Strictland Academy (2 page)

Still
unable to loosen the bonds, Molly concentrated on trying to stand.
 
She was able to rise to her knees just
before the heavy door abruptly opened and permitted the entrance of three severely
dressed older women with high-collared, shapeless black dresses, black sensible
shoes, and black hosiery.
 
Their
hair was pulled up into tight buns, causing the skin of their faces to
stretch.
 
They were followed by a
pale, sickly looking gaunt man, also dressed in black, who tapped a small black
leather-bound book continuously against his thigh.

Without
one utterance, one of the women captured Molly's wrists and forced them to the
floor, while the second woman set about repeating the gesture to the girl's
ankles.
 
The oldest of the three,
with steel-gray hair and black, narrow eyes, stood before Molly and elegantly
produced a long, thick paddle from the folds of her dress.

The
menacing instrument was silently displayed before Molly's terror-stricken
gaze.
 
Burned upon one side were
large letters that read 'OBEDIENCE' while the other side was laden with deep, elaborately
carved sentences.
 
Molly could not
help but look closer, horrified to discover that they were a set of rules,
obviously designed to impart wisdom directly to the penitent's flesh via her
behind.

“
You
may commence, Attendant Hazel,
”
the man intoned dully.
 
His voice
rose as he began reading methodically from the worn book:

“
Thus
stating in Strictland Academy Book of Declarations....
 
The reprobate student having performed a
deed or demonstrated a behavior deemed needful of correction by her betters,
will be immediately placed in a contrite position and undergo castigation for
as long as is considered necessary, such that her superiors believe she is
truly regretful of her actions and she be willing to come into compliance with
the regulations as stated in the Doctrine, submitting herself fully to their
authority over her mind and body."

The
moment the man said to commence, Attendant Hazel brought the paddle down on
Molly's bare behind with determination and sense of absolute purpose.
 
The cracking sound of the wood
connecting with flesh made Molly
’
s
two terrified companions shriek and jump as though they, too, were on the
receiving end of the cruel, calculated blows.

Attendant
Hazel's paddle toured the entirety of the supple young skin available to her,
landing crisp, sharp swats down each buttock and its accompanying upper
thigh.
 
Momentary indentations
settled into the bright pink flesh with every crack, and the paddle moved
rapidly and repeatedly over territory that had not had the opportunity to
recover from the first assault.
 
As
she marched that implacable paddle up and down poor Molly's rump and across the
upper portion of her soft thighs, Attendant Hazel remained completely oblivious
to the piteous squeals and moans the recipient emitted with each fierce
crack.
 
Molly's screams reached a
deafening pitch that echoed noisily in the sparsely furnished chamber, the
volume and intensity of which would lead an uninformed eavesdropper to believe
that the girl was being torn limb from limb.

The
paddle rose and fell relentlessly, painting Molly's bottom in broad, crimson
swaths.
 
Molly felt the two women
shift positions slightly, so they would not be a barrier to the other inmates
’
fields of vision.
 
Through eyes nearly blinded by tears,
Molly could make out the slight smirks on the women's faces as they looked
towards the other two girls.
 
Those
smirks indicated their satisfaction in the terror registered upon the young
observers when, with horrifying clarity, the understanding that a picture of
their own futures was being painted across Molly's posterior.

The
man silently came to stand by Attendant Hazel's side.
 
He watched as several more strokes
castigated the flesh of the young bottom before he nodded.
 
Immediately, the paddling ceased, and
Attendant Hazel stood rigid and tall before him, while Molly remained anchored
by the human restraints leaning heavily on her hands and ankles.
 
Barely able to breathe through her sobs,
Molly was dumbstruck
—
her head swimming and dizzy from pain.
 
An intense burn sizzled through every
pore, and she found herself frozen, unable to think rationally.
 
She was in such a state that, when the
man introduced himself, she comprehended very little of what was said.

“
I
am Headmaster Judas.
 
I am the
President of Strictland Academy.
 
Molly Petry, you have transgressed against your mother, the memory of
your deceased father, and society.
 
You have proven yourself undeserving of privileges afforded to an adult
by behaving in an unacceptable manner for a mature and responsible young
lady.
 
According to these papers
that hold your signature, you have made the conscious choice to voluntarily
attend Strictland Academy in lieu of incarceration.
 
You will thusly remain here as an inmate
until such a time as your instructors and I deem that you have learned to honor
and obey all authority, and become eligible to go through the process of
selection to gain a husband."

He
paused for a long moment, his words echoing in disbelief in Molly's head.
 
His lecture continued:
 
“
Look at me. You were brought here and placed in this
room in a very specific and deliberate manner, which included being physically
separated from the other girls.
 
You
were also instructed by your procurers to remain in place and maintain
silence.
 
Yet, Molly Petry, you took
it upon yourself to not only alter your position but attempt to initiate
conversation.
 
This blatant defiance
is unacceptable.
 
Here at
Strictland, we expect
—
we
demand
—
complete and utter obedience from our charges.
 
Your opinion regarding fairness,
methods, and legalities is not our concern.
 
Only the result, the reform of the
ill-mannered child into a responsible and prudent adult, and subsequently
become a woman worthy of marriage, is our mission.
 
