Recap: 13-year-old Melody, Harmony and Symphony Nocturne are triplets. The girls’ parents died one year ago, leaving them to themselves. They study at the Earth Academy for Talented Youth and have managed to keep a tight family core despite everything. Melody, the most resolute of the three, sometimes needs to ‘motivate’ her sisters with old-fashioned discipline, namely, spankings. During a trip to Neptune, Mel, Harm and Symph accidentally run into the fourth sister, Rhapsody. DNA tests confirm the same lineage, and Rhap moves in with her sisters. Having grown up by herself on the street, she’s as self-reliant as one can be and doesn’t like having to follow rules. And especially she doesn’t like the idea of Melody spanking the others: she considers it pure and simple beating.

“Ya know, I’m the one moving but you’ve got most of the stuff.”

Rhapsody shook her head as she lifted yet another PlexiPlast^tm container full of clothes, e-books and miscellaneous items. Her sisters Melody, Harmony and Symphony had been granted larger quarters by the Academy that could host four girls instead of three: after another week spent pondering, the newfound black-haired sister from Neptune was finally moving in.

“Been living here for about a year,” said Melody, easily lifting another container. “Stuff grows.”

“Yeah but... oh well,” Rhapsody shrugged. “Never keep more than you can carry, is my motto.”

“And w-why... ack! Why’s that?” Symphony asked while trying to drag a container, too heavy for her tiny frame.

“Because she coulda move suddenly, you brat.” That came from Harmony, who smacked her purple-haired sister’s heart-shaped backside as she passed.

“Hey oww!” Symph protested with a pout. Harm giggled. Both Mel and Rhap rolled their eyes.

The Nocturne sisters walked down the corridor that would take her to their new apartment just a few yards away. They’d been granted to remain on the same floor within the Academy, and since no anti-gravity units for weightlifting and transport worked that day, they couldn’t have been more grateful.

The containers were eventually dropped at the entrance of the new flat, and Harmony, who could have used a few pounds less, wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Whew! I need gym.”

“Aww sis,” Symph chimed in, “only ten more to go!” and she slapped her plump bottom in return.

“Like, owww! And nooo-oooo.”

Melody just shook her head as the four of them made their way back to the old quarters. “You two aren’t helping, you know?”

“Wha’? We are so!” they chorused with petulance.

“Oh my,” said Rhapsody. “I’m not sure if it’s this smack-ass game or the goddamn smell that annoys me the most.”

Melody frowned at such language, but couldn’t agree more for what concerned the bottom swatting. “Smell? What smell?”

“I showered this morning...” Harmony said in a little voice.

Rhapsody snickered. “I mean this place. It’s so... so new. I hate it.”

Melody shrugged. “Well, we’d like you to move in of course, but you don’t *have* to live at the Academy if you’re going to attend the Academy.”

“That’s right,” echoed Symphony. “But pweeeease, live at the Academy?” she said, clinging to the black-haired, skinny girl.

Rhapsody rolled her eyes. “I’ll try. But this place stinks. Quite literally.”

Symphony cooed and rubbed her sister’s back sympathetically, then distracted herself with smacking her other sister Harmony’s chubby derriere again.

“Oww hey will you cut that off??”

“You started it!”

“Girls, it’s annoying,” Melody reprimanded.

“How boring...” the girl grumbled, but did stay put after that.

And as the moving continued, Rhapsody couldn’t help but think how nonchalantly her sisters seemed to act about ‘spanking’ as a whole. Ever since she’d seen Mel spank Symph and Harm, the week before, she had wondered how this thing was born. Who started it, why, how... Did their parents spank? Was it an idea of Mel’s? And why were Symph and Harm being paddled that night?

She hadn’t had the nerve to ask those questions yet, but now realised that any time would be as good as any other.

By the time the girls were mostly moved in it was getting dark outside. Rhapsody was lounging in the living room while the other girls finished carting boxes into their rooms. It looked much like the old flat, with the Academy logo on the wall by the front door, a living room with a balcony, a small kitchen and a short hallway leading to the bathroom and four bedrooms. 

