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“Clyburn Bonholdt. You have been charged with Academic misconduct. Rape of a teacher. Sexual assault of nearly thirty students, possession of drugs, drug-facilitated sexual assault, failure to impregnate, destruction of property, and arson. How do you plead?”
“Not guilty, your honor.”
“Lies!”
“Bastard!”
“Burn, you, you… man!”
There was a loud rumble of voices suddenly rising from behind me and the judge had to bang the gavel a half dozen times before the courtroom settled. I could feel the heated stares of hundreds of women. For the last two days, I had been in solitary confinement, which is where I had woken up after passing out. It took me half a day to even find out why I was there. After being narrowly rescued from the fire escape, the police then turned around and arrested me.
Word of the events that transpired in The Precipice leaked to the news, and it exploded into a massive public controversy. As more details were leaked, likely by the victims of Wrath, public anger grew, and the city had reached a boiling point. Boys attempted to drug and rape a large spattering of girls. A mass rape on this scale had never been seen before.
Unfortunately, most of the boys involved had fled in the fire and then hid behind their powerful families to spread plausible deniability. In the end, only one boy could be clearly connected to the events in the Precipice. Not only was he caught coming out of the building, but he literally was caught with his arms around two stripped, unconscious, drugged women, one of them a freshly raped teacher with cum leaking from her crotch, and the other his own sister. Blood was in the water, and I was sinking fast.
“Then, your trial will be set in two months.” The judge declared. “You are waived from bail, as enforced by the male protection act. Until the trial, you will be monitored closely. You will remain suspended from all school activities until further notice.”
“You’re giving him bail!” A shriek came from the audience.
Numerous people stood up screaming. As for the entire room, it didn’t feel like there was a single person in support of me. Well, there was my lawyer. She was hired by Aunt Rose yesterday. I didn’t really know her, but she didn’t seem to buy my story. When I explained what happened, she suggested I just admit guilt. Her advice was to push my sister down again until she became pregnant to lessen my sentence. If a woman becomes pregnant from rape, the sentence is reduced substantially and sometimes discharged altogether. As to the thirty-some other victims of the seniors, Rebecca and her ilk, even if one of them did get pregnant, they were likely to abort the baby in secret just to spite me.
“Th-those charges are ridiculous,” Brooke growled angrily as I met her outside of the building.
The police only escorted me to the front door of the courthouse. After that, the mobs of people standing outside holding up signs and screaming in rage could tear me apart for all they cared. Thankfully, Aunt Rose and Brooke came prepared and had a small security detail creating a shield to protect us. Even so, angry people tried to chuck stuff at me, or otherwise force their way through the detail in an attempt to attack me. The security could only hold up their shields and keep pushing through the crowd. By the time the three of us dived into the car, the protective space they had built was down to a third of its original size.
The driver hit the gas as soon as the door closed, moving the car so that we couldn’t get surrounded and pushed over. Most of the people outside were women from teenagers to adults. They held signs that said things like “Down with men.” And “Burn, Cly, Burn!”. Clever, that one.
“They’re trying to make an example out of you.” Aunt Rose spoke once the car emerged from the crowds, the security detail joining in a second armored car a moment later.
“He’s just one boy.” Brooke frowned angrily.
“The special treatment men have been getting since the Male Protection Act has left a lot of women displeased. Feminists have been looking for a story that epitomizes the evils of men. A boy who drugs and rapes dozens of unwilling women? A boy without a strong family background? With no good explanation about why he was there that night? This story is ripe for sensationalizing. They won’t stop until you’re the poster boy of everything wrong with the male population.”
“But I didn’t do anything! I was saving them!” My fist slammed on the armrest, causing it to creak.
“Sweetie…” Aunt Rose reached over and gently stroked my arm. “Of course, your Auntie believes you. I know my lovely boy would never do anything like that.”
“Maybe to Madison…” Brooke muttered.
“Hey!” I glared up at Brooke.
“Ah…” Rose looked away, clearly surprised that her own hidden thought was spoken out loud.
“I love my sister. How could you say that?” I shouted, glaring at Brooke and Rose in turn. “I would never drug her. I’d no sooner rape you!”
“R-rape?” Brooke’s eyes widened for a second and she straightened up, before turning away and touching her fingers together. “S-sorry… I didn’t mean it like that.”
I looked down, too tired to get upset, my anger dissipating like smoke. “I’m… sorry too. About the bathro-“
“Eh!” Brooke stopped me from speaking, even as Aunt Rose gave us a questioning look. “I’m the one who should apologize. None of this would have happened if I stuck by your side. I was distracted. I went out to get a breath and when I tried to get back in they locked down the entire club. That must have been their plan all along, to trap the girls in their own little rape box. I immediately went to call the police, but by the time I got back the place was in flames.”
