Round 59 Part 1

[b]Round Fifty Nine:[/b]

Part 1:

Maddi appeared inside a sterile lobby. The room was brightly illuminated with wide, open spaces and wooden floors. She stood in front of a welcome desk. The air had a stale scent but was otherwise pleasant.

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Hanging above the front desk were the words, "Grungot's Retirement Community". There were four hallways leading to closed, wooden doors in each cardinal direction.

Maddi wore a floor-length white and black striped dress. It was sleeveless and dipped very low, showing off her newly expanded cleavage. The dress had built in cups but offered nowhere near the support needed to fully bear the weight of her chest. Maddi felt the heavy pull on her back. Her long brunette hair fell loosely down her shoulders and a silver necklace hung around her neck. She wore a pair of heels which were almost completely covered by the dress, but the dress would have dragged across the floor if she wasn't wearing the heels.

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A soft *pop* sounded near Maddi and Cindi's familiar face, blonde hair and bubbly energy greeted her.

She wore jean short-shorts with a white tank top and a ripped up jean jacket. Maddi felt jealous at Cindi's comfortable tennis shoes and the faint outline of her bra beneath her top. Maddi wished that she could have that kind of comfort! Cindi flipped up a pair of dark sun glasses and shot Maddi a cheery smile. Her dark brown eyes were filled with life.

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"Hey, Maddi!" Cindi sang in a high alto while waving excitedly.

Maddi waved back with a smile but couldn't help feeling even more jealous at Cindi's youth and vibrance. She was also beautiful and slim. In comparison, Maddi felt bloated and old. Cindi's perfect skin was not marred with scars, marks or fat like Maddi's was either. She suddenly remembered having the same feeling around Bridgette before the...horror of the bonus round. Maddi quickly pushed the feelings of inadequacy away by reminding herself that Cindi was on her side- that she was an ally. But, despite her best efforts, a modicum of jealousy stung in the back of Maddi's brain like a splinter. Feeling self conscious about her exposed arms the most, Maddi crossed them behind herself which caused her to adopt a highly feminine posture with her chest prominently pushed forward.

"It's so good to see you, girlfriend!" Cindi chirped.

She looked around before continuing, her bubbly voice quieted and her tone became more serious, "We have to talk about-"

Another *pop* and another familiar face interrupted Cindi's words.

A heavy cologne smell wafted from the 5"4 frame of Liam. Maddi was actually slightly taller that Liam with her heels on. But, despite his height, Liam was clearly muscled and highly masculine beneath a green button up shirt. His veiny forearms were exposed as the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He wore gray dress pants with a black, leather belt and black tennis shoes. On his wrist was an expensive looking silver watch. He adopted a masculine posture with one hand in his pocket.

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But his masculine body was betrayed slightly by his face which was smooth and androgynous. Particularly, the angle of his jaw, his brow and his hairline were feminine. His chin length black hair was in a ponytail behind his head. He had a prominent Adam's apple which pushed him closer to masculine- but his hands, which he hid in his pockets, were slim and downright girly.

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His voice was on the feminine end of androgyny, though he was clearly trying to subtly lower it when he spoke towards Cindi, "Ladies, it's good to see you. It's been...a long time."

His voice trailed off. Liam didn't seem to be acknowledging Maddi at all. Cindi's smile faded and she turned away from Liam. His eyes became downcast.

Liam sighed before speaking directly to Cindi, "Look Cin...I know you won't forgive me for what I-"

"Stop talking." Cindi interrupted, all the energy and warmth in her voice was completely sucked away, "You don't have the right to speak to us."

Liam was dejected, "I can't- I can't undo what happened. But It was a lifetime ago, Cin. You have to know I'm not that guy- I'm not with [b]him[/b] anymore."

Cindi crossed her arms and spat on the floor, "You weren't even with him when you betrayed us- You did that all on your own." She practically growled, "We [b]won't[/b] forgive you."

Liam took a step towards Cindi and moved his slim hand from his pocket up to her shoulder. She flinched and her mouth turned to an angry scowl, but she stayed put. Maddi could hear Cindi's breathing was coming in fast.

