So please come, join, dance in our circle, but know that you'll never return

“Alright then!” Dakota clapped her hands together, causing all the girls on the beach to jump. She narrowed her eyes into a wicked gleam, and a twisted smile spread across her lips. “Shall we get started with the transformations?”

A wave of nervousness washed over the girls, but it was nothing compared to last round. They’d been dreading the kinds of transformations that a twisted mind like Dakota’s could dream up, but some of these weren’t so bad… right?

“And of course,” Dakota continued, turning to Mary, “we’ll start with the master’s wife. The noble girl who sacrificed her position as the frontrunner of this competition in the name of saving someone who, quite frankly, wasn’t worth it.”

Sylvia winced, and Mary scowled.

“I don’t regret my decision,” she firmly replied. “So come on already. Whatever transformation they gave me, I’ll deal with it.”

“I’m sure you will,” Dakota said with a smirk. “Because they’re all transformations that affect the other girls, and not you! That just seems fitting, as the woman closest to the master’s heart. Now then… as for which one of your transformations won… that would be If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It!”

• If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It: Transformations are a good thing, especially ones that make Nick happy! Mary will encourage the girls in Nick’s harem to make full use of their transformations when they’re with him, and encourage them to “slip into their role” in the harem, or at least what she perceives that role to be. Seeing the other girls fulfilling their roles will feel her with sexual arousal, pleased that Nick’s harem is coming together. (Corruption)

Dakota’s cane flashed, and the light from the crystal on the crook engulfed Mary, washing over her and filling her with a new urge. It didn’t change anything about her that she could sense… other than a boost to her libido due to her acquisition of another transformation. Her cheeks flushed red and she glanced up at Nick, then at the other girls.

She was seeing them in a new light now… as people who would do such a great job, fulfilling their master’s wishes!

Dakota, pleased by the results, twirled her cane through the air and turned it on Dawn next.

“Now that we’ve gotten her out of the way, let’s move on to the women who are actually still in the running, shall we?” She mused. “Dawn! You’re up next.”

“I’m ready for this,” Dawn sighed. “I’m pretty sure they gave me the skintight one, right?”

She looked down at her chest. She didn’t know how long it would be before her boon wore off, and she went back to the flat chest she was used to having. Before that, she was certain that the audience would use their votes to imagine her in a skintight leotard with her nipples popping out.

Damn it. Her tail drooped in disappointment.

“You’ll be getting… Self-Grooming!” Dakota declared.

• Self-Grooming: Cats don’t tend to prefer baths. While thankfully Dawn won’t be given an aversion to taking showers when necessary, her primary method of encouraging cleanliness will be to lick herself clean. And just like a cat, this will extend to the people around her, as well. She’ll see nothing wrong with licking the people she’s closest to, and her tongue will change to be rougher, like a cat’s, while also bringing significant pleasure to the people she licks. (Animal Lover)

“Oh?” Dawn’s ears twitched and her whole mood perked up. Her eyes widened as the light around her flashed, and she felt the texture of her tongue change slightly. It came with the impulsive need to lick herself, which she fended off for the most part… for now, anyway.

But the smell of the people around her was making it hard to resist the urge to lick them, too.

“Now that we’ve finished with our traditional ‘let’s make Dawn more like a cat’ part of the transformation process, shall we move onto the juicier targets?” Dakota suggested, turning to Gina. “I think you know what transformation you’re going to be getting.”

Gina’s shoulders slumped. “I deserve to get the third one,” she muttered.

That brought a frown out from the host. “Don’t look so down on yourself,” she chastised the other girl. “There’s a lot ahead for you! Like… this! Trigger Word!”

• Trigger Word: Gina will be able to cum instantly whenever Nick says the words “Good Girl” to her. This trigger can be adjusted to any other term, but only with the consent of both Nick and Gina. Use wisely, only to encourage proper behavior! (Good Girl)

“Wait, seriously?!” Gina’s face lit up with glee. “I actually got that one? You’re not messing with me, right?”

“Of course I’m not messing with you,” Dakota said, tapping her cane. It flashed again, and Gina started to glow. When the light faded, the host turned and looked up at Nick with a wicked smile on her lips. “Now… if Nick would so kindly demonstrate for us…?” She questioned.

Nick turned red. “Err… well, that’s…”

“Go on, Nick, just say it. She wants you to,” Dakota prodded him.

Nick could see she was pushing this outcome, but one look at Gina spoke volumes. She was staring up at him with hope in her eyes, and heck- he kinda wanted to see what would happen himself!

“…Okay then,” he relented. “Good girl.”

He didn’t know what to expect. Gina to immediately collapse on the ground and start shaking in a violent orgasm like Holly did when she was granted permission to cum? Because that wasn’t what happened.

A tremor went through the punk girl’s body, and her legs shook. She twitched, and her cheeks flushed, and then she clenched her thighs together.

