Chapter 4: Lake Interlude
Kennice had followed her mother upstairs and down the long hallway toward the training room. Although Elizabeth said nothing, Kennice could still feel her mother's anger and it buffeted against her. She couldn't help her attraction to the newcomer. It was, well like her soul knew his but if she said those words her mother would definitely get upset.
"I can hear those words and you are too young to think such thoughts!" Elizabeth snapped as she pushed open the door to the training room.
Kennice's mouth went dry. The training room doubled for a punishment room and that was why they were upstairs. No one came on the third floor without permission.
"You know the drill. Over to the chair and drop your pants. You have been warned repeatedly to stay away from that young man and to stay away from the first floor dormitories. You have disobeyed on both counts and you will be punished," Elizabeth said firmly.
Kennice bowed her head and walked slowly over to the chair. It was a straight back chair with a wooden seat. Sighing she pulled her pants and underwear down and let them pool around her ankles. She bent over at the waist and placed her hands on either side of the seat of the chair. She could hear her mother moving around and she tensed. She heard the swish of air and steeled herself for the caning she was about to receive.
Elizabeth stood behind Kennice, swishing the air experimentally with the cane. Finally she felt ready and swinging her hand back high, she brought it down swiftly with a resounding thwack against Kennice's bare butt.
Kennice hissed but made no other movement.
* * *
A few hours later a silent and brooding Kennice tiptoed down the stairs and outside toward the lake. She needed to clear her head and soothe other things.
Cyrus had wandered out into the grounds a few minutes after Anthony had left. He had sat down on the shore and skimmed stones for a while before just staring out at the lake, the dusk falling around him before he noticed. Sighing softly he looked up at the moon and thought of the man ho he had thought of as his father his whole life.
Kennice froze when she spotted Cyrus. Oh great. He was here too. Immediately she felt shame. She shouldn't direct her anger at him. He was not the cause of her problem. She was. Sighing she went in a different direction so that she could slip into the lake to soak. When she was far enough away she shed her clothes and stepped into the lake. She shivered at its coldness but then sighed in relief. She dove into the water and swam below the surface.
Cyrus sighed softly and stood, walking round the lakeshore to clear his head, trying not to let himself get homesick thinking about his father.
As he walked along the shores he noticed a pile of clothes on the bank, female clothes and wondered who it could be.
Quietly he crept down the embankment, his eyes on the water.
Kennice swam with the fishes for a moment and then she resurfaced, her back to the shoreline. Her wet hair fell around her shoulders and a few strands dangled in her face.
The water felt so good against her burning skin. She dove again and swam a little way past where she had dropped her clothes. She came up out of the water. Little droplets rolled down her body and some beaded on her nipples but she did not seem to notice as she walked up on the shore and turned to stare up at the moon which was peaking out from behind a cloud.
Her back and her butt were marked with angry red welts, which stood out in stark contrast to her creamy skin. She got chill bumps and rubbed absently at her arms to warm them.
Cyrus stood in amazement and watched as Kennice surfaced from the water and walked towards the shore, where he watched from the shadows.
When Kennice turned to stare up at the moon, a soft gasp escaped Cyrus' lips as he saw the angry red welts across her pale back and buttocks.
Cyrus found himself wishing he could rub her arms for her to warm her up, part of him wanted to go and help but the majority made sure his feet stayed put and even made him take a step away.
Kennice felt new tears sliding down her cheek. Her mother had used the cane hard and liberally. Kennice would be sore for weeks and that was the whole point. Her mother wanted her to remember her crimes. The first few blows never hurt but after the tenth one she had begun to cry. But her mother had not stopped. It had been a long time since Kennice had been punished and she had forgotten how much a caning hurt. Her one regret was that she didn't know if Cyrus had been alright or not. Once her mother had finished disciplining her, she had been sent down to the washroom to help with the laundry. Her mother had kept her busy all day so that she wouldn't seek out Cyrus. Cyrus, even his name sounded romantic. She turned away from the moon and gasped when she saw the reeds rustling.
"Who's there?" she demanded as she looked about for a weapon. Stupid of her to leave her clothes at the other part of the shore.
Cyrus, took a breath not sure whether to stay or flee. He felt his feet move backwards and sense finally made itself known. He couldn't get Kennice into trouble if she didn't know it was him. Cyrus began to move away once more, nearing the path away from the shore.
