# chapters

path: 111231222122112121211212222211
author_id: rugal
title: Go Sapphic: Replace Andrea
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's the next morning at school, inbetween first and second periods, and you poutily march your way up to Hartlein as he converses with a couple of people, the names of which escape you and are well under Cindy's radar. "Charles." you say firmly as you approach him, a quick tap on his shoulder taking him by surprise. When he sees, however, that it's you he flashes a grin... or more likely a smirk; he's such a cocky little shit.<br/>
<br/>
"Miss Vredenburg, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he replies, a tone of condescension (one that seems like a permanent trait) in his voice you think.<br/>
<br/>
You grasp his arm, looking past him and to his friends. "Sorry boys but I need to borrow him." you say, "Walk with me?" you ask Hartlein, not giving him much of a choice as you begin pulling him away. Once you're a good distance away you immediately turn to him and pose a question. "Where do I find Andrea Varnsworth?" you ask bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
He offers you a smirk, "Going with my idea, are you? I knew it was a great one." he replies.<br/>
<br/>
"Shut it." you say, an irritated tone in your voice. Hartlein is a vexxing fellow and his constant smirking, leering and condescending attitude have quickly grated on you between both last night and now. You want to smack that stupid look off of his face. "Just tell me what I want to know."<br/>
<br/>
Hartlein gives a thoughtful expression, "Most days after school she likes to swim a few laps in the pool." he answers.<br/>
<br/>
"Any other places or times?" you ask, "Lunch, a study hall... whatever?"<br/>
<br/>
Hartlein eyes you (no pun intended you think) queerly, "You're looking to replace her, not be her friend right? That'd probably be the best time to do it. You'd have to deal with her friends for a little bit but when she goes off into the locker room... well you should know what to do."<br/>
<br/>
"That's... actually surprisingly practical." you reply, "Look, sorry for being a bitch okay? I'm getting a little caught up in Cindy's emotions."<br/>
<br/>
Hartlein just shakes his head and snickers, "If a girl's NOT being a bitch to me then I think something's up. It's a lot easier to make people more receptive to revealing things when you're getting under their skin and throwing them off." he explains before the two of you part ways.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"I think what that Carson guy was talking about yesterday was right." you state to your small group at lunch; you, Yumi and Jenny had decided to pull away from James, Carson and Paul for a little bit of girl chat. "About revolution and all that crap."<br/>
<br/>
"You can't be serious." Yumi asks in a deadpan.<br/>
<br/>
"Right," Jenny chimes in, "Like we said yesterday, there's no real group to rival Chelsea's. She's got all the top dogs."<br/>
<br/>
You shoot a mischievous smile towards her. "But what if she didn't." you say. "There are elements there, right on the fringe, just waiting to take their spot." you then turn towards Yumi, "You don't care for Chelsea all that much do you, right Yumi?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, no but..." she starts.<br/>
<br/>
You interrupt, "In fact... Yumi, you're able to move among social groups. You're cute and nice. People like you." You then turn back to Jenny, "Jenny, you're a pretty girl. You don't deserve to be out here on the fringes of school society."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks for the sentiment... I guess." Jenny says, "But what are you getting at Cindy?"<br/>
<br/>
A gleam appears in your eyes, "What I'm talking about is potentially forming a clique to rival Chelsea's. Take her down a peg and keep her in check. We could do it, I think, with some work." you state.<br/>
<br/>
"How the hell do you think you'd be able to just spring up a group to rival Queen Chelsea?" Yumi asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Like I said, you obviously don't really like Yumi. Neither does Lin. There are probably others on the squad we could get to break away with a little prodding." you explain, "And if we get them to align themselves with people like Jenny here, Chelsea's power base will be diminished. Some of her group will have abandoned her, making her look weak and vulnerable."<br/>
<br/>
"And how do you propose we do that?" Yumi asks. "We can't just suddenly up and split from Chelsea just like that."<br/>
<br/>
"It wouldn't be instantaneous." you say, "It'd take work, it'd take time. It'd take recruiting the right people... I'm going to talk to Andrea Varnsworth today, try and get in good with her. She commands a LOT of respect among the fringe elements of the school."<br/>
<br/>
You briefly, as lunch goes on, consider maybe it would do well to add Yumi or Jenny, or both, into your circle. But the more people who know, the more chances there are of things slipping out, especially when one of them hangs around such trustable individuals as Kendra Saunders and Gloria Rea. This is something that you'd have to introduce to Caleb and Keith and debate over before deciding whether it'd be a good idea or not.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
After school you are both anxious to get to the pool but also reserved in doing so: you (or at least Cindy) aren't too keen on dealing with Andrea's friends, whoever they are, alone as it's going to be hard to talk to her while she's actually swimming. So you dick around on your phone, texting and browsing until about a half hour has passed, plenty of time for her to finish her swim, before you exit the car and head over to the pool. As you reach the door, another person catches your attention. She's leaned against the building, her dark hair is cut short and her hazel eyes watch you suspiciously from behind dark framed glasses. Her thin and somewhat pale arms are exposed by the non-existant sleeves of a tank top while her legs are covered by a long skirt. She takes one last drag of her cigarette before throwing it on the ground and stepping on it.<br/>
<br/>
"Filthy habit. I should really stop." she says, a sort of disinterested tone on her voice, "But it's too much effort. Too much work. Way easier to just keep filling my lungs up with that stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"Uhhh, who are you?" you ask, you didn't mean it too but the dismissive tone of the question comes naturally to Cindy. For her part, the girl just gives an amused snort.<br/>
<br/>
"I could ask you the same question, I guess, but everyone knows who you are Vredenburg." she replies, a wry grin on her face, "I think the more pertinent question is WHY you're here."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea's a bitch. The cheerleaders are bitches. I need new people to talk to." you state tersely.<br/>
<br/>
"So you're gonna talk to Andrea huh?" she asks, "Yeah, I was heading back in myself; Sienna gets pissy if I take too long on my smoke breaks... well actually she gets pissy over lots of crap. Fatima just gets worried, the sweetheart. I'll introduce you but be careful: when it comes to pretty ones like yourself, you're the fly to her spider." she smirks. "Kind of a shame really but oh well."<br/>
<br/>
"Hey wait, you never answered my question." you say, "Who are you."<br/>
<br/>
"Jelena." she says simply and then you feel like smacking yourself: Jelena Petrovic, daughter of Serbian immigrants and one of the queens of the bohemian-indie-artsy crowd at the school. Her music gets her regular gigs around the city and her art is pretty well praised among the circles of town that are into that sort of thing.<br/>
<br/>
"Christ, I'm stupid, sorry." you reply.<br/>
<br/>
Jelena's smirk never wanes, "Why should you be? The cheerleaders never really run with us Morlocks--except that Saito girl she's kind of a weird exception--so I'd be more shocked if you DID know my name." she touches your arm and you're a bit surprised by the gesture, "I appreciate the thought though. Apology accepted."<br/>
<br/>
She's flirting with you. She totally is. And that's when inspiration strikes. Andrea has more admirers for her physical beauty and seemingly being unattainable but Jelena herself has a willowy, ethereal attractiveness to her in that way that artsy chicks tend to have. And among that social circle and scene she potentially wields more influence and respect. Andrea's supposed same-sex love is, as far as you know, unconfirmed rumors and speculation but Jelena is practically mentally undressing you. She could be a good acquisition and getting her alone, wearing Cindy's face, will NOT be a challenge.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212211212121122
author_id: seuzz
title: The Good-Time Girl
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Look, I know you've got serious issues with Javits, but you don't have to go that far," you tell Keith firmly. "All it needs is a special mask to control him, and that's enough." Keith bites his lip but nods. "Okay then. If that's all, Caleb and me need to get back to Chelsea's. Gordon is on his way over. We'll get together later tonight to talk about what comes next."<br/>
<br/>
"You want Javits or Patterson as your next capture?" Caleb asks Keith. <br/>
<br/>
"Whatever you think is best," Keith answers brusquely, and starts gathering up his stuff.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"I knew he was gonna be trouble," Caleb says on the drive back.<br/>
<br/>
"He's not being trouble," you reply. "He didn't freak out over Eva. And that was a pretty hardcore idea he had for handling Javits. I don't think he's gonna make trouble over the plan like you thought."<br/>
<br/>
"No, he'll still make trouble. He's being selfish. Wanting Javits and wanting to do that to Javits."<br/>
<br/>
You talk some more without reaching any firm conclusions. You also manage to beat Black back to Chelsea's house, and when he shows up it's a replay of the way you took Chelsea. Up in her bedroom, Jeremy grabs the team captain from behind and you get the mask on him. Caleb has already golemized the Jeremy mask, so he's able to put it on Black as soon as the new mask is ready. Within ten minutes it's all over: Jeremy is on his way out the door with Eva, and the new Gordon Black leaps onto the bed. He pats his lap invitingly. <br/>
<br/>
"Mmm, I don't like that look in your eye," you smile. "My folks are downstairs."<br/>
<br/>
"I can keep it quiet if you can," he grins. <br/>
<br/>
"We did it last night."<br/>
<br/>
"And I'm horny again." The "Black persona" fades and Caleb's personality comes to the fore. "Come on, you know what it's like being a guy. We're not really gonna hook up with Keith again, are we?"<br/>
<br/>
"We said we would. And if we don't, he'll <i>know</i> what we're up to. <br/>
<br/>
"Fuck him. Fuck me." His brows knit together. "Is Chelsea really in love with Gordon?"<br/>
<br/>
You let out a light sigh and climb into his lap, putting your arms around his neck. "He can turn her motor," you say, and kiss him on the side of the neck. "Power's an aphrodisiac, and he's the alpha-est guy in the school. He looks good and he feels good." You rub his shoulders and the backs of his arms and straddle him. "But does she love him? He's a jerk and a loudmouth and he's crude and he cheats on her--" Caleb flinches. "Oh yeah, she knows all about them. Maybe not all of the ones he's had up in the fuck room, but a lot of them. But she wants him and needs him, at least for the rest of the school year. After that, though ..." You embrace him and rest your head on his chest. "Actually, we're kind of doing him a favor. He won't discover what a heartless bitch Chelsea can be."<br/>
<br/>
"I am <i>so</i> turned on," Caleb says. <br/>
<br/>
Your phone buzzes, and without raising yourself you flip it open. It's Kendra. "Hey girlfriend," you chirp. "What do you know?"<br/>
<br/>
But you only half-listen and grunt with equivocal interest to her gossip while running your fingers through Gordon's hair; he runs his fingers up and down your spine. When Kendra is finished you dial a new number. "I'll tell Keith we're postponing the study session until tomorrow," you say quietly. "He won't have anything interesting to say, and I won't either."<br/>
<br/>
"So what do we do instead?"<br/>
<br/>
"Take your virginity."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Night has fallen and it's dark up in the fuck room after you've done it for the third time. The second time you let Caleb do it to you with his mask off, so that there would be no technical objection to his saying that he lost his virginity to Chelsea Cooper; when he asked you afterward how it was, you'd tactfully replied that it was awesome being able to take it from the bottom for a change. He'd grunted. Now, though, you are both cooling off and talking about heading home. Then there's a creak on the stairs and the fumble of a key in the lock. You've only time to cover yourself loosely with your clothes when the door opens and Steve Patterson steps in. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh hey, Gordon," he says, not sounding the least bit embarrassed. "I didn't know you were using the place." He nods at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Just finishing up," Gordon says, pulling on his shorts. "It's all yours."<br/>
<br/>
As you quickly dress you look past Patterson and can barely make out his date in the gloom as she stands in the doorway. It's Kelsey Blankenship. Patterson glances back at her. "Maybe we should go someplace else."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll meet you downstairs," you tell Gordon as you brush past the new couple. Kelsey draws back, but you ignore her as you go past. You've no real desire to screw things up for Patterson, but there's nothing you would be able to say. You know that Kelsey knows it will be all over school by tomorrow: that she let Patterson take her up to the fuck room.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb catches up to you on the gym floor a few minutes later. "Fuckin' awkward," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Does that happen often?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess that's how Chelsea's heard about some of Black's other girls up there," he shrugs. "Usually it's Black busting in on Patterson. Come on, we should go. Twenty bucks says Kelsey backs out."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll have to make it up to Keith after we take Patterson," you observe.<br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"He gets inside Patterson, he'll remember--so to speak--what we were doing up there."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck him. That's what boys and girls do. It's what Gordon and Chelsea do."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but it'll look like something Caleb Johannson and Will Prescott were doing. After that scene at the clubhouse this afternoon, we really can't have him thinking he's a third wheel, that he's not an equal member."<br/>
<br/>
"So you're going to take Kelsey and give Keith another go-round after he has Patterson?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sweetie," you say, stopping him and embracing him. "What would you say if I slept with your best friend?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'd ask if you were really limber enough to fuck yourself."<br/>
<br/>
"You know what I mean. Keith takes Patterson, and then I let him do it with Chelsea like I let you."<br/>
<br/>
He pats you on the shoulder. "I'm not the jealous type. And I'm not stupid. What we did was kind of gay, but it wasn't really fucking. Just role-playing."<br/>
<br/>
It would be nearer the truth to say it was morale-boosting--letting Caleb do it without a mask was definitely <i>not</i> role-playing--but you don't correct him.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The next day passes without incident. You and Caleb and Keith meet at Chelsea's after school. Keith is very cool and businesslike, you notice, as he goes through the list of possible acquisitions that he has compiled using Kim's intuition and knowledge of the school. You counter with the list that you've compiled, marking areas of overlap. You defer to Keith's judgment even when (as is obvious) he is picking people like Cindy Vredenburg who are mostly useful as adjuncts to Javits. Caleb says little, and only listens while playing a desultory session of Minesweeper on Chelsea's laptop.<br/>
<br/>
Finally, you send Caleb downstairs to fetch some drinks and snacks, and confront Keith directly. "Are still pissed off about yesterday, about me vetoing your idea for turning Javits into a golem?"<br/>
<br/>
"No," he says bluntly. "You were right. I was getting carried away."<br/>
<br/>
"Still, I was pretty rough about it." He shrugs and doesn't meet your eye. You put a hand on his knee. "Keith, I want to make it up to you," you say, and he finally does look you in the face. "You're an equal member of this group. This isn't just about revenge and fucking people up, but anything you want to do, as long as it's within the boundaries, is something I want to help you do."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I know this is your and Caleb's project," he says. "And I know you guys are having fun being Chelsea and Gordon." He holds your gaze.<br/>
<br/>
You feel your eyes twitch; so, Kelsey has been talking about last night too. You smile. "There's nothing that says you and I can't have fun too." You lean in to kiss him.<br/>
<br/>
But he draws back. "That's fucked up," he says. "I'm not making judgments, but--" He stares at you hard. "You wanna do something like that with me? Let me take Javits, and you take Cindy." He holds your eye. "Then pull them up into the top rank. Right alongside Gordon and Chelsea."</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122112121211221
author_id: seuzz
title: Seth and Cindy
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Alright," you say, spreading your hands. "We can probably get Seth for you tonight."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb comes back in, tossing you and Keith each a diet drink. "We'll take it with us," you tell him. "We're going up to the fuck room. You'll like that, won't you?"<br/>
<br/>
He raises his eyebrows and looks between you and Keith. "The three of us? Awesome."<br/>
<br/>
"Seth'll be making it a fourth," you reply, slipping on some flip-flops. "Call him when we get up there."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb freezes, looking between you and Keith. It's apparent that he would like to argue, but he catches your expression, and deflates. He contents himself by shooting Keith a dirty look. "Just don't ask me to do anything gay with you afterward," he growls.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Yo, it's open," Gordon calls at the soft knock at the door. The handle turns, and Seth looks around the corner. "Don't stand there like a fucking virgin," Gordon chastises him. "Get in here."<br/>
<br/>
Seth slips in, grinning with wide-eyed pleasure. He takes in the gloomy space. It's piled with all kinds of junk, and the support beams and rafters give it an even more cluttered look. But there's a space in the middle where a couple of dirty gym mats are spread out. You smile up at him from one. He nods at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Get you something?" Gordon offers, striding over to the small, dorm-style refrigerator in the corner. "Got beer, beer, beer, and beer. Or you want some of the hard stuff?"<br/>
<br/>
"Beer's fine," Seth says. "So, uh, what's up?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess you are," Gordon replies, tossing him a can. "You ain't been up before, have you?" Seth shakes his head. "Well, I guess it's about time. You've been doing good work, and it comes with rewards." He cracks open a beer of his own and slurps it down noisily while eyeing Javits.<br/>
<br/>
Seth drinks more quietly, and leans nervously against one of the support pillars. "Thanks," he says. "You and Patterson deserve most of the credit."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well, I said you've been showing good teamwork, but that doesn't mean you're part of the team. Not the real team. You get me?" Seth shifts on his feet, and nods. "You wanna join the real team, there are certain things you gotta do. You willing to do them?"<br/>
<br/>
Seth hesitates. "Yeah, I guess," he says guardedly. "Like what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing bad. Here." Gordon picks up the last of your blank masks and tosses it him. "Put that on."<br/>
<br/>
"What is it?"<br/>
<br/>
You cluck your tongue. "I told you he'd ask stupid questions," you say to Gordon. You flash a disappointed look at Javits. "Don't be stupid."<br/>
<br/>
A muscle in his cheek twitches, and he purses his lips. Setting his beer down, he takes the mask firmly in both hands and puts it to his face. Naturally, he falls over, hard.<br/>
<br/>
Gordon saunters over to a pile of crates, where another mask sits. "Think you can breath a little more loud, Tilley?" he calls out. "I don't think Javits heard you." He takes up the mask and goes back over to squat by Javits. When the mask reappears, he replaces it with the new mask, and Kim appears. He then tosses the new Javits mask to you, to seal and golemize with some of Keith's hair. <br/>
<br/>
Keith pops out from behind the crates. "Is it over?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, you can stop hiding now," Caleb says. "Gonna wear him home, or step back into Kim here?" He pushes the new student council president back down to the floor as she starts to stand up.<br/>
<br/>
"No, I'll take him," Keith says. There's a quaver in his voice. <br/>
<br/>
"Here you go, then," you say, having finished up. <br/>
<br/>
Keith takes the proffered mask and stares down at it. "All these years he's been fucking me over," he says in a small voice. "And now--" He bites his lip. Then he sits cross-legged to put it to his face, and sags.<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb exchange amused glances. "Makes you think about what we could do with the Molester, eh?" Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head with a smile. "Tilley attracted a better quality bully."<br/>
<br/>
"About the only thing he was better than us at," Caleb laughs. He snaps a finger at Kim, indicating that she needs to get out of Javits' clothes, and nudges the sleeping Keith--now wearing Javit's body--with a toe. "Yo, Sleeping Beauty."<br/>
<br/>
Keith wakes, and stares at the ceiling for a few moments before raising up. He looks around, then down at his hands and torso. He runs his fingers through his stiff, short hair, leaving it spiking up in all directions. Then he stands, tests out a few steps, and drums his hands against his hard, flat stomach. "Yeah, this'll work," he says. He cocks a mischievous glance at Gordon. "So, what you were talking about earlier, about being on the team. Am I on it now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, there's the little matter of letting me take you up the ass first," Caleb says. <br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The next day the golems deliver a batch of new masks, and it's an easy matter to replace Cindy. Caleb slips Keith the key to the fuck room, so that he can take his girlfriend up there during lunch. You're waiting, and Keith pins her in his arms while you put a mask on her. Keith doesn't have to ask whether you are going to switch into her, for no sooner is she laid on the floor than you start to disrobe. Chelsea's mask goes onto her as soon as it's off your face, and a few minutes later you rise from the floor in your new guise as Cindy Vredenburg. But he does ask about the sequel: "So, we gonna break in our new privileges," he asks with an eager grin. <br/>
<br/>
"Gonna have to be now if we do," you say, pulling him close to your naked body. "Lucy is picking me up after school."<br/>
<br/>
"I could give you a ride," he murmurs. You can feel his cock straining through the front of his khakis. <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, you could give it to me now." You pull him onto the mat, and with one hand he fumbles his pants open while kissing you up and down your face. Then he's inside you, pumping away. You smile at the ceiling while stroking his back. Interesting how it's different with Cindy than with Chelsea. The head cheerleader is a bundle of nerves and passions, like a ball of rubber bands pulling in different directions, and they snap and strain when she's with Gordon. With Cindy it is slower, and Seth spends himself in a climax just as you're getting pleasantly aroused.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"I'm running an errand," Lucy says into her cell phone in a strained voice, and leans on the horn. "Move it, Granny," she shouts at the driver ahead of her. "That's a steering wheel in front of you, not a fucking walker." You grip the handle above the passenger-side door, and for the third time in ten minutes wish your sister weren't such an aggressive driver.<br/>
<br/>
"No, I'm not arguing," Lucy says sullenly to the caller. "I'll be right there." She turns off the phone and drops it next to you. "Hang on, we gotta make a detour." She steers hard to the right, cutting off traffic so she can make a sudden turn onto the upcoming boulevard. <br/>
<br/>
"If you're going to yell about Seth, yell about Seth," you grumble at her. "Don't take it out on the other drivers."<br/>
<br/>
She glares at you. "Don't start with me. What's this shit about not buying you any more condoms? You <i>trying</i> to get pregnant with him?"<br/>
<br/>
"I just said you didn't have to buy them for me anymore," you whine. "I didn't say I wasn't going to use them any more."<br/>
<br/>
"Is he finally gonna start buying them himself?" She snorts. "Give me a fucking break. If you wind up needing an abortion, don't expect me to set it up for you. You'll have to tell mom and dad yourself."<br/>
<br/>
You blink back tears. You hate it when she's like this.<br/>
<br/>
"And when are you going to tell Chelsea Cooper to step off? Honestly, Cindy," she exclaims, showing her teeth. "<i>You</i> should be squad captain. <i>I</i> was, and it's fucking embarrassing that you're not."<br/>
<br/>
You stare out the window, biting your lip, wishing you were with Seth--or with Gordon. "You didn't have someone like Chelsea to fight with," you murmur.<br/>
<br/>
She just snorts, and says nothing until you arrive at her destination. It's an imposing stone villa, surrounded by a high wall, on the outskirts of town. "Wait here," she orders. "I gotta see my workstudy professor for a few minutes."<br/>
<br/>
While she's inside you reflect on the situation at school. It would actually be easy now to have Chelsea resign as squad captain, though coming up with an excuse would be hard. It would be better to do as Keith had suggested, and raise Cindy's position on the team, maybe to co-captain. That would get Lucy off your back. But probably you should just ignore her; it's not like you have to spend the rest of your school year being Cindy Vredenburg.<br/>
<br/>
Lucy's face is red with pale spots showing in her cheeks as she comes back out again. She slams the door hard after she gets back in. "What was that about?" you ask in a mousy tone.<br/>
<br/>
"Just had to drop some stuff off," she grouses. "I hate this guy."<br/>
<br/>
"Why don't you quit?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why don't you mind your own fucking business," she snaps. She turns the key in the ignition, then gives you an appraising glance. "Maybe I should introduce you to him. He could probably make a new girl out of you." Something in her words chills you. Her tone isn't serious, but there is definitely an undertone of malice to it.<br/>
<br/>
<i>I could make a new girl of you,</i> you find yourself thinking. And then you find yourself wondering why she should use an expression that couldn't possibly mean the same as what you would mean by it.</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122112121211222
author_id: seuzz
title: Switching Schools
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"That's something we'd have to talk over with Caleb," you say evasively.<br/>
<br/>
"What's something you'd have to talk over with me," Caleb says, striding into the room. He tosses diet drinks to you and Keith, and hops onto the bed with a drink and snack of his own.<br/>
<br/>
Keith lowers his head, so you tell Caleb about Keith's request. Caleb stops in mid-chew. When you're done, he swallows and sucks the gunk out of his teeth. "Ain't gonna work," he says coldly.<br/>
<br/>
"Why not?" Keith demands.<br/>
<br/>
"Not part of the plan.<br/>
<br/>
"You and your fucking plan," Keith fumes.<br/>
<br/>
"Seth ain't part of the posse, and there's no reason for him to be," Caleb says bluntly. "It's me and Chelsea, Patterson and Lynch. You're set up to take Patterson, so I don't know why you're shitting yourself."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, change the posse," Keith says furiously. "Add Seth."<br/>
<br/>
"Me and Steve-o run the team," Caleb says. "We're best buds, have been for years, and we dominate it. It'd totally upset things to bring in a third."<br/>
<br/>
"You've got Lynch. He's a third."<br/>
<br/>
"Lynch is our bitch. He does what we tell him. And he's not on the basketball team."<br/>
<br/>
"So make Seth the bitch!"<br/>
<br/>
"And could you see Cindy on the same level as Chelsea?" Caleb asks you. "Would that make sense?" You don't answer, which is answer enough. "Yeah, Chelsea would eat glass before pulling Cindy up in rank. They're not key players in the school," he tells Keith firmly in a rising voice. "Give it up."<br/>
<br/>
Keith swears--very odd, coming out of the demure Kim--and leaps to his feet. "This is fucked up. You don't respect me. It's all about you two."<br/>
<br/>
"Keith--!" you call, but he's already stormed out. "Well, <i>you</i> fucked things up," you yell at Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't fuck anything up," he yells back, leaping off the bed. "I told you he was gonna be selfish."<br/>
<br/>
"He's part of the team. What are we gonna do? We have to keep him happy. Or are we gonna replace him, like we replaced Kim and the others?"<br/>
<br/>
He glares. "We're not gonna do <i>that</i>," he says. "And thank you for thinking I'd even consider it." He crosses his arms and paces. "We make him see things the way they have to be."<br/>
<br/>
"You tried that, just now. You're letting too much of Gordon into your bloodstream."<br/>
<br/>
He glares and contracts into himself, to distractedly pick at a scab on his arm.<br/>
<br/>
"Go home," you tell him. "Let me think about things, see if there's a way to handle it."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, that'll be rich," he sneers. "Chelsea Cooper, trying to make everyone happy."<br/>
<br/>
"You wanna see me in character," you hiss, and feel the blood rising through your face and over your scalp. "Just keeping talking like that, asshole."<br/>
<br/>
He flinches, then without a word stalks from the room. From your window watch him leap into his car and peel away. As it's a classic VW Beetle, the sight is neither impressive nor menacing.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Hi Kim, you gotta minute?" Kim turns from her locker with a guarded expression. Your own demeanor is serious, with none of the chirpy insincerity with which Chelsea usually treats the student council president. "Outside?" After a fractional pause, she closes her locker and follows you.<br/>
<br/>
"Have you calmed down after last night?" you ask carefully. <br/>
<br/>
"I'm totally calm, Chelsea," she says coolly. "What about you and Gordon?"<br/>
<br/>
"He's still pissed. Me, I want us to all get along."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't we have equal votes? Can't you outvote him?"<br/>
<br/>
"I can't outvote anyone without pissing someone off," you reply. "But you can understand his point of view, can't you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I understand that it's all about the <i>plan,</i> and that the <i>plan</i> has no place for me or what I want."<br/>
<br/>
"What do you want?"<br/>
<br/>
She struggles a bit, then sags. "I don't know," she admits. "I only know I'm not having fun. I don't think I can work with you and Caleb."<br/>
<br/>
"You can always work with <i>me,</i>" you correct her. "I wanted you on the team, and I want to give you what you want. But the same with Caleb."<br/>
<br/>
"And how are you going to get both of us to go along? Aside from convincing Caleb that's he's acting like an asshole," she adds firmly.<br/>
<br/>
"What would you say to moving over to Eastman," you ask. She looks startled. "You and Caleb have different ideas for what you want. But you can't work together. So how about one of you stay at Westside, and the other move over to Eastman. I partner with each of you at each school, and help both of you."<br/>
<br/>
"Why would <i>I</i> have to move to Eastman?" she retorts. "I can't take Javits with me over there."<br/>
<br/>
"No, you can't," you admit. "And Caleb and the plan require him to be here. But if you're at Eastman, you can make up your own plan. You'd be in charge. I'd help, do whatever you need from me over there."<br/>
<br/>
"It wouldn't be the same as doing it here," she says, but there's now a hesitant note in her voice. "Part of the plan was screwing around with the assholes here."<br/>
<br/>
"But it would be your own playpen," you reiterate. "And as far as screwing up with the assholes here, well--" You take a deep breath. "I don't want it to turn into another rivalry with Caleb, but Westside has a basketball team of its own. If you wanted to humiliate Javits and his friends, would there be any better way than to--"<br/>
<br/>
"I get you," she says. She stares over your shoulder thoughtfully. "I don't know anyone over there-- Hang on, that's not true. <i>Kim</i> does." She looks back at you. "Come with me this afternoon? Help me scope out a possibility?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'd love to," you dimple. The words can't help sounding insincere as they come out of Chelsea, but you think Keith knows you mean them.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"You have hours today, Kim?" the blonde girl says, looking up from the group of children she is reading to. <br/>
<br/>
"No, I just wanted to stop by, say hi," Kim chirps back. "What are you reading, Jenny?" She shows the book cover. "Oh, a space adventure. I won't interrupt."<br/>
<br/>
"Kyle is around someplace," the girl says, then turns back to the cluster of youngsters after giving you an inquiring glance.<br/>
<br/>
You don't answer, but follow along in Kim's wake as she moves through the stacks at the municipal library. "Would you believe that Jenny is the captain of the girl's soccer team?" she says.<br/>
<br/>
"She looks the part," you reply. She was tall and fresh and athletic-looking.<br/>
<br/>
"No, I mean, doing volunteer work. Her boyfriend captains the boys' team. He's around someplace, she said."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you'd want basketball players."<br/>
<br/>
"I can get to them through these guys. Oh, there he is."<br/>
<br/>
You can't help but feel Chelsea's thrill when you see him: solid and muscular, with cropped blonde hair with frosted tips. He leans casually against a bookcase, talking quietly with a taller, dark-haired guy. Both turn at your approach.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey Kim," he says with a wide, easy grin. "You're not reading today, are you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Are you and Jenny trying to get rid of me," she laughs back. "You think I don't read outside my hours here. And why aren't you with her? You know the kids adore you."<br/>
<br/>
"Jenny sent me away. I was starting to MST3K the book. Frank was along--" He jerks his thumb at his friend "--so we went off to find some books on fly fishing."<br/>
<br/>
"Frank Durras," the other guy introduces himself. Kim introduces herself and you.<br/>
<br/>
A light bulb clicks over your head. "You're one of the new guys on the Eastman basketball team, right?" you say.<br/>
<br/>
"And you're one of the Westside cheerleaders," he smiles. "Bad idea, fraternizing with the enemy."<br/>
<br/>
"Just call me Mata Hari." You pluck at his shirt. "And I'll call you 'tall, dark, and probably taste as good as chocolate'."<br/>
<br/>
There's a little more flirtatious talk before you and Kim cut it short. On the drive back she asks your opinion.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know the school," you say, "but if there are more like Jenny and her friends around, I'd say trading Westside for Eastman is a no-brainer."<br/>
<br/>
"Help me move on them?"<br/>
<br/>
The golems delivered a bunch of new masks earlier in the day. Caleb will be expecting your help in making new replacements. But you and him are already pretty far along at Westside; Keith would be starting at zero.</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221121212112222
author_id: rugal
title: Concentrate on Eastman
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Hello, Kim!" you exclaim with a faux cheeriness. It's inbetween classes the next day at school and you've just cornered Kim at her locker. "I've been looking for you all day, I've been meaning to talk to you." You then cast a glare in the direction of Kendra and Gloria, "Alone." you say sternly. The duo nod and continue on to their next classes. You turn back to Kim and smile, "They're great help but Kendra needs to be put in her place every so often. She's getting a big head so I need to smack it back down to size."<br/>
<br/>
"Um, that's great Chelsea," Kim replies. Chelsea's will is an intimidating one and most people, even Kim, are worried about slipping up in her presence, "but you wanted to talk to me about something?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right." you say putting an arm around Kim, "Listen, you want to move into Eastman right?" the other girl gives an affirmative, "Well I'll help you out. It's going to be a bit longer than you'd probably like but it's for the best, I think."<br/>
<br/>
"Longer than I'd like? What's that supposed to mean?" asks Kim.<br/>
<br/>
You offer her a reassuring smile, "Just trust me, alright?" you ask (well, more like demand... Chelsea's real good at masking her demands as seemingly innocuous questions), "I'm going to need you to meet up with me at the hideout right after school. Call Tilley and tell him to come too as I'm going to need him, well the person under his face really, to get this ball rolling." you explain.<br/>
<br/>
Kim eyes you with suspicion, or at least with a fair bit of caution. "Why are you going to need 'Keith'?" she asks, "And what about Gordon... Caleb?"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Gordon</i> has got basketball practice after school so he'll be out for least an hour and a half." you explain as you begin to walk away; can't be late for class after all. You then stop briefly and turn back towards Kim, "As for the other part... look, just do what I asked okay? Please?" You don't even give her an opportunity to answer before you're already away. As you reach the corner you glare at Kendra and Gloria out of the corner of your eye, not the least bit surprised that they hung around and tried to eavesdrop.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"This is so fucking weird."<br/>
<br/>
The strong language coming out of sweet Kim Walsh's mouth is even weirder, you muse. On one side of the room is Kim Walsh and on the other... Kim Walsh, albeit dressed in Chelsea Cooper's much sexier clothing. It's a sight that would look very odd to, well, just about anyone really. As you regard yourself in the mirror--Kim's face atop Chelsea's wardrobe, you're thankful that they fit surprisingly well; but Kim dressing sexy period would look weird more than anything.<br/>
<br/>
"You still haven't even told me what your big and mighty plan is!" whines Kim. It's a bit annoying, you think to yourself.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, you want to get into Eastman right?" you ask, "Well here's the thing: Eastman is a completely unknown environment, a brand new place with a whole different social structure. Someone's going to need to scope it out, spend a few days there to get the layout of the school.  Like... reconnaissance." you explain.<br/>
<br/>
"And I assume you're volunteering yourself?" asks Kim, hand on her hip.<br/>
<br/>
You nod, "Precisely. You're new to all of this, Keith. You don't have the experience dealing with all of this that either me or Caleb have."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh god, this garbage." Kim huffs with a roll of her eyes, "You're treating me like I'm a kid or some incompetent goof who's going to fuck everything up!"<br/>
<br/>
"It's just a fact; it's the way things are." you shoot back, "I know what I'm doing. I can go in and get a feel for the place and find you the easiest path to the top. You can't just hop right in, even with these mind bands and masks. It's easier to play the long game and feel things out, get used to the customs of a particular clique before assuming control."<br/>
<br/>
"So why did you make a mask of Kim, anyway?" Kim asks after a small period of silence and contemplation.<br/>
<br/>
"Because I'm going to need to play the part of Kim for the next few hours." you explain, "Kim's more familiar to that crowd so I can use her to chat with some Eastman people until I can nab one of them alone. Chelsea would just keep them on their guard and not JUST because she's Westside's head cheerleader." You can see her eyeing you queerly but you take it in stride, "Don't worry, I told Caleb that Chelsea has something to do with her family so she'll be out the whole day."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, does Caleb know about all of this?" Kim asks worried.<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head, "Not yet. We'll tell him at a more appropriate time, once I've gotten into Eastman. Actually, speaking of Caleb and you as well..." you add, "I'm also doing this as a last chance kind of deal; letting you and Caleb spend a little more time together to see if you can coexist and to make sure this is what you really want." you explain before holding up three fingers, "Three days. By then I should have a good idea of where you can enter Eastman at and you'll have a good idea of whether this is what you really want to do or not. Okay?"<br/>
<br/>
There's a long period of silence, you can see the wheels in Kim's head turning as she mulls over the possibilities and this or that. Finally she nods and agrees to your idea. It's a little complicated but it SOUNDS rational enough, she figures. You quickly gather up a blank mask and band as well as the now golemized Chelsea mask.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
At the library you're enjoying conversation with two girls from Eastman. You had gone in the hopes of seeing Jenny Taylor or Kyle Lakewood but neither of them were there as this was, unfortunately, not Jenny's evening to read to the children. Instead, though, you ran into two other people: Alyssa Randall and Dana Pak. Dana was an unknown to you but Kim's mind could tell you that Alyssa was a member of the debate team at Eastman as Kim and Westside's debate team had faced them before. She was also a cheerleader at the school, possibly even the head cheerleader... Kim was unsure on that bit. The pair of them, it turns out, had been assigned as partners for an assignment in World History, something about the Bronze Age collapse, and were here looking for some books on the matter. Unfortunately for them, they ran into you and you hit it off with them very well.<br/>
<br/>
"You know, I'm really surprised," Alyssa says suddenly, "I'd heard the stories about Westside. About what kind of a place it is there. I guess it's kind of stupid to assume that <i>everyone</i> that goes there is an asshole or a bitch but, well..."<br/>
<br/>
You give her a friendly smile, "Our reputation precedes us, yeah." you answer, "And... it's not really all that undeserved I guess. The basketball team and the cheerleaders are our most visible representatives after all."<br/>
<br/>
"I have no clue how you all deal with someone like Chelsea." Dana chimes in, "The things I've heard from my cousin--"<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm? Your cousin?" you say before apologizing, "Um, sorry for interrupting."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't worry about it." Dana replies, "And yeah, my cousin's a cheerleader over there, Yumi. She's told me a LOT about the kind of stuff. Apparently one of the other cheerleaders lost a ton of money and Chelsea's just made her life a living hell ever since."<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes light up at this new revelation as the three of you continue talking. You've been looking for a way into Eastman and either of these girls would be great. It's just a matter of deciding which one of the two would be the better or easier choice. Alyssa's a cheerleader and is thus obviously well connected to what's going on at the school. She gives you instant popularity and credibility as well and while you told Keith it's better to work your way up, that was more to get him to stop questioning you than anything else. Dana doesn't seem to be a cheerleader but you're guessing a pretty girl like her (not to take away from the also lovely Alyssa) has her fair share of friends as well and with Yumi being her cousin you've got an easy tether to Westside... maybe not as easy as Caleb and (for the moment) Keith but all the same having more eyes and ears can never hurt.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212211213
author_id: seuzz
title: Schools of Thought
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Your life really isn't very appealing—as today's run-ins with Kirkham and the Molester showed—but you're not ready to conquer Westside High with a lot of duplicates and doppelgangers. Getting a life outside of Westside, though, could be a compromise. It sounds like Caleb might settle for something like that.<br/>
<br/>
"Getting out of school," you muse.<br/>
<br/>
"Like how?" Jessica asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, getting out of Westside."<br/>
<br/>
"You mean going over to Eastman?"<br/>
<br/>
That wasn't what you meant exactly. "There's other schools in town," you point out.<br/>
<br/>
"The university?" Her eyes light up.<br/>
<br/>
But you're also not sure you're ready to graduate. "I mean, there's other <i>schools.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Like what?" Jessica furrows her brow. "You're not talking about starting over in <i>kindergarten,</i> are you?" she cries.<br/>
<br/>
"No! But ... Well, let's make a list."<br/>
<br/>
"There's only two high schools in town, Will. Westside and Eastman."<br/>
<br/>
"There's Agape."<br/>
<br/>
"The Christian place?" Her jaw falls open. "Gimme a friggin' break, man!"<br/>
<br/>
"If someone out there's got a good life, what's it matter?" you retort. "Isn't that what you're saying we should do? Get some good lives for ourselves?"<br/>
<br/>
Jessica's mouth turns prim. "And how are we supposed to—?"<br/>
<br/>
But she cuts herself off, and her expression turns thoughtful. "I do know a couple of people out there," she murmurs.<br/>
<br/>
"You do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, Jessica does. Her memories are starting to come through."<br/>
<br/>
The remark puzzles you, but you don't pick it up, and she continues. "Yeah, there might be some people. We could use Eva to get to them. But Agape?" Her face briefly twists up again with skepticism before softening again. "Still, taking over a <i>Christian</i> school," she muses, "turning all the students into robot duplicates, might be kind of neat."<br/>
<br/>
You cut him off with a grunt. "Okay, so there's Agape. Um. Okay, I guess that's—"<br/>
<br/>
"Xavier's!" Jessica exclaims. Her eyes nearly pop from her head. "We could get into Xavier's!"<br/>
<br/>
Your own eyes nearly pop out of their socket. How could you forget the Mutant school?<br/>
<br/>
Okay, it's not like you ever have a reason to think of it. St. Francis Xavier's is a private prep academy west of town, and no one you know has anything to do with it. They're all a bunch of snooty rich fucks, as near as you can tell, who you only rarely run across in town, though they are easily identifiable by their slacks and blazers with the school crest on the pocket. When anyone talks about it—which is rare enough—they call it "The Mutant School" as a joke on the name "Xavier."<br/>
<br/>
How would you like to be the kind of rich, privileged asshole who goes there?<br/>
<br/>
"I like it," Jessica says, speaking for both of you.<br/>
<br/>
"You know how to get us in?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, no. Shit."<br/>
<br/>
"Jessica doesn't either?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not off the top of her head."<br/>
<br/>
"Looks like we're gonna have to do some research, then."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll get started!" Jessica bolts for the door, but stops at a word from you. "What?"<br/>
<br/>
"You gonna go home like that?"<br/>
<br/>
She looks down at herself and makes a face.<br/>
<br/>
"Gimme the keys," she tells you. "I'll lock up."<br/>
<br/>
"What are you gonna do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Have some quality time with these tits. But I'll also try to figure out if Jessica knows a way of getting into Xavier's."<br/>
<br/>
"Need any help?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not unless you can help me do my thinking for me."<br/>
<br/>
"No, I mean with your tits."<br/>
<br/>
You duck and run before she can throw something at you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Your little brother and two of his friends are standing in the driveway with their bikes when you pull up. You honk at them to get out of the way, and Robert flashes you a snarl.<br/>
<br/>
You'd bite him back when you hop from the cab, but his face is flushed, and he has a haggard look. "Something wrong?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"What's it to you, fuck-face?" he snarls back.<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus, man," one of his loser friends mutters at him.<br/>
<br/>
But you just raise your hands and back into the garage. <i>If Robert wants to be in a pissy mood,</i> you figure, <i>let him.</i><br/>
<br/>
He's mulish all through dinner, but you're distracted and don't pay him much attention. Still, when you bump into him in the hallway bathroom as he's coming out and you're going in, you ask him what his deal is. "No deal," he snaps back.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, is that what you're gonna tell dad if he hauls you into his study to ask how come you're acting this way?"<br/>
<br/>
He makes a face at you. "Just some motherfuckers at school I'd really like to settle things with," he says. He stomps off for his bedroom, and slams the door.<br/>
<br/>
You have a thoughtful expression on your face as you wash up after peeing. It hasn't occurred to you that your eighth-grade brother might be having trouble at his school, like the way you have trouble at yours.<br/>
<br/>
<i>If Caleb wants to take over and fix something,</i> you wonder, <i>why not take over and fix Schuyler Middle School?</i><br/>
<br/>
Okay, he's not going to go for that, and you're not enthused by the idea of going back to middle school either. But at the very least you could investigate things out there. There's an easy way to do it, too: Make a mind-band, get it on Robert, and find out what the situation is at Schuyler.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"No luck on finding an easy way into Xavier's," Caleb tells you the next morning, when you meet in the student parking lot. "The only way I can see is to ask around, see if anyone at Westside knows someone who goes there."<br/>
<br/>
"No one here is going to know anyone there," you retort.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb punches you hard in the shoulder. <br/>
<br/>
"Don't be such a fucking pessimist," he says. "There's probably lots of overlap. I did a lot more research on them last night, turns out like a quarter of the students there are locals. Live here in town."<br/>
<br/>
"Bullshit. Then how come Kelsey Blankenship goes to Westside instead of there?" Kelsey Blankenship is one of—if not <i>the</i>—richest girl in school."<br/>
<br/>
"Ask her," Caleb retorts. "But the school is associated with the cathedral, and there's scholarships for locals who are members of it. Lotta people we know probably know someone who goes there. We just have to ask around."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Or,</i> you think, <i>we could do the easy thing and use Jessica to get into Agape. Or hijack someone at Eastman.</i><br/>
<br/>
And there's still the situation at Schuyler to look into.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212211214
author_id: rugal
title: Distant Relations
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Does it <i>have</i> to be Westside?"<br/>
<br/>
Jessica looks at you suspiciously and you see one of her eyebrows go up. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I mean... I don't really know," you confess. You begin nervously rubbing your hands together as you try and grasp for something; some kind of an idea. "I guess what I'm thinking is that... shit, Westside is just full of assholes."<br/>
<br/>
"No duh, but that's the point of becoming them," she replies. "I mean, if we're better off then it'll be harder for people to mess with us."<br/>
<br/>
"Would it?" you ask as you begin to build momentum. "Think about it. What if you replaced Jessica permanently? From the outside it looks good but then you'd still have to deal with Chelsea, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Then I replace Chelsea," she states bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
"And then you have to be around Black and Patterson and, I mean, do you want to actually have to <i>fuck</i> Black?" you ask. "And if you're Chelsea, then you'd have to constantly be on look out for Yumi and Cindy and them."<br/>
<br/>
"Well if I was Chelsea, then <i>you</i> could be Yumi and we wouldn't have that problem," comes Jessica's next retort.<br/>
<br/>
Admittedly, it's a pretty good point as well and one you don't really have a counter for. But you keep pressing forward. "Look, I'm just saying that Westside is a snake pit and no matter where you turn there's probably going to be some asshole or cunt looking to make your life miserable," you bitterly state. "So why even bother? If we can use these things to become anyone and take over any lives we want, why not just get out of Westside?"<br/>
<br/>
"And go where, Eastman? Agape? St. Xavier's?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, definitely no—wait, do you or Jessica know anyone that goes to St. Xavier's?" When that gets a shake of the head, you move on. "Well, whatever, a bunch of rich kids means it's probably even worse than Westside; a whole school of Kelseys."<br/>
<br/>
"Now <i>that's</i> an enticing image," Jessica replies. "What? The snootiness makes her hotter," she says in response to your groaning.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I just mean why not get out of high school entirely?"<br/>
<br/>
"What, like moving over to the college?" She pauses for a moment, looking thoughtful, and then slowly a grin breaks on her face. "Okay, yeah, getting away from the assholes and being around hot coeds is definitely a good idea. You've mentioned you have a cousin who goes to Keyserling, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and she's off limits," you growl. "What about you? You know anyone?"<br/>
<br/>
"No not r—wait!" she exclaims while snapping her fingers. "Actually the twins do. You were in Eva's head, don't you know that?"<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head. "Whatever I'd had has long faded," you answer.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, well, Eva and Jessica have a cousin—Allison—who goes to Keyserling," she explains. "Problem is, they're not particularly close with her, or at least they haven't been for a while. So it'd be weird if one of them just called her up out of the blue asking to hang out."<br/>
<br/>
"So why bring her up?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"We can still get to her," Jessica says, "you know Eva and Jessica's aunt, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"The one who works at the bank?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right," she nods. "Anyway, Allison is her kid so I'm thinking if we just detour through her, then we should be able to get a mask on Allison and then from there Keyserling is wide open for us."<br/>
<br/>
"Alright and how are we going to do <i>that</i>?" you ask with heavy skepticism.<br/>
<br/>
Jessica, in response, picks up one of the blank masks and hands it to you. "First, you need to put this on," he says. "Oh don't look at me like that. I'm thinking quickly, Will. I've got an idea, don't worry."<br/>
<br/>
You sigh. With nothing better to do, you raise the blank mask to your face and you're soon enveloped by the darkness.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's around six and you and Jessica find yourselves walking into the bottom floor of the newish mid-rise near the university. You glance over and point out Arnholms, the used book store where you found the book but that doesn't seem to get much of a reaction out of your partner. Instead she glides over towards an elevator and you're forced to catch up. The two of you ride up in silence sans Jessica asking, and you confirming, that you have everything you need in the bag slung to your shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
Once the elevator stops and the doors open, the two of you step into a hallway and after a few seconds of thinking, Jessica leads you down one until she stops at a door, confirms on the number outside that it's the right one and hits a button. You hear a distant voice on the other side of the door which then opens. Standing there is the woman—the twins' aunt—from the bank though dressed down considerably in sweatpants and tight tanktop.<br/>
<br/>
You hadn't really thought about it when you'd gone into the bank but seeing her like this, she's a very attractive woman and looks considerably younger than you'd expect her to be. Her dark brown eyes look at you cautiously and her body language seems guarded.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Jessica. You said you had something to talk to me about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Right. Can we come in?"<br/>
<br/>
"We?" she asks. Her eyebrow goes up when she notices you.<br/>
<br/>
"This is Will," Jessica says, "he's involved too so I brought him along. Is Uncle Jerry home?"<br/>
<br/>
"He's still out," says Jessica's aunt.<br/>
<br/>
"Good, because I <i>really</i> want to keep this between us. You didn't tell him did you?" asks Jessica nervously. "About that whole thing with Eva?"<br/>
<br/>
"Is <i>that</i> what this is about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, we just really need to clear something up. For Eva's sake."<br/>
<br/>
Jessica's aunt—you really can't remember her name—gets a sour look but, somewhat reluctantly, relents and opens the door wider. "Just make it quick, I'm expecting a food delivery," she says with just a hint of exasperated annoyance.<br/>
<br/>
"Just let me talk and follow me," Jessica whispers to you once you've walked by her aunt.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, what was so important, Jessica?" she asks with impatience as she walks by and into the living room. It's a pretty nice, and pretty new, condo from what you can see. Of course given its prime location it'd have to be.<br/>
<br/>
"So, uh, Eva's been getting a lot of sh—crap because of the money thing. Everyone thinks she's gone crazy," says Jessica. "But it wasn't her who took it out. It was me."<br/>
<br/>
Her aunt, taking a seat on the couch, cocks an eyebrow. "You? Come on, Jessica, I'm not dumb. I saw her and the girl who got the money had long hair, for a start."<br/>
<br/>
"Right, I had a wig," Jessica quickly replies. "See I was helping my friend Will, oh this is Will by the way." You wave meekly at Jessica's aunt but she just regards you coolly. "Anyway, I was helping him with an art project and we needed, well, a lot of supplies really. The both of us were short on money but I knew that Eva had some stashed away so—"<br/>
<br/>
"So you put on a wig and some ratty clothes and tried to pass yourself off as her to me," her aunt says dismissively. "Jessica, come on. You're not a kid and I'm not an idiot so you don't need to make up stories. It's good you're trying to cover for your sister but—"<br/>
<br/>
"It's the truth, Aunt Meg!" Jessica cries. Right, Meg, that was her name."Look, we even have the money right here. We came by to give it back so you could put it back into Eva's account."<br/>
<br/>
"So you want me to take the money and—" Meg lets out a frustrated sigh but seems to relent. "I guess I could just say it was just an error but if anyone asks, then you're going to tell people the same thing you told me, Jessica. And you're going to tell your sister the same thing when you get home. Otherwise it's my job on the line for not properly checking ID."<br/>
<br/>
"Yes ma'am," Jessica says as she turns to you. "Give it to her, Will."<br/>
<br/>
With that, you reach into the bag and pull out not money but instead a blank mask. And very quickly, before she can react, you leap forward and jam it onto the face of Jessica's aunt.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Stop staring," you snap at your doppelganger as you pull the sweatpants up.<br/>
<br/>
"I wasn't staring!" whines Will.<br/>
<br/>
You shoot him a look that simultaneously conveys amusement and irritation as you turn to him. "I could feel your eyes. You're looking at me right now," you say before turning back to pick up the tanktop and slide it over your head. "Anyway, we're done for the day. I'm in, we're all good."<br/>
<br/>
"So what do you want me to do then?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Go meet Jessica and go home. I'll contact Caleb when I'm ready to grab Allison."<br/>
<br/>
Will wants to fight back but realizes that he can't and so agrees. When he's gone, you finally relax and become aware of the body you now wear. With more than a fair bit of excitement, you head over to the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and take a good, long look in the mirror.<br/>
<br/>
Meg Garner's jaw is a little strong but she's otherwise a very pretty woman. Her eyes are brown and she has a nice nose and large lips. You take a moment to brush the messiness out of her neck-length dark brown hair. She's in shape and her chest is a nice size: not too large but not too small. There's actually no resemblance between her and the twin girls and from looking at her you would never think she's a mother to a girl in college.<br/>
<br/>
That's because she's not. Not biologically at least. The former Megan Cummings is only thirty-four, a full eight years younger than her husband of one year. Gerald Garner is a handsome and charismatic man and holds a good position at the same bank where Meg works and when he and his now ex-wife were going through a rough patch two years back, <i>he's</i> the one who started things with Meg. It's not Meg's fault that she fell in love and married him. It doesn't make her a homewrecker.<br/>
<br/>
Which is why there exists such a noticeable frostiness between not just Meg and her nieces but Meg and Gerald's daughter. You hope it won't make getting her too difficult.<span class="O"></span></span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221122
author_id: rugal
title: Don't tell Caleb.
