# chapters

path: 1112223122122121212
author_id: seuzz
title: In Which Olivia Lays It On Real Thick
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Olivia looks gorgeous; but then, in Connor's eyes, she always looks gorgeous, and you yourself also think she's hot, though your appreciation of her is a little crushed by the fact that she has never, to your knowledge, paid any attention to you. But she's extra decked out today.<br/>
<br/>
Her chestnut-brown hair falls in loose waves to the top of her shoulders, and she's dusted her face with a very light bronzer. She must have a push-up bra or something on underneath her black blouse, because there's no missing the tops of her boobs. You also just glimpsed, before she got to the counter, a leopard-pattern skirt that tightly hugs her hips, and black hose.<br/>
<br/>
She must be going to a party. No way she's decked out like this just for a Starbucks run on a Monday<br/>
<br/>
But she's looking at you like you're one of the dark-chocolate desserts in the display case. She flushes a little under her makeup, and her nostrils flare as she orders her usual: a decaf Americano. "Why don't you try challenging me sometime," you tell her. "Pumpkin Spice season's coming up, you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it's all going by so fast," she says, and there's a slightly desperate light in her eyes as she says it.<br/>
<br/>
Your heart almost goes up into your throat as you lean against the counter, and you have the sudden, absurd vision of it popping out of your mouth and landing in your open hands. <i>Either you owe me or I owe you for what I'm about to do, Connor,</i> you think. Aloud: "Do we have, like, great internet reception here or something? Because it seems like the only thing you do when you come here is text on your phone."<br/>
<br/>
She shrugs, and her eyes drop.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you believe in face to face communication?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nobody talks these days," she says. "They only text."<br/>
<br/>
"You shouldn't do that," you say, and your knees almost buckle as the rest of your words race out of your mouth. "You're robbing people of a chance to look at you." Her cup finishes filling, and you hand it to her. "Free refill, from yesterday," you add.<br/>
<br/>
Dimples show in her cheeks. "That's a sweet thing to say."<br/>
<br/>
"The freebie?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that's sweet too, but I meant the other."<br/>
<br/>
You hardly feel your hands and feet as you do it, but you sweep up the stool that's behind the counter and bring it around to the front, to the one open spot where someone might sit. "It's slow today. I'd like to talk to my most loyal customer."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's Westside talk and Westside gossip, naturally, but it's a lot more interesting when you can get it by looking at Olivia. You start by asking her what classes and teachers she's taking, and you give her Connor's impressions of those same teachers to see if they match up. Then you push it toward some of the things you've heard about recently, and which Connor was interested in. "So I heard this crazy rumor from a totally unreliable source that Kelsey quit the cheerleader squad."<br/>
<br/>
Olivia gasps. "Oh my God. That was such major drama."<br/>
<br/>
"It's not true. She didn't, really," you sneer.<br/>
<br/>
"She totally did! I was there!"<br/>
<br/>
"You're shitting me. What happened?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know, not totally, but Chelsea Cooper sandbagged her."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea? I always thought she was a bimbo. You're telling me she outsmarted Kelsey? We're not talking about Kelsey Blankenship, are we?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know how she did it, but she did. She packed the squad with her supporters, and that meant she had a lock on being squad captain, so Kelsey -- " She ends with a shrug.<br/>
<br/>
"Kelsey what? She quit?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yep!"<br/>
<br/>
You're momentarily torn between Connor's impressions of Kelsey Blankenship and your own. You give voice to Connor's. "That doesn't sound like the Kelsey I knew and loved."<br/>
<br/>
"Well she did! Right there at the tryouts before school started, and she -- "<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, Olivia jumps. "Wait, did you say you were in love with Kelsey?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess I had a thing for her," you say, though it something neither you nor Connor could truthfully say. "I had a thing for lots of girls in the junior class, though." You study the pattern you trace on the counter with a fingertip. "Did you ever have a thing for any guy in the senior class? Back when you were a senior?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh sure," she chirps. "Every girl does, I think."<br/>
<br/>
"So who were your crushes?"<br/>
<br/>
"Tell me yours."<br/>
<br/>
"I asked first."<br/>
<br/>
Olivia gives you a look. "This isn't grade school."<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, we'll come back to it later. Tell me some more about Kelsey. If she's not running the cheerleader squad, what's she doing these days? Is she still seeing -- Who was she going out with? Marc Garner?"<br/>
<br/>
"She wishes! But she's between guys at the moment."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh really?" You laugh. "Who are the two guys she's between, and are they having as much fun as it sounds like she's having?"<br/>
<br/>
Olivia gasps and slaps your arm, and turns a deep crimson. "I just mean she hasn't found anyone new yet!"<br/>
<br/>
That's not what you've heard, but you're not sure you want to tip her to all that you know. So you just drop a broad hint. "Are you sure she's not seeing someone secretly on the side? Kelsey seems like a girl who would kind of like to have something, or someone, held back for a rainy day."<br/>
<br/>
A change comes into Olivia's eyes. You can't tell what it means, though. You can't tell if she knows about Kelsey and Karl, and isn't sure that you do; of if she thinks that you've heard something and is dying to know what it is. She stares at you for a bit with a hungry expression, then deflects your comment. "You really did have a crush on Kelsey, if she's all you want to talk about."<br/>
<br/>
Her words are like a warning beacon. "Well, I didn't want to put <i>you</i> on the spot by talking only about <i>you.</i> So tell me about you now."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
That puts her back in a good temper, and she tells you that she's joined the swim team, and she's still taking piano, and that she's trying to find the right guy for her senior year. You ask her where she's looking, and she says, "Lots of places."<br/>
<br/>
But you can't take a complete break from work, and she can't take a complete break from her phone. While you're making beverages for other customers -- including four Eastman students who have come in -- she texts someone, and after getting a reply you think you detect a subtle change in her demeanor. A slightly distracted look comes into her eye, and after a few minutes you ask if she's expecting company. Her denial is just a trifle too hot to be believable.<br/>
<br/>
So something holds you back from making the final throw on Connor's behalf, and you approach the suggestion of a date very slowly. You still haven't reached it when the door opens and -- <br/>
<br/>
<i>Jeezum Crow.</i> Steve Patterson walks in. You and Connor both have vivid flashbacks to just how small and uncomfortable the world can be when the number two guy on the Westside basketball crew appears. His cold gray eyes lock onto you, but he reserves his greetings for Olivia. "Hey," he says as he comes up next to her, and his tone tells you he was expecting to find her here.<br/>
<br/>
But she affects great surprise. "Oh! Steve! Hi! What are you doing here?"<br/>
<br/>
The temperature falls several degrees before Patterson answers. "I dunno. Do you have any suggestions?" He puts a strong hand on the counter next to hers, but without touching it. She turns pinker than you think you've ever seen a girl turn before.<br/>
<br/>
"Can I get you something," you ask him.<br/>
<br/>
He spares you a brief, icicle-encrusted glance, then his eyes sweep up to the menu. "Caramel macchiato. Venti. Skim with an extra shot. Make it sugar free."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Son of a bitch,</i> you think, and get onto the complicated order it. Your temper isn't improved when Olivia chimes in with, "That sounds great, I'll have the same."<br/>
<br/>
So she talks to Patterson while you fly as quickly through the order as you can. You can't quite figure out what's going on with the girl, because it seems like she's still flirting with you even while she's chatting with Steve, and she reaches over a few times to scoop up a fingertip of foam while giving you a glinting eye. "Isn't it amazing how he can do it so fast and perfect," she says. Patterson just grunts, and when you serve up the first cup he slides it toward her and points to a table in the corner. Olivia asks if you've got another stool for Steve. "Afraid not," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
"I'd like to sit with both of you," she says in a simpering little voice.<br/>
<br/>
"You can sit here," Patterson says. "I can go sit with them." He points to the table where the Eastman students are: one guy and three girls. Olivia quickly changes her mind, thanks you for everything, and decamps for the table.<br/>
<br/>
"Olivia's right. You're one talented little mocha monkey," Patterson says after she's gone and you've pushed a cup toward him. "I bet it'd take 'em almost six weeks to train a chimp to do your job."<br/>
<br/>
He pays for both drinks, then dumps one of them down the sink in front of you. "I don't drink this shit," he says as your jaw drops, and swaggers over to her table.</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122
author_id: rugal
title: The Quest
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're ready to volunteer and do it yourself but something holds you back. That's not <i>you</i> volunteering, that's Connor. At least, it's Connor's own instincts trying to nudge you in the direction that he would move were he in your situation. But to do it yourself? That just seems crazy. So you don't speak and neither does anyone else for a long while.<br/>
<br/>
"So you up for it, Prescott," Tim asks after what feels like an eternity.<br/>
<br/>
"Up for what," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Tim reaches to smack you in the back of the head, you duck however. "Getting those pictures of Kelsey, you doofus," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Who, me? Nah," you shake your head.<br/>
<br/>
"You're the one who suggested it," Tackett states.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and it was just that," you shoot back. "I mean do we really need to go throw some hijinks just to get some pictures of Kelsey and Karl?"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean, it <i>would</i> be pretty funny," Spencer adds with a smirk. "But no, you're right, it's too much bullshit."<br/>
<br/>
"Shit, Kelsey would probably break it off with him anyway instead of doing the right thing," says Andy.<br/>
<br/>
"And that sucks for him but, I mean, what can ya do," you shrug. "Kelsey's a cunt, he knew what he was getting into."<br/>
<br/>
The conversation continues for a few minutes longer until the bell rings and you're forced to disperse. You're glad to feel that it seems like if they don't like you then they seem to have a little more respect and appreciation for you.<br/>
<br/>
Having confidence and social skill like this definitely makes things easier and you don't feel quite as stressed as you usually do. Of course that goes away later in the day, at least temporarily, once you see David Kirkham somewhere across the sea of students and you duck around a corner as quickly as possible. Even Connor wouldn't be that suicidally overconfident.<br/>
<br/>
Once the danger's passed however you go back to how you've been all day and get to thinking about the bands, the masks and what all they can do. Wanting to hash things out more, you decide to shoot a text to Caleb asking him if he wants to meet at the elementary school once school lets out. He responds positively and plans are thus made.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"I really don't like how you guys did that," Caleb moans after you fill him in on the day's events.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah? Well maybe I don't like that you and Justin decided to go and start shit on your own," you retort. Since you've removed the band it comes out more whiny and less confident than it would have if you still had Connor's brain helping to run things. You motion over to the pile of dirt where a ghostly purple flame blazes on top of it.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, we were interested in seeing what it does," Justin states. "So, I don't know, consider us even now. Pax?"<br/>
<br/>
He holds out his hand and you hesitate before grabbing it and shaking, "You, alright, fine. Sorry for going behind your back like that."<br/>
<br/>
"So now that we're on the same page," Caleb says, "we agree that we don't advance in the book without all of us being present or at least without all of us being informed and giving the okay, right?" You and Justin acquiesce to that and Justin text's Connor who texts back an affirmative back. "Good, so then tell me what the fuck these things do again because you didn't really say shit; just came in here and were all 'Hey, check this out' and took the thing out or off or whatever."<br/>
<br/>
You flip him the bird but decide to indulge him, "So those masks copy the body, right? You put on a mask of Mansfield and you're Mansfield, physically at least," you explain. "The bands are kind of the opposite side of the coin. You put this on someone and it copies their mind. You put the band to your head and you get it all, their memories and everything, we already know that. But not just that, you get anything associated with the mind. So like today I didn't have any problems fitting in with Tackett and those guys if I let Connor's instincts guide me."<br/>
<br/>
"You'd have been running that group within minutes if it was my brain," Justin laughs. "But you're saying, what, you get the brain of a musician and you can play guitar?"<br/>
<br/>
"Or copy, say, Gordon and you'd know how to beast on the court."<br/>
<br/>
"Only problem with that is that Gordon <i>is</i> a beast," Caleb states. "I don't think you're going to be 'beasting' on anybody looking like a scarecrow."<br/>
<br/>
You flip him off again.<br/>
<br/>
"Still, that's pretty cool though," Justin states. "We could get some use out of something like that and we should probably think of just what that use could be." His stomach growls quite loudly, "Shit, I'm hungry as fuck though. I'm gonna go grab something to eat. I'll bring back some sandwiches or something and we can work on getting some new masks started up."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
When Justin takes his leave and Caleb and yourself stare at each other, neither really sure of what to say. "Look, I'm sorry Caleb," you finally say.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb cocks an eyebrow, "Whazzat?"<br/>
<br/>
"I said I'm sorry for dicking around with that thing before consulting either of you guys."<br/>
<br/>
He leans in and cups his ear, "One more time? It sounded like you said... you're sorry?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh fuck off," you say, giving him the bird for a third time.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm just fucking with you," he replies. "Maybe you should put on Connor's band again, you'd probably lighten up."<br/>
<br/>
"That's the thing, though, we need to figure out what to do with these," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"Well isn't it obvious," Caleb asks. "We copy our brains, put them in masks, bingo bango bongo."<br/>
<br/>
You snort, "Where's the fun in that? I mean who'd want to be you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Who'd want to be <i>you</i>," he shoots back. "But that's the thing, we make masks of our brains and ourselves and that's really about all it's good for." He suddenly looks thoughtful and after a moment looks at you with a grin, "Unless..."<br/>
<br/>
"Unless what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you have that mask of Mansfield," he states. "So what if we get Mansfield's mind? You get that, combine it with his mask and suddenly you'll be a perfect copy of a douchebag."<br/>
<br/>
"That's great and all but what would that do," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Christ you're dense," he groans. "Look, you have Mansfield's body and you have his brain. You're Mansfield inside and out. I'm only saying this because it'll get you on board but you get Lisa alone while you're looking and thinking like him..."<br/>
<br/>
It takes you a second to realize what he's proposing, "Oh fuck, I could couldn't I?" You practically shake from that. You'd rather it'd be you with Lisa but... "But that's not going to work," you grumble.<br/>
<br/>
"And why wouldn't it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because she's practically joined at the hip with him," you moan. "Remember how she just had to bring him to the party? Anywhere she goes, he'll be there with his hand so far up her ass it'll be like a ventriloquist act."<br/>
<br/>
"Well so what if you can't get with Lisa," Caleb states. "Mansfield has plenty of girls going after him. Find out who they are and you could get with them."<br/>
<br/>
"Is that what you want to use these for, then? Score some poon?"<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck else could we do," he asks. "Fuck, I don't know, maybe you get Lisa alone long enough and you can get a mask on her. Then you can snoop around inside her head and rub her tits with your hands." He mimes squeezing an invisible pair of breasts.<br/>
<br/>
"So we get some guys, get some girls, and just fool around in here," you ask. "Well, what if fooling around isn't enough?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not enough?" Caleb gets a thoughtful look on his face, "Well then I guess we could, you know, fuck. I mean, if one of us was a chick it's not like it'd be gay right? Or how about we get a couple chicks, have ourselves a little slumber party, fool around like that. Fuck, we should run this by Justin and Connor." He notices you eying him oddly. "What? The point I'm trying to make is that we have the opportunity right in front of us to get some high quality ass whether it's the real girls or the copies in these masks. You get Mansfield and you've got Lisa. You get Seth and you've got Cindy. You get Gordon..." He pauses at that and shudders, "Goddamn but wouldn't that be fucking amazing? So what do you say?"</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221
author_id: rugal
title: The Test
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You have to think about it... for approximately five seconds. Shit it <i>is</i> a good idea and you wonder why it's not one you thought of. Then again, leave it to a horn dog like Caleb to think that the best thing to do with the masks is to get some pussy. And if you can get with Lisa, well...<br/>
<br/>
"Well?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's words bring you back to earth and you shoot him a grin, "Sure. why the hell not? If we can get Mansfield's brain then that'd be a real coup right?" You're practically beaming now. "Yeah, we get him and I can get with Lisa or I can fuck things up for them. If shit goes south, well then it's Mansfield getting the blowback, not me. No harm, no foul."<br/>
<br/>
"Except for Mansfield but I guess you're throwing him under no harm," Caleb states. He then counters with a question though, "But what if you can't get Mansfield?<br/>
<br/>
"What?"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean say you can't get Mansfield's brain. Do you go for someone else to copy," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that'd involve making up new masks, right? That's such a pain," you whine.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb shakes his head, "Ignore that. If you can't get Mansfield then why not get someone else? I know you're all heartbroken over Lisa but there's a lot more girls out there that you'd be able to take your pick from."<br/>
<br/>
"Like who," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Well let me throw names out there and you tell me whether you'd do 'em," he states. "Cindy Vredenburg. Gloria Rea, Jessica Garner."<br/>
<br/>
You give a positive response to that.<br/>
<br/>
"Yumi Saito."<br/>
<br/>
Yumi's a friend, of sorts. She's Jenny Ashton's best friend and as a result occasionally hangs out with Jenny and her friends. On the occasions you're there some times you get to talk to her. She's definitely gorgeous so you respond with an affirmative.<br/>
<br/>
"Jenny Ashton."<br/>
<br/>
That causes you to pause. Jenny's cute in that way that straddles the line between feminine and tomboy but for some reason you really have a hard time thinking about her in a sexual manner. Even still... "Sure," you answer.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, Kelsey Blankenship."<br/>
<br/>
That draws you back into the conversation you had earlier this afternoon with Tackett and his crew. "She's fucking Karl Hennepin, you know," you say.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb nods, "That's great but would <i>you</i> fuck her?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right at the Donna. She thinks it's a secret"<br/>
<br/>
"So would you fuck her on the down low at the Donna," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Well yeah, sure," you finally answer, "But fuck you just reminded me of something that's all. It's kind of unfair what she's doing to Hennepin, I mean hooking up with him and not even having the guts to go public because she's worried about her reputation or whatever the fuck."<br/>
<br/>
"Since when the fuck did you care about Karl Hennepin's love life," Caleb asks. "Shit, since when the fuck did you care about Karl Hennepin at all?"<br/>
<br/>
"Look, it's just something that we were talking about when I was hanging out with Tackett and them, that's all. They kind of agreed and some of the guys suggested sneaking some pictures of them at the Donna and putting it up all over social media," you slyly leave out that "some of those guys" were in fact yourself. "You don't find that interesting," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't really care," he answers in exasperation. "So she's fucking him, so what? It's none of our business," Caleb states. "If you're so concerned, get a mask of Kelsey and fuck Karl yourself."<br/>
<br/>
He manages to dodge when you swing at him and the two of you are ready to continue throwing down when Justin comes back in with some sandwiches as well as some additional material.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
"So that's what you guys are really going to do with these," Justin asks once Caleb informs him of your plans.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck yeah," Caleb states enthusiastically. "I mean look, we have to get some use out of these some way and where's the fun in walking around as that goofy fucker over there?" With that he jerks a thumb at you but you decide not to give him the satisfaction of reacting. "Besides, isn't there some girl you'd like to fuck?"<br/>
<br/>
Justin gives it a little thought, "Yeah, sure. There's some," he states.<br/>
<br/>
"So you're in," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, sure, I'm in. I'll text Connor about it." Justin proceeds to do so and gets a series of responses back within a few minutes. "Connor's in but like he just said we need to get everything made up first and we need to test everything out as well."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not making a mask, I already have one made of me," you protest.<br/>
<br/>
"Caleb and I will make the masks," Justin states though he hands you some of the material he purchased. "You have to make the bands though and use the first one on yourself."<br/>
<br/>
"Why me," you continue to protest.<br/>
<br/>
"Because we have to make sure these full body disguises work, you doofus," Caleb, never one to miss taking a shot, chimes in.<br/>
<br/>
With a groan you get to work and grab the materials needed for the band but wanting to remember the details exactly you go over to the dirt pile, against Caleb's protests, and dig the book out from it making sure everything is put back in place. You get to work mixing the materials as needed until eventually a band is made. Then another two in rather quick succession as it is, thankfully, not a long process. Not like the masks.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, you guys know you're in for a solid week of getting that thing polished up, right," you call out to Justin. "It's gonna be a pain in the ass!"<br/>
<br/>
Justin just shrugs it off. "If it takes a week, it takes a week," he states. "We'll figure something out though."<br/>
<br/>
You notice that you still have plenty of material left. You were going to make bands of yourselves but hey, if you can make more, why not make an extra one so you can grab Mansfield's brain? So you do just that and decide to finish up what material you have to make another two bands as well. Justin and Caleb are eventually able to finish up two more masks before they check on you.<br/>
<br/>
"So you got that shit done," Caleb asks. You hold out the bands and he grabs one from your hand and appraises it. "So, you just take this and jam it against someone's forehead like so..."<br/>
<br/>
You're unable to react before Caleb's hand shoots forward and you're engulfed by darkness, waking up an indeterminate amount of time later to see a double of yourself dressed in Caleb's clothes rousing himself up.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking asshole," you growl as you glare at him; he must've got your mask out of your bag. Once you've pulled yourself up though you let the ill feelings drop a bit, "So what's up? Does it work?"<br/>
<br/>
"Gimme a sec," your clone says as he drags himself up and gives himself a moment or two to think. Then it's like a lightbulb going off on his head. "Oh yeah, it definitely works. I have to concentrate a bit but I can pull some things up, mainly what you talked about with Tackett and them earlier."<br/>
<br/>
"So the memories are there, that's good," Justin states, "but what about anything else?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb gives it another thought. "I'm telling you, it's all here! Just get off my case already, christ!" It's a pitch perfect imitation of the tone you can take when quite annoyed which means that's all there as well.<br/>
<br/>
"Christ, so it's definitely true," you state in awe. "We put these on and we could become a perfect doppelganger of someone else." You let the thought sink in, the thought of what Caleb said about using the mask to get girls, to get Mansfield and get Lisa through him, and it's something that's going to definitely eat away at you for a while.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah but we're not going to be able to do that until we get these masks done," Justin states as he then orders Caleb out of your mask. Once he's back the two of them get back to work and by the time curfew is dangerously close to coming up and you say your goodbyes they're able to get two more masks done. It'll just be the long process left of polishing them up.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
There's a cliche line about people who assume and you're feeling it right now. "Bullshit," you state to Connor on the other end of the line. He had called you this morning to tell you that he and Justin had finished getting all four masks polished last night.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm telling you the truth," he replies back.<br/>
<br/>
"How in the hell did you even manage that," you ask incredulously. "Getting mine and Mansfield's masks took days."<br/>
<br/>
"Ancient Chinese secret," Connor laughs. "Well, really, Manuel had a car buffer so we figured... why not? Guess wizards didn't really think much about what we'd have four hundred years after the fact."<br/>
<br/>
"So all four of those masks done," you ask again, "I can't believe it."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, believe it Will," Connor replies. "Actually, Justin and myself already have our images captured on them as well as our minds."<br/>
<br/>
"That fast? Did you get anyone else?"<br/>
<br/>
"Unless you want to be Manuel that bad it's just us for now," he explains. "Justin said he'd try and get the last one on someone else though, someone different just because he said there'd be no fun in it if it was just us basically circlejerking each other. Actually, though, that does get me to a proposal I want to make."<br/>
<br/>
"A proposal? Sure, I'm listening," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"So we want to test these out, right," he asks. "Well, we're going to have to at some point so I'm wondering if you'd be willing to switch. I'll go to school as you, you spend the day as me. We'll see if these things can let us fool anyone or what."<br/>
<br/>
Well that's a shock. First they're able to get the masks done in record time, now Connor's proposing a switch for the day? That'd definitely be something, you're certainly interested in seeing what the college life is like. Oh, but you still have that band you want to use on Mansfield. You want to see if you can get it as soon as possible since that means access to girls. It'd mean access to Lisa.</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212
author_id: rugal
title: The Not So Great Brain Robbery
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's a tempting offer, a very tempting one. Seeing how college works from the perspective of a guy who, you have to almost begrudgingly admit, you think of as kind of cool in a way would definitely be neat. It was nice having his mind to guide you through everything yesterday and it'd be a great way to make sure the masks and bands work in concert as advertised. But then you realize that Connor might just be using it as a way to get out of work for the day and you're not sure you want to be stuck slinging coffee around all day. Besides, you've got that mind band on your desk.<br/>
<br/>
Oh sure, Connor can slap it on Mansfield if he's you but there's a large part of you that wants to do it both to personally fuck with Mansfield and to show to the others that you can do things like this yourself.<br/>
<br/>
Still, the temptation is there so tell Connor that you'll try getting back to him in the next<br/>
<br/>
Once the call has ended, you finish getting ready for school. You have to rush through it the entire process, getting dressed and your breakfast--much to your mother's consternation--and the like as Connor's phone call has put you behind schedule... at least the schedule you're keeping for the next little while. You thankfully miss one of your dad's lectures about taking a job at Salopek and you're in your truck and out the door.<br/>
<br/>
You're up and leaving earlier than normal due to wanting to first stop by the school to check on the pile of dirt. You were wary about leaving it overnight but as Caleb, Justin and yourself had found surprisingly found out the purple flames that dance on top of the dirt don't emit any heat. In fact you had been able to pass your hand directly through it to no effect, almost as if they were ghost flames. You'd been able to dig the book out from under the pile to see how long you would need it to burn and sadly didn't get much of a time table, merely to re-light it until it no longer re-lights. You head in and after verifying that it's still burning you decide to check back later.<br/>
<br/>
You arrive at school early so are there before most of the crowd and you can feel the anxiousness to use the band on Mansfield come back up as you wait around for a bit and scope out the parking lot. You decide to call up Connor while you wait and tell him that you're going to decline his offer. The call ends and you go back to looking for Mansfield in the parking lot. However you don't see anything as it fills and eventually you resign yourself to having missed him as you gather your things and head into school.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
As you had gone into the school the thought had crossed your mind that maybe Mansfield was absent today but those are quickly put to rest when you trudge into Walberg's class and see Mansfield there with Brooke Galloway, Kelsey Blankenship and the rest of the snooty AP crew. Lisa is there too, naturally, and like usual that puts you in a funk for the rest of the period. You obviously don't have a chance to get him here and really you're worried about how earlier might have been your <i>only</i> chance to do it. Caleb shares a few classes with him but obviously since you have the last free band for the moment he'd have no way of getting him.<br/>
<br/>
The bell rings so you go through the rest of the morning in a rather despondent mood due to feeling like you've blown your chance. However by the time lunch rolls around your spirits pick up a little bit as you see Lisa but her boyfriend is nowhere in sight. You ask her what's up and she says that there's some stuff he needed to take care of so he'd be running late to lunch. Thinking you might have a chance if you can find him before he gets back to lunch. You say your goodbyes and head out to find him. You make a beeline for Mrs. Kohl's room as you know from Lisa that's who he has right before lunch. However peeking through the window on the door you see nothing but an empty classroom.<br/>
<br/>
You then begin a search around the rest of E-wing to no results. You're not sure where Mansfield's locker is so you try to check the various wings of the school to no effect. By the time you reach B-wing you realize you haven't gone to the bathroom at all today and your bladder's starting to kill you so head into the rest rooms between B and D-wings and make sure to take care of that. After washing your hands you remove the metal band from your pocket and stare at it with a bit of disappointment. Your quest to get it on Mansfield has so far been a bust. Maybe you should just switch off with Connor tomorrow and let him handle it, he'd probably be a lot better at making sure he got it.<br/>
<br/>
Still looking at it, you begin absentmindedly walking out of the bathroom and you take approximately two steps out when you feel something crash into you and you go tumbling to the ground. As you pull yourself up you realize that it's not something that crashed into you but some<i>one</i> and your heart begins beating through your chest when you realize who it is: Gloria Rea, one of Chelsea Cooper's chief minions.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh shit, I-I'm sorry! I..." you stop yourself however when it looks like she's not moving. Your eyes go wide with fear as you timidly reach down and roll her over. She's still breathing, thank god, but she's completely out. She gives no response as you roll her over and try to call out to her. You shake her a bit but still, no luck and it's then that something else hits you: the band. It's not in your hand.<br/>
<br/>
Desperately you look around for it in the area where you fell but you can't find it. Gathering up some courage, you decide to gingerly move Gloria and prop her up against the wall both because you don't think it's a good idea for her to lay on the floor and because you want to see if she fell on it but again there's nothing. But you're hit by a thought as you look back at Gloria. When she crashed into you and the two of you went tumbling maybe your hand went against her head. If that's the case then that would mean that the band isn't anywhere you can see, it's in Gloria!<br/>
<br/>
Against your better judgment, you decide to see if that's the case and wait around for a couple minutes. You're thankful that the halls are more or less empty; everyone is either in class, at lunch or hanging around the portables if they're cutting class. So you're able to have relative quiet until, not to your surprise, the band emerges from Gloria's head. You quickly grab it up and shove it into your pocket. You're about to leave but notice Gloria's still out. You can't leave her here so you decide to wake her up again. You call out to her a bit and tell her to wake up and after a moment or two she finally comes too.<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, what..." she groans before her eyes flutter open and she gets a face full of you. "Oh god, what the fuck?!" she exclaims and tries to back up before realizing she's against the wall. "What the fuck are you doing, you creep?"<br/>
<br/>
You're taken aback and decide to back off a little. "I'm sorry, it's my fault," you apologize... and plead. "I was coming out of the bathroom, I guess we didn't see each other and... you went down pretty hard. You were out for a couple of minutes and I didn't want to leave you just laying here."<br/>
<br/>
She eyes you with suspicion but you think you see her eyes soften a bit as she tries to take stock of the situation.<br/>
<br/>
"Listen, uh, I don't know if you have a concussion or anything. You should probably get to the nurse's. I can... I can take you over there to make sure you get there alright."<br/>
<br/>
She continues to eye you and doesn't say anything. After a moment her eyes narrow again and she just pulls herself up. "I can get there myself, asshole," she finally says.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, I mean it. I'm sorry," you apologize again, "Please don't have Chelsea send Gordon after me."<br/>
<br/>
She gives a smirk and lets out something of a snort laugh before her expression her harden against. "You're not worth the effort. Just fuck off and don't bother me again," she states as she marches off.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Gloria Rea," Caleb states out loud as he hands the band back to you. You've met up with him in the elementary school basement after school to check on the still burning dirt pile.<br/>
<br/>
You take another look at it, the name GLORIA EMILY REA floats on it. "Yeah, her. Sorry, it was a mistake," you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria <i>freakin'</i> Rea," He exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
"I know," you state, "Sorry I missed out on Mansfield."<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, who cares about Mansfield," Caleb asks like it's a stupid thought to have. "You've got Gloria Rea's mind. Think of what you can do with it!"<br/>
<br/>
"Such as?"<br/>
<br/>
"God, you're dense," he shoots back, "You have her mind. That means you put that band on and you've got her schedule available to you. You know where she's going after school. You have all that, you can get to her at a time where she's alone and slap a mask on her."<br/>
<br/>
"So we've got the mask and band of Gloria," you state.<br/>
<br/>
"Right. We wanted some girls, we can get some through her even easier than we could with Mansfield."<br/>
<br/>
"But do we have a mask," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I texted Justin about it earlier, he hasn't used that free one they have," he replies. Connor or Justin must have talked to him as well this morning. "I'll tell him to bring the mask. Put on that band later, try and take in as much of Gloria's schedule as possible and get the mask on her tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
Having a Gloria Rea that you could be close to at any time is definitely tempting as is using her to get other girls, especially the cheerleaders. But you still really want to get Mansfield's brain as well because as fun as Gloria or other girls might be, they won't be Lisa.</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121
author_id: rugal
title: Journey Into Gloria
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Yeah, yeah," you nod in agreement. "Yeah, call him up."<br/>
<br/>
It's not long before Justin's able to make it out and you're soon holding a blank mask in your hand. A mask that will, hopefully, contain the image of Gloria Rea in it by this time tomorrow. There's a bit of hanging around and you eat the food you weren't able to at lunch. Afterwards, Caleb reaches in and digs the book back out once more so he can go over the pages and see if there's something that was missed about a timeframe for the spell. Justin gives him a line about insanity and repeating the same actions and expecting different results but Caleb ignores him.<br/>
<br/>
"So, this girl you're trying to get... she hot," Justin asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, definitely," you state. You pull out your phone and do a bit of digging around Facebook and from there Instagram until you find some selfies at a recent pool party of a girl with lightly dusky skin, long, dark red hair, strong arms and legs and a stomach with visible abs, all of it topped by two large, perfect breasts.<br/>
<br/>
You show Justin and he lets out a whistle. "Yeah, I can see why you'd want her. So how'd you get her in the band anyway," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," you begin relaying the story. "My hand must've accidentally pushed the band into her as we were coming down."<br/>
<br/>
"So your klutziness saved the day," he replies jokingly.<br/>
<br/>
You just shake your head, "I was supposed to get Mansfield so I fucked up there."<br/>
<br/>
"One door closes," he shrugs. "Anyway, it's not like you can't go after him again later if you want to get with your girlfriend."<br/>
<br/>
"So what about you," you ask. "Why haven't you gotten anyone in that mask? You waiting for someone special?"<br/>
<br/>
Justin just gives another small shrug. "I was wanting to use it on a barista that works at the coffee shop near campus," he replies. "Nice-looking girl. Cool as fuck."<br/>
<br/>
You feel it's your turn to needle him. "You got a thing for her," you tease.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe, maybe not. What's it matter," he replies, "we're not ten anymore."<br/>
<br/>
Still, you decide to press on a little bit. "Well, I showed you mine so maybe show me yours," you say with an immature snicker, "Do you even have any pictures?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, sure, hold up," he states and rummages through his phone. He hands it to you. You see him in a selfie with a girl with a short bleached faux hawk, gauges in her ears, lots of eye shadow and other makeup surround piercing blue eyes and you think you can see tattoos peeking out on whatever you can see of her arms. You can see that she's a nice-looking girl but she's not your type at all. "Yeah, not bad," you reply diplomatically while handing the phone back to him.<br/>
<br/>
You chit-chat for a little while longer and then you notice the fire on the pile go out. The three of you get excited until Caleb attempts to be re-light and, to your disappointment, it does. So that really is how it's going to be you sigh. You wish the book would give you a more specific timeframe. Still, with business concluded for the day, you figure now's as good a time as any time to say your goodbyes and head home so you can get acquainted with the mind of Gloria Rea. Before you go, Justin hands you a mask that he informs you is Connor's who wants you to hang onto it if you change your mind about switching.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
At home you go through the usual late afternoon/early evening routine. A couple of chores around the house at your mother's insistence, having to deal with your brother trying to make your chores that much tougher by bothering you, dinner and then homework. Unluckily as well, you don't get the benefit of skipping a lecture by your father about responsibility, maturity and how you're no longer a kid anymore. All of it yet another thinly disguised attempt to persuade you into taking a job that you don't want where he works.<br/>
<br/>
Once you're finished with your homework you make sure to lock the door to your room, sit down on your bed and fish the band out of your pocket. You stare once more at it to make sure you haven't been imagining things.<br/>
<br/>
<i>GLORIA EMILY RAE</i><br/>
<br/>
The name floats on the band much as it had been when you checked a few hours earlier. Taking a deep breath, you put the band to your head and can feel yourself falling backwards as you black out.<br/>
<br/>
You wake up an indeterminate amount of time later with a shock. You take a look at your room and immediately your brain is buzzing. Where are you? This bed, the sheets, the walls, everything. Nothing in it belongs to you. This isn't your room. You notice an odd sensation as well as you look down at yourself and gasp. Breasts! Where are they?! And down at your crotch is that... you place a hand down and immediately pull back. It is!<br/>
<br/>
"Oh god," you main and do another double take. That's not your voice. You're Gloria Rea and it's not your voice. It's the voice of a boy.<br/>
<br/>
Well of course it is, you smack your cheeks with both hands to jostle yourself back into reality. You're Will Prescott, not Gloria Rea. No, you merely have a copy of her mind resting alongside your own. You have it so you can get a sense of her schedule, where she goes and what would be the most opportune time to slip a mask onto her face. So what <i>is</i> her schedule? You think, concentrate on it. <i>"Gloria Rea's schedule,"</i> you think to yourself and within a second or two it's there. You make sure to grab a notepad and pen and begin writing things down.<br/>
<br/>
Cheerleading first, no surprise there. A lot of the athletic teams practice first thing in the morning. Gladstone's reading class is next followed by Ms. Brice's parenting class and lunch. After that it's psychology with Hartford and Martinez for Spanish. After that it's dance and study hall and while most students' days would end there, Gloria stays an additional hour after school for gymnastics. You pick up some stray thoughts about how she'd enjoy the dance class more if it wasn't for certain elements.<br/>
<br/>
You feel at a bit of a loss over all of that as it doesn't seem like there's a chance to get her. You decide to see what she does after school. It's not much, you come to realize. She works part time at Moda Boutique, a higher-end clothing and makeup store in the mall. Oh sure, some times she will go to parties with Kendra and Chelsea and the other cheerleaders but... well, you're kind of surprised really.<br/>
<br/>
You're especially surprised that it triggers vague feelings in you. Feelings of resentment, anger, despair, hatred, loneliness. All negative thoughts. You don't want to be overwhelmed so you quickly take the band off and after coming to you stare at it for a good long while. You're hesitant to immediately put it on but you'll likely have to at some point. And while Caleb drools over her body you can't help but wonder when you'll get the nerve to put the band back on and find out just what's going on in her head.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You go through the next day checking schedule you made and keeping your eyes peeled for Gloria off on her own but to your dismay, much like with Mansfield yesterday, you have zero luck. So it's a definite shock to you when you're cornered off into a private area inbetween fifth and sixth periods by none other than Gloria herself. In a reverse of the previous day, it's now you inbetween Gloria and a wall. You can't help but feel exceedingly nervous.<br/>
<br/>
"Do you have a study hall or anything for eighth," she asks in a rather hard, icy tone. It doesn't sound like much of a question.<br/>
<br/>
"A--Astronomy," you stutter, "I, uh, I don't."<br/>
<br/>
"Well you do no," she replies, her tone of voice unchanging. You're going to say something but your mouth won't move. "The weight room. Eighth period. Otherwise I <i>will</i> make sure you get a visit from Gordon."<br/>
<br/>
She leaves and you nearly piss yourself. It's not just because Gloria is one of the most beautiful girls in school either. She's smaller than you height-wise but the way she carries herself causes you to feel intimidated all the same. So you nervously go through the rest of the day and though it takes you a minute or two, once eighth period comes you're able to remember where the weight room is. You're paranoid that when you get in there Gordon, Patterson and all of their buddies will be there to make sure you're eating through a straw and once more that feeling of wanting to piss yourself comes back.<br/>
<br/>
You take care of that and then head over to the weight room and are mostly relieved to find only Gloria in the room. She's got a barbell across her shoulders as she squats and once she finishes a rep, it crashes to the ground as she wipes herself off with a towel.<br/>
<br/>
"You're late, Asshole," she states in annoyance.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry," you mutter nervously, "I forgot where this place was. I don't really get much use out of it, you know." You laugh nervously but Gloria's hard gaze remains unchanging. "So, uh, what did you want," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I want to know what's going on," she answers.<br/>
<br/>
You're taken aback. "E-Excuse me," you stutter.<br/>
<br/>
"I went to the nurse after our little accident and the weirdest thing happened," she states. Again, unchanging and cold. That feeling of intimidation comes back. "There was nothing wrong with me."<br/>
<br/>
"There was nothing," you start. "Well, hey! That's great right? That you're not hurt?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not an idiot so don't treat me like one," she shoots back. "I crashed hard into you. I was out for I don't even know how long but I <i>was</i> knocked out. But there was nothing the nurse could find. I don't have a knot, no concussion, no sign of trauma, nothing. Schaffer may be a useless drunk cunt but even she would know if my head was messed up."<br/>
<br/>
She walks towards you. She gets close enough for you to back up but not too close for her comfort. All the time, her eyes don't come off of you.<br/>
<br/>
"I got knocked out but there's nothing physical. So what I want from you, Asshole, is to tell me what the fuck is going on."</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211
author_id: rugal
title: That Time You Told Her the Truth
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're in disbelief over what Gloria's telling you. Hell, you can't believe that you're even standing all alone with her in the same room. She wants you to tell her what's going on? But what would that do? You tell her that there's a magic book that makes magic brain copying bands and magic body copying masks and she'll laugh at you, insult you and probably get Gordon or Patterson or Lynch or whoever to beat you up one hallway and down the other. She might not even need to do that. Given the way she's got you on edge, the firmness of the muscles you see on her and the weight she was carrying on those squats, you're fairly certain that she could beat you up herself.<br/>
<br/>
But what's the alternative?<br/>
<br/>
The only "normal" way you can envision her falling unconscious is if she had something like a fainting spell and if Gloria Rea was prone to fainting spells even you would know about it because that's not something that'd be kept under wraps. Likely she wouldn't be part of various athletic endeavors like cheerleading or gymnastics either if she had some noticeable health problems. So then what? You drugged her? That's even more absurd. More absurd, even, than the idea of a magic grimoire.<br/>
<br/>
So you steel yourself and take a breath. "Alright, you want to know," you ask her. "Fine, but you have to promise me--"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't have to promise you shit," she cuts you off.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, do you want to know what happened or not?"<br/>
<br/>
She rolls her eyes. "Fine, whatever," she replies.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright. Just please don't tell anybody. I mean it, none of it leaves this room," you tell her. God, this is going to sound so dumb but you press on. "So, a little while back I was in Arnholm's and I found this book that they sold me for cheap. The book claimed it was magic and... I'm not going to give you a point by point presentation of what happened but my friends and I were fooling with it worked. There was some material I gathered and using what the book said I made a mask."<br/>
