What goals did Jane even have?
Clawing up the social pecking order at school. Hanging out with her friends. Chatting and gossiping. Watching movies. Charming and flirting with guys for fun. Feeding her vanity.
Had she ever dreamed of what she'd do afterwards? At least Lola had had big dreams of making video games of her own.
Jane absolutely positively refused to think about how the rubber cat maids who had just sworn to serve their 'Mistress' (her), claimed to still be her family the moment she said she wanted her family back.
'Lola, always the little pain the neck. Mom and dad, never understanding me and expecting things of me I wanted nothing to do with... They're still in there right? Right. It's not like they were just used as raw material by whatever illegal magic it was to create these living rubber minions who happened to have access to their memories right? Right!'
Jane shuddered.
Jane looked back at her phone, and dug up the advertisement for the online mage collage. Learn to become a sorceress at home.
'I don't care what they said, sure THEY'D say that there was no way to undo this. That doesn't mean there isn't,' Jane told herself. Never mind she didn't know better than they did. 'Still... The entry examine isn't gonna be easy. And I've heard stories from the girls about people who tried these online courses and got magically turned into exotic dancer at nightclubs. Better make sure it's legit first. Still, gonna be way cheaper and less trouble than attending one in person.'
'And... they might not let me bring my family, or would they count as my personal golems? Are they even people now? If they aren't, can dad even still sign checks? Then again, companies aren't alive but considered 'legal people.' Or does the magic just make everyone not think too hard about all this?' Jane felt a headache. In the span of one minute her entire life had turned upside down.
Or had it?
She would still go to high school tomorrow. Still hang out with her friends. Discuss what their plans would be after graduation. Still go home. Have dinner. Go to bed.
It was her family's lives that had been turned upside down, and they didn't care in the least.
Jane also couldn't have cared less about the various other rubber maids around her, asking random strangers to be their master/mistress. Jane's family had only recently moved into the new apartment complex and she didn't know anyone there personally, so why shouldn't she care? Caring about her family was enough for her.
Speaking of which, were only people near by but not close enough get hit with the 'everything is normal' blast? Or did it affect everyone in the world or something?
One quick way to find out.
Jane texted on her cell phone (only now remembering she was still holding it).
She sent out a group text to her social circle.
'Girls! My parents and little sister got turned into brainwashed rubber cat maids and I'm now their owner or something!'
She got three responses.
First was Yuna, short girl with short black hair and glasses. Normally not the kinda persona Jane would hang out with, but Yuna had a natural talent when it came to gathering information, and even more of a knack for blackmail, so Jane embraced her as part of her circle so not to get on her bad side.
Yuna's text read,
'Please clarify the relevance of this information.'
Next was Amy. Tall girl, dark skin, a natural born athlete. Had the hots for any guy who was nice to her, but her 'over enthusiastic' attitude turned off a lot, and she did NOT take rejection well. No one dared mess with her. And that aura of protection extended to her friends.
Amy's text was,
'Yeah so? Anything else?'
Finally, there was Erma. Blond, but she dyed her hair green. She called herself a 'free spirit', and she was into 'alternative medicine' like 'healing crystals' and 'herbs'. She was normally someone Jane wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, but Erma's parents were loaded, and Erma was happy to help out anyone in a jam, so she was a good life preserver. Jane didn't expect much from her at all.
Erma's text was,
'Oh! I'm so sorry!'
Yuna's texted,
'Clarify need for sympathy please.'
Amy texted,
'Sorry for what?'
Erma,
'Her family turned into golem servants! I mean, I'm sure they're happy with such a pure existence, oh! Jane! I'm sorry! I didn't think to ask! Are they still aware? I'm so insensitive!'
'You can correct the text before posting it Erma,' Jane couldn't stop herself from thinking. Then realize. "What?! It's the granola head who cares?!"
"Care what about mistress?" The three dolls asked.
