Let me tell you how I feel today

The sound of a shower echoed across the white bedroom.

Dakota bit her lip as the water washed over her body, fighting off her arousal spike with each drop touching her skin.

Kim had already gone out to breakfast; the tomboy was the kind of girl to get an early start, after all. But Dakota was still grappling with that dream. She’d been punished for being a bad girl? As if that false witch had any idea how “bad” she could be.

“Raaaagh!” Dakota slammed her palm against wall of the shower. She tried to catch her breath, but that only got her more worked up. The fact that she was so bothered by this… actually bothered her. She didn’t need punishment. She didn’t need “redemption”.

Everything she did, she did for the sake of Nick. For his happiness.

And she wasn’t going to stop here. If the other girls resented her, that was too bad. They’d learn. Everybody would understand, they had to. Serving Nick, and receiving his love… that was happiness. She didn’t care about a few transformations, and they shouldn’t either.

“The ends justify the means,” she muttered to herself, clenching her legs together to stave off her impending orgasm. “The ends justify the means…”

She finished off her shower and headed down to breakfast. When she arrived, a tension fell over the room.

“What?” She looked around at everyone, who all looked to be in various stages of discomfort. Except for Sylvia, of course, who was absolutely thrilled by what was going on.

“Did you have a nice dream?” Sylvia chirped.

Dakota glared at her. Then she turned to Morgana, who gasped and went pale. Just yesterday the girl had been looking up at her with worship in her eyes, but how quickly things change. Now she ducked behind Kim, hiding from Dakota’s reproachful eye.

“Sorry to bug you, Dakota!” Kim apologized, a sheepish smile breaking apart her sunny face. “We all just had a pretty awkward morning, due to that whole ‘diary’ thing, but we’ve basically resolved it, right girls?”

She looked to the others, who seemed to be at various stages of acceptance. Dani and Mary seemed the most put out by the whole thing.

“It’s fine, whatever…” Dani muttered.

“Please… don’t write anymore?” Mary asked. It sounded rather pathetic to say, but she didn’t want another dream like the one she’d had.

“Can I… can I do that?” Morgana asked, glancing at Sylvia.

Sylvia shrugged. “Why not give it a try?” She asked, smirking.

Nobody liked the sound of that.

Before the issue could be pushed any further, though, Nick arrived, refreshed with a sunny look on his face, completely ignorant to all the dream shenanigans that had carried through.

“Good morning,” he greeted everyone.

“Ah, and he appears,” Sylvia smirked.

“Good morning!” Kim was quick to greet him, running up and throwing her arms around him in a hug that caught everyone off guard. This new Kim was definitely someone they needed to get used to. The others said hello, everyone collectively trying to put this issue behind them since it seemed Morgana would control herself tonight.

This morning, though, that was another matter altogether.

“H-Hello!” She stammered. “I-I mean… I mean, um, goo-good morning!” She was shaking so much she looked like she was going to vibrate out of her leather pants.

“Heya,” Gina said, sauntering over to him with a smirk on her face. As one of the people who’d enjoyed her dream last night, she was looking for a little something to top it off.

She turned her back to him, presenting her ass like a baboon.

SMACK!

Nick slapped her in the ass, turning red as he did so, but he couldn’t help himself. Her transformation was quite something.

But Gina maybe should have planned things out a little better (or maybe not) because Nick wasn’t the only one greeting her with a more hands-on approach.

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Dakota, Kim, and Dani were all the closest to the punk girl, and Morgana was coming over for her own pass. Sylvia just watched with amusement while Mary wallowed in shame, crossing her arms over her leaking tits and squashing them to her chest. She wanted to sink into the ground and die, just seeing Nick’s face brought back memories of her dream last night.

Dani was the same. The second she finished spanking Gina, she turned, and ran out the door. “Sorry I gotta work off all this food!” She called over her shoulder, vanishing from sight before the words reached their ears.

Nick blinked. “That was… odd. Is everything okay?” He looked to the others, and could see from their faces that something had happened, but no one was talking.

Nobody except Kim.

