| Genre: originals | |
| Chapter 1 | |
| Eileen followed Beth into the TalkModel offices.. She looked around curiously as her cousin walked quickly to the receptionist.. There were a lot of people in the waiting area.. Some she thought didn't really strike her as models.. Some were fairly old people, some young, some ugly.. A couple of people looked more like the people Central Casting would send to populate a free clinic on an inner-city cop show.. Beth came back with two clipboards and they filled them out.. The receptionist slipped them through a scanner and asked them to wait.. Then they sat and half-watched the television playing in one corner.. People were called in fairly quickly and soon Beth was tugging Eileen's arm.. A pair of young men were waiting at the door to the inner offices.. Beth air-kissed one and stood by him.. "Eileen, this is Tony.. He's my producer.. " | |
| Tony extended a hand.. "More of a manager," he said with a smile.. "And this is Bunny.. He's another manager, he'll be taking care of you, Eileen.. " | |
| "Bunny?" she asked as she shook hands.. "It's short for Morgenstern," Bunny said.. "No, it's not?" Beth declared/asked.. "It is if you attended a certain prep school in Massachusetts," he said.. There was the slightest grinding of teeth, Eileen thought.. She thought it quite likely that 'Bunny' was merely less offensive than any of the nicknames 'Morgenstern' might earn.. "Makes sense to me," she said aloud.. Bunny's smile shifted from formal to actually welcoming.. She relaxed a bit.. "Okay, you girls get ready," Tony said.. He ushered them into the back office and gestured towards a door.. That turned out to be a locker room.. Beth picked a locker and started stripping.. "Take all your clothes off," she said.. "What kind of modeling is this?" Eileen asked.. She did not start removing her clothes.. "It's fine," Beth promised.. "You won't' show anything below you collarbone.. They just have this goop they put on you, you do NOT want it staining anything you pay to have cleaned.. " | |
| Inside of each locker was a huge fluffy robe with poofy, fluffy slippers.. As Beth promised, it had plenty of Velcro up to about mid-chest, and warm panels that folded down to expose only the shoulders.. Eileen shrugged and stripped.. -------- | |
| Bunny and Tony met them at the door and escorted them to individual photography rooms.. On the way, they were offered anything from a range of refreshments.. Both declined.. The photography room was a small, square space with a fairly small camera set up on a tripod.. There was a circle on the floor and a taped 'mark' in the center.. She'd modeled enough to know how to 'hit' the mark and went to stand there.. "Oh, nice to work with a professional," Bunny said.. He stepped to the camera and made a few adjustments.. "So what did Beth say we did here?" | |
| "She wouldn't tell me, but she said it wasn't porn," Eileen said quickly.. Bunny laughed.. "Okay, don't worry your head about that," he said.. "Now, have you seen any 'behind the scenes' shows where they make computer-based images based on people?" | |
| "You mean where they wear all those little dots on their faces and suits with lines so the computer knows what moves in what way?" she asked.. "I mean exactly that," he said with a smile.. He stepped to a table behind the camera.. "Now, this goo does the work of those dots.. " | |
| He turned around with a large beaker of green stuff.. It reminded Eileen of the TMNT movie.. "Eugh," she said.. "Yeah," he said with a nod.. "But this stuff has the ability to map your whole face, down to a microscopic level, so we get a perfect image.. " | |
| "Okay," she said slowly.. "It also means you don't spend four hours in makeup to shoot a ten-minute scene.. " | |
| "Yay for science," she said more quickly.. He laughed, she joined him.. He put the beaker back down.. "Now, what we do is have you read some syllables and film you, with the goo on your face, and someone, somewhere, makes a computer simulator based on that.. "Your dialogue is broken up into nonsense syllables so that your avatar can say classified things, without us having to swear you to secrecy or do a background check.. "Or so they tell me," he shrugged.. "They tell you?" | |
| "Yeah," he said, sounding reluctant.. "It doesn't really make sense that they'd go through this process every single message they needed.. So I don't understand why we get new orders like this.. " | |
| Then he clapped his hands.. "But we do, and they pay us, so I get to spend time with beautiful women!" He smiled.. She smiled back.. Eileen wasn't above a little flirting.. He'd be more likely to remember her, and to remember her fondly, so he'd be more likely to call her for more work.. He let her read through the list of syllables a couple of times, then readied the goo, stirring it quickly with a paintbrush.. "What's in that?" she asked.. "The usual," he says.. "A biomimetic gel, a conductive substrate, eye of newt, wing of bat and the essence of thirteen white roses collected by a virgin at midnight under a full moon.. " | |
