Ariel, she was perfect. Chestnut hair that fell to almost her waist, and these green eyes that just sparkled when she smiled. She was so beautiful and had no idea that I even existed. I was so painfully average in every way. 5'11", dirty blonde with blue eyes. Entirely forgettable, save for the fact that I was currently one of the few people actually doing well in our psych classes.
This class focused on hypnotherapy, which frankly I found to be complete bullshit, until I realized I sort of had a knack for it. Turns out being unassuming also means I'm relatively non-threatening. My prof had even brought me on as an assistant on a study she was doing on the effects of hypnotherapy on veterans. I loved this class, mostly because I was good at it, but also because it meant seeing Ariel.
Just as I tuned back into the lecture, our professor dismissed us. I was just leaving when I got the biggest shock of my life.
"Hey Markus." Ariel called me while she frantically tried to pack her things.
"Uh... hey Ariel." I said more awkwardly than intended. I was just hoping it came across as aloof.
"I was hoping you could help me study for the midterm. Professor White said you would be a good tutor." She admitted.
"Yeah, of course. Do you want to go to the library now?" I asked her.
"Please. I need all the tutoring I can get. We only have a week." She groaned.
I laughed and we started walking to the library.
"So what are you struggling with most?" I asked as if I didn't know.
Ariel was incredibly smart and had a memory like a steel trap. Her only downfall was she got painfully nervous whenever she had to put anyone under and had yet to do it successfully.
"I just can't seem to put anyone under." She sighed, defeated.
"Not a problem, we'll have you doing it without even needing to think." I joked.
She giggled. What she didn't know was I wasn't entirely joking. I desperately wanted to see if the techniques I had learned could make her a better hypnotist through hypnosis.
We arrived at the library and found an open study room, taking it for ourselves.
"So would you like to try it on me?" I asked Ariel.
"You've seen me in class, I'm hopeless. Why don't you try on me first and maybe I'll pick something up." She sighed.
Exactly the answer I was hoping for. I had her lean back in one of the armchairs, and used one of the quick induction techniques we'd learned which involved her repeating a quick series of movements, before I tugged her arm hard. She fell instantly. I did a quick deepener, and we were set to go.
"Alright Ariel, if you can hear and understand me, please raise your left arm." I said softly. She complied.
"When I say the word awake, you will wake and find that trancing someone is actually incredibly easy, and that you were gifted at it all along. You just needed the right motivation. If you understood and accepted this, please nod three times." Her head bobbed up and down three times, making her silky hair shimmer.
"Awake." I said.
Her eyes snapped open and she looked at me in confusion and admiration.
"That's all it took to trance me?" She asked incredulously.
"Yup." I agreed.
"Well I can do that." She said confidently.
She stood up, and pushed me into the chair.