Prom Queen

Prom Queen

by Abbacor

‘Super-Villains’ and ‘Super-Heroes’ are a new occurrence in the world. Nations and people in general are, as a whole, still unsure how to react to them. One little town in the mid-west United States is finding out in a very personal way tonight how villains can behave.

Tonight is the high schools big senior prom dance held the second month of the school year. The entire student body consists of only five hundred students for all four grades with about 31 teachers and 13 administrative staff. The Senior class is comprised of around eighty-five students.

The prom is being held in the schools combination gymnasium/auditorium which has a stage at one end of it. Currently standing on the stage are three individuals who have been labeled as Super-Villains. They are known by the names of “The Doctor”, “The Pharaoh”, and “Mary Contrary”. The Doctor appears to be in charge of the trio with The Pharaoh and Mary Contrary following his lead.

The prom festivities started out normally and quietly with the seniors and their chosen dates arriving for the dinner. The meal went smoothly and progressed on to the dance portion with no issues. The majority of the tables had been broken down and cleared out with the remaining ones scattered around against the walls of the building to create a dance floor in the middle.

Shortly after the music and lights for the dance started up the three villains arrived. Their initial approach was subtle and quiet, leaving the people celebrating in the prom unaware of the situation until it was too late for anyone to be able to escape. By the time the trio made their presence known all of the exits had been secured by their various minions and the few people who had noticed were quietly subdued.

The Doctor made the party goers aware of the team of evil-doers by the simple method of stepping up on the stage and tapping on the open microphone and making an announcement.

“Well now, it seems that we have a celebration going on here! Such a wonderful looking crowd of children in their finest dress! And we didn’t get and invite. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. How unbecoming. However, being the good sports we are, we have deigned to honor your soiree and attend anyways.”

The students, teachers, and administrators present all stopped in confusion for a moment, then someone screamed as they took notice of the numerous costumed evil doers blocking the doors. A brief almost fight ensues as the majority of the more athletic male and female students and teachers attempt to attack the minions of the three villains.

The Doctor calls out to his subordinates, “Orderlies! Admit these people into your tender care and mercies!”

“Show these miscreants the folly of entering the sacred tomb my Embalmers!” yells The Pharaoh.

“Plant the fools in pots of fresh earth!” exclaims Mary Contrary. “Gardeners, make my garden grow!”

The end result is that all of the people who attempted to start a fight wind up caught and restrained by the powers of the party crashers along with several others who were simply too close and got caught up in the action.

Those who encounter The Pharaoh’s Embalmers are quickly outmatched, wrapped in linen bandages that appear to be old and stained by time yet as strong as if newly woven Kevlar, and completely mummified from head to toe with their clothing left torn and shredded on the floor. The speed of the wrapping is faster than the eye can follow and it appears as if the bandages are flying and moving on their own to bind the person caught in them. The newly minted mummy is then either placed standing up or lying down within the bottom half of a sarcophagus, with a few simply left lying on the ground. Muffled sounds of indistinguishable protest can be heard quietly emanating from within the mummiforms and very slight wiggles can be seen for a few moments then they all become quiet and still.

Mary’s Gardeners produce large earthenware pots filled with rich dirt. Any person who attacks them is tackled by several of the women and have their feet forced down into the dirt. Once their feet are covered the pot of dirt sprouts several small variously colored flowers around the legs of the person caught. Although the person visibly struggles to get out they can not lift their feet free at all. Mere moments after the flowers grow the legs of the person appear to fuse as a sheath of plant-like material quickly grows up their limbs and bodies. In less than a minute the person who had been planted is left immobilized and looking like a human-shaped plant. Most resemble flowers with green stalks enveloping their legs, their arms covered by green stems that end in broad leafs that hold their hands out flat with the fingers extended and spread, and their heads covered with the back half of a bulb and the brightly colored petals of a flower surrounding the face. Two of the people turned into helpless plants become encased within trees, their arms being force upwards to become branches from which their fingers spread out and split in seemingly different directions as smaller branches and twigs on which foliage grows, their heads are restrained within, and at the top of, the trunk that envelops their bodies leaving their faces still recognizable while covered in bark and their hair is drawn up into short branches that sprout more leaves as the crown of the tree joining the leaves from the fingers and hands. The clothing worn by the individuals who have been caught by the Gardeners is shredded and left looking like mulch spread around the base of the plant in which the person now resides. For a moment, those caught as flowers call for help quietly, as if they can no longer draw more than a minimum of breath, then they appear to become drowsy and close their eyes as if falling asleep as the petals that surround their faces gently close up. The two turned into trees can be heard unsuccessfully trying to talk while their eyes dart around frantically only to have what looks like the sap of the tree flow over their eyes a couple of minutes later sealing them behind thick amber colored coverings that stops all movement of the eye and the sounds from inside fade away.

The Doctor’s Orderlies quickly capture those they are tasked with subduing. Multiple and various restrictive, immobilizing forms of medical ‘treatments’ are employed to restrain the brave individuals who attempt to fight with those garbed in hospital scrubs. In a matter of a few short minutes they are bound within a random collection of casts, braces, slings, bandages, the heavy pull of weighted traction, and external immobilizers, some of which penetrate flesh to be anchored in the bone. Those with metal pins or rods piercing their body have fresh bandages around the insertion site that slowly start to show spots of blood seeping into the gauze. All are left unable to fight back and resting in either wheelchairs or hospital beds. None are able to speak. Most have oxygen masks over their nose and mouth, a few have an esophageal tube in their mouth going down into the throat, and one has an actual tracheostomy with a respirator breathing for them. What clothing they wore is now removed, folded, and placed within plastic bags labeled with their names and placed at or near their feet.