“…Oh, man… wow…” She fought back a moan, and smiled. “That was pretty nice!”

“The severity of the orgasm will depend on the tone it’s used with,” Dakota confided in the two of them. “Be careful, and have fun experimenting! …Oh, and if you two ever want to set a new trigger, just give me a call, okay?”

She winked at Nick and he scowled. His prior experience with Sylvia told him just how generous Dakota was with her “naming rights” and he doubted this would be any different.

“Now then, with Gina being covered, who’s next… oh! I know who… our resident cosplayer!” Dakota turned to Carly and Marley. The twins stood a little apart, Marley stepping away for Dakota to transform her sister.

“So what did I get?” Carly asked. “Because I’d be happy with any of these, honestly.”

Dakota smirked. “Well, that’s just about what the audience thought, too!”

Carly blinked. “Huh?”

“Your results were at a three-way tie in the votes at some point, if you can believe that!” Dakota crowed. “And it was quite touch and go for a while there. Different people, fighting over different results, with different options taking the lead at multiple points… it was really hard to determine who would win right up until the end! But in the end, the choice you got was Free the Nipple! …However, I’ll be using one of my vetoes on that. While, yes, it would be great to have you going around, stripping naked without a care in the world, I think there’s much more fun to be had with Collab Stream. After all, we want to get the other girls in on the action, don’t you agree?”

• Collab Stream: A good content creator knows the best way to build a brand is to partner with someone else. On Carly’s nights with the master, she may invite another contestant into the Master’s Suite with her for a threesome. The audience will grade both girls’ performances in a quick vote, and split a reward of 5 VP between the two girls depending on who they judged as performing better. (Content Creator)

Carly shrugged. “I mean… like I said, I don’t really care. But you’re right, that could be fun. And there’s nothing wrong with some extra VP.”

Dakota preened, her chin held high with pride. “That’s just what I like to hear,” she crowed. “And while it may upset a third of the audience… I’d say we’ve got another third who will be more than happy to get this result. And isn’t that what we all want, deep down?”

She raised her cane, and a flash of light engulfed Carly. Nothing had changed, but her nights with Nick would now be a lot more interesting.

Of course, this means I won’t get as much alone time with him, she thought. And then she glanced at Marley. Not that that was happening recently.

“Well, with one half of the couple finished, shall we move onto the other half?” Dakota asked, turning to Dani. “Any guesses on what you got, miss tomboy?”

Dani frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Let me guess. That feminine-whatever one, right?” She sighed.

Dakota nodded. “The Feminine Mystique? You’re exactly correct! You’ll be getting to know all about the more feminine side of the women in your life!” She held up her cane, and Dani braced herself.

“Just what I figured,” she said with a grimace. “Another mental transformation to fuck me up. Well… I can’t act like I don’t deserve it, after I went so gung-ho with transforming Joan’s ‘family’ even if those bastards deserved it. So come on, just do it already!”

Then Dakota lowered her cane.

“But… I won’t be doing that,” she said. “Instead, I’ll be vetoing that transformation! That’s right! Two vetoes this round! Because I say so.”

Dani’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, you are?”

Dakota smiled. “I just gave you the new Siren path, after all,” she noted. “It would be a shame to not try it out. So have Siren Serenade instead!”

• Serene Serenade: Sirens are well-known for their power to lure people at sea to their doom. But Dani would never do that! Instead, her singing voice will be tuned so that whenever she sings, anyone who listens will be awash with feelings of peace and tranquility, and any troubles they have will be long forgotten. This will also give her voice a melodic quality to it that is very erotic and sensual. (Siren)

“Whoa, uh… huh.” Dani rubbed her throat when the transformation faded away, seeing if anything felt different. “Well, my voice doesn’t seem to have changed, did it?”

“You’ll see when you try to sing,” Dakota promised with a wink. “Now then! Rose, it’s your turn. Any guesses with you?”

Rose had her fingers crossed in hope. “Is it the wool one?” She asked.

“Golden Fleece? You’re absolutely correct,” Dakota confirmed with a nod. “Congratulations to our little sheep girl!”

• Golden Fleece: Rose’s hair will grow incredibly long, and very fluffy, almost like sheep’s wool. The more BP she gets each round, the more luxurious it becomes, then at the end of the round, it’s shorn off. Her hair can then be woven into a garment that grants a boon to the wearer, with the effects increased in strength depending on how much BP was put into it. (Gold Digger)

“Yes!” Rose made a triumphant fist. “Okay, bring it on! I look just great with long hair!”

Dakota raised her cane, and it began to glow. The light engulfed Rose and began to wrap around her, transforming her hair.

And when it faded, there was certainly a change.

“Eh? Huh?” Rose reached up to feel around her head. She expected a deep, heavy weight to be weighing her down with the added mass of her locks, not…

“HEY! What’s the big idea?!” Rose screamed, running her fingers through her hair.

