The Sisterhood Of Athena: Chapters Four And Five free porn video

Finally, here are the next two exciting chapters in my on-going saga. I want to thank reviewer 'anon' for his comment on 9/23/10 for inspiring me to finally get these chapters finished. I'd been just short of half done with these chapters for the better part of a year but between lack of initiative and wondering if anyone even cared if I kept going I'd just sort of let it fall through the cracks. I apologize to any readers that thought I'd given up on this series and just want to point that I and most other authors here read and appreciate the comments. Please keep them coming. You never know, you might just be the one to spur your favorite author back into motion. Anyway, without further adieu, here's the story. I hope you enjoy. Chapter Four At 9:30 the next morning, a limo pulled up outside the convention center a few blocks from where Emily's concert had been the night before. The driver jumped out and opened the rear door. Stacey Lockhart stepped out and smiled at the banner's proclaiming the arrival of the Sisterhood of the Arts. Thoughts of her conversation with Laura Enderton yesterday were still giving her goosebumps. She couldn't wait to get inside and see what wonders awaited her. Behind her Emily crawled out of the limo, showing a stark contrast to her sister, if only in personality. She'd hardly slept the night before, what with all the interviews and photos she sat for. Then any time she went out of her room she was swarmed by a throng of pre-teen girls. The part of her that was still Robert Jackson was ill equipped to deal with that level of adoration, but it proved to be unavoidable. Now, as much as she was interested in the mission she had, this was proving the last place she wanted to be. She looked up at the convention center and barely hid her scowl. "Come on," Stacey said, motioning her over. "We're gonna be late." Emily shook her head and sighed, then followed her sister. She wished there was some way to bring True out from Stacey's shell. She hated not having anyone to talk to about what was going on. As she walked she looked at the mass of women waiting on the other side of the building at the main entrance. From time to time she would admire something about one of them and feel a small tingle pass through her. She never noticed the small changes taking place with each of these tingles. Her sneakers turned into a copy of a pair of open toed sandals she admired on one woman. Her finger and toenails changed color to match a cute shade of purple nail polish she saw on another. Her hair took on a faint reddish tint and grew wavier. A light smattering of freckles appeared on her cheeks, which had risen slightly after she admired a woman with obviously enhanced facial features. Her make up turned from her usual preference of natural colors to more a more metallic look as her skin bronzed over in a light tan. If anyone had asked her about her look after all these changes, Emily would have described herself as if they had always been a natural part of her life. The women whose clothes she was now mimicking would have sworn up and down they were trying to copy her. Reality was seemingly being rewritten with every step that Emily Lockhart took. Then she and Stacey stepped into the convention center. Inside the two sisters were greeted immediately by Laura Enderton and Callie Timmons. "We are so thankful you could attend our little gathering today, Emily," Laura said with a smile as she shook the young pop star's hand. "I'm glad I could. You've become a big part of my sister's life so I couldn't resist to learn a little more about you first hand, see what Stacey sees and all," Emily said, surprised at how natural the lie sounded. "Stacey has been one of our finest acolytes," Callie said. "She's definitely someone we're proud to call sister. With her acting as your guide you could go very far here yourself, Emily." Emily gave her sister a funny look. "I'm sure I could," she said, not sure what else she could say. Thankfully Laura didn't give her a chance. "Why don't the two of you follow us? We'll introduce you onstage as guest attendees. Then you'll be able to walk down to the reserved VIP seating in the front row. You're going to be in for quite the show. Our keynote presentation today will be a debate with one of our staunchest opponents, Senator Alvin Henderson." "That sounds...fun," Emily said faking a smile. She fell in step beside her sister as she followed the other women down the hall of the convention center. "What have you gotten us into?" "What are you talking about?" Stacey hissed. "They sound like a cult, Stace. They called you an acolyte for crying out loud. And why in the world would they invite an opponent to their own rally? They're just in it for the headlines, sis. Can't you see it?" "I'm not listening to you, Emily. You have no idea how much the Sisterhood has done for me, what they could do for you. It's just like the little princess to balk at something she doesn't understand," Stacey snapped. Emily stopped for a second and watched as her sister walked ahead of her. There was an edge to Stacey's voice that she'd never heard before. It was scary how forcefully she seemed to believe in the cult. I've got to figure out what's going on here, how the Sisterhood is doing all of this so we can get Stacey back to her real self. This is getting to be too much to deal with, Emily thought. A few minutes later Emily and Stacey were sitting down in the wings of the convention center auditorium. Laura and Callie had gone off to finish some final preparations. Emily, for her part, tried not to notice the excitement building in her sister. She thought