by Charlie Bell
Perdita Ballard's response to any attack was to strike back. When she felt her earlobe being gripped tightly she instantly balled her hand into a fist ready to thump her assailant. Some instinctive sense of self-preservation made her hesitate before letting fly... which was just as well, since the woman who had grabbed her ear was Ophelia Kaine, Headteacher of St Jude's College, at which Perdita was a pupil.
St Jude's was a controversial educational establishment. Dedicated to securing exceptional achievements from pupils, the college removed anything that might distract from study, so pupils were required to wear uniforms. Transgressions were not tolerated - pupils accepted that any deviation from the rules would result in corporal punishment. In an effort to convince the wider community that these practices did not have an adverse effect on the psychological well-being of pupils, the governors of St Jude's offered scholarships to potential pupils who showed exceptional promise.
Perdita Ballard's athletic abilities had secured her one of these scholarships. As part of the agreement her behaviour at sporting events had to be beyond reproach to prove to the wider world that pupils at St Jude's were well-balanced individuals and not in the least bit weird. Perdita was bitterly aware of the irony of her situation. An orphan raised in the care system she had a deep inferiority complex and was prone to anxieties. Hard exercise had helped her control the latter and had the unexpected benefit of shaping her body into that of a fierce athlete. She still found it hard, however, to prevent her anxieties from prompting her towards acts of rebellion, and responded with aggression towards authority figures fearing that they might expose what she perceived as weaknesses.
In her time at St Jude's, Perdita had clashed with the formidable Ms Kaine and, on every occasion, come off the worse, beaten and tearful. Strangely Perdita found that the punishments, while close to being unbearably painful, helped to settle her anxieties. It was as if she had feared the worse for so long, that when it finally came, she was able to relax; not that it made the chastisements any easier to endure.
To her amazement Perdita had prospered at St Jude's. Her academic abilities, with tutorial support from an unexpected friend, had become almost as considerable as her athletic prowess. For reasons Perdita could never understand, her instinctive intolerance of bullies and displays of fair-minded good sportsmanship on and off the field made her not only popular but something of a role model. It helped also that the grapevine at St Jude's was notoriously inaccurate and that pupils had somehow gained the impression that Perdita was punished more often that was the case and had a supernatural disregard for the process.
By the end of her first term at St Jude's the eighteen year old pupil had found herself not only popular with her classmates but, at the prompting of Ms Kaine, allowing herself to stand for prefect. Perdita's sceptical nature made her initially resistant to Ms Kaine's suggestion and it was only her growing respect for the headteacher that compelled her to consider that she might be suited for such a responsible role.
Now, being dragged by the ear through the corridors of St Jude's, Perdita had to wonder if her choice had been correct. The circumstances that had led to this situation were, naturally, confused. As part of the preparation process to assess how well Perdita might adjust to being a prefect, she had been assigned to 'shadow' and observe head prefect Mary Darcy as she performed her duties. Mary and Perdita had circled each other like wary gunfighters before agreeing an uneasy truce. Perdita's gracious response to Mary being tangentially involved in the process that might have led to her expulsion ensured that any wariness vanished and the couple became friends.
Perdita found the duties of a prefect to be dreary in the extreme. She had been attracted to the role by the promise that it offered the chance to challenge authority without incurring punishment, and found the reality of ticking off pupils who talked too loudly in the library dull. When she spotted a pair of giggling pupils concealing a can of spray paint she saw it as welcome relief from the tedium. They were so engrossed in their planned mischief they failed to notice Perdita following and eased out of college grounds towards the substantial wall that surrounded the college. The girls were just preparing to cover the wall with graffiti when Perdita appeared. She was horrified that the culprits seemed so afraid of her and, to cover her embarrassment, ended the encounter quicker than was really appropriate.
Pupils at St Jude's were aware that punishment was inevitable after pretty much any offence, so the girls were gushingly grateful that Perdita took no more action against them than a scolding and confiscation of the spray paint. Perdita was thinking through the event, while holding the spray can, when she felt her ear being grabbed. She supposed that Ms Kaine had jumped to the predictable conclusion - that Perdita was about to vandalise the college wall with the spray paint- and was taking the action that she should have taken against the transgressors.
Perdita was taller than average while Ms Kaine was downright tiny. They made an odd couple as they travelled through the college corridors. Perdita was forced to stoop to relieve some of the pressure on her ear and, as her stride was longer than Ms Kaine's, to totter after the headteacher who was taking brisk but short steps. The duo attracted a great deal of attention and Perdita was blushingly aware than her already tattered reputation was about to be further tarnished. Perdita was puzzled as they reached, and then passed, the turning that would have led to Ms Kaine's office. A foreboding began to gather in her stomach; Ms Kaine might not be intending to use any of the terrifying instruments of correction that she stored in her office but must still have something nasty in mind.