“Don’t worry about it!” She laughed, slapping him on the back. “Morgana just got a little overzealous with her diary, that’s all!”

“Wh-Why would you tell him thaaaaat!?” Morgana wailed, turning red. Then she gasped and stood up straight. “Erhem, I mean… it was nothing as heinous as she’s implying. I merely granted my fellow sisters in your harem a taste of the tantalizing delights they will receive once they’ve fully submitted themselves to our future together, master!” She held her hand up to her mouth and cackled like the witch she claimed to be.

Nick gave her a charitable smile. “Yes, right. Well, that’s really something,” he said. “But keep in mind that not everyone is going to like those fantasies. It might be best if you use that journal of yours a little bit more judiciously?”

Morgana blushed, dropping her character. “Y-Yes, I have… been made aware of that,” she mumbled, hiding behind her bangs.

“So what now, Sylvia?” Dawn asked, adjusting her glasses. “Are there any special plans this week? Like how we had to design a transformation for Nick last round?”

“Oh, I’d like to know that too!” Carly perked up. Marley nodded eagerly. Both girls waited intently for what Sylvia had to say.

“Hmm? Oh, no, nothing special,” Sylvia laughed, as though she wouldn’t change her mind at the drop of a hat and decide to put them through something anyway. “Just enjoy your time together, short as it may be.”

She narrowed her eyes at Dawn, who shivered. She didn’t know why Sylvia was looking at her in particular, but she didn’t like it. Was the host implying that she might be the next to go? She looked at Carly and Marley, and realized that it was possible. After all, if the twins won, they would probably vote for Dani, right?

Would anyone vote for her?

Rose was the only friend she knew she had, and even then, she wasn’t so sure. She took a deep breath, and exhaled. She’d never been great at making friends before, but if Morgana could try (to dubious effect) maybe she could give it a try as well?

She looked hopefully at the twins, and they both smiled at her. She took that as a good sign.

“Master!” Morgana finally regained her confidence and scurried over to Nick. Her eyes were sparkling. “I was just wondering, what would you like to do today?”

Nick stared at her, surprised. “Oh, um… actually, I was thinking… I was thinking I might spend the day with Kim, if that’s alright.”

“Oh, really?” Kim brightened. “Well, gee! That sounds great!”

“If that’s okay with you, I mean,” Nick said, turning to Dakota. He felt a little awkward extending the offer to Kim, since it wasn’t actually her day. But Dakota had been the one to tell him that he should spend time with her today to ask about her transformation… in the same breath she’d mentioned it wasn’t fair to Morgana to focus on another girl on their night together.

And Dakota wasn’t exactly known for reacting well to being overlooked for another girl.

But thankfully, she seemed fine with it. “Yeah,” she muttered, waving her hand dismissively. “I get it. Like I said, it’s important to really understand why she made the choice she made. So go for it. I’ll still get you tonight.”

Nick thought he could even see a trace of a smile on her lips.

“Oh… I see…” Morgana sighed melodramatically. She’d really wanted to spend more time with Nick. That was the whole reason she’d gone along with this bizarre game, after all. They’d spent practically every minute together since she came here, and she’d figured that would be the norm.

With a heavy heart, she realized that she wasn’t Nick’s gothic harem mistress yet. The other girls were still her equals in the harem… no, they were superior to her right now, because they were officially members and she was still the Auditionee.

Morgana vowed that she would change that. She focused on ways to make that possible, and was so caught up in her own thoughts she didn’t even notice Gina walk over and slap her on the shoulder.

“Hey there! Morgana, was it?”

“Eeek! Um, yes, that’s me!” Morgana said, puffing out her chest and standing up taller. While Gina had a few inches over her, even the alt girl’s large boobs were dwarfed by her gothic gazongas. The other girl might have been pretty, but she couldn’t compare to the transformed witch of the night.

Gina wasn’t exactly one for being intimidated though.

“Seems like you’re without a partner then,” she said. “So come on, want to hang out with me and Mary?”

Mary’s jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. Clearly this was news to her.

“Wh-What?” Morgana stammered. She’d never been invited out somewhere before.

