Jason sat in the front corner of his Tuesday freshman English class, running his fingers through his hair as he zoned out, not paying attention to the first day introductions that he had already done. That morning had been easier than the previous in terms of dealing with primal urges. Or at the very least they had been easier to ignore and push to the back of his mind as he went about his day.
"So what is your major, Mary from Utah?" the teacher asked, pulling Jason out of his daze. He looked up at the professor, a middle-aged woman with gray streaks in hair running down to the tip of her ponytail, then followed her gaze to the back of the classroom. There sat another student, a young woman, a small, petite thing with a head of frizzy brown hair.
"Um, music," Mary from Utah answered.
"What instrument do you play?" the professor asked.
"Um, I play the, um, bass," the girl answered, wringing her hands together in a clear display of nerves.
"Oh, that's neat," the professor commented. "Maybe you and our guitar player in the front row will make for a good team!" She gestured to Jason, who grimaced at being pointed out. Glancing over his shoulder at the girl, he saw her look back at him with an expression that said, 'I didn't want that either.'
With a sigh Jason turned his attention back to the professor as the class continued. This was his last one for the day, then he'd have the afternoon to himself. "Maybe I should practice my guitar today," he mumbled to himself, his eyes half-lidded as he followed the professor's pacing across the front of the class. "I am supposed to be a music major."
***
The sound of the front door unlocking barely made it to Desiree's ears through the gentle weeping of a guitar. It caught her attention right before she opened the door to her bedroom after making a trip to the toilet. Her curiosity caused her to change course and head down stairs, where Mavis was taking off her jacket.
"Oh, hey girlie," Mavis said upon seeing the blonde. "Is that our dear beloved Master strumming away up there?"
"He is," Desiree answered with a nod. "Sam says that he wants to be left alone for the night."
Mavis walked out into the living room and threw herself and her purse onto the couch before responding. "If that is what he desires then it is what he shall get."
"How was the library today?" Desiree asked as she sat down next to her landlady.
"Same old, same old," Mavis said. "Told this one freshman where the same book was four different times."
"Did they ever find it?" Desiree asked.
"No!" Mavis answered with a laugh. "The most interesting part of the day, though, was when I found this couple making out behind one of the shelves."
"That does sound interesting," Desiree remarked.
"Except..." the older woman began as her smile faded. "It was not as interesting as it would have been before...you know."
Desiree paused, taking a closer look at Mavis and the melancholic expression on her face.
"Hey, ever since we were enlightened, have you been able to think of anyone besides Master in a romantic or sexual light?" Mavis asked. "Not that I don't want to devote myself to him, I do," she quickly added. "It's just, I don't know. There's some spice missing from my life now, I guess."
"Haven't you been single for 10 years?" Desiree asked, thinking back to previous conversations with her landlady.
"I was single, not celibate," Mavis responded, side eying the blonde. "I've had my dalliances from time to time, but what I always enjoyed more was watching other people's love bloom. Guess you could say that I have a bit of voyeuristic streak in me. Or did, anyway."
Desiree leaned back onto her hands and thought about it for a minute. "I guess the idea of any romantic or sexual situation that doesn't involve Master doesn't interest me much either. But isn't that the way it's supposed to be?"
Mavis shrugged in response. "I guess. Seems boring though. Besides, will Master have time for all us?"
"What do you mean?" Desiree questioned.
"Think about it," Mavis replied. "There is one Master, and five Love-Slaves. He's not going to be able to pay attention to all of us all the time. He has the right to use his property as he sees fit, of course, but my God the rest of us are going to be bored in the meanwhile."
Desiree shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she thought on Mavis' comments. "Want to talk to everyone else about it?" she asked.
"Yeah," Mavis answered. "Why don't you get on your phone and talk to everyone on the group chat thing? We can go to that restaurant I took you to after your panic attack over the summer. You know, the one with the private booth at the back."
"Why don't you do it?" Desiree asked. "It's your issue that we're going to discuss."
"Pfft," Mavis snorted, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "Girl, you know that I don't like smartphones. I only got that thing because the school started using that app for the library and forced the staff to use it. Besides-"
"OK, OK," Desiree said before the landlady could continue. "I get it. I'll work around your hang ups just like you worked around mine."
