Chapter 1
 
The children descended from the dusty yellow school bus and lined up for the trek up Cobbler Hill. This was as far as the bus would take them. Vehicles rarely attempted the steep climb up the unpaved, potholed road. Ten youngsters now stood on a patch of grass and faced two others. The selection was about to be made and each silently prayed they wouldn’t be chosen. The two largest, fourteen-year-old twins Oliver and Olivia Jessup conferred among themselves.
 
“I choose Billy Parker,” Oliver announced.
 
“I choose Allison Cleary,” his sister said.
 
The two children named stepped forward in trepidation. Billy was a solid twelve-year old with dark hair, blue eyes and broad shoulders. Allison was a willowy thirteen-year-old with long red hair and the requisite freckles. Both grimaced at having been named, knowing what was coming next. Without being asked, Billy lifted Oliver’s book pack and Allison, Olivia’s. Along with their own packs, each now carried a second up the hill.
 
Everyone who lived on Cobbler Hill was afraid of the Jessups. Though obviously not identical, the twins looked very much alike. Both had rust-colored hair which they kept at the same length, round faces spattered with freckles and green eyes. Among the oldest children on the hill, both were tall for their age and muscular, partially from heredity and also from the chores they had performed at any early age. Their father, Oliver, called Ollie, was a contractor when he was sober and he made the children assist by carrying heavy bags of supplies. He had assured them it would help build muscle and that was one of his few promises which had panned out. Their mother had grown tired of the ones which hadn’t and ran off with a customer of the diner where she waitressed. They hadn’t seen her in years.
 
Thus the twins had grown up with little adult supervision. From their father they learned that they could help themselves to anything they felt they were owed. When a youngster on the hill was foolish enough to show off a new toy, within a short while it was either broken by the twins or in their possession. Complaining to Ollie was a waste of time.
 
So was calling the sheriff. Because the nearest police station was miles away, an officer had been assigned to keep the peace in this region. The posting was something of a penalty and so the laziest officer had been selected. But Abner Guest saw it as a plum assignment. Overweight and given to drinking, he did not venture out of his comfortable office except to cadge meals at local establishments. He was not going to take his cruiser up the steep road nor would he climb it. When someone called to complain about the twins, his response was, “Kids will be kids. Don’t call me unless they kill someone.” He was also Ollie’s cousin.
 
The adults of Cobbler Hill learned to give Ollie a wide berth but the children were unable to avoid the twins, since they all went to school on the same bus. All three Jessups enjoyed wrestling, which they watched together on an old thirteen-inch TV. One of their favorite wrestlers was the Serpent, a slender man in a tight black outfit wearing a full head mask sporting a serpent’s head. Though he was often smaller than his opponent, he moved with a sinuous grace and struck swiftly, bringing larger men to the ground.
 
“You know this ain’t real,” Ollie would laugh. “Ain’t no way a skinny guy like that could take down a big guy like the Bull.”
 
 
But the twins were mesmerized by the diminutive wrestler and cheered him on, even if his victories were fake. They began to play The Serpent, though with their height and the extra pounds they carried around belly and butt, they were far from snakelike. They wrestled other children against their will. Since their opponents were smaller, they always won.
 
A little over a year ago, their tactics took a new turn. Everitt Duane had been given a dollar by his grandmother and made the mistake of showing it to a friend on the bus. He forgot that it was a bad idea to let the Jessups know he had something worth taking. Oliver had caught a glimpse of the bill and Everitt had caught a glimpse of Oliver watching. When the bus dropped them off at the base of the hill, Oliver had demanded the money. Everitt denied having any. Oliver called out, “The Serpent!” and wrestled him to the ground. He searched the boy’s pockets and upon discovering they were empty, pulled off his shoes and socks. When that proved fruitless, he pinched both cuffs of Everitt’s pants legs in his fingers and yanked. In the first second, Everitt had been held upside down. In the next, his pants had come off, revealing his white briefs to a dozen schoolmates, half of them girls.
 
But the worst was yet to come. Before the boy could recover from his sudden exposure, Oliver grabbed the waistband of his underpants and tugged them down, revealing the elusive dollar as well as a short penis emerging from a hairless crotch.
 
As the crying boy pulled up his underwear, Oliver said, “Next time don’t lie to me.”
 
Sheriff Guest didn’t consider this a serious enough offense to get involved. Everitt stayed home the next day, ashamed to face those who had seen his privates. But he couldn’t stay in forever and returned to school, sitting quietly in the back of the bus. Eventually his embarrassment became easier to take when he got to see the hidden parts of those who had seen him - all but the twins.
 
“That was so cool, seeing Everitt’s junk!” Olivia declared that night, “but sorta disappointing. You know who I’d love to see? Allen Simms.”
 
Allen was a handsome twelve-year-old with blonde hair and blue eyes.
 
“I’d prefer to see the girls,” her brother said. “Particularly Marie Simms.”
 
Marie was a lovely thirteen-year-old with the same fair features as her brother.
 
“If you do something to a girl, you could get in serious trouble,” Olivia pointed out. “They could call it a sex crime.”
 
“Too bad. That would have been fun.”
 
When they saw there would be no penalty for what Oliver had done to Everitt, they revisited the topic.
 
“I was thinking,” Oliver said. “Nothing happened over Everitt. I guess when a boy pantses another boy, it’s not serious. I bet it’s the same when a girl pantses another girl.”
 
“You’re probably right. Uncle Abner says he wouldn’t come up here for anything short of murder.”
 
“So how about we work together? I’ll pants the boys and you pants the girls.”
 
Olivia’s eyes lit up. “Sounds good to me.”
 
They began coming up with excuses to fight children on the way home from school. Every day Oliver chose a boy and Olivia a girl to bare, right there on the side of the road. Eventually all the children had seen each other - except for the twins. They also learned that it was easier to comply than to have it done by force. Once their names were called, they would pull down their pants or skirt, lower their underpants and reveal what they had to the others.
 
Then the twins decided to take it up a notch. They changed the rules, which made the game both easier and harder. The chosen pair had to carry the twins’ backpacks up the hill to their home. They didn’t remove their clothes until they were inside, which meant only two were present to see the humiliation. But they had to strip completely naked.
 
 
Puffing with the exertion of carrying two packs, Allison and Billy entered the Jessup house, if the ramshackle cabin could be classified a house. They dropped their burden to the floor with a resounding thud.
 
“Show time!” Oliver announced, as the twins took seats on the dilapidated sofa. When their victims hesitated, he added, “Ladies first!”
 
 Her skin tone almost matching her red hair, Allison stepped out of her sneakers. Next she pulled her blue tee shirt over her head, revealing a white bra. She lowered her navy skirt to the floor, displaying light blue panties. Reaching behind, she unsnapped the bra. It fell to the floor, no longer concealing a pair of lemon-sized breasts. Squeezing her eyes shut to suppress her tears, she lowered her panties and her crotch, sparsely covered with red hair, was visible.
 
“She’s developing nicely, don’t you think?” Oliver asked his sister, and Allison choked back a sob.
 
Billy wanted to be a gentleman and look away to spare her some embarrassment but couldn’t bring himself to do it. For one thing, he thought she was so pretty. For another, soon she would be seeing him, as she had before. So he silently witnessed her humiliation.
 
Rising from the sofa, Oliver stood before her. He reached out and cupped her small breasts. “Yep, they’re gettin’ bigger,” he reported. He ran his right hand in circles over her nude derriere. “Gettin’ nice and round.” Then he palmed her sex. “Bush comin’ in nicely.”
 
“Your turn, Billy!” Olivia commanded.
 
Blushing furiously, Billy shucked his clothes, revealing a plump penis in a nest of dark hair. Olivia first squeezed his behind, then grasped his penis in one hand and lifted his balls in the other. Despite his humiliation, he began to grow. Still holding him, she led him to the bathroom where he achieved release at the toilet. Once his arousal was over, the mortification almost made him ill. The two youngsters dressed, picked up their backpacks and walked home together in silence. Like the rest of their friends, they didn’t bother to tell their parents, expecting that the adults would call Abner who would simply ignore the situation and the twins would escalate their activity.
 
Thus the arrangement continued and each of the ten victims had seen all the others in their deepest humiliation. The twins were even a bit bored because they had seen and felt all their little area offered. Then two new children moved to Cobbler Hill.
 
 
 
Chapter 2
 
It was on a Saturday afternoon that Karen Cutter was seen first driving her Jeep down Cobbler Hill and returning some time later with two youngsters. The girl was about fourteen, the boy about a year younger. Both were slender with pert features, dark hair and blue eyes. They were both cute, which meant the twins wouldn’t take long to add them to their group of victims.
 
Karen had moved to Cobbler Hill only two years ago. She started working at the Bric N Brac, a store in town which sold everything from household goods to creations by local artists. She herself was a painter and had met the widowed owner of the store when delivering her art on consignment. As Mrs. Jenkins aged and needed assistance, Karen had come through. She moved into the old lady’s cabin on Cobbler Hill. When Mrs. Jenkins died, she left Karen both her store and her cabin.
 
For some reason, Karen never married. She was certainly attractive enough, slender, with dark hair and eyes. She had no lack of interested men. But she was devoted to her art and now her store. So it came as something of a surprise when she returned from a trip to town with two children.
 
After the youngsters introduced themselves the following morning at the bus stop, the interrogation started. Under the twins’ questioning, the siblings explained that they were Karen’s niece and nephew, Briana and Toby. Their mother had died a few years ago and their father would be spending long weeks on the road. They would therefore be staying with their aunt for the time being.
 
“Got any money?” Oliver asked.
 
