The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

The Wingman

Previously: "Newbie Orientation" 

"So the first thing we need is some of your hair," Philip says.

You raise your hand. "Wait, lemme get this straight. You want me to, uh, be the boss of Javits?"

"Of his beta," Philip says. "Using your hair in the mask we're going to make of him will allow you to—"

"And you're making a mask of him? So I could even, uh—" You glance at Cindy. It's still hard to reconcile the slim, beautiful cheerleader with your beetle-browed friend. "Turn myself into him? Like Keith's turned himself into Cindy?"

"That's right.," Philip says. Cindy titters.

"Well, what if I want to be somebody else?"

Philip frowns. "You can only be one person at a time, Will."

"No, what I mean is, what if I want to be someone instead of Seth? Some other guy?"

There's a pause. "Like who?"

"I don't know. But if I'm going to have a beta—"

"It needs to be Seth, Will," Philip says. "Someone needs to, as you put it, be the boss of Seth Javits. On account of—" He makes a face.

"So give him to Keith."

"Keith already has a beta. Cindy's his beta, he's just pretending to be the beta, same as you could pretend to be Seth when Seth is—"

"Can't Seth be someone else's beta?"

Exasperation now begins to sound in Philip's voice.

"No," he says, "because everyone else already has a beta. You're the only one who can take him."

"How come is that?" Mike interrupts. "Why can't we each have more than one beta? Is that what the book says?"

"Well ... No."

"So how come—?"

"There has to be some kind of limit." Philip hunches his shoulders, as though he's feeling badgered. "Otherwise someone could have used these things to conquer the world already. To have turned everyone into a beta."

There's a thump and a crash from the other side of the wall. Carlos darts from the room. "Well, we better figure out fast what the hell we're gonna do about Seth," Mike says. "Before he gets loose."

* * * * *

Well, there's still a long argument to be had before anything is decided. Philip insists that it's safer to leave everyone with only a single beta, in case there's some unwritten rule that prevents people from having two or more, but the others are now keen to find out if they could get themselves two of the things. You keep quiet.

Philip finally relents. "We'll try it," he says. "But someone's going to have to volunteer for the experiment." He glances around, holding each of his friend's gaze for a moment. "It could be dangerous. It could be fatal."

"I'll do it," Cindy says. You jump at her words. "I've just about run out of ways of torturing him," she adds with a light smirk.

So Keith strips down to nothingness—and shows absolutely no shame at showing off Cindy's slim legs and bowl-like hips, her globe-like breasts and the tuft of hair between her legs—and lies down on the cold floor. Philip kneels next to her, lays a hand across her brow, mutters under his breath, and pulls. A bluish mask appears in his hand, and where Cindy was—

Gah! You quickly avert your eyes from Keith's bony, spotty, hairy frame.

Carlos nudges you. "Come on," he says, "Let's talk outside." You follow him and the fake Eva Garner out.

It's drizzling again, so you huddle close to the building.

"So what's the deal?" Carlos asks. "How come you don't want Seth as a beta?"

You shrug. "It would be kind of weird having Cindy as a girlfriend," you mumble.

"I think it would be kind of hot," Eva smirks.

"It's Keith under there. That would be weird.

"So you have someone else in mind?" Carlos asks.

"Well, not specifically," you admit. "Except, I guess it should be someone who could help with this whole, you know—" You can't help making a face. "This whole 'improve Will Prescott' project?" You hunch your shoulders.

"We could always get another cheerleader for you," Eva says. "If we can double up, we could get the whole fucking squad pulling for you."

"You should look for an influencer from somewhere else," Carlos says. "And I know who, too," he adds, turning a grin onto Eva. "Our dear, dumb brother."

"No!" Eva shrieks. "Marc? No!"

"He's perfect," Carlos insists. "And we were talking about how someone should take over for him, so all three of—" But he breaks off in the teeth of the gale of laughter that rips from Eva.

"You think Marc would be a good choice?" you ask when Eva's amusement has subsided.

"No." Carlos rolls his eyes. "I suggested him 'cos I thought he'd be a terrible choice. He'd be perfect for the job, Will. The asshole's only friends with everyone at school, he could get you into all the hot parties—"

"Into Hannah's hot pussy," Eva says, sotto voce. Your ears prick up.

"—and just generally, you know, vouch for you." Carlos cocks his head. "You'll wanna start hanging out at Kelsey's clambakes, and I guess Mike and me could get you in, but I think Marc's got more pull with Kelsey."

"Oh, totally," Eva says. "Kelsey wants to jump Marc's bones so bad—"

"She doesn't."

"She totally does! Why do you think she's such a raging bitch toward Hannah?"

"I thought she was getting her clit scratched by Karl."

Eva rolls her eyes. "That's just a friends-with-benefits thing. Except without being friends with him. God, someone so needs to pull Karl aside and explain to him how he needs to get his head out of his ass and his cock out of her cooch, he's just humiliating himself—"

Whatever this gossip is about, it's all new to you so most of it goes over your head. It circles back around eventually, though, to the leaping off point, namely that Kelsey has exclusive Saturday night parties at her place, and that if you really want to be someone at the school you need to attend them and to be known to attend them. That sounds intriguing until you learn that Geoff Mansfield and his friends are other regulars there.

But that's as far as talk gets before the door to the climate unit opens.

"Well, look who's joined the team," Eva says as a very pinched-looking Seth Javits comes out, along with Philip and Cindy. "Was it fun? Or was it fatal?"

"It seems to have worked," Philip says, though he doesn't look too pleased at having to report the success. "Um, Keith, how about you show them?"

Cindy giggles. "Okay. Seth? Get down on your knees." Seth, his face flaming with anger, drops to a knee. "Both knees. Get on all fours," Cindy orders him, and he complies. "Now bark like a dog. Bark!"

Ruff ruff. Ruff. Arf, Seth says. His face looks like it's about to melt off the front of his skull.

"Isn't he adorable?" Cindy chortles. "I have my own pet Seth Javits now!"

* * * * *

You get in trouble at home for missing dinner, but you don't really care. Upstairs you take until midnight to do your homework because you keep pausing to scroll through x2z.com and other social media sites for ideas for a beta. Carlos's suggestion has got you thinking that you should choose a kind of wingman as your beta: someone hip and cool and totally plugged in to the school social scene.

That's what you explain to "Maria Vasquez" when she texts you later that night. She says that's an excellent idea, and that she'll think about possibilities for you.

Philip consults with his fellow conspirators first, though. Or, at least, he talks about it with Carlos, for you get a text from "Jessica Garner" the next morning just as you're pulling in to school, with a request that you skip second period to hang out with her in the library. You have "Film as Literature" that period, and though it's not a good idea to skip Mr. Hawks's classes, you're happy to bail on account of you share it with a "Keith Tilley" that you now know is a fake.

"So, we still think Marc should be your number one choice," Jessica tells you when you're huddling in the library, sitting so close you're almost cheek-to-cheek with her. (She smells wonderful, like lavender talcum with a hint of vanilla.) "He rates an A in all the categories you'll want. But we came up with a couple of other names."

The first is Justin Roth, a guy you know by sight only. He has a reputation for being a stoner, but he's good with girls and he's got a lot of cred with the rougher element at the school without himself being thuggish. "You probably don't want