It was almost completely shorn off- practically a buzz cut!

“What did you do to my hair?! My precious hair!?” Rose roared. Her hair was a gift from her beloved maman, and- it was almost all gone!

“What? Whatever do you mean?” Dakota asked innocenty.

“This- this wasn’t what I was promised!” Rose sputtered angrily. “You said that my hair will grow longer! Not- not shorter!”

“It will grow longer,” Dakota said. “Sorry, was that not clear? I thought the ‘shorn off’ part spoke for itself. Every round, you will begin the week with your hair at about that length. Then, as the week goes on and you accumulate more BP, it will grow longer and longer. Then, at the end of the week, you shave it all off and start over again. Was that not clear?”

Rose’s mouth flopped open and closed. After such an intense day, she couldn’t find the words to protest; she could just shout “NO!”

Dakota shrugged. “Well, having you magically grow your hair out at the beginning of each round would be so boring. Besides- Nick likes short hair. You of all people should remember that.”

Rose blushed as she recalled what happened when she drank Mary’s milk. How it had caused her hair to shorten to about the length she had now.

“S-still,” she stammered with embarrassment, looking down. “…Fine.”

Resigned, Rose let out a sigh, and Dakota moved onto her next target.

“And then there’s Kim… while there have been some close votes, Kim, this certainly wasn’t one of them. Believe it or not, just like on earth, nobody thinks you deserve a Minimum Wage!”

Kim rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re hilarious, Dakota,” she sneered.

“Just trying to keep things light,” Dakota chirped. “No, what most of the voters clearly wanted was more transformations! And you’re certainly going to get ‘em if you want ‘em, because Sick Day won by a mile!”

• Sick Day: Kim is usually a hard worker, but everybody needs a sick day every now and then. Kim may use this transformation to get out of any obligations to transformations she has for an entire day, but as a result, will obtain a minor punishment transformation that will last for the entirety of her sick leave. [NOTE: Physical transformations are excluded. Consecutive uses will cause the punishment transformations to stack.] (Slacker)

Kim wasn’t that upset, actually. “…Oh. Well, I can work with that,” she said, relaxing a little. “It’s not like it’s **** on me, right? I can choose to take a day off.”

“Exactly,” Dakota confirmed. “Although, our resident goth girl here… she certainly can’t choose to take a day off from the sun.”

Morgana turned even more pale. “W-wait, did I get the vampire one?! No, please!” She rushed over to the stage, trying to hide in cover in the shadows before she was blasted with a bunch of orgasms from the sun’s rays.

Dakota found that just hilarious.

“Ah, what a joy!” She cackled. “Seeing you so flustered like that. And it seems the audience agrees with your worries about that transformation, because the one they chose for you is… Like a Virgin!”

• Like a Virgin: Morgana’s body will no longer experience any wear and tear after sexual intercourse. No matter how harsh or how long the bout of sex occurs, a good night’s sleep is enough for her body to bounce back to factory reset, as though it had never happened in the first place, with all her muscles restored, like an untouched virgin. [NOTE: This will not apply to more severe injuries, including the regrowth of the hymen. Exercise reasonable boundaries when having sex!] (Ingénue)

Morgana breathed a sigh of relief so loud that it got everyone a little horny.

“So… I can come out?” She asked hopefully.

“Yes, obviously,” Dakota scoffed, rolling her eyes. She turned her cane towards the goth girl and it flashed, engulfing her in light before she could get out from behind the stage. She stumbled through the sand and nearly fell over, but Dani managed to grab her.

“Careful,” she warned the goth girl, helping her stand up straight.

Morgana blushed and nodded shyly.

“Aww, how touching,” Dakota said sarcastically. “Now, shall we move on?”

“It’s the rose ceremony next, right?” Dawn asked, glancing up at the table of roses on the stage.

Dakota rolled her eyes again. “Yeah… we’re gonna just forget about that,” she said, dismissing the roses with a wave of her cane.

“Huh?! Why?” Kim exclaimed.

“Well… because aren’t you girls just going to choose the same teams you had last time?” Dakota pointed out, looking at the victors of the round.

Dani and Carly glanced at each other. Since they both won, they couldn’t pick each other. So didn’t it just make sense to stick with their existing teammates?

“…Yeah, I guess,” Dani admitted.

“Same,” Carly nodded to Rose, who sighed in relief.

“Which means Morgana and I are together for another week,” Dawn said, turning to the goth girl, who tried to smile back.

Unfortunately, after what she’d done to her own family, which was just now starting to sink in, she couldn’t exactly see Dawn’s happiness at partnering up with her as genuine at this point.

“So what now?” Sylvia asked. “Dakota… you still haven’t said who the Auditionee is going to be. When’s that going to happen?”

