I was standing in front of my locker, rifling through my backpack to find my history notes before the start of third period. It had been a normal day thus far, almost boring even. Emily was out sick and I didn’t have any classes with any other friends, so there really wasn’t too much for me to look forward to beyond lessons. Not that I was complaining of course, the chance to actually learn something at school had become far too rare with Henry running amok.

Henry. Even just standing at the locker as students shuffled about between periods felt dangerous. All it would take was one snap of his fingers and consensus reality would shift to match whatever his latest whims dictated, and everyone would accept it as normal. Everyone except me, that is, and if I wasn’t able to adapt in time, if he ever caught me…

“Yo,” a voice from behind me called. I practically jumped out of my skin, whipping around to find my sister Valerie. 

“Jesus Christ Val, don’t sneak up on me like that,” I blurted, nerves still shot.

Valerie stared back at me incredulously. “Dude… It’s a public hallway. In a public school. In the middle of the day. Why the hell are you so paranoid all the time?”

I couldn’t blame her for not understanding, but I knew fully well that my paranoia was completely justified. 

“Ugh, never mind, what do you want?” I asked, trying to sweep my frightened reaction under the rug. 

Valerie brushed a lock of long, black hair away from her face. “Mom was supposed to give me the money for next week’s trip, but I can’t find it in my bag. Do you have it?”

“Why would I have it?”

“I don’t know, maybe she was confused or in a hurry or something? Could you check, please?” Valerie asked.

I wanted to offer a rebuttal, to point out how unlikely it was that our mom put her payment in my bag, but one look into Valerie’s uncharacteristically pleading eyes showed me how serious the situation was to her.

“Fine,” I sighed, turning back to my locker and giving it a cursory shuffle. As expected, all I found were my own crumpled notes and books.

“Sorry Val, no dice,” I relayed.

“Damn it…” she muttered, cursing under her breath as she fished through the pockets of her jeans, “If I don’t get it in today I won’t get to go. Fuck!”

Valerie was good at acting like she didn’t give a shit about anything, so the frantic searching she was doing was telling. She was supposed to go see some speaker or something with the chemistry society, but the fee was due that day. She’d mentioned it once or twice over dinner the past week, which was the Valerie equivalent of talking about it nonstop for a month. It was no wonder she was freaking out over the missing payment if it meant she’d be barred from the trip.

“If you can’t get anything until then you might be able to borrow from Maya or something. You guys have a class together next period, right?” I offered.

Valerie looked back at me, arms crossed tightly. “ Maybe. It’s worth a shot if I can’t find it before then.” 

Our conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched ringing of the bell, startling me once again. Not as much as before, but still enough to get another side-eye from Valerie.

“Well, thanks I guess. Later,” she huffed before hurrying off.

With a sigh, I slung my bag over my shoulder and shut my locker. I wasn’t excited about my upcoming history class. The teacher, Ms. Bailey, was a common target for Henry’s shenanigans by virtue of being a tall, busty blonde, enough so that history was easily the class he interrupted most often. I didn’t learn a damn thing about World War II when Ms. Bailey was made to teach us in nothing but combat boots and a helmet. 

I took a swig from my water bottle and moved to shove it into the side pocket of my backpack, only to find it obstructed. Feeling around with my spare hand, I felt a stiff piece of paper stretching out the elastic at the top of the mesh. I pulled out and examined the paper, a plain white envelope with a message hastily scrawled in blue ink.

Valerie Crawford - STEM Leaders Conference Funding

Payment Enclosed

Shit, Mom really did put it in my bag! I felt a pang of guilt for doubting my sister, and for not thoroughly searching my bag to begin with. If I ran off to give it to Valerie at this point, I’d definitely be late for history. I’d probably get some heck from Ms. Bailey for being late, but it should only be a quick detour to Valerie’s culinary arts class. Not to mention I’d be able to prepare for whatever chaos Henry had in store ahead of time. 

It was an easy decision, I was off to find Valerie.

