Undressed

Heedless of Shelly’s state of undress, or of her own, Lisa rushed forward and crouched to give her best friend a hug. “I’m so glad to see you again,” Lisa said.

Shelly returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Lisa’s back. “M—me too!” she stammered. “Where were you? What happened? How did you get back? Nice tan!”

Lisa sighed. “It’s a long story. And it’s not over yet.” She released the hug and held Shelly’s bare shoulders at arm’s length. “Not by a long shot.”

“We were really worried about you, Lis,” Shelly said. “When Debra turned up and you didn’t, I thought…”

“Debra’s here?” Lisa asked. “She’s okay?”

“Well…” Shelly furrowed her brows. “She’s alive, but there’s the… what is that?”

Lisa looked down at the pile of clothes under Shelly’s butt. A light was flashing in the midst of it, and there was a faint sound of vibration. “It’s your phone!”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, fishing around in the pockets of her discarded jeans. She pulled out the phone. “It’s Debra!” she said, sliding her finger to answer and putting the call on speaker.

“Hello?” asked the voice over the phone. It was tinny and indistinct, but unmistakably Debra. “Shelly? Are you okay? You weren’t picking up!”

“Debra!” exclaimed Lisa. “You’re alive!”

There was a brief pause.

“Lisa? Is that you?”

“Yes! I’m here with Shelly.”

“How did you—never mind, not over the phone. Shelly, listen, this is going to sound crazy, but Bethany came into our room and put a curse on Claire. The bitch from the party. I had no idea she was a witch!”

Shelly and Lisa were silent, not sure where to start.

“Anyway, she’d probably coming after you next! I’ve been trying to get through to you for like twenty minutes, so I don’t know how much time you have, but—”

“Too late,” said Shelly, looking down at her unsupported breasts. “She got me.”

“Fuck!” replied Debra. “Okay, well, at least you’re back now, Lisa. I guess that means we don’t need to go looking for you any more. But we do need to do something about this Bethany situation.”

“Roger that,” said Lisa.

“Shelly, what curse did she put on you?”

Shelly looked confused. “Uh… same as Lisa, I think. She came into my room, said a bunch of weird words and moved her fingers around, then there was a flash of green light, and then I suddenly felt like all my clothes were three sizes too small.”

“Awesome!” replied Debra.

“What?!” snapped Shelly, clutching her knees to her chest. “This is NOT awesome!”

There was an awkward pause.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have put it like that. This sucks for you, I know. But if it’s the same curse as Lisa’s, that means you can leave your room. Which is not the case for me and Claire.”

Shelly gasped. “Leave my room! Like this?!”

From the other end of the line there came a long, exasperated sigh. “I really hate to do this to you, but we’ve got to have a meeting, now. Especially if Lisa’s back. I’ve got some new spells you both need to see. You’ve got to get to us somehow.”

Shelly whimpered.

“Hey,” Debra continued, “you’ve got expert help from the most experienced streaker on campus! Lisa will find a way to get the both of you to our room discreetly.”

“Debra’s right,” said Lisa. “I have so much to tell everyone. And I’ve found some magic loopholes.”

“Awesome. Get your butts to our dorm as soon as you can, both of you. Oh… and fetch Colin on your way.”

Shelly’s face turned white. “F-fetch Colin?!”

“Yes, Claire’s on the phone with him now. He’s also been cursed by Bethany. Says he… can’t see anymore.”

“That bitch!” exclaimed Lisa.

Shelly sighed with relief.

“See you soon,” Debra finished curtly, hanging up the phone.

Lisa made eye contact with Shelly. “Let’s go.”

Shelly gestured at her own naked body, and then at Lisa’s.

“Right, that,” said Lisa. “Like I said, I’ve figured out some loopholes. So it’s better that we go to them than they come to us. I wouldn’t want to make poor Debra and Claire streak across campus!”

Shelly cocked her head in confusion, and then seemed to realize something. “Oh, you thought that… no, Debra can still wear clothes. She did say that Bethany cursed Claire though, so maybe she can’t. But Debra has a different curse. She can’t leave her room.”

So that’s what Lady Annabelle had meant when she said that Debra would no longer be able to interfere.

“Claire’s been bringing her food and stuff, like I did for you,” Shelly continued. “But I guess that might be difficult now that Claire’s been cursed too. Hmm, I wonder why Bethany cursed Claire and not Debra?”

“She had already cursed Debra,” Lisa said. “Bethany is the witch who owns the boutique. Calls herself Lady Annabelle. They’re the same person. In fact, she’s also our RA, Wendy.”

“W—what?” Shelly stammered. “B—but she’s so much older…”

“Magic,” Lisa shrugged. “I watched her transform in front of me.”

“Oh, right, obviously,” Shelly said, rolling her eyes. “Magic. That’s a real thing. I should know…” She ran a hand down her side.

“We’re wasting time,” said Lisa, tapping her foot on the carpet. “Let’s get dressed and go.”

Shelly sucked in a sharp breath at the word “dressed.” Sweat was forming on her brow.

Lisa looked at her sympathetically. “It’s hard, I know.” She was already rummaging through Shelly’s closet. “Here, this dress is pretty loose.” Lisa held up a light blue sleeveless sundress.

“It’s also really short and thin,” replied Shelly. “I can’t wear that on its own!”

Lisa bit her lip. “Look, here’s how the loophole works. The curse acts on your mind. It makes you feel very uncomfortable when you’re wearing clothes, and normal when you’re naked. The more bare skin, the better. So if you wear something skimpy, and focus your mind on the parts of your body that are still unclothed, like really concentrate on the air against your skin, you feel okay. It can also help to try telling yourself you’re still naked.”

Shelly raised an eyebrow.

“Just try it, okay,” said Lisa, handing the dress to her friend. Then she turned to her own closet and started digging for an outfit. She found a short skirt and halter-top, which she quickly put on.

