Take My Hand

2 Every Move He Makes

I watched with a certain amount of terror as Sasha made his way back across the room to where I sat. His grin wasn't particularly sinister but I still feared what he meant by 'being the boss of me'.

He stopped right in front of me, lit only by the security spots outside the windows. Neither of us moved or said anything. Maybe he was waiting for me to come to terms with what I had blurted.

I was wrong about his eyes, they weren't black. As I stared at him without blinking, I had seen the rays of gray that looked like flashes of lightning across the night sky and the specks like stars.

"There will be times that you think you hate me, but everything I will do is for your health and wellbeing." He began in his low voice. I gulped and shifted nervously in my seat. I could tell he was trying not to scare me.

"I will never force you to do anything that is against the law, and at any time you may walk away if you feel I am not keeping my promises." He continued in that low, soothing voice. I already wanted to bolt, and maybe I would have if he wasn't between the door and myself.

"I promise I will never do anything that would cause you intentional and irreversible harm. I promise I will never punish you without a clear reason. I promise that all my goals for you will be attainable, or open to extension. I promise to listen to any requests that you may have. I promise to respect any and all limits you wish to place after discussing them with you..."

I had never been promised anything before. Not by my parents, my friends, nor my teachers in the past. It hit me rather hard as this man stood in front of me clearly stating his intentions that no one had ever told me what was expected of me before I failed to meet their expectations.

"I expect you to go to school, study and perform to the best of your ability. I expect you to ask me for permission before doing anything outside of your set schedule. I expect you to exercise, eat healthy foods, take care of your personal hygiene, and eventually quit smoking entirely..."

I grimaced at the last one, but I knew it was going to come up. He never approved of my smoking weed, but it was always about my health instead of it being about 'appearances' like my parents always griped.

"You will not swear, you will not act out in class, you will be respectful to the people around you and you will be responsible for your actions. You will tell me whenever you fail to follow my rules and take whatever punishment I deem necessary to teach you..."

I blinked at the seeming veiled threat. He would punish me? Nobody punishes me. I could call a teacher names to their faces and they wouldn't send me to the office. I could start a fight and the other student would get in trouble. This would be new, but maybe I could get out of that part.

"You will call me Sir at all times, unless it is discussed ahead of time or inappropriate. If you are uncertain if you will be breaking a rule, then you will come and ask me first. Do you have any questions?" He now waited for my reply. I licked my lips.

"Uh, what if my parents ask me to do something...?" I fumbled as my thoughts swarmed with questions. The way I lived now was carefree and spontaneous. I wasn't certain I would be able to adjust fast enough to avoid punishment, and that scared me a little.

"I understand. You may come to me and discuss anything you are asked to do by them. If you wish to refuse, you must ask me first." He motioned for me to continue. I wrung my hands in my lap nervously. He glanced at the motion.

"Will... will you punish me right away?" I asked quietly. His eyes narrowed as he watched me squirm.

"Yes. It will be minor punishments to start with because there will be some adjustment, but I feel it is important that you realise there will be consequences for your actions or lack of actions from here on out." He was so composed as he stood over me, watching my reactions.