HOSTEL
CHAPTER FIVE — EXPLORING
Alice made her morning rounds. Rebecca followed her, around each square of hallways and up the stairs to the next set, three floors in all. Occasionally they would slow to examine a burned-out bulb or some other item that merited attention, but otherwise, the pace was relentless. The one thing Alice paid absolutely no attention to was Rebecca.
“Alice. Alice.” Rebecca found herself starting the same conversation over and over again, only to be ignored in favor of a crack in the wall or a sleepy, friendly face peering from a doorway. A never-ending line of pretty guests, all eager to tell Alice about the wonderful night’s rest they’d just gotten, or how lovely the hostel was. Alice seemed to enjoy them very much, and that, Rebecca suspected, was the true purpose of the morning rounds.
That, and finding an excuse to avoid Rebecca’s questions.
“Alice. What am I supposed to do with her?” Celeste trailed them from floor to floor like a happy lap dog. Rebecca felt the brunette’s eyes burning a hole in her backside. “Alice! What am I supposed to do?” Great, the one guest she should be speaking to, and…
Alice finally stopped when they got back to the main floor, turning around to face them and making an exaggerated, exasperated sigh as she did so. “Fine. Fine, Rebecca. Since you’re so terribly uncreative this morning, dearie, I’ll give you a few hints on what to do.”
“Thank you,” said Rebecca. Celeste merely nodded and smiled.
“First off, know your acquisitions. This lovely lass is quite a financial wunderkind, from what I gather. Solid grades, scholarships, internships. By next summer, she’ll have a degree in hand and a bright future ahead of her. Remember what I said about the Internet? People will tell you everything about themselves these days. You just have to know where to look. Now, what would I want with such a girl? She’s quite attractive, but there are plenty of those.”
“I’ve seen plenty just this morning,” Rebecca admitted.
“Yes, and do you know why? They’re programmed to wake up around this time, so that they might see me in the hallway, tell me what a lovely evening they had. It reinforces their utter devotion to me. Just as I’m reinforcing Celeste’s utter devotion to you.”
She resumed her journey through the hostel before Rebecca could protest. “Back to my story! You can imagine, dearie, how much work it is running both a hostel and a nightclub at the same time. Not to mention giving our guests the special treatments they just love to get! It’s exhausting, frankly, and I haven’t enough time for it. I could use someone to look after my books, order my bar supplies, book my DJs, that sort of thing.”
Rebecca couldn’t resist a jab. “They have job interviews in Germany, don’t they?”
Alice came to a stop again, quickly enough that Rebecca almost walked right into her, quickly enough that Celeste bumped into Rebecca. The brunette smiled and giggled softly.
“Oh, I do like you, Rebecca! That was quite good! You see? Brainwashing you would have been such a waste! Now, to your question… why hire when I can steal? Celeste will happily work for whatever I choose to pay her, and live here in the hostel without complaint. All I have to do is tell her that she’ll get to live with you.”
She snapped her fingers in front of the brunette’s face. “Celeste, dearie? You can hear our voices again. Wouldn’t you like very much to live here with Rebecca?””
“That would be amazing, Alice! Rebecca, can we? I can finish my last year of college here in Berlin, and we can see the town together, and… Alice, this is great news! Thank you!” She grabbed Rebecca from behind and gave her a gigantic hug. “MmmmmMMMM! I’m so happy right now!”
Rebecca kept her face hidden from Celeste- she’d already seen the effects of showing anything but love and affection to the hypnotized girl- but she made sure that Alice could see her displeasure. “Can you… you know…” She touched her fingers to her lips.
“Of course. Celeste, you may go back to ignoring us and go back to looking at pretty Rebecca. Do it now.” Snap.
“This is too much, Alice. She’s a puppy dog. I don’t want that. Nobody wants that. It’s weird and creepy.”
“Really? You don’t fancy controlling a beautiful woman like this?” Alice gave her a mocking, skeptical glance.
”Do you find me attractive, Em?”
“You’re pretty. You have nice hair. I like your hair.”
She was sitting in the chair from the thrift store, eyes locked on the crystal that Rebecca waved in front of her. She was already deeply hypnotized, but Rebecca couldn’t get over the sight of Emily’s vacant stare as the crystal swung back and forth. Her panties were getting very damp. “Are you attracted to me?”
