November, 1999...

The alarm clock went off, and she'd barely slept at all. The memories of all those months ago hadn't let her get any rest. She felt like simply turning over and trying to sleep, but then she'd miss breakfast, and that'd only get Tompkins 'displeased' with her again. That at least would be the way he'd put it, the bastard.

Oh, if she only dared to call him that to his face. In public. She'd love nothing more than to wipe that self-righteous, self-satisfied, smirk away and expose him to the world for the monster he was. She desperately wished she dared do that. However, she knew it'd only lead to endangering her mother, and she couldn't risk that.

Saving her mother was killing her inside, though, and she didn't know how much longer she could stand it. Two years of this while her mother was in prison?? Would there be anything left of her by then?

She forced herself to get up, to get through the routines of getting cleaned up and ready for breakfast. Plastering a smile on her face, she made her way to the dining room, determined to do her best to get through yet another of the emotional torture sessions which passed for mealtimes in this house, to get through it without angering either Tompkins, or Christine, or both again. Though that was far easier said than done, with their way of taking offense at the least little thing. The smallest infraction of what they considered 'proper behavior', always merited dire punishments in some form.

No, there was nothing for it. She had to endure this somehow. It was the only thing she could do to make sure her mother stayed safe--as safe as anyone in prison could be, anyway.

It was just as well she hadn't been allowed to actually visit her mother. There'd have been no way she could've kept her from realizing something was terribly wrong, and this wasn't something her mother needed to deal with on top of everything else. Let Mom go on thinking her little girl was safe and happy, Donna thought to herself. She wanted to leave her mother something to hang on to.

She made her way to the dining room, and the day settled into a blur, the usual routine of mealtime, then the tutor, and then another painful session with Christine in the 'office' or more accurately lab.

This time, however, when Christine was done with her, she wasn't told to go back to her room. Instead, she was told to go to Tompkins' office. That didn't reassure her in the least.

She came in when he'd called her, and waited in front of his desk until he'd finished with the phone call he was taking.

"Ah, there you are. I appreciate that you did not keep me waiting," he said with his typical cold smile. "I do appreciate promptness, after all. Now, I require your assistance again, my dear. Consider it another lesson in magic for you, as well."

Donna tried not to visibly sigh, knowing he'd be upset if she showed any sign of reluctance or displeasure. She knew quite well, however, what he meant by 'assistance'. The favors he wanted from her didn't always involve sex; though they could be just as difficult for her to bear in their own way.

Tompkins picked up some papers from his desk. "Certain foolish individuals have seen fit to reject my more than generous offers for certain items." he said. "I cannot, of course, allow such an insult to pass by unpunished. I have already dealt, and that quite firmly, with the individuals involved in my own way. However, the items must still be retrieved from their present locations. Having been refused one way, I am compelled to obtain them in another. That is where you come in, my dear."

Donna's eyes went wide. He was talking about stealing something, again. This wasn't the first time, but that didn't make it any easier for her. Not that he cared; all that mattered to him was getting what he wanted. She also had a terrible feeling she knew what he'd meant about 'dealing with them in his own way', even without his telling her any specifics. She knew by now only too well the sorts of things Tompkins was capable of when he got angry at someone, which he always did if they tried to get out of giving him something he wanted.

"It is quite within your capabilities, we both know that." he continued, as though he hadn't even noticed the look on her face. "Then, too, it is not as if you have not done this before. I will get us to the proper location, of course--once you have determined what that is for me." He picked up a sheaf of papers from the stack and held it out to her. "You will look at these pictures, one by one, and find them for me. I know you can do it. I have faith in you, my dear." The cold steely look in his eyes was deadly promise of what would happen if she did fail.

