Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:25:19 +0100 (BST)
From: Jonas Henley <jonas_henley@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: the-dawson-exclusion-1968-3

The Mackey Tails
By Jonas Henley

The Dawson Exclusion



1968
Indian Spring Community
On the edge of a large city in Ohio



Part III


Elijah shoved the two boys into the center of attention. Sean looked a bit
battered but relieved. He was at least in front of witnesses should Elijah
try anything else. He certainly wasn't leaving this clearing alone, not
with Titus out there somewhere -- and definitely not with Elijah.

Holden on the other hand looked literally battered and anything but
relieved. He looked wary and cautious, if you were being magnanimous; maybe
nervous, bordering on scared shitless, if you were being honest. His ordeal
with Titus had definitely shaken up the normally calm and sure 13 year old;
but, unlike Sean, he wasn't so sure he didn't want to go back. Holden knew
exactly where he was, and at exactly what time of the year it was. And he
knew that he shouldn't be here.

For that matter, neither should Sean.

"Well, well, Elijah."  Bart started. He loved seeing a long plan come to
fruition, though he wasn't particularly happy to see Holden there, as
well. To be honest, he wasn't particularly pleased to see Elijah.  "What
have you brought us?"

"Caught these two poofers pilfering! Found them at my still, trying to
steal my moonshine. You know what should happen to Mackeys who bring in
outsiders to other people's stills?"

Elijah ran his fingers menacingly through Holden's brown, unruly hair,
smiling an evil smile and enjoying watching Randall's son squirm. Holden
didn't know exactly what they would do about THAT, but he was worried about
one other by-law of the Mackey code. Unfortunately, Sean fell for the trap.

"He didn't bring an outsider!"  Sean yelled, simply trying to save Holden
from getting punished, or at least, that was his intent; but the road to
despair is paved with ill-informed intentions.

"Shut up, Sean! Don't!"  Holden tried to cut him off, but their wires were
crossed, and Sean was already yelling it:

"I'm a Mackey! I claim being a Mackey! My great-grandfather was a Mackey!"

"No, Sean don't!"  But some boys had already grabbed a hold on Holden
Mackey and started dragging him over to the logs, and he wasn't able to
stop Sean from making his mistake.

"Who was your great-grandfather?"  Grayson Mackey asked the boy.

Grayson was a grandson of Judah Mackey and should be living out at The
Farm, which would put him in with the 10th Kinset, but his mom wanted her
kids in the newer County schools, which meant moving back into Indian
Spring --- barely. After the great Still explosion in 1958 that killed
Jackson Mackey and two of his great-nephews, as well as an unidentified
County boy, Jackson's wife no longer wanted to live in the area, so she and
Horace Mackey switched houses, and Horace moved his boys into the Spring,
albeit into the Very Deep. Grayson was 7 at the time, but now he
represented the 1st and 3rd Kinsets on the Council, although he was a lot
closer to Bart, Duane, and Paul's interests than many of the rest of James
III's descendants were comfortable with, including his little brother
Micah.

It was at this point, though, that Sean finally realized what he was seeing
in the clearing beyond Bart. Seven boys, all about his age, bent over a
series of padded log benches, with their asses on full display and their
full moons directed toward an audience of boys. And it wasn't that they
were simply mooning the boys, they rather seemed to be in some state of
punishment, or on review. And it wasn't just their asses they were
flashing, They were stark naked. Totally naked, not a stitch on.

The sight was something Sean had never encountered. He was floored and
momentarily speechless, that is, until Bart snapped his fingers a few times
in the boy's face.

"So do you know, Sean? Answer the Council."

"Know . . . . ?"  The boy asked, still a bit dazed from what he had seen.

"Do you know who your great-grandfather was?"

"Yeah, I know. I saw it in my father's desk and asked him about it once. My
Grandpa Sam is Samuel Dawson, and he married my grandma, Agnes Mackey. Her
dad was Nathaniel Mackey and his dad was . . . uh . . . Jared . . . Jared
Mackey. Anyways, he came from Oliver Mackey, who came from Michael McKee,
who came from Scotland, so there!"

"Good enough for me," Bart said with a smile, all the while Holden was
trying to tell Sean to shut up, except another boy had his hand over his
mouth. Bart nodded to Grayson and after a quick conference with the others,
Grayson announced the decision:

"The Mackey Youth Council recognizes Sean Dawson as a full-fledged Mackey,"
Grayson said.

"Good," Bart said.  "Now . . . ."

"Wait, Bart," Darren Mackey, also on the Council, "before we get down to
the next order of business, someone tell me why he still has his clothes
on!"

Sean looked up in surprise and saw that Darren was pointing at Holden.

"No! NO!!"

The boy that had been keeping Holden quiet had removed his hand, but Holden
was still struggling against the two older boys holding him in place by the
logs.

"What are you doing to him??"  Sean said, attempting to run over and help
his friend, but he too was stopped by two other Mackeys.

"Calm, Sean, I'll explain it all to you in a minute."  Bart then turned his
attention back to Holden.  "Under the circumstances . . . ."

"No circumstances!"  Some boy shouted from the crowd of witnesses.

Bart looked back over the group and saw the grumbling faces and the others
expecting rules to be followed. It was then that Bart changed his face. He
put on his showman's face.

"Now you," he said, addressing Holden, "you know full well the rules. You
were passed over last year and left off the Choosing List, BUT you were not
given an official exemption, which means two things: You cannot use the
Official Bottoms, and you cannot come down here on Choosing Day."

Bart was about to tell the boy he had to leave, and that he had to leave
Sean there, but Grayson stood up again and yelled out (accompanied by an
applause from the other boys in the audience):

"Tell me, Holden, what's the punishment for a 13 year old who hasn't been
in a Choosing and hasn't received an exemption, if he comes to Choosing
Day? I know you know it, because your cousin Will told you."

Will Mackey at this point looked uncomfortable and angry. But he was also
helpless to do anything. It was true; he had told Holden. He told him again
just last week. He couldn't do anything to help his little cousin.

Holden had gone completely white, his face showing the fear and
astonishment of what this meant. Yeah, he knew what the automatic
punishment was; and he had never thought he would have to face it. He
slowly shook his head, trying to undo even the knowledge with which his own
brain was confronting him. Will had told him. If you show up at the
Choosing, you'll be stripped naked and turned over a bench like every other
boy there, except he would start with a 5 point penalty.

"No, no, please, I . . . . I didn't want to come here! Elijah drug me
here!!"

That was true, but Elijah countered it.

"He told me he was stealing the moonshine to bring up here. So I made sure
he didn't get lost."

"Stealing 'shine Holden?"  Will asked, amazed.

"And saying you were going to bring it here?"  Bodie Mackey looked like he
had been slapped.

Bodie was a swing vote that Will could count on to normally maintain
balance against Bart's excesses, whenever Darren and Grayson had been cowed
by the charismatic President. Bodie represented the 2nd and 5th Kinsets,
and Holden had lost his support.  "If you weren't so high and mighty, you
and your family, and you could have joined us last year for the Choosing
like you should have, you would know that `shine, or any other alcohol, is
strictly forbidden at the Choosing. And forbidden for anybody to drink any
before coming to the Ceremony."

"Easy now, Bodie," Will said, "Don't go attacking his family. They're good
people and you know it."

"Are you condoning stealing from another man's still?"

"No, I'm not. But don't everybody start equating some 13 year old prank
with being suddenly anti-Mackey. And besides, it's still Elijah's word
against Holden."

"Well, ask him, you dumb shit."  Elijah blurted out.  "See if he'll lie to
you; I bet he's too afraid to lie good right now."

Will tried to ignore Elijah and he asked Holden if it were true. Holden did
try to deny it, but he looked down briefly in shame, before he looked up in
defiance.  "It was just two jars! It's the first time I ever did something
like this. I can make up for it. Please, not this!!"

"You're going over those logs, Holden," Bodie said menacingly, "but you
understand, that it isn't because you tried to take -- I mean STEAL -- some
'shine. It's because you showed up here with the audacity of thinkin'
you're something special that you don't have to follow the same rules and
traditions as the other boys. You were told what would happen of you showed
up, and here you are. So strip!"

Bart didn't like this part. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Holden's face again blanched. He was no longer struggling against the two
boys holding him there.  "But . . . but . . . . I didn't come here 'cause I
wanted! I only said that to get away from Elijah and Titus! You don't know
what they were going to do to me and Sean!! They were going to rape us!!"

"Bull shit!"  Elijah spat out.  "If I was going to fuck you, you wouldn't
be walking straight."

"He's telling the truth!"  Sean blurted out. Although he didn't qualify
which Mackey was telling the truth, everyone assumed he meant Holden. But
no one really listened. They were watching Bart's reaction. Bart had gone
from looking unsure of the direction things were going to a 180 on Holden.

"What did you say, you little brat?"  Bart said, eyes narrowed with malice
as he approached Holden.  "Who did you say was with Elijah?"

"Titus," came back a soft and nervous answer.  "Your brother -- Titus."

"MY BROTHER," Bart started yelling at Holden, poking him hard in the chest
with his finger, "IS OVERSEAS RISKING HIS LIFE EVERY HOUR, FIGHTING
COMMUNIST PIGS AND SERVING HIS COUNTRY YOU FUCKING, LOUSY, PIECE OF
SHIT. AND YOU ACCUSE HIM OF THIS???"

"Easy, Bart, calm down!"  Will called out.

"DO YOU THINK I WOULDN'T KNOW IF MY OWN BROTHER WAS HOME OR NOT????"

"Bart!! Back off!!"  Bodie called, and then asked the stunned general
assembly of boys.  "Anybody here see or hear of Titus Mackey being back?"

No one spoke out clearly, but there were a lot of negative shakes of the
head, mumbled no's and unh-uh's. Nobody had seen or heard it. Bart walked
over to Sean and pointed a finger straight in his face, making an already
scared boy almost pee himself.  "You. You tell me who was there!"

"It was . . . . uh . . . . me and . . . . uh . . . Holden . . . .and we was
. . . uh . . ."

"Yeah, we got it. You were stealin' 'shine and you got caught! Now who
caught you?!"

"Um . . . . th-th-that man th-there . . . . and . . . . uh th-this
. . . . . oth-ther . . . . .  m-mean guy . . . . . real m-m-mean
. . . . w-was . . . . t-tall . . . . and . . . . and had th-this
c-c-country ac-s-cent . . . . . y-you couldn't h-hardly under-der-stand
him."

"Sounds like Titus," someone mumbled in the audience, and Bart flashed back
an angry look, challenging anyone to say it again. Trouble was, it did
sound like Titus. Part of the reason that Bart got so angry was that he
believed his brother could do that, and he felt guilty. Had been for a
while. More than once, Bart had realized that he wouldn't mind so much if
Titus got shot and never came back from the war. But the man was too mean
for even that to happen. And those thoughts add a whole other layer of
guilt on Bart.

"Step back, Bart and give the boy some breathing space."

Bart had calmed a little and did just that. He cast a distrusting glance to
Elijah and asked Sean if he had heard the guy's name mentioned by
Elijah. Sean shook his head no but said that he heard Holden call the man
Titus when they were about to rape them. A rush of surprise ran through the
crowd, but Elijah stepped forward and confidently spun another lie.

"That was Tyson Cantrell from up north of Leeville. He's my partner there
for moving some of my product -- has a bad country accent. And we did no
such thing as try and rape these two thieves. We caught them red handed,
and that one there, Holden, he rushed the man and attacked him. Was pretty
stupid if you ask me. That's why he's got a few bruises on them. I told the
man he better head off, and I brought the two here, before the Council."

"That's a lie!!"  Both boys started telling their own sides of the story
all at once, until they were hushed by Darren and Grayson. Bodie meanwhile
gave Will a look. He, like Will, believed there was more to Elijah's story
than the man was letting on; but it was also a look to let Will know that
he would be on his own if he opposed the next step. Regardless of the
contention of whether Titus was there or not and what the men TRIED to do
to the boys, the truth was still that the boys had not been raped, they had
tried to steal, and they were now brought before the Council.

And he said as much to the gathered boys.

"But, it's not like I broke the rule that Will told me," Holden argued.  "I
didn't come here by choice. HE made me!"

"And because you were caught stealing from him, he had every right to bring
you before the Council; and this is where the Council is. So, you are still
here by your own actions; therefore you will still abide by the rules. You
will now participate in the Choosing. Elijah, you've made your
presentation, now leave."

Bodie was barely 17, but he had a commanding presence that few argued with
once he stood up to have his say. Elijah pointed at Holden and Sean and
started to say he wanted more justice, but Frankie, soon joined by his
brother Gus, then their closest cousins, and then virtually every boy
there, started chanting "Out, out, out, out, out, out, out, out, out, ..."
leaving Elijah with no doubt that he had worn out any thin welcome any
adult might be given on Choosing Day at Old Knot.

It seemed as though Bodie had taken control of the ceremonies at that
point, while Bart slowly calmed down, and he now pointed at Holden, and
asked, "You still haven't answered the question Darren gave you earlier:
why do you still have clothes on??"

"Bu—" Holden started to protest again, but he caught Will's stern face
and the shake of his head, and he knew he had lost this fight. The only
answer they wanted to see was Holden stripping off his clothes. The boy's
posture slumped, showing his defeat, and he was released by the two boys at
his sides. He slowly began stripping off his clothes, to the cheers and
applause of most of the rest of the boys there.

As he pulled his shirt off, Sean, as well as every other boy there, could
see the few stragglers of dark hairs under his arms that attested to the
fact that Holden would be the most developed boy on the line that
day. Holden kicked off his shoes and pulled his socks off and then
confirmed that earlier suspicion by hooking his thumbs into both jeans and
underwear and pushing them both down, revealing a plump swinging dick,
hanging balls the size of small pecans and a patch of soft dusty brown
hairs that reflected a tighter weave of the brown, wavy curls of hair on
his head.

Holden made his way over to the logs, now displaying his backside to the
crowd. The boy's muscles were leaving the younger boy fat behind fast, and
unintentionally he gave the audience an appreciative view of the
independent muscular flexing of each gluteus as he walked, making many
wonder just what he had inside that crack that formed between the two firm,
muscular melons.

Holden had to catch his breath when he came up to that log. It was one
thing to strip off in front of everyone and walk this far like nothing was
up, quite another to actually look down that line of naked 12 year olds who
weren't the least happy that he had prolonged their suffering, and
something else entirely to contemplate voluntarily bending over and showing
his truly most private places to every one of his agemates, playmates, and
cousins, inviting them, as it were, to imagine fucking him there.

The shiver that ran through him was uncontrollable. They were actually
going to vote on him. Literally, as each vote would be written on his
back. His own cousins.