“See!” she said, spreading her arms in the air and doing a twirl. “I’m clothed! Ow! I mean, naked! Wink wink!”

“Did you really just say ‘wink wink’? And be careful about doing that in that skirt, it leaves nothing to the imagination.”

Absurdly, Lisa blushed. It was amazing that she could still feel embarrassed about flashing Shelly after being naked in front of her for so long. But she recovered herself and smiled, putting a hand on her hip. “See! It works!”

“Okay, I’ll try it,” Shelly replied. She looked at the dress in her hands like it was a particularly unappetizing meal that she was about to force down her throat.

“Just tell yourself you’re putting on a backpack,” said Lisa.

“Backpack,” Shelly repeated, gulping. With shaking hands, she put her arms inside the dress and pulled it over her head. “I’m wearing… a backpack.”

The bottom of the dress had barely cleared her breasts when she yanked it off again with a cry of anguish. “Hot! Hot! Hot!”

“Try again,” Lisa said. “Concentrate.”

Shelly did as she was instructed, but to no avail. No matter how hard she tried, she simply could not keep the dress on.

Lisa grimaced. Perhaps this curse was different in some way from her own. Or perhaps she had underestimated the amount of mental toughness that was required to resist its effects. She had spent weeks forcing herself to wear assorted items of clothing in their various experiments, and endured the agony of bath towels and the horrible olive dress. And under the influence of the counter-curse, she’d worn full, tight outfits. She’d conditioned herself to pain and built mental fortitude. She couldn’t expect the same of Shelly mere minutes after being cursed.

“I’m sorry, Lis,” said Shelly, her shoulders slumping in dejection. “It’s just too hot and too tight.”

Lisa pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. “Maybe it’s not as easy as I thought. I guess it takes time. But we haven’t got time. Debra and Claire are expecting us, and I need to talk to them. If we’re going to break these curses, we’ve all got to work together.”

Shelly said nothing.

“You’re not going to like this,” said Lisa, “but we have to get to their room as soon as possible. Clothes or no clothes.”

Shelly looked at the dress, which was now sprawled across her bed. She looked ready to throw up.

“I’m not going to make you do anything I won’t do,” said Lisa, pulling off her halter top. “Solidarity, sister!” At this, she yanked down her skirt and stepped out of it, naked once more.

Shelly whimpered and looked down, wrapping her arms tightly around her body. “It’s easy for you,” she muttered. “You’re hot. And thin. You’re not all blubbery and jiggly, like me…”

Lisa gasped. “Shelly!” She marched over to her friend and forcefully pulled her arms off her body. “You are not blubbery!”

“Oh save it,” said Shelly. “I’ve seen you streak. You’re a majestic gazelle. I’m a big waddling whale.”

Lisa raised Shelly’s chin and looked her firmly in the eyes. “Shelly, don’t ever say that about yourself. You’re beautiful, inside and out.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it,” said Lisa. “Your skin is flawless, you’ve got curves to die for, and those boobs! Wow!”

Shelly blushed. “R-really?”

“Absolutely,” said Lisa. “I’m straight, but I still have to force myself not to stare at your awesome tits.”

Shelly giggled. “You really don’t think I’m fat?”

“Of course not. A bit of jiggling is sexy as hell.”

“Thanks Lis.”

“No problem, gorgeous.”

Lisa put an arm around Shelly’s shoulders and the two girls stood for a moment, feeling the air against their bare skin and internalizing what they were about to do.

“We can take the tunnels from Colin’s dorm to Debra’s,” said Lisa. “But this building is too new to be connected to the underground network, so we’ll have to do the first leg outside.”

Shelly gulped. “We should put on shoes. I think I can handle shoes.”

Lisa’s eyes lit up. “We can do more than just shoes, Shelly! Maybe we can’t get dressed, but that doesn’t stop us from accessorizing—you proved it!”

A few minutes later, Lisa and Shelly stood in front of their dorm room door, steeling themselves for what was coming. They both wore comfortable socks and sturdy running shoes, and had their hair tied back in ponytails. They had also covered their faces. Lisa wore her owl mask, and Shelly had on a gold drama mask that looked like a prop from Eyes Wide Shut.

In addition, Shelly carried a small bag on her back, containing her cellphone and the key to their room. She’d also found a pair of gloves and a scarf. “This feels really weird,” she said.

“Welcome to my life,” Lisa replied, turning the door handle.

The streakers took off down the hallway.

* * *

“It’s really chilly!” Shelly whispered.

The two naked girls were tip-toeing along a wall, still some distance from Colin’s dorm. Lisa looked at her friend, who was visibly shivering, goosebumps across her skin, nipples hard enough to cut diamonds. She shrugging, feeling no different from usual.

“How are you not cold?” Shelly asked, between teeth chatters. It was late in the fall.

“I guess I’m used to it,” Lisa replied.

“I still can’t believe you were lost in the woods for that long! And you’re not sick, or starved, or anything!”

Lisa’s mind returned to her time in the wilderness. “It was better than being the witch’s slave. And you know what was really nice? Not having to worry about other people seeing me naked.”

Shelly’s eyes widened. “Here comes one now! Hide!”

And indeed, the sound of whistling was clear from around the corner of the wall, as was the sound of footfalls crunching leaves.

“Those bushes! Quick!”

Shelly and Lisa dove behind some low, thick bushes. Their bodies pressed against each other, and they hardly dared to breathe.

The footfalls stopped. The whistling slowed. Had the groundskeeper noticed something? Lisa’s mask rubbed against Shelly’s. She could feel her friend’s body shiver.

There was a moment of silence. Then a crunch. Leaves. The footsteps starting up again. The whistling resuming its normal cadence.

“Phew,” whispered Shelly, once the tuneless whistling had left earshot. Her whole body seemed to deflate as the breath she’d been holding went out of it.

