He moves onto the remaining volunteers

As soon as Peter looked at the remaining volunteers, both him and the hypnotist seemed to spot her at the same time. She was unavoidable. The woman standing at the end of the line wore almost nothing. Two green plastic leaves were taped over her perky D-cup breasts, the edges curling slightly against her skin. Another leaf sat between her legs, barely covering her pussy. She had slightly wavy natural brown hair that fell past her shoulders and brown eyes that kept flicking around the room. No shoes. Just the leaves and a small flower crown made of plastic daisies sitting crooked on her head.

The man in the purple devil mask moved toward her quickly. He lifted the mic to her mouth.

“And who are you tonight?”

“Uhh, hello,” she said. Her voice was soft, almost quiet against the noise of the party. “I am Eden. I decided to be Eve from the bible this Halloween.”

Peter watched her shift her weight. The leaf between her legs shifted with her. She looked uncomfortable standing there in front of everyone, arms crossed loosely under her chest like she was trying to cover more than the leaves already did. Cute voice, he thought. Too soft for the room.

The hypnotist nodded like he was impressed. “Ahh, that explains the lack of an outfit. We were robbed of our innocence in the garden after all, by that dastardly snake.” He turned a little toward the crowd. “But let me tell you, folks, he isn’t quite bad when you get to know him. He’s been a great neighbor to me these past four years.”

A few people in the crowd chuckled, awkward and low. Most of them were still watching Rose on the table or Vivienne on her knees. Eden’s face flushed. She looked down at the carpet.

“I think you seem to be here on a mission today, Eden,” the man said, voice lifting again.

“Mission?” she asked. “What mission?”

He didn’t answer. His gloved hand came up and covered her face completely. “Sleep.”

Eden’s shoulders dropped. Her arms fell to her sides. The leaf over her pussy shifted again as her stance loosened. The hypnotist checked his watch, then leaned in close to her ear. He started whispering. Peter couldn’t hear the words, but he could see Eden’s head start to move. She shook it once. Then again, harder. Her bare shoulders tensed. The plastic leaves on her tits rose and fell with her breathing.

Peter kept moving. His right foot dragged forward another inch, then his left. The resistance was still there, thick and heavy in his legs, but he was closer to the carpet now. Close enough to see the way Eden’s hands twitched at her sides while the man kept talking into her ear.

The shaking of her head got smaller. Her chin dipped. She shook it one more time, weak, then stopped. After a few more seconds she nodded. Slow at first. Then steadier. The man stayed bent over her for longer than he had with the others. Peter watched her bare stomach tighten and relax. The leaf between her legs stayed in place only because of the tape. Her thighs pressed together, then eased apart again.

When the hypnotist finally stood up straight he dragged the back of his hand across his forehead like he was wiping sweat. He laughed once, short.

“I’m sorry, folks. Had to work through a lot of obnoxious religious programming to get her where I wanted to. But the results should be good enough to save the planet.”

He snapped his fingers in front of Eden’s face.

Her eyes opened. She looked different. Smaller somehow. Her shoulders curved in. She crossed one arm over her stomach and kept her eyes low. The flower crown sat crooked. The leaves on her breasts looked even smaller against her skin now that she wasn’t standing tall.

“Who are you, madam?” the hypnotist asked.

“I… I am Eve,” she said. The same soft voice, but quieter.

“And what are you doing here, Eve?”