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“You said there was something you wanted to show me?”
Penelope gently closed the door as she walked over to the desk Bailey was sitting in. She pulled the chair across from him out and sat in it, scooting herself closer to the table. Her eyes laid on the pocket watch wrapped around his neck, something that hadn’t been there before. She needed to make that known.
”Where’d you get that necklace?”
Bailey’s smug face followed her finger, glancing down at the pocket watch before grinning and starting to take it off.
”A pocket watch.”
”Why..are you wearing one? Those haven’t been used for hundreds of years.”
He laughed as he fiddled with the chain, eventually getting it loose and balling his fist to keep the pocket watch from falling out.
”I know. It’s not for telling time.”
”Then..why do you have one?”
He grinned and looked up to meet her gaze. She gulped as his eyes started faintly glowing.
”Heard that some people who are hypnotists but don’t use mutations like mine prefer to use physical things instead. I guess it’s used as something to ground the mind of the hypnotized?” He said as he shrugged. “I’m not sure. That’s not a problem with me, because I have my eyes, as I’m sure you know.”
He grinned and lazily stared at her, his eyes starting to swirl together. She gulped, averting her gaze as his smile faltered.
”Anyways, I heard people will commonly use stuff like their hands, a wand or rod, some even use things like pendulums and pocket watches as an anchor for hypnotism-“
”W-wait, pocket watches? That’s what this is about? You want to hypnotize me via some..old..clock??”
”Ah ah ah. Not want. Will.”
”L-look, Bailey, I know today was supposed to be one of our sessions, but just use what you normally do! These pocket watches are dumb. They don’t work.”
”How do you know? You’ve only been hypnotized by me.”
”Not true..”
Bailey was shocked. His face dropped as he sat up, all smug expressions wiped away. He was genuinely befuddled now.
”Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait. You’ve been hypnotized before me?”
”I mean,” Penelope gulped, fiddling with the tips of her gloves. “It’s not like it worked or anything..”
Bailey’s eyebrow raised.
”Explain.”
”I was like…9, maybe? Some hypnotist show had come to town and my mom wanted to check it out. I ended up getting pulled out of the crowd as a volunteer and this- this guy tried all sorts of methods on me. Pocket watches, various pendulums, his stupid ‘illusion wand’..everything he had. None of it worked. That’s why I thought for so long I couldn’t be hypnotized..”
”But then you met me.”
”Yeah. That’s why the first time I didn’t think it would work. I-I thought you were a fraud too, o-or I was just strong-willed..”
”That’s why I practically broke your mind that first time?”
”Yeah. Because I was convinced I couldn’t be hypnotized, and when proven wrong, I just..god, don’t even get me started on that night. My brain was in shambles after..”
”I’m aware. I was the one that had to take care of you.”
The two laughed a bit before Bailey glanced at the pocket watch. Penelope followed his gaze, gently sighing.
”Do you really want to hypnotize me with the watch?”
”I mean, I just want to see how different it is from my mutation..but yeah.”
“Fine,” she sighed out. “Fine. Yes. Go ahead.” Penelope relaxed, leaning her head on her hand.
”Go ahead and hypnotize me with a clock.”
She grinned, and Bailey smirked, shifting his hold on the watch to the tip of the chain. He raised his hand up and dropped the pocket watch, letting it dangle as he held the chain. He then started slowly moving his hand left to right, glancing at the watch every now and then to make sure it was still swinging.
”Watch the..uh…watch.”
”Wow, such a way with words.”
”Shut it and look at the damn watch.”
”Fine fine..”
Bailey continued to swing the watch, letting it go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth..
”Watch its motion. Back and forth, left to right, back and forth, left to right..it’s a simple motion for a simple mind. Not too hard to follow, right? You do have a simple mind, correct?”
”Yeah..I..think I do?”
”Let’s fix that phrase. There is no thinking happening here. You don’t think, you know. You know you have a simple mind. You know you want to keep your eyes on the watch. You want to keep watching its movements, going from left to right, left to right, left to right..”
”Y-yeah..”
”It’s peaceful, blissful even. All your focus has to be on this watch. Dedicate yourself to it. Don’t break contact. I’ll be here to protect you if something bad happens. Until then, just keep staring. Keep looking. Fall deeper and deeper.”
”Uhh..yeah, yeah, I…mhm.”
She leaned off her hand, intently following the watch with her eyes as it lazily swung back and forth. Bailey smirked.
”It won’t work, she said..too strong willed..yeah, right. She’s just susceptible. Maybe only to me, but susceptible nonetheless.” Bailey thought.