Trying not to make a lot of noise, the girls slowly extricated themselves from the space between the bush and the wall, and from each other. “Sorry Shells,” said Lisa. “Nowhere else to put my hands!”

Shelly blushed as the two of them stood next to the bush. “Wow, what a rush.”

“Yeah,” replied Lisa, brushing down her legs. “That was really close.”

Shelly brushed some dirt off her arm. “What do you think he would have done if he’d found us?”

Lisa put a hand to her chin, “Well, public nudity’s not illegal, so I suppose the worst he could have done is scolded us for messing up the bushes.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah, someone in the city told me,” Lisa replied. “It’s only illegal if you get, like, sexual.”

Shelly cocked her head. “I guess that makes sense, kind of.”

The rest of the journey to Colin’s dorm room was uneventful. Very few people were wandering around campus that night, and so the two girls were able to make it all the way to the dorm without being spotted. Colin’s room was on the ground floor.

Lisa could feel her pulse quicken as they stepped from the welcome darkness of the night into the brightly lit dorm hallway. There was nowhere to hide here, so they would have to be quick. The girls exchanged glances and dashed for Colin’s door.

“Colin!” Lisa whispered, knocking softly. “It’s Lisa and Shelly! Let us in, quick!” She lifted the owl mask so it rested on the top of her head. Behind her, Shelly pulled her arms around herself and looked around nervously.

“Lisa!” came the overjoyed cry from inside the room. It was followed by a loud crash. And then the sound of some glass breaking. And then a cry of pain. And some swearing.

Finally, the door opened, and the two girls tumbled inside.

“Whoa!” said Colin, as Lisa flung herself into his arms. Their lips met. After a moment, he steadied himself and wrapped his arms around her lower back.

“You’re naked,” he said, once their kiss parted.

“I’ve got shoes on,” Lisa coyly replied.

“Did you come all this way naked? Where were you?”

“Yep, Shells and me just streaked all the way from our dorm to come fetch you.”

“Shelly’s naked too?”

Shelly squeaked, covering herself tighter.

Lisa frowned, stepped back from the hug. “Yeah, seems like all my friends are getting cursed these days.”

“Well don’t worry Shelly, I can’t see you,” said Colin. “That Bethany bitch came in here and said some weird words and now my eyes don’t work.”

Shelly relaxed slightly, but kept her arms over her breasts and pussy.

Colin’s room was a mess. He’d clearly walked into a lot of things since losing his eyesight.

“Let’s get going,” said Lisa, taking Colin’s hand in hers. “Hold my hand, we’re going to take the tunnels to Debra’s room for the meeting.”

Colin nodded. “Do you think she has a spell that will let me see again?”

“I think it might be… more complicated than that.” Lisa shot Shelly a knowing look. “But we’ll get it back. Whatever it takes.” Lisa narrowed her eyes with determination and slid her mask back down over her face. “I’m going to need you to compliment my outfits.”

* * *

Colin’s dorm was close to Debra’s, especially via underground tunnel. The two naked girls and the blind boy rushed through the dark, musty corridors, Shelly’s scarf flowing behind them. After a little trial and error, they found the entrance to Debra’s dorm building and ascended. Abandoning the concealing darkness for the fluorescent lights was daunting, but at least now Lisa and Shelly were able to push Colin out in front of them.

The door to Debra and Claire’s room opened on the first knock, and Debra ushered them in. Her hair was all over the place and there were deep lines under her eyes. She clearly hadn’t been getting much sleep, though she was dressed in flannel pajamas.

A broad smile at the sight of her friends brightened her haggard complexion. Once the door was firmly shut, Lisa and Shelly removed their masks to return her smile. Colin smiled politely in the wrong direction.

Debra pulled Lisa into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I was afraid the witch had captured you…”

“Well, she kind of did,” said Lisa. “I got away. But what happened to you? You just… disappeared! There was smoke coming off your clothes! I thought… I thought…”

Debra’s expression turned into one of alarm. “I should have warned you about that, I guess. But to be honest, I’d forgotten about it.”

Lisa made a face. “I don’t understand.”

Debra motioned towards Claire’s bed. “Take a seat, we’ve got a lot to discuss.”

Lisa sat down. “Hey Claire,” she said, to the bed’s other occupant, who nodded at her, smiling sadly. She was dressed in her standard athleisure wear, a tight-fitting, midriff-baring black top and leggings, and was sitting in a very stiff, upright position.

Shelly sat down on the bed at the other end of the room, and Colin took one of the girl’s desk chairs. Debra strode into the middle of the room and officially opened the meeting. “First order of business: answering Lisa’s question.”

Lisa leaned forward in anticipation.

“My mom got me started with magic. She’s… not around any more. One of the first things she did when I started learning was cast a ward on me, to keep me safe. If I’m ever in the presence of powerful, hostile magic, and it’s too much for me to handle, the ward kicks in and transports me back to a safe place. That’s what happened in the boutique.”

Lisa nodded. “That must take a lot of magic.”

Debra did a double-take. “Y-yes, it does. That’s… very perceptive. The truth is, the ward only activated after she passed away. It’s kind of like… I have a piece of her, all around me, even now.”

“That’s really special,” said Shelly. “Your mom must have loved you a lot.”

“She did,” Debra replied, looking up at the ceiling. “But the boutique witch—Annabelle, that’s her name—is very crafty. The air of her shop is thick with her own wards, and one of them caught me before I teleported out of there.”

Lisa cocked her head. “But you’re wearing clothes.”

“Oh, I was scared of that. When I found myself back in my room, naked, the first thing I did was put on some clothes, just to see if I’d been hit by your curse, Lisa.” Debra tugged at her pajama top. “I wasn’t.”

“No need to rub it in,” Lisa said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Debra smiled at Lisa. “I’d prefer if I had been, honestly. Instead, Annabelle’s magic seems to have twisted and amplified my mom’s ward. Now, instead of being transported back to my room when I’m in danger, I simply can’t leave. Here, let me demonstrate.”

