ACADEMY GIRL - Book 4: Departures

Chapter 4


WEDNESDAY

Amy sat on the bed in Linda's and Laney's room, with her two best friends on either side of her, each holding one of her hands. Any number of students had wanted to join Amy to watch Megan's Fifteen, but she only wanted to be with Linda and Laney.

Fifteens were always scheduled so that roommates had consecutive times on the same day, so that no girl had to spend a night fretting over her test with a roommate who had already passed it. In another hour it would be Amy's turn, but at the moment she was unable to spare any part of her mind to think about that.

Amy started to look away when Leanne, handling the Fifteen supervising duties for Wednesday afternoon, slipped the noose down over Megan's head and pulled it tight around her neck. But she found that looking at Megan's face helped calm her -- Megan was calm herself, her only reaction being the small smile she always had in anticipation of hanging.

The platform began sinking, and Amy was only dimly aware of Laney's, "Ow - ow - ow! Amy, you're crushing my hand!" She opened her hand and tried to relax, but the rope now lifted Megan off the platform and Amy tightened her grip convulsively again.

She felt better again as she watched Megan relaxing into a no-frills dance in mid-air, Megan's face now looking a little bored. Amy wished she had the knack for spotting problems to the degree Megan did. As far as she knew, no one did. Probably no one ever had.

Megan's unvarying kicking and swaying as she hung by her neck became a little hypnotic, and it was hard for Amy to tell how much time was passing by. She suddenly found herself feeling as if she'd been asleep, returning to consciousness with a strong sense that Megan had been up way too long. Almost panicked, she said tensely, "Linda, how long?"

"How much time left? About two minutes. Amy, everything's okay, it's okay. She's doing great."

Amy concentrated on watching Megan's legs. Megan's kicking seemed no less energetic than it had at the beginning.

Amy shifted her attention upward, watching Megan's head movements. They should, thought Amy, show this video in all of the beginning Hanging classes, so students can watch to see exactly how it's supposed to be done.

Amy started to ask Linda for another time check, but barely had opened her mouth when she saw the platform lever had sprung upwards. Megan, with a casual kick, pushed it forward, and moments later stood on a firm surface once more.

Amy gave a cry of joy, pulled her hands away from her friends and threw her arms around both of them, pulling them towards her to hold them tightly, tears running from her eyes.

Still watching the screen, she saw Megan standing still as Leanne untied her wrists, with her eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths. It occurred to Amy that, after watching half of her own class' Fifteens now, and most of the Fifteens of the classes from the previous two years, this was the first time she had ever seen a student not gasping for breath at the end. Amy shook her head slightly, her mouth open. Laney spoke the question Amy was thinking herself: "Amy, how long can she stay up there? Have you ever found out?"

Amy shook her head more firmly. "No idea. I've never seen her go strictly for time. She's always trying to work on some move, and she decides when she's done it enough. And there's no way I'm going to mess with her practice routine."

Linda was shaking her head as well. "Well, if you get any idea, let us know. I wish we could see her do her show, but we'll be dead by then."

"Oh, I was going to ask, have you seen any offers that sound good?"

Both girls shook their heads. Laney said, "I've looked at a couple of offers that came in, but I kind of want the Assassin, and the one that wanted that scene was looking for a blonde."

Amy turned and looked at her blonde friend pointedly. "Well?"

Linda laughed. "I'm not big on the Assassin. I'm not sure what I want, really. I might write my own."

"Cool. So have you started on that?"

Linda looked away, sheepishly. "Well, no. But I'm throwing some ideas around in my head."

Amy started, "I'll try to think of..." She stopped as the door opened. Megan looked in, saw Amy, and gave her an open-mouthed grin.

Amy bounced off the bed as if it were a pilot's ejector seat, running to Megan and throwing her arms around her, feeling Megan's arms encircling her at the same time. With her hand she held Megan's head against her own and closed her eyes, and stood there for a long time.

*   *   *   *   *

Megan tried to think of anything else she needed to mention. "Oh yeah -- The rope is the one they've been using since Monday, so it's getting just a little frayed. It'll feel scratchy. They'll probably change it for tomorrow, but this is the last session for today so they'd probably just leave it. And Leanne is a stickler for starting exactly on time. She'll get you ready early, and then make you stand there until the clock hits the hour. Don't let the long wait throw your concentration off."

Amy nodded seriously, then said, "Okay, stop, stop, you're making me nervous. I'll be fine once I get started." She looked at Linda's clock and grimaced. "Ten minutes. I better go." She quickly peeled off her shoes and uniform and handed them to Megan, who was dressed now -- Amy had brought Megan's clothes down to the room with her. "Bring these to our room when you're done..." She turned to her friends. "You guys understand, right? We just want to be alone for awhile after it's done."

Linda waved her on and said quickly, "Of course we understand, now go! You need to get there in time to settle your breathing down before it starts."

