by Sarah Veitch
At last she finished rinsing herself and fetched one of the big fluffy towels from the adjoining room.
'Now what?'
'Now we go to the cloakroom and put on the clothes that teacher has left out, then go to the dining room for breakfast,' the other girl explained.
It was only when she saw the swimming costume, shorts and other garments laid out under her peg that Charlotte remembered today was Games.
'What do I put on?' she asked dejectedly.
'The shorts and top. Swimming isn't till this afternoon. You should have been given a timetable on your first day.'
'I think Mr Steen had a more pressing thing to give me,' Charlotte muttered, remembering how he'd slid right up her to the very hilt.
'Yep, he always insists on putting new girls through their paces,' Amanda said.
Charlotte changed into the sports gear and made her way to the dining room where a long hostess table was laden with sizzling hot produce. Suddenly ravenous, she helped herself to bacon, hash browns and tomato then added generous spoonfuls of sautéed mushrooms and scrambled egg. The food on the Training Grounds, she admitted grudgingly to herself, had always been ace.
Both girls munched contentedly for some time then helped themselves from the large urns of hot coffee and tea. Amanda also poured some mango juice, diluted it with water and added a pinch of salt.
'It turns it into a sports drink,' she explained. 'Trust me, you should try some to keep your energy up - the Games Mistress is strict.'
'No, I'm full,' Charlotte said, patting her very contented stomach. 'I'd just get indigestion if I had juice.'
An hour later the bell rang again and Amanda explained that it was time to visit the gymnasium.
'Miss Barr likes us to do warm up exercises there before our hockey game.'
'Fuck, I hate hockey,' Charlotte muttered, vaguely remembering it from her boring schooldays.
'Just give it your best shot. You don't have to be good - just enthusiastic,' the blonde girl said.
Moments later at the gym, the new recruit had to admit she'd rarely witnessed such enthusiasm. Some girls were doing star jumps like they were about to go out of fashion whilst others ran quickly on the spot.
'Where have the male pupils gone?' she asked her new friend.
'They have football and rugby practice instead - but they'll join us for swimming later,' Amanda explained. She started to run around the perimeter of the sports hall and called out to Charlotte suggesting she do the same.
Sluggishly, Charlotte complied. Becoming aware that a woman with a whistle around her neck was standing in the doorway, she speeded up a little. This was presumably Miss Barr, the Games Mistress and she was determined to make a good impression from the start.
For the next few minutes she circuited the gym then Miss Barr blew her whistle and told everyone to make their way to the hockey field.
All too soon they reached the expansive sports field and for the next half hour, the girls bullied off or whatever it was they did with their hockey sticks. Charlotte ran around after the ball with a be-all-you-can-be look. In reality, she wished they'd left her to sit outside the dormitory in the sun and read a book.
One of the other girls clearly thought the same thing - but she hid it less well. Suddenly Miss Barr blew her whistle again. 'Cheri, you're really not trying. It's back to basics time.'
'I'll try harder, Miss,' the small Oriental girl said, swallowing hard with apparent fear.
'You'll try harder after your little arse has been slippered,' the Games Mistress added and pointed to a group of taller girls. 'You lot sort her out.'
As if they'd rehearsed it, one of the girls got down on all fours and three others forced Cheri to bend over her back. Another girl then took hold of her wrists, holding her firmly. Miss Barr approached and unceremoniously yanked down Cheri's shorts and navy pants. She then removed one of the girl's plimsolls, flexed it for a second then began to apply it to its owners bare backside.
Cheri cried out as the rubber sole crashed into one disarmed cheek. She yelled again as the sports shoe warmed the neighbouring buttock. As the lambasting continued she began to struggle, attempting to get free of the other girl's back.
'Use your tie to bind her hands,' Miss Barr said, nodding towards a flush faced Charlotte.
Wishing they'd leave her out of this, Charlotte hastened to obey. Without prompting, Amanda also stepped forward and bound Cheri's ankles together with her own brightly striped school tie.