"Today, Holden."

The boy took another breath and bent over, to wild applause from the
audience of boys, resting his arms and chest on the log, then consciously
-- and it was even harder to do this -- spreading his legs out so that
there was a part in his cheeks that just served to tease the boys further
with the previously unbidden delights of what they could find inside.

"Very nice, Holden," Bart taunted the boy, but emptily.  "Maybe it was
better we got you at 13 than 12. This could be a lot more fun."

There were a few laughs, but enough murmurs that Bart was warned off giving
further sympathy. He and a few others were never ones to `respect' the
beliefs of Clarence and his sons and their religious devotion by passing
over the 12 year olds for selection. They let Constance's oldest son Lawton
Bedford slide before they moved to California, but Tyler's sons both went
through the Choosing, so why not Randall's and Harrison's sons? Bart,
though, had a reason why for Randall's sons.

"One thing more, to be fair, Bart," Bodie Mackey again said. And if he was
proposing it, it was unlikely to be argued.  "I think at least three
checkmarks -- one for arguing, one for challenging us, one for being slow
to get into position. I don't think anyone will argue one more for personal
insult."

Bart didn't smile, but he uncapped his red marker and advanced. Enough of
the anger toward, about, and in imagined defense of his brother was still
there enough for this.

"My pleasure."

Holden groaned as he felt the four checks marked out on his right upper
back, signifying the four blow jobs he would have to give in public, win or
lose, before he was allowed to redress. He nodded his head and concentrated
on not crying when Bart asked him if he understood what each mark was
for. Then he felt the older teen boy write `+5' on his left upper back --
his punishment for returning, and a blaring sign to anyone that his body
was definitely in play.

"So let me explain, Sean," Bart turned to the astonished and befuddled boy
who had just lay claim to Mackeyhood, but with no idea what that really
meant. Bart was surprisingly calm and friendly in tone as he explained to
Sean the history of the Choosing, how all 12 year olds were eligible, how
it was one of the very bases of all rules among the Mackey that held them
together as a family, and how it was no one's business outside the Mackey
lands. Sean simply went from bewildered to shocked, except that the real
bomb had yet to land too close to home. That would change with Bart's last
explanation.

"You understand so far?"

"Yeah," Sean mumbled.  "That's why Deecy's brother is . . . . . is
. . . . like that. And . . . . and Jake, too."

"Yep."

"Why Holden?"

"Because Holden was passed over from the List last year, but he wasn't
given an official exemption. His family wanted to live separate but stay
inside the community, but that's not really the way it was supposed to be;
so Holden never received an official exemption, which is kind of like a
free pass. Why do you think Holden was such good friends with you? A Near
Springer? He was excluded from some of the Mackey functions and
brotherhood; AND he was told to NEVER come to one of these functions, or he
would be immediately bent over the log and voted on. Only then could he be
accepted as a full Mackey. That's just the way things are."

Sean was at a loss for words. He hated that Holden was being treated like
this, but he felt an equally large ethical dilemma within. He wanted to
stand by and be there for his friend, but he didn't want to watch his
friend have to endure this.

"I don't have to watch you do this to him, do I?"

"Hmm, see that's where it gets tricky. So, no, you don't have to `watch'
it, but you do sort of have to `stand' by him during all of this."

Sean took a deep breath and nodded his head. He could be there for a
friend.  "I'm a Mackey now, right? I can stand by another Mackey."

Several of the boys in the audience laughed. Holden just closed his eyes
and moaned quietly. He didn't want this done to his friend.

"Why are they laughing?"  Sean asked.  "I'm a Mackey, right?"

"100%," Bart assured him, still in his kind, smooth voice, though it only
made a few more boys laugh.  "They're just laughing because you don't yet
understand HOW you'll be standing by him."

More laughs but Sean got suddenly very nervous. He didn't know what was
going on or about to happen, but he had a vague bad feeling going through
him.

"W-w-what do y-you mean?"

"Well, Sean, you're a Mackey, you're 12, and you showed up to a Choosing
Ceremony. According to the rules, it doesn't matter if you were on the list
or not, or even if you have an official exemption, if you're a Mackey, and
you're 12, AND you show up here, on this day," Bart paused and pointed an
empty space next to Holden, "you're going over the log."

Sean visibly turned 8 shades whiter as he stared in shock at that
space. Just the thought of thinking about what he would be like bent over
that log, naked, ass on display, it was enough to make him nearly pass out.

"You don't look so good, Sean."  Bart said, steadying the boy with his
hand.  "You should probably get bent over that log as soon as possible,
before all the blood drains from your head and you pass out. I should also
warn you that hesitation can earn you checkmarks, and every checkmark means
a blowjob, right here, in front of all the boys."

Sean thought that information really would make him pass out, except that
the thought of doing that in front of so many boys was more humiliating
than out-and-out, flabbergastingly shocking. So, ironically, his
embarrassment flushed him out at this prospect and got some more blood
flowing to his brains.

Sean looked around. There were too many boys; there wasn't a way out of
this. Even the friendly faces he found, like Frankie Mackey, did not look
encouraging. What if he ran? What would they do?? He remembered what Elijah
and the even bigger and scarier man, Titus, tried to do to him and Holden
and he shivered. He didn't want to be thrown down and forcefully taken.

Sean didn't know that there were exceedingly few boys at the gathering that
would actually ever do such a thing -- even Kurt wouldn't use physical
force like that; he might come close, but not chase him down or violently
take him. Also Sean wasn't aware that the majority of the boys there would
step in at great physical cost of their own to stop something like that
from happening. All he was aware of was a stark choice: 1] strip and fear
for your life as a bunch of boys, most of whom you hardly know, paw over
your ass and wonder whether they want to fuck it or your best friend's
more, or 2] stall, get the dreaded checkmarks and be stripped anyway, and
maybe even Chosen for spite.

"Well, Sean?"  Bart said with a smile and an arched eyebrow, uncapping a
red marker inquisitively, finally revealing the darker side of his
personality.

Sean didn't say anything, he just reached down and began tugging his shirt
over his head, accompanied by clapping and a few whistles and hoots. Next
came the shoes and then the socks. Unlike most boys, he couldn't just strip
the rest off at once. Instead, he took his pants off first, leaving him
already feeling naked in just his briefs. He delayed long as he dared by
folding his pants, as his skin grew redder and hotter under the scrutiny of
so many boys, before dropping the folded pants onto the unfolded
shirt. With one more deep breath, Sean took down his underpants to the
cheers of his `fellow' Mackeys, allowing them to see, if they could, the
few small and sparse hairs he had recently collected at the base of his
enlarging dick.

He walked over to the log, thankful at least that boys couldn't see that
same dick swaying, getting larger with each step toward his `special guest'
section of the log. What they did see was a smooth back, with what looked
to be fingernail scratches, flowing down into an even smoother and almost
unblemished set of perfect bounceable boy globes. There were some scratches
on the right buttcheek, as well, but otherwise it was beautiful expanse of
untouched whiteness.

"Now, before we start the voting," Bart called out, "Let's give Holden and
Sean a chance to pick who exactly will own their asses and get to fuck them
first ---- should they be chosen, of course. Let's start with you, Holden,
and if it's not a popular choice with the crowd, we'll just add that name
on to the five boys I think you can take today --- and maybe even a check
mark."

Holden got it, without being told. No small dicks, no one too far away he
wouldn't get to use Holden too much, and so on.

"Uh, what about Foster?"

Foster was 14 years old and one of Jeremiah Mackey's grandsons; he and
Holden had always gotten along fairly well and enjoyed playing together,
just as their two grandfathers, who were brothers, did. Also, Foster's
brother, Trey, and Holden's brother, Phil, were best friends, and access
wouldn't be an issue. It was always more of an embarrassment to have your
closer friends or family be a primary owner of your ass, but Foster was a
very fair minded and good kid. Plus, Holden had seen him hard once down at
the creek (Foster had a trigger happy erection -- not a constant thing, but
at least twice as much as the average boy), and despite just turning 14, he
wasn't too much bigger than Holden himself.

It was a borderline pick and could go either way; but Foster, true to his
adventurous sense of fun and fidelity, sprang up while the indecision was
in the air and went down to write his name on Holden's back, giving him now
6 points to start off with. Foster leaned over and whispered low as he did
so,

"Sorry, Holden. I don't mean to look so eager, but I don't think they would
have gone for it if I didn't."

He was right. Foster's action swung the vote, but the whole time he was
writing his name, Holden could feel the boy's erection growing in his pants
and pressing into his left buttcheek. And he miserably realized that if
chosen, that erection would be set free as Foster unzipped, steadied his
dick, and fed it up Holden's virginity.

"All right, Foster," Bart exclaimed, though most boys would have hoped to
see a bigger and more aggressive dick owning that ass. But there was also a
show to run; so Bart had to appear enthused.  "I guess you'll be the owner
of Holden's ass --- if he gets picked --- and it looks like from the state
of your pants that you are really looking forward to it."

Foster gave a somewhat shy grin, but rolled with the laughter. Before he
took his seat, however, he made one more brash move for his friend.  "I
want to pick who gets to fuck him today after I'm finished!"

There was a hush of surprise and Bart smiled and was about to deny that
steal of his own rights, when Will undercut him:

"That sounds like it could be interesting, Foster."

"I agree," Bodie said.  "I'd like to see that."

Bart tightened his smile but relented.

"Since you didn't restrict me on how many," Foster said, "one more favor
and I'll make him take at least five dicks up his butt today."

Holden groaned. What was Foster doing??

Bart smiled. He was really more interested in winning at a game than just
winning itself. So he was, quite the contrary to what could be expected,
always up for unique twists and turns that made things more
interesting. After all, Holden was here; that fact he could no longer
alter.

"OK, let's hear it."

"I want the right to completely restrict someone."  There were murmurs of
surprise at this irregularity.

"Just one?"

"One right now, without anybody being able to say nothing against it, and
the right to ask for others later from the Council with your word that
you'll be a whole lot more likely to agree with me than you would
otherwise."

Bart raised his eyebrows at his fellow council members and saw a few shakes
of heads.

Bart, though, was intrigued, and he leaned in and whispered something in
Foster's ear. Foster shook his head lightly, but then Bart sweetened the
pot. He stood back up and waited for Foster's answer.

Foster deliberated for a second and looked back to his friend, and then the
group before responding to Bart.  "He suuurre aint gonna like that. But
. . . . . all right. You got a deal."

Bart told the rest of the council the deal was fair and they deliberated
again, even without the whispered details. He got a yes from Will. Will
then gave a subtle nod toward Darren and got a yes from him as
well. Grayson and Bodie were on the fence; but when Bodie said `aahhh, what
the hell, why not?', then Grayson agreed as well.

"OK, Foster. You have a deal. We'll give you a bit of time to make this
work. Off you go, then. In the meantime, we'll find out who gets to claim
the newest Mackey's little ass!"

"NOBODY!"

The shout broke the smile off Bart's face and put one on Sean's.

"Hal !!"  Sean cried out and started to get up, until a not-so-happy Bart
snapped his finger and pointed back at the log.

"You have NO place here, Tucker!! In this place more than any other in our
land. Not ever, and especially NOT on this day!"

"The rules say a non-Mackey can sit on all committee meetings AND on
anything involving a Near Springer!"

"Number one, you're not the Mackey elected to that position—"

"Then I'll take Sean and get the one who is. I believe that's Peter Kemp."

"No. Neither one of you are allowed in here -- at Old Knot. No one but
Mackeys. This is sacred ground and a sacred ceremony to the Mackeys!"

Raucous cheers came from MOST of the other boys, even louder from the ones
who remembered and disliked Hal's disturbance last year of their expansion
efforts into the Near Spring. But Hal was undeterred. Sean listened,
honored that he could claim a friendship with this stalwart boy who would
go toe to many toes with the Mackey clan.

"But this ceremony isn't organized out of chaos."  Hal countered, "You do
have rules -- rules that bind you."

"Our rules. Nothing to do with you, Hal."  Bodie stood up.  "I admire you
for your guts, but you better leave. You have no place here."

"Actually Bodie," Hal told the older boy, unfazed by the difference in
height, years, strength, or numbers, "even though Bart is the only Council
Member left from last year, before you reorganized, the Council itself
still made an accord with me that makes some of your rules very much to do
with me."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning your agreement that non-Mackey's cannot be coerced to be part of
the Choosing, even if they agree beforehand."

Hal wasn't without his supporters, and a number of boys, especially out of
James III's and Andrew's Clans were saying that he had a point. But a large
number of the rest of the boys were smiling, including Bodie, waiting for
Bart to put the insolent Near-Springer in his place. How dare he defile
their private Ceremony!

Bart smiled even more broadly, looking forward to delivering the bomb that
Hal couldn't have known.

"He claimed his legal and legitimate part among the Mackeys all on his own,
Hal. He proclaimed himself a Mackey and demanded his rights by blood. So I
think you lost this one."

A cheer went up, but Hal didn't quite look defeated like he should be,
which made Bart a bit nervous.

"So he's a Mackey, now?"

"That's right."

"And that's your whole claim to be able to do this?"

"It's all we need, Hal. Now beat it, before you join these boys over a log,
rules or no rules."  Grayson called out. He didn't realize it, but that
last part of his sentence grated the honor of a few boys who voted for him
in January to represent them.

"You got your answer, Hal, go home."  Bodie called out.

"Actually, Bodie, that's not what I asked."

"Yes, that's our whole claim," Bodie sighed.  "And we really don't need
anything more. I'm not going to tell you again, leave."

"He's a Mackey, Hal."  Bart smiled, leaning down to Hal's level -- although
he realized quickly that he didn't have to lean down as far as he did last
year. Hardly at all, actually. It disarmed him a bit, realizing this, but
what got him more was that Hal was smiling. It was a dangerous looking
smile, too; and that couldn't be good.

"So, Sean's a Mackey. I can accept that."

"Good," Bart said, certain another shoe was about to drop.

It was.

"So what Kinset is he in?"

Uhhhhhhh...

The collective mind stutter was obvious through the whole group of
boys. Everyone was in a Kinset. Everyone who was a part of anything Mackey
was in a Kinset. It put a sudden and big wrinkle in things, and Will,
Bodie, and Grayson weren't so sure of where they stood (well, secretly Will
was pulling for Hal).

"He's in the 9th Kinset!"  Darren Mackey declared.

The collective brain fart turned into a gasp when this was thrown out. Had
they really filled the ninth Kinset? After all these long years? Bart gave
a frown at Darren but confirmed, that yes, Sean would be in the 9th Kinset.

