It's amazing how some technologies stick around long after they become obsolete. Vinyl records being one such case. As I enter 'Vinyl Grooves' on a bright fall afternoon I am greeted not with stacks of dusty records and a few old fogeys, but with a cheery, colorful store. Rows of neatly organized records browsed by a wide variety of customers. In fact, the store is so busy there seem to be at least four employees, talking to customers, ringing up sales, reorganizing stocks and so on.
Personally I have no interest in vinyl records - with my constantly mobile life what could I play them on? Instead I am drawn to this store by a different attraction - a tall, slender woman with short flame-red hair and sparkling gray eyes. Wearing a short t-shirt that exposes her midriff, dark blue jeans, large gold loop earrings and a black silk choker, she is having an animated discussion with a customer that I am too far away to distinguish. As she turns to pick out a record a tattoo on her arm becomes visible - some kind of tribal or abstract design, lots of curving intertwining thick black lines.
I feign interest in the selection of local indie bands while reaching out with my mental powers to interrogate the woman's mind. Isobel is 24, and the manager of this store. Responsible and mature beyond her years, she treats her employees with affection and loyalty.
Her employees number four, not three as I had thought. All are present in the store right now and so I investigate each in turn, both sneaking glances and with my mind.
Rushing around the store serving several customers at once is an energetic teenage girl with a mop of blonde locks. Megan is 18, perky in both spirit and body. Completely oblivious to the less-than-innocent looks the male customers give her when they think they can get away with it. Blue eyes, a yellow sun dress and an inability to stand still complete the picture.
Her polar opposite is at the till, not quite glowering at the customers. Ines is a short 19 year old decked out in the standard goth gear. Short dyed black hair, black lipstick and nails, bar piercing through one eyebrow, nose stud, clothes that consist of several layers of black which make it almost impossible to distinguish what she is actually wearing... you get the idea. The only splash of color is a large silver cross necklace, hanging low over her chest, more decorative than religious in purpose. Despite all this camouflage I get the distinct impression there is an attractive girl in there somewhere. Her round face is smooth and well proportioned, with a cute button nose and deep green eyes.
Kinsley is deep in conversation with a customer, making some esoteric point about a band I've never heard of. Dark mocha-colored skin and shoulder-length dreadlocks tied back behind her head make her stand out in this suburban record store. She is clearly the most knowledgeable about music, nonetheless. Even Isobel refers back to her with the more difficult queries. Impressive for an 19 year old girl. Kinsley wears a set of dark green coveralls with one strap hanging down. The coveralls are short at the legs, showing off a well-turned pair of legs. She is wearing with socks and sneakers (everyone here seems to be). A simple white t-shirt goes under the coverall, the swell of the fabric hinting at least a medium-sized chest. Kinsley's facial structure is well-defined, with prominent cheekbones. Bright red lipstick emphasizes a wide mouth. Her gold nose-ring isn't quite to my taste but does no harm either.
The last and (at only a few weeks past her eighteenth birthday) youngest employee is 'Caris', a girl who seems determined to fit the role of tomboy but fails due to her decidedly non-masculine looks. Sneakers, socks (told you), baggy blue jeans, a baggy orange band shirt and a red baseball cap worn backwards try to mask her figure. Her fashion choices look at odds to her delicately featured face. Caris has brushed her long flowing brown hair behind her, but some locks flow over one side of her face. Like Megan, Caris has a bright and cheery disposition. Yet her lack of self-confidence make her smiles fleeting rather than beaming. A quick dip into her mind shows she is a new hire, this is her first job, and she is desperate to win the respect of her co-workers and 'be cool'. Not that she knows how to do either, hence the nervousness.
The teenagers are each interesting in their own ways, but my eyes keep getting drawn to Isobel, the self-possessed redhead. I take note of the opening times for the store. It will close in an hour. I leave the store and walk down to the coffee shop on the corner. A helpful clerk there is keeping my traveling bag in his locker (not that he remembers ever doing so because I wiped his memory as soon as he stowed it away). I can stand to wait an hour.
I return to the record store five minutes before closing, carrying my traveling bag (a nondescript sports bag). I hold the door open for the last customer leaving the store before entering myself. I had expected at least Isobel to still be in the store but I found myself alone. I turn and close the latch on the door (there is also a lock but I do not have the key) before heading to the staff door behind the counter.
