Coming to Terms

Audrey had come to a decision. The question was one of self-sacrifice. Either she needed to do her best to ensure that the others succeeded, or she needed to do her best to ensure that she won. The middle path made no sense.

Audrey had decided to win.

There was temptation in addition to fear. Obviously, if she lost she would suffer for it. She had been beyond relieved to find out she wouldn't be assigned the 'Doctor Love' archetype. That would have been disastrous. She did not believe though, not for a second, that Violet wouldn't unveil some other transformations to make her skin crawl. So it went without saying that she needed to avoid the punishments of losing.

As she picked through the clothes in her supplied wardrobe though she wondered about the other side of the coin. What if she won?

There was so much potential. These people, whoever they were, had access to power well beyond even her wildest imagination. They must have knowledge to go with it. Audrey could discover the answer to any secret she wanted. To all of them. She could usher in a new world. One marked by the intersection of good intentions and perfect wisdom. The possibilities were literally endless.

Audrey wasn't generally conceited, but she doubted that any of the other contestants could use that power as well as she could. In a certain light, she was morally obligated to win.

She didn't let that motivation drive her though. It was too convenient. It could too easily morph into permission to do anything. It was true, but she didn't let herself indulge in fantasies of messianism. That would be risky.

One thing was for sure though. These clothes wouldn't get her across the finish line. Because if Audrey was going to win this, she'd need to seduce Trevor.

That left her feeling uneasy. Trevor was not unattractive, not by any stretch, but she had never thought about him that way. The age gap alone would have been more than enough reason not to. Although, she conceded, that was maybe less of an issue now. One of the first things she had done when the servant left was go to the bathroom and study her face. And it was her face. She looked exactly like she had in her early thirties. It was almost unreal to have her youth returned to her like that. She wondered if it was just superficial, or if her biological clock had really been wound back.

Again her mind raced with possibilities for the wish.

But first she needed to foment a sexual relationship with Trevor. Her student. The thought made her a little queasy. The moratorium on sleeping with students was of course well founded. Even in an otherwise fully consensual relationship, the power imbalance would leave the student unable to really, truly operate as an equal in the relationship.

She'd thought about this a lot though, since leaving the plaza. That rule no longer had any practical use, given her circumstances. Here, she had no power over Trevor. If anything the tables had been turned. But she wasn't a perfectly rational creature, and it was hard for her to shake off the moors of her past life.

Returning to more practical questions, Audrey turned her attention to her wardrobe. It was flattering, if just a tad immodest, but it wasn't enough. Trevor would have the same reservations and hang-ups she did and then some. She'd need to be very careful with how she went about this. She needed to ease him into it. Not least of all because she did not want to hurt him. She wouldn't let the show maneuver her into callously disregarding his feelings. With conviction, she **** herself to promise that if Trevor rejected her that she wouldn't continue to pursue victory at his expense.

The first step in getting his attention though would be to show off what she'd been newly re-gifted. She may not be as young and pretty as some of the other contestants, but she knew she had more than enough to work with. Not to mention the inherent advantage of knowing Trevor so well. Although, leveraging that felt a little too close to manipulation for her comfort.

Audrey shook her head. First things first, new clothes. Before she could act she would need to tempt Trevor, to plant the seed in his mind. The servant had mentioned a shopping district, and the rules had said that an all-access pass would cost only 100 Bonus Points. She had five times that much. Later, she'd go down and buy clothes more fit for purpose.

Audrey walked back into the bedroom to find Riley laying on his bed, staring at the wall. The poor boy. Her heart broke for him. Here she was struggling with her place in the show but the hurdles in front her were nothing compared to his. They had set him up for failure.

She walked over and sat at the foot of his bed. "Do you mind?" she asked gently.

He shook his head.

Audrey sat beside him silently, mulling over what to say. "Not easy, is it?"

"Oh, no, its fine. My girlfriend is being toyed with, I can't help her, and a crazy woman wants me to fuck my best friend. It's all turning up Riley."

He blinked bitter tears from his eyes.

Time to take a step back then. "I'm Dr. Audrey," she said. "We never formally introduced ourselves. I've heard a lot about you."

Riley stirred, then sat up. "Riley, yeah. I've heard a lot about you too."

