"You know just because you're the 'boss' around here doesn't mean you have the right to abuse me Jude!" Lana spat.

"As long as you're under my roof, I can do whatever I goddamn please with you" Jude snarled back at Lana, giving her another quick slash across her backside with a thick cane.

Jude smirked to herself and gazed at the damage she had done. Lana's ass was covered with red welts, along with spewed dots of blood. Jude turned and strut back to the cabinet that held her large collection of filthy blood stained canes. The one she held in her hand was placed gently with his brothers. Lana still stood bent over Jude's desk, quivering and wincing. She slowly tried to stretch herself up back up while pulling her plain underwear up over her bare backside. She sharply sucked in air through her gritted teeth as the pain from the caning hit her worse the more she moved.

Jude chuckled as she closed the closet doors, "Yeah, that's right. Think about that next time you want to speak down to me, Miss Lana Banana."

Jude walked back and sat in her chair behind her desk, before giving a disgruntled look back at the woman still sniffling and rubbing her hurt side.

"Well? What are you still doing here? Get out! Or do you want to get punished again?" She made a 'shooing' sign with her hand, then looked back down at the paperwork on her desk.

Lana knew it was an empty threat, but she still got a bad feeling in her lower stomach. She began to limp her way to the door, trying her best to stifle her quiet cries.

Once Lana was out of Jude's office she turned to shut the door. The peach fuzz on the back of her neck stood up abruptly. She could feel a pair of prying eyes on her. She turned around swiftly to search her surroundings. She soon caught the source for the anxious feelings. Across the room she caught a pair of baby blue eyes staring directly at her. They belonged to none other than the angelic Sister Mary Eunice. One of the only people in the asylum that didn't treat Lana like she didn't matter. She was one of Lana's only friends in this lonely place.

Mary quickly turned away once she saw Lana noticed her staring. Lana could see her cheeks begin to flush with pink. Lana dismissed it once she felt the pain from her backside shoot through her again. She started to hobble her way over to the "stairway to heaven" as Lana remembered Mary calling it. But before making it to the first step she was stopped by a delicate touch to the chest. Lana traced her eyes back to a skittish looking Mary Eunice.

"Miss Winters?" She spoke softly. Mary could see the limp Lana walked with, and the puddles of tears under her puffy eyes. Mary wasn't stupid, she knew what had happened to her.

"Please Miss Winters, let me help you?"

Lana looked up to Mary, her aqua eyes mixed with worry and curiosity. Lana mustered up the best smile she could through her pain, "No, please. Let me do this myself."

Lana started trying to walk, but again was gently stopped.

"N-nonsense." Mary stumbled over her words a bit, she wasn't used to being so forward. Mary didn't want Lana to spend an eternity trying to get to her room through almost unbearable pain. "I really want to help Lana."

Lana saw the nuns look into hers with a pleading expression. "H-how could I say no, to those puppy dog eyes." Lana mumbled out, the pain on her backside becoming greater the longer she stood. Mary's lips curled into a large grin and she wrapped her left hand around Lana's waist, letting Lana place her arm around her before she started to help her move up the stairs bit by bit.

Lana and Mary made their way down the halls in silence, hearing nothing but distant screaming every now and again.

"Lana?" Mary asked, breaking the silence. "Can I ask...how much does it hurt?"

"How much do you think?" Lana snapped

oh what a stupid question to ask. Mary thought to herself. Of course it feels horribly. Stupid stupid.

They continued to walk to Lana's cell.

Lana noticed Mary had been avoiding her gaze, with her eyes locked with the floor, since she snapped.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound harsh, Mary. I just, it's just..." Lana trailed off as she felt her voice start to break and new tears started to form in the crease of her eyes. "It's just so hard Mary" Lana completely gave in, her knees buckled and Mary held her as she practically fell into her arms.

Caught off guard, Mary stood wide eyed, while holding a sobbing Lana, she was at a loss of words. She carried Lana into her cell and helped her lay on her flat mattress. Lana was still sobbing by the time she was in her room.

"I've been trying so hard Mary, I can't be cured Mary..."

"Hey!" Mary Eunice gently grabbed Lana's chin between her fingers. "That's no way to look at it! You have to believe in yourself Lana, I believe in you." Mary left off with a sweet grin.

"But it's not a disease Mary. It's love. I'm being punished for love M-mary." Lana sobbed out.

Mary's eyes widened. She had never thought about it in that way before. But she realized it was true. Lana was being punished for loving someone.

"Lana...I..."

"Please Mary Eunice." Lana wept out, "I need to be alone." In reality, Lana didn't want Mary to leave her side. She hadn't had someone truly comfort her since she arrived here. Mary was kind, but she almost always got too skittish to stay around Lana for long.

Mary gave a soldem look at Lana before slowly standing up and walking to the door.

"I'm sorry Lana." Mary Eunice said softly, before walking out and closing her cell.

As she walked back to the common room, and Mary's eyes fluttered, a steady stream of tears began to fload from her baby blue eyes.