| She giggled at his joke, still thinking of future contracts, and allowed him to paint her face with goo.. It itched ever so slightly, but didn't feel all that bad.. And it only ran for a bit then firmed up.. Little to nothing dripped.. Then she read the cue card of nonsense.. She concentrated on the words, trying to see if it included the syllables for 'nuclear' or 'president' or 'Kardashian.. ' | |
| While she was concentrating, the light around her changed.. Bunny's shirt glowed, and she realized they were using black-light.. The beaker of remaining goo glowed a sickly yellow in the ultraviolet, and some odd marks appeared on the floor.. But she wanted to be professional, so she concentrated on reading out the nonsense.. Then the light flared really, really bright.. Eileen was temporarily blinded.. She broke off her reading, apologizing.. "Sorry, I can't see the cue card.. Did the light.. .. ?" She blocked her eyes, careful not to touch her face or disturb the goo.. Her voice faded as the room returned to normal.. Normal lighting anyway.. The walls of the photobooth had fallen away and they were in some sort of a warehouse.. Had there been an earthquake? She felt more tremors in the ground.. She feared that the vibrations would shake her face and screw up the recording.. Then Bunny walked over beside her.. The ground shook at each step he took.. Those were the tremors.. She looked up, up, up into the face of a smiling giant.. And wrapped her robe around her more tightly.. "I'd like to have another take," she shouted.. "C'mere," he said, kneeling down.. She backed away, but his movements were deceptively fast.. Big feet covered a lot of ground in a few steps, and his reach was like a crane.. He lifted Eileen and cradled her in his arms.. A door appeared on a wall, not the one they'd come in through.. He walked towards it.. "What have you done to me?" she asked, trying hard not to scream.. She sounded pathetic when she screamed.. It wouldn't help.. "Actually, you did it," he said.. "You recited a shrinking spell, while standing in a Circle of Power, wearing the Potion of Focus.. " | |
| "Potion of… The goo?" | |
| "The goo," he said.. He lifted Eileen up to his face and whispered at her ear.. "I lied about the goo.. There's no conductive substrate.. " | |
| "So the eye of newt?" she started to ask, then realized the answer.. "Euuuuuugh!" | |
| He laughed as he stepped across a wide hall into yet another room.. This looked like a prop room.. Shelves on three walls were filled with little plastic boxes, most of them the size of a shoebox.. Bunny stood Eileen on a table and looked her over.. "Now you're a perfect fourteen inches tall," he said.. "Perfect for what?" she asked breathlessly.. "For voodoo!" he said quite cheerfully.. She imagined needles stuck in dolls and hair ripped out and drops of blood and ceremonies in graveyards.. And she screamed.. He winced at the high pitch but otherwise didn't react.. "Don't worry," he said.. "It's not what you're thinking.. " | |
| She edged away from him to look to the floor.. It was farther down than she was tall.. Then there was a brief run to the door, which had a doorknob that'd be way, way over her head.. Behind her, Bunny was sorting through some of the boxes and pulling out doll's clothes.. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked.. "Well, you're going to help me cast a spell, then you're going to wake up in a nice, hot shower, get dressed, get a check and go home.. Or go eat.. Or whatever you and Beth want to do.. " | |
| "You're… You're going to let me go?" She crossed her fingers, not daring to hope.. "Well, we'll wipe your memory, first, of course.. " | |
| "Why are you casting a voodoo spell on me? To do what? Make me your slave?" | |
| "Too much maintenance," he said.. "And your friends start to ask pointed questions about the time you spend worshiping me, or doing my laundry.. " He smiled as one reaching a punchline.. "A-heh," she lamely laughed.. "No, no, I'm not casting the spell ON you, I'm casting it WITH you.. You're my voodoo doll.. " | |
| He made a gesture.. She thought he was saying to spin, so she turned around.. "No, no, the robe.. Take it off.. " | |
| "No!" | |
| "Oh, I love it when they resist," he said happily.. His hands shot out and grabbed her by the upper arm and one thigh.. He only had to poke his thumbs in to peel back the Velcro and she was bared before him.. Or should have been.. "Naughty, naughty," he said.. "You kept your panties on.. " | |
