Tales from the Tuckerverse:  Securing the Throne

by Zero

Student Apartments, Decker State College, Malibu, California

            Michelle Gim was hanging around outside the apartment complex, waiting for an opportunity since it was a controlled entrance and she didn't have access. It was a chilly evening, so Michelle wore her black and purple Letterman jacket over a black T-shirt and deep blue jeans, with comfortable runners on her feet and her hair down to cover her ears. The Korean-American glanced at her phone and sighed, having once again received a text from Sandy Vanholt to remind her that they were meeting tomorrow just before ten. The Scooby Gang had picked their next targets for investigation, namely athletic tutor Piper Cross as well as everyone at the Raptor Weekly. Pamela had suggested Sandy and Michelle handle Piper; before Michelle could have objected Sandy agreed, much to Michelle's annoyance. Sandy and Michelle had shared a passionate moment the previous month, making out after a heated moment, but since then Michelle had been dodging the issue, angry at herself. Sandy was the kind of spoiled child Michelle had grown up hating, and she was now trying to bury the fact that she'd felt sympathy for someone she loathed.

            Pocketing her phone, Michelle finally saw an opportunity as a blonde girl that Michelle recognized approached the door to the building, used her access, and pushed it open, stopping as she saw Michelle. “What are you doing here, bucket-head?” asked Sunny Dakota, the back-up goalie for the Lady Raptors. The bigoted soccer player was wearing a gray and purple jogging outfit, tiny and tight shorts around her loins while her chest sported a short-sleeved hooded sweatshirt and her shoes also matched her outfit. Sunny's hair was tied in a messy ponytail and she stood with her left arm holding the door open, her right hand holding her matching foot up against the top of her thigh for a quick stretch.

            Michelle just smiled as she reached into her coat pocket and inverted the Durga Hourglass, immediately causing time to freeze. Sunny went rigid holding the door open, her face waxy and blank; Michelle figured the only reason the bitch wasn't frowning being due to her mind being focused on the stretching leg. “You know, I was planning on just using whoever showed up as a door stop, but since you were so friendly...” declared Michelle, casually flipping off Sunny with one hand while using her other to reach into another pants pocket. Michelle pulled out a Type-7 Chip and quickly placed it on the back of Sunny's neck, pushing down on the square device to make sure it held. Glancing Sunny up and down for a moment, Michelle then proceeded to give her a push; the blonde twisted and her hand slipped away from supporting the door as she fell woodenly to the ground. Bending over, Michelle had little trouble picking the stiffened young woman up on her right shoulder and carrying her inside.

            Rachel Xanders's apartment wasn't hard for Michelle to find; the cheerleader had been inside it several times and even possessed a spare key, thus though the door was unlocked Michelle did have a plan for that if it wasn't. Using Sunny's feet as a sort of battering ram, Michelle forced her way into Rachel's apartment, casually letting the rigid soccer player fall from her grab after entering and letting the door close behind her. Michelle quickly spotted Rachel standing in the kitchen, and she wasn't alone.

            Rachel Xanders was standing frozen with the left side of her hair pushed back behind her head and ear, a grin on her face as she stood with a cooler bottle held up in front of her, her left hand twisting the cap while her right gripped the bottle. Rachel was dressed in a powder blue belly shirt with purple butterflies on it, a red skirt resting above her knees and her feet in stylish white sandals. Standing closer to the fridge in the kitchen and on Rachel's left was Zella Krueger, an exchange student and another cheerleader. Zella was smiling cutely as she glanced at Rachel, her left hand holding an uncovered pink wine cooler with the top pointed at her mouth, but held down and away, Zella's other hand rested on her hip. Zella was in a small white and silver dress, which barely covered her cleavage and stopped well above her knees, her hair was straight and brushed a bit to the right but otherwise spilling all over. If Michelle wasn't so certain both women were straight she might have guessed the expressive look between them hinted at romance, but instead she just figured Rachel had said something amusing. “Well you won't have to worry about thinking up any more jokes to impress our German cheerleader, nor will you have to worry about our German cheerleader being around,” smiled Michelle.

            Walking into the kitchen, Michelle placed chips on the necks of both blondes. Michelle then wandered out into the living room and found Rachel's laptop sitting on the coffee table. “Perfect; this will be easy,” noted Michelle. The Korean-American cheerleader knew thanks to their social standing Sunny and Zella didn't own cars; Sunny instead having a bike and Zella was an exchange-student, thus she didn't need to invest in something so permanent. Rachel did own a vehicle, and it was Michelle's plan to use that to transport she and the two unexpected extras to Balfour Boutique, where they'd begin their new lives as display mannequins. Rachel's keys Michelle had already spotted in a bowl on the kitchen counter, so everything was set for time to no longer be frozen.

            Inverting the Durga Hourglass, Michelle walked back into the kitchen, noting Sunny remained in a heap on the floor thanks to her own chip. Rachel and Zella were both still frozen as well, but the sounds and small motions from the kitchen's features, namely the hum of the fridge and the ticking of the analog clock, showed their immobility was due to the chips. “Rachel, put down your drink and come stand in the living room,” ordered Michelle. Rachel's face went blank and she quickly put her wine cooler down on the floor before leaving the kitchen. Remembering that vague directions could lead to unexpected results, Michelle decided to be more specific with the next girl: “Zella, put your drink down on the counter and, avoiding the drink on the floor, go into the living room and stand next to Rachel.” The tall German followed her orders, just missing Rachel's beverage.

            “Shame to let this go to waste,” muttered Michelle, quietly collecting Zella's own grapefruit cooler and taking a sip as she stepped out of the kitchen. “Sunny, stand up, go into the living room and sit on the couch.” Sunny, who'd looked like a fallen statue, suddenly sprang to life and got up, walking out past Rachel and Zella and taking a seat.

            Moving into the living room, Michelle sat down on the couch and turned the laptop towards Rachel, who was standing at attention with Zella on her right. “Rachel, log onto all your social networking websites and post the following: 'Hey everybody, I just got engaged to a fashion mogul! I'm quitting school to go live in New York! Love you all!'” Rachel got down on her knees and started typing on the computer, leaving Michelle to put her drink down and kick her feet up on the couch, looking at the silent Sunny.

            “Sunny, apologize for your racist remarks and cuddle with me,” Michelle then commanded, instantly finding Sunny turning to her side and starting to climb on top of Michelle.

            “I'm so sorry for what I said,” cooed Sunny, laying down on top of Michelle and smiling softly. Michelle smiled back, the fake apology actually improving her mood, and soon she found herself kissing the woman, pleased she was making her pay for her antiquated attitude.

            “Kiss back like you mean it when I kiss you,” Michelle whispered to Sunny, who obliged. Michelle was soon breathing hard and began to grope Sunny, feeling arousal set in.

            “Finished,” announced Rachel, standing back up at attention.

            “Ah good,” gasped Michelle, breaking off another kiss with Sunny. “Rachel, go into your bedroom, strip naked, and lay on the bed. Sunny, follow Rachel and do the same.” Rachel and Sunny both quickly walked off, Sunny involuntarily touched Michelle's breast as she got up off the couch. “Zella, I need you to update all your social media, saying that you're sorry but you suddenly had to fly back to Germany tonight.  Do it right now.”

            Zella huddled down in front of the laptop and began to work as Rachel had; Michelle meanwhile stood up, feeling warm all over. As Zella typed and clicked Michelle began to strip, her generic Letterman jacket going first before her top, the cheerleader eventually getting down to nothing at all. It was then that Zella stood back up. “All complete,” announced the German.

            “Good,” nodded Michelle, deciding to have a little fun. “Freeze.” Zella was standing at attention but she went a bit more rigid than before; Michelle then moved behind the blonde and quickly managed to pull down her dress. With her outfit on the floor, it was revealed to Michelle that Zella had in fact gone commando, with no bra or panties, which did seem unwise given how short the skirt on the dress was.

            “I wouldn't have guessed you were this slutty sometimes,” remarked Michelle, then remembering an article she'd once read about nudism in Germany, specifically the idea of naked students being hired to do housework, and decided maybe it made sense culturally, though she wasn't sure. However, with Zella quickly rendered nude, Michelle took great delight in dragging the taller girl by her waist down into Rachel's bedroom.

            Rachel's bed, which had scarlet-red sheets, had Rachel and Sunny both laying on it on their backs, each taking up one of the two pillows. Michelle dragged Zella towards the bed and then jumped backwards, with the taller blonde on top of her still. “Okay, I do need to get you all to the boutique and ready for your new positions...  but I've got all night,” mused Michelle, glancing at the clock, which showed it was only now getting close to eleven. “Okay, Zella, why don't you and Sunny start having sex on her side of the bed.”

            Zella and Sunny proceeded to do as ordered, with Zella climbing on top of Sunny and the pair beginning to kiss and touch, Sunny stroking Zella's womanhood. Michelle watched for a minute or two, quietly touching herself, and then climbed up on top of Rachel. “Okay, I want you to tell me just how much better I am than you while we have sex,” ordered Michelle, causing Rachel to suddenly spring to life, putting her heads behind Michelle's head.

            “You'd make a much better captain than me,” purred Rachel, pulling in Michelle for a kiss.

            “Let’s... Mm... Hope the rest agree,” gasped out Michelle in between kisses as she felt Rachel begin to touch her down below.

* * *

Not Far Away

A Short Time Later

            Sandy Vanholt hated calling an early night, but she had a morning Scooby Gang assignment with Michelle and she didn't want to be late. Having left the Coffee Pot shortly before midnight, the comely blonde now glanced at her watch and saw it had just struck the time for a new day to begin. Having parked her car, Sandy was now trying not to sigh as she walked towards her apartment building in her black stiletto boots, low waist label jeans, white tube top and tight black leather jacket, her arms hanging free with her sunglasses on top of her head despite it being very dark out; her black purse looped around her right shoulder.

            “What am I doing with her,” muttered Sandy to herself as she walked, thinking about Michelle. The pair had kissed quite passionately a few weeks ago but afterward they'd never properly talked about it; Michelle was blowing her off just the same as before, despite Sandy knowing there had been sparks, big ones. Even as she neared the elevator, Sandy was silently promising herself she'd get Michelle to open up to her tomorrow or she'd quit the Scooby Gang and just start investigating people by herself, though she then changed her mind, remembering how much was at stake.

            “Sandy?!” came a sudden voice, tearing Sandy out of her thoughts. Turning to look at the source of the familiar voice, Sandy saw it was Amber Prescott, her former BFF and the current president of Phi Sigma Delta. Amber's blonde hair was extra curly and she was dressed mostly in white, with a tan vest over a white T-shirt with white pants on below and a pair of tan heels, her black purse hung around back of her left shoulder.

            “Hey!” greeted Sandy, pressing the elevator button as Amber approached, the two women sharing quick kisses on each others' cheeks. “Oh my God; I haven't seen you in ages, and we live on the same campus!”

            “I know, its crazy; but I guess given everything that's happened we managed to avoid the awkward stage this way,” nodded Amber, making a big cringing face for a moment when talking about the awkward stage. “You look great! Love the sunglasses at night look; very 90s Freshman.”

            “Fun way to be practical and keep your hair back,” agreed Sandy, feeling uneasy as she waited for the elevator to arrive. Sandy hadn't spoken to any of her old sorority friends since leaving Phi Sigma Delta amidst her father's scandal, feeling she didn't deserve to be their friends any longer. Now Sandy realized though perhaps that wasn't the case, remembering suddenly that she'd all but been forced out before agreeing to leave.

            “You turning in already?” asked Amber, looking at Sandy head to toe as the elevator finally arrived, its doors opening. “I'm just going up to a party on the fourth floor. I'm crashing, but a possible pledge did sort of leave me an open invite, and I heard that cute music guy London Troughton might be there. Have you met the Troughton boys, they are cute as, oh!”

            “Yes I saw London perform at a music event a few weeks ago,” acknowledged Sandy as the two blondes stepped into the elevator. Sandy was missing more and more being social royalty, having Amber as her trusted aide, Jaki, Phoebe and Kelsey all supporting all of her decisions and the rest of the girls just living with it. Sandy wanted that feeling of power back; as the elevator started to rise she got an idea of how to get it, even if it would be fleeting.

