The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

I was panting and a little out of breath as I came out for the elevator of the main office of Nigel’s tower. Today was a work day... er, school day... a school-work day, whatever, and I’d zipped out as soon as we’d broken for lunch, heading up to the roof and streaking across town like a golden yellow bat out of hell to make it to Grimalde Towers as fast as possible. I was missing my lunch break, but I figured it would be more than worth it to see the look on Connie’s face when I arrived at her desk—

Which, I noted in disappointment, was NOT covered in the five dozen roses I’d had sent to her earlier this morning.

“Greetings, and welcome to Grimalde Towers,” Constance said primly without even glancing in my direction. “How may I help you?”

“Um, Hi, Connie,” I said, walking over to her desk. “I just stopped by to say ‘Hi’ and check in on you... you know, see how you’re doing?”

The young Asian secretary finally glanced up, her expression it’s usual bland professional stare. “I’m doing quite well, thank you,” she said, before turning back to her monitor. “Is there anything I can do for you? I’m afraid Mr. Grimalde is rather busy this afternoon, and for most of the day. If you’re looking to meet with him, I can possibly pencil you in for some time... next week, around 9:15 AM.?”

I blinked, a bit thrown off by her reaction. “Um, no, no Connie, I’m not here to see Nigel, I came by to visit you. Just you.” I sighed, glancing around, then froze as I spotted a patch of brown in the nearby trash can. “Wait... what th... this is the bear I sent with the flowers!” I protested. “What happened? Why is it in the trash?”

“Oh? The flowers?” she said offhand, again, not even bothering to look up. “They were a nuisance and taking up too much space. I had one of the janitors toss them out.” I merely gaped at her for a moment, speechless.

“Bu... but Connie—”

“My name is Constance,” she cut me off. “‘Connie’ is what my friends call me. You, Miss Frasier, may refer to me as ‘Ms. Yamanohana’. Now, if there is nothing else, I need you to leave. This is a place of business after all, and you are distracting me from my work!”

“Connie,” I whimpered, feeling crushed by her words. “Why... why are you being this way? I just... I just wanted to apologize to you!”

“Yes,” she said blandly, “I gathered as much. You apologized to everyone just last night too. You said your piece, you made a grand gesture with the bear and flowers and chocolates. But just because you’re feeling guilty enough to belt out a pitiful little ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean I have to accept it.” She turned back to her computer monitor. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, some of us have work that we need to return to.”

I nodded dumbly, remembering that I too had to return to work. The ‘joyful reunion’ with my old friend hadn’t turned out like I’d hoped at all. I’d given up my lunch break for the chance to really talk to Connie... Constance, to explain why I’d done what I’d done. We’d been friends before, once I’d gotten past her somewhat imposing exterior. I’d save her life... and she’d saved mine when Sureshot had tried to take out her family at the Prentiss Mansion. We’d connected after that... bonded. We’d shared times together, as well as sharing a bed. And I considered her nearly as close a friend as I did Tawnya and Sioban.

Well, maybe not QUITE as close as Mistress Sioban.

Giving her one last look, I turned and headed back to the elevator. I had about five minutes to travel the twelve or so miles back to campus. At my top flight speed, I could just barely make it, assuming I didn’t stop to grab anything to eat on my way in. All in all, not exactly the best start for my day...

Ahh. About goddamn time.

Whitney pulled back from the wall she’d been leaning against, brushing back a lock of hair with her free hand, picking up the book bag she’d stolen with the other. As the door opened and the students made their way out, she made her way through the crowd towards her target. “Hey! Parkinson! Tonya Parkinson!” she called out, causing the dark skinned girl to pause and hang back. “Hey! Nice to see you again!”

Tawnya blinked in surprise. “Whitney Meyers? Is that you?” she asked. “I didn’t know you attended RCU.”

Whitney put on a fake smile. “I’m not. Just visiting, actually. Not all of us are smart enough to earn a full scholarship... but to each her own, right?” She walked over and placed a hand lightly around Tawnya’s back. “So, Tonya, I hear you are pretty close with Katie Frasier these days.”

“It’s Taw-nya, actually,” she replied with a slight frown. “And yeah, we’re pretty close. Actually, I thought you and she was still tight, back from your high school days.”

Whitney shrugged. “I moved out of town a while back. And you know how it is, you get busy and lose touch with each other. Sad, but it happens.” She grinned, patting her on the back again. “You know, that’s actually why I’m here. I heard she’s attending class here as well. Came as a bit of a shock to me, yanno? I mean, pretty girl and all, but she was never really the sharpest knife in the drawer if ya know what I mean.”

Tawnya gave her a token laugh for the joke. “Cute. Very cute. Well, she’s not actually a student here, she’s working as a teaching assistant right now, and plans to enroll next semester. And believe me, despite her high school report card, she’s more than smart enough to make it here.”

“Riiiight. I’m, like, so sure,” Whitney replied, rolling her eyes. “Still, I did want to check in with her and catch up a bit. You know, like old times? Do you know when she’ll be free?”

