Westminster Academy (Part One)

prologue

Flick.

"One."

My voice sounded calm and steady, I didn't even move an inch. Headmaster Craven mentioned regularly that my pain tolerance was impressive. He was mistaken. It hurt like hell. I was just good at hiding it, and too proud to show it.

Flick.

"Two."

He hadn't given me a warm up spanking today, therefore the pain was stinging even more. The third strike was so forceful that I let out a gasp after all.

"Three" I counted, my tone not giving away the pain I was in. Headmaster Craven truly knew how to deliver a caning. He was the head of Westminster Academy, after all. If someone was capable of impressive punishments, it was him.

When the cane licked my sensitive skin again, my breath got caught in my throat. He had placed it right above my thighs.

"Count, Miss Evans, or we're starting over."

His voice was dark and full, pretty much the only voice that had ever really intimidated me. Many men had tried to dominate me (not all deserved to be called men, though), but I had never truly submitted to any of them. There was a difference between forcing someone into obedience and leading them into submission. I was not someone who fought when they knew there was a smarter way. I didn't delude myself into believing that men weren't superior, physically and legally. But I never accepted their discipline like I accepted my headmaster's. It was a purely non-sexual thing. The age gap of more than twenty years made it easier for me to accept him as a dominant. It even felt fatherly sometimes.

"F-four" I brought out. Damn, that devious tool really hurt. He didn't hesitate to give me the next hit with the cane. This time, one of the tears I had so carefully kept to myself ran down my cheek. Again, my breath was taken away by the sting.

"Five" I cried as soon as I could speak.

After a few seconds, the sting developed into a burning pain and Headmaster Craven knew the exact amount of time it took for the pain to reach its climax. As soon as it was starting to fade away, he let the cane cut through the air again. If I hadn't been the tormented one right now, I would have been mesmerised by his performance. It was a true form of art.

"S-six." I let my voice break, because this was the final hit. I never allowed myself to break down during punishments – that had only happened twice – but when I knew it was over, I let go. It was my way of coping with the punishments that were part of my everyday life. Same applied to every other female in the country who wasn't lucky or clever enough to escape. Men dominated our bodies, our lives, our world. We all had to find our own ways to deal with the prison called patriarchy. Mine was to stay true to my principles as good as possible. And if that meant ending up in the headmaster's office more than once a week, so be it.

"Get up."

I obeyed and got up from the wooden desk. I hissed as my skirt fell down and brushed over the freshly bruised skin. Headmaster Craven was standing a few feet away from me. I knew better than to look him in the eye and fixed my gaze on the ground.

"Thank you, sir" I said. That's the way things worked around here. Show gratitude for your discipline, no matter what. With Headmaster Craven I had gotten used to it. But he was the only one.

"Sit" he ordered and walked around his desk to take his own seat.

I tried to carefully sit down on the wooden chair, but no matter how slowly I did it, I couldn't suppress another gasp. I folded my hands in my lap.

"I know this punishment was rather harsh. I also know it still won't have too much of an impact on you."

I couldn't hide a small smile.

"You may look at me."

I lifted my gaze and met Headmaster Craven's eyes. He was in his mid-fourties and quite handsome for his age. Still, I didn't feel that way for him.

"Miss Evans, I know you refuse to get paired with a dominant, as is your right. But you still have to treat the males in this school with respect. I'm tired of repeating myself."

"I'm sorry" I replied sincerely.

"What for?" Headmaster Craven asked surprised. Genuine apologies were nothing he often got from me.

"I'm sorry that I'm complicated and cause you trouble, sir."

"You're not sorry for treating Mr. Dabbs in such a disrespectful manner?"

I knew he wouldn't like the answer, but I never lied to Headmaster Craven. He had made sure of that in my first week at this school. I would never forget that punishment.

"No, sir. I'm not."

He let out a resigned sigh, but I knew that he wasn't actually mad at me. He understood why I was doing what I was doing. It didn't keep him from punishing me for every little mistake, but at least he understood.

"You will have to apologise to Mr. Dabbs."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Headmaster Craven shot me a warning look.

"That's the least I expect of you. Do it today and do it properly, am I clear?"

This time, I was the sighing one.

"Yes, sir" I replied. He was right and I knew it. I didn't approve of the rules of this school and the rules of this world. But I had to live here and respect them. 

"Good. You can go. See that you find something to soothe the pain."

Those little, considerate orders always reminded me that Headmaster Craven was one of the good guys. Strikt, yes. But not a monster.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

I gave him a smile and he almost gave one back. But his expression was concerned, his eyes resting on me.

"Why can't you treat all dominants in this school with the same respect you show me, Miss Evans?"

I hadn't expected this kind of question, so I had to think for a second.

"Because they don't treat me like you do, sir."

They abuse the power they are given, and they do it with pleasure.

"I wish for you to get paired as soon as possible, you know that. It's my advice for you, Miss Evans. I know, you and I get along well, but this won't prepare you for the real world. You need to learn real submission."

I didn't have an answer to that. I didn't want to believe it either.

"Yes, sir" I replied nonetheless. He held me with his eyes for a few more seconds, then he dismissed me with a simple "You may go back to class".

I thanked him again and left his office.