Announcement

Content Warning: The :Jessica: and :Samantha: sections of this chapter deal with non-consensual sex.

 

:=: Kara :=:

Wednesday had been fairly typical, as were their classes today. Kara and Jess were both off at 2pm, and they'd walked back to the residence building together. The two of them wound up in Kara's room. Kara's roommate Kelly was usually out till after dinner on Thursdays, so it was a quiet place for them to relax and talk.

Jessica was sitting in the chair by the desk and Kara was crosslegged on her bed, as the two were talking about their various teachers.

Kara asked, "Ok, what about Mr. Harris?"

Jessica made a face, "Ugh! Total perv!"

"What, really?!" Kara asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah! Don't tell me you never noticed? Or does he not stare at your boobs every single time he's talking to you?"

"No?" Kara shook her head, "I mean, I've caught him looking once or twice, but no more than any other guy."

Jess frowned, "Huh. Maybe he's got a thing for redheads then. Or freckles."

Kara smiled a little, "Maybe." She thought though, maybe he was just put off by how she looked. She'd been told more than once, some guys don't like girls who are 'too butch'. Maybe that's part of the reason she dressed the way she did, so at least some people would keep their distance.

"How about Mr. Preston?"

Jessica's expression softened, "Mr. Preston's a good teacher, lotta interesting stories. He just doesn't look well, you know? I wonder how much longer he's gonna keep working."

Kara shrugged, "I think it's the kind of job where he can just keep going as long as he wants?"

Jessica nodded, "Maybe. I still think there's something up. We've only been here two months and I think he's slowed down a bit just in that time."

"Well, he's probably at least in his 60's. Maybe even 70's? So, not a big surprise if he's getting a bit slower." Kara said. "I still think it's the kind of work someone would be able to do as long as they wanted, though." She then asked, "What about Mrs. Brown?"

Jess grimaced, "Worst. Dressed. Prof. Ever."

Kara chuckled and rolled her eyes, "I don't care how she dresses! I mean, as a teacher."

Jessica shrugged, "I dunno, she's ok I guess? She bores me a bit. Like, I get that there's some technical stuff about photography, but cameras have had auto-focus, auto-exposure, all that stuff, since forever! I'd rather she talk more about composition. Like, when I'm drawing I can just make the scene be whatever I want. With a camera, the scene's already there, you have to figure out the best way to capture it. The camera's gonna do the rest of the job with exposure and all that."

Kara frowned. "Yeah composition is important, but I think you're missing the point about the other stuff. Anyone can snap a picture that's in focus and evenly lit. But sometimes to make it 'art' you want to play with those values. I mean, composition is just the 'what'. Exposure and focus is the 'how'. You need all of that, to get good photos. Like, you can play with the focus and depth of field, to force the viewer's eyes on the subject? Or you can mess with the exposure, over- or under-expose a shot, to set the mood. So, composition gets you partway there, but by controlling the technical stuff, you can really set the mood and draw the observer's eyes in the way you want."

Jess listened, then looked a bit thoughtful. Finally she nodded, "Ok, yeah. I admit I wasn't even really thinking of it like that? I'll have to pay more attention next time Ms. Brown starts going off about apertures and all that."

Kara smiled, rolling her eyes. "'Apertures and all that'. You really haven't been paying attention to her at all, have you? She'll flunk you if all you ever use is auto-exposure and auto-focus, you know."

Jessica giggled, "Well she should have explained the important stuff, all that stuff you just said? Ten seconds with you and it's all clear and understandable. Two months with her and I still have no idea what her point was."

Kara just chuckled again.

Jess then asked, "What do you think of Ms. Winters?"

Kara replied "I like her."

Jessica blinked, "You do?!"

"Yeah." Kara shrugged. "I know she comes across as senile sometimes, but she's passionate about art. And like you were saying about Mr. Preston? Ms. Winters tells good stories. It sounds like she's had a fascinating life. And I think that gives her a unique perspective."

Jess giggled, "I'd say more 'crazy' than 'senile'. She's loopy!"