Hurrying upstairs, I made my way to the classroom where they taught culinary arts. Formerly a teachers’ lounge, it had since been converted into a small classroom space with an adjoining kitchen to teach cooking and baking, as well as lend the space out to whatever student group wanted to run a bake sale. Culinary arts was an insanely popular elective given that you got to eat whatever you made. There was a fiercely competitive signup list every year, and the only reason Valerie had managed to eke her way in was through recommendation by our chemistry teacher. “Cooking is Science!” as the bright posters on the classroom wall liked to say.

Luckily, I saw the door wide open as I rounded the corner. It could have been awkward if I’d had to knock and interrupt an ongoing lesson, but an open door would let me pop in and out with minimal hassle. I walked briskly up to the door, letter enclosed in my hand, only to stop dead in my tracks when I saw a familiar figure standing at the front of the room.

I practically leapt out of sight of the door, narrowing avoiding Henry’s range of vision. The sandy-haired boy was facing the class as if he himself was teaching it. There was no sign of any actual teacher, and no telling what Henry had done with them. Clinging to the wall, I strained my ears to listen in as he spoke.

“...and Ms. Bailey’s supposed to be teaching about the cold war, so I was gonna pop down to the history class and turn her into a sexy Russian or something, but then I thought ‘Hey, I’m starving!’ So instead I want you lovely ladies to make me a nice treat. Any questions?”

Taking the opportunity, I peered over the edge of the door, spotting a small handful of girls at their desks, Valerie included. Henry must have already magicked the male students away to God knows where. They all looked normal, somehow, and a few seemed to be exchanging confused glances. 

“Um, yeah, who are you?” Valerie asked pointedly, giving voice to the palpable discontent in the room. My heart sank as she challenged him, unaware of what he was truly capable of. 

“Well, funny you should ask, I’m your darling lover! If you’re a good enough cook that is,” Henry rebutted with unsettling enthusiasm. Valerie opened her mouth to say something, but no sound was able to leave her mouth before Henry snapped his fingers. In an instant, Valerie’s jeans and blouse had been replaced by a pink, polka-dot dress with a white apron tied around the back in a neat, decorative bow, a pair of dainty heels materializing around her feet.

Along with her clothing, her face changed as well. Valerie’s distant irritation was replaced by a cheerful, doting smile and faraway eyes that stared longingly in Henry’s direction.

“Oh my goodness, nothing would make me happier than being able to cook something for my darling beau!” Valerie gushed, absent of any trace of the standoffish sister I knew.

“V-Valerie?” her friend Maya trembled, clearly shocked by her transformation. Henry snapped his fingers again, instantly adorning Maya in similar garb, albeit in purple instead of pink.

“Gosh, mister, anything to please a handsome man like yourself!” Maya gushed, putting her hand on her hips and twisting her body just slightly as if to subtly show off the way the color of the dress complemented the bronze skin of her legs.

Henry snapped his fingers again, and again, and again. Soon enough, he had a whole class worth of doting women staring lovingly at him, each in their own color-coordinated puffy dress and apron.

“Now that’s better, isn’t it ladies?” Henry prompted.

“Yes, Henry!” the women responded in chorus, voices dripping with haunting affection.

“So here’s the deal: I can make food for myself, whatever and wherever I want - see?” Henry snapped his fingers again, causing a 10-foot submarine sandwich with at least a dozen ingredients to materialize on the counter behind him. 

“But homemade cookies? Nope, no way. Nothing in the world can replicate that.” Henry snapped his fingers again, causing the sandwich to vanish into thin air just as quickly as it had appeared. 

“So here’s what’s gonna happen, ladies - I want each of you to make me a batch of homemade cookies. Whoever makes the best batch gets the privilege of pleasing me for the rest of the day. Now how does that sound?”

The girls, Valerie included, giggled with excitement, each equally elated at the prospect of serving Henry - in more ways than one. 

