“Gimme 5 more minutes, Ma…”
Mrs. Wheeler was not going to give her son the luxury of sleeping in, as much as she loved and doted at him till no end. She came into the room, pulled the curtains to let the bright sunlight in and removed Joey’s blanket without a second’s notice, leaving Joey facing the wrath of the cold autumn morn and the rays of the sun that shone high in the sky directly at his face.
“Ma!!! Would it kill ya to lemme haf mah beauty rest?!”
“Joseph Wheeler, it’s about high-time you get out of the bed and get yourself ready for the grooming sessions! It’s already 9.30 in the morning and you’re supposed to be there by 10! The sun’s about to bake your little butt cheeks if you don’t get up! Besides, your friends are already downstairs waiting for you.”
Joey groaned and practically crawled on his hands and knees out of the bed to the bathroom as his mother helped him make the bed. He lazily took a dump, brushed his teeth, washed his face and did his hair. By the time he was done, he was urged by the knock on the door to hurry up and saw that there were his clothes for the day waiting for him on the bed to be worn.
“Yo, mornin’, guys.”
“You should be saying ‘Good morning’, boy.”
Joey winced as he was greeted by his father’s stern voice and whack on the head. He maybe loved and well doted on by his parents, but there is no say that he should be spared the rod whenever he needed discipline, and his father definitely can pack a mean punch when he needs to be reminded that he was to follow the rules if he was to remain under one roof with his parents.
“Ouch! Geez, Pa! No wonder my grades are gettin’ down!” Joey groaned as he rubbed his throbbing head. Mr. Wheeler shook his head in disapproval.
“One of these days I’m going to have to send you for articulation classes. You speak worse than your Grandpa!”
The four friends who were waiting for Joey in the living room heard every word and tried to stifle their laughs. No matter how many times they see Joey and his father bicker at each other, they could never stop finding amusement between them. Though not related of flesh and blood, Joey and Mr. Wheeler had the same outspoken and blatant characteristics. They enjoyed getting at each other’s necks and grumble and yell at each other like cats and dogs, but they all know it was just all for show. They could tell that they were very close and whoever ended up in trouble, the other would not hesitate to step out and help in whatever way they can. They remembered the day Mr. Wheeler’s liquor business almost went bankrupt because of mutiny between him and his business partner, and the day when Joey got beaten up terribly because of him trying to protect Yugi from being tainted by just another daily group of hormone-crazed pure men. The ferocity of Joey and Mr. Wheeler trying to help each other as Joey went and challenged his father’s traitor of a business partner into a bet (which he won, of course) and Mr. Wheeler personally going to each and every house of those pure men and scolded the devils out of their parents was not to be reckoned with.
“Here’s your bed clothes and your toiletries,” Mrs. Wheeler came out with a duffel bag for Joey. “And also I packed in some comic books just in case you get bored, and your MP3 player should you want to listen to some music to calm your nerves, and I have a couple of snacks…”
“Alright, alright, Ma!” Joey exclaimed as he took the duffel bag almost hurriedly from her. “I get the point!”
“Oh, Joey. I’m…I’m so sorry you have to go through this, really I am,” Mrs. Wheeler bawled as she threw her arms around her son and hugged him like she had never hugged anyone before, sobbing like a little girl. The four friends watched awkwardly as Mrs. Wheeler practically squeezed the life out of him.
“OK, OK, Ma, ya suffocatin’ me…”
“Come on, woman,” Mr. Wheeler came over and pried his wife off his son. “Your boy is just going to fulfill his ancestral deal, is all. You’ll see him again tomorrow. It’s not like he’s going to war or anything.”
“What he said, Ma,” Joey tried to catch his breath after being snuffed out of it for so long.
“Make us proud, son.”
“I will, Pa. See ya, folks.”
The four bid Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler goodbye before leaving the house. As soon as they’re far enough, Yugi said, “Wow, your mom sure loves you very much.”
“Too much, I’m afraid,” Joey groaned, rolling his eyes.
“It’s no wonder,” Ryou commented. “Unlike my family, you’re the only kid they got, and it’s not like they can have anymore children. I feel for your mother too.”
“She ain’t need ta worry so much. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
“So how’s about some breakfast before we get to that spa place?” Tristan suggested.
“You guys haven’t had breakfast too?” Ryou asked.
