ACADEMY GIRL - Book 5: The Graduate

Chapter 31


PARTY NIGHT

Amy frowned in concentration, staring at Runner's face. The rules for using facial makeup didn't seem to apply to Runner in the normal way. Even for a party, it seemed necessary to back off from standard practice, to avoid messing with perfection. With help from the salon girls, Amy had picked out a copper-toned eye shadow that differed only very slightly from Runner's own skin tone, and a slightly darker lip gloss. With face powder, it almost seemed as though one needed simply to hold the powder in front of Runner and let a few particles of it drift onto her face on the room's air currents.

Melissa was working on Runner's hair, brushing it straight back and slightly up at the sides, then fiddling for at least ten minutes with the location of a barrette to secure it. Jana was holding Runner's right hand, running her fingertip across the tip of each nail, colored earlier in the day, as a last minute check for any rough edges.

Amy knelt now and lifted the hem of Runner's cream-colored nightie. The matching panties had turned out to have a slightly smaller swatch of fabric to cover her mound than the earlier green outfit, and Amy was fretting now about pubic hairs that might be visible beyond the edge. There seemed to be just one. Amy reached for the tweezers, patted Runner's forearm and said, "This is going to sting for just a second. I'll count to three, and be ready for the sting when I get to three. One, two, three." Runner squeaked slightly as the unwanted hair was pulled free, and seemed relieved that the pain hadn't been as much as anticipated.

Satisfied, Amy stood again and looked at Runner, her mind spinning, trying to identify, at this late hour, any detail of instruction she and the other girls might have forgotten. She reminded herself, for the hundredth time, that it was perfectly okay if Runner seemed inexperienced, it was okay if Runner, at some point, seemed not to know what to do. As usual, the reminder did no good. Amy felt responsible for Runner. She had brought Runner here to be a Hanging Girl, and felt a strong need to see that Runner could excel in every aspect of the profession. "What do you do if you can't tell what he wants? If you see he wants to be in control, but you don't know what he wants you to do? If you can't read one of the positions we showed you?"

Runner nodded slightly before speaking, responding to the drill. "I can tell him I want to be his slave for the night, and ask him to put me in the position he wants. I move any part of me in the direction he pushes it, until I'm sure I know what he wants me to do. Oh! And I do the little moan, to say I like him doing it."

"And if something hurts?"

"I don't say anything. If it gets too bad, and if I can't make the hand signal, I hum like this..." She hummed three notes on a descending scale, "...so Melissa can hear it on her TV. Then she'll send somebody to help. But if it's not too much, then I don't give any sign, but I make the other sound," she did the short squeak of distress, "And if he didn't mean to do it he'll stop. If he doesn't stop, I'll know it's what he wants, and I do the moan. Amy, I'll be okay! If I do something wrong, then I'll remember it for next time."

As always, Runner seemed fully in charge of her own learning process. Amy wanted to go on testing her, but knew she was going to have to trust her on her own.

Jana looked at the clock. "Just a couple of minutes. Do you need anything else, Amy?"

Amy shook her head. "You two go ahead." Jana nodded, and she and Melissa took off for the monitor room. The rest of the dorm was nearly empty, most of the other girls already assembled for their party entrance.

Amy took a deep breath, smiled, and took Runner's hand. "You ready?" She found she could barely look at Runner -- as sexually hot as Runner now looked, it took all of Amy's self-control to keep from pulling her to the nearby bed to spend hours making love with her while the party went on without them.

Runner, looking excited, simply nodded.

*   *   *   *   *

Amy waited with Runner in the corridor as the Second Year girls entered the party pavilion, each girl receiving her share of applause, along with appreciative sighs and gasps. Amy held Runner's hand, and with her other adjusted her own outfit, genuine girlskin, chosen from the Wardrobe room to suggest an Island Girl, despite the fact no woman wore clothes on Purity Island. The top was little more than a bra, or the top half of one to cover her upper breasts down to the nipples, ending in a short leather fringe that did little to hide the underside of her breasts. The shorts were more in the nature of leather panties, covering her between her buttocks and over her mound, the front and back coverings connected by leather straps, again fringed, leaving her legs bare to the hips, as well as most of the skin of her buttocks. For shoes, she wore moccasins somewhat in the island style, but better fitting.