“Perfect! In that case, I’ll leave you to it!” Henry declared, clapping his hands together. “Now I’m gonna head down to the history class, that sexy Russian teacher idea keeps getting better the more I think about it. I’ll be back later.” With that, Henry turned to leave. I was just barely able to press myself against the wall in time to avoid being spotted as Henry practically skipped down to the history classroom, apparently very proud of his newest plans for Ms. Bailey.

I exhaled, relieved at having barely avoided being spotted. My relief, however, was short-lived as I heard the flurry of movements erupt within the classroom. Peering inside, I watched as the dolled-up girls began producing whisks, baking sheets, and enough sugar and flour to feed the entire school. The adoring smiles never left their faces as they took to their work like drones in a hive. 

Steeling myself, I entered the room and approached Valerie, who was cradling a mixing bowl full of ingredients in her arms. Her eyes lit up as she spotted me.

“Oh, Derek! How lovely to see you! Tell me, do you remember the sugar cookies Granny used to make? Well, I’m making a batch to prove myself to my darling Henry!” Her faraway smile persisted as she whisked her ingredients together with her free hand. 

“Val! Listen!” I said in a sharp whisper, “You don’t want that, Henry’s not a good dude!” The kitchen fell into a deathly silence as soon as the words left my mouth. Every single girl had stopped what they were doing and stared at me, dreamy grins replaced by chilling glares.

“Derek, what precisely are you insinuating with that comment?” Valerie prodded, her grip on the bowl tightening. Her voice was deathly cold, as though she was barely restraining some sort of primal rage. I glanced around the room, meeting the icy stare of every other student Henry had enthralled, each awaiting my response with still, terrifying focus, and all within arms’ reach of a knife.

“I-I mean he’s a great dude!” I exclaimed, swallowing every last ounce of my pride to force the compliment. Just as quickly as it had shifted, the atmosphere in the room returned to joviality. The girls donned their smiles once more as they resumed their baking. 

“Oh, excellent!” Valerie beamed, “For a second I thought you were going to say something terrible!”

“Nope, no terrible thoughts here!” I lied. “But yeah, Granny’s sugar cookies are great, good call!”

Valerie’s smile widened. “I thought so! The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, as they say!” she said with a playful wag of her finger.

“Sugar cookies are lovely, but I think my beloved Henry will appreciate some classic chocolate chip!” Maya chimed in as she rolled dough in her hands.

“Oh well you haven’t had these sugar cookies” Valerie snapped back cheerfully. Seeing the unnaturally-friendly argument escalating, I opted to get the conversation back on track.

“Val, I found the money,” I interrupted.

Valerie turned her head to the side. “Money? What money?”

Reaching into my back pocket, I forced the envelope into her open hand. “The money for the field trip next week, the science thing.”

Val let out an uncanny laugh. “Oh, Derek, I won’t have time for anything like that while I’m attending to my darling Henry! Please, do return that to our mother for me.”

“You - I - Ugh!” I grunted to an uncaring room, burying my face in my hands. All I wanted was to do one favor for my sister, but no! Henry had to rewire her brain just in time to make it impossible! If his history was anything to go on, she wouldn’t even remember who he was by tomorrow, and Val would have missed the deadline for nothing!

My frustration didn’t just stem from today’s incident, it had been building for months. I hadn’t been able to protect Valerie in the same way I had for Emily. Emily and I shared a ton of classes, and so far I’d been able to intervene to protect her from him as needed. With Valerie, however, I’d never been able to offer the same protection. We didn’t share classes, and we didn’t exactly hang out at school. 

Valerie was a very conventionally attractive person, an aloof dark-haired beauty like her was an instant standout among the student body. The very first day he arrived, Henry had made her dance topless for him in front of the entire school. Since then I’d seen him use her in dozens of different ways. Not that she cared, she’d usually forget about whatever he’d done to her by the end of the day. I was the only one that had to actually live with it. 

I hated that powerlessness, the way I couldn’t protect my sister. Hell, I couldn’t even tell her she needed to be protected. That’s what Henry inflicted on me every day - All of the burden, none of the strength. I, at the absolute least, wanted to be able to help my sister with this basic errand, and Henry had even taken that away. I watched as Valerie rolled the dough in her hands without a care in the world. No. Even if I could only do it this once, Henry wouldn’t get any satisfaction out of my sister today.