Toby was about to reply when he saw Billy shake his head behind the bully’s back. He therefore answered in the negative. The bus pulled up that moment. Billy took a seat next to Toby and Allison next to Briana.
 
“Don’t ever let the Jessups know you have money or anything good,” Billy cautioned. “They’ll just steal it from you.”
 
“And you just let them?” Toby asked incredulously.
 
“We can’t stop them. They’re bigger and stronger.”
 
“But there are only two of them and a lot more of you!”
 
“I know it seems like we should be able to beat them but they know how to wrestle. Their dad taught them. And all the adults are afraid of him.”
 
“Why don’t you call the cops on them?”
 
“We only have a local sheriff and he’s their uncle. He never comes around.”
 
“Too bad. Thanks for the warning. I’ll make sure to avoid them.”
 
“You can’t. We’re on the same bus. I bet Oliver starts up with you right when we get off this afternoon and Olivia with your sister.”
 
“Why would she start up with my sister?”
 
“Because that’s the way they operate - one girl and one boy at a time.”
 
On the bus ride home, everyone was conscious of the way the twins were looking at the newcomers and whispering between them. When the passengers descended, all eyes looked from the twins to the Cutters.
 
“We decided that since you’re new here, we’ll give you a day to learn how things work around here,” Oliver said. “Billy, did you tell him?”
 
“Not everything.”
 
“Well, you better tell him everything. Tomorrow it’s their turn. Today it’s Sally and Jimmy.”
 
The Cutters watched as a slightly chubby brown-haired girl and a short, blonde boy each took one of the twins’ backpacks and followed them.
 
“What’s that all about?” Toby asked.
 
“Let me tell you how things work around here,” Billy said.
 
Toby’s eyes widened as his new acquaintance detailed the humiliation meted out by the twins.
 
“And you stand for that?”
 
“Like I said, they’re bigger and stronger.”
 
“And like I said, there are ten of you - twelve now - and only two of them.”
 
“So you think we should get together and take ‘em on?”
 
“Beats doing what they make you do.”
 
“And what stops them from picking us off one by one?”
 
“After we take them down the first time, we let ‘em know they’ll get more of the same if they start with any one of us.”
 
“That could work,” Billy said thoughtfully.
 
“Do you think we can get everyone on board by tomorrow?”
 
“I don’t blame you for wanting to get it done before it’s your turn. I’ll see what I can do.”
 
The next day at lunch, Billy and Toby quietly approached each Cobbler Hill resident and presented the idea. Each agreed that when the time came, they would stand together. There was palpable tension on the bus ride home. Then the group was dropped off at the base of the hill.
 
“Toby and Briana, grab our bags,” Oliver ordered.
 
“Something wrong with your arms?” Toby asked.
 
“I’m sure Billy explained how it works. Today it’s your turn.”
 
“Billy explained but I didn’t agree. It seems to me there are twelve of us against two of you.”
 
“And you think that’s gonna help?”
 
“Come on, guys! Are you gonna stand up for yourselves?”
 
The others formed a circle around the pair but Toby could tell they were afraid. Oliver sensed it as well.
 
“Let me warn you!” he called out. “Anyone who helps Toby will be stripped here on the road and hafta walk home naked!”
 
One by one, the others backed up.
 
“Come on, guys!” Toby shouted. “Do you want them to keep doing this to you?”
 
“Sorry, Dude,” Billy said. “They’re just too tough.”
 
“And for what you just tried,” Oliver said, “you and your sister are gonna be stripped right here and hafta walk home naked.”
 
 
 
Chapter 3
 
“Now strip!” Oliver commanded.
 
“Or what?” Toby asked.
 
“Or I’ll rip those clothes off you! Then your sister’s next!”
 
With the exception of Briana, whose arm was being held by Olivia, the others backed off a few steps and remained to watch.
 
“If you touch me, that’s assault!”
 
“I’m only going to show you some wrestling moves. Did you ever hear of the Serpent?”
 
“The wrestler?”
 
“So you heard of him? Good. You see, my sister and I watch him all the time. We know every one of his moves. He has one that goes like this.”
 
Oliver wrapped a muscular arm around Toby’s neck - at least he tried to - but the smaller boy jabbed an elbow into his gut. As Oliver doubled over, Toby shoved him with one hand while sweeping his feet out from under him with a leg. The bully fell to the ground with a thud. Toby dropped to his knees on Oliver’s chest, knocking the air out of him. In the meantime, Briana twisted and suddenly Olivia’s arm was behind her back. Briana applied pressure and brought the larger girl to the ground. Around them the other youngsters cheered.
 
“What are you waiting for?” Toby asked. “Someone’s gonna be walking home naked and it won’t be me.”
 
Ten youngsters closed in on the bullies. Oliver tried to kick at them but Toby punched him in the solar plexus, which took the fight out of him. He flipped the larger boy face down and twisted his arm behind him as his sister was doing to Olivia. The twins began screaming that their arms were breaking.
 
“If you hold still, it won’t hurt,” Toby told them.
 
Oliver couldn’t understand what happened. One second he was putting the little twerp into a headlock and the next he was face down with his arm twisted behind his back. He couldn’t move. How could the shrimp be so strong? Then he heard the kid’s announcement and a chill went through him. No way! But there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
 
His tee shirt was wrestled off until it hung from just the one arm Toby held. Someone kneeled on the back of his legs, reached around and unsnapped his jeans. At that moment Toby released his arm and pulled off the shirt. He tried to fight but there were now several people holding him down. Hands removed his sneakers. Someone grasped the waist of his pants and pulled them off. He was now wearing just underpants. A moment later, those were gone and he knew that everyone was staring at his bare butt.
 
Olivia fared no better. While Briana held her immobile by one arm, others climbed on her and pulled off her clothing. She felt her bra being unsnapped and yanked off and was momentarily thankful she was face down, though she realized that wouldn’t last for long. Then her panties were removed and there was no way to hide her exposure. 
 
“I believe there’s something that every kid here owes you,” Toby said. “Let’s keep it moving. Three spanks each.”
 
Both twins felt the fire of one slap after another administered to their bare behinds. Each was mortified knowing this was being done by members of the opposite sex. They sobbed and begged for mercy but none was forthcoming. Soon their butts were as red as their faces.
 
“Do you want us to stop?” Toby asked.
 
“Yes, please!” the bullies cried.
 
“Then stand and no covering up or we’ll go through this again.”
 
Two crimson teens rose with their hands at their sides. Both had bellies which protruded slightly. Olivia had breasts the size of half-coconuts and a generous amount of pubic hair concealing her sex. Oliver was a disappointment. For a large boy he was underendowed. His small penis was almost lost in the bush.
 
“You are going to give everyone a turn to do to you what you did to them,” Toby said.
 
Olivia cringed as Billy, Everitt and others fondled her breasts and crotch. Oliver fumed as Allison and others squeezed his penis and made derogatory comments about the size. Tears ran down the bullies’ faces.
 
“Starting tomorrow, I will pick two people every day,” Toby said. “You will carry their packs down the hill in the morning and back up in the evening. If you don’t, we’ll do this again. Got that?”
 
The twins grunted their assent. The group marched up the hill toward their homes while a naked boy and girl had no choice but to follow. The twins chose to march in the center of the pack and held their backpacks in front of themselves for coverage. Olivia was surrounded by the boys, who kept copping feels off her behind and crotch. Oliver was surrounded by girls who did the same.
 
They finally made it home. As they ran into the house, their escorts threw their clothing at them. Oliver’s underpants, Olivia’s bra and panties landed on the stoop. They ran inside and shut the door.
 
“What in tarnation is goin’ on?”
 
They gasped and tried to cover up. Their father was sitting on the torn couch, a whiskey bottle in his hand. Olivia ran to the bathroom and started cold water flowing into the tub. Then she sat down and let the liquid ease the burning in her nether regions. Oliver pulled on his jeans and tearfully told his father what happened.
 
“So two little pipsqueaks did this to you?”
 
“They were the ringleaders but there were twelve of ‘em!”
 
“I’m gonna make a call to my cousin, Ab.”
 
Cousin Ab wanted to let the whole thing blow over.
 
“How many complaints have I gotten about your kids, Ollie? It was only a matter of time until someone took revenge. Do you really want to turn this into a police matter?”
 
“Ab, we’re not talking a little fight here! Twelve kids stripped my kids naked and made them walk home that way. They also spanked them and molested them. Isn’t that a crime?”
 
“When you put it that way, you’re right.” Neither Ollie or Ab were aware of some of the things the twins had done. “Tomorrow I’ll visit the school and talk to those kids.”
 
That evening over supper, Toby and Briana told their aunt what happened.
 
“I always knew those twins were trouble but I never suspected them of this! It sounds like they finally got their comeuppance. I wonder if they’ll report it to the sheriff and if they do, will he bother doing anything about it. He hasn’t in the past. Then again, these are his cousin’s kids.”
 
The next morning as the group set out down the hill to the bus stop, the twins were looking at the ground, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.
 
“Hold on!” Toby said. “Billy, Allison, give them your backpacks.” The twins looked like they were about to protest, then thought better of it. “And don’t do anything stupid like drop them or you know what’ll happen.”
 
At least they didn’t have to worry about the story spreading all over school. If the other students found out what happened to the twins, they would also learn what the twins had been doing, which would be just as embarrassing for the rest.
 
An hour into class, Toby was called to the principal’s office. He found a sloppy, overweight man waiting for him, wearing a badge.
 
“This is Sheriff Guest,” the principal informed him. “He has some questions for you.”
 
“If you’ll come with me, we can go to my office and chat,” the sheriff said.
 
