Warning: This story is for 18 year olds or older and contains descriptions of sexual contact between teenage males. If it is illegal for you to read, or you find the subject objectionable, read no further. All characters are imaginary. I hope you like it. eliotmoore@hotmail.com

If you are here on the midway then you have come to the carnival seeking entertainment, company and of course excitement. There are a dazzling array of rides suited your every mood. There are gentle rides that conjure up soft memories of youth and rides that lift you from the dreariness of your grind and send you flying ageless through the night. There are also the side shows...

If you are here then you are in the house of mirrors captivated by the reflections around you. They are all curved in some way. Every mirror is imperfect and every mirror draws your attention to something new. The mirrors magnify or diminish parts of what we think is real. Sometimes you like what you see and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you believe what you see and sometimes you can't be sure what has been distorted. The distortions are intentional and we flatter ourselves into believing the mirrors only stand arrayed like this in such places as the midway. Before you go back to the mirrors of your life step closer to this one.

Turbulence

Chapter 1, Getting your feet wet

An idea whose time has come

A picture is worth a thousand words, Friday, June 4th

It was almost time to send everyone to the Gymnasium. Mr. Petri sat at his desk with his feet up. The classroom had been stripped of its year of accumulated displays and the students had bagged or chucked everything to take home. He could relax with the eighth graders now. They had been a good group of kids and he knew they were excited about moving on to the high school. Melissa asked, "Why do we have to be Freshies?" Petri played with his pen while considering the answer.

"High School is very different from what you know. You've worked hard, but all your teachers have been right there for you. It won't be the same in September. Grade nine is confusing and most of you will find your marks drop. The high school has found that if a grade twelve is picked to be your mentor for the first year you will find things easier."

Daniel gave that some thought. "But sometimes you see the Freshies at the mall doing crazy stuff, all dressed up"

"I've seen guys dressed like girls kissing each other. How sick is that?" piped in Arlo. Daniel nodded agreement.

Petri frowned at this. He thought that he had managed to establish some measure of toleration in the class. "Remember, we need to respect transgender expressions of love. It's wrong to poke fun at cross-dressers." fourteen-year-olds were so hard on anyone different.

"He means fags and drag queens." muttered Simon. Arlo glanced over at Daniel. They had talked it over and agreed that they wouldn't let themselves get pushed around.

"This is not the same as the old Freshie Days I experienced when I was going into grade nine." The class rolled its eyes collectively. Nobody needed to hear another story about the old days from Mr. Petri. " Riverview High School , where most of you will be going has stopped all that nonsense."

Daniel had another thought. "Mr. Petri, why don't we get to pick the grade twelve we have to work with?"

"Yeh" said Maud "What if they put me with some guy?" Daniel was not sure if she thought this was good or bad. Petri took her seriously and quickly responded.

"Yes, the school might pair you with a boy," Arlo leaned over and poked Daniel, then gave him the finger. "But we know you will be responsible." Daniel was intimidated by the idea of some seventeen-year old girl coming on to him. He saw himself hanging out with the football team. He tried not to make much of it, but he was pretty much top of his grade, so someone to help him with his homework seem stupid. What he thought he needed was someone who'd take him to parties; maybe he would get someone who could give him advice on handling girls better than he seemed to. He turned to look at Mandy. She had turned around to say something to Greg.

The bell intruded on the class's meditation. Twenty-six pairs of eyes locked on Mr. Petri's face in anticipation of his next words. Petri told them to go directly to the gymnasium where Riverview High School students would organize them for the all important freshie auction. Everyone with an older brother or sister had explained the pictures.

The noise level grew as the students approached the gym. It was a welcome break for a bunch of kids marking time till the end of the year. It was also their first step into the exciting world of high school.

Arlo glanced at Daniel and commented; "I picked the jersey so someone on a team picks me" Daniel wasn't so sure. He looked pretty much like he always did: kind of Tommy Hilfiger/skater dude: Loose and colorful. This pretty much let him blend into the crowd at school. Brand name means same. His mom had told him it wouldn't help to stand out. She seemed almost as nervous about his going to high school as he was.

