Floret's Insect Experiences

The women's swim team, Blooming Splashes trotted through the hallways. Our thirty or so members just about dried off, hair still wet, but at least not dripping wet. We did only the bare minimum in the time we dared to take, none of us wanted to let Thorndal wait for long.

In the hurry, I had left all of Gloria's old clothes in my closet, putting on the newly cleaned up, pastel pink, floral dress.

When I mean all of her clothes, I mean

all.

In hindsight, a bra and panties would be most appropriate to wear to a disciplinary lecture... My mind was a right mess at the time, I guess I just defaulted to what was normal for me, old habits die hard.

I look down at my dress, small holes pepper the whole chest area. The proboscis' of the butterflies had penetrated and violated by breasts and nipples through them... I really should be wearing a bra underneath... I shift the fabric to at least hide my nipple that had greeted the world freely up until now, peeking through a hole.

Now at least a little more presentable, I look back to our group, we were just passing the Gym door. I was at the front, leading the group, with Sarah and Emily right behind me.

The swim team members, trailing us in a disorderly fashion, looked at least a little more alive, than when we had our dead-march from the pools to the showers. Mood and demeanors uplifted enough for at least basic conversation, albeit, the topics were far from positive.

"What will happen to us?" I hear Fiona ask in a low voice at the back of the group, her hand running over the bumpy French braid in her hair. She looks to the ground and adjusts her small rectangular glasses.

"I don't know..." Thyle trails off and nervously fidgets with the dark blue ribbons, which keep her hair tied into twin tails.

"I'm scared..." Meena says with a quiet, faltering voice, barely audible, and buries herself deeper in her way oversized black hoodie.

I grit my teeth, I really should say:

'I'm sorry, it's my fault.' but what if they all turn on me, sell me out? Dump me alone to the Principal's office, expose how I gave birth in the most kinky of ways... Or maybe Jasmine has already done that... And besides, surely they know it's all my fault by now, yet nobody has confronted me about it.

I hear sniffles, and some blow their noses, as we drag our feet onwards through the hallways.

"H-he won't harm us, will he? D-do anything... weird?" Meena speaks into her hoodie which covers her mouth.

"You know, last week I saw Rachel be taken into Thorndal's office, half an hour later, she came out shaking and crying her eyes out!" Piony says and lifts her arms up in a scary manner, like flavoring up a campfire horror story, and shakes her sharp blood-red nails. "I tried to talk to her, but her face was so awash with fright I thought she might scream!"

"A-ah! R-really?" Meena responds barely able to talk through her tears. "Rachel? Are y-you sure? I've never even seen her... like that."

"It was her, alright. I would know." Piony cuts in front and stares at the faltering Meena with scary red eyes. "She looked back at me with empty eyes, devoid of reason, of sanity, unable to utter a single word. Her lip twitched, as jolts of madness bolted all across her face!"

"H-huh?!"

Piony suddenly moves like she'd leap on Meena, and she flinches. "Then suddenly, she ran away wailing like a banshee! I haven't seen her again since!"

"O-o-oh, my god! R-rachel!"

"Piony... I saw Rachel just yesterday, she was fine." Kloe clonks Piony on the head with her firm fist.

"Ouch!" She backs off and rubs her wild silver hair sprouting head.

"Stop making it worse for Meena." Kloe hits her fist to her open palm, which produces a resounding

plap

. Her smirk is like a challenge, striking green eyes urge Piony to make her next move, dare her to continue harassing her sister.

It's hard to listen to my frightful comrades suffer for my actions.

Had I doomed us all? But I still didn't even know how I had been impregnated this time...!

"Hey, Floret." Sarah addressed me, and I noticed just how hard I was subconsciously gripping my hands into fists. I open them and feel my nails having left marks on my palms. I lift my head and straighten my back. Conjuring up a wavering smile, I look back at her. "What is it?"

"I-I'm sure... it'll go fine." She says that, but her eyes evade and look everywhere else than directly at me.

"We won't let you take all the blame alone, I'm sure many of us feel the same way." As Emily says this, the rest of the swimmers stir, some shake their heads and look away, others grumble, but most look carefully my way, nod, or give a faint smile. "I'm sure you gave many of us an experience we won't soon forget." Emily gently slaps me on the shoulder.