After a few minutes Symphony joined her, flopping down on the couch.

“Quite a day,” said the purple haired Nocturne with a sigh. “I never knew moving could be so time consuming.”

Rhapsody shrugged. “I didn’t think it was so bad.”

Symphony gave her a sidelong glance but said nothing more on the subject. Instead she snuggled up to her newest sister. Rhap looked at Symph in surprise before putting an arm around her and smiling. Symphony rested her head on Rhapsody’s shoulder.

“So,” said Rhap a bit hesitantly, “I’ve been meaning to ask...”

Rhapsody paused and Symph looked up at her. “Yeah?”

“That night, when I saw Mel, uh, smacking you... why?”

“Why did Harm and I get spanked?” Symphony repeated the question.

“Yeah.” Rhapsody blushed a little.

Symphony shrugged and looked down at her knees. “There was kinda this fire drill. Harm and I were in the middle of something and we didn’t follow emergency procedures.” The tone of Symphony’s voice indicated that she knew it had been a silly thing to do but then her tone turned a bit defensive. “But it’s not like we didn’t know it was a drill,” she explained. “They schedule them and tell us about it in advance so we knew we weren’t in any danger.”

Rhapsody gave her sister’s shoulders a little squeeze. “It could have been for real though,” she replied. “It could really have been a fire.”

Symphony nodded, “Yeah, that’s what Mel said.”

“Well, she was right about that anyway.”

Rhapsody was still baffled and not a little upset by what she had seen that night. It was nice to know that Melody had the best interests of the family in mind though and wasn’t just a power hungry little military girl. Still, she was just as glad to keep out of that aspect of the family life.

Spankings were not for her.

~*~

Symphony’s tongue kept sticking out as she put yet another layer of paint on the canvas. Perched up on a stool and dressed in painter clothes that would have been unfashionable even in the 1800’s, the purple-haired Nocturne jumped a foot in the air when the apartment front doors swished open. She heard complaining and objects thrown on the floor, and realised it couldn’t only be Rhapsody coming home from her first day of school.

Her painting quickly forgotten, Symph covered it carefully to protect it, and most of all hide it: no one had to see that one yet. She took off her paint-stained white coat and ran to the living room.

“So? How’d...”

“... a pile of smoking SHIT, that’s what he is! And what’s an Introductory Paper anyway??”

Symphony’s jaw dropped, and Harmony hid a giggle behind her hand as Rhapsody boomed her obvious disappointment. Melody, still flunked down on an armchair reading the latest issue of Starship Today, raised an eyebrow.

“I said I don’t like foul language, and yes, Mr Karanta can be annoying. But the paper makes sense.”

“C’mon sis, it’s just a few months,” Harmony said. “Some say that his Introductory course is supposed to be tough so everything will seem better after that.”

Taking off her boots and shaking her head, Rhap snorted: “Yeah well, IF they make it after that.”

“Aww you’ll be alright, sis,” Symph hugged her from behind and kissed the top of her head. Rhapsody instinctively retracted, but then gave in and sighed.

“Sure,” Melody said. “Everyone faces Karanta and survives. You’ll be okay.”

“I guess,” Rhapsody muttered, then suddenly cheered up. “Let’s go for a walk? I need fresh air.”

“Thought you needed to write the Introductory Paper...” Melody echoed.

“I will, tomorrow.”

“Rhap...”

“Hey? I know how to manage myself, sis. Don’t worry,” she said, but in such stubborn tone that it didn’t sound like she cared for Melody’s not worrying. “So, anyone?”

“Um, well...” Harmony played with the waistband of her light grey undies – which was all she had on. It still differed from her usual nudity, though. “I...”

Melody pointed at her. “Calculus test tomorrow.”

“Right.”

“And I’d love to,” said Symphony, “but I need to work on this commissioned painting... you know.”

