# chapters

path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112
author_id: seuzz
title: The New Body
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"There'll be time for that after we've finished up," you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"Will there?" Joe arches his eyebrows. "You're going to be busy playing your new part, going to school, getting reacquainted with people--"<br/>
<br/>
"It'll be okay," you say with more confidence than you feel. "We had a long talk earlier. We understand each other perfectly." Joe grunts skeptically. "She said she can get you Dane. Apparently he likes to hang out at her house."<br/>
<br/>
"Cool! Maybe we can have that pow-wow at her place. Oh, but we'll have to find another disguise for Frank. Does Chelsea hang out with Andrea?"<br/>
<br/>
You fight down a smile. "I don't know <i>what</i> they'll be doing, now that they're on the same team."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, really?" His face splits into a wide grin. "Tell me who they like. I was wanting a girl for my collection. We could have a slumber party, paint each other's toenails when we're not licking out each other's--"<br/>
<br/>
"Are we ready to go?" That's Andrea, coming out of the bathroom. Her face is a little ruddier, apparently from a good scrubbing and washing.<br/>
<br/>
"Lemme just grab my keys," Joe says, and can't resist giving you a quick wink.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Before quitting your company, Chelsea had had the presence of mind to give Andrea a spare key to the gym. But there's a little complication to handle before you can get to business. There are several cars in the parking lot, and among them you recognize Gordon Black's VW Bug. "I'll go scope it out," Joe says as you survey the building. "He's not likely to pay any attention to either of you."<br/>
<br/>
So you and Andrea wait silently in her car for ten minutes or so, until Gordon, in the company of Jason Lynch, appear and drive off. Neither of them look very happy. Joe calls to say that the coast is clear, and you and Andrea join him up in the loft. "How'd you manage that?" you ask, for you were skeptical that even "Mr. Hagerman" could get the two assholes out of the loft.<br/>
<br/>
"They didn't want to go until I told Gordon he should probably talk to his girlfriend," he says. "Those seemed to be the magic words. He pulled Lynch along in his wake."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought Chelsea was going to get rid of Jason," Andrea says. "Break up their friendship."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess she hasn't done that yet." Joe looks down at the sigil. "I wonder what they thought of this."<br/>
<br/>
"Another reason to get rid of Jason," Andrea says. "Or make him a puppet. Maybe for Frank?"<br/>
<br/>
"We don't need a psycho working for us," Joe says. "Let's go ahead and-- How is this going to work?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not totally sure," you admit. "Except that I know I'll have to get here." You drop onto the sheet metal. "Oh, and I think I'll have to use <i>your</i> body, Joe. I can't do it from mine."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, if you have to," he sighs.<br/>
<br/>
You wipe your hand over you face, and bring up the control sigils.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You sway a little on your feet, and blink at the prone figure of Will Prescott in the middle of the sigils. You rub your hands thoughtfully. "I think this job is going to be easier than the others," you say. "It's just stripping and replacing <i>imago.</i> But you'll recharge my juice afterward, won't you?"<br/>
<br/>
She shrugs. "If I have to. Hagerman is good looking, but--"<br/>
<br/>
"Is Andrea really only into the girls?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. Neither was Aparijita."<br/>
<br/>
"So why were you so--?"<br/>
<br/>
"Andrea can go either way. But who would <i>you</i> rather snuggle up with, Will?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ah." You're a little disappointed to learn that any girl-on-girl proclivities in your new partner are due less to her psyche than to your own. "Still, I owe Joe for this." You stretch and flex lightly; Hagerman's muscles are strong and fit tightly against his shirt. "Or, shit, maybe he owes <i>me.</i> He scored last night, the bastard."<br/>
<br/>
"Let's just do this. Are you going to be able to? If you're modifying your own body--"<br/>
<br/>
"The control sigil connects directly to <i>anima,</i> it's not mediated by <i>imago.</i> I won't break the connection. And since his <i>imago</i> is displaying in this state, I'll be able to see my work as I do it. So, we just need the mask--"<br/>
<br/>
It's in the bag you'd brought with you from Straussler's: the mask containing Rosalie's <i>imago.</i> And since it's just a straight replacement of faces and bodies the switch is quick and fairly easy to pull off. The activation of one spell sends lightning arcing from your body into a blank mask you've pulled from the supply cabinet, and you get a queer and queasy feeling to look down at the blank golem on the sigil, and to realize that the featureless thing is <i>you.</i> If you were to lose control of Joe's body, and slip back into your own, would you be able to recover?<br/>
<br/>
So you quickly activate the other spell. Another shoots out of Rosalie's mask, and connects with the golem. It's probably your imagination--a kind of sympathetic vibration--but you feel a hot tingle all over your body as you see the glow envelop your real body. An instant later it fades, and you blink away the phantom lights in your eyes. The figure is dressed in the clothes you'd been wearing, but it is no longer Will Prescott.<br/>
<br/>
It is the slim figure of Rosalie Shabbleman.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
After all the waiting and all the preparations, it seems very anticlimactic to look down at yourself and find that you've finally and so quickly given yourself a new body. You're silent and unmoving for a very long minute. "So, that's it," you finally say lamely. "That's the new me."<br/>
<br/>
"You sound disappointed," Andrea says.<br/>
<br/>
"No," you say. And you're not disappointed. It's a rather coltish body, with long legs and small hips and breasts; the face is pretty enough without being especially beautiful. You like the hair, which with its curls and dirty-blonde hue has some character. "No, it's just--" You can't put your finger on it, but you've a sense that the disguise is rather thin. "Well, she still looks a lot like me, doesn't she?"<br/>
<br/>
"She could be your sister," Andrea agrees. "That's why you wanted to do it, right? It's not a huge change, but enough of one that no one would suspect you're the same person."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," you grunt. "Well, I guess I should try it out."<br/>
<br/>
"It'll be--" Andrea says, but the rest of her words are swallowed by blackness as you release Joe's body. The control sigils appear before you, then vanish as you open your eyes. "You'll see," Andrea is saying as you blink.<br/>
<br/>
"It'll be what?" you ask, and raise yourself onto your elbows.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea swings around to look down at you; Joe is frowning and also blinking. "I said it'll be fine. It is, isn't it?"<br/>
<br/>
You don't answer, and just get onto your feet. You expect to feel unsteadier than you do, but despite the change in your carriage you feel quite normal. More normal than you felt when you were guiding Chelsea's body. You put your hands to your chest and feel the small but firm breasts. You take a few breaths. With a frown you put one hand to your crotch, and feel the absence of any kind of package.<br/>
<br/>
"Get you into your new clothes," Joe says, "and you should--"<br/>
<br/>
"Where's a mirror," you ask, and brush past him to find the full-length looking glass that Gordon and Chelsea installed in the corner. The world is a little blurry--you'd forgotten that Rosalie needed glasses--and you have to get up close to it before you can make out your features. They are the same as you'd seen when looking at yourself from Joe's point-of-view, though of course reversed. A pert nose, a slightly sharp chin, deep brown eyes. Your hair falls into your face, and you pull it back.<br/>
<br/>
Despite all the body-hopping you've done in recent weeks, this face feels much more alien than any of the others you've worn. And yet this face is yours. It's now your real face, as real as the one you were born with, for it is resting on your <i>substantia</i> in exactly the same way that your original face had. So why does it seem so--?<br/>
<br/>
And then it hits you. "I don't know how to be a girl!" you exclaim.<br/>
<br/>
There's no reply from the other two, and they just gaze back blankly as you turn toward them. "I don't know how to--" you repeat again.<br/>
<br/>
That's what's missing, and why this face feels so strange. In all your other guises you had another psychology--another mind and sense of memories--to go with the look. You could inhabit another person fully. But now you're only yourself, but with a look that you're not used to. It's a look you don't know how to inhabit. You are seized with sudden fright. You're a girl, and all the guys in Westside will be looking at you as a girl, and treating you as a girl, and you won't know how to respond. You start to shake.<br/>
<br/>
Your partners exchange glances as you stammer this epiphany out to them. "It's a little late to be realizing this, isn't it?" Joe says quietly.<br/>
<br/>
"It's never too late," Andrea briskly replies. "You can always get another face. Become another girl at Westside. Or another guy, if you want to change your sex back." She cocks her head. "Or you can pick up some mind bands of other girls and fashion yourself a new psychology to go with your new look."</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212221222111211121122
author_id: seuzz
title: The Bucket List
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>After the easy way you had with acquiring a new face, you're not pleased with either of Andrea's suggestions, for they will both mean merging other minds with your own. But it's that or--<br/>
<br/>
"Who would have a good personality to match my new look?" you ask, your eyes still locked on your reflection.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea looks back blankly; Joe says, "Chelsea would know best, wouldn't she?"<br/>
<br/>
So you call Kim Walsh's number.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
She looks very puckish when she arrives. "Poor Will," she giggles. "Finding out how the other half lives."<br/>
<br/>
"Cut the teasing," you retort. "If I'm going to be a girl, I need a--"<br/>
<br/>
"I know, I know," she says. "I think Andrea would be a good match for who we had in mind for you. But she's all mixed up with Aparijita now." She nibbles thoughtfully on a thumbnail. "A little editing might be in order, in that case."<br/>
<br/>
"I've still got Andrea's original <i>imago</i> inside a mask," you say. "But I don't want a straight copy of a classmate. I'm supposed to be someone new, not just Andrea or someone else inside a different body."<br/>
<br/>
"So we get a couple of people, and you edit them together into someone new," Chelsea says briskly. "Gillian Kiefer was one I mentioned."<br/>
<br/>
"Some of my friends too, if that's what you're aiming for," Andrea says. "Fatima. Sienna."<br/>
<br/>
"Some of them might be good extras for you, too," Chelsea says. "Golems for you, like Kim is for me. I was going to start moving tomorrow, and if we get mind bands of these girls, we might as well put golems in for them as long as we have them."<br/>
<br/>
"I want to be more careful about who we take," you say. "Think about each one, keep an eye on the future. I don't want you just grabbing people."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe we should make a list," Joe suggests. "See where we stand, and where we might expand."<br/>
<br/>
So Chelsea takes Kim's laptop out of her bag, and the bunch of you squat down around it as she opens up a word processor. "So, we can each have six, including the people we are now," she says. "So, there's me--Chelsea Cooper--" She types rapidly, and adds "Kim Walsh" after a comma. "I was thinking of Kelsey Blankenship, too. She's the kind of girl who's going to run a sorority when she goes to college, then marry a politician or lobbyist or someone like that. Be one of those queen bee types in Washington or Manhattan--"<br/>
<br/>
"Or maybe just the state capital," Andrea adds skeptically. "Amanda Ferguson is someone else like that."<br/>
<br/>
"Right." Chelsea pairs Kelsey's and Amanda's names in brackets. She hesitates, then inserts a line break. "Let's just think of two more people for each of us, for right now."<br/>
<br/>
"Jordan is also easy," she says, putting his name down. "We'll probably fill him up with lacrosse players from the college, but we should give him a lacrosse player here at the school." She hesitates, then puts down Mr. Hagerman's name. "I think I mentioned Danny Russo to you, Joe. What do you think of making him one of your golems?"<br/>
<br/>
"That goofball? I've got him in a remedial class." He chuckles. "Yeah, he could work for me. You're thinking of connecting him to whoever you get for Frank?"<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly. I don't really know the LAX team that well. You could scope them out from inside Danny."<br/>
<br/>
"Put him down then. Also, Dane Matthias. And I want a girl."<br/>
<br/>
"Maria," Chelsea says brusquely, and types "Maria Vasquez." "She's a dingbat, and I'll say that even though she's my best friend. We could give her a boyfriend," she adds thoughtfully. "Someone <i>I</i> could play. What?" she demands, raising her head, for her three companions have all exchanged startled glances. "If Joe can have a girl, I can have a guy in my set."<br/>
<br/>
"Does Kim get to have a boyfriend?" Joe asks. "Maybe Dane? Maybe Danny?"<br/>
<br/>
"We should mix and match," Chelsea sniffs. "One connection between you and me is enough. Kim will have to hook up with-- I'll have to think about it."<br/>
<br/>
"Does someone take Gordon as a golem?" you ask. "Oh yeah, don't forget to put him down on the list of golems you've already got."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea quickly adds his name, and also adds Straussler's dad to Frank's list, and Straussler and his mom to Joe's. "You're already filled up, if you take Danny and Dane and Maria," she tells the latter. Joe curses softly, but Chelsea turns to you. "What about that girl who's dating Jonathan. Monique? Is she--?"<br/>
<br/>
"She's only got a remote sigil in her," you say. "No <i>essentia.</i> She doesn't count."<br/>
<br/>
"She <i>could</i> become one of your golems," Joe says. "If we're each going to have one, uh, 'romantic connection' to each other, that's a natural place for you and me to hook up."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll think about it," you mutter.<br/>
<br/>
But Chelsea puts Monique's name down in brackets next to Rosalie's, and adds your own as well. "You've still got your own golem under your control," she points out.<br/>
<br/>
You snap your fingers. "Also, Melody Weiss at the university, and Will Shabbleman back in Cuthbert. Shit, I haven't heard from him in a week. Someone from the <i>Stellae</i> should have--" But you dismiss the thought.<br/>
<br/>
"And Andrea is all by herself," she observes. She sits back, and you all look at the screen:<br/>
<br/>
* Chelsea Cooper, Kim Walsh, (Kelsey Blankenship/Amanda Ferguson), Gordon Black<br/>
* Jordan Cooper, (Keyserling LAX), (Westside LAX), Mr. Straussler<br/>
* Mr. Hagerman, (Danny Russo), (Dane Matthias), (Maria Vasquez), Jonathan Straussler, Mrs. Straussler<br/>
* Rosalie, (Monique), Will Prescott, Melody Weiss, Will Shabbleman<br/>
* Andrea Varnsworth<br/>
<br/>
"We're already more filled up than I thought we'd be," Joe says, making a face.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea nibbles harder on her thumbnail. "I'm going to keep Gordon for myself," she says. "He runs the guys' sports team side of things. And if he turns out like his dad, he'll keep pushing guys around after school, too. Through Chelsea I'm connected to Jordan. Kelsey-- I'll take Kelsey. How about Jonathan dumping Monique and hooking up with Kelsey?" she asks Joe. "His money and industry connections, her social skills--"<br/>
<br/>
"Wait until after they graduate," Joe says. "But cut Danny from my list. The Strausslers are enough of a connection for me and Frank."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea obliges. "In the meantime," she observes, "you and I are connected via Maria. That leaves me needing a close connection with Will and Andrea."<br/>
<br/>
"You're supposed to be friends with me after I join the school," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"So that leaves me and Andrea needing to forge a connection," Chelsea says.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea closes her eyes and sighs deeply. "I guess Kim could get a boyfriend," she says. "Someone sensible, okay?"<br/>
<br/>
"Boring, you mean?" Chelsea asks waspishly. "We'll think about it, if it's something we have to set up. Now, we still have to connect Frank to you too, Andrea sweetheart. And to Will."<br/>
<br/>
"Weren't we trying to figure out possible golems for me?" you ask, and don't hide your irritation. Chelsea is clearly having fun laying out possibilities, but you're getting a headache.<br/>
<br/>
"That's what we're doing," she says soothingly. "We're narrowing the possibilities by figuring out who has a good connection to people that we've already got or are going to get."<br/>
<br/>
"But they're also supposed to be people who match our personalities or prodigies," Joe says. He looks at you thoughtfully. "Sulva and Kenandandra. Hate to say it, little buddy, but I think that means nerds, computer geeks, and other invisible types for you."<br/>
<br/>
You groan. "And I need a girl's psychology to go with my new look. Not a lot of girls answer to that description."<br/>
<br/>
"Gillian Kiefer," Chelsea says sympathetically. "She's dating Braydon Delp, and always hanging out with--"<br/>
<br/>
"No, not them!" you gasp.<br/>
<br/>
Joe sucks on his cheek. "You could stand to have a computer genius in your arsenal," he says. "It's a good match with your sigil mastery."<br/>
<br/>
"The kind of model you're making," Andrea says, "would fit with my group. Fatima and Sienna and Jelena."<br/>
<br/>
"She could fit with anyone," Chelsea says. "She'll fit with my group, I'll see to that. Gillian's a natural. Add Sienna or Jelena, and you could play an instrument, which would be cool. A little bit of Kelsey, since we're getting her anyway. Do you want some athletic ability? Play basketball or baseball or soccer?"<br/>
<br/>
"Or swimming?" Andrea asks.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea snaps her fingers. "Rachel Burton. Swim team <i>and</i> she's part of Kelsey's group."<br/>
<br/>
Now it's your head that's swimming. All you wanted was to get a look so you could start going to school again. Now they're pressing all these choices on you. You grab your temples and writhe. "Stop it! Just get me some mind bands, for <i>all</i> these people, so I make myself a new personality. I'll worry about golems later!"<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea's expression grows pinched. "But as long as we've got these girls unconscious--"<br/>
<br/>
"I can't turn <i>all</i> of them into golems!"<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea spreads her hands. "Alright," she says quietly. "We'll get an assload of mind bands for you, and worry about replacements later." She goes to the supply cabinet and pulls out a bunch of blank metal strips and some tools. "Three for each of us," she says as she passes them out. "I'll take three extra for Jordan to work on. Put the runes on, then get them onto some girls. Attractive girls, the kind that Will might like to be. Since we all know what he likes--" Her face crinkles up adorably. "It should be easy."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
She volunteers to give you a ride back to the Strausslers', and on the way you apologize for losing your temper. "It wasn't fair to put you on the spot like that," she says. "I'm sorry too. But you know--" She reaches up to tweak your ear. "Joe's right. We can make you popular and visible. But your golems should probably be more underground."</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122212221112111211221
author_id: seuzz
title: A Talk with One Who Knows You Best
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's not until you're bent over the mind bands, scratching runes into them, that you reflect on the ambiguity in the word "underground" that Chelsea had used. Your natural reaction had been to interpret it as Joe's word "invisible," which pointed toward the kind of third- and fourth-class type student you'd hung around with when things were normal for you: Caleb and Keith; James Lamont and Carson Ioeger. Gillian Kiefer pointed toward some RPG and computer nerds you vaguely know: Braydon Delp and Christian Knouse and Darrell Parsons and Howie Baylor.<br/>
<br/>
But "underground" could also point toward more bohemian types. There are those girls that Andrea mentioned: Sienna Goldman and Fatima Zahedi and Yelena Petrovic. Artsy, radical types. There are the guys they hang out with, too: Adrian Semple and Tim Gerrard and Zach Reynolds and Karl Hennepin. You don't really know them, though.<br/>
<br/>
Or do you? Chelsea had said that "Will Prescott", the golem you'd left behind, has been hanging out with the "portables" crowd, which would include them.<br/>
<br/>
You've not talked to your replacement since being yanked to Cuthbert. You've a sudden and strong desire to talk to someone who knows how you think, and who isn't influenced by assumed personalities. So you call him.<br/>
<br/>
Naturally, he doesn't recognize your voice when he answers. "I know I sound like a girl," you say, feeling embarrassed. "But this is you. The real you. Your boss. Can we meet?"<br/>
<br/>
"Where have you <i>been?</i>" he explodes. "My ass has been--"<br/>
<br/>
"Can we meet?" you ask again, more firmly. "I'll tell you all about it. It's been exciting."<br/>
<br/>
"You have a cure for that hex yet?" he peevishly demands.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes. That's something to talk about."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh." He sounds both surprised and slightly mollified. "Where?" You give him the Strausslers' address. "I'll try," he grumbles. "Dad's been a real grouch lately."<br/>
<br/>
He does manage to get away, and since he's been to the Strausslers' before, he manages to find it, even in the dark. He does a double-take as he enters the private apartment. "That's you?" he asks. "What's the deal?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's a long story," you say, and reach for his face. But then you stop. From the rumors, it sounds like he's had a bad time of it recently, and you don't want to add his memories to your own. "Let's just say that I've learned a lot of great tricks recently, and I've got a team of my own. You're on it too, but--" You bite your lip. <i>But you're now junior subordinate.</i><br/>
<br/>
He seems to read your meaning. "Oh, I get it," he says, and his face twists up sourly. "You've got yourself some new friends. Well, so do I." He tilts his chin rebelliously.<br/>
<br/>
That tears it. He was your first partner, even if he's a fake; he's the one who helped you out, who shared everything with you, when it was you against the world, when it was just you against Blackwell. You grab his face and wrench the mask free. <i>It will be better this way, no matter what you learn and see about what you've been missing.</i><br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You and your old double walk along side by side through the dark, across the vast expanse of the Strausslers' estate. The ground is so flat and well-trimmed that you never stumble, despite not being able to see your own feet clearly. You've been talking; you've had too, for the trick with the mask wouldn't have worked, as you'd realized just before jamming it to your face. You've changed your <i>imago,</i> so can't put your new memories into the mask that holds Will Prescott's old <i>imago</i>; and you're already wearing a mask, which would have interfered with the other mask anyway. So you'd put it back onto the golem and summoned him outside to give him the story.<br/>
<br/>
He'd interrupted lots of times, asking for clarification and expansion, as you'd told about your adventure in Cuthbert; about the vast strides you've made in your research; about the changes you'd made to Frank and Joe; the capture of two more <i>Stellae</i>; and the addition of Chelsea Cooper and Andrea Varnsworth to your team of allies. Most of his truculence drains away, but there's no missing the sense that a gulf has opened between you. It's not just that you've advanced far beyond him. It's that you now have closer and more powerful allies. "Chelsea and Andrea," he says thoughtfully. "Wow."<br/>
<br/>
"But I miss being with you," you say. "But it's been so packed over the last couple of weeks. What's been going on?"<br/>
<br/>
"I started hanging out with Justin Roth," he says. "Him and Shep Tsosie and Perry Small. Adrian Semple, some. Dane Matthias."<br/>
<br/>
"And the old guys?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not so much. That hex--"<br/>
<br/>
"Look, I'll get it off you as soon as we start getting the school reorganized."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, yeah, it's always one more thing that needs doing," he snorts.<br/>
<br/>
You want to shove him, but instead put your arm in his and pull him close. He jumps a little, for of course you're a girl now. "Look, we're going to be making more golems, starting tomorrow," you say. "Some of them are going to be-- Dane Matthias is going to be one of them. Joe's going to be replacing him."<br/>
<br/>
"Great," Prescott sneers. "I always liked Joe."<br/>
<br/>
"He's different now. Well, kind of. He's got <i>me</i> inside him--"<br/>
<br/>
"He had you inside him before."<br/>
<br/>
"But in a different way. And I'm going to be making golems too. Some of them could be in that group you're hanging out with. And I'll be coming back to school this week, looking like Rosalie here."<br/>
<br/>
"And that fixes things for me how?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"You'll be part of the group."<br/>
<br/>
"Just another golem with the rest," he sighs.<br/>
<br/>
"You're a copy of the original me," you say. "That puts you over all the others. I'll make sure the others <i>treat</i> you like an equal." You've made the promise before you realize that's what you've done, but you feel it firmly once it's made. <br/>
<br/>
"I still can't have the same kind of fun you and your new friends will be having."<br/>
<br/>
"I can't fix everything for you, dude," you sigh. "You <i>are</i> a golem. But, uh--"<br/>
<br/>
You hesitate long and hard before making the offer that had suddenly occurred to you.<br/>
<br/>
"But do you want a girlfriend? I can arrange it."<br/>
<br/>
He looks over at you, his expression lost in the black of the night, and says nothing.<br/>
<br/>
"One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you is because I'll be making more golems for myself. For <i>myself,</i> not for Chelsea or Joe or the others. They're not going to be guys on the ball teams, or cheerleaders, or people like that. They're going to be-- Well, guys and girls like <i>we</i> hung out with."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, losers," he says with brittle cheerfulness.<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly," you laugh. "Even winning all these battles, it turns out I'm best suited for hanging out with shitheads like you." You push against him lightly, and the two of you stumble; and then you snicker in unison. "Point is, I'm having a hard time figuring out who to hang out with. And then I thought, I should hang out with myself. With the old me. But who does <i>he</i> hang out with? Who does he <i>want</i> to hang out with?" You pause. "Who does he want to go out with? Because some of them will be girls. Maybe most of them."<br/>
<br/>
"And you can't figure it out yourself? Who <i>are</i> you now?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm you and you're me. I wanted to talk to myself," you say with a simple flatness. "And you're the only real 'me' that I know."<br/>
<br/>
He twitches a little, and you know what it means. It means he actually feels touched by your solicitude.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
So you talk over possibilities. "Justin's cool," he says. "Super smart, though he's flunking all his classes. He's a little scary. Small is an asshole. Maize lives by himself, that's a place to hang out."<br/>
<br/>
"And girls?"<br/>
<br/>
He says nothing for a long time. "I know Justin gets laid semi-regularly."<br/>
<br/>
"With who?"<br/>
<br/>
"Lots of types," he shrugs. "I guess if you made Justin into a golem, you could then get one of his dates, do the same to her, and pass her on to me as a girlfriend." His tone is hollow.<br/>
<br/>
"What about Sienna Goldman or Jelena Petrovic?"<br/>
<br/>
"Jelena came over to Maize's one day along with Semple. She was kind of scary."<br/>
<br/>
"There's also Gillian Kiefer as a possibility," you say. "But I think she's--"<br/>
<br/>
"Gillian?" he cries. "Oh, God, she's adorable!"<br/>
<br/>
"But I think she's dating Braydon Delp."<br/>
<br/>
"That could change, couldn't it?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know. Maybe. She <i>is</i> very cute," you agree. "She's got that whole hippy-bohemian thing going."<br/>
<br/>
"So do you," he says, giving you a sidelong look. "Now."<br/>
<br/>
The observation shocks you, but it's true, for you'd changed into some of your new clothes after returning to Strausslers'.<br/>
<br/>
You want to strenuously resist the suggestion, but you can't find a reason, not at first. After all, if you're going to get your doppelganger a girlfriend, and be the girlfriend, it hardly matters whether you do it as "Rosalie" or as one of the other girls. Grimly, you're forced to recognize that maybe you <i>don't</i> want to be your double's girlfriend, that you were thinking in terms of pairing up golems, not of pairing up yourself with him.<br/>
<br/>
But dutifully you have to accept that his suggestion is a logical corollary to your offer. You are able to grasp at one objection, though: "I think the plan was for me to be, uh, <i>available</i> to lots of people," you say. "The new girl who drives the guys wild."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, you were going to be the new slut," Will Prescott laughs.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112211
author_id: seuzz
title: A First Choice
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Oh, you were going to be the new slut," Will Prescott laughs when you tell him what Chelsea had outlined for your new appearance.<br/>
<br/>
"Something like that," you say, and feel yourself turning very red. "But fucking <i>with</i> guys, not just fucking them."<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever, dude," he says. "So you yourself are off-limits to me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe you could be one of the guys I'm fucking with," you retort. "Actually," you say in a more conciliatory tone, "I think that was one of the ways we were going to try rehabilitating you. Chelsea was going to make me the new, popular girl. I could use that popularity to kind of lift you up, since, you know, I wouldn't have that history or baggage with you that the rest of the school has."<br/>
<br/>
"That'd be nice," he says with a trace of lemon in his tone.<br/>
<br/>
<i>He really knows how to push your buttons,</i> you think to yourself. But of course he would. You grab him by the shoulders. "Look, just know that starting this week things are going to get better for you, because the good guys are back in town and they're starting to move. We'll talk more later. But right now give me one person--just one person--we could replace, who would make your life easier. Someone we could be connected through."<br/>
<br/>
"Dad?"<br/>
<br/>
"Dude! No!"<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, alright. I could use some female sympathy." He stares off into the darkness. "If you can't think of someone," he says softly, "I'm damned if I can."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll surprise you, then," you say. "But it'll have to be someone plausible."<br/>
<br/>
"Gee, thanks," he grumbles.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
There's a message from Kim Walsh when you return to the house. "You want to do the honors tomorrow?" she asks. "It's all on your behalf, you know." You ask what she means. "I mean, do you want to be running my controls?" she explains impatiently.<br/>
<br/>
"I wanted you to say it out loud," you reply. "If you're offering, I accept."<br/>
<br/>
"Good. I told Andrea and Joe you might be taking their controls too."<br/>
<br/>
You're slightly taken aback at the way she's made those arrangements on your behalf, and call each of the others just to make sure it's okay. Neither one is very enthusiastic, but they accept that you should be the one doing it. So you go to bed early, and set the alarm early as well.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Kim Walsh's hazel eyes stare back at you intently from the mirror; your hand is frozen halfway to your face, gripping the blush. Your lips whiten slightly.<br/>
<br/>
A muffled noise brings you out of this brief reverie caused by your sudden appearance in Kim Walsh's body. (Well, technically, Chelsea Cooper's Kim-disguised body.) Kim's dad will almost be done fixing breakfast. You finish getting ready: putting on the light makeup, slipping into a tight pink sweater, and triple-checking the hefty backpack to make sure you've left no homework behind. The important "homework" is in a side pocket: three fresh mind-bands. <br/>
<br/>
You have a quick, quiet breakfast with Kim's dad--her only immediate family--and step lightly out to the car for the quick ride over to Westside. You're relatively early--as Kim usually is--and have your choice of spots. Your gaze is fixed distantly on an invisible horizon as you march into the school; there is the calculus homework to go over again, and the chemistry assignment--<br/>
<br/>
You jerk as two laughing figures leap out of a side hallway, nearly sideswiping you. "Oh, I didn't see you there, Kim," Chelsea Cooper simpers with a tight smile. "How was your weekend? Did you have fun at Jamie's party?"<br/>
<br/>
You glance between her and Kendra Saunders, who smirks back knowingly at you. "I had lots of fun," you say neutrally. "I noticed you weren't there, Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"For some of us, it's a party when there's only two of us. Like with me and Gordon." Her eyes gleam smugly. "I heard <i>other</i> people had some one-on-one fun at Jamie's, but I guess you didn't--"<br/>
<br/>
"I had fun," you repeat. "But now I've got to get to the library."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, lots of fun <i>there,</i>" Chelsea chortles. She and Kendra sail off toward the gym, their heads close together. Briefly they glance back at you, and titter.<br/>
<br/>
You turn very red, even as a glow of warm satisfaction spreads through you. The latter is certainly from Chelsea, whose psyche is thrumming along synchronously with your own. <i>I played Kim's part perfectly,</i> the thought forms. <i>Just like the golem played my own. No one will be able to--</i><br/>
<br/>
But you can gloat later, and hurry off to Mr. Hagerman's classroom<br/>
<br/>
He's looking very handsome, with that golden mane of hair. His eyes glimmer with faint recognition. "Hi Kim," he says. <i>It's nice the way he knows the names of students he's never had,</i> you think.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Oh my God, does Kim have a crush on him?</i> You glance around the classroom, ensuring that it's empty. "Do you have something for me, Mr.--"<br/>
<br/>
Now recognition does click in his eyes, and from a drawer he pulls out two baggies that clink faintly. "Three from me, and three from Frank via someone who was looking like Chelsea. Which surprised me, but I guess that <i>you're--</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Right. You wanna hang onto your own? Have any students I should be checking out for myself?"<br/>
<br/>
"Ah, so it's <i>you</i> looking like Chelsea looking like--" He shrugs. "There's some cuties, but I should leave the choices to you. You bring your own?"<br/>
<br/>
"Couldn't arrange it, they're back at Jonathan's. But I've got the one's Chelsea made last night." You slip the baggies into your pack. "These nine plus the one's Andrea'll have-- That'll be more than enough for today. Gonna be busy." You glance back up, to drink in his handsome features. "See you around, Mr. Hagerman."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll be looking forward to it," he smiles.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Yes, you're going to be busy, even without trying to get the mind-bands onto people. Chelsea has mischief of her own to make.<br/>
<br/>
But even before classes start you're able to pull off two jobs with one blow. In the library after leaving Hagerman's, you find Kim's AP coterie: Kelsey and Amanda and Megan Farris and Brooke Galloway, sitting at a table with Martin Gardinhire and Ricky Golia. Ricky and Amanda are sitting next to each other, but they're not touching or anything; but then, they never do. Relations between them don't seem any more frigid than normal, though you watch them carefully.<br/>
<br/>
You see your chance when Amanda excuses herself for a trip to the restroom inside the library. You follow at a distance, ducking briefly inside the stacks, before heading inside the join her. She's fixing her makeup, standing next to Emmy Keller at the sink. You scope out the stalls before squeezing in next to Amanda; she doesn't make room for you. "That was a nice party on Friday," you say as you take out your own makeup kit.<br/>
<br/>
"I guess," Amanda says abruptly.<br/>
<br/>
"People who weren't there were talking about it."<br/>
<br/>
"It wasn't <i>that</i> much of a scene."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea seemed to think it was. Kendra was there, you know."<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
"I know," Amanda snorts. "Looking for molehills to turn into mountains."<br/>
<br/>
"She didn't find <i>you</i> standing on one, did she?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
There's a long silence, and during it you can sense Emma straining to listen to an unspoken conversation. But when no one says anything further, she reluctantly packs up and leaves. "I don't know what you could be talking about, Kim," Amanda snaps. <br/>
<br/>
"It's none of my business, Amanda," you say, and slip a mind band into your palm as you return your makeup to your pack. "But Kendra and Chelsea are the sort to <i>make</i> things their business, and if Kendra saw you and Fred--"<br/>
<br/>
Amanda swings on you, her eyes narrow. "If you like <i>spying</i> on people, Kim--"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't <i>spy,</i> Amanda," you retort with a heat that takes her aback. "But I see things and I <i>worry.</i> Are things okay between you and Ricky?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's not your business. Ricky couldn't go to Jamie's, and Fred was there, and so fucking what?"<br/>
<br/>
You grab her by the elbow and haul her back into a stall, pushing her until she falls back onto seat with a sharp squeal. "Was there <i>fucking,</i> Amanda? Because I don't spy and I didn't actually see you and Fred--"<br/>
<br/>
"So why are you making such a production about it?" she snarls.<br/>
<br/>
"Because you basically just confessed. And the <i>only</i> reason I knew to ask is because I ran into Chelsea on my way to the library, and she-- Oh, you know Chelsea, she's about as subtle as Godzilla--" You feel that you've surprised someone inside yourself with that outburst, but continue unbroken. "And if what she said got <i>me</i> thinking that you and Fred did more than talk, you can bet what some of <i>Ricky's</i> friends will be thinking once she starts dropping hints in front of <i>them.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
Amanda's eyes widen and her nostrils flare, and since she seems so excited anyway, you grab the chance to seemingly push her over the edge. Rudely, you slap her forehead; the mind band burns briefly before vanishing, and Amanda topples to the side.<br/>
<br/>
You wedge her place and close the stall door, and murmur quietly so that anyone who comes in will think it's a private conference. But no one enters. After the band reappears, you pocket it and chafe Amanda back into consciousness, slipping into what should sound like the last half of a conversation: "So unless you're thinking hard about ending things with Ricky, you should get ready for a real shit storm!"<br/>
<br/>
Amanda blinks with confusion, and turns scarlet. "Well, you can think whatever you want to think, Kim," she blusters.<br/>
<br/>
"I've already forgotten about it," you say. "But you should remember what I said."<br/>
<br/>
You leave her with that gnomic warning and return to the main building, dodging the crowded library.</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212221222111211121122111
author_id: seuzz
title: More Catches
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>The episode with Amanda, though fortuitous, shows how hard it will be to get mind-bands onto people, for you'll have to get them alone. You wrack your brain for possibilities even while dutifully paying attention in Kim's classes and taking notes in her neat handwriting. There aren't that many girls with attractive personalities of the sort you'd like to wrap yourself with. Amanda's personality certainly isn't attractive, and you'd grabbed her only because she has a spiky independence that you think would serve you well.<br/>
<br/>
But it needs leavening, and you see the leaven approaching the cafeteria from a different direction as you're walking there for lunch in the company of Brooke Galloway. "There's Lin," you say. "I'll catch up to you later, I want to talk to her."<br/>
<br/>
Lin Pol is walking along with that serenely confidant gait of hers. She's one of the cheerleaders, so she's very graceful, and she's also very solid. She smiles toothily at you as you call her, and her long, black hair swings behind her shoulders as she turns. "If Chelsea can spare your company, can we eat together," you ask her.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure. Chelsea can sit on a tack if she wants," Lin replies. You dimple, even as a little ire stirs within you. <br/>
<br/>
"What did you do Friday night?" you ask, taking her arm in yours and steering her off toward one of the wings. "I didn't see you at Jamie's party."<br/>
<br/>
"I wound up at a party some Eastman guys were throwing," she says. "I heard it got a little wild at Jamie's."<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing worth talking about," you lie. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about Cindy." You pull her onto the grass, sitting cross-legged, and lean forward with your most sincerely concerned face firmly composed for Lin's benefit. "How is she doing?"<br/>
<br/>
A shadow crosses Lin's face. "Not great," she says. "If you have to ask, I guess you haven't seen or talked to her."<br/>
<br/>
"She doesn't talk to anyone that I can tell. I know she dropped from the squad, Lin, but you guys were kind of close, I thought."<br/>
<br/>
Lin looks over your shoulder for a long time, and looks deeply into your eyes for even longer before replying. She leans in close. "She's seeing a therapist," she says softly.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea springs up alertly inside you, but you don't twitch a muscle. "That's good," you say. "Counseling is good."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't tell anyone," Lin hisses. You shake your head gently. Of course Kim won't tell anyone. But Chelsea can!<br/>
<br/>
"Does she talk to you at all? Or Yumi or--? She needs friends, not just a counselor."<br/>
<br/>
"Just to tell us she's getting therapy."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Seth? How's he handling it? It's got to be tough for him to--"<br/>
<br/>
Lin sighs weakly and looks away. "He's kind of freaked. I don't know. Yumi would--" She catches herself and looks at you sharply. "I know they've been talking."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, I've been thinking about Cindy lately, of course," you say. "I've wanted to talk to her, but I don't want to just barge in on her."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't barge in on people, Kim," Lin says. "And Cindy's not hard to approach. I think she'd like to know that people are thinking about her."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe I could go along the next time you're going to see her," you suggest. "Or with Yumi." You decide to dip a toe into the unquiet waters that have Chelsea so excited. "I saw Yumi at Jamie's on Friday, and Seth too. But I didn't see Cindy, so that got me wondering."<br/>
<br/>
"About what?" Lin asks quietly.<br/>
<br/>
That's enough to confirm for you that there's something darker going on, but you affect blank incomprehension. "About Cindy. I guess she doesn't feel like going to parties, but I missed her." You pat Lin's hand. "I missed you there too. It was fun, but it would have been more fun with you." Lin smiles.<br/>
<br/>
You change the subject and take out your lunches and eat. You keep eyeing her, though, and when you're done and she's leaning against the side of the building you slip a mind-band from your bag. "Are you feeling okay, Lin?" you ask. "You look a little--"<br/>
<br/>
"I feel fine."<br/>
<br/>
"You look a little pale." You reach up to feel her forehead, and Lin's eyes close gently as the mind-band goes into her. You huddle up close to her, to shield her as best you can from passing eyes. As with Amanda, you pretend to be finishing a conversation when Lin's eyes flutter open again: "I sometimes wish I could party hardy like other people."<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm?" Lin asks drowsily.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, nothing. I wish lunchtime lasted longer." You look around. "I've got a feeling the bell--"<br/>
<br/>
And sure enough, it rings just then. You help haul Lin--who complains of suddenly feeling drowsy--to her feet, and help support her back to the main doors.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Lin, like Amanda, has a very independent spirit and doesn't let others dominate her; unlike Amanda, she isn't dramatic or emotional about it. You want a more positive kind of energy to go with them, though, and during fourth period study-hall try to maneuver Anita Nuevo, the captain of the girls' soccer team, into a compromising position so you can get a band on her, but don't succeed. You make a note to try again in the future, perhaps from some other vantage point, for you like her radiant, athletic confidence.<br/>
<br/>
No one else seems likely to come within reach, so during fifth period you scrawl a brief note into your notebook for your current host's benefit: "Find Andrea." You settle back in your chair and release Chelsea.<br/>
<br/>
You materialize after a brief hiatus in an English class you'd had earlier. Your legs are crossed and your arms folded over your bosom as you listen truculently to a very dull lecture on Chaucer. A light groan draws your attention, and you look over to find Luke Bennett, his head on his desk, staring at you with pained, puppy-dog eyes. You turn away and settle back for your first real review of Andrea-Aparijita.<br/>
<br/>
The first thing you note is the haze of dark contempt that hangs about your mind. <i>Pupae,</i> the thought forms in your head. <i>They're unformed pupae, all of them, all around you. Indistinct blobs of instinct and vague, gross ambition. The boys, wrapped up in thoughts of sex and head-butting, diddling away their days in this warehouse that teaches them nothing and prepares them for nothing. The girls, buzzing and climbing over each other for advantage. A hive of mating displays and blind, purposeless activity.</i><br/>
<br/>
And yet--<br/>
<br/>
Your nostrils flare as scented tendrils curl about you. There is so much laziness, but it's the laziness of undirected energy, a self-canceling chaos. <i>Chelsea, the poor girl, can probably sense it as waves and currents, but can do nothing with it.</i> For you, it's like a jungle--fetid and disgusting but also alive. Take Luke Bennett, for example. He's like a thick cocoon of jelly wrapped around a strongly vibrating erection. It doesn't do him or anyone any good. But thrust into the right, receptive mass--whether the earthy innards of a fertile girl, or an artistic or athletic project of high ambition--and some great or lasting creation might erupt, altering the landscape and numerous lives. <br/>
<br/>
Maybe you should talk to Chelsea about Luke. But there are many you could talk to her about. You doubt she's aware of even a fraction of the places that could be reorganized.<br/>
<br/>
Of course, you need to talk to her anyway. You've got--<br/>
<br/>
Oh, cool, Andrea has been busy! She got her first mind-band onto Jelena Petrovic last night, even before she'd finished the other two, and this morning she got one of Bethany Lewis. And she's already set up a meeting with Gillian after school.<br/>
<br/>
And you can do more than that. You can get Dane for Joe.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Chelsea follows up on your scrawled message to her: Kim Walsh appears at your locker after fifth. "Hey Andrea, have you seen Olivia Byrne around?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think she's got--" You take out your cell phone. "I can message her for you."<br/>
<br/>
"It's not important," she shrugs. But you're tapping furiously. "There's some homework that--" She takes out her own beeping phone as your message lands in her box. <br/>
<br/>
"If it's only homework," you say as she studies and replies to your note. You trail off, to concentrate on your own phone. <br/>
<br/>
In this way, you talk about nothing while exchanging plans through the ether. She departs a few minutes later, to do as you requested: get fake-Chelsea to fetch a blank mask from the loft and drop it off with Hagerman, where you can pick it up for use on Dane. From her replies you learn that she intends to get a mask for herself to use in capturing Kelsey Blankenship after school.<br/>
<br/>
You bump into Kim again after class, when you both meet at Hagerman's; he's alone, as he was before school, and with a smile hands each of you a mask and few other containers. "I did some work of my own at lunch," he says. "That tub has golem goop with my <i>essentia</i> in it, all ready for Dane. You want me out there too?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll call you when I'm ready," you say. "I'll have Gillian to take care of, too."<br/>
<br/>
"Do you need a mask for her?" Kim asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I was going to wait and see. Give me a couple of your mind bands, though," you add after a moment's thought. "I can invite Anita over afterward."<br/>
<br/>
"Aren't you the social butterfly," Kim says with a little trace of Chelsea's venom in her voice.<br/>
<br/>
"I think she's interested in me. I think I'm interested in her." Eyebrows on the other two go up. "On Frank's behalf," you add after letting the tease string out. "Call Chelsea again for me, Kim," you say after a moment's thought. "I want a few more masks. Tell her to drop them off inside the natatorium, by the pool side, and I'll pick them up."<br/>
