The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Ugghhh... fucckk... damn. Feels like... I was out for hours...”

Opening her eyes, Tina groaned, shaking her head to clear it. “Ohh, man... what happened?” she asked, glancing around. She felt surprised that she wasn’t buried under a mountain of sand. Instead, she’d apparently landed in a wide open space. Wherever she was, it was practically pitch black, unable to see her hand in front of her face. Tina wasn’t afraid of the dark or anything, but not being able to see her surroundings was more than a little bit concerning. “Jan?” she called out, anxiety starting to rise. “Janika? C’mon, babe. Tell me you’re here with me, please?”

A sudden blast of light caused her to cry out. “Hey, relax, I’m here,” Jan’s voice calmed her, as her vision cleared, spying her lover standing nearby, holding up a hand glowing with her power. “Are you okay? Not hurt are you?”

“Nah. I’m okay,” Tina replied, nodding. “You?”

“Surprisingly, I’m okay, too,” she said, glancing around. “Is this... real?” she asked, raising her hand, increasing the glow of her power. “I mean, we were just up on the beach earlier, right? How did we end up in a big cave underground?”

“Huh. I didn’t even know Florida HAD underground caves,” Tina mused aloud, glancing around at the large open space surrounding them. A number of stalactites and stalagmites littered the area, all multicolored with a rainbow of colors from various mineral deposits in the soul. “Besides, this place seems pretty deep underground. If we fell all the way down here, how are we not hurt? Heck, we’re lucky not to have ended up shiskabobbed by one of those sharp stones.”

“I think perhaps our captor had something to do with that,” Jan replied, thinking. “If this cave isn’t some natural anomaly, then our new ‘friend’ probably created it... some kind of holding cell for us. And, if it IS a naturally formed cave... she sent us down here instead of just burying us alive like she did poor Eric.”

Tina shrugged. “Well, she DID say that she had a level of respect for us,” she pointed, “to a pair of ‘elementals’ like herself. So, elementals, huh? I suppose I’m a water elemental, and you’re a light elemental?” She chuckled softly. “And here I thought Gwen was the only mythical creature in the group.”

Jan sighed deeply. “Yeah. Speaking of Gwen... do you think she’s okay? We’ve been gone for quite a while now, I’d imagine. We were unconscious for quite a bit after we fell. She’s bound to have noticed that we left. Think maybe she’s looking for us?”

“Probably,” Tina replied with a sigh of her own. “Dammit... I knew we should have left a note or something.” Glancing around, she noticed a number of openings leading off into the distance. “Well, sitting around down here won’t get us anywhere. We need to make our way back out of here. Um... any idea which way to go?”

“Huh? You’re asking me?”

Tina smirked. “Well, you were a Girl Scout as a kid, right? C’mon... bust out that wilderness survival training!”

Jan smirked back. “We’re in a CAVE, not the wilderness,” she replied. “But... well, I do have an idea,” she said, glancing around, frowning slightly, before spotting what appeared to me a small piece of dried seaweed in the small corner. “Huh... let’s see if this works,” she murmured, picking the seaweed and pointing a finger idly at it. A small spark of her power blasted the weed, catching on fire. Holding it by the edge, she blew lightly, causing it to smoke... then smiled, laughing idly as the smoke drifted idly towards the right. “Got it! We go right!” she stated, pointing towards the cave on the right side.

“You sure?” Tina asked.

“As sure as I can be,” Jan shrugged. “The moving air guiding the smoke says there’s an opening that way to leads outside, so if we’re looking for a way out, that’s our best shot.”

Tina nodded. “Sounds good to me. Okay, let’s go then. I’m not sure how long we were out, but it’s gotta be either late in the night or early morning by now. And Little Miss Sand Witch was planning on wiping out everyone here at the beach at noon. We need to get out of here sooner rather than later.” Nodding in agreement, Jan lead her friend on through the darkened caverns into what she hoped would be the way out.

Adam let out a growl as the door to his room opened, and Tiffany walked in. Angry, frustrated, he pulled furiously at the chains binding his wrists, all in vain. She merely laughed, walking over to sit on the side of his bed. “Well, now, is that the way you greet an old friend?” she taunted him.

“Most old friends don’t zap you with a stun gun, then chain you up to a bed!” he grumbled in response. Nonplussed, Tiffany just shrugged. “Where is Gwen?” he asked, scowling. “What did you do to here? Where are you holding her?”