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Telling Caleb about the new spell might not be such a good idea.  You've seen what he's done with just the golems, the way he's used them for his own gratification.  You think that telling him about this slave spell would be even more disastrous.  Those are just golems, not real flesh and blood people.  If Caleb threw a modified Eva mask onto Yumi Saito, however and took advantage of the slave aspect to get her to give him a blow job... even if it looks like Eva it'd still be Yumi in reality and it'd still be a real live person he'd be taking advantage of.  No, for now at least he doesn't need to learn of this one; not until you think he can be trusted to act in a more mature manner.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You say nothing to Caleb at school the next day. The day after that you're surprised to see no sign of Caleb (either as himself or as Eva) whatsoever. You tried calling and texting both his and Eva's phones in the hopes that he'd pick up one of them but alas that proves to be fruitless as well.  You spend the rest of the day antsy and anxious, not wanting to admit it but a deep part of you might actually want to tell Caleb about the new spell.  Or maybe he'd be able to help you figure out something with regards to the ripped page, maybe experiment a little bit and try throwing things out there to see if you can maybe get the next spell to work.<br/>
<br/>
You mull the new spell over in your head as well. You can see the benefit of using it to get someone out of the way for a little bit and then removing the mask and having them go back to normal when you're done.  However, you're deeply uncomfortable about making a real, living and breathing person your complete and total slave.  It seems almost... evil.  You hope to God you can figure something out with this ripped page spell and complete it.  The next one said something about removal or undoing after all and you think that it's high time you bring back the real Eva Garner.  You can't help but feel awful with regards to her.  She can be a huge bitch but she doesn't deserve what you've done to her.  You stole from her, both her money and her very life and humanity.  She deserves to live once again and be the biggest bitch she can possibly be... restore SOME sense of normalcy.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Once school lets out around 4:00 PM, you decide to get over to the clubhouse and check to see if Caleb is there.  However, much to your surprise, you see Jeremy down there polishing a mask.<br/>
<br/>
"Caleb?" you ask in surprise, "Is that you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Jeremy" shakes his head.  "Nuh uh, it's me." he responds matter of factly.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, the golem?" you ask, then smack your head.  "Duh!  No shit!  Who else would you be?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, great work there Sherlock.  You got any other brilliant deductions?" the golem asks, attitude dripping from his voice.<br/>
<br/>
You scowl at him and shake your head, "Shit, you think you'd be more... I dunno..."<br/>
<br/>
"Nice?" the golem asks.  "Look, I'm your slave.  Nothing says I can't be a jackass about it though."<br/>
<br/>
"Wonderful." you say annoyed, "So why are you polishing that mask?"<br/>
<br/>
The golem just looks down at the mask and continues polishing.  "Oh, your buddy's been coming down here and making masks." he replies, "I dunno, I'm not really a details guy, you'll have to ask him whenever he gets back.  The other golem's somewhere around her polishing another mask" it adds.<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, what?  How?" you ask, surprise on your face.<br/>
<br/>
The Jeremy golem flashes a grin.  "He's been using your mask to order us around.  It's kind of clever honestly." it says.<br/>
<br/>
You rub the bridge of your nose with your thumb and index finger, "And how's that possible when the only masks around should be the one you've got and my mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"He made another one." the golem responds, "Ask him yourself when he gets here."<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, so then where the hell is Caleb at?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Right here, dude!" a voice calls out.  You turn around and look to see Jessica Garner entering the room, looking admittedly smoking in a short skirt and low cut pink tanktop, her long blonde hair bouncing nearly as much as her large boobs.  "Hey there!  Surprised to see me?" she smiles.<br/>
<br/>
"...Caleb?!  Is that you?" is all you can spurt out.<br/>
<br/>
"In Jessica's flesh, yeah." Caleb states.<br/>
<br/>
"But... HOW?!  How the fuck did you get that thing?!" you yell-ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Calm down Will, Christ.  You're gonna give yourself an aneurysm." he says, tucking a bit of blonde hair behind his ear, "It's simple as hell... well kind of planned out but yeah.  Anyway, that day we started making my mask... well I never actually WENT home.  Just pretended to.  Actually, I came back, threw on your mask and ordered the golem to start making another mask instead.  Basically during the overnight hours and while we were in school it was down here polishing it."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait... goddamn, of course!" you exclaim, "THAT'S why it took so long to polish your mask.  You had it working on YOUR stuff this whole time."<br/>
<br/>
"Guilty as charged." Caleb smiles, "Anyway, while it did that I got to work making some of those bands.  It finished this and, uh, I kinda... took the Eva mask.  Went home as her and used the new blank mask on Jessica.  Came back in the morning, threw the Jessica mask on the Eva golem and put her to work, then went to school as Eva that day." he explains.<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh, I FIGURED something was up that day you were absent." you say, "I actually kind of suspected that you were fooling around with the Eva mask.  But then I got here and we both kept polishing the mask."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I got here before you did, took the Eva and Jessica masks off of myself and the Eva golem.  Actually, I've been having both golems working during the overnight hours and taking the Eva one out for school.  You never noticed that I was always here a little bit before you?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
You just shrug in reply.  "I didn't think anything of it.  But then... the materials!  How'd you get enough to make..."<br/>
<br/>
"Three masks." comes the answer.<br/>
<br/>
"THREE?!  How the fuck...?!" you yell.<br/>
<br/>
Jessica's pretty shoulders shrug, "There's still stuff all around this school that nobody will obviously miss.  Taking some stuff from the organic garden club at school at night.  Using my meager funds on anything I can't get from those two sources."<br/>
<br/>
You look at Caleb, or the fake Jessica, and you want to strangle him.  How the hell could he go and do this behind your back?  It's so backhanded and two-faced that you want to bitch him out right then there.  At the same time though, a part of you (larger than you care to admit) has to give him props.  His plan is ingenuous.  He obviously knows what he's doing and has been making better use of these masks and golems than you ever could.  So you let those feelings of rage subside and decide to let bygones be bygones.  "Okay, this is all very smart I have to admit.  So who all have you gotten?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, here's my newest one." Caleb says, laying down on the ground and pulling off the Jessica mask.  After he comes back to the land of the conscious in a few minutes, he pulls the newest mask out of a book bag and applies it.  Again, after a couple of good minutes he stands back up and smiles.  "Konnichiwa." he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Shit, Yumi Saito?" you say looking at the duplicate of Yumi, Jessica's skirt fitting fine but the tank top looking a little loose on Yumi's frame due possibly to the size of Jessica's chest.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah." Caleb grins, "I was going after a cheerleader today and she happened to be the one around at the end of the day.  Not gonna complain though... especially when we get this thing on a golem."  He laughs and you roll your eyes as you know he's had a bit of a thing for Yumi for awhile.  Not a crush exactly but... a lustful admiration is probably the best term.  "Man, this IS a really good choice!" he exclaims, "Her memories are telling me that she's got two hot-ass cousins over at Eastman."<br/>
<br/>
"Geez, you're not gonna use that mask to get them are you?"  The question is obviously rhetorical and full of sarcasm.<br/>
<br/>
"Yumi's" grin continues to grow.  "Why not?  Two more girls and I've seen some of the great pieces of ass that go to Eastman."  He comes out of his reverie long enough to point you to the table.  "Oh, right, the other two masks I managed to get are over there.  One's Mindy McAdams and the other..." that grin is now decidedly devilish.  "Well... let's just say that one's special.  Feel free to try either one."<br/>
<br/>
You go over to the table and look at the two masks.  The special one... something about it looks familiar but you're having trouble placing it.  Caleb obviously isn't going to tell you so the only way to see who it is is to put it on.  But at the same time maybe you shouldn't.  There IS another mask after all.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212211221
author_id: rugal
title: Put the "special" mask on
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>The "special" mask... Caleb's not going to be any help in telling you who it is and so your interest has been piqued.  Maybe that was Caleb's goal all along and if so, good show on his part.  He's been coy so it obviously must belong to someone big.  Chelsea Cooper or Cindy Vredenburg perhaps?  Maybe Andrea Varnsworth.  Kim Walsh, senior class president and most likely valedictorian would be a big one as would Ms. Novak, the pretty 9th grade history teacher.<br/>
<br/>
With no option but to dive right in, you grab the mask, lay down on the floor and put it on.  After waking up a few minutes later, you get to your feet and glare at Yumi, who's looking down her shirt.  A bit of dark, black hair falls into your face but you really don't even care.  "You son of a bitch!" you yell as you walk towards her direction.<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?  What?" Caleb says, looking up.  And then he smiles.  "Oh, went with that one huh?  What do you think?"<br/>
<br/>
"How could you?!" you yell, "I fucking told you before not to involve her!"<br/>
<br/>
"No," he states defiantly, "there was something about the golem or whatever and not making it.  I think?" he then looks back at you annoyed, "Wait!  Is this one of those things where you maybe THOUGHT something but never said it?  It fucking probably is."<br/>
<br/>
"Ugh!  Look, you should've known.  How could you be so inconsiderate?!" you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks visibly annoyed, "Inconsiderate?!  The whole reason I GOT that one was because I thought you'd appreciate it!  You're still obsessed over her and, I don't know, I thought a mask could maybe give you some kind of closure or you could use it to see her naked or SOMETHING."<br/>
<br/>
You're about to yell back but decide not to.  Yelling's not going to help anything after all.  "Okay, good intentions or not... you should KNOW how I feel.  A Lisa mask is just... I don't know.  I don't know what to think."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb just makes a face.  "What do you mean?  You want Lisa right?  Now you have her... whenever you want even." he says.<br/>
<br/>
You can tell that in his own way, Caleb is trying to genuinely be nice and help you out but you're just not sure how much it's working.  "Yeah, I do.  Or I did anyway.  But like this?" you gesture towards yourself, "I don't know.  It feels... wrong somehow." you look up towards Caleb, still wearing the Yumi mask.  "I mean, how do YOU do it?  You're into Yumi, right, so how are you able to just... be her?  It doesn't feel weird?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb shook his head.  "Not really.  I mean, I'm not ACTUALLY her.  Like I'm not some kind of alien goo taking over her body or anything.  I just look like her and have her memories.  I mean maybe it's a little weird but to me, it's fun I guess.  A bit of a fantasy.  I mean look at me, you can see that Yumi's hot so what kind of shot would a dork like me have with her?" he grimaces, "This is about the only way I can get close to her, or Eva, or Jessica or whoever and if that's what I have to do, that's what I have to do I guess."  He then smiles, "Besides, living another life can be fun."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah but... I don't know." you say unsuredly, "I guess I could try going to school as Eva tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah!  Exactly, there you go!" Caleb perks up.  "These things are a cool gift.  Have some fun with them, don't get all mopey and serious about this shit!  Like me, those hot cousins I mentioned?  Yumi's gonna meet one of them tonight for some math tutoring.  I kind of want to go to that meeting myself, get a mask of them you know?  I can use that to scope out Eastman since, like I said, they've got some fine-ass girls over there.  That and I've heard it's a lot better."<br/>
<br/>
"Better?" you ask, "How's that?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's stuff I've heard around plus what Dana and Sarah, those are the cousins by the way, have mentioned to Yumi before." he explains, "Just the people there are generally a lot nicer, the gossip queen makes sure of that.  I dunno how that works but that's what I know.  It's a bit different from here where assholes like Gordon and Patterson run wild and flex their muscle."<br/>
<br/>
You make a whistling sound, "Damn, saying it like that I wouldn't mind checking out that place myself.  Besides, I could probably use some distance from Lisa." you say.<br/>
<br/>
"See, there you go!" Caleb exclaims, "Think of the good parts of this, don't just act like it's some huge burden."<br/>
<br/>
"Question, though." you interject, "Don't you need to get her out of the way first?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's eyes go wide and he smacks his forehead, "Crap!  Yeah, you're right.  Ugh, didn't you get a new spell or something?  Maybe that'd be able to help." he says.<br/>
<br/>
You look at him sternly.  You already balked at telling him once thinking that he'd be too immature and self-centered and thus not trustworthy with knowing about the slave mask.  This conversation, however, has shown you that there's more to your friend than what he presents on the surface.  Is it enough to convince you that perhaps he should know?  Or would it be better to still not say anything.  You can always make up a story and besides, you're still a little pissed about the Lisa mask.</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122112212
author_id: rugal
title: Get rid of Yumi but make up a story for Caleb
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Actually..." you start, knowing that you'll have to choose your words very carefully, "the next page was ripped.  Like half the damn thing was torn out so the instructions were gone.  Only way we'd be able to do anything is with experimenting and that would be impossible."  It's a little bit of a lie, skipping completely over the "golem mask"... of course that's why you're doing it.  "It could take weeks.  Months.  Who knows?"<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm..." Caleb starts.  Yumi's face looks fairly cute scrunched up like that, you think, even though you know it's really Caleb.  "Lemme see it."<br/>
<br/>
"The book?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"No, asshole, your junk.  Yes the book."<br/>
<br/>
"I, uh, actually left it at home." you say sheepishly.  Another small lie as it was actually in your truck.  "I saw the ripped page and was just kind of pissed.  I sort of forgot to grab it before leaving."<br/>
<br/>
"Great.  Wonderful.  Now what the fuck am I supposed to do?" he asks, his head sinking in despair.<br/>
<br/>
You pat him on the shoulder reassuringly.  "Look, man, what time does Yumi have to meet with her cousin?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Like 7:00." Caleb answers.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, and Jeremy!" you turn your head towards the golem, still polishing, "How long until that mask is done?"<br/>
<br/>
"About another half-hour of this shit." it grumbles.<br/>
<br/>
"Good, keep polishing until it's done." you command.  You then turn back towards Caleb, "I'll help you out.  I've got something in mind that's sure to get Yumi out of the way for you.  Two and a half hours is plenty of time for me to do it, after all, and hell, I'll even throw in her car for you since you showing up any other way might be weird."<br/>
<br/>
"What do you have in mind?" Caleb asks, eyeing you suspiciously.<br/>
<br/>
"That's for me to know." you grin, "Just trust me on this.  It's completely foolproof.  Now hand me one of the Garner Twin masks." you say.  After he does so, you take off the Lisa mask and after coming back to consciousness put the Garner mask on.  A few minutes and some clothes swapping later, Jessica Garner is getting ready to leave.  "Just wait down here.  I'll be back within an hour.  With Yumi's car even."<br/>
<br/>
With that you head out to enact your plan.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
It actually winds up taking you about two hours before you finally were able to enact your plan.  It wasn't very complicated at all: as Jessica you called Yumi and told her to meet you at a park not far from the elementary school that never saw much use.  She eventually did... after nearly two hours of having to run some errands both for herself and her parents, as well as showering.<br/>
<br/>
Once she showed up, you took the "golem mask" of Caleb and stuck it on her face, transforming her into not only a copy of your best friend but your slave.  You called Caleb on his cellphone, getting confirmation on Yumi's address and whether there would be anyone home (there wouldn't) and rushed over there, using the house key on her key ring (you were driving her car after all) to get inside and grab an oufit.  The transformation into Caleb had kind of ripped the one she was wearing a bit, ruining it.  Once at the school you ordered her to wait in the bed of your truck (laying out of site) until Caleb left, at which point you would signal for her to jump out and take up shop in the basement somewhere out of sight.<br/>
<br/>
There was always the risk of her being caught but... well, that was a bridge you'd have to cross when you got there.  Besides, Caleb was going to know about the golem mask spell at some point anyway.  Maybe you shouldn't hide it from him in that case.  You shake your head.  Just another bridge to cross, you convince yourself.<br/>
<br/>
You head over towards the table where the completed masks are and glance at them.  Without really thinking you grab the Lisa mask and head over towards the Eva golem, which was maskless at the moment, and putting the Lisa mask on her.  It stares at you with Lisa's pretty violet eyes and you practically melt.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh.  God, really?" it asks, "I can't believe you actually did this."<br/>
<br/>
"Did what?" you ask before realizing that it's nude, "Oh, uh... right.  No.  No.  Nuh uh, I wasn't thinking that at all." you say, "Actually I did it to get a little closure and this is as close to the source as I'm going to get.  So tell me, why did you... no, you're just a copy.  Why did Lisa Yarbrough break up with me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because we were never officially going out?" it responds.<br/>
<br/>
"Never going out?!" you sputter, "B-but what about all the affection and physicalness and stuff?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's how I am.  I'm an affectionate, touchy-feely person.  I do that with some of my girlfriends too.  Doesn't mean I'm dating them." the golem explains.  "Look Will, you're a nice guy and all but you don't have that... confidence needed to make a girl want you.  As a friend you're great but not exactly boyfriend material."<br/>
<br/>
"Boyfriend material?!" you're getting pissed now and before you do anything you might possibly regret, you decide it's for the best for you to remove the mask and return the golem back to being inactive.  Which you do.<br/>
<br/>
"Not boyfriend material." you repeat to yourself, looking at the mask, "Well go fuck yourself.  I didn't think you were that shallow."  And with that you angrily slam it back onto the table.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"So this is what you got?" you ask after Caleb (still wearing the Yumi mask) returned.  You're still in the basement standing in the body of Sarah Pak, Yumi's younger cousin and a freshman over at Eastman.  She's a little on the petite side and her memories are telling you that her shoulder length hair being worn down is weird as she usually prefers wearing it up or in a ponytail or pigtails.  "She's cute."<br/>
<br/>
"Cute AND useful." Caleb replies, "Remember, we can use her to get into Eastman.  By the way, you look totally ridiculous."<br/>
<br/>
He's referring, of course, to the fact your clothes look more than a little baggy on the girl's much smaller frame.  "Bite me." you say, a very un-Sarah expression said in a very un-Sarah manner.  "But you're right, obviously we're going to have to get her out of the picture if we want to scout Eastman and we can't do that by having her look like this."<br/>
<br/>
"It's kind of cute." Caleb replies smiling.<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry man but incest isn't my thing." you shoot back.<br/>
<br/>
"What?  But Ume--whatever." he says, "So how do we get her out of the picture?"<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno." you shrug.  "We'll figure something out but before that, we need to decide who's going to head off to Eastman."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks a bit surprised, "I figured I was going to.  I didn't think you'd want to do that." he says.<br/>
<br/>
A sour expression crosses your face and you just shake your head, "I kind of want some time away from this place for a bit.  Like a retreat or vacation.  It could be good for me.  Plus I want to see just how 'nicer' Eastman actually is."<br/>
<br/>
"I was kind of looking forward to that myself." Caleb says, "But I mean if you'd rather do it, be my guest.  I've got no problem sticking around as Yumi for a little bit."<br/>
<br/>
You're a bit surprised he's so willing to let you go ahead with it.  Of course in doing so, you'd probably have to let him in on the secret of the golem mask spell.  Like you rationalized earlier, however, he'll probably find out on his own eventually.  He's not dumb after all.  Besides, the thing with Lisa, even if it was a golem, has left you not wanting to be around Westside for a little bit.  You said to Caleb that getting away could be good for you and you actually meant it so taking the place of Sarah Pak for a little while could be just what the doctor ordered. </span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221122121
author_id: rugal
title: Use the Sarah mask to infiltrate Eastman
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"You really should've told me earlier."<br/>
<br/>
As you and Caleb drive towards the neighborhood where the Pak family lives, his demeanor is a little chilly.  You had decided to spend some time away from Westside and use the mask of Sarah Pak to replace her for a bit.  To make sure things went off without a hitch, Caleb needed to know the whole truth.  You brought out the Caleb-Golem and explained about the spell, what you had done with Yumi and everything else really.<br/>
<br/>
As usually happened with you two since discovering the book, he bitched you out for a few minutes saying that as your best friend you should be able to trust him and that sneaking around behind his back and lying to him was pretty two-faced.  You weren't really in any position to disagree with his assertions so you just quietly apologized until he eventually softened up.  He was still a little irritated by what happened but he agreed to help out all the same.<br/>
<br/>
The plan involved Caleb-as-Yumi calling Sarah, telling her to meet in the park a few blocks down from where she lived, the excuse being that Caleb had something he needed to give her but had forgotten to earlier.  Sarah, being a bit of a "good girl" was reluctant to head out in the middle of the night (around 9:00) but eventually relented.<br/>
<br/>
With her there, you would slip a golem mask onto her face and Caleb would bring her back to the school.  The problem was deciding on a mask to use.  Caleb was reluctant to give any of them up and constantly shot down your suggestions.  Eventually, however, you came to the decision of using the Lisa mask.  It was one you didn't intend on wearing and one you didn't want Caleb wearing as well so in your eyes it was the most expendable one.  With some persuasion (winning a best 3-out-of-5 match of Rock, Paper, Scissors) Caleb finally relented and you got to work golemizing the Lisa mask.<br/>
<br/>
After arriving at the park, you could see an impatient Sarah sitting on a picnic table.  She instantly perked up, however, upon seeing Yumi's car pull up.  The two of you then got out of the car and walked in her direction as she happily came forth to meet her cousin.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey Yumi." she says greeting Caleb.  "Um so what is it you had to give me exactly?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb nods in your direction.  "Actually, my friend here has it.  It's something really important and she said she needed to deliver it to you personally."<br/>
<br/>
She eyes you with a bit of suspicion, the darkness of the night obscuring your features.  "I'm sorry, but who are you?  I don't think we've ever met."  As she says that, the bit of cloud cover over the moon clears up lighting up the area a bit more, enough for Sarah to finally get a good glimpse of your face.  What you see causes her to react in shock.  "W-What's going on?" she asks, looking desperately at Caleb.  "Yumi, what's... what's going?  Who is she?  Why does she look like me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sarah, relax." you say as you walk towards her smirking.  The site of her mirror image doing that causes her to back up slightly.  "I look like you because, well, I <i>am</i> you.  Or rather I <i>will</i> be you.  Just as soon as you put this on." with that you remove the mask from the jacket it's wrapped in and offer it to her.  She doesn't take it.  "Look, please.  All I'm asking you is to put the mask on." you say.<br/>
<br/>
Sarah, however, shakes her head and continues backing up.  Caleb, however, grabs her arm and pulls her back in.  "Don't think I'm some kind of asshole." you say, the word sounding weird coming out of Sarah's mouth, "I just have a lot going on.  I kind of need this."<br/>
<br/>
With that, you take the mask and shove it on her face.<br/>
<br/>
"Dude, you didn't have to scare her like that." Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"I didn't mean to.  I guess I got caught up in the whole thing." you reply.  "Anyway it's going to be like two or three minutes before the mask starts taking effect and changing her so we have to get her clothes off.  Lisa's a little 'bigger' than her and I don't need them getting ruined."<br/>
<br/>
You manage to get them off just as the changes start.  A few minutes of fumbling around in the dead of night later and you're pulling the jeans she had been wearing up, just as the new Lisa springs to life.<br/>
<br/>
"Great job, boss." she says after standing up, "Me naked in the middle of a park at night, you standing there like some lolicon's wet dream.  Nice going."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh be quiet." you say as you throw Sarah's shirt on and tie your hair back in a ponytail, "Look, I don't know how often I'll be around the clubhouse since all Sarah's got is a bike."<br/>
<br/>
"Why are you looking at me?" Caleb asks, "I've already heard this before."<br/>
<br/>
You WERE looking in his direction but ignore him, "So I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told the other golems: when I'm not around, Caleb is your master.  If he gives you an order, you do it.  Is that clear?"<br/>
<br/>
The Lisa golem nods an affirmative.<br/>
<br/>
"Except for you," you add in, "no sexual stuff.  If he tells you to get naked or kiss him or fuck him or anything like that, don't listen to him.  Got it?"  Golem or not, the thought of Caleb having sex with Lisa was not a thought you wanted.<br/>
<br/>
The golem again nods and you remember you told it to be quiet.  You order it to be able to speak again and then turn towards Caleb.  "Look, I don't know how often we'll be able to do anything with the spellbook so just, I dunno, hold tight or something.  We're fine with what we've got anyway."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, sure, I guess." Caleb says unenthusiastically.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm serious." you say as you head over towards Sarah's bike, "Don't fuck around with the book.  Not without both of us present.  Is that clear?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes sir, boss ma'am." he replies.<br/>
<br/>
You roll your eyes and bike off towards Sarah's house.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
"Sarah, where were you?" Mrs. Pak asks as you walk in the front door.  It's not really a question so much as a demand though.<br/>
<br/>
"At the park, mom." you answer, "Yumi had something she forgot to give me.  A study guide she had made up for me."<br/>
<br/>
"Is that so?  Well then why not come here?"<br/>
<br/>
You wince a little as it's obvious she doesn't believe you for a second.  "I dunno, she said she didn't have a lot of gas left and the park was about as far as she could go while making sure she had enough to get to school and back tomorrow." you shrug.<br/>
<br/>
Mrs. Pak shakes her head, "Sarah, honestly.  Sneaking out of the house late at night?  I thought we raised you better than that."<br/>
<br/>
"Moooom, I'm <i>fifteen</i>." you say, putting just enough of a teenage girl whine in your voice, "I'm not some kind of little kid anymore.  I should have a little more freedom."<br/>
<br/>
"Honey, understand." she sighs, "You're a teenager, true.  But you're not an adult.  And as long as you're not an adult and living under our roof you'll follow our rules.  Understood?"<br/>
<br/>
"But mom--" you say before being interrupted.<br/>
<br/>
"No buts." she states in the authoritative tone only a mother can get away with, "Now go upstairs and get ready for bed, you've got school in the morning and it's getting late."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
<br/>
You scowl a bit but trudge upstairs anyway towards the bathroom to shower.  As you get to the top you smile.  Sarah's mother was none-the-wiser.  After showering (an admittedly enjoyable experience... this <i>was</i> your body for awhile after all), you throw on Sarah's pajamas and head towards her room before being accosted by Dana, her older sister.<br/>
<br/>
"So, did mom catch you?" she asks, referring obviously to Sarah having gone out.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah." you nod, "I got an earful about it.  Ugh, you didn't tell her did you?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Me?  No." she says, denying your accusation, "I think she'd notice if you weren't around."<br/>
<br/>
"It's just now fair." you whine, "If you did the same thing she wouldn't have said a word to you."<br/>
<br/>
"That's because I'm eighteen, you doofus." Dana replies, smiling warmly.  "And no, she'd still probably complain about it a bit.  Actually, she could just kick me out and then I'd be homeless."<br/>
<br/>
"And that'd suck." you state plainly.<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly!" she exclaims, "I mean I'm sure I could find someone to room with but still, you know, I'd be without my little sister."<br/>
<br/>
With that she gives you a hug and you can't really help but hug back and wish her good night.  As you head into Sarah's room, you think about the relationship Sarah shares with her sister.  It's like the complete opposite of the one you share with Robert.  Sarah and Dana don't always see eye-to-eye but unlike you and Robert, the two of them are very close and love eachother very much.  They'd practically be best friends if they didn't already have <i>actual</i> best friends.<br/>
<br/>
Best friends... Sarah's is a girl who lives right down the street named Joanna Johnson.  Sarah's memories tell you that they bike to school together practically every day.  You had actually been contemplating seeing if Dana would give you a ride to school for the opportunity to talk to her more.  But if you're going to effectively be Sarah Pak, you assume it might be for the best to keep up appearances.  That would include biking to school with Joanna.  Besides, having her memories or no, it's probably for the best to get to know the people in Sarah's life yourself.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212
author_id: seuzz
title: The Alteration of Jeremy Richards
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You feel like you've victimized Eva enough. You're also not much inclined to victimize Jeremy, until the next day comes, that is. You're in the hallway between periods when Lester the Molester strides through, announcing that "Someone needs a beating!" You duck your head, but not before your eye accidentally catches that of Jeremy, who is nearby. "How about Prescott!" he shouts, and the Molester drags you outside for a little light humiliation.<br/>
<br/>
You have a quick consultation with Caleb afterward, and the plan comes together quickly. (Your brain feels like it has supercharged electricity coursing through it.) He disappears to take care of his end when the final bell rings, while you go back to the clubhouse to prep the materials. You then put on the Eva mask and the pink sweatsuit and hide in the back. <br/>
<br/>
It takes a quite a lot longer for Caleb to get your victim to the clubhouse than the two of you had planned—perhaps Jeremy is suspicious—but you've got Eva's boobies for company. You actually jump a little when the door opens and you hear Richards' voice. "You're so full of shit, Johansson. I'm gonna bust your fucking face open." You take that to be your cue.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey," you say coquettishly as you step from out of the shadows. Jeremy's jaw drops. "Toldja," Caleb smirks.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy looks from Caleb to you, and then smiles. "Hey," he says with a laugh. "I thought this fucker was lying when—"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't call him names," you say as you shyly approach him. "Caleb's my friend. Not the same kind of friend as you, though." You put your arms around Caleb's torso and hug him. He awkwardly hugs you back. <br/>
<br/>
"Anyway," you say, pulling back. "I wanted to tell you I forgive you for what you did today."<br/>
<br/>
"What did I do?" Jeremy asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Never mind." You pull off the top of the sweatsuit and turn your massive bosom toward him. His eyes bulge. "You wanna touch 'em? Play with 'em? I'll let you," you giggle.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy's mouth works. Then, without taking his eyes from your breasts, he jerks his head back toward Caleb. "Johansson can't watch."<br/>
<br/>
"Cover your eyes, Caleb," you giggle, and he obliges. Jeremy comes forward and gingerly touches your nipples. You give a little squeak. "Suck on them."<br/>
<br/>
He kneels, and his lips close around them. They are sensitive, but he knows what he's doing—the fucker—and you actually feel a little aroused. "You like them?" you say. "They're real, and they're magnificent, aren't they?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mmmm," is all he says.<br/>
<br/>
You pull away and sit down on a desk. "Okay, now I've got something really special to show you," you say. His eyes grow very large, and he swallows. You put your hand to your temple, say the magic words, and rip the mask away.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Did you like my boobies?"<br/>
<br/>
You don't have them anymore, and Jeremy glowers at you with a tight grimace. He looks like he wants to punch someone, and you notice that Caleb is standing well out of reach.<br/>
<br/>
So you were thinking that clearly when you came up with the plan, and you imagined that all you'd have to do is rip the mask off and then you could taunt Jeremy with your real face. You forgot that taking a mask off as well as putting one on will knock you out.<br/>
<br/>
But maybe it was for the best. While you were unconscious on the floor, Caleb calmed Jeremy down and explained to him what's going on. Or, at least part of it.<br/>
<br/>
"Anyway, we're even now," you tell Jeremy as you search for your real clothes. "I want us all to be friends. That's how come we asked you here. To be a part of our club."<br/>
<br/>
"What kind of a club?" Jeremy asks.<br/>
<br/>
"A magic club." You pick up Eva's mask. "A secret club where we get to play with these things." Thank God Caleb already explained about them to Jeremy, so you don't have to.<br/>
<br/>
Or do you? "Bullshit," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not bullshit!" you protest. "You saw me! You saw Eva. You touched and kissed— You want me to show you again?" You start to bring the mask up to your face.<br/>
<br/>
But Jeremy stops you with a gesture. He stares hard at you, and then his attention shifts to the mask. Slowly he extends a hand for it, and steps forward. You let him get to within a few inches of the mask, and then pull it back. <br/>
<br/>
"Not yet," you tell him. "First, we gotta prep you." You turn to stare at the big conference table, where you've lain the grimoire open. Jeremy follows your gaze. <br/>
<br/>
"It's something Caleb and me had to do, too," you explain. "We have to prep you if you wanna wear one of these masks."<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy stares at the table, and then back at you. He licks his lip, and you can see that he is beginning to breathe very heavily. Sweat begins to glisten on his forehead. He swallows.<br/>
<br/>
He's within moments of snapping at the hook, you can tell. All you have to do is hold his gaze without cracking for just a few more moments. Luckily, you are almost telling the truth ...<br/>
<br/>
With a quick step he springs toward the conference table. "What do I do?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Just lay down on the book," you instruct him. "We'll do the rest."<br/>
<br/>
"What'll it do?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I told you, it'll prep you. It takes no time at all.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy gives you a hard look, then heaves himself onto the table and lays face up on the book. "What's this shit?" he asks as Caleb begins to spoon graveyard dirt over him.<br/>
<br/>
"The stuff to, uh, prep your skin so it ... it bonds with the mask," you say, thinking quickly. You pour fuel over the dirt. "Ready?" Jeremy nods, and his hands flex and uncurl. <br/>
<br/>
"Hang on," Caleb interrupts. "We almost forgot the ... uh ... the prep mask." You and Jeremy look at him quizzically as he runs over your pile of stuff and rummages through, returning with another mask. "This is to ... uh ... align your features with the ... mask design ... uh ..."<br/>
<br/>
An alarmed look crosses Jeremy's face. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"<br/>
<br/>
"Trust me, I'm a doctor," Caleb says, and drops the mask onto Jeremy's face. An instant later it sinks into him, and Jeremy goes into a daze.<br/>
<br/>
"The hell are you doing?!" you explode.<br/>
<br/>
"Insurance, man," Caleb says. "That's his mask. In case something goes wrong, we have all his latest memories on file. I mean, we don't really know what this spell is gonna do. Suppose it gives him super powers? Like, shapeshifting powers?"<br/>
<br/>
"Then we use it on ourselves."<br/>
<br/>
"And if he's pissed at us?"<br/>
<br/>
"If it gives him superpowers, why would he be pissed at us? We've told him we're friends and want to share the magic stuff with him."<br/>
<br/>
"He's not my idea of a good partner," Caleb mutters.<br/>
<br/>
Neither of you say anything more until the mask reappears on Jeremy's face some minutes later. You snatch it up and, without waiting for Jeremy to regain consciousness, light a match and toss it onto him.<br/>
<br/>
A bright purple flame blooms off the table, enveloping Jeremy, and a hot blast of air sweeps out. "Holy shit!" Caleb cries. "Fire! Get a fire extinguisher!" You look around frantically—of course there's no extinguisher—but an instant later both the heat and the flame have vanished, leaving behind only ...<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Fuckers," Jeremy says in a surly voice, and glares at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Will you shut up?" You turn back toward Caleb. "We have to undo it."<br/>
<br/>
"Why? No one can tell the difference."<br/>
<br/>
"But we killed him!"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb turns to Jeremy. "Do you feel dead?"<br/>
<br/>
"I feel like fucking you guys up, that's what I feel like."<br/>
<br/>
"See?" Caleb says to you. "No difference."<br/>
<br/>
"But it's not Jeremy! It's another fucking golem, wearing the Jeremy mask! We have to undo it!"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure thing, buddy," Caleb says cheerfully. He snatches up the book and starts to read the next spell, which you've just unlocked. "I'm always up for another bit of magic."<br/>
<br/>
You snatch the book away. "Listen to me, or I <i>will</i> give it permission to fuck you up."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks at you patiently, and waits. And then you realize you've nothing to say.<br/>
<br/>
"Can I go home now?" Jeremy asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay," you say in a resigned tone. Then you wheel on it. "But remember, you're my slave. Don't tell anyone anything, don't say anything about this, don't let on what you know! Understand?" Jeremy makes a rude noise, but nods. "We're friends, and that's an order!"<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy gives a little start, and then a huge grin breaks across his face. "Sure thing!" He claps you across the shoulder. "See you guys tomorrow, maybe some hoops after school?"<br/>
<br/>
You blink. "Are you being sarcastic?"<br/>
<br/>
He looks hurt. "What? Why would I be sarcastic? We're friends, I thought we'd hang out. Been a long time since we acted like buddies, you know." His tone actually sounds a little wistful. <br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb exchange a shocked glance, then you tell the golem it can go. Afterwards, Caleb grabs you by the shoulders. "You changed his personality! You saw that, right? Total presto-change-o! You are <i>brilliant!"</i><br/>
<br/>
"It was an accident!"<br/>
<br/>
"Who cares? You know what this means, right?" His eyes gleam. "We do the same trick on Chelsea Cooper, the jocks, suddenly we're part of the popular crowd! Hell, forget popularity!" He starts bouncing on the balls of his feet. "How'd you like to have the Molester for a <i>bodyguard?!"</i></span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122
author_id: seuzz
title: A Surprise Visitor
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>A feeling like a swarm of fire ants runs over your scalp. To have the Molester under your control, doing your bidding ... Hell, you could even <i>be</i> him whenever you felt like it ...<br/>
<br/>
But then you shudder. "Dude, you're talking about <i>killing</i> him!" you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not killing!" Caleb says. "We checked out Jeremy, and he was still, like, alive, even inside that shell."<br/>
<br/>
"That's almost worse! No!" You cut him off. "We did this thing once. We're not going to do it again."<br/>
<br/>
"It" is what you did to Jeremy. You turned him into a statue.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Well, not exactly, but basically. The fire burned only briefly, and when it winked out and you blinked the afterglow from your eyes, you and Caleb found that Jeremy had changed color, from a peach-tinted off-white to dull off-gray. He was stiff all over, too, his skin transformed into something with the texture of concrete. He was the same shape all over, though, and the detail work was exquisite, right down to the pores and the tiny little hairs on the side of his neck.<br/>
<br/>
But he didn't move. Because statues don't move.<br/>
<br/>
It was Caleb who first deduced that the spell had transformed your old friend into a golem. <i>It must've used his body instead of all that dirt,</i> he theorized, and he confirmed it first by dropping Jeremy's mask onto the thing, and afterward Eva's. In both cases, the person inside the mask materialized, instantly awake and instantly aggrieved. "Eva," though didn't remember anything about Jeremy, and was both bothered and bemused by your questions implying that she used to be Jeremy. "Jeremy," though, remembered meeting up with you, and remembered laying on the book. He also remembers your promise. <i>So,</i> he asked, <i>can I put that mask on now?</i><br/>
<br/>
He was peeved when you explained that he couldn't, and got more irate when you explained to him that he was now a fake version of himself, one that had to obey— Well, since it was your hair that you mixed up with the other chemicals, he has to obey you.<br/>
<br/>
Not that you're particularly pleased with the results. True, you wanted to get back at Jeremy, but you didn't expect to <i>petrify</i> him and turn him into a docile copy of himself. So no, you don't want to do the same thing to someone else.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Caleb grumbles, but something in his tone suggests he's glad you've put your foot down. It saves him the bother of being the "moral" one. "So, what are we gonna do?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
You suck on your lips and think. "What were you saying earlier, about Chelsea Cooper and them?"<br/>
<br/>
"I was saying we could turn <i>them</i> into golems," he mutters, "but I guess that's out now." You roll your eyes. "I guess we could go on to the next spell."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but hang on. Weren't we also talking earlier about how we could use these masks to impersonate people?"<br/>
<br/>
"And we have," he snickers. "Poor Eva."<br/>
<br/>
"Poor Eva, yeah," you reply with less mirth. You pull at your nose: an idea has begun to form. "Problem was, we couldn't figure out how to get the originals out of the way. Like, if you're pretending to be Seth Javits so you can get it on with Cindy, how do we keep the real Seth out of the way?"<br/>
<br/>
"We turn him into a golem?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, dumbass." You grin. "We got a way now. We got Jeremy. He could keep Seth busy while—"<br/>
<br/>
But Caleb's eyes are already gleaming. "Fuck, yeah! We get Jeremy to lure the real Seth away—!"<br/>
<br/>
"We get a mask on him!"<br/>
<br/>
"We get some of his clothes!"<br/>
<br/>
"Call up Cindy, and 'Bang'!"<br/>
<br/>
You high-five each other.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The plan requires that you make up some new masks, which you do. You are grimacing over the prospect of polishing them when Caleb hits on the idea of using the golems. "That's what they basically are, you know," he says. "Slaves." After making up two more masks, you put Eva's mask on the first golem you made and order her to start polishing it up; she makes a face but complies, and you lock her in the basement to work through the night. The next morning, which is a Saturday, you rendezvous with the new and improved Jeremy and give him another mask with the same orders. But you're not above doing some work yourself; you make up another two masks for you and Caleb to polish, along with four new mind strips.<br/>
<br/>
To your delight, you find that the golems, at your prodding, work very hard and very quickly. So even though you and Caleb are nowhere near finishing your pair of masks, by Sunday evening it is apparent that the fake Eva and Jeremy will have their masks ready to go Monday morning.<br/>
<br/>
"Take Seth out to the old elementary school after practice," you tell Jeremy when you meet him between classes so you can pick up his completed mask. "You know, where we, uh ... Where we jumped you." You feel your face redden at saying out loud what you did to your former friend<br/>
<br/>
But the Jeremy-golem seems unfazed by it. "What if I can't get Seth to go with me?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Then just get someone you know. Someone with a hot girlfriend, or who gets lots of action." You squirm, for your cock is stirring with anticipation. "It'd be awesome if you could get Gordon. I mean, my God, to get it on with Chelsea—"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll do my best to be awesome," Jeremy grins back, and lopes away.<br/>
<br/>
You quickly seek out Caleb to tell him of what you've planned. To your surprise and dismay, he explodes angrily. "Why the hell are you luring them out to the clubhouse?" he hisses, pulling you close by his locker. "We don't want to be connected to this!"<br/>
<br/>
"But that's how we got Jeremy!"<br/>
<br/>