<br/>
The afternoon promises to be busy for lots of people, but you can only be in one place at a time.</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122212221112111211221111
author_id: seuzz
title: Dane Gelded
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Probably neither Chelsea nor Andrea need you riding around with them, doing their jobs for them. But you decide to linger inside Andrea while she works. Gillian Kiefer will be showing up at her place, and Gillian is one of the girls that has been suggested you take as a golem. You want to see her and weigh the choice for yourself.<br/>
<br/>
But Gillian isn't supposed to show up until dinnertime, and you can keep busy with other acquisitions. You take a look out in the parking lot and see that Dane's car is still there, which means he'll be somewhere on campus. <i>Detention?</i> He's often in trouble, and you recall something about him getting into a scrape with Walberg earlier in the semester. But the first place to check would be the portables.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Score!</i> But he's not alone. You hear his voice, but you hear others too as you round the corners of the portables, looking for the source of merriment. There's five of them, crouching in the dirt and dead grass. Dane Matthias, Justin Roth, Perry Small, Shep Tsosie. And Will Prescott.<br/>
<br/>
They all turn, their eyes lighting up at the agreeable appearance of Andrea Varnsworth. "So you're the guys making all the noise," you purr softly.<br/>
<br/>
"Grab some grass and join us," Perry says with a leer. Despite the invite, Dane is the only one with an obvious joint, and he blinks up at you through a haze of smoke.<br/>
<br/>
You kick him lightly in the hip. "Hey Dane, you gonna come out to my place and bother me?" He blinks stupidly and doesn't reply.<br/>
<br/>
"You want bothering or a light buggering?" Perry snickers. Justin nudges him sharply.<br/>
<br/>
"Dane?" you ask again.<br/>
<br/>
His lips fall open, and the joint dangles dangerously over his lap. "Uh, sure," he gasps. The joint falls onto his jeans--with winter coming up hard, he's finally abandoned his typical school wear of flannel pajama bottoms and bedroom slippers for something more respectable, and he desperately pats it out. <br/>
<br/>
You raise your eyes to your doppelganger. "You wanna come to, Prescott," you softly ask. "We all had fun last time."<br/>
<br/>
His jaw drops, and he stammers incoherently. Justin laughs and shoves him hard in the shoulder, sending him sprawling over Dane. They disentangle each other, and hop awkwardly to their feet. "Is it a party?" Justin asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Just an intimate little thing. Friends hanging out. Maybe you could hang out there some other time." Justin grins, showing the deep dimple in his left cheek. He is good-looking; you'll have to talk with the others about maybe making him an acquisition.<br/>
<br/>
Matthias and Prescott stumble along behind you; Dane seems too stoned to form a coherent sentence, and Prescott seems tongue-tied. "Can you find my place?" you ask them. "Will, you better drive. I'll meet you there after I make a quick stop."<br/>
<br/>
Their heads bob up and down, and you feel their eyes on your lithe back as you return to the campus, where you pick up a bag that Chelsea has left abandoned by the side of the pool. It contains half a dozen masks, each prepped for use, and jars of sealant.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Despite the detour, you manage to beat the two boys to the house by a few minutes. Andrea's mom waitresses--a top-flight, a quasi-managerial job at a ritzy restaurant, so money is never an issue--so you'll usually have the place to yourself until one o'clock in the morning. She did leave her daughter a grocery list and some laundry, so it won't all be fun and games. <br/>
<br/>
You don't want to waste any more time entertaining Dane than is necessary, so you've already got stuff set out when there's a knock on the door. Matthias and Prescott come in without waiting for an answer. "You need some more work done in your garden?" Dane asks.<br/>
<br/>
You pause with a mask in your hand, regarding him. <i>Is he more stoned than usual?</i> He's typically a chatterbox when he shows up at Andrea's: a goofball who gets underfoot. He seems much shyer now. Indeed, you see a gleam on his forehead: a light smear of sweat. "Are you feeling okay, Dane?" you ask, and put your hand to his brow. He trembles a little, but you feel no temperature. "Maybe you better sit down."<br/>
<br/>
He tumbles, rather than sits, onto the futon. His smile is desperate, glassy.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Maybe it's because today you </i>invited<i> him out.</i> That's a first for Andrea; in the past, he's only crashed her place, or tagged along with others.<br/>
<br/>
Well, this is awkward. Best to get it over with. "Here's a little cold compact for your face," you say. You push him at the shoulder as you raise the blank mask to his face. His brow crinkles just before the mask goes onto and vanishes into him. He sags slowly over and falls onto his side.<br/>
<br/>
"Nice ambush," Prescott says. "I kinda figured that's what was going on. Do you need my help?"<br/>
<br/>
"I know what I'm doing. It's <i>me</i> in here, Prescott."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I know," he casually replies. "I met up with my original last night, and he told me all about what he did to Andrea and--"<br/>
<br/>
"No, I mean it's <i>me</i> in here," you repeat. "Those remote control sigils we found, like we put inside your mask? I told you I put some like them inside Andrea and Chelsea and the others. I'm operating Andrea's body right now."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh." His eyes widen, and his mouth forms a perfect complementary shape to the syllable. "Heh. You said something about surprising me, but--" He steps forward, and puts his hand on your elbow.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be stupid," you say, pulling away. "I'm only here temporarily, and Andrea might have an opinion about doing things with you. And I don't think I need your help. I just thought you might want to hang out."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh," he says again, and now seems disappointed. "Well, shit, sure, I could hang out with you guys." He kicks at Dane's shin. "You turning him into a golem too?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, but for Joe. He likes playing the idiot."<br/>
<br/>
Lazily, you continue prepping materials to use on Dane, and when the mask comes out of him, you pass it to Will and instruct him to coat its insides with the golemizing goop while you call Hagerman. The mask goes back onto Dane before he wakes. "If you two want to make yourselves useful," you say after the new golem has blinked the confusion from his eyes, "I've got some shopping you can do for me."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Oh, yeah, this is great," Dane says as he tramps out of the bedroom. He plops onto the futon, stretches his legs, and takes a joint from his jacket pocket. He jerks his chin at Hagerman--now a golem hiding the real Dane. "Hey, teach, wanna get high with us?"<br/>
<br/>
"Send him home," you say brusquely. "He's got things to do, and Gillian will be here in a little while."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Gillian," Dane gasps, and giggles. "She's cute! If fuckin' Braydon weren't in the way--" He looks up at you keenly. "She's for Prescott, right? Maybe then we could--"<br/>
<br/>
"I haven't decided yet. Have you talked to Frank any about getting a face at Westside? I was thinking about Anita Nuevo."<br/>
<br/>
Dane chortles. "Frank as a girl? I think he'd freak out. Stick to the lacrosse team for him."<br/>
<br/>
"Mm. We should have that pow-wow you were proposing," you say. "Prescott here was talking about Justin as someone to take."<br/>
<br/>
Dane lights the joint and sucks it meditatively. "Not a bad choice," he says. "He's a smart fucker. But for who?"<br/>
<br/>
"Depends on who'd be a good fit for him."<br/>
<br/>
"Save him for Frank," Dane says, and inhales deeply. "He could stand some loosening up, and Justin has a bow, likes to do some serious hunting. Frank had a bow too, was real good with it."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you going to smoke as much of that stuff as Dane did?" you peevishly ask.<br/>
<br/>
"In public, yeah," Dane drawls. "Got appearances to keep up."<br/>
<br/>
"We're not in public now."<br/>
<br/>
"I should keep freshly scented for Gillian." But he carefully pinches out the lit end and returns it to his pocket. "If you're not going to turn her into a golem, why is she--?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mind band. For Rosalie. She's perfect. She'll go good with the others."<br/>
<br/>
"Who else have you picked up to cannibalize?"<br/>
<br/>
"Amanda Ferguson--"<br/>
<br/>
"Ooh! She's hot!" Dane slumps and spreads his legs; a silly grin distends his face. "We should totally add her to the group!"<br/>
<br/>
"Lin Pol--"<br/>
<br/>
"Lin! I could bury myself in her! Screw myself down inside her-- That'd be an awesome body to walk around in!"<br/>
<br/>
"Bethany Lewis--"<br/>
<br/>
He howls, and slouches so hard he slides onto the floor with a bump. "She's the cutest little-- Be <i>her</i>, dude!"<br/>
<br/>
"We can't add <i>all</i> of them, Joe!"<br/>
<br/>
He writhes on the floor, grimacing hard. "So many choices," he mutters. He hugs himself, and his eyes spring open. "Seriously, any ones you don't pick, I will!"<br/>
<br/>
"We're getting Maria Vasquez for you."<br/>
<br/>
"Maria?" That's Prescott gasping; he's been quiet up until now. "Whoa! If you're going for cheerleaders--"<br/>
<br/>
"I still got one slot!" Dane says. He struggles back onto the futon. "C'mon, I took one for the team with Jonathan's mother. Fuck, let Aparijita take over duties for me there. She doesn't want any of the Westside kids for herself. We'll swap out golem seals inside the other mask--"<br/>
<br/>
"That's not a bad idea," you admit. You listen for Andrea/Aparijita's reaction, and get no argument. "We could give her Straussler's dad, too."<br/>
<br/>
"Then if you're not going to take Gillian for yourself," Dane says hungrily, "I want her."</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112211112
author_id: seuzz
title: Three in an Afternoon
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>If Joe wants Gillian that badly, let him have her; it also seems best to leave your own options open. He grins when you share your decision.<br/>
<br/>
You spend the next hour or so preparing a meal for your friends, and the spread is all ready when the doorbell rings. You're in the kitchen, and only hear Dane's joyful cry of "Gillian!" when the door opens.<br/>
<br/>
You touch up the bowls of hummus and salad and ignore the indistinct voices from the living room. You frown when an abrupt silence falls, and return to the front of the house to find Dane tossing an unconscious Gillian onto the futon. "Well, <i>you</i> didn't waste any time," you say.<br/>
<br/>
Dane smiles tightly. "I don't like small talk. Come on, let's get her undressed."<br/>
<br/>
But you leave that task to him, and lean against the door jamb as he feverishly busies himself. Gillian is a small thing, with soft curves and lots of baby fat on her hips and thighs and tummy, and her skin dimples deeply as Dane pulls her jacket and blouse and jeans from her. Her dark hair is short but spreads out in big, soft waves over her brow and over her ears and behind her neck. Dane gasps as he pulls her bra off, and her breasts pop out. They're not enormous, but Dane cups them gently and raises them to his lips. "Mm," he says as he sucks on them.<br/>
<br/>
"You're being gross," you chide him. "You gonna do it with her in the bedroom when you're done?"<br/>
<br/>
"Gonna do it <i>as</i> her, if you'll let me."<br/>
<br/>
"You just got into Dane."<br/>
<br/>
"I can never play with my presents long before I wanna unwrap the next one." He grunts as he tries picking her up, but she flops heavily in place. "Little help here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Will," you say, and Prescott, looking abashed and uncomfortable, helps tug her into the bedroom. You return to the kitchen and transfer the small, Mediterranean-themed banquet to the living room, where you spread it in a semi-circle on the floor. You sit and wait.<br/>
<br/>
And wait.<br/>
<br/>
And wait.<br/>
<br/>
Eventually Prescott comes back out, looking jumpy. "Quite a scene in there," he mutters, and pulls the door closed.<br/>
<br/>
You hop to your feet and stalk over. "Dane! Gillian! Joe!" You bang on the door. "You can do that on your own time!"<br/>
<br/>
"Just a minute!" That's Gillian calling. "I just gotta--! Stop it!" She giggles, and Dane cries out softly.<br/>
<br/>
You sigh deeply, and sit cross-legged on the floor again. Prescott lingers a moment, then sits next to you. "He sure knows how to have fun, doesn't he?" he says.<br/>
<br/>
You're tempted to move things along by jumping inside Joe, but it wouldn't earn you any credit. You just start to eat.<br/>
<br/>
The door opens a minute later, and Gillian--dressed again, but looking hot and flushed and happy--comes out with a similarly flushed Dane trailing behind. "Oh wow, this looks delish, Andrea," she says. "Oh, hey, I didn't say 'Hi', and thanks for inviting me out."<br/>
<br/>
"How are things with you and Braydon?" you ask pointedly.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Braydon," she laughs, and snatches up a slice of pita bread and scoops some hummus into her mouth. "I left him with Christian and them over at Hugh's house. They're running a new campaign. They never learn." She snickers. "My hubby completely ruined the last one they were doing, and he'll ruin this one. One of these days Hugh's gonna punch him."<br/>
<br/>
She's referring to Christian Knouse and Hugh Baylor and some of the other guys you often see playing RPG stuff. It's the crew that, it has been suggested, where you might find some golems of your own. "So are you going to break up with Braydon, now that you've got--" You glance at Dane, who's sat down next to her.<br/>
<br/>
She swallows down a hunk of food and flicks a bit of oil from the side of her mouth. There's a pixie-ish gleam in her eye as she glances over at Dane. "It'd be more fun if Braydon were part of it. He likes fucking things up. Catilindria," she murmurs thoughtfully, and then busts out in a grin. "Oh, this astrological stuff is so cool!"<br/>
<br/>
"Are you into astrology, Gillian?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not especially. Braydon's all into black magic and stuff. Lemme have one of those," she says, and darts a hand into Dane's pocket to pull out a joint. "You know, if <i>he'd</i> found the <i>Libra</i> and gone to work with Blackwell--" She takes out a lighter and a cigarette, and fumbles indecisively between them before choosing the toke. "Well, him and Blackwell might've done some nasty stuff. Couldn't have had the fun <i>we're</i> having, though."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you proposing Braydon for me?"<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes narrow as she sucks on the joint, and huffs lightly. "Maybe for Aparijita," she says slowly. "Catilindria is a mischief-maker, just like Braydon."<br/>
<br/>
"It's something I try to keep under control," you say stiffly on Andrea's behalf.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, now I'm confused," she says. "Who am I talking to?"<br/>
<br/>
"Will Prescott," you reply. "But I'm trying to stay true to my hostess."<br/>
<br/>
"In that case, I'd say it depends on whether you want to add Christian or some of them to the crew. Braydon would be a good connection if you do. Otherwise--" She shrugs. "We're serious, him and me, but I don't mind fucking around with him if we leave him alone."<br/>
<br/>
You talk a little more, but it's not long before your phone rings. You blink at the ID. "The hell is Kelsey-- Oh!" You smile tightly as you answer.<br/>
<br/>
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Kelsey says, sounding slightly aggrieved. "But I'm looking for Will Prescott."<br/>
<br/>
"In body or spirit?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be a bitch, Andrea," she says. "Where is he?"<br/>
<br/>
"Speaking."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh. Well, as I guess you've deduced, this is--"<br/>
<br/>
"Hi Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"Hello yourself. What's going on?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm eating. It's been a busy afternoon. Why do you sound so pissed off?"<br/>
<br/>
"Do I sound pissed? I'm actually in a good mood. I had a fight with Amanda-- I mean, <i>Kelsey</i> did, before I-- This whole thing with her and Ricky and Fred Hildown is going to <i>explode</i>, and I'm-- But what have you got accomplished?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm here with--"<br/>
<br/>
"Lemme have that," Gillian says, and grabs the phone from you. "Kelsey? This is Gillian, and I'm here with Andrea. I just wanted to tell you that you're the biggest, snobbiest cunt I've ever had the displeasure of knowing." She grins and holds the phone away from her ear as a lot of incomprehensible shouting streams from it. "Yes, you're an even bigger bitch than Chelsea Cooper, because at least she's too <i>dumb</i> not to know better. By the way, does Keith have to take that broomstick out of your ass before pleasuring you anally, or is his cock small enough to slip in next to it?" Her eyes twinkle as she hands the phone back to you.<br/>
<br/>
You let Kelsey's stream of counter-abuse run out before you speak. "Do you want to come over and say that to her face, Kelsey? I made up lots to eat, and the guys don't seem too hungry." The Matthias and Prescott golems have been mostly listening all during the meal.<br/>
<br/>
"Who're these 'guys'?" she demands, and harrumphs when you tell her. "I just wanted to keep tabs on things, so I know who I can talk to at school tomorrow. Not that I've got anything to say to them."<br/>
<br/>
"Dane and Gillian are playing for us now," you say. "And I need to go over to the Strausslers to make some reassignments." You explain your plan for transferring control of the parents to Andrea. <br/>
<br/>
"Are you going to get Anita?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think  I've got time tonight."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, never mind. I can get her via Kelsey."<br/>
<br/>
"A mask or just a mind band?"<br/>
<br/>
"Do we want both?"<br/>
<br/>
"Talk to Frank. That's who she'd be for."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't you want Rosalie to be good at sports?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think she's built for it." This confession surprises you, but then you recognize it's coming from Andrea. "Not for soccer. Swimming, maybe. I think I'll put her on the swim team. From Andrea and Bethany Lewis I can outfit her for that."<br/>
<br/>
"You got a copy of Bethany Lewis? For God's sake, why?"<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea, I liked you better when you were being yourself. Kelsey is--"<br/>
<br/>
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just excited is all. Oh, you mean you just got a mind-band of her?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes. I could get more. Don't you think she's cute?"<br/>
<br/>
"We should talk. But who else do you want to outfit Rosalie?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think I've got enough. If I can get Joe out of Gillian long enough to get a mind-band of her." Gillian grabs Dane by the elbow and hauls him into the bedroom. "Do we all of us want to get together at the Strausslers to talk?"<br/>
<br/>
"I've got things to do. Tomorrow, after school," Kelsey says. "Can you get Charles Hartlein for me? I've got a feeling he's been making trouble over me and Keith."<br/>
<br/>
"He has, but is he someone we want long-term?"<br/>
<br/>
"He's someone I want to mess up long-term. If you can do that tonight, I'd be grateful."<br/>
<br/>
"You're just being excited. We'll talk tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
You hang up and brush your hair back thoughtfully. It surprises you that you've not heard from Charles yet. He usually bugs Andrea by dropping in unannounced. You glance at the clock. There's still time for him to barge in, invited or not.<br/>
<br/>
But you've still got the Straussler reassignments to deal with.</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212221222111211121122111122
author_id: seuzz
title: Cutting Deep
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Let's get Rosalie finished up," you say, getting to your feet when Dane and Gillian return. You look at Prescott. "You coming with us?"<br/>
<br/>
"I should get back home," he says reluctantly. <br/>
<br/>
"Joe, where are you?" you ask, looking between the others. "I'll need to borrow you."<br/>
<br/>
"Then maybe I should switch with Dane," Gillian giggles. "I don't want you getting in here and deciding you really want Gillian after all." You roll your eyes<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The four of you return to the school, so Dane can pick up his car, but it's only you and Gillian who go up into the loft to pick up the sigils and transfer them to the Strausslers'. "You coming in to school tomorrow," Gillian asks.<br/>
<br/>
"If I get all this done," you reply. "Probably. Maybe. Suddenly I'm a little nervous."<br/>
<br/>
"Why? Like it's joining a new school?  It's only Westside. You know Westside."<br/>
<br/>
"But Westside won't know me. It's going to be weird having them all treating me different."<br/>
<br/>
"You'll be fine. Me and Chelsea and Andrea will see to that."<br/>
<br/>
You shrug. The fact is that you've been feeling quite comfortable at playing other classmates. It's going to be hard to let go of that sense of familiarity.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
So you delay for a bit when you get to the Strausslers'. You take Jonathan's mother and father into the "occult library", where you remove their masks, strip them of the golem layers, and put in new layers using Andrea's hair. "This might make it a little hard for us to control them," you observe after you send them back out--looking slightly confused--to resume their false existences. "Andrea might need an excuse to be out here regularly."<br/>
<br/>
"You mean, maybe Jonathan should break up with Monique, start dating Andrea?" Gillian asks, sounding a little excited.<br/>
<br/>
"Except Chelsea said something about Jonathan and Kelsey becoming a couple. Andrea should have a say in it. I'll leave it to her." You sense her interest in such an arrangement is, at best lukewarm, but that she would resign herself to it if she had to. "Well, I guess we should get started."<br/>
<br/>
The world briefly darkens, and you wake in Jonathan's bed. You feel ravenous. <i>Shit,</i> you gasp, and clutch your stomach. With all the excitement, you forgot you needed to take care of your real body today. You feel very stiff as you sit up.<br/>
<br/>
Gillian and Andrea are talking softly when you enter the library. "Are you going to be able to do this in one go?" Andrea asks. "It's going to be a lot of work, and I need to be there when my mom gets home."<br/>
<br/>
"Let's do as much as we can, and then see. Joe, er, <i>Gillian,</i> how late can you stay out?"<br/>
<br/>
"Probably only until ten. My hubby will be calling before then."<br/>
<br/>
"Then I'll start by trying to put Andrea's and Gillian's brains together. I'll add the others if we have time."<br/>
<br/>
You sit cross-legged on the master sigil sheet, laying the two golem-dolls in place, and covering one with Gillian's mind-band and the other with Andrea's mask. Andrea herself sits behind you, and places a very warm palm on your shoulder. A nurturing fire spreads from her into your bones as you close your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
The two girls spring up before you: Andrea as a complete person, and Gillian as a more abstract web. You concentrate on the latter first.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Ye Gods.</i> This is going to be harder than you thought. Everything is a tangle. It's not just the vast ocean of memories, but the internal structure. Memories are connected to past memories in interlocking streamers, but these streamers also curl about each other, some loosely and others in tight knots. You're not interested in Gillian's memories, only in her personality, and you go hunting for aspects that look like character traits. But you can find nothing that looks like what you want.<br/>
<br/>
You puzzle over this, searching more carefully and deeply. You plunge into the mass, letting it drape about you, and begin to feel its influence. You're not wearing her mind band directly, but you can still sense her presence about you: her laughter, her anger, her sense of playfulness, her memories of home and relatives and Braydon and school. It's like she's whispering all her secrets into your ear and into your brain.<br/>
<br/>
And then you realize that there are no "personality traits" as such to copy. There are only her accumulated experiences. Her skills come from what she's learned; her habits from what she's done; her proclivities and moods and quirks from the way those experiences have bent and shaded each other. The girl herself is the form of her experiences, and you can't copy that form without copying everything. And you don't want everything. You don't want warring memories of half a dozen girls inside you.<br/>
<br/>
Or can you get the form without the content?<br/>
<br/>
Though the memories and experiences are thick, there are spaces between them, which are the negative of the positive form that is Gillian Kiefer. You concentrate on the spaces, holding them in your grip until they seem to congeal into a solid kind of emptiness. And when you feel like you've got a solid hold on that negative form, you dismiss the actual mind of Gillian Kiefer.<br/>
<br/>
What's left reminds you of a coral reef--the calcified shell left by a dead creature. There are no echoes inside of it.<br/>
<br/>
Now, what happens if you add Andrea's mind?<br/>
<br/>
It's not hard to unhook her mental <i>imago</i> from her physical form. You bring the former into contact with Gillian's negative space. They bump and collide, and refuse to merge. But you press and push and strain and--<br/>
<br/>
And suddenly they are twisting and combining. You almost lose control; you <i>do</i> lose control, to the extent that you can only gasp and watch as the living, glittering mind of Andrea Varnsworth slides into the cavities of Gillian Kiefer's. The merging entities writhe and spin, and if there were sound in the place you suspect they'd hiss and fizz. But then calmness returns, and you can regard the results.<br/>
<br/>
It doesn't look like Gillian's mind anymore. It doesn't seem much like Andrea's. Cautiously, you enter into it, as you'd earlier entered into Gillian's. None of Gillian's memories remain: you only have Andrea's around you. They are still familiar--echoes of the memories and intuitions you'd had while playing her part. But the coloration is different. Andrea is very serious, but this Andrea feels lighter and more playful. Memories of growing up mostly alone are not as oppressive; impressions of boys gazing lustfully are not quite so mortifying. Indeed, those latter memories are tinged more with something like regret. <i>Luke Bennett is cute,</i> a stray thought says as it darts past. <i>Why am I so mean to him?</i><br/>
<br/>
Ah! This is exactly what you want. With your eyes still closed, you fumble for a free mind band, slide it into the place you think it needs to go, and copy this merger of Andrea and Gillian into it.<br/>
<br/>
"What's going on?" Gillian asks as you open your eyes and lean back. <br/>
<br/>
You mop your brow. "Figured out how to do it," you mutter. "How are we on time?"<br/>
<br/>
"You were in there for twenty minutes," Andrea says. "Your stamina is holding up."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you going to need me?" Gillian asks. "Andrea was telling me about the whole 'recharging' process, and I'd kinda like to--"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll need you when I add myself to the mix. But I think we can get the rest of the girls merged without too much trouble." A tremble--perhaps from exertion, perhaps from excitement--passes through you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's fairly quick work with the others, now that you know how to do it. First you add Amanda Ferguson; then Lin Pol; then Jelena and Bethany. "Okay, Joe, now I need your help," you say, slide over to lay into the middle of the sheet.<br/>
<br/>
The world wavers, and then you're standing over your body--the skinny form of Rosalie Shabbleman. You ignore the quick thrill that comes from finding yourself inside Gillian Kiefer, and sit down. "What exactly are you doing?" Andrea asks.<br/>
<br/>
"It's hard to explain," you reply. "Basically, I'm keeping the form of each girl while emptying out the contents. Then I pour the new girl into the mold. It changes shape. I keep the new shape, subtract the mind, and pour in a new mind. I'm going to add my own memories now. I figure that will leave me with all my own memories with none of the others. But I'll be, er, 'shaped' into a different form."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you still going to be 'Will Prescott'?"<br/>
<br/>
That gives you pause. "I don't know. I'll still remember everything I know, but I'll probably feel different about it all." You hesitate. "I suppose if something funky happens, I can repair myself by using the <i>anima</i> you guys are carrying around."<br/>
<br/>
Andrea doesn't say anything, but you suspect you know what she's thinking: <i>We'll be keeping an eye on you.</i><br/>
<br/>
You close your eyes and set to work on the last stage. It goes quickly at first: you just merge your own memories into the form you've created from the five girls. It twists into a new shape. You then lay hold of your own <i>imago.</i> You hesitate very long before snipping off the mental form and letting it evaporate. But nothing odd seems to happen. <i>Of course,</i> you realize with relief. Your real, original personality is still there, inside your <i>anima.</i> The new personality is just going to be a disguise, like the personalities you assume when putting on a mask. You twine the new mind-mask about your physical form and bend over it for the long task of joining the connections.</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122212221112111211221111221
author_id: seuzz
title: The New You
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You are feeling faint and ragged long before you're finished, but you press on grimly. It's much more exhausting this time around, for you can feel the changes upon yourself as you work. You have no new memories, but you feel yourself wrenched and bent about as you work. <i>Snip. Snap.</i> The connections go on. It's like clicking millions of fasteners into place as you attach a living spirit to the dead physical form of Will Prescott.<br/>
<br/>
The dead form of "Rosalie Martin." That will be your new name. You hope you remember to respond to it and not to "Will Prescott" when your classmates shout out your name.<br/>
<br/>
Bit by bit you work, slowing down as you approach the end. But there is no end, not really. Mental <i>imago</i> can always be attached more closely, more securely to physical <i>imago.</i> You test it for tightness, for snugness, and continue working long after you feel like it's secure. But this is <i>you</i> you're working on, and you want no errors, no unravelings.<br/>
<br/>
But finally your strength fails, and everything goes dark as the image flees from you.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Constellations appear before you. But you retreat from them. Numbly you feel your hand brushing over your face, and you sit up with a deep breath. A thrill passes through you.<br/>
<br/>
You don't feel tired, just worked over. But Gillian has swooned into Andrea's embrace. The latter does a double take as she looks over at you. "What happened?" she asks. "Something went wrong?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, everything went right. I think I'm done. Why?"<br/>
<br/>
Andrea's mouth falls open. "So fast? That was, like, five seconds!"<br/>
<br/>
You blink back dumbly at her. "Are you serious?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes! You'd just grabbed onto the golems, and then you fell over. I didn't even have a chance to prop you up like I'd been doing earlier!"<br/>
<br/>
Your head swims in sympathetic panic with Andrea's own. Tentatively, you feel at your mind. There's nothing there but your own memories, of course. And yet--<br/>
<br/>
You sit up more straightly and hug yourself. Your body feels natural, not vaguely alien, as it had felt before. You look down at your jeans. <i>Oh, those are wrong,</i> you think. <i>Skinny jeans are all wrong. A long skirt and some stockings--</i> Hair falls in your face, and without thinking you pull it back and twist it into a loose braid. You look at your hands. <i>Bracelets, that's what you need. Those cheap rings that Chelsea had picked out--</i><br/>
<br/>
"Stop scoping yourself out," Andrea snaps. "What happened?"<br/>
<br/>
"I told you, everything went right. I can feel it. I'm--" You swallow, and the gurgle turns into a giggle. "I'm Rosalie Martin now."<br/>
<br/>
"But Joe--"<br/>
<br/>
"Is he alright?" You scramble over and help her prop Gillian up. Her breathing is ragged, and her face is pale and beaded with sweat.<br/>
<br/>
"I can't tell. We should get him out of this mask."<br/>
<br/>
"But it's Hagerman under there. If he busts out in Gillian's things--"<br/>
<br/>
Andrea cradles her more tightly and strokes her face. "I think he's okay," she mutters. "It's hard for me to tell through the mask, but I think  he's just drained."<br/>
<br/>
"You can fix that, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"I mean, he's <i>really</i> drained. Go get us some food. Carbs, protein, power drinks. For him and for me." She bends over him as you jog from the room.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Joe looks healthier when you get back five minutes later. He's sitting up, and he and Andrea are embracing tightly. "Oh, stars, I'll take that stuff," he gasps as you dump out a bag full of food.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry, Joe," you say. "It didn't happen this badly when I used Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea hasn't got what I've got," he laughs weakly. "Didn't you do it on purpose?"<br/>
<br/>
"Do what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Use my Viritrilbia. Andrea says you got it done in five seconds. That was my super speed you tapped into."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh my God!" You snap your fingers. "I forgot! And I didn't mean to--! I guess I was just thinking that I needed to get things done in a hurry!"<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you did it in record time." He stuffs three frankfurters into his pert, girlish mouth. "I could drain Aparijita, and I'd <i>still</i> need a small pantry to recharge."<br/>
<br/>
So he eats while Andrea continues to cradle him. Much of his strength returns, but he's still pale and wobbly when he finally gets to his feet. "Braydon's gonna wonder what I got up to," he says. "I think I'll have to blame it on your weird vegetarian crap, Andrea."<br/>
<br/>
"I can drive you to where you need to go," she says. "As long as you can give me a ride back to my place."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll be fine. Christian doesn't live far from you, and Braydon can take the wheel when we leave there." He's not so exhausted that there's no gleam in his eye when he looks over at you. "So the operation was a success?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
You nod. "I'm feeling a lot better about looking like this," you say. "I'll have to let my instincts guide me at school tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
"So you're going to show up?"<br/>
<br/>
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"<br/>
<br/>
"You were sounding kind of uncertain earlier."<br/>
<br/>
A flare of impatience shoots up inside you. "I'll be fine, Joe. You don't have to look out for me. Or do, tomorrow. I'm not afraid of making a splash."<br/>
<br/>
The others cock their eyebrows almost simultaneously. "I wonder which of the girls <i>that</i> was," Joe muses.<br/>
<br/>
You frown. That was a spikier response than you'd normally make, and you find yourself wondering why you were feeling so shy before. Your lips twitch. <i>Maybe it's the Amanda influence. Or the Andrea influence. Both? It doesn't matter.</i> You've no impressions of the girls you'd used in fashioning this persona. This is <i>you</i> now, and it feels very natural.<br/>
<br/>
But down inside yourself you can still feel the original Will Prescott. "Rosalie Martin" is just an assumed identity, just as the other disguises you've donned. But it feels more like "you" than the others had.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," you say aloud. You cock your head, and impulsively reach out to twitch Gillian's hair from her ear. You regard her thoughtfully, and then turn the same penetrating eye on Andrea. "Yeah, I'll see you guys. I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with you."<br/>
<br/>
"Gee, thanks," Andrea mutters. "Come on, Gillian." The two totter away.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
With brisk confidence you stride back to Jonathan's apartments. Maybe the golem can sense the change in you, for he looks up with slightly more interest from his homework when you appear in the doorway to the dining nook. "You want something?" he asks guardedly.<br/>
<br/>
You chew on the inside of your cheek. He's awfully good-looking. And rich. Monique doesn't deserve him. He needs a challenge. Kelsey Blankenship would be a challenge. So would Andrea. You'd be a better one. You could keep him on his toes. "Yeah, I want your pajamas," you reply after a long pause. "You can sleep in your underwear. Or not even them, if you want."<br/>
<br/>
He shrugs, but continues to eye you as you turn away. Upstairs, you pull his PJs from the dresser and change into them. They are very big, but you like the feel. You also unpack the clothes you and Chelsea had bought. Most of them will work, but Chelsea was going for a more bohemian look than you want now. If you're going to dress down, you'll look good while doing so. The pity is that you're so skinny; it's a good thing it's winter. You should do some exercises, try to bulk up a little, so you can look good in shorts and tops. You feel a pang of jealousy at how good Andrea looks in a swimsuit.<br/>
<br/>
You haul your wardrobe for the morning down into the living room, then plop onto the couch and turn on the TV. You mildly surprise yourself when a home refurbishing show catches your attention, but you don't fight it, and are soon completely absorbed in it.<br/>
<br/>
It's in this attitude--sitting cross-legged on the sofa--that Jonathan finds you when he comes in from the other room. "Is this going to be a permanent thing? You in my PJs, in my place, in my sleeping bag?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. I'm moving out this week. You'll have it back, can start bringing Monique back over. Unless you want to trade up." You look up at him. "You wanna trade up, Jonathan?"<br/>
<br/>
"I like Monique," he says stiffly.<br/>
<br/>
"I know you do. You also like your car. But you take others for test drives, don't you?"<br/>
<br/>
He stares at you a minute, then slowly comes over and sits next to you. Cautiously, he reaches up to stroke your hair. You don't respond, nor do you respond when he reaches over to rest a hand on your breast. "Is this what you had in mind?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"No. I had something more in mind. I'm not going to school a virgin tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
And it's not as a virgin, but as a thrice-ravished initiate into the joys of sex that you get out of Jonathan's car in front of Westside in the morning. You don't look back as he drives off, and ignore the looks from various students as you stare at the main building. This is the first day of the rest of your new life.<br/>
<br/>
But you've got allies, already. And as you glance slowly around you see two of them waiting for you out front. Chelsea Cooper is standing in a small knot with some of her cheerleader friends. Well, it looks like Chelsea. It's probably just the golem, but you'd guess that she's back to being herself for your debut. On the opposite side of the quad is Gillian Kiefer, lounging and laughing with Braydon and Christian and Darrell Parson. It disconcerts you a bit to see that Caleb--your old friend--is there too.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112211112212
author_id: seuzz
title: A Day of Something Like Firsts, Part 1
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>There is some slight chance that it's not really Chelsea over there, so it seems safest to approach Gillian. You stride confidently over to her and the others. Of the guys, only Christian and Caleb note your approach before you're onto them. "Hey guys, can any of you help me find Mr. Hagerman's classroom," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Gillian's mouth curls up in a broad smile. "Sure. Are you new here?"<br/>
<br/>
"First day, yeah. I'm supposed to get my schedule and stuff from the office, but Mr. Hagerman was helping set things up for me."<br/>
<br/>
Gillian detaches herself from the group and puts her arm in yours. "Yeah, I can help you out. Come on. I guess chivalry is dead," she mischievously adds, glancing over her shoulder at the unmoving boys.<br/>
<br/>
"He was supposed to have some paperwork prepared for me," you explain as you enter the main doors. You're trying to impart some requests to Joe without breaking character. "Permission slips and--"<br/>
<br/>
"I bet he's got it all for you," Gillian says. "He's real good at staying on top of things like that. How do you know Mr. Hagerman?"<br/>
<br/>
Her tone is so convincingly inquisitive that for a moment you're not sure if the question is genuine or part of the act. "He's an old friend of my dad's," you say. "He's traveling on business--my dad, I mean--and Mr. Hagerman is looking out for me. He's even setting me up with a place to stay. Supposed to be, at any rate."<br/>
<br/>
"You're not staying with <i>him?</i>" Gillian laughs. "He's a real hottie."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe he is, but I've got money to pay for my own place."<br/>
<br/>
"It must be nice to have rich family, rich friends. Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to make it sound like that."<br/>
<br/>
"You can make it sound like whatever you want, I don't care. My name's Rosalie, by the way. Rosalie Martin."<br/>
<br/>
"My name's Gillian Kiefer. Oh, this is exciting. I feel like there's already a connection between us." She squeezes your arm happily. "I'm glad you asked <i>me</i> for help."<br/>
<br/>
"Is there anything wrong with your friends back there?"<br/>
<br/>
"They're just shy. We'll get you introduced proper later on."<br/>
<br/>
The halls aren't very crowded, but no one seems to really pay attention to you. Hagerman is bent over his desk when you come in, and looks up with only a dim kind of recognition in his eye. "Hey, Mr. H," you nonchalantly greet him. "I wanted to start school today. You have some stuff for me?"<br/>
<br/>
He looks blank until Gillian mutters "Those documents I called you about" under her breath, and then realization breaks. From his briefcase he draws out a small sheaf. "Just take these along to the office," he says. "They won't have a schedule for you, but they'll give you some classes you can try out. It's all set up with Sagansky."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks." You glance through the forms, but they don't mean anything to you. "I also need some other things," you add in a low voice. "Driver's license, Social Security card--"<br/>
<br/>
"After school," Gillian says in a similarly low voice. "We're all supposed to get together. At Mr. Hagerman's, or the loft, depending."<br/>
<br/>
"Depending on what?"<br/>
<br/>
"On what a certain cheerleader decides. Let's go to the office, get you set up before first bell."<br/>
<br/>
She lingers in the office with you as the secretary processes your forms and gives you a printout. "Here's a temporary schedule," she says. "We'll have to get transcripts from your old school before we can give you a final one."<br/>
<br/>
"Aren't my transcripts in there?" You nod at the pile you'd given her.<br/>
<br/>
She shuffles through it. "Oh, so they are. We'll get you a final schedule real soon then. Mr. Sagansky!" she calls in a loud voice that makes you jump a little. "This is Rosalie Martin, she's a new student," she says as Sagansky sticks his head from out of his office.<br/>
<br/>
The school principal nods and smiles and beckons you back in. He's a tall, rangy man, not bad looking for being in his late forties, and his manner is pleasant as he discusses your situation and what the first week will be like for you. In your experience, Sagansky is a nice man, though he's totally ineffectual at riding herd on the many unruly elements in the student body.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Gillian has disappeared by the time Sagansky releases you, but it's almost time for the first class anyway. You peer down at the schedule. <i>Fuck. Walberg.</i> You were hoping to escape <i>him.</i> You hike your pack onto your shoulder and head off your first class.<br/>
<br/>
It's already mostly filled, and you stand uncertainly in the doorway, looking for a place to sit. The AP crowd is already present: Kelsey and Amanda and Brooke and Lisa and Geoff and Martin Gardinhire and some others. Caleb is in his usual seat, and he does a little double-take when he sees you. Unhappily, you note Will Prescott slouched by himself in a corner in the back, looking angry and persecuted.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, who's the new girl?" You look over at the voice, and find Kelsey peering up at you with an expression that is sharp but not devoid of all warmth. You take a tentative step toward her, but her exclamation has also drawn Walberg's attention, and he raises his head to look at you too. So you trudge to the front of the room and show him your schedule while introducing yourself. "I think this is temporary," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"Ayup," he rumbles. "Doesn't matter. Find yerself a seat and pretend it's for reals." He grips the pencil in his gnarled hands and returns to his note-making.<br/>
<br/>
Kelsey taps the chair empty chair in front of her and grins. <i>Gotta be Chelsea in there,</i> you decide. <i>That or she did a first-rate job of prepping the golem for your appearance.</i> You've never seen Kelsey looking so friendly.<br/>
<br/>
Not that there isn't still a sharkish cast to her smile as you smooth your skirt and gently slide into the chair. "Fresh meat for the killer walrus," she says, and leans toward you. "What's your name?"<br/>
<br/>
"Rosalie Martin." <i>Introductions are going to get old.</i> "And what's yours?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mm," Kelsey says, and her eyes glint. "My name's Kelsey. I like your style, Rosalie."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks. I like yours. Where'd you get the earrings?"<br/>
<br/>
Kelsey dimples with pleasure and tucks her hair back to show them off. "In Taos. I was up there over the summer, visiting my aunt and uncle. He does some geological work up there, and she's a painter--" She prattles on in this way while you pretend to be fascinated. "So I come by it all honestly," she smugly concludes. "How about you?" She rests her chin in her hand and raises her eyebrows.<br/>
<br/>
You dislike the question, for you've no good answer. Maybe Amanda or Gillian or Andrea could have given a story, but you've not got their memories. But you're not about to let Kelsey put you down as a poseur. "I just put on what I like and what I think will work."<br/>
<br/>
Over her shoulder, you see quiet smiles from the other girls--all but Amanda, who is openly scrutinizing you--and the glint in Kelsey's eye sharpens a little. <i>A hit,</i> you think to yourself. <i>A palpable hit for the new girl.</i><br/>
<br/>
Kelsey squeezes your forearm. "We need to get together," she says. "I bet we'd have a lot of fun."<br/>
<br/>
And then she rears back and settles in her chair. You hear a creaking from the desk in front, and turn to find Laurent Delacroix openly looking you up and down as he settles his pack on the back of the chair. Roman candles go off inside you as his dark face splits into a blindingly white smile.<br/>
<br/>
Delacroix is the captain of the wrestling team, and his broad, round shoulders strain against the tight jacket he's wearing over a white t-shirt. He's not a bad guy--not a bully-boy like Black or Lynch or the Molester--but he never uttered a word to you in your former incarnation, or acted like he even noticed you. So it would be unsettling enough to have his full and intense attention directed at you. But this is more than just "noticing" you. His expression is just short of "me Tarzan, you Jane, that's the cave I'm going to drag you into." Alarm and excitement swirl inside you, even as the feminized instincts of Rosalie Martin sit up sharply in appreciation of his physical virtues.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you new to school?" he asks bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I'm Rosalie."<br/>
<br/>
"Laurent." He sits down heavily and turns sideways so as to look at you. "Where are you from?"<br/>
<br/>
"Lots of places," you say. <i>Dammit, you forgot to review your fake bio this morning.</i> "Colorado, most recently."<br/>
<br/>
"You move around a lot?"<br/>
<br/>
"My dad travels."<br/>
<br/>
"He's military?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, his company just likes to move him."<br/>
<br/>
"Must suck. You leave lots of boyfriends behind?"<br/>
<br/>
"None who were serious." You're saved from further improvisation by Walberg calling the class to order.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You dutifully take notes, and find it somewhat easier to pay attention--probably more influence from the girls you'd copied. Laurent twinkles at you after class and promises he'll catch you around.<br/>
<br/>
Kelsey scrutinizes your schedule out in the hallway. "We'll have this class together," she says, pointing to fifth period. She keeps her head lowered. "Be careful around Laurent," she says quietly.<br/>
<br/>
"Tell Laurent to be careful around <i>me.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Ooh," she grins. "You already have your eye on him? He'd be quite a catch for anyone who could catch him."<br/>
<br/>
"He might wind up on a list," you reply, and let your gaze travel slowly across the mass of students in the hallway. "Am I going to see you around, Kelsey?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yeah. I've got a feeling you're going to make <i>lots</i> of friends, Rosalie."<br/>
<br/>
"I like to think I always do. Right now, though, I have to go find my locker."</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212221222111211121122111122121
author_id: seuzz
title: A Day of Something Like Firsts, Part 2