“I can’t allow that,” the principal said. “He’s a minor and in school. If you want to take him off premises and question him, I believe you need to call his guardian.”
 
“I really didn’t want to make this an official police matter.”
 
“Then question him here, in my presence.”
 
“What we’re gonna discuss is confidential.”
 
“Then I’ll wait in the outer office. Tobias, you’re under no obligation to answer any questions. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, step outside and call me. Do you understand?”
 
“Yes, sir.”
 
“I’d like to talk to you about an incident which took place yesterday,” the sheriff said once the principal had stepped out. “I’m sure you know the one I mean.”
 
“Why don’t you tell me?” Toby asked.
 
He had watched enough police and legal shows to know not to volunteer any information.
 
“Oliver and Olivia Jessup claim you beat them and stripped them naked.”
 
“They complained to you? Funny, considering they’ve been beating and stripping kids for over a year.”
 
“No one reported that to me.”
 
“Maybe not the stripping but they reported the beatings.”
 
“If it’s just a beating, that’s what kids do. No sense gettin’ the police involved.”
 
“Then that’s all it was yesterday. They started up with my sister and me on the way home. We won. As you said, kid stuff. End of story.”
 
“Didn’t you strip them?”
 
“Not at all.”
 
“Their dad says they came home naked.”
 
“There were ten other kids there who had been their victims for over a year. Could be they finally saw their chance for a little payback.”
 
“You think you’re smart? Maybe you want to come down to the station and turn this into a real police matter.”
 
“I don’t believe you’re allowed to do that.”
 
“I’m the sheriff. I can do what I want.”
 
“Then you can try to take me in because this interview is over.”
 
Toby walked out of the room and told the principal he was no longer interested in participating. The educator told the sheriff if he wanted to question the boy further, he would have to contact Karen Cutter.
 
“That’s okay,” the sheriff said. “He can go back to class. I want to speak with his sister.”
 
“The same rules apply.”
 
Briana admitted to nothing except for dropping Olivia to the ground in self-defense. Others had carried out their revenge for Olivia’s recurring acts against them. One by one, the other Cobbler Hill children were questioned.
 
“Are you finished yet, Sheriff?” the principal asked in annoyance. “You’ve occupied my office and taken a number of children out of class.”
 
“Oh, I’m finished. I’ll be leaving now and I’ll be taking the Cutter children with me.”
 
“You’ll do no such thing! They are students in this school and we are responsible for them. If you want to bring them in, you’ll have to speak with Karen Cutter.”
 
“You’re obstructing a police investigation!”
 
“I’m doing my job!”
 
“Fine! I’ll see myself out.”
 
“What brings you here, Sheriff?” Karen asked some time later when he waddled into the Bric N Brac.
 
“I’m sure you’re aware of a rather serious attack involving your niece and nephew which took place yesterday.”
 
“You mean when your delinquent cousins tried to strip them naked and their previous victims came to their defense? What of it?”
 
“I intend to bring Tobias and Briana Cutter to the station.”
 
“You mean you intend to arrest the victims in order to protect your cousins, the instigators? I think not.”
 
“I questioned them earlier and I have them on tape admitting to holding down Oliver and Olivia while their friends stripped and beat them.”
 
“You questioned minors without their guardian’s consent?”
 
“The school principal allowed it.”
 
“I’ll have a talk with him later but that doesn’t excuse your flagrant violation of due process! I’ll be calling your chief!”
 
“He’ll be finding out soon enough, when I bring in your niece and nephew.”
 
“You touch them and I’ll be charging you with assault!”
 
“Just go ahead and try. This visit is just a formality. I’m bringing the kids in and you can join us or not. The choice is yours.”
 
As soon as he left, Karen called the principal and upbraided him for allowing the children to be questioned. He assured her that he had been right outside, had informed the youngsters they were under no obligation to answer and that they could leave at any time.
 
“Be that as it may, the sheriff claims to have a tape of my niece and nephew admitting some guilt over the incident.”
 
“I didn’t see any tape recorder and he certainly didn’t inform anyone that he was taping.”
 
“So his whole interrogation is illegal and the tape inadmissable. He said he plans on bringing the kids in for questioning.”
 
“I already told him I can’t allow it without a guardian present.”
 
“Good. Please don’t back down. I’ll be there shortly.”
 
When she arrived at the school, she found the sheriff having a vociferous argument with the principal over permitting him to take the Cutter children out of school.
 
“I’ll save you both some time,” Karen said. “I called the chief. He’s sending someone over to deal with the situation.”
 
It was an hour before a car arrived with two officers. One of them was a lieutenant.
 
“What’s going on, Officer Guest?” he asked, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the title. “We posted you here to keep the peace. Instead, we’re getting complaints about you. What’s this about you trying to bring in two kids?”
 
“Two youngsters were assaulted on Cobbler Hill yesterday. I want to bring in the two admitted ringleaders for questioning.”
 
“Before we get into what may or may not have been admitted,” Karen interjected, “Officer Guest failed to inform you that he questioned these children without their guardian present and recorded them without consent.”
 
“Is that true?”
 
“It certainly is,” the principal confirmed.
 
“Officer Guest, why has no report of this assault been filed?” the lieutenant asked.
 
“I was trying to avoid turning it into a police matter.”
 
“Then no formal complaint has been made?”
 
“The victims’ father called me and I promised I’d look into it.”
 
“So with no formal complaint and no official report, you took it upon yourself to interrogate minors in a school without their guardians present, record their conversation without informing them and then threaten to bring two of them into the station? You violated all our procedures! Whatever possessed you?”
 
“The fact that the so-called victims are his cousins,” Karen said. “They’ve run rampant on the hill for years with his protection. I learned just yesterday that they’ve stripped and molested every child on the hill.”
 
“Why hasn’t this been reported?”
 
“Because every time someone calls the sheriff about his cousins, he refuses to do anything about it. But the minute it’s his kin on the losing end, he’s here playing John Wayne.”
 
“I promise you we’ll look into that. In the meantime, Guest, Officer Throop will assume your post and take possession of your official vehicle. You will return with me to the county station where your future will be decided. Suspension is a definite option.”
 
Ollie was drinking when his children entered the house sweaty and puffing from having carried two knapsacks up the hill.
 
“Anthin’ interestin’ happen at school today?” he asked.
 
“Yeah,” Oliver replied. “Uncle Ab came and called the kids who beat us up out of class. Then he left in a different cop car with another cop.”
 
“Did he take any of the kids with him?”
 
“No, they were all on the bus going home?”
 
He didn’t add that the Cutters had forced them to carry additional knapsacks.
 
“I’m gonna call Ab and find out what happened.”
 
“You wanna know what happened? I got suspended because of your kids!”
 
That wasn’t exactly true. He was suspended due to not following regulations, drinking on the job - his bottle had been found in his vehicle - and ignoring the numerous complaints about his cousins. Officer Throop had been diligent in collecting information from the locals.
 
“So you’re no longer on the job?”
 
“That what suspended means.”
 
“But that means no one’ll take care of the Cutter kids!”
 
“That ain’t my problem.”
 
“Then I’ll just hafta take care of ‘em myself!”
 
 
 
 
Chapter 4
 
Karen Cutter sat at the kitchen table drawing in her sketch pad, hoping her muse would come up with a subject for her next painting. Occasionally she answered a question posed by her niece and nephew who were doing homework. The front door crashed open as an enraged and inebriated Ollie burst in.
 
“What the hell do you mean barging in like this?” Karen demanded.
 
“Are these them?” he shouted. “These the ones who stripped my kids?”
 
“Actually, they tried to strip us,” Toby said. “Like they stripped all the kids on the hill. Only this time we fought back.”
 
“You was the ones held them down and told the others what to do!”
 
“Ollie, get the hell out of my house!” Karen yelled, as the children rose from their seats.
 
“Not until I teach these brats a lesson!”
 
“You touch them and I’ll have you arrested for assault!”
 
“I’ll do more than touch them! I’m gonna strip them naked and toss them outside so they see how it feels! I’ll start with this one right here!”
 
He seized Briana by her hair. She tried punching and kicking but between the alcohol he had consumed and the flab covering a layer of muscle, it had little effect. He began to drag her screaming toward the door. Toby launched himself at the man, jumping on his back and wrapping an arm around his throat. Without letting go of Briana, Ollie slammed the boy into a wall several times, until he let go and slumped to the floor. The large man dragged her outside, where his children were waiting, along with several neighbors who had been alerted by the screams.
 
“Now take off that shirt or I’ll rip it off!” Ollie shouted, practically lifting her by the hair.
 
The neighbors stood frozen. No one wanted to tangle with Ollie. The twins stared in eager anticipation. With tears of both pain and humiliation in her eyes, Briana reached for the bottom of her tee shirt. She lifted it, revealing her taut, tanned belly with an innie belly button, and a plain white bra.
 
“Yaaaa!” Ollie shrieked, releasing her as a Lousiville Slugger slammed into his right arm. As he turned around to confront his assailant, it slammed into the side of his left leg at thigh height. He fell to the ground and covered himself with his arms to shield himself from further blows. Karen lowered the bat.
 
“Dad!” the twins cried, running to his side.
 
“You bitch!” Ollie shouted. “I think you broke my arm and my leg! I’m gonna sue you!”
 
“Go ahead and try,” Karen said with a smile. “Did you ever hear of the Stand Your Ground law? You broke into my house and attacked my niece and nephew! I had every right to defend my home and my kin! If I had a gun, I would have been justified in shooting you! You okay, Bri?”
 
“My head hurts but you took him down just in time.”
 
“What about you, Toby?”
 
“I’ll live.”
 
“Okay, kids. Let’s go inside and call the cops. Ollie, I hope you can get down the hill on your own.”
 
