The PA’s had gathered the assistants without incident, and soon enough five losing assistants had congregated at the parade grounds in Centennial Park. From the angle they were filming at the Federation Pavilion could just barely be spotted.

     Drake and Martin were as overdressed for the occasion as ever, and standing beside them, was a steel cart, carrying a massive array of balloons. Drake grinned, “Good morning, ladies. Glad you could all make it to your punishment.”

     Drake continued, “Now, we’re not going to really bother with any pretext this year, I’m afraid. These punishments aren’t necessarily a reflection on your performance in the challenges, because you all did a fine job yesterday. No, this year, these punishments are just a fun way to inject some more magic into the show, at the cost of making things a little more difficult for all of you.”

     “So, why don’t we get to it then?” Martin flashed his trademark smile.

     “Now, Olive, would you step over here, please?” Martin asked, gesturing to a spot right next to him.

     “Sure thing, dear,” Olive walked over.

     “Great,” Martin then walked over to the balloon cart, pulling down a pink, purple, green, and gray balloons. He walked down the line of other contestants, handing them the balloon that matched best with what they were wearing and instructing them to hold onto the string tightly.

     “Now, Olive,” Martin asked, as he went back to the balloon cart, pulling out eight gray rags, “How have you been enjoying the competition so far?”

     Olive looked confused, as Martin once again went down the line, covering up both each contestant’s balloon with one rag, and their head with another. “Oh, I’ve been enjoying it well enough, dear.”

     “That’s great to hear,” Martin was still on the move, with all of the contestants now covered, he pulled out a pair of noise canceling headphones, “Here, put these on,” he handed them to Olive, who obliged.

     Running back to the cart one more time, Martin pulled out a long, very thin needle. Poising himself in front of Rachel, he let the suspense build, as he slowly moved the needle closer and closer to her head, before suddenly pushing it forwards, a loud *Pop* noise being heard and the contestants (minus Olive) jumping slightly, as the rag became flush with Rachel’s shoulder line, pink confetti falling to the ground around her feet. Martin then made a show of pulling off the rag over what had previously been Rachel’s balloon.

     Floating in the air, attached to a bright pink string now held by her body was Rachel’s head. Her head, for the most part, looked completely normal, however now her neck tapered down into a small rubbery knot the same color as her skintone. She looked down grinning wildly at the fact that her head was now floating next to her body several feet off the ground.

     Martin continued down the line, performing the same routine with each of his assistants with differing results. Dahlia had a sort of childlike wonder in her eyes, as she lifted her arm, causing her head to rise in the air and bounce against the end of the string she was attached to. Paxton had a look of abject horror on her face, as the shock from having what had moments ago been her head popping nearly made her drop her string. Natalie was positively giddy, her shaking her hands causing her head to bob up and down erratically.

     Martin walked back over to Olive, gesturing that it was fine for her to take her headphones off now. “Wait, why was I separated out?” She asked, looking even more confused now.

     “Oh, I was worried you might have found that method of the trick to shocking, so I thought I would make the experience more enjoyable for you with a less intense variation.” Martin walked over to her, holding out the neck of an orange balloon for her, the knot had already been untied.

     “Aw,” Olive said, accepting the balloon and giving Martin a bear hug, “Thank you so much for watching out for me, dear.”

 Martin blushed, as he lightly placed his hand on her head, “Just breathe that in, and the effect will take place automatically.”

     Olive placed the neck of the balloon into her lips, breathing deeply. The other contestants watched closely, as the balloon quickly shrank in size from the size of a watermelon, to that of a cantaloupe, then an orange, and ending up deflated and about the size of an egg.

     Martin slowly raised his hand, and as he did so, Olive’s head slowly rose with it. Much like the other girls, her neck now tapered to a rubbery knot, and the string it was tied to seemed to be extending out from her shoulders. After reaching a couple of feet above her body, the string finally popped free from her shoulder blades, and Martin helped Olive’s body reach out and grab the string.