As they came closer to the Assembly Hall Perdita began to get really worried. She started to fret that Ms Kaine might be about to exploit her deep fear of public humiliation. Perdita considered begging or at least trying to strike a bargain but it seemed hopeless. No-one could dissuade Ms Kaine from inflicting a punishment that she felt was deserved, and what could Perdita hope to offer instead of the planned chastisement? For a fleeting moment she considering offering to take a more severe punishment but instantly dismissed the idea. The strapping and caning she had received had been so devastating that she would do anything - except behave - to avoid a repetition. Besides, there was no doubt in her mind as to the relationship between her and Ms Kaine - one was the pupil and the other most definitely the teacher and the latter got to decide on punishments.
Ms Kaine dragged Perdita to the Assembly Hall and pushed open the door. A babble of voices within the hall came to an abrupt halt. The new term at St Jude's had just started and new pupils had been gathered in the hall to await assignment to class. St Jude's drew pupils from all age ranges - some were just starting their education while others may have reached a level of achievement that showed they would benefit from a transfer to a more demanding or stricter regime.
All of those present in the hall knew Ms Kaine by reputation, but for most this would be their first sight of the headteacher. They were not impressed. Ms Kaine was of slight stature and the only physical characteristic that made any impression was her hair - long and flowing as if she had stepped out of a Renaissance painting. Conscious that pupils were required to adhere to a strict uniform code Ms Kaine chose to dress conservatively and encouraged staff to do likewise. As a result she would have blended into the background of most social settings were it not for the strong personality that shone through the rather bland exterior. Anyone coming into the proximity of Ophelia Kaine would sense a will strong enough to bend iron.
"Good morning," Ms Kaine addressed the room. "We haven't met, so I'll introduce myself and my companion. My Name is Ophelia Kaine, I am headteacher of St Jude's. This is Perdita Ballard who is going to help me give a practical demonstration of what happens to pupils of St Jude's who chose to ignore the rules of the college."
The new entrants in the hall perked up. They might only just have joined the college but they had heard of Perdita Ballard. Her reputation as an athlete went way beyond the boundaries of St Jude's and it was an open secret that she was the anonymous pupil whose exploits breaking up a ring of bullies had been all over social media last term. Perdita's appearance lived up to her reputation. Boys, and more than a few girls, appreciated her long shapely legs and tight backside while lamenting her flat chest.
The new entrants regarded Perdita as a lesson in studied insolence. The crow-black hair was cut short and shaggy looking as though she had just fallen out of bed after a particularly active night. Yet all present were sure that a quick run-through of fingertips would enable Perdita to look presentable when required. The college tie was just loose enough to suggest a disregard for dress policy and all knew that the skirt, that seemed so short as to barely conceal Perdita's underwear, would, if measured, turn out to be within a millimetre of regulation. Perdita was, there was an unspoken agreement, magnificent. And she was obviously in trouble and about to be spanked. This was both tremendously exciting and terrifying. If someone as cool as Perdita Ballard could be routinely punished, the new students were aware that any transgression on their part would be met with no mercy.
Ms Kaine reached forward and, with her free hand, pulled a chair into the centre of the room. Without being invited the students gathered around pushing and shoving for the best view. Ms Kaine took a seat and, as she was still gripping Perdita's ear, pulled the desperate student forward. Perdita had no choice but to lower herself onto Ms Kaine's knees. Perdita's height enabled her to keep both her feet and hands on the floor which offered some stability. She gasped in relief as the hold on her ear was finally released and then groaned as she prepared herself for the coming ordeal.
Perdita was able to appreciate the difference between her current situation and past chastisements. Previously she had been bent over or braced against inanimate objects. There was a disturbing intimacy in being stretched across Ms Kaine's lap. She could feel the warmth of Ms Kaine's body as she shifted slightly manoeuvring the unfortunate Perdita into the optimum position. Perdita had never been physically punished before coming to St Jude's and had always associated the over the knee position as suitable for children much younger than her eighteen years. As Perdita was over-sensitive to being humiliated in public, her current situation was mortifying.
Maybe this was a factor, but Perdita was aware of a growing feeling of, well, arousal, that she had never experienced in her previous thrashings. They had, she felt, been simple but brutal affairs with little of the humiliation that she was now experiencing. They had also been mercifully brief whereas the extended build up to her forthcoming spanking had given her plenty of time to anticipate what was to come.
Having adjusted Perdita to the point where her bottom was at a suitable height, Ms Kaine flipped up the student's skirt to reveal her knickers. Perdita's cream panties had a faded floral print and were cut high revealing a fair proportion of flesh.
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