“Sylvia’s right,” Rose agreed. “Aren’t they supposed to come in before the votes? What’s the hold up?”

Dakota just flashed a playful smile. “Yes… about that. I think it’s time I tell you girls about a decision I made… I’ve decided to cut the Auditionee system from this season.”

Everyone took a second to process that.

“No… no more Auditionees?” Mary asked in surprise.

“Seriously?” Kim couldn’t believe it.

“That’s… whoa.” Carly shook her head and glanced at her sister. Without the Auditionee system, Marley wouldn’t even exist!

“Wait, what?!” Sylvia’s eyes bulged out of her skull. “But why?!”

“Because, quite frankly, it’s a problem for me,” Dakota said plainly, leaning lazily against one of the chairs. The chair that used to belong to Mary, in fact. “Every round, a new girl joins the harem, and has to fight tooth and nail for Nick’s attention, and the audience’s interest. And then, once she’s developed a decent following, someone gets kicked off the show. It could be her, it could be someone else, but frankly, the audience isn’t exactly thrilled by the outcome regardless! And that just doesn’t make for good television.”

She turned and looked derisively at Sylvia, who shied away. “Frankly, I can’t believe you actually thought it was a good idea. What, bringing in a new girl in the very last week? Why? So she can do nothing and get kicked out? You expect new Auditionees to compete with your established friendships? I’m still having trouble believing that Sylvia made it into the harem!”

Mary frowned, her suspicions confirmed. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?” She scowled. “You were fine with keeping the Auditionee system in place another week, when you thought it would be a way to get rid of Sylvia. But now that she’s sticking around, you’re going to abolish it!”

“Hey, yeah! That’s no fair at all!” Rose exclaimed.

“Talk about twisted,” Dani said, glaring at the host.

Dakota scoffed. “Believe what you like. But the fact of the matter is that the Auditionee system of voting and picking your buddies is not sustainable, and I will have no part in it going forward.”

“So that’s it, then?” Dawn asked, frowning. “It’s just the eight of us in the competition? Just like that?”

“That’s… I mean, I guess it won’t be stressful?” Morgana tried to look on the bright side. “Without having to pick people, I mean…”

She couldn’t hide her relief. She doubted anyone would ever pick her to be their buddy again, after what she’d done.

“I… I guess I understand it…” Nick said quietly.

“There! See? Nick is the only one of you actually making sense!” Dakota chastised the whole harem. “Think of the position the Auditionee system puts him in! Every week, he’s gotta say goodbye to someone he’s gotten to know and care for. You saw how much it tore him up this week, deliberating about that. Don’t pretend you didn’t!”

A pang of guilt surged through Mary’s chest as she considered the difficult position she’d put the love of her life into. “Nick, I… I’m sorry…”

“This is what’s best for Nick,” Dakota assured the group. “No more picking amongst yourselves. It’s HIS harem, and he should have the right to keep whichever girls he wants in it!”

What Dakota was saying made sense, although not everyone was sure that she was saying it for the right reasons.

Sylvia looked shamefully down at the sandy beach. Then she gasped. “Wait, Dakota! The producers would never let you-”

“The producers were fine with it,” Dakota sharply cut her off.

“B-but… what about the other girls?!” Sylvia sputtered. “There are four more women waiting to join Nick’s harem, remember?! You can’t just forget about them!”

Dakota blinked. Then, a wicked smile crossed her face. “…Whoever said I forgot about them?” She asked, and tapped her cane down in the sand.

The air began to swirl with tension.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Dani looked around in concern.

“What’s happening?” Rose exclaimed.

“Dakota?!” Nick cried. “What are you doing?!”

Dakota wasn’t listening to him at this point. She threw her arms out to the sides with a wide grin on her face. “Presenting, the first new member of Nick’s harem!”

The Frigid Stepmother

A woman popped into existence on the beach, her eyes wide with surprise.

“A-ah!” She cried, and nearly fell over. Once she righted herself, she was a little flustered, and looked around, uncertain of where she was. She didn’t recognize this place… but the women recognized her.

She wore a white blouse and a black pencil skirt over her tights, and her platinum blonde hair was done up in an austere style. Her green eyes were tense and hesitant, and when they landed on Nick, she gasped, and reached out to him, like she wasn’t sure he was really there.

“Is that…” Rose’s voice trailed off.

“I think it is,” Carly nodded.

“Nick’s stepmother,” Mary realized the meaning of the words, her eyes widening.

“Amelia?!” Nick exclaimed, nearly falling out of his seat. He jumped out of his throne and ran down the side of the stage, rushing to his stepmother’s side.

“N-Nicholas… I see…” Amelia hastily straightened her glasses and looked at the other women who surrounded her on the beach. “So that… so it wasn’t a dream.”

Her cheeks had a light pink hue to them, and Nick’s face flushed an even deeper shade. He remembered what happened the last time he and Amelia had been together.