Is this too difficult for you to
understand?
”
He glared, his slightly clouded eyes boring into hers,
“
This simply means that
if you are placed in a particular position or instructed to carry out a task,
you are not to question the reasoning behind the actions or instructions of
your superiors.
 
You are not to act
on your own.
 
You are to submit and
comply.
 
You are not to complain or
voice protest.
 
And above all
things, you are to obey.
 
Quietly
and meekly, as befits a young woman."

Molly
barely caught her name, his name, and his emphasis on the word
“
obedience
”
in its various
permutations in the reprimanding tone of his voice.
 
Her tears fell into a growing puddle
beneath her face, and she was struck by fear and confusion as she remained
frozen on her hands and knees.
 
Her
consciousness of thought was gone, knowing not what to say or do.
 
Unable to halt the uncontrollable
weeping, she did nothing except focus on the fires raging over her backside.

“
Do
you repent of your wrongdoing, Molly Petry?
 
Do you submit to your punishment
declared upon you for your transgressions?"

Even
incognizant as she was, Molly's personality would not permit her to simply
acquiesce without some sort of a fight.
 
She glared back at the man in rage.
 
"You are a sick, sadistic bastard, and when the State find out
about you and this judge, I swear that ..."

Her
sentence was unfinished, as he stepped back and offered a barely perceptible
nod in Attendant Hazel's direction, setting the punishment in motion
again.
 
A cacophony of vicious
claps, followed by fervently renewed moans and wails, bounced off the tiled
walls.
 
The loud popping of the
paddle was counterpoised with another never-ending chorus of screams.
 
The other two girls cowered against the
wall, their bodies frozen in position as they stared in Molly's direction,
mouths agape in disbelief.
 
The
remaining two staff members of Strickland remained unexpressive, offering no
acknowledgement regarding Molly's pain or piteous cries for mercy as she begged
for the punishment to end.
 
Molly's
resolve weakened, and she slumped.
 
She had lost this battle.

Finally,
the Headmaster nodded again, stepping between Attendant Hazel and the weeping
girl, this time forcing her to stare down upon his finely polished shoes as he
firmly and solemnly repeated his question.
 
It took every bit of strength for Molly to scrape together the presence
of mind to whisper,
“
Yes."

Headmaster
Judas squatted closer to her head, exercising inordinate care not to allow even
the edge of his clothing to make physical contact with her.
 
His voice bellowed in her ear,
“
I couldn't hear you,
Molly Petry.
 
When you speak to your
betters, you must do so clearly and in a voice meant to be heard.
 
If not, your words might easily be
missed and taken for rebellion, instead."

Molly
sucked air into her aching lungs and croaked out a louder
“
Yes."
 
The word was raspy and hoarse as it
creaked out of her parched throat, a condition that was no doubt caused by the
sheer volume and fervency of her screams.

“
Yes,
you repent?
 
Yes, you submit
willingly to your punishment?"

In
the far recesses of her mind, Molly rejected his words entirely on the fact
that she was an adult and thus possessed certain rights, but she ruthlessly
squelched her rebellion in favor of the health and welfare of what was left of
her ass cheeks.
 
A third, and more
solid
“
Yes" was heard.

The
Headmaster sighed, tsking.
 
"Here at Strictland, when you address a person of authority
—
whether it's a prefect
or a teacher or myself
—
you will use the appropriate term of respect.
 
'Miss' for a prefect, 'Ma'am' for a
teacher, and in my case, 'Sir'."

Molly
foolishly chose to nod out of sheer exhaustion.

"It
appears that this one is a slow learner.
 
Very well.
 
Add another five,
please," the hawk-faced man said, as he shook his head.
 
He directed a slight nod in Attendant
Hazel's direction and initiated another series of vicious strokes to Molly's
tormented posterior.

Screams
of "
Yes, Sir!!
 
Yes,
Sir!
 
I submit.
 
I'm begging you ...
”
erupted in sobbing
waves as Molly desperately pleaded to stop the attack upon her person.
 
She no longer cared about her foolish
pride and embarrassment.
 
Nothing
else mattered except to escape from the pain of Attendant Hazel's merciless
paddle and the acknowledgement that she was incapable of handling anything more
—
now or ever.

“
That's
better,
”
Headmaster Judas said with satisfaction, turning away from Molly's misery
without a second glance.
 
He shifted
his thunderous gaze to the other two girls as he stretched himself to his full height.
 
"I trust you two will benefit from
the lesson you've been shown here?"

Without
hesitation, each of them replied vehemently,
“
Yes, Sir."

"Do
you have any questions?
 
Petry?
 
Out with it."

Molly
lifted her swollen eyes to look up at him.
 
"Are we students here, or inmates?"

"At
Strictland, you are one and the same.
 
You will be students of life's lessons under the jurisdiction of
professional rehabilitators."

"Will
we ever be allowed to leave?"

"One
day... either with a suitable husband or to transfer to another facility. You
know the penalty of breaking the law is a life sentence, regardless of the
severity. You might as well get comfortable with the idea that this is your
home now."
 
A look of sadistic
satisfaction registered around his face as Molly's own red face paled to a
snowy white.