Ted's Dolls 37: Emily 8

Ted's Dolls was meant to be an anthology series of doll transformations. But the continuity has become very important. Please read them in the suggested order as found in this gallery on deviantArt or as listed on my Patreon.

I highly recommend rereading Ted’s Dolls 33: Emily 7 before reading this chapter if you haven’t read it recently.

Emily lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Morning light filled the room. She should be up and getting ready for her Monday morning classes. But, even that imperative was derailed today. She looked over at the empty bed across the room. Who would kidnap Jane?

And how had they done it? Ted’s dolls had made that easy, she guessed. People were always walking around with an inanimate body. Whoever carried Jane out of their room was just someone else with an inanimate body in hand.

Richard had been wonderful. He’d insisted that she stay in his room last night. Or that he stay here with her. The temptation to become a doll and hide in Richard’s room had been great. She’d told him she didn’t want to become afraid of her dorm room. She was sure she must have fallen asleep at some point. Probably.

Part of her memory was returning and that was not a welcome event. When she wasn’t asleep last night, she heard a voice. A man’s voice. A monster’s voice. Chattel. It had referred to non-wizards as chattel. And that she was a whore for being subservient to chattel. Every time she heard it in her mind she shuttered. It was probably the voice of whomever had kidnapped Jane. It made her afraid. It made her mad.

She got up and got ready for the day. She and Ted were meeting with the Dean of Students about Jane’s disappearance. Richard met her outside the dorm and walked with her to the Dean’s office.

They were told to go right in as soon as they arrived. Ted was standing next to a man in a business suit. Dean Etta Warren was seated behind her desk. A man in a suit was on her side of the desk leaning against it talking with the dean. Another man stood off to the side, talking quietly into a cell phone.

“Ah, Miss Scarborough is here. We can finally begin,” Dean Warren said. “Why don’t we go around the room and introduce ourselves. I’m Etta Warren, Dean of Students.”

She indicated the man standing by himself should go next. “I’m George Martinez, lead counsel for the school.”

The man leaning against the desk had moved to the near side of the desk and sat in one of the stuffed chairs. “I’m Detective Ned Grimbley. I’ll be filing the missing persons report when we’re done.”

“I’m Ted Ionescu, student.”

“I’m legal counsel for Mr. Ionescu and for Miss Scarborough, Luca Novak.”

“I’m Emily Scarborough. I wasn’t expecting so many people to be here.”

“I’m Richard Bonaduce. Emily and I are dating.”

“Should I start?” The detective said. With a nod from the Dean, he said, “Miss Scarborough, may I call you Emily?”

She nodded.

“Emily, can you tell us what happened on the evening of Wednesday, December seventh?”

“Probably not,” she said. “From my memory, after classes ended, I went to see Richard. We ate dinner in the cafeteria and then we both attended a gaming night hosted by a friend. We didn’t leave there until nearly midnight.”

“What do you mean by ‘Probably Not’?”

“Because last night, I learned my memory was probably tampered with.”

“Tampered with?” Mr. Martinez said with more than a hint of condescension.

“If I may?” Ted said. “Emily, according to your memory, when was the last time you saw Jane Panabaker?”

“The Wednesday before Thanksgiving break. I guess that was November twenty-third.”

“But people have seen you with Jane many times between then and now. I saw you and Jane along with Richard this past Wednesday.”

“I have no memory of that. I remember returning to school Sunday night after the long weekend and most of Jane’s stuff was gone. I don’t know where the impression came from, but I thought she had dropped out of school and was going to pursue her modeling career full time.”

“Emily, we have no record of Jane dropping out of school,” Dean Warren said. “We have several teachers who saw Miss Panabaker in classes up until Wednesday evening.”

“I know. Richard and Ted helped me discover my memories of Jane after Thanksgiving were altered.”

“I was told to just roll with the magic talk,” Grimbley said. “I’ll probably have more questions about it later. Instead, let’s stick to what happened. When did Miss Panabaker actually disappear?”

“Emily discovered she was a wizard November thirtieth when she performed transformation magic on herself,” Ted said. “Richard called me to figure out how she had been transformed when up until that time, I was the only known wizard capable of doing this on campus.”

“Transformation?” Mr. Martinez said.

“Like one of your dolls, Mr. Ionescu?” Dean Warren said.

“Yes. She did it again on Sunday night to herself and to Richard. Jane went to the city for a week long modeling gig on Thursday, you can pull up news reports of Jane wearing the finale dress at the Rose Adder show that Friday. The following Wednesday, the morning after Jane returned from the gig, she asked me if I’d seen Emily and we discovered neither she nor Richard had been seen since Sunday. We got into Richard’s dorm room and found the two of them had been transformed by Emily.”