"Will be?"  Hal asked.  "You mean there isn't a leader for the Kinset yet?"

Silence.

"So there isn't even a fully formed Kinset yet?"  Hal asked further.

"There will be," Bart said, an edge coming into that formerly victorious
tone.  "It's . . . . in process."

"Oh . . . . . well that's good. No, I think that's great, except you'll
have to get his dad to sign off on being in the Kinset, first. Meanwhile,
Sean doesn't have a formal, real, Kinset, or at least one with
representation."

"He has representation. Will represents the 9th Kinset."

"On the council, yes, but not actually IN the Kinset. You see, the wording
of our agreement actually says `no boy, not directly represented IN a
Kinset, can be held or coerced into a Choosing and cannot be bound by it
even if he chooses to participate.'  I know it says that, because I wrote
it, and it's a part of your bylaws, so you should know it too."

"I know it. But he has representation. I told you."

"Yes, as a Mackey, he now has representation ON the Council; but to be
here, he has to have representation IN a Kinset. And to be represented IN
Kinset 9, that means there has to be someone else already `IN' Kinset
9. And I gather that he's the only one in there right now. Is that right?"

"Yes," the answer came quietly, but ferociously, through Bart's clenched
teeth.

"And don't think you can just make him a by-default Kinset 10, because he
doesn't live outside the Spring, which is a requisite for 10, and he lives
on the wrong side of the Drunken Brave to be defaulted into 8. So, I
appreciate he is now a Mackey, but he has no representation in a Kinset, so
he is free to leave."

If there had been crickets active at mid-day, it would have been all you
would have heard. As it was, just the wind rustling the branches of the
trees around them broke the heavy silence, as all this filtered into the
Mackey Ceremony mindset.

"So, Sean, get dressed and let's go," Hal called out. Not everyone was
angry. Many were just stunned. Even among the ones that were rooting for
Bart to put Hal in his place had to smile at how the boy won his
argument. No wonder his dad was so revered in the Mackey lands, and so
successful against stopping the State several years ago from partitioning
the State Forest into smaller areas in a subtle divide-and-conquer
strategy.

It was the same resolve and competence that Hal would show just 7 years
later as a first year law student, when he would save over 30 Mackey
families' homes from a logging consortium. Hal's Law School mentor would be
so impressed with the young student's tenacity and seemingly innate
understanding of law, that he would help him close the loophole that the
consortium was using. The first action alone was enough that the Mackey
renamed, or actually, finally named, the Nameless Wood as `The Tucker
Wood.'

But for now, Hal was still very much a controversial figure. As Sean pulled
up his underwear, thankful, but still a bit embarrassed that his idol had
seen him naked, as well as in such a compromising position, Hal threw back
to the Council:

"Of course, you've already accepted him as a Mackey, so he has all rights
and privileges, thereof, and I expect an official exemption from the
Choosing allowing him those rights and privileges. Once you get him into a
Kinset, if he just happens to be 12 at next year's Choosing, on July 15th,
then you can make him go through the Choosing; but as I understand the
calendar, by that point he will be 13 and ineligible. So no more tricks
against Sean Dawson. Come on, Sean, get your shoes on and let's go."

Sean was just slipping his shirt on over his head and had yet to even zip
up his jeans, when Hal said this. Then 16 year old Carter Mackey stepped
into the clearing with his 14 year old cousin Wayne, the same Wayne Mackey
that Hal had deprived last year of fucking, and then owning, Jonathan
Parker's ass, something for which Wayne was still angry at Hal. But it was
Carter's words that put a stop to everything.

"There he is!! That's the fucker that raped my sister, Bea!"  He was
pointing at the surprised Dawson boy who had just reached down to zip up,
his hand frozen now in fearful surprise.

Hal very quickly reached back and put a hand over Sean's mouth, telling
him, "Don't say a word."

But Hal wasn't looking at the accuser; he had sought out Bart to see
council leader's reaction. Bart wasn't surprised by this accusation, but
acted like he was. That alone told Hal something dangerous and premeditated
was afoot.

"What??"  Bart exclaimed in false surprise, "Are you sure about this,
Carter?"

"That's a lie!"  Deecy exclaimed.  "Carter's in with Bart on this! All they
want is to get Sean bent over!"

There was a group inhalation of quiet surprise at both of these
accusations. But Bart walked over to Reed and calmly put another checkmark
on the boy's back.

"You were told any misbehavior on your part, Deecy, and Reed would pay for
it. Making wild accusations you can't prove is just a sign you're trying to
be sneaky and get Reed off the log."

"It's true, and you know it," Deecy seethed, though much more quietly, not
to be overheard by the rising murmurs of the other boys.

Bart just calmly uncapped the marker and poised it on Reed's shaking back.

"No! Wait! . . . . . I'll take it back. In front of everybody. I'll take it
back. Don't give him another checkmark, please, Bart."

Bart recapped the marker and a dejected Deecy apologized to everybody,
saying he was just angry, and that was the only reason he said it. But the
smirk on Carter's face was enough to tell everyone it had been true. The
same smirk could be seen on Evan Sanders and Selby and Aaron Mackey's
faces. Evan and Selby were known to be in league with Bart (Aaron not so
much, though he was something of an arrogant bastard, already, at just 13,
and therefore just smirking out of a general smirkiness), and it told the
boys of further complicity on Bart's part. But no one contested Deecy's
apology out loud.

"As I was saying Carter, is this all true?"  Bart asked for show.

"Every bit of it. Even right now she's still crying her eyes out at home."
Carter told the group.

Bart looked at Wayne for his reaction to this. There was no doubt with the
look on Wayne's face that he still harbored that disappointment of last
year's Choosing.  To make matters worse, he knew that Hal had been with his
younger sister Corrine, and he knew that Hal knew he knew. It was something
that made him feel even more impotent, even more inferior and angry toward
the better looking and suave outsider. An outsider that was seemingly
immune to all Mackey rules about outsiders.

But for a moment, although still angry, he looked unsure; then unsure and a
little guilty. Wayne glanced over at his brother Darren, the Council Member
for Kinset 6 and 4, and subtly shook his head.

Bart saw it, but chose to ignore it; he still had a point to
press. However, he wasn't the only one to catch the guilty denial. Hal saw
it also. And Will Mackey caught the motion, as well.

"You have something to say about that, Wayne?"  Will asked him.

Darren gave an almost imperceptible shrug as Wayne looked to him for
advice. Wayne then swallowed hard and gave one last scalding look at Sean
Dawson. Bea Mackey was a fucking tease. She played with Wayne's own lust
and left him wanting, only to go and let this outsider punk -- and Wayne
didn't care what they wanted to call him, Mackey or not -- let him have sex
with her. He wasn't mad at Bea; she definitely wasn't a virgin when she
rolled in the woods with Sean, but he was mad at Sean for having the
opportunity he wanted, and mad at Sean's protector for taking away a
different opportunity from him last year.

Hal tensed. He had no idea what Wayne would say; but he knew it wouldn't be
good. Not for the first time he wished he was better at reading people; but
he couldn't just see inside them, though he reckoned no one could really do
that. But Wayne swallowed again; he may have been mad at the two Near
Springers, may have blamed them for what he had missed out on, but despite
Darren's seeming support of all-things-Bart on the Council, the Witch
Hollow Mackeys had their pride in their honor, as did the Douglas family in
general (though the rest of Douglas Mackey's descendants were in the 7th
Kinset).

"I reckon," Wayne said as some of the anger deflated from his face, "that I
ain't ever seen Bea upset after she's played around with a guy. Now ain't
any different than before. But he did fuck her. She said that much."

You'd think that that would be a better pronouncement for Sean, but a gasp
of disapproval and some disgust went through the crowd of boys. It wasn't
looking good for Sean, even still.

"But I didn't rape her! She wanted to do it with me!! Ask Kurt! He was
there!!"  Sean suddenly shouted out. Hal had taken his hand off the boy's
mouth, something he now regretted.

"I told you not to say anything!"

"Kurt, is this true?"  Bodie asked.

"Well, she did say she thought he was `cute' and that she wanted to see him
naked, but that was it. Just maybe play with his little dick -- not have
sex with him. They went off in the woods, so I didn't see what happened
exactly. She was all upset afterward, though, said he forced her."

"No, that's a lie!"  Sean yelled out.

"I told him he better git and not ever come back to the Mackey lands."
Kurt added.

"No!"  Sean said, "He just told me not to come back until today!"

Hal then covered Sean's mouth again. Sean just made himself look even
guiltier. He whispered, quite angrily, in the boy's ear, "I told you to
shut your mouth; don't open it again unless I say you can."

Then to the boys assembled, Hal said, "So you're telling us, Kurt, that
Bea, and I think everyone knows Bea doesn't take much standing still, was
attacked, by a 12 year old, and didn't manage to put up any kind of a
fight? It seems she would have yelled and you would have heard it."

"I don't know how deep in the woods they went," Kurt said, "and he probably
had his hand over her mouth."

"I honestly don't think Sean is stronger than Bea," Hal replied. It got a
few laughs from the boys and Sean blushed in some shame at being cast as a
weakling.  "And if he had his hand over his mouth, then her hands would be
free. I would expect to see some scratches, bruises . . . . . something
that shows she was fighting back."

"There are scratches on his back and his ass!"  Some boy called out and got
louder murmurs of agreement.

"I've gotten scratches on my back," Hal called out over the boys' voices,
"And it definitely did not mean the girl wanted me to stop!"

He got some more laughter, but the controversy was still heating up. Wayne
had flushed red in embarrassment, hoping that wasn't his little sister that
Hal had just referred to. Bodie Mackey walked up to Hal and told him
quietly that rape or not, it wasn't looking good for Sean. At that moment
Carter's voice could be heard over everyone's:

"I'm claiming my rights as an older brother whose sister has been messed
with against her will by another Mackey. I demand that Mackey be publicly
fucked!!"

An extraordinary gasp went through the crowd of boys and soon all was quiet
after the invocation of the ancient right. It had been very seldom used,
but never denied.

"He definitely has the right. Sean has admitted having had sex with her,
all that is needed is an accusation from the girl, and THAT rule, Hal
Tucker, doesn't require that Sean be recognized in any particular Kinset!"
Bart proclaimed, precipitating another ruckus among the boys.

"But it does require she accuse him before the Council!"  Hal retorted, but
that would only be a delay tactic. He knew Bea. She was the same cut as
Carter and her cousin Kurt, who himself was nothing like his two brothers
that he loved manipulating so. She would publicly accuse Sean, false tears
and all. And if they got the law involved . . . . . well, the Mackey's had
considerable pull with the sheriff. So he changed tactic: "I want to meet
with the Council."

"You don't have the right to demand that, Hal."

"Stuff you your rights, Bodie," Hal countered, "This became personal long
ago, and if you know anything about my family, we don't let go easily."

The Tuckers were about the nicest and fairest family you could encounter,
until it became personal. Then they put pit bulls to shame. Hal got his
sidebar.

"All right boys," Bart called out to the rest of the assembled Mackeys, "Go
ahead and mill around and examine all your options while we talk. NO voting
until I say so. Be sure to pay good attention to what Justin Mackey has to
offer. Any talking or pleading from the Bottom Boys, anything except
straightforward answers to questions from your fellow Mackeys who will be
voting on you, will get you checkmarks --- or worse!!"

"What's going to happen, Hal?"  Sean asked his older friend nervously.

"You're getting fucked, Sean. I'm sorry to be blunt, but I only see four
options here. The good news is that they only see two options. The bad news
is you get fucked in all four. But I can work it, I hope, to get you
screwed the least number of times, or the least number of boys. But you
have to promise to go along with whatever deal I work.  Will you promise me
that?"

Sean was dazed into shock. This was worse. Before, it was just that chance
that he could be made a bottom. Now he was going to be fucked by boys'
dicks no matter what happened.

"Sean! Snap out of it! Or, into it. Whatever you need to do. But answer me;
do you agree to do whatever deal I make?"

"Yes, Hal," came the sorrowful and dejected reply, "I'll do whatever you
say."

Hal walked over to the side with the Council Members: Bart, Bodie, Will,
Darren, and Grayson. Bart also had Carter come along as accuser. Bodie
wanted Wayne and Kurt there since they seemed to be conflicting material
witnesses. So the nine of them had their discussion, though it was Bart,
Bodie and Hal who did most of the talking.

"I want an option that forgoes any official hearing by the Council. In
other words, Bea and Carter stay out of it."  Hal said.

"The only other option besides a public fucking, Hal, would be if Sean
forgoes his exemption and agrees to participate in the ceremony. And if he
does that, I think you know that he'll get chosen by the boys, just because
of what he's done. And if he gets chosen, it will probably be for three
years."

"But if he goes through with a hearing," Hal said, "he'll be publicly
accused by Bea, who I say is a liar, and you'll order him publicly
fucked. Then after he's hurting, since I know Carter and his friends won't
be any kind of gentle, and is completely humiliated, you'll probably still
order him to serve a year as public bottom. And I bet quite a few boys will
be ruthless on him."

"Well, we take these accusations seriously among the Mackey, Hal."  Bart
said with a snarl.  "It keeps our girls safe."

"Funny that it should be you saying that, Bart, given your family history."

"You referring to my brother and Hester, Hal? He never said he had sex with
that crazy bitch, and she didn't accuse him publicly."

"But you know he still raped Hester, don't you? Pretty convenient she
disappeared, too."

"Enough, Hal," Bodie cut in before the tensions arose too much further.
"You have your two options. Pick one, or we'll pick."

"I want a third option."

"There's no third option, Hal."

"Actually, there's four, Bodie. The third option is that I turn him. I make
him a Bottom and he owes me just like any other Bottom under Mackey rules,
for a year, whenever I want."

"Like you would even make him do anything," Carter sneered.

"If I didn't follow the rules, then the Mackey rules on Bottoms state that
another boy can claim him. If I don't use his ass, then he goes back to
you."

"If we could prove it. Who's to say you wouldn't lie to protect your
friend?"  Kurt asked.

"Maybe he's not like you, Kurt."  Will offered, not so subtly letting
everyone know just whose side he was on.

"There's no third option," Bodie said again, "Choose one of the two you
have."

"What was the fourth option?"  Grayson asked, curious what else ran through
this rules-wizard's mind.

"The sheriff, of course. If there was a crime, then we let the sheriff know
and let his deputies investigate. Now, Sean doesn't want his parents to
know any more than the Mackeys want the Sherriff poking around amongst all
those stills he pretends he doesn't know anything about. But don't get too
comfortable, Bodie, about all the connections your dad and your side of the
family have with the local deputies. My dad is pretty chummy with the State
Police and guess who Sean's lawyer will be. Now I'm not interested in
Options 1 or 2. So which do you prefer 3 or 4?"