In only three short minutes over a quarter of the one-hundred and thirty-five people who were present for the prom are efficiently restrained and made helpless by the followers of the three villains. Fifteen mummies are scattered around the floor quietly standing or lying immobile, another thirteen newly grown human sized flowers and two trees stand in large planters, and twelve patients rest quietly looking like they suffered horrible accidents.

“My my, such bravery!” The Doctor extols as the flurry of activity subsides. “Is there anyone else who wants to join your compatriots at this time? No? How delightfully sad.

“Now, this is a graduating class prom, is it not? I do believe that for every such occasion that a king and queen are to be crowned. In your case, those individuals are then celebrated for the majority of the school year leading up to graduation. Where are the nomination lists for these honors?

“Who is the Principal for this august student body here?”

None of the remaining adults respond, many look down at their feet in an attempt to not be noticed.

“Come now, are you not willing to stand up for your students, Mr. Perkins?” The Pharaoh grins.

The balding and be-speckled Principal gasps in shock at hearing his name.

“Come along now Steven, we need you up here with the lists,” Mary demands.

Several of the Embalmers and Gardeners begin to menace the man, with bandages and gardening tools waving. He backs away from them unwilling to even be touched, and they artfully herd him to the steps and up on to the stage with the three villains.

“I think you have something for me,” The Pharaoh intones, “or do I have something for you?”

Principal Perkins quickly reaches into his jacket and withdraws two envelopes that he holds out before him with a shaking hand.

“He- here. Take them. Th- the lists and win- winners.”

The Pharaoh steps forwards and takes them.

“Thank you,” he says as he hands the papers behind him to The Doctor. “Now I think I shall give you an eternal reward for such easy compliance.”

“Bu- but I- I g- gave th- them t- to y- you!

“N- No! Pl- Please!”

His protests are ignored as The Pharaoh grabs the man.

At his touch Mr. Perkins clothing disintegrates and falls away into dust. As the clothes fall away, bandages begin to issue forth from within the robes of The Pharaoh and wrap around Steven. His arms and legs are quickly encircled, the legs from ankle to crotch and the arms from wrist to armpit. With the arms and legs captured he is lifted up into the air about a foot as his hands and feet are enshrouded in linen. More bandages spring out to capture and bind the body of the Principal. In about a minute he is wrapped from head to toe with only his face left visible, everything else is covered in newly laid cloth.

The wrapping continues with a second layer being applied over the first, then a third and forth. With the fifth layer the man’s face is covered, muffling his frightened and feeble protests to quiet moans, and leaving only his eyes and the terror they show to be seen. Several more layers of bandages quickly follow before his legs are pulled and bound together into a single column. The bandages are thick enough that the sounds from his throat can barely be heard. As the wrappings flow up the legs to the body, his arms are pulled in to cross at the wrists over the upper chest where the bandages enwrap and seal them in place. The wrapping continues on up to the top of his head, finally coving his eyes.

As the length of ancient looking cloth is laid over Steven Perkins’ eyes a final quiet and muffled scream is briefly heard from the body being prepared for an apparent eternal rest. Two more minutes go by as several more thick layers of bandages bind the mummiform of Principal Perkins, reducing him from being somewhat recognizable as a male shape bound in bandages to only being a barely human shaped oblong object. As the bandages finish the final layer, they turn a wet looking brown-yellow color. A resin visibly coats the bandages and soaks in then quickly dries sealing the mummy in an air tight rigid shell. A sarcophagus is placed upright on the stage and the new mummy is stood within. The lid to the coffin is placed and nailed shut with wooden pegs coated in the same resin as the mummy.

Multiple cries of dismay and horror are heard from the hostages, and two people foolishly attempt to interfere resulting in yet another mummy lying on the floor and a new human sized and shaped orchid standing in a pot.

“Oh, very nicely done Pharaoh, nicely done,” The doctor compliments. “I’m sure that Principal Steven would appreciate the artistry of your new mummy were he not the one contained within.

“Now, we have a king and queen to declare. I do believe it falls upon me as the Emcee to give the happy winners their commencements. Let’s start with the King of the prom, shall we.

“So, I have here a list of ten young men who were nominated. All of them chosen for their popularity I assume. Let’s see here. Ah, yes, the number of votes is included beside each name. How convenient. But this is such a folly. To select the best looking and most popular among these by the number of votes they receive.

“Hm, I wonder. What if I were to go to the name with the fewest votes? Oh my. Only a paltry fifty votes? How trivial. I think this year will be the one for the underdogs. The student with the least number of votes will be King!

“If you all would please place your hands together and celebrate your new King of the prom, Andrew Perciville!”

A small and half-hearted smattering of applause is heard, and nobody moves forwards.

“Well that was rather lackluster. But it is what it is. Now I do need Andrew to come forwards if you’d please. Orderlies, locate the boy and bring him to the operating theatre, as it were.”

The Doctor’s servants quickly spread out among the students and in a minute they usher a small disheveled young man wearing heavy glasses up on the stage.

“Andrew Perciville, I presume?”

The boy nods, not looking up at the villain before him.

“Well look at you. A scrawny, scruffy looking nerd from what I see. I bet you got nominated as a joke, didn’t you Andrew?”

“Yes sir,” Andrew quietly responds.

“How inglorious. I’d hope that silly tradition had gone the way of the dodo, but it is apparently still alive and kicking. I suppose that the one with the most votes is probably a star athlete, maybe even the captain of the football team?” The Doctor asks while showing Andrew the nomination list.

“Ye-yes sir,” he answers.

“Typical. Well then, I do believe that I shall give you a free treatment. We will make you as tall and robust as they are!”

“I-I will? As big as him?” Andrew says as he looks up for the first time with a glimmer of hope.

