Chapter 5

“Luke ... why are you wearing panties ... and literally nothing else? Those are ... Alex’s panties ... and Hailey’s are in your hands? Why are you doing their chores, too? What’s going on?” Claire Dunphy asked her son, more than a little confused by things.

“Oh, it’s just a fun game ... Luke lost a bet and now he has to wear the panties and hold the others while doing our chores for us ... for a little while,” Hailey lied to her mother.

“Yeah, we’re just having some fun. Look, Luke’s even enjoying it, right, Luke?” Alex insisted.

“I don’t quite believe you guys, so let’s hear from Luke himself,” Claire persisted now, having a sneaky suspicion that all was not well.

“Okay, it was a little ... hypnosis game, okay? They hypnotized me a little ... nothing harmful. No damage done, Mom ... just goofy little tasks like this one, that’s all. I’m perfectly fine,” Luke smiled, thinking, “you bitches owe me one.”

On some level, though, he was proud that he made his sisters happy ... and proud to wear their panties, too. He wanted to pay them back, but he also wanted to please them ... It was very odd and he still couldn’t figure it out.

“Well, it just ... sounds wrong. Inappropriate. Would you hypnotize your own mother that way? How about your father? Teenage siblings shouldn’t be wearing each other’s underwear, sniffing that underwear, or seeing each other half-naked. They shouldn’t be ... doing chores for each other, either,” Claire lectured her brats now.

“But, Mom ... Luke’s so cute like that, and he’s very helpful around the house now! Remember that lunch he made for us all. Wasn’t he very good at it?” Hailey protested now.

“Okay, it’s alright for a little while, but then you must undo the hypnosis. Are we clear?” Claire demanded of her daughters.

“Sure, Mom,” Hailey lied now, having no intention of releasing Luke from hers and Alex’s control.

“Okay, Goodbye, Luke,” Alex sent Luke out of the room in a hurry.

“Sorry, Mom ... the truth ... he was just a test subject. For a school project! We were researching hypnosis, including whether or not it had any real benefits in therapy. We were trying it out on Luke and each other before using it to try to help you and Dad. Besides, you can see that it helps Luke become more helpful around here and he hasn’t been harmed at all. He actually seems happier, if you ask me. Think about it, Mom?” Alex thought on her feet, seeing a way out of this ... one that could benefit them all.

“Oh ... okay. At least some good can come from this, then, before you put Luke back to normal. And maybe not ... completely back to normal. Maybe we can get him to do some things ... better. Like more attention to his studies and things like that. For his own good, of course,” Claire thought aloud, seeing some benefits from this, “so, out of curiosity, how would this help me and your father again?”

“Well, Mom, it could make work and housework less stressful for you, help you find better ways to handle conflict in the marriage, maybe even make Dad a better husband and father, make you a better wife and mother, if that’s possible, help Dad with his fear of clowns, that kind of thing. So, come on, Mom ... think about it. Just follow me into the living room, put your feet up, lie down, relax, and worst-case scenario, it will give you a little rest, a little chance to ... decompress for a bit.

“Besides, we want to make sure that this really works before we try it on Dad. You could be part of that, you know. Trying this on Dad. If it doesn’t work, we can fix any problems before trying it on Dad. You could even ... maybe try it on us to make us better daughters,” Alex pulled some clever arguments, though she had no intention of letting Mom or Dad hypnotize her.

Maybe Hailey, but not her.

“Think about if we tried this on Gloria, too. She might be less ... annoying, you know,” Hailey played her trump card, an argument that was irresistible to Claire...

She could make Gloria less ... sultry and less of a rival. Yes, why not?

Unknown to Claire, Hailey’s suggestions already wreaked havoc on Alex’s hang-ups and scruples about such boring issues. Alex didn’t want to be dull or boring anymore, right? She wanted to have fun ... what would be fun with her mother under hypnosis, anyway? Oh, yes, Alex could think of even crazier stuff than Hailey!

All that Claire knew was that Alex and Hailey had hit her where she lived ... her jealousy or envy of Gloria. Her stepmother could be such a damn siren or so damn sultry in her classic Latina way. Claire was used to being the belle of the ball ... but Gloria gave her a run for her money, even with Phil at times.

“Alright, Mom ... listen to the sound of my voice. Follow it to a place of leisure, contentment, relaxation, and peace ... complete serenity. You’re falling deeper into darkness, into sleep, aren’t you now? You’re not stressed about work, bills, motherhood, any of it. Yes, there you go, Mom.