The sun rose calmly over the Chapman home, as it did pretty much every morning, but this morning carried a very different tone from other mornings. Grace was all too aware of that as her eyes opened and she found herself looking down her tail, which she'd curled around to use as a pillow while Zoe and Lucy slept on the bed and Jeff was on the floor on the opposite side of the bedroom from her. It only reminded her of her transformation into a Slug Woman the previous night and the general position that a pair of guests had put the Chapman family in. Their mother was a Slug Woman and seemingly under the influence of those guests, Megan and Jenny, and while Grace was free of that influence, she was still a Slug Woman and her siblings had been exposed to enough of the transformative magics that they would transform eventually.
That last part was something that ate at Grace's mind and frustrated her the most. From what she could sense through the hive mind was that there were times that Slug People did transform Humans, but it was with a conscious choice from the person to become a Slug Person, which Megan and Jenny denied the Chapman family. They would all become Slug People regardless of whether or not they wanted to and that was fear raising issue, and something that Grace could sense from Lucy and Zoe the most clearly, likely because of how their mother acted when she became a Slug Woman. Grace had the hopes that they could save their mother from the mind control that Megan and Jenny seemed to have Whitney under, but that would likely still be something difficult. That left her with a heavy sigh as she lifted herself up.
The scent of arousal was still high in what was normally the master bedroom, though that was a given. Given what had been done the previous night to try and keep them aroused and ultimately leading to Grace's transformation, Grace couldn't deny that. For she could also feel those effects on her now, as her penis emerged from the opening at where her Human waist had been and stood fully erect. Slug People were well known for their high libido and after her transformation, that now included her. The scent of arousal from Lucy, Zoe, and Jeff made that even worse for her as drove her own private desires to mate and possibly enlarge the Chapman family hive, but Grace had been truthful when she said she wouldn't force herself on her siblings. She wouldn't force them into anything that might make them afraid, as Megan and Jenny had clearly tried to do and at least succeeded partially with their mother.
While looking around the room, and mentally noting how different her vision worked with her eyes now on the end of two stalks that projected forward from her head, Grace tried to be quiet and essentially waited for when the others woke. One eye picked up some movement from outside the house in the backyard and she slid forward to see what it was. However, once she reached the window, whatever she thought she'd seen was gone. Grace sighed again as she turned her focus back to the room and decided to wait , when a knock at the door jolted her a bit and even woke up Zoe a little. The person who knocked soon spoke, identifying who she was.
"It's Grace, isn't it?" came Jenny's voice from the other side of the door, "You transformed last night... we can sense it..."
"Yes, yes, I did," Grace answered, "and you should also sense that I don't agree with you or what you've done to us."
"Aren't you happy, Grace?" came Whitney's voice, sounding weak and even nervous, which let Grace know that her mother was battling with the mind control spell that Megan and Jenny, or their master, tried.
"Wouldn't you want to join us?" came Megan's voice in addition to Jenny's and her mother's, "help us with the others... You'd be a family again. We'd ALL be a family."
Grace didn't immediately answer as one eye looked over to see Lucy and Zoe stirring a little. Jeff was still on his back on the floor underneath the south window, but his eyes were fluttering a little.
"But you and Jenny AREN'T my family, Megan," Grace then spoke, "you came here... broke our kind's own traditions and took my family's choices away. All likely for some shadowy master you don't want us to know about."
"We are family, Gracie," Whitney spoke through the door, which finally began to alert Lucy and Zoe on the bed to all that was going on, "and you love me, right?"
"We all love YOU, mom," Grace said weakly, "but Megan and Jenny are out to take you from us... split us up in the service of their master. Make us serve him. Even if we're all physically together, that wouldn't be family. That'd be servitude to someone else. They're taking our choices away. That isn't family... that isn't how YOU raised us."
Grace had tried to put some strength in her voice and tried to be more like Jeff or Lucy, but she struggled with that. Among the Chapman children, Jeff and Lucy were really the strong ones. Grace might be the smartest, but she'd often found herself quiet and shy at times, particularly when confronted by things like what confronted them now. Two strangers that had assured that they would become Slug People. It was something that tore at her and she knew that Megan and Jenny probably now also had the sense that in the moments right before her transformation, she'd half wondered if she should just surrender and let Whitney in, just to have the family together. In this, as much as Grace had some idea on what Megan and Jenny wanted to do, they also knew what she wanted to do, as per the entire hive mind that linked all Slug People.
