The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

(VIII.)

Early morning, just before the first bell at school. Lisa Andrews, Jill Masters, and Sharon Diaz were talking in front of their lockers when their friend Michelle walked in. Lisa glanced up at her friend with a frown. “’Chelle! There you are! I was, like, starting to wonder if you were gonna make it to school today.”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry I’m late, I didn’t sleep well last night. I kept having... um, weird dreams. Nightmares, actually.” Michelle blushed slightly. Her nights had been filled with dreams all right, but not nightmares. Erotic dreams, unlike any she had ever had before had caused her to oversleep. Several times during the night she had come to, finding her hand between her thighs, wet with her juices. That alone was not unusual, as she had often drifted off to sleep after fantasizing about some hunky boy. What totally shocked and surprised her was that these latest fantasies were all about Scotty Littlejohn, of all people!

“Hey, must have been a doozy of a nightmare, ‘Chelle, you still look kinda frazzled,” Jill said. “Almost as grubby looking as Leese over here. Hey Leese, what’s with the outfit anyway? I didn’t know it was National Dress-down Day.” Lisa blushed red at the comment. For some reason she couldn’t explain, she had felt the desire to wear her old tennis shoes instead of her usual heels or boots. Combined with her flashy new red dress, Lisa was quite a sight.

“Give it a rest, Jill!” she grumbled. “I already explained that I had a small accident at home. Fluffy got into my closet and chewed up all my good shoes. It was either wear sneakers today or go barefoot.” Lisa turned away, unable to look anyone in the eye. All the girls that had visited her house knew her French poodle Fluffy very well, so no one questioned her story. Still, it bothered her somewhat that she had walked out of the house wearing her old worn out tennis shoes.

“Uh oh! Geek alert at twelve o’ clock!” Sharon whispered, pointing. “Don’t look now, ‘Chelle, but that nerd that tried to ask you out on Friday... umm... you know, what’s-his-name, he’s coming this way.”

“Scotty?” Michelle said , half-turning. Lisa grabbed her and turned her back around.

“What are you DOING, Chelle? Don’t make eye contact with him, you’ll only make him come over and talk again. Ah hell, here he comes, anyway.” Lisa turned away in disgust, and Jill and Sharon pointedly looked down at their feet as Scott approached.

Okay, Chelley, she thought to herself. At least now you can put all this nonsense to rest. Once you see and talk to him in person, you’ll see there is NOTHING at all attractive about this geek, and it will kill all those disturbing fantasies you keep having.

At that moment Scott arrived, walking over to the girls, to stand a few feet away. “Good morning, ladies,” he said solemnly, fidgeting, looking uncomfortable. Michelle smiled. The little dweeb is nervous being around us! As he should be, after all, we ARE the cream of the crop at this dinky little school. So much for my dreams of a handsome, strong, domineering man. Still... he IS kinda cute in a geeky sort of way.

The other girls pointedly ignored him, and Scott cleared his voice. “Ahem. I said, hello, ladies.”

“Yeah, and we ignored you, geek,” Lisa said rolling her eyes. “You know the drill. That’s your cue to get lost.”

“No, Lisa,” Scott shot back venomously, moving forward, edging closer to Michelle. “That’s YOUR cue to step away from my locker so I can get my books for class.” Scott reached out and gently pushed Michelle away. As his hand touched her shoulder, a small spark seemed to hit her skin at the point of contact, racing her up spine. Michelle gasped. Insulted, Lisa opened her mouth to tell him off, but to her surprise she barked.

“Rrrruufff!! Ruff Ruff Ruffff Ruf Ruff!” Lisa managed before, wide-eyed, she placed both hands over her mouth. Scott smiled. The suggestion that she bark when her name was called had worked perfectly. Her friends called her ‘Leese’ instead of Lisa, only the teachers, the boys she liked, and other grown-ups called her ‘Lisa’. Add to that, the fact that she was programmed to forget that she even barked as soon as it left her mouth. She was in for one very interesting day.

Just then, the bell rang, and the halls filled with students bustling back and forth. Scott quickly grabbed his books and hurried off to first period. As the girls made their way to their own classes, Jill pulled Lisa to the side. “Hey, girlfriend, what was up with all that barking? Are you okay or what?”

“Like, I don’t know what you’re talking about! I just told that guy off but good. You like, must have been hearing things or something.” Lisa said, shrugging. Jill just looked at her, confused. “Come on, we’re gonna be late.”

Mike barely hid his laughter as he watched the girls walk by. Looks like my man’s little plan is working like clockwork so far, he thought to himself. Oh well, enough fun in games. Time to get down to business. Mike ran to his first period class, just barely beating the tardy bell.

(IX.)

“Whoa, dude, that was so cool,” Mike told Scott as they ate lunch. “I had class with Lisa second period, and the teacher kept calling her to come to the board and do problems, and everytime he called her name she barked. It was hilarious! The teacher got upset and called her name again, to reprimand her, and she just kept barking. The whole class was in an uproar. She was finally sent to the principal. I bet they give her detention for a week!”

Scott laughed. “Yeah, I only wish I had been there to see it myself! See, that’s how its going to be from now on, Mike. Anyone messes with us, we mess with them back! Pretty soon, we’ll be running this place.”

Mike frowned. “Yeah, Scott, about our Master plan. I have been having some serious doubts, bud. I mean, screwing around with a couple of girls and fixing Big Vinnie is one thing. But you’re talking about messing around with the teachers and the principal’s head as well. What if something goes wrong? I mean, so far everything’s been a cake walk, but what if your Gift doesn’t work on somebody? And what if that somebody blows the whistle on us?”

“And what, Mike?” Scott crossed his arms. “So what if they tell somebody? We’re just kids anyway, not even old enough to vote! So we play what we claim is a harmless little prank on everyone. What’s the worst they could do to us?”

“Tell our folks, if nothing else,” Mike grumbled. Scott burst out laughing again.

“Well, your dad is a bit of a monster when he gets pissed, but frankly, all I have to do is sing a few notes, and I have my parents eating out of my hand. I’ve already gotten them to do all my chores for me and triple my allowance. Let them tell out folks. I’ll just sing your mom and dad a little tune, and everything will be okay.”

Mike hid his scowl. The very LAST thing he wanted was Scott using his power over his parents. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “But you said what was the worst that could happen? You said it yourself a long time ago when I tried to get you to use your powers more. You said they might lock us up. I would end up in jail somewhere, or juvie hall. You, on the other hand, they would take to a laboratory, to study, to find out all about your powers. Or some Government Agency might abduct you to use your Talent for them. The CIA’s next secret weapon in the war on crime!”

Scotty shuddered slightly. He had thought about such a thing happening. “You think too much,” he grumbled, digging into his cafeteria Lasagna square. “Okay, I suppose if we really blew it and made a big fiasco out of this. something like that MIGHT happen. MIGHT. But Mike, don’t you see, I have a real Gift! Its a part of me. I can’t simply NOT use it and hope it will go away. And if I am gonna use it, I might as well use it to make our lives easier.” Seeing his friend’s doubtful look, he grabbed whacked him in the back of the head. “C’mon, Mikey, you know its what you want as well. Everything will work out fine, you’ll see. You and me, bro, all the way. Friends to the end.”

Michelle sighed deeply as she got up from her desk. Art class was one of her favorite subjects. She enjoyed every aspect of it, even the boring lecture classes like today. Yet, she hadn’t been able to concentrate on a single word the teacher had said. For some reason, her mind kept returning back to the incident at the lockers this morning before first period when Scott Littlejohn had pushed her aside to reach his locker. When his hand touched her shoulder, she felt some kind of spark, as if he had been scuffing his shoes along a woolen carpet or something. It hadn’t hurt. If anything, it had been the most wonderful feeling she had ever felt. That one touch had made her see stars, made her weak in the knees, and given her butterflies in her stomach. And it was all totally crazy!

Why am I feeling this way? she thought to herself. The guy is a complete geek. I mean, sure, he has a cute smile, and pretty eyes... but it doesn’t change the fact that he is a lowly computer geek and I am Head Cheerleader. I only date the popular, athletic types. I’m not in the least bit interested in this guy. So... so why the hell do I keep THINKING about him all the time?

“Michelle?” Dr. Reed said, tapping her on the shoulder. Blinking, Michelle glanced up at the art teacher. “Ms. Adams, this class has been over for nearly five minutes now. Surely you have to get to your next class?”

Embarrassed, blushing, Michelle picked up her books and hurried off to her next class. Stepping inside, finding her seat, she was shocked to see Scott sitting right behind her. “What the hell are YOU doing in here?” she blurted out without thinking. Scott smiled.

