The cold October breeze chilled the naked girl's body as she stood chained to the metal pole on the small platform. Just hours before she had stood there, surrounded by her senior classmates, as flames surrounded her, being burned at the stake as a witch in a demonstration from her history teacher. Now, Susan Mitchell longed for the warmth of the flames she had cursed just hours ago. She still was chained tightly to the pole, her ankles strapped to its base, a chain encircling her bare breasts confining her torso and her arms raised over her head. The metal collar permanently welded to her neck was padlocked to a chain the pole, pinning her head in place. The chains had slackened a little so she no longer stood on tiptoe, although she still worried about losing feeling in her hands from having them over her head for so long.
Susan wanted to cry, but found no tears. She wanted to sleep, but the uncomfortableness of the position in which she was bound kept sleep at bay, although she did realize she had nodded off a few times. She had no idea what time it was, how long she had been chained to the post, or how much longer she would be be there.
She was startled just then by the hissing of the gas flames as they ignited. Where earlier in the night they had scared her, now they provided her much-needed warmth and light as she faced the darkness of the night. She felt the warm glow on her bare skin and tried not to think of everything she had been through or what was still to come. The flames weren't as strong as they had been earlier, just enough to keep her warm but no risk of burning her. She fell asleep in their warmth.
When she awoke, it was beginning to turn light. She realized her hands were no longer over her head, but instead chained behind her back to the pole. The gag that had been in her mouth for hours had been removed. Susan looked up and saw her best friend Brittany in front of her with several bottles of water and some rolls from the cafeteria. Susan hoped her friend had the keys to the manacles binding her to the post, but Brittany told her the school's headmaster had told her only to provide food and water, not to unchain the girl.
With her hands bound, Susan had to be fed by her friend. Brittany took her time, slowly tearing off pieces of the rolls and feeding them to Susan, alternating with large sips from the water bottles. Susan was parched and hungry and devoured the food and water. When it was gone, Brittany said she had to leave and Susan began to cry, pleading with her friend to stay with her. Brittany was torn between wanting to be there with Susan and needing to obey the headmaster's orders. She finally turned away and walked back up to the school, tears pouring from her own eyes.
Stephen Krutz watched the scene on the television screen in his apartment adjacent to the school and smiled. He knew Susan was on the verge of finally breaking. He would soon have exactly what he needed.
31 October
Posh, private West Valley High had a reputation not just as a stepping stone to prestigious universities and high paying corporate positions, but also as a hedonistic playground. The sons and daughters of diplomats, politicians, lawyers, bankers and corporate executives who attended the academy threw lavish parties which went on through the night, fueled by easy access to alcohol and other drugs. The school's previous headmaster had turned a blind eye to these parties and other misdoings at the school, as had the Board of Governor's.
The annual Senior House Halloween bonfire and costume party was the highlight of the fall season. The senior students would gather on one of the school's practice fields where a roaring bonfire would be set. Music would play and drink would flow and it wouldn't be long before many of the costumes would be abandoned.
One of the traditions of this event was that the costumes worn by the senior cheerleaders were chosen by selected members of the school's football team. These boys, usually the captains or best players, would try to select the sexiest costumes they could find, which the trim and fit cheerleaders would have to wear throughout the night.
And so Brittany, Jamie, Kylie, Chloe, Sarah and Jennifer, six of the seven senior cheerleaders, gathered in a classroom on the afternoon of 31 October to find out their attire for the evening. Brittany had hoped to see her friend Susan here today but the girl was nowhere to be seen. Brittany had gone down late Saturday to the platform where Susan had been left chained, but Susan was not there.