“My, my, my,” Tiffany replied with a definite scowl. “You certainly are really concerned with your little friend, aren’t you?”

“Of course I’m concerned!” Adam retorted. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m just amazed you have the capacity,” she replied back with a sneer. “I mean, maybe if you’d showed that much concern for ME we’d still be together—”

“Oh come off it!” Adam shot back, pulling at his bonds again. “You know damn well how I felt... how I STILL feel about you! You’re the one that broke up with me. And it’s not because I didn’t care about you!” He sighed, glancing away. “If anything, I cared too much... and ended up screwing up your brain in the process...”

Tiffany’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing wrong with my brain, Adam. I’m perfectly fine. Hell, I’m better than I used to be, thanks to you.” She harrumphed, tossing her hair idly. “Anyway... we’re not talking about us. You asked about your precious little Gwen,” she replied, smirking smugly again. “Well, you can rest assured. She is safe and sound. She’s just recovering at the moment. She had a rather... intense night last night after all!”

Adam’s expression fell. “What did you do to her, Tiff? Tell me!”

Her grin turned wicked. “Ah, yes, there’s that concern again. Well, if you must know, I used your handy little device on her.” She laughed aloud at his expression. “Yes, I did. But don’t worry. She’s still more or less the same girl as before. I decided not to turn her into a brain-dead bimbo like the others. No... dear little Gwenny is so very special... I couldn’t bring myself to dumb her down when she could be so useful to me.”

“Huh... useful?” Adam blinked in confusion. He was happy that Gwen hadn’t been lobotomized by his machine. But, he was confused. Tiffany’s jealousy was showing through clearly, and she definitely resented the dark-haired woman. So... why had she spared her? “Just what do you mean by her being useful to you?”

Tiffany actually stared at him for a moment, before laughing again. “Ahahahahah! I see. I get it! You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what? Dammit, Tiffany stop screwing around! What is this all about?”

“Your dear little friend Gwen is definitely one of a kind,” she replied with a sneer. “After making her into my obedient and adoring little slave, she told me all about herself! For one thing, she’s from River City,” she said idly. “You know, that big metropolis with all those superheroes? Turns out she is one of them.”

“Gwen’s a Super?!?” Adam asked, stunned. Damn... well, thinking back, she did say that she thought she and her friends could help me stop Tiff’s plan. I guess she wasn’t just talking out of her ass after all.

“Oh, she’s MORE than just a Super,” Tiffany stated, grinning. “She’s a vampire.”

Adam blinked. “Um. Did you say... a vampire?” he asked slowly.

“Oh? She never told you?” Tiffany taunted him. “Guess your new ‘bestie’ didn’t trust you that much after all. But yes,” Tiffany replied. “She is a vampire. A Daywalker. And no, I’m not crazy, nor am I pulling your leg. She’s an honest-to-goodness, bloodsucking, jagged-fanged, red-eyed, vampire. Ah, but I guess you were already unconscious earlier when she showed her true nature, so I guess you missed out.” She sighed, crossing her legs. “I questioned her quite extensively about her powers and limitations and found out just what she is capable of. So yes... I kept her just as she is... well, besides enslaving her will, and making her eternally loyal to me, that is.” She laughed again, amused by her own self.

Adam said nothing. This was indeed the worst possible outcome. He’d hoped that Gwen might have helped him find a way for him to stop Tiffany, to thwart her crazy scheme before she ruined more lives. Instead, she’d managed to convert Gwen into one of her followers, giving her even more help and ammunition to carry out her plot. Once again, he was all alone. Once again, the only one he had to count on was himself. And... there was only one option left to him.

“Tiffany, please,” he tried, pleading. “You have to listen to me.” She frowned, narrowing her eyes again. “This plan of yours... it’s crazy. You can’t do this!”

“I can’t?” she said, scowling back at him. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I can do this. I have everything I need, and more. Everything is planned out to a T. There’s no way I can fail!”

Adam shook his head. “No! I mean you shouldn’t do this! C’mon... think about this! You’re talking about attacking a bunch of people that had nothing to do with any of this. These people... they weren’t the ones that ridiculed you three years ago. These people are innocent—”

“INNOCENT!” Tiffany snapped, incensed. Adam winced, quailing inwardly. He’d apparently pushed a bit too hard and triggered her with the use of that particular word. “Innocents?” she repeated, hands clenched into fists. “I was innocent,” she declared, standing up, pacing back and forth as she spoke. “I did nothing wrong, did nothing to hurt anyone. And yet I was treated like a pariah, a leper! So yes, as far as I am concerned there ARE no innocents.”