Debra marched forward and pulled open her door, causing the naked girls in the room to shrink back. She took a step forward and appeared to hit an invisible wall. “Ow!”

“Wow,” said Lisa. “Shelly told me you couldn’t leave your room, but I didn’t expect it to be that literal.”

“Yeah, it sucks,” replied Debra. “And before you ask, I’ve tried it naked as well. Watch.”

At that, she pulled off her pajama top and pushed down her pajama bottoms before trying to walk through the door again, with the same result. “See? This curse won’t even let me embarrass myself in public!” She closed the door and returned to the other end of the room, not bothering to dress again.

Colin sighed. “I can’t believe there are three naked girls in here now, and I had to be blind.”

Shelly blushed and Debra rolled her eyes. “Careful mister,” Lisa said playfully.

“So that was the state of things, up until today,” continued Debra. “We figured you were captured by the witch Annabelle, Lisa, and we were busy making plans to rescue you. Colin got his brother to lend him his car, and I was researching all kinds of stuff about curses and counter-curses, and defensive and offensive magic. And about Annabelle herself. We found out where she lives and everything.”

Lisa recited Annabelle’s address, and Debra nodded. “To be honest, we didn’t have much of a plan, but at least we had that part right.”

“Claire and I figured we’d just beat the witch up or something,” said Colin, shrugging. “It wasn’t much of a plan, really.”

“But then you came back on your own!” Debra continued. “…right when everyone else got cursed by Bethany. Who is a witch, apparently.”

“They’re the same person,” Lisa said. “Annabelle is Bethany. And she’s also Wendy, our RA. I had wondered why all my enemies seemed to be redheads.”

Debra slapped her forehead. “Of course! I thought I smelled polymorph residue…”

Lisa told the group about everything she’d been through since she last saw them. How the police had chased her through the city, and how she’d fallen into the river and washed up alone in the woods. How she’d survived there, until she found the witch’s cabin, and how Annabelle had taken her prisoner. How she’d lived for weeks without clothes, exposed to the elements. And finally, how she’d resisted the curse and outsmarted the witch, at least temporarily.

The audience was enraptured, at turns fascinated and horrified. Debra asked a number of questions about the spells Annabelle had practised on her, and Claire was obsessed with her time in the wilderness.

“You’re really something, Lisa,” said Colin, once the story was finished.

“I can’t believe she wanted to keep you as a slave for that long!” Claire said, her voice quivering with anger. “And marry you off to some old creep. But at least we only have one witch to worry about.”

Lisa smiled at Claire, who had been sitting unnaturally still throughout the meeting. “What did she curse you with?” Lisa asked.

“I can’t move my legs,” said Claire. She strained for a moment, and then released an exhausted breath.

“It’s worse than that,” added Debra. “She’s totally immobile. Try pushing her, Lisa.”

Lisa gave Claire’s side a gentle push, but found no give. She pushed harder, but still the girl would not budge. Even with her considerable curse-enhanced strength, Lisa could not make Claire move an inch.

“It’s like everything below my shoulders is encased in stone,” Claire said, vainly trying to pulling one of her legs up with both arms.

“Weird,” said Lisa.

“You’re the lucky one, Shelly,” said Claire, catching the eyes of the naked girl across the room from her. “At least you can still move around. Debra and I are trapped.”

“We have to do something about this,” said Lisa. “There’s got to be a way to lift these curses. All of them.”

Three desperate pairs of eyes looked at Debra pleadingly. Colin continued to stare blankly at the opposite wall.

“There is,” Debra said. She walked over to her desk, pulled open the top drawer, and pulled out a sharpened stick. “We kill the witch.”

Shelly gasped.

“More precisely, Lisa kills the witch,” Debra continued, kneeling before Lisa and offering the wooden stake to her.

“You want Lisa to drive that thing into her heart?” Shelly asked, incredulous. “First off, I thought those were for vampires. And second off, what?!”

Debra smirked. “I think you’ll find that most things will die when you stick a stake through their heart. And to your second point, have you seen our girl Lisa lately? Check out those stomach muscles!”

The muscles on the sides of Lisa’s stomach were indeed strong and defined, though without being unsightly. There was almost no fat on her belly. Her arms and legs were powerful and toned.

“You’ve got unnatural strength, Lisa, I can sense it,” said Debra. “Strength and power. It’s in the way you stand, the way you move. Somehow, maybe not even consciously, you’ve harnessed the magic energy of this curse. I know you’ve thought about overpowering the witch. I can see it in your eyes.”

Lisa reached out a hand and took the wooden stake from Debra.

“Magic is all about karma,” Debra continued. “What she’s done to you—to us—is totally out of proportion with what you did to her. She’s evil, and she’s not going to stop. Not unless you stop her.”

“Is there any other way?” Lisa asked, turning the sharp wooden implement around in her hands.

“Well,” said Debra, drawing herself up, “I’ve already tried fixing your curse myself, and you see where that got us. Ever since our trip to the boutique, I’ve been studying every aspect of the magic we encountered there, and every question I ask has this answer. Kill the witch to break her curses.”

“But what if it doesn’t?” asked Shelly. “You told us yourself that your mom’s ward only activated after she…”

“Casting a spell that lasts beyond your own death requires a lot of power,” Debra replied. “Power has many sources, but the most enduring source is love. No spell cast with malicious intent can outlast the caster. It’s one of the ways that magic balances itself out.”

“Okay…” said Shelly, frowning. “Sounds made up, but, I guess so does all of this magic stuff. Couldn’t you give us a way to, like, neutralize the witch? Without killing her?”

“I’ve been looking for something like that, but I haven’t found it,” replied Debra. “There are a few spells I could try mixing together to achieve that, but I don’t know what the side effects would be. And it’s a moot point anyway, because I can’t leave this room.”

