It had been six days since Jake had seen Madison, and at home that night he texted her from the lounge room couch.

 

“Done what you asked - where will we meet tomorrow?”

 

Meanwhile, Jake’s mother, Miriam, was looking over the mail, and she frowned as she opened one bearing the logo of Jake’s school.

 

“What’s this, Jake?” she asked.   Her tone indicated that she was quoting from the letter.   “‘The school librarian, Natalie Weaver, apologises for recent sexual misconduct, including wearing provocative clothes and stocking inappropriate material in the school library.  A meeting of the Parents & Teachers Association is convened on Sunday night to inquire into Miss Weaver’s behaviour and the future of the library.’”

 

Jake felt the same surge of ugly anger that he had felt confronting Cat Weatherwill at school.

 

“It’s nothing, mom,” he said.  “Cat Weatherwill and her friends got Miss Weaver in trouble because she had books on, like, that it’s okay to be queer, and Cat’s family are all religious and hate that stuff.”

 

Jake’s mother scowled.  “That’s Karen Weatherwill’s daughter, isn’t it?” she said.  “Like mother, like daughter, I should think.  I run into Karen from time to time in relation to school stuff, and I know I shouldn’t say it in front of you, Jake, but she is quite the B-I-T-C-H.”

 

Jake coughed, to hide a chuckle.  “That sounds about right,” he said.

 

“You know, I don’t think she approves of me, being a single mother,” said Miriam.  “But I’m hardly going to rush out and get married just to fit Karen Weatherwill’s idea of what a family should be.”

 

Jake stood up and gave his mother a hug. 

 

“I like you just the way you are, mom,” he told her.  “And I like that you don’t like the Weatherwills.”

 

“Should we go to this P&T meeting, Jake?” Miriam asked her son.  “To stand up for your librarian?”

 

“I think that would be a great idea, mom,” said Jake, smiling.

 

And then Jake’s phone buzzed, and when he looked down at it, thoughts of Miss Weaver fled his mind.

 

It was a single message, from Madison.

 

“Tomorrow morning.  8.30 am.  Cassidy Park.  We’ll see whether you can learn.”

 

===

 

Cassidy Park was bustling with activity at 8 am on Sunday morning, swarming with teen girls and their parents.  It was a meeting of the Under 21s Soccer League, and as best as Jake could tell, the Five Hills Tigers were playing the River District Cyclone on the main sporting field at 9.  Everywhere, fit young women aged 18 to 21 were stretching, jogging, applying sunscreen, or chatting amongst themselves, wearing the loose shirts and shorts of their team uniforms, as they waited for the first match to begin.

 

But even in the chaos, Jake could spot Madison’s flaming red hair.  Dressed in her regular jeans and flannel shirt, she had found a place atop the kids’ climbing fort, set back from the activity of the soccer crowd, but commanding a fair view of the field.  Jake made his way to her, and climbed the side of the fort to sit beside her.

 

“Hey there, Jakey boy,” said Madison.  She reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately with one hand.

 

Jake pulled away.  “Quit it,” he complained.  “I’m not a kid.”

 

She looked at him, and laughed.  “We’ll see,” she said.

 

Jake blushed.  It felt strange to be sitting so close to his cousin, his hips touching hers.  He couldn’t help but notice the swell of her breasts beneath her flannel shirt, and think of how she had flashed him a week ago.  He thought that she maybe wasn’t wearing a bra now.

 

“So you’ve been good,” said Madison, after a pause. “Or at least, sorta kinda, right?  I feel like maybe you gave your power a flex once or twice, am I right?”

 

“Maybe,” said Jake.  He thought of how he had confronted the Cat Clique earlier in the week - and how his power had bounced right off their smooth, unshakeable confidence.  “I might have… flexed.  By accident.  But I didn’t do anything with it.”

 

“I know,” said Madison.  “Trust me, if you’d given some poor girl a new fetish, I’d know.  So, okay, good boy.  You’ve shown that you’re not a complete animal.  That’s a good start.”

 

Jake thought Madison might be wearing a perfume - or was it just her shampoo?  Her nearness was intoxicating - and thanks to the discovery of his power, he’d been thinking about sex all week.  

 

He decided to push his luck.

 

“Last time you said I was a good boy, you gave me a reward,” he ventured.