Rhapsody shrugged. “Whatever. Seriously, though, get some rest you guys.” And she grabbed her boots and was out of the flat again before Melody could add anything.

“Well...” she started, but the HoloCom buzzed and interrupted her.

Symphony perked up and ran to the wall where it was hung. “I’ll get it!”

She wore the small gear and pressed the ‘Receive’ button. “Symphony Nocturne... oh... who?... ohh... err... I... y-yes of course...” Her sisters looked on as the girl blushed more and more noticeably with each word. “W-will you give me a minute, please? Otay...” She put the call on hold and went to her room, calling behind her back that she didn’t want to be bothered.

Shrugging her shoulders, Melody said: “What’s wrong with everyone today?” and returned to her article on hyper-drive propulsion.

~*~

“You’ve GOT to be kidding!” Harmony squealed. Symphony put her hands in front of her sister’s mouth to hush her, and looked around worried.

“Shut up, sis! This is... private...”

“Then why are you telling me?”

“Because I’m gonna DIE if I don’t tell someone!”

“Aww... what’s his name again?”

“David Tiberius Honshu, and he asked me out to dinner in a fancy restaurant,” she said dreamily, posing herself like a princess in one of those old paintings they studied in Art class. “Well, he didn’t mention dinners... nor restaurants... but he’s coming here on Earth on leave and he wants to see me!! Isn’t that totally romantic?”

Harmony giggled like a child, but nodded and admitted it was. “Now I see why you don’t wanna tell Mel. She’d go nuts if she knew that a boy she doesn’t like and that you barely know has asked to meet you for what seems like a date and that you accepted... heck, I’m half-tempted to spank you myself!”

So she flung Symph across her lap and aimed a few pats at her chubs. “Oww don’t you daaaare!” the girl squealed and giggled. Finally she wrestled herself up and hugged Harm. “You won’t say? Promise?”

The girl nodded. “Promise. When is this thing?”

“Next week.”

“Alright. But you be careful, or I’m going to be all sad and stuff. Deal?”

“Deal!” She kissed Harm’s cheek and danced all the way to her bedroom.

~*~

It was the next day and Rhapsody was bored. She still had that Introductory Paper to work on, but she didn’t want to do it. She sat in the chair that was normally occupied by Mel and fidgeted. First she sat back as though relaxed, then leaned forward and picked at her fingernails. All the other girls were busy, studying or something.

She was beginning to feel confined. Suddenly, she stood up and began pacing. She turned on the HoloVision but it didn’t hold her interest for long, not even the HoverHoops game airing.

Rhap sighed. She was bored and agitated. She was beginning to wonder if this kind of life was for her. All this research and work and study. She was sick of it. There had to be something better to do.

Rhapsody knocked on Symph’s door and entered. Symphony looked up from her text book on basic physics. It was most definitely not her best subject. “Hey Rhap,” she said, happy for the distraction, “What’s up?”

“I’m bored,” replied Rhapsody, “You want to go to the mall or something?”

Before Symphony could respond, a voice addressed Rhapsody from behind. “Symph’s got another test to study for.”

Rhapsody turned around to regard Melody. “Is that so?”

“Well, yeah, it kind of is,” said Symphony timidly.

Rhap glanced over her shoulder at Symph and shrugged. “Okay then, maybe Harm will want to go.”

Melody crossed her arms and gave Rhapsody a stern look. “Harm’s got work to do too. Quit bugging them and get to work yourself, would you?”

Rhapsody frowned. “I told you, Mel, I can budget my own time, thank you very much.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Symphony, forgotten for the moment, watched the tension from the relative safety of her room and hoped nothing bad would happen.

“Well then,” Rhapsody said suddenly, “I guess I’ll just go by myself.” She strode to the living room, grabbed her coat and was nearly to the door when Mel called to her.

“Don’t forget, we have a limited allowance. We can’t just go throwing money about.”