“Nope,” Malik shook his head. “Like you, Joey, we were shaken the marbles off us from the bed and told to hurry and get dressed to go to the spa. Yugi was the first to wake and he fetched Ryou and Tristan first before getting to me. You were the last one on his to-do list.”
“Well, Grandpa said that our breakfast will be provided by the spa, or more like lunch, coz as soon as we get there, they will start all that beautification process and whatnot and it had to be done on an empty stomach, so we’re mostly having to wait until lunch time before we get to eat anything.”
“Ah, great,” Joey grumbled. “Imma gonna starve to death by da time they’re done wif me!”
“Don’t worry your horses off, Jo,” Tristan said as he stretched his lazy bones. “I’m sure they won’t let that happen to us Golden Boys of the future.”
--:--
If they said Domino Perfecture Spa and Beauty Saloon was very exclusive, they made too much of an understatement. As the five friends joined the other 10 of their kind to the designated spa where they will soon go through the pampering and beautification process, they soon learnt that the spa was more than just grand and exclusive and all out for the high-ups.
Domino Perfecture Spa and Beauty Saloon had always been catering for those who can afford it, especially the women who enjoy a little pampering every now and then. The building stood about four floors high and it was almost as big as half a football field. The walls are smooth and sparkly with the colour of warm hue that would relax even the tensest person in the world. Decorated with beautiful pictures and art of sceneries and masterpieces from the greatest artists known in the world and floors tiled in marble, it was a perfect sight to behold as everyone drank in their surroundings in awe. All the workers there who came to greet them at the entrance wore perfectly iron-pressed pink and blue uniforms and all of them had award-winning smiles that could blind a person even though they’re wearing shades. Their services, as displayed on their gold-plated service board on the wall, ranged from hair styling, full body massages, manicures and pedicures, body de-toxing and slimming programs. But for this auspicious day, the services were going to be much, much special, which the five and their 10 fellow hermaphrodites would soon find out.
At the service counter, Yugi could see Tea and Miho talking in their important manner to the head of the spa and her workers. He waved lightly at her to catch her attention and got a friendly wave as a reply before she put on her business-like expression. Yugi knew that when she started going into that mode, there was no room for jokes and playing around. He timidly joined his other friends in line and waited for what was about to come.
“Good morning, boys. I see that you’re all here. Now if you would follow Ms. Lynn Medusa here, she will show you to your designated rooms where you would be treated, pampered and beautified for tonight’s big event. Please show your tags to Mr. Hobson to be scanned and pass through that body-scanning machine before entering the spa arena. That’ll be all, boys. Enjoy your day.”
So saying, she, Miho and the head of the spa, whose name Tea introduced as Ms. Lynn Medusa, ushered the boys towards Mr. Hobson, the man in charge of keeping the hermaphrodites’ records and bio-data, seated at the end of the service counter armed with a machine which the boys can only guess is the tag scanner. One by one, the boys held their tags over the scanner and walked through the body-scanning machine to double-check and see if they are who they really are and not some scapegoat doing a hermaphrodite’s dirty work. Everyone got the clear green light from every scan and Ms. Lynn Medusa took over, leading them to their first service of the day.
First off, they were all taken to the massage room where they were massaged from head to toe by some of the most skilled masseuse of Domino Island. Since Joey, Tristan and Malik spent most of their lives fighting and doing the rough stuff, it was something they’d always wished for. Yugi was afraid that his bones would be broken and he’d be karate-chopped into mince meat when he was assigned to a rather burly-looking masseuse who claims to be imported from Italy, but was surprised by how gentle and soothing he was as his fingers worked their magic on his tiny frame. Next, after a 10-minutes rest to get their bodies back together, they were taken to the facial room where they were given facial massages and some health masks to replenish the skin and relax their facial muscles. Yugi and Ryou, and some other feminine-looking hermaphrodites, were born for it, but people like Joey, Tristan and Malik, they looked like sissies with their blue-coloured health masks on and it was hilarious that they wanted to complain about the ridiculous situation they’re in but could not for fear of cracking it and getting reprimanded by Ms. Medusa. Yugi and Ryou had to fight hard not to laugh at them.