| "Sorry," she said, struggling uselessly.. Bunny gripped her around the waist and slid the robe down her arms.. It got much colder in the room.. After he hung her robe on a hook, he stroked her breasts for a second.. Between the cold and the attention, her nipples hardened and he smiled.. His fingertip felt like someone was trying to molest her with a football.. Then he felt her upper arm.. Goosebumps, sorry!" He turned up the thermostat and air hissed into the room.. She started to feel a bit better while he started to sweat.. The panties took only a little longer the robe had but there was still nothing she could do to stop him from removing them.. Those went into his pocket.. "We're going to have to stain these," he said.. "So you'll learn your lesson.. " | |
| "Yes, sir," she shrugged.. He started to dress her, then.. She saw what looked like a track uniform, school colors of black and green.. As he slid the silky garments onto her, she asked about the spell.. "Nothing deadly," he said.. "Just a little spell to give someone a little advantage.. " | |
| "Why shrink me?" she asked.. "Voodoo is like a shaped charge, a little effort gets huge results.. " He tugged the shorts tight and cupped her ass for a second.. "See, if we stick a pin in a five-inch doll, someone gets a heart attack.. If I stick the pin in a five-foot-tall doll, the target's heart explodes.. " | |
| She winced at the image.. "No," he said, shaking his head at the expression.. "Nothing remotely medical.. I mean, heart explodes as in tissue samples hit the far wall and stick.. " | |
| "Eick!" | |
| "Yeah.. Hard to convince cops or the insurance company that there was no foul play.. They'll never take anyone to court and say, 'It was a magic attack,' but they'll never say 'Ah, well, these things happen, here's your inheritance,' either.. " | |
| He held her arms up and slid a sports bra down into place.. That took even longer to position than the shorts had.. "But they'll still investigate," she protested.. "And they'll find out that one of his heirs was collecting hair and fingernails.. " | |
| "Don't need those," he said.. "Everyone thinks that's for the affinity.. But dressing the dolly like the target establishes the affinity.. " | |
| She was trying to remember what 'affinity,' was.. For some reason she kept thinking of a white, creamy sort of candy.. He probably didn't mean that.. The jersey went on.. He lifted her up to lay her flat on her back, then slid long white athletic socks onto her legs.. "So….. So you don't need hair or, you know, samples?" she asked.. He started looking in boxes some more.. She guessed it was for shoes.. "No," he said absently.. "Those only ever granted the doll a connection to life.. You're alive, so that's established.. Then we only - AHA!" | |
| She jumped at his shout, nearly rolling off the side of the table.. He pinned her in place and shoed her with big, cartoony shoes.. They were more like slippers decorated to resemble sneakers.. They were warm and comfortable.. "The final touch is a ribbon to tie your hair back," he said.. He pinched her hand between two fingers and lifted her up to stand.. A small black and gold ribbon was draped over a fingertip.. "Do you want me to do it?" | |
| "I'll get it!" she said quickly.. He watched as she gathered her hair and tied it, then nodded.. "Perfect," he said.. "For what?" she asked.. Visions of cemeteries came back, crowding her head along with flying bats and slimy newts.. "To win a track meet, of course!" He picked her up gently, grasping her upper thighs and allowing her to sit easily on his hand.. The other hand steadied her back but didn't restrain her.. They left the prop room and continued down the hall.. She was a bit relaxed this time, and noticed people all over the place.. Big people carrying little ones.. Men and women had their little male and female living dolls.. The dolls were clearly in costumes.. A lot of sports uniforms, a few tuxedos, and one man in the hip waders of a fishermen passed by.. The women were also dressed for sports, or ballroom dancing, swimsuits.. "Who are all these people?" she asked.. "Models, like you," Bunny explained.. "Being used to cast critical spells for our paying customers.. In here.. " | |
| She didn't understand why he invited her into the room, she was still being carried by him.. Inside there was a card table covered with green felt and a big tub of the sticks and hinges of a construction toy.. Bunny placed her down and started pulling toy parts out.. "Now what?" she whined.. "Just a minute," he said.. "I have to make a hurdle.. " | |
| "I can't jump hurdles! I hated track.. " | |