"Because we were <i>replacing</i> him. Or, that's what we wound up doing. These guys, we're just copying them! Let Jeremy get the masks on and off them when we're not around. I don't want my face broken."<br/>
<br/>
"He might need our help."<br/>
<br/>
"The fucker's a head taller than each of us. How much help could we be?"<br/>
<br/>
"So we should tell him not to take Seth out to the school?"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Yes,</i> that's exactly what we should tell him," he acidly replies.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's a little after four-thirty, and you and Caleb have just finished attaching the second mind band to the second mask, when the door to the clubhouse opens and Jeremy comes in. <br/>
<br/>
But he's not alone. Steve Patterson is with him.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson is one of the biggest guys in school—in all senses of the word. He is even taller than Jeremy, and a lot stronger, and he is one of the stars of the basketball squad. His social cachet is such that people admire him even though he is also one of the alpha bullies at the school. Even the Molester, you've heard, hides when Steve is cruising the hallways looking for trouble. Fortunately, you are so low on the pecking order that he has never paid any attention to you.<br/>
<br/>
So your mouth goes slack and your limbs go numb when this triple-alpha jock comes striding into your secret clubhouse. <br/>
<br/>
You glance over quickly at Caleb, who returns you the same open-mouthed expression. Patterson stops at the top of the stairs and gazes coldly down on you and Caleb and the incongruously attendant Eva Garner. He sniffs. "The fuck is this?" he growls at Jeremy.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, these are the guys I was telling you about," Jeremy says. "So, we ready for this?" It's not until he tilts his chin meaningfully in your direction that you realize he is talking to you. And then, without waiting for an answer, he throws his arms around Patterson and pins them to his sides.<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck?" you exclaim, whipping around toward Caleb. "I thought you were going to tell Jeremy not to bring anyone here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Me?!" Caleb explodes. "I told <i>you,</i> you fuckwit!"<br/>
<br/>
"You said that 'we' needed to tell him, and I didn't see him, I thought that you--"<br/>
<br/>
"By 'we' I meant <i>you,</i> moron, and oh God <i>damn</i> it!" Caleb cries as he scrambles to his feet. "We'll sort it out later!" He grabs up a mask and dashes over to the basketball players.<br/>
<br/>
That's because Patterson, after a moment of bemusement, has come to life and begun to struggle. Even as Caleb scrambles over the concrete floor, Patterson twists out of Jeremy's arms and swings around with his elbow. The blow connects with a soft thud, and Jeremy's head ricochets sickeningly between Patterson's elbow, the wall, and then Patterson's fist. Richards slumps to the floor and doesn't move anymore. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Christ, Will, help!" Caleb shouts as he tries to brake to a stop; his feet slide out from under him and he falls to his ass. He yelps inhumanly as Patterson jumps to the bottom of the stairs and kicks him in the crotch.<br/>
<br/>
You and Patterson lock eyes. Could you possibly take him by yourself?</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221
author_id: seuzz
title: A Pair of Jokers
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Aiieeeeee!" you scream, doing your best Japanese kamikaze imitation. You snatch up the other mask, jump onto a table, and run its length toward Patterson. You've just time to see the look of wintry amusement in his cold gray eyes before his fist fills your vision, and everything becomes very red and then very black and then very painful and then—<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
When you're next aware of anything, it's of something soft and heavy sitting on your face. It is trying to suck your face clean off the front of your skull. Alarmingly, it seems likely to succeed, for your face feels only loosely attached to your skull. The back of your head is aflame with spidery cracks of pain.<br/>
<br/>
You exhale, open your eyes, and carefully touch your nose. Either your fingers have gotten very small, or your nose has gotten very big, for they are alarmingly out of proportion to each other.<br/>
<br/>
You hear voices, which stop as you groan, and something shuffles into view. It's your own face, bending over yours with a sardonic smile. "So the fuckwit's back," your double says.<br/>
<br/>
A backwash of pain dissuades you from sitting up. Behind your duplicate stands a very pale Caleb. "What happened?" you murmur. "Where's Patterson?"<br/>
<br/>
The other Will Prescott snorts. "You fill him in," he says to Caleb. "I'll be back in twenty." He disappears, and your consciousness reels as you turn your head to follow him. You gasp again with pain.<br/>
<br/>
"Here, maybe this'll make you feel better," Caleb says, holding out a mask. "C'mon, it's just Eva. Maybe you won't feel like shit if you're wearing her face."<br/>
<br/>
"What're you doing?" you ask. "Whydja swap out masks on the golem?" You groan again.<br/>
<br/>
"Just put it on," he says. "It'll save me from having to explain things five or six times."<br/>
<br/>
You sigh and let him put the mask on you. Blessed emptiness closes around you—<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
—and when you wake all the pain and muffle-headedness is gone. You're actually feeling rather pert, and sit up with a spring. <br/>
<br/>
That's when you discover that you're naked. "Oh, Jesus, you pervert!" you exclaim, and slap at Caleb, who ducks too late. "You can get an eyeful of Eva whenever you want, and I'd rather it not be when I'm looking like her!"<br/>
<br/>
"It wasn't me, I didn't undress you!" Caleb protests. He nurses the side of his face, which is already badly bruised, complete with split lip. "Patterson's got your stuff, you moron!"<br/>
<br/>
"Patterson?" Memories flood back ...<br/>
<br/>
From the corner of the room, where you were polishing a mask, you'd passively watched as Patterson and Jeremy entered and struggled; as Caleb and then Will charged the ball player, only to get knocked about; as Steve pulled Caleb onto his feet and twisted his arm behind his back until your friend howled and told him everything, about you and he and Jeremy and the book and the masks; how Steve barked in disbelief, until Caleb pulled the mask off the just-recovering Jeremy; how he strode over to you and, under Caleb's directions, pulled at your face ... <br/>
<br/>
Which is the last thing that you remember, since they are the memories inside the Eva mask.<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, that was <i>Patterson</i> who walked out looking like me?" you exclaim. <br/>
<br/>
Caleb nods grimly. "And he went back to your place to get a sleeping bag. He says you're gonna spend the night here, and he's gonna take your place at home."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck?" <br/>
<br/>
"I don't know what he's got planned," Caleb says, and he shivers. "He says he wants to study the book, and he wants your head while he does it."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, God!" you cry. "Patterson with the book? Oh, Christ!" You pant. "We have to take him out. We'll jump him when he gets back--"<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno," Caleb says unhappily. "After he got back from putting your face on, I tried jumping him, but he's a lot better fighter than you, even with your shit body."<br/>
<br/>
You pace the room, holding your head between your hands. "What about Jeremy? Where's his mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Patterson took it with him. Packed it and buncha other stuff in his kit. He knows what you know, and— It pains me to say this, but I think he's smarter than us. More cunning, at least."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus! He'll turn us into golems!"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's face tightens, but betrays no surprise: clearly, he's had the same thought. Before he can reply, though, the door opens and Patterson, still wearing your form and clothes, enters.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, calm down, you pussies," he says in a tired voice. "Speaking of which, nice bush you got there, Prescott." He thrusts his hips at you but briskly returns to the topic of conversation. "No one's gonna hurt anyone, as long as you do what you're told."<br/>
<br/>
You're pretty sure you yourself have never worn such an expression of masterfulness, and you suppress a shiver. <br/>
<br/>
He drops a big bag onto the table and pulls your sleeping bag from it. "This'll keep you warm tonight," he says, "so you can start by thanking me for that much."<br/>
<br/>
"You bring me any clothes?"<br/>
<br/>
He gives you a pitying look. "Like I want you running around while I'm pretending to be you. You can stay like that, or like Eva if you want, and yeah, I know you kinda want to."<br/>
<br/>
"Bite me!"<br/>
<br/>
He snickers. "As long as you're dressed out like Eva, it's negotiable. Okay, Johansson, let's go."<br/>
<br/>
"When'll you let me out of here?" you call out, and wince at the whine even you can hear in your voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Tomorrow morning," he replies. "No way I want your shit face for keeps." You and Caleb exchange desperate glances as the latter slowly follows Patterson up the stairs. Your heart drops to the soles of your feet as you hear the padlock close on your prison door.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
True to his word, Patterson appears early the next morning, and has already restored himself to his natural form. "Spent the night as Eva, huh?" he smirks. "Lemme smell your fingers."<br/>
<br/>
"Fucker. Just give me my shit."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, here's your face." He hands you a mask. "You'll want your memories of last night. I jacked off too. You know, it's a shame your equipment's wasted on a guy who can't get laid."<br/>
<br/>
You snarl inarticulately as you put the mask to your face. When you wake, you are very cold and very stiff. Patterson is nowhere to be seen, which is a relief, until you realize he hasn't left you any clothes, and the door is again padlocked. Your mask also appears to be missing, and with mounting panic you put your hand to your face and tug while reciting the magic words. The mask shouldn't have bound to your head, but it's the only alternative. Nothing happens, and you're grimly forced to conclude that Patterson has taken it too. <br/>
<br/>
So you're right back where you were before he even showed up. So why did he bother to stop by?<br/>
<br/>
It takes nearly ten minutes for you to realize that the golem you first made is also gone.<br/>
<br/>
Fuck! You don't know which is more disappointing, that he used the mask's knockout effect to put you to sleep while he made off with a golem that would have been under your control, or that you missed your chance to spend the night in the company of—rather than as—Eva Garner.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Naturally, the day passes very slowly, and the light outside has turned coppery when you hear tires. You hurry over to peep furtively through the window. You can't see the car, but a few minutes later there appear some shoes that you recognize. "Caleb!" you hiss. The feet turn in a tight circle. "Down here at the window!" A moment later, your friend's astonished face appears as he kneels. "You gotta let me out!"<br/>
<br/>
"How'd you get locked in?"<br/>
<br/>
"Patterson didn't let me out this morning like he promised!"<br/>
<br/>
"But you were at school! We skipped third and fourth period so we could— Oh, shit!" His eyes narrow. "You can't fool me with that thing, Patterson. Will Prescott's a friend of mine, and you're no—"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be stupid! How do you think I got locked in if I'm not the real Prescott?!"<br/>
<br/>
"That's a point," he says. "Only the real Will Prescott would be dumb enough to get himself trapped." His eyes narrow again. "But I'm only here because— Well, because the guy I hung out with at school today told me to meet him here. Said he had a surprise. Maybe it's that he caught you, <i>Patterson.</i> Why else would he want me out here?"<br/>
<br/>
"To trap <i>you?</i> I don't know. Get down here and try pulling the mask off my face. That'll prove it's me, because I'm not wearing one!"<br/>
<br/>
He gives you a skeptical look, then says, "Okay, I'm gonna take a chance on believe it really is you. Fuck. Patterson double-crossed you and faked me out at school. He was so totally you. He even whined for, like, twenty minutes straight about Lisa."<br/>
<br/>
"You have any idea what he's up to?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb shakes his head. "We're gonna have to get rid of him. It's the only way to be safe."<br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"Do to him what we did to Jeremy," he says grimly. "Turn him into a golem."</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212211
author_id: seuzz
title: The Caesura
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You swallow hard. It really does seem like a kill or be killed situation, so you nod. "It looks like the only way," you admit hoarsely. Caleb doesn't look happy about it either. "We've still got the stuff from when we did it to Jeremy," you say. "When is he meeting you out here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Supposedly five minutes ago," he says. "You start getting the stuff together, you know, just in case. I'll give him a call, see what the hold up is."<br/>
<br/>
You clamber back down and start feverishly pulling ingredients and stuff together. Your hands are trembling as you do so. Maybe it's because you're preparing an evil spell, knowing full well what it does. Maybe it's terror of having to confront and deal with Patterson. Maybe it's moral qualms about what you're doing, and horror over what you've gotten yourself into. But you keep dropping and spilling things. You're hardly any distance along when Caleb calls you back over to the window. "He says he's running late, got caught by his dad. Er, <i>your</i> dad. Anyway, we got a little while."<br/>
<br/>
"Good. I'm all butterfingers down here."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, how about you just keep the ingredients and stuff separate. We'll only mix 'em together if we have to, you know, actually jump him. Maybe he's got an explanation."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't care what his explanation is. I want him dead!"<br/>
<br/>
"That's even worse than turning him into a golem, you know," Caleb murmurs. "But I get you."<br/>
<br/>
Your nervousness only gets worse, though, and you hardly know how you make it through, especially when you jump at the sound of voices. You only have time to scamper under a desk before the door opens.<br/>
<br/>
"--fucking lucky Patterson didn't remember to take the blanks we had," says a voice you recognize as your own. "Oh, Christ, what're you doing?"<br/>
<br/>
"Taking my shirt off," Caleb retorts. "If I'm gonna change into Eva like we said."<br/>
<br/>
"Just to make a phone call, get Marc out here. Just put the mask on."<br/>
<br/>
There's a pause. "Are you sure we're alone?" Caleb says. "What if Patterson is hiding here?"<br/>
<br/>
"You saw me take the lock off. After he let me out, he gave the key back and said he'd be in touch."<br/>
<br/>
"Something doesn't make sense here," Caleb mutters.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeargghhhh!" you scream, leaping out from under the desk. Too bad it takes you a minute to locate your quarry, who is on the other side a table, and you have to scramble over it. The fake Will Prescott actually looks bemused as you drop onto the other side, and steps backwards with a smile. But before you can close your arms around him, arms close around you. "God damn it, Caleb!" you shout. "I told you, I'm really Will! <i>He's</i> the fake."<br/>
<br/>
"I know exactly who everyone is," Caleb says wearily in your ear, and he shifts his stance so as to put you expertly in a cast-iron headlock. "No one's fooling anyone."<br/>
<br/>
"Except for you," the fake Prescott smirks. "You were so busy trying to prove you were the real deal to your friend here that you forgot to be paranoid about <i>him</i>." His smile fades. "If you'd been a little more careful, maybe you wouldn't have told him you wanted to kill me. But that was the point of the trick, to find out how far we could trust you."<br/>
<br/>
"We?" You are totally baffled. "You and Caleb? What did you do to him?" Ice grips your heart. "You and him were working together all along?"<br/>
<br/>
Howls of laughter surround you. "That fuckwit," your doppelganger sneers. "I'd brag about totally fooling him at school today, but these masks make it so easy. I just had to make a copy of myself and put it on one of your golems, and Johansson was totally convinced I'd let you out of the basement. Then I talked him into letting me copy him with the other blank, and gave it to--"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't tell him who I really am," Caleb's voice says in your ear. "It's fucking sick having to pretend to be this weed, so don't remind me."<br/>
<br/>
Your double's eyes glitter. "Anyway, Johansson's at his house, totally clueless. We just need to get you out of the way, and then we can take care of him."<br/>
<br/>
"Please," you gasp. "I'm really sorry, Patterson. I totally screwed up. You can trust me, I'll do anything you want--"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure you will," he sneers back. "Starting right now." He dips into the bag that hangs from his shoulder and extracts a mask. You try to twist your head away, but it closes remorselessly over your face ...<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You're doing your math homework. You've been doing your math homework for almost two hours, because there's this one problem that is totally unsolvable, and your attention keeps wandering back to the music coming out of your laptop. But your mom insists that you get it done before you go see that movie. You glance at your cell phone to look at the time. <i>Shit.</i> You're gonna have to hurry, because Keith will be calling any minute to see about picking you up. You were gonna see it with Will, but then the two of you had that stupid fight-- Which you're still pissed off about--<br/>
<br/>
You stop and blink. <i>A fight with Will? Will Prescott?</i> Something's not right about that. How could you have had a fight with Will Prescott when <i>you're</i> Will Prescott?<br/>
<br/>
It takes you a moment to recognize the absurdity of the question, the absurdity of the answer, and the absurdity of the situation. And then your pencil falls from your nerveless fingers.<br/>
<br/>
You <i>are</i> Will Prescott, but you're not. You haven't thought of yourself as Will Prescott in ... Oh gosh, a very long time, it seems. No, for all of today and all of last week and for all the last few weeks, in fact, you've totally thought of yourself as ...<br/>
<br/>
You get up and with heart pounding go into the bathroom. You don't know what you'll find when you look in the mirror, and don't even know what you're afraid to find there. But there it is: Caleb Johansson's characteristically worried expression gazes back at you. It <i>is</i> your face, isn't it? No, it's Caleb's face, and you're not Caleb. Except you <i>are</i> and <i>have been</i> ...<br/>
<br/>
You rub your eyes to try to make the dizziness go away, and you grip the edge of the sink. Your cell phone chirps from the bedroom half a dozen times before you can rouse yourself to lurch back across the hallway to answer. "So, are we doing this thing?" Keith asks without preamble.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you grunt. "I think. I got this stupid homework to finish first."<br/>
<br/>
"So finish it. I'm not going alone."<br/>
<br/>
"What's Will up to?" You roll over on your back, and are seized by a brief spasm of existential vertigo. "You talk to him today?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, and if you're so interested in Will, you should call him up and apologize for what you said."<br/>
<br/>
"I told him the truth, that until he gets over Lisa he's not going to find another girlfriend. He can listen to the truth or he can suck my cock, and if he won't do either he can fuck off." A small but very powerful headache forms directly between your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I'm not arguing, but if all you're going to do is talk about Will and the hard-on you've got for him, maybe <i>you</i> should find a girlfriend. Girls are sick in the head for the feely-touchy bullshit."<br/>
<br/>
"Just get your ass over here."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you. I'll see you in five minutes."<br/>
<br/>
You swear and hurl the phone at the far wall, where it bounces off an enormous mound of clothes. You drape your forearm over your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
Are you crazy to believe that you're really Will Prescott? But you have all of his memories. You know things that only he would know about. Private things, secret things ... It's not hard to summon them up. But you also have all of Caleb Johansson's memories, and the same kind of private, secret things. (Your eye involuntarily flick over to the lower dresser drawer, where you keep that specially constructed rag doll you made a few years ago.) Both personas feel perfectly natural, so natural that you can't tell which one might be your "real" one.<br/>
<br/>
Of course, it's because of the masks that you and Will ... Or that you and Caleb ... made. There's a tender, very painful memory associated with the masks. It broods just beneath the surface of your consciousness.<br/>
<br/>
It was after you'd copied Jeremy ... And after you'd turned him into a golem ...<br/>
<br/>
Eesh, there was that fight with Patterson when you tried copying him. You and Will really got in a panic over that--<br/>
<br/>
You wince so hard your whole body twinges. <i>There's that memory.</i><br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122111
author_id: seuzz
title: The Gap [Side Chapter]
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span><i>The memory is hazy, dim, a gathering of impressions rather than a digitalized recording of reality. <br/>
<br/>
After Patterson manhandled you, forcing you to tell him about the masks ...<br/>
<br/>
After he took the book and Will's mask and left Will locked up in the elementary school basement ...<br/>
<br/>
After you met Will at school the next day, and the two of you plotted how to handle Patterson ...<br/>
<br/>
After, you'd decided that the two of you might have to go into hiding; lucky thing Will had the blank masks the golems had made ...<br/>
<br/>
After you had made a copy of yourself, in case you needed to leave a decoy behind, and gave it to Patterson ...<br/>
<br/>
Well, that's where things become confusing.</i><br/>
<br/>
On the one hand, you have the distinct impression that you went home, and waited anxiously to hear from someone. Eventually you did get a call--a bullying call--from Patterson, telling you haul ass over to his house. Will was there when you'd arrived, looking nervous and unhappy. Steve glowered and showed you the mask--the mask you'd made of yourself--and ordered you to put it on.<br/>
<br/>
But you have an equally distinct and extremely horrifying memory of doing something else entirely. You'd found yourself with Patterson up in a storage space in the gym, wearing clothes that were much too large for you. You'd stumbled over to a mirror, to gawp at the scrawny figure. You don't remember feelings or thoughts, but you'd demanded a lot of what the hells and why the hells from Steve. He'd coolly explained the masks and how they work, and shown you a book, and he'd explained how you and he could use it once the "faggots" who'd found the book were out of the way. Then you'd looked yourself over in the mirror, and changed into a set of clothes that fit you better, and Steve had turned himself into Will Prescott. Then the two of you had driven back to the elementary school.<br/>
<br/>
There, you'd talked to the real Will through a window, and pretended not to believe he was who he said he was. As per Steve's suggestion that you test out his scruples, you'd proposed killing Steve, and Will had eagerly jumped on the idea. And so you'd called Steve--though he was only ten feet away, waiting inside the car--and then you'd gone down into the basement, and you'd grabbed and pinned Prescott so Steve could put a mask on him. It was a mask of Patterson himself, but it had the effect of turning Prescott into a docile slave. "He has no idea who he is," chortled Steve, who was still dressed out as Prescott. "It's like he's asleep under there." And then he said he'd go get "the other one," and had put his hand to your face ...<br/>
<br/>
You'd woken again, in a bedroom--the same bedroom of the other  memory--to find three guys there with you: Steve Patterson, Will Prescott, and Gordon Black. You were naked but had then gotten dressed, and looked Gordon up and down, remarking on what a colossal stud he was. Then you and Prescott had left, with you driving, to return to the elementary school. You'd complained about having to change into "this twig," but Prescott had said it was necessary. "I don't know if these masks will work if we put them back on the originals. So, we have to wear them until we get some more victims." You'd growled that you'd bust the Molester in the kneecaps if he tried any shit on you in the meantime.<br/>
<br/>
Back at the elementary school, Prescott--who you are certain was actually Patterson, though he never admitted to being Steve--set out lots of equipment and materials. "We'll keep it here for the time being. Then we'll move it back to the fuck room when we start making changes."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what?" you'd asked. "This is kinda cool, but it sucks being these morons."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you want fresh pussy?" he'd retorted. "I know you're fucked in the head for Chelsea, but you don't save it all for her." He'd pointed to his face. "With these, you can bang anyone you like, and Chels will never find out."<br/>
<br/>
"No one's giving <i>you</i> a blowjob looking like that," you'd replied. "Fuck, no one's giving <i>me</i> one."<br/>
<br/>
"If the chick's ugly enough," he'd only grinned back. "But yeah, we get guys who are useful. Like Javits. We get a mask of him, put him out of the way, and then--" He'd made a fist and rammed it upward, hard, while slapping his bicep. "You can have Cindy anytime you want."<br/>
<br/>
"I have to turn myself into Javits to get Cindy?" you'd cried. "Fuck, that's gay."<br/>
<br/>
"What's gay?" he'd retorted.<br/>
<br/>
"You're gay, if that's what you want to do. I ain't gonna be inside some asshole while banging a girl. She's gonna know who it is and she's gonna love it."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and she'd run off to Chelsea with the news," he'd retorted. "And it ain't gay to pretend you're someone else while banging a girl. That's actually what makes it really sweet." You'd cocked an eyebrow, so he continued. "Look, there you are at school with this hot, hot girl, and she thinks you're her sweet baboo or whatever the fuck they like to call you, and you're all 'Oh, I love you so much baby, I'm so lucky to be with you, I never look at other girls, I'm a total faggot now and you've got my balls in your bathroom next to the tampons,' but no, you're just saying that so you can bang 'em, and the next day, when you're yourself again, and you pass 'em in the hall, you can call 'em a total whore right to their face and tell them how they like to take it and what kind of noises they make. And they'll scream at you and try to hit you, but that night, you change back into their boytoy, and they get all gooey and sweet on you and let you give it to them anally."<br/>
<br/>
You'd stared. "That's fucking sick, even for you."<br/>
<br/>
He'd sighed. "I need this, man. The girls aren't putting out as much as they used to. I think I'm getting a reputation."<br/>
<br/>
"You fucking think, after what you just said? But fuck that, what's in it for me with this stuff?"<br/>
<br/>
There'd been some more talk, and then Prescott had mentioned the golems. "I don't think we can use the two golems these faggots made. They won't obey us. But we can make us up one or two of our own. So how about this? We'll make us some golems and keep them up in the fuck room, and every time I nail a girl, after she's passed out, I'll make a copy of her in a mask and give it to you to keep up there with the golems. So, you'll have a collection, and when you need to get laid, you can go up there and slap a mask onto the golem and fuck the copy of Cindy or Kendra or whoever, and when you're done you can take the mask off it or change it out." He'd shrugged. "Then, you can bang all these girls when you like, being yourself, and no one will ever know."<br/>
<br/>
His suggestion had brought your cock up to its full and upright position in record time.<br/>
<br/>
And then you'd gone home and bitched with your mom and gone to bed and gotten up the next morning and gone to school. And though you didn't meet up with the Molester, you did get crossways with Chen, so you'd found Patterson and Gordon and told them to hurt him, and they did. After school you'd gone back out the elementary school with Prescott. He'd gotten a fuckload of supplies, and with the book you and he spent the next few days mass producing fifty blank masks and mind bands. Luckily, Prescott had pointed out that golems could do the actual polishing.<br/>
<br/>
And for the past few weeks that's what you've been doing. Every night, after putting out the lights, you haven't slept, but have instead sat in the dark, mindlessly rubbing at a succession of masks, and passing them along to Gordon Black.<br/>
<br/>
<i>And that's all that you really remember. There was some kind of change over at one point. You met Prescott at the school one day with Black and Patterson, and you vaguely remember reaching up to grasp your own face. And then you were naked again, and had to get dressed, and instead of giving Patterson and Black orders, they were giving you orders. And the main order was to polish masks and stay the fuck out of their way.</i></span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122112
author_id: seuzz
title: The First Day of a Second Life
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Fall is well and truly underway, and the weather has turned blustery and chilly; Halloween is less than a week away. You leap off the bed to pull on your shoes and a ratty brown windbreaker. "Where are <i>you</i> going?" your mom calls as you trot through the living room.<br/>
<br/>
"Keith'll be here in a minute."<br/>
<br/>
"You finish your homework?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"All except one problem."<br/>
<br/>
"I said you can't go until it's <i>all</i> done."<br/>
<br/>
"It's only <i>one problem</i>! Jesus!"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you swear at me! Keith can wait until you're done."<br/>
<br/>
"But the movie can't! It's the last matinee, and--"<br/>
<br/>
"Then you won't be seeing it at a matinee. Not today, at least."<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking hell!"<br/>
<br/>
Her frown is terrible to behold. "And <i>now</i> I wanna check your homework before I let you go."<br/>
<br/>
You pivot violently around in a small circle, crossing your arms and glaring at the floor; magma-hot anger seethes inside you, but you tamp it back. "Can I at least talk to Keith about it? That one problem is totally unsolvable, and maybe he can help me."<br/>
<br/>
"That's better," she says in a calmer tone of her own. "I'll send him back when he gets here."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Stupid, stupid, stupid mother,</i> you fume to yourself as you stomp down the hallway. <i>How the fuck would she even know if you'd done it right? It's all just squiggles and symbols to her.</i> You stop in mid-stride. <i>Fuck, yeah, how would she know? Shit, if you hadn't told her you had one problem to do, and that it was unsolvable, you could be outside right now.<br/>
<br/>
Well, you can wait a few minutes, pretend that Keith has solved it for you ...</i><br/>
<br/>
You slam the bedroom door and hurl yourself into the chair at your desk, slumping badly. The headache is getting worse, and your heart is beating wildly. It's got to be from stress, from the horrible feeling that you are two people sharing one body--or one person with two completely different sets of minds--but you wonder if there is something physically wrong with you.<br/>
<br/>
If you've got two people inside you, then it must be because there's a mask involved. Or a mind band. You frown. That means either you are Will Prescott and are wearing a Caleb Johansson mask, or you are Caleb Johansson and are wearing a Will Prescott mind band. You should try taking them off.<br/>
<br/>
You put your hand to your brow and start to tug. <i>Oh, wait, you need to use some magic words.</i><br/>
<br/>
The magic words ...<br/>
<br/>
<i>Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!</i><br/>
<br/>
It's been weeks since you've used them, and you hardly used them at all because you didn't put the masks on very often. You've no idea what the magic words are.<br/>
<br/>
You're still sitting at the desk, staring palely at nothing, when the door opens and Keith saunters in. "Christ, this place stinks," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"It was spring-time fresh until <i>you</i> walked in," you retort, and don't stir. "We can't go until I get this math problem solved."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck it. Who gives a shit?"<br/>
<br/>
"My mom. She said I can't go until I get it done."<br/>
<br/>
"So do it already. You're the math brain."<br/>
<br/>
"You do it." You shove the paper at him. "I can't get it. I told her you'd help."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know this shit," he protests.<br/>
<br/>
"She doesn't know you don't know. Just scribble something down. I'll polish it up."<br/>
<br/>
He grumbles as he plops onto the corner of the bed, scribbling with a pencil. You just lean back and tug at your lip. "Have I been acting ... normal? The last few weeks, I mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"You've been talking about girls, which is fucked up for you." Keith doesn't look up.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm always talking about girls."<br/>
<br/>
"You're always talking about your cock and porn magazines, which isn't the same. You've been talking about Jenny Ashton."<br/>
<br/>
"I've always thought she's cute. I guess I've just--" A cold fist closes around your heart. That <i>is</i> weird for you. Or for Caleb, at least. <i>Is Jenny who she seems to be?</i><br/>
<br/>
"You've just what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck the touchy-feely shit. Anyway, fucking Carson Ioeger is cock-blocking me with her. Asshole."<br/>
<br/>
"You just don't like him because he's just like you. Didja know Jenny and her friends call you 'evil Carson' behind your back? His back, too."<br/>
<br/>
"No. And if you ever mention that nickname again, I'll smash your jaw and massage my balls with your broken mouth."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus. Anyway, here you go." He hands the paper back to you. <br/>
<br/>
You scrutinize it. "Christ almighty, this sucks even for you. My seven-year-old nephew could do a more convincing fake."<br/>
<br/>
"Bite me. I told you I'm not good at this."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you even good at <i>anything?</i> Except video games and masturbating and masturbating while playing video games?"<br/>
<br/>
He turns red. "I know we're not best friends or anything, Caleb," he says acidly. "But until you and your heterosexual life mate apologize by exchanging hand jobs, maybe you'd like to pretend to be nice to me."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry, man," you sigh. "I just got something on my mind." You stare at him. <i>Is </i>he<i> who he appears to be?</i> "I'll fix it up to look better, and then we'll go see that movie."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The fakery passes muster with your mom, and off the two of you go. But even though the movie--monsters and robots and explosions and a lead actress in a skin-tight leather outfit--should appeal to both personas you're carrying around, you have a hard time concentrating on it. You need to figure out what's going on: Most importantly, why you have been living Caleb Johansson's life for the past month while being totally oblivious to your own history as Will Prescott.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson is behind it all, that's for sure. But there's no point in confronting him. He may not even be in residence in his own body. You might go find Jeremy, who since his transformation to a golem is supposed to be under your control--or Will's control. He might be able to tell you something, or scout out information for you.<br/>
<br/>
Or maybe you should just go find Will. <br/>
<br/>
It's not the prospect of apologizing to him that makes you break out in a sweat, though. It's the weirdness of looking at a face and body that you feel certain should be your own.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212
author_id: seuzz
title: Purchasing Peace of Mind
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Your stomach heaves. To find yourself—not yet eighteen years old—in a kill-or-be-killed situation ... <br/>
<br/>
No, you can't do it. And you say so.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb gapes. "Come <i>on,</i> dude! It's Patterson! The guy is, like, bad news!"<br/>
<br/>
"I can't do it again," you say firmly. "He can do it to me, but I won't do it to him."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb stares at you, and you're startled by his expression. It looks like ... <i>respect</i>. He takes a deep breath. "Okay, so what do we do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Wait for him to show up. See what he has to say." You run a nervous tongue over your lower lip. "If you don't want to stick around—"<br/>
<br/>
"No, that's okay," he quickly interrupts. Still, he looks discomfited, and glances around. "I'll call him, see what the hold up is." He disappears from view.<br/>
<br/>
While he's gone—and it seems like forever—you pace the basement. You've had all day to think on Patterson and whatever plans he might have for you. Every line of thought has circled back to the same paradox: He would have to golemize you and Caleb in order to keep the book for himself—or to keep himself safe from you and your friend. But even though you have a very low opinion of his morals and ethics, you can't bring yourself to believe he would actually go through with it. You are at a total loss, then, to anticipate what he might be up to.<br/>
<br/>
Maybe he himself doesn't know?<br/>
<br/>
That's the thought that has you rooted to the floor when you hear voices. The basement door opens and Caleb and—<br/>
<br/>
—Will Prescott—<br/>
<br/>
come down the stairs. Caleb is looking very grim, and his eyes flit between you and your double. <br/>
<br/>
The latter, though, is looking very smug. "Sorry about double-crossing you this morning, Prescott," he says. "But I had a sudden idea, and didn't have time to explain it. No hard feelings?" He actually holds out his hand.<br/>
<br/>
You decline to take it. "Are you gonna let me out now?"<br/>
<br/>
"I told you, I don't want your life. I just want the book."<br/>
<br/>
"And what are you going to do about me and Caleb?"<br/>
<br/>
He smirks as he drops his backpack—your backpack—from his shoulders. "Well, that's something we have to discuss, isn't it? But just hold the thought. This is pretty fucking messed up, me talking to you like this, isn't it?" Casually, he begins to undress. "Just give me a few minutes to change back, won't you?"<br/>
<br/>
Though you have, of course, seen yourself naked in a mirror, you turn away from the spectacle of Steve Patterson undressing your own form. Not until he is completely naked do you look back, to find him laying back on the table and putting his hand to his face. His arm jerks and then slumps; his body distends; and then it is Patterson himself, clutching a mask, unconscious on the table.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb stares down at him, then catches your eye. "Well?" he mouths. "Come on!"<br/>
<br/>
"What?"<br/>
<br/>
"We can take him out now!"<br/>
<br/>
For half a second you are tempted. But then you shake your head and turn away. There's a horrible feeling in your stomach: the feeling that you are on the edge of a very great decision, which could go wretchedly wrong whichever way you turn. Maybe it's that feeling, and not moral courage or certitude, that keeps you from lifting a finger against Patterson in his vulnerable state. <br/>
<br/>
But whatever the reason, you stay your hand, and a few minutes later Patterson raises his head with a groan. He looks briefly between you and Caleb, and then sits all the way up. "So, what did I miss?" he asks. Neither you nor Caleb reply, so he starts to carelessly pull some clothes out of the backpack. "Mind if I use your phone one more time, Prescott?" he says, and without hesitating he puts in a call. "Yeah, it's me," he says without preamble. "I'm out at that school. Come find me."<br/>
<br/>
"Who was that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Me," he says. "That mask you were gonna make of me? I made it myself and put it on one of your golem thingies. He kept my place warm while I was pretending to be you." He gives Caleb a meaningful glance. "Fooled you all day."<br/>
<br/>
"You guys can talk," Caleb says. "I need some fresh air." He stalks up the steps and out the door.<br/>
<br/>
You can't stop him, but you wish he hadn't gone, for it leaves you alone to deal with Patterson. "So, like I was asking, what are you going to do about us? Me and Caleb?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing," he says. "You can be on the team."<br/>
<br/>
"What team?"<br/>
<br/>
"My team," he says, as though it's the most obvious answer in the world. "Yeah, you guys can be junior partners."<br/>
<br/>
As answers go, it is a much better one than the you would have dared hoped for. But it still seems very bitter, maybe because—<br/>
<br/>
"What if I don't want to be partners with you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you're not keeping the book."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't mean that. I mean, what if I don't want to have anything to do with it? Yeah, you can have the book. Maybe it's got a curse on it. What if I just say 'Take it,' and leave me alone?"<br/>
<br/>
He stares, and then gives a quick bark of laughter. "Well then, I'll take it. I'm not gonna force you to do anything. Even though—" He hops off the table and pulls on his underwear and some long pants. "You don't really want to give it up, do you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno. I mean, really, I don't know," you say. "I see what it's like now, being on the receiving end." You find yourself licking your lips again. "I don't like it."<br/>
<br/>
"So be on the giving end."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe I don't want to be on either end."<br/>
<br/>
"Suit yourself. We should make it nice and legal, though." From his pocket he pulls out a few notes. "It cost you two dollars. I'll give you ... three ... for it." He extends the proffered bills. You hesitate, and then snatch them from him. A sense of relief—though not unmixed with fear—settles over you. You are conscious that you are breathing very hard—and that Patterson is entirely cool and collected.<br/>
<br/>
And then your eye falls on the mask that he has been wearing for the last 24 hours. "What are you going to do with that?" You jerk your chin at it.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll sell it to you," he says. "Five hundred dollars."<br/>
<br/>
Your jaw falls open. "I don't got—!"<br/>
<br/>
"I know you don't," he snorts. "I'm keeping it as insurance. You can have it back for nothing when you join the team."<br/>
<br/>
"I told you, I'm not joining—"<br/>
<br/>
"And I think you will. Because there's one more thing that I know that you don't."<br/>
<br/>
A cold hand plunges through your chest and into your heart. "What's that?"<br/>
<br/>
"You'll find out soon enough. Probably. It doesn't make any difference to me," he adds, "whether you join or not. But I know you—now—and I've got a pretty good idea of how you think. And when you find out what I know and what you don't, you'll come find me."<br/>
<br/>
And with a parting smirk, he leaves you glowering in the basement.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
After getting dressed, you go home, heart thumping at what you might find. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary—Robert is still being very stupid; your mother is fixing dinner; and your dad is late. But Patterson had extra masks, and he had some golems, and you can't help being paranoid about your family. Luckily, you soon remember that the golems are under your control and would have to do what you tell them to do. Never before have you been so relieved to find your brother, father and mother so recalcitrant and resistant to the admittedly outrageous demands you test out on them.<br/>
<br/>
So, you're feeling marginally better when you call up Caleb after supper. "So, where'd you head off after you went to get that fresh air?" you ask him.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you talking about?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"This afternoon, at the clubhouse, after Patterson changed back. You're not still pissed at me because I wouldn't go along with golemizing him, are you?"<br/>
<br/>
The line seems to go dead for a bit. And when Caleb comes back on, his voice sounds strained. "The fuck are you talking about? I haven't seen you since fifth period. Which reminds me, are we still on for sending a golem of me to school tomorrow?"<br/>
<br/>
Now it's your turn to be confused.<br/>
<br/>
Then horrified.<br/>
<br/>
"You weren't out at the clubhouse this afternoon, were you?" you ask in a sinking whisper. "When we met Patterson."<br/>
<br/>
"That's what I'd like to know," he retorts. "I haven't seen you since fifth period, when we made that mask of me! You remember, in case I wanted to send a fake me to school tomorrow while we figured out what to do about Patterson!"<br/>
<br/>
You put your head between your knees and breathe heavily. Caleb has to call your name a couple of times before you raise up again.<br/>
<br/>
"That wasn't me at school," you tell him, and give a full recital of the day's events from your point of view. Then you listen to Caleb tell you about his day.<br/>
<br/>
"So it wasn't you out at the clubhouse this afternoon," you groan. "Patterson was trying to trap me, to trick me into attacking him, so he could—"<br/>
<br/>
"So he could trap <i>you,"</i> Caleb says grimly. "God damn it, we have to do something about him!"<br/>
<br/>
"No, that's just what he's expecting us to do," you reply, remembering Patterson's parting words. "He knew I'd find out—" <br/>
<br/>
—And he knew it would make you so paranoid you'd run back to him, saying you wanted to join his team, so that you could keep an eye on him.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121
author_id: seuzz
title: The Game
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You hang up on Caleb and call Patterson, though you're not sure if you want him to pick up or not. As it happens, he does.<br/>
<br/>
"Hi, this is Will," you stammer. "I, uh, want to get together and ... talk to you about this ... team idea."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay," Patterson replies. "Just you? Or are you gonna bring a friend?"<br/>
<br/>
You shift awkwardly in your seat. "Just me, for now. But maybe I'd bring a friend along later?"<br/>
<br/>
He snickers. "Yeah, maybe. For now, meet me at my place in an hour. You know where I live?" He gives the address.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's a modest house in one of the more modest parts of Saratoga Falls. Patterson is wearing an amused expression as he lets you in, and with a jerk of his head he invites you to the back yard. As you pass through the garage, he picks up a baseball.<br/>
<br/>
"So you wanna be on the team, huh?" he says as you stand under the fading evening light. He lightly tosses the ball into the air with one hand. "What kind of team do you think it is?"<br/>
<br/>
Your stomach quivers. "I assume it's gonna have something to do with the ... the masks."<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh. And what were <i>you</i> gonna do with them?"<br/>
<br/>
You blush. "You know what Caleb and me were thinking about doing."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, tell me again. Pretend I'm an ignorant motherfucker." He tosses the ball at you—a throw that's swift but not hard.<br/>
<br/>
You lick your lips; the words seem to catch in your throat. "We were ... uh, we were gonna use them to ... to make copies of people so we could ..." You toss the ball back instead of finishing the sentence.<br/>
<br/>
He has to reach a long arm out to the side to catch your wild pitch. "Come on, Prescott, spit it out. Give me your ideas."<br/>
<br/>
"We were gonna copy people so we could ... get close to girls."<br/>
<br/>
"Whatsa matter, can't you get close to girls on your own?" He throws the ball back at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Ones we couldn't get close to on our own. You know, like ... the Garner twins." You swallow. "Cindy Vredenburg."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea Cooper?" He grins and holds his hand up. "Come on, loosen up."<br/>