“B... but...” Adam sputtered, struggling to reach her. “Even then, these people aren’t the ones that hurt you! They aren’t the ones you should be going after!”

Tiffany finally smiled. “I see. So that’s your argument, then? Tell me this... are you absolutely positive that none of the people staying here today are the ones that were here three years ago?” Adam blinked. “You can’t make that claim, can you? For all you know, this hotel might just be a yearly vacation spot for some of those families.”

“Okay... fine, so some of that crowd MIGHT be from that same group three years back,” Adam conceded. “But what about the rest? Would you honestly cut down a hundred people just for the chance of POSSIBLY punishing one?”

“In a heartbeat,” Tiffany responded without hesitation. “A dozen people? A hundred? A thousand? It doesn’t matter to me,” she stated soundly. “The guilty ones MUST pay. I will NOT allow them to escape their just punishment! As for the rest... I consider them casualties of war. A necessity sacrifice.”

“But... you can’t!” he protested. “Tiffany, please! This isn’t you! You... you have to listen to me. Please, let me help you! If you just let me use the helmet again, I can fix this. I can—mmmmpphh!”

“That’s enough of that,” Tiffany cut him off, literally, wrapping a cloth gag over his mouth, tying it tight. “Sorry, Adam. I might HAVE to listen to you,” she said with a smirk, “but I don’t have to let you talk. And... I don’t have to do what you tell me.” Nodding once, she turned and walked away, leaving him alone once more.

Adam hung his head. Oh man. It’s... worse than I thought, he realized sadly. The way she’s talking... her complete lack of empathy or concern for anyone or anything besides her revenge? She’s lost it. She’s completely insane. There’s nothing I can do to reach her. There’s no hope left now. None. Then, considering, he lifted his head slightly. Wait. There’s still one hope. Gwen’s friends. She said that she left them a text telling her where she’d gone. We’ve been gone all night long—they have to be looking for her. I just have to hope one of them tracks us down... before its too late...

“Huuuhhh... hey... Tina? Can we... take a break?” Janika said, panting slightly. Her friend glanced back at her concerned.

“Janika-babe? You okay?” she asked.

“Y-yeah,” she answered, sliding down to her knees. “Sorry. Holding my power up like a lantern as we walk... takes a bit of a toll,” she said, finally releasing her light, sending them back into darkness again. “Sorry. I’m not used to holding it that long. Usually, I just charge it for a few seconds, then let loose with a blast.” She chuckled weakly. “Guess I need to practice a bit more and build up my endurance, huh?”

“Nah. Don’t worry about it, love,” Tina answered, reaching out and pulling her into a comforting hug. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about how draining this all must be for you. Besides, it’s been hours, and we haven’t had anything to eat or drink for just as long.”

Jan managed a smile, though her lover was unable to see it in the darkness. “Thanks. I’ll manage though. Missing a meal or two certainly won’t kill me. I could stand to lose a few pounds, anyway,” she joked. “Just give me a few minutes to recharge, and we’ll continue.”

“Sounds good, babe,” Tina replied, squeezing her gently. “And, for the record, your body is perfectly fine as is. I happen to LIKE your curves,” she added, goosing her lightly, getting a squeak and giggle from her. “As for us getting out of here,” she said, frowning slightly, tapping into her own powers, “I think we’re pretty close. I can sense the ocean nearby. If you like, I can take over guiding us now. It’s one less thing for you to have to focus on.”

“Heh. No arguments here, Tina. We’re partners, after all,” she said, getting back to her feet, reigniting her powers, causing the glow to return to her hand once more. The darkness receded, illuminating the cavern once again. Three exits loomed before them, two heading to the left, one up and one down, with the remaining cave leading to the right. “Okay, hon, which way?”

Closing her eyes briefly, Tina turned and pointed to the right. “That way. I’m sure of it. There’s even a bit of water condensation dripping from the ceiling as well.”

“Good enough for me,” Jan nodded. “Okay, babe, let’s go!”

“How is it going, Gwen?” Tiffany asked, walking through the door.

I glanced up, a smile immediately coming to my face. “M-Mistress!” I greeted her, blushing lightly. “Ah, um, things are going well. I’m nearly done getting everything set up. I already mixed together your serum with the various flavors of syrup as you detailed it. And the ice crusher is about fifty percent done.” I considered. “I think maybe another half hour and we’ll be ready to go.”