Kara gave her friend a stern look, "That's ableist, Jess. And anyways, I disagree. I think she just sees the world from a different angle. Like..." She frowned, trying to think of how to put her thoughts into words. "Like, a million people go to the Falls and take an identical picture of water going over the edge. She's the one who takes a picture of the baby who's crying because the roar of the Falls is loud and the crowd of tourists is scary."

Jessica raised an eyebrow and smirked, "You should have used the photography analogy when we were talking about Mrs. Brown."

Kara stuck her tongue out then laughed, "You know what I mean, Jess!"

"Yeah, I know." Jessica smiled.

As they talked more about their different classes and the teachers, Kara's mind started to wander a little. She'd been getting these feelings, spending time with Jess. That Jessica wanted more than just casual friendship. She was pretty sure her friend was gay or bi, and more than once she wondered if Jess was into her. She didn't want to push her away, and didn't want to risk her friendship, but Kara also didn't want to lead her on. But a relationship... Kara just couldn't do that. She decided, she had to say something.

She frowned a little as she was thinking, until finally she realized Jess was staring at her.

"You ok there Kara? You looked a little lost for a moment."

Kara nodded, smiling, "Yeah, fine thanks. Sorry. Got a little distracted..." She then frowned again and stared at the floor for a moment, then mentally bracing herself, she said "Hey Jess? There's something I want to talk with you about."

Jessica looked a little concerned by Kara's serious tone, but nodded, "Of course Kara. What is it?"

"I... I know sometimes I seem weird or distant or whatever. I like you, and - sorry if I've misread stuff, but I wonder sometimes if you're looking for more of a relationship with me... And I just can't do that. It's not that I don't like you or anything, I do. I'm just not comfortable enough with myself, to be able to..." She let her voice trail off, as she watched her friend's expression.

There was the briefest look of disappointment in Jessica's eyes, but then she nodded, "I understand, Kara. Thanks for telling me. I never wanted to press or anything, but yeah you're right. I was hoping there might be something more between us. Thanks for letting me down gently." She smiled a little.

Kara felt a bit of relief, but mostly she was still tense. She asked, "Are we still friends?"

Jess giggled, "Of course! Kara you're my best friend!" She got serious again and asked, "You said you weren't comfortable with yourself... Is it ok if I ask, what's that mean exactly? And is there anything I can do to help?"

Kara was taken aback for a moment, by the news that she was Jess's best friend. She wondered what happened to Jessica's friends back home. Or maybe she just meant, best friend here at university. Or here in this context... Kara had to stop herself before she got carried away going down that rabbit-hole.

She frowned and stared at the floor again, wondering if she could trust Jess with her secret. She already knew Jessica was a supporter of trans rights. And since meeting Jess's sister the other day, she knew Jess's whole family seemed supportive, at least of her sister being gay. Jess seemed to be very open-minded about a lot of this stuff. Maybe...

After a few moments, Kara said quietly "You have to swear first, you won't tell anybody. It's... I don't know, embarrassing, maybe weird or strange..." She looked up, watching her friend's expression, sort of trying to judge if Jess would take her seriously or not.

Jessica nodded, looking serious. "Kara, I promise I will not tell a soul."

Kara gulped but nodded, "Thanks Jess. It's... it's awkward and embarassing. I guess you already figured out though, from stuff I said at lunch on Tuesday... I've had some issues at home, with my family. I wanted to get away for a few years, a chance to really just be me..."

Jessica nodded but stayed quiet for now, just listening.

"So... I know you're a big supporter of queer rights, trans rights, stuff like that. Do you know what 'dysphoria' is?"

Kara watched as Jess looked like she was thinking, like she was carefully trying to choose her words.

Finally Jessica nodded, "Yeah, I know what it is." She paused, then asked, "Do you get dysphoria, Kara?"

Kara could feel her cheeks heating up, and she looked down at the floor again. "Yeah, I do... It sucks. It's hard to describe, to someone who doesn't really know what it's like..."

