Dione V

This is a schoolgirl story set in the future. Fifteen-year-old Dione has grown up on a space platform and has recently come to Earth, where she goes to a boarding school in Damascus for students who are gifted with maths and computers.

If you haven't read Dione I-IV, look them up, or read this without knowing the setting and the characters. :-)

Usual disclaimers apply.

Have fun, Livia

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'Hey, Dione, stay for a minute, will you?'

Dione turned around. It was the last Sunday of interterm, and the astronomy project meeting was over. Tuya, the science teacher who was responsible for the project, had left to get ready for dinner, and Dione had hurried to gather her stuff and rush to her room, as she wanted to wash her hair. However, Lievra, the oldest of the group, beckoned her over to where the other nine had gathered.

Dione shrugged and put her stuff down. It this took too long, she would just wash her hair after dinner.

Lievra announced, 'You know Jose and I are off to university in one weeks' time, so we wanted to throw a farewell party. We've been involved with this astronomy project for two years now, so of course all of you are invited, plus a few more of our friends.'

Jose added, grinning: 'We don't want to make it too big, 'cause it's ... err... only half legal.'

'Now, what do you mean by that?' Nuri asked, half amused, half alarmed.

'Well,' Lievra said, 'we'd like to have the party at night, obviously - it's not a children's birthday party, after all! And we'd like to have it when our lessons are really over. The parents arrive on Friday, on Saturday's the school feast, and on Sunday we're leaving. Which leaves Thursday.'

'Thursday's fine with me, where's the problem?' Dione asked.

'Well', Jose explained, 'if we ask Tuya or anybody of the staff for a room for a party on Thursday, we'll get one, but they'll throw everybody out at eleven.'

Lievra added, 'So we thought we'll just have the party in the lab after eleven. Jose and I will get drinks and snacks. All you have to do is sneak over here and sneak back to your room afterwards. We won't be able to turn the music really loud, but the lab is so far away from the sleeping rooms, there's no way anybody will hear us. Light is not a problem either, the blinds shut everything off. What do you say?'

'Great!', 'Okay, see you then', 'Perfect!', 'Thanks for the invitation!'

Finally, the meeting broke off, and everybody got his stuff and left.
 

Dione still didn't see the problem with just starting the party after dinner and ending it at eleven o'clock, but she didn't say so. She knew that the years spent on a space platform had left her inexperienced with a lot of things that were quite ordinary for other teenagers, and she often felt a bit unsecure about that and preferred to just go with the group. If she had a chance to ask Lubna - or sometimes even Jurek - about things, she usually would do so. In this case, that wasn't any help. She didn't like to tell Lubna, because Lubna was already envious about Dione being in the project, and she would be even more envious if she knew that Dione was invited to a party with all the older students. Anyway, in all likelihood Lubna would not advise her against something just because it was forbidden. And Jurek - well, she couldn't ask Jurek about the party, that was for sure!

She had noticed that Nuri had looked a bit uneasy about the whole thing, so she asked him after their drumming lessons on Wednesday, trying to sound very casual: 'What about you, are you going to the party?'

Nuri sighed. 'Well, yeah, I suppose so. I mean, it's Lievra's and Jose's farewell party, and the two of them are so nice, and they've done so much for our project - I can't really not go. But I don't feel too good about it. They'll be sure to get lots of booze, and I just really, really hope we don't get caught. Well, it's the night before the parents' arrival, so the teachers will probably go to bed early. Lievra is right, the risk is not too big. What about you - are you coming?'

Dione shrugged. 'Well, yeah, everybody's coming, so I suppose I won't stay out. But I'll pray that Jurek doesn't get wind of this!'

Nuri laughed. 'Don't think any of the tutors would treat this in any other way than Jurek!'

'Have you ever been paddled, then?' Dione asked, curiously. Nuri's tutor was Mei-ling, a fragile-looking person.

Nuri raised his eyebrows. 'I try to avoid it, and I've been successful for the past three or four years. It's not as if the tutors blister your bottom when you show up late for lunch or something. But yeah, of course I've been paddled - I got two spankings with the ruler in my first year, and one real paddling in my second, when Luiza was my tutor. And don't think it's been any fun just because Luiza looks like she couldn't hurt a fly!' He clapped her shoulder. 'Don't worry, Di. Everything's going to be okay.'
 

Actually, it went very well. Anders, one of the project group, had collected money and bought two beautiful inlaid wooden chests for Lievra and Jose, something to remind them of Damascus in their dorms in Japan and America. Lievra and Jose were really moved. They all sat on the ground, ate nuts and dates and ... well, drunk. And most of them drank a lot. First of all, they emptied four bottles of champagne Jose had brought. That wasn't too bad, between the fifteen of them. But there was lots of beer and wine to follow.

