Her heart fluttering, Amy adjusted her grip on her box of possessions, with Miranda's head balanced carefully standing upright on top, so she could knock on the door. Technically, she thought, this is my own room now. I shouldn't have to knock. But she supposed it wasn't really her own room until she had been in it at least once.

There was no response to her knock. She supposed Megan had gone down to the gym. Amy pushed open the door, and in her startlement nearly dropped the box. Megan was there, on her bed, looking in Amy's direction -- she hadn't answered the knock because it was very hard to talk in the neck trainer.

Amy frowned, walking into the room and depositing her possessions on the other bed. "I don't suppose there's any point in reminding you we're not allowed to use that alone."

Megan put her hands on the handles on the wall to push herself up and take the stress off her neck. "Suppose any girl's ever actually died using one? I don't mind rules when they make sense." She let herself back down again, once more supporting her upper-body weight with her neck muscles.

Megan had shrugged indifferently when she'd been summoned to the dorm sisters' room and asked whether the new arrangements were okay with her. Most likely she regarded any roommate as little more than a mechanism to make hanging practice possible. It probably doesn't even matter that my first words to her as a roommate were a criticism, Amy thought. Megan, Amy told herself, was one of that small number of people whose self-assurance was genuine, not a cover for insecurity. Any critics of her behavior or techniques were automatically wrong, and no cause for concern.

Amy sat on the bed that would be hers, wondering if there was some way to establish a relationship on a more friendly basis. She cleared her throat. "I really like those moves you do when you're hanging. I keep trying them, but I can't breathe right when I'm doing them. Do you think you'd be able to give me some pointers?"

Megan, clearly annoyed at being interrupted once more, pushed herself up again to speak. "I don't really have any magical training secrets. I don't have some way that I do it. I just do it. Now could you give me a few minutes here?"

Amy sighed. "Sure." She stood and decided she may as well start distributing her possessions, beginning by reverently putting Miranda's head on the shelf that corresponded with the one it had occupied in the room Amy had shared with Susan. Amy had nearly finished getting her things settled in when Megan decided she'd finished with the trainer. Amy could hear Megan behind her, putting the device back in its holder, and heard Megan's curious question, "Who's that?"

Amy turned and saw that Megan was looking at Miranda's head. Megan, thought Amy, had to be the only girl at the Academy who wasn't aware of Amy's possession of Miranda. One after another, it seemed every girl in the school, including the Second and Third Years who had known Miranda personally, had made the pilgrimage to Amy's room to see Miranda and reminisce about the girl they'd all admired. Somehow Megan had been out of the loop, but maybe, thought Amy, that wasn't as surprising as it seemed. Students had learned very early on how pointless it was to try to engage Megan in small talk.

Amy smiled, as always when the warm memories of her day with Miranda came flooding back. "This is Miranda. She graduated from here the year before last -- the Third Years now were First Years when she was finishing. She was hanged at my house."

Amy had never before seen Megan impressed by anything. Megan's eyes were fastened immovably on Miranda now, her mouth slightly open. "She's a graduate? You saw her do her show?"

Amy nodded eagerly. "I even got to help."

Megan seemed to pull herself together. "That's pretty cool." Amy could almost visibly see the girl's barriers falling back into place, as if by conscious effort.

It was frustrating on many levels. Beyond the practical need to get to know her new roommate better, Amy still found herself physically attracted to Megan, yet was constantly repelled by the girl's closure to standard human contact.

Amy was suddenly appalled at herself -- somehow she had avoided considering the possibility that she had had sexual reasons for deciding to room with Megan. Her only conscious thought, beyond the need to help Shawna, was that she could give herself a chance to learn from the girl whose hanging techniques far surpassed those of anyone else in the class.

Okay, fine, she thought. Don't lie to yourself about this anymore.

In any case, she told herself, she could meet neither her physical nor her intellectual goal if she couldn't somehow crack the shell that surrounded the girl. Trying quickly to catch Megan before she was totally inaccessible again, Amy said, "I'm going down to the gym to get in some workout time. Want to come with me?"

Megan shook her head. "Going to watch some hanging vids."

Amy thought about staying to watch the videos with Megan, but after her invitation to the gym, changing her plans would look like a pathetic attempt to ingratiate herself. She suppressed a sigh and said, "Okay, see you later."

Megan had already turned to a pile of video disks on her shelf, and made no response. Amy left, shaking her head, furious with herself.

