Remember last time? Team A-Fist (consisting of Steven Cooke, Farra Stevens, Oscar Gooden, and Asahi Sakurai) investigate a new department store in New York, which is the same name as Farra's old part-time job, Casa de Muñecas. Farra & Asahi, alongside Sena Aoi, one of Michelle Nevins's allies, land a job here, only to learn more about a mystery in the place, leaving Steven and Mundy to venture away.

Scarlet said, as she was in her office, "Casa de Muñecas… Hmm… You know, I think we all did a project together for the Ultimate Mannequin Challenge, long ago."

Steven huffed, "Never mind that! Is Farra and Asahi going to be okay?"

Scarlet said, "They can hold their own, Steven. That's what I can promise you. But… If what the reports say is true, chances are, we may be experiencing trouble. But for now, you Gang Guys got it…"

They nodded, as Scarlet said, "Dismissed!"

The boys walk off, as Scarlet grew even more upset. She thought about Farra and said, "Weird… Casa de Muñecas… I never knew of this place… And it lasted eight years, for a company that doesn't exist?"

Steven overheard it and felt worried. He shook his head and walked off. Suddenly, Scarlet felt a jab in her head. She gasped in shock, and then growled, showing a mean look.

Episode XXIV – Chapter 2: Casa de Muñecas!
A Horrible Secret!

Meanwhile, in Egypt, the old lady was using her tarots, while Mr. Nevins was sitting behind her. He asked her, "Miss Enya… You sense them, do you?"

Enya, the old woman, said, "Yes, Mister Nevins… The Gang, your friends, have indeed split up. Powerful they are, as a unit, but separated, they show a sort of gap of strength. Three of their heavy hitters are in Casa de Muñecas, which is more of a trap for them, while the fourth hitter is alone with your sister, treading through the waters, after leaving Hong Kong."

He said, "Good. As long as my wife is safe, let me say that I want no harm onto her. My issues are with the remaining Gang. If they want to stop my master, they'll have to make it to Egypt… ALL of them…"

Enya smiled, "Do not worry, my friend… This, Mister Nevins, will be all done… Besides, the Ty Ko Ky girl is with them, in New York, already about to be immortalized. Maybe now, you'll have vengeance on your last defeat… and I hear the blonde one in blue… Such friction. Friendship is the true power to become a hero, and a warrior always counts on their old friends, too. But, dissention spreads between the party, leading to disaster, dismay, doom, destruction… and defeat… Our beauties in blue are at the department store, about to meet their permanent fate… HAAAAAAAAH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

The next day, Farra and Asahi were waiting outside the building, as Sena was already inside. Farra was drinking a bottle of beer and said, "It's been a while since I had one… I know I'm not supposed to drink, while working, but I've held my liquor intake… mostly because Michelle doesn't."

Asahi was having juice, as she said, "You're trying to get fired, huh?"

"NO. But I am still a little worried. Most of the girls vanished in my old workplace… So, we're still on-duty, until this mystery is solved. I could care less about MIO, Egypt, or Mizuki's life… at least, for now, until this is done."

"You're starting to sound like Steven, huh?"

"Well, maybe I've rubbed some of his influence into me."

They continued to chat, as the woman in black hair and glasses returned to the shop. She entered the front doors, as the man in a pink suit cheered, "AH! What a beauty! Not the nerdy look, but that scuba dress is YOU! Mm-mm-mm! Such darling…"

The woman was confused, but then said, "I, uh… Well, I was looking around, and-."

He smiled, "Nonsense! You're hired! I love a cute girl in glasses, with such a busty look. Lemme give you a change of clothes."

"That's enough, Coco!" The man in brown slacks barked, "Didn't I tell you NOT to serve this girl?"

Coco bowed, "Sorry, Mr. Andrews."

The woman asked, "Oh… Sorry, I was-."

"Window shopping, again?" Mr. Andrews asked, "Well, as much as I like a customer, you're still banned from my shop, for snooping around! Buy something, or get out!"