     Olive gave Martin another hug bear hug, using her increased height thanks to her head being a balloon to kiss him on the cheek, before walking over to where the rest of the girls were standing.

     “Well, that’s it for this punishment,” Drake said, “The effect will wear off automatically in twenty four hours, so have a good rest of your day.”

~~~

Kacie’s Rehearsal

     “Hey Martin!” The chipper voice of DJ Tetra chirped as she entered the practice room, “I hope you’re ready to rehearse!”

     “Hey Kacie,” Marin looked over, “I mean Tetra.”

     “Po-tay-to, po-tah-to,” Tetra waved her hand around, “So, I was thinking that we should probably go over my setlist and match them up to the cues.”

     “Alright,” Martin smiled, “Oh, so, why don’t you take Tetra off and we’ll go over everything.”

     “Oh? R-really?” A small animated droplet of sweat appeared on her screen, “I was sort of planning on performing as Tetra. After all, that’s who I think more people would know me as.”

     “I mean… I guess that makes sense,” Martin said, “Although wouldn’t you be concerned of the potential of Tetra breaking?”

     “Oh no,” Tetra grinned, “Joel made sure to make this head practically indestructible.” To demonstrate, Tetra lifted off her head, throwing it on the ground. As it did so, several small numbers appeared, around each of the points, and eventually when it stopped rolling, the number ‘3’ lit up at the topmost point of the pyramid, and a little jingle played.

     The numbers faded away, Tetra’s face returning to it’s panel, two red circles of blush appearing on either side of her pixelated face as she apologized, “Sorry, I forgot that was a feature he added. He’s such a massive dork.”

     “No worries,” Martin was seemingly puzzling things out in his mind. “Alright, I guess i can work with DJ Tetra on stage. Although I still think you should give being Kacie a shot.”

     “I’m sure I will, but let’s focus on getting me past the first round before we plan something like that,” Tetra giggled, reattaching her pyramid head to her body.

~~~

Ashfield Park

     With Kacie freed up from rehearsals, Martin having to go off to do more press events, and it being an absolutely lovely day in Sydney, Olive had suggested that the girls go out for a picnic in Ashfield Park.

     A PA had been kind enough to lent them a large plaid blanket to spread out, and the girls had stopped by a grocery store to get some sandwiches.

     They had spread out, idly watching the nearby cricket players. Natalie, on the other hand, had her focus entirely on Rachel.

     Rachel was playing a game with herself where she would let go of her string, grabbing it back out of the air just before it slipped out of reach. “I can’t believe you’re brave enough to do that Rachel.” Natalie’s own string was tied around her wrist so that there was no chance of it just flying off, “Aren’t you worried about losing your head.”

     “Not really,” Rachel grinned, just barely grabbing her string with the edges of her fingertips. “Do you really think the producers would let us just lose our heads?”

     “I mean... I don't know maybe?” Natalie said.

     Rachel grinned, looking Natalie square in the eye before giving her a wink as she let go of her string, her balloon head quickly floating beyond the grasp of her hand from where she was sitting.

     Natalie freaked out, jumping up and trying to grab Rachel’s string. Unfortunately, due to the fact her head was also currently a balloon, and tied to her wrist, her head went bobbing wildly, disorienting her and causing her to miss.

     Natalie watched in horror, as Rachel’s head continued to rise in the air, and then in confusion as its rate of rising steadily decreased, until the head simply started hovering in the air.

     Rachel stood up, jumping up and just barely being able to grab the string attached to her head. She sat back down grinning. “I already tried an hour ago. Your head stops rising right before it would be out of your grasp.”

     “You could have just told me!” Natalie said, shaking slightly.

     “Well, nothing exciting happens if you untie your knot either,” Rachel laughed, “Although that certainly would be interesting if it did. Like, would you be able to use our heads as face masks?”

