End of Days: The Temptation of April, Part 3

END OF DAYS:  THE TEMPTATION OF APRIL
by UCIBOY

BEGIN PART III

When April awoke the next morning, the images of her dream were foggy at best.
What stood out most in her mind, however, was the image of hersel as slim and
beautiful smoking a cigarette.  She had heard before that smoking might be a
way to reduce a person's weight, and so she was thus looking forward to seeing
Jezzie that day after school and pursue further this weight loss option.  And
as the two women grew to be closer friends, April continued her visits with
her Chinese neighbor, smoking at least a couple of cigarettes with her at the
kitchen table before heading home to do her homework.  

At first April told herself she was just being polite by smoking with Jezzie;
but by the end of the week she had to admit to herself that she was growing
quite fond of smoking with her friend who taught her all the inhale and exhale
tricks that she could imagine.  She took some pride at becoming so well versed
in the art of smoking.  But when Jezzie told her that she might be out of town
for a while, April couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Is it me you'll miss, or the smoking?" Jezzie teased as she tapped her
cigarette over the ashtray on the table.

"Both!" April said as smoke cascaded down from her nostrils just the way
Jezzie taught her to do it, though in truth she thought she might miss the
smoking just a bit more than her friend.

Jezzie stood up and walked over to the cupboard to pull out two packs of VS
120s menthols from her carton.  "Here," she said, "these should tied you over
until I get back."

"No, Jezzie, I shouldn't.  It's bad enough that I've been smoking every day
this week with you?"

"Bad?!" Jezzie said in a cute, sassy tone.  "Don't lie to me, girl friend.  I
know you like it!"

"I do!" April replied.  "That's the problem.  I think I like it too much."

Jezzie sat down and put her hand on April's.  "I think I know what the real
problem is.  You don't have anyone else to smoke with, do you?"  Jezzie had a
sympathetic expression on her face as she continued to hold April's hand.
"Wouldn't it be cool if you could make anyone a smoker?"

"Come on," April replied as she tried to gently pull her hand back - but
Jezzie held it tighter.

"No, I'm serious," Jezzie replied in a serious tone.  "Just think of it.  What
if everyone had to obey your command to smoke?  Wouldn't that just be so
wicked?  Then you could smoke whenever and wherever you wanted!"

April gave a little giggle.  "Yeah, that would be pretty cool."

"Not just cool," Jezzie whispered, "wicked."

April couldn't help but give an evil smile at the thought of the power Jezzie
suggested.  Suddenly she began to feel that cold but comforting shiver move
through her again, but this time with much greater force.  She looked across
at Jezzie who smiled at her as she continued to hold her hand.

"I've given you a gift, April," she said warmly as she put the two packs into
the teenager's purse, "the power to make people smoke.  They will obey your
every command."

Feeling dizzy after that last shiver and uncomfortable from the tone in
Jezzie's voice, she thought that it was probably a good time for her to leave.
"I should head home now," she said as she pulled her hand back.

"Yes," Jezzie said calmly, "it's time for you to go now.  You've got a big
journey ahead of you."

"I'm just going next door," April giggled.

"But remember one thing," Jezzie added as if April had just said nothing,
"absolute power corrupts absolutely."

With a quizzical expression, April replied, "I'll keep that in mind."  She
began to walk out of the kitchen, but then she turned to glance back at Jezzie
who sat there staring at her with a distorted smile on her face as she brought
the cigarette to the corner of her mouth and made the tip glow.

"Call me when you get back?" April asked.

"Don't worry," Jezzie responded mysteriously, "I'll be in touch."

++++++++++++++++++++++

When April opened her eyes on Saturday morning, she started to make a mental
list of the things she had to do that day:  except for helping out at the
restaurant, she couldn't think of anything else - and so she looked forward to
a relaxing day.  She got up out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Still fat," she murmured.  She felt hungry, but then remembered that she had
the cigarettes in her purse that Jezzie had given her.  How nice it would be
to be able to light one up, she wondered as she reached for one of the packs
in her purse.

"April!" she heard her mother yell.

April quickly hid the pack back in her purse.  "There goes that idea," she
murmured.

"April, get up!" her mother yelled again outside her bedroom door.  "You clean
house today."

"Me?" April replied angrily as she swung the door open.  "What about Candy?
Why can't she clean the house."

