Chapter 1:
"The Grand Lesson"
It was a warm and sunny day on the trendy shopping district of Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, Canada. This part of town was always busy, especially on warm spring days, like this particular Saturday. Two people milling amongst the crowd of shoppers were two long-time friends, who regularly frequented this part of town. Both of them loved the tree-lined streets, old buildings and unique shops of the trendy and famous Whyte Avenue.
The taller of the two women was named "Benita" but her friends called her "Ben" for short. She was a little tall for a girl and had an athletic physique, which included a smaller set of breasts, yet still a respectable B cup. While she resented her breast size, she knew that she was pretty and was proud of her slender body which she liked to show off with tight clothes. Her chestnut hair fell straight and reached just past her shoulders, when she was still enough to let it. Her hair was light and fine and always seemed to be in motion. Her brown eyes sparkled with life as she smiled, which was most of the time.
Benita was quite a charming woman, and was the life of the party. She sought out the spotlight in each room she was in, and usually found it. This of course garnered her: a wide circle of friends, and more than her share of male attention, all of which she lapped up.
The woman walking with Benita was her best friend, Carmen. Carmen was Benita's best friend and confidant. Carmen's curves were fuller and more rounded than Benita's. While Carmen had an hourglass figure, it was accentuated by a little more of her. As a result her breasts, like the rest of her body, were larger and more generous than the average woman's; her breasts were a full and round D cup. Her light brown hair had a natural wave which flowed down past her shoulder blades and was quite thick. Her green eyes darted this way and that as she carefully examined the world around her.
Carmen was much more mature than Benita and served not only as her friend and confidant, but also as her councillor. Yet Carmen's confidence and self-image was much lower than Benita's. As a result Carmen was more reserved than the bubbly Benita.
Carmen and Benita had been friends since childhood and they were both pretty women. Both of the women were in their last year of high school and were eighteen years old, yet Carmen was older by a few months.
Both of the women were left to their own supervision most of the time, but for different reasons. Benita's parents both worked in high-paying jobs so they were always working late as they climbed the corporate ladder.
Carmen's father had left her mother when Carmen was a young child so, Susan, Carmen's mother, was working two jobs to pay the bills. Carmen wanted to work and help pay the bills but Susan refused, saying that high school was Carmen's job. As a result, Carmen always made sure to get good grades in school.
Benita always had more money to spend than Carmen did, but did not flaunt this; she quietly paid for things when Carmen wasn't looking. Carmen offered Benita friendship, support and guidance in return and the pair remained fast friends since elementary school.
"So you had to walk home?" Carmen asked in shock as she walked beside Benita while they crossed the street.
"Yeah he kicked me out of the car! He sat there and demanded a blowjob, saying that I 'owed him!' Can you believe that! Where does it say that just because a woman goes out with a man that she owes him sex!" Benita ranted as she shook her head before glaring at Carmen.
"Did he pay for dinner?" Carmen asked carefully.
"Dinner and the movie, so what?" Benita scoffed.
"How many dates did this make?" Carmen asked curiously.
"Seven! So what?" Benita scowled at Carmen, clearly miffed at where this conversation was going.
"Well, you have spent a lot of time together, and he has he spent a lot of money on you. You might have given him 'Thank you head'," Carmen said regretfully looking at Benita in a sorrowful manner. "Or at least a 'hand-job'," she quickly added.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Benita shouted in shock. "What the hell for?" Benita added in a disgusted scoff.
"Well, look at it from his point of view," Carmen started to say but was cut off by an angry Benita.
"Oh I know his point of view just fine! All he saw me for was a piece of ass! All he wanted to do was to fuck me! All men ever want to do with a woman is fuck! They don't care about her, or if she wants it, or if she is in the mood, all they want is a pussy to stick their cocks into! I want to be more than just a conquest or piece of ass!" Benita shouted a little too loud as a pair of old ladies looked at Benita in shock as they walked by.
"All men aren't like that," Carmen replied calmly.
"ALL Men are obsessed with their own dicks!" Benita snorted as she started to walk more briskly down the avenue sidewalk.
"Most men may have sex on the brain a majority of the time, I'll give you that, but not all men are like that," Carmen said as she strode quicker to catch up with Benita. "I've dated more than a few of them," Carmen added knowingly.
