“Chelsea,” I said, grin on my face. She spun. I tossed the trap to her feet. It touched. She looked at me with a confused expression, turned her gaze down to see a mouse face caressing her flip-flop wearing, exposed, manicured feet. I made sure I had my light shined on her to see that horrified expression. Her ear-destroying scream nearly shook the building. She dropped both the wand and the gem as she ran. I laughed. Mouse-phobia confirmed. Matt five, Chelsea zero. No, I didn’t forget this count. I picked up both the wand and Demand. Freaking evil Iyan monstrosities but they could prove to be quite useful. Hey, why shouldn’t I hang onto them? It’s either hide the objects at my house or allow them to be used against me. Screw the latter. I needed to be on top for once.
Just then, Demand pulsed. This reminded me of the same feeling…the same heartbeat-like vibration from story one, when Gemini and I faced off in a red vs. blue twisted Iyan gem fight. I glanced around but the hall was empty. Oh well, guess I’d better return to the clubroom before something pops out like the movies, I thought. Hollywood is the reason that some of us are messed up in the head. But magic seems to be real. Well…Iyan magic is. What else could be out there? Demand pulsed again, snapping me out of my daze. I hurried back to the club.
Chelsea was in tears, surrounded by a glaring Gemini, Kate, and some tall guy with hair so blonde, it almost looked white.
“Just don’t do this again,” the tall boy said. “We can’t have our materials used childishly like that. You deserved the rat trap.”
“Speaking of the guy who threw it,” Brandon said as I made my way to my seat. “That was priceless.”
“Right?” I said with a laugh. Chelsea glared at Brandon with enough intensity to put the sun to shame. He lightly flinched, while grinning in defiance.
“That’s gross,” Rachael said. Gemini simply sighed.
“Boys,” Kate said as she turned to me. The tall guy walked over and held out his hand.
“I’m Chris, president of the archaeology club. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I hesitated at first, feeling slightly intimidated by Mr. Tall somewhat mini Brad Pitt. His grip almost took off my hand. When he let go, my hand pulsed with pain for about a second. “Do you mind if I hire your detective, Kate?” he said, flashing her a smile that lit up the room. For some reason, I wanted something crappy to happen to him. His voice was arrogant. To be fair, I just met the douche—I mean guy. He hadn’t done anything yet but something about his demeanor set me off. It’s official, I probably have an inferiority complex to seniors. Seniors are evil. Read any other story that involved our club president, Kate, and you’ll see what I mean.
Kate smirked. “What’s the job?”
“I actually will need two teams for this,” he continued, sounding a bit uncertain. “Team one, Matt and Chelsea. Team two, Gemini and you.” He pointed at Brandon.
“It’s Brandon.”
“Yeah. Anyway, there are two spotters, one waiting on First Street, the other on Twenty-fifth. Team one, you will obviously meet the spotter on First. Retrieve the Iyan artifact so she can go home. Team two, you—”
“I will not be on a team with this creep!” Chelsea yelled.
“Likewise,” I said. “Pair me with anyone but blondey-locks.”
“I don’t think so,” Kate said. “Teams stay as they are. There’s a pizza party on the line so don’t piss off the principal. Just get the artifact and come back.”
For the first time in a while, I had nothing to argue back with. Not that it would matter anyway, Kate would somehow get her way. Free pizza—can’t beat that. How dare they use food to cleverly win me over. Or shut me up…
“By the way, I’d like our materials back please,” Chris said, holding out his hand. I could feel Demand pulse in my pocket.
“No idea what you’re talking about bro,” I said. “I threw the rat, she dropped her stuff, and I can’t see well in the dark.”
Gemini shot me a, “really, Matt?” glare. I ignored it, reached in my pocket, and gave Demand a tap. It’s time I give it a shot for once. Of course using Iyan gems is always a guessing game but I had a good idea how to use Demand based on the way Gemini tormented me with it. I focused on Chris and imagined him speaking my next thought. Then…
“Never mind,” he said. “We got more important things to worry about. We’ll find them later.” He flinched but couldn’t take it back as everyone nodded in agreement to his words of charisma. I almost grinned. This evil little tormentor was awesome! Kind of. I didn’t want to become the next Gemini. Still… I gave Demand another tap. Kate looked at me.
“Matt, you’re the greatest we got and my hero, so do it.”
Everyone’s eyes widened. Kate’s face reddened to dangerous shades as she yelled, “dismissed for tonight!” I think she reached a top speed that matched Gemini’s best back when she was the star of the track team. I held my laugh like a soldier. Still grinned but didn’t give myself away.
Chris sighed. “The hell’s gotten into her. Never mind. Team one and team two, get the artifacts and bring them back here. My spotters are wearing Sunshade High spotter hats and t-shirts. Shouldn’t be hard to catch them. They may wait in nearby cafes but I already informed them of you earlier today.”
The nerve of this douche to plan our nights ahead of time. I almost used Demand again but decided against it for the sake of time. I’ll have more fun with it first then hide it away like Hero. Hell, maybe I should start my own Iyan collection—gather all of them gems. Who knows, maybe I’ll go Super Matt with flowing blond hair, invincibility, aura, and a theme song playing from the sky. Please tell me you got that reference….
Anyway, Chelsea and I set off first, neither of us speaking. Go figure. The awkward walk felt like it would never end. I mean we both pretty much hated each other, so no surprise there.
Just then, Chelsea broke the silence. “What’s your game? What did you do with the gem and wand?”
That question made me think. I was able to use Demand without revealing nor aiming. Maybe aiming isn’t required and Gemini did it just to install fear into me. It’s hard to tell with Gemini but I knew one thing: when hot goth club president Amy asked her to help with some Iyan magic training due to begin winter break (see story nine), Gemini bluntly lied about not having greater abilities. For some unknown reason, she didn’t want to reveal them. I think Amy caught onto the lie too—in addition to Iyan dream jumping, which I knew little about, Gemini can kick people out of said dreams. Does that sound like a weakling to you?
I shrugged away my thoughts to answer blonde the menace.
“No idea where you dropped them,” I said. Chelsea wasn’t convinced of course, not that I cared. She shot me a blank glare. In case you’re wondering how I’m stowing a wand the size of a drumstick, my pockets were deep enough to where I can simply hide the remaining two inches under my shirt. My thick collared shirt was dark, so that helped too.
“Are you kidding me?” she said with a scowl. I held back the grin.
“Your own fault for coming after me like Hitman. Next time, think twice before losing your material.”
Chelsea remained silent for the rest of the walk. When we reached first street, not a soul was around. I remembered that Chris mentioned something about a café. It didn’t take long to notice one ahead. I gestured at Chelsea to follow. “Let’s get this over with.” She rolled her eyes as we moved forward. There wasn’t a single customer in the place. It was clean with rounded tables everywhere, cool dragon decorations parading the establishment, and free Wi-Fi. Chelsea walked up to the register where the tired clerk sat, reading.
“Excuse me, have you seen a girl wearing Sunshade High spotter clothes?”
“She left about five or six minutes ago,” the woman said.
“Damn—let’s go,” I said to Chelsea. When we got outside and some yards away the cafe, I was about to suggest a sprint when someone from behind spoke.
“Out for a late night date?”
We spun to s
ee a smiling Morgan (see stories five through seven, geese) gazing at us. Chelsea looked as if she wanted to tackle Gemini’s cousin to the ground and beat the crap out of her. I made sure I stood between them. I didn’t want to be out here all night.
“Morgan,” I greeted in a business-like tone. “What brings you out in this neck of the woods?”
“Boredom,” she replied. “Took a late night stroll and retrieved this from an unsuspecting spotter.” She flashed a familiar red Iyan gemstone. Before I could react, she aimed it at Chelsea and gave it a tap. The stone shimmered. “You’re crazy in love with Matt.”
I think there was a look of horror on my face because Morgan grinned.
“Well—” she stopped, eyes wide. I grinned this time. What? Did you really think I’d let her get away while Demand pulsed in my pocket? I undid the effects on Chelsea before she could—nope, my tap didn’t work.
“Matt…I love you so much.” She threw herself at me. I kept a mental hold on the snarling Morgan (who called me names I can’t write down by the way) while attempting to keep Chelsea off me. It was quite the struggle. No joke!
“Morgan, pull Chelsea off me.”
She grimaced as she obeyed me. I laughed. “Now keep holding her.” But…Holy crap. Chelsea suddenly punched Morgan in the gut and pushed her to the ground. Uh oh, crazy love? She was on me instantly.
“Let’s make out on top of her.”
“You’ve created a monster, Morgan,” I said as I attempted to keep the blonde away from me. Morgan groaned in response. That was one hell of a blow! Love and Demand were opposites, right? Why didn’t the blue cancel out the red? Just then, Chelsea planted some kisses on my neck. I took steps away—if Gemini saw this, we’d both be dead before anything could be explained. That’s when I remembered how Love’s effect was cancelled on me, back in story five. Maybe if I could repeat that… I flashed a mean smile at Morgan. One person under another gem’s effect kissing the other. I chuckled as I dodged Chelsea, tapping Demand. “Morgan, stand.”
Her eyes widened. “Please Matt, no,” she pleaded.
“Kiss Chelsea for ten seconds,” I said and then grabbed ahold of the blonde. She struggled but couldn’t get out of my grip. “Hurry up and kiss for ten seconds.” I didn’t want anyone to see this. We were only a few yards from the café. Fortunately, the streets were dead. Then… everything changed. Chelsea somehow slipped from my grip and shoved Morgan to the ground as I fell backward. She straddled me as I felt the daze and planted a wet, passionate kiss that felt like it lasted for an eternity. I swear, my heart skipped several beats and I almost thought I would take her before she flinched and hopped up. Senses restored.
“Oh my god, oh my god, this cannot be real.” Chelsea wiped her mouth furiously. She grabbed my shirt collar. “Promise me you won’t tell anybody.”
“Of course I won’t, you dolt,” I said as I pushed her hand away and got up. We looked at Morgan. She was dazed on the ground. Then a realization dawned on me. I shared a secret like this with my most hated enemy…whom I strangely felt like I no longer hated.
“Use Demand to send her home,” Chelsea said. “We’ve got to find the spotter.”
I walked over to Morgan and snatched Love from her grasps. “Where’s the spotter?”
She didn’t respond. “Fine, I’ll use Demand to make you strip naked and run around town. Would you like that?”
“Okay,” she said quickly with a touch of fear. “I’m the spotter, filling in just for today.”
“Seriously?” Chelsea said.
“Chris and I know each other. He knows about the Iyan heritage and called me up. When he said he was sending you guys, I agreed to the job and swap that lame Sunshade high getup for some normal clothes.”
I shook my head. “Enough is enough with your games, Morgan. After the incident with Colorless, you should’ve considered the Iyan dangers and stopped.” I tapped Demand. “Go back to Gemini’s place.”
When she strode off, I turned to see Chelsea standing really close, looking at me with a gaze that I never seen before.
“What?”
“Can…I kiss you again…I kind of…liked it.”
I almost fell backward, aghast. Before I reacted, she kissed me. I pulled away.
“You know that I have a girlfriend—your best friend,” I said without the usual ice in my voice, though I tried. After all, it’s Chelsea. Hate. Hate. Hate! Right?
“I don’t care!” Chelsea snarled. “I liked you first. And it’s not like you’re married.” She stormed off. I just stood there, speechless. What. Just. Happened?
So, that’s the conclusion of this day but now I have more to add to my plate of worry. Chelsea liked me? Morgan is still causing trouble. The Black Star group is still a thing and even though I knew little about it, I still had to prepare. And maybe do a little research. Amy, Iyan objects including the gemstones, and the list goes on.
It makes me miss the explosions…
MIND CONTROL 11
A short story by Alvin Atwater
Continued directly after story 10…
Demand, Love, Kindness, and Hate. These are the four legal crests of the ancient Iyan tribe Mind Control. Hero, Seduction, Evil, and Colorless are the illegal crests, worse than their counterparts, created by a faction with a bold mission of taking out their heartless dictators. Once again, I just cannot comprehend why Gemini is so captivated by them. Sure, they have insane power—Iyan magic is like that—but they’re the source of misfortune, no matter what era. Hell, we barely got a few to the proper museums.
Gemini and I held hands as we walked to my doom. Yep you’ve read this correctly, doom. Why my doom, you ask? If you’ve read any of my past stories (at least story three), then understand the time(s) I mentioned that Gemini’s house contained a family of Iyan-obsessed whackos. This is the place, people! THE IYAN STRONGHOLD! PLEASE HELP ME! Ahem, I will calm down now. I wish I could but so many thoughts flowed through my head. Nearly all her family was there, expecting me, preparing. Her relatives were leaving in two days. So yeah, no doubt, they’re going to be quite Demanding. I had a copy of the blue lemon-sized gem last story but sadly gave it back to the archaeology club, as well as the wand. Not that I had a choice. It’s not like I can keep ahold of school property, especially when they clearly saw the items, last story.
I seem to have a knack of going into situations utterly defenseless….
“Do you want to grab a bite before heading to your place,” I said, trying to buy myself a little more time.
“For the last time, no. My mom cooked dinner,” Gemini replied. An ever-present smirk was perched on her face—she wouldn’t let me delay the inevitable. Fifty feet from the house of horrors….forty feet from the house of despair…..thirty…..twenty…..ten…..ding-dong!
“Coming!” called a feminine voice. My heartbeat went into overdrive as the door opened. We were greeted by two identical girls, our age, dressed in casual clothing. Long blonde hair, athletic bodies, hot. And deadly. My memory gauges flashed as I remembered their Double-Demand attacks. Gave me twice the headaches too. The twins. They sure grew up to be…pleasant to the eye.
“Matt, you probably remember Molly and Holly,” Gemini said. They smiled.
“Long time no see,” Molly said.
“It has,” I said.
“Yah,” Holly said. “You grew up to be a hottie.”
I don’t know if I successfully forced away my blush but I tried. Gemini’s jealously can lead to incredibly bad things. Not that I’m assuming she’d be jealous or anything.
“Come on, let’s go meet the others in the living room,” Gemini said, pulling me into the huge house. It hadn’t changed much since the last time I visited. The hall that would lead to the living room felt endless, decked with glass-framed displays of Iyan artifacts—all of them on top of pedestals. They kept their evil blue gem elsewhere. Of course, they did. After Gemini brought it back to them in story six, they’d make sure to never lose it again or let it
get blown up.
My phone suddenly vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket only to see a text from Chelsea. It read: hi. Before I had to chance to put the phone away, it vibrated again.
Chelsea: how are you?
There’s one thing I hated about myself and that was guilt. I’d feel like a total douche for ignoring an innocent text. Especially since I had no ill intentions—there’s no way Chelsea could get between Gemini and I…right? I replied to the text in a manner that I hoped invited no room for conversation.
Me: could be better.
For those of you who are lost, just read story ten, sheesh. My phone vibrated again but I decided that I didn’t come to my girlfriend’s scary household just to text another woman. And one that I still kind of hated.
Eventually, we made it to the living room, where the rest of THEM awaited. All of them, my darkest nightmares, looked at me. The aunt, Derek who was Gemini’s male equivalent back then, the parents, and of course Morgan. She turned away when I looked in her direction, slight blush on her face. Not going to lie, this was awkward. They all hungrily stared at me for a few seconds as if I were fresh meat to be fed in their lion cage. Gemini broke the silence.
“You guys remember Matt,” she said, holding my arm, pulling me into the fray…or range circles. Damn. Damn. Crap! I honestly didn’t know if I should freak out or not—they all had devious looks in their eyes, as if a sacred competition began. Maybe it was just me. Sadly, I knew I couldn’t be naïve. Morgan attacked on her first visit, so what’s to stop them? I couldn’t be stupid enough to believe I’d escape this place without fighting for my life… Or Mind.
“Long time no see,” I said in my best nonchalant, casual voice.
“Wow, you’ve grown,” Gemini’s mom said as she got up, hurried right over and hugged me. A quick whiff of her perfume reminded me of my crush on her way back when. She was still ultra-hot but I wouldn’t dare blush to piss off Mr. Too-Much-Gym Dad over there, who shook my hand with a strong grip after the mom moved. I used to think he was secretly Superman but that’s a long story for later. The evil aunt hugged, Derek came with the knuckle-tap, throwing in a wedding joke or too, and lastly, Morgan who didn’t move, glared. She didn’t quite give off a hostile vibe but she definitely showed that she remembered the other night.
Mind Control- Episodes 8-13 Page 3