After washing their faces, they were taken to another room where it is their bodies turn to be lathered on with nutritional mud by dunking everything except their heads into a huge warm tub of grey mud and their naked bodies covered all over from the neck down. It was said that the mud they were ‘trapped’ in came from countries where volcano eruption often happened, and was taken straight from the foot of the volcano and, mixed with herbal water, was known to have very high nutritional and medicinal values to the skin. This time it was worse than having facial masks on because it is their whole body that was not allowed to move. The stronger boys could handle it—they had been punished by their teachers to stand outside the corridor holding two buckets full of water with their arms outstretched to either side without the luxury of moving about, no thanks to their tendencies to come to school late or start fights with the pure men to protect Yugi and Ryou—but the lesser of them felt like it was torture beyond compare. Ryou couldn’t help complaining and Yugi kept asking “Are we done yet?” so many times, even Malik lost count. By the time they were done, Yugi and Ryou practically struggled to get out, as if they were stuck in quicksand, and was relieved when they were hosed down by the workers with luke warm water.
After that, they were led to the bathing room where there was a huge basin built in on the floor filled with warm water and the workers there dashing a considerable amount of roses and sandalwood into it. The fragrance alone was enough to lure everyone to throw away their robes and dip in. Once they were in and settled into the heat, the five made a few small talks with their fellow hermaphrodites to get to know each other briefly. Finally, they were taken to the saloon room where they had their hair done to their liking and were given a full set manicure and pedicure while the hairdressers tend to their hair. All the boys were happy as they finally get to play around with their hair when their parents did not allow them to. Some wanted their hair dyed or have hair extensions, and some wanted to cut them short or have their long hair styled in their dream looks. The five want their hair to maintain the way it was with a just a little trimming at the ends or two, except that Ryou requested the hairdresser to tie his hair the same style as the actor Orlando Bloom when he played Legolas in LOTR, earning the rest of his friends a huge sweat drop on the head. There was no persuading this LOTR fan otherwise. But then again, Ryou was at least better than some of their fellow hermaphrodites who wanted their hair done in the outrageous way possible, from dyeing their hair with crazy multi-colours worse than Yugi’s to literally shaving it bald to styling their hair in a way that it was quite obvious too much hair gel was used.
By the time they were done, they looked refreshed and almost different than they used to. Tea and Miho inspected them one by one, nodding in approval at those decently groomed and shook her head, sighed and smiled weakly at those who find it amusing to have their hair looked like they just came back from La La Land, but said nothing. It was their choice and they will have to live and answer for it. Her job was just to make sure Ms. Lynn Medusa and her staff did their job well.
“I see you all are in tip-top shape now,” Tea said as she inspected the last person. “Well then, now that you’re all prepped and groomed, you will go in groups of five into our prepared limo outside the spa to be taken to the Valentino Regalia Hotel and to be checked in to your respective rooms. A lavish buffet dinner is there waiting for you all, so please go to Mr. Hobson to collect your luggage and go to the entrance to your designated limos.”
At the word ‘dinner’, the boys spared no time in rushing to Mr. Hobson who had been looking after everyone’s luggage while they were being groomed and grabbed their belongings before making a dash out of the spa to the black limos parked outside the entrance, waiting to be taken to the hotel to have their fill. The drivers were already standing in wait beside the passenger seat door to help the boys open it and let them in. It was about a 20 minute drive from the spa to the hotel, as the hotel is located somewhere up the mountains, but once they got there, they were awestruck by the classy 6-star hotel towering before them and the decors befitting a 6-star hotel dazzled their eyes and mind till no end.
Tea and Miho, who reached the hotel first in their own car, led the boys to the service counter where they checked in and were given keys to their respective rooms. Again, as usual, someone was there to scan their tags and their bodies to make sure there is no foul play. The boys realized there was something different about the way their rooms were designated.
“Yo, Tea,” Joey called out. “Why are our rooms all starting from the 5th floor and above? All the rooms from 4th floor and below are all empty. Why can’t we have those rooms?”
“That’s because Whisperers are flight creatures,” Tea replied. “Remember how they look like when Solomon gave you that after-school lecture about Whisperers? They prefer that they have some place higher to land than going all the way to the ground or take the lift like us. They’re not used to our technology and prefer the old school way. Besides, the 4th floor and below are all reserved for my staff and I, and also all the staff of this hotel to sleep in as they’re going to be serving us all night until the ritual is done. We have this whole hotel to ourselves, might as well make use of the space.”