“Um, I think today’s her late day, so I guess she’ll be done around six. I’m actually meeting up with her later after class at the SUB if you wanna hook up with us there?”

The SUB huh? Gag me. If I see the inside of that stupid place again after all this time it’ll be too soon! she thought with a scowl. Pushing aside her distaste, however, she agreed, eager to finally put her plan into motion.

“Great! We’ll hook up at about six fifteen then,” Tawnya said. “One word of warning, though. I wouldn’t order anything to eat while you’re there. We’ve had a rash of people eating there getting hit with some major food poisoning over the past few days. Two girls from my class were hit so badly they were admitted to the hospital.”

“Oh? Is that right?” Whitney asked archly. “Thanks for the heads up. Guess I’ll see you later Ton... er, I mean Tawnya.” Chuckling softly, she walked away, leaving the dark skinned teen alone with her thoughts.

“Whew! I didn’t think class was ever going to end,” I said with a sigh once the last student had left the room. “Seriously! It just seemed to drag on forever!”

Dr. MacMillan merely laughed. “Well, when you decide to skip lunch, it tends to make even a small amount of time seem like an eternity.” She paused, frowning slightly, noticing that I hadn’t shared her levity. “Okay. Obviously, the visit didn’t go as well as you’d hoped,” she said, opening a small bag on the counter, handing me a store-bought sandwich and a bag of chips, which I gratefully devoured. Mistress chuckled again at the spectacle, waiting until I came up for air before continuing. “So, sweetie, why don’t you tell me exactly what happened.”

And I did. My beloved listened intently as I described the altercation between Constance and me, nodding softly before shaking her head sadly. “I see. Well, all things considered, I can understand her reaction. Katie, love, I don’t think you understand just how badly you hurt Constance when you used her as part of your plan to take over the city. Connie’s only a year or two younger than me, yet in all this time, she’s never shown any desire to use her powers as a costumed heroine. Haven’t you ever wondered why?”

“Um, well, actually, now that you mention it, I had kind of wondered that,” I admitted.

“It’s because she is afraid,” Bonnie replied, surprising me. “Not of being hurt or anything. She’s afraid, absolutely terrified, of being captured and taken by someone more powerful than her, turned into a puppet, and used to hurt or betray those she loves and cares for the most.” She sighed sadly, as this new knowledge sank in. “She’s had her psychic abilities since she was a young girl, knew that her powers were weak and unfocused at best and that the only reason she hadn’t been a target or a victim of another psychic or evil mind controller is that she was so weak she stayed under the radar. She never even wanted to be trained in using her powers. The only reason she accepted Eva and Ana’s offer to train her was that after Sureshots’ attack, she wanted to be better able to protect Nigel, Patty, and the kids if something like that ever happened again.”

I sat down in my chair, hard, physically rocked by all this. I mean... Constance Yamanahano always presented an air of quiet confidence and sophistication, the perfectly calm, cool, and collected bodyguard-slash-assistant. I’d heard from my Dad about how they’d met face to face for the first time, her, a small young woman, standing up to Armor Man in defense of her boss, even going so far as to point her gun at his head, even knowing Eugene could have swatted her like a fly if he’d so desired. And all without the slightest trace of fear or emotion. Hell. she’d intimidated the HELL out of me when I’d tried to meet with Nigel and offer myself as a part of his harem... and she’d been friendly and encouraging. The idea that SHE, Connie, always so solid and professional, could be afraid of ANYTHING... it boggled my mind.

“And I... I basically made her live out her worst nightmare,” I realized, dropping my head into my hands. “Ohhh goddess... no wonder she hates me! I swear, Sioban, I had no idea! None! I mean... she’s always so... I didn’t think... ohhh goddess...” I moaned softly.

“I know, sweetie,” Bonnie said gently, pulling me into her arms again. “And deep down, she knows it too. It’s just... hard to move on when you’re still dealing with the pain and trauma. You know that better than anyone, I think,” she added. And I did. When Jess had died, I’d lashed out unfairly at my family and friends, at my mom, and dad, and cousin, not because I actually blamed them for anything, but because I hurt so deeply that I couldn’t NOT lash out. All I’d wanted was for those people to comfort me, but instead, I kept pushing them away.

“I have to make this right,” I said softly, finally pulling away from my Mistress’ embrace. “I have to prove to her how sorry I am, and that I never wanted to hurt her.”

“Katie... I think maybe you should just leave Connie alone,” Sioban said carefully. “She’s very stubborn. The girl can really hold a grudge. Trying to push her into forgiving you will probably only piss her off more.”

“I know,” I said softly. “But I have to try.” I closed my eyes momentarily thinking about Whitney. She’d been my friend, once, but now she was currently serving time in jail for trying to kill me. “I can’t let this go. Connie is my friend. She’s important to me. And I don’t want to lose her due to a stupid mistake I made. If I can, I have to try and make her understand that.” I swallowed softly. “And... to that end. I have to ask a favor.”