Rhapsody turned around and smiled cheekily, “You don’t need to tell a girl from the streets about conserving money.” And then she was out the door.

Harmony came out of her room and stood next to Melody.

“You hear all that?” asked Mel, still looking at the door.

“Yup,” replied Harm. “She’s got a real shitty attitude if you ask me.”

Two loud spanks echoed off the walls of the flat and Harmony shrieked, clasping hands to her naked bum and hopping away.

“Not to mention foul language,” Mel replied, giving Harm a pointed look.

“Okay, okay,” Harmony conceded quickly, the look in Melody’s eyes far more potent than any bottom smack.

~*~

Two days later, in the Academy gym showers, Harmony sighed as she lathered her body with soap. She definitely didn’t mind showing her own body, as her sisters knew very well, but in public? It was somewhat different. And it didn’t help that, less than thirty years before, the Academy had joined boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms and showers in order to follow a “just be yourself” kind of policy.

Suddenly the girl perked up as someone knocked on the shower’s door. She let the soap down, cracked the door open and saw it was Rhapsody, bare and holding a bar of soap.

“Um, what’s the matter?”

“The showers. All full. Host me for a minute?”

“Sure,” said Harmony with a smile, and stepped aside to let her sister get in. The shower cubicles at the gym were large enough for at least four people to fit in, though Harmony never really got why.

“Thanks,” said Rhapsody. “I’m not used to water....” She lathered her hands with soap and started washing herself too, rather clumsily, and actually looking at Harmony and copying her gestures.

“You had sonic showers where you grew up?” Harmony asked.

“Yeah... of the very cheapskate kind.”

“Aww but those can be dangerous.”

Rhapsody didn’t reply, just shrugged and turned around. Harmony saw a nasty-looking, old burn that horribly wrinkled at least five square inches of skin on the small of her sister’s back, right below a falcon-shaped tattoo.

“Ohhhh!”

“I guess I was eight. These don’t go away.” Rhap washed over it nonchalantly to show it didn’t hurt.

“I’m sorry... we can have that fixed. We’ve got full medical insurance.”

Rhapsody shrugged again, and she looked sad for a moment. Then she turned around all cheered up and pinched Harmony’s belly. “I’m sure you could supply the flesh. Can I borrow?”

Harmony giggled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah please! Nah, actually, I don’t mind it.”

“Heh, sounds like you don’t mind eating.”

Harmony sighed dreamily, an image of chocolate cake in her mind. “Oh yesssss! But really, I don’t care about my body.”

“Yeah I’ve noticed. It’s fine by me, I ain’t shy either. Melody makes such a fuss about it.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s so annoying.”

Rhapsody snorted, as though she meant that ‘annoying’ was an understatement. The girls stayed in silence and just kept on washing for a few minutes before turning the water off. On her way to step out of the cubicle and join the others in the gym locker rooms, Rhapsody was pulled back by her sister.

“Rhap, though...” Harmony said, blushing just a little, “not everything that Mel says is crap, you know? She can get cranky over silly things, and I don’t like rules that much either... but you really should follow her advice sometimes. She does know better.”

“And if I don’t? I’m gonna get hit?” There was only a slight hint of cockiness in her voice now, though noticeable.

Harmony didn’t reply, just shrugged and kissed Rhapsody’s cheek, then walked out of the shower.

~*~

Melody rubbed at her temples with one hand and swiped her key card with the other. It had been a hectic day. In fact it had been a hectic couple of days. With moving to the new place and exams nearly every day this week, Melody had hardly had time for rest. Next week would be easier, she kept telling herself, once the first exams of the semester were out of the way. Not that less homework would really help much as Rhapsody was still being a pain in the neck. Using both hands to rub roughly at her head, Mel sank into her chair in the living room.

Suddenly, cool hands were at her neck, rubbing gently. Mel looked up to see Symphony and smiled.

“Rough day?” Symph cooed.