After reminding everyone that dinner would be on at 6pm, everyone took the elevator group by group and went to their assigned rooms. Their floors were arranged to the alphabetical order of their surnames, so Ryou Bakura was designated to the 5th floor while 3 other boys with D and F surnames were designated to the 6th floor. Malik Ishtar was designated to the 7th floor, two boys with L surnames on the 8th floor, and Yugi Mutou with one boy with an M surname was on the 9th floor. Two boys with O surnames were designated to the 10th floor. Tristan Taylor, along with one boy with a T surname also, was assigned to rooms on the 11th floor. Joey Wheeler, the only people with a W surname were sent to the 12th floor.
“At least it’s not the 13th floor,” Joey muttered as he got off and entered his room No. 1205. “My luck is already as bad enough as it is just being here.”
Joey threw his duffel bag onto the bed and surveyed the area. His bed was a Victorian-based canopy bed with nice blood-red roses of all sizes decorating the sheets, the quilt, the pillow case and the head of the bed as well. The floor was lined with very smooth carpet that felt like cat’s fur and was adorned with dark red and brown cushions seated in front of a widescreen TV. The window looked out to the sea, framed by the pale pink curtain that had frills at the end of it. Had he known the nature of his ‘mother’ and sister’s death, he would’ve loathed the sight of sea, but he was spared from knowing the truth. It was painful enough to know your parents are no longer in the world; to know the nature of their death was too much.
As he continued to survey the area, he noticed that his room was connected to the next room through a huge oak door. He shuddered to think that if the Whisperer came to visit, he would go through that door. He checked the wardrobe and found a satin robe along with a few bathing robes bearing the logo of the hotel and a dark blue yukata in it, with a note attached. He took down the note and immediately recognized Tea’s signature on the printed letter.
To whom it may be concern,
I assume that once you’re reading this note, you have seen what clothes are prepared for you. Here’s the long and short of it:
Bathing robes – To be worn while you are a resident of this hotel
Satin robe – To be worn tonight before you go to bed for the mating ritual
Dark blue yukata – To be worn tomorrow morning as you leave the hotel as a symbol that you have already completed the mating ritual
Yours truly, Tea Gardner
“Trust Tea to prepare everything,” Joey chuckled as he took off his shirt and jeans and put on the bathing robe, and put on his pajama pants just in case he ended up getting any “accidents”. He walked to check out the bathroom to see that it was almost like a smaller version of the bathing room where they had their rose and sandalwood hot bath with its bathtub built-in on the floor, squeaky marble tiles, washing sink and toilet. Joey grinned at the prospect of Tristan trying to ‘get off’ at this bathroom or maybe daring enough to persuade his Whisperer to do him there.
Joey was broken out of his muse as the hotel phone rang. He rushed to pick it up and heard Yugi on the other line.
“Hey, Yug, wassup?”
“Isn’t our room just awesome?!” Yugi chattered excitedly. “This is so much better than our own bedroom! I wish I could have a bedroom like this!”
“It is rather grand,” Joey admitted as his eyes swept across the room once more.
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I’m calling to say that dinner is ready. Ryou got the call from Tea and asked us to spread the word.”
“Alright. I’ll meet y’all at the lift.”
Hanging up the phone, he took one last look at the room and headed off to the elevator. As he went down, he was greeted by the happy faces of some of his buddies and a few acquaintances he picked a conversation with back at the spa. He met the rest at ground floor where they came out of another elevator. They chattered about the grandness of their room as they made their way to the hotel dining room where they were greeted with equally lavish 6-star decors and the smell of dinner lingering from the buffet table. They wasted no time in arming themselves with plates as they picked their food from the buffet table. The five chose a seat near the scenic night view outside and tucked in.
“So, guys, the moment of truth here,” Tristan started off. “Who here actually watched porn behind their parents’ back?”
“Is that a trick question, dumbass?” Malik snorted. “We all have watched porn at a certain point. Even little angel princess here was caught by yours truly browsing through a few H-magazines at an adult store at Central Domino.”
“I was just curious, you all,” Yugi twiddled his thumbs bashfully. “You don’t need to rub it in.”
“OK then, next moment of truth,” Joey leaned closer to the gang. “Who here actually tried diddling themselves?”
“With something or just the finger?” Malik asked.
