The Book of The Mind

Out of all the travelers Cleopatra was the only one to enter the hotel with any grace. She was used to getting rolled out of carpets, so she landed on her feet, once Eloise’s dress unraveled. Stan and Molly both slid across the carpeted floors of the next hotel. It was a dark and brooding place, with darkwood, deep red carpets, suits of armor, and sinister looking chandeliers. It looked like the den of a vampire.

“That bitch!” Eloise cried out, stumbling through her lobby.

Cleopatra gave her a queasy look, there was a hole the size of a tennis ball right where the heart would be on a human being. It wasn’t like a wound Cleopatra had everseen. No blood, or gore. Just a hole straight through, and the flesh around it seemed to be crumbling, like a broken porcelian doll. “Hollow on the inside, what a surprise.”

“Don’t be clever.” Eloise hissed, clutching her chest. “That shot drained all my power.” She grunted. “And it still blew a hole through me.”

“Sounds like you’re useless to us then.” Cleopatra took a step forward, and for the first time in her life Eloise backed away from a contestant.

“Hey wait, I can still get you to the door, and Colorado.”

“It’s in your room, seventh floor.” Molly licked her black lips, as she adjusted to the climate of this hotel. “You’d never trust anyone enough to leave it out in the open.”

Eloise took another step back from Cleopatra, she bumped into the check-in desk. “You still need someone to get you to Colorado, otherwise you’ll just end up floating in the void again.”

Cleopatra paused, and smiled. “Ah, you got me there.”

“Besides that, they’ve closed Colorado down, only Skylar can get in now, or someone with a back door.”

“I’m guessing that’s you.”

“Indeed it is.”

“Fine.” Cleopatara crossed her arms. “Take us there, I’m fit to be done with all of this.”

Eloise shivered, and jolted up the grand staircase of her Hotel. It was the lightning quick escape of a rabbit. “Then you better follow me! I just sense Tex coming through!”

That was motivation enough to send the rest of them into high gear. They followed Eloise, always a good idea to follow a host through their own hotel. The gang only Climbed a single flight of stairs, and they were on the seventh floor.

Eloise was a bad match for the group. The quick pace they’d developed after plowing through a dozen worlds, had left the lot of them with little patience for the limping invalid they had leading them now. Still the short cut was worth it, and they were inside the room before they could even hear Tex’s spurs.

“Here!” Eloise cheered as she came to her room, the comfortable den was painted (What else?) black. She threw the door open, and saw Babs sitting in a chair. Half a second later the door was closed. “RUUUUUN!”

But before Eloise could even turn around, the door flew back open, and swallowed them whole. The door closed behind them with a demur burp.

Eloise’s room was a dungeon with a four poster bed in it. The walls were bare black stone, with shackles and toy’s screwed into the brick. Babs was facing the door, with her legs crossed. At her feet was a man that none of the mortals reconized but Eloise knew as Arthur, and old old host only a little younger than Babs. Arthur had made his bones turning Nazi broads into all American housewives.

The young starlet gave her creation, and her little friends a bright dazzling smile. Much improved over the yellowing rotten smile of just a few hours ago. “I thought I smelled you on all of this Karen.”

The goth cringed, and backed into a wall. “No, no, no… you can’t be here, they retired you!”

“You should be proud of yourself.” Babs drew a sexual breath from her cigarette. “You caused enough trouble to bring us back.”

Stan was putting himself in front of Molly. “You’re looking good.”

Babs beamed at him. “I feel good Stan, thanks for noticing. You three had a busy few hours.”

“Where’s Marie?” Molly lunged forward, which is exactly why Stan was there to catch her.

“Sweet girl, I gave her control of my resort while I’m gone. I’m sure she’s ripped up the kiwi groves for Marajuana by this point.”

“She’s okay?” Cleopatra dared to show a little emotion.

“Of course.” Babs blew a kiss. “You all have been very useful allies for me, and as such your journey is at end.” Babs waved her hand, and the brick walls of the dungeon began to slide open. They revealed the now familiar void, an exit. “That’ll take you to Colorado. Right through Karen’s hole in the wall.”

Cleo glared, one schemer knew another. “What happened to not fighting a host on her own ground? What becomes of Eloise here?”

Babs smiled. “It’s like I said. Karen is my good girl. She knows it’s time to come home.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Karen smacked her hand against the wall behind her. But she was still glued there like a scared child.

But the gang’s reserves of empathy for these things had reached their limits. They were tired, and hurt, and so distressed. They just wanted to get out. Maybe Babs was the greater Evil, maybe it was Eloise, maybe it was Skylar. Who knew? Who cared? It was all garbage, and they were tired of going through the bin.

“Well then, we’ll leave you two to it.” Cleopatra pressed her companions on the back and pushed them through the room. “It’s been a pleasure working with you two.”