“Couldn’t you teach us the spell?” asked Lisa.

Debra shook her head. “Magic at that level takes years of practice and study. If I gave you a spell, and you said just one word wrong, who knows what could happen? You might end up turning yourself into frogs!” She spread her arms out for dramatic effect.

“What if we get arrested for murder?” asked Colin.

“The world of magic has different laws,” said Debra. “It’s too complicated to explain now, but we witches have been killing each other beyond the gaze of mundane law enforcement for hundreds of years. These things have a way of… working themselves out.”

There was a long silence, as everyone in the room tried to think of other ways to defeat the witch. But Debra seemed to have a counter for everything.

Lisa looked down at the wooden implement in her hands. “I guess this is the only way.”

* * *

“I can’t believe we’re about to do this,” Shelly said. She was seated in the back of Colin’s brother’s car, her back pressed tightly against the seat. She had a blanket over her shoulders, and she’d found that if she didn’t hold it too tight, it wasn’t too uncomfortable. Neither it nor her thin scarf provided much cover for her sizable breasts.

“We don’t have a choice,” said Lisa, her eyes firmly on the road. It had been a long time since she’d driven, but driver’s ed had come back to her pretty quickly. This was the first time she’d driven a car naked. Luckily, it was dark and late, and the roads were largely empty.

“Maybe if Debra could have come with us, she’d be able to do it with magic,” Colin said from the passenger seat. “But she can’t.”

After the meeting concluded, the three mobile members of the group had piled into Colin’s brother’s car and set out for the witch’s house.

“I’ve been thinking about something you said earlier, Lisa,” said Shelly. “About public nudity.”

“That it’s legal?”

“Yes. Maybe… maybe we have another option here.”

“What are you suggesting?”

Shelly bit her lip and looked out of the window. “Well, um, maybe we could just… live with the curses.”

“What?!” The car swerved, but Lisa quickly regained control.

“I’m sorry!” Shelly squealed. “I know it’s not ideal, but, well, are we really about to go and kill this woman? Are we actually capable of that? And what if we fail? What if she puts even worse curses on us?”

Lisa was fuming. “So you’re saying Colin should stay blind, and Debra and Claire should spend the rest of their lives in that dorm room? And the two of us should just become full-time nudists?”

Shelly sniffed. “I know it’s horrible, but there are a lot of blind people out there. And a lot of shut-ins. Remember the pandemic? Maybe… maybe Debra can still find some way to dispel the curses herself, if she just spends more time on it.”

“And we should run around campus with our tits out,” Lisa added sarcastically.

Shelly blushed deeply. “It’s not like we’d be doing it because we’re sluts. You said yourself, public lewdness is still very illegal.”

Lisa sighed, tilting the steering wheel to take the highway exit. “I’ve thought about it. I mean, I’m used to being naked now. There’ve been days when I don’t even think about how exposed I feel, or that I should be wearing clothes. I barely remember how it feels to have all that fabric on my skin.”

“It’s still really weird for me,” Shelly chimed in. “I hate it, and I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. That story you told us about going to the supermarket, being on display for all those people… urgh! It’s worse than my worst nightmare!”

“Then why are you suggesting it?”

“Because… because… I don’t want to make you do this, Lisa!” Shelly’s voice came out in an anguished scream. “It’s insane! We’re about to kill someone! If it’s a choice between that and letting the whole campus see my naked body for the rest of the year, I will streak with a smile.”

“And if it’s the rest of your life?” asked Lisa.

“Even then.”

The car drove on in silence as they entered the city.

“And what if we fail?” Shelly asked. “We all know how dangerous that witch is. Trying to kill her is going to make her really mad. Who knows what curses she’ll put on us then?”

“We won’t fail,” Lisa said, her voice drained of emotion.

“You don’t know that!”

Lisa looked away from the road for a moment and turned her head to meet Shelly’s gaze. Both girls’ eyes were brimming with tears.

“If it was just me that was cursed, maybe I could live with it,” said Lisa. “I’d have to do a lot of explaining, but I think people would understand. And maybe I’d even get used to it, after a while. There are even advantages, I suppose. No need to buy clothes, or decide what outfit to wear every day. And I’m sure you’d enjoy it, Colin.”

“Really missing my eyesight right now,” Colin replied.

Lisa continued, “And if it were just the two of us, Shelly, then you could do the same. But it’s not. This witch has cursed all of my friends now, and both Colin and Claire are literally disabled as a result. All because of a stupid thing I did as a teenager. All to get an invite to some party so I could bat my eyelashes in front of a boy who didn’t know I existed.”

“It’s not your fault,” said Shelly. “No-one deserves what she’s done to you. Any debt you might have had has been paid, many times over.”

“Oh, I know that. But it’s my responsibility to set things right. Before Annabelle curses anyone else.”

There was another long period of silence. City had given way to suburbs, and the car was fast approaching the home of Lady Annabelle.

“You don’t have to come all the way,” said Lisa. “Neither of you. I’ll park the car at the other end of the street and walk to the witch’s house. This is my fight.”

“We’re not leaving you,” said Colin.

Shelly took a deep breath. “I don’t like, but you’re my best friend. I’m coming with too.”

Lisa looked back at her friend’s face, which was still stained with tears, but had now hardened into a resolute expression. The wooden stake sat menacingly on the dashboard.

* * *

It was around two o’clock in the morning when Colin’s brother’s car pulled up in front of the gothic two-story abode belonging to Lady Annabelle. Lisa put the car into park and unclipped her seat-belt. Then she looked to her side, at the blind man staring out of the window.

“Kiss for luck?” she asked, turning his head to hers. As they kissed, she reached for one of his hands, and placed it on her right breast. He squeezed. Also for luck.

Lisa took the stake from the dashboard and climbed out of the car. Shelly and Colin climbed out as well, Colin trailing and hand on the car to guide him around it.

The wind whipped up, and Shelly shivered.