<br/>
You toss the ball back—a better pitch, which he catches easily. "Getting close to Chelsea woulda been hard, you know," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," he laughs. He throws the ball again, and this time it stings as it hits your hand. "It'd be easier, though, if you and me were on the same team."<br/>
<br/>
"Are <i>you</i> gonna try getting close to Chelsea?" You throw the ball, harder this time. Your heart skips, for you suddenly fear what the ugly accusation could provoke.<br/>
<br/>
But he just laughs. "That's the spirit, Prescott. Think big. Think nasty." Again, he makes a hard pitch, so hard the ball bounces out of your fingers, and humiliatingly you have to fetch it. "Think about who you could take advantage of."<br/>
<br/>
<i>I'd like to take advantage of you, you fucker,</i> you think to yourself. You throw the ball back, hard and wild, and Patterson misses it.<br/>
<br/>
"What about your friend, Caleb?" Patterson asks after he's picked the ball up off the grass. "Would you use him to get close to a girl?"<br/>
<br/>
"Caleb can't either," you retort. "That's why— We were in it together."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but what if his face could get you close to a girl?" His return pitch is softer this time, and you catch it easily. "Suppose I told you there was a cheerleader, a sexy cheerleader, who was sweet on him. If I got him out of the way, kept him from interfering, would you use his face to get close to her? A girl he was actually sweet on?" He catches your toss.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe I could use the trick to set them up together," you reply. <br/>
<br/>
Patterson makes a hard pitch right at your face, and it grazes the side of your head as you throw yourself to one side. "Asshole!" The word escapes before you can stop it, and you hunch defensively.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't fool yourself," Patterson says. "If you're not willing to fuck over Caleb behind his back, what makes you think I'd fuck over Gordon?" You pick up the ball, and it feels very heavy in your hand. "And if you're not willing to fuck over your best friend, there's no place for you on my team."<br/>
<br/>
You run your fingers over the ball's rough surface. You can't betray Caleb. Except— "Well, it really wouldn't be fucking him over, would it? I mean, pretending to be him when he doesn't know it, to ... to get to a girl he doesn't know likes him."<br/>
<br/>
Patterson's mouth curls sourly. "Yeah, you're a real pair of winners, aren't you? Maybe I should go find Caleb, give him that mask of you, tell him to go fuck Lisa Yarborough with it. I bet he would."<br/>
<br/>
This time your aim is true, but he snatches the ball handily before it hits him in the face. He grins, and his voice turns soft and nasty. "Or maybe I should get a mask of Geoff Mansfield, and tell <i>you</i> to go fuck Lisa with it." <br/>
<br/>
You stare, your eyes nearing popping from your head.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson tosses the ball up in the air and bounces it off his bicep. <br/>
<br/>
"Here's the point," he says. "You gotta know what you're getting into. You have these masks, and you're gonna use them to fuck with people. But who? Enemies? Friends? It's the same. Your friend is someone's enemy, and your enemy is someone's friend. If you fuck with one you gotta be willing to fuck with the other. Because there ain't no difference."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you saying you'd fuck with Gordon?"<br/>
<br/>
"Now you're loosened up!" He smiles, then leans back and raises a leg. You crouch, expecting a hard pitch. But it's an easy one that plops lightly into your hand. "You want Chelsea? I can get you Chelsea. But you gotta prove you're a team player first." He gestures at you, and you return the ball.<br/>
<br/>
"Like how?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'd have to think about it," he says, winding up and delivering another slow pitch. "But it would probably involve Caleb." His smile is sharp.<br/>
<br/>
"You made a mask of him."<br/>
<br/>
"Figured that out, huh? I knew you would, figured that's how come you came scuttling over here. Does Caleb know?" You hesitate, then nod. "Then we'll have to find another test for you." He lowers his head and regards you shrewdly. Then with another jerk of his head he gestures you back toward the house. "I'll meet you back at your car."<br/>
<br/>
He's gone only a few minutes, and when he saunters up to your truck he has a mask. <br/>
<br/>
"First thing," he says, "is I want you to polish this up for me." You take it from him. "I'll have another job for you when you're done with that."<br/>
<br/>
"Am I on the team?"<br/>
<br/>
"You have to try out for it first."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Caleb?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't give a fuck about him." He turns abruptly and heads back into the house. You swallow, and slowly get into your truck.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Back home you lock yourself in your bedroom, to take stock of what you know. <br/>
<br/>
First, there's Patterson, and all the stuff he took off you: the book, all the ingredients you and Caleb had gathered, and all the toys you'd made. He's even added some of his own: in addition to the masks of Eva and Jeremy, he has masks of you and Caleb and himself.<br/>
<br/>
He can use the masks of you and Caleb to imitate you or your friend, assuming he can get you out of the way temporarily, the way he locked you in the clubhouse, and you're pretty sure he can find a way of doing that if he really wants to. Probably you and Caleb should come up with some passwords to use with each other, to prevent incidents like today's.<br/>
<br/>
He also has two golems: the first one you made, and the golemized form of Jeremy Richards. He's certainly got Jeremy's mask in play—almost certainly on Jeremy himself—because Richards can't just disappear. It's a comfort to reflect that Jeremy's golem is under your control, and you can use it in a pinch. He could also use the Eva mask to spread confusion by donning it himself. He can also put his own mask on the other golem when he wants to disguise himself without disappearing. That's another comfort—there may be times when you can use the fake Patterson against the real one.<br/>
<br/>
Unless he's found some way of counteracting your control. Your heart skips a beat. He has the book, and the next spell—which you've not seen—has been unlocked. What does it do?<br/>
<br/>
That dismaying thought leads to another: He had a fake Caleb at the clubhouse with him. How did he get it to follow his lead? Does he have another, secret ally? It seems hard to imagine either of them willingly pretending to be Caleb. On the other hand, the fake Caleb acted just like the real one. Maybe it was one of your golems, and it just acted like Caleb. Maybe Patterson bullied it into working for him. <br/>
<br/>
Wearily, you work over this complex of airless, interlocking puzzles, and no clear course of action commends itself. You look down, finally, to find that you've been absent-mindedly polishing that mask he gave you, so that there is now a small spot, the size of quarter, that is shining clearly. <i>Fuck, he's even making new masks.</i><br/>
<br/>
What's the old expression: Keep your friends close but your enemies closer? With a sinking feeling, you know you're going to have to work with him—for him—at least for a little while. He said he doesn't want Caleb along, but you've the strong urge to bring him in too. That's another old expression you remember from a book: <i>It's always friendlier with two.</i></span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211
author_id: seuzz
title: The Lady or the Alley Cat
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You're jumpy all the next day. You think about going to find the Jeremy golem, but decide to wait. You do see Patterson twice, in the halls, but he completely ignores you. At a break, you find Caleb at his locker. "The clubhouse after school," you tell him quietly. "The password is 'Pythagoras'." (You've just gotten out of Math.) He peers at you queerly, but nods.<br/>
<br/>
He is already waiting in front of the basement door when you arrive. You walk up slowly, and nod expectantly. He frowns for a moment, then makes a face. "Pythagoras," he mutters. <br/>
<br/>
Well, that shows it's the same person you talked to at his locker. Still— You reach for his face; he bats your hand away in irritation. You frown; he sighs and stands back patiently on his heels. You put your hands over his face, mutter the magic words, and pull. Nothing happens. You smile in relief and turn toward the door.<br/>
<br/>
But he blocks you, and nods at you in turn. You sag, and submit to the same ritual. That done, he stands aside. "Countersign is 'Hawthorne,'" he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever," you mutter. "Let's talk."<br/>
<br/>
But once inside he insists on doing a sweep of the cluttered basement before settling down to business. When you're both satisfied that the room is safe, you haul yourselves onto a dirty work table to sit cross-legged facing each other.<br/>
<br/>
"I saw Patterson last night," you tell him. "You know how I told you he talked about making us junior partners on his team?"<br/>
<br/>
"No you didn't," Caleb frowns. <br/>
<br/>
You blink. "I thought I did."<br/>
<br/>
"You didn't tell me anything, except that he pretended to be you yesterday, and that he had a fake version of me with him when he let you out of here."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh. Well, when he let me out, he said something about how we could be junior partners on his team."<br/>
<br/>
"What kind of team is that?"<br/>
<br/>
"What kind do you think? Using masks and the book."<br/>
<br/>
"What's he planning to do?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's what I went to ask him. And he didn't tell me anything, not really."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb rolls his eyes. "You brought me out here to tell me he didn't tell you anything?"<br/>
<br/>
You hunch. "Well, not a lot. Except that we'd have to be willing to fuck around with people." You decide not to mention the "fuck over your best friend" bit.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb blinks. "And what did he mean by that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Again, he didn't really say." You make a sour face as Caleb snorts. "He did say something about helping us, uh, get close to Chelsea." You tremble—whether from horror or desire or some combination, you're not sure.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's eyes grow wide. "Are you serious?" His gaze grows distant. "Not a lot different from what we were thinking."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well, don't get your hopes up. It's Patterson we're talking about. Even if he helps us with something like that, he's gonna ask us to do nasty stuff first."<br/>
<br/>
"Granted, he's a dick. But—"<br/>
<br/>
"He said as much. He said he'd put us to a test before letting us on the team. You think the test is gonna be something nice?" Caleb's gaze continues to be thoughtful, but it clouds slightly. "He wants us to know he's the boss, and he's gonna force us to do something really ugly in order to prove we're willing to follow his orders."<br/>
<br/>
"I suppose we could find out what the test is, and if it's really ... heinous ... we could refuse." You give him a look. "Yeah, he probably wouldn't like it if we did that," he admits. "Can we just refuse outright?"<br/>
<br/>
"Here's the thing," you say. "I think we oughta take him up on it. I wanna know what he's up to, in case we have to stop him. And if we're not close to him, he might decide at some point to, you know, use masks against us."<br/>
<br/>
"He could do that anyway," Caleb points out. "He could turn us into golems."<br/>
<br/>
"Not if he thinks we're loyal to him," you reply. "And he could have turned us into golems already."<br/>
<br/>
"So why are we having this conversation?"<br/>
<br/>
"I wanna know if you're willing to go along with me, join up when I do. You don't have to. When I asked him if he wanted you on the team, he said he didn't give a fuck about you." Your friend frowns in surprise. "I think he just wants me," you say lamely. "I wanted you to know what I was going to do, and I'd like you to go with me."<br/>
<br/>
"But if he doesn't want me—"<br/>
<br/>
You wave him to silence. "I think he'd take you. I think it just doesn't matter one way or the other to him. That's what 'I don't give a fuck' meant."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb grimaces, but nods. "I'm with you." He holds out a hand, and you clasp it. "New password is 'Damon.'"<br/>
<br/>
You arch your eyebrows. "Okay. Countersign is 'Affleck'."<br/>
<br/>
He snorts again. "You really need to brush up on your classical mythology."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
By working hard all through the night you manage to finish polishing the mask Patterson gave you, and that's only because it was mostly polished up already. You're woozy when you go find Patterson the next day at school. "Done with that project," you tell him in a low voice at his locker, and do your best to avoid the gaze of Jason Lynch, who is nearby.<br/>
<br/>
"Excellent," Patterson says in a loud voice. "You're a good little bitch. Meet me outside the gym at five." Jason giggles loudly.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll be bringing a friend," you murmur, and swallow. <br/>
<br/>
But Patterson just smiles. "You do that. We'll make it a party."<br/>
<br/>
Five o'clock comes. You and Caleb rendezvous at the gym's side entrance, exchanging passwords and pulling at each other's faces, just to be sure. A few minutes after five, the door opens, and Jeremy sticks his head out. "There you guys are," he says. "Steve's waiting."<br/>
<br/>
"You know what's going on?" you ask the golem in a low voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Nope. He just said to let you guys in."<br/>
<br/>
"What's he been doing the past week?" you ask. You've avoided seeking Richards, for fear of alerting Steve to this weak spot.<br/>
<br/>
"He doesn't tell me anything," Jeremy replies as you cross the deserted gym floor.<br/>
<br/>
"No jobs for you?" you ask. Jeremy shakes his head. "Well, keep your eyes open. Let me know what you hear, and anything he asks you to do." The golem nods, then points to some stairs in the back.<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb exchange uneasy glances. Those stairs lead up to the fabled "fuck room": the loft where Patterson and Black and their chosen few friends hang out. These are not the circumstances under which you'd like to visit that room, and with heavy feet you mount the wooden steps. You knock tentatively at the door, and a muffled voice tells you to enter. <br/>
<br/>
The room is crowded with boxes and crates and equipment, but there's an open space in the center. Patterson looks over his shoulder at you, and he smiles sharply. "Close the door," he says. "I had to act like an asshole to get this place to ourselves. You like it?"<br/>
<br/>
You just shrug; Caleb doesn't even do that much, but just looks around nervously.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe you can become regular visitors," Patterson says, turning fully around. "First, show me what you got."<br/>
<br/>
You hold out the mask you've finished up, and he takes and examines it approvingly. "Nice work," he says, "but I'd expect as much. You like my collection?" You follow his glance to the side. Lined up neatly on a nearby crate are half a dozen masks, gleaming in the late afternoon light that pours through the tall windows.<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes bulge. "How did you get so many done so fast?"<br/>
<br/>
"Eva's a good girl," Steve grins. "When you lock her up and give her nothing else to do."<br/>
<br/>
You blink. That doesn't make sense. You were only able to finish that one mask so fast because it was already mostly done. To get six of them done— <br/>
<br/>
"What are you going to do with them?" Caleb asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Not so fast, Johansson," Steve says. "You both have to pass an initiation first. And since Prescott has actually done some work, he gets to pick which of the two initiations I'm offering."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah?"<br/>
<br/>
"I want you to show me that you're a team player," he tells you. "It's not all going to be fun, you know. You show me you can do the ugly stuff, and I'll let you have a shot at the fun stuff."<br/>
<br/>
You suppress a tremble. He hands you and Caleb each a mask.<br/>
<br/>
"First, there's your friend, Keith," Patterson says. "Remember what I told you about being willing to fuck over your friends?" You try not to notice the glance Caleb shoots at you. "Well, I want Keith to make a pass at Kendra Saunders. He can do it privately, but I want him to tell her, exactly and in detail, what he wants to do to her after they've both got their clothes off."<br/>
<br/>
"She'll kill him," Caleb exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, she'll do worse than that," Patterson laughs. "She'll tell Chelsea, and <i>she'll</i> kill him. You think Javits has had it in for Tilley before? Wait'll Chelsea forces Cindy to force Seth to really put the screws to him." He holds your eye. "So, Prescott. You willing to fuck your friend over? That's one of the jobs you assholes have to do."<br/>
<br/>
"What's the other one?" you say, your voice dripping with loathing.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson's eyes gleam. "I think you'll take the Keith job."<br/>
<br/>
"Tell me the other."<br/>
<br/>
He bites back a nasty smile. "You'll need a dress, because Lisa Yarborough is going to lose her virginity to Geoff Mansfield."<br/>
<br/>
The world swims in blackness. But through it you hear Patterson's clear, deadly voice. "Which one, Prescott? The lady or the alley cat?" </span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111
author_id: seuzz
title: Catching Keith
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It would be easy—so very easy to take the "Keith" job and stick Caleb with the "Lisa" job. Probably he would refuse to do it. But then what would Patterson do to him? Actually, you'd like to reject both jobs—it's a shock to recognize just how depraved Patterson can be—but then you'd both not be safe. And Patterson might do something to Lisa and Keith just to spite you. Besides, you'd already decided it was best to keep close to him.<br/>
<br/>
You meet Patterson's cold grey eyes. "I'll do the Lisa initiation thing," you tell him. Through the roar in your ears, you hear Caleb muttering something low to you, but Steve shuts him up with a sharp word and a glance. <br/>
<br/>
"Brave man," Patterson says to you. "I'm impressed. I think." A small smile creeps up the side of his face, and his eyes flick between you and Caleb. "So you know what your jobs are. Any questions?" Caleb is silent; you shake your head numbly. "Okay then. Get moving."<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb quickly exit the "fuck room," and end in a dead run out of the gym, stopping only when you collapse against the side of your truck. "Oh, fuck me," you groan as you slide down to the ground. "Fuck <i>us."</i><br/>
<br/>
"You didn't have to take it," Caleb says. "You could have told him to shove it."<br/>
<br/>
"You could have told him to shove it," you retort. <br/>
<br/>
"I mean, you could have picked the thing to do with Keith, left the other job to me. Not that I want to do it," he quickly adds.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want to do it either," you reply. "But I wasn't going to stick you—"<br/>
<br/>
"Will you stop being noble," he snaps. "If you want to, we can go back and tell him we swapped jobs."<br/>
<br/>
You glare at the gym; the prospect of going back up those stairs seems even more horrible than the prospect of going through with the initiation. "No," you say. "Then he'd just think we suck even more. If we're gonna go through with it, we might as well stick to what we volunteered for."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, fuck us," Caleb moans.<br/>
<br/>
You sit silently for a bit, until you're overcome by the fear that Patterson will come out and find you, and you trudge off to your cars and drive away.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
And yet, for all the horror you feel, as the afternoon wears on your mood begins to alter slightly. Maybe you're just desperate to find the bright side of a very dark situation; or maybe you're actually being honest with yourself. But eventually, as you sit on your bed and study the blank mask you will have to use on Lisa, certain ... compensations ... creep into view. <br/>
<br/>
You are pretty certain that Lisa and Geoff have not progressed so far as to have— You flinch from even thinking the words. If Geoff does it with a fake-Lisa, and then goes to the real Lisa expecting more of the same (especially if you encourage him in the thought) ... Well, that would piss Lisa off, and then that would piss Mansfield off. <br/>
<br/>
Yeah, you could use this <i>insanely squicky job</i> to throw a real monkey-wrench between them. <br/>
<br/>
Of course, that wouldn't be enough to revive your own relationship with Lisa, and you don't even know what went wrong there. If you had a mask of her, though, you could get inside her head— You rejected that idea before. But now that it looks like you've no choice, you have to admit how strongly attracted you are to the idea.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"The fuck is wrong with Johansson?" Keith says the next day at school as he drops into the seat next to you.<br/>
<br/>
"Why, what's wrong?"<br/>
<br/>
"I only asked him if he wants to copy my English notes again, and he bites my head off. Says he won't need my 'fucking notes'."<br/>
<br/>
<i>With Tilley's mask, likely he won't.</i> "Just hormones or something," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, can you tell him to stop treating me like shit-and-bubble-gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe?"<br/>
<br/>
"What makes you think he'll listen to me?"<br/>
<br/>
"You two have gotten real tight recently, and don't think I haven't noticed. It's like you've gotten your own secret two-man club."<br/>
<br/>
Keith's shrewd blow shakes you a little. You've always thought him a little dumb, but here's a reminder not to underestimate him. "We'll get together, the three of us, real soon," you promise.<br/>
<br/>
"Unless it's to listen to you moan and bitch about Lisa," he says, and he shifts restlessly in his chair. "If it's just that, you two can keep to yourselves."<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes narrow. "Why don't you try getting a girl, so you can see what it's like?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm on it every day," he replies, and his head swivels on his scrawny neck as he checks out his female classmates.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You find Caleb at the elementary school after school, slouching in front of the door, with a blank mask in his hands. He doesn't look up as you approach. "You don't want to do this thing to Keith," you say. "Oh yeah, fish fry."<br/>
<br/>
"Beer bender. Fuck him, he's got it coming. All the shit he's pulled over the years."<br/>
<br/>
"You're just trying to talk yourself into it. And it's why you're being ugly to him in school, so he'll tell you to piss off and won't come near you. That way you can't get the mask onto him."<br/>
<br/>
He squints up at you. "Are you a fucking psychiatrist, or do you just play one on this comedy show you call your life?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just telling it like I see it." You reach past him to unlock the basement door. "Come on, it's not going to go any quicker if you keep putting it off. Besides, we need to get him so I can get Lisa."<br/>
<br/>
"How come?" Still he squats in front of the door, craning his neck up at you. "Why don't you get Lisa first?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because I want to use Keith's face to get Lisa. I don't want her seeing <i>me</i> nearby when that mask comes out for her." You cock your head. "Come on, man. You said you were willing to take the actual job of playing Lisa. It's even easier to do this for me."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a shitty thing to do to Keith, though," he says, scrambling to his feet.<br/>
<br/>
"Keith's life is destined for the shitter after he makes that pass at Kendra. How much worse will it be for him if he's the one putting the mask on Lisa?" You take out your cell phone. "Anyway, I told him we'd get together soon, and here's a reason to."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So this is where you've been hanging out," Keith says. He looks around the basement, hands in pockets. "I remember this place. We had that kick-ass Halloween party here."<br/>
<br/>
"Actually, this is the first time we've been down here since then," you say. "Got to thinking about what you said today, and it seemed like a nice place to reconnect. Maybe we could have another Halloween party here. It's only a few weeks away."<br/>
<br/>
"That'd be cool," Keith says. "But are you sure no one else can get down here?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's Will's lock on the door," Caleb says, "and his key in the lock."<br/>
<br/>
"It's just that it looks like someone's been playing around down here," Keith says, pointing at the table where you and Caleb had been working on the spells. "See, there's those circles where the dust has been disturbed and not settled again."<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb exchange horrified glances behind Tilley's back. "Yeah, now that you mention it, the place is really filthy," you babble. Your hand and arm seem to operate independently of your brain, grabbing a loose board off a bookshelf. "I mean, criminey, look at this." You blow the thick layer of accumulated dust right into Keith's face.<br/>
<br/>
He waves his hand, coughs, steps back, closes his eyes. Caleb, luckily, recognizes the cue you've improvised, and leaps at Tilley to put the blank mask to his face. One friend slumps in the other friend's arms.<br/>
<br/>
"Do we need to get his clothes off him?" you ask Caleb as you help lift your unconscious friend to the table. <br/>
<br/>
"Ew. I don't even want to put on his underwear. Getting into his head's gonna be bad enough."<br/>
<br/>
"But won't we need his pants and shirt at least? You know, as part of the disguise?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb gives you a look. "And what are we gonna tell him happened to his clothes when he wakes up?"<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, yeah, good point. Well, I guess we're all about the same size and wear the same kind of shit."<br/>
<br/>
"I wear a higher quality shit," Caleb says. "Tilley's dad buys weird stuff. Haven't you ever seen the stuff in their refrigerator?"<br/>
<br/>
"You mean like the RC Cola?" You shudder. "It's like an alternate universe over there. A really lame-ass one."<br/>
<br/>
"Another reason to be happy this is a one-day-only thing."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Keith is pissed at you guys after he wakes up, despite your apologies, but instead of storming off, like Jeremy, he sticks around anyway and acts pissed off. Then you and Caleb get pissed off at him because he keeps being pissed at you guys, and that's when he decides he wants to be friends after all. So a very wearisome afternoon passes before Keith finally parts with you and Caleb. "I thought that fucker never would shut up," Caleb grumbles afterward. "At least the hard part's over. Let's see about getting Lisa for you."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm wiped," you say, falling backward onto the table. "Let's just do it later."<br/>
<br/>
"Goddamn it," Caleb says. "You frog-march me into getting Keith this afternoon, but when it's your turn to get your job started— 'I'm wiped, let's just do it later!'" His voice rises to a squeak as he imitates you.</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111
author_id: seuzz
title: Lifting Lisa
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Alright, fine, give it here," you grumble. Caleb hands the mask to you, and you're about to put it on when— "Can't do it," you say with a smile. "It has to be sealed first."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb blinks. "Oh, shit. And we haven't got the sealant here, do we?" Your smug grin widens until he punches you on the chest. "Then we'll just have to go find Patterson." Your face falls, but he's already got his phone out. Luckily, Patterson says he's busy, and tells you to pass it on to him on Monday.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The weekend bring some relief, and you spend it at home, avoiding all your friends. But you're a bundle of nerves Monday, so that you leap like a startled faun after first period when you feel a tap at your shoulder between classes and turn to find Lisa herself regarding you gravely. "Are you feeling alright?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you stammer. "I mean, I've got a Calculus test coming up—"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean, is everything else alright?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why wouldn't it be?" you ask, your eyes widening slightly. It's not much fun having Lisa taking such a solicitous interest in you just as you're planning to— "Why, is everything okay with you?"<br/>
<br/>
"You've just been looking ... well ..." She frowns. "Like you've got problems woriying you."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm okay. I mean, it's nice of you to notice." You swallow. "You think maybe we could—?" No, you don't want to get together with her, that was the whole point of getting a copy of Keith first. "I've been talking to Caleb about things," you say, turning back to your locker.<br/>
<br/>
"Caleb's a good friend," she says. "I like him. I like you too, as a friend." You twinge hard at the addendum. "I just don't want you thinking less of me as a friend, because ..."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, how are things with you and Geoff?" you coolly ask without turning around. Your query is met by silence, so you look back to find her expression has darkened.<br/>
<br/>
"He's just a friend," she says. "If you gave him a chance—"<br/>
<br/>
"Not the kind of chance you're giving him, if you don't mind," you say. Her eyes chill even further. "I'm sorry. It's just hard to talk about things like this with ... you." A sudden idea occurs to you. "I've been talking to Caleb, though," you say, "and that's enough. Probably it's too much for him." You close your locker door. "Thanks for caring, though, Lisa. It's really sweet of you." You brush past her.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
At lunch you grab Caleb and head off to a secluded spot. "You get the thing back from Patterson?" He peers at you until you remember the pass word. "Yankee."<br/>
<br/>
"Boston," he returns. "Not yet."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, tell him we need it fast. You're going on a date with Lisa this afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck?"<br/>
<br/>
"I had a short talk with her after second period." You recount the substance of your conversation. "Go find her, tell her you want to get together with her after school to talk about, uh, things. She'll know what you mean."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want to talk about your shit with her," he objects.<br/>
<br/>
"For just a little while. Or do you want to get the mask of her and have that date with Mansfield? This is a lot less painful," you remind him.<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno," he muses satirically. "Mansfield is awfully sexy."<br/>
<br/>
You punch him in the shoulder, and he grimaces. "So, I'll join you," you continue, "by accident on purpose, you know, and as Keith. It's the perfect set up."<br/>
<br/>
"You're just determined to make this as painful for me as possible, aren't you?" he says, but agrees.<br/>
<br/>
It's all set up by fourth period, when Caleb collapses into the chair behind you in English. "Fucking happy?" he says, and rubs his hair, which is glistening.<br/>
<br/>
"What happened? Oh, wait." You shake a finger at him. "You're supposed to say ..."<br/>
<br/>
He sighs. "Jack and Jill."<br/>
<br/>
"Went for the kill. Okay, what happened?"<br/>
<br/>
"Our passwords are getting stupider and stupider. Patterson dragged me into the bathroom to give me that thing. He decided to make it look good by also trying to flush my head down the toilet."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Lisa?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, rub in the lemon juice while you're at it. That's set up too. I'm picking her up at four and taking her to The Flying Saucer."<br/>
<br/>
"Awesome, because I've been thinking some more, and here's what you do." You lean in close. "I'll show up, as you know who, you'll get pissed and decide to break things off. But you'll have car trouble, and I'll give you a ride. We'll do it in the truck."<br/>
<br/>
He blinks at this rush of words. "How will you explain not having Tilley's car?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll think of something," you say. He rolls his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Four o'clock comes, and a quarter hour later you're parked in front of The Flying Saucer. It was a nice ride over, largely because you were wearing Keith's mask. You always suspected he was jealous of your ride, and you got a gratifying degree of confirmation, and had a lot of fun gunning the engine and leaping into intersections ahead of light changes—fun you've not had in more than a year.<br/>
<br/>
You strut into the coffee shop, head bobbing around as you try to locate— Ah, there they are, in the back. You nod at Caleb, whose eyes narrow, and then place your order at the front. After it arrives, you glide back to the booth and slide in next to Lisa. "Caleb," you greet him. "The lovely Lisa." You wink at her. Keith has odd ideas about what kind of behavior looks "sexy." "Does Will know you two are—?" You wink again.<br/>
<br/>
"No, and he'll kill you if you tell him," Caleb retorts. <br/>
<br/>
"Probably," you laugh. "Asshole's in a bad mood. It took all my charm to get him to loan me his truck."<br/>
<br/>
A malicious glint comes into Caleb's eye. "Whaddaya need his truck for?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm movin' stuff." You shrug. "Pass me the sugar, sugar," you ask Lisa. She visibly stiffens but tosses you a packet. "You guys gettin' a refill?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, I think we're just about done," Caleb says, and gulps down the rest of his cup. "You done, Lisa?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think so," she says, and doesn't even drain her own cup. "It was nice running into you, Keith," she says with ill-disguised distaste.<br/>
<br/>
"My pleasure always," you purr, and stand up to let her out. You give Caleb a two-fingered salute; he rolls his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
A few minutes later, he's back. "Better get out there quick before Lisa starts taking the engine apart herself to get it to work," he tells you. <br/>
<br/>
"I am a charmer, aren't I?" you laugh. "Oh, have that mask ready to go onto her when I punch the AC. I remembered what we did to Keith, and prepped a little surprise." Caleb looks pained—apparently Lisa isn't the only one that the "Keith" act is wearing thin on.<br/>
<br/>
The "jump start," naturally, doesn't take, and Lisa looks none too happy at having to squeeze in between you and Caleb inside the cab of your truck, and she obviously sits closer to him than to you. "And where am I navigating this magic pumpkin to, Cinderella?" you ask her.<br/>
<br/>
"Just take me home."<br/>
<br/>
"And away we go." You pop the clutch, and the truck jackrabbits out of its parking space. She actually grabs your arm, and just as quickly releases it.<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus, you're going to break this thing!" Caleb exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
"Prescott keeps it in shape. Uh, I think. How about a little air? It's stuffy in here, isn't it?" You watch Caleb out of the corner of your eye as you fiddle with knobs, until he gets the top of his backpack open. Then you hit the switch—<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Christ! What's that stench?" Caleb shouts. Lisa gags and coughs, and your own eyes start to water. Fortunately, Caleb also moves quickly, and the mask is over Lisa's face in only a few seconds. "Turn it off," he shouts after she has slumped against your shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"You like it?" you grin as you turn it off and roll down the window. "I raided the dumpster behind The Smilin' Marlin, and dropped some fish guts into the duct. I figured it might knock her out for real."<br/>
<br/>
"It nearly knocked <i>me</i> out. Was that your idea, or Tilley's?"<br/>
<br/>
"'Not sure," you grin. "I do know <i>he'd</i> think it was an awesome prank."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Lisa is in a really bad mood after she recovers, and pointedly ignores you when you drop her off at her house, and she's even frosty toward Caleb. "You do know she'll never forgive us for this afternoon, don't you?" he says as you make the short drive over to the elementary school.<br/>
<br/>
"You and Keith, maybe," you retort. "That was the whole reason for using the mask."<br/>
<br/>
Then you laugh. "It was actually kind of fun," you chortle. "She can be such a prissy little bi—" You catch yourself, and look over to see Caleb raising an eyebrow. You make a low whistle. "No wonder Tilley doesn't like it when I start talking about her."<br/>
<br/>
"The guy's gonna be a virgin until he gets out of college, at least," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"At least he has other kinds of fun. You'll have fun too, when you get into him." You rub your false cheek, and grin.<br/>
<br/>
"Happy as a pig in slop, that's Keith," Caleb says as you pull up in front of the basement. "Come on, let's get you out of that thing, and then we'll call Patterson, see about getting Lisa's mask sealed up."<br/>
<br/>
You leap from the cab to follow him—<br/>
<br/>
—and at that moment the basement door opens, and Keith Tilley himself walks out. He stops cold at the sight of the two of you—and at the second version of himself.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111
author_id: seuzz
title: Playing Dress Up
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You quickly turn around. "Get him inside the basement, quick, while I change," you hiss to Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
"What good'll that do?" Caleb hisses back.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't argue, just do it!" You jump back in your truck and have a quick glimpse, as you duck down, of Caleb advancing on a stricken-looking Keith. You lay down and pull the mask off.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"I can't believe what you assholes did," Keith mutters. "Fuck, I can't believe what you were <i>going</i> to do!"<br/>
<br/>
He's sitting on a work table, staring down at the mask in his hands. You and Caleb are sitting nearby, feeling very awkward.<br/>
<br/>
"We told you, it was Patterson's idea," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"Was it Patterson's idea to keep these things a secret from me after you found out how to make them?" he peevishly retorts. "Fuck you guys!"<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb exchange glances. "It seemed like a good idea to keep it real quiet," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
Before Keith can reply, you jump in. <br/>
<br/>
"Look, it's a fucked up scene all around," you tell him. "But arguing about it's not going to help. The question is, what are we going to do now?" The three of you look at each other. But as you're the one who's spoken, it seems they expect you to continue. "I mean, what are we going to tell Patterson? About all this?" The sweep of your arm encompasses Keith and the mask he's holding.<br/>
<br/>
"Why do we have to tell that fucker anything?" Keith asks. "Fuck that, there's three of us and one of him."<br/>
<br/>
"He's got the book!" You know that's not an answer, but it's all you can think to say. "The book, our supplies, our notes. We can't do anything without that stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"You say he's got it in that place over the gym?" Keith says. "We could break in and get it back. I broke in here."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, how did you do that?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I picked the lock. I know a few things."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait a minute," Caleb says, rising slowly. He leaps on Keith. "It's a fake, Will! It's Patterson!"<br/>
<br/>
You stand, aghast, as Caleb and Keith grapple with each other—Caleb grabbing at his friend's face while Keith bats him away. "Hey! Hey, hey!" you shout until they both pause. "Caleb's got a point, Keith," you say. "This is out of character for you. We gotta check you out."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you," he shouts. But Caleb grabs his hands and forces them down, and Keith grimaces as you pull at his face while murmuring arcane words.<br/>
<br/>
Nothing happens.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay," you sigh. "I guess that proves you're who you seem to be." Caleb also relaxes.<br/>
<br/>
"What about you jerkoffs?" Keith's tone is hot. "Seems to me that <i>you're</i> acting funny!"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb snorts, but you shrug and reach for his face. He flinches at first, but at a look from you submits. "Happy?" he asks sourly. "Now it's your turn." He reaches for you.<br/>
<br/>
"You saw me. I had Keith's face on!"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe you had one mask on over another," Caleb says shrewdly. "Seems to me you're taking this Lisa business pretty well."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, fine." You submit yourself to inspection. When he's done: "Now that we all know who we are—"<br/>
<br/>
"Unless Patterson's found a way to keep others from pulling masks off—" Caleb starts.<br/>
<br/>
"Will you stop it? There's no point getting paranoid!" You pant as you shout it, though, for Caleb's suggestion sounds alarmingly plausible. "The break-in idea isn't bad, actually," you continue, and Keith smirks until you add, "But let's save that for an emergency. Until then—" You spread your hands. "Do we tell Patterson that Keith knows about us and the masks?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want any trouble," Keith says, raising his own hands in turn. "I don't want any part of this shit. Unless—" he suddenly adds, and his eyes narrow. "You said Patterson said something about using these things to get close to Chelsea?"<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb groan in unison.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
In the end, you decide not to say anything to Patterson, at least not yet. That leaves you and Caleb needing to finish the jobs he's given you.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, I forgot to say, Patterson said he wanted to know when I was going to hit on Kendra," Caleb says as you drive him back into town to collect his car. "He said he'd set it up so I could get close to her."<br/>
<br/>
You snot. "Thoughtful of him. Maybe he can set up my date with Mansfield too."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, how are you going to do that? You're being so smart about these things all of a sudden."<br/>
<br/>
"I have to get a dress first," you sigh. "Oh God, and I don't have the money for that!"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe you can swipe one of your mom's dresses."<br/>
<br/>
You stare daggers at him.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You wait until everyone seems to be occupied downstairs before quietly creeping into your parents' bedroom. You've done this before—but it was to look for some of your dad's private stuff, not your mom's. Inside the walk-in closet, you push dresses along the rack, eyeballing each briefly. You want something nice but conservative. Sure, you'll have to turn Mansfield on—you shudder at the thought—but you'll be able to do that no matter what you're wearing. <br/>
<br/>
And again you shudder.<br/>
<br/>
You'll also need some underthings. Lisa's breasts are about ... You cup your hands before you as you try to gauge her size. And you're mom's are— <br/>
<br/>
Now you really do flinch. Thinking about your mom's rack is almost worse than thinking about what you'll have to do with Mansfield.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you doing?!"<br/>
<br/>
You leap back with a small shriek. Your mom stands in the closet doorway, hand on hip. Her eyes are wide, and her mouth hangs open. Judging by the curve of her lip, she is either deeply shocked or slightly amused. And possibly both.<br/>
<br/>
"Uh ... Uh ..." Your brain jams up briefly before the words begin to come out. <br/>
<br/>
"It's Lisa," you gabble, speaking almost before the thoughts form. "I'm, uh, I want to buy something for her, and, uh, I was, uh, trying to—" You gulp. "Get some ideas." The panicked rictus that forms on your face feels alien, like it's someone else's mouth spreading leech-like over your own.<br/>
<br/>
Your mom arches her eyebrows, but now she only looks quietly amused. <br/>
<br/>
"Well, that's sweet, honey," she says, "but—" She beckons you from the closet. "You really should let Lisa pick out her own clothes, if you're going to buy something for her. Suppose she doesn't like what you pick?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess that's right," you admit. "But I wanted to surprise her."<br/>
<br/>
"The wrong kind of surprise is worse than no surprise," she gently says. "Just take her shopping. Let her try on lots of things. Let her show them to you." You blush furiously, but nod. "And then buy her what she likes."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess that would be better. Thing is—" You scratch the back of your neck. "I'm on kind of a budget."<br/>
<br/>
Your mom smiles as she turns to the dresser. "Lisa's a sensible girl," she says as she draws out her billfold and extracts a credit card. "I'm sure she won't buy anything crazy."<br/>
<br/>
"Aw, jeez," you mutter. "I mean— Thanks."<br/>
<br/>
"You'll pay me back, of course," she adds as you take the card.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
As with Keith's mask, you have to pass Lisa's on to Patterson to get it sealed before you can use it, so you drop it off with him the next morning at school, and collect it in the afternoon. You briefly wonder if Patterson tried it on after sealing it, then firmly put the resulting vision out of your head.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb offers to go with you on the shopping trip, but you decline—it'll be weird enough without him along. Your heart is thumping wildly as you walk into Nirdlinger's and go straight back to the changing rooms. You swallow hard as you take Lisa's mask out of your bag. Your brush the surface, where her face dimly floats, before turning it over and putting it to your face. <br/>
<br/>
The world is gauzy as you wake, and a soft groan escapes your lips. You sit up uncomfortably. Something is tightly binding your chest—a small but sloppy t-shirt. You frown and pull at it—<br/>
<br/>
You gasp, remembering who you are and what you're doing. A lock of dark hair falls into your face, and as you grasp it to brush it back you pause to run it between your fingers. <i>Lisa's hair.</i> Your hand jerks away as you start to grasp a breast. <i>Business before pleasure,</i> you remind yourself, but at the moment it doesn't sound like pleasure at all.<br/>
<br/>
You dig through your bag for pencil and paper. <i>Measurements, sizes ... Oh, you'll need some shoes! Maybe a belt? What would be some good colors?</i> You shake your head. Too many choices; you'll have to look at things. But you can't go out looking like this. With a sigh you try to hang onto Lisa's intuitions as you pull off the mask.<br/>
<br/>
The next couple of hours pass with you retrieving lots of items, hanging them in the changing booth, changing into Lisa, making decisions, changing back into yourself, and returning to the floor. (As you do so, you try to tell yourself the female clerks aren't watching you out of the corners of their eyes.) Finally, more out of sheer desperation than real conviction, you settle on a modest blue frock, then collect the other sundries you need. At the register, as you hand over the credit card, the paper with Lisa's scribbled measurements falls to the floor. As you retrieve it, your eyes falls on the bit of paper and the graceful loops you've inscribed there. Of course: While in the mask you'd imitated Lisa's handwriting perfectly.<br/>
<br/>
An evil thought forms. With Lisa's head and handwriting, you could arrange major problems for her and Geoff even before the ... date. Notes in his locker that only she could have written, but which she would stoutly maintain she hadn't ...</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112
author_id: seuzz
title: Caleb's Adventures as Keith
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You've had your cell phone turned off all this time, but once you're back in your truck you check it. There's a text from Caleb, urgently summoning you to the clubhouse.<br/>
<br/>