Everyone was quiet, except Carter; but when he opened his mouth to speak,
he was just told to shut it by three of the older boys simultaneously.

"We can consider your third option, Hal," Bodie said carefully, "But one
year won't cut it."

"Three, at least."  Grayson added, nodding.

"Two, at most," Will countered.

"Will . . . ."

"Two."

"Fine, two years," Bodie said, "But he also goes through the Ceremony
today, just like everyone else."

"As long as he isn't voted on and isn't in danger of becoming a bottom."
Hal countered.

"He won't," Bart said, "But he can still earn checks and you WILL fuck him
at the end of the Choosing, in front of everyone."

Hal didn't want to do that, but looking around he could see he wouldn't win
that fight. He blushed just a little, but said, "OK, fine. We have a deal?"

"Not so fast," Bodie said. "You sure you understand, that this means you
HAVE to fuck him at least every 5 days; if we think you aren't, then we
have the right to demand proof or he'll automatically become a community
bottom for two years from the day we convert him over. Understand?"

"Fair enough."

"No! Not fair enough!"  Carter remonstrated.  "I demanded a public fucking
by Mackeys, and I have that right."

"And you can take it," Hal said, "And I'll take this to my dad and the
State Police, I don't care what Sean even says about it, or what it costs
me, and I'll be gunning for your family, Carter."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Will said, "Both of you calm this down. If Sean is a
Mackey, then Carter has that right, Hal; but Carter, even I don't believe
either you or that tramp of your sister -- yes, I said it, do you really
want to go at it, Carter?"

Darren put himself between the two, and said "All right, everybody calm
down. I for one am right now supporting Carter, but I'll back Will Mackey
if it comes down to deciding between the two of you. How about a
compromise? Hal, Sean takes a public fucking by Mackeys right here, but you
can pick them . . . ."

"At least five and I get to pick three of them," Carter threw in.

"One," said Hal, "but I'm not going around and around about this. If
there's any more argument I'm going to my dad."

"One Mackey?"  Carter asked, "Are you shitting me?"

"One Mackey will be fair, IF you make him a co-owner of that Bottom."
Bodie offered.

Hal thought about it for a second. Bodie was going out on a limb for Hal,
and Hal was on thin ice. Despite his threat, bring in the State Police AND
the Sheriff would be very messy. VERY messy. And it would undo a lot of the
work his dad had done for the community. He looked over at Sean a ways off
and looking small and scared. He didn't have much of a choice.

"Fine, but as long as the Mackey is using him every five days, then I don't
have to."

"No," Bart said with a sneer.  "If you're gonna come in here and start
throwing your weight around like you belong, then you're gonna step up to
the plate. You'll fuck him at least once a week, regardless of what the
Mackey does."

"Once a month," Hal offered.

"Twice a month, and I won't make that offer twice, Hal."  Bodie said.

"Fine."

"That satisfy you, Carter?"

"Yeah, I'm satisfied," the boy said with a disgusting looking sneer on his
face, "cause I know exactly who the Mackey is going to be . . . . ."

"Wayne."  Hal said with an agreeing nod.

"Wayne??"  Carter asked, "What the fu---, I didn't say jack shit about
Wayne. I'M gonna be the Mackey tearin' that boy's ass up."

"No, you won't touch him. Wayne was interrupted last year and prevented
from screwing a Near Springer, and he hasn't been compensated yet; so it's
only fair that he get to be the Mackey that owns him -- after me."  Hal
told the stunned Council, and an even more stunned Wayne.

"No! If you pick Wayne, then I'm going back to my right to demand a---"

"You don't have that right anymore, Carter; you said you were satisfied, so
shut up!"  Bodie said and then agreed with Hal, "Wayne's a fair choice."

"I agree," Darren said.

"Of course you agree," Carter sneered, "you're his brother."

"I agree, too," Will said, "and I distinctly heard Bodie tell you to shut
up, Carter."

Grayson also nodded his agreement. Nobody bothered to ask Bart how he felt.

"But I still have some conditions before we all agree to this third
option."  Hal said.

"Hal . . ."

"Just hear me out, Bodie. Sean will get fucked by me and a Mackey here
today, and owned by both me and Wayne, but there's a few other things wrong
with this day; and I'm going to press my luck to make them part of this
deal. For starters, Kurt had a part in setting up Sean, not just once but
twice. The first time he used Jake, who seemed to be under the impression
that he would be protected by Bart."

"I can't help what Jake gets as the wrong impression."  Bart said. But he
was aware of the increased scrutiny by Will and Bodie, and the
uncomfortable shift of Darren moving his support away from Bart, now that
his little brother, Wayne, was there to observe his own behavior and honor.

"Well, I can't help but observe that Jake, who jumped ship, is now being
punished by being one of the two boys you are pushing for the most, Bart. I
mean, that's him over there with already five signatures when you won't
even let the other boys vote yet."  Hal's powers of observation always
served him well to keep or knock others off-guard.

"But on the other hand," Hal continued, "Kurt stayed with you, even setting
up the meeting between Bea and Sean, and now he gets rewarded as you push
for Justin to be picked. I heard you do that, and I'll bet another Mackey's
ownership of Sean that Kurt is the owner of Justin's ass if he gets
picked. And I bet it's for three years."

"Risky bet," Bodie said, "But he would win that one, Bart. Have anything to
add?"

"All hearsay."  Bart said, except that he was red in the face with anger.

"Hmmph."  Bodie wasn't buying it, and Will was with him. Even Bart could
see the other two, Darren and Grayson, were starting to waffle.  Bodie then
asked, "What do you want, Hal?"

"I want Bart to honor his agreement to protect Jake, and I want Kurt
forbidden to use Justin if Justin gets picked."

"I can't force either one of those."  Bodie said.

Bart was on shaky ground and he knew it, so he threw in a towel as a way to
stave off further scrutiny.  "I still can't help what Jake misunderstood,
but I'll change my vote to protect him."

"Whatever," Kurt said, smiling, "even without Bart's three votes, I can
still get enough people to pick Justin. And he'll be hangin' off dick for
three years just like our older brother did."

"That's enough Kurt."  Bodie said.  "You, Carter, and Wayne go wait with
the rest."

All three boys hesitated for their own reasons but eventually slunk away as
the five older boys on the Council just stared at them.

"There is a way to keep Kurt from using his little brother like that."  Hal
offered.

"Nothing in the rules says he can't," Bodie sighed, past growing tired of
Hal's influence.

"Maybe you're tired of me interfering," Hal said, knowing what that sigh
meant, "but Sean is, at the very least, half in my area. I wouldn't deny
you the right to have your say over a Mackey even on my own property. I'm
not asking for anything outrageous."

"Fair enough, but what do you expect us to do about Kurt?"

"He came after Sean in two different ways before you ever declared Sean a
Mackey. Teach him a lesson if you want my cooperation," Hal told them,
appealing to their sense of honor with the rules.  "If you can't forbid him
the use of Justin's ass -- I gather this is because he already has advance
permission to be his protector -- then remove Justin from the Choosing."

"That's unusual at best, and it takes a unanimous vote."  Grayson said.

"Which you won't get," Bart added.

"You know, I really don't like coincidences Bart. It's not just Jake being
punished for refusing to do everything you wanted, Reed being punished
because Deecy blows a whistle, Kurt just happening to be there three times
Sean is tempted and is a convenient witness to a supposed rape, when
afterward he gets the reward of having his SECOND brother bottomed, and
that's unusual even of itself. But then Carter, who hangs with you, is the
one who just conveniently shows up to accuse Sean just in time."

"I think you're making mountains out of mole hills."  Bart said.  "Or are
you going to say next that it was convenient for Bea to have been raped?"

"Actually, it sure was. Bea, who everybody knows has something of a crush
on you, and is no virgin times three, at least, suddenly gets `raped' in
such a way that fits your needs. Yeah, I find that convenient. Just as I
find it an interesting coincidence that Elijah, your mentor, who is usually
at the pub early on Choosing Day, should be the one that brings Sean in."

Bart bristled at that. He actually didn't care much for Elijah, despite the
young man's tremendous influence on him.

"And Holden?"  Bart asked.  "They were stealing, in case you missed
that. And Elijah is not my mentor."

"It's an awful lot of coincidences, Bart."

"It IS an awful lot of coincidences, Bart."  Bodie added.  "And I, for one,
am more tired of Elijah's meddling than I am of Hal's."

Bart opened his mouth to protest, but he saw Darren's crossed arms, Bodie's
scowl, and Will's look of triumph, and Grayson's studious look elsewhere to
know he was out numbered in this. If Bart wanted any power to continue his
legacy, establishing and controlling the ninth Kinset, then he had to give
in.

"All right, fine. For the record, I'm not admitting I did anything of the
sort. But we need to move this along. What do you want, Hal?"

"A unanimous vote releasing Justin from the Choosing."

Bart looked at the others and shrugged. They all nodded.

"OK, he's out, with an official exemption to boot. No repercussions,
happy?"

"Not yet. You'll write an exemption on Jake's back and protect him like you
promised."

"Can't. I already voted."

"The President can change his vote once, provided there is at least one
Mackey who hasn't yet voted."  Hal's knowledge of the rules disturbed all
of them, but they couldn't deny that he was accurate.

Bart sighed.  "Fine, I'll write a personal exemption for him and give him
-5 points to his existing +5. But he stays in the line-up, and other boys
can still vote on his ass. Anything else?"

"Remove the last check mark you put on Reed's back, and don't tell me you
can't, because I know the President can grant an amnesty to any person for
up to one checkmark per Choosing without having to have a reason."

"How do you know about our rules so well, Hal?"  Bodie asked suspiciously.

"I have a thing about rules. I like to understand them, and I think they
exist to protect, not to harm. Will you do that, Bart? And do it before the
voting, so it doesn't encourage the boys to vote more heavily for Reed just
because he has so many checkmarks."

"Sure, no problem, your majesty. Anything else?"

"Just a request, not a condition. Don't play favorites anymore today, just
let the boys vote as they will, on their own."

At this point Bodie leaned over and whispered in Bart's ear. Some of the
angered dissolved from his face. A flash of fury took its place but then
was just as quickly gone.  "It's my prerogative to run this show, Hal. You
won't intrude there, but I'll take it under consideration. As for
everything else, it'll be as you asked, if you can keep your end of the
bargain."

"Are you done then, Hal?"  Bodie asked. It was interesting that Bart was
the President, but Bodie seemed to have taken command of the Council for
the moment.

"Just one last thing," Hal said, but then the Near Springer looked beyond
Bodie, even leaning to the side a bit to get a better look. Hal's face
condensed into an angry scowl and he said, "make that two more things."

Bodie's eyebrows went up in surprise and he looked behind himself briefly
in wonder at what it was that Hal saw.  "OK, well, what was the first
thing?"

"Sean is accepted as a regular Mackey after this. No prejudices, no
revenge, no changes to his punishment as long as me and Wayne follow it,
and NO loopholes."

"Of course, if you can keep the same guarantee on your end -- no loopholes,
because it seems that if anybody can find them you can -- then we'll honor
the same spirit of the agreement. Everyone else agree?"

It was easily unanimous, even though Grayson looked unsure and Bart looked
a bit bitter about it.

"And I can agree to my part," Hal said.

"And what was this last minute condition, Hal?"

"If Reed is chosen, forbid Carter Mackey, Selby Mackey or Evan Sanders from
having anything to do with him."

"I'm curious," Bart said, "Why didn't you throw in Aaron Mackey? You must
know he gets first dibs on Reed."

"I don't like Aaron, plain and simple. He's an arrogant bastard, and I
think he's the worst person left out there to be given control of Reed. I
feel really bad for Reed if Aaron ever gets the chance, but I never heard
of Aaron being mixed up in any of this. So, I might hate it, but I don't
see where I have the justification to demand it."

It was a moral and ethical code such as this one that consistently won Hal
the respect that even his most ardent opponents would accord him.

Bart reflected on this briefly, before adding to the others: "I don't have
a problem restricting Carter, Evan or Selby. It's a reasonable enough
request."

"So are we settled then?"  Bodie asked, and he got an affirmative nod from
Hal.  "Good. Then there's just one last thing. We have our own condition to
this, Hal, if you and Dawson agree to all this, then we're using his ass to
put an exclusion on the agreements made last year. In the future, any boy
that can be reasonably associated with the Mackeys by heritage, location
(living inside Mackey Lands), or importance to the clan or a Kinset can be
excluded from the Kinset requirement IF he either 1] has sex with a Mackey
before the day of the Choosing (not just the day before, but any day
before) OR 2] shows up under his own free will at the Choosing. Either
one."

Hal nodded. It wasn't a request to see if he agreed, which he didn't. It
was a notification. It was a pretty exclusive exclusion to their prior
agreement, so he wasn't worried; but he still put his own objections in,
although these were accepted as fair (as long as they could still be
somewhat vague).

"Only if he has: 1] ample warning of such AND 2] has been told what that
Exclusion means or had reasonable access to what it means."

"Fair enough, but you may notice, Hal," Bodie said, "It's a good thing you
ain't 12, cause you pretty much fit both criteria. You showed up at a
Choosing, and I'm damn certain you've fucked more than one Mackey."

"But I'm not 12," Hal smiled.

"But your kids may one day be," Bart told him.  "Keep messing in Mackey
affairs, which I have a suspicion you will, and your kids will be held to
our Dawson Exclusion."

"Yeah, well I'll keep that in mind," Hal answered, still smiling. He was
still only 14. He figured having kids, if he did, was another 20 years or
so away with another 12 after that before it would apply to them. 30+ years
is an awfully far time into the future when you're only 14. It was pretty
much forgotten by the time he walked back to Sean.

"So?"  Sean asked, eager to hear the verdict.

"Just what I told you Sean. You're getting fucked."

Sean paled.  "B-by wh-wh-who?"

"Me. And Wayne Mackey. Mostly by Wayne, probably. Now get undressed and get
back over the log the way you were before."

"But, Hal, I—"

"I'll put a check mark on you myself, before I let Bart have the
satisfaction. Get naked, and get bent over that log. Don't make me say it
again."

Sean was confused and scared, but he started stripping again, just as he
had before.

"I know what you want to ask, Sean, and yes I'm mad at you. I feel like
I've been sentenced along with you. Never once did I want to fuck you, or
do anything like that with you at all. I don't even want to do it with boys
any more, and now I have to. You were like a little brother to me, Sean."

"I'm sorry, Hal," came a sad response verging on tears, especially when he
heard the past tense of the word `were,' but still the boy stripped, not
daring to slow or stall.