“I told you I gotta broken leg!”
 
“Aunt Karen, where’d you get the bat?” Toby asked.
 
“I bought it when I heard you were coming,” she replied. “Somehow I thought you’d be playing normal games like baseball instead of whatever it is you do.”
 
“Well, it sure came in handy.”
 
About a half hour later and for the first time in years, a police cruiser climbed the hill and came to a stop outside Karen’s door. Ollie was still sitting on the grass with his two children.
 
“Arrest her!” he shouted. “She attacked me with a bat and broke my arm and leg!”
 
“Then our first concern should be getting you to the hospital,” Officer Throop said. “Can you make it to the back seat of the car?”
 
Supported by a child on either side, Ollie hobbled to the car groaning in pain and climbed in. The twins entered with him. The officer drove away. He returned about an hour later.
 
“Officer Throop, I’m surprised to see you here again. Even your first visit was more police than we’ve seen in years,” Karen said.
 
“As you know, your former sheriff has been suspended pending discharge due to his neglect of his duties. I don’t aim to follow in his footsteps.”
 
“That’s good to hear.”
 
“Mr. Jessup has a broken right humerus and left femur,” he reported. “His injuries are consistent with being struck by a baseball bat, which is what he claims you did.”
 
“Did he happen to mention that he barged into this house, assaulted my niece, dragged her outside and tried to force her to strip?”
 
“No, he neglected to mention that but I was sure there was more to the story. I suppose there are witnesses?”
 
“Just about everyone within shouting distance.”
 
“I’ll take your statement and then interview some of your neighbors.”
 
He was back some time later. “Your neighbors confirm your version.”
 
“So what does that mean?”
 
“It means you aren’t facing any charges. Mr. Jessup, however, is facing forcible entry, assault on a minor and possible sexual assault on a minor. When he’s discharged from the hospital, he’ll be going directly to jail.”
 
“What about the twins?”
 
“They’re still minors, so we turned them over to Child Services. They’ll be put in a group home while a case worker looks for a more permanent solution.”
 
“I feel sorry for the kids in that group home,” Toby said.
 
“Actually, I feel sorrier for the Jessup kids,” the officer said. “They may have been big and tough over here, but compared to those delinquents, they’re cub scouts. There are kids there who have been convicted of assault with a weapon and armed robbery.”
 
“If the twins weren’t on their way to a life of crime, this will push them over the edge,” Karen commented.
 
“Unfortunately, that’s usually the way it works.”
 
“Is there anything which can be done to prevent that?”
 
“Normally they’d find them a foster home but the prospective parents have to be informed of their history and that will be a hindrance.”
 
“Any other options?”
 
“Only if their mother or some other family member agrees to take them in.”
 
 “Not much chance of that happening. Their mom took off years ago and any relatives they may have already wrote them off.”
 
“So that’s it then, unless you want to foster them.”
 
“Doesn’t it take a few months to become certified?”
 
“There’s also an arrangement where a friend or neighbor agrees to take them in. In that case, they waive the certification, at least for a while. So are you interested?”
 
“On the one hand, I hate to see kids practically turned into criminals. On the other, after their history with the children on the hill and my niece and nephew, I can’t see them staying here. In any case, this is a two-bedroom cabin. I’m sharing with Briana already.”
 
“Then I guess it’s out of your hands.”
 
The absence of the Jessups was the topic of conversation at school. The students who lived on Cobbler Hill were slightly upset because now they would have to carry their own backpacks every day. Those who didn’t and had been victims of the bullying at school were relieved. Of course it was impossible to describe the altercation without also explaining the story behind it, so now everyone knew about the strippings.
 
Several days later, when Toby and Briana arrived home, Karen sat them down and asked, “How would you feel about the Jessup twins coming back?”
 
“Are you kidding?!” Toby shouted. “After what they did?”
 
“I had a visit from a case worker today. She told me the Jessups are having a very hard time in a home with juvenile delinquents.”
 
“Why? They’re among their own kind.”
 
“She said that as bad as we think the Jessup twins are, she feels they’re not a lost cause, like some of those other kids. They basically have no parents. Their mother is gone and their father never really took an interest. She thinks with a responsible adult looking after them, they could turn their lives around.”
 
“And what responsible adult will want to look after them?”
 
“I was thinking of volunteering. Like the officer said, if someone they know agrees, the certification requirement is put on hold.”
 
“But where would they stay? There’s no room here!”
 
“I pointed that out to the case worker. She said they’re over fourteen, so they’re legally allowed to be home by themselves. I just have to make sure they eat nutritious meals and attend school regularly. I have to bring them to court-ordered appointments but they can sleep in their own home. The only question is do you think you can accept it? I don’t expect you to be friends but can you treat each other with common civility?”
 
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Toby replied.
 
“How about this? I have an appointment tomorrow to meet the Jessups along with their case worker. I’d like you to come with me. We’ll talk this all out and reach a conclusion we can all live with.”
 
“What happens if they come back and start doing all the same stuff again?”
 
“Whatever we decide will be done on a trial basis. If it makes any of us uncomfortable, I simply tell the case worker I can’t handle it and the Jessups go back to the group home.”
 
“Okay,” Toby agreed reluctantly, “I’ll come with you.”
 
The next afternoon, the Cutters pulled up in front of the address Karen had been given. They gazed at the square brick building with its dirty, barred windows in dismay.
 
“This is a group home for children?” Karen asked in shock.
 
“It looks like a prison,” Toby commented.
 
“In a sense, it is. These kids are delinquents. I’m sure the staff doesn’t want them coming and going at all hours.”
 
She rang the bell and called out her name when a tinny voice inquired over the speaker. A buzzer sounded, releasing the door. They entered a dingy corridor with a set of glass doors a few feet ahead. An overweight security guard waddled over and opened it.
 
“You’re expected in conference room A,” he said. “Second door on the left.”
 
They found it about twenty feet down the hall. They Jessup twins were already there along with a skinny woman in her fifties, with short salt-and-pepper hair.
 
“Hello, Karen,” she said. “Thanks for coming. You must be Toby and Briana. I’m Sylvia Baccardi. Nice to meet you. Please take seats.”
 
The Cutters took seats on folding chairs around an old oblong meeting table facing the Jessups who sat on the other side. The twins had changed dramatically in just a few days. They were no longer the swaggering bullies of Cobbler Hill. They were smaller somehow, as if shrunken. There were bruises on their faces. Oliver sported a black eye. They looked down at the table unable to meet their visitors’ gaze. Olivia was the first to look up. Instead of the defiance the Cutters expected, they saw fear and sorrow. The case worker took charge of the meeting.
 
“We all know why we’re here,” she began. “Due to recent circumstances, the Jessup twins were sent to this facility. In my opinion, their misbehavior - though serious - doesn’t warrant this sort of incarceration. The problem is we have nowhere else to send them. Ms. Cutter is exploring the possibility of becoming their adult caregiver. She is also caring for a niece and nephew who have already had an altercation with the Jessups. So the question is: are Toby and Briana Cutter able to overlook their past history and give this a try?” For a long moment, there was silence. “Does anyone have something they wish to say? How about you, Toby?”
 
“Okay. We just arrived here a few days ago. It didn’t take the Jessups long to let us know how things work. We either go to their house voluntarily, strip for them and let them molest us or they would forcibly strip us on the road and make us march home naked. If we hadn’t taken some self-defense courses, they would have done it. And they’ve done it to all the other kids for over a year. I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to bring them back. Maybe they belong in a place like this.”
 
To his shock, Olivia began sobbing and even Oliver shed some tears.
 
“I know the hill kids think we’re these big, bad dudes,” he said. “Maybe to them we are. But compared to the kids in here, we’re chicken feed. They challenged me my first day in. I thought I knew the ropes. You pick the biggest guy and take him down. I tried to play the Serpent with him. But these guys know how to fight and how to do it dirty. Even the girls. I can’t tell you how many times I been beat in here.”
 
“This is like jail!” Olivia added. “We get to go out for an hour a day in a fenced-in concrete yard with one basketball net. There’s one TV set and they don’t allow any crime shows or wrestling. All we have to do here is read and I’m not one for reading. I’m bored outta my skull! Between the beatings and the boredom, I’m going crazy here! If I don’t get outta here, I’m gonna end up killing someone or killing myself!”
 
“Same here,” Oliver said.
 
“So we know why you want to get out of here,” Karen said. “What I didn’t hear is why we should be the ones to help you.”
 
“Because you’re the only one who can!” Olivia cried. “If you don’t, we’re stuck here until our dad gets out!”
 
“I’m glad you understand that this is your only chance. Speaking of their dad, do you know how long he’ll be away?”
 
“Since the case is cut and dried, it looks like he’ll take a deal,” Sylvia replied. “He’ll plead guilty to assault in order to avoid being found guilty of a crime against minors, particularly a sex crime. He’ll get three years, which means he’ll be out in eighteen months to two years.”
 
“So if we decide to go ahead, we’re making an eighteen month to two year commitment.”
 
“Not necessarily. If it doesn’t work out early on and you need us to take them off your hands immediately, we’ll bring them back here. If it works out but something changes in the future where it’s not an emergency, we can look for another placement. Right now that won’t happen because of their past record but after a few months of good behavior, that can change.”
 
“Briana, Toby and I will discuss it and get back to you.”
 
“Get us out of here!” Olivia begged. “Please!”
 
They were silent for the first few minutes in the car. None of them could shake the image of the twins, beaten and weeping, pleading for release.
 
“So what did you think?” Karen finally asked.
 
“I feel bad for them,” Briana said.
 