But it's Keith you find inside, laying on the work table, limbs splayed in every direction. "Why don't I just make you a copy of the key?" you irritably say. "It'll save you the trouble of picking the lock."<br/>
<br/>
He raises his head. "Dude, it's me." He snaps his fingers. "What's the password? Oh yeah, apple core."<br/>
<br/>
"Baltimore. Why the fuck are you wearing that mask?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because the memory isn't as strong when I'm out of it," he says, and sighs rhapsodically. "It's kind of gross being in here and thinking who I did it as, but the point is that I did it." He sighs again, and a stupid smile enwreathes his face.<br/>
<br/>
"Did what? Not the Keith thing for Patterson!" Your eyes widen. "Already? And you're <i>happy</i> about it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Damn right! Shocked as fuck, too, and that's how come I'm so happy." He raises his head again and grins like a lunatic. "We did it." You blink. "Me and Kendra Saunders did it. I fucked Kendra Saunders! And it was awesome."<br/>
<br/>
"You're telling me— You're fucking delusional."<br/>
<br/>
"Swear to God! You wanna put the mask on yourself? I'll share the memory. It was fucking sweet."<br/>
<br/>
You jab a finger at him. "In the first place, you're high if you think I'm gonna believe you."<br/>
<br/>
"God's own truth, man. Take the mask."<br/>
<br/>
"And second, even if it happened, it was Tilley she did it with, not you."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be a pedantic asshole. That's what I'm taking classes from Walberg for. All I know is—"<br/>
<br/>
<i>"Why the fuck would Kendra Saunders get it on with Keith Tilly?"</i><br/>
<br/>
He shrugs. "I found her in the orchestra room after class. That's where Patterson said she'd be." Your eyes narrow. "So I saunter up to her, tell her she's lookin' fine. I mean, I figure that'll be enough to get me—Tilley—in trouble. But she just smiles and says 'Yeah?' So I go all in, tell her she's a chocolate sundae and I wanna lick her all over and suck on her cherry. And she keeps smiling and puts her arm on me and says 'Give me a taste.' And I kind of freak out, figuring she's gonna knee me in the groin, but I'd—Tilley—would deserve it so I lean in for a kiss, and she starts sucking on me hard. We start grabbing each other, and she pulls me into the back, where no one can see. And she pulls off most of her clothes, and I start to take off my mine because, okay, I'm not thinking real clearly. But she just pulls me back, and—" Words clearly fail him. He grabs at his face. "Come on, you have to see for yourself!"<br/>
<br/>
"No way," you exclaim. "Look, it wasn't the real Kendra, it was a fake. Kendra Saunders would <i>not</i> do it with Tilley."<br/>
<br/>
"Then who—?"<br/>
<br/>
Then he springs upright, his eyes staring with horror. "Oh, God! Not <i>Patterson!</i> Faugh!"<br/>
<br/>
You bark a short laugh. "That would be awesome, but I bet it was just a golem. I'd bet every dollar I'll ever make in my lifetime that he got a mask of her and put it on that golem he stole from us."<br/>
<br/>
"Why would he do that?" Caleb asks. "I mean, if he wanted to get Keith in trouble—"<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno. All I'm saying is, it wasn't Kendra."<br/>
<br/>
"Well it was awesome anyway." He lays back down. "Totally cool of Patterson if that's what he did for me."<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm." Maybe that's why he did it—to win points with your friend, and you say so.<br/>
<br/>
"You think?" Caleb's expression turns thoughtful. "I wonder what he's got planned for you."<br/>
<br/>
That's an interesting question, so you let Caleb call up Patterson to tell him he made the pass at Kendra. It's a real short conversation, though, and he hangs up with a frown. "What did he say?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Just 'Good job.' Also, to tell you get your ass in gear and finish your job."<br/>
<br/>
You sigh. "Do we tell Keith what happened?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb grins. "Nah. Let's see if Kendra follows up with him."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
If Kendra pursues Keith, the latter gives no sign of it. As it's Wednesday, you doubt Lisa and Geoff will be getting together, but late in the school day you seek her out, just to be sure. "You doing anything tonight?"<br/>
<br/>
"Probably not," she says coolly. "Staying in with family, I suppose."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, as long as you're not seeing Geoff."<br/>
<br/>
She seems to expect a follow-up, and when you just shrug she purses her lips. "Jealousy is really unattractive, Will," she says. More words follow, until in a sharper tone she says, "Are you even listening to me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Huh? Sorry, yeah, don't be an asshole. I know."<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>said,</i> I know you think he's an asshole, but you might be nice to him for my sake. I stick up for you with him."<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, I'll be nicer to him. Starting tonight."<br/>
<br/>
She's narrowing her eyes suspiciously when you leave her.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You'd not been paying attention to her words, for her presence had brought back vividly your time in the department store—the feel of her skin and limbs, the scent that clung to her hair and body. You'd had to lower your backpack to hide your burgeoning erection.<br/>
<br/>
You'd half-expected (half-hoped) that Patterson would corner you with orders on how to proceed, but it appears you're being left on your own. So, late in the afternoon you put into effect the plan you'd been concocting. Up in your bedroom, you take out the clothes you'd bought and stow them in your backpack. <br/>
<br/>
As you do so, a mask tumbles from your pack onto the bed.<br/>
<br/>
You pick it up with a frown. Where did it come from? You turn it over and find a Post-It note stuck to the inner surface: "Get a copy of Mansfield after you're done with him."<br/>
<br/>
You blink. Patterson must have gotten into your locker and left it there. But how? Then, with a start, you realize the note is written in your own handwriting. The blood rises in your face. He must have used the mask of you to get your locker combination, and written the note while he was wearing it. Somehow, it feels even more like an invasion of privacy than anything else he's done.<br/>
<br/>
You sit on the edge of the bed, your head aching. Why does he want a copy of Mansfield? To confirm that you went through with the job? If he wanted confirmation, he could just put on the Lisa mask. Of course, he probably wouldn't want to experience the memory of having Mansfield's horrible cock-thing thrusting— <br/>
<br/>
You shudder; you'll have to experience it directly. Yes, that must be why he wants a copy of Geoff, so he can check it out from the other side—<br/>
<br/>
And so he can check out what it's like having Lisa—<br/>
<br/>
No. So he can check out what it's like having <i>you,</i> disguised as Lisa, pretending to be turned on while—<br/>
<br/>
You softly pad into the bathroom, where you kneel in front of the toilet.<br/>
<br/>
It all makes sense now. Caleb was so eager to share his experience with Kendra; with Tilley's mask, Patterson can experience it too, which is certainly why he arranged a golem to impersonate her. Now he wants a mask of Mansfield so he can have the same thing with Lisa.<br/>
<br/>
Ten to one these are the kinds of jobs he'll have you and Caleb pulling. And the golems— With the masks of Kendra and Lisa, and a golem, he can have them as sex toys up in his fuck room whenever he wants. Your stomach quivers at the thought of Patterson and a fake Lisa, naked, rolling around on some filthy gym mats.<br/>
<br/>
Of course, you wince to reflect that you and Caleb came real close to doing the same thing with fake Eva. And you were going to use Patterson's image, the way he's having you get others'.<br/>
<br/>
Is it hypocritical to think this is different, because it's Patterson and not you and Caleb pulling the strings? And would it be different if Patterson gave you and Caleb access to the masks and golems? If he let <i>you</i> get it on with fake-Eva and fake-Kendra and ... fake-Lisa?<br/>
<br/>
What would he do if you just refused to finish your initiation?<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122
author_id: seuzz
title: Date with Destiny
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>As you pack up, you try to tell yourself that you are not motivated by fear of Patterson. But there are no good reasons for going through with it, so yeah, it's probably fear.<br/>
<br/>
You drive out to the mall and duck into a changing room in one of the department stores, where you disrobe and put Lisa's mask on. You feel very cold when you wake, and the nipples on your large breasts feel stiff and numb.<br/>
<br/>
You draw on panties and expertly slip on the bra—familiar exercises to your assumed consciousness, but an out-of-body experience in the circumstances. Stockings slide over your stiff feet and chilly calves. You pull the dress over your head and let it settle, then secure it around your waist with the small belt. Then you put on the sandals.<br/>
<br/>
Out on the floor you check yourself out in a full-length mirror. <i>Oh, God, I look like my own grandmother! What the hell was Will thinking? The shade of blue is all wrong. My hair is a mess—</i> You shake the thoughts from your head. Yes, you look bad, and it shows in your pinched face, but you can put that to use with the plan you've come up with.<br/>
<br/>
You return to your truck, where you stow the backpack. Then it's back into the mall with only your cell phone and the small shopping bag that holds the blank mask.<br/>
<br/>
"Hi, Geoff," you say when he answers your call. "It's Lisa. Thank God you picked up. Listen can you do me a big favor, and come up pick me up at the mall?"<br/>
<br/>
"What's wrong?" he asks. "This isn't your phone."<br/>
<br/>
"I know. I was up here with Will and we got in a fight, and the jerk went off and left me here." You sniff. "We got our phones mixed up or something, because I've got his phone and I hope he's got mine."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I'll be there in ten," Geoff says, sounding genuinely concerned. "Where are you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll be outside the food court entrance. Thanks so much. I owe you big time."<br/>
<br/>
You drop the phone into the bag and toss your hair back. Geoff certainly is thoughtful. Not like Will, who— You twitch. You'd never leave Lisa in the lurch, you're sure. But from her perspective it does seem plausible. Will Prescott is sweet, but he's goofy and immature and insecure and—<br/>
<br/>
You swallow.<br/>
<br/>
There was something so endearing about the way he asked you out, at the start of summer. He was like an overgrown puppy, all big hands and feet, and big rolling eyes and a stupid (but sweet!) grin. He made no demands on you, and seemed so happy and grateful for whatever attention you gave him. His embraces were awkward but loose, and he never tried to kiss you—<br/>
<br/>
For which you were grateful.<br/>
<br/>
And he was constantly running off with his friends, which was a relief, for you're not sure you could've stood too much of his clumsy infatuation.<br/>
<br/>
But now it's your senior year, and you want someone serious. Someone with poise and maturity and ambition. Someone like Geoff, who studies hard and gets good grades and is interested in important things, like politics, and has a pretty good idea of where he's going and how he's going to get there. Will should be alright in a few years, after he's matured, and he'll find someone who—<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You've lost track of the time, and are a little startled to find yourself outside when a car pulls up in front of you, and through the passenger-side window you see Geoff behind the wheel. In the reflection on the glass you catch a brief glimpse of your taut face before sliding in next to him.<br/>
<br/>
"You look like you've been through the wars," Geoff says.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, it's just that jerk," you exclaim, for you've half-convinced yourself that the thoroughly immature Will Prescott really has stranded you. "I try to be nice to him—"<br/>
<br/>
"He's not worth getting worked up over," Geoff says, and rubs your thigh. "Anyway, he'll remember what he did and come back to find you, and then he'll freak out when he can't."<br/>
<br/>
"He'll just call me on my phone."<br/>
<br/>
"So turn his off," Geoff grins. <br/>
<br/>
Not a bad idea, for lots of reasons. "If you take me home I'll just stew about it," you say, then grip and massage Geoff's arm. "How about we go someplace, just the two of us." He casts a sidelong grin at you, and you dimple one in return.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You pace the shadows outside the gym, jumping a little each time you see a pair of headlights flash in your direction. This is where you had Geoff drop you off, much to his surprise, after— You flush and pat down the dress over your crotch, where you're still feeling hot and loose. One time was enough, but at the same time—you bite your lower lip—it wasn't.<br/>
<br/>
It just keeps going through your head, and you fervently hope it goes away when the mask comes off. You'd take it off now—Caleb said the memories aren't as vivid outside a mask—but that would still leave you wearing a dress in public.<br/>
<br/>
Geoff had been surprised but quickly receptive to your advances, and clothes hadn't even come off once you were in the back seat. Your male ego had been somewhat mortified to find he was big enough to slip inside you even from the cramped position with you atop him. But maybe it had been a strain for him, for he turned very red and grunted and grimaced, but came, mercifully and completely—<br/>
<br/>
Which left you feeling dissatisfied, much to your chagrin. But he was nicely spent, which made it easy to get the new mask onto him, and while he was out you'd reassembled yourself and gotten him tucked back in so there'd be no thought of a second time. After that, you'd nuzzled and kissed and cooed and told him you <i>really were ready</i> to keep things at this higher level. <i>That'll really make things awkward the next time he sees her,</i> you'd thought to yourself. He only had to ask for a second time, you'd told him, and he'd get one real soon.<br/>
<br/>
Headlights flash again, and this time they turn into the parking lot. You step back as Patterson's car pulls up next to you. "Lookin' sexy, Prescott," he sniggers as he steps out to loom over you.<br/>
<br/>
"Bite me. I got what you wanted. Just take me back to get my truck."<br/>
<br/>
"How 'bout you change here first," he says. He goes over to unlock the gym door. "I got an extra set of your clothes here."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus!"<br/>
<br/>
"You'll want to keep spares if you're gonna start hanging out here." He beckons you in. "Good job. Welcome to the team."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't wanna check my work first?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why would I need to do that?"<br/>
<br/>
Uncertainly, you follow him across the gym floor. It's very dark, but he knows where he's going—he's probably had lots of practice at it. The top of the stairs are pitch black, and you only hear the door open. The floor creaks, and there's a click, and a small light comes on.<br/>
<br/>
Nothing has altered since your last visit. "Go on and change," he says, sauntering back behind some crates. "Dress or mask first?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mask," you grimace.<br/>
<br/>
"Kinky," he laughs. When you don't smile, he adds, "Lighten up, Prescott. We're all friends now."<br/>
<br/>
It seems doubtful. The mats look very icky, and you sit down carefully before putting your hands to your face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Your head is pounding as you open your eyes, but it mostly dissipates after you sit up. The dress feels very odd on you, and the panties bind. With a feeling of loathing, you pull them off.<br/>
<br/>
"Toss 'em here and I'll fold 'em for you," a strange voice says, and you do a double take at the figure behind the crate—it's you. Your double's expression is gnomic in the half-light.<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck are you doing?" you gasp as old fears flood back.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't shit all over the floor, dude," he snaps. "It's the reward for a job well done. I'll go home for you, and you can spend the night here with—" One of your own lopsided grins breaks across his face as he crosses to an object draped under a sheet and pulls the cover off.<br/>
<br/>
It's the first golem you made. "And you've got your choice of playmate, too. The spoils of you and Caleb's initiations. He gestures at the row of masks sitting on another crate. "Lisa and Geoff. Keith and Kendra."<br/>
<br/>
"So it was a fake Kendra—"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, yeah," he says. "But like I was saying, you've earned your choice. Each time you do a job, you get access to the next level. Caleb, for instance, gets access to all of these, because like you he did his job. He's on his second assignment now, which is getting a copy of Jessica Garner. That's how come you don't have Eva to play with. Mansfield was actually your second job, so after he gets her you'll have Jessica to play with too.<br/>
<br/>
"The more you do, the more you get. The more we all get. So we've all got an incentive to play along and help each other." The face is yours, but the cold smile is all Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
"Is there going to be a third job?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Of course. I haven't decided what it's gonna be yet," he says. "And you don't have to do it. No penalty if you don't, because you're in." He shrugs. "You just won't advance past the second level. While me and Caleb—" He grins.<br/>
<br/>
Slowly you hand over the dress and other things. It's a wicked scheme—keeps you happy and gives you a reason to keep doing ... things like you've just done.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, one more thing," he says, gesturing at you to toss him your truck keys. "I'll be up here early to change back, but you won't have to worry about anyone busting in on you. I made a phone call that'll keep this place private for you till I'm back."<br/>
<br/>
He grins and struts slowly past you. "Have fun," he chuckles before locking you in. "I'm sure you will."</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111221
author_id: imaj
title: Purely for Research Purposes...
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>After Patterson goes, you explore the loft more thoroughly. Most of the crates and boxes you can open just hold athletic equipment of various kinds. There is some gymnastic equipment as well. The main discoveries include a dorm-sized refrigerator stocked with cheap beers and some snacks; a cabinet that has a few bottles of harder liquor and some porn magazines; and a large, locked cabinet. You study the latter carefully and glance back at the mask of Tilley. Chances are the cabinet contains the magic book and the other makings for masks, and maybe some additional items, like Patterson's own mask. But even if Keith really has those burglary skills, you'd probably need tools. <br/>
<br/>
And so you return to the masks that Patterson laid out.  His idea of a reward for you efforts is, honestly, a bit disgusting, but a little voice inside you insists <i>isn’t this what you and Caleb were going to do anyway?</i> You try to put it out of your mind and consider the masks in front of you.  Lisa? Not after what you did today.  It goes double for Geoff.  Your eyes linger on Kendra’s mask.  Just how did Patterson get a hold of it, and who or what was wearing it when Caleb encountered it earlier?  The image of Caleb grinning with Keith’s face comes swimming back into your mind.  There’s that too, but getting answers to the questions is more important.<br/>
<br/>
Kendra it is then.  The mask feels momentarily cool against your skin as you place it on your face.  As you open your eyes what seems like only a few short second later you resist the urge to explore your new body.  Memories first, fun later.  What’s the last thing Kendra remembers<br/>
<br/>
Tilley…<br/>
<br/>
You take a deep breath and try to drive the memories away.  They’re not important right now.  How Patterson got her mask is.<br/>
<br/>
Kendra’s personality overrules you.<br/>
<br/>
As you dwell on her time with the fake Keith, you start to agree with her:  She, or at least her personality, actually enjoyed it.  Her and Keith:  You can’t believe it.  He’s immature, silly and geekish – the last person Kendra would be interested in, but, and this is a pure Kendra thought, who cares about that when he makes you feel so good.<br/>
<br/>
The rational, Will, part of you mind still can’t believe it.  Perhaps you could double check by hanging Keith’s mask on the golem that Patterson left you to play with…<br/>
<br/>
No, that would be a very bad idea…<br/>
<br/>
<i>Go on, give it a try</i>, comes another Kendra thought.  Just in the spirit of inquiry, you think.  You snatch up the mask of Keith and fix it onto the golem.  You dig your long fingernails into the palms of your hands as it comes to life, trying desperately to remain in control of Kendra’s feelings.<br/>
<br/>
“Looking fine Kendra,” says the golem grinning goofily.  “Back for round two?”<br/>
<br/>
“I like you better when you don’t speak,” you reply.  It’s a sentiment that both you and Kendra share.<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t like me,” it pouts, badly.   It’s not an expression that suits him.<br/>
<br/>
“There are parts of you I like,” you say in a low breathy register, a pure Kendra reaction.  Your gaze slips down from the golem’s face, past its thin, scrawny torso before lingering on its cock.  You let out an involuntary gasp.<br/>
<br/>
Christ it’s big.  If you weren’t so completely subsumed in Kendra’s personality right now you’d be feeling a little shame and envy.  As it is, all you feel is her hunger.<br/>
<br/>
“I think I know which bits,” smirks the golem.  You’re not looking at its face but you just know its smirking.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh shut up and fuck me,” you reply, exasperated.  You push the golem to the floor and climb on top of, rubbing its stiffening member against your new pussy.  You shudder a little at the feeling and let out a little whimper.<br/>
<br/>
Unlike your encounter with Geoff as Lisa, you are left feeling satisfied.  More than satisfied…<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You sit bolt upright, blinking. Stupidly, your first thought is to wonder where you are.  It all comes back when you see Will Prescott, Patterson really, standing in the door, grinning.  He leans down by the still slumbering golem and gives it a shake.<br/>
<br/>
“Wakey, wakey Prescott,” says the fake, his amusement evident in his voice.  The golem mutters a couple of times and turn over.  “Rise and shine, gonna your life back now.  Kendra, huh?”  He leers at you.  “Nice choice, guess you couldn’t face fucking Lisa so soon after being fucked as her.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m over here,” you eventually say, waving feebly at Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“The fuck,” he says, shocked.  You take a small measure of enjoyment from the expression on his face.  “You’re more of a fagot than Lynch is Prescott.”<br/>
<br/>
“Try it sometime,” you reply, folding your arms defensively and ignoring the gleam in his eyes.  “You might be surprised.  What time is it anyway?”<br/>
<br/>
"A little after six. Shoulda seen your dad's face when I was I said I was coming up to the school early for a run." He crosses over to those strategically placed crates. "Gonna do it myself, though. You don't have to get outta here till I get back. Or, I dunno, you can join me."<br/>
<br/>
As he changes you lay back and try to blink the sleep away.  The Keith golem makes a few incomprehensible noises.  The last thing you need right now is for it to start wisecracking too, so you reach over to it, batting one of its arms out the way as you do so, to pull away at its face.  The golem reappears and you get up to return the mask to its place.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson reappears, dressed out in shorts and t-shirt. "If you leave before I get back, be sure to tell Johansson that we're all gonna meet up here tomorrow after school, so don't get lost."<br/>
<br/>
"What?  Why?"<br/>
<br/>
"Team meeting. Since you're joined up--finally--it's time we all get together. You guys can meet the others. It's Gordon and Jason, if you wanna know, and bring Tilley along too."<br/>
<br/>
"How come," you ask carefully, trying to keep any expression from your face<br/>
<br/>
"He knows all about us, so he should have a chance to join too." You stare, and he grins. "Also, the new password is 'Happy.' The countersign is 'Fuck you'." <br/>
<br/>
And with that, he closes the door on you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
"Happy?" you snarl at Caleb at his locker.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you," he says, looking over his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you too. I guess we talked last night?" He frowns. "Because it wasn't me. It was Patterson."<br/>
<br/>
"What?" he gasps.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. What's the point of having passwords if you don't use them?"<br/>
<br/>
"We did use them. In fact, I forgot and you-- Hey, wait a minute,” he says, his eyes suddenly narrowing.  “How do I know you aren’t Patterson right now.”<br/>
<br/>
You slap at his hands as they go for your face. "It’s a bit late now, you should have tried that last night"<br/>
<br/>
"That’s exactly what Patterson would say!  Of course I’m going to try now." You relax, and he grapples at your face.<br/>
<br/>
“Happy now?” you say bitterly once he’s done.  “I was in the Fuck Room last night:  My reward for a job well done.  Patterson went home in my place.”<br/>
<br/>
“But you knew the password.  He knew the password.  How the fuck did he find out he password?”<br/>
<br/>
“Must have put a mask on my face while I was passed out,” you shrug.  “And now he knows that Tilley knows.”<br/>
<br/>
“Great, now we’re really fucked.  I mean, we were fucked before but now we are <i>especially</i> fucked.”<br/>
<br/>
“Relax, Patterson says he wants Tilley on the team.  We’re all going to have a big meeting tomorrow after school.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh Jesus.  That doesn’t leave me feeling relaxed at all,” says Caleb frantically.  “Now I’m just wondering what he’s up to.”<br/>
<br/>
“Me too,” you admit.<br/>
<br/>
“No, you don’t get it.  Last night, he tried to convince me to get Keith and break into the Fuck Room and steal the book.”<br/>
<br/>
“Another test?  He’s trying to make us so paranoid we’ll let him do whatever he wants.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s fucking <i>working</i>,” exclaims Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck this shit,” you sigh.  “I’m tired and I don’t want to think about it.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s exactly what he wants,” murmurs Caleb.  “He doesn’t want you to think.  He doesn’t want you to look, or to pay attention.  He wants you…”  You give Caleb a gentle slap on the face.  “Ouch, what the fuck was that for.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re being hysterical,” you explain.  “We’re going to relax, think it over and speak to Keith tomorrow.”<br/>
<br/>
“We should speak to him now,” interrupts Caleb quickly. “By tomorrow it might be Patterson under a Tilley mask.”<br/>
<br/>
You sigh and slap Caleb again.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112211
author_id: imaj
title: That Doesn't Usually Happen
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“Oh man,” sighs Keith unhappily.  “I told you I didn’t want any trouble over this shit.”<br/>
<br/>
You eventually managed to persuade Caleb to wait a day before talking to Keith.  While it doesn’t seem to have helped with Caleb’s paranoia – he spent five minutes tugging and pulling at both your and Keith’s faces before agreeing to talk this morning – you’re feeling a little more relaxed.  Patterson has been one step ahead of you since he got involved in this whole book mess.  If he wanted to screw you over, he could have done so several times already.  If he’s stringing you along to screw you over further down the line, well on previous evidence you have no chance of stopping him anyway.  Might as well enjoy yourself while you can, you think, recalling your encounter in the Fuck Room a couple of nights ago.<br/>
<br/>
“And what are you grinning at,” finishes Keith.<br/>
<br/>
You sputter for a moment.  You definitely <i>do not want</i> Keith to know about your little adventure as Kendra with his double, however fun it was.  It's bad enough that Patterson knows.  Your face passes through a few shades of red before you finally get enough control over your mouth to speak.  “Uh, nothing.  Look, it’s going to be better to be in on this thing than out.  What’s Patterson going to do if you don’t sign up?  He knows that you know.”<br/>
<br/>
“But does he know that I know that he knows,” says Keith grinning, unable to resist.  Keith couldn’t stop himself from saying something stupid if his life depended on it, which, ironically, it probably does right now.<br/>
<br/>
“Shut up Tilley,” growls Caleb anxiously.  “This isn’t the time for your shit.”<br/>
<br/>
You shoot Caleb a meaningful glance before continuing.  “Whatever.  He knows, and he’ll have to do something about it.  Either you play for his team or he’ll take you down.”  You pause for a moment to shove away Caleb’s hands, which are pulling at your face again.  “You’ve already done that.  Three times.  Four now.  It’s not like Patterson could make a switch with you standing right next to me.”<br/>
<br/>
“You just sound a little too keen,” replies Caleb defiantly.<br/>
<br/>
“He’s had every chance to screw us over.  He hasn’t.  Instead he’s set up sex for us.  Sex!  You remember what that felt like?”<br/>
<br/>
Caleb’s expression finally softens for the first time since yesterday.  “Yeah,” he says with a faraway look in his eye.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, when you put it like that,” says Keith.<br/>
<br/>
“So you’ll come then,” you ask.  “To his team meeting today?”<br/>
<br/>
“What choice do I have,” asks Keith.<br/>
<br/>
“What choice do any of us have,” replies Caleb, his mood darkening again.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
With the ‘team’ meeting preying on your mind all day, it shouldn’t be surprising that you snapped at Cassie Harper when she asked to borrow a pen in Maths second last period.  You feel more than a little guilty, because Cassie is pretty much harmless and a friend of sorts.  She looks at you with wide eyes and a hurt expression.  “I’m sorry Will, all I did was ask for a pen”<br/>
<br/>
You feel like a total and utter bastard.  “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.  I’ve had a bad, well, week.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ooooh,” says Cassie, her eyes lighting up.  She’s the schools biggest gossip and probably wants to pry.  She smiles like a cat that’s got the cream.  “I’ll trade you:  Your story for my forgiveness.”<br/>
<br/>
“I can’t tell you much,” you say, looking away for a moment.<br/>
<br/>
“Aw,” she says, scrunching up her face.  “Well how about you tell me what you can at the end of class?  Half a story is better than nothing.  And Will,” she rolls her eyes.  “The pen?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, sure,” you hand her a pen and get back to your work.<br/>
<br/>
“Finished your romantic little tete-a-tete Mr Prescott?  Miss Harper?”  The teacher, Mr Kowalski, sneers from behind his desk.  “Perhaps a more profitable use of your time would be to get some work done?”<br/>
<br/>
“Fucker,” you mutter under your breath.  You glance to your right at Cassie.  She’s sucking on the end of the pen that you just gave her.  She spots you looking at her and winks at you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
At the end of class Cassie drags you to the side in the corridor.  She pushes against the wall and leans in close.<br/>
<br/>
“You going to tell me your secret then Will,” she whispers in your ear softly.  She has to stand on tip toe and pull your head down to do it.  “I’ll be ever so grateful.”  She holds you by the waist and smiles up at you.  “Please.”<br/>
<br/>
“I, uh…” you stammer nervously.  This sort of thing does not usually happen to you.  “I can’t.”  You feel your trousers stir.  Clearly part of you wants to tell Cassie.<br/>
<br/>
“Aw,” she scrunches up her face again.  It makes her look cute.  “Curses.  My feminine wiles have failed me.”  She sniggers.  “Want to just skip last period anyway,” she asks, giving you a squeeze.<br/>
<br/>
“What’s gotten into you,” you sputter.  Alarm bells start to ring in your head.  “Patterson,” you mutter quietly, but Cassie just looks at you blankly.<br/>
<br/>
“Earth to Will,” she eventually says, wrinkling her nose.  “I’ve been flirting with you since Kowalski moved me next to you.”  Now that she says it, and now that you think about it, she’s right.  She has been flirting, but you – stupid, dumb and unobservant you – just haven’t noticed.  You wish you’d noticed a couple of weeks ago, then yo might not be in this mess.  “I just decided it was time to be more direct,” Cassie explains.<br/>
<br/>
“Right,” you gulp.  “So what now.”<br/>
<br/>
“You know what,” she says, running a finger down your chest.  “I know a nice quiet spot. Come with me.”  Without waiting for an answer, Cassie grabs your hand and pulls you along in her wake.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Cassie’s quiet spot turns out to be a small, unused storage closet hidden behind the gym.  There’s barely enough room for two inside it, but that doesn’t deter Cassie, who pushes you against a shelf full of brightly coloured bibs once she shuts the door behind you.  Cassie needs to stand on her tip toes to kiss you.  She needs to pull your head down to meet her too, but that doesn’t deter her either.  She kisses you aggressively, desperate to enjoy every last moment of it.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ve waited a long time for that,” she eventually says as you pull free of her.  She slips her hand under the waistband of your trousers.  “It’s not all I’ve been waiting for,” she smiles like a wolf.<br/>
<br/>
“I…  I…” you try to speak, but your hormones are stopping you.  <i>Don’t speak</i>, they say, <i>don’t think, just ravish her</i>.  “There’s not enough room to lie down here,” you manage to say, your tongue feeling thick and leaden in your mouth.<br/>
<br/>
“Who says anything about lying down,” she replies, unzipping your trousers and pulling them down about your knees.  “We can do it standing up.”  Cassie hooks her arms around your neck and her legs around yours, making it easy for you to lift her up by her pert butt.  A single stumbling step forward brings you to the opposite side of the closet, allowing you to rest Cassie on a waist high shelf.  She wraps her legs around your waist even as you peel away her jeans, revealing a pair of plain white cotton panties.<br/>
<br/>
She pull you down to kiss you again, grinding against you crotch.  Your member, poking free of your shorts rubs against her increasingly damp panties.  You scramble to pull them free and slip inside her.  Cassie squeals as you slowly push in.  For a moment you are both perfectly still.<br/>
<br/>
Then Cassie starts working herself against you.  Grinding and twisting, moving up and down.  She squeals with every motion and you find yourself joining in, grunting in a much lower register.  The pleasure builds slowly at first, then faster and faster.  It’s different from what you experienced in the fuck room a couple of nights back, and hard to quantify exactly how.  You’re not even sure which you prefer.<br/>
<br/>
And then it peaks and it’s over.<br/>
<br/>
You pull yourself free of Cassie.  The pair of you quietly, without any further conversation, pull your clothes back on.  Leaning on the shelves opposite Cassie, you watch as she finishes fixing herself.  You don’t really know what to say.<br/>
<br/>
“You know Prescott,” says Cassie, and there is something wrong about the way she says it.  She seems more relaxed, casually confident and almost bristling with aggression.  Completely different from her normal attitude, which is more hyperactive.  “I thought you were full of shit when I found you taking it as Kendra.  I’m gonna have to say, maybe with a guy with a bit more staying power, this chick side view would be alright.”<br/>
<br/>
Oh shit…<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122111
author_id: imaj
title: Some Favour
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“What the…” you begin.  “Why did…  I don’t…  That makes…   What…”  Words fail you, there’s simply no way to articulate your feelings.  You marshal them and try again.  There’s a lot of rage and anger in what eventually comes out.  “What the fuck were you thinking Patterson.  This is just sick.”<br/>
<br/>
He stares at you coolly.  You realise your pointing a finger at him right in front of his nose.  With the mask of Cassie he may be five foot flat, but as soon as he takes it off he’ll tower over you again.  You cautiously withdraw your finger.<br/>
<br/>
“So you do have some backbone,” he sneers.  In Cassie’s voice it just sounds plain wrong.  “I’m almost impressed.  You ever point that finger at me again and I’ll rip it off.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why,” you ask.  “Why?  Is this about fucking each other over?”<br/>
<br/>
“Nah, I’m actually doing you a favour,” he explains, ignoring your protests.  “This chick has it bad for you, fuck knows why.  I just gave her a nudge in the right direction.  Everything that happened?  She wanted it that way.  You think I’d want to screw you myself?”  That last comment feels like a kick in the guts.<br/>
<br/>
“And you just happened to have a mask of her,” you say with disbelief.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, I did,” he snarls.  It sounds comical at that pitch but you don’t doubt the intent behind it.  “Look Prescott, I’ll level with you.  I made a mask of this bitch because I thought she’d be nice and tight.  Once I got inside her head and found out she knew you…”<br/>
<br/>
“You thought you’d try and test me again,” you interrupt, thinking back to your conversation in class.  “Christ, how many times are you going to do that?”<br/>
<br/>
“She seemed like good cover,” shrugs Patterson.  “Nosy little bitch.  Then I got a little more inside her head and found out what she thought of you.  You’re the one that said I should try it as a chick some time.”<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t mean with me!”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, yeah.  Remember, I’m doing you a favour here.  You play things right with the real Cassie you could get yourself a girlfriend.  You ever had one of those Prescott.”  Patterson puts his hands on his hips, his aggressive body language clashing with Cassie’s petite form.  “I mean a real one too.  Not you mooning over some girl that doesn’t give a fuck about you.”<br/>
<br/>
You open and shut your mouth a couple of times, unable to think of a response.  Patterson may actually have a point.  “What did you do with the real Cassie,” you ask after a minute or so.<br/>
<br/>
He smiles, or at least he bares his teeth.  It’s an unpleasant looking expression.  “You’ll like this.  Let me just get her.” He pulls out Cassie cell phone and taps a few buttons.  “I’m giving you a taster of what the next level of membership gets you”<br/>
<br/>
“You haven’t” you ask, a horrible thought worming its way into your head.  “You haven’t, you know…  The thing with Jeremy?”<br/>
<br/>
“This is much better, just wait,” says Prescott.  You spend an uncomfortable five minutes in the closet waiting.  You look at the floor.  You look at the ceiling.  You look at the shelves.  You look anywhere, just to avoid eye contact with Patterson.  After what seems like an age, the door opens and another Patterson walks in.  This one at least looks like him.<br/>
<br/>
“You tell him chief,” ask the fake, nodding at you.<br/>
<br/>
“I like this guy,” says the Cassie masked Patterson to you, indicating his double.  He turns to he fake and continues.  “Yeah, and I need to show him.  Bring your face down here so I can take it off.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure Chief,” replies the fake.  It leans down and the Cassie masked Patterson whispers a word in its ear, tugging sharply at its chin at the same time.  You see a flash of silver in his hand as the mask comes away.  The fake Patterson immediately turns into Cassie, his clothes hanging ridiculously on her much smaller body.  She slumps to the floor unconscious, knocking her head off one of the shelves as she does so.<br/>
<br/>
“Look at this,” says Patterson, ignoring Cassie.  He shows you the inside of the mask.  It has a matt grey finish, completely different from the reflective surface of the rest of the mask.  In fact it looks like the same material that the golems were made from.  “When I put this mask on someone they have do whatever I say.  I’m the only person that can use the mask.”  He puts the mask on a shelf.  “You make it to the next level and I’ll let you make your mask like this too.”<br/>
<br/>
“No more pretending to be me and testing Caleb,” you ask cautiously.<br/>
<br/>
“Or that fuckwit Tilley, nope,” grins Patterson.  “Best bit is you can slap it on someone so they have to fill in for you while you pretend to be them.”  He glances down at Cassie.  “And she’ll never know what happened.  Speaking of which, step outside for a moment while I switch back.”<br/>
<br/>
You step outside, closing the door behind you.  You try to ignore the sounds from inside the closet as you wait.  There’s a brief moment of panic as you watch Coach Tesla stumble down the corridor, but she passes by in a cloud of alcohol, barely noticing your presence.  After a couple of minutes, Patterson, himself again, emerges from the closet.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll see you at the team meeting, yeah,” he asks.  You nod weakly in response.  “Good, now get back inside and make your move on her,” he says, jerking his thumb back towards the door.  When you sputter a complaint he explains.  “Look, just help the girl when she comes round.  Trust me, chicks dig that sort of thing.  She already wants you.  You do that and she’ll have her panties down for you in no time.”  He sniggers for a moment.  “Again.”<br/>
<br/>
He stalks off down the corridor, turning around briefly to offer you one last warning.  “You breathe a word of this to anyone else and they won’t find your body.”<br/>
<br/>
You slip back inside the closet and kneel beside Cassie, who moans slightly.<br/>
<br/>
“You ok,” you ask gently.<br/>
<br/>
“Will,” she mumbles quietly.  “How did I get here?”<br/>
<br/>
“We were,” you begin, blushing.  “We were kind of making out and you knocked your head of one of the shelves.”  You help her to her feet.  She looks dazed and here eyes seem to have difficulty focusing on you.<br/>
<br/>
“We were,” she says uncertainly.  “I mean, we were.”  She smiles a little and hugs you tightly, burying her head in your chest.  You hold her and run your hand through her hair.  “That’s…  That’s nice,” she says.  “Maybe we could go see a picture or something on Saturday.  Uh…  What day is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Friday,” you reply.  “Are you sure you’re ok?  And that would be great.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m fine,” insists Cassie, giving you a quick peck on the lips.  “It’s a date then, tomorrow, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“Right,” you agree, kissing her back.  “I’ll call you.  Um, I kind of need your number.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll write it down for you,” she smiles.  “I’ve got some paper in my locker.  Maybe we could hang for a while today too?”<br/>
<br/>
It’s a tempting offer, but it would mean missing the team meeting.  Patterson would not be pleased at all if you bailed on him though, especially after what just happened.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111221112
author_id: imaj
title: The Three Musketeers, Plus Some Other Guys
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Patterson isn’t the sort of guy you want to antagonise.  You wouldn’t want to upset him under normal circumstances.  You definitely don’t want to antagonise him when he’s got a mask of your face.  Cassie deflates a little when you make your excuses, but she’s still happy enough to be going out with you tomorrow night.  She takes you down to her locker where she gives you a note of her phone number.  You kiss her goodbye and set out to find Caleb and Keith.<br/>
<br/>
You find your friends hanging about their lockers.  Keith seems anxious to make a run for it, but you and Caleb eventually persuade – and downright threaten him – into going to the Fuck Room.  The three of you eventually arrive some quarter of an hour after the last bell has rang.  Late, but not late enough for Patterson to have sent someone to go looking for you.<br/>
<br/>
That’s probably a good thing.  As you enter the Fuck Room you spot your new team mates.  Patterson is leaning against the refrigerator you spotted a couple of nights back, an open beer in his hand. Gordon Black sits cross-legged on the gym mat. He looks up darkly at the three of you from under lowered eyebrows, then looks back down into his magazine. A few feet away, Jason Lynch lets his malicious gaze flit across the three of you, then turns away to grin to himself.  Having those three work themselves up into a mood trying to find you would have been… unpleasant.  Especially when they finally caught up to you.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson gives you a guarded smile as you enter.  The frightening thing is, he’s probably the friendliest of the three.  “We’re all here then,” Patterson say.  “Five paid up members plus the new guy.  They fill you in on what’s expected Tilley?”  Keith nods his head so fast you fear it might shake itself off.  “You up for that then?”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess," he gulps nervously.<br/>
<br/>
"Good man. Provisionally, you're in, which means we're all teammates. We don't fuck around, and we don't fuck with each other,” says Patterson.  He’s talking to everyone present but he’s staring straight at you.  You catch the hidden meaning and nod almost as violently as Keith did.  “Right?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb mumbles his assent.  You and Keith join in moments later.  Black says nothing, he turns a page over in his magazine very deliberately and continues reading.  Lynch sniggers for a moment, at least until Patterson grasps him by the hair and pulls his head up. His eyes go wide and roll in their sockets as Patterson bends over and whispers in his ear. He turns very red. "Yeah, sure," he says, and Patterson releases him. The smile has vanished from his face, and he won't look in your direction.<br/>
<br/>
"So, now that you're in, you can have a set of these." Patterson says, and tosses some keys to you and Caleb each. "Show a little consideration for your teammates, though, and don't just bust in. Call me if you wanna reserve the place for some, uh, quality time. Don't hog it, though."  You smile vaguely and nod your head.  Your neck is going to get sore at this rate.  You wonder what Cassie would say if you brought her up here.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm need some fresh air," mutters Black unhappily, and gets to his feet.  He throws his magazine to the floor uncaringly. "Lynch?" The smaller baseball player scrambles after him, shooting you a nasty glance as he barrels past. The door slams behind them.<br/>
<br/>
“They seem real friendly,” mumbles Keith, using his talent for saying precisely the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.<br/>
<br/>
Yeah," Patterson sighs. "Don't try being friends with Gordon.  He doesn’t know you, not like I do.”  Patterson stresses the last word just enough to make you nervous.  “Lynch is an asshole, but you already know that. He’s a junior member just like you so don't let him push you around.  Me and Gordon are the senior members.”<br/>
<br/>
You idly wonder if Lynch was forced to undergo an initiation like you and Caleb were.  In a flash of insight you realise why Kendra behaved the way she did during Caleb’s initiation.  “Lynch was playing Kendra’s part,” you mumble quietly to yourself.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson’s eyes gleam when he hears you.  “You’re cleverer than you look Prescott,” he replies.  “Or sound.  Yeah, that was Lynch’s initiation.” He turns to Keith, malice shining in his eyes.  “I got one lined up for you too Tilley.  I’ll fill you in once I’ve finished with your friends.”  He looks at Caleb before continuing.  “You got Jessica yet?”<br/>
<br/>
“Finally got close enough this morning,” replies Caleb, his voice shaking only a little.  He’s doing a good job of keeping a lid on his panic.  He pulls his book bag off his shoulder and rummages around in it.  “Here,” he says pulling out a couple of masks and throwing them to Patterson.  “Eva and Jessica.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll leave them here.  You might need them for your next jobs,” replies Patterson.  He reaches under a crate and tosses a blank mask to both you and Caleb each.  “Johansson, your next job is to get a cheerleader from Eastman.  I don’t mind which one.”<br/>
<br/>