“With a bit of work, you can be all that he is! It’s going to be difficult for you at the beginning I’m afraid, but we’ll begin the process to get you there in the end with some hard work on your part.

“Now, stand still.”

The doctor produces a shiny scalpel which flashes in the lights of the stage and in seconds the clothing is cut off from Andrew’s body to leaving him shivering naked before everyone. A few laughs are heard that are quickly silenced by a frown and glare from The Doctor looking out at the crowd.

“To make you taller, we have to lengthen the bones of your legs. As much as they need to extend, it would leave your arms looking abnormally short, so those will have to be lengthened at the same time to maintain a good balance.

“And since we are making your legs and arms longer, your body will wind up looking stunted. Therefore we’ll jut have to see about extending your spine a bit too if we can.”

“Bu-but you can do it all tonight? Ri-right?”

“Of course I can! I am The Doctor! Nothing is beyond my skill!

“Now don’t move,” he repeats the instructions to Andrew. “This may hurt a little bit.”

Reaching down, The Doctor taps on Andrew’s foot which he lifts up off the floor. Taking both hands The Doctor forms a loose circle big enough to fit around Andrew’s foot and begins to slowly run his hands over the foot and up the leg.

As his hands pass over the flesh a metal frame takes shape surrounding the limb. Surgical steel wires, pins, and rods pierce the boys flesh to anchor in the bones. The process is vividly extreme and painful.

Andrew gasps as the first bit of metal penetrates his flesh then begins to howl in pain as the process continues and he tries to fall to the floor while grabbing at his now injured foot and ankle. He is caught by two Orderlies and held upright while a small trickle of blood drips to the stage.

“Oh come now! This will never do Andrew!” exclaims The Doctor. “I said this may hurt, and a few vocalizations of pain should be expected, but this! Really now! I will not continue to work under such circumstances! I’ve only just gotten the beginnings of the first Ilizarov Frame started. We have so much more to go!”

The doctor reaches out with one hand and momentarily covers Andrew’s throat. The abject cries of pain suddenly cease and a machine is placed beside them. When The Doctor removes his hand a tracheotomy tube has been inserted into Andrew at the base of his neck and gets attached to the respirator which is turned on to control the boy’s breathing. Tears continue to flow from his eyes, but the only sound to be heard is the semi-quiet whoosh-click of the pump forcing air in and out of Andrew’s lungs.

“Much better,” The Doctor smiles as he gestures at his attendants. They let go and step back, leaving Andrew floating suspended in the air.

Reaching down again The Doctor once again circles the leg with his hands just above where the frame currently ends. Drawing his hands upwards once more the frame continues to build in the wake of his passing. The rods and metal continue to be implanted into the bones at different levels, causing further pain and more slow rivulets of blood to trickle down the flesh.

The Doctor works on, not seeming to notice the tremors from the boy as his body is insulted by uncaring steel. Reaching the top of the leg at the crotch, Andrew’s leg is completely immobilized within the framework of the Ilizarov all the way down to and including the foot. Moving over to the other leg and starting from the bottom again a frame of steel is produced to surround and pierce the limb in an imperfect copy of the first one.

Over the next ten to fifteen minutes through the powers of The Doctor, both of Andrew’s legs and arms are subjected to having complete Ilizarov Frame’s built around them for the purpose of limb lengthening. The hands and feet are included with narrow rods and Kirschner Wires attached to the frame simply to keep them immobilized along with the rest of the limb.

Once the extremities are completed The Doctor moves back down to the top of the frames on the legs and using his hands spread wide enough inscribe a circle around the hips he then draws his hands upwards to the waist. The frames on the legs become attached to new framework that encompasses the genital region with ensuing rods being connected to the pelvis from the front back and sides.

The students and teachers on the gymnasium floor who are forced to watch are horrified. Most turn away as the torture continues, unable to watch. Many cry. A few are unable to stomach the sight and heave up the meal they ate earlier. Of those remaining, none are willing to attempt to get involved, looking at those among them who are already mummified, planted, and made patients of their captors.

“Now, what to do with the spine?” muses The Doctor. “It must be done carefully, the spine is a delicate thing. I believe expanding Harrington Rods supported by an external framework would do the trick.”

He turns Andrew around and places both hands flat against the back of the neck. Slowly running the hands down the back along the spine, a surgical wound is revealed that has been closed with sutures. The body of the boy tries to arch and convulse but appears to be restrained by something internally the further down the hands move. The Doctor finishes moving his hands along the spine at the top of the buttocks, and the incision ends an inch higher.

Forming his hands into a ring around Andrew’s body just above the frame around the pelvic region he once again creates an intricate and sturdy frame of steel rings surrounding the torso that is connected to the existing frame and working upwards. Several rods appear that enter the incision along Andrew’s back and seem to connect to the rods now implanted along the length of his spine. No other rods or wires penetrate the torso, just the ones that go directly to the spine in back.

Reaching the shoulders The Doctor stops and contemplates for a moment. Raising one arm he has an Orderly hold it perpendicular to the body and parallel to the floor. Running his hands from the top of the frame on the arm up over the shoulder more rods pierce the shoulder and attach to new frames that join to the one on the arm and torso, locking the arm in place. He repeats the process with the other arm leaving Andrew with both arms outstretched to the sides. A final few minutes are spent building a frame around the neck with rods that connect to the top of the Harrington rods and additional skull plate which anchor the Harrington’s to the base of the skull.

“Now what to do with this patient?” The Doctor says out loud to himself. “I simply can’t keep him hanging in the air on my own all the time. That would become tiring. Oh, I know.

“Orderlies, bring me a CircOlectric Stryker Bed, we’ll fix the boy to that so he can be moved around and turned at regular intervals.”