of trying to get hold of Arthur again. There had to be some way to wake up the part of True that was still there. But there was just too much going on and Emily still didn't know what exactly was going on with the Sisterhood. For her part, Stacey was doing her level best to ignore Emily. She had hoped that her excitement over the day's events might rub off on her. The little prima donna is just too self-involved to realize how much good the Sisterhood has done for women everywhere. She made herself stop thinking about it and turned her eyes to the stage. As she wondered how the debate was going to turn out, Stacey's mind drifted back to her conversation with Laura Enderton the day before. Did they really mean to skip over Princess Emily for her? No, she told herself, it couldn't happen. But...what if it did? Across the stage, Laura and Callie stood waiting in the stage right wings. Laura watched the pop star and her sister. She could feel the power emanating from Emily Lockhart. There was a reality flux building up around her like nothing she'd seen in the last ten years. The little pop tart probably doesn't even realize the affect she's having, Laura thought to herself. I have to make her ours. She glanced over at Callie who gave the slightest of nods. It was time. Laura stepped onto the stage. Emily jumped a bit when the lights on the stage suddenly flashed on. You'd think I'd be used to it after all my shows, she thought to herself. For a second the memories of her old life tried to argue that she'd really only been through it one time but she quelled those thoughts. To get through the next bit she was going to have to be all Emily Lockhart. She tensed her body for a moment and pushed Robert to the back of her mind. She watched as Laura Enderton made her way to the podium at the center of the stage. "Good morning, sisters," Laura said as she reached the podium. She sat a folder down in front of her. "We have a very busy day ahead of ourselves so let's jump right into the thick of things, shall we? First thing, we'd like to introduce a very special guest at today's meeting. Many of you have seen her show on television or have heard her music on the radio. She is at the forefront of pop music today, but she hasn't let it go to her head. I'm here to tell you that she's genuinely one of the sweetest, most genuine girls I've ever met and her zeal for the advancement of womankind is nothing short of amazing. Please allow me to introduce to you Emily Lockhart!" The convention center literally shook with applause as Emily stepped out onto the stage. For her part Emily barely noticed. Instead her thoughts were on her sister. It was almost as if Stacey had expected an introduction herself the way she'd stiffened up when Emily's name had been called. Emily could sense her walking onstage behind her, but it was with stiff, almost automatic movements instead of Stacey's usual graceful walk. As she reached the podium and stood beside Laura, Emily found out just how easy it was to compartmentalize her feelings as her worry for Stacey was pushed back even further than her memories of Robert Jackson's life. It was almost as if her stage persona were a completely separate personality that was now taking over her body. She leaned up to the mic, garnering a titter of laughs from the crowd as the drastic contrast in her and Laura Enderton's heights became apparent. "Thank you for that warm welcome!" she chirped to the crowd. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time now. This is my chance to say thanks to all of you! About a year ago I nearly lost my big sister, Stacey." Emily motioned to her sister at her right. Stacey smiled on cue and gave a slight bow. "Stacey was in a dark place. She was really depressed and didn't know who she could talk to about it. She eventually fell in with a really bad crowd that turned her onto drugs as a way of dealing with her problems. It wasn't long before even that wasn't enough, though. On March 21st, 2009, she tried to take her own life. Fortunately for my sister and our family, she wasn't successful. On the recommendation of her doctors, Stacey agreed to spend some time in one of the Sisterhood of the Arts' Restoration Facilities. "After a strict 90 day program, I'm happy to say that the Restoration Facility more than lived up to its name. When Stacey came back to me, she was the sister I remembered again instead of the angry, sullen girl that she'd become. I can't thank the Sisterhood enough for giving my sister back to me again." With that, Emily turned and gave Laura Enderton an impromptu hug. She felt the woman stiffen for a second before hugging back. For a second Emily felt an almost static shock pass through her but it faded so fast she forgot about it as soon as it was gone. "We want to thank Emily and Stacey both for joining us today," Laura said as she broke the embrace with Emily and turned back to the crowd. "They will be listening to the keynote address with us this morning. Later, some of you lucky sisters will get to join Emily and Stacey in a group session with me. Now, let's give our guests another round of applause as they make their way to their seats." Another roar of applause exploded throughout the room. An aide appeared on stage and motioned for Emily and Stacey to follow her. She led the sisters down the front of the stage to a roped off section of seats in the front row of the center section. Two empty seats remained in the middle of the row so Emily made her way towards them. "I'm sorry they didn't introduce you too," she whispered to her sister as they sat down. Stacey just glared at her and said, "Whatever," before turning back to stare at the stage. Once Emily and Stacey