“What,” sputters Caleb.  “How am I meant to do that?  I don’t know anyone from Eastman.”<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t,” says Patterson, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the interruption.  Ne nods at the masks Caleb just gave him.  “The girls do.  I’m not gonna repeat myself again”<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks at his feet in silence.<br/>
<br/>
“Good,” smiles Patterson unpleasantly.  “Prescott, you’re gonna get me Lucy Vredenburg.”  You nervously raise your hand.  Patterson looks at you evenly.  “Spit it out Prescott.”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t you mean Cindy,” you ask quickly, the words running together.<br/>
<br/>
“Nah, Lucy,” says Patterson, his tone uncharacteristically wistful.  “Cindy’s sister.  You remember her?”  You remember Lucy, of course.  At least you remember some very specific parts of her.  Patterson makes a vaguely suggestive motion with his hands.  “I want a more… mature woman on hand up here.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll get her,” you say tightly.  “Eva and Jessica should help.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah,” agrees Patterson.  “And remember, three more masks from each of you and you get bumped up to senior members.”  Patterson looks directly at you.  “And get all the benefits of being a senior member.”  You shiver nervously.  “Now scram, I want to talk to Tilley alone.”<br/>
<div align="center"><br/>
*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Down on the empty gym floor, you and Caleb compare notes. "That went well, huh?" Caleb says. "I mean, we didn’t get the shit kicked out of us or anything."<br/>
<br/>
“What he’s asking for is difficult though,” you reply.<br/>
<br/>
“True,” concedes Caleb.  “But I mean, he always said we don’t need to do it.   We could just walk away and remain junior members.  I wonder what senior members get that junior members don’t?”  You blank Caleb’s question.  You don’t want to think about what happened earlier and it’s probably rhetorical anyway.  “Besides, he sort of hinted we could help each other anyway.  Otherwise why offer both Eva and Jessica’s masks?”<br/>
<br/>
“They must know some people at Eastman,” you muse.  “And they’re friendly with Cindy.  That could get us close to Lucy.”  Caleb sighs at the mention of her name.  He had a thing for her, back when she was the head cheerleader at Westside.<br/>
<br/>
Your train of thought is interrupted as Keith enters the gym.  His face is deathly pale.  “Don’t ask,” he says.  “I’m not supposed to tell you.  Fuck, <i>even</i> if I was allowed to I wouldn’t.”<br/>
<br/>
“That bad, huh,” mumbles Caleb.  <br/>
<br/>
Keith turns and walks towards the exit without a word.  You notice he’s holding a mask loosely in his right hand.  It’s impossible to see the reflection stored in it in detail.  All you can see is a smudge, but it’s a dark smudge.  Kendra perhaps?  It would be just like Patterson to let Keith find out what people had been getting up to with his double.<br/>
<br/>
“We going to help each other out then,” asks Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
You think for a moment.  “Sure.”<br/>
<br/>
“Who do you want to get first, Lucy or a cheerleader from Eastman?”</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112211121
author_id: imaj
title: Panty Raid
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“This has got to be the worst idea ever,” says Eva petulantly.  She folds her arms defiantly under her breasts and sticks her jaw out before adding:  “Sis.”  It’s not really Eva, but Caleb wearing a mask.  He’s wearing the cheap pink sweatsuit that you got from the thrift store and Eva’s face looks a little haggard devoid of makeup as it is.<br/>
<br/>
As for you, well your clothes do not fit Jessica’s body well at all.  She is both shorter than you and, well, better built would be one way to put it.  Her pendulous breasts stretch the baggy old sweater you are wearing tight.<br/>
<br/>
“Look at us,” you explain drumming impatiently on the steering wheel of your truck.  “Have you ever seen Eva and Jessica dressed like this?”  Caleb sighs in a very Eva like wake and shakes his head.  “Exactly, we can’t show up at Cindy’s house dressed like this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Can’t we just shop for clothes,” interrupts Caleb with a snarl.<br/>
<br/>
“Keep a lid on her temper,” you reply.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh this is my temper, not hers” says Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s not,” you state.  You relax your mind and slip into Jessica’s equally fiery persona.  “And I know it’s not, because you’re like my sister and I know you.”  Caleb’s face flashes red for a moment.  Then he sniggers, all traces of Eva disappearing from his face.  “Firstly, we don’t have any money,” you explain, letting go of Jessica’s personality.  “And even if we did, it’s not just clothes we need.  We need shoes, makeup, stuff for our hair.  It would take all day.”<br/>
<br/>
“So, your brilliant, and I use the word brilliant with protest here, plan is to walk into their house and steal what we need,” says Caleb, waving his finger about.  “Genius,” he deadpans.  “It’s not like we’re going to get caught or anything.”<br/>
<br/>
“No it’s not,” you sigh.  You tap the side of your forehead as you continue.  “We know that Eva and Jessica are going to the mall today.  We wait until we see them leave and we slip in then, because as far the rest of our new family know, we are Eva and Jessica.  We’ll just say we forgot something if anyone asks.”<br/>
<br/>
“And they aren’t going to notice their evil doubles staking out their house as they leave,” asks Caleb, mixing a little of Eva’s sarcasm into his voice.<br/>
<br/>
“No,” you sigh again.  “We’re on the far side of the road and fifty yards back from their house.  In a truck.”  You pause for a second.  “Which you should know.  Now you’re just looking for excuses.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe,” admits Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
“Exactly” you exclaim.  You grin slyly.  “Besides, we get to take a peek in some hot girls’ panty drawers.  You honestly want to miss out on that action?”  It’s probably more of a hook for Keith, but Caleb grins at your suggestion.  His eyes sparkle as he considers the possibilities.  “Thought so, now look sharp.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
<br/>
“Because they’re getting into their car,” you explain.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Caleb shuts the Garner’s front door behind you quietly.  There’s some movement at the back of the house and a woman’s voice calls out, “Who is it?”  You and Caleb look at each other uncertainly.  He shrugs.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s, uh, us Mom,” you reply.  “We forgot something.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ok honey,” replies the voice.  “Let me know when you are leaving again then.”<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks at you levelly.  The expression looks so out of place on Eva’s face you almost burst out laughing.  Instead you mouth “Told you so” to your friend.  Caleb shakes his head and points up the stairs.  You follow him up, letting Jessica’s memories guide you to her room.  It’s a big house and Eva and Jessica have rooms of their own, Caleb makes his way wordlessly into Eva’s room leaving you to step inside Jessica’s room.<br/>
<br/>
You close the door behind you and take a deep breath.  There’s a light floral smell you recognise as Jessica’s favourite perfume.  You gaze around drinking in the details.  Of course you know what the room looks like, where everything is – you can recall the memory of it as if it were your own.  It’s one thing to remember what it’s like and quite another to be standing there.  So you take another deep breath and enjoy the scent, just as Jessica does.<br/>
<br/>
Quickly, you strip, discarding the baggy and stretched clothes you had shoehorned Jessica’s form into earlier.  You drop them into a rough pile on the floor – you can gather them up on the way out.  Jessica’s underwear drawer is hanging half open, so you pull it right the way out and rummage inside.<br/>
<br/>
You want to pick something older, something that won’t be missed, but at the same time you want something nice.  There’s a matching pair of powder pink cotton panties and bra buried at the back of the drawer, long forgotten about.  You pull on the panties first, they feel comfortably snug against the flatness of your groin.  The bra cups are maybe a little tight on Jessica’s large breasts, but a quick look in the mirror shows that the bra lifts them up and pushes them together admirably.<br/>
<br/>
Then it’s off into Jessica’s walk in closet to find some clothes.  Clothes are crammed onto hangers, into shelves and yet more drawers.  Jessica would be hard pressed to notice anything missing from here, but you err on the side of caution and select retro looking dress with long, loose sleeves.  It should fall just on the decent side of mid thigh, exposing Jessica’s well toned legs.  From Jessica’s memories, you know there should be a pair of brown calve length leather boot on the floor that would go well with the dress.<br/>
<br/>
You haul the dress and boots out the closet and put them on, before examining yourself in the mirror:  Very nice.  There’s a quiet knock at the door and you hear Eva’s voice say “Jess?”  Caleb opens the door carefully and looks round.  “Are you finished?  We need to go.”<br/>
<br/>
You look at your friend.  He’s selected a scandalously short denim skirt and tight fitting sleeveless white blouse, with chunky heeled sandals completing the ensemble.  His make up job is a bit strong, but not out of character for Eva.  “You’ve forgotten something,” you say to your friend.  <br/>
<br/>
He looks panicked.  “What,” he asks nervously.<br/>
<br/>
You sigh, effortlessly slipping into Jessica’s character.  “Your bra, sis,” you explain, pointing to where Eva’s nipples are clearly pressing at the fabric of the blouse.  “You don’t want Cindy to, like, think you’re some kind of slut.”  Caleb’s face reddens and he mumbles something about getting it sorted.  “Remember to stay in character,” you advise.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb stands completely still for a few seconds, his eyes unfocused.  It’s hard to describe the change, even watching it happen, but there’s a sudden subtle shift in the way he’s standing.  It’s like he’s more relaxed, more comfortable and just the hint of a swagger.  “Ooops, silly me.  I’ll put one on,” he says, turning to leave.  He stops for a moment to talk to you.  “Jess.  I really like that dress, you should wear it more.”<br/>
<br/>
Once he’s gone, you quickly turn your attention to Jessica’s dressing table.  Sitting down in front of the mirror, you skilfully apply her makeup.  It’s more subtle than Caleb-as-Eva’s effort, but it’s obviously your turn to be the demure sister.  You secure Jessica’s long golden hair into place with a few well placed clips before liberally dousing yourself in her favourite perfume.  Inspecting yourself in the mirror, you look indistinguishable from the real Jessica.<br/>
<br/>
Perfect.  Deep down inside, the Will part of yourself feels a little turned on.  The thin mask of Jessica’s personality, however, is simply satisfied with a job well done.  You marvel at the way it hides your true feelings.  You grab a shoulder bag and pick up your old clothes before leaving.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb comes out of Eva’s room just as you leave Jessica’s.  He flashes a warm grin at you.  “You look great Jess,” he says.<br/>
<br/>
“You too Eva,” you dimple in reply.  “Let’s get out of here.”  Caleb hooks his arm around yours and you make your way down the stairs to the front door of the Garner’s home.  “We’re leaving again Mom,” you shout over your shoulders on the way out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
“I can’t believe that worked,” giggles Caleb as you sit in your truck.  He’s still channelling Eva perfectly.<br/>
<br/>
“Of course it worked,” you retort with Jessica tartness.  “Didn’t I say it would work?  You should always listen to your older sister.”<br/>
<br/>
“I though I was the oldest,” pouts Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you,” you ask, arching an eyebrow.  “No, wait.  Isn’t it Marc?”<br/>
<br/>
“Who’s Marc?”<br/>
<br/>
“Our brother, duh,” you deadpan before breaking down into laughter.  Caleb joins in.  “I know, I sometimes forget about him too.”<br/>
<br/>
“You know,” says Caleb quietly after the laughter subsides.  “We don’t need to go to Cindy’s straight away.  We could just, you know, have a day together as sisters.”<br/>
<br/>
It’s a tempting offer.  Submerged in their personalities, you get along much better as Eva and Jessica than you do with the snarking brittleness of your friendship as Will and Caleb.  It’d be fun, relaxing and as long as you steer clear of the mall where the real girls are, risk free.<br/>
<br/>
But you’ve got that date with Cassie tonight too.  You need to get a mask of Lucy quickly so you can meet her on time.  Cassie’s a <i>real</i> girl, and real girls are worth more, right?</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122111212
author_id: imaj
title: That Doesn't Usually Happen Either
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“No way,” says Caleb.  “No way does Will Prescott have a date.”<br/>
<br/>
You ignore your friend and concentrate on driving, checking your wing mirrors before taking a left turn into a side street.  You wish you hadn’t told Caleb <i>why</i> it was so important to get a mask of Lucy quickly.<br/>
<br/>
“I mean, the way he was hanging round Lisa over summer,” continues Caleb, digging into Eva’s memories.  Eva and Lisa are friends.  “I mean, who would want a drippy, moonstruck idiot like that?”<br/>
<br/>
“Watch where you’re going asshole,” you shout as a car pulls out of a driveway just in front of you.  Caleb snickers.  “I was talking to the idiot driving that car,” you exclaim, blushing red.  A glance in the mirror confirms it’s not a look that flatters Jessica’s face.<br/>
<br/>
“Sure you were,” drawls Caleb. “So go on, who is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“If you must know,” you begin, scanning for parking spaces.  Cindy’s house is just around the corner.  Although all the houses in the leafy suburb where she lives have drives and garages, most of the families here have two or three cars and parking space is at a premium.  “It’s Cassie.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh that make’s sense,” replies Caleb.  “I’ve, I mean Eva has seen the way she looks at you.  At Will.  Whatever.”<br/>
<br/>
“Christ,” you exclaim, neatly slotting your truck into a space by the road.  “Was I the only person that didn’t notice?”  You pull up the parking brake and adjust the rear view mirror to get a better view of the face you’re wearing.  Jessica stares back at you, looking perfect.  Of course, Jessica wouldn’t be Jessica if she didn’t primp a little in the mirror first before getting out, so that’s what you do.  “Come on Eva, get ready.”  You feel for Jessica’s personality, subsuming yourself in it.  A last critical inspection of your face in the mirror passes muster and you undo your seat belt and get out.<br/>
<br/>
“Is she in,” asks Caleb, getting out the passenger door.  “Lucy I mean?”<br/>
<br/>
“That big black SUV three houses down,” you reply, gently closing the door of your truck.  “I’ve seen her drop off Cindy at school in it, so I guess so.”<br/>
<br/>
“Let’s get this over with then,” says Caleb.  “Wouldn’t want Will to miss his date.”<br/>
<br/>
You want to snark something back in reply, but Jessica’s persona insists that you let out a girlish laugh instead.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
“Ok,” says Cindy, leaning on her bedroom windowsill.  “What’s so important you had to come and tell me in person.”<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb glance each other.  Maybe you should have planned this part out?  “Does there need to be a reason,” you ask, stalling for time.  You sift through Jessica’s memories looking for something to say.  “Maybe we were nearby?”<br/>
<br/>
Cindy simply rolls her eyes, making her disbelief quite clear.  “You’re right,” interrupts Caleb – he better know what he’s up to.  “I wanted to pick your brains about Lisa and Geoff.”  Your stomach turns a somersault.  It’s the last thing you want to talk about, but Eva and Lisa are friends.  Outwardly, you remain calm, in fact you make a cooing sound – a typical Jessica response.  “I need to know where you stand.”<br/>
<br/>
“Where I stand,” asks Cindy, slightly perplexed.<br/>
<br/>
“Totally,” says Caleb, gesturing expansively with his hands.  “You know that Geoff is making up this…  this bullshit about him and Lisa?”  Cindy nods, her eyes narrowing.  “Yeah well that’s all it is, bullshit.”<br/>
<br/>
“Lisa told you this,” asks Cindy quietly.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah,” exclaims Caleb.  “And I know what you’re thinking, it’s just her word against his.  Who would you believe though?  Your friend or some…”<br/>
<br/>
“Some smarmy slimeball,” you interrupt angrily, riding Jessica’s anger like a wave.  “God I just want to…”  The combination of Jessica’s fiery temper an your own antipathy towards Mansfield is a heady cocktail.  You find yourself clenching your fists involuntarily.  “Uh…  I need a glass of water or something,” you say.  Anything to get out of the room before you explode.<br/>
<br/>
“Sure,” says Cindy.  “Just help yourself to something from the kitchen.  Make sure you stay out of Lucy’s way though, she’s on the warpath over something or another.”  You’d almost forgotten about Lucy in your anger.  By luck, you’ve managed to come up with an excuse to wander the Vredenburg house alone and make the mask you need for Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
You close the door behind you as you exit, leaving Caleb to explain the finer points of Geoff Mansfield’s villainy.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You find Lucy in what must be her father’s study, A small room with a couple of large desks, a fancy looking computer and shelves brimming with folders and files.  She looking out the window, her mobile phone at her ear.  You decide to eavesdrop a little.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, I have it,” she says, tilting her head to one side.  You can’t quite make out her expression in the half reflection of her face on the window.  “Yes, it should put you at the heart of the school.  If you are sure that’s what you want.”  You sneak into the room, gently pushing the door so as not to make a noise.  Lucy listens carefully to whoever is on the other end.  “Yes, tonight,” she says as you tip toe up behind her back and pull the mask out of your bag.  She snaps her mobile shut.<br/>
<br/>
Then Lucy spots your reflection in the window.<br/>
<br/>
She spins round frighteningly quick.  With surprising strength she pins your shoulder against one of the shelves.  “What the fuck are you doing,” she snarls.<br/>
<br/>
“Let me go,” you whimper.  She does not relent.  Straining against her, you lift the blank mask up to her face with your free hand.  Lucy has enough time to say “What he fuck,” before you press it to her face.<br/>
<br/>
Then things get really weird.<br/>
<br/>
Lucy’s grips slackens, as you’d expect, and she stumbles woozily and slips to the floor, but the mask doesn’t disappear.  It stays stuck to her face as she falls and starts to glow with a hot looking flame.<br/>
<br/>
You look around nervously.  You haven’t seen anyone else in the house apart from Lucy and Cindy.  Their parents seem to be out, but you don’t want to get caught like this.  You reach for the mask, flinching a little from the heat it gives off.  With no choice but to pull it off, you yelp a little as you grasp hold and give it a sharp tug.<br/>
<br/>
It pulls free, cooling almost instantly.  Lucy lies unconscious on the floor, her breathing laboured.  You can think of no reason why the mask did not work properly until a little paranoid thought crosses your mind.<br/>
<br/>
It couldn’t be, could it?<br/>
<br/>
Patterson has made you cautious, never quite sure if people are who they appear to be.  You can’t believe that he’d set you up to get a mask he already had though.  Still, better to check now while Lucy is unable to stop you.  You murmur the words of power and gently pull away at her face.<br/>
<br/>
It comes off.<br/>
<br/>
There’s a golem underneath, the featureless doll kind.  Your mind races, thinking things through:  You know it’s not the golem you made as it refused to let you go when asked.  Perhaps Patterson made another, but why would he do that – you know he can make masks work kind of the same from your encounter with ‘Cassie’ yesterday.<br/>
<br/>
Another horrible, horrible thought crosses your brain:  What if someone else has been making masks and golems.  You suddenly want to be very, very far away from here.  You drag the golem, still wearing Lucy’s clothes into a corner where it won’t be found for a little while before placing both masks back in your bag.<br/>
<br/>
You make your way to the bottom of the stairs.  “Eva,” you shout.  “Eva.  Mom called.  She needs us to get home now.”<br/>
<br/>
<i>*****</i><br/>
<br/>
“What was that about,” asks Caleb.  It’s been ten minutes since you left the Vredenburg house and you’ve been driving as fast as you can away from it since.  “I mean, we run out of the house and now this.  You nearly crashed into that truck at the last junction Will.  This isn’t like you at all.”<br/>
<br/>
“Take a look in my bag,” you explain.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb reaches round to the back seat and pulls over your bag.  He feels inside it and removes a mask, examining it carefully.  “Ok, so we got the mask of Lucy.  That’s what we came to do.  That doesn’t explain what your problem is.”<br/>
<br/>
“Take the other mask out.”<br/>
<br/>
“Right, the other mask,” he says, his disbelief evident.  It doesn’t stop him from looking again, however.  “The fuck,” he says.  “What the hell is with that?  It hurts my eyes just looking at it.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s the mask I put on Lucy,” you explain nervously.  “It just fizzled and ended up like that.”  You take a deep breath.  “The first mask is the one I pulled of her.  It was a golem.”<br/>
<br/>
“Patterson’s fucking with us again,” asks Caleb.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t think so.  It’s not our golem, it didn’t follow orders.”  You pause.  You don’t want to give voice to your concern, but what choice do you have.  “I think someone else is making golems.”<br/>
<br/>
Caleb sits in silence for minutes.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re sure,” he eventually asks.  “No, you wouldn’t say if you weren’t.  Fuck, we need to get to the bottom of this.  Or at least talk to Patterson about it.  Maybe we could get a clue if one of us put on that mask of Lucy?”<br/>
<br/>
You look at the dashboard clock.  You don’t have time to investigate the mask of Lucy right now – you’ll be late for your date with Cassie.  Or is finding out about this mystery golem more important?<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111221112122
author_id: imaj
title: A Date With Discomfort
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“You look, um…” says Cassie, searching for the right word.  “Nice.  You look nice.”  You didn’t have much time to get ready after changing back from Jessica, just enough for a quick shower.  You threw on the best, washed, shirt you could find and headed to the theater as quickly as you could.  You’re acutely conscious of the fact that your hair is a mess and you could do with a shave.<br/>
<br/>
Cassie, by contrast, has obviously spent a lot of time getting ready.  A short sleeveless dress emphasises her figure well.  “Wow,” you say.  “You look…”  Come to think of it, you’ve never actually seen Cassie’s legs – she usually wears a pair of jeans.  Her hair is down too, rather than tied up into bunches.  “Amazing.  That’s it, you look absolutely amazing.”  Cassie smiles at your complement.  “Totally cuter than normal.”<br/>
<br/>
Cassie frowns.  You think about what you just said.  Shit.<br/>
<br/>
“That sounded better inside my head,” you concede.  “You look good all the time.  I mean you look really good tonight.”  Your tongue keeps going without any direction from your brain.  “I should shut up now before I say something stupid.”<br/>
<br/>
“Something stupider,” giggles Cassie.  She places a finger on your lips to shush you before pulling your head down for a kiss.  “Yum,” she says afterwards.  She grabs a hold of your arm and gently leads you inside.  “What do you want to see?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t mind,” you reply as you join the queue for tickets.  There’s something vaguely familiar about the girls in front of you but you can’t quite place it.  “You can decide.”<br/>
<br/>
Cassie doesn’t get a chance to answer because one of the girls in front turns round.  It’s Lisa.<br/>
<br/>
“Will,” says Lisa.  “What are you doing here?”  Her friend turns round as well and it becomes clear why she looked familiar – It’s Eva.  The real Eva you realise, as she’s wearing the same clothes you saw her in when she left her house earlier in the day.  Eva’s eyes narrow, she doesn’t seem pleased to see you for some reason.<br/>
<br/>
“He’s here with me,” explains Cassie firmly.  You realise that she’s tightened her grip on your arm.  “We’re just deciding what film to see.”<br/>
<br/>
Lisa looks from you to Cassie.  The expression on her face is unreadable, but her body language makes it clear that she’s tired and unhappy.  “Are you ok,” you ask her.  “You don’t look so good.”  You know, or at least suspect, the reason – your tryst with Mansfield whilst pretending to be her.  At the time, you’d wanted to hurt their relationship, but now, seeing the consequences written on Lisa’s face, you feel a little guilty.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s nothing,” interrupts Eva, placing herself between you and Lisa.  “Come on Lisa, we’ll get something to eat first.”  She pulls at Lisa, but Lisa resists momentarily.<br/>
<br/>
“Will,” says Lisa faintly.  “If you ever want to…”  You don’t hear Lisa finish, because suddenly Cassie snakes an arm across your chest.  Cassie pulls your head down to give you a long, slow kiss.  You look up when it ends, but Lisa is on the other side of the room, in a small café area with Eva.<br/>
<br/>
“I can’t believe she did that,” hisses Cassie.<br/>
<br/>
“Did what,” you ask, unsure.<br/>
<br/>
“That,” exclaims Cassie.  “Haven’t you heard about what that Geoff guy has been saying?”  Of course, you know exactly what passed between Mansfield and ‘Lisa’.  No one’s actually told you about it, so you truthfully reply that you haven’t.  “Oh, Geoff claims that he and Lisa, you know…”  Cassie is in two minds for a second, torn between wanting to gossip and what the gossip actually is.  “That they, uh, did it.  And Lisa’s denying it.  So now it turns out her new boyfriend is an asshole she’s suddenly taking to you again.  What a bitch.”<br/>
<br/>
You’re taken aback by the vehemence of Cassie’s explanation.  A week ago, you’d have been delighted at Lisa’s renewed interest.  Cassie has a point though:  Lisa’s only interested because things have gone sour with Mansfield.  A small voice inside you suggests you should let her see what it’s like to be abandoned for someone else.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re right,” you say, giving Cassie a cuddle.  “She’s made her bed, now she gets to watch all her chickens come home to roost in it.”  Cassie giggles.  Another, different, small part of you notes that she looks cute when she giggles.  “Now, what film did you want to see?”<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
The film Cassie wants to see turns out to be some lame romantic comedy you’d have never wanted to watch on your own.  Luckily you don’t get to see much of it anyway, as shortly after the trailers Cassie starts making out with you.  You only see the film in bits and pieces where Cassie takes a break.<br/>
<br/>
“We should go somewhere afterwards,” she whispers hungrily in your ear about halfway through.  “Have you got, you know…”  She leaves the question hanging, confusing you.<br/>
<br/>
“Have I got what?”<br/>
<br/>
“You know…”  She shrugs.  “Oh…  Wow Will, it’s like you have these blind spots sometimes.  Lucky for you that you look so adorable when you’re confused.”  Cassie pauses for a second before managing to whisper even quieter than before.  “Condoms.  There’ll be a machine in the rest room, go get some.”<br/>
<br/>
You stumble, blinking, out into the corridor that links the different screens and practically right into Eva Garner.  It’s pure chance that she’s out of her film at the same time as you.  Her expression is just as sour as when you met her earlier.<br/>
<br/>
“You’ve got some fucking nerve,” she says, accosting you by putting her arm in your way.<br/>
<br/>
“I… Uh… What,” you stammer.  Eva’s temper has a bit of a reputation around Westside.  You don’t want to rile her up.<br/>
<br/>
“I said you’ve got some fucking nerve,” repeats Eva.  “Coming round here with <i>her</i>.”  She practically hisses the last word.<br/>
<br/>
“Um…” you say.  It seems like a good thing to say.  Anything else is likely to get you punched.  “I didn’t know you’d be here,” you venture carefully.<br/>
<br/>
Eva relaxes a little.  “Look, let’s say I believe you and you’re just being incredibly tactless rather than an asshole.”  Eva pauses for a second.  “Actually, that is quite believable.  You should just, I don’t know, stay away from Lisa for a while.  She needs space.”<br/>
<br/>
“I see,” you say a touch bitterly.  Even with Cassie waiting for you in the next room, thinking about Lisa still upsets you.  “I don’t understand this, I didn’t do anything.”  <i>Not if you don’t count using the mask of Lisa to fuck Mansfield</i>.<br/>
<br/>
Eva paces a little, chewing her lip nervously before speaking again.  “It’s not your fault,” she admits.  <i>It is your fault</i>.  “But you’re a walking reminder of some very bad shit Lisa’s going through right now.  Give her some space.  For a month at least and maybe then you can be friends again.”<br/>
<br/>
“Friend, right,” you say, failing to conceal the anger in your voice.  Fuck Lisa, she deserves this.<br/>
<br/>
You are so angry you almost forget to get the condoms.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You’re still grinning by the time you reach your bed at the end of a long night.  After the film, you and Cassie took your truck out by the river.  The stars were out, it was romantic and well, you did it with an actual girl and not some fake like the last time.  And she wants to see you again.<br/>
<br/>
Bur lying in bed you turn your thoughts back to other matters.  The golem that had the mask of Lucy on it is chief amongst these.  Who created it?  Where did it come from?  Who was it talking to on the phone?  You could meet with Caleb tomorrow to try and work it all out.<br/>
<br/>
The continuing fallout from your impersonation of Lisa on Wednesday is a concern too.  Sooner or later people are going to start suspecting that some people have doubles run about.  You should really speak to Patterson about it before it gets out of hand.<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111222
author_id: seuzz
title: A Night of No Passion
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>After Patterson leaves, you explore the loft more thoroughly. Most of the crates and boxes you can open just hold athletic equipment of various kinds. There is some gymnastic equipment as well. The main discoveries include a dorm-sized refrigerator stocked with cheap beers and some snacks; a cabinet that has a few bottles of harder liquor and some porn magazines; and a large, locked cabinet. You study the latter carefully and glance back at the mask of Tilley. Chances are the cabinet contains the magic book and the other makings for masks, and maybe some additional items, like Patterson's own mask. But even if Keith really has those burglary skills, you'd probably need tools. <br/>
<br/>
And so you return to the masks that Patterson laid out. None of them would make good company: not fake-Lisa, after what you did this afternoon. Certainly not fake-Geoff. You've no stomach for fake-Keith. And you've nothing to say to fake-Kendra. But the latter draws your attention for another reason: If you put her on, you might figure out how Patterson got a copy of her, which might be useful information.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You draw a deep breath after opening your eyes, relaxing and resisting the urge to explore your naked body. What's the last thing you remember?<br/>
<br/>
<i>Ooof. Tilley.</i> You clench your eyes and try to get away from the memory. Before that ... Jason Lynch? You were in your car, and he was leaning in the driver's side window, saying he had some gossip about Gordon that Chelsea would want to hear. And then something dark went over your face. After that, you were up in the fuck room, getting dressed. Down to the orchestra room, where— No, you're not going there again.<br/>
<br/>
You get up carefully, feeling small and delicate. It's warm in the loft, but not so warm that you don't want some clothes. You saw some gym clothes in your earlier search ... Ah, here they are, stinking like boys, but— They feel good as you draw them on, though they are too big, and you actually feel a little excitement as you pull on the t-shirt; the stench of boy sweat is actually appealing.<br/>
<br/>
You wander around a bit, feeling bored, until you return to the other three masks. Maybe some company wouldn't be too bad. Not Mansfield or Tilley—ugh. On impulse, though, you snatch up Lisa's mask and put it on the golem, swallowing hard as the naked Lisa appears.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at you, then glances around the room. "Where—? How did I get up here?"<br/>
<br/>
"We're over the gym," you say. "Don't scream or anything, but we're trapped up here."<br/>
<br/>
"What?" She crosses to the window, but you restrain her. "It'll be okay, Lisa," you tell her. "It's just for a little while."<br/>
<br/>
"But what's going on?"<br/>
<br/>
You regard her gravely. "What's the last thing you remember?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well ... Being up here, actually. Steve Patterson was here. We were talking about—" She frowns. "It doesn't make sense."<br/>
<br/>
"And before that? What were you doing?"<br/>
<br/>
Her gaze turns shifty. "I was with Geoff Mansfield." She rubs her arm. "We were hanging out."<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I know what you were doing with him, so don't feel embarrassed." She peers narrowly at you. "Just tell me, what was it like when you were with him? I mean, did you feel like you were in control of yourself?"<br/>
<br/>
Her expression turns puzzled, and she starts to answer, then stops. Her gaze goes distant. "No," she finally says, softly. "I didn't. I mean, I knew what I was doing, but ... It was like someone else was doing it." Fear washes over her face, and she recoils from you. "What's going on, Kendra?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's complicated," you sigh. "Come on, let's get you dressed, since we'll be up here all night, and then we'll talk. We never talk."<br/>
<br/>
You lead her to the dress you bought for the disguise—which she clucks distastefully over—and after she's got it on the two of you sit on the mat. She's reluctant to speak at first, but Kendra is skilled at getting others to talk, and the golem has to obey you anyhow, so soon you're softly telling each other about yourselves. In doing so, of course, you learn quite a lot about Kendra and her vexed relationship with Chelsea and her coterie; Lisa tells you more about herself than she ever told Will Prescott. Eventually you put out the light, and confidences become easier to impart. You learn nothing shocking about Lisa—except perhaps for her regretful experience with a boy at a church summer camp between her sophomore and junior years.<br/>
<br/>
Time passes. Sleep eventually encroaches.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You sit bolt upright, blinking. Stupidly, your first thought is to wonder where you are.<br/>
<br/>
It all comes back when you see Will Prescott standing in the door, grinning. "Kendra and Lisa? Nice." He jerks his chin. "Which one are you? Or did you take turns?"<br/>
<br/>
You glance over to find a pale Lisa staring aghast at the new arrival. You raise your hand, and Prescott's grin widens. "Better and better. I'll have to take a dip and sample what you had."<br/>
<br/>
You make a face and don't mention that he'll find it boring. "What time is it?"<br/>
<br/>
"A little after six. Shoulda seen your dad's face when I was I said I was coming up to the school early for a run." He crosses over to those strategically placed crates. "Gonna do it myself, though. I don't feel like giving myself a stitch after a quarter-mile. You don't gotta get outta here till I get back. Or, I dunno, you can join me."<br/>
<br/>
As he changes you lay back and try to blink the sleep away. Lisa mutters something to you, and feeling something like shame you hush her, then reach up to her face and remove the mask, restoring the golem. That done, you do some light stretches, and feel the invigorating blood flow through stiff muscles. <i>Hmm. It's nice having an athletic body.</i><br/>
<br/>
Before you're done, a restored Patterson appears, dressed out in shorts and t-shirt. "If you leave before I get back," he says as he pulls on some socks and ragged running shoes, "be sure to tell Johansson that we're all gonna meet up here after basketball practice, so don't get lost."<br/>
<br/>
"What's up?"<br/>
<br/>
"Team meeting. Since you're joined up—finally—it's time we all get together. You guys can meet the others. It's Gordon and Jason, if you haven't figured it out." No surprises after last night. "Oh, and bring Tilley along too."<br/>
<br/>
You swallow. "How come?"<br/>
<br/>
"He knows all about us, so he should have a chance to join too." You stare, and he grins. "Also, the new password is 'Happy.' The countersign is 'Fuck you'." He closes the door on you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Happy?" you snarl at Caleb at his locker.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you," he says, looking over his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you too. I guess we talked last night?" He frowns. "Because it wasn't me. It was Patterson."<br/>
<br/>
"What?" he gasps.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. What's the point of having passwords if you don't use them?"<br/>
<br/>
"We did use them! In fact, I forgot and you— Hey, wait a minute."<br/>
<br/>
You slap at his hands as they go for your face. "Stop that. Not here. And you should have tried it last night."<br/>
<br/>
"You think I'm <i>not</i> gonna try it now?" You relax, and he grapples at your face.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey assholes, there's no such thing as a Vulcan Death Grip," someone says behind you, and you flip a bird over your shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"There," you snarl at Caleb. "Happy?"<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you. What are you talking about? What are you saying happened last night?"<br/>
<br/>
"I was up in the fuck room all night. My 'reward' for—" You look over your shoulder. "For finishing that job. But it also to get me out of the way, I see now. Patterson went home as me."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's eyes widen. "You— He called me! And yes, we used the passwords. How did he get them?"<br/>
<br/>
You chew your lip, then groan. "It musta been while I was passed out after—" Again, you look over your shoulder. "After taking one of those goddamn masks off. He must've got mine on me, charged it up with my latest memories." You sigh. "Well, so much for all those precautions. And he also knows all about Tilley. We're supposed to take him to him this afternoon. Now, what did you and Patterson talk about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, take who to who?" Caleb asks, looking baffled.<br/>
<br/>
"What? Take Keith to Patterson. Dur." Caleb grits his teeth at your impatience. "What did you and him talk about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Me and Patterson? We talked about what to do about <i>him.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Who? Keith?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, <i>Patterson!</i>" Before you can speak, he jabs you in the ribs. "And keep it down. Okay, what happened was that you called— Well, he called last night, tried to talk me into getting with Keith so we could break into the you-know-where."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh God, another fucking test. Is he never happy? What did you say?"<br/>
<br/>
"I said it was a bad idea. He pushed me but—" His expression combines embarrassment and smugness. "I told him we could trust him. You know, Patterson."<br/>
<br/>
You don't know whether to punch him or kiss him. "Thank God for that. I guess we're in. Until the next time he tests us."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, before we start polishing each other's doorknobs, what's this about taking Keith to see him?"<br/>
<br/>
"Apparently it's about getting Tilley to join this 'team'."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Jesus." Caleb turns pale. "Can you imagine <i>Tilley</i> on this 'team'?"<br/>
<br/>
"No," you admit. You and Caleb stare thoughtfully at each other. "I suppose," you say slowly, "we could tell Patterson that Keith refused to come along."<br/>
<br/>
"And what'll Patterson do then?"<br/>
<br/>
You grimace at each other.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112221
author_id: seuzz
title: New Jobs for New Members
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You corral Keith after classes and hang out with him in the library, giving him a fair idea of what he can probably expect. He looks very scared as he follows you up to the fuck room fifteen minutes after the clock says basketball practice should have ended.<br/>
<br/>
Inside you find Patterson leaning against that dorm refrigerator, an open beer in his hand. Gordon Black sits cross-legged on the gym mat. He looks up darkly at the three of you from under lowered eyebrows, then looks back down into his magazine. A few feet away, Jason Lynch lets his malicious gaze flit across the three of you, then turns away to grin to himself. You have the horrible feeling that Patterson is the closest thing you have to a friend here.<br/>
<br/>
"So we're all here," Patterson says. "Six paid up members. Well, five, anyway. They fill you in on what's expected of you, Tilley?" Keith's head jerks up and down. "You up for it?"<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," he croaks.<br/>
<br/>
"Good man. Provisionally, you're in, which means we're all teammates. We don't fuck around, and we don't fuck with each other. Right?"<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb and Keith all mumble your agreement. Gordon says nothing. Jason grins—until Patterson nudges him in the small of his back. "What?" Lynch says irritably, then gasps as Patterson grasps him by the hair and pulls his head up. His eyes roll in their sockets as Patterson bends over and whispers in his ear. He turns very red. "Yeah, sure," he says, and Patterson releases him. The smile has vanished from his face, and he won't look in your direction.<br/>
<br/>
"So, now that you're in, you can have a set of these." Patterson says, and tosses some keys to you and Caleb each. "Show a little consideration for your teammates, though, and don't just bust in. Call me if you wanna reserve the place for some, uh, quality time. Don't hog it, though." You nod your head vigorously, for you doubt you'll be using it.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm gonna get some fresh air," Gordon growls, and gets to his feet. "Lynch?" The smaller baseball player scrambles after him, and you and your friends dive out of the way as they barrel past. The door slams behind them.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," Patterson sighs. "Don't try being friends with Gordon. And Lynch is an asshole, but you already know that. Don't let him push you around, though. Me and Gordon are the senior members. Lynch is junior, just like you guys." That pretty much solves the mystery about Kendra—Jason's initiation must have been to play her part, and— You suppress a smile. His initiation must have been almost as bad as yours.<br/>
<br/>
"Now, as far as your new jobs," Patterson says. "Johansson, how are coming with Jessica?"<br/>
<br/>
"Even with Eva's mask, I can't get to her easily."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus. Then get Richards to help. You remember the friend you lost in that accident? Him plus you in an Eva mask should be able to get Jessica by tomorrow morning. If you're interested in getting to her, of course," he snorts.<br/>
<br/>
He reaches under a crate and tosses a blank mask to you. "Prescott, you're one up on everyone else. Your third job is to copy one of the basketball players over at Eastman. I don't care which one." You nod, even though you have no idea how you're going to do such a thing. "Okay, you two can go. I'll talk to Tilley alone."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Down on the empty gym floor, you and Caleb compare notes. "Not bad, huh?" Caleb says. "Interesting about the Eastman thing."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and we don't have to do the jobs if we don't want to."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you want to?" Caleb asks. "It's not a bad job. Something for Black and Patterson, though, I guess. A way of fucking with the Eastman team."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," you allow.<br/>
<br/>
"And we do want to get in deeper," Caleb says. "To keep an eye on what they're doing."<br/>
<br/>
You give him a sidelong glance. He seems surprisingly willing to go along with things. But you don't say anything aloud. Instead, you ask him if he's going to use Jeremy to get to Jessica.<br/>
<br/>
"It makes sense," he says. "I haven't been thinking much about Richards." A shadow crosses his face, briefly, and then he turns to you. "It would also make sense to use him to get those Eastman guys."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know if he knows any of them."<br/>
<br/>
"It's more of a connection than <i>you've</i> got, right?" he says. He slaps you lightly on the chest. "Come on, we should work together. I'll put on Eva and you put on Jeremy, and we'll go get Jessica. Or, you distract the real Eva so I can get to Jessica."<br/>
<br/>
"You want to do that <i>now?"</i><br/>
<br/>
He pauses. "Well, you heard Patterson. He said we should try getting her by tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not really in the mood."<br/>
<br/>
He regards you as he sucks on his teeth. "You did the worst job already. Why is it now a big deal?"<br/>
<br/>
"Isn't it a big deal, still? I mean, what we're doing is ..." You trail off, for you can already anticipate Caleb's reply.<br/>
<br/>
"We were gonna do stuff like this anyway," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but with Patterson and Black and Lynch. And we're not in charge. And what'll <i>they</i> do with these things?"<br/>
<br/>
"What <i>can</i> they do?" he retorts. "Just have fun with them up in that club house of theirs. And it's not like some of those girls probably haven't been up there with them for real."<br/>
<br/>
"Lisa hasn't." You instantly regret saying that.<br/>
<br/>
His lips disappear. "Is that what this is about? Lisa?"<br/>
<br/>
"Look, your job wasn't even a big deal. You didn't even get Keith in trouble."<br/>
<br/>
"So you lost your virginity to Geoff Mansfield. That's nothing to do with Lisa. And if it's Patterson and her mask you're worried about—"<br/>
<br/>
You've stopped listening. The thing is that you <i>have</i> queered things for Lisa, intentionally, by making Geoff think that she's ready to go all the way with him. Even if they break up, Geoff will say things about Lisa, making her out to be a slut and liar and a psycho. You wince.<br/>
<br/>
"What's wrong with my suggestion?" Caleb's sharp voice brings you back to the present.<br/>
<br/>
"Huh. Sorry, what did you say?"<br/>
<br/>
He snorts. "I said, maybe you can ask Patterson if you can have her mask so he and the others don't get to play with it. Offer to get a substitute."<br/>
<br/>
"That won't solve anything. Look, just forget it. Here comes Keith."<br/>
<br/>
He's walking very slowly as he approaches, and he seems to flinch when he sees you. "So, what's your job?" Caleb asks him.<br/>
<br/>
"Not supposed to tell you," Keith says, and avoids your eyes. "Come on, let's get out of here." You and Caleb exchange worried glances, and follow him into the parking lot.<br/>
<br/>
"So, you wanna use Jeremy?" Caleb says to you.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, what's this about Jeremy?" Keith asks.<br/>
<br/>
You and Caleb stop and stare at each other. It hits you—Keith doesn't know about what you did to Richards. "Um ..." you and Caleb both stammer in unison. Then, taking the bull by the horns, you tell Keith about the accident back at the elementary school.<br/>
<br/>
He's pale by the time you're done, but he doesn't freak out. "That's something we need to be real careful about," you conclude. "Because that's something that ... well, that those assholes back there at the gym might try doing to us, if—"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I get it," Keith says. "Oh, Jesus." He chews a lip, then looks up with a sharp look. "But what were you guys talking about, about using Jeremy's mask?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb explains his reasoning: You could take Jeremy's place for a little while, to help getting Eva and an Eastman player, while his golem replaces you. You don't pay much attention, for you're distracted by the awful thought that Patterson and Black might get the bright idea of using the golemizing spell to get rid of and replace original people. You're brought back around again, though, when Keith says "That sounds like a really good idea."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Are you the only one who is feeling really freaked out about what this "team" is getting up to—or could get up to?</i></span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122211