A moment later and Andrew is suspended between two large vertical rings, the extensive Ilizarov Frame surrounding his body being directly attached to the frame of the bed portion of the Stryker. He is currently positioned so that he is in a ‘standing’ pose. His naked bleeding body is on display for all to see with the numerous metal rods pins and wires holding him still from head to toe.

“Andrew did well over all with the initial steps to implant the necessary equipment for his limb and body lengthening that is to take place. Apply pressure to the wounds to stop the bleeding and clean off the blood. And give him a shot of painkiller.”

“Wait,” someone calls from the crowd. “What do you mean by the initial step? You said he’d be taller by the time you were done here.”

“No, that is not what I said at all. I said that we’d begin the process. I never said how long it would take. Growing new bone to make a leg or arm longer takes time. In the case of young Andrew here we’re trying for well over a foot of gain. That’s going to take at least six months minimum for the necessary bone growth to fill in the gaps in his bones. And he’ll need daily adjustments to all the gaps each day to slowly spread out the distance between the bones while it grows as well. That will of course be painful as the body is stretched and forced to grow longer, but it is a necessary evil that he will just have to endure.

“Once we achieve the desired lengths then he’ll be locked down to support the growth of mature solid bones which will take another three months at least with how much we are doing all at once! Once he is finally freed from this frame he’ll need to work quite hard through therapy and an approved exercise routine to build up his body again to match the desired outcome we are aiming for. In all it will be over a year most likely before all is done and said,” The Doctor informs the crowd.

Looking up at the figure suspended within the metal prison holding his body rigid, people could see muscles tense in arms and legs in an attempt to move and possibly break free. Nothing moves what so ever. The metal secured into the bones of his skeleton relentlessly held him still; he is completely immobilized and unable to move even a millimeter. Only his fingers and toes have a modicum of freedom to wiggle, and that is severely hampered by the rods bisecting his hands and feet which restrict the movement of tendons within.

“Oh my god! That’s inhumane! How could you subject that on him?!? You’ve got to get him out of that!” exclaims another voice.

“Oh come now. This is what he wanted after all. And the process has been started just like he asked! He has been fitted with the proper framework, and his bones have been separated in the appropriate places for the growth to commence. All that has to happen now is for you all to monitor the progress and make sure the screws are turned the correct amount each day.”

“What?!? Us?!?”

“Well of course! You don’t seriously expect me to stick around here and keep my brilliance from the rest of the world for the next nine to twelve months or longer, do you? I sincerely hope that there are those among you who will perform this duty for good Andrew here. He is counting on you after all. And  I would be most displeased were I to return at a later date to find that something went wrong with poor Andrew’s procedure.”

A collective gulp arose from the floor as the students and teachers realized that displeasing the mad villain could result in unwanted attention from him. Many of those present nodded vigorously, resulting in a smile from the one on the stage.

“Now that we have introduced your Prom King and given him his reward, I do believe it is time to find out who is going to be the Prom Queen.”

“That’s enough. You’ve tortured one boy and forced him into more than a year of pain and helplessness, subjected several others to either what look to be very painful injuries, or total immobility from linen bandages or somehow being incorporated into the interior of plants. No more you sadistic fiends. We are not going to take any more of your shenanigans.”

Mary Contrary steps forward and speaks up.

“Ah, the Vice Principal, Henrietta Von Struker, deems to rise and vent her ire. How delightful. Come and see to your King then, administrator.”

Mary’s Gardeners approach the woman and force her up on to the stage. Gesturing to the boy in the frame, Mary encourages her to move over and inspect him. Henrietta gives a worried glance at Mary as she moves over and sees up close how Andrew is confined. Turning around to berate The Doctor further, she lifts her chin to look the man in the eye.

In the moment that her throat is exposed Mary Contrary makes a flicking motion with her hand. The Vice Principal gasps in pain as a large thorn is embedded in the side of her neck and quickly pulls it free then covers the wound with her hand.

“I think we’ll be needing one of the biggest planters for this one,” Mary says to one of her Gardeners.

The Vice Principal is tall and thin, with long hair that is well kept and reaches down to below the waist. For a moment she glares at Mary as she holds her neck, a hint of blood appearing between three fingers, and Mary’s grin grows.

As Mrs. Von Struker’s eyes begin to roll upwards and her body collapses to the stage Mary announces, “And now it begins.”

For a moment nothing seems to be happening then Henrietta’s clothing degrades and falls apart into a mulch-like consistency. Left nude, everything is on display; the wound on her neck has noticeably stopped bleeding and sealed shut. Her flesh around the waist can be seen to have changed. It looks to have hardened and become rough in a ring down to the hips and is continuing to change down over the groin and buttocks. Once a little more of the change takes hold it can be seen that her skin is transforming to the smooth bark of some type of tree. The change progresses on down to the thighs which thin out a bit and merge together into a single unit as the trunk of a tree.

The changes are apparently uncomfortable at a minimum and most likely painful since despite being in a delirious state Henrietta is writhing and moaning in pain. As the wave of transformation progresses the movement of her body within the changed section slows and becomes stiff until it stops altogether. Continuing down her knees stiffen up and lock straight as they merge together and thicken to match to width of her once thighs. Her lower legs merge together and gain mass, spreading out to complete the tree trunk that Henrietta now posses from the waist down in place of her legs and lower body. All that remains human below the waist for the moment are her feet.

Her ankles merge and spread out a bit wider than the rest of her trunk to form a solid base as her feet begin to change. The toes quickly grow longer and split into multiple appendages. The splits continue up into the foot and multiply rapidly. In less than a minute her feet have become the roots of the tree she is apparently changing into, and left exposed to the air and light her roots writhe as if looking for cool and nurturing earth to burrow into.

Henrietta begins to come out of her delirium as the transformation starts to work its way up from her waist.