“I… no… you’re pretty but… I don’t…”
“Shhhh…. Relax, Em. Relax. Deep and relaxed. Watch the crystal. I want you to remember something for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Whenever you see a hot guy or a hot girl, you’re going to think of me. Just for an instant. You won’t even remember doing it. But you’re going to do it every time. What will happen when you see a hot girl or guy, Em?”
“I’ll think… think of you…”
“Say I were to bring Jessica in here, nice and ready for you? That tan skin, those deep blue eyes… empty and vacant and totally dedicated to you? You mean to say you’d what? Set her free? Send her back home to Australia? No, dearie. You would not! In fact, I’d never get any work done what with the loud racket you two would be making in your room!”
Alice began to stroke Celeste’s long, wavy hair. “And so this one, dearie, is your practice girl. Pretty, devoted, loyal, loving. What more could you ask for?”
Rebecca thought of what to say, and settled for rolling her eyes and a loud scoff.
“Have it your way, Rebecca. I’m feeling charitable this morning!” Her hand fell to the base of Celeste’s skull and pulled the brunette’s face towards her. Snap. “Celeste, listen to me. Are you deeply hypnotized right now?”
“Of course, Alice. I’m deeply hypnotized. It’s wonderful. I’m so glad that you did that to me. You, and Rebecca.” The last word came out slowly, reverently, like a prayer. “Rebecca’s so nice, isn’t she?”
“She is, isn’t she? Celeste, would you like to know a secret?”
“Of course, Alice.” Celeste leaned in, eager to learn more..
“Rebecca is a bit shy, you know. She very much fancies you, but you don’t want to scare her off. So I would recommend playing a bit hard to get. Just enough to make her chase you.”
Celeste gasped in surprise. “You’re so smart, Alice! That’s exactly what I’m going to do! I… oh shit, here she is! I… um, hey Rebecca.”
“Hi, Celeste!” Rebecca watched in amazement as her would-be lover’s body language changed immediately. Gone were the puppy-dog eyes and the lingering stares, replaced by a confident stance and a sly, mischievous face. She looks so much like Emily right now.
“I’m gonna go out and check out the city today.” Her fingers twirled a lock of her hair. “Wanna come? I could use a tour guide, and you know so much about Berlin that…” She looked at Alice, then back at Rebecca. “Anyway, it would be fun. If you came. You know, with me. Not… anyway.”
“That sounds like fun! That would be great!” Rebecca also glanced at Alice, who nodded approvingly. “I just need to go back to the room for a minute to grab something. Wait here for me?”
“Of course! Unless you take too long. I might have to ask Alice for another girl.”
“Oooh, I see how it is!” Rebecca narrowed her eyes and laughed. “I’ll be just a sec, okay? Don’t talk to strangers until I get back!” She ducked into the hallway, ignoring her own room and venturing into the thankfully empty kitchen. As expected, Alice followed her.
“So,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “She’s already hypnotized. And brainwashed. Controlling her isn’t going to be much of a challenge, especially since you made her fall in love with me, so what’s the point? I drag her around Berlin and make sure she doesn’t get hit by a tram?”
“I’m looking for two things, Rebecca.” Alice was, as always, clutching a folder of paperwork. She opened it and fished out a photograph. “This lovely young lass works at a shop… here, see the map? It’s on Kleiststrasse... called die Erinnerungen.” She tapped the photo- of a tall blonde with shoulder-length hair- and handed it to Rebecca. “Remember when you asked me where my fourth horseman was? She’s it, dearie. I haven’t a single local girl working for me, and this one is quite the popular blogger. Sells photographs, that sort of thing. I want you to pay her a visit and get her into my club tonight. How’s that for a challenge? No drugs, no assists, hypnotized in public. Just like your friends at the bar, but in broad daylight. Up for it?”
I’m better than the others. I’m special. I can hypnotize anyone. “Challenge accepted.” She slipped the photo into a pocket. “What’s the second thing?”
“I want you to experiment with Celeste. Make her think things. Make her do things. I want you to control her mind, Rebecca. Really drive it like a horse and carriage, however you like. Don’t get her arrested or killed; it’s all I ask. But use her. When you do… and when you enjoy that power… you’ll be ready.”
The U-bahn ride was a bit rocky. The car rocked from side to side, causing Rebecca and Celeste to bump into each other over and over again. The brunette loved every moment of it, making sure to linger after each collision. “Where are we going again, Rebecca?”