author_id: seuzz
title: The Lost Weekend
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Yeah, alright," you say. It's without any great enthusiasm, for you feel as though you're being pushed into it by your friends. You look back at the gym. "But I don't wanna go back up there now."<br/>
<br/>
"You want to go up there later?" Caleb frowns. "Remember what Patterson said about making an 'appointment'."<br/>
<br/>
"So I'll make an appointment," you growl. "He'll think that's cool or something." <br/>
<br/>
Caleb shrugs, but Keith nudges you. "Can I go with you?" You cock an eyebrow. "In case things are locked up?" He twiddles his fingers meaningfully.<br/>
<br/>
"Where exactly did you learn that shit?" you ask, then shrug in agreement.<br/>
<br/>
So later that evening you call Patterson. He says nothing immediately after you request an "appointment" in the fuck room. "Tonight and tomorrow are booked," he says. "And weekends are usually when me and Gordon hang out up there."<br/>
<br/>
"I just want it for an hour," you say. "I can't stay out all night or anything."<br/>
<br/>
"Just a quickie, huh?" He laughs. "How about tomorrow after school, during basketball practice?" That will work for what you want, and you agree. "Just try to sneak in and out without Gordon or Lynch seeing you," he says. "I don't like listening to them bitch about you."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * * </div><br/>
A dark cloud seems to hang around you all during school on Friday. Some of it is surely an ugly anticipation of the pretense to come. But part of it is also a morbid curiosity to see the consequences of Lisa and Geoff's "date." You'd only seen them briefly on Thursday, during the one class you share with with, and as near as you could tell there was nothing odd going on with them. Nor do things look that different today, until you see Eva march up to Lisa at her locker, touch her on the shoulder, and start a hurried conversation. Lisa is looking very angry when the two girls hurry off.<br/>
<br/>
You're tempted to go find Mansfield—maybe a well-placed taunt can get him to let something slip. But you change your mind when you remember that you and Caleb (in disguise) are intending to get together with Jessica and Eva soon. That, probably, will be a perfectly good opportunity to find out what—if anything—has happened between Lisa and Geoff.<br/>
<br/>
At lunch, you tell Keith about your after-school appointment. "How about we just skip last period and do it then?" he suggests.<br/>
<br/>
You think. "Yeah, that'll work. In fact—" and it's probably the first time in more than a week that you've smiled at a possible use of the masks. "I can probably just be late. We'll take Jeremy with us, and I'll just send my duplicate to collect my tardy." Keith chortles at the idea too.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
He is already at the top of the stairs leading to the loft when you and golem-Jeremy arrive a minute after the tardy bell for eighth period has rung. He had been oddly truculent when you found him after lunch, and you had to borderline bully him into agreeing to show up at the fuck room. He only frowns and folds his arms as you unlock the door—a bit of a thrill, that, actually—and slip inside. <br/>
<br/>
You cross over to the cabinets where you've seen Patterson linger. There are three doors. The first is open, and inside you find most of the masks you and Caleb and Jason have collected: Lisa, Kendra, Geoff. The second door has a padlock on it. You frown at it, and then pull out the key ring Patterson had given to you: there are two keys, and the second fits the padlock nicely. Inside are some more masks: Caleb's, Keith's, Jason's, and yours. Keith picks up the latter, but you linger over Jason's until Patterson's warning comes back to you: <i>Don't fuck with your teammates.</i> But it would be so tempting; and you don't trust Jason not to abuse the masks of you and your friends. Probably you should speak to Patterson about keeping the masks of the team in a safer place—maybe give them to their originals. You notice, of course, that neither his mask nor one of Gordon are in the cabinet.<br/>
<br/>
The third door has a combination lock on it, and you look over to find Keith fingering it thoughtfully. "Think you can open it?"<br/>
<br/>
"No."<br/>
<br/>
"That's probably why he put that lock on it. He knows about your magic fingers. The really good stuff has to be in there." You continue to stare at it yearningly, then punch Keith lightly. "Come on, let's change and get out of here."<br/>
<br/>
You call Jeremy over; to your surprise, he flinches when you reach for his face, and actually seems to think about it when you order him to disrobe, bend over and let you remove the mask. But he complies after a long moment's hesitation. Keith gasps as the grey-white Richards appears when you've taken off the mask. "Yeah, not pretty, is it," you murmur. "Come on, give me my mask. The sooner we get him covered back up again—"<br/>
<br/>
But Keith hangs onto your mask. "How about you go ahead and change," he says. "I'll get the rest of the stuff taken care of while you do that. It'll be faster." Something in his manner strikes you as odd: His cheeks are pale, and he doesn't like looking you in the eye. But there doesn't seem anything wrong with his suggestion, so you drop to the mat and put Jeremy's mask to your face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You gasp and let out a deep breath. You feel like you've been asleep for a very long time. You rub your eyes deeply before opening them.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb is standing over you, frowning. "The fuck is going on with you?"<br/>
<br/>
You blink and stare back at him, feeling far too drained to say anything. You raise yourself up on your elbows and look around. You are in your bedroom—and you are wearing clothes that are far too big for you. "Give me a moment to get my head on straight," you mumble.<br/>
<br/>
The last thing you remember— <br/>
<br/>
No, you can't decide what the last thing is you remember. It's all just memories. They're not fragmented, but trying to put them together into any neat order seems impossible. It's just your life, laying there inside your head.<br/>
<br/>
You hear a noise, and look over to see another Will Prescott sitting on the corner of your desk. He regards you curiously, and you return his stare. "Okay, I give up," you finally say. "Where am I and what's going on?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb's eyebrows go up. "You don't remember? The stuff with Jeremy?"<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy? <i>Oh yeah, that plan.</i> You lay back down again, and pluck at your shirt. These must be Richards' clothes. Funny, you don't remember putting them on. You do remember being up in the loft over the gym, and taking the mask off the golemized Jeremy and putting it on. After that, though ...  "No, I don't."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, that's ... That's a little freaky, but it kinda makes sense," Caleb says. "You were acting ... Well, everything went okay, but it was like ... It was like it wasn't <i>you</i> under the mask."<br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean, we got Jessica okay, but I had to keep explaining things to you. And you wouldn't talk much, and you wouldn't take the mask off. I had a hell of a time talking you into coming up here so I could get it off you."<br/>
<br/>
You blink at him. "I don't remember any of that," you say. It doesn't seem to bother you for some reason, though. You just feel like you've been asleep for many, many hours. "You say we got Jessica?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. You went off with Eva, kept her out of the way, and then I went in as Eva and got a copy of Jessica. I was going to let you go off and try to get an Eastman guy, but you were acting so weird I suggested you take the mask off. You didn't want to. And when I tried asking you things— you know, things that you would know but Richards wouldn't, it's like you didn't know what I was talking about."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't remember being Jeremy," you say again. "Here, let me see the mask." Caleb is very grave, but you feel very calm as you take it from him.<br/>
<br/>
It looks just like a normal mask. Jeremy's image floats in the blue surface. You turn it over. There's his name on the inside— <br/>
<br/>
You blink hard. "Why is the back this weird white color?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb bends over to peer into it as well. You both frown. The masks are supposed to be blue all over, except for the gray metal bands on their inner surfaces. But the inside of Jermey's mask is painted white.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't like this," Caleb says. "We didn't do this, I'm pretty sure."<br/>
<br/>
"Patterson's work?" You scratch your ear. "He must've gotten to a couple of new spells by now. Maybe this is—" You bite your lip, for your sense of calm is beginning to evaporate. "Come on, let me get changed."<br/>
<br/>
You start pulling clothes off, while Caleb pulls your mask off the golem. At a sharp word from him, you turn around. The altered Jeremy is now standing by your desk, and Caleb runs a finger along its surface. "It's the same stuff as in the mask," he says. "It's got to be."<br/>
<br/>
The golem. You look down at the mask again. <i>A golem inside the mask?</i> You rub the side of your head. Nothing about the masks or these things makes a lot of sense. "Did Keith say anything about me acting weird?" <br/>
<br/>
"No. I haven't seen much of him, though."<br/>
<br/>
You finish pulling on some clothes. "We should get together. Oh, what day is this?"<br/>
<br/>
"Saturday," he says. <br/>
<br/>
You glance at the clock: 9:00 p.m. So you've lost a full day. "You talk to Patterson yet?" He shakes his head. "Think we should mention this to him?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb looks dubious. "I don't think we were supposed to use Jeremy's mask this way. Think it would piss him off?"</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111222111
author_id: seuzz
title: The Special Mask
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Will Patterson be pissed about what you did? Not a hard question: "Yeah, probably," you tell Caleb. "But it'll be worse if he finds out and we didn't tell him." You shudder.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I'll leave it to you," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"It was your idea."<br/>
<br/>
"You put the mask on."<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, fine. Be a pussy. But don't think I won't tell him about your part in this fiasco." Caleb turns pink. "Come on, help me get changed."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb puts your mask back on the golem, and the two versions of you struggle out of your clothes. That done, you replace your mask on the golem with Jeremy's. His eyes glitter darkly when he reappears. You frown at him. "Who's your master?" you ask him.<br/>
<br/>
"You are, of course," he says, but can't suppress a smile.<br/>
<br/>
"Why don't I believe him?" Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"You calling me a liar, Johansson?" Jeremy snarls, and grabs Caleb by the shirt.<br/>
<br/>
"Let him go!" you say.<br/>
<br/>
Jeremy snorts, but releases Caleb, and ostentatiously smooths down his t-shirt. "Sorry to rumple you there, Johansson, but I have to do what my master says."<br/>
<br/>
"Wait downstairs," you order it, and with an ironical salute it exits your bedroom. "I don't believe it either," you say to Caleb. "If I'm its master, it would tell me I was. On the other hand, if I'm not its master—"<br/>
<br/>
"—it might have been ordered to tell you it was," Caleb finishes your thought. "The golem is supposed to obey you, though."<br/>
<br/>
"But we don't know how that stuff inside the mask works," you point out. "Just get it out of here. The less we have to deal with it, the happier I'll be."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, that's gonna be fun, driving home with it," Caleb mutters. "Call me tomorrow?"<br/>
<br/>
"After I talk with Patterson, yeah," you say. "And if I'm still alive," you glumly add.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"How are you doing with the Eastman job?" Patterson asks. "I hope you're not here to ask for my help."<br/>
<br/>
It's Sunday afternoon, but you're not at the fuck room; Patterson, when you called, told you to meet him at his house. You're in the back yard, and he's tossing that baseball again, thoughtfully, from hand to hand.<br/>
<br/>
"Not really, not yet," you say, swallowing. "Though it's kind of related. I need to talk to you about Jeremy."<br/>
<br/>
"What about him?"<br/>
<br/>
"You told Caleb to use him to get to Jessica."<br/>
<br/>
"And he got her. So what's the problem?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, he had a neat idea. I could also use Jeremy to get to an Eastman player."<br/>
<br/>
"Makes sense," he says. He tosses you the ball, lightly and easily. "So why are you here instead of doing that job?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I tried using Jeremy," you say, and toss the ball back. "Caleb and me figured it would be easiest if I put on Jeremy's mask. That way I could help him directly to get Eva, and then I could turn around and make a stab at an Eastman guy."<br/>
<br/>
"You put on Jeremy's mask?" he says, and his eyes freeze.<br/>
<br/>
"Yep."<br/>
<br/>
Too late you duck; the ball bounces hard off the side of your face, and the world briefly turns black and red. You yelp and nurse the side of your head. "Well, I see you got out from under it," Patterson says, and his tone is just as calm as before your confession. "What happened while you were under it?"<br/>
<br/>
You glare, but master your temper. But fuck him if you're going to give him that baseball again, and you make no move toward retrieving it.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, Caleb managed to get Jessica, you know. And he got the mask off me. But I don't remember being inside Jeremy. And Caleb says I was acting weird the whole time. Like I wasn't me."<br/>
<br/>
Patterson puts his hands on his hips and sighs.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, okay," he sniffs. "I was going to explain all that after you did your fifth job. I was gonna bump you up to senior level, equal with me and Gordon, once you did that. But I guess I better tell you now. It's my own fucking fault," he mutters as an addendum.<br/>
<br/>
He gestures you should throw the ball back. You comply, as he seems pretty calm.<br/>
<br/>
"There's special stuff inside that mask," he says. "You can't wear it. No one can, except me. Anyone else puts it on, they forget who they are. It's just Richards, just like when the mask is on that golem."<br/>
<br/>
"And he's your slave, even on a golem, right?"<br/>
<br/>
He nods. "You got out from under it because I told Richards to play along with you, pretend you were still his boss. So don't go putting it on again. Also—" He glares hard at you. "Me and Gordon have masks too, and they're treated the same way. So leave them alone if you find them."<br/>
<br/>
"But they're locked up, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Naturally."<br/>
<br/>
"But anyone can get to my mask. Or Caleb's or Keith's—"<br/>
<br/>
"Because you're junior," he says. "You get me three more masks, and then we'll put the same stuff inside yours so no one can fuck around with them."<br/>
<br/>
"But until then ... Well, anyone can—"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you trust me, Prescott?" His smile is shark-like.<br/>
<br/>
"What about Gordon or Jason?" you say, avoiding a direct answer to his question.<br/>
<br/>
He snorts. "Gordon's more likely to prance around in a dress than to put on your mask. As for Jason ..." He sucks on his cheek and then shrugs. "I suggest you move really fast to get those extra masks."<br/>
<br/>
You grimace, then bend to open your back pack, which is at your feet. "Maybe you could keep it here instead of up in the fuck room?" you ask as you pull it from your bag and hold it out. He doesn't move, so you advance on him.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be a pussy," he grumbles, but then cocks his head as he looks down at it. "You put this on Richards, when you switched places with him?" You nod. "You put it on afterward, get the memories out?"<br/>
<br/>
"It didn't seem like I needed to. Nothing seems to have happened while I was gone."<br/>
<br/>
"Huh," he says softly. "Interesting."<br/>
<br/>
"What's interesting?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing," he says, then takes it from you and tucks it under his arm. "Anything else?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. Except— Well, except I don't know how to get at an Eastman player without using Jeremy."<br/>
<br/>
Patterson snorts, but looks thoughtful.<br/>
<br/>
"Tilley needs a new job," he says, more to himself than to you. "So does Johansson. I won't help you guys, but I don't mind you working together. It's a smart thing to do." He runs his tongue behind his lower lip. "Tell Tilley I want a copy of Seth Javits." You pale on Keith's behalf. "Tell Caleb I want a copy of Cindy Vredenburg." Why does Caleb keep getting the easy assignments? "You know your job. The three of you can help each other, and you can use any of the masks you've already got. You can pick up some blanks tomorrow after school."<br/>
<br/>
"Keith finished his initiation?" you ask. <br/>
<br/>
Patterson grunts. "Fast work, too. Not sure how he did it, because it was a hard one." A light comes into his eyes. "He may be smarter and gutsier than he looks." He smiles faintly to himself.<br/>
<br/>
You know better than to ask for details. "Well, as long as everything's okay," you say. "I'm sorry about what we did, without asking."<br/>
<br/>
"No harm done," Patterson says. He smiles, but you don't particularly like its shape. "Tell you what," he adds. "Just to show there's no hard feelings, I'll do like you asked, and keep your mask here so Jason can't get ahold of it."<br/>
<br/>
That's not unalloyed good news, but you thank him for it, and leave.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Javits?" Keith screeches. "How the fuck am I supposed to get close to him?"<br/>
<br/>
"You're not," Caleb chortles. "You just wait for him to find you for your weekly beating."<br/>
<br/>
"Not funny!"<br/>
<br/>
"It's all right, Keith," you sigh. "That's the point of using masks. Obviously we'll get Cindy first and use her to get to Seth. Well, you'll use Cindy to get to Seth."<br/>
<br/>
"Still not funny!"<br/>
<br/>
"Will's right." Caleb grins. "And to get to Cindy we use some of the cheerleaders we've already collected. I call dibs on Jessica."<br/>
<br/>
"I call Eva!" Keith says, who is not too distraught to think quickly. <br/>
<br/>
They turn to you. "Kendra, I guess," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"You could use Lisa," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"To quote Keith, 'Not funny'."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Mansfield?"<br/>
<br/>
You start to demur, and then pause. To get inside the head of your rival— "What's going on between him and Lisa?" you ask the others. "You heard anything?"<br/>
<br/>
"Last I heard, they were fucking each other," Caleb says. "Ow! Stop it!"<br/>
<br/>
You drop your fist, but you don't unclench it "I'm serious. You spent Friday night with Jessica. Did you find out if anything was screwy between them? Lisa and Geoff?"<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you'd ask Eva while you were being Jeremy."<br/>
<br/>
"Eva told me that Lisa is really upset with him," Keith volunteers.<br/>
<br/>
"When did she tell you that?" you ask, swiveling on him.<br/>
<br/>
He gets a stricken expression. "Um ... Friday night? She, uh, called me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Since when does Eva Garner call you with gossip?" Caleb demands.<br/>
<br/>
"Since when does Eva Garner think you give a fuck about my love life?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I guess she thought— You haven't got a love life!" Keith crosses his arms and glares at you.<br/>
<br/>
You peer at him. He's been acting awfully weird since—<br/>
<br/>
"If you're trying to cause trouble between them, go as Mansfield," Caleb says.<br/>
<br/>
"If we're going as Eva and Jessica, you should go as Kendra," Keith says.</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112221111
author_id: seuzz
title: Who's the Mansfield?
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Geoff's mask won't tell you anything about what has happened since their "date," but it will give you some insight into how Geoff thinks, so that's what you choose.<br/>
<br/>
As it happens, on Monday you get indirect confirmation that things are bad between Geoff and Lisa. Before Mr. Hawks's Film as Literature class begins, Anthony Kirk comes in and drops into the desk in front of you. "So what's going on between you and Lisa Yarborough?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
You feel your face tighten. "Nothing, apparently," you snap.<br/>
<br/>
"You didn't see her at the mall last Wednesday?"<br/>
<br/>
<i>Oh, so that's what he's fishing for.</i> Kirk is one of the AP assholes, always hanging around with Mansfield. He must be trying to get confirmation of Geoff's story about rescuing Lisa from the mall.<br/>
<br/>
"No," you say, trying to keep your expression neutral. You're going to be on Lisa's side in any developing fight. He looks at you closely, and you return his stare evenly. "What's this about?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing, I guess." He looks over your shoulder, then gets out of the chair and shambles out of the room. Keith slides into the just-vacated seat. <br/>
<br/>
You tap him on the shoulder. "If anyone asks, I was with you all afternoon and evening last Wednesday."<br/>
<br/>
"You were hanging out with me at work?" he asks dryly.<br/>
<br/>
"I was stuffing my face with donuts," you retort. "Come on, help me out."<br/>
<br/>
"Fine. I'll bitch about you to anyone who asks."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You, Caleb, and Keith arrive at the gym early after classes let out, and find that the basketball team is still practicing. You keep to the side, but Patterson catches sight of you, and nods curtly but meaningfully in your direction. When Seth Javits misses a layup, Patterson tears into him. "The fuck was that supposed to be, Javits?" Seth freezes but says nothing, and winds up glaring at the floor with his hands on his hips. "Gordon?" Patterson says, turning to his friend.<br/>
<br/>
Black's eyes flick in your direction. "Ten laps, Javits, and I wanna talk to you after practice." Seth launches into a circuit; Keith ducks behind you and Caleb as his nemesis swings past.<br/>
<br/>
Once the team has cleared the floor, the three of you edge over to the stairs leading up to the loft, but you have to loiter near the bottom because there are still spectators on the bleachers opposite you, including Gordon's girlfriend, Chelsea Cooper. One by one, as heads turn toward distractions, each of you ducks around the corner and dashes up to the fuck room. Caleb and Keith precede you, and they're already at the cabinet when you arrive. Keith has a mask and some clothes under his arm. Caleb is frowning. "I guess I'll have to take the clothes that come with Kendra," he says. "I wonder where Patterson got them from."<br/>
<br/>
"Off the girls he gets up here, probably," Keith mutters.<br/>
<br/>
"Only if he sends them home naked," Caleb retorts. "Which I wouldn't put past him." He looks over at you. "I guess Geoff is the smart play for you," he says. "We don't have any more chick clothes."<br/>
<br/>
"So what am I supposed to wear?"<br/>
<br/>
"Your own stuff, I guess," he shrugs. "Oh, right, you don't have nice clothes."<br/>
<br/>
"I just don't like them," you retort. "I guess mine'll work. But Mansfield's a little bigger than me."<br/>
<br/>
"Mansfield's size is not something I want to think about," Keith chortles. "I don't want to think about yours either."<br/>
<br/>
Caleb is still peering inside the cabinet. "Hey Keith, where's the mask you snagged for your initiation?"<br/>
<br/>
He jerks a little. "Uh, it's not in there?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. Just the people we're taking. And Kendra."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe it's in the other cabinet."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, who is it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Is Lisa's mask in there?" you interrupt.<br/>
<br/>
Caleb glances back. "Nope." You frown, but Caleb turns back to Keith. "So who was it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Uh ... Well, if Patterson's got it locked up, maybe it's a secret thing. Maybe I shouldn't tell you. He told me not to tell you guys about it before." He's standing too far away for you to be sure, but it wouldn't surprise you if he was sweating.<br/>
<br/>
You all jump at the sound of the door opening, but it's only Patterson. "You got the stuff?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," Caleb says. He seems much more at ease with Patterson than either you or Keith. "'Cept the blanks."<br/>
<br/>
"Inside the second cabinet," Patterson says, indicating the door with the padlock. "You guys going for Cindy first?" Caleb grunts an affirmative. "Smart play. Gordon and me'll keep Javits away from her this evening." His smile is sharp. "Oh yeah, we'll keep him busy."<br/>
<br/>
"Awesome," Caleb says. "What about Tilley's mask? I mean, the one he scored for his initiation. Can we use it?"<br/>
<br/>
Patterson's eyes go very cold, and they flick briefly over to Keith. "Why do you think it would be useful?"<br/>
<br/>
Caleb shrugs. "I don't even know which one it is. I thought I'd ask in case we could use it on these jobs."<br/>
<br/>
"It wouldn't help you," Patterson says. "It's for tricky jobs. I'll pull it out for you guys if I think it'll help you, but it won't in this case."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Lisa's mask?" you blurt out.<br/>
<br/>
"Lynch has it."<br/>
<br/>
"What?!"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't shit yourself, Prescott. He needs it for a job, same as you guys. Anything else?" You and your friends look at each other and shake your heads. "Alright then. I can keep Seth busy tonight, so don't fuck around with getting to Cindy."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The three of you meet over at the elementary school around five. (You tell your mom you have a study session and will be missing supper.) Even though you live closest to the school, you're the last to arrive, and can hear raised voices from inside. As you enter, you find Caleb glaring at a discomfited Keith. The former looks over at you. "Will you tell Tilley here it's a bad idea keeping secrets from his friends?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's not <i>my</i> secret," Keith protests.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you talking about?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"It's the mask he got for Patterson for his initiation," Caleb replies. "He won't say who it is."<br/>
<br/>
"You heard Patterson," Keith says, turning red. "I don't want him pissed at me and turning me into a— One of those statue things."<br/>
<br/>
"We're <i>friends,</i>" Caleb says. "Patterson's the guy who—" He makes a disgusted face.<br/>
<br/>
"I thought you were one who said we could trust Patterson," you say to Caleb. "Remember last week, when he called up pretending to be me and tried to get you to—"<br/>
<br/>
"That was us versus Patterson," he says. "I'm talking about us not keeping secrets from each other."<br/>
<br/>
"I still don't know why you're talking about Patterson as the enemy," you say. Truth to tell, you think Caleb has a point, but you're not inclined to let him off the hook. "It seems to me you're being awfully chummy with him."<br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, like up in the fuck room this afternoon. All talking to him like you're totally on board with this bullshit 'team' he's got and these jobs he's having us pull."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want him thinking we're afraid of him," Caleb says. His eyes narrow. "You think the team is 'bullshit'?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, let's just say that, ethically, it's a little sketchy."<br/>
<br/>
"Huh," Caleb grunts. "Like you and me weren't going to— Then why are you going along with it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because I want to get up to this senior level he promised me. Or us. It sounds like the only safe place to be. So come on, let's get this show started."<br/>
<br/>
The other two start disrobing, but you're already changed into the clothes you'll be wearing—slacks and a button-up, long-sleeve shirt—so you lay back on one of the work tables and put Mansfield's mask to your face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
His mind, when it comes, slithers in like a snake. It wraps itself around yours, squeezing and suffocating, then turns about and swallows yours whole. <br/>
<br/>
And then you <i>are</i> the snake—a fat, smug serpent.<br/>
<br/>
You stretch and stand and look around. Caleb and Keith—Jessica and Eva now—are still passed out, and naked, and your cock stirs appreciatively at their rosy blooms. Maybe you could finger a pussy while they're still out—<br/>
<br/>
You catch yourself and turn away.<br/>
<br/>
But not before you mind goes back to the last memories in the mask: Wednesday night, with Lisa.<br/>
<br/>
Your nostrils flare despite your reluctance to soak in it. She seemed desperate, needy, as though trying to prove something. That she really would do anything to be with and keep you. You catch sight of your reflection in the dim, floor-length mirror set up in the corner, and brush your dark hair into place. <i>Yeah, you're definitely worth having.</i><br/>
<br/>
You vomit a little bit into your mouth at Mansfield's self-regard.<br/>
<br/>
And she wasn't even all that good. Well, okay, partly it was the way she threw herself on top of you. Either she's really sloppy—and inside Mansfield you recoil on Lisa's behalf from the insult—or she really was desperate.<br/>
<br/>
You frown as the question, <i>Was Kelsey getting to her?</i> forms in your mind. <br/>
<br/>
Something catches in your throat as the contours of the situation suddenly clarify. Mansfield has been privately bitching to Kelsey Blankenship about Lisa and her unwillingness to put out, with the intention of getting the bitchy Kelsey to put the screws on Lisa to get her to put out for you. No one can do the passive-aggressive thing like Kelsey.</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122211112
author_id: seuzz
title: The Lying Game
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Yo, Tilley, lemme borrow the keys to your car," you call out after your friends have woken up.<br/>
<br/>
Eva—who you're looking at—cocks an eyebrow. "Over here, dipshit," Jessica says. "And my eyes are up <i>here,</i>" she adds as your gaze swivels from Eva's breasts to Jessica's. "What do you need them for?"<br/>
<br/>
"I was gonna go keep the real girls distracted, just in case," you say. "Can I touch those?" You reach out to tweak a nipple.<br/>
<br/>
She slaps your hand away. "What's wrong with your ride?"<br/>
<br/>
"They might recognize my truck. Caleb's car, too." <br/>
<br/>
You get a nice view of Jessica's ass as she bends over to pick up Keith's pants—until Eva steps directly into your line of sight. "Is that really necessary?" she asks, and then frowns. "Oh, what the fuck. Better to have you buggering <i>them</i> with that leer than us."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"You've got a lot of nerve," Eva says. She's blocking the doorway, and shows no inclination to let you in.<br/>
<br/>
"Come on, Eva, don't be like this. I just want to talk."<br/>
<br/>
"What about?" Her tone continues to be belligerent.<br/>
<br/>
"Is Jessica here? Maybe she'd like to hear what I have to say. She's got a mind of her own, doesn't she? Or do the two of you only have one that you share?"<br/>
<br/>
For a moment it looks like Eva is just going to slam the front door in your face, but at that moment Jessica materializes behind her. "Keep it down, Eva," she hisses. "Mom and Dad are listening."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, let them listen! I don't want—"<br/>
<br/>
"I just want to talk," you interject. "If you don't want to let me in, will you at least come out in the front yard?"<br/>
<br/>
Jessica whispers something to Eva, then barges past and pushes you back onto the porch. "I'll give you five minutes, and it better be good."<br/>
<br/>
You look at her and her sister appraisingly. The makeup and hairdos are a little different, but otherwise there'd be no way to tell the difference between them and the friends that you saw drive away from the elementary school not fifteen minutes ago. If you got them all together, you muse, you'd have four of the same near-identical type. Then if you got them out of all of their clothes—<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head free of the vision, and lean back upon one of the porch supports. "Okay, well, first of all, can you tell me if Lisa has changed her mind about sleeping with me?"<br/>
<br/>
Both girls turn several different shades of colors. You smile lazily. Jessica is the first to recover her voice. "I thought she already had. That's the story you've been spreading around, isn't it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well, there's a difference between what I've been saying and what's really the case, right?" You grin. "But there doesn't have to be. I mean, if she gave in, I wouldn't have to lie about it, would I?"<br/>
<br/>
Again, a kaleidoscope of colors wash over the Garner twins' faces. "What kind of a sick fuck—?" Eva starts.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you really that fucked in the head, Geoff?" Jessica barks. "You really think that spreading that kind of story is going to make her want to look at you, let alone—" She gasps over words that she can't bring herself to say.<br/>
<br/>
You shrug. "Yeah, well, how believable is the story <i>she's</i> telling? Who believes her? You two and who else?" Now they are both a solid crimson color. You smile and look off to the side. "Girls always deny what happened when it actually did."<br/>
<br/>
"And boys are always bragging," Eva says huffily. "If this is all you've got to say, Geoff— Come on, Jess." She grabs her sister's elbow. <br/>
<br/>
"Look, she's not gonna win this fight, so she might as well give up," you say. "That's why I came, to make peace. On my terms, but still. I can't lose, with Kelsey on my side."<br/>
<br/>
"Kelsey's not God on His throne!" Jessica sputters.<br/>
<br/>
"It was her idea," you interject, seizing on a sudden intuition. <br/>
<br/>
It gets their attention: "What do you mean?" Eva asks, her eyes narrowing.<br/>
<br/>
"I know she's been putting the screws on Lisa," you say. "She wants to see us together. We've been talking." You shrug again. "She's the one who had the idea to pretend Lisa had already given in."<br/>
<br/>
They just stare.<br/>
<br/>
"Anyway, those are my five minutes," you say, straightening up to go. "Lisa has my number if she wants to talk terms." You brush your hand through your hair—one of Geoff's characteristic mannerisms—and turn to leave. You walk slowly, giving them every opportunity to call to you, but they don't.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Well, <i>that</i> should stir up a real hornet's nest of trouble. Eva and Jessica—with or without Lisa—will almost certainly confront Kelsey and ask her about what "Geoff" said. Kelsey will deny it, of course, but she'll have to believe that Mansfield really had that conversation: Eva and Jessica would not be able to think up the bit about "Kelsey putting the screws to Lisa" by themselves. That should turn Kelsey against Geoff, and with her turned he will quickly find himself alone. Sympathy and support will flood to Lisa, shoring up her position and morale—and it will kill her relationship with Geoff for good.<br/>
<br/>
So you're feeling pretty chipper the next day as you arrive at school. You keep your eyes and ears open for any news, and at lunch you ditch Caleb and Keith to hang out with James Lamont, Carson Ioeger, and Jenny Ashton. Yumi Saito sometimes has lunch with them, and through her you think you might hear something about the avalanche you've hoped to start. <br/>
<br/>
But Yumi doesn't appear, and you have to broach the subject of Lisa and Geoff yourself. "Don't <i>you</i> know what's going on with them?" Jenny asks you loftily in reply.<br/>
<br/>
"People have been asking me weird questions about the last time I saw Lisa," you say. "That's why I want to know what's going on."<br/>
<br/>
"When <i>was</i> the last time you talked to her?" Jenny asks as Carson groans.<br/>
<br/>
"I dunno. A week or two ago?"<br/>
<br/>
"Did you meet her at the mall last week?"<br/>
<br/>
Carson interrupts. "If you two wanna gossip and shit, take it off somewhere else," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"I haven't seen her outside school in a couple of weeks."<br/>
<br/>
Jenny looks at you closely, and you feel yourself redden a little under her gaze. She grunts. "Well, just stay away from her," she says. "And keep telling people you haven't seen her in awhile."<br/>
<br/>
"How come?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's <i>my</i> chocolate muffin," Jenny suddenly snarls, turning on Carson and snatching away the item he'd tried pilfering, and won't return to your preferred topic.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Keith finds you in the math wing at the start of sixth period. "Where were you at lunch?" he asks. "There's a club meeting after school."<br/>
<br/>
"Another one?" You snort. "I didn't think the boss man was so much into micro-management."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well, the boss man was asking specifically about you."<br/>
<br/>
You swivel in alarm. "Why? What did <i>I</i> do?"<br/>
<br/>
"Beats me." He pauses. "You didn't ask me or Caleb about how things went down last night."<br/>
<br/>
"How did things go last night?"<br/>
<br/>
"Fine." He slouches. "I guess I have a date tonight," he mutters as he turns to go.<br/>
<br/>
"No kidding?" you grin. "On a scale of one to ten, be sure to tell me how salty Javits' cum is."<br/>
<br/>
Keith swings around and shoves two rigid middle fingers in your face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Good work on Cindy," Patterson says, and his eyes twinkle maliciously as he takes in the sight of you and your friends. "I got Javits set up for you, Tilley," he says. "He'll be up here around seven. You should show up about thirty minutes later." He hands Keith the mask of Cindy and turns to Caleb. "Your next target is Karl Hennepin. Sooner is better, but maybe you should keep Cindy distracted tonight while Tilley finishes his mission." Caleb nods at the suggestion. "Okay, you two can beat it. I wanna talk to Prescott alone."<br/>
<br/>
Your heart hammers as your friends shuffle out, but Patterson doesn't seem angry. He just cocks his head. "What's going on between your old girlfriend and Geoff Mansfield?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"They're having a fight," you reply. "It has to do with, you know—" You lick your lips. "He says she boinked him, and she says he didn't."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I figured that would happen," Patterson says. "But it's getting out of control. Chelsea's involved now."<br/>
<br/>
"What?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, Chelsea's really in her element." His eyes narrow. "You sure you're not stirring things up?"<br/>
<br/>
You swallow. If Chelsea's involved, it's a pretty sure thing that word about that weird conversation between Mansfield and the Garners will filter back to Steve. Haltingly, you confess to using Geoff's mask last night, though you emphasize you were only there to keep the girls distracted while Keith and Caleb were using their masks to approach Cindy. <br/>
<br/>
But Patterson brushes off the excuse—and to your surprise brushes off your nervous apology for making things complicated. "I couldn't give a shit," he says. "I just wanna know what's going on." He puts his hands on his hips and kicks at the floor with his toe. When he looks up at you, there's a gleam in his eye. "You wanna see Mansfield fucked up? Fucked up good?"<br/>
<br/>
You keep your reply cautious. "I just want Lisa to break up with him."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, they're broken up, from what I've heard. I mean, do you want him <i>fucked up?</i>" You gape. "If you do a really sensitive job for me, I'll fuck him up for you."<br/>
<br/>
"What job?"<br/>
<br/>
He sucks on his lip. "Get a copy of Chelsea," he says.</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111222111121
author_id: seuzz
title: The Chelsea Cheat
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Your jaw drops. "Can't Gordon get a copy of her?" you squeak.<br/>
<br/>
"Gordon says she's off limits." Patterson draws close. "It's a real bone between us," he murmurs. "If you do this job, it's just between you and me. Her mask doesn't go in the pile. You and me are the only ones who get to use it." His eyebrow arches. "Think about it. Your cock. Her pussy. Her hot, wet, tight pussy. <i>After</i> she's sucked you off."<br/>
<br/>
You swallow: it's a very tempting vision, and your cock responds. "Isn't Gordon, like, the co-boss of this team?" you ask. "Shouldn't he—?"<br/>
<br/>
"Gordon's just along for the pussy. He just wants girls he can fuck. Faces he can hang on the mud pile." He jerks his chin at the golem in the corner. "I'm the one who makes the decisions." His voice drops to a whisper. "And I want Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
Your breathing becomes labored. "And I get her too?" Patterson nods. "Before or after the Eastman job?"<br/>
<br/>
"Before. Fast as you can." He lets you dangle, and then a smile creeps up the side of his face. "Just use Kendra. I'll keep the real one out of the way tonight, and you pop over to Chelsea's. You can pump her for gossip about Lisa," he adds.<br/>
<br/>
You were almost ready to agree to his scheme anyway, and that just tips you over. Your feet feel numb as you totter over to the cabinet that has Kendra's mask and a set of clothes in it. "I'll get rid of Tilley and Johansson while you change," Patterson says. "Remember, this is just between us."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You rub your arm uncertainly while Chelsea glares at you. "I've already got <i>one</i> airhead for a friend, Kendra," she snaps. "If I wanted another one, I'd go down to the party store and get one of those clown balloons. <i>Think,</i> girl. Amanda. Ricky. Oh. My. God. That's an exact quote from your text this afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, is that all?" you say, and breathe a sigh of relief. "I thought you said 'What about Amanda and <i>Mickey.</i>'"<br/>
<br/>
"Who the hell is 'Mickey'?" Chelsea demands.<br/>
<br/>
"That's why I was confused."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea opens her mouth—probably to rebuke you—then closes it with a snap. "Alright then, what is it with Amanda and Ricky?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, they just had another fight," you improvise. You have no idea what the real Kendra would have been texting to Chelsea, but it's a safe bet that Amanda Ferguson had been yelling at her boyfriend again. "A real big one, though. I mean, Oh. My. God!"<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea rolls her eyes dramatically. "Don't be such a fucking amateur, Kendra. What were they fighting <i>about?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Lisa Yarborough and Geoff Mansfield, I <i>think.</i>" Another improvisation, and you look hungrily at her.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea's eyebrows shoot up. "Really." She sits down heavily on the bed, eyes glued to you. "Tell me."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Uh-oh.</i> "Well, it didn't make a lot of sense. If you could tell me the latest you know about those two, I might be able to—"<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea's nostrils flare. "Did Kelsey's name come up in that fight?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yeah," you say, pretending to remember. "I couldn't figure out—"<br/>
<br/>
"What did she say about Kelsey?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just, Kelsey says this and Kelsey says that—"<br/>
<br/>
"I bet!" Chelsea hops up and down on the bed. "<i>She's</i> got Lisa's number, <i>she</i> knows what a slut she is, even if she is still technically a virgin." Chelsea clucks her tongue. "Frigid <i>and</i> a slut. No wonder she had whatsisname, over the summer, so fucked up."<br/>
<br/>
"Will Prescott?"<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea glares at you. "You remember his name, but you don't remember what Amanda and Ricky were saying? Anyway, I heard today that Kelsey's done a total 180, and is telling <i>everyone</i> that Geoff is lying. I mean, I'm sure he is—" You frown until she chortles the punch line. "Lying about her being <i>any good!</i>" She cackles loud and long, and continues to chuckle vacantly for a little while longer, even as you grip the bag containing the blank mask more tightly. "Ohhhh," she finally sighs. "What was I talking about? Oh yeah!" She shoots you a hungry look. "What were Amanda and Ricky fighting about?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, it all makes sense now," you say, feigning both enthusiasm and secret knowledge. "Amanda was totally taking Kelsey's side, she was all 'Kelsey knows what she's talking about, Ricky,' and Ricky was trying to stick up for Geoff. But, you know, in that— Well, you know how he is." You roll your eyes. "'It's got to be some kind of mistake, some kind of misunderstanding,'" you lisp in a bad imitation of Ricky Golia. <br/>
<br/>
"Very interesting," Chelsea says, her eyes glinting. "Trouble in political heaven." Her eyes go distant, and then abruptly fasten on you. "You don't like Ricky, do you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Please, girlfriend," you roll your eyes and flap your wrist limply. "He's settling for pussy when he really wants cock. I can <i>tell.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Can you," Chelsea says dryly. "Well, maybe. Amanda's twice the man he is, that's for sure. I bet if you batted your eyelashes at him, especially after this fight, you couldn't get him away from her?"<br/>
<br/>
You relax and let Kendra's instincts come to the fore. Unfortunately, they run in opposite directions. Mostly, she wants to run away from the greasy little suck-up; but she also responds to Chelsea's challenge. "Just give me thirty minutes with him," you boast.<br/>
<br/>
"Thirty?" Chelsea laughs. "You said 'twenty' when I pitched Maize Tsosie to you."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Oh yeah. Maize.</i> Kendra's instincts are still so close to the surface that you feel a twinge in the fork between your legs, and have to swallow a sudden flood of saliva. "That's 'cos Maize looks good in those tight pants. Ricky looks like a sloppy turd."<br/>
<br/>
"Thirty minutes it is, then," Chelsea says with an air of satisfaction.<br/>
<br/>
But you quickly demur, for you don't particularly want to leave a trail behind to baffle the real Kendra. "Talk to me tomorrow," you purr. "You've got me thinking about Maize again."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea grins, then looks over at her laptop, which has been softly beeping with email and text alerts. She hops off the bed and plops into the chair at her desk. As she turns away from you, you draw the mask out of the shoulder bag and quickly slide it around her head and onto her face. <i>Nasty little cunt,</i> you think. <i>But what a body,</i> you have to add.<br/>
<br/>
You gently coax her back into consciousness after the mask has reappeared, and with some feigned alarm tell her she must have passed out due to a blood rush as she leaped over to the computer. The episode puts a damper on her mood, and you catch her giving you the fish eye as you cluck over her, but she seems more confused than angry with you. Still, it's a good excuse for cutting short the visit.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You drive to the high school and change back to your own form and clothes before calling Patterson; he tells you to drive around until he calls back with the all-clear, for Keith is apparently still up in the fuck room getting a mask of Javits. Thirty minutes later the call comes, and Patterson is standing by the gym door when you show up again. "Fuckin' sweet, little man," he gloats. "I knew I could count on you." A mad glint comes into his eye. "Wanna try her out now?" Your heart beats as you nod.<br/>
<br/>