<br/>
You wait for a response. You get none so you continue.<br/>
<br/>
"The book said this mask could copy the appearance of anyone and, well, it did. Not shitting you, it worked! So that was followed up by these bands that do the opposite side, they copy the mind instead of the body. Like the mask, this worked too. I had one in my hand as I was coming out the bathroom and when we ran into each other I must've, and I can't stress this next word enough, accidentally put it against your forehead. So you went out while it was copying your brain and came to when it was done. That's why you were out but had no injuries to go with it."<br/>
<br/>
You let out another breath as you look at Gloria for a reaction, any reaction at all. For an uncomfortable time there is none but eventually you do get one.<br/>
<br/>
"Get the fuck out of here," she snarls.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I'm telling you the truth," you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"Out," she repeats and points towards the door. "Go away you fucking weirdo or I swear to god--"<br/>
<br/>
"W-w-wait," you say pleadingly, "Just... let me show you okay? Give me a chance to prove it to you and if you're not convinced then you can have the basketball team, the football team, the baseball team, whoever all beat me into a pulp at once."<br/>
<br/>
The same angry expression is staring holes right through you but you see something on her face and, seemingly against her better judgment, she relents. "One chance, Asshole," she states, "Prove it to me or I'll make you wish it was the basketball team beating you around."<br/>
<br/>
Well... that's a positive step right? So you need to convince her somehow. You do have the band in your pocket. You've had it there just in case you needed it today and, well, this definitely qualifies as a just in case moment. So you pull it out and hold it up to her so she can see it. You even hear something of a noise of confusion as she sees it and you realize she must be seeing her own name floating there.<br/>
<br/>
So once more into the abyss right? You take a seat on the floor against a wall and mustering up all the bravery you can, you put Gloria's band against your head.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"You don't look any different," Gloria snorts.<br/>
<br/>
"Because this is the band, like I already told you," you reply with more than a little annoyance.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't talk to me like that, Asshole," she declares, folding her arms defiantly.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe don't talk to me like I'm a piece of shit," you shoot back, "I didn't do anything to you, not on purpose, so stop being a dumb cunt, you dumb cunt."<br/>
<br/>
You suppress a gasp of surprise and mentally brace for a response from her, another angry barb hurled in your direction. But none comes. Instead you see Gloria shrink back a bit. Her expression changes from one of disgust to one that looks almost traumatized. A thousand yard stare like she's just had a mental blue screen of death. Is she going to flip out on you? Is this silent anger working itself into a boiling fury?<br/>
<br/>
But you realize that it's not. Gloria's mind is there and having it push at you is what caused you to not back down from her, to insult her right back. But that same mind is telling you that's not what's going on at all.<br/>
<br/>
"You sound like," is all she's able to mutter as she looks downward.<br/>
<br/>
Yeah, Gloria's mind is right there and it's telling you that's one of her mother's favorite terms to use for her daughter. It wasn't just the term either but the tone of it, one that's long burned itself into Gloria's mind. One that she...<br/>
<br/>
"I'm--"<br/>
<br/>
"You Asshole," she cuts you off. But again, it's more of a mutter, much more meek.<br/>
<br/>
"I-I'm sorry," is all you can say. "It was the band. I had your mind there, egging me on. 'Don't take that shit from her,' it kept telling me. It wanted me to fight back."<br/>
<br/>
"That was a dirty trick, Asshole," she says. It's not as much of a mutter this time but the energy is no longer there. She walks over and takes a seat on a weight bench. Her head is still down so you can't see her face. "So what else is there," she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"If you're telling the truth, that has my brain on there," she replies. "So what do you say. Give me some self-trivia so I can know whether you're bullshitting me or not."<br/>
<br/>
You give it some thought. "Your birthday is October 15th," you state.<br/>
<br/>
"You could've been Facebook stalking me," she says.<br/>
<br/>
"You work at Moda."<br/>
<br/>
She shakes her head. "Real life stalking," she replies. Well, you're glad she holds you in such high esteem. "What's my mom's name," she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Carmen."<br/>
<br/>
"Where's my dad?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ran off with some," her thoughts are overpowering at this point, "some slut when you were eight."<br/>
<br/>
"Word association. I say a name, you know how it works," she gives it a moment. "Kendra Saunders."<br/>
<br/>
"Cunt."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea Cooper."<br/>
<br/>
"Hate."<br/>
<br/>
"Lin Pol, the Garners, Yumi Saito, Michelle Estrich."<br/>
<br/>
"Bitch, bimbos, two-faced, who."<br/>
<br/>
She looks up slowly. "That's all accurate," she says, "Now take fucking thing off."<br/>
<br/>
This is probably the nicest she's been so not wanting to tempt fate, you raise your hands to your forehead, mutter the words and begin pulling out the band.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So this thing... turns you into other people," Gloria asks as she turns the mask of yourself over in her hands.<br/>
<br/>
You had forgotten that you'd had it in your backpack until she'd asked you to see one of the masks. You'd meant to grab the blank mask with the possible intention of using it on her if there was an opening but you'd accidentally grabbed your own instead. She's become much calmer than she had been when you first walked in. She's still very guarded but she seems less testy.<br/>
<br/>
"It turns you into whoever's image is in the mask," you answer. "You can combine the band with the mask and you'd have both their body and mind."<br/>
<br/>
"So if I put this on, I'd become..."<br/>
<br/>
"Me."<br/>
<br/>
"You," she echoes you. She eyes the mask, continues turning it over. You guess she doesn't know what to make of it, much like you don't know what to make of your current situation.<br/>
<br/>
"Switch," she says quietly.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, come again," you ask, not thinking you heard her right.<br/>
<br/>
She looks up at you. The hard look is back but it's no longer angry. If you didn't know any better, you'd say there was something pleading underneath of it. "If I put this mask on, I'd become you. So if you got a mask of me, you'd become me," she says. "So let's switch."<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes bug out at that. "Wh-why would you," you stutter, "I mean you're, well, you're you!"<br/>
<br/>
"And I don't like it, Asshole," she says. "You know what's going on in my head."<br/>
<br/>
"Not anymore," you reply, "that stuff fades pretty quickly."<br/>
<br/>
She's quiet for a moment. "My mom, Chelsea, Kendra, all of the cheerleaders, everything. I hate it," she states. "I get degraded, insulted, treated like dirt. Her retarded pet gorilla's friends leer and me and when she wants to control him she practically prostitutes me out to his buddies. I don't want this life anymore. You can have it, or someone else can."<br/>
<br/>
"Someone else?"<br/>
<br/>
"If you can find someone else, they can be Gloria Rea and I'll take their place. As long as it's not someone like Gracie McGraw or any of those future cat ladies, I'll do it." She lets out a long sigh, "I just want out."<br/>
<br/>
You're taken aback. "Why tell me all this," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"You've seen everything anyway. What secrets do I have left," she states. "Just find me someone, Asshole. But I want out now so until you do, we switch."<br/>
<br/>
"I have a name, you know," you say defensively. "Will Prescott."<br/>
<br/>
"Well as far as I know, you're just some random Asshole," she shoots back. "But do this for me and maybe I'll be inclined to remember it."</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111
author_id: rugal
title: The Agreement
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're still in shock over what's been proposed. Yesterday you went to school determined to capture the mind of Geoff Mansfield so you could use him to get back with your ex-girlfriend, if only for a little while. Through one unlikely event after another, however, you're in the weight room of Westside High School sitting next to Gloria Rea, one of the most beautiful girls in school and one of Chelsea Cooper's underlings and she's telling you how much she hates her life. So badly does she want out of it that she's willing to trade with anyone you can get her and until you do she's even willing to trade with <i>you</i>. Even in a dream something like this would feel way too improbable.<br/>
<br/>
And why should you help her?<br/>
<br/>
Well, because you <i>want</i> to. The feelings you picked up on last night with the band. What she'd told you now. The way she seemed to just mentally stop earlier. You look over at her. Maybe twenty minutes ago she was ready to tear your nuts off but all of that is gone. You look at her and you don't see the confident--arrogant even--girl who intimidated you into telling her about a magic book. You instead see someone stripped of all of her confidence, one simple phrase having let out every insecurity she tries to keep hidden away.<br/>
<br/>
You feel sorry for her, you realize. You had told her that things faded quickly once the band was off but your memory of how you felt with it is still there in a small way. Even if it wasn't, well what you see before you is enough to tell you everything. Gloria Rea is an utterly defeated person and that wasn't something brought on by anything you said. She was made that way a long time ago.<br/>
<br/>
So you feel sorry for her and want to help her. But if you do that, trade your life for her own, she'll know. She'd have your memories, right? She'd know why you're using the masks and what's going on with Caleb and Connor and Justin. What would she think of that? You realize that you very much care about what she'd think. Well wait, would she? When <i>did</i> you charge that mask? Was it before or after plans on what to do with them were set in motion? You honestly can't remember but as long as you're both putting yourselves out there, you figure that you owe it to her to be honest.<br/>
<br/>
"So, I'm not saying yes or no," you tell her, "but I want you to know something. If I do agree to do this, you might find some things in my mask that are... I don't know. So I want to be open about this. We, that is my friends and I, we were wanting to use the masks to get girls. Specifically I was looking to get Geoff Mansfield so I could spent time with my ex-girlfriend but after I got your mind copied by mistake Caleb, that is one of my friends, suggested getting a mask of you to go with it."<br/>
<br/>
You expect yet another angry barb but the response is more muted. "So you could, what, play with my tits," she asks. "Suck each other off?"<br/>
<br/>
You feel yourself beginning to sweat nervously. "Look, I'm sorry. I know that's weird and gross but, uh, it wasn't my idea technically," you defend yourself.<br/>
<br/>
"But you went along with it," she replies. "Not that I care though. I'm out, remember? You want to finger yourself, do it until you're swimming in pussy juice, I don't care. It won't be my life anymore."<br/>
<br/>
"So do I have a choice," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no, you have a choice," she says. "We switch, you have fun being Gloria Rea or find someone else to take over or I tell the school about how you cornered me in the weight room like a fucked up pervert."<br/>
<br/>
Things had been going so nice too. It's not much of a choice, of course, but once that realization hit you... "Well, I was going to do it regardless," you state. "I want to make it up to you for starting this whole mess. I want to help you out."<br/>
<br/>
You see the faint hints of an ever so small smile form on her face, you think. "Guess you're not as dumb as I thought, huh Asshole," she says and picks herself back up into a standing position. "So what do we do? You got a mask you can just throw on me or something?"<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head. "I... no, not here," you state sheepishly, "I kinda grabbed the wrong one this morning."<br/>
<br/>
She looks down at the mask of you she's still holding. "Well bring it later," she says much to your confusion. "My house. Bring it there this evening, come around the back and knock on the window on the left. That's my room, I'll let you in."<br/>
<br/>
"Why go through all that trouble?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because I don't want my useless mom answering the door or knowing that something's going on, that's why," she explains. She then heads over to her bag near one of the other machines. "What's your number," she asks as she takes her phone out of it.<br/>
<br/>
Still in shock you give it to her and a minute later it's buzzing. You check and see that she's texted you her address. "You know where that is," she asks. You nod an affirmative. It's a neighborhood a little west of Evans Blvd. and while not a run down ghetto like, say, the area around Coolidge, it's not exactly upscale either. Decidedly working class is how you'd describe it.<br/>
<br/>
"Good," she replies. "I don't have work tonight so just come some time in the evening. I'll be there." She also throws the mask of yourself into her bag. You'd protest but, well, she's going to be using it so why not?<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
Nervously you head up the driveway of a small, old house in a small, old neighborhood. However, instead of continuing towards the front door, you veer the other direction, go around the side and are in the small back yard. Window on the left, right? With trepidation and a bit of psyching yourself up, you knock on the window. Within a few seconds it's open and Gloria peeks her head out.<br/>
<br/>
"Get in," she motions and, obliging her, you climb through the window into her room.<br/>
<br/>
Gloria Rea's room.<br/>
<br/>
Like the house, it's small. Plain white walls, a small vanity, a bed with a dark green comforter over it. There's some posters of bands and other things like that, a TV on a console against the wall opposite the bed. You're not quite sure what you were expecting but you can't help but feel a bit let down.<br/>
<br/>
"So, do you have the mask," she asks. You reply positively and pull it from out of your bag, figuring it was a good idea to bring it since you had needed to stop by the school to get some of what you'd need to attach the band to the mask as well.<br/>
<br/>
"What happens from here," you ask to her confusion, "Do we still talk to each other, keep in touch?"<br/>
<br/>
"If you're looking for other people we will. I guess," she answers.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, for that too but, I dunno, I mean just, like, talking," you state.<br/>
<br/>
She narrows her eyes. "We're not friends, Asshole," she says but the expression soon goes away. "But I guess since you'd be higher up on the social ladder you'd control that, wouldn't you? So fine, sure, we can talk. Not publicly though, it'll be weird. We can do it here or the weight room since nobody uses that in the afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
"I've got friends involved with this book too," you say. "Do we tell them about what's going on?"<br/>
<br/>
Gloria gives it a moment of thought but eventually shakes her head. "No, this is just between you and me and it's going to stay that way," she answers. "Besides, you said these things let you perfectly impersonate someone right? So I should be able to do that and there won't be a reason to."<br/>
<br/>
You're still left with a burning question. "Why," you ask. "Why do all this?"<br/>
<br/>
"I told you back at school, Asshole. But if that's not good enough, well have fun seeing it first hand I guess."<br/>
<br/>
Well that's certainly not ominous. But with everything concluded you guess that it's time to get to what you came to do. You hand her the mask and tell her to lay on the bed and put it to her face since it'll leave her out for a while. She does so and it's around ten or fifteen minutes before the mask comes out and she begins waking up. You scoop out the mask, get out the goop and get to work combining her mind band with her mask and a couple minutes later you have a complete Gloria mask.<br/>
<br/>
You then hand her the mask of yourself and you're shocked when, right in front of you, she strips out of her clothes but she tells you there's no point in caring since it's not anything you won't soon be seeing for yourself anyway. She places the mask onto her face and, after a couple of minutes, not wanting to wait around or see a naked copy of yourself you strip out of your own clothes and place them next to her on the bod. You then sit down against a wall, take the newly made mask and put it to your face.<br/>
<br/>
You come to some time later. Breasts! Large, beautiful breasts on your chest! You can't help but take slim hands and caress them as, a soft moan of pleasure escaping as you do. But you'll have time for that later, right now you need to find... well, wait where is she? Or he, you guess? Gloria, that is Will Prescott (<i>Asshole</i> your new mind what's to correct you), is gone. You're in her room, your room, all by yourself. Not even a note from the former Ms. Rea. So you grab a pair of underwear from the bed and put them on as well as what she had been wearing when you came, short cotton shorts and a somewhat ovrsized t-shirt for lounging in.<br/>
<br/>
You head to the small vanity and sit in front of it. You look yourself over in the mirror. A gorgeous face, beautiful eyes, plump lips, perfect cheekbones... you run your hands over your face, over your neck, through your hair. That's you, the realization hits you. Just a few hours ago you were a shrimpy pile of nothing, but now? Now you're flawless. You're perfect.<br/>
<br/>
You're Gloria Rea.</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111
author_id: rugal
title: A Trade Up?
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>That thought echos in your head once more.  Yes, you're Gloria Rea now and... and you're wondering why you're dressed like you're getting ready for bed. Did you do any exercising once you came home? Rather, did the real Gloria do any? You're not sure but your mind, your body, is aching to get out and move around. Gloria always needs to be in top shape which means no slacking at all when it comes to exercising. So you dig through the closet and find a pair of tight-fitting athletic shorts, a sports bra and a tank top and quickly change into them.<br/>
<br/>
You put on a pair of cycling shoes, put your hair up into a ponytail, grab your bike from the garage and spend the next little while biking around with no particular destination. You simply head to an area where you know there are nice hills and spend an hour or so riding around. It's the type of workout that, your mind tells you, Gloria loves. She enjoys the exertion and the focus with nothing, or nobody, to distract her or think about things she doesn't want to think about.<br/>
<br/>
Once that's done you head back to your new home and, now sweaty, hop into the shower. You take longer than Gloria normally would as you enjoy the feeling of the cool water cascading down your skin, the feel of lathering yourself up, especially your breasts and strong thighs and it's all you can do to keep yourself from moving your fingers just a little bit higher right then and there. Once out, you change back into the clothes that you'd been wearing before and grab some of the chicken salad that you--Gloria rather--had made for the week as well as mix some whey powder and milk.<br/>
<br/>
It's something you give some thought to as you eat it back in your room with the TV on. You'd always just assumed that girls as pretty as Gloria just sort of... were. But you can see first hand that she puts a lot of work into her appearance. You'd kind of thought of her as just a bimbo but you're quickly learning that there's more to her than you'd have thought at first glance.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
All told, so far you haven't seen anything too bad from her life though that changes when you go to rinse out the bowl and protein shaker you had been using. You clean and dry them, then go to put them back. As you're heading to your room, however, you see Gloria's mother who's heading towards the kitchen herself. You can feel the nervousness, courtesy of Gloria's mind, welling up in you as you feel yourself tense.<br/>
<br/>
"You're home late," she says as she walks past you and into the kitchen.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry, I was out biking," you reply as you continue on to your room though quickly you're stopped in your tracks by her calling out your name.<br/>
<br/>
"You didn't get any soda while you were out," she says in a tone that's meant to convey annoyance and irritation at you.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't realize we were out," you state.<br/>
<br/>
"Of course you didn't," she sniffs as she pours herself a glass of wine and shuffles once more past you. "You never make a good meal either. Just these things that only <i>you</i> eat. Considering all I've done for you, you really are just an inconsiderate little bitch."<br/>
<br/>
Gloria's mind, her emotions, seem to overpower your own. You should shrug it off but her thoughts are too strong and you find yourself falling victim to them.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry, mom," is the only thing you can pathetically mutter as you wait to hear the door to her room close. Once it does, head down and staring at your feet you make your way back to your room, lock the door and flop down on your bed with your face buried in the pillow.<br/>
<br/>
It's pathetic, really. She's nothing but a drunk at this point and has been for the last ten years. Why should you even care about what she says? Well, she's your mother. She raised you and did the best she could once your piece of shit dad walked out.<br/>
<br/>
Your dad. He still tries to contact you, on your birthday and important holidays. Since starting high school you've spent time with him as well over summers or spring breaks. He lives some hours away in a nice, large house on a nice, large lake. He's successful and doing well for himself. Last spring, you even invited Chelsea and Kendra to spend the time there with you... well, it wasn't your idea, they kind of invited themselves and you knew you would catch holy hell if you didn't comply.<br/>
<br/>
Your dad tries to act nice and show you a nice time but it's all bullshit, you know it. You've complained about your mother and he concurs, tells you it's what lead him to seek other women and leave but you don't believe him. You used to look up to him so much. You remember wanting to go too but he denied that. He'd tell you later it was because he thought your mom could provide better; that he'd had to work especially hard to get to where he is now, only now having that level of comfortability.<br/>
<br/>
Bullshit.<br/>
<br/>
If it wasn't, he wouldn't have left you here.<br/>
<br/>
But she's right, about him and right about you. You worry so much about yourself, don't you? Sure, Chelsea's called you worse things at cheerleading practice but you flinch when your mom says it because it's all true, isn't it? You've helped out with the bills here and there, buy dinner a couple of times a week. But you should do more, right?<br/>
<br/>
<i>"No! You do enough,"</i> your mind yells and you realize that it's your thoughts, not the ones of Gloria that you've been so caught up in. Your face feels weird and you notice that there's a large wet spot on the pillow. You head over to the vanity to check yourself and you see eyes that are red. That feeling comes back again, the one that made you even choose to accept this in the first place. You think of trying to fix yourself up a little bit but figure it would be pointless so instead you locate Gloria's laptop and spend the rest of the evening browsing around her seemingly infinite social media before turning in for the night.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Gloria, what the fuck are you doing," Chelsea yells at you as you get up from a tumble.<br/>
<br/>
"What you told me to do, Chelsea," you shoot back in exasperation.<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't tell you to do it like that," she angrily retorts. "I want you to do it like this," she then does her own tumble and mentally you laugh at her.<br/>
<br/>
<i>"Mine was perfect, you dumb bitch,"</i> you think to yourself and you can tell that, once again, it's Gloria's thoughts coming to the fore. Thoughts that she has during cheerleading practice quite often. Chelsea loves to poke and prod, pointing out little mistakes or inventing fake ones. This tumble is one example. Chelsea saw a part where Gloria outshone her and decided to cut her legs out from under her. She'll do it to Yumi too, just like she always does.<br/>
<br/>
Yumi and Gloria do gymnastics together after school and while Gloria doesn't like Yumi, she knows that she's damn better at the routines than Chelsea because of it. Not that Gloria's ever hung out with Yumi before, or even made an attempt to. Chelsea wouldn't like that. Well, why should Gloria care what Chelsea would and wouldn't like, you wonder. Because they're the closest thing to friends that she has, comes the answer.<br/>
<br/>
You run through the practice, Chelsea running the group as hard as humanly possible, and then break off to shower and get changed. You'd been fairly excited coming in. When you got dressed, you could hardly contain your glee. You--that is, Gloria--looked fantastic in the crimson and gold Westside cheerleading uniform to no surprise and you got to see the cheerleaders in various states of undress while you were doing the same. But that came down quickly once practice started and continues as you dress out.<br/>
<br/>
Kendra and Chelsea make some gossip with you as all of you get changed, you in a pants and loose-fitting sleeveless blouse combo that looks stylish since you'll have to wear it to work after school. They talk about things going on with the different teams, with Chelsea's boyfriend, and about a party that Brooke Galloway is throwing. It's all trite, meaningless shit that Gloria only takes part in because, well, her so-called friends do too. But they're not friends at all. Gloria hates the both of them, Kendra especially.<br/>
<br/>
The two didn't get along at all in middle school. She'd been buddies with Chelsea and Andrea Varnsworth then, one of the cool kids. Then puberty hit Gloria pretty good and suddenly they found themselves knocked down a peg on the social ladder. Gloria used that to her advantage, exacting petty revenge on Kendra who was one of the worst tormentors beforehand. She flipped the tables on her and put Kendra in her place until Chelsea stepped in. She had them make peace, then brought Gloria into her group of friends. As Andrea floated out in high school, Kendra and Gloria became Chelsea's effective right hand but the animosity between the two never went away.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea had effectively cowed Gloria and would never make her forget it. Though on paper they were equal, in execution Chelsea favored Kendra more. Gloria is always the one who received Chelsea's barbs. She's the one who gets treated as if she was an idiot. Chelsea has her "friends" in the squad take easier classes so as not to give anyone the wrong idea that anyone on the squad could be a loser brainiac. Most galling, for Gloria, she pressures them into trying to not work out too much because god forbid someone come in showing better abs or more toned or larger arms than Miss Perfect.<br/>
<br/>
It's a miserable existence that Gloria leads, you realize, and you feel like you've been suckered in. You should try and get out as quickly as possible... or should you? You're not Gloria, merely playing a role. And if it's all just one elaborate play, why not stick with it and go off script?</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112
author_id: rugal
title: A New Day, a New Gloria
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Gloria?"<br/>
<br/>
The demanding tone of Chelsea snaps you out of your thoughts and you think you feel a small shudder go up your spine. It's something that you never noticed on your own but her voice has a quality to it, the kind of quality that makes one recoil. To you, to Gloria in reality, it's like nails running across a chalkboard. But you swallow any pride, the way Gloria normally would, and respond.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry," you say quietly. "I was just kind of lost in thought."<br/>
<br/>
"Well I don't need you to think, Gloria," Chelsea replies. "What I need you to do is give Jason a little bit of attention."<br/>
<br/>
You cock an eyebrow at that.<br/>
<br/>
"God, like, were you even <i>listening</i>?" The way it's emphasized is obviously done to try and make you feel bad for having to inconvenience her.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry, Chelsea, but I have a lot on my mind right now."<br/>
<br/>
She gives you a quizzical look but realization hits and her expression softens. "Ooh, right. God, I'm so sorry Gloria, I completely forgot," she says mustering as much fake sympathy a she can. "That creep from Monday, right?"<br/>
<br/>
You--and <i>you</i> you, not Gloria you--can feel a bit of resentment welling up at that but you're able to bottle it back down and give a nod in response.<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, I can only imagine," Kendra jumps in.<br/>
<br/>
"If that happened to to me, he wouldn't be coming to school for the next month." Chelsea gives you a smile that is poisonously sweet, "It's nice having a boyfriend who'd take care of things like that. Why don't you have anyone like that, Gloria?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because," It's a shot and you can feel the emotions rising up again, <i>Because you won't let me have one, you two-faced cunt.</i> That's what you want to say but again, you shove it back down to give an answer more in line with the persona Gloria has to present. "Because none of them are good enough beyond a quick fuck," you say with a tone of superiority. "They don't deserve me."<br/>
<br/>
"But you know who does deserve you and what you can provide." Chelsea puts on a pout and her hands go to her hips, "Gordon has been in a bad mood lately so I really need you, both of you, to be extra nice to his friends."<br/>
<br/>
The emphasis is clear as day.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, it won't be a problem Chels, don't worry," Kendra says before flashing you a smirk, "I'll make sure that Steve's in a mood to tell his friend to calm down."<br/>
<br/>
That bitch. Though Gloria doesn't like either Steve Patterson or Jason Lynch, she finds the former far more acceptable than the latter. Lynch is a short, overcompensating toady whose perpetual sneer and snickering makes it seem as if he's laughing at a joke only he knows and when Chelsea gets the idea in her head to have Gloria and Kendra make Gordon's friends a little more amenable, Kendra is usually quick to snatch up Patterson. The only benefit with Lynch is not having to go all the way like Patterson expects. So long as Gloria lets him awkwardly grab and brush and fondle her and follows it up with a half-assed (though he seems not to notice or mind) hand job--something made awkward by his small cock--he's content.<br/>
<br/>
Gloria wants to tell them to fuck off... but she can't. So neither can you. "I'll get Jason then, don't worry," you reply with no enthusiasm at all.<br/>
<br/>
"Fantastic," Chelsea exclaims. She's ignorant, either wilfully or not, of your dissatisfaction. She and Kendra start walking out of the locker room but stop and turn to you as they get to the door. "Are you coming," Chelsea asks.<br/>
<br/>
You wave them off, "I have to get some other stuff from my locker. You guys go on ahead."<br/>
<br/>
They give no protest or try to persuade you further and are quick to leave. Good riddance.<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh! Fuck them," you groan.<br/>
<br/>
"You can't stand them either? I'm shocked."<br/>
<br/>
You turn to the voice and are surprised to see Michelle Estrich, the one cheerleader who manages to be unpopular. The one that Chelsea added due to the thought of her being easy to keep in line and as a shot at Kelsey Blankenship who she managed to muscle off the team. It was a message that said that anybody, even a nobody like Michelle, could fill Kelsey's shoes which would definitely leave a sore mark with her.<br/>
<br/>
"Where the fuck did you come from," you ask, turn your back on her.<br/>
<br/>
"I've been here the entire time," she replies coming up behind you.<br/>
<br/>
You should feel intimidated by her, Michelle's probably the tallest member of the team and gives off the appearance of being well-built with broader shoulders and a somewhat wider frame in general. But there's nothing there, Gloria knows. So you give her a little attitude back. "I don't have to tell you shit, Michelle," you shoot back.<br/>
<br/>
"So you do, then, right?"<br/>
<br/>
You decide to let Gloria's instincts slip just a bit, "What's it matter to you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't like them either, you know," she states. "If you don't like them, maybe we could do something. Go to Yumi and--"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not looking to upset anything, alright? So cram it," you turn to her with a glare. "It'll be a cold day in Hell before I work with those cunts either."<br/>
<br/>
"Suit yourself," Michelle shrugs, "but if you ever want to vent or something, contact me."<br/>
<br/>
"Why the fuck would I--" you quickly stop yourself. Gloria would have no reason to hang out with Michelle. Michelle's not her friend after all, she has no real friends. But she could be. Gloria's not Gloria anymore, that's you. You'd toyed with the thought of changing things up so why not just go with it? What do you have to lose? If things foul up, you stick someone else in for her and it's not your problem anymore. "You know what, sure. I, uh, don't have your number or anything but give it to me and if I want to we can get together."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You make your way to Gladstone's class and stop at the door. You don't actually enter though, instead you take a quick scan around the room. You see some members of the football time that Gloria doesn't care much for and some she absolutely loathes like Dalton Douglas, a grade-A asshole and a guy who should have far less pride than he actually does. He actually has the gall to make suggestive comments or pinch the ass of Gloria any time she walks by, as if she's going to eventually fall for his roguish charm. Fat chance of that since there's no charm there at all and Dalton doesn't have the looks anyway.<br/>
<br/>
There's also Jason Lynch. Though he doesn't see you, you can make out the dope hyena expression that's always plastered on his face. You have zero desire to ever interact with him in any significant manner and the thought of handling his centimeter peter... well you're not sure if it disguises you or Gloria more. Chelsea wants you to take care of him but why should you? Again, you're in a no-risk scenario here so fuck what Chelsea wants and fuck having to spend any time around that cocksucker. Instead you take a step back, turn, and begin walking.<br/>
<br/>
Walking where, you're not sure and it's only after a minute or two that you realize that it's in the direction of the portables. The place where the truants, stoners and too cool for school underground types hang out. Neither you nor Gloria would be caught dead in this area, although for different reasons, but you decide to press on anyway. As you pass by Tackett and his gang who stare at you slack-jawed, you head to the far end, slip between two portables and decide to just do... well, nothing except enjoy your skipped second period in peace and quiet.<br/>
<br/>
And it's like that for a few minutes before you hear voices coming from the other side of the portable directly across from you in the thin space. It's not the rough or rowdy voices of the boys too but the mostly softer voices of girls chattering away about gossip. You take a moment but curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to slowly peer around the portable. Though they don't seem to notice you, you do see a group of girls. Some you're a bit surprised to see together.<br/>
<br/>
There's Jordana Trujillo, an intimidating girl with multiple piercings, a grungy style of dress and frequent fighting-related suspensions. You see Ceres Kesey, a love and peace flower child who couldn't be any more her opposite. There's Nancy Trent and Dorothy Harmon, two stoners that you would otherwise not pay much attention to aside from the fact that Chelsea's crew refers to Dorothy with the derisive nickname of "Door" due to how often her legs are open for entry. But one person stands out from this group, indeed as she'd stand out in most any group she's in.<br/>
<br/>
Bethany Lewis is one of the top members of the swim team and were it not for Andrea being the captain, likely would be the top. Bethany's very much the quintessential surfer girl, something attested to by her tanned skin. She's got an easygoing demeanor that goes with her gentle hazel eyes and contrastingly somewhat constant mischievous expression and something about her sandy hair makes her always look as if she's just emerged from the ocean. She's lean and well-muscled, moving through the water with an ease that even Andrea and you suspect if she could move onto a little shack on the beach, she'd do so and never leave.<br/>
<br/>
And now those hazel eyes are turned straight at you as she's finally noticed your presence. "Gloria Rea," she calls out in friendly surprise, "since when did you of all people decide you'd want to hang out on the wrong side of the tracks?"<br/>
<br/>
"Since I decided I needed a break," you state, trying to muster up as much phony contempt as possible.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I get ya," she replies in a lazy drawl, "we all could right? 's why we're here. If you're looking for a break, you wanna join us?"<br/>
<br/>
That catches everyone by surprise, you especially. Gloria's natural emotions are one of contempt and disgust but your own? Tackett's group was one thing but you're intrigued by the more eclectic mix here, Bethany especially. Besides, those thoughts belong to the old Gloria, not the new one.</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111121
author_id: rugal
title: The First Steps
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I've got nothing better going on," you say with a shrug and head over to take a seat next to Bethany. Well you would except that Nancy doesn't seem to want to move and its only with a bit of silent cajoling from Bethany that she finally moves over allowing you to take a set, back against the portable. There's an iciness in the air as your presence seems to have thrown everyone for a loop and you can tell that most do not like you while the ones who do can't seem to make heads or tails of why you're here.<br/>
<br/>
"So, you bummed or somethin'? What brought you around?"<br/>
<br/>
Bethany's the one to finally break the ice.<br/>
<br/>
"Shit happened, that's what," you answer brusquely.<br/>
<br/>
"No shit shit happened," Jordana's scratchy voice says, "seeing as you look like someone smeared shit on your bagel and called it cream cheese."<br/>
<br/>
"That'd be an upgrade," you grumble. "The fuck is this anyway, some kind of peer counseling garbage?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nah, more like neutral ground," Bethany states. "These portables are like a place where we can all just kinda kick back with no pressure from cliques or any of that. Just kinda do whatever with whoever's here, you know?"<br/>
<br/>
You give her a bit of a disapproving glare. "So then any cheerleaders come around before me," you ask. "How about the AP cunts or any of the losers or--"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, Kelsey's been around here," Ceres replies and like everything else, her voice is the total opposite of Jordana's: soft and airy compared to hard and gravelly.<br/>
<br/>
"Kelsey," you exclaim, "Why would she hang around here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why would you," Bethany asks and you have no answer.<br/>
<br/>
"It's 'cause we got this," Dorothy states as she takes a hit of her joint before passing it to Ceres. You'd been wondering what the smell was.<br/>
<br/>
"Kelsey Blankenship hanging out with a bunch of loser stoners," you sniff.<br/>
<br/>
"Think what you want but it's true," says Nancy. "She loves this."<br/>
<br/>
"How do you even get away with doing this in school?"<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno, how do you and the other cheerleaders and jocks get away with the Fuck Room," Jordana says, a smug smirk on her face that's meant to antagonize. "None of the teachers or anyone come back here except for Wilkes and Willett when they want to take a smoke break."<br/>
<br/>
"Willett doesn't care what the hell we do," Nancy adds. "I tell you guys about the time I got high with her back here like at the end last year? She was all upset about her boyfriend breaking up with her and shit so we did it to help de-stress her."<br/>
<br/>
"You bring it up every day," Jordana groans.<br/>
<br/>
"No shit, 'cause it's true," she states assertively. "Go talk to Osbourne about it, he was there."<br/>
<br/>
Ceres finishes her turn with the joint and holds it out to you but you demure. "I don't need that shit messing up my lungs," you state disdainfully.<br/>
<br/>
She shrugs and passes it on to Nancy. "Kelsey's been here plenty of times," she states. "She's got a very artsy soul, I think, so being away from the higher pressure environments every so often helps to recharge her and keep her from being weighed down by the crushing pressure of educational conformity."<br/>
<br/>
"Probably helps that Hennepin's passing her his joint too, if you know what I mean." You almost cover your mouth at that, was the similar environment bringing up memories from Monday? Was that something that wasn't supposed to get out?<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, that too," Jordana states, "Fucking bitch thinks she's so sneaky though. She really needs to shit or get off of the pot with him, take that shit public or stop fucking around with his heart like that."<br/>
<br/>
Even though her disheveled, heroin chic appearance and tired, dead-eyed stare projects a sense of detachment, Jordana's words betray the seeming anger she feels. You find that intriguing, is she friends with Hennepin? Something more? She seems awfully interested in someone else's love life. But you figure that this isn't the time to go prodding around in peoples' personal lives so you keep your mouth shut.<br/>
<br/>
"But that's what I mean by neutral ground," Bethany adds. "See, these social groups? All these little cliques? They're not as set in stone as you think."<br/>
<br/>
"Or like Chelsea wants us to think," you add. "She's such a conniving cunt."<br/>
<br/>
"So even her friends can't stand her," asks Dorothy.<br/>
<br/>
"Especially her friends." You let out a deep sigh, "I'm sure you think this is all glamorous. Just pom poms and whatever but you don't know how controlling she is. I can't even get a boyfriend because of her."<br/>
<br/>
"She cares 'em off," asks Bethany.<br/>
<br/>
"More like she won't let us," you state. "She doesn't want to risk anyone upstaging her so she'll do what she can to sabotage anyone else from having something that might look better than her and that stupid gorilla. The only time she doesn't get pissy if we do anything is when we fuck around with Gordon's boys and that's because she 'volunteers' us to do that when that ape starts having enough of her bullshit."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus," is all you hear from Nancy, "that's fucked."<br/>
<br/>
"It gets better," you reply and Gloria's mind feels like a valve has been opened and you can't stop that frustration from coming out. "He's in a mood right now because she's leaning on him to break up Cindy and Seth because she fucking hates Cindy and can't stand that their relationship looks a lot more stable."<br/>
<br/>
"That's psychotic," adds Dorothy.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it is but you heard nothing, right? None of this leaves here."<br/>
<br/>
You dick around for the rest of the period until the bell rings and everyone starts leaving. You're stopped by Bethany before you can go, however. "Hey, so, like, all that earlier," she says, "If you wanna chill some time or whatever..."<br/>
<br/>
You sniff at that, "Why the fuck would I want to hang out with you outside of this Breakfast Club thing?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'unno," she shrugs, "Just so you can relax a li'l? Like away from all that Chelsea stuff. You seem like you need it."<br/>
<br/>
You eye her and where the old Gloria would tell her where to cram her sympathy, the new one relents.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, yeah, give me your number and I'll text you if something comes up. I don't know, I've got work after school."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I don't have much of a curfew or anything so, ya know, just get back whenever," she replies and with that jots her number down and hands it to you before disappearing into the throng of students.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So how's it been going for you," you ask after finishing your reps. It's the last period and once again Will Prescott and Gloria Rea are meeting in the rarely used weight room.<br/>
<br/>
"Boring," he complains as he takes a seat on one of the weight benches. "How'd you go years like this?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry we couldn't all be born great," you shoot back.<br/>
<br/>
"Your friends are spazzes, especially Keith," you can hear a disgusted noise at that. "How do you get along with a guy like that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Keith? He's an idiot, yeah, but he's an alright guy," you say defensively. "You do anything with the book?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not really. Your one friend, Caleb? He wanted to check that fire." He shifts a little uncomfortably, "I think I screwed up. I had to ask him where he wanted to meet and then he kept acting all cautious like he suspected something."<br/>
<br/>
"You didn't get all that right away," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"No? It took me like an hour."<br/>
<br/>
"You didn't say anything?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not exactly," he answers. "I just said the same shit I did to you before we switched, just left some things out. You're not expected to come around though, unless you want to."<br/>
<br/>
"Do I have to?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not unless you want to," he shrugs. "I'd probably be a little more comfortable if you dropped by."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm still looking for someone," you say. "Michelle wants to start hanging out. You want me to get her for you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Eugh, god no," he replies, "Not with Chelsea still around."<br/>
<br/>
"Why not make you Chelsea then?"<br/>
<br/>
"Even the thought of being her makes me want to puke," he states.<br/>
<br/>
"Bethany Lewis wants to hang out too."<br/>
<br/>
"Bethany would be better," he replies. "Why the hell are you making plans with Michelle and Bethany anyway?"<br/>
<br/>
"I figured as long as I'm Gloria, I don't really have to do things the way you would if you don't want your life back. Like maybe it'd be nice to try changing things." You give it a moment of thought, "What if I tried fixing things up for you? Would you take your life back if I made it better?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe, I don't know. If you think you can do it go ahead."<br/>
<br/>
You take a seat on the bench next to Will and drink some water. "So you really don't care if I'm hanging out with all of these 'unapproved' people," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea would be pissed about that so I say go for it," he answers.<br/>
<br/>
"She was pissed at earlier," you snicker, "because I didn't take care of Lynch like she wanted."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh? Well good," he replies and you note the nervousness in his voice.<br/>
<br/>
You can tell what's going on. If you've had her mind and instincts interfering, it's likely the same with her and you know that you'd start feeling incredibly nervous and self-conscious by having a gorgeous girl sitting next to you. Being a guy is probably fucking with her as is so you decide to get up and move a bit.<br/>
<br/>
"Anyway, I'll keep looking and trying to make your situation better at the same time alright? So just, I don't know, go back to class. I can't really keep skipping."<br/>
<br/>
You've left him flustered because he can do nothing but just give a distracted affirmative and leave. Once he's gone, you pull out your phone and look at the two new numbers added: one from Bethany Lewis, one from Michelle Estrich. You really should make plans with one of them, but who would you rather hang out with?</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111211
author_id: rugal
title: Work and Play
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You decide that, for now, Michelle doesn't really have much to offer you that you can think of. You really don't want much to do with the squad at the moment anyway and besides, Chelsea's pissed off enough as is. She'd blow a gasket if you hung out with Michelle, probably because she's so paranoid about her spot that she'd suddenly think the two of you were looking to double cross her. So the safe thing for your sanity, you think, is to just not worry about Michelle for the moment.<br/>
<br/>
So you hit Bethany's name and the text icon and begin tapping away.<br/>
<br/>
<i>u srs abt earlier<br/>
<br/>
yeah<br/>
<br/>
k cuz i get off @ 9:30<br/>
<br/>
every night?<br/>
geuss u got 2 release somehow :)<br/>
<br/>
of work<br/>
fuck u<br/>
<br/>
lol j/k<br/>
where u work<br/>
<br/>
moda<br/>
<br/>
the mall?<br/>
k<br/>
meet u there then<br/>
<br/>
sure</i><br/>
<br/>
That done, you lock your phone and toss it back into your bag as you get back to work on the reps you'd been doing before Will came in. The exercise, the weightlifting, it's something that Gloria very much enjoys. Here she can focus all of her attention. No Chelsea or Kendra to treat her like second-class loser. No mother to demean and deride her. It's only Gloria and her desire to push herself, to improve herself. She takes great pride in her body and the work that she's put into it. But there's another aspect of it as well.<br/>
<br/>
The improvement isn't just physical. She's a shitty daughter. If she wasn't her mother wouldn't have a reason to put her down. Her dad would have taken her with him.<br/>
<br/>
She's a shitty friend.<br/>
<br/>
She treated Kendra like shit and Chelsea not only stopped it but brought her into her group. Yet what does Gloria do? She thinks nothing but nasty, mean thoughts about them both. Chelsea entrusts part of her relationship to Gloria and Gloria half-asses it in response. So she gives herself a goal, structure, something to strive for. By improving her body, she's instilling in herself the discipline needed to stop being such a terrible person to the people who are her friends and care for her.<br/>
<br/>
You grunt as you finish lifting the barbell and place it back into its holder above the bench. There's a mirror set up in the back corner for any budding narcissist to admire themselves. You pose and flex a bit. You can see that your arms have gotten a tiny bit bigger. There's more muscle definition there than there had been last week. Chelsea's not going to like that. She'll think Gloria's trying to get one over on her. Chelsea's the most perfectly fit girl in school; she can't have Gloria steal her thunder like that.<br/>
<br/>