“Um… Nollendorfplatz?” Rebecca pulled out Alice’s map. “Yeah, that’s the one. We get off there and turn left on Kleiststrasse.”
“You’re so good at this. I always get lost when I travel.” Another shake, another impromptu cuddle. Rebecca found herself becoming less and less annoyed with every bounce. The girl had her charms.
“Hey now.” She gave Celeste a reluctant push away. “Don’t let your lack of directions get in the way of a good time. You’ve got a big smart brain in there.” She reached over and tapped Celeste on the head. “What did Alice say about scholarships?” Was Celeste awake when Alice mentioned that?
They came to a stop at Mohrenstrasse, and the two men sitting nearby got up and left. This seemed to embolden Celeste even more. “Did Alice talk to you about me? Hee! I think she’s trying to set us up on a date! Not that… you know, I’d mind. You’re really pretty.”
Three stops to go. “I thought that you were into men, Celeste? Remember when we were talking about Euro-dick?”
“You mean EUUURRRRROOOOO-DIIIIICK?” Celeste laughed out loud, her voice echoing in the nearly-empty car. “Oh, God, yes. I just love getting laid, to be honest. But... “
Their heads were nearly touching, hair intermingling as they bounced their way towards Nollendorfplatz. Rebecca thought about pulling away, then decided against it. “But what?”
“So… last December, a guy I was seeing broke up with me. I was… oh my God, Rebecca, I was crushed! Cuh-rushed! I didn’t leave my dorm room for a week. No classes, no meals, literally nothing, not even TV. And then my friend Mara came by. She’s… she’s a little like you.”
“Is this the girl you slept with?”
“Yeah. I didn’t even mean for it to happen! I just… I’d been drinking… we’d both been drinking… I fell over and she helped me up.” She placed her hand on Rebecca’s leg. “I looked up at her… you know how you just kind of know? Right then, right there, I just… kinda knew. I kissed her. I couldn’t help myself. She was so sweet and kind.”
“And you just… couldn’t help yourself?” Rebecca was staring into those beautiful hazel eyes. Not as deep as Jessica’s, not as empty as Emily’s, but magical in their own way. Entrancing.
“Like I was hypnotized, Rebecca. Our lips… just… touched”
Her lips were full and soft. A hint of cinnamon, perhaps. Rebecca closed her eyes and let her lips and tongue enjoy themselves. The train jostled as it turned a broad corner, and she placed her arm across Celeste’s shoulders as they kissed.
”You’ll have an overwhelming urge to kiss me, Em. On the lips. Like a lover. You won’t be able to fight it. You’ll do it, and then you’ll forget all about it.”
“Can’t… fight it. Forget about it.
“Rebecca? Rebecca? Hey, is this our stop?”
Rebecca reluctantly opened her eyes. Nollendorfplatz. “Yeah, this is us.” She held out her hand, and the brunette eagerly took up her offer. “Let’s go find this girl.”
The streets were surprisingly quiet for this time of day, and Rebecca found herself enjoying the feeling of empty space. Even Celeste, normally glued to her new lover’s side, took the opportunity to spread out. They made their way down the block while keeping a sharp eye out for signs. Instead, Rebecca spotted a familiar face across the street, peering into a store window.
“Hey! Emily! Other Emily!” She held up her hands and waved. “EMILY!”
“Spare Rebecca! HEY!” The redhead bounded across the street, ignoring the traffic and the disapproving stares of passing pedestrians. She dove in for a quick hug and, after a moment’s pause, threw herself at Celeste as well. “How are you guys? How’s Berlin? How’s… I dunno, everything?”
“It’s good.” Other Emily’s enthusiasm was just as infectious as the original’s, and Rebecca found herself sucked into the fun of it all in spite of herself. “We.. oh! This is Celeste. Celeste, Emily. Emily, Celeste.” She stepped back as her two new friends shook hands.
“Oh my GOD. Do you have a best friend named Celeste, too? Celeste, did she tell you about her friend back home who’s also named Emily?”
“No, no…” Celeste was shaking her head and laughing. “Not that she’s told me, anyway!”
“WELL?” She settled back on her heels and crossed her arms expectantly.
“No!” Rebecca fired back. “Do you have a friend back home named Celeste?”
The redhead’s face crumpled slightly. “No, I don’t. But! That just means that we’re even more alike!” The crumpled face vanished like it had never existed. Like Other Emily was incapable of ever making such a face again. “Hey! Let’s do drinks tonight. We can go to that club that Alice owns. Club Trabant. See you there at nine?”