“You want to skip the rest of the day to go talk to her again?” Sioban asked with a sigh. “I can tell this is important to you, so yes, you can go. I just... want you to be careful, okay? You wear your heart on your sleeve for everyone to see, Katie... I just don’t want you getting your hopes up.”

“Thank you, Ms. MacMillan,” I said softly. “But, um... I also need a favor from my Mistress as well.” I explained briefly what I wanted to offer to Connie, as a way of showing my sincerity. As expected, she was very much against it. “Please, Mistress,” I begged again, going to my knees. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important.”

Sioban found herself in a bit of a quandary. Katie had made it clear that patching things up with Constance was very important to her, and that she was willing to do literally ANYTHING to make it up to her. And while she wanted the two women she cared about to get along with each other, she wasn’t sure that she should let Katie go as far as she wanted with this. She doubted that Constance would actually take advantage of Katie or do anything to physically hurt her, but she was more concerned about the young girl’s state of mind. She seriously doubted anything Katie could say would change her mind, and the more likely outcome would be both of them getting their feelings hurt.

I could just tell her no, make her just drop the whole thing, and she would, Bonnie mused, but that seems like a bit of a cop out. Plus, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t use my control over Katie that way. She sighed inwardly. I suppose I could try and intercede on her behalf, sit Connie down and try to make her see reason... but I can’t think of a way to do so without making it seem like I’m taking Katie’s ‘side’ in this. I love Connie like a sister... heh... as a ‘slave sister’, and her feelings about this are just as important and valid as Katie’s. Dammit... being the boss is a lot harder and more complicated than I’d ever imagined. How Nigel manages to keep an entire household of so many different personalities and temperaments in one piece without ripping his own hair out is beyond me!

I knelt there, staring up hopefully into Mistress’ face, holding my breath as she considered my request. I’d just began to think perhaps I’d asked too much of her, when she let out a deep sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose the way she did when it seemed like she was fighting a headache. “Okay, Katie,” she said finally. “You can make your proposal. But two things. First, I make the initial approach. I go and talk to her first, and see if she’s even willing to talk with you. If she’s not, then you hold off until she is. Secondly, if she accepts your offer, this is only for twenty-four hours.” Her lips twisted into a wry smirk. “Offering yourself to Constance to let her have her way with you is all well and good... but remember, you’re MY slave girl first and foremost. I don’t mind ‘lending you’ to her for a day or so but you belong to me.”

“Yes, my Mistress,” I responded gratefully, regaining my feet, kissing her deep enough to leave us both breathless. “That’s one thing I could never forget.”

She laughed, ruffling my hair, something that would have been annoying from anyone else, but only endeared me to Bonnie more. “Come on, then,” she said, grabbing her purse and her keys. “Let’s go ahead and get this over with. Nigel and Patricia were scheduled to head into the Portland branch for a special meeting with a VIP for the rest of the day, so Constance should have the rest of the day off.”

She was sitting in the woods behind the Prentiss mansion, sitting against a boulder, reading a novel. Hey, it was her day off. Nothing earth-shattering, just your average Harlequin bodice-ripper. Not like her mom; Mom liked classic romance, you know, Austen, Bronte, Hardy, those guys. How else does a third-gen Japanese-American with parents named Yuki and Hiro end up with a name like “Constance”?

So it was not like she was really engrossed in the story when Bonnie landed next to her. Still, she took her time, even turned a page or two, before looking up from the book.

“Connie, she wants to talk.”

“She... What the...? NO!”

“C’mon, Connie, just hear her out,” Sioban pleaded. “This thing between you two is tearing her up.”

“Good,” she said with no small about of satisfaction. “What about me, Bonnie? What about what she did to me?”

“Ancient Chinese saying,” said Bonnie with a wry grin, “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

Connie couldn’t help but smile. It was a long-running joke between Bonnie and Connie about how everything Asian was “Chinese” to Katie, including Connie. It had been cute, endearing even. But... that was before Katie Frasier had turned out to be the monster from Connie’s worst nightmares.

“Okay, okay,” Connie grumbled, “I’ll talk to her. For you, not for her.”

“Then do this for me, too,” Sioban added, pleadingly. “Don’t hurt her. Please.”

“I can only promise no permanent scars... on her corpse,” Connie replied, deadpan. Bonnie just stared. “She’ll be fine,” she added with a sigh. “Get outta here.”

Bonnie nodded, turned, waved into the sky and took off. Clearly, she knew how to quit when she was ahead. Connie leaned back against the rock and squinted her eyes as her friend disappeared into the sky. Then watched as a pink and white blur drew nearer, soon resolving into a person, soon alighting upon the very spot Bonnie had just vacated.

“Um, hi Connie,” said the blonde, sadly, bashfully.

“Katherine,” said Connie, knowing that the full name would irk her and not caring at all.