Maybe you should cut back on the weight training a bit and...<br/>
<br/>
NO!<br/>
<br/>
Those weren't your thoughts. Gloria's mind once again was influencing your own. Is that how she sees herself deep down? That <i>she's</i> the shitty one in these relationships? That she's getting what she deserves? But that's not true. Gloria has her faults and can have a bad attitude but that's no excuse for how Chelsea or her mother acts. You take a look at your arms and think that it's sad. Gloria would like a little more muscle and definition. Fitness model, that's her goal. She could do it too, very easily. But she's putting everything on hold because... what?<br/>
<br/>
Does she desire the idea of friendship or acceptance that much? Constantly trying to prove to everyone around her that she's not shit?<br/>
<br/>
Well, that's going to stop. She doesn't really have anything to prove to Chelsea or anyone. You certainly don't have anything to prove to them so why should you? Do what you want, or rather what she would would--mostly--want, and show her that she doesn't need to bottle up what she feels and suck up to people who don't care and maybe she'll get the get the courage to stop caring so much herself.<br/>
<br/>
You finish your water, make sure to towel off and wipe down the equipment that you used and head off to gymnastics practice.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You go through gymnastics as normal. There's no competition involved, you're not on any team. It's essentially just an exercise class. Yourself, Yumi and Deanna Showalter are the only seniors there. There's a few juniors and sophomores and mostly freshmen. A lot of girls who did it when they were younger decide to take it up once they get to Westside but for whatever reason, washing out or losing interest, most of them don't come back the first year. Gloria would normally give a lot of undeserved attitude to the other two seniors but you decide to just leave it be and in fact make a conscious effort to be somewhat nicer.<br/>
<br/>
While not encouraging them, you refrain from harping on Yumi and Deanna. Needlessly talking down people is something Chelsea does and you'll be damned if you pass that on to anybody else.<br/>
<br/>
Work isn't anything terribly exciting. It's a part-time job that Gloria works 5:30 to 9:30 PM on Wednesday through Friday, then 9 AM to 1 PM Saturday and Sunday and while working at a more upscale clothing store beats working at one of the lamer stores, as does the employee discount, it's still a retail job and still just a way to make some money. She doesn't really talk a lot with her co-workers and just goes about things until 9:30 hits and the senior employees stick around to close up shop.<br/>
<br/>
You decide to send a text to Bethany.<br/>
<br/>
<i>where r u</i><br/>
<br/>
The response is quick.<br/>
<br/>
<i>food court</i><br/>
<br/>
With maybe a little more anticipation than you expected, you head down there to find her sitting at a table by herself. Her face lights up when she sees you. "Man, cool. Glad ya wanted to hang out," she greets.<br/>
<br/>
You try to temper those feelings you had just a moment ago and are wearing your best poker face. "You sound kind of surprised," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Well kinda," she replies, "like I was sorta expectin' ya to blow me off. I mean, like, no offense are anything but you cheerleaders kinda got a reputation an' all."<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head, "Don't worry about it. I'm getting sick of Chelsea's shit anyway," you state. "So what do you want to do? Just hang around here or something?"<br/>
<br/>
"No way, I can't stand this place really," she answers. "Ya got your work out clothes with ya," you give a confirmation. "Good, good, 'cause I was thinkin' we just go down to the community center and shoot some hoops."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So, you play a lot," you ask as you set down your bag behind one of the goals.<br/>
<br/>
The community center you're at has the irony of being the same area as the old Acheson Elementary where your dirt pile is currently burning. The abandoned school is just a small part of it though as there's a larger building next to it that holds a basketball court and pool. Even still, it doesn't get much use, maybe because the spooky abandoned building scares people off or something, so aside from a small group playing at a goal on the other end of the court Bethany and yourself more or less have the run of the place.<br/>
<br/>
"A li'l," she says as she sets her stuff down next to yours. "Not, like, super seriously though. I come up here with Kristy and Kat some times."<br/>
<br/>
She's referring to Kristy Suffolk, one of the members of the girl's basketball team, and Kat Newman, a junior who's one of Bethany's teammates.<br/>
<br/>
"I used to play a lot when I was kid but I've fallen behind with the cheerleading stuff," you say as you take the ball back, check it to Bethany and begin dribbling towards the hoop.<br/>
<br/>
You take it up but stop. Bethany reaches in but you grab it and, unable to shake her off, decide to shoot. It clangs off the rim and she's able to grab the rebound and take it back. As she brings it back up she stops still dribbling the ball, your attempts to steal it are unsuccessful and she easily blows around you, heads to the basket and lays it in. Make it, take it rules aren't in effect so you get the ball back and again your efforts at making a basket are unsuccessful and again Bethany's athleticism wins out and she's able to easily score.<br/>
<br/>
This continues for the next hour and though you're able to take a few games off of her, you half-expect they're pity wins because Bethany's by far the better athlete. Once you're done, you grab your stuff and head back into the locker room where you both quickly shower off and your eyes can't help but glance over at Bethany's body. Her slim stomach, strong legs, shapely ass, small but perky breasts... everything gives off the impression of someone who effortlessly glides through the water.<br/>
<br/>
Once changed back into your regular clothes, the two of you hang around for a few minutes at your cars out in the parking lot.<br/>
<br/>
"So, like, this was fun huh," she asks you.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, definitely," you say and the enthusiasm is genuine. It's been a long time since Gloria's been able to just relax and feel completely at ease. "You're good, I can't believe you only play a little."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I mean, I'm playin' against Kat 'n Kristy," she shrugs, "They're like the best girls in the school so I guess some of that just kinda rubs off, ya know?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I actually enjoyed it. It was... nice," you state with a feeling of contentment. "So, I dunno, talk to you tomorrow?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, definitely," she replies before snapping her finger, "Hey, so like me an' Ceres an' Nancy are goin' out to the Warehouse on Friday. One of Andrea's friends is in a band that's gonna be playin' some of them'll be there too and I figured it'd be nice to hang out with them. You wanna come out on Friday?"<br/>
<br/>
"The Warehouse," you ask and your face twists up, "Wouldn't I be out of place there?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nah, don't worry," she reassures you. "Just, like, they'll see ya with me so they'll know you're cool. Whaddaya say?"</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111
author_id: rugal
title: A Pleasant Night
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You want to say yes but something holds you back. You've heard stories about the Warehouse, a run down building in the old industrial section that's been converted into an amateur club by the younger crowd. Lots of people go there, Westside and Eastman students, students from Keyserling since god knows college students aren't going to turn down an excuse to engage in debauchery, but it has a reputation for attracting a certain type. Nancy or Dorothy or Jordana are the types you'd definitely think of when that place pops up. The group that you hung out with on Monday is too.<br/>
<br/>
But someone like Gloria? Chelsea would never let herself or any of her cheerleaders be caught dead there. It's the hang out of the types of people she'd view as druggies, sluts and other reprobates of all stripes. The same goes for the other upper echelons of the school. Would Kelsey or Amanda or whoever hang out there? Well, maybe Kelsey would since it seems as if she likes to play around in the dirt.<br/>
<br/>
And if she would, why can't you? You still feel apprehensive but intrigue is starting to win out.<br/>
<br/>
"So is it just you guys," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I'unno, maybe," Bethany replies. "Like I think Dorothy's got some stuff goin' on or somethin'. Jordana'll prob'ly try'n come though, she usually does. Maybe some others too if they got nothin' happenin'."<br/>
<br/>
"I kind of thought Jordana was," you pause, "I don't know. She's got a bad reputation."<br/>
<br/>
"What, 'cause of the fights," she asks. "I mean, yeah she does get in her share of 'em but it's more 'cause she doesn't take a lot of shit. Like the one she got into a few weeks back, it was 'cause some punk junior was tryin'a start shit with some other girl an' Jordana saw that and just threw down with her. That's kinda how a lotta her fights go."<br/>
<br/>
You nod, not knowing what else to particularly say since it looks like your initial perception of her wasn't quite on the mark which, at this point, shouldn't be surprising. You're learning very quickly about the old rule regarding books and their covers. "So you really think there'd be no problem with me going out there," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Bethany just shrugs, "I mean, like, someone like you showin' up there is gonna turn heads for sure but I don't think anyone's gonna really care. Like I said, they see you're friends with me an' they'll know you're cool."<br/>
<br/>
It's putting you a lot more at ease and your intrigue has nearly won out over your apprehension so you decide to try and ask one more thing. "If I come, I was just kind of wondering if I could bring someone," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"What? Like one'a your cheerleader friends?"<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head. "They're not," you pause again, "they're not my friends. Not really. No, this is just someone else that I know. I think it'll be good for them, like help them to loosen up a bit."<br/>
<br/>
"Not like there's a limit or anything so whatever," she states. "So you're comin'?"<br/>
<br/>
Your intrigue has completely defeated your apprehension at this point. "Yeah, I'll come. I think I'll need it," you state.<br/>
<br/>
Bethany's getting ready to head around to her driver's side door but you stop to ask her one question.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, about what you said a few minutes ago," you let it hang there for a moment as you're feeling a bit awkward about asking it, "So we're friends?"<br/>
<br/>
She gives it a moment of thought. "I mean, I'll be honest for a long time I thought you were probably a bitch or somethin' but you're pretty cool," her lips curl up in a positive expression, "Plus, like, you're comin' out with us again right? So yeah, I guess we are. We'll see how everything goes."<br/>
<br/>
She heads off and you're left feeling pretty good. You genuinely enjoyed hanging out with her group this morning and hanging out with her tonight. Bethany's a hell of a lot more genuine than either Chelsea or Kendra, that's for sure, and Gloria's emotions echo your own. You've got an actual friend? It feels nice.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
It's late now, maybe quarter till eleven. You should probably get home, to your new home that is, but you hesitate. Gloria's mother will be there and there's always the chance she'll be up to catch you coming in. Not that Gloria actually has a curfew, her mother's never officially implemented one but Gloria's expected to be home at a "reasonable time". The problem is, what counts as a reasonable time seems to be completely at her mother's whims. Some times she'll let Gloria have it if she's home even a minute after ten. Some times Gloria comes home after eleven and nothing's said. It's a tool, likely. Somethng that her mother keeps on hand depending on how bad of a mood she's in so she can take out whatever her frustrations are that day on her daughter.<br/>
<br/>
Thankfully you don't have to risk going in the front door. There's some areas of the city that are higher in crime but where Gloria lives isn't one of them so she's gotten into the habit of leaving her room's window unlocked and if she's worried about catching hell from her mother, she'll stay out until after midnight when she knows her mom will be asleep and just get in through there.<br/>
<br/>
It's a nice night out and there's nowhere you particularly want to be but you don't want to sit here alone either. Maybe you could text Michelle and see what she's doing but you decide against it as you don't know what company she could actually give you. She's such a non-entity after all. So instead you look through your phone for a name. You don't actually see it on your contact list but you know your own number by heart so you move to add Will Prescott onto the list and shoot off a text.<br/>
<br/>
<i>hey u doin anything<br/>
<br/>
???<br/>
who's this<br/>
<br/>
GLORIA U FUCKIN ASSHOLE<br/>
sry<br/>
i mean its will<br/>
sry<br/>
<br/>
oh<br/>
ok<br/>
what do you want<br/>
<br/>
u able 2 get out<br/>
<br/>
right now?<br/>
<br/>
no nxt week<br/>
yes now<br/>
u fuckin doofus<br/>
<br/>
dunno dad'll be pissed if he catches me<br/>
<br/>
idc<br/>
i wanna talk<br/>
<br/>
fine<br/>
<br/>
gr8!<br/>
im @ the school<br/>
acheson<br/>
<br/>
ok<br/>
i'll be there in a few</i><br/>
<br/>
You close the phone and it's only about five or six minutes before Will's truck pulls in next to your car. "Alright, so I'm here. What's so important," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I just want to hang out," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
He crosses his arms in annoyance, "You risked me getting grilled by your dad just for that," he ask. "And who the hell are you to order me around like that?"<br/>
<br/>
You wheel around and get right up in his face. "And who the fuck are you to bitch at me like that," you exclaim as you poke your finger into his chest. "Because from where I'm standing I'm Gloria fucking Rea and you're just some fuckboy dweeb who's lucky I haven't told Chelsea shit."<br/>
<br/>
Will looks at you for a moment and then starts laughing.<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck is so funny?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing it's just," he pauses still trying to stifle laughter, "that's good. Like it's spot on. How long did it take you to get all that down?"<br/>
<br/>
"What? I don't know," you states, "I haven't really tried. It's just sort of there without me thinking. It's not for you?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's better. It took me a while to get the hang of it," he says, "and I still have to think about it a bit but not as much as I first did."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe some people are just better at it," you shrug.<br/>
<br/>
"If that's the case, you should've been with the drama club," he replies, "because you're good."<br/>
<br/>
You clamber into the bed of the truck and motion for him to come in next to you. "So how is it for you," you ask once he sits next to you, "Like being a guy or being someone else?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's weird," he states, "but I don't hate it. Mostly I'm just glad I'm not dealing with that shit. And your friends are still spazzes but I guess they're not that bad. I hung out with them after school and now that I've got the hang of it, I guess I'm seeing how they're alright. Those two college guys especially seem to have their shit together."<br/>
<br/>
"Same here."<br/>
<br/>
"What's that mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"It means I don't hate it," you answer. "Like I don't want to go home right now, that's why I wanted you to come out here so I could blow an hour or so and not have to deal with your mom. And Chelsea's a fucking psychopath. But something hit me earlier."<br/>
<br/>
"What you mentioned this afternoon?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you reply, "I was just like... why put up with that? If this is my life for the time being why not try and make it better? I don't deserve it; neither do you. So you know what I did? I told you that I blew off having to service Lynch. I hung out with some of those stoners at the portables."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh god, those fuck ups? Why?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing better to do," you shrug, "besides they're actually pretty cool; shitty nickname for Dorothy by the way. Bethany wanted to hang out so I just got done doing that. It was really nice, actually. She's really nice. We're friends now."<br/>
<br/>
"You're fucking kidding me," he exclaims, "with Bethany?! God that's..." but he stops himself. His tone sounded incredulous but he's able to come around, "Why her?"<br/>
<br/>
"No judgment, no put downs, none of that. She's just really laid back and I felt a lot more comfortable around her," you explain. "We had fun and I kind of figured having a real friend would be nice. Like I said, I want to try making things better for you so if I can't find anyone, I can at least give you something not as shitty to go back to."<br/>
<br/>
"That's..." he pauses, "That's dumb as fuck Assh--uh, Will, you know? But I appreciate it all the same I guess."<br/>
<br/>
"That's good because I made plans to hang out with Bethany and some of her friends on Friday. You can come too if you want."<br/>
<br/>
"Like this," she asks and you nod. "Maybe, I don't know. Where at?"<br/>
<br/>
You give him a friendly smirk.<br/>
<br/>
"What do you say about spending Friday night out at the Warehouse?"</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111121111
author_id: rugal
title: Strong Emotions
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"The Warehouse," Will asks. "Why the fuck would I want to go there?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because of all the shit that goes on there," he says, looking at you with a combination of indignation and disbelief. "You know what kind of scumbags hang out there?"<br/>
<br/>
"Probably the same ones that hang out at the portables," you muse, "and they're alright. Besides, Bethany invited me and I already agreed so I'm going. She said Andrea and some of her friends are going to be there too so I don't think it's going to be all the Dalton Douglases of the world hanging out."<br/>
<br/>
"Her <i>friends</i>," the question is again filled with a level of indignation you're unaccustomed to. "You know who that includes, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Her friends..."<br/>
<br/>
"Sienna fucking Goldman," he exclaims before you can even finish your thought. "She's... fuck! We've done some nasty things to her, said nasty things about her. She'll want to kill me."<br/>
<br/>
"No, she'll want to kill <i>me</i>," you correct him, "<i>you</i> didn't do anything."<br/>
<br/>
You can feel the memories of Sienna coming back to you now. Well, of Slutenna since it seems she "earned" herself a nickname just like Dorothy had since she too is fairly loose and pretty open, almost proud, of that fact. Chelsea's group mostly didn't pay her any mind until the time she kicked Patterson right in the balls. Patterson had always insisted that it was because things had started between him and she changed her mind, attacking him as a fuck you gesture. Not knowing her place, that's when Chelsea began disparaging her at every turn, spreading rumors about who she had fucked and what STDs she had. Rumors that weren't true, to Gloria's knowledge anyway, but ones that helped give her a reputation.<br/>
<br/>
Gloria and Kendra, of course, participated with seemingly no issue. Gloria never gave any thought to it in all honesty, she just did it.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, if something happens then it happens," you state. "I don't know, maybe Bethany's attitude is rubbing off on me because I'm just going to take it as it comes instead of worrying. I'll apologize and we'll see how it goes from there."<br/>
<br/>
"So you're still going," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I already told her I would."<br/>
<br/>
He contemplates it for a moment, letting the idea go around in his head. He gets a more resolute look on his face, "I'll go too, then."<br/>
<br/>
"You sure? That's good, I was hoping you'd say yes," you tell him. "I was thinking that this might be good for you."<br/>
<br/>
"Think we could grab someone there?"<br/>
<br/>
"What, like for you?"<br/>
<br/>
He nods, "Maybe Bethany. If you guys are friends, it'd be a little easier for us to get together."<br/>
<br/>
"What, like hang out," you ask. "You actually want to hang out with me."<br/>
<br/>
"No! Well, yeah, I guess. I don't know." He sulks a bit, "I kind of came at you like a cunt yesterday and basically blackmailed you into doing this. You sort of, I don't know, gave up what you had for me."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I guess the blackmail played a part but honestly I just wanted to help," you tell him. "I had your mind before that, remember? So I saw into there and I just though... like I said, I wanted to help you. Besides, you're giving up a lot to be me."<br/>
<br/>
"Not really, you saw how it is," he states. "Your friends are, well they're actual friends. Your mom is nice. Your dad's a hard-ass but he means well I think. I kind of like the idea of having that kind of discipline."<br/>
<br/>
"So you're really fine like that," you ask in surprise. "Being me?"<br/>
<br/>
"For now at least."<br/>
<br/>
"I've got bullies, you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah I've seen into your brain, so I know," he says. "Trust me, what guys like Kirkham do to you? That's cake. It's over and done with pretty quick. The way Chelsea is makes me wish I was getting my shit kicked around."<br/>
<br/>
"That's kind of fucked up," you say wryly. "I don't want get Bethany," you reply after a pause.<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because why the fuck can't <i>we</i> hang out," you ask. "As Gloria Rea and Will Prescott? If I'm already hanging out with people like Bethany and Nancy Trent, what'll that do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea's going to be pissed you're hanging out with them too," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh fuck Chelsea," you roll your eyes. "If she doesn't like it she can kick me off the squad."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you said you wanted to leave me a life."<br/>
<br/>
"So what, now you want it back," you ask letting a bit of annoyance seep through.<br/>
<br/>
He shrugs, "I'm just messing with you. Honestly I don't care what she thinks. Well, I did, I guess, but not now. Not anymore."<br/>
<br/>
He gives an expression of joyful relief, as if that's something the person under the mask had been wanting to say for a long time.<br/>
<br/>
Things seem looser after that and you spend a while conversing about random things, trying to get a better read on one another that you feel the masks might not provide. Eventually talk turns back to the book and what your friends are doing.<br/>
<br/>
"That fire's still burning," Will states. "There's no real indicator about how long it should be though."<br/>
<br/>
"So things are going better now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe, like I said earlier all they know is that 'Gloria' figured shit out and that I'm helping her. As far as they know, or I know at least, they still think I'm you," he explains while sitting up a little. "I said I'd be more comfortable if you were there," he says, "so maybe you can drop by after work? I can tell them when you get off."<br/>
<br/>
You give a noncommital shrug but you're surprised he'd want you to come out there like that.<br/>
<br/>
Yet you're more surprised when next thing you know he turns a bit towards you, pulls you in close and kisses you. It's not a small peck on the lips either but long and deep and passionate and emotional. You still don't really know shit about kissing but Gloria does so on both sides you're covered. You want to be grossed out by the idea of kissing yourself but you let Gloria's mind take control so it's just another boy to her, one who's not even particularly bad looking. It's wonderful and you're not sure how much time passes until you eventually pull apart. The mood changes when you do.<br/>
<br/>
"Will," you exclaim in shock before correcting yourself, "Gloria! What the fuck...?!"<br/>
<br/>
"I... I don't know," he replies panicky. You can see his face is a bright red crimson. "It's... your dumb brain and these hormones. I'm not used to having all this guy shit, not when a girl's sitting next to me either."<br/>
<br/>
"No it's... it's fine," you state and you feel your face growing hotter as well.<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't," he stutters, "That didn't mean anything okay?! Your dumb male hormones. That's it."<br/>
<br/>
"I... I guess," you follow suit, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." You trail off as you hop out of the bed of the truck.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not your fault," he replies as he hops out as well and heads to the driver's-side door. "Well, it <i>is</i> your fault but... I don't fucking know, okay? Just... drop by the basement tomorrow or something. I'll see you at school or something where hopefully you realize this was all some weird, fucked up dream and that this didn't actually happen."<br/>
<br/>
With that he starts his truck and drives off leaving you alone in the parking lot. It's around quarter after midnight now so you figure it's safe to go home. Even as you're pulling out, you can still feel your face burning and your stomach dancing with nervousness and excitement. You don't know what the fuck happened but you can't say you didn't like it or that you wouldn't want it to happen again.<br/>
<br/>
And the crazy part? The part that really throws you for a loop? Gloria's mind feels the same way.</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111211111
author_id: rugal
title: In Which Everything is Thrown Into Chaos
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Having had a rather eventful, pleasant night and avoided Gloria's mother as well you're in a pretty good mood as you come into school on Thursday. That's squashed all too quickly once you change out into the simple tank top and short shorts that you tend to wear for practice and are actually out and going through routines. Chelsea is, of course, her usual self with Yumi and her friends but after a while you notice that she's going after you even harder. You can hardly move without her throwing a snarky jab in your direction or telling you what you're doing wrong.<br/>
<br/>
You try to weather it all as best as you can but it's unrelenting and you notice at times that even Lin and that group are throwing odd looks at one another, confused about what's going on. Chelsea's harsh but she's going after you with a fury that's usually reserved for only Yumi or Cindy. Your breaking point finally comes when you're attempting a back handspring and Chelsea's voice cuts in just as you're about to flip backwards.<br/>
<br/>
"Your form is all fucked up Gloria! Get your shit together!"<br/>
<br/>
It's shrill and screechy and completely throws you off balance as you jump. You come close to falling right on your head but by a miracle, really thanks to Gloria keeping herself in peak physical condition, you can correct just enough to plant your hands and fall right on your face and chest instead. The wind is knocked out of you and your face is smarting. The Garners rush over to you and help you back to your feet and you stand there, doubled over for a moment or two, before you're able to catch your breath.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck was that for," you explode once you're able to speak.<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>told</i> you, your form was fucked up," Chelsea huffs, "I was trying to help you and it looks like I was right."<br/>
<br/>
"You distracted me right as I was jumping you fucking idiot," you snarl, "I'm lucky I didn't break my neck!"<br/>
<br/>
That elicits an audible gasp from everyone else and Chelsea's face shows about twenty different emotions at once as she's unsure of how to react. "You're fucking useless, Gloria, you know that," she finally yells. "You couldn't even take care of Lynch like I asked you to!"<br/>
<br/>
"Because I'm not doing that shit anymore, Chelsea!"<br/>
<br/>
"No fucking shit! You'd rather, what, get high with those pieces of shit out at the portables?!"<br/>
<br/>
You look at her in shock. "How the hell did you--"<br/>
<br/>
"Word gets around more than that Door skank you were hanging out with," she shoots back. "So what are <i>they</i> your friends now?"<br/>
<br/>
You look at her, no longer with shock but with contempt. "They'd probably be better friends than <i>you</i>," you say and let every ounce of venom you can muster come forth in the way you emphasize that last word.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea's face is one of pure fury and you think you can see it turn red. She's quiet for a moment, likely trying to think of what to say, before she explodes again. "If they're such good friends then you'll have plenty of time to hang out with them," she yells, "because you're suspended from the team until I figure out what the fuck to do with you!"<br/>
<br/>
There's another round of gasps.<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea, you don't have too--"<br/>
<br/>
You cut Jessica off, however. "You want to be like that? Fine," you state, "see how you do without me."<br/>
<br/>
You march off to the locker room knowing that line has double meaning. You're the best athlete on the squad and if Chelsea really gets rid of you then she's even more outnumbered. Once in the locker room you change back into your regular clothes and gather your things up. You march back out and make sure to flip off Chelsea as you go by. Yumi, of all people, calls out to you.<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria, wait! We can--"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't even, Yumi," you snarl, "You can fuck off too."<br/>
<br/>
With that you march out of the gym and decide to spend the rest of first period in silence around the portables where, at the moment, there's not really anyone before the bell rings and you head off to Gladstone's class.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
Lunch comes and by habit you begin heading over to the table where the cheerleaders and athletes sit. You get about three-fourths of the way there before you realize that you're likely persona non grata there, a status that's confirmed when you do a double check and notice Michelle now sitting in the area where you usually sit. You notice Cindy and Yumi both look up and you briefly make eye contact with them before they quickly avert their gazes and turn back to each other. You move on and walk through the cafeteria trying to see if you can find Bethany but you have no luck; she probably has the later lunch. You do spot Ceres but she's with another group of friends and, not wanting to intrude, you move on.<br/>
<br/>
Instead you head back out of the cafeteria, find a spot outside by the tennis courts--though technically you're not supposed to be eating here--and dig into the food that you missed out on last night. There's nobody around and while you found that a comfort this morning, now you're finding it the polar opposite. You realize that seeing Michelle sitting there and the way Yumi and Cindy quickly looked away, that it all struck a nerve with you and those crushing feelings of loneliness that you were temporarily able to defeat last night are now back in full force.<br/>
<br/>
It's nothing that gets better through the rest of the day and when seventh period comes around you make sure to cut since it's one that you share with Chelsea. You head out to the portables once more hoping to catch site of Bethany or Ceres or even Jordana but find nothing. So you while away the hour out of site messing around on your phone before heading off to your now daily visit to the weight room. On the way there you get a buzz on your phone and are somewhat disappointed when the name Will Prescott greets you.<br/>
<br/>
<i>you coming out later<br/>
<br/>
dunno<br/>
<br/>
what the fuck happened today<br/>
<br/>
dunno<br/>
not in a good mood<br/>
ill talk l8r</i><br/>
<br/>
You toss the phone back in your bag and ignore any subsequent alerts as you go through your routines more intensely than normal trying to get out as much frustration as you can. With the normal school day done, you head over to gymnastics practice.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Get it together Gloria," Coach Coles chastises.<br/>
<br/>
You're not long into practice but your heart really is not in it at the moment and you've been going slowly and half-assing everything because of it. Not that you'll tell coach that of course so you just play up what happened this morning. "Sorry, coach, I'm still screwed up from that fall," you tell her, "I feel out of it."<br/>
<br/>
Coach Coles gives you a disapproving look but seems to relent. "If you want to get out early, fine," she tells you, "but I expect to see you working twice as hard as normal tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
You thank her and head back to the locker room to shower and change and as you exit you see Yumi walking towards you. "Out of the fucking way," you grumble.<br/>
<br/>
She doesn't step aside however and just looks at you with a determined expression. "Coach gave me permission to get off early too," she tells you. "Wait for me outside the gym, I want to talk to you."<br/>
<br/>
You roll your eyes but once you're outside you stand against the wall by the doors and when she comes out the two of you head out to the bleachers near the track.<br/>
<br/>
"So what's going on," she finally asks.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck do you think, Yumi," you retort, "I'm sick of her shit."<br/>
<br/>
"So I noticed."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, whatever you think she's not my friend, okay? I've wanted to tell her off for a long time and I guess it took nearly killing myself to work up the guts to do it."<br/>
<br/>
Yumi nods silently. "That's good, though," she states, "It's just that I was--we all were--surprised. You've been tied with her so long and all."<br/>
<br/>
"Probably because you never fucking talked to me," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"When could I have," she asks. "You were always practically joined at the hip with her. But now that this is all out there that's good. It means we <i>can</i> talk."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not going to join your guys' little 'We Hate Chelsea Cooper' club if that's what you're getting at. I'm guessing she'll probably kick me off the team."<br/>
<br/>
"Would you hate that? If you have all this resentment built up against Chelsea?"<br/>
<br/>
You don't say anything, just give a noncommittal grunt in response.<br/>
<br/>
"Was it true what she said earlier as well," Yumi continues. "That you were hanging out at the portables?"<br/>
<br/>
"What if it was," you shoot back. "But yeah, I did alright? And I hung out with Bethany last night as well and you know what the crazy part was? I actually fucking enjoyed myself for once. No 'yes Chelsea' or 'you're so right, Chelsea' or any of that shit."<br/>
<br/>
"Bethany? As in Lewis?" Yumi gets a thoughtful look and you can see a positive expression slowly form on her face, "Look, I'm sorry for acting like a bitch to you all the time. Cindy and I were talking at lunch after we saw you and we thought..." She turns to you, the expression is now hopeful. "Do you maybe want to get together later?"<br/>
<br/>
"I have to work and I already told you I wasn't interested in your political crap," you say, the weariness evident in your voice.<br/>
<br/>
"No, it's not that," she replies defensively. "Well, mostly not that. But we kind of thought... we've wanted to do that for a long time too, tell her off like that. So we thought that was actually pretty cool and maybe it'd be nice to get together with you and clear the air."<br/>
<br/>
An evening with Yumi Saito and Cindy Vredenburg does sound nice and if you were still a guy you'd be trying to hide a raging stiffy at the thought. But Will--that is Gloria--really seemed to want you to come out to the school tonight as well and you're curious if there's any follow up to last night.</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111111
author_id: rugal
title: The Plot Against Chelsea via Proxy
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I don't really like you guys, you know," you tell Yumi as you lean back and rest your elbows on the bench behind you.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I know, but--"<br/>
<br/>
"So what makes you think that's changed," you interrupt her. "You guys have treated me like shit too. Cindy's a cunt, she'd have to be to be besties with someone like Lin."<br/>
<br/>
"What about me," Yumi asks. She's not looking at you but rather is staring off at the track. Catherine Muskov comes running by but you can tell that her gaze isn't directed at her but at nothing in particular.<br/>
<br/>
"What <i>about</i> you," you retort. "You hang out with those geeks when you're feeling extra pissy about us and just go and spread whatever rumors you want. For what? Revenge against the rest of us?"<br/>
<br/>
Yumi lowers her head staring directly at the ground now. "No, it's because they're my friends," she mutters.<br/>
<br/>
"They are? So why don't you ever hang around them outside of lunch or invite them to sit with us," you ask. "Isn't Ashton supposed to be your best friend? Because it seems like you spend more time with Cindy or the Garners or going to parties than you do with her."<br/>
<br/>
"Because I fucking can't," Yumi yells. Not too loud, her voice is too soft for that, but enough that you see a few of the track team turn to glance in your direction for a moment. She's looking at you now and you can see tears beginning to well up. "Why would I invite them over? So she can get pissed and cut them down? Do you think I <i>want</i> to go to all those stupid parties? But we have to go to all of them to keep up appearances otherwise she'll screw us over even more! You should fucking know all this!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I do," you say, "I mean you've only dealt with Chelsea... what, since sophomore year when you joined the JV squad? And she didn't hate you then right?" You grunt and sit up, "I'm not trying to be nasty or anything but I'm trying to prove a point. You can't live life how you want it because she's always got her eye on you. I've been dealing with it twice as long so how do you think I feel?"<br/>
<br/>
Yumi grows quiet again and props her head up with her hand. "So what's that supposed to mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"It means that I wanted to get a read on you," you tell her. "You guys want control of the squad, right? So are you happy there's a chance I'm getting kicked off?"<br/>
<br/>
She continues to say nothing and you decide that says everything.<br/>
<br/>
"Right, so you are but you also think that if I'm pissed at her that you can bring me over and then you'll outnumber her and be in control." You shake your head, "You won't be though," you tell her, "Even if Chelsea's the only person supporting Chelsea left she'll do everything she can to screw things up for you and weasel her way back into power. If you want to kill the snake you have to cut off the head."<br/>
<br/>
"So how would we even get rid of her," Yumi says having now calmed down. "Coach Tesla will never listen to us, even if we have a vote of no confidence."<br/>
<br/>
"That's something that can always be figured out," you shrug, "but I'm not going to worry about it right this second."<br/>
<br/>
"So you want to hang out later then," Yumi asks.<br/>
<br/>
You give it a moment of thought. Gloria is still expecting you to pay a visit to the basement at some point but that doesn't have to be immediately. You wanted to give her something better so what would be better than staging a coup against Chelsea and getting her off of the squad? Maybe Gloria could take her place. Or Cindy or Yumi or whoever. Maybe you can put her in for whoever would take over if that's the case. That'd definitely be better for her, right?<br/>
<br/>
So you give a positive response. "Sure," you tell her with a nod. "I get off at 9:30 so if you want to meet me at the mall or something..."<br/>
<br/>
"No can do," Yumi shakes her head. "Cindy and I were actually getting together to do some studying for Cash's class anyway since we've got a test tomorrow but I think we know it so if you want to just meet us over at Cindy's we can set things straight there."<br/>
<br/>
You acquiesce to that so with plans set you make a point to text Gloria and let her know that you're not going to be by tonight. You get a message back fairly quickly.<br/>
<br/>
<i>how come<br/>
<br/>
yumi &amp; cindy want 2 tlk<br/>
gonna set things str8 w/ them<br/>
<br/>
oh<br/>
then stop by the school before work<br/>
i need to give you something<br/>
<br/>
sure</i><br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So what is it that you had to give me so bad," you state impatiently as you stand next to your car.<br/>
<br/>
"Here," he says shoving a mask, band and the stuff to combine it towards you.<br/>
<br/>
"What's this for?"<br/>
<br/>
"What do you think," he replies. "You're going to meet Yumi and Cindy so if it's possible I want you to get a mask of one of them."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, and what's that going to do," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you being dense on purpose," he groans. "I know them. They're going to try and recruit you to their little anti-Chelsea club."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't want that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not unless I'm in control," she replies. "If they take down Chelsea, then I want to be the one who's doing it. I don't even care which of them takes her place, because it would be one of them, I just want to be able to play the big part in it."<br/>
<br/>
"If I can get a chance," you tell him. "If I can't, though, we can always use it on someone else since I'm sure we'll have other chances to get at her." You suddenly have a lightbulb go off. "So does this mean you're wanting your old life back," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Did I say that," she shoots back. "If you can improve on everything, then maybe. But if you can get Chelsea and Kendra, because fuck her too, off the squad then that'll be good enough and I can step in for Cindy or Yumi. Or fuck, I'll take Michelle if I have to. I can only improve her."<br/>
<br/>
"Alright," you nod as you place the stuff into your bag. "Sure, if I can get one of them in a situation I'll try and get the mask onto her."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You ring the doorbell kind of nervously. Cindy and Yumi are both treated as goddesses at the school so even as Gloria spending a few hours in their presence is somewhat nerve wracking. Especially doing it in Cindy's own house. It's especially nerve wracking when Cindy greets you, gives you a friendly hug and invites you in. You say hello to her mother as you pass by and you can tell that's where Cindy's looks come from. After marching up the stairs you see Lucy, Cindy's older sister, come out of her room. You try to give a greeting to her but she just grumbles for you to move and blows past you. <i>What a bitch</i>, you think to yourself as you enter into Cindy's bedroom, give a greeting to Yumi and take a seat in Cindy's computer chair.<br/>
<br/>
"So, let's cut straight to the bullshit," you immediately say once the door's closed. "You want to 'clear the air' because you want me to help you take down Chelsea, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"You don't waste any time, do you," Cindy asks. "But yeah we're going to want your help."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that'll be kind of hard if I'm on the outs with her," you state. "You should've come to me sooner. Because I don't think I'd be much help to you if I'm off the team."<br/>
<br/>
"But you'd still have ideas, right," Yumi asks. "You've known her a long time."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe, going after her wouldn't be quick though," you tell them. "If I'm kicked off it's harder but I can tell you where you should look first: Michelle."<br/>
<br/>
"Why her," Cindy asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Because she hates Chelsea, too," you answer. "It's pretty fucking funny. Chelsea brought her in to control, yet Michelle actually spoke to me a few days ago. She can't stand the little princess either so she'd be easy to sway."<br/>
<br/>
"Michelle's a nobody though," Cindy states. "What'll bringing her over do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Take away a little support from Chelsea. You should go after Maria next."<br/>
<br/>
"They're best friends," Yumi states. "I don't really know how we'd get her over."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know if she'd even understand the concept," Cindy adds. "She's a fucking moron."<br/>
<br/>
"She's not, or I don't think she is," you say. "I've been around her enough to see little flashes. Sparks of insight, little instances of her being annoyed with Chelsea. I think she's more perceptive than you guys would expect. Figure out how to exploit that and she's yours."<br/>
<br/>
"So what about Kendra," asks Yumi.<br/>
<br/>
"Kendra? She's a snake," you tell her. "She's been Chelsea's lackey for a long time and I know how that eats at her. Get Michelle and Maria and she'll see which way the wind's blowing. Then once Chelsea's gone, you dump her too."<br/>
<br/>
"Wouldn't she be good to have around," Cindy asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Holy shit, no! Didn't you hear what I just said," you exclaim. "Kendra can, in no way, be trusted. Ever. Get rid of Chelsea and she'll be scheming on how to dump the new captain too so she can try and get her spot. You can't have anyone like that around."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a good idea but... do you think it's plausible," Yumi asks.<br/>
<br/>
You shrug, "Don't know. But there's no point in not trying."<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, this is gonna be a while," Cindy states. "I'm gonna go get us some water."<br/>
<br/>
With that she leaves and closes the door behind her for privacy's sake. That leaves you alone in the room with Yumi. You've got the mask that Gloria gave you right in your bag. You could use it on her easy peasy and you've got Gloria's new home. Or wold it be that easy? Would the mask copy and come out in time? What would Cindy say if she comes up and Yumi's passed out? This might be your only chance to get her but the risk of exposing yourself seems too great.</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111112
author_id: rugal
title: The Continuation
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I don't really like you guys, you know," you tell Yumi as you lean back and rest your elbows on the bench behind you.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I know, but--"<br/>
<br/>
"So what makes you think that's changed," you interrupt her. "You guys have treated me like shit too. Cindy's a cunt, she'd have to be to be besties with someone like Lin."<br/>
<br/>
"What about me," Yumi asks. She's not looking at you but rather is staring off at the track. Catherine Muskov comes running by but you can tell that her gaze isn't directed at her but at nothing in particular.<br/>
<br/>
"What <i>about</i> you," you retort. "You hang out with those geeks when you're feeling extra pissy about us and just go and spread whatever rumors you want. For what? Revenge against the rest of us?"<br/>
<br/>
Yumi lowers her head staring directly at the ground now. "No, it's because they're my friends," she mutters.<br/>
<br/>
"They are? So why don't you ever hang around them outside of lunch," you ask. "Isn't Ashton supposed to be your best friend? Because it seems like you spend more time with Cindy or the Garners or going to parties than you do with her."<br/>
<br/>
"Because I fucking can't," Yumi yells. Not too loud, her voice is too soft for that, but enough that you see a few of the track team turn to glance in your direction for a moment. She's looking at you now and you can see tears beginning to well up. "Why would I invite them over? So she can get pissed and cut them down? Do you think I <i>want</i> to go to all those stupid parties? But we have to go to all of them to keep up appearances otherwise she'll screw us over even more! You should fucking know all this!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I do," you say, "I mean you've only dealt with Chelsea... what, since sophomore year when you joined the JV squad? And she didn't hate you then right?" You grunt and sit up, "I'm not trying to be nasty or anything but I'm trying to prove a point. You can't live life how you want it because she's always got her eye on you. I've been dealing with it twice as long so how do you think I feel?"<br/>
<br/>
Yumi grows quiet again and props her head up with her hand. "So what's that supposed to mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"It means that I wanted to get a read on you," you tell her. "You guys want control of the squad, right? So are you happy there's a chance I'm getting kicked off?"<br/>
<br/>
She continues to say nothing and you decide that says everything.<br/>
<br/>
"Right, so you are but you also think that if I'm pissed at her that you can bring me over and then you'll outnumber her and be in control." You shake your head, "You won't be though," you tell her, "Even if Chelsea's the only person supporting Chelsea left she'll do everything she can to screw things up for you and weasel her way back into power. If you want to kill the snake you have to cut off the head."<br/>
<br/>
"So how would we even get rid of her," Yumi says having now calmed down. "Coach Tesla will never listen to us, even if we have a vote of no confidence."<br/>
<br/>
"That's something that can always be figured out," you shrug, "but I'm not going to worry about it right this second."<br/>
<br/>
"So you want to hang out later then," Yumi asks.<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head, "I've got other things I have to do tonight but I'll get back to you on, I don't know, Saturday?"<br/>
<br/>
Yumi for her part agrees to that so you make tentative plans to get together with her and whoever she can wrangle up on Saturday telling her that you'll text her when you're ready to do anything. At the same time you send a text to Will informing him that you'll stop by the basement after you get off of work.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"This is a pretty crummy place you have here," you state as you head down the stairs and into the basement. Will, for his part, says nothing as it's something you'd agreed on before coming over; that it'd be best to be as in-character as possible. "What is this like your little perv dungeon or--"<br/>
<br/>
You stop as you notice a woman laying on the ground trying to catch her breath. The lighting, of course, isn't the best but you can still make out that she's darker skinned. She catches sight of you and her eyes go wide. "Oh shit," she exclaims as she bolts up.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck is--" you start but are interrupted by Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Connor, what's going o--"<br/>
<br/>
He stops as he sees you and his eyes bug out as well.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh fuck, oh god..." he mutters. "Will, why did you--"<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck is going on," you exclaim interrupting him. "Who the fuck is--god, maybe I don't even want to know!"<br/>
<br/>
"My name, uh, I'm Connor," the woman states nervously, "not that you'd have any idea who I am."<br/>
<br/>
