Totally: A Hive Mind Story
by NickelModelTales
CHAPTER 6: They’re All Hypnotized
“Sisters’ meeting!” called out Sydney. “Siiiiisters’ meeeeeeeting!”
From all corners of Phi Delta house, the sisters came. With excited steps, they filed into the living room, careful to make room for others. Everyone was fashionable. Everyone had immaculately-combed hair. Everyone wore something pink.
Sydney waited patiently for the assembly to form.
Down on the floor before her, Cici Owens found herself sitting next to Zoe Fleck. “Hey there, Zoe!” chirped Cici.
“Hey there, Cici!”
“You totally look cute today.”
“Aw, thank you! You totally look cute too.”
“Aw, like, thank you!”
The two women grinned at one another.
“Like, are we all here?” Sydney called out. “Totally everyone in the house is here?”
“Totally,” affirmed President Devyn Hammill.
“Totally,” agreed Melanie O’Neal.
“Totally,” Leyla Goddard seconded.
“Totally,” Reilly called out, speaking for the fourth floor.
“Awesome,” smiled Sydney. “Now, ladies, I’m so glad we’re here. Madame President?”
Devyn Hammill stood, proudly showing a pink shirt with PHI DELTA SIGMA emblazoned across her chest. Devyn’s hair was pulled back with a pink plastic hair clip.
“As Phi Delta Sigma president,” she announced, “I formally call for a House Vote. Leyla?”
Now Leyla Goddard rose, looking proud. Leyla sported a tight pink top and pink yoga pants, which clung to her figure most generously. “Like, thanks so much, Madame President,” she gushed. “And, like, thank you, Sydney. You’re totally so awesome.”
“So awesome!” several of the sisters cried out in happy agreement.
Sydney giggled. “You guys…!”
“Now then,” Leyla said, “as Phi Delta Sigma Social Committee Chair, I’ll take the vote. Resolved: Should our sorority compete to win this season of America’s Hottest Sorority House? Are there any calls for debate?”
No-one raised a hand.
“Then let’s vote,” smiled Leyla. “All in favor?”
In perfect unison, all hands shot up.
“And all opposed?”
All hands immediately dropped.
“Like, so exciting!” squealed Leyla. “You guys, Phi Delta Sigma will totally be the next winner of AHSH!”
Now the living room erupted with celebratory laughter and cheers. Several of the young women danced in their seats to imagined music.
“One moment, ladies,” Sydney called out. Her beautiful face was grim.
All joyousness died out in seconds. Concerned, the Phi Delta sisters peered up at their blonde leader.
“Ladies, we totally like have a lot of work to,” Sydney said sternly. “Can I show you?”
She nodded at Reilly, who raised the TV remote. After a few clicks, the last episode of AHSH filled the enormous screen, abet with the sound muted. Currently, the episode showed many young college women, all proudly posing in a bikini contest. The TV women’s physiques were impressive, indeed.
“Pause!” Sydney ordered. Reilly froze the image.
Now Sydney walked before the television and pointed at a curly-haired blonde up on the screen. The blonde wore a bright red string bikini that was perhaps one size too small.
“You see?” Sydney lectured, pointing. “Lookit this chick’s abs. No belly fat. Lookit her legs. Toned from running and more cardio. She totally does major cardio. Lookit her shoulders; she lifts weights.”
Sydney pointed to another TV woman, this one facing away from the camera. “See her butt? That’s totally a yoga butt. See, its like, round and meaty. No flab. No cellulite. This chick never touches junk food, like, never. She’s totally devoted to the right diet.”
Sydney highlighted several other young women, making commentary on their lithe young bodies. It was clear from her keen eye that Sydney was quite the expert on fitness and training.
And the women of Phi Delta Sigma ate up her every word. They studied the screen intently, making mental notes, nodding occasionally when Sydney made a recommendation. Never did anyone flinch or make a disparaging remark.
“So then,” Sydney demanded at the end of her presentation, “like, what do we have to do?”
“We will all get gym memberships,” Catlyn Caffee announced.
“Totally,” the crowd murmured.
“Don’t go to the Beamont University gym,” Sydney advised. “You’ll get hit on by the loser guys. I totally recommend Planet Fitness; its clean, cheap, and has discounts for college students.”
The audience nodded. “Planet Fitness,” they agreed.
“We will totally do thirty minutes of Stairmaster, thirty of abs crunches, thirty of treadmill,” said Cici Owens. “Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
“Totally,” agreed the other women.