     Meanwhile, Paxton was sitting next to Dahlia, clutching her head to her chest. Dahlia, for some strange reason, had elected to morph her head into a proper balloon, her face nothing more than an expanse of plain purple rubber. “So… You had your rehearsal with Martin already?” Dahlia gave a thumbs up.

     “…Was he nice?” Dahlia held up a another thumbs up. “W-what did you two do?” Dahlia did her best to mimic dancing steps with her fingers.

     Paxton sighed, squeezing her slightly malleable balloon head closer to her chest, “I don’t know why I can’t just talk to him like you girls. It’s like, I see him, and my brain starts telling me that I’m just going to waste his time.” Dahlia patted Paxton on the back and then rubbed it for a bit in a comforting manner.

     “Did-… What did-… Never mind.” Paxton sighed, “you know, there’s not really much a point in talking to you if you’re not going to answer.” The balloon morphed, a long tongue-like protrusion making a raspberry sound, before Dahlia’s head returned to it’s more human form.

     “…Alright, what did you want to know?” She asked.

     Now that Dahlia’s head had returned, Paxton stayed silent. Looking away, but eventually asking, “So, when did you know that you wanted to be an assistant? Because… It’s weird… I don’t know how well I can explain it.” Dahlia gave her a reassuring nod, and a looked that begged her to go on. Paxton sighed, “it’s like- I know I’m here. I’m on ANGA, given an opportunity that many would beg a lifetime for. And yet, I don’t even know if I can enjoy it. Is being an assistant really what I want to do for the rest of my life?” Paxton was clutching her balloon head so hard, her face was distending slightly.

     Dahlia sat silently, contemplating her answer for a bit, before responding. “…Well… I wasn’t that sure about being an assistant either… My friend… she’s always known. Ever since we were little really. But it took some convincing… for me to be interested.” Paxton was hanging on Dahlia’s every word.

     “Knowing exactly what you want to do in life… It’s a gift very few people have… But luckily… it’s not a decision you have to make right away,” Dahlia smiled warmly, causing Paxton to blush.

     “Do you need any help coming up with ideas for what you’re going to do, Olive,” Kacie asked.

     “Oh no, dear, but thank you for the offer,” Olive smiled back at her.

     “Okay, it’s just you’ve been so helpful with everyone else, I’d feel bad if I didn’t offer,” Kacie commented, “Especially since you all are being punished right now.”

     “And I appreciate the offer, dear,” Olive laughed, “but you really don’t have to do that. Being helpful’s just what I do best.”

     “You said you have two kids right?” Kacie asked, “Mason and… uh-“

     “Hannah,” Olive filled in, “Yep, two darling angels, both flying off in the world.”

     “They must feel very lucky to have a mom like you.”

     Olive laughed, “I’m sure they’re more embarrassed than anything else. At least that’s the impression I’d get whenever they’d bring their friends over.”

     “Oh, but all teenagers act that way,” Kacie waved her hand, “I certainly know I did whenever I had friends over and my Mom was practicing with her quartet.”

     “Ah. So your mom’s a musician too?”

     “Second chair cellist in our community orchestra,” Kacie explained, “My dad’s first chair violinist. Unfortunately for them, I’m the odd one out.”

     “Now don’t you say that, I’m sure your parents love you very much.”

     “Oh, I’m sure they do,” Kacie laughed, “but five years of wasted viola lessons certainly makes it a little bit harder to express that love.” Olive joined in with her laughing.

     The girls hung out at the park mostly for the rest of the day, the motion sickness from moving their heads being too much to really accomplish much beyond relaxing in the sun. As the day closed out and the temperature got colder, they returned to the Down Under, ready to face the next day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

& Question Corner &

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To Drake and Martin: “Hey! Thanks for having me in the show. Your girls, especially Kacie, seems to have potential.” -Rei (@@quad2)

 Martin: Martin smiles, “Thanks Rei! It was great to have you along.”