She glanced over the list. Several of the things on it were art objects--valuable and almost priceless, things that ought to be in museums. There were also some high-tech items, from computer research labs and so on. What was he going to do, sell them on the black market? That was most likely, she guessed; at least, those things which he didn't decide to hoard for himself, that is: this house, and no few of the others Tompkins owned, were full to the brim with expensive artwork. She remembered the collection of statues, definite museum pieces, that she'd seen in the upstairs gallery in the house in Kentucky--Tompkinsville, to be exact. It'd been explained to her that that name was not merely a coincidence. Nathan's great-great-grandfather had founded the place. She sighed and brought herself back to the present before he noticed she was distracted and became angry.

She fought again not to sigh, then took the papers he'd given her and, at a nod from him, sat back. She didn't want to do this, this was theft, at the very least, but what else could she do? She stared at the picture of the first item, fixing its image in her mind, then closed her eyes and let that inner sense start working.

She felt herself drifting through a gray void, some unseen force pulling her towards her goal.

Then, dimly, as if it were surrounded by a white fog, she could see it. She knew where it was...and then he was there, with her, his magics linking to hers to draw the object away from its place back to where they were.

He made her do it again, and again, for each item on his list.

Nathan Tompkins always got what he wanted. One way or another.

* * * * * * * * * *

He'd been right, damn him. That hadn't been the first time he'd made her find something, so that he could steal it. He'd also used her to find people he was after, too. Either they had gotten in his way somehow, or they had something he wanted and had refused to meet with him to discuss it. That was another thing about Tompkins; he never accepted 'no' for an answer, not for anything, or from anyone.

She didn't want to think about the people who'd gotten in his way. Oh, he didn't kill them, not literally. He always said that mere murder was far too 'untidy'. However, as she was coming to see, there were things he could do, both with and without magic, which were a lot worse than murder. He'd meant it literally, back when they'd first met, when he'd mentioned having considerable influence.

She found herself remembering one day in particular, when Tompkins had called Donna to his office once again. Only that time, he hadn't wanted her to find some thing. This time there had been someone there whom Donna didn't know, a woman. From the fact that she was tied with ordinary-looking ropes to the seat, in addition to being held in place magically, Donna knew Tompkins was up to no good as usual.

"This is another lesson for you," Tompkins had said. "You have the capability to do this, too; you merely need to learn control and direction. This woman has something I want and I mean to get it. You, my dear, will link with me and observe--but do not attempt to interfere, is that understood?" His tone implied dire consequences if she did not do exactly as instructed.

Donna nodded, "Yes," she murmured, though only because she knew that not answering would get her into even worse trouble. She wasn't looking forward to what was about to happen at all. Being able to feel another's pain had been what got her into this situation in the first place; to deliberately cause it was something else entirely. That was definitely one thing Tompkins was good at--he'd practically made cruelty into an art form. So had Christine. If there'd been such a thing as a Nobel Prize for cruelty, both of them would've won hands down, Donna thought miserably. She'd never be like them; feeling the pain of others hurt her too much. She sighed, forcing her attention back to the present.

"Now, my dear woman," Tompkins said, turning his attention to the woman in the chair, "let us try this again. Where are the documents, the plans, I asked for?" Tompkins gestured, loosening the magical bindings on her just enough so she could respond. "If you do not tell me freely, I shall have to force the location from you. If I am compelled to do that, you will not like it. I can promise you that."

The stab of terror that went through the woman's mind at Tompkins' words echoed in Donna, just as deeply as if she herself had been stabbed. It was all Donna could do not to cry out as she felt Tompkins' black will, his iron determination, linking to her and forcing himself into the woman, not physically but mentally. Though it was no less a violation of the poor woman than a physical rape would've been, Donna knew only too well that Tompkins wasn't above using that if he felt he had to, to break a woman to his control.

Donna had to press her hands to her mouth to keep from crying out, the pain was almost too much for her to bear. Yet she knew if she gave in to her own revulsion, Tompkins would know immediately, and then turn his anger on her. If it was difficult enough for her to feel along with Tompkins' victim, being the target of his rage herself would be even more painful, in more ways than one. Donna had learned that lesson the hard way too many times since coming to live here.