“And, like, we will totally break up the regimen to keep things fresh; that’s absolutely a good way to tone muscles,” chimed in Madi Reed.
“Totally,” was the chorused response.
“We should totally hire a private yoga instructor to do classes here in Phi Delta,” Zoe Fleck proposed.
“I’ll totally make the budget arrangements,” volunteered Devyn Hammill.
“Like, make it a hot yoga class,” Sydney instructed. “And make sure they’re YIA certified.”
“Totally,” the women agreed.
“We should reorganize the kitchen,” said Gabby Blossom. “All processed food should totally be thrown out. Only organics from now on.”
“And protein shakes,” added Cici.
“That will be totally expensive,” pointed out Melanie O’Neal.
“Yes, but totally worth it,” countered Leyla Goddard.
Madi looked worried. “Where’s the nearest health food store?”
“Across town,” replied Zoe. “We can use Cici’s car to make grocery runs.”
“Yes, totally!” agreed Cici. “If its for getting in shape for AHSH, everyone should, like, borrow my car as needed. I’ll leave the keys by the front door.”
Devyn nodded solemnly. “We have to complete on AHSH.”
“Totally,” agreed Melanie.
“Totally,” Reilly nodded.
“Totally!” beamed Sydney.
“Totally,” all the Phi Delta sisters agreed.
Across campus, Bree was flipping through her notebooks. It had been, what? Two days? (Maybe three?) since she barged into Tyler’s and Justin’s apartment. The more she spied on Zeta Pi, the more obsessed with this mystery Bree became.
The sorority house across the street was absolutely confounding. The women who lived there existed in a state of perpetual unity, never once bickering over even the smallest detail. When in the manse and when the front gate was closed, they wandered about Zeta Pi House wearing practically nothing, and never once seemed to notice anything amiss.
What was especially interesting was when an outsider came to visit. Bree had observed that whenever guys who (she assumed) dated the Zeta Pi women came to call, they were never permitted within the fence. No, those dudes were firmly turned away at the front gate, and by intercom, for crying out loud! The Zeta Pi’s never showed their faces to outsiders if they could help it.
If, however, a pizza delivery boy came by, then the Zeta Pi’s had a careful routine. Three or four women would quickly don street clothes, accept the delivery, thank the driver, then firmly shut him outside again. Once sealed back into their private little world, the clothes would come off once more.
The Zeta Pi’s only left the house to attend classes. Once class was over, they immediately returned to home base. They never visited other dorms of frat houses. They never went to the other social events on campus. They completely ignored the Five Alarm Kegger, one of the biggest campuswide parties of the year. No, the Zeta Pi’s seemed cocooned with their own little world, determined to shun everyone else.
Bree had become obsessed at this arrangement. How could a hundred college women completely form their own isolated colony??? It was beyond belief.
Bree found that she could think about nothing else. For her, time had lost all meaning. She had to get to the bottom of this mystery. She had to! She skipped her classes to continue the surveillance. Occasionally, she would text with Reilly to check in on things at Phi Delta, but Reilly sounded busier than usual. Bree pushed her own sorority life out of her mind.
“Hey,” Justin said suddenly. “Hey, something’s happening!”
Bree and Tyler looked up from their notes.
“Com’ere, com’ere!” Justin insisted, gesturing. “They’re all… just look!”
Bree sprang to the windows, snatching the binoculars. Immediately, she saw what had caught Justin’s interest.
On the ground floor of Zeta Pi House, there was a large party room, just off the back deck. One could see most of this room through the wide French door windows. Right now, it looked as if a hundred of the Zeta Pi’s had crammed into that room.
“Okay… that’s new,” remarked Bree, zooming in. “What, are they having a group meeting?”
“What’s going on?” Tyler fussed, unable to observe. “Let me see, let me see!”
Bree ignored her boyfriend. She peered closely, noticing both Michelle Jaworowski and Lauren Hendricks in the crowd. Like their sisters, Michelle and Lauren wore only thong panties, and they seemed happy to be gathering together.
“Jesus, Michelle has a nice body…” Bree muttered to herself. “I’d kill for that tan.”
“Lemme see!” implored Tyler.
As Bree and Justin watched, the Zeta Pi ladies began setting up folding chairs, arranging them into long rows, like a makeshift theatre. All the chairs faced to the eastern side of the house.
“They are having a meeting!” Justin exclaimed.
“Is that all of them?” asked Bree. “Is there any Zeta not in that room?”