“I am getting out my math homework and my notebook,” he replied calmly. “I have been in this class, sitting in this same seat for the past six or seven months now. Don’t tell me you just now noticed me?”

Michelle blushed again, turning around quickly to keep him from seeing. Having him sitting so close to her was distracting to say the least. It was like she was itching somewhere but couldn’t scratch it, and it was slowly beginning to drive her crazy.

For the next half hour, the teacher droned on and on about using complex numbers, real and imaginary parts, using variables, all the useless meaningless babble that Michelle never paid any mind anyway. All the while she could feel HIM staring at her from behind, his eyes boring holes into her psyche, piercing through her to the depths within. At last, unable to stand it any longer, she stood up in the middle of the lecture and screamed.

“For God’s sakes, stop fucking looking at me!!”

Of course, now EVERYONE in class was staring at her. Breathing deeply, flustered, Michelle sank back down into her chair, utterly mortified. Good, Scott thought to himself. Now she knows just how it feels.

“Miss Adams!” the teacher yelled loudly. “I will not tolerate such behavior in my classroom. And definitely not such language! Report to the principal’s office immediately!” Sobbing softly, covering her face to keep her snickering classmates from seeing her tears, Michelle left the room.

(X.)

Scott headed towards his locker after eighth period, where he usually waited for Mike to walk home together. He could hardly wait to tell his best friend about his day. Arriving at the lockers he found Mike standing there waiting. Vanessa was standing beside him, and they were whispering. That’s strange, Scott thought as he walked over to his friend. I thought Vanessa hated Mike with a passion. Heck, without my song putting her in a trance he’s never have even managed to say five words to her, let alone get her to go to the Spring Fling Dance with him. Wonder what he’s up to now?

“... yeah, I think so too,” Vanessa was saying. Glancing up, she sighed. “Well, looks like your ‘living shadow’ had finally shown up. See you tomorrow, Michael,” she said, heading outside. “Oh, and call me if you get the chance.”

“Hey man,” Scott said, glancing back over his shoulder at the retreating figure. “What in the world was THAT all about? I thought she hated you?”

Mike grinned, wiping the lipstick stain off his right cheek. “Well, funny thing, bro. Seems that getting her to invite me to the dance kind of opened her mind a little bit. And I don’t mean in a hypnotic, zombiefied type of way either! Seems she got to thinking about just WHY she suddenly asked me out to begin with, and when she couldn’t find a reason, she just figured that deep down something about me attracts her. So she told me she’d like to get to know me better, you know. find out more about the ‘mysterious handsome stranger that is sweeping her off her feet.’ And those are HER words, not mine! Man, Scotty, this is great! I never realized before how cool Vanessa was.”

“Vanessa? Cool? Man, you’ve got it bad,” Scott said shaking his head. “She’s the same stuck-up bitch she always was, its just that now that she is going out with you, you don’t think she’s so bad. C’mon, let’s get out of here. I want to tell you all about MY day!” As they walked outside, making their way through the other students still waiting for their rides, Scott saw Lisa and Michelle standing on the corner. “Hey, Mike, look! There they are now! Let’s go have a little fun with them. After both getting sent to the principal’s office for acting up, they oughta be feeling pretty low right now.”

“Oh, come on, man,” Mike said, turning away. “I am feeling pretty good right now. I don’t want to ruin it by causing a big scene with the Betty and Veronica of Ganfrey High. Let’s just head home.”

“No way! They tried to mess with me, remember? With US. Nobody messes with us anymore without paying the penalty!” Scott’s face clouded over with anger. “I want Michelle to know just what it feels like to be totally humiliated and degraded in public, just the way I was. I want her to know what it is like not to have any friends—” At which Mike gave him a sharp elbow in the side. “Oh, alright, ALMOST no friends. And I want her to cry herself to sleep every night, wishing she were DEAD!”

“Whoa, whoa buddy, take it easy!” Mike exclaimed. “I know she pissed you off, but get a grip, buddy. First off, with a Gift like yours, you could do just that, make her wish she were dead, and the next thing you know, we read in the papers where she committed suicide!”

Scott merely crossed his arms. “So? What’s your point?”

Mike blinked. Was this the same boy he had grown up with all these years sounding so cold and uncaring? He let the comment go for the moment. “Okay, well remember this is the same girl that you confessed to being in love with in the bathroom. I know she hurt you, hell ALL girls hurt guys at this age, but don’t you think you are taking this vendetta thing a bit too far? Don’t you still like her anymore at all?”

“I said I LIKED her. I never said LOVE,” Scott replied with a frown. “What is eating you, Mike? Usually you are the one telling ME I need to show some backbone, stand up and not let anyone push me around. Now that I’m doing that, you flip and tell me I need to calm down and take it easy? Well not this time. I am TIRED of being pushed around, Mike. This time I am doing the pushing.” He walked over towards the girls, who were talking about their strange day. Catching them off guard, he had spoken before either girl even noticed he was there.

“Have a nice time in the principal’s office, ladies?” Scott said with a sneer. Lisa frowned, her eyes shooting venomous daggers, while Michelle grew pale. “Too bad. Looks like you both have a blemish on your perfect records now. Guess that means no ivy league schools for you two debutantes. But don’t worry, there is always beautician school.”

“Why you... you... you fucking PRICK!” Lisa exploded, rearing back to swing at the boy. Luckily, Michelle grabbed her arm. “You think this is a joke? My parents are like gonna totally hit the roof when they find out about all this! And you stand here making dumb jokes? Who do you think you are, you son of a bitch?”

By now, everyone left on the playground had heard the commotion and had turned to watch. A chorus of ‘ooohhh!’ went up behind Scott, and he felt his face redden with embarrassment. But the smirk was still on his lips. He had the situation well in hand. “I’m not a son of a bitch,” he said loudly. “I know my parents. But even if I were, I’d rather be the SON of a bitch, than a bitch myself, like you. Don’t you agree... LISA?”

Opening her mouth for a witty retort, Lisa shuddered for a second, then barked. “RRRRrrrrruuffff!! Ruff Ruff Ruff ru ru ru Ruff Ruff!” she exclaimed, as everyone burst into laughter.

Scott was beside himself with amusement. “Hey, I guess you DO agree, then, Lisa. Hey everyone, Lisa is a bitch! Lisa is a bitch! Stroke her behind her ear and see if you can make her leg thump.” Growling deep within her throat, Lisa swung a closed fist at the taunting boy, but Scott ducked, stepping aside. “Oh, looks like her BARK is worse than her bite!” Again everyone laughed, and Lisa, crying in shame and humiliation, broke away from the crowd and took off running. Michelle turned and looked at Scotty, standing there, smirking, laughing with all the rest of the crowd, and shook her head.

“She was right, Scott,” she said loudly. “You ARE a fucking prick!” Then she ran off after her best friend. The rest of the crowd laughed and jeered as she ran after Lisa. Mike, meanwhile, pulled Scott away, down the street, towards their homes.

“Well, you showed Lisa how it feels to be you,” Mike said with a shake of his head. “She’ll probably transfer to another school now because of that. Do you feel better about yourself now? Does that make you feel good?”

Scott stopped walking for a moment, thinking. Remembering the look on Lisa’s face just before she ran off, the sound of the crowd laughing at her, not him. He smiled, an evil baring of teeth, like a lion’s snarl. “Yes,” he said after a moment. “I actually do.”

Mike’s Journal

Monday, March 19th.

Things are really starting to get out of hand with Scott. Earlier today, he totally humiliate Lisa Andrews, in front of a crowd, making her look like a complete idiot. Of course, she deserved it. Lisa is a bitch... but Scott made her a REAL bitch, by making her bark whenever her name is spoken. Everyone was laughing, and in the end, she took off crying. Now, I have always been a big fan of eye-for-an-eye, and being on the bad end of bullying for several years, I thought I would be the first one in line to cut stuck-up Lisa Andrews down to size. But as I watched her run off crying, I knew it wasn’t funny anymore. I mean, it was ME in that position not so long ago, and very recently, Scotty himself. So, he knows just what it feels like to be on the receiving end of all that.

Yet, he did it without even pausing to think about how she would feel.

And, when I asked him about it later, he said he LIKED it!

I mean, its one thing to stand up to the people that used to bully you, to pay back a bit of what they gave you to them. It’s another thing to become a bully yourself. Scott made his point by getting her in trouble with the principal, he didn’t have to go over and embarrass her even more. And just like a bully, he ENJOYED what he did to her. Man, its like Scott has been taken over by the Invasion of the Body Snatchers or something! I look at him sometimes, and I swear its like he’s a complete stranger.