There was a pause, then Jessica asked softly, "Kara, are you trying to tell me you're trans?"

Kara quickly shook her head, then gulped. "No... Not really?" She then sort of laughed, though it came out a little bitter. "You know life's weird, when being trans would be the 'easier answer', right?"

She glanced up, and saw Jess looked both curious, and concerned. Compassionate, that was it. And her friend clearly knew Kara was trying to use 'humour' to cover up some of her pain.

She took a deep breath then continued, "I don't want to be a guy. Like, seriously. And I'm ok with my name, I think I'm probably ok with she/her pronouns? Though maybe they/them would fit better. Maybe 'non-binary' would be a better word for me? I definitely don't wanna be like... all hard and rough and hairy and stuff. You know? Like I don't wanna transition and be a trans guy. It's... That's not what I want. I don't even hate having boobs. Maybe I'd be happier if mine were smaller, but... Yeah."

Kara could feel she was blushing even more now as she admitted all this. She was staring at the floor yet again, and her stomach felt like it was doing flip-flops. But she'd made it this far without Jess freaking out on her...

After she'd been silent for a few moments, Jessica then said softly, "Ok Kara... I think I understand where you're going with this. That sort of just leaves one thing to be dysphoric about, right?"

Kara forced a smile, then nodded. "Yeah... It's just... It's the one thing that feels really wrong. Like, really, really, wrong. And even if I kinda ignore it most of the time, every damn month it's gotta spend a week reminding me it's there, reminding me how wrong it is..." She then sighed and went quiet again, and stole another glance at her friend.

Jess was looking thoughtful. She then asked, "So, what can be done? Like, I know there's a lot out there in terms of surgery, hormones, all that sort of thing? I don't know that much about F to M solutions, though."

Kara sighed and shook her head. "I've looked into it... Pretty much everything I've seen though is focused on like, the usual trans-masc transition stuff? Like going on T, getting hairy and bulked up, top surgery, all that stuff? Actual GRS is sort of the last step after years of everything else. And it's the 'years of everything else' that I don't even want. I'd just skip to the end and be happy? Though I don't even know if that'd... I mean, there's a lot they can do, but it's still never exactly right, you know?"

She frowned and added, "It doesn't matter anyways... I'd never be able to do it because I won't go through all the other transition stuff first. And even if I found a surgeon somewhere who'd do it without me doing the rest of the stuff first, I'd never be able to afford it anyways. And my family sure as shit wouldn't help. They wouldn't let me do it even if it was free, there's no fucking way they'd help pay for it." She let her emotions get away from her a bit, her voice reflecting some of the anger she felt towards her folks.

Finally she just sighed again.

Jessica was quiet again for a few moments, then asked, "What sort of thing would make you happy Kara? If you don't mind telling me?"

Kara shrugged a little, then said, "You know, everything's on the internet and all that? I came across some pictures of trans girls. They were pre-op, or maybe non-op, I don't know. Anyways, I'm talking about girls who've had a few years of HRT. So, femme bodies, boobs, looking pretty much all girl. Except, still having a cock..." Kara paused, her cheeks heating up again.

She then shook her head and laughed again, another bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "It feels like the stupidest, weirdest thing in the world, right? 'I'm a trans girl stuck in a cis girl's body?' And like, If I could, I'd trade with one of those trans girls in a heart-beat. Give her a real functional vagina, in return for a real working penis..."

Kara could feel her cheeks were bright red, and stopped talking again. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Jess right now, afraid to see the shock or disgust on her friend's face. She kept her eyes down, staring at the zigzag pattern on the carpet.

After a few seconds of silence, Jess said quietly, "There's nothing unreal or dysfunctional about a neovagina. I know that's not what you meant, but I'm just saying. Trans girls might not get a uterus and ovaries, but a neovagina is real, and does pretty much all the usual stuff a cis vagina can do."

Kara blinked. Of all the things she'd just said, that was the last thing she'd expected Jessica to focus on.

She frowned and glanced at her friend, "Jess, are you trans?"