"Thank you, sweetie," Mavis said. "You're a real gem."
Desiree grimaced at the unintended implications of that comment, thinking back to the crystal that started all of this, the one sitting in Master's nightstand. But she pushed that thought out of her mind and went up the stairs to get her phone out of her room.
Moving past the halting, searching strumming of her Master's guitar, she returned to her room and grabbed her phone. She turned around and began typing out a message into the Harem group chat as began her return journey. The text was sent by the time she began her descent to the first floor.
Coming out into the living room, she looked up to see the television turned to the local new. She ignored the anchorwoman on screen as she sat down next to Mavis, keeping her phone in her hand to keep an eye out for replies.
"The twins say they can go after they finish with classes tomorrow," she said, reading the text as it came up on her screen. "I'm sure Sam would be game for that."
"That's fine," Mavis commented.
A silence held over the pair, both uncertain as to what to say next. They were locked between the dull droning of the TV in front of them and the aimless wondering of the guitar above. Then the riffs changed, shifting to become sharper and more distinct. Desiree turned her ear, trying to get a better read on what her Master was playing. It sounded kind of familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
"All aboard, ha ha ha ha," Mavis half sung, half whispered. She glanced up at Desiree and gave her a soft smile. "Crazy Train," she said. "Ozzy Osborne. One of the most famous metal songs ever. God, I remember the one time I saw him in concert. I drove through three states just go to it!"
"Yeah, I know what Crazy Train is," Desiree replied. "I was just having a hard time recognizing it."
"I guess that's fair," Mavis commented as she sat up straighter. "He is playing it on an acoustic guitar, so it sounds a little different. But after the last few days I get why he's gone for it. Our entire world's been turned upside down."
"Yeah, it has," Desiree agreed.
***
"I'm back," Sarah called out as she opened the door to her dorm room. "You ready to go yet?" She asked of her sister, frowning when no answer came.
Looking across the room, she saw Liz standing in front of the full body mirror they had set up in the corner of the room, studying herself in its reflection. She seemed unresponsive to her twin's arrival and question.
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Sarah asked, taking several steps across the room until she was halfway between the door and her sister.
It was then that Liz turned, going up onto the tips of her toes and spinning 180 degrees on them. "Check out what came in the mail today," she said in sing-song voice, a bright smile as she gestured with both hands to her neck.
Sarah followed her sister's direction, spying the band of black around Liz's neck, a silver heart in the middle and Liz's name hanging from it.
"Finally!" Sarah exclaimed, closing the distance between herself and her twin as she focused in on the identifying choker. "It looks so good on you, little sis," she added.
"Um, thanks," Liz replied, uncertain how to feel about the compliment. "And I'm not your 'little' sis. You were born barely 8 minutes before me."
"I know, I know," Sarah said. "That just seemed like the right thing to call you." She ran her fingers along Liz's neck, feeling how it went from smooth skin to choker back to skin. She almost forgot that she was touching a breathing person, she got so into it.
"Earth to Sarah," Liz called out, snapping her fingers in front of her sister's eyes.
Sarah stepped back, blinking away her confusion, wondering why she had gotten so lost. "Oh, sorry, don't know what came over me."
"Probably just imagining how happy we could make Master with it," Liz guessed.
"Yeah, probably," Sarah verbally agreed, though she failed to mention that she felt it to be only partly true. "Wait a minute," she said, something else coming to her mind. "We asked for one day delivery, didn't we. Isn't it false advertisement if it takes two to arrive?"
Liz rolled her eyes at her sister. "It's not like we're back home on the west coast," she said. "Things take a little longer to get way out here."
"OK, yeah, that's a fair point," Sarah replied. "Did mine come too?"
Liz smiled. "Yep," she answered, holding the choker up by one of its straps.
"Sweet," Sarah said, taking the choker and looking at the lettering on the inside. "Property of Master Jason," she read out loud. "Perfect. Hopefully this will get us a step closer to making that true in every sense of the word."
"Absolutely," Liz agreed before stepping around her sister and pushing her gently towards the mirror. "Here, let me help," she said as placed the choker around Sarah's neck and secured it in its rightful place.