Liam's voice was just above a whisper, "Cin...I still care about you- I care about [b]both[/b] of you [b]deeply[/b]. I didn't do it on purpose I-" They sat in silence for a few seconds before he slowly added, "Please. Please I...I'm-"

Cindi's gaze shot to Liam expectantly and they locked eyes. Her scowl faltered. Liam hesitated at her stare.

A long pause hung in the air.

Cindi's scowl returned with a vengeance and she swatted Liam's hand away while shouting, "After all this time and you [b]still[/b] can't tell us-"

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Cindi stopped. She stared Liam down and drew quick, angry breaths.

"Go on." She stated coldly.

Liam slowly raised his delicate hands up to Cindi's chin and held her in place as they locked eyes once again. Cindi's arms hung at her sides.

He drew a deep breath and spoke slowly, "I may not have intended for...what happened to have happened- But I've had a lot of time to think about what I did and...it doesn't matter what my intent was. I was wrong. I was wrong, wrong, wrong."

Cindi's lower lip began to quiver.

He continued, "I don't know how long it'll be before I get to see you again...God knows how long its been- But just know that not one day has gone by that I haven't thought about both of you. Not one day that I haven't wanted to tell you that."

Cindi's wide eyes began to shimmer with tears.

He murmured, "And Sands, if you can hear me..." He sniffled and quickly wiped his nose on his collar, "I- I still...I still l-love you- I love you so much and I'm sorry."

Cindi's eyes began blinking rapidly, causing tears to roll down her cheeks. When they stopped, Sandra surged forward, catching Liam in a tight hug.

She sniffled and whispered directly into his ear with a soft coo, "I know, I know you didn't mean it. I just needed to hear you say it...that's all I ever wanted. I love you too."

Liam broke the hug and held Sandra's head in his hands once again. Maddi could see something changing in Liam's bloodshot eyes as they reconciled. He took a sharp breath as his stare became filled with calm- filled with clarity. It was unlike anything Maddi had ever seen.

Melody's brow furrowed as tears began rolling down her androgynous cheeks. There was a long standing agony carved into her expression.

She sputtered softly, "Simon."

Sandra pressed her forehead down and they shared a moment of tearful moment in each other's arms. Sandra's eyes opened and the same calm, the same clarity in Melody's eyes began to change hers as well. She blinked several times and took a quick breath as it overtook her.

When it was finished, Simon whispered down to Melody, "We need to escape."

Melody nodded excitedly in agreement.

They turned to Maddi who had awkwardly stepped off to the side. Simon had his thin, girly arm around Melody's broad shoulders while Melody's veiny, muscled arm was around Simon's lithe back.

"It's up to you, Martin." Simon stated plainly while wiping his eyes, "We need you."

Maddi cocked her head to the side. Martin? Who the hell was Martin? She shot them a confused stare. None of this made any sense!

"He isn't ready yet." Melody sighed while adjusting her leather belt.

Simon reluctantly released Melody and took a step away. He began fixing his long blonde hair and smoothing out his tiny jean jacket.

He stated confidently in his alto, "We'll just have to play along until he is then. It's the only chance we have."

Melody nodded in agreement and fixed her rolled up sleeves while staring at Simon longingly. Simon nodded before closing his eyes and forcing a big smile on his cute face.

Maddi put her hands on her flared, motherly hips and adopted a stance with one hip jutted to the side. She was utterly confused! She wanted to escape just as much as they did, of course! She wanted to return to her life as a...as a...She looked down at herself. What the hell was she before all this? Was she a secretary? A maid? A mother? A homemaker? For whatever reasons she couldn't remember. It was probably something like that, but she'd have to figure it out later. The Doctor's sick game had already changed her body, but Maddi was determined to protect her identity!

S.A.M. appeared on the front desk. His tiny robot body wore a little doctor's coat.

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Now that S.A.M. had arrived, Maddi expected Liam and Cindi to return to being their normal selves. While it was true that Liam and Cindi started acting and sounding like she expected them to... She could see that a contented calm still swirled in their eyes and their actions felt strangely disingenuous.

Cindi twirled her hair around her finger and looked around excitedly while Liam's hands had returned to his pockets.

S.A.M's robotic voice sounded, "Contestants will visit an old friend."