 

She laughed, genuinely surprised.  “Oh, you remember that, do you?” she said.  “I’m glad to hear that my tits made an impression.”  She smiled - a mischievous smile.  “But if you think I’m exposing myself in a crowded park, Jakey boy, you need to think again.  Keep your mind on what we’re here for, and we’ll see what else you remember.”

 

“Are you actually going to teach me?” asked Jake.  He was impatient, and frustrated, and torn between irritation and humiliation at Madison’s condescending tone, and awkward lust for her body.

 

“Maybe,” said Madison.  “Show me what you’ve learned.  What are the preconditions for using the leash on someone?”

 

Jake had no difficulty remembering.  He’d been thinking about them all week.

 

“One, I need to be attracted to them,” he said.  “Two, they need to be feeling insecure, embarrassed or afraid.  And three, they have to be aroused.”

 

“Good boy,” said Madison.  “Right.  I’ve brought you to a park with a few dozen teen girls in it.  Look out there, and see if you can see into any of their thoughts.”

 

Jake looked at her sharply, and said, “I thought I was supposed to be ethical with this power.”

 

Madison slapped him on the back of the head - lightly, but enough to sting.  “Don’t get smart with me, Jake.  First up, every girl out there on the field is intensely privileged.  This is the rich bitch league.  You only get in if your parents can afford thousands of dollars of soccer camps every year.  Working class girls like your friend Amy have to settle for the school teams.  So I think these girls can afford to contribute a little to your training, if you know what I mean.”

 

Jake looked out across the field and saw that what Madison said was true.  There were no beaten-up sedans or vans in the park’s parking lot.  It was crammed with sleek, expensive cars that bespoke subtle wealth.  And the girls themselves had the unmistakable look of girls who were rich, and pretty, and knew it.

 

“Secondly,” said Madison, “unfortunately there is really no other way to train you, and you’re enough of a danger to the world untrained that it’s in everyone’s interests to pay the costs of training you properly.  And that means a little bit of mind-peeping.”

 

“And thirdly,” she finished, “don’t go crazy with it, all right?  The purpose of today is to practice using the power, not to go digging up dark secrets from these girls.  Keep your curiosity to a minimum, and if you do find anything embarrassing, keep it to yourself.”

 

“Got it,” said Jake.  He paused, and then added, “I’m not - I mean…”  He blushed, and tried to assemble the words he was trying to say.  “I don’t *want* to be an asshole with this power,” he said, finally, blurting the words out in a hurry.  “I *want* to be ethical.  So you don’t have to keep treating me like I’m going to rape someone the first chance I get.”

 

Madison looked at him speculatively.  “Not all men, huh?  You’re one of the nice guys?”  

 

Jake flushed angrily.

 

“No, look, I’m sorry,” said Madison.  “I believe you.  You’re basically all right, kiddo.  But you’re a horny teen guy, and with the best of intentions, I think sometimes you’re going to think with your dick.  So, yes, if you want my trust, you have to earn it, and that’s going to take consistent ongoing effort, and it’s going to take actions rather than just words, okay?”

 

Jake nodded sullenly.

 

She giggled.  “But, you know, I’m not an asshole either, so I promise that earning my trust will be worth the effort.”  And she leaned across and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

 

The touch of her lips made Jake’s cock rock-hard.

 

She was teasing him, he knew.  And manipulating him, to get him to do what she wanted.  But all the same, he wanted to grab her, and kiss her, and press his chest against those firm tits that he could see swelling beneath her flannel shirt…

 

He took a deep breath.  “Okay, fine.  Are you ready for me to start?”

 

“Go for it,” said Madison.

 

And Jake cast his mind out across the park.

 

===

 

His body didn’t move, and nor did his field of vision - but at the same time it felt as if he were moving, flying up above the park, looking down on the people below him from an omniscient viewpoint.  Each of them appeared to him as a swirling cloud of smoky energy.  That energy may have been their thoughts, or intentions, or desires - but at first they were all incomprehensible to Jake, a meaningless movement of fog that he could neither understand nor influence.

 

It was nearly 9 now, and the players were moving onto the field.  Jake saw a couple he recognised.  There was Linda Bowman, from his class, known for her fit athleticism on the field - and equally known for her almost bimbo-ish level of non-intelligence in class.  And there was Gwen Love of the Cat Clique, jogging primly, as if afraid of damaging her perfect pouty lips, and supernaturally beautiful body.  

