Story

Returning back to my room a bit before seven P.M., I noticed the message light flashing on my answering machine. Hitting the button, I listened to the list of messages as I quickly stripped out of my day clothes and prepared to dress for my date with Shelley. I paused as I recognized her voice on the first message.

Beep Hi, this is Shelley, and this message is for Jonothan. Uh, um, I'm sorry to leave a message for you like this, I had hoped to talk to you earlier today, but they kept me in meetings all day long. I'm sorry... but it looks like I won't be getting that week off for your Spring Break after all. I know you're probably disappointed, but with the work load next week, my boss told me it is just impossible. On the good side, I'll be taking Thursday and Friday of next week off, and we have the weekend, of course, so it won't be too bad.

I sighed, sitting down on my bed. She was right, it WAS a big disappointment. Still, as she'd said, she would have two days off at least, and there was always the weekend... and this weekend as well. I reached for my tie as the message continued.

There is one other little thing, though, she spoke, somewhat hesitantly. I groaned inwardly, knowing trouble was coming. It seems that Jecca's Spring Break also starts next week, and she will be out of school the same time as you. So its going to be the THREE of us, not just you and me, alone. Sorry, sweetheart, but we'll have to change our time together from NC-17 to a PG-13 rating. BEEP

I knew it. Somehow, deep down, I knew it was too good to be true. Nothing in my life was ever simple or easy. "Well, I might as well enjoy tonight, then," I said aloud. "At least it will be just the two of us alone at the movies, tonight. That's something, I suppose..."

Message two began to play. BEEP Hi, its me again. Um, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. My roommate's sick, she left work early today, and she won't be able to baby-sit Jecca for me. I really need to stay home and look after them both. So... I guess we'll have to go out to the movies some other night. Talk to you later, sweetheart. Bye. BEEP

I managed to resist the urge to smash my head against the wall. In the span on five minutes my entire Spring Break had been trashed. My nine days of pleasure had been whittled away to possibly four, and those four I would have a teenaged chaperone along to make sure Shelley and I didn't get too lovey-dovey with one another! I stopped dressing, taking my white shirt and tie back off, dropping them onto the floor like trash. This had to stop. It simply could not go on like this.

Now, as bad as things had been between Shelley and I, I had never, ever, even considered letting my eye wander. That's not to say that I haven't noticed all the attractive ladies floating around the university. A man would have to be blind not to notice all the lovely girlflesh running rampant. My dormitory was co-ed; I had lovely female specimens walking around, some scantily or half-dressed, at any time of the day. If I had been single and unattached, I would have had my pick. Right now, my plans shot to hell yet again, I almost considered asking one of my neighbors to the movies. Almost. In the end, however, my love for Shelley was much stronger than even my frustration at never getting to spend time alone with her.

Dressed once again in my street clothes, I flipped the channels of my TV, searching for something to watch, hoping in vain that there would be SOMETHING to distract me from boredom and loneliness I would have to endure. Nada. Nothing. After all, if there had been something worth watching I probably wouldn't have made plans to go to the movies. Shaking my head in disgust, I decided to walk downstairs to the computer lab. If I had to be alone, I might as well entertain myself on the web.

Along the stairwell, I met up with my three pals, Frank, Morgan, and Danielle. Frank and Morgan were quite a pair; best pals and drinking buddies, they were basically the typical college party guys. Danielle was Frank's current sweetheart, a long-legged, blue-eyed brunette with a bright smile and a playful disposition. The three often invited me along with them on their escapades, trying to prove it was possible to exist only on beer, hard liquor, and pizza. Believing that I would need my brain cells intact later on in life, I always declined, politely, and would listen the next day to the tells of how Frank got plastered and slept outside on the lawn, or how Morgan had been booted out of the girl's bathroom when he wandered into an occupied shower in a drunken stupor. This time when they made the standard obligatory offer, I thought for a moment, then smiled and answered.

"Sure. Why the hell not? I'll join you."

Morgan blinked, stroking his fiery red hair. "Really? You're gonna go drinking with us? For real?"

I chuckled. "Well... maybe not drinking, exactly. I'll get non-alcoholic for myself. But yeah, I'll hang out with you guys. Heck, I'll even buy."