He leered to her and said, "Unless you want to stay here… and snoop some more…"

The woman turned away and huffed, "Tonto…"

She walked out of the front doors, as she went to her Vespa. She drove away, as Farra sighed, "Still… If Miss Pollyanna were here, she'd be amazed by how her business has increased… and revived…"

Asahi asked, "Hey, you never told me about Pollyanna. Was she your boss?"

Farra nodded and said, "Well, yes… but it's not going through detailed explanation…"

She thought, "Even so, her presence scares me, even after three years…"

Asahi asked, "Well, since that's the case, I wonder what is taking Sena so long?"

Farra replied, "Possibly a meeting with the new manager, Mr. Andrews."

Asahi pondered, and asked, "Say… You don't think that the creep that hired us is our kidnapper? And that he's in allegiance with MIO? I'm not sure, but… Isn't it odd that he hired just the women, and not the men?"

Farra snorted, "He's being sexist is what it is."

Asahi scolded, "Farra!"

"But still…" She turned to the building and said, "Sena Aoi… I hope she's alright in there…"

XXXXX

Sena was in the locker room, in her bra and panties. She was about to change, when she saw a small box inside. She opened it and saw a small red brooch inside. It was in the shape of an apple, with small black eyes. Sena asked, "Huh? Beautiful…"

She looked to the left and right, as she said, "Nothing wrong with this gem. I don't suppose…"

She took it and placed it on her skin. She read the instructions inside, "To wear brooch, place on skin, gently…"

She placed the brooch up to her chest and hummed, "It feels ticklish…"

She reached for her clothes, but she stopped. She felt woozy, as she moaned, "Ungh… I feel tired…"

Her face flushed beet red, as she smiled lightly, "This place… is suspicious, but… I don't want to leave…"

Her brooch flashed white, and Sena was standing still. The light engulfed around her, and then her body fell in a hollow thud.

XXXXX

Outside, Farra stretched her arms and said, "Well, let's go back inside. I wanna start selling cosmetics, like the old days."

Asahi smiled, "Well, I wanna see if they have an opening for hairstyles. I have been switching wigs, now and then."

Farra replied, "Yeah… You know, maybe I can take a page from Heather, and learn her late sister's wig tech-."

As they went inside, Sena had already vanished. Farra asked, "Sena? Miss Aoi?"

Asahi asked, "Did she escape? Or did she went back to work?"

Farra said, "Whatever. Let's just go do the job."

They changed into their pink uniforms, as Asahi noticed a small white box in her locker. She asked, "Eh? What is this?"

She opened it as it was a brooch, in the shape of a strawberry. Asahi smiled, "Aw, how cute…"

She put it away and said, "But I have no time. Coming!"

She pranced off, as Farra felt a chill in the building, "I sense something… What is it? It feels… serene, but with a veil over its true scent…"

She went in the store, as a shadow was lurking in the locker room.

Back outside, Farra walked towards Coco, as she asked him, "Excuse me, sir? Have you seen Miss Aoi?"

Coco said, "Her? Oh, the beauty in that dark purple hair? Yes, she's busy at another part of the job… Mr. Andrews gave her a job in the lingerie department."

Farra nodded, "So, I see… Alright, fair enough. Can I see her?"

Coco waved his hands and said, "Uh, no! No! She's… uh… She's on a break, about to prepare herself. Just… don't stare at her, since she wears a dark purple bra and panties."

Farra was annoyed, and said, "Yeah, I'll try and keep that in mind…"

She walked off, as Coco asked, "OH! Miss Stevens? By the way, that hairstyle, with your blue streak… Can you remove that highlight, or maybe upgrade that beautiful blue spot?"

Farra snuffed, "Well, it is fading… But it's my specialty. I always wear blue… and it's my favorite color. If you're thinking of snipping it off, forget it. That ruins my hair."

Coco said, "Ah, yes… But that highlight… Perhaps you need a little improvement on your-."