“What about Aiko… I haven’t heard from her?” I asked, dropping the matter for the moment.
Brooke wore a complicated face but still answered. “Aiko was safe. They locked the kitchen doors when they got started and someone shouted that the catering were no longer needed. They were confused, but when they smelled fire they got outside safely. Aiko was very worried about you though.”
I nodded, although I couldn’t bring myself to meet Brooke’s eyes. Being with Aiko still felt a bit like cheating on my best friend. If it was a question of who I cared about more, I’d be hard pressed to pick between the two women. They were both very important to me. They were both dependable but in completely different ways. Brooke was like a rock, hard and stable, able to withstand the elements by your side. Aiko, on the other hand, was like the sun. You always knew she’d come through.
“Lyra? Dia?” Regrettably, this was my first chance to get any details leading up to my appointment hearing.
I wasn’t even allowed to talk to my Aunt until after the trial was scheduled. Whether this was part of the feminist plan, separating me from my parental figures to aid the prosecution, I didn’t know. Even my lawyer was hesitant to give me details. Other than the times I was taken out for questioning, all I could do was wait in relative darkness and hope everything worked itself out.
“Although rumors pegged them present at the Precipice that night, the rumors also add that they both got out of there before you drugged them. Ahem… you know what I mean.”
“Yeah…” I responded dryly. “I know…”
All the rumors made this seem like I personally did everything. I drugged thirty-two women, and then systematically raped every single one of them in the span of thirty minutes. Naturally, the ludicrousness of those claims could be easily disproved. However, they didn’t want to disprove the rumors. They wanted a boy to blame for everything. Chasing down the twenty boys responsible would be too hard, even if they could get their names, so despite all common sense, I was the source of all of the blame.
“There were also rumors of a kitchen girl who was involved. They haven’t been able to find her. Some think she died in the fire.” Brooke spoke slowly. “Perhaps you know of her.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Clarice? They don’t know?”
Brooke shook her head. “Right now, your strongest defense is that no one saw you at the party. You were only seen at the end of the party, which collaborates your story. If they found out you snuck into the party dressed as a woman, it’ll hurt your case even more. Dressing as the opposite sex is a taboo. At least, no one saw you.”
“I was seen…” I spoke slowly, causing Brooke to look up. “Dia… and Lyra… they both saw me. I don’t think Lyra noticed I was Clarice though.”
“Just Dia then?” Brooke frowned thoughtfully. “They call her the Career Queen, right? Perhaps there is some agreement we can offer her to keep her silent.”
“You’ve told me a bit about this.” Aunt Rose spoke up. “The Dia person should be as eager to keep her presence there a secret as Clyburn. Perhaps she won’t talk?
“Perhaps…” Brooke added but didn’t seem convinced. “Do we really want to bank on a woman with the reputation of a man-hater?”
There was silence that followed.
“And… the others…” I broke the silence, wanting to ask specifically for Madison, but I didn’t want to sound too desperate.
“Mako was tested and found not pregnant.”
“They can find out that fast?” I coughed in surprise.
“With magic, yes…” Aunt Rose shrugged, “It’d be better if she was.”
“I didn’t do it!”
“I know, Clyburn, I know…”
“Can’t they just test the DNA of the sperm in her?” I demanded.
“Test the DNA? I don’t know what you mean?” Aunt Rose cocked her head, but a look at Brooke showed she was just as clueless.
It looked like DNA profiling didn’t exist in this world as well. Given the nature of this world, there was probably no such thing as a rape kit either. I could only sigh at the discrepancies of this world from my own. Science fiction always painted worlds as modern, primitive, or advanced. All technology seemed to go hand in hand. If you were advanced in one thing, you became advanced in everything. Even stories that involved a leap in technological advancement from finding some kind of alien technology usually affected all aspects of life.
This world didn’t have the advancement of technology, it had the convenience of magic. Many things in this world were radically different as a result. Engineering feats too difficult to imagine like flying cars and floating islands were created with ease thanks to magic. Meanwhile, general science seemed to lag behind, with some concepts little better than our world had in the 50s. It was more difficult to notice, for example, that healthcare was behind, because the addition of magic more than made up for it, with some of our greatest illnesses like heart disease and cancer a mere spell away from being instantly cured, that is, if you had the money to afford it.
“But I think you’re more concerned about Madison than Mako.” Brooke’s voice broke in, causing Aunt Rose’s expression to grow solemn. ”Madison is fine, Clyburn.”