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Second period is a history class. Andrea is in there, sitting off to the side with Bethany Lewis as her only company. She eyes you openly as you come in, but there are no open desks next to her, so you take a seat on the opposite side of the room. Besides, you should try to make some more friends.<br/>
<br/>
It's a friendly group of girls--Vanessa Bailey, Molly Shaw, Elle Moore and Audrey Briscoe--but you're not able to talk long before class begins. Halfway through, you feel a fingertip in your shoulder-blade, and reach behind you to accept a note. "That's Derek Balaban in the back," it says in cursive writing. "You should talk to him." You take a look behind while pretending to search your backpack, and Vanessa grins as you look past her.<br/>
<br/>
Like Laurent, Derek is on the wrestling team. He has platinum blonde hair trimmed in a tight brush cut, and he hunches over his desk, taking notes without looking around. You don't know much about him; what little you know suggests that few people know a lot about him. He usually sits alone, wrapped in his studies, and doesn't have any obvious friends. He's very good looking, with smooth, regular features and greenish-brown eyes, but he hasn't got a girlfriend. So why is Molly pushing the new girl at him?<br/>
<br/>
You turn back around. It's almost certainly just a prank, but at whose expense? Yours? <i>Pitch the new girl at the wooden wrestler and watch her bounce humiliatingly off him?</i> His? <i>Pitch the new girl at the guy who mulishly turns away all the interested girls, and humiliate him as he turns the newbie away?</i> It's probably both.<br/>
<br/>
You decide you don't much like Molly and her friends, and ignore the note. When the girls gather around you, grinning, at the conclusion of class, you politely ask about Derek. "He's on the wrestling team," Vanessa gushes, "so--"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, like Laurent Delacroix?" you insouciantly ask.<br/>
<br/>
That catches their attention. "You've already met Laurent?" Elle asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I sat behind him last period. We talked. He's got a really nice smile, don't you think?"<br/>
<br/>
Mad glee--and maybe a little jealousy--shows in their faces, but you've blunted their scheme, and they take off without waiting for you.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea is waiting, though, with a puzzled Bethany behind her shoulder. "Hey, you're the new girl," she says lazily. "What do you think of Vanessa and her friends?"<br/>
<br/>
"They asked me what I thought of a guy named Derek Balaban. My name is Rosalie."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm Andrea. Do you swim?"<br/>
<br/>
"I <i>can</i> swim. Why?"<br/>
<br/>
"I captain the school swimming team. You look built for it, thought I'd ask."<br/>
<br/>
"You have a vacancy?"<br/>
<br/>
"We always have vacancies." <br/>
<br/>
Behind her, Bethany hops on the balls of her feet. "Are you on the swim team too?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I'm Bethany." She puts out a hand, and you briefly shake it.<br/>
<br/>
You don't know Bethany well, despite having used her personality to fashion your new one. She's small, with a toothy, chipmunk smile that would look goofy if she didn't have such bright, guileless eyes. She's very slim, with bright blonde hair that falls almost to her elbows. She likes to dress in jeans and flannel shirts that do a good job of hiding her figure. But she looks very warm--just the sort of adorable creature to cuddle with on a deep sofa on a cold winter's day while it's snowing outside. <br/>
<br/>
"They were making trouble for you, you know," Andrea says bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
"Who?"<br/>
<br/>
"Vanessa and her friends."<br/>
<br/>
"Mm. I had a feeling they were. You don't like them, Andrea?" you ask bluntly back.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't have opinions. I'm not saying you should stay away from them. But you're new. You don't know where the tiger traps are."<br/>
<br/>
Bethany bites down a smile.<br/>
<br/>
"If you're interested in swimming, talk to me," Andrea says. She doesn't wait for a reply, and turns her back to leave. <br/>
<br/>
"It was nice to meet you," Bethany says. "It'd be interesting to have you on the team." She scampers off after her captain.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Third period. Math. Advanced algebra. The heads of three football players turn in unison as you come in, and they nudge each other and snort. You ignore them, though. You're thinking the wrestling team is a more promising place to explore. Gloria Rea is the only other noteworthy person in the room; she is bent over her cellphone, but you can feel her eyes on you as you sit down.<br/>
<br/>
About ten minutes into class, the door opens and someone comes in very loudly. You do a slight double-take: It's Chelsea, looking red and a little tousled. She plops down next to Gloria, pokes her in the arm, and in a hissing whisper asks for pencil and paper. She catches you looking at her, and peers back over a tight frown. "Who's that?" she hisses again at Gloria. Gloria jerks away, and mutters something back. "Huh? Really," Chelsea says in a slightly louder voice. Her eyes gleam as she stares at you.<br/>
<br/>
You suppose she's in character. You dimple a pert smile at her. Her eyes narrow, and she smiles back.<br/>
<br/>
You glance back at her a few times during class; each time, you catch her staring at you, drumming her fingers with a thoughtful expression.<br/>
<br/>
When class ends, Marcus Johnston, one of the footballers, steps toward you, but Chelsea barges in front of him. "So you're the new girl," she says. "I'm Chelsea Cooper. I'm captain of the cheerleading squad."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm Rosalie Martin. I don't do backflips for anyone."<br/>
<br/>
Gloria gasps slightly, but Chelsea opens her mouth a wide smile of surprise. "Well, not everyone can," she says. "Come on, it's time for lunch. Have it with us."<br/>
<br/>
"I think I have fourth period now." You fumble out your schedule.<br/>
<br/>
"Skip it," Chelsea says firmly. "No one will give a shit. It's your first day and you can say you got lost or confused. Oh, this is Gloria," she adds.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll just tell 'em I skipped," you retort. "I need to find the cafeteria anyway."<br/>
<br/>
"That's the spirit," Chelsea says. She forces herself between you and Gloria on the way out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
She tries questioning you about your background, but you refuse to be drawn, and instead ask about classes and teachers and some of the people you've already met. "Westside's a great school," Chelsea gushes. "But you have to know who your friends are and who they're going to be."<br/>
<br/>
"Andrea said something like that too."<br/>
<br/>
"Andrea? Varnsworth?" She sounds nonplussed. "Andrea's smart. It's too bad she's not more popular."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you popular, Chelsea?"<br/>
<br/>
She just smiles enigmatically, and puts a little more swing in her hips.<br/>
<br/>
Kids are swarming into the cafeteria already, but Gordon is waiting out front, and the crowds part for him as he leads your company in. Chelsea introduces him too, of course, accenting his captaincy of the basketball team and about what an <i>awesome</i> team it is too. "We're going to be the state champions, aren't we, pookie?" she says.<br/>
<br/>
"Damn straight," he says. "Assuming fucking Patterson doesn't--"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, there's Maria and everyone else," Chelsea says, pointing at the table in the center of the room. "This is where we always eat. Me and the other cheerleaders, Gordon and the other guys. They'll bring you whatever you want, Rosalie. What do you want?"<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever they're serving. Is it any good here?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's pig slop, so I usually just have the Jell-O. Gordon?" At her implied order, he trudges off to get a couple of trays as you and Chelsea and Gloria slide into seats at the center of the center table. She quickly introduces you to the others: Maria Vasquez and Jessica and Eva Garner and Cara Fuhrman among the girls; Dalton Douglas and Luke Bennett and Seth Javits among the guys. You notice that the table seems a little thinner on congregants than you're used to seeing. Steve Patterson, of course, has decamped for Eastman; Jason Lynch is missing; and Seth is there without Cindy Vredenburg.<br/>
<br/>
The boys are mostly silent during lunch, and talk only in low voices about topics you can't catch. The girls are more interested in you, and pepper you with questions. You're hard put to avoid definite answers, for they refuse to talk about anything that <i>you</i> put to them. Chelsea rides to your rescue a couple of times by jumping in to steer the conversation in other directions, but she spends almost as much time on her phone, peering down at the screen. Halfway through the meal, while she's thus occupied, your own cell phone rings. "Oh, you've already got a friend," she says without looking up.<br/>
<br/>
Indeed you do: It's a message from Chelsea herself: <i>Meeting after school? All of us?</i> You send back a quick affirmative.<br/>
<br/>
"What's your number?" Chelsea asks, clutching her arm. You give it to her. "Do you have to leave right after school? Gordon has practice after school--" She slides her other arm around him, hugging him tightly. "And sometimes I like to stay and watch."<br/>
<br/>
"That sounds like fun," you say. "You have some good looking guys on the team." Seth, you notice, looks a little furtive as you say this, and hunches over his tray.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
That's not the last you see of Seth, either. Right after last period, as you're rounding one of the wings outside, you catch sight of him in a familiar pose: He's pressed up against Keith Tilley--one of your old friends--and glaring down at him. Seth has had it in for Keith as long as you can remember.<br/>
<br/>
In your new form, of course, you can interrupt this confrontation safely. But then you remember Will Prescott's attitude this morning: hunched and lonely and friendless in Walberg's class. Do you feel warmly enough toward Tilley to effect a rescue?<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122212221112111211221111221212
author_id: seuzz
title: Gym-boree
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Like you, Seth has to get to the gym for after-school practice, so you figure this "session" with Tilley won't last long. You take a different route to your destination.<br/>
<br/>
A few players are already suited out and limbering up on the court when you arrive. Chelsea is there too, sitting on a front bleacher with Maria, and she waves you over. "Hi Rosalie," she gushes. "How was your first day?"<br/>
<br/>
"It was fun. I got tired of introducing myself--"<br/>
<br/>
"But I bet you made lots of friends. Doesn't she look like she could have lots of friends, Maria?"<br/>
<br/>
Maria blinks, seeming to retrieve her attention from very far away. "She looks like she could have lots of friends," she echoes.<br/>
<br/>
"It's so much fun to have a new person," Chelsea says. "It gets so <i>boring</i> here with the same few hundred people."<br/>
<br/>
"Do you have lots of friends, Chelsea?" you ask. "There didn't seem like a lot of people there at lunch."<br/>
<br/>
"We all have different lunch periods. That's not going to be your final schedule, is it?  I want to see more of you."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a temporary one. Is something wrong, Maria?" Chelsea's friend is suddenly staring hard at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't mind Maria," Chelsea says. "She's a very deep thinker, and it sometimes takes her awhile to come up for air."<br/>
<br/>
Maria has a reputation for being a total space cadet, but there's nothing vapid about the look she's giving you. You have the impression she's trying to open and unpack all the closets inside you.<br/>
<br/>
"Hey Chels, so this is where you are." You turn, and find Jordan Cooper--unshaven and bloodshot--trudging up. "You got the keys to the storeroom?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll give them to you later and go with you," she sniffs without looking at him. "Oh, Rosalie, this is my brother, Jordan. He's goes to college at Keyserling."<br/>
<br/>
"I need to get my shit, Chelsea--"<br/>
<br/>
"And you can wait until I'm done here. Gordon can help you."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't need Gordon to-- Oh, fine." With a deep sigh he falls onto bleachers a few seats up and behind. "So how are they going to do without Patterson?"<br/>
<br/>
"They'll do great, Jordan, they always do. And don't say anything to Gordon about Steve." She gives him a sharp glance over her shoulder. "He's still pissed about--"<br/>
<br/>
"Your boyfriend can bite me." With another sigh, Jordan takes out his cell phone and hunches over it.<br/>
<br/>
Your eye falls on Maria as you turn back around. It surprised you a little to find her here with Chelsea, but now-- She's boxed in by three pseudo-<i>Stellae,</i> who are going to have a meeting when practice breaks up. <i>It was nice knowing you while you were still yourself,</i> you think to yourself, and hide a small smile.<br/>
<br/>
There's no further conversation as practice begins in earnest. Gordon runs the team hard--you've heard he does that--and you study each player openly. It doesn't feel odd to do so; you've already discovered that your new persona is not shy about scoping guys out, and you've also discovered that the guys like being scoped out by a girl like Rosalie. But you assume that this is also an audition being put on by Chelsea: possible bodies for Frank, and maybe for you as well. So you grade them as you watch.<br/>
<br/>
Seth Javits is the most impressive, throwing himself with great energy into every exercise with speed and grace and stamina. Based on what you learned yesterday, you have to guess that Chelsea is thinking real hard about acquiring him as a golem. He'd be a natural fit as a member of Gordon's reorganized posse; he's charismatic and handsome and athletic, and (as you know from poor Keith's case) already acts as a kind of enforcer in the school; and he can help her make trouble thanks to his vexed relationship with Cindy and the other cheerleaders.<br/>
<br/>
But for Cindy's sake, you rather hope he doesn't get chosen.<br/>
<br/>
The only other person on the court you know is Jeremy Richards. Jeremy was a friend of yours in middle school, a dopey guy like you and Caleb and Keith, until he hit a growth spurt and decided he wanted to be a jock. But he's not very good, you have to admit. Though he's got the height and strength, he's just not very good on his feet, and he's clumsy with the ball. Gordon yells at him a lot, leaving him looking like a whipped dog. There's no advantages to be had there, you think.<br/>
<br/>
Most of the others, you think, look like thugs. Oh, they're clean-cut enough--lots of buzz-cuts, and no tattoos or body piercings in obvious places. But they are tight-lipped and hard-charging, and few of them look like they're having fun. Only Luke Bennett catches your attention for long, for you remember the impressions he gave you yesterday while you were in Andrea's body. You should ask her about that.<br/>
<br/>
Halfway through practice, the door opens and Gillian Kiefer comes in. She waves at you, and you wave back, but she doesn't come over, and instead plops onto a seat on the far side of the gym. "You already know the darndest people, Rosalie," Chelsea says.<br/>
<br/>
Gillian will be the fourth of your quintet for the meeting. Andrea will be the fifth.<br/>
<br/>
Or will she? A minute later, Braydon Delp comes in, padding over to Gillian and draping an arm around her shoulder. You remember what Gillian told you: He's a mischief-maker, a natural home for a Catilindrian. Has Andrea--?<br/>
<br/>
Or, like Maria, is he here to be a victim?<br/>
<br/>
You take out your phone and send Andrea a note. <i>Coming to the meeting?</i> A minute later comes the reply: <i>Yeah.</i> But that doesn't say anything, really, about where your other conspirator is. "Who're you talking to," Chelsea asks you.<br/>
<br/>
"My dad. I'm telling him I've already made lots of friends."<br/>
<br/>
"Be careful," a very soft says. You look over, startled, for it was Maria who spoke. But she just stares straight ahead, seemingly a million miles away.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Back at you,</i> you think.<br/>
<br/>
The puzzle about Braydon doesn't entirely clear up when he stands up just before practice ends, bends over to nuzzle at Gillian, and leaves. By this point you're a little jumpy with suspense, and wish Chelsea had sent some kind of note explaining what was going to happen.<br/>
<br/>
"Finally," Jordan says when Gordon calls a halt to practice. "Can we get that key now, Chelsea?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's up in the-- Hey, come up and see, Rose," Chelsea says. You flinch a little at the nickname, thinking it makes you sound like someone's maiden aunt. "We've got a neat little clubhouse up in the corner. You should make it a regular hangout. Come on, Maria. Jordan."<br/>
<br/>
Maria looks dazed, and mutters something under her breath as she gets up, and you catch her giving you a queer look. But she follows as Chelsea leads the three of you up the steps to the loft. Gillian retains her seat on the far side of the gym, though.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You might not have been included in the plans, but everyone else was. As Chelsea marches over to a supply cabinet, Jordan closes the door and grabs Maria from behind. Chelsea swings around, and with a pert smile slaps a mask onto her friend's face. "Tell Gillian she can come up now," she says to you.<br/>
<br/>
"Neat work," you say as you step toward the door. "Where's Andrea?"<br/>
<br/>
"She'll be along."<br/>
<br/>
"As Braydon?"<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?" Chelsea swings in surprise. "What makes you think--?"<br/>
<br/>
"The way he was sitting over there during practice."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea frowns. "I don't know anything about--"<br/>
<br/>
"Aren't you in charge, Chelsea?" Jordan asks. He straightens up from laying Maria onto the gym mat.<br/>
<br/>
"I thought I was, but if Andrea--"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sure it was just a mistake on my part," you interrupt, and exit the loft long enough to wave at Gillian, who leaps up and runs across the gym toward you. "There was some talk about maybe getting Braydon."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, we need to talk about that stuff anyway," Chelsea says. She leans against a crate and grins at you. "How was your first day, Rose?"<br/>
<br/>
"Rosalie," you correct her. "I told you, I made a lot of friends."<br/>
<br/>
"Any you want to get closer to? Like, inside?"<br/>
<br/>
"Mostly I was just getting myself set up. I think you guys should move first."<br/>
<br/>
"Noted. Frank?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll fit in wherever you think I can go," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, I was thinking--"<br/>
<br/>
Gillian bursts in. "Oh God," she gasps. "I thought I'd never get rid of Braydon." Her eye falls on Maria. "Perfect. Let's get her undressed." She leaps over to the girl.<br/>
<br/>
"Did Braydon or any of them say anything about me?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Not in front of me. Did you have any classes with them?" she asks as she tugs Maria's sweater off. You shake your head. "You need to hang out with them before they'll talk about you, probably. They're kind of dense."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea studies the screen of her phone. "So, with Maria, you'll have five faces, Joe," she says. "That fills you up, and we need to think about hooking some of them up with ourselves. Maria could use a boyfriend. Could Dane take a girlfriend?"<br/>
<br/>
"Someone could take Braydon out of my hair."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea glances at you; you don't respond. "So let's think about Frank," she says. "I pointed Seth Javits out to you--"<br/>
<br/>
You were afraid of that. You could let her press Seth onto Frank--she is, technically, in charge of your group. You could only forestall her by proposing an alternate.<br/>
<br/>
"Laurent Delacroix," you blurt out.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea turns gleaming eyes on you. "Yeah," she says. "He was <i>into</i> you this morning. We could arrange to make you and him a thing."<br/>
<br/>
But you were going to hold Rosalie aloof.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112211112212122
author_id: seuzz
title: Someone Old, Someone New
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You hug yourself, hating the feeling of being stampeded in one direction or another. Chelsea watches you intently. "It would be a fast thing if Laurent and I hooked up," you say. "And you said something about how I should be the new girl who drives guys wild."<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh," she says. "Of course, if you do that, you're going to have to be careful. These are real bodies, you know, not masks. If you're not careful and don't use <i>protection,</i> Rosalie--"<br/>
<br/>
The room spins slightly. <i>Oh God, you're going to have to worry about </i>that<i> too!</i><br/>
<br/>
But Chelsea is still talking. "--won't be a problem if you're not <i>being</i> Rosalie while she's, uh, you know. If you're somewhere else, Rosalie will just be a golem. Or if you hook up with Laurent or some other guy we replace, because then <i>they'll</i> be a golem."<br/>
<br/>
"Are <i>you</i> being careful, Chelsea?" Jordan asks.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea turns a little red. "The way we handled Gordon, he's not shooting blanks, but yes, I'm being careful. I'm only going to let him get it on with me while I'm being Kim or Kelsey or someone else. But thanks for being such a <i>caring</i> big brother."<br/>
<br/>
"I suppose I've got a week or so," you mutter, "before I have to start worrying about how far to go. And I could have another face by then."<br/>
<br/>
"I was planning on having a party this weekend," Chelsea says. "Look, if you're not certain about Laurent--"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not. But let's grab him anyway. Don't you think he'd be more useful long term than Seth?"<br/>
<br/>
"No I don't," Chelsea says bluntly. "He's no better than Seth. No worse, either."<br/>
<br/>
You glance desperately over at Jordan, and he takes the hint. "Lemme have Delacroix," he says. "The less I have to deal with your boyfriend, the happier I'll be."<br/>
<br/>
"You have to deal with him anyway." Chelsea bristles, and clearly dislikes the pincer movement you and Frank have put her in. "This loft is our headquarters, and he's supposed to have control of it. He could become friends with Laurent if we want him to. I like Laurent more than I like Seth--"<br/>
<br/>
"Then let's get Laurent," you say. "He's a decent guy, and we don't want to deal with a lot of jerks. Maybe he could be Maria's boyfriend," you add.<br/>
<br/>
"If you want Maria's opinion," Gillian says, and holds up a mask, "get this finished up, and I'll let you know."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea takes the mask with a sigh, and gives you a slightly dirty glance as she goes to the supply cabinet. Gillian disrobes and lays next to the equally naked Maria. She pulls at her face; there's a brief shimmer, and then it's Mr. Hagerman laying next to her. You have to wipe a slight trace of saliva from your lower lip, for he's as solidly built as you'd guessed he was. Jordan yanks out a bit of his hair and takes it over to Chelsea to use in golemizing Gillian's mask. <br/>
<br/>
You pace the other side of the loft restlessly. You're not sure why you're so reluctant to commit yourself--or to let the others commit themselves. Maybe it's the looming sense of finality that lingers over each choice. But that's silly: Even if the golems you make don't work out a long-term acquisitions, you can just let them go at the end of the year, or even sooner. <br/>
<br/>
Maybe you're just fighting Chelsea for control of the group. You watch as she returns to place Gillian's mask on Maria; she seems to be careful about not looking at you. "Okay, Gillian," she says, and helps the blinking golem to its feet. "You've got a boyfriend you have to go hang out with. Get dressed and--"<br/>
<br/>
"You're not the boss of me, Chelsea," Gillian says. <br/>
<br/>
"Don't make trouble," you find yourself saying. You jerk your chin at the unconscious Hagerman. "Your boss will wake up in a few minutes, and he'll tell you the same thing." Gillian grumbles, but complies. Chelsea gives you a faint but tight smile.<br/>
<br/>
There's a bit of commotion at the door as Gillian exits, and Andrea enters. She's got Will Prescott with her; he looks abashed. "I figured this one should tag along too," Andrea says, looking at you. "All golems are created equal, but someone said something about this one being more equal than the others."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't know why you want me," he mumbles.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, everyone," you say, and cross over to put your arm in his. "You all know who this guy is, and why we all like him. I think we all remember the good times we had with him over at Blackwell's."<br/>
<br/>
"It's nice to have you here, Will," Chelsea says, but she flinches from him. "It'll be nicer once we have that hex off you--"<br/>
<br/>
"But lemme guess," he says. "You've all got other things to do first."<br/>
<br/>
An uncomfortable silence falls. You fill it with introductions. "So, these are the guys," you say. "Chelsea and Andrea you already know. That's Frank over there. He looks like Chelsea's brother now, but it isn't a mask. Same with Mr. Hagerman down there. That's Joe. In a minute he's going to be--" Chelsea bends next to him and drops Maria's mask onto him. "And now he <i>is</i> Maria Vasquez."<br/>
<br/>
"Who do you worry about making trouble for you, Will?" Chelsea asks.<br/>
<br/>
He blinks a couple of times, seemingly startled at the fact that he's being consulted. Then he seizes the opportunity. "You," he replies. "Gordon. Seth Javits. The Molester, Jason Lynch, Dalton Douglas, David Kirkham, Carstairs and a bunch of the football players--" He rattles off a depressingly long list of names. "And those are just the people I'm scared of. There's also all the guys who won't <i>talk</i> to me anymore, and that includes most of the school now."<br/>
<br/>
"Who <i>does</i> talk to you?" Chelsea asks. "If we pulled <i>them</i> up in popularity, we could pull you up too."<br/>
<br/>
"Justin Roth," Prescott says. "Dane Matthias and Adrian Semple and Keith Hennepin--"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Keith!" Chelsea pulls at her lip. "Him and Kelsey--" Prescott makes a face. "Yeah, she doesn't like you either," Chelsea sighs. "What about Gillian Kiefer and her friends?"<br/>
<br/>
"You mean Braydon and Christian and them? They're just weird." His lack of enthusiasm doesn't surprise you, and doesn't surprise the others.<br/>
<br/>
"No one will like you if you don't like them," Andrea says bluntly. "We can't help you if you don't fix your attitude."<br/>
<br/>
<i>Easier said than done,</i> you reflect. As you glance at your conspirators, you realize that you--the original Will Prescott--haven't made friends with them. You've made allies by hijacking them. You yourself kept only a very small circle--Caleb and Keith, mostly, and a few others--because you weren't keen enough on anyone else in school to try fitting in with them. Even now, you sourly suspect, Justin and his crew are treating your golem more as a charity case than as a real friend.<br/>
<br/>
"I suppose we could get you some bodyguards in the meantime," Jordan says, and doesn't hide his contempt. "You have any problems with the wrestling team?"<br/>
<br/>
"There's an idea," you exclaim. "You could <i>join</i> the team."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know anything about wrestling!" Prescott exclaims. <br/>
<br/>
"He hasn't the mass, either," Jordan says.<br/>
<br/>
"But if he knew the moves," you say. "We could edit those into him. How about that?" you ask him. "How are they treating you?"<br/>
<br/>
He shrugs. "No problems. They just ignore me."<br/>
<br/>
"They wouldn't after we recruit Laurent. That's a good reason to--"<br/>
<br/>
"Alright," Chelsea says, recognizing a <i>fait accompli</i> when she sees one. "Laurent would look good up here anyway, and he'd be a decent friend for Gordon. You <i>will</i> have to hang out with him," she says sharply to Jordan.<br/>
<br/>
"I can make it <i>look</i> good," Jordan retorts. "Don't ask more than that."<br/>
<br/>
"And as long as we're all here," Chelsea continues, then interrupts herself to kneel next to Maria. "Come on, Maria, wake up." She shakes her transformed friend roughly.<br/>
<br/>
Joe must have been reviving anyway, for she flutters her eyes open with a deep sigh and sits up. "I'm here," she says softly. She hugs herself and cradles her boobs. "I was having a lovely dream, and woke up to find that it's real."<br/>
<br/>
"As I was saying, as long as we're all here," Chelsea resumes. "We want to be sure that we're all in synch. These arguments about who we're going to take--" She shakes her head. "I don't like <i>arguing</i> with you guys."<br/>
<br/>
"So <i>you're</i> going to make all the decisions," Andrea says.<br/>
<br/>
"Will-- I mean, <i>Rosalie</i> is the only one who can see things from <i>her</i> perspective and ours. Because, you know--" She waves her hand in front of her face. "So I think maybe this is what we should do. No decisions get made for anyone <i>unless</i> Will is inside that person when he or she decides. And <i>then</i> he has to be inside <i>me</i>--since I <i>am</i> supposed to be in charge--and decides, based on what I'm thinking, that it's a good idea."<br/>
<br/>
"Then I'm glad I've already got all my guys and girls," Maria says.<br/>
<br/>
"Does that mean we <i>haven't</i> picked Laurent yet," Jordan asks.<br/>
<br/>
"No, I think we've picked him," you say. "This would be going forward."<br/>
<br/>
"Forward <i>where?</i>" Andrea asks. "My choices? Chelsea's? Frank's? Or your own?"<br/>
<br/>
They all look at you.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Ugh. You're hating to make decisions today.</i> "Yeah, I know should concentrate on my own choices," you stammer. "But maybe I should be looking at things from you guys' perspective while thinking about my own?"<br/>
<br/>
"A convenient excuse," Jordan says. "Though if you want <i>my</i> opinion, you can just ask me."<br/>
<br/>
But it's a choice between making his choices or Andrea's.</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212221222111211121122111122121222
author_id: seuzz
title: Swimming with the Shark-Girl
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I'll start with you, Andrea," you say. "But we can still get Laurent. Could you get him alone?"<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes narrow. It's not clear if she's repulsed at being used as bait, or if she's insulted by the implication that maybe she <i>can't</i> lure him out someplace lonely.<br/>
<br/>
"Are you only going to play her tonight, or tomorrow too," Maria asks from the floor. "Because who plays Rosalie tomorrow?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's a good point," Chelsea says. "It must be <i>you</i> making it, Joe."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not an <i>idiot,</i> Chelsea," Maria retorts, and gets to her feet. "I'm taking a bunch of AP classes, you know, and I'm passing them without getting any help."<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea blinks. "Really? I thought--"<br/>
<br/>
"I know what you <i>think,</i> and I let you and everyone else think it too." She tosses back her mane of dark hair. "Turns out Joe Durras isn't the only one who likes to play dumb in front of everyone. Oh, I like this girl. She's got surprises in her."<br/>
<br/>
You suck in your breath as you regard her. The boobs are smaller than you'd like, but she's got glorious hips and fine legs and delectable feet. You have to tear your eyes away as she slips into her panties. "We've still got that old golem that was playing Blackwell," you say. "I can put a mask of Rosalie on it. I'll put myself at the Strausslers' while running Andrea."<br/>
<br/>
"I told Hagerman to get your new apartment set up," Maria says. "It'll be ready for you tomorrow. But it'll need furnishing."<br/>
<br/>
"We'll do that this weekend," you say. "Right now just get me a blank mask. Give me a ride, Andrea?"<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You repair to the ballroom and remove your mask long enough to press a blank to your unencumbered face, creating a new copy of Rosalie. You put it onto the golem and instruct it to go to classes tomorrow. "Just hang loose, get to know people," you tell it. After it's gone, you hide in a corner of the new library and crawl into the sleeping bag you took down there, and nail your mask back on.<br/>
<br/>
As Andrea, you take the drive away from the Strausslers' at a slow and thoughtful pace. There's a quiet but moody resentment in her mind at the way you're hijacked her again, but gradually you smooth it away even while accepting, with a guilty conscience, those resentful feelings. <i>It won't be for long, and it's in a good cause,</i> you tell yourself. <i>I'm going to do what </i>I<i> want, dammit, and make sure that Chelsea goes along with it.</i> Grimly, you wonder if Chelsea is likely to go along with it once "Will" is inside her and has to ratify the decision.<br/>
<br/>
Not that you're eager to make one. Andrea is by temperament a bit of a loner, and is inclined to leave others alone as well. Like you, she hasn't been much interested in making friends, and the friends she's got are not so attractive that she wants to <i>be</i> them. So she has only a utilitarian interest in acquiring golems--Who will be useful? That tendency to look at the bottom line is only amplified by Aparijita's own instincts. Though it was you who decided to put Curt and Natalie Straussler under her control, Andrea completely approved of it.<br/>
<br/>
Since you've no firm instincts about where to extend Andrea's control, you concentrate on how to get Laurent. It shouldn't be hard. Laurent hasn't got a girlfriend, but he has a fine appreciation of girls, and Andrea is easy to appreciate. He's not a thug or a troublemaker, but you've the impression he likes to cross lines. So you are able to quickly concoct a plan.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea gave you his number before you left the loft--"Not that I ever call him," she says, "but it pays to have everyone's number"--so you call him direct as soon as you're back in the school parking lot. "Hi Laurent," you softly say. "This is Andrea. I hope I'm not interrupting dinner."<br/>
<br/>
"We were about to sit down to it," he says, and you can hear the smile in his voice. "What's up, Andrea?" He's playing it cool; Andrea has never phoned him.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you doing after dinner? Got plans with anyone?"<br/>
<br/>
"Homework. Maybe get together with Eli for a bit."<br/>
<br/>
"What about getting with me?"<br/>
<br/>
"A study session?"<br/>
<br/>
"A swimming session. I got a key to the natatorium this afternoon. It's cold outside but warm in there. Wanna take a swim with me?"<br/>
<br/>
Silence; you suspect he's trying not to swallow his tongue. "Is it okay for guys not on the swim team to be out there? Are other guys going to be there?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, just you and me. And who gives a fuck if it's okay for you to be there or not. If someone catches us, we'll say you're trying out for the team. You look good in a swimsuit."<br/>
<br/>
"When did you ever--?"<br/>
<br/>
"Those wrestling outfits don't leave anything to the imagination, Laurent. You can wear <i>it</i> if you haven't got any trunks."<br/>
<br/>
He takes the hook now, if he hadn't swallowed it already. "When do you want to meet?"<br/>
<br/>
"Whenever you want. I'm already up here, about to get changed. I'll be doing laps. You can come out if you want. Or not, if you don't. It's totally up to you," you add with light insolence.<br/>
<br/>
"I have to eat. Is it a bad idea to swim after--"<br/>
<br/>
"That's just an old wives' tale, Laurent. A meal'll give you energy, but keep it light, so you don't fall asleep on me."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll see you in a bit then."<br/>
<br/>
"Whatever." You hang up, then text Jordan. "Come out to the school in about an hour. Message me when you get here. I'll have Laurent for you a little later." You then walk through the falling dusk to the natatorium, and go in to change.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Jordan calls shortly after to say it'll be two hours, at least, before he can make it out. Your irritation at the delay is compounded when Laurent shows up after only thirty minutes. And he even apologizes for being late. "I wasn't counting the minutes," you lazily reply as you hang onto the side of the pool with water running down your back. "You can change right here."<br/>
<br/>
He grins back--that blazing white smile. He's handsome, with a dark brush cut, though his features are a little squashed up. He unzips and pulls off a gray hoodie and t-shirt, flashing a well-muscled torso with an elaborate tattoo over his left pectoral. He kicks off his shoes and peels off his socks and turns around to strip off his jeans and briefs before pulling on some very large trunks. "No one'll buy you trying out for the team in <i>those,</i>" you sniff. "Haven't you got any Speedos?" <br/>
<br/>
"No."<br/>
<br/>
"Then do it in the buff. Try to keep up with me." You kick away from the wall, and with a few powerful strokes head off to the far end of the pool.<br/>
<br/>
He's splashing hard when you turn around and kick off for the return lap, and pass him. Halfway across you dive deep into the pool and open your eyes to look for him. He's dog-paddling on the far end, probably looking for you. You swim over to the side, and surface long enough for him to catch sight of you before diving back under. He ducks under too, and tries to catch you, but you slip effortlessly past and surface behind him. You lay on your back; he breaches the surface noisily beside you, snorting loudly. "You swim like a walrus, Laurent," you say.<br/>
<br/>
"I only swim for fun," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"You're too big. You're sculpted all wrong. For swimming, I mean. You're just right for wrestling. How long does it take you to pin an opponent?"<br/>
<br/>
"Depends on the opponent."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll show you some strokes. I'm sure you'd be better at swimming than I'd be at wrestling."<br/>
<br/>
"I could show <i>you</i> some-- Uh--" He catches himself in the midst of the awkward offer.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sure you'd like to." You swing over and dive back under the surface.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You spend nearly an hour this way: swimming, playing, instructing, and flirting hard in a vague and easily deniable way. He's polite and deferential and makes no clumsy moves. When he seems nicely worn out you pull him out of the pool, give him an extra towel to sit on, and plop onto your own while handing him a third towel. "Dry my hair, please," you say, turning your back to him.<br/>
<br/>
He's gentle at rubbing the water from your long hair, and touches your shoulders only a few times. You ask him about the wrestling squad, and how his semester is going, and off-handedly mention that there's a new girl in school. He only grunts an acknowledgement about the latter. Your phone tweets after ten minutes, and you check it only long enough to confirm that it's Frank, saying he's down in the parking lot. "Who was that?" Laurent asks.<br/>
<br/>
"No one important. But we should go." You stand and put your back to him as you peel the one-piece suit off and pull on jeans and top and jacket. He gets dressed too. "Are you going home now?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Unless you want to go someplace," he says.<br/>
<br/>
You give him a quick but cool smile and say nothing. You lead him out and lock the door. "If you liked that, we could do it again some time," you observe.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't get a chance to swim much in the--"<br/>
<br/>
"Hey, you want to have some <i>real</i> fun?" You're just passing the gym's side door. "I've got a key to this thing, too."<br/>
<br/>
"What's in there?"<br/>
<br/>
"You know, Laurent. You guys practice in the gym. Wrestling moves." You unlock the door and push it open. "Come on."<br/>
<br/>
He willingly follows.</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122212221112111211221111221212221
author_id: seuzz
title: Wrestling with the New Guy
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>The gym is dark, but you don't put on the lights as you wander over the court. The soles of your sneakers squeak on the hardwood floor; so do Laurent's, as he follows you. "I hate this place," you say with quiet venom.<br/>
<br/>
"How come?"<br/>
<br/>
"Bad memories. Volleyball and P.E. when I was a sophomore and junior. Thank God I got out of it this year."<br/>
<br/>
"You weren't good at volleyball," he asks skeptically.<br/>
<br/>
"I was fine. But doing it in public, having to share the court with the guys playing basketball. They kept staring. I hate the staring."<br/>
<br/>
"You know why they stare at you, right, Andrea?" Laurent's tone is blunt.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not an idiot, Laurent. I totally know why--"<br/>
<br/>
"It's because you haven't got a boyfriend."<br/>
<br/>
You turn in surprise. You can't make out his face in the dark, but he's standing with his arms crossed. "What's that got to do with--"<br/>
<br/>
"It means they all think they've got a chance with you. Or they look at you and daydream about having a chance with you. Do any of them have a chance with you?"<br/>
<br/>
You ignore the last question. "Oh, are you saying they <i>wouldn't</i> stare if I had a boyfriend?"<br/>
<br/>
"If he was the right guy. Someone who could stare back and tell 'em to fuck off. Without having to, you know, actually say it."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh. You mean I need a bull walrus to scare all the other walruses away."<br/>
<br/>
"Walruses are ugly things. How about a bull elephant instead?"<br/>
<br/>
"You've got a cute little nose, Laurent. Cute like a button. I like it a lot. But it's not an elephant's nose."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well." His voice is tight. "You said we could have fun in here, but you're talking about how much you hate it."<br/>
<br/>
"That's why it's fun. You know who else has a key to this place? Has a key to a room up in the back?"<br/>
<br/>
"You mean the loft?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah. Come on, let's see if it's--" You pull at him, but he remains rooted to the spot. "What's wrong, Laurent? Don't you want to go piss on the spot where Gordon Black likes to--"<br/>
<br/>
He grunts and turns his head. You're surprised. Is it jock-on-jock respect? From what you've seen, there's no love lost between Delacroix and Black.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, you don't have to piss on his love pad. But I wanna see it, just to say that I did."<br/>
<br/>
He doesn't follow, not immediately, but you hear his quick footsteps as you mount the steps. He sighs deeply as he catches up to you, but doesn't try to stop you as you try the door. Naturally, it's unlocked.<br/>
<br/>
The moonlight plays through a high window in the dim loft; you only know where to find the supply cabinet through memory, not because you can see it. Laurent follows you in. You feet step onto the gym mat in the middle of the room. "I bet this is where they do it," you say contemptuously, and tap it with your toe. "An old gym mat." You pause. "A wrestling mat."<br/>
<br/>
Laurent clasps his arms and looks around. He seems anxious, uneasy.<br/>
<br/>
You draw close to him and put a palm on his ass. "You offered to show me some wrestling moves, Laurent. This is the perfect place to--" You raise your face and put it close to his.<br/>
<br/>
But he doesn't bite. "This isn't cool, Andrea," he says. "I don't like Black any more than anyone else does, but--"<br/>
<br/>
Looks like you'll have to change gears. "This isn't about him, Laurent," you say, and step away. "Damn you for being such a fucking gentleman," you hiss with quiet venom. "I gave you every chance down in the pool, and now I've got you up here, and still you won't-- If it's not here and it's not now, Delacroix, don't count on it ever being somewhere else or any other time."<br/>
<br/>
He seems to sway on his feet--or maybe it's you swaying--then steps forward to grab you by the elbows. You gasp deeply, and then his mouth is over yours. You open your lips, and his muscular tongue thrusts into you. His strong lips and cheeks work as you devour each other. You wrap your arms around him, then lift one leg to kick at the back of his knee. He sinks down to the mat, and you straddle him, kissing hard.<br/>
<br/>
You surface after what seems timeless minutes. "Hang on," you gasp. "If we're going to do this--" You stumble over to the cabinets.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you doing?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I know what I wanted, Laurent, but I didn't come prepared. I don't-- I don't <i>think</i> I have a reputation, you know."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't," he agrees.<br/>
<br/>
"But Chelsea does. I bet she's-- Yeah, here." You clutch a blank mask to your chest and return to him. "Lay back, and let me put it on you."<br/>
<br/>
He falls back onto his elbows. You straddle him; with your free hand you fumble at his zipper, but with your other hand you press the mask to his face. He falls back with a thud.<br/>
<br/>
You call Frank.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Laurent draws several deep breaths, and sits up on his elbows. He grunts. And since your eyes are well adjusted to the dark by this point, you can see him blinking at Jordan Cooper. "So, are you going to stay and watch?" he acidly asks the slowly dressing golem.<br/>
<br/>
"Up to you, boss," he says, and tucks his shirt into his pants.<br/>
<br/>
"Get out of here," Laurent says. "Go tell Chelsea it's all done. Nothing's going to happen anyway. Is it?"<br/>
<br/>
The last question is to you. You're kneeling next to him. "I figured we'd just talk, if anything," you say. "Aren't you cold?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah." He sits up, and with lots of quiet grunting and sighing pulls on briefs and jeans and tops. "You really had this guy going."<br/>
<br/>
"Was it hard on him?"<br/>
<br/>
"It was murder. You know, I wouldn't <i>say</i> anything to Eli or anyone else if we <i>did--</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want to tempt you. You can tell him about the swim, though. It'll be a nice addition to my legend. I've got one, don't I?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh yeah," he haggardly agrees. "The guy who gets you-- <i>Are</i> you going to settle down with anyone?"<br/>
<br/>
"Catilindria," you remind him. "Stability's not my strong point."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you've got a body that can kick the legs out from under all of us," he says. "The attitude, too."<br/>
<br/>
"You're one to talk, Laurent. Are <i>you</i> going to settle down with anyone?"<br/>
<br/>
"I could," he says. "If it's part of the plan. What <i>is</i> the plan?"<br/>
<br/>
"We don't know yet," you admit. "Unless it's doing something about Prescott while waiting for other plans to jell. What do Laurent and his friends think of him?"<br/>
<br/>
"Which Prescott are you talking about? Laurent liked Rosalie well enough. Not seriously, not yet, but he'd be happy to give her a tumble and wouldn't mind people talking about it."<br/>
<br/>
"That could be useful," you say with a marked lack of enthusiasm. "But I was talking about loner-boy."<br/>
<br/>
"You mean about him joining the wrestling squad? Little dude's nothing but skin and gristle. Even if we put some instincts in him--"<br/>
<br/>
"But do they <i>hate</i> him, like everyone else does?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think so. Laurent doesn't. No one talks about him, so I can't say for sure. But I don't think anyone on the squad touched that funny money."<br/>
<br/>
"But if he started hanging out with you guys--"<br/>
<br/>
He digs a finger into his ear. "That's pretty unlikely," he says. "It'd have to be the right guy, and even then I think we'd have to use golems to do it. At least one." He thinks for a long moment. "Sean Mitchell," he says at last. "He's a good guy, friendly with everyone. He's got some funny habits."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what?" Laurent's light emphasis on "funny" doesn't suggest he thinks well of Sean's "habits."<br/>
<br/>
"He's taking Hagerman's creative writing class. Oh, hey, that's a good connection, maybe. Anyway, he likes to write. But I told you, if you want my advice, you just have to ask."<br/>
<br/>
"It sounds like you're giving it anyway."<br/>
<br/>
"I guess I am. You're a Kenandandran, Prescott, and a Sulvan, too. I don't know much about <i>them</i>, but you're going to fit better with Gillian's crowd. I know don't you don't want to hear that, but it's true. Everyone else is thinking that, even if they're too polite to say so. That's what <i>Andrea</i> thinks too, isn't it?" he adds bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
You wince. Consciously, you can't hear what she thinks, for you're blocking it out. But the way your gut twists tells you that she agrees with him. <br/>
<br/>
But you've also got the professional instincts of Aparijita in there with you. "It's the Kenandandra that's got you all thinking I should be with Christian and them," you say with some little heat. "But we've had a lot of Sulvans in the Akshardham, and I-- Aparijita studied up on them. They're mirrors, and can fit in anywhere."<br/>
<br/>
"If they're mirrors, then they should fit in where their <i>other</i> skills can be useful," he retorts. "And those are Kenandandran."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be such a <i>shit,</i> Frank," you exclaim, and get to your feet. "It's hard enough deciding without you and everyone else pushing me."<br/>
<br/>
"If it's so hard deciding, maybe you should <i>let</i> us push you. All this fumbling around-- Psh!" He gets up too, and stretches. "You've already got three faces to manage. Yeah, I'm talking with Chelsea every night, and she's keeping close score. You've got Rosalie and Melody and Shabbleman back in Cuthbert. You heard from him yet?"<br/>
<br/>
You shake your head.<br/>
<br/>
"That's funny. Anyway, you only got two slots, and I'm telling you, one of them at least needs to go to a math or computer geek. It's for all our good. Aparijita'd tell you the same thing, if you'd fucking <i>listen.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
It's true. But there's still the "mirror" aspect, and the Prescott-golem to keep in mind. Frank has suggested Sean Mitchell as a link. And you do still have two slots open.<br/>
<br/>
But you've also got Andrea's posse to think about, and she also has two slots to fill.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112211112212122212
author_id: seuzz
title: What to Do With the Boy?
