The Teacher stood in front of Laura and Cathy. "Since the two of you can't attend classes yet, I've been given the assignment to tutor you both. You will address me as Miss Jennifer and I will be your only assigned instructor for the quarantine period. Learn what I teach you, and you will be able to leave this place. If you choose to ignore the information we present to you, then also be prepared for an extended stay here, for I promise you this. You will not leave until you demonstrate to everyone's satisfaction that the circumstances that brought you here will not be repeated. Everyone, not only your master but the staff here at the school too.

"Your visit with us can be tolerable or a nightmare. The choice is up to you. Cooperate, obey the rules, study the lessons, think about what you are taught, and you will progress. Assume the wrong attitude and steps will be taken to correct it. You don't want that to happen.'

Laura knelt on a cushion next to Cathy. Their lesson had begun shortly after breakfast. One of the wardens had brought the Teacher and two cushions to their cell. Cathy had talked about the classes over their food earlier, stressing how important it was to pay attention. Laura was still angry at being abducted but looked at her situation realistically. Her first inclination had been to adopt some kind of passive resistance, but Cathy's warnings worried her. Even the Teacher's lecture carried only veiled threats, but something in Cathy's demeanor told Laura it wasn't a bluff.

The lecture went on, covering specific rules they must follow and what they had to avoid. Laura listened, but in the back of her mind a new question had arose. Was Frank her master? Did he literally own her? Everyone here had referred to him as such, but at home they had never used such terms. Before she had met Frank the answer would have been clearly a no, but the question didn't seem so simple now. The problem was something inside her found the idea appealing. She couldn't deny those times he acted aggressively she felt compelled to comply with whatever he asked.

"At home your master may not demand you kneel before him, or address him as sir." Laura's attention turned back to the Teacher's lecture. "That's fine, at home you do as he requests. But here you will kneel, and you will show your respect for the Wardens by calling them sir. This is not the outside world; there is a different protocol to follow here. This is a closed world of absolutes. We are the submissives, we yield control of our lives to the ones who dominate us. Here there are no adjustments for public sensibilities. Everyone knows who, and what, you are. Any doubts or uncertainties are swept away by the simple fact of this collar around our necks." Jennifer put a hand on her own collar. "Here you can no more deny your nature than you can take this off. See this as an opportunity, the chance to finally free yourself from all your inhibitions. Don't fight what's inside your head. You won't win; I won't let you, this place won't let you.

"We'll stop for a moment. You may stand, walk around, talk quietly. I'll answer questions within allowed guidelines." Jennifer finished and gestured for them to stand. "Please, relax, I'm not your adversary. My assignment to teach here is coming to an end. My master allowed me to stay on a few more days until you are moved in with everyone else. You won't be seeing me once that happens."

"Why the quarantine?" Cathy asked. "The last time I wasn't isolated."

"You've been here before? This whole quarantine procedure is new. Seven months ago someone showed up with the flu, but her symptoms weren't obvious the first day. In an enclosed environment like this it spread rapidly. We had to have mass inoculations to stop it. The procedures were changed to add an observation period instead of relying on a quick visual examination. The school is still adjusting to the change. I don't mind too much though. I had to delay my departure a few days, but my master asked me to do it. You know how it is, not like I'm going to say no." Jennifer smiled and shrugged.

Laura felt a short pang of envy. She wanted to be the one leaving. While Cathy and Jennifer talked she walked around their small cell, stretching her sore legs. She noticed how both the other women seemed to be indifferent to their condition. For her own part Laura was constantly distracted by the weight of the collar around her throat and the press of the chastity belt against her body. The slow circulation of the air touching her skin accentuated her lack of clothes. Even the slightest movement brought a reminder that she was not in control, of her surroundings or even her own body.

To Laura it appeared that being a Teacher did not carry too many special privileges. Jennifer was dressed, or undressed, in the same manner as Cathy and herself, wearing only collar and belt. Nothing indicated her status. It seemed the only way she would recognize a Teacher is by how they were introduced. How did they get used to this , she wondered, how can they stand there chatting away as if they had met at the mall?

"Laura? Please resume your position. We will continue." Jennifer gestured to Laura's cushion. Cathy was already kneeling. Laura rejoined them, lowering herself on the cushion as she had been taught. "Eyes front, no talking. I will allow questions later. For now you listen." Jennifer's tone had shifted, becoming more assertive. She might not be their adversary, but Laura had no doubt the Teacher was once again in charge.

"We've gone over the basic rules that govern your stay here, now we'll talk about why those policies exist," Jennifer began her next lecture. "Foremost, we need structure, boundaries, we need to know what's right and wrong. At home we each have a master to lay out a personalized set of rules. Here it's one size fits all, even I have to abide by the same restrictions as the two of you.