“So do I,” Toby said, “but I also feel bad for all those kids they molested for the last year and a half who can finally breathe free. How will they feel if the Jessups come back?”
 
“I’m counting on you to be monitors. If the Jessups give anyone any trouble, you let me know and they’ll go back to the group home.”
 
“Even if they don’t start up with them, how will those kids feel seeing the Jessups every day and knowing what they did to them?”
 
“What about what those kids did back to the Jessups?” Karen asked. “Aren’t they even?”
 
“For a year and a half of torture? Hardly. That’s why when I heard their dad would be locked up for eighteen months, I thought it was sorta poetic justice.”
 
“So you just want to leave them there? You know after what they go through, when they come back in eighteen months they’re gonna be very different than the kids you knew. They’re gonna be tougher and nastier. We should be thinking about preventing that.”
 
“Maybe you’re right,” Toby conceded.
 
“So you’re willing to give it a try?”
 
“On one condition: if either Briana or I decide we don’t like this arrangement, it’s over.”
 
“That’s right,” Briana seconded. “If the Jessups fight with us or any other kid at school, we don’t hold one of those meeting where everyone talks about their feelings or gives the twins a platform to explain why it wasn’t their fault. No second chances. One strike and they’re out.”
 
“I guess that’s fair. Okay, I’ll tell Sylvia.”
 
The case worker was delighted to hear there was a place for the twins and agreed to Karen’s conditions. There was only one item left to correct - the suitability of the Jessup cabin.
 
“I’ve seen it and to call it a pigsty would be an insult to pigs,” Sylvia said. “I can’t allow them to live there unless it gets a thorough cleaning. I don’t suppose there’s a service willing to come to Cobbler Hill?”
 
“The only one I know is the Cutter Cleaning Service,” Karen said.
 
“You’d be willing to undertake that job?”
 
“Not alone. My niece and nephew will help, along with the twins.”
 
“So I’ll bring them back on Saturday morning. That’ll give the five of you two whole days to make the place presentable. I’ll inspect it on Monday and give it my seal of approval. I hope two days will be enough time. Bring plenty of cleaning supplies and garbage bags. I assume Sanitation makes it to the hill?”
 
“They better or they know the folks on the hill will just roll all the trash down on the town,” Karen replied with a grin. “Yes, we get a weekly pickup.”
 
“Good, because you’ll need it. I’d hate for you to throw that disgusting sofa down.”
 
“You mean we not only gotta deal with the Jessups, we gotta clean their house?” Toby whined when informed of the news. “I just changed my mind about the whole thing.”
 
“Toby, we agreed to be responsible for the twins because it’s the right thing to do,” his aunt reminded him. “As for cleaning the house, that’s the neighborly thing to do. With five of us working, it shouldn’t take more than a day. And I think once you see how they lived, you’ll have a little more appreciation of why they turned out the way they did. I’m not trying to justify their behavior, but children abandoned by their mother and raised by an abusive father amid squalor often turn abusive themselves.”
 
“If it’s the neighborly thing to do, why haven’t any other neighbors volunteered?”
 
“Maybe because no one asked them.”
 
On the walk to the bus stop, Toby informed the others about the Jessups returning. Naturally there was a great deal of consternation.
 
“Actually I was thinking this could be a good thing,” he said.
 
“A good thing? How?” Billy demanded.
 
“The twins don’t wanna get in any more trouble. One wrong move and they go back to the group home. So this is our chance to turn things around.”
 
 
 
Chapter 5
 
Approximately nine on Saturday morning, the Cutters stood on the doorstep to the Jessup home. The odor of alcohol, vomit and spoiled food wafted on the breeze. Steeling herself, Karen pushed the door open. No one locked their doors on the hill. The stench was magnified a hundred times.
 
“I can’t go inside!” Briana gasped.
 
“The trash won’t carry itself out,” Karen pointed out.
 
“Maybe it’s better off inside. If we bring it out, it’ll stink up the whole neighborhood.”
 
“That’s why we brought garbage bags. Let’s stand here for a minute. You can get used to a smell after a while.”
 
“Why would you want to?”
 
“Because it’s got to be done. Come on. The sooner we get to work, the faster this place will smell better.”
 
Breathing through their mouths, they entered. They began by filling the large, heavy duty garbage bags with spoiled food from the refrigerator, empty whiskey bottles and beer cans on the living room floor. The place already began to smell better or maybe they were growing used to it. Other children arrived.
 
“What’s going on?” Karen asked.
 
“Toby asked us to help,” Billy replied.
 
“And how did you manage to get them to agree?”
 
 “I told them about being neighborly,” Toby explained, with a significant look at the others.
 
“Thanks for coming. Now we can drag the sofa outside.”
 
“Are we allowed to do that?” Toby asked.
 
“That disgusting thing is responsible for a good deal of the stench. It’s beyond salvage. It won’t improve in the eighteen months to two years Ollie will be gone. When he returns, I’m sure he’ll have more important things to worry about that this dilapidated sofa. But I’ll take some photos just in case he tries to claim it was an expensive item in perfect condition.”
 
It fell apart as they were carrying it out and left a trail of stuffing which had to be shoved in a garbage bag.
 
“We just improved it,” Karen remarked. “Now it’s a sectional.”
 
Once the offensive pieces of furniture were removed, the odor was greatly reduced. With nine people working, they swept the floor and vacuumed the living room and bedroom carpets. They made good progress, though no one wanted to tackle the filthy kitchen and bathroom.
 
“Just in time,” Karen said when Sylvia arrived with the Jessups. “Oliver can handle the bathroom and Olivia the kitchen.”
 
“The bathroom is disgusting!” Oliver protested.
 
“So is the kitchen!” Olivia added.
 
“It’s your house,” Karen pointed out. “Why should nine people who don’t live here do your job?”
 
“We discussed this already,” Sylvia reminded them. “I consider this place uninhabitable, though it’s considerably better than when I last saw it. But I still can’t sign off on you living here until that kitchen and bathroom are clean. So you can either get to work or get back in the car and return to the group home.”
 
Grumbling, the twins took the cleaning supplies Karen provided and headed to their assigned rooms. By midday, there was a noticeable improvement, though they still had a long way to go. Karen decided it was time to plan lunch.
 
“Sylvia and I will run into town and pick up pizza and groceries,” she said, knowing that no one would deliver to the hill even if it wasn’t a Saturday. “When I come back, you’ll all wash up and we’ll eat at the picnic tables outside.”
 
Once they were gone, the twins confronted the other nine youngsters.
 
“Why are you all here?” Olivia asked.
 
“Toby convinced us to help,” Billy answered.
 
“Why?”
 
“Despite everything, we felt bad for you,” Toby explained. “You deserve to be punished but not like that. So we want to go back to the way things were before.”
 
“Which is what?” she asked suspiciously.
 
“You still owe everyone here for about eighteen months of your bullying. Now my aunt will be looking after you for about eighteen months. Sounds like poetic justice to me. She agreed that if either Briana or I tell her it isn’t working out, she’ll call Sylvia and you go right back to the group home. So you have to do what we say for that long or until Sylvia can find you another placement. She said if you behave for six months or so, she can try again. Do you understand?”
 
“Yeah, I get it.”
 
“Now we had an agreement that you would each carry another kid’s pack down and up the hill every day to make up for when you forced them to carry yours. That’s still in effect.”
 
“Okay. What else?”
 
“Obviously no bullying. One incident and you’re outta here.”
 
“Got it. What about if someone starts with us?”
 
“Why would they? You’re bigger than they are.”
 
“Because now they know that if anything happens, we get sent away. So they’ll pick a fight just to make it happen.”
 
“I’ll put the word out that no one starts up with you and if anyone does, I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble for it.”
 
“Okay. Anything else?”
 
“Just that you listen to Aunt Karen and don’t give her a hard time, but she’ll tell you that herself.”
 
The women returned with lunch for everyone and groceries, including items to leave at the Jessups. By afternoon, Sylvia pronounced the place acceptable. She left a list of chores which needed to be done regularly and a schedule she expected the twins to follow.
 
 “I’ll be making regular visits to check up,” she said. “If you fail to pass inspection, you know what will happen. Cutters and Jessups, good luck.”
 
It was strange to have the twins at the supper table and carry on a civilized conversation with them. After the meal, they sat at the table doing homework together. The twins were in Briana’s class and needed to catch up on what they had missed during the days they were out of school. At eight, Karen sent them home.
 
“Sylvia’s instructions are that you be in bed by ten,” she said. “That gives two hours to take a shower, prepare your books and clothes for tomorrow and read a book.”
 
“Read a book! That’s a good one!” Oliver laughed.
 
“Okay, watch TV. As long as you’re in bed by ten. She was very clear on that. On school days you have to be ready when the bus comes. On other days you have to show up here by nine. If we can’t trust you to stick to the schedule, this won’t work out. Got it?”
 
“Yeah,” he responded unconvincingly.
 
“I’m gonna drop in to check on you later.”
 
“Are you really gonna check on ‘em?” Toby asked once the twins left.
 
“Not tonight. I’m zonked. And there’s no school tomorrow, so it’s not terribly important that they be in bed at ten. But if they believe I’m gonna check, they won’t stay up too late.”
 
Karen herself fell asleep before ten. The Cutter siblings stayed up reading. Toby stepped outside and gazed in the direction of the Jessup house.
 
“Most of the lights are out and I don’t see anyone moving around,” he reported. “I guess they took Aunt Karen seriously.”
 
The twins showed up at about eight thirty. Karen made pancakes for breakfast. Afterward they returned to the Jessup cabin to complete the cleanup. In the afternoon, Karen took them all clothes shopping.
 
“Why are you buying clothes for them?” Toby asked.
 