THAT declaration was all Frank needed to hear. "Cool! Let's go, Jonny my man!"

Danielle decided to stay in her room and wait for the pizza to arrive. Frank, Morgan, and myself all slid into Frank's car and headed to the liquor store. We chatted off and on while on the way, and I learned that they, too, were planning to leave for Spring Break, but that they were going as a group tomorrow, Saturday morning, a bit before noon. I sighed deeply, finding myself feeling even more depressed now, and considered something a bit stronger than non-alcoholic brew.

"That'll be eighteen-fifty, please," the clerk announced.

Reaching into my pocket for the wad of bills I kept, I dropped the small white box. It spilled open with a clatter, and Morgan knelt down to retrieve it for me. "Hey, dude, you dropped this. Huh... what is it, anyway? Looks like some kind of huge diamond or something, on a chain."

I smirked, receiving my change and the bottles, and headed towards the door. "Actually, its quartz. Clear and polished and cut to resemble a diamond. It's my focus stone for..." I paused there, wondering, idly if I should broach such a subject with the likes of these two. Glancing into Morgan and Frank's faces, facing a long boring week ahead of me, I gave in to temptation and continued. "It's for... hypnosis."

Frank's eyes went wide, and Morgan formed a large 'O' with his mouth. I smirked. "Well, you know I changed my major to Psychology. It's only natural that I would do some research and study on some of the more... ahem, interesting aspects of that field. It's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Frank said, eyes still wide. "Tell me, Jonothan. Have you ever... you know, hypnotized someone with that thing? Could you put someone under, if you had to?"

"Well, yeah, I've hypnotized people before. I'm not the Amazing Preskin, or anything, but I know the basics. And as for putting someone under... well, it's kind of complicated. Hypnosis isn't like the stories you read online. You can't make someone do anything they wouldn't normally do, not without a LOT of very creative and extensive work, and a lot of time on your hands. Even then, every one is different and react to it in different ways." I shrugged. "I could probably hypnotize quite a few people I know pretty easy, and some of them with a lot of effort. Some, I doubt I could hypnotize them at all."

"What about us?" Frank pressed. "Do you think you could hypnotize us if you had to?"

I considered. I knew them all pretty well, knew their basic personalities, and how they thought, how their minds worked. "I could probably put you under, Frank, with a lot of work. Morgan, there, I doubt it. He's too... hmmm... what's a nice word for it..." I smirked. "He's too... intense, too fiery. Maybe it's the red hair and the Irish temper, but I don't think I could put him under. Not without a heck of a lot more training."

Morgan considered for a moment. "So... what about Danielle?"

The gears in my head started turning then. I'd been trying hard NOT to think of Danielle. I admit it, she's a looker. She is a very beautiful girl, on my list of girls I would possible go after if I weren't already taken. Of course, she was also taken, and by one of my best friends, so that was that. Still... the idea of Danielle, entranced, mesmerized, open to my will, vulnerable and suggestible, stirred more than just my imagination.

Nonchalantly, I replied, "I'd probably classify her as 'easy'."

Frank and Morgan burst into laughter, and I realized my wording of choice. "Er, you know what I meant. I could probably put her under with little or no problem."

We chatted a bit more, on the way back home. We stopped and picked up a few cans of regular Coors from the grocery store, to go with the liquor from the other store. On the way, the subject of me hypnotizing Danielle was brought up a few more times, more as a joke than serious, but the thought stayed with me all the way back home. Knowing the two of them, they would probably forget all about it after the first drink, or possibly bring it up out of the blue once they were completely wasted. The thought continued to haunt me, however, circling around in my head like a lone hornet buzzing about in it's hive.

Back at the room, we talked for a bit more. The boys popped a few tabs and started drinking; I guzzled down a few cups of Kool-Aid, content with maintaining my own equilibrium. Besides, I'd come for the company and the camaraderie, anyway, right? As expected, after a while, they were quite toasted. Morgan began telling us all about the different fights he'd been in since grade school, and how he was a changed man now, much more mature.

Then he got mad at the CD player when a bad song came on, and smashed his fist into the wall, nearly breaking his hand.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, glancing at his hand. "Uh, you know, that is really gonna hurt you in the morning, when all the alcohol finally wears off."