“Likewise.” Babs adjusted her legs. “I wish I’d had an assistant like you, rather than these two chucklefucks.”

Cleopatra shrugged. “I think I downed twenty hosts today that felt the same way.” She smiled at Babs. “So I don’t like your chances.” She pushed Molly and Stan through the portal. “If you see Skylar send her my way. I’ve still got a game to win.” And with that the The Queen of The Nile was gone.

Now it was just Eloise and Babs.

Babs filled the room with more of her pollution. “Poor things.”

Eloise glared at her creator. “You’re not going to let Skylar go back are you?”

“Of course not. Once she gets here, I’ll deliver, her and her whole set of troublemakers to the prodcuers.”

Eloise felt herself getting wet. “What sort of deal did you make with them?” Whatever it was it meant Skylar would suffer.

“If I bring them Skylar and all her troublemaking zombies to the producers, they’ll put me back on the air, and the three of us will be reunited.”

If Eloise had a heart, and if Tex hadn’t shot it out of her chest, it’d be palpitating. “You don’t learn do you? We’ll just outshine you again, you stupid old hag!”

Babs flicked her cigarette holder in an angry motion, and Eloise’s hand slapped her own cheek. It was not a gentle smack, it sent her collapsing against the wall. Eloise let out a sharp gasp, but she was not Skylar. She had no delusions on what the cruel affections of this matron thing meant.

“That’s why I’m going to run the two of you through the process again. Strip you bare, start all over again. I don’t think I need my bright twinkling stars anymore. So I’ll sand you down, until you’re nice and dull. The audience won’t like you as much, but you’ll always have my love.”

“We don’t know how to love.”

Babs smiled. “Ah, then you’ll have nothing.”

Right on time, the door flew open, and Skylar came stumbling through. Tex’s aim could not be denied, Skylar had a matching wound in her heart. Another cavernous gap. It took more than that to take her down though, because she was covered in gouges, and scratches. She was holding a limp arm, and didn’t look like she could put weight on one of her feet. She looked tired, her blone hair had come loose, and now was a wild mop. Her eyeliner was running, her cat ears were gone daddy gone.

But when she saw the content of the room, her rage flamed a new. Violet, and violent. “YOU!”

“Hello darling.” Babs grinned, and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Looks how poorly you’ve been treated. Is Tex coming behind you?”

Skylar growled. “In three different pieces.”

“Good.” Babs brought her heel down on Arthur just to confirm he was down. “Then it’s just us girls.”

Skylar scanned the room, and saw Eloise cowering against the floor. She noticed the matching hole in her chest. “He got you too huh?”

“You are the twins afterall.” Babs said, orgasmic with cruel delight. Here her girls were, powerless, defeated, and all hers. It’d taken everything in them to hold their forms together after those shots, you’d almost think Tex had been working with her. “Now let’s talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you!” Both of the twins screamed.

“Then listen.” She drew in a drag from her cigarette and sprayed the smoke across the room. She was satisfied to see that their bodies still reacted positivley to the smell. “The two of you have gotten into an awful lot of trouble, Skylar’s cancelation is beyond question at this point, and I have no doubt once an investigation is launched Karen’s fingerprints will be found all over this.”

“You don’t have any proof.” Karen sneered.

Babs ignored her. She had something better than proof. She knew Karen, in and out. Skylar would never have let this abomination of a season come to pass if there hadn’t been some **** working against her. You know… besides the forces of Heaven and Hell. “But don’t worry you are my children. Mess up as many times you need, I’ll always be here to protect you.”

“You’re not our mother!” Skylar charged forward, rabid as an alley cat, but Bab’s assessment was completely accurate. She needed only to wave her hand, to throw Skylar against the opposite wall. Not far from her other half.

Babs huffed, feigning hurt. “That’s the thanks I get for bringing you into this world? Do you have any idea the strings I had to pull to get the two of you made? What I had to sacrifice just so you vicious serpents could betray me, and throw me in a box?”

“We never asked to be born.” Eloise clawed her way to a standing position.

In fact she’d meant not to. Her shade had found their prompts just as distasteful as Skylar’s had. She would have been happy vanishing back into the void with her other half, a failed endeavor of The Studio. But then Skylar had chosen her form, and at once Eloise felt a need to be there and protect her lesser part, and a fear of being without her greater half. So she chose, somone stylish and cool, something to compliment and enhance the cuteness Skylar had chosen.

Babs had done nothing to bring Eloise into this world, it’d always been Skylar.

“But that doesn’t mean that you’re eager for it to end does it?” Babs grew very serious. “That’s exactly what will happen to both of you if you don’t come with me. Both of you will end up like Colt, and I’ll go right back to my vacation. If you return to me, I’ll save you both, I’ll fix up all the flaws that bring you so much pain, and we can be a family again. We’ll have our own show, and It’ll last until the heat **** of the universe.”