"You'll...never...get..a-ny-thing...!" the woman had cried out, even now struggling against the compulsion Tompkins was forcing on her. However, all her efforts to resist only served to anger him more , to make him even more determined to get what he was after. That, in turn, made it more painful for the captive woman, and therefore also for Donna, who felt the woman's pain as if it were her own. Not only was Donna feeling that, but she also could sense Tompkins' etermination and greed--as well as the fact that he was enjoying this, the sadistic bastard. That was the part that hurt Donna the most, knowing how Tompkins literally enjoyed inflicting pain.

True to his threat, he kept it up, until the woman had been reduced to a weeping, shivering, broken wreck. Once Tompkins had forced the location of the documents from her, it'd only been a simple matter for him to go there and retrieve them. Only then did Donna understand why Tompkins hadn't simply had her locate them herself--the woman had had some magic of her own and managed to conceal them from an ordinary magic search, such as Donna would have done under what passed around here for normal circumstances.

That'd only been one of far too many times she'd been forced to be part of something similar. It was definitely true that Tompkins seemed to enjoy brutalizing women. He'd even raped quite a few of them, and she'd been forced to watch him doing that, sharing their pain as well as relive her own. For everything she felt when he was forcing himself on her came back a thousand times when she had to see him doing it to some other poor woman. However, those he tortured for having refused him in some way or other were not always women.

Anyone, man or woman, who'd gotten in his way somehow, or who'd tried to refuse him some item or service he wanted, was fair game, Donna came to see. So many times, she was forced to watch and be part of Tompkins' retaliation against his so-called 'enemies'. Each time, it tore her apart a little more, every time it felt like part of her was dying inside; their suffering became hers, especially when Tompkins made her use her own magic to torture others.

* * * * * * * * * *

The days blurred one into another, always there was some new twisted way he wanted her to use her magic for him, some new way he would find to use her body and he didn't give a damn what it was doing to her spirit. Christine was no better, with her tests and experiments which she still claimed were for the purpose of learning all they could about Donna's magic talents, yet seemed to be not much more than rape and torture.

Thanksgiving came and went, and Donna barely noticed. Oh, there was the obligatory formal dinner, and a roomful of high society guests, and she had to smile and act like everything was wonderful and perfect and she was oh so grateful to be so fortunate to stay here.

She simply didn't feel like there was anything to be thankful for, not this year. In fact, she wasn't sure there ever would be again. The life she was leading was such a dark downward spiral that she couldn't even imagine hoping things could ever be good again.

She tried to cling to the hope that she'd get to see her mother again someday, but even that was tainted by what was happening to her. To Kendra, she was still her little girl, and Donna wasn't that innocent child anymore. She was feeling more and more like something that ought to be thrown out with the garbage and that feeling wasn't going away; with each new degradation it was getting worse.

* * * * * * * * * *

All too quickly, it was December and the Christmas season, but just as had happened with Thanksgiving, Donna barely noticed. She was in no mood to celebrate this time around. What was there to celebrate? Her mother was in jail, and her own life was a nightmare, a perpetual hell. It'd become some sick, twisted blending of a porno movie and a horror film-psychological horror, that is. She didn't have to watch either of those two kinds of movies; she was living in one, she thought miserably.

Then came the day when Tompkins announced that they would be going out for dinner the next night, instead of a formal dinner at the mansion.

Donna felt like wanting to gag, at the very least, when he told her what this was all about. This wasn't to be an ordinary formal dinner, this was a charity function to raise funds for the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

That, of course, meant that she was supposed to go and act the part of the grateful ward yet again. Tompkins made it crystal clear--in his usual cold yet threatening way--that she had better do exactly as was expected of her, or else. The exact nature of the 'or else' he left unsaid, but then that, too, was his normal way. Which made the threat even more frightening; not defining exactly what he would do left Donna free to imagine all sorts of horrible things. That applied equally strongly to Christine; any time Tompkins punished Donna himself, Christine always added on some humiliation or torture of her own.