Amy kissed Megan, harder and longer than usual, then turned and walked down the hallway. She wasn't surprised at seeing no students at all on her way to the demo room -- all of the ones who weren't in class were in their rooms with eyes glued to the television. She kept her eyes closed for most of her walk, opening them at intervals just long enough to avoid obstructions and find turns. Her breathing, she was proud to find, remained calm.

Amy opened the door to the demo hall and walked in. Seeing Leanne waiting patiently by the platform, she thought, This is it, and worked to force her mind to blankness. Just going to hang for awhile, she told herself. Just going to practice a little.

She returned Leanne's smile and greeting, and stepped up onto the platform. There, she thought, I don't need to do anymore. I don't need to think anymore.

As Leanne tied her hands, Amy concentrated on her breathing, eyes closed, and felt the tension begin washing away from her with the familiar feeling of the rope closing around her neck. Remembering what Megan had said, she looked up at the clock now, not wanting to be startled when, after a long wait, the platform suddenly started downward.

The minute hand edged up to the top -- there. The platform was descending. Amy took a last, deep breath, and felt the rope holding her weight now as her toes lost contact with the surface.

The familiar feeling of bliss washed over her. Doing the Fifteen made it so simple, so basic. She didn't have to perform any fancy stuff, didn't have to think ahead through a sequence of moves. It was just herself and the rope holding her aloft.

The clock, she thought. Laney bet me I'd look at the clock.

Amy swung her right leg out wide, moving her hips in a circular motion designed to turn her gradually to her left. The rope, she knew, would slowing untwist and bring her back to face the front, so she'd have to work a little to maintain herself facing that direction. It was worth it, she felt.

Memories of that first time she had felt this excitement, this exultation, came back to her. The day of Miranda's hanging, when Miranda herself had put her hands on Amy's neck, their soft squeezing gently choking her. The floating feeling of hypoxia, which had been part of Amy's life ever since that day.

More memories returned from that critical day, when Amy's life had turned, had taken... not a new direction. A first direction. She had never had one before.

Miranda standing nude in front of Amy as Amy spread the cooking oil over her soft skin. The sun gleaming on Miranda's body as she stood on the platform, waiting to be hanged, every eye watching her, everyone aroused by her, thrilled by her, wanting her.

Amy was startled back into the present by a "sproing" sound. She frowned as she saw the platform's lever standing upright where her left foot was swinging past it. She kicked at it and waited as the platform rose, soon touching her toes, then supporting her feet. She closed her eyes and gasped in a long, deep breath.

She looked down at Leanne, just as she was stepping up onto the platform beside Amy. "What's wrong? Why did you stop the test?"

Leanne blinked, returning Amy's puzzled frown with her own. "Because it's over, Amy." She stepped behind Amy and started untying her hands.

Disoriented, Amy had to look both directions before she spotted the clock, its hands saying it was just past 3:15. Her jaw dropped.

As soon as her hands were free, she quickly reached up to loosen the noose and remove it, leapt down from the platform and took off for the door at a dead run, jerking to a stop to turn and stammer, "I... uhhh... thank you, Leanne," then spinning around again to run out.

Moments later she threw open the door of her room and shouted, "Megan, I..." she whipped around in a full circle, muttering, "Shit, where is she?" before realizing that Megan had not yet had time to get there from Linda's and Laney's room. Seconds later she heard feet pounding down the hallway, and turned to the door just as Megan burst through it and ran full-speed into her, her momentum carrying Amy backwards until the edge of the bed caught her behind her knees, and she fell on her back onto it with Megan on top of her, Megan already kissing her lips, her chin, her cheeks, her forehead, her ears...

Amy was just able to say, "Ummm, so I guess you know..." before Megan's lips found Amy's mouth again and stayed there, locked with it.

*   *   *   *   *

THURSDAY

Amy's fists pounded her thighs unconsciously, her eyes wide with excitement. "She's going to make it, isn't she?"

On the screen, Wendy, obviously tired but still kicking well, dangled from the noose.

Megan nodded. "I'm pretty sure. She's only got, what, about a minute left? I think she could go another three or four."

Melissa looked at Amy. "You guys were worried about her?"

"Oh, right, you didn't know. Wendy came and got some help a few days ago. She wasn't making the time."

On the other side of Melissa, at the end of the bed, Jana's eyes grew wide. "You added three or four minutes to her time in one session?"

Amy grinned. "I couldn't do something like that. Megan's the only one who can." She took Megan's hand automatically.

Megan smiled and shrugged. "Only if there's something wrong. It's not like I could just make everybody swing longer. If there's a flaw in a girl's form, I can help with that."

From the floor, where she was sitting with her arms and legs wrapped around Laney from behind as they both watched the screen, Linda said, "She's helped some of the graduates. We're all getting antsy about our shows, and trying to find any way we can stretch our kicking out just a couple more minutes."