As the last of the girls entered, Amy turned to Runner and grinned. "I'd give you a kiss, but I don't want to..." She waved her hand over her own face, "You know, mess us up."

Runner smiled and nodded. "I know."

When the last girl had received her applause, Amy took a deep breath. "Time to go in." She gave Runner's hand a last squeeze, and left her to wait with Melissa, who would go back to the monitor room as soon as Runner had made her entrance -- she would be monitoring Runner. Jana was already in place at the monitor for Amy's room.

As Amy entered, after a time interval a little longer than between the entrances of the other girls, it was a few seconds before she attracted any attention, most of the guests believing the processional of the hostesses was over. After a few gasps from guests who were looking in her direction, gradually more heads turned her way. Applause started and quickly grew. After years of performances with Megan, the members all knew exactly who Amy was, and more to the point, where she had spent the month before last.

Amy colored a little at the enthusiasm of the reception, and made a quieting gesture with her arms. When the room grew more or less silent, she said, "I'm really glad to be back..." The applause broke out again, mixed with cheers. She grinned, gestured for silence again, and gradually got it.

"I'm not here tonight to put on any sort of show, but just to thank the men who are responsible for me being back here at the Academy." She looked around briefly, and spotted them, near the hanging platform. She pointed towards them. "They're right there. The captain of boat that brought me back to the island is Justin Greene... Raise up an arm, Justin." The applause that had greeted her was transferred now, at still higher volume, to Justin, who turned red as a beet. "And standing with him are Dave Baylor... Give them a sign, please, Dave." An equally embarrassed Bailor raised a hand. "And Jimmy Pellis." Pellis nodded shyly. "Everybody please join me in telling them how much we appreciate what they did for me." Amy herself led a renewed burst of applause.

The three of them looked about the way Amy had expected. All were clean-shaven, Greene with his hair carefully combed, Bailor with his slicked back, and Pellis with his cut short, all of them looking uncomfortable in suits. Amy had made sure the word was passed along to them to "dress to look nice," which covered a lot of possible variations in clothing. The men had taken the safe approach. Probably fewer than half of the male guests were wearing suits, but there were enough of them that Greene and his crew didn't look out of place, beyond radiating an impression that they felt out of place.

Amy looked around the room with a grin and said, "Okay, I'll have another announcement in a few minutes, but for now, everybody just party!"

A gleeful shout went up around the room, and the guests resumed picking out girls with whom to chat and arrange some private time together.

Amy made her way across the room. She meant to greet the men coolly, but within about ten feet she broke into a run and threw her arms around Greene, who was surprised but returned the hug. She broke away from him and gave hugs to Bailor and Pellis. With all three men, she could feel the hardness at the front of their trousers. Pellis, in particular, was looking around wide-eyed, turning his head rapidly to look at one girl, then another, like a small child suddenly finding himself in a huge, colorfully-lit candy store.

Amy broke off her last hug and flashed a grin meant for the men as a group. "Before we figure out any plans for the evening, I have a confession to make. Obviously, I meant everything I promised you, and I've worked on making sure you get it, but I wasn't totally upfront about one of my traveling companions from the island. My friend's name isn't really Caleb."

Greene, who had apparently been steeling himself against disillusionment, gave her a puzzled look. "Why would we care what his name is?"

Amy giggled briefly. "You'll see. It was just a matter of being really careful. I didn't know what your reaction might be if you knew. I'm sorry about not trusting you, but you understand I didn't really know anything about you." She turned around and held her arm up, still able to see Greene's befuddlement out of the corner of her eye. "Can I have everybody's attention again for a minute?"

