Chapter Three: Hot Girls Night

The night was alive, music and chatter spilling from every Greek house on Davis Street, as the family stood in line to enter Beta Upsilon Delta. There were more than a hundred kids ahead of them, and dozens more filed in behind as they shuffled along. Every teen that walked past them did a double take, a couple taking pictures.

“Quite a turnout,” Dom commented as he scanned the street. “Could be difficult to find our thief in the mob, and we’ll need to be delicate about any confrontations. I don’t want to fight a bunch of drunken frat bros.”

“We can do subtle, Master.” Lola waved at a few gawking teens as they passed. “And Violet is a master of diplomacy. Shouldn’t be a problem, as long as they don’t start shit.”

Zoey was unconvinced. “I just wish I knew what was up with those masked kids at the dorms. Sexy shenanigans at a party I get - facelessly staring at strangers from your window I don’t.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine Ms Zoey!” Donna put a reassuring felt hand on Zoey’s shoulder. “Everyone here seems really nice - it’s probably just a misunderstanding.”

Lola gave her a skeptical look. “I’m sure we’ll all look back on this and laugh.”

The sarcasm went entirely over the girl-thing’s head and she nodded enthusiastically, which made Zoey smile. “I hope you’re right, Donna - but let’s be careful anyway. Nicky, are you ready?”

“Yeah, let’s do it before we get too close.” Dominick put a hand out, palm down, and the rest of the family piled their hands on top, Violet’s arm unbinding to join. Donna slapped her hand on top, and Lola let out a “HAH!” that turned several heads.

Dom gently removed her hand, trying to be kind. “This is for 4D people, Donna - you don’t need protection from thing-a-mabobs. Just sit tight and we’ll head in.” Then he turned back and shut his eyes, concentrating.

He spoke softly, voice resonating unnaturally with the power of the higher dimensions.

<<The will is infinite. I bind space, I seize time, I pin our minds to the World That Is, and shelter our memories from the Winds of Change.>>

Dominick took several deep breaths, focusing, and the women shivered in turn as they felt his protection wrap around them. “I will never get used to that, ” Zoey added when they were done.

“Sorry hon, I know it’s a weird hobby - I appreciate your indulgence.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Now let’s go get drunk with teenagers!”

The line progressed around the corner and towards a large tent near the frat’s front door. A “HOT GIRLS NIGHT” banner was strung above it, and true to its word, the house itself was absolutely filled with hot girls - beautiful young women of every description filled the building and the fenced-in lawn, dancing and drinking and partying.

“Good god,” Violet gasped. “Look at them all.” Lola smiled at that, put a hand on her slave’s butt. “There’s my horny girl.”

“The only men beyond the tent are the guys in the frat,” Dom noted, “and yet we’ve seen at least ten dudes walk into it. They’re letting the girls walk right past, directly inside.”

“Which means…” Zoey pondered it for a moment, then locked eyes with Lola. They exchanged a wordless glance, then both turned to Violet. All three of them stared at Dominick, eyes full of excitement.

He smiled at them. “You’re making me feel like a porkchop again…”

Donna raised her hand. “I don’t understand Mr Vasquez. Are you worried they’re going to eat you? I don’t think your friends would do that.” 

Dom raised an eyebrow to the girls, smirking. “Depends on what you mean, Donna.”

“Oh Nicky, you know we’d never…” 

Her explanation was cut short by a kiss. “You’re cute when you’re standing up for my dignity and autonomy.” Zoey blushed and Dom hugged her tight. “It’s all good hon. We’re here to see what they’re up to, so let’s see. Besides, I’ve always enjoyed my brief trips to Girltown - when no one is trying to kill me.”

He kissed her again, then moved to the guys’ line. “See you on the other side, ladies.”

Zoey joined Lola and Violet in the girls’ line, the pair bubbling with excitement. Lola clapped like a kid meeting Mickey Mouse. “OhmygodOhmygod! We haven’t gotten Girl Master since Vi’s birthday!”

“It was a wonderful present,” Violet added, a filthy grin creeping onto her face as she remembered.

“Keep it in your pants, perverts,” Zoey playfully chided. “We’re here for work, and there’s hundreds of people inside. Not an intimate space.”