In principle, Dione didn't want to drink alcohol. On the space platform, there wasn't any. It was simply too dangerous. They never got into really tight spots, but if they had, there life might have depended on the cool head of any of them. So, Dione had never drunk even a drop of alcohol, she had never seen anybody drink some before her arrival on Earth, and she had never seen anybody drunk. So she didn't feel like drinking, especially as she had enough sense to know that even a small amount of alcohol might make her drunk - after all, she wasn't used to it.

She couldn't really refuse the champagne, though. She didn't like the taste of it, but it made her feel warm, relaxed and a bit giggly. So she tried a bit of red wine. And then a bit of white wine. And then a bit of beer. She ended up, not really drunk, but definitely tipsy. If the stuff had tasted better, or if anybody had really insisted, she might have drunk a lot more, though. But she was somewhat relieved when Nuri handed her a glass of orange juice after her experiments with other drinks. She felt really thirsty and wanted to get rid of the taste of beer.

Dione felt happy and enjoyed the party. Some people smooched, but most just talked and laughed. Some of the girls shrieked a bit too loud, and Nuri, who seemed annoyingly sober, always made them quiet down. As the evening went on, Dione's euphoria wore off, though, and she noticed that most of the others were getting really drunk. She began to feel rather uncomfortable, and suddenly tired, too. Leaning towards Nuri, who looked a bit put off, too, she whispered: 'To be honest, I'd like to go to bed.'

'I'm thinking the same thing', he whispered back, 'I'm only worried about the cleaning. Most of these guys don't look as if they'll manage.'

'We could do some of it now, like collecting the empty bottles, and leave the rest to them,' Dione suggested.

And that's what they did. Then they went to Lievra and Jose, hugged them and thanked them for the party. Jose barely noticed them. Lievra, on the other hand, started to cry when Nuri hugged her. 'Oh Nuri', she sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck. 'I will miss you sooo muhuhuch!'

'Yeah, well, it's okay, I'm sure we meet again soon,' Nuri said soothingly, freed himself of her and hastily pulled Dione out of the room, heaving a great sigh of relief.

'What was that all about?' Dione asked, astonished.

'She's drunk,' he said shortly, not wanting to mention the fact that Lievra had been after him for the past year.

'How come you're not?' she asked.

He shrugged. 'I'm a Muslim. Not a very pious one, but I don't drink. And I don't like the thought of crying in front of other people and not even remembering it afterwards. Anyway, you're not drunk either.'

'Yeah, thanks to you, mostly. And because it tastes so bad.'

He laughed. 'Most of your age would just pretend it tastes good, you know. You are really unique.'

'Am I?' she asked, perplex.

'Yes, you are. Now let's get back to our rooms.'
 

Dione had a slight headache, swollen eyes and a dry mouth when she woke up, but she decided to go to breakfast anyway. She didn't feel that bad, as she had stopped drinking fairly early in the evening, and she didn't want Jurek to come and look after her. When she entered the dining room, she noticed that most of the ones who had attended the party were there, probably for the same reason - who needed his tutor to notice he had a hangover? With the expection of Nuri, they didn't look to well. Lievra and her best friend Selina were missing.

Dione sat down next to Lubna, said good morning and helped herself to a slice of bread when Oleg, the headmaster, got up and knocked on the table. Everyone went quiet.

'Good morning,' Oleg said with a broad smile. 'I won't take much of your time. I'm sure you want to get ready for your parents' arrival.' He cleared his throat. 'Yesterday night, there was a party in lab no. 3 - apparently, a farewell party for two of our seniors who are leaving us on Sunday. It seems as if considerable amounts of alcohol were drunk, and, if I may add this, the room looks a mess.'

Dione felt a knot in her stomach. How had they found out? Had Lievra and the others been to drunk to tidy up the room before they left?

Oleg continued in his calm voice: 'I would like to ask everybody who attended the party to report to his or her tutor after breakfast. I really advise you to own up rather than wait for us to find out you were there. That's all. For those of you who have nothing to do with this, sorry for taking your time, and have a nice day.'

The room was dead silent for a second. Then, everybody started to talk at once.

'Wow,' said Lubna, 'these guys are really in for it, aren't they.'

Dione groaned. 'Yeah, I suppose so.'

Lubna looked at her. 'You don't mean to say...' she said slowly.