“Ted had warned me I might get stuck and I did and so did Richard,” Emily said.

“Emily and I later attended the gaming event together that night,” Richard said. “And Emily told everyone there she had transformed Jane before coming to the game. Jane was restored the next day because she was in my one o’clock class Thursday. That evening, Emily and I went to a different game event, a role-playing game event, and Emily said she had once again left Jane transformed in front of the dorm window.”

“I still don’t remember that.”

“Why did you transform her? Anger? Jealousy?”

“Friendship,” Emily said. “Jane became a model because Ted turned her into a mannequin back in September. She was used as a model for a line of mannequins that got her the attention of a real modeling agency and the work she did early last week. She loves being a mannequin. I didn’t try to turn her into a mannequin but being a doll is similar. I don’t know if it was my idea or hers. If she asked me, I wouldn’t have said no.”

“No one saw Jane on Friday,” Ted said.

“She was reported absent to her Friday classes,” Dean Warren said. “So you’re guessing she disappeared Thursday night.”

“That makes the most sense,” Richard said.

“And how was your memory tampered with?”

“Ted?”

“How is probably not what you want to know. An unknown wizard, probably whoever kidnapped Jane, is who did it. I found an energy signature in Emily’s room. I taught Emily a quick spell and she was able to see that past event.”

“You can turn people into dolls and see into the past with magic?”

“I can’t,” Ted said. “But Emily can. The spell I was teaching was one I know that can give me impressions of magic recently cast in a place. Emily was able to see the past with that same spell. My family find it baffling.”

“If you find it baffling, how are we supposed to find it?”

“I’m not really here to give you a primer on how magic works. Suffice it to say, most wizards range of spells is limited, usually to a common theme. Emily, since we don’t know her origin, is an enigma. With that tangent out of the way, you should describe what you saw when you cast the new spell.”

“I heard the voice of a man who undoubtedly kidnapped Jane,” Emily said. “He was upset about my lack of a superiority complex regarding wizards and non-wizards.”

“What do you know about Miss Panabaker’s relationship with Stockton Perry?”

“Nothing,” Emily said. “Based on the videos I’ve seen since last night, I’m sure I would have asked her about being in his orbit. But I have no memory of those conversations if they occurred. Is he a suspect?”

“Did she have any enemies on campus?”

“I can’t imagine she did.”

“Then Mr. Perry or someone at the fashion shows are likely suspects. But we have no leads that would make such an inquiry warranted.”

“Jane told me that Mr. Perry was curious about her time as a mannequin,” Ted said. “He knew all the details of her being used to make the new mannequin molds. He also said he wanted to meet me.”

“That moves him up my list,” Detective Grimbley said. “I’m sure finding a motive among the models she met in the city would be easy. Whoever was going to do the Rose Adder show finale probably got bumped. That’s motive. However, I doubt a model is kidnapping people hundreds of miles from the city.”

“Since you are already interested in Mr. Perry, I would add that a friend of the family once told me Mr. Perry is a collector of unique things,” Ted said. “And he is known among wizards to employ wizards in various capacities.”

“Noted.” The detective said.

“If he has hired a mentalist, you should ensure that everything you know about the case is duplicated and in the hands of a trusted friend who will not believe you when you tell them they can dispose of that material. A mentalist could easily lead you to believe someone else kidnapped her. Or that she was found elsewhere and the case can be dropped. Mentalists are dangerous if they can get you alone or in small enough groups,” Ted said.

“If you know someone who could give me more advice, please let me know. I should not take anything you tell me since you are technically a suspect. Even though I don’t think you did anything.”

“How do you know he hasn’t already tampered with your mind?” Mr. Martinez said.

“I don’t.”

“I could find out. I doubt that would be useful under the circumstances,” Ted said.

“Not really.”

* * *

That evening, Ted visited Emily in her room. “Aren’t people chomping at the bit to rent dolls after you took last week off?” She said.

“Let them chomp,” he said. “You need lessons so you can protect yourself against this mentalist, should they ever return.”

“Okay. What do I do?”

Ted and Emily spent the next two evenings doing basic exercises Ted hadn’t had to teach anyone since he taught them to his sister Cat a couple years ago. He didn’t want to let Emily skip lessons on Wednesday and Thursday but she was progressing rapidly. When she left his dorm room Tuesday evening – he couldn’t put off doll rentals forever and even let her do a couple of them – he called his grandmother.

“Oh, Ted, it’s so good to hear from you.”

“You, too, Nan. How are you?”

“I’m well. Thank you for asking so politely. Your father is always a bit more intense when he realizes he hasn’t asked me in a while.”

“He’s your son.”