"You're fucking right," you shoot book. "You don't look like anyone who'd ever be named 'Connor'."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I'm not," she replies, "I mean I am but I'm, uh..."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you said she knew about this," Caleb says as he stares daggers into Will.<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>do</i> but not that you actually <i>are</i> using these things for..." you trail off and shudder.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, alright, this is... yeah," Will states, "So let's start over. Connor or whoever the hell you are, what's going on?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right," the woman starts, "So yeah, I'm Connor. Justin was after some other girl but couldn't get her so he used the mask on a study partner he has for another class since he thought she was good looking enough. That'd be me, well, the me I am now. Shonda Weeks."<br/>
<br/>
She's a somewhat bigger girl. Not fat but thick with wide hips, thick thighs, a large chest. She's short too, maybe a hair over five feet at the tallest so it makes her look slightly rounder than she is. But she has a nice face with large, plump lips and thick, wavy dark hair all cascading around chocolate skin. It reminds you, body-wise, of Victoria Rodriguez in a way and if you weren't like you were now you might want to try that mask too.<br/>
<br/>
But you decide it's better to stay in character. "What the fuck ever," you say dismissively, "this is gross." You then turn to Will, "Just get me one of those masks and bands, Asshole, since I guess you can't actually do what I asked so we can be on our way."<br/>
<br/>
"We," he says in surprise.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, retard, we. I'm going to have to drill it into you why we're doing this."<br/>
<br/>
With that you decide to turn and march back up the stares. You can hear Caleb sarcastically mutter something like "no wonder she got booted" as you go. Once Will's back up, you tell him you're heading back to your house and that you want him to come with you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"You didn't have to be quite as much of a bitch back there," Will states as the two of you sit on the bed in your room in the Rea household.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry," you say with an amused tone, "But I kind of had to cast off any doubts that we weren't who we said we were." You look at him and smile, "Caleb and them might deserve it but I don't really plan on being mean to you," you state in a soft voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh," he asks nervously and you can see him fidgeting and beginning to turn red. "That's... that's nice."<br/>
<br/>
"What's wrong," you ask him. "I'm not making you nervous am I?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, well, um, yeah. Kinda. Not on purpose though, I think," he stutters. "It's these... you've never really been with a pretty girl outside of... Yarborough. Lisa, right? So it's your... your stupid brain. It doesn't know how to react. And the hormones. It's all fucking me up."<br/>
<br/>
"That's it," you ask her. "Because I've got your brain in here and I've had all day to think about it and maybe that stuff is playing a part but I think most of it's coming from you."<br/>
<br/>
"What would... what makes you think that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nobody's ever really been nice to you, have they," you say. "Not your mom, not Chelsea or Kendra, none of them. None of the boys either. You're just kind of a fucktoy to them. But what I did... I wasn't asking for anything or any sort of reward from you. I didn't <i>really</i> need to be blackmailed. I helped you because I empathized and wanted to. And that's bringing on these feelings that you haven't really had in a long time. Happiness and contentment and trust. I felt the same stuff when I was hanging out with Bethany. They're nice feelings and it's all coming on so fast that you don't quite know how to deal with them but want to experience more of them. Am I right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I mean maybe, but," he continues stuttering, "but what do you want to do..."<br/>
<br/>
With that you pull him in close to you and this time you're the one initiating the kiss. He doesn't even remotely hesitate but is instantly right into it with you. The two of you lay down on the bed as you go at it, he slips a hand under your shirt and bra and massages a breast and it feels great. It feels great because the Gloria emotions know that this isn't her with some guy because Chelsea wanted her to fuck him but because it's more genuine. It's something <i>she</i> wants. At the same time you unbutton and unzip his shorts, slip a hand into his boxers and begin massaging his cock. The two of you keep at this until you can feel him starting to tense up and, knowing what's coming, you pull off and leave him with a massive case of blue balls.<br/>
<br/>
"That," he pants. You can tell that his head is spinning from the entire thing.<br/>
<br/>
"So how do you like that? You wanted that, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"I..." he continues to catch his breath, "Yeah. I think. I don't hate it."<br/>
<br/>
"That's good because you asked what I want to do and I've had all day to think. I had just now as well. I have my mind and yours working together and I definitely know what I want. And I think I know what you want as well," you say. You flash a smile, a warm and friendly one, at him as you grab his hand. "Let's...</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111121111122
author_id: rugal
title: The Failure
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>He gives you an odd look and you're not quite sure what to make of it. Disbelief? Anticipation? Nervousness? All three at once? You'd trailed off, knowing what you wanted to say but not knowing if you <i>should</i> say it. But you can feel what's there, you can feel how Gloria's own mind reacts, it's definitely something you want to try for and it's now or... well, probably not never but the mood seems so right, both of you in the right mental state, that you figure that it's best to just give it a shot.<br/>
<br/>
"Let's date!"<br/>
<br/>
Will's eyes practically bug out of his head. "W-w-what," he stutters out in shock.<br/>
<br/>
You squeeze his hand a little tighter, soften your expression a little more. "You and me. Gloria Rea and Will Prescott," you bite your bottom lip a little trying to suppress any butterflies from getting out. "I'm telling you that I want you to go out with me."<br/>
<br/>
You can see him starting to sweat as he fidgets and his face turns beet red. "That's... that's, um," he continues to struggle to get out any words. "I just... I don't know what to say."<br/>
<br/>
"You can say 'yes'," you tell him expectantly.<br/>
<br/>
"I... I could, yeah," he says. "I definitely could. But I don't," he takes another look at your face and his expression changes, "I don't know."<br/>
<br/>
"What's there not to know," you ask and very slightly you register just a tiny bit of the enthusiasm drop from your voice. "I have your brain here, you have my brain. You know how it'd feel to date Gloria Rea."<br/>
<br/>
"It'd be amazing, yeah," he states. "But those are your thoughts, I think, not mine."<br/>
<br/>
"But I <i>have</i> your thoughts," you reply, your tone becoming slightly more desperate, "and they're telling me how good this feels. To be with someone who... who seems to actually care."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you sure," he asks and leans back against the head of the bed. "Are those my thoughts or is there some combination going on there? That <i>you</i> want this so your thoughts are influencing the personality that's on the band?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't," you reply even more desperately, "I don't know. But... I know I want to try."<br/>
<br/>
"And this'll sound shallow but the thought of dating myself," he fidgets some more, "is a little weird."<br/>
<br/>
"So we change back," you tell her, "or I can go back and find you someone else." You hang your head, "I started this thinking you were just going to be a cunt but... but I want you to feel comfortable. I want you to feel good and happy. Nobody deserves to be treated like they're shit or made to feel that way. I just want to make you feel better, happier."<br/>
<br/>
"I know," he says quietly. "I've only known you a few days but you already have just by showing me some basic fucking kindness. You're a... you're not an asshole. You're a nice guy. But this is all... everything's been moving so fast that I haven't had time to really catch up. I need some time, Will, and besides there's other concerns."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what," you say dejectedly.<br/>
<br/>
"Social concerns," he replies. "Chelsea will know, and she'll make life harder for your or me. She'd try and ruin it or kick me off the squad for real if it doesn't work."<br/>
<br/>
"So what," you shoot back. "You hate the fucking squad and Chelsea. Why should her opinion or acceptance mean shit?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's not easy to break," he shakes his head. "You didn't have the experience with that so it made you more fearless I think. You didn't really have anything to lose but Gloria Rea does. The idea of getting kicked off and being alienated even more... it frightens me. Even if I'm not me at the time, that's still the life I put nearly eighteen years into so it'd still make me feel messed up to see everything crumble like that. At least right now."<br/>
<br/>
"So it's all this... this caste bullshit," you ask angrily, "Everyone has their little role in society and nobody steps out, no moving up or down."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I'm sorry. I don't <i>want</i> that either but it's something I've had to be part of for a long time. I can't just flip the switch like that, it's ingrained into me and I need some time to work through it."  He gives you a smile but it's a half-hearted one. "It's getting late anyway and your dad will kill me if I'm any later so... I'll see you some time later."<br/>
<br/>
"Later," you ask. "Not tomorrow?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
"What about the Warehouse?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know," he states. "I need time to think about it. About everything."<br/>
<br/>
With that he says his goodbyes and then he's out the window. You close it behind him and it sinks in: you were rejected. He sounded hopeful that maybe down the road there could be something but is that any guarantee? That's who knows when in the future anyway but right now you can feel a heaviness in your chest that is as bad as the first time you saw Lisa with Mansfield.<br/>
<br/>
Gloria's mind is there as well and not knowing what to do, not wanting to even think yourself, you sink into it for a little bit. That turns out to be a bad move because you can instantly feel your eyes getting hot as the emotions flood you and without even thinking you bury your face in the pillow and sob.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You're feeling like absolute dog shit in the morning. You didn't sleep well, your mind and thoughts were too chaotic to allow you to do that. A run-in with Gloria's mom, where usually a parent might comfort their child, instead had her tell you that you probably deserved it for being an arrogant bitch who thinks she's too good for everyone. That brought another round of sobbing once you were back in bed.<br/>
<br/>
When the bell for first period to start rings, instinctively you head to the gym but as you approach you stop. You can go in and see how things are going, make sure Chelsea's calmed down. But you don't. You don't care about cheerleading right now and you especially don't want to Chelsea anywhere near you. So instead you walk by and eventually make your way out to the now familiar portables. There wasn't anyone there yesterday but you do see at least one somewhat familiar face so you decide to see if you can enjoy the company.<br/>
<br/>
"You look like shit," Jordana states as you flop down next to her.<br/>
<br/>
You could probably say the same for her. Her hair is messy, her eyes have bags underneath of them. Her mouth hangs open slightly as an unlit cigarette hangs from it. You didn't get any sleep at all last night whereas Jordana, who's by no means an unattractive girl, looks like she's constantly roused from a bad sleep or hangover.<br/>
<br/>
"No shit," you reply, "I couldn't sleep at all. What's your excuse?"<br/>
<br/>
Jordana just shrugs as she pulls the cigarette from her mouth, lights it and takes a drag. A tiny, almost smug, laugh escapes her when she notices you recoil at that. "Never seen someone smoke," she asks in amusement.<br/>
<br/>
"No, my mom does. It's just that shit is disgusting," you say trying to wave away the smoke.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well, get used to it if you're hanging around me," she replies. "Any other 'allergies' I should be aware of? You straight edge or something?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, I've... I've had beer," you say before quietly adding, "Just not a lot."<br/>
<br/>
Jordana laughs and then gives you a look that you think is one of concern. "You look like you wanna say something, though, so what's up," she says.<br/>
<br/>
"No it's just something that struck me a few days ago," you tell her. "It was the way you got really worked up about Hennepin."<br/>
<br/>
"Worked up? I don't get worked up about nothing except bitches trying to fuck up people who didn't do shit."<br/>
<br/>
"Could've fooled me," you reply. "You try and hide it but I could tell it was a sore spot. So what's the deal, do you like him or something?"<br/>
<br/>
"Hennepin," she asks. She's silent for a long time before she finally speaks again, "No. Why the fuck would I?"<br/>
<br/>
Well there's your confirmation. "Alright so <i>you</i> don't like him," you say humoring her, "but do you think Kelsey does?"<br/>
<br/>
"How the fuck should I know what Kelsey thinks," she asks.<br/>
<br/>
You mentally laugh a bit at that. She <i>could</i> know and could get with Hennepin if you wanted to broach the subject. But you don't, so you continue on. "Well, if she was looking for a quick fuck she wouldn't be meeting with him all the time on the weekends right? But it's on the down low which is stupid."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess, I don't know what the fuck you're getting at though."<br/>
<br/>
"What I'm getting it is what Bethany mentioned a couple days ago when she called this a neutral ground and was talking about cliques," you tell her. "Isn't it fucked up that someone like Kelsey can have a thing for Hennepin but all of the stupid social bullshit means she has to keep it poorly hidden? That there's this stupid unspoken system with people like Chelsea or Amanda or Patterson overseeing it to make sure nobody goes outside of their pen? Like if you were in Kelsey's shoes, what would you do?"<br/>
<br/>
"If I was..." She gives it some thought, "I guess I'd say fuck it because yeah, that shit is stupid. If you're with someone you can't be fucking around with them like that. It's not fair and it is retarded that she'd face shit if she went public with it." She flashes you a grin, the most emotion you've seen from her. "I didn't know you had this kind of insight Princess."<br/>
<br/>
You normally wouldn't but after last night and now talking to Jordana, a seed is planted in your head. Kelsey can't go public because of backlash. Lisa's with Geoff because he's "more her type". Gloria's scared to commit because of what it would do to her life. But why? Why allow it to go on? Gloria wants you to make things better but why stop with her? Why not up end the entire social order? You've got the book. You could start with Chelsea, swap her out for someone else. Put her lower on the totem pole and see how she likes it.<br/>
<br/>
But would that work? Would Chelsea claw her way back up? Or would whoever you put in be even worse?</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111211111222
author_id: rugal
title: The Anticipation
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You don't really know how much better or worse the situation would get if you swapped Chelsea for someone. The question becomes who do you swap Chelsea with? Somebody like Dorothy? Dorothy, even with Chelsea's brain, would probably throw the entire team into chaos. Maybe you switch her for Anita Nuevo, who runs a tight ship with the soccer team but is also well-liked by them; but that would put Chelsea in a good spot too. A loser like Missy Taylor or Wendy Silbert? They might be easy to push around but Chelsea would likely do everything she could to fight her way back. If you think Chelsea's bad now, how much worse would she be if she was able to take one of them, transform them into something better physically and make her way back into the popular crowd? She could probably do it and would feel invincible.<br/>
<br/>
So with no real idea of how to actually do it or how to proceed, you shelve the idea for the time being. Instead you go back to the conversation you'd been having with Jordana. "I'm not an idiot if that's what you've been thinking," you sniff and cross your arms. "I've been at the top of the food chain since sixth grade, you don't get there without having a good read on people and the little inter-clique relationships."<br/>
<br/>
"So being Chelsea's bitch didn't stop you from being an amateur sociologist," she cracks.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm surprised you even know what the fuck a sociologist is," you respond.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, I'm not the brightest but I ain't no dummy," she replies. "I read--"<br/>
<br/>
"At a fifth grade level."<br/>
<br/>
"--and I watch. I've been around enough to pick up on things. I just don't do good with the whole rigid school bullshit, I'm fine on my own," she then shoots you a smirk, "and don't think I didn't hear that either. You got a problem?"<br/>
<br/>
"You mean besides the fact you look like a fucking vagrant," you ask rhetorically. "Nothing at all."<br/>
<br/>
Jordana eyes you before another small laugh escapes her. "You know what, you're good. I like you," she states with a warm expression... or about as much of one as she can seem to manage.<br/>
<br/>
"I just told you that you look like a smelly hobo and you like me."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck yeah," she replies. "Most other people kinda back down with me but you jump right in. You're tough, Princess. I like that."<br/>
<br/>
"Well thanks. I guess," you state as you draw your knees up, "It's good someone does."<br/>
<br/>
"Someone? Right, I heard all about that blow up with Chelsea," she states. "Thought you hated her going by how you talked a few days back."<br/>
<br/>
"It's not her," you reply. "It's... well, nothing."<br/>
<br/>
"Nah, its something," she states. "So what is it, boy trouble?" You give no response and that seems to set her off. "It is, huh? So... what? What's the deal?"<br/>
<br/>
"I just told you, it's nothing," you reply in an irritated tone. "It's just stupid."<br/>
<br/>
"So what, does it got something to do with what you were asking me about a few minutes ago," she asks. That gets another no comment so she continues on, "So who was it? Don't tell me you've suddenly got the hots for Tackett or Chen or something."<br/>
<br/>
"Chen," you exclaim, "why the fuck would I--no! It's not fucking Chen! I'm not telling you who either. I'm just saying that it sucks to know what you want and not be able to get it because these dumb rules are keeping it from happening."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I hear that," she takes another drag of her cigarette. "Dumb rules and the dumb bitches who follow them. Present company excluded of course."<br/>
<br/>
"So, are you going up to the Warehouse tonight?"<br/>
<br/>
You spend the rest of the period talking to her. Initially you were intimidated by her as her reputation precedes her. Then you were kind of disgusted--that part was more Gloria--but now you've got a pretty good appreciation for her. She looks completely disaffected yet the reality is she's not as good at hiding her emotions as she thinks. You actually start feeling a little better by the end and where there was previously fear and dislike regarding Jordana, it's been replaced by something approaching respect.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
At lunch you again have to stop yourself from going over to the alpha table and as you're looking for a spot Ceres spots you and waves you over. You spend the next few minutes eating with her group of artsy hipsters and hippies though not saying much. It's not that you hate them or anything its just that you feel horribly out of place. That and the little game of who likes who makes things a little more awkward. Not that they say it but you can pick up on it very easily: Neil Woodes pining for Susannah Howe who teases him while making flirtatious eyes at both Lila Fournier (who seems bashful around Neil) and Noah Shaugnessy who casts hopeful glances at Ceres who seems completely oblivious to any of this.<br/>
<br/>
A lot of talk is about their own get togethers, various little hipster going-ons that you don't know nor care about and their pet causes. You actually feel a sense of relief when you see Yumi come over.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Gloria," she says in a greeting that's about as neutral as it can be. She casts a glance towards the group, "Sorry, but I have to borrow her."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, well, but I'm here so..." you weakly protest but Ceres just flashes you a warm smile.<br/>
<br/>
"It's fine," she states with a positive tone. "I'm sure if Yumi's coming to get you then it's important. Don't mind us."<br/>
<br/>
Well with that settled, in the way you were hoping, you head off with Yumi into a quiet hallway near the cafeteria. "Ceres Kesey," she states folding her arms.<br/>
<br/>
"She's one of the people I met by the portables. She's really sweet."<br/>
<br/>
"So I could tell," she states and doesn't look to be in a particularly good mood. "Look, Chelsea sent me over to tell you that she wants you to apologize."<br/>
<br/>
"Fat chance," you reply. "Why'd she send you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because we were talking by the track, remember? That got back to her and she blew a gasket. She thinks you're plotting with us now now so basically she wants you to apologize by Monday or else you're off."<br/>
<br/>
You grunt at that, "So what do you have to do with this? She couldn't tell me herself? Or have Kendra do it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because if you go, we're all going," she replies.<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't know you cared," you state sarcastically.<br/>
<br/>
"It wouldn't be our choice," she shoots back. "Basically she'll go nuts and just straight up purge us. Me, Cindy, Eva or Jessica, Lin... all gone."<br/>
<br/>
"Eva <i>or</i> Jessica," you ask in surprise. "Why not both?"<br/>
<br/>
Yumi shrugs, "Not like she told us but knowing her she'd want to drive a wedge between them. Pick one to stay, boot the other and try and to show favoritism to make one more loyal and the other more jealous." She gives a look, one that's pure misery. "You have to just suck it up and apologize. We'll do something about her afterwards."<br/>
<br/>
Yeah but will they? They've been bitching for so long that maybe they want to do that more than act. Or maybe they've been so beaten that it's all fantasy for them. Still, you assuage her a bit. "I'll think about what to do," you tell her. She takes it as a confirmation that you're going to apologize but you're not so sure yourself. Maybe you'll apologize but that idea is still sitting there in your head: take Chelsea down. It's just a matter of finding the right way to go about it.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
<i>hey</i><br/>
<br/>
You're greeted by a text while working out in eight period and are happy to see that it's from Bethany.<br/>
<br/>
<i>sry i mussed u yesterday<br/>
stuff came up @ home<br/>
u no how it is<br/>
ur not mad r u<br/>
<br/>
its cool dont worry<br/>
<br/>
so we still on for 2nite?<br/>
@ the wraehouse<br/>
<br/>
yeah<br/>
<br/>
ur friend comin<br/>
<br/>
dunno<br/>
ill ask him<br/>
<br/>
alrite well get u @ 11<br/>
just gimme ur addy n txt back<br/>
if we need 2 get him</i><br/>
<br/>
You give her your acknowledgment of that and then decide to shoot a text to Will.<br/>
<br/>
<i>u comin out w/ me 2nite</i><br/>
<br/>
It's longer than normal before you get a response back.<br/>
<br/>
<i>yeah i guess<br/>
<br/>
ur not mad about last nite r u<br/>
<br/>
no its fine<br/>
<br/>
u need 2 be picked up?<br/>
im gettin a ride w/ bethany<br/>
<br/>
i'm good<br/>
i'll meet you<br/>
just text when you get there</i><br/>
<br/>
You debate telling her about what Yumi had told you but, and it's hard to accurately read in text, she seems to be in a better mood so you don't want to drop that stress onto her right now. You should probably consider yourself lucky she's still agreeing to go out there with you at all. So you go through your routines until school ends, then go through routines at gymnastics making sure to not give coach a reason to think you were dicking around. After that it's a night at work that seems longer than usual as you find yourself getting anxious; you practically run out once your shift is up.<br/>
<br/>
At home you do your best to avoid Gloria's mother, showering and dressing up in more club-ready clothes. By the time you're finishing up your makeup it's close to eleven and you get a text from Bethany asking if you're ready because they're on their way. You tell her that you just about are and can feel the anxiousness rising. You're happy to be hanging out with Bethany again and you can't deny the small thrill that goes through you in wondering just what exactly you're in for once you get there.</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111112221
author_id: rugal
title: The Warehouse
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're sitting on your bed messing around on your phone when you're startled by the sound of knocking on the front door. Crap! You'd forgotten to tell Bethany to come around to the back. Well hopefully you're able to get there and out before Gloria's mother answers the door. You make a dash out of the room but you're barely out your door before you hear a voice break in. "Oh, um, hey Mrs. Rea. Is Gloria here," you hear it ask. Well shit. Thankfully you don't hear Gloria's mother say anything.<br/>
<br/>
"HeymomI'mgoingoutbebacklater," you say as you slip by her, grab Bethany by the arm, close the door behind you and pile into a somewhat dingy looking, bulky van. Inside you see Ceres and Jordana with Nancy, who you remember from Wednesday, taking the wheel. You notice a bit of an odor and cough. "God, it smells like weed and booze in here," you say covering your nose.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it's from when I'd have to haul my band's shit around," Nancy says as she begins driving off.<br/>
<br/>
"You're in a band?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not anymore. Well kinda not," she states. "It's just me and my boyfriend right now. Our bassist and lead singer left before the end of junior year since she was going out of state when she graduated. Our drummer went to another band not long after."<br/>
<br/>
"What'd you guys play," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Lotta thrash metal mainly, you ever hear of 731? Well, probably not. You don't listen to that shit anyway."<br/>
<br/>
Actually, Gloria's mind tells you, it's something she used to listen to as a way of helping vent her anger. Nothing she's listend to in a couple years though. "The fuck kind of name is that," you instead ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Unit 731? That Japanese group from World War II that did a bunch of fucked up human experiments?"<br/>
<br/>
You make a face at that. "Lovely," is all you can get out.<br/>
<br/>
"What can I say," Nancy laughs, "we were fourteen when we started. We just wanted to shock people."<br/>
<br/>
"I was the one who named it," Jordana jumps in. "I still say you should've done some fascist shit or something if you wanted that shock value."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, because that's what I needed," Nancy laughs again. "I'm already Aryan enough as is so I totally needed to be in the Nazi band because I went a little too far being an edgy kid."<br/>
<br/>
"Christ, these are your friends," you ask Bethany who snickers.<br/>
<br/>
"They're fine," she replies, "though I kinda think that, like, their parents shoulda raised 'em an' not slasher flicks and Slayer."<br/>
<br/>
"Man, fuck you," Jordana shoots back. "Big dudes with machetes and hockey masks will teach you all you need to know about life."<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, I don't know how you guys can even watch those things. They're so gross," Ceres adds making a face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
The conversation continues on for a while until you finally pull into the parking lot of the Warehouse. Being a Friday night, it's mostly full but you're able to find a free space in the maze of cars. You think about texting Will as you walk up to tell him you're here but in the end that proves unnecessary as you get closer to the entrance and steaming Will Prescott comes walking in the same direction.<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck are you so pissed about," you call out to him which causes him to do a double take.<br/>
<br/>
"I've been trying to get in for ten fucking minutes. The gorilla at the front door won't let me through though," he grumbles. "I didn't realize this was a VIP establishment."<br/>
<br/>
"You know him," Bethany asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you nod, "this is the guy I invited."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, wow," Ceres exclaims, "so he's your boyfriend?"<br/>
<br/>
Nancy, Jordana and Bethany fall into laughing fits as you feel yourself turning crimson. "No, of course not," you insist. "He's helping me with some stuff so I figured I'd just pay him back a bit."<br/>
<br/>
"Too bad for you," Ceres replies with a smile as she begins walking towards the front door, "he's kind of cute." She gives him a wink as she walks by and you can see his color match your own.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I guess follow us then since they'll totally let you in if they know you're with us," Bethany tells him as the rest of you follow suit.<br/>
<br/>
Once you get to the front door you see a burly kid playing bouncer. You don't recognize him from any of the teams at Westside so he has to be from Eastman. He readily lets you and your friends in although Will's stopped by the same guy. "The fuck did I already tell you, faggot," the guy bellows.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm with them," he whines and points at your group.<br/>
<br/>
"Like fuck you are. Get the fuck out of here before I beat your ass."<br/>
<br/>
"He <i>is</i> with us, Mongo," Jordana declares.<br/>
<br/>
"It's true, so let him in," you add flashing him a smile. At that the wannabe bouncer's mood instantly changes and he's practically escorting Will into the building.<br/>
<br/>
You're greeted by people milling around, some dancing, a lot of others getting drunk and couples making out. There's loud music playing, fast punk music from a trio of girls up on the stage. The girl singing looks a bit older than the other two, you don't recognize the drummer but the girl playing guitar you most definitely recognize: Sienna Goldman. The same one that Gloria and the other cheerleaders gave all kinds of shit. You'd been warned earlier about her and you bet when, or if, she sees you she's not going to be happy.<br/>
<br/>
Bethany tells you to just hang loose for right now and that once the band's done to meet up in one of the rooms upstairs so the group can hang out in relative peace. So for now you pull Will aside to try and gauge his opinion on a new home. "What do you think about Nancy," you ask him once you're in a quieter corner.<br/>
<br/>
"What about her?"<br/>
<br/>
"As your new place," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"Really," he asks. "She wouldn't be my first pick."<br/>
<br/>
You can't think that there's anything particularly wrong with her. She's not bad looking, has a nice-sized chest and while she jokingly called herself Aryan, her hair is dyed a dark red... well half of it since that's what hangs down around the right side of her face, the left side is shaved short though either not completely buzzed or is starting to row back. Plus, hey, she has a talent... and a boyfriend. And you wonder if that's what really influenced you to suggest her.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, what about Ceres then," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"She <i>is</i> adorable," he states. "But I think I'd go nuts trying to keep up that whole sunny granola girl thing. Honestly if you were going to get me someone I'd want you to grab Bethany. But I guess you've already ruled that out."<br/>
<br/>
You have, of course. Bethany seems like a real friend, or like she has the potential to be one, so you feel uncomfortable throwing a mask onto her and just replacing her even if it is with Gloria. You're ruling out Jordana as well. You realize that you like her honest and blunt nature. Maybe that's more Gloria talking but having spent so long with "fakes" like Chelsea and Kendra it's refreshing. You wouldn't feel right having that changed by having someone playing at being her.<br/>
<br/>
And as far as Chelsea goes... you avoided it earlier but now that the uncomfortableness between you seems to have passed you decided to drop what went down.<br/>
<br/>
"So Yumi came and grabbed me at lunch today," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"What, is she still trying to recruit you," Will asks.<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head however, "No, she wanted me to apologize to Chelsea. Well, Chelsea wanted me to apologize to Chelsea. She made Yumi deliver the message. But Yumi wanted me to apologize too."<br/>
<br/>
"Why the fuck would Yumi go along with something like that?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think she's just scared or something," you reply. "She was talking about how Chelsea's on the warpath and if I don't apologize I'm getting cut and she'll also drop the hammer on her, Lin and Cindy. She'll cut one of the Garners too, probably to try and drive a gap between them: one of them on the outs, the other still in and favored by Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"God, something really needs to be done about her," he says. "You've still got that stuff we took from the school yesterday, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"If you mean switching Chelsea, I already had that idea but couldn't think of a way to make it work," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"Well maybe that stupid fire will be done soon and there's something else in the book that'll help us," he grumbles.<br/>
<br/>
That concluded, you decide to break off for a bit. The band on stage ends their set and you go to seek out whoever else you arrived with. You manage to find Jordana at the bar downing something that looks a little harder than beer going by the glass. "I didn't think you were a hard liquor person," you say as you take a seat next to her.<br/>
<br/>
"Hell yeah. Can't stand beer but give me a nice whisky and I'm good," she replies with a grin. "So what's the deal with you and... what's his name anyway?"<br/>
<br/>
"Who, Will," you ask. "There's nothing going on there. He's helping me with some shit. Tutoring me on some math stuff I'm having problems with, that's all."<br/>
<br/>
"Right, so that's why you disappeared into a dark corner with him," she says. "Is he why you were so worked up about all the social role nonsense this morning? Guess I can see why, he's friends with that Tilley guy who's always tearing ass through the hallways away from Javits right?"<br/>
<br/>
"So what if he is," you ask and you feel embarrassed. "He's a nice guy and I feel like I can be a lot more genuine around him."<br/>
<br/>
"And he rejected you, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not because he's a dick or anything, " you say defensively. "He knew I'd catch shit about it so he was doing it to protect me."<br/>
<br/>
"That's sweet and all but it's a pussy move," she exclaims. "Just keep trying and if he's not a moron he'll come around." She doesn't say more than that however and instead finishes her drink. Afterwards she gets up and motions for you to follow her up the stairs to one of the private rooms.</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111121111122211
author_id: rugal
title: The Plot
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"You're really gonna bring <i>her</i> up here," Sienna snarls to Bethany while pointing a finger at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Sienna, you need to calm down," Nadine Martin states quietly. She's an Eastman student, the drummer in Sienna's band and in fact the same drummer who had previously played with Nancy.<br/>
<br/>
Sienna just brushes her off though. "I've already told you what the fuck she's done," Sienna exclaims. "Her and her little crew treat me like shit."<br/>
<br/>
"They're not my crew anymore," you fire back. "I'm about to be kicked off!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah? Good," she shoots back. "You fucking deserve it."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I'm sorry about all of that," you apologize. "I got caught up in all of that and didn't realize--"<br/>
<br/>
"How in the <i>fuck</i> did you not realize... what, the way that'd make me feel?! Or what it'd do to my reputation?! You fucking knew, you just didn't care!"<br/>
<br/>
You hang your head at that. "I said I'm sorry," you say quietly. "I don't know what else to do."<br/>
<br/>
"I know what you can do," she replies and marches up right into your face. You think she's about ready to hit you but to your surprise Jordana jumps inbetween you.<br/>
<br/>
"Get out of her face, Sienna. She said she was sorry," she states.<br/>
<br/>
"That makes it better," Sienna spits back.<br/>
<br/>
"No but this ain't the place to be doing this shit," Jordana replies. "If you want to throw down though, you and me can go outside."<br/>
<br/>
Sienna looks her straight in the eyes before backing down. "Fuck you too, Jordana," she says as she grabs her stuff and marches out of the room.<br/>
<br/>
"Sienna, wait," Fatima Zahedi calls out to no avail. She then turns to the rest of you, "I'm gonna go talk to her and try and calm her down." She follows after her friend and Nadine hops up to go with her.<br/>
<br/>
That leaves a now awkward group of yourself, Bethany, Ceres, Jordana, Nancy, Andrea Varnsworth and Jelena Petrovic in the room; Sienna's other bandmate having left right after their set to take care of some other stuff and Will, predicting there would be a blow up, deciding it would be best to head home. "Well, I guess you really did fuck everything up," Jelena states dryly as she looks at you.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry, I didn't even know she was going to be here," you reply still in a quiet voice.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm messing with you," she states. "But she's right, you and your friends have really done a number on her."<br/>
<br/>
"I really don't know why you even invited her," Andrea says to Bethany. "You should've known there'd be a lot of trouble."<br/>
<br/>
Bethany is quiet in response and it leaves Jelena to have to jump in. "Well it's not like Bethany would know their history," she responds.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I just met someone I thought was cool an'..."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, you don't have to get worked up over me," you tell her. "I know I did fucked up shit when I was with Chelsea but I'm not going to be with her anymore."<br/>
<br/>
"You said she was going to kick you off," Jelena asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you nod. "I guess you all probably know about how I blew up on her. She wants me to come crawling back and apologize to by Monday or else I'm off the team."<br/>
<br/>
"And you're not going to do it," Andrea asks.<br/>
<br/>
"No way," you say adamantly. "I've been able to think about things over the last couple of days and I realized that I was just really disgusted with what I've been doing, or not doing I guess. I did a lot of that shit because I was Chelsea's bitch but I don't want to be that anymore."<br/>
<br/>
"That's good for you," Jelena says, "but what does it do for someone like Sienna? How are you going to make it up to her?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know," you say honestly.<br/>
<br/>
"C'mon, lay off," Bethany says jumping to your defense.<br/>
<br/>
"And why are you so intent on defending her," Andrea asks which seems to shut Bethany up.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, it's obvious I'm causing more trouble than I meant to so if my presence is fucking everything up I'll remove it." You gather your stuff and stand up. You don't get much protest, not even from Bethany, so you walk out of the door, through the Warehouse and make your way out towards the van.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Hey, wait up!"<br/>
<br/>
You stop and turn to see Nancy and Jordana making their way out towards you. "I'm not gonna stay," you tell them bitterly, "not in there. It's obvious I'm not wanted."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, they're just worked up," Nancy says.<br/>
<br/>
"And it's mainly that cunt Andrea anyway," Jordana adds.<br/>
<br/>
"Bethany didn't seem to make any move to get me to stay either," you say dejectedly.<br/>
<br/>
"Bethany's a different person when she's around Andrea," Jordana states. "She gets real quiet and a lot more subservient. It's gross."<br/>
<br/>
"It's just that effect Andrea has," Ceres adds. "She has that... aura, I guess. It's really commanding and puts a lot of pressure on everyone around her."<br/>
<br/>
"I think she just has that queen bee personality," Nancy says. "I mean she used to run with Chelsea and you guys so I don't know if she means it or not but I think she still has that mentality."<br/>
<br/>
"Of course she still has it," Jordana states. "She just goes about it all different. Like Chelsea's really overt about getting people to want her but Andrea thinks she's so fucking cool that she can act all withdrawn and it'll make her more desirable because people can't have her."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think that's it at all," Ceres states. "I think that's just how she is. She doesn't mean it or anything."<br/>
<br/>
"You're too fucking optimistic," Jordana replies. "Andrea's just a pretentious cunt."<br/>
<br/>
"If you guys are trying to get me to go back in you're doing a shitty job of it," you tell them. "I'm not going back in."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, we don't want to force you to or anything. It's an awkward situation," Nancy says as she gives a look to the other two. "You look drained anyway, I'll give you a ride home."<br/>
<br/>
Goodbyes are said to Ceres and Jordana as you and Nancy head back to her van. You're climbing into the back when you trip, however, and the contents of your bag go all over the place. Nancy's quick to jump in and help you gather everything up although she stops when some comes across one object. She picks it up and looks it over with interest. "The fuck is this," she says as she pulls it to her face for a closer look. You realize that it's the blank mask and move to quickly snatch it from her.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry it's... kind of a gift I got today," you tell her. "I forgot to take it out of my purse though."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
It's mid-afternoon on Saturday and you're sitting in your room. You'd made sure to send apologetic texts to Bethany about last night and she apologized in turn but no plans are made for the day. You don't hear anything from any of the others but then you don't have their numbers so why would you? Instead you're sitting here looking at the blank mask, the one that nearly captured Nancy onto it. You're actually kind of curious about what you would've done it had. Would you be tempted to try it on, try <i>her</i> on?<br/>
<br/>
As those thoughts run through your head, you receive a text from, of all people, Will.<br/>
<br/>
<i>how'd it go last night<br/>
<br/>
shitty<br/>
<br/>
sorry<br/>
you doing anything<br/>
<br/>
no<br/>
can you come to school<br/>
elementary school<br/>
<br/>
4 wut<br/>
<br/>
i have to show you something<br/>
it's really important<br/>
<br/>
fine<br/>
be over asap</i><br/>
<br/>
You get dressed, or at least change into a more sensible shorts and t-shirt combo over the sweat pants you had been wearing and head over to the school. You see the truck there but no other cars and make your way to the basement. "So what's so important," you ask as you see Will.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, well, that," says another voice and you're surprised to see Gloria dressed in what would be Will Prescott's typical clothes. You take another look at Will and realize he's nude.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck is going on," you ask her.<br/>
<br/>
"Caleb and I were here earlier and saw that fire finally went out this morning and wouldn't light," she says. "All that was left was this stone statue thing so we put Caleb's mask on it and it left this... this other Caleb that he could command around. We were looking at the book and realized that it's based on whoever's hair you use in it is who can command it."<br/>
<br/>
"So that guy there is that statue robot thing under my mask," you ask. "So why are you out of it then?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because of the next spell," she tells you while grabbing out the book and opening it to the page in question. "We took a look at it and were able to figure out that it's kind of like this statue except you have to take a person and put some dirt on them and light it so it turns them into the statue."<br/>
<br/>
"So... it kills them," you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," she replies. "Caleb thought the same thing and refused to use it."<br/>
<br/>
"I can't blame him."<br/>
<br/>
"But I do want to use it," she says to your shock.<br/>
<br/>
"You... why," you ask. "Why would you want to use it? Who would you even use it on?"<br/>
<br/>
What she says next shouldn't surprise you, yet you still can't helped feeling shocked at how casually she says it. "Chelsea," she states simply. "We get her here, use that blank mask to knock her out and use the spell on her. I use my hair, put the mask on her and that takes care of that; Chelsea's taken care of and she's under my control. She's no longer a problem to me, the squad or anyone ever again."<br/>
<br/>
"That's... you'd really be willing to do that?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know, I think I would. Chelsea does nothing but bring misery on everyone around her and something needs to be done." She breaths in deeply, then lets it out, "Yeah, I want to do it. I want to use the spell on Chelsea and I want... I need your help."</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111211111222112
author_id: rugal
title: The Promise
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You find yourself feeling very unnerved by this spell. If you lure Chelsea down here and use it then she's gone; turned into one of those robots. Except she's not really gone, right? You get a mask of her and put it on the robot-that-was-Chelsea, it'll come back to life but under your control... or under Gloria's control, rather. A Chelseabot that she can command in whatever way she wants: she could make her be nicer or run away forever; fuck Lynch herself or have her whore herself out to the losers of the school. She'd be a Chelsea devoid of anything--looks aside--that makes her Chelsea.<br/>
<br/>
That would undoubtedly be a good thing for Gloria, yourself and probably the rest of the school too. But you still can't shake how uncomfortable you feel about it.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know," you tell Gloria quietly nervously.<br/>
<br/>
"You don't..." she eyes you in surprise, "Why not? If we do that then she answers to us. We don't... nobody has to live in fear of her again."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, I know," you sigh, "but there's this feeling that sits there in the back of my mind. Chelsea would still exist, in a way, except she wouldn't. It'd just be one of those robot statue things walking around in her skin like some kind of... grotesque doppelganger. Like a body snatcher Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"Would that be so bad though," Gloria asks. "Look at what she does to me; to everyone. The world would be a better place if she was gone."<br/>
<br/>
"You sound like you want her to die."<br/>
<br/>
"I do," she says after a long pause, "or I don't. I don't know, I just think about her and I get... I can't think straight. This has been eating at me for a long time."<br/>
<br/>
"That's why I can't do it," you state. "If we do this then we're killing her. We'd be murderers."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea's not going to die," she exclaims. "She'd still be around! Even... even as a fake, she still would be!" She manages to take a few deep breaths to calm herself. "We wouldn't be killing her, we'd be fixing her. We'd be making her a better person."<br/>
<br/>
"You can call it what you want," you tell her, "but it still doesn't stop it from feeling incredibly wrong to me. Even if Chelsea's a shitty person, she doesn't deserve that."<br/>
<br/>
"But..."<br/>
<br/>
Gloria looks at you, her face practically pleading for you to agree. To help her deal with what she feels is a nightmare. But you can't. Your conscience won't allow it. So you shake your head. "I'm sorry, Gloria, I really am," you say. "I want to help you but I can't, at least not like that. We'll find some way to deal with her. We can switch her for... for Morgana Hollis. She's got nothing to work with from there. Or something else, I don't know, but I'm not going to kill her."<br/>
<br/>
Gloria's silent for a moment as she's unsure of what to say next. She wants to plead her case to you some more, you can tell, but she knows it'd be pointless. Your statement was as definitive as it could be. "I... I know," she finally says, "and that relieves me."<br/>
<br/>
You look at her skeptically. "Relieves you? Why," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I told you, just thinking about it and her messes me up," she states as her body language becomes defeated. "I feel like I'm losing my mind. Like it's right there, what I need to do is right there. But it's so terrible. I could do it and it's frightening that I could or that I want to. I didn't even have to think, not really. I just accepted that it's what I needed... what I wanted to do."<br/>
<br/>
"But you're not going to."<br/>
<br/>
She looks downwards, disappointed. "I'm not going to do anything to Chelsea because you talked me out of it," she says, "I'm glad all of this shit happened. You're a good person, Will. Not like me."<br/>
<br/>
"C'mon, you're not--"<br/>
<br/>
"Stuff it, alright," she cuts you off. "I appreciate the kind words and all but I'm a piece of shit. If I wasn't I would've stood up to Chelsea sooner. I wouldn't have allowed people like... like Sienna to go through all that shit because I was too scared of standing up or too complacent to do anything. I wouldn't have seriously considered basically killing Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria, you don't need to beat yourself up about it."<br/>
<br/>
She sniffs at that, "Look, I'm complete garbage alright? But I want to get better. It's hard though, it's really hard. I've been that way for so long that I don't know..." Her voice is shaky and when she looks at you can see, even in the dim light of the basement, her red and watery eyes. "But that's why you're here.You're better than me and you're going to help me be better," she says.<br/>
<br/>
You shift uncomfortably for you don't know how to take it. Even having her mind available to you over the last few days you're still surprised at just how deep her issues go. You're not trained for this, you've never even taken any of those bullshit psychology classes the school has, but she's begging for help, begging for <i>you</i>, and you can't just turn her down.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I'll try," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