Farra walked off and huffed, "No!"

She added, "I tend for my own hair, thank you! Hands off, jackass!"

Coco smirked, "Mmmngh, such sass…"

Farra was concerned, as she thought, "This guy… Is he hiding something about Sena? I better ask him, when the time's right… Mr. Andrews, on the other hand, he's no Pollyanna…"

Mr. Andrews appeared to her and said, "Ah, Miss Stevens, you're wanted in the perfume department. Says here in your résumé, you worked in Casa de Muñecas, the old store, and sold perfume."

Farra giggled, "Well, mostly to pose in the window, if not busy with that, selling clothes, and fixing displays."

He smiled and said, "I like you, Miss Stevens… Perhaps I have an important job for you…"

Farra blushed, as he held his hand, "Uh… Th-th-th-thank you…"

He walked with her, as he thought, "She's married, too… But I don't see her husband, around. Then again, I should ask her about the store… She's a pro."

She thought, as she was walking with him, "Why do I feel something warm inside? I can't be in love with him. My heart belongs to Percival."

Asahi was sorting out clothes in the display table, as she looked at Mr. Andrews, "Weird… Mr. Andrews is talking to Farra… and he likes her. No wonder she's a professional living mannequin. She's got my respect… I only joined, back then, and I haven't learned much from my overseas mentor."

She giggled, as she finished up. She then thought, "Sena is in the lingerie department, Coco says… but she's rather busy. I wonder…"

She hid behind a display booth and thought, "Lemme see… Lingerie Department… over there…"

She walked to the lingerie aisle and shivered, "Oh, boy… Where did Sena go?"

She spotted her, recognizing her long dark hair, and turned to her back, in Asahi's view, "Sena! Hey, Sena, I wanted to know-."

But one girl was turning Sena around, showing her skin to be shiny and white, with her eyes blank and her smile on her face. Asahi shivered in shock, as she gasped, "Is that-? What the-? A mannequin?"

She was in disbelief, as she was worried. She saw that Sena Aoi is a mannequin. But she was having second thoughts. She figured if the mannequin was a coincidence… or that the reason girls were vanishing was because they've become mannequins, too.

Asahi thought, "I'm going with the former, since it's impossible… But… That man in pink… Coco… Could he be responsible? He was a bit jumpy about Sena… So, it's not the former… but…"

She then growled, "If that is true… Then our consumptions are correct… Coco is turning innocent women into mannequins… And who would make him do such a cruel and shocking display? MIO!"

She went closer to the Sena mannequin and said, "If that's true, MIO must be reviving Casa de Muñecas for her goal… To kill us. But not the boys, something else… What is Coco's ambition to turn us into statues?"

She stepped back, stroking Sena's hair. She thought, "I don't know… Would I say that Coco is responsible? I have to know some proof, before we could catch him."

She walked away, as Mr. Andrews appeared to her, "Ahem! Miss Sakurai…"

Asahi blushed, "Uh, sorry… I was curious… I thought… Miss Aoi was-."

"Oh, never mind Miss Aoi. She's already working." He said, "But, if you don't mind, would you please bring the mannequin into the back room?"

"Yes, sir."

He left, as he told her, "And be careful of her, Miss Sakurai. I'll lead you to the back room."

Asahi carried the mannequin in her arms and followed Mr. Andrews. Farra didn't see it, since she was too busy with selling perfume to customers.

XXXXX

Inside the backroom, Sena was placed down on the floor, as Asahi breathed heavily. She moaned, "Never knew she weigh a ton…"

Mr. Andrews said, "Miss Sakurai, I have read from your portfolio that you work as a cop, right?"

"Well, detective…" she said, "We came here, not for a job, but… Well, this place is creepy…"

"Then you heard the rumors, right?"

"Yeah."

"Most of my employees vanished and turned into mannequins. It's all a coincidence. Maybe the girls quit, and somehow, they would all escape somewhere. Sadly, she was a beautiful girl, this Miss Aoi. She's rather shapely, like you."