“Ah, good, very good,” Mistress replied, nodding. “That’s a lot faster than I expected. But... where is Debbie? She should be here helping you.”

I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes. “Yes, Mistress. Should being the operative word.” At her look, however, I clarified. “Sorry. Um... she’s currently in the back room... er, well... flicking the ol’ bean.”

“Flicking... what?” she asked, frowning.

“Yanno, ‘jilling it’?” I continued, before sighing again. “She’s masturbating, Mistress. In the back.” I shrugged. “Well, you turned her into a horny bimbo slut,” I pointed out. “Earlier, when we first got her, she managed to attract a good-looking teenaged boy walking by, and they went in the back to fuck while I set up the inventory. She took another guy back an hour later, but when no one else came by, she went into the back about ten minutes ago to take care of things herself.”

“Wonderful,” Tiffany muttered, shaking her head. “Well, I suppose I have only myself to blame for that.” She glanced at me, however, and her smile returned. “But it only reassures me that my decision to keep you as you were was the correct one. You, my dear Gwen, are indeed a treasure.”

My blush deepened, and I actually preened a little. “T-thank you, Mistress,” I said shyly, glancing away. “I’m... not worthy of such praise. I am... just doing what you told me to, after all.”

She chuckled. “You have a point. You ARE simply obeying my instructions. Still, you’re doing a lot better at it than Debbie. It is nice to actually be able to count on someone.” She sighed deeply. “Adam is completely worthless, and Debbie is a single-minded, simple-minded slut...”

I blinked. “Um, Mistress...” I began hesitantly. “About Adam...”

She smirked back at me. “Still worried about your little friend, hmm? Well, don’t be. He’s fine, just back in his room sulking. Since he refused to cooperate, I have him shackled to the bed in ‘time out’. But I’ll bring him down to witness the fruits of our labors... to see that he was completely powerless to stop me from—”

“Aaaaalll dooonnnnneeee!” Debbie sang out as she reappeared from the back room, straightening her clothes as she walked. “Teeheehee. That really, like, cleared my head, and junk! I’m, like totes ready to work, like, now!” Her smile faded, turning to a look of shock as she spied Mistress Tiffany standing there, tapping her sandal-covered foot impatiently. “Aaaahhh! M-Mistress Tiffany?” she stammered. “I, uh, I didn’t, like, know you were here yet!”

“Obviously,” the stunning blonde replied, scowling. “Let me spell it out for you then: NO MORE SEX for you until AFTER this project is done. Understand?” Swallowing, she nodded, staring down at her feet. “Good,” the Mistress stated firmly, then softened. “Besides, once everything is done, you’ll have more than enough dumb bimbos and himbos for you to choose from... more than enough to satisfy your cravings.” At that, Debbie glanced back up, grinning once again.

“Um, Mistress,” I asked, frowning slightly, “does this mean everything else is ready on your end for the broadcast?”

She nodded. “Yes. I’m set up to broadcast my message at the conclusion of the contest, which should be long enough for everyone to have finished their free shaved ice. Misty will be in charge of the actual contest, but I’ll be monitoring everything from my remote location back at the hotel. I just need to go and make sure all of the equipment is up and running before heading back.”

I nodded at that. “Great! As I said, we’re just about done here. All that is left is for the ice to finish getting cut up. And... oh, that reminds me! I need to get going now!”

Tiffany blinked. “Wait... get going? Where?”

“Back up to my hotel room,” I said, stripping off my apron. “I need to go and change into MY bikini for the contest.”

Debbie laughed. “Ahh... you’re, like, actually excited about being in this contest too after all? I thought you said it was all ‘stupid’ and junk?”

“S-shut up!” I grunted, blushing heatedly. “It’s not like that at all! I don’t care about some stupid beauty pageant,” I murmured, glancing away. “But... Mistress commanded that I need to act normally during this time. And I signed up for the contest with my friends, Jan and Tina. If I suddenly back out and flake on them, especially after being gone for so long, they’ll get suspicious and start asking questions.” I shook my head. “I’m already going to have to explain to them why I didn’t come back to the room last night as it is.”

“Oh, and what do you plan to tell them?” Mistress asked, curious.