Mel sighed. “No more than usual. I’m just...”

“Just what?” asked Harmony as she emerged from her room and flopped on the couch.

“Nothing,” replied Mel.

“You want something to eat?” asked Symphony, already on her way to the kitchen.

Melody sat up, “I could get it myself, ya know.”

“You better not,” scolded Symphony sternly.

Harmony giggled and shrugged, “Better watch it Mel,” she said, “you start messing around in the kitchen and Symph will spank you.”

Before Melody could respond, the door opened and Rhapsody came in. Mel braced herself for another frustrating confrontation. Rhapsody was muttering under her breath.

“Tough day at school, sis?” asked Symphony from the kitchen.

“You could say that,” replied Rhap, tossing a piece of paper onto the table, and stalked off to her room.

Melody picked up the piece of paper and looked it over. It was an official reprimand for repeated crude and disruptive behaviour in Mr. Karanta’s class. Mel was aghast. Less than a week at the Academy and Rhapsody had already been reprimanded? She read the note over again to be sure. Angrily she stood up, note in hand and strode to Rhapsody’s room, entering without knocking.

“What the...” Rhap started from where she was lying on her bed, but was cut off by Mel.

“What’s this? An official reprimand?”

“That’s the way it looks, Mel.”

“This is important!” Melody shouted.

Rhapsody got to her feet. “Is it? Well maybe I don’t give a damn!” she shouted.

“Would you please watch your language?”

“Oh give me a break. If I had known what I was getting into...” Rhap left the sentence hanging.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you, Mel, I take care of myself!” Rhapsody was standing only inches away from Melody now, they were both shouting.

“Well you’re not dong a very good job of it if this note is any indication.”

“Piss off.” Rhapsody pushed past Melody and went for the door.

“Where do you think you’re you going?”

“Wherever I damn well please!” Rhapsody opened the door.

“You can’t,” said Melody, “You have to work on your Introduction Paper.”

“Who died and made you king?”

She regretted the words immediately, but she couldn’t take them back. Looking into the room with Symph in the kitchen, Harm on the couch and Mel standing in the living room, Rhapsody saw them all looking at her, shocked. Swallowing the tears that threatened to fall, Rhapsody turned and left.

Melody had spent the rest of the evening, and the whole night, locked away in her bedroom. If they pressed their ears to the door, Symphony and Harmony could hear her sniffling, and sometimes full-out bawling in her pillow. They could tell that their sister was trying to hide it, but without much success.

After yet another offer to talk, they gave up and retreated to their own bedrooms, feeling sad and misty. Symphony started a painting like she did every time she felt like crying, but that didn’t help: she too collapsed on the bed pretty soon, sobbing and hugging herself and wondering why on earth her cool new sister would be so difficult and could have said such a horrible thing on top of it all. Being a more self-confident kid, Harmony coped better, but she couldn’t get rid of the big pang in her heart and stomach either.

Finally the three remaining Nocturnes fell into an uneasy sleep, wondering where Rhapsody was and, more importantly, if she was okay.

The following morning found them in the living room, sleepy faces and all. There were signs of Rhapsody’s passage overnight – she’d taken a few of her schoolbooks, a jacket, and many of those Sugar Suckers she was addicted to. Also the official reprimand document had disappeared, but, much to Mel’s relief, she hadn’t packed things like she feared she would. That was little consolation though.

“You okay sis?” Symph asked as she offered Mel a mug of hot steaming coffee.

The girl shook her head. “It’s all my fault...”

Symphony sighed. Harmony, who was clothed probably just to make her sisters at ease, nestled on the couch aside her. “She’s just a little difficult,” she said.

“A *little*?” Melody raised her voice. Symphony tensed.

“You know what I mean,” Harm said, unmoved.

Melody shrugged. “Yeah. Just... I... well, I don’t know how she could ever say that.”

“Well she was angry and you don’t think straight when you’re angry,” Symph mumbled.