'Look,' Dione said, 'it was Lievra's and Jose's party, and they invited the whole project group. I couldn't very well stay away. I didn't tell you because you were not invited. Sorry if that bothers you. What bothers ME at the moment is what Jurek will say, though.'

Lubna shook her head. 'Wow,' she said again. 'I wouldn't have though it of you. You don't look terribly hung-over, though,' she added thoughtfully.

Dione shrugged. 'I haven't drunk that much. Nuri was the only one who staid completely sober, but I wasn't really drunk either. We left when it started to get weird. I just wonder how the teachers found out - it all went so well. I suppose the others were to drunk to mind the noise, or somebody discovered the empty bottles or something like that.'
 

When she left the dining room, Dione looked for Nuri. He grinned at her and said: 'I shouldn't have talked so loud when I said I hadn't been paddled for years, should I?'

'Oh, well, YOU were the only one who was sensible yesterday. I don't think you have anything to blame yourself for,' Dione said. 'But I suppose you are still going to Mei-ling to own up?'

'Of course,' he said. 'They'll probably guess that the whole project group was there anyway. And if I were you, I'd go to see Jurek right away.'

'Yeah,' she said glumly, 'that's what I'll do. Wish me luck.'
 

When she knocked at Jurek's door, there was a moment's silence. Then she heard steps, and he opened the door himself. 'Dione,' he said calmly. 'I'm just talking to Selina, but it will only take one more minute. Please wait outside, will you?' She nodded and leaned against the wall, trying to fight the tight feeling in her stomach.

After a short while, Selina came out. She looked bad, but not like someone who had recently been spanked, just hung-over. She nodded at Dione, forced a smile and walked away. Dione sighed and turned to face Jurek, who held his door open for her.

'So,' Jurek said, when they were seated, 'you were at this party.'

'Yes, she said, and added: 'Is it that bad? We didn't hurt anyone.'

'We'll decide about how bad it is in a tutors' conference, after we've heard all the stories,' he replied. 'For the moment I'm just going to ask you questions.'

She didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. On the whole, she would have preferred to get this over with, but she didn't really have a choice.

'You don't look hung-over,' said Jurek, looking at her sharply.

Involuntarily, she had to grin. 'Sorry, sir,' she said hastily, 'it's just that Lubna said the same thing this morning. I haven't really drunk a lot.'

'You have drunk some alcohol, though?' he asked.

'Yes,' she admitted. 'I didn't want to, but I couldn't refuse the champagne, and I was so surprised at how awful it tasted that I wanted to try the other stuff - I mean, everybody seemed to like it. So I tried everything, but I didn't like it, and I stopped. Nuri helped by offering me non-alcoholic stuff all the time,' she added, honestly. Maybe she could at least make Nuri look good at this meeting - she didn't think he deserved a punishment.

'So Nuri didn't drink?' Jurek asked.

She shook her head. 'No, and he really kept his head. He tried to keep everybody quiet and make them drink less. Well, with me, it helped. We left pretty early then. We tried to tidy up a few things, but we didn't want to stay till the end to help clear the stuff away. Was that how you found out about the party?'

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. 'Actually, Lievra and Selina tried to bring a crate of empty bottles to Lievra's room, but they were so drunk they dropped the crate and started yelling at each other in the corridor. A few of the others were still in the lab when Oleg and Mei-ling, who heard the racket, went to look.'

Dione didn't know what to say. Jurek waited for a few seconds and then asked: 'Did you know it was forbidden to hold unauthorized parties in the middle of the night - on a weekday, too - and drink alcohol in the building?'

'Yes, Sir,' she admitted. 'And I didn't really feel comfortable about it. But it was Lievra's and Jose's farewell party, and I really couldn't stay away from this.'

'So whose decision was it to hold the party at this time and in this place?' he asked.

She hesitated. She didn't really want to bring anybody in trouble.

Jurek drummed his fingers on his desk and then asked: 'Was it Lievra's and Jose's decision, or was it a decision taken by the group?'

'Uh, the first, I think,' she admitted, and, not wanting to put the whole blame on Lievra and Jose, added: 'Though if the whole group had said it was a bad idea, they probably would have changed their plans. But we didn't.'

'Hmm,' he said. 'Who brought the alcohol?'

Actually, she didn't really know that. She knew that Lievra and Jose had bought some of it, but some of their friends might have contributed. So she just said: 'I don't know. Definitely not me. And Nuri didn't, either. That's really all I know about this.'

He stared at her for a while, and then stated: 'I understand that you mainly drank alcohol because everybody was expecting you to do so, am I right?'

She blushed and said: 'More or less, yes.'