            “Well, kisses for now, but we should totally do tea sometimes!” exclaimed Amber as they neared Sandy's floor, the curly blonde turning to Sandy and offering an open arm hug, apparently unaware of her little grammar flub.

            “Tots,” lied Sandy, returning the gesture. As Amber and Sandy hugged, Amber low and Sandy high, Sandy plunged the syringe she'd secretly drawn from her purse earlier into Amber's back, injecting her with Type-7. Sandy quickly slid the syringe back into her purse and pushed Amber away, revealing Amber to be now frozen with a smile on her lips and her eyes open, staring blankly with her arms out wide. Sandy quickly bent under Amber and put her up on her shoulder, then turned and exited the elevator while trying not to look like she was rushing. Sandy could see in some of the hallway's reflective surfaces that Amber's hair was spilling down, effectively obscuring her face, but her arms didn't look quite right as she was stiff.

            “Oh hey, Sandy, how goes it, my neighbor?” came a sudden greeting. Glancing down the hall Sandy saw one of her neighbors, Marsha Robinson, was walking towards her, looking more amused than anything else. The blue-eyed blonde Marsha was of decent height, a bit above average, and from what Sandy remembered played for the Lady Raptors volleyball squad. Marsha had her hair up in a high ponytail and was in a striking blue dancing dress, tall heels on her feet and some nice jewelry on her arms, her lips a suitable light pink.

            “Had to call it an early night; my friend passed out already,” sighed Sandy, offering a meek smile.

            “I'll say it, she looks stiff drunk!” exclaimed Marsha, chuckling as she casually poked Amber. “I was going to ask if you're going to the party on fifth, but it’s cool; take care of your friend. I can tell everyone how great you are and maybe get a cute guy to leave me his number for you...”

            “Thanks, but I think I'll be okay,” Sandy assured Marsha, who simply shrugged and kept walking.

            “Lesbian,” Sandy thought she heard Marsha mutter under her breath, but Sandy let it go, not wanting to get greedy, especially since she was in an exposed hallway. Reaching her apartment door, Sandy fumbled with the keys for a moment before managing to enter, barely avoiding hitting Amber's head on anything.

            “Honey, I'm home!” called Sandy, flicking on the lights. Standing in front of Sandy's couch, stalk naked with a grin on her face, was star soccer player Mel Donavan, posed like a trophy statue. Mel's blonde hair was gelled back and she was standing with a soccer ball tucked under her left arm, both hands on her hips and her legs spread. Mel's tattoos were on full display, they being a reason Sandy had even become interested in the goalkeeper in the first place. Sandy had nabbed Mel a few hours ago after her soccer practice, not planning on it but discovering her in a bathroom alone right near where her car was parked. Getting Mel inside had been the tricky part, but Sandy had started carrying tarps big enough to cover up people in her car for just such occasions.

            “Missed you,” whispered Sandy, giving Mel a kiss on the cheek before setting down Amber, standing her upright with her hands above her head. “Okay, obviously you're both super important, so I probably should put you back before I meet Michelle, but I really want a quick revenge fuck with you...” Sandy pointed at Amber for a moment, before moving her finger back to Mel. “Yet I wouldn't mind another round with you, though. But that comes later.”

            Sandy quickly stripped herself right there in the living room, hanging her glasses over Mel's eyes and throwing the rest of her clothes on the couch before starting on Amber. Amber's outfit was quickly removed but when Sandy got to one of the rings, a plain one she remembered everyone in the sorority wearing, she stopped, feeling uneasy about removing it, let alone losing it if she did. “I'd better leave that there,” decided Sandy, then shrugging and hefting now-naked Amber back on her shoulder.

            “Hold my calls!” Sandy told Mel as she carried Amber into her bedroom.

* * *

Head of Mathematics Residence, DSC

The Next Day

            “Okay, we can uncover the door,” announced Michelle, glancing at her watch and once again watching for any nearby foot traffic. Michelle and Sandy were dressed in janitorial jumpsuits and posing as gardeners, with a satchel of decoy gardening tools sitting next to them as they were really flooding the small two bedroom house with Type-7 gas. Nearly all the heads of departments had houses in the upper residential area of Decker State College, a few regular professors also having places with a couple of the nicer residences even sporting carriage houses. The DSC head of Mathematics was Piper Cross; she was also the head tutor for female athletes. But despite this status, her place was only a small two bedroom, two bath cottage; the place looking more at home in rural England than the lush United States. Sandy was fairly certain her apartment had just as much width as Piper's house, though thanks to a second floor attic the professor did have a bit more overall room.

            “Done,” confirmed Sandy, who pulled the rag and delivery tube away from the base of the house's front door. Sandy's faded blue jumpsuit and ponytail didn't detract from her attractiveness, at least in Michelle's eyes, but as the cheerleader realized she was looking down and smiling she quickly frowned and focused. It was mid-morning so nearly everyone who lived in the residential area should have been down at the campus, but upon arriving Sandy and Michelle had spotted two cars in the small driveway and realized they'd need to gas the place, which they'd been doing for the last ten minutes.

            “Okay, lets go in,” breathed Michelle, testing the knob as Sandy slid their Type-7 injector system into the tool caddy it was hidden in, then placing a small set of gardening tools on top to cover it. The door was locked so, glancing around once more, Michelle quietly pulled out a lockpick and managed to quickly open the simple single-action dead-bolt.

            “Nice one,” grinned Sandy as the door opened and the pair quietly stepped inside, with Sandy bringing the tools. The small foyer was bare, featuring a stairway right in front, a small hallway to its right, and an open area next to it that revealed a tiny living room with dark brown walls. Sitting on a threadbare red couch, a coffee table in front of them with a tea tray and sandwiches on it, were Piper and a guest, stiff as waxworks in a museum diorama.

            “Tiffany Cross, her niece, she works at a law firm,” announced Michelle, looking at the frozen duo. Piper was just over fifty and looked really good, possessing fair skin and lovely brown hair that was in an up-do. Piper was dressed in a black business dress, her blouse also black as well as her business-heeled shoes. She was looking through black-framed glasses at her guest, her right arm gesturing outwards while her left rested on the back of the couch. Tiffany was dressed almost exactly like her aunt, save for a lack of glasses, the presence of pantyhose and her blouse being dark purple; the immobile green-eyed brunette smiling as she looked down at a tea cup she had raised from the saucer in her lap. Tiffany's left hand held the saucer and her right was holding the cup.

            “How did you know that?” asked Sandy, looking surprised as Michelle turned to look at her.

            “Research, I checked out her social profile before we showed up,” revealed Michelle. “Good way to explain any surprises you might encounter.”

            “Smart,” nodded Sandy, with Michelle wondering if the blonde was just looking for ways to give her compliments, since she was sure Sandy had done background research on Scooby Gang targets before. Sandra Packlin did help a lot, having access to the student and faculty registries, but Michelle had taken the incentive more than once before.

            “Lets just-” began Michelle, only to suddenly be surprised as Sandy reached up and pulled her in, planting a kiss on her lips. Annoyed, Michelle quickly pushed Sandy away.

            “Oh what, now you're fighting me?!” exclaimed Sandy, as Michelle taken aback by the sudden rage. “We're alone, Michelle! Come on, you know damn well you kissed me and liked it.”

            “I...” began Michelle, not sure what to say next. Michelle had been dreading working with Sandy alone, but she hadn't expected the blonde to act so fast.

            “You spent all this time building up a chip on your shoulder, and then you suddenly like me and you resist it, what gives?!” yelled Sandy, crossing her arms and glaring at Michelle. “Spill. What the hell is wrong with you?!”

            “Nothing's wrong with me,” grumbled Michelle, turning her back to Sandy and walking into the living room, sitting down in between Tiffany and Piper. Both stiffened women fell sideways, with Piper landing on the floor after initially falling backwards while Tiffany just fell to her left, her tea dripping everywhere and the cup rolling out of her hand, hitting the floor but not breaking.

            “Bullshit, you've got a band of cheerleaders fawning over you, no small feat, and I happen to know you're one of the school's top law students,” pointed out Sandy, shaking her head. “We've been over this. You've got a life I envy. What, is it because they call you 'Goldfinger' and comment on how much of a genius you can be?”

            “A bit,” confessed Michelle, shuddering at the nickname she'd been given now and then. “Somehow, I'm the bad guy. Me. The person who struggled all her life to get where she was. The person who outsmarted everyone. I'm somehow evil, just because I managed to claw my way to the top from nothing. Yeah, everyone likes me, but anyone who actually knows me suddenly becomes distant... I see people who get everything for nothing, and it makes me sick.”

            “So you hate the fact that you like me just because my family's status gave me a privileged life,” sighed Sandy, moving to the couch and sitting where Piper had been. “I get it... I used to be a real bitch. These last few months have been... humbling.”

            “That doesn't change our nature though,” muttered Michelle. “I'm the very kind of person you should hate, and it’s the same the other way around... That hasn't changed, despite us having a humbling experience.”

            “But we're both lonely,” pointed out Sandy, gently nudging Michelle. “Neither of us have had proper friends... I know, I ran into a person I thought I could call one last night... We talked like before, but it felt hollow. Its not the same with the gang... especially not with you.”

            “Sandy...” breathed Michelle, then feeling a rush in her heart. Twice Sandy had surprised Michelle with a kiss, and now the tables were turned. Michelle pounced on Sandy, and before long the pair were sharing a tight embrace, each feeling the warmth of the other through their jumpsuits, neither batting an eye when their movement caused Tiffany to fall off of the couch as well. Michelle caught a flash of a smile in between kisses but ignored it.

            “Oh... Michelle...” gasped Sandy a few minutes later. Michelle was on top and Sandy below. Michelle leaned back, Sandy's hands resting on her shoulders, looking down at the woman she'd just once again felt a rush of affection for. Michelle had a cheerleading meeting later that she needed to prepare for; the one she'd waited a long time for. Sandy and her striking words were getting in Michelle's way of her goals, and it wasn't the right time. Michelle leaned in and gave Sandy a smile, who returned it, but what the Korean was really doing was reaching for a spray bottle in her left pocket. The bottle was pointed at Sandy's face, just out of her line of sight, and Michelle sprayed, immediately freezing Sandy with Type-7.

            “I need to clear my head,” sighed Michelle, slipping out of Sandy's smiling rigid grasp. The gas that had flooded the house had been a potent mix, one easily able to last until late that night, and the blast Sandy had just been given would wear off at least an hour before that. Michelle had a half-hour cheerleader meeting booked for the early afternoon but had at least five hours to kill before then, so she decided she'd use her hourglass to stop time, go change and spend a few hours working at Balfour Boutique. Lexa had told Michelle she could work whenever she wanted so she decided it would be a good way to relax and not think about anything Sandy-related until after the cheerleader meeting was done. After the big meeting, maybe, Michelle might pick up where she'd left off with Sandy.

* * *

Raptor Weekly Office, DSC

The Same Time

            “Okay, time,” muttered Pamela Flipspatrick to Sandra Packlin, glancing at her watch. Pam and Sandra were alone, and the door to the room they were in was locked, but the pair nonetheless felt the need to speak quietly. Having decided during the last Scooby Gang meeting to investigate the Raptor Weekly, it was that morning that Sandra had suggested to Pamela an alternate way of gassing the newspaper office than just sticking the hose under a door.

            “Okay, lets go,” nodded Sandra, pulling the already turned-off hose out of the air vent in the empty meeting room. The Raptor Weekly office was next to a student meeting room, and after discovering the air vents passing between the two rooms met, Sandra had informed Pamela, who'd liked the plan and gone along with it, feeling the usual method of going under the door was tricky if anyone in the hallways saw them. The gas had now been delivered, taken effect, and by Pam's watch should have dissipated so the pair was now going to quickly head next door, just in case someone showed up right then to also head inside.