"Good things I hope," she smiled.

"Mostly," he offered a weak smile back.

She took a deep breath. "Riley, can I offer you some advice?" She did her best to sound earnest.

"Sure, why not. It's not like I know what to do."

"I can't imagine what you're going through. But there are good feelings, and bad feelings. When we find ourselves in...well, there aren't really any situations like _this _are there, but you know what I mean. My point is, we need to focus on what we can control and let go of what we can't. Focus on the good feelings, let the bad ones go."

"I can't control anything,"

"That's not true. You can control your relationships. Your girlfriend, Paige? She'll want to know you love her. Trevor will want to know you support him. And in turn, you'll want to know the same from them."

"Is it that easy for you?" he asked somewhat bitterly. "Just 'have good feelings'?"

"No," Audrey said, letting out a breath. "No. I know that I'm probably better off right now than you are, but this isn't easy for me either."

Riley was quiet, and then he seemed to collapse on himself. "They took my face," he said softly. Tears welled in his eyes.

Oh, child. She reached out and put a hand on his leg, trying her best to comfort him. This wasn't her wheelhouse, but she couldn't just stand there while he hurt like this. "You're still you. They can't take that away."

"But...it was my face. I know it wasn't perfect, but it was mine. And now...now I look like..."

If Riley spirals then he won't be competition, whispered a dark corner of her mind. Audrey burned that voice out of her. He needed help.

Riley was listless. A sense of purpose would do him well. "Some things that are out of our control are easier to let go of then others, but holding on to whats gone only makes it hurt more.

"Look," she said, "I'm going to prepare for the contest tomorrow. I know it isn't the same, but they took my face too. Yes, this is what I used to look like, but...well, maybe when you're my age you'll understand. Your younger self can seem as much a different person as a total stranger does. I too want back what they took from me. And so I'm going to do my best to get it back."

"Prepare? How?"

Audrey stood up and grabbed some notepads she'd found in a drawer, along with a couple of pens. Returning, she handed one of each to Riley. "Here. We should makes lists, of truths and lies for tomorrow. You don't want to be standing there unsure of what to say. That's what Violet wants. For us to act rashly and tell a lie that she can lock us into. We need to be careful and prepared."

Riley looked down at the pad of paper in his hands, beginning to concentrate. "That makes sense. We should plan out what we're willing to risk."

Audrey nodded. "Exactly. There's also all sorts of things we could say that are true that might not occur to us in the heat of the moment."

"Yeah. Alright. I've got a couple of ideas."

"Good," she said, smiling down at him. "Let's get started then."

"You know, you're not as bad as Trevor said you were."

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how bad was that?"

Riley blushed. "I didn't mean it like that. Just, you know, that you run a tight ship."

"Hm. That I do. And you're on it now. So get busy. We have a contest to win."

The room fell silent, all but for the sound of scribbling pens.

***

Chloe stared at the bathroom mirror. Concentrating.

"His name is...his name is...Daddy."

Her face hit her palm. She tried again.

"Tuh...reh...vuh...ore.........Daddy."

Why couldn't she say it! Her brain sent the word to her mouth but the wrong one came out. Why couldn't she say Daddy?

Why couldn't she even think it!

Chloe shivered. She felt violated. Wrong. Her skin crawled. They'd gotten inside her head. They'd changed her.

The entire thing disgusted Chloe. Her TA, a decade older than her, who she knew she had caught looking at her inappropriately, and now she...

A knock sounded at the bathroom door.

"Chloe?" Paige called out. "You alright in there?"

"Fine," Chloe said, doing her best to sell it.

"It's just...you've been in there for a while now. And I thought I heard you talking."

"I'm fine."

"Alright, well...ok."

Chloe listened to the sound of retreating footsteps. Paige seemed nice. Chloe sighed. She hadn't really expected this to work anyways. The other girls' changes seemed permanent, it made sense that hers was too.

Turning around, Chloe unlocked the bathroom door and headed back out into the living room where she crashed down onto one of the couches. She ran a hand over a throw pillow, leaving lines of color on the material. Then she ran her hand back over it the other way and erased them. Paige sat on the other couch, playing with her hair.