“I know that, but there should be limits. And she’s crossing ALL the lines,” said Mel.

“She doesn’t know that. She’s never had a family. And if she crosses the lines, then you...” Harmony started, then looked at her purple-haired sister, who blushed and looked into her coffee, “... then you really should do something about it.”

Melody nodded heavily, staring into space. Her face, once tight, soon twisted in a grimace, and it looked like she was keeping hard from crying again. “I know who died,” she said in a whimper, “but no-one made me king... I just... I just want to keep things going and you’d do the same for me, is *that* too much to ask??”

Both her sisters hugged her hard, and she hugged back. They stayed like that for a good while, not speaking, nor actually even crying beyond the occasional sniffle, but it felt good to hold each other. Finally Melody gently pushed her sisters away, and forced a smile.

“Thanks, girls... I... you’re right. It’s time I do something about it. But you two have to back me up.”

“Whaddaya mean?” Symphony asked, tilting her head to a side.

“Do I get to spank her?” Harm piped up.

“No.”

Harm pouted.

“I just mean, I’m gonna do it... but I want you two to be supportive. No ‘yeah Melody can get bossy’ stuff, no siding against me... we stick together. All *four* of us. Get it?”

“Yes, Melody,” they both said. And they meant it.

Rhapsody did not return before it was time to go to class so Mel nudged her sisters into preparing for the day and they all filed out of the apartment. At least it was a Friday and none of them had exams scheduled for the day.

For Melody, first was an hour of Interplanetary Law, followed by an hour of Art Appreciation, followed by an hour of Economics of the 20th Century. By the time her lunch hour rolled around, Melody couldn’t help but breath a sigh of relief. She was a big supporter of the diversification theme stressed by the Academy, but on this day, with her mind so preoccupied by the argument of the night before, the drudgery of non-military classes was more acutely felt than normal.

Melody’s lunch hour didn’t line up with any of her sisters’ on Friday so she picked at her food while reading a battered old copy of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Just as she was about to give up on the meal and make her way to class early, someone one sat down across the small table from her.

“Miss Nocturne.” It was Mr. Karanta from the Introductory classes.

Mel looked up in surprise. “Sir. Is this about Rhapsody?” Suddenly all manner of events ran through Mel’s mind concerning why Mr. Karanta would choose to talk to her in the mess hall. Was Rhap in trouble, was she hurt? Each scenario she concocted was worse than the last.

“It is,” replied the teacher. “I received your sister’s paper this morning and I must say...” he paused and smiled. “She may have had a rough start and… interesting diction, but she certainly knows what she wants from her time here. She’ll be getting full marks for on the paper.”

Melody’s jaw dropped. She realized she’d been holding her breath, expecting the worst. “That’s great news, sir,” she managed.

Mr. Karanta smiled. “The four of you are very special girls. I’m glad you were able to find her.” He stood and left, giving her one last smile.

“Me too, sir,” said Melody quietly.

~*~

Three and a half hours of combat training, practicing advanced ‘Open Hand’ or Karate had given Melody time to think a lot about what was waiting for her when she went home. She even spent more time in the shower than she normally would have, thinking about it. When she finally did get there, Harmony and Symphony were waiting for her.

“You’re still gonna do it, right?” said Harmony, noting the look on Melody’s face.

Mel nodded. “Yeah, I’m still going to do it. Maybe you two should make yourselves scarce, huh? Don’t want this to be harder on her than it has to be.”

Symph nodded. “I want to work on a painting I’ve been doing for Mr. Casillani anyway.” She smiled at Mel. “Good luck.” Then she disappeared into her room.

Harm hesitated. “Mel, she’s one of us. Ya know? Just one of the girls. Don’t treat her any different.”

Mel nodded. “I know.”

Less than a minute after Harm closed the door to her room, Rhapsody arrived home. She entered the living room to find Melody waiting for her, standing in the middle of the room, almost at attention.

“Good afternoon, Rhapsody,” Melody greeted.