“Come on, it’ll be fun! See, little red and I haven’t really hit it off that well as roommates yet, so I thought it would be great to get to know her better, yeah? And since you’re by yourself too, I figured hey, why not extend the offer? In fact…”

Gina turned to Dakota, who was standing awkwardly off to the side, still staring longingly at the door Nick and Kim had left through.

“Dakota, you want to come along too?” She called. “We can make it a big group thing, what do you say?”

“Uh…” Dakota flinched, not expecting to be invited out by Gina of all people. The party girl had always given off more of a “go with the flow” kind of vibe, but maybe she was changing too. Dakota considered taking her up on the offer, and glanced at Morgana, unsure if she could spend the day being fawned all over again.

Morgana’s eyes met Dakota’s and she shuddered, turning red and glancing away. “No!” The goth girl blurted out. “I-I mean… Dakota probably… she doesn’t want to hang out with someone like me, so… it’s okay… if she doesn’t?”

Dakota had to admit, she was impressed. With the vibe Morgana gave off yesterday, she expected that the witch would be following after her, wagging her tail like a little puppy dog, or a Dawn. But she was showing some unexpected restraint. Maybe getting dragged out in front of everyone for her diary was a good thing after all, and she wouldn’t be so… overwhelming.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Dakota said, “but I’ll have to turn you down today. I need to prepare for tonight, after all.”

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Besides, if Morgana spends all her time with just me, she might not develop enough friendships to join the harem.” Dakota licked her lips, staring at the wary witch like she was eyeing up a meal to be devoured. “And that would be quite a pity…”

“Well, okay then!” Gina took that just fine. She looped one arm over Morgana’s shoulder and the other over Mary’s. “I guess it’s just the three of us, then!”

Morgana and Mary looked at each other, not sure what to make of the situation.

“…And really, it’s not a big deal! Morgana just got a little overzealous her first day here. I hope the others don’t think poorly of her. She’s just a kid, who’s getting in over her head!” Kim winked at Nick and elbowed him in the side. “And I should know, before she got here, I was the youngest one!”

Nick was amazed. While Kim wasn’t exactly taciturn, it was unusual to see her talking a mile a minute like this. He kind of liked it, if he was being honest.

“I don’t know, you’re pretty mature for your age,” Nick pointed out. “I never really got the feeling you were that much younger than the others.”

Kim’s mouth fell open and she gasped in shock. “Why, how dare you! Are you calling me old?!” She protested in mock offense. “That’s just about the worst thing you could say to a woman, I’m so definitely offended!”

She puffed up her cheeks and pointed at her face. “You see? You see how offended I am?”

Nick just laughed. “Sorry, sorry.”

“Puuuuuuu…” Kim exhaled and her sparkling grin quickly returned. Nick didn’t know how to describe it. She’d always had a dazzling smile, the most wonderful one he’d ever seen. But as lovely as it was, it was still a fake smile, and couldn’t compare to the few times on their dates when she’d genuinely smiled from the heart.

Now it was like the two smiles had combined together; she was sunny and bright like when she was working, but every smile was a real one.

Her positivity was infectious.

“Are you sure it’s okay to spend the morning together?” Nick asked. “You have work later, right?”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, but forget about that!” She wrapped interlinked their arms. “I’d much rather spend time with you! Heck, I wish I could just forget about that dumb job in the first place!”

“Really? That’s surprising. I thought you liked working hard,” Nick said.

“Well yeah, of course I like it,” Kim nodded. “You saw how much I made on those commissions yesterday, right? But… all that, it’s nothing if you can’t enjoy yourself too, right?”

Nick thought he saw a speck of sadness in her brown eyes.

“I forgot about that for a long time…” Kim murmured. “I was so focused on working, that I had forgotten how to love the things that really matter. Like having someone who cares about me and wants me to do my best. Not just at my job, but everything.”

She stared deeply into his eyes, and he could see her cheeks start to blush. By the time they made it to the elevator, she was kissing him.

“…Where do you want to go?” He gasped out when she finally let him breathe. “It seems like you’re a little more open now, so what’s it going to be? The amusement park again?”