'And would you have drunk more than you did if people had encouraged you?'

That was something she had been wondering about herself. She admitted: 'It's possible, yes. I'm glad it didn't happen. Nobody encouraged me to get drunk, really. On the contrary, Nuri...'

'Yes, you said that,' he interrupted her. He seemed to ponder her answers for a few moments and finally asked: 'At what time did you say you left this fascinating event?'

'Err... about two, half past two, I suppose.'

'So you haven't seen what the room looked like afterwards, or the state some of the others were in at five o'clock, when Lievra and Selina woke everybody up?'

'No, I told you I was in bed!' she exclaimed. He raised his eyebrows, and she bit her lip.

'Very well. That's all for the moment. I have asked Selina to come here at noon... so please come back at, say, half past twelve. You may leave.'
 

When Dione had been back in her room for five minutes, feeling nervous and not knowing what to make out of this brief interview, Nuri dropped by. His meeting with Mei-ling hadn't been much different from Dione's meeting with Jurek.

They talked about interterm and the coming school feast to take their mind off things.

'Is your family coming?' Dione asked.

'My father and my little sisters are coming,' Nuri replied. 'Mother's got to work. What about you?'

'They are all coming. My brother's boarding school has got winter holidays. We used to get on each other's nerves a lot, but now I'm glad to see him again.' She made a grimace. 'I hope I'll be able to sit.'

He laughed. They talked about their families, their life before boarding school and their classmates until it was noon, time for Nuri's appointment with Mei-ling. Dione called Lubna, but she wasn't in her room, so Dione absent-mindedly played solitaire until it was twenty past and her com beeped. She saw that it was Nuri and answered it.

'Hey, Nuri, what's up? Was it bad?' she asked.

'No, not really,' he answered. 'She said that apparently I was one of the few people who had a bit of sense. Of course she had to punish me for attending this party, but it wasn't that bad. I'm grounded for a week after the school feast is over, and she gave me two dozen with the ruler, but over my pants. I hardly feel it any more. I just thought I'd tell you to cheer you up.'

'Thanks a lot for telling me, and congrats,' she said. 'I just hope Jurek isn't TOO mad at me. Gotta go, Nuri. Wish me luck!'
 

Meanwhile, Jurek was giving Selina the paddling of her life. They had discussed this at the tutor's meeting. They all agreed that the students who had attended the party should be punished; that the ones who had got really drunk should be punished more severely, because getting drunk in the school could really not be tolerated; and that the ones who had organized the party and brought the alcohol should be punished the most. On the other hand, the latter ones were all about to leave school. It seemed a bit ridiculous to paddle them on their second-to-last day at boarding school, but Oleg declared that they were still students, that they had drawn younger students into this, and that it would be absolutely unfair to punish the younger students, but not the ones who were responsible for the whole event. Besides, perhaps it would teach them to be more careful in the future with alcohol and with getting others into trouble.

Apparently, Selina had planned the whole thing together with Lievra and Jose; she had brought most of the wine; and she had probably been more drunk than anybody else, with the possible exception of Lievra. So, it had been decided that Selina, Lievra and Jose should each receive the same punishment - eighteen swats with the big paddle on top of a spanking with a small paddle. This was severe, but the tutors felt it was necessary, especially as these three couldn't receive other punishments like grounding.

So, Jurek lost no time in ordering Selina to drop her pants and panties and get over his desk. She looked apprehensive, but obeyed reluctantly and didn't even try to protest. Jurek rapidly smacked her butt with the small paddle until it was bright red and Selina was yelling in distress.

He let her calm down for a few minutes and then got out the big paddle.

'Selina,' Jurek said calmly, but firmly. 'You will now receive eighteen swats with the big paddle. You won't have to count, but I expect you to stay in position. Is that clear?'

'Yes, Sir,' Selina brought out, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

'Good,' he said, raised the paddle and brought it down on her butt.

THWACK! She screamed.

THWACK! She screamed even louder.

By the sixth swat, her screams had become so shrill they were more like shrieks, and her feet drummed the floor, but she held on to the desk, her knuckles white with strain. By the twelfth swat, she was reduced to sobbing and blubbering pitifully. Jurek had to pull himself together to deliver the last six swats. She would feel the effects of this paddling for quite some time.

When he was finished, he again gave her some time to compose herself. After he few minutes, he softly told her to get up and turned away while she gingerly pulled her pants and panties up. She was still crying and furiously rubbing her buttocks. He put a hand on her shoulder.

