Dawn Of The Mummy

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Seddon Academy boarding school for young ladies lay nestled in the Hampshire countryside, half a mile outside Clevedon. The school prided itself on teaching those in its charge all the refinements that accompanied good breeding, as well as providing the very best education money could buy.

At £10,000 per term, the fees alone ensured that only the wealthiest and most distinguished of parents applied to enrol their daughters into the Seddon Academy and, due to the strict limitations on class size and teacher-pupil ratios, the board was at liberty to refuse entry to offspring of those parents who, although wealthy enough, lacked the requisite elements of refinement and culture on which they insisted.

There had already been several high-profile reports in the media about the daughters of pop stars, sports personalities and television celebrities to whom the academy had declined enrolment.

When it came to the arts, only the most distinguished of stage actors, in the view of the board, need apply.

The majority of students came from a background of family money although, on occasion, the school would consider the offspring of those particularly outstanding in their field. These included doctors, lawyers, scientists, and the most eminent academics.

To the outside world, the Seddon Academy was a safe haven, where parents could entrust their daughters to be raised to the highest standards of academic and moral aptitude.

Within those hallowed halls, however, it was a somewhat different story.

As the grandfather clock in the main dining hall struck the hour of midnight, the eight members of the Seddon Swan Society prepared their charges for the penultimate stage of their initiation into the society.

The senior eight were all members of the upper sixth and due to leave the academy in the summer. Their A-level grades were guaranteed to secure them places at the top university of their choice. They were the cream of Seddon, and it was their duty to ensure that they left the swans in the very best of hands.

Cynthia Rollins was the head girl and had been throughout her time in the sixth form.

Like most of her fellow swans, she had been born with the cliché of the silver spoon in her mouth and had spent her life being overindulged by her parents.

Cynthia was a third-generation Swan and determined to live up to the traditions she had inherited in the best way she could.

As the clock sounded the last of the twelve chimes, Cynthia raised her arms behind her head, and pulled forward the white satin hood that was attached to her ceremonial gown.

Her seven-fellow swans, following her lead, did likewise.

The main dining room was illuminated by flickering candles placed along the individual dining tables, as well as on the sideboards that sat prominently against every spare inch of wall space and housed the dishes and cutlery necessary to serve the academy’s celebration meals and guest nights.

Once she was satisfied that her fellow swans were customarily resplendent in their ritual attire, Cynthia gave the signal for two of the order to leave the line and admit those waiting outside.

As the main doors were pulled open, 10 naked lower-sixth girls entered the room in silence. They walked over to where the remaining six swans waited and took up their place opposite them, as they had been instructed earlier, during rehearsal.

Being granted permission to join the swans was indeed a great honour, one bestowed only on those who had proved themselves worthy in the eyes of the previously chosen.

Until their official acceptance into the order, the 10 chosen were known as “ducklings” and if, for some reason, any of them did not make the cut, they would be referred to as “ugly ducklings” for the remainder of their time at the academy.

Everyone stood in silence until those who had opened the doors for the ducklings re-joined their sister swans.

“Little ducklings,” began Cynthia, her voice booming throughout the long hall, “you have the privilege of being considered to gain access to the esteemed order of the swans. It is a society with a long and glorious tradition, the secrets of which you will be expected to carry to your graves. Do you understand?”

The 10 ducklings nodded in unison.

Cynthia smiled to herself. “Although you have all come this far, that does not mean that you are at the end of your journey. There is still a final initiation that shall be made known to you in due course. Only after that, if you survive, will you be granted acceptance into our great order. Do you understand?”

They nodded again.

Cynthia turned to her nearest Swan and indicated with a nod of her head for the girl to prepare for the next stage of the night’s initiation.

The Swan turned and walked over to the nearest sideboard.

On top of the sideboard, carefully laid out on a silver tray, were a new box of pencils and a large wooden ruler.

The girl grabbed the pencil box, a cruel smile crossing her face as she poured the contents into her hand. There were ten pencils in total.

Discarding the box, she turned and went back to the line, handing the wooden ruler to the Swan at the far end, who accepted it with a malicious smirk.

The first Swan then proceeded to stand in front of the first duckling in line.

After a moment’s pause, she handed over the pencils and the duckling took them from her with trembling hands.

As if from a prearranged script, the duckling went down on her knees and placed the pencils on the floor in front of her horizontally, in two lines of five, with the leads pointed inwards.

The girl looked up at the Swan and waited for the older girl to nod her approval.

The young duckling leaned forward and placed her hands, palms down, on top of the pencils, so that she had five under each hand.

Slowly and purposefully, the Swan moved forward and placed her left foot on one of the girl’s hands, pressing down with all her weight.

The girl screamed out in pain, but still tried to keep her voice as low as possible.

Once she was sure the duckling had her cries under control, the Swan lifted her other foot and slowly brought it over to hover over the duckling’s other hand. She held it there for an agonising moment, before placing it on the girl’s other hand and leaning forward, so that her full body weight was now pressing the pencils into the girl’s palms.

The duckling sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth.

The older girl, like her fellow swans, was wearing white pumps to match her outfit. But the pressure of her weight pressing down on the girl’s hands, trapped on top of the ridged pencils, made it feel to the duckling as if her aggressor was wearing heavy army boots.

The naked duckling waited patiently, trying to fight against the pain in her throbbing hands. She knew that this was only the first part of tonight’s initiation, and she hoped it would prove to be the more painful of the two.

As she waited, the Swan with the ruler moved into position behind her.

“Raise your buttocks higher,” came the order. It was Cynthia’s voice once more.

The duckling complied.

Seconds later, the wooden ruler struck the girl’s naked bottom, making her scream out once more.

Each Swan took it in turns to deliver two blows.

Once the ordeal was over, the duckling was allowed to go and stand to one side so that she could nurse her sore hands and bottom.

The scenario played out in the same manner for the remaining nine ducklings,.

Once the last one had received her strokes and been allowed to stand with the others, Cynthia moved to the front of the line, and stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the line of ducklings.

After a moment, she announced: “Well, it appears that you may all have what it takes after all, but time will tell.”

The Swan who had been charged with standing on the girls’ hands while they received their strokes now moved to stand next to Cynthia.

She whispered something in her ear that made Cynthia smile.

Carrie has just reminded me,” she continued, “that due to her having to attend to her own duty, she has missed out on delivering her share of whacks to you all.”

Cynthia waited a moment for the realisation of what she was about to say to set in. Once she saw the understanding on the duckling’s faces she continued.

“Therefore, in silence, I want all of you to bend forward and place your hands on your knees, and Carrie will pass among you and complete your punishment.”

The ducklings all looked along their line and, one by one, they dropped forward as commanded to await their fate.