The Power Academy

Chapter 23- Dancing on my Own

Kayla's PoV:

"Welcome back to classes, now that things have been officially sorted out. We will be returning back to our previously scheduled lessons, including bondage and shibari. The packets are in front of you, this is a simple arm corset," Master Whitehall told the class as he walks over to me. "Kayla, I know this class may seem slightly awkward being alone, but knowing these will actually help you as a submissive, knowing what you enjoy, what you definitely don't, and how to do these all without causing harm or with an easy way out. I'd suggest practicing this corset on your legs and see how it feels. I left a longer rope to compensate for the difference," I look at him gratefully and grab my packet.

Okay, this shouldn't be too hard. I pull out the rope that Master Whitehall left for me, and smile at the pastel color of it. Before I truly begin, I start to read the instructions, the dangers behind the knots, and what to do to promote safety.

As I started to work on the knots, I realized more and more why I am the bunny and not the rigger. This is a lot more complicated than it looks, parts are too tight where they should be loose, others are loose where they should be tight, and I am pretty sure there is supposed to be a bow where I have a tangled mess.

Master Whitehall comes back and laughs at my progress, "Kayla I've got to congratulate you! As bad as this is, it's still somehow better than my first time rigging," we laugh together and he sits down to help me untangle the mess that I called an end knot. We finally got my legs untied by the time the bell rang, and we headed off to the next class. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if doing this alone was something I can handle.

Rather than being split up into sub and Dom groups, we were once again around the circle and Professor Jamie was setting out a piece of paper for people on the desks of the chairs. This paper had statements listed about situations obviously breaching consent rules. People awkwardly read the list as we waited for the last student to enter and then Professor Jamie stood up and began talking.

"Who here has heard of a little game like to call 'never have I ever'?" They ask as we all slowly raise our hands, "Perfect. Well, after the eventfull few days we have had, I thought it necessary for us to talk about crossing boundaries in a safe space, where we can understand each other. Now, we all are going to have 10 fingers up, and every time someone says something that has happened to you, put a finger down. From my guess, our more experienced students will be the first our, and they have had the most opportunity to experience the negatives in our community," people awkwardly glanced at me and averted their eyes, not knowing to pity me or to stand by me in anger. "The list in front of you are options and situations if you simply cannot think of anything. Now, let's start with..." he looks around the room and sets his eyes on someone, "Elena, would you like to start?"

Everyone puts our hands up as Professor Jamie instructed, and Elena started off the 'game', "Never have I ever... been roofied," several girls' fingers went down, luckily I kept mine up. The game began to move clockwise, so her dominant Erich was next.

"Never have I ever been tied up against my will."

Nine.

"Never have I ever feared my partner."

Eight.

"Never have I ever used the safe word out of danger."

Seven.

The game continued and sure enough, I was the first one out of fingers. Other submissives followed shortly after, but I couldn't help but feel the pity stares boring into my soul. Eventually, the last one standing is a fairly new dominant male, and they jokingly crown him with a rope crown. While this felt light-hearted, the somber mood still lingered in the class.

Professor Jamie sits quietly for a minute, thinking over what they want to say to the class, "Guys, do you understand the significance of what just happened here today? Kayla, I apologise if I bring this up, are you okay with me discussing this?" I nod, letting him know it was okay, "Think back to not only a week ago. Do you remember what was said about Kayla? She was an innocent among us, someone completely new to the community, and now she was the very first one out. I just, please, can we as a class just take a moment, not terribly long, but just think about the meaning of what I just said? Dominants, yes you may hold the power, but more importantly you hold the responsibility of protecting your submissive with every fiber of your being. One night, one single violent and disturbing night, is all it takes to throw even the purest ahead of the most hurt." The room was silent for moments, a pin drop would have sounded like the class bell, until another submissive, Sara, spoke up.

"Last year, I was paired with a dominant who was very quick to settle into roles. Rather than taking the time to get to know me and my triggers, he assumed to understand my needs and acted accordingly. Without knowing, he triggered me into a panic attack. It is in no way as bad as what happened to you Kayla, but I at least somewhat understand your pain," I smile at her, not knowing how to respond.

More and more individuals come forward about their experience at the academy, and by the end of class everyone is silently in tears. The bell rang, and rather than rushing out to lunch, we all came to the middle of the circle for a group hug.

Maybe I can overcome this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n

Y'all this was both sad and fun to write. I really enjoyed the moment with Kayla and Master Whitehall, and I definitely am excited to develop that relationship as a mentor/mentee.

Love you always!

Lizzie