"Crazy day, huh?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Chloe replied, tersely. Paige stared down at her lap. The room fell silent again. Immediately Chloe felt bad. Paige clearly just wanted someone to talk to. She was suffering at least as much as Chloe was. None of this was her fault. It was...his.

"Sorry," Chloe said. "I'm not normally like this. I'm just a little out of sorts."

Paige nodded. "I understand. I'm not feeling quite like myself either."

"How are you doing?" Chloe asked.

Paige squirmed in her seat. "I miss Riley."

Chloe nodded. "I'm sure he'll come see you soon. Violet said we had the day to ourselves once we got to our suites."

"He doesn't know where I'm staying," Paige said. "I don't know where he's staying either." Paige had tried asking the servant, but she hadn't known. Or she'd lied about it, Chloe thought darkly.

"What about you?" Paige asked.

"I'm..." She almost said fine. "...not great. This whole thing makes me sick."

"I know what you mean. It's just...gross."

"Thank you! Look at what they did to us," Chloe said. Then, softer, "It's disgusting."

"I knew there were people who were into some gross stuff, but I've never really, you know, encountered it."

"Some people can hide who they are for a long time, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"You know...him. The guy."

"Trevor? Oh, right, um, sorry."

Chloe didn't acknowledge the faux pas, she just moved on. "Yeah. You think you know somebody."

Paige furrowed her brow. "I still don't know what you mean. Trevor didn't do any of this."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course. I know him. He wouldn't do...this."

Chloe shrugged. "Maybe." Then she thought about her suspicions, ones she'd harbored since before the show. "But maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do. Ask yourself this. Would they really bring on girls he had absolutely no interest in? Or would they maybe bring on girls that he shouldn't be interested in, but was anyways. His student. His best friend's girl."

Paige grew contemplative, but shook her head. "No. He's a good man."

"You've never once caught him looking? Maybe staring a little too long? He's never once said anything out of line?"

"No," Paige said. "Not once. He's a good guy, Chloe. He's being dragged along with the rest of us. They brought his sister on. You can't possibly think they only brought on girls he's attracted to. They brought on my boyfriend."

It was a good point. Maybe she had it wrong. Or maybe Daddy was more messed up than she thought.

Daddy.

Daddy.

She sighed, giving up.

"Look, maybe we just shouldn't talk about it then."

"Alright. I'm just saying though, he's my friend and I know he wouldn't do this."

Awkward silence fell over the room like a wet blanket. Paige was clearly uncomfortable, and Chloe knew that she couldn't just leave it like this. She'd be staying with Paige indefinitely. It was important that they get along.

"What do you do for fun Paige?" she asked at last.

"Oh, um, not much. I'm not very exciting."

"I'm not exactly out partying every night myself."

"Well, I like to make jewelry."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I have a little workstation in Riley and I's condo."

"Do you have any with you?"

Paige lifted up her hair to show off the gold earrings she was wearing. "You made those?" Chloe asked, genuinely impressed.

"Mhm," Paige said, looking embarrassed.

"Those are really good."

"Thanks."

The two shared a smile. As the afternoon wore on Chloe told Paige about tennis, about her schoolwork, her family. Paige in turn complained about her job and how much she looked forward to being able to quit.

As they talked Chloe felt a weight lift off her shoulders and her mood slowly improved until eventually she was almost her usual upbeat self. Paige seemed to have needed this just as much as she did. Chloe had thought her quiet, and she was, but Paige could also be jubilant. If there was one saving grace in this nightmare it was that at least she got a good roommate. Things were bad but they could, she figured, be worse.

***

"Mom?!"

Her mom shoved her way past the shocked servant and pulled her into a tight embrace. Hanna returned it, clinging to her mother like a rock in a storm.

"Hanna," her mom cried. "It's really you."

The two held each other for a long moment. Wrapped in her mother's arms, Hanna felt safe for the first time since she'd been taken. Finally, regretfully, Hanna pulled away. "So it's all true then. This is really happening."

A storm fell over her mother's face. "Yes."

"I'd been hoping it wasn't," Hanna admitted.

Aaliyah put a protective arm over Hanna. "Do not worry. I won't let them hurt you."

Hanna was less than sure, but felt comforted none the less. If anyone could stand up to these people, it was her mother.