As conversations quieted around the room, she went on, "I want to introduce another person who's very special to me, who came with me from Purity Island." She made a beckoning gesture with her arm held high again. "This is my very, very good friend and roommate, Runner."

In the dim light of the corridor beyond the girls' entrance, Amy could see Melissa give Runner a one-armed hug and pat on the shoulder. Runner, with the grin of excitement she reserved for any opportunity for a new experience, entered the room, using the walk Melissa had been teaching her, her bare arms, shoulders, and long legs glowing coppery gold in the room's bright lights.

The collective gasp around the room reminded Amy strongly of the reaction, several years ago, when a breathtaking blonde named Megan had entered this room for her first party.

Beside Amy, Greene was seized with a coughing fit, holding the back of his hand over his mouth so he could remain standing upright, staring at Runner. Pellis whispered hoarsely, "You made her a girl?" followed by a grunt as Bailor elbowed him in the ribs, Bailor saying in another whisper, "Don't you get it, you nitwit? She was a girl the whole time!"

Greene sighed with what sounded to Amy like relief, and murmured to Amy, "You don't know how glad I am she's a girl. On the boat, I... ummm... I was getting these weird feelings looking at him. Her, I mean, at her. I was starting to worry about myself. I've never been... attracted... you know."

Amy smiled at him. "I know."

In the seconds following the first shock, a general movement towards Runner began as Runner crossed the room, and Amy called out, "Runner is not a student yet, and she's here tonight only for my friends from the boat. If those of you who want to spend time with her privately can have some patience, she will be a student eventually." The convergence on Runner stopped, with several disappointed groans, and Runner was able to reach Amy and take her outstretched hand without mishap.

Greene said uncertainly, "The puppygirl was really a puppygirl, right?"

It took Amy some time to recover her breath from laughing. Still holding Runner's hand, she turned back to the men. "So how should we do this? Usually each girl at a party has three one-hour sessions from seven to ten. Does everybody want an hour with me and an hour with Runner? And an hour with another girl?"

Neither Pellis nor Bailor could manage much more than an inarticulate "Umm," unable to take their eyes off Runner. Pellis, in particular, had his gaze fixed on Runner's breasts, shadowed by the gauzy nightie but not otherwise covered.

Greene was looking at Amy. "Meaning no disrespect to your very beautiful friend, I was hoping for a little more time than that with you."

Amy smiled, genuinely happy. She felt gratitude to all three collectively, but it was Greene whose decision to take a chance on the girl in distress had guaranteed her rescue. She wanted to show him, in particular, just how grateful she was. "We can probably arrange that." She turned to the others. "How does this sound? Would the two of you like ninety minutes each with Runner, and spend an hour of the rest of your time with another girl? I can't guarantee you could have absolutely any one you want, because you've got a whole room full of members competing for their attention, but really, you can't go wrong with any of us."

Bailor and Pellis had both torn their eyes from Runner and were looking hungrily around the room. As Amy saw Bailor's attention fasten on Jill, standing about ten feet away talking with two women, Amy asked, "Do you want her? The blonde girl in blue?" Jill was in a half tank-top and very short shorts with strategic rips.

Bailor gulped and nodded.

Amy signaled Jill to come over. "Jill, do you have any chits left?"

Jill gave Amy an apologetic look, and a smile to Bailor. "I'm sorry, Amy, I just gave out the last one."

One of the women with her, Beverly, who had won an auction last year for Amy's evening-long services after a performance with Megan, smiled at Amy. "Amy, are you trying to arrange something for one of your friends here?"

Amy returned her smile. "Hi, Beverly. Hoping to, yeah."

She held up the stub of paper she was holding. "Jill, if you'll promise to look for me at your next party, I'm willing to give this up to help Amy out."

Jill nodded. "Sure. By that time I'll be at a Third Year party, not Second Year."

Amy tried to read the chit, jiggling in Beverly's hand. "What time is it for, Beverly?"

Beverly looked at the chit to make sure. "First hour, I think... yes."