“The truth,” I replied with a nod. “That I hooked up with a new friend and spent the night in their hotel room.” That much was true enough. Of course, Mistress Tiffany was a bit more than just a friend, now. Still, I didn’t want to lie to my friends. I felt bad enough for ditching them all day, as it was. They were probably worried sick about me. Still... I couldn’t let that bother me. Right now, I had a duty to perform. Mistress’ plan was set to go down in about half an hour. And I needed to be ready to play my part.

Leaving the shaved ice shack, I wondered idly at what I was doing. This definitely wasn’t like me. The old Gwen would never have consented to be a part of this. Bikini contest? Drugging and brainwashing innocent people? And serving and obeying an, admittedly hot, but definitely deranged, woman? Yeah... the old Gwen would have just raged and gone berserk, beating the bad guys to a pulp.

But... that was the old me. The NEW Gwen was a different person altogether. Smiling softly, I whistled a tune as I made my way back up to the hotel. Just another thirty minutes, and the plan would go off. Yes, that was all that mattered. Mistress’ plan. And I needed to be ready to play my part. I nodded to myself. Everything was just as it should be...

“Okay! Finally made it!” Tina said, panting heavily as she and Jan crawled their way back up onto the shore. The tunnel had indeed led them back outside, though the trip had been anything but easy. Coming out at the mouth of a bolt hole leading out into the ocean, they’d been forced to slip underwater and swim through. Luckily, Tina’s control over the water had enabled her to secure her partner and herself into an airtight bubble, providing them with breathable air for the duration of the swim. Nevertheless, they were both more than a little winded from overusing their powers by the time they made it back to land.

“Oh... man...” Jan moaned softly, lying flat on her back as she rested. “I never want to do THAT again. We can officially take cave spelunking off my list of activities in the future.” She let out a weary sigh. “I can’t believe people actually do that kind of thing for fun!”

Tina chuckled weakly. “I think it’s generally more fun when you have the proper gear, and you’re not rushing against time trying to escape.” She blinked, then groaned. “Ah, shit... speaking of which... look up at the sky! The sun’s just about directly overhead... meaning it’s almost noon!”

“Noon? You’re kidding me!” Jan asked, sitting up. “We were lost down there that long?” A loud grumbling noise sounded, and she blushed deeply. “Huh. Well, that does explain why I’m feeling so hungry,” she grumbled, rising to her feet. “Well... hungry and tired or not, there’s no time to lose. It looks like we came out way on the far side of the beach... maybe half a mile from where that Sand Witch dumped us...”

“Ahhh! Don’t say ‘sandwich’!” Tina complained, getting to her feet as well. “I’m just as hungry as you are, you know!”

Jan managed a chuckle. “Sorry. But we can eat after we stop her from wiping out everyone. Assuming she doesn’t wipe us out as well,” she murmured under her breath. Tina merely nodded, thinking much the same thing. They were hardly at their best right now, about to face off against someone with very strong powers of their own.

Still... this is what we do, Tina thought to herself, resolutely. It ain’t always easy. And it’s not always rewarding. But we got these powers for a reason... and we chose to use them to help people. No way I’m gonna stand around and let some sand demon with a bad attitude wipe out a bunch of innocent people. She grinned at her partner. And no way Jan’s gonna stand by for that either. Damn... I am so glad I met her back in Midas all those months ago. I couldn’t imagine doing this without her at my side. Her smile faded slightly. The only thing better would be if Gwen was here with us. And if she brought a basket of food with her...

Pushing aside thoughts of hunger, the two heroines headed off, making their way back towards the hotel and all of the innocent people oblivious to the danger rapidly approaching them...

“Thank you, Miss Angelica,” the announcer, Misty, said aloud, speaking into her microphone. Standing atop the main stage of the contest, she gestured to the scantily clad contestant as she walked across the stage to join the others. “Let’s give her a round of applause,” Misty said, nodding as the assembled mass of onlookers clapped politely. “Now, then, let’s welcome our next contestant, number eighteen, Gwen!”

Taking a deep steadying breath, I lightly slapped my cheeks, gearing myself up for this. Talk about stepping outside of my comfort zone! But... I was committed. Raising my head, forcing a smile... or at least a smirk, I made my way up onto the stage. The crowd’s random talking died out instantly as I took center stage, everyone stopping to stare at me. If I were somewhat self-conscious about that sort of thing, I might have felt a bit uncomfortable.

Well, a bit MORE uncomfortable, I should say.