had taken their seats, Laura Enderton raised her hand to the crowd. Immediately the applause silenced. "All right sisters, it's time to get to the meat, so to speak, of our keynote session this morning. Again, our guest speaker is someone who is probably well known to all of you. Many of you were probably puzzled when you heard that he was going to be speaking to you today. After all, hasn't he been one of the most vocal opponents to our organization? Well, while it's true that he and our organization don't exactly see things the same way, we at the Sisterhood of the Arts are committed to keeping an open dialogue going with the world around us. To that end, he's agreed to be here today to listen to our thoughts and opinions and share his own with us. So maybe, just maybe, we can come to an understanding. So, without further ado, please join me in welcoming Senator Alvin Henderson to the stage." If possible, this round of applause was even louder than those just prior. Emily felt a little jealous that a senator could actually get a bigger reaction from the crowd than she could. She watched as the senator, a surprisingly attractive man in his mid-fifties, came walking out on stage. He had that kind of Michael Douglas/Martin Sheen look, salt and pepper hair, well built body, and a strong, confident way of carrying himself. He stopped at the podium and shook Laura's hand and turned to the crowd. He looked for a moment as if he was about to say something when Laura started speaking again. "Senator, it says here that you are a third generation congressman who inherited a small fortune from his family," Laura said as she opened the file she'd sat down in front of her. "Is that true?" The senator froze for a second. Clearly he hadn't been prepared for this. "Well, yes," he said. "My family has been serving this country at the highest levels for nearly three quarters of a century." "But wouldn't you understand our cause better if you were more like us?" Laura said earnestly. "Perhaps as a self-made man who had to work his way up from the bottom of a company." Emily watched as the senator paused again. For a second he seemed to blur. Emily raised her hands to her eyes, but before she could rub them he came back into focus. Something seemed different about him, though. It took less than a moment for Emily to realize his clothes had changed, if only subtlely. "Are his clothes different?" she asked Stacey. "Ssh, I'm trying to watch," Stacey answered without looking away from the stage. Emily turned back to the stage and looked again. Before the senator had been wearing charcoal grey suit that had clearly been tailored. It had the immaculate look that only came from work done by a fine fashion house. What the senator was wearing now was almost the same, but the color had lightened somewhat and slight check pattern had developed on the fabric. The cut of the suit had changed as well. If Emily had to guess she was now looking at a suit that had been bought off the rack and tailored instead of a made-to-wear suit. Before she could find any further changes the senator spoke again. "Well, uh, I believe that my, uh, record speaks for itself. I started out working the mailroom at Klein, Sheppard, and Lane 32 years ago and today I'm the CEO." Emily was amazed. The man's voice had changed even more dramatically than the suit. Oh, it still sounded essentially the same, but now it seemed as if it lacked the confidence and bravura that she'd heard when he first spoke. It was almost like a completely different man were speaking now. "So, you're not a U.S. senator?" Laura asked him. "Well, uh, no, but I have been considering entering a bid to run in the next election," he said. Laura just nodded. "And just what is Klein, Sheppard, and Lane, if I might ask?" "Well, uh, we are currently the largest holder of government defense contracts in the country. We are working every day to make sure that, uh, this country remains strong and safe." Laura shook her head. "No, no, no, Mr. Henderson, that just won't do. My sisters and I don't believe we need new weapons to make the world safer. I think you should reconsider your position in Klein, Sheppard, and Lane. I don't know about the rest of my sisters, but I think you would make a fine college professor. Emily felt herself tense in her seat as she watched the senator blur yet again. When he refocused his clothes had yet again changed, but this time the senator himself appeared different. The suit, while essentially looking the same, had become more drab and worn, as if it had aged 10 years in an instant. The previously white handkerchief tucked into the front pocket was now a deep red, clashing slightly against the even more strongly pronounced check pattern of the suit. The senator himself now wore a pair of thick glasses and stood with a stooped posture that hadn't been apparent a mere moment before. "Well," he said, "I do enjoy passing my knowledge on to the youth of our country." "You have to be seeing what I'm seeing, Stacey," Emily said. "God, you're such a brat," Stacey said without taking her eyes off the stage. "Can't you see I'm trying to watch the debate. I really think Laura has him on the run." "What the hell, Stace." "Ssh!" Stacey said, turning to face her sister with a look of such rage that Emily immediately quieted and turned back to watch the stage herself. "I'm glad to hear you enjoy teaching so much," Laura said. "But tell me, Professor Henderson, just how old are you?" "Well, I turned 62 just last month." "Oh, Professor, that can't be right. My file says you've only just turned 36 years old." Emily almost choked when she heard this. She watched as the senator blurred once more. It took longer this