Eloise scowled. “There’s no way they’d offer you something like that. They wouldn’t give you Skylar, they would give you a show like that!”

The old startlet tutted. She missed this SO MUCH! Picking away at minds, getting a strong will to break in just the right way. Like a sculptor. “You always did lack imagination Karen.”

Karen chewed on her tongue and glared at the old thing. Never good enough, never smart enough for this decrepit hag. “How so?”

Babs just shrugged. “Sklar?”

“The whole studio is falling apart, Boudica lost them most of their viewership. They going to have to rebuild, start back from scratch. That’s why they threw so many people at this problem… budget cuts.”

“Good girl.”

Skylar shuddered, and bit her lip.

Eloise glared at her blonde companion, jealousy flooding through her. After twenty years after breaking over a hundred mortals with her own manipulations, and she was still a **** to her own feelings. Her competiton with Skylar, her craving for Bab’s approval, that damn cigarette smoke. “I didn’t mean for it to get this out of hand.”

“I know baby.” Babs wiggled an eyebrow with all the charm of a longtime host. “But it’s okay, I’m here to fix things.”

Eloise hit the wall, her body vibrated angrily. “This isn’t fair! I was so close to winning.” She glared at Skylar. “So close to finally being rid of you!”

Skylar whimpered and covered herself, just in case Eloise went to kick her again.

“You see?” Babs said. “That just proves how little you know. You were never meant to defeat her, never meant to win.”

“What?”

“If you ever lost her, you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. You’d be adrift, lost, purposeless. You’re lucky I’m here to save you from yourself.”

“I don’t need saving!” The words hadn’t left Eloise’s mouth, and she was already slapping herself across the face. “Aaaah, ah stop!”

“Save yourself Karen.” Babs hissed. “You don’t need me.”

Eloise’s hand reached out to her throat, and began to lightly **** her. “Sssstop!” Eloise pulled and tugged at her other arm, but she couldn’t make it budge. She was pinning herself against the wall.

“Come on Karen, you don’t need us do you? You’ll beat me, destroy Skylar, and fool all the producers. You’ll do it all, and have everything you ever wanted.” She flicked the dead cigarette from her fingers, and wasted no time lighting up another. As she did this casual action she looked at Eloise with dead eyes. Lit only by the lights in Eloise’s room, and the pain she was inflicting on another being. Karen was turning red, her legs were flailing against the floor, desperately trying to keep herself upright. “Do it Karen! Stand up to me! Be the host you think you are!”

Eloise chocked and cried. She held her hand out to Skylar. “I can’t…” She sobbed, and tried to reach for her friend. But Skylar was quivering mess on the floor. Fear and lust was driving her insane, not that it was far of a drop for her.

Babs waved her hand and let Eloise breath and drop to the floor. “No you can’t.” She puncuated the statement by taking the first drag on her new cig. “Come.” Babs snapped her fingers and pointed towards the floor.

Eloise nodded, like a kicked dog and crawled towards Babs on her hands and knees. The relief she could take in this moment is that Skylar looked even more pathetic that she must have right now. “Don’t.” The blonde whimpered from her spot on the wall. “Don’t do it.”

Eloise could only, gulp and turn her head away. They were both hosts, they knew what a broke person looked like. They’d been fooling themselves into thinking they’d beat Babs. She’d been retired, simple as that. If the producers wanted to keep her around, Skylar and Karen would still be panting beaten dogs at her feet.

This was who they were.

“Good.” Babs smiled, in a way that made Karen tingly. She was happy with her. “Welcome home Karen.” She ran her finger’s through Karen’s hair and let the woman experience pleasure, and submission.

“T-thank you.” Karen sobbed. She sat down on the floor and let her owner pet her while she cried.

“You’ve been a very bad girl.”

“Yes.” Karen nodded.

“So you’ll be punished.”

Karen whimpered.

“But you’ll take it, because you’ll know I’m doing it because I love you.”

Karen’s blood ran cold. If you needed to know where Karen’s adversion to that word came from, you need look no farther than there. Maybe Skylar had the right idea. Maybe her delusions are what saved her. “Thank you.”

“Thank you?” Babs yanked on Eloise’s hair, and pulled her from one side, to the other, and then up on her knees. “Is that what you said?”