Jessica gave her a little smile and shrug, "Trans or not, this is about you right now, not me." She then said, "I know you're probably worried what I think of you at the moment. And I want you to know Kara, you're still my best friend. I'm not freaked out or anything like that. I'm... sad that you're dealing with this stuff. Dysphoria sucks ass and I hate that you're suffering with it."

Kara could feel tears welling up now. She'd been prepared for the worst, expecting to be laughed at, stared at, or told she was a freak. Unconditional support was something Kara really hadn't had much experience with.

She wiped her eyes, "Thanks Jess..."

Jessica then asked, "Sorry if this is...inappropriate. But, just hypothetically... Say there was like, a magic wand, or something like that. If you could change your body any way you wanted? What would you do? What would you look like?"

Kara sighed, staring at the floor again. She frowned and thought a bit. Not that she hadn't had these thoughts a million times before. Finally she shrugged, "My boobs would be smaller. I'd still have them, I like boobs, just not as big. I'd get rid of all the works down there... vagina, uterus, ovaries. No more periods, yay. And I'd have a cock. I'd skip the balls... don't need little T factories making me hairy and agro." She smiled a little.

Then it faded again just as fast. "It's impossible though. I mean, most of that could be done with surgery, but the last bit wouldn't really be the same. And it'd cost a fortune, and too many risks and stuff, too many ways things could go wrong..."

Finally Kara shrugged and sighed again. "I've already come to terms with the fact that it's impossible. I know it'll never happen, I've accepted that." She was quiet for a moment, then shrugged again. "So that's my big secret... and that's why I'm uncomfortable and... Not really able to do any relationship kind of stuff..."

After another little pause, Kara looked at Jessica and asked, "Still friends?"

Jess just smiled at her. The look on her face was warm, loving, caring. "Still friends, Kara. Always." She then held her arms out, "Hug?"

Kara hesitated, but then nodded and moved forward. They shared a quick embrace, but Kara pulled back after a few seconds.

She grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes again. "Thank you Jessica..."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, before Jess finally said, "It's just about dinner time. Do you want to head down to the dining hall?"

Kara shook her head, "No thanks... I'm... it's gonna take an hour or two before my nerves have settled, after all this. Sorry."

Jessica just nodded, "It's ok. Do you want me to stay with you while you're unwinding?"

"Nah... I think I need to just rest a bit? Thanks for offering though." Kara gave her a weak smile. "You go get dinner. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Jess smiled, "Ok Kara. Call or text if you need anything. Or if you just want to talk."

Kara nodded, and watched as Jess headed out. Then she flopped back on the bed and rolled over onto her side. Facing the wall, she finally let her anxiety loose in private. It wasn't too bad this time, she managed to avoid the shakes, but the tears flooded out. She couldn't shake the fear that she'd said too much, that Jessica would decide she was too weird, a freak, or a pervert. That Jess would change her mind about being friends, after she'd had time to think things over.

Part of her knew that Jessica wasn't like that, wasn't like her family back in Essex. But for now, the loudest parts of her mind were trying to convince her that she'd just driven away her only close friend.

:=: Jessica :=:

Jessica sat by herself in the dining hall. She'd just grabbed a salad, but she was having trouble finishing it. Her thoughts were stuck on the conversation she'd had with Kara, the huge secret her best friend had just shared with her.

The hardest part was, Jess knew she could help. With Sam and Nikki, and the Goddess's magic, they could do exactly what Kara wanted. But she couldn't think of how to arrange it, without breaking a promise.

She'd either have to break her promise to Kara in order to tell her sister and Nikki, or she'd have to break her oath of secrecy, to tell Kara that there was a magical solution.

Jess played both scenarios over and over in her head, weighing the pros and cons.

Telling Kara about magic could get Jess in trouble with her sister, Nicole, and the Goddess. And the most likely outcome would be that Kara wouldn't believe her anyways. Though, Jess knew she could give Kara a little demonstration. A light spell, a glamour, that sort of thing. The kind of thing Samantha had done back in July, when she showed Jess that magic was real. Jess was afraid to do that though, because that'd mean breaking one of their four rules, against working magic in view of the public.