“Fine?”
“She… is caught between those that want to treat her as a victim of a vindictive brother and those that had the rumors of Slut Queen only confirmed.”
“Still a Queen? Even with her virginity suspected?”
“Some women are cruel. Reality doesn’t matter as much to them.” Rose sighed.
As a source of some of that reality bending, I understood this more than most. I gave them a nod. At least, Madison was safe. Aiko and Brooke were safe as well. I was heading home, and I’d get to spend my time with both of my children. Although the situation wasn’t ideal, things could have been a lot worse.
The rest of the trip home was in silence. I would have time to talk more with Aunt Rose later. For the moment, I just wanted to process everything that was happening. When we reached the mansion, I headed in a random direction, just wanting somewhere to think. I might have thought I’d head to the library, but the place I found myself heading was the room of my children. There was a maid who was helping Aunt Rose watch the girls standing nearby in attendance just outside. She nodded as I walked into the room and closed the door. Other than three maids, and the security, this mansion was empty. I had spent my entire life here, but suddenly coming back to it, it felt so vacant.
I walked over to the closest crib and picked up Alyssa, I could tell because she had more hair that her half-sister. It was strawberry blond. When she grew older, it would assuredly darken, but never be as dark as my hair or my mothers. Aunt Rose entered the room while I was sitting in the weak lighting, rocking Alyssa back and forth. She didn’t say anything, instead just heading over to Anya’s crib and picking her up as well. Anya made a few noises of distress but quickly grew complacent in Rose’s arms, quickly comforted by her mother. She sat in another chair across from me.
“It must be lonely,” I said slowly. “Being here, by yourself.”
“You’ve only been gone just over a week.” Rose chuckled. “And your daughters are quite the handful.”
I lowered my head, kissing the soft forehead of my daughter, her scent sweet and milky. Her little nose wrinkled as if she felt something rough she didn’t like, but after a single cough, she went back to sleep. I kept my eyes focused on Alyssa, while Rose fussed with Anya.
“Still, I feel bad leaving you by yourself. I don’t want to miss a day of my child’s lives.”
Rose sighed, reaching down and stroking Anya’s cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a tough woman. As long as I have these baby’s that came from you, I’ll wait an eternity for your return.”
“I love you, my Rose.”
“Mmm… my heart still beats faster when I hear that. It must mean I love you too.” Rose smiled affectionately, even as she looked down at Anya, who was waking up and grabbing on to her finger, trying to suck on it. She looked up at me, her eyes growing serious. “You should go see her, you know.”
“Her?”
Rose looked back down at the baby as she spoke. “She doesn’t have the babies like me. In many ways, your mother is more vulnerable and more fragile than I ever would be.”
“W-will they allow it?” I asked, suddenly finding a bit of anxiousness creeping into my heart.
“I’ve already set it up. You can go to the prison in a little bit. She’ll want to hear how your first week has gone.”
I winced. “I’m afraid to tell her…”
“She won’t blame you.”
“I’m afraid of that too.”
The pair of us continued to sit in silence, each holding a baby. The only noises were the occasional sputter or cry from one of the babies. As Anya grew fussier, Rose popped out a boob and allowed Anya to suck on it. When she noticed my curious glance, a mischievous grin grew on her face.
“You know, these are yours as well.” She gestured to her spare boob.
I stood up, approaching Rose slowly. Her lower lip quivered slightly, and she looked like she was anticipating my touch. I gave a dark smile, lowering down, and popping out her boob from her loose fitting shirt and bra. As I cupped her spare breast in my hand, she closed her eyes and moaned slightly. However, instead of going down on it, I put Alyssa on the spare nipple and then pushed my lips against hers.
“Mm!” She moaned into my mouth as my tongue darted in her.
Our tongues fought for what felt like an hour while I stood over her, a baby on each breast. She made cute moaning sounds while the babies under her made cute sucking noises. I didn’t pull away again until the door suddenly opened and a person stepped in.
“Ahem…” Brooke coughed awkwardly, not looking at the pair of us.
I released Rose’s lips, a strain of saliva connecting our lips as we pulled away from each other.
“Tease…” Rose hissed, her eyes flashing in desire.
I could smell a womanly scent from Rose that betrayed how turned on she was. The pair of us stared at each other, only a few steps from throwing the babies back into the crib and doing it right there on the floor, even with Brooke watching.
“There is a visitor?”
I sighed, only turning away and breaking the look of Rose’s sultry eyes with some effort. “A visitor? Now?”
“I thought I ordered no one gets in. With the press, we can’t take chances.” Rose couldn’t stop the aggravation from affecting her voice; Afterall, she was really horny.