Appearing above the four hallways were wooden plaques with words etched into them.

The first said 'Jaune Wing' and it was painted yellow.

The second said 'Rouge Wing' which was painted red.

The third said 'Bleu Wing' which had was painted blue.

The fourth was a single word, "Chatiment" and it was not painted.

Despite all the changes that had warped her body and soul, Maddi's French knowledge was still intact. Maybe she had been a French teacher before all this? She gave the thought a quick consideration before dismissing it and returning to the task at hand.

She gulped as her eyes found the fourth plaque.

Liam asked with a jovial tone, "What does it say, [i]Madam[/i]?"

Maddi turned and answered him in a mature soprano, "Yellow, red, blue and..." She stared down the fourth hallway and finished with a whisper, "Punishment."

She knew Grungot's world well enough to know which wing they would be expected to enter.

Cindi gulped before softly stating, "Spooky."

Liam cracked his knuckles, "Well then, I'm sure we all know which hallway we're expected to go down."

The trio exchanged concerned glances, each waiting for the others to lead. Liam shrugged and started towards the fourth hallway. He walked with his hands balled into fists and his shoulders and arms swinging powerfully. His highly masculine gait made him look more confident, more competent, more purposeful- he carried himself like a leader. Cindi skipped forward and followed directly behind Liam. Her steps were spunky, light, bouncy and girly. Maddi's heels clicked on the wooden floor as she followed Liam as well. Her hips rocked sensually while her chest swayed and bounced. Maddi's arms hung at her sides and her delicate hands turned at the wrist and her fingers pointed out. She ignored the wet spots forming where her nipples were obviously situated in her dress.

The light tapping of Maddi's heels were the only sound as they silently approached the heavy wooden door. Liam turned the handle and drew it open with an ominous *CRRREEEEEAAAKKK*. A foul, decaying air rushed out to greet them and the trio furrowed their noses. It quickly overpowered Liam's cologne. They stared down the hallway.

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It looked like a completely different building- a building out of a horror movie! Gone were the open spaces, sterile conditions and bright lights. The filthy, linoleum tiles lining the hallway were littered with gouges and dirt. As they entered, the dim lighting caused menacing shadows to dance along the walls. The lights were so sparse that Maddi could barely see where she was walking. She glanced forward and saw that it only got darker and darker along the path.

"A-are you sure about this, Liam?" Cindi murmured fearfully."

Maddi felt frightened and unconsciously pressed closer to Cindi who was, herself, unconsciously pressing closer to Maddi. Their soft bodies rubbed together at the mouth of the hallway as they waited for Liam to respond.

He poked his head inside and turned back to them with a smirk, "You're not scared, are you girls?" It's just a hallway! Come on, I'll get you there safe."

He opened the door fully and held it, motioning for them to enter.

"Ladies first." He mused.

Cindi and Maddi hesitated before moving together as one.

The offensive stench grew stronger with each step. The pair slipped past Liam who had a grin on his face. Maddi could tell his grin was a façade as she passed. He was clearly uncertain about what they were about to face too.

When they were inside, Liam released the door and it closed with a heavy *THUD* causing both Maddi and Cindi to jump in surprise. They stood silently, staring down the narrow hallway.

Liam broke the silence by stepping forward and stammering with a glaringly false bravado, "S-see? N-nothin' to be afraid of!"

The girls shuffled behind and stayed very close. All three were keenly aware that there could be almost anything ahead of them.

Maddi found that her original observation was correct and the hallway got progressively darker as they slowly slinked across the linoleum. Cindi's arm was wrapped tightly around Maddi's chest and Maddi was positive her breast milk coated her companions skin- but neither reacted.

Halfway down the hall Maddi began hearing a faint beeping sound, like a heart monitor, coming from the far room. The door was cloaked in darkness. There was a lit bulb on the ceiling, but the light didn't project like it should have towards the door. It was as if the light didn't want to go there. The beeping and the reeking odor increased in intensity until the trio was standing before the door. Liam reached his shaky hand forward and grasped the handle. The girls were completely still and pressed as close together as humanly possible. The door clanged metallically and swung open as Liam pulled.

The trio collectively gasped at the horrible sight that greeted them.

*****