When they all got to the gym the sixty or so eighth graders migrated into a clump. Daniel looked around for Mandy and Greg but he couldn't see them through the crowd. It all seemed like a mosh pit to Daniel and Arlo. Before long someone told the crowd of chattering girls to be quiet and the mass of boys to stop shoving and bumping into each other. The girls got shuffled into a group on the far side of the gym and the boys were herded onto the bleachers by some SRC/jocks. Daniel knew the type. He liked his sports, but didn't hang with the spirit group. Some big high school boys started to organize the thirty boys into some order. Daniel sat next to Arlo until he was called down by a boy with a clip board. Daniel tried to pick Mandy out of the line of girls heading out the door.

Mandy struggled with her bag as she moved down the hallway. She had counted on a little time to get ready for the picture. Girls were asking for mirrors and adding gloss to their already glistening lips. Her older brother had left her only one word of advice: don't get picked. "Okay you little bitches get in side." Mandy tossed the bag against the wall and slipped the glasses onto her nose. She had done as much as she could. She wondered where Greg and Daniel were.

All of the talk seemed pointless to him now so he sat in silence as the first group left the gym. As the minutes stretched on Daniel grew bored. He wished he had brought a game with him. He didn't understand why it was taking so long. Class pictures only took about twenty minutes and that was with the girls. He wondered why the pictures were not just taken in the gym like usual. Daniel was called down with the second group by an aggressive looking senior.

The line of boys backed up in front of the Art Room door. "They can make you do whatever they want, you know." Simon had turned back towards Daniel, forcing him to back-peddle into Chow. Chow elbowed him forward.

"What?" Daniel was feeling a little light headed. The thin boy kept staring at him and Daniel was drawing a blank. Freshie year had seemed a long way off to him and grade nine was a mystery. His class mates had joked about serving a master, but their predictions were lost in a fog of fantasy and ignorance. The boys shuffled and talked among themselves. Daniel and Chow leaned against the brightly colored mural.

"I sure hope I don't get a fag. If you're not tough a fag will buy you." He glanced at Chow and then back to the head of the line wondering when the door would open. "My brother promised to get me a cheer leader. She'll make a man of me." This Daniel had heard before. It had been something to laugh at in class, but he didn't feel like talking about getting his rocks off with Simon. Boners were pretty personal to him. Chow gave him a little push and he elbowed him reflexively.

Daniel turned back to Chris. "Arlo's sister said it was no big deal. She said she just went to a couple of keggers." Chris shrugged. Daniel thought Kim was cool. She didn't have time for Arlo and his "queer" friends. True, she had called him cute and even dropped him off at home once when it was raining. She wasn't in grade eleven yet so Daniel was still no closer to her than his next shower.

"Why don't they just use our school pictures?" Daniel didn't like his photos and his mom was always taking them.

***

Denver stepped through the door and scanned the line. "What a collection" he thought to himself. Skinny red hair, blue eyes... tight, looks bright... bad nose, needs a hair cut... too fat... must have failed a year... there's one. His eyes paused on Daniel's open face and shock of blond hair. The clothes hung loosely on the kid, but from the way he carried himself you had a feeling there was something there. A little young for grade nine though... might be one. Daniel caught black shirt looking at him and looked away quickly. God the guy was big. He looked like the university players he watched on T.V. "Okay, fresh meat, get inside." The boys shuffled forward through the door.

Denver watched them move, then on an impulse he grasped the cute kid's shoulder and pushed him aside with his other hand on his chest. When the dark kid walked past he pushed the kid through the door. He'd been right, hard meat. You could feel the heat and the kid smelled good too. Daniel barely registered the attention as he moved past. It just didn't feel like school to him. None of the teachers had been around since they were called to the gym. There were four eleventh graders in the room and they seemed to tower over the twelve eight graders. Simon smiled at the older boys and cracked, "hey bro's what's up?" A giant with a fiery constellation of zits stepped close and twisted the Simon's tit until he collapsed to his knees with tears in his eyes.

"What's your name you little queer?" He increased the pressure on the boy's nipple.

The kid gasped, "Aw, you're hurting me!"

