I based Will pretty much on the chief doms i knew growing up; my cousins. And after all this time I still remember their philosophies on Tugs.Tsuhaya wrote: ↑6 years ago It's been a while since I've talked about this story, but I've finally been able to read it all by now, and I really love all of it. His writing is incredible, and I really like the way it's all written in such a catchy way. I love how Will is smart and knows how to train someone.
I like everything in this story, congratulations for the great work
*****
Part 51.
Unlike Matt, Andy was a very happy boy when he woke up that morning. Although he love d his mother and would miss her during the summer months, he knew that he tired her out and that she could use a break away from him for a while. And the time spent with Will and his friends promised to be one of the most interesting times of his life.
He woke up with lots of ideas he’d dreamt up overnight that he was eager to try out on Will’s prisoners, and it was difficult to keep his excitement hidden from his mother and Will’s parents. Fortunately, if they noticed at all, they simply put it down to a young boy’s eagerness to have a sleep-over with an older cousin/ friend like Will. He’d get to be out of the watchful eye of his mother or any other adult for a while, and that would be enough to excite any boy Andy’s age.
Finally, after what seemed like an endless morning where everything (except breakfast) seemed like a mere blur, the time for farewells finally arrived. Will’s parents had packed their (and Nancy’s) things in their car, and have a private talk with their son while Nancy hugged and kissed Andy goodbye.
“Keep a close eye on Andy, now,” Will’s mother told him. “I know you’d hoped to spend the summer with your friends, but be sure not to neglect Andy or let him get into any mischief or any trouble. We’re counting on you to keep him happy and safe.”
“Don’t worry, mom,” Will assured his mother as they exchanged hugs. “Andy will have the best summer he’s ever had. He’ll get all the attention he wants, I promise!”
“And if you have any of your friends over – as I’m sure you will – make sure they don’t tease or torment him!” his mother droned on. “He’s been picked on by older boys a lot lately; probably because of the wild stories he tells about himself being a space explorer or a superhero or whatever takes his fancy to be. Andy may have some issues with being around older boys other than you.”
“Don’t worry, mom,” Will replied; still smiling. “My friends will treat Andy just as if he owned them! He’ll have them eating right out of his hand!” Wasn’t that the truth!
“Tasha won’t be here until evening to fix supper, so you’ll have to scrounge up some lunch for you and Andy yourself,” his mother continued. “The food delivery truck seems to be late today, but I’m sure they’ll be by sometime today.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Will replied confidently as he concealed a slight smile. After some effort, he’d successfully managed to hack into his parents’ online grocery account with the local supermarket and made a few changes; notably in adding a few sundry snack items to the delivery list. He’d also made the delivery time later in the morning, when his folks would already be on their way back to resume their vacation (at a tropical resort thousands of miles way) and unable to spot the alterations he’d made.
The farewells dragged for to such a long time that Will began to be concerned that his folks would still be around when the delivery truck came with its authorized and unauthorized cargo alike. As it was, it was a narrow squeak; the delivery truck came in through the front gate just as the car carrying his parents and Aunt Nancy were driving out through it. Fortunately, having already started on their way, they decided to keep going rather than stop to check the grocery delivery – apparently assuming Will could handle the details himself if anything was wrong.
Will’s parents would indeed have been puzzled at seeing all the extra snacks that was being delivered: an extra dozen two-liter bottles of soda; a dozen boxes of snack cakes; three fruit pies; two cakes; a dozen plastic jugs of fruit juices; several bags of chips; two extra loaves of bread; several extra boxes of cereal; two packs each of hot dogs and buns; and four boxes of Pop Tarts – all of these in as many different varieties and flavors as possible so that no two items were the same. There was also two extra gallons of milk for the cereal, plus another two gallons of chocolate milk.
And this was just for one week! Each week’s grocery deliveries would have the same extras to accommodate the needs of the extra guests and prisoners that Will planned to spend the summer with him. If his parents ever noticed the extra charges, it would only be when they returned from vacation and he was safely out of reach of their direct wrath back in boarding school.
Once the grocery deliveries had been squared away and signed for, and the delivery truck gone and the front gate safely and securely locked behind it, Will and Andy immediately made their way down to the tree-house to meet the others. Will phoned ahead, warning the others that the coast was finally clear so that they could begin preparations to break camp ahead of their arrival. Once they arrived, the entire party would move operations to the comfort and security of the house once more.
