This is a stand alone story that connects with Dreaming of Sin. You don't need to have read Dreaming of Sin to be able to read and fully understand this story. If you have read some, or all, of Dreaming of Sin this story should deepen that world.
The Cult of Jack - A Dreaming of Sin Story - Ch. 01
Kim was practically a new person. Her raven hair had an airy wave as it made its way down just past her shoulders. Her cheeks had taken on some color from a week of sun and were beginning to flush as the twenty-year-old's heart settled into an excited patter harmonizing with the buzz of the vibrator inside of her.
A pair of simple black heels, a black skirt a hand above the knees, and snow white blouse gave her the look of a newly hired intern who had just rushed to her first day of work.
"Turn that off for now dear," Natasha said. Her own clothes were similar to Kim's but more extreme. Natasha's black heels were four inches tall, her skirt was tighter and extended mere inches below her ass. Her blouse fitted, and nipples punched at the fabric, a tiny black jacket shaped and pushed her chest.
Kim gave a disappointed sigh and lifted her skirt, switching off the rabbit vibrator and gently pulled it out of herself. Their lessons had become more and more intense in the week Natasha had been teaching Kim, and this was her second day in a row where she had come prepared to openly enjoy herself.
"This is your first class on theology," Natasha said, resting some of her weight on the top of a desk in front of Kim, anything to take pressure off her feet.
Kim's back straightened at the words. Hey eyes sharpened. No one would have accused Kim of being a stupid girl, no one but her step-parents anyways, and she had spent her life rolling her eyes at unsupported religious proclamations of truth. Natasha could almost see the girl brace herself for disappointment.
"God is fighting a war," Natasha began. "On one side of the war is god's true self, and us. On the other side of the war is Saliah, the personification of corruption and evil, and her minions."
Natasha paused for a shallow breath and went on. "Saliah is no more imagined than our god, Jack. She walks the halls of this mansion, you'll see her and perhaps even be tempted by her to join her side. She is god's companion in all things."
"Our job, our role, our mission and duty is to give to god every desire of his true self so that Saliah has less sway over him, and he might defeat her."
Kim's eyes sharpened. Natasha recognized the look from when they first met. What if she didn't believe? Where would she go then? What would she do then?
_____________________
"Is this some kind of cult thing?" Kim's suspicious eyes shone out from behind dirty, limp, bangs that jutted down from the hood of a torn black hoodie. Her words seemed louder than was natural from the girl's small frame. Maybe it was the stone floors of an empty 2 AM bus station amplifying the voice. Maybe it was the way Kim had pulled back when Natasha sat down beside her, the motion was born of fear and surprise. It had made her seem meek, quiet. Either way the voice didn't fit the girl.
Where had Kim's suspicious eyes been when she had packed up the duffle bag laying on the spotted floor between her feet? Natasha doubted the girl had grown that look in the space of however many hours she had been waiting here. Yet those were not the eyes of a girl who lightly left home without a plan.
Natasha shrugged. "Yes, but in addition to dogma and rules, my cult has three hot meals a day and a safe bed for the night. If you're going to swipe left, why not do it after a night's sleep and a couple of free meals?"
Natasha could almost see the tiger of hunger and panther of suspicion circling each other in Kim's pupils as she said nothing. In a past life this moment had always carried a flicker of guilt for Natasha. "Let's put your mind at ease," Natasha said, and pulled open the purse sitting on her lap. Whatever Kim expected her to take from it, it probably wasn't her driver's license. "Snap a picture of me and my ID. Send it to a friend, tell them you're going to stay with me a few days."
Kim's face melted and she shook her head, tilting it back until her nose pointed up to a large brown oblong stain on bus station drop ceiling. "I don't even have a phone to pretend to take a photo on."
"Then use mine," Natasha said, even as she unlocked her phone and gave it to the girl. Kim reached out for the phone with a slow hand, and Natasha knew she'd closed the deal. Everything else was just a matter of not losing it.
The only one who seemed overtly unhappy about the arrangement was the bus station's sole ticket agent, who, when the phone was raised to take a picture, ducked from his chair and shuffled out of sight. He'd complain about it when they saw each other next, and Natasha would have to apologize, but he had come so cheaply that she wasn't worried about him changing his mind about their arrangement. He'd give her a call whenever a stray girl looked like she had nowhere to go, and in return Natasha would send him some nudes of herself.
Once she'd gotten the skittish girl into the passenger seat of a rented Toyota Corolla - too fancy and too run down would have both been signs that something was off - the next stop was a McDonalds Drive through. Kim, who at 5'6" couldn't have weighed more than 110 pounds, ordered two Big Macs, a chocolate milkshake, and a large fries. She took a quarter of a Big Mac into her mouth with the first bite. Natasha drove.
"What kinds of things are you interested in?" Natasha asked, though a very full mouth stopped Kim from answering. "I was born and raised here, and if you ever need some recommendations, I'd be happy to give them - assuming you don't join my cult anyways. Where are you from?" She flashed the girl a hundred watt smile, taking her eyes off the road for only a moment to make the joke.
Kim swallowed and took a deep breath. "Texas," she said and then tore another huge chunk of the burger away.
"Because it was the longest bus ride you could find? Or because there was something special here pulling you our way?"
A cup of milkshake washed the next bite of burger down and Kim slumped back into the Toyota's heated seat. "Not so much distance as hours. I just wanted time to think, you know?" Kim's head started to swivel as Natasha turned onto a side street and the houses went from McMansion to mansion. "What is this place?" she asked.
"Not bad, is it? You were probably thinking some converted school or run down trailer?"
"I don't know. Just... Not this."
"One of the differences between a fake religion and a real one is that when god actually is real, he gives you nice things."
Kim snorted back a laugh. But when Natasha turned into the driveway Natasha's mouth opened, her jaw hanging loose for a dozen heartbeats.
"Home sweet home," Natasha began, unbuckling her seatbelt and turning to the girl beside her. "There are some house rules. The first one is that there are no drugs and no weapons in the house. I'll take you inside, show you to your room. It's a private room with a door that locks and a window to the outside that opens. You're not trapped here. Once you see that, I'm going to go through your things with you and make sure there are no drugs and no weapons."
"I've got a bottle of mace," Kim answered.