"Y-yeah...!" Meena stutters in the crowd and hides behind Kloe.

"I've never been touched like that before." Dahlia blushes and cups her cheeks, she sways like she'd soon lose consciousness, her long wavy brunette hair seems to somehow balance her teetering.

"An inspiration for a horror story is coming to me. It's certainly different when you experience it yourself, I should thank you for that." Piony continues with a somewhat dry remark. "Even if I have to make some heavy editing..."

"I guess... you certainly expanded our horizons..." Kloe sighs and rolls her eyes, then pets Meena's head.

"Oh, you guys..." My vision blurs for a moment, before I know it, a cold trail flows along my cheek. Traveling to my chin and dripping down into my open dress, landing on my chest, between my breasts. "I'm sorry everyone. I don't know how this happened..."

Fiona smiles, having regained some of her confidence, she quickly looks around if anyone's noticed the state of her outfit and corrects it by lifting a strap up from her arm back above her shoulder. It's a loose green blouse, cut so that it exposes her shoulders but still has short sleeves and the straps to hold it up. The fabric cascades vertically above her large chest. "Everyone makes mistakes, it's okay Floret."

"Most of our mistakes don't involve-" Kloe is elbowed by Meena and she shuts up without protest.

"Most of your mistakes involve your fists, am I right?" Thyle says pointedly but innocently laughs on top of her claim.

"Grr!" Kloe growls at her like a wild animal.

"Please don't hurt me!" Thyle reels and covers herself with her skinny arms.

My eyes fall on the clock on the wall. "Oh no, the time...!" I look around the empty halls, it is still devoid of students, but that would only last for a few more minutes! I turn around and gesture to everyone to pick up the pace "Come on, hurry up!"

"What's the rush?" Emily asks inquisitively and looks at Sarah.

Sarah meets her gaze, then looks at me. "Yeah! Why-?"

"Don't you know the time?" As I'm about to elaborate, the math class' door opens ahead of us, students pouring out.

Why, oh, why, Joline!

Now

of all times, you had to end class early!?

"Hey, isn't that the swim team?"

"That's them! What do you think they did?"

"Oh, they're in big trouble for sure!"

"This is why," I say strained and we all start a quick march to break through the math class students pouring into the corridor. With heavy hearts we endure their looks, their grins extolling our misfortune. Pushing through the hushed whispers and pointed fingers, surviving with our dignity still somewhat intact.

"Get what I mean now?" I ask particularly from nobody, addressing us as a whole. "Three- make that two minutes until all classes end. Do you want to give them a chance to point and laugh at us?"

"Let's make a run for it!" Emily says excited and pumps a fist into the air. The prospect of breaking the rules by running in the hallways sounded like the most exotic and illegal activity she had ever done.

"Yeah!" quickly uniting under a common cause, we take off into a run, passing the turn that led to the rec room and the art class, coincidentally, the Principal's room was of course at the other end of the school from the Gym and Pool, and we were just over halfway there.

On second thought, running might not have been the best idea either, a group of about 30 people stomping around, wasn't exactly silent. I think a charging legion of soldiers was probably more stealthy than us. Our running steps had an ever-increasing chance of alerting the enemy troops (teachers) to flank us and hinder our progress. Extra punishment was at the top of the list of 'things we didn't need' at the moment.

Ding - Dong!

Our time comes to an end, but so does our journey. The door to the teacher's corridor lies at the end of the hallway, just one more door between us and safety.

But the History class' entryway begins to open before us...

Sarah runs ahead of me and slams the door shut with both hands before it can fully open. Bouncing off it with more speed, she lets out a chaotic laugh. Loud cursing sounds through the door, but begins to open again, Kloe slams it closed again, and sounds of people falling over and things clattering onto the floor can be heard.

"Sarah!" Emily catches up to her, "You're so devious... I wish I had come up with that!"

"Hee-hee..." Sarah looks to Emily and then gives Kloe a high five who joined her at our greatest moment of need. Together they bolt away like criminals from a scene, "I like you, how come we've never hit it off like this?"

"Hmm, I guess we never had a chance to." Kloe comments with a devilish grin.

"Sarah!" Emily calls out to her trying to keep up.

"Relax, me and Kloe are just friends from this moment onwards! Nothing more!"

