She was a little disappointed when Vera left. She had been proud of that speech and the other girl hadn't even heard it. A moment later the single light extinguished and a deafening metal on metal screeching started up. Kirsty screamed and clapped her hands over her ears to protect them from the noise. What the fuck was that noise? It had been too perfectly timed to be anything but a part of her punishment. Dear God, it was torture. The sound was so painful it brought tears to her eyes. What the hell kind of school had a basement like this with shackles and torturous sound systems built into it? It was her first real clue that something was truly wrong with this place.

The sound stopped after a while, leaving her in blessed silence at last. She laid down on the cold floor and savored it for a bit. She started feeling antsy after too long and got up to pace the room. She searched for her clothes but they had vanished. She tried the door, knowing already that it was locked. She searched the room for anything she could use as a tool or a weapon but found nothing. She tried calling out for help but that proved to be useless as well, if anyone was around to hear her they didn't reply. This was clearly meant to be solitary confinement or abandonment torture.

She wasn't afraid Vera might leave her here indefinitely. Even if the school condoned this sort of thing they wouldn't lock girls up forever. If someone was that much of a troublemaker then surely they'd just expel them. This was crazy! She hadn't done anything to warrant this level of punishment. She had just fallen asleep in class. It had been an accident and she had apologized. Okay, she shouldn't have mouthed off to the Head Girl but this was an overreaction.

She sat down against the back wall of the room and sulked for a while. It was childish she knew but she couldn't help it. Her mind rebelled against the rationale of this place. She considered everything that she had done to land herself in this mess and couldn't fathom having done anything else. Oh sure, she could have taken the time to change her clothes and gone to see Vera with a more respectful attitude but that that small act of defiance had led the Head Girl to bring her here.

Kirsty had never seen herself as a rebellious or disrespectful person. She had been genuine in her earlier apology to the girl and would have accepted a reasonable punishment. But then Vera had started to touch her breasts. How else was she supposed to respond to that. Kirsty wasn't meek by nature. She could not have just been a submissive little girl and let someone do that to her. Her anger blazed inside her. How could she have just given into that sort of treatment and stayed quite about it?

More time passed, Kirsty had analyzed and analyzed her actions and reactions. She still could not think of how to go backwards from here. Vera was trying to scare her by locking her up down here but it wasn't working. The only thing that she regretted was her initial two mistakes but after Vera had sexually assaulted her she could no longer bring herself to accept any more "corrections" from the woman.

She laid down again and eventually fell asleep. When she woke up the light was back. The shackles waited there in the pool of light, along with a meal and a blank piece of paper. The message was clear. Accept your punishment and this can end. She considered it for a moment. She was hungry and tired and desperately wanted to go back to her dorm room where she could come up with an action plan. She would be going home after this, she determined. If this was the sort of thing that this school deemed acceptable then it clearly was not the school for her.

She turned away from the circle of light at that thought. If Vera meant to break her she would have to do better. She left the food and the symbols of obedience untouched where they were and went back to the far wall to sit and think in the dark. She tucked her knees into her chest and rested her head on their arms folded atop them. Time might break her eventual but it would take longer than a day. She was determined. She closed her eyes and pretended she wasn't hungry.

Vera had corrected a wide variety of students. All ended up the same way. They eventually complied to her will and obeyed. Some recover afterwards and attempt to be more careful about getting caught. Others never try to break a rule again. Then there were those who end up eating out of the Head Girl's hand. Of course from those types, there were always those who claim that they will call the police or quit this school. Neither were real options on this isolated island. Every benefit and luxury on this island were for students and staff. To quit means losing all of it including the ability to use their transportation. But, that will all come to a surprise to this student later if she does decide to quit.

Throughout correction, students will claim they did nothing wrong. But, it was not the falling asleep in class that led to this. Usually it might but Kirsty was a new student. It was the student's behavior and how she acted before a Head Girl. Such outbursts and rebellious urges would only lead to more problems later. Then Kirsty questioned the Head Girl, failing to obey simple instructions then decided to mock her. Worst of all, Vera's greatest pet peeve was having her time wasted and this student did so on multiple accounts. Whether Vera had the right to do this or not was irrelevant. They were on Shokushu now and the rules of the island state that this was more than within her power.

It was rare that Vera used isolation on a student. The previous student she used this on was now one of her Prefects and a loyal pet to her. The school had other means to deal with those who refuse to comply to rules and regulations the worst being early graduation or even worse than that, going to NICE labs. If Kirsty knew what Vera knew, the Head Girl's form of correction was a mild penalty to having your mind rewritten to becoming a sex doll or worse. But, such secrets would never leave Vera's lips. She was more than willing to accept the anger and ridicule if it meant avoiding a similar fate.