She reaches out and clasps your hands. "Promise me," she states in a voice that is pure desperation, "Please, Will, promise me that you'll be here. Don't..." her eyes are large pools, "Don't run off on me."<br/>
<br/>
"I won't."<br/>
<br/>
"Because I know that it's going to be hard and frustrating for both of us but I..." she pulls back a bit and bites her lip. "I want you with me, Will. I... I can do it. With you, I know that I can. You've given me so much already and you don't even know it and I want you here for more."<br/>
<br/>
You look at her. Gloria Rea is not the imperious cheerleader who stares at you with contempt. She's not the intimidating young woman who pressed you into her service. All of that has been stripped away and you're left looking at the raw Gloria. A girl filled with feelings of regret, shame and bitterness. A girl whose armor has been completely destroyed and is scared at being left so vulnerable.<br/>
<br/>
So you pull her in, wrap your arms around her and tightly cradle her. "I'll do my best," you say softly, "I don't know how successful I'll be but I promise you no matter what happens I'll be here to help you." You stay like this for a moment or two before pulling away and you notice that she looks as if a great weight has been lifted from her. "I want you to promise me too," you say, "Promise me that you won't use this spell on Chelsea, no matter how bad the temptation is there."<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes go wide as if wondering why you would say that after baring her soul to you like that. But gives an affirmative response. "I won't use it on Chelsea, I promise," she states.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Am I a bad person?"<br/>
<br/>
Ceres gives you a look of surprise and an audible gasp. "Gloria! What makes you think that," she asks in shock.<br/>
<br/>
"Last night," you tell her in response, "same reason you invited me over. I kind of ruined everything."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no no no, Gloria no," she reassures you. "Those things happen but you can't dwell on them. Nobody's night was ruined."<br/>
<br/>
"Sienna's was," you tell her as you fall back on her bed. "But I deserved it. I've been so terrible to her, you have no idea."<br/>
<br/>
"But that's the past," she replies and try as you might to feel otherwise her soft voice puts you at ease. "Nancy told us what you told her as she was taking you back. I can't defend it but that's the beauty of it. You can apologize and set things right. Each day is a new one and a new chance to correct yourself and work so much harder on walking a better path. It might be slow going but you can make things right with her, I know it."<br/>
<br/>
You turn over onto your stomach and bury your face in your arms. "Can I? I've made so many mistakes," you tell her. "I feel like such a heel. I want to make it better but I look back on things and I can't help but feel like I'm getting my karma."<br/>
<br/>
Ceres laughs a little bit at that. "Karma's not just do a bad thing, get a bad return. It's about all of your actions. You asked if I think you're a bad person and I don't; I like to believe that nobody is truly bad or unable to correct their mistakes."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Ted Bundy," you reply dryly.<br/>
<br/>
That earns another little giggle. "Okay, maybe that one in a million but that's the exception," she says.<br/>
<br/>
You jerk in surprise when you feel hands beginning to knead your back. "What the hell," you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh! I'm sorry, Gloria, I should've asked," Ceres replies. "I do a lot of reading into healing and things like that. I've gotten very good at giving massages. You look so stressed, I can practically see all of the tension knotted up into you. I can help relieve that if you'd like."<br/>
<br/>
"I mean that's very nice of you but... I'm a girl. Wouldn't that be awkward?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh of course not," she exclaims, "I've given massages to plenty of girls as well as guys."<br/>
<br/>
"Plenty, huh? You could make good money," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
"I'd never think of it," she replies. "I do it to heal and help. Boy or girl, I love everyone and want to treat them to the same experience and to make sure that they can get it."<br/>
<br/>
Well this isn't how you thought things would go when Ceres had texted you (you'd given your number to both Bethany and Nancy and she got it through Nancy) stating that she'd wanted to talk to you after last night. You had felt bad about leaving Gloria but she'd insisted you go and that she'd be fine. You'd expected to be on the end of a chastisement or a little peppy speech, not having Ceres rubbing her hands all over you... not that you mind of course and you can't help but hope her massages get a bit tantric.<br/>
<br/>
But this also leads you to realize that you still have that blank mask in your bag. Gloria didn't seem thrilled about Ceres as a possibility last night but after what happened earlier, you're starting to think that maybe a positive, sweet and peaceful girl like her might be the sort of DIY therapy that Gloria would need.</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111112221121
author_id: rugal
title: The Switch
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You don't really say anything but you don't need to. Your face goes back down into your arms as you let out a sigh and Ceres takes that as a sign to begin. "Alright, so before I start I'm going to need you to take off your shirt," she says. You lift your head to look at you and she lets out another sweet-sounding laugh while she grabs a bottle of aromatherapy oil off of her dresser. "Please don't give me that look, Gloria. I can't really do it through your shirt," she says as she begins applying the oil to your back.<br/>
<br/>
She begins rubbing and kneading, stretching and rolling the skin and going down into your muscles as she applies the oil topically. "This is kind of a Balinese technique but I'm going to be using a bit of Chinese accupressure as well, it works very well from what I've noticed," she states.<br/>
<br/>
Of course it's all holistic stuff that you've long written off as mumbo jumbo but there's no harm in humoring her and who knows? Given what you've done with the book, maybe the idea of pressure points and chi pathways isn't that radical of an idea. Besides, having Ceres rubbing her hands all over you, grabbing at you...<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I do something wrong," she asks in surprise.<br/>
<br/>
"What," you ask before you realize that the thought had caused a shudder of excitement in you and you, feeling embarrassed, have to now reassure her. "Oh no, it's not anything. It's just the oils and everything, it's kind of a shock," you improvise.<br/>
<br/>
"They're very much necessary though to help get energy flowing," she tells you, "as well as to help put your mind into a state of relaxation. Something you very much need right now."<br/>
<br/>
"You're not even licensed are you," you ask. "I mean, who taught you all of this?"<br/>
<br/>
"Who taught me," she asks while continuing to work on you. "Well, nobody I guess. I just did a lot of reading, books and the internet and all of that, and watched a lot of videos."<br/>
<br/>
Well isn't that just nice? Getting a massage by a self-taught new age hippie naturopath high school senior. It's a good thing it's <i>just</i> some little innocuous massage and not anything life threatening. Still you allow her to spend the next little while working on you and let your mind go blank as she does. You're not even sure how much time has actually passed at first when Ceres announces that she's finished though a quick check of your phone reveals it's been about half an hour... you think. You're not quite sure you remember what time all of this started at.<br/>
<br/>
But you do, to your surprise, feel a lot better as you put your shirt back on. "Thanks, Ceres, that did help a lot" you tell her and she smiles brightly at that. "So do I owe you anything or..."<br/>
<br/>
"No, nothing. I already told you that I don't take any money for this."<br/>
<br/>
"Still, you deserve <i>some</i> kind of compensation," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
She shakes her head at the mere suggestion of it. "It's like they say, a good deed is its own reward," she says. "I'm not looking to make any money or anything. Knowing that I can help people feel a little bit better for a little while is all the payment I'm looking for."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess you don't really need it either. This is a nice place."<br/>
<br/>
"It is," she replies and for the first time you notice her expression darken a bit. "I should be appreciative of it, I guess, but it never feels right. I'm afforded the ability to not care about taking any payment but so many others aren't and it's sad. And I'm only like this because... because of my parents."<br/>
<br/>
"Well yeah, I'd assume so," you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"That's not what I mean," she says shaking her head once more. "My parents, they used to be so conscious. They were for protecting the environment and animal rights and they sold out. They took these suit and tie jobs and hobnob with the rest of the local big shots around here."<br/>
<br/>
"So you were always like this? The whole granola girl thing," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Not always," she replies. "I was... I was a real brat when I was younger. My parents made their money a little after I was born so I got everything handed to me and I just... I wasn't the same person. But then I saw how my parents used to be and it's like somebody flipped a switch. I went through this dumb little existential crisis where it was like 'I came from <i>that</i>' and I thought it was so stupid. But I looked at it more and I realized I was wrong."<br/>
<br/>
"So you were the rich girl who grew a conscience."<br/>
<br/>
"Something like that, you could say. I started living that lifestyle, I think I thought it would be funny at first or something but felt a change the longer I did it," she tells you. "I went from wearing a Halloween costume to being the actual thing and it feels so much better. I didn't have any real friends, just a lot of jerks who I associated with because of the money. But I've got a lot of friends now, real friends too. People like Susannah and Noah and Jordana... and you."<br/>
<br/>
"Me," you ask. "When did I ever say we were friends?"<br/>
<br/>
"So we're just hanging out at lunch and the portables and here because we're not friends," she asks in a more teasing tone than you'd expect from her. "I never would've expected it even a week ago but I would say that we are."<br/>
<br/>
"Even after I ruined everything last night and all the crap I've done in the past," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Ceres' smile returns to her face. "What's past is past like I said. What you do now and in the future is what's important," she states.<br/>
<br/>
You're genuinely struck by that. "You're a real good person, you know that," you say withe legitimate admiration in your voice. That seals it for you: you're going to use the mask on Ceres. You're sure you can convince Gloria to make the switch. "Actually because of that I have something I want to show you," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
You pick up your bag and rummage through it, pulling out the blank mask and handing it to her.<br/>
<br/>
"This is..." she studies it carefully for a moment, "It looks like a mask. Oh! Nancy mentioned something about one that you'd had on you last night. It was a gift I think?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I got it from someone special and I just felt kind of weird about letting someone else hold it last night. I was in kind of a bad mood," you say. "But it's old and kind of neat I guess so I figure I'll let you check it out."<br/>
<br/>
"It <i>is</i> pretty cool," she says. "I like little weird trinkets like this. Say, can I put it on?"<br/>
<br/>
You smile a bit but give her a shrug.<br/>
<br/>
"Knock yourself out."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So, down here twice in one day? What's the occasion?"<br/>
<br/>
Gloria, from your phone but still back as herself, had texted you a little later in the evening to say that she'd wanted you at the elementary school pronto. So you'd left, making the mistake of going through the front door though surprised that Gloria's mother didn't seem to pipe up as she saw you leave. Probably just not in a mood for arguing you'd suspect.<br/>
<br/>
"It's just something I want to show you. You need to see it, this solves all of our problems," she tells you as you hit the bottom of the stairs.<br/>
<br/>
"Well I've got something I want to show you too," you tell her.<br/>
<br/>
You brandish the mask that you'd made this afternoon. On the inside, the name <i>Ceres Diana Kesey</i> floats on the surface. Gloria takes it from you and looks it over, then flips it around and makes a face. "Ceres," she asks.<br/>
<br/>
You shrug. "I think it might be a good fit for you, somewhere calm like that," you tell her. "Plus it'd allow us to stick a little closer together without it being weird. You and her are friends now according to her."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that does work into what I wanted to show you," she states as she pulls the book out from behind the pile of boxes serving to hide it, a compromise that had been made when nobody could agree on who should keep the book or how it should be rotated.<br/>
<br/>
"What's going on with that," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Your phone," she says as she holds out her hand. You hand it over to her and she turns on the flashlight function after placing the book on the table. She opens it up to the most recent page and you're surprised to see it's something new entirely, nothing like the "kill a person, get a robot" spell from earlier.<br/>
<br/>
"What's this," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I just told you, what we've been looking for," she explains. "Caleb and I were looking this over and basically, it's this special paste you make and put in a mask. You burn some graveyard dirt and your hair on it, you put the mask on a person and it makes them like one of those robot things."<br/>
<br/>
"So like the previous spell," you ask skeptically.<br/>
<br/>
"No, not like it at all. Well not really. It's not permanent. If you take the mask off, the person comes back."<br/>
<br/>
"Well that's great," you exclaim, "So we can get a mask of Chelsea, use this stuff, put it on her and we get a controllable Chelsea without having to kill her! But wait, how'd you get past the previous spell?"<br/>
<br/>
Gloria shrugs. "It wasn't me, it was the other guys," she says. "I don't remember the details. Something about a homeless guy coming in here and them using it to protect everything. I think they have the mask of that one girl from a few days ago on it or something."<br/>
<br/>
Even though you'd never had that conversation with him, you want to chew Caleb out the next time you see him. "Alright, so what does Ceres' mask have to do with anything," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at you, the pleading expression is back. "Will, I have a way I can take care of Chelsea and of... of my mother," she says before adding, "for a little bit at least. So I... I want it back for right now. My life. But I want us to still hang out but getting everything changed so Will and Gloria hanging out will... it'll take a while. But you said that Ceres and 'me' are friends? Well we can use these new masks and you can hang out with me as her."</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111121111122211211
author_id: rugal
title: The Declaration
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Y-you want me to... what?"<br/>
<br/>
You stare at Gloria in disbelief. Not because she wants to take her own life back, that was always a possibility of course and while having Gloria's <i>body</i> is nice, her life is another matter entirely. With a solution presented that allows you to control things now without the risk of having to kill someone to do it it only makes sense that she'd want back into her life now that a way to deal with her problems has appeared. She never seemed quite as comfortable in your life as she maybe tried to make it appear you realize and your goal has always been helping her, not yourself. Well mostly not yourself.<br/>
<br/>
It's the other part that's throwing you for a loop.<br/>
<br/>
"You have that mask of Ceres so... why not switch with her?"<br/>
<br/>
"But why her," you ask. "If you're taking your life back, it'd make more sense that I take mine back as well and then we could..."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, Will, and that would be nice too but it can't be done, or at least not overnight," she says shifting uncomfortably. "It's not just Chelsea. There's Kendra and the others. Kelsey and Amanda. You have Geoff and your friends. There's Steve and all of the bullies and..." She sighs deeply. "I don't know how many of those robot slaves I can make with my hair, I don't have time to wire half the school under our control anyway."<br/>
<br/>
She takes a few steps towards you and places a hand on your cheek. "I want to hang out together and... you know," she says awkwardly, "but it has to be done slowly. We have to make everyone used to the idea of a new social order. People won't believe at first that Chelsea's way of doing things is over so we can't just jump right in. We'd have to ease into it. There's probably already buzz that 'Gloria' was at the Warehouse last night with people like Jordana Trujillo so that's easy to deal with. If you're Ceres and hang around me, then people will get used to that. It won't be shocking. Then we can go a little further and a little further until..."<br/>
<br/>
Her hand moves down and she's soon clasped it around your own, bringing her other hand up to ensnare it.<br/>
<br/>
"So please Will. Be Ceres, if only for a little while," she says. "If we can do this... it'll be worth it. Besides, you said she'd be calm right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, she is," you nod. "She's a really sweet person. She just seems to want to be positive and help people. I, uh, got a massage from her earlier. It's a thing she does. It did work to relieve a lot of stress though."<br/>
<br/>
"There you go," she replies. "Someone like that... that might be more suited for you. Especially if you're helping me out because I have to get used to all of this too. Ever since we started, my head's been spinning all the time. I never know what to think and I just feel so confused and disjointed. This is all stuff that's so new to me; people and experiences and all of that. But I'm starting to feel positive. For the first time in my life I feel like I'm on the right path and that I can start being in control of myself and my life."<br/>
<br/>
"That you can start being a better person," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," she states. "It's so easy to blame all of it on Chelsea or my mom but at the end of the day I still made the choice to let myself go along with all of Chelsea's bullshit or to not push back against my mom. If it all messed me up, then it's <i>my</i> fault for being too weak and not even trying to do anything different. When my dad left and my mom started getting bad... I just didn't know what to do. I was a daddy's girl without the daddy."<br/>
<br/>
"I saw when I first got into your mind and had your mask too. You were close with him," you tell her. "But it's not like he left because of anyone else or anything and it's not like he thought you were awful."<br/>
<br/>
"I... I know," she sighs. "But it's just... it was so much easier you know? To just lie to myself. I looked up to him so much and then he did what he thought was right and he was wrong. He was so wrong. I don't think I could take the idea of him being wrong so it was just so much easier to fool myself into thinking up other reasons why it all went so wrong even if none of it was based in reality."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you're not a shitty person Gloria, I hope you know that," you tell her. "If you don't, then I'm going to make you realize it. I really do want to help you out. It's funny, when you first came up to me I was actually intimidated and a little scared. You were a scary person then."<br/>
<br/>
"It's who I thought I had to be, or maybe who I <i>wanted to be</i>," she says. "I was just so angry too. At everything. I really did think you were just some creepy asshole and that I could just use you to escape my problems but... I was wrong. I'm sorry."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't worry about it," you shake your head. "I said a few days ago that I did this because I want to help you so that's what I'm going to do. I was told something earlier: the past is the past. We can't really change that so there's no point in worrying. You need something else in two days or two weeks, I'll help. But you want me to be Ceres?"<br/>
<br/>
You take a breath. There's a thought of getting inside of her that's exciting and at the same time very soothing. You'd wish you would be hanging out with Gloria as yourself but if you can't? Well you have to do what you have to do.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll be Ceres for you."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
Gloria had decided that it would likely be better and easier to do the switch tomorrow so you'd gone home for the night, your last night, as her. You'd texted Ceres when you got home, asking if she wanted to hang out tomorrow afternoon. She said she was free and you gave an enthusiastic reply to that. Sunday went as any other typically would: work in the morning letting out in the early afternoon. Again you manage to avoid any venom from Gloria's mother while crossing paths with her in the morning which you're quite thankful for.<br/>
<br/>
Once you're out of work you head to the school and make sure it's clear, then text Gloria to meet you telling her to make sure Caleb, Justin and Connor don't come over since you've basically kept your stuff with Gloria separate from them and want it to stay that way. Once Gloria arrives you make sure to get out of her mask so you can take your own, create and apply the past to hit and burn some leftover dirt with a piece of your hair on it. You then text Ceres asking her to meet you at the abandoned elementary school. You tell her that you're going to be in the basement, a neat hangout spot you found, and that she can just head down.<br/>
<br/>
You want somewhat impatiently for her to arrive and when she finally descends the stairs, she has no time to process anything before the mask of yourself is on her. You're thankful that, though taller, you're skinny so you her clothes aren't ruined by the transformation. You have the new Will Prescott strip and dress in your regular clothes, then send him on his way. You grab Ceres' mask of the table and are about to put it on when Gloria stops you.<br/>
<br/>
"Not yet," she says and your cock springs at attention when you see her standing before you completely naked. You'd guess she'd been getting ready to change back into her clothes. But why stop you from putting on the mask?<br/>
<br/>
"Uh, so what's up," you ask and you suddenly are feeling very bashful. You're standing here naked in the basement of the abandoned school with an equally nude Gloria Rea.<br/>
<br/>
Gloria isn't unaware either as she looks down, then looks at you and a mischievous expression shows on her face. "You, apparently," she says with a small laugh, the first time you've ever heard a genuine one from her. "I can help with that though."<br/>
<br/>
With that she pushes you back until you're near the pile of gym mats at which point she kneels down in front of you. "Holy shit, what are you---" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up," she interrupts but there's no malice behind the words. "We almost did this a few days ago. You wanted it, we could've had it, but you ruined it. So now we'll get it. But I want to do this as Will and Gloria, the real Will and Gloria."<br/>
<br/>
A shudder passes through you as she takes your shaft in one hand and her tongue hits it. She licks and runs her tongue around it and it's all you can do to contain yourself. She then engulfs your cock in her mouth and goes to work. It's the greatest feeling you've ever known and as you eventually cum it's like an entire Fourth of July celebration going off in your head.<br/>
<br/>
You're still feeling heady that you don't immediately process at first when she grabs your hands and pulls you down on top of her. Once you do, you nearly freak out. You're naked and on top of her. Is she... are you...? She wriggles and grabs your cock and you think you let out a small gasp as she helps get it into her. She helps guide you as you begin--awkwardly--pumping away.<br/>
<br/>
You're not sure how long everything lasts but eventually you moan, she moans and your body is rocked by another set of spasms. Then you're collapsed on her, her arms and legs around you, as the both of you make noises that combine exhaustion, relief and joy. For a second you'd almost have half-a-mind to tell Caleb when all is said and done but... well, this is serious. No fantasy or anything to do with messing around the masks, this is the real deal. You can't believe it. A week ago you were pining for Lisa, now you've lost your virginity to fucking Gloria Rea!<br/>
<br/>
But as she lays under you, kissing and nibbling at your neck, her mouth goes up to your ear and in a quiet voice she says something that throws you for the biggest loop of all.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm so happy right now, Will. I love you."</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111211111222112111
author_id: rugal
title: The Coffee Date
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You double take at that. Did you hear her correctly? Did she just... no, no of course not. Of course not! It's simply a small bout of delirium brought on from a combination of the heat of the basement and your head still exploding from what you've just done. When she had her mouth so close to your ear... well, you heard what you wanted to hear right? Right. So you simply, tiredly, mutter back an "mm-hmm" as you pull out and look for some old rags to clean yourselves up with.<br/>
<br/>
No words are said. You want to say something and a few times you try to but awkwardly you seem to have lost the ability to speak for nothing actually comes out. So in a bid to end this awkwardness as quickly as you can you head back to where you had placed the mask of Ceres and pick it up. Making sure you're sitting with your back to something sturdy, you take a breath and place the mask over your face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Whoa, this is... it's kind of trippy," you say in a rather amazed tone. You hold your hands up in front of you and you can feel your eyes go wide. "This is wild," is all you can say.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh christ, she wasn't high when you grabbed her was she," Gloria asks.<br/>
<br/>
"What? Oh no, nuh uh," you reply to her as you head over to the pile of her clothes you'd tossed into the corner after the first switch. You pick up a pair of panties, organic cotton of course, and slide them on. "It's just I'm kind of groggy that's all. Her thinking's a bit... off kilter some times. Not spacey but she's always thinking very new agey or cosmically or something, I don't know how to describe it. So her mind is going 'wow, Will Prescott is inside of me and controlling me, that's nuts' and stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"I was kind of glib about it when we first switched but you really don't have trouble jumping right into character," she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"No way," you exclaim. "Actually it's kind of the opposite: I have to stop them from overwhelming me," you say as you fairly easily get the bra on. A long, bohemianish skirt--its intricate patterns woven in muted and foresty colors--is next followed by a simple white, sleeveless crop top. Tan sandals and various bracelets, most of them unsurprisingly made of hemp, finish the look off.<br/>
<br/>
Ceres' instincts are there and part of you feels as if you want to twirl around in a nice meadow enjoying the blueness of the sky, the smell of the flowers and the feeling of the grass beneath your toes. This triggers feelings and memories of the last few months, mainly of warm summer nights as you would gather with Susannah and Noah and Bethany and others out at the lake with a nice bonfire going in an old drum. They were nights spent reminiscing over fond memories and thoughts of the future. All very peaceful and fun yet with a sense of melancholy knowing that come the same time next year everyone would likely be off doing their own things and thus gatherings like that would become at best uncommon.<br/>
<br/>
You're snapped back to reality by Gloria's voice cutting in.<br/>
<br/>
"You alright there?"<br/>
<br/>
"Huh? Oh, yes of course," you say distractedly. "I'm sorry, I just got really caught up in something she was thinking about."<br/>
<br/>
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Gloria states. "It's good that you can go right into doing everything but it seems like it could be a real pain too."<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, speaking of pains," you say as you grab Ceres' purse and dig her phone out. You go to the calendar and flip through and groan as you see today's date marked.<br/>
<br/>
"What's wrong," Gloria asks.<br/>
<br/>
You show her the phone and she starts to snicker. "Guess you picked a really good time then, huh," she teases.<br/>
<br/>
"You can still take her you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no," she shakes her head, "that's all you. If that's what she's doing then you should probably stay in character."<br/>
<br/>
You grumble as you double check to make sure everything's in order and then say your goodbyes as you head out to Ceres's Prius. After all, you're already running behind schedule and even if it's just for something as simple as coffee you don't want to be even more late for Ceres' date.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You pull into an open parking space at the Crystal Cave, a coffee shop not too far from the Keyserling campus and one frequented by the more bohemian set. Chimes ring as you enter and some calming music and the smell of incense waft through the air. Ceres is a regular and you give a light greeting to the baristas working while looking for your target and decide to order Ceres' usual soy chai tea. Once you have it you begin your search once more.<br/>
<br/>
You're looking for a boy, an Eastman student, who Ceres had ran into after school a few days ago when both were downtown. They'd chatted for a while and she'd found she'd very much enjoyed his company as, while a bit strong in his coming on to her (she's not as oblivious to male attention as you'd initially thought), she'd found him very agreeable and nice and enjoyed his boyish charm. Before parting they'd made a date to meet today for a bit of afternoon relaxation in a friendly environment.<br/>
<br/>
Once you spot him, you can feel her emotions spike and for a girl like her--or any girl--it's not hard to see why. His face has color and his features are strong. Blonde hair rests on top of a face whose most remarkable features are striking eyes that, while looking at nothing in particular, hold a definite twinkle to them. Your face lights up and as you approach you give a small wave. "Hi Joe," you call out. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting but I had to take care of something first."<br/>
<br/>
His face turns towards you and he gives a wide smile revealing an almost Osmond-esque set of pearly whites. "Ceres," he exclaims. "Don't worry yourself about it. I figure for someone like you the wait is well worth it."<br/>
<br/>
You giggle a bit at that, an example of his strong come ons that she'd experienced last time, and take your seat. "Something important came up with a friend and I really needed to talk to her about it," you tell him with an apologetic tone in your voice.<br/>
<br/>
Joe waves it off however. "I just said you don't need to worry about it, it's only a couple of minutes so it's fine," he says. He then leans in a bit and gives you a more serious look than Ceres had seen from him last time. "Hopefully it's nothing too bad with your friend though," he says.<br/>
<br/>
You can feel the Ceres personality sigh at that; he's such a nice guy it thinks. "She's just been going through a really turbulent time the last week," you tell him. "I'm still worried but I think things are starting to look up for her."<br/>
<br/>
Your hards are resting on the table in front of you and Joe reaches out to cup them affectionately. "Turbulent times? Tell me about it," he says.<br/>
<br/>
Why's he so interested in hearing about what's going on with someone he'd likely have never heard of? Still, the look on his face is genuine and you think there's no harm in telling him in a manner.<br/>
<br/>
"Well it's stuff that's been going on for a long time but it really ramped up recently," you tell him. "I actually didn't know her, at least not personally, before this week. She's a cheerleader and just kind of... snapped, I guess, on the head cheerleader. It was a lot of feelings that had been bottled up until it all burst out."<br/>
<br/>
"That's not good," he states. "You have really learn how to properly vent that stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"Well it didn't do her any good at first, that's how she came out to hang with myself and some of my friends."<br/>
<br/>
"I think you mentioned that when we first met now that I think about it," he says. "But you said things are looking better now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you nod. "I think spending some time with people who weren't really judging her in the same way, in an environment where there isn't any hierarchy, is helping her a lot."<br/>
<br/>
"What's her name?"<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria Rea, you probably don't know her since she goes to my school," you tell him and are somewhat surprise at how readily you answered.<br/>
<br/>
"Can't say that I do though I'm kind of new myself so if she's a cheerleader, it'll probably filter back eventually," he says. "So a little friendship helped her out?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well that and there was this book..."<br/>
<br/>
You gasp and stop at that as you pull your hands away to cover your mouth. A book? Well, <i>the</i> book. But why are you bringing it up?<br/>
<br/>
But that seems to pique Joe's interest because he seems to want to know more. "A book, huh? What kind of book," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
Now you're definitely surprised and more than a little suspicious. And worried because you very much have to fight the urge to tell him all about it. "It's a..." you pause. Why do you want to tell him? Is being entirely truthful just Ceres' nature? Is she herself just so smitten by this young man?<br/>
<br/>
You're suddenly feeling very uncomfortable as it's taking every ounce of willpower to stop the urge of blurting it out. So quickly you gather your stuff and stand up.<br/>
<br/>
"It's just this... magic... self-help book," you say hastily. "I mean it's very good that it's like magic. Look, I'm actually still worried about her so I'm going to have to run. But you have my number right? We can get together another time. I am so sorry, Joe."<br/>
<br/>
With that you practically sprint out the door and as you drive home you feel exhausted and pant heavily trying to catch your breath. Something was very wrong back there. Why'd you want to tell Joe all about the book? Why was he so interested in it and Gloria? Ceres' memories don't indicate any interest in it or Gloria when they talked before so why now? Nothing feels right and you're starting to think that there's something weird going on with this Joe guy.<br/>
<br/>
Once you're home you flop onto Ceres' bed and pull your phone out of your bag. You're unnerved and wonder if you should talk to Gloria about it. But she's been through a lot over the last week and just got her own life back. Maybe you should just let it rest until you see her tomorrow.</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111112221121112
author_id: rugal
title: The Changes
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You make the decision to hold off on contacting Gloria. You think that she really does need to be informed of what's going on and your worries but combined with your worries about your "date" from this afternoon are the worries that you might be coming off as needlessly jumpy. Gloria's got enough to worry about right now, settling back into her life and doing what she needs to do with Chelsea and whatnot, that you don't want to add on to her stress with your own paranoid rantings. It's better, you think, to sleep on it and give yourself some time to process just what you want to do and then talk to her about it tomorrow.<br/>
<br/>
But you still have a lot of the day and evening left, it's not particularly late in the afternoon after all, and you can feel Ceres' personality nipping at the back of your head. She had been hoping for something with Joe this afternoon and is feeling lonely. She likes spending time in the company of others and gets antsy if she's alone for extended period of times. She wants some companionship so you decide to placate her.<br/>
<br/>
You pull out her phone and scroll through the contacts looking for someone, anyone. You immediately nix the names she knows are going to be busy or have other things going on and settle on ones that she's either not sure of that you might have to text or ones she knows aren't doing anything. One name catches your eye, Kelsey Blankenship, and you're half-surprised although maybe you shouldn't be; she's sleeping with Hennepin and does try to sneakily hang around the portables and little underground parties every so often. You're tempted to try texting her as you think of the suggestion when you had Connor's band on. Your weak as and with Gloria has left you curious to see what more there is to Kelsey as well.<br/>
<br/>
You push those thoughts aside however; Kelsey's firmly in the "don't know" camp and if you (and Ceres) had to guess she's probably got her own things going on with Amanda Ferguson and the rest of her AP cronies. You take a look at other names: Lila's available, Jordana too. But you push those aside as well. No you're looking for companionship but not quite that kind of...<br/>
<br/>
Tim Gerard.<br/>
<br/>
You hung out with him on last week but Ceres has hung out with him much more. In fact, they like to get together every so often to... well, that's why Ceres' instincts stopped you once you spotted his name and it's there that you realize that Ceres is another case of being something more beneath the surface. Oh she's a nice, well-meaning, all-loving girl that much is real but, well, she's also an <i>all-loving</i> girl. She's not quite the naive little ingenue you'd pictured. Maybe if you'd hinted at it a little more that massage could've gotten a bit more tantric.<br/>
<br/>
Ceres is a girl who values companionship and there's no surer sign of that in her eyes than sex. To share your body with another is the clearest form of companionship one can display. To form such a close emotional bond with another is magical and gives her a greater high than even marijuana. While there have been a fair number of guys--and a few girls--she's formed that bond with none are as deep and as meaningful to her as the one she forms with Tim.<br/>
<br/>
He's been her most frequent companion and the one she's found she most enjoys sharing that bond with and while she enjoys the act with others as well, it's with him that she forms the deepest connection with. She'd want to make it something more permanent but there's always a hesitation to that she's not quite sure of. Or if you were going to interpret it into non-Ceres speak, while she greatly enjoys sex she's in love with Tim Gerard but has worries about taking their relationship beyond "fuck buddies".<br/>
<br/>
But Tim's a nice guy overall and you can see how girls might find his dark-haired looks and the idea of him being the sensitive poet type attractive.<br/>
<br/>
Ceres' desire is overwhelming now and deciding not to fight it and to just go with the flow, you open up his contact and decide to send a text to him asking if he's able to come over.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You lay in your bed with Tim, contentment having etched itself onto your face. Your arms are wrapped around him, your nestled up against his chest as you try to calm down and wait for the sweat that glistens on your skin to dry. For Ceres, nobody can give her quite the same thrill, the same passion or the same connection that she gets from Tim.<br/>
<br/>
"I love that, you know," you tell him. "The way you move, how you know just where to kiss and squeeze."<br/>
<br/>
"I'd hope so," he says wryly, "because I'd hate to think you're just giving me pity fucks."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no! Gosh, no, I wouldn't... not with anyone," you say reassuringly and squeeze him a little tighter, "and definitely not with you."<br/>
<br/>
"Well that's good to hear and all but I'm also kind of surprised," he says as he moves out of your grasp a bit but does grasp your hands in his. "You're never quite this affectionate."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm... I always thought I was," you say. "With you and with everyone else too. Because this is more than just... just sex to me you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe, but there's something else there," he says gently. "I can't explain it but it's something subtle in the way you've been talking today or the way you move. If I'm writing I have to observe in order to get inspiration and I'd like to think I can pick up on these little cues on how people act. It's very subtle but there's a difference."<br/>
<br/>
"Mmm, and do you think people can change," you ask him.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure," he replies.<br/>
<br/>
"No, that's not what I mean at least not in a shallow way," you tell him. "Look at Gloria."<br/>
<br/>
"Has she changed though? The word going around is that she got into a huge fight with Sienna at the Warehouse."<br/>
<br/>
Mentally you grumble at that. Of course rumors, when spread, take on a bigger scope than what they had. "It wasn't like that," you say defensively, "not in the way you think anyway. There's... resentment there on Sienna's end but Gloria wasn't looking to cause trouble. She's a good person I believe but there is so much there, so many feet of earth that she's buried herself under, that it's not going to be easy for her to work her way out of it."<br/>
<br/>
You make a face at that however. That's not what you want, what Ceres wants, to say but... you have to work your way there.<br/>
<br/>
"Look at Kelsey too. We've been with her quite a few times and how different is she when not around her friends? It makes me think of Karl and how she must feel about him."<br/>
<br/>
 "I think she just wants him for a quick fuck," Tim shrugs.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't," you reply, "because she could have most any guy that she wanted. I think there's something there, something genuine, and it's just a matter of her attitudes towards things changing to bring those feelings where they need to be."<br/>
<br/>
"I think you're just being an optimist. She's too stuck up her ass to do anything more than keep him as her oh-so-secret boyfriend."<br/>
<br/>
"But that's just it, right? It's, like, the worst kept secret," you tell him. "But I wasn't talking about Gloria or Kelsey." You shift a bit uncomfortably, "You said that you feel like there's a change with me too and... there is, I think. I need to be a lot more honest with how my thoughts have changed towards other people."<br/>
<br/>
You lift your head up and gaze into his eyes and smile warmly. He gives you a playfully quizzical look.<br/>
<br/>
"Changed towards who," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"There's Gloria," you say. "She's... nothing like how I thought she would be and over the last week I've found that I enjoy spending time with her."<br/>
<br/>
"Just Gloria?"<br/>
<br/>
With a giggle you pull in closer to him and kiss him deeply.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You're not sure where the relationship between "Ceres Kesey" and Tim Gerard stands after that. You didn't outright tell him of her feelings, part of you feels like that's not your place, but you would hope he took the hints. You're not sure how long you'll be Ceres but when she too has her life back you want to leave her in as good a position as possible. Maybe you'll find out where she stands with Tim at school but as you arrive you have more pressing concerns.<br/>
<br/>
Like the fact you go through your first two classes with no sign of Gloria. The cheerleaders are a very visible bunch and even if she's suspended it's not like Gloria would be hard to miss. But you don't see hide nor hair of her. You text her but get no response back until you're pulled away by a phone call in the middle of lunch.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, uh, Will" comes her voice on the other end.<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria," you exclaim, "Are you at school? I've been wanting to talk to you but I don't think I've seen you around."<br/>
<br/>
"I skipped," she states.<br/>
<br/>
"Skipped," you ask in shock. "But I thought you, you know, had plans for Chelsea and everything."<br/>
<br/>
"I did but," her voice trails off, there's a tone of unsteadiness in it, "I also thought yesterday. I wasn't as sure when I woke up this morning so I thought I'd head down to the school but I got here and..."<br/>
<br/>
"And," you repeat in anticipation.<br/>
<br/>
"Something... I don't know, something happened here Will. I don't know if it was the other guys or what but the situation's changed. But I need you out here, Will. You're going to want to see this and we need to have a talk about what we're going to do anyway."<br/>
<br/>
"Out at the school? When?"<br/>
<br/>
"Like right now," she states.<br/>
<br/>
That leaves you in a bind. Ceres is a pretty good student and not one to skip classes and you'd like to keep her life as reasonably intact as possible. Gloria said she needs you out there now but she'd understand if you waited until school got out. But there was something off in her voice. Something that sounded worried. She's gotten despondent on you but has never sounded like the way you've heard her just now. There's an unfamiliarity to it and you're worried. Something big seems to have happened and if Gloria's in trouble you can't just leave her sitting around.</span></div></div>


path: 111222312212212212111121111122211211121
author_id: rugal
title: The Crash
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Right now," you ask in surprise.<br/>
<br/>
"I'd like to do it as soon as possible," Gloria says.<br/>
<br/>
"It's just... this is all sudden. It's kind of hard to just dip out of the rest of my classes," you tell her. "Well, it's not but Ceres isn't really someone who skips her class."<br/>
<br/>
"Are they hard classes?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not on the level of what someone like Kelsey or Kim would take but Ceres isn't a dummy in," you tell her. "She's got horticulture last period. The serious one."<br/>
<br/>
"Shit," she mutters. "Look, I really want to talk to you as soon as possible but if you can't do anything..."<br/>
<br/>
"No, no don't worry about it," you reassure her. "She's not in danger of falling behind in her classes or anything. Barrientos likes her too. I think I can swing it without too much trouble, I just can't make a habit out of it."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want you fucking her life up."<br/>
<br/>
"I can miss half a day," you tell her. "If something's happened to our stuff or the book then it's going to be a lot more important than missing out on some classes. If something's happened to you..."<br/>
<br/>
You cut yourself off as you're not quite sure what to add to that. There's a silence before Gloria's voice cuts in. "Yeah, okay. Then please, get out here as soon as possible. I want to set things straight."<br/>
<br/>
She ends the call on her side and you're left with a desire to go tell Ceres' friends that you're going to be cutting for the rest of the day. You fight that urge down however as you feel like you don't have any time. Instead you head to Ceres' locker, put back what you don't need and take out some homework from your first few classes and head out to your car.<br/>
<br/>
As you drive out to the your makeshift headquarters your mind is racing with possibilities of what might have happened. Did Caleb, Justin and Connor make off with everything important in the middle of the night? That seems silly you think, why would they fuck you over like that? But then again over the last week you've spent less and less time with them as most of it has been with Gloria. That leaves you with another possibility too. She said the situation has changed and that she got cold feet replacing Chelsea. Is she looking to drop out of the mask business?<br/>
<br/>
Or is she looking to flee? Did she have a bad experience at home with her mother? Gloria's mother had been surprisingly non-confrontational but that could've just been a calm before the storm. Maybe something happened that's made her want to pack up and start a new life altogether, far away from the drama and memories of her old one.<br/>
<br/>
Maybe it's something worse but... no, Gloria's never had those types of thoughts.<br/>
<br/>
But there are other possibilities too. Someone else breaking in, people from the community center clearing out all of the "trash" in the basement. Some other idiots making their way to find everything and use it for god knows what or worse, someone like Chen or Kirkham stumbling upon it and using it for... well, you shudder at what maniacs like them could do with the book and masks.<br/>
<br/>
It's with your heart pounding and mind racing that you park and make your way to the door that leads to the basement. It looks fine but you still cautiously open it and step onto the stairs.<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria," you call out as your eyes adjust to the lower lighting of the basement.<br/>
<br/>
"Will," she calls back. "I'm down here!"<br/>
<br/>
Warily you make your way down the steps. Once you hit the bottom you look and are relieved to see her seemingly sound but you immediately notice something else that causes your hair to stand on end. Standing next to her is yourself, or rather the robotic duplicate that houses the real Ceres Kesey underneath of it. But it's not just your doppelganger that gives you pause but there's two other others there two. Standing a bit behind "Will Prescott" is a young man who looks athletic and well-muscled, close-cropped dark hair sitting above serious and stonefaced features; and sitting against the far wall is a young man, blonde and with handsome features that you can just make out in the dim lighting of the basement.<br/>
<br/>
It's Joe, the same guy you met at the Crystal Cave on Sunday.<br/>
<br/>
Before you have a chance to even ask what's going on Joe flashes you a nearly blindingly white smile as he rises to his feet. "Hey Will," he says and you're completely stunned as it's a perfect imitation of Gloria's voice, "glad we could meet each other again."<br/>
<br/>
"Wh-what's going on," you stammer.<br/>
<br/>
"It's over, Will," Gloria says as she reaches towards your face, "I fucked everything up."<br/>
<br/>
Her words are the last thing you hear before blackness envelops you.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Wakey wakey."<br/>
<br/>
You're roused out of the darkness by a voice that is, somehow, equally jovial and serious. Your eyes slowly open and you let out a surprised yelp when Joe's smiling face is the first thing to greet you. That's the first thing that surprises you. The second is that there seems to be no sign of Gloria, that other guy or your double. The third is that you're no longer in Ceres' clothes nor are you in her body. No, after a week of being other people you're back in your own body; you're Will Prescott once more.<br/>
<br/>
And you're naked.<br/>
<br/>