'Good girl, Amanda,' Miss Barr said and Amanda looked pleased.
'Teacher's pet,' Charlotte whispered as her new friend wandered back over to join her.
'Well, I'd rather be a sycophant than have a hot arse like Cheri,' Amanda said.
Charlotte looked back and could see that Cheri's bare bottom was indeed looking very sore. The centre of her small oval buttocks were particularly red with lighter red plimsoll marks at the outer areas and the tops of her beige thighs were a deep pink where the sole had overlapped its target. Judging by the numerous squealing noises that she was making, each blow hurt like hell.
'Sorry,' Cheri began to gasp out. 'Miss - so sorry.' The plimsoll rose and fell, rose and fell. 'I'll try harder - much harder, Miss. Please. No more.'
'You know I only stop spanking a naughty girl when my arm is tired,' Miss Barr said, whacking on and on. It was clear from the set of Cheri's shoulders that her body was exhausted but that her beleaguered bottom had taken on a life of its own. It thrust forward with each blow then arched back, then pushed forward again. Sometimes, as if trying to shake off the anguish, it swung the little it could from side to side.
'See how energetic you are now, Cheri?' Miss Barr said as she continued to apply the rubber shoe. 'If only you'd brought such fervour to the hockey. How will we ever win our race against isle one if you give so little to sport?'
'Isle one are competing against isle two?' Charlotte murmured to Amanda.
'Yes, they have an Annual Race to encourage athleticism. It's always held on this isle as it's so much bigger,' Amanda said.
'Is that right?' Charlotte cheered up at the prospect of seeing some of her colleagues again. Surely the Master from isle one would attend the race and she could plead to be allowed to return across the river with him?
But for now no one was going anywhere, and that included Cheri. The poor creature was howling like a coyote but Miss Barr's arm clearly hadn't tired. She thrashed at the already anguished flesh as if her life depended on it and ignored the Oriental girl's disjointed pleas.
Charlotte looked around at the other hockey players and could see that some were clearly aroused. Others looked dismayed and awkward. She herself felt somewhat excited but ashamed of her desire. She risked a quick glance at Amanda but the blonde remained impassive as she watched the punishment go on and on.
At last Miss Barr threw the plimsoll down. 'Cheri - have a glass of water then get back on the field. The same applies to the rest of you. There's only twenty minutes of play left.'
Everyone gave the last twenty minutes their very best. This included Cheri who had been made to leave her shorts at the side of the sports field. Her crimson arse stood out like a beacon as she raced around.
Afterwards, in the changing room showers, Charlotte noticed that Cheri showered in cold water. She herself went under the hot spray close to Amanda, keen to learn more.
'So, this race against isle one. Home made sports drinks aside, how do I beat the competition?' she asked casually.
The German girl applied some gel to her flat stomach then shrugged. 'I find it's best to do what I'm told here and not ask questions.'
'Yeah? Whatever happened to enquiring minds?' Charlotte sneered.
Amanda looked her square in the face. 'Oh you can ask questions about psychology, philosophy and so on. Karo has an amazing private library. She's always getting newcomers to bring books and she's happy to lend them out.' She began to soap her pubic hair and Charlotte looked awkwardly away. 'But the d
ay to day running of the Training Grounds must come before academia. We need a fit labour force - which is why these Games lessons are so important for everyone.'
'That doesn't explain why they've got us decked out in stupid school uniforms.'
Amanda nodded. 'They've only imposed these because we broke the rules, didn't think of the greater good in the first place. It's a visual reminder that we were philosophically wrong.'
'So being caned in front of the class makes me think of the greater good?' Charlotte muttered, unimpressed.
'No, it humiliates you and you're supposed to want to avoid further humiliation. So you shape up and graduate from school and become someone who's a good team player when there's a crisis here.'
'Like what?' Charlotte asked, kneading at her thigh muscles which felt strained from so much exertion on the hockey pitch.
'Like if there's a monsoon and half of the buildings cave in, we all have to act like foot soldiers. All for one and one for all, as they say.'