“I’m going to make a promise to you,” Lisa said. “After tonight, we’re never going to streak again.”

Shelly smiled and nodded, pulling her blanket a little tighter. It was too short to cover her ass, and she couldn’t wrap it around herself without feeling claustrophobic, so it hung open around her shoulders.

Lisa opened the trunk of the car and pulled out a canvas bag. Inside the bag was a wad of cash that covered the price of the shoplifted top, and Lisa’s clothes. It was the same outfit she’d been wearing when it all started, back in the lecture hall at start of the term. Black bra and panties, white jeans, black sleeveless top, green sweater, boots. The outfit that her friends had planned to bring her on their rescue mission.

She put the bag down on Annabelle’s lawn and started to get dressed.

First, panties. Then bra. They were uncomfortable, but bearable. She returned to her old trick of focusing on the unclothed parts of her body. She felt fully clothed already, and considered stopping, but decided to continue. She wanted Annabelle to see the failure of her curse.

Next was the black top. She pulled it down, grimacing at the unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation of tight fabric against her tummy. She focused on the bare skin of her legs. But then it was time for the jeans. After kicking off her streaking shoes, she hiked the tight white jeans up her legs and fastened them at the top. Sweat was forming on her brow as she focused her thoughts on her bare arms and pulled on her boots.

Finally, Lisa pulled the over-sized green sweater over her head. She smoothed it out at the front, concentrating on the naked skin of her hands, and the bare skin of her neck. She was hot and everything felt stiff.

“Wow,” said Shelly, who had let go of her blanket and allowed it to drape across her shoulders. “Just watching you do that made me uncomfortable.”

“I’m okay,” replied Lisa, her voice straining. “And I’ll feel even better when we break the curse.”

Lisa turned and walked towards the witch’s front door. She turned the knob and found it open. Annabelle was, after all, expecting her, though perhaps not this early. She pulled the knob and led the others inside, Colin holding fast to her clothed shoulder.

Shelly quietly shut the door behind them, and Lisa dropped the wad of cash on an end table in the entrance hall. She had now definitively paid her debt, and karma would be on her side. At least, that was the hope.

Being careful to stay quiet, the three crept up the staircase. The weight of Lisa’s boots felt strange, and they made a slight squeaking noise as she stepped. It was odd, not feeling the thick carpet between her toes. To be so shielded from the world around her. Protected, in many ways, but at the cost of a dulling of the senses. Lisa realized how accustomed she’d become to feeling the world around her on her skin.

“Wait here,” she whispered, as they stood outside the closed door of the witch’s bedroom. “If I scream, come get me.”

Colin and Shelly nodded.

Right hand gripping the wooden stake, Lisa pulled open the bedroom door and slipped inside, leaving it ajar.

Lisa knew the room well, as she’d had to clean it many times. It was dominated in the center by a four-poster bed. On the right side of the bed lay Lady Annabelle, sleeping on her back. Her long red hair bunched on the pillow.

Lisa crept towards the bed and stood over the witch. Her clothes were feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Willing her left hand to remain steady, she reached down and gingerly lifted the blanket, turning it over to expose Lady Annabelle’s chest, which was covered by a sheer nightgown. It rose and fell with her breathing.

Stake held tightly in her right hand, Lisa stood over the witch. She looked down at the serene sleeping face, the slowly rising and falling chest. All she had to do was bring the stake down on the left side of that chest, and it would all be over. The hot, constricted feeling all across her body, the feeling that made her want to rip off her clothes, would disappear. Colin would be able to see again, and Debra and Claire would be free.

Just a quick, strong, thrust. That’s all she needed to do.

A bead of sweat fell from Lisa’s forehead and hit the witch’s bosom. Lisa drew in a sharp breath.

Suddenly, she was staring into the deep brown, angry eyes of Lady Annabelle.

For a moment, nothing moved. Then everything moved. The blanket on the bed shot up, whipping Lisa in the face, and she stumbled back. Annabelle jumped to her feet, and then was grabbing Lisa’s wrists. Her grip was strong. Lisa tried to resist, but it felt as though all of the strength had drained from her body.

“My my, you’re a bit overdressed, aren’t you Lisa?” said the witch. “And what’s this? A stake? You’ve got to be careful with those things, they can really hurt someone.” Annabelle shook Lisa’s right wrist violently, and the stake flew out of her hand.

The door burst open, and Shelly rushed into the room. Colin was close behind her, his hand on her shoulder. She’d dropped the blanket outside, and for the first time seemed to forget her nudity. She and Colin had raised fists, and were ready to come to Lisa’s rescue.

“How cute, more slaves,” said the witch. She released Lisa’s left wrist and waved her handed around, speaking guttural magic phrases.

At once, Colin and Shelly halted in their tracks and stiffened up. The witch smiled. “Strip her,” she said, shoving Lisa into the arms of her friends.

Limbs moving unnaturally, Colin and Shelly pawed at Lisa’s clothes. “I don’t know what’s happening!” Shelly screamed, as her hands gripped Lisa’s sweater.

“It’s not me, honest!” cried Colin, who was busy unbuckling Lisa’s belt.

Lisa thrashed and squirmed, but to no avail. Where had her strength gone? She’d knocked out a purse-snatcher, punched out a lecherous frogman, carried enormous loads of washing and moved heavy furniture like it was nothing. Debra had noted her supernatural strength, but where was it now?

Shelly soon had Lisa’s sweater over her head, and tossed it in a corner, as Colin was hiking her jeans down her legs. “Sorry!” Shelly said, as she slid her fingers under Lisa’s top and removed that too. She could feel Colin’s fingers slip into her panties. This wasn’t quite how she’d imagined it would happen, though a part of her still enjoyed his touch.

Shelly unhooked her bra as Colin pulled off her last boot and sock. Lisa’s clothes fell about her. She had returned to her natural state, her skin once again in contact with the whole world. The witch looked at her with sick triumph. Then her eyes turned to Colin.

