MIND CONTROL 11
A short story by Alvin Atwater
Continued directly after story 10…
Demand, Love, Kindness, and Hate. These are the four legal crests of the ancient Iyan tribe Mind Control. Hero, Seduction, Evil, and Colorless are the illegal crests, worse than their counterparts, created by a faction with a bold mission of taking out their heartless dictators. Once again, I just cannot comprehend why Gemini is so captivated by them. Sure, they have insane power—Iyan magic is like that—but they’re the source of misfortune, no matter what era. Hell, we barely got a few to the proper museums.
Gemini and I held hands as we walked to my doom. Yep you’ve read this correctly, doom. Why my doom, you ask? If you’ve read any of my past stories (at least story three), then understand the time(s) I mentioned that Gemini’s house contained a family of Iyan-obsessed whackos. This is the place, people! THE IYAN STRONGHOLD! PLEASE HELP ME! Ahem, I will calm down now. I wish I could but so many thoughts flowed through my head. Nearly all her family was there, expecting me, preparing. Her relatives were leaving in two days. So yeah, no doubt, they’re going to be quite Demanding. I had a copy of the blue lemon-sized gem last story but sadly gave it back to the archaeology club, as well as the wand. Not that I had a choice. It’s not like I can keep ahold of school property, especially when they clearly saw the items, last story.
I seem to have a knack of going into situations utterly defenseless….
“Do you want to grab a bite before heading to your place,” I said, trying to buy myself a little more time.
“For the last time, no. My mom cooked dinner,” Gemini replied. An ever-present smirk was perched on her face—she wouldn’t let me delay the inevitable. Fifty feet from the house of horrors….forty feet from the house of despair…..thirty…..twenty…..ten…..ding-dong!
“Coming!” called a feminine voice. My heartbeat went into overdrive as the door opened. We were greeted by two identical girls, our age, dressed in casual clothing. Long blonde hair, athletic bodies, hot. And deadly. My memory gauges flashed as I remembered their Double-Demand attacks. Gave me twice the headaches too. The twins. They sure grew up to be…pleasant to the eye.
“Matt, you probably remember Molly and Holly,” Gemini said. They smiled.
“Long time no see,” Molly said.
“It has,” I said.
“Yah,” Holly said. “You grew up to be a hottie.”
I don’t know if I successfully forced away my blush but I tried. Gemini’s jealously can lead to incredibly bad things. Not that I’m assuming she’d be jealous or anything.
“Come on, let’s go meet the others in the living room,” Gemini said, pulling me into the huge house. It hadn’t changed much since the last time I visited. The hall that would lead to the living room felt endless, decked with glass-framed displays of Iyan artifacts—all of them on top of pedestals. They kept their evil blue gem elsewhere. Of course, they did. After Gemini brought it back to them in story six, they’d make sure to never lose it again or let it get blown up.
My phone suddenly vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket only to see a text from Chelsea. It read: hi. Before I had to chance to put the phone away, it vibrated again.
Chelsea: how are you?
There’s one thing I hated about myself and that was guilt. I’d feel like a total douche for ignoring an innocent text. Especially since I had no ill intentions—there’s no way Chelsea could get between Gemini and I…right? I replied to the text in a manner that I hoped invited no room for conversation.
Me: could be better.
For those of you who are lost, just read story ten, sheesh. My phone vibrated again but I decided that I didn’t come to my girlfriend’s scary household just to text another woman. And one that I still kind of hated.
Eventually, we made it to the living room, where the rest of THEM awaited. All of them, my darkest nightmares, looked at me. The aunt, Derek who was Gemini’s male equivalent back then, the parents, and of course Morgan. She turned away when I looked in her direction, slight blush on her face. Not going to lie, this was awkward. They all hungrily stared at me for a few seconds as if I were fresh meat to be fed in their lion cage. Gemini broke the silence.
“You guys remember Matt,” she said, holding my arm, pulling me into the fray…or range circles. Damn. Damn. Crap! I honestly didn’t know if I should freak out or not—they all had devious looks in their eyes, as if a sacred competition began. Maybe it was just me. Sadly, I knew I couldn’t be naïve. Morgan attacked on her first visit, so what’s to stop them? I couldn’t be stupid enough to believe I’d escape this place without fighting for my life… Or Mind.