'Maybe you say. I didn't want to come to these fucking islands in the first place,' Charlotte replied.
The girls continued their conversation in the changing rooms as they put on the clothes that had been left out for them, namely their hateful school uniforms. Amanda had already explained that they had an hour-long sports psychology lecture next.
'I didn't choose to come here either,' Amanda said. 'I cheated on one of my boyfriends and he tricked me into coming here because he knew one of the overseers. He was so angry at the way I'd treated him that he stayed on for weeks to observe my many punishments.'
'Same here,' said Charlotte. 'Do you think all the girls have been tricked?'
Amanda shook her head as she put her silly little school pinafore on. 'No, a few of them are genuine submissives who came here with their dominant male friends. They're delighted to serve.'
'But you're not?' Charlotte asked.
Amanda hesitated. 'I'm not a natural sub so I kicked against the system at first. But now I've been here for six months I can see that it works in its way. I mean, there's no poverty here and no sexual deprivation.'
'And no freedom,' Charlotte said.
The blonde girl shrugged. 'Were you free back in London? Could you go out alone at night without risking attack? I don't think so. And I'm not having a go at England. I faced similar risks at home in Germany.'
'But I could...' Only the most banal image came into Charlotte's head. 'I could go out at lunchtime and grab a sandwich,' she said lamely.
'And you can go out here and pluck a fresh watermelon,' Amanda said.
'What are you? The fucking PR department?' Charlotte muttered, as she struggled into her thick cotton navy knickers.
'No, just someone who has seen sense,' Amanda replied.
Wishing that she had a more rebellious new friend, Charlotte followed the rest of her classmates back to class. Miss Barr already sat behind the headmaster's desk that Charlotte had been caned over the previous day. The girl glanced over at the corner and saw that quite a few canes and a tawse were propped up in the corner stand. She hastily took a seat at the back, determined not to get into any strife.
Almost immediately the discussion began.
'What does competition mean to each of you?' Miss Barr asked.
One by one each pupil replied.
'Effort,' said Charlotte when it was her turn.
'And is effort good or bad, Charlotte?'
The girl wondered if this was a trick question. 'It can be either,' she replied.
'What about effort on the hockey field?'
Charlotte decided to tell the truth but to keep her reply toned down. 'It feels bad to me because I don't like to exert myself. I'd rather be reading.' In other words, it's fucking pointless.
'But isn't it good that one game a week can improve your aerobic fitness so that you eat, sleep and work more effectively?' Miss Barr asked.
'I guess so,' Charlotte said, drawing another glum face on her notepad. Why couldn't the natural athletes do all the hard work and the more intelligent inhabitants like her could direct?
'A guess is an estimation. In sports psychology we need absolutes,' the Games Mistress explained. 'An athlete needs to know that she - or he - is the best there is. They can visualise winning the game or race, taking home the trophy.'
'Oh, if I'd only known there was a trophy,' Charlotte said with light sarcasm and a couple of the pupils giggled nervously.
Miss Barr stared at Charlotte until she looked away. 'Amanda, what does the word competition mean to you?'
'A chance to excel,' said Amanda, and Charlotte stuck her tongue out at her when the teacher's back was turned.
Other than that the lesson passed without incident and when the bell rang they all traipsed to the outdoor pool for swimming, having taken their swimming costumes from underneath their cloakroom pegs.
'Why don't we just swim nude?' Charlotte asked a girl with auburn curls.
'Because the pool filtration system is old and doesn't work well. It's more hygienic if we keep our costumes on.'
'Trouble in Paradise, eh?' Charlotte said, her usual spirit reasserting itself. She only got close to being submissive when she'd been soundly thrashed, when she really couldn't take any more.
'Don't know why you're complaining when you just came from cushy isle one,' the other pupil retorted.
'So how do I get back there?' Charlotte asked.
'By becoming the perfect slave and doing exactly what the authorities want.'
That didn't sound like a whole lot of fun. 'How do I get back there without turning myself into a complete doormat?'
