by Susan Thomas
My father gave me a card much like a debit or credit card which was the only means to pay for anything on the island. He had to buy credits in the island's currency known as Ips and he gave me my allowance for island use. After a few days helping with the settling in I took my bicycle and began to explore. We had not been shown but I explored the marina and the moment I saw it I knew I would want a boat of some sort. I noticed there was water skiing and diving in good weather - something else I wanted to do - and I rode around taking in the beaches, the fine houses and a stern-looking building in the middle which was the House of Guardians. The Guardians were a sort of police force with responsibilities for security, but given you couldn't even get on the ferry without being authorised I wasn't sure why it was needed... until I had my own encounter with them.
I was on my way home, somewhat tired for I had been cycling for hours, when I came round a bend and found I was in the path of a golf cart travelling quite fast. I later found that they were specially adapted and could go 20 MPH. I was slow to react but fortunately the driver wasn't and he swerved, ending off the road into a small ditch with the nose buried in sand.
He got out looking annoyed but he was extremely polite to me. "My dear, do you not realise that cyclists and walkers must travel along the edges of the road and not in the middle?"
Before I had a chance to reply a small electric vehicle marked Guardians came along and two uniformed men got out. One began questioning me and the other the driver of the cart. It took them very little time to establish that it was my fault though I hadn't actually known I was supposed to ride to the side. One of the two looked apologetic as he got out a hand-held device.
"I'm extremely sorry miss but I have to issue a penalty notice. May I have your membership number please?"
I knew I didn't have one because of course it was my parents who were members, so I explained that I was a daughter not a member and we had just moved in. The two Guardians were immediately apologetic for not having known me, gave me a very courteous telling off and told me that my mother would be informed. I was puzzled by what my mother was supposed to do about it but apologised to the driver, who was most gracious, and I rode off very embarrassed.
It was when I got home that my first real indication came that there was something very odd about island life. My mother listened while I explained what happened and that they had been about to give me a penalty notice and then she went rather pale muttering, "Oh dear, so soon," and sat down. I just didn't understand what was bothering her. The two Guardians were sorting out the golf cart, no real harm had been done and I hadn't got a penalty whatever that meant, so what was the problem?
When I said all that she just looked at me and with a forced brightness replied, "Oh don't worry, just me being silly. They'll phone in a minute and I'll sort it out from there."
I just shrugged not understanding what the big deal was and went off to get a drink. I heard the phone ring and my mother talking. Finally she said, "Yes I understand. Shall I come now?"
A few minutes later she was heading out of the door saying she'd be back later and left in her golf cart. I wondered if she had to pay some sort of fine for me or something. It was all a bit strange. Anyway I had exam work to do so went to my room and knuckled down, something I hadn't really done during the move. Sometime later I heard Mum come in, and curious as to what had happened I went down. I saw her before she saw me and I stopped dead. She was standing in the kitchen rubbing her bottom gently and muttering to herself, "Well you wanted it girl, now you've had part one."
I retreated, unsure what on earth she meant but sensing she would not appreciate my knowing. Clearly this was something to do with the bicycle incident but what, exactly? And did it have anything to do with my parents' ill-concealed excitement at coming here? I was at a loss as to how to find out but the plot thickened so to speak when my dad got home. He looked at me and spoke in quite a stern tone.
"Kate, I have heard all about your incident with the golf cart. Clearly you have not read the rules properly. I am docking one half of next month's allowance and unless you learn the rules, and come and satisfy me that you have, you will lose the rest of your allowance. Now will you carry on with the meal please, your mother and I have something we must attend to."
I thought Mum looked decidedly nervous when she went off with Dad and I know you'll think me stupid but I couldn't work it out at all. I just had no idea what was going on but I knew that there was much to find out. It was when Mum came back I began to suspect what happened. She looked rather tearful and as we sorted out the meal I noticed her hand straying to her bottom and giving it a gentle rub. When we sat for our meal she sat very carefully indeed. I wasn't clear in my head about it, but had Dad used some sort of corporal punishment? Had the Guardians used CP too?
Chapter 2
I wasn't successful at all in finding anything out. It was clear that my parents weren't going to reveal anything and it was hard to spy on them when their suite was so private, so I tried pumping the others going to school on the ferry. Most were a lot younger than me and so I didn't waste time on them but tried the other teenagers. The nearest to my age was a boy of sixteen who clearly fancied me (fat chance with his BO and acne) but he was useless when I quizzed him. He took precious little interest in what was going on around him and the only thing I learnt was that some of the club events were banned to non-members. So for example I could go to the annual ball but not the quarterly dinner-dance, but I couldn't see how that would help anything.