"Your sister have gym practice today.  No can clean house.  You do."

"I'm like a frickin' work horse around here," she murmured bitterly as she
moved to the bathroom.

"You talk back to me, eh?  You no like live here, then go?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," April said as she closed the bathroom door.  She had heard
it all before from her Mom.  

"Hey fatso," April's sister cried out from the hallway, "don't take a shower
now.  I have to take one first so I can leave."

April wrapped her hands tightly around the edge of the bathroom counter as she
tried to control her anger.  It was so difficult to think Christian thoughts
living in this house, she often joked to herself, because she hated the people
that she was living with - most of all her spoiled brat sister.  "Man do I
need a cigarette," she thought to herself - but she would have to sneak out of
the house later to do it.  After she cleaned the house, that is.

+++++++++++++++++

When her Mother and sister finally left, April was relieved to have some peace
and quiet.  After spending several hours cleaning the house, April sat down on
the couch to take a rest - and as soon as she did so, Angel - the family
German shepherd - came up to lick her face.  "You love me, don't you Angel?"
The dog continued to show her the kind of affection that she would never get
from the rest of her family.

April knew that she still had to go to the restaurant to work, but not before
taking a little nap on the couch which felt so comfortable.  But not more than
two minutes after April closed her eyes, she heard a voice calling her name in
a soft echo.

"April...."

The teenager thought she imagined the voice and kept her eyes closed.

"April?" the voice said a little louder.

"Who's there?" April opened her eyes and saw Jezzie standing a few feet away
from her, holding her signature 120 cigarette just to the side of her cheek.
"Jezzie!  What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, April."

Worried that her Mom or sister would smell smoke in the house, April said,
"You shouldn't smoke in here, Jezzie.  You're gonna get me in trouble."

"Don't worry, girl friend," Jezzie said in a smoky exhale after taking a deep
puff on her 120, "no one's home.  Why don't you join me?"

April was certainly tempted, but said, "No, I shouldn't."

"That's why you should," Jezzie replied with a giggle.  

Suddenly a pack of Virginia Slims 120's and a lighter appeared in April's lap.
She picked up the magical present in shock, and then she smiled as she looked
back towards Jezzie.  "This is a dream, isn't it?"  April pulled out one of
the long cigarettes and slid it under her nose to smell the cool menthol
flavor.

"If it is a dream," Jezzie replied, "then it's a good one."

April placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit it, filling her lungs with the
wonderfully smooth smoke.  "Wow, that feels as good as it does in real life."  

"April," Jezzie said sounding a bit hurt, "why haven't you used the gift I
gave you?"

April was confused by the question.  "The gift?" she asked innocently?

"The power of the smoke that you now possess," Jezzie replied in awe.

"Oh that," April said, thinking that Jezzie was still joking.  "Well, I
thought about making the whole world smoke, but I had to clean the house
first.  I'll think about it tomorrow."  April giggled at her own little joke,
but Jezzie just looked at her quizzically.  

"You don't believe it's real, do you?  You think I'm joking."

"Well, you are...aren't you?"  The tone in April's voice indicated that she
wasn't so sure that Jezzie WAS kidding.

"Take my hand, girl friend," Jezzie said as she walked closer to the couch,
"and let me show you what you have the power to do."

April thought to herself, "Why not?  It's a dream; let's make the most of it."
April put the pack of cigarettes in her shirt pocket and took Jezzie's hand.
Suddenly, the living room walls and all of the furniture in the room melted
away like a drenched water color painting, revealing the church yard commons.

"Why are we at church?" she asked her guide.

"Because this is where you are most comfortable," Jezzie replied mysteriously
after lighting a fresh cigarette.

April agreed.  Church was one of the few places where she actually had friends
- and here they were now, talking and laughing with one another as they did
every Sunday after the service.

"It looks like church just got out," April said.  Then she realized that she
was still holding the cigarette Jezzie had given her.  "Oh my gosh," she said
as she threw the VS 120 on the ground and stomped on it.  "I hope no one saw
me."

"You're so cute," Jezzie said with a giggle.  "You still care what people
think, even in a dream.  Come on, let's go mingle."

The two walked over to where Annette and her two daughters were standing as
they spoke with one of the parishioners.  "Hi April," Annette said with a
smile and a hug as she moved off from where her girls were standing.  "Who's
your friend?"