"Call me 'master' dick breath."

"You're hurting me - Master!" The master let go and pushed the skinny kid down when he tried to get up.

"That's my brother Simon, lighten up." This came from a heavier version of Simon with a grim look on his face. The Pimple, as Daniel decided to call him, replied, that respect was still due and told Simon to kiss his foot and thank him for teaching him manners. A much subdued Simon did what he was told. Then Simon's brother surprised the boys with a terse, "strip off your shirts girls. Just pretend you are having a grab and jerk circle at one of your gay parties" The boys glanced at each other, then at the Pimple and started self consciously pulling off t-shirts. Daniel kept his eyes off the others and caught Black Shirt's eyes on him.

Denver felt a stir. Flat muscular abs, tight buns, and long legs leading to the front of the jeans: just a hint of a tight little package. Denver knew there were seniors who would take an interest in this kid.

Troy was bored with the whole deal. The little geeks were only worth beating up and he didn't need to look at skinny boys. He wanted to check out the pussy potential down the hall. They might keep him off the chicks today, but after the auction closed at the end of the week it was plowing time. He glanced over at Denver and sneered to himself. Everyone thought Denver was a hero with a ball; teacher's pet for sure; even hot chicks hung out with him; parents had too much money; but he knew Denver was a screaming queen for all of that. Troy looked back at the shrinking Freshies and squinted at them. Denver would pay to look at these pricks... probably creaming his jeans right now planning how to fuck them. I may fuck some of you over next year, but Denver 's likely to suck your balls right out of your bags and fuck you doggy style till your ass hole turns inside out. He just wasn't the same guy Troy had known in junior high. "Okay jerk-wads, here's the drill. Stand in front of the blue screen for your pictures. Trace is gonna take one of your girly bodies. Smile like you just felt up your best friend. Try not to get a hard-on looking at each other. And don't do a damned thing without our say so or it's your ass."

Daniel waited his turn trying hard not to touch or be touched. He was lucky he wasn't the first because Jeff got his bag poked for reaching for his shirt. Simon's brother put his foot on Jeff's neck while he was down and told him he forgot to thank him for the lesson in manners. Daniel got the message: do nothing unless told to, and always thank a master. Daniel tried it out later when he thanked The Pimple for letting him put his shirts back on. He was rewarded by a smile from Black Shirt.

"What happens next?" asked Chris, another kid trying to get along with the older boys. The Pimple frowned at him and then smiled.

"Well, first you get taught not to speak to your masters without permission... Then you go back to class." While The Pimple grabbed Chris by his shirt collar Daniel got up the nerve to raise his hand.

"What is it Kid?" Black Shirt asked. He didn't look mean, so Daniel felt he was still on safe ground.

"Please, -- master" he quickly added, "When do we find out who our mentor is going to be?" The high school boys seemed incredibly angry to Daniel and he couldn't figure out why they were being such bullies.

Simon's brother stepped forward to answer him. "Your pictures are posted on the school's Fresh-bay web site and seniors bid on your skinny ass for a week. Bidding closes Friday at 12:00. Your Master will pick you up at this sad little kindergarten at 3:30 so don't try to slip away." he started to turn away when he saw Chris's hand go up. "What is it you toad?"

"What if nobody buys you?" Chris was trying not to struggle as the Pimple held on to him. Chris was a tough guy around the school and it was funny to see him getting pushed around by the grade elevens.

The Pimple replied, "Oh you'll get bought, even if you only make a dollar. Every freshie gets a mentor. It's part of the activity fees." The Pimple dragged Chris over to the chalk board and grabbed a meter stick, then dragged him over to the teacher's desk, shoving him down and leaning on his neck. "Line up you tools, your bum buddy needs a lesson." The eleven boys came over slowly and looked at Chris's tense body bent over the desk, face turned away from them. "Take the stick and whack his ass." The Pimple slapped the stick into Chow's hand. Chow looked at the stick and then Chris's butt. He took a half-hearted swat at Chris, who flinched at the touch on his jeans. "Hard you pussy" The Pimple said snatching the meter stick and landing a jarring blow to Chris's cheeks. Having demonstrated for the boys, he handed the stick back to Chow. Chris made a little noise as Chow juggled the stick back into position and whacked his classmate with a little more force. As each boy took his turn Daniel stomach fluttered. This was not something he could do. Simon really hauled off and hit Chris hard. The tension in his body when he gave the meter stick to Daniel suggested he was up for another blow. Simon had taken a bit of abuse from the bigger boy, but Daniel felt a flash of anger when he saw the smart-mouthed shrimp hit his friend.