She thought Tompkins had a lot of nerve to even be showing his face at this dinner. She knew only too well there wouldn't be a single person there who, if they knew even half of what Tompkins was doing to her, wouldn't call it exploitation. Exploitation meant being used, and Tompkins was definitely using her in so many ways she'd lost count. She didn't have to try and guess why Tompkins wanted to attend this dinner, though; in fact, she knew the reason perfectly well. He'd been one of their biggest donors this year. She wanted to gag at the very thought; if that wasn't a prime, world-class, A-number-one, example of blatant hypocrisy, she didn't know what was.

As always, however, there was simply no possible way she could get out of it. She couldn't pretend to be too sick to go. If she did that, Christine would insist on examining her, and Christine would see through any such playacting in an instant. When it came to medical matters, Christine simply knew too much--Donna had learned that Christine had been a nurse at one time. So there'd be no tricking her that way, and trying, Donna knew, would only get her punished yet again.

* * * * * * * * * *

The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City December 15, 1999

Donna had managed to get through the dinner and the round of speeches so far without going to pieces. Of course, having Tompkins and Christine watching her like a pair of hawks for the least sign of 'improper behavior' was a major incentive to toe the line.

Damn it, though, she couldn't make herself hold back much longer, or she would explode. This wasn't taking place inside Tompkins' house, after all; he didn't call all the shots here. Maybe--she almost dared let herself think, maybe here she could get away from him, or at least start the ball rolling in that direction. Whatever she did, she'd have to make sure her mother wouldn't be endangered; that was even more important to her even than her own safety.

She'd endured Tompkins' and Christine's abuse all these months for her mother's sake; but not even for her mother could she stand much more. She was dying inside, slowly, by degrees. She knew it, and she also knew her mother would never have wanted this for her. She'd almost broken weeks ago after her last escape attempt, and while she didn't want to go through that again, the alternative was to simply stay here and endure more abuse. That, she knew she couldn't do, or she'd have no sanity left.

The only question was what she was going to do tonight and when. The hard part would be getting away from Christine. Tompkins was spending most of his time with the various officials and other VIPs attending the dinner, leaving Donna in Christine's charge.

As uncertain as Donna was about her magical abilities, this was \par definitely one time she wished she could magically transport herself from place to place the way both Tompkins and Christine could. They'd both repeatedly told her, though, that that was a very strong level of magic and she was much too young to even try it. She'd had to agree to that; she'd once made the mistake of trying it on her own and ended up with a world-class headache, so bad that she'd almost passed out from the pain. So that way was out; even trying that tonight would cost her whatever slim chance of escape she might possibly have.

Eventually Donna saw her chance. Tompkins was nowhere to be seen; Donna thought he was most likely to be off in a corner somewhere with one or more of the other guests. She only really had Christine to worry about. She tried to think of some excuse to slip away from her; then came up with the simplest and easiest. She leaned over and whispered that she had to go to the bathroom.

Christine rolled her eyes and started to get up, but Donna shook her head. "Christine, I am fourteen. I'm old enough to go to the bathroom by myself."

Christine looked hard at her for a long moment, then relented. "Oh, all right. You have been quite well-behaved tonight, I suppose I can afford to be a little lenient. This once. But don't dally, and come right back here. If I have to come looking for you..." she trailed off, letting the unspoken threat hang there, knowing Donna would catch on to what she wasn't saying.

Donna nodded, and left before Christine could change her mind. She supposed Christine had given in only to not create a bad impression in front of the other guests.

She thought she'd wait in the bathroom till a crowd came out, then hide in the middle of them. That way Christine wouldn't see her coming out. She had to simply cross her fingers and hope that Christine didn't think to look for her magically, at least not until she'd managed to get out of the building. She wasn't sure what she'd do then--she'd probably have to take a chance on finding someone who wouldn't be afraid to help. Though she still had no idea who such people could be, or where they could be found.

When she entered the restroom, however, she realized she wasn't alone.

The woman looked up as Donna entered. "I know you. You're Nathan Tompkins' ward, aren't you?" she asked.