Strolling across the stage, my hips swaying as I purposely walked on the balls of my bare feet, placing one in front of another in that way we women developed to deliver the maximum amount of shimmy. I’d been told many times that I had that whole ‘goth chick’ look down, and so I’d decided to go with it. My black hair was tamed and actually combed through and styled, I’d painted my toenails and fingernails a deep shining jet black, and even donned matching lipstick. With my milky white skin, I must have cut a very striking figure in my tight, barely there, two-piece, black string bikini.

Sensing the audience’s confusion, Misty grabbed the mic again. “Ah yes, Miss Gwen... it says here that you come from River City, Oregon,” she said, reading my profile. “I must admit, you’re not quite like the other contestants,” she quipped. I barely managed to repress the urge to laugh aloud. You don’t know the half of it, babe, I thought to myself. Still, she’d opened the door, and I intended to walk right through it.

“Whatever,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “What?” I asked, one hand on my hip. “You think the only kind of girl that can be a hot bikini babe HAS to be some bleached-blonde, caramel-skinned, big-boobed caricature? Well, if that’s what you think, think again!” Still smirking, I twirled around, dancing lightly on my toes. “I’m not a nerd or a bookworm, but I do prefer staying inside and watching TV or reading rather than baking myself outside in the harsh sun. There’s a reason they make sunscreen, you know.”

A few members of the audience chuckled. I had apparently struck a nerve. “But don’t think that just because I try and stay indoors whenever possible that I’m some kind of couch potato,” I continued, spreading my legs slightly, and striking a bodybuilder pose. I grinned wickedly, flexing my arms, showing off my biceps and triceps, thrusting my waist slightly, and showing off my six-pack abs, to the approval of the crowd. “I work out, and take care of my body. And I try and stay active,” I added, flexing my toes lightly as I leaped upwards, flipping over in midair to land upside down on my hands. A bunch of people oohed and ahhed as I showed off my upper body strength, doing a few upside-down push-ups on my hands, before flipping back to land on my feet once more, to loud clapping and applause.

“So, yeah,” I said, flipping my hair with a smirk. “I have curves. I have boobs. But that’s not ALL that I have. I have a brain in my head as well. Beauty AND brains. No one ever said it had to be one or the other.” With that, I stepped back into my normal pose, as the crowd continued to cheer and applaud. All in all, I felt kind of good. I’d pretty much voiced my feelings on the matter, but in a way, I’d also expressed Mistress Tiffany’s opinions as well. She’d been pretty much the same—a smart and intelligent woman with a beautiful body. Three years ago, she’d presented herself on this same stage, a testament to breaking the stereotype of the typical blonde tanned beach bimbo. But instead of being celebrated, she’d ended up ridiculed and degraded.

Of course, I had the added benefit of having confidence in myself. Even if this audience disregarded my words and laughed me off the stage, in the end, I was secure in who and what I was. I was fine with myself. And anyone who disagreed was welcome to go fuck themselves.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Gwen has certainly given us all something to think about, eh?” Misty replied, taking back over the spectacle once more. “Thank you, Miss Gwen,” she said as a way of dismissal. “Let’s all give her another round of applause.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I replied aloud, rolling my eyes again as I sashayed off to the side to join the other contestants. Admittedly, I was getting the stink eye from most of them. I guess my words had struck a nerve or two, and my little show of impromptu acrobatics and agility had had an effect on the audience. Again, I couldn’t have cared less. This whole contest was a sham, anyway. And I had more important things on my mind.

“Well, I guess that brings this contest to a close,” Misty stated, getting everyone’s attention. “There were actually two more contestants on the roster, but they never showed up. Apparently, the competition was a bit too strenuous, and they decided to drop out. So, please cast your votes for these eighteen contestants. And the voting will be tallied shortly.”

I sighed inwardly at that. The two remaining contestants were undoubtedly Tina and Janika. I felt bad that they’d missed their shot at this contest. I personally had no interest, but both of them had sounded excited to take part. I knew the only reason they would have missed competing was that they were probably out there still searching for me. Arriving back at my hotel room, I found that they, too, had not returned from the day before. The bed hadn’t been slept in, and none of their stuff had been moved, Worse, they hadn’t responded to the text I’d sent them the day before or the ones after. Once this contest was over, I resolved to go and search the entire area for them until I finally found them.