“For the same reason I’m buying clothes for you. Someone has to.”
 
“But Dad is paying for our clothes!”
 
“And the state will reimburse me for theirs. Just because their father neglected them, I don’t intend to.”
 
That evening at eight, Karen sent the twins home with instructions to shower and be in bed by ten.
 
“Can we watch wrestling on TV?” Oliver asked.
 
“That’s on from ten to eleven,” Toby pointed out.
 
“Then absolutely not,” Karen said. “Tomorrow’s a school day. Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be watching wrestling at all.”
 
“Dad let us watch it!” Oliver protested.
 
“And when your dad’s in charge, he might let you watch it again. But right now I’m responsible for you and your social worker left me clear instructions. You’re to be in bed by ten.”
 
Some time later, Karen said, “I’m heading out to visit Mrs. Clavon. I know I can trust you to get to bed on time.”
 
Mrs. Clavon was a divorcee with a toddler who lived in town. Because her child could sleep through anything, Karen often visited her for late night chats, returning around midnight. The siblings showered and changed into the sweats in which they customarily slept. At ten, Toby opened the door and stepped outside. He peered in the direction of the Jessup home.
 
“Briana, take a look at this!” She followed his pointing finger. “The drapes are drawn but you can see the flickering light of the television. I bet they’re watching wrestling. Come on!”
 
The siblings crept up to the cabin. Now the flicker was evident behind the drapes. Toby threw the front door open. The twins looked up guiltily from where they lay on the carpet - in the absence of a sofa - watching wrestling.
 
“It’s only your second night here and you’re already breaking the rules!” Toby shouted. “You’re supposed to be in bed by ten, showered and in Pjs. You’re still in clothes, which means you didn’t shower yet and you’re watching wrestling, which Aunt Karen specifically forbid!”
 
“You’re not gonna tell her, are you?” Olivia asked.
 
“Of course I’m gonna tell her! We’re supposed to monitor you! That was the deal!”
 
“But then we’ll get sent back to the group home!”
 
“You should have thought of that before you broke the rules! I hope the wrestling match was worth it.”
 
“It wasn’t,” Oliver said sadly. “The Serpent wasn’t wrestling tonight.”
 
“Then why did you say we should watch it?” Olivia shouted. “I was gonna go to bed but you said we might as well stay up because no one was gonna check!”
 
“Okay, it was dumb,” Oliver conceded. “Come on, give us a break!”
 
“We gave you a break when we agreed to bring you back here after what you did,” Toby said. “And when we cleaned your filthy house so you’d have a place to stay and when Aunt Karen laid out money for your clothes. Then the first chance you get, you break the rules. We hafta tell Aunt Karen this isn’t gonna work before she wastes any more time and money on you.”
 
Olivia shuddered recalling the beatings administered by the girls in the group home, the leers flashed by the boys, the pinches and copped feels as she passed them in the hallway and the threats whispered in her ears. She knew if she went back something terrible would happen.
 
“Please, you gotta give us another chance!” she sobbed. “We can’t go back to that place!”
 
“And you can’t stay here and break all the rules!”
 
“We promise we won’t do it again!”
 
“Just like you promised to be in bed at ten. You can’t be trusted!”
 
“So wait here until we’re in bed!”
 
“I’m not your babysitter! But I have an idea. You probably won’t like it though.”
 
“What is it?” she asked suspiciously.
 
“We pretend you’re in detention and Briana and I are the guards. We make sure you get ready on time and get to bed on time.”
 
“I thought that’s what I just said.”
 
“Sort of. But before you go to bed, we hafta make sure you take a shower.”
 
A lump formed in her stomach as she understood where this conversation was leading.
 
“So stand outside the bathroom door and listen to the water running,” she said.
 
“That only tells me you ran the water.”
 
“You’ll see my hair wet when I come out.”
 
“That only tells me you wet your hair.”
 
“So Briana can come in and see that I’m in the shower.”
 
“Where’s the fun in that?”
 
“So you wanna watch me take a shower?”
 
“That’s the idea.”
 
She pondered it for several seconds. Could she actually allow that? It would be embarrassing, but not as bad as what she had already endured when she had been stripped walking home from school.
 
“Okay,” she whispered.
 
“You’re gonna do it?” Oliver asked incredulously.
 
“Anything is better than going back to that place,” she said. “And he won’t be seeing anything he hasn’t already seen.”
 
Toby followed her into the bathroom and closed the door. She couldn’t believe this was happening. After being queen of the hill for so long, this short, slender pipsqueak owned her. Then another humiliating question came to her.
 
“Can I pee in privacy or do you hafta watch that?”
 
Toby had the decency to blush. “No, I’ll wait outside until you’re done. You might as well brush your teeth while you’re at it.”
 
She closed the door and did her business hurriedly, ashamed at the thought that he was standing outside listening. After brushing her teeth, she opened the door. He entered and closed it. She turned the shower tap and started the hot water flowing. It took a while in the hill cabins for the water to get warm. Then, unable to delay it any longer, she turned her back on him and peeled off her sweatshirt. Already barefoot, she unsnapped her jeans and pushed them down before stepping out of them.
 
Now she stood before him in threadbare bra and panties. She kept telling herself that he had seen her in less, but with just the two of them in the small bathroom, it seemed so much more intimate. She unsnapped her bra and let it fall to the floor. Then she thrust her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pushed them down. She knew he was now staring at her bare butt. Keeping her back to him, she stepped into the tub. The water was heating up. She turned the cold tap to adjust the temperature. Wetting her hair, she applied a dab of shampoo from a bottle on the windowsill.
 
Something touched her back and she started. Turning, she saw that Toby had removed his shirt and was now leaning into the shower, holding a bar of soap.
 
“I can soap myself!” she said, fuming.
 
“I’m sure you can,” he said with a grin, “but where’s the fun in that?”
 
She saw his gaze directed at her breasts and then drop to her crotch. Flushing, she turned her back. A moment later, she felt the bar of soap rubbing against it. Then it was replaced by hands. They moved in circular motion around her back, then lower. They caressed her derriere, fingers trailing along her crack. She grit her teeth but said nothing.
 
She had to turn around to rinse the shampoo from her hair, though this meant exposing herself to him again. He lathered his hands again and rubbed her breasts. To her shame, her nipples stiffened. He ran his hand over her rounded belly.
 
“Spread your legs,” he ordered.
 
She wanted to protest but realized it would be futile. After what she had been through, what was another indignity? It had already been done to her before. All she knew was that she did not want to go back to the group home and she would endure anything to avoid that. She complied with his demand, closing her eyes and cringing as he palmed between her legs and fingered her slit.
 
“You can finish up now,” he said.
 
When she turned off the water, he held out a towel but did not hand it to her. She stepped out of the tub and stood there as he wiped her down. She took a second towel to dry her hair. She bent down and started to step into her discarded panties.
 
“What are you doing?” he asked. “You just took a shower and you’re gonna put on dirty panties? Where are your clean ones?”
 
“In my bedroom,” she whispered.
 
“Then let’s go.” She dropped the dirty panties and started to follow him. “Dirty panties belong in the hamper. No wonder this place was such a pigsty. I see we’re really gonna hafta monitor you closely.”
 
Blushing, she dropped her dirty clothes into the hamper. Then wrapped in a towel, she followed him to her bedroom. He knew the layout of the small house and even where everything was kept from having spent hours cleaning it. Opening her underwear drawer, he removed a pair of panties and held it out. Flushing, she stepped into it, exposing her crotch to him again.
 
“What else do you sleep in?”
 
Wordlessly, she reached under her pillow and removed a pair of shorts and a man’s tee shirt. She slid the shorts on under the towel, giving him a flash of her panties. Then she turned her back before dropping the towel and pulling on the tee shirt. For some reason, it bothered her to reveal her breasts though he had already seen them.
 
“Let’s go to the living room.”
 
Briana and Oliver were sitting on the floor watching wrestling.
 
“Your turn for the shower, Oliver,” Briana said.
 
As he went to the bathroom, she followed.
 
“You’re not coming in!” he said.
 
“Fine. Then we’ll go home and tell Aunt Karen we want you gone.”
 
“Come on, Ol!” Olivia pleaded. “I don’t wanna go back there and neither do you! This whole thing is your fault anyway. I wanted to go to bed. You said we should watch wrestling. If I hadda do it, you hafta do it! Anyway, she’s already seen you naked.”
 
Shoulders slumped, Oliver continued to the bathroom. He couldn’t believe that this slender, cute little girl owned him.
 
 
 
Chapter 6
 
When Karen first proposed the idea of becoming responsible for the twins, her niece and nephew had protested. Then Toby had an idea and took Briana aside to propose it.
 
“You know they’re desperate to get out of there,” he said. “They’d be willing to do almost anything. If Aunt Karen gets them out, it’s with the understanding that she’s their only hope and if we complain they’ll go back. Then we just wait for them to break a rule - you know they will - and we own them.”
 
The siblings had not expected it to happen this soon. But here came their opportunity and they were going to take full advantage. First, Toby made them think he was definitely telling his aunt, who would send the twins back to the group home. When Olivia was reduced to tears, he “suddenly” came up with another idea, which he fed her one small piece at a time. Eventually, she agreed.
 
Then she and Toby were alone in the bathroom. His pulse was pounding. Was she really going through with it? It appeared she was. He was disappointed when she turned her back to him but he knew it was only a matter of time. Then she thrust her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pushed them down. Once again he was staring at her bare butt, only now it wasn’t crimson from spanking and he wasn’t one of a group looking. This was a private show just for him, which made it very intimate.
 