To my surprise my father held me to learning the island rules. He quizzed me about them and I failed, so had my next month's allowance docked. My dad had always been Mr Softie before so I was puzzled by it. I wasn't much bothered because I hadn't spent much of the first month's allowance but I did buckle down and learn the rules. I learnt that I had to be polite and respectful to staff and servants; that applied to all island residents. I must always do as the Guardians ordered and if I had a problem with that must make an official complaint. Riding a bike at the side of a road I already knew! There were dozens more but ultimately it came out as one rule - behave in a civilised and considerate manner. The bit that seemed absent was the, 'and if I don't?' When I looked again at the rules, on the front it read: Chapel Island - Code of Behaviour - Children of Members Edition.
I wondered what the members edition looked like and where I could get hold of one so I checked to see if the island had a website. Sure enough it did, but the only version of rules was a downloadable Children of Members edition. Then it dawned on me - there was nowhere on the website for members to log in and view details of their account. In fact, other than saying one had to be a member (or a child of one) to live there, it said nothing at all about members. That was weird and meant there had to be another way. Perhaps they had an Intranet, maybe only available on members' computers? I needed to look on my dad's laptop to see what he had.
That's as far as I got because A-Levels loomed and I really had to focus. Although I didn't forget all the things I wanted to find out I did stop noticing anything so I may well have missed something in that period. The year went quickly, summer came, and by June that was it - I'd done my A-Levels and was a free agent. There was a Leavers' Ball in July but apart from chilling I set myself the task of finding out what was it about this island life that was odd.
I was lucky. My mum came home one fine day looking really rueful. She had got a penalty notice from the Guardians for driving her cart too fast in the Centre. The Centre is where the gyms, swimming pools, hotel and shops are, and it's a strict 'slow down' area where you're supposed to go at no more than 5 MPH. Now if Mum behaved like that other time when I got a penalty she'd go the House of the Guardians. The phone rang and I listened in. She made an appointment for the next morning at 11AM and I decided I was going to follow her. Now how could I get in the building at more or less the same time to see where she went?
I thought of a ploy and shot to my room, getting one of my A-Level text
books I no longer needed. I took it to the Centre and faked accidentally leaving it on a bench. One great thing about the island is the honesty. You can leave anything anywhere, even a wallet or purse and it will get returned, but the book had no name in it so would go to the House of Guardians.
The next morning Mum casually announced she was off out for a while and I managed to sound uninterested but waited a few minutes before leaving. I noticed she had gone on foot this time so left my bike, and keeping my distance, I followed. Sure enough she walked to the House of Guardians and to my eyes she seemed nervous. I watched her go in and waited for one minute exactly and then went in the entrance. There is a lovely reception, not with protective glass or any of that stuff, but carpet and a pleasant man behind a large desk with a big smile on his face. I didn't see Mum but I saw a door closing down a corridor and it had to be her. The door was marked, Accountability Suite.
"Good morning Miss, how may I help you?"
"I don't suppose you've had a book handed in have you? I left it in the Centre yesterday by accident. It's an A-Level economics book."
He smiled and went to look in the lost property store coming back, as I knew he would, with a big smile and my book. "There you are Miss, handed in last night. No name in it you know otherwise we'd have got it back to you. Best write your name in it."
I gushed my thanks and left to hide so I could watch Mum come out. Sure enough a while later she left and I could see at a glance she had been crying, plus as she walked she was rubbing her bottom. There had to be some sort of punishment thing going on. If I was right then tonight Mum and Dad would go off to their suite and Mum would come out looking tearful again and sore enough to sit very carefully. Perhaps that explained why my usually soft dad had got all authoritarian with me about learning the rules. Well he had better not try whacking my bum if that was what it was.
My prediction was right. Off they went in private and later emerged with Mum looking sore and tearful. That might have been worrying but on the other hand she seemed happier now than she had been most of her married life. Whatever was going on she was cool about it but I still wanted to know.
That coming Saturday was the quarterly dinner dance and of course I couldn't go to that one though quite why I didn't know. My parents hadn't been to any as yet because of big events involving politicians that my dad had to go to and Mum went with him. For some reason my mum was incredibly nervous about this island event, though why I couldn't work out. Anyway I was getting a take-away pizza and trimmings (there is a great take-away service on the island and good food it is too), planned to take a bottle of Dad's wine, and was going to have a serious attempt at seeing what was on his laptop. Off they went, Mum looking gorgeous but nervous, and I went straight to the wine, then with the bottle and a glass went to Dad's study.
Dad had a password for his computer which took me two minutes to crack as it was his mum's maiden name and her year of birth. I mean honestly what is it with older people don't they know anything?
Sure enough there was a link for Chapel Island requiring membership number and password. I had to go to Mum's handbag to get her number and then just went one unit up and put that in, that turned out to be correct in the end. Now for the password. I scribbled a list of every relative or friend that Dad normally used and their birth dates and began trying them out. Nine tries later the pizza arrived so I sat thinking. While I ate I finished half the wine then I went back and started again. After trying twenty-seven combinations without success I gave up. It seemed someone had advised Dad on better passwords.
As it got near the time when Mum and Dad were due back I decided I might learn more if I was 'asleep'. I left a note in the hall saying I'd gone to bed, shut all my lights off and made the bed look like someone was in it then I hid where I could watch the hall and the stairs and listen in to any conversation.