She thought about the other option. She could approach Sam and Nikki first. Tell them about Kara's problem, and get their approval, then she could talk to Kara... but that would mean breaking the promise she'd just given her best friend. Even if it was for the best, even if it was in Kara's best interest, Jess wasn't sure she'd be forgiven. She could tell Kara had trust issues, and didn't want her friend to ever suspect or doubt that Jessica was trustworthy.

Eventually, Jessica gave up on dinner. She'd only got through half the salad, but she wasn't hungry. She had too much on her mind.

She tossed the rest, then headed up to her room. Maybe she could focus on her schoolwork instead. Kara's problem would still be there later, or tomorrow, or whenever. She didn't have to solve it tonight.

Up in her room, Jessica opened up her laptop and got out her tablet and stylus. She brought up some reference material on the laptop screen, then tried to focus on her drawing, experimenting with some different styles and techniques.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be just as hard to focus on her drawing as it had been her dinner. Actually it was even harder - on top of her own distracting thoughts, now she also had to contend with her roommate, who was being her usual annoying self.

Tina had headphones on, but the music she was listening to was loud enough that Jess could still hear it. And then every so often, the blonde would suddenly burst into song herself as she joined in with the chorus, or an impromptu duet with the lead of whatever pop song she was listening to.

Jess rubbed her forehead, and opened up a large energy drink. Maybe the caffein would somehow help her focus.

After another half hour staring at her tablet and sipping the caffeinated sugar drink, she sighed. It wasn't helping her focus but now she needed to pee. She got up and used the washroom, then decided to try a walk.

She pulled on a jacket and headed out. The night air was cool and crisp, and it helped clear her head as she took a walk around the Village townhouses and then did a couple laps around the Lowenberger building. Feeling refreshed, she headed back up and into her room, and then got back to work.

Tina was still being Tina, but Jess had a little better focus now, and was finally making progress. She downed the last of her energy drink and lost herself in her drawing.

Unfortunately her focus was short lived.

Less than half an hour later, Jessica was once again having trouble concentrating. She was also feeling kind of off, dizzy. Her head spun a bit, and it was getting harder to think, like her brain was starting to fill up with cotton.

Jess frowned, staring at her tablet, trying to get her eyes to focus. Was she coming down with something? Damnit. That's the last thing she needed right now, a bout of flu at university. Maybe she just needed some rest. She turned off her laptop and tablet, and got up out of her chair, turning towards her bed.

It was only two steps away, but she somehow stumbled and toppled over. There wasn't any pain, she didn't think she'd hurt herself, but now she was laying sort of half on, half off the bed. The room was spinning more around her, and her arms and legs were feeling sluggish, like they didn't really want to move any more.

She was feeling a little groggy now too, and she thought to herself this would be a lot more terrifying if she wasn't so tired. She tried to pull herself up onto the bed, but her body wasn't really responding at all at this point. Then she noticed Tina was standing next to her.

Jess tilted her head up, looking at the blonde. The girl's lips were moving. Jessica smiled, when weren't that girl's lips moving, right? She couldn't make out what Tina was saying though. It just sounded like mumbling.

Jess finally closed her eyes. The way the room was spinning, was starting to make her feel weird. She sighed and just relaxed where she was, as she started feeling very warm, and sort of floaty.

Gradually everything around her went dark.

• • • • •

Hurt.

Head, hurt.

Jessica slowly woke up, a bit at a time. The headache was the first thing she became aware of, followed shortly after by the realization of how dry her mouth and throat were.

She groaned a little.

Next, she became aware of some other aches and pains. Her left shoulder hurt, and her left wrist. And her groin was sore, in a way she'd never felt before. That was weird.

Once she'd achieved full consciousness, she started thinking, instead of just experiencing.

What happened to her? She felt hung over, but that couldn't be it. She never drank enough to get drunk. It felt a little like when she woke after her car crash in July... had she been in another accident? That might explain the pain in her head, shoulder, and wrist. But not the weird soreness in her crotch.