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I know what Andrea thinks," you admit with vast reluctance, but without admitting <i>what</i> she thinks. "I know what <i>you</i> think too, and thanks for that. But I'll check out Joe's thinking before I--"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, he's too busy playing with boobs," Laurent says.<br/>
<br/>
"I'll still check out <i>his</i> thinking," you exclaim. "But I've also got Andrea's golems to think about."<br/>
<br/>
"You want my opinion there?"<br/>
<br/>
"No."<br/>
<br/>
"Then maybe I should go."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe you should." <br/>
<br/>
You stare at each other, and then with a shrug Laurent grabs up his trunks and stalks to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."<br/>
<br/>
You don't linger long in the loft, waiting only until you're sure he's away before you also depart.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Your mind is a muddle as you drive back to Andrea's house. Her instincts are purely utilitarian, but for that reason they yield only blanks. <br/>
<br/>
As far as you can tell, there are three "jobs" that need to be done. One is the long-term job of setting up a useful team. The Strausslers are the key capture there. Jordan, with his connection to the university, is also useful, as is Chelsea with her non-magical talents. <br/>
<br/>
Hagerman is also a well-positioned piece, but mostly in relation to the second job, that of wiring Westside. That is Chelsea's special province, and her acquisition of Kim Walsh and Kelsey Blankenship are strong moves on that board. You're certain she will want to add Charles Hartlein, but that'll be another face for her squad, not Andrea's. Grimly, you contemplate what <i>that</i> will be like. Charles is irritating enough when he shows up at Andrea's place. How much worse will it be when it is Chelsea under his face, or even when it's just a golem dropping by to give you information and instructions on her behalf?<br/>
<br/>
Joe's golems are in the service of others. Oh, sure, he'll have fun playing Dane and Gillian and Maria, but Maria is there to serve Chelsea, and Dane and Gillian-- You sigh. It's clear he shares the others' opinions about where you should be, and Dane and Gillian, with their connections to the underside of the school, are supposed to help <i>you</i> move there.<br/>
<br/>
That leaves the third job: the rehabilitation of Will Prescott. No one seems to be taking that very seriously. Even you, who have the keenest interest in seeing that golem acquire a happier existence, have only fumbled at ideas, like putting him on the wrestling team.<br/>
<br/>
The most useful course, you decide as you walk into the house and lock the door behind you, is to pick up golems who could be used on all three fields: long-term acquisitions that could help wire the school and also lift Prescott.<br/>
<br/>
Sadly, the strategy may be obvious, but the tactical means are not. At least, they are not obvious to <i>you.</i> Chelsea would probably have lots of ideas, but you find the idea of talking to her--at least just yet--highly distasteful. She'll just bully you in her preferred direction. So you call Maria Vasquez instead.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Prescott needs a hobby," she says. "You know, something that makes people say 'That's cool'. Something surprising. Off-beat."<br/>
<br/>
"Like what? Stamp-collecting?" You can't keep the sarcasm out of your voice.<br/>
<br/>
"If you're not going to help, why should I?"<br/>
<br/>
You sigh. "Okay, seriously, what are the options? Sports? No one thinks he's built for it."<br/>
<br/>
"And it's not a surprising hobby," she agrees. "There's music. Playing in a band. I could give him a copy of my musical talents."<br/>
<br/>
"There's too many bands out there anyway. It's hardly unique. Theater? I <i>know</i> we're going to turn Charles into a golem."<br/>
<br/>
"If theater was cool, Charles wouldn't be on the outs with everyone."<br/>
<br/>
"Theater isn't cool, but Charles would <i>still</i> be on the outs with everyone because he's an asshole."<br/>
<br/>
"What about hot-air ballooning?" Maria suggests. "Joe Ysleta works with a team."<br/>
<br/>
You'd forgotten about that. "But he'd be stuck with the ground crew," you point out. "There's nothing sexy about that."<br/>
<br/>
"You want him airborne? Get him a pilot's license, let him learn to fly."<br/>
<br/>
That <i>would</i> get people's attention, you'd agree, but you have to laugh. "Dad'll never go for it."<br/>
<br/>
"He would if Will had a sponsor. A respectable, responsible person who offered to give lessons for free or at a nominal cost."<br/>
<br/>
"And who would <i>that</i> be?"<br/>
<br/>
"They're not hard to <i>make,</i>" she says quietly. "Stop fighting me. The Strausslers have a team of private pilots. We wouldn't even have to put a mask on any of them. Straussler's dad could <i>order</i> one of them to give Will lessons."<br/>
<br/>
"So set it up through Jonathan?"<br/>
<br/>
"Or through the school. Now that I think about it, I know of someone who already takes lessons. Tanner Evans."<br/>
<br/>
"Really? How do you know this?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Maria knows lots of things that she doesn't share. Actually, she knows it through Chelsea, but Tanner's a total prick, so--"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, totally." Evans is one of the low-level bullies, an ugly little pimple who rides around with David Kirkham. "I can't see Will being friends with <i>him.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"So what are <i>your</i> ideas, Andrea?" she sighs.<br/>
<br/>
You don't have any, so you return to the idea of music. After all, Andrea is friends with Sienna Goldman and Yelena Petrovic, who play in bands. But your thoughts keep returning to the idea of flying.<br/>
<br/>
Tanner Evans is a weak link to rely on; aside from his repulsive personality, there's the fact that he's always around Kirkham, who is one of the worst assholes in school, a bully that most of the other bullies hate. But something clicks in your head.<br/>
<br/>
You'd talked about getting Prescott a bodyguard; everyone has been pushing Prescott toward the margins, toward the portables crowd or toward the RPG geeks. David Kirkham sits at the intersection of both: a tough guy on the margins who could look out for Prescott. He's also spiky and independent and unpredictable; it would be odd, but not mind-boggling if he suddenly took a shine to Prescott. <br/>
<br/>
Okay, not a shine, exactly. Kirkham is more the sort to bully someone into taking up a cool hobby. And Tanner Evans has one.<br/>
<br/>
But would Kirkham be a useful acquisition long-term? Even at Westside, he's a nobody. Just a thug.<br/>
<br/>
But what about after graduation? Suppose Kirkham also took flying lessons. It might be useful to have a pilot in the group, someone who could ferry your group around.<br/>
<br/>
You thank Maria for talking, telling her it's been useful. "You planning to walk a mile in my shoes any time soon?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe," you cautiously reply. "You're like everyone else, though, right? Think that I should be moving onto Christian's group?"<br/>
<br/>
"It makes the most sense," she says. "But you've got two slots to fill. Take Christian or Howie for the intellectual stuff, and a guy who likes to play with engines for the mechanical. You know, a guy who builds stuff and takes stuff apart."<br/>
<br/>
"I got into all kinds of trouble with Dad when I took things apart," you reply. "You remember."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh yeah," she laughs. "But these guys would know how to put it back together again. And I <i>know</i> why you don't want to be part of Christian's group. You don't think you could get laid. Even though you've got Chelsea and Andrea and Gillian and Maria and Rosalie, if you don't mind fucking yourself--"<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up," you snarl. "If I wanted that I could've--"<br/>
<br/>
"I already heard from Laurent this evening," she laughs again. "Don't worry, I won't be telling Chelsea. <i>Jordan</i> might be telling her, and Laurent himself might--"<br/>
<br/>
"Shut up," you repeat. "It's just that those guys are losers."<br/>
<br/>
"Said the kettle," she teases. "Okay, you just think they're not <i>sexy.</i> Well, Braydon is, and so's Christian, in a geeky kind of way. But the guys I was talking about earlier, they'd be sexy."<br/>
<br/>
"Who do you mean?"<br/>
<br/>
"The guys who tinker. Scott Bickelmeier. Noah Lepley. Those are the two I can think of off the top of my head."<br/>
<br/>
Bickelmeier is on the football team, and Lepley on the lacrosse team. You've seen them with girls hanging off them. You tell Maria you'll think about it.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You're still awake when you hear the front door open: Andrea's mother, returning from work. You don't want to deal with her, especially, so you abandon Andrea, returning to your own body, and pad back to Jonathan's apartments.<br/>
<br/>
He's in bed, but he's got golem-Rosalie under the sheets with him. They look back at you with slight panic. It is, of course, a great surprise to you, but you just gesture "Rosalie" into the closet, where you take her mask off the blank golem. Jonathan stiffly accepts you into the bed, and lays there expectantly, but sags when you just settle back onto a pillow. "You know how to fly a plane, Jonathan," you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"No," he says. "Well, not yet. I'll probably try to learn at some point."<br/>
<br/>
"Would your dad pay his pilots to give some kids lessons?"<br/>
<br/>
"He'd do anything you guys want him to."<br/>
<br/>
"I mean, would it look funny?"<br/>
<br/>
"No one gives Dad funny looks, least of all the guys he pays."<br/>
<br/>
You snuggle under the sheets. You like the idea of flying lessons, and of arranging them through Kirkham and Evans. But Kirkham is an asshole. Do you put him in your collection, or give him to Andrea to go with the Strausslers?</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212221222111211121122111122121222121
author_id: seuzz
title: A Flying Leap
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span><i>Going in as Rosalie today,</i> you text all your conspirators--and a few of their golems, just in case. <i>I want to talk to Chelsea.</i><br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Kelsey meets you curbside out front, with Kim tagging along. "<i>Who</i> is that dropping you off," she asks as Jonathan pulls away. "Wow!"<br/>
<br/>
"Just an acquaintance," you say evasively.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, if you don't want people talking," she says in a meaningful tone, "you'll need to find another ride."<br/>
<br/>
"Mr. Hagerman will be giving me a lift most mornings, I think," you reply. "After I finally move into my own place. Unless someone else wants to give me a ride."<br/>
<br/>
"Let's go into Walberg's classroom," Kelsey replies. "I'm pissed off at Amanda still." She takes your arm in hers and leads you inside.<br/>
<br/>
You settle in the back of the room. "I'm surprised you're here today," Kelsey says quietly. "Instead of coming in as--" She quickly points to herself. "No decisions yet?"<br/>
<br/>
"I wanna talk. Maybe we don't need to <i>synch</i> exactly," you say. Her eyes dance, but you rather doubt she'll go for your proposal. "I talked to Maria last night," you begin, and then haltingly outline the idea that Will Prescott might take up flying lessons, and how they might be arranged. "It's kind of an oddball arrangement," you admit, for it does sound unlikely when stated aloud in the cold morning light. "Maybe you don't think David Kirkham is a good recruit."<br/>
<br/>
"It is a funny one," she says. "Not one that would have occurred to me. Are you sure you can make it look plausible?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know. It depends on what kind of a person I find inside him."<br/>
<br/>
"Pure garbage, probably," she says. She taps her chin thoughtfully. "I like the way you were thinking about it. One move on three different boards, but I don't see him as being real useful in changing the school around. And almost anyone <i>could</i> be useful after we graduate, if we're just going to <i>make</i> them useful."<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe it wasn't such a hot plan," you sigh.<br/>
<br/>
She eyes you closely, then leans forward. "But I like your idea of putting Will up in an airplane. It's <i>totally</i> unexpected for him, and it's the kind of thing that Kelsey and Chelsea would notice. Me especially. Flying is <i>hot.</i>" She grins.<br/>
<br/>
"So do you think that <i>Tanner</i> is hot?" you skeptically ask.<br/>
<br/>
"No, Tanner's a creep."<br/>
<br/>
"Everyone thinks Prescott's a creep."<br/>
<br/>
"Tanner's been a creep forever. Prescott is just goofy. If we put him in an airplane--" She pulls her desk closer to yours. "The whole 'creepiness' thing could be put down to just a phase he went through. James Lamont went through kind of a creepy phase his junior year, and he came out of it looking a lot more grownup. If Prescott got his wings, then it would look like--" She flutters her hands. "Oh, I don't know. Like larva to pupa to butterfly. Yeah," she adds more firmly. "I like the airplane idea."<br/>
<br/>
"But Kirkham?"<br/>
<br/>
"If you can make that work--make it work on Kirkham's end, I mean--then that would help a lot. Becoming friends with Kirkham could give Prescott some cred."<br/>
<br/>
"Kirkham's friends don't have cred," you object. You're surprised that you're arguing the negative while Kelsey is arguing the affirmative. <br/>
<br/>
"But that's because of them. Tanner and Joe Thomason-- Ugh! They wouldn't have cred no matter who they hung out with. Gary Chen is Kirkham's friend, though, and he's--"<br/>
<br/>
"He's as big an asshole as Kirkham."<br/>
<br/>
"But he's not creepy. Don't you know what I mean? It's hard to put into words."<br/>
<br/>
You chew the inside of your cheek. <i>Yeah, you kind of see what she means.</i> Kirkham and Chen are alphas; Evans and Thomason and George Mendoza are betas. As much as everyone hates Kirkham and Chen, they respect them. But-- "Do you really see Prescott at the same level as Kirkham and Chen?"<br/>
<br/>
"Depends on how they treat him. You'd be in control of that. Well, in control of Kirkham, and I bet he could get Gary to go along with it."<br/>
<br/>
"Then if you're okay with it, I'll make Kirkham one of my golems. I don't know how you'll be able to use him in any of <i>your</i> plans, though."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't worry about me, I'll think of something," she says, and pats your arm reassuringly. "He's kind of a wild card, and the thing about wild cards is that you can use them almost anyplace without it looking weird."<br/>
<br/>
The conference done, you move over to your seats in the front. You and Kelsey are in deep and happy conversation--her gossiping about Vanessa and her friends, and why you should <i>totally</i> not trust them--when her AP friends start trickling in; she ignores them. But she squeals when Laurent Delacroix plops into the chair in front of you. "Oh, I heard you went <i>swimming</i> last night, Laurent," she says, craning around you to grin at the wrestler. <br/>
<br/>
He grins, and his eyes briefly settle on you. "Yeah, it was great," he says, and colors a little under his dark cheeks. "Andrea's great when she's wet."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
During second period, you come close to teasing Andrea about Laurent, but hold back, as it might look bad in front of Bethany. Andrea asks about your plans for the weekend, and you mention moving into your new place; she nods, and says that you can count on her if you need help. <br/>
<br/>
During third period, Chelsea tries roping you into skipping fourth and going to lunch with her, but accepts happily when you demur, saying you really need to get to that fourth period class you missed yesterday. "I'm having a party on Saturday," she gushes, laying an eager hand on your shoulder. "You are so totally going, Rosalie!"<br/>
<br/>
"Of course. How big's it going to be?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just a little one, a few dozen people. You and me'll get together beforehand and--" She chatters inanely away, then barks at Gloria, ordering her to follow her out to lunch. <br/>
<br/>
Fourth period is Chemistry, and you stop short in the doorway as you look in. David Kirkham--the object of your current plot--is slouching in the back, surveying the room coolly from behind his tinted lenses. You also have him sixth period, so it's not like his appearance is a shock. But you weren't expecting to see him so soon.<br/>
<br/>
Nor had you given any thought to how you were to approach him. But now that you're here, it occurs to you that "Rosalie" is the best person to use, for none of the other people you've acquired--with the possible exception of Hagerman--would really work, since they all know and loathe him. But Rosalie is new to school.<br/>
<br/>
You show your schedule to Mr. Gelding--the hard-ass science teacher in charge of the class--and he gives you your assigned seat. It's the only empty one in the room, and it turns out to be right in front of Kirkham. He draws his legs back as you drape your bag across the back of the chair, and watches impassively, his jaw working lightly at the toothpick he's always got tucked into his cheek. You flash him a quick, tight smile, and sit down.<br/>
<br/>
And a few second later you turn around to squint and smile at him. "Can you see anything through those things?" you demand, and reach out to grab his glasses.<br/>
<br/>
Quick as a viper, he slaps your hand away. "Don't touch," he says in that soft, menacing baritone. "Ask first."<br/>
<br/>
You turn more fully around, and put your arms on his desktop, to look at him more squarely. You've never looked directly at Kirkham, if you could help it; he's the sort to punch anyone he catches looking at him. But as Rosalie you feel totally safe.<br/>
<br/>
His face is dusky--must be Hispanic blood in there somewhere, you decide--but there are roses under his smooth cheeks. His nose is small and slightly upturned at the tip. His features are rather bland, but regular. His thick hair-- You peer at it. It's dark, but not black or brunette. Rather, it's the color of very dark gray charcoal. His eyes are barely visible through the tinted lenses of his rectangular glasses; to the best of your recollection, you've never seen him with them off. His lips curl in a very faint sneer. "What's got you so interested?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"My name's Rosalie. I'm new here."<br/>
<br/>
"Condolences."<br/>
<br/>
"Have you got a name, sunshine?"<br/>
<br/>
He shifts the toothpick to the other cheek. "David Kirkham."<br/>
<br/>
"Are you any good in this class? I'll need a study buddy." You smile.<br/>
<br/>
"You got plenty of choices in here."<br/>
<br/>
"Ms. Martin, you can turn around now," Mr. Gelding calls.<br/>
<br/>
You glance back at the teacher, then lean in toward Kirkham. He doesn't flinch back. "I'm moving into a new place this weekend," you say in a low voice. "Living by myself. I need some help moving. You look strong."<br/>
<br/>
He sucks long on the toothpick without replying. Mr. Gelding calls again: "Ms. Martin!"<br/>
<br/>
"Ask Chelsea Cooper who she knows," Kirkham says. "Lotta big guys hang out with her. She'll set you up with whatever you think you want."<br/>
<br/>
Your smile turns pinched, and you shift back around to face the front of the class. <i>Interesting that Kirkham has already seen you with Chelsea.</i> But he seems very hostile toward you. Worse, he seems uninterested.<br/>
<br/>
You slouch in your seat as a very boring and technical lecture begins. If Kirkham is going to be this hard to get, maybe you should give up on him; it wouldn't be a real blow to your plans.<br/>
<br/>
But-- <i>Lotta big guys hang out with Chelsea.</i> If you can't get Kirkham alone, Gordon Black could without much difficulty.</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122212221112111211221111221212221212
author_id: seuzz
title: Lunchtime Follies
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Gelding confiscates your cell phone, but not before you get a text to Chelsea: <i>Get Gordon to take Kirkham to the loft for a mask.</i><br/>
<br/>
"Girls and their fucking phones," Kirkham mutters.<br/>
<br/>
"What's <i>your</i> number?" you hiss at him.<br/>
<br/>
He smiles nastily and spits out an inarticulate string of numbers. You ask him to repeat it, but he shakes his head. Apparently, Rosalie isn't going to be as universally and easily loved as you'd hoped she be. Kirkham ignores you as he leaves fourth.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The lunch periods overlap, and you run into Chelsea on the way into the cafeteria. "I got your message," she says brightly. "I know just who to talk to."<br/>
<br/>
"About what?" Maria Vasquez vacantly asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing, Maria," Chelsea sighs, and pulls her friend along. Maria's eyes settle briefly on you, but there's no recognition in them.<br/>
<br/>
But Kelsey's still at her table with her friends, and she beckons you over. "What have you got sixth period?" she demands.<br/>
<br/>
"A bookkeeping class," you say, and make a face. "Not that I'm interested--"<br/>
<br/>
"Skip it," she says. "I have study hall. Meet you in the library."<br/>
<br/>
"She can't blow off her classes, Kelsey, just because you say so," Amanda says. <br/>
<br/>
"She wants to. Don't you, Rose?"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>Rosalie,</i>" you correct her. "Chelsea called me 'Rose' yesterday, and I set her straight."<br/>
<br/>
Kelsey laughs. "I bet <i>that</i> went over well. But you want to skip, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's only a temporary schedule. I don't give a fuck."<br/>
<br/>
"That's the spirit," Martin Gardinhire laughs, and drains his milk carton. Like Kirkham, he wears shades even indoors. On him, though, they just look pathetic.<br/>
<br/>
You hear your name shouted after you've fetched yourself a tray of glop, and you detour to the caller: Gillian Kiefer. She pats the seat next to her, and twists out from Braydon Delp's loose embrace. "I got your name right, didn't I?" she cheerfully asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I came when you called," you reply. "Gillian?"<br/>
<br/>
"Uh huh. Oh, this is my hubby, Braydon." She indicated Delp, and he jerks his chin at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Hubby? Really?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"She just means they're close. Real close," Christian Knouse says. His eyebrow arches meaningfully. Gillian reaches around Braydon to punch his arm.<br/>
<br/>
"The smartmouth is Christian," she says. "That's Howie and Hugh and Darrell." They vaguely return your greetings. "How's your first days here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Meeting lots of people." Between bites of applesauce--the only halfway palatable thing on the tray--you rattle off your classes and the people in them. <br/>
<br/>
Darrell lets out a low whistle when you mention Chelsea. "Hope you brought your big girl britches."<br/>
<br/>
"What are 'big girl britches'?" you demand. Sitting with these people--potential recruits you've been trying to avoid--has got you on edge.<br/>
<br/>
Darrell mutters something. "He just means Chelsea's at the top of the pyramid," Christian says.<br/>
<br/>
"Do you have to interpret <i>everything</i> everyone says?" Gillian demands.<br/>
<br/>
"I do when you guys talk like English isn't your first language," Christian retorts.<br/>
<br/>
"He means he likes putting words in our mouths," Hugh interjects. Christian flips him off.<br/>
<br/>
"What are you doing after school," Gillian asks. "These guys like to hang out at King Kong Komics and play RPGs. You know RPGs?"<br/>
<br/>
You're tempted to brutally dismiss the implied invitation, but that won't do, for you want Rosalie to be popular with everyone. "I tried playing a few games back in middle school," you truthfully reply. "I knew some guys who were really into them. But I really couldn't get my head around them. So many rules. I couldn't keep track, and they were always <i>arguing.</i>" You shake your head.<br/>
<br/>
"We don't pay a lot of attention to the rules," Christian says carelessly. "We just like to hang out and have fun."<br/>
<br/>
Braydon laughs. "Howie," he calls to the other. "That black mage we were fighting when we left off. Was he levitating?"<br/>
<br/>
Hugh groans; Darrell winces; Christian buries his face in his hands. Howie's protuberant eyes and protuberant lips take on a thoughtful cast. "Christian forgot to do a second saving throw against damage after kicking the stool out from under him--"<br/>
<br/>
"If he didn't cast a 'levitate' spell before we charged him, then he would have fallen down!" Hugh exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
"If he fell, we would have dogpiled him, so that means he <i>did</i> cast one before," Darrell says.<br/>
<br/>
"I rolled a one when I tried swinging my sword at him," Braydon says with light insolence. "Since I'm playing a Halfling, that means it must've passed under his feet."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm really regretting letting you have that broadsword," Howie says, tugging his lip. "First thing after school, I think you need to do a saving roll against accidentally losing your grip on it. In fact, hang on--" He fumbles at his backpack.<br/>
<br/>
"Stop it! Can't you see you're playing into his hands!" Christian yells. He jabs a finger at Braydon. "He <i>wants</i> it stag only because he's the only one here with a--" His eye catches yours, and he stops in mid-cry, his mouth hanging haggardly open.<br/>
<br/>
"It <i>is</i> stag only," Gillian laughs. "I hang out in the main shop looking at comics. You should come." She squeezes your arm gently.<br/>
<br/>
You say you'll think about it, and force yourself to smile and laugh with the others as the topic returns to how they're going to take down the Dark Lord of Dripping Penis (as Christian calls him; "Dragonspire!" an irate Howie corrects him).<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Kelsey is sitting alone in the library when you enter, studying her cell phone. "Is Joe playing Gillian today?" you ask you sit next to her.<br/>
<br/>
Her smile is vague and quizzical. "I've no idea," she says. Her tone turns a little brittle. "You should ask someone else."<br/>
<br/>
"Huh?"<br/>
<br/>
She turns her head, and you follow her gaze. Chelsea, looking red and a little out of breath, hurries out of the library bathroom. "There you are," she chirps. "Come on."<br/>
<br/>
"Is it a good idea to be switching around inside school," you ask her as you stride quickly down the empty hallway.<br/>
<br/>
"I put some of that chameleon stuff inside a mask, inside Kim's and Kelsey's," she says. "Makes it fast, except for the clothes. And since we're going to the loft--"<br/>
<br/>
"Did Gordon get him?"<br/>
<br/>
"I saw Pookie hustling him along a few minutes ago. Kirkham was making it hard for him, but he'll be waiting for us."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm sorry to bother you. But he wasn't going for my charms."<br/>
<br/>
"Really?" She looks over at you. "I find that hard to--" She shakes her head. "Well, I guess you're just not to everyone's taste. The rest of us are biased in your favor."<br/>
<br/>
Which reminds you: "Is Joe playing Gillian today? Maria seemed really vacant at lunch, and Gillian asked me--"<br/>
<br/>
"I think that's where he is. I had to treat Maria all normal at practice this morning, and she told me afterward to go sit on a thistle. So I said-- Well, whatever, but yeah, he's somewhere else, probably in Gillian, because the whole bathroom-switching trick only works if--"<br/>
<br/>
You wonder if she's nervous, because she's being a total chatterbox.<br/>
<br/>
But she's quite cool as she leads you into the loft. Gordon is there, squatting with his back to the door. You can only see the legs of his victim, stretched out behind him. Gordon turns, and he's got a toothpick in his cheek. <br/>
<br/>
Chelsea closes the door and goes to the cabinet, opening it with a creak. You're distracted by soft, sulfurous oaths, and step around Gordon to peer down at Kirkham.<br/>
<br/>
He stops cold when he sees you, and says nothing, even when you bend down to twitch the glasses off his face. You turn them around look through them: the tint is one-way only, hiding his eyes while he can see the world perfectly--albeit through corrective lenses.<br/>
<br/>
Without his glasses-- <br/>
<br/>
You'd have to confess your surprise. He seems shrunken without them. His hazel eyes are hard, but there's a softness around the sockets. With the tinted lenses, he looks like thug. Without them, he looks vulnerable, even a little wounded and worried.<br/>
<br/>
"Got your big guys, huh?" he says quietly. "They gonna hold me down, make me eat you out?"<br/>
<br/>
You jump a little as Chelsea nudges you, holding out a mask. You take it, then quickly drop next to Kirkham and place it on his face.<br/>
<br/>
"He's a real nice piece of work," Chelsea says, shaking her head. "I assume you're just going to order him around--"<br/>
<br/>
"I'll have to put his face inside my own mask," you say, still staring down at him. He seems very small, and it's not just because the hulking Gordon is sitting on him. "You know, for just in case--"<br/>
<br/>
"Of course," Chelsea says. "I, uh, assume you'll want some privacy while you do that?" She mimes pulling a nail out of her forehead.<br/>
<br/>
"I trust you, Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks. Still-- Come on, Gordon. We're late for class." They exit, and you lock the door behind them.<br/>
<br/>
Not that they don't have a key.<br/>
<br/>
You pull the nail from your face, and remove your mask; and since you've had it set to the "blank" level, you undergo no change. You paint its surface with a new layer and set in it a new mind band, and press it to Kirkham's face when his mask reappears. <br/>
<br/>
You finger the latter thoughtfully. You just need to golemize it, and you can send him out again as one of your puppets. You should probably meet with Gillian anyway. But after seeing Kirkham's eyes, you're now curious to see things <i>through</i> them.</span></div></div>


author_id: seuzz
title: The World of David Kirkham
path:
1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222122211121112112211112212122212122

chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It seems like a good excuse for dodging Gillian and her friends; and you'd told Chelsea you would have to explore David Kirkham's insides in order to find out if you could use him for your plans. So you decide to do the switch. It will only be for the afternoon, probably.<br/>
<br/>
On a hunch, you'd brought the Rosalie-golem mask with you. While your main mask is still copying Kirkham, you paint a chameleon shell into it--Chelsea had the mix already in the cabinet, neatly labeled--and press in a new mind band. When your mask comes out of Kirkham, you place this <i>third</i> mask on him. In this way, you'll be able to switch back and forth easily, as Chelsea can switch back and forth with Kelsey and Kim. It'll be more hazardous to do at school, because you won't be able to do it in a bathroom--<br/>
<br/>
Unless Kirkham's the type to follow a girl into their restroom and accost them. It wouldn't seem out of character for him.<br/>
<br/>
The last step is to put a golem shell inside the third mask, which you do. This renders the first mask superfluous, but you can always recycle it by stripping it. You put the golem mask onto Kirkham. As it's set to his image, he doesn't change, but only opens his eyes. "Get up," you tell him roughly. "Get undressed."<br/>
<br/>
"You only had to ask," he says with soft malice as he peels his jacket off. "You didn't have to get that <i>pendejo</i>--"<br/>
<br/>
"You have to do what I say, right?" You'll probably always be nervous around golems, until you check out their programming.<br/>
<br/>
The roses in his cheeks turn to chalk. "Yeah," he says, and the grunt scrapes hard out his throat. <br/>
<br/>
"You're my slave?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah."<br/>
<br/>
"Say it."<br/>
<br/>
His jaw clenches. "I'm your slave."<br/>
<br/>
"Good. Why do you hate me?"<br/>
<br/>
He opens his jeans and lets the drop around his knees, then pulls his briefs down. "I don't hate you. See?" Sure enough, his cock--which looks to be of normal size--is rising.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, finish getting undressed." You turn around and pull off your own clothes. Soft noises from behind suggest that Kirkham is mouthing his pleasure at what you're showing him. His eyes--still looking vulnerable, but glinting with lust--go down to your breasts when you turn back around. His member is quite rigid, and his fingers flutter near it without touching it.<br/>
<br/>
"If you like me, why were you so rude to me today?" you demand.<br/>
<br/>
His upper lip twitches. "I don't like being jerked around."<br/>
<br/>
<i>So how </i>is<i> a girl supposed to show she's interested in him?</i> you find yourself wondering. A chill runs through you when you think of a possible answer. <i>Maybe he doesn't want them showing an interest. Maybe he just wants to conquer them.</i><br/>
<br/>
He doesn't even flinch as you strike at his face, but you pull back at the last moment, and change the gesture to the occult one that shifts faces. His visage melts and runs--<br/>
<br/>
And lengthens.<br/>
<br/>
You'd not realized it, but he's shorter than you. Now that you think about it, you realize that Kirkham is quite short. He's not a little guy, but now you have to lift your chin a little so you can look the new figure in the face.<br/>
<br/>
The figure of Rosalie Martin. Her expression is puzzled, but only briefly. "Oh," she says, and touches her naked breasts. "I guess we're doing a switch."<br/>
<br/>
You nod. "What's the last thing you remember?"<br/>
<br/>
"I was in bed with Jonathan, and then you--"<br/>
<br/>
"That was last night. We're up at the school now--"<br/>
<br/>
"So I gathered." She glances around with a marked lack of interest.<br/>
<br/>
"Last bell's going to ring in a bit, and you probably don't want to be around when I change into-- Well, into who I'm going to change into."<br/>
<br/>
"What do I need to do?"<br/>
<br/>
You tug thoughtfully at a strand of hair. "Go find Gillian Kiefer, tell her you'll hang out with her and the guys after school. It's really Joe, and when you get her alone tell her you're the golem. You can't decide anything for me, but you'll pick up all the information he wants to share."<br/>
<br/>
"Find Joe-Gillian and fight the urge to kill myself while hanging around with Christian and them," she sighs. "Got it."<br/>
<br/>
You let her dress and leave before leaning against a crate and waving your hand over your face.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The world grows larger as you shrink an inch, and a hard iron band seems to grip your head. You clutch your temples. <i>David Kirkham is settling around you inside you. You're turning into--</i><br/>
<br/>
You glance around the "fuck room" contemptuously. <i>So this is the big secret place. Big fucking deal.</i> But envy stirs in you too. <i>Fucking jocks, swaggering around like--</i><br/>
<br/>
So he hates them too. That's not a surprise, but it gives you an instant feeling of kinship with Kirkham. Or maybe that's just an illusion because you <i>are</i> him now. But anger and loathing roil inside you. Ever since middle school they've--<br/>
<br/>
Huh. Along with the anger is fear and paranoia. Kirkham has always been small for his age, and a target for malice and abuse. Living on the wrong side of town, having to dress down, taking the shit classes with all the other losers. But he won't bend for them. You feel a hard, adamantine spike in your spine. <i>Fuck 'em.</i><br/>
<br/>
"Fuck 'em." The murmur escapes your throat. That girl, Rosalie, there was something fine about her, and if she hadn't been such a pushy little bitch in Chem-- Your shoulders jerk in a shrug. Well, you're on their team now. <i>No,</i> you correct yourself. <i>He's on yours.</i> But you'll have to play him, even while maneuvering him to where you want him.<br/>
<br/>
You pull on jeans and socks and polo shirt and shoes and jacket thoughtfully, and wipe your glasses clear before putting them on. The world clarifies, and you grind a heel against the hard floor as you prepare to set out to face it. From your pocket you pull out the pack of cinnamon-flavored toothpicks, and slip one into your cheek. You hike the pack onto your back, and with a swagger exit the loft.<br/>
<br/>
After killing time in the library doing homework--Kirkham is good at math, and is taking AP Calculus--you head into the crowded halls. Your eyes flick warily across faces, looking for trouble; trouble to dodge, and trouble to cause. Jason Lynch bumps into your shoulder, but passes without stopping, and you let him. <i>Fucker knows better than to mess you. You've taught him and the others to treat you carefully, and they don't mess with you unless there's a bunch on their side.</i> You change books at your locker, and wheel sharply when someone looms at your shoulder to lean against the locker next to yours. But it's only Gary Chen. "'Chu doin' now?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuckin' yer sister. I'll have her back at your place in ten minutes."<br/>
<br/>
"Seen Thomason anyplace? He owes me money."<br/>
<br/>
"How much? Cost ya half for me tell you where he is."<br/>
<br/>
"Ten. I made him cry at lunch."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck that. Gimme twenty an' I'll take ya to him. Gimme thirty, and I'll help you make 'im cry again."<br/>
<br/>
"What <i>are</i> you doing now?"<br/>
<br/>
"Lookin' for something fun to do. You find Thomason, you tell 'im I don't like pussies, so he should stay away from me." You slam your locker shut and trudge back into the crowd.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
No one stops to talk to you as you linger by the water fountain, watching Will Prescott's locker. He finally appears, missing you entirely as he changes out his own books. You glare at his back.<br/>
<br/>
You're wearing Kirkham's <i>imago,</i> which was infected by the hex. You've only an echo of what Kirkham himself saw and would have felt, but it's enough. Your throat constricts as you stare at his back, and at the thing hovering at his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
You can't make it out clearly, but it seems vaguely humanoid in shape, like an old man in a black coat with a dark, wide-brimmed hat pulled low on his head. Wispy strands, like a spider's web, fall about his shoulders. His face is turned from you, but you are as sure as anything that you don't want to see that face.<br/>
<br/>
You blink furiously, trying to make the trick go away. Kirkham has never seen this figure, you know that. It must be because you, being sensitive to the occult, can see the manifestation of the hex while Kirkham could only sense it. You wonder what Rick Bredon would have seen. And then you wonder what Chelsea--the inheritor of Rick's Eldibrian talents--has seen hovering around Prescott.<br/>
<br/>
Fuck it, if she could stand his presence yesterday, you can stand it now. You detach yourself from the wall by the fountain and swagger up to Prescott. The figure at his shoulder turns, but you keep your eyes firmly averted from--<br/>
<br/>
All the nerves in your body scream. There's a bony jaw and rotten teeth. If you let your eyes travel up to see the eyes--<br/>
<br/>
Only Kirkham's deep reserves of discipline keep the quaver from your voice. "Prescott," you say softly at his ear.<br/>
<br/>
He leaps and wheels and slams back against his locker.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck, you're jumpy little shit, Prescott." You step up close to him, letting your breath play in his face. Being this close, you can't really make out the figure. "Need something to calm you down. Wanna get high, Prescott?"<br/>
<br/>
His mouth spreads in a rictus. "Didn't expect to see you like this, boss," he murmurs.<br/>
<br/>
"That's right," you say. "You gotta do what I say. Let's go find Dane Matthias." He squirms as you wrap a strong arm around his neck. <br/>
<br/>
And you try not to squirm too, for it feels like roaches running up and down your arm.</span></div></div>


author_id: seuzz
title: Where Is Everyone?