“Yes… but, this might be a special case.” Brooke said uncomfortably. “It’s Lyra.”
I immediately turned back in surprise, my expression changing, “Lyra? Really?”
Of all the people I expected to come visit me, I never would have guessed it was Lyra. Rose gave me a regretful nod that said I’d need to repay her later, and I left my woman and children to go visit our guest. Brooke led me to a small study that looked like it could have been an office, although it was rarely ever used. When I entered, Lyra was already there looking at a mirror on the wall, oddly adjusting her hair, her mouth moving as if she was talking to herself.
After standing for nearly thirty seconds realizing she was so focused she hadn’t heard me come in, I gave a polite cough. Lyra looked like she nearly jumped out of her skin, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. This caused her to grow very flushed, and give me a look that perhaps other students interpreted as cold. To me, it only looked cutely flustered.
“C-clyburn…” Lyra said, turning to face me, but still keeping some distance from me. “I heard about the-the charges…”
When Lyra spun around, I could get a better look at her, and it caused me some pause. She was actually in a very cute summer dress that showed some wonderful cleavage. The dress was just short enough that it hinted at the curves that were barely concealed but didn’t reveal anything. It was the kind of dress that could have you stare at the hem for hours just hoping it’ll rise that half inch and show the curves of her butt and underwear. Her hair was tied up in a pretty way that showed off her golden locks, and she wore a bit of makeup. She even gave off a flowery scent. It screamed of trying too hard, but on Lyra, it came off as really cute. Lyra always came off as a hard worker.
I quickly turned away so I didn’t look like I was staring, “Yes… they’re just charges. I’m not guilty yet.”
Lyra nodded slowly, her face blushing for some reason. “Y-you’ll definitely be found innocent!”
I gave her a side-look. “I’ve heard they want to make an example out of me.”
“No!” Lyra eyes opened widely with innocence. “They can’t. That’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t always fair.”
“…” I turned to Lyra when she didn’t respond.
Her head was down and she seemed to be shaking slightly. It was a strangely dark sight on her body, and it seemed weird to me. I took a step towards Lyra without thinking, taking my hand and cupping her cheek. She looked up at me, and that’s when I let out a gasp of surprise. Tears were falling down her cheeks. For some reason, seeing this girl cry seemed to make my heart ache.
“Lyra…” I said, moving closer to her as my eyes looked deeply into her brilliant blue ones.
“It’s just not right…” Lyra murmured, “Yo-you saved me. You tried to save the other girls.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked cautiously.
Lyra shook her head as if to herself. “You’re definitely not a bad person. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I thought you were different from the other boys.”
I sighed. “Lyra, why did you come?”
Lyra smiled slightly. “You saved me. I… I feel I must return the favor.”
My frown turned into a wry smile. “That… I didn’t really save you all that much.”
Lyra glanced up in surprise, but understanding seemed to quickly grow on her face. “My brother was there, wasn’t he?”
“You knew!” I let out the word before I could stop myself, and Lyra’s expression for some reason turned sad.
“He…. He didn’t try anything with me, did he?” Lyra asked, then held up a hand to my mouth to stop me from answering. “I know he did, you don’t need to answer.”
“Lyra…” For some reason, the sad look in her eyes bothered me, and I wanted to do something about it.
“Nina, that bodyguard of his… she stopped him?” Lyra wasn’t really asking, just stating what she suspected. “My brother… he has been looking to deflower me for a long time.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Hmmm…” Lyra shook her head slowly, even though she still wore a sad expression. “No… not according to society.”
“Society? What about what you want?”
“What I want?” Lyra looked up at me. “I want the right man.”
I realized that somewhere along those lines, my body moved until I was mere inches from Lyra. She was looking up at me tearfully, but she wasn’t shaking anymore nor was she looking away. In fact, she seemed to move towards me as much as I moved towards her. There was plenty of room in the study, but we wanted to be close. My arms reached out, hesitating as if to grab her and pull her to me.
“Have you found him yet?”
“I thought I had…” Lyra said, her eyes dropping for a second, “But then you came along.”
“Ah? Me?” I reached up and scratched my cheek, a little surprised at how forward Lyra was being.
In this world, it was a bit odd to be treated in such a straight forward manner. Most women avoided me completely, or hid behind contracts, or treated it like a business exchange. To be standing in front of this girl and having her all but declare she liked me… However, the real question was how did I feel about Lyra?