It was at his wedding to Mary. That was when she had met all the other women in his harem. And when she’d seen he and Mary… intimate with one another.

He turned completely red.

Amelia, meanwhile, didn’t have time for embarrassment. She was too busy taking stock of her surroundings. Just the other day, she’d had a very bizarre experience that she’d dismissed as a dream, but now she was actually here, and she knew- this was no dream.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of familiar faces, women who she never would have met in the real world, but were certainly present now.

“So it was all real…” She breathed, her eyes landing on Dakota. “And you, you’re… still alive, are you? Dakota Johnson.”

Dakota flinched. “…That’s right,” she said slowly, nodding. “That’s me.”

“…I see.” Amelia pushed her glasses up her nose and stood up straight, regaining her dignified air. “I thought that there was another woman behind this,” she said, noting the familiar cane. “The blonde one.”

Dakota scowled, and Sylvia winced, shrinking back. Amelia noted that out of the corner of her eye and turned to the blonde, who gave her an awkward wave.

“Um… hi…” She mumbled sheepishly.

“She has nothing to do with this show any longer,” Dakota snarled, narrowing her eyes. No matter how much she may have cared for Amelia, she refused to let the brit get in the way of her show. “I’m the one in charge now.”

“…I see,” Amelia said again. “Then perhaps you can explain to me what I’m doing here?”

“That’s a question we’d all like an answer to, actually,” Dani said. “Dakota, what’s going on? I thought you said that you were getting rid of the Auditionee system, so what’s she doing here?”

“Dani’s right,” Dawn nodded. “Dakota, you’re not making sense!”

“I did abolish that system,” Dakota confirmed. “But… that doesn’t mean we’ll just get rid of the girls we’ve already selected, does it?”

Nick didn’t like the sound of that.

“Right now, Nick’s harem has eight women in it, nine, if you include Mary,” Dakota pointed out. “And that’s quite a lot! But… is that really enough?”

“Yes!” Nick said automatically. As per usual, Dakota ignored him.

“I want Nick to be the happiest master possible,” she said firmly. “And so, to that end, I think it’s time for a little… aggressive expansion. If Leah can run a season with 12 girls… why can’t I?”

A hush fell over the beach.

Sylvia turned pale. “Wait, Dakota, you can’t be serious! You mean-?!”

“That’s right!” Dakota crowed, lifting her cane again. “Since it would be unfair to have the other girls fight for spots in the harem, I decided it would be better to just let them in as full members from the start! Sure, there will be some extra logistics involved, but we’ll make do. In the meantime, say hello to bachelorette number two!”

The Free-Spirited Fashionista

Another woman popped into existence with a stunned expression on her face. That didn’t compare to the expression on Amelia’s face, though.

“…You!” The teacher exclaimed, her stern features twisting into a scowl. “What in the world are you doing here, Miss Carrington!?”

“…Gee, teach, is that any way to talk to your student?” The brunette walked forward, wearing a smug expression on her face. It was hard to get a bead on her mood, because of the stylish sunglasses she wore that reflected the sunlight. That was just the start of her eye-catching outfit. She wore a black beret, which looked completely out of place, and yet seemed to suit her nicely. Long leather boots that reached up to mid-thigh wrapped around her legs, ending in sharp heels, which she walked on naturally. Accentuating those boots were a pair of short black shorts that revealed a nice gap of milky flesh, and she wore a top that looked like it came right out of a magazine, a sleeveless vest buttoned up over a tie and black shirt, all cut short to reveal her taut midriff. As she approached the teacher, she looked like she was walking down a catwalk.

Then, she flopped down in the sand, resting on one hand as her other lazily touched her thigh. She tilted her head down to reveal her sparkling, playful brown eyes from behind her sunglasses, and stared up at Nick from her provocative pose.

“So… is this the guy whose harem I’m joining?” She asked.

“You… you know about that?” Nick was stunned.

“Of course I do,” the woman said, kicking out her legs and planting them on the ground to push herself up to her feet. She approached him with a disarming smile. “Dakota told me the whole thing!” She draped her arm around his neck and leaned in close. “Gotta say… you’re a lot cuter than I expected!”

“Miss Carrington!” Amelia snapped, catching the other woman’s attention. “Please refrain from your… flirtations!”

“Hmm? Oh, wait a sec…” Vivian stepped back and looked from Amelia to Nick. “Wait, wait! No way! Are you… you’re her kid, ain’tcha?”

Nick turned red. “That’s, err…”

“Nicholas is my stepson,” Amelia snapped, stepping between the two of them. She had a cold glare in her eyes. “And that is as much as you need to know.”

“So… wait, you’re actually in your stepson’s harem?” Vivian laughed. “That… wow. That’s really something, teach! I couldn’t begin to count all the ways that’s a terrible idea!”