Oh, damn. Donna thought. She'd hoped no one would have been in here, so that no one would've been able to tell Tompkins or Christine they'd seen her-that could end up being dangerous, not only for Donna herself, but for them as well. What was she going to do now? She murmured a polite 'yes' while she tried to think of a plan b.

"Donna, isn't it?" the woman went on.

Donna nodded.

"I'm Kate. Kate Parker." she said. "I'm--" she paused, came over in front of Donna and looked closely at her. "Are you all right?" she asked. "I saw the look on your face when you came in and saw me. Is there something wrong?"

Oh, god, was there ever, Donna thought, but suddenly felt afraid. Kate was on the Center for Exploited Children's staff. She could do something, call Children's Services, the police--or better yet, someone who couldn't be bought and paid for by Tompkins, if there were such people anywhere. However, there was Christine to worry about, Christine who could walk in here at any moment. Did she dare risk it??

A moment later, despair overwhelmed her again, and she shook her head. "I--I've got to talk to you." she stammered quickly. "It can't be here, or now. I can't say why but--can I come talk to you tomorrow?" she said with nervous glances at the door, which she half expected to open at any moment to reveal Christine.

Kate nodded. "You can talk to me. Whatever it is." she said. "Please, can't you tell me now?"

Donna could see the look of concern on the woman's face. Had she already said too much? she wondered. This woman was used to being around kids in trouble, she probably knew all the signs, what to look for. Even though she couldn't know what exactly Donna's problem was. Damn it, Christine could walk in here at any moment...! She shook her head. No, she couldn't chance it.

"All right, here's my card," Kate Parker held it out to her. "You can come in any time you want to, okay? My door's always open when kids are in trouble and I can tell you are." Kate paused for a moment, then continued in a gentler tone. "If you're in some sort of trouble, you can tell me. Does Mr. Tompkins know about this? Maybe he can help."

"No! You can't tell him! He can't--he mustn't--know I've talked to you!" Donna cut herself off before she said anything else. Damn it, she'd let slip too much already, and if Tompkins and Christine found out there'd be hell to pay. In spades. "Please. I can't talk about this now. Christine'll be looking for me, I've got to get back out there. I--I'll see you tomorrow!" she nearly ran from the bathroom. She knew she was leaving a concerned and confused Kate Parker behind her; however, nothing else was safe to do now.

Donna could only hope she wasn't visibly trembling when she rejoined Christine. She'd have to give up on the idea of getting away tonight, and concentrate on getting out of the house tomorrow. She would manage it, somehow. It wouldn't be at all easy, she knew that, but she had to find a way. She couldn't go on like this any longer, not even for her mother's sake. She didn't know what she'd do once she was away from Tompkins; going to the authorities was out of the question, he had them in his pocket. All he'd have to do was pull strings and call in favors and whatever official agency she'd tried to appeal to would meekly turn her back over to Tompkins. She'd have to try and make it on her own. Whatever she might have to face by doing that, though, couldn't possibly be any worse than enduring more of his abuse and Christine's.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next day...

Donna knew her only chance to get through today until the right time came was to pretend absolutely everything was just as it should be, or more accurately, as they thought it should be. She had to be on her very best behavior as far as Tompkins and Christine were concerned. She hoped that that would be enough to lull them out of watching her too closely, at least for a little while, long enough where she could slip out unnoticed.

The fact that both of them had magic themselves complicated things; she knew they could spy on her at any time. What other chance of getting out of this hellhole was she going to have, though? She'd been lucky to get this second opportunity; she wouldn't be likely to get a third chance, if she missed this one, and that prospect was unbearable.

It was just a question of choosing the right moment. She watched the clock when she could do so without anyone thinking it odd. Ten--eleven--twelve--and now one o'clock. Tompkins was busy in his office, and Christine hadn't called her in for any 'experiments' yet, so maybe now she had a chance to get away.

She got up and was making her way through the corridors, carefully not letting any of the servants see her pass. There was no sense getting any of them in trouble if she could help it. She also knew they'd be too afraid of Tompkins not to tell him if they had seen her. No, it was safer to avoid that.

