Stevens School Runaways - Part 2 (hist, tort, CBT, psych)
By Platypus (formerly Dark Man)
plupy@surfbest.net

copyright 2005 by Platypus, all rights reserved

(First published on Eunuch Archive)

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This story is intended for ADULTS ONLY. It contains explicit depictions of sexual activity involving minors. If you are not of a legal age in your locality to view such material or if such material does not appeal to you, do not read further, and do not save this story.
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Two young inmates of a harsh reform school eventually receive their not-so-just desserts.

Stevens School Runaways - Part 2

"Those two kids in 14c – Bridges and Hansen – are up to no good. Did you listen to their tapes – especially over the last few days? I tell you -- those two bear watching," said Mueller, the reform school's chief of security operations.

Eddie Mueller usually kept his distance from the kids unless a punishment session was required. He often supervised – or when necessary – introduced pain-causing procedures. All the boys' rooms were bugged, monitored with high-tech surveillance devices – a fact unrealized by inmates until the moment for "punishment intake" – a pre-punishment orientation required by school charter. This prepping took place in a special antechamber adjacent to the dreaded "dungeon" where punishments occurred.

"I played the tapes over several times," headmaster Taylor said, "and you're right, I have a few concerns. But nothing that should be acted on yet. Those two are potential trouble – but we're not going to punish them until they screw up. This talk about absconding is just that – talk, unless one or both of them acts it out. For the time being, it's just this strange impulse mixed in with simple boyish curiosity – nothing more."

This -- during a February 26th staff meeting – was the first serious discussion about the roommates. Mueller had mentioned them once or twice in previous meetings, but only in passing.

Several adult faculty and staff crowded the stuffy chamber. The conference room on the third floor was old-world, imposing, like a British study – especially the bookcase with dusty tomes. Except there was a big-screen television, videocassette recorder, and even a compact disc player arranged against the far wall. No Harry Potter, nothing magical. Everyone sat on high-backed purple-cushioned chairs. Gathered around a 1930s era oaken corporate table their number included Manny Graves, a tall and gruff-voiced African-American with finely chiseled features. Graves might have been a professional basketball player. Instead he taught shop and metalworking. A proud father of three, his sons ranged in age from six through nine and "were all going to college if he could help it." Looking rather morose, he reflected upon the last Stevens punishment weekend. His turn. He'd taken part. Afterwards, he'd felt nauseated, remorseful, sated. Had he enjoyed it? My boys will never be like these little punks. These kids are a different species. Except Payton's face haunted him -- an angel's visage. And that odd scream -- high-pitched, intoxicating, unnerving. Different from the screams other boys might make – at least those he'd helped punish. Still, there was novelty brewing. How might Bridges or Hansen scream? His musings grew muddled. "A whole weekend? Why do we need a whole weekend? Those 14 year olds last semester – what a mess – and right before Thanksgiving," he ended up saying.

"There has to be a severe penalty for absconding," Charlie Mason said glibly, "We had no choice. Payton and Singletary made it almost to Perkins before we caught them – what we did was necessary." Mason taught 8th grade history – saw Rich Hansen in class three periods a week. He liked the kid – a handsome boy with the makings of an athlete, and a decent student. He didn't know Tommy Bridges well. But when it came to Stevens' school procedure – this eleven-year veteran was loath to cheat. Even if it would consume an entire weekend -- when an absconding occurred, it had to be dealt with promptly and thoroughly. Mueller and Mason resided in Perkins with their families – Mueller legally married with six kids – Mason's situation common-law … Mason and his estranged wife had produced a whiney red-haired daughter. Mason viewed his occasional participation in prolonged punishment sessions for errant boys as a stress reliever – like going to a movie. It's a duty he performed almost cheerfully but he didn't consider himself a pederast like Cousins, or even particularly sadistic. It's the power that attracted him, a certain escalation of control over a boy and his body that were usually merely implied. Besides, staff volunteering for punishment sessions merited double overtime pay.

Dr. Thompson was at the meeting too. A lanky gentle-voiced man with an everyman's face, he'd been resident "healer" at the reform school for sixteen years. "Doc" lived with a high school age daughter in Perkins, on Main Street, upstairs from the town's barbershop. Sometimes she babysat Mason's daughter. Parts of the physician's duties involved monitoring punishments. It was crucial that these sessions didn't degenerate into mindless boy-bashings. The government guidelines explicitly stated that no bones were to be broken, that any damage to major organs and blood vessels was to be avoided. Boys in these Federally approved "pain threshold" experiments were expected to experience pain, maybe excruciating physical and emotional pain, but never any permanent physical injury beyond superficial scarring. Both as a top-secret national security measure and as an absolutely essential implementation of school policy, the system worked fine – had worked fine since the mid-1970s. "Doc" Thompson was all for the punishment sessions – took them for granted – even as part of his patriotic duty – within limits – as long as the proper safeguards and follow- ups were rigorously complied with. "I'm sure everyone realizes that Payton and Singletary are back in classes, fully recuperated, and most of the fears regarding their ability to walk proved unfounded," he felt compelled to say.

"Payton is playing soccer again," added the school's physical education instructor, Anton Reilly, "he's almost as quick as he used to be, and still takes pride in scoring the occasional goal." Reilly was a conversational macho-type, well liked by the boys who hadn't yet encountered him during an ordeal.

"Payton's sperm count is back up too," chimed in Thompson, "and he's tolerated all of his urethral cleanings better than I thought he would."

"How many has he had?" asked Taylor.

"Six, I think – since the initial procedures during that first weekend."

"None of the kids like peehole scrapings," Reilly said, "or anything else done to their cocks and balls. Can't blame them really."

Everyone laughed. "They all scream bloody murder – never fails – even the oldest boys," Mason said in his gravelly deadpan.

But that brought up another point. "What about emotional damage?" Cousins asked, "I know they get extra counseling afterwards, but is it enough? The pain inflicted during many of these procedures is like torture."

There was a collective gasp heard in the third floor chamber.

Taylor finally spoke up after the long pregnant pause. "Please don't use that word. It's not torture. I resent the inference. It isn't the Stevens way."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend. But the pain – it can be excruciating. Especially to the younger ones who tend to be more sensitive. And those humiliation skits – making them act out sexually beforehand – are they really necessary?"

"You are well aware, Mr. Cousins, that those practices act as a deterrent – in combination with the rest," lectured Taylor. "Shaming is now an established practice – even with social workers attempting to rehabilitate youthful molesters. Their agencies just don't broadcast the fact!" Taylor frequently expressed irritation with Cousins – sometimes even outright hostility.

Most of the others glared at Cousins. If Cousins didn't like what the boys had to endure, he didn't have to stick around and attend every minute of their punishment sessions.

Like the physician, though, Cousins had his uses – acting as a counterweight to someone like Reilly in case he got too crazy. Reilly, like Mason and Graves and a few of the guards, really got off on hearing a kid scream.

"Besides," Taylor said as they prepared to adjourn, "the procedures are pretty much set unless a danger beyond the ordinary can be proven. We don't do anything that isn't reasonable under the circumstances. If a kid acts out, we punish him. If not, we don't. The boys have to be trained."

"Even the young ones?" Cousins asked.

"Especially the young ones!" bellowed Thompson. "In the long term, it's better that we don't coddle them. Besides, the younger boys make 90% of escape attempts."

Cousins thought about that for a moment. If there was one thing he knew about Stevens kids, they weren't being coddled.

End Part 2