            As Pam and Sandra headed into the next room, the cheerleader noticed something was ‘off’ with the professor that was joining her. Sandra was clad in a black business dress with yellow lining, her hair up in in a half-bun and a nice pair of black heels on her feet, but something was wrong with her stride. Pamela herself wasn't one to judge strides being off; the young woman's hair was in a pair of ponytails and she wore a dumpy set of jeans as well as an a school orange sweatshirt. The reason for Pam being a bit off her game was her rising suspicion about Tucker Holmes, a man she'd supposedly had an erotic dream about, but some post-dream evidence suggested her mind-blowing experience had actually been real. Pam had tried to push the Scooby Gang to check out Tucker, but no one considered him a priority and yet Pamela was too embarrassed to explain to them why she wanted to focus on him. Pam's ‘dream’ night with Tucker had been amazing, a fantasy come true, but to know she could let herself be fooled and manipulated like she had infuriated her.

            Sandra quickly opened the door to the news office and nearly slammed into a frozen young man standing right near it. The young male student, a brunette in his early twenties, was standing in mid-step, apparently going from one desk in the office to another. The room consisted of eight desks, several with computers on them, and there were a couple of wall-mounted corkboards as well as a white board and a long row of hanging strings, with developed photos hanging from them. One corner of the room had a desk set up in front of a white and orange background, with a tripod-mounted camera sitting in front of it as that was the main desk for the newspaper's weekly webcasts. In the back was a door leading to the office of the Editor-in-Chief; in the room itself were only two people, one of them being the young man Pam didn't recognize.

            “Zack Norris; he's their main cameraman and sometimes a writer,” identified Sandra, having apparently researched the newspaper's staff before arriving, something Pam was kicking herself for not doing. Sitting at one of the desks with her right hand on the mouse of a computer was a cute blonde, also young, who was in a red tank top and white knee-length shorts, her hair full and long.

            “I know her, Cassidy Waters, right?” asked Pamela, indicating the frozen blonde.

            “Rivers, but yes, their photographer and a major writer,” confirmed Sandra, who was focusing on Zack. Closing the door behind her, Pam then locked it before heading over to Cassidy, letting Sandra search Zack for any obvious signs that he might be behind the freeze-related occurrences that were happening on-campus. Pulling up a desk chair, Pam sat down on Cassidy's right and raised her hand off of the mouse, then turning the stiffened blonde to face her. Cassidy's pretty face was blank, very mannequin-like, which Pam couldn't help but admire her beauty a bit as she started feeling the girl's pockets and body for any hidden secrets. After finding no surprises on Cassidy, Pam gently wheeled her away from her desk as the blonde bobbed slightly to the right, and then began to search.

            Pam and Sandra's search went on in silence for several minutes, with Sandra eventually moving on from Zack to other desks. Pam meanwhile focused on scrutinizing computer files, looking for possible hints that someone at the paper had started to notice what the Scooby Gang was up to. “Nothing,” Sandra finally declared, letting out a loud sigh as she finished searching the desk belonging to webcast anchor Laura Blair.

            “You seem frustrated today, or something,” commented Pam, turning around from the last computer she'd been checking, which belonged to a guy named Adam Weeks, who was apparently a video editor.

            “Sorry, its just...” offered Sandra, then trailing off and letting out another sigh. “Look, I've been with you for a while now... I'd honestly like a younger woman's thoughts on this.”

            “What is it?” asked Pamela, now concerned as she stood up to walk over to Sandra.

            “I... When I was going to Harvard, twenty-odd years ago... God... So long ago...” began Sandra, shaking a bit, Pam reassuringly squeezing her arm in comfort. “I... I got pregnant. Yeah; I know. I was young, single... The father was someone I a stupid crush on, that I'm not even sure was actually out of high school at the time. Anyway... I gave my daughter up for adoption.”

            “I'm sorry; that must have been hard,” offered Pam, putting her hand on Sandra's shoulder as the older woman leaned against Laura's desk.

            “It wasn't at the time, I just told myself that made sense; I could always track her down later when I wasn't busy trying to make the loan I'd taken out to attend Harvard worth it,” confessed Sandra, starting to show signs of tears. “It was an open adoption, but I only met the parents once... can't even remember their names now. Lately though... I've wondered what became of her...”

            “Well if it was an open adoption...” pointed out Pam.

            The older woman nodded. “I contacted the adoption agency last night,” revealed Sandra, smiling a bit. “They need some time to get up-to-date information, but I'll soon know where my daughter is... Just... Today I've really been thinking about just how much I missed.”

            “Hey,” muttered Pamela, and Sandra turned towards her; the pair shared a hug. Sandra now wept, Pamela patting her on the back. Pam hadn't known Sandra that long, but she respected the woman as a teacher and was valuing her as both a friend in confidant. To hear Sandra's sad tale about her long-lost daughter made Pam feel a bit smaller for keeping her disturbing Tucker experience to herself.

            “Thanks, okay; that helped,” breathed Sandra, moving away from Pam. “Okay, let’s go visit the Editor-in-Chief...” Sandra led the way, with Pamela following close behind, as the wooden door into the office was opened and the intrepid pair headed inside. The student editor Josie Maran was there, sitting frozen at her desk, her legs up on top with the right crossed over the left, showing off a pair of brown leather cowboy boots. Josie's attire also included a dark red pair of tight pants, a pink spaghetti-strap top and what appeared to be freshly-cut hair, her bangs short around her forehead but long everywhere else. Josie was looking up at the second person in the room, a coffee cup held in her left hand and her right index finger pointing at her companion, a wry smile on her lips. The second woman was Tiffany Thomas, Head Professor of Journalism, who was wearing a pure white business dress, blouse, skirt, jacket and heels. The blonde professor, who was in her mid-thirties, was grinning, showing perfectly white teeth with only a hint of misalignment, her hair styled down with the left side pushed behind her ear while she stood with a coffee cup in both hands at chest level, looking down at Josie.

            “Okay, I'll take the computer, you take the documents,” offered Pamela, being a bit more computer savvy than the professor. Sandra simply nodded and started looking around the office, which had piles of papers on the desk and two boards covered in notes and photos, some famous school articles also framed on the wall for posterity. Pam tried to move one of Josie's two chairs on the other side of desk around it but found the chairs too awkward to really move. Shrugging, Pam instead headed over to Josie and, after carefully removing her coffee mug from her hand, stood the editor up in the corner next to a filing cabinet that Sandra was rifling through.

            “You know it might just be the way people look when exposed to the drug, but it seems like a lot of the women in particular we've investigated could get really good work as living mannequins,” commented Sandra, eying Josie for a moment as she continued to look through the files.

            “I know; you see Cassidy in the other room?” agreed Pamela, starting to work on the computer.

            “Yeah, she really does...” chuckled Sandra, Pam happy to see she was perking up a bit after the emotional dump she'd just had a minute ago. The search then drifted into silence, with Pamela typing away on the computer while Sandra continued to search through the piles of papers.

            “Nothing,” grumbled Sandra as she finished going through the last stack of hard copies, a good fifteen minutes after they'd started searching. “I really can't believe the school newspaper wouldn't pick up on something we've noticed...”

            “Not exactly the kind of thing we usually would share, though,” pointed out Pamela, sighing. “I mean the group only really started because we all remembered that one awful woman...”

            “Ashley Tisdale, I recall her too,” nodded Sandra, having shared her own experience with the woman to the Scooby Gang after joining them due to another incident. “Shared experiences... hmm... I wonder...”

            “What's up?” asked Pamela, having finished with the computer, turning up nothing herself.

            “Now I know this kind of thing has happened to others, I must confess I even helped with a couple in the hopes of possibly gaining us some allies, and they've just covered it up, but these people are journalists, Pamela...” observed Sandra, turning to look at Tiffany. “They’re taught to be inquisitive.  What if we created an... incident?”

            “You mean, messing with them in such a way that they might have to investigate?” continued Pamela, trying to see where Sandra was going with her remarks.

            “Exactly so. Even if we don't work with them directly, we could always leave ourselves a way to check their files again, see if what we do is enough to spark an investigation,” confirmed Sandra, pointing at the computer. “I...you could find a way to get access to their systems again, right?”

            “Yeah; she already has remote access set up for herself, I can just get what I'll need to tap in as well, whenever we want to check up,” confirmed Pamela, happy her computer knowledge would be put to better use than in just file searches.

            “Okay, get that going, I'll start working on these two...” announced Sandra, walking over to Tiffany. The coffee mug was the first thing that went, being put down on the desk next to Josie's as Sandra then started removing the woman's jacket.

            “Hey, why not just pose them in different places or something?” suggested Pamela, a bit surprised that Sandra was starting to strip a fellow professor.

            “Pamela, I was left stark naked more than once by whoever has been doing this; we need to make the pattern fit. Plus the more obvious the experience is, the more likely they won't just forget,” pointed out Sandra, dumping Tiffany’s jacket on one of the desk chairs.

            “Fair enough; I'll handle Josie then,” shrugged Pam, not about to argue. Getting up from the computer, Pamela headed over to Josie where she leaned in the corner and raised her hands above her head, then found it extremely easy to pull off her top and reveal she'd gone bra-less.  “Hunh?”

            “It's okay, we're all girls here,” remarked Sandra, smirking a bit as Pamela was momentarily stunned by suddenly seeing Josie's breasts, which Pam thought were nice, though she then buried the thought. Picking Josie up by her armpits, Pam was able to plant her back in her chair, then tipped it back so she'd have an easier job removing the woman’s boots and pants. Josie’s immobilized body was stiff, but poseable, making her task easy. Sandra meanwhile had dropped Tiffany’s skirt and was just unbuttoning her blouse, revealing the professor really was dressed all in white as her bra and panties were the same color, neither really naughty-looking.

            “We could have them swap places,” suggested Pamela as the pair continued to work, stripping Josie now down to a black thong that left little to the imagination, thus causing Pam to hesitate before removing it. “Tiffany in this chair, Josie over there...”

            “That should work fine,” agreed Sandra, Tiffany was now completely naked, her bright pink nipples looking erect enough to hold key rings and her honey-blonde bush revealing she wasn't faking the color, just the shade. Sandra dragged Tiffany from behind towards Josie's chair while Pam, having gotten the editor completely naked now, walked her over to Tiffany's old place.

            “Much better,” chuckled Sandra a few moments later, moving to stand back next to Pam after they'd finished their work. “You know, I do of course frown upon the amount of vulnerability this type of impropriety instills in people, which is of course why we're doing this, but there is a sort of guilty thrill to it. I wonder if that's why whoever has been behind all these other incidents performs them...”

            “About that,” muttered Pamela, suddenly coming to a decision. “You have a student named Tucker Holmes, right?”

            “Yes; he's in a few of my classes,” confirmed Sandra with a nod. “Why do you ask?” Pam took a deep breath in response, getting ready to finally let a huge weight off of her chest.

* * *

 Balfour Boutique, Beverly Hills

Two Hours Later

            Michelle had been enjoying a conversation with Lexa Balfour when she'd noticed the mannequins needed adjusting and, not wanting to rudely interrupt one of the few people she actually considered a friend, Michelle had elected to stop time.  Now silence surrounded Michelle as she relaxingly straightened Zella's hair. Zella stood with a relaxed, lifeless look on her face, her eyes gazing straight out the window with her pink lips slightly parted, her left arm hovering at her side but not actually resting on her hip, her right pointing down slightly away from her side. Zella's forehead had a black bandanna wrapped around it; her hair was tied into a split ponytail whose tips rested on her shoulders. For a dress Zella was still wearing the silver and white one she'd sported when she was taken since Lexa believed it to be one of hers, and on her feet the already tall woman was wearing four-inch black heels. “Much better; your hair doesn't look like such a mess,” remarked Michelle, giving Zella a quick pat on the cheek before stepping down from the window display and heading over to the second figure.

            Chetana Shenkar had been put in what Michelle thought of as a typical Valley Girl pose, with sunglasses up on top of her head and her left hand posed up at head level with a sort of finger gun shape in her hand, her index finger pointing up while her right rested on her hip. Chetana was displaying designer jeans that stopped halfway down to her ankles, with three-inch white heels on her feet. Chetana's top was a sleeveless pale yellow collared shirt with a denim vest over top of that, matching the jeans; a waist length stone necklace hanging down her front as well. Like Zella’s stance, Chetana wasn't smiling; she kept more of a vacuous look on her face with her gaze straight ahead.  Michelle read research having shown mannequins smiling worked best inside the store, but not in the show window looking out.