Amy looked at Bailor. "That okay?"

Bailor cleared his throat. "Does that mean, like... an hour with this girl, then wait thirty minutes, then you were saying ninety with... ummm, Runner?" Amy nodded, and a smile lit Bailor's face. "Cool."

Jill gave Beverly a friendly kiss. Beverly smiled and gave Amy a wave, and departed to look for another girl.

Within five minutes, Amy had located a date, Christa, for Pellis's last hour. It remained, in the short time left before all of the girls retired to private rooms, for Amy, Jill, Christa, and the mostly silent and observant Runner to chat with three men with uncomfortable erections.

*   *   *   *   *

Arriving at her assigned room for the night, holding Greene's hand, Amy turned to him. A quick read of his face confirmed what she'd been seeing in the main party room -- Amy should be his girlfriend, with an intimate, long-standing relationship. She stroked his arm, smiling, speaking softly. "Take off that coat, Justin, loosen that tie. Wait, let me do that." She reached up and wriggled the knot loose on his tie, freed the top button of his shirt, and caught his coat as he shrugged out of it, hanging it on the hook on the door.

He seemed suddenly shy. Hesitantly, he said, "Your hair looks good. They did a nice job on it. Fixing it..." He trailed off.

She grinned at him. "Thank you. Would you like coffee? Something stronger?"

He blinked. "Coffee's fine, thanks."

Amy made a gesture with her hand to no one Greene could see -- to Jana, who would relay the order to the staff. "Now watch the magic happen. Shoulder rub while you wait?" She pulled him gently from behind to sit on the bed, and knelt on the bed behind him, her fingers moving immediately to begin kneading his shoulders. She could feel him begin to relax.

Within about three minutes, a kitchen slave arrived with a coffee service on a silver tray -- steaming carafe, a cup already poured, bowl of packets of sugar and cream -- and set it down on an upholstered stool beside the bed. Greene, already relaxing under Amy's ministrations, picked up the cup, declining to add anything to it.

Still working his shoulders as he sipped, Amy leaned forward and lightly kissed his neck. "So how was your day? Same old same old?"

It took Greene a moment to formulate an answer. "Pretty much."

Amy smiled and softly licked the spot she had kissed. "Well, let me add some sugar to it then."

Greene blinked, staring at his cup, and then seemed to realize she wasn't talking about coffee.

She reached around him and slowly, giving him time to finish his coffee, unbuttoned his shirt.

*   *   *   *   *

Amy and Justin lay naked on the bed, facing each other, each lying atop one of the other's arms, Amy's other hand lightly stroking his hair, their bodies cooling after the intense heat of sex.

Amy touched her lips to his. "So why did you want to take a chance on rescuing me? I could have been a really clever island girl, fooling you. You could have got in so much trouble."

Greene smiled, returning her kiss. "I knew you weren't. And... well, I don't want to say it was just that you were worth a lot of money. I like to tell myself it was more than that. You didn't belong there. That did mean something to me. Really."

Amy giggled and ran her hand down his back to stroke his hip. "That's kind of a self-proving argument, you know. The fact that you want to think of yourself as a good person, wanting to do the right thing because it's right, means you are a good person."

He smiled. "If you say so." He cupped his palm on her buttock. "This, tonight -- this means more than the money, too. I'll run through that so fast I probably won't even remember where most of it went. But this right here... I'll remember it."

She kissed him again. "I'm glad. Speaking of that, maybe I should add to the memories now. You ready for another ride?" She gave him her best seductive look.

He was silent a moment, checking his own body's responses. "I could probably be talked into it."

She favored him with her most naughty smile. "Talk? I use my mouth for that." She scooted down slightly and kissed his chest, then slowly licked her way down his stomach, arriving at length at his limp manhood. Sucking it deep into her mouth, flicking it with her tongue, she tasted the mixture of semen and her own juices on it, and felt it begin coming back to life.

