Witching Hours

Witching Hours 3
By Gunwild

***

“I’m Taranee.”

A hand shot up. “Is that your real name?”

“Yes.”

“Because it sounds pretty fake.”

“Well, it’s my name. Taranee Cook.”

Another hand. “Do you work in a restaurant?”

“No. It’s just my name. See, my grandmother was from the Cook Islands, which are…”

“Was she a cook?” The preschooler who was asking this had just extracted his finger from his nose to hoist his hand into the air.

“Well, no, because…”

“Are you a grown-up?”

While these impertinent questions were no fun at all, she did have to admit they were religiously adherent to their hand-raising rule. Now they were even waiting to be called on, but there were so many who wanted to talk, and probably none who wanted to know about what she was actually there for.

“Hands down!” She didn’t wait for them to do this before going on. “I’m here to tell you about moving into lower school, because next year a lot of you will be leaving this classroom to…”

“I won’t. I like it here. Can I go play with blocks?”

Taranee sighed.

***

Ever since the day of the snowstorm the weather had turned so clear and bright that everyone was leaving their jackets at home. It even became the fashion among Sheffield students to wear sunglasses going to and from school, so that the whole grade, with a few exceptions, had hidden eyes or shades sticking out of their pockets from bell to bell.

Will and Irma, who barreled up to the Institute each morning on that sleek scooter and tore off at the end of the day on the same, had borrowed a couple of pairs of tinted goggles from Hay Lin. Apparently they went joyriding together often, because they were able to tease each other about the lack of tanning around their eyes, and had found a few new places it would be fun for the group to hang out.

Even during school hours, they spent more time together than apart. Taranee knew she had every right to feel jealous, since she and Will had always been so close, but she accepted that there must be some reason they were joined at the hip, and it wasn’t as though they avoided her. In fact, they looked completely happy to see her at the sign-in line for study hall. “Hi, Taranee!”

“Hey guys.”

She must have looked drained, because Irma did the kind of leaning-in inspection she was so fond of. “Did those kids wear you out?”

“A little. They decided that I should become a cook and go back to lower school. Then some of them decided to play with blocks.”

It was a mark of how good a friend and leader Will was that she didn’t laugh, even when Irma could be heard stifling a chuckle. “Can we do anything for you? We were thinking about cutting out the back, since this is our last period and we don’t have a class. You want to go get a burger?”

“Actually, I have plans. I’m going to the fifth floor for, uh…”

“Oh. You’re gonna use the computers.” Irma passed her the pen for the sheet, and Taranee was glad of her assumption. “I’ll bet the fifth floor is nicer once all the brats are gone.”

“That’s not nice, Irma,” said Will, though she was unable to keep from smiling. Taranee thought, as she glanced up from writing her name and destination down, that she saw a certain kind of look pass between them. But it was only momentary, and she decided that she must have imagined it.

***

She didn’t run upstairs. Rather, she walked and looked over her shoulder at everyone she passed, afraid that they were staring. Nobody did, naturally, but that didn’t stop her heart from beating fast and her face feeling hot. Every stair she climbed Taranee thought of turning and running, but that wasn’t what she wanted deep down. So she kept walking and shaking until she came to the fifth floor door, opening it to find everything deserted. The lights were already shut off. Nobody would even know she was here, and when she clicked the lock on the handle privacy was assured. There was now no reason to be nervous, but she was.

Maybe it was the idea of keeping a secret that got to her. She wasn’t the type for it - not about her powers or her feelings or really much of anything. But it was fun, and this level of excitement wasn’t something she normally came by. Kind of like riding a roller coaster, except that she was horribly afraid of roller coasters.

Naturally, she was afraid of this, too, but that was kind of the point. A lot of the time when Taranee felt fear she‘d get the ‘cold sweat‘ response you read about in every book ever written, but this sneaking around didn‘t make her cold. It made her insides feel ridiculously hot and her breathing tickle.

The door to the changing room felt heavy. She peeked her head in first, biting her lip. Nobody was in here, unless they were hiding in the deep shadows. Maybe she'd gotten the date wrong, or this really *was* a bad idea and she was the one who hadn't realized it. It would probably be best to turn around and leave.

Taranee had already let go of the door handle when a person walked in from the tumbling room. Cornelia wasn't wearing a leotard or anything that suggested she was there to practice gymnastics, because she of course was not, though that was what she would have told anyone who'd asked. Her eyes barely flitted to Taranee as she dropped her backpack. "Finally, you're here. I haven't got all day."

She felt her mouth go totally dry. Cornelia looked so nice, like she always did, with her far-too-delicate sweater and her long skirt that cost more than Taranee’s whole outfit. Instantly she felt that she should have worked harder to look nice, but then, would that mean she was trying to hard? Or was it already spoiled of her not to have thought of that in the first place…

“Hey.” Cornelia leaned against a locker, crossing her arms over her belly. “I’m serious. I’ve been waiting all day.”