Upon returning to the far wall, the lights went out. Kirsty had time to think on what she had done but only focused on the initial violations. She continued to rebel, refusing to eat, write, or put on the shackles. There was no means to measure time here beyond the number of times the light came on. Every time the light came on, it would jolt Kirsty awake. She never could recall when she fell asleep and every time the light came on, there was fresh food waiting along with the paper and shackles.

Questions of how long this would last came to mind. The school could not get away with this right? How could they? But, the cycle continued. Kirsty grew hungrier and sleep came and went without her knowledge. Assuming the light came on once a day, Kirsty had already gone through three days of this void of interaction with others. There had been zero deviation from the pattern thus far. The school seemed more than willing to let a student rot down here if necessary.

It wasn't the isolation or the hunger that got to her first, it was the lack of creature comforts. She missed her room with her bed and her shower. Oh, and her clothes. She was not used to this sort of deprivation. She knew that it was mild as far as tortures go. Certainly there were people who had endured worse but this wasn't some POW camp, it was a school. And the only reason she was enduring this was because she had mouthed off to the wrong person. It was hard to justify suffering for something so trivial.

Kirsty caved on the third day and sat in the light to eat the offered food and contemplate the paper and shackles. She figured that the paper must be to continue writing out her misconduct on as there was now no one there to hear her recite it. The purpose of the shackles was even more obvious. The thought of putting them on still chafed like hell but she knew Vera wasn't likely relent unless she put them on. She sighed heavily. She seriously did not want to prolong this farce any longer. She didn't like it, and she still didn't trust the Head Girl not to do something inappropriate again, but she wanted this over. She wanted to go back to her room for a long shower and an even longer nap and to bloody never have to deal with that bitch Vera ever again. And for any of that to happen she needed to comply.

So, she swallowed her pride, put on the shackles and started writing lines like a good little girl. She figured she would have still more indignities to deals in the next future but she was determined to bare it. She wasn't submissive by nature but she figured she could fake it. She was an actress after all. She would play along with Vera's little power play, if only to move the plot forward. She was ready for the curtain to drop so she could move on with her life already.

The shackles clicked and locked. Kirsty began writing as best as she could in the dim lighting. The light remained on as long as the student had things to write. When the light went out, some time went by before the student lost consciousness.

The student broke much faster than the last one. The process was iterated on to help save time. The light was a trigger to wake up the student, the lapse of consciousness made it impossible to tell how much time went by. What seemed like three days was actually only one, the light coming on for every meal. But, every meal was exactly the same making it difficult to tell if it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner. But, something was making the student black out. Whatever it was, it had not tells to read.

Still, going one entire day without food was impressive. The previous student at least ate her offered meals. When the lights came on again, there was another meal and some paper. Assuming Kirsty wrote all her wrongdoings, there would be corrections in red if she forgot some or to better clarified the student's now numerous violations.

There was some blank pages along with a page asking why the school should spend more resources to bring the student back. Complying was no longer enough. That ship had sailed and it was now up to Kirsty to try and convince the school to treat her like a student again.

Kirsty frowned at the instructions on the paper. This new "assignment" didn't really surprise. She figured she would have to do something like this eventually but she didn't like it. She wanted to say Vera and the University to go fuck themselves. She had seen enough questionable things at this point to convince her that she didn't want to be a student at this school anymore. Why the hell did she have to convince them to take her back?

She sighed and tamped down her initial response. Vera had her over a barrel at the moment, having her chained in this basement with no way out. Belligerence would not get her out of this mess. She would have to word her response carefully. Tell Vera what she wanted to hear so she would let her out and then she could go to the school board with her grievances and request to be transferred out. She still kinda hoped that Vera was acting on her own but this torture dungeon was a little too well set up for that. She wasn't sure how the school could get away with doing this sort of thing to its students but she wanted no part of it.

She turned her attention back to her assignment. What would the uptight Head Girl want her to say to prove that she had seen the error of her ways? She then started to write:

I have behaved poorly in reaction to this, my first disciplinary rebuke, and given the school cause to doubt my integrity as a student. I regret this sincerely. Should the school see fit to reinstate me as a student I promise to do my best to blot out the impression this incident has given them in regards to my attitude. I will endeavour to be more mindful of how my actions reflect on the school, remembering always that I am a representative of Shokushu and must act with the decorum that responsibility entail. When in doubt I will look to my peers and the superior example of the Head Girls to model my behavior on. In the meantime, I shall bow to any corrections that Head Girl Vera deems necessary to prove that I have seen the error of my ways and am eager to improve.

There was danger in that last statement but she figured it was what they wanted to hear. She would treat this as an acting challenge. She'd play the submissive for Vera, no matter what that meant, and convince her to let her the fuck out of here. She didn't have to mean any of it. It was a part her was playing and she would play it with pride.