The trio opens the large dark brown door and the swim team starts to funnel inside. I keep the rear, herding all of us inside the teacher's room lobby.

The history class door opens again and as the last of us pass through, I quickly close the door behind me before they see any of us.

In the crowded hallway, laid the rooms for each teacher. At the very end, the famous 'Thorndale's Lair' a large imposing mahogany door, heavy to even move, awaited. A warning sign, a framed piece of text written in a fancy font, was perched atop the door: "Recite your prayer, throw away all hope. All who enter, none return. The time of judgment has come."

Apparently, it dated back to his first year as the new Principal of the school, some students had framed a print of those words and hung it above the door. No matter how many times it was taken down and confiscated, a new one appeared, with fancy, proper picture frames, too. Nobody still knew who started it, one of the school's great mysteries. Though it is debatable if it was even more enigmatic where the culprits got all the frames, there wasn't a shop that sold any in Perennial Bloom.

After all the students of that time had graduated, the teachers tried to take it down again, but it returned in just a day's time. There were rumors of 24/7 teacher surveillance of the area after it was taken down once more, but since the framed phrase came back even then, the matter was left to rest. Even through all the years, the legend remains.

The same year as Thorndale started, there was a grand renovation. Before him, the flower traditions existed, but he really brought it to another level entirely. Making it all official and basically mandatory for everyone. Another change that was made, involved paying respect to the flowers by painting the teacher's room doors with elaborate painting of a 'new' -status flower every year there was one. Yet another stupid idea in the long line of flowery idiocy. Each person's silhouette who graduated with it was also painted in black subtly in the background. Neither of my parents' silhouettes was painted, a great upset for them, as there had been a third new-status graduate that year, that then won the subsequent draw.

Wait, I didn't even realize!

I look around the doors as we walk down the narrow corridor.

14... 15... 16! The last door... the principal's door is still blank! If I do it- That means-!

I try to calm myself down and get my thoughts in order.

If I graduate with the Corpse Flower this year, and it's the only new -rarity flower... I'll be guaranteed to get my horrid flower and my visage on Thorndal's door!

I couldn't believe my luck, this perfect opportunity to hit the school where it hurts—hurl a wallop straight at the leader of the flower cult! The thought didn't even occur to me before, I just cared about sending a message. But now...! If only the painting would smell as bad as the real deal... could that be done...?

I hit my head on the back of another girl's skull.

"Hey!" It's Dahlia, she rubs the back of her head, "I may be a masochist, but my head's off limits!"

"Sorry," My forehead stung royally, I understood completely where she was coming from.

"But what's going on? Are we going in or what?" I ask before I see Thorndal standing at the doorway of his office, his hands folded, the immaculately straight suit flawless as always. "I did ask the whole swim team to come, but my office can hardly fit all of you inside. So, pick about half of you who come in, the rest will have to wait outside. Apart from Floret, Sarah, and Emily, I hear you were at the center of this... incident."

The crowd parts from my way, like I was a biblical figure, though many sail against the tide, scrambling to get to the back of the group. To ensure they wouldn't be the ones ending up in the same room with tempest incarnate.

In the end, a bit less than half enter, and the door to the Principal's office closes as the last volunteer student closes it. Beside Thorndal, Jasmine and Coach stand, awaiting. Arms crossed below her boobs, Jasmine had a towel wrapped around herself, as she was still in her swimsuit.

Thorndal sits behind his wide wooden desk, decorated with all sorts of flowers carved on it. The menacing black leather office chair he sits on, never stood a chance, as he dominates even over it with his presence. He leans forward with his elbows against the desk, his hands crossed, almost as if his temper was on the last ropes, or he just felt like praying.

"You girls may be on your last year, on your last week even, but that does

NOT

give you the right to do whatever you please! Each action, always has an appropriate opposed and equal reaction, be it skipping class or doing this... prank, as Jasmine put it."

"What if your Coach had broken a bone falling? Or hurt herself even worse in her shock? She is most deeply disturbed and disappointed in you." He pauses, and the Coach nods vigorously, but shakily. "Or what if something worse had happened to her or any of you! You'd have hell to pay, not to even mention the Police would have to get involved. Who knows what would become of you and your future then!" Thorndal closes her eyes and briefly rubs his temples with one hand, even the creases on his brow getting creases.