“I know,” she said wistfully. “I asked around about your friend’s family name. Nothing. But her mother’s maiden name was interesting. One of the few generalist family’s in magic.”

“There’s a generalist wizard line?”

“There are three. All three are rather weak. Hers is second strongest among the three lines. In general she should not be able to do inanimate transformations. That line lacks the power. Also, from what I gathered, her mother knows nothing about her family’s wizard heritage.”

“She doesn’t lack power. Her third transformation was of her boyfriend while she was already transformed. She just lacks control and knowledge.”

“That’s dangerous. Knowledge is a double edged sword. Wizard families have used it for years to prevent dilution of power. If all you know is fire magic, using ice magic can decrease your fire potential. Keeping young wizards ignorant of other forms of magic is a conscious choice.”

“You never stopped me from going outside the family bounds.”

“And look what you’ve accomplished, Teddy.”

“She could do so much more,” he said. “I’ve focused my teaching on her mental defenses. If she fell into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous.”

* * *

“Earl?” Rhana said. She was sitting on the sofa working on her laptop as Earl sat at the desk working on his. After a moment she said, “Earl?” again, a bit louder.

“Yes?”

“I had a thought.”

He turned to look at her and managed not to groan out loud. “A happy thought or one of your sex-crazed nymphomaniac thoughts?”

“I’m not sex-crazed,” she said with false indignation. “But, otherwise, yes, the latter kind of thought.”

“What is it?” He turn fully around to give her his undivided attention.

“What if Emily turned me into a doll after my last final and you made mad love to the doll every day during Winter vacation?”

That was tamer than he was expecting. But he had to make it look good. “Really? You want to spend Christmas as a doll, leaving me to explain to your mother what happened to you. And then you want me to go stag to my brother’s New Year’s Eve party. At least explaining what happened to you to him would just make him laugh.”

She got up and put her arms around his chest as she sat on his lap. “Think of it as your Christmas present to me. And my Christmas present to you.” Lazily she trailed a finger along his collar bone. “When you aren’t using me, you could toss me in the closet. I would have to wait patiently until your interest in fucking me grew to the point you would fetch me and ravish me. Then, back into the closet to wait again.” As she was finishing what she was saying, she planted light kisses on his temple and cheek.

“Wouldn’t you miss this?”

“Seducing you?” She grinned from ear-to-ear. “I don’t need to do that for you be interested in me. I just enjoy doing it.”

“And I enjoy it being done to me.”

“You do? I’ll be sure to seduce you a lot before Winter break and afterward to make up for it.”

“Great.”

“Well?”

“We’ll see what Emily says.”

She kissed him on the lips and the kiss became tender, hot, heavy. One of them started removing the other’s clothes. Earl stood up without them breaking the kiss. He carried her to the bed and an afternoon of studying for exams was interrupted for a couple hours.

* * *

On Tuesday, Rhana sat down in front of Emily at lunch time. Emily looked depressed.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said. “No, not really.”

“What happened?”

“Someone kidnapped Jane.”

“What?”

“Are you okay?” Beverly said, sitting down at the table along with Whitney.

“Do you know about Jane?” Rhana said.

“No,” Beverly said.

“I do,” Whitney said. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Emily said. “I spent Monday morning in a meeting with Dean Warren and a bunch of other people. She’s taken an interested in magic on campus. We filed a missing persons report with the police.”

“What happened to Jane?”

“Before last week’s poker night, I turned Jane into a doll looking out our dorm room window. In the morning, I restored her. Before the game with Rhana and Earl the next night we did it again. When I got back to the dorm another wizard erased my memory of Jane since Thanksgiving.”

“Magic can do that?”

“Apparently. Not Ted. It’s not his family’s specialty.”

“Could you?”

“I doubt it. And I wouldn’t want too. As my memory is coming back every memory of the wizard talking to me is, like, slimy.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“No. But I can’t just wither away. I’ve been staying in my room alone these past couple nights so I don’t get dependent on hiding in Richard’s room.”

“It’s okay to show weakness.”

“Not as a wizard.”

“Has Ted been telling you lies?”

“No, Ted was surprised when he found out I wasn’t leaning on Richard.”

“Well, tonight, after the game, you hang out with Richard all night.”

“I probably will.”

“I don’t know if we should bring it up,” Beverly said.

“Let her decide.”

“Okay. We had an idea.”

“You all look like you’re planning something. I’m in. What am I in?”

“Girls poker night with male good luck dolls.”

“I’m definitely in.”

Whitney and Beverly left after they finished eating. Rhana asked Emily to wait a moment.

“Don’t tell Earl I asked you before Thursday. But I have another request,” Rhana said.