Taranee just sort of melted. She drifted into the room, putting her own bag down next to the bench that was between them and starting to sit because her legs felt weak. She didn’t stop staring at Cornelia, who had the very beginnings of a wicked smile hiding in her features as she tipped a pair of sunglasses down from her head to her nose. “Aww. You need to relax?”

She managed a loose nod. Cornelia’s intentions were less visible now that she had shades on. “Okay then. Get comfortable. Take some clothes off.”

As hard as it was to move when she was this jittery, Taranee didn’t have it in her to disobey that kind of order. She was tense, so first she just slipped off her shoes, but obviously her shirt would have to go. Her hesitation was obvious. “Oh, come on, it’s a changing room, you’re supposed to do that in here. What, do you need help?”

“N-no,” said Taranee. She tugged the sleeves off and folded the shirt on her lap, wishing she’d worn a less fancy bra. This made it look a bit like she was after… well, *something*, and she might be, but she didn’t necessarily want to seem that way. The next move, obviously, was to take off her glasses, but Cornelia shook her finger.

“Oh, come on. I know you’re blind without those. You want to see me, right? Am I ugly?” Even though she was wearing those sunglasses, Taranee thought she could see the tiniest bit of pretty blue glinting back there. “Hm. If it helps, you can take off my shoes, too.”

Cornelia lifted her leg up placed her toe on the bench. She had high heels, real ones in a women’s size that clicked. And nude-tone stockings. And Taranee felt like a complete child, or at least a dweeb. “Come on, I could use the help, these things are murder.”

Taking heels off of someone else was harder than it seemed in theory; you had to grip their ankle and pull from the back, sort of like Cinderella being shod in reverse. And doing it delicately was a trick Taranee didn’t know, so the shoe popped into her hand and she had to take hold of her friend’s calf to maintain stability. Cornelia flashed white teeth for a second, but hid them, switching legs. “Other one, too. And give my thigh-highs a pull to get them started, they’re so tough to move. I do dumb things to try to look nice. Do I look nice, though?”

Taranee pinched at the stocking’s toe, and without asking started drawing it down from there, all the way from the highest part of Cornelia’s leg. “Yes…”

“Good. It’s important to me that you think so.” She favored Taranee with a nudge from her foot, but immediately stood up straight and nodded. “Well, you’re obviously not comfortable, still. You know what? You should get out of those pants and come do some stretching on the mats. It’s really helpful.” There was no time to raise an objection. “Oh, don’t worry about being almost naked. We’re alone, and…” Cornelia tapped Taranee on the chin lightly but not briefly, making her blush, “We’re both girls, right?”

That was what made her so nervous, but Taranee didn’t let that slip out of her mouth. She just shook as she pulled down her pants, leaving herself more exposed than she thought she should be, but not as much as she wanted to be, and then went where Cornelia pointed, into the room whose floors were entirely covered in blue gymnastics mats.

“You should…” Cornelia had to think about it. “Touch your toes first. You can touch them, right?”

“Yeah.” Taranee bent double to touch them, feeling a surge of shame from how her butt was up in the air with her friend just a few feet behind her. She even shut her eyes, like it would change where she was if she couldn’t see.

“Don’t bend your knees,” Cornelia advised. “That’s not a real stretch. Sort of… dip your back more, and raise *this.*”

She didn’t give much of a start when a warm hand pushed down between her shoulders, but did when one pressed up on the bottom of her butt, right over a place she wasn’t used to sharing. Taranee gasped out loud, but Cornelia acted like she didn’t notice, continuing with her coaching.

“Okay, that’s better, but now sit down. Sit down, it’s not going to kill you. Spread your legs really wide…”

Before she knew what was happening Taranee was having her back pushed down again so hard that she was almost doing a split. Cornelia was not simply pressing, but had put almost her whole body right up against her, warmth and breath and smooth hands and all. It made her groan and want to rub her legs together. She was getting that impossible to ignore tickle, now just as much outside her body as inside. Cornelia went on talking right behind her head and pretending this was all chaste and shameless, which was easy for her. She was so confident, with such a strong personality. How could Taranee not do just what she said?

“Hmm, you can almost get your chest to the floor. Oh, you know what the problem must be? This is biting into your back!” There were fingers with perfect nails running over Taranee’s bra strap. She was biting her tongue as they worked around to the front, going right over the cups to the strap in the front. “Don’t worry, this is why we take them off while practicing, *everyone* does it…”

She lifted the bra off, and then traced a path over Taranee’s skin to her hips, which she pulled on to help her bend more. “That’s good. Down more.” Now Taranee had a naked chest that was nearly level with the mat, and her nipples were hard and brushing against it ever so slightly, and more with each second. That her hamstrings hurt was the farthest thing from her mind, because the places where Cornelia was touching her felt wonderful.