'You don't have to be a doormat. Just follow the rules because they make sense - and enjoy yourself the rest of the time,' the girl said. She waved a hand around. 'This island is absolutely huge. It's got so much potential. There's so much building work going on that we'll eventually have everything here.'
'Like what?' Charlotte muttered.
'Well, we have sports facilities, two theatres and a banquet hall.'
'What about neighbourhood watch?' Charlotte asked jeeringly.
The girl stared at her. 'Hey, we even have our own police station here. It's got everything that your country has - but we work far fewer hours, we don't have any money worries and we have lots of friends.' Her smile faltered. 'I was stupid and stole some luxury goods from one of the guests which is why I've been sent back to school.'
They reached the rectangular pool and Charlotte changed into her costume and dived in. Other pupils were already engaged in impromptu races. Yet others were following an Aqua Aerobics class under the instruction of Miss Barr.
Hating the very thought of such formulaic exercise, Charlotte swam to the other side of the pool and floated on her back for a while, then swam the crawl for a few moments followed by the breast stroke.
'Help yourself to a juice whenever you get thirsty,' Miss Barr said to the class.
Looking ahead, Charlotte saw that a small table near the river offered a range of juice pitchers. Amanda was already striding towards it. Quickly, Charlotte exited the pool and joined her friend.
'Don't tell me - diluted mango juice!' she said.
Amanda smiled tolerantly. 'Or diluted orange or pineapple. As long as you keep your fluids up in this heat you'll be fine.'
'Like I could overheat in a swimming pool,' Charlotte said.
'You'd be surprised,' Amanda replied. 'You weren't here for the Physiology lecture which explained that...'
'Oh, go take a leap,' Charlotte muttered, and gave the know-it-all a sudden push into the river. To her surprise, Amanda began to thrash about and scream.
Other pupils raced to her aid. 'Hey, she can swim - I saw her earlier,' Charlotte protested loudly.
But the pupils ignored her and swiftly pulled Amanda from the water's depths. They then hauled her safely up the river bank where Charlotte could see that her erstwhile friend was shaking and had turned pale.
'She's fine. She can swim,' she sa
id again.
'Yeah, she's fine when she's swimming in the pool,' one of the adult male pupils said angrily, 'but there are piranha in the river, you fool.'
'Christ, I didn't know,' Charlotte responded, genuinely shocked. She looked at the flowing water and realised for the first time that she had no idea what lived there. Hell, there could even be alligators or crocodiles.
'Exactly, you didn't know,' Miss Barr said, coming to stand at Charlotte's side. She looked her up and down. 'I believe that's why Karo brought you here - because you act first and think later.' She glanced at her watch. 'I'm too busy to deal with you now but report to the Punishment Hall tomorrow at 10am.'
Chapter Three
That night Charlotte had her evening meal with the other boarding school girls. She was relieved to hear that Mr Steen was busy with another pupil who had set the Physics Lab on fire. She was less happy to hear that all of the pupils were expected to play games in the Recreation Room until lights out.
'I hate board games,' she said.
'They have table tennis too,' Amanda offered.
'Hate table tennis. And my arms are killing me after all that hockey and swimming today.'
'At least you didn't become lunch for piranhas,' Amanda said sourly.
'Nor did you,' Charlotte replied.
'Yeah, no thanks to...'
'All right! I'm taking the flak for it tomorrow,' Charlotte said, holding up her hand to halt her friend's tirade. She remembered the Games Mistress's angry face. 'So what'll she do to me tomorrow?'
Amanda shrugged. 'Hard to say. But you saw what she was like with Cheri on the hockey field - pretty merciless.'
'You're either merciless or you're not. I thought they'd have taught you that at your sports psychology lectures,' Charlotte muttered, tired of her friend's indifference to her fate.
As they verbally sparred, the two girls approached the Rec Room. Amanda held open the door. 'Do you want to play chess? Or draughts if you fancy slumming it.'
Charlotte glanced into the large room with its various card tables, bookshelves and gaming tables but the thought of spending any time there didn't appeal.