When they came in they sounded happy and as if they had a good time but then came the conversation.
"Well, was it as bad as you thought?" asked Dad.
"I was really afraid you know."
"Yes but was it as bad?"
"Well it hurt and all, the other thing was... well you can imagine, but the fear was the worst."
"I've read that fear can be a potent aphrodisiac."
My mum giggled and Dad began chasing her upstairs smacking her bottom all the way while she giggled. I thought there are no prizes for guessing what was going to happen next.
Something had been done to Mum at that dinner dance which hurt, and there was something else as well, but clearly it had made them both randy. I really needed to get into that intranet.
---oOo---
The Head of Guardians and his Chief of Security went into the plain room with their papers and sat in the large chairs provided facing the dark glass wall. They didn't speak as there was something quite intimidating about these regular meetings with The Five. The lights in the room dimmed and now they could see through the glass in front of them. Behind were five silhouetted figures but only the middle figure ever spoke to them and then clearly through a voice changer that turned the voice into that of a child. For some reason that was creepier than anything else.
"Report."
The Head of Guardians began his report which was routine and not particularly interesting. His security chief sat wondering just who the hell the five were and whether anyone on the Island Council was one of the five or were they just obeying orders too. The Island Council appeared to run the place and did see to such matters as the facilities, the power supply and the ferry but it did not own the island and it did not have the real power which lay behind this mirrored wall.
"Now," concluded the Head of Guardians, "my colleague has two matters to report on."
"Continue."
"Mr Canterbury is constantly short of money in his island account. He is often late paying money in and I know he borrows from other members routinely. I think he is likely to default on his dues in the near future."
"You want to do a full investigation into his affairs?"
"Yes, I want to go through all his mainland activities, financial records etc., hack into his computer and tap his phones. If he is in difficulties we need to know before he causes us a problem."
The lights changed and the wall became a mirror again. It lasted a few minutes and then the lights dimmed and the figures were back.
"Permission granted. And the second matter?"
"Our newest member, Sir Graham Freckleton, was at the quarterly dinner-dance with his wife. She was due to atone two penalties for the first time."
"And the problem?"
"While they were there the daughter Katherine was the only one in the house. In that time there were twenty-seven failed attempts to access the intranet."
"What do we know about the girl?"
"She has a university place in London to study economics with mathematics but she doesn't seem especially bothered about going. They have moved too much for her to have a wide circle of friends but she has a few good ones. She is bright, hard-working and has been no trouble during her schooling, now finished. She is considered a bit odd by the other kids because she doesn't go with the flow so to speak and doesn't seem to care much what people think of her. We've not monitored her closely but we do know she followed her mother on her last visit to the House and faked a reason to go in just after, presumably to see where she went. She saw the door closing on the Accountability Suite."
The lights changed again for a few minutes while the two men looked at each other, then the figures were back. The curious child's voice spoke again. "Have you run the evaluation on her?"
"Yes, and she scores highly on that test the university devised. In fact more highly than her mother but she didn't do it. It will only be accurate if she does it herself."
How old is she?"
"Eighteen. She's an older one in the year group so will be just nineteen when she goes up to university."
"Very well, watch her carefully. Do the usual tap
s and monitor. Put cameras in her room and when she does succeed in getting into the intranet, judge her reaction. We want regular reports. She may well have potential for us. If there is nothing else you may go."
The wall turned again to mirror and the two men left, each wondering if the other knew who the five were. Behind the glass the five sat thoughtfully. Number One spoke.
"The girl sounds as if she could be one of us. We need to know more than he will tell us. Number Five, see if you can get close to her or put one of our agents onto her. We need to really know what she is thinking and feeling."
Chapter 3
Lady Freckleton stood naked in her bedroom in front of the mirrored wall opposite the bed, examining the four clear welts that lay across her trim bottom. They were no longer raised and had turned more to bruises but they still felt sore. She rubbed her hand gently over her bottom enjoying the sensations it created. She still couldn't believe it was all happening as she had hoped. Graham had taken to being a dominant husband far more easily than she could have believed and when he caned her... my word, where did he learn to do that? The spankings he gave her were just what she had dreamt about and their sex life had taken off like a rocket. The gradual cooling over the years had disappeared and it was as well that they had this private suite or Kate would hear. In fact she found sex more enjoyable now than when Graham had first married her.
The other two aspects were harder to come to terms with. Her two visits to the House of Guardians to be punished had been very trying. She had to bare her bottom and bend over knowing that in both cases the whole punishment was being watched and not even knowing who or how many were watching through the one way glass. It might be one man or perhaps a whole family visiting relatives on the island. She stroked her bottom all the time while recalling it. Then there had been the quarterly dinner-dance. She had found it hard to eat anything knowing what lay in store at the end, though dancing had been no problem. Graham was so light on his feet she was carried away with it all and for a moment had been able to forget her public beating still to come. Then towards the end there was the elderly waiter at her elbow.