| "You'll be fine," he said.. The door opened behind him and Tony carried Beth in.. Beth was dressed like a ballerina.. Pink tights and a pink bodice and the most outrageously poofy tutu Eileen had ever seen.. She giggled at the sight, then at the expression.. Tony lowered Beth to the table where she stood with her arms crossed and her lip in a lethal pout.. Eileen couldn't stop laughing.. Great big gulps of air were required to keep her from passing out, she laughed so hard.. Beth just glared at her.. "You're so cute, Beth," she gasped at her friend.. "Laugh it up, track star," Beth snarled.. "I can't BELIEVE you did this to me.. " | |
| "I…? I didn't do anything?" | |
| "I've come here ten times and never once got shrunk.. You come with me and I'm Dream Dancer Barbie.. " | |
| "Why blame me?" Eileen yelled.. | |
| "I had nothing to-" Both women stopped and turned at a tearing sound.. Tony had pulled off what looked like six feet of duct tape from a roll the size of a bale of hay.. "C'mere, Beth," he said.. He didn't wait to give her a chance to comply or refuse, but grabbed her and eased her to the felt.. Then he wrapped one of her legs with the tape.. While she was down he wrapped the other one, then turned to help Bunny.. Eileen scurried over to help Beth stand up.. "I can't bend my legs," she said.. She staggered around a bit, leaning heavily on the other woman.. "How can I dance with inflexible knees?" | |
| "Exactly," Tony said.. He held up a cell phone and took her picture.. "Jump up for me.. " | |
| "I can't!" | |
| "That's the point.. Someone's paid us to cast a spell that keeps her competition from doing well in the audition.. Now jump!" | |
| She struck a pose and hopped on her toes, swept her feet and mostly looked like she was about to fall on her face.. "Perfect!" Tony said.. He pressed some buttons on the phone.. "Now, when she gets this app, she can take a picture of the best dancer on stage with her…And she'll clump about like Frankenstein.. " | |
| "Like Frankenstein's Monster," Bunny said.. He stepped up behind Tony holding an inflated balloon.. "What?" | |
| "Frankenstein was the doctor.. He was physically fit.. Igor traditionally has a hump, and it's the Monster that Frankenstein made that - " | |
| "Yeah, yeah, I watched Mel Brooks.. Do you need the harness?" | |
| Bunny produced a set of straps.. Tony held the balloon while Bunny worked it onto Eileen.. With the balloon tied securely, she bounced rather easily on her feet.. "Now, jump the hurdle," he commanded, holding his phone.. He snapped her picture as she sailed easily over the plastic bar.. The app was sent and the day's work was done.. "We can put our clothes on, now?" Eileen asked.. "More importantly, we can take this ridiculous crap OFF?" Beth snarled.. "Sure," Tony replied.. Then he reached for Eileen.. Bunny grabbed Beth up and started working the tube of tape down her legs, dragging the tights down with them.. Eileen was stripped once more, finding Tony's touch a bit less gentle, but he did move quite a bit more slowly.. She breathed deeply and tried to ignore the intimate touches.. "So how do we get back to normal?" Beth asked.. She squeaked a bit at the end and Bunny stroked her bared breast.. "First," Tony said, folding Eileen over his hand and peeling her shorts down her ass cheeks, "there's one more little phase of the afternoon.. " | |
| "What's that?" Eileen asked.. "The perks," Bunny said.. He lifted his naked doll up close to his face and stroked her bared skin.. Tony stared at Eileen's chest as he stripped off her shirt.. ----------- | |
| "Eileen!" Beth's shout drew Eileen's attention away from the shower.. It was wonderfully warm and gentle.. "What?" she asked.. "Well, I was asking if you found the nonsense syllables as hypnotic as I did, but I guess that's an answer.. " She smiled and wrapped herself in the big fluffy towel.. Eileen finished rinsing off and took the other towel.. She found her locker and took out her clothes.. She picked up her panties and shook her head.. "What happened to you?" Beth asked.. "I didn't listen," she shrugged.. The panties weren't ruined.. Bunny had managed to rinse and quickly dry them, so she could wear them home.. But she'd never be able to explain the stain across half the crotch and one hip.. "I'll save 'em for laundry day," she said as she slipped them on.. The receptionist had their checks.. Bunny had left a note on Eileen's envelope: It was great working with you.. Be sure we have your phone number! | |
| "Well, isn't that encouraging!" Beth said, reading over her shoulder.. "It is, isn't it?" Eileen replied.. She glanced at the amount on the check.. "Whoa.. I could definitely get used to this.. " | |
| "And that's one hurdle down on your path to being a professional model!" Beth said cheerfully.. Eileen never could figure out why that comment made her blood run cold, though.. . |