“Huh. Wha-what have you ... done to me?”

Looking down at where her legs used to be the Vice Principal’s eyes grow as big as saucers.

“M-My legs? My f-feet. I have roots! They feel so dry and exposed, vulnerable! This isn’t right! I’m human, not a tree! Wha- Stop this. Please! Oh god. Help me. Someone help me!”

“Certainly,” Mary agrees.

She points and three of her Gardeners step up and lift Henrietta off the stage. They carry her over to a very large earthenware pot that is full of rich black dirt. Placing Henrietta’s roots down on top of the dirt they immediately burrow down in and pull a couple inches of her trunk down into the soil with them. The three women hold Henrietta steady so that she does not topple over while her roots are taking hold. A moment later the movement stops and Henrietta is firmly and solidly standing upright on her own.

The sensation of having her roots burrow into the rich earth within the planter is apparently unexpected and sensual for Henrietta. She gets a brief shocked look on her face then her eyes close and she moans in apparent ecstasy while she is secured in place by her own roots. Once the feelings pass she opens her eyes to look down at where she now stands.

“That ... felt ... ama- No! It’s wrong! Let me out of here! I’m not a plant!”

“No, not yet,” Mary tells Henrietta. “You are still mostly human, for the moment. You’re just barely shy of being half transformed. Don’t worry though, now that you’ve taken root everything will be just fine.”

“NO!” Henrietta yells.

She starts trying to move, to pull herself free from the dirt in which her roots cling firmly. The transformation has risen to the bottom of her ribs. Above the line of changes she is agile and able to bend and twist any direction she wants. But from below the ribs down any movement is almost non-existent. Her trunk is amazingly supple for a tree and actually bends a bit as Henrietta throws herself around in hysterics.

The transformation continues upwards at a moderately steady pace, so as more of her torso becomes inflexible wood her movements slow down until by the time the transformation reaches her armpits she is merely throwing her arms and shoulders around and twisting her head about. The majority of what is now her tree trunk is fairly still and quiet. For a moment the change seems to have stopped then Mrs. Vice Principal Henrietta Von Struker cries out in pain and tries to clasp her hands and arms to her body.

Holding her hands out before her Henrietta and everyone who is watching can see that her fingers are both lengthening and splitting into multiple narrow strands. The changes quickly move up into her hands as well, with even more individual strands being created in the process. The strands grown amazingly long and supple, becoming whip-like with small leaves starting to sprout from them.

A loud whisper is heard from the crowd below.

“A willow tree. She’s becoming a willow.”

“Yes! You got it!” Mary crows. “Congratulations random anonymous voice!”

The changes to Vice Proncipal Von Struker’s hands travel up her arms, splitting and creating more and more branches of a willow tree around her trunk. Her upper arms gravitate upwards as the changes to her torso expand slightly higher to include her shoulders. Henrietta’s neck retains its shape and size, but also stiffens and the skin turns to the bark of the tree stopping her from being able to move her head any more and she is left only able to look directly in front on herself.

The transformation of her body to the trunk of a tree left the woman unable to breathe like a human as her lungs hardened then became part of the interior material of a tree. As her breathing slowed then stopped her cries of both pain, complaint, and pleas for help became quieter and more breathy sounding until they stopped altogether. She still managed to make some sounds for a brief moment longer by drawing in fragments of air into her throat and forcing it back out again past her vocal cords until those too solidified and became wood along with her throat.

The change to her skin continues on up over her chin and face, and her ears become somewhat flattened wooden lumps on the side of her head with a hole in the center. The skin of her face takes on a bark-like appearance but does not become entirely rigid as the bark of a tree would. It appears to retain a small bit of flexibility and Henrietta can still move her lips and open her mouth to a small degree.

When the final stage of her transformation creeps up to her hair it begins to stiffen and rise up while the strands also became thicker and a great deal longer. After around twenty minutes all told, a beautiful willow tree stands serenely in the earthenware planter that Vice Principal Henrietta Von Struker has been set into. Parting the whip like branches of the tree reveals the mostly transformed, wooden head of the woman looking back out. Her eyes have turned a yellow amber shade and are still able to slowly look around, while her face remains instantly recognizable and she can still mouth words if she tries. As the crowd watches, her eyelids actually close and she appears to fall asleep.

“Aw, how beautiful she is. And quite tired after going through such an intense transformation like that I’d bet. Especially like now when it is nighttime when all good flowers and trees are asleep without the sun to invigorate them.”

“Stunning, Mary. I assume she will find a spot in a wonderful garden at some point then?” The Doctor questions, to which Mary smiles and gives a happy nod.

“Now, with that bit of an interruption and demonstration out of the way, it’s time to get back to finding our Prom Queen!

“Here we have the list of chosen nominees,” The Doctor informs everyone while holding up the page of names.

Several of the girls present begin to shake in fright and one starts to quietly cry, knowing their names are on that list.

“While I find it trite and droll, I suppose we shall let the voters have their winner as they selected. This probably means it was a big popularity contest, but so be it.

“Would everyone pleases congratulate and welcome to the stage your new Prom Queen, Samantha Garber!”

A tall and statuesque girl in the middle of the crowd puts up her hands and looks around in fright.

“No, no, not me. I decide I don’t want it. Choose someone else. Please, not me.”

She begins to back away from the stage as if attempting to escape her fate. Two large Orderlies step up behind her and firmly grab her arms around the biceps.

Samantha starts to struggle and try to pull away, but the large burly men hold on and she cannot get free. She continues to protest and say she resigns and rejects the honor as they half drag, half force her to walk up to be placed on stage with The Doctor and remain there holding her tightly as she squirms and pleads to be let go.