Frank became somewhat melancholy. He and Danielle snuggled and necked and kissed a while, totally content, until Danielle decided to tell a little bit about her own past. Frank left to take a leak, and the story began getting juicy. When the topic turned to Danielle's former boyfriends just as Frank returned, things got really disconcerting.

"Oh, I see," Frank slurred, turning away, moving back to the door. "So, you'd rather talk about THEM than me, huh? Okay. Fine. I don't need to sit here and listen to this." With that, he meandered his way through the door and out into the hallway. I glanced at Danielle.

"Do you think we should go after him?" I asked. "I mean, in the condition he's in..."

Danielle shook her head. "Nah. In the condition HE'S in, most likely he only made it a few steps outside the door. I bet he's lying in the middle of the hall right now, taking a little nap. After a while, he'll get up, walk around sulking for a bit, then forget all about being mad and come back."

I was somewhat disbelieving of her assessment, but if she wasn't that worried, then I figured I should trust her judgement. After all, these guys did this on a regular basis. Just then, Morgan let out a huge belch, and staggered to his feet.

"Oh, man... this is all my fault," he lamented. "I shoulda not have started this... by telling all my sto-burp! stories... I gotta go find 'em, and tell 'em I'm sorry. Excuse me... oh... and I gotta go take a leak too." He made his way unsteadily outside to the bathroom down the hall.

Sighing, I glanced at Danielle again. "So, this happens all the time?" I asked. She smiled and giggled prettily.

"Actually, they're behaving themselves tonight. Usually, when they drink that much, they totally cut loose. They haven't started trying to wrestle or anything yet." She grinned. "You might want to head back to your room before they get to that stage."

I heard a loud thump. Moving to the door, I glanced out into the hall. Sure enough, Frank was there, lying about halfway down the corridor, face down on the carpet. His trademark cap down over his face, he snored very lightly, no doubt puttering along in dreamland powered by alcohol fumes. I shook my head. Glancing towards the bathroom, I saw Morgan emerge, struggling with his pants, trying to zip them back up. After a while, he cursed, threw up his hands, and simply started walking back towards the room. He, too, made it about halfway before slamming against the wall, sliding down it, and passing out in the middle of the hallway.

"Let me guess," Danielle spoke as I slide back from the door. "They're both passed out in the hallway, aren't they?" I sighed and nodded. "It's not a big deal, really. Don't worry about it. They never hurt anyone except themselves, and usually, only when they get into a drunken brawl over something stupid. And they always make up again when they sober up."

I sat back down, fascinated. "You know, I think I have a subject for my senior thesis now: 'The Psychological and Sociological Effects of Drinking in the College Lifestyle.'" I chuckled. "It's much better than my other idea."

"Really? What was your other idea?"

"Mmmm, something to do with hypnosis."

Danielle's eyes went wide, then narrowed slightly, a look of disbelief on her face. "Yeah, right. As if."

I grinned. "No, seriously. As a matter of fact, I was telling Frank and Morgan about it just tonight on the drive back from the store. I mean, I already have experience in that sort of thing. What better way to get an insight into the human psyche than a deep and detailed examination of the human subconscious." I started to explain my entire belief of human psychology to her, but the glazed look in her eyes at the seven dollar words I was spitting out caused me to cut off my spiel.

"What?" I asked after a moment. "Am I boring you?"

"N-n-no, no, not at all." She looked up at me then. "So... how do you do it? Have you hypnotized anyone before? And... could you teach me how to do it?"

Once again, the wheels started turning. "Uh, yeah, I've hypnotized a few people before, and yeah, I suppose I could teach it to you." I grinned. "I already promised to teach Frank how to hypnotize you, yanno."

She gasped, chuckling. "Uh uh. NO way! I want to put HIM under, not have him put me under. I wanna be the one in control here." She leaned forward. "So, how does it work? How did you learn how to do it?"

I shrugged. "Well I was always fascinated with the subject, ever since I was a little kid. I read a few dozen books on the subject, and practiced on my friends growing up. As for how it actually works... well, its not like the movies, yanno. You don't just swing a watch in front of a person's face and make them into your mindless slave." I chuckled again. "There's much more to it than that. In layman's terms, hypnosis is simply a relaxing and focusing of the mind, a suppression of the active dominant conscious, and a freeing of the passive, receptive subconscious. Most anyone can be hypnotized, I believe, its just a question of getting past their guard and getting them to focus."

