Better Grades through Hypnosis Ch. 01

"My tutor keeps explaining derivatives, but the logic feels completely alien now. And my chemistry and economics classes aren't any better." She gave a shrill, brittle laugh. "Apparently I'm allergic to numbers now too."

Alexis slumped back, mouth twisting bitterly as she continued recounting her academic declines. Crane let her speak uninterrupted, cataloging every weary sigh and defeated gesture. Her spirit lay exposed before him now, flayed open and ripe for molding.

When her list of failures eventually trailed off, Alexis dropped her head into her hands. "I don't understand what's happened to me..." she whispered hoarsely. "Everything used to be so easy, and I used to do so well. Now I can barely dress myself and do basic math."

She shook her head helplessly before continuing in a small voice. "Even shopping trips turn into nightmares now. Just trying to calculate discounts makes my brain shut down completely."

Alexis glanced up at Crane beseechingly. "Please help me understand what changed. How did I go from top grades to failing everything?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, wide and imploring.

Crane leaned forward, exuding compassion. "The mind often contains truths the conscious self struggles to embrace," he said gently. "Let's see if your subconscious holds any insights, shall we?"

At Alexis's tentative nod, Crane retrieved the watch and eased her into a hypnotized state with practiced skill. Soon she was entranced, lulled by the rhythmic swing of the silver pendulum.

Crane allowed himself a small, satisfied smile before schooling his features into clinical interest. "Now Alexis, describe your recent academic struggles for me."

Alexis grimaced, entranced. "The numbers all blur together recently..." she admitted. "I used to understand chemistry and economics fine, but now the concepts just make my head hurt." Defeat weighed down each word.

Crane clucked his tongue sympathetically. "Yes, it seems you lack the innate intellect to comprehend such complex subject matter now." He paused, letting the harsh assessment sink in.

"Tell me, what sort of young woman fails to grasp basics taught to all her peers?" He kept his tone gently prodding.

Alexis flinched slightly, writhing under his criticism before finally whispering, "A dumb girl."

"Very good, you're being honest with yourself," Crane praised, savoring the shame on her entranced face. "Why don't you repeat that, so this truth can take root?"

Alexis's voice took on a robotic cadence as she dutifully repeated, "I am a dumb girl." Yet Crane glimpsed a shadow of her former fire still resisting the programmed submission. Time to extinguish that spark for good.

"Now, you seem to have performed adequately previously." Crane layered his tone with doubt. "Can you explain this discrepancy in ability?"

Alexis's eyes gleamed wetly as she haltingly confessed, "I...I don't know. Maybe I just got lucky before." A single tear traced down her cheek, curving along the dark hollow beneath.

Crane made a thoughtful noise. "Perhaps your declining aptitude correlates with your increasingly unkempt appearance..." He let the implication hang heavy.

Alexis flinched, but slowly nodded. "I have been looking kind of rough and stupid lately," she conceded dully. The admission etched itself into the canvas of her psyche under Crane's satisfied gaze.

"Well, you're still a pretty girl, if a rather dim one." Crane's offhand compliment kindled the faintest ember of pride amidst the destruction. "Why not embrace self-worth from less intellectual sources moving forward?"

He spent the remainder of the session directing Alexis to invest solely in her appearance rather than useless academics. Soon she was readily echoing, "I am a dumb, pretty girl," with hollow resignation.

When Crane finally lifted the trance, he searched Alexis's face for any defiance still lingering. But her eyes, glassy with exhaustion, held only numb acceptance. His poison had slowly paralyzed her fiery spirit, leaving just an empty shell.

"Did our discussion provide any clarity around your struggles?" Crane asked kindly as Alexis stirred.

She nodded wearily. "I think I understand now where my shortcomings are," she murmured. "I should focus my energy accordingly." Alexis attempted a brittle smile that never reached her deadened eyes.

Crane hid his swelling satisfaction as they exchanged polite farewells. Alone again, he allowed himself a triumphant grin. The fight had finally left Alexis's eyes, replaced by a yawning void waiting to be filled with his twisted designs. Soon she would shape herself eagerly to fit them.

But for now, Crane relished simply watching her shuffle away, body curled inwards as if to take up as little space as possible. She moved like one already haunting the fringes of society, excluded for her perceived flaws. An outcast whose only remaining value lay in her beauty.

He licked his lips, pulse quickening as he visualized her inevitable return to his sanctuary, desperate and begging. Each step Alexis descended drew that exquisite finale nearer.

Patience, he counseled himself. Her ruination was proceeding perfectly. He could wait a bit longer to see this promising student finally embrace her proper place, where a beautiful stupid young woman belongs.

Session 5

The click of heels heralded a visitor to Dr. Crane's office. But the young woman who strode in bore little resemblance to the broken shell who had shuffled out last week. Head held high, Alexis glided in looking polished and poised. But the closer Crane looked, the more her facade revealed cracks.