The first time we had ever met was in a tent in a back alley. I had eaten her pussy almost by impulse. She had been a kooky girl then and perhaps came on a little strong. However, that was over a year ago. I had been through so much. Suddenly, her kookiness came off more as sincerity. She was silly, but she was also endearing. I remembered the feeling I felt when I saw Aaron on top of her. My heart felt like someone had grabbed it.
“Lyra… I…”
Lyra lifted her finger and put it over my lips. “Clyburn, can you please make me pregnant?”
“Ah…”
The good feelings in my heart were extinguished in an instant. Her words didn’t make me feel happy. I certainly didn’t feel horny. Instead, I felt a little underwhelmed. Pregnancy… that’s what it always came back to. In the end, to Lyra, I was just a means to pregnant. She wasn’t confessing she loved me, she was confessing she wanted to use me to have a baby. Her eyes even held a strange sort of desperation.
I pulled back, stepping away from Lyra. “I’m sorry… I’m not here just to give you semen.”
“Wh-what…?” Lyra’s eyes grew cloudy, a confused look on her face.
“I don’t want anything so casual as to just make you pregnant. If you’re just looking to get pregnant. Find someone else. I demand more from my women than that.”
Lyra blinked, her confusion growing. “M-my families rich. I have money…”
I smiled sadly. Right, it was all about a slice for people in this world. I was letting myself get caught up in the moment, but this was the reality. I couldn’t really trust women. Well, women besides my own family. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t contacted Mia since we shared our night together.
“Some things can’t be bought. I thought that day in the tent when we held each other two summers ago you’d be interested in something more intimate…” I sighed.
I couldn’t let myself become like the other men. To grow callous or have sex with women thinking about what rewards I’d get out of it. I didn’t want that kind of life. Instead, I wanted to follow my heart. Yes, that was what I wanted from the beginning. My wife cheated on me because she wanted to have a baby. It was a cold, calculating move that didn’t take me into the equation at all. The women I pursued, the women I loved… there had to be love there. The man I wanted to be in the future was a man with no regrets.
“The… tent…” Her eyes flashed and her mouth fell open. “You’re the boy!”
“Lyra…” my expression grew complex. “It’s better if we…’
“You’re the one!” Lyra cried excitedly. “You’re definitely going to be my first!”
“Haaa…” I let out a sigh. “Aren’t you listening? I only want to be with a loved one.”
Lyra blinked. “Th-that…”
I patted Lyra on the head softly. “So, you see… we can’t…”
“Th-then, I’ll definitely make you love me!” She declared, pointing a finger at me.
“What?”
Make me love her, isn’t it her who only wants me to have a baby?
“Clyburn,” Brooke walked in, suddenly interrupting the pair of us, me standing with a confused look, while Lyra pointed at me triumphantly. “Someone has been caught trying to sneak into the mansion.”
“Eh? Isn’t that a police problem?”
“They say… their name is Aaron and you’ve abducted their sister, Lyra. He’s demanding you hand her over.”
I glanced over at Lyra. “Perhaps you should go.”
“Eh?” Lyra’s face grew cloudy. “Th-that bastard…”
The suddenly hatefully glare on her face completely contrasted the wide-eyed happiness she displayed a moment before. I was completely lost at this point.
Lyra’s look snapped to me, her eyes suddenly glowing fervent again. “I… absolutely won’t let him! You’ll be my first… my l-l-l…. ah… I can’t say it!”
Lyra’s face suddenly went red. She grabbed her cheeks and shook her head as if trying to remove her negative thoughts. It looked somewhat strange, and Brooke could only raise an eyebrow.
“Lyra, I think there is some confusion here… I…”
“No, my lo… eh, Clyburn!” Lyra looked away. “I must go today, but I definitely won’t lose! He won’t take it, I won’t let him! It absolute must be Clyburn. You! Show me to that scumbag brother of mine!”
Brooke gestured to her side and one of the other security guards led Lyra out. She was still muttering something as she left. I was completely at a lost. This was the Ice Queen? She was still as crazy as I had ever known her.
“Brooke, do you have any clue what that was about?”
“I don’t know. Women are confusing.”
“Aren’t you a woman?”
“That’s how I know!”
I sighed again, feeling like I was missing a big part of the conversation between Lyra and I. If she genuinely had feelings for me, I didn’t understand why she was so obsessed with getting pregnant. As a queen, getting pregnant was usually not their priority. Had Lyra just said she wanted to have sex with me, I’d have no doubts. I knew her to be a horny girl, or I guess I thought she was a horny girl. However, she seemed more obsessed with getting pregnant than anyone.
“Brooke, get the car.” I eventually decided to give up trying to decode that conversation; it’d wait for another day. “I have someone I need to talk to.”