“First of all,” Lola replied, “I don’t wear pants. Second, I would fuck Master on the 50 yard line of an Eagles game if he commanded it.” She winked. “But I take your point, Beanpole.”

The trio passed through the fence, into the sea of hot college girls, hundreds of beautiful young women of every shape and size. There were no more than sixty men in the crowd - Beta Upsilon Delta brothers, bare chested in orange shorts.

One by one, new girls emerged from the tent, staring at their hands in wonder or scrambling for phones in unfamiliar purses. Team Vasquez stood just outside, watching with bated breath.

Dominick entered the tent, along with two other college guys. One of them gave him a knowing nod. “Dude, this is gonna be so hype! I’ve never seen so many cute girls in my life - and like zero dudes! It’s like shooting fish in a barrel…”

The smiles of both guys faded a little when they saw Dom’s expression. “We’ll see.”

A whistle made all three turn to the frat brother on their left. He was sitting at a card table, next to a strange machine. It looked like an art student welded a camcorder and a laser printer together, then glued a bunch of wires and lights to the outside. It hummed ominously, and an eerie purple light peeked out from the seams.

He jerked a thumb at a crude sign on the wall while pressing buttons. “Read this out loud.” The guys hesitated, but followed Dom’s lead.

This is the Beta Upsilon Delta Hot Girls Party. Only Deltas and hot girls are allowed, and since I’m not a Delta, I gotta be a hot girl to enter. I can exit the party and remove my wrist band to stop being a hot girl, but I gotta keep my wrist band on if I want to return tomorrow.

The guys gave Dom a baffled look, but he just shrugged. “What, you’ve never been a woman before?” He presented his wrist to the frat brother. “Let’s go man, it’s beer o’clock.”

The band was snapped on, and Dominick closed his eyes as the transformation took hold. He began to vibrate, his whole body caught in a cosmic paint mixer for a few seconds. Then there was a burst of purple light, a ‘POP!’ of noise-destroying anti-sound, and it was done.

Dominick Vasquez was transformed into a vision of feminine beauty, a honey-skinned latina woman with an auburn pixie cut. He had a cheerleader’s build, lithe and trim - long legs, a cute butt, a flawless midriff and C-cup breasts, with a model’s face and lips made for kissing.

He was dressed in a long-sleeved crop top and a pair of dolphin shorts, both in the school’s blue and gold. A purse had appeared in his hand, and he pulled his phone from it to check his makeup, noting the excellent paint job on his manicured nails.

“See guys? No big deal.”

“Easy for you to say,” the second guy snarked, “All it did was change your outfit. We’re gonna have to turn into girls.”

Dom raised an eyebrow at that, then turned back to the frat brother. “Does the change reverse when I leave, or do I need to take off the wristband?”

“Gotta do both to flip back,” the brother corrected. Dom nodded at that and headed out.

Lola squealed with delight and lifted Dominick off the ground as he emerged, squeezing him tight and kissing his pretty face all over. “Oh Master, this is gonna be the best party ever!”

“I should wear booty shorts more often!” he joked, kissing her back.

“You absolutely should, Master - you have a magnificent ass in any form.”

“Can it, you two!” Zoey peeled them apart, smiling. “What’s the score, Nicky?”

Dom gave thumbs up. “All good. The changes are consensual and reversible.” He explained about the wristband. “It’s kinda cute actually - everyone knows they got swapped, but think everyone else forgot. At the moment, every guy inside thinks he’s the only person with a clear memory.”

“That is cute.” Zoey considered the scene, looking from her transformed husband to the raucous party and back. “Well, then all we have to do is get the thing-a-mabobs back. The kids can have their fun, as long as Donna doesn’t get in any more trouble.”

“Um, Ms Vasquez..” Violet scanned the crowd with concern. “Where is Donna?”

“HERE I AM!!!”

They all turned, and as one their jaws dropped. Emerging from the tent, a tall pretty goth girl - a completely human goth girl - waved at them, face filled with glee. She ran to the group, grabbing Zoey’s slack hand and bouncing up and down.

“This is SO COOL!” She spun around, delighted with herself. “I’m gonna do like a million human things!”