Jane shook her head and said, "I texted my friends, only Erma thinks anything is wrong with what's happened to you."
"That's because nothing is wrong," Lola said happy. "Serving you Mistress is the most perfect thing we could be. You always treated your mom and dad like servants anyway, now we can do that without any arguing or guilt trips!"
"I didn't - I do not!" Jane stammered.
"You did not Mistress," the two taller dolls said.
"See? Mom and dad agree with me!" Jane stuck her tongue out at the shorter doll who just kept smiling.
"I'm sorry Mistress, I was completely wrong, this humble doll apologizes for her wrongness," Lola bowed, curtsying with the skirt that was now a part of her body.
"On the bright side, at least you know when to shut up now," Jane said.
"Yes, Mistress," Lola kept smiling.
Not sure what else to do, Jane typed,
'No. They're not mindless zombies. But they keep saying serving me is just who they are now.'
Erma responded,
'That seems about right. Mind if I take a look at them when I can?'
Jane typed,
'How can you even notice something is wrong when nobody else is?'
Erma texted,
'I let myself listen to the cosmos when it speaks. I let my mind empty of all distractions. I let myself be a vessel for its voice. My soul does not turn away from great changes in our dimension.'
Jane thought, 'I find no problem believing you're good at emptying your head Erma.'
Jane typed,
'Sure sure!'
Yuna typed,
'I don't know why you're so hyped about something so trivial, but perhaps I should see for myself.'
Amy typed,
'In that case mind if I come too? Don't know what the big deal is, but it's an excuse to hang!'
Jane looked back at her family. They had been about to eat out to celebrate Lola getting all Bs and As on her report card. But it didn't seem the dolls really cared about that anymore. Jane sighed.
She knew she should've gone to the police and explained things, but she had a sinking feeling their response would much the same as Yuna and Amy's.
'Alright girls, now's as good a time as any.'
All three girls confirmed they could visit and would be over as soon as they could.
Jane turned towards the dolls.
"Okay everyone, let's go back inside, the girls are coming over."
"We will make your palace shine with perfection mistress!" The rubber kitties said proudly, legs together with their paws at their waists, their chests pushing outward.
Jane looked at the apartment building, suddenly wondering how many people, if any, were still human besides her.
The rubber kitties marched in perfect lockstep with each other, three steps behind Jane always.
Jane wondered if the land lady had always been changed, or the rest of anyone who worked at the apartment complex, assuming they'd even been on site at the time. Or people who just been visiting. Just how many? And how many were now wandering around for someone to serve?
Jane had certainly fantasized about having an army of animal-people servants to obey her, though the anthro servants in her fantasies were usually exaggerated males, and NOT her family. That was one piece of information about herself that she'd purposely build up her friendship with Yuna for, least the black market information broker discover it on her own, and have her over a barrel.
Jane knew this was a golden chance to grab all these servants that would work for free and require no upkeep, but it happening to her family had taken the wind out of her sails (for the moment at least) and she was still coming to grips with what had happened to her family.
The moment Jane and her dolls had stepped inside, the maids got to work at once. It was a blitz of activity that put the cleaner mom hired out whenever she had social gathering here to shame. Jane just stood there watching in awe at how quick and efficiently they moved, never ceasing to smile, never tiring, their exaggerated figures on display but never hampering their work. It was enough to make Jane almost briefly forget these dolls had been her family, almost.
Jane was practically hypnotized by the swishing rubber tails, the bouncing rears and chests, and painted on smiles. In the time waiting for the girls to come, the maids were close to getting the living room to showroom levels of neatness.
They treated everything carefully, but Jane noticed how they were storing the personal possessions of the rest of her family if they weren't useful or contribute practically or to the apartment's aesthetics value.
The room sparkled as the maids stood in a row at attention.
"We hope this is to your liking Mistress!" The dolls cheered.
"Uh, yeah, it is," Jane said.
The rubber catgirl maids beamed with pride.