“What? Ya telling me ya freakin’ fucked ya self wit a dildo?”
“Well, no, not as far as that, but my ‘mom’ had been suspecting where his cucumber for that night’s salad disappeared to.”
“You didn’t break your virgin now, did you?” Ryou asked worriedly.
“Naw, besides, ‘Mom’ always takes me to the gynecologist every 6 months to check on my ‘state of health’. Never once did I hear the doc said anything about my virgin broken. Anyways, it was just that one time and I didn’t really stick it in that deep. It fucking aches just going in.”
The boys chuckled at Malik’s statement before Joey admitted, “I haf bin diddling myself sometimes. In fact da last time I diddled mah self was last weekend night in mah room ‘fore bedtime.”
“What was your stimulation?” Tristan asked, interested.
“Porn, of course. I haf a good ol’ stash of ‘em hidden right within da loose tile of mah ceiling and I would diddle mah self ev’ry time I lookit ‘em sexy boys n ‘em six packs n huge packages behind ‘em thongs.”
“Ooh, naughty boy!” Tristan grinned. “For me, I usually diddle myself at least once a week, imagining myself to be filled up by a macho pure man and his larger-than-life manhood. The best place to play out my fantasies is the bathroom. I dunno why, bathroom seems to turn me on. I think it’s a fetish.”
“Just so long as you don’t jump on us whenever we go take a dump!” Malik slapped Tristan’s head, earning a full length of curses, coughing and spluttering by the pointy-haired boy who almost choked in his steak.
“Wat about ya kids?” Joey turned to Ryou and Yugi. “I dinna believe ya two would be dat innocent!”
“Well…I do play with myself once in a while,” Yugi blushed as red as a tomato. “Especially when I come home from my secret trip to the adult store…”
“And you, Ryou?”
Ryou just shook his head bashfully.
“I don’t believe you! Not even once??” Tristan asked, finally managed to swallow the steak.
“I…I don’t…I don’t even know where to start…” Ryou spoke barely in a whisper, earning the looks of shock, disbelief and horror from his fellow friends.
“Good God, Ryou,” Malik groaned. “You really are an angel princess!”
“Come on, guys,” Yugi defended his little frail friend as usual. “Don’t be so hard on him.”
“Jokes aside,” Joey voiced out, his tone deciding that it’s enough taunting for one day, “anyone of ya are actually ready fer dis event?”
“Well…now that you mentioned it…” Tristan scratched his chin nervously. “I’m not really sure I am. I mean, it’s our virginity and our future role as a ‘mother’ we’re talking about.”
“Of all the ill luck, we’re the ones being the victim of a crime our ancestors committed,” Malik replied grudgingly.
“Technically it’s not a crime. It’s more like a selfish deal,” Yugi commented. “But it is asking too much from us. We haven’t even started dating yet, let alone give our first time to someone and bear their child. And we’re not going to be officially married to them, so to speak. Wouldn’t that consider a little…well…out of wedlock or something?”
“Unfortunately there’s pretty much nothing we can do about it,” Ryou replied. “I mean, would you rather you and your whole family be sentenced to death and cause human extinction by breaking the deal or just get it over and done with? We have to be practical here, no matter how much we hate doing this.”
“I suppose,” Malik agreed reluctantly. “Just remember our deal, guys. No change of mindset on our Whisperers and prayers everyday to the Ethereal Clan to be blessed with a Whisperer-dominant.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Ever since the day they met at their high school orientation day and discovered their gift, they have made a pact to be Whisperer-haters for life and determined to have their child born Whisperer-dominant so that they would not have to suffer the burden of looking after a Halfling. This had been their pact since junior high when they were only a pre-teen of 13 years old, and it had stood strong for the next 3 years, until now.
“Attention everybody,” Tea suddenly emerged in the crowd of eating teenagers. “We have received word from the middle men that the Whisperers have selected their representatives and are good to go. They will be arriving here any time now, so please finish whatever you’re eating and make your way to your rooms ASAP.”
The five stole a look on Tristan’s watch and saw that it was almost coming to 10pm. They drained their glasses, renewed their pact by putting their hands together on top of each other, wished everyone luck and made their way to the elevator to return to their rooms. As Joey reached his floor and walked steadfastly to his room, there was only one though in his mind.
“This is going to be a long night.”
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