"This is Jezzie," April said, "my neighbor."

Jezzie then whispered into April's ear, "I bet she could use a cigarette."

"Jezzie," April whispered back in a giggle, "you're so bad."

"What?" Annette said with a smile, "are you telling jokes?"

"Go on," Jezzie said with a nudge to April.  "It's just a dream, right?"

"How do I do it?"

Jezzie whispered in her ear once again.  "Just place your hand on her chest
and command her."

"What are you two whispering about," Annette said again, dying to get in on
the joke.  "I must know!"

April decided to try it.  "Well, it's like this Annette...."  April placed her
right palm on Annette's chest and said, "Smoke."

A glaze suddenly appeared over Annette's eyes, and within seconds, she was
cocking her heads upwards and exhaling a long stream of smoke.  "I like it,"
Annette said slowly, and suddenly a cigarette appeared between her fingers
which she brought up to her lips for a deep puff.  "Thank you, April."  Then
Annette turned around and went back to her family, smoking contently as their
conversation with their friend continued.

April was amazed at the transformation.  It had been so easy.  All she had to
say was the magic word and suddenly Annette was a smoker.

"Well?" Jezzie said just before French inhaling a puff.

"That's pretty cool," April said with some excitement.  She reached for the
pack of cigarettes in her shirt pocket and pulled one out, lighting it quickly
so she could feel the stimulation in her lungs.

"Maybe Annette's daughters would like to try it," Jezzie suggested casually.

April gave her companion a wicked smile and walked over to the two young
teens.  "Hey guys, I have something to tell you."  April looked over at
Annette who gave an approving smile as she brought the long cigarette to the
side of her mouth.  April then placed her hands on the chests of the two girls
and, deciding to say something a little more creative this time, said,  "Obey
the smoke."  Immediately the two girls tensed up as a glaze came over their
eyes, then simultaneously each exhaled a long stream of smoke.  Cigarettes
magically appeared between their fingers which they brought up to their lips
and puffed on slowly.

This was beyond fun for April; this was exhilarating.  She was feeling a
tremendous surge of power flowing through her - and she wanted to keep that
feeling going.  She started to move from group to group on the commons,
commanding each person to smoke and watching the cigarettes appear out of thin
air.  A foggy mist was now rising from the parishioners, and April was growing
more excited with each new transformation she sparked.  She looked over at
Jezzie who was sitting on the church steps, giggling and chain-smoking as she
watched her young protégé at work.

April didn't want to stop.  She wanted to find more people to convert to the
power of the smoke.  Then as she passed by one of the outside windows on the
building surrounding the commons, she saw a vision she had seen before in a
previous dream:  herself as thin and beautiful.  She had no acne, her glasses
were gone, and she looked incredibly sexy.  "This is really a good dream," she
said softly as she watched herself bring the cigarette up to her lips for a
slow puff.

But there was one more person she wanted to convert before this dream ended.
April suddenly found herself in a mirror-lined hallway illuminated by an
orange glow.  As she walked confidently down the path, she held a freshly lit
cigarette between her fingers and would watch her beautiful and sexy
reflection bring the 120 up to her lips to make the tip radiate the same
orange light that surrounded her.  She felt so dirty and evil - and she liked
it!  The man she was looking for was now down at the end of the hall, dressed
in black with a thin white collar.  As she came closer, seeing his warm smile,
she stopped in front of him.

"Are you ready to obey me?" she heard herself say in a deep and echoing voice.

"I'll be your smoker," Father Ken replied lustfully.

April took a deep puff, cocked her head and blew a smoky jet-stream up to the
young priest's smiling face.  She felt a surge of excitement run through her -
as if she were about to orgasm - and she smiled wickedly as she began to reach
for his chest.

+++++++++

But before April could reach her goal, she felt a wetness on her face.  She
closed her eyes and brought her hands up to her face to stop what felt like
licking.  When she opened her eyes, she found herself on the couch in the
living room, protecting herself from Angel's long, wiggly tongue.

"Angel," April said as she pushed the dog away, "I was coming to the best
part."  She sat up and pushed her hair away from her forehead.  She felt a
sudden disappointment at realizing that the acne on her forehead was still
there; that this was all, in fact, just a dream.