"Were all the girls that beautiful?"

"Yes. But I never knew how they vanished, and have their bodies turned into wood."

"I think I know… Murder. You think it might be a murder scene?"

"Miss Sakurai, you're nuts!"

"I know… but I'm just saying… We only came here to investigate this Casa de Muñecas… Farra said that she once worked at the old Casa de Muñecas, under a Miss Pollyanna."

He said, "That would be my mother…"

She gasped, "Ehhhhhhh?"

He explained, "Miss Pollyanna… She was my mother, Polly Anne Andrews."

Asahi was in disbelief, as she asked, "Wait… Farra never told me her full name… What does that make you?"

He smiled and said, "Parker Andrews."

"Oh. But I'll still call you Mr. Andrews, being you're my boss…"

Two female co-workers appeared, undressing the Sena mannequin, as Parker showed Asahi to another room. He said, "While these girls redress our beautiful mannequin, let's talk privately."

They talked in his office, as Sena was being taken apart, to fit into her new clothes.

That night, outside the store, Farra was told about Parker, from Asahi, "So… Miss Pollyanna had a son?"

Asahi said, "Yes. And he said that he once owned this company, after it went out of business… He never said what, but Miss Pollyanna gave the mortgage to him, when she was retiring…"

Farra thought, as she was confused, "That's not the Miss Pollyanna I knew of…"

She asked, "Where's Sena?"

Asahi blushed, as she stated, "She already left. She said that it's a nice place, but…"

She stammered, as Farra said, "Alright, calm down. It's not like Sena to ditch us. In any case, tomorrow, I'm going to ask Coco a few questions… I have a feeling that he's responsible for the mannequins."

She walked off, but Asahi asked, "WAIT! I want to know… This Miss Pollyanna, your former boss… What was she like? Was she nice, or an evil woman?"

Farra replied, "You really want to know?"

Asahi nodded, as Farra explained, "Well, when I was 16, Miss Pollyanna admired me, during my trip to New York. She said that I have a perfect alluring body… in a young age. And she hired me, on the spot. Miss Pollyanna showed me the ropes on how to run a boutique, since she is the sole caretaker to the Casa de Muñecas franchise, which was a transient company in Europe. She showed me the ways of selling clothes, perfume, and even taught me how to dress up mannequins in the booths. In fact, she even taught me how to become one, through meditation and soothing hymns. Miss Pollyanna said one day that I was to be taken another model's place… only to realize that I have to be a living breathing mannequin. Having to learn the tricks of the trades, and even trying my best not to flinch, my body, calm and soothing, dismissed of all distractions, became stiff as a board, and soft as a pillow. Miss Pollyanna credited me, as I stood a whole 12 hours, without flinching, or even feeling hungry, or having to use the bathroom. I'm a natural, when it comes to posing. But the preparations are at advanced level, and I'm already a master at the living window display moves."

Asahi said, as she was happy, "No wonder you took the Ultimate Mannequin Challenge, easily."

Farra nodded, "Easily, yes. And never flinched, since then, until my days of being a window store dummy was over. To be honest, it's hard work… but Miss Pollyanna said that if any store that hires live mannequins, she's welcome to it."

Asahi said, "You were with The Gang, during your part-time job there."

"Yes. But I go there for the posing, if not busy on tour or making music. I stayed there, when we broke up, and it lasted a year. Miss Pollyanna said that sales were going down, and that she's destined to close it all down. But she would sell the rights to her son…"

"Parker Andrews…"

"No… Mr. Andrews is not the owner. But rather he knew of Miss Pollyanna. Maybe he named himself Parker Andrews, because he would be scared of his past, in which his mother was destined to make him do. Casa de Muñecas was Miss Pollyanna's masterpiece. It's been 14 years now, and already, this place has reopened, for the enjoyment of people who shop in a fashion boutique. Good memories… but bad memories, too…"

"Then, why did you hide it?"