Dom looked at Zoey. Zoey looked at Violet. Violet looked at Lola.

“We’re all dead.” Lola said it matter-of-factly, like she was telling the time. “Margot is going to smash us into a thin red paste.”

“Oh don’t worry, Ms Lola - I’m not really a 4D person!” Donna waved her human hand, trying to reassure her. There was a wristband on it. “I just used their machine to upgrade my suit! See?” 

Her jaw unhinged, head rolling back like she’d been decapitated, and a tentacle erupted from the neck stump.

“GAAAAAH!” they screamed in unison. Dom jumped to cover the hideous obscenity before anyone else saw. Lola turned and bent over. “I’m gonna spew!”

“Donna, sweetie!” Zoey put a hand on the girl’s head, pushing it back into position. “That’s so neat - but remember we’re here to find your dad’s stuff. Business first, party second!”

“Right, right - gotta stay focused.” Donna nodded, clearly ready to abandon everything and party. Her new eyes were filled with wonder, drinking in the possibilities.

‘DEAAAAAAD.’ Lola mouthed to Zoey.

“Alright, alright.” Zoey put hands up for calm. “This Alex kid either has the gizmos or knows who does. Job one is to find him. Nicky and Lola know what he looks like, so we can make two teams to search. Violet, you’re with Nicky - Donna and Lola are with me.”

“What’s the plan when we find him?” Dom asked.

Zoey paused. “That is a great question.” She turned to Lola. “You’re our reconfig-a-mabob expert - how do we get it back?”

Lola considered. “Hopefully whoever’s got it didn’t implant it anywhere. If it’s loose, we just gotta pick it up. If not, we’ll have to burn off the charges to free it.”

“But we gotta find who’s got it first. Might be Alex, might not - dude has a big ‘steal shit from my girlfriend’ energy. We’ll have to get the info from him, one way or another.”

“I guess just improvise,” Zoey concluded.

“Just like always.” Dominick kissed the girls, then he and Violet headed off.

“Oh my god, that outfit is so cute! Where did you get it?”

Violet paused, mildly surprised. It wasn’t the first time she’d been complimented on an outfit, but people were generally put off by skin-tight latex bondage gear in public - especially with all the shibari knots binding her arms.

“Why thank you! I have a specialty seamstress in Seattle that makes my clothes.” She took in the girl’s outfit. “You have a lovely dress yourself.”

“I know, right!?” She twirled, showing off. “I found it thrifting!” The girl offered a hand, before noticing Violet’s ropes. She waved instead. “I’m Chloe, and this is my girlfriend David!”

She gestured to a dark-haired girl beside her, whose eyes were firmly locked on Violet’s boobs. There was an awkward pause, before Chloe angrily jabbed David in the ribs. “OH! Oh. Hi, I’m David.”

“Hello Chloe, David. I’m Violet Watts and this is my friend, Dominick Vasquez.” Dom waved a manicured hand at the pair, and David’s eyes were drawn to his boobs too.

“Hi Dominique!” Chloe shook Dominick’s hand, trying to suppress annoyance at her girlfriend’s wandering eyes. “Are you two grad students?”

“No, just visiting. How about you?”

“I’m studying industrial design, and David is in physical education.” Chloe put a hand on David’s bare shoulder. “She’s captain of the men’s lacrosse team - got a full ride scholarship!”

Violet raised an eyebrow, teasing. “A very progressive athletics program.”

David gulped. “Yeah, um, it’s… like a Title Nine thing - not that I’m not good! I’m a fantastic lacrosse player! Me and the guys have a real shot at the playoffs.”

“You and the team, sweetie,” Chloe corrected. “There’s only two guys in the program this year.” She gave Violet a ‘girlfriends, am I right?’ expression.

“That’s right,” David mused. “Caleb and Lucas are at the Post Malone show…”

Everyone turned at Dominick’s laugh. “Sorry, sorry - I’m a little drunk. You two have fun, we’ll catch you later!” They said their goodbyes and wandered off.

“Oh man,” he said, chuckling. “There’s a whole frat house full of Davids, desperately bluffing their way through the night.”