“Ten. It’s dead in there at nine.”
“Not when we’re there! Woo! Okay, I need coffee… um, see you at ten? See you at ten! See you too Celeste! Bring your friends!”
Then she was gone, a flash of red hair and pale skin, moving impossibly fast in her tall leather boots. Pedestrians wisely parted for her, a modern-day Moses.
Celeste watched in wonder. “She needs coffee?”
“Oh my God, I should totally text Rebecca right now.”
Emily was at the back of a surprisingly long line for coffee. Four tourists at the head of it, fluent in neither German nor anything resembling it, were the cause for the delay. Emily cradled her phone in her hand and pondered her options. International calls were way too much of a ripoff for a girl on a budget, but how much could a single text cost? More than a cup of coffee? More than a few rounds at Prater Beer Garden? Doubtful. And what the hell are the odds of finding her secret twin like this? She looked up. The line was just starting to move again. She shuffled forward a foot and tapped the text icon.
A man’s voice, rudely and uncomfortably close to her left ear. “It’s a lovely day for a roll in the hay.”
She slowly turned to face him, the phone and the message completely forgotten. “Yes, Master.” She offered her best sultry, seductive look. “I hear and obey.”
“Come with me, Emily.”
“Yes, Master.”
They ducked out of line just as the four women in front managed to finish their orders.
“Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” she said, her dull voice barely audible over the hum of the busy street below. “I can hear you.”
“You’re doing so well. I want you to focus your eyes on this little light. That’s it… just watch the little light.” He began to swing the penlight in slow, wide circles. “Just relax, and watch the light. Follow it with your tired, sleepy eyes. Round and around. That’s it. Very good.” The penlight’s motion flattened, and he spoke again. “Back and forth… follow it back and forth. Eyes so heavy, so very heavy. You’ll want to close them again, because they’re so heavy. Back and forth… let them close.”
The young woman’s eyes continued to track the penlight. She was blinking in slow motion, her eyelids slowly closing and opening in time with the light. “Back…” close “…and forth…” open.
“Back and forth…” his voice was just a whisper. “Sleep. Sleeeeeep.”
With a soft sigh, she let her eyes close and kept them closed.
The middle-aged man in the chair leaned back, feeling exhausted. Sessions like this, even short ones, were always so damn intense. And they’d barely managed to pry their newest subject’s hood open, to see how she worked inside.
An older man appeared, syringe in hand. He motioned towards the hypnotized girl. “Another dose and she should be fully open to us.”
“No, Arthur. No more drugs. I don’t want her to be zoned out when she gets back to Alice. Our two hours are almost up as it is.”
“We can’t send her back just yet. She’s not programmed. Another dose, Kyle, We can always program her with an excuse to explain away the missing time.”
“Like what?” The younger man stood. “She’s a hooker, not a tourist. Hookers don’t get sidetracked. Not Alice’s girls, anyway. Not this one.” He placed a hand on her limp, motionless arm. “Send her back. Have someone new go down to the club and reorder her. Try to get a local guy for the job this time, so it looks less suspicious.”
Arthur studied the young woman for a moment. She was pretty and young- in her twenties, young enough to be his daughter. Innocent and, for all she knew, in the middle of a fun and exciting vacation. But that was the nature of the business. You were a tool, or you were a person who used tools. That was it.
“Do you think she’ll do it, Kyle?” He knew the answer.
“Of course.” Kyle studied his beautiful subject. You’ll do anything I ask of you, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
He looked up in triumph. “See?”
“What is this, a thrift store?” Celeste raised an eyebrow. “We came all this way for some German castoffs?”
“You never know what we might find in there, and besides, Alice asked me to meet the girl who works here. And that reminds me. Celeste, listen and obey.”
Celeste’s eyes glazed over. “Yes, Rebecca.”
“Alice asked me to hypnotize this girl. You’re going to be completely okay with that.”
“Of course, Rebecca. I’m very deeply hypnotized. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Whooooooahh…. that’s hot. “Good, Celeste. Now when we go in, find something that interests you and take a look through it. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
“Okay, Rebecca.”
