Ceili had lived a life full of surprises.

As a grade school student, she had been unpleasantly surprised at the teasing directed at her due to her mixed Irish-Inuit heritage. Then, as a teenager who had blossomed into both beauty and athletic ability, she had been pleasantly surprised to find herself suddenly popular and well liked by all. Later on, after she tried out for college volleyball, her surprise had again been pleasant when she had made the varsity team as a sophomore.

Now in her senior year, having just finished the final practice before a playoff game, she found herself once again surprised. This time around, it was of the unpleasant variety.

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The last among her teammates to shower after practice, Ceili had the locker room to herself. She sighed contentedly, feeling clean and refreshed as she toweled off. The drills had gone well, the team was looking good, and she had high hopes for the upcoming game.

She dressed unhurriedly, having nowhere in particular to be. Her plans for the evening went as far as watching a couple of streaming shows and then hitting the sack early. So, she was in no rush. She already had on her sweatshirt and leggings, and had just shed her shower flip-flops in order to put on her socks and shoes. That was when she noticed it.

It was a strong, sweet smell. And it quickly pervaded the room. She wondered if she wasn't alone, if some other heavily perfumed person had recently come in, or even been there all along. But she hadn't seen or heard anyone.

Now, as she listened and looked around, she noticed a barely perceptible mist in the air around her. Was it steam from the shower? No, she didn't think so, as she had turned off the hot water minutes ago. Then what could it be? As she pondered, a wave of dizziness descended upon her.

Gas! she immediately thought. That meant she needed to leave immediately. But in addition to feeling dizzy, she found that she had no strength. A weariness had taken root in her body. And a cloying drowsiness was pulling her down towards sleep. Her last thought before losing consciousness was that she hoped she would wake up again.

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The next surprise of Ceili's life was the pleasant realization that she had indeed woken up. But it was quickly followed by another surprise, a most unpleasant one.

She couldn't move.

Actually, she learned quickly, that was an overstatement. She could move, but her movement was restricted.

She sat in a large contoured lounger, the type used in salons for customers getting pedicures. The chair cradled her body and elevated her legs. She still wore the clothes she had put on in the locker room, and her feet remained bare. Her lack of mobility stemmed from padded cuffs around her wrists and ankles that were attached by taut cords to the chair. Pulling, twisting, and squirming against the restraints proved them to be strong enough to keep her firmly in place.

A sense of dread welled up within her gut. What was going on? Why was she here? Where was here, for that matter? Someone had done this to her. Someone had gassed her--thankfully just to knock her out, rather than kill her. But now, she was kidnapped, a hostage, completely at the mercy of a ruthless person or people.

She accepted being fully dressed as a small blessing. Being barefoot, though, left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. And, of course, being bound amplified that feeling immeasurably.

She pondered whether or not to call out. The room she occupied was small, dimly lit, and padded for sound reduction. Her yelling would thus be unlikely to alert anyone other than her captor.  She decided to remain silent, at least for now. With nothing else to do, she sighed dejectedly and waited.

Soon, the door opened and two people walked into the room, one woman and one man. The woman wore stylish business attire that complemented her pretty face and lean figure. The man wore nondescript clothes and had nondescript features. The only noticeable thing about him was the fedora he had on, the brim of which hid his eyes in the low light.

"Who are you? Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?" Ceili asked.

"She looks all right," the woman said, ignoring her captive's questions.

"Yes," the man said. "The gas is designed to have no lasting effects."

"You better tell me what's going on!" Ceili said. "I mean it!"

"While I appreciate your feistiness," the woman said, having turned her attention to Ceili, "you are not currently the star player on a volleyball court. What you are is a girl who has no control over the situation she is in. You are powerless. And you probably don't want to anger the people who wield power over you."

Ceili weighed the woman's words and her options.

"Please tell me what's going on," she said as contritely as she could through gritted teeth.

The woman rewarded her with a smile, albeit a cold one.

"Better. Now, I understand that you are scared and confused. But, you may rest assured that we will not harm you, and soon enough we will release you."