“I’ll check,” promised Justin.
Now the Zeta Pi’s were sitting down, crossing their legs, and chatting merrily with one another. They seemed to be patiently waiting.
“You guys are not gonna let me see, are you?” Tyler said glumly. “Fine. You suck.”
“Hold on, babe,” snapped Bree.
“That’s all of them in there,” Justin said in amazement. “Or, at least, I can’t find a single Zeta Pi in another window or out on the lawn.”
“It is a sex cult,” Bree muttered. “Its definitely a sex cult! Sick.”
Suddenly, all the Zeta Pi women went silent. All of them stared straight ahead, their gazes locked on something within the house, something Bree could not see. The Zeta Pi’s folded their hands in their laps.
Time seemed to freeze…
“What… the fuck?” Justin asked. “Is someone giving a speech, or…”
Without warning, all of the Zeta Pi’s closed their eyes at the same time. Their beautiful faces went completely blank, and their head sunk forward into their chests. Bree saw their shoulders relax and sag, and many women’s arms flopped from their laps to dangle at their sides. The women were now perfectly still.
“What the hell?” exclaimed Justin. “Seriously, what the—“
“Ohhhhhhhhh!” Bree cried out, the explanation hitting her like a rockslide. “Oh my God, you guys… they’re hypnotized!”
Justin sounded incredulous. “What?”
“Let me see, let me see!” Tyler pleaded.
Bree was solidly convinced. At her class’s Freshman Orientation, Beamont University had hired a stage hypnotist to perform a show for the incoming class. Reilly and Bree hadn’t the guts to volunteer, but while the hypnotist was working his magic on his volunteers, somehow Reilly fell under his spell anyway. Poor Reilly was compelled to come up on stage. Through hypnosis, she was subsequently convinced that she was a pro bodybuilder, a Martian, and one of the My Little Ponies. Reilly had yet to live down the humiliation.
So now, watching the Zeta Pi’s, Bree recognized all the signs of mass hypnosis. The limp bodies. The sunken heads. The way that everyone who was hypnotized all reacted in unison to the (unseen) hypnotist. It was all exactly how Bree remembered it.
The Zeta Pi’s were all being hypnotized.
Suddenly, a lot of puzzle pieces fell together. The strange group behavior, the self-imposed isolation, the indifference to nudity, the lack of awareness… all of that made sense now.
But who was mesmerizing the Zeta Pi’s? AND WHY???
Stunned, Bree lowered the binoculars from her eyes. She didn’t protest when Tyler snatched them for himself.
“Hypnotized?” Justin scoffed. “What? Noooo…”
“Oh yeah,” Bree said firmly. “Those chicks are under deep hypnosis. I’m sure of it.” With greater conviction, she repeated, “I’m sure of it, I’m sure of it!”
“Jeeeeesus!” exclaimed Tyler, actually leaning forward as he stared through the binoculars. “That’s… I, uh… you know… holy… just…” He swallowed. “Wow.”
“I know, dude,” Justin said in solidarity. “I know.”
“Okay, okay, gentlemen,” scowled Bree. “Contain your erections, will ya?”
For a moment, the young woman’s head swam. When had she last eaten? Bree couldn’t remember.
Flopping onto the couch, it occurred to Bree that she didn’t even know what the current day of the week was. She had worn the same set clothes at least for two days… that was a bad sign.
Oh shit. How long had it been since she’d taken her OCD medication?
Cursing to herself, Bree wished Reilly was there. Reilly kept an eye on her. Reilly would have insisted that Bree gotten her meds refilled and gotten her life back into balance. The whole Zeta Pi Beta mystery had really done a number on Bree’s well-being.
“Hey,” Justin announced, “they’re waking up.”
“What?” demanded Bree, leaping to her feet. She unceremoniously ripped the binoculars from Tyler’s hands.
Tyler cried, “Hey!”
But his girlfriend ignored him. She squinted into the binocs, zooming back into the Zeta Pi party room once more.
Sure enough, the beautiful young ladies of Zeta Pi were slowly sitting up in their chairs and blinking their eyes. They seemed entirely unaware of their earlier slumber.
“Huh, I wonder if…” Bree began.
One-by-one, the Zeta Pi’s stood, stripping out of their tiny panties. They simply discarded their underwear on the floor, then sat back down, content to be completely in the nude.
“Hmgh,” commented Bree. “Figures. I guess we know that the mystery hypnotist is a horny dude.”