“Hey Val, can I grab you some sugar?” I offered as genuinely as I could.

“Why of course, thank you so much Derek!” Valerie beamed in response. I smiled back, trying my best to project genuine enthusiasm. As soon as her back was turned, I grabbed an empty bowl and filled it to the brim with salt.

“Here you go, Val!” I exclaimed as I handed her the bowl.

“Thanks so much!” she said gleefully, giving each cookie a liberal dusting of what she thought was sugar. As she placed the cookies into the oven alongside the rest of the girls’ batches, a thought occurred to me.

“Hey Val, could I drop your payment off at the office?”

Valerie put her index finger on her bottom lip and looked up ponderously. “I suppose so, but there’s no need anymore, remember?”

“Right, of course,” I grinned, “Just asking.” As Valerie stared at the cookies in the oven, waiting for the precise moment to retrieve them from the heat, I silently ducked out of the room. I was doing this one thing for her, regardless of Henry’s meddling.

I hurried down to the front office, envelope in hand. Linda, the school secretary, looked up at me as I entered. 

“Hello Derek, can I help you?” she asked. How she remembered everyone’s name was beyond me.

“Hi Linda, my sister was supposed to hand this in for a trip next week, but she’s… um… busy. Do you think you could get it in for her?”

Linda took the envelope from my hand, carefully scanning the handwriting on the front.

“Oh, the STEM Leaders Conference! Yes, I can hand that off to Mr. Bradley later today. Thank you for bringing this by.”

I smiled, my humble mission completed. “No, problem!”

It probably wasn’t wise to return to the classroom, but I needed to see Henry’s reaction to my earlier interference. Was it petty? Absolutely, but I needed to see him squirm, even if only for a moment. Returning to the open door and glancing inside, each girl was still in their baking uniforms, standing proudly in a line with their assortment of cookies. I hated to admit it, but the room smelled incredible.

“Derek, you’re back! Have you seen Henry yet?” Valerie inquired. The other girls looked eagerly to me for my answer. Before I had a chance to respond, I heard a familiar, cocky whistling coming from down the hall. Shit!

“Yeah, he’ll be here in a sec,” I said, causing an uproar of delighted chatting from the girls. While they were distracted, I opened a nearby closet and secluded myself inside. I’d hoped to watch from the door, but there was no time to leave the room without Henry seeing me. No sooner had I slid the door shut, Henry waltzed into the room.  I peered through a tiny crack in the door, able to make out the scene in front of me.

“Alright ladies, line up!” he ordered. Immediately, the girls formed an orderly line in front of him, each holding their own tray with oven mitts matching their uniforms.

“Damn that smells good,” Henry mused, “First up, whatcha got?”

The first girl, a blonde in a yellow uniform, stepped forward. “I made lemon cookies for you, Henry! Please have one!” She held the tray in front of her and gently bowed her head. Henry picked up a cookie, examining it in his fingers before taking a bite. After a moment of suspenseful chewing, he swallowed. 

“Not bad! Next!” the girl seemed elated, rushing off to the side with her tray.

The next girl, a brunette donning a green dress, took the blonde’s place. “Mister Henry, I made you my mom’s favorite oatmeal raisin recipe!” she declared, bowing her head like the blonde before as she held the tray out. Henry, looking unamused, grabbed a cookie and bit into it unceremoniously.

“Meh, pretty underwhelming. Your mom should get a better recipe. Next!” Tears welled in the brunette’s eyes as she stepped off to the side, sobbing into her hands over the rejection. I felt a pang of guilt, knowing Valerie would likely have a similar reaction due to Henry’s influence, but it was better than the guilt I’d have letting her “win” his contest.

The third girl, a redhead with short hair, stepped forward with a tray of her own. “My love, I’ve made you some gingersnaps. Please, taste one,” she said humbly as she held the tray out. Henry tentatively held one in his hand before taking a small, cautious bite. Immediately, his eyes lit up. 

