Leanne turned to find herself faced with two troubled women.

"Analgesic cream," Lauraine asked.

"Electricity and knifeplay," Monique said at the same time.

Leanne sighed.

"What are you ladies doing tonight," she asked the other two mothers.

"I don't know," Lauraine said uncertainly. "Why?"

Looking at Monique, Leanne got the same reply.

"The girls will not be hurt today. The first day of shooting is spent getting to know the crew and the studio. They may experience a few spankings, but it'll be nothing serious. Jim likes to take his time and ease the girls into it."

"The reason I ask," Leanne continued, "is because I would like you to meet someone. She's the mother of one of the girls who wasn't selected for this film."

"Why would we want to speak with her," Monique demanded.

"Because she's experienced in this industry," Leanne said. "Because she's a psychologist and has an amazing understanding of people. Because she's helped me in the past. Most importantly, because I think she'd be a great asset to you during this time."

"To be honest," she continued, "I'm considering accepting Jim's offers. Both of them."

"But you'd be killing your own daughter," Monique said argumentatively.

"Not to mention being killed, yourself," Lauraine said.

"I know. Believe me, I know. I brought my daughter to this and I feel responsible for it. Tyra's all I have. I love her dearly and, to end her pain, I agreed to this ridiculous film. I don't think I can live with myself after this."

"The woman I want you to meet, Carol Naylor, is just about the only person I can talk to. I like you two well enough, but we really don't know each other. I've known Carol for several years. Despite our daughters competing, Carol and I have struck up a friendship."

"If I do decide to accept Jim's offers, Carol will be my designated beneficiary. She's the best friend I've ever had."

The other two women looked at each other for a few moments.

"I think," Monique said, "that I might need to meet this woman."

"Me, too," said Lauraine.

"I'll call her and let you know this afternoon if we can get together."

***

"Hello," Carol asked as she answered the ringing phone.

"Hi, Carol. It's Leanne."

"Oh, hi, Leanne. How was your trip?"

"It was wonderful," Leanne said. "We had a great time. Thank you for the suggestion."

"And how are the other things going?"

"Well," Leanne said, hesitantly, "that's what I'm calling about. The other two mothers; Monique and Lauraine; are having difficulty with some choices Jim has given us. I was wondering if I could bring them over tonight. You've been such a help to me. I think you could help them as well."

"I understand that this is awkward," Leanne said. "I'll understand if you don't want to do it."

"It's no problem, Leanne," Carol said. "I'd love to help if I can. Danii's visiting her grandmother for the next two weeks so you can come over any time."

"Thanks, Carol. I really appreciate it. These women are lost and I don't think they fully believe me."

"You're very welcome. I am on vacation for the next two weeks. I am mostly doing housework and painting. That is why Danii's not here. Just give me an hour's notice so I can get a shower."

"Thanks, again, Carol. I will call later."

Filming ~ Day 3

It was 6:30pm and Leanne was on her way to Carol's house. Filming had wrapped for the day at 4:00pm. The girls were sore, but happy. Jim and Bernadette had proposed the idea of a sleepover at the studio. There were enough couches for the three girls and Bernadette had no problem babysitting while the three mothers took a 'ladies night out'.

Leanne had a sneaky suspicion that Carol was behind the offer. After Carol had mentioned that she and Bernadette were college buddies, Leanne ended up talking to the receptionist about their mutual friend. Bernadette was more than willing to share explicit details about their friendship; after getting permission from Carol.

Apparently, they'd been more than just friends. During their first four years at college, they were roommates and lovers. Once they graduated, their affair had ended, but they remained in touch. It wasn't until Danii showed up for her first audition, however, that Carol learned of her friend's line of work.

It was made abundantly clear, on both sides, that assistance in getting Danii roles was neither requested, nor offered. Bernadette liked her work and wouldn't jeopardize her job to help her friend's daughter get into a film. Carol, a professional herself, expected no help. Either Danii would get the job on her own merit or she wouldn't get the job at all.

When Lauraine, Monique, and Leanne had found profound difficulty in finding available time to visit with Carol, the beautiful receptionist had a talk with Jim and the sleepover was proposed. The three mothers understood from the beginning that it was merely a way for Bernadette to allow the them time to get away.