 Drake: “It was great to have you again Rei. Although, if we’re going to feature you again, please make sure to be slightly more punctual. We have a busy enough schedule as it is.”

To Drake only: “I get that I kind of deserved that's uncalled for. There's revenge and then there's this. I expected this from the shady groups that I rescue heads from. You hurt me so Drakie. *Sad Emoji*” -Rei (@@quad2)

 Drake: “Hey now, that seems a little harsh seeing as how you did the exact same thing to me last year when I didn’t have any knowledge of magic to be able to defend myself. Besides, it was just meant as a harmless prank, seeing as how immediately after we were done, I helped you put your head back on.

To Kacie: “If you got any updates on what we discussed, feel free to contact me. It's not like I'm shady or anything. Heh heh heh…” -Rei (@@quad2)

 Kacie: Kacie seems apprehensive, saying, “Sure thing, Rei.”

To Drake: “I haven't watch ANGA last year and only heard stuff. What did Rei do to you to deserve that? The best assumption I have was all the times she dragged you to places and situations when she was young.” -Noel (@@quad2)

 Drake: Drake chuckles. “Oh no, I honestly never met Rei before her involvement with ANGA, but let me assure you that what I did to Rei was simply payback for something she had done last year.

 Basically, when Rei sponsored a midweek challenge last year, I made an, admittedly, off-the-cuff remark, and Rei thought it was appropriate to make my head fall off. This was back when I still didn’t know basically any magic, and so you may understand why it was not a pleasant experience for me.

 Now that I know a bit of magic, I thought it would be appropriate to play a little prank on her by doing the same thing she did to me.”

To Drake: “Thank you for not making it more complicated as it already is. I'm looking forward to the meetup.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Drake: “No worries at all, Andrea. I will admit that in my haste to trying to balance and enforce the various contracts and agreements that makes ANGA tick, I can occasionally become blind to the actual people that are involved.

 I’m sure this meet up will be an excellent destresser for the girls after the challenges they’ve faced to get there.”

To Girls: “Congrats on your first challange and hope you had fun!” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Kacie: “Fig and I had a blast! It’s been a while since I’ve done a rock themed show.”

 Olive: “Why thank you dear. I had a wonderful time chatting with Gretchen.”

 Natalie: “I definitely had fun, but I wish that Rei had chosen a more… balanced challenge”

 Dahlia: “…I just wish it could have lasted longer.”

 Rachel: “I would have personally liked to do something like exploring the Outback for a challenge, but I guess I ended up having a good time with Hanes.”

 Paxton: Paxton blushes, doing her best to hide her smile from the camera.

To Kacie/Tetra: “Well done, really well done, but I already figured you would turn it into a mini Rave-Magic-Show.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Kacie: “Ha ha. I guess it wasn’t all that original an approach, but you know, you have to play to your strengths in order to win.”

To Olive: “You enjoy talking and that is actually a good attribute, even though you haven't won. Keep that attitude.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Olive: “Why thank you, dear! You know it’s been such a blast talking to all of these wonderful people so far. Gretchen was an absolute darling, and I would have loved to talk to that adorable Joey girl. And of course, it’s been amazing to talk to you as well.”

To Paxton: “Sweetie, you did amazing! That little fireball you kept around was great, don't worry with a bit of training you will get the jist out of it.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Paxton: Paxton blushes, looking away from the camera with a smile on her face as she says, “Hopefully I’ll be able to get enough training in three days to keep it going for a lot longer.”

To Dahlia: “AWWWWWWW DOGGO!!!!!!! You for sure made my heat melt with that. I want to cuddle you!” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Dahlia: “He he,” Dahlia smiles enigmatically at the camera, “..As long as you give plenty of scritches, of course.”

To Rachel: “Magnificent Idea with the Theatre Play. You for sure made these Kids enjoy it! Even if you haven't won, that is what a good Assistant does, makes people enjoy watching and feel great.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Rachel: “Hanes might be pushy, but I will admit it ended up being a pretty fun idea to try and work off of. It probably got us more business than a Rachel-nade stand would have gotten us anyways.”