“You know, I don’t normally like gingersnaps, but this is damn good! Great job, number three!” The redhead beamed in delight while the blonde began to quietly weep, knowing her lemon cookies had been beaten.

The fourth girl, Valerie’s friend Maya, stepped forward. “Some classic chocolate chip for you, sir!” she declared confidently. Henry, wasting no time, grabbed one off the tray and bit into it. After a moment of chewing, he swallowed and turned to face the other three off to the side. “You know, you three could learn a thing or two from green dress here. This girl didn’t try anything fancy, she just made a classic. And it worked, this is the best so far.” Maya jumped and clapped her hands with joy while the other three girls looked on despondently, knowing they’d lost their chance with the man they’d been made to see as their one true love.

Finally, Henry called Valerie forward. For her part, she remained confident. I knew why, it was a fantastic recipe. She might have actually stood a chance if there was actual sugar in it. 

“Henry my love, this is an old family recipe that never disappoints - sugar cookies! I hope that you appreciate the love that was put into it!” Valerie offered, her voice oozing with pride.

This was it, the moment I’d been waiting for. Henry, unreserved, took a massive bite of the cookie. As soon as he bit in, his eyes went wide. He spit the cookie out, snapping his fingers and materializing a glass of water that he chugged down with abandon. Valerie was aghast, horrified by his visceral reaction.

After taking a few moments to breathe, he turned to face a terrified Valerie. “Sugar cookies? Are you kidding, this is salt!” Valerie frantically grabbed one for herself, taking a small bite. Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened. 

“Oh, oh no, oh my goodness, Henry I am SO sorry! I must’ve, wait no, my bro-” 

“Save it!” Henry snapped, still smacking his lips from the salt. Valerie fell deathly silent, panic etched across her face. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Valerie had nearly outed me to Henry, and of course she did! I’d gotten so wrapped up in my stupid little prank I’d ignored the fact that every girl knew I had been there! It was sheer luck that Henry had cut her off when he did. How could I have been so stupid?

Henry pondered, looking Valerie up and down. “Well, you definitely made the worst cookies…” I could see the heartbreak on Valerie’s face as the words fell over her.

“...But it was only cause of a dumb mistake. Plus you’re pretty hot, so I’ll give you a fair shot. I’m gonna go ahead and undo your mistake.”

Wait, what?

Henry snapped his fingers, and the scene changed. Valerie was once again holding out a complete sheet, just as she had been a moment ago. It was as if time itself had taken a step back.

“Henry my love, this is an old family recipe that never disappoints - sugar cookies! I hope that you appreciate the love that was put into it!” Valerie said, identically to the way she did the first time. This time, however, Henry reached forward confidently, snatching a cookie up and biting into it. His eyes lit up as he did, clearly savoring the flavor.

“Wow. Oh wow. This is really, REALLY good without the salt.”

Valerie tilted her head in confusion. “Salt?”

“Don’t worry about it, darling,” he said, causing Valerie’s doting smile to return without a second thought.

Henry reached for another cookie, hungrily devouring it while Valerie beamed with pride. “Yep, no question, this one’s the winner!” he declared. Valerie clasped her hands over her mouth, overcome with glee, while Maya collapsed to her knees in despair. I was with Maya, this was the exact outcome I’d tried so hard to avoid, only for Henry to literally reverse time to undo my plan. I felt stupid for even thinking I could get one over on him.

As the other girls quietly wept, Henry turned to face them. “Well come on, now I feel bad! Tell you what, the rest of you girls can join in and worship me too. How’s that sound?” Maya and the rest of the girls immediately leapt to their feet, indescribable joy on their faces that nearly matched Valerie’s exuberance.

Henry pulled up a chair and snapped his fingers, transforming it into an ornate throne. Laying back, he beckoned Valerie forward and pulled off his sweater. Her expression morphed from joyous to smoldering as she stepped forward, crawling on top of him as Henry ran his hands up her legs.