The door chimed softly as they entered. It was a bright, clean space, filled with waist-high tables piled with the regular assortment of vintage items. Celeste immediately gravitated to a dress rack in the center of the room. At the far end was a sales desk with no one behind it. Rebecca glanced at the clock on her phone. Alice had neglected to mention what hours the girl worked. To come all this way for nothing...
“Hallo!” The tall blonde walked out of a back room and smiled. She was thin, almost willowy, with a friendly face. Delicate. Extremely cute.
“Hi! Just looking around! How are you?” Rebecca moved closer, aiming for the twin rows of vintage vinyl records across from the sales counter.
“Oh… yes, hello! Red stickers are half off.”
Speaks English. That helps a ton. Rebecca made a show of browsing through the collection of records, pausing to lift out and hold up various LPs from German bands she’d never heard of. “Mittagspaus? Huh.”
The obvious browsing had the desired effect. “Can I help you to find anything?” Elke was standing next to the counter, her voice soft and vaguely musical. It had a nice sound to it, and Rebecca wondered if she was a singer in a band. Perhaps one of these records was hers?
“Oh! Um, maybe? I haven’t heard of many of these bands. Ah! This!” She held up a worn, well-used copy of Taken By Force. “My dad owns this. I should get him this.”
“It’s three Euros for each one,” said Elke. She watched as Rebecca brought her single purchase to the counter. To her right, Celeste was still happily rummaging through dresses.
Rebecca dropped the album on the counter with one hand and held her trusty crystal in the other. She didn’t bother to hold it up; it would look weird, and the plainly-dressed Elke didn’t look like much of a jewelry girl. Ways to skin a cat and all…
The blonde glanced at the album. “Ah, my father has this one too. Too busy and loud for me. I prefer music that is nice and relaxing. After a long day at work, you know?”
“Not me. I prefer music that keeps me focused,” said Rebecca. She gave the crystal just a slight twirl, enough to make it catch the overhead lights with a single flash. The blonde’s eyes widened just a bit, just enough. “I get distracted really easily, so I like music that helps me to focus on what I’m doing. What I’m looking at. What I’m hearing.”
“That’s interesting.”
Another flash. Elke’s eyes jumped again, followed by a blink this time. “So when I’m listening, I’m listening very carefully. When I’m watching, I’m watching very carefully. Every word. Every sight. Every flash. Flash. Blink.
Elke was leaning forward now, over the edge of the counter. It gave her a better view of the crystal in Rebecca’s hand. Flash. Flash.
Rebecca continued. “I get so focused that I start to block out everything else, everything but what I’m listening to, everything else, just the words and the light and nothing else, so focused, like a laser, like a robot, like a computer. Flash. Listening and not thinking, listening to my voice, only to my voice, focused entirely on my voice. Filling your mind, filling your thoughts. My voice.” Flash.
Elke opened her mouth to respond, but only got as far as “I…” before the words fell apart in her throat. Her mouth hung open, but nothing more emerged. Flash. Flash. She stopped blinking. Stopped moving.
“You’re so focused on my voice that you don’t even notice how light your hand is getting, lighter than air, floating like a balloon, floating towards your face. You don’t need to notice because you’re so focused on my voice, only my voice, and I can tell you all about your hand as it slowly floats towards your face. Slowly, focused, rising, focused.”
The blonde’s hand rose from the counter and hovered like a flying saucer, level with her chest.
“It takes a lot of energy to focus, Elke. A lot of energy to focus on my voice. Only my voice. Higher and lighter, closer and closer to your face. So much energy, it makes you so tired. So tired, Elke. Tired. When your hand touches your face it will feel so wonderful, you can finally relax, you’ve listened to everything and you can relax now, totally relaxed, lighter and higher, more and more tired. Relax. Lighter. Tired.”
Elke’s hand slowly turned in front of her face, until her delicate fingers pointed to her nose. She stared at it with empty, wide eyes. Her index finger brushed the edge of her nose and curled slightly.
Rebecca tapped the hand, and by extension, Elke’s face. “Sleep.”
Hand, head, and eyelids dropped as far as they could. She slumped forward, lost in trance, and Rebecca allowed herself a moment or more of gloating. She glanced over at the dress rack, and stifled a giggle. Celeste stood there, motionless, a floral print dress lying forgotten on the floor beneath her. Her eyes were closed. What am I going to do with you, girl? Can’t take you anywhere.
Abandoning the mesmerized Elke for a moment, she walked over to Celeste and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, wake up. Wake up.”