Amelia seethed, doing her best to maintain a level head in the presence of the other woman’s mockery. She was the elder of the two, and it wouldn’t do to lose her temper like that. She knew how Vivian was; always trying to goad authority whenever she could.

“Who… who are you?” Dawn asked, approaching the new woman first. “Amelia is Nick’s stepmom, so we know her, but what’s your connection to him?”

“As far as I know, there isn’t one,” Nick said, shaking his head. He would know if he’d ever met a woman who dressed as stylishly as this.

“You can trust his word on that,” Vivian smirked. “What’s your name? Nicholas, right?”

“It’s Nick,” Nick corrected her.

“Right, Nick. Anyway, he and I haven’t ever met before. But that won’t be a problem, will it, old sport?” She chortled, laughing a rather melodious posh accent. She playfully patted him on the arm, making Amelia’s eye twitch.

“So you’re just someone Dakota brought on, then?” Gina asked, looking to Dakota for confirmation.

Dakota nodded. “This is Vivian Carrington, the next member of Nick’s harem!”

Rose gasped. “Wait, Vivian Carrington?! As in that Vivian Carrington?!”

“Ah! I see you’ve heard of me!” Vivian giggled.

“Who hasn’t!?” Rose exclaimed.

“You know her?” Dani asked.

“Vivian Carrington is a major influencer in the UK,” Carly said, knowing just a bit about her from her own online presence. “Isn’t she, like, nobility or something?”

“The Carringtons are old British nobility,” Vivian clarified. “But hey, old money is so… old. I prefer new money! That’s why I struck out on my own!” She put her hand on her hip and posed. “Fashion leads the way, that’s what I always say!”

“She started her own clothing brand a couple of years ago, right when she turned 18,” Rose explained, resisting the urge to gush. “And it took off immediately! She’s right up there with the big name brands! Oh, gosh, this is so… and after I just had my hair cut off, too!” She bemoaned, feeling miserable for not looking her best around Vivian Carrington of all people.

“Ah, hey! Come on!” Vivian smiled. “You’re being too hard on yourself, girl. The pixie cut is super chic right now, you look great!”

Rose smiled dopily from ear to ear. “You… you mean it?”

“‘Course I do, I don’t say things I don’t mean! …Well, unless I’m having some fun with you, of course!” She winked as Rose and pushed up her sunglasses, leaving the actress confused, but still starstruck.

“Vivian Carrington, huh?” Kim scowled, glaring at the heiress. “You of all people.”

Vivian turned to her, surprised. “Hey, uh… do we know each other or something?” She questioned.

“You wouldn’t know me,” Kim glowered at her. “But then, I wouldn’t expect you to know what goes on in your company’s sweatshops!”

“Hey, come on, let’s not use the ‘s’ word, okay?” Vivian protested, holding her hands up in surrender. “It’s not my fault! I just design the clothes! Take it up with the bigwigs up in management!”

Somehow, hearing that from a woman who had more wealth than the GDP of several countries didn’t actually soothe Kim’s mood any.

“Well, this is all very interesting, but we must be moving on,” Dakota said, clapping her hands together. “Now then! Amelia Campbell and Vivian Carrington… you will form our first new team of buddies! Team Order!”

“Huh!?” Amelia exclaimed, turning pale.

“Buddies? What’s that about?” Vivian glanced at her teacher with a look that could best be described as “amused confusion”.

“We can get into that later,” Dakota assured her. “For now, let’s meet the third of our new members! One Ella Marquez!”

The Fractured Faerie-Tale

Everyone waited in silence for the new girl to show up.

But nobody ever did.

“Huh? Where is she?” Gina looked around, confused.

“Knowing her? Probably hiding for cover,” Dakota chuckled. “She’s quite a frightful one, that girl. Oh! Look, there she is.”

She pointed her cane at the stage, and everyone turned to see a woman hiding in the shadows just like Morgana had before.

Ella Marquez was a slight woman, and a little short. She had a slender figure, which was wrapped in an orange jumpsuit, and a flustered expression on her tan face. Her short hair was a little frizzy, and fell over her face in long bangs that hid her left eye. Her right was a light orange, and leapt from person to person as she shook with nervousness.

“I, um… hello…” She waved awkwardly.

“Another woman I don’t know?” Nick asked, turning to Dakota for confirmation.

“You should get used to that,” Dakota shrugged. “You’re absolutely right. There’s no connection between you and Ella here, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be a good fit for you! She’s a little like Morgana… a bit emotional, a bit obsessive… but a lot of fun to be around! Ella? Come on out and say hello!”

“Um… that’s okay!” Ella said, waving her hands frantically in the air, sending the rubber band on her wrist bouncing. “I’m fine over here! Where it’s safe!”

Nick doubted that anywhere on this island was safe.