Oh man... so much for Mistress smoothing the way for me, I thought dimly. “Connie,” I began again, babbling, rushing before my nerve failed me. “I wanna make it right, I’ll do anything to make it right, what can I do? Please, Connie, PLEASE, let me make it right!“

“You can’t make this right, Katie.”

“No! Please don’t say that! There’s gotta be something!”

“God dammit, Katie! You made me betray my friends, my family, MY MASTER!”

She suddenly had an image of her mentor, Delores, burying her head in Master’s chest and crying. It was so odd, so incongruous, but Eva had taught her not to ignore things like that. Psychics were prone to clairvoyant flashes. This wasn’t her first. Okay, I guess I need to pay Deedee a visit soon. But first, she had to deal with this whiny little bitch who had nearly ruined her life.

“I know I was awful,” I said in a soft voice. “I was horrible. And... I didn’t even know! I didn’t even understand how what I’d done had hurt you so badly... not until Mist... until Sioban explained about your greatest fear. I am so, so, SOOOOO sorry! But... but... it was—“

“Don’t you do it, Katie!” Connie snapped, “The one honorable thing you’ve done in this WHOLE mess was to not blame it on the ink. Don’t you DARE start now!”

I shook my head. That was indeed the one thing I wouldn’t do. I wasn’t going to lay the blame on anyone or anything other than myself. There was no contention about it being my fault. All I wanted to do was find a way to make it up to her so we could get past this and go back to being friends again. “I’m not placing the blame on anyone else or making excuses. I did this, Connie. And I’m honestly very sorry. I never meant to hurt you. And if I’d known... I swear I would have never used you this way! You can read my mind, search my thoughts, and you’ll see the truth—”

“HELL NO!” Connie snarled suddenly, causing me to take a step back. “Katie, I will never... NEVER... go inside your mind ever again! I’d rather dive headfirst naked into the sewer with my mouth open! And I’ve been inside Serpentina’s mind, so I’m pretty damn sure I know exactly what that would be like.“

I crumpled a bit inside at that. Compared to Serpentina, the evil snake villainess that had tortured my brother and sent ninja assassins to kill Nigel and his family. She really DID hate me. But... I still had an ace left up my sleeve to play.

“You don’t have to use your powers to control me,” I said softly, trying to sound humble instead of nervous. “Mistress Sioban said I could offer myself to you... that if you wanted, I could be yours for the next twenty-four hours.” I swallowed and she suddenly whirled around to glare at me again. “You could... you could do anything you wanted,” I continued, despite her gaze. “To make up for turning you into my slave, you could use me as your slave. I’d do anything you asked... anything you... c-commanded... I wouldn’t resist.”

Constance gaped at me openly. “Are you serious? After everything that happened, after the way you used SEX to control me... you’re offering yourself to me now?!? God Fucking Dammit, Katie! I can hardly stand to be around you long enough to have this... this... whatever it is! I sure as HELL don’t want you underfoot for 24 fucking hours!”

I whimpered softly, grasping at straws now. “It’s just... I can’t... You... you could hit me!” I blurted out suddenly.

“What?”

“Hit me! As hard as you want. I won’t move. I won’t even flinch.”

Connie shook her head in disbelief. “Is this eighth grade or something? You asked Bobby to the Sadie Hawkins dance even though you knew I liked him, so I get to hit you to make it even?”

Tears were streaming from my eyes now, but I just stood there, staring at my feet. I’d offered everything I could think of. Letting her use me as a punching bag to vent her anger was the last thing I had to give.

“It wouldn’t work anyway,” Connie commented, frowning. “Your ‘luck’ would stop me from making contact.”

I brightened slightly at that. An opening! “Actually, I have much better control now. I can sort of turn it off.”

“Turn it off?”

“Um, kinda... for a little while... I think.” It helped that Nigel’s machine had established a definite link between my reality altering abilities and my subconscious, keeping me from accessing them without Mistress’ consent. Knowing that I could, in fact, block my powers had allowed me the ability to do so... to an extent. It was kind of like clenching a muscle, I could do so, but only for a while.

“So,” said Connie, as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, “I get a free shot, huh?”

I almost missed the question though, because the boulder behind Connie also rose up at the same time she spoke. About four feet into the air. With nothing beneath it but the dirt and bugs clinging to the underside. Almost.

“Um, y-yeah, a f-ff-free s-shot.” I managed, staring wide eyed at the gigantic two-ton rock hovering just a few feet away.

“Okay, Katie,” said Connie, walking around beside the rock and patting it on the side like a stallion or something, “Y’see, MY control has gotten much better too.”

Then, suddenly, Connie made an empty-handed throwing motion, and the two-ton rock barreled straight at my face.

You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die? Either my life was really really boring, or I was pretty much robbed at this point. I was rooted to the spot in fear, unable to even THINK about moving, let alone able to do so. Connie was going to kill me. She hated me. And she was going to kill me. Absolutely sure that I was a goner, I just whimpered and closed my eyes, waiting to feel the impact, or maybe to wake up in the hospital, or maybe, at last, to go see Jess again...