It was Daniel's turn now. It felt wrong to hit his friend. The big boys scared him now. His chest tightened and he felt short of breath, but Daniel dropped the stick on the floor. The Pimple glared at him, rolled his eyes to heaven, and then straight armed him. Taken completely by surprised, Daniel staggered backward, tripped and sprawled across the floor against a desk.

"Next." said the Pimple as if nothing had happened. The next few boys took their turns without comment or even a glance in Daniel's direction. When the last blow had been delivered The Pimple leaned over to whisper dangerously in Chris's ear, "what do you say fruit cake?"

"Thank you master" Chris responded hoarsely.

The Pimple leaned down again and remarked. "Be a good freshie from now on and next June I'll see you'll get laid." He let Chris get up and gave him a friendly little shove over to the rest of the group. "Okay you limp dicks, head back to class. You're still grade eights for another week. As the boys left he turned his gaze on Daniel sitting, arms wrapped around his Knees, head down. "Next"

"This is getting out of hand" remarked Simon's brother. "I've got things to do and there is no time for this."

Denver stirred himself and added. "Yeh, this is getting lame. If it wasn't for the time out of class I'd bail on the whole thing. You guys get the next group started and I'll deal with this. "And Troy ", Denver said to the guy Daniel called the Pimple, "take it down a notch, you have a whole year to prove your as tough as Terrence Shipley; may that psycho get his balls shot off on his next patrol!"

"Amen to that! Don't have too much fun there Denver ... Your boy friend will get jealous and bitch slap you."

"Whatever. Hey kid, get up." Daniel got up, but kept his gaze away from Troy . As the other three grade elevens moved to the door to collect the next group Denver put his hand on Daniel's shoulder. Daniel flinched at the sudden contact. He didn't look at Denver , but he shrank from the boy towering over him. "What is your name kid?"

"Daniel Murrell" Daniel gave Denver a quick glance; as the next group of boys shuffled in Denver guided Daniel out into the hallway. Denver didn't have a good destination in mind until he saw an old janitor coming out of her work room. He recognized her and drawing on one of his talents dredged her name out of the past.

"Hi Lucy, how's it going?" Mrs. Parker paused for a moment before her face broke into a smile.

"Why Denver Hawk you grace our humble halls with your blarney once again. Could it be that you are finally graduating?"

"Yes indeed the Blackhawk flies free next spring." There was nothing wrong with Mrs. Parker so he gave her a genuine smile. "How is Dorothy doing this year?" He knew it would please Lucy to know he remembered her somewhat unlovely daughter.

"Gosh! She is at Grad School now."

"May I borrow your room for a few minutes? Daniel here is a little confused about next year and I need some place to talk to him." Flash another smile. Mrs. Parker took in Daniel standing beside the older boy and nodded once before moving down the hallway with her cart.

"Sure, help yourself." She glanced quickly back to add, "You be good to Daniel now, he's one of the nice ones." Yes indeed thought Denver , he is one of the nice ones.

"Come into my office Freshie." Daniel walked into the tight room and waited while Denver closed the door and locked it. He figured he had a while with the kid. The boy wasn't looking at him so he sat on the desk and started in a calm voice. "Daniel, look at me." Daniel turned and looked into the friendly eyes. Denver surprised him by reaching forward, grabbing his belt and drawing him closer. "Kid, you're going into high school next year. If you follow the crazy rules you'll be fine; you'll make some cool friends; earn some respect. You know?" he gave a couple of playful tugs on the belt.