She'd made her way almost to the main part of the house. As she was about to slip through the main door, though, Tompkins' voice suddenly sounded in her head. He was calling her by magic! Damn it, no, why did he have to call her now?? she thought, then cut that off quickly. If he was 'tuning in' on her, he might have picked up what she was up to.

She sighed and turned back around. He'd already made 'contact' with her, which, of course, meant that if she were to try running now, he'd know instantly, and act to stop her. She had to hope he hadn't caught on to what she'd been doing. Maybe whatever he wanted this time wouldn't take long, and she could still try to leave afterward, once he was finished with her. Assuming she wasn't sent to Christine's for another 'experiment', that is. Well, she'd simply have to worry about that if it happened.

She reached Tompkins' office and knocked. He always insisted on that. A moment later, she heard him calling her to enter, which she did quickly, so as not to keep him waiting. Doing that would only work against her.

She took two steps in--and froze, seeing who, besides Tompkins, was there. Standing between her and Tompkins' desk was none other than Kate Parker. Donna immediately felt sick. What, oh god, what was she doing here?? she thought, her face going pale. Making it worse was the realization an instant later that that expression would be a red flag, a dead giveaway, to Tompkins. Whatever he didn't already know about this, he'd figure out from that. Why ever, had Kate come here, she was supposed to wait for Donna at her office. What could have gone wrong? Tompkins' gravelly voice cut through her panicked thoughts.

"Donna." Tompkins' voice was the coldest, sternest, she'd ever heard it. That, she knew, meant nothing good--not that anything from him ever did, but this was the worst she'd ever heard it. "I am so glad you could join us. I have just had a rather interesting discussion with Miss Parker, here. Apparently you attempted to speak with her at the dinner last night; somehow you contrived to get out of Christine's sight long enough to do so. I shall be speaking to her about that in good time, you may be certain of that." His tone was deadly promise.

Despair filled her. Once again she'd come so close to escaping Tompkins, then had that hope crushed at the last moment.

"However, we must deal with first things first. Now, are there really any problems Miss Parker should be aware of, professionally?" His tone almost dared her to say something, anything, the least bit contradictory to his own assertions that everything was fine. "Think carefully, Donna. Remember how very much I have done for you before you answer."

That was a warning if she'd ever heard one. oh, Mom, I'm sorry, Donna thought desperately. I can't do this to you, I can't let him hurt you, but he's killing me! What, oh god, what do I do now? She tried to think of some response that'd save this situation, but couldn't come up with any.

"Mr Tompkins, with all due respect, I think I need to talk to Donna alone." Kate Parker said.

"I have already said, that will not be necessary. I only regret that your time has been wasted by the foolishness of a child." Tompkins said firmly.

"Mr. Tompkins, please." Kate tried again. "I've had considerable experience dealing with children, as you know."

"As have I." Tompkins replied. "That is how I can assure you that there is no need for any such discussion. However, this does mean that we now have a problem. I cannot have anyone going about making unsavory insinuations, if not outright allegations, against me, or even implying that Donna's well being is of anything less than paramount importance to me. Because it is. Her presence in this house, when I could simply have left her to the vagaries of the Illinois foster care system, is--or should be--more than enough evidence of that."

He shook his head and then turned to Donna. "As for you, Donna, after all I have done for you, I am deeply disappointed that you could show such utter disrespect and ingratitude towards both myself and Christine, by encouraging Miss Parker to believe that there is any sort of problem in this house. You are fed, clothed, cared for, educated. What more than that could any child possibly want?" His tone conveyed incredulity that anyone could think him anything less than perfect when it came to taking care of Donna.

"I am once again severely disappointed in you, young lady. I had expected far better behavior than this from you. Since you have behaved in such a disgraceful fashion, however, I am now forced to deal with it. Make no mistake, I will." His tone held deadly promise, and Donna shuddered again, wishing she could be physically sick, or that something, anything, would happen that would stop this. Tompkins' tone could only mean that he was building up to one of his 'lessons' Donna realized now, and that in its turn meant that something terrible was about to happen to poor Kate, if not also to Donna herself. She'd learned Tompkins' ways too well.