            Chetana's forehead sunglasses were quickly shifted atop her half-ponytail hair before Michelle focused on the three other human mannequins inside the store, ignoring the frozen Lexa in the back, as she wasn’t going in the display. Katrina Vanholt was dressed in one of Lexa's business dresses, namely a purple skirt and jacket with a yellow blouse, with dark pantyhose and three-inch black heels. Katrina had on a pair of secretary-style glasses and her hair had a slight curl while let down; as an ‘inside girl’, she had a smile on her lips as she stood with her right leg forward, both hands on her hips with her elbows wide. Katrina's top blouse button had somehow come undone so, Michelle fixed it before moving on.

            Michelle had decided to pose Rachel like Zella, only switching her arm positions around and dressing her differently, plus there was a bright smile on her face. Rachel's hair was pulled back at the top but otherwise straight; she modeled a short yellow dress with frilly straps on her slim body, the skirt stopping only a few inches below her crotch. Black stiletto boots were on Rachel's feet, and one had become unzipped, so Michelle fixed that.

            Sunny was posed with her hips swayed to the right, both of her hands also resting on her right hip, another bright smile present on her face. Sunny's hair was let down straight but she was wearing a black cloche hat with a white sort of belt liner at the base on her head, a red sundress with a V-cut skirt covered her body. Sunny stood in brown sandals, but expensive ones with a one-inch thick base. Michelle noted Sunny was flawless so she left her, returning to the cashier counter.

            Lexa Balfour was leaning against the counter on her elbows, looking to her left with a big smile on her lips, the tips just parted as she had been in mid-sentence when Michelle had flipped her hourglass behind the counter. Lexa, Michelle had discovered, was a big fan of turtlenecks and designer jeans, they being her most common form of attire, though the woman did also sometimes wear very colorful tank-tops and jean-shorts. Lexa today was wearing a pinkish-red turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up to near her elbows, white jeans on her legs that stopped to show plenty of ankle, including her four inch pale indigo pumps. Michelle had decided to emulate her employer, wearing a black turtleneck and tan Capri pants, wearing purple Sketchers on her feet.

            “Sorry about that,” offered Michelle, softly touching Lexa's shoulder before positioning herself back where she'd been standing and then reversing her hourglass out of sight.

            “... And I saw this interesting report on GNA the other day,” continued Lexa from where she'd left off, unaware that time had even stopped. “You ever notice how there seems to be more and more beautiful women around all over the world, and more and more women in particular coming out of the closet?”

            “I suppose,” shrugged Michelle, well aware that she herself was having sexual identity issues, though not really sure if she knew anyone else who was gay or bisexual, save Sandy of course.

            “Well they can't get an accurate census on this, but they're suggesting that the ratio of men to women on the planet is actually starting to change from 50-50 to something like 55-45, maybe even higher!” revealed Lexa, grinning. “Can you imagine?”

            “Might just be filler,” shrugged Michelle, nonetheless chuckling at the thought.

            “Oh I should say again that I really appreciate you coming in, even if its slow right now,” offered Lexa, changing topics. “I know we're still kind of working out when you'll work, but I'm not about to pull back on my promise to let you set your own hours... It's the least I can do, really.”

            “Well, honestly, by tomorrow I might have a better idea of how my schedule is going to be; plus when exams are over soon I'll be open more,” replied Michelle, smiling. The boutique job was genuinely a fairly rewarding one for Michelle, being better paying than some past jobs she'd held and Lexa's offer of schedule flexibility a extra boon. Most of the customers weren't a giant pain either, though Michelle did tend to resent a lot of them for being silver-spoon types or Los Angeles neo-riche elites.

            “Maybe I could email you some dates and times I'd really like someone else around and if you can do any of them, you'll let me know?” asked Lexa, speaking cautiously as Michelle figured she wasn't trying to offend or pressure her.

            “I could give it a shot yeah; I just need a few days like I said,” nodded Michelle, alluding to the fact that in a few short hours she might finally achieve her dream of being head cheerleader. Michelle was actually eager to surprise Lexa with the news though, so she was keeping it to herself.

            “Okay, maybe when I know I can start looking into actually getting some more staff,” mused Lexa, sighing slightly. “After the two incidents I couldn't afford, at least from the business finances, to really hire anyone on a fixed schedule. I mean, I did have enough to hire more clerks out of pocket, but that's not my goal here... Still, we're bouncing back now, we have enough loyal customers... And there's one now.”

            Entering the shop was a gorgeous blonde and an attractive Latina-looking woman, both of whom Michelle recognized due to their shopping at Balfour before. The blonde was Erika Stone, the billionaire wearing a white mini-skirt, pink spaghetti-strap top, a black leather purse and matching two inch-high heels; her hair was in a ponytail and a large pair of sunglasses were lifted up onto her forehead. Michelle had also met Erika outside of work, Sandy once taking she and Pam to her penthouse so they could get more Type-7, but it was at the boutique that they'd actually interacted. With Erika was Adora Morales, her personal assistant; at first Michelle hadn't met Adora when she had Erika, but over the last couple of weeks she'd seen her at the boutique a bit more often, mainly with her boss. Adora was dressed similarly to Chetana’s mannequin, wearing the exact same shirt but a tan-green pencil-skirt and pantyhose on her legs with a nice pair of brown kitten shoes; black and brown horn-rimmed glasses framed her green eyes. Adora's hair was in a half up-do, her curly hair still reaching down past her shoulders. Adora wasn't carrying a purse but was holding a CyPad under her arm. “Lexa, darling!” called out Erika after lifting up her sunglasses.

            “Erika!” replied Lexa with a courteous smile, stepping out from behind the counter to go and greet her customer. Michelle knew that Lexa and Erika weren't formally friends but did get along great; it was just neither had ever invited the other to a social event. Michelle eyed Adora but tried not to stare, lest the secretary catch her gaze, having recently discovered she had a bit of a fetish for women wearing glasses, specifically the act of pulling them off of them herself.

            “I like that one's hat,” remarked Erika, indicating the posed figure of Sunny, while Michelle casually started to dust the counter to look busy as she listened. Sunny was placed on the right hand side of the boutique from Michelle's position, capping off a row of otherwise plastic mannequins, while Katrina and Rachel were posed on a center platform of the boutique.

            “Isn't it great?” chuckled Lexa, while Michelle then managed to adjust her attention mentally to tune the pair out, continuing to dust while trying not to glance at Adora, who seemed focused on orbiting her employer. Fortunately Michelle didn't have to wait long for an occasion to keep her busy as someone else walked in.

            “Hello!” greeted Michelle, moving to welcome a new customer who had just entered. The woman was a blonde of about average height, possessing a chignon bun of blonde hair and nice blue eyes, her skin an even tan. The blonde looked around thirty and was wearing a somewhat low-cut black blouse that wasn't tucked into her fairly generic jeans, simple black running shoes on her feet and no purse, just a bulge in her pockets indicating her wallet and phone.

            “Um, hi, I'm Lena,” offered the blonde, clearly a bit socially awkward, at the very least unused to being in a boutique. “A friend of mine suggested I come by and check out some of your stuff...”

            “Well I assure you you won't regret it; I'm sure we can find something you'll love here,” Michelle persuaded Lena, indicating the boutique and guiding her towards the center stand where in total of eight mannequins were on display. “What are you looking for exactly? Casual? Professional? Something a bit fancier?”

            “I was thinking professional actually,” nodded Lena, looking to relax a bit as she studied a couple of mannequins in the display, one of them being Katrina.

            “What kind of work do you do?” asked Michelle, trying to figure out what kind of attire Lena might need.

            “I'm self-employed; a graphic designer,” revealed Lena, focusing on Katrina. “Still, while I'm doing okay I'd love to get at least one really nice business dress I can wear to more formal meetings with clients... Something like what this one is wearing, only maybe a bit more traditional in the colors.”

            “I think we can find something like that for you,” smiled Michelle, starting to feel really good, as she was confident she'd make a sale before she had to leave. Michelle's good feelings instantly dissipated a moment later however when she noticed two other young women had walked in while she'd been helping Lena and were now only a short distance away. Her lack of alertness was soon going to be punished.

            Kelli McAdams was looking up at the motionless figure of Rachel Xanders, her mouth open and her eyes wide. The blonde, dressed for cheerleading since their meeting was not two hours from now, for once seemed to put things together quickly, realizing what it meant with Rachel up on the stand, apparently now a mannequin. Worse still, Kelli wasn't alone. One of Rachel's friends outside of the squad, Casey Jackson, was focusing squarely on Michelle, even raising her hand as if to point. Michelle immediately knew the situation was dire and she needed to stop time; fortunately she'd pocketed her hourglass after using it earlier.

            “Have you got it in—” began Lena, freezing in mid-sentence as time froze along with her. Lena stood with crossed arms, her head leaning slightly to the right, lips parted and eyes caught mid-blink. Not far away Lexa stood with her left arm around Erika's shoulder, her right gesturing up at the Sunny mannequin and a big bright smile on her face. Adora, her CyPad hugging her left arm, was actually glancing over at Michelle herself, a blank look on her face. Michelle couldn't see Erika clearly but her left hand was on her hip and her right was held to her chin, caught apparently while thinking, as mimed by her stance.

            “Sorry, today isn't your day,” Michelle muttered at Lena as she walked past the motionless customer, focusing on Kelli and Casey. Kelli's hair was resting just past the base of her neck, perfectly straight and parted down the middle, a brown purse was held against her right shoulder while her left index finger pointed up at Rachel with that elbow bent at roughly one-hundred and twenty degrees. The clueless blonde's mouth was hanging open more than a little, enough to eat a curled chip but not wide by any means. Casey, who was wearing a navy-blue pleated skirt with a low-cut short-sleeved white T-shirt and her hair up in a high ponytail, a DSC orange and red satchel bag around her right shoulder, had had her left hand half-raised towards where Michelle had been standing. Casey's mouth was hanging open a bit wider than Kelli's and her long brown hair was collected all over her right shoulder.

            “I cannot believe I didn't think this would happen... But then again while I told people I worked here, I've never seen another cheerleader come by... until today,” grumbled Michelle to herself, realizing just what the scene meant. Kelli should have been, Michelle would have assumed, dumb enough to not believe the mannequin on display was actually Rachel, but with Casey present Michelle didn't see how she could spin it. Not only was Casey a friend of Rachel's but the few times Michelle had met her she'd seemed fairly intelligent, so the only way to cover up her own mistake was to permanently freeze the both of them.

            “I really didn't want to do this to anyone else for a while,” sighed Michelle, heading back towards the counter. Digging into the purse she'd brought to work, which was behind the counter in a not very secure but hard to spot location, Michelle pulled out a bottle of Type-7 that easily contained enough of the drug to freeze everyone in the boutique for at least three days each; more than enough time for Michelle to get a fresh supply and then permanently deal with Casey and Kelli. Michelle also found three of her unused chips, the same ones she'd used earlier on Sunny, Rachel and Zella. Better equipped, Michelle carefully put her hourglass down on the counter, noting she easily had an hour and a half, and headed out to do her work.

            Lena only got a small dose; Michelle was unsure of what to do with her yet, but Kelli and Casey both got a full amount as well as chips on the backs of their necks. Upon arriving at the trio standing by Sunny, Michelle noted she'd have to be meticulous, given she only had one chip left. Erika, Michelle noted, had a big smile on her lips but Michelle's plans for her didn't call for a chip, and since she didn't want to chip Lexa because they'd become actual friends, Michelle focused on Adora, sliding her hand up under the woman's curly hair and placing the device where it belonged. Michelle felt herself getting slightly aroused as she did the act and decided to hurry, turning away from Adora to give both Lexa and Erika doses of Type-7; Lexa’s only enough for two hours while Erika would get enough to keep her frozen for up to three days. Michelle wasn't sure if she could get away with freezing Erika Stone for that long, but Michelle's grudge against the wealthy spoiled types really centered on the billionaire, and she was definitely in the mood to make more mannequins.