Instinctively your hands move to cover your genitals. For his part, Joe laughs. Well that's great you think, seems like someone who falls squarely into the "Asshole" spectrum now has the book... and Gloria seemingly. Or is it Gloria? If there's masks it could be one of his friends under her mask.<br/>
<br/>
"Your clothes are over there," Joe says as he jerks his thumb over to the table. "Hurry up and put 'em on. I'm not really the type of guy who's going to want to look at another guy's junk."<br/>
<br/>
You don't want to parade around in front of this guy in the nude either so go over to the table and grab your clothes.<br/>
<br/>
"I liked you a lot better when you were a chick," he teases.<br/>
<br/>
Instinctively you flip him off before realizing that's a bad idea. You don't really know this guy or what his deal is, what he'll do to you... But you intend to find out. You don't really know if he'll just come out and tell you but if you're fucked anyway what's the harm in asking?<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck is going on?"<br/>
<br/>
"Something way beyond you or Gloria," he says. "Good catch by the way. She your girl?"<br/>
<br/>
"Is she...?" You want to say yes but you know the answer to that. "No, she's just a friend," you say despondently.<br/>
<br/>
Joe looks at you thoughtfully, that seemingly ever-present smile not leaving his face. "Yeah, okay. Too bad, she's pretty smoking. Way out of your league I'd say..."<br/>
<br/>
"Gee, thanks."<br/>
<br/>
"...if I were being an asshole, which I'm not. You should know better than anyone that looks aren't everything right?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," you say and you can feel yourself getting annoyed. "But that doesn't answer my question."<br/>
<br/>
"Why don't you tell me," he challenges.<br/>
<br/>
"You obviously know about the masks and everything. How much do you know," he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Everything," he says without missing a beat, "but I want to hear your version."<br/>
<br/>
So you go into the whole long story about finding the book in Arnholm's, how you'd showed it to your best friend and how you'd used it to get a mask of the guy who stole your girlfriend (who totally insisted you weren't dating); Joe seems to get a kick out of that part. You tell him about how you'd, by pure accident, involved two former schoolmates. You tell him of the bands and the portables and of how you'd wanted to get masks of some cute girls or their boyfriends. It's then the twisting road that took you into accidentally capturing Gloria Rea's mind, being forced into working with her and the other events that spiraled out from that.<br/>
<br/>
"That's how I ended up here," you finish up your story.<br/>
<br/>
"It's a nice story," Joe says, "real romantic too how you're playing the knight in shining armor for yon faire maiden."<br/>
<br/>
"Bite me," you grumble. "She needed help. What kind of an asshole would it have made me to just leave her floundering around on her own?"<br/>
<br/>
"What kind of an asshole does it make you to steal Ceres' life," he asks. "Even if your intentions were good, you were still taking something from someone else to do act on them."<br/>
<br/>
"So is that why Gloria had second thoughts," you ask. "Is that why she called me down here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Called you," Joe says and you're shocked again as it's the pitch perfect imitation of Gloria. "That was me you were talking to."<br/>
<br/>
"How in the fuck," you ask in shock.<br/>
<br/>
"It's a talent," Joe states back in his normal voice. "One of a few I have. One bestowed upon me by the planets and one I've honed through long practices."<br/>
<br/>
"The planets," you ask in even greater confusion. "What the fuck are you even talking about?"<br/>
<br/>
Joe's smile grows wider. "Magic, and I really hate using that term but I figure it's best to explain it in layman's terms, is real. You've seen that much so if I said hey, magically I can imitate anyone's voice I want that doesn't seem too far fetched does it?"<br/>
<br/>
You'd want to say it does but he's right, it'd be hard to say as such after what you've experienced.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I'm part of a group that deals in that world. We track down items like the book you have and the people who'd want to use them," he says. "This is serious shit, something that most people couldn't be trusted with and something they shouldn't have the <i>burden</i> of being trusted with."<br/>
<br/>
"I still don't get it," you say. "So there's some secret group of Freemason wizards lurking in the shadows or something."<br/>
<br/>
"Not.. well, I wouldn't put it like <i>that</i>," Joe states, "but if that's how you want to picture it then knock yourself out. My name's Joe Durras and I'm a member of the Stellae Errantes."</span></div></div>


path: 1112223122122122121111211111222112111211
author_id: rugal
title: The Wandering Stars
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"A member of the whozitwhatnow," you ask as you don't fully comprehend just what he's told you.<br/>
<br/>
"The Stellae Errantes," Joe says in a manner that seems as if he's giving you an opening to confirm you recognize the name. You don't, however, and just shrug. "Okay, well, you know your Latin?"<br/>
<br/>
"Some basic high school stuff," you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"The things they don't teach kids these days," he groans. "Can you believe that back in the day if you wanted to get anywhere in life you had to know your Latin? Part of the old education. Latin, rhetoric, geometry, astronomy..."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't seem any older than me," you mutter. "Anyway, I still don't know what that means or who you guys really are."<br/>
<br/>
"Stellae Errantes is a Latin phrase, it means wandering stars which I guess is kind of a good descriptor of our group," he says. "We're sort of moving from place to place to, well, like I just said a minute ago."<br/>
<br/>
"That's... that's cool and all. I guess," you say not really sure that you believe him. Then again, and it's weird to think this, but the more logical choice probably <i>is</i> to believe he's on the up and up with you. "I just want to know what's going on though. How'd you even find out about us," you ask and with trepidation in your voice you add, "Did Gloria sell me out?"<br/>
<br/>
Joe seems to pick up on that and you notice his expression go a bit more serious. "Hey, I'm sorry man. I mean she did and she didn't," he says. "That's another thing I can do. I'm really persuasive so with a little of this and that people find it impossible to not spill their guts to me." He then flashes you a grin and the smile's back on his face. "Near impossible, anyway," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"What, like a living truth serum," you ask as it dawns on you. "The cafe yesterday... that's why I was so ready to give up what I knew and why I wanted to tell you about the book. But how'd you do it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Trade secret," he quips. "I'm surprised you managed to get out of there before actually revealing everything though. That hasn't happened a whole lot before but maybe I just need more practice."<br/>
<br/>
"So how'd you even know I was Ceres yesterday so you could do... whatever it was you did?"<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't," he shrugs. "I had my suspicions something was up with her though. Me and my brother Frank, that'd be the other far less handsome guy you saw, have been in town for a few months following some leads on that book and some other business that's not important to you right now. Word got around about some weird stuff going on with your girl's boy toy at a party and, like any good rumor, it spread like a bad case of plague."<br/>
<br/>
"So, what, you're the Gandalf Detective Agency or something and that clued you in on something being up at Westside?"<br/>
<br/>
That gets a laugh out of Joe. "Yeah, something like that. You catch on pretty quick," he says. "So then not long after, there's some more word of an incident with Gloria Rea and a nobody, no offense, named Will Prescott. Again, word spreads and Eastman's gossip hounds could put the NSA to shame. Then there was Gloria acting in ways that were seen as weird: hanging out with people she normally wouldn't, being at places she normally isn't, stuff like that."<br/>
<br/>
"So I wasn't as good at being her as I thought," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh no, you probably were. Stuff happens with people all the time and most everyone will just write it off," he states, "But when you've spent half your life training in things like this and are on the trail of a book that lets you become other people... well you get suspicious."<br/>
<br/>
"So then, what, you stalked me for a week."<br/>
<br/>
"It was just a case of getting in contact with some of the people Gloria had been hanging out with which wasn't hard. Bethany and Nancy and them. None really gave me any direct leads, not even Ceres." He then flashes you that fucking grin again, "Got lucky though. I just had the intention of hanging out with her again because hey, she's a cute girl and I like cute girls. I figured it'd be good to try again too and once you started freaking out I knew I'd hit the jackpot. Some times when you're doing this, a little bit of lucky goes a long way."<br/>
<br/>
After a moment or two of silence, you can really think of only one question left to ask him.<br/>
<br/>
"Where's Gloria?"<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
Gloria, for her part, was out with Frank helping to get in touch with Caleb, Justin and Connor to basically tell them the game was up and gathering anything related to the book that's out. That really only turned out to be the robot statue thing and the mask of that girl that was out at Justin and Connor's (which a very intimidating Frank managed to finagle back from them).<br/>
<br/>
While waiting for them to return Joe decided it'd be best to pass the time by, he told you, making a chart. Like a horoscope, he'd told you as he'd grabbed a sketch pad and pencil out of a gym bag, but for real. He'd started asking you some questions. Questions that were normal, some that were personal in nature, some that caught you but surprise and yet just as many that seemed to have no logic. He'd told you to answer quickly based on instinct and while the seeming randomness of it made that difficult you were able to power through such mind boggling questions as:<br/>
<br/>
What's heavier, the speed of light or human consciousness? How would the color red react to an ostrich cheating on it? Who gets a date first, sound or Frederick the Great?<br/>
<br/>
On and on go the questions and eventually, you're not sure how long it's been, they stop. He looks at the paper, studies it carefully for a moment or two. Looks of surprise but not shock are on his face. Eventually he heads over to the bag and pulls out... you don't know what. It's a gold disk that he moves ever so subtly before stopping and again the look of surprise shows up. But Joe remains calm as he puts the disk back, the door opens and two figures show in the now afternoon light.<br/>
<br/>
"Will," Gloria exclaims and practically bounds down the steps and, to your surprise, into your arms. "I screwed up! I ran into that asshole and he... I don't know, I just blurted everything out to him. He's the one who called you down here, said he wanted to do it himself because he thought I might try something. I'm... I'm so fucking sorry!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, don't be," you say trying to comfort her. "Joe told me that already. It's some, I don't know, freaky power he has that makes you tell the truth."<br/>
<br/>
"Freaky power? I resent that," Joe exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
"Why," ask the other guy, Frank. "He's right, you are a freak."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah? Well if I am so are you," Joe shoots back. You have a hard time believing that this immature guy is the same person you'd spent most of the late morning with.<br/>
<br/>
"But she told us a lot of things," Frank says in a voice that makes you want to shit yourself in its calmness. It's the kind of voice a guy might have before he bashes your skull in. "Things that I don't think she told you, Prescott."<br/>
<br/>
You turn to her in surprise. "You... you were hiding things from me," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Not to be a bitch to you or anything," she says defensively. "But I didn't know how you'd react if you knew, or maybe I did and wanted to save you the grief I don't know. But that spell? The one that makes the statue out of a person? I'm the one who used it."<br/>
<br/>
"You?! On who," you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
"It was my mother," she hangs her head. "It was when you were with Ceres on Saturday. I took a blank mask and went back to my place, used it on my mom and got her over here. I had to put it back on her a few times but eventually I got here and..." She sounds completely defeated and can't even look at you. "I had to. I couldn't deal with what she was doing to me <i>or</i> herself and I thought if I did that, you wouldn't be any wiser. We'd be better off."<br/>
<br/>
"And that's why she's coming with us," Frank says to your surprise.<br/>
<br/>
"Right," Joe adds. "She basically killed someone but given the circumstances I don't think she's irredeemably evil or anything and that's why we're doing this. Instead of taking her to someone like Margaret to have judgment passed on her which could very well be a death sentence, we're taking her with us back to Olympia. There she's going to go to sleep for a while and when she wakes up, hopefully it'll be as a new person."<br/>
<br/>
"She's... what," you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
"Sleeping's kind of like... consider it meditation and penance at the same time," Joe says. "Like a zen confession. She'll be asleep but reflective. She emerges repentant for what she did and she's free to do what she wants. Even come back here."<br/>
<br/>
"Will," Gloria says and her voice is shaking.<br/>
<br/>
Instinctively you put an arm around her. "She's not going anywhere," you say as bravely as you can muster.<br/>
<br/>
"That's brave and all but you don't have a say in it, Prescott," Frank states. "The laws may be a bit different from the standard ones of the secular world but she broke laws all the same and has to face the consequences. She's coming with us, end of story."<br/>
<br/>
That only hardens your resolve. You think back to having slept together, to connected with her like that, and the words she said. She said she loved you now know you weren't hearing things. Well, you love her too and you made a promise to stay by her side and come Hell or high water you're keeping that promise. You're not abandoning her.<br/>
<br/>
"If she goes then I," you say going off of pure emotion, "then I go with her."<br/>
<br/>
Joe gives you another grin and nods. "If that's what you want, because those questions? I had my suspicions when Gloria told me about how well you took to everything, about how the book found you. That was a test and I have to say that it looks like you passed. So yeah, you're coming with us because, well, you <i>are</i> one of us."</span></div></div>


path: 11122231221221221211112111112221121112111
author_id: rugal
title: The Acceptance
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You double take because you're not quite sure that you heard Joe right. You also notice looks of shock on the faces of Gloria and even Frank at that. "What are you even talking about," you ask in confusion. "One of you? That doesn't make any sense."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it doesn't Joe," Frank adds as he eyes his brother suspiciously. "What are you trying to get at? You want to bring him in too because of this stuff with the book?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not getting at anything," Joe counters. "While you were out dicking around with Prescott's girlfriend I decided to do a chart on him because, well, it was a way to pass time I guess. But some other stuff made me suspicious too."<br/>
<br/>
"About how well I took to everything," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Right," Joe states. "Gloria had told me that it took her a while to get into the mask. Probably it was the same for your other friends too but like you'd told her, it was the complete opposite for you wasn't it? That you found it easy to get lost in the identities themselves if you weren't careful?"<br/>
<br/>
"What about it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well look at it this way: even the greatest actors have to practice and prepare in order to get into a role," Joe explains. "Bogart couldn't have just jumped into the role of Phillip Marlowe but I suspect you could've. Shit, you probably could be Vivian Rutledge if you wanted. There's being a talented actor and then being a preternaturally talented one."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't see how that proves anything even if it's a little suspicious," Frank says.<br/>
<br/>
"Well think about this," Joe adds, "the book went missing for some time and then just happens to show up here in Saratoga Falls. It ends up in one place, then the library of a professor at the local university but manages to go missing where it ends up at a used book store where our friend Will here just manages to get it for practically nothing."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm with, uh, him," you say as you point towards Frank. "I don't know what that proves."<br/>
<br/>
"Obviously if me brother and I fancy ourselves as budding great detectives, we investigate and we were able to do a bit of tracking on the book. Before it came to Saratoga Falls it was in the possession of an old woman from New York who had died. Afterwards it ends up here where it's eventually in the possession of that professor I mentioned. But <i>he</i> got it because it intercepted it from its original destination." Joe gives you a beaming smile and you're not sure you like the look of it. "I'm going to guess the name Harris Prescott means a lot to you because it's his workplace it was going for," he states.<br/>
<br/>
"Dad," you exclaim and share a glance with Gloria. "What use would he have for something like this?!"<br/>
<br/>
"No clue," Joe says, "but that would've put you close to the book too. Maybe it wasn't intended for him."<br/>
<br/>
"You're saying, what, that the book just... decided that it was going to find Will," Gloria asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not <i>saying</i> that," he responds, "but I am heavily implying it. Then there was the coffee shop too. You should've sung like a canary but you were able to, just enough, hold off in order to get yourself out. Like I said earlier, I could just be overestimating my abilities or maybe, combined with your having to struggle not to get lost in identities, you can bury yourself so deep into them that I wasn't affecting you as much I was affecting her."<br/>
<br/>
"That makes no sense at all," Frank states incredulously.<br/>
<br/>
"Makes as much sense as anything else," Joe shrugs. "Besides, I did the chart and it came back positive. I used the dingus and it was the same result. We'd probably have to talk with Kali to get it one hundred percent confirmed and get his ousiarchs nailed down if that's the case but I can say with a fair degree of certainty that Will's definitely got what's needed to be a Stellae."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
There's a bit more chatter about what that means and continuing arguing between Joe and Frank. Eventually the two decide to take it outside leaving you alone with Gloria, the first amount of time you've spent with her in a good day. You feel awkward, more than you've been around her, and it's not just because of what Joe's said about you.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm really sorry," you say quietly. "I was a clumsy asshole and got you mixed up in everything involving this stupid book and now..."<br/>
<br/>
"Will, don't be sorry," she says as she grabs your hands. "I'm the one who dragged myself into it because of how miserable I was. I'm the one who stole your life and forced you into mine and then wanted you to do the same for someone else. I'm the one who... who used that spell on my mother because it was easier to make her my slave than try to work everything out and deal with the last few months I would've spent with her."<br/>
<br/>
"I still can't believe you did that," you tell her honestly. "You didn't say anything, why?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because I knew what you'd think. I knew how much you rejected the idea of using that spell. But I really did think it'd all work out," she says. She casts a downward glance as if she can't look you in the eye out of shame. "You probably hate me for that, right? For being such a sneaky bitch and going behind your back like that."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't like it," you tell her reassuringly, "but I understand how you feel like you couldn't pass up an opportunity dropping your lap like that. But if you were going to... you should've told me. I would've done it, then I'd be in your place instead of you having to be taken off by these guys. We can still make a run for it, you know."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think we could," she says quietly, "and... I don't want to. I'm scared Will. I'm more scared than I've ever been. But I fucked up. I did something terrible out of a selfish desire to take the easy way out. But the way they described this sleeping thing... maybe it's what I need. Maybe it's better than what I deserve and maybe it can fix me and make me less of a broken-brained fuck up."<br/>
<br/>
"Gloria, you're not--"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I am Will," she says. "And you're better than what I deserve. You don't have to take them up on that. You can stay here and live the life you're supposed to and maybe I'll be able to come back down the road."<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head however. "If I'm supposed to be one of these guys then that's what I have to do." There's a brief moment of silence and you finally work up the courage to ask what you've been wanting to. "So, after we... you know, you said..."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I know, and I meant it," she says before quickly adding, "I think. You've been so good to me when you've never had a reason to. You're the first person in a long time to make me feel good for being me and not for the shitty character I had to play or because you just wanted to fuck me."<br/>
<br/>
"Well I promised you I wasn't going to abandon you," you tell her. "So <i>that's</i> where I need to be: with you. That's where I want to be."<br/>
<br/>
Gloria says nothing but with her eyes watery and tears streaming down her face she pulls you in and kisses you deeply.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So, you're really doing it," Joe asks as you stand next to his truck in the parking lot of the school.<br/>
<br/>
It's the evening now and Joe's spent most of the afternoon loading up on pizza and other carbs while Frank has been out at the cemetery digging up some dirt, something that he was more than capable of doing on his own compared to the hassle it was for you and your friends last time. The plan is to use the golem--a name Joe had felt was more appropriate--Caleb had made, since whether or not it listens to anyone isn't important, and have it take Gloria's place. Meanwhile another golem is going to be made up that'll take yours.<br/>
<br/>
Of course, since it takes about a week, give or take, for one to be made Frank's agreed to stay in Saratoga Falls for a few days as you. Once the golem's finished, your mask goes on it and Frank makes his way out to Olympia, the town where Frank and Joe's adopted father and leader of the Stellae, Charles Brennan, lives. There you'll meet Kali Valentine, Frank and Joe's old teacher, who will confirm Joe's theory and likely give you a good read on your ousiarchs, the planets that govern you and the abilities that they bestow on you.<br/>
<br/>
It's also where Gloria will sleep, for how long neither Frank nor Joe is sure. It depends entirely on the "severity" of the person going in.<br/>
<br/>
Joe, Gloria and yourself will be making your way out there in just a few minutes.<br/>
<br/>
"If it's where I'm supposed to be, how can I refuse," you ask in a way that betrays your nervousness. "Besides, I made a promise."<br/>
<br/>
Joe claps you on the shoulder. "You really care that much for her, don't you," he asks. "That's good though. That's the kind of person we need. She's not going to sleep forever, you'll see her soon enough."<br/>
<br/>
"What about here," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Can't say," Joe states, "we go where we're needed. You don't want to say goodbye to your family and friends?"<br/>
<br/>
"I do but I can't," you shake your head. "I made up my mind and I know if I see them I'll get all emotional and puss out on you."<br/>
<br/>
Frank emerges from the basement with Gloria, who had been helping him set up the golem. Goodbyes are said between him and Joe and he gives you a strong handshake that nearly crushes your hand. To Gloria, he can only apologize but she waves it off as she's seem to come to terms with what's in store for her.<br/>
<br/>
The three of you then pile into Joe's truck as he drives off through the city and onto the highway. Once you're a good distance out of town, he punches it. The speedometer cranks up higher and higher until, getting to the end, it drops back to zero but still you move faster. The fields, plants, signs... all become blurs until even light itself starts to blur. You hold onto Gloria for dear life while Joe, focused yet relaxed, lets out a happy cry.<br/>
<br/>
"OLYMPIA, HERE WE COME!"</span></div></div>


path: 11123
author_id: seuzz
title: A Friendship Is Renewed, Sort Of
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Caleb's eyes nearly bulge from his head. "Are you crazy? We can't try these things on ourselves!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, that probably would be kind of dumb," you admit. "Okay. Do you know Jeremy's phone number?"<br/>
<br/>
He slaps your chest and takes out his phone. "That's the spirit.".<br/>
<br/>
"But I want that other mask to use on Geoff," you continue. "You know, if this one works on Jeremy." But Caleb is already dialing.<br/>
<br/>
You take up the other mask and start polishing it while Caleb talks to your old friend. It doesn't sound like a happy conversation: Caleb has to do some serious cajoling and make some pretty lame sounding promises about the "cool stuff" you and he have found inside the old elementary school basement. But with a curt "Great, see you in a few," Caleb drops his phone and winks at you. "We better get this place straightened up. You know, make it look like we haven't been camping out here."<br/>
<br/>
You're more bothered by the lack of a plan. "So how do we get him to try on the mask?" you ask as you help rearrange and hide the stuff that you've hauled over from your house.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, I dunno," Caleb says as he moves some tables around. "We'll just show it to him and suggest he try it on."<br/>
<br/>
"Why would he do that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, why wouldn't he?"<br/>
<br/>
"Would you, if <i>he</i> showed you a strange mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure. Maybe. I dunno."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't know," you repeat. "This is going to be a disaster."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, it was <i>your</i> idea."<br/>
<br/>
"No, it was <i>your</i> idea. My idea was—."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, so how were you planning on getting Geoff to try on a mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"I told you, I was going to sneak up on him. We can't sneak up on Jeremy. The guy's too big."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, just give it here." Caleb grabs the mask. He looks around, then wedges it in a corner against the wall. "There. We'll pretend to find it and then dare him to try it on."<br/>
<br/>
You look down at the second mask, the one you've been polishing. A sudden urge comes over you. "I wonder what happens if you try on mask that isn't fully polished yet."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, for fuck's sake don't try it out now," Caleb exclaims. But it's too late. You've already pressed it to your face.<br/>
<br/>
Nothing happens, except that you get a brief, strong sense of claustrophobia. Caleb is giving you a look of alarm when you lower the mask. "What happened?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing. But it was a stupid thing to do."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, I don't know," you say, having a sudden thought. "It might be useful having a dummy mask around." You drop it onto a table not far from the finished mask.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You're worried that you'll still be cleaning up when Jeremy arrives, but it's almost an hour before he does. He doesn't look very pleased as he's unbending himself and exiting his car. "So what's this awesome hiding hole you promised to show me?" Neither you nor Caleb are particularly short, but Jeremy is nearly six and half feet tall, and he seems to tower over you.<br/>
<br/>
"Nice to see you too, Richards," you say. "You getting enough oxygen up there?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, for fuck's sake," he snorts. Caleb nudges you.<br/>
<br/>
"It's over this way," Caleb says, leading you and Jeremy over to the basement door. Richards has to duck to get inside. As you look around, you can't help but guess that he is deeply unimpressed.<br/>
<br/>
"It's a junk heap," he snorts as he glances around the dark, dusty basement.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, yeah," Caleb admits. "But it's got all kind of hiding places and little mazes in it. I think it's cool."<br/>
<br/>
"It's cool if you're a rat," he growls, and remains in the doorway.<br/>
<br/>
"But a lot of this stuff is, like, really vintage furniture. How old is this school, Will?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think it was built in the 1920s."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and a lot of it's in pretty good shape," Caleb continues. "I can't believe they're just sitting on it."<br/>
<br/>
"Because even they know it's just a lot of junk," Jeremy retorts. He looks over his shoulder; clearly he just wants to leave.<br/>
<br/>
"We're not sure, but we think there's an old pool table back behind this stuff," Caleb says. "Help us move some of it, will ya?"<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy groans, but starts helping you pull desks and cabinets away. It is actually a corner you've not explored, and you've no idea what Caleb is talking about. But after a few minutes clearing stuff away you do find something—but it's just an old conference table.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh. Well," Caleb says, pretending to hide disappointment. "Still, it would have been neat if it was a pool table. We could have had our own private pool hall down here."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a stupid place for games," Jeremy snorts.<br/>
<br/>
"Depends on what kind of games," you say, remembering last year's Halloween. "We could turn it into a haunted house. Oh, cool, check it out." You flick on a flashlight and turn its beam onto the masks that you and Caleb had set up earlier. You hurry over and snatch up the "dummy" mask. "This must be some old drama club stuff." You press it to your face. "Do I look like the guy in <i>Scream?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"You look like a dork," Jeremy says, but he's followed you over. "Lemme see."<br/>
<br/>
"Get your own," you reply, tilting your chin at the other mask. "Maybe you could take it and use it as part of a Halloween costume."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, say, that's an idea," Caleb exclaims as Jeremy cautiously picks up the other mask. "Get yourself some black rags and drape yourself all over, and then wear that. You could be like the Grim Reaper."<br/>
<br/>
"Try it on," you urge Jeremy. You feel your heart beating in your chest.<br/>
<br/>
He looks at you and at Caleb and at the mask, then puts it close to his face. But he doesn't hold it all the way up. "There aren't any eyeholes," he points out as he lowers it again.<br/>
<br/>
"So make some," says Caleb. "Try it on, see how it fits. If it fits, then you can take it and punch some holes in it."<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy raises it back to his face. For a brief moment he holds it there. And then his hand falls to his side.<br/>
<br/>
"Look out!" Caleb shouts as Jeremy sways on his feet. "He's going over!" You and Caleb grab him as he falls, but he's a dead weight, and the two of you crash to the ground under him.<br/>
<br/>
"Shit, get him off me!" you yell. His knee, or something, is jammed in your stomach. Caleb kicks and pulls and jabs you in the side of the head. "Watch it!"<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, I'm out. Fuck, where's the mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Never the mind the mask! Just get him— Oof!" Jeremy has flopped over senselessly and knocked the wind out of you. You pull back, banging your head on a desk, but finally worm out from under him. You're catching your breath while Caleb shines his flashlight over the ground.<br/>
<br/>
"The mask! It's gone!" he shouts. You look around. Jeremy is lying on his back, dead to the world it appears, and the mask has fallen from his face. You scramble around, looking for it.<br/>
<br/>
"Get him up. Maybe he fell on it."<br/>
<br/>
"Shit." Caleb helps you drag Jeremy into the middle of the floor. While you feel under him, to make sure the mask hasn't been dragged along under his body, Caleb scours the floor near where he fell. Both of your searches turn up nothing.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck, this is bad," you say as you stare at each other. <br/>
<br/>
"What's up with him? Is he breathing?"<br/>
<br/>
You check. Jeremy's eyes are open, and he is staring into nothingness, and his breathing is shallow. But appears to be alive. <br/>
<br/>
"Is he in some kind of trance?" Caleb wonders. "Maybe it's part of the magic?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know. Shit. Why couldn't the book have said something about what to expect?"<br/>
<br/>
"Probably because the guy who wrote the book knew exactly what to expect," Caleb says. "He wasn't interested in talking to amateurs."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck," you repeat. "I guess we wait and see if anything happens."<br/>
<br/>
Luckily for all, you don't have to wait long. You're glancing around, looking to see if there is a hand truck or something else you can use to get Jeremy out of the basement if the worst comes to pass, when you feel Caleb grip your arm. You turn around, just in time to see a glow fade from Jeremy's face, and to see the mask materialize there. You stare at it a moment, then snatch it up.<br/>
<br/>
It appears to be unharmed, but you're actually more worried about Richards, so you lay it aside and bend over him. He's breathing more deeply now, and you shake him. With a groan, he opens his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you alright?" Caleb asks.<br/>
<br/>
"What the— What happened?" He sounds groggy.<br/>
<br/>
"You passed out. You put that mask on, and then you fell over like a stack of bricks."<br/>
<br/>
He sits up and rubs his head, then puts his face between his knees. "I feel sick."<br/>
<br/>
"Let's get you out in the air."<br/>
<br/>
He waves you off and stands on his own, though he sways. With increasing confidence, though, he strides over to the basement door. Once outside, he kneels down with his head very nearly at his ankles. You watch him in concern.<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks for a fucking lousy waste of time, assholes," he suddenly snarls as he gets up. His face is beet red. "Next time you want to prank someone, find someone else." For a moment you think he's going to punch you, but he just wheels and stalks back to his car. You watch for a few moments after he's driven away.<br/>
<br/>
"What a dick," Caleb mutters. Then he brightens. "Come on, let's see what we got!"</span></div></div>


path: 111231
author_id: seuzz
title: An Ambush in the Dark
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Thanks for a fucking lousy waste of time, assholes," you snarl down at Caleb. <br/>
<br/>
He laughs. "You sound just like him, too!"<br/>
<br/>
You look back into the mirror, which you'd found back behind some junk in another corner of the school basement. It's Jeremy Richards—or a flawless duplicate—who looks back at you: messy brown hair; droopy, stoner eyes; and toned arms and chest. You'd had to win four rounds of rock-paper-scissors (after Caleb insisted on a best of two out of three and then a best of three out of five) for the right to have this reflection, for a little while at least. "I wonder if I'm as strong as him," you wonder.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb motions you over to some kind of cast-iron frame. You doubt you could have moved it before; it's still a strain, but you lift it more cleanly and easily than Caleb can when he gives it a shot. "I'd say that settles it," he says. "I don't think his own mother could tell the difference."<br/>
<br/>
"God, I hope his own mother doesn't know what he looks like naked," you reply. "Actually, I'm not thrilled to know it either."<br/>
<br/>
You are, of course, absolutely starkers, having discarded your own clothes before pressing the mask to your face. It took you awhile to get even that far. When you and Caleb dove back into the basement you'd found the mask undamaged but subtly altered: its glimmering surface now showed in its depths a pale but recognizable face, that of Jeremy Richards. You'd then used the altered mask to open another page in the spell book, where you'd found more information about the mask and its uses, as well as the start of another spell. As it happens, it was necessary to master that other spell before you could use the mask. But it was a fairly simple spell that made a sealant that could be applied to the inside of the mask, and it required only the materials you had on hand. Then it was a contest between you and Caleb to see who would get to try on the Jeremy disguise first. It knocked you cold when you put it on, but Caleb woke you with a couple of hard slaps to the face, and you sat up to find yourself nearly six inches taller than when you woke this morning.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, let me give it a try now," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"Wait your turn, I just got it on." You fondle your new balls. Disguise or not, everything is as sensitive and responsive as it should be.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you're not going to jack off, are you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Of course not! Well, not unless you think it would be a good idea to check that everything works."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, that's your business." He backs away. "Just don't ask me to help."<br/>
<br/>
You do a little tentative jumping and fake free throwing. "I suppose it would be too much to hope that the mask copies skills. It doesn't copy memories." You fall back onto your feet awkwardly. "No, I guess not." You bend over and scratch your new calf thoughtfully.<br/>
<br/>
"So we won't be playing basketball as him. I can live without that."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but what will we be doing?" You put your hand to your nose and temple in the prescribed gesture, mutter the prescribed, odd-sounding words, and pull—<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
—and wake again with a stinging sensation in your face. "Jesus," Caleb says. He's leaning over you, and you sit up on an elbow to find yourself sprawled on the floor. "Okay that's something to remember. Lay down before you put one of those things on or take it off. You almost crushed me when you fell over."<br/>
<br/>
But that's the extent of his sympathies, and as you sit up with a groan he's already tearing off his own clothes. Then he lays down and drops the mask onto his face.<br/>
<br/>
The change is almost anticlimactic: One moment it's Caleb laying there, the next it's Jeremy. You slap him awake, as he'd done to you.<br/>
<br/>
"So what do we do with this thing?" you ask again when Caleb is checking himself out in the mirror.<br/>
<br/>
"Huh? Oh. Well, we were talking about using a Jeremy disguise to get close to Javits to copy him, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but then what would we do with a Seth Javits disguise?"<br/>
<br/>
"Get close to his girlfriend. Dur."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but how do we make sure the real people don't interfere? Caleb!"<br/>
<br/>
"What?" He turns with a frown to stare down at you with one of Jeremy's dark, truculent sneers. It makes you blink, remembering when Jeremy was a skinny middle-schooler like yourself, and you wonder how come people who start out so similar can turn out so different. <br/>
<br/>
"Suppose you get yourself all done up as Seth and go over to Cindy's," you explain to him. "What happens if the real Seth calls, or actually shows up at her house?"<br/>
<br/>
"Then I guess you can play Jeremy and keep Seth away."<br/>
<br/>
"And who keeps Jeremy away from us?"<br/>
<br/>
"Will you stop worrying about these things?" He turns back to the mirror. "We'll figure out something."<br/>
<br/>
You bite your lip. "Anyway, we can't use the second mask on Javits."<br/>
<br/>
He looks down at your reflection. "How come?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you wanted to use one of the masks on Jeremy, and we did. I want to use the other one on Geoff Mansfield."<br/>
<br/>
He whips around. "Oh, dude, come on! When you suggested Jeremy I thought you were giving up on Mansfield and the whole Lisa thing!"<br/>
<br/>
"No, I went with Jeremy because you wanted to try it on him. And because I wanted to see if it would work first before trying it tomorrow on Geoff."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb takes your insistence with bad grace—"You're gonna fuck it up for us!"—but you are adamant. At least he doesn't fight when you snatch up the blank mask and take it home with you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The next day, after church, you call Lisa to see if you can pick her up for the movie, but she tells you Geoff will be having that pleasure. She even asks if you need a ride, and you have to bite back the sarcastic reply that, if you'd needed a ride, you wouldn't have called her up to offer <i>her</i> one.<br/>
<br/>
They're late arriving at the theater. Geoff has his hands in his pockets as he strides in. Your hands are in your pockets too, and you are suddenly and uncomfortably aware that you are hunched and defensive, while Mansfield has his shoulders back and chin up and is looking at the world with a very confident and serene gaze. You pull you hands out but can't quite muster the will to straighten out of your stoop. <br/>
<br/>
"You worried about catching a cold?" Mansfield asks without preamble, and indicates the wadded up jacket you have stuffed under your arm. <br/>
<br/>
You shrug. "They turn the air conditioners up too high in these places." Actually, you've got the blank mask—now fully polished—wrapped in it. "So, you know, if <i>you</i> get to feeling cold—" you say to Lisa, but she's turned to Geoff. <br/>
<br/>
"How about you and Will get the snacks, and I'll go save us some seats?" she offers.<br/>
<br/>
"How about he goes and gets some seats," Geoff counters, "and you and I get the snacks?"<br/>
<br/>
"Lisa and I could get the snacks, and you could hold some seats," you interject, illogically. Then the gears grind in your head, and you desperately try to flip the suggestion around. "Or, she and I could go save the seats, and <i>you</i> could get the snacks."<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up, Prescott," a dull voice says behind you, and you nearly jump out of your skin when you turn toward the speaker. Jeremy Richards has loped up and is looking down at you with ill-disguised contempt. "No one wants to hear your shit." <br/>
<br/>
Geoff, to his credit, doesn't smile. "Where's your squad, Richards?" <br/>
<br/>
"I had a bad day yesterday, was feeling anti-social," he mutters. He glares down at you. "But then I saw you guys and just decided 'What the hell'."<br/>
<br/>
You say nothing, and Geoff and Lisa only offer small talk in reply, but it appears that the resentful Richards has decided to attach himself to your group. In the auditorium, he even pushes you out of the way so he can sit between you and Lisa. You wind up in an aisle seat, and there are kids in the row behind. It's going to be impossible, you realize, to sneak up behind Mansfield, even in the dark. <br/>
<br/>
The lights go down and the movie starts, and you soon find yourself squirming with restless distraction. You catch Richards glancing over you, but he says nothing. As the movie progresses you sink lower and lower in your chair, trying to figure out a way to get at Geoff (who is three seats over). You mutter to yourself. You've been balked not only getting at Geoff, you don't even have the consolation of sitting next to Lisa. You twist angrily.<br/>
<br/>
"Stop it," Richards growls at you. Something sparks inside you.<br/>
<br/>
"You wanna make something of it?" you snap back.<br/>
<br/>
"Let's take it outside, asshole," he snarls back.<br/>
<br/>
You leap up and stride out the auditorium, out the lobby, out into the parking lot behind. You wheel and blink in the light. Richards saunters out, looking very cool and unconcerned. "So where do you want to do this?" you yell.<br/>
<br/>
"Let's take it back to the clubhouse," he says. "I got something to show you there."<br/>
<br/>
You stare, and then you blink, and then with a yelp you swing at him. He steps aside easily and catches your arm. "Stop it," he laughs. "You're gonna hurt one of us, and I doubt it's gonna be me."<br/>
<br/>
"Jerk! Asshole!"<br/>
<br/>
"C'mon, man, we need to get outta sight," he murmurs. "I don't want anyone to catch us."<br/>
<br/>
"You shoulda thought of that before you—! You—!"</span></div></div>


path: 1112312
author_id: seuzz
title: More Mask Fun
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Caleb is still wearing the Jeremy disguise when you step down into the old school basement, which doubles or even triples your anger somehow. You're mad at him and you're mad at Jeremy and you're mad at the fact that he went out in public and actually fooled you for most of the afternoon into thinking he <i>was</i> Richards. "Okay, you can take it off now," you snarl.<br/>
<br/>
"In good time," he replies. "First, let's check it out." From the pockets of his track pants he pulls out a flat, flexible metal strip. "Jesum Crow," he says as he examines it. "Would you look at that?"<br/>
<br/>
It looks like it's made of silver, but it's very thin and flexible. Delicate, rune-like marks have been chiseled into its surface. But the really odd thing about it is the Roman script that seems to float above it: LISA ROXANNA YARBOROUGH, it says.<br/>
<br/>
"You making friendship bracelets for her now?" you fume.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb sighs. "No, it's the next spell, you dickhead. I made it last night, <i>and</i> I got close enough to her this afternoon that I could use it on her."<br/>
<br/>
"What?" you ask, startled.<br/>
<br/>
"That's why I wanted to come back here." He pulls the grimoire out of the backpack sitting on a nearby table. "I borrowed this last night. Hope you don't mind." He opens the book to the most recent page and presses the strip of metal to it. And with that, the page easily turns. He looks at the reverse with keen interest and laughs. "Not much here, and it doesn't take much Latin to translate. 'Used to copy someone's mind,' or something like that, I'm sure."<br/>
<br/>
You look over his shoulder. Sure enough, there is but a single sentence on the page. "What does it mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I'm pretty sure it means what I thought all along it was going to do." His smile is so smug you'd love to punch him. "I took the book home after you got all pissy with me. I did the translation, picked up supplies, then got to work. It took all night, 'cos I had to carve those runes in them, but I made two of them." From his pocket he takes another strip, much like the first, but this one without any ethereal Roman script floating over it. "I knew you were going to make an ass of yourself this afternoon, and figured I'd have a better chance of stopping you if I showed up as Richards. Which I did."<br/>
<br/>
"Where'd you get the clothes?" You don't much want to recall the afternoon's events.<br/>
<br/>
"The thrift shop on the other side of the mall. Anyway, I got next to Lisa, and after the lights went down I just reached around and pressed one of the strips against her forehead. I think she must've passed out for a bit, but when she started moving again, that's when I picked that fight with you. So, you know, we could get out of there."<br/>
<br/>
"And fuck up my plans for Geoff," you mutter. <br/>
<br/>
Caleb waves his hand. "You never had a chance there anyway. But unless I miss my guess—" He holds up the metal strip. "We just scored ourselves a copy of Lisa's thoughts and memories."<br/>
<br/>
You swallow.<br/>
<br/>
"I bet it works just like the masks," he continues. "Just put this over your forehead, and you'll know everything that she knows." He holds it out to you.<br/>
<br/>
It's hugely tempting. You could learn everything about Lisa. Not only why she dumped you, but what she really thought of you, and what she really thinks of Geoff ...<br/>
<br/>
And it's that last thought that makes you flinch. <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it's a real invasion of privacy," Caleb says softly.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not that," you say. "Maybe it should be, but it's not." Haltingly, you try to explain your reluctance to test out the band. Caleb listens sympathetically, and nods.<br/>
<br/>
"I think I get it," he says. "Basically, she's already inside your head. And you don't want her getting in any deeper."<br/>
<br/>
Glumly, you hang your head. Maybe it's just better to let go of her, to let Geoff have her. Besides— <br/>
<br/>
You feel a twinge of quickening interest as you look up at the fake Jeremy Richards. <br/>
<br/>
Besides, you've got other possibilities to explore.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The next spell, which the two of you fall on eagerly, looks quite easy. Basically, it looks like a way of gluing one of the mind-reading bands onto a sealed mask, so that a wearer could assume both the appearance and the memories of the person being imitated. You could perform the spell tonight—you have all the materials on hand. The trouble is that you have two different items: a mask of Jeremy Richards and the mind of Lisa Yarborough. <br/>
<br/>
"Well, don't forget we have a blank mask and a blank mind-band," Caleb says. We could use the mask to copy Lisa, and then have a full copy of her. If that would make you happy." You punch him, not hard, but not lightly either. "Okay, we use the blank mind-band on Richards."<br/>
<br/>
"How do we get close to him after yesterday?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb chews on his lip. "We'd need to get hold of someone else first."<br/>
<br/>
"Who?"<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno." He fingers the blank mask. "Maybe that other person should be the person we try it out with. Maybe we should use both our blanks on some third person."<br/>
<br/>
You both ponder the matter silently, and then both of you speak almost at once.<br/>
<br/>
"Eva Garner." "Jessica Garner."<br/>
<br/>
Eva and Jessica are the two members of a set of triplets (Marc Garner is their brother), and are two of the popular girls: cheerleaders, blonde and busty. Jessica wears her hair short and Eva wears hers long, but otherwise they're very hard to tell apart. Both are at the center of lots of social activity, which in theory should make it somewhat easy to get close to one of them, and would make it easy to use one to get close to others at the school.</span></div></div>


path: 11123121
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Target Jeremy Richards again.