“Stop,” he whispered, causing Valerie to cease her movement on top of him. “I want the blonde and the brunette massaging my feet, the redhead massaging my shoulders, and the chocolate chip girl feeding me.” As the girls rushed to their new positions, Henry returned his attention to Valerie. “Continue.”

Without missing a beat, Valerie leant forward, bringing her lips to his as her long black hair draped across his chest. What started as small, gentle kisses quickly evolved into a passionate makeout session as Henry continued to explore her body with his hands. As he stroked her back, Henry snapped his fingers again. The cut of Valerie’s dress transformed into a deep v-neck, one that allowed Henry easy access to her breasts. Henry wasted no time in sliding his hands onto her exposed tits, gently massaging them as Valerie let out a quiet gasp.

“Girl in yellow, take her panties off,” Henry directed to the blonde massaging his right foot. She stood up, leaning forward and running her hands under Val’s dress before carefully sliding a pair of lace white panties out along her legs. Valerie seemed completely unbothered, continuing to kiss Henry while he played with her nipples.

I kept an eye on the scene in the hopes of making an escape when Henry was thoroughly distracted. Eventually he’d close his eyes or get bored and go somewhere else or something, but for now I just had to wait it out until the right moment. Secluded in the dark of the closet, I was surprised at how calmly I was taking the situation. I longed for the time when I was innocent enough for such a scene to shake me to my core, but a few months with Henry in the equation had been more than enough to desensitize me to scenes like this. Still, even with my numbness to these sorts of incidents, I took no pleasure in the unfolding debauchery involving my sister.

A brief pause in the noise caught my attention. I peered through the crack in the closet door to see Valerie positioning her hips onto Henry’s, preparing to ride him. Henry, for his part, brought his arms around her waist to steady her into a comfortable position. A breathless Valerie bent her head down and returned her lips to his as her hips began to grind against his body.

As their lovemaking intensified, the other girls continued to do their assigned duties. The blonde and the brunette massaged Henry’s feet even as his toes curled and his legs jolted from the pleasure. The redhead continued to massage his shoulders, constantly readjusting her grip to adapt for his arm movements while he felt up Valerie. Maya, for her part, simply sat at Henry’s side, a warm smile on her face and a tray of homemade cookies resting in her arms.

Valerie began to moan as she bounced on Henry’s cock, falling forward and gripping his chest for support as her pleasure intensified with her movements. In turn, Henry gripped Valerie’s ass tightly, pressing his fingers into her skin while he pulled her waist forward. Soon the two were spiraling toward climax, their bodies in sync. I wondered if Henry was using his powers to link their pleasure somehow.

As the pair reached their apex, their moans turned into full-throated screams of arousal. I decided this was the moment to make my exit. It was a calculated risk, but so was staying in the room to begin with. If Henry decided to redecorate more of the room with his powers then the closet I was sheltering in could be removed in an instant.

Confident that he’d be thoroughly distracted and not wanting to see another moment of the unfolding scene, I quietly slid the closet door open and dashed out of the room amidst the apex of their passionate embrace. Knowing that I was plainly visible to the other girls, who were under no obligation to hide my presence, I could only hope that they wouldn’t perceive me as a threat to their darling Henry and leave my escape unmentioned.

Heart racing, I hugged the wall outside the room and listened carefully as the passionate screams gave way to a tense silence. Had he spotted me somehow? Had one of the girls discretely ratted me out? Straining my ears, I listened into the room for any clue on what was happening.

“You, girl in green,” Henry murmured, still recovering.

“Yes, darling?” replied an excited Maya. I held my breath.

“Pass me one of those sugar cookies, would you? And one for my companion as well.”

“Such a gentleman…” Valerie swooned, no doubt nestled up to him in her afterglow.

I let out a sigh, feeling the odd mix of relief from the escape and frustration at having to endure it in the first place. I sauntered back downstairs and began making my way to history class, which was more than halfway over by now. A thought crept into my mind as I walked. How much longer could I keep this up? Presumably Henry would head off somewhere else and stop interfering with my life once we hit graduation, but could I even make it to that point? My grades were already slipping, and I was tired all the time. All of my friends and family had noticed by now. For as enticing as graduation was, it was still months away.