            After turning the shop window sign around to say 'closed' and locking the front door, Michelle got to work first on those that weren't wearing chips, starting with Lena. After checking her identification to reveal that Lena's full name was Lena Jameson, which was just simple curiosity for Michelle at that point, the blonde was dragged into the back of the boutique, past the curtain and into the storage area where at least twenty more mannequins that Lexa wasn't using at the moment were waiting. Michelle placed Lena at the back of the crowd, leaving her pose as it was for the moment.

            Lexa was Michelle's next subject; she pulled the blonde’s arm away from Erika with such force that Erika fell backwards, landing woodenly on her back. Michelle ignored the incident for the moment and began to drag Lexa into the back room, eventually leaving her just on the other side of the curtain, right at the front of her row of mannequins. “I'm really sorry about this,” whispered Michelle, giving Lexa a hug and even reposing her so she was returning the hug before leaving.

            Erika was lying on the floor like a discarded doll and Michelle focused in on her, ignoring her mild lust for Adora for the moment. “You abuse your wealth and power every day; well, now I get to abuse you,” taunted Michelle, grinning a satisfied grin as she began to strip herself naked, hanging her clothes either on Sunny or another nearby mannequin that wasn't actually human. Michelle, once in the buff, stood Erika up, hanging her designer handbag around Sunny's neck and got to work removing her clothes, the huge sunglasses going over Sunny's eyes before Erika’s hair was let down from a ponytail and the top came off. Soon enough the billionaire heiress was standing naked, her skirt and thong pooled around her ankles. Michelle casually pushed her over again, getting on top after.

            “Money can't buy this,” laughed Michelle as she started to kiss and grope Erika, soon using the blonde billionaire for stimulation. Michelle ended up actually crawling up Erika and opening her mouth so her tongue was extended, then using that to excite her womanhood and minutes later, allowed her to climax, though this she did on the floor rather than in Erika's mouth.

            “Ha... Amazing,” gasped Michelle, rolling off the frozen woman, giggling to herself as she lay on the white linoleum floor gazing up at the red plaid walls. After catching her breath for a couple of minutes, Michelle quickly started cleaning up, wanting to conserve some sand in the hourglass in case she needed it. Clothing herself was Michelle's first priority, then dressing Erika, whom Michelle then carried into the back and stood next to Lena, posing the billionaire back into her thinking pose but with her hair down and her sunglasses left on Sunny, while Michelle had for the moment hung her purse on Lexa. Cleaning the floor was Michelle's next task; she decided to be considerate to others since she actually liked her workplace, and used some cleaning sprays as well as a paper towel to clean up. Finally with all that done, Michelle just needed to deal with the three chipped people, but that she could do with time unfrozen.

            “Back we go,” declared Michelle, inverting her hourglass after returning to the counter. Sounds from outside returned but the trio still within Michelle's line of sight remained frozen, the chips taking over. “Kelli, Casey, go into the back of the boutique and immediately freeze there” ordered Michelle, then watching in delight as the chipped pair did as commanded, never getting tired of the thrill of controlling people with her voice alone. “Adora, come stand next to me in that exact same pose.”

            Adora complied with Michelle's command, moving behind the counter and stood right next to Michelle, her CyPad still held as before. The Korean-American removed the device from the Latina’s grip, placing it gently on the counter before focusing on the green-eyed beauty's face. Michelle reached up and quietly slid off Adora's glasses, placing them on the counter with the CyPad after doing so. “Oh I so want you right now!” exclaimed Michelle, planting a big kiss on Adora's lips, working her tongue with that of the secretary's.

            “Okay, follow me,” grinned Michelle, then heading into the back, with Adora silently following behind. Going past Kelli and Casey, who were frozen in mid-step due to Michelle having been vague on telling them where to freeze, Michelle led Adora into Lexa's office, its desk fairly bare since the owner used a laptop rather than a desktop for most of her computer work.

            “You're going to have sex with me on top of that desk, and you're going to be into it,” declared Michelle, watching Adora suddenly spring to life and practically press Michelle against the desk.

            “Lie back and lets take some dictation,” whispered Adora, proceeding to kiss Michelle quite passionately. The pair crawled up onto the desk, a cup of pens and pencils falling off of the top and hitting the floor. Michelle paid the fallen items no heed as Adora, as it turned out, was quite the aggressive lover, stripping Michelle’s clothes for her and doing a good portion of the foreplay. Soon the pair were naked and wrapped in the sixty-nine position on top of the desk. Michelle was hardly aware that she'd only just gone at it with Erika a few minutes ago and was also ignoring her experiences from the night before.

            “Oh... I don't think I want to let you go,” gasped Michelle several minutes later, spooning with Adora, who was affectionately stroking Michelle's stomach, apparently considering after-sex cuddling a part of the order she'd been given earlier. “Maybe I could keep Erika frozen... Still, I think my priority before I leave should be to get Kelli and Casey into some new outfits and in place on the floor... But before that...” Michelle grinned to herself, leaning over and kissing Adora on the forehead.

* * *

 The Raptor's Nest, Decker State College

Two Hours Later

            “Okay, I think we all know why today's meeting is going to be a bit different than originally planned,” announced Michelle to the room, standing in front of eight other girls. “Rachel has left DSC, and as a result, the squad.” Michelle had changed clothes yet again and was now wearing her cheerleading uniform, her hair in a ponytail. Brianne Walsh, Julie Vaughn, Pamela Flipspatrick, Carmen Inglewood, Missy Pine, Anne Noah, Rita Hemp, and Stephanie Kinloch were all present; the only absentees being the trio Michelle had frozen and left at the Balfour Boutique in the past twenty-four hours. Rita and Brianne weren't in uniform; the original meeting notice had requested formal, but those who'd gotten the details from Rachel prior to the event were aware that uniforms weren't required so it seemed that two went without, simply wearing jeans and T-shirts.

            “Should we be starting without Zella and Kelli?” asked Anne, speaking up. The eight girls were sitting were on two couches and a pair of chairs, facing a blank wall at the moment since the white board they sometimes had was still in a corner of the room, currently not being used.

            “Kelli sent me a text; she’s had a family emergency so she's not coming,” revealed Pamela, referring to a false text Michelle had made the chipped Kelli send earlier before she returned to the college from the boutique. Pam and Kelli were roommates though, so eventually Pam would notice Kelli was missing for a long period with no communication.  That was something Michelle knew she'd have to deal with her fellow Scooby Gang member about.

            “Zella for some reason had to fly home, but she did finish her exams yesterday so maybe her family demanded she jump on the next flight home rather than staying for the summer as planned,” added Julie, Michelle noted that Julie seemed slightly suspicious, but figured it was more directed at Zella currently.

            “Right, so you might as well keep going Michelle,” concluded Stephanie, who nodded at the squad co-captain.

            “So... with Rachel gone we should probably figure out a new captain, since while the year is pretty much over there is at least one charity tournament we'll be expected to show up at with the Lady Raptors,” continued Michelle. “I figure we could run a vote, pick some-”

            “Why don't you just take over?” interrupted Missy, appearing puzzled. “I mean you were pretty much the co-captain already, even if that technically isn't a recognized position on the squad.”

            “Yeah; let’s just see if a majority wants you, and if not we can do a formal process, just this seems easier,” agreed Carmen, having effectively seconded the motion to a simple consensus if they want Michelle as captain or not.

            “I, well, okay, I wasn't expecting this, but sure,” shrugged Michelle, pretending to be humble, having in fact been certain the chain of events would unfold more or less how they had in the meeting back when she'd first plotted how to finally replace Rachel. “All in favor of... well, me, as the new captain?”

            The hands went up fast, and Michelle tried not to jump with joy as eight including her own had gone up. The only person who hadn't raised her hand, Michelle saw, was Julie, who did surprise her a bit. But then ever since the incident at the wax museum, Michelle had noticed Julie was starting to butt heads with her more. Julie did seem to shrug and nod however, as it was clear Michelle had easily won, though she didn't see fit to raise her hand in symbolic acceptance. “Well, that was quicker than I'd anticipated,” lied Michelle, giggling uncomfortably. “Well... Wow, okay. So it'll probably take me a few days to get things organized but, ah... We'll start up regular meetings and practices again next week?”

            “Sounds great!” piped up Brianne Walsh, and everyone else nodded or muttered in agreement, with smiles on everyone's face, even Julie's now.

            “Okay, well, until then, that’s all, I guess!” concluded Michelle, shocked how quickly everything had gone. Anne and Stephanie started muttering to each other and giggled, getting up and heading straight for the door. Everyone else was also quick to depart, soon the only stragglers being Julie, Pamela, and Missy.

            “Congratulations, you really deserve it!” Missy told Michelle, having taken her aside while near the door Pamela and Julie were chatting. Both girls, like Rachel, had ponytails, it being fairly common amongst the cheerleaders when they were uniform. “I mean, good for Rachel, getting herself a rich husband... She's just going to end up another Maris Hilton, well, except instead of being rich by her daddy, it'll be by her sugar-daddy...”

            “Yes, I hope she can finally control her drinking,” nodded Michelle, referring to a rumor she'd started last fall with the six newer cheerleaders about Rachel basically being a secret drunk. Rachel did drink quite a bit but rarely got to a real level of drunk, typically being more of a social drinker, but Michelle had done her part to make that seem untrue to provide an alibi.

            “Whew, hopefully,” snickered Missy, giving Michelle a Euro-style double cheek kiss before leaving, Michelle simply shaking her head.

            “Hey, meeting over already?” called a new voice. Kat Vaughn suddenly walked into the room, with Pam and Julie looking up. Kat's hair was down but she looked a bit sweaty, wearing her soccer uniform and Michelle recalled there was a posting about some kind of soccer drill that day.

            “Yeah, Michelle was made the new captain!” announced Pam, giving Michelle a quick nod.

            “Nice, I look forward to coordinating with you in the future!” offered Kat, giving Michelle a quick salute before lowering her voice, focusing on her sister. Michelle watched Pam suddenly start to walk towards the door and decided it was time for her to act, quickly moving over to the nearby supply closet, opening it, and going inside.

            Inside the closet, a half-hour before the meeting, Michelle had ordered Adora to wait, still chipped and dressed back in the same clothes she'd been wearing before, right down to the glasses. Putting a hand on the Latina's shoulder to shield her, Michelle grabbed her hourglass, which was sitting on a supply shelf next to a box of paper, and inverted it, stopping time. “Give me a kiss, for luck,” Michelle whispered to Adora, who responded by giving Michelle a quick peck on the lips. “Nice.” Taking Adora's hand, Michelle opened the closet door.

            Julie and Kat stood frozen in mid-conversation, Julie's hands were behind her head and she was glancing to her right with a sort of bemused look on her face while Kat stood with her right hand on her hip, her left hand running through the top of her hair, her mouth open and apparently caught mid-word. Just outside of the open entrance to the room Michelle saw Pam, who was frozen with her left foot forward and her brown purse slung over her right shoulder, her phone in her left hand while she was looking down at it, apparently trying to send a text. “Adora, grab the two blondes over there and drag them into the closet,” ordered Michelle, indicating Kat and Julie. The only real way Michelle's cunning plan had gone off the rails for the meeting was that one person present hadn't voted for her; so now she was going to make Julie, and by extension Kat, pay for that deed. Michelle headed for the exit while Adora went to work, walking over to the frozen twins.

            “Come find me when you're finished,” added Michelle, stepping out of the room to look at Pamela. Michelle didn't consider Kelli a big loss, given that Kelli was usually incredibly clueless and still had a bit of a baby-like voice. Pam was another matter. Michelle respected Pam to a degree, as while her parents were wealthy they were also both women, and Michelle couldn't imagine being raised by lesbians, prior to the more progressive age they lived in now, being all that easy. Michelle also though Pam had decent intuitions and might have actually become a valuable co-captain now that she was in charge of the squad. The only other redhead, Carmen, also was a bit less interesting to her since she associated with a student named Adam Weeks that she had less than no respect for.