“Okay? Okay! Looks like the votes have been counted,” Misty spoke up a few minutes later. She bent forward slightly to confer with the three officials, who nodded in confirmation, handing her a piece of paper. “Well! Once again, I’d like to thank Brain Freeze Shaved Ice for sponsoring the event this year,” she said, nodding to Debbie over at her booth. “And in this heat, I’m sure we ALL appreciate the free samples provided for the audience and contestants alike,” she said with a chuckle. “Now then, on to the results,” she continued, reading from the paper. “From our group of eighteen, our judges have narrowed the list to five finalists. After their names are announced, I’ll call them forward for one more show, before allowing you, the audience to pick and choose the top three. All right then... these are our top five!”

Ah, bloody hell. So it wasn’t over yet? I guess maybe I should have watched a contest or beauty pageant sometime in the past to learn how these things worked. Not that it mattered too much. It was almost over. I just hoped it all went quickly. I wasn’t in any REAL danger from all this sun, but it was definitely starting to take its toll. I REALLY wanted to get back inside soon.

“Contestant number four, Miss Margaret,” Misty announced, calling forth a svelte, caramel-skinned black girl with dark brown hair. I nodded at that. She was quite a looker; no small wonder that she was chosen. “Contestant number seven, Miss Alex.” A lovely stereotypical blonde beauty stepped forward, with an olive complexion, nicely tanned but not golden bronzed. Again, a nice choice. “Contestant number twelve, Miss Casey.” Ah, interesting. This one was a redhead, again, a beauty with sizable, er, assets, and hot curves, though a bit on the short side.

I felt a slight bit of melancholy seeing the first three chosen in the top five. A blonde, a redhead, and a black girl. It reminded me of my friends back in River City, the ones responsible for us taking this trip in the first place. I smiled slightly at that. If Katie, Sioban, and Tawnya had come down instead of us, they would have definitely been the ones chosen. And, not that I am shallow or vain or anything, but I do honestly think that for the most part, the women from my hometown put all of these contestants to shame.

“Contestant number fifteen, Miss Mariah.”

I glanced over idly, sighing. Another blonde, this one sporting the deep golden tan of a ritualistic sunbather. Well, I supposed it had to happen. Now, understand, I had nothing personally against people who tanned or anything. Hell, I had no problem with people in general... until they did or said something that irritated me. For instance, my problem with Debbs had nothing to do with being an obvious bimbo. What annoyed me was her reaction to my questions when I first went to sign up for this stupid contest.

That... and the fact that she smacked me in the back of the head with a fucking baseball bat in Adam’s room the other day.

“And lastly... Contestant number eighteen, Miss Gwen!”

Good. Now, this whole finals part could be over and done with, and I could—

Wait. What? WHAT!?!

“Yes, Gwen, come on up here!” Misty called, gesturing to me, as I stood, stunned, slowly making my way back up on stage again. I was half concerned I’d misheard, but the clapping from the crowd dispelled that notion. So... huh. I guess... I was a finalist? I kind of stood there, a slight frown on my face as Misty spoke, explaining the final voting process to the crowd. I only half listened, already surprised by this, but still unconcerned. It was just a formality. No way I was getting picked. True, the five were a pretty diverse group, with two blondes, a redhead, a brunette, and me with my raven black hair. Still, out of all of us, no way would the pasty white goth chick be voted the ultimate bikini beach babe!

“All right! It looks as if the judges have made their decisions,” Misty stated several minutes later. Reading from her paper, she paused, then knelt down to talk to the head judge again, then shrugged. “All right. Here we go! In third place, we have Miss Alex!” Smiling but obviously disappointed, the blonde stepped forward, accepting her small bronze-colored trophy. “In second place... we have Miss Mariah.”

Huh. That was a bit of a surprise. The typical beach stereotype got second place? Then who had they picked as the winner—

“And the winner of the Thirty-seventh Miami Beach bikini contest is... Miss Gwen!” Misty shouted, to a loud raucous round of cheering from the crowd. My jaw dropped. Seriously. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I just kind of nodded, accepting the huge gold-plated trophy and sash, managing a wave to the audience. All in all, I think my stunned reaction kind of played to my whole ‘devil may care’ attitude about the whole thing. But really, my mind was reeling.

I mean... okay... fine, if you pin me down to it, despite saying again and again that I didn’t care at all about this stupid overblown popularity contest, a part of me—a VERY VERY small part of me, mind—felt kind of good at being accepted. Desired. Validated. Yes, I was confident in myself and how I looked, and who I was. I wouldn’t have cared if I hadn’t been chosen. But to not just be picked as a finalist but to WIN... to be picked as the best and most desirable... it felt good. A definite boost to the old ego.