She sauntered towards him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “She likes you,” Annabelle said. With her other hand, she reached down and squeezed his crotch. “And you like her.” Colin gasped at the touch.

“It’s big,” the witch said, winking at Lisa. “I think I’ll give this one some… special duties.”

Lisa growled with rage. Something felt different.

The the witch looked at Shelly. “Restrain her.”

Shelly grabbed Lisa’s arms and tried to pull them around her back. But Lisa’s arms weren’t moving. While Shelly’s controlled body strained against her friend, her face lit up with hope.

As gently as she could, Lisa shook off Shelly’s grip. She advanced on the witch.

“W-what?” Lady Annabelle cried. “I said restrain her!”

Shelly took a step forward, but was too slow. Lisa had already set up on Annabelle, pouncing on her like an animal. The witch’s back slammed against the wall, and Lisa held fast to her wrists.

“W-what’s happening?” screamed Annabelle, wriggling uselessly against Lisa. She tried to chant a magic spell, but Lisa headbutted her and pressed her wrists still harder into the wall. “How are you so strong?”

“You did this to me,” Lisa growled. “Your curse got up in my brain, made me feel all kinds of things, things that weren’t real. But it’s still my brain, and I’m in control. It’s over, Annabelle.”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll turn you to ashes!” Annabelle shrieked.

“Pfft, I’ve seen your magic,” Lisa said. “I remember how exhausted you were just shaving some hair. You’re not that powerful, Annabelle. All you can do is trick people, do stuff to their minds. Nothing real, nothing lasting. And nothing we can’t overcome.”

“Shut up!”

“You saw me earlier, fully clothed,” said Lisa. “I did that despite your fucking curse. You have no power over me, and you have no power over my friends!”

At this, Colin and Shelly rushed to Lisa’s aid, grabbing the witch’s legs. Lady Annabelle stood pressed against the wall, unable to move, her face contorted in rage.

“Now, where’s that stake? Ah, thank you Shelly.” Lisa released one of the witch’s arms, twisted it behind her back, and took the stake that was handed to her. She brought her arm back, ready to strike.

Lady Annabelle screamed. She screamed loud and long, and the room around them began to turn strange colors. Glowing colored lines appeared in the air, all of them winding towards Annabelle.

There was a rush of air, and a thunderclap, like a vacuum filling, as all the magic in the room appeared to be sucked in Lady Annabelle. Her face went green, like she was about to puke, and her mouth fell open. A large ball of multicolored light floated out and hovered in the air for a moment, pulsing.

Then it exploded.

Bodies went flying. Lisa felt her back hit the side of the bed, and she slumped down. She heard Shelly and Colin groan. The room was full of smoke.

“A—are you guys okay?” Lisa asked.

“Yes,” said Shelly, shakily.

“I’m—I can see!” Colin exclaimed. “I can see!”

The smoke cleared, and Lisa met Colin’s gaze for the first time in weeks. His smile looked about to burst his cheeks. “Looking good, Lisa,” he said. “You too, Shelly.”

Shelly, sitting with her back against the witch’s closet door, blushed and covered herself.

The smoke in the room dissipated slowly. It was thickest in the center, over the curled up body of a woman. Finally it parted to reveal a dumpy college girl with curly ginger hair, a few scraps of singed nightgown sticking to her freckled skin. She shivered in the cold and let out a low, pathetic whimper.

“Wendy,” said Lisa.

Wendy pushed herself up with her arms and moved her head frantically. “It’s so dark, and I can’t move my legs! And, urgh, this is so hot!” She pulled the remnants of the nightgown from her body, then seemed to realize something. “Oh no.”

Lisa smiled. “Welcome to my world.”

Then Wendy disappeared.

“Whoa!” said Colin. “What the hell?!”

“I have a feeling I know where she is,” said Lisa. “I think she just got all our curses. We’ll check in on her back at campus.”

Having neglected to bring an outfit of her own, Shelly put on a dress from the witch’s closet. It fit perfectly, and felt completely normal. “We’re cured, Lisa,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.

Lisa hugged her, and beckoned Colin to join them. He wrapped his arm around both girls, against the silky fabric of the witch’s dress and Lisa’s bare back. They held the hug for a long time, profusely thanking each other for everything. The long nightmare was finally over.

The hug separated, and the three stood looking at each other. “Lisa,” Shelly said, “you can get dressed again.”

“Oh,” Lisa replied, looking down at her skin, “yeah, I guess I can.” She looked over at Colin. “But, since you’ve already undressed me, I thought we could celebrate.” She took a step towards him, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, and glanced meaningfully at the witch’s bed.

Colin’s eyes looked about ready to pop out of his skull.

Shelly blushed and headed for the door. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

The door had barely clicked closed before Lisa’s hands were on Colin’s belt. “Now it’s my turn.”

* * *

Lisa was awoken by the sound of birds. Sunlight streamed into the room through a crack in the curtains. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and glanced over at Colin, still sleeping beside her in the witch’s bed. Lisa rubbed her hand on his back and slipped out from the luxurious covers.

The last few nights, in what already felt like a different lifetime, she’d slept atop a threadbare mattress with panties on, which she hurriedly removed in the morning before reporting for naked slave duty. This morning, for the first morning in forever, she could get dressed.

Her clothes were strewn around the room, still in the places where they’d landed when Annabelle had forced Shelly and Colin to strip her. She gathered them up and dumped them in the middle of the carpet. Then, after taking one last look at her strong, tanned body in the mirror, she put them on.

First came her panties. With a slight hesitation borne of the memories of her curse, Lisa stepped into them and slowly pulled them up. The fabric was soft against her skin. As it closed around her crotch, she braced herself for pain, but it didn’t come. She was cured. For real this time. No more heat, no more claustrophobia, no more mind games. Everything was normal again.