Following her workout, Amy went to Linda's and Laney's, and spent the night. As she lay between them, she had limited success remembering that Linda was Linda and Laney was Laney, and that neither naked body snuggled against hers was Megan's.

I wish I wasn't so nervous, Amy thought as she pulled off her shorts and panties and dropped them atop her bra on her bed. It's not like Megan hasn't seen me hang before. That was in group practice, though, she argued with herself. I've never done it alone with her before. She'll be my entire audience, and even if she doesn't say anything, I know she'll be critiquing me in her mind, noticing all the things I'm doing wrong and feeling superior. I hope she does tell me if I'm doing it wrong, Amy thought. That's the biggest reason for having a partner to practice with -- well, other than having somebody to keep you from dying, of course.

Amy caught herself nearly grinding her teeth as she watched Megan strip off her own uniform, to stand naked waiting for Amy to step up onto the platform. It wouldn't be so bad, Amy thought, if there was any possibility at all we might play some sex games eventually, but I have to look at that body and think Damn, can't touch.

It was two days since Amy had moved in with Megan, and Amy had procrastinated on suggesting hanging practice as long as she could. She and Megan, in fact, had barely said ten words to each other in the two days. Amy had slept in the room with Megan last night for the first time, telling herself it would eventually feel more natural. Amy and Megan both slept nude, Megan with no evident self-consciousness, nor any obvious awareness of what seeing her that way was doing to Amy. Amy herself had lost any shyness about showing herself to anyone else, and in fact felt a growing confidence that other girls were admiring her body in the gym as she continued sculpting it the way she wanted it, but she still didn't feel in the same class with Megan. As Amy lay in bed, a fantasy, no doubt hopeless, of sharing Megan's bed and intimacy had begun to overwhelm her, and Amy, under the bedsheets, had put a finger between her legs and worked herself to the tiniest and quietest orgasm she could manage. She felt fairly sure Megan hadn't been able to tell.

Amy turned now and stepped onto the platform, and blinked at seeing Megan holding a length of rope instead of handcuffs. Megan noticed Amy's surprise, and shrugged. "I just like it better. Doesn't matter to me if it takes longer."

Amy nodded, and turned away with her hands behind her. Megan secured Amy's wrists quickly, and hopped onto the platform to pull the noose down over Amy's head, tighten it and adjust it. Amy turned to look at Megan. "Four minutes, okay?"

Megan gave her a little smile. "Sure." Amy could read the smile: what, only four minutes? Amy had gone longer in practice, but wanted to try some of Megan's moves, at the cost of a little time.

The instant Amy's feet left the platform, she knew she'd made a mistake. She'd been concentrating so hard on visualizing the hip thrusts and leg swings she'd wanted to make that she hadn't filled her lungs enough before swinging. She tried to make up for it by sucking in as much air as she could, as her head-rolling against the rope permitted it, but didn't have enough experience with the technique to get caught up to where she needed to be. Furious with herself, she waggled her right foot in the standard gesture barely a minute after getting noose-borne. She felt the platform come up to support her, knowing her face was redder than the hanging would account for. Damn it!! she screamed inside. She tried to avoid looking at Megan, but couldn't manage to miss the girl's eyes looking the question at her.

Amy took a deep breath and sighed. "You know you've seen me do a lot better than that in class. I just messed up." With anyone else, Amy knew, she would have laughed it off. Nobody else, though, was Megan, and nobody else could have induced such deep humiliation in her. "I want to try it again. Give me about five minutes to catch my breath, okay?"

Megan nodded, her usual smirk on display, and sat on her bed, pulling a book from her shelf and opening it.

Amy sighed again, deeply, closed her eyes and worked to calm herself. Okay, she told herself, forget the fancy stuff. Just do a hanging long enough to get some degree of respect. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to convince herself it was Linda sitting there on the bed, waiting to hang her and then give her some advice afterwards. She let Linda's voice play like a recording in her mind, friendly, joking. There, okay, it was working. Amy said softly, "Okay, let's do it." She nearly tacked the name "Lin" onto the end of the sentence, barely stopping herself. "Just let me go till I signal to stop."

This time, once aloft, Amy knew it was okay. She felt, as she always did, except for her last attempt moments earlier, at home in the noose, excited by its tight caress of her neck. She imagined herself as Miranda, visualized the gawking crowd of Andrew's friends in front of the stage. As she kicked, she reminded herself of the way Miranda had turned herself in mid-air so everybody could see her back. That's another thing I need to learn how to do, and I will, she promised herself. That and Megan's stuff, but that's for later, I just need to get the basics down now...