"I guess." Daniel shrugged. He was feeling confused. The school talked about the value of freshie year. He wanted to get along next year. Riverview High was a big school. But picture taking had been brutal. The room smelled of chemicals and garbage. Daniel was not comfortable with Denver 's holding on to his pants. He wanted to step away, but he was afraid the high school student would hit him like the other one had.

"Daniel" He glanced back at Denver . "There are responsibilities in high school and when you make a mistake you take the consequences. Yes?" Daniel nodded slightly. "Are you ready to face the consequences now?" Daniel was still. "I can be on your side, but you can't duck Freshie year." Denver focused on the boy's face as he seemed to be thinking things through. His eyes were drawn to the spot where the boy's ear merged with the jaw line. He followed the line down to his chin and up to his lips and the slight movement of his left nostril. He finally made eye contact with Daniel's open gaze.

"Alright --- master." Denver tried to remain impassive as he pulled the now ridged boy forward with a handful of his T-shirt and then down across his lap. He silently held him in place with a firm hand to his shoulder. Daniel's butt was tensed, squeezed together with the shock this turn of events had brought.

Denver 's eyes traveled along the curve of Daniel's back and the flat of his hand came down with a sharp snap, impacting suddenly on the soft mounds of the boy's buttocks. The boy tensed and rippled under his hands as Denver repeated the blows. Denver stopped at five. Denver pushed the boy off his leg and then slowly flipped Daniel to his feet. "What do you say?"

With tears in his eyes Daniel whispered "Thank you master". Daniel took a step back and froze. Denver wanted to draw him back and taste the tears on his lips, tell him that he was really a friend, but he knew that this would not be the time. "Go to your class." Then when Daniel silently turned to go, a warning "freshie..." He watched Daniel pause.

"Thank you master." and then the boy was gone.

Denver and Mark, Friday evening

Denver and Mark made love after school. Mark was a dark elf finishing grade ten. After six months Denver was feeling a little consumed by his relationship with the Mark. Denver always held something of himself back even in their most intimate moments; Mark never did. Denver might have characterized sex as sharing. For Mark it was giving to the point of surrender. Denver held some rational distance to his relationships; Mark would have no perspective. The pattern had been set when they became aware of each other at Christmas.

Predictably, Denver was working the crowd. Predictably, Mark was hanging back watching the scenery. It's not that Denver was the center of attention anywhere he went. In a school of 2000 or so people it was easy to be anonymous. Still, he was known by many. Denver made people feel accepted. Denver was the oil that smoothed relations in a group. He helped people fit together. Rowdies at a party unconsciously avoided Denver because even tanked Denver was about conversation and good will. People knew he had a weakness though. He raged against the whole freshie thing. It made him a few friends, but it had made him enemies as well.

The party was in one of the older neighborhoods and the small house was crowded with people trying to forget that the Christmas break was over. Mark had come to the party with friends. They were arguing about the finer points of some game. Mark had other interests and was only making polite noises as he drank a beer. Denver drifted into the conversation and stayed a little longer than he planned. He hadn't seemed to notice Mark in the group. Mark noticed him. He was drawn to their differences: Denver 's size and fair looks, his easy manner. He had a thin face and unruly shock of blond hair. Mark thought Denver was a Toledo blade: bright and sharp. When he left the circle to talk with yet another acquaintance Mark found he had started tracking the eleventh grader's movements around the room.

Denver found it much easier to keep track of Mark as the party progressed. The grade ten was still sitting with his friends in the corner of the dining room. Mark was an exquisite stiletto: Thin and flexible with perfect balance. A six sense told Denver to be back at Mark's group in time to pick him up. Mark's friends were ready to leave, but he was hanging back. Frankly, he wanted to keep watching Denver while he figured out some way to get him to notice him. Denver finally made it easy by cutting into the discussion with, "Well I guess Mark is leaving with me then." followed by a frank smile at the tongue-tied grade ten. After Mark had ditched his friends Denver eased him over to an interesting group who recognized him from his funny role in the fall production. Mark didn't notice when Denver moved on to talk with a freshie sitting by herself. He did not reappeared until later when the party was getting rowdy. "Let's head out now" and suddenly, Mark was ready to leave. He followed Denver out.