Lisa’s eyes grew misty as she clipped on her bra. The feeling of constriction on her chest was strange and unfamiliar after so long, but not unbearable in the way it had been before. It felt like it was supposed to, just a little uncomfortable.

Lisa pulled on her jeans next, and then her top. This time, she was able to focus on the feeling of fabric on skin that had been exposed for so long. It felt like waking up after a long, strange dream.

Finally, she pulled on her boots and sweater. She surveyed the final result in the mirror. The absence of skin was uncanny. It felt like she was looking at someone else’s body with her head. She moved her arms and wiggled her hips, just to assure herself it was really her in the mirror.

Lisa exited the bedroom and proceeded down the hall. She walked normally, head held up, with no need to dart between cover or hide from onlookers. A long forgotten confidence returned to her with the knowledge that she could go anywhere and do anything without attracting undue attention. It was good to be normal.

She found Shelly in the witch’s kitchen, making breakfast. Shelly had slept in the guest room, and was still wearing the dress from the night before. Her face lit up at the sight of Lisa, fully clothed.

“I love this, Shells,” Lisa said, doing a quick twirl. “A gal could really get used to the feeling of fabric on her skin.”

* * *

The girl who called herself Wendy sat cross-legged in the middle of her dorm room. The curtains were drawn, and an array of candles was arranged around her, casting flickering shadows. The smell of incense suffused the air.

A second girl stood in front of her, making upward motions with her arms. Between the two of them, a textbook hung suspended in midair.

“A little less jerky—yes, that’s it. Now hold it there. Concentrate. Very good, Debra.”

Debra kept her focus on the textbook she was levitating, but allowed the ends of her mouth to curl up in a slight smile. She had on a loose sundress.

Her mentor sat naked, with a large cushion underneath her butt. Her breasts bounced when she gesticulated to demonstrate spells to her student, which she hated. Although it had been months since that terrible day, she still couldn’t stand to wear clothes for more than five minutes at a time.

Her eyesight was improving though. Through Wendy’s glasses, she could make out the general shapes of things. And she was starting to regain feeling in her legs.

She couldn’t do magic anymore, though, and she wasn’t sure that would ever come back. Really, she was lucky to have survived such a concentrated magic implosion, and lucky that she was slowly recovering. Tutoring Lisa’s witchling friend seemed to be helping.

Debra brought the book gently to the ground and waited for her next instruction. She was a good, fast learner. Annabelle was loathe to admit it, but Debra had the makings of a witch far more powerful than she had ever been. A witch able to make dents in reality itself, something she’d always battled with. Already, she was showing greater ability with teleportation than Annabelle ever had.

Annabelle glanced down at her body. It was a cruel joke, leaving her stuck in the form of this homely RA, with her fatty thighs, drooping tits, impossible curly hair, and all these freckles! “Wendy” was a character she’d invented solely to torment Lisa, and now she had become Wendy.

At least the body was young. That gave her time.

* * *

Her curse finally gone for good, Lisa returned to the life of an ordinary student. Despite having missed most of the semester’s lectures, and being several weeks behind on her classes, she managed to catch up and do respectably well in her exams. Her lecturers were surprised at the sudden appearance of this eager, engaged and diligent lady. A few of them thought she was a transfer student.

The adjustment back to normal student life was successful, if a little dull. After everything Lisa had been through, returning to the humdrum world of studying, sitting around with friends, and going out, felt a little flat at times. She was happy, for the most part, and enjoyed making new friends and learning new things, all the while being just another normal student. Occasionally, she would recognize the face of an art student who she’d modeled for, and sometimes they’d recognize her too, but she looked quite different with clothes on.

It felt good to be able to blend into the crowd, to not have to sit in her room all the time, or furtively run around at night for fear of being seen. It felt good, when she was seen, to not become a spectacle. Of course she was still an object of attention, as an attractive young lady, but there was only so much to see with all her layers of clothing, especially as the winter rolled around.

Trudging through the snow one morning, boots crunch on the ground, coat tightly buttoned, and a thick scarf wound around her neck, Lisa was grateful for the ability to wear clothes, something she would never take for granted again.

Putting on, taking off and changing clothes became part of her life again. At first, it would take a long time, as she had become a cautious dresser, still waiting for her body to freak out at the last bit of clothing. But she got faster, and it soon became normal again.

Winter rolled into spring, and spring into summer. She continued to hang out with Shelly and Debra and Claire, and continued to see Colin. Her body, she told him one night, was now reserved for his eyes only.

But not every aspect of the curse had disappeared.

At the end of the academic year, Lisa returned home for the summer vacation. Her parents congratulated her on her academic achievements, and would remark to each other about how quickly she had grown up, how much she had matured in just a year.

One morning about a week into the vacation, they announced to Lisa that they would be holding a barbeque in the yard that afternoon. This had been planned for some time, but they’d forgotten to tell her about it earlier, and forgotten to even plan for it themselves. They needed her to mow the lawn and get everything ready for when the guests would start arriving, while they went to buy food and refreshments from the store. Lisa assured them she was up to the task.

As she heard the sound of her dad’s car pulling out of the driveway, Lisa rushed into the backyard. After double-checking that none of the neighbors were in their yards, she pulled off her top and shorts, the only things she was wearing. Lisa then sprang into action, a tan streak racing the lawnmower across the yard.

An hour later, her parents returned, laden with shopping bags.

“Lisa, we’re— wow!” Her mom stood slack-jawed, staring at the vista that had been their backyard.

“Tada!” Lisa said, motioning towards the cleanly cut grass; the neatened flower beds; the pile of neatly raked leaves in the corner; the chairs and tables all set up with table cloths; the barbeque, clean and ready to go; and even the lines of bunting she found in the shed and hung up.

“How’d you do all this so quickly?” her dad asked.

“Oh, nothing special,” she replied, fingering the hem of her top. “Just raw talent, really.”

The End