Fifth round

The results of the transformations, the growing excitement and arousal only convinced the Dean to stick to her plan. She picked a supposedly easy category and intended to make a deliberate mistake in the last question; then deal with any potential complaints at work later.

What was the name of the Polish trade union which helped to bring down communism? Solidarity. Correct. The Commonwealth was the union between the Kingdom of Poland and which other country? Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Correct. On the map is which historical region, now mostly within Polish borders? Silesia. Correct. Which four Polish cities are the largest (in this order)? Patricia knew that the Polish capital was its largest city, but did not know the order of the other ones. She guessed: Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Gdańsk and it turned out to be WRONG. Thus the reality altered her plan. Poland lost the last remnants of independence after the final Third Partitions of Poland in which year? 1795. Correct.

“One mistake again, Patricia,” the host announced, “we were lucky enough to once more find a dent in the armour of your education.”

“You’re being astonishingly poetic, Frank.”

“I try to sound more sophisticated when dealing with educated contestants,” he replied with a straight face.

“Keep it up. It seems to be working like a charm,” the Dean tried to sound equally serious, but found it difficult to hold back a smile.

“You can now try to charm the cards yourself and draw one attractive transformation.”

“Pretty in Pink.”

“Do you find it satisfactory?”

“It’s mostly harmless and I guess it comes under the ‘minor wardrobe changes’. But it’s also uninteresting and doesn’t have any rejuvenating aspects to it. Plus I don’t think that pink is my colour,” she made a short pause, “I know what. In order to promote Oxbridge University I need to entertain the audience, right?”

“That’s the general assumption.”

“So I’ll let the audience decide. Do you have any voting system here?”

“We do,” the host replied, “but I don’t think we’ll need it,” he added with a grin, “who thinks Patricia should keep the Pretty in Pink transformation, raise your hands.”

Some people did, but Frank did not even bother to count them.

“Who thinks she should discard it?”

Most of the audience raised their hands.

“That settles it,” the Dean concluded.

“Draw two new transformation cards.”

“Double Hair Extension, Hair Colour: Platinum Blonde. Oh! A nice, fitting set.”

“It fits your requirements perfectly, doesn’t it? In case you weren’t aware,” Frank continued, “the Hair Extension transformation also has a rejuvenating effect. It makes the hair thicker, denser and stronger, though I feel I sound like a shampoo commercial.”

“You sold your product to me,” Patricia replied with a grin.

“You can collect it at no cost in The Chamber,” the host said in his best infomercial impression.

The Dean reached the device using the same sexy walk she had used earlier on the stage. She was excited to see the results of her new transformations, but that did not mean she would run or do anything to look disgracefully. Once she tasted the appeal of looking sexy and being desired, she was not going to let it go. The contestant entered The Chamber and closed her eyes. She was really glad about the results of the re-draw. Her hair had always been mediocre, nothing to be ashamed of, but also nothing to flaunt; and age naturally did not improve its quality. She kept the hair moderately long and, after several experiments, settled on an auburn dye; the new colour would certainly make a huge difference. Soon after the door closed Patricia’s head began to itch, she remained patient and motionless until the sensation finally stopped. The door to The Chamber opened and she stepped out.

As soon as she was out the Dean looked up at the screen; she was impatient to see her new hair and the result did not disappoint. The cameraman was on his post too and always knew where and when to zoom in. Just as the ‘shampoo commercial’ had promised, the contestant’s hair was thick, strong and healthy; it cascaded down below her shoulders in beautiful waves. But it was arguably the colour that made the greatest difference, at least visually; the switch from auburn to platinum made her look almost like a different person. There is always a risk for mature women in dyeing their hair platinum blonde, because it might end up looking simply grey. Fortunately this was not the case, Patricia looked glamorous and sophisticated, but NOT old. She loved her new look and, judging from the applause, so did the audience.

“Welcome back, Patricia,” the host greeted her, “you look fabulous! Trusting the audience paid off, didn’t it?”

“Thank you, Frank,” she replied with a bright smile, “it certainly did. These are the first two transformations when I can, without any doubt, state that they’re fully positive.”

“We’re glad to hear it. Keep in mind that this list is a lot longer than you think.”

“All it takes is a mistake and some luck, huh?”

“Yes, that’s the usual procedure. But before we proceed to that part again, I have a proposal for you.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You’ve been walking the catwalk for three rounds now. How about changing it a little this time and organising a short photoshoot? You could later use some of the photos to further promote your University, keep some for yourself and a part would be used by us for our own marketing campaign?”

“A brilliant idea!” Patricia replied, not being able to hide her enthusiasm, “I’m afraid I don’t know how to pose though,” she added, calming down a bit.

“Don’t worry, our photographer and his crew will take care of everything.”

As he finished the sentence a flurry of people entered the stage. Technicians set up furniture, props and photographic equipment, while the photographer directed their work. A beautician came over to the contestant to fix her makeup; she had already prepared her earlier before the show, so only a few minor touches were necessary. Two minutes later everything was ready; the astonished Dean hoped that so was she.

The photographer’s name was coincidentally Patrick, he was polite and professional. He possessed a unique mixture of charm and tradesman’s skill, which allowed him to swiftly make his new model feel at ease, while she diligently followed his instructions. The Dean was a good student and the poses were relatively easy. Their goal was to flaunt Patricia’s assets in an elegant, but subtly erotic fashion. She was shot by Patrick while standing, sitting on a chair, half-laying on a small couch or leaning against the various pieces of the furniture. The video cameras mimicked the work of the photographer and showed the contestant from the best possible angles, so the audience could also admire her on the large screen. At one point Patrick opened one button on the Dean’s shirt, then directed her to assume a half-sitting pose on an armrest of the couch, which caused her tight skirt to hike up. He made a few photos which looked deeper into her cleavage or teased the viewer with the possibility of an upskirt; but that was as far as showing skin, even nylon-covered, went. He instructed her not to fix the skirt for the following poses, but never made anything vulgar and maintained the sophisticated, erotic style. On a few closeups he also captured her erect nipples poking through the shirt. The audience remained silent the entire time and only erupted with an enthusiastic cheer when the photoshoot ended. A blush returned onto Patricia’s face, as she finally fixed her skirt; she did not button up her shirt though. This time it was pure joy, without embarrassment, despite the erotic nature of the photoshoot. While the audience kept clapping, the crew swiftly emptied the stage.

“Well done, Patricia,” said Frank, “in case you ever desire to become a model as a part-time job, we’ll be happy to guide you.”

“I’ll consider your offer,” she replied with a wink. The Dean was not joking though, she had really enjoyed the short gig and would not mind doing something similar in the future.

“Ready for the Sixth Round?”

“Yes, I am. Solar System.”