"You want to stop by my place?" Denver asked as they crunched their way down the snow covered street to where Denver 's car was parked. Mark's throat tightened and he wanted this to come out right.

"Sure. Sounds good" He let the distance close between them on the path. He felt an emotional shock when his elbow and shoulder brushed against the older boy. A few steps later he felt Denver make a second contact. In the shadows both boys felt the passion rise between them. As Denver stood near him to unlock the passenger door Mark touched his shoulder and asked, " Denver ?" The tall blond turned to look down at him. Denver reached out to ruffle the back of his neck, and then bent down to kiss Mark full on the lips. Denver swung Mark around against the car in a tight embrace. He felt Mark's arms slide around inside his jacket and start to caress his back. Denver slid his right hand down the back of Mark's pants and slid the fingers of his left down behind Mark's belt buckle to feel the heat of his groin. The younger boy's cock rose to brush Denver 's finger tips.

They didn't speak much as they drove to Denver 's house. Mark followed Denver silently out to the back yard where Denver pulled a cover off the hot tub. Steam boiled up through the cold air like a pot on the stove. The steam mixed with the soft snow flakes drifting down from the sky reflecting the city lights. Denver put his finger to his lips and slipped into the kitchen while Mark stared at the dark windows of the house and the snow falling past his eyes. Denver returned with a bottle of whiskey. He took a long pull from it and then handed it to Mark. He smiled and took a drink. The whisky burned down to his guts. When he looked back at Denver , he had pulled his coat and shirt off. He stepped closer to Mark and took the bottle from him, gently putting it down on the edge of the hot tub. Then, in a few graceful moves, he helped Mark remove his coat and T-shirt. Mark shivered as the wet flakes landed on his torso. Denver 's fingers played across his chest and back. In the dark, to the accompaniment of the gurgling water, Denver explored Mark's body. They took their shoes off and then Denver 's hands drifted down to Mark's belt. Denver knelt, and slowly undid Mark's pants. Mark's cock began to swell as Denver slowly pulled the fabric away from his hips and down his legs.

***

Over their months together they had developed their small routines made easier by Denver 's dad's frequent absences. Love making was established ritual of mutual satisfaction. They did it almost any time of the day. After six months sex had subtexts. Denver kept his distance at school. They were friends and Denver had made it clear to Mark that he wouldn't tolerate intimacy in public. Kissing, touching and talk was for when they were alone. It was just a matter of style. Mark needed more, and that frustrated him. By June he was trying to deal with his anxiety about Denver 's impending freshie. Denver wasn't telling him anything. The majority of grade twelve students paid little attention to the whole process and ignored their mentoring responsibilities. For bullies it was a chance to hurt. For the civic-minded it was a chance to feel useful; for a few, it was a turn-on. Mark knew Denver was going to pay for a freshie. Mark was worried about his motives.

The boy's rolled apart and Denver admired Mark's smooth body as he slid off the bed and went into the bathroom. Denver 's thoughts drifted to the boy he had encountered that afternoon. He had just been another good looking junior high kid till he had stood there and dropped the stick. He had suddenly turned into a person. When Troy pushed him across the room it had been hard to contain his anger. The incredible prick: Hadn't he any memory of the summer he went into grade nine? Denver had kept it together and tried to hold to his plan. He had gone to the elementary school to fight the system that had hurt him so badly two years before. Now he felt confused. The private moments with the boy had opened the door to feelings Denver had not been aware of: desire and dominance.

Denver remembered the feel of Daniel in his arms. His muscles had rippled under his arm; the smooth butt cheeks below the pants had invited his touch. He remembered the tears clouding the boy's eyes as he looked up at Denver with that hurt look of one betrayed. Denver could still hear the sound of his breath and voice. The feelings were there even when he tried to stop them. He remembered Daniel's lips.

Mark came back and wrapped himself around Denver 's hips. He started to suck Denver 's cock. Denver had thought he was too spent, but his cock responded to Mark's touch. Denver closed his eyes to focus on the sensations of tongue, lips and hot breath. His heart hurt when he came. It was Daniel's lips he was responding to.