            “A shame your roommate had to stumble in to my little secret, though maybe I shouldn't keep hiding everyone there at the boutique...” mused Michelle, carefully pulling the phone out of Pam's stiff grasp. Glancing at it, she saw the redhead had been trying to send a text to Kelli. Michelle slid the phone into Pam's purse and pulled it off her shoulder, slinging it over her own neck instead. Putting her hands on Pam's shoulders, Michelle gently tipped the redhead backwards, sitting down at the same time so she ended up in her lap. Michelle could feel her eyes starting to water a bit as she began to stroke Pam's head, letting her ponytail down.

            Adora's arrival a minute later shook Michelle out of her little stupor, prompting her to wipe away a single tear that had escaped. “Take this girl to my car and wait for me there,” ordered Michelle. Adora did know where Michelle's car was, thanks to arriving in it earlier, so the Latina obeyed the command, roughly taking Pamela from her master's hands and beginning to awkwardly drag her downstairs.

            After slowly standing up, Michelle headed back into the Raptor's Nest, entering the supply closet where Julie and Kat now stood. Focusing on Julie, Michelle instinctively slapped the blonde across the face before taking Pam's purse and digging inside, finding the redhead's own stash of Type-7. Opening Julie's mouth, Michelle carefully poured in enough of the freezing drug from Pam's bottle to leave her frozen for a few hours at most, but more than likely just two or three. Kat's mouth was already open so Michelle just needed to casually pour, then capped the bottle and returned it to Pam’s purse.

            “Now how to punish you...” Michelle wondered aloud, glancing at the unmoving twins. “I'm not big into the idea of 'twincest', but maybe a little nudity...” Cackling to herself, Michelle started stripping Julie and Kat immediately. Shorts, tops, socks, and shoes gave way to black underwear that barely hid anything on Julie and red underwear that covered her chest nice but not the crotch on Kat, those then vanishing as well.

            “Huh, Julie really does still seem more attractive, even though you're identical twins and about as equally fit,” observed Michelle, surprised as she glanced at the now-naked pair, Kat had her arms above her head while Julie's had been lowered to be resting on Michelle's shoulders. “Well, to the winner goes the kiss!” Michelle took great pleasure in slamming Julie against the closet's metal shelf as she stole a heavy kiss, then casually pushed the blonde over as she headed out of the tiny room, taking Pam's purse with her. Julie ended up bumping into Kat, and the twins ended up in a heap on the floor, naked and just waiting to be released.

* * *

Balfour Boutique, Beverly Hills

The Same Time

            “Oh!” exclaimed Lexa Balfour, blinking in surprise as she unexpectedly found herself reclined in her office chair, having apparently been napping. “Oh shoot, not again...” she mumbled, looking around the empty office. Lexa hastily got up, adjusting her turtleneck and jeans, feeling embarrassed to have once again drifted off at work, this being the third time that month. Hurrying out from her office, Lexa ran back to the storefront and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the store was still open but apparently nothing had been stolen. Lexa noted that by her watch Michelle had probably only left an hour ago at most, which meant Lexa had been more than likely asleep for less than that, though after recalling her meeting up with Erika Stone, Lexa was having a hard time remembering events past that.

            “I really need to do something about my office,” muttered Lexa to herself, shaking her head before glancing up randomly around her shop, only to notice something seemed strange. The central display, on which two of Lexa's more realistic mannequins had been standing, now held four new models, and Lexa didn't remember putting them out. Perplexed, Lexa stepped out from behind the counter to get a look at the new group of display figures.

            Glancing from left to right, the first new mannequin was a blonde who had her back to where Lexa was standing but was posed glancing over her right shoulder, her hands resting on the small of her back behind her, a cute look on her face. The blonde's short hair was very light and she modeled a leather top, sort of a short-sleeved red leather jacket, over a yellow T-shirt visible underneath. The mannequin's pants were dark blue jeans that had flame designs on the bottom, with stiletto heel boots visible under the pants. Black motorcycle gloves were even on the mannequin's hands, which Lexa though was a nice touch that helped “sell” the ensemble.

            The second mannequin was a brunette who was wearing a full-length shiny green dress that had a deep V-cut around the chest area with wide shoulder-straps that made the nice piece of eveningwear look like it was sagging, but in a good way as the effect did help flatter the mannequin's chest and cleavage. The mannequin was standing with its right hand on its hip and its left behind the head, raising her somewhat curly brown hair at the back; she held a sultry look on her face. Lexa noted the mannequin had a cute mole on her right cheek, which she thought suited it, and also enjoyed the sight of silver heels on its feet.  Good visual merchandising again, she noted.

            The third mannequin was the first stiff figure to actually make Lexa's heart skip a beat. This one was a cute-looking blonde of average height, displaying a black and white business-cut dress, similar to the purple one another mannequin was wearing down the line, and it stood posed with a purse over its right shoulder, the matching hand holding it while its left was raised as if looking to hail a taxi. The mannequin's hair was pinned up and she even looked like she was glancing at an invisible cab, but what had shocked Lexa was the fact that she recognized this mannequin as being Lena Jameson.

            “Oh my god!” exclaimed Lexa, taking a step back before even glancing at the final mannequin, whose identity only sealed the deal. Standing in a thinking pose, wearing the exact same clothing as when she'd come in, save for her purse and sunglasses, her hair restyled so it was down, was none other than Erika Stone.

            “This... Oh god, Michelle!” gasped Lexa, suddenly realizing what this all actually meant, as fantastic as that truth might be. Michelle had introduced the 'more realistic' mannequins to Lexa, and half the time when she was around, Lexa seemed to spontaneously fall ‘asleep’ at work; plus when Lexa had first met Michelle it had been after she and some of her customers had been turned into living mannequins themselves for a second time.

            “I've... I am such an idiot!” exclaimed Lexa, quickly trying to think about what to do. Lexa wasn't sure how Michelle had been able to accomplish what she had with these women, turning them into mannequins; Lexa realizing it couldn't all be as simple as that freezing drug she'd heard a bit about from Erika. Michelle had seemed to almost vanish at times, or do things faster than seemed possible, making Lexa worry if Michelle actually possessed some kind of supernatural ability. Normally Lexa would have alerted the police, then try and get all the human mannequins help, but fear of what Michelle could potentially do was overwhelming Lexa’s rationality, even making her start to hyperventilate. Walking back to the counter, Lexa took deep breaths and tried to figure out what to do without tipping off Michelle.  Otherwise she knew she could end up like those others.

            “I can't keep Erika Stone as a mannequin here in plain sight; people will notice,” muttered Lexa, still stunned that Michelle would even do such a thing. Lena couldn't stay either, as she was the daughter of Chelsea Jameson, the CEO of VIP Promotions, though Lena was less of a publically known figure. Thinking quickly, Lexa reached for her land-line portable phone and dialed Erika's apartment.

            “Hello, this is Monica Stein,” answered a voice on the other end, Lexa vaguely remembering her as being Erika Stone's old assistant before Adora Morales had gotten promoted, Monica now serving as the formal COO of Stone Travel.

            “Monica, its Lexa Balfour,” stated Lexa, glancing around to make sure no one else was coming into the shop all of a sudden. “I'm afraid Erika has gotten... Well, how to put this...”

            “Is she playing mannequin?” Monica bluntly asked, surprising Lexa a bit.

            “Yes,” confirmed Lexa with a sigh, relieved that Monica had almost seemed prepared for this kind of phone call.

            “Okay, I'll come pick her up... Is Adora with her?” replied Monica, sounding a bit bored before asking about her replacement.

            “Actually... no,” noted Lexa after scanning the boutique, realizing the assistant wasn't there.

            “She probably did it then; as a prank on the boss, or maybe some way to get herself a short vacation,” chuckled Monica. “Okay, I'll be by in an hour or so. Is it just Erika who’s frozen?”

            “Also another woman I don't think she knew, Lena Jameson; her too,” stated Lexa, sealing the fate of the others to remain as mannequins; but without knowing who they were, Lexa had no idea if she should risk Michelle's wrath by letting them go. “Pull your vehicle into the back, I'll have them ready for you.”

            “Okay, got it, on my way,” acknowledged Monica, ending the call. Lexa hung up and let out a breath, shaking a bit. Lexa hated that she didn't mention the others, but she didn't have enough information to stick her neck out for them. Breathing hard, Lexa turned back to the display and slowly headed over to the display platform, then climbing up and putting her hands on Erika's hips.

            “You do actually look like you belong up here, but I'm not going to allow that,” commented Lexa, hooking her arms under Erika's.

            “Hello?” came a sudden voice, causing Lexa to suddenly teeter and topple, landing on her back with Erika on top, though thankfully no other mannequins were knocked over. Glancing up, Lexa saw a blonde with an up-do and blue eyes standing nearby. The woman looked just over thirty, and she was dressed in a gray business dress with full heels.

            “I'm sorry!” exclaimed the new arrival, moving over to Lexa and looking a bit embarrassed as the shop owner detecting a British accent. “I didn't mean to startle you... Do you need a hand?”

            “No, I'm fine,” managed Lexa, sliding out from under Erika and carefully laying the frozen billionaire down, trying not to give away that this mannequin was human to the new customer. “What can I do for you?”

            “My name’s Leandra; I work at the same law firm as Kylie McBride. She recommended this place,” explained the new arrival, also a lawyer by the sound of things. “I must say, these are very realistic mannequins... That one looks almost like Erika Stone!”

            “Yes, it’s amazing what you can find at specialty fixture warehouses these days...” Lexa chuckled, trying not to sound too nervous.

            “Could I try on the outfit that one is wearing?” asked Leandra, indicating the fallen Erika. “I could use some new casual wear...”

            “I might be able to take it in the back and remove it for you to try on...” shrugged Lexa, trying not to go red in the face at the idea. As far as Lexa was concerned, Monica couldn't arrive soon enough.

* * *

Head of Mathematics Residence, DSC

An Hour Later

            Michelle had left Pam at her apartment for the day, planning to take her to the boutique tomorrow. Adora had also been frozen there; Michelle wanted some time away from her victims to think. Eventually Michelle had remembered about Sandy and the professor they'd been investigating so she'd made her way back to Piper Cross's residence, slipping in through the back. It was getting towards evening but nothing had changed in the house; the trio Michelle had left were still as frozen as before.

            “Oh dear, you're quite the mess,” remarked Michelle, reaching down and pulling up Tiffany Cross, whose outfit was soaked in tea. Placing the brunette on her shoulder, Michelle carried Tiffany into the downstairs bathroom, dropping her in the bathtub. Michelle was still in her cheerleader uniform but had her purse and pulled out more Type-7, letting it drip into Tiffany's throat before closing her mouth and starting the bath, leaving Tiffany still fully clothed but with her arms hanging over the sides of the tub.

            “Soak it up!” called Michelle, leaving the bathroom and returning to the couch area, ignoring Sandy and focusing on Piper. Piper was wearing glasses, which was Michelle's fetish, and the Korean-American had some tension to relieve after having to freeze someone she actually liked. The coffee table in the room was made of very thick wood and there was only a teapot sitting on it, so Michelle quickly moved it away and placed Piper on top of the table. Her hair was let down and the glasses came off, spurring Michelle to start stripping Piper, aggressively tearing off her clothes; the more grandmother-style white bra and panties following right after. Piper ended up in the buff on her back on top of the coffee table, her arms and legs hanging off the sides and a now-warped smile on her lips, thanks to some passionate kissing on Michelle's part.

            “They are very firm,” noted Michelle, feeling Piper's bare white breasts, which had nipples more of a rose or salmon than any other color, but as the cheerleader looked at the alabaster professor she felt her eyes drifting elsewhere. Sandy still lay on the couch, a smile on her face as she gazed blankly up at where Michelle had been that morning, arms frozen as if grasping her. Guilt filled Michelle's heart and she moved off from on top of Piper, but not before pouring more Type-7 down her throat.

            “I'm sorry,” whispered Michelle, standing over Sandy and gently stroking her hair. Feeling her heart flutter, Michelle quickly put Sandy over her shoulder and hurried through the house, accidentally kicking over the teapot she'd carefully moved earlier as she did.