Celeste looked at her empty hands, then at the floor and the fallen dress, then back to Rebecca. “I think you hypnotized me,” she said, a sheepish look on her face. “I’m so easy to hypnotize. I like it though… oh! And you hypnotized Elke! That’s amazing!”
“Shh, you’ll wake her. Go watch the door.”
The brunette grinned and scrunched her head between her shoulder blades in excitement. “Okay okay!” She quickly scampered to the shop door and took up guard.
The shopgirl was still exactly where Rebecca had left her. “Elke? Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you focused on my voice?”
“Yes. So tired, though. Want to sleep.” She began to wobble slightly, no doubt wanting very much to curl up- on the floor, anywhere- and sleep.
“You can rest in a moment, Elke. Just as soon as you do something very important for me. As soon as you agree to that, I’m going to help you to fall into a deep, deep sleep. Would you like that?”
“Yes. So… ssssleep.”
“I want you to go to Club Trabant tonight. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes.” A slight frown creased her otherwise placid face. “I don’t… clubs are loud.”
“Yes, but this one is peaceful and relaxing. When you go inside you’ll realize how quiet and wonderful it is to be there. Just for a drink or two, then you can go back home and sleep. Won’t that be so nice?”
“Sleep. So tired. So nice. Just a drink…”
“Just one drink, Elke. Can you promise that for me?”
“Okay.” The response was flat, even for a girl deep in trance. Elke had a stronger will then her quick descent into trance had indicated. Rebecca frowned. Programming her was going to take a little longer than planned, and time wasn’t on her side. The moment that someone-
“Rebecca! Someone’s coming!” Celeste was waving furiously. “Rebecca!”
“Shit.” She reached up and snapped her fingers twice, right in front of the sleeping blonde’s face. “Wake. Wake.” Elke looked up just in time, as a young man brushed past a silently protesting Celeste and entered the store.
“Hallo meine Schöne!” He was tall and handsome, with a mop top of wavy blonde hair and a happy bounce in his stride. “Wie geht es Ihnen?” He covered the distance between the front door and the counter quickly, seemingly oblivious to Elke’s disoriented confusion. He gave Rebecca a quick wave and a cheerful smile. “Hallo!”
The blonde blinked heavily and steadied herself on the counter with both hands. “Rolf? Was…”
“You… you know, That record’s probably going to break if I put it in my luggage.” Rebecca backed away from the counter, and Rolf took her place. “Thanks anyway, though!”
“Wait! You can always mail…” Elke craned her neck, looking over Rolf’s head and hoping in vain that Rebecca would reconsider, but the two women were already on the way out the door.
“Was für ein seltsamer Tag,” she muttered, shaking her head.
They walked back to the U-bahn station in silence. Rebecca kept an eye out for Other Emily- the redhead’s boundless enthusiasm was sorely needed- but of course she was long gone. Perhaps she would be at the hostel… then again, so would Alice. So would they, without Elke.
“I fucked up again, Celeste,” she finally said as they reached Nollendorfplatz station. “It’s what I do best, isn’t it? Letting people down.”
“That’s not true. You hypnotized her. I saw it.” The brunette fed Euros into a ticket kiosk. “Well, most of it. Besides, you hypnotized me, and that worked out.”
“I guess the suggestion might hold. She might show up tonight. I just wish I had the time to deepen her trance. She was resisting me.”
“I don’t know why, Rebecca. You’re wonderful! Everyone should want to go into a trance for you. I’m so happy you hypnotized me.” The puppy dog eyes were back.
I want you to experiment with Celeste.
“Celeste, take off your sweater.” Rebecca crossed her arms and took a step back. “Do it now.”
“Mmmohkay.” She wiggled a bit as she pulled the heavy green sweater over her head, giving Rebecca a nice view of her upper body and its lovely curves. She brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face. “Boy, it’s chilly down here.”
“Throw it away. The sweater. Toss it in the trash.”
Celeste’s face got very pale at that moment. “But Rebecca, it’s chilly… this sweater cost like a hundred bucks. It’s made from—”
“Do it. Now. Obey. Celeste, you will obey.”
“I… I… yes. Yes Rebecca. I obey.”
She scanned the platform for a trash bin and, finding one, walked straight to it and dumped the sweater inside. She ignored the stares of curious onlookers and marched straight back to Rebecca. “I did it, Rebecca.” Her voice dropped in volume and emotion. “I must always obey.”