* * *

Murat arrived at Rob’s apartment first. For the past five games, a doll of Beverly would be standing in front of the currently vacant bedroom door. “Where’s Beverly?” He said.

“The ladies have been talking and they have a proposal they want to make.”

Murat shrugged. “Not sure I understand but okay.”

Burke arrived and Whitney walked in behind him. “Hello,” she said with a wave. “Hello, Murat. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.” She walked over and he held out a hand. She pulled him into a hug and giggled. “I think someone who’s touched my butt and boobs is someone I’m little closer to than just a handshake.”

He blushed. “All in good fun.”

“All in good fun,” she agreed.

Earl and Rhana entered as the hug ended. Whitney gave Earl and Rob hugs before going into the bedroom with Rhana.

Richard and Emily arrived last. “Guys,” she said as she knocked twice on the bedroom door. “The ladies and I enjoy giving you luck as you play poker. But, we thought it was time for a change.” The bedroom door opened and Rhana, Beverly, and Whitney stepped into the room. They were wearing regular casual wear instead of the lingerie, or less, they usually had on when they stood as dolls for the poker game.

“You’re all going out somewhere tonight?” Burke said.

“No, we’ll be here. We thought the men should be the dolls and we would play poker.”

“Ted’s going to turn us into dolls?”

“No, I am. You’ve seen me do it to myself.”

“I’m game,” said Earl.

“Me, too,” Rob said.

“As I am not dating one of the fine poker dolls, I’d prefer not to be turned into a doll,” Murat said. “I’m fine playing poker with the ladies.”

“Fair.”

“Where’s Simon?”

“Semester project. He put it off till yesterday.”

“He would do that.”

“This is the last game of the semester right?”

“Yeah, I have a final next Thursday morning,” Earl said.

“Me, too,” said Beverly.

“Let’s get this started. I’m already dressed for this,” Richard said standing up and moving toward the bedroom door. He took off his shirt. He turned to face the table and grabbed the sides of his pants and pulled. They were breakaway pants and he was standing there naked except for a thong straining to contain his manhood.

Rhana wolf-whistled.

“He’s taken.”

“Doesn’t mean he don’t make me howl.”

“Fine,” Burke said. “I can be topless, I guess.”

Rob had disappeared into the bedroom and came out in just a pair of boxer briefs with characters from an underwater cartoon involving a pineapple house.

“I feel overdressed,” Earl said. “Warn me next time, Ray.”

“Oo, there’ll be a next time, girls.”

“Are you ready?”

As each one nodded, Emily started the dollification process. She swayed on her heels for a moment. “Four in quick succession may have been a bad idea,” she said as she sat down.

A deck of cards was riffle shuffled. “Are we going to play, ladies?” Murat said.

After a few kisses and hands rubbed on the chests and asses of their respective boyfriend dolls, the ladies sat down. Murat said, “We usually play nickel ante and big blinds of a dime. I’m guessing we’re sticking to that format tonight.”

“What’s an ante?” Whitney said.

“Have you played poker?”

“Yes. But never for money. My father taught me when I was eight.”

“Maybe your luck will improve, Murat,” Rhana said.

“Just tell me your playing with Burke’s money and I won’t feel bad.”

“Oh, of course. I wouldn’t play with my money,” Whitney said.

* * *

An hour later, Whitney was rubbing the crotch of the Burke Doll through its pants after winning her eighth hand in a row.

“That is one lucky dick,” Rhana said. “Can I rub it?”

“Help yourself.”

She got up and put her hand down the Burke Doll’s pants for a moment before sitting down. Only Emily didn’t seem phased by this.

“What?” Rhana said. “Earl won’t mind. And Whitney said I could.”

“No, he won’t mind,” Emily said, nodding.

Rhana just laughed.

“What happens on those RPG nights?” Murat said.

“It’s been fairly tame since Richard started attending,” Emily said.

“Yes, too tame,” Rhana said. She leaned over and put her hand behind Emily’s neck. Emily smiled and leaned closer to Rhana and they open mouth kissed for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“Murat, you seem like a good guy, easy to talk to, why isn’t there a girlfriend or boyfriend here for you?” Whitney said, changing the topic.

“I wish I knew,” he slowly said, trying to turn his head toward Whitney and away from the two kissing women. “Look at Richard. He didn’t even have to do anything. Emily basically fell into his lap, no offense.”

Emily shook her head, no. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Via my lap,” Rhana said.

“You two are very naughty,” Beverly said.

“I’ll kiss you, too, if you want me to.”

Beverly blushed.

“What about me?” Murat said.

Emily gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Graciously accepted, fair lady,” he said.

“And he’s charming. We’ve got to find him a date.”