            Racing up the stairs, Michelle soon found Piper's bedroom, which was bland and dull, having white walls, a brown desk with a white computer on it, beige carpets, and a beige-covered queen bed. The dresser and drawers were all a boring generic tan wood color. Ignoring the drab room, Michelle flopped Sandy down into the bed, pulling some Type-7 counter-agent from her purse before dropping it away. Michelle moved back into position in between Sandy's arms and filled her own mouth with the counter-agent, then leaned in and kissed Sandy, letting the liquid be passed on.

            “Mm...” moaned Sandy moments later, springing to life. Michelle's body was feeling extremely warm and even though Sandy had been frozen for hours, Michelle could feel the same sensations coming from Sandy. Their clothes were off in a heartbeat, with Sandy's jumpsuit and Michelle's underwear getting torn, and soon enough the pair had gone from sort-of rivals within the Scooby Gang to lovers, taking great pleasure in each giving each other a powerful orgasm with their hands. Michelle was surprised she still had anything left.

            It was a good twenty minutes before Michelle and Sandy collapsed together in bed, Sandy nestling on Michelle's right, her warm breath running against the Korean's neck. “I can see by he light outside that I was frozen for a while,” whispered Sandy. “I guess you needed a little longer to figure things out... But I'm glad you went with this.”

            “I'm sorry, I just, when we first met, I didn't think it was even possible for me to love you,” confessed Michelle, her right hand squeezing Sandy's own, which had been laying across Michelle's chest. “I know now that I do. I love you.”

            “I love you too,” giggled Sandy, giving Michelle a kiss on the cheek. “I'm not going to lie, I didn't see this coming either. But you're so smart, so clever... and underneath it all you do care, and I love that one of the things you care about is me.”

            “You challenge me every time, and it makes me want to be better,” Michelle almost laughed, breathing sighs of happiness. “I... I need to tell you a few things... I think one reason I ran from this was my fear about how you'd react... But, I can't live with myself not telling you.”

            “Tell me what?” asked Sandy, crawling up on Michelle's chest, then frowning and glancing to her right. “Hey, is that water I hear running...?”

* * *

Head of Business Office, DSC

The Same Time

            Sandra wanted to go home, but she was waiting for a call that would change her life, so relaxing back at her house could wait. Sandra sat at her desk, anxiously twirling a lock of her hair as she played chess online on her computer, having run out of work to do an hour ago.

            “Still no call?” asked a voice, Sandra looking up to see her assistant, Brie Lawson, had entered the office. Brie was young and British, having been born in London and possessed a business degree from Stanford. Brie was now working for Sandra in hopes of getting a degree in education and thus potentially be qualified to teach down the line. Brie was around average height and had very short blonde hair; at the moment she was carrying a cup of tea.

            “They said soon, so I'm waiting; their soon is not the same soon as my soon,” sighed Sandra, watching as Brie placed the cup of what turned out to be orange pekoe on a coaster that was sitting on Sandra's desk. “Thank you, Brie.”

            “Not at all professor, I just hope-” began Brie, only to suddenly be cut off by the phone ringing. “Go on, answer.”

            Giving Brie a smile, Sandra reached down and picked up her phone, putting it to her ear. “Hello, this is Doctor Sandra Packlin,” greeted the professor.

            “Hello Doctor Packlin, this is Marla Tong calling from the city records department in New York,” came a voice at the other end of the phone. “Sorry it took so long for someone to call you back; the medical records for your daughter ended up with us after the couple that adopted your child moved here. That is why Cambridge required extra time.”

            “So my daughter's in New York?” asked Sandra, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Brie had silently sat down on the couch in the office, quietly putting her hands to her lips.

            “Not anymore, the adoptive family moved again when she was ten; they actually live out near you,” continued the records keeper. “Funny, it seems your daughter was adopted by Hugh and Lucy Xanders, being given the name Rachel...”

            Sandra immediately hung up the phone, not caring if it was rude. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and she gasped, both in shock and joy. “I don't believe this...!” gasped Sandra, feeling her eyes water. Brie quietly stood up and walked over to Sandra, putting a hand on her arm.

            “What is it?” questioned Brie, squeezing Sandra's arm and offering a soft smile.

            “Rachel Xanders, the captain of our cheerleaders, is actually my daughter!” exclaimed Sandra, wanting to cackle with joy, only to then see Brie frown. “What is it?”

            “Oh, my.  Gossip around the office today was that Rachel Xanders just dropped out of school to marry a record producer from New York,” revealed Brie. “But... maybe it isn't...”

            “I know exactly who to ask!” insisted Sandra, bursting upright and grabbing her phone, dialing fast and hard. The phone rang and rang, but her heart sank when no one answered. “Where are you, Pamela?”

* * *

Balfour Boutique, Beverly Hills

The Next Morning

            “Come on in, quickly,” whispered Michelle, holding the back entrance to the boutique open. Sandy smiled and gave her lover a quick kiss on the cheek as she entered the storage area. Adora followed them both, with Pamela slung over her shoulder. Sandy had spent a few hours talking with Michelle after they'd stopped the running water in Piper Cross's bathroom and decided to just go, leaving the place in the state it was in. Sandy had spent the night at Michelle's apartment, learning about Adora, Pamela and the rest, including her mother. Sandy, after many minutes of disbelief, was actually okay with everything, intrigued that her lover had such a devilish streak inside of her. Sandy was currently wearing Michelle's cheerleader outfit, having decided to try it on that morning, and had her hair up in a bun. Michelle was dressed in a white blouse and jeans; her shirt was not tucked in, and her hair flowed down and loose. Adora was, according to Michelle, dressed the same as yesterday, save her hair having been let down entirely, since Michelle did not have any clothing for someone her height. Pamela was still wearing her cheerleader outfit and rested stiffly on Adora's shoulder with her arms up as if pushing something, the arms were directed away from Adora and the redhead's face showing slight surprise.

            “So this is the back area,” nodded Sandy, surveying the workroom. There was office space, some packing cartons, but aside from those there was just a large number of stored mannequins and a dividing curtain leading into the actual store.

            “Yes, and this,” confirmed Michelle, stepping in front of Sandy and pulling an object out of her black purse, “Is the Durga Hourglass.” Sandy grinned as she looked at the small hourglass, having heard much about its powers the previous night.

            “So, with the grains all on one side that means if you stop time, you've got about two hours?” asked Sandy, trying to confirm if she understood how the magical object worked.

            “Yes, and anything or anyone I'm touching when I flip it won't freeze,” confirmed Michelle, flashing a smile of her own as she held out her left hand. Still grinning, Sandy took Michelle's hand with her right, sticking her left into her purse.

            “Adora, put Pam down,” ordered Michelle as she inverted the hourglass in her hand, then reached down to place it on the floor. Adora obeyed the command, bending over to put Pam upright on her feet, but as the Latina let go of Pamela and started to stand back up she suddenly froze, Sandy also noticing that all sound had vanished. Down on the floor the hourglass was inverted, the sands of time falling.

            “And it has to be put on a level surface to start working?” Sandy asked next, still holding Michelle's hand while glancing down at the magic item.

            “As soon as it’s level and let go of, it activates,” confirmed Michelle. “That's why time doesn't immediately stop when it is first inverted. Pretty str—” Michelle was suddenly cut off as Sandy sprang into action, pulling her spray bottle from her purse and blasting her lover full in the face. The Type-7 immediately turned the cheerleader into another human statue.

            “Too easy!” cackled Sandy, letting go of Michelle's hand and watching as her lover wobbled backwards, her left hand extended while her right had ended up on her hip, her mouth open since she'd been caught mid-sentence.

            “Oh I have dreamed of having my own frozen playground ever since I first met Erika!” exclaimed Sandy, literally starting to jump with joy as she hopped around the still figures of Adora and Pamela. “I can stop time! I can stop time! Whee!” Pulling Pam away from Adora, who remained bent over with her arms out, having just let go of Pam's legs, Sandy began to dance, dragging Pamela's legs across the ground as she did before casually dropping the redhead to the floor, as her arms remained outstretched.

            “Okay, I should focus. I do only have a couple of hours, and there's quite a bit I need to do before I can really start to abuse this puppy,” Sandy reminded herself, focusing on Adora. “Chipping is fun... But I've got something new I'm itching to try. Still, a hot Latina with green eyes and sexy glasses? Blondes might be my thing, but I'm not ignoring you, my lovely.” Moving behind the taller woman, Sandy dragged Adora on her heels, bringing her into the office area where Sandy saw a laptop was set up and turned on, though also frozen in time at the moment. Three chairs were in the room, so after placing Adora in the one behind the desk, Sandy moved the other two chairs behind it, then put down her purse and pulled out a thumb drive and some duct tape. Adora was straightened up and quickly bound to the chair; Sandy deciding not to bother with covering the woman’s mouth.

            “That's one, and of course my sweet gullible Michelle, you can be number two,” announced Sandy as she left the office and quickly stood Michelle back up, giving her lover a big kiss. “It is a bit of a shame since I really do care about you a lot... Though love might be too strong of a word. Manipulating you was fun though... I knew if anyone in our stupid gang could get their hands on something awesome it would be you. And now, I'll reward you...” Sandy giggled with glee as she dragged Michelle into the office, putting her on Adora's right and repeating the process she'd done with the Latina, making sure Michelle was nice and tightly bound.

            “Now who’s for number three...” wondered Sandy out loud, walking back into the storage area and eying Pamela. “No... I want a blonde, dammit. I didn't spend years hanging out with them because having the same hair color as me was a great conversation starter...” Remembering time was frozen, Sandy glanced at the curtain leading to the boutique and clapped her hands together before skipping towards it.

            “Hello; babe station!” exclaimed Sandy, bursting into the boutique. A quick glance showed four human mannequins on the middle island, one of them being her mother Katrina, with another two in the windows and one on the right side of the boutique. Lexa Balfour, the boutique owner, was present and time-stopped as well, wearing a teal turtleneck and black jeans with her hair behind her ears. Standing with Lexa, frozen in conversation with her arms raised and gesturing widely, was a stunning redhead with green eyes who Sandy recognized as celebrity dancer Ginger Cladwell, having seen her in some of her favorite magazines already. Ginger had her coppery hair in a low ponytail and was dressed in a pink and black striped sundress decorated with sequins; Sandy was unsure if she found it gaudy or actually striking. Standing near the door, clearly about to head out of it, was a blonde who looked like she was in her mid-thirties, her hair let down and wearing a black and white T-shirt with stone-washed jeans, light brown sandals were on her feet and a brown purse hung over her right shoulder while resting on her left hip.

            “Okay... Not the boutique owner; dunno if I want her, though she is cute,” commented Sandy, walking up to Lexa and Ginger, inspecting them both. “Still I do need some peace and quiet...” Sandy casually sprayed both women with Type-7, figuring enough would stick to their faces that they'd freeze when time unfroze, then followed up by quickly running her hands down Ginger's flared hips, finding them to be very nice. “Hot bod, but I really want a blonde...”

            Sandy's next stop was the lone mannequin in the corner, who was wearing a nice pair of sunglasses that Sandy quickly pulled off and slipped into the cleavage of the uniform she was wearing. “Hmm! Sunny Dakota, a B-list soccer player,” observed Sandy, possessing a familiarity mainly because Sunny had once been in similar social circles to her. “Not bad, but you're more cute than hot... I want hot if I can get it.”

            Sandy's next stop was Zella Krueger, who needed no introduction, as she was a very social coed. “Too tall... Makes a great mannequin too, I don't want to ruin that...” mused Sandy, though she gave the German a kiss before moving on. The other window mannequin, who was Indian, Sandy didn't even glance at; instead she focused on the blonde who was leaving. The woman's purse revealed her name to be Hope Rutherford but while her age appealed to Sandy, Hope struck her as looking a bit ditzy and more cute than hot, neither of which was Sandy's ideal companion. Before leaving Hope, Sandy did spray her too and feel her breasts, being impressed with them, but after that she headed for the central display platform, though not before locking the front door.

            “Sorry mom, but I'm ignoring you,” Sandy told her twice-frozen mother, giving Rachel Xanders a glance. “Eh... I mean you're hot, Rache, but... Oh nice! Kelli McAdams!” Upon spotting the ditzy blonde, who was posed very sexily in her leather street outfit, Sandy knew who she wanted, casually pushing Rachel over so she fell off the platform, right onto her face. Sandy walked Kelli off of the boutique display area before dragging her by her breasts into the back.

            Kelli was soon duct-taped to a chair of her own and everyone was in place. Retrieving the hourglass, Sandy inverted it on her way back into the office and noticed no sounds returned until she placed it down on the desk. Adora, Kelli and Michelle all remained frozen, thanks to Type-7, with Adora's chip being key. Sandy started to shake with anticipation as she plugged her thumb drive into the now-working laptop and let the program begin to run, opening her purse in the meantime and digging out a jar of powder. Red lights began to swirl on the black background of the computer monitor and soothing music began to play, an inaudible to the naked ear message speaking in cadence with the music.

            “Time to wake up... For a minute, anyhow,” laughed Sandy as she stood behind Adora, some of the powder from the jar in her hand, and removed the chip from the back of the woman's neck. Adora immediately snapped to life, glancing around.

            “What's going on, what's happening?!” exclaimed Adora as Sandy quietly dropped the powder over the Latina's head, watching lots of it get in her face. “Ah, what is that?! What's going on?!”

            “Watch the video,” suggested Sandy, stepping back to observe Adora. The brunette, amusingly, did as Sandy told and immediately stopped talking. Adora's eyes seemed to glaze over and her lips parted slightly. Sandy couldn't help but smirk as she watched Adora's head slowly slump forward, her eyes closing.

            “That was way too easy, you are not the strong-willed type are you?” Sandy commented to a now asleep Adora, gently stroking her hair. Sandy then focused on Kelli, taking her jar of special powder and getting another handful, also grabbing a needle containing Type-7 counter-agent. Kelli received a jab in the shoulder before Sandy started dropping the powder.

            “Hey, why is it snowing?” asked Kelli, looking around in curiosity. “What's with the weird light show?”

            “Watch it, you'll like it,” Sandy told the other blonde, but she remained focused on her.

            “What's going on, is this some kind of magic show?” questioned Kelli, raising an eyebrow and sounding like a clueless child.

            “It's a VIP hypnosis show,” revealed Sandy, stretching the truth. “Normally hypnosis only works if you want it to, but if you inhale a special drug... Well, good luck resisting.”

            “But I don't wanna be hypnotized!” whined Kelli, giving Sandy a sad look. “Come on, can't you be a nice and let me go? I doubt I'll remember this...”

            “No dice, and you're really just delaying the inevitable,” countered Sandy, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

            Kelli suddenly frowned and her eyebrows furrowed, showing anger. “You bitch, you do not know who you're fucking with,” hissed Kelli, her voice low and sounding a bit more intelligent than normal, which surprised Sandy. “You really think... This... can...” Kelli suddenly slumped over in her chair, her eyes closed. Sandy checked Kelli a few moments later and confirmed she was fast asleep, the second victim of the special hypnosis video she's bought online.

            “Okay, I saved the best for last,” announced Sandy, refilling her syringe with counter-agent before grabbing more powder, then standing behind Michelle. It was the same procedure while Michelle as it was for Kelli, the Korean soon moving.

            “-aight forward-Oh you bitch!” continued Michelle before showing, glancing around. “What the hell, Sandy? What is all this?! What's this stuff you just put on my face?!”

            “It's called Transmoxide, I got it from a friend in chemistry,” revealed Sandy, moving to stand on Michelle's left rather than behind her. “Well, I say friend, I mean another lover... You really didn't think you were that special, did you?”

            “You can lie all you want; you love me,” chided Michelle, shaking her head. “So what is all this? Some kind of mind control experiment? You really think this will work on me?”

            “Transmoxide overrides your sub-conscious, making you more agreeable and suggestible than normal to, for example, hypnosis,” explained Sandy, shaking her own head in turn. “It's estimated less than five percent of all people can actually resist the stuff... You think you're one of them?”

            “I just completed a game of social chess to become head of the cheerleaders that was years in the making,” stated Michelle, smiling confidently. “I pushed Rachel to take over in the first place, knowing I could eventually oust her... I may not have originally planned to turn her into a mannequin, but my plan still worked, everyone supported me... You can't crush that kind of mind.”

            “Sweetie, as soon as I learned you could stop time I've been leading you along by the nose,” confessed Sandy, her grin going wider than Michelle's, whose was suddenly fading. “Come on, my first experience was with Erika Stone, I know when people are freezing time around me... I knew since you blackmailed me for slipping Type-7 into the drinks back during that meeting two months ago. I'll admit I didn't know it was a magic hourglass... But that just makes this easier. I love you for what you gave me Michelle, nothing more.”

            “...Bull... shit...” muttered Michelle, suddenly slumping over. Sandy laughed with pleasure as Michelle's eyes closed, the Korean-American indeed not one of the few able to resist the effects of the drug she'd been given, nor the insidious voice on the recording.

            “Well, maybe not just because of your wonderful gifts,” admitted Sandy, affectionately touching Michelle's shoulder as she confirmed the cheerleader was asleep. With all three women inducted, Sandy unplugged her thumb drive, ending the music and lights but leaving the three women still firmly asleep. Transmoxide, so Sandy's secret lover had told her, would make hypnosis ridiculously easy, to the point where an expert could do it in a few seconds if the subject was ready to go. Sandy knew nothing about hypnosis, but luckily she'd found several downloadable videos for sale online that offered what she needed. Now Adora, Kelli and Michelle were all in a deep hypnotic sleep, completely open to her commands.

            “Listen carefully, all of you... When I say the command word 'freeze', you will all freeze in place, unable to think, move or talk, you will stand rigidly as if frozen in time,” declared Sandy, giving orders. “When I say the word 'unfreeze' you will come out of your frozen state, unaware of anything that happened while you were frozen. When I say 'sleep' you will be as you are now, limp, dreaming, and open to further instructions. When I say 'awaken' you will wake up from your sleep and think nothing of it. If I speak your name before these commands, only you will be affected by them.”

            Sandy continued her consistent smile, loving the feeling of power. “When you wake up, you will want to obey my every command out of a great and constant love for me. You will all be in love with me and always eager to please me, no matter what, with no feelings of jealousy. You will be fine with whatever I tell you to do, as all you'll think about is that I told you to do it, and doing it will make me very happy, so it'll make you happy. You will call me 'goddess' and, unless I tell you otherwise, be unable to keep your hands off of me.”

            Sandy felt her crotch warming up as she spoke, having moved to stand behind Adora and placing her hands on the woman's shoulders. “After I finish counting down from three to zero, you will awaken and obey the instructions you were given. Three... two... one... zero.” As Sandy spoke the final word 'zero', all three woman snapped their eyes up, their eyes open.

            “Goddess!” moaned Kelli immediately, struggling with her duct tape bonds. “Oh, I wish to have sex with you... Passionate, beautiful sex...”

            “As do I, my goddess!” added Michelle, smiling dreamily as she looked extremely aroused, though also not entirely awake.

            “Goddess, it would please me greatly if you would so much as touch me,” gasped Adora, smiling seductively as she spoke.

            “Michelle, sleep,” commanded Sandy, and watched as Michelle suddenly went slack, her eyes closed while Adora and Kelli continued to moan and gasp for Sandy.

            “Adora freeze,” ordered Sandy next, the Latina freezing in her chair, her hands raised against her bonds and a sultry teeth-y smile on her lips. With only Kelli still moving, Sandy decided to really test things and used scissors to remove her bonds.

            “Oh goddess, I love you so much!” exclaimed Kelli, putting her arms around Sandy and starting to kiss her neck.

            “Kelli, please control yourself for now, and just follow me,” requested Sandy, closing her eyes as she felt Kelli's lips massage her neck.

            “I obey,” Kelli immediately agreed, stopping what she was doing and stepping back, her hands clasped in front of her. Nodding in approval, Sandy then removed the bonds of Adora and Michelle.

            “Adora, unfreeze and stand with Kelli, controlling yourself and just following me,” commanded Sandy, and Adora quietly stood up, doing she was told.

            “I obey, goddess,” whispered Adora as she stood next to Kelli, standing at-ease.

            “Michelle, awaken and sit in the middle chair quietly, controlling yourself,” ordered Sandy, her lover proceeding to do just as was ordered, crossing her legs and arms but saying nothing after changing seats.

            “Kelli, Adora, follow me,” asked Sandy, then heading for the exit to the office. Adora and Kelli both moved to follow their new master. “Freeze!” Sandy suddenly shouted, Kelli and Adora promptly stopping in mid-step, even managing to avoid blinking or wobbling too much despite Kelli having her left foot forward and held off the ground. Michelle appeared to freeze too, but she was sitting as quietly as before.

            “Unfreeze, Michelle follow me too!” ordered Sandy, and Michelle immediately stood up while Kelli and Adora finished walking up behind their new master. “Oh awesome...” Feeling a rush, Sandy happily skipped out into the boutique's main area; where she was pleased to see everyone was frozen, even Hope by the door.

            “Oh... What a rush!” gasped Sandy, twirling and humming to herself as she moved towards where her mother still stood as a stiffened display mannequin, then climbed up onto the platform. “Freeze.” Michelle, Kelli and Adora all froze nearby, Sandy not wanting to focus on them at the moment.

            “Hey mom, it must be hard for you, being nothing but a mindless mannequin now, instead of a rich bitch who was self-serving and ignored her family,” declared Sandy, standing in front of her mother and smugly grinning, her hands on her hips. “Yeah, I know what you said about daddy being gay was true. I know we were all effectively living a lie. But dammit, you raised me like royalty, and I've had a bitch of a time trying to live like a fucking commoner. Well guess what? Now you're a human doll, dad's in jail, and me? I can stop time. I've got a supply of drugs that will make anyone who messes with me not be aware enough to remember it. I'm back on top. I was happy just being some American heiress princess, but now...?” Sandy glanced at Michelle, Adora and Kelli, three women all subject to her every word. The transmoxide, or so Sandy's lover had warned her, wouldn't wear off with time unless those exposed to it managed to overcome it, which was why it was so dangerous, as it meant any hypnosis might never wear off.

            “... Now mommy, you get to never feel the pride and joy of being the mother of the girl who is going to rule the fucking world,” announced Sandy, feeling herself simultaneously be stimulated sexually and feel a rush of power. Sandy started to laugh like a maniac, and before long what was a few simple chuckles had turned into a full-on cackle, as she knew if she was smart, everything she'd just said to her frozen mother could come true.

The End?

CAST

Michelle Gim – Park Gyuri

Sunny Dakota – Aimee Teegarden

Rachel Xanders – Amber Heard

Zella Krueger – Taylor Swift

Sandy Vanholt – Jessica Simpson

Amber Prescott – Brittany Snow

Marsha Robinson – Heather Morris

Mel Donavan – Lena Gercke

Piper Cross – Megan Mullally

Tiffany Cross – Cassidy Freeman

Sandra Packlin – Sarah Palin

Pamela Flipspatrick – Rachel Hurd-Wood

Zack Norris – Nicholas Braun

Cassidy Rivers – Jennifer Lawrence

Josie Maran – Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Tiffany Thomas – Amy Smart

Lexa Balfour – Leslie Bibb

Katrina Vanholt – Kelly Preston

Chetana Shenkar – Isha Koppikar

Erika Stone – Blake Lively

Adora Morales – Eve Torres

Lena Jameson – Maggie Lawson

Kelli McAdams – Kellie Pickler

Casey Jackson – Jaimie Alexander

Brianne Walsh – Miley Cyrus

Julie Vaughn – Katrina Bowden

Carmen Inglewood – Evan Rachel Wood

Missy Pine – Samantha Munro

Anne Noah – Ayla Kell

Rita Hemp – Shawn Johnson

Stephanie Kinloch – Cassie Scerbo

Kat Vaughn – Katrina Bowden

Shiri Appleby – Monica Stein

Leandra Locke – Georgie Thompson

Brie Lawson – Carrie Mulligan

Marla Tong – Smith Cho

Ginger Cladwell – Anna Trebunskaya

Hope Rutherford – Anna Faris