time for him to come back into focus, but when he did Emily almost didn't recognize the man. Where before had stood an old man a young one now stood. It was as if he had become a 36 year old man just as Laura had said was in his file. On top of the drastic physical changes, his suit had changed again. Mostly it looked to be a newer version of the doddering college professor suit he'd just been wearing, but the cut had changed again. It was now somewhere in between the severe business suit cut it had when he'd first walked out onto the stage and the more casual cut it had just a moment before. Laura went on without giving him the chance to respond this time. "And Professor Henderson, please let us know exactly what it is you teach to our future world leaders." "Well, Ms. Enderton, I primarily teach business ethics and corporate law." "What?" Laura said, aghast. "You teach business classes? But I was lead to believe you were the foremost expert in the country on gender studies and the history of feminism." Emily watched again as the senator transformed. This time his hair grew longer and pulled into a pony tail. His thick glasses turned into very thin wire framed lenses. His features softened and an impish smile replaced the sterner look he'd primarily worn since walking onto the stage. Again his clothes changed. Now he wasn't even wearing a suit, just a fine button up dress shirt and a loose fitting sport coat and slacks. "Why, yes, you are correct, Ms. Enderton," he said. "I don't know why I thought a joke like that would fly here. I offer my most humble apologies." "That's quite unnecessary, Professor Henderson. My sisters and I understand how nerve wracking it can be to be in the spotlight dressed as you are. Wouldn't you feel more comfortable in a different outfit?" The blur took less time than before but it still came. When it faded it was all Emily could do to hold back a gasp. The preppy college professor look was gone completely. Now the senator stood before the crowd wearing a dark, charcoal grey skirt that stopped about 4 inches above his knees, a tight fitting white blouse with pearl buttons. His legs were encased in dark black stockings and he stood perched atop a pair of modest grey suede pumps with three and a half inch heels. His formerly pony-tailed hair now hung loose, stopping at his shoulders with a definite feminine curl. It was hard for Emily to tell from where she sat but the man looked to have very well manicured nails and was apparently sporting make up. "Yes, I know what you mean," he said. "But I have to be true to myself. I may not be a woman physically, but emotionally, spiritually even, I'm all girl. And we sisters have to band together to show men that we're not going to be pushed around any more." The crowd erupted into euphoric applause almost instantaneously. Emily looked over to see Stacey hooting and cheering like a school girl at a homecoming pep rally. Laura waited until the applause died down then went on. "That's a fine sentiment. Truly one that everyone here can agree to, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean about not being a woman. I mean, Ms. Henderson, you have to be one of the single most lovely women I've ever met in my entire life." At that Emily turned away. She couldn't watch yet another transformation. When she looked back, instead of a man in woman's clothing a woman now stood next to Laura Enderton. For once there had been no changes to the outfit outside of a brooch now adorning the blouse. The woman herself was just as Laura had described her, lovely to a fault. She had honey-blonde hair in a full, wavy cut that now dropped well below her shoulders. Her skin was peaches and cream pale and the beauty of her face was brought out by just the slightest traces of cosmetics. Her full lips were slightly parted in a happy looking, yet thoughtful smile. Her warm green eyes surveyed the crowd with a sparkle. She had a full, supple figure and an almost feline grace that would make any man that met her melt. Emily looked close and saw that the ring that had once been on the third finger of her left hand was now gone. Emily said a silent prayer for the family of the senator that likely now had never existed. The new woman, who now stood shorter than Laura Enderton despite the three and a half inch heels, turned and gave her transformer a warm hug. Unlike when Emily had hugged her, Laura accepted this embrace without hesitation. Again the crowd broke out into a spontaneous, thunderous ovation that didn't die until the two women broke from their embrace. When they did Laura turned again to face the crowd. She raised her hand into the air, fingers together and palm facing out towards her audience. Barely a second passed before a silence so complete and absolute washed over the room that Emily felt her beating heart could be heard for miles. Then, out of nowhere, Laura snapped her fingers. Emily broke her gaze away from the stage and turned again to her sister. Something was wrong. It was like Stacey was frozen in place. Emily couldn't even be sure she was breathing. Stacey was just staring glassy eyed up at the stage. Before Emily could shake her sister everything came to an end. "Sisters, without further adieu, I'd like to welcome Professor Alice Henderson to the stage. She is one of the country's foremost experts on gender studies and the feminist movement. She is also a fourth level Sister, one of only eleven in the country right now. She's been through all the available training and has personally proven herself to me. She is a true Sister of Athena and deserves your complete and total respect." Chapter Five Emily sat and listened as, for the next two hours, she was assailed