Danielle seemed intrigued, which was good. "Okay, tell me more."

I smirked. Just the words I was hoping for. "Well, the hypnotist doesn't hypnotize anyone. It's the person's own mind that does all the work. 'All hypnosis is self-hypnosis'" I recited from rote. "The hypnotist merely assists and helps guide the person through the trance." I removed the small blue box from my pocket, a little jewelry box, shaped like a ring holder. I took out the small crystal I used for a focus, and held it before Danielle's face. "I use this to help my subject's relax. It's my focus."

Danielle smiled. "It's very pretty. Is it a diamond?"

I laughed at that one. "No, a diamond that size would be several hundred thousand dollars! This is just a piece of polished, diamond-cut quartz. If you look very closely, there in the very center, you can see a small imperfection. It looks like a little white cloud, floating in a crystal sea. Can you see it, Danielle?"

She leaned closer, peering intently. "Yeah, I can see it."

I smiled, spinning the crystal slowly on its chain. "Yes. That's how you know its not a diamond. Diamonds have no such imperfections. This one, however, is rather pretty. See? When the crystal spins, you can see the cloud inside move... like its floating... just riding on the wind, letting it drift... and carry it wherever it wishes... just drifting... along..."

Danielle watched the crystal, fascinated. The low lighting in the dorm room, which used to aggravate me to no end when I needed to read, was serving me well for a change. The dim light caught the crystal's sparkle just right, dazzling the girl's eyes as I continued to talk her through.

"A single white cloud... soft and fluffy... just drifting along... I used to sit for hours and hours, looking up at the clouds, just watching them, staring at them for hours and hours... just watching the clouds... leaning back, relaxing, staring up at the clouds... trying to see things in the clouds, see shapes... letting it relax me. It relaxes you, you know, staring up at the clouds, watching them float by gently, on the breeze, watching them drift by so lazily, their soft pale white forms seeming to drain your very strength... making you sooo relaxed... so calm and peaceful... so very relaxed... it's so relaxing to watch clouds, to stare at them, to watch them drift by our eyes... to sit and stare, and relax and watch the clouds..."

Danielle's posture had changed dramatically in the past few minutes. Her head had slumped forward, her hands lay limply to the side, and her eyes were fluttering, trying to keep track of the spinning, shining jewel before her. All of her attention was focused on the small center of the crystal... and on my voice. I had her caught; now I just needed to draw her in.

"It feels good, doesn't it, Danielle? To sit and watch the clouds... to just relax... and let everything around you just drift away... until there is nothing else, just you and the clouds... you and the clouds... just relaxing and watching the clouds... spinning... dancing... making you more and more relaxed by the moment... making you feel just a bit sleepy as well... sleepy... very tired and sleepy..." She yawned then, lightly, her eyes fluttering once more. "But you want to watch the clouds, Danielle... need to watch them, so you can feel relaxed... and good... all over... watching the cloud dancing before your eyes... making you feel so good... so relaxed... but still so sleepy... your eyes wanting to close, so you can rest... and feel completely relaxed... but you want to watch the clouds... need to watch the clouds..."

I repeated this little litany a few more times, dangling the idea of sleep and total relaxation before her like the crystal in front of her eyes, but always imposing the need to see and stare at the crystal as well. Finally, satisfied that she was ready, I gave her an out. "Now, Danielle, when I count to three, something magical will happen. You will close your eyes, and drift, becoming completely, totally relaxed, but you will still be able to see the clouds spinning and dancing before you. You will see it in your mind, Danielle. You can sleep and rest, and still watch the sweet, relaxing clouds in your mind. Now. ONE. Relaxing a bit more... that's it... good... good. TWO. A little bit more... your eyes so heavy... just ready to close... ready to give in and relax completely... THREE!"

Her eyes slammed shut, and her head dropped to the side as if her spine had snapped. She was under. But, of course, putting someone under is the easy part. Deepening them, keeping them under, and making changes, is the hard part. At least, for me.

"Danielle, you are completely relaxed. you feel good, so very very good, right now. Your body is light and warm, as if you were floating inside that soft fluffy cloud... your skin nearly tingling with warm fuzzy pleasure. It feels good doesn't it, Danielle. You can answer me, Danielle, just like normal. It feels good to be so relaxed, doesn't it?"