Violet nodded. “I’ll bet Alex and the Deltas are feeling quite amused by the whole affair.”

“MmmphMmphMph!” Crumbs sprayed from Donna’s mouth, eyes wide as she experienced cake for the first time. She swallowed, licking her lips and squeezed Zoey’s hand. “That was amazing! This ‘flavor’ thing is awesome! What else should I eat?” She jammed her free hand into a bowl of chips, then pounded a fistful into her face.

“Here, try this.” Lola passed her a red solo cup. “It’s called booze - you’re gonna love it.”

“LOLA!” Zoey took the cup away, giving her a dirty look. “She’s been a college girl for thirty minutes, and you’re already trying to get her drunk!”

Lola only shrugged. “She wants the college experience. Besides, I’m genuinely curious to see if she can get drunk.”

Their argument was cut short by Alex’s voice above the noise. “DOM! LOLA!” He waved from across the room and elbowed his way to them, shaking hands all around. “You made it! What do you think? Wild, right?”

“I don’t know,” Lola interjected. “I’m having fun, but I’m not sure about Dominick here.” She wrapped an arm around Zoey’s waist. “She doesn’t seem like herself. I can’t put my finger on it. Are you sure you’re ok, hon?” She leaned in and fake whispered. “It’s not your period, is it?”

Zoey took the hint, and when she spoke everything was definitely fine. “NO!!! No. Shark week isn’t for days! I’m just tired, and it is a wild party…” Alex smirked at that.

“Wait, I don’t understand - OW!” Donna jumped as Zoey stepped on her foot.

“Sorry, hon.” Zoey took the girl’s hand to apologize, then turned her towards Alex. “Alex, this is our niece Donna. Donna, this is Alex - the boy we’ve been talking about.”

“Ohhhhhhhh…” Donna winked at Zoey, understanding, then turned back to Alex full of spunk. 

“Hi Alex! I’m a human girl!”

Alex’s smile didn’t change, but there was an ever-so-subtle shift in his expression. “Well that’s just great, Donna. Always room for one more at Beta Upsilon Delta!”

“Donna, why don’t you go look around, find some kids your own age? Dom and I want to hang out with Alex, get the tour - boring grown up stuff.” The girl didn’t need much convincing; she said her goodbyes and wandered off.

“So, Mr Vasquez - Dom…” Alex rubbed his hands together, immensely satisfied. “I bet you have lots of questions.”

“So many questions. But…” Zoey looked around the crowded room, playing up the bewilderment. “Not here - and we should find Zoey and Violet first.”

“Were you in a sorority, Vi?” Dom asked the question idly, sipping on some jungle juice as he scanned the crowd.

“Alpha Xi Omega, Mr Vasquez. UIUC, class of 2017.” She knocked back her own cup and tossed it in a garbage can, arms returning to bondage the moment she was done. “What about you, sir? Did you join a fraternity?”

“Me and Lola never went to college. I was broke, Lola had to take care of her dad. Zoey did some community college I think, but she got her crane certification and stopped after that. That’s how the three of us wound up together - everyone else was gone.”

“Perhaps it was destiny, sir.”

They pondered the vagaries of fate for a moment, but were interrupted by the sounds of heavy breathing and desperate whispers from an open bedroom door. Dom and Violet discreetly peeked inside. Two girls sat on the bed, a pair of beautiful blondes, lips locked, hands wandering under each others’ shirts.

The taller one pulled back, panting. “Logan, I can’t - I just can’t! There’s something…”

“I know, I know!” The small curvy one wrung her hands, visibly torn between lust and fear. “Oh Tyler, I want to just tell you…” They both went silent, staring into each other's eyes for long moments, then fell onto the bed and started shedding clothes.

Dom silently reached in, locked the door from the inside and closed it.

Wyatt Treadwell felt distinctly out of place as he skulked through the noisy chapterhouse. He’d snuck in half an hour ago, hauling an empty keg over his shoulder to get through the kitchen door - his usual MO to crash a frat party. Normally, that was all it took; there were hundreds of drunken college kids at these things - no one noticed a single townie in the throng.