with data on how the men of the world were subjugating woman kind. She was told of the progress the Sisterhood had made but also just how much farther there was to go. None of it really mattered, though. Laura had said something that chilled her more than even the total transformation of Senator Alvin Henderson into Professor Alice Henderson could. She'd referred to her as a Sister of Athena. She used the ancient name that Arthur had mentioned in the briefing in the White Room, a briefing that now seemed entirely too long ago. It was now clear that Sisterhood of the Arts was the enemy that Arthur so desperately feared, but sitting there listening to what they had to say, Emily found it hard not to agree with them. Alice Henderson was an emotional and charismatic young woman who could probably work any crowd up into a decent fervor, but it was obvious that she truly believed everything she was espousing and the stats and figures she presented made her anecdotal evidence compelling to the point that it was impossible to discredit. Just about the only thing keeping Emily from throwing in the towel and accepting the Sisterhood mantra whole-heartedly was the fact that before she'd started speaking, Alice had not only been male, but also the staunchest, most vocal opponent of the Sisterhood of the Arts' agenda. Finally the speech ended and crowd began to disperse. Emily and Stacey had the group session that Laura had mentioned earlier to get to, but before heading on to the meeting Emily pulled her sister into an empty alcove in the building. "Tell me you saw what I saw in there," she pleaded. Stacey looked confused. "If you mean a meaningful and well thought treatise on the status of feminism in a post-modern society, then yeah." "No," Emily cried. "Tell me you saw them transform that poor man into a woman, please." Stacey stepped away from her sister. "Oh my god, no! What on earth are you talking about?" "Senator Alvin Henderson was the keynote speaker today but Laura...I don't know how, but she changed him. She made him into Professor Alice Henderson right before our eyes. You had to have seen it!" "Okay, this isn't funny anymore, Emily. You can consider our relationship done. Once we finish the group session and leave the rally I'm going home. Mom can come babysit you for all I care. I just can't stand your spoiled princess act any longer." With that Stacey spun on her heels and started walking off to the meeting room they'd been told to go to. Reluctantly Emily followed her. As she walked she fingered her bracelet. A moment later she felt Artie's presence in her mind again. "Good morning, Emily," he said cheerfully. "Everything going okay?" Emily darted her eyes back and forth. No one was paying her any mind. For once she was relieved not to be surrounded by obsessive fans. Still she had to be careful. Couldn't go talking out loud lest she draw attention to herself. Not good at all, Artie, she though. Not good at all. "What happened?" the Watcher asked, the cheerfulness gone from his voice. The Sisterhood...they changed someone, Emily thought. They turned Senator Alvin Henderson into a woman and made her into a level four sister, whatever that means. "Level four is the highest level a sister can attain within the Sisterhood. There are five stages: acolyte, level 1, level 2, and so on. Each level requires a new commitment before it can be reached. It isn't exactly clear what those commitments are, but from what you've just told me I'm guessing it doesn't really matter. The Sisterhood is pretty much just building it's membership the way it wants to using their ability to bend reality as they see fit." That make sense, actually, Emily thought back. Laura Enderton said something about there only being eleven level four sisters in the country. What do you bet all eleven of them were transformed like the senator to reach that level instead of earning it through hard work? "I'd say that's a safe bet, Emily. What bothers me more is that I didn't detect it." How is that possible, Artie? "It shouldn't be. I'm going to have go back through the data to see if there's anything I missed. Don't worry about it for now, though. How is your mission going?" Stacey and I are headed to a group therapy session or something now. It's a chance to sit down face to face with Laura Enderton. As far as I can tell, she's the one at the top of all of this. She founded the Sisterhood after all and, besides, it was her words that seemed to be changing the senator earlier. "Good, keep working to get into her good graces. The deeper you can penetrate the organization the better. Touch base with me or Director Stephens when you leave the rally today and let us know how it went. Now, I apologize, but I'd like to start looking through that data." No worries, Artie. I was just getting a little freaked out and needed to talk to somebody who understood what was going on for a moment. I'll talk to you soon. The connection was severed at that. Emily took a deep breath and let her surroundings envelope her again. She realized she and Stacey were about to walk into the meeting room. She knew the conversation with Artie hadn't taken very long, but looking back across the path she'd just walked she realized it'd taken even less time than she'd realized. Maybe talking to someone in your mind wasn't the same as talking to them in real life she thought with a small laugh. Inside the meeting room, a circle of chairs had been set up in the middle of the room. Laura Enderton and Callie Timmons sat in the two chairs furthest from the entrance. Laura was visibly drained, leaning her head on Callie for support. "Thank you, Callie," she said. "It's okay, Laura, I'm glad to do it, but still