I dunno. Maybe its just that he scares me. A little.

What’s to keep him from turning on me, someday? I beat him in video games, I tease him and pop him in the back of the head, now and again. Buddy stuff, its no big thing. But what if I piss him off one day and he reacts by scrambling my brains or something? To be screwed over like Michelle or Lisa... okay that DOES scare me. And to think, I encouraged him to use his powers more when all he wanted to do was forget about them altogether!

Oh well. Guess I’ll have to try and stay on his good side.

Well, its dinner time, journal. Meatloaf again... eww. Second time in two weeks. I almost want to consider letting Scotty enspell my parents just so I could get a decent meal. But no, why tempt the devil more than we already have?

—Mike.

(XI.)

The next day, Lisa didn’t show up for school. Or the next day. Or the next. Mike was beginning to worry, and even Scott worried that perhaps he had pushed her too far. But on Friday morning, Lisa arrived at school, bright and early. She had a dreamy, slightly buzzed look on her face, as if she drank a few forty ouncers before coming to school. She was also dressed like Madonna back in the early eighties, with a bright red blouse, an incredibly short polka-dotted skirt, an expensive pearl necklace, and mid-calf black leather boots. Her hair was teased and poofed, with black ribbons. In short, she looked a little more like a teenage prostitute rather than a student.

“Leese! My God, what is up with you?” Jill said as Lisa walked over to her locker. “You look absolutely stoned! And what’s with that get up? You skip school for three days then show back up dressed like a nympho! What happened to you?”

“Huhhh?” Lisa said, blinking slowly. “Oh. Hi, Jill. You look nice today.” The addled girl fumbled with her locker combination for several minutes before getting it open then speaking again. “Did I... uhh.. like, miss anything... important... while I was... umm... out?”

“My God!” Michelle exclaimed, backing away from her friend in shock and fear. “She looks like a damn zombie! Leese, hon, what happened?”

“I’ll tell you what happened to her,” Sharon said, coming over from down the hall. “My dad is the town doctor, and I heard him talking to mom about it. Seems Leese and her parents had this big argument over her getting detention. The vice-principal called her parents, and they were waiting for her when she got home. That was the same day that jerk Scott Littlejohn called her out on the playground.” She looked over at Lisa, apologetically, but the girl merely blinked, as if she hadn’t heard a word. Sharon sighed. “She was kinda upset when she got home anyway, and getting ragged by her parents about detention didn’t help. Well, I’m not sure what happened myself, this is just what my dad heard, but they say she kinda... well... snapped! Started barking like a dog whenever her parents called her name. She just kept barking and barking, and they decided that she was having a nervous breakdown, so they took her to see a shrink. He prescribed a bunch of different pills to calm her down, and set her up for a bunch of sessions for the next couple of weeks. Dad had to fill the prescriptions. Said the stuff they have her on is strong enough to keep a bull elephant out for twelve hours.” The girl shook her head. “THAT’S why she is acting like a zombie. They have her doped up.”

The bell rang, and Lisa, nearly oblivious to the conversation, gathered her books and walked forward. “Hmm. Got to go to class now,” she said softly in a dreamlike voice. “Don’t want to be late. Hmmm. Don’t want to get... detention... again.” Her friends just watched her go, sharing looks of disbelief and horror. Michelle, personally, was angered.

“That fucking prick!” she growled softly, causing the other girls to turn. “This is all Scott Littlejohn’s fault! She was already having a bad day as it was. His cracking on her in the playground is what got her into this mess! He’s to blame!”

“Yeah!” Sharon agreed. “We outta teach that little dweeb a lesson for this! Who does he think he is anyway? HE is the loser! We make fun of HIM, not the other way around! Wait till I tell Daryl and the guys on the football team. They’ll rough him up good!”

“Perfect,” Jill agreed, nodding. “Meanwhile, I’ll see if maybe I can talk to Leese’ parents and explain to them just what she has been going through. She doesn’t need to be on all that medication. About half this school is addicted to drugs or cigarettes as it is. The last thing we need is to add Leese to that list.”

Mike sighed softly, watching the three girls walk away, talking. It was just what he had figured would happen. Great. Just great. I better let Scott know about this as soon as possible.

“Oh hell,” Scott said, gulping. “Okay. Okay. No need to panic. I can fix this. I can fix this,” he said over and over. “We just have to fix Lisa so her parents don’t think she is crazy anymore, and come up with a way to make them stop sending her to therapy. If some psychologist hypnotizes her and finds out what’s really going on inside her head, we are through! Priority one is to keep Lisa out of therapy!”

“Well DUH!” Mike exclaimed, smacking his forehead in mock surprise. “Did you think of that all by yourself, genius? Of course we have to keep her out of therapy! I told you not to push her in the first place! But noooo... you never listen to me! Now we are royally screwed, Scott!”

“We are NOT screwed! Not yet. Just calm down and let me think for a moment. Okay. I can’t undo Lisa’s condition right now... the medicine they have her on has her so doped up she can barely remember her own name, let alone anything I tell her. I can maybe get her sometime before she takes her next dose... but from the description of meds, she likely takes one of each in the morning at home and then again in the evening before she eats dinner. So I’d have to go to her house... deal with her parents. Ugh. That would be messy.”

“Yeah,” Mike replied, eating his grilled cheese sandwich. “You’d probably have better luck getting to the psychologist instead.” Suddenly, Scott stood up, looking as if someone had stuck a pin in his chair. “Huh? What is it?”

Scott laughed, punching Mike in the arm. “YOU, Mike!! You are brilliant! That’s exactly what I’ll do! I’ll go see Dr. Hemmer and take care of the problem at the source. Thanks, buddy! What would I do without you?”

Mike rubbed his arm, frowning. “Probably much worse, kimosabe!”

Lisa arrived on time for her appointment, although not voluntarily. Her dad had to literally drag her by the arm into the office. Finally, after much deliberation and loud shouting in the office lobby, Lisa entered Dr. Hemmer’s room. “Ah Miss Andrews,” Rebecca Hemmer nodded, without even looking up from her paperwork. “Perfect timing. I was just reviewing the notes I took from our last brief session. Tell me, my dear, how are you feeling today?”

Glaring hard at the doctor, she sat down in the chair and crossed her arms at her chest. “I feel better now that I am no longer overmedicated and can actually THINK for a change!” she spat out bitterly. “What kind of a quack are you anyway? I was just upset, that’s all. Its not like I have emotional problems or anything. Geez... I have felt like a total zombie the last few days thanks to those pills you gave my parents!”

“It was necessary, Miss Andrews,” Dr. Hemmer said placatingly. “You were hysterical, and you wouldn’t stop screaming or barking. Frankly, I feared you might have a nervous collapse if we didn’t get you calmed down.” Lisa huffed, and the doctor shook her head. “Well the important things is that you have calmed down considerably since the last time we spoke, so I think we can cut back on the medication a bit. Now then, before I begin today’s session, I’d like to bring in someone. A colleague of mine, one that has a personal interest in your case.” Flicking on the intercom, she buzzed her outer office. “Margie, could you send him in now, please? Thank you.”

Lisa’s look of disdain turned to a look of confusion, then anger as she saw the young boy enter. “Scott? YOU? What the hell is this? Dr. Hemmer, I don’t know what the hell you are trying to pull, but if HE is here, then I am outtie!”

“Freeze, Lisa, Lisa, Baby-Face!” Scott called out just as she was getting to her feet. As he had hoped, the girl has stopped in mid-motion, going back into the deep trance his song had led her to days before. Walking over to Dr. Hemmer’s desk, he smiled, sitting down and propping his feet on her desk. The doctor glanced down at him with a look of disapproval.

“Well, that’s all well and good, Mr. Littlejohn,” she said with a frown. “I can accept that you’re a world renowned psychologist, and that you are Miss Andrews’ best hope for a recovery. But your methodology so far has been severely lacking, and I do NOT like feet upon my desk!”

Scott rolled his eyes. “You know, doctor, for a very attractive young woman, you certainly act like you are a dried up old prune! Anyway, Leese here is MY patient now, and I can handle the proceedings alone. So you can run along and tend to other things. This won’t take very long.”

“Now you wait just a minute, you brash young upstart!” Rebecca sputtered angrily. “This is MY office! You are only here because I agreed that it would be in Lisa Andrews’ best interest to have an expert deal with her case. But if you are going to—”

Scott opened his mouth, silencing her completely with a few notes:

Can you heal what father’s done? A viscous hole, and a mother’s son...

Can you heal the broken walls within?