That this would be a relief to all was plainly evident when Andy and Will arrived. The two had showered and wore fresh clothes that morning, and the contrast between them and the others was dramatic. Corey and Paul weren’t too badly off, but they and their clothing were definitely showing the effects of a weekend spent camping outdoors without access to fresh clothes or shower facilities. Matt and John looked even worse; their near-naked bodies were so grimy and sweaty (with bug bites and rope burns in plain sight as well) that they looked like homeless refugees from a war-torn, poverty-stricken Third World country. John’s normally neat hair was unkempt and in bad need of a wash and a comb, while Matt’s was absolutely filthy. If they had darker skin and hair, either of them could have passed for Mowgli.
By the time Andy and Will had arrived, Matt and John – still handcuffed, hobbled, and leashed – were already carrying the lion’s share of the camping equipment, supplies, and dirty laundry bundled into sleeping bags and carried on their backs. Andy was somewhat disappointed by this, as he’d hoped to ride back to the house on John’s shoulders rather than walk back again under his own power. However, with the assurance that he could do this to his heart’s content later on, he was consoled by being given the leash to both John and Matt’s collars. Andy gleefully led the two prisoners back to the house while the other three boys flanked them; carrying the remainder of the camping equipment, unused supplies, and whatever trash had been picked up (and stowed away for neat disposal at the house later) along with them.
Andy cheerfully engaged the two captives he led along in idle conversation. It was a rather one-sided conversation as both boys were gagged, but this didn’t seem to deter Andy one bit. He simply carried on a cheerful, rambling monologue about whether Lion-O or He-Man would win in a fight between them as if both captives were listening in rapt attention. John at least was paying some half-interested attention to Andy’s idle musings (as he had watched both characters’ programs himself), while Matt simply rolled his eyes and concentrated on thinking of ways to escape his captivity. So far, no good ideas had presented themselves to his questing mind.
The little safari finally staggered its way out of the woods and approached the house. Will decided to take the time to have the group circle once around the house before entering in order to show off such amenities as the hot-tub house, swimming pool, and the tennis court. Matt’s gagged and incoherent muttering changed into total silence and his eyes grew wide as saucers as he got his first good look at the house Will lived in. He was very much impressed; it certainly beat the run-down house he’d lived in all his life with his alcoholic mother, deadbeat father, and his ten obnoxious younger siblings. Were it not for his current state of captivity, he could imagine himself enjoying a stay here very much.
But as impressive as the exterior of the house was, Matt was even more surprised at the sheer luxuriousness of the interior. He had seen mansions like this only on TV, in shows like Dallas or the Beverly Hillbillies (being familiar with these at all only because his mother watched them all the time)! Oh man… he’d give almost anything to spend some time in a place like this! Anything short of his freedom, that is!
Will took the party to the elevator, and all six boys rode to the third floor. “Let’s show Matt his room first, since everyone else who has one knows where their room is already,” Will pointed out. Corey felt a bit left out when Will said this since, as he was only visiting now and then rather than staying over regularly, he didn’t have a room of his own. And his room at home was nowhere near as good as any room here, although by John and Matt’s previous standards it was still pretty good. But he didn’t let this feeling show, as he knew Will had not meant anything by it and everyone else readily agreed to his suggestion.
The room Will had set aside for Matt’s use was on the third floor, beside Andy’s room; it was the same one that Andy’s mother has been using during her stay here. Being of neat habits, Nancy had already changed the bedding herself and cleaned the room despite being a guest of Will’s parents, so the room looked spotlessly clean. Matt mutely took in the sight of the place; it was easily three times roomier than his own room at home (which he had to share with his three younger brothers), far better furnished, and came with its own separate bathroom.
“Get a good look at it, Mattie,” Paul said to his captive as he gently tugged on his leash to make him approach the large bed. “You’ll be spending a lot of time here. Now come along; I want to tie you up to your bed to see how you look in it.”
“On the contrary, Paul,” Will said suddenly as he stepped in and took the leash out of Paul’s grasp. “Whether he gets to know the room well will be solely up to him… because right now I’m going to set him free.”
It is hard to tell which of the two looked at Will with more surprise; both Matt and Paul looked at Will with silent wide-eyed looks. It was harder to gauge Matt’s total reaction though, as his entire lower face was concealed behind his panel gag and he was literally speechless (from shock as well as from the gag). Paul’s reaction soon became more obvious however; he virtually yelled “WHAA-AT?!”
“We’re setting him free!” Will repeated mildly.
“But… but…” Paul spluttered; momentarily at a loss for words. “But he’s *my* prisoner!”