When no one responded, Kennice raced to the spot where her clothes were and hurriedly put them on, wincing when they rubbed against her skin. She knew a shortcut that would put her ahead of the person taking the one and only path back to the house. She would find out who was watching her.
Cyrus began running down the path, bolting as hard and as fast as he could, his slim physique allowing him to move down the path with a surprising turn of speed. The thought kept going through his mind. ~Don't let her see you, don't let her see you, don't let her see you~
"You know, you make enough noise to scare a whole crowd of people away," Kennice announced as she stepped into the middle of the path. She wasn't surprised to see Cyrus. Somehow, she knew it had been him. She was embarrassed that he had seen the evidence of her punishment.
Cyrus skidded to a halt in the middle of the path and cursed. "You weren't supposed to see me...now you'll be punished for seeing me. If you had just stayed at the lake you wouldn't have seen me and at worst it would be myself being punished...but now...now we're both screwed."
Kennice's eyes softened and she walked up to him. "I've already been punished. They are sending me away early and I got caned. There's not much more they can do to me," she told him sadly. She ached to hold him, to soothe his worries.
Cyrus looked up at Kennice. "Yeah...I was going to say good bye to you tomorrow but...knowing now that your mother most likely knows of this then she probably wont let me. I just wanted to make sure there weren't any hard feelings between us, because of what happened this morning." Cyrus blushed as he remembered realizing that Kennice had seen his whole body.
"I don't have any hard feelings but other parts of you sure were hard," she teased, hating the fact that he was worried about her. She found it, sweet.
Cyrus blushed visibly in the moonlight and looked at the ground, his hands in pockets. "Well...I had an angel in my dreams to help that along." Cyrus smiled up at Kennice.
It was Kennice's turn to blush. She liked Cyrus. He wasn't anything like the other boys, especially Rhys. Rhys who watched her every movement and made her feel uncomfortable. Her skin always crawled when he touched her. Rhys made her feel, well, dirty.
She shook off her thoughts and focused on Cyrus. "Have you ever kissed a girl?" she asked.
Cyrus paused and blushed again. "Well, to be honest I haven't, my powers kind of, drove them away. It's pretty hard to get on someone's good side when you trash everything around you whenever you're afraid."
"Would you like a kiss?" Her eyes were intense and her heart was racing. This was it! She was finally going to get kissed!
Cyrus' eyes lit up at the idea, biting his lower lip he nodded a little. "That would be really nice." Stepping a little closer Cyrus shyly held his hand out to her, knowing he would be in the biggest trouble of his life for this but also knowing it would be worth it.
Her slightly cold hand slid into his as she stepped up to him. She shivered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe, her eyes closing as she came closer to his lips...
Cyrus watched as Kennice came closer, leaning in and closing his eyes, their lips gently touching in a long soft sensuous kiss. In Cyrus' mind fireworks went off as the tenderness of Kennice's lips captivated his senses, causing him to tremble at the intensity of it.
Kennice was amazed at the colors she was seeing behind her eyelids as well as the heat that raced through her body and pooled in her nether region. She had never felt like this before!
Dimly she could feel the earth responding as well as it gently rolled beneath their feet.
Cyrus, caught up in the feelings he was experiencing at the moment, slid his arms around Kennice's torso, making their way down to her firmly toned buttocks and squeezed firmly, purring softly into the kiss.
Kennice let out a hurt gasp when he squeezed her butt. It slightly dampened her desire and her eyes flew open. She had forgotten about the welts from her caning.
Cyrus immediately remembered when he heard hurt gasp and let go, whispering. "Oh gods, sorry, I guess I forgot about the welts..." Cyrus gently stroked over them. "Maybe a dip in the lake might help...?"
Kennice nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth she might cry. Her mother had chosen well when she chose the cane. It would take at least two weeks for it to heal and every time she sat or pulled on clothes she would get a reminder of her disgrace.
Cyrus slowly began walking back, noticing a few odd looking plants that his Father told him of once. Picking them quickly he guided Kennice to the water whispering. "We're fortunate we ran into each other hear...I can make you a basic salve that will help those welts heal in a couple of days..."
Kennice looked at him in surprise. "You are a healer?" Now she was curious.
Cyrus cocked his head to the side and thought for a moment. "Not really but I picked up a few tidbits here and there."
"Ok," she said as she let go of his hand and took off her clothes.
Cyrus took in a slow breath as he watched Kennice disrobe, taking a moment before beginning to disrobe himself, his appreciation of her body evident as his member stiffened to erection.