To Martin: “I'm not mad that you blow my cover seriously. I'm happy that you are looking forward to meeting me, and seriously, the girls you have picked have all potential and power in them. Can't wait to see you in Europe!” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Martin: “And I’m looking forwards to meeting you Andrea. And you’re right, I couldn’t be more proud of my assistants so far this season. They’ve been putting up a great effort for just five days of competition."

To Kacie/Tetra: “What can I say? Music is a universal language. Not surprised you ended up raising the most money. Congratulations!“ -Shannon (@@FlagsOtherSide)

 Kacie: “He he. I’m not that shocked either.

 I was pretty shocked with the turnout though. I obviously tweeted that I was going to be doing a short set for the competition in Australia, but clearly I underestimated my fans over here, because way more people showed up than I expected!”

To Dahlia: “I must say, a very interesting idea. Shame it didn’t do as well as it should’ve.” -Shannon (@@FlagsOtherSide)

 Dahlia: “Maybe if we had used a lower price-“ Dahlia’s hand reached up to her hair, starting to wind it around her finger, “Or maybe if we went silver instead of gold more people would have liked it.”

 Dahlia takes a deep breath, placing her hands on her legs and smiling her enigmatic smile at the camera, “…But it’s fine… Not much sense ruminating on a lost challenge.”

To Paxton: “From the looks of it, you might actually be a great artist. Sure, it might’ve taken a while to make, but personally quality over quantity is better!” -Shannon (@@FlagsOtherSide)

 Paxton: Paxton blushes, looking away from the camera, “I mean… a lot of people are really good at art besides me. I’m just okay at it… and it’s not going to help me all that much with being an assistant.”

To Paxton: “Hey Paxton. Keep practicing your elemental magic you'll get a lot better trust me, and I loved your drawing you're really good. As for other talents, I think you have them buried deep inside you, this show you are on will bring them out I think.

As for avoiding headaches after drinking, my dad always recommends pacing yourself and drinking plenty of water. I've been following that advice for years now and haven't had a hangover yet.” -James Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Paxton: Paxton seems annoyed as she answers, “Well, normally I’m better about that sort of stuff, but Rachel was being rather insistent with the drinks on Monday, and things sort of spiraled well out of control. But uh-“ Paxton blushes, looking away from the camera and smiling, “T-Thanks. I’m glad you liked my drawings.”

To Drake: “Hi Drakie, I saw what you did to Rei, shame on you! Anyway, hope you're doing well, Dad says hi too. I'll send you my e-mail address so you can pass it onto the girls. See you soon.“ -Genie Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Drake: “Shame on- She literally did the same thing to me last year!” Drake whines, “She cast the first stone. If there’s anyone you should be criticizing, it should be her!”

 Drake takes a deep, “Sorry. Anyways, I’ll make sure to forward your email address to the girls as well.

 By the way, how is your Dad? It feels like the last time I talked to him was at last year’s after party when all that hullabaloo went on.”

To Olivia: “Oh you poor dear, I'm sorry to see you didn't get much done. You and Gretchen reminded me of my mom and her best friend Cathy, they are always swapping stories and such when ever they have time to catch up. Her daughters are also my best friends, though I have seen them in years, now a days they always seem to be a universe or two away.” -Genie Schutter (@@James-MacCloude)

 Olive: “Oh trust me, Henry and Mason always get so cross with me, because whenever I run into a friend at the store, we always end up talking for at least an hour. You know, just to catch up on all the gossip.

 I’m very sorry to hear that you don’t get to spend as much time with your friends as you’d like. Trust me though, take it from someone with years of experience, even miles and years apart, I’m sure they’re probably thinking about you and wishing you the best in life. Because that’s what good friends do.

 Oh, and dear, please feel free to call me Olive.”