 

He reached out to Gwen, briefly, but whatever power he exercised slid once again off her shiny, confident exterior, without hope of breaching it.

 

He was baffled, for a moment.  All these women below him - but what could he do with them?  Where would he begin?

 

And then he remembered.  The embers.  That warm spark within a woman that signaled, however dimly, that she was sexually aroused.

 

He searched around among the crowd, hunting for that sign, remembering how it had felt when he had touched the embers in Amy and in Emily.

 

And there it was - the ember - glowing deep within the form of Linda Bowman.

 

Gently, ever so gently, he reached out and touched it.

 

“I can feel it,” he said to Madison, his body still beside her but his consciousness elsewhere.  “It’s Linda Bowman - left fullback on the Tigers.  The girl with the ash-blonde hair in the ponytail.”

 

“I can see her,” said Madison.  “What’s she thinking, Jakey?”

 

He concentrated, pushing inwards, down towards that ember.

 

“Before she came on the field, she was thinking about her English teacher, Mr Cradow,” said Jake.  “She’s aroused by him, but she’s also a bit nervous and scared, which is why I can get in.  She’s nervous and scared because… oh!”

 

“What?” asked Madison.

 

“She’s fucking him,” said Jake.  “She’s remembering what it felt like for his cock to push its way into her cunt - that’s the words she’s using in her mind - and how good it felt, considering he’s over 40.  He called her a silly little tart - and she kind of liked that - and then the sex was really, really good.”

 

Madison chuckled.  “You’ve found quite the little slut there, Jake.”

 

“She’s nervous because he’s older and she hasn’t had much sex and she’s worried he thinks she’s just an inexperienced girl instead of a sexy woman.  And she’s nervous in case anyone finds out about them,” said Jake.

 

“What else?” prompted Madison.

 

“The sex was good, like I said.  She came twice, and he came inside her, and then…” Jake paused.  “Then she licked his cock clean.  And he told her she looked pretty with his cock in her mouth, and then he said…” He paused again.  “It’s fading.  She’s concentrating on the soccer game.  The ember’s going out.”

 

“Perfect time for a lesson then, Jake,” said Madison.  “I want you to feed the ember.”

 

“What do you mean?” asked Jake.

 

“You’re horny right?” asked Madison.  “You’re a teen boy, of course you are.  Just take some of whatever’s throbbing between your legs, and push a tiny bit of it into the ember.  It’ll… wake it up, I guess.  Like feeding a fire.  She’ll get horny again, and you’ll be able to keep your access to her.”

 

Could he do that?  Jake reached out to the ember.  It was fading, and as it faded it  seemed to grow more distant.  Soon Jake would be shut out from Linda’s thoughts entirely.

Instead, he reached within himself, as Madison had suggested, to the bundle of throbbing, raw lust that nestled in his crotch.  As soon as he did, he felt connected to it - almost as if he were reading himself in the same way as he read Linda, simultaneously present inside his mind, and outside of it, looking in.  He could see all this confused lust for Madison, his thoughts about Amy’s tits, the powerful sensation of controlling Emily at the shops, and the things he had felt when comforting Miss Weaver.

 

He took all of this and… threaded it.  Like teasing out a tiny line of thread from a spool of tangled material.  He extended the thread towards Linda Bowman…

 

And there was a flash in Jake’s mind, and suddenly the ember inside Linda wasn’t an ember, it was a fire, burning brightly.

 

Linda had been running up the field, hunting the optimal position for if the ball came in her direction - but now she stopped.  Her face was brightly flushed.  She brought her legs together tightly, clenching her thighs.

 

And Jake could see in her mind what she wanted to do.  The little spark of lingering arousal in her was threatening to consume her entire mind, and the only thing Linda could think about was pulling down her shorts and panties, right here on the soccer field in front of everyone, and masturbating until she orgasmed.

 

“Fuck!” Jake swore.  “It’s too much.  She’s not just horny, she’s about to humiliate herself in front of everyone just to get off.”

 

Madison made a sound of disgust.  “You and your fucking teen boy hormones,” she spat.  “Okay, Jake, you have to fix this.  You need to reach in and… fuck, I don’t know how to explain it, I’ve never had to *teach* this before… I guess… cup it?  Like you’re putting your hands around a flame to shield it from the wind, except with your mind?”