Can you strip away so we may start again?

Tell me, can you heal was father’s done? Or cut these ropes and let us run? Just when all seems fine, and I’m pain free...

You jab another pin... jab another pin in meeeee...

Rebecca went silent, her eyes wide and glassy. Scotty grinned, propping his feet BACK up on the desk, sticking out a tongue at the entranced doctor. “So much for that. Now that I have your attention, Dr. Hemmer, I want you to sit down over there in the corner and shut up till I say different.” Scott looked the doctor over. A young woman, in her mid twenties, she wasn’t much older than Scott himself. An attractive brunette, she stood about 5′6″, with a thin waistline. Her drab office clothing didn’t do much for her form, however, and Scott could only guess at her bust size. Then, smirking evilly, her realized that he didn’t HAVE to guess!

“Oh, yes,” Scott added as an afterthought. “While you’re sitting there being quiet, strip out if those clothes for me. If you’re going to be a distraction to me, you might as well be a good one.” Obediently, the doctor slipped out of her clothes, shedding the garments and placing them in a pile at her feet. Scott’s eyes went wide at the sight of the woman’s sheer silken panties, and her black lacy bra, but was totally blown away at the uninterrupted view of Rebecca Hemmer’s totally naked body. Her breasts, now exposed, looked to be at least a 38DD cup, which gave her a true waspish, hourglass figure. Her sex was uncovered as well, and though Scott knew intellectually about a woman’s pussy, seeing it up close and personal was a whole new experience. Rebecca kept her bush neat and trimmed, allowing Scott a clear view of her labia, and the tender flesh within.

“Oh... my... God!” Scott uttered softly, rubbing the growing bulge at the front of his pants. The sight of a naked woman, completely under his control, utterly his slave, was too much for the poor boy. All the hypnoerotic stories he had read on the Internet and dreamed and fantasized about came back to him in a rush, and he came hard and long in his pants in the doctor’s leather chair. When his senses returned to him several minutes later, he laughed softly.

“Ladies,” he whispered, standing up in front of both Lisa and Dr. Hemmer. “I just had an epiphany. A true revelation. Ever since discovering I had this Gift, I’ve been plagued with a dilemma. I’ve been wrestling with my conscience all this time, trying not to abuse my Power too much. I really walked the line when I humiliated you, Lisa, but now... now I’ve gone and erased that line completely. I just realized that there are NO rules for me anymore! I can do whatever I want! I can use this power to make my life perfect, and anyone that gets in my way... well, they can all go nite-nite when I sing them a lullaby.” He walked over to Lisa, kissing her slack, unresponsive lips fully, a way he had never dared to before. “Hmmm. Not bad. You know, Leese, I fix up your little attitude and you might not be such a bad catch yourself. But for now, I think the doctor and I should get better acquainted. Lisa, watch carefully and take some mental notes here. You’re gonna be tested on this later,” he said with a chuckle. Turning to Rebecca, he lifted her to her feet.

“Now then doc. I think it’s time you educated me in the birds and the bees.”

(XII.)

When Scotty arrived at school Monday morning, he wore a big smile. Mike noticed the change immediately and pulled him aside to whisper. “Well, YOU certainly seem happy for a Monday morning. I take it you managed to fix Lisa’s little problem over the weekend?”

“What? Oh... yeah, that.” Scott grinned even more. “You could say that, bro. I really ‘fixed’ her, but good! Don’t worry, we won’t have any more problems with her anymore.”

“Hi there, people,” Lisa said, smiling, as she entered the building. Heads turned. By now, everyone had heard about Lisa’s ‘problem’ and the fact that she was seeing a shrink. They also remembered the sad, near-catatonic figure she had been on Friday. Now, in the space of a weekend, she had made a total reversal. Her eyes were bright, her complexion was rosy, and she even had a dance in her step. “Like, what’s the matter? I guess you guys never heard of the miracle of, like, modern medicine?” Making her way through the crowd, she stopped when she saw Mike and Scott. Uh oh, Mike thought to himself. Here it comes. I hope Scott doesn’t get pissed off and make a big scene again.

“Hey there, Scotty,” Lisa said, walking over their way. “Wuzzup, Mike. Listen guys, I just wanted to, like, yanno... apologize for all the grief I gave you over the past few years, yanno? My shrink, Dr. Hemmer, says that I like need to mature a bit more, and settle some of the unresolved conflicts in my life... or something like that. She, like, suggested that I start by apologizing to you guys and, like, try and make friends.” She held out a hand tentatively. Mike, dumbfounded, looked at her closely. Her lip trembled slightly, and her eyes were bright, as if she was holding back tears. She is serious. She wants to be friends. Cool. Nice job, Scotty. Maybe that Gift of yours can be used positively after all.

Lisa smiled as they both shook her hand. “Thanks guys. Well, I, like, gotta get to class. See you guys after school. Maybe, we can hang out sometime?” Mike shook his head in wonder as she hurried off to her class.

“Got to hand it to you, man, that was some job you did on Leese. Frankly, I didn’t think you had it in you to forgive her for all the crap she’s pulled on us.”

Scotty shrugged. “Who says I forgave her? All I did was to remove the barking thing, and fix it so she dresses like a slut for me, privately. She’s still my personal playtoy, to mess with anytime I choose. I just made it all... less public. But enough about Lisa Andrews. Has Michelle come in yet? It’s been more than a week now, and I wanted to see just how far that slow seduction I gave her is working.”

“Well, she hasn’t arrived yet, as far as I have seen, but its still early. Class doesn’t actually start for another seven minutes. We might as well—hey!!” Mike shouted as several several guys from the local football team shoved him aside, making their way over to Scott.

“Hey, Littlejohn, mind if we have a word with you? In private?” Daryl Hostings, the star quarterback growled. Without waiting for an answer, three other boys picked Scott up and hefted him over to the boys bathroom. “This don’t concern you, Evans,” Daryl growled, holding Mike up with a beefy ham-sized hand around his throat. “if you’re smart, you’ll go straight to your class and forget what you saw. Otherwise, we can include you in this ceremony as well.”

“Fuck you, Hostings,” Mike retorted, struggling in the boy’s grip. He was just as tall as Daryl, but about thirty pounds lighter. “Scotty is my friend, and fighting him six-on-one is low even for a scumbag like you!”

Daryl glowered angrily, reeling back a fist. “Scumbag, eh? You fucking little maggot!” He swung, catching Mike right in the gut. The dark skinned boy gasped, feeling his air knocked out of him, his struggles dying in an instant. Grinning wickedly, the football player reared back to land another blow when strong arms grabbed him from behind, pulling him away. Daryl turned to find his own comrades, his fellow football players, holding him back. “Greg! Sammy! Ed! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!? I told you to go in there and pound that wuss for me while I kept Evans occupied! Dammit, get the fuck off me!!”

“Sorry, ‘D’", Sammy said, as they dragged the angry boy back to the bathroom they had just emerged from. “You’re way too out of control here. You need to chill out, bro, and that’s what we’re gonna do. Chill you out.”

By the time Mike had recovered, and had gotten back to his feet, the boys had left the bathroom, Daryl shaking his head, as if in confusion. Moments later, Scott exited the bathroom as well, looking none the worse for wear. “Hey, Mike, are you okay? You look pretty banged up.”

“Naw, you know me... I’m the damn Energizer Bunny,” he murmured, shaking his head to clear it. “What about you? Five angry muscleheads, ready to pound you into the pavement, and you come out looking like a rose. Obviously, you used your Gift to turn the tables on them. But, what did you do to Daryl just now? He walked out looking confused, as if he could barely remember his own name anymore.” At Scotty’s grin, Mike narrowed his eyes. “Uh, Scotty, you DIDN’T make him forget who he was, did you?”

The boy laughed. “Close, but not quite. I did him one more. For trying to get me beat up, I made him forget football... EVERYTHING about football. He probably can’t even spell it anymore!” Scott chuckled darkly, but Mike quickly dispelled his glee.

“Man, you can’t DO that! I know he pissed you off, but think about what screwing up his football career will mean! Ganfrey High has a real chance of making the playoffs this year. Heck, they could even be State Champions. But not if you take away our best quarterback. And anyway, what about Daryl’s future? Me and you, we have the grades to get into any college we want from Moorehouse to Harvard! Daryl Hostings would be lucky to get into BARBER COLLEGE without some type of football scholarship.”

“Too bad for him, then,” Scotty shrugged. “He picked the wrong guy to fuck with, and now he’s going to pay the penalty. But what’s up with you, all of the sudden, Mike? This guy tried to pound you a few minutes ago, and you’re pleading his case to me? Man, talk about having your priorities screwed up.”