“Oh my goodness. Someone doesn’t seem to understand the honor she is being given here. Samantha. Samantha! Look at me girl!”

The Doctor snaps his fingers in her face and Samantha stops struggling to stare at him with the look of a deer caught in the headlights on her face.

“Let me guess. You’re the head cheerleader, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she squeeks.

“Of course you are. Couldn’t be anything less.”

Samantha tries to break free once again but her efforts are easily thwarted by the Orderlies holding her.

“Now, now. We really need to stop all of this commotion and trying to run off here. In fact, I’ll help you to stay still.”

When he places one hand on her belly and the other on her back Samantha screams in fear. Running his hands down over her abdomen and butt he moves over to continue down her left leg. As his hands move something thick is seen to be taking shape underneath of the girls dress. Passing her hip the movement of her leg is suddenly stopped in that joint. When his hands finally moved below the hem of her skirt everyone can see that a white plaster shell is forming around her leg. A cast is growing in place and as he moves downwards he knee is encased and locked straight. Moving on down The Doctor envelops her calf, shin, ankle, heel, foot, and toes in the white shell. The end of the cast is open showing the pink tips of her toes winking out from inside when seen from the right angle.

“There, that’s better. Now that you can’t move that leg you’ll not be going too far too fast. I think those clothes need to be secured and documented properly too.”

Another Orderly walks up with a clear plastic bag and in less than a minute Samantha is left standing there with nothing more than a plaster single hip spica cast covering her from just below her breasts down to the tip of her toes on the left leg.

“Good. Now to properly thank your peers you should wave to them in the proper manner. Seeing as how you seem to be rather distraught right now you’ll need some help with that it appears.”

Taking Samantha’s left arm, The Doctor encircles her fingers with both hands and begins to draw his hands up her wrist and forearm. A new plaster cast is left behind encasing all of Samantha’s fingers that holds them straight and flat in line with the palm of her hand, the thumb encased separately but still joined to the cast at the side of her hand. Samantha stares and weeps openly as the cast progress up her arm with his hands. Reaching her elbow he holds it bent at a ninety degree angle locking the joint in place and continuing up the bicep to stop at the armpit.

Grasping the stone encased wrist in one hand, The Doctor raises the girls arm out to the side so her upper arm is perpendicular to the shoulder and her fingers point straight up to the roof. With the other hand he momentarily grabs just above the elbow bend on the upper arm then slowly brings it downwards at an angle towards the body. As his hand moves away from the arm cast an abduction bar is seen to be attached to the cast and is being extended down to the existing body portion of the hip spica cast near her waist. When his hand reaches her waist he covers the cast there for a moment then removes both hands from her leaving the arm secured pointing upwards and fixed in place by a thick plaster covered bar between the arm and body. Samantha can be seen trying to move her arm or shoulder, but the solid and dry plaster cast resists all of her attempts and she remains in a pose as if she is waving to everyone.

“There, well done Samantha. One must address and reward the lesser people with gestures of kindness while still performing your Queenly duties.

“And speaking of duties, as a newly baptized Queen one must dance their first dance! And dancing means kicking your legs up high in exultation!”

Kneeling down The Doctor takes hold of Samantha’s right foot.

“Allow me to provide you with some appropriate footwear to go with your beautiful attire!”

Encircling her toes The Doctor begins to run his hand up along her foot, leaving behind yet another plaster cast in gleaming white. Like the left foot the toes are included yet allowed to gently peek out from among the snow white cloth which surrounds them. The cast holds the ankle enpointe as if for an acute Achilles tendon injury. Continuing up the lower leg the knee is bent and secured within the cast at a ninety degree angle with the upper leg held parallel to the floor of the stage. Going on up over the girls hip the plaster from the leg cast is joined to that of the body cast, keeping the limb elevated and creating a complete double hip spica.

The Doctor inspects his creation and frowns for a moment. Grasping the shin of the left leg and the calf of the right leg, he pauses for a moment then begins to slowly bring his hands together creating an abduction bar between the two legs as he goes. In a minute the rod is complete and he nods with a satisfied grin.

“There. That will be much stronger and hold up better that way.”

Samantha is now unable to move nearly three-quarters of her body, with it being encased in a plaster cast over three out of four of her limbs. The Orderlies who brought her onstage are now responsible for keeping her upright and balanced on her one plaster covered foot. Moving to her right side The Doctor takes a look at her arm.

“One must be prepared to be regally escorted to and from all engagements. Your royal hand must be ready to be grasped at any time.”

Taking the place of the Orderly who is holding Samantha’s upper arm, he encircles the bicep and triceps muscles of her arm with both hands and begins to run them down. Yet another plaster cast forms, this one encasing the upper right arm from just below the shoulder and going down around the elbow which is also immobilized at ninety degrees. The cast continues to form around the lower arm down to the wrist where her hand is held in a neutral position so her palm is facing to the side, but her wrist is flexed inwards considerably to an almost eighty degree bend.

The thumb and fingers remain free to move, except that with the intense bend in the wrist they are nearly useless and can not close at all into anything that even remotely resembles a fist. Once her arm is encased, The Doctor adds on two abduction bars from her arm to her body. One starts over the side of her belly and connects to the middle of the forearm, and the other starts from the side of her back and come up to also connect to the forearm just behind the first bar.

“You hand is now ready and always available for anyone to escort you about my dear. Just spectacular the ways in which you are taking to your regal poise.”

Samantha sobs openly, now unable to move anything except her head. Her cries of woe are loud yet inarticulate, no words issue from her lips anymore. She has stopped pleading with the villain to let her go or stop his macabre game and just cries openly.

“And now, the final glory to be bestowed upon your royal brow. Your glorious Crown. We simply cannot have a Queen who does not proudly wear a Crown.”

