--->Chic-a Cherry University
Literature I: Savage Garden Fanfiction
Sway Your Mind
by Jess
Daniel Jones lay on one of the unmade beds in the hotel room he shared with his bandmate and friend, Darren Hayes. He looked over at Darren, who was puzzling over a book he'd picked up in the hotel gift shop- Hypnotism For Dummies. "Daz, are you sure this is gonna work?"
"Of course! It says right here that 'hypnotism is an ancient and revered practice used in many cultures.'"
"Ah, but for *what* did they use it?"
"Um....it doesn't say," Darren mumbled as he threw the book aside. He grinned at Daniel eerily. "Now the fun begins! Okay, close your eyes."
Daniel narrowed them instead. "Why?" He asked warily.
"So you can relax or something! I dunno, it's what the book said."
Dan reluctantly did so. Darren said, "You are getting verrrrrrrrry sleeeeeepy..."
"No I'm not!! And what's with the creepy voice?" Daniel opened one eye and squinted at Daz.
"Just shut up. Now," Daz pulled out a chain with a small silver pendant dangling from the end. "Watch the silver thingy. Are you getting sleepy yet?"
Dan propped his head up on his hand and looked at Darren. "Daz, this obviously isn't working. Why don't we stop and go shoot some pool or something?"
"NO!" Darren retorted stubbornly. "Lie back down. I think we just need some background music." He leaned over and clicked on his CD player. Sarah McLachlan's "Building A Mystery" wafted into the room. Daniel flopped on the bed again and Darren switched off the lamp and shut the curtain. Then he lit a few candles.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Creating an atmosphere. What's it look like?"
Just then, Ben walked into the room. He stopped short.
"Whoa, what the-Are you holding a seance or something?"
Darren sighed and Dan snickered. "No, I'm hypnotising Dan here. Or trying to, anyway."
"It's not working, either," Dan put in with a smirk. Ben sat down on Darren's bed eagerly.
"Ooh, can I watch?"
"Oh, I guess so..." Then Elisa, Nicole, and Leonie wandered in and sat down next to Ben.
"Geez, I didn't think this was gonna draw such a crowd!" Dan said.
"Really, are we THAT entertaining?"
"YES!!" everyone shouted. Darren held up the pendant. "You are getting verrrrrrry sleeeeeeeeeepy. Watch the pendant, Jonesy, watch the pendant."
Dan did so, finally drifting off.
"Okay, Daniel. You will do what I say. You are under my command. Do you understand?"
"Yeeess...."
"Good. Open your eyes." Dan did so, revealling uncommonly large and glassy green eyes that stared blankly at the ceiling.
"When I count to three, you will wake up and you will think you're a......singing ballerina," Daz grinned evilly. "You will dance and you will sing to the music as you've never sung or danced before!! WAH-HA-HA-HA!!!" Daz cackled and everyone in the room eyed him warily. He shrugged innocently at them and then said, "Okay, Dan....1....2....3!"
Dan sat up and opened his mouth to sing in a surprisingly beautiful baritone:
"You woke up screamin' aloud
A prayer from your secret god
You feed off our fears
And hold back your tears..oh
You give us a tantrum
And a know-it-all grin
Just when we need one
When the evenin's thin......"
Daz was surprised. He didn't think Dan liked Sarah McLachlan, much less knew the lyrics. Suddenly, Dan, still singing, stood up and began twirling around the room. Everyone gasped and stared at him, shocked. Dan twirled and twirled and twirled and finally ended up on the small balcony. They jumped up and crowded between the French doors to watch. And then, poor Daniel came too close to the railing. He bumped it, lost his balance, and toppled over the edge!!
"Oh my God!!" Darren screamed. "Jonesy!" Fortunately for them, their room was only on the second floor and directly over the pool area. SPLOOSH!! The group dashed out the door and down the stairs. They ran out and clustered around the edge of the pool. Daniel emerged from the water, coughing and sputtering and soaking wet.
"What just happened?" he demanded indignantly as he swam to the edge of the pool. Ben and Darren leaned over and helped him out. Daniel stood there, dripping and waiting form an explanation. No one wanted to give him one. Darren finally spoke up.
"Well, Dan, ya see, I kinda, well, hypnotised you. And uh, I told you to dance. So you did. And then you just.....went over the edge of the balcony. That's all."
Dan stared at him. Then he threw his head back and laughed. "YOU hypnotised me?? That's pretty funny, Daz! Now-" he sobered up, "what REALLY happened?"
"But that's the truth!"
"Yeah," Nicole spoke up. "We all saw it!"
"Uh-huh," Ben put in. "You danced to Sarah McLachlan. Don't you remember?"
"No, not really."
Lee and Karl showed up in bathing suits and towels.
"Whoa, it looks like Dan beat us to the pool!!"
"And was in quite a hurry, too!! He's still dressed!! What happened, Dan?"
"It's a long story," Elisa put in quickly. "You kinda had to be there. Come on, Dan. You need to get dried off." The group headed back in, leaving Lee and Karl none the wiser.
"Y'know," Daz said. "I think I'll burn that hypnotism book. It's kinda scary, being in control of people like that."
"Why don't you just return it to the bookstore?" Ben suggested.
"Yeah," Daniel put in. "When you do, make sure you get double you money back!!"
The End
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