And... after a few seconds, I cracked open one eye, gasping to see the giant rock hovering less than an inch from my nose!

Hearing Katie’s sigh of relief, Connie moved the boulder back to its spot on the ground.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Katie,” she said, “I’m not going to punish you, or get even with you, or absolve you, or forgive you. I hate you, Katie. Get out of my sight. Please.”

My emotions were a wreck. I was grateful to be alive, all things considered, but Connie’s words left me feeling cold and hollow inside. I’d tried everything I could think of. I’d offered her everything... even my life, which she’d come to within inches of taking. But all for naught... she hadn’t forgiven me. And... it looked like she never would. Our friendship was over. Dead. Nodding softly, leaping skyward, I almost wished she HAD splattered me against that boulder...

As the young blonde flew away, heartbroken, Connie picked up her book, and, not remembering her place, threw it down into the dirt and started to cry.

“Hey! Bon-bon! Over here!” Tawnya waved to her friend and partner as the redhead stepped into view. They hugged briefly. “You’re late,” she chided her gently, panting slightly, as if out of breath. “I was beginning to worry something had happened to you. Um... where’s Katie? Didn’t you two leave together?”

“Not exactly. I actually canceled my last class of the day,” she admitted. “Katie and I left to take care of some personal business.”

Tawnya rolled her eyes. “Geez! I know you two are in a relationship and all now, but couldn’t you at least wait until you got back home?”

“Not THAT kind of personal, you doofus,” Sioban said, giggling briefly, before growing melancholy.again. “This whole thing between her and Connie... it’s really getting to her. I went with her to see if Constance would at least talk to her.”

Tawnya winced in understanding. “Damn. You know I love the girl—both of them, really—but Connie is acting like a real horse’s ass.”

“Now, now. She has a legitimate beef with Katie,” Sioban said diplomatically. “And she’s pretty much a ‘civilian’... getting captured and occasionally brainwashed is part of the hero’s lifestyle. We knew the risks and accepted them when we accepted our Tears. Connie never wanted this life. Hell, she spent the first twenty or so years actively avoiding situations just like the one Katie had forced her into.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Tawnya grumbled, frowning, swaying slightly in place. “I’m not arguing over whether she has a reason to be upset. I just think she could be a bit nicer about it, that’s all.” She sighed softly. “Hey, Bonnie... I was just wondering... has anyone in your class been out sick the past few days? Does it seem... excessive to you?”

“Hmm... now that I think about it, it is a bit strange. My dean was out the other day and hasn’t been back since. And the students that are out... whatever was affecting them bad enough to be out for multiple days doesn’t seem to be spreading the way you’d expect.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Tawnya replied, running a hand across her forehead. “I think I might be coming down with something myself.”

Sioban rolled her eyes. “C’mon, T-baby. We’ve been through this before. You can’t get sick. Your Tear will keep you at your physical peak until the day you pass it on.” Before she could continue, however, she jerked back as Tawnya suddenly doubled over, retching and puking, as she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the pavement. “T... Tawnya?” Sioban asked, shocked, taking a closer look at the younger girl. “Are you alright?”

“I ... dunno,” she replied, panting, and sweating heavily. “I’ve actually... been feeling kinda... weird... all day,” she admitted. “Ever since earlier... when I met Katie’s old friend from high school...”

“Wait. You met one of Katie’s friends here?” Bonnie asked.

“Yeah. Whitney... Meyers,” Tawnya managed, weaving in place again. “Haven’t... seen her since... high school. Said she was... looking for... Kaaatieee...” she said before crumpling to the ground in a heap.

“Tawnya? TAWNYA!” Sioban yelled, lifting her fallen friend in her arms. “Oh, goddess... you’re burning up! C’mon, T... wake up! Baby, please, open your eyes!” Tawnya merely groaned, however, head lolling to the side. “Shit! Shit! What do I do?” she asked, momentarily frozen in indecision. Pulling out her cell phone, she quickly dialed Nigel’s priority cell phone. It connected after two rings. “Nigel! It’s Sioban! Listen, I... oh? Patricia? I need to speak to Nigel quick! I...” she nodded, biting her lip. “Yes, yes I know you guys are in Portland tonight. I... what? The Vice President of the United States? Okay, but Patricia, it’s important.” She growled in frustration. “Patty, this can’t wait! This is a ‘Code Red’! Tawnya just collapsed in the middle of the street after throwing up her lunch! She’s unconscious and running a fever!” She nodded, listening. “Okay, I’ll wait.”

Holding her partner’s head gently in her lap, she managed a small smile at the sounds coming through the phone. “...I’m sorry, Mrs. Grimalde, but we’re in the middle of a very important meeting,” an unknown male voice was speaking. “If you could just wait for a... Mrs. Grimalde! Stop! WAIT! YOU CAN’T DOOO-aaaaahhhhhgghhh!” Sioban winced at the sound of something crashing, followed shortly by the telltale sounds of a door being kicked in. After a few seconds of hushed voices, Nigel came on the line.