The weather wasn’t freezing, but it wasn’t a balmy summer day either, and Rebecca felt more than a bit of guilt as the brunette’s nipples hardened beneath her t-shirt and goosebumps formed on her bare arms. “The train will be here any second. I’ll buy you a new sweater, I promise.”
“Yes. Rebecca.”
When they found her, Alice was buried behind a tall stack of freshly-laundered towels. “Mmmmph, mmearies… mmmur mmack mmah! Hang on, I can barely breathe! Let me set these down… there, Jesus! Imagine suffocating yourself with clean laundry!” She gave them a quick once-over. “You’re back so soon?”
“I kind of blew it, Alice.” Rebecca looked at the floor. “Her boyfriend showed up halfway through. I planted a suggestion, but not a trigger. She might come to the club tonight, but maybe not. She doesn’t like clubs.”
“Oh, heavens, Rebecca! Are you always this way? I don’t expect you to be perfect all the time! I save that for myself, mostly.” She eyed the brunette “Celeste! You’ll catch your death of cold like that! Where’s the sweater you had on? Never mind, here…” She grabbed a towel from the stack. “Use this. Fresh from the dryer.”
“Thank you, Alice.” Celeste wrapped the towel around her like a shawl. “You’re so sweet.”
“Of course! Now, remember the spiral.”
Her hands went to her sides, and the towel dropped to the floor. Rebecca picked it up and gingerly placed it back on her shoulders.
Alice stared into the helpless girl’s eyes. “You had a lovely day out in the city with Rebecca today. That is all that you will remember.”
“I understand.”
“Good.” Snap. “Now if you two don’t mind, I’ve got towels to deliver, and bills to pay. Cheers!” With a slight groan, she hefted the stack of towels and made her way upstairs.
“I had a lovely day out in the city with you, Rebecca.” Celeste grabbed the ends of the towel and drew it tight across her body. “It’s cold in here! I should have brought my sweater with me today. Hey, do you want to get some food?”
Like Alice, Rebecca found herself staring into those beautiful hazel eyes. Earnest, innocent, happy. Beautiful. “I want to kiss you,” she said.
Heat flashed behind those pretty eyes, and the brunette pressed her body against Rebecca’s. Her skin was cold, almost alarmingly so, and Rebecca’s guilt ate at her again. Then the brunette’s soft lips- they were still nice and warm- touched hers, and the guilt melted away. Rebecca melted away. There was just the kiss, and the smell of Celeste’s perfume, and the burning, insatiable fire between her legs. Her clothes suddenly felt incredibly heavy and inconvenient.
More kisses, soft and gentle. A chilly hand ran down Rebecca’s cheek, cupping her chin, pulling her in deeper. “I guess that’s a no on dinner, then?”
Rebecca responded by shoving them both against the nearest wall, pinning Celeste with her body, leaving passionate kisses in every place she could think to leave them. “Let’s go to our room,” she whispered.
“I obey, Rebecca.”
The woman was motionless. They always were, when they sat in the chair, but this was different. The usual drugged, lazy slouching was replaced by perfect posture and rapt attention. Colors washed over her pretty face.
The picture on the screen changed again, this time to a photo of a pale hand, lying in a pool of fresh blood. A man’s voice, cold and clinical, crackled through her headset. “Kill.”
She opened her mouth. “Kill.”
A new picture, this time of a woman on her knees, head lowered to the floor.. “Obey.”
“Obey.”
A man with a knife sticking out of his chest, his face frozen in horror. “Kill.”
Her dull, glazed eyes took it all in without complaint. “Kill.”
A proud, serious-looking soldier, saluting in front of a large American flag. “Obey.”
“Obey.”
The screen went dark, but the voice continued. “Obey.”
“Obey.”
“Stand up, dearie,” said Alice as she gently helped the woman to her feet. “Your legs are very strong, and you’re perfectly capable of standing up on your own.”
“Yes.” In an instant, she was standing as straight and as perfect as the saluting soldier on the screen. “I obey.”
“Very good! I’m quite proud of you! Now, what will you do when I give you an order?”
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen in front of her. “I will obey.”
“Good.” Alice circled her prey with her arms crossed, idly tapping the backs of her forearms with her fingertips. “And what will you do if I tell you to kill someone?”
“I will obey.”
Alice finished her circle where she began, standing by the woman’s side. “Let’s have a lovely little conversation, then.”