I worry about how this drains you. Did you have to do such a thorough transformation?" "Extremes are the only way to go," Laura said. "If we'd made him a believer but left him male he would eventually fall prey to the weakness of his gender. By making him a sister as well the trap of belief becomes inescapable. Besides, it's almost over now. Soon we will have a true architect molding the world in our image and my work will seem feeble in comparison." "I just don't see how, Laura. I trust the book the same as you, but I just can't accept that you'll be cast aside as if you'd never existed. You've done so much to save the world." "Ah, Callie, you still don't understand. All my work has been nothing but preparation for the one who is to replace me. And I won't be cast aside. I'll be given the same chance as everyone else to earn my true place at her side. All that I have now is a gift that was given to me. When I am replaced I will become as I was before and I relish the chance that gives me to become the woman the book has shown me I can be on my own merits." Callie shook her head again and stroked the soft hair of her mentor's head. "I put my trust in you, Laura, right now. If you believe this is what is required then so be it." Laura took one last deep breath and the color returned to her face. Beside her, Callie seemed to pale ever so slightly. Laura sighed and lifted her head from her old friend's chest. "It is, dear sister," she said, "now shush. They'll be here in a moment." Emily and Stacey walked into the room, followed a few moments later by a group of six other women. All of them stood for a moment, unsure of what to do before Laura caught their eye and motioned for them to sit. Emily was told to sit by Laura and Stacey beside Callie. The rest were permitted to sit where they pleased. Once the last was seated Laura started the session. "Thank you all for coming," she said. "Most of you are familiar with our traditional group sessions. I think we're going to shake things up a little today, though, since we have such a new acolyte here with us." She turned to face Emily and smiled warmly. "I know you're still new to our practices, Emily, but I could sense the tension between you and your sister when we first met this morning and again on stage. With your permission, I'd like to guide you through one of our more advanced role plays to see if we can't get to the bottom of some of the problems the two of you are having." After the display she'd witnessed in the keynote address, Emily was loathe to follow any of this woman's instructions, but she had no choice. If she was going to get deep enough into the organization to figure out where their true power lay then she was going to have to play along and hope that her connection to the White Room protected her mind, at least, from any changes she might undergo. She looked up at her sister and, though she knew intellectually that they were only sisters because of the assignment she'd been given as Robert Jackson, she also couldn't help but feel deeply responsible for the rift growing between the two of them. After all, Stacey didn't remember the world the way that Emily did. So, on top of everything else, Emily felt an impossible desire to repair her relationship with Stacey, if for nothing else than to help restore her to the life she'd once had. "I believe that would be okay, Ms. Enderton," she said, locking eyes with her sister, "as long as it's okay with Stacey." "By all means," Stacey sneered. "Maybe it'll actually make a dent in that little princess persona of yours." Laura sighed. "Stacey, I understand your anger, but the circle is a place of peace. Please do your best to put your anger aside for the time being." "Very well, Sister, I concede my anger to the circle," Stacey said. Laura put her arm around Emily's shoulder. She felt uncomfortable at the touch, remembering the slight shock she'd felt earlier. This time, though, she felt her body begin to tingle from her shoulders all the way down to the tips of her toes. Everyone in the circle failed to notice that Laura's color seemed to brighten even more as soon as she came into contact with Emily. She smiled and took a deep breath. "Emily," she said, "I want you to look at your sister. Take her in, absorb her every feature. Now close your eyes and see within your mind what you just saw with your sight. See your sister. See her every detail. Now, I want you to do something for me. I want you to imagine that your sister is you. Not the you you are now, but the pop star you. That's what she wants, isn't it, to have the life you live as Anna Santanna. She doesn't understand how much work it is, but you do so I want you to imagine every detail for her. I want you to forget that she's your sister. As far as you're concerned now, Stacey Lockhart never existed. She is only Anna Santanna now. Do you understand me?" Emily felt strange. The tingling spreading throughout her body seemed to be intensifying. She felt like a bolt of lightening must feel before it jumps from cloud to cloud. Any second now she knew she was going to burst. But she understood what Laura was doing. She was trying to make her understand exactly what it was in her life that her sister was so jealous of. She imagined all of those feats onto her sister. She imagined that she really was Anna Santanna, that the blonde hair wasn't a wig, but real, natural hair. She imagined that her sister naturally had Hispanic features and bronze skin, that the look wasn't achieved by cosmetics and stage trickery. She imagined that she had no secret identity, that Anna Santanna was the real person and not a character created for some dumb kids show. Before she could stop herself Emily