She sighed softly, moving her lips, before a soft 'yesss' issued forth.

"Good, good," I murmured softly as well. "You've been hypnotized, Danielle. You are deeply hypnotized, and have no control over your body at the moment. I control your body. I control how good and pleasant you feel. I can lessen the feeling, make the soft, warm, relaxing feeling go away... or I can make it feel even better, make you feel soo very very good. You want to feel good, don't you, Danielle?"

She nodded. "Yess..."

I smiled. "Very good. Then I will make you feel good, Danielle. You are a very good friend, and I want to make you feel good. But, I need you to do something for me, as well. A favor. You would do me a favor, if I helped you to feel this good, wouldn't you, Danielle?" Again, she replied in the positive. "Great. Then, what I need for you to do, is to go deeper into a trance for me. You can do that, can't you? Just imagine yourself in an elevator, and when you look up, you see the floor numbers are flashing. The elevator goes up and down, Danielle. At the top floor, Floor 100, you are wide awake. On Floor 1, you are completely and totally hypnotized, as deep as you can possibly become. Right now, you are on... Floor 82." I smirked. "You are hypnotized, but you are not very deep, not yet. Push the button, Danielle, and take yourself deeper."

Danielle's eyes fluttered behind her eyelids, then she sighed, relaxing a bit more. "Very good. You are going deeper now, Danielle. Traveling down, inside your own mind. And I am with you, inside the elevator. The deeper we go, the better it makes you feel. Your body feels sooo good, as if you were completely naked, and Frank were softly, gently kissing you all over... softly and tenderly."

A soft gasp escaped her lips, and she moved slightly, a smile coming across her lips. "We're at Floor 60 now, almost halfway down. IT feels REALLY good now, doesn't it, Danielle?"

"Mmmmm... oohhh... yess... feels, good..." she murmured softly, rubbing her thighs together.

"We're continuing down now, Danielle," I stated, moving to the foot of the bed, gently leaning Danielle flat on her bed. She sighed, eyes closed, looking to anyone would might happen by as if she were simply sleeping. I moved back to her head where I continued to guide her. "Floor 37 now," I said. "And still going lower.. deeper... towards the bottom. The deeper in trance you go, the stronger my control over you... and the stronger the pleasure you feel. It feels wonderful doesn't it? To have someone in control of you... to have someone make you feel sooo good. You love it, Danielle... love feeling so helpless, so out-of-control, so open to my will. The deeper you go, the closer you come to ultimate pleasure, to the greatest feeling you've ever felt."

Danielle began writhing now, moving her thighs and arching her back slightly. My words were having the desired effect. The deeper she went, the more pleasure she felt, and the desire for more was taking her even deeper. I'd created a feedback loop of pleasure in her mind. Smirking, I decided it was time to hit the circuit breaker before she went into overload.

"I have stopped the elevator now, Danielle, stopped it at Floor 12. You are very very deep right now, Danielle... and you feel absolutely wonderful. But... you have not yet reached the bottom floor. Only one person can take you all the way down. Only one person can give you ultimate pleasure when you submit completely to him." I chuckled inwardly, thinking my pal would really owe me one when he finally sobered up. "That person is Frank. Only by letting Frank take you to the bottom floor can you receive the ultimate pleasure. To do this, you must submit to him, completely. Do you understand, Danielle?"

"Yess," she replied again, her body still writhing on the bed.

I sighed, almost feeling sorry for her in such a state. I decided to speed things up. "Now then, Danielle. You are very very deep now. I have almost total control over you. You must listen very closely to my words and obey them without thought. You are deeply hypnotized, very very deep, and you have no will to resist. You will listen and do as I ask, won't you Danielle?"

Danielle's face scowled into a slight frown for an instant, as if the very last threads of her conscious was trying to resist. A moment later, her expression was clear again, and she nodded. "Yes... I will..."