Before opening the door I reach out with my mind. I sense other people nearby, but not in the immediate vicinity of the door. I open the door to find a lounge room, with a kitchen area, table and large c-shaped couch, all in some disrepair. Jukebox against one wall. No-one is in the room, but I still sense people somewhere. I stand still and listen, and can just about hear noises coming from... below? There are doors marked 'Stock Room', 'Office' and 'Exit' and I head to each one in turn, extending my mind before opening them as before. No luck.
Just as I close the office door, I hear a click behind me. Turning around I am amazed to see the front of the jukebox swing open, and Isobel's head begin to emerge from inside. My puzzlement slows my actions, but the office door continues closing and the noise as it does so is enough to turn Isobel's head towards me. Gathering myself together I take control of the redhead's mind before she is able to raise any alarm, freezing her half in, half out of the jukebox.
I mentally order her to exit the jukebox and stand aside. Her body obeys instantly, much to the alarm of her mind. Ignoring her for the moment, I move over to look into the open jukebox. Which isn't a jukebox at all, but a hidden door leading to stairs going down. The sounds are much clearer now, coming from below. I turn to Isobel and ask.
"Who is down there?"
Isobel does not answer because I have removed her ability to talk, but the images of the record store employees spring to the front of her mind. I frown; I don't like to play when there's a risk of someone discovering us and raising the alarm before I can stop them. On the other hand...
I order Isobel to head back into the jukebox and down the stairs. I follow immediately behind her, partly concealed by her. But not much, as it turns out the stairs lead to a large open basement. The stairs run down the side of one wall, completely exposing anyone who comes down them to anyone in the basement.
On the downside, all four girls in the basement see me coming down the stairs. On the upside, I see them too, and my talents work on line of sight. As a result only Kinsley gets a chance to exclaim "hey, who-" before I take control of the girls, freezing them in place as I had done with Isobel earlier.
From my position looking down at the basement I am finally able to take in my surroundings, which gives me my second surprise of the evening. Against the far wall of the large room is a full size boxing ring. Punchbags hang down in front. One wall has lockers, a long bench, and a desk with computer equipment stacked on it. On the opposing side there are wall-mounted bars, and a seating area with a couch, chair and table arranged. I had frozen two of the girls (Ines the goth and blonde Megan) mid-sparring session in the ring. Kinsley and Caris were lounging on the couch. Their relaxed poses contradict their expressions and the effort radiating from their minds as they try to force their bodies into movement.
A secret training gym. How odd. I delve into Isobel's mind and discover that the store has a side project of training its young female employees. The aim is to teach them to defend themselves in the event of unwanted attention. Of course, no such training is useful against a person who can control minds and bodies.
I smile, turn back, and close the secret door. It clicks shut as I turn back and look down at the five women below. Yes, this should do nicely.
Isobel resumes walking down the stairs and goes to stand in the middle of the room; on my silent orders the other girls do the same, lining up for inspection. I drop my bag at the foot of the stairs and got to stand in front of them. I take a first good look at my entertainment for the evening. Four teenage girls and one woman in her mid-twenties look back at me with varying levels of fear, confusion and anger.
I walk a full circuit around them as they stand facing forwards. Their eyes follow me as much as their stationary heads will allow. None of the girls are exactly well dressed. Each has a certain style (except clueless Caris), but in general their clothes could be described as 'casual' and 'baggy to shapeless'. Well, that is easily fixed.
The women follow me as I walk over and sit on the green couch (a table is moved to the side to allow them to stand in a row facing me once more). I raise a finger, pause for a moment, then point to Kinsley. The dreadlocked girl's eyes widen as she sees me point to her, then widen even more as she finds herself moving to stand in front of me. One hand raises up and shrugs off the remaining strap of her green coveralls. As they begin to sag around her hips she pushes them down all the way, bending over to do so. I observe the other girls' minds as they stand behind Kinsley. They see her methodically remove first her shoes and socks before stepping out of her coveralls. Next she lifts her white t-shirt over her head. As their friend and co-worker exposes more and more of her smooth brown skin, I sense their minds starting to panic. I have to soothe them slightly to prevent some of them going into shock.