Rhap raised an eyebrow. “Hey, Mel.”

“So... when did you get back last night?”

“Late,” Rhapsody shrugged. “I was in the library. Working on my paper.”

Melody nodded. “Right. I spoke to Mr. Karanta today, he said you will get good marks on it.”

“Yeah?”

“He seemed to be impressed. Not many can do that.”

Rhapsody put on a forced smile. “Excellent.”

There was awkward silence between the two of them for a minute or so. Rhapsody still stood in front of the door as though not sure whether or not she ought to come in.

“Rhap, we need to talk.”

“Hell, Melody, I just got home. Can’t this wait?

For a moment Melody was tempted to let it go, but only for a moment. “No. We need to talk now.”

Rhapsody sighed. “Fine. Talk.” She came into the room and sat on the arm of the couch.

“Let’s go to my room,” said Melody, “More privacy.”

“Sure.”

Melody led the way to her room and closed the door after Rhap, then turned to her sister and took a deep breath.

“Rhap, you need to understand that there are guidelines,” she started.

“I don’t want to hear about your damn guidelines!” snapped Rhapsody.

Melody felt her own temper flaring. “These aren’t *my* guidelines. They’re simple rules of courtesy when you live with other people!”

“Well I’m sorry I’m in your way. I’ll try not to bug you anymore.” Rhap reached for the door, but Mel stood in front of it, arms crossed.

“That’s not the way it works.”

“Not the way what works?”

“Being a family. Family doesn’t just try not to bug each other. They don’t just stay out of the way and hope nothing bad happens. They talk, they work through things. This is what you don’t seem to understand.”

“I understand all right. You’re a control freak.”

Melody shook her head. “Rhap, you’ve shirked your school work, disrespected your teachers and us, and have been callously rude to everyone. This cannot go on.”

“Fine then! I’ll leave, that’s what you want right? Get out of my way!”

“No.” Melody took hold of Rhapsody’s wrist.

Rhapsody gasped and narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Melody did not respond. Instead she stepped towards her bed and jerked Rhapsody along with her.

“Let go, damnit!”

Rhapsody jerked back and the two girls were locked in a brief test of strength that Melody won. She sat on her bed and pulled her sister down over her lap. Before she could take down Rhapsody’s pants though, Rhap kicked and squirmed, throwing herself out of her sister’s grip and to the floor. She started to get to her feet but soon found herself pinned to the floor on her tummy. Melody then managed to jerk Rhap’s pants and panties down in one swift movement. She knelt on Rhapsody’s thighs to keep them pinned and kept a hand in the middle of her back.

“No!” shouted Rhapsody. She put both hands over her now bared bottom but Melody easily took hold of them and pinned them to the small of her back. “No!!” she protested again, still struggling.

Taking a deep breath, Mel smacked Rhap’s bare bottom as hard as she could, leaving a white handprint that soon turned pink. Not every spank was so hard, in fact, none of them were that hard, but Melody kept up a steady stream of spanks that roamed all over Rhapsody’s skinny bottom and thighs all the way to the knees. The girl stopped truly struggling after the first several spanks but she still wiggled and kicked involuntarily.

Melody spanked longer than ever she had before, until Rhapsody’s bottom and thighs were bright crimson. And not once did Rhap shed a tear or cry out, she just grunted and gasped. After nearly ten minutes of spanking, Melody stopped and stood up. She winced at the hue of Rhapsody’s bottom. Rhap just laid there for a few moments before looking up. Melody knelt and offered her hand, which Rhapsody took to get to her feet. Once standing, Rhap stepped out of her lowered garments. She was breathing hard, her gaze was fixed on the floor.

Instinctively, Mel went to hug Rhap, just like she would have Harm or Symph but paused, her hands on Rhap’s shoulders. Rhap stiffened and Mel was about to let go when she remembered what Harm had said. ‘Just one of the girls. Don’t treat her any different.’ The embrace was tight but brief.