Lauraine and Monique were riding with Leanne. Monique was in the front seat with Leanne while Lauraine sat in the back seat. Both the other mothers were silent. Leanne understood their trepidation, but found it amusing, nonetheless. There was nothing threatening about Carol Naylor. They had nothing to fear.

***

Carol went from room to room, tidying as she went. There were several rooms off-limits due to paint fumes, but Leanne and her - well, friends might be too much - her companions would be able to sit and talk in the living room or they could all go out onto the patio like she and Leanne did when Leanne last came over.

Leanne had hinted at ominous tidings when she mentioned the 'offers' Jim had given the three mother's. Carol was not too sure she could help, but was more than willing to try. Having had experience counseling parents of recently deceased children, Carol do what she could. It would be best, however, to let the other women lead the discussion.

Leanne's timing couldn't have been better. With Danii spending two weeks with the grandparents, the four women would be alone in the house and would be able to talk without the fear that little ears might hear something they shouldn't. Also, Danii would not be reminding the other women of the fact that Danni would live while their daughters were destined to die.

Hearing a car engine, Carol looked at the clock. It was 7:00pm. Her guests had arrived.

"Showtime," Carol whispered as she opened the front door.

***

Leanne looked up as she caught the opening of the front door out of the corner of her eye. Seeing Carol, she heaved a sigh of relief. Carol was dressed in an old shirt and faded loose jeans. She was speckled with paint, reminding Leanne that Carol had mentioned the task of painting the house.

"Good evening," Carol said with a smile. "Come on in. It's a bit hot out here and I've got the AC on inside."

It was hot, Leanne noticed, bemused that she hadn't really noticed until Carol mentioned it.

"I have to apologize for my appearance," Carol said. "It's terrible of me, but I lost track of time and was caught up in my painting."

'Bullshit,' Leanne thought with a smile.

Carol had told her that when she met people she was counseling, she tried to put them at ease, often by revealing a potentially embarrassing human frailty. If the woman lost track of time, she was obviously human and not someone by whom they should be intimidated.

The amused looks on Monique and Lauraine's faces showed that the trick had worked. They were relaxed. This was not a scary woman after all.

Entering the house, the outside temparature quickly became apparent. Despite the thermostat reading 73 degrees, it felt positively cold. Leanne could see through the living room and the room beyond was obviously one of the rooms Carol was painting. They could smell the paint.

"Please excuse me," Carol said suddenly. "It's terrible of me, but I really think I should change."

After sniffing the air, much to the amusement of her guests, Carol added, "I think I need a shower, too. I'll be right back. There are sodas, beer, and wine in the refrigerator. Feel free to have anything you want. Make yourselves at home. It's not much, but Leanne can show you around if you like."

Before she got to the stairs, she turned around and looked at her guests. They were perspiring, heavily.

"I just had a thought," Carol said with a smile. "If you three would like to take a refreshing dip, I have a lovely pool out back. We could relax with a swim."

"Uh, Carol," Leanne said hesitantly, "we didn't bring bathing suits."

"That's not a problem," Carol replied. "You remember that I have a 12-foot tall privacy fence around the back yard. Just go in naked. It's only us women here and I really don't think any of us has something the others haven't seen. Tell you what, let me know what you decide when I get back."

Turning back to the stairs, Carol dashed off to take her shower.

"I have to admit, Leanne," Monique said, "that she certainly seems nice enough. I don't know about a swim, but a glass of wine sounds good."

"This way," Leanne said, leading the other two into the kitchen.

When Leanne was here before, she'd noticed vaguely that Carol had a pool, but with her attention on the film, she hadn't really seen it. Walking into the kitchen, she wondered how that was remotely possible.

The pool was huge. They could see it easily through the sliding glass door to the patio. Carol hadn't been exaggerating about the privacy fence, either. It was easily tall enough to prevent even the most ardent peeping tom from succeeding in his endeavors.

"You know," Leanne said, "I think I will go for a dip."

Saying nothing more, Leanne went out to the back yard, stripped, placed her clothes on a pool chair, and dove into the pool. Monique and Lauraine quickly followed the blonde woman outside.

"Leanne," Monique said, "are you sure this woman won't mind?"