When Kirsty finished, the lights went out. The lapse in consciousness sped the student to the next moment the lights came on. The pages were there though all were blank with the one requesting reasons to bring Kirsty back into the fold. There were no signs of the original message, no corrections, nothing.

Did Kirsty not answer correctly? She thought she wrote down what Vera wanted to hear. Then again, were these messages going to Vera or the school staff? In either case, how much did Kirsty really know about Vera to guess what she wanted? Was Kirsty's acting not believable?

If Kirsty wrote the same thing minus the bowing in the final sentence, the result ended the same. This was insane. What did Vera want? Did she know that Kirsty was just faking it all to escape further punishment? How could she possibly know?

Kirsty was completely stumped by this now development. She tried rewriting her response with slight adjustments here and there but each time she got the same result. She sighed in exasperation as she woke yet again to see a blank page staring up at her. "Curse you people, what do you want me to say?" She muttered.

Finally she opted on writing a more honest reply to see where that would get her:

I seem to be at a loss as to as I should answer this question. My previous answers seem to have been rejected so I'm assuming that they have not been sufficient. I understand that I have erred in my behavior and I sincerely apologize for that. I have already expressed my willingness to accept any punishment or corrections for my actions. Perhaps my motives have been judged to be insincere though. I am sorry if that is the case but I cannot change my feelings on the matter. I can only change my actions. I will stand by what I promised and respectfully do as I am told, whether I like it or not. If the school still does not think I am suitable enough to accept me back as a student then I will accept their judgement and return home as soon as possible so the school will not have to waste anymore resources on me.

She finished writing and laid back down, knowing sleep would come next. If this didn't work then she was out of ideas. She'd be forced to go back to ignoring the paper, she supposed. It would be insanity to keep trying and failing. She closed her eyes and hoped that this would be the last time she had to do this dance.

Insanity is to keep trying the same thing and expecting different results. As long as Napton was writing something different, there was no insanity there. If anything, returning to ignoring the papers which has already proven to do nothing would truly be insane. Those papers were not only her only means of getting out of here but, they were her only means to communicate with someone outside of this room.

When Kirsty woke up, the papers were still there. The one she wrote her message on was there but with red markings on it. The many sentences were crossed out. All that remained was...

~I seem to be at a loss as to how I should answer the question. My previous answers have not been sufficient.~

In red there was...

~It has been stated multiple times what is required to leave this chamber, Ms. Barker. Know that Shokushu does not tolerate insincere corrections or falsehood. ~

Vera had stated her intentions before. The only way Kirsty was going to leave this room was as a student of Shokushu. If anything, Kirsty's responses said how she was not going to be a student in Shokushu anymore. At least in this chamber, there were no distractions. She had all the time in the world to figure out what it means to be a student again. Just pretending or 'acting' as a student was no longer sufficient.

There were plenty of blank papers to write on. It seems someone was reading them at least. This entity beyond these concrete walls was Kirsty's only means of salvation from this hell.

Kirsty's eyebrows shot up at the terse message the Head Girl had left her. She supposed it was better than a blank page but it still left her confused about what she was expected to do. Vera clearly believed that she had been perfectly clear in her instructions but Kirsty was still lost. She tried to remember what the other girl had told her when she had first brought her down her. Once she recalled the moment she frowned slightly and started writing again.

If I remember correctly you said I would be here until you deemed me fit to return. Do you mean I should continue with the lesson you began with me earlier? Do you wish for me to stand with my arms above my head and go back to reciting my transgressions? Would that demonstrate my sincere desire to be quit of this place and return to my academic studies? Because I will do that if that is what you require of me.

Again, Kirsty assumed that it was Vera writing these messages. If it was not Vera writing back to the student, then the writer would be very confused about this response as the writer would have no context to go by.

If that were true then, only Kirsty knew what was expected of her and the writer was merely reiterating the apparent system this school runs on. Being nude with her arms above her head, reciting the rules she violated was the only form of correction she had any experience with. The shackles were due to her failing to comply with the former task while Vera touched her. Nothing further was learned about the next form of correction as Kirsty decided to resist the Head Girl. Now, it was unclear what she was to do.

The lights went out eventually. Kirsty would wake with a start upon the light clicking on. The dim light may as well be blinding due to how dark this room became when everything went out. There were some blank pieces of paper and some food, nothing more.

Did Kirsty write something wrong? Did she run out of time? The papers were still coming but no further guidance was given. Did this mean yes or no? This was insane. What did this school want from her? Should she be correcting herself? What did that even mean? She had nothing to go by. She had no tasks, no orders. When Vera was here, everything was direct and clear in comparison. It was simple, listen and obey. Failing that, there were no more orders to listen and obey, leaving the student with nothing.