“A very talented horny dude,” agreed Justin, who was almost panting with excitement. “Hypnosis is learned in the Psychology Department, right? Is it too late to switch majors?”
Disgusted, Bree gave the binoculars back to one very impatient Tyler. He immediately snapped them up to his eyes and trained his focus back onto the Zeta Pi house.
“Ugggh…” Bree moaned, suddenly feeling tired. Her head swam. The last few days were quickly catching up with her. “I want a shower.”
“…yeeeeeah…” Tyler said, completely distracted. “…yeah, get me one, too… babe?”
“Dude, check out the ass on Tricia McNair,” Justin said greedily. “Third redhead from the right. See her?”
Tyler grinned. “Yeah, broh! Yeeeeeeah…”
Annoyed, Bree moved to Tyler’s messy bedroom, where her backpack was tossed into a corner. A shower sounded so inviting. The young woman rooted through her bag, looking for…
Shit. She was out of clean underwear? How the hell did that happen? Bree was certain she’d packed four pair, at least.
Okay, the weary young woman told herself, things have gotten a little too crazy. You need to reset. Step back, take a breath, chill a little. Take your meds. Get it together. Then we’ll figure out the rest of this Zeta Pi situation.
This was a comforting thought. The pressure of the last few days seemed to alleviate, if only a little.
So Bree quickly gathered her things. She returned to the living room, yanking her phone from her back pocket.
“Listen, dudes,” she told the spellbound Tyler and Justin, “I’m gonna head home for a bit. I’ll be back. Call me if anything happens, okay?”
“…uh…” Tyler responded. “…if you want, babe…”
Bree cocked one eyebrow. “I’m just gonna steal your wallets and then set the apartment on fire before I leave, okay?”
“…sure…” mumbled Tyler. Justin made a noncommittal noise.
Bree rolled her eyes, then left.
As she walked, Bree checked her phone. It suddenly struck her that over the last five days, she’d received not one text or call from any of her Phi Delta sisters. Not even from Reilly! A quick survey of everyone’s Instagram and TikTok feeds confirmed that the sisters had been neglecting social media, too.
That was too weird. Maybe the Phi Delta House Wi-Fi went out…?
Her curiosity getting the better of her, Bree called Reilly. Her bestie picked up almost right away.
“Bree!” Reilly exclaimed. “Girl! Like, where are you?”
“I’m on Washington Ave, about a block away from the house,” said Bree. “I didn’t realize how long I’d been away.”
“Totally!” agreed Reilly. “You’re coming home, right?”
Bree craned her neck, spotting the Phi Delta house just down the street. “Yeah, nearly there. Reils, has anything weird been going on with the sisters? No-one called me or anything.”
“Yeah, we’ve been totally… busy,” admitted Reilly.
Bree frowned. “Doing what?”
“Just get home, I’ll totally explain,” Reilly promised.
As she was speaking, a rusty blue Hyundai rolled up the street. Bree heard women cheering from the car. She blinked, realizing that her Phi Delta sisters were inside, waving at her.
“Hey Bree!” shouted Madi Reed.
“Bree!” Zoe cried. She was behind the wheel.
“Uh, I’ll see you soon,” Bree told Reilly, and hung up. “Hey bitches!” she yelled back at the Hyundai.
The car rolled on by, pulling into the Phi Delta driveway. Madi, Zoe, and three other sisters hopped out, and popped the trunk. They began carrying bags of groceries into the house.
Bree’s eyes almost popped. Was Madi wearing… leggings? And a pink sports bra? Madi hated exercise. But, Bree had to admit, her sister looked great. Madi had definitely lost a pound or two.
In fact… Zoe and the other were also in tight-fitting workout clothes. They cheerfully waved to Bree as she crossed the overgrown Phi Delta lawn and joined them.
“Hey, you chicks need help?” Bree asked, lifting a grocery bag from the blue Hyundai’s trunk. She glanced at the bag’s interior. “Tofu? Bean sprouts? Fiber supplements? You guys shopped at… Organic Rick’s? Jesus, guys, that stuff’s expensive.”
“But totally worth it,” Zoe winked. “Dedication is the most important thing, right? Com’on inside.”
Bree followed her sisters into the Phi Delta House. She almost dropped her bag in sheer amazement once she stepped into the foyer.