Walking into the history classroom, I was greeted by an unusual sight. Every student was dressed in a matching dark green uniform, and their posture was rigid and focused. Even more bizarre was Ms. Bailey, who was wearing tall military boots, a pair of matching shorts, a long fur coat left unbuttoned, and no shirt whatsoever. The edges of the coat hugged her sizable breasts and framed the rest of her torso in an outfit reminiscent of a historical porn parody. She was even wearing a ushanka, despite the room being comfortably warm. The realization smacked me upside the head. I was so focused on his activities in the culinary arts room I’d completely forgotten that Henry was actively messing with Ms. Bailey as well.

“Comrade Crawford!” the teacher barked, “Where have you been!? Your absence spits in the face of your fellow soldiers!” The rest of the class remained deathly silent, signalling the severity of the regime Ms. Bailey was running.

“I, um, sorry Ms. Bailey, I was just out running an errand and-”

“An ERRAND?!” she boomed, making me jump. She was actually quite a kind person normally, but Henry clearly had a certain character in mind for this particular fantasy. Now, her glare was fiery and calculating, a far cry from the teacher I once knew.

“Unaccounted time, ambiguous reasoning, disloyal conduct, there can be no question - You are a spy targeting the Union!” Ms. Bailey proclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me in a dramatic motion that shook her coat, revealing even more of her soft, round tits. The rest of the class gasped in near unison, unbothered by her wardrobe malfunction.

“A spy? Wait-” I began, but my flimsy defense was for naught.

“Soldiers, take him to the gulag,” she ordered, her voice dripping with theatrical sadism. Two jocks stood up from their front desks, grabbing my arms and dragging me away before I had a chance to run. I shut my eyes, regretting even showing up to school to begin with.

Hours later, I joined the masses flooding out of the building following the final bell, stretching my arms as I did. It turned out the “gulag” was just a broom closet that I was eventually freed from by a very confused custodian, though I was still stuck in there for the entirety of third period. Unsurprisingly, I’d learned absolutely nothing about the Cold War.

I spotted Mom’s car in the lot and made my way over, ready to go home and soak up the relative calm. As I opened the door, I was surprised to find Valerie already in the passenger seat. No pink dress, no apron, no cookies, just normal Valerie in her normal outfit. It was a pleasant surprise to see her so soon, seeing as it was never guaranteed when Henry returned his toys. One time she was gone for an entire week, but thanks to his powers Mom never even noticed. 

“Hey kiddo, you have a good day?” Mom asked from the front.

“I’ve had better,” I replied bluntly, dramatically underselling my true feelings.

“Hey Derek,” Valerie said, turning around to look at me from the front seat. Images of her face contorted in pleasure while she rode Henry’s cock flashed into my vision as I looked back at her. I felt a pulsing guilt in my gut knowing I’d failed to protect my sister today.

“I heard that you dropped off my payment for the trip. Linda let me know on the way out. Thanks bro, I mean it.” It was such a small thing, but that tiny acknowledgement put a blanket on the shame that had been hammering into me all afternoon. I’d grown desensitized as a defense mechanism, but sometimes that mechanism failed in the face of Henry’s antics. When it did, I usually just had to fight through it and wait for another day. Valerie, however, had just given me a tiny reason to be proud of myself, and today that could be enough.

“No problem, Val,” I said leaning back into my seat as Mom pulled out of the lot amidst the rush of cars and buses ferrying the other students home. I stared out the front window and watched as the scenery passed us by. I started thinking about the big picture again, and what the rest of the year would mean with my unique problem. I permitted myself a soft smile. Could I reach graduation? No idea, but I could at least reach tomorrow.

“Hey Mom, do we have any baking ingredients?” Valerie asked, breaking the silence. “I don’t know why, but I’m craving Granny’s sugar cookies right now.”