Sylvia glanced at the tan girl, then back to Dakota. Her face was full of wariness. “Dakota… about this next contestant, I really think-”

“I don’t need to care about what you think,” Dakota snapped, narrowing her eyes. “There’s only one girl left in Nick’s harem, and she’s been waiting for far too long!”

The Mute Assassin

Nick barely had time to process what those words meant before a new figure appeared in the sand. And she was definitely a loud sight to be sure. She wore an outfit covered from head to high heel in leather. A single catsuit, with a long zipper all the way from her neck to her crotch. A pair of leather gloves finished the look, leaving no trace of skin showing below her chin.

The skin that was showing was pale in color.

She had long black hair that cascaded in ripples down her back, and some of the deepest blue eyes Nick had ever seen. Most notable about her was the fact that she was carrying an umbrella, and she leaned against it to keep her balance. Then she looked up and her eyes met his. A sly smile spread across her lips.

Then she was gone.

In the flash of a blink, she moved from her stationary position on the beach to charging right at Nick, moving faster than he could have imagined. She darted around the other girls and leapt at him, and the next thing he knew his back was in the sand, and she was crouched over him, sitting on his stomach and looking down at him with those sly blue eyes.

She licked her lips playfully and leaned down. To do what, Nick would never know, because Dakota flung the woman off him with a turn of her cane.

“Now, now, that’s enough. We can’t be getting too aggressive with the master this fast,” she chided the woman.

The black-haired beauty tumbled through the air, and turned her body to land elegantly on her feet. Quite an impressive thing to do considering the length of her heels. Her eyes flashed and her smile turned into a scowl. She brandished her umbrella like a rapier and turned it towards Dakota, making her hostile intentions known.

“Yes, yes, that’s very nice. But you can’t threaten me, either,” Dakota chastised the strange silent woman. “I’m not exactly like the targets you’re used to.”

The woman narrowed her blue eyes in consideration, then relented with a nod. She straightened out and lowered her umbrella, before turning to Nick and giving him a wink.

Dani and Mary helped Nick up, and he looked at the new woman with confusion.

“Who… who is she?” Nick asked, not sure how else to respond to what had just happened.

“She was running so fast,” Carly said in amazement.

“It kind of reminded me of Dani,” Marley agreed. “But she has her transformation, so…”

“I’m also curious how she can move like that with a body like that,” Dawn noted. She seemed rather slender and frail, and yet her actions suggested she was anything but.

“…And why is she using an umbrella!?” Holly had remained silent throughout most of this discussion, but that part just didn’t make sense to her.

Dakota laughed.

“Come now. Like I told you, she’s special,” she said, looking at the others. “Allow me to introduce, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, Unit 27.”

The beach was silent for a moment.

“Assassin!?” Morgana screeched. That was the first thing that stood out to her.

“Does that mean she kills people!?” Mary went pale.

“Okay, that’s gotta be crossing some line!” Even Gina wasn’t having any of this.

Sylvia just looked down solemnly.

“Whoa, what?” Vivian looked shaken. “What kinda stuff do you guys have here?”

“Augmented? Synthetic? Humanoid?” While the other girls were focusing on the “assassin” part, Amelia was busy trying to process the other words. “You mean… is she some sort of genetic experiment?”

Dakota’s eyes widened in surprise. “Well! Got it in one! You’re absolutely correct. Again, allow me to introduce Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, Unit 27.”

The black-haired woman held her hand over her waist and bowed with a flourish. She raised her head and smiled, winking at Nick.

He shivered.

“Several years ago, a certain organization began researching genetics,” Dakota informed Nick and his harem. “They were intent on creating the perfect supersoldier. Augmented genes, nanomachines, the works. Soldiers with superhuman capabilities that would be loyal to the organization and the organization alone.”

Dakota gestured at the black-haired girl with her cane. “She doesn’t even have a name, can you believe that? Just ‘Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, Unit 27’ what a travesty.”

The assassin scowled.

“Of course, I thought it would be perfect to have her join Nick’s harem!” Dakota pointed out, as if that made any sense at all. “A superhuman killing machine is the perfect sort of bodyguard he would need, someone devoted to keeping him safe no matter what!”

That turned the woman’s frown upside down, and she winked at Nick again.

“So wait, that organization… you’re saying that those assassins still exist?!” Kim exclaimed. The thought of a cabal of genetically-augmented killers was not something she wanted to think about.

Dakota shook her head. “It collapsed recently. The facility they were operating out of exploded in a strange fire. As far as the government knows, there were no survivors.”

The black-haired woman shook her head with a somber expression on her face, and mimed wiping a tear from her eye. Then she spun her umbrella and smirked, opening it.

“Maybe if they gave their assassins useful weapons instead of umbrellas, they might still be around,” Dakota added. That caused the assassin to shoot her a dirty look and point her umbrella at Dakota again. Nick could swear he heard the sound of a gun cocking.