*   *   *   *   *

Holding Greene's hand, Amy returned to the main room, now about half-filled, with more girls and their final partners for the night entering from the private wing. She spotted Jimmy Pellis, getting a final warm kiss from Christa, as Christa took leave of him to cross the room to her roommate. Pellis looked flushed, a little disheveled, and happy. His tie was missing, likely coiled in his coat pocket.

Amy looked at the entrance again, and smiled. There she was, Runner, holding Bailor's hand. Bailor looked at least as exhausted as Pellis, but had his tie on, though crooked.

Runner looked ecstatic. Her hair, damp at the roots, flowed freely down to her shoulders now, minus the barrette, and her nightie clung to the sweat on her breasts, outlining them more clearly than before and attracting attention from anyone she passed. As she arrived she grinned at Jimmy and kissed him, still holding Bailor's hand, then broke contact with both and hugged Amy.

Amy grinned at the group as a whole. "Everybody have a nice time?" She received stunned vague nods from Bailor and Pellis, and an excited one from Runner.

Amy now saw Melissa, just now returning from monitoring Runner. She grinned across the room, gave Amy a two-thumbs-up signal, shaking her head slightly in wonderment, and went to stand with Jana.

I've got to see the video of Runner's sessions tomorrow, Amy reminded herself. She'd been planning to anyway, so she could tell Runner about any errors she had made, as gently as possible, but now she found herself unexpectedly eager to see exactly what had happened.

To her right, about thirty feet away, Amy suddenly spotted Benjamin. I should have realized he'd be here, she told herself. She'd been planning to get a message to him this week anyway, but decided this was an ideal opportunity.

Giving Greene a quick kiss, she said, "I'll be right back. Got to talk to someone."

She walked over to Benjamin, and hugged him. She grinned. "Still getting to know the Second Year girls?"

He smiled back. "Indeed. I was able to see Sarah, Emma, and Taylor tonight. I hadn't been with Sarah before. Delightful, all of them."

"I'm sure they'd all say the same about you. I was meaning to ask you something." She bit her lip, hopefully.

"Yes?"

"Could I invite a couple of people to my hanging? I mean, besides the girls from here we've already talked about? I would have asked when you were here before, but..." She smiled ruefully. "My mind was a little blown."

"Oh, certainly. I was expecting you would invite your father, at the very least. I assume your mother is no longer with us?"

Amy nodded. "Right. We ate her years ago. And yes, if my father can be there, I'd really appreciate it. And there's one other person, non-family." She gave him another hopeful look.

"Ah, another V.I.P. in your life?"

She was pleased he had understood immediately. "Oh, very! I don't know whether you know her. She's a member here. Steffi Bloom?"

"I know the name, though I don't believe we've met. She is the one you are hoping to invite?" Amy nodded eagerly, and Benjamin smiled. "Consider it done. I have nothing to write with at the moment, but I will... well, they probably have unpublished addresses and phone numbers. Why don't you have your dean pass along the information tomorrow?"

"I will! And thank you!" She hugged him again.

Benjamin looked beyond her. "I heard you say earlier that those are the men who brought you home?"

Amy turned and looked. "The ones standing with Runner. Oh, that's Runner, my roommate. The one I mentioned before."

"I caught that earlier tonight, when she came in. Quite a stunningly pretty girl."

Amy smiled. "Very."

"Would you have any objection to my also inviting the three men to your hanging?"

Amy gaped at him. "Would you? I feel I owe them so much, and I was trying to do what I could to pay them back tonight, but if they could see what they saved me for... Benjamin, you're one in a million." She kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.

*   *   *   *   *

The monitors had been streaming in for some time, and now Lori, the Third Year now serving as a Dorm Sister for the Second Years, appeared in the doorway, with a girl beside her dressed as a prisoner. The room quieted as Lori called out, "I see all of the girls are back now. I would like to introduce, for the entertainment of our honored members, Mandy, who will hang for your pleasure. She will be assisted by her roommate Jaime. Let me hear a big round of applause for Mandy!"