"If she minded," Leanne said as she shook wet hair from her face, "she wouldn't have offered. Carol is very plain-spoken. I've never had to worry about hidden meanings when she said something. She said to make ourselves at home and that's precisely what she meant."

Lauraine and Renee just looked at each other for a few moments before stripping off their own clothes.

***

Carol stepped out of the shower and, hearing a noise from her back yard, looked out the window. She smiled as she saw that Leanne had talked them into going for a swim. The three naked ladies were all beautiful. True, Monique was a bit large, but that took nothing away from her.

Carol had called Leanne the night before. When Leanne mentioned the wariness of the other women, Carol thought a less formal - much less formal - setting might facilitate the discussion. She set the pool temperature to 82 degrees, ordered pizza to be delivered at 9:00pm, and decided to let Leanne persuade the ladies to let their hair down, so to speak.

Grabbing several large towels, she picked out some clothes, and carried them all outside to the pool area. Without a word, she set her bundle in a pool chair and dove into the water. In a while, she'd recommend a soak in the hot tub.

***

Leanne smiled as Carol came outside. The other two had not noticed yet, but Carol apparently had decided to follow the present 'dress code' and swim nude, even though she had a swimsuit available. She wasn't surprised when Carol merely dropped off her clothes and towels and dove in.

"I am glad you decided to go for a swim," Carol said after she had surfaced. "A shower was nice, but I was really looking forward to time in the pool and then some time in the hot tub."

"Hot tub," Lauraine asked.

Carol smiled.

"So you saw my pool and didn't even bother looking around? I can't say I blame you. I love this pool. The hot tub, however, is in the corner next to the house. It's easy to miss, really."

The other three women looked where Carol indicated and saw that there was, indeed, a hot tub.

"That wasn't there when I came over last time," Leanne said.

"Nope," Carol agreed amiably. "I picked it up last week. I also got a heat lamp so I can use it in the winter."

"Nice," Leanne said.

"Anyway," Carol continued, "I was thinking that the four of us could unwind for a bit before we eat,"

"We're eating," Lauraine asked.

"Yes. Oh! I forgot to mention it. I ordered two pizzas; one cheese and one pepperoni. I hope you'll stay long enough to help me eat them. They'll be delivered around 9:00pm."

Leanne saw that Carol was trying to make this a very informal discussion. The woman really wanted her guests to be relaxed and comfortable. Looking at Lauraine and Monique, Leanne saw that Carol would get her wish.

***

They swam for about 40 minutes before going to soak in the hot tub. They'd soaked in the hot tub for about 30 minutes before Carol offered the use of her shower to anyone who wanted to use it. All three of her guests took her up on her offer.

They were all sitting in Carol's living room, wearing plush bathrobes when the pizza arrived. Carol jumped up and went to pay for them, not noticing that her belt had come undone. When she opened the door and tried to tip the 17-year-old driver, he just blushed and said he'd already received it. Seeing Carol's confusion, he pointed down.

Carol looked down and saw that her robe was open, leaving nothing at all to the imagination. Realizing it was too late to do anything about it, she chuckled, forced the $20 tip into the driver's hand and told him to drive carefully. He just chuckled as he headed back to his car.

***

"Well," Carol said, walking into the living room with the pizzas, "that's one way to get out of a tip."

Leanne and Lauraine, having seen the belt come loose, just laughed. Monique looked puzzled.

"The belt came loose," Carol said indicating the bathrobe belt, "and I inadvertently gave a 17-year-old delivery driver a thrill."

Monique's face split in a huge grin.

"His face must have been hilarious," the black woman said.

"I never knew someone could turn that red," Carol replied. "Well, the pizza's here. I have beer, wine coolers, wine, and soda. What would you like?"

Leanne and Carol had beers, Monique had a wine cooler, and Lauraine, due to a drinking problem, had a soda. When the other three offered to avoid alcohol, Lauraine insisted they have what they originally planned.

She'd thought about her drinking after the initial meeting with Jim and Arnie. She drank a lot and decided that it was time for a change. She just did not have any problems being around those who drank. Carol took her at face value and brought everyone their drinks.

After demolishing the pepperoni pizza, the four ladies sat back, sated. Carol let out a huge belch. Lauraine and Monique laughed as Leanne just looked at her.