“…Well, it doesn’t matter that she used to be an assassin,” Dawn said, approaching the other woman cautiously and extending her hand. “Nice to meet you. My name is Dawn.”

The woman turned her icy blue eyes towards Dawn, not looking very impressed.

Dakota shook her head. “That won’t get you anywhere,” she warned the other girl. “You see, our little assassin is mute.”

“What!?” Nick exclaimed. “Mute? Why is she mute?”

He took a moment to consider it.

“If I had to guess… it’s something that organization did to her, isn’t it?”

The woman nodded, touching her finger to her throat.

Dakota confirmed it. “Her whole purpose was to follow orders and eliminate targets. There was no need for her to talk. So they created her without any vocal chords. Just another disgusting way of keeping her on their leash.”

Anger flashed across the woman’s face for a fraction of a second, before she returned to her pleasant, cat-like smile.

“Wait… oh my gosh!” Carly exclaimed. “She’s a mute, and she kills people with an umbrella?! It’s Neopolitan!”

“Oh, wow, yeah, you’re right,” Dani said, shaking her head incredulously. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice that until now.”

The Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin wore a look of utter confusion and tilted her head to the side.

Feeling her eyes on them, Carly and Dani were quick to clarify their meaning.

“That- it’s not a bad thing!” Carly quickly stated.

“No, not at all, Neopolitan’s a great character, kinda!” Dani nodded rapidly.

Still nothing but confusion from the assassin girl.

“Dakota… did you really have to put an assassin into my harem?” Nick asked. He glanced at the woman, who seemed saddened to hear that. “N-no offense or anything!” He hastily assured her.

The only thing worse than an assassin in his harem? An assassin who was mad at him.

“Yes,” Dakota said simply. “Yes, I did.”

Whelp. That was that.

“Now, our little assassin here will team up with Ella-”

“ME?!” Ella squeaked, looking just about ready to pee her jumpsuit. “Why me?!”

Dakota glowered at her, and then smirked. “You know why.”

Ella swallowed and slowly shook her head. “N-no, um… that’s…”

“Oh, stop playing coy. Nick likes a girl with more honesty!” Dakota laughed. “Now where was I? Oh, right! Ella and Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, Unit 27, will be our other new team of buddies- Team Chaos!”

Ella looked like she wanted to throw up. The Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin turned to her and flashed her a smile that was equal parts joy and menace.

That did not help matters.

“And with that settled, we can move things forward,” Dakota said, clapping her hands together. “We can go into detail about how the rules will change to accommodate all these new women in the harem later. For now, though, it’s important that Nick has a chance to get to know them. Intimately. One on one. So with that in mind…”

She tapped her cane in the sand. Amelia, Vivian, Ella, and the Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin all vanished in a flash.

“Huh? Where did they go?!” Rose asked, turning pale and looking around.

“What did you do, Dakota?” Sylvia asked.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? I sent them to Dream Alley,” Dakota explained. “Each of them will craft a perfect date with Nick, in order for them to get to know each other a little better. And using my magic, I’ll make it so that however long these ‘dates’ are, they’ll only be a couple of minutes out here, on the island.”

“Oh… so that’s it, then?” Nick asked. “I just go through their dates one at a time, to get to know them, and then we all come back here?”

Dakota shook her head. The gleam in her eye intensified, and her lips turned up into a catlike smile.

“Not exactly. One at a time, well… that’s just not fair to the girls, is it? Instead… we’re going to do this!”

She raised her cane, and Nick split into four copies.

“HUH?!” All the Nicks cried at once.

“Four Nicks?!” Dani’s eyes bulged in surprise.

“Wow…” Mary gasped.

“I had a dream like this once…” Holly said, starting to drool.

“Can I have one!?” Rose blurted out.

“Keep it in your pants, please,” Dawn groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. But she couldn’t hide the way her tail swished back and forth.

“Hey, sis, with four Nicks, even you might have a shot!” Carly laughed, elbowing Marley in the side. Her twin gave her a dirty look.

“That’s not so bad,” Kim said, smiling a little.

Morgana practically fainted on the spot.

The only one who looked worried was Sylvia, who approached the confused quartet. “Daddy…”

“One Nick for each dream. You’ll experience them all simultaneously, and when they come to a close, all your memories will merge together,” Dakota explained. “It’s the only fair way to handle things, that won’t bias anyone!”

And with a flip of her cane, the Nicks vanished as well.

The girls stood in silence on the beach, processing what just happened.

“Now then!” Dakota turned to the camera with a grin. “Who would you like to see Nick with first? His stepmother? The shy little latina, perhaps? Vivian the troll? Or perhaps you’re curious what kind of dream an assassin might conjure? It’s up to you! Choose who you’d like!”

The Frigid Stepmother?

The Fractured Faerie-Tale?

The Free-Spirited Heiress?

The Mute Assassin?