Phi Delta Sigma had been cleaned and scrubbed from top to bottom. Everywhere Bree looked, she saw clean walls, vacuumed carpets, dusted shelves, shining windows, wiped tables, polished hardwood floors. The furniture had been neatly rearranged, and nothing was out of place. The books on the bookshelves were arranged in an orderly fashion, the framed pictures were all straightened, and the curtains had been carefully rehung. Even that stain on the biggest sofa had been scrubbed out. A large vase with fresh-cut flowers was displayed before the grand staircase. Bree could smell pine cleaner in the air.
“Whaaaaa…?” was all the stunned journalism major could say.
“We cleaned up,” Madi explained, taking the groceries from Bree’s arms.
“The place was getting totally disgusting,” nodded Zoe. “And everyone under our roof must commit to the project.”
Just then, about twenty Phi Delta sisters trotted down the stairs in double-file, each of them in figure-hugging exercise clothes, each with a gym bag tucked under her arm. Everyone flashed Bree a bright smile as they passed.
“Hey Bree!” they chorused. “Totally great to see you! Welcome home!”
And then, they were out the door and off down the street.
Alarms were going off in Bree’s head. “Oh my God…” she exclaimed, taking a step backwards. “You guys… you guys have all been hypnotized too!”
It was the only possible explanation. How had the evil power at Zeta Pi Beta also taken control of Phi Delta? Was there a larger campus conspiracy afoot?
“Hypnotized? Like, no,” laughed Madi. “Its just that everyone under our roof must commit to the project.”
“Totally no!” seconded Zoe.
But Bree was convinced. “You guys, look how you’re acting! This isn’t you!”
“We’re your sisters, Bree,” said a woman’s voice from the staircase.
Bree turned, and her heart sunk. Reilly was gliding toward her, dressed in a tight pink running shirt and very tiny shorts that did nothing to cover her muscled legs. The expression on Reilly’s face was both warm and glassy. She looked even thinner than usual.
“Reils!” Bree almost wailed. “You’ve been hypnotized too?”
“No,” Reilly replied with a slight frown. “Oh, unless you mean at Freshman Orientation?”
“Oh Jesus,” cursed Bree. She made to grab Reilly’s wrist. “Com’on, chick, we’re getting out of here.”
Madi and Zoe slipped behind Reilly, heading into the living room.
“I’m, like, totally fine, Bree,” Reilly said loftily. “I’ve been running more, and it totally feels great. Shouldn’t we go running, you and me? Dedication is the most important thing.”
“I don’t wanna go running,” growled Bree, “not if it means getting fucking brainwashed. Reils, how did they do this to you?”
“Like, what do you mean?” Reilly said. “I’m totally fine. Totally.”
Bree stared. “You sound just like Sydney,” she accused. “You sound exactly like fucking Sydney!”
“Oh, Sydney is always right, always wise, always cool,” beamed Reilly. “I’m just totally hoping to be like her.”
“Fuck that,” Bree said coldly. “Bitch, we’re leaving. Do I have to slap you awake, or what? Because I will do it.”
“No,” smiled Reilly. “You won’t.” She nodded at Madi and Zoe, who were standing beside the living room television.
Madi pushed a switch on a strange-looking laptop computer. The massive television screen activated. A vivid color pattern began to swirl across the TV.
Confused, Bree glared at the TV. “What the fuck is this?” she demanded. “Is this how… how they… how you guys were…”
“Shhh…” Reilly soothed her. “Bree, you really look like you could use some rest and relaxation. Be devoted to the sisterhood.”
“I’ll be fine,” Bree snapped back. But somehow, it was hard to tear her eyes away from that screen…
The stress and exhaustion of the week seemed to overpower Bree. Her feet felt rooted to the floor. It was growing hard to think. A desire to let it all go was growing within her mind.
“Someone get Bruce,” Bree heard Reilly say.
“I’m already here,” a male voice replied. A man was coming down the staircase.
A man? In the Phi Delta house? Dimly, Bree realized: she was about to meet the mystery hypnotist.
You gotta resist this, she tried to tell herself. You’ve gotta resist! But her own thoughts sounded small and feeble.
“This is Breana, isn’t it?” the man said, coming to stand by Bre’s side. “Here, Breana, why don’t you get closer to the TV? Stand right before it.”
“Fuuuuck… you…” Bree said weakly.
“No, you want to obey,” the man said gently, laying a hand on Bree’s shoulder. “You want to obey…”
On their own, Bree’s feet started to move toward the great television. The swirling colors on the screen grew even brighter… and swallowed… her field of vision…