Strictland Academy by Breanna Hayse, Carolyn Faulkner Read Free Book Online Page B

bother to ask the trader
if I had paid! My mom tried to reverse the charges but they told her that her
denial of my actions would hurt me for the rest of my life.   The cops pursued these charges, not my
mother! They know there are gangs out there and …”
    "Theft
is theft, and even if you had her permission to use the money, you know the law
regarding curfew and could have left your home earlier. The fact that you took
the money without her knowledge, and then put her through the worry about what
happened to you after curfew, is reason enough to say that your sentence stands
as is."
    He
allowed several minutes of silence to pass, giving the three girls time to
allow his words to sink in.   He
perched on the edge of the desk, drumming his fingers on the wood in a slow,
methodical cadence.   "While you
three might believe your actions are justified, that only clarifies the need
for you to be here.   I assure you,
after a year or two, maybe more, you will truly appreciate the life your
mothers gave you and will treat it, and whomever assumes your future care, with
more respect."
    He
slid off the desk, the sound of his shoes clapping as they struck the
floor.   He wrapped his fingers
around the handle of the paddle and slipped it off the desk, swinging it
menacingly by his side as he walked behind their naked, shivering bodies.
    "All
of you are to bend over and use your fingertips to balance yourself.   Raise your bottom well up, so that it
might receive the fullest extent of my efforts."
    The
paddling they received was beyond comprehension.   The headmaster progressed down the line,
girl to girl, cheek to cheek, with each new red blotch quickly building on top
of the old ones.   The three knew
they were expected to remain silent, but their efforts crumbled
immediately.   They howled loudly,
while their screams of pain rattled the stark office walls.   Headmaster Judas made no comment as he
paused to take a short breath, raising hope that the horrid torture was over.
    It
was not.   Beginning with Molly, he
planted two solid swats in the exact same spot before moving to the other
two.   All three moaned loudly, their
bodies exhausted from the ordeal.   Every bit of the flesh on their bottoms and down the backs of their
upper thighs was swollen and a solid, fiery red.   Mercifully, they had also become
surprisingly numb to the pain, as though every nerve had short-circuited.   Expecting this phenomenon to occur, the
man ceased their punishments as abruptly as he had begun.
    He
resumed his sitting position behind his desk.   After several minutes, he spoke:   “ You may straighten up to attention with your fingers
laced and hands placed on top of your heads. When Attendant Hazel takes you
down to the dormitory area, you must each tell her that you have earned another
punishment for being so vocal during this one.   You may also tell her that it can be
deferred a day or two to allow your bodies time to recuperate and appreciate
the full impact of her discipline.   Don't look so surprised that I know you are not feeling anything
significant at this moment.   We will
not fight against your endorphins.   Instead, we will make use of them, by keeping you on the edge."
    Each
girl bit her lip, stifling a groan at his pronouncement.   Moments later, they heard Attendant
Hazel's skirts rustling behind them as she entered the room.   They were led through the teeming hall
to a dormitory area and taken into a communal bathroom.   The room stilled of all sound and
movement when little April piped up with a request:   “ Attendant?   Ma'am?"
    Attendant
Hazel ’ s stony face glared
down at the large, blue eyes.   "Are you interrupting me, girl?"
    “ No,
Ma'am, it's just that we're here in the bathrooms, and I have to, you know ... ”   Her face flushed bright pink. “ I have to go."
    She
gasped as the older woman reached down and pushed a balled fist against her
lower tummy, holding her in place with a tight