"What do you know?" Benita scoffed.
"Hey, I may not be as pretty as you, but I've still had my share of guys try to get into my pants!" Carmen retorted angrily as she grasped Benita's arm and made Benita stop and face her.
Benita's face drained of anger. She paused and sighed heavily before looking up into Carmen's face with sincerity. It was clear, even to Carmen, that this was no act. Carmen had seen Benita's fake apologies to others before; this was Benita being genuinely sorry.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little on edge about last night," Benita said with genuine sincerity in her eyes and ringing in her voice as she looked her best friend in the eyes.
"It's okay, I understand, but you really need to learn that not all guys are the same," Carmen said as she let go of Benita's arm and the pair resumed walking again.
"I know, but lately it seems that every guy I go out with seems to want one thing," Benita complained with a sigh as Carmen put her arm around Benita.
"Well, you're the one who dresses in tight clothes all the time and flirts with every guy you meet. What do you expect?" Carmen said with a laugh as she tugged on the far side of the slim-fitting shirt Benita was wearing before letting it snap back into shape.
"I'm a flirt who likes to be the centre of attention, that's who I am. Sure, I like to go out with guys and have them spend time and money on me. That doesn't mean that I'm gonna have sex with any and all guys who take me out a few times," Benita said with sincerity, as she looked into Carmen's eyes with a look that wanted to be understood.
"But you haven't had any sex with anyone!" Carmen said with a laugh.
"You're a virgin, too!" Benita retorted, slightly offended.
"You don't have to go all the way with a guy to have a bit of fun. You can mess around a bit and still keep your virginity," Carmen said calmly and with a smirk on her face before she added, "I have."
"I haven't met any guy that I've wanted to risk going all the way with. I'm afraid that once I get started I may not be able to stop before it's too late," Benita said in a slightly sheepish manner.
"Come," a strange voice whispered on the wind in Benita's ears.
Benita knew that nobody had spoken aloud . . . this voice was in her head. Benita was about to shake it off as a figment of her imagination, but it seems the voice wouldn't be denied.
"Come," the strange voice from the wind repeated.
At that moment Benita felt a strange pull to a nearby shop. Benita looked up and then rather intently at a small storefront not far up the avenue. Benita didn't know how to explain either the voice in her head or the pull towards this shop, so she didn't try.
"What is it?" Carmen asked with concern in her voice and on her face.
Carmen was about to talk when Benita, and Benita alone, heard the voice on the wind. It was the shocked expression on Benita's face which made Carmen fall silent. The distracted and uneasy expression on her best friend's face made Carmen concerned.
"Let's check this place out," Benita replied, trying to look and sound calm as she pointed at the shop she felt drawn to.
The shop Benita felt drawn to was in an old brick building, not unlike any of the others on Whyte Avenue. The sign above the shop read, "The Spirit Guide. Offering The Grand Lesson! Change your life for only $99" They walked over to and entered the shop, not sure why they were doing so.
Inside the shop, the front area matched what they saw in the window, the mood was, dark, foreboding and mystical. There was stuff everywhere: beads, crystals, trinkets of every size and shape adorned a few old display counters. Along the walls were bookshelves with titles that seemed to be on either spirituality or mysticism. On shelves on the wall behind the display counter were jars with handwritten labels, most, if not all, were hard to read from a distance. The contents of the jars were either powders of varying colour, consistency and texture, or the oddest things dried out so they twisted and distorted into the weirdest shapes imaginable. In front of one section of the counter were three wooden stools and the area approximately resembled a bar counter.
Carmen and Benita had just finished looking the store over when they heard the sound of beads rattling. From the back of the store, through a bead curtain, came an old black woman. She had a sense of warmth, calm and great wisdom about her. Her eccentric clothes were well suited to her and this shop, but on the street, however, her outfit might have drawn attention.
"Welcome, my dears, come for your lesson, I see?" The old woman asked charmingly, in a thick Haitian accent.
"What?" Benita asked in confusion.
"You've come to start your grand lesson, no?" The old woman asked with a warm smile.
"We . . ." Benita started to reply but fell silent, not sure how to answer that question and not sound like a nutcase.