Karen wept, she was in pain, she was in danger. Babs would destory her, or the producers would, or Skylar. The only way out was this woman. With her, she’d stay alive. She’d still have a show. She’d still have her powers. Skylar would live, which part of her wanted desperately, and she’d get to keep on torturing her, which was also exciting. All of that thanks to this woman, this awful abusive woman… no… no no no… that’s not true she said she loved her. Babs loved her. After all these years, after what she and Skylar had done to her, she still loved them. She could have taken the same deal as the other hosts, but she made a request . To protect them, so they could be together again. If that wasn’t love, what was? She was right to punish Karen, she’d been bad. Really bad. She hurt Skylar, she hurt the whole studio, but Skylar was the most important one. She loved skylar, of course she loved skylar. They all loved eachother, they were a family. Families love eachother. That’s why they hurt eachother so much, love is pain.

Karen loved her pain.

An insane smile broke into her gaping frown, and her water eyes filled with light. “I love you too!”

“No!” Skylar cried, and pulled herself to her feet. “You don’t mean that Eloise, you can’t mean that! She doesn’t know how to love!”

Babs frowned and set Karen down. “Skylar you don’t mean that. You know I love you.”

Skylar slapped herself, and moaned. She tried to think of the little girl, Skylar. No… Jamie. Jamie, the little girl who’d saved her from being a complete monster. The little girl with the piano who’d driven the darkness away. Skylar through about how her whole life had just been a candy coating of this girl. Her look, her pink dress, her dream of disney world, and everything else had been the abusive sickly-loving **** of her trashy mother.

What was the girl really like? What were her actual dreams, what did she want more than anything else?

Becasue **** was not love, beatings were not tender. That was all poison from Skylar, a being The Host now hated more than any other thing in the world.

What would a little girl who felt no love from being burned by her mother, want? Beyond the music of her piano, beyond the corporate spelndor of Disney world, what would a little girl want?

Skylar figured she'd probably just want to stop getting burned by cigarettes.

Babs tilted her head. “You’re quiet little girl. You love talking, come on what are you thinking? I know you want us to be a family, so why don’t you crawl over here to me?”

Skylar slapped herself again. This time she grabbed her hand to keep it from delivering a third slap. “You let me hurt all those people.”

“What people, the hosts? Trash, Skylar. Don’t spare them another thought.”

“The people!” Skylar sneered. “The contestants, the masters! I broke up families, stole wives from their husbands, made daughters fuck their dads! I’ve turned people into toys, and animals, and monsters, and you let me think I was helping them!”

Babs rolled her eyes. “You’re mad I made you a host? You might as well hate me for bringing you into this world!”

“I do!” Skylar clenched her fists. "Everything I am, is because you let me believe in a lie about myself! I would have never have chosen this life if I knew."

Babs closed her eyes for a second, just overwhelmed with the pleasure of Skylar's pain. "Karen's already accepted that point." Babs rand her fingers through the goth's hair, and allowed the girl to shudder and moan with pleasure. "Just because you didn't want this, doesn't mean you want to be canceled either."

"I do." For the first time, maybe ever, Skylar scared Babs. That deadly look of hatred, the red bloody eyes. "Even if I'm not Jamie, even if I'm her sick and evil mother. I still carry her with me, I'm still living for her. I'm I never, no matter what... I'M NEVER LETTING HER GET ABUSED AGAIN!"

Despite her wounds, and her pain, and her exhaustion, Skylar sprinted towards the portal her mortals had gone through. She was in the air and flying through it before Babs could raise her arm in protest.

"Noooo!" The starlet screamed, seeing her own treasures vanish before her very eyes. "She reached out just as the dirty feet of her daughter sunk into the darkness. Her mind raced to change it's trajectory back into this room. She'd create an endless loop, where all doors led to this place. She'd break Skylar down eventually.

But there was a problem.

Karen had extended her arm as well. They both worked to change and manipulate the portal. Karen so eager to please her mother, was using the last of her power to do so, her wound was peeling at the edges, the hole expanding, flesh flaking off like chipped paint. "You fool!" Babs growled, as the portal in front of them warped and warbled and eventually snapped, whipping Skylar to who knows what corners of the void?

"I'm sorry!" Karen cried, realizing her mistake much too late.

"You did that on purpose!" Babs kicked Karen in the stomach, and began stomping on her with her heels.

Karen writhed in agony, and shame. "No! No Babs! Ow! I'm sorry! Ow! I didn't, I didn't I swear! I would never help Ow! Skylar. I hate her!"

"You useless cunt." Babs kicked her one last time for good measure. "No more of this hate talk, you love your sister you understand."

Karen nodded thankfully and began to lick and kiss Babs' abusive shoes. "Yes of course Babs, thank you. I love Skylar, I love you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Babs grinned, this humiliating worship somewhat soothed the anger in her heart. "Oh you stupid little thing, what would you do without me." Babs bent down, and kiss her child on the cheek. "It's okay Karen. Even if we don't know where you sent her, we know where she's heading. Come, let's go see what Skylar's been working on."