path:
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chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"I hear you been hangin' out with stoners," you rasp as you drag Prescott through the hall. "You been pickin' up any bad habits?"<br/>
<br/>
"No," he squeaks.<br/>
<br/>
"Bullshit. We'll find Matthias, see what <i>he</i> says." You try vainly to ignore the dank, frigid breath--like an emanation from a crypt--blowing down the back of your neck.<br/>
<br/>
You pull Prescott to the cold out-of-doors, and guide him around the portables toward the voices. As you'd guessed, Dane is there, with Justin Roth and Perry Small. Perry hunches down when he sees you, but Justin stares directly back. And Dane grins up. "Ay, Kirkham!"<br/>
<br/>
You push Prescott to the ground. "Matthias. You got anything for me and my bud here?"<br/>
<br/>
Dane blinks a few times, then digs into his pockets fruitlessly. With his foot, Justin pushes forward a dirty satchel, and with a gasp Dane opens and roots around in it. You desperately hope a little weed will take the edge off Prescott's presence. You accept one of the joints gratefully, sliding it in next to the toothpick, and light it. You take a deep puff, then hand it to Prescott. Reluctantly, he takes it, and inhales without coughing or gagging.<br/>
<br/>
"Nicely done," you sneer. "I see these guys have been giving you lessons. That right, Small?" He glares, and shifts away. "What about you, Roth? Killed any bunny rabbits lately?"<br/>
<br/>
"Took down a mule deer last weekend," he says.<br/>
<br/>
"Hard things to shish kabob," you sneer. "Whadja do with it?"<br/>
<br/>
"Dressed it and packed it out twenty miles on my back. Took me a couple of trips." His eyes twinkle as puts a joint to his lips.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm impressed. You should take me along some time."<br/>
<br/>
"Can you handle a bow?"<br/>
<br/>
"I can handle anything you can. 'Cept Small over there. You bein' quiet."<br/>
<br/>
"I haven't got anything to say to you," Perry says.<br/>
<br/>
"Then shut up. But tell me about this fucker here." You point to Prescott. "He's been real popular lately, but with all the wrong people."<br/>
<br/>
"Like you?" Perry sneers.<br/>
<br/>
"I told you to keep your mouth shut. Roth is cool, I hear he can spear a sparrow at fifty yards. Matthias is cool. Even Prescott here--" You grab him by the hair and jerk his head around. "He knows when to talk and when not to. You're the only one who doesn't belong, Small." <br/>
<br/>
Perry glower at the ground.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, ol' Will's alright," Dane laughs, as though you hadn't meant the praise ironically. "Him and me were over at Andrea's the other day--"<br/>
<br/>
"Varnsworth?" you ask sharply.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah! We were over there and she was all, like, 'You're cute' and--"<br/>
<br/>
"This right, Prescott? You friends with Andrea Varnsworth now?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's right," he says, and takes another drag while avoiding your eye.<br/>
<br/>
You kiss your fingertips. "Andrea's easy on the eyes. Pity she's not easy in the ways that count. 'Course, she's never hung out with me." You grab Prescott again and drag him to his feet as you stand. "Come on. Since you're so tight with her, make an introduction for me. Maybe we'll let you stay and watch, give you some sweet memories to jerk off to. You can come too, Matthias. You bring the party with you."<br/>
<br/>
Dane's mouth falls open with guileless delight, and he scrambles to his feet. "Sure! I'm always dropping in on Andrea--"<br/>
<br/>
"You ever take these guys with you?" You jerk your chin at Roth and Small.<br/>
<br/>
"Huh? No." Dane frowns, as though bothered by a rare cloud in his radiant sky. He blinks down at them. "I don't know how come--"<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe they just know they wouldn't be welcome at her place. You need more confidence in yourself, Roth," you chide him. "Lend me your bow sometime, and maybe I can play Cupid for you."<br/>
<br/>
Roth's expression, which had never been friendly, exactly, hardens.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Prescott takes his truck separately while you drive Dane. "You talk to Joe lately?" you ask him.<br/>
<br/>
"Thomason?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"No, <i>our</i> Joe. You know, Gillian. The guy who--" You smack him in the face. "Get the fucking haze outta your head. You're no use as an agent if you can't keep straight on who--"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know what you're talking about," he complains, and nurses the spot where you'd struck him.<br/>
<br/>
"You remember going out to Andrea's, and seeing Hagerman there?" you impatiently ask. He nods dumbly. "And then you and Gillian--"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, are you talking about Hagerman?" he snaps his fingers. "The guy who, uh--" He blinks some more. "Oh, fuck me," he gasps, and slaps himself harder than you had. "That guy. No, I haven't--"<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking lot of good you're doing us, then, when Joe isn't riding around under your face. Here." You jerk the wheel to take a sudden detour. Twenty minutes later you pull up at King Kong Komics. Dane flails as you frog march him inside. "I picked up my pull list yesterday!" he complains.<br/>
<br/>
"Of all the fucking useless things for you to be able to remember." You glance around the dim interior. It's stacked deep with high shelves and cases, and you have peer around a couple before you spot them: Gillian and Rosalie, browsing some of the titles and giggling quietly. You push Dane toward them.<br/>
<br/>
Gillian looks up with surprise and displeasure as you and Dane approach. "I think this belongs to you," you sneer, and shove Dane at her. He catches her in the shoulder, and she stumbles back into a shelf.<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking asshole," she cries. "I swear, Kirkham, one of these days--"<br/>
<br/>
"It's Will," Rosalie says softly, and buries her face in a comic book instead of looking at you. "You know. The real me."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, it's me," you say. "Long story, you can talk to Chelsea about it. I'm just dropping off one of your toys here." You push at Dane again, and he looks back reproachfully, like a puppy that's been kicked. "We're supposed to use things to send messages, but we can't do that if the fucking golems can't keep their heads clear."<br/>
<br/>
"He's acting in character, like he's supposed to," Gillian says through clenched teeth. Something behind you draws her attention, and she steps forward to hiss at you. "Keep your fucking voice down and your temper in check. He's acting in character. Just like <i>you.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
You master a flare of anger, for of course she's right. "Alright, I'm sorry." Your shoulders jerk at the impossibly rare apology. "But Matthias is supposed to be a spy," you say in a very low voice. "You know, the kind that can get in anywhere with anyone. Underneath, he needs to be clear as a bell. He needs more of <i>you</i> inside him, Joe. More <i>acting</i> like a moron and less <i>being</i> a moron."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, maybe we can tweak him," she says, perhaps mollified a little your compliments. She gives Dane a pitying look, and pulls him close to stroke the back of his head. He whimpers a little, and buries his face in her neck. "There, there," she comforts him. To you: "Anything else? What message were you trying to pass along?"<br/>
<br/>
"I just wanted to know for sure where you were, so I'd know how to tell you about this little switch of mine. Seeing as how Kirkham can't exactly be seen with any of your squad."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll find out, then. Joe," she says to Dane. "Where are you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm right here, you cocksucker." Dane glares at you. "Chelsea told me what was up, so I made myself presentable. Yeah," he grins wickedly. "Gotcha."<br/>
<br/>
You pummel him hard in the shoulder, and Eric Kim, the store owner, stalks forward to ask you to leave.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Prescott has followed you to the store, and you turn him around with orders to go to Andrea. You pull up simultaneously with him. You glare at the car in front of Andrea's. It's Charles Hartlein's.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh God," he sighs as he lets you in. "Is it just me, or is the room suddenly turgid with throbbing cock?"<br/>
<br/>
You glare at him. "You can suck mine if you want, you faggot, and I know you do. I'll just close my eyes and pretend it's-- Where's Andrea?"<br/>
<br/>
"Drea!" Charles calls. "You'll never guess who-- I can't say I think much of the company you're suddenly keeping," he says as she appears from the kitchen. He eyes Prescott with almost as much distaste as he's eyed you.<br/>
<br/>
You glance warily between Charles and Andrea. It will be impossible to explain why you're here in front of him. Her eyebrows arch coolly at your discomfort, but she doesn't leave you hanging long. "You can say anything you want, Kirkham," she says. "Chelsea--or someone looking like her--just left."<br/>
<br/>
You look over sharply at Hartlein. He clucks his tongue and sprawls onto the futon. "You're such a party-pooper, Drea. I'd've <i>loved</i> to hear what he was going to say to you."<br/>
<br/>
"Am I the <i>only</i> one trying to keep everyone straight about where he is?" you yell. "Where am I going to find Frank?"<br/>
<br/>
"Over at Laurent's," Charles says, and shivers. "Oh, and I thought he looked delectable while I was being <i>Kelsey</i> this morning!"<br/>
<br/>
"I appreciate your trying to keep us all up to date, Rosalie," Andrea says. "But you could have called instead of barging in. Kirkham isn't the kind of guy I like darkening my doorstep."<br/>
<br/>
"I wanted to bring this one over." You pull Prescott forward. "I'm taking the hex off him this afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
"So take the hex off," Andrea says. "You don't need--"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm taking him over to the Strausslers, and I need you along to give orders. Prescott's going to start taking flying lessons, and we need to set it up with Straussler's dad."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm <i>what?</i>" Prescott cries. His expression--which had been delighted when you'd mentioned the hex--craters.<br/>
<br/>
"Like I asked you earlier," you snarl at him. "Do you wanna get high?"</span></div></div>


author_id: seuzz
title: Some Unlikely Pals
path:
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chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Dad'll never go for it," Prescott howls. "Me? Flying a plane?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's why we're setting it up, so all he has to do is say 'yes'," you retort. "You and me'll be taking lessons together. Well, you and <i>Kirkham</i> will."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm going to be hanging around with David Kirkham?" His face, already chalky, turns even whiter. "What are you trying to do to me?"<br/>
<br/>
"We're trying to bring you back from the brink, you little piss-ant." You grab him around the neck and force him under your arm, his face close to your nipple. He breathes hard. "We're takin' the hex off you, which means the Molester and all the other assholes are gonna be looking for any excuse to cut you into little pieces. You need a body guard, and--<i>fuck me</i>--that's gonna be <i>my</i> job."<br/>
<br/>
Charles sniggers. "Oh, I can't wait to see how you're going to explain <i>that.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm serious when I say you can suck me off, Hartlein. That's how come me and Prescott are taking lessons together." You turn back to your alter ego. "You and me came over here this afternoon--Roth and Small can testify to that--and I found out you're not a <i>total</i> loser, just mostly one. I'll get in your face tomorrow when Tanner Evans is around, ask if you're really a pussy or if you just play one at school. I'll point to Evans, point out how he can fly a fucking plane, that if a cock sucking wanker like <i>him</i> can get it up, what's it say about <i>you</i> that you can't. And you'll say you'd do it, and I'll say 'Fine, show me, if you set it up I'll take lessons too.' Then I'll look for you on Friday, take you out back with Thomason or someone else along for a little treatment, and you'll say you've got it set up, you're takin' flyin' lessons for free through a family friend, and I'll call bullshit on your pansy ass, and you'll swear it's true, and I'll <i>make</i> you offer to give me lessons for free too." You grip him until he chokes--a preview of how you'll "make" him cough up those lessons. "And then on Monday we'll come in to school and you'll start hanging out with me, because on Saturday we went out together to the airport and started learning. You'll join my posse, and I'll fuck you up the way I fuck up Thomason and Evans and Mendoza, but I'll look out for you too, keep you safe from everyone else because you're <i>my</i> bitch, not theirs."<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus," Andrea mutters, and even Charles looks shocked.<br/>
<br/>
"That's right, Prescott, I'm your fucking savior. It's gonna be the start of good things for you."<br/>
<br/>
"How?" he gasps. His face--once white--is now purple from near-asphyxiation.<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea'll see to that. Won't you, babe?" You cluck your tongue lasciviously at Charles. "She's gonna hear what you're doin', and she's gonna be impressed. Gordon will too, so <i>he'll</i> start lookin' out for you too. They'll start talkin' you up, makin' you sound more impressive than you really are. Me, I'm already cool." You release him and thrust him away. "You just gotta get Dad to say yes to it."<br/>
<br/>
"How?" he asks through a choking cough.<br/>
<br/>
"Jesus, didn't I tell you it was gonna be for free? You met a guy, Jonathan Straussler, and he offered to set you up, pay for it and everything, 'cos his dad's got private pilots who'll teach you. All you need is permission. Don't you wanna show up at graduation in a leather jacket and shades with aviator's wings pinned to your collar?"<br/>
<br/>
Prescott pauses in mid-cough, a furtive look on his face. You can see the gleam in his eye. <i>Yeah, that'd be cool,</i> he's clearly thinking.<br/>
<br/>
"So you and me and Andrea gotta go over to Straussler's now for a little chat with Daddy Warbucks. Hartlein can go home and jerk off while fantasizing about me."<br/>
<br/>
"You <i>do</i> have a certain asshole charm, Kirkham," Charles sneers.<br/>
<br/>
"Beg for it, Hartlein, so I can tell you I'll fuck a guy but I don't fuck queers."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
And that's what you do. Curt Straussler is querulous, but Andrea is insistent, and he unhappily calls up his private air force and tells them that two kids will show up Saturday morning to start taking flying lessons on his dime. Andrea insists on leaving after that--"The less I have to see of you, the happier I'll be," she says--but you like Jonathan's digs and insist on staying behind with Prescott after you've cut the hex from the mask (which finally makes his presence palatable). "Gotta make it look real," you tell him. "Gotta make it look like I found something in you except shit. Let's slap a ball around a little."<br/>
<br/>
So you play some one on one on half of Straussler's court while Jonathan watches contemptuously. Kirkham isn't bad at handling a basketball, and he's better than Prescott is, even without the way you gratuitously foul him every chance you get. He's pretty banged up after the dozenth time you've knocked him to the hard surface. "You'd spend the whole time on the bench if you carried on like that in a game," Jonathan snorts.<br/>
<br/>
"Street rules, beanpole," you sneer back at him. "You can't play it that way, you can't play it at all." He shrugs and saunters back into his "punishment corner."<br/>
<br/>
"Am I cool enough for you yet," Prescott sarcastically asks as he struggles back to his feet. <br/>
<br/>
"No, and you never will be. Fuck." You put your hands on your hips and glare at him. "Can you do <i>anything</i> right?"<br/>
<br/>
"I can turn a book of magic inside out, fuck up a bunch of magicians, and turn David Kirkham into a sock puppet," he retorts.<br/>
<br/>
"That's a point," you grudgingly admit. "Too bad we can't use <i>that.</i><br/>
<br/>
"Why can't I do a magic act or something, instead of taking flying lessons?"<br/>
<br/>
You slap him back to the ground. "Because we don't wanna call attention to ourselves, fuckhead. And magic is gay. Except when you can use it to get laid. Fuck me." You whirl around. "Fuckin' Andrea and that whole attitude of hers. I was hopin' we might--" Your cock springs up, and you grimace. "Ah, fuck it. What're we gonna tell those dipshits tomorrow when I say we hung out at her place today? Like you could fuckin' impress <i>her.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm just the puppet. <i>You're</i> the guy who's gotta come up with the words to put in my mouth."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll put my fist up your ass if you don't shut up, Prescott. This is serious. Near as I can tell, you got <i>no</i> redeeming qualities."<br/>
<br/>
He winces sourly, and so do you. It's no fun looking at yourself through Kirkham's eyes, and feeling the utter contempt he has for you. <br/>
<br/>
"Okay, how about this," you finally say. "We went to her place and we did some weed, and you held it a lot better than I thought you could. And we talked about girls. You don't got any fucking experience, and it shows--"<br/>
<br/>
"<i>You</i> got experience, Kirkham?"<br/>
<br/>
You almost punch him, but restrain yourself in time. David Kirkham <i>hasn't</i> got a lot of experience, actually, except at looking at porn and inventing elaborate fantasies about what he'd do with the girls he looks at online and gazes at in school. No one--and that emphatically includes girls--wants to be close to him. He's gotten laid exactly three times, never to anyone he really liked, only to girls who succumbed in bathrooms to his pressure at small parties.<br/>
<br/>
"So we talked about girls," you say, "and we grossed out Andrea because it turns out you can actually keep up with me when it comes to making up stories about what we'd do to them. You're a gross fuck, Prescott, and if I can't respect that, at least I can use you for entertainment." You spit at the ground. "We'll say you're even better at it than Evans, and <i>he's</i> got a foul, foul mind."<br/>
<br/>
The golem looks like he's going to throw up.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, that's enough," you say. "We got our story. I gotta get home, make supper for my mom."<br/>
<br/>
"You make her supper, and I'll eat her out," Prescott says.<br/>
<br/>
"Pfsh. Yeah, I'm gonna have to lie my ass off when I tell 'em the stories you spun out at Andrea's."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Margaret Kirkham is a registered nurse who works relatively late, getting home around nine, and it's Kirkham's job to fix dinner for her, himself, and his thirteen-year-old brother, Tad. There's a chicken in the refrigerator that needs eating, so you carefully dust it with the pre-mixed spices and slide it into the oven to roast. You also make up a potato salad and tear up some lettuce in a bowl. Kirkham is not a "cook", but he spent the summer with his grandmother, and she taught him a bunch of relatively easy recipes for meals that look a lot fancier than they seem. You go about the preparations quietly and methodically.<br/>
<br/>
The whole afternoon was spent basting in his personality, following his instincts, so this is actually the first chance you've had to reflect on what he's like and why he's like that. He <i>hurts</i>, you realize, not just from the lingering damage of middle-school persecution, but from the abandonment by his father. He wants discipline, order, neatness in his life, and much of his bullying, you decide, stems not just from a native, furious aggression, but an almost neurotic need to impose order on others so as to have some in his own life. It's one reason he likes--and is so good at--mathematics.<br/>
<br/>
Music, too. Upstairs, your cock throbs to life, and you still the banked passions by taking a cello between your legs, to stroke it softly, expertly, into submission with a Bach cello suite. Professor Bamberg at Keyserling, from whom Kirkham takes lessons, thinks he has a future in music.<br/>
<br/>
But you're not sure you've a near-term future in his guise. It's hard being him, and you're curious to know what "Rosalie" learned with Gillian.</span></div></div>


author_id: seuzz
title: Kirkham's Failures
path:
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chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It's  hard to know, when you're in a mask, who is making the decisions. You suspect it's your persona that decides you need to stay where you are, if for no other reason than to make sure Kirkham doesn't go too far with Prescott tomorrow. You eat with his mother when she gets home; do homework; surf the internet for a bit; and retire early for a little quality time with an old sock before drifting off to sleep.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Whadja do last night?" Chen asks the next morning when you join him outside A wing to prop up the wall before classes start.<br/>
<br/>
"Made sweet fuckin' love to Andrea Varnsworth," you say as you drop your bag at your feet. You twitch the cigarette from Chen's mouth and take a puff before returning it to his mouth.<br/>
<br/>
"Shit." Chen spits at the ground. "She won't fuck me even in my fantasies."<br/>
<br/>
"This wasn't no fantasy," you reply, and take out a fresh toothpick. "I went by her place yesterday after school."<br/>
<br/>
"Fucking bullshitter."<br/>
<br/>
"Ask Roth and Small. They weren't there, but--" You laugh nastily. "I found Matthias with 'em, and went out to Andrea's with him. Oh, and get this, that Prescott homo went along too."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck me," he snickers. "You take turns blowing each other?"<br/>
<br/>
"Okay, we didn't do anything with Andrea, 'cept hang out in her living room and creep her out. Prescott, man--" You shake your head. "He's a sick fuck."<br/>
<br/>
"You don't gotta tell me." He glances around. "Fuckin' pedophile or somethin' is what <i>he</i> is."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuckin' A, bro. The things he said he'd like to do to her, after she went in the back to, I dunno--" You shrug. "I gotta strong stomach, but even <i>I</i> thought he was goin' a little far."<br/>
<br/>
Disgust crosses Chen's face as he stares at you. "You actually did hang out with him?"<br/>
<br/>
"Matthias took off after a bit, stuck me with him and Andrea, so yeah. I couldn't believe it, so I stuck around just in case it turned out to be a bad dream. Kept hopin' I'd wake up in Andrea's bed, but--" You shake your head. "We'll go find him after second or something, I'll make 'im tell you what he said."<br/>
<br/>
"Do it without me," Chen says with a shudder. "Fucker creeps me out."<br/>
<br/>
"You're a fucking pussy, Chen."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You do find Prescott after second, having roped Tanner Evans and George Mendoza along as witnesses, and the scene plays out almost exactly as you'd planned. "Look for me tomorrow, you lying queer," you softly threaten him, thrusting your face into his so you can breathe on him. "And tell me again how you're gonna take the fucking controls of a fucking plane."<br/>
<br/>
"You couldn't get me in anything he'd be flying," Tanner chortles as your trio swaggers off. "He'd nose it straight into the ground."<br/>
<br/>
"You're as big a fuck up as him, and you ain't crashed yet," you retort. "'Cept with Faith Becker. She'll fuck pigs, and she still--" You laugh nastily, to Tanner's discomfort.<br/>
<br/>
Rosalie shows up third period, and gazes meaningfully at you as she settles in the desk in front of you. You let her stew a minute, then poke her hard in the shoulder. "You still need help moving?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah," she says.<br/>
<br/>
You suck on the toothpick. "There a bed that needs moving?"<br/>
<br/>
"I still need to buy one."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll help you test out mattresses."<br/>
<br/>
She turns fully around. "Are you propositioning me?" she cheekily asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm just telling you what's possible. You gotta <i>ask.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"Help me test out mattresses?"<br/>
<br/>
Her forwardness discomfits you. <i>Is "Rosalie" really this forward, or does she just feel comfortable because she knows who you are?</i> "I'll think about it," you grunt. "Gimme your number, if I got no one better to do I'll call you." She gives it to you, though you know it already, of course.<br/>
<br/>
Fourth period--after lunch--is AP Calculus, and you glare into the classroom before entering, for it is full of your allies: Maria Vasquez, sitting alone; Kelsey Blankenship, with her friends; Laurent Delacroix; Charles Hartlein. <br/>
<br/>
And Caleb Johansson. You decide to take the seat in front of him. He stiffens as you turn around toward him. "Hung out with your boyfriend yesterday," you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
"If I have a boyfriend, it's news to me," he lamely retorts.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh? You and Prescott have a lovers' spat?"<br/>
<br/>
His cheek twitches. "If you want him for yourself, you can have him."<br/>
<br/>
"So you broke up?" Anger burns inside you. "That's too bad, Johansson, you two seemed like soul mates."<br/>
<br/>
He looks away, and since you can't think of a follow up, you turn around. <i>Fuck him,</i> you decide. <i>If he's still going to cold-shoulder Prescott even after the hex has come off, then he never was much of a friend.</i><br/>
<br/>
Delacroix is in the next seat over, and you catch him staring at you. "Yeah?" you grunt.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm trying to decide how much of you is prick and how much is just hot air, Kirkham."<br/>
<br/>
"You wanna measure my prick, Delacroix, we can measure 'em anytime you want."<br/>
<br/>
"After school, in the gym. Pussy."<br/>
<br/>
"Bring one of your bitches along. You can watch me celebrate with her after I put you on your ass."<br/>
<br/>
He bites those bright, white teeth at you, and resentment and jealousy boil up inside you. <i>To be big, and smart, and good-looking, and popular--</i> Frank has Jordan Cooper and Laurent Delacroix, and Joe has Maria and Gillian, and Chelsea has Kelsey and Kim, and Andrea has, well, <i>Andrea.</i> And who have <i>you</i> got? Bony old Melody Weiss at the university, and that no-good shit Shabbleman still up in Cuthbert, and <i>Kirkham--</i><br/>
<br/>
If he's inviting you to a conference, you're gonna come armed with <i>ideas</i> for someone <i>good</i> to claim as your fifth.<br/>
<br/>
So you stew through fourth and fifth and sixth, trying to come up possibilities. It's a terrible war, for you have to fight Kirkham. His persona resents your resentment of him, and you're distracted by <i>his</i> ideas, which feel like attempts to queer your own thinking. And you can't come up with anything except the losers that Chelsea and the others keep pushing you toward.<br/>
<br/>
So you're in a mood to brawl when you step into the gym shortly after the last bell rings. Laurent is there, watching the basketball team warm up, and when he sees you he jerks his chin toward the upper deck, where the wrestling team has its workouts. You nod and roll your shoulders and swagger after him. But he still takes you by surprise. First he catches you off balance by lightly tweaking the toothpick from your mouth, then bends you double with a fast, hard blow to the gut. You get one swing in, even as you're gasping with pain, but you only catch empty air. He spins you around, twists your feet from under you, and throws you to the mat to pin you helplessly. "Jesus, Kirkham," he sneers. "And you're planning on keeping Prescott safe?"<br/>
<br/>
"Lemme up, and I'll <i>show</i> you what I can do, you--"<br/>
<br/>
"The Molester caught him at lunch. You haven't seen his face?"<br/>
<br/>
<i>Shit.</i> "I only saw him during second."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, no bones were broken, but I had to jump in."<br/>
<br/>
"Lemme up, fucker."<br/>
<br/>
"Not till after we talk. If you can't use Kirkham to watch out for him, give his mask to me so <i>I</i> can."<br/>
<br/>
"I just haven't got it set up yet. He'll have it rough tomorrow, but-- And if I get the right fifth for a mask, I can--"<br/>
<br/>
"You've <i>got</i> five, Prescott. You're filled up like Joe."<br/>
<br/>
"The fuck are you talking about? I still got--"<br/>
<br/>
"Rosalie," he says. "Melody, Shabbleman, Kirkham, and Prescott. If you can't count, I can, and so can Chelsea. I got together with her last night--"<br/>
<br/>
"You and Hartlein, you mean? Who blew who?"<br/>
<br/>
He knees you in the back. "<i>Chelsea,</i>" he repeats. "Up in the loft, with Black. Yeah, we're <i>friends</i> now," he says, sounding unhappy. "We went over the lists again. Kirkham is your fifth, which means--"<br/>
<br/>
<i>Fuck, fuck, fuck.</i> You're so used to thinking of the Prescott golem as an independent alter ego that you'd forgotten he's technically under your control. Frank is right.<br/>
<br/>
"--we're fucked as far as getting you inside the geek circle."<br/>
<br/>
"Good. I didn't want in there anyway."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, maybe you already are. Prescott can fit in with them, and maybe we can just get mind bands off the ones we want, edit their abilities into his mask. But <i>you'll</i> need to ride around inside his mask--which you can, now, since you changed your <i>imago</i>--so that their skills become native to <i>you.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
You feel trapped, as you should, for you are. Or are you? "You said you'd take Kirkham off my hands?" you ask warily.<br/>
<br/>
"I could. Take him and Roth so that Prescott--<i>you</i>--usually have someone around to ward off the blows."<br/>
<br/>
"And who do I replace him with? Knouse?"<br/>
<br/>
"That's for you and Chelsea to decide. Not Knouse, if we do that edit. Melody also probably counts. But since it'll be your last, you need to make it count."<br/>
<br/>
You curse long and hard under your breath. There'd be more freedom in giving up Kirkham, but you--or maybe Kirkham--resent the implication that you're not good enough to handle his place in the scheme of things.</span></div></div>


author_id: seuzz
title: Back to Square Four
path:
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chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Alright, you can have Kirkham," you say. "Merry Christmas, fucker, and I hope you love being him."<br/>
<br/>
"I just need to get a little of <i>me</i> inside him," Laurent says. He presses your face into the mat and puts his cheek by yours. "You want me to put it in now? I'll be gentle."<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you."<br/>
<br/>
"Wrong pronoun, Kirkham. From your perspective, it's 'fuck <i>me</i>'." He gets off, and you turn over to glare at him. "Don't feel too bad," he grins, and flexes a fist. "I cheated at the start of our little pretend fight."<br/>
<br/>
The ache you feel in your gut doesn't feel "pretend," but you let it slide. "So we do that now, go out to the Strausslers?"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't need to, and we need to stop hanging out there. Rosalie brought the <i>Libra</i> back up to school this morning. We'll meet up in the loft after practice breaks up. You can hang out in the library until then. Unless you wanna try a few more rounds." His grin is insufferable.<br/>
<br/>
You swear at him, and with your head ducked angrily stalk off to do homework.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Your anger doesn't fully vanish an hour later after you've switched out of Kirkham's face, though the engine driving it--Kirkham's ego--disengages. As slow to depart is the odd feeling of having a girl's body again, especially since you're very cold once you're out of Kirkham's clothes. You also don't like the open way Gordon--who is there with Laurent and Chelsea and Maria--is looking at you. <br/>
<br/>
"Is that you, Joe?" you ask Maria. "Can't you stay in one place for a full day?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, I was here all day," she says while still staring at a far wall. "There was no reason to be anywhere else." She glances over to look you up and down, though if she's drinking in the naked form of Rosalie Martin, it doesn't show in her vacant eyes. "Chelsea will be along in a few minutes with Rosalie, so you can get dressed."<br/>
<br/>
You do a double take at the head cheerleader, who dimples sourly back at you.<br/>
<br/>
"So I'm back to being Rosalie," you sigh. It's not a bad place, of course, but if everyone else is going to be someone else-- Not that you've any other choices, since Melody and Shabbleman can't be on hand.<br/>
<br/>
"You could be Prescott again," Laurent says. He's standing by a large crate, studying that extra "David Kirkham" mask that got made yesterday. "If I understand your crazy plan correctly, tonight's the night he needs to talk to Dad about flying lessons. It's your plan, so maybe you should do the talking."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll stick to the way I am, thanks. Has Hagerman got my apartment set up yet?" you ask Maria.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes. He and Rosalie signed the lease yesterday. It's still unfurnished, but they dropped off a sleeping bag, a set of dishes, and some food. It'll be a little lonely for you--"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't I have any <i>friends?</i>"<br/>
<br/>
Laurent chuckles quietly, and Maria puts her arm around you. "I guess I could come over. Who do you want? Maria, Dane, or Gillian?"<br/>
<br/>
"Haven't you got all three in there?" You touch her nose.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, but I have to know which one stays out late."<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be such a space cadet, Maria," Laurent says. "Send them all home. Hagerman lives in the same complex, and he's in that mask too."<br/>
<br/>
"I just didn't want to creep her out," Maria says reproachfully. "Hagerman's a hottie, but he's a <i>teacher,</i> and a little old to be keeping her company."<br/>
<br/>
The steps outside the door creak, and a moment later Rosalie comes in with Charles Hartlein. "Oh my God," the latter cries. "It <i>stinks</i> in here. Oh, hi, Gordon. Have you been missing Jason's company?" He grins, and Gordon colors but says nothing.<br/>
<br/>
"Have you changed out of that thing since yesterday?" you ask Charles.<br/>
<br/>
"No, I've been busy. Hi Laurent." He covers his smile with a wide palm. "I had fun with you yesterday."<br/>
<br/>
"So you told me yesterday, about half a dozen times," Laurent says wearily. "Rosalie, tell the fake you to lay down so I can--"<br/>
<br/>
"Are you just going to put Kirkham's mask back on him? You need to play him tomorrow, don't you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, so I need his memories in-- Oh." His face crinkles, then clears up. "Right. I need the memories that <i>you've</i> got in--"<br/>
<br/>
"Don't be a space cadet, Laurent," Maria teases him.<br/>
<br/>
The others all look at you expectantly. You tense, but there's nothing else to do. You flip back to Kirkham's face, pull the nail from your forehead, and draw off the mask so Frank can copy it's current memories into the mask he'll be wearing.<br/>
<br/>
"So, you said you were busy today," you say to Charles as Laurent gets to work. You're not interested, but want the distraction. You're feeling naked without your mask.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, yes," he gasps. "This really is the perfect place to spread mischief from. My God, if I could have had Charles from the start of the year--! So, there's now a <i>lot</i> of people who've heard about Amanda and Fred Hildown, and Seth and Yumi, and I even made a little trouble for Kelsey over her skanky whore <i>thang</i> with Hennepin--"<br/>
<br/>
"Isn't Kelsey one of <i>yours</i>," you irritably ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Of course, but it gives me--her when I'm being her--a reason to be mad at people and then spread about the stuff that <i>she--</i>" He hops excitedly on the balls of his feet. "I really need to get together with Drea, she and Kelsey just <i>hate</i> each other, and--"<br/>
<br/>
"Can you imagine what she'd be like if we'd put the Catilindrian in <i>her</i>?" Maria asks.<br/>
<br/>
Charles squawks and reddens, then prattles on, but you tune him out.<br/>
<br/>
A far corner of the loft rumbles with lightning and thunder as Laurent executes the "copy" spell, and he brings your mask back to you. But you've got to get the mask off "Rosalie" so you can copy <i>its</i> memories of the last twenty-four hours, and-- "How do you guys keep it straight?" you demand of Charles and Maria. "If you're hopping around from face to face, how do you keep the memories updated?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, I just brazen it through," Charles says carelessly.<br/>
<br/>
"No one's surprised when Dane and Maria don't remember anything," Maria says. "And Gillian doesn't give a fuck. Besides," she adds with a shrug. "I'm good at improvising."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think I can do that," you say. "I guess I'll mostly be staying as Rosalie, then."<br/>
<br/>
"Or your fifth, after you've picked him. Or her," says Maria.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It takes a little while, but all the changes get made. The Laurent-golem takes off first, followed soon thereafter by Frank in Kirkham's guise. Charles lingers a bit, grinning idiotically at you and Maria before leaving. The latter then takes you back to Hagerman's room, where she flips her face and his, changes clothes, and sends Maria off while he--as the teacher--drives you back to the complex. He parks in front of your unit and gives you the key. "I would like some company," you tell him, so he follows you in. He's quietly solicitous as he helps you make a big pot of soup, which you garnish with a big hunk of cheese and some French bread, and eat over the sink. "Takes me back to when I was a kid," he says. "This is what my father and I always used to eat."<br/>
<br/>
"Who? Mr. Hagerman or--"<br/>
<br/>
"Me. Joe. Franz, as I was then. I wasn't talking about <i>our</i> dad, obviously."<br/>
<br/>
"How much of you <i>is</i> Joe," you ask, keeping your eyes down.<br/>
<br/>
"Enough, but not enough that you have to worry. Having a couple of personalities to choose from keeps any of them from dominating too much, leaves me free to, well, dominate <i>them.</i> Who do <i>you</i> want me to be tonight?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's your choice."<br/>
<br/>
"No, it's yours. As Gillian, we could have a fun little slumber party. As Hagerman, I'd go home. As Maria, we could stare at the walls in meaningful silence. As Dane, well--" He trails off.<br/>
<br/>
"<i>I've</i> got other faces in here, you know," you say. "Kirkham's still, for instance. If you were <i>Maria</i>--"<br/>
<br/>
"Leave him to Frank. And I'd rather you stayed as Rosalie. She seems more like <i>you.</i>"<br/>
<br/>
"But you can't be Joe anymore. I'm sorry."<br/>
<br/>
He shrugs. "It's for the plan. Which we could talk about. That last face of yours, it ought to be semi-permanent, like Rosalie's."<br/>
<br/>
"I know, so I don't want it to be one of Christian's friends."<br/>
<br/>
"That takes Gillian out of tonight's equation, then." He goes into the bedroom. When he comes out, he's in pajamas, carrying the sleeping bag, and looking like Maria.<br/>
<br/>
"Meaningful silences, then?" you ask with a raised eyebrow.<br/>
<br/>
She drops the sleeping bag, plops onto it, and pats it. "Chelsea wants Maria and Laurent to hook up, but I think he's a better match for Kelsey. Or for Rosalie. I'll tell you her fantasies, if you tell me yours."<br/>
<br/>
You swallow, but it's a better invitation than you could have asked for. She opens the bag, and the two of you slip into it, embracing gently. "Do Maria's fantasies include anything like this?" you ask with more of a tease in your voice than you feel.<br/>
<br/>
"No. <i>Mine</i> do, but we have to think about public appearances. Chelsea wants to find a girlfriend for 'Prescott' that she can play with you. I think Kelsey will wind up with Laurent, and if I read her intentions right, poor Andrea will wind up playing Gordon. I don't think you want to be in a, uh, relationship with only Chelsea. Frank and Andrea are a little stiff. I think that leaves you with me as an alternate fuck buddy. I think I can be sympathetic. Especially like this." She brushes her face against yours.</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212222
author_id: imaj
title: Possibilities
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Frank's point troubles you until Rick speaks again: "That doesn't matter. Whoever gets Glundandra, in whatever combination, is going to seem like a rival.”<br/>
<br/>
“What would the other combinations be like,” you interrupt.<br/>
<br/>
“Glundandra and Perelandra,” muses Rick.  “You should have taken Malaika for that.  Could end up with a pretty little thing.  The kind of leader who inspires devotion in her followers.  As for Glundandra and Catilindria:  A revolutionary.  Someone who turns the established order on its head.”<br/>
<br/>
That gives you food for thought.  Every combination seems to have potential.  “If I paired Glundandra with one of those two, what would the spares be like?”<br/>
<br/>
Rick snorts a little at the question.  “The last guy we had with Eldibria and Catilindria had direct water control powers, but he was abrasive.  Ended up going off the deep end.”  You frown, that doesn’t sound so good.  “Perelandra and Eldibria means you end up with someone like Maria Cardozo – Good at making people love her.  It doesn’t matter though, as long as you’ve got that magic mask, you can be them any time you like.”<br/>
<br/>
That reassures you; better, the thought of using that kind of power to help manage erstwhile colleagues--partners who are independent of you, even if they share your anima--is also appealing.<br/>
<br/>
Though Rick has pointed out it would be easier to combine Glundandra with Eldibria, you instead tell Frank and Joe that you are going to keep your options option and maybe switch the <i>ouisiarchs </i>around. Flexibility is important, you tell Frank and Joe. They accept your decision without any kind of demurral.  Whether that is because they agree or because they’ve just been reminded of your ability to make the decision for them, you don’t know.<br/>
<br/>
"Great," Rick says. "If we're finally done with that, I'm ready to put an end to this farce. This house is creepier than anything back in Cuthbert. Let's stain it with Rick Bredon's blood and be done with it." He wobbles as he stands up. <br/>
"Where do want us to set up the dissection table," you ask Rick.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't care," he says, his voice rising. "Come find me upstairs when you get it figured out." Swaying, he strides from the room.<br/>
<br/>
"You know, I said I hated to lose him," Frank says quietly when he's gone. "But it looks like it would be a kindness to--"<br/>
<br/>
"I know what you mean," you say. "Joe, how about you get some of Blackwell's knockout drops, put him under. He seems a little--"<br/>
<br/>
But Joe's already vanished in a blur.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You leave Rick sleeping until morning, and put him under again at mid-morning. That's because after talking things over with Frank and Joe, you've decided to expand your arsenal of tools.<br/>
<br/>
It's a great pain having to draw any sigil, but the one you've had to use when dissecting and reanimating people is an especially heavy-duty one. It's too big to fit inside a book--and you know of no tricks to reduce it in size--so you decide to make up a life-size permanent model that you can cart around. "Now I understand why they turned it into a machine in Cuthbert," you say. "It's just easiest."<br/>
<br/>
But your model will be more portable. Frank drives out to metal-supply store and returns with a large sheet of steel and some tools. Over the course of the rest of the day--a Sunday, which makes it seem extra-blasphemous--you carve the hyper-complicated sigils into the sheet; the line work glitters in the light with bitter blues and lurid crimsons. Meanwhile, Frank and Joe transfer the boxed up books to Straussler's over the course of several trips.<br/>
<br/>
"The old man set us up with a special room," Joe says after one such trip. "Used to be a ballroom or something. We've told him to buy a lot of shelves, and he'll put an electronic lock on it."<br/>
<br/>
"We'll need someplace for this thing," you say, indicating your half-finished job.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, there'll be room enough for it there. Plenty of room for dancing and necromancy."<br/>
<br/>
The latter word gives you some pause, but you put it aside to return to your work.<br/>
<div align="center"><br/>
*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You become increasingly nervous as the time for making the final transference comes closer and closer. You have the feeling that you're overlooking something. But after talking it all over with Frank and Joe and Rick (awake again, and ready for his final disposition), you decide it's all set. Everything you need from Blackwell's has been moved to the Straussler's. Frank and Joe have also emptied their own house of the few things they will want. As twilight deepens, you spread some magical arson stuff throughout Blackwell's villa. <br/>
<br/>
But the next to the last thing is to take care of Rick. He disrobes and lays onto the metal sheet. You activate sigils, and bit by bit he dissolves into his constituents: a bare golem; two bottles of <i>essentia</i>; a bottle containing your own <i>anima </i>(retrieved from Rick); and his <i>imago </i>preserved in case of later need in a mask.<br/>
<br/>
"You think he'd be okay without his <i>essentia </i>giving him those visions?" you ask Frank as the three of you drive away from the villa.<br/>
<br/>
"I think he was too damaged," Frank says thoughtfully. "And how would you bring him back? Put that mask onto someone?"<br/>
<br/>
"We've found lots of ways of doing lots of things," you say. "One of those spells, you know, lets you modify memories inside people. Maybe we could merge his memories with someone else's? Give them a double set?"<br/>
<br/>
Frank looks over at you. "Maybe you could do it somehow with Aparijita too," he says. "That way at least whoever you give one of her ousiarchs to, they’d at least know a little about usin them.” <br/>
<br/>
“Don’t be an idiot Frank,” says Joe.  “Chances are giving someone a different second ouisiarch would change the way the first one works too.  She’d be learning from scratch again either way.”  He is interrupted by a flash of light behind you: the villa, exploding in a fireball. "Pretty fireworks," he chortles.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Then it's out to the Straussler's, where you transfer the rest of your loot to the ballroom: It's a vast, dim, echoing space, paved with tile, that's easily ten times the size of Blackwell's old library. You waste no time breaking it in: You put Straussler onto the sigil, lift the mask from him, and reduce him to bare <i>substantia</i>. But Joe takes the mask instead of putting it onto the golem. "I've been missing this," he chortles.<br/>
<br/>
"Just in time for classes tomorrow," you say after he wakes up again.<br/>
<br/>
"Just in time for Monique," he smiles as he stretches and rises. <br/>
<br/>
After that you play some pool and classic video games in the spacious rumpus room out back, then repair to Jonathan's "punishment corner," where you and Frank bed down in some sleeping bags. "What are you gonna do tomorrow while I'm at school?" Joe as Jonathan asks.<br/>
<br/>
“Hang around here, I’ll look in on you later,” you answer.  Joe pales a little as he realises your meaning<br/>
<br/>
And so you do, though it’s not until late afternoon that you switch to the Straussler-disguised Joe.  You catch him just as he’s leaving his post-class basketball practice.  It’s easy enough to take out your phone, find Chelsea Cooper's number in an online directory, and call her. She sounds irritated when she answers, but warms considerably after you introduce yourself and explain the reason for your call. "I'm thinking about throwing a party out at my place," you say. "All this Eastman-Westside crap has been bothering me. I was thinking we should all break bread, try to get to know each other." She cautiously agrees that might be a good idea. "Great. Wanna come out to my place around six, look around, talk about it?"<br/>
<br/>
As you'd suspected, she jumps at the chance to see the house where the uber-rich Strausslers live, and agrees.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
“I don’t understand why you let her go,” asks Frank.<br/>
<br/>
He’s beside you, the real you as you have jumped out from Joe’s Straussler disguised body again, at the window of one of the upper floor room in the Straussler mansion.  The pair of you are looking out as Joe guides Chelsea back to her cute little car.<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t exactly let her go,” you answer holding up your newly acquired mask.  The name <i>Chelsea Courtney Cooper </i>hovers clearly on the inside.  “Besides, it’ll be more fun to play with Chelsea if she’s out of our control.”<br/>
<br/>
Frank gives you a long stare.  “Is that why you put one of those remote masks on her when she was unconscious?  She’s going to remember everything you do if you take over”<br/>
<br/>
“Then call it an experiment,” you snap.  “I have things I want to try to get round that later.  All I really want right now is the contents of Chelsea’s mind,” you add, handing him the mask.  He looks at you quizzically and you nod.<br/>
<br/>
A few minutes later a duplicate Chelsea Cooper gets up to her feet beside you.  “I can’t say I’m enthusiastic about this,” she says sourly.<br/>
<br/>
“Really, I think it’s going to be fun,” you tell him.  “Remember what Rick said about combining Glundandra and Catilindria?  A revolutionary?  I’ve decided I want our Glundandran to be one of Chelsea’s rivals.  What I need to know, is who would be the best choice?”<br/>
<br/>
Frank goes goggle eyed.  “What, are you <i>crazy</i>?  You’re going to put some of our stuff in…”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh I’ll just find out myself then,” you interrupt.  With a swipe of your hand you are inside the Chelsea disguised Frank.  You catch your falling body easily with Frank’s reflexes and set it down on the floor.  Then you dig into Chelsea’s memories, looking for the answer to your question.<br/>
<br/>
Joe finds you there several minutes later, sat beside yourself.  “What do you think Joe…”</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122221
author_id: rugal
title: Stealing Walsh's Body
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"About what?" asks Joe not having any clue what you're talking about.<br/>
<br/>
"Right, right. You just got back." you say shaking your head. You decide to head back to your own body but before you do you lay back and remove Chelsea's mask from Frank's face. A few moments later you come to twice, first as Frank and then as yourself. "Anyway we have the Glundandran <i>essentia</i> and we need to put it in somebody."<br/>
<br/>
"So Chelsea's a no go then?" Joe asks, a hint of disappointment in his voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea's a no go." you state, "No what I'd rather do is take that and put it into someone else. A girl but a rival of Chelsea's."<br/>
<br/>
That causes Joe to perk up. Frank simply glowers. "It's stupid, Joe. Taking that stuff and just placing it in some random girl like that? We had Chelsea right here. If we want to run things we should've just given her the stuff."<br/>
<br/>
"Probably but I think I get what Prescott's doing." says Joe as he takes a seat, "If we want to take control of the Stellae we can't just go in guns blazing. It's safer to take it slowly, subtly. It's about learning who to prod and what pieces to move."<br/>
<br/>