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” said Rhap. Mel let her go and Rhap was gone.

Melody sank onto her bed, exhausted.

She barely heard the knock on her door, a few minutes later. In the hallway, Harmony had to knock twice before her sister replied with a muffled “come in.” When the red-haired Nocturne walked in, with only a blanket wrapped around her, she found Mel on her bed, head in the pillow. She wasn’t crying, just... laying there.

“Tough go?” Harmony inquired.

Melody just nodded.

“Did you spank her?”

“Yeah... I’m surprised you didn’t listen in.”

“Well, not much to hear, you know. She didn’t cry.”

Melody rolled over to face her sister. “So you *have* been eavesdropping.”

“Umm... the temptation was strong...” Harmony admitted, with a blush. She sat on the bed and let the blanket fall in a heap around her waist. “Sorry, Mel. I just thought that...”

“It’s okay,” Melody conceded. She wasn’t in for another fight right now, and this was family business anyway. “I don’t think she’s getting it, though.”

“Sounded like she *was* getting it alright!” Harmony exclaimed, and that made her sister smile.

“I mean... yeah... she doesn’t grasp the concept of discipline. I’m afraid it’s all wasted on her. I spanked her because I want her to improve and live by the rules for once... and I think she thinks I bashed her or something, because she put up a fight and I had to wrestle her to the ground, and… and I can’t stand that.” Melody said that in one long breath, running a hand through her cropped short dirty-blonde hair.

Harmony sighed, then moved on the bed to snuggle with Melody, who gently welcomed her sister’s body against hers. Harm wrapped the warm blanket around both, tucked it in and rested her head in the crook of Mel’s neck.

“Alright, so she doesn’t get it,” Harmony said, “but she will, eventually. You did the right thing, and you know it.”

Melody nodded absent-mindedly, then a thought flashed through her mind and she raised an eyebrow. “You would have spanked *me* if I didn’t spank her, right?”

Again Harmony blushed, just a little, then kissed her sister’s cheek twice and shook her head. “You’ll never know.”

Melody sighed and just nestled closer, and soon the girls fell asleep.

~*~

Rhapsody had neglected to close the bathroom door all the way in her hurry to be by herself. Through the small crack, Symphony spied her sister nursing a very red bottom and couldn’t help but whimper faintly in sympathy. Never had her own backside, or Harmony’s, looked that bad after a spanking. Rhapsody looked over at the noise, so Symphony pushed the door open and entered.

“Are you okay?” she asked, closing the door behind her.

“I’ve been beaten, Symph,” replied Rhapsody. “Look, it’s marked all over.”

“Aw, I’m sorry,” wailed Symphony in sympathy and, her eyes filling with tears, she hurried to her sister to hug her gently. “It was a spanking, Rhap. The marks will go soon.”

Rhapsody shrugged, and then returned the hug, hard pressed to deny her own tears. “It’s okay,” she whispered soothingly. “It’s okay.”

“Really?” asked Symphony.

Rhapsody sighed and pulled away from her sister. She leaned against the wall, sighing at the feeling of the cool tile on her tortured bum. “I... I think that maybe I deserved it.”

Symphony lowered her eyes.

“You think I deserved it, don’t you?”

“Kinda.”

Rhapsody chuckled. “Just don’t tell Mel.”

Symphony smiled. “I won’t. I promise.”

– The End –

This story does not necessarily represent the authors’ point of view about anything. It is simply a work of fiction. The characters herein portrayed are invented and do not resemble reality to the best of the authors’ knowledge. This account is entirely fictitious. Any similarities to other persons, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

This story is written for the sane amusement of adult readers. It does not intend harm and does not promote violence of any kind, including spanking. No offence is meant to any group, ethnicity or individuals.

The authors do not necessarily endorse the non-consensual disciplinary spanking of actual children and/or teenagers.

Copyright © 2004 Haley Brimley, Lawrence Kinden. Contact for information and/or feedback.