But the vibe at this party was all fucked up and he felt exposed. First and foremost, he seemed to be the only guy here who wasn’t a Delta. A couple hundred beautiful women, a few dozen shirtless hunks - Wyatt had ditched his Mastadon tee under a food table, but his chest hair still jumped out.

Also, half the girls here seemed messed up somehow. Twitchy, weird, nervous, uncomfortable. They were tugging at their dresses, looking over their shoulders, worried about something.

Maybe it’s ‘cause they were lesbians - all of them seem to have cute girlfriends who were trying to loosen them up or console them. Wyatt was cool with that - he dug lesbians, live your life girls -  but it was hella weird for the Deltas to throw a party exclusively for lesbians with anxiety.

The smart play would have been to bail, but Wyatt was a sucker for mysteries. He hung back, drinking some jungle juice and trying to puzzle things out. There was an angle here, and Wyatt could always find a way to profit from a good angle.

Then he spotted her - a tall gorgeous goth chick, dancing by herself in the middle of the ballroom. She wasn’t anxious. She was having the time of her life, a dopey grin plastered on her face as she gyrated to the throbbing dubstep, red solo cup in her hand.

There were two types of women that absolutely revved Wyatt’s engine - tall chicks and goth chicks. In a few moments he was beside her, with a cup of his own, trying to match her graceless moves. She turned and her black-rimmed eyes filled with delight.

“Oh hi! I’m dancing!” she shouted.

“You’re certainly trying!” he shouted back. “I’m Wyatt!”

“I’m Donna! You gonna dance with me? No one else wants to dance with me!”

“For sure!” He reached into his pocket, and stealthily presented a small sheet of paper, wrapped in plastic. “You want some acid?”

“Absolutely! What’s acid?” 

“There’s nothing quite like your first time getting your pussy licked after being transformed into a woman,” Dominick mused as they wandered.

“Couldn’t say, sir.” Violet paused for a moment, the roar of the party filling the silence. “Mr Vasquez, I just want you to know that I appreciate all the times you’ve made special efforts for my sexual pleasure. I haven’t reciprocated - and I don’t think I could. Just know that I recognize the inequity. I hope that I’ve balanced things in other ways.”

Dom looked at her askance. “Vi, I don’t know how to tell you this, but we’re both into women. You turning into a dude wouldn’t help either of us.”

She smiled at that. “You know what I mean, sir.”

“Vi, I am up to my eyeballs in pussy. If you weren’t taking up some of the load, I think my heart would have given out months ago.” Dom put a hand on her bound shoulder. “You don’t need to suck my dick to be my family.”

Then in a fluid motion he swung her against the nearest wall and pressed into her, his lithe feminine body tight against her massive breasts. He leaned in close, juicy lips brushing against her ears as he whispered, voice dripping with promise. “Besides, you and I have something special. You can give me something Zoey and Lola never could.”

Violet closed her eyes, flushed. “Oh god, yes…”

Dom nuzzled his cheek against her. “Say it, Vi. Tell me what we’re going to do.”

She shuddered, started grinding her hips into his. “We are going to fucking dominate the euchre tournament next month.”

“The Campbell brothers haven’t got a goddamn prayer.” He ran his tongue along her earlobe. “I bought a bottle of Lagavulin 16 year whiskey last week. The girls will be at the Taylor concert the night of the tourney.”

“You and I are going to win, then we’re going to drink that Lagavulin from the trophy, then we’re gonna fuck on the floor like animals.” Dom pulled back and gave her his dirtiest look. “I already lined up a change with Margot.”

Violet’s hands unbound and she grabbed Dom’s face, pulling his ruby lips to hers and burying her tongue down his throat. He put one manicured hand to her left breast, used the other to lift her right leg. They likely would have fucked, there and then, in an available bedroom.

But then the screaming started.

Alex, Zoey, and Lola were pushing their way through the sea of nervous girls, the boy rambling about Beta Upsilon Delta’s storied history, when the background buzz changed. There was a noise from the foyer, an electrical buzzing, then the sound of running feet.

Three guys in dresses raced into the room, panic in their eyes, and started pushing their way towards the exits. “THEY’RE CHANGING EVERYONE BACK!” one of them shouted.

