Rachel has become fed up on how she is treated and is preparing to stand up for herself. As she concludes that the latest punishment, by being too much actually has empowered her, her Mother is feeling weaker especially with Dad away in London for the week, and worried her child is going to succeed in disrupting her tenuous grip of power. The dichotomy of beliefs in their powers is setting for a storm to rage through the family.

Sarah’s train to Havant pulled out from the opposite platform leaving Rachel with Glenda and the students travelling east. “What will you give me to fix your hair and not tell Mum you pulled the braids out before school?” Glenda interrupted, Rachel’s thinking with her mercenary ones to profit off Rachel.

“Nothing, Mother will see when I come home like this. There’s nothing more she can do. Mother has lost.” Rachel calmly declared, while shuffling feet waiting for their train. An express rattled through on its way to Brighton, but not stopping at the little station halts, like Warblington and Emsworth were. Then finally nearly fifteen minutes later a slow train arrived. It took only a few minutes and they were at the next stop east in Emsworth debarking the train where their Mother was waiting having picked Sally up from the primary school already.

They had barely left the station and Mother was after Rachel like an attack dog. “Did you lose the ribbons?”

“Nope took them out before school, there in my book bag.”

“What is this? Are you not going to lie this time? Not going to say you wore them to school, because you realized that someone might tell me the truth.”

“I didn’t lie on Saturday, and I told you this morning that I wasn’t going to school with that hairstyle.”

“And I told you, young lady, this morning that you wouldn’t like what happens if you didn’t wear them to school.”

“What are you going to do Mother? Ruin my half-term, Ground me for a month? Oh, too late, you already did that. Yes, there’s nothing more you can do. Are you going to ground me ‘till I’m sixteen and I can leave your miserable presence? There’s no punishment left because you went crazy punishing me when I hadn’t lied. I have no respect for you, because you can’t admit when you are wrong. Mother, you, have, lost!” Rachel gleefully stressed each word enjoying how her wide grin was driving her Mother mad.

“Just you wait ‘till you get home young lady. I can do so much more to you and you’ll be sorry you were so rude and disrespectful to your Mum. You think you can misbehave just because your Dad’s not here well you will be sorry.”

“You’re not my Mum, Mother!” Rachel yelled, sullenly walking home quickly hoping to get this over with. She knew her Mother couldn’t spank her as her Mother had hurt her own hand to her daughter’s laughing face last time she’d tried that punishment. Now Dad could spank but he was away for the week. So she just had to break her Mother and hopefully she would finally see that her daughter was right.

Rachel was mildly concerned when she realized her Mother was going to take her slipper to her bare bum. However, she wasn’t going to let her Mother see fear. The first smack stung like a dozen hornets, and she laughed while digging her nails into her hands at her sides. Thwack after thwack fell upon her rear. She just kept holding her body rigid to not let out any pain show, and kept laughing, hoping her Mother wouldn’t notice it was forced.

Rachel was thankful when she heard her Mother start to pant. “When are you going to actually hit me?” She taunted. Glenda looked at her incredulously and her Mother went wild. It had to be a last effort so Rachel laughed through the pain figuring it would be over soon. “I didn’t lie.” Thwack “You can’t accept being wrong.” Thwack “So you try to attack me.” Thwack “You’re a useless housewife.” Thwack “Can’t do anything without her man.” Thwack “I won’t be a pretty trophy for some Neanderthal pig.”

Rachel was surprised she hadn’t got two more hits during the last taunt but her Mother was heaving she was so out of energy. However, she looked rather wild and crazy. She threw the slipper. It nearly accidently hit Sally, who was peering into the Master bedroom with tears in her eyes. “What’s next Mother, or can you finally admit you are wrong?”