"Damn it, Sean. I TOLD you to stay away from here this month and I TOLD you
no sex with the Mackeys."  Hal exclaimed, feeling very frustrated by the
agreements he had been forced to make.

"You said nothing in the butt. I didn't do anything in the butt."

The boy was stripped now and fidgeting with his hands, trying to stop
himself from covering his nakedness in front of the boy he thought more of
than anyone in the Spring.

Hal sighed.  "I guess I didn't think I would have to say no girls either,
at least not yet. Come on, Sean. We'll get through this. Bend over the
log."

Sean blushed but did as he was told, and Hal leaned down to whisper in his
ear and tell him the details of the agreement. Sean shivered as he heard
them, realizing he would have no say in this for two years. Bart meanwhile
had drawn a line through his own name on Justin's back and walked over to
Jake and wrote an exemption on his back. The President's exemption was
worth negative 5 points. Will followed Bart and wrote his own directly
below that, worth -3 points. With the five votes already on his back Jake
now stood at a net count of -3, not a bad way to start.

"Justin," Bart called to the boy, "Get dressed. Go home; you've been given
an unanimous official full exemption."

"Uh . . . really? . . . this . . .isn't . . .um . . . . ."

"Unless you'd rather stay?"

He did not. He was dressing faster than he ever had in his life.

"WHAT??? NO!! We had a deal!!"  Kurt suddenly bellowed.

"I don't know what deal you're referring to, Kurt. I said I would promote
him more than the others, as is my right, but it's hardly a deal," Bart
said, walking up to the stricken and now angry 14 year old.

Kurt had been dreaming of that ass, his own little brother, for years
now. He was supposed to have it for the whole three years of Justin's
service!! This wasn't right! It wasn't fair!

By now Bart was right up on him and the older boy leaned down and in a sure
and threatening tone whispered in Kurt's ear.  "It was out of my control,
but if you ever want to bring this up again, let me remind you that I am
not without power and influence, yet, and you have no friend or quarter on
the Council, and definitely not in Hal Tucker. You should be aware 14 isn't
a very safe distance from 12, if you understand. Just take a look at
Holden's upturned ass."

Now it was Kurt's turn to pale and nod. He gulped back his frustration as a
shiver of fear ran down his back. The boy wasn't so stupid as Carter. Bart
was dangerous on the best of days. A wounded Bart was like a wounded cougar
-- best to let him do what he will as he slinks off, and don't corner
him. Bart finally walked over to Reed and removed the checkmark he had
placed earlier, scribbling his initials next to it and leaving the boy with
only two.

"Don't even think, Deecy, that I won't put that right back if you have any
more complaining to do. And I'm only allowed to forgive one per
Choosing. And you just got that one."

Deecy was a bit in shock. He wasn't expecting Bart to be this nice. He
would have thanked the boy, except he was still angry about it having been
put on Reed's back to start with. He wondered why Bart had done such a
thing, but he soon had his answer.

"Satisfied, Tucker?"  Bart snapped off to Hal, who just nodded in
return. Bart left to restart the Choosing.

"Thanks, Hal. I don't know how you did it."  Deecy said to his Near-Spring
friend.

"I wish I could have done more for Reed."

Holden was between the boys, not looking so great; as he considered what
was surely going to happen to him, his misery grew.

"Holden," Sean whispered, "Are you OK?"

But Holden kept his head hung low and just shook it to say no. Sean felt
bad, but he didn't know what to say. Hal sighed; he wished he could have
helped Holden as well, but he had to prioritize. Sean first, Reed and Deecy
second. Besides, after Holden, wouldn't there just be another boy to help?
Hal had enjoyed the use of various bottoms over the last couple of
years. It all seemed like innocent fun, a way of life unique to the Spring,
until of course it hit close to home -- though he still had no idea that
his own little brother had been privately bottomed.

Hal looked down the line and saw that Justin was gone. That, at least, was
a relief on several levels. Justin was such a great kid who just happened
to be saddled with a terrible older brother and an ineffectual oldest
brother. Justin would have been absolutely destroyed by being chosen. Of
all the boys on the line, he would have fared the worst at being unable to
cope.

And Jake . . . . well, Jake had looked like he was rapidly nearing a
psychotic break before Bart and Will wrote their exemptions on his
back. Hal wasn't the only one to notice this either. Justin had seen it,
also. Before Justin popped out of the clearing for good (he never came back
to another Choosing in his life), he whispered to his oldest brother Mason
to use his privilege as a Bottom to write another exemption on Jake's back.

"Give me your attention, all Mackey, from 11 to 19, this has been quite the
active line this year, with changes before we even got started, and more
just when we began. As you can see, Justin Mackey is no longer an
option. He will receive an official exemption, as good as if he had
completed the day. And Sean Dawson has already been chosen as a Bottom."

A premature applause went up, only to turn to vocalizations of dismay when
they heard the rest:

"But he will not be a community Bottom. He will be restricted to Hal Tucker
and Wayne Mackey, with perhaps some other opportunities in the future,
depending on how well he satisfies those two. From our remaining seven
Mackey, we will still choose two open community Bottoms!"

A cheer and a wave of applause went up.

"As you know, the two boys with the most points at the end are our unlucky
winners. The current standings, at the start of open voting are:

	Jake Mackey with -3 points.
	Corey Sanders with zero.
	Lucas Redd with +1
	Cain Jacobs, already starting to squirm around again, with -4
points
	Stephen Jacobs with -3
	Reed Mackey with -2
	And 13 year old Holden Mackey already starting with +6 points

And speaking of poor Holden, his friend Foster, who has first dibs on that
nice ass --- should Holden get chosen, of course --- has just returned from
a little errand he ran. Does anybody want to hear the deal Foster struck?"

Several of the boys played along with an appreciative applause. Holden
looked back over his shoulder to see that Foster had walked in with both
their little brothers in tow: 11 year old Phil (Holden's brother) and
Phil's best friend and distant cousin, Foster's 11 year old brother,
Trey. Holden groaned again. What the hell was Foster doing to him?

Foster caught Holden's sight and gave him a thumbs-up, just confusing the
poor, scared, and depressed boy even further.

"OK, Foster," Bart started "Why don't we save the surprise for the end,
just to keep everyone guessing. We made an unusual deal with Foster, but
he's sweetened the pot with a great idea, so we'll let it ride. For now,
we'll let him start things off."

"Ok, Trey, Phil, you guys can start off the voting, if you want. You know
the risk," Foster told the two boys.

"Hey wait," a boy called out, "They're only 11; they can't vote, and
besides they have to be invited to come here!"

"Cool it, Shane," Bart said with a smile, "Just because you weren't allowed
to watch your older brother have to bend it, doesn't mean they don't get
to. Foster here has some ideas."

Trey and Phil headed over to where Phil's 13 year old brother, Holden, was
naked on display with his ass showing to the crowd and a slight part
revealing the hint of his butthole just beyond that.

"Phil," Holden hissed at his brother, though how he found the ability to he
wasn't sure, given how mortified he was at his 11 year old little brother
finding him like this, looking at him showing off his butthole, "What are
you doing here??"

"Shhh. Don't start complaining or you'll get another checkmark."  Phil
said, but it wasn't being said in a threatening way --- more like Phil was
concerned.  "I already gotta watch the first four . . . .well . . . . you
know . . . . and I . . . . .well . . . . you know. . . . ."

If Holden was embarrassed to be seen, Phil was equally embarrassed to be
seeing him, and the boy walked around to the backside of his brother.

"What he means to say, is," Foster's brother Trey sat down on the log and
leaned in close to say, "that we both have to stick around and watch you
suck four guys' dicks. And Foster says they're gonna shoot their stuff down
your throat and you gotta swallow it! Is that true? I seen Foster shoot his
once last month. It looks real gross. And he's 14. He says some guys make
lots more than him. Anyway, your brother can't say the word `suck' too
well, but he don't wanna watch you do any more guys. So don't complain any,
please."

Holden nodded an agreement to this truly bizarre one-sided
conversation. Trey was a nice kid and was just relaying the facts, but it
was blowing what remained of Holden's mind. All of a sudden he felt the
strangest sensation as his buttcheeks were parted by a pair of thumbs and a
cool breeze hit his nervous anus. Holden gasp and lurched forward a bit.

"Oh that's just your brother takin' a look at your butthole. Hey, you know
he can't say the word `fuck' either? I mean I don't hardly ever say it;
used to be, Foster would switch my butt or just tell mama, but your little
brother can't hardly say it at all. He says you don't hardly ever cuss
either. Is that account of your being religious?"

Holden tried to nod an affirmative, but he wasn't sure what all he would be
agreeing to. Trey was a talker, and Holden had his attention on something
else. He couldn't stop feeling exposed or stop the weirdness creeping over
him as his brother continued to examine his absolute most private
space. What the hell was taking him so long to look??

"Anyways," Trey continued, "That's what we're gonna be doing if you lose,
or, I mean if you win . . . . or . . . . whatever -- if you get Chosen. Me
and your little brother both get to fuck you."

"WHAT??"  It came out mostly quiet, but he was yelling and screaming inside
his head.

"Yeah. Phil goes after Foster, and then I go third. Get it? Cause my name
means `the third', so I get to go third. Cool, huh? Anyway Foster said that
you're most likely gonna get picked and that if you do it was real
important that me and Phil got our names on your back AND get to fuck
you. . . . . . . Oooo, wait Phil, don't close it up; I wanna have a look!"

Trey hopped down off the log and ran to the back of the stunned older
boy. Holden suddenly felt his cheeks pulled even wider apart, exposing him
more, and embarrassing him more, more than he ever had been before.

"Whoa, awesome," Trey said out loud, and then yelled back to his brother
Foster who was still talking to a few Council members, "Hey, Foster, we
really get to stick our dicks in here as much as we want?"

Trey wasn't a mean spirited kid, just an excited one, though it earned him
a punch and a scowl from Phil.

"Ow, Phil! Come on, just think; it'll be even better than playin' with
yourself. I know you don't like to talk about it, but don't you even do
it??"

He did not. Well, not very often. In Phil's mind that was still something
that was dirty and wrong, though Foster had convinced him he would be doing
his older brother a favor today. He didn't understand, though, why his
thing was so hard, and why he was guiltily looking forward to the
experience. Something innate felt as though he were being driven to
fuck. It's like it was something more base, and more animal than his
conscious mind. He tried to shake it off, but his thoughts were interrupted
by an older voice next to them.

15 year old Ford Sanders was smiling down at the two boys, and behind him
were 15 year old Harvey Sanders and 13 year old Austin Mackey.  "Yeah,
Trey, you get to fuck him all you want, IF he gets picked. And that's not
going to happen until you write on his back and let the rest of us vote."

"Oops . . . oh yeah, I forgot."  Trey wrote his name on Holden's back, all
the while saying how cool this was going to be. Then Holden felt his own
brother's hand on his back and the pressure of the marker that wrote out
"Phil Mackey (Holden's brother)."

Though, why he felt the need to write that he was Holden's brother, no one
knew.

"Sorry," Phil whispered in his brother's ear afterward. Holden was still
too confused to focus any anger on Foster, and any concentration in that
area was soon broken by the steady stream of boys that wrote on his back.

"Looking good back here, Holden."  Ford said as he wrote on the boy's back.

"I think Ford's gonna have more fun back there than me," Harvey, Jr. said
quietly as he wrote his name.  "You know, he never would touch Austin."

Austin meanwhile was standing on the right side of Holden, trying not to
look at Deecy who was standing next to Reed on Holden's left. Austin was
always nervous, or shy, really, around boys that had fucked him within the
last month. And it didn't help that Deecy was actually a good fuck. Austin
hated that the worst. It took him at least a month to get over it to where
he could fully face the boy again -- except for when Harvey did him, and
that was only seldom, at best.

Harvey was right, though, Ford had not touched the boy since he was Chosen
last year, and just his presence was enough to deter most other boys from
wanting a piece of Austin's ass, despite how popular the boy's ass AND hole
had been. (Austin was a 13 year old hottie.) Austin therefore would not
have nearly the number of visitors that his father Scotty had gotten back
in the 30's, thanks to his being a constant shadow of Ford and Harvey, Jr.,
both of whom would later serve in the final stages of Viet Nam. Austin
himself would grow up to marry Esther Mackey and would remain very close
friends with Ford. He would adopt Esther's daughter Dorothy and they would
name their first son, in a way, after Ford. They would name him Fairlane.

But for now, it was Austin's turn to vote. As a Bottom his votes counted
double, whether he voted `for' or as an `exemption'. In this case he was
voting for Holden to be chosen, and it was his reasoning that had swung the
two older boys.

"I would say sorry, Holden," Austin said as he wrote his name and `+2'
beside it, "but maybe if you had been in the Choosing last
year. . . . . . Well, at least this way, if you're Chosen, maybe the other
guys will lay off me for a while. You still got a real nice ass back
there."

Holden blushed, unable to respond, which was probably a good thing as he
already had four checks across his back. The next voice, though, made it
very, very, very hard not to respond.

"Yeah, Holden. Maybe if you had been there I wouldn't have been
chosen. Instead, maybe it would have been just you and Austin."

13 year old Evan Sanders was still quite bitter about being Chosen, and he
had long been bitter about Randall Mackey's son being given a pass from
last year's list; so it was more than something of a sweet revenge to see
him bent over like this. The truth was, however, that Evan would have still
been Chosen. He was picked as a kind of quiet revenge against his older
brother Ethan, the only one of the four rapists of Hester Mackey to boast
about how great she could fuck, as if it was something she did willingly
with him. Ironically, it was related to the same reason Holden was quietly
left off the list, although only one person knew that.

Randall, Theodore, and Angus had been the Mackeys that most wanted to see
Ethan prosecuted, or worse -- and the same for Titus. And Evan would like
revenge against all of them. But Theodore's oldest son, Zander, was still
only 10 and Angus had no children. Which meant Randall's oldest, Holden,
was the one that Evan and a very few others had wanted to see fucked. It
was Bart, though, in one of his moments of being privately ashamed of
Titus, that understood the trending sentiment and decided that Randall's
family should be left quietly off the list. He had his moments where
goodness prevailed.

But right now, Evan took delight in writing his name, and the `+2' allowed
to him as a Bottom, adding himself to Holden's rapidly accumulating list of
`supporters.'

"And guess what's even better, Holden. Last year, I got a special
exemption; ain't nobody ever gotten it before, that says no Bottom can fuck
me. It helps having strong family, what can I say. And it means I can fuck
your sweet ass twice a day for three years, and aint nothing you can do
about it."