'Listen, Selina,' he said, 'I'm sorry I had to do this to you on your second-to-last day here. I've been your tutor for three years, and I know I haven't always made life easy for you. I hope you understand why I couldn't be more lenient with you today - if not now, maybe later. Believe me I'm wishing you all the best for the excellent career I know you're going to have. Just try not to let the freedom get to your head, and control the drinking.' He smiled. 'If the two of you hadn't drunk so much, nobody might ever have known of your party.'

She suddenly sobbed even louder and threw her arms around his neck.

'I'm sorry, Jurek,' she cried. 'Don't think badly of me, please. I'm so grateful for everything you did for me!'

'You are welcome,' he said, a little moved. 'What about taking a rest now before your family arrives? You can have lunch in your room, if you want to. Tell the kitchen I said so.'

'Thanks,' she said, sniffling, and let go of him. He hugged her again, shortly, and let her out. Dione was just arriving at his door and looked at Selina's red, tear-streaked face with considerable anxiety. Selina managed a weak smile and squeezed her hand while she passed her.
 

Dione blanched when she entered the room and saw the big paddle lying on the desk. Jurek followed her gaze and had to conceal a grin. He casually picked up the paddle and put it away. Upon seeing the look of tremendous relief on her face, he remarked: 'Now don't think it means you won' be paddled at all, my dear!'

'I didn't,' she said honestly, 'but I had hoped you wouldn't use the big paddle. I don't think I misbehaved that badly.'

'Oh, you don't, do you', he said, slightly amused. 'Well, let's see... you attended an unauthorized party after curfew, and you drank alcohol within the school, though you didn't buy it, and you didn't get really drunk. That's certainly not as bad as the stunt you pulled a few weeks ago, but you'll still understand that I can't tolerate this kind of behaviour. Stand in front of the desk and drop your pants, please.'

Dione had the impression that Jurek wasn't really angry at her, not like the last time he spanked her, or the time before that. He was just punishing her because it was his duty, nothing more. She could understand that and could live with it. She just hoped his duty didn't include too severe a spanking.

She stood in front of the desk and pulled down her pants as he had told her. When she gripped the waistband of her panties, he said calmly: 'I can't remember to have told you to bare your bottom.'

She looked at him disbelievingly, but of course didn't dream of protesting. Instead, she gripped the other side of his desk and waited for things to come.

Jurek positioned himself at her side and said: 'I won't lecture you. I think you know why you're here.'

'Yes, Sir,' she said. 'Because I went to this party, though I knew it was not really legal, and because I drank alcohol... when I didn't even want to.'

'That last point is crucial, and I'm glad that you realize it,' Jurek said. He raised the ruler and brought it down on her bottom. She flinched. It didn't hurt as badly as the big paddle, of course, but it still hurt plenty, even over her panties. After six swats, she started to cry out with each swat, and after the first dozen, she yelled.

After the second dozen, she yelled loudly, and her bottom was quite sore. That was when he stopped. She couldn't believe it - not after the thorough spankings he had given her before, .

'Err... can I get up?' she asked tentatively.

'Yes, you can,' he said calmly.

She pulled up her pants, still astonished. Yes, her bottom hurt, but she was sure it would soon be over, and she would certainly be able to sit. Which Jurek invited her to do.

She winced a bit when her bottom touched the chair, but complied.

'First of all, let me inform you that you will be grounded for ten days from Monday,' Jurek said. She nodded. She had expected this - more than this, in fact.

'Second...' Jurek continued. 'You have been punished lightly, and you know it. Now, I don't want you to draw the conclusion that this wasn't all that bad. Of course, it was comparatively harmless, not bad intentions involved, and I perfectly understand why you went to the party. On the other hand, drinking in the school is a serious matter. You didn't drink a lot, but you admitted yourself that you would have done so if the others had expected it of you. You should know that if you ever let peer pressure make you drink more than you did yesterday, you won't get off so lightly. Not remotely. These punishments are not only about deterring others from repeating your mistakes, but also about teaching you to make the right choices. All in all, the choices you made yesterday could have been much worse - but unless I'm very much mistaken, you owe it mainly to the lack of peer pressure and the presence of a good friend that they weren't. Think about it, and try to be responsible about alcohol in the future.'
 

She wouldn't have thought it possible to leave Jurek's office after a spanking and feel actually cheerful. A morning of nervous anticipation and then a paddling that wasn't half as bad as she had feared it would be could do this, apparently. Of course, her bottom was still smarting a little, and besides, she was really sorry for the others who had certainly got it much worse than herself. But when two hours later, the shuttle that carried her parents and Janus arrived, everything was forgotten.