Kate Parker's expression was a mix of concern and confusion. Donna guessed she wasn't sure where Tompkins was going with this. But then, Kate didn't have the slightest idea what Tompkins was really like, the way Donna already did. Kate knew only the Good Samaritan facade Tompkins always put on for her and other charity VIPs. Donna had a horrible feeling Kate was about to find out how much of an act that was, and neither Kate nor Donna would be able to do anything about it. Everything was in Tompkins' hands now. He held all the cards, as usual.

Donna's worst fears were confirmed by Tompkins' next words to her.

"For whatever foolish reason it may have been, Donna, you have created a situation, which I shall now have to resolve in a way that deals with both issues." he went on. Then he returned his attention to Kate, "Miss Parker, I truly regret the necessity of what I must do now, but Donna must be taught a lesson, and for it to have the proper effect on her, you must be part of it."

Kate's mouth fell open, but before she could say anything, Tompkins had used his magic, and she was frozen in place.

"Donna, what is to happen now is on your head. Always remember this." he said. The anger in his voice was so thick that, had it been a cake, she could've cut it with a knife.

She felt like crying. He was right, damn it. This was her fault. "Please, don't hurt her! It's my fault, not hers!" she wailed, feeling the tears begin to flow. "Let her go! If you have to punish someone, punish me!" She threw herself between Tompkins and the magically-frozen Kate.

"Oh, I will indeed find a suitable punishment for you, my dear. Make no mistake. For her, this will be over soon, but for you, what is about to happen will be only the beginning. I give you my word on that." he said. "I thought you had learned the sheer foolishness of this sort of behavior after that night in the park. Apparently I was mistaken in that. Now I shall have to administer a much more meaningful lesson. Let it begin now."

With those words, the block on her empathic sense vanished, and she found herself swamped by fear, confusion, despair--not her own, Kate's! "No..." she whispered. "Please, don't...don't do this...!"

"Oh, but I simply must, Donna. You must know what you have caused." Tompkins went on relentlessly. "Watch now, and feel it along with her." With that he roughly yanked Donna away, pushing her to one side.

Through her tears, Donna could only watch in horror what happened next.

Tompkins began to move his hands in a slow, complicated pattern. As he did so, Kate began to move in synch with that pattern, in what was clearly meant to be a dance.

Donna's hands went to her mouth, it was the only way she could keep from screaming. Because what she was now feeling from Kate was pure agony--not physical pain, but emotional. Screaming would do her no good anyway; it would only anger Tompkins further, and any servants within hearing would simply ignore the noise. They were far too afraid of 'the master' to do anything else.

Kate's dance became sensual, erotic. She swung her hips, ran her hands along her body suggestively, thrust first her upper body, then her pelvis, towards Tompkins. All the while, she was removing her clothing, piece by piece, in some terrible parody of the Dance of the Seven Veils. The look on Kate's face, however, was anything but erotic. Her eyes were filled with terror; she couldn't understand what was happening to her, why her body was no longer her own.

Ignoring Donna's pleas, Tompkins made Kate continue until she had nothing on except her underwear. Then, those, too, were stripped away and cast aside.

Tompkins clapped once, twice, three times; a sound that cut through Donna's already raw nerves like a knife. Then, with another gesture, he made Kate kneel naked before him.

He smiled, as coldly as ever, then reached down and cupped Kate's chin in his fingers, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. Then, he began to caress and fondle her, first her shoulders, then downward over the rest of her body, his hands lingering over every inch of her.

Then, he forced Kate down, where she was lying on her back. He forced her legs apart, then dropped his pants and forced himself into her.

Donna couldn't keep herself from crying any longer. Kate's pain and torment combined with her own was too much to bear silently. She was beyond caring if Tompkins noticed her crying; he couldn't hurt her more than he was already doing by torturing poor Kate.