"What," Carol said, defensively, "there is more room outside than inside." Then she, too, broke out into a fit of mirth.

Leanne realized that now was likely the best chance she was going to get. It was time to get the discussion started.

"Carol," she said, "you know why we came over."

"Yes," Carol replied, "I do. You wanted to discuss the offer Jim made you three."

Lauraine and Monique looked at each other. This was going to be tough. How much did this woman know? Was she going to throw them out for being horrible mothers? According to Leanne, she wouldn't, but....

"Why don't you three tell me what this offer is and how I can help?"

***

"I think," Leanne said, "it might go easier if you tell us how much you know. It might be easier for us to fill in the blanks."

"Good point," Carol said. "Okay, I know that this film will culminate with the three actresses losing their heads. I know you three have agreed to this. I know the girls do not know yet."

Lauraine and Monique looked stricken. Leanne had started to cry.

"I also know," Carol continued, softening her tone, "that this was inevitable. The kind of girl that goes in for child bondage is a masochist. They enjoy pain. Well, maybe 'enjoy' isn't quite correct. They derive significant satisfaction from pain."

"After I learned about this film from Bernadette, I decided to do some research. Of the actors and actresses that perform in child bondage, 90% die before they are 25 years old."

All three women looked up in shock.

"That's right," Carol said, answering the unasked question. "Ninety percent of the actors and actresses die before they are 25 years old. The pain becomes like a drug. And like most drug addicts, they need the pain to feed their craving."

"Some go too far and die accidentally. Some commit suicide, seeing that there's no end to their need. Still others, however, go into adult bondage and snuff to feed their addiction."

"The end result," Carol continued, "is the same. They all die. Well, 90% of them do. I didn't want to believe those numbers. I mean, my own daughter is a child bondage actress. I did field research. Last week, I spoke with 50 child bondage actors or their parents. What I discovered was shocking."

"The parents all mentioned the same trend. The children find that the pain they receive during the filming is insufficient to satisfy their craving. Several parents were forced to beat their children rather than allow the children to seek out pain on their own."

"I'm not talking about spankings," Carol said, seeing the looks of disbelief. "The parents created a 'punishment chamber' in their basement or other location in their homes. These 'punishments' include flogging, spanking, needles, electricity, breast torture, and vaginal torture. In the case of the boys, instead of breast or vaginal torture, the parents used cock and ball torture."

The other three ladies looked puzzled.

"To be more specific, I met one little girl, a 9-year-old, who begged her mother to whip her and push barbecue skewers through her ass cheeks and labia. I actually saw the mother doing this. The girl had told me that if she'd had developed breasts, they would've been skewered as well."

"A 13-year-old boy I met had undergone body modification. His tongue had been split. He'd had a ring placed through the head of his penis. As we talked, he also shoved hat pins - 3-inch hat pins - through the shaft of his penis and also through his testicles."

"Oh, my God," Monique said. "I'd heard stories, but I thought they were urban legends."

"No," Carol said. "Sadly, they're not. These children have been conditioned to associate pleasure and emotional satisfaction to the infliction of pain on their bodies. The boy I mentioned actually ejaculated while pushing a hat pin through one of his testicles."

"He told me of a friend of his who attempted to turn his penis into pepperoni slices. Apparently, the other boy had cut his penis off one slice at a time. He'd cut off 15 slices before he bled to death. I read the police report and he, also, ejaculated during the self-mutilation."

"I've read of boys who've castrated themselves. I've read of girls that have nailed their breasts to tables. One girl cut off her own nipples and severed her clitoris. The one thing all these children had in common was the fact that they were all child bondage actors and actresses. When they stopped getting offers for roles, they took matters into their own hands and inflicted pain on themselves."

"I've seen websites devoted to torture. One, called Elite Pain, shows game shows where the contestants complete torture tasks to win money. The contestants can quit at any time, but if they do, they win nothing."

"Another one, called Brutal Master, focuses more on beatings. They whip, cane, and spank their performers. To illustrate the extent of the beatings, they leave welts and severe bruising."

"I've seen Brutal Master's website," Lauraine said. "Kelly and Siobhan had been using Siobhan's big brother's account on that website. It is as bad as you say. There is another site called Torture Galaxy. That site does more with body piercing. Needles, skewers, nails being pushed or hammered into or through buttocks, breasts, and labia."