Samantha looks up in confusion as The Doctor does not initially reach up to her head or neck. Instead she sees him hold his hand out as one of his Orderlies come forwards bearing a box on a red satin pillow and accompanied by another. The Orderlies stop and the one without anything in her hands opens the box which the first one carries. From the box she retrieves a Bremer Halo Crown which she ceremoniously hands to The Doctor. Not recognizing the item or realizing how it will get placed on her head, Samantha’s sobbing softens and slows down in confusion.

Taking the Halo in both hands The Doctor holds it up to display it for the crowd watching down below then brings it down and holds it in place around Samantha’s head. The female Orderly firmly grasps the front center of the ring and the top back of the riser in both hands and carefully maintains the position established by placing her fingertips against Samantha’s head. The Doctor cups his hands at two locations, covering a portion of the Crown at each spot. One on the front right side over Samantha’s eye and the other at the back left side behind her ear. For a moment nothing appears to happen, and then Samantha’s eyes fly open in shock as she screams in pain while a trickle of blood runs down over her right eye. Removing his hands two silver titanium pins have been screwed into the Halo ring and embedded into Samantha’s skull. Cupping his hands in two more spots, over the left eye and behind the right ear, he pauses once again then Samantha’s screams get even louder as two more pins penetrate flesh and bone. Blood slowly runs down from all four pin sites.

The Doctor frowns at Samantha, “I just can’t stand such dramatic hysterics, especially from royalty. If you do not calm down this instant then I shall have to do something about this!”

Samantha is well beyond being able to understand anything the man says. The sudden shock and pain from having four metal screws inserted extremely tightly into her skull have overridden any reasonable means or method of communication with the girl. With a huff The Doctor quickly cups his hands on the sides of the Halo Crown and creates the horizontal attachments. Stepping behind her he takes hold of the back end of each rod and quickly runs his hands down to the back of the body cast, creating the two rear vertical support rods and fixing them to the cast.

This stops almost all movement of Samantha’s head and the unexpected restriction causes her hysterics to go up another notch. Getting in front of the girl The Doctor grasps to front end of the attachment rods and she is able to watch as he creates the front vertical support rods and attaches them to the chest of her body cast as well. This renders her head completely immobile and unable to move in the slightest on her own. Because she was attempting to thrash about her head is now stuck in an undignified and uncomfortable position, leaving her looking up and to the left a good bit.

The Doctor sighs and grabs the sides of the Halo. With careful gentle movements he straightens her head around until her head is level and looking directly forwards. The loud cries and shrieks do not abate though and The Doctor has apparently had enough. He cups his hand over the front of her neck and two seconds later her cries are suddenly cut off. Dropping his hand a Tracheotomy tube is revealed.

“I just suppose you are going to have to be a silent Queen now. I did warn you that hysterics would not be tolerated, but you failed to listen. Now you can just accept the consequences of your actions. Hook her up to a vent and let her see how it feels to be completely unable to control her own body.

“In fact, let’s make that complete. Give her an indwelling catheter as well. And since she is not able to talk anymore let me just do this too.”

Placing one hand at the top edge of the cast on her chest, and one at the top of the cast on the back, The Doctor raises both hands upwards towards her neck. The cast expands up along with his hands, covering the top of both shoulders and encircling her neck. An opening is maintained for the trachea tube as the cast continues to grow up under her chin and around the base of her head.

The Doctor brings his front hand on up over Samantha’s mouth and nose while the back hand stops once it is up between the ends of the Halo ring. The cast follows suit and conforms to the shape of the lower half of Samantha’s head. She now has a plaster cast all the way up her neck and the lower half of her face which covers her mouth and nose to just below her eyes, circles around the sides of her head to fully cover both ears then dips down below the level of the rear Halo pins to curve back up again between them and cradles the back of her head.

The only opening over Samantha’s face is for her nose. A brief covering of the hole with his hand and The Doctor leaves a feeding tube behind that goes up the nose, down the back of the throat, and ends in her stomach.

“There. That will do it. Now you’re completely helpless and dependant on those around you for everything. You have no control over your ability to breathe, eat, or even eliminate bodily wastes. And don’t think that just because I haven’t inserted something up your back side I’ve forgotten about it. You’ll be forced to endure daily bowel flushes to clear out any feces your now liquid diet may generate.

“See how you like dealing with that for the rest of your school year. Oh yes. Make no mistake, you’re the Queen. You’ll remain in your Royal Accoutrements for the duration, just like little Andrew over there in his. Enjoy your reign, Your Majesty.”

Turning to address the astonished crowd gaping at what has been done to Samantha and Andrew, The Doctor reminds them of their responsibilities.

“Make sure you take good care of your Royal Court! I don’t want to come back and find, or even hear from afar, that anything untoward has happened to them because someone slacked off. I will be most put out if that were to occur, and my wrath would be great.”

Many of those left shake openly in fear, and several lose control of their bladders.

“Long live the Queen and King!”

The next morning the police responded to a call declaring an emergency at the school. All emergency personnel from the police, fire department, EMT, and hospital were called in.  They found one-hundred and thirty-five people in various states of duress. Enough of the seniors and teachers from the prom were able to communicate successfully enough to relay the care instructions for their hapless Prom King and Queen.

Roughly a third of the seniors and several teachers were mummified in linen bandages that proved to be extremely durable and almost impossible to cut through. It took a little over three months to free those people from their wrappings. Once free, they all experienced an extreme aversion to wearing loose clothing, preferring garments that tightly bound their arms and legs. At night they would find that the most comfortable position to sleep was laying flat on their back with their legs together, arms crossed over their chest, and firmly surrounded by the bed sheet and a blanket at a minimum.