A feeling of faintness came on her at last, frustrating her as it reminded her she couldn't do this forever. She waggled her foot once more, and gasped in a huge lungful of breath the moment the platform supported her and the tension eased. As soon as she could talk, she looked down at Megan, a little surprised to see it was indeed her and not Linda, and asked, "How was that?"

"You mean time or style?"

"Well, both, but mainly the time."

"I got it at 5:45."

Amy's eyes sprang wide open. "Really?" She had never managed more than five minutes before.

Megan nodded. "Yeah, but as far as style points, you weren't desperate enough. It was almost like a slo-mo film of a hanging."

Amy almost laughed. Okay, she thought, maybe I overdid the calming exercises. "I was just going for time," she lied. The fact was she had really hoped to show Megan a little more in the way of hanging style, at least to the extent she had already learned it, though avoiding anything new. "I'll kick better next time."

Megan was already untying the rope around Amy's wrists. "If you say so."

Amy sighed. Okay, she thought, Megan can read every move any Hanging Girl makes, so no more trying to put anything over on her. Amy hopped down from the platform, to see that Megan had already turned away, her hands behind her holding the rope towards Amy.

Amy gritted her teeth as she tied the rope around Megan's wrists, unable to keep her knuckles from brushing against those perfect buttocks, promising herself she'd work off the sexual tension later with Linda and Laney.

As she followed Megan onto the platform and took hold of the noose, a feeling of awe washed over Amy unexpectedly. In a few years, she thought, this girl will be famous for hanging. She'll put on the most incredible show anybody's ever seen, and I get to be the one putting a noose around that neck now. Stop it, she screamed at herself. Don't add "worship" to the bubbling stew of feelings you've already got about your roommate, you've got to get through three years with her somehow. Amy wondered for the hundredth time, as she adjusted the noose, how badly she'd screwed up by volunteering to partner up with Megan. She hopped down from the platform, gave Megan enough time to prepare herself, and pulled the lever.

Somehow seeing her in class had not been sufficient preparation for watching her up close, alone. The impact of watching Megan's thrusting hips, her legs intertwining and wrapping around those of an invisible lover, was increased by the knowledge that Megan was performing for Amy alone -- and the fact that it was all show, that Megan had no physical interest in Amy, somehow didn't detract from the illusion that Megan was making passionate love to her.

Amy was so consumed in wonder that she almost missed seeing Megan waggle her foot, and only then did Amy realize her hand was down between her legs, furiously rubbing her pussy. She reached for the lever, and saw that her hand was slimy with juices from between her legs. Almost panicked, she rubbed it more or less dry on her hip and reached to push the lever with her other hand.

With half her mind, Amy was astonished to see that Megan, though covered in a sheen of sweat, was breathing evenly, though harder and deeper than usual, as she stood once more on the platform -- Amy or any of the other girls would be gasping for breath at this point. The other half of Amy's mind was clamoring for a chance to reach the climax she'd been so close to. She received another shock as she looked at her watch. "Uhhh... Ten minutes. Ten oh four, really." Amy wasn't sure Linda, or any of the other Second Years, were doing it that long yet.

Megan nodded briefly. "I know."

What the hell, Amy's mind shouted, has she got a clock in her head along with everything else?

Amy's needs suddenly took control, and she bolted into the tiny bathroom and threw the door closed, her hand quickly plunging again between her legs. Her next conscious thought didn't intrude until after her whole being had been shaken to the core by orgasm, and that thought, as the throes died away, was: What's she going to think of this? I can't face her. I'll have to stay here in the bathroom for three years.

Well, at least I won't die of thirst, she thought, looking at the faucets, choking back a sudden giggle. And I'll be clean. Maybe she can slide food under the door.

She must be used to this reaction, Amy suddenly realized, sensing that Shawna had undoubtedly spent time in this same bathroom under the same circumstances. Did Shawna run in here every time, Amy wondered, or did she give up trying to hide it?

Her face even redder than after her first aborted hanging attempt in front of Megan less than an hour earlier, Amy finally pulled the door open. Megan was still standing on the platform, her hands tied behind her, as Amy, her embarrassment increasing still further, realized she hadn't released the girl from the noose yet. Megan looked at Amy with the usual smirk, that ever-present smile-equivalent of laughing at someone rather than with them. Amy gestured vaguely. "I'm sorry, I had to..." No lie could possibly work here, Amy knew. "Well, I just had to."