Pausing, as if a bit confused herself, the woman turned back to the man.

"Are you sure it's okay to tell her?" she asked.

"Absolutely."

She nodded at him, then turned back to Ceili.

"We need your team to lose the game tomorrow, and you're going to ensure that they do."

"What? You kidnapped me to get me to throw a game? This is college volleyball, not the Superbowl."

"The stakes are higher than you think. Not just for this one game, but for many games. Considerable money rides on their outcomes, which need to be as I dictate. While you are the first player we've employed--"

"You mean held hostage."

"--you won't be the last. In fact, after you throw the game, which will of course end your academic sports career, you will scout out junior players on the team for us to work with next year."

"No way," Ceili said. "I won't do it."

"Of course you will."

"Do what you will to me, but I won't help you."

As soon as she said the words, Ceili regretted them. What was she thinking? Despite their assurances, she had literally just challenged her captors to use blackmail, torture, or worse to coerce her into cooperation.

But the woman only smiled at her.

"Your willingness to cooperate isn't needed. As I said before, you are powerless. But we are not."

The woman stepped aside, and gestured at the man. He, in turn, moved to the side of the chair and peered down at Ceili. Now able to see his eyes, she immediately grew frightened at the intensity she saw within them.

"You won't be hurt," he said, reiterating what the woman had said before. "But you will do what we say."

"No," Ceili said, trying to infuse courage she didn't feel into her voice.

"Arguing about it is pointless. It's time to brainwash you."

"Brainwash me?"

The man nodded curtly. He then reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, leather case.

"Brainwash me?" Ceili said again in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Opening the case, the man revealed three delicate needles, each one hollow and of a slightly different size than the others. He picked one up, eyed it carefully for a moment, and then moved his gaze back to Ceili.

"What the hell is that for?" Ceili asked, her voice trembling and all courage having drained away. "I thought you said you weren't going to hurt me!"

"This won't hurt," the man said, bringing the needle towards her face.

Ceili opened her mouth to scream. The man quickly and deftly inserted the needle into her forehead, where it hung, motionless. Rather than a scream, only a gasp emerged from Ceili's lips. After that, she neither spoke, nor moved. Her body had completely frozen with her eyes wide open, her fists clenched, and her toes scrunched.

"Is that it?" the woman asked. "Is she hypnotized?"

"No, not yet," the man said. "The first acupuncture needle instigates a paralytic state. Now, I will proceed with the next one."

He gently picked up another needle and, more slowly this time, inserted it close to the first one in Ceili's forehead.

Ceili sighed and relaxed. Her eyes drooped half-closed, her fists opened, and her toes splayed. A dopey smile spread over her face.

"Now, she is hypnotized," the woman said.

"No. The second needle sends nerve impulses to the pleasure center of the brain. She is high as a kite and would probably cooperate with you to some extent. But, she is neither hypnotized, nor completely suggestible. The last needle will accomplish that."

The woman nodded her understanding, and then watched as the man inserted the final needle in close proximity to the first two.

"Now, she is in a state akin to deep hypnosis," he said once the deed was done. "She will accept any suggestion you give her. You can brainwash into saying, doing, and believing anything you want."

"Excellent. Thank you."

The woman and the man switched places again. Looking down at the helpless, hypnotized girl, the woman's mouth widened into a crocodile smile.

"Ceili, can you hear me?"

"...Yes..."

"How do you feel?"

"...Good...really good..."

"I want you to think of your favorite sexual fantasy. Think of how it ends with you climaxing. That is what is making you feel so good right now."

Ceili blushed. She began to moan and squirm. She strained against her bonds, causing her hands to tremble and her feet to shake. The woman let her play out the fantasy for about 30 seconds before interrupting it.

"Relax. You have climaxed. You are spent. But you continue to feel good."

Following the suggestion given to her, Ceili exhaled a long, stammering breath. Then she fell silent and still.

"During the playoff game, whenever you need to concentrate most, that same sexual fantasy will spring into your head, along with all the desires and pleasures it brings you. The same thing will happen any time your team takes the lead over the other team. It will take all of your will to push those thoughts from your mind. And while you do, you won't be able to think about or act on the game. Do you understand?"