Chaos erupted. Girls started running for the exits. No one got trampled as the room emptied onto the lawn, but every stick of furniture was knocked over, food and drink flying everywhere in the rush to escape.

Alex shoved against the crush, driving like a linebacker into the grand foyer, Lola and Zoey at his heels.

There were three of them, standing alone in the crowd of running men. They were dressed in matching blue hoodies and sweatpants - except the one in the middle, who wore gold. 

Black cloth masks covered their faces. They wore what looked like welding gloves on their left hands, wire and tubes taped to the fingers, running to backpacks duct-taped closed. Pale blue light played between those fingers, and there was an ominous electrical sound. 

As the trio entered, one of the Masks pointed at a running girl and made a fist. There was an arc of blue lightning, an intense smell of ozone and a blast of light. A boy fell to the ground, still wearing a little black dress and heels. His girlfriend looked back, shocked, then kept running.

Wyatt and Donna danced for a while, the girl asking tons of weird questions. He assumed she was high or autistic or something, but that was cool - autistic chicks were straightforward and he was down with that.

All of the sudden a couple of guys in dresses ran into the room, shouting about changes, and half the girls bolted for the exits. Wyatt assumed this was code for a raid, and he took Donna’s hand to book - he wasn’t gonna get caught with a sheet of blotter paper in his pocket.

She was frozen in place, staring at nothing. “The deconfig-a-mabob,” she whispered. Donna turned towards the other room, then to Wyatt, looking at him with those beautiful black-rimmed eyes.

“There’s someone in there who has my stuff, and I’m screwed if I don’t get it back! Will you help me?” She squeezed his hand.

“Yeah, fuck it. This party was dull anyway.” They pushed their way towards the foyer.

Alex stared in shock at the Masks, slowly putting his hands up for calm. “Easy pal… Easy…”

Gold Mask turned to face him and gasped, a weirdly mechanical noise. They raised their own hands, electricity playing across the glove, and when they spoke it was through some voice-changing machine. It flattened their tone, made it ominous, mechanical.

“Don’t be afraid, Alex. I’m here to help. You’ve been changed - transformed by alien monsters. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. We can fix it, change you back. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

He recoiled, and Zoey and Lola both stepped forward, Zoey speaking calmly with hands up.

“No, it doesn’t work like that. Nothing is done without consent. It’s illegal. Everyone is ok. You have to give back the deconfig-a-mabob. It’s a felony to use it without a license.”

Alex looked at Zoey, shocked. “Mr Vasquez!?”

Lola put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry kid, it wasn’t a social call - we’re here for the gizmos.”

Gold Mask gestured and the others pointed their gloves at Zoey and Lola. “Half the students at this school have been turned into supermodels or had their sex flipped, and you say ‘everything is ok!?’ Are you out of your mind!? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM!?”

Zoey moved to speak - only for Donna to barge in from the next room. She pointed an accusing finger at Gold Mask.

“GIMME BACK MY STUFF, YOU JERK!” she shouted with authority.

Gold Mask took one look at Donna and screamed, a young woman’s cry of pure terror rising above the voice changer. She reflexively closed her left fist, lightning building on the glove pointed at Zoey.

“NO!”

Lola grabbed Zoey’s arm and twisted around, catching the blast fully in her back. There was a burst of light, the stink of ozone, and Lola Russell-Vasquez the naked sex goddess was gone.

In her place was Lola Russell-Vasquez, the decently attractive thirty year old woman with no clothes on. She was about 5’8”, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She had the build of a marathon runner - long toned legs, a cute butt, stomach flat as a board, small breasts. 

Her face was pretty but unremarkable, a 6.5 out of 10 - probably a 7.5 if she did her makeup right. She was just a regular woman, the kind of woman a man would smile at as they passed and instantly forget.

Lola stood up, seeing the fear and shock in Zoey’s eyes, then turned to face the Masks - and her own eyes were filled with fury.

“You shot at MY WIFE YOU FUCK!!!” she screamed, the last words said at a run as she charged the group. Gold Mask barely had time to step back before Lola’s fist smashed into their stomach, driving them to the ground.

