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A high school student finds a grimoire that shows how to make magical disguises. |
Previously: "A Rescue and Retreat"  You're not really keen to meet up with Teresa. Your one-on-one errands with her have been kind of awkward, and you cringe when you think of the kind of lecture she'll probably give you about what happened at the cookout. She seems very "teacher-y". At the same time, you don't want to leave her alone with this gear she managed to score. * * * * * "So here it is," she announces the next morning (a Saturday) when you pick her up at her house. From her bag she pulls out a blue, glowing mask. "And here's the other one," she adds as she pulls out a silvery metal band. "Jesus, how'd you manage it?" "It was easy. When we got to the liquor store I asked Micah to stay behind with me in the car 'cos I said I wanted to talk to him a little. Then I just shoved the mask onto him. He was kind of fishy with me after that, so I had to do the second one with his cousin." She sniffs. "I don't think they liked me after all that." It sounds weird but you don't press it. "So, what do you want to do with them?" "The things? Well, we have to seal them up first, right? But I was thinking we should mix someone else's face into the mask. 'Cos we can't go out looking exactly like Micah, right? I think we should put your face into it." You flinch. "Why mine?" "Because it would probably turn out kind of funny if we put mine in. You know, mixing a boy and a girl." "We already mixed boys and girls," you point out, "in the masks we already made." "Yeah, and they came out kind of funny looking." You shoot her a sidelong glance, but refrain from asking the obvious question: You think "Mickey" is funny looking? She probably guesses your thought, though, for she adds, "They're not bad, but I want to see what it looks like if you keep the same sexes." It doesn't much matter to you, so you acquiesce with a shrug, and keep steering for the old elementary school. * * * * * You are cold and stiff when you wake from your magical sleep, and you feel grimy all over, as though you've been wearing the same clothes for a full week. Maybe it's on account of the basement, which feels danker and dirtier than ever before. Maybe it's on account of the weather, which is cold and drizzly. It had started to rain shortly before you arrived at the school, and as you sit up now on the old conference table, you look over to see fat raindrops tapping at the windows. Teresa—a gray shadow in the dim basement—is slouching in an old, wooden swivel chair, with her legs crossed under her, staring at something in her lap. She looks up as you sit up and hang your feet off the table. "Hey," she says. "You get enough sleep last night?" "I 'unno," you mutter as you rub your face. "Why?" "You were out for like forty minutes." "The fuck?" "Yeah, you were taking a serious nap. I took the mask off you, and you were asleep for like another thirty minutes." "Why didn't you wake me up?" "I figured you'd wake up by yourself," she says. "And then I figured maybe you just needed the sleep. I made sure you were still breathing, though," she quickly adds. You blanche a little. What if I fell into a magical sleep and didn't wake up? you wonder. Would someone have to kiss me to wake me up? The thought gives you a queer jolt. "Caleb texted while you were still knocked out," Teresa continues. "I said you were busy and would text him back later this afternoon." "Did he ask where we were?" "I didn't say we were together. I just said, I'm busy right now and'll text you later." "He texted you?" "No, he texted you. I just answered for you." You blink. "You pretended you were me?" "Well, it just seemed easiest." "You could've just ignored it until I woke up!" "It just seemed easiest," she repeats, more defensively. You pinch the bridge of your nose. "So did it work?" You point at the object in her lap. "The mask?" "I guess so." Teresa holds the mask up. Even in the dull light of the basement, bright highlights gleam and flash over its polished blue surface. "It's kind of hard to tell, you know. All I can tell is that he's got long hair." "The guy in the mask?" "Uh huh. It's kind of hard to tell if the face is different." "Is it ready to go?" "Yep! I sealed up and everything." Then she adds, "We've also got the metal thingie, to give it a personality." "You think he needs one?" you ask as you put out your hand. With seeming reluctance, Teresa scoots forward to hand you the mask. "Well, you guys gave those girls a personality." Yeah, you think. Because me and Caleb and Keith didn't know how to act like girls. You both fall silent as you study the mask. But though the gleaming highlights are brightly liquid, it is (as Teresa said) hard to make out the facial features, which fit so neatly into the ridged brow and nose and lips of the mask itself that you can really only see the shape of the mask itself rather than the form that it contains. Finally, Theresa asks, "Are you going to put it on?" "I guess I could." "Because I could try it on too." Startled, you look up at her. "You want to?" "Well, I could," she repeats. "You guys went out pretending to be girls. Maybe I could, you know, go out pretending to be a guy." She lifts her chin and gives you a direct look. You can't believe that a girl would want to turn herself into a guy. But the more you gape skeptically at her, the more defensive she seems to get. "Look, maybe it's a good idea that one of us pretends to be a guy still," she blurts out, "the next time you all decide to go out in those other masks. After the trouble you got in yesterday with Micah and his cousins—" "Alright, alright! Jesus! I guess," you add in a grumble, "we could all, you know, stand to see how the other half lives." "Well, we don't have to. If you want to put it on—" "It doesn't matter to me." "Well, maybe you should anyway," she says primly. "Because we don't have any clothes that I could wear with it. So I'd just be trying it on. You know, to see if works. So we couldn't go out with me wearing it or anything." Or I could give you my clothes, the unbidden thought occurs to you. And, the thought rushes on, I could put on Mickey's mask and clothes and we could go out together like that. Next: Coming soon! Check back! |
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