was adding characteristics to the new Anna in her mind, things she'd always wanted to be when she was Anna Santanna but couldn't. Stacey was older than her after all so that gave her the chance to be edgier, more risque. She made the new Anna curvier than she had ever been on her best day masquerading as the pop star. She gave her an exotic background, growing up poor on the streets of Colombia instead of the suburbs of Massachusetts. She gave her a penchant for bondage imagery, burlesque routines, and belly dancing. And, more than anything else, in her mind's eye, she made this new, this improved Anna Santanna beloved by all. In her imagination she knew that not everyone would ever be a fan, but that no one could deny she was beautiful and amazing. For a moment she was so wrapped up in her imagination that she stopped hearing Laura's directions. Then she heard Laura ask if she understood her. "I do," Emily said distantly. Then, not entirely sure why she was doing so, she asked, "But if Stacey is Anna Santanna now, where does that leave me?" Laura glanced at Callie and smiled. "Why, you're one of us, of course. You're a true believer, an acolyte of the Sisterhood of the Arts. No, that's not enough, you're a full-fledged Sister. No, that can't be enough. Emily, I want you to imagine you're me in the same way that Stacey is now Anna Santanna. I want you to imagine, nay, believe that you're the only Sister higher than level four. That you're the true founder of the Sisterhood of the Arts...nay, the Sisterhood of Athena. I want you to draw the knowledge the beliefs, the understanding directly from me. You can do it. It's the only way you'll ever fully understand what all this means to your sister. You have to give up your beliefs and take up hers as if they were yours to begin with. Forget about me, you're the one leading this session. I'm just some random acolyte, not even a sister. You're helping me come to terms with a problem of my own. My sister passed away last week and I'm feeling deep guilt over not being able to be there and say good-bye when she died. Can you see it?" As she spoke, again Emily could envision everything she was saying. She was older now. She was thirty one. She'd first founded the Sisterhood after she'd discovered an amazing book in a hidden crypt at the ruins of Pompeii ten years ago. She remembered the knowledge that had poured through her the instant she first touched the book, realizing then and there that she was the earthly avatar of the one true goddess, Athena. She remembered Collin Timmons coming upon her inside the crypt and certainty of what she had to do next as she changed him into Callie. Memories of her life, her real life flowed through her. She found it hard not to smile at all the happiness she felt with this life. Not once did she think to question where the memories and knowledge were coming from. They were her own, after all. She was Emily Lockhart, founder of the Sisterhood of Athena, at least in her mind's eye. "Yes, Laura, I can see it," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "And me, Emily, what do you see of me?" Laura asked. Emily looked into her mind. If she was older now, Laura must be younger. In her mind, Emily made Laura just barely twenty years old. She was young and had turned to the Sisterhood out of the rage due to her sister's death just a week ago. She blamed herself for the death. In Emily's mind she could see that Laura's sister was much younger, only eleven. Both of them had been physically and sexually abused by their step-father, acts that their mother refused to see or believe he was capable of. In the end, though, he'd gone to far in his beatings and Laura's sister paid the price. Laura had escaped years ago, turning to prostitution to make ends meet. In recent years she'd broken away from the lifestyle. She was stripping now and avoiding the world that her step-father had driven her to, but she'd never been able to make it back to rescue her sister. For that she was always going to blame herself, her step-father, and men in general. "What do I see of you?" Emily repeated. "You're no one. Not even a full acolyte yet. You're just angry at the world. Angry at mankind. The perfect foot soldier really. Your rage will draw you deeper and deeper into us. A true believer trapped in her own beliefs forever." "That's good, Emily," Laura said, thinking a silent prayer for the person that she was now, the person that was about to cease to exist. "I want you to hold those images in your mind. In just a moment, we're going to start the actual role play and I'm going to ask you to accept those images of yourself, your sister, and me as truth, as reality. Are you ready to do that?" "Yes!" "Good, Emily. When I snap my fingers, I want you to believe then. Believe that the images you have in your mind right now are real. That the three of us are the people you see in your imagination and not who we are right now. One, two, three..." Emily heard a snap and opened her eyes. It was easy to feign that kind of belief. She looked down at the young woman beside her, some poor soul just barely out of her childhood. She was raging on about the unfairness of her sister's death, sobbing into Emily's shoulder. She was going to make a fine addition to the acolytes Emily thought as she looked over at Callie and smiled. "Thank you so much," the young girl, Laura something or other, said through her tears. "I really believe I can do this now with all of you here." The rest of the circle gave appropriate coos of support and condolence. Well, all of them except the pop star. Emily locked over at Anna Santanna and smiled cheerfully, glad she was so easily able to mask her disdain for the