Up in the fuck room he withdraws some supplies from the cabinet with the combination lock, and inside of five minutes has the mask sealed up. You're trembling slightly as he sets it onto the golem. Waves seem to ripple through its form, and it shrinks, and a moment later a naked Chelsea Cooper is standing before you in the dimly lit loft. She rocks back on her heels and catches herself on the wall behind. Even in the gloom you can see her golden form: small, kissable feet; strong calves and thighs; wide hips; a curved, strong stomach with a shallow scoop of a navel; great, round globes; and blonde hair tumbling down in loose curls around an oval face. She frowns. "What the fuck?" she mutters, and then looks up in surprise and astonishment at Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
He leans over her. "Hey, Chels," he says. "Whose bitch are you? Now, I mean?"<br/>
<br/>
She swallows, and her mouth parts. "Steve? How—? What's—?"<br/>
<br/>
"Shh." Gently he puts a hand on her cheek, and brushes her face before settling his long fingers along the side of her throat. "Don't ask questions. Because you love me." The last hasn't the tone of a statement but of a command.<br/>
<br/>
She shudders slightly, then smiles. "Yes. I do." She groans, and reaches up to caress his hand. Then her eyes fall on you, and she frowns. "Who's he?"<br/>
<br/>
"Doesn't matter," Patterson says. "You love him too. You think he's sexy. Just like you think I'm sexy." Chelsea's frown softens, and then dimples into a smile as she looks between you and Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
He glances back at you. "Why are you still dressed, Prescott? Aren't we going to do this thing?"</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112221111211
author_id: seuzz
title: Chelsea in Chains
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You gasp. A three-way? With Chelsea Cooper and Steve Patterson? You swallow, torn between the desire to run far and fast, and the desire to show how cool you are. <br/>
<br/>
The latter impulse wins. Your hands jerk and tremble as you pull off your shoes and belt and shirt. Patterson just murmurs a word to Chelsea and raises his arms in the air and lets her undress him. Less than a minute later, all three of you are entirely disrobed.<br/>
<br/>
You feel very conscious of your nakedness, and how badly you compare with the other two. Chelsea, of course, is a goddess. Steve is tall and rangy, and every bit of him seems long and lean. But Chelsea just smiles radiantly at you, and if Steve has anything thoughts about your twig-like arms and legs and chicken chest, he keeps them to himself. He just gestures you over to the gym mat and tells you to lay down. "Blow job," he tells Chelsea. "Take your time. You gasp and arch your back as her hot tongue slides up the underside of your cock.<br/>
<br/>
The next ten minutes are highly awkward for you. Something like twin vision enfolds you. On the one hand, you are completely engrossed in the charged excitement of what's going on down below. Chelsea gradually moves from licking and stroking and kissing to softly sucking. Your breathing turns sharp and short; you want it to continue, to keep going, to never stop, and yet with each stroke and each dainty swallow you feel yourself rising, rising; it's like fizzy seltzer water bobbing and ebbing, but each time cresting a little higher. You struggle to tamp it down, to let it build until it can really explode.<br/>
<br/>
At the same time, you are mortified to find you don't know what to do with your hands or legs. You keep wanting to grab onto something, to grip a solid piece of furniture to keep yourself from floating toward the ceiling with mounting excitement, but there's nothing to hold. Meanwhile, your legs keep twitching and jerking. You try to keep them still, for not long after Chelsea started on you, Steve knelt down behind her, apparently with the intent of doing her doggy style. You keep your eyes closed, desperate not to meet his eyes, but you can tell from the way Chelsea rocks back and forth that he is thrusting away inside her.<br/>
<br/>
And then the moment comes, and everything disappears except the hard, foamy pulses of your cock.<br/>
<br/>
After that, you crawl off the mat, to huddle and recover yourself, while Patterson lays down and cuddles with Chelsea. You can hear them kissing and caressing each other noisily and wetly, but you don't care. 'Tis very bliss to lay limply on the cold, hard wooden floor.<br/>
<br/>
You don't know how much time passes, but eventually Steve calls you over and suggests a swap of positions: now he will take the blow job while you take her from behind. You're still not recovered, but you're not going to argue. Hairs scratch as you gently try to guide yourself into Chelsea, and then she's very soft and wet. But though you try manfully to work yourself back up into a state of excitement—<i>You're doing Chelsea Cooper!</i>—actually you wind up sagging weakly against her. Eventually you just pull out and curl up into a ball until an explosion of gasps from Steve tells you he's come again.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Get a new lock for that basement in the school by your house," Patterson tells you as you exit the gym togther.<br/>
<br/>
"How come?"<br/>
<br/>
"We can't take a chance on Gordon finding our little score, or busting in on us if we've got her out," he replies. "We'll use your old bolt hole."<br/>
<br/>
"But what'll I tell Caleb and Keith? Sometimes we hang out there."<br/>
<br/>
"Who'd you rather hang out with, them or Chelsea?" <i>Good point.</i> "I don't care what you tell them. Tell them I told you I was taking it over and made you swap out locks. Make a copy of the key to the new lock and give it to me. This weekend we'll take your old golem—the one that you made—and move it in there."<br/>
<br/>
Mentally, you file away the implied admission that he has made his own golem. Aloud: "Keith might try breaking in. Maintenance guys might try breaking in."<br/>
<br/>
"So we'll keep the golem hidden in the back, and stash Chelsea's mask where no one will find it. Christ, what's your problem, Prescott? Why are you trying to piss all over things?"<br/>
<br/>
"I just don't want to see things fucked up," you insist. "That was ... really awesome." You gulp. "Uh, thanks."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you're welcome." Patterson's eyes are still cool, but he does smile at you. "You did the work. And we got us a special connection now, you and me. Right?"<br/>
<br/>
To your surprise, he holds out a hand. You take it, and he encloses it in a hearty clasp. And yet, even as he grips it tightly, you can't help but see the chill behind his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
As you might have predicted, Caleb and Keith take the news about the new lock badly. "The fuck?" Caleb exclaims at lunch the next day. "He's already got his own place here, on campus. What's he need <i>ours</i> for?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's not like we even really use it," you point out. <br/>
<br/>
"We used it the other night," Caleb says. "When we changed. I don't want to be up in the fu— loft with Lynch or Black when we have to change out for a job."<br/>
<br/>
"I can get us in there if we want," Keith says confidently.<br/>
<br/>
"That's a really bad idea," you retort. "If Patterson finds out—"<br/>
<br/>
"How's he gonna find out? How often is he gonna be there?"<br/>
<br/>
"He's doing something with that book!" Caleb exclaims. "That's gotta be it. Remember how we had to use it to make our golem? It's something big and dangerous, and he can't do it up in the fuck room."<br/>
<br/>
Actually, that sounds plausible, and you wonder you hadn't thought of it yourself. But you'll have a key, so you discount it. "Don't go snooping," you repeat. "He would get <i>really</i> pissed off."<br/>
<br/>
The others continue to grumble.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Late that afternoon you meet up with Patterson at his house, where he has your old golem stashed under a sheet in the garage. You groan at the thought of trying to move that massive slab, but Patterson just smiles and drops a mask onto it; an instant later Caleb Johansson materializes, and Patterson tosses some old clothes at it. "I love how mobile these things are," he grins. "Tell it to get dressed, then meet me out at the school."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck is going on?" the fake Caleb asks after he's gone.<br/>
<br/>
"Never mind," you retort. You feel very queer talking to the thing, and can't meet its eyes. "You're a fake and you know it. Just shut up and come with me."<br/>
<br/>
It's an eerie but uneventful drive. At the school you take off the old lock and put on a new one; when Patterson arrives a short time later you give him the extra key, and then the three of you descend into the basement. "Like old times, huh?" Patterson joshes. From his backpack he draws out another mask and hands it to you with a wink. "Have yourself some fun. This set up will be convenient for you too, won't it? Don't let your schoolwork suffer because you're getting laid every afternoon." With another wink and grin, he saunters out.<br/>
<br/>
You glance at the golem. Your "shut up" rule apparently is still in effect, for the thing doesn't speak but instead grimaces and gestures wildly. With a sigh, you tell it to take its clothes off, and when it is naked you rip its face off. That done, you glance down at the other mask: as you'd hoped, it's Chelsea's mask. You shiver in anticipation, and before you can change your mind jam it onto the golem. <br/>
<br/>
The effect is again instantaneous. She glances around. "This is really weird," she says, then looks you up and down with vague distaste. "You again, huh? Lemme guess. You wanna take up what you couldn't finish the other day."<br/>
<br/>
You twinge at the thrust—these things really do act like their originals. "I thought Patterson told you to think I was sexy."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know what came over me," she sniffs. "Whatever it was, it wore off."<br/>
<br/>
It must be because of the shift from one golem to another. But before you can give it an order of your own, you hear muffled voices. For a moment, you think it must be Patterson returning, but as they continue, you panic at the realization it must be someone else.  "Get down," you growl at Chelsea, and when she doesn't move you pull her to the floor, sit on her, and yank her mask off. <br/>
<br/>
And as you return to your feet, the door opens and you look up at he astonished faces of Caleb and Keith.<br/>
<br/>
For a moment you stare at your friends, and they stare at you. And then a sudden instinct takes over. "The fuck do you think you're doing, assholes?" you hiss, and try to fill your eyes with Patterson's distinctive kind of ice.<br/>
<br/>
Tilley gasps, but Caleb glances over his shoulder with a frown before returning back to you. "Will?" he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, you can call me that while I'm wearing this mask," you retort. "You'll call me something else after I'm out of it, and you'll scream when you say it."<br/>
<br/>
"But we saw you ... drive off," Keith blurts out.<br/>
<br/>
"Funny how I can be in two places at once. You'd almost think it was magic." You glare murder at him.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry," Keith says, turning very pale. "We thought— We were just—"<br/>
<br/>
"Shut the fuck up and get out." <br/>
<br/>
They both stagger back. Keith backpedals furiously, but Caleb keeps eyeing you; you do your best to stare him down, and continue to glare from the doorway after they've gone.<br/>
<br/>
Afterward, you close the door and sink to the ground, sweating. You don't want to get them in trouble, but they're bound to say something to the real Patterson anyway.</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122211112111
author_id: seuzz
title: A Little Light Hacking
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Your fingers tremble as they fly over the pad of your phone. "Sorry to bother you so soon," you say when Patterson picks up. You try to suppress the quaver in your voice. "But something just happened out here."<br/>
<br/>
"What?" he asks in a stony tone.<br/>
<br/>
"No disaster. Just fucking awkward." You take a deep breath. "I warned you Caleb and Keith would come snooping. Well, they did. Just now. They must've been hiding nearby, and tried breaking in after you left."<br/>
<br/>
"What did they see?"<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing. That is, they didn't see Chelsea. They didn't even see the golem. But, um ... Well, I had to pretend I was <i>you</i> in order to get rid of them." He's silent. "I mean, I pretended that I was you pretending to be me. That is, I pretended that they'd caught ... you ... wearing a mask of me. And I yelled at them."<br/>
<br/>
Again the line is silent. And then comes the last sound you'd have expected: soft laughter. "Oh, Jesus," he gasps. "That sounds <i>awesome.</i> I'd have paid a ridiculous amount of money to see <i>that.</i> Did they buy it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Tilley did. I'm not sure about Caleb."<br/>
<br/>
"Did they go?" You grunt an affirmative. "Okay, no harm done. Well handled, Prescott. You're starting to impress me," he says, and his tone sounds genuinely warm. "I'll yell at them tomorrow. <i>Again,</i> I guess."<br/>
<br/>
"Please, don't—"<br/>
<br/>
"I won't do anything to them. Sounds like you put the fear of <i>me</i> into them. I'll just nail the impression in place. Christ, it hasn't even been five minutes," he continues. "I guess you haven't, uh, had any fun yet."<br/>
<br/>
"No," you admit. "It was kinda lucky I hadn't really ... gotten started."<br/>
<br/>
"Alright." He seems to hesitate, as though weighing options. Then: "I'll talk to you soon." <br/>
<br/>
You hang up with a frown. <i>Soon.</i> You look back down at the golem, and at the mask. The desire to do anything with it has waned. And yet it seems a shame to let the opportunity go to waste.<br/>
<br/>
Seized by a sudden thought, you dash back out to your truck and retrieve your kit, from which you draw your laptop. The nearby rec center has a wifi connection, and you're able to launch the browser with no problem. Then you return Chelsea's mask to the golem. She reappears with a pout. "You know, all this winking in and out of existence is going to give me wrinkles," she complains.<br/>
<br/>
"Never mind. You're gonna have fun."<br/>
<br/>
"Really?" She draws away from you.<br/>
<br/>
"Not like that. Well, not yet," you add. "You're gonna check your messages." You indicate the laptop.<br/>
<br/>
"Oooh!" Her eyes light up, and she sits eagerly at the keyboard.<br/>
<br/>
You have to stifle a laugh. "Do you often check your stuff in the nude?"<br/>
<br/>
"Things are always coming in while I'm in the shower," she sniffs. "It's like the way running water causes the phone or doorbell to ring."<br/>
<br/>
You sit next to her, leaning in close, and can't resist putting an arm around her waist to clasp her hip and thigh. "You think I'm cute," you say, trying to mimic Patterson's commanding tone of the night before. "You think I'm cute and funny, and you really like me."<br/>
<br/>
She turns toward you, a quizzical expression on her face. Her gaze softens as you gaze directly back at her. "Yeah, you <i>are</i> cute," she says. "I like your little beard." She lightly pinches the long, thin stubble. "When was the last time you shaved?"<br/>
<br/>
"About three weeks ago," you admit.<br/>
<br/>
"Gordon can't grow a beard either, but he shaves every day, so I never get one of those to play with." She continues to finger the whiskers, then brushes your upper lip. "I bet those tickle when you're kissing a girl."<br/>
<br/>
"Mmm," is all you say. "How about you concentrate on your messages. Just let me hold you and touch you." Your cock is rising, but the intimacy without the effort is very nice. She turns back to the screen as you settle your other hand on one of her breasts. It is large and firm, and the nipple hardens as you brush a finger against it.<br/>
<br/>
She types away while you press your nose into her hair and sniff. "Oh my God," she says, but you're still drawing in the perfume of shampoo and conditioner and the fragrances of Chelsea herself. "I didn't write any of these!"<br/>
<br/>
"No, the real Chelsea did," you murmur. "Ow!" She has turned her head, banging sharply into your nose. <br/>
<br/>
"What do you mean, 'the <i>real</i> Chelsea'?" she demands.<br/>
<br/>
"You're a fake. You're just a copy." She frowns. "Didn't you realize that? It's why you keep going in and out of existence."<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes cloud even as they widen. "You mean there's another one of me out there?" Fear shows in her eyes. "The ... the <i>real</i> me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, yeah." You are suddenly seized by alarm at her reaction. Chelsea Cooper, realizing that she has a duplicate that is living her life while she's stuck in a grimy basement with ... you: What might she do? "Don't worry about it," you say firmly. "You don't mind being a copy. You want to help me."<br/>
<br/>
Her expression remains stony for a moment, and then she shrugs. "Yeah, sure," she says, though without enthusiasm. She returns her hands to the keyboard. "I'd rather help you out <i>there</i> than here, though," she murmurs. "But okay." She looks back at you. "You <i>are</i> cute, whatever your name is."<br/>
<br/>
"Will," you mutter, but she doesn't seem to hear you.<br/>
<br/>
Again, she has managed to kill the mood, and you turn your attention to the screen as she checks her various accounts. Most of what shows up doesn't make sense to you, though Chelsea keeps clucking her tongue. But then messages pertaining to Kendra, and to Lisa, begin to show up.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea makes a hissing noise. "Kendra is so full of shit." She clicks back and forth between messages, bringing herself up to speed. "The fuck does she mean that she wasn't at my house—" She checks the date on your screen. "Last night. That's where she told me about— Oh, God!" She checks another message. "Two-faced little bitch. I'm gonna have to sic Gloria on her." She catches herself. "Or I would. Or it looks like I will."<br/>
<br/>
"What's going on?"<br/>
<br/>
"Get this, she shows up at my house with some bullshit story about Amanda and Ricky Golia having a fight. You know them? Oh, of course you do, I've seen you at school. She said it was about Kelsey—" <br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I know all that," you interject. "Just, what happened today?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I <i>guess</i> I talked to Amanda about it today at school. Only they weren't having a fight, they got caught making out— Ooooh! They must've had most of their clothes off, or it wouldn't be a huge thing. I wish I knew what I said to Amanda and what she said. No, wait, I don't, it would have been hugely embarrassing. It must've been. I can tell by what I said to Kendra here." She clicks on another message. "Yeah, we must've talked on the phone. Or at school. Is there a fake Kendra running around?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sometimes," you admit.<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes narrow. "So if you let <i>her</i> out to screw things up, how about letting <i>me</i> out to fix things?"<br/>
<br/>
"It wouldn't work," you start.<br/>
<br/>
But then the door opens. You look up, and your jaw drops.<br/>
<br/>
<i>You</i> are standing in the door. "There's a fake one of <i>you</i> too?" Chelsea squeaks in your ear.<br/>
<br/>
Of course, even before the other you speaks, you've figured it out. "We make a cute couple, don't we?" Patterson says, and closes the door. "I've never tried <i>that</i> position with a girl."<br/>
<br/>
"We're catching up on some Chelsea's emails and stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"Interesting angle." He grins. "I hadn't thought of doing <i>that,</i> either."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, we've got a problem." You try explaining what you've found, but after a bit Patterson waves you silence.<br/>
<br/>
"It doesn't matter, dude. Who gives a fuck if Chelsea's pissed at Kendra? You don't count," he adds as the golem raises her hand.<br/>
<br/>
"But what if someone catches on," you protest. "Kendra's swearing up and down she wasn't at Chelsea's house yesterday."<br/>
<br/>
"Catch on?" Patterson laughs. "You mean, someone will figure out there are duplicates running around?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, what if the doubles run into each other? I mean, we've had to keep the originals busy while Caleb and Keith and me have been—"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, and we'll keep doing that," Patterson says. "As for stirring up trouble, don't you get it yet? That's half the fun!" He grins. "Kind of like what you did to Caleb and Tilley a little while ago." You start to object, but fall silent at an impatient gesture from him. "Get your dick out the wringer. That's part of what we're doing right now, figuring out how to go out in public without getting caught. After we get it figured out, and after you guys have your quota of masks—" He grins. "Then we can <i>really</i> start having fun."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what?"<br/>
<br/>
"All in good time, dude, all in good time." He tugs off his shirt and lazily scratches at his—your—shallow chest. "Right now— Well, after talking to you on the phone I decided I wanted to screw around a little."<br/>
<br/>
"As me?" You pale a little.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, but only in here. Now, who do you want to be? We still got Caleb's mask. I can be you, and you can be your best friend. Or you can be Chelsea. Don't you want to know what your own cock feels like?" His eyes glint. "Tell you what, you let me take you as Chelsea, and after we'll switch. I'll be Chelsea and you can be yourself. Or Caleb, if you want it really kinky."</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112221111212
author_id: imaj
title: Not The Trois You Were Looking For
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You gasp. A three-way? With Chelsea Cooper and Steve Patterson? You swallow, torn between the desire to run far and fast, and the desire to show how cool you are.<br/>
<br/>
But then, you always were a bit of a coward.  “I… Uh…  Maybe I’ll wait till you’re done?”  You quiver nervously as Patterson stares at you.<br/>
<br/>
“You are such a fucking pussy Prescott,” sneers Patterson.  “I was almost starting to think something of you.”  Patterson stares at you for an uncomfortable few seconds, causing you to go weak at the knees.  “Heh,” he laughs, his eyes lighting up with menace.  “Pussy.  That give me an idea:  Clothes off Prescott.”<br/>
<br/>
“I…  What,” you stutter.<br/>
<br/>
“You heard me,” he snarls.  “Get your clothes off.”  Uncertainly, you comply.  Your hands shake at you pull of your shirt and unbuckle your belt.  Patterson doesn’t wait around to watch. He opens one of cupboards and pulls out a mask.  He throws it to you and you catch it.<br/>
<br/>
You look at the reflection in the mask.  “Really,” you ask.  “When?”<br/>
<br/>
“Lynch works fast,” smiles Patterson.  His smile is a hard thing, toothy and sharp at the edges.  “He’s gonna make senior member long before you do at this rate.  And like I said, you wanna be a pussy that’s fine with me.”  His voice becomes harder.  “Put it on.”<br/>
<br/>
You put the mask to your face and push it into place.  Maybe you’re becoming accustomed to the masks, because rather than pass out all that happens is your vision blurs for a minute and you stagger about clumsily.  “Looks like we have a last minute substitute Chels,” laughs Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“Maria,” gasps the fake Chelsea.  “What are you doing here?”<br/>
<br/>
“I suppose you think this is funny,” you say to Patterson in the lightly accented tones of Maria Vasquez, who is Chelsea’s best friend.  For a given value of friend anyway.<br/>
<br/>
“Fucking Hilarious,” laughs Patterson.  “I always wanted to do two cheerleaders at the same time.  Eva and Jessica never seemed interested.  Not at the same time anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“Do we have to,” asks the golem, indicating itself and you.  Its voice has an odd toneless quality, like it’s speaking very carefully.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah Chels,” grins Patterson.  “Lick her out.”  Chelsea looks at you, her expression carefully neutral.  She takes a haltering step forward and takes hold of you by the hands.  With a nervous kiss, she pulls you to the floor.  She works her way down your body, kissing your plump Maria breasts, your taut Maria stomach before arriving at your newly flat crotch.  Then Chelsea blows your world away.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
“Ugh,” you groan.  “I had this lovely dream where Chelsea Cooper and Maria Vasquez were…”  You stop and realise your voice is not your own.  In fact, it sounds a bit like…  “It wasn’t a dream, was it,” you ask, blinking your eyes open.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson looms above you.  “She must have been pretty good if you passed out like that,” he laughs.  You sit up straight and look around.  Chelsea is sitting nearby, her expression unreadable.  “Listen, get a new lock for that basement in the school by your house.  We can’t chance Gordon finding our little score.”  The Chelsea golem flinches at the mention of Gordon’s name.  “Or have him busting in on us if we've got her out.”<br/>
<br/>
“What’ll I tell Keith and Caleb?”<br/>
<br/>
“Tell them I told you I was taking it over and made you swap out locks,” says Patterson impatiently.  “Does it matter? Make a copy of the key to the new lock and give it to me. This weekend we'll take your old golem--the one you made--and move it in there.  Right now you going to clear up and let yourself out of here.  Take Chelsea’s face with you,” he indicates the golem.  “I don’t want Gordon finding it here.”<br/>
<br/>
“And if he finds it on me I take the fall, right,” you say sourly.  “You’re a real bastard, you know that.”<br/>
<br/>
“And you’re smarter than you look sometimes,” grins Patterson.  “I guess you’ll have to hide it real good then, won’t you?  I gotta get going.” He strides out the room, leaving you alone with the golem.<br/>
<br/>
“Are we done now,” asks the golem, still in that curious emotionless voice.  “What happens now?”<br/>
<br/>
“Um…” you say.  The golem looks at you with wide eyes.  On some level, from Maria’s memories, you know that it’s manipulating you just like the real Chelsea would.  On the other hand, maybe Patterson’s orders have left it vulnerable.  “You’re going to go to sleep for a little while,” you eventually say.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, OK,” says the golem, looking downcast.  “Before you do what ever it is you’re going to do, can I ask you something?”  You nod and the golem continues.  “Was it good?  As good as Steve thought?”<br/>
<br/>
It’s an easy question to answer, and you do so truthfully.  “Good?  Amazing.  I never knew…  I really didn’t.”  The golem smiles weakly.  “It’s like you knew exactly what to do.  Almost as if…”  The golem’s smile crystallises, its eyes glazing.  Is that panic?  “Almost as if you’d done it before,” you finish, realising just what it is you are saying.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know what you are talking about Maria,” says the golem hotly, its anger erupting from nowhere.<br/>
<br/>
You start running over things in your head.  Maria’s brain works surprisingly quickly, much more so than her airhead reputation would suggest.  “You have done this before,” you say.  “But you’re afraid to admit it.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not afraid of you,” says the golem defiantly.  You can’t help but notice exactly what it says, Maria’s exceptionally sharp mind at work again:  It’s deliberately avoiding your accusation.<br/>
<br/>
“No,” you agree.  “You’re not.  It’s Gordon, Kendra, others too.  You’re afraid of what would happen if they found out.”  The way the golem flinches when you mention those two names confirms your suspicions.  “You’re not afraid of me at all.  I think you feel something else for me.  That’s why you’ve been so impassive talking me – you’re trying to hide it.”<br/>
<br/>
You let the statement hang in the air for a moment.  The golem is simply too shocked to respond.<br/>
<br/>
“If Patterson comes back and asks about it, you know you’ll have to tell him,” you state.  “Or you could tell me.  I’m your best friend.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t think you’re really Maria,” bristles the golem.  “I saw what happened with that mask.  And Maria would never stand up to me like this.”<br/>
<br/>
“I am right though: You can tell me voluntarily or you can be forced to tell Patterson later.”<br/>
<br/>
The golem deflates.  “Promise you won’t tell anyone,” it asks in a small voice.  “Not Steve, not Gordon and not the real Maria?”  You nod your head in agreement.  “Yeah, you’re right.  It wasn’t the first time.”<br/>
<br/>
“And you have feelings for Maria,” you add.  The golem looks to be close to tears.  “God, no wonder you seem so messed up.”  You reach out and give the golem a hug.  It starts to sob softly on your shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
You lift your hand to its face and utter the words that will let you pull the mask away.  Instantly, it reverts to featureless grey stone.  You shrug clear of its loose grasp and look at the mask thoughtfully.<br/>
<br/>
You promised not to tell anyone its secret, but it wasn’t the real Chelsea.  It’s not even alive.  Intuitively, you realise that Patterson would love to know about Chelsea’s secret - Maria’s memories tell you that there is little love lost between them.  Telling him might even earn you a little of the credit you lost with Patterson over trying to back out of the threesome<br/>
<br/>
But it would mean breaking a promise.  Even if the real Chelsea would break one in an instant, even if you’ve been doing some shitty, shitty things to people recently, you’d like to think there as still some lines you just won’t cross.</span></div></div>


path: 111231222122122121111122211112121
author_id: imaj
title: Interview With A Golem
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“They were pissed,” is the first thing you say to Patterson when you meet at his house the following afternoon.  He looks at you with a perplexed expression.  “Keith and Caleb,” you explain, his expression does not change.  “Uh, Tilley and Johansson.  They were pissed about losing the school basement.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck ‘em,” grins Patterson, as he leads you out to the garage.  “You’re on the fast track to senior member now Prescott.  You don’t need to worry about them.”  He makes his way to he back of the garage and pulls back a sheet to reveal a golem – your old one you assume. You groan at the thought of trying to move that massive slab, but Patterson just smiles and drops a mask onto it; an instant later Caleb Johansson materializes, and Patterson tosses some old clothes at it. "I love how mobile these things are," he grins. "Tell it to get dressed, then meet me out at the school."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck is going on?" the fake Caleb asks after he's gone.<br/>
<br/>
"Never mind," you retort. You feel very queer talking to the thing, and can't meet its eyes. "You're a fake and you know it. Just shut up and come with me."<br/>
<br/>
It's an eerie but uneventful drive. At the school you take off the old lock and put on a new one; when Patterson arrives a short time later you give him the extra key, and then the three of you descend into the basement. "Like old times, huh," Patterson joshes.  “You still got the special mask I gave you for safe keeping?”  You nod.  “Take it out and have yourself some fun.  This set up will be convenient for you, won't it? Don't let your schoolwork suffer because you're getting laid every afternoon."  He winks at you and makes to leave.<br/>
<br/>
“Wait,” you say.  “There’s something I need to tell you.”  Patterson stops in his tracks.  He doesn’t look upset, but he doesn’t exactly look happy either.<br/>
<br/>
“You fucked something up,” he growls.<br/>
<br/>
“No,” you squeak.  “The opposite.”  You explain what happened after Patterson left the Fuck Room yesterday, describing your conversation with the golem Chelsea.  Patterson looks uncharacteristically thoughtful throughout.<br/>
<br/>
“Cunt,” he eventually says, as if pronouncing on something profound.  He sits quietly for another minute before asking:  “Let’s see this then, put the mask on the golem and let’s see this.”  You pull the mask out your back, taking a moment to swap out the Caleb mask from the golem before replacing it with the Chelsea one.  It glances and its surroundings but remains quiet.  “Tell her to tell the truth when I ask her questions,” says Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“You heard him,” you address the golem.  “Answer his questions truthfully.”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess,” replies the fake Chelsea shiftily.  “If that’s what you want.”<br/>
<br/>
“Are you a dyke,” asks Patterson bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes,” says the golem.  It covers its mouth in shock, its eyes wide open “No, wait that’s not what I meant to say.  I meant to say ‘yes’.  Shit.”  The golem panics, casting its gaze around wildly.  “You,” it snarls, pointing a finger at you.  “You were Maria!  You promised!”<br/>
<br/>
“Forget about what I promised,” you say quickly.  Just as suddenly, the golem lowers its finger, a confused look on its face.  “How did you know,” the golem asks Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s not important” he grins with a sideways glance at you.  “If you’re into girls, why are you with Gordon?”<br/>
<br/>
“I need him,” it says before it realises what’s happening.  The golem shuts its mouth and folds its arms firmly, determined to give away as little as possible.<br/>
<br/>
“Be more helpful,” you admonish it.<br/>
<br/>
“Because he’s the captain of the basketball team,” the golem elaborates.  “And I’m the cheerleading team captain.  He gives me more influence.  More people will do what I want them to, and I can stop people taking my influence away from me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Is that all,” you ask.  “Answer me truthfully too.”<br/>
<br/>
“He’s a good fuck,” says the golem distastefully.  “I’m happy with him.”  The golem sounds like it’s trying to convince itself more than either you or Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t love him,” ask Patterson, his face shading red. <br/>
<br/>
“No,” scoffs the golem.  “What’s that got to do with anything?  He’s a big hairy stupid lunkhead.  The only good thing about him is he does what he’s told.”<br/>
<br/>
“You really think so,” asks Patterson angrily.<br/>
<br/>
The golem tilts its head to one side and thinks.  “Deep down.  I don’t think I’d have admitted it, even to myself, if you hadn’t told me to tell the truth.”<br/>
<br/>
“Take it off Prescott,” shouts Patterson.  “Take the fucking thing off.”<br/>
<br/>
“What,” both you and the golem ask in unison.  Patterson simply glares.  He looks like he’s ready to explode.  You brush off the golems protests and remove the mask.  It turns back to cold grey stone.<br/>
<br/>
“That cunt,” mutters Patterson, kicking at some of the abandoned furniture left lying in the basement.  “That bitch.  I knew it.  I knew…”<br/>
<br/>
“Look,” you say nervously.  “If you want me to come back later<br/>
<br/>
“No,” replies Patterson.  His murderous rage vanishes, only to be replaced with a chilly, almost unnatural, calm.  “We let Gordon know,” he explains.  “I always thought she was using him, but I never realised it was this bad.”  He paces back and forth across the basement.  “Then we destroy the cunt.”<br/>
<br/>
“Um,” you being nervously.  “The thing is…  The thing is, the only proof we have is the mask.”  Your hand shake nervously as you try to explain to Patterson.  “Which we really shouldn’t have in the first place…”  As you tail off, you realise your whole body is shaking.<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck,” snarls Patterson.  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”  He stops pacing.  Instead, and you notice this very carefully, he starts pounding a closed fist into an open palm.  “Can’t we make her admit it somehow?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t think she realises it herself,” you muse.  “That’s what the golem said.  It only admitted it because it had to.”<br/>
<br/>
“We could switch in the golem for her,” suggests Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“Gordon might check,” you reply.  “If one of my friends started acting odd, the first thing I’d do now is try to pull his face off.”  You refrain from pointing out that your newly acquired paranoia is a result of Patterson’s behaviour.<br/>
<br/>
“Well what do you fucking suggest then,” thunders Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“Um…” you stutter.  The threat of imminent violence isn’t exactly doing wonders for your thought process.  “Maybe if another girl hit on her,” you manage to say, possibly the stupidest idea you’ve had since you bought the book in the first place.<br/>
<br/>
“She’d just brush them off,” replies Patterson, his brow furrowing.  “Unless…”  You don’t like the sound of this.  It was a stupid idea, but on reflection you realise that Patterson is just about stupid enough to think it’ll work.  “Unless it was the right girl.  Bah!  If it’s someone else acting odd with Chelsea, Gordon will check them too.”  He stops pounding his fist.  “Don’t think we’ll get lucky enough that some lez transfer student shows up out of nowhere and takes a shine to the bitch,” he says morosely.<br/>
<br/>
“Actually, we might,” the words escape your lips before you realise what you are saying – must be the nerves again.  “Uh, forget I said anything,” you say quickly, cursing yourself for drawing further attention to your slip of the tongue.<br/>
<br/>
“Spill it Prescott,” says Patterson, his eyes narrowing.  “Before I make you spill it.”<br/>
<br/>
<i>Well, fuck.</i>  “Um…  Well…  We’ve just used the masks to make copies of people,” you explain, waving your hands about.  “Then we put the sealant on them.  But if we put the mask on two or three people before we seal it…” you tail off for a moment.  “I never tried it, but I think if you wore it, you’d be a mix of the people.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s fucking brilliant,” shouts Patterson.  “We hit two or three girls that Chelsea would find attractive:  We get her fucking dream girl.  Someone she can’t say no to.”  Patterson smiles warmly at you.  He looks like a shark eying its dinner.  “Keep this up Prescott and I might actually start liking you.”<br/>
<br/>
You are <i>so</i> fucked…<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1112312221221221211111222111121211
author_id: imaj
title: Too Scared To Let Go
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It’s too late to back out now, all you can do is hang on tightly and hope not to get too badly hurt when the whole enterprise comes crashing down.<br/>
<br/>
The first task is to put the Chelsea mask back on the golem and quiz her on what kinds of girls she likes.  It’s an awkward process:  Patterson is still angry and the golem is reluctant to give up its secrets without being compelled.  You manage to get it to admit that it’s attracted to Maria.  That’s not too much of a surprise, as Maria is easily one of the prettiest girls at Westside.<br/>
<br/>
What is a surprise is when Patterson manages to make the golem give up the identity of Chelsea’s previous lover.  You’d worked out that there was one from what it had said yesterday but when you hear her name, it shocks both you and Patterson:  Andrea Varnsworth.  The captain of the girls swim team is something of a dark horse – beautiful, aloof and famously unattached.  She skirts the margins of Westside’s social scene, never getting involved in the petty rivalries that orbit around Chelsea and her clique.<br/>
<br/>
That should have been the giveaway really – Chelsea never tolerates rivals and only ignores people if they are completely beneath her notice (like you, you muse).  You suddenly find yourself with a mental image of Chelsea and Andrea facing each other like the United States and Soviet Union during the cold war.  Sure, one could destroy the other, but the price would be their own, mutually assured, destruction.<br/>
<br/>
“Maria and Andrea, huh,” you say to Patterson after removing the mask from the golem.  “At least she likes the hot ones.”<br/>
<br/>
Patterson doesn’t smile at your comment.  “It’s a start,” he comments brusquely.  “We need more than those two.  If it’s just them, cunt might catch on.  We throw someone else in the mix, someone she doesn’t know, it’s gonna make it harder for her to spot.”<br/>
<br/>
“What you mean,” you ask.<br/>
<br/>
“I mean your going to go to Eastman and pick up a third face,”  says Patterson.  “Don’t worry, I’ll set it up for you:  I heard there was going to be a party at some Eastman girl’s Saturday afternoon.  You can get a third face and your Eastman player at the same time.”  He grins unpleasantly.  “Don’t go saying I’m not good to you.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s not like I can just crash their party,” you begin.  With a sinking feeling you realise that Patterson’s already thought of this.<br/>
<br/>
“You can’t, Kendra can.  Or maybe Eva or Jessica,” says Patterson, his eyes gleaming.  “I’ll keep the real one out of the way.  Hell, I’ll even get Maria and Andrea onto a mask for you.  All you need to do is show up at the loft Saturday morning.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe I can pick up mind band for our new girl there too,” you mutter.  Patterson looks at you uncomprehendingly.  “I don’t think we could stick the mask on a golem without out one,” you explain.<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck, I was just going to make you wear it,” laughs Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
“I…  Uh…  I’d only make a mess of things?”<br/>
<br/>
“True,” he muses.  “If you were actually any good at it, you’d have a girl by now,” he states.  Fucker.  “Yeah, get a mind for our girl there too.  I hear there’s some girls that are open about that shit over there.  Find one that can show Chelsea a good time.”  Patterson offers you his hand.  You reach out tentatively and he grasps you in a firm handshake.  “You did good Prescott.  We’re going to nail this bitch,” he says.  “And then, then we get to nail this bitch.”  He laughs at his own joke.  It seems like a good idea to join in.<br/>
<br/>
*****<br/>
<br/>
You spend the next couple of days studiously avoiding everyone.  Keith and Caleb don’t seem to be in any mood to talk to you in any case.  They’re probably still smarting over losing the elementary school basement.  Lynch and Black would never want to be seen with you at all, and Patterson?  Well Patterson’s probably picking up Maria Vasquez’s and Andrea Varnsworth’s faces.  The less you know about that the better.<br/>
<br/>
Patterson is waiting for you when you arrive at the loft on Saturday morning.  He hands you a pile of feminine looking clothing with a mask sitting on top.  “Get changed.  I’ll be back in five minutes,” he says.  “I don’t wanna see your scrawny ass naked again.”  He walks out without another word, leaving you to inspect what he’s left.<br/>
<br/>
It’s Kendra, and you soon have the mask in place.  While Patterson said he didn’t want to see you naked, he didn’t say anything about seeing <i>her</i>, so you quickly pull on the clothes he’s left:  A sleeveless lime green minidress with matching boots.  There’s even a matching Alice band for her hair.  The clothes fit perfectly but you make a distinct decision not to think about just how he got them.<br/>
<br/>
“You ready,” asks Patterson as he re-enters.  There <i>is </i>a small note of disappointment in his voice when he sees you are.  “Good.  I gave you a blank mask for the basketball player already, you got it?”  You nod and he smiles briefly.  He hands you a mind strip and another mask.  “Use the strip if you find someone that might be useful.  Don’t think you will.  What I hear is that the party’s for what their top table crowd.  Girl named Kristy Carlson is the host.”<br/>
<br/>
“Kendra’s heard of her,” you interrupt, consulting her memories briefly.<br/>
<br/>
“And find a third face for the mask,” he frowns slightly.  You look at the mask he’s given you.  It’s hard to make out the girl in the masks reflection but you can see that she’s voluptuous, with a pale complexion and raven tresses of hair.  It’s impossible to see the details of her face.  “Remember, Chelsea likes them pretty and just a little bit athletic.  Any questions?”<br/>
<br/>
“What about the real Kendra?”<br/>
<br/>
“She won’t be there.  I’ll make sure of that,” says Patterson.  It takes a moment to realise what he means.  You blush a little – the real Kendra would be quite happy with the distraction judging by her memories.  “Here,” says Patterson, throwing you a lime green purse.  You put the masks and band inside it.  “Now get going, I don’t want you here when Kendra arrives.”<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11123122212212212111112221111212111
author_id: imaj
title: An Uninvited Guest
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“Come to spy on us,” jokes Ian Carpenter when you run into him in the kitchen at the Carlson house.  It’s about the warmest anyone has been to you all afternoon.  Kendra is known by the Eastman set, even if they aren’t on good terms.  Everyone has been guarded around you, presumably because, as Ian points out, they’re assuming you’re at the party at Chelsea’s behest.<br/>
<br/>
“Please,” you smile, flashing Kendra’s brilliant white teeth.  “We don’t <i>need</i> to spy on you.  Frankly we go easy on you just save you some embarrassment.”  Ian smiles and laughs.  “Besides, I do have a life independent from Chelsea.”<br/>
<br/>
“Could have fooled me,” mutters the girl leaning on the kitchen worktop at Ian’s side.  You pretend not to hear her comment.  From Kendra’s memories you recognise her as Alyssa Randall, the captain of Eastman’s cheerleading team.  Like Kendra, Alyssa is African-American, but there the similarities end:  Alyssa is more robustly athletic while Kendra is a little more delicate.  There’s clearly little love lost between the two.<br/>
<br/>
Since Alyssa isn’t really what you are looking for, and since Kendra’s personality wants to, you decide to stir the pot a little and smile at Ian.  “I do have ways of making you talk,” you say, twirling your hair round a finger idly.  Ian grins appreciatively, but Alyssa lets out an angry harrumph and storms out the room.<br/>
<br/>
“I’d better go after her,” says Ian ruefully before following Alyssa.  The part of Kendra’s persona that you’ve been playing like a puppet is well pleased with the mischief.<br/>
<br/>
That leaves you alone so you continue your exploration of the house.  The Carlsons are clearly very rich and the house is huge.  You wander out of the kitchen and into a almost empty dining room.  There are only two people here, and they are so engrossed in each other they don’t notice you enter.  You back up and linger at the doorway to watch.<br/>
<br/>
In fact they are exactly what you are looking for, even if they do seem a little out of place compared to the other guests.  The two girls are locked in a gentle embrace, completely oblivious to your presence.  The first is a petite oriental girl, her baggy hoodie and ripped jeans are a sharp contrast to the stylishness of everyone else you’ve seen today.  The other girl is even more outlandish:  Her short spiky hair has been bleached blonde and the tips dyed blue.  It takes a moment to realise that it’s been done to match the Eastman colours of blue and white.  Her plaid miniskirt matches too.  They would never get invited to a party like this at Westside.<br/>
<br/>
You are just wondering how to separate the two and grab the mind band you need when a soft voice at your side interrupts your thoughts.  “I’d stay away from Summer if I was you.  Alyssa is already pissed at you for that little scene in the kitchen.”  You spin around and find yourself face to face with a blonde with a pageboy cut.  She stares at you with steely eyes.  From Kendra’s memories you recognise Lisa Rickover, effectively Kendra’s opposite number at Eastman.<br/>
<br/>
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” you protest.  “It’s creepy.”<br/>
<br/>
“More creepy that watching people making out,” she sneers.  “Yeah, of course.”  She pauses for a moment before grinning.  “You like to watch, huh?”<br/>
<br/>
You blush furiously before regaining your composure.  “You know me Lisa, I like to <i>listen</i>.  Keep my finger on the pulse.”<br/>
<br/>
“So you do,” she replies.  For a moment, you think you spot Lisa’s eyes flash down to the low cut of your dress and Kendra’s cleavage.  It’s such a quick thing you put it down to your imagination acting up on you.  “Information is currency, right?  Except that Summer and Chris is hardly news, unless it’s a slow day over at Westside and Chelsea has too much time on her hands.”  Her eyes flash down again quickly.  This time you are sure of it.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, if you have something useful for me,” you say, thinking furiously.  “I’d be happy to share a couple of juicy titbits.”  Kendra and Lisa are well acquainted, often trading information with each other in a mercenary fashion.  However, Kendra never suspected Lisa to be anything other than a clever and exceptionally well connected gossip.  On the other hand, your dress <i>is</i> fantastic.  It certainly turned Ian’s head earlier.  <br/>
<br/>
Lisa’s mind would be an excellent choice for the girl you and Patterson are building – if you are reading the signals correctly.  She’s almost a match for Chelsea in terms of raw cunning.  If you’re misreading the signals, however, it might be better to pick one of the girls in the dining room.<br/>
</span></div></div>