Meanwhile, Penelope was leaning forward and intently keeping her eyes on the watch. It was almost as if it beckoned to her, calling, nagging for her utmost attention. Bailey playfully scoffed at the sight, but he was disappointed. Normally she looks at him that way. Not at some..inanimate object. He glanced at the watch at the end of the chain, and he scowled. Sure, it was fun for her, but not as fun as it would’ve been if he’d been the thing hypnotizing her. And this entire time..this entire time he’d been bored. He wanted to be the one looked at that way. He wanted to be the one she watched.
He growled, throwing the watch against the wall. Penelope drowsily blinked as she was forced out of her trance, slowly rubbing her eyes. Before she could get any real control over herself again, Bailey leaned over the table and grabbed her face, pressing hers as close as possible against his. His eyes were full spiral, spinning at a hurried pace, as the glow in his eyes lazily followed the speed of the swirl, undulating enchantingly.
”That watch is of no importance to you. It does not help. It does not refresh. It does not do anything for you. Repeat it.”
”That..that watch is of no importance to me. It does not help, it..it does not refresh. It does not do anything for me...”
”Good. Now let’s do this the old fashioned way.” He got out of his chair, making sure Penelope kept her eyes on him, and he walked around to her. He yet again grabbed her by the cheeks, forcing her to stare at his eyes.
”Look at me, and look me in the eyes. Forget who you are, and surrender your mind. Let go of all thoughts that aren’t yours. Imagine your brain as a freshly baked, empty vase. You need to be decorated. You need new contents inside of you.”
“Yeah..”
“Let me do that for you. You remember how happy and pleased my voice makes you feel, right? How easy it is to sleep and let go when you hear my voice?”
One of his hands snaked up to her hair, twisting a strand of it around his fingers. She shuddered.
“Yeah…”
“Then let’s tap into that. Listen to my voice. Imagine we’re in a planet with no gravity. My voice is the only thing keeping you grounded. When you don’t hear my voice, you float up, up, and away and back to having conscious thoughts. But you don’t want conscious thoughts. You want me to think for you. You want my voice to be heard always and forever. You want me.”
”i..want you..”
”Good. You’re doing such a good job. Just keep staring. Fall deeper into my gaze. Let it wrap around you like a blanket and just give in. It’s so much better to give in.”
Penelope’s body slowly got more and more limp as she sank into Bailey’s grip. Noticing this, he removed his hand from her hair and put it around her waist. He loosened his grip from her chin as he leaned her against the table.
”From here on out, pocket watches and pendulums and all the other shit won’t work on you. Only me. Only I or someone I give permission will be able to hypnotize you. And trust me, there’s NO ONE I’d give permission to at this circus.”
Penelope shuddered, leaning more into his touch like a cat. Bailey noticed but made no ulterior moves.
“You’re mine and mine alone. Is that getting through your pretty- little- head?” For emphasis, he tapped her forehead on the last few words. She shuddered again and nodded, making a sound similar to whine.
”Good. You’re certainly compliant and susceptible. Which is good. I want you to be. It makes my job so much easier. It lets me out you under faster, and you stay in that blissful state longer. A win-win for both of us. Now.” He removed his hand from her chin and her waist, and she almost crumpled underneath her legs. He quickly put an arm under hers to catch her.
”Careful there. I don’t need you knocking yourself out on me. I’m about to let you rest.”
”Now- legs- hurt-“
Bailey chuckled as Penelope whined.
”Yes, yes, let’s get you in a chair first.”
Bailey led her back to her chair, sitting her down and towering above her. He leaned down and gently grasped her chin, tilting it upwards a little as his eyes continued to swirl, attracting her in like a moth to a flame.
”I’m going to do a little number countdown. When I get to 0, you will fall asleep. When you wake up, you won’t remember what happened here. You’ll remember tonight during our session. Do you understand?” He laughed to himself. “Of course you do. Good. Now…
5, intently focused on me and me alone. Don’t let anyone or anything else distract you.
4, your eyes are droopy and your body melts into the seat. It’s easier to go limp and stare at me instead of keeping yourself up.
3, the watch in the corner is nonexistent. So is everything else. Me, you, and that chair are the only things that exist any more.
2, you start to get tired. Oh so tired. Submit to the slumber and get comfortable.
1, forgetting where you are, why you came, and how to think.
0, fall asleep.”
He talked her in the forehead after the 0, and she was out like a light. Her body sprawled in the chair like a rag doll, her blissful expression painted upon her face. He chuckled as he went to the corner and picked up the pocket watch, whose glass was now shattered. He fiddled with the lock, opening it before putting it back around his neck. He smiled as he looked at the watch, considering swinging it for himself.
”Good night, Penelope.”