The German shepherd continued to look at April lovelingly, waiting for another
chance to give his mistress a sloppy kiss.  April gave him a pat on the head
instead.  "Well Angel," she said with a sigh, "that was probably the weirdest
dream I've ever had."  She looked at her hands, reliving the thrill of the
power to make other people smoke in her dream.  She then pointed her hand at
Angel and said with a smile, "Smoke."

"Woof!" the dog replied.

"That's what I thought," April said as she stood up.  "Just a dream formed out
of a pathetic teenager's subconscious."  Already the images were starting to
fade as April considered making an afternoon snack before heading over to her
Mom's restaurant.   But April was actually craving something else:  a
cigarette.  All that smoking in her dream had planted the temptation to have a
quick smoke.  Should she take the chance?

April looked in her purse and saw the two packs of cigarettes that Jezzie had
given her.  With butterflies forming in her stomach, she decided to pull one
pack out with the lighter that Jezzie had given her, and she headed into the
bathroom.  

When April watched herself in the mirror light the cigarette, she was reminded
of the reflection of the beautiful young woman she saw in her dream.  "I
wonder if that's how I'd look if I could lose some weight?" she thought to
herself pathetically as she watched the reflection take another puff.  April
started to replay the other images from her dream in her mind, and her hand
moved slowly down towards the soft, wet spot between her legs as she became
lost in thought.

In fact, she didn't even hear her sister come in through the front door, but
she certainly saw her come into the bathroom.  

"What are you doing?!!" Candy yelled in disgust.

Shocked to find her sister standing there, April replied in a stutter,
"I...I...can explain.  I just wanted to try it, that's all."

"Oh man," Candy replied in a devious tone, "I got you good now.  You are so
busted!  Wait 'til Mom finds out."  Then she walked out of the bathroom and
headed to the phone.

"Wait, Candy, please," April pleaded, "don't tell Mom."

But the young girl picked up the phone with evil delight and began to dial.  

A wave of anger began to build within April.  "Who does this girl think she
is," she thought to herself angrily.  "I'm not going to let her pick on me
anymore."

"No," she said forcefully as she grabbed the phone from out of Candy's hand,
"You will not tell Mom!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Can't I?" April said with a wicked grin on her face.  Instinctively, as if
she were still in her dream, she then placed her hand on her sister's chest
and said, "Smoke."

Candy started to laugh.  "You think you can make me smoke too?" she asked in a
mocking tone.

But April felt a power building inside of her and she pressed her hand tighter
against her sister.  "You will obey me," she said in a sinister tone.  Then
she suddenly felt a cold chill move through her body - a feeling that was dark
and immensely pleasurable - and it moved through her arm and into Candy's
chest.  Candy immediately stopped laughing as her face froze and her eyes
began to glaze over.  April smiled wickedly at the transformation happening in
front of her.  "You will not tell Mom," she commanded, "and you will obey the
power of the smoke."

The fog that had covered Candy's eyes began to lift as her facial expression
returned to normal.  "What happened?" she asked in a daze.

April pulled out her pack of cigarettes from her shirt pocket.  "Have a
cigarette, sis," she offered in a still sinister tone.  She was eager to see
what would actually happen.  

"Thanks," Candy said. "For some reason, I could really use one."  She held the
cigarette expertly between her fingers as she brought it to her lips and
accepted the flame from April's lighter.  She took a deep puff and inhaled it
for several seconds before cocking her head up and blowing a stream towards
the ceiling.

"Man, that's pretty good.  Thanks, sis."

"Don't mention it," April said as she watched her sister turn and walk towards
her bedroom, taking another puff on her 120.

April felt weak as the surge of power that had flowed through her body began
to dissipate, and she took a seat on the couch trying to make sense of what
had just happened.  For a few moments, it seemed like she knew exactly what
she was doing when she placed her hand on her sister's chest and commanded her
to smoke, but now - just a few moments later - things seemed fuzzy.  One thing
was for certain:  her sister was a smoker now.  She didn't even cough when she
took that first puff.  

April took a drag on her cigarette and put her elbows on her thighs as she
leaned forward to place her face in her hands.  But something felt different
now; her face was smooth.  She shot up quickly from the couch and ran into the
bathroom.  She couldn't believe it:  her acne was completely gone!

END PART III

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