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Yeah, dude. I can't wait to see her body fully exposed."<br/>
<br/>
"Awesome. Once we get the mask of one of them, you can model it and ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait a minute! I'm not gonna be some horny boy's pussy show. You can be the girl so I ca ..."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not going to be the cunt of your wet dreams, asshole, and let you play with me. I'm no fuck toy or faggot."<br/>
<br/>
"You're pretty bitchy right now."<br/>
<br/>
After that it gets really crude and heated followed by a wrestling match until the scuffle turns over the table with the book, masks, and mind strips scattering across the floor.<br/>
<br/>
"Now look what you've done, you dumb pervert."<br/>
<br/>
"ME? ME? You're the one who ..."<br/>
<br/>
"You wanted me to be Eva Garner so you could fondle my tits."<br/>
<br/>
"YOUR TITS?  YOUR TITS? Don't you mean Eva's tits?"<br/>
<br/>
"You know what I mean. I - I - I, ..."<br/>
<br/>
Neither of you can keep a straight face and break up hysterically unable to stop laughing for several minutes. As you calm down, you pick up the book, and Caleb collects the other things, setting everything back on the table.<br/>
<br/>
"So, it's not a go for the twins?"<br/>
<br/>
"Looks like unless we just want to try out the spell to make it, but I bet someone has to wear the mask to open the book's next page and spell."<br/>
<br/>
"Seems like a waste. Sort of like the Lisa mind strip, huh."<br/>
<br/>
You look down at it again but keep silent in thought. Caleb had the Jeremy mask and got Lisa on a strip. No way you'll use the Lisa strip, at least now, or let Caleb or anyone see into her mind - ever. That's private. There is your blank mask and the other blank mind strip. If you use that mask to copy someone to get to Richards, why not just copy someone using both the mind strip and mask together?  Or just go after Jeremy with the strip and save the mask for the next spell. After all, it will take another week to make and polish another mask. But maybe you don't need a mask for the next spell. But maybe you do, and you still think maybe you could get Geoff and turn Lisa to you.<br/>
<br/>
Breaking the silence, you decide, "Let's get Richards' mind and save the mask."<br/>
<br/>
"But we need to get near him, preferably alone so everyone doesn't see him pass out and watch the strip reappear. Our last foray didn't go so well in gaining his confidence. He's not coming out here again."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. I'm just glad you're the one who invited him."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but you're the <i>dork</i> he was pissed at even before he crushed you when the mask knocked him out." he laughs.<br/>
<br/>
You go at him again, but quickly drop interest.<br/>
<br/>
"That's it! We just need to find him alone, or something like ..." you pause thinking. "Go check up on him to see if he is really OK and not really sick from fainting. We apologize and ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Bring him a Get Well card and present, maybe flowers, too."<br/>
<br/>
You punch him in the arm again more cordially, but harder this time.<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly. Tell him he looks a bit pale and reach to see if he's warm with fever."<br/>
<br/>
"Putting the strip on his forehead. Dude! You are smarter than that shit-ass face lets on." He backs away as you swing at him.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
The two of you head over to Jeremy's to see if he's home. It's a long shot that he wouldn't be out with buddies on Sunday, but you are too excited and anxious to not at least try.<br/>
<br/>
Having been close friends in middle school, his parents know both you and Caleb, but you can't remember the last time you were here.  When he went through a growth spurt as a freshman and showed his skill at basketball, he moved up in the hierarchy with the jocks and cheerleaders leaving you and Caleb behind. You would talk occasionally, but didn't hang in the same circles. Actually, you weren't allowed in that circle or anywhere near those in it.<br/>
<br/>
It is great luck that Jeremy's dad is the only other person home besides Jeremy. He always liked you and instantly invites you in and sends you on up to Jeremy's room without question while he goes back to fixing something or other - the constant handyman. He'll be off and too busy to hear anything that happens.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Richards. How you doing?"<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy looks up from lounging on his bed and squashing a magazine under his pillow - one he obviously didn't want parents or anyone to see.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck are you two jerks doing here especially after that crap at the old school? I outta bust your skulls and heave the two of you out the window."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, just like you used to do to us when we were in middle school. Seems like we aren't good enough to even be seen with you any more."<br/>
<br/>
He softens a bit, possibly a little guilt, but doesn't let up.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe that's what's happened. As we grow, things change. Some for the better, some for the ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, dude, we aren't here to discuss your rise to the elite of the school. We're glad for you."<br/>
<br/>
"But we also used to be your friends and also get concerned, however strange that may seem." you finish for Caleb as you move over close to Jeremy.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy turns and starts to stand staring back and forth between the two.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't remember you two being all <i>concerned</i> about anything but yourselves, ever. But, life's different now, for all of us."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and so," you pause and give him a real concerned look which is amazing since he's right and you're never concerned about much of anyone else. "Ah, you alright? You look a little pale."<br/>
<br/>
You hold back raising your hand to his forehead to check knowing he's more likely to bat it away than let you touch him. Instead you let Caleb try to distract him.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, when you passed out yesterday, it scared the shit out of us."<br/>
<br/>
"I know. I could smell it when I woke up." he chides back with a relaxed smile. "That's why I had to get out and get air."<br/>
<br/>
You all chuckle a bit, then you add, "Well, we just wanted to make sure nothing serious. Don't want the big game this week to be affected."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, now we find out. You two betting on the big game with Coolidge and don't want your stake to be lost, huh."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe."<br/>
<br/>
"Always thinking the best of us, still, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
"You sure you haven't had any more fits, blackouts, fever, ..."<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
Well, that more than freaked Jeremy, and he says he'll go to the doctor the next day, although not sure why it happens only when you two are around either. Caleb gives you a friendly punch as you drive back to the clubhouse with strip in hand ready to affix to the mask.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231211
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Inside Jeremy Richards.
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It doesn't take long to join the two together. Now it is just a question of whether you or Caleb will be the first to access someone elses mind.<br/>
<br/>
"Scared?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nah."<br/>
<br/>
You feign courage but deep down you're actually thinking about the strip with Lisa's thoughts and memories. How right is it to jump inside anothers mind and possibly know all the things they've hidden away from everyone else? Selective mind reading never sounded so bad, but this could possibly give you total access. Hell, you wouldn't want someone to know about your occasional sexual relief or the places you've been or things you've done or what you think about certain people. You've never really come out and told Lisa how you felt. You just hoped she'd somehow read you and that she also felt the same, but maybe you're wrong. Maybe she doesn't care anything for you and ...<br/>
<br/>
"Dude? You OK? Come back to earth now."<br/>
<br/>
You shake with a start as Caleb's voice interrupts your thoughts.<br/>
<br/>
"Where were you, Will? You looked like Jeremy when the mask melted into his face."<br/>
<br/>
"Thinking ... nothing." you slowly mutter before tearing your stare away from the mask and up at your friend. "Do we really want to do this? Know what's in Richards' head? Could be freaking weird?"<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"<br/>
<br/>
Richards' voice rattles the whole room with heated anger as he jumps up and pounces at Caleb grabbing his shirt and raising him to his tip toes.<br/>
<br/>
"Where's your little boyfriend, Prescott? He not man enough to hang with you, or are you just the real pervert?"<br/>
<br/>
"Will. WILL!"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, call the little bastard? I'm gonna trash your ass then go rip his so if he sits and swallows it'll hurt."<br/>
<br/>
"WILL, WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why you calling me Will, Johansson? Are you so fucked ..."<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, you drop Caleb and stagger backwards trying to gain control over the flood of thoughts and emotions belonging to Jeremy Richards. Your whole being was overwhelmed after the mask went on. The last thing you remember before blacking out is being in your room with Prescott and Johansson acting like they cared about you. Now suddenly, you're in that foul basement room again. How had they dragged you there and why? You aren't going to take this from those fuckers.<br/>
<br/>
Those two have recently become anchors on your new life when your were accepted by the basketball team and, therefore, the elite of the school. You still think of them as friends, but their actions and social status don't fit in with the new you. It is also hard to fit in with the new crowd, but you can't show it or they'll drop you. These guys' pestering you of late is very annoying. You have to separate yourself from the old no matter what your feelings are. You don't want to, especially with Will, but you know that he'll never return it.<br/>
<br/>
"WILL! ARE YOU THERE? WILL!"<br/>
<br/>
"What? Huh? Yeah. I think I'm back." you mutter as you realize what's happened and take control away from the Jeremy Richards personality in the mask. Once you know you can keep it in check, you slowly raise your eyes and stare at Caleb. "I'm gonna crack your head, Johansson." <br/>
<br/>
As he gets that scared look again, you crack a smile.<br/>
<br/>
"Just foolin', dude. I'm back and in control now."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't fuck with me like that. I swear that you, er, Richards was actually going to kill me. It was too real."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well it's even more real from this side. His whole personality just washed over me, and I couldn't stop it. It was like everything about him poured into my mind so fast that I couldn't grasp it. It just pushed me aside and took over. But now I'm not only him." you say as you start air dribbling around the room then shoot a hoop. "I've got his skills, talent, memories, feelings about things and people, you, me ..."<br/>
<br/>
Instantly you freeze. Your face turns to shock. Then you rip the mask from your face and toss it to the floor causing you to almost pass out.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck, dude?"<br/>
<br/>
You wave Caleb off keeping your head between your legs trying to get blood to your brain and oxygen through your lungs. He picks up the mask, and you yell, "Don't put it on." before gravity wins taking your blood and you onto the floor.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"Wake up. What's wrong with the mask?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks panicked and is shaking you violently which is just making it harder to focus.<br/>
<br/>
"Stop. Let me breathe."<br/>
<br/>
You push him aside as all your concerns about getting too much information from someone elses mind circle round your thoughts again. And again.<br/>
<br/>
It is totally out-of-the-blue, but looking back you can see all the signs. It is something that Jeremy guarded so closely and covered so well that it would never be obvious. You wonder how anyone deals with those sort of things especially if your life takes a major change putting you more in the spotlight. If this gets out, it will kill any chances he has in basketball or being in the ruling tier, or maybe staying sane even, alive. No wonder he always seems to shrug off all the usual social scene activities.<br/>
<br/>
"Well?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb isn't going to give up, so you have to come up with an answer. If you lie, he may sometime put on the mask and find out anyway.  It's not like you can say no one can ever use a mask because it's too dangerous. That would mean going forward in the book would be useless.<br/>
<br/>
"Something we shouldn't know. That's the problem with getting access to someone elses mind." You take the mask from him and stare at it.  Then with a deep breathe, you look him straight in the eye. "It's Jeremy. He's ...<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312112
author_id: wordsmitty
title: The Secret Ingredient
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span><div align="right"> <span style="font-family:times new roman, serif"><font class="size3" style="">Special thanks to Seuzz for a few words.</font></span></div><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
You're still trying to catch your breath as you stumble over any words, unable to even articulate them. Caleb blinks stupidly.<br/>
<br/>
"He's ... he's ... he's what?" Caleb eventually urges.<br/>
<br/>
Taking a deep breath, you finally stand up straight shaking your head.<br/>
<br/>
"He's got some deep secrets, dude. Stuff that should never, ever get out."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what?" he asks innocently intrigued.<br/>
<br/>
"Like shit that no one else should ever know. I don't want to know it, and you don't either," you angrily retort, and he falls back looking hurt. You stand and walk forward putting your hand on his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"You know there are things you don't want others to know. Same with me," you say gently, comforting him. "Consider how you'd feel if someone had all your memories of everything good, AND everything evil that you've ever done OR thought. It's best we just use the mask to get the next spell for now and respect his privacy."<br/>
<br/>
He doesn't answer, but starts staring at the floor halfway through as if contemplating his own hidden secrets. You can tell he understands and just hope that he won't get seduced by the book's powers and decide to try the mask sometime just to impersonate Jeremy as he did at the movie.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
Using the mask on the book released the next page. Between you and Caleb, you're able to decipher most of the new set of ingredients, although you both can't believe them at first and decide that you better check some of the old Latin words and phrases with an Internet search then work on the actual instructions.  It's late anyway, so you hide all the masks along with the book and head off securing the door with your lock.  It's then that it dawns on you both that you have real school homework that neither have started.  Looks like this spell will have to wait.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
The next day at school passes slowly. You get an anxious look from Jeremy when you pass in the hall, and it makes you shudder. It's strange, but so many things that were perfectly clear about him while wearing the mask seem to have faded quite a bit.  You're not sure if it's because some were so traumatic that you're blocking it out or that what's in the mask is only retained while wearing and shortly after.<br/>
<br/>
Since neither you or Caleb got to research and translate the new spell last night, you decide to use some of Westside's brains for help. Of course, it isn't entirely purely for the spell since you know Lisa is one of the better students of Latin and this is an opportunity to try to work back in with her.<br/>
<br/>
You race to catch her before the fourth period class you share and that Geoff doesn't thereby avoiding the competition.  Although, as you scramble around the human obstacle course, you remember that you haven't seen him today in the usual hallways with Lisa when you passed. But he was in first period with you.  You don't have time to ponder further as you catch up with Lisa.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Lisa."<br/>
<br/>
"Hi, Will," she responds rather annoyed. "What was with you and Jeremy at the movies."<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Oh, shit! I forgot about that.</i>" you think and start to spurt the first thing that comes into your head about Jeremy.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, he was just, ah, playing, ah, gag. He was jealous of me being with you and Geoff, I think," you chuckle then cringe inside at yourself. "He was having a bad day and needed a shoulder." "<i>Damn. Did I really just say that?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"You're always the good one to lend an ear and help, Will. That's why I've always liked you."<br/>
<br/>
Your spirit immediately turns around and your lie of an excuse is forgotten, replaced with that warm feeling about Lisa liking you. Your mind completely forgets why you're even talking to her.<br/>
<br/>
"Actually, Will, maybe you can help. Geoff got upset after you left and almost walked out. I, ..." she looks away and smiles at one of her girlfriends across the room as she puts her books on the desk and you sit in the seat next to her. "I'd like your opinion of him. He's been ignoring me ever since, and none of the girls can figure this out."<br/>
<br/>
"<i>He's a jerk and pervert only after your panties to add to his pile. You can do much better. Drop him. Come back to me.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
Fortunately the bell rings before you can connect those thoughts with your mouth and make a fool of yourself.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
By the end of class your focus is back to the words in the spell; but as you turn to Lisa, she is already standing to head to lunch. Before you can say anything, she pauses and turns back.<br/>
<br/>
"Meet me after lunch at the outside tables so we can talk before afternoon class." <br/>
<br/>
Then she smiles and strolls out with a couple of her friends.<br/>
<br/>
Spell forgotten and warm happies roll soothingly through your mind and body.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you got to focus," Caleb tells you while you wolf a burger in the cafeteria scanning regularly to see if Geoff and Lisa connect there. He never shows, and she sits with her friends the entire time. "We need to get the correct translation. Do you want me to ask Jenny or Kim?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. They'd ask too many questions about why. If it says what we think, it's a bit too bizarre, and they'll pester us forever 'till one of us cracks. You know them."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but you're getting all gooey-eyed with Lisa again. Maybe we could just use the strip, and her mind in it could tell ..."<br/>
<br/>
"NO!" You almost choke saying it and do spit a piece of pickle over Caleb's shoulder. "I don't want that, especially after last evening."<br/>
<br/>
"So truly, you don't actually remember what it was about Jeremy that got you upset?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you breath thoughtfully and pause thinking before continuing. "It's weird, but by the time I hit the sack, it had faded. I think the memories are only good as long as you have the mask on with, maybe, a little residual time. The only thing I remember is that I felt sick and depressed. Don't know now if that was my reaction or his feelings, though."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe we should experiment some more so we know better how to use these things." <br/>
<br/>
Caleb is always the more scientific method type, good with math and science. It's why he wants to get a part-time or summer job at Salopek where your dad works.<br/>
<br/>
"Not with Jeremy or Lisa."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe we should do one of each other. That way we each have leverage on the other not to spill anything. This book so far is really heavy stuff. If we're not careful, something bad could easily happen. Look how Jeremy's mind almost took control." He shivers and then shakes his head as he glances into space remembering.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll keep it in mind - after we get the spell. I gotta go meet Lisa. By the way, have you seen Geoff or heard him say anything about Lisa today? He's in a couple of your classes."<br/>
<br/>
"I still think you're wasting your time on her. But for what it's worth, he was really upset about Lisa having you along at the movies, and when Jeremy joined as well, and she fell asleep," he snickers since it was him and the mind strip. "He wants her full attention. Kinda possessive, dude."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks," and you scurry off to Lisa.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
Your meeting with Lisa goes very well. You get a more exact translation, she's actually impressed you're researching something sounding important (points scored), and she doesn't ask any questions. You also mention what Caleb told you about Geoff and give her your honest opinion, without any bias for some reason, saying he's OK but not the type of friend you'd have. She thanks you with a hug, though the physical contact was obviously just as a friend. Maybe you are too nice and need to be more assertive.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
After school at the clubhouse, Caleb and you start discussing how best to get the ingredients especially the one you had problems translating.<br/>
<br/>
"I told you. It means roughly four hundred pounds or about a cubic yard."<br/>
<br/>
"You're sure? These old time measures of stones and hands and cubits and stuff aren't always exact."<br/>
<br/>
"Look. I got this from Wikipedia. You want to challenge that? And the school's online Britannica says the same. Lisa was pretty sure of that as well. Three expert sources."<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you bring her into everything. Maybe we should invite her to join the club."<br/>
<br/>
He moves a hand to his face, and you give him an evil stare which causes him to raise his hands to his chest palms forward.<br/>
<br/>
"OK. I'll drop it about her. So where do we get four hundred pounds of cemetery dirt?"<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11123121121
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Fun with graveyards
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're in luck that Wednesday is the new moon, the time the spell said to "harvest soil from a field of souls." That and the fact there's a large cemetery just a couple miles from the clubhouse. Plus you had a friend in middle school that you used to go and watch the machinery dig the graves. They always moved the dirt to a lot in the back so there was nothing to disturb the funeral. And the back entrance is off a side lane where you can back up your truck and shovel it in unnoticed. All the other ingredients are similar to the things you got for the masks and are easy to acquire, although they pretty much emptied your savings. The new video game will have to wait.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking rain!" Caleb curses as you both shovel the heavy muck into the truck. "Why do we have to take it exactly at midnight?"<br/>
<br/>
"'Cause it says so."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. Right. Fucking ingredient."<br/>
<br/>
There's a distant roll of thunder. You both pause to catch your breath and the rain stops. You glance up  and can already see stars between passing clouds. It's like it only rains over you while you work.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking creepy, too, dude," Caleb states what you're thinking.<br/>
<br/>
You nod before you hear a sound of sloshing mud several times in a row, and you both jump.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking A. What was that? Footsteps?"<br/>
<br/>
You both look and see the mud in the truck crawling out over the tailgate, dropping in a slap back onto the ground. Caleb panics taking his shovel and hits the pile of mud on the ground. His actions infect you to do the same, but you stop after the second smack sends splatter all over the two of you. Caleb screams staring at the slime sliding down his body and speedily tries to push it off dancing in a panic. You half laugh with fear before realizing how stupid it is and he looks. Then the laugh becomes real.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking fuck, dude what's so fucking funny?" Caleb cries as he watches you bent over in hysterics.<br/>
<br/>
Shaking your head as you look at him, you chuckle and point, "Fucking you, fuckhead, and the fucking muck people."<br/>
<br/>
He gives you an angry stare at the same time a loud rumble of thunder crashes in the distance, runs over the trees and drops upon you. This causes both of you to jump again, but Caleb tags it quickly.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking thunder. I bet it's because you called them muck people."<br/>
<br/>
Another beat of thunder, and you snip back, "Now each of us has been cursed for saying it."<br/>
<br/>
He lifts his shovel and starts to swing it, but the initial momentum shifts his foot enough in the slippery ground that it sends him on his back into a puddle.<br/>
<br/>
"FUCKING SHOVEL!"<br/>
<br/>
You help him up stifling another chuckle. "Let's get the rest in the truck and get out of here before ..."<br/>
<br/>
A flash of light illuminates grotesque shadows of mounds of dirt, bushes, and equipment like sentinels surrounding you. Another on top of it creates the illusion they are moving. You shiver as a sharp breeze rushes by with a whistle, and there's another "slop slop" of marching mud men. The rain then pelts down hard stinging you both. Grabbing the shovels, in no time you have the truck full with tailgate closed and step on the accelerator to get the fuck out of there.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"Fuckin' place. Why did I have to get out and push? It's your fucking truck and your fucking book and you got it fucking stuck," Caleb growls as you finally sped towards the school after an hour of wiggling to get out of the cemetery's maintenance lot.<br/>
<br/>
Another flash of light and deep rumble breaks immediately after his last word making you both wide-eyed and shaking.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't curse the book," you half chide and half believe with more than a bit of fear. "You were already covered in the mud people's skin. I figured they'd think you were one of them and help push it out, not drag you down in the muck again."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuckin fucking fuck."<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
Fortunately, there are some extra clothes at the clubhouse, so you change once the mud is inside. The rain stopped and most of the water had settled out as you drove back, but lugging the dirt with buckets takes so much time you only dump it on the floor before needing to leave for home so you're not caught.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
You're so tired and sore the next day that you consider skipping school.  Unfortunately, you have two exams and also want to keep up with Lisa in hope she'll drop Geoff and you can try again. The first period exam goes well since you took plenty of pain killers plus it was your best subject. By fourth period though, you are really dragging, and it takes all your will just to fall into the chair next to Lisa. You sit looking disheveled with red eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"Late night of studies?" she jokes knowing you never stay up to "study."<br/>
<br/>
Unthinking you barely are able to mumble, "Yeah," as you put your head in your hands, eyes now closed.<br/>
<br/>
"Was it World of Warcraft or something scary in a graveyard."<br/>
<br/>
Your head is throbbing and spinning with images of last night and not really processing her question. You repeat the one thing she said that fits in.<br/>
<br/>
"Graveyard. Muddy, wet, graveyard."<br/>
<br/>
"Will, I sometimes wonder if you'll ever grow up. It's the one thing that I kept hoping for last summer."<br/>
<br/>
"And I thought I was just annoying." you groan without thinking still head in hands.<br/>
<br/>
"You are rather complex in your ability to annoy, Will Prescott," she snips back.<br/>
<br/>
"Working on that old book is what's annoying," you let out before you realize it.<br/>
<br/>
"What book? Is that why you asked me about the old Latin?"<br/>
<br/>
Seeing you've opened a door you shouldn't but not wanting to lie to Lisa, you look up and explain, "Yeah. It's ah, ... a history project I'm trying to solve. Beyond school work."<br/>
<br/>
"Now that's more mature, Will. I knew you had a talent beyond annoying people. I admire you for taking on something like that. Let me know if I can help further, ... on the book that is, not digging up graveyards."<br/>
<br/>
She winks, and you smile almost chuckling that she doesn't know how close that is. The warmth from her comment also grows inside as you watch her each little movement pulling out pen and pencil for the test. Unfortunately, that feeling is doused as the bell rings sending pounding vibrations echoing in your head continuing for a good minute after it stops.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
At lunch you sit with Caleb and Keith nursing a pita with who-knows-what inside. You've added enough mustard and ketchup that if it had flavor you wouldn't taste it anyway. One thing you've learned about school: not to taste food as it comes off the line. Today, though, it's strange. The food is easing your headache. Maybe you should have had something besides pain pills for breakfast.<br/>
<br/>
"Prescott, you look like shit today. What happened?" Tilley asks elbowing you and starting those vibrations again. He hasn't seen you all morning since you only share afternoon classes with him.<br/>
<br/>
Being more careful now to make sure nothing slips, you just grunt. Again you scan the cafeteria seeing Lisa and Geoff still talking together, and you savagely rip another bite from the mystery wrap.<br/>
<br/>
What does Lisa possibly see in him, and why can't she be more interested in you? Then you think about her offer to help, how annoying and immature she mentioned you are, and that she admires you for working an outside project as long as she didn't have to dig up graveyards. You chuckle at that again just at the wrong moment and choke on some of the strange filling.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you OK?" Keith looks over and dodges the small yellow green blob that your cough shoots down the table, then you cough twice more before swilling your soda. <br/>
<br/>
"Curse of the mud people," Caleb jokes, and you give him a shocked and concerned stare as Tilley picks up on it.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, you spent last night in the graveyard? Digging up graves is how you solve that. Can't just wander around in a storm or you'll get sucked up by the people underground, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb are dumbfounded. He seems to know exactly you did last night or close to it. You both stare at him in silence mouths half open. He chomps down and as he chews glances back and forth between you two until he gets a confused look and swallows.<br/>
<br/>
"What you never made it that far before? Damn! It's a hell of a level to beat. I immediately saved so I'll never have to go back."<br/>
<br/>
You both breathe a sigh of relief and realize it's that new game everyone's playing. You actually got past the graveyard the first night and only stopped at level twelve because you've too involved with the book.<br/>
<br/>
"<i>I bet that's what Lisa thought you were playing.</i>" you think. You look over to see Geoff has left her alone and is walking out while a couple of her friends join her. If only you knew what is inside her head. "<i>No. Skip that idea.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
You look back at Keith, cheeks puffed with food like a chipmunk as he chews. You wonder if you should let him in. It would have helped with three last night. Caleb is looking at him and then turns his gaze to you. Your eyes meet. Obviously he's pondering the same.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231211212
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Starting to think outside the spells
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Neither you or Caleb feel that good after school and Tilley has stuck to you all afternoon like gum from the sidewalk. You decide its best to forgo the clubhouse - at least until you can shake him and your mind stabilizes. The three of you go over to hang at the local burger shack figuring if strange lunch meat can make you feel better, then the unknown filling comprising the burgers here should fix you right up. Besides, they do have the best Oreo milkshakes anywhere.<br/>
<br/>
You get a small burger and super-shake while Keith and Caleb split giant-sized fries with their sodas. Talk invariably turns to gaming and soon you're aches start fading as you sit and listen while the sugar high takes over.<br/>
<br/>
"You've got to plan ahead and not just race through the level. There's uses for each bit of knowledge gained and artifact you make with it. If all you do is collect stuff to get to the next level, you'll eventually fall into a trap or worse. Always think how you can use what you have, now and later for the final goal."<br/>
<br/>
"Such wise words from someone with a C- average and still at level nine," Caleb observes teasing Keith and his advice.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well I know what I can and can't do with the shields I posses, and each level is getting easier. I just take my time."<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you score points the quicker you go. The objective is to reach the high score."<br/>
<br/>
"High score doesn't win in the real game. What good are points if you haven't made the friends and pawns to support you or taken over control of your enemies?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, it's like school. It's not your grade but what you learn," you throw out more as satirical humor than fact, although you know it's just the opposite of how school works.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb chuckles with you  as he takes a few more fries, but Keith gets upset. Perhaps you pick on him because he's been struggling this year just to hang onto that C average. You're all about equal intelligence, and none is really dumber or smarter than the other. Caleb may be better at sciences and math giving him the best GPA of you three. You roll good in history which keeps you at a B- most of the time. Keith though always seems more intuitive. Unfortunately, no test gives points for that.<br/>
<br/>
"You guys are just assholes and luck out in those standardized tests, but I'm the one who finishes projects on time that result in clear conclusions demonstrating the theory." Keith emphatically argues.<br/>
<br/>
"OK, but games are different. They're to rack points." Caleb refutes.<br/>
<br/>
"Not all." Keith comes back then postures his side of the debate. "Ever since those thinking games came out back in the '90's, like Myst. It wasn't the graphics that made the game. Those looks just helped sell it. It was the puzzle, solving the plot, joining facts, reaching conclusions, using each step along the way and knowing how. Games with just shoot 'em up crap are mindless shit like standards of learning tests. The real prize is planning and follow-through with tools you gain at each step!"<br/>
<br/>
"OK, looks sell like Cindy Vredenburg. And the logical goal is to score. Ergo, rack her up - points." Caleb twists Keith's logic with a smile and stuffs the last of the fries in his mouth.<br/>
<br/>
"Shit. You guys couldn't figure out what to do with a magic medallion if it fell in your lap. You'd probably use it to get more video games or pay for online time, not what it could mean to your real life."<br/>
<br/>
At that Keith gets up and sighs, "I got a project to complete that has some meaning. You guys might as well go back to playing with your toys." Then he heads off.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
It was an interesting dialog between your two friends on the finer points of getting ahead in the new game everyone is playing. The thing is, what Keith said made lots of sense beyond gaming, like in the context of using the book and masks. So far you had just "played" with each spell enough to get to the next. You hadn't even considered the possibilities of using the masks or what you could obtain with them. That's what is on your mind when you and Caleb meet at the clubhouse after dinner, your parents thinking you two are doing a school project.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe we're rushing into this," you offer to Caleb even as you measure the dirt into a new pile along with the other ingredients on top of a sigil you had transcribed onto a piece of paper.<br/>
<br/>
"Two hours in a fucking graveyard and now you want to wait."<br/>
<br/>
"Not wait. Think and plan about what we've already discovered with these masks and how we might use them."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, we have Jeremy's secret and Lisa's brain already off limits. So how does that help us get anything?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe not them, but perhaps others. It would be kinda cool to impersonate some folks. We just need to be able to control the information in their minds, what gets into ours. Maybe others are simpler."<br/>
<br/>
"OK, I can see some benefits to becoming Javits or Black," Caleb says looking off with a big smile then back at you with a wink. "Sweet benefits."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. That's one, but consider something less primal - recognition or smarts, moving on in the world or life, not having your ass kicked or being able to direct who gets their ass kicked."<br/>
<br/>
"Or who's ass you get."<br/>
<br/>
You swat his shoulder. "Come on, think with your head, the one on your shoulders."<br/>
<br/>
"OK, I'm thinking we can think and talk while we watch this fucking pile burn."<br/>
<br/>
With that he tosses a match on the pile of dirt you just stuck some of your hair into and poured the fuel over. The usual white flash blinds you, then your eyes see the regular bluish flames dance over the whole thing.<br/>
<br/>
Pulling up a couple chairs, you each take out a mask that you'd made and start the polishing as you ask, "So seriously, who would you like to be, and not just for the sex."<br/>
<br/>
"Hmmm," Caleb murmurs as he rocks back and forth gazing at the light and shadows playing on the ceiling. "That kinda makes it much harder, or maybe less hard," he chuckles grabbing his crotch as he continues to stare up.<br/>
<br/>
You know that you still want Geoff Mansfield if he is the one Lisa is going to go for. If she drops him, you'll take over whoever her next guy turns out to be. Instead of making Geoff an ass so she'll drop him, you'll go with what she likes just so you can be with her. Switching any time she moves on. You'll find out exactly what she wants and then become that person. You'll just ...<br/>
<br/>
"So we don't have to limit ourselves to students or school, right."<br/>
<br/>
His words break your thoughts and fluster you for a few moments before answering.<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, no. I guess not. We'd have to be able to get to them somehow to make a mask."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, thought so. That'll leave out that guy in the video with the twelve inch cock." he says with one of his shit-faced grins.<br/>
<br/>
"Damn, Caleb. Get serious."<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"You bring any marshmallows? How long is this thing going to take?" he asks after another hour goes by and you need to get home soon.<br/>
<br/>
Taking the book up again, you reread the spell. "Don't know. It just says to keep relighting until it won't."<br/>
<br/>
"You think it's safe to let it burn if we leave?"<br/>
<br/>
You stick you hand in the flames and wait. Nothing. Well, at least no burning. It's almost like little feathers tickling your hand. Same as the mask when you'd checked out it's flames.<br/>
<br/>
"I guess it's safe. One of us should check it before school. I don't think anyone will notice since there's no windows."<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312112121
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Plans take a new direction
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It is Friday night, and you and Caleb sit before the flaming dirt pile. You found it still ablaze this morning. It looked a bit different than you remembered, like it had melted down making it long and narrow, but there wasn't time to check closely, so you just locked the door and headed off to school.<br/>
<br/>
The day had turned out well when you got the tests back and found you passed both, much better than you expected. After the way you looked yesterday, even Lisa said she was proud and amazed at your recovery. Of course it probably helped that you had run out of clean T-shirts and ratty jeans and were wearing a polo and chinos that weren't wrinkled. The guys wanted to know who were trying to impress or get lucky with, and the girls seemed to be giving you the once and even twice over. Well, at least those not in the upper social levels.<br/>
<br/>
"So, she asked what I was doing this evening," you tell Caleb about your talk with Lisa. "Like an idiot I told her you and I had a project we needed to work tonight. ... DAMN IT!" you curse yourself again which is all you've done since lunch when Lisa talked to you - alone.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, she is playing you, like I said before. You are just consumed with her. You need to focus elsewhere."<br/>
<br/>
"DAMN! But I don't want to focus elsewhere when what I want is right in front of me."<br/>
<br/>
"You want a flaming pile of melting muck people?"<br/>
<br/>
You backhand his shoulder hard and snap, "You know what I mean."<br/>
<br/>
"Then don't be an ass and call her up right now. Tell her Caleb broke off your date with him because you kept calling her name while we sat together before a romantic fire of ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Too late," you interrupt. "By seventh period she and some girlfriends had already decided to go shopping and maybe hit a movie."<br/>
<br/>
He just shakes his head then squints at the pile, before saying, "Looks like it's melting and changing again."<br/>
<br/>
You stare at it but it's hard to tell, although it does look more than a big blob where one end is now forming into something like a bowling ball and the other is long and flat with a peak at the tip. When you checked after school, it had stretched, and the flame had gone out, so you relit it before going home for dinner. When you and Caleb got back this evening, you could see more of an irregular shape. It is interesting to watch the strange cool, blue flames, but your thoughts are drifting back to what you should do with the knowledge you've gained so far.<br/>
<br/>
"So, if we made a bunch of masks who should we go after so we can pretend to be them?" you broach Caleb again.<br/>
<br/>
"Or get the secrets in their heads and use those against them for fun and profit?" he smirks.<br/>
<br/>
"Or get our asses laid bare and hung on the flagpole for everyone to see after we try that," you counter.<br/>
<br/>
"I still say we do the twins and blackmail them into ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Can you think of anything besides sex with the twins?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure there's Cindy Vredenburg, actually any of the cheerleaders, and ..."<br/>
<br/>
"What about the Molester? Or the other bullies?" you snap back. "Wouldn't it be better to get them off our ass? You may find Chelsea's group more evil than you think and able to turn the tables so you have to have sex with who they say, and it may not be a chick - or in private." <br/>
<br/>
"OK. So blackmail might not even be the best approach. But how would we use a mask especially if we can't get the real person out of the way?"<br/>
<br/>
That's is a conundrum that has stifled all ideas you had, too. You might be able to impersonate someone for a short period if someone kept watch on the real, but that would be very tricky. You change the subject.<br/>
<br/>
"What about letting Keith in on this? He's the one with good intuition. Maybe he can see a better plan."<br/>
<br/>
"So now we form a group? Maybe make masks of each other and fool our parents and teachers. We could sell or rent them. Soon, we could have half the school in on it. It will spread and eventually the spooks will hear and whisk you and the book and masks away to some lab to be experimented on until they brainwash and release you, if they do."<br/>
<br/>
"He's one guy." you insist. "We've always done stuff together, although we seem to have drifted this year."<br/>
<br/>
"Not as much as Richards. Maybe we should use that one to go scare the shit out of a few folks, starting with Tilley."<br/>
<br/>
"That's exactly why we need him to get some real ideas besides sex, blackmail, and bullying."<br/>
<br/>
You both are quiet for a while, again watching the flames. They're almost hypnotic, and your mind starts drifting seeing Jeremy and Lisa's face in the flames until Caleb's voice brings you back.<br/>
<br/>
"Didn't one of those first spells say you could put multiple faces in a mask that would merge to make a new form?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I think so," you say picking up the book and looking back at the first spells. "Yep. It refers to creating a new image by placing the mask on multiple faces before adding the stabilizing glop." You look up at him and ask, "What could we do with that?"<br/>
<br/>
"We get the best looking guys and create a super stud or maybe make the perfect girl ..."<br/>
<br/>
You hit him with the book just as the flames go out and your cell goes off.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
Fifteen minutes later you drive up to the mall movie theater, and Lisa and Cassie Harper climb into your truck. Cassie's short, cute and a bit pudgy plus a never-ending talker.<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks so much, Will," Lisa says.<br/>
<br/>
"Brenda just disappeared with the others when we came out of the movie," Cassie adds. "We called but no answer. We went to where she'd parked, but no blue wagon anywhere as we wandered through the lot thinking we had the wrong spot, and after all the previous walking while shopping at ..."<br/>
<br/>
Cassie then proceeds to ramble on at an alarming pace detailing an almost step by step description of the evening at the mall. What stores they went in and what they saw and what they almost bought, how cute, gaudy, stylish, sexy, out of style, etc. You listen politely wondering why she never has to take a breath of air that could allow someone else to get a comment. You're just grateful when you pull up in Lisa's driveway and you all get out so her voice will stop. Unfortunately, Cassie climbs back in as you walk Lisa to the door.<br/>
<br/>
"You don't mind do you, Will, taking Cassie home? Mom's out with the car this evening, or I would."<br/>
<br/>
Of course, you'll take Cassie home. You'd drive the devil to hell for Lisa. You just wish she could see you more than a friend.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, Lisa. No problem."<br/>
<br/>
"I know Cassie can be a bit intense, and I'll make it up to you for rescuing us, too." She leans over quickly and pecks you on the cheek before dashing through the door saying, "Call me tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
You float back into the driver's seat and try to make small talk with Cassie for the next ten minutes to her house. It's very small on your part as she keeps going non-stop. When you get there, though, she is much more grateful than Lisa and hugs you affectionately then plants a big kiss right on your lips before going inside. It surprises you, but not as much as your reaction as you walk back to the truck feeling the tightness in the front of your pants.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11123121121211
author_id: wordsmitty
title: What's a golem to do?