“Sioban. I trust that Patricia wasn’t exaggerating in describing what’s happening with Tawnya? And that this is legitimate emergency?”

“Sorry about the lousy timing... but I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” Sioban said, sighing softly. “Tawnya’s in bad shape. And I’m not sure where to take her. Obviously, she needs to go to the hospital... but I can’t exactly take her to the closest ER and explain that my magically endowed friend and partner who holds a mystical talisman that prevents her from getting sick is now gravely ill!”

“Take her to River City Memorial Hospital,” Nigel answered immediately, sighing deeply. “Believe it or not, Eugene and I had a talk about this kind of thing happening someday while back in Norway. Take Tawnya there and ask for Dr. Boardman. She’ll get her admitted and arrange for treatment without asking a bunch of complicated questions.”

“River City Memorial, and Dr. Boardman,” Sioban said, nodding as she lifted the much larger girl into her arms. “Got it. Thanks, Nigel.” Tapping into her powers, she teleported them to the hospital...

A few seconds later, a pale skinned blonde girl slid out from her hiding spot where she’d watched the scene unfold. Hmm... River City Memorial, eh? Whitney mused. That will be perfect! I’d hoped Katie would show up here to see her little friend collapse before her eyes... but no matter. She’ll no doubt rush to the hospital as soon as she hears what happened. And then... she thought with sadistic glee, then I’ll have you exactly where I want you!

I was feeling a bit low after my little talk with Connie. Of course, the best cure for the blues was the wide open skies, so I took the long scenic route back to the University. Floating along aimlessly on the thermals, hovering above the city, it was nice to just relax and let go. My problems weren’t over, but at least I could forget them for a while.

«Good,» my big brother’s voice sang out in the back of my head. «I’m glad you’re feeling a little bit better now. You were feeling pretty crummy just a bit earlier.»

I blinked. “Jimmy?”

«Yeah.» he replied. «It’s me. Seriously, though, Katie... what were you thinking? You were going to let her bash you with a damned boulder?!? And after all that, she still refused to forgive you? Hmph. You know what? Fuck Connie!»

“I would if I thought it might help.”

«That’s NOT what I meant, and you know it,» he replied back, the anger coming across clearing through our link. «I get that she’s legitimately upset with you. But it’s been more than a month now since it happened. And you’ve apologized multiple times now. If you were half as much of a friend to her as she is to you, she would have let it go.»

“Yeah, I know,” I conceded, “but still... I’m the one in the wrong. I can’t really blame her. Besides, I only recently figured out WHY she was so pissed off.” I shook my head. “All this time... and I had no idea.”

«I still say that’s no excuse,» he insisted. «Katie, sis, you’re way too forgiving. I mean... in just the same household, you have Patty and Nigel Grimalde. They held a grudge against Uncle Parker and us for years, but when the truth came out on both sides, they managed to bury the hatchet. And their beef was just as ‘legitimate’. Constance is just being an obstinate bitch!»

Again, I couldn’t really argue against his point... but I couldn’t help but play devil’s advocate for Connie. “Okay. So you’re saying that anyone should be forgiven if they make a heartfelt apology, no matter how bad the transgression? Does that mean you’d forgive Serpentina for how she tortured you?”

Jimmy was silent for several minutes, and I’d just begun to think maybe I pushed him a bit too far with that last question when he answered back. «You make a good point. Yes... despite everything she did to me, I would forgive Montenegra for the hell she put me through. We’d probably never be besties or anything, but yes, I could learn to let go of my negativity towards her. IF she apologized. And it was heartfelt, of her free will, not coerced or anything. Not that she ever would mind you. And, also... I should point out that the difference between you and Serpy, is that there was no malice or ill will involved in what you did. And that hypnotizing someone to make them share secret information or have sex with someone else as a distraction is a far cry from physically torturing someone with, among other things, waterboarding.»

“Yeah...” I replied softly. Great. I’d pissed off my brother by bringing up unpleasant memories. Instead of him making me feel better, I’d made HIM feel worse.

«Not at all, sis,» Jimmy responded immediately. «I’m not bothered by that time as much as I used to be. And anyway, you made a good point.» I felt Jimmy’s sigh. «I’m heading back to Portland with my new teacher, our ‘cousin’ Lana LaSilvas. Heh. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy type. We’re about two hours out... but if you need me, Sis, I can make a U-turn and swing down to River City.»

I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m okay. Really. You have things to take care of back in your city. Trust me. I’m fine here. Mistress is taking good care of me. I’m just a little depressed about Connie, that’s all. I just need to... clear my head a bit.”

«Okay. If you’re sure. Just remember to let me know if you need me.» he stated before fading back into the back of my head. I smiled at that, grateful as always that my big brother was looking out for me. Really, I had a lot of people on that list... people that loved and supported me. I should be feeling pretty good about that. But alas... all I could seem to do was dwell on the negatives.