"The difference," Carol said, "between these websites and the self-mutilation of the children is experience. The torturers on the websites can operate within limitations that prevent permanent damage."

"The children, due to a lack of experience, will likely push the envelope and cross the line, resulting in permanent damage or death. This is the fate that's facing 90% of all child bondage actors and actresses."

"We've put our children in harm's way," Carol continued, starting to cry. "I include myself in this because I've allowed my own daughter to get involved in this dangerous industry. After doing this research, I'll do everything in my power to wean Danii off the need for this pain."

"I have no illusions, here. I may fail miserably. I may be too late. You three have been pushed into a situation where your daughters will die in about a week. After seeing where this addiction leads, I honestly believe that that may be a better choice."

"I love my Danii," she continued as the tears flowed down her face. "I'd love to see her live a long, happy life. If, however, her addiction to pain is too strong, I think I'd rather see her die quickly than go through years of suffering. They're too young to realize it now, but, this really is suffering."

"I'm sorry," Carol said realizing the state she'd put herself in. "I'll be right back. I need to go to the bathroom."

***

Carol looked at herself in the mirror. The tears had stopped, but she wasn't convinced they wouldn't start up again. She realized the tears weren't for herself. It was possible that, with her experience in dealing with addictions, she would be able to save Danii.

No. Her tears were for the three women in her living room. For them, it was too late. Their daughters were as good as dead. There'd be no rescue for Tyra, Kelly, and Renee. Their addictions had won.

Carol washed her face, dried it, and regained control over herself. These three women were forced to make a terrible decision. Despite the fact that Carol believed it was the right one, it still had to be tremendously difficult for these women to deal with their daughters now, knowing that the little girls would be dead in less than two weeks.

Carol had to do whatever she could to help them. She would listen to the offer Jim had proposed and help the women determine if it should be accepted. Despite, the situation, Carol had no illusions. It could still get much worse.

***

"I think you are right, Leanne," Monique said. "I think this woman can help us figure out this offer issue. She has obviously put a lot of study into our situation."

Lauraine nodded her head without saying anything. She was moved by their host's tearful confession of her willingness to see her daughter dead rather than prolong the pain this addiction would inflict. This woman's daughter might not be in mortal danger at this time, but the specter of death loomed over the horizon. Carol obviously understood the pain her guests felt.

"She's always impressed me," Leanne said. "She never does anything half-way. I told her about the situation the night after the interviews. She urged me to spend time with Tyra making good memories before it was too late. I'm not surprised that she was moved to investigate this. It may be too late to save our daughters, but Carol might be able to save Danii and other children."

"Let's make it easier on her," Lauraine said. "When she comes back, don't make a big deal over her departure. Let's just explain Jim's offer and see what she says."

"Agreed," Leanne said as Renee nodded.

***

When Carol appeared a few minutes later, there was no sign that she had been crying. The three guests were impressed that she could recover so quickly.

"I'm sorry," Carol said, "but I guess this discussion hit me more than I'd expected it to."

"Not a problem, Carol," Leanne said. "We all felt....feel that way."

Carol smiled wryly and sat down. Pulling a baggie from her bathrobe pocket, she tossed it onto the table in front of her guests. Inside were several joints.

"I rarely imbibe," she said, pulling a joint from the baggie, "but I had a suspicion that this might be needed. If, however, you think I'm sharing this, you're out of your mind. There are enough for us each to have two, if needed. Help yourselves."

She lit up and took a hit. Holding the smoke for a few moments, she smiled and let it out.

Leanne, Monique, and Lauraine were not inexperienced with marijuana, but it'd been years since any of them had smoked. After looking to each other, back to Carol, and seeing their host's smile, they each retrieved a joint from the baggie.

After her guests had lit up and were smoking, Carol refilled their drinks; non-alcoholic, this time.

"Booze is good," Carol said with a smile. "Pot is good. Booze and Pot, though? Not conducive to a serious discussion."

The three guests smiled as they agreed whole-heartedly.

"Now," Carol said, "after my rather melodramatic performance earlier, I thought we could stand to relax a little."

She sat back and took another drag.

"Before my little performance, we were discussing what I know. Fortunately, I covered everything before I left. Now, why don't you tell me about the proposal?"