“Hey, man, MY priorities are not in question here,” Mike rebutted, speaking louder as the bell rang, and students began crowding the hallway. “One of us has to be the voice of reason, and since you are on this whole, ‘I’m Invincible’ power trip, that just leaves me. Scott, you’re starting to really worry me, man. You used to be a nice guy... a bit of a wuss, sometimes, but a nice guy. Now you’re all Mr. Confidence, taking no crap from anyone, acting more like a bully than Big Vinnie ever was.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is now, huh, Mike?” Scott said with a sneer. “You’re jealous! You’re upset that you don’t have this Gift for yourself, that you can’t make people do whatever you want them to! Back when we first figured out what was going on, you kept saying how jealous you were, how you wished it was YOU instead of me, how you knew exactly how you would have used the power. Well, I have it, and I LIKE it, Mikey! If that’s too intense for you, then maybe you should just back the fuck off!”

Mike stood there stunned as his best friend in the entire world turned his back and walked away, leaving him standing there. They had argued, they had even fought a time or two, but never in all their years as friends had one boy ever told the other one to get lost. Mike watched Scotty walk down the hall, going to class only a few feet away from his own class. But those few feet might as well have been a million billion miles. Mike had never felt farther from his friend Scott than he did right now.

(XIII.)

The instructor was in the middle of his lecture when Michelle slipped quietly inside the room. Unfortunately, she dropped her Biology book just as Mr. Wilson paused in his lecture. “Well well, Miss Adams, how nice of you to join us. Better late than never, I suppose.” The class laughed, but a stern look from Mr. Wilson brought them quiet again. “We are on page one twenty-six, Ms. Adams. If you will retrieve your book and join us, I will continue my lecture.”

“Psst! Psst!” Jill whispered over Mr. Wilson’s droning voice. “Hey, ‘Chelle, what kept you? We thought you had pulled a ‘Lisa’ on us and vanished. Did you oversleep again? Girl, you really should start going to bed earlier.”

Michelle blushed red. She had, indeed, overslept again. Her erotic dreams had begun spilling over into her conscious mind now, and she found herself fantasizing about Scott all the time, to the point of obsession. It felt as if she were going out of her mind. She hated him for what he did to Lisa, and rationally she knew he was the same little nobody he had always been. But rational thinking had nothing to do with feelings, and she felt totally smitten with the boy, to the point where she wanted to be the mother of his children. A totally insane thought, as she was only fifteen and nowhere near ready for such a big step!

And yet... over the past few days she had grown warm at the mere thought of Scott Littlejohn, and the idea of him touching her skin, perhaps playing with her naked thighs, or feeling his mouth against her own... it excited her as nothing else ever had. Could I really be in love... with HIM? It seems ridiculous... yet... I can’t think of anyone of anything but him! It’s like—

“MICHELLE!” Jill whispered anxiously, shaking her friend. “Are you even listening? Mr. Wilson just asked you if you knew the answer!”

Michelle blinked, then looked around. Everyone in he class was looking at her, including Mr. Wilson, calmly patting his foot as he awaited an answer. “Um, could... could you repeat the question, sir?” she asked, trying not to turn red with embarrassment as the other students chuckled. Lifting his hands skyward, Mr. Wilson was about to comment when the bell rang, and everyone exited the classroom. Whew! Saved by the bell, literally. But I can’t go on like this much longer. I feel like I’m going crazy! I.. I have to talk to him. Soon. Before I go out of my mind!

Jill and Sharon were waiting just outside the door. “’Chelle, hon,” Jill said, “I think we need to talk. A lot of strange things are going on around here. First with Leese going off the deep end, now you seem to acting weird. Is there something going on you guys aren’t telling us?”

“Huh? No... I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Michelle responded defensively. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping, that’s all. I’m sure it will pass after a while.”

“It all has something to do with that weirdo, Scott Littlejohn,” Sharon mused. “I asked Daryl how it went this morning. You remember how I said we’d get some of the football guys to rough him up a bit? Well, he said they dragged him into the bathroom stall before class to pound on him... but then, everything got weird. Daryl said he didn’t remember much about what happened, but that he came to in the john feeling like he had been sacked.” Sharon shrugged. “Daryl is a big guy for a quarterback. If little Scotty Littlejohn was able to get the drop on him and six other guys from the football team, alone, then I’m Martha Washington! No, something weird is going on around here.”

“He’s NOT weird!” Michelle burst out before she could stop herself. “He’s just... misunderstood. That’s all. He’s the sweetest, kindest, most considerate man I’ve ever—” Michelle stopped, glancing at the wide-eyed expressions on her friend’s faces. “I mean... I mean... oh just skip it!” Huffing angrily, she stormed off down the hall towards her next class.

Both girls stood there for a moment, speechless. “Okay,” Sharon said after a while. “Now THAT classifies as weird. I know Scott is at the bottom of this somehow. Jill, we better keep an eye open. Whatever he’s up to, it could be serious.” Jill nodded, as she turned to go into her own class. “One more thing, Jill. Can you swing by to pick me up for the Spring Fling Dance? Daryl’s dad won’t let him drive the car that night, so Sammy is going to have to pick him up.”

“Sure, no problem. Yanno, I can’t wait till Friday night. The school Dance is just what we need to help us relax and put all this weirdness behind us. I bet things will be better after Friday.”

(XIV.)

Friday morning. The day of the Spring Fling. Scott Littlejohn watched coolly as his former best friend walked down the hallway with his new girlfriend, Vanessa, on his arm. Mike yelled a ‘hello’ at him as they passed, but Scott pretended not to hear. It irked him slightly that Vanessa and Mike had become a couple. All thanks to HIM of course. If he hadn’t sang her into submission with his Gift, the two lovebirds would never have gotten past ‘Hi, my name is—’ without getting into a fight. What irritated him the most was the fact that Michelle had been avoiding him all week, and had yet to ask him to the Spring Fling.

Of course, he could have pressed the issue, forced contact with her, then used his Gift once more to strengthen the commands, but he had been too busy. His ‘Master’ plan had proceeded as planned, with him taking and subjugating all of the school faculty, from the janitor to the principal, one by one. Now, all of the adults served him. It would be a simple thing now to take all of the students at once during an assembly or some other large gathering. Then, finally, his dream of controlling the entire school would be complete.

But, then again, why stop there?

Scott had been contemplating this during Lisa’s latest ‘therapy session’, while she and Dr. Hemmer had performed a thrilling lesbian sex show for him. Why stop at the school? If this worked, if he could successfully take over the entire school with his Gift, why not the rest of town? Or the entire state? In his college years, he could continue massing an army of loyal slaves, female sluts and male thralls, to serve his slightest whim, from degrading themselves for his amusement, to performing sexually at his commands. Thus far, no one had been able to withstand his Song of Submission. Scott possessed an unbeatable Gift, and if he continued to make sure that he left no loose ends, he could continue without the slightest resistance.

And what if someone DID resist?

At first he and Mike—curse him, that stinking bastard, holding me back for so long!—had been afraid of what would happen if others started to notice strange behavior in one of his enslaved victims and connected it with him. He had feared the government’s interaction, some special mind-control branch, or perhaps some foreign agency of some kind, kidnapping him, brainwashing him to serve their purpose, or maybe killing him and dissecting him to see how his Gift worked so they could duplicate it themselves. But that was utter nonsense! He was invincible! His Gift had no flaws. Everyone that heard his Song went under instantly, and any agents that came after him would suffer the same fate, provide him with the information of what their agency knew about him, then be sent back as a rogue agent, working for him, to sabotage their efforts. Yes, Scott feared no one anymore. The world was soon to be his playground.

But first things first. For now, he had one more loose end to wrap up. Michelle Adams.

Michelle felt a hand on her shoulder as she walked into the library. She gasped, turning, half-expecting to see Scott... but it was only Mike Evans. “Hi Michelle,” he said, looking around furtively. “I’m sorry if I startled you. I was just... yanno... wondering how you’re doing. I heard some of your friends say you have been having trouble sleeping, and I was wondering—”

“Where’s Scott?” Michelle asked, cutting him off. “You’re his best friend right? Where is he?”

“Well, I haven’t seen him around lately. But that is kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. You see—”

“Hi guys. Heard you were both looking for me.”

Michelle and Michael whipped around to find Scott standing behind them. Mike felt an icy shiver run down his spine. How much had Scott heard before he spoke up? Did he know he was trying to warn Michelle?

“Geez, you two look like you’ve seen a ghost or something,” Scott continued. “Did I startle you or something?”