After a minute, he grew bored with watching her butt. He wanted to see more. An idea came to him. Would she stand for it? He peeled off his shirt. Then he took a bar of soap from the holder and began rubbing it against her back. She whirled around, revealing her generous breasts and hairy crotch. When she protested that she could soap herself, he grinned and asked what fun there was in that. Noticing him staring at her exposure, she turned around without another word. He took that as consent to continue.
 
Then he decided to take it up a notch. He lathered his hands and put down the bar. Using just his soapy hands, he transferred the suds to her back. When she didn’t protest, he moved lower. Soon he was caressing her bottom and running his fingers along her crack.
 
His pulse pounded and his manhood extended. He couldn’t believe that a fourteen-year-old girl was letting him touch her like this! When she turned around to rinse out her hair, exposing everything, he rubbed her breasts and felt her nipples stiffen. He ordered her to spread her legs and she immediately complied. When he palmed her sex, she stood there silently. He fingered her slit while his brain shouted, “You’re touching a girl’s naked pussy!”
 
After drying his upper half and putting his shirt back on, he toweled her dry and walked to her bedroom, where he held out a pair of panties for her to climb into. She meekly complied. It had been so easy. She was now his.
 
Briana gave Oliver a few minutes to pee and brush his teeth. Toby asked Olivia if she wanted to watch the rest of the show while he waited for Briana and Oliver to be finished. She preferred to go to sleep, so she left the room. Briana wanted to know what had occurred in the bathroom and Toby happily provided every detail. Her eyes widened.
 
“I can’t believe she let you do that!”
 
“She isn’t very smart.”
 
“Neither is Oliver. I wonder how far I can go.”
 
“Not very far unless you get in there quick. I hear the shower going.”
 
Before Briana reached the bathroom, Oliver stuck his head out.
 
“You comin’? Water’s gettin’ hot.”
 
Briana turned to Toby and winked. Then she followed Oliver into the bathroom and closed the door. He pulled off his shirt. Then he turned his back and pulled down his pants. He flushed, knowing she was staring at his butt. Keeping his back to her, he stepped into the shower and adjusted the temperature of the water. He shampooed his hair using the same bottle.
 
Briana had seen enough of his slightly large, jiggling butt. Recalling what Toby had done, she lathered her hands with the bar of soap, then palmed his crack. He practically jumped and spun around.
 
“What the hell are you doin’?”
 
“Saving some time,” she replied. “It’s late. I wanna get back before my aunt does.”
 
“Stop touching my butt!”
 
“Would you prefer I spank it? Anyhow, I’m finished with your butt. Let me do your front. I can see that won’t take much time.”
 
His little mushroom was peeking out from the nest of rust-colored hair. As she spoke, it extended another inch. He spun around in mortification.
 
“It’s too late to hide it,” she said. “Besides, it does a good job all by itself.” When he made no comment, she added, “You can’t hide in there forever. You’ll hafta turn around to come out.” After several seconds of no response, she squeezed his butt.
 
“Cut that out!” he shouted, without turning around.
 
“It’s the only fun I’m having. Now act like a man and turn around. I’ve already seen what you’ve got and my first impression wasn’t very good. Here’s your chance to change my mind.”
 
After several more squeezes and pinches growing consistently harder, he groaned and turned around. His mushroom was now clearly extended beyond the bush. Using a firm yet gentle grip, Briana took it in her fist.
 
Oliver couldn’t believe it. What was he doing naked in the shower with this slip of a girl holding his manhood? And why was it still growing? Briana couldn’t believe it. She had an older boy naked in front of her and she was holding his penis! It was twitching in her hand like a live animal! Oliver grunted and suddenly her palm was covered with a sticky substance.
 
“Ooooo!” she shouted, grabbing the soap and scrubbing.
 
Oliver rinsed himself off, torn between the mortification and the pleasure.
 
“Finish up and get to bed!” she snapped. Then to Toby, “Lets go!”
 
“What happened?” Toby asked on the walk home.
 
“I forgot how disgusting boys are. He made a mess all over my hand.”
 
“I guess Oliver was as easy to manipulate as Olivia. I shoulda warned you about boys. Next time be more careful.”
 
 
Olivia lay in bed reviewing the events of the past few minutes. Unlike that time on the hill, she hadn’t been stripped in public. Several boys hadn’t spanked her or pinched her breasts and crotch. Yet somehow tonight was even more humiliating. Was it because she had gone along with it instead of trying to fight back? Was it because it was only one boy? Was it because she found him cute?
 
The last time she had returned home in pain. Now, despite the embarrassment, her breasts and crotch tingled in a pleasant way. But the mortification still burned inside her. How could she face Toby again? What would she have to endure for the next six to eighteen months?
 
Oliver lay in bed thinking about the slender girl who had brought him to the deepest level of humiliation he had ever felt. He would be seeing her every day! How could he live with that? At the same time, he couldn’t get out of his mind how she had provided him the most extreme pleasure he had ever experienced. He couldn’t decide if he was looking forward to the next time or not. He was sure there would be a next time.
 
Toby lay in bed, his mind racing. He had done things tonight he had never dreamed of and if all went according to plan, he would be doing it and more many times during the next six to eighteen months.
 
Karen had some trouble waking Toby and Briana the next morning. When the Jessups stumbled in for breakfast, they also weren’t in top form.
 
“Is there some virus going around I haven’t heard about?” Karen asked. “Why do you all look like something the cat dragged in?”
 
“I had trouble sleeping last night,” Toby said.
 
“Same here,” Olivia seconded, flashing him a significant look.
 
“You’re probably worried about what will happen in school today,” Karen guessed. Olivia nodded. “Well, don’t be. The principal already spoke to the other students. They were warned to leave you alone.”
 
“And as I said, I’ll run interference for you,” Toby offered.
 
“So you have nothing to worry about. Just make sure you don’t miss the bus.”
 
“So who are we taking today?” Oliver asked when the youngsters were gathered at the top of the hill.
 
Toby named the two next in succession. The twins each took a backpack and carried it down in addition to their own. The other Hill children made no derogatory comments. The twins were beginning to feel relieved when two girls on bus began to speak in loud tones.
 
“My father’s consulting a lawyer to get the jailbirds out of our school!” announced Suzie Klemp, a slightly overweight peroxide blonde. It was easy to tell her hair color wasn’t natural since it was streaked in different shades. “We shouldn’t hafta go to the same school, much less on the same bus.”
 
“Your father’s wasting his money,” Toby said. “There aren’t any jailbirds in our school.”
 
“Maybe not jail but some kinda detention,” Martha Stoker said. She was chubby with short, jet black hair adorned with pink streaks. “And their dad is in jail.”
 
“That doesn’t make them criminals. Just because your dad is a fat jerk doesn’t mean you.. never mind, sometimes it does.”
 
Martha colored as the others laughed. Few students liked the girls because they acted superior due to the affluence of their families. They wore designer clothing and carried matching expensive handbags and made sure to let everyone know how much everything cost.
 
The Cutters did their best to run interference for the Jessups. Sometimes there was little they could do, such as when other students made nasty comments in loud voices indirectly aimed at the twins. Still there were no altercations, which they all took as a good sign. On the way back, the twins accepted the extra backpacks voluntarily and carried them up the hill.
 
Despite the Cutters’ efforts, on Tuesday and Wednesday, some of the other students ramped up their teasing of the Jessups. Suzie and Martha were particularly vicious. Toby and Oliver were in the schoolyard after lunch gathering a group for a basketball game. Billy put down his open container of chocolate milk on a bench and joined a team. At one point, the ball went out of bounds and bounced toward the bench. Oliver ran to retrieve it. After he tucked the ball under his arm, a gleam came into his eyes. He reached out and knocked over Billy’s chocolate milk. Brown liquid leaked out and seeped between the slats to land on the asphalt and on two designer bags underneath.
 
“Hey! Those are Suzie’s and Martha’s bags!” exclaimed Allison, who was sitting on a nearby bench.
 
Hearing their names, the two girls looked up.
 
“You ruined our bags!” Suzie shouted. “Do you know how expensive they are? My dad’s gonna kill you!”
 
“Sorry,” Oliver said, with a grin which belied his words. “It was an accident.”
 
“I don’t believe you! I think you did it on purpose and I’m telling the principal!”
 
“What just happened?” Olivia asked after the girls stormed off.
 
“Oliver just spilled chocolate milk on Suzie’s and Martha’s bags,” Allison reported.
 
“Why did you do that?” Olivia wailed. “We could be in real trouble!”
 
“You didn’t do anything,” Allison pointed out.
 
“But if Oliver gets sent back, so will I. They won’t let me stay in the house alone.”
 
“Then we’ll hafta see to it that it doesn’t happen,” Toby said.
 
 
He approached Billy and whispered to him frantically. Both boys and Briana then had a hasty conference with Allison. It wasn’t long before the offended girls came out.
 
“Oliver, the principal wants to see you.”
 
“We’re coming with you,” Toby decided.
 
 The Jessups, Cutters, Billy, Allison, Suzie and Martha all entered the principal’s office.
 
“I only asked for Oliver,” he said.
 
“We thought you could use some witnesses,” Toby said.
 
“You saw what happened?”
 
“Sure. Billy and Allison did too.”
 
“So tell me.”
 
“Someone left a container of chocolate milk on the bench. We were playing basketball. The ball went out of bounds and Oliver chased it. It knocked over the milk container.”
 
“That’s what happened,” Billy agreed.
 
“I bet it was Oliver’s container!” Suzie insisted.
 
“No, it was mine,” Billy admitted.
 
“They’re lying!” Suzie screeched.
 
“Why would they lie about it?” the principal asked. “As I understand it, Oliver is hardly a friend. But let’s ask Allison what she saw.”
 
