The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

New Jobs for New Members

Previously: "A Night of No Passion" 

You corral Keith after classes and hang out with him in the library, giving him a fair idea of what he can probably expect. He looks very scared as he follows you up to the fuck room fifteen minutes after the clock says basketball practice should have ended.

Inside you find Patterson leaning against that dorm refrigerator, an open beer in his hand. Gordon Black sits cross-legged on the gym mat. He looks up darkly at the three of you from under lowered eyebrows, then looks back down into his magazine. A few feet away, Jason Lynch lets his malicious gaze flit across the three of you, then turns away to grin to himself. You have the horrible feeling that Patterson is the closest thing you have to a friend here.

"So we're all here," Patterson says. "Six paid up members. Well, five, anyway. They fill you in on what's expected of you, Tilley?" Keith's head jerks up and down. "You up for it?"

"I guess," he croaks.

"Good man. Provisionally, you're in, which means we're all teammates. We don't fuck around, and we don't fuck with each other. Right?"

You and Caleb and Keith all mumble your agreement. Gordon says nothing. Jason grins--until Patterson nudges him in the small of his back. "What?" Lynch says irritably, then gasps as Patterson grasps him by the hair and pulls his head up. His eyes go wide and roll in their sockets as Patterson bends over and whispers in his ear. He turns very red. "Yeah, sure," he says, and Patterson releases him. The smile has vanished from his face, and he won't look in your direction.

"So, now that you're in, you can have a set of these." Patterson says, and tosses some keys to you and Caleb each. "Show a little consideration for your teammates, though, and don't just bust in. Call me if you wanna reserve the place for some, uh, quality time. Don't hog it, though." You nod your head vigorously, for you doubt you'll be using it.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air," Gordon growls, and gets to his feet. "Lynch?" The smaller baseball player scrambles after him, and you and your friends dive out of the way as they barrel past. The door slams behind them.

"Yeah," Patterson sighs. "Don't try being friends with Gordon. And Lynch is an asshole, but you already know that. Don't let him push you around, though. Me and Gordon are the senior members. Lynch is junior, just like you guys." That pretty much solves the mystery about Kendra--Jason's initiation must have been to play her part, and-- You suppress a smile. His initiation must have been almost as bad as yours.

"Now, as far as your new jobs," Patterson says. "Johansson, how are coming with Jessica?"

"Even with Eva's mask, I can't get to her easily."

"Jesus. Get Richards to help. You remember the friend you lost in that accident? Him plus you in an Eva mask should be able to get Jessica by tomorrow morning. If you're interested in getting to her, of course," he snorts.

He reaches under a crate and tosses a blank mask to you. "Prescott, you're one up on everyone else. Your third job is to copy one of the basketball players over at Eastman. I don't care which one." You nod, even though you have no idea how you're going to do such a thing. "Okay, you two can go. I'll talk to Tilley alone."

* * * * *

Down on the empty gym floor, you and Caleb compare notes. "Not bad, huh?" Caleb says. "Interesting about the Eastman thing."

"Yeah, and we don't have to do the jobs if we don't want to."

"Don't you want to?" Caleb asks. "It's not a bad job. Something for Black and Patterson, though, I guess. A way of fucking with the Eastman team."

"I guess," you allow.

"And we do want to get in deeper," Caleb says. "To keep an eye on what they're doing."

You give him a sidelong glance. He seems surprisingly willing to go along with things. But you don't say anything aloud. Instead, you ask him if he's going to use Jeremy to get to Jessica.

"It makes sense," he says. "I haven't been thinking much about Richards." A shadow crosses his face, briefly, and then he turns to you. "It would also make sense to use him to get those Eastman guys."

"I don't know if he knows any of them."

"It's more of a connection than you've got, right?" he says. He slaps you lightly on the chest. "Come on, we should work together. I'll put on Eva and you put on Jeremy and go with me when we go to get Jessica. Or, you distract the real Eva so I can get to Jessica."

"You want to do that now?"

He pauses. "Well, you heard Patterson. He said we should try getting her by tomorrow."

"I'm not really in the mood."

He regards you as he sucks on his teeth. "You did the worst job already. Why is it now a big deal?"

"Isn't it a big deal, still? I mean, what we're doing is ..." You trail off, for you can already anticipate Caleb's reply.

"We were gonna do stuff like this anyway," he says.

"Yeah, but with Patterson and Black and Lynch. And we're not in charge. And what'll they do with these things?"

"What can they do?" he retorts. "Just have fun with them up in that club house of theirs. And it's not like some of those girls probably haven't been up there with them for real."

"Lisa hasn't." You instantly regret saying that.

His lips disappear. "Is that what this is about? Lisa?"

"Look, your job wasn't even a big deal. You didn't even get Keith in trouble."

"So you lost your virginity to Geoff Mansfield. That's nothing to do with Lisa. And if it's Patterson and her mask you're worried about--"

You've stopped listening. The thing is that you have queered things for Lisa, intentionally, by making Geoff think that she's ready to go all the way with him. Even if they break up, Geoff will say things about Lisa, making her out to be a slut and liar and a psycho. You wince.

"What's wrong with my suggestion?" Caleb's sharp voice brings you back to the present.

"Huh. Sorry, what did you say?"

He snorts. "I said, maybe you can ask Patterson if you can have her mask so he and the others don't get to play with it. Offer to get a substitute."

"That won't solve anything." He frowns. "Look, just forget it. Here comes Keith."

He's been a remarkably long time in coming, and he's walking very slowly. He seems to flinch when he sees you. "So, what's your job?" Caleb asks him.

"Not supposed to tell you," Keith says, and avoids your eyes. "Come on, let's get out of here." You and Caleb exchange worried glances, and follow him into the parking lot.

"So, you wanna use Jeremy?" Caleb says to you.

"Yeah, what's this about Jeremy?" Keith asks.

You and Caleb stop and stare at each other. It hits you--Keith doesn't know about what you did to Richards. "Um ..." you and Caleb both stammer in unison. Then, taking the bull by the horns, you tell Keith about the accident back at the elementary school.

He's pale by the time you're done, but he doesn't freak out. "That's something we need to be real careful about," you conclude. "Because that's something that ... well, that those assholes back there at the gym might try doing to us, if--"

"Yeah, I get it," Keith says. "Oh, Jesus." He chews a lip, then looks up with a sharp look. "But what were you guys talking about, about using Jeremy's mask?"

Caleb explains his reasoning: You could take Jeremy's place for a little while, to help getting Eva and an Eastman player, while his golem replaces you. You don't pay much attention, for you're distracted by the awful thought that Patterson and Black might get the bright idea of using the golemizing spell to get rid of and replace original people. You're brought back around again, though, when Keith says "That sounds like a really good idea."

Are you the only one who is feeling really freaked out about what this "team" is getting up to--or could get up to?

Next: "The Lost Weekend" 

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