“And this is my house!” Will pointed out. “And my rules. Keeping John as a slave and prisoner is one thing. He made a bet and lost; he had his chance. Matt hasn’t. You simply tricked him into coming here with you without consulting me first. I couldn’t do anything about it with mom, dad, Andy, and Aunt Nancy here, but now that the adults are gone and I don’t have to worry about them overhearing anyone making a scene, we’re going to do this my way. Now gimme the keys to his cuffs, and then all of you clear out. I’m going to have a private talk with our newest guest and try to persuade him – nicely – to stay with us and join in on our game of his own free will.”
Paul sighed and muttered a bit, but he complied with Will’s wishes, and then he, Corey, and Andy escorted a still cuffed, hobbled, and gagged John out of the room – presumably to have a little fun of their own elsewhere while Will had his chat with Matt.
“Okay, now that they’re gone, we can try to clear the air,” Will told Matt kindly. “So, if you promise not to be angry and listen to me, I’ll take off your gag and restraints at once and we can talk man to man, as equals. Okay?”
Still a bit wary but receptive – especially to the idea of being freed of the gag and the restraints – Matt mutely nodded his head in acquiescence. Ready to defend himself if the younger boy should turn violent but confident he would not (Will being significantly larger than the other boy for one thing; his having a brown belt in karate for another), Will removed the panel gag, removed Matt’s hobbles, and then unlocked the boy’s handcuffs.
“I have a clean set of some old clothes of mine that should fit you, if you prefer something better than that,” Will told Matt as he faced Matt with a friendly smile and waved generally at his rather filthy and rank-smelling set of speedos. “Would you like to take a shower first and clean up before we talk, or would you like to discuss what’s been going on first?”
“Uhhh…” Matt said dully; not only surprised by Will’s unexpected generosity but torn between getting a much-needed shower and clarifying his current situation.
“Or we can talk while you shower,” Will added. “Through the door I mean; I promise I won’t be watching you shower or anything like that.”
“Okay, that sounds good,” Matt replied quickly as he suddenly realized he had another urgent reason to use the offered facilities in private. “We’ll talk while I get cleaned up.”
“Okay,” Will agreed. “Why don’t you get started while I get some clean clothes for you, and then I’ll explain what’s going on, answer all your questions, and make you an offer that you *can* refuse but which I hope you won’t. Just let me assure you right now that even if we can’t come to terms, you’re free to leave and go home anytime you like.”
“Uhh, thanks,” Matt replied noncommittally; unwilling to tell this suddenly friendly but still strange boy that he really had little desire to go back to his dysfunctional home anytime soon. He hastily turned and hurried into the bathroom as if the opportunity might be snatched away from him at any moment and closed the door behind him.
Being an observant boy, Will realized that there must be more to this than met the eye, and was determined to find out everything he could about his new house guest while explaining the situation. But first, he had to get the promised clothes.
Although wary and suspicious of the change in circumstances, Matt decided to waste no time in availing himself of the opportunity to use the toilet and then take a relaxing shower. He wasn’t sure what to do with the grubby set of speedos he wore (and he was wearing nothing else), so he simply placed them on a small chair beside the door as he set the shower temperature and spray to his own personal tastes before stepping inside.
“I brought your clothes,” Will’s voice sounded from behind the bathroom door. “I’ll set them on the chair for you so you can change into ‘em in private when you’re done. I’ll toss this nasty thing you were wearing into the laundry too while I’m at it.”
Matt momentarily tensed up as if expecting a stark-naked Will to fling open the glass shower sliding door and step into the shower with him, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead he heard the sounds of the door swinging open, clothing being exchanged on the chair, and the door being swung mostly shut again.
“Can you hear me okay?” Will called from the bedroom beyond the door. “Want me to explain what’s going on?”
“I can hear you fine,” Matt replied as he began to wash his hair (Oh God, did that feel good!). “Go ahead.”
“Well, basically, the rest of us are into tie-up games,” Will told him. “I’ll explain in more detail later, but what it boils down to is that the losers of bets become slaves of the winners for an agreed-upon time. I’ve had Corey and Paul as my slaves for a few days last summer, and I’ve been Paul’s slave occasionally as well. John lost badly in a high-stakes poker game and so he’s my slave the whole summer, but he had an even chance of doing the same to both of us and knew the risks going in. He had trouble adjusting at first but he’s getting used to it.
“Now, slaves are fed regularly and are treated pretty well, as long as they behave and obey orders. They’re kept tied up a lot even when they behave, but good behavior is rewarded with lighter restraints. It’s only when slaves misbehave that we have to punish them with torture.