It wasn't entirely true. There were some limits put in place to protect the
Bottoms from multiple daily events, or over use by one or two boys; but the
exemption part was true. Ordinarily Bottoms could demand services from each
other, just like a regular Top Mackey. But Evan had regularly used Austin's
poor ass with impunity until Austin broke down one day in front of
Ford. Suffice it to say, Evan didn't come around those parts any more (and
had some difficulty walking for a few days after he did the last time). But
the news brought Holden to some tears, battling impotent rage versus being
the shame of his family.

"And guess what, else, Deecy," Evan said, wanting to rub it in further to
those two as well, "The exemption includes the brothers of any Bottoms I
screw. So I get to fuck Reed's mighty fine ass, too, all I want, though
maybe I'll just do him once a day. And you cain't do me. You cain't do
nothin' but watch; but then, maybe that turns you on."

Deecy started forward and would have taken the boy's head off, except Hal
stopped him with just a few words.

"Deecy, Reed pays for anything you do."

Deecy hesitated, but it still looked like he might explode.

"And Evan," Hal said, "You can forget even going near Reed, IF he is
Chosen. I have already had a prohibition placed on you, Selby, AND
Carter. So you can forget ever messing with him."

"A pro-ib . . . . .? Hey! You cain't do that!!"

"I can. You better understand quick, I can work the system better than you
or your wretched family, Evan. Don't ever cross me."

Evan backed off a little, but couldn't resist one last parting remark
before he left.  "We'll see about that. If it's true, then I guess I'll
just have to fuck Holden three times a day."

"I'm sorry, Holden," Hal said, "I should have included you in my request."

"It's all right, Hal!"  Foster said cheerfully, coming up behind the tall
Near-Spring youth and clapping him on the shoulder. He gave a still
confused and emotionally drained Holden a wink and said, "I've got it all
covered. Evan won't be an issue."

Holden started to ask what he was talking about, but Foster put a finger to
his lips and shushed him.  "The more you talk, Holden, the more check marks
you might get; and the more of those you get, the less I can protect you. I
don't even want to tell you what having four means
already. . . . . . . . . Damn, Sean, that is a nice ass."

Foster said it cheerfully and friendly, and even put his hand on it to feel
it up.

"It's a shame you couldn't be in the show regular-like and get picked
instead of Holden. Me and Holden could have had lots of fun with you back
here. Mostly 'cause you're a cool kid, but you also look like a lot fun
right here."

As an emphasis Foster ran his finger through the delicious and tempting
crack and just very lightly caressed the outermost top of his clean anal
muscle. The boy felt a jolt of surprise go through him: "Ahhhuuh!!"  He
always liked Foster and knew the boy wasn't saying it to be mean, but his
eyes went wide as he felt the jolt go from his anus to up through his
body. It surprised him.  "Uh, thanks, I guess . . . . Foster."

"All right, I gotta go try and convince a few more boys to not vote for
Holden. See you guys."

"You picked well, Holden," Deecy said after the boy had left.  "But if you
get picked, you know Foster's still gonna wanna fuck you, even if you are
friends."

"I know," Holden said, and swallowed hard.  "I won't ever complain. I guess
he deserves it, if he really is trying hard. I just don't know why he
brought my brother into this."

"Shhh, some more people are coming."

It was two boys. One wrote his name on Holden, and the other on Reed, being
the third boy so far to quietly come up and write on Reed's back. This was
followed by two more boys, close friends from among the Outer Mackey, who
also wrote on Reed's back. It brought the boy's total up to +3, far from
Holden's +16, but in the running for second place with Lucas Redd, who now
had +4, after Logan Mackey put his name on the boy's back, right behind his
little brother Drake's name.

But then came the snide and arrogant Aaron Mackey and his closer friends
among their relations. The boy wasn't ugly in the face, he was actually
quite cute when he didn't have a scowl, a sneer, or a sinister grin
covering that up. Unfortunately, he often did have a scowl or a sneer on
his face. He had a view of himself as being `the man,' and in his mind Reed
Mackey already belonged to him.

"Relax, Deecy," Aaron said.  "Don't do anything that gets Reed any more
checks. I actually don't want to share him that much. And I'm not fuckin'
stupid like Evan to think I would ever mess around with him in front of
you. I'm fairly fond of my teeth, you know, and I like my bones unbroken
. . . . . but still . . . . ."  Aaron ran his hands down Reed's proffered
ass, just barely gliding his thumbs gingerly through the smooth Virgin
crack, "holy shit that's nice!!"

Aaron stepped up closer to the boy and pressed the obvious erection in his
pants into the naked ass, pressing hard, in fact. He held on to the boy's
hips and leaned over, putting his mouth right against the boy's ear and
hotly whispering in: "I bet you can feel my hard dick back there, pressing
in to that soooo nice ass you have, Reed. Get used to me holding you like
this, because you . . . . . are . . . . . . fucking . . . . . . . HOT!!"

Reed blushed severely. This was his absolute worst nightmare of being a
Bottom. But Aaron kept his crotch hard and pressed firmly into the butt of
the boy he was looking forward to owning, as he wrote his name on the boy's
back. And unfortunately, as he stepped away, his four friends stepped up to
write their own names, two of them equally hard and just as lascivious in
pressing the point to poor Reed.

By this point in the voting, 3 more boys had written on Jake's back,
believing he still deserved to be Chosen for the role it was rumored he had
played in trying to trick Sean; though one boy signed his name there just
because he really liked the look of Jake's compact butt and had been doing
some mental masturbation at the thought of actually getting to fuck it. But
even after nine boys total had signed their names in favor of Jake's ass,
the boy still only had `+1', after factoring in the protection of Bart and
Will.

Jake was dead even with Cain, who had started as `- 4' but had five boys
sign his own back, all five eager to try the overly active and boisterous
Cain in a bed. Or a creek. Or a copse or a loft. Or anywhere. Hell, pretty
much any boy there was willing to try Cain pretty much anywhere and
everywhere.

Cain's cousin Stephen Sanders only had two more boys sign him -- both being
his closest 13 year old friends, who thought it would be fun to do so, as
the boy had no realistic chance at being chosen, being the only boy still
in the negative.

Corey Sanders, however, was the only boy with a clean back -- well, clean
of names; he did have the solitary checkmark which meant he would be
getting on his knees afterward and going down on another Mackey. One who
could cum -- giving him his second and hopefully last taste of cum in his
young life.

Corey was between Jake on the left end of the Choosing and Lucas Redd on
his right, both of whom were racking up the names. Lucas, however had no
protections or exemptions and he was already up to +7, a point behind
Reed. Holden, though, led them all. He had 16 points by the time Wayne came
back around to Hal and Sean. This was bad. Very bad.

But other boys had there own asses to worry about. And still others had
asses to look forward to.

"Hey Sean," Wayne started, feeling a bit nervous and shy.  "Um . . . . did
Hal tell you . . . . ."

Sean nodded, not really able to actually look at the boy, but surprised as
Wayne reached out a tentative hand and lightly, almost reverently, stroked
that nearest ass cheek. Even Hal was surprised at the gasp that came from
Wayne as he became ever more slowly bolder in feeling Sean's offered ass,
applying full pressure across his hand, sampling more than just texture
now, but density, resistence, substance . . . .

"Is it true, you really a virgin?"  Wayne asked quietly.

"Nobody's ever put anything back there but a finger."  Sean answered. He
wanted to keep it that way . . . . but . . . . . .

"Nice. You're not gonna get mad if I fuck you a whole lot the next couple
years? I'll always be nice about it, I swear, but . . . . . I really want
to. Maybe after a year I won't as much, but . . . . when I do, it's nothing
personal, you know?"

Sean nodded his head. He would find a way to accept it. He knew Hal had
made the best deal he could for him.

"And thanks, Hal," Wayne added, "I'll be sure and fuck him enough the whole
two years so you don't have to worry about it. I know you don't wanna do
him any more than they're making you."

Hal nodded, as well. He wasn't sure how he should respond. Wayne, though,
after spending a whole year angry at Hal, finally asked:

"Why did you do it, Hal? Why did you pick me to own his butt?"

"Because Wayne, I didn't think it was totally fair to have the opportunity
ripped away from you last year. But it was even less fair to Jonathan
Parker at the time, so I had to do it. It was nothing personal against you
then. And I know you aren't a bad guy, despite however angry you were at
me. I don't think you would take anything out on Sean."

Wayne was shaking his head, still looking down in wonder at the gift given
to him, running now his left hand up and down that smooth, naked,
horizontal back, marveling in the warmth of a body and the cool of the
smooth skin, and still feeling up the ass with his right hand, even sliding
his fingers through the crack ever so often and tickling that pure and
obtruded hole. He wouldn't take his now-dissipated anger out on Sean, there
was none left; but that hole was calling to him.

"No way. I'm gonna take real good care of Sean and his butt. His hole
too. Especially his butthole; I'm really looking forward to enjoying
that. Man, I can only imagine getting to press my dick up against that
beautiful tight hole and sliding my dick real slow into him, slowly
stretching him around my hard cock so that we both feel good about it. I
don't want nothing to ruin that. I especially like the fact that I don't
have to share it, or him, with anybody. Well, except you . . . .  but you
know what I mean."

Sean blushed profusely as he was fondled and being discussed so simply and
explicitly, even as plans were made to invade his nethermost, private
regions.

"Well, I just wish we didn't have to do it in front of everyone."  Hal
said.

"Yeah. I don't want to `cause it will hurt him," Wayne said, surprisingly
showing more care and concern than he had ever given to Jonathan. But this
was different. Jonathan was to be a community Bottom. This one was to be
just his (well his and Hal's, but mostly all his). The thought of ownership
made the 14 year old, solid boy even more protective.  Wayne looked up as
if a light bulb had gone off.  "Hey, I don't have to fuck him today. I can
do it later when it's more private and I can go slower. You know, so I
don't hurt him."

"But I agreed that a Mackey would publicly fuck him, and today. If you
don't Bart will just pick someone, and I don't know who he'll pick."  Hal
countered.

"Not if we pick somebody first. We could pick a Mackey that's got a smaller
dick than you and don't cum. You don't have to be the first to fuck him,
Hal. I overheard what they were saying over there. You just have to be the
first to cum inside him. So what if we get a small dick to do him a couple
times and loosen him up before you go? That way he won't hurt as much. And
I can just do him later, maybe tomorrow or Wednesday."

"Who?"  Hal asked, still a little skeptical.

"Well . . . . ."  Wayne looked around, seeing who might be available.  What
about Piper? He's over there, sitting next to Frankie. He's only 11, so he
won't hurt. Least not as much."

"Wait," Hal said, "How is it the 11 year olds are getting to vote and do
things, all of a sudden?"

"Didn't Foster tell you guys?"  Wayne asked. But all he got were shakes of
the head from Deecy, Hal, and even Holden, as they all waited for an
explanation. Meanwhile another boy was coming up to quietly and quickly
write his name on Reed's back.  "Well, you know sometimes the 11 year olds
could come watch, and sometimes they had to get permission, and once or
twice they could even do stuff, like Nathan and Kurt got to do to their
older brothers."

The boys nodded, they were with him so far.

"Well Foster made a suggestion to make it all more interesting. He said it
would make it more . . . . uh . . . dy-nam-ic . . . you know, get more boys
involved into the Choosing and get them involved earlier. So he said that
any boy who is 11 can come to the Choosing and watch, except that if they
do, then their name goes on the list for next year, and they can't get off
the list -- no matter what."

"Well, why would they do that?"  Deecy asked.

"Cause, if they come to the Choosing when they're just 11, then they get a
point off their total when they bend over at 12. So they start off at `-
1'. Kinda like gambling, I guess. You know the `-1' versus the chance you
might not even make the list. You know 6 or 7 guys didn't make the list
this year, most of them Outer Mackeys or Andrew and Oliver's clan. I guess
you're the only Oliver here, Sean. Kinda funny that way."

"Yeah, it's real funny, Wayne," Hal said flatly, "now how come they're
getting to vote?"

"Oh, also Foster's idea. So they can vote IF they get invited to do so by a
Sponsor or Protector, or anybody that owns the ass; so either me or you
could invite Piper, since we're co-owners. But I don't wanna do it unless
Sean agrees."

"Why?"  Deecy asked, sensing there was a shoe waiting to drop.

"Cause I don't wanna be like that to Sean."

"No, I mean why invite them?"

"Oh, well first, if the kid is invited to vote, he can vote for
anybody. And as soon as he writes his name then he gets another point off
next year, so he starts off as `- 2'. But here's the fun part -- Foster is
so smart -- if the boy he votes for doesn't get Chosen, then he loses all
his negative points and starts off next year at zero, just like everybody
else. If the guy gets Chosen, then he gets another negative point and
starts off next year as `- 3'. So it's like another gamble; kinda adds to
the fun; makes it even more exciting. Should he vote and try for negative
three, if he's invited, or not vote and stick with negative one?"

"So why is Foster letting his brother and Holden's brother fuck Holden if
he gets picked?"  Deecy asked. It was easy to see that he disapproved of
involving brothers. He didn't like it a bit.

"It's not why you think. I told you he's smart, almost as smart as you,
Hal. Well, maybe."  Wayne explained further.  "Anyways, if an 11 year old
is also invited to fuck the boy they wrote on, then they get a whole
'nother negative point taken off, so they start the next year at `- 4',
which is huge. Just look at all the boys that signed Cain's back, and he's
only got 1 point so far, 'cause he started off as `4 .' If Cain had had a
sponsor or an older brother to write an exemption on him, there'd be almost
no way he'd get picked. Nobody would want to waste their votes on him. And
he's got a great ass; I mean, he'd be a whole lot of fun to fuck!!"

"Not that you won't be, Sean," Wayne then quickly added, patting the boy's
butt as he did so. As if that kind of jealous would even enter Sean's mind
at this point.

"But Phil and Trey would already have `- 3' without screwing Holden (Sorry,
Holden). That's good enough without just humiliating him."  Deecy still
argued

"But that's the second reason Foster did it. I told you he was smart."

"OK, he's smart, I get it. Look, I know he's a nice guy," Deecy said,
thinking more about this sort of thing happening to his own little brother,
"But I don't see a good reason for doing it."

"They want Holden humiliated, Deecy. Lots of guys do, and he was starting
off with so many points it looked like he was definitely gonna get
picked. And Bart and them would pick 4 or 5 guys to fuck him in public. So
I guess Foster figured maybe he could control it, save their brothers from
getting picked next year, and make another deal. And the Council went for
it, since his deal would humiliate Holden and also make the Choosing a lot
more interesting. Foster got the deal."

"What was the deal?"

This time it was Holden who asked, though Deecy immediately shushed him and
told him to go back to keeping quiet.

