Emily Abroad by imanewb Emily Abroad... Light at the end of the tunnel? The other kids padded round the room quietly, approaching and backing away from her apparently sleeping form several times. Their hushed conversation was too quiet for her to catch what they were saying, as if there could be anything else on their minds – no, Emily Jane knew they had to be talking about her and, much as she might want, didn’t know how to stop them. For a moment, she was tempted to ‘wake up’, to see if they’d carry on knowing that she was listening to every word but soon dismissed the notion, remembering the almost gleeful way they’d followed the Dean’s instructions earlier – there’d been no hint of sympathy nor remorse in their eyes when they’d held her down and played with her body. No, she thought, these people wouldn’t stop if they knew she was listening, they’d probably enjoy making her uncomfortable, trying to get a reaction from her. A deep laugh echoed loudly in the quiet room, startling her before the room fell completely silent… “You’re in my bed new girl,” the words sent icy shivers down her spine as he spoke. Her heart started to race as bile rose in her throat, her stomach rebelling at the idea of sleeping with… no, what sort of boarding school allowed co-ed rooms? “I know you’re awake,” he continued, so close the breath from his voice brushed her ear, “you gonna be my little snuggle…” Emily Jane had heard enough, bolting upright she barely missed colliding with whoever it was leaning over her. She was already halfway to the door before the laughter started, and in the corridor before anyone could stop her. She ran like her life depended on it, turning randomly through the unfamiliar hallways in her bid to get away. She didn’t dare look back as she searched for somewhere to hide, somewhere with a door she could put between her and the pursuers she could feel breathing down her neck. She could hear excited voices growing closer as more and more people were drawn to the commotion outside their dorm rooms, anxiety turned to panic, and panic to all-out fear as she passed one locked handle-less door after another until, miraculously, one moved under her touch. She didn’t stop to think, to wonder where it might lead or why this one particular door remained ajar. No, she barged through. The rebounding door locking in her wake, the click unheard over her ragged breath or the pounding of her pulse in her ears. Eyes wide in the dimly lit space she slumped against the door, shaking from the adrenalin surging through her system as she waited for the footsteps to draw up outside her hideaway, for the door to rattle under their pounding fists, for something, anything to happen once she was discovered. Seconds crawled by into minutes, minutes stretched eternally until the corridors fell silent and her adrenaline rush slowly faded. Had they given up, she wondered, or were they waiting silently to pounce the moment the door swung open? Uncertain what to do she looked around her for the first time, noting the shelves packed with linen disappearing into the shadows at the back of the long, thin room… at least she could make herself comfortable, she realised – even if it was only a matter of time before her own needs would drive her from this temporary sanctuary. Emily Jane woke with a start, momentarily confused about what had roused her… stunned she’d managed to sleep at all as memories of the fear and running blindly through the corridors returned. But sleep she had, she realised, as the door nudged against her legs – forcing her to struggle free from the makeshift nest of towels she’d made, ready to face whoever it was who’d found her… “Well,” a voice with a perfect ‘movie villain’s accent’ exclaimed, “what do we have here then?” He stood there in the open doorway, the bright light streaming round his body revealing only his outline - but that was enough for her to see his size, to send tingles of fear shooting up and down her spine. She locked her knees to try and hide her trembling as she considered her options - she could scream or try to run if she could but get past him, for what little good either might do her. “Come on out then,” he continued, when she didn’t move, “we’ve been wondering where you got to.” Fearing he’d simply drag her out if she didn’t move of her own volition, she took a couple of tentative steps, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she wondered what fresh hell she was walking into. Head down, she didn’t notice the appraising look he gave her, couldn’t bring herself to look at him or speak, lest she triggered whatever wrath he had in mind for her. “I’m glad I found you when I did,” he continued lightly, oblivious to the thoughts running through her head, “any later and you would have missed breakfast completely, and we wouldn’t want! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day you know, got to keep your energy up…” His voice droned on and on as he led her through the maze of corridors and, before she knew it, she found herself back outside the dorm room she’d been dumped in the night before. “OK, home sweet home,” he said with a smile, seemingly content to continue ignoring the elephant in the room, “let’s get you dressed and ready for the day shall we.” He pulled her into the, thankfully, empty room without waiting for any kind of reply from Emily Jane, dragging her towards the bed she’d so recently been forced to flee. Her blood froze in terror when he sat on the mattress, her limbs refusing to cooperate as he patted the space beside himself, expectant, demanding. She could only shake her head, as she prepared herself for the worst - angry with herself and the piteous whine that passed her lips as he easily overcame her resistance, dragging her to where he wanted her. She turned away as soon as she felt his weight lifting from beside her, not wanting to see it coming… waiting… Though it didn’t hurt, the quiet thud of something unexpected bouncing off her chest was enough to draw a pained gasp from her lips, for her to open her eyes and stare at what had just hit her. “Wha?” The strangled question escaped as her eyes fell on the clothes he’d, apparently, thrown at her. She snatched them up, pressing them to her face, reassuring herself they were real before they could be taken away again. She rushed to put them on, getting into a tangled mess in her haste to restore a little dignity, forgetting for a moment her audience. She looked down and smiled. Twirling, she took in the dishevelled appearance of the badly fitting uniform and cared not one whit. Sure, she’d missed a few buttonholes on the shirt and the skirt flared dangerously high as she’d turned, its hem barely covering her kitty or her butt, but she was overjoyed to be covered for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. “Forget something?” He asked, his snort of laughter sounded genuine to her ears as he held out a pair of plain white panties. Colour flared in her cheeks as she looked at the small white bundle in his hand, wobbling unsteadily as she wondered just what he’d seen as she span around, feeling even more exposed now that she had when she’d been standing there bare arsed naked. “Here,” he said, reaching out a steadying hand for the girl to grasp, “allow me…” Emily Jane sucked in a deep breath and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her blush deepened as she lifted a foot, causing the hem of her skirt to rise up but, if all this creep wanted to do was to dress her, she’d count herself lucky… his eyes widened slightly before he stiffly knelt and guided the panties over one foot and, after a little tap to get her to swap legs, the other. He shimmied the underwear into place without comment, his fingers brushing up over her thighs, stopping wrapped around her hips. Emily Jane bit her lip, trying to fight back a moan as her flush spread across her chest. She stood placidly, horrified at the way her body was reacting to this stranger’s fleeting touch, refusing to look at his face as his woodsy scent washed over her. When she didn’t move, his fingers slowly undid the buttons she’d mangled in her earlier rush. All the air seemed to leave her lungs as her chest was re-exposed to him, she closed her eyes, almost enjoying the slow rhythm of his fingers pressing against her still chilled skin, wishing he’d just hurry and get it over with. She was beginning to feel lightheaded from holding her breath, her mind floating from the sensation of the fabric scraping back and forth across her sensitive nipples as he worked. A sharp slap to her behind snapped her from her revelry, a single tear leaking past her screwed up eyes as she wondered what was wrong with her, why she got so excited by his gentle touch. “Aww, you’re cute,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose, “but sorry honey, you ain’t got the right equipment to get my motor running, now…”. Stunned by the gentle kiss, her eyes flew open to see his smiling face retreating from her. It took several moments for her brain to catch up with his words while he rooted around in her bag. The thought that he didn’t find her attractive sank in, her own disappointment surprising and confusing her - Her mind raced, recalling her every flaw as she tried to work out why he wouldn’t like her: Was it because her breasts were too small, the two black eyes she currently sported, what they’d done to her hair… or… “You’re gay?” she blurted out, her voice cracking with the desperate hope that his disinterest wasn’t because of something wrong with her. “Guilty sugar,” he laughed, “now let’s get you down to breakfast… look on the bright side, at least you don’t have to brush your hair!” Emily Jane scowled at the reminder but followed him out the door when her stomach loudly protested it’s dissatisfaction. He kept up a brisk pace as they walked, talking practically non-stop – finally remembering to introduce himself as one of her floor’s RAs in between pointing out different rooms and buildings as they passed. The smell of coffee caught her attention, pulling her feet forward and away from her guide until she found herself looking over a nearly vacant cafeteria. “Keen, aren’t we,” he panted out between laboured breaths having ran to catch up with her, “but you should be more careful, someone else might report your ‘very fast walk’ and then we’d both be for it!” Very fast walk, she snorted at the air quotes she heard in his reprimand… dismayed she’d somehow managed to break yet another rule in this shit hole. With time short, she grabbed a pile of toast while Rowan poured her coffee. After the first bite, she practically inhaled the food guided by her rumbling stomach. Looking round, she’d been pleasantly surprised by the variety on offer, thinking maybe, just maybe, Rosemount wasn’t all bad after all… if she could keep her head down… “So,” Rowan interrupted her silent musing, a new tension in his voice, “you going to tell me how you ended up in that cupboard?”