She listened. There were none of the background sounds of a hospital ward. It was quiet here.

Finally she opened one eye. Her head throbbed a little with the light. She was in her room at residence. Good.

Then she thought, wait, bad! Tina was never this quiet in the morning, what time was it, had she slept in?

Jessica opened the other eye, winced from the headache, then checked her phone. 8am, Friday. Phew. She didn't have time for breakfast, but she'd be able to get ready and get to class on time.

She still couldn't remember what happened last night though, or why she was so sore and felt hung over. At least she could fix the dry mouth problem.

Jess sat up and reached for one of the plastic bottles she kept on the floor between her bed and desk. That's when she realized she was naked. The blankets had slipped down to her waist, revealing her boobs. She froze. She never slept naked. She felt a twist in her stomach.

Suddenly she wasn't just achey and confused, now she was scared. What the hell had she done last night? What happened, and why couldn't she remember?

There was a slight noise from the other side of the room, and Jess looked. Tina was still here. She was sitting at her desk, and for the first time in two months she was quiet. Jess was still frozen, as she stared at her roommate.

Tina was staring back, she'd probably been sitting there watching since Jess had woken up. The drama student wasn't looking amused or entertained by Jess's odd behaviour or her nakedness, and she didn't look concerned or interested in helping either. Tina was looking haunted, nervous, and most of all, guilty.

Jessica kept her eyes on the blonde, while she pulled her blankets up with one hand to cover her chest. She picked up the water bottle with her other hand. She then tucked the sheets under her arms to hold them in place, opened the bottle, and downed half the water in one go, all without ever taking her eyes off her roommate.

Her stomach was twisting in knots and she felt sick, but forced herself to remain outwardly calm.

"Tina," Jess asked in a low voice. "What did you do to me last night?"

The girl shook her head quickly, "Nothing! I... You were sick or something, passed out? So I helped you get into bed. That's all!"

Even without magic, Jess knew the girl was lying. She hoped Tina had other skills because the girl was a terrible actor.

Still, Jessica had to know the truth. She already suspected, but she needed to know. Her emotions were churning, but for now she pushed the fear down and took hold of a cold, dangerous anger. She silently cast the truth spell, and then tapped into some of that anger.

"Tina," she growled, "Tell me the truth, or I swear to Goddess I will cut your fucking throat while you sleep tonight."

Her roommate's eyes widened and she paled a little. "It was a joke... It was just supposed to be a joke. I... He had me put something in your drink, to knock you out? He said it would just be a prank..."

Jess could see the truth in Tina's eyes. When she'd gone out for a walk to clear her head last night, Tina had put something in the energy drink Jess had left open on her desk. Then Tina had texted someone, telling him it was done.

She already knew what the answer would be, as she demanded, "Who? Who said it was a prank?"

"Scott Matthews..."

Jess felt the bile rising in her throat, and fought to keep herself calm. "Get out. Now."

Tina started to protest, "Hey, it's my room too-"

"Get the fuck out!" Jessica shouted, and the blonde leapt to her feet and dashed out the door.

Alone, Jess collapsed back onto her bed and started shaking. She wasn't sure if it was coming down off the drugs that made her want to vomit, or the fear of what else had happened last night. She wrapped her blankets tightly around herself and just curled up, shaking, and waited for the nausea to pass.

She was still there an hour later, when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Jess groaned. It was probably Kara, checking on her or asking why she was late to class. She picked up her phone and opened the message app. When she saw the message, it felt like her blood turned to ice-water and her heart dropped to her stomach.

It was from Scott. He'd sent her a picture. Of himself, with her. It had been taken here, on her bed, in her room. She was stark naked and he had his hands on her. One groping her boobs and the other between her legs. The accompanying text read, "Theres two dozen more pictures and they just get better. I own you now, bitch. Play nice, or you'll find the rest of the pics online."

Jessica closed the app, then turned off her phone. She was shaking again, worse than before. She crawled out of bed and into the tiny bathroom, and threw up.