“Um, n-no, n-not really,” Mike stuttered nervously. “I just didn’t see you come in. What’s happening, bud? I haven’t seen much of you since we had that argument a few days ago. Is... um, is everything... going okay?”

“Oh yeah, just peachy,” Scott said idly, glancing over at Michelle. “What about you, Michelle? I haven’t seen you since last Friday. The Spring Fling is tonight, and I heard you haven’t found anyone to take you yet, so I wondered if perhaps you wanted to reconsider my offer?”

Please, please, please say NO, Michelle! Mikey hoped silently. Maybe if this one thing goes wrong for him, if he sees his well laid plans aren’t so perfect after all, then maybe, just maybe, he’ll reconsider. Indeed, Michelle seemed to be fighting it, opening and closing her mouth a few times, as if under a great strain. Mike was just beginning to hope when ‘Chelle dashed his fragile hopes to bits.

“Oh, Scott... Um. I don’t know why I am so shy right now... its so HARD to say what I want... God, this is embarrassing! I... I would be happy—NO! Honored! Honored to go to the Spring Fling Dance with you. If you still want me, that is. Oh, man, just please say that no one else has asked you, oh please, please please!”

Scotty flashed Mike a satisfied smirk. “Well, I DID have a few offers here and there. But honestly, I wanted to go with you, ‘Chelle, so I told them I’d have to think about it. So. Are YOU asking ME to the dance?”

“Oh yes, please!” the girl said eagerly, nearly bouncing with joy. “Will you go to the dance with me, Scott?”

Scott frowned, cocking his head to the side, as if considering. Oh hell, he’s gonna make her beg on her knees! Mike thought disgustedly. Scotty, sometimes you are a real jerk!

“I don’t know, Michelle,” Scott said slowly. “Maybe if you got down on your knees and begged me nicely I would consider it?”

The girl was on the floor before he had even finished speaking. “Oh please, Scott! Please allow me to go to the dance with you. Please? I beg it! I beg it like... like...” Michelle searched for a word that fit, and it came to her. “I beg you like a slave.”

Scott was overjoyed. He lifted Michelle to her feet and kissed her gently on the lips, stifling her cry of pleasure. After a week’s worth of simmering, her arousal and passion for Scott had culminated into this one moment, and his lips against her own was the spark that ignited it. She shook wildly in his arms as she climaxed, her moans muffled by their kiss. As it subsided, he released her, winking. “Great. I’ll pick you up around seven or so. Don’t keep me waiting.” Mike groaned softly. It was too late. Michelle was his, body, mind, and soul.

Scott waited until Michelle trotted off happily, then turned to Mike. “I’m really disappointed in you, Mikey,” he said softly.

“Um, uh, di-di-disappointed?” Mike said, faltering slightly. “Um, how do you mean? Uh, in what way, bro?”

Scott simply shook his head. “Don’t ‘bro’ me, Mikey. We’re a bit beyond that point. And give me some credit. I’m not a simpleton, you know. I know full well that you came her to try and warn Michelle to stay away from me.” Scott sighed, circling slowly around the very anxious Mike. “It’s just luck that I saw you two head in here when I did. Not that it would have made any difference, of course. No matter how she would have reacted to what you had to say, I would have simply cornered her somewhere and Sang her back under my spell again. Don’t you get it, Mike? Nothing you do matters! No one can fight my Gift! And only a fool would even try.” Scott grabbed Mike’s shoulders, gazing straight into his eyes. “I never thought you were a fool, Mike. You once said we were in this together, to the bitter end. Well, apparently, the end came sometime and I missed it! You tried to double-cross me, Mike. My best friend, a traitor.”

“Okay,” Mike gulped, summoning his courage. “So what are you going to do now? Turn me like the rest of the school? Make me into just another mind-fucked zombie for your amusement?”

Surprisingly, Scott laughed, and released Mike’s shoulders. “No, I don’t plan to do anything to you, old friend. Well, not YET, anyway. We went through a lot together. We have a history, and that counts for something in my book, even if it doesn’t in YOURS. Besides, it should be fun to watch you run around helpless, while everyone else is under my control. I have all of the teachers and the principal in my sway, already, and tonight at the Dance, I will take all of the students as well.” Scotty grinned, as he turned to walk away. “Live with the guilt of not being able to do anything to stop me. That will be punishment enough.”

Arrogant little son of a bitch, Mike fumed. Thinks there is nothing I can do to stop him? Hah! I’ll stop this insanity from spreading, Scotty, I promise you that. I.. ummm.. just have to think of how.

(XV.)

Mike still had no ideas on how to stop his former friend as evening approached. Walking towards the auditorium with his date, Vanessa, however, he had come to a decision about one thing, at least. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed Vanessa’s arm and pulled her off to one side. “Vanessa, I was wondering... could I talk to you for a moment. I have something important to tell you.”

Vanessa smiled, a warm, caring smile. “Of course, Michael. What is it?”

I usually HATE being called Michael. Its always Mike or Mikey. But when SHE says it, its just sounds right. (SIGH) I hope I’m not making a big mistake.

“Um, Vanessa,” Mike began, “this may be a really forward question, and it is no doubt going to be embarrassing for us both... but I have to know. How do you feel about me? Honestly.”

Vanessa thought for a moment. “Well, Michael, I like you. A lot. I mean, sometimes it kind of surprises me how fast we became so close, like totally out of the blue. I, well, I think you know how I USED to feel about you. I used to think you were just some nerdy geek, always hanging around with your best friend Scott. the King of the Geeks. But, in the past couple of months, we’ve gotten to know one another pretty well. You’re funny. You’re sweet, and caring. You’re about the nicest boy I have ever known.”

“Okay, stop, that’s good.” Mike turned away for a moment to hide his blush. “I just wanted to know. And I feel the same about you, too. I DID think of you as a bitch, long ago, but now I know how sweet and caring you really are... and how lonely you used to be, just like me.” Mike sighed, and took the plunge. “That’s why I have to confess to you just what we did to you.”

“Huh?” Vanessa frowned. “What do you mean, did to me? Who did what to me?”

“Um, I... well Scott and I... Vanessa...” Mike fumbled over the words, then with a sigh of exasperation just blurted it all out. “Scott has this strange Gift, this Power that lets him control the minds of anyone around him, he sings and anyone that hears his voice goes into a trance, becomes a total zombie (breath) and he can make them do or feel or think anything he wants them to, making them his slaves, his TOTAL slaves, (breath) but at first we didn’t know how it worked or even WHETHER it would work of not, so we had to test it (breath) and we picked you... okay I picked you, because you were always so mean and bossy and bitchy to everyone, including me, and you were sitting alone in the cafeteria that day (breath) and so he Sang, and you went under, and I made you ask me out, and you did, and now we’re falling in love, and... and.. and its all just a big LIE!”

Vanessa opened and closed her mouth a few times. Whatever she had assumed Mike had wanted to talk to her about in private, this was definitely NOT it! “Michael, do you know just how INSANE all that sounds? I mean... going on and on about special Powers and mind control. That kind of thing happens in Dean Koontz books or in comic strips, or some made-for-television movie on Fox! Things like this do not happen in real life.”

“I’m serious, Vanessa!” Mike said forcefully, causing Vanessa to gasp. In all the time she had known him, from afar for several years, then recently, up close and personal, still, she had never seen him so serious. So convincing. “Vanessa, you have to believe me. Scott has the Bardic Gift, the ability to sway anyone that hears him sing, and to totally control that person’s mind. Think back to that day, the day he and I sat down at your table. Remember? We had sat down and I said hi, and you got pissed and started to get up—”

“Yes, I was going to change tables,” Vanessa said slowly, remembering the details. “I had just started eating, and I was looking forward to some quiet time alone. I stood up and reached for my tray, and then—” Vanessa frowned, trying to remember. “Um. Hmmmm. That’s funny. I can’t remember what happened then. Everything is kinda... fuzzy. One minute I was in the cafeteria, and the next thing I can recall clearly is walking out of American History in a daze. Oh! Ohmigod!” Vanessa’s eyes went wide with the realization. “You... you two... really DID do something to me! You fucked with my mind, didn’t you?”

Michael lowered his head, feeling like a total heel. “Yes, I did, but please, Vanessa, hear me out! PLEASE!” He reached out to grab her arm, in case she decided to walk away, but she merely stood there, glaring, giving him a chance to speak before she left him high and dry. At least she didn’t hit me, Mikey thought with relief.