Her designer jeans and smart blouse were a far cry from the oversized hoodie and gym shorts she'd recently favored. Makeup concealed the dark circles under her eyes, expertly applied to project cheeriness. She gave him a broad smile, red lips stretching wide over bleached teeth. Yet her hands twisted the strap of her purse with barely concealed anxiety.

Alexis settled gracefully into the familiar leather chair, crossing her legs with forced casualness. "So Doc, got my latest calculus practice test back," she began brightly. "Let's just say studying really has been useless for a girl like me!" Her high laugh held a desperate edge.

She continued chatting airily about inconsequential matters, skating around her academic declines with an exaggerated nonchalance. But her nails dug into her palms when she admitted needing her parents' support to maintain her lifestyle, and they were going to be furious if she failed another exam.

"Hey, Dr. Crane, I've been thinking a lot about what we talked about last time, you know, about how I should play to my strengths?" Alexis's voice was soft but purposeful as she played with a strand of her hair. "I mean, I know I'm not the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to numbers and formulas." Her chuckle was self-effacing, her eyes dropping to her lap for a moment before locking back onto Crane's.

She leaned forward, her blouse stretching taut over her chest, her lips parting in a rehearsed expression of concern. "It's just... well, my parents have these crazy high expectations of me, and it's just... I can't bear to let them down, you know?" Her eyes darted away, the weight of those expectations pressing down on her.

With a flutter of her eyelashes, she tilted her head, her smile wobbling at the edges. "So, what do you think I should do next?" she asked, her voice tinged with hope and a subtle plea for guidance.

Dr. Crane's response was smooth, his tone as calm as the deep sea, his eyes reflecting an unreadable depth. "It's all about finding the right balance, Alexis. Using what you have to get what you need," he said, the sapphire on his watch catching the light as it began to swing.

As Alexis's gaze became glued to the rhythmic motion, Crane's voice sliced through her haze. "What kind of girl are you, Alexis?" he prodded, his words like the pull of a tide.

Her response came as if from a place far away, her voice hollow yet oddly serene. "A dumb pretty girl," she said, her confession floating in the air like a delicate but dangerous perfume.

"Wonderful. And pretty girls have more important matters than studying, correct?" Crane's approving tone thickened as the hook sank deeper.

Alexis nodded sluggishly along with his reasoning, accepting the dismissal of academics from her realm of concern. After a moment though, she struggled to get out "But my grades... my parents. Don't want to make them upset."

Dr. Crane leaned back in his chair, the light catching the sapphire as his watch continued to sway back and forth. "Alexis. You have... other assets that can be quite persuasive. For instance, your tutor for the course, the TA, he grades the assignments, doesn't he? He could be... the answer to your success."

Alexis's eyes followed the watch, her body relaxing further as she sank deeper under its spell. "He's the answer," she repeated, her voice far away.

"Yes," Dr. Crane continued, his voice now a guiding force. "You just need to convince him to assist you. And it's not just him - imagine having someone in each of your classes you could... persuade to help."

Her lips parted slightly, as if the idea was already taking root. "Convince them," she whispered, her expression serene.

"When you lack in academics, you must use your... personal touch. Flirting in exchange for a few grade points is practical, don't you think?" His words were gentle, a mere suggestion floating in the air between them.

"Practical," she echoed, her mind already weaving the narrative he laid before her. Her sense of self, her understanding of her own worth, was shifting, morphing into the shape he desired.

By the session's end, Crane had Alexis eagerly repeating mantras about fixing her grades by any means necessary. She would seek her value solely in male validation rather than useless intellect now. Her subconscious accepted this complete dismissal of her potential with hollow-eyed resignation.

When Crane lifted the trance, Alexis roused slowly. Her gaze, when it met his, held a glimmer of fragile hope. "Did our discussion provide any direction moving forward?" Crane asked kindly.

Alexis bit her lip, then gave a faint smile. "I think so. My goals just needed realigning." She smoothed her blouse absently. "Sometimes you have to use every advantage life gives you. Right, Doc?"

"Absolutely." Crane beamed approvingly as he walked her out. "You're blossoming into a pragmatic young woman. I'm proud of your growth."

Alexis's shoulders lifted slightly at his praise. Watching her departure, Crane swelled with satisfaction. She wore his teachings like armor now, shielding her from the looming reality of a future dictated by his manipulations, not her own potential.

Soon enough the armor would fuse seamlessly into her psyche, erasing any trace of the determined scholar she'd been. Alexis would become a masterpiece of warped contradictions - at once confident in her desirability yet oblivious to capacities beyond it. An empty vessel content to be filled by whomever momentarily pleased her.

Crane's pulse raced at the thought. His twisted seeds had taken root in fertile soil. Now he need only wait for their ripening into the perfect, pliant creation he'd carefully cultivated - his to harvest whenever he wished.

Patience was still required. But her fate was sealed, her brilliance destined now for mediocrity. The moth would beg for the flame soon enough. The game was intoxicating in its subtlety, but the conclusion never changed. Countless girls embraced the twisted existence he crafted for them, never realizing their wings were but dust in his hands.

And Alexis, just like all the rest, would come to thank him for it someday.