:=: Samantha :=:

Sam and Nikki had just sat down for dinner together, when they heard someone knocking at the door. They looked at each other. Neither was expecting anyone, and no-one had buzzed from the lobby.

"I'll see who it is." Sam got up from the table and went to the door.

Jessica was standing there in the hall. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder, her handbag and portfolio in her hands. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and there were more tears pooling up in them.

Sam gasped, "Jess! What's wrong? Come in..." She stepped aside as her sister shuffled in.

When she spoke, Jessica's voice was soft, distant. "Can I stay with you two for a while? I can't... I can't go back there..."

Nikki had already come to join them. She said, "Here let me take that for you."

She took Jessica's backpack and portfolio, and set them in the living-room next to the sofa.

Samantha could tell something was badly wrong, she'd never seen her sister this upset before. She and Nikki led Jessica in and sat her down on the sofa. Nikki got a glass of water for Jess, and set it down on the coffee table.

Sam sat down next to her sister and asked, "Jessica what happened? Can you talk about it?"

Jess took the water and sipped it, then set it down again. She stared down at the coffee table, then whispered softly, "Last night... someone drugged me, and I think... I think I was raped..."

The words hit Samantha like a blow to the stomach, and left her stunned. She threw her arms around her sister, "Oh Jessica..." She could feel her little sister's body start to shake with sobs, and a moment later Sam was crying too. She and her sister held each other and cried together.

After a few minutes, the two of them had cried themselves out for now. Sam finally noticed that Nikki was tidying up in the kitchen. She'd already put away the food and cleared the table.

Nicole gave them a few more minutes, then finally she moved to sit with them. She asked quietly, "Do you want to tell us what happened, Jess?"

Jessica sighed and picked up the glass. She had some more water, then in a soft, monotone voice she started talking.

Her eyes stayed focused on the coffee table as she told Sam and Nikki what had happened. She described how she'd felt weird, how it had come on so fast she didn't even realize she'd been drugged before she passed out. And then this morning, she described how she woke up confused and sore, but couldn't remember what had happened. She told them how her roommate was acting suspicious, and how she'd gotten the truth out of her. And finally, she told them about the text message. Her hands were shaking, as she pulled out her phone and showed them what she'd been sent.

Sam was horrified, and felt sick just thinking about what her sister was going through. She clenched her teeth, and said, "Jessica, we have to go to the police."

Her sister shook her head quickly, "No... He'll post the rest of the pictures. And his family's rich... he's popular... He'll get away with it, and my life will be ruined... And mom and dad... Sam this'd kill them... Please they can't find out..."

Nicole then said, "Fuck the cops. We can deal with this asshole ourselves. He picked the wrong girl to mess with."

Samantha looked at her girlfriend, and shook her head. "Nikki... we swore we wouldn't do that..." It was their second rule. No using their magic for vengeance or punishment.

"I know the rules, Sam. Fuck it!" Nikki spat. "This is your sister! We can't let that fucker get away with this!"

Jess then said, "Please... don't do anything. No police. No magic. I just... I just want to forget about all this. Can I stay here with you? I don't... I can't stay at res any more... Not after... That's where it happened..."

Sam felt another twist in her stomach. She was the one who insisted Jess should go into residence. She thought it would be good for her sister. She didn't want Jessica staying here with herself and Nikki. And now, her little sister had been assaulted there, raped in her residence...

"Jessica, of course you can stay here! We'll get the guest room set up for you." She could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes again as her stomach felt cold with the guilt.

Nikki then asked softly, "Jess... Are you on the pill?"

Sam closed her eyes, feeling sick. She was sure her sister was still a virgin. They'd talked about this in the summer, and Jess had told her she wasn't ready yet for sex.

Jessica mumbled, "Yeah... I started in August... incase I got adventurous at university..."

Nicole nodded, then asked, "Are you hurt at all? Did you use any healing spells, or would you like us to?"

Jess mumbled again, "I did this morning... I'm ok now..."