"And we couldn't get that from Chelsea?" asks Frank, "I really don't like the idea of putting all of that into some random girl."<br/>
<br/>
"It's not going to be some random girl." you state, "I was thinking of giving it to Kim Walsh." You notice both brothers give you a quizzical look. "Right, you guys weren't at Westside. Kim's a mover and a shaker. She's the senior class president and as much of a politician as that implies but it's of the hope and change variety. She genuinely wants to, and thinks she can, help everyone. Real nice girl."<br/>
<br/>
"Nice or not she's still a busybody to get where she's been so she'd know all the strings and levers that need pulling to change something." Joe gets a thoughtful look for a moment while scratching his chin, "That sounds good but... how's she look?"<br/>
<br/>
Frank groans loudly while you rummage through your pocket. "Hold on, I think..." you take out your phone and look through the photo gallery until you find what you're looking for. "Yeah, like it wasn't long after Lisa totally didn't break up with me. She sought me out, gave me a bit of encouragement, took a picture with me to pick my spirits. Here."<br/>
<br/>
"Well that does say a lot about her inner character but let's see the outer..." Joe replies as you hand him your phone. You see him take a moment to study it. "Yeah, that works. She's cute. Kind of nerdy but cute." he says as he hands the phone back. "And since you want to use her to upend the social order I'm guessing that means you're going with Catilindria?"<br/>
<br/>
You nod an affirmative.<br/>
<br/>
"Nice, nice. So how do you plan on getting her?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
You grab the mask of Chelsea. "Put Chelsea's face on, call her up, say that Straussler wants to bury this East Coast versus West Coast feud. I say, I dunno, he wants to invite some of the bigger people from each side to hash out a party and that 'I'm' already here. She comes out, we grab her."<br/>
<br/>
"And that'll work?" scoffs Frank.<br/>
<br/>
"C'mon, Frank, let him have his chance." Joe jumps in, "He's showing initiative, backbone. I like it."<br/>
<br/>
"Worse comes to worse I've got a remote mask on Chelsea so I can just to jump into her and try and drive her out here in person." you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"And let her see all of our stuff?!" Frank explodes, "Are you nuts?!"<br/>
<br/>
"Well I was able to alter and snip a small memory of Monique's of when I took her over for a moment." you state, "That would be an excuse to see if I can do something bigger. That's if Option A fails."<br/>
<br/>
"And if Option B fails?" Frank asks he jerks his chin towards you.<br/>
<br/>
You just keep a relaxed composure however. "Then I just stay in her body until I can get Option B to work. Or... I don't know, we see if there's some way to get all of my stuff into Chelsea or something."<br/>
<br/>
Joe laughs a bit, "Or we just golemize the mask here and throw it on her." You feel yourself turn red at that. "Look man, I know you want to impress us but stop overthinking things."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Hello?" the voice on the other end of the line is soft and sweet.<br/>
<br/>
"Kim, hey, it's Chelsea." you say putting on Chelsea's best faux-cheeriness. Chelsea doesn't particularly hate Kim but any potential rival is in her crosshairs.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, um, hi!" she says, her voice perking up a bit. "Uh, what's up? I didn't recognize the number."<br/>
<br/>
"I've got something, well, it's going to be big and I'm going to need you with me." you state mustering all the excitement you can.<br/>
<br/>
"You're what? Chelsea, can you please start from the beginning?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Right, okay, so like I got this call a little bit ago right? From Jonathan. Straussler." you place emphasis on the name.<br/>
<br/>
"The Eastman basketball player?"<br/>
<br/>
You cast your rod into the water. "The rich Eastman basketball player." you reply, "He was, like, telling me about how he was looking to bury the hatchet between our schools. He thinks all the fighting is dumb. So he wanted me to come out to his place. He wants a few other people from Eastman and Westside too. He was telling me about how he wants to throw a big mixed Eastman-Westside party to get both sides to come together."<br/>
<br/>
"That's... a tall order." she replies. The bait has definitely been noticed.<br/>
<br/>
"I know! That's why he mentioned you specifically!" you exclaim, "He said that you were, like, one of the only people who'd really be able to 'facilitate peace talks' or however he put it."<br/>
<br/>
"When does he want people out there?" she asks. You can tell she's taken the bait but now you have to reel her in.<br/>
<br/>
"Now." you say emphatically, "I'm already here. I'm actually using his phone right now, that's what's up with the number."<br/>
<br/>
"Now? But..." there's a brief pause, "It's getting late." She's putting up a bit of a fight but Chelsea Cooper is nothing if not an expert fisherperson.<br/>
<br/>
"Right but think of it: the feud ends. Eastman and Westside are on good terms. We'll be the people who did it." you start reeling. "<i>You'll</i> be the person who did it."<br/>
<br/>
There's a long silence and you can tell she's trying to decide what to do. Finally, though, she speaks. "Alright, I'll be out there."<br/>
<br/>
You pull your catch up onto the boat triumphantly. "You know where his place is right? Well wait..." You motion for Joe to come over and whisper something in his ear. He's surprised but a grin breaks out on his phase and he agrees. "Okay so wait there. Jonathan said he'd pick you up."<br/>
<br/>
"Jonathan will..." she starts.<br/>
<br/>
"He's, like, a total knight or something." you say, "And he told me he loves having excuses to ride his steed."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Joe returns a little while later entering the ballroom behind Kim Walsh. "It's amazing! I've never seen anything like..." At this point you've changed out of Chelsea's mask and Kim notices you. "Will!" she exclaims, "What are you doing here?"<br/>
<br/>
You don't say anything to her but open and close your hand as you turn to Frank, "Hold her down."<br/>
<br/>
Frank complies and Kim finds herself besieged by invisible fists closed around her. Loose enough not to hurt, tight enough to where she's not going anywhere. "W-What's going on?! I... I..."<br/>
<br/>
You can see the fear on her face and you feel a twinge of guilt. Kim's so sweet and kind and you really hate the idea of freaking her out like this. But things will be better soon. You double check to make sure the <i>anima</i> and <i>essentia</i> bottles are in place as well as the blank mask to store Kim's <i>imago</i>. "I'm sorry, Kim, but this is for the best. It'll be alright, I promise."<br/>
<br/>
You then face your palms downward and chant the necessary incantations. The first thing to go is her <i>imago</i>, then her <i>anima</i> and <i>essentia</i>, labelling each as it's extracted and putting it up on one of the shelves leaving only a golem-esque figure in Kim's clothes that Frank lays on the ground.<br/>
<br/>
"Do you know how to carve a remote sigil?" you ask Frank and he responds with a negative. "Alright, fine, then get the Catilindrian and Glundandran stuff and I'll do that."<br/>
<br/>
You grab a steel nub pen, remove the clothes, then get to work. It's long, involved, and exhasting but an hour or so later you have the sigil carved onto the golem thing. Then it's putting the <i>anima</i> band that had been in Rick onto the golem. Afterwards you put the <i>essentia</i> bottles onto the appropriate sigils and chant the appropriate incantations. Two bolts of lightning arc and then make their way into the Kim golem with a loud clap of thunder.<br/>
<br/>
"Man, that was loud!" Joe exclaims, "Shit, if anyone asks we were bowling I guess."<br/>
<br/>
Once that's done you then send Kim's <i>imago</i> back onto the golem. You admire your handiwork, physically at least Kim Walsh looks to be all there. Ghost white skin and a bob of strawberry-blonde hair with a smattering of freckles adorning her face around the nose and eyes. A slim girl with small, pert breasts, hairless arms and legs, and a well-trimmed bush.<br/>
<br/>
The eyes flutter and with a grown she sits up. "Alright so, we were trying to capture Rick Bredon in Cuthbert and then... what?"<br/>
<br/>
"We'll get you caught up in the events of the last week but first..." You look at her. You didn't have to make sure you had that picture of you and Kim, it's something you've treasured. At times you've wanted her to make you feel as good as she makes everyone else.<br/>
<br/>
There will be time get intimate with Kim later but for now you need to get her caught up and get a plan going on what you need to do.<br/>
<br/>
"Nothing. Yeah, let's get you caught up."</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222211
author_id: rugal
title: Encirclement
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>So it goes. You, Frank and Joe spend the next couple of minutes giving Kim a crash course on the developments and events of the past week or so. She's silent but her attention is focused and you can tell that she's absorbing every word as her eyes flit from you, to Joe, to Frank and back to you over and over. "...and that's where we're at." you finish up, "We want to set ourselves up here but it's also kind of a testing ground."<br/>
<br/>
"So, Madame President, you got any ideas but how we go about that?" asks Joe.<br/>
<br/>
Kim,dressed once again, sits cross-legged with her hands steepled in front of her mouth as the gears turn in her head. Finally, though, she seems to have an idea. "Encirclement." she says simply.<br/>
<br/>
"Come again?" asks Joe.<br/>
<br/>
"Encirclement." she repeats dryly. "We surround Chelsea. We take people in various groups or pseudo-groups of the school. We spread whispers, we speak out against her and support others. Taking control of important and semi-important groups, all of them working in concert to slowly ruin Chelsea..."<br/>
<br/>
Joe lets out a laugh, "Haha, that's great! You picked a good one, Prescott!" he exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
Even Frank seems impressed. "I have to admit, it at least sounds like it has some merit." he says plainly, "So how do we pull this off?"<br/>
<br/>
"You said we have six golems each, right?" Kim asks, "We still have one more set of <i>essentia</i> to place as well. That'd give us thirty golems."<br/>
<br/>
"Probably less than that". you jump in, "We've each got golems out right now. Joe has Jonathan and Frank has his dad. Plus I've got Shabbleman, Melody, and the golem of myself."<br/>
<br/>
"Twenty-five golems in key positions is still plenty." Kim says with a nod.<br/>
<br/>
"We'll have eyes and ears in every nook and cranny of the school." Frank states simply.<br/>
<br/>
"She'll be completely and utterly trapped." you say with realization.<br/>
<br/>
"Encirclement." Kim says for a third time as she checks her watch, "Anyway it really is getting late and my dad will freak out if I'm not back soon. He already was antsy I was going somewhere with a guy so late."<br/>
<br/>
"You free tomorrow?" Joe asks as everyone stands up.<br/>
<br/>
Kim picks down jacket up off of the floor. "I have a day off of work so yeah, if you want we can meet back here and start hammering out details." she replies.<br/>
<br/>
Joe just flashes one of Jonathan's winning smiles as he leads Kim out of the ballroom. You feel a bit envious and then look over to Frank. "Think you can keep people out of here for a while?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Why what are you--" he takes a look towards the door of the ballroom. "Oh, do you really have to do that?" he asks with a sigh, "I'll try and get you set up in a room where nobody will bother you."<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks." you reply, "I'll be back in a bit."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You find yourself at the top of a long driveway ready to get into a silver Porsche when your vision returns.<br/>
<br/>
"Joe? You alright?"<br/>
<br/>
Kim's voice brings you back to reality. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." you answer as you look over at her on the other side of the car, "But I'm not Joe."<br/>
<br/>
"You're not... oh."<br/>
<br/>
The two of you then begin the drive back to the Walsh residence, a drive that'll take about half an hour. "So how is it in there?" you finally ask after a couple of minutes.<br/>
<br/>
"In Kim? Oh..." comes her reply, "Her mind is always there and I can't really turn it off. It's not like the masks where you can slip the personality on and off. It can be a bit disorienting at first when you have two brains basically jockeying but you get used to it quickly. And thankfully Kim herself is nice, I imagine it'd be less pleasant if you had someone like Gordon in your head like a neverending psychic whisper."<br/>
<br/>
"Gordon?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"People see a meathead bully but I know why he's like that. Or rather I know the generalities regarding it." she says as she stares out the window and watches the trees go by. "He's got a bad home life and it's turned him into an incredibly angry person. Angry at his dad, angry at himself, angry at the whole world. Now could you imagine having run around day in and day out with that angry voice constantly in your mental ear?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, I can see how that'd be bad." you say, "So what's Kim's voice like?"<br/>
<br/>
"It's soothing. It wants to get into everyone's business but not out of malice in the same way you'd expect from Chelsea." Out of the corner of your eye you see her turn her head to face you, "It wants to help. 'Do this. Help this person.' it tells me, 'It's the right thing to do.' I'm still getting used to it; I'm still Will Prescott but I'm one hundred percent Kim Walsh physically and mentally. Probably by the time I wake up it'll be a lot easier to just think of myself as Kim with a piece of Will riding around inside me but maybe not."<br/>
<br/>
You then think you see her lips curl up in amusement.<br/>
<br/>
"There's the feelings beyond that. The physical feelings. The romantic feelings. The longing." she says. This catches your surprise though you continue to maintain concentration on the road. "I look at you right now and you know what I think? <i>'Jonathan is a hunk. When we get back to my place I wouldn't mind him carrying me into my room, laying me down on the bed, a bit of sensual kissing ending in something wild.'</i>"<br/>
<br/>
She lets out a small, frustrated sigh.<br/>
<br/>
"Kim doesn't, well I don't, think about sex all the time or something. It's more... frustration. I'd like a boyfriend, I'd like to sleep with a loving partner. Everyone thinks I'm nice but I'm such an overachiever that there's a natural intimidation factor that drives people off. It's stupid but I... I don't want to end high school still a virgin."<br/>
<br/>
You're really not sure how to respond to that so the rest of the drive winds up being in silence. After you arrive at Kim's house you briefly consider what she said. If you wanted you could probably have her as you are now. Or you could just take control of her. But you decide against both; instead you simply wind up back in your body in a bed in what you assume is an unused guest room in the Straussler residence.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Alright so we have to start plotting out who it is we need to grab right?" Joe asks as the four of you are gathered in Straussler's room after school let out for the day.<br/>
<br/>
Kim nods, "Right. The way I'm seeing it is that there's a couple of important groups we need to tackle first. For you three it'll mean new identities to make sure you're in Westside. Well maybe not Will technically but with that hex I doubt he wants to go back to his old life."<br/>
<br/>
You grimace a bit at that. "So who are these groups?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"To be sure this is all just my opinion but there are five main groups we need to get into to get anywhere: the cheerleaders, the AP crowd, the athletes, the underground and the second tier." she states.<br/>
<br/>
"The cheerleaders are obvious." states Joe as he perks up at the mention of them, "Since that's her group and all.<br/>
<br/>
"Right." Kim replies with a nod, "But more than that, the cheerleaders are a house divided. You take someone from Chelsea's inner-circle and you take an ally; you take someone from the opposition and you can sow further dissent and groom them as Chelsea's replacement as head cheerleader."<br/>
<br/>
"Next it's the AP crowd." Kim continues, "They tend to be rich and snooty. They're the types who come from families with lots of local influence. Making an open enemy of Kelsey Blankenship, Amanda Ferguson... Geoff Mansfield..." she says the last one with more than a bit of disgust. "None of those would be good enemies to have."<br/>
<br/>
She keeps trucking along covering the groups. "The athletes should be obvious because of Gordon. More than Gordon, though, is Steve Patterson and Anita Nuevo. Patterson's not the volcano is, he's more charismatic, more of a snake, and a ladies man; he also doesn't like Chelsea. As for Anita, a lot of people look up to her and she's got a friendly rivalry with Jenny Taylor over at Eastman."<br/>
<br/>
The mention of Jenny causes a wolf whistle from Joe.<br/>
<br/>
"The underground," Kim continues pretending she didn't hear that, "is a loosely knit group but they're united in their dislike of the 'haves' and especially of Chelsea, naturally. A lot of them are big in the music, arts and theater scenes around the city as well. It's a real ecclectic mix. Charles Hartlein, Jelena Petrovic, Sienna Goldman, Tim Gerrard, Karl Hennepin, Andrea Varnsworth..." that last one hangs.<br/>
<br/>
"What about the second tier?" you ask, "That doesn't sound familiar at all."<br/>
<br/>
"The upper-middle class of the popularity class division." Kim states, "Victoria Rodriguez, Vanessa Bailey, Emmy Keller, Molly Shaw... those types. Molly would be a good one: everyone knows she's loose but she's got the look, and can play the part, of the innocent girl next door. Manipulative little witch." With the groups wrapped up she continues, "Anyway we'll get four, the fifth will be saved for the last member. Think of them like castles: you live there but they're your forward base to launch expansionary campaigns."<br/>
<br/>
And so the debate goes of who gets what. Joe immediately, and unsurprisingly, takes the athletes. Frank goes with the underground, something a little quieter is his reasoning. Kim takes the cheerleaders. That leaves you with the AP crowd and the second tier; the AP is probably "better" but do you want to be around Lisa and Mansfield?<br/>
<br/>
"Oh and Will?" Kim suddenly chimes in, "You'll be up first tomorrow. I want you to go to school as me, get who you want, and scout candidates for Joe and Frank."</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212222112
author_id: rugal
title: The Wanna Bees
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You step through the door into Mr. Friedman's AP Economics class, a class that even Kim herself some times dislikes having first thing in the morning, and glide into your seat.<br/>
<br/>
You scan the class, using Kim's mind to analyze the scene: there's Kelsey Blankenship sitting all prim and proper up front; a brown noser if ever there was one, though being a favorite of all the teachers has obviously helped her tremendously. Prissy, snooty, uptight, a bitch... and unlike Chelsea she doesn't even make a modest attempt to put on airs and hide her disdain for everyone who's not her. You mentally laugh remembering Caleb telling you a while back that he has a thing for her for exactly that reason. <i>"It's kind of hot. Girls like that, they want it bad and you know they're probably going to be absolutely wild."</i> he told you at the time.<br/>
<br/>
Over near the far wall is Marc Garner, the third piece of the Garner Triplet puzzle; his status as a quiet overachiever compared to his more popular sisters leaves him a bit forgotten in the grand scheme of things and even leaves him on the outside of the AP set. Kim's mind tells you that he's a nice enough guy though albeit a bit snarky. Sharp, a diligent worker, kind of cute... oh god, you realize Kim's got a bit of a crush on him so you quickly avert your gaze.<br/>
<br/>
Maria Vasquez, the seemingly brainless beauty, is sitting in the back whistling a light tune as she waits for class to start. That nearly causes you to double take but you keep Kim's mind at the forefront. Her father is on the county school board and a member of the city council. There are lots of whispers among the AP crowd that he has his eye on a higher position; state assembly or senate or maybe a state-level board of education position. It's led to the belief that Maria's in these classes and "does exceptionally well" in them because of it, having a dumb kid would be a "liability". Kim has her own doubts about Maria but at the same time wonders if maybe there's more to her than people think. Not all teachers would go along with pressure like that. Some of them would have some morals eventually... right? Someone like Mr. Hagerman would... christ, him too? The girl really is repressed.<br/>
<br/>
You look through the rest. Ricky Golia, that sneering jerk who's waiting for Kim to slip up. Amanda Ferguson takes her seat behind him and playfully runs her fingers up and down his back. Ricky must be getting frustrated so it looks like today she'll play along just enough to keep him content.<br/>
<br/>
Sitting next to you is Deanna Showalter and you flush a bit at that. Short blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, a pert nose with a smattering of light freckles across the bridge, a lovely smile. She's cute and as far as the inner circle of the AP group goes she's a probably the least bitchy albeit kind of vapid and holding a grudge against Lisa for moving in on Mansfield before she could. God, what is it about that asshole that has girls crazy for him?<br/>
<br/>
Lots of expected faces though you see neither Mansfield or Lisa around. It's a gang you're really not keen to be part of, most of them give off a vibe of being ambitious in that slimy and off-putting way, but it's an option you'll have to keep open unless you can find someone in the other crowd.<br/>
<br/>
A thought does occur to you however: why not pick your fifth member from this lot? After all, Kim would have easy access to any of them and it'd be your anima controlling things. Still would someone like Kelsey or Ricky be bearable even then? On the flipside Marc is nice but too on the fringes to potentially be useful. Deanna, though, with her rumormongering would be well-placed for spreading information and nudging things in needed directions.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"I really can't believe that bitch would do that!" Eva growls as you take a seat at lunch. She notices you cock an eyebrow and crosses her arm, "Get this: some crap happened last night, and of course <i>we're</i> not allowed to know what it was, but that doesn't stop Queen Chelsea from demanding we show up for an early practice." she grunts and slouches a bit, "She ran us ragged."<br/>
<br/>
"That's because she knows it gets under your skin." Anita says as she takes an open seat next to you.<br/>
<br/>
"What, you and Ethan on the outs this week so now you're going to bug us?" Lin asks with a snort.<br/>
<br/>
"Actually we've been fine for a while, he said he'd make time in his schedule." comes the reply, "And that's what I mean. She's trying to get a reaction and you all are just playing right into her hand. She runs things by intimidation in order to get her way. Actually show her that her tactics won't work and she'll eventually leave you alone. That's why she doesn't bother either of us, right Kimmy?"<br/>
<br/>
You wince a bit at Anita's pet name for Kim. They were neighbors from middle school until the middle of sophomore year when Kim moved across town, still they've always gotten along well even if Kim's not a fan of being called "Kimmy". However you quickly brush it off, "Chelsea is... inscrutable, but she's not unflappable."<br/>
<br/>
"Right," Anita quickly follows up, "I mean I'm lucky, I've got a lot on my plate that keeps me from having to deal with her so you guys have to be that much stronger. And I've got faith in all of you... oh! Speaking of Ethan," she states as she spots him across the cafeteria, "I'll talk to you girls later, alright?"<br/>
<br/>
"I've got faith in all of you." Eva says derisively once she's gone, "God she doesn't even get it."<br/>
<br/>
"She means well." Jessica states, she's the more level-headed one compared to her hot-headed sister.<br/>
<br/>
However you bid your goodbyes as well giving the excuse that you need to get something done for a class later on in the day. In reality though you make your way into the women's bathroom and into a stall. This is about the time the second tier, the wanna bees as it were, will make their way in to fix their makeup and dish. And sure enough they come in and sure enough dish they do.<br/>
<br/>
"Even for you that was fast." you hear a voice, Vanessa Bailey, state.<br/>
<br/>
"DeMarcus is fuckbuddy material, not boyfriend material." Molly Shaw states with a small laugh, "He thinks too much with his dick."<br/>
<br/>
"So why'd you take him from Fatima?" it's Mindy McAdams this time though it's not a question born out of concern.<br/>
<br/>
"Well <i>someone</i> had to show her he's just a manwhore." Molly replies with with faux-concern that causes the three to giggle.<br/>
<br/>
"God you're such a cunt." Mindy states with amusement.<br/>
<br/>
"Speaking of cunts,Victoria's getting a little bit of a big head." says Vanessa, "I guess because Joe's being so heavily recruited by all these colleges."<br/>
<br/>
"I could take care of that." Molly states rather bluntly.<br/>
<br/>
You hear Vanessa gasp, "You wouldn't! You think you could take Joe from her?"<br/>
<br/>
"I think I could take <i>her</i> from <i>Joe</i>." comes the matter-of-fact reply. "I've seen how she looks at me. I think she's totally bi."<br/>
<br/>
"I don't think she trusts you." replies Mindy, "I don't think she's bi."<br/>
<br/>
"Well we basically just prop her up right? She's such a self-righteous bitch." you can hear the venom dripping from Molly's voice, "Besides it'd be a good challenge. I haven't been with a girl since Yvette Moore."<br/>
<br/>
"Yvette!?" Mindy exclaims, "I thought she was obsessed with Tim Gerrard."<br/>
<br/>
"It's a front. She's totally in the closet." Molly states.<br/>
<br/>
"By the way, I heard through Kendra that Chelsea was totally at Jonathan Straussler's last night..."<br/>
<br/>
Vanessa's statement brings up a brief conversation about how all of them wouldn't mind getting with him. Well they're not much better than the AP crowd, and just as backstabby, but at least you wouldn't have to deal with the possibility of Mansfield and Lisa. And the Straussler conversation has left you with an obvious opening...<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You find yourself walking back to class at Eastman as you come to in Joe-as-Jonathan. You need to get in touch with Kim to tell her what's what so as you take your seat you quickly whip out your phone and shoot off a text. "Can you get Molly Shaw out to Straussler's after school?"<br/>
<br/>
"Molly? U sure?" comes the reply. You reply positively, "Alright get back 2 ur body. Tell Frank 2 get ready."<br/>
<br/>
Frank, since Joe went to school as Jonathan, is spending the day as Jonathan's father. You shoot Frank a text and he says that he'll take off early then. A moment later you send another one to Kim. "Frank's good." Then another, "Was thinking, Deanna as 5th."<br/>
<br/>
"Showalter? We'll talk about it." comes the reply. The next bit of conversation throws you for a loop however. "BTW w/ Molly can u switch imago?" She follows up, "Replace urs w/ hers. No mask."<br/>
<br/>
You're not sure how to respond so go with the first thing that pops up in your head. "Why?"<br/>
<br/>
"Do u think we could try that w/ u and Molly?" Then she fires back one last text. "Class starting. We'll talk after school."<br/>
<br/>
So she wants you to strip Molly down to her base components, then strip yourself of your own imago and replace it with Molly's. Well when you were Rick you could see the anima band you placed in Aparijita. Theoretically it could be done... but theory and application are two different things. If you wanted to have "faces" that the Stellae wouldn't be able to take that'd be the way to do it. But even trying it could backfire immensely. Is it worth the risk?</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122221121
author_id: rugal
title: Liberté, égalité, fraternité
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Are you sure about this?"<br/>
<br/>
Frank's words, and they're in Frank's voice as he's now out of the mask of Jonathan's father, ring through your ears. You pace back and forth anxiously in the ballroom as you mentally chew on what's going to happen. Frank came back close to 1:00. It's close a little past 6:00 now and you and Frank have spent the afternoon in the ballroom studying the Libra. You believe you've worked out a way to do it.<br/>
<br/>
You need two masks, one for each person being worked on, with a voodoo doll in each of them. Each one resting on the modify anima sigil. Of course the book won't let you copy sigils but the two of you hit upon the idea of "copying" the sigil from memory with the book closed which proves to be a success. Frank gets to work making two new masks, one of which you place on yourself. You then grab the original voodoo doll and drop it onto the new mask placing it on the book.<br/>
<br/>
Again, theory... practice...<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, sure. About as sure as I've ever been about anything." you finally reply.<br/>
<br/>
"So not at all then?" You turn to see a rather un-Franklike smirk, "It's still me, you, in here you know."<br/>
<br/>
"Look," you sigh, "If the Stellae come calling we need to make sure we're hiding and we're hiding under faces they can't just remove. They'll be looking for us, the real us, and seeing as you all knew about the book they probably have <i>some</i> knowledge of masks. It's just... it's easier, alright?"<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, I get you. But why not test it on me or Joe or Kim first?" he asks, and you pale at that, "Because if it doesn't work and you get fucked up... well, you know more about how the book works now than we do. You know these little tricks that we don't."<br/>
<br/>
Son of a bitch, why hadn't that occured to you? You want to groan. If they need your knowledge you could've used an anima band on yourself right now to throw onto Molly like some kind of magic USB drive. It's probably too late to scrounge for one though, all you've got with you is a bit of knockout powder, a mask, some sealant, and some stuff to golemize it once you're in your new identity. Still you try to play it off coolly. "Yeah, well, I've been using all of you so I figure it'd be, I dunno, dickish to use one of you guys as a guinea pig for something like this. Figure it's my turn to take one for the team."<br/>
<br/>
"You're a really shitty liar." Frank shakes his head.<br/>
<br/>
A few moments later you hear voices approach the door and you grab the powder. You give Frank a look, a silent question asking if he's ready; he replies with a nod.<br/>
<br/>
"God it's going to be soooo great getting to meet some Eastm--" As she steps through the doorway, Molly stops everything that she was doing or saying. She eyes Frank with suspicion, "Who the fuck are you supposed to be?" and then she snorts derisively when she notices you, "You're that weird asshole that everyone hates, what the fuck are <i>you</i>--" she's stopped once more by an invisible fist closing around here. "What the <i>FUCK</i>!? What's going on!? Who the hell <i>are</i> you people!?"<br/>
<br/>
"We're the people who are going to change the school." Kim says as she walks past Molly. "Chelsea runs a dictatorship. The thing about iron-fisted rule, though, is that it creates an underclass just waiting to rise up. A sans-culotte. This is our little Jacobin Club." She stops though keeps her back to Molly, "You want that top position right? Or rather, you want to be the girl behind the girl. I can get that for you. I can let you into our little club."<br/>
<br/>
"This is really screwed up." Molly's eyes narrow in defiance, "Kim Walsh doesn't act like this. Who <i>are</i> you?"<br/>
<br/>
Kim lets out a very un-Kimlike smile as she takes the powder from you and empties a small bit into her hand. "You can call me Robespierre." she states as she turns around and blows the powder into Molly's face. She instantly goes limp and Frank places her onto the sheet.<br/>
<br/>
"Holy fucking shit." you say as you stare, wide-eyed, at Kim. You quickly grab the mask and place it onto Molly's face. "What the fuck was that? That was so... so..."<br/>
<br/>
"Sinister?" she chirps, "Well I never got to be the bad girl so I thought, you know, I'd indulge. I guess I got a little carried away, huh?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just a bit." you state as you hold your index finger and thumb close together.<br/>
<br/>
As you wait for the mask to appear you take the time to look your new home over. Slightly smaller than normal breasts, a cute face with full lips, straight light-brown hair that stops just before her shoulders held back by a small barrette. Kim was right, she has an innocent girl-next-door look... in fact at a quick glance you'd probably confuse her with Jenny Ashton. However you remember what you heard in the restroom and note that she's more like Jenny's evil, alternate dimension counterpart.<br/>
<br/>
The mask reappears and by this time Jonathan has made his way back. Frank grabs it and hands it to you, "I'll ask again, you sure about this?"<br/>
<br/>
You take a deep breath, "Fuck no, but we're past the point of no return right?"<br/>
<br/>
You take the mask of Molly and place it on the copied sigil. You strip Molly of her clothes then get to work stripping her of her imago, anima, and essentia leaving only the golemesque substantia behind which you then shrink down into another doll and place onto the mask. You then strip off your own clothes and lay on the dissection table. "I'll need to borrow you, Frank." you state.<br/>
<br/>
"What's going on?" Jonathan asks.<br/>
<br/>
Kim simply shushes him, "Watch." she says simply.<br/>
<br/>
You then reappear on the other side of the table, make your way over to the sigils, grasp the dolls and concentrate.<br/>
<br/>
You see two imago in front of you: Molly Shaw and your own. You go to Molly's, finding where her mental imago connects to her physical. There's one point of contact, then another, and more and more. More than you have time to count. You then begin disconnecting those clasps, a surprisingly easy task, and Molly's mind floats free. You proceed to do the same to your own and are surprised to not feel much of anything.<br/>
<br/>
You keep hold of the physical imago and nudge the two mental imago together. Combining them, surprisingly, takes little work. It's a task both take on their own though you do your part to guide them. You feel a tingly sensation somewhere at the back of your head as Molly's mental imago wraps itself around your own like a blanket or a suit of armor.<br/>
<br/>
Now to strip away your physical imago. This requires you to open your eyes and you very quickly realize that isn't a good idea. Wiping out your physical imago is akin to using the eraser in a paint program or Photoshop. Each swipe of the eraser and another chunk of skin disappears. There are audible gasps, you struggle to maintain control, eventually all that remains of "Will Prescott" is an unrecognizable humanoid shape of muscle, tissue, blood, and other pleasant things. You then take Molly's physical imago and place it over what's left of your own.<br/>
<br/>
After that it's getting to work connecting mind and body. It's a process where you lose sense of time as you weave a tapestry and connect here, connect there, move this strand to this place and around this other strand. It's exhausting work, and you feel as if you want to pass out but seemingly through sheer force of will you press on and as you do, bit by bit and connection by connection, you see the image in front of you reform into a person. And then the last bit falls into place, the last connection is made, and you feel Frank collapse as you let go of him.<br/>
<br/>
The world around you seems strange, bigger. You're short, you're lucky if you're 5'2", which probably plays into it. Most people would be intimidated but most people are not Molly Shaw. Earlier today neither were you but now...? Well it's odd to think. Molly's thoughts, her memories, her emotions are there but they exist in concert with your own. No not in concert, that implies an otherization of them and they are now very much your own. You are Will Prescott but you are also Molly Shaw and the line between them has become increasingly blurred.<br/>
<br/>
"The girl behind the girl..." you say plainly as your eyes meet Kim's. "Mmm, I'd rather be face to face."<br/>
<br/>
"Will?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Sure, here. Present and accounted for. But it'd be easier if you called me Molly." you reply.<br/>
<br/>
"It worked...!" Kim exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
"What worked? What the fuck just happened?" Jonathan asks.<br/>
<br/>
"A merging of imago, Will's and Molly's." Kim replies, "I can't believe it worked."<br/>
<br/>
"I can't believe it worked either." you admit, "It was all theory. I was flying on intuition. It all just... kinda came to me. Speaking of work," you gesture to the passed out Frank, "he'll be alright, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Hopefully. We'll keep him where you were staying." states Jonathan.<br/>
<br/>
"Shame he's out." you state before looking at Jonathan with a smirk, "Though you're not bad yourself, with or without the mask. Well, with you, me and Kimmy here..."<br/>
<br/>
Kim makes a face, "So that's how it's gonna be?"<br/>
<br/>
"What can I say?" you shrug, "Molly's a very, <i>very</i> sexual creature. A very <i>bi</i>sexual creature."<br/>
<br/>
You can Jonathan practically shaking with giddiness though both you and Kim ignore him. Kim, instead, just looks at you. "So it works. We know you can do it. We can start moving things into place."<br/>
<br/>
"Well if you're Robespierre, consider me your Saint-Just." you say with a smirk.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222211211
author_id: rugal
title: MDMA
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You go about putting your clothes back on, tight jeans, a powder blue baby-tee, and a few accessories such as a bangle, simple earrings, and the barrette. You dig through your purse and pull out a compact and a small bit of makeup. You grumble as you check out your face in the compact's mirror and begin applying the makeup.<br/>
<br/>
"Is that really important right now?" Jonathan asks, a bit of an annoyed tone in his voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, Joe, it is." you snap before looking back at the mirror, "The imago didn't come pre-equipped and I'll be damned if I look anything less than my best."<br/>
<br/>
Jonathan just rolls his eyes. "You just got the part and you've already gone full method." he snorts, "You never go full method."<br/>
<br/>
"You should know that this isn't like wearing a mask, Jonathan." you sneeringly say his assumed name, "You know that at your core you're Will Prescott but Joe is there too. But it's like, what, a feeling of being body swapped or something right? Like you have two sets of thoughts in your head" You snap the compact shut, for it was just a light job, and place it and the makeup back in your purse.<br/>
<br/>
"Well yeah, and you don't?" he asks.<br/>
<br/>
"This is about more than just putting a new anima in. This is a merging. Thoughts, memories, personalities... all intertwined. Think of it more like a mental symbiosis. I'm not Will Prescott in Molly Shaw's body. I'm Will Prescott and Molly Shaw."<br/>
<br/>
"This is getting really confusing." Joe states with a shake of his head.<br/>
<br/>
You surprise him by taking a seat in his lap, "I'm still getting used to it but it's easiest to go with the flow." you lean your head back and look up at him, "By the way how do I look?"<br/>
<br/>
"Cute." comes the response and you can tell that, for once, he's been caught off guard.<br/>
<br/>
"Good." you say lowering your voice, "Maybe later we can..."<br/>
<br/>
Kim's cough stops you in your tracks. "We've still got things we need to talk about." she states, "Will... Molly, you said you wanted to talk about the last member right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I was thinking it should be Deanna Showalter like I texted you earlier." you state as you move yourself off of Jonathan's lap. "Think about it, we need someone in the AP group right? Well she's the least objectionable person that's still in that inner-circle. She's got looks that will take her far. She's into rumors and gossip."<br/>
<br/>
"Perfectly positioned." Kim states more to herself than anything, "She'd be a good fit for the Perelandra and Eldibria combo. Yeah, that could work. I can try and get her over here tomorrow. What about any spots for the rest of us?"<br/>
<br/>
Your face scrunches up at that. "I wasn't really able to check the various groups out since I had to spend half the day studying for this." you gesture at yourself. "The cheerleaders were the only real ones. Maria would probably be an easy get for you. If you wanted to go with a rival, I dunno, Jessica?"<br/>
<br/>
"Why Jessica?" Kim asks.<br/>
<br/>
You shrug, "Eva and Lin are too catty. People like Jessica."<br/>
<br/>
"What about Yumi?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"You'd think she'd be good, right? People like Jessica but they loooove Yumi." you state, "But she might be next on the chopping block."<br/>
<br/>
This seems to take her aback, "I know Chelsea hates Yumi almost as much as she does Cindy." she says plainly, "But if she cuts her for no reason people won't be happy."<br/>
<br/>
"Right, with no reason. But Kendra likes to talk, she's sort of a mole in a way." you point out with a smirk, "She's so treacherous! She goes behind Chelsea's back, uses us to undermine her. She 'accidentally' tells Vanessa things and then Vanessa tells us things and if we want we tell people things and before you know it Yumi was seen at Jamie Bornholm's party going into a room with Seth and no Cindy in sight."<br/>
<br/>
Kim gasps in genuine shock. "Don't worry, this gets kept close to the vest. Molly might be a conniving, scheming cunt but even she wouldn't just throw something like this out there all willy nilly. With me in charge, she <i>won't</i>. That's a promise."<br/>
<br/>
"How do you know Vanessa or Victoria or any of your new friends won't?" she asks, genuine concern.<br/>
<br/>
"Victoria doesn't know shit except what <i>we</i> tell her." you declare, "The others... trust me, they won't."<br/>
<br/>
"So Maria, Jessica, Yumi huh?" Kim wonders aloud, "I'll mull it over. When we've got some masks I'll make my move."<br/>
<br/>
"All of this gossip is scintillating but what about me?" Jonathan asks with a slight whine.<br/>
<br/>
Both you and Kim shake your heads though Kim is the one to speak. "We're still trying to decide, I'll talk to you about it in private and we'll try and get you settled on Thursday."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"You home, mom?" you call out as you step through the door into your new home.<br/>
<br/>
"Mom's not here." Alan, Molly's older brother, replies as he looks up from the book he's reading. "She went out to get dinner. Where have you been?"<br/>
<br/>
"None of your business." you state as you bound up the stares to your new room.<br/>
<br/>
The tone of those words is one completely lacking in respect and indeed Molly does not like her brother. He's graduating this year, he's got a girlfriend, he has a job lined up already doing some work with a tech startup in San Jose and the two of them are moving out there. He's just got everything so under control but really he's just nerd who got lucky and luck doesn't last forever.<br/>
<br/>
That's what really pisses Molly off: he's beyond her control. Molly likes having things under control, she likes wrapping people around her finger or making them dance to her tune like some dumb monkey. That's why Vanessa and Mindy and them won't say anything, because she told them not to say anything until you need to. She asserted control over this group back in middle school and they realized that Molly is not someone to be crossed. Just ask Missy Taylor. Missy was part of the group. Missy was popular. Missy grew to dislike Molly. Missy isn't popular anymore.<br/>
<br/>
That's also Molly wants to be the person behind the curtain. It's so much easier to have someone else be the public face and not have to go through all that trouble again. That's why Molly took Victoria Rodriguez from just some girl with a crush on Joe Ysleta to one of the most desired girls in school.<br/>
<br/>
Molly's thought process comes to the front. Victoria tries so hard to be like the rest of you but she's a fake. She's a goody-two-shoes deep down. Still she's getting a big head to go with her big boobs and big ass and big hips and thighs. Ooooh, you hate her. Her bad attempts at being a queen bee, her lovey dovey relationship with Joe. It pisses you off... and turns you on soooo much. You want her to be a bitch for real. You want to take that diamond core and turn it to coal. And then you want to take her from Joe, to be squeezed in between those big thighs and suck on those large tits, and...<br/>
<br/>
You lay back on your and throw off your jeans. You get to work as you imagine Victoria cooing into your ear in that sweet baby voice she uses with Joe. You keep going as you picture putting your face between those thick, brown thighs and going to work. You orgasm as you envision that plump lips around your own tit, that pretty face buried in your snatch.<br/>
<br/>
You catch your breath and then go over to the dresser and grab some Kleenex to clean up.<br/>
<br/>
Molly Shaw, you realize, is not a good person. The thing that gets you is that she doesn't really have a reason to be. She comes from a good home with good parents who make good money. She was never abused, never neglected, never mistreated... in fact she was downright spoiled at times as a kid. Maybe that's it? That's a shitty reason though. Maybe it's mental. Maybe she's a sociopath. Maybe she's just an entitled cunt. She's certainly got a reputation and yet whereas someone like, say, Sienna Goldman has that used against her Molly uses it to her advantage. She can turn on the charm, the innocence her looks convey, to disarm people and then take them by surprise. She gave DeMarcus Simmons the best ride he ever had, it's why he left his girlfriend.<br/>
<br/>
You have to admit that something about it... well it's exhilarating. It's exciting. It's liberating. Molly revels in who she is and the things she wants and believes should be hers. You don't have to go to the lengths she does, although perhaps by even going through with this idea you already are, but you can enjoy a bit of the almost hedonistic personality to be less stressful, to get the things that you want.<br/>
<br/>
And Molly or Will, you're going to take a lot of joy in taking Chelsea down and giving her exactly what she deserves.</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212222112111
author_id: rugal
title: The Fifth and the Filth
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"DeMarcus was pestering me all 6th period yesterday." Emmy says as she applies a bit of eyeshadow. Your little group of yourself, Emmy, Vanessa, Mindy and Victoria are doing your usual morning, pre-class ritual of make-up and gossip. "It's kinda sad he's, like, a little lost puppy or something."<br/>
<br/>
"Good. Hopefully he can find a new home." you reply as you put on a bit of lipstick. "I already told him we're not a thing."<br/>
<br/>
"I know! And I, like, totally told him the same thing!" Emmy states, and you're suddenly struck by how vacuous she sounds, "But he's all in love with you and junk."<br/>
<br/>
"I thought he was supposed to be this big playboy." Mindy says as she takes the lipstick from you.<br/>
<br/>
"Well like I said yesterday that's why I did it." you state as you check to make sure your hair is good, "Poor Fatima, he got taken in by such a scumbag."<br/>
<br/>
Vanessa snickers a bit, "I heard Sienna wants to beat your ass."<br/>
<br/>
"Well if she can get the dick out of her mouth long enough to say things she's welcome to try." you say before derisively adding, "But I heard those role-playing geeks are getting really desperate to get laid before graduation so there might not be any openings for her, so to speak."<br/>
<br/>
"I kinda get how he feels though." Victoria chimes in, "I've had trouble getting Joey to pay attention to me the recently."<br/>
<br/>
"No!" Vanessa exclaims, "But you two are practically inseparable!"<br/>
<br/>
"I knooow! But between his ballooning club and the baseball team and having all those colleges and pro scouts watching it's been hard for him to make time." Victoria whines.<br/>
<br/>
"Wait, pro?" Mindy asks, "But he's still in high school."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah but he was telling me yesterday that plenty of players from high school get drafted but they'll play in the minor leagues for a few years. He's had to do workouts for them or something." Victoria explains, "Oh but he said he was going to take me out tonight to a nice dinner. He said he was going to try and make time for me from now on."<br/>
<br/>
This leaves you, the Molly portion of you, incensed. This must be what Vanessa meant by Victoria getting a big head. Well you can put a stop to that right quick. "You're not just going to go to that dinner, right?" you ask to Victorias surprise, "Look at me." you say grabbing her by the shoulders, "If you go to that dinner do you know what that tells him? It tells him that you can be bought off with some sweet words and gift."<br/>
<br/>
"But I love him and don't want to lose him." she replies.<br/>
<br/>
"Victoria, sweetie, I know you do. We know you do." you coo sympathetically, "But how do you think I get guys to want me? Why do you think DeMarcus is so lovestruck? It's because I don't give in. I ignore them just enough to keep them wanting. They know that I'm the one in control."<br/>
<br/>
"So I ignore him today?" Victoria asks skeptically.<br/>
<br/>
You reach into your purse and pull out a brush, "You ignore him for the rest of the week." you reply as you brush out her hair, parting it in the middle to better frame her face, "You make him want you." With that done you take some of Emmy's eyeshadow and apply it to Victoria better highlighting her large, dark eyes. "You make <i>everyone</i> want you." You hand the eyeshadow back and look, a light job but one that's made her face look even better. That done you reconfigure her top to better emphasize her cleavage. "Perfect!" you exclaim admiring your handiwork, "The boys will go crazier than ever. Maybe you should go see that Indian guy on Joe's team."<br/>
<br/>
"Shep? But he's so... dirty." Victoria replies making a face.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not saying you do anything, just talk. Show <i>him</i> a little attention. Make Joe jealous. He'll have to work that much harder to win you back."<br/>
<br/>
"And you think this'll work?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Would I lie to you?" you ask rhetorically. With that Victoria thanks you and gives you a friendly hug. At your urging she then heads out.<br/>
<br/>
"Such. A. Cunt." Vanessa laughs. "You're the worst."<br/>
<br/>
"She's going to piss Joe off so much. He doesn't like games. And when she comes to me for support, I'll have her hook, line, and sinker." you crow. However, while you, both parts of you, want a night with Victoria the Molly portion tells you that there's still more to it than simple lust: <i>That prick. He's going to regret turning me down.</i><br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The rest of the day is mostly smooth sailing. You dial back the bitch behavior from this morning and proceed through a relatively quiet day. In the halls between 3rd and 4th period you pass Yvette talking with a few other girls. Your eyes briefly meet, you give her a quick wink, and she looks away flustered. <i>I'm doing a good thing for her.</i> you think, <i>Denying who she is and her mom has breast cancer. Poor girl, I'm just helping her out a bit.</i> You realize that Molly herself genuinely believes that but in true Molly fashion as altruistic as she makes it out to be in the end it benefits herself.<br/>