"The deal was," Wayne answered, "If he got both their little brothers to
fuck Holden in public, Holden's and Foster's little brother, then Foster
got to pick any guy and forbid him from ever having anything to do with
Holden as a Bottom. That includes talking to him about it, voting on him,
anything. And the guy can't appeal it."

"When does he pick?"

"He just did before I came over here, but the guy doesn't know yet."

"Well, are they gonna tell him before he votes? Because then it will be too
late."

But Wayne was all smiles.  "No, he waited until after the guy voted,
because the way the deal was worded, the guy's votes won't count toward
Holden, and NOW he won't be able to vote for anybody else. See, Foster's
almost as smart as you Hal. Well, I guess nearer than anybody else."

Wayne had almost completely converted himself into being a fan of
Hal's. Meanwhile, Deecy and Hal looked down at Holden's back, looking
through the eight or ten names on it. One stood out.

"He picked Evan Sanders."  Hal said.

"Yep!"  Wayne was smiling.

"He really is smart," Deecy said, amazed.  "Holden, if you are picked, you
better give Foster some really good fucks as a `thank you.' "

Holden gave a shallow nod and put his head down and felt the appreciative,
though still relative, relief as it spread through him, surprising himself
as he acknowledged deeper within that he very much did owe Foster time in
his ass without complaint. He could have done without the way (and the
reality) that Deecy worded it, but he was so thankful that Evan couldn't
touch him, that he didn't even notice the next two boys that came up to
write for his ass.

He did notice the third, though, since that boy spent some time feeling his
nuts and giving them a few gentle tugs.

"So, Sean," Wayne asked, "What do you say? You want Piper to loosen you up
first? And then I won't ever have to do nothing to you in public, and can
take my time so it won't hurt so much. The only down side, is Piper has
unlimited rights to your butt until he turns 12, and because you are a
special case, he then picks up his rights again if he isn't Chosen; and he
won't have any restrictions on him at all. But he's a really good kid, and
I honestly don't think he would ever make you do anything in front of
anybody if we asked him. Plus he lives a ways outside the Spring, so you
won't see him as much."

"Sean, what do you think?"  Hal asked him.

Sean couldn't deny that it was logistically a good idea, but he couldn't
bring himself to ask out loud to let yet another boy fuck him. So he just
blushed and nodded his head. He could live with the consequences, as long
as Wayne and Hal set Piper straight.

"Hey, Piper!"  Wayne called out, "Come here a second."

Piper came, and Frankie came with him.

"Hey Sean," Frankie said with a slight smile on his face.

"Hey, Frankie," Sean said, but barely got it out before flushing again with
embarrassment.

"Hey Holden, sorry about this."  Frankie said, giving Holden's nearest
buttcheek a friendly slap. Holden couldn't respond, much less look at
Frankie, so he just gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. Frankie then gave
Sean a shake of his head in disappointment that the boy didn't listen,
"Sean, I thought I told you to stay out if the Mackey lands until after
Tuesday."

"I . . . . . Kurt, he . . . . ."

"All right, all right. I sure wish you listened to me. Oh, uh . . . . Will
and Gus, my older brothers, they found out about you and me and Jake, you
know what happened back there in the woods . . . . and, uh . . . ."

Frankie bent down and whispered the rest.

"Are you serious?"  Sean asked, surprised.

"Yeah. But listen, do me a favor, please, and don't tell nobody.  Except,
uh, I need you to tell Gus and Will after I do it. You know, just so they
know I did."

"OK."

"Thanks," and with that Frankie left. Or tried to --- except that Wayne was
in his way.

"So what's the secret?"

"None of your business, Wayne."  Frankie said firmly.

"It may be, since I'm supposed to be protecting him."

"No, you're just supposed to be fucking him; now move, Wayne."

"I bet whatever it is, and I got a good guess, if I ask Will, he'll let me
have some fun with you, too."

Frankie looked a little nervous and let out a sigh.  "Fine, all right?"
And leaned over (or up, slightly) and whispered it in Wayne's ear as well.

"All right," Wayne said with a smirk.  "I guess you can do that at my house
sometime, and I can witness it and tell Will you did it right."

"No, Wayne, it's just between me and Sean!"

"Except Jake saw it, so no reason nobody should see you do it. And I better
see you swallow anything he shoots, 'cause I bet you shot in his mouth,
right?"

Frankie looked embarrassed.  "Look, I didn't know he didn't want to. Not
until after, when Kurt was making him—"

"Kurt was there, too?"  Wayne asked.

"Um . . . . yeah. But I stopped him before he shot anything!"

"But you still let Kurt make him give him a blow job?"

Frankie fidgeted a bit, but he wasn't getting any commiserating looks from
Hal and Deecy.  "Look, I didn't know. I tried to help him after."

"He did," Sean said.  He liked Frankie; he didn't want the boy mad at him.

"Then you won't feel bad making it up to him, Frankie."  Wayne said, "At my
house. How about Thursday? And he can watch you have to blow an older boy
like you watched him."

Frankie gulped. Wayne was serious, and he somehow figured Gus and Will
would be in favor of it.

"Yeah, all right."  Frankie relented, feeling a part of himself sink
inside. But then he added very quietly, "But I ain't doing you until you
cum. You'll have to go beat off somewhere else for that."

"No, don't do it like that, Wayne," Sean protested.  "I like Frankie; I
don't want him to be mad at me."

"I'm not gonna be mad at you," Frankie gave up, "Except for the fact that I
told you not to come back. I shoulda known better that day than listen to
Jake. Guess I was lettin' the little head think more than the big one.
Fine, I'll meet you both Thursday at your house Wayne, but then never
again, OK? It's the first and only time I ever put something like that in
my mouth, so I mean never bring it up or ever talk about it again, deal?"

"Fair enough."

Frankie was now even more pissed at Jake. He left and went over to talk to
Gordon, where Gordon and about four other boys had gathered to put their
names on Jake's back. Frankie nabbed Sammy Hardin along the way and
convinced him to also put his name on Jake's back, bringing the boy up to 7
points in a very short time. Frankie also tried to convince Austin's
brother, Casey, and cousin, Harrison Mackey, but they went for Lucas'
young, innocent and precarious ass.

Right after Casey and Harrison patted Lucas' butt and wished him luck,
laughing and walking off, Carter and Selby walked up. They were going to
vote for Reed, of course, until they found they had been banned from Reed's
ass (they had asked Bart about it after Evan's confrontation with
Deecy). Then they thought about voting for Holden, and really making Sean
and Hal pay for it; except it looked like Holden was going to get picked
even without their help. Greed then began to play on their minds. If Reed
and Holden won, they could only fuck Holden, but if Lucas and Holden won,
then they could tear into that sweet little ass that Lucas had, as well as
fuck Holden.

They discussed it off to the side and decided that, as much as they wanted
to SEE Reed get his ass fucked in front of everyone, they still wanted to
do some fucking. The older they got, too, the sweeter 12 year old ass
looked.

So they went for Lucas Redd and wrote their names on his back, taking the
boy up to 13 points, well above Reed's 9 points and Jake's 7 points.  They
gave each other a high five leaving the little boy trembling.

The whole time of the voting, however, Everett Redd had been holding
back. His Bottom days were officially over once the voting was
finished. But some bitterness in him remained, that he should have had to
go through what he did and his little brother not have to. He had been
debating within himself whether to put his two points on Lucas and ensure
the boy would also know what it felt like, or go and vote for another boy
and leave his brother's fate to chance.

But he had overheard the way Carter and Selby discussed his little
brother's small and unprotected ass. Surely Lucas looked even younger than
Everett had felt way back then in '65. He shivered to think of that
unprotected hole being ripped open by the likes of Carter and
Selby. Everett began to feel shame and knew what he should be doing as the
older brother. He walked down to his brother, though he had to stand in
line while another boy put his name on Lucas's back, and then wrote
"Everett Redd - 2", bringing his little brother down from 14 to 12 points,
though he was still in the lead for second place.

"Hey, Lucas. Sorry it took me so long."

"Everett!! Wh- w- what . . . .wh- which w-way did you vote?"

Everett smiled and made his brother squirm a bit.  "For you, of course. I
mean, for you to lose. That is, not get picked. I gave you `- 2' points."

Lucas gave a sigh of relief and thanked his brother.  "How many do I have?"

There was a large paper in the back, tacked up to a tree, that the Council
members would update every couple of minutes on the tally, but the
12-year-old sacrifices to the ancient Ceremony could not see it. Everett
looked down Lucas' back and added up the points as best he could.

"You have 12 points. I think you're still in the lead for second."

Lucas put his head down and mumbled a plea for his older brother to stay
with him.

"No."  Everett said looking around.

"Please, Ev," Lucas begged.

Everett smiled down at his brother and ruffled the boy's pitch-black hair.
"I said no, not yet. I have to find Branton. He can take another two points
off of you."

Everett headed off, resolved at the end to save his brother. While he was
trying to find Branton, who was the other Community Bottom of '65, two more
boys were visiting Reed and writing their names on his back -- Irvin Mackey
and his best friend and `adopted' Mackey, Corey Gavin. Corey was one of the
few boys in the last hundred years that had been accepted as a Mackey, even
though there was no blood or marital relations. He wasn't just accepted by
the Mackey, but he accepted everything right back, such that when Irvin
dropped his pants to bend over at the log on Choosing day in 1966, Corey
showed up and without a word stripped down to nothing, walked up and took
the spot next to Irvin, bending over and parting his legs, giving every boy
there a fresh new hole to consider. And a lot of boys did. Corey didn't
just have a nice ass; he had that bit of strange that always excited. But
after that, he was never the least bit an outsider to anybody. He would
eventually grow up to marry Irvin's little sister, Therese.

Their names brought Reed up to 11 points and this put him in the lead for
second place once Everett found Branton and convinced the other 15 year old
boy to put his name and `- 2' on Lucas's back, bringing that boy to 10.

Frankie was still rallying boys to Jake's backside, and when a whole group
of Sanders showed up late, he managed to convince four of them to put their
names on Jake's back, taking the boy to 11 and making the race for a second
place a three-way event. The remaining two Sanders of the group drifted
over to Reed and Holden, putting one vote each on those boys. Frankie was
busy talking yet another Mackey into signing up for Jake, when Mason walked
up and pushed Frankie aside and got right in the boy's face.

"My brother Justin didn't want Jake picked; and I think you've made your
point to the boy, Frankie. Keep going and I won't forget it."

Frankie just scowled. Mason wasn't enough to scare Frankie off. Well
. . . . maybe he was. At any rate the Mackey he had been talking to drifted
over to where another group of boys were signing Cain's back. Four more
signatures and he was still only up to 5 points. This group included the
twins, Peyton and Parker Mackey's three son's: Parker's 18-year-old Avery,
and Payton's 18-year-old Bronson and 15-year-old Ridley.

There had been no Choosing when Avery and Bronson were 12, and the Council
had just plain forgotten Ridley when they made the list in 1965 (but Avery
and Bronson had conveniently taken the 12-year-old boy camping the night
before, anyway, and `forgot' about the Choosing). The Council later
begrudgingly gave Ridley an official `free pass.' The three boys had just
shown up at this Choosing, and despite the unlikelihood of Cain Jacobs
getting enough votes to matter (thanks to Christopher and Porter), the
three boys just liked the spunk and energy the boy had. What a fuck he
would give, even though none of them entertained the serious thought of
going for it. Just the idea of it seemed fun to them, and they went to vote
for him.

Mason meanwhile put his `- 2' on Jake's back, once again taking the boy out
of the race for second. The roller coaster of fear had just plumb worn the
poor boy out, though. Jake looked exhausted.

While all of this was going on, Wayne and Hal had explained things to
Piper, including their concerns for discretion.

"We can't make you do anything once you agree to this; but please, enjoy
his ass as much as you want --- just keep it quiet and private."

"OK, sure. I won't even tell Ashton if you don't want."  Ashton was Piper's
fraternal twin brother.  "Can David have some fun with us, too? Just every
now and then?"

"David Wilson?"

He was actually David Wilson Mackey, Dylan Mackey's oldest son and named
partly after Wilson Mackey, but no relation at all to the Wilsons who were
themselves closely related to Corey Sanders.

"Yeah," Piper said, "He turns 12 next week, but his dick isn't much bigger
than mine, and I don't think he can shoot anything either. Can he just fuck
you a few times? Just every now and then, and only when I'm with you?"

"David Wilson's a really good kid," Deecy added, listening in.

"What do you say, Sean?"  Wayne leaned down and asked the boy.

Sean was now resigned to almost anything, if he could just put this day
behind him.  "Yeah, OK, but not today."

"Thanks, Sean!"  Piper exclaimed.  "And I'll be real quiet about it all."

"Hey . . . . Piper," Deecy suddenly said, having thought about something
himself. "Before you do anything with Sean, can you find David Wilson? Go
run to Mr. Thane's and ask to use his phone. Call around and see if you can
find him and tell him to get here as quick as he can."

"Sure, Deecy," and the boy took off toward the conclave of houses nearest
Old Knot.

"What are you doing, Deecy??"  Reed asked, suddenly nervous about this
equally sudden inspiration of his brother.

Deecy Mackey knelt between his brother and Holden and told both boys,
"David Wilson really is a good kid, and if this idea of Foster's can
protect him, then I want to try it. He's Uncle Dylan's oldest son!"

"That don't mean I want'im to be fuckin' me, Deecy!"  Reed exclaimed.

Dylan wasn't really their Uncle, but given how close Dylan had been to
their Uncle Dawson who died before they were born, they always called him
Uncle.

"I won't do it unless it looks like you're really going to get picked,
Reed."

Holden put his head down and told Reed no.  "I'll do it, Reed. Just ask
Foster to call the boy up. I don't think I can get out of any of
this. Least I can help somebody."

Reed looked dismayed. He didn't want it happening to Holden, either. He
pleaded again, "Deecy, what if that's what really puts me over?"

"I won't do it until the last second, and only if I'm sure. It's OK, Reed,
I'll ask Holden. He's right, anyway; it kinda looks like he's gonna be way
out in front no matter what. Sorry Holden."

"It's not your fault, Deecy."  Holden said.

"No," Reed said, looking angry but unable to focus it, "I should be the one
doin' it. Just invite him whenever'e gets here. I'll live. It's for Uncle
Dylan, anyway, right?"

They loved their Uncle Dylan. And nearly everyone loved the deep country
twang of Reed's.

"Well, I still gotta wait and be sure, Reed. He don't get anything if he
writes his name on your back and you don't get picked."

"You ken ask'im t' fuck me anyway. He'll get least one poin' off, right?"

"Are you sure, Reed?"