“Long time no see,” I said in my best nonchalant, casual voice.
“Wow, you’ve grown,” Gemini’s mom said as she got up, hurried right over and hugged me. A quick whiff of her perfume reminded me of my crush on her way back when. She was still ultra-hot but I wouldn’t dare blush to piss off Mr. Too-Much-Gym Dad over there, who shook my hand with a strong grip after the mom moved. I used to think he was secretly Superman but that’s a long story for later. The evil aunt hugged, Derek came with the knuckle-tap, throwing in a wedding joke or too, and lastly, Morgan who didn’t move, glared. She didn’t quite give off a hostile vibe but she definitely showed that she remembered the other night.
“Why did you take you long to start dating?” the aunt said. “You’re going to end up married anyway. Better have lots of children.”
I shot her a blank glare. She grinned and winked. Just to put it out there, she was hot too, not as much as Gemini’s supermodel mom, but still out of my league. I swear this family of Iyan freaks conjured up some magic potion that cheated natural selection.
“Well don’t be a stranger, come eat dinner with us,” Holly said as she pulled me into the dining room behind everyone else…to the death table! I noticed something attached to the bottom of the chandelier as we sat around the table. A familiar blue gem repeatedly shimmered as it dangled like a dying lightbulb. Before I could say anything, Mr. Dad spoke.
“Oh don’t worry about that,” he said. “It’s disarmed”
“You can disarm them?” I asked.
“Special means,” he answered. “They almost become regular gemstones afterwards.”
I took a mental note as I finished my dinner of stewed steak on rice with some fancy sides I couldn’t pronounce. If there is one time I needed Google to work for me, it will be when I look that up.
“Still,” I heard Holy say then…I involuntarily stood up and spoke.
“Holly, Molly, mind showing me around?”
I glared at them but before I could do anything, Molly interrupted with a volunteer.
“Sure, no problem.”
“Gemini, could you show me where your dad put my files,” the aunt asked. “They’re important.” Gemini simply shrugged, unaware of the setup. I wanted to say something but Demand’s influence prevented that, which meant no shouting for help. Then she was gone and I ended up following the hot evil twins through some halls. No. Even if they were armed with Demand, I did not come to this Iyan-paved freak house to be chow. I felt resistance. At that moment, I somehow broke from Demand’s chains and made a run for it. The Iyan horror house hadn’t changed one bit. As I got some distance away from the twins, I peeked around the corner. Can’t just recklessly run into some trap, you know. Just what did these people want with me, anyway? Why did they always feel compelled to use Iyan magic on me?
Unfortunately, the parents, both holding copies of Demand, sat on a sofa, smiling right at me.
“Old times sake, right? Showing you cool Iyan magic, abilities that people would kill to have,” the dad said.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” I said, knowing my plea was useless.
“You’re welcome to try out the artifacts anytime, just ask us about them first. Can’t have you destroying the place,” the mom said. I forced myself not to stare at her. At that moment, I heard the playful scurrying of the twins approaching. The parents grinned. “Well, you’re trapped.”
I freaking knew this whole thing would turn out to be a bigger disaster than America’s politicians. Just then, I felt someone pull me into a room that I had no idea was there. Morgan? She pulled me as we raced down familiar “hidden” halls. Eventually we stopped in a dim room of a location that only God knew. Exactly like childhood.
“Why?” I asked, feeling grateful.
“Old times sake,” she replied. Seconds of silence then we both laughed. “Let’s go,” she said before I could warn her of the person that suddenly freaking teleported behind her, wand in hand—gah it was too late. The smiling aunt tapped Demand, injecting Morgan with its mind-controlling Iyan magic. Derek joined her afterwards.
“Morgan, move to the side and observe,” the aunt said. Morgan involuntarily obeyed. Molly guarded Morgan, her own copy of Demand in hand, keeping the prisoner stationary and under control. I…was screwed. Surrounded by THEM, nowhere to run, this was what I feared. I raised my hands slightly in the air, palms toward them in a gesture that indicated I didn’t want any trouble, sad grin accompanying it.
“We can work this out, have dinner, go on with our lives. Let’s just put the dangerous science-defying, mind-stealing, evil gem stones away,” I said.
