Calm before the storm

When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky... and I noticed Margaret sitting next to the bed...

“Finally awake? You made me worry, there." She said.

"S-sorry…" I sheepishly replied, my head low. The dizziness fully faded, and my thoughts were way clearer. "I think I overdid it, yesterday… I used the mind sink for too long..."

"I see…" Margaret pointed at me. "You have to be careful with this ability, if it renders you in that state after a day of use."

I weakly nodded. "I know, but I really wanted Airi to enjoy most of the day..."

She smiled warmly at me, apparently glad that I was making Airi hang out with other people. "So, what did you do?"

"We went to that restaurant you like near the mall, and to the karaoke bar, afterwards."

She chuckled softly. "That's not something Airi would do, but I'm sure she enjoyed it. We'll be able to ask her tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I tilted my head.

"We're going to the castle tonight, remember? I have to leave to make the final preparations, and I'll be back during the evening. Try to rest more, meanwhile, you'll need all your energy."

"O-okay..."

Margaret left, and I decided to do as she said. I took a quick shower, ate lunch, and just watched some shows on the computer until Margaret came back. I heard the lock of the door and went dowstairs to greet her like I did last time.

"Welcome ba-" I started, but stopped when I noticed a woman behind Margaret. I put on the daughter act again. "Who is she, Mother?"

The blonde woman was wearing a tight black skirt with pantyhose, flat knee-high boots, and a tight tanktop showing a moderate amount of cleavage. Her long blonde hair was put into a high ponytail, and her brown eyes almost seemed lifeless.

Margaret had a childish smile as she gestured towards the woman. "Please say hi to your new body, and your ticket to get inside that castle!"

It took a moment for me to process what she said. "H-huh? H-how?"

Seeing my confusion, Margaret explained. "While I waited around the castle on Friday, I noticed her leaving it. I followed her to her home, to know where she lived, and went to see her today. I then politely asked her to come with me. And…" She patted the woman's head, but the woman kept the same blank expression on her face since I saw her. “Like the good girl she is, she followed me."

"I... find it hard to believe that she just followed you."

Margaret snickered. "Oh, darling, you're underestimating me…" And made a scary smile. "I just had to meddle with her mind a bit, that's all."

"W-what?"

A smile that turned into a sadistic grin like the one I saw her making on Friday when she cornered me. "Manipulating people's minds is the easiest way to get what you want. And I'm fairly good at it, as you experienced last Friday.”

S-she really can be terrifying... I thought, shivering again.

Margaret regained a serious face as she looked at me. "In any case, you can possess her now, and we'll go to that castle tonight. It should leave you enough time to get access to most of her mind."

"What about Airi?"

"I'll put her to sleep once you leave her body, so she won't wake up until tomorrow. We'll save the explanations for after we return from our trip."

I wasn't so sure about this plan, as leaving Airi's body meant her knowing what I did as her. "But, if she wakes up before we come back, she'll still remember what I did, shouldn't we explain everything now?"

"Don't worry." Margaret said dismissively. "Now, time to get acquainted with your new body." She tapped the woman on the back. "Be a good girl, and go greet your new self."

The woman walked in front of me, keeping her blank expression. It was frightening... "My name is Risa Oliver, use my body as you may see fit..."

The flat and lifeless intonation in her voice made it even more disturbing… "I-is it permanent?"

"No, it's just a simple form of mind control. It's going to fade in a few hours at most. I don't consider myself to be a good person, but I still tend to avoid making permanent changes unless it's absolutely necessary."

Margaret tried to reassure me, but I still felt uneasy. "A-alright..."

I approached Risa and kissed her, closing my eyes to avoid staring at her lifeless eyes. I opened Airi’s mouth and quickly transferred myself inside Risa, dissolving again… It had been a few days since I last switched hosts, so I was surprised to feel this strange bliss returning. It only took a few seconds for me to get in control. I glanced at Airi, who fell onto the couch, ****.