“Okay. Yes, I admit that I took advantage of you, somewhat,” he said, and seeing her angry look, he quickly added, “but not the way you think! All I did was to tell you certain thing. I had you doing a few things in class, acting a little silly to disrupt things slightly. Nothing major to get you into trouble. Anyway, you were just a test, to see the limits of Scott’s ability. But... well I DID make a few... umm... changes to your personality. Again, nothing major. I just... well, I made you friendlier. Not quite so much the LONER. I also told you that from now on, you would think only good thoughts about me, and to slowly over time, come to see me as a pretty alright guy, not the total loser you THOUGHT I was.” Mike sagged a little, as if the force driving him to confess had sapped his strength. “And... and I placed an idea in your head... that you would ask me out for a date soon. And, that you ask me out to the Spring Fling Dance.”

“I see,” Vanessa said coldly. “So, you didn’t like how I thought of you and decided to make a few ‘changes’ here and there, hmm? You and your friend monkeyed around inside my brain! How do I know what else you changed? How do I know I am even still ME anymore? What if something you said changed something about me, something important to who I was? WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TRY AND CHANGE MY LIFE!?!” Vanessa nearly screamed, as Mike pleadingly waved his arms and shushed. “You bastard,” Vanessa said, calming down a bit then. “I suppose you changed all my feelings for you, too. That you made me think I was falling in love with you! But its nothing but a goddamn lie, isn’t it?”

“NO! Vanessa, please!” Mike said. He was practically in tears. “It wasn’t like that at all! I mean, I had fun controlling you at first, like my own toy robot. But I realized that you were a person, a living being. I had wanted to hurt you for all the little insults and snotty treatment you had given me over the years... but then I thought about how I would feel in your position, and I couldn’t do it. Vanessa... I didn’t change anything inside your mind, honest! All I did was make you think I was less of a jerk, and encouraged you to date me and ask me to the Dance. I swear I did nothing to make you love me or even care about me in the least. At the time, all I wanted was a date... I never thought beyond that. I never thought you’d actually fall in love with me.” His eyes glanced up then, the merest shadow of hope flashing dimly behind them. “Or that I would fall in love with you.”

Vanessa gasped at that. She wanted to hate this boy for admittedly fucking with her mind, for taking away her control and using her as he wished. It galled her, it angered her... but strangely, it also excited her. Aroused her. The idea of being totally controlled, unable to resist, frightened her terribly, but on another level, a deeper level, she found herself toying with the idea. He said that he hadn’t messed with her feelings, that everything she had felt for him had been real. For some strange reason, she believed him. And, he had just admitted to being in love with her. The ‘L’ word, as he called it. Vanessa found herself torn between feelings of love and hate, affection and loathing, with a soft sexual flavor somewhere in the background. Finally, she looked him straight in the eye.

“Okay. Let’s say I give you the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say I believe all of this, and that as despicable as you were, to do that to me, you didn’t cross any lines. So, why tell me all this? And why now, tonight, a few moments before we enter the dance? Was your guilt riding you so hard that you felt you had to ruin would we could have had together tonight just to get it off your chest? Surely you knew I wouldn’t take all of this lightly! So, why did you tell me all of this?”

“I admit, I was feeling guilty. I have real true feelings for you, Vanessa. I have never felt this way about anyone else, ever! Not ANYONE. And it wasn’t fair that you go on not knowing what was done to you. But there is more to it that just guilt. There is a lot more at stake here than just our relationship, Vanessa. Scott is the one with the Bardic Gift, not me. He mesmerized you, then gave you to me. He’s on a power trip, and he plans to enslave the entire school tonight at the Dance. I had to let you know what was happening... to try and save you, at least, from becoming his slave.”

“Fuck a duck!” Vanessa exclaimed. “You mean he is going to take down everybody at the Dance at one time? Can he do that?”

“Oh yes, easily. Anyone that hears him sing will be under his control.”

“Damn! We’ve got to do something, Michael. We can’t let him turn the entire school into a bunch of zombies! We have to tell someone!”

Mike just shook his head. “It won’t do any good, Vanessa. He’s already enslaved all of the adults. The teachers, the principal, even the school custodian, all of them are under his control. That’s even assuming that we could make them believe us anyway. You’re right... it does sound like something out of a Dean Koontz novel. I almost wish it were, so I could simply flip to the last page and find out how to end all this!”

“Mike, we have to do something,” Vanessa insisted. “I am not about to walk into the gym and line up to be turned into Scott Littlejohn’s personal servant girl!”

“You won’t have to worry about that.” Mike reached inside his suit coat pocket and pulled out a set of small micro-earplugs. “Put these in. I am wearing my pair now. These are special ear-plugs I got from my older brother. He works in an electronics factory, and they have a lot of high-pitched whining devices, so he wears these to cut back the noise. With those in your ears, his Song won’t take you under. Just keep your guard up, though. The things cut out about 75% of the effect, but not all. If you let down your guard, you could STILL wind up a zombie.”

Vanessa swallowed nervously as she placed the small plugs into her ears. “So its not a sure thing, huh? Can’t we just skip the Dance, go someplace else, and avoid him for the night?”

“Wouldn’t work. This is a game to Scott. He personally wants to see me squirm for betraying his trust. If we’re not there, if we try to avoid him, he’ll just strike somewhere else, at some other time, when we do not expect it. At least this way we’ll be where he feels comfortable, and he won’t feel the need to come after us personally. He said he wasn’t going to enslave me... yet. That he wanted me to suffer a little bit more. Hopefully, we can use this time to think up a way to stop him before its too late.”

“I hope you’re right, Michael. I really do.” She sighed, and, gathering her courage, grasped Mike’s hand. “Well, we’d better go ahead and go inside. It’s getting late, and they are just about to start.” Hand in hand, they stepped from around the side of the building and entered the Ganfrey High gymnasium. To anyone watching, they seemed to be clutching each other tightly in love. That was partially true. But they also held each other for reassurance. They were entering the lion’s den, and the lion was home.

(XVI.)

“Welcome to the Spring Fling Dance, everyone!” the principal, Mr. Montclaire, announced through the P.A. system. “I want everyone to have a good time, and feel free to let their hair down for the night. However,” the ex-Marine Colonel continued, “I ALSO want it known that school rules still apply. No overt sexual contact while on school grounds. No kissing, no groping, no dirty dancing. And absolutely no fighting or horse play allowed. Any violators will be in detention for the next two months! While food is allowed for this party, we will be watching very closely. Anyone who spills anything on the newly waxed gym floor will be in detention. Now... have fun.”

“Same old Montclair,” Mike sighed. “Hard to believe Scott managed to enslave HIM.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Vanessa sighed softly. “C’mon, let’s get some punch. At least THAT’S not against the rules.”

They walked over to the banquet tables, where several of the teachers and members of the Student Body Council were serving refreshments. Mike grabbed a cup of punch for his date, then one for himself. Glancing around, he gazed upon the tastefully decorated room. The Council did a pretty good job on this place. Except for the rolled up bleachers and the basketball goals, it hardly looks like a gym. Several students were dancing in the center of the room, as a student rock band performed, playing dance music from the early nineties. Maybe this may turn out to be an okay night after all... oh hell, spoke too soon. Here comes Scott now.

“Hiya Mike, Vanessa,” Scott said, walking over to the couple, with Lisa and Michelle following close behind. “Nice party, isn’t it? The Student Body Council did a nice job. Real colorful, and it reeks of springtime.” Scott picked up a small pink carnation from the table, and shredded in his hands, tosses the petals onto the ground. Mike glanced up at Miss Chapman, the Spanish teacher, who had watched the flower’s destruction, but she avoided his eyes, glancing over at some students across the room. “So,” Scott continued, “you two enjoying yourself? I know I am. Michelle, sweetheart, be a dear and get me a cup of punch. Lisa, go grab me some of those little cake squares.” Immediately both girls sprang forth to do Scott’s bidding. Scotty chuckled. “Oh, they are just SOOO precious. I couldn’t decide which one to take to the Dance, so I decided to bring them BOTH.”

“Yes, well, its nice to see that success hasn’t gone to your head, or anything,” Mike responded dryly. “If you’ll excuse me... old pal... Vanessa and I were just about to dance. Weren’t we, Vanessa?”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Scott said, cutting off the girl’s reply. “Well I hope I can persuade your lovely date to save one dance for me! Vanessa dear, you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress. Blue is certainly your color. Well, Mikey, I’ll catch you later.” Scott turned and hooked back up with his girls, throwing him a wink as he worked his way into the crowd. Vanessa shuddered.

“I see what you mean, Michael” she whispered as they made their way across the dance floor. “He’s definitely not the same geeky little nerd he used to be. He gives me the creeps! Have you thought up any ideas yet on how to stop him?”