She shook her head. “The botanical garden.”

Her suggestion caught him by surprise.

“Really?” He asked, his eyes widening. “The garden again?” He’d really expected her suggest something a little more luxurious if she was really free from her self-imposed restrictions.

Kim nodded. “Look, I get why you’re surprised, I look totally different now, right? But trust me, it’s fine. I’m still me. It’s not like they rewrote my personality or anything, I’m just more open about what I like, and what I want.”

She tightened her grip on his arm. “And what I want is a nice, romantic stroll through the garden with the guy I have feelings for.”

Nick could see the beauty in that suggestion. “Well, okay then,” he agreed, pressing the button for the garden. “If that’s what you want.”

The last time Nick had been in the botanical garden, he’d been assaulted by a swarm of Mimis. Thankfully, things had been cleaned up since then. Neither of them needed a reminder of the slime girl right now.

Kim led him by the arm, pointing out all the different plantlife. She was filled with energy and it made him smile; it was like their first date all over again. The more time they spent together, the more he found himself not seeing a difference between the Kim he knew and this new one. Sure, the previous Kim wouldn’t have been as aggressive about how she felt, but they were both sunny girls who lit up when they were around something that brought them joy.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He took his best shot.

“Duh, of course you can!” She laughed, rolling her eyes. She hugged him a little closer, nearly wrapping her breasts around his arm. He blushed and averted his eyes, not expecting the sudden contact, which sent her through another laughing fit. “So, what’s up?”

“I’m just curious. Why did you spend all that money on a transformation?” Nick asked. He’d thought that everyone wanted to avoid getting transformations, but Kim, who’d gotten immunity in the last round, directly volunteered for one.

Kim’s smile faltered for a second.

“It’s… because I thought I was boring,” she said, turning solemn.

Nick stared at her. “Boring? Really?”

She nodded. “I mean, you saw me fall in the polls. The audience used to like me, but now they don’t. And the reason for that… it’s gotta be because I’m boring, right? They just don’t find me interesting… and I don’t blame them.”

“Kim, that’s not true!” Nick protested. “You’re not boring at all! Who cares what those other people think? I enjoy spending time with you! Whether that’s today, or our very first date! You took me to the botanical garden both times, and I loved it!”

She sighed, and cracked a smile. “I know you like me, your vote proved that more than enough!” She slapped him gently on the chest. “But… I don’t know. It felt like I was missing something. In that challenge, my assistant was another me. And she was prettier, more popular, she was like a caricature of all the popular girls from my high school.”

Kim wanted people to like her. And it stung that her other self’s words hit the target so well.

“I guess I can see why you would feel that way,” Nick admitted. “But I don’t think you needed a transformation to make friends or become more popular. Just be yourself.”

“Oh, thanks, that’s REAL helpful advice,” Kim snorted, rolling her eyes. “Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said? This IS ‘myself’. I’m ‘being myself’ right now! I’m just a little more eager, a little more open, a little more athletic.”

She flicked her fingers against the tips of her hair. “…And my hair’s a little shorter. But I’m still me, Nick, so your advice…” She shook her head and laid her pointer fingers over each other in a “nix” cross. “Not exactly the best, I’m afraid.”

“Well, that’s fair,” Nick admitted. “So let me ask you something, do you like being this way more? Being more open and daring, more willing to do the things you want to do?”

He couldn’t say for sure if he himself liked this change more. Contrary to Dakota’s assertions, he didn’t have a “tomboy fetish”. Primarily, Nick wanted Kim to be happy. And that came with wanting her to pursue the things that brought her joy.

The fact that she found that so difficult was one of the things he was hoping to help her with. But if she had a transformation like this, maybe it would be easier.

It all came down to what Kim wanted. And she was clearly thinking it over hard.

Do I like myself more like this, or like my other self? Kim wondered. It was a question she wasn’t sure she was equipped to answer. After all, in spite of the fact that both versions of her were unquestionably Kim, there HAD been some adjustments to her mental state, and she didn’t know for sure if she wanted to keep those changes for good.

Eventually, after much deliberation, she came to a conclusion. “I think I…”