<br/>
Still, and perhaps this is because you're still adjusting to the girl's libido, you're feeling more than a little horny. So you send her a text and cut 4th, spending it instead getting intimate with Yvette in one of the abandoned portables. It goes much similar to her last time with Molly, reluctant and timid, unsure of how to proceed until you warm her up. Then she's aggressive as her tongue probes your mouth and then your pussy. That's the way Molly likes it. When she's with a guy she likes being in control, the almost emasculating aspect of it is such a turn on. But with a girl the script is flipped. She likes it when they take control, it's the one time Molly allows herself to be taken by the whims of another and yet, in the end, she's still in control isn't she? By being the aggressor, isn't her partner still doing what Molly wants and playing right into her hands?<br/>
<br/>
"You should come out." you tell her as you sit propped against a wall.<br/>
<br/>
"I can't. I... I don't know what my family would think. I don't know what God would think." she replies nervously.<br/>
<br/>
Ah yes, the Good Little Christian Girl and her crisis of faith. Still you reassure her, "I don't mean to pressure you but I think that if they truly loved you, and I'm sure they do, your happiness would be all they care for." You then give her hand a squeeze.<br/>
<br/>
"What about my friends?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"The same thing if they really are your friends." you reply, you then turn and position yourself in her lap. Strands of honey-colored hair fall in her face and you delicately move them. "You're so beautiful, Yvette, inside and out." you say as you lean in and kiss her. "When, or if, you do I'll be right there with you hand-in-hand. You can be the girl who tamed Molly Shaw."<br/>
<br/>
As you slide down and position your face in front of her cunt, you reflect that the "real" Molly wouldn't have met that last thing. But you? Well, who knows?<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You arrive at Straussler's place after everyone else. Deanna is already knocked out and on the table when you get there. Frank has recovered and grumbled about having to use a mask on Jonathan's mother when she got a bit nosy and checked the room. Well whatever, two dozen should be enough and Kim thinks it might not even take that many.<br/>
<br/>
Quickly you get to work pulling imago, anima, and essentia. On the shell of what was once Deanna Showalter you take the steel nub pen and spend the next our carving the remote sigil while Frank and Joe, out of Jonathan's mask, move the bottles containing Perelandra and Eldibria onto the appropriate sigils. You then take a freshly made anima band and place it on your head and once that's done you place it onto the shell. Then it's chanting the proper incantations to send the essentia into the shell--and the thunder and lightning that comes with it--as well as the imago back as well and the groggy form of Deanna sits up.<br/>
<br/>
You have to admit that compared to the merging of yourself and Molly this seemed almost like child's play.<br/>
<br/>
You, Kim, and Deanna then decide that you'd like to talk about Joe's spot alone and usher him and Frank out of the ballroom for a moment or two. The three of you debate and since Deanna has your updated thoughts that makes it a little faster as you don't need to catch her up.<br/>
<br/>
You weigh the pros and cons of the two leading options. Anita is beautiful and respected, it's a virtual wash over whether her or Gordon is the school's more heralded athlete, having a relationship with Eastman's athletic elite is a good bonus too. But it's those same qualities that also cause others, like Eva and her crew, to see her as almost arrogant. To some she's to be commended for staying out of the drama that ties up the school but to others she comes off as being above it all, her relationship with people like Jenny Taylor causes some to view her as being an Eastman elitist who just happens to go to Westside.<br/>
<br/>
Steve on the other hand is popular as well. He's athletic and handsome. He's a guy and Joe might like that, though Kim points out that Joe said gender wasn't a concern. He also has the advantage of already not liking Chelsea and potentially having sway over Gordon. But he's an asshole and the rumor is he's getting ready to transfer... although putting Joe in him might be able to reverse course on that.<br/>
<br/>
Eventually you call the boys back in. You ask Joe if he has a preference between Anita and Steve but he shrugs and says he doesn't care. Well with that last hurdle cleared you tell him that you've come to a decision.</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122221121112
author_id: rugal
title: The Fucked and the Furious
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"Congratulations." you say dryly, "You're going to be Steve Patterson."<br/>
<br/>
"Aww, I was kind of looking forward to seeing Anita naked." Joe pouts though you don't know how serious he's actually being.<br/>
<br/>
"But you said you didn't..." Kim starts before grunting in frustration, "Look if you want that so bad once you're moved in you can get a mask onto her. She'd still be useful to have under our control." She notices Joe grin at that but does her best to ignore it then looks back at you and Deanna, "Speaking of since we're basically all set we should probably think about getting some masks onto some targets."<br/>
<br/>
"So when you say masks onto targets what exactly do you mean?" you ask. "Like do we need one on a person from every piss ant group in the school?"<br/>
<br/>
"No. Now that I think about it, no." Kim shakes her head, "But we do need some on key people. Anita is an example. Anyone chatty too. Cassie Harper's an incessant chatterbox or Gillian Kiefer; Gillian would also put the nerds under our control."<br/>
<br/>
"I could get Gillian." you say plainly.<br/>
<br/>
"Does Molly even know her?" Deanna asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Our paths have crossed. Gillian thinks I'm a bitch. I can still get her alone though." you say crossing your arms.<br/>
<br/>
"Well I can get us Kelsey." says Deanna as she motions for Joe to get her clothes which he does albeit disappointedly. "What about you, Kim? Maria?"<br/>
<br/>
"No, I'm going to take two cheerleaders." Kim replies to the shock of both you and Deanna. "Taking one side might not be good enough. What you said yesterday, Molly... well, if I put Kendra under control I can help stem that potential rumor while spreading whatever one we need against Chelsea. And if Yumi <i>is</i> doing anything with Seth I need to put a stop to that but we can also set it up so that Yumi becomes head cheerleader once Chelsea's taken down."<br/>
<br/>
"Smart." Deanna says, "But are we going to have the masks to get everybody?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well we're going to be down few because we'll have to golemize our own masks if we need to take over for one of our targets for any reason." Kim states before looking at Joe and Frank, "By the way you guys have been parading around as Jonathan and Curt so, uh, you've done that too right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Duh! We're not stupid." Joe says.<br/>
<br/>
"We just assumed you assumed so we didn't think we needed to say anything." Frank adds.<br/>
<br/>
Kim nods, "Alright and Molly won't need to do that because she's got those remote sigils. So let's lay out what we've got..."<br/>
<br/>
She pulls one of her notebooks out of her backpack, a pen, and begins writing down and once she's finished she shows you where everything stands:<br/>
<br/>
* Molly Shaw - William Shabbleman, Melody Weiss, Will Prescott, <i>Gillian Kiefer</i><br/>
* Kim Walsh - <i>Kendra Saunders, Yumi Saito</i><br/>
* Deanna Showalter - <i>Kelsey Blankenship</i><br/>
* Joe Durrass/Steve Patterson - Joe Durrass, Jonathan Straussler, <i>Anita Nuevo</i><br/>
* Frank Durrass/??? - Frank Durrass, Curt Straussler, Natalie Straussler<br/>
<br/>
"So those question marks for me, you still don't have anyone in mind?" Frank asks.<br/>
<br/>
"Unfortunately no." Kim states, "I've talked with Jelena a few times but we're hardly pals. Still if you want her I could try."<br/>
<br/>
"Sienna wants to beat the shit out of me. Maybe I can get her alone but the girl's a whore so I don't know how much you like cock." you say with a smile.<br/>
<br/>
"Kelsey's got a thing going on the down low with Karl Hennepin." Deanna says to the surprise of now you and Kim, "Oh yeah, she doesn't like it getting out too much because she doesn't want to ruin her image but they're totally a thing. I get Kelsey, I can get you Karl if you want him."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll think about it." he replies, "But since you're talking about masks, I've got three done since I haven't had anything better to do with my time."<br/>
<br/>
"Great!" Kim says excitedly, "I'll grab Kendra first then. She's the most important get for me."<br/>
<br/>
"I'll take the mask but I'm not going to get Gillian right off the bat." you state as Kim looks at you quizzically. "Well, somebody needs to get Patterson and what better way to get a pussy hound than with your..."<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, I get it, thanks." Kim says while scrunching her face up in disgust. "You sure you're alright in there?"<br/>
<br/>
"Better than I've ever been, in fact." you state with a smile, "Cutting loose, not giving a fuck... it's fun. You should try it some time."<br/>
<br/>
Kim sighs, "Look, I get that the whole merging of imago is kind of weird but, I don't know, just don't get so caught up in it, you know?" she says with concern.<br/>
<br/>
"Don't worry," you reply with a small laugh, "I'll be fine. I'll get Patterson tomorrow as well."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
Get him you do. Thursday starts off as rather slow and boring. Victoria tells you that she did indeed turn down Joe's offer of dinner and you and the rest of your group beam and congratulate her. You tell her to give it a few more days and that she'll have him eating out of her hand. From there you decide to keep a relatively low profile, no bitchiness, no little trysts, you decide to keep focused on getting Patterson. Just approaching him might be a bit difficult, not that you think he'd pass up a chance to get laid--especially because him and Molly have gone at it a couple of times already--but doing it if his buddies are around... You don't want to risk running into one of those psychos like Gordon or Jason Lynch.<br/>
<br/>
Things, however, pick up after your last class lets out. As you're walking past the gym hoping to catch a glimpse of Patterson you suddenly become very aware of a feeling that someone's behind you. You stop and turn around and jump a little bit to see DeMarcus Simmons. "What the fuck is your problem?" you ask as you glare at him.<br/>
<br/>
"<i>My</i> problem?" he asks incredulously, "Girl what the fuck is <i>your</i> problem? That friend of yours was tellin' me that we're done and shit."<br/>
<br/>
"Well no fucking duh, DeMarcus, maybe because I told you the same thing?" you shoot back in as annoyed a tone as you can muster, "Actually, no, done implies we were ever a thing. We were, are, and never will be A Thing."<br/>
<br/>
"So if we ain't a thing then what the fuck was all that shit about?" he asks, "You fuckin' me and everything."<br/>
<br/>
"Whoa, you've been telling people we fucked? I told you to keep that shit quiet." you snap.<br/>
<br/>
"What? No I ain't been tellin' nobody shit. Far as I know, though, you been tellin' all your friends that's why I talked to Emmy." he replies.<br/>
<br/>
"You haven't told anybody, huh?" you say quietly, then you begin speaking a little louder. "Well I'm <i>sorry</i> that you're so much of a scumbag that you left your girlfriend because you wanted to get with me." This turns more than a few heads, "But we did <i>not</i> sleep together, DeMarcus, and we never will. You're fucking delusional and I want you to leave me alone!"<br/>
<br/>
"Wha...? But Molly--" he starts before he's tapped on the shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"She said to leave her alone." says Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
There's a brief staredown. DeMarcus is a good foot taller than you but Patterson's got at least four inches on him plus more muscle to boot and eventually he backs down and slinks away.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Steve, thank you!" you squeal as you practically jump into his arms.<br/>
<br/>
"Well how is my favorite girlfriend?" he asks with a grin.<br/>
<br/>
"Mmm, well I'm everyone's favorite girlfriend." you reply in a coquettish manner, "But now that you're here, well, I haven't been <i>your</i> favorite in a while have I?"<br/>
<br/>
"You haven't but that can change. The loft should be free right now and I don't have practice..." he trails off. You giggle as he leads you into the gym.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So is anyone out there?" you ask Frank as you stand over the unconscious body of Steve Patterson.<br/>
<br/>
Frank shakes his head, "Everyone's cleared out." he says.<br/>
<br/>
That's good then. Before leaving Chateau Straussler last night you had gotten a bag of knockout powder, surprisingly easy to make according to Joe. After coming up to the loft you gave Patterson a quick knob polish and as he regained himself you grabbed a bit of powder and blew it into his face before calling Frank, as he's physically stronger, to come and get him.<br/>
<br/>
"So you're going to be able to get him back, right?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Shouldn't be a problem although..." he shifts a bit uncomfortable, "I couldn't just take one of their cars but Jon's mom is fucking the pool boys so... I'm the new pool boy and she was taking me out."<br/>
<br/>
You laugh at that but toss the closed pouch to him. "Just get him out to the car, reapply the powder as necessary, I'll catch up." you say.<br/>
<br/>
After Frank leaves, you wait a few minutes before leaving yourself and you're surprised when you run into Victoria. "Oh, Molly, there you are! I've been looking for you!" she exclaims.<br/>
<br/>
You notice the worried look on her face and speak in a reassuring tone, "Victoria, what's wrong? You look upset." you say.<br/>
<br/>
"I just... it's about this morning and yesterday." she says, still sounding nervous, "I, um, kind of lied."<br/>
<br/>
Well that gets your attention. "You lied? About what?" you reply while still trying to sound sympathetic.<br/>
<br/>
"I know what you said but I... I just couldn't do that to Joey!" she exclaims, "I love him too much and the dinner was just amazing and... ugh, god, I'm sorry. I know you were trying to help me out but..."<br/>
<br/>
Internally you can feel the Molly portion of you begin to rage. That bitch. That dumb, stupid, idiotic fucking bitch! How could she do this? You gave her instructions and she couldn't even follow them?! Oh but she could follow orders couldn't she? You have that mask, the one you intended to use on Gillian, sitting in your purse. Throw it on Victoria and she'll follow every instruction to the letter. She won't step out of line. She'll be completely under your control. She'll be yours.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222211211122
author_id: rugal
title: The Wheels Are In Motion
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Having Victoria under your control would definitely be a wonderful thing. She's already a puppet that you prop up to help yourself, this would just make her a far more agreeable puppet. You wouldn't have to worry about her doing annoying, inconvenient things like "having her own thoughts" or "making her own decisions". In fact you'd be doing all the thinking and decision making for her and wouldn't that just make things so much easier? Oh it would! <i>"I am just so thoughtful!"</i> you think excitedly to yourself.<br/>
<br/>
Only... you're not are you? Maybe Kim is right and you've been giving in too much to the mind that's been combined with your own. It's like you said to Joe, thoughts and feelings become so interwoven and you briefly worry that in Molly's case they're more like kudzu, invasively coiling around your own mind so as to smother it completely. No, no that's silly. Imago doesn't work like that after all, you've just been getting caught up in things. It's been an almost liberating feeling to be perfectly honest.<br/>
<br/>
But at least for the moment you've got a plan to adhere to and that plan does not include putting Victoria Rodriguez under your control... for now anyway. Maybe you'll be able to get her as a bonus but for now you allow the anger to subside as you put on a fake smile for your "friend".<br/>
<br/>
"Victoria, honey, it's... fine." Oh, the Molly portion of your head wants to grind your teeth at this, "It was a pretty radical idea but, well, you know Joe better than I do so if you really believe he means what he says, well, I guess I have to take your word for it don't I?"<br/>
<br/>
Victoria looks at you for a moment and briefly you reconsider your decision not to put the mask on her if only to figure out what exactly is going on in that pretty little head of hers right now. But a calm comes over her face and she smiles embracing you in hug, "Thanks, Molly. I know you're just trying to look out for me but like I said I couldn't just turn him down like that. I don't need to be some kind of drama whore like Faith. That's not me."<br/>
<br/>
"Right, right. Be true to yourself and all that." you say though you can't help but throw a little backhanded jab in there as well, "But my advice did get you with him in the first place and..." You notice her eying you oddly again but you brush it off. "Nothing, it's nothing. I just really hope things work out for you. Hopefully you can stay together after graduation."<br/>
<br/>
Another friendly hug and some parting words are exchanged and then the two of you part for the day. Well, you wanted to be a bit fashionably late out there but you don't need to be too late so you head out to your car and begin the drive out to Straussler Castle. It's a drive that's long enough to give you a bit of thinking time...<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"THAT BITCH!" you yell as you march into the ballroom.<br/>
<br/>
"I think he's talking about you, Kimdra!" Joe calls out with a laugh as you storm past him.<br/>
<br/>
"No not her Victoria!" you exclaim before realizing what he said, "Wait, who--?" you ask as you look across the room to the dissection table where Deanna, Frank, and the unconscious Patterson are to see Kendra Saunders standing with the group. She gives you a small wave when you notice her. "Oh, well if it isn't my favorite little snake. What are you doing here?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well if I'm a snake then consider me a black mamba." she replies as you groan, "But really it's me, Kim, under here. We're going to need to talk about just what we do to bring Chelsea down and since I've got to work the next few days you're going to be seeing a lot of Kendra."<br/>
<br/>
"Well I'm definitely not complaining about the sight." you reply as you look her up and down.<br/>
<br/>
"Me neither, and I'm sure I'll be complaining even less once we've got this switch all worked out." Joe says.<br/>
<br/>
"Right, yeah, do you guys have everything ready to go?" you ask as you look around. You notice that indeed the jars are in place and what you assume is Joe's mask with your original voodoo doll is there as well as a blank for Patterson's imago. Straussler must be good under his own mask then. "Good. So, get out of those clothes and get on the table." you tell Joe.<br/>
<br/>
"Man, you know normally I'd love to be naked in front of three pretty girls but this whole thing is giving me the willies." he shivers as he starts removing his clothes. "I saw what you looked like before you got that new set of clothes."<br/>
<br/>
You take the time to admire Joe's finely sculpted body. What a disappointment that you weren't able to get anything out of it, as you are now, but c'est la vie. Once he's done you get to work stripping Patterson's imago and anima and essentia, it's almost routine at this point you muse, and then you shrink the substantia-golem-thing down and place it onto the mask that now contains his imago. You then tell Joe to get on the table and once he does you grasp both dolls and close your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
You see them, the imago that belong to Joe Durras and Steve Patterson. You repeat the process from Tuesday and unclasp the connections of Joe's mental and physical imago. Again, surprisingly easy work. Once Joe's mind floats free you then repeat the process with Patterson. You then prepare yourself for the next step. While holding onto their physical imago you take their mental image and push them together. Once more you see the process of the strands coming together like vines. Once more you engage in the task of gently nudging and guiding the strands where they need to go. Once more you scrub away a physical imago, Joe's form disappearing to be replaced by Patterson's though this time you close your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
Now comes the hard part. You go to working getting the connections in place. All of the tightening and weaving and clipping. You feel yourself getting tired as you press on. You're exhausted, you're worried that you'll pass out but through some miracle you don't. Not until the last connection is made, anyway, and your eyes flutter open to see Steve Patterson laying in Joe's place.<br/>
<br/>
"You did--" you year Kendra exclaim although try as you might you pass out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"Goddamn." you groan as you wake up still in the ballroom-turned-pseudo-lab. "I feel like shit. How long was I out for?"<br/>
<br/>
"About six hundred years. Everyone you know and love is gone and horrible roachmen rule the land." comes a male voice and you sit up to see Patterson grinning at you, "Or really more like six hours."<br/>
<br/>
"That long?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"That long?! Frank was out until mid-morning!" exclaims Deanna in surprise.<br/>
<br/>
"Still, if you need a little pick-me-up we can continue from where we left off this afternoon." Patterson says, the shit-eating grin still plastered on his face.<br/>
<br/>
"Much as I find the voyeuristic element of doing it in front of everyone kinky, I think I'll pass." you reply much to his disappointment, "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time get caught up."<br/>
<br/>
"Much as I like your newfound sex lives We've got work to do and we kinda have to do it fast, too." Deanna states, "My parents are already going to be pissed I'm out this late on a school night. I had to feed them a line about it being an extra intense study session with Kelsey. Who I managed to get, thank you soooo much for asking."<br/>
<br/>
"Well excuse me, princess." you snort, "Where's Kendra?" you ask her.<br/>
<br/>
"Home. Her parents were chewing her out pretty good." she replies.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, well I got to thinking on the way here and what we need to do, what we need to spread around, is something about her that'll piss people off. Turn everyone against her fanned by who we've got."<br/>
<br/>
"And you're saying you've got an idea?" Deanna asks, "Wow! I didn't realize Molly was so smart! Then again they say protein's good for the brain so I guess being a cum-burping bitch does have benefits!"<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you." you shoot back.<br/>
<br/>
"I know you'd like to." comes the reply.<br/>
<br/>
You brush it off. Deanna's nicer than the other AP shits but she can still be a cunt. "For what I've got in mind I'm not gonna be getting Gillian since I've got someone else in mind. Someone else will have to get her."<br/>
<br/>
"Frank said he'll take Karl. Karl and Gillian know each other. That'll be on him." Deanna says.<br/>
<br/>
"Alright, good, because I need this mask for Yvette Moore."<br/>
<br/>
"Yvette? Why?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
You then get to work outlining and mapping your plan. As you go through explaining it there's a couple of gasps, a bit of hesitance, though eventually you're able to bring them around. Kendra, you decide, will get caught up tomorrow morning by whoever runs into her.<br/>
<br/>
"Well I guess that explains why I could never get with her." Patter grunts, "Figured it was <i>just</i> that whole abstinence, promise ring bullshit."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm still kinda wary about this." Deanna says, she was the hardest to bring around, "Yvette's such a sweet girl."<br/>
<br/>
"Exactly. Nobody hates Yvette and everyone feels bad for her because of what she's going through with her mom." you're in full Molly mode at this point, a devilish smirk plastered on your face, "Of course we won't have to worry about what it does to <i>her</i> since she'll be under our control. She'll react exactly how we need her to react and with everyone in place we can help control what direction opinion goes. We'll get Frank switched out for Karl tomorrow but we'll start the train rolling before then."<br/>
<br/>
"And you're sure this'll work?" Deanna ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Trust me, if there's one thing Molly Shaw is good at, it's getting the result she wants."</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212222112111221
author_id: rugal
title: I Spy...
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"So, do you wanna take me up on that offer?" you ask Deanna as you walk out to your cars. She gives you a curious look, "To fuck you." you add.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh Jesus, no." she replies with a look of disgust, "Not if I was a lesbian and we were the last two people on Earth."<br/>
<br/>
You grab her wrist and spin her around, pulling her in close, "That's the Deanna part of you right? She hates Molly doesn't she? But she loves Geoff Mansfield and you...?"<br/>
<br/>
You see her wince at that a bit. "Yeah, okay, that part is kind of screwed up I admit." she says with a weary tone, "The girl wants him in her about as bad as I, well the Will part in here, want him in a blast furnace."<br/>
<br/>
"And it eats you up doesn't it? The fact that, to stay in character, you'd probably have to suck face with that troll right? That if the chance came up you'd have to give him a hand job <i>without</i> tearing his dick right off?" you ask with a needling tone.<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, well, did you have fun sucking off Patterson in the fuck room?" she retorts.<br/>
<br/>
"As a matter of fact I did!" you exclaim cheerily, "Not as much fun as I had eating out Yvette though."<br/>
<br/>
"You've changed. That bitch's brain has warped yours." Deanna says as you push her away.<br/>
<br/>
"Her brain hasn't warped anything, <i>Deanna</i>." you say with a sneer, "If it's changed anything it's that it's given me freedom. I've spent my entire life having doubts about everything and being sure of nothing. You know why? Because of dad. He never had a nice thing to say about anything."<br/>
<br/>
"Oh come on, that's shit. He's just... he's gruff." she replies, "He's got that old school, real man mentality about emotions."<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah? 'Cause either way all I remember is this taciturn asshole who would put down any idea I had. Who would sit there and always find something to pick at and had a real hard time actually congratulating me about anything. You know what that does, we're the same." your breathing becomes heavier, you've gotten yourself worked up, "But Molly? Molly doesn't have those doubts. She doesn't second guess herself constantly. She knows what she wants and she works to get it. Yeah she's a bitch, a manipulative, vindictive, hedonistic cunt but she's confident. Do you know how good that feels? Because I do and it feels pretty damn good."<br/>
<br/>
Deanna glares at you, "So what, you're just going to dive right into all of her vices because daddy didn't love you?"<br/>
<br/>
"I'm going to do what feels good. And what I don't need is moralizing from you," you say as you poke her in the chest, "or from whatever pair of tits my mind's running." You march to your car and open the door, "Don't worry we're still taking down Chelsea. I'm not gonna get in over my head."<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
It's inbetween 4th and 5th periods and you find yourself walking by the portables. There's a voice in the back of your head screaming but you're able to shut it out. You think you hear something coming from the closest one, that catches your attention. You feel a wrenching sensation and you're now in the portable, naked, Yvette sits beside you fingering herself. Good, she's already pliant. This might just go off without a hitch.<br/>
<br/>
Getting this set up was a giant pain in the ass. You managed to corner Chelsea alone in the bathroom this morning, remove the remote mask from her and hit her with a new blank mask you had grabbed before leaving last night. Once it appears you throw the remote mask you had made earlier back onto her. She came to confused and you managed to give her the old fainting excuse which, thankfully, she seems to have bought. Of course in the groggy state these things leave people in you could probably tell her she's a brightly colored bear and she'd probably believe you.<br/>
<br/>
So here you sit against a wall of an unused portable, new mask of Chelsea on the floor and inside your trusty voodoo doll which you grasp. You close your eyes and concentrate.<br/>
<br/>
Chelsea's mind appears before you. A mass of confused and angry thoughts. <i>What the fuck was that?!</i> You can feel fear, panic, uncertainty. Chelsea is thoroughly unnerved so you take a tighter grip onto her mind. You stroke it, like petting a kitten, and soon things have calmed down; all of those negative thoughts seem to float away.<br/>
<br/>
Deeper into her mind you go, right to the center, and everything is available to you. It's all an open book and you come across the one you need. <i>Why am I out here by the portables?</i> Well this book needs a bit of a rewrite, Chelsea's thoughts are your own... or rather your thoughts are Chelsea's as you think them for her. <i>Well it's because I saw Molly Shaw and Yvette Moore running off and decided to follow them. I lost sight eventually but... there's something coming from that portable over there. I should go check it out. Walk up those steps, open the door...</i><br/>
<br/>
You withdraw back to your body. You're sweating. Fucking with thoughts is a work out but, well, one you need to do.<br/>
<br/>
"Molly?" Yvette asks though you grab her arm and pull her onto you.<br/>
<br/>
"Kiss me. Start kissing me and when that door opens we're going to ignore it and keep kissing, do you understand?"<br/>
<br/>
Yvette, of course, complies and you're thankful you didn't place that mask onto Victoria yesterday. About thirty seconds later the door creaks open. You open one eye and out of the corner of it notice Chelsea peek her head in and elicit a small gasp before backing up and closing the door. Good, she saw. You tell Yvette to stop and get off and then take the voodoo doll once more.<br/>
<br/>
You're back in Chelsea's head. <i>Oh my god! Yvette and... I'm not sure, the other girl wasn't well lit. But that was definitely a girl and that was definitely Yvette. That means Yvette... oh god!</i> You then take over her thoughts, <i>I have to tell someone. Kendra! I'll tell Kendra! I'll tell her and then I'll tell her to spread it around! That hypocritical religious bitch.</i><br/>
<br/>
You make a few more "suggestions" and then you're back in your body once more, Yvette sitting next to you. You don't let her say anything, just tell her that you're exhasted and you want her to make you feel good.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"So it looks like somebody's secret is out." Vanessa says as the two of you engage in an impromptu gossip session in the usual meeting place after school has ended.<br/>
<br/>
"Somebody's secret?" you ask feigning ignorance.<br/>
<br/>
"Remember what you said a few days ago? About Yvette Moore?" Vanessa asks and you nod, "Well apparently someone caught her going at it with another girl, gee I wonder who, in a portable this afternoon."<br/>
<br/>
You eye her queerly before giving a simple, one word reply, "Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"Chelsea?" asks Vanessa.<br/>
<br/>
"We were making out, the door opened, and I saw someone who looked a whole hell of a lot like Chelsea. That cunt probably told Kendra and Kendra's told you and probably anybody else with the ability to hear on Chelsea's orders, right?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well yeah, she did tell me. No clue about anyone else but, well, you know Kendra."<br/>
<br/>
You let it sit for a moment, "Christ, I just wanted to get laid on the down low, I never wanted..." you say quietly.<br/>
<br/>
"Hmm?" Vanessa perks up.<br/>
<br/>
"She's going to try and ruin Yvette. Chelsea, that cunt, has never liked her squeaky clean image and she's probably pissed she gets all of the 'mom has cancer' sympathy." you say, "We've got to do something to help her."<br/>
<br/>
"Why Ms. Shaw, is that genuine concern I detect?" asks Vanessa sarcastically.<br/>
<br/>
"Fuck you, Nessa. Surprisingly I actually do have feelings and a heart." you shoot back, "And I legit like Yvette. Can you think of anyone that hates her? She's so... so genuinely nice. She doesn't deserve Chelsea trying to drag her name through the mud."<br/>
<br/>
"Well then what are supposed to do?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
You grumble, "I don't fucking know. Maybe, Chelsea's hoping that Kendra seeds it so who the whispers came from gets lost in the schoolwide game of telephone." You feign thinking for a moment, "So maybe we put out where it came from. Kendra's a fucking snake looking for a chance to strike Chelsea. Well this could be her chance. We get her on our side and we can put it out there that this all came from Chelsea."<br/>
<br/>
"And you think that'll work?"<br/>
<br/>
"Think about it, Nessa. This day and age people don't like homophobia and if it looks like Chelsea's trying to spread word that Yvette's gay as a way of smearing her and keeping her down..." you trail off.<br/>
<br/>
"People will be <i>pissed</i>." Vanessa completes your thought, "That's devious. I'll tell the rest of the group and talk to Kendra."<br/>
<br/>
Naturally you'll be talking to Kendra yourself in just a little bit when you head to Straussler's to make the last switch. The switch is so exhausting that it's not something you're looking forward to but thankfully this is the last one you're going to have to worry about. You'll still need a few more pieces in place, Frank should be able to grab Gillian once the switch is made and a good underground person like Charles Hartlein. Steve said he'd be getting Anita and when you ran into him earlier said he was looking at Nia Nichols from the girls' basketball team and Anne Starkey, Cameron Huber's girlfriend giving him both the football team and band. Deanna's got Kelsey, Kim will have Kendra and Yumi.<br/>
<br/>
It's like the guy from that old TV show said, you love it when a plan comes together.</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122221121112211
author_id: rugal
title: Witches and Bitches
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>"You know I still have reservations about this."<br/>
<br/>
Kendra practically harangues you as soon as you step into the ballroom. "Bitch bitch bitch, what's the problem now?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Because something like this, what you're doing to Yvette... that stuff is big. It'll be life changing for her." she replies.<br/>
<br/>
You give an annoyed sigh, "What does it matter? It's not like I'm going to drive the girl off a cliff. She's under a mask. She's under <i>my</i> control. She'll react how we need her to react and once it looks like general sentiment is on her side we can let her out."<br/>
<br/>
"And what about her family or did you not even think about that?" Kendra asks. "It's not like they're just some religious family, her dad is the friggin' minister at St. Sebastian's."<br/>
<br/>
You just give a shrug. "I don't really do the religion thing but if you're so worried then... she doesn't come out until the girl herself is ready." you say, "I mean the genie's already out anyway and you're not going to be able to put it back anyway. Now it's just a matter of having it grant the wish we want."<br/>
<br/>
She grumbles at that, "I just don't want to make the girl's life any harder than it already is."<br/>
<br/>
"Well look, the flow of information in the school runs through us now right? Or it will anyway." you say as you take a seat on the floor, "It's all about control. Control the right people, control the gossip, direct it where you need, you run the school. That was your plan right?"<br/>
<br/>
"It was but... you know I'm wondering if <i>you</i> aren't trying to take control yourself."<br/>
<br/>
"What I'm doing is taking initiative." you retort, "I had an idea, I proposed it, we acted. Not my fault you weren't here. Speaking of, how much longer are you going to be dressed out like that? I half-expected you to show up as Yumi."<br/>
<br/>
"Well I did get her today but don't worry I'll be back to myself tomorrow. I did it because I thought you guys would need me here but maybe I thought wrong."<br/>
<br/>
You notice her chewing her lip so you decide to lay off the bitchy attitude a bit, "Look you're the one who came up with the idea in the first place. You're the one who took charge at the start of things. We couldn't have done this without you. I said I'd be your Saint-Just and that's what I am. You can be the idealist, I'll be the one doing the dirty work." You offer her a friendly smile, "We good?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yeah, we're fine. Sorry." she replies. "Look, I just don't want you getting in over your head because you're rushing into things."<br/>
<br/>
You wave it off, "Forget it. Where's everyone else?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Steve's on his way. He got caught up with Karla Ellison."<br/>
<br/>
"Karla Ellison... that sophomore with the boobs?"<br/>
<br/>
"One in the same." Kendra replies while ignoring your leering. "Frank actually stepped out to use the bathroom right before you got here. Deanna's on her way with Kelsey and Karl, gave him the tried and true 'party at Straussler's' line."<br/>
<br/>
Within the next fifteen minutes Frank has returned, Steve has arrived, no stacked freshman in tow, and then Deanna, Kelsey and Karl show up. Karl doesn't seem to suspect anything's up even as you take a bit of powder and blow it in his face and you're left wondering whether he's just that laid back or just ignorant. But whatever, makes your job easier.<br/>
<br/>
So you get everything set up and run through the now familiar motions involving stripping all of the elements that make a person a person, shrinking the shell into a doll, and getting the masks and dolls set up. Frank strips off and you're left mentally bemoaning the fact that he's such an uptight ass and hope maybe being Karl will mellow him out.<br/>
<br/>
You get to work separating the mental and physical parts, of combining and weaving the threads into a whole, of erasing the form of Frank Durras and replacing it with the skinnier build of Karl Hennepin. Then it's time for the worst part, the reconnecting. You're used to it by now and as you work you still get tired. But it's not hitting you as strong as before, maybe all of the attempts at it is working at building up your stamina like a magical version of running on a treadmill.<br/>
<br/>
Even still by the time you're done you do feel exhausted and you're able to stay awake for a few moments before passing out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
You wake up still in the ballroom about three hours later. Kendra's stayed with you, the others left, and you think her before getting in your car and heading home... or that's where you were heading but as you pass near the school you make detour and pull out your phone.<br/>
<br/>
"What?" the question is gruff and to the point.<br/>
<br/>
"Steve, is that anyway to talk to me?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, Molly, what's up?" his voice is much lighter this time.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, you know, I was driving back home and I passed by the school and I thought me. You. The loft."<br/>
<br/>
There's a few seconds of silence, "You looking to finish what we started yesterday?"<br/>
<br/>
"Well if you're alright with me not having Karla Ellison's tits... though I could..." you tease.<br/>
<br/>
"Much as I like Karla's tits you're fine how you are." he replies.<br/>
<br/>
"Great!" you exclaim, "I'll be out in front of the gym. God I can't wait. See you in a few."<br/>
<br/>
See him in a few you do, and in fact Steve's there's quicker than you expect. For a brief moment you hope that isn't some harbinger of things to come but a brief look into Molly's memories tell you that's not the case. He manages to unlock the gym and then leads you up to the loft where he flips the light on. "God I can't wait." he says in a copy of your own voice, god did you really sound that desperate, "It's been soooo long since I've had your big dick inside me."<br/>
<br/>
Yeah, you definitely did. "I keep forgetting you, Joe, can do that. Actually I didn't know you could do girls period."<br/>
<br/>
"I can do anyone you want me to." he says in Chelsea's bitchy whine.<br/>
<br/>
"Well I want you to do me." you say and you giggle as he lays you down on one of the mats.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The deed done you sit in the afterglow, content that the two of you wore each other out. You eventually catch your breath and watch Patterson put his shirt on. "Hey, so where's your head at?" you ask him as you wipe a bit of sweat off your forehead with the the back of your hand.<br/>
<br/>
"Well it was in you just a few minutes ago." he replies without missing a beat.<br/>
<br/>
You laugh at that, "No, I mean mentally. What's your read on how things are going?"<br/>
<br/>
"Honestly? Better than I thought." he says, "Not just because now I've got my choice of tail in the school. The whole thing seemed a little, I dunno. Neat idea I guess but I didn't really have the highest expectations truth be told. I'm surprised things have gone this well so far."<br/>
<br/>
"Why are you so surprised?" you ask, "We dealt with the Witch-Queen of Cuthbert. Compared to that the Bitch-Queen of Westside is cake."<br/>
<br/>
He laughs a little at that, "Nice, but no, I don't know. I just worry that things are going too well I guess. We've had a string of good luck so there's something in the back of my mind that keeps telling me it's all going to come crashing down."<br/>
<br/>
"I'm not gonna get the spiel from <i>you</i>, now, am I?" you groan, "Deanna and Kim have already gone on about how I'm in too deep or in over my head or whatever. I don't need that shit from you too."<br/>
<br/>
Patterson takes a seat on a small box, "Nah, it's nothing like that. It's probably nothing anyway, you just get paranoid about things some times ya know?"<br/>
<br/>
"Seriously I expect Frank to be the buzzkill." you say with a shake of your head, "Speaking of tall, dark and moody hopefully the move works out. At the very least having Kelsey take care of his dick should be a good start."<br/>
<br/>
Patterson guffaws at that, "You really think that bitch puts out?" he asks, "Because if she does that's kept so on the down low that it's practically hitting China. No, unless Deanna tells her too Frank, well Karl, probably isn't getting anything from her. Maybe he can get lucky with her at Bonny's though. Real easy to disappear into a room after all."<br/>
<br/>
"You really think Kelsey's going to a party?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"Definitely." he says with a nod, "Shit's all about the two F's: fraternizing and fucking. She might not do much of the latter but you know she's all about the former."<br/>
<br/>
"You going?"<br/>
<br/>
"Definitely." he replies, "Anyone who's anyone will be there naturally. I'm gonna get laid plus it'll be a good place to grab people. Nia, Anita and Anne should all be there though getting Anne away from Huber long enough will probably be a pain. Karl will be able to grab Gillian, she mingles in a lot of social circles anyway." He looks at you with a smile, "You plan on going?"<br/>
<br/>
You give a non-committal shrug. You actually weren't thinking of going originally but maybe going would be a good idea. You've still got two more available slots for slaves so it might be good to grab a few. You still want to save a mask for Victoria but having another toy to play with would be nice. Maybe Sienna will be there... ooh, or maybe Fatima; <i>that</i> would be fun. Really you don't have a preference though. You've either got all the pieces you need already or will soon anyway.</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222211211122111
author_id: rugal
title: Holding the V-Card (and Why it's Not a Bad Thing)
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You meet Deanna the next afternoon at The Crystal Cave, ostensibly for a little friendly lunch but in reality so you can receive a little "gift" from her: a few masks and other such materials that Frank had made yesterday before moving in to his new home. You're actually a fair bit annoyed by the whole process but Patterson had told you last night that, despite having the family themselves under control, the help had been getting a little suspicious the last couple of days over all of the new and unknown arrivals.<br/>
<br/>
Unless you absolutely needed to use the ballroom you'd just be meeting in the loft while Deanna agreed to take in the equipment.<br/>
<br/>
It's material for an extracurricular project, she'd told her parents, and that seemed to be good enough for them as they didn't pry into it she had told you. Plus no siblings or anything to potentially get into things. From now on anything you need goes through her. A bit of a small victory for her, she gloats. Especially because she's going to have to miss the party tonight due to driving out with her parents to Mountridge; a small family gathering at her grandparents' place before they leave on a second honeymoon to Germany for their 50th anniversary.<br/>
<br/>
A little bit more light conversation is exchanged before Deanna says she has to go and get ready for the ride out with her parents. You do tell her, however, to call up Kelsey and have her fuck Karl. Frank been working hard, pre-move, to get you all masks and stuff that it's the least she can do. Deanna, for her part, just laughs and asks you what made you think she hadn't already done that before leaving.<br/>
<br/>
From there it's a quick trip back home and whiling the hours away until the party. You shower, primp, pick out a simple-yet-sexy outfit, the makeup... all of it. By the time you're finished with all of it it's actually time to get going so you gather your things, masks included, and go to leave. Jodie McAllister, Alan's girlfriend, gives you a friendly greeting and tells you that you look nice. You thank her and reply in kind though internally all you can think is about how desperate Alan must be to get his dick taken care of.<br/>
<br/>
You briefly wonder though... why think that? Jodie, from what Molly's mind can tell you, is a nice girl with a good head on her shoulders. But this <i>is</i> Molly so that's probably why she doesn't like her. The thoughts come to the forefront of your mind again. So visually plain, her and Alan both are dorks, and a gender studies major? God it's like all the ingredients of a loser with an unwarranted sense of pride.<br/>
<br/>
Everything from the time you were a kid has fallen so neatly into place, everyone where they belong, everything going your way but people like Alan and Jodie defy those expectations. Maybe that's the root of it. Maybe there's a voice somewhere deep in your head trying to tell you that all of this can only last so long. That getting your way will end eventually. But you snuff that voice out. If everything's gone well so far why would it change? You're Molly Shaw, controlling the situation is what you do.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
The party is... well not too different from any other party you, or rather Molly, have been to. People dance, people mingle, people make out and they disappear behind closed doors thinking nobody can see them. As is the case with almost any party, anybody who's anybody is there although there's a few missing faces that take you by surprise. Of course you're hearing the whispers too, things about what went down on Friday involving Yvette. You try to eavesdrop in on one group but are interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
"What?" you growl in annoyance as you turn around to see Yumi. Your voice instantly becomes much sweeter, "Oh Yumi, sorry. How are you?"<br/>
<br/>
"Not as jumpy as you I take it." she replies with a smile, "Trying to listen in I take it? They're talking about Yvette right?" You eye her oddly and she breaks into giggles and drags you off to a quieter corner. "It's me under here." she says.<br/>
<br/>
"Kim?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
She nods, "Yeah." she answers, "You said it kind of jokingly but I thought... why not? I kind of liked spending a few days as Kendra, the break from Kim. I'm thinking of spending the weekends as either Kendra or Yumi."<br/>
<br/>
"Well whatever, since you've got me all alone, what say we go find somewhere even more private and..." you grab her hand but she jerks it back. "No fun. I was looking forward to trying a little sushi too." you pout. "But since you brought Yvette up, you've talked to Vanessa right? After you had already told her what, I assume, Chelsea had told 'Kendra' right?"<br/>
<br/>
"About putting the word out that Chelsea was spreading the rumor about Yvette? Yeah. I told Lin and Eva and, well, Yumi." she replies as she looks around the room, "I think it's already started getting out. I was talking to some Cameron and Anne and them and it looks like they've already heard. They were pretty disgusted with Chelsea. This is not gonna look good for her as it gets out."<br/>
<br/>
"Like I told you, nothing to worry about." you smirk, "Speaking of Her Highness, I'm surprised her and Gordon aren't here."<br/>
<br/>
Yumi just shrugs at that, "Eva said something about her not feeling well or something. Actually she was acting a little weird yesterday."<br/>
<br/>
"Weird? How so?" you ask.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know. She just seemed distracted, kind of out it. Almost Maria-like."<br/>
<br/>
You blow that off, "Knowing her she was so goddamn giddy to get that out she couldn't concentrate." You then spot someone over Yumi's shoulder and perk up, "Anyway, just make sure you keep on top of her. When word starts spreading, start trying to get a coup going."<br/>
<br/>
"Not like it'd be too hard to convince the anti-Chelsea crew." she says, "I'd have Kendra under my thumb which means I could convince Gloria. The replacements will fall in line."<br/>
<br/>
"Good, you get on that and I'll see you... whenever. As whoever."<br/>
<br/>
You head off in the direction of Victoria who's hanging around her boyfriend and a few of his teammates and their girlfriends. Joe regards you coolly as you approach but Victoria warmly. You convince her that you have some private stuff you need to talk about and are able to successfully lure her away into an open room where, once the door is locked, you're able to slip a mask onto her.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">* * * * *</div><br/>
"God, I fucking hate you." Victoria says as she crosses her arms under her ample breasts.<br/>
<br/>
"But Victoria, why? We're such good friends!" your voice is so saccharine that you'd probably give anyone within hearing distance diabetes.<br/>
<br/>
That seems to flip a switch in her and her voice becomes more resigned and regretful. "Because you're a cunt. You're a destructive whore who moves from person to person, leaving their hearts shattered. You don't care who you hurt, it's all about what you want and how you feel." She lets her arms drop, "Beyond that you think I'm stupid or something, I guess."<br/>
<br/>
You eye her up, "And why do you think that I think that?"<br/>
<br/>
"Because I know what you were trying to pull." she lets out a small laugh, "You helped me get Joey. I didn't even know why at first. I thought you wanted to be my friend. But I've seen how you are and I realize that you don't do anything for anyone else's benefit. So I know you had some kind of game. I know you wanted to try and bust us up. You want Joey, is that it? You're jealous?"<br/>