Leanne, Monique, and Lauraine looked at each other. After a brief, silent conversation, Leanne took the role of spokesman.

"You pretty much summed up the situation," Leanne said. "Until Monday, that is where things stood. Apparently, Jim's client - the person funding the film - had some changes she would like to be implemented. Due to the contract, the decision was left to us, but the client offered significant compensation."

Of the three, only Leanne was unsurprised that Carol had no reaction to discovering that a woman was behind this film.

'I guess when you're a psychologist,' she thought, 'you see almost everything.'

Taking a puff on her own joint, she continued.

"The change is this: she wants us - Lauraine, Monique, and me - to be the executioners for our own daughters. If we do this, she'll pay each of us $300,000 and 5% of the gross profits from the film."

Carol's eyes widened despite her control. She was about to say something when Leanne held up a hand, stopping her.

"There's a second offer. If we find we can't live with what we've done, we will be allowed to take part in the film, and lose our lives as well. If we choose to do this, the compensation will increase to $400,000. She'd pay the money to a designated beneficiary as we'd have no use for money anymore,"

The mothers of the doomed actresses sat back and awaited Carol's response.

Carol thought quickly. What would she do in such a situation? Well, if she took the first offer, the second would be a given. She didn't think she could live with herself after killing Danii. She'd take the offer and have the money sent to her little sister.

"Wow," the host said. "Those are some serious offers. For myself, the answer to the second would depend on how I handled the first offer. Is the second contingent on accepting the first offer?"

Her three guests nodded.

"I can understand why she would make the offer. There is something erotic about a mother killing her own daughter. This client is smart, though. She knows that you'd likely not accept the first offer as we have an inherent tendency to incriminate ourselves for our misdeeds."

"If, however, you wouldn't have to live with your actions, and someone close to you would benefit from this ridiculous situation, you might consider it. It doesn't matter if you accept the offer. Your daughters are committed. They will die."

"The real question is this: can you kill your daughter? From one point of view, you already have, simply by allowing them to be in this film. From another point of view, it's not you, but the executioner who'll kill the girl."

"This isn't an easy question. How would your daughter feel about being killed by her own mother? Before you answer, realize that many - possibly as many as 50% - of the child-bondage performers would accept their mother as the torturer. They know their mothers and would feel relieved with the familiarity of the person hurting them."

"To answer the first question, you'd need to know how your daughter feels about being killed by her mother. Then, you'd need to ask yourself if you can kill her when the time comes. This'll help you decide if you want to take the first offer."

"The second offer is a little easier to deal with. If you choose not to accept the first offer, the second is meaningless. If you accept the first offer, however, you have a couple of questions to ask before choosing to accept or reject the second offer."

"The first question is this: can you live with yourself when this movie is completed. That really depends on your perspective of your role in this. If you see yourself as a person ending the suffering of your daughter, you may be able to live with it. If you see yourself as the person who killed your daughter, you may not want to live afterwards."

"Remember this, though," Carol continued. "Although you were responsible for accepting the contract, you aren't the only person responsible for this situation. You brought your child into this industry at their request. You were being a loving mother, giving her daughter what she desired."

"The second question concerns the manner of your death. How would you be killed? They may need some messy, painful death, perhaps to make up for the quick, relatively-painless death of the little girl. You may find they can or will torture you heavily before letting you die. In such a case, you have to ask if it's worth it. It's much easier and less painful to kill yourself with an overdose of pills."

Carol sat back and took another long drag of her joint. Letting the other women ponder her words. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was almost 11:30pm.

"It's late," Carol said, "and I would like you to sleep on this. You can stay here tonight. After the drugs and booze, I don't feel comfortable letting any of you drive. Definitely not when you have so much on your mind. If you have any questions, ask them at breakfast. I make a mean scrambled eggs and bacon."

The three guests looked at each other. This woman had given them a lot to think about. They might have questions in the morning. Also, they could feel the effects of the pot and booze. Driving home would probably be okay, but why risk it when their host is being so gracious? Again, Leanne took the role of spokesperson for the three.

"Thank you, Carol, I'll accept your kind offer and I think the others will as well."

Seeing nods from Monique and Lauraine, Carol smiled and helped the other ladies get bedded down for the night.