“You can do your next position now,” Cornelia announced. “It will be… upper chest. Get on your feet but try to leave your shoulders on the ground.”

It ached to do. Taranee made a triangle with her legs, but they were quaking for all kinds of reasons, and her breasts slid against the smooth floor. Her underwear was up in the air again but this time she had her thighs apart and the damp spot in her panties would be obvious. Cornelia held her thighs in place from the outside. “Oh, you’re still having trouble. Put your legs together so I can pull these off.”

The panties were removed with an agonizing slowness. They stuck to Taranee’s wet spot as they came away, and she murmured some half-formed word while the slick fabric slid against the insides of her legs. She had to get on her knees for them to come all the way off, which let Cornelia grab the feet and spread them apart. Now she was kneeling naked in the gymnasium and dripping onto the mat, hoping her good friend would touch her snatch. Taranee had never been so ashamed or happy. When she looked over her shoulder, Cornelia was peering above the tops of her shades, grinning as though she knew exactly how bad the mischief she was working felt. “Last thing…”

This time Cornelia was the one who moved. She went and laid down, legs folded and sticking out from under her skirt, beckoning. “Back up to get over me. We’re going to… help each other, now.”

Taranee was obedient. She didn’t care right now if she looked like a dog because she was on all fours, the idea only made her more thrilled to finally be right over the other girl, staring at those long and flawless legs. “Say, get my skirt out of the way. It’s no good to have it there.”

Balancing on one hand, Taranee rolled the skirt out of her way. Cornelia hadn’t worn any underwear. Her mouth hanging open from the anticipation, she very nearly drooled. There was just the littlest bit of gold-colored, downy hair between those legs, and she knew that if she put her tongue on it Cornelia was going to laugh a quiet little laugh that hid the way she shook when it was touched. She almost fell over first, though. She was being touched by one long, teasing finger that ran up and down her nether region. “So, are you ready, Taranee?”

“Yes!” She was emphatic but quiet, like she didn’t have the voice to say more.

“Ask nicely if you can use your fingers.”

“Can I use my fingers, please, to, to, um, to…”

Cornelia poked, but it was only a teasing gesture that she pulled back from right away. “Well…?”

“… to touch you?”

“Okay.” And with that, Cornelia was kissing Taranee’s crotch with little, sucking presses of her lips, so that Taranee was whining and wishing she could do the same back, but only rubbing with her hand because that was all she’d asked to do. It went on for some time, because she knew that if she asked to do more too fast Cornelia would refuse her, and she couldn’t stand to be refused like that, not by Cornelia.

It took her some time to find her bearings - everything was upside-down, after all - but once she’d managed to spread Cornelia a bit she found her weak spots. There was the bottom, which she liked to have scraped with a finger or two, and the sides that should be separated and then allowed to come back together around something. The top, where there was the nub that made her laugh the tickled, shaky laugh she couldn’t control. But Taranee had a hard time focusing, because Cornelia knew her equally well - better, really, which was why it was so easy to boss her around. But that was the hard part. She never went too far ahead of Taranee, and the shy Taranee always had to ask first. “Can I p-please kiss you… there?”

“Hmm,” said Cornelia with an absentminded swirl of her fingertip. She’d lifted up her sunglasses. “I suppose you’ve earned a taste of me.”

“Thank you." So Taranee tasted like it was a big honor, hard but savoring, because she prized this, and it was the reason that she hadn’t been able to turn back on the way here, and never would. Hearing and feeling Cornelia laugh into her body and scratch at her skin as she lost her composure was special to her. Unlike so much else she did, it made her feel entirely herself, and she didn’t care that nobody could hear them screaming, because they could hear each other.

With time they cooled down, but didn’t stop what they were doing all at once. They did hold each other’s legs and pet each other, but they didn’t say anything, and it wasn’t until after they had gotten up and dressed again that Cornelia put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I keep telling you, one of these days you need to give the orders. I want to see what you’ve cooked up in your smart little head.”

Taranee was feeling nervous still, even after all they’d just done. This was the part that she liked most, where they were together in private and they weren’t just friends. “Don’t say it like that. I’m not a cook, I just explained that to a bunch of kids who didn’t get me, and I kept thinking I wanted to…”

Cornelia took her by the hand, slinging her book bag over one arm. “What’s that?”

“Be around someone who, uh…” She trailed off again.

Cornelia rolled her eyes, leading Taranee away. “Don’t worry, I get you.”

So they left, holding hands at least until they got outside of the locked doors.

TO BE CONTINUED

***

(Probably needs editing since it was jammed in one go in front of a live internet audience. Meh. This fanfiction was not produced for profit, and without the permission of Disney, its subsidiaries or other authorities of W.I.T.C.H. trademarks and indicia. Apologies to Ms. Gnome. [Gunwild@mail2world.com])