<br/>
You laugh. "Jealous? Of your relationship with Ysleta? Not a chance." You look at her with an amused expression, "You want to know what I wanted? Fine. You're not really in any position to do anything but what I tell you anyway so what could it hurt? After all we need to be on the same page."<br/>
<br/>
That expression quickly turns to one of disdain. "I want two things out of our partnership. First: I want to hurt Joe Ysleta. I tried to get him away from Faith first, you know? Think what you want about me but Faith is nuts and is no good for anyone. That fucker, though, he was so blind. He turned me down, called me a slut, talked shit about me to all his dumb asshole teammates. I want him to feel how I felt. That anger at being denied something you want? I want him to feel it tenfold."<br/>
<br/>
Your expression softens as you turn back to Victoria. "The other thing I want is you. I want you to want me. Do you want me?"<br/>
<br/>
You notice a change in her expression but she nods.<br/>
<br/>
"Well that's nice but I also want you to break up with Joe. I want you to make him desperate. You'll do that for me, right?"<br/>
<br/>
She nods again.<br/>
<br/>
"And how does that make you feel? Does it make you feel angry?"<br/>
<br/>
"Should I feel angry?" she asks.<br/>
<br/>
"I want you to. You said you hate me. I want you to hate continue hating me, Victoria, because I can't fucking stand you. I fucking despise you and that is <i>such</i> a turn on. I don't want you to undermine me but deep down I want you to feel the same way. I want you to hate me so bad that you want me. So how do you feel about me?"<br/>
<br/>
Victoria's expression hardens. "I can't stand you. The very sight of you makes me sick." she then advances. She pushes you roughly onto the bed and then lays on top of you, her face inches from your own. "Everything about you disgusts me and it's making me so fucking horny. I want you to barely be able to walk when we're done."<br/>
<br/>
As the two of you start going at it you're hit by waves of contentment and pleasure as well as a thought. Kim's been taking these little vacations, maybe you should too. Golemize your mask, put Victoria under it, put on Victoria's mask. After all having her body when you want, crushing Joe's heart yourself... wouldn't that be amazing?</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122222
author_id: imaj
title: The Thing Is To Change It
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“What,” asks Joe, his confusion evident.<br/>
<br/>
You flip out of Frank and sit yourself back up.  “I’m deciding who to give the Glundandran <i>essentia </i>to,” you explain.<br/>
<br/>
“Not Chelsea then,” ask Joe.<br/>
<br/>
“No,” you tell him.  “I thought it would be more interesting if we raised someone else up.  One of Chelsea’s rivals.”<br/>
<br/>
“Will you listen to this,” says Frank groggily, recovering from your brief stint inside him.  “He’s going to put our stuff in some random girl.  And he just jumped in without asking.  I ought to…”<br/>
<br/>
“Well that was the plan,” drawls Joe.  “This is surprisingly clever Prescott.  It isn’t just about taking the power at the school, it’s about working out <i>how </i>to take power.  What moves the levers.”  You nod and grin back at him.<br/>
<br/>
“But.  Some.  Random.  Girl,” protests Frank.<br/>
<br/>
“She won’t be some random girl,” you explain.  “Not once we get my anima inside her, she’ll be one of us.  Especially if I’m inside pulling the strings.”  Frank glowers at you, but offers no further protests.<br/>
<br/>
“So what are you going to pair Glundandra with,” asks Joe.  “Eldibria?”<br/>
<br/>
“I thought Catilindria,” you answer.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh,” says Joe.  He laughs out loud.  “Oh, oh oh…  That’s brilliant.  We train our leader at Westside and when the time comes we’ve got a perfect tool for wresting control of the <i>Stellae</i>.  Give Prescott his due Frank, I’m almost jealous I didn’t think that one up myself.  So who are these girls then?  Kim and Andrea.”<br/>
<br/>
“Nobody special,” mutters Frank.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re just seeing them from Chelsea’s point of view,” you explain to Frank.  “No, Kim’s really nice, helpful.  Always looking out for others.”<br/>
<br/>
“Classic Glundandran trait,” interrupts Joe.<br/>
<br/>
“Andrea is…” you tail off wondering how to describe her.  “She’s the captain of the swim team, and she has her own clique of friends but…  She’s aloof, distant…”<br/>
<br/>
“Hot,” asks Joe.  Frank glowers at him.<br/>
<br/>
“Very,” you admit.<br/>
<br/>
“Ding, ding, ding,” hollers Joe.  “We have a winner.  She <i>already </i>sounds like what an Glundandra / Catilindria combination should be like.  She’s perfect.”<br/>
<br/>
You grimace a little at the way Joe is taking control.  It should be you making the decision here, although with your anima inside him, it is you in a way.  In any case, you were already leaning towards Andrea.  “I’d already decided on Andrea,” you say primly.<br/>
<br/>
“Gee thanks boss,” answers Joe goofily.  Now it’s your turn to glower.  “How we going to get her?”<br/>
<br/>
You can’t help but smile as you answer.  “When I was taking a look at Chelsea’s memories, I found out that she knows Andrea.  Pretty well apparently.”<br/>
<br/>
“Nothing happened,” shouts Frank, his borrowed face turning bright red.  “Sorry,” he adds shaking his head.  “It's Chelsea, she comes on strong.”<br/>
<br/>
Joe’s gaze flickers between the two of you, a wild smirk slowly forming on his face.  “Are you saying she’s…”<br/>
<br/>
“It happened once, and she’s been repressing the memory since,” growls Frank.  Even in Chelsea’s voice there’s no mistaking the anger.<br/>
<br/>
“So we could send out Frank like this and hook her,” ask Joe, struggling not to laugh at the idea.<br/>
<br/>
Frank sighs.  “Yes,” he admits unhappily.  “Andrea lives with her mother, and she works late.  Andrea is probably alone right now.”<br/>
<br/>
“So why are you waiting,” laughs Joe.  “Grab some knockout powder and go bring her here.  I’m sure we could get some clothes for you from one of Jon’s mother’s closets.”  Frank looks at you with resignation.  You nod and he sighs again.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Frank returns an hour and a half later, Chelsea’s guise discarded and Andrea Varnsworth’s limp body in his arms.  Joe closes the door to the ballroom behind Frank.  Frank sets Andrea down on the sheet of metal that comprises your dissection tale and backs of cautiously.<br/>
<br/>
“No one saw you” you ask.<br/>
<br/>
“I scouted him through the mansion,” interjects Joe.<br/>
<br/>
“No one saw me,” answers Frank levelly.  “She was alone at her house.  I applied some of Blackwell’s knockout powder, carried her to my truck – yes, no one saw me there either – and drove her back here.  I’ve used the powder in small doses and reapplied it when necessary, so she’ll wake up again soon.”<br/>
<br/>
As if in response Andrea groans slightly and her eyelids flutter.  “Hold her down,” you instruct Frank.  “Not like that,” you add as he moves forward.  He takes a step back and stands passively, using his powers to pin Andrea down in place.<br/>
<br/>
She squirms powerlessly as she regains consciousness.  Though she as a strong as you’d expect the captain of the swim team to be, she can not overcome the power of Frank’s invisible fists.  “What’s going on,” she asks imperiously after a few moments.<br/>
<br/>
You set empty bottles down for <i>essentia </i>and <i>anima</i>, and a blank mask to hold her <i>imago</i>.  “We’re making you <i>better </i>Andrea.  You’ll like what I’m going to give you.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t think so,” she sniffs.  “I know you from school,” she adds, glaring at you.  She doesn’t name you though.  You guess Andrea’s aloofness must have sheltered he from the cursed banknotes being passed around.<br/>
<br/>
You don’t respond, but instead extend your hands palm downward and chant the incantations. First you strip her of her physical form, then pull her <i>anima </i>and <i>essentia </i>from her, which you label and put on a shelf. "You know how to carve a remote sigil," you ask Frank as you pull the clothes off Andrea's remnants.<br/>
<br/>
"It's not something I really remember."<br/>
<br/>
"Then get out the bottles with the Glundandran and Catilindrian stuff while I take care of it," you say as you drop onto the golem with a steel-nub pen in your hand.<br/>
<br/>
It is exhausting, exacting work and it takes the best part of an hour to complete.  After you get the remote sigil onto her you use the band that had been on Rick to put your own anima inside the golem. Then you put the two bottles of <i>essentia </i>into the appropriate sigils and put them into Andrea; the two arcs of lightning merge as they plunge toward her; thunder rolls through the room. "That'll bring someone running," Frank mutters as he rises from a half-crouch.<br/>
<br/>
"Joe'll tell them we were bowling," you say, nodding at Joe who is still disguised as Jon Straussler. "That was bigger than I thought it was going to be."<br/>
<br/>
"Think it came off?"<br/>
<br/>
"Only one way to find out." You hold out your hands again, make the incantation, and send Andrea's imago back onto her.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea’s body, so perfectly balanced between beauty and athleticism lies in front of you.  The smooth sculpted stomach, the heavy round breasts and the strong, powerful legs, all back in place.  Waves of dark, almost black hair frame an oval, imperious face.  She sits up slowly and calmly, pulling one arm across her body to shield her breasts.  Andrea turns her head round, taking in the room through lidded eyes.  She sniff a couple of times.  No one says anything for a very long minute.<br/>
<br/>
"Okay," she says quietly. "The last thing I remember was being in Cuthbert. We were going to catch Rick Bredon, and I needed to make an <i>anima </i>band--"<br/>
<br/>
"It's been a week since then," Frank says, and looks inquisitively over at you.<br/>
<br/>
"Really." She looks down at where her arm is covering her breasts, her hair dropping over her face. "That's a surprise, but nothing like the surprise of finding myself inside Andrea Varnsworth’s body."<br/>
<br/>
It would probably be fun trying to explain things, but you're eager to test-drive your new partner. So you murmur some arcane words, and the control sigil appears before you. There are your puppets, glittering like stars. Three of them shine very brightly: Joe Durras, Frank Durras, and Andrea Varnsworth. It is the last of these that you draw around yourself like a silvery veil.<br/>
<br/>
It’s odd watching your own body slump to the ground, but you don’t let it distract you from the <i>now</i>.  You let your arm fall to the side, exposing Andrea’s firm, heavy boobs to the air.  You shake your head vigorously, letting the lustrous dark hair settle into place.  Then you lie back down and, with a girlish giggle raise one leg in the air.  You runs your hands along it, marvelling at how supple your body feels now.<br/>
<br/>
"So, I'm guessing that's Prescott inside her now," Joe says. "Yo, Will, is that you fondling our new--?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, it's me. Checking it out from the inside."<br/>
<br/>
"How is it?"<br/>
<br/>
You sit back up. "Glorious, Joe," you sigh. He groans and turns away.  You bound back to your feet feeling amazed at the energy your body seems to have.  "Oh, Prescott was <i>right</i>," you coo. "I <i>am </i>better now."<br/>
<br/>
"This is sick," Frank says.<br/>
<br/>
"What about the <i>essentia</i>?" Joe asks.<br/>
<br/>
You stretch a leg up again, grasping it with one hand as you balance perfectly. "I don't know. Energized, I guess, but that might just be from the-- And I never felt anything when I was just Will Prescott, not before I started meditating."<br/>
<br/>
"We're gonna have to start getting her trained, then," Frank says.<br/>
<br/>
“Her,” asks Joe.  “Or Prescott,”  He nods back at your body.  You frown.  You’d been planning on staying in Andrea for a little while.  “You gonna go back to your body Prescott?”<br/>
<br/>
What if you didn’t though?  What if you didn’t <i>have </i>to?<br/>
<br/>
“I could stay like this,” you murmur.  “Have the Strausslers hire a private nurse to care for my body.  Do we really need it running around?”<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222222
author_id: imaj
title: Making Waves
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>Two pairs of expectant eyes stare at you, wondering what you’ll say next, wondering what’s going through your head.  You sigh and lower your stretched leg to the floor.  With a wave of your hand you are back in your own body, struggling to your feet again.  You have never felt so clumsy or wooden.<br/>
<br/>
“We need all of our skills, our <i>essentia </i>don’t we,” you ask resignedly.<br/>
<br/>
Joe nods.  “Especially Kenandandra,” he answers.  “You’re the one working all of this out for us.”<br/>
<br/>
“He is,” answers Andrea.  You look at the body you just vacated.  For a fraction of a second there is a hint of a goofy grin before it resolves itself into a knowing smirk.  “And he is doing an excellent job of it too.”  She gestures at herself broadly.  <br/>
<br/>
You can’t help but notice the look in Joe’s eyes as Andrea starts picking up her clothes and redressing.  Having just been inside her head, and having just felt her preferences, you find yourself smirking a little too.  “So, uh, what now boss lady,” he says charmingly.  “I mean you are in charge now, right?  Glundandra.”<br/>
<br/>
“I suppose I am,” says Andrea as she hoists her panties up her legs.  “But since Will can be me any time he wants I suppose he is in charge too.”  She smiles widely, a little too much like a shark.  She’s seen the look in Joe’s eyes too.  “We need new faces for Joe and Frank, and not the kind that can be pulled off either.  We don’t want some random <i>Stellae </i>coming through here and undoing all our work because they managed to take a mask off of one of the boys.”   She looks at you for approval.  “Can that be done?”<br/>
<br/>
You think for a while.  What Andrea is saying makes perfect sense:  A mask can be discovered, detected even.  You remember that you were able to perceive the anima band you placed inside Aparjirita when you were controlling Rick.  But if you change their <i>imago </i>instead, well in theory that should be undetectable. “I think so,” you tell her, nodding slowly.  “I’d have to work it all out though.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good,” she tells you.  “The sooner I have one of the boys in place, the sooner I can begin training to use the <i>gifts </i>you’ve given me.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll need to be someone close to you then,” says Frank thoughtfully.<br/>
<br/>
“It <i>will </i>need to be someone close to me,” agrees Andrea.  “But I was thinking Joe.  Arbol makes for a better teacher, doesn’t it?”  You look at Joe.  You doubt he could make Straussler’s face grin any wider if he tried.<br/>
<br/>
“So, uh, did you have someone in mind,” he asks coolly, struggling to play down his excitement.  “A friend?  Someone special maybe?”<br/>
<br/>
“I did have someone in mind actually, yes,” answers Andrea, that sharklike grin back.  “Charles Hartlein.”<br/>
<br/>
The conversation stops dead.  Only Andrea knows Charles well, but every single one of you knows a little about Hartlein, given that they all have your <i>anima </i>plugged inside them.<br/>
<br/>
“But he’s gay,” says Joe flatly.<br/>
<br/>
“No,” says Frank, struggling not to laugh.  “This makes sense.  What do we know about Hartlein:  He’s a gossip, a rumour monger, knows all the little dark corners of the school and plugged into every group.”<br/>
<br/>
“But he’s gay,” repeats Joe.<br/>
<br/>
“We need that knowledge,” continues Frank, a vicious little smile spreading on his face.  “And what he can do.  A word in the right ear here and there.  He’s good at that already.”<br/>
<br/>
“Imagine what he could do with Viritrilbria,” you interrupt.<br/>
<br/>
“Exactly,” says Frank triumphantly.<br/>
<br/>
“But he’s gay,” says Joe for the third time.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh Joe,” clucks Andrea sympathetically.  “But he’s perfect.  He’s always hanging round my house.  You’d have lots of time to teach me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Will,” says Joe, turning to you.  “I’ve changed my mind, a Catilindrian leader is a really bad idea.  Can we take her back?”  You frown thoughtfully.  Is forcing a change like this on Joe a Catilindrian thing?<br/>
<br/>
“Joe,” says Andrea soothingly.  “It’s just a disguise.  You’d be able to use a mask almost any time he wanted to pick up girls.  Or maybe you could persuade someone to screw you straight,” she adds.  There’s no sign that she’s anything but sincere, but Hartlein is very camp and very gay.  You can’t imagine him sleeping with a girl at all.<br/>
<br/>
Joe however, just makes spluttering noises.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea picks up the mask that you used to temporarily store her <i>imago </i>as you transformed her.  “How about this then,” she suggests, holding the mask up beside her face.  “Go home as me tonight and see Charles through my eyes.”<br/>
<br/>
Joe’s eyes move wildly.  He’s torn between his complaints and getting his hands on Andrea’s taut figure, albeit from the inside.  “Just a trial,” he says somewhat shiftily.<br/>
<br/>
“All I ask,” says Andrea with a shrug<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
“You realise he’s gonna be playing with your boobs all night,” says Frank<br/>
<br/>
An hour has passed since Joe left, clad in both Andrea’s face and clothes.  You, Frank and Andrea are now gathered in the ballroom with the <i>Libra Personae</i> and the mask of Jon Straussler that Joe left behind.  It has a golem shell left in it, one attuned to Joe and that must be removed before someone else can use it.  Otherwise there will be no Jon Straussler to attend Eastman High School tomorrow.<br/>
<br/>
“Let him,” says Andrea dismissively.  “I want him in the right frame of mind when he decides to become Charles.”  You note the presumption, that Joe <i>will </i>decide as Andrea wants him to.<br/>
<br/>
“Does he get to decide,” asks Frank.  “Or will you jump in and make the decision for him?”  He has a point:  You’ve been jumping into your confederates bodies on a whim more or less.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m going to try to avoid doing that,” you tell Frank, making your own decision there and then.  “I want us to be partners.” Frank makes a harrumphing noise.  “I think Andrea’s right though,  Charles is a good choice for Joe.  You said so too.”<br/>
<br/>
Frank shrugs.  “I was just enjoying seeing him outsmarted and backed into a corner for a change,” answers Frank.  “I was right though, wasn’t I?  Making Joe admit that I was right is much harder,” he barks a laugh.<br/>
<br/>
“Which is why he’s getting a treat tonight,” smiles Andrea as you complete the last of the work on the mask.  The golem layer on the mask dissolves leaving the bluish reflective surface beneath is visible again.  “And seeing Charles from my point of view will convince him as well.”  She smiles at both of you.<br/>
<br/>
Frank sits silently for a couple of minutes.  “So,” he asks eventually.<br/>
<br/>
“So what,” you and Andrea ask in unison.<br/>
<br/>
“So what have you got planned for me then,” he asks.  “I’m almost scared to ask after what you offered Joe tonight,” he adds dryly.<br/>
<br/>
“I haven’t got anything planned for you yet,” answers Andrea innocently.  “I think we’ll all have a better idea once we have our Perelandra and Eldibria in circulation.  You’ll be her teacher, you see.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not sure whether to be relieved or worried,” mutters Frank.<br/>
<br/>
“No I’m more concerned about who Will is going to become,” continues Andrea.<br/>
<br/>
“Who I’m going to become,” you echo.  The idea of changing your own <i>imago </i>hadn’t even occurred to you.<br/>
<br/>
“Andrea doesn’t, I mean I don’t pay too much attention to Chelsea’s machinations at school,” explains Andrea.  “So I don’t really know how bad things are for you, but between the… ah, Andrea and Will parts of me I can tell it isn’t good.”<br/>
<br/>
“Isn’t good,” you ask a little worried.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea tilts her head slightly.  “I think the golem of you is hanging with the portables crowd.”  You know who she means:  Justin Roth, Shep Tsosie – the people so far outside the social circles at Westside they can’t even press their nose against the windows and look in.<br/>
<br/>
“But we’re going to be tipping everything over anyway,” you argue.<br/>
<br/>
“We are,” admits Andrea.  “But it might be easier to make a fresh start.  “Come back as someone else.  <i>Someone cute</i>,” she adds suggestively.  You simply stare in shock as Andrea yawns and stretches.  From your brief foray into her body earlier, you know exactly what Andrea means by ‘cute’.  “Well that’s it for me I think,” she says.  “Time for bed.”  She gets up and saunters out of the room with catlike grace.<br/>
<br/>
“I think we need to be careful round her,” says Frank thoughtfully after she’s left.  “I don’t think she means to do it, but she’s letting Catilindria have lot of say in her actions.  And the way Andrea's <i>imago</i> is interacting with your <i>anima</i>...  I think she's happy to let it.  She’ll control it better once Joe’s trained her.”<br/>
<br/>
You aren’t really listening though.  Your mind is still on what Andrea just suggested.  Could you just leave your old life behind like that and steal someone elses?<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212222221
author_id: imaj
title: Bonding Exercises
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>You roll over in the sleeping bag you’ve gone to bed in.  The question Andrea posed still plaguing you.  Abandon your life?  Be someone else?  It’s such a big step to take.  Thinking it over consumes you and you are unable to get to sleep.<br/>
<br/>
You roll over onto to your side and stare at the wall.  Through it, in Jon Straussler’s bedroom you realise, you hear a heavy grunting sound.  Then there is a barely audible feminine moan and slowly, slowly you hear the bedsprings in the room start to squeak.  You stare in disbelief.<br/>
<br/>
For a moment you are tempted to jump in on them, but then you recall that you’d said you’d try not to earlier.  That’s when you make up your mind.  You could never see a beautiful thing like Andrea Varnsworth wanting to sleep with Will Prescott.  So you’ll take the easy route to a better life, take what someone else already has.  You put your hands over your ears and try to get to sleep.  For all the shrieking that penetrates from the room next door, sleep comes easily now.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You climb out of the sleeping bag late in the morning, well after ten.  Still groggy from not enough sleep, you stumble through the small apartment in the wider Straussler home that Jon lives in.  You find Frank waiting for you in the kitchen.  He doesn’t quite look you in the eye as he hands you a glass of orange juice.<br/>
<br/>
“You have trouble sleeping,” he asks, guilt writ all over his face.<br/>
<br/>
You down the juice in one go.  “Not for the reason you’re thinking,” you tell him.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, I uh…” he says wretchedly.  “Sorry ‘bout that…” he tails off.<br/>
<br/>
“It wasn’t that.  I kept thinking about what Andrea suggested, that’s why I couldn’t sleep” you explain.  “About making a fresh start.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah,” says Frank guardedly.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m going to do it,” you say firmly.  It feels good to tell someone.  “Become someone else.”<br/>
<br/>
Frank leans back on the kitchen counter and looks thoughtful.  “That’s a good idea,” he says after a minute of consideration.  “The fewer links to our old lives the better.  You decided who yet?”<br/>
<br/>
“I haven’t thought that far,” you admit.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I’m sure Andrea has a few good ideas,” he tells you, his tone a little acid.<br/>
<br/>
That catches you by surprise and you find yourself blurting out.  “Well I’m not the one that fucked her…”<br/>
<br/>
Frank moves fast, not supernaturally so, but fast enough to catch you by surprise.  He grabs you and shoves you against the counter hard, causing you to yelp in pain.  “That was just…” he hisses.  His anger fades as quickly as it came.  “I don’t know what that was.  I thought she was into girls.  Maybe she’s trying to manipulate me?”<br/>
<br/>
“You did say to be careful round her,” you reply.  It comes out in a high pitched squeak.<br/>
<br/>
“I did,” he states.  Frank lets go of you and you sink a little, only now realising he’d lifted you off the ground.  “Relax Prescott.  I’m a little on edge is all.”<br/>
<br/>
“Right, right,” you garble before taking a deep breath.  “Where is Andrea anyway?”<br/>
<br/>
“She went to Eastman as Straussler for the day,” explains Frank.  “She wanted me to help you with the technical side of things, for merging <i>imago </i>together.  Don’t know why, it’s more Joe’s speed.  I think she just wanted ogle Monique,” mutters Frank, referring to Straussler’s freshman girlfriend.<br/>
<br/>
Or maybe she wanted us to bond more, you think with a flash of insight.  Andrea does seem to have an odd way of going about these things, but perhaps that the Catilindrian influence again you consider.  “I could use the company,” you say in as neutral a voice as you can muster.<br/>
<br/>
“Let’s make a start then,” say Frank with a rare grin.<br/>
<br/>
The rest of the day is given over to studying the <i>Libra</i>.<br/>
<br/>
You need to work out how to merge two full sets of memories, talents, dispositions, and other mental whatnot into one <i>imago</i>, so that you can give Frank and Joe (and yourself) maskless disguises. In theory it's doable: the mental aspects of <i>imago </i>are flexible enough that you could add an entirely new set of mental properties to an existing <i>imago</i>. The problem is that <i>imago </i>is so complex that it would take a very long time to make the changes in a piecemeal fashion. "If I could just merge them," you say. "If I had both sets in front of me, and could just force them together--" You trail off.<br/>
<br/>
"But that would require two copies of the same sigil," Frank says as he works on polishing up a new supply of blank masks.  He can’t help so much with the theoretical side of your work, so you sent him to fetch the materials needed for the masks.  He makes a good sounding board as he works on the menial task of polishing them up.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s it,” you reply.  “I'd have to have Joe's <i>imago </i>in one mask, with a voodoo doll on top of the sigil. And then I'd have to have Hartlein's <i>imago </i>in a mask, with a voodoo doll, on top of another copy of the sigil.  The problem is there’s only one sigil in the book,"  you explain.  “And I can’t copy it because…”<br/>
<br/>
"The book’s locked against making copies." Frank frowns. "Thing is, you've already made up your own modifications of the sigils. You're probably smart enough that you could have invented that 'modify' sigil on your own."<br/>
<br/>
"Would I have been able to write it down, if I had?"<br/>
<br/>
"The lock only stops you copying sigils, if you worked them out on your own.," Frank says. He frowns thoughtfully again and puts the electric car polisher he’s been using to buff the masks to one side. "What if you tried writing down the sigil without using the book to guide you?"<br/>
<br/>
"From memory? That's like copying."<br/>
<br/>
“Is it,” asks Frank.  “If there’s a copy in your memory, then the sigil has already been copied.  Logically that means you could copy it again,” says Frank somewhat tenuously.  You shake your head as Frank turns the <i>Libra </i>to the front page and studies the symbols there. "Maybe it won't let you copy the sigils with the book open. But if you closed it--" He shuts it firmly. "Just try it. Let's see what happens."<br/>
<br/>
And so you settle over a large sheet of paper at the kitchen table and try to make up your own copy of the "modify <i>anima</i>" sigil. You try not to work from memory, and just let your own knowledge of how the spell is supposed to work guide you. Frank goes back to polishing the mask. Bit by bit it takes form, and Frank puts aside his own task again as the symbols come together and the circle fills in. When you're done he picks it up and carefully examines it. "Well?" you ask. "Is there any way to test it, short of…"<br/>
<br/>
"No, you got it," he says quietly. "I can tell. This thing is live." He puts it down gingerly and looks at you. "You said the last page in the book was blank? I wonder if it is now. Because this thing here feels like a graduation exercise. If you can do this, I'd say you've mastered the <i>Libra</i>."<br/>
<br/>
You take a deep breath, and a tremble goes through you. Are you now a master of the book's magic, on a par with the author of it? Slowly, you open the Libra, and turn pages until you come to the last one.<br/>
<br/>
But it's still blank, and still refuses to turn.<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe it’s for the best,” says Frank as you shut the Libra again.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Andrea swans back into the little apartment a little before five.  Still decked in Jon Strausslers clothes, the mask hangs loosely from one of her hands.  She swings it back and forth as she walks about, Straussler’s too large pants trailing over her feet.<br/>
<br/>
“Monique is such a sweetheart,” she sighs wistfully, lifting the mask up to take a closer look again.  “It’s almost enough to make me stay this way.  Almost…  Having a cock between your legs is fun but…  oh never mind.”  She smiles majestically at you.  “I hope you had a productive day too Will.”<br/>
<br/>
“I did actually, yeah,” you say.<br/>
<br/>
“Good,” she cuts you off.  “Because Joe is coming over in…” she looks at Straussler’s expensive watch strapped to her wrist.  “An hour and a half and he is bringing Charles with him.”<br/>
<br/>
“He agreed to it,” asks Frank in surprise, looking up from the mask he is polishing.<br/>
<br/>
“Did you doubt that he would,” asks Andrea, arching an eyebrow.  Frank purses his lips and gets back to polishing the mask.  “Is everything ready for him Will?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure,” you reply before explaining to Andrea how it will all work.  “Even if I mess up…”  Frank interrupts with a bark of laughter but doesn’t look up from the masks he’s working on.  “We’ll still have copies of Joe and Charles’ face on file.”<br/>
</span></div></div>


path: 112211111112122221222121121122111221111122121111111111111112212122222211
author_id: imaj
title: Days of Charles' Life
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>It all happens a little after six o’clock.<br/>
<br/>
You hear the voices approach from outside the ballroom, too muffled by the intervening door and walls to make out clearly.  Then the door opens and Andrea and Charles Hartlein walk in.  Or at least <i>an </i>Andrea and Hartlein walk in.  It’s really Joe in a mask, for the real Andrea – as far as you can apply the term ‘real’ – is standing beside you and Frank.<br/>
<br/>
To your surprise, and perhaps to his credit, Hartlein is unfazed by the apparent doubling of his friend.  “What is this Drea darling,” he drawls at the one he entered with, Joe really.  “Did you find a long lost twin?  Separated at birth?  I wonder, which of you it is that is the evil one,” he chortles.<br/>
<br/>
“You aren’t worried,” asks Andrea, seeming a little, and uncharacteristically, surprised.<br/>
<br/>
“Why should I be Drea, or is it evil-Drea,” he answers smarmily.  “This is a wonderful soap opera moment you’ve prepared for me here…”<br/>
<br/>
“Is he going to be like this when we get Joe in him,” mutters Frank quietly.<br/>
<br/>
“Worse probably,” you groan.<br/>
<br/>
“…but it’s only the first act and the hero is never in any danger in the first act,” continues Hartlein.<br/>
<br/>
Joe leans forward and says something into Hartlein’s ear.  Somehow he manages to use a whisper that makes his fake-Andrea voice carry all the way across the ballroom.  “Charles, you aren’t the hero of this story.”  With that, he takes a pinch of Blackwell’s knockout dust and blows it into Hartlein’s face.  Hartlein crumples to the floor, the look of surprise frozen on his face.<br/>
<br/>
Frank drags Hartlein over to the metal sheet that is your dissection table.  Joe meanwhile starts disrobing reluctantly.  Everything is being put in place for you.  You are left to concentrate on stilling your nerves.  You breath deeply and slowly, you try closing your eyes – anything to calm yourself.<br/>
<br/>
“Will,” says Andrea softly beside you.  “We’re ready.”  You blink a couple of times.  Everything is ready.  It’s now or never.<br/>
<br/>
You start by stripping Hartlein of his <i>imago</i>, <i>essentia</i>, and <i>anima</i>, reducing him to a golem which you then shrink down into a doll. Then you take that doll from the dissection table, put it onto his mask and lay them both on the open <i>Libra</i>. You then make a mask of Joe, and put it and your first golem-doll onto the sigil you had made. "I don't know if this is going to hurt," you tell him as he stretches out on the floor.<br/>
<br/>
That causes him to sit up again. "Wait what?"<br/>
<br/>
"Oh lie down,” growls Frank.<br/>
<br/>
"Your turn'll come too, Frank," answers Joe, still sitting upright.<br/>
<br/>
"You won’t see me whining like a baby then,” answers Frank<br/>
<br/>
Worry writ large on his face, Joe sinks back down.<br/>
<br/>
You grasp the dolls, and close your eyes to concentrate.<br/>
<br/>
Two <i>imago </i>appear before you, recognizable to your practiced eye as Joe Durras and Charles Hartlein. The former appears far more solid, though, probably because it is an actual person and not an image you are working with.<br/>
<br/>
Now comes the test: You've not said anything to anyone, but you've only hunches about how to proceed.<br/>
<br/>
You start by finding where Joe's mental <i>imago </i>attaches to his physical form, and loosen the connections. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of points of contact, but they are all of the same kind--like little clasps--and it takes just a loose brush from your mind to unhook them all. Joe's mind floats free of his body, but remains before you still.<br/>
<br/>
You do the same for Hartlein's <i>imago</i>, separating mind and body. <br/>
<br/>
While keeping a grip on their physical forms, you grasp their minds and bring them together. There's no need to hook them up: connections spring up, like vines curling about each other, as they draw together. With broad strokes you guide them together, wrapping Hartlein's mind about Joe's, leaving the latter as a tight core while the former covers it in a thick, meringue-like layer. Even as you mold the final form, the newly merged minds harden into a single entity.<br/>
<br/>
And then you erase Joe's physical image, like scrubbing a chalkboard of formulae. Even in your state of concentration, you hear gasps from Frank and Andrea, but keep your eyes shut tight.<br/>
<br/>
Soon there's nothing left of Joe's physical form but a smudge.<br/>
<br/>
That makes it easy to pull Hartlein's physical form over onto Joe, settling it over the ghost-like remnants of his physical body, and making him a solid duplicate of the other.<br/>
<br/>
But then comes the hard part--connecting mind and body. All those clasps have to be reattached. Bit by bit you go, clipping them together, tightening connections and weaving them into a whole. You feel yourself trembling from exertion and exhaustion long before you're done, but grimly you press on.<br/>
<br/>
You've lost all sense of time before you're finished and satisfied: the form you behold before you looks as solid as the one you'd started with, and as tightly and coherently integrated. You're reluctant to release it, but your strength finally fails. <br/>
<br/>
Vaguely, you feel yourself passing out.<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You ache all over when you wake, and feel feverish and drenched with sweat. You have no energy to move even a limb, and a pounding headache makes it hard to concentrate. All you can do is blink your eyes stupidly.<br/>
<br/>
The world shifts, and your stomach rises. An unfamiliar face looms over you.  A middle aged woman who’s beauty is just a little too manufactured:  Greying roots show in her blonde hair, her skin is just a little too tight and lips are just a little too plump.<br/>
<br/>
“Who…” you stutter suddenly sitting bolt upright<br/>
<br/>
Andrea is there too, sitting beside the unfamiliar woman.  “Easy Will,” she says soothingly.  “This is Jon’s mom.  She was snooping round the apartment so we had to put a golem mask on her.  Using my hair, in case you were wondering,” she explains, anticipating your question.  “I’ve instructed her to look after you until you feel better.”<br/>
<br/>
“I feel terrible,” you say, your throat aching with the effort.<br/>
<br/>
“You look terrible too,” smirks Andrea.  “Though Frank took one look at you afterwards and said you’d be all right.”  You smile weakly at the thought.  “He’s going to be playing Jon for a few days.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you mean,” interrupts Straussler’s mom.<br/>
<br/>
“Nothing Natalie,” says Andrea soothingly.  “Forget about it.”  The golem stands there with a puzzled look on its face.<br/>
<br/>
“Did it work,” you ask.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, perfectly,” answers Andrea.  “Though I was a little worried when you erased Joe down to a golem.  He was all blood and mucus until you got Charles’ body onto him.  Joe is now just as awful as the original Charles.  Well done Will.”  You smile weakly again.  “Now relax.  Natalie is going to take care of you until I come back tomorrow.  If there’s anything you want, and I do mean <i>anything </i>just ask her.  She’s been told to follow your orders.”<br/>
<br/>
Your eyes go wide.  Does that mean what you think it means?  Natalie Straussler looks at you unhappily.  “It’s the arrangement,” she admits, and the tone of her voice leaves you in no doubt that Andrea has forced her into such admissions.  “I look the other way while Curt… fucks…” she stumbles over the word distastefully.  “Whatever PA or intern has caught his attention this month.  He pretends to ignore that I sleep with the pool boy or my tennis instructor…”<br/>
<br/>
“Or your son's friends,” interrupts Andrea.  “You think Will is cute,” she instructs the golem.  She smirks one last time at you.  “I’ll see you tomorrow Will.”<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
You feel a little better for your rest when you wake up the following morning, and cheerfully make your way to the little kitchen in Jon’s apartment.  Frank is sitting at the table there, wearing the mask of Jon Straussler.  He takes a bite out of the toast in one of his hands and waves cheerily at you with the other.<br/>
<br/>
“Good to see you up and about again Will,” he says with a smile.<br/>
<br/>
You sit down opposite him.  Natalie Straussler enters by another door.  She ruffles the fake Jon’s hair and sits between the two of you.<br/>
<br/>
“Hi mom,” says Frank, glancing at you.  The golem doesn’t realise that the Jon beside her is an impostor, you recall.<br/>
<br/>
The golem smiles coyly at you.  Suddenly you are aware of one of its feet rubbing at the inside of your leg.  You give a little yelp as the foot works its way higher.<br/>
<br/>
“And bye mom,” says Frank, shoving the chair under the table haphazardly.  He shrugs his way inside an Eastman letterman jacket and bounds off to school.  The golem flutters its eyelids at you.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s enough of that I think,” says Andrea, appearing at the door.  “Leave and forget we were here,” she instructs the golem.  The change in it is uncanny.  Its face goes blank and the foot drops away.  It ties its robe firmly and walks out of the room stiffly.<br/>
<br/>
“I was thinking about who you should become,” says Andrea, slipping into the vacated seat.  “How about one of my friends?  That way we would be able to hang out together.”  She laughs a little at the strangled choking sound you make.  “Well with Charles swapped for Joe, I think you’ll find the choices are better now.”</span></div></div>


path: 1122111111121222212221211211221112211111221211111111111111122121222222111
author_id: imaj
title: The Bohemians
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“One of your friends sounds fine,” you tell Andrea.<br/>
<br/>
She smirks a little.  “Good.”  <br/>
<br/>
Andrea pulls out her cell phone and flips a finger across the screen a few times.  When she hands it to you there is a photo displayed on it, three vaguely familiar looking girls smiling at the camera.  You’ve seen them in the halls, you think:  The pale, thin girl with the dark hair and thick framed glasses, the short girl with the shorter, bleached blonde hair and the Arab girl with the cute, compassionate face.<br/>
<br/>
“This is them,” you ask.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea nods.  “I don’t think you want to be Sienna though.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t,” you ask.  “Which one is she?”<br/>
<br/>
“The blonde,” she tells you.  You look at the photo again.  Sienna is perhaps the most familiar of the three, as she’s in your history class and has even spoken to you a couple of times.  Spoken is the wrong word, you think.  Yelled at would be more appropriate.  She’s been nothing but rude and disdainful to you, and you find yourself curling you lip at the memory.  “You know her,” asks Andrea, a touch surprised.<br/>
<br/>
“She’s in one of my classes,” you explain.  “She’s told me to fuck off a few times.”<br/>
<br/>
Andrea grins.  “That’s Sienna:  Fierce and insular.  If you’re her friend she’d do anything for you, but if she doesn’t know you she’ll tell you exactly where to go.  That would make her a great choice for you, I think you’d benefit from a little more backbone Will, but she doesn’t have the best life,” adds Andrea a little sadly.  “She’s got problems at home.  I guess we could sort them for her…  The other reason is that she gets around.”<br/>
<br/>
You stare at Andrea blankly.<br/>
<br/>
Andrea stares back, slightly incredulously.  “She sleeps with a lot of people Will,” she explains.  “A lot of guys.  Exclusively guys.”<br/>
<br/>
You make a gulping sound.  “I’m not sure about that.”  Andrea nods, as if she expected as much from you.  “Who’s the Arab girl.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fatima,” answers Andrea.  “Actually she’s Iranian.  Her and Sienna have been friends like forever.  They’re as different as night and day,”  she explains.  “You’d love her Will, she’s a real sweetheart:  Kind, compassionate, always looking out for others…”<br/>
<br/>
You’re only half listening as Andrea continues to extol the virtues of her friend.  Instead you’re thinking about the couple of times you’ve come across Fatima.  She’s always seemed quiet to your mind, meek even.  The question you find yourself asking is this:  Do you really want to be someone Andrea could push around easily?<br/>
<br/>
“Who’s the third girl,” you ask after Andrea finishes talking about Fatima.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s Yell,” she answers.  “Jelena.  She has family problems too…  Or had them anyway.  Her dad kicked her out the house when she came out, so she stays with her sister near the college.”<br/>
<br/>
“Came out,” you stutter.  “You mean she’s…”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes Will,” says Andrea with a roll of her eyes.  “She’s a lesbian.”  She stares at you imperiously until you manage to get the grin off your face and apologise.  You refrain from asking Andrea if she ever had a relationship with Jelena.  “She’d be good for you though.  She’s got a link to Keyserling through her sister and the band she’s in, and she has quite a bit of freedom at Westside because she’s able to ignore Chelsea and all the other little cliques.”<br/>
<br/>
“Who do you think would be best,” you ask Andrea.<br/>
<br/>
“Fatima, definitely,” answers Andrea quickly.  That definitely sways your mind.  Now you are sure that’s the one option you do not want to pick.</span></div></div>


path: 11221111111212222122212112112211122111112212111111111111111221212222221111
author_id: imaj
title: Pick Jelena
chapter_content:
<div><div> <span>“I think Jelena…” you say uncertainly, looking to see what Andrea’s reaction is.<br/>
<br/>
She looks at you coolly.  “I think you’ll enjoy being her Will,” she says.  “At least you’ll be a little less unsure of yourself.  And I get to have another one of my friends as part of our little group.”<br/>
<br/>
The last comment gives you pause.  “I thought you were me?”<br/>
<br/>
“I am,” she answers tilting her head to one side.  “But I’m also Andrea as well.  It’s hard to explain.  You’ll understand better once we make the switch with Jelena.  No, you shouldn’t worry about it,” adds Andrea when she sees your apprehensive look.  “Trust me,” she adds plaintively.<br/>
<br/>
Oddly enough you want to.  The comment seems more like something you would say than Andrea would.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll bring her over after school,” says Andrea, the aloof smile back in place as if it had never left.  “It won’t be hard to persuade her.  Try to amuse yourself till then.”<br/>
<br/>
<div align="center">*****</div><br/>
<br/>
Frank is the first one home though.  He doesn’t take the mask of Jon Straussler off as he fires up one Jon’s numerous games consoles.  You crash into the seat next to him with the spare controller.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m going to make the switch tonight,” you tell him after a few minutes of idle playing.  You can’t really get into it.<br/>
<br/>
“Hmmm,” murmurs Frank.<br/>
<br/>
“Become someone else,” you explain.  “Like we talked about.  Andrea’s bringing her over tonight.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good,” says Frank monosyllabically, easily beating you in the game again.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m going to need to jump inside you,” you explain apologetically.  “I can’t do it on myself.  If you know what I mean.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure,” he says, this time beating you so quickly you barely had time to register what happened.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you listening,” you ask him.<br/>
<br/>
He throws his controller to the side.  “Yeah I heard you, it’s ok,” he says.  “Look what do you want me to say?”  He shoots you an angry look.<br/>
<br/>
You sit in a daze for a few seconds.  Were you really being annoying?  Before you can answer you hear Andrea’s voice in the distance.  “That’s her,” you say.  “Grab some knockout powder and meet me in the ballroom.”  You bounce off the seat and make for the Ballroom.  Frank follows a little more slowly.<br/>
<br/>
You recognise Jelena from her photo when you enter.  She’s willowy, a fact accentuated by the long flowing black skirt and sleeveless tanktop she wears.  She regards you with intelligent looking hazel eyes as you walk over to her and Andrea.<br/>
<br/>
“Have you met Will yet Yell,” says Andrea, standing behind her friend.  She mouths silently at you.  “What do you think?”<br/>
<br/>
“I think I’ve seen him round the school,” say Jelena, with just a hint of disinterest.  <br/>
<br/>
You ignore the comment and look round.  Yes, you see Frank coming in from another door, holding one hand carefully.  That must be the knockout powder.  “Uh… hi,” you say weakly, offering a hand.  She doesn’t take it.  You hold it there for a few seconds before withdrawing it.<br/>
<br/>
Jelena’s face softens.  “Look I’m sorry Will,” she says.  “I’m sure you’re a cool guy and all, I just don’t understand what’s so important I have to drop everything and come over here for.”<br/>
<br/>
“This,” says Frank from a few steps away.  An odd expression passes over Jelena’s face.  She squirms her shoulders and it takes a moment for you to realise Frank is pinning her in place with Malacandra.  She tries a scream but it is cut off almost instantly as he blows the knockout powder in her face.  He steps forward to catch Jelena as her legs fold up beneath her.<br/>
<br/>
You fidget nervously as Frank places her on the dissection table.  There’ll be no need for another Jelena once you are her, so your plan is to carve up the original.  Maybe her <i>substantia </i>will be useful later.  Once it is done, Frank drags the golem like remains away towards the stacks of shelves that have appeared in the ballroom over the last few days.  Andrea takes Jelena’s clothes and piles them up neatly, with her glasses sitting on top.<br/>
<br/>
You cast you own clothes aside – you won’t be needing them again – and lie down on the metal sheet of your dissection table.  It feels cold against your skin, at least until you activate the control sigil.  You leap into Frank’s body as he is making his way back to the dissection table.<br/>
<br/>
You’re a little worried, to be honest.  Though the control sigil links through your <i>anima</i>, which should in theory be untouched, you’re frightened at the prospect of losing the link midway through.<br/>
<br/>
“Will,” asks Andrea, looking inquisitively at you.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah,” you answer.  “Lets get this done.”<br/>
<br/>
The process is exactly the same as with Joe.  You place the mask of Jelena onto the <i>Libra </i>and then put a voodoo doll golem onto it.  It is a little easier to unclasp her physical and mental <i>imago</i>, the experience with Joe helping.  You shiver a little before repeating the process with yourself.  It feels…  Well, it feels like nothing.<br/>
<br/>
Buoyed a little, you move onto the next step.  Jelena’s mental <i>imago </i>seems as if it is writhing as it connects with your own.  You could swear you feel it tingling at the back of your skull.  The connections harden and you feel another, almost alien, presence in the back of your mind.  You push it to the side for now and concentrate on the last step of the process – the physical <i>imago</i>.  You keep your eyes open as you start to smudge away your own <i>imago </i>this time.<br/>
<br/>
This might be a mistake.  Each brush you make is like ripping the skin away from your body.  It comes away in ragged gouts, vanishing into the ether and leaving an unrecognisable mess of blood and torn muscle exposed beneath it.  Your stomach churns and for a brief second you struggle to hold on to the link to Frank.<br/>
<br/>
But you press on until there is nothing but the broken mockery of a person on the dissection table in front of you.  The ghost like remnants of Jelena’s physical imago slip round you easily, and you would swear you could see them hanging there in the air around your body in the real world.  As you make each connection between the physical and mental <i>imago </i>a little bit more of Jelena reappears.  It is distinctly odd, watching the girl return in instalments:  A couple of toes here, a little bit of her arm there, then her short dark bob of hair and her thin hips.<br/>
<br/>
You totter on your feet as the last bits of <i>imago </i>fall into place.  Waves of exhaustion assail you and you tiredly flip back out of Frank.  In an instant the fatigue is gone, because it was with Frank’s body – Frank’s <i>essentia </i>and <i>ousiarchs </i>– that you carried out the spell.<br/>
<br/>
The world is a different place as you stand back up, and not just because everything is out of focus due to Jelena’s poor eyesight.  Her thoughts start to mingle with your own, no longer alien or <i>other</i>, but somehow a natural part of you.  You are Will Prescott, but you are also now Jelena Petrovic.<br/>
<br/>
“Why did we never hook up Andrea,” you ask as you fetch your glasses from the floor.  They are your glasses now, you are Jelena after all.  You know, or suspect the answer already though.<br/>
<br/>
“Not really each other’s type,” she says, suddenly very close to you.  Then the last bit of distance is gone and she is kissing you, slow and thorough.  You feel on of her hands wander up your shallow stomach and coming to rest around on one of your small breasts.  “That could change though,” she adds, giving it a squeeze.<br/>
<br/>
You back away though, Jelena has her own ideas of what she wants, though they still seem a little hazy to you as your <i>imagos </i>continue to integrate.  “I’m already late for practice with my band,” you tell Andrea.<br/>
<br/>
She pouts.  It makes her look adorable.  “Won’t you stay?”</span></div></div>


