The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

A Trap for Blake O'Brien

Previously: "The First Step of a Random Walk" 

You weren't super-impressed any of the girls you rode to school with.

On the other hand, maybe Blake would like them.

So it seems more diplomatic to tell Sydney that you want to start things off by turning Blake into one of your robot cultists.

"That's easy to do," she says. "I'll just call him up for another study date." You clench your fists as she picks up her phone. "I better text him quick, though, if we're gonna catch him tonight. What do we need if we're gonna get it done?"

"I need to finish up making a mask," you reply through gritted teeth, "if I'm going to change places with him." Your heart beats rapidly. "It might take a couple of hours."

"What about the stuff to put inside the mask? It goes inside the mask, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I've got some of that stuff left over, what I already made." You feel your eyes watering as Sydney taps away at her phone. "Where are you going to meet him?"

"I don't know. We'll see what he says. How about you get to work?" She gives you a quick smile between thumb-strokes.

* * * * *

Blake shoots her a fast reply, before you're even done casting the mask.

"There's a game tonight," Sydney reports. "That's gonna make it tough to get to him. Wait, he's still typing." She sucks on her lip. "Oh, he says he'll be going out to the Warehouse at ten. Okay," she muses, "if I can figure out a place to meet him alone—"

She lays the phone down and stares at the back wall. You wait for her to continue, and when she doesn't you return to your work.

"This stuff that goes in the mask," she says a minute later, "it makes the pedisequos obey you, right? But which one of us does it obey?"

You blink at her. "Whoever's hair you burn into it." You're pretty sure that's right.

"Could we use mine?"

"Sure. I guess. Why are you asking?"

"Well, I'm just remembering what happened when we put your friend Caleb's mask on that thing over there." She points at the golem. "I couldn't control it. I don't want to turn Blake into a pedisequos if I can't control him."

"Are you planning on meeting him alone?" The thought of her alone with Blake fills you with insane jealousy.

"Will, sweetie," she says. "He would wonder how come I was meeting up with him if you there too."

But he knows I'm your boyfriend! you want to shout. That's how come his friends dragged me out to the portables!

Sydney regards you through narrowed eyes. "Don't you trust me to do it right?"

That's not it. But if she burns the hair inside a mask of Blake, then only she will be able to wear it and you won't be able to use him as an alias. But if you insist on going with her, she'll want to know why, and then you'll have to tell her about your afternoon at the portables—and probably about Kirkham too.

Next: "Girl Meets Boy" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 3)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)"