“I wasn’t paying close attention but I saw Oliver chase the ball and then as he was walking back with it to the court, I noticed the overturned milk contained and the mess all over the bags.”
 
“So it seems it was an accident and not even Oliver’s accident,” the principal summed up. “Why did you tell me you saw Oliver do it on purpose?”
 
“We heard Allison shout and we saw Oliver walking away with a big grin on his face,” Suzie said. “It sure looked like he did it on purpose.”
 
“Oliver, were you grinning?”
 
“Uh, yeah.”
 
“Why was that?”
 
“Because I kinda felt happy about it.”
 
“He thought it was poetic justice,” Toby jumped in. “On account of how Suzie and Martha have been teasing him and his sister.”
 
“In what way?”
 
“Making comments about how they belong in jail like their dad. We’ve been asking them to cut it out, but they won’t stop. I think they want to keep pushing their buttons until one of them snaps and does something to get expelled.”
 
“Suzie, is this true?”
 
“Sure it is. We all heard them!” Billy confirmed.
 
“I heard them too,” Allison said.
 
“So let me get this straight. I made an announcement to all the students to avoid saying anything negative to the Jessups. You two have been annoying them for days in an effort to push them to react. When they didn’t, you came to me with a false story about Oliver deliberately ruining your bags. It seems detention and a phone call to your parents is warranted.”
 
“What about our bags?” Suzie demanded.
 
“As you know, students eat lunch on those benches. If you leave something under a bench, that’s what you risk.”
 
Suzie and Martha were asked to stay in the office. The others were dismissed.
 
“Thanks so much!” Oliver exclaimed.
 
“Toby asked us to do it,” Allison said.
 
“And now you owe us,” Billy added.
 
“I guess I do.”
 
“I didn’t mean you. I meant your sister.”
 
“But I didn’t do anything!” she protested.
 
“Maybe not, but I heard you say if Oliver had been sent back, so would you.”
 
“You’re right. I guess you saved me too.”
 
“Just remember that.”
 
“And I definitely saved you,” Allison said to Oliver with a flirtatious grin.
 
“Can’t argue with that,” Oliver agreed.
 
 
There was peace on the bus going home in the absence of the nasty girls who were serving detention. The Jessups carried Billy’s and Allison’s backpacks up the hill as a way of repaying the favor. The next day, Suzie and Martha avoided the twins.
 
Over supper Thursday evening, Karen announced that she was meeting someone in town and would be coming back late.
 
“Mrs. Clavon?” Briana asked. “I thought you visited her on Sunday.”
 
“I have more than one friend. And don’t think this means you can stay up late,” she addressed the twins. “If Sylvia questions your neighbors, you don’t want them telling her you stay up past curfew.”
 
“Aren’t you supposed to confirm that they’re in bed?” Toby asked when the Jessups had gone home.
 
“Well, officially yes. But Sylvia doesn’t have to know that I don’t do it every single night. I’m sure she expects me to have a night out now and then. Even parents don’t put their kids to bed every night.”
 
“But now they know you won’t be checking on them tonight.”
 
“So what can I do about that?”
 
“We can check on them for you,” Toby offered. “We’ll walk by at a few minutes to ten and make sure the TV’s off. If we can’t hear anything, you won’t hafta worry about the neighbors saying anything to Sylvia.”
 
“It isn’t really necessary.”
 
“Actually, I think it is. If they know you won’t check on them, they’ll probably stay up late watching TV and then fall asleep in school tomorrow. If they learn that on nights you’re away we’ll check on them, they’ll toe the line.”
 
“Okay, if you don’t mind doing it, I’d appreciate it.”
 
 Karen left a few minutes before nine. At nine thirty, the Cutters headed for the Jessup cabin. As expected, the twins were sprawled on the carpet watching TV.
 
“Aunt Karen sent us to check on you,” Toby said, stretching the truth a bit. “She was afraid that since you know she’s away, you’ll break curfew.”
 
“But you won’t tell her,” Olivia guessed, “as long as we break it together.”
 
“Exactly. So will it be ladies first tonight?”
 
“Can we finish this show first?”
 
“Not tonight. It ends at ten and we hafta be finished by then.”
 
“Why? Your aunt won’t know unless you tell her.”
 
“But there’s someone else who hasta be home by ten.”
 
He opened the door to let in Billy and Allison.
 
 
 
Chapter 7
 
“Why are they here?” Oliver demanded.
 
“Because of you!” Toby retorted. “Both of them saw you deliberately pour chocolate milk on those bags. If they had told the principal that, you would have been expelled. I hadda get them to lie for you and I hadda do it fast, so we made a deal.”
 
“What kind of deal?”
 
“They get to join in the next time. This is the next time.”
 
“But I didn’t even do anything!” Olivia protested.
 
“I know that,” Toby said, “but as you said, if Oliver had been sent back, so would you. So Billy did you a big favor.”
 
“I said you owed me,” Billy reminded her, “and not just for what I did for you in school.”
 
“What you did to us that day on the hill isn’t enough?”
 
“Not even close. The way I see it, you did stuff to us for over a year. We got a long way to go before we’re even.”
 
“But our deal was only for this one time,” Toby said. “So who goes first?”
 
“Let’s get this over with,” Olivia muttered, heading for the bathroom. “Give me five minutes first.” A few minutes later, she stuck her head out of the door. “Okay, I’m ready.”
 
The two boys entered the bathroom and closed the door. Olivia couldn’t believe this was happening. It was bad enough when it was just Toby but now Billy was here, the boy she had shamed and molested many times. She had a new appreciation for what she had put him through. Turning her back to him, even as she realized she was only postponing the inevitable, she peeled off her clothing.
 
Billy’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Sure he had seen her naked the day the group had stripped her on the hill, and had even grabbed a few feels when they had spanked her and during the walk home. But this time she wasn’t struggling and attempting to cover up. He didn’t have to share the experience with a half dozen others. She was willing - or at least accepting the situation.
 
Her panties hit the floor and he watched the twitch of her buttocks as she climbed into the shower. She poured a dollop of shampoo on her head and massaged it into her scalp while he shucked his shirt and lathered up his hands. Then he transferred the suds to her generous behind, rubbing and squeezing gently. Without being asked, she turned around. He lathered her breasts, feeling the nipples stiffen against his palms. She spread her legs, allowing him to reach between them and touch her most private of places.
 
Billy was in heaven, until he realized he had a problem. The front of his pants now extended by several inches and unlike his previous experiences with Olivia in this very bathroom, tonight relief was not on the schedule.
 
Olivia burned with silent indignation as yet another boy witnessed what should have been a private experience and fingered her secret places. She could never feel superior to him now, perhaps not even equal, despite having done similar to him. Then she noticed his condition and an idea occurred to her.
 
“How are you gonna walk home like that?” she asked.
 
“I didn’t plan that far ahead.”
 
“Your parents must be home, since you said you had to be back by ten. What are they gonna say when you walk in like that?”
 
“I’ll hafta take care of it before I get home.”
 
“Where? Out in the bushes?”
 
“I guess. I don’t have much choice about it.”
 
“I can take care of it for you, like I did before.”
 
“I’d hafta get naked.”
 
“So what? You’ve done it before. It’s nothing I haven’t seen...or touched.”
 
“You’re right about that. Hey, Toby! Would you mind leaving the room?”
 
Toby laughed. “You can strip in front of her but not me?”
 
“I’d prefer not to have witnesses for what we’re about to do.”
 
“You mean what she’s about to do to you. Okay, I’ll give you some privacy. But don’t take too long. The girls are waiting with Oliver.”
 
Toby stepped out and closed the door. He turned toward the living room and froze, stunned by what he saw.
 
When the door closed, Billy pulled down his pants and underpants in one move. He stepped out of them and entered the shower.
 
“You’re in a rush,” Olivia commented.
 
“You heard Toby. We hafta hurry up.”
 
She grasped his already rigid penis in one hand and cupped his sack in the other. It took barely thirty seconds before he exploded on the shower floor. They dried themselves off. Billy dressed while Olivia wrapped herself in a towel. They both stared at the same scene which had Toby so captivated, it took him a few seconds to notice they were there.
 
“All finished?” he asked. Billy nodded. “Is she dressed for bed?”
 
“Toby, please!” Olivia begged, tears forming in her eyes. “I did everything you wanted. Don’t let anyone come into my bedroom!”
 
“What’s the big deal?”
 
“It’s my safe space. It was hard enough when you came in but please don’t let other boys! And dressing me like I’m a doll or a baby! Not again, please!” Her voice grew softer, almost flirty as she whispered, “Don’t you want it to be like our special thing? You’re the only boy who ever did that to me.”
 
Toby considered it. She had gone along with everything he asked and showing her that he would never push her too far could keep her cooperative in the future. Having seen what the girls and Oliver were up to, there was at least one more thing he wanted her to do. He decided to grant her request.
 
“Okay, your room is off limits and dressing you is off the table.”
 
“Thank you!” she said, smiling.
 
“Okay, Billy, you can go.”
 
“When is the next time?” Billy asked.
 
“Our deal was only for this one time.”
 
“But she did it to me a lot more than once! And what about everyone else? Shouldn’t they get in on this?”
 
“We’re trying to get past this!” Toby protested. “We don’t want to start it up again! I only agreed to tonight because Oliver got himself in a jam and we needed your help.”
 
“If you get to do it whenever you want, why can’t the rest of us?”
 
“We don’t do it whenever we want! Only when Aunt Karen isn’t home and she asks us to check up on them and we have something to hold over them, like tonight.”
 
“I think it isn’t fair! Certainly not to the others.”