Turning back towards the University, I paused, hovering a bit as I spied something strange happening down below me. A man lay on the ground, cocooned in what looked like a bunch of old newspapers, lying next to a visibly battered ATM machine just outside a convenience store. Across from him stood a young dark haired girl, dressed in a costume with a color scheme similar to my own. Obviously a heroine, she’d apparently taken down the guy trying to break open the ATM, and I’d nearly moved on when I spotted a third person, dressed in a black skintight bodysuit with a cape and a neckerchief around the bottom half of his face. I frowned at that, recognizing that one immediately: Somnolence. We had history. I’d run into him a few times when I was first starting out. A very nasty piece of work.

And apparently, the girl facing him was too new to realize the danger once the bastard whipped out that damned pocket watch.

By the time I’d gotten close, she was already under his spell, using her powers to finish what the thief she’d just captured had started. Somnolence was squealing like a little kid as a shower of dollar bills sprang forth from the ATM, which he collected and stuffed into a large sack. “Oh! This is so great!” he laughed deeply. “Oh, you are a treasure! Running into you was the best stroke of luck I could have possibly hoped for! You, my dear, are going to serve me and serve me well.”

“Sorry, Somnolence,” I called out from the air above, causing them both to glance up at me, “but the diner’s closed, and service no longer comes with a smile.”

“Huh? What?” he asked, looking completely confused. “What the hell does that even mean?”

Okay. So much for sounding cool and heroic. “Yeah… sorry, that was kind of bad, wasn’t it?” I admitted, blushing slightly. “I know I had something for this… gimme a sec.” I tapped my finger lightly against my chin, thinking. Jimmy and Uncle Parker always made it seem so easy to think this stuff up on the fly. “Um… how about ‘This is a self-service station, the full-service one is closed’?” Ughh... No, no, that’s just as bad. “You know, proper hero-villain banter isn’t easy. It’s not as if we carry ‘ready made’ scripts for this kind of thing.” Damn. And it’s only been a few weeks since I was benched from the superhero thing. Talk about being rusty.

“Great, just great. Another little girl playing hero, and this one dressed just as garishly as the other… wait!” His eyes went wide with recognition. “Oh shit! FUCK! I recognize you now… you’re… you’re…”

“It’s Luminaire,” I replied with an irritated sigh. “Normally, having the bad guys react that way to me is a good thing, but lately, getting it from EVERYONE I meet is a bit tiring. Ah, well. What say we do this the easy way? You release your control over the cutie in the pink and yellow spandex, and I agree NOT to fry you to a crisp. Sound fair?”

“How about... not?” he replied with a smirk, taking out his trusty pocket watch. He opened it briefly, tilting it to flash in my face, no doubt preparing to put me under the way he had the other heroine. I. however, knew the score and was having none of it. “Gaaaahhh!” he yelled I blasted his precious watch, melting it to slag, before sending out a second blast as a blinding flash of light. “Aaahhhh! My eyes! You bitch, you bitch!” Growling, he turned to his still deeply enthralled slave. “Paper Doll! Defend your Master! Stop her! Kill her! Hurt her really really badly!”

Ah! That was it. Paper Doll. I knew I recognized that costume from somewhere. Unfortunately, my moment of celebration last only seconds, as the dark haired hypnoslave turned to stare at me with her eerie vacant eyes, and a vindictive smirk on her face.

“Yes, my Master,” she said in a loud monotone, as the small backpack across her back exploded in a whirlwind of random sheets of paper. “I hear and obey!”

The girl was pretty good. Not a trained fighter or anything, she wasn’t exactly a physical presence. And I could tell she was new to the whole super hero thing. But the way she used her powers was very impressive, turning the flood of paper into various weapons, and shields, chains to trip and confine, barriers to hold and entomb. If she’d been fighting pretty much any other Super, she would likely have come out on top. Unfortunately for her, my Light powers made short work of her barrage, burning them all to cinders, leaving her with no more ammunition to throw at me. I followed up by cocooning her the way she had Somnolence’s previous victim, restraining her and taking her out of the fight.

“That should keep you under wraps,” I replied, then groaned softly, shaking my head. “Just great. NOW I get the hang of the puns, after the fact,” I muttered, making my way back towards the mastermind. “So, Somnolence… looks like you’re done. Do you want to release your hold over the girl in pink now, or should I do it for you?”

The villain laughed derisively. “Hah. Good luck with that, you glowing human nightlight! My hypnotic skills are too much for you to undo! If you hadn’t destroyed my watch, you’d be kneeling down at my feet right now. You’re just lucky that you—mmmph!! MMMPHH!” he yelled, his voice muffled behind a band of yellow sparkling light covering his face, as well as several others wrapping him up into a Light cocoon. I’d had more than enough of his bravado.