The other Masks moved to help their leader, grabbing Lola as she thrashed and kicked, but they were quickly dispatched by Wyatt, clotheslining one before caving in the balls of the second. “Eat shit, assfucks!” he said with a snarl, then gave Lola a big thumbs up.

Dom and Violet both froze when they heard the shouting. They darted from the bedroom, pushed their way through the panicking women to the mezzanine, just in time to see Gold Mask blast Lola. 

“Fuck!” Dom shouted, clenching the bannister. Violet rushed towards the stairs to help her mistress, while Dominick closed his eyes and focused. When they opened again, they were filled with white fire.

He took in the fight, saw Donna helping Zoey to her feet, then put fingers in his mouth and whistled. All eyes turned to him - his family, the Masks, and the two dozen people still watching the mayhem. “EARS! EARS! EARS!” he shouted, then took a deep breath.

“SLEEEEEEEEEEEP!”

Dominick’s voice was a tornado siren, shattering windows and blasting into the street. Every person within a hundred feet of the Delta chapterhouse without ear protection instantly fell asleep, laying themselves down wherever they stood. The yard outside looked like it had been hit by a concussion bomb.

As he stood there panting, Dom saw that Zoey, Lola and Violet had all understood the warning - they were crouched low, hands pressed tight against their heads. Donna had not - she was leaning against a door frame, snoring loudly.

Alex had figured it out too, standing stunned in the middle of the carnage - as had Gold Mask. They were staring at their stricken comrades, clearly torn between running and trying to save them.

The kid who’d helped Lola also had hands clamped over his ears, and was staring at Dom with a look of mild surprise - which Dom found highly surprising.

“I’m not done with you!” Lola grabbed Gold Mask by the face, yanking hard. The two struggled for a moment, then Lola pulled the mask free, hood falling away. Beneath was a young woman, a skinny thing with lots of piercings and pixie undercut dyed blue.

“Sarah!?” Alex looked at the girl with his jaw slack.

“GET AWAY!” Sarah jumped back and pointed her glove at Zoey again. “I’LL BLAST HER, I SWEAR!” 

Lola stepped back, murder in her eyes. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”  

Sarah turned back to Alex, filled with panic. “Please Alex, you have to come with me! They’re messing with you - they changed you! There’s gotta be some part of you that knows that!”

Alex put his hands up, tried to explain. “Sarah, no one messed with me. It’s ok, it’s all ok…”

She screamed in frustration and pointed her fist at the chandelier, the blast plunging the room into darkness. She ran into the night and Alex chased after her.

Lola ran to Zoey, squeezing her tight. “Oh Beanpole, are you ok?”

“Am I ok!?” Zoey looked her up and down, incredulous. “You took a deconfig-a-mabob in the back for me, and you ask if I’m ok!?” She started to cry, sobbing into Lola’s shoulder.

Violet put a consoling hand on Zoey, while speaking to Lola . “It was an incredibly selfless act, Mistress.”

Dom came down the stairs, double time. “You didn’t need to do it, Lola!”

Lola looked at them both, still squeezing Zoey. “If anyone was gonna get powered down, it was gonna be me. I can handle being Clark Kent for a few hours - but I’d die before I’d make Zoey change back.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Dom shook his head as he approached. “Zoey’s change counts as a medically necessary transformation. It’s in the same category as curing a disease or a genetic defect. She can’t be reverted without a court order.”

All three of them stared at him, aghast. He coughed awkwardly.

“Master… dear, sweet Master. My loving husband.” Lola untangled herself from Zoey, and walked to Dominick. She gripped the collar of his crop top with both hands, fists pressing into his delicate collarbones.

“I quote the great Sir Adam Sandler when I say, that information could have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!”

“Sorry hon…” he mumbled.

A loud whistle grabbed everyone’s attention. Wyatt threw a hoodie to Lola and a duct-taped backpack to Zoey. “Cops are coming, time to go.” He moved to Donna and slung her over his shoulder.

“Excuse me, who are you?” Dom stared at him, even more confused.

Wyatt gave him a wink. “I’m Donna’s friend, baby - and I’m the guy who’s gonna help you get your whatzit.” He jerked his head towards a door. “Come on, I know a back way.”