“But you punished me when I made no such agreement to join in your game!” Matt pointed out, but with far less anger than he’d been feeling in the last day-and-a-half that had passed since he had arrived here.
“Yes, and I want to apologize for that,” Will said in what sounded like a genuinely contrite voice. “The situation was literally dropped into my lap without warning. It called for a snap decision, since my folks were here and the risk of discovery was too great to give you any choice in the matter then. But now they’re gone, and I can afford to play fair. In fact, I plan to make it all up to you in a way I think you’ll like. I’ll show you when you finish and come back out here.”
Although intensely curious, Matt took his time to enjoy his shower. Once he had finished, he poked his head of through the shower door. Assured that no one was about to try to ambush him, he saw the clean clothes set aside for him (a T-shirt with the characters of the original Star Trek on it, a knee-length set of cargo shorts, white ankle socks, and what were apparently brand-new Nike running shoes) on the chair and began to put them on.
Now that the shower was no longer running, he could hear the sounds of idle conversation in the next room; Will’s friends had evidently returned while Matt had been showered and engaged in some kind of conversation with him. However, it didn’t sound like they were up to any more foul play, and even if they were there was nothing Matt could do about it anyway. So, determined to face whatever was coming boldly, Matt put on the fresh clothes set aside for him and stepped out as if entering his own room… ready to face whatever surprises awaited him boldly.
He wasn’t at all ready for the surprise he actually got.
Will was standing behind a chair on the opposite side of the room from the bathroom door. Flanking the same chair were Corey, Andy and John, the last of who was still clad only in speedos (but a fresh set now) and was still handcuffed, hobbled, and gagged, but was also now freshly showered and clean as well.
But the real surprise was Paul. He was now wearing only a set of clean speedos himself… plus what seemed like half a mile of rope that was binding him quite securely to the wooden chair between Matt and all the others. Ropes ensnared his wrists, ankles, torso, shins, thighs, upper arms and forearms, and were looped around his shoulders; everywhere firmly welding him to the arms, legs, seat, and back of the wooden-framed chair he sat in. He was also securely gagged. He sat directly facing Matt, and looked as if he were a convict sitting in the electric chair awaiting execution.
Will beckoned a somewhat wide-eyed, slack-jawed Matt over with a friendly gesture. “Come on over. Don’t worry; we’re *not* planning to do the same thing to you. Rather, this is a welcoming present for you.”
Matt stepped closer; hesitant at first but gradually with more confidence as he saw that Paul really was as firmly tied to the chair as he appeared and that the others were making no moves to do the same to him. He looked at Paul with surprise that turned slowly but steadily into a more satisfied grin of satisfaction.
“Cool! I just wish I could take advantage of his new situation,” Matt finally said.
“Ah, but you can! Hold out your hand!” Will said to him. Hesitantly but no longer suspicious, Matt did so. Will placed a set of red poker chips into Matt’s hands.
Matt looked at the chips with dull incomprehension. Paul on the other hand looked extremely distraught and tried to speak through his gag while simultaneously trying to break out of the ropes holding him to his chair. But his muffled yells were incoherent (although his outrage mixed with undeniable fear was plain enough) and his struggles hopeless. He sagged back in exhaustion, shaking his head in denial. There was a tear streaming from one eye.
“What’s this?” Matt asked Will in puzzlement.
“Paul lost fourteen days of his freedom in slavery to me at the same time John there lost sixty,” Will explained. “He probably never figured I’d use them, but now I give them all to you. You can stay here for fourteen days doing whatever you wish to Paul and making him obey your orders. If he rebels in any way we’ll help you punish him. And afterward you’ll be square and bygones will be bygones between you, right?”
“Fine by me, but what about him?” Matt asked mildly as he nodded his head toward Paul, whose head now dropped in apparently hopeless despair.
“He won’t seek revenge or anything no matter what you do, if that’s what you mean,” Will told him. “You have my personal guarantee. In fact, you can spend the entire summer here as my guest as well, if you like. Provided you let bygones be bygones between you and all of us as well for what’s been done to you since you got here.”
Matt looked quietly at Will, then at the others standing around. All seemed sincere enough to him. Then Matt looked down at Paul, who now looked back up at him in what was apparently a mute appeal for mercy.
Matt closed his fist tightly around the fourteen red poker chips and smiled; looking at Paul in a way that promised dire consequences for the bound boy for the foreseeable future.
“You’ve got a deal!” Matt replied.
Paul sighed and hung his head in mingled shame and mute misery.
And thanks for that detailed answer.