How long has she been down here? Did no one in her class even notice? Did they even care? It felt like an eternity since she had seen someone or heard another's voice. The written messages were assumed to be from Vera's cold calculating voice. But, even that was getting harder to remember how it sounds. Should she start correcting herself? Will that be enough to prove she was willing to be a student here again?

Kirsty stared at the blank pages in front of her and debated silently with herself. It seemed the brief interlude of sanity was over and her captor was leaving her to guessing her meaning again. Kirsty was through with writing. It clearly wasn't getting her anywhere. She'd try the only other thing she could think of.

After eating her bland meal she stood up and resumed the position from before with her hands over her head. The added weight of the chains guaranteed that she would have a harder time holding the position but she was determined to hold it until her arms gave out this time if it would get her out of this stupid cell. She still wasn't sure this was what Vera wanted from her but if she was wrong she was sure she'd know soon enough. She took a deep breath and started reciting again like before, repeating her transgressions and her plans for self improvement. She hoped it would be enough to at least get something different to happen this time.

The words she hated saying was all the student had now. It was the woman's mantra that she chanted in the darkness. The chains felt heavy on her wrists and the cool metal made her muscles ached. Would this make a difference or would she be trapped down here forever with only these bland meals to keep her company?

The words fell from Kirsty's lips. The only difference was the chains she now wore and the lack of warmth from Vera's touch. Would these words bring Vera back or unlock the door? It seemed stupid. There was no one else in this room to hear her, right?

The ache grew worse as circulation faded from those arms. Kirsty's throat would begin to hurt and become dry. Just when it seemed like her arms were going to just fall off, there was an audible clink of metal on concrete.

The sound made Kirsty's body jump as if she had fallen asleep at some point. She was laying on the floor. Did she pass out? The soft clink may as well be deafening among the endless silence of this chamber. There was no light. Feeling around, the student would feel a metal cup that contact a cool fluid. Drinking it would reveal it to be water or at least something similar and lacking of taste.

The water would refresh Kirsty's throat, allowing her to start anew with her mantra of wrongdoings. With no light, there was nothing left to do besides this. This was all her life was, an endless void and the words of correction she should have recited in the first place.

This went on for a few cycles. Muscles ached and were tight from such constant use. The actor's throat was raw from reciting her lines time and time again. The only company was the faint clink of the cup that woke her up each and every time until...

The click of the light woke Kirsty once more. There were no cup, no papers, no food. The shackles were still on her wrists and the dull bulb provided its meager illumination. The light click of heels sound the presence of another as that immaculate uniform came into the light followed by long strands of silver hair.

Vera gazed down at the naked and exhausted student. The Head Girl said nothing. The woman did mention before that she did not like repeating herself. She merely looked down at the heap that was Kirsty.

Kirsty met Vera's cool gaze without expression. She was not going to blew this with an errant twitch of her brow or rolling of her eyes. She wasn't going to give the other woman a reason to think she was disrespecting her again. She waited to see if Vera was going to say anything but she didn't. Kirsty took this to mean that her punishment was not yet complete so she stood up again and lifted her aching arms into the air again.

There had been no water cup this time so she was forced to continue her recitation with a dry, sore throat but she didn't let that time her. She would continue her corrections until her voice gave out or until Vera stopped her. She figured that the Head Girl had other plans but she determined now not to let her get a rise from her.

Vera watched as the student continued what she had been ordered to do before. After a short while, the Head Girl walked into the darkness only to return with a metal cup. She brought it to Kirsty's lips. "Drink..." she ordered.

She allowed the student to slowly drink the water as she continued to speak. "What are you hoping to accomplish here, Ms. Barker? Your face is telling more than your voice ever could. Do you really wish to be corrected? Do you wish to be a good student? Or are you too busy hating me and this school to realize the benefits this place can provide?"

Expressions or not, Vera's empathic ability read those raging emotions like a book. Those cold eyes seemed to pierce right through the young woman. The Head Girl drew the cup away and sets it back in the darkness.

She drank gratefully when Vera put the cup to her lips. The water helped ease her sore throat. She prepared to continue repeating the script she had been given but Vera asked her a new question. Kirsty paused to consider it, half suspecting it was a trap but she could think of no way around it if it was. If she ignored it Vera would say she was being disrespectful so she had to risk answering it.

She was annoyed that the other woman had still managed to divine her emotions in spite of her trying to keep them off her face. She thought about what to say and answered as simple and honestly as she could without being rude. "I want to be a good student and that means accepting correction even if I don't like it. My feeling are irrelevant. My hot headedness is what got me into this mess so now I'm trying to demonstrate that I am willing to change my behavior to make myself a more appeal student."

She waited to see if Vera had more to say. If she did not Kirsty would continue she speech about her errors as before.