Farra responded, "Because… Polly Anne… She didn't want me to go. I was dubbed… The Perfect Mannequin… I wanted to quit, but inside me, I didn't want to leave. I was the perfect mannequin – NO flinching, no sound, no shaking, no bulging, no eye contact, and no distractions. I was perfect… But having others watching me as a display dummy was… … …creepy. But I didn't want to leave. Polly Anne said I was the daughter she never had… And she was right…"

Asahi asked, "What was Mr. Andrews' real name?"

Farra was about to reply, as she sensed someone. It was a woman, hiding in the shadows. She whispered, "Wait… I sense a disturbance… A fiery aura…"

Asahi said, "One of MIO's henchmen?"

Farra stated, "It's not safe. You head inside for safety. I'll be right back."

She called out, "HEY! Hey, you! What are you doing here?"

The woman ran off, as Farra chased after her, "WAIT! Miss, hold on! Don't make this hard on yourself!"

Asahi went back inside, as she gasped for air. Parker returned, as he said, "Ah, Miss Sakurai… I thought you were leaving…"

"I… I am… But…" she nervously said, "But Farra sensed someone is watching us."

Parker growled, "Her again? That snooper…"

Asahi asked, "You know who it is?"

He said, "Now, now… Let Farra find her. In the meantime, I want you in the backroom, again. I have something for you…"

She was escorted to the back room, as he noticed the diamond-shaped scar on her back. He thought, "She may be cute and statuesque, but that scar makes her deformed… I may do something about it…"

Asahi stepped in and saw a small white box. She approached it and opened it up. It was the strawberry brooch. She asked, "Oh… Is this for me?"

Parker said, "Yeah. You can wear it, all the time, if you like. It's a little gift to you."

"It's beautiful."

"Try it on… Coco made this, along with his Fruit Brooches. Put in on, use it on your skin, up on your chest, for an enjoyable view, since it looks like a necklace. They are like pasties, onto your skin, but it's harmless. That's yours. No charge."

Asahi smiled, "Sweet… Thank you…"

Parker smiled, as he was leaving, "No, thank Coco. He created the brooches."

Asahi removed her shirt and placed the strawberry on her chest, above her breasts. She looked at the mirror and said, "Oh, wow… And with those cute eyes, it's like a small buddy hanging over your skin. Such an adorable thing…"

She felt the strawberry, and she suddenly started to stiffen from her legs. She moaned, "My legs… Huh? What is-?"

She felt woozy, like Sena, as she was enjoying her new brooch, "Oh, it's nothing… This place… is… awesome… I'm so… happy…"

Her arms started to stiffen, as the brooch was flashing a bright light.

Farra called, as she was chasing the girl, "HEY! GET BACK HERE, DAMN IT! STOP!"

She cornered the girl to a dead end, at a steel fence with barbed wire, as she called, "Okay, bitch! Nowhere to run!"

She reached for her pocket, only to realize, "Oh, shit! I left my badge in the lockers!"

Farra called, "You're under arrest, bitch! AAW-New York!"

The woman spoke, hiding in the shadows, "I know who you are, Farra Stevens…"

"Huh? How did you-?"

"Miss Pollyanna… She never had a son, she had an heir… And her name is not Andrews!"

"I know it's not! But… Wait… Who are you?"

"You'll know, soon enough… If I were you, I won't let Asahi Sakurai be a mannequin, too. Think about it!"

She leapt upwards, over the steel fence, and dashed away, disappearing into the night.

Farra then thought, "Who the hell was she-?"

She gasped, as she thought, "Miss Pollyanna has a-, wait… Her name wasn't Andrews, beca-. Oh, shit!"

She cried, as she turned to the building, "ASAHI!"

She ran back to Casa de Muñecas, only to realize that she's too late.

This is bad. Farra's past has come back, only for terror to rise. Is this MIO's doing? And who's turning innocent girls into mannequins?
Be sure to tune in to the next exciting chapter!

To be continued…