"And this is without even mentioning the damage this could do to the school! Insects, in great numbers I hear. They could easily become a pest problem, plug the drains, or destroy property in any kind of way!"

"In fact, just a few hours ago, the garbage shed's doors were torn off, now that you're on your vandalism spree, you wouldn't know anything about this?"

Sarah and Emily look at each other with thoroughly confused expressions.

"Hmm...?" Thorndal peers at the two of them and slightly tilts his head forwards.

"N-no, we don't know anything." Sarah stutters a bit, eating away at her believability. Emily continues instead of her: "We were just so shocked to hear something like that. Isn't... the door quite sturdy and heavy?"

"Mhm, that it is." Thorndal remains silent for a moment. "Back to the matter at hand, I just can't understand what could possibly possess such intelligent and upstanding students to do something like this? So please, enlighten me. Tell me; why did you do it?"

Everyone is silent, looking to the ground, at the walls, the ceiling, or hunkering down behind their pupils to disappear into the crowd.

"Let me rephrase that. Floret-" At the mention of my name, my heart is just about ready to jump out of my chest. "Why did you do it? I hear it was your idea."

I look at Jasmine with my jaw hanging open, her back is turned, looking out of a window. My palms sweat like crazy, and my fingers feel sticky.

"If that is not the case, just tell me. Tell me the truth." Her old wizened features, chiseled and hard like Stonehenge's ancient pillars. Though definitely not as gray, but most certainly as unyielding.

"I-" Trying to speak, the dryness of my throat surprises me and cuts my sentence short. I swallow hard, it feels like it takes an eternity until I can continue speaking. "I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse."

"Why did you do it?" Thorndal asks, not letting up so easily.

I see Jasmine's gaze land on me, she looks at me the same way, as she did when she left with the Coach before. Her eyebrows low, and her lips slightly frowning, or perhaps just neutral? Her eyes are unreadable, their meaning still remains a mystery to me.

"I-" Swallowing again I try to continue:" The Coach had always been good for us, so we- I, came up with the idea to do something memorable for her. She always did so to all graduates."

"And filling your swimsuits and the pool with these buoyant insects and acting obscenely before your Coach is what you came up with?" His doubtful gaze felt powerful enough to see through any lie, to pierce through your skin and bones, to peer into your soul.

"We... I got a little out of hand in the heat of the moment."

"So, do I have it right, this was an act born out of consideration and kindness, that got twisted into... whatever really went down?"

Meekly I nod, feeling my eyes starting to water and my lips twitch.

Thorndal leans backward and sighs loudly. Shaking his head while leaning to his right hand.

"I just can't understand what went through your head. You are all such impeccable, such nice young women of great talent. Ingenius and bright, you are better than this! Where did you even find so many from!?" He sighs again and corrects his posture. "That said, it can all be taken away. Your achievements, diplomas, and graduation. So, don't make me expel you, to undo all of your progress in our esteemed school for this sheer idiocy. Keep it well in mind that you are all most definitely still under school rules, until the day after your graduation. And I will not hesitate to expel every single one of you, should any further disturbances come from

any of you

."

Confused, we look at each other and the Principal, could he really be serious?

He can't just expel all of us?! Can he...?

"Don't get so worked up over it yet. As long as you all keep on the straight and narrow, nothing will happen to your studies. However, you will have to go and clean up the pool. Immediately."

We all nod, sniffling our noses, and rubbing our watering eyes. The pressure of the situation was finally letting up.

"I will have to tell your parents, however. They might not hold any legal power over your lives anymore, and I take no pleasure in it, but-"

"Y-you can't do that! Please!" Sarah cries out and interrupts him, her face filled with desperation.

"Please, please! Mister Thorndal, anything but that!" Emily pleads and grips the hem of her jeans shorts hard.

He scans over the present swim team with his stern eyes. "Fine, you all look like you've gotten the message already." His brow's wrinkles soften. "But, like I said, if any of you causes further trouble, I will tell all of your parents, in great detail what happened, when I expel you."

"We'll be good, we promise!" I say and Throndal's eyebrows rise as he looks at me strangely for a moment. I deeply regret opening my mouth.

Did he not believe me? Or maybe it was my clothes...?