The sissy games

Part 27; what goes around comes around

Ember's face lit up with a huge smile as she came to pick him up. "You did it! I knew you could. Let's get you cleaned up and ready for the next round," she said with excitement. Alex felt relieved as he was sprayed down, the sticky gel and colored dust rinsing away. He couldn't help but smile as he took off his soaked clothes, but that smile faded as he remembered his new, uncomfortable underwear.

"I still can't bel—" he started, but a sudden announcement cut him off. "All contestants and mentors are immediately asked to come to the stage!"

Alex looked at Ember, confused. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know either," she replied, her tone more serious now. "Last time something like this happened, it wasn't good news."

Without wasting another moment, they made their way to the stage. The usual buzz of the crowd was gone, replaced by an uneasy silence. Everyone was seated in a crescent moon around a grand throne, cameras focused on each contestant. After a few tense seconds, the lady appeared. Dressed like a princess, she gracefully took her seat on the throne, her gaze sweeping over them all.

"My beauties," she began, her voice calm but authoritative. "I'm here to address a serious accusation made by Oliver. He claims he was betrayed by his own teammates, leading him to fall into the paint that he cannot remove for three days." She paused, her eyes narrowing as she looked at each contestant, as if she could see right through them. "Eric!" she called out sharply.

Eric visibly flinched. "My lady, I swear I had nothing to do with this," he stammered, his voice shaky. Alex felt a pang of guilt, knowing Eric was lying.

"Tell me, Eric," the lady continued, her voice cutting through the tension, "did you speak to Oliver while waiting for your turn?"

Eric hesitated, clearly nervous. "I... my lady, I just wished him good luck," he finally replied, but his voice lacked conviction.

"You filthy liar!" Oliver shouted from across the stage.

"Calm down, Oliver," the lady commanded, her tone firm. She then turned her attention to Danny. "Danny, you were next to Eric. Can you confirm that he only wished Oliver luck?"

"Yes, my lady," Danny responded, but there was an unease in his voice that Alex couldn't ignore.

"Jorn," she called next, "you were standing next to Oliver. Can you confirm or deny what was said?"

"My lady, I couldn't hear what they whispered," Jorn answered.

A woman approached the lady and whispered something in her ear. The lady nodded, then clapped her hands. Three women dressed in black appeared out of nowhere, taking Danny, Eric, and Alex aside. Alex's heart raced—what did he have to do with this? He wondered as he was led into a small room.

In the room, one of the women questioned him. "We've seen on camera that Danny and Eric were whispering. Can you tell me in detail what they discussed?"

Alex felt a knot in his stomach. He had two choices: lie or tell the truth. Or maybe there was a third option—pretend he didn't hear anything. But as much as he wanted to protect himself, he couldn't shake the feeling that lying would only make things worse. With a deep breath, he decided to be honest.

"Danny told Eric to make sure Oliver fell into the bottle as revenge," Alex confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Is that your final answer?" the woman asked, her eyes locked onto his.

"Yes," he replied. "Am I in trouble now?"

"Only if you lied," she said before leaving the room.

Back on the stage, everyone was seated again. The lady was handed several notes, which she read through carefully before speaking into the microphone. "In the case filed by Oliver the Yellow against Eric," she began, her voice echoing through the silent room, "I have concluded that the stories given do not match. Along with the evidence of whispering caught on camera, and a witness clarification, I find Eric and Danny guilty of setting up one of their own."

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop as she continued, "Your punishment will be severe. Each of you will have your hair permanently painted pink, and a tiara will be glued to your head for three days!"

Both Eric and Danny went pale as the crowd erupted into laughter and cheers, shouting "Justice!" The punishment was harsh, but Alex couldn't deny that it was deserved. "Since neither of you made it to the top four, your punishment will be carried out immediatly."

The contestants were dismissed, and as Alex and Ember waited for the next game, she turned to him with a cold expression. "So you knew about it?" she asked, her voice filled with disappointment.

Alex nodded, ashamed. "I overheard Danny whispering to Eric."

"Why didn't you warn Oliver?" she demanded, her tone growing harsher.

Alex struggled to find the right words. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "It wasn't right, but I'm stuck in this horrible outfit for a whole week," he added, pointing at the breast forms and the uncomfortable underwear.

Ember was silent, her disapproval clear. After a long pause, she finally spoke. "At least you told the truth when they asked you," she said quietly. But the tension between them was noticable, and Alex felt like he had let her down in a way he couldn't easily fix.

The next challenge was about to begin, and as Alex walked toward the door, Ember didn't even wish him luck. That stung more than he expected.

On the stage, a large palette of eyeshadow awaited them, with only four colors to choose from. "Beauties, each of you, make your way to a color," the voice instructed. They all ran to their chosen colors, each a feminine shade. Alex ended up with a shade of red. A countdown began, and a giant brush moved across the stage. It stopped at one of the boys, dipping into the color before brushing him from bottom to top, sending him tumbling backward into the pink gel.

The brush moved again, this time stopping in front of Alex. It dipped into the red and painted him from legs to head, pushing him back as well. The other two boys made it to the finals. Alex had never finished third before. It wasn't a victory, but at least it meant he wouldn't have to wear the embarrassing outfit and makeup after tomorrow.

Ember picked him up after the game, but she was still distant, saying very little. Back in the bathroom, she finally spoke. "You can take a shower," she said, her voice lacking its usual warmth.

Alex washed off the pink gel and the red dust he was covered in, his mind racing with thoughts of how to make things right with Ember. He knew what he did—or rather, didn't do—was wrong. But how could he fix it? The regret gnawed at him as he showered.

After drying off with the pink towel, he looked at the screen displaying his next punishment: mascara. It wasn't the worst, but it was still something noticeable. Then, something else caught his eye—a free day icon. He had a day off tomorrow, something he hadn't noticed before in the chaos of becoming last yesterday.

Ember walked in, carrying new underwear and breast forms. This time, she chose yellow, a clear reminder of Oliver's fate.

"Ember, please listen," Alex said, his voice filled with genuine regret. "I'm really sorry for not warning Oliver and for not telling you. Tomorrow, in the main room, I'll apologize to him as well."

Ember's stern expression softened slightly, but it was clear she wasn't completely forgiving him yet. She escorted him to his room. "Goodnight," she said, her tone still distant.

"Goodnight," Alex replied quickly, still feeling sad as he watched her leave. He lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts of how to make things right before sleep finally claimed him.