The aunt smirked. “I don’t think so. It’s a party and you’re the entertainment—entertainer.” She tapped her copy of Demand. I felt its Iyan magic grasp my mind with icy cold fingers. Maybe claws. Just like that, they started a small quiet debate about what I should do first. Eventually they all took a liking to Derek’s suggestion for the first act: an interpretive dance. I BEGGED my mind, pleaded with my legs not to do it. Useless. I did it—and well too. They laughed and clapped, hooted, and hollered. I felt a part of my soul die of embarrassment. The next thing on the entertainment list was dancing jumping jacks, girly as possibly. I imagined my mind as a duplicate of me made of bright white mysterious energy and light, imagined myself kneeling to it, and pleaded with it to resist. Mind-me folded its imaginary arms and shook its head.
“Matt…you can only resist once a day,” it replied in my imaginary Kung-Fu master voice.
“You’re kidding me, right? Isn’t there anything I can do? Anything!”
“I am sorry,” Mind-me said. “Reality sucks, doesn’t it?” My imaginary creation vanished, replaced with the laughing and cheering faces of THEM.
“Me next,” Holly said.
“No me,” Molly said, poking my abs with predatory eyes.
Just then, Gemini burst into the room, face reddened with rage. “Stop! Stop this now!” she yelled in a voice that could probably be heard across the edges of the universe. I thought I was saved. I really did. My really hot and cute girlfriend interrupted her family’s torturing. I thought we were about to hightail it out of there, go to my place, and forget the whole night. NOPE. Derek used Demand on her and soon, she had a place beside Morgan, powerless and forced to watch. She stopped carrying her copy of Demand ever since we started dating, so…. yeah….I was screwed, again.
“Like I said, it’s a party and you’re the entertainer,” the aunt said. As they made me do more stupid things, I felt pulses ring throughout my body. These were the same pulses I felt when Gemini and I had a gem fight in story one. The more I felt humiliated, the stronger the pulse grew. Anger crept. The feeling of wanting to disappear or at least go home and eat pizza, multiplied greatly. Then I heard a whisper in the depths of my mind. It wasn’t a whisper of language but feelings, tingling, and a destructive urge. Then…Evil appeared from a burst of fiery light into my grasps. Everyone froze, eyes wide, some with mouths agape. “You’re marked,” the aunt said softly. She turned to the rest. “Alright, party’s over.”
I grinned. “I don’t think so. Party’s just began. And guess what, YOU’RE entertainment. And unlike you, mine will be an equivalent exchange plus interest.” I held up my freehand. All of their copies of Demand flew from their grasps and spiraled a few feet above me, shimmering. First, I made them do all the same crap they made me do but in great detail and as a group. The laughs I got eradicated some of my dark mind. But of course not even close to all of it. I pointed at the aunt.
“You, prance like a deer for me, while singing the original lyrics to the Batman theme song.” She did and I almost laughed out an organ. I pointed at Derek, after making the aunt move to the side. “Do the chicken dance while singing the original Wonder Woman theme song. And sing to the audience, emphasizing that YOU’RE Wonder Woman.”
I would have this one over him forever. He’d probably seek revenge after this. Gemini’s male equivalent, remember? I didn’t make Morgan or Gemini do anything—kind of forgot about them. “Alright, one more event,” I said after making Derek stop. My voice was dark. They looked extremely nervous and some, still shocked that I turned all their precious gems against them. “It is time for a bare-fisted battle royal and it WILL be good enough to pay your interests.”
Before I had the chance to employ the multi-Demand magic, Gemini stood in my way in a familiar form. That’s when I took in the scene: Morgan had Hero pointed at Gemini. The familiar green eyes and green radiation from story five took my attention. Did I ever mention that I had a weakness for green eyes? Evil pulsed and forced me to focus on other matters that did not include scooping Gemini up and getting out of here. The words that came out of my mouth sounded dark, nearly demonic.
“Heroine, huh? Not even you can stop me,” I said.
“You’re causing more than enough trouble for these innocent citizens, villain. I will put a stop to you, right here, right now.” Gemini folded her arms.
I laughed. “Heroine Gemini. Try it.”
So this is quite unexpected, isn’t it? That black gem…returning to me. Wielding its power felt so good. It makes you feel confident, invincible, and powerful. But to think Gemini and I will be duking it out in a Hero vs. Villain fashion, well…this adds more to my plate: Black Star group, the black-level case, Chelsea, and Amy.
To be continued….
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