"It's just David Wilson; he cain't shoot. Tole me last week. So I don'
guess matters much if he gits t' fuck me for one week till he terns 12. "

"Ok. If you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure."  He didn't sound it, but the boy was trying to ready his
mind for what might be a terrible onslaught of life changing
experiences. Every time he heard an update, he was more often ahead in the
race for second, than not. Might as well set his mind to getting his ass
fucked no matter what happens. If he was lucky, it would just be David
Wilson fucking him a few times over the next week.

"Wayne," Hal suddenly thought, "Your brother Darren, has he voted?"

"I don't think so."

"Can you convince him to vote an exemption on Reed? It would be -- 3
points, and would really put him more even with Jake. Despite the really
nice ass Reed has got, guys are still mad at what Jake tried to pull."

It was true, probably about 6 of the boys that voted for Jake really wanted
to fuck Reed. And it was a very HARD decision, all puns intended. But in
the end they felt Jake needed to learn a lesson, despite how hot and nice a
total package Reed was. And four of the boys that had so far voted for
Holden felt the same; there were just some lingering frustrations that he
had gotten a free pass last year, when they never did. Several of the boys
who voted for Lucas, and at least two of the boys who voted for Cain all
wanted to vote for Reed, but Deecy made them nervous.

The boy didn't know how lucky he had been so far.

"I could do that," Wayne said.

"No!"  Sean interjected, "I want Holden to get the negative points!"

"Sean, you can't help Holden to get below 2nd place, even with a Council
Member's exemption, but you can help Reed."

"I want Holden to get it!"

"It's OK, Sean . . ." Holden tried to say, even though he secretly wanted
the exemption as well. It would give him hope.

"No, Sean, Reed needs it more," Hal said, even as two other boys, laughing
at some joke between themselves, came up to write their names on Reed's
back. They cheerfully wished Reed well afterward, of course, saying it was
nothing personal, but they knew it had everything to do with
Reed. Everything about the boy was like a magnet for attraction.

"Wayne," Sean said, going against Hal directly for the first time ever, "I
want you to get an exemption for Holden."

"Camden!"  Wayne suddenly said, "I'll get Camden to give him one, too. He
was a Bottom, maybe he still can!"

"Wayne," Hal started again, but Wayne held his hand up to stop him.

"I'm doing what Sean wants. Sorry Hal."  And he left to find his brother
and Camden.

"It's OK, Hal," Deecy said.  "Thanks for trying. Besides, no one here is
sticking up for Holden. Just Sean."

Darren agreed to Wayne's request and came over and wrote an exemption on
Holden's back, while at the same time officially wiping out Evan Sanders
prior two votes. He recounted the votes on the boy's back and said, "That
takes you down to 14, Holden. Congratulations, sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of?"

"Grayson and Bodie haven't voted yet, and there aren't a lot of boys left
to vote. Between the two of them they could seriously alter the whole
vote."  Then the boy added, after counting up Reed's back, "Looks like
you're tied with Reed."

"Hey, Hal," came two cheerful voices from the not-so-smart but admiring
brothers, Jason and Ryan Mackey. It was their dad Kevin who had started the
system of checkmarks back in 1938. And it was those two brothers who had
Hal to thank for the entire last year of sweet fucks deep into the hot,
fuckable pudding of Steven Harris, and they got to dip their dicks through
that still tight hole and warm squeezable ass three times a week, and would
for a whole other year. They never missed a chance at it either.

On top of that, they were well aware of the fact that they owed their main
house and their hunting cabin to the efforts of Hal's dad, Calvin
Tucker. The brothers had come up to ask Hal where he wanted their
votes. This troubled Hal in one respect; he so far had not directly pushed
another boy toward being the official Bottom. But if he recommended one,
then that's exactly what he would be doing.

"Uh . . . how about if you just try to bring one of the boys that are close
into an even closer race for second place. Someone not Holden or Reed."

"Um . . . . Jake?"  Ryan asked, not entirely sure.

"Yeah, definitely Jake," his brother Jason said.  "I mean look at all the
names on his back. And if he really did what they said, then he deserves
it."

Hal knew that the votes should go to Lucas, if they were really going to
help Reed; but he couldn't bring himself to target another boy.

"That'd be great, thanks guys."

"Jake doesn't deserve that," Sean said quietly; but Hal heard him. Loud as
a church bell in his head.

Piper came back and pointed over to David Wilson Mackey sitting by Frankie
over at the bleachers. They looked over and David Wilson waved with a big
smile. Wayne took Piper to ask the Council when Piper could get started
fucking Sean. While they were gone, Camden and Nathan finally showed up.

"Hey Holden," 17, almost 18, year old Camden said.  "Sorry it took so long
for me to get over here. I've been trying to get the Council to give me
special consideration, but they said special voting rights don't exist for
former . . . . um . . . Bottoms. So I can't vote any negative points for
you."

Even after two years of not having to have to bottom any more, Camden still
could not come to terms that he had ever had to, even though it was only
his brother Nathan that laid claim to his ass for the last two of his three
years of service.

"Hey Holden."  Nathan added greeting the bent-over boy.  "Camden said if I
voted on your back that he'd beat the ever living shit out of me. So I
voted for Jake, but I don't think that helped much."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Where can I help you most with my vote?"  Camden asked Holden, but eyeing
Reed the whole time.

"NOT Reed."  Holden said, adamant.

"Well, who then?"

"Lucas," Deecy said, quietly and not really looking at Camden.  "You have
to vote for Lucas, and convince Bodie or Grayson to vote for Jake."

"Deecy . . . ."

"Shut up, Reed."

"Vincent hasn't moved. If he hasn't turned 20, he might can still vote. Get
him to vote for Lucas, too."  Deecy added.

"OK, I can do that."

The boys left. Reed softly said, hanging his head, "That was wrong, Deecy."
Though as he said it, it sounded like the word `wrong' had an extra vowel
in it. His country accent making the accusation all the more stinging.

"I know. But I can't just not do anything."

"You dun dun `nough, mor'n eenybody else's brother, but that was just
wrong. Lucas ain't duhzervin' it no mor'n Jake."  Reed's accent always
became stronger the more he emotionally felt something.

"I'm sorry, Reed. But I have to."  Deecy glanced over at Hal, and then they
both looked away from each other, each feeling guilty over what they had
done to protect Reed.

"I see Dayvid Willsen," Reed said, looking between his parted legs, trying
to ignore his own naked genitals flopping about there below his small tufts
of newly grown pubic hairs, and seeing the happy, cheerful boy in the
distance talking to Frankie.  "Call'im up `n make up whut you dun to Lucas,
Deecy."

The accent and the freckles that made the 12 year old boy so sweet and so
utterly adorable, verging on the change to handsome in puberty, also
provoked the guilt in Deecy, as he looked down at his brother.

"I can't Reed; that could shift you into the lead. It's too close right
now."

"Just do it, Deecy!"

But Deecy looked away and ignored Reed's plea for playing honorably.

Down the line, meanwhile, another brother put in a late appearance:

"Hey, Corey, sorry it took me so long to come around," the 14 year old
guilty voice said.

"Colin! You came!"

"Yeah, some kind of brother I am. Just abandoned you here. I'm glad at
least your back doesn't look as bad as the boy on either side of you."

"Yeah, me too. Why are you frowning . . . . . . . uh oh, why are you
smiling?"  Corey was nervous enough leaning over the log with his naked
butt and butthole available to every boy out there. Even more nervous as
the traffic on Jake and Lucas' asses came and went; but he didn't like that
smile on his 14 year old brother's face. That just made him really nervous.

"Because, I figured out what I can do for you, little brother. You
shouldn't be the only one here with NO name on your back."

"Actually, I'm OK with that, Colin."

"No, it's kind of like you didn't go through it at all, which makes the
fact that you went through it worthless. Here:"

And with that Colin wrote his name and +2 on Corey's back, telling the boy
not to worry; he had already asked Bodie, and there were practically no
boys left to vote. Corey smiled, gave a nervous laugh of relief, and
ironically thanked his brother.

"I'll stay with you for the rest of it, Corey."

"Actually, there's one thing I kind of don't want you to stay for . . . ."

"The check mark? I heard you already sucked Ike Mackey."

Corey blushed and told his brother that that was just for an on-the-spot
punishment. He still had to pay on the existing checkmark at the end of the
Choosing.

"So you swallowed everything?"

Corey blushed and nodded. It was so hard to admit this publicly, especially
to your own brother, and, again, in public.

"Ike can spunk up a good bit?"

He felt like blushing even more; it was so hard to get words out. At first
he just shrugged, but then he struggled with some words, "He can
. . . shoot . . . . stuff. I don't know . . . . . I don't know if it's a
lot . . . or not . . . . it was a lot to me.

"What's it like? To have somebody shoot in your mouth?"

"Gross, Colin, OK, It's gross. I don't want you watching me have to do
another one, please."

"No, I'll stay for that. You'll just have to get over it, Corey."

Great.

Bodie, meanwhile, did in fact vote for Jake at Camden's request, bringing
that boy's total up to 13, while Camden and Vincent raised Lucas into a
three way tie with Reed and Holden, each having 14 points. There were only
about 6 boys left to vote, including one of the Council Members, when Bart,
using his presidential power, called for a halt to the voting and asked for
an official tally:

		Jake: 13 points
		Corey: 2
		Lucas: 14
		Cain: 5
		Stephen: negative 1
		Reed 14
		Holden: 14
		Sean: 5


Deecy didn't know it, but even without deliberately sending votes to Lucas
and Jake, he had done an amazing job protecting his little brother; and
when the tally was called out, Reed's fear in getting picked -- and what
that meant -- overrode his feelings on what was right and honorable. He now
found himself praying it really was Jake and Lucas that got picked.

"OK, Deecy, maybe we really shood whait on asking Dayvid Willsen."

The outcome, however, was put on hold for an unusual `intermission.' Since
Sean was a special case and not traditionally chosen, Bart announced that
they didn't have to wait until the end of the Choosing to start breaking
him in.

"Hal, I understand you've picked the other Mackey who will be initiating
Sean's ass today. The lucky Mackey that gets to pop that Cherry is
. . . . . . ?"

"Piper Mackey!"  Hal proclaimed.  There were some dissents that the other
Mackey who got to claim Sean's ass and fuck him in public should be one
that could cum, but Hal asserted that no such condition had been placed on
the public fucking, only that it be a Mackey, and since Piper was invited,
despite being 11, he fit that qualification.

"As for the Mackey claim on Sean, the other Mackey is able to shoot. That
will be Wayne."

"Wayne," Bart said, hoping to reassert the Mackey dominance and show Hal he
was on their territory now, "You have a right, and I say a duty, to take
your bottom here in front of your fellow kin."

"He wasn't Chosen the same as everybody else, so it's no duty."  Wayne
objected.  "I'll take my turn when I want to, later."

"Thanks, Wayne," Sean whispered.

"Oh, you'll get to thank me later, Sean," Wayne said appreciatively as he
ran his hand down that naked back and around the luscious curves at the
base. Sean shivered as he felt the warm, sure hand move over his buttocks,
delving down into his soon to initiated cleft.

"Very well," Bart said, a tad acrimoniously, "But I insist Piper take his
just dessert twice today, and both times here in full view. I'm sure Piper
won't have a problem getting it up several times."

A general laughter ensued, but everyone was still surprised when Hal was
willing to accede this. Hal though, was thinking more about Sean's physical
discomfort than his humiliation factor. He knew that if Sean was readied
twice by Piper's smaller dick first, then he would afterward take Hal's
larger one much more easily. For Sean, though, the fear that he was going
to get fucked publicly three times now instead of two was quickly forgotten
when Piper dropped his pants and stepped up to the plate. At that point it
was all about the humiliation of this one fuck.

And to make it worse, he was the only one getting fucked. EVERYONE else was
just watching.

Piper was indeed smaller. His hairless three inches didn't look as
threatening when Sean looked through his legs and saw the boy drop his
pants, that smaller erection already hard and ready and at an angle that
Sean didn't think would possibly be able to go in him; but once his hole
was greased, he quickly understood that nothing could deny an entrance to
something that hard. So from the very moment Piper pushed Sean's back a
little lower and stepped up to align that dickhead in the well, Sean
realized that there would be no difficulties; he was about to get well
fucked by a kid younger than him and with an audience of over eighty boys.

Sure enough, as soon as Piper moved forward, his smaller dick just slid
right in, opening Sean up like the finger that had just gone before it,
smoothing the way. In and out it went, though the fact that this was no
finger, but actual dick, was apparent to Sean, all the more so once Piper
really got going. Nobody cheered for the finger, but they were cheering
now. And the finger didn't end with a hard slap of Piper's pubis and
stomach against the yielding soft cheeks of Sean's ass every time the kid
bottomed out -- which was becoming faster and faster at an ever increasing
rate.

The sounds of the slaps of younger body against virgin cheeks were
deafening to Sean's reddened ears. The humiliation of the sound was so
great, he could hear it substantially above the white noise of the cheering
boys taking in the scene. He was sure that it was as loud and obvious to
everyone, that somewhere out in the Mackey territories there were some
fathers saying, `Yep, there goes the first fucking of the day.' He hoped,
closing his eyes and praying this humiliation would end soon, hoped that
his own father could not hear this sound in his own office in the
city. Surely it must be carrying that far.

Finally the slaps diminished in rate, but became more forceful, louder,
more sure, more pronounced, and then, wham!, the hardest yet, accompanied
by an anguished yelp of surprise and joy, a yelp that didn't come from
Sean. There were a few more three-quarter- and half-hearted slams while
Piper got his nut and exploded a completely dry orgasm in what Sean would
later realize was actually the shallow end of his rectum.

Dazed and exhausted, Piper pulled out with a dreamy smile on his face. The
cheer went up louder, and the boy just smiled some more and waved to the
spectators. His dick was still hard and still looked ready for action,
though if you had grabbed it, the boy would have recoiled from sensitivity
after the most amazing orgasm of his barely beginning sexual life
(including all the masturbation that he had come to enjoy of late). For
poor Sean, it was just the realization that the repetitive slaps weren't
actually the most embarrassing part of the day. He felt even more naked
than before as his exposed ass and freshly fucked hole were once again on
display, but now with a more intimate revelation that acutely increased his
embarrassment.

"Thanks, Sean," Piper said, patting his used rear. The action just choked
Sean up with even more redness, and he was only able to nod a reply.

This changed everything. He was no longer a Virgin. He was now just like
that County boy, or at least soon would be, the one that he heard about
Michael Cormack sinking his big dick into, all the way to the hilt.

Sean hung his head in shame and some dejection.

He was fucked.