pop starlet. Anna Santanna, for her part, sat there in her wildly over the top, bondage inspired outfit, and stared out the window. She was only here for publicity. When the time came she'd get up and pat the stupid little girl on the back, maybe sign a CD for her, but only when the cameras were around. That was the kind of thing her publicist liked. It kept the public happy with her and hungry for more. Here, though, she wasn't required to do anything, at least as far as she was concerned. She briefly returned the smile the head of the Sisterhood gave her then opened her handbag to look for her compact. Eventually this was going to be over and she'd be back out in front of the cameras again. Might as well make sure she looked good. When she reached in the bag, though, the first thing she pulled out was a bracelet. It was a strange bracelet, solid white with a single white bead fixed in one place. The bead had a single spot of black on it's head marring the perfect whiteness of the bracelet as a whole. Absently, Anna slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and then fished her compact out of the bag. The circle session ended uneventfully a few minutes later. Emily had the distinct impression there'd been something important about that session but couldn't for her life remember what it was. She also had a feeling that her clothes had changed somehow between the time the session had started and now. She had the vague memory of wearing snazzy looking open-toed cork wedge sandals and a pair of extremely tight, low-cut skinny jeans, but those were so far outside of her normal wardrobe she couldn't imagine why she'd would have worn them. Still, with her abilities it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Senator Henderson would certainly agree to that. Well, he would if he still existed. "I think that went well," Callie said as she sidled up beside her. "As well as could be expected anyway." "Agreed," Emily said. "We could certainly make Anna Santanna a true believer, but I honestly believe that would take away from her ability to get us converts. We need publicity, not a celebrity martyr, so as long as Anna believes she's getting good publicity in return she's ours." "Oh, and just in case you wondered, the circle that Professor Henderson led went off without a hitch. She handled it as if she'd done circle a million times." Emily sighed. "In a very real sense she has. It was only when she was mean old, boring Senator Henderson that she wouldn't have known what she was doing." "I guess you're right, Em, but I can't help but worry. You put them through their tasks so soon after changing them these days that there's bound to be one that blows up in our face." "Don't worry about it, Callie," Emily said. "I can't put my finger on it, but something's changed about me. I don't feel winded. I can feel my power like never before. I think I've finally achieved full avatar status." "You mean it's finally time to go home?" Callie asked, unable to hide her excitement. "Yes, it's time to consult the book again." Emily watched her old friend walk away with the brightest smile she'd seen in days. She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, ashamed at her inability to tell her oldest friend the truth. With memories she knew were not her own she recalled the life of a man, of Robert Jackson. She saw in her mind how he'd been obliterated. She couldn't remember the exact steps she'd taken to get to where she was. Her memories of finding the book and taking the first step towards releasing Athena ten years ago were as clear as the memories of the life of the man she'd once been. Nowhere in her current life did his memories seem to fit, but she knew they were true none the less. She knew because she had the bracelet. She now had a connection, a key even, to the White Room and by the goddess she was going to use it. Once she made her way inside the Watcher could no longer stop her from bringing about the restoration of the world. Soon everything would be just as it had been before. With a grin she fingered the bracelet. She heard a voice in her head. "Emily?" it asked. "How'd the session go?" "It went well, Artie," she said aloud. "It went very well. I've gotten further than I ever expected I would today. I've been asked to visit the Sisterhood's main facility in Boston in a couple of days. I'll let you know as I learn more." "That's excellent, Emily!" Artie said. "Oh, I've been back over the data. I'm not sure how they did it, but there's no trace of a reality shift at the time you say Senator Alvin Henderson was transformed into Professor Alice Henderson. As far as the data indicates, Alice Henderson has always existed in this reality. It seems as if the Sisterhood has found a way to manipulate reality at its very core. This is very troubling. I want you to be very careful going into their headquarters. I think I'm making some headway into restoring True's identity, her bracelet has come back on at least, so try not to do anything reckless until we can determine if she'll be of any help." "Understood, Artie," Emily said with a smile. "I've got to go now, but I'll touch base as soon as I can." "Very good, Emily. Talk to you soon. Be safe!" Emily felt the connection to the White Room fade and smiled. She wasn't sure how, but she knew she'd be able to fool the Watcher. Her powers had indeed grown, grown beyond her wildest belief. All she'd had to do was hold an image in her mind of some silly teenage pop tart as her self and he'd never suspected she wasn't supposed to have the bracelet. Once she consulted the book she'd have the last answer she needed to complete the work of her goddess. Soon, she thought, it would be soon.