"Very good, Danielle. You're doing very well. I'm proud of you. Now. Listen carefully. From now on, whenever Frank, Morgan, or I tap you on the forehead and say, 'Sleep', you will return to this trance. You will descend back in your elevator to this floor, so very very deep. Whenever Morgan, Frank, or I tap your forehead and say the word 'Sleep' you will return to this point. But ONLY for Frank, Morgan, or myself. No one else. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Very good. While you are in trance, you will obey whomever has placed you in trance. You will listen to them, and obey. Whenever someone snaps their fingers you will awaken. Now listen, Danielle, for this is also very important. When you are given a command in trance, you must try to obey. But... and this is important, Danielle, you can resist the command, if it is something you really do not wish to do. If it is something that will hurt you, or cause you to get into very big trouble, you can resist it. Otherwise, you must obey. Now, do you understand that as well?"

She seemed to consider for a moment. "Yes... I think so."

I nodded. I certainly didn't want Danielle to get into any serious trouble if Frank and Morgan decided to take advantage of her trance state. I live by a motto an old friend of mine came up with: "If you are gonna screw with your friends, at least do them the courtesy of providing the lube." I had screwed a little with Danielle's head, but I wasn't about to leave her defenseless. Besides, I planned on teaching her how to hypnotize Frank and Morgan as well, so they would all be on equal terms.

Of course, I still intended to hold the passkeys.

"And remember this above all else, Danielle," I continued. "If I ever take your wrist and tap it three times, you will fall immediately into a deep trance. You will go to Floor 1, all the way to the very bottom, and become 100% hypnotized. You will be totally, completely, under my power. Any commands you were given by anyone else will no longer apply. At this level, you will obey me, and only me. Do you understand?" She acquiesced. "Good. This way, Danielle, no one will be able to turn you into their slave permanently. If all else fails, I can tap your wrist and turn you back to normal. This is your failsafe, Danielle. You will now forget this command. It will be as if you have never heard it, But, if I tap your wrist three times, you will still obey, and fall into trance. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good." I glanced at the clock. It was getting late. I'd kept her under for the better part of an hour, and with two drunken guys outside the door, who could possibly awaken and barge in at any moment, I decided not to push my luck. I prepared to bring her back up and out again... then paused.

"Tell me, Danielle. Have you ever been hypnotized before?"

"Yes... I am hypnotized now..." she murmured.

I smirked. "No, Danielle. "You were not hypnotized. You cannot remember ever being hypnotized before. When you awaken, you will remember only my telling you about it, describing how it is done... but you never went into a trance yourself. No one has ever hypnotized you. Now, Danielle... tell me, do you remember being hypnotized?"

"No. I was never hypnotized."

"Are you hypnotized right now?"

She paused for a second. "Yes. I am. But I will not remember when I wake up."

I shrugged. "Sounds good enough to me. Now, Danielle, I am starting the elevator again, and we are going up now. Floor 20... Floor 34... Floor 47. As you climb higher and higher, you feel yourself relaxing a bit less, coming more and more awake. Floor 62. Floor 70. Your body and mind beginning to come awake again, floor by floor. At Floor 90, I want you to count aloud every floor until you reach 100, and then you will awaken fully. Floor 88."

I reached up and grabbed the crystal, and dangled it before her head, as before. I smirked, wondering if she would even notice that she was now lying down, where she'd been sitting up before. I heard her voice speak up as she started counting.

"91... 92... 93... 94..." Danielle intones softly. I thought quickly of what I would say when she opened her eyes again, to make it seem no time had passed. "98... 99... 100..." Danielle's blue eyes opened again, and she yawned, stretching, glancing up into the crystal I held above her.

"Huh? What was I saying just now?" she asked, sitting up, confused.

"I was telling you about how hypnosis works, remember?" I replied smoothly. "Letting you lie back and see if it would work on someone as smart as you. So... did it? Do you feel sleepy at all?"

Danielle smirked, and shook her head. "Nope. Sorry. I guess it doesn't work on me."

I sighed, and put the crystal back into its box and placed it in my pocket again. "Well, that's okay. It doesn't work on EVERYONE you know. Still, it might be fun to see if it works on Frank or Morgan."

Danielle's smile returned. "Oh yeah! You HAVE to show me how to hypnotize them, so I can make them both my love-slaves!" She giggled at the thought.

I merely smiled knowingly. "Sure. Not a problem. Let me show you how it's done..."

Story: Break From the Norm...

by J. Darksong

((END.))