"Are you staying nearby then?" Hanna asked.

Her mom looked confused. "What do you mean? We are staying here."

"What, both of us?"

"That is what I was told. Were you told you were staying somewhere else?" Her mother whirled on the servant, an older man with a gentlemanly air in a well-tailored yet modest suit of black and white. "Where are you sending my daughter."

"You are both staying here," he confirmed, apparently unperturbed by the outburst.

"But there's only one bed," Hanna said.

"They didn't know whether or not you were coming onto the show until after the voting," her mom told her. "They'll bring another."

The man cleared his throat. "Apologies mam, but there isn't a second bed coming."

"Why not?" Hanna asked.

"Which of us do you expect to be sleeping on the couch?" her mom asked, somewhat less diplomatically.

"Again, apologies mam, but neither of you is to sleep on the couch. Under the rules of the game you are both considered a single contestant. One contestant, one bed. And miss Violet was quite clear that you share it. She said, and do forgive me as I am only relaying her words: 'tell them that if they fight me on this they will not like the alternative I come up with'."

"This is ridiculous!" her mother shouted. "There is plenty of room for another bed. You will bring us one."

"My sincerest regrets mam, but I cannot."

A strangled sound came out of her mom's throat, and fearing what she'd do next Hanna stepped in between them. "It's alright mom. The bed's pretty big actually. It won't be bad. It'll be like staying in a hotel."

"Your father and I always made sure you had your own bed when we stayed in a hotel." At the mention of her father, Hanna thought she saw something in her mother's face. But she moved past it quickly.

"It'll be alright," Hanna repeated.

"Do we at least have a piano for you?" She turned back onto the servant. "Do not tell me you sent my daughter here and did not bring with her a piano. She is a talented musician and I will not have her talent squandered because you cannot do your job."

Hanna sighed.

"If you want a piano we will see that one is brought for you."

Her mom nodded sharply. "Good. And do you have anything to write with?"

The servant proffered her a small notepad and a pencil from his jacket pocket. Her mother snatched them up and scribbled something down, then handed them back.

"These are the sheet musics we will need from you, as well as the type of piano she will require. She won't be practicing on some dingy old relic you find in your basement."

"It won't be a problem mam. Will there be anything else?"

"I think we're fine, thank you" Hanna said. The servant bowed then made his leave. "You didn't have to be so hard on him, he's just doing his job."

"If he wanted to be treated with respect he would not work for these people."

***

A short time later mother and daughter sat in the living room. Hanna had been briefed on the rules of the game as well as the results of the vote that had occurred earlier, but she still felt under-prepared. She hadn't met anyone. She had no feel for the lay of the land.

"So tell me about the other girls," Hanna asked.

"There is not much to tell," her mother said. "What are you asking about?"

"I don't know. What are they like?"

Her mother set down a cup of the tea they had found in the kitchenette. "Hm. Most of them are weepy. The older one knows what she's about. And the sister. But most of them are not remarkable."

Hanna groaned. "We need more than that, mom."

"Why? What are they to us?"

"Our competitors. Maybe our allies."

Her mom frowned.

"This is a game show, mom. We're going to need allies." Hanna said it like she was explaining this to a child.

"Do not talk to your mother that way. And I disagree. We do not need them."

"Think about it. This contest tomorrow. If we had a friend then that would be one less person willing to call bullshit."

Her mother waved away her concerns. "We won't be doing that."

"What do you mean? They're not including us in the contest?"

"No. I mean that we won't be doing it. They want to have a game? Let them. We will not be participating."

"Mom. I don't think that's a good idea."

"I am your mother and I know best. These are not good people. You cannot let them control you. Do you remember what the president said? We do not negotiate with terrorists. It is like that."

Hanna very pointedly did not pull on that thread.

"These people are scary, mom. They won't like it if we just refuse to participate. Did you even read the rules?"

"No. If that woman wants to tell me something she can tell me herself. I won't be reading her paper."

Hanna hit her forehead with her palm. Hard. "We can be disqualified mom. And that's not good. This is a bad idea."

"I am your mother and I know best."

Hanna knew better than to press the issue. But she also knew better than to just sit back and let the show have it's way with them. What was she going to do?