The girl in prison garb grinned and blushed. Obviously she would have liked to cover her face, but her hands were already bound behind her.

Runner turned quickly to Amy. "Where should I stand? Where's the best place to see it?" She had been almost beside herself with excitement two days earlier, when Amy had told her a student would do a terminal hanging at the end of the party.

Amy whispered quickly, not wanting to miss anything, "Wait until she stands on the platform. She's going to be turning to face everybody while she's hanging, but go stand in front of her before she hangs, just a little to this side." She gestured to the right. "I've seen her practice, and when she turns she'll go this way." She gestured again, a counterclockwise flip of her wrist.

Runner nodded, just as Mandy spoke up, in a whiny stage voice. "I thought there'd be more people here to see my execution. Did they put an announcement in the paper?"

Jaime, standing next to her, responded loudly, "There's a bigger hanging going on tomorrow. They're probably waiting for that. We're expecting a huge crowd for that one."

The crowd seemed puzzled at first, but Amy could tell they gradually caught on that the exchange between Mandy and Jaime was part of the show. She whispered to the shocked looking Runner, "They're just doing make-believe, for fun, like on TV."

Runner spun towards Amy and gaped, with her I've-got-it look, and whispered, "That's what you meant when you said girls do a show when they hang! Like a TV show!"

Amy grinned and put her finger across her lips. "Quiet now. Just watch."

Mandy was continuing with the script, exclaiming irritably, "Lot of good that does me! And where are the television cameras? I told all my friends I'd be on TV!"

" ' Best Friends' is on right now," Jaime explained, naming one of the most popular shows on television. "The network doesn't want to interrupt that." There were several chuckles as Mandy made an exasperated sound and rolled her eyes.

Mandy went on, "And what kind of a last meal was that? I thought I was supposed to get girlmeat steak and champagne. Not a tuna sandwich and some awful soda pop! There weren't even chips! How can you eat a sandwich without chips?" Both Mandy and Jaime began walking towards the hanging cage at the center of the room.

"Sorry about that. Budget cuts."

"I robbed a bank! Couldn't they use the money from that?" More laughter.

"Ummm... they can't find it."

"Can't find it!! I had it all in a bag when they caught me. What happened to that?"

"The chief of police said the investigative team will make every effort to find the money, just as soon as they all get back from Star Mountain." Another outbreak of chuckling at the mention of the ultra-expensive ski resort. Mandy and Jaime entered the hanging cage and stepped up onto the platform.

Runner gave Amy's hand a squeeze and now walked up closer, stopping just behind the knot of people in front of the cage, at the position Amy had suggested. None of the nearby members, Amy observed, seemed to have any objection to a skimpily-dressed treasure of beauty and sexual magnetism standing among them.

As Jaime dropped the noose over Mandy's head and tightened it around her neck, Mandy whined, "And you keep it too hot in here. I hate hot weather. It makes my hair frizz up at the ends!"

"Didn't you use the special shampoo they brought you? It was in a blue bottle."

"That?? I thought that was the soda pop!" She squeezed her eyes shut, stuck out her tongue, and shuddered, as everyone laughed.

Jaime reached up to the neckline of the prison outfit and tore it away from Mandy's body with one motion, hopping down from the platform, and at that moment three soft but bright spotlights focused on Mandy from different directions. The sudden sight of her naked body, glowing with oil as if from an inner light, evoked the usual response of gasps, both appreciative and sexually aroused.

Jaime exited the cage and closed Mandy inside, and said, "Mandy Larkin, do you have any last words?"

Mandy curled her lip and said, "Yeah, just two, for your hangings in this useless waste of a town: bo-ring! Next time I die, I'll do it where I'm appreciated!"

There was laughter once more, and then, spontaneously from several directions, applause began and spread throughout the audience, as if to make sure Mandy knew that, contrary to her script, she was very much appreciated here. Mandy tried to maintain her sour face but couldn't. She grinned and mouthed, "Thank you."