"Uh-huh. Anything else you have to do before you let me down?"

Amy opened her mouth to apologize again, then thought, what's the use? "Ummm... no, that about covers it." She walked around behind Megan and started untying her wrists.

"Amy, slow down," Linda gasped, clamping her arms around Amy's waist to hold her still, as Amy, on top, rubbed her pussy urgently against Linda's. "Let me get some kind of rhythm going."

Amy tried to stop moving, groaning as her hips continued twitching helplessly. "I'm sorry, really. We're not going to be able to come together tonight, I don't think. Could you get me off first? I promise I'll make you feel really nice after."

Linda snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'll hold you to that. Fingers?"

Amy, her eyes squeezed shut, shook her head briefly. "Just lift your thigh up between my legs, and let me rub against it. I'm almost there." Amy let go a heartfelt moan as Linda did as requested, following it with breathier ones of gradually higher pitch as she ground herself against Linda's upraised leg, soon stiffening suddenly and clamping her legs tightly on Linda's, a piercing "eeeeeeee" of pleasure bursting from her throat.

Amy collapsed on top of her friend, burying her face in Linda's hair, ashamed their sex play couldn't be a more collaborative effort. Her voice muffled by the hair, she moaned, "Sorry, Lin. She's just getting me so horny I can't stand it."

Linda rubbed Amy's back. "You want a vibrator or something?"

Amy shook her head. "No, I've got you." She gasped then and raised her head abruptly, looking into Linda's eyes. "I'm so sorry, hon! See, that's what she does to me, she's wrecked my tact too! I just made you sound like you're a sex toy! You know I love you, right?" She held Linda's eyes with a pleading look.

Linda smiled. "Goes without saying. Anyway, I'd like to think I can beat out a vibrator any day."

Laney, sitting on the floor leaning back against the side of the bed, reached back absently over her shoulder and stroked the back of Amy's thigh, with the hand that wasn't using a highlighter to mark words and phrases in her textbook. Laney had an uncanny ability to concentrate through anything, whether it was the unwatched TV show in front of her or her roommate and their best friend making love behind her. It was the result of growing up with six sisters. "Amy, just ask Megan if she wants to do it with you. Who knows?"

Amy shuddered. "It wouldn't work. I don't even like her! It's just her body and her face that are making me nuts, and that stuff she does when she's hanging. Seeing her sprawled naked on her bed with her nose in a textbook. Coming into the bathroom to take a shower while I'm peeing." She shook herself violently to clear the images out of her head, making Linda grunt out an irritated "Hey!" underneath her. "Anyway, if we did play, I know it'd be like she was just granting a favor to one of her worshipers, which she assumes everybody is."

Linda stroked Amy's hair, hoping to calm her. "Just talk to her, then. Find some common ground. Maybe there's something likeable deeper inside."

Amy sighed. "I can't talk to her. I mean, I've tried, but there's nothing she's interested in talking about with me, or anybody else. The only thing in the world she cares about is hanging, and she won't talk about that either! It's like she's some big hanging corporation, afraid of giving away trade secrets. And I'd be interrupting her reading. I swear, she's had half the books in the library in there with her at one time or another, so now she's working on the other half. At least she's dedicated. I do admire that much."

Laney, in a muttered voice that showed half her mind was still on her studies, asked, "So what's she read about?"

Amy shrugged. "Anything. Everything. About hanging, I mean, as far as I can tell. I think she's got some kind of program going. I mean, the subject of the books kind of shifts over the days. Maybe there's a pattern, but I don't see it yet. Last night she came in lugging eight or nine medical texts, mostly hanging-related. She was going back and forth between them, and she didn't even hear me when I asked if she minded if I turned the TV on. Didn't seem to hear the shows, either. When she took a bathroom break I tried to see what she'd been looking at. A couple of them fell open to chapters on the carotid arteries, so I guess she was trying to coordinate all the info they had on that. No idea what for, though." Amy sighed again. "Let's not talk about it anymore. It's not helping."

Linda smiled. "Okay then, you said something about making me feel really nice."

Amy laughed. "There, much better subject. What do you want?"

Linda stretched her arms out beyond her head. "I really feel like some tongue."

Amy giggled and waggled her tongue at Linda. "Thith one?"

Linda grinned. "That's the one. It owes me one."

"One or more." Amy backed off down Linda's body, stopping with her head between Linda's legs. After a few minutes of being licked, Linda clenched her fists and moaned. Amy tried to keep her tongue on that spot and pushed in deeper.