As the crowd’s excitement finally started to die down, Misty stepped forward again. “I’d like to thank you all for coming out for this event,” she said, as the various viewscreens and monitors stirred to life. “Before closing, however, I’d like to present you all with a few words from our sponsor, the CEO, and owner of Brain Freeze: Miss Tiffany Coleman.”

Glancing at the screens, however, the display instead showed a blast of colors, flashing, shifting, and swirling in a seemingly random pattern. A colorful display that I remembered only too well. The crowd went completely silent, everyone staring at the colorful display. After a moment, however, the colors faded, but continued to pulse, becoming background as a familiar face took shape, finally coming into view. Tiffany’s smiling face appeared on each monitor, naturally drawing the eye of everyone watching, despite the flickering colorful display playing in the background.

“Ah, perfect, just perfect,” her voice sounded, coming from the numerous speakers. “Now, my lovelies, give me your undivided attention and listen closely. What I say is now the absolute truth.” Her expression turned positively savage. “You are all a bunch of fools. Stupid, foolish, and dense, virtual morons. Your heads are all empty of knowledge. Ah, but instead of intelligence, you are all full of lust. Horny, slutty, completely uninhibited deviants. Your sole reason for existence is to fuck, suck, and release those lusty urges.” She laughed wickedly. “This is the truth of your existence. This is who you are... my stupid, dumb, ignorant little sluts!”

Mistress Tiffany smiled in triumph. The combination of her serum and her technology had drilled her words into these ignorant sheep’s pliant brains, obliterating their wills and minds. The people that had mocked her were now paying for their arrogance and indifference. Her revenge had gone off flawlessly. And yet... the smile slowly faded from her face as the crowd began to murmur and mumble among themselves. And then—

“Boo! Booo!” a young pre-teen yelled out loudly. “You suck, lady!”

“Yeah,” a young brunette woman called out. “You can’t say stuff like that about us! Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Damn bitch!” an old balding man yelled. “Taking shit like that... come out and say that shit to our faces!”

Tiffany’s eyes went wide in shock as the crowd began yelling and jeering her. “Wh... what is this?” she asked, stunned. “Ho... how can this be happening?!? You should all be under my control... my obedient puppets, accepting and believing my every word! How is this happening?”

“I can answer that,” a male voice called out. Tiffany blinked as Adam stepped through the crowd and stepped up onto the stage, staring directly at her on the monitor. “Sorry to disappoint you, Tiff, but your plan failed. No one here is in a trance. And all of them heard your words with clear and lucid minds.”

Tiffany growled. “Adam,” she hissed. “How the hell did you get free? And... how did you sabotage the device? I checked and double-checked everything just before the broadcast, and everything was working perfectly!”

Adam chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure it was,” he admitted. “For the record, I didn’t sabotage the device. I didn’t have the time or the access to do anything to the system. Of course, I didn’t really NEED to do anything,” he added with a smirk. “As for how I managed to get free...” he said, glancing over to the side.

“He had help,” I finished, walking over to stand beside Adam. Mistress Tiffany’s expression showed her surprise and disbelief. “And, as to how your hypnotic display didn’t work? It seems someone switched out the shaved ice syrups tainted with your drugs for a clean and uncorrupted batch. Oh, and spoiler alert! That someone... was me.”

“Gwen... you betrayed me,” Tiffany growled, eyes flashing in fury. I was pretty sure she was about to unleash a barrage of cursing and foul language that would make a sailor blush... but before she had the chance, something strange happened. The ground began to shake... furiously like an earthquake was occurring. Several members of the crowd cried out, falling to the ground, but I managed to keep my balance. Glancing around in alarm, I gaped... as a strange dusky skinned brunette woman in a rather stylish string bikini of her own appeared... slowly rising up from out of the very sand itself!

“Hear me, foolish vermin!” she yelled out loudly, gaining everyone’s attention. “Too long have I tolerated your presence upon my ancestral lands, putting up your littering, your noise, and your overall disrespect of this land!” She scowled, raising an arm, and the sand around her feet rose as well, forming a large ten-foot tall pedestal underneath her. “You have had many many warnings to depart, yet still you remain. Very well. You have chosen your fate,” she said ominously, as the sand began to shift and swirl around her, like a large sandy dust devil. “And now... you will all pay with your lives!” she declared, as the sand began to rise into a huge wave towering above us all... before coming crashing down...