“Not yet. Well, I have an idea... sorta. I thought maybe if I could find a way to get close to him again, or maybe get someone he trusts, to get him to lower his guard somehow. If we could catch him alone and gag him, then tie him up, maybe we could force him to undo everything he’s done.” Mike sighed wearily. “A long shot, I know. A very risky, very DANGEROUS longshot. And if we did manage to catch him and gag him, we’d have to really put a scare into him to get him to cooperate and change everyone back to normal. Even then, there’s no way to know he wouldn’t double-cross us once we let him go again, and believe me, he wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice! I dunno, Vanessa. Maybe it really IS hopeless.”

“Nonsense!” Vanessa countered. “You’re just as smart as he is. Don’t give up on me now, Michael. At least we have the beginnings of a plan. All we need now is to fill in a few more details.”

Abruptly the song ended, and everyone glanced up at the stage, looking at the band. A single, very familiar figure, was walking up onto the stage, a microphone in hand. “Thank you, thank you, let’s hear it for Ganfrey High’s own, The Stray Cats.” Several people clapped woodenly, while everyone else began to mumble, wondering what the hell was going on. Including, of course, the band. “I have been informed that we have a special request from our beloved Principal, Mr. Montclair, for the band to perform that song they did at last year’s dance, ‘Sweet Heart of Mine’, by Guns & Roses.” The crowd of people murmuring let out a collective “HUH?” of surprise.

Nonplused, Scott motioned to the band, who all placed earphone cups over their ears. Mike frowned grimly. The band had already been brainwashed, and Scott had undoubtedly prepared them for this by giving them ear protection. After all, he needed them awake to play the music, not stunned motionless like everyone else.

Scott nodded to the band again, and they began to play. Mike had to admit, for a teenage rock band, they sounded pretty good. Almost like G ‘n’ R, themselves. Almost. The guitars plucked away for a while, and the crowd started to sway slightly, getting into the music. Some of them had even started to cheer. Then Scott moved the microphone up to his mouth and sang:

She’s got a smile that it seems to me... reminds me of childhood memories

Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky... sky... sky...

Now and then when I see her face, she takes me away to that, special place

And if I stared too long, I’d probably break down and cryyyyy...

Ohhhh eeee-ooo, sweet child o’ miiiiine!

Ohhhh ohohohh, sweet love of mine.

The band continued to play, and Scott smiled, seeing the audience was completely under his control. I could get used to this, he thought to himself. If I ever get bored with this town and decide to branch out, I think maybe I’ll form my own rock band and go on tour. I could live the life of a rock star and have devoted slaves at every port! Besides, this is just plain COOL! Then, he frowned. In the center of his sea of stupefied, entranced, subjects, one person continued to move. Mike Evans. Mikey, Mikey, Mikey. I really SHOULD go ahead and enslave you too, pal. I don’t like having loose ends. But you were my only friend for years... maybe I’m sentimental, but I want you to keep you mind. You’re the only one that could ever beat me at anything, whether it was video games or academic achievements, or running. Maybe every good villian needs a hero. I guess you’re my own personal Sherlock Holmes. Too bad, THIS Moriarity isn’t about to go over a waterfall with you, buddy.

Down on the dance floor, Vanessa watched eerily as everyone grew silent and still. Except for the band performing, and Scott, of course, who was immune to his own song, she and Mike were the only ones in their right minds. And Mike was right. It was hard to stay focused. Seventy-five percent blockage was not ALL, and she could hear Scott’s entrancing song well enough. If her concentration lapsed, she found herself falling under his spell, and had to mentally shake herself to get her bearings. He has a nice singing voice, she thought idly. It’s no wonder everyone has fallen under his spell. It’s so soothing... relaxing. It just makes you want to close your eyes and drift... off... on the sound... of... his... voice... With a start, Vanessa blinked. She had almost fallen under his spell again. OH! That was a close one. I had better keep my wits about me, before I go all the way under. Oh, but I don’t know how much more... ummm... I can take...

Mike was beside himself in frustration. Now he knew what Scott had meant when he said he wanted him to suffer. Everyone around him was turning into a mindless zombie. Scott no longer even bothered to sing the lyrics of the song, substituting his own commands to his subjects, in time with the music. And he was helpless to prevent it.

Listen to me, ‘cause you have to obey, can’t fight or resist, ain’t no way

You’re ALL helpless slave of my will from here on out... out.. out...

You all heard me, I’m the Big Boss, the King—

You’ll all fall to your knees, when you hear me sing...

But you won’t remember a thing when you wake, that I’m talking abouuuuttt!

Ohhhh eeee-ooo, sweet SLAVES o’ miiiiine!

Ohhhh ohohohh, sweet SLAVES of mine!

Scotty continued to sing out instructions and commands to his new slaves, telling them they would continue to act normally in public, and with their parents and friends, but that from now on, their complete loyalty and devotion was to HIM. He’s covering all the bases, Mike thought forlornly. What do I do now? If everyone is completely loyal to him now, what hope do I have to standing against him? It’s only a matter of time before he decided to add me to his growing list of mental vegeatables.

The song ended, and Scott let out a cheer. “Yeah, alright! C’mon, Ganfrey High, let’s hear it for the Stray Cats!” As one, everyone snapped out of their trance, and began clapping loudly. Walking down from the stage, Scott walked back to his two dates, who had a fresh cup of punch waiting for him to soothe his dry throat. Mike gestured to Vanessa, and nodded, and the two headed for the door.

“Well, that was interesting,” Vanessa said as they left the building. “Where are we off to now, Michael?”

“Over to my house,” he responded. “My folks are out for the evening, and my older brother is at work. I figure we can lay low there for a while and brainstorm. Frankly, though, I think this is a lost cause.”

“Oh it is, Mikey,” Scott said, walking up behind them. “I just loved seeing that look on your face when everyone in the building froze except you. HAHAHA! You looked kind of like a rabbit caught in a spotlight.” He walked forward, bypassing Mike, and taking Vanessa’s hand. “Why, even your lovely date here seemed quite taken by my song. Weren’t you, my dear?”

Vanessa blinked, then blinked again, as a slow smile formed across her face. “Um. Oh, I mean. Actually... yes. It was... it was... breathtaking!” Mike’s jaw dropped.

“Don’t look so surprised, Mikey,” Scott said, wrapping his arm around Vanessa’s shoulder. “After all, I did ask the lady to save the last dance for me. Seeing as you two were about to slink away, I thought I had best make my move now. You don’t mind, do you, Mikey? Old pal?”

“GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF HER!” Mike yelled, charging forward. Lisa and Michelle moved in quickly, grabbing an arm and pulling Mike back away from their Master. Vanessa merely blinked, smiling, snuggling deeper into Scott’s embrace. “Vanessa! C’mon, fight it! You’re not under his control! Please, Vanessa, get away from him and come over here with me!”

“Sorry, Mike,” Vanessa said with a smirk. “I promised the man a dance, and what Scott wants, Scott gets. If you don’t want to stick around, go on home, but as for me, I’m staying.” She kissed Scotty deeply on the lips, to the surprise of all, including Scotty himself. Mike felt his anger ebb and die within him, and he stopped struggling, slumping defeated in the girls’ arms.

“Oh now, cheer up, Mikey,” Scott crowed. “Its not like I’m gonna boink her. Unlike you, I’m not still a virgin... as Lisa and Michelle can attest to. Tonight I’ll have my hands full with the two of them. You can have your night with your little girlfriend if you want. I just wanted you to see how EASY it would be to take it away from you, if I wanted to. You only have her at all because of me, anyway. If it wasn’t for my Song, making her THINK she is in love with you, you wouldn’t be with her in the first place.” He kissed Vanessa gently on the lips, then pushed her back towards Mike. “Have fun, you two. Vanessa, I’ll come collect that... ahem... DANCE, some other time.” Scott and his dates walked away, laughing.

Mike just stood there for the longest time, not speaking, not moving, not looking at his date. He felt anger, hatred, and betrayal, coursing through him like an acid. The Scott Littlejohn he had known was no more, destroyed by the monster he had become. He had once hoped that he could save him, persuade him with words, then later with actions, to stop his insane plans for domination. Despite their differences, he had still considered Scott a friend. But now, he had gone to far. No friend ever messes with his best friend’s girl. Wars had been fought for less. A noise sounded then, a small deep growl, and it took a moment for Mike to realize it was coming from his own throat. Scott had started this, but Mike fully intended to finish it, one way or another.

If Scott wanted a war, then by damn, he’d give it to him!