"...Yes..."

"Losing the game will not bother you. All you will want to do is go home and indulge in that fantasy. Once you do that, you will not feel bad that your team is done for the season, nor that you are done with your collegiate sports career. Understand?"

"...Yes..."

"Now, I want you to think of four of the most promising junior players on your team. Have you thought of them?"

"...Yes...Evie...Amanda...Naomi...Shenaz..."

"Good. After the game, you will keep in touch with all three of them. At some point, you will receive a phone call. The caller will say the phrase, 'You are now hypnotized.' When you hear it, you will immediately return to the highly suggestible trance state you are in now. The caller will give you instructions about Evie, Amanda, Naomi, and Shenaz. You will follow those instructions to the letter. Understand?"

"...Yes..."

"All right. Repeat back everything that I have told you, regarding the game and everything after it."

"...During the playoff game..."

In a slow, sleepy, but matter-of-fact voice, Ceili repeated all of the suggestions that the woman had given her.

"Excellent," the woman said, then to the man, "You can bring her out of it now."

They switched positions, and then the man spoke again to Ceili.

"When I snap my fingers, you will drift down into a deep sleep. Later on, when you wake up, you will have no memory of anything that happened since you were getting dressed in the locker room. You will feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready for your upcoming game."

The man snapped. Ceili sagged into her seat. Her breathing slowed into an even rhythm. He then carefully removed the three needles from her forehead.

"It's done," the man said.

"And you're certain it will work?" the woman asked.

"Yes. She is completely brainwashed and absolutely unaware of it. Her conditioning will cause her team to lose, and set you up to dictate the outcome of future games."

"Wonderful!"

The woman reached into her pocket and brought out an envelope that was stuffed to near bursting. She handed it to the man. He took the payment, peered inside the envelope, and thumbed through the bills it contained. Then, he nodded.

"Thank you, Cyril," the woman said. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"No problem. It's what I do. However, now that our business is concluded, I think it would be better for you to not remember my name."

"Of course, I understand. Consider it forgotten."

"I will...in a moment."

He raised up the brim of his hat and met her gaze. His intensely penetrating stare caused her eyes to widen in awe.

Suddenly, the woman's head swam. She felt sleepy, dizzy, and confused all at once. She floated in the center of a whirling maelstrom, completely adrift and cut off from reality. Thinking became impossible. All she knew was that she was barefoot, vulnerable, and not in control.

Then, everything snapped back to normal. She blinked and shook her head. Hadn't she meant to say something? Yes, she had.

"Thank you, mister. I couldn't have done this without you."

The man nodded. She found it odd that he had never told her his name, but it didn't really matter. He had come through on what he had promised. Ceili was brainwashed. The game would be lost. And she herself would profit greatly from it, as well as from all the future games she would control.

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Ceili awoke with a start.

"Gas!" she said, and then, "What? Gas? Jeez, what the hell was I dreaming?"

She sat up and looked around. Still wearing her sweatshirt and leggings, she was in her room, on her bed, above the covers. Her feet were bare. She saw her gym bag, shoes, and socks over by the door.

In a life full of surprises, waking up suddenly and not remembering coming home, taking off her shoes, or crashing on top of her bed was neither a big, nor an especially bad one. Coach had worked the team hard, and clearly she had been wiped out. And this had been the result.

She yawned and stretched. It was late, and she had a big day coming up. What she was wearing was as comfy as pajamas, so why bother getting up and changing clothes? She pulled back the sheets, climbed under them, and closed her eyes.

Thoughts of her favorite fantasy entered her mind. She smiled at them. Why not indulge herself? It would help her sleep and let her focus tomorrow on the game. Letting the fantasy fill her thoughts, she moved her hands into position. Her toes curled. Her smile grew. And soon enough, she surrendered to blissful release.

It was no surprise at all then that Ceili, with her brain thoroughly washed and her desires momentarily sated, slept well and deeply until morning.