The day started as any other, with Leonard and his sister, Bluebell, waiting for breakfast. Unusually, Mrs Atkins, a married neighbour, was helping their mother prepare breakfast. That wasn't the most peculiar thing in the kitchen. What the brother and sister found amusing, was that Mrs Atkins was hypnotised to think she was a teenager called Liz.
Their mother, Marjorie, not knowing the teen was her neighbour, treated Liz like one of the children. If she had been wearing her glasses, she would have recognised the woman. With a teen makeover, clothes, hair, make-up, behaviour, and the way she talked, it was no wonder Liz had been mistaken for a teenager. No one seemed to look beyond the surface presentation.
'Did you enjoy your sleepover, sweetie?' Marjorie asked Liz.
'Sure, Mrs Thompson, like, it was fab. Bluebell looked after me so brill, I had a well good night,' Liz gushed, and winked at Bluebell.
Bluebell looked at her brother and playfully grimaced. She was getting used to the idea of their adult neighbour behaving like a stupid airhead. It was exciting putting one over on adults, as neither Mrs Atkins, nor their mother, were aware of what happened.
At first she didn't like the idea of her brother sleeping with Mrs Atkins, as the woman was married, and a friend of their mother. When he explained how the woman became hypnotised, she took an instant dislike to Mr Atkins. A man shouldn't take control of his wife using hypnosis, through bullying, financially, or in any other way. Leonard hadn't thought why she had been hypnotised, but his sister had, and she wasn't pleased.
After breakfast the three of them drove off, to hang out together. Leonard was happy Liz and Bluebell were in the back, nattering together. Otherwise, Liz would be pestering him for something. Either sex, or reassurance that he still loved her. He had a moment's respite to try and work out if he did love her. At eighteen, was it crazy to be in love with a married woman of twenty-eight?
The girls were talking about clothes and makeup. Bluebell enjoyed her company, and they were getting on well. They had different ideas over lots of things, including boys, but that was fine by Bluebell, as she had a strong opinion about freedom of expression. That was why she hated the idea of Mr Atkins hypnotising his wife. Removing her mental freedom would be a heinous crime.
***
'Hi, Marjorie, how are you today?' George said, sounding happy.
They had been in bed all night, and she had returned home early this morning, before the kids woke up. He was looking for his wife, who was stuck in the role of Liz.
'The kids are out, so we can talk. Sit down, and I'll make the coffee,' she told him.
He didn't like the look of this. His wife was out somewhere with the woman's children, while forced to act like a teenager. Being hypnotised as Liz, made her vulnerable. On top of that, Marjorie said they needed to talk. A woman's idea of a talk meant emotional upheaval, without a conclusion. Why was it women could just talk over a problem without the aim of solving it. His friends wouldn't bother talking about something, if they weren't looking to solve the problem.
He forgot all about Elizabeth, his wife, and even Liz, his so-called niece. Sleeping with a neighbour was fraught with problems. Falling in love with each other made it a serious problem. Just one of them being in love, would make it ten times worse.
'I'm going to be honest with you, and you are going to listen,' she began, waiting for him to nod acceptance. 'I like you, George, I like you a lot. I could fall in love with you, easily. If you weren't married, I would like to spend time with you, but you are married,' she unnecessarily pointed out.
'Does that mean our relationship is off?' he asked.
'I'm hoping you can do that, without making a fuss,' she lectured.
'Sure. You're right about us, liking each other, and I would like to get to know you better. You're right about being married and all that entails. I have a responsibility, and you have two of them,' he said.
They both sighed.
'Any chance of a coffee?' he asked.
'Sure. I noticed you're out of coffee. If you take me to the store, I'll shop for you,' she suggested.
'OK! That would be nice,' he said.
They looked at each other closely, and realised it wasn't over so easily.
***
Leonard smiled at Liz, and his sister, from feeling happy with life, the universe, and everything. He watched Liz walk into the mall, wiggling her bottom in a tight pair of yoga pants. He felt proud that such a beautiful woman was his.
When she became his girlfriend, it wasn't a very noble moment. While hypnotised and vulnerable, he'd told her she was his girlfriend. At the time he needed to control her, and hadn't thought through the consequences. Liz had a mind of her own, and did what she wanted, and couldn't be persuaded otherwise.
At least some of the time she was like that. When fixed on something she thought was wrong she was stubborn. With a good, trusting nature, she believed what she was told, and could get into trouble. Frankie came to mind, so he slipped out of the car and headed for the mall.
He could guess the stores his sister used, as they were, 'alternative styles'. Once in the mall he saw this was going to be more difficult than he thought. There were plenty of dress shops, but which ones would be considered alternative styles. What was an alternative style?
He sat in the middle of the mall, which was a junction of the four sections. They would probably appear at some stage during their trip.
'Hey! Have you seen Loopy Liz?' Bluebell asked her brother.
'No, I was looking for you both,' he said.
'What's the problem, you look hassled?' she asked.
He was looking down one lane, then turning to the next, then again looking down another section of the mall.
'It's probably nothing. Alright! I'm worried she might have bumped into Frankie,' he told her.
'Is he a handsome looking guy, sure of himself, real friendly to Liz?' she asked.
'Did he have a couple of rough looking guys with him?' he asked.
'Yea. He tried to hit on me, but Loopy Liz seemed to like him a lot. They wandered off down there,' she said, pointing down the North Wing.
Leonard stood thinking for a moment.
'Come on, we'll get the car, and head them off,' he said.
'This is fun. It's like the sheriff heading off the bad guys at the pass,' she laughed.
'It's not funny. Frankie has a gang, and they are, 'bad guys'. If he recruits Liz into it, we might not see her again for months. He'll use her, then give her to his gang. She'll be a gang slut for awhile. They'll either let her go, or sell her to another gang,' he explained.
'Ooo, sounds like fun,' Bluebell said. 'NOT!' she added, to her brothers sharp look.
They jumped into his car, and pulled away.
'She might be sold into a brothel,' he said, to emphasis the trouble she was in.