Next was apparently a belt from her Dad’s closet. Hopefully, she didn’t have enough energy left to do too much damage. Well Rachel figured she had to not break now, or all she had endured so far would have been a wasted effort. But, Gods the belt really stung! “I am right!” she found the chant soothing and all she could handle between lashes. Finally a weeping Sally was able to beg Mum to stop. Rachel’s bottom was on fire. Her chant was and had been for the last few lashes internal because she’d had to grit her teeth to not let a sob out, but she made sure she kept telling herself that she was in the right.

“You can go to bed without tea. You will be sick tomorrow from school.”

“I have three exams tomorrow… that I am going to take, in school, tomorrow. If you think I am staying in this house, alone, with you; you really are dumb.” Rachel forced out with pure loathing. She had never hated her Mother before today. Forcing to not show pain she slowly walked to her bedroom. She didn’t care her bum was uncovered. She didn’t think she could take the pain of covering it. To hell with cleaning her teeth, she needed her bedroom.

Rachel found herself laughing and crying after she had closed her bedroom door and was finely able to relax her rigid holding in of her emotions. What she had found sort of funny was she realized that by being sent to bed early meant she didn’t have to wear a dress. She couldn’t stop herself from the hysterics that took over with that thought, and hearing the near mad laugh actually caused it to come out even more. She pulled the blanket and sheet back from her bed and hung her shirt up in the cupboard. Hopefully someone would hang her skirt up but she had a second in her closet if they didn’t. She wasn’t going to leave her room to get it or her underclothes.

She put on her pajama top after removing her camisole vest. She couldn’t handle the bottoms but she wasn’t wearing a nighty, and by just wearing the top she so wasn’t wearing anything like one. Collapsing onto her belly with her head turned to look at the door she went to sleep. Hopefully the house wouldn’t be too cold tonight, because she couldn’t pull the covers over herself. Just the thought of covering her bum gave her pain.

Knock. “Rachel?” Another knock. “Rachel, can I come in?” Glenda asked.

“No.” Rachel groaned annoyed to have been woken from a sleep that had allowed her to escape.

“I’ve brought you some tea to eat.”

“I’m not allowed it, and not eating it. Go away I was asleep.”

“Mum let me bring it. She’s crying downstairs.”

“Good.”

“I’m coming in anyway.” Glenda opened the door.

“I said go away. I won’t eat it.” Rachel opened her eyes and glared at her older sister, and hoping to intimidate her into leaving.

“Well I’ll just leave it here. Mum is really sorry. Why did you act so badly? I’ve never seen you so misbehave. Mum’s actually shaking and crying. I’m scared.”

“I didn’t misbehave, nor act badly. I stood up for my rights. I haven’t done anything wrong, but Mother has, and she won’t accept she is in the wrong. I am happy to hear she is crying. She should be after what she did. She is wrong. I am right.”

“Please Rachel. She’s Mum. Mum isn’t wrong.”

“She was and is and keeps on doing more wrong because she refuses to accept she was wrong in the first place.”

“I’m scared Rachel. Oh, my God your bottom looks bad!”

“I’m going to sleep. Take the food away Glenda.” Rachel rolled her head to face away from her sister she didn’t want her to see her tears. “Go Glenda, and take the food away!” Being informed of how bad her bottom looked made her aware of the pain that had ebbed into a nice numb oblivion before her sister came. She hoped she could sit tomorrow for her exams.

When Rachel next woke and found her clock showed it to be nearly four in the morning. The plate of food was still beside the clock. Pulling back from the initial idea to throw it in the dustbin she realized it could be breakfast and she could leave for the ten to five train her Dad often catches. That way her Mother couldn’t stop her going to school, as she’d have already gone.