Tompkins continued until he 'came'; then withdrew and stood over the whimpering Kate. He glared at Donna. "See what your actions have brought upon her." he snarled through clenched teeth. "I trust you will remember this, and be more careful in future of who you talk to, and about what. For now, however..." he paused, as if considering. "I must do something more. It must be something that will ensure her silence, without actually stooping to murder. That would be far too untidy, and I cannot have that. What I do must also serve as a lesson to you, my dear."

"Please! You've hurt her enough!" Donna sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'll do anything, anything, only please don't hurt her any more!!"

"You will do anything, indeed. I have no doubt of that." Tompkins sneered. "Do not worry, my dear. I have something else in mind to complete your lesson. First, though, I must finish with her."

He turned back to Kate. "All that you are is open to me; all that you know, I can see." he intoned. He stared down at her for a long moment, then murmured. "Yes. I see it now--that would, indeed, be fitting." He chuckled coldly, then went on. "From your own mind, your own memories, I have found the proper way to deal with you. When you were a young girl, you were called Kitten, were you not? A kitten is a cat. Therefore you shall be Cat from this day forward." He waved his hand again; magic energy flared around Kate.

A moment later, the figure kneeling at Tompkins' feet was no longer recognizable as Kate Parker; it was barely even still human. While she still had Kate's long brown hair, the eyes were now a brilliant green and almond-shaped, with slitted pupils. The ears had shifted to the top of her head and become pointed; the face now had a protruding nose, below which was a cleft from each side of which whiskers sprouted. Her entire body was covered with a thick coat of light brown hair; while she still had human arms and legs, the nails had elongated and become claws. From the base of her spine now waved a long tail, and as she opened her mouth sharp, fang-like teeth could be seen. All that came out was a "mrrrowww".

Donna could only shake her head. As terrible as other things she'd seen Tompkins do before now had been, this was a thousand, a million, times worse. "No....oh, no!" she sobbed. "Why?? Why'd you have to do that?? She-she didn't do anything to you!"

Ignoring her hysterical question, he continued with one of his lectures. "Now you see how far magic can go, in the hands of a master, Donna. However, merely having the power is not enough; you must also have the will to use it, the strength to do whatever is necessary to get what you want. One day you will learn that power is meant to be used, Donna, and you will come to enjoy it in time. That is what Christine and I both have been trying to teach you all these months.\rdblquote

"If you mean, I'll be like you, never!" Donna cried, too distraught to censor herself. "I'd never do this to anyone, no matter what they'd done! Never, never, never!"

Tompkins only shook his head. "Protest all you like, my dear, but in the end, you will become me. Let this lesson today, be a step in the right direction."

"Nooo!" she sobbed, desperately trying to deny his words. She'd heard that speech so many times. If being a mage meant she would become as corrupt and cruel as Tompkins and Christine both were, then she wanted no part of it. Once again she wished the damnable magic in her would simply disappear. Then he wouldn't want her any more and she'd be free of him and Christine both.

Tompkins leaned closer to her, his face inches from hers. Oh, god, no, was he going to force a kiss on her again? Donna thought. She tried to flinch back, but it did no good; he seized her arm and held it tightly. "Look at her! Look, and know you are the cause of this!" he hissed. "Whatever you do affects others. Always remember that!!" He dropped her arm and shoved her to the floor, where she burst into fresh tears.

The cat-woman who had been Kate crawled over to Tompkins and began rubbing against his legs, miaowing, just like a real cat would. Tompkins chuckled and began to pet her. "In a way I have done her a favor," Tompkins said. "Life is so much simpler when you lack the capacity to worry about it. Things either are or are not. They bring pain or pleasure. Needs--desires--are basic and as easily satisfied." He chuckled again, in that same horrible way that always managed to send chills up Donna's spine, then drew back and made yet another magical gesture. More energy flared, and the cat-woman vanished. "I have sent her into the wilderness; she is free to live according to the ways of nature, as the animal she now is. As I said, for her, her suffering is over." another terrible chuckle. "However, for you, my dear Donna, the lesson will now continue. Come."