum thing to it and then leave us to wait while that sweet smell permeates the air like. Is there sum thing in there that ain’t like tainted goods?”

"Lets see..."

I looked to the food and walked over to it looking through the plate with the fork taking a simple deep breath through my nose looking over each course carefully ignorant of the fact my feet and calves had faded into slight transparency. It could easily be dismissed as a trick of light to most.

"IHmm, the starches should be safe... the baked potato... that's about it I'm afraid. even the sour cream on the side is effected... it should be enough to stiffle the hunger."

My own luck was slowly fading and the speed in which it faded would slowly begin to increase as our conversation continued. I didn't even notice I was having such a good time with cassie as a friend... such a pity really that I wouldn't be able to maintain this.

His face looked pale an mottled by the soft lights of the opera. I had to wonder if perhaps he wuzn’t coming down with sum thing. I’d have hated to have this whole thing go south all cause of sum really stupid pranks that got him a wee bit sick an all.

“Are yah feeling ok?” the concern edging me voice. “cause if yah ain’t its ok with me. I mean I don’t wanna be imposing on yah an yah been real nice with the outfit an all. It’s really wonderful. Now then…why don’cha jus sit right on down an I’ll bring yah some of the potato an water ifyah think it’ll help.”

The food smelled heavenly, an the real temptation lay in not partaking of none of it. I really wanted to. Me whole mouth was jus a salivating like a pig at the trough. Not a good thing to be like if yur a young lady on a date with a boy of society. It’d be jus the cake on the date to go an drool all o’er him cause me tummy wuz a rumbling and me mouth was a wanted sum thing in it.

“mama taught me a good many things an nursing a man back to health wuz one of um….so….be a good man an jus sit tight while I give yah a dose of the smith house an how we do things back home”