The first thing she found while dressing was she couldn’t take the elastic of her knickers on her backside. Thankfully her tights rode up higher on her body and didn’t have the elastic band that irritated her sore skin pushing in over some of the higher welts. She felt naughty leaving the house before her Mother had awoken and also for not having knickers on, but blamed her Mother for having to do so. She’d tried them over the tights but she’d rather not wear them than take the pain. Rachel had left a note. She nearly didn’t, but recalling Glenda saying several times that she was scared, and Sally begging her Mother to stop she wrote the note to her sisters. She’d gone upstairs to the attic and was wondering whose room to put it in. Thankfully she didn’t have to worry as she found Sally clinging to Glenda so left it beside the bed both were in. Of course in her rush to find a pen to write the note she'd only found her Dad's green* pens.

{Highlight if needed to read letter}

Dear Sally and Glenda I am sorry if Mother scared you last night. She is wrong and when someone is wrong the person in the right must stand up to them. This has happened throughout history and martyrs have been stoned to death by bitter empowered bullies that believe just because it was done this way in the past it should still be done so even when wrong. Women that dared to learn and stand up to men were tied to stools and dunked into rivers for being witches with no trial, or a mockery of one. After some time they were pulled back up out of the water and if still alive they were obviously witches, and thus burnt to death. Even though my backside is sore I will take my exams because they are more important to me than anything Mother says, like wearing dresses and having hair in a style I dislike. I loved taking piano lessons with Grandma in my jeans and tee-shirt. Mother and Misses Fowler have ruined the piano for me with their crazy beliefs of what a woman must wear to play the piano. A woman can wear whatever she likes. Soon schools will allow them to wear trousers if they want. I will go straight to bed tomorrow to avoid wearing clothes I despise, and to skip my piano lesson that comes with a woman that is nasty, petty and vindictive. Piano can go hang. I blame Misses Fowler for turning Mother against me; I never thought I could hate my own mother before yesterday. My bum is sore; don’t tell Mother, she mustn’t know she caused me to be sore. It is actually so sore I can’t wear knickers. I hope I’m not found out at school especially as with how badly my bum looks, Mother could go to jail. She belongs in jail, but you two would get hurt if I tattled on the stupid cow, so as long as she ignores me I’ll ignore her until I’m sixteen and can leave this hell behind. I also hope I can sit to take the exams. I’ve not managed to sit yet. Just let Mother know I caught the train Dad normally catches so I can get to school and take my exams. See you at lunch Glenda, and after school Sally. Hopefully, Mother will admit being wrong but even if not, don’t be scared or worried. I will stand for what is right and even if my bum is sore, Mother can never hurt me.
Your Sister, Rachel.

Rachel was fairly sure her sisters would share the letter with Mum. It should scare their Mother into inaction. There was the risk it would cause her Mother to go crazy, and that might be the death of Rachel, but she hoped she was right in thinking it would cause her Mother to be too scared to do anything more to hurt her. She was fairly sure she wouldn’t get kicked out of home especially while her rear had the markings of having been hit repeatedly by belt and slipper.

The night was cold even though it was late May, and the breeze went right up Rachel’s skirt and actually soothed her bum while freezing her body.The predawn sky was in twilight dark blues and purples of just before the sun rises. She’d left her book bag as she only needed a few pencils and pens that easily fit in her handbag. Not wanting to miss the train she briskly walked along the footpath to the station pulling her blazer close, as if that helped stop where the wind was stealing her heat from. She was initially glad when she got onto the platform that had a nice spattering of daily commuters.

Rachel had been going on bravado and posturing so having a moment to calm down and with several men that all smiled at her, she suddenly thought about the fact she had on no knickers. It was odd she’d hated having to wear them as they were so thin and flimsy compared to boy’s boxers or ‘y’ fronts that they appeared to be no barrier. However, somehow not having them felt a thousand times worse. How could flimsy knickers be a barrier offering protection? Must be some kind of brain washing, Rachel’s thoughts questioned?

-*- Green ink in the Royal Navy is allowed for XO rank officer, normally this is the rank of Commander, unless on a submarine where the XO is often a Lieutenant Commander. Red ink is for CO rank and higher thus Captain and Admirals (or Commander on subs), blue ink is for CMC rank (E9) and black ink for other ranks