 

For all Madison’s awkwardness, Jake saw immediately what she meant.  He reached out and interposed himself between Linda’s arousal and the rest of her mind, forming a barrier.

 

She stopped still, vacant, as if all her strings had been cut.

 

“Now what?” said Jake.

 

“She’s… waiting for input, I guess,” said Madison.  “Part of her senses a third party is in control of her sexuality, and it’s waiting to see what you tell her to do.”

 

“So what do I tell her?” asked Jake.  He couldn’t hold her like this forever - soon someone would notice that she wasn’t taking part in the game.

 

“Fuck, I don’t know,” said Madison.  “You could just let go, and she’d happily strip nude and fuck herself into a stupor in front of all her friends, but she doesn’t deserve that just for being rich and pretty.  Or you could link it to a fetish, and give her a kink so all-consuming it will destroy her life.  Which, again, is not good.”

 

Jake let the fire of her sexuality shift back and forth in his mental grip, trying to sense what he could do with it.

 

“What if…” he said, and then paused.  Surely if this was possible, Madison would have mentioned it.  “What if I… defer it?  Like, keep it bundled up like this, and put it against one of her existing kinks, so it will go off later when she’s somewhere safer?”

 

Madison stared at him.  “Do you think you can do that?” she asked.

 

“I think I can,” he said.

 

“But it would have to be something she’s thinking about…” she said.

 

“She’s still thinking about Mr Cradow,” Jake replied.  And then, without waiting for further permission, he did it.  He decanted the majority of her arousal off into a kind of bubble, and then moved it - through what, he didn’t know, but the sensation of movement was very real - and then *connected* it to Linda’s thoughts about her teacher.  It was like a very short, direct silver leash.

 

And as soon as it connected, the headache hit him.

 

“Ow, fuck,” said Jake, his hands jerking to his head in an attempt to hold back the sudden pain.

 

“Did it work?” asked Madison.

 

“I think so,” said Jake.  “I think the next time she fucks Mr Cradow, she’s going to go wild for him.  It might be the best sex she ever has.  But she’ll be fine.”

 

Madison laughed, and clapped him on the back.  “Well done, Jakey boy,” she said.  “That’s some good work.”

 

He pushed back at her irritably.  “Not ‘Jakey boy’,” he said.  “Just Jake, okay?  Because you couldn’t do that, could you?  What I just did with her lust?  You didn’t even know it could be done.”

 

She pursed her lips, looking at him speculatively.  After a while, she said, “No, I didn’t know it could be done.  In fact, if you’d asked me, I would have said it wasn’t possible.”

 

“Right,” said Jake.  “Fine.  So you don’t know everything.  So let’s stop this ‘Jakey boy’ and ‘kiddo’ shit, okay?  I’m 18, and I think maybe we’re *both* figuring this out.  So stop acting like I’m a fucking child.”

 

She was silent again, still looking at him.  

 

“Fine,” she said, after a while.  “That’s fair.  Welcome to adulthood, Jake-o.”

 

“Thanks,” he said.  And then he remembered what he’d seen, in that last moment, when he’d connected the links in Linda’s mind.

 

“She’s fucking him for grades,” he said.  “It was her idea.  She came to him asking if she might get higher grades if she let him use her body.  And Mr Cradow said he’d give Linda straight As in English for the year, providing she fucked him once a fortnight.  He told her that she’s got the mental capacity of a particularly stupid baby, but that she has an A+ cunt, and that he’s prepared to grade her on her cunt instead of her brains if that’s what she wants.”

 

“Fuck,” said Madison.  “We *should* get Mr Cradow fired for this.”

 

“I thought you said that whatever we find, we keep it to ourselves,” chided Jake.  His headache was already fading.  They were becoming smaller now, diminishing in severity with each new use of his power.

 

“We *do* keep it to ourselves,” said Madison.  “And anyway, we don’t want questions about how we found out about him.  I’ll… consider the matter later.  BUT as it turns out, Linda has a share of the blame in this corrupt little arrangement, so I think she possibly *does* have more to answer for than just being rich and pretty.”

 

She smiled at Jake.

 

“Why don’t we practice giving her a fetish?”

 

(TO BE CONTINUED)