She closed her eyes then, and evened out her breathing, taking in the air more deeply. After about ten seconds, Jaime pulled the lever.

Amy could never resist watching a hanging, but found that her eyes kept being drawn back to Runner. Amy smiled. Runner was as focused as Amy had ever seen her, her eyes wide and only rarely blinking. As Mandy kicked and wriggled, going through all of the standard choreography, Amy could see Runner tensing different groups of muscles, in echo of Mandy's movements. Runner, Amy suspected, was not conscious of doing it, nor indeed aware of her own body at all. Runner was, to the extent possible, inside Mandy's body, experiencing a hanging more fully than she ever had before.

All around were the usual groans and gasps of highly aroused men and women, the inevitable reaction to watching a Hanging Girl show off her best. Amy, as susceptible to it as any of the guests, found she was rubbing her mound as she continued watching Mandy and Runner.

At about the fifteen minute mark, with Mandy visibly tiring, Amy saw Mandy smile suddenly. Mandy was, Amy realized, as aware of the time as Amy was, and Mandy knew that, in a sense, she had just made a passing grade on her Fifteen, the test that the rest of her classmates would go through a couple of months from now. She gave a triumphant little kick, and now began working the crotch rope for her terminal orgasm. The audience began applauding again, using hands that had to this point been otherwise employed.

Just a minute later, Mandy's whole body shivered in the throes of that climax, and then, all energy expended, she hung limp, her body twisting slowly from side to side in gradually diminishing turns. The applause continued until, one by one, audience members and students alike let their hands return to their earlier occupation.

It occurred to Amy, at last, to see how her guests were taking the show. All three men, she saw, were staring at Mandy, each with his hand rubbing his crotch. Amy grinned. No doubt Mandy's performance had gone beyond what they could have imagined.

There was one more round of applause as Jaime stabbed Mandy. Then, slowly, conversations began again around the room.

Looking entranced, Runner came back to where Amy was standing. In a dreamy voice, Runner said, "You said we could get to eat her later?"

Amy said cautiously, "I said maybe. The Second Year girls will eat her. Melissa is going to find out if she can invite you to come. I think it will be okay. There aren't as many Second Years as there were at the start of the year."

Runner nodded and, in that same voice of wonder, said, "I never saw a girl hang that long."

Amy smiled. "We don't go so long in practice. We're trying not to die."

Runner looked back at Mandy, whose swinging had subsided again following her stabbing. "When I hang to die, I'm going to do it that long."

Amy stroked Runner's arm. "Runner, I'm sure you're going to go a lot longer than that."

Runner turned back to Amy and grinned, then looked back at Mandy once more.

Amy tapped her on the shoulder. "We need to say goodbye to our friends."

Runner saw that Amy was hugging Greene, took the cue and gave Bailor and Pellis each a hug and a warm kiss, and echoed Amy's sentiments about being glad they could come, et cetera. Together Runner and Amy walked them towards the exit.

Watching Runner, Greene said to Amy, "That accent she had, on the island. That was faked too?"

Amy gasped and replayed, in her head, the sound of the last thing Runner had said to her. Amy had, from the beginning, mostly been able to understand Runner, and gradually her mind had filtered out any consciousness of Runner's island accent. Any changes in Runner's speech pattern, since her arrival at the Academy, had been so gradual that Amy, talking with her many times every day, had been unaware of them, but now that Justin had called Amy's attention to it...

She blinked in amazement. "No. No. That was all her. She's just... she learns things fast." She shook her head to clear it, and grinned. "See you at my own hanging?"

Greene grinned back. "Wouldn't miss it."

Once the men were gone, Runner turned to Amy, with a look Amy, through long experience, could interpret as sexual hunger. "Amy, could we go back to our room? I feel... jumpy all over."

Amy laughed. She knew the feeling exactly, and knew that a long session of lovemaking was coming up. "Let me take just a minute to say goodbye to Benjamin. Then we'll go right there."



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