The principal of the school however was unable to be freed and it was unknown if he was still alive or dead within his binding. Attempts to do any medical scans of his mummy were confusing and inconclusive at best. They eventually placed his mummy in his sarcophagus in a corner of the main foyer to the school office.

Another third of the seniors and some more teachers were trapped within flowers and a few trees. During the day, if it was sunny they were able to remain awake and able to communicate with others as long as they were outside or in direct sunlight. When the sun went down they would tend to get sluggish and soon fall into a stupor until they went to sleep and those who resembled flowers had their petals close up over their faces. On heavily over cast or rainy days it was difficult at best to keep these people awake and lucid for any length of time. Once the winter season was fully upon the town they all slept soundly, and no attempts by any means would wake them. The town quickly created a garden plot where they were all planted in the ground and tended to daily. Interestingly, these people seemed to thrive without needing to consume food in the traditional human manner, nor did they require or feel the need to defecate to eliminate any wastes. It appeared that their semi-plant like states were enough that sunlight and water mixed with natural fertilizer spread out on the ground around their stalks was plenty to keep them fed. When the spring finally arrived the people in the human garden awoke to a feeling of restlessness that resulted in having them dug up from the ground. Once they were removed the fibrous plant sheath was seen to be degrading in spots. This led to the town find that all of the people were able to be cut free from their green and brown imprisonments and returned to their families. All of them found it comforting and almost necessary to be outside during the day for several hours at least, and everyone of them felt invigorated to have the sun shine down on them or the rain fall on their bodies. As long as they were able to maintain a couple hours each day at this level of contact with the sun and rain, they found their need to consume food noticeably reduced. Many experienced a change of eye color to either grass green or earth brown, while almost all developed a natural tint of color to their hair that matched the color of the flower they had been suck as, or the green of the leaves from the tree in which they had lived for the better part of a year.

The Vice Principal was another matter. She had been physically transformed, not simply encased within a plant exterior like the others. Her status as a once-human, and being a liked member of the town, did keep her from being carted away or hidden from sight. With the garden being created for the ones trapped within plants, she was included and planted in the middle of the garden. She thrived physically under the good care of the town just like the others, and grew a couple feet taller by the time winter took hold. Her roots dug deep and took a firm, permanent hold in the earth making her a known and respected feature of the land. She was still able to communicate with people by mouthing her words to those who learned to read her lips. During the first winter she went into a deep hibernation with the rest of the planted people, her leaves falling off and many of her thin branches breaking free. Come spring she was the slowest to awaken, but eventually was able to be roused and sprouted new foliage to the joy of those who tended her. Over time she was able to expand to a small degree the amount of movement she retained so that she could actually look around herself a little bit better, and even wave her branches as if they were blown by a gentle breeze. Beyond this, she recovered no further and remained a hybrid plant-human who was more plant than animal.

The remaining third of the Senior class and teachers or administrators at the prom were found with numerous medical procedures restraining or immobilizing their bodies. Any number and style of casts, rigid braces, external immobilizers, skeletal traction, heavy bandaging, feeding tubes, catheters, several tracheostomy with supporting respirators, IV’s, etcetera had been randomly and heavily applied to these individuals. The least encumbered of them was still unable to get up or move about on their own initially. The assumed injuries all of the medical dressings and paraphernalia presented were quickly found to be real, actual injuries. All of those injured were slow to heal, the least one taking three months before they were even able to ambulate on their own in a wheelchair. Eventually over six to nine months all of them healed and were able to return to more or less normal functioning again. A few were left with permanent disabilities or medical needs for the rest of their life due to the nature of the injury or complications that occurred during their recovery.

Once the seriousness of The Doctor’s threats to take good care of the King and Queen were made known, all efforts were made to follow the care instructions to the fullest extent. Despite his silent pleas otherwise, Andrew was kept in his extreme limb and body lengthening modified Ilizarov Frame. The appropriate screws were turn religiously on a daily basis for what turned out to be ten months to achieve the desired body and limb length set by The Doctor. Once achieved Andrew’s frames were locked down as prescribed to allow the final healing of his bones and body to begin. The Doctor actually returned three months into this period and removed Andrew from the frame, removing all of the rod pins and wires from his body. Only the Harrington Rods were left attached to the base of his skull and along the entire length of his spine. When The Doctor left again Andrew was encased within a fiberglass full body cast that covered him from head to toe and finger tip to finger tip. The instructions now were to watch and maintain his health as he slowly healed for the next six months, changing the cast only as needed. Following those six months he was to be put into intense physical therapy followed by a balanced yet tough physical exercise regime to rebuild his body and achieve the athlete’s body The Doctor demanded. When the therapy and subsequent physical exercise began to show positive results, Andrew finally got on board with his recovery and threw himself into the work of becoming a more physically adept individual.

Samantha’s encasement was maintained for the entire school year. During cast changes The Doctor had provided instructions allowing her limbs to be repositioned to reduce the amount of possible contractures that might happen with long-term immobilization like she was forced to endure. The Halo Crown remained present as a constant throughout her time as Queen along with the respirator and other invasive tubes. She was kept, per instructions and on threat of an unpleasant return from The Doctor, as fully dependant on others for her care and well-being. When the few of the Senior class who were able to graduated, Samantha was carefully propped standing up on the stage to silently congratulate them. When she was finally released from her enforced time as a Royal Plaster Statue, Samantha had lost all drive to do anything for herself. She demanded to be put back into a plaster shell, and resolutely would not even try to do anything on her own while she remained free of her encasement. When The Doctor showed up to take Andrew out of his metal frame, he also visited with Samantha. When he left her room she was completely encased from the nose down in a complete plaster full body cast with the Halo once again screwed into her head.

“Giver her what she wants, for a long as she wants it. Those are my instructions for her,” is all The Doctor said.