It was still Amy that Melissa was looking at, despite Amy's attempts to deflect her hero-worship. "You're going to help us, right?"

Amy nodded. "We'll start doing some classes for you guys in a couple of weeks, after you've got the basics down -- oh!" Amy pointed to the screen. "She's done!"

On the screen, the lever arm had just sprung upright. Wendy, as was most often the case, needed a couple of tries to kick it ahead with her foot. Moments later, standing on the platform, she had the standard relieved, exhausted grin as Maria, the grad on duty, untied her hands.

From the floor where she was curled up with Erin, Jackie asked, "Are you guys doing some actual hanging yet? I was just thinking it's about time your class got to that point."

Melissa nodded excitedly. "Yesterday! It felt so neat, but I can only do it a little over a minute. And I can't do anything like what Amy was showing."

Amy gave her a friendly eye-roll. "Melissa, I told you, I learned all that! There's only one person who came here already knowing how to do that." She leaned over and kissed Megan, to make it clear who the One Person was.

The sound of running bare feet came down the hallway, ending with a rapid-fire knock at the door. Amy called out, "Come..."

The door burst open, and Wendy ran into the room, still naked, her face alight. Amy goggled at her -- it couldn't have been twenty seconds since she had run off the tv screen. Wendy made straight for the bed, jumped over Linda's and Laney's outstretched legs, and awkwardly leaned over the edge of the bed to put her arms around Megan, chanting "Thank you thank you thank you..."

Dizziness suddenly overcame Wendy, and she fell to the side, sprawling across Amy's lap on her back. Melissa and Jana scooted quickly off the bed and helped Amy stretch Wendy out along the length of the bed. Amy leaned over Wendy to give her mouth-to-mouth, but Wendy, already panting like a steam engine, didn't seem to need it, so Amy just moved Wendy's head to straighten her windpipe, to make her breathing more effective. Megan knelt over the girl, saying, "Wendy, don't talk, just breathe... you can breathe a little more deeply now. Can you hear me? Just blink, don't talk, don't nod. Keep breathing."

After a minute, Wendy's desperate gasping finally slowed, and she opened her eyes -- looking straight up into Megan's.

Megan asked softly, "Wendy, you okay?"

Wendy gave her an ear-to-ear grin. "Never better."

Megan gave her a stern look. "Promise me you'll never go running out of hanging session like that again."

Wendy made a tiny nod. "I promise, coach."

*   *   *   *   *

FRIDAY NIGHT

Amy had thought parties in the caf for girls who'd been sold were loud, but she'd never heard anything like the din that assaulted her ears as she and Megan arrived for the post-Fifteen. Most of the Third Year girls were already there. They were grouped in small knots around the room, most of them holding slices of pizza and laughing uproariously.

Amy had barely had time to see where the pizza boxes were, when Jackie held up her arm and whistled for attention, then shouted, "Hey, why isn't there any girlmeat on my pizza??" That was the cue for Erin, Shawna, and Monique to scream together, "CUZ WE ALL PASSED THE FIFTEEN!!" The volume of laughter, interspersed with cheers, picked up another notch for a moment, and gradually subsided to its earlier level.

To the side, Amy heard, "...two...three," followed by another knot of girls shouting in unison, "WHAT'S WRONG, AMY? WHY'D THEY STOP THE TEST??" Amy giggled and put her hand up to her face. She wished she hadn't said anything so stupid at the end of her Fifteen.

By the time Amy and Megan had secured slices of pizza for themselves, Frances was calling for attention with more arm-waving, and the room quieted somewhat. She called out, "How many of you had your heart start racing during the Fifteen?" Several girls raised their hands, grinning. Frances then waved her arm towards Megan. "We're alive because of Megan!", which Amy thought might be stretching it a little, though probably true in a couple of cases.

Amy turned to Megan, who was already shaking her head. Before Amy could say anything, Megan shouted loud enough to be heard, "It was Paula! She knew how to save herself. I just passed it on. You can all do that. We're HANGING GIRLS!"

Amy laughed and gave Megan a one-armed hug, pressing her head against Megan's, and noticed the surrounding girls seemed to be pressing in closer. Over the next few minutes, several of the girls each gave Megan a tight hug and a thank you.

Jackie nudged Amy's elbow, and half-shouted to be heard over the noise. "You know no class ever had every student pass the Fifteen before?"

Amy grinned. "That's what I hear. I guess we're doing something right."

Jackie gestured with her head towards the still-surrounded Megan and said to Amy, "You un-created a monster."

Amy shook her head seriously. "It's all her. Really."

Jackie smiled and leaned closer to say in Amy's ear, "Okay, fine, she's amazing. We all know that. But take some credit, okay?"

Amy smiled non-committally. "Where did you get that drink?"



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