Samantha knew her sister's body might be healed, but she was definitely not ok. She pulled Jess into another hug.

Nicole then said quietly, "You two just relax. I'll get the guest bed set up."

"Thanks Nikki." Sam gave her girlfriend a quick smile, and watched as she moved to the spare room to set up the sofa bed. For now, Samantha kept her arms around her sister, holding her tight as she whispered, "Jess honey, I'm so sorry..."

Nikki set up the sofa-bed and got out the pillows and blankets. She then moved Jess's backpack and portfolio into the guest-room. Finally she returned to the living-room and asked, "Can I get you anything else, Jessica? Wine, more water, something to eat?" She looked at Sam too, to see if she wanted anything.

Jess shook her head, still sipping the water Nikki had already brought her.

Samantha smiled at her girlfriend, but shook her head, "No thanks, Nikki."

Nicole got herself a glass of wine then joined them both on the sofa.

Jessica mumbled an apology for interrupting their evening, but Sam shushed her and just hugged her again. "Jess you're always welcome here. Always."

After another half hour or so, Jessica finished the glass of water. She thanked Sam and Nikki again, then got up and went into the guest room, closing the door after her.

Nikki shifted over so she was sitting closer, and Sam cuddled up against her.

She let out a little sob, "Poor Jess..."

"I know, hon." Nikki sighed. "It's not fair, after all she's been through."

They sat cuddling quietly for a few minutes. Eventually Nikki whispered, "I'm going to get something to eat. Want anything?"

Sam nodded, "Something small please?"

Nicole got up and made a little snack from the leftovers, then sat back on the sofa again to eat with Sam. As they ate, they talked quietly.

"I still want to find this guy Sam, and fuck him up. I don't want to just let him get away with this."

Samantha sighed, "I know love... But Jessica asked us not to. And I really don't want to break our second rule... That feels like it could be too much of a slippery slope."

Nicole sighed as well, "I understand... I don't agree, but I understand." Her voice took on a harder tone as she continued, "If we let him get away with this, he'll just do it again to someone else. How many times has he got away with it already? How many more will there be? The roommate's complicit too. If the cops were dealing with it, I'm sure she'd be arrested for accessory to rape or something."

Sam nodded slowly, then asked quietly, "You're really upset about this, aren't you love? I don't think I've ever seen you this angry before..."

Nikki pursed her lips, frowning. She then said quietly, "I... Nick never did anything like this. But it's the sort of shit he'd have thought was funny. He'd be ok with it, find some way to justify it. Blame the victim. I guess it hits a little close to home? I'm angry because I know what that kind of guy is like, and I know every time they get away with this shit, it just encourages them. Teaches them there's no repercussions. It reinforces their belief that they can treat girls like crap and get away with it. I really don't want this guy to just walk away while Jess is suffering like this."

Samantha sighed and nodded, "I understand, Nikki..." She then said, "I'll talk with Jess again tomorrow, about maybe going to the police. She's right though, it's going to break mom and dad's heart, when they hear about all this."

Sam could feel tears pooling in her eyes again, and shook her head, "I should have just let her stay here from the start... If I hadn't insisted she go into residence, maybe..."

Nikki put an arm around her, "Hey, this isn't your fault hon. You can't blame yourself for this."

Sam nodded, but she could feel tears starting to roll down her cheeks again. "I know love... But I can't forgive myself. Not yet..."

She was starting to quietly cry again, when Mo jumped up onto her lap and curled up. Sam started petting the big black cat, scratching behind her ears. It seemed sometimes Mo knew when Sam was upset, and needed some help calming down.

Between her girlfriend and her cat, Sam managed to relax a bit.

Finally she said, "Whatever Jessica decides, I'll back her up. If she changes her mind about wanting revenge... I'll go along with it. But until then, promise me you won't do anything, love?"

Nikki leaned over and kissed her. "I promise hon. You know I can't do any big stuff without you anyways."

Sam nodded, "Thank you."

They eventually put a quiet movie on the tv, and cuddled as they watched.