“Now, for you, sweetie,” I said gently, turning back towards Paper Doll. She was still deep in a trance, but I had an idea on that. It was something Yancy and I had talked about during her visit, something that I’d wanted to try out. She’d even let me practice on her a few times... ahem... during the down times between the sex, that is. “Don’t worry. You’re going to be fine. I’ve been practicing this part, and I’ve got it down... um, pretty well.”

I was nowhere near as good as Aunt Sarah. Not even close. I wasn’t even as good as Yancy, and even if her sparks weren’t silver anymore, she had much better control over them. But my Light was special in its own right, and as I focused my power, sending tiny bits of light deep into the mazed girl’s mind, I sensed... felt... the part of her that was asleep, the bit of her that was darker than the rest... and I brightened it up. As I’d hoped, Doll blinked a few times, then shook her head in confusion.

“Wh… what happened?” she asked, still a bit dazed. “What did you do to me?”

“I brightened up your mind a wee bit,” I replied with a grin. “Basically, I found the part of your brain that had been ‘dimmed’ or repressed by being in a hypnotic state, and re-energized it with a few excess photons.”

She blinked. “So… you brightened up the inside of my head.”

“Yeah. Pretty much.” I said with a giggle. All that time hanging spent as Sioban’s TA had definitely improved my scientific knowledge and vocabulary. “Paper Doll, hmm? I like it. Especially the costume choice.” I glanced over to the right, however, as the sound of approaching sirens became noticeable. The cops were on the way... which meant it was time for me to get gone.

“Listen,” I told her, lifting off the ground a bit, preparing to go airborne, “I’m not really wanting to deal with the police right now. I’m kind of on their ‘bad side’ for the moment. Besides, I have to meet up with some friends, and I’m REALLY late. You wouldn’t mind taking full credit for this bust, would ya?”

She gaped at me in surprise. “Me? Um… er, okay, sure, if you want.” I nodded, then turned away, beginning to glow brightly. “Wait! Luminaire!” she yelled out suddenly, causing me to pause. “I, um… I just wanted to say… thank you. And not just for saving me tonight, I mean. You’re my idol! My inspiration! You’re the reason why I first put on the mask!”

I couldn’t help but smile at that, and blush, feeling equal parts flattered and embarrassed. I’d heard it once or twice before, most notably from Red Rocket, who certainly come into her own as a crimefighter, but it was still a good feeling to know that I’d inspired someone else to take on the mantle and use their goddess given powers for the benefit of others.

“And, um…” she added, “I just wanted to say, I think you got a bum rap over what happened all those weeks ago.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said softly, lowering my head, staring down at my feet. “That’s nice of you to say. But, well, they’re right. I did do everything they’re accusing me of. I went on a rampage. I nearly destroyed the city. Or worse. I made a very big mistake, and hurt a lot of people.” I shook my head sadly, my recent problems with Constance swimming through my mind. “So yeah, I can understand the police and citizens being a bit wary of me as their protector...”

“Hmph. That’s bullshit.”

I blinked, glancing back up at her in surprise. Her expression was determined and filled with righteous indignation. “Bull. Shit,” she repeated. “You made a mistake. And you acknowledged as much. I’d like to meet the person in this life who never made a mistake. Besides, you said it in your interview—you weren’t yourself. Someone else was in control of your actions.” She shuddered inwardly. “Just a few minutes ago, I had a taste of what that feels like myself. And if you hadn’t come along when you did, robbing an ATM machine would have been the least of the things I’d have to answer for.” She shrugged. “I’m just saying… even if the rest of the city mistrusts you, you’ve got one die-hard fan still rooting for you.”

I smiled again, a truly bright and sincere one. this time. It was one thing to hear it from family and loved ones like Jimmy and Mistress... but it was somehow even more impactful coming from a relative stranger with no ties to me. “Thanks, Paper Doll. That actually means a lot.” With that, I took off into the air, just as a squad of police cars pulled up.

I felt good. A little naughty, as well, as technically I’d just gone vigilante, taking down a major villain as ‘Luminaire’ despite having surrendered my badge. But it had felt right to intervene, to step in and help the rookie stop Somnolence. And really, she’d made the collar, I’d just assisted her. And I hoped she’d say as much to any of the police that asked if they happened to notice my yellow light trails leaving the scene. Heading back on campus, I dimmed my Light a bit, hovering as I tried to decide where to land and change back into my normal clothes when the cell phone in my pocket buzzed. Pulling it out, I winced slightly, noting Mistress’ number on the caller ID.

Damn. Guess I’m later than I thought, I mused as I opened the cell. “Hello? Sorry, I know I’m late, but I’m here now. I just need to... wait. What? WHAT? Tawnya’s in the hospital?” I asked in disbelief. “What happened? I mean, you guys... I thought it was impossible for you to... okay. Sorry, you’re right. We can talk more about this face to face.” I nodded again. “River City Memorial? Right. I’m on my way!” With that, I powered back up to full, and streaked across the sky, heading to the hospital as fast as I could manage.