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're about to say screw it all and go home, when your cell goes off.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, get your ass back here. NOW!"<br/>
<br/>
"What happened?" you ask but he just tells you you have to come and see then hangs up.<br/>
<br/>
You race the truck back thinking something terrible must have happened.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"So what's all the panic?" you shout running in the door only to see Caleb standing over a body. "Oh my god. Who did you kill?"<br/>
<br/>
"No one, dude. But check it out."<br/>
<br/>
You stop beside him and look down at what appears like a stone statue but without any discerning features. Bald, faceless, naked, sexless even, although you don't probe its crotch to be sure. You stare wondering where it came from until it hits you. It's in the right spot, so it's the result of the burning muck.<br/>
<br/>
"So, what now master chef?" Caleb asks turning to you.<br/>
<br/>
"Well," you start then get the <i>Libras</i> before continuing. "We can't put it on the page, so let's hope putting the open book with the spell on it will work."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait!" Caleb cries out almost in a panic as you move the book towards the statue on the floor. "What if it comes alive or something? What if it attacks?"<br/>
<br/>
You give him the you've-got-to-be-kidding look and say, "It's just one of the muck people, and you're virtually kin from your swim with them in the graveyard."<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, that ain't funny," comes his stern reply.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, the only thing that's ever happened is to release more of the writing or the next page. That should tell us more."<br/>
<br/>
You place the book as he speaks, "Like you and the Jeremy mask, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
Fortunately, you're right. The book glows a couple seconds; and when you lift it off, the bottom of the page has more text, in old Latin again. It's hard to make out much more than a few words: mask, life, slave. Caleb looks over your shoulder and shakes his head.<br/>
<br/>
"This may take some time," you mumble and go sit in a chair with the book. "Why don't you polish a mask while I work on this?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," he says and goes to get a mask and cloth.<br/>
<br/>
It's about an hour later, and you have gotten some major phrases and think you can guess close to the rest.<br/>
<br/>
"It says that a mask gives it life and it becomes the slave of the master."<br/>
<br/>
"Lot of Latin for such little information," he questions you and puts down the mask.<br/>
<br/>
"That's the gist. There's more detail, but I'll need some more help or Internet access to translate completely. Plus these phrases are more like riddles than just statements of fact."<br/>
<br/>
"So what's the next spell?"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't know. Page doesn't turn. I think we have to bring it to life before that happens," you reply. Caleb's face goes pale again.<br/>
<br/>
After closing the book and setting it down on the table, you pick up the Jeremy mask and walk over to the "golem," as the book called it. "Might as well give it a try," you say as you lower the mask on its face and step back.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"Why the fuck am I back here again, Johannson?" Jeremy growls as it gets up and heads over towards Caleb who is backpedaling fast.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, Johannson? Cat got your tongue? I don't see a cat. Maybe I need to pull your tongue out to see if it works."<br/>
<br/>
"W-Will, how do we s-s-stop it?" Caleb sputters in a panic.<br/>
<br/>
Just then Jeremy catches sight of you off to the side and freezes in place looking back and forth between the two of you. You're just as frozen since you haven't a clue how to stop it, either.<br/>
<br/>
"What say you? Can I check his oral faculties?"<br/>
<br/>
In confused brilliance, your only answer is, "Huh?"<br/>
<br/>
The thing rolls its eyes then walks over to you. You see his anger looks more like frustration, but there's no place for you to go as Jeremy leans down and asks, "Should I rip his tongue out?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, no," you say rather timidly.<br/>
<br/>
"OK, then." he says as he turns back to growl at Caleb and puts his fist into his other palm. "What can I do to him."<br/>
<br/>
"W-Will?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, a ... nothing." you stammer. "Just be friendly."<br/>
<br/>
"OK. No hard feelings then, Caleb?" Jeremy's demeanor shifts 180 instantly as he smiles and his tone turns friendly while he holds out his hand to shake Caleb's.<br/>
<br/>
"I - I guess it's OK," Caleb tentatively takes his hand.<br/>
<br/>
Turning back to you, he again asks, "So what do you want me to do?"<br/>
<br/>
Still unsure and wishing you had waited until you got the full translation, you ask, "What can you do?"<br/>
<br/>
The Jeremy before you narrows its eyes and answers, "Besides scaring Johannson, you mean." He shrugs. "Anything you want. So what'll it be?"<br/>
<br/>
"Um, ah, not sure. Why do you ask?"<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy pauses very pensive for a while looking up and then back at you before he answers. "Got me there, actually. Just something inside wants me to do what you tell me and not do anything to you. It's kind of creepy." He shrugs again then adds, "Something just tells me I have to obey you."<br/>
<br/>
"Interesting," you ponder out loud.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb starts toward it and  says, "Let's take the mask off. It gives me the creeps."<br/>
<br/>
As he reaches out, Jeremy takes a defensive stance and swats at Caleb's hand causing him to back off.<br/>
<br/>
"Will, he's your buddy. You try it."<br/>
<br/>
"Can you take the mask off?" you ask it.<br/>
<br/>
"What mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"OK, then. Hold still while I do it."<br/>
<br/>
"No problem, Will."<br/>
<br/>
You reach up to its forehead, say the phrase, and pull.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"So, I'll go home and work on the translation," you tell Caleb. "But as far as we know, we can use the golem to be whoever we want once we have a mask and strip of them, and it will obey me. We could even make masks of ourselves and skip school without skipping school."<br/>
<br/>
"So we can get the Garner twins and have our own little orgy? Cool, dude."<br/>
<br/>
"Cool, but stupid." you answer with disgust. "We need to think higher than our crotches. Plus we have to go visit the muck people again to make another golem to have twins. You really want to do that next month again?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb is quiet for a little while shaking his head at the thought of another midnight in a graveyard. "Or we just do one at a time. I'm willing to share."<br/>
<br/>
"Forget it, Caleb. Besides, it wouldn't be that easy to get them even with Jeremy. What do we do, just keep 'em as our own little whores down here? Might as well do a sheep if we can't be seen in public or have them admit to it so others envy. Need to get the original out of the way, or we can't be seen with them outside. We don't want both being noticed even if in different places. Someone could connect the dots and find us all out."<br/>
<br/>
You walk up and put your hand on his shoulder. "Relax and polish a while, then go home. We'll meet up later when I get the next spell and any more details on this golem thing. OK?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess, but I still think getting the Garners ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up! And <i>polish</i> the mask, too, so we'll have two if the next spell is a bust."<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231211212111
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Unexpected translation help.
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>After cleaning up and having something to eat, you decide to give Lisa a call and see if she can help again. After all, she's been impressed that you have a "project," and she did say to call and that she'd make it up for your gallantry last evening rescuing her and Cassie.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Lisa. How are things today?"<br/>
<br/>
"Busy, Will. How 'bout you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Good, I'm, a, working more on that project and could use some help on more translation. Any chance we could get together?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, gee, I'd like to, Will, but," she says and disappointment starts welling up in you. "Mom's drafted me into helping on this charity thing today and this evening ..." She pauses, and you can guess what that means.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, OK," you mutter unable to hide your frustration. "<i>It's gotta be another date with Mansfield. If only I could break that up.</i>" you think before she comes back.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry, Will, but I <i>can</i> get you help on the translation." Before you can try anything, she puts you into hold. It's half a minute later when she comes back.<br/>
<br/>
"Will, I got Cassie on the other line. She's also great on old Latin and willing to help you right now. Just let me conference her in."<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Damn. Is Lisa trying to set me up or something, like last night and brush me off?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Cassie? Will? You both on?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you say without any enthusiasm.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, Will. Good to hear from you, and thanks again for last night. We really got trapped and I don't know what we'd have done since Geoff wouldn't ..."<br/>
<br/>
Lisa cuts her off. "Cassie, you can help Will with some Latin translation he's doing on an outside project, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yeah, Be glad to. Last semester I was able to translate the whole final essay perfectly and got an A+. Actually surprised, myself, but it seems I have this real knack for it. Can't seem to learn any other languages or speak well in them. Really blew that French oral last year, and I swear I didn't know that that pronunciation was, a, like, pornographic, really. I ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Can you meet with Will today?" Lisa cuts off her rambling again.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure. When? I can come now, or actually, I can't come. I don't have a car today, but if you want to come over, ... or go somewhere and work on it. Dad's doing some painting so the place smells a bit. Working Latin is like a game, and it'd be fun to be with you, Will. ... I mean to help on translation."<br/>
<br/>
"OK, Cassie. What say I come by in about half an hour?"<br/>
<br/>
"That will work perfectly. I'll grab a couple references and just be waiting by the door. It's such a nice day, maybe we can sit in the park. Anywhere other than the stuffy library with its ...."<br/>
<br/>
"Cassie, Will, I gotta go," Lisa cuts her off one more time.<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks, Lisa." you say trying to sound sincere. "Maybe we can talk later, OK?" you plead.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, Will. Call me. Bye."<br/>
<br/>
"Bye, Lisa. I'll be ..." Cassie inserts but Lisa fortunately disconnects the conference call before Cassie rattles off a sixty word goodbye.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
Wanting to get the translation of the new spell and be free of Cassie as soon as possible, you went straight there and picked her up but were not about to show her the book or work on this in a public area like the park or library. Her house did smell of awful paint, and you'd never hear the end of it from your family if you took Cassie home. That didn't leave you many choices. The obvious one would be the clubhouse in the old elementary school basement, but you didn't want Cassie to accidentally start spouting off about it or stumble onto some of the things there, and she could get the wrong impression of your intentions, too. That really left just one place: Caleb's house.<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you said we'd meet <i>after</i> you got help and had the translation. And why do you have Cassie doing it?" Caleb whispers to you in the living room while Cassie is working in the kitchen with the phrases you copied from the <i>Libras</i> and her reference books plus a laptop.<br/>
<br/>
"Lisa was busy and conferenced Cassie before I could stop her. It's just until she finishes. Besides, where else could I take her and be safe from others finding out?" you explain quietly.<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," he says tossing you the other game controller.<br/>
<br/>
The game quickly takes all your attention with both of you getting really involved in kicking each others virtual ass for a couple hours and eventually forgetting about Cassie being there. As Caleb starts trashing your minions and carving up your stockpiles of treasure, you start hearing a soft voice giving you tips to stay ahead of Caleb's hoards. You're too focused to do anything but follow, and soon they prove very beneficial until you completely wipe him out.<br/>
<br/>
"Damn. How'd you do that, dude?" he cries as he tosses his controller down.<br/>
<br/>
"Secret weapon," comes Cassie's voice from behind as she puts her hands on your shoulders which makes you jerk around to see her cute smile and wink.<br/>
<br/>
"Ha - how'd you know that?" you stutter in amazement.<br/>
<br/>
Cassie hops over the couch and slides down against you with just one word, "Brothers."<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?" you ask as she takes the controller from your hand.<br/>
<br/>
"I got two brothers who think it's fun to pick on their sister. I studied and tried this when they weren't around until I beat their pants off, literally, in a bet. They don't pick on me as much now," she explains as she starts whizzing through a new game as you and Caleb watch with mouths open.<br/>
<br/>
"Wow. You're something else," you admit as she moves through two levels in no time.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. It's sort of like with Latin. I seem to have a knack for it."<br/>
<br/>
The mention of Latin brings back why she's really here, and you ask, "So, you got it all?"<br/>
<br/>
"Most of it," she says not lifting her concentration as she takes out a five bar interceptor and jumps ahead through a secret tunnel to the next level. "Some phrases come out more in double meanings like they were done to confuse. Perhaps they'd make sense in context, though it's almost like they are parts of a formula or riddle or something."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb and you return stares hoping she hasn't figured out more than you want her to know, then you both go to the kitchen to check it out.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you don't think she ..." Caleb starts again with a whisper as you look at Cassie's translation while she continues the game.<br/>
<br/>
"Nah. I only gave her part and made sure I mixed them up, but this looks very interesting. We just need to match these back together with the <i>Libras</i> in the right order."<br/>
<br/>
"So, what exactly is this project you're working on?" Cassie calls from the other room.<br/>
<br/>
"Some science thing." Caleb calls back when you can't find a good lie.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, like turning lead to gold or making people invisible?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. Mysteries lost with Atlantis," Caleb chuckles and motions for you to get Cassie and take her home.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
You manage to whisk Cassie out leaving Caleb to put the new spell together and give you call when he has it. When you get back to her house, it still smells of paint, so you offer to take Cassie to dinner partly in return for her help. It's during this that you find yourself really enjoying her company even if she does jabber endlessly at times. That seems to be part of her cuteness, and you start thinking about her in a completely different way. You're considering spending the evening with her when your cell goes off. As you take it, Cassie excuses herself to the restroom, and you remember that you were going to call Lisa but she'd probably be with that jerk Mansfield. Maybe you should interrupt, after this call.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, one of the ingredients for this spell is a human," Caleb immediately tells you.<br/>
<br/>
"Cool, what does it do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Doesn't say. It just uses some of the muck people dirt, fuel and a master's hair but with a person.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe it turns them into something that can assimilate people like a mask. You just touch them and, ZAP! you're inside them and in control."<br/>
<br/>
"Hm," Caleb ponders on the phone. "Maybe, or it could make them a slave like the golem."<br/>
<br/>
"So, you want to try it tonight or do you need to <i>polish</i> some more?"<br/>
<br/>
"I've finished the mask and good with polishing for now. But who do we use as the human ingredient?"<br/>
<br/>
Just then Cassie comes back and slides back into the booth.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312112121111
author_id: wordsmitty
title: A willing volunteer.
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Caleb and the science project?" Cassie asks.<br/>
<br/>
You smile and nod then answer Caleb. "Either of us could do it. Not like we have someone else."<br/>
<br/>
Cassie perks up and shifts in her seat, so you smile at her again then turn aside.<br/>
<br/>
"If we put a mask on someone, they'd probably be out long enough afterward to do the spell." Caleb offers.<br/>
<br/>
"Where and how would we get someone?" you reply shaking your head then whisper into the phone as  Cassie coughs and pushes her glass around the table, "You know what happened last time."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, right. Not going to try it on him again. Who else would you like to experiment on?"<br/>
<br/>
Thoughts of burning Geoff Mansfield or turning him into your slave, if that's what it does, play in your head, but you doubt you could get him to the clubhouse. Although having him dump Lisa might send her right back to your arms. Maybe with a little planning, but ...<br/>
<br/>
You tell Caleb, "I don't see anyone available this evening, so we might as well just skip until ..."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll do it." Cassie blurts out interrupting you.<br/>
<br/>
You stare over and just remain silent, thinking. How much could you tell her or should, if anything? What happens if something goes wrong? She's a nice kid, and you don't want to hurt her, but should you ignore a willing volunteer.<br/>
<br/>
"Yo, Will. You still there?" Caleb brings you back.<br/>
<br/>
"Hold tight. I'll call you back." you tell him and end the call.<br/>
<br/>
"Can I help? I'm really interested in you, er, your project. Those translations were intriguing to say the least. I'd love to know more. That is, if you'd let me."<br/>
<br/>
She has this innocent, yet excited face close to a begging puppy that is really hard to disappoint. Your head starts spinning with ideas as you talk.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not that simple or even safe, for sure anyway," you explain, but she still stares at you with those eyes. You're rescued when your cell goes off again with an alert tone. You check it see it's a reminder to call Lisa that you set after the conference with her and Cassie.<br/>
<br/>
"Um, I'm suppose to call Lisa," you improvise and smile at Cassie. "Thank her for convincing you to help and your great job.<br/>
<br/>
"No problem. She really didn't have to convince me. I mean I'm always available to help you, ... or on Latin ... project ... you know." She looks down and blushes uncharacteristically it seems without words.<br/>
<br/>
You are too absorbed on what to say to Lisa as you play with the phone disengaging the alert and don't really connect with what she says. You hit #3 and think how you're also 3 on hers. It's just Caleb and Keith ahead for you instead of each of her parents for her. It rings five times and you're about to hang up when she finally answers.<br/>
<br/>
"Hi, Will."<br/>
<br/>
There's some noise of someone saying something in the background, but not distinct.<br/>
<br/>
"Hi, Lisa. Just wanted to get back in touch about the translation and maybe getting together."<br/>
<br/>
"Wasn't Cassie able to help?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yeah. She did a great job," you say and smile at Cassie. "It's, well, other things, ... like the project that I hoped we could discuss." <br/>
<br/>
Again there's a voice in the background, and you can tell Lisa's covered the phone and says something to whoever is there before she comes back.<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, I can't right now. You do know Cassie has a crush on you, right?"<br/>
<br/>
You're eyes immediately pop up and stare at Cassie who is staring at the table and playing with her glass. She looks like she's unhappy but tolerating the situation. That's when her actions and words hit you for what they really were.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh. I didn't," you mumble into the phone and turn away. "It's that I, .. well, ... kinda like, ..." You just can't bring yourself to say it to Lisa, so you blurt out, "never, ... thought ... of that."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, Will. But I can't talk now, maybe ..."<br/>
<br/>
Then you clearly hear in the distance, "Come on. Enough with him. Let's go." That's followed by Lisa masking the phone, but you can still hear a garbled, "Just shut up a minute, Geoff."<br/>
<br/>
"Call me tomorrow. I'll be around all day and be glad to talk more about, ... all those things. OK? Bye."<br/>
<br/>
She hangs up even before you can say goodbye, and you now have that same look as Cassie of distant numbness.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
"So this is our little secret lab, and it has to remain <i>secret</i> from everyone, you understand?" you explain as you give Cassie the tour of the clubhouse.<br/>
<br/>
You gave Caleb plenty of time to clean up and hide all of the stuff. There's just the two new unimprinted masks out along with some of the graveyard dirt and fuel. You don't even see the <i>Libras</i> and hope Caleb has it handy to read the spell.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yeah. Lips sealed," Cassie excitedly says in a loud whisper and pulling her thumb and finger across her mouth like a zipper. "It's not the high-tech Bat cave or X-Men central, but, ... it's sort of creepy fun. If Caleb wasn't here, I'd figure this was a man cave used to seduce sweet innocents." Her eyes open wide and she tries to pose seductively with her finger on her puckered lip. You can't help but chuckle.<br/>
<br/>
"Although the decor is really lacking for seduction. More like a mad scientist lair. Which one of you is Igor?" she asks but doesn't stop for an answer. "With a little work, this could be a great spot for parties or just hanging out. No parents or other family around to worry about. we could all just have a good time and ..."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a <i>secret</i>, Cassie. Remember?" Caleb forcefully calls out across the room still not thrilled that you brought her into this.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yeah. I didn't mean to ..." she starts and looks from Caleb to you. "I promise. I won't tell a soul. There aren't any bodies buried down here, are there?" she adds glancing into the dark corners and holding a stare at a particular lump. "It almost smells funky and that shape looks like ..."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb waves and shakes his head violently as she takes a step in that direction, so you grab her arm and swing her back.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing dead here except any word about this place to anyone." you tell her bringing her over to a chair.<br/>
<br/>
"Now like I said before, this is sort of a magic science trick. We give you a mask to wear," you tell her as you walk over and pick up one. "Then we sprinkle you with magic dust and liquid and ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Set me on fire," she finishes for you. "But it's really a combination that doesn't burn me. Right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right," Caleb answers. "We've tested the flames before, and they are actually cool. We can hold a hand in them and nothing happens."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb now seems to be getting into this or just wants to silence Cassie's rambling, you're not sure.<br/>
<br/>
"OK. I'm ready," she says turning to you.<br/>
<br/>
You motion to the chair, and she sits before you hand her the mask. She looks at you then the mask and sighs. You think she's about to put it on when she looks back at you with her cute, sweet smile and asks, "A kiss for good luck?"<br/>
<br/>
"Of course. A scientist would be mad not to," you joke and give her a nice kiss, longer than you had planned.<br/>
<br/>
As you release, she raises the mask with her eyes still closed and slumps in the chair as it disappears into her.<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
It's been fifteen minutes since you lit the junk you threw on Cassie, and the flames appear to be dying down. You're nervous and scared, so much so that Caleb took the mask across the room where he had hidden all the stuff and sealed it. Then suddenly the flames went out.<br/>
<br/>
"She looks like the golem in her clothes," you exclaim. "Cassie? Cassie, can you hear me?" you shout bending over her head. After a few seconds, you call again then rise up and mutter, "Oh, my god. We've killed her."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb inspects her more closely for another minute while you sink in the chair almost in tears of fear and guilt at what you allowed yourself to trick her into.<br/>
<br/>
"No, wait. I can hear a very soft breathing and her chest is moving," he says resting his hand on her left breast.<br/>
<br/>
"Pervert," you scream and jump up pushing him aside and putting your ear to her lips in silence for several seconds. "You're right. Cassie?" you call again.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb brings out the <i>Libras</i> and places it on her like you did with the golem. The book glows, and when you turn it over there's an explanation in Latin that looks like "a mask makes this <i>corpse golem</i> human for the master." You're sure it uses the word "corpse" and wonder if you needed a live human at all.<br/>
<br/>
Desperate to revive Cassie, you grab the mask on the table and place it on her face just as Caleb calls out "Wait."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait for what?" you turn to him.<br/>
<br/>
"You put the blank mask on her. Here's the one we imprinted earlier."<br/>
<br/>
Swinging around to a noise, you see Cassie is now sitting up, and turns to you to ask, "Did it work?"<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11123121121211112
author_id: wordsmitty
title: A rogue golem
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You and Caleb stare dumbfounded. How could a blank mask work? It's blank, and Cassie seems to be a golem that needs an imprinted mask. But then a regular golem has no shape, memories or personality underneath whereas Cassie does. All sorts of questions and possibilities run through your head continuing to leave you silent.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I guess it didn't," Cassie says half jokingly in her cutest way.<br/>
<br/>
"You're alive," you finally mumble.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, duh. does that mean it didn't work? Did you intend o kill me?" Cassie now looks quite a bit concerned flashing back and forth between the two of you.<br/>
<br/>
"No. No, no no. It's just ..." you begin but can't figure how to explain what happened. "Do you feel OK?"<br/>
<br/>
"I feel fine. The last I remember is your ..." she trails off and blushes deeply. "Then waking up just now."<br/>
<br/>
"What was it like?" Caleb throws out while you stand next to her also blushing and at a loss for words.<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, it felt like my head was spinning with my whole life then everything went dark and I couldn't hear or feel anything. It was like I was suspended waiting for something after being kissed." The last came out quiet and sent her face back to red Then she felt her face and adds, "What happened to that mask I put on?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's part of the trick." You nervously chuckle. "Here, let me try something."<br/>
<br/>
You put your fingers to her brow, say the release phrase and pull. Instantly, Cassie is stone again, and you hold the blank in your hand.<br/>
<br/>
You stare at it turning it over twice to confirm it is completely blank while you pace across the room then state the obvious, "It's definitely blank. Still blank."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb is absorbed in the <i>Libras</i> again rechecking it with your and Cassie's translations of the pieces. After several minutes he shakes his head.<br/>
<br/>
"It just says use mask as before or some such implying one we've imprinted and sealed. However, there's enough ambiguity in this that it could be implying "release" or "rise" and "original" for mask. It's like a riddle more than specific instructions. I assume that a regular sealed mask will have the usual results, though."<br/>
<br/>
"OK, let's give it a try," you say and push a mask to her stone face and step back behind her as the transformation takes place.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck have you done to me now, Johannson?" Jeremy Richards looks down at his body and pulls at Cassie's clothes stretched tightly on him. His loud voice sounds more confused than angry. "Why am I in these with ... a bra underneath? You got me cross-dressed like I could be a fucking queer or something." He looks at Caleb and walks towards him.<br/>
<br/>
"Will, why'd you use that mask again?" Caleb shoots you an evil look as he tries to back away. Unfortunately, Richards is much too quick for him.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy swings up beside him and throws an arm over his shoulder. As his elbow bends round Caleb's neck, he asks, "We going out on a date or something? You didn't dress me all pretty just to fool around down here. I'm really not that kind of a guy."<br/>
<br/>
His smile and giggling during this is ridiculous but obviously he's still treating Caleb nicely like you told him but with a hint of typical Richard's teasing. You chuckle yourself as you watch Caleb push Jeremy's arm back off and stomp over towards you.<br/>
<br/>
"Not funny, Prescott," Caleb spits then turns back to Jeremy, "or you either."<br/>
<br/>
"You've got some real learning to do to show someone a good time cause this definitely ain't it." Jeremy rebukes him with a pouty, high pitched voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Now cut that out," Caleb lashes back.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy is just about to keep going when you shake your head and say, "That's enough."<br/>
<br/>
"I still don't get why I'm dressed like this."<br/>
<br/>
"And you haven't answered why you used that mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"You're suppose to be the smart scientist," you reply. "It's a test. We need to find out if she is aware underneath that."<br/>
<br/>
"She who? Underneath what?" Jeremy questions sticking his hand in the blouse and scratching his pecks under the bra.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't play with yourself like that."<br/>
<br/>
"OK, but it itches."<br/>
<br/>
"Jeremy, think deep and look in your mind, can you sense anyone else?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"What the fuck do you mean. That's as dumb as Johannson. There's no split personality in here."<br/>
<br/>
"OK. Hold still again." You pull the Jeremy mask and watch him shrink back to stone Cassie.<br/>
<br/>
"Now we try her mask to compare," you tell Caleb as you start to put it on her.<br/>
<br/>
"Her mask?" Caleb asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, her mask."<br/>
<br/>
"Which her mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Witcher mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. Which Cassie mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"The Cassie Cassie mask."<br/>
<br/>
"The sealed Cassie mask, then."<br/>
<br/>
"Right. <i>Her</i> mask," you emphasize.<br/>
<br/>
"OK. Not the blank mask."<br/>
<br/>
"That blank is blank not hers."<br/>
<br/>
"But blank makes her her, so it's a her mask."<br/>
<br/>
"No that's ..."  and suddenly you think to say, "<i>Third base,</i>" but don't and just nod as Cassie comes to life but looking around confused.<br/>
<br/>
"Did it work?" she finally asks.<br/>
<br/>
Not what you had expected. This is her, too, so why didn't she just come back at the point the blank was removed.<br/>
<br/>
Again when you don't answer, "Well, I guess it didn't," Cassie jokes with a cute smile.<br/>
<br/>
"No. Ah, I mean yes. It worked. Are you OK?" you say.<br/>
<br/>
"I feel fine. The last I remember is your ..." she trails off and blushes deeply. "Then waking up just now."<br/>
<br/>
"What was it like?" Caleb interjects as if caught in the same time warp conversation.<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, like my head spinning showing my whole life then everything was dark. I couldn't hear or feel anything as if I was waiting for something after being kissed." The last came out quiet and sent her face back to red again, just as this dialog under the blank mask. She then adds feeling her face, "What happened to the mask I put on?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's part of the trick," you chuckle. This is getting too deja vu, so you try to lead this somewhere else. "I want to try some things just to make sure, ah, ... you're really OK. OK?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure. Whatever you want," she says then looks confused again and asks, "Did you do some sort of hypnosis? I know I was sitting over there but woke standing over here."<br/>
<br/>
Avoiding that you ask, "So you don't remember anything since you put the mask on?" <br/>
<br/>
"No," she affirms as she shakes her clothes around a bit. "You aren't using me, like stripping and stuff, are you Will?" She gets very agitated and her eyes go wide as she glances to the door which you are in her path to escape. <br/>
<br/>
"Relax, Cassie. We wouldn't do that."<br/>
<br/>
Instantly, her demeanor changes and she appears calm. At first you're confused at this but then remember that golems obey a master's command, and you told her to relax. You decide to test that further.<br/>
<br/>
"Trust me, Cassie. I just want you to tell me the truth, OK?"<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever you say. I trust you."<br/>
<br/>
"So why are you here?"<br/>
<br/>
"I like you and figured maybe if I could be around you more, you'd get to like me, too." she says very matter-of-factually. <br/>
<br/>
Again, not what you expected, although Lisa did tell you Cassie had a crush on you. Also, Cassie is very emotional, and the way she answers is flat - like a real golem!<br/>
<br/>
"So it wasn't because Lisa convinced you to help with the translation?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not at all. I'm sure she would rather help you."<br/>
<br/>
Loosing track that your asking to understand this corpse golem with different masks, your interest in Lisa takes over.<br/>
<br/>
"Why do you say that?"<br/>
<br/>
Cassie giggles and says, "She likes doing stuff with you, although you become really annoying very quickly."<br/>
<br/>
That's you alright, but it's the first part that intrigues you to ask, "If she likes me, why is she dating Mansfield?"<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, what's with th ..." Caleb starts but stops when you give him a nasty look and wave him off, although he's actually right, but Cassie speaks before you say not to.<br/>
<br/>
"Geoff has class and sophistication, good dresser, plus he's into sports and school academic activities. Someone more mature with good future prospects. Also, you never really came on to her to be a serious boyfriend, just a friend. She's looking for the future and not juvenile games and jokes."<br/>
<br/>
Ug! That hurt. Caleb gives you an I-told-you-so look and shakes his head. You just stand stunned. Cassie eventually sighs and asks, "Are you OK?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you breath quietly as you reach out and take the mask.<br/>
<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231211212111121
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Continuing truth or dare.
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It takes you several minutes to get yourself back together, and Caleb just leaves you quiet as he looks at the <i>Libras</i>. Finally you take up the blank and walk back to the Cassie golem.<br/>
<br/>
"Now we see if she remembers - using the blank," you tell Caleb with that addition to keep the conversation short this time. As you put the blank back on her, you ask, "Understand the process now?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb nods as Cassie comes back to life. She blinks and looks around before speaking.<br/>
<br/>
"Did you do some sort of hypnosis? I know I was standing over there when you touched my forehead and now I'm over here."<br/>
<br/>
Again avoiding that question, "So you don't remember anything?" you ask her.<br/>
<br/>
She pauses then says, "No." Her look of puzzlement and then straightening her clothes leads to her going wide eyed and blurting out, "Are you two having me strip and do things? Damn it, Will I like and trusted you. I didn't know you were some kind of pervert. Lisa said you could be a bit annoying, but I never ..."<br/>
<br/>
"No. Cassie, no. I'd, ... we'd never do anything like that. Just relax. You have to believe me. Just tell me the truth, only the truth. I want you to tell me the truth. Why did you come here tonight?"<br/>
<br/>
Cassie looks at you still very agitated but with a strange gaze as if conflicted in what you're asking. She pauses then lets out a big sigh before speaking a bit uncomfortably.<br/>
<br/>
"I believe you, Will, and in all truth, I don't remember anything from when you touched my forehead until just then. I came because you asked for help. You know me, always-helpful Cassie." She blushes and you can tell she's avoiding a direct answer.<br/>
<br/>
"So it wasn't just for Lisa who convinced you to help because she was busy?"<br/>
<br/>
She gives you a quizzical squint obviously thinking about the question, why you're asking, and how to answer.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that was part of it," she says a bit shy but then fires back. "So, what happened? Tell <i>me </i>the truth now."<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb trade glances as you can't think what to say. Fortunately, Caleb ad libs.<br/>
<br/>
"You're right. We had you act like Jeremy Richards as a test of the project."<br/>
<br/>
"But it's different from hypnosis," you throw out. "This is a scientific magic thing with some of the translation stuff we've discovered. That's our project. Masks and flames and stuff." More calmly you then continue, "I'm sorry that we didn't explain it all, but it's something we don't want anyone else to find out. Our little secret." You're as soothing and sincere as you can be walking to her as you speak with a kind smile and taking her hand, always looking her in the eye.<br/>
<br/>
Your guilt is coming back strong as you half lie to her and avoid as much of the real truth as you can. This obviously was a bad idea and maybe your best bet would be to put her mask - the sealed mask of Cassie - on her instead of the blank, that way you know you can control her from telling anyone or possibly having you arrested. Maybe making her a true slave would be more convenient for everyone.<br/>
<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312112121111212
author_id: wordsmitty
title: Cassie Returns
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You now have before you a great opportunity and a great deal of guilt. Cassie will be a great ally with her knowledge of Latin, but do you take away her personality and just make her a puppet or can you let her continue somewhat as before? And if the latter, how much do you tell her? Do you even dare let her walk out knowing what she does about this place even if she doesn't understand the masks or what they really do? She's a chatterbox. It's her nature to constantly make sound about anything and everything. You have no idea how trustworthy. You were stupid to let her volunteer. Stupid!<br/>
<br/>
Still, if you turn her into a true golem, it's as good as taking her soul. Do you want that guilt or responsibility, or power? However, she would obviously be easy to control with you as master, so no need to worry about any of this getting out. Do you trust yourself with that power, and what might Caleb want to do with her? With his horny eagerness for the Garners, would Cassie just become a fuck toy? She is cute and might be fun. She likes you already, so having her to satisfy your or Caleb's ...<br/>
<br/>
"<i>What the hell am I thinking!</i>" you shout inside your mind. Grabbing your head, you close your eyes then shake your head slowly from side to side as you mournfully repeat quietly, "No, no, no, no, ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Will? Will? Are you alright?" Cassie asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yo, dude," Caleb breaks into your internal battle.<br/>
<br/>
You look over Cassie's shoulder and see him holding the book and pointing to her, but you shake your head "no."<br/>
<br/>
"We need to talk first," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"Let's," Cassie replies even though you meant Caleb, and she takes your hand.<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes meet, but you can't think of what to say. Caleb shrugs when you look past her at him, and the two sides in your head vie for dominance once again. Maybe you should remove the mask until you can decide.<br/>
<br/>
"Will, what's really going on? What are you hiding?" she quizzes.<br/>
<br/>
Cassie, it's just ..." You can't think clearly and start to chuckle nervously. Just calling her Cassie seems to be wrong since you know she's just a golem now - a golem with two minds it seems. "<i>Which should I choose? Does it matter since I might as well have killed her?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Will? Are you alright?" Cassie pleads now when you stare blankly and don't say anything more.<br/>
<br/>
"He's just too emotional when things go right or wrong," Caleb tries to recover for you. "Maybe the book ...?" He holds it up again, and again breaking you loose to shake you head. He frowns.<br/>
<br/>
"What is that book?" Cassie asks turning towards him.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing. I guess that's about it, Cassie," you finally manage to let out. "Thanks for the help with the translation. I probably should take you ..."<br/>
<br/>
"What about the follow-on?" Caleb badgers you once more holding the book.<br/>
<br/>
"No need for that tonight," you shoot back trying to get him to shut up<br/>
<br/>
"There's more? I'd love to do that," Cassie offers.<br/>
<br/>
"There's not any more right now. We still have to .."<br/>
<br/>
"That can be fixed," Caleb interrupts already on his way over.<br/>
<br/>
You watch him approach her and push the open book against her before you can stop it. The book starts to glow as usual, but suddenly Cassie is engulfed by the glow as well. After a few seconds, there's a tremendous bright white flash knocking Caleb away with a thud to the floor, but the book remains against her like it's stuck. Then all goes black, and you hear another thud of a collapsing body along with a clatter of solid metal and glass.<br/>
<br/>
When your eyes readjust to the dim basement light, you find Caleb and Cassie sprawled out and not moving. You urgently head to Cassie but stop as you look down and see beside her the book <i>and</i> the blank mask. You turn and touch Cassie finding soft skin with normal color and can tell she's breathing normally.<br/>
<br/>
"Cassie? Cassie?" you repeat trying to revive her.<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes seem to flicker and a low mumble escapes her lips that you don't understand. Something like "tandem adsum" or it could be "damn son of."<br/>
<br/>
Slowly her eyes open and a hand moves to her head. "Did it work?"<br/>
<br/>
          * * *<br/>
<br/>
After answering that question a third time and making an excuse of why she's on the floor, you apologize (lying) that you didn't think the experiment or trick would make her pass out. Fortunately, she has her back to Caleb and doesn't see him flat on the floor behind you until he speaks.<br/>
<br/>
"Wh-What happened?" Caleb mumbles as he sits up.<br/>
<br/>
"See, it worked," you tell him as if everything was normal and hoping he'd keep up the pretense.<br/>
<br/>
"So what changed in the book?" he asks scrambling over to look into it thinking you meant the <i>Libra</i>.<br/>
<br/>
It's still open to the spell's page, but you can see there is more writing on it now. Caleb ignores that and tries to turn the page to no avail.<br/>
<br/>
"Didn't work," he mutters softly finally seeing the blank mask on the ground but Cassie in the flesh. He does a double-take, looks back at the Cassie sealed mask on the table, then asks Cassie, "what's the last thing you remember before you, ah, passed out?"<br/>
<br/>
Cassie blushes once more, and you think, "<i>Here we go again,</i>" but she is distracted by seeing the Latin text in the <i>Libra</i> and doesn't answer. Instead she turns to look at it with amazement as she is obviously reading or trying to make out the translation.<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Damn. Now what am I going to do?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
You purposely were keeping her away from it so no questions would arise, but you now have even more to lie to her about.<br/>
<br/>
"I recognize some of these phrases you had me translate earlier. I thought those were strange, but some of this other stuff is really weird," she comments running her finger across the new text that's appeared.<br/>
<br/>
"What's it say?" Caleb urges much to your dismay, and you give him an angry look. However, he's looking back and forth between Cassie and the book ignoring you.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sure it says something about "returns life," but it's ambiguous about what it is referring to. It also seems like "moves one step." I'd need to check references, but it may still just be gibberish."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks Cass," you say picking up the book and closing it much to Caleb's dismay now. "That's something for another day." You put the book and the blank mask you grabbed as well on the table then turn back as Cassie's phone goes off.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, hi Lisa," she answers. "Just working with Will and Caleb on their special project from the translation I helped. They showed me how they could do this ..., Un huh. ... Yeah. ... No way! ... Just a minute." she then turns to you and asks, "Geoff's car broke down at the mall. Do you think you, er, we could go pick he and Lisa up?"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Crap!</i>" you instantly think, but then an idea strikes you about getting Geoff into a mask or making him a golem.<br/>
</span></div></div>