"The master has his reasons," Megan answered, which Grace believed, though from what she could tell, it also felt like Megan's mind was being influenced by an outside force as well. Which could mean that this master had enslaved Megan and Jenny as well, but that wasn't something that could be dealt with now. Partially because while Grace got some sense of that, because the hive mind wasn't perfect telepathy, she couldn't know exactly what this master wanted or even fully who he was. Grace had the sense that he was a male figure and somehow had connections to the house across the street that Megan and Jenny had said they moved into, but there wasn't much there.
"And if they were good, you would have been open about them," Grace answered, "and instead you've hidden them... bathed us all in magic, brainwashed my mother, and tried to do the same to the rest of us."
"You don't understand," Megan answered, "but you will when you accept us... and all of you will, one way or another."
Grace didn't answer and looked down for a moment. She had some sense of puzzlement coming from her mother, which was hopeful that they might be able to free Whitney from whatever mind control that Megan and Jenny had her under, but Grace didn't quite get the same from Megan and Jenny. There was the sense that this master had taken over their minds, but it was far more complete then what had gone on with Whitney Chapman and as such, Grace wasn't sure how much that would help Jeff and Lucy come up with an answer to their overall predicament. It only served as a reminder of their situation where in some ways they were simply waiting for the rest to transform as well, and as strong as Grace tried to be, she couldn't keep that front up for long. Though she got a confidence boost when she felt a hand touch her upper back.
"She understands her family and our connections and love," Lucy spoke firmly toward the door, "she understands that while we may become Slug People... we want to remain who WE are and separate from you and your master. And we WILL find a way to save our mother from YOU. You can be assured of that."
Grace looked up to see that Lucy had gotten up and out of bed, and that Jeff was standing up from where he'd been laying. Zoe had also gotten out of bed and was slowly approaching as well, as if they were coming to comfort Grace. That made her smile a bit, gave her a little more confidence. She noted that Lucy and Zoe's nipples were erect, as was Jeff's penis, which reinforced the scent of arousal that Grace sensed when she got up, but she did feel glad at getting support from them. It gave her confidence as she sensed that Megan and Jenny began to move away from the door. Whitney didn't appear to move away and Grace sensed a fair amount of confusion in her mother, which she took as a hopeful sign that they could free their mother.
"We'll see," Jenny answered, "we'll see."
"Whitney, continue to guard the door," Megan instructed to their mother.
With that, the confrontation seemed to break up. Jenny and Megan moved off, likely to get something eat while they and Whitney were unable to turn the lock to the master bedroom and lacking the strength and power to knock it down. It gave some relief to Grace as she turned more to face Lucy, who Grace had sensed distrusted her when she and Jeff informed Lucy and Zoe on what had happened and was going on.
"Thank you," Grace said slowly, while drooping her eye stalks a little, "thank you for sticking up for me."
"In some ways, you stuck up for us," Lucy answered, "which helps assure me that you're still you... Not under some kind of mind control."
"I was never under any mind control," Grace answered, "some things about me are obviously different now... but that's more a consequence of my transformation, not who I am."
"I know... but when it first happened last night... that was what I was afraid of," Lucy spoke.
"Particularly with all the weird stuff that has gone on because of what Megan and Jenny did," Zoe added, "Mom's a Slug Woman... you're a Slug Woman... we're likely to become Slug Women... and we're all stuck in mom's bedroom without any way of getting out..."
"And some of that makes no sense," Lucy spoke, "I mean, the windows should be able to open... but couldn't..."
"And with all that going on," Zoe picked up, "we were a bit nervous that you were being influenced... standing up to Megan and Jenny, though... that confirmed things. Sorry if we doubted you."
Grace nodded and managed a small smile, though what was to come next was going to be difficult. For all of that would relate as to what was to be done next, and that came with other issues as well. And an audible gurgle from Lucy and Zoe's stomachs soon also added to those things in that they would also need something to eat, which could only complicate matters. For they could discuss on how to save their mother in the room, they could theorize on possible ways to defeat Megan and Jenny, or at least escape the house from the room they were in. But unless their mother kept a secret stash of food in her room or in her closet, they would have to send at least one person out to get food or things like that. And that would in turn risk a confrontation with Megan and Jenny.