"The organization that built and now operates this school is composed of men who have definite ideas about how we as women should behave. You may or may not agree with them but while you are here you will make every effort to see that you live up to the code of conduct they have given us. You will not be given a choice. I know it doesn't sound fair. No one asked you if you wanted to come here, or if you agreed to all this. The man who owns you, whatever you call him, agreed for you when he sent you here. Maybe you didn't know it at the time, but you attached yourself to a man who doesn't hesitate to act when he deems it necessary. He is not pleased with your behavior and has taken steps to see you change for the better. You must now adjust to his expectations. It may not be reasonable from your point of view, but there is no other option."

Laura was taken aback at the forcefulness of her words. It brought up her own internal confrontation, her desire to please Frank, to do whatever it took to make him happy and desire her. Against that was the conditioning that said she had to be strong and independent, that no man should run her life or make decisions for her without her approval. None of her friends had ever said anything remotely similar to Jennifer's speech. The concept that a man had the right to simply dictate how she should conduct herself would have been absurd. Yet her relationship with Frank had turned out to be precisely that. Before today she had never looked at their marriage from the outside, but applying Jennifer's description she had to admit that Frank did dominate her life, and she willingly accepted it. No, sought it out , Laura told herself. I deliberately looked for someone strong and decisive. It's what I wanted, the structure and boundaries he sets .

Jennifer turned to Laura, almost sensing the inner turmoil. "Laura, you don't have to hold back anymore. All of the women here think just like you do. The men in our lives are our masters, they own us, body and mind, and we are proud of it. Here you don't have to follow the politically correct party line. When you say that word, master , everyone knows what you mean and who it is. No one will laugh at you, or criticize you for being dependent and submissive. In here those are virtues, not weaknesses. You are with your peer group now, among men and women who respect you for your devotion and obedience."

Laura looked from Jennifer to Cathy, who nodded in silent agreement. It didn't seem possible. Her friends from college had gone on to pursue careers while she had chosen to marry Frank and be a housewife. She was happy with her choice but sometimes wondered if she had done the right thing. The times she had met her old friends the conversation always seemed to revolve around how little time they had for themselves and how difficult it was to find the right guy. Though she had thought she would be out of place, it had proven to be just the opposite; she had everything they were still striving for. Some of her friends were openly envious of her life and joked about trading places. Laura had never elaborated on her own private life, how she felt about Frank and how he dominated their relationship. Now she was being told that what she had tried to hide from her friends was acceptable and openly discussed, even encouraged.

Laura turned back to Jennifer as she continued speaking. "Let's start with this", she reached up to the collar around her neck. "Why are we required to wear one? Why can't we take them off? It is a badge of possession, a sign to the world that we belong to our masters and a constant reminder to us individually of who and what we are. We cannot ignore it, we cannot remove it; it is always there. His hand is always on us, holding us, pulling us toward him. Just as we cannot escape from the collar, so we cannot avoid his power to control us. When we see it reflected in a mirror, or feel the weight resting on our skin, we cannot help but respond, moving ever deeper into submission."

Laura was surprised that she had reached up with one hand to touch the band of metal around her own throat. Jennifer was right, it's presence did affect her mentally. It instilled a feeling of ownership that was hard to ignore. She was compelled to be pleasing, to be obedient, not to resist when the guards ordered her to do something.

Cathy spoke up as Jennifer paused. "I hate it when my collar is removed. When I have it on it's like he is touching me. It's a way for him to lay claim to me. When he places it around my neck, and I hear the lock snap shut, I know he wants me. Enough to never let me go. When I have it on I can't say no to him, the word won't come out. This collar doesn't physically restrain me, but it does lock up my mind. I think he knows it too, because he makes me wear it most of the time, except when we are in public."

Jennifer went on to explain to both Cathy and Laura that every woman in the school, even the staff, were required to wear collars at all time. It was a part of the school's doctrine, to reinforce the roles of dominant male and submissive female, publicly and privately. She went on to show how the other rules fit in with the same philosophy.

"Look at this chastity belt," Jennifer emphasized her point by placing her hands on her hips. Like Laura and Cathy she wore the same kind of belt of inflexible steel. "It's obvious as to what it does, but why? Why must we wear one? Laura, you answer me first."

Laura hadn't expected to be called on to answer questions. Caught off guard, she had to think for a moment. "It's like the collar, to remind us he is in control. We can't take it off, and I sure won't ever forget it's there!"

Everyone laughed, and then Jennifer continued. "Yes, but that's not what I was looking for. Cathy, what do you think?"

"I know there are a few places in the world where women wear belts like this out of necessity, because the incidence of rape is so common. Otherwise I can't imagine anyone who would put one of these things on and hand someone else the key, at least not by choice." Cathy paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "I wasn't given a choice. He told me I was going to wear one, that I could not take it off, and I did not have permission to ask him to remove it. Then he put it on me, that first time years ago. And true to his word he didn't give me a key, or put one in a place where I could get to it.

"The first day, it was all I could think about. He didn't allow any discussion about it. I thought it meant he didn't trust me, maybe even that he suspected I was having an affair. That evening we went out to dinner, with the belt on under my clothes. I didn't want to go, but he insisted. All night it felt like everyone was staring at me, as though they could see it. I was so scared someone would find out."

Cathy ran one hand along the waistband. "I had to get it off, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I couldn't ask, and I had no way to open it myself. Sitting in the restaurant that night, right in the middle of a bite of spaghetti, it struck me. He knew exactly what was happening, what was going through my head, but he had done it anyway. It wasn't that he distrusted me at all. It was all about control, just as Laura said. Not just that he now controlled my ability to have sex, but that he dominated me in a way I had not expected.

"He hadn't told me beforehand. Bam, there I was, no time to prepare, or even tell him if I objected. He forced me to depend on him, in a most intimate way, and in a way that would have a tremendous impact on me mentally. In a matter of moments he had actually seized my body. What had always been mine now belonged to him, and there was nothing I could do about it. I hadn't given it to him, he had simply taken it. Like nothing since it brought home to me the significance of being owned.

"Up to then, in my own mind at least, I had been giving to him. I granted him the power to control me. Suddenly the ground rules were different. Now he took, what he wanted, when he wanted it. It wasn't up to me to decide to give. His order not to discuss it was key; that's what turned give into take." Cathy put one hand on the front of the belt. "That's why we all wear one now. It's a symbol of control, but one of unrestricted control, a reminder that he will take if it suits him, regardless of what we might think on the matter.

"To this day, I can't have an orgasm with this thing on. It's some sort of psychological conditioning I guess. He got inside my head and changed me. I suppose he does the same thing in other ways, even some I don't know about. At the time it frightened me, that I had gone beyond some point of no return. Over time I've learned that he won't misuse his power over me, to where I now trust him without question." Cathy finished with a smile.

Jennifer picked up as Cathy finished. "That's what I was looking for. You were correct Laura, in that it is control, but Cathy pointed out how it differed. Any other questions about the rules here?"

Laura spoke up. "Yes, why can't we have any clothes? If not our own, at least a uniform or something?"

Jennifer smiled as she answered. "First of all, they are men." Both Cathy and Laura laughed as they nodded in agreement. "Aside from that, it puts us at a disadvantage, in several ways. It's part of the strict security here. Even if you could get out, how are you going to cross the desert dressed, or rather undressed, as you are now? It forces you to accept that you can't leave, so you have to focus on learning instead of plotting some miraculous escape.

"When you interact with the wardens, don't you feel self-conscious about your nudity? The rule about presenting yourself in their presence enforces it. Again, you are at a disadvantage, you have to please them by demonstrating obedience. Society has conditioned you to the necessity of wearing clothes whenever you are in public, and to a certain extent the type of clothes dictates one's relative position in that society. Here they use it against you, depriving you of any clothes, and the status that goes with it. In your mind you can't help but react to it, by being submissive.

"And then there is the disadvantage of being forced to depend on them for everything. You must submit to their authority out of a sheer need to survive. You have to rely on them to feed you, to take care of you, even to open the doors here. Taking away your clothes is a reminder you can't even control that little bit of your life. It's a not so subtle message that you can't be independent."

A sound from the hallway interrupted Jennifer's speech. The women heard the gate in the corridor being opened, a signal that a warden was coming. Cathy and Laura looked to Jennifer, unsure as to what they were to do. She pointed to the rear wall, and both of them quickly assumed the required presentation position, kneeling next to each other while facing the door. Jennifer didn't move but turned to face the cell door, Standing with her back straight and hands crossed in front of her, eyes down, and feet slightly apart.

Footsteps, and then a warden was at the bars of the cell, looking in. He gestured to the teacher and ordered her to the door with a curt command, "hold out your hands, in front." Both Cathy and Laura saw Jennifer hold out her hands through a narrow slot in the bars, as the warden locked handcuffs around her wrists. He opened the door and nodded for her to step out. After closing the door he led her away. At the sound of the corridor gate closing, both women relaxed.

Cathy sat leaning against the rear wall. After a moment Laura joined her. "What she told us, is it true? Are the men here so ruthless, deliberately forcing us go through this to make us more submissive? Is that why Frank sent me here? Is that why you are here?"

Cathy looked at Laura a moment before answering. "Ruthless? I suppose so. I told you once before, the men here are not what you encounter in the outside world. They are, hmm, determined. That's a good way to put it. They are determined to have it their way, and will do whatever it takes to see we do it their way too." Cathy stressed the we , meaning not only the two of them but all the women at the school. "Do they force us? Depends on how you look at it. For myself, it's more a matter of bringing out the submissive nature that's already inside me. It works too. Intellectually, I know what they are doing. But emotionally, I can't help myself. Is it the reason Robert sent me here? I don't know. I don't really think about why he did it, except that I want to know how I can make it right again so he'll come back for me."

The two of them sat quietly for a few minutes, both thinking about the lesson for the day. Laura pondered Cathy's last remark. Jennifer had offered the explanations, and now she could see how what seemed to be cruel and unnecessary conditions were in place for good reasons. Good for the men who run this place , she thought, but is it good for me ? Just like Cathy the rules were working on her too. When a warden appeared the compulsion to obey was so strong that all she could think about was earning his approval. Was it brainwashing, or as Cathy called it merely her own nature being set free?