I stood up and looked at Margaret. "I'm in control, now."

"Good. Move out of the way, please.”

I stepped aside, with Margaret walking towards Airi. "Altum Somnum!" Margaret used what I assumed was a spell to put Airi to sleep. "I'll carry her to her room, wait here."

"Okay."

Margaret delicately took Airi in her arms and left the room, leaving me a few minutes to get accustomed to my new body. I sat on the couch, noticing how I unconsciously held my skirt to sit correctly, and even crossed my legs like my host would. Ever since Margaret pointed it out, I've been paying attention to my posture and movements.

It feels so strange, but really nice...

I observed my current body from my new pair of eyes, them being drawn to my legs, encased in dark pantyhose, before looking at my chest.

I blushed, feeling really comfortable in Risa's body. And the view is pretty enjoyable...

I almost forgot the real reason why I was possessing her, so I shook my head and started to look at my host's memories. Her memories seemed to be coming to me faster, maybe because I was starting to get the hang of it.

My new identity is that of Risa Oliver, a twenty-nine-year-old scientist working on a secret project funded by a local billionaire.

Her sister helped Risa get hired as she was looking for a job and her sister worked as the chief of security there. She was working under the lead scientist, Kira. The woman I met in the forest that fateful night.

What kind of project? Despite working on it, she seemed to have been left in the dark… She was just told that it was to help mankind.

I could feel myself thinking faster, in this body. Was it because she was a scientist?

Being in an adult body is a bit different, but not too much.

Margaret came back and sat on the couch in front of me, carrying a backpack. "Airi is sleeping. What did you find in her head, so far?"

"Not much. She's working on a secret project for a billionaire and got help from her sister in getting the job, that's all I know. She doesn't know what's the nature of that project or who is funding it. Just that the pay is really good and it’s apparently to ‘help mankind’"

"I see. Well, let's get going and see what they're hiding in there, shall we?"

"Hmm... How do you plan to follow me inside, exactly?" I then asked.

"Oh, easy. Take this." She opened the backpack and took out a few bottles of a strange liquid. "It's **** mixed with a powerful sleeping potion. You'll enter first and give that to the guards at the front door. Then, I'll just have to turn into one of them."

"Will they accept it?" I wondered.

Margaret grinned as she looked at my body. "I saw how they looked at your host while she was leaving. It will work."

I didn’t really share her confidence, but I nodded. "If you say so..."

"And if it doesn't, you could always help convince them…"

"H-how?"

She laughed. "Right now, you have a woman's body, darling… The rest should be fairly obvious."

After a second, it clicked, as I imagined myself seducing a man before having sex with him… "Y-you want me to… No! That's disgusting!"

In my head, flashes of Risa's memories appeared. Memories of her dating her first boyfriend during college, kissing him... having sex with him… Thinking about doing anything with a man was repulsive, but a small part of me found it almost normal. The part that was being influenced by Risa's personality and tastes… The implication that possessing someone was also slighty changing my sexuality was chilling, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was strange, as I didn't really feel anything like that when I was possessing Airi, be it with girls or boys. It was like she didn't have any sexuality to influence me with.

"Yes, it can be pretty disgusting…" Margaret simpered, amused by my embarrassment. "Let's hope for your sake that you won't have to do that, then."

"I-I hope..." I awkwardly replied.

As Risa had night shifts, we had some time before needing to go to the castle, so we went to eat something outside. We found a bar not too far and sat there. I was surprised when Margaret chose for us to get there, but she justified it by me not looking like an eighteen-year-old boy, right now. Being in a bar felt forbidden, even if I knew that no one would question me here, since I was hidden under Risa's skin. All they'd see is a beautiful twenty-nine-year-old woman enjoying food and a drink with another stunning forty-one-year-old woman.

"So, will you try to get something to drink? You have the opportunity to do that, right now."

Despite my... past experiences with my aunt, I had to admit that I was slightly curious about how it was to drink ****. "I wouldn't mind… But what about our task?" I was afraid of drinking, considering what we were about to do."

Margaret winked at me, sure of herself. "Trust me, you'll feel more confident after a drink. As long it's just one and not five, you don't have to worry about it."

"Alright, then."

I scanned Risa's memories and ordered a cocktail she loved to drink, one that made me giggle internally when I saw the name: Sex on the Beach. Cocktails really had weird names… Margaret and I also ordered a pizza, as we enjoyed our drinks.

"So, how does it taste?" She asked.

As soon as I took a sip, I noticed how sweet and refreshing it was. The mix of fruit juices masked the taste of the **** almost perfectly, even if it still left a slight aftertaste. The cranberries, orange, and peach juices were a perfect combination to quench your thirst and relax during a hot day like this one.

"It's delicious. I understand why she loves this cocktail so much."

"Heh, be careful, drinking can be addictive."

Her words resonated with me. I saw firsthand how **** could destroy someone's life. I remembered how my aunt was before my mother died. She was a pretty cheerful and optimistic person, enjoying her job as a physics professor at college. I missed how she was… She taught me some things about the subject, and I had fun learning from her… It was most likely thanks to her that I liked physics and chemistry.

I let out a weak chuckle when I realised that, as Risa, I was pretty much on her level, if not smarter than her in that regard. Risa got her doctorate in chemistry, after all, and she learned a few more things while working under the lead scientist at the castle.

I looked at my body again, admiring my legs, my chest, the long blonde hair falling in front of my eyes.… I really liked being Risa. Thinking faster, knowing so much, being so beautiful… It was amazing how my abilities could allow me to steal everything from someone else… And terrifying, as well, as I imagined what some less well-intentioned people could do with a power like that…

Our food was served and we started to eat, Margaret right next to me, smiling as she was eating. I found funny how much my perception of her changed since I met her. Before, she was just a celebrity, a beautiful celebrity known for often making jokes and always beaming. But I realised that there was a lot of emotions hidden underneath that smile. She was extremely different from how I imagined her to be. I had been a fan of her without really knowing her until now. Even if I wasn't Airi anymore, I still had some feelings for Margaret, and wondered if I somehow copied some of Airi's feelings, or if it was just me craving for motherly affection so much after all this time. No matter the reason, though, I wanted to please her. She was nice to me despite what I had done, I needed to repay her kindness.

"What's wrong?" Margaret surprised me staring at her.

"N-nothing." I awkwardly replied. "Thank you... for helping me. I was afraid of going back there myself, and also of maybe being forever stuck as this... monster I became. But I have hope, now. Hope of potentially returning back to normal."

She let out a cute giggle. "Heh, you seem really mature for a kid your age."

I looked down and smiled weakly. "I kinda had to be mature, considering my situation. I didn't have the luxury to just live a normal teenagehood. I had to grow up faster."

"I see. It seems like we have some things in common, then." Margaret said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Huh?" I remembered what I heard about Margaret's past. "Hmm, you... were adopted, right?"

I recalled a TV interview I watched a few years ago in which Margaret revealed to have been in an orphanage as a child, and was luckily adopted by the Belle family.

Margaret closed her eyes, an uncomfortable expression settling on her face. "... Sorta, yes." She then smiled, albeit I could feel it was fake one. “But let's finish eating and get back to business, alright? I don't like talking about my past."

I nodded, as I could relate to her on that. "Okay."

I got back to eating, but I surprised myself glancing at a young man further away in the bar, thinking that he looked kinda cute… I quickly shook my head and switched to observing two women on the other side, drinking and laughing together, and also found them beautiful. It seemed like my abilities didn't fully change my sexual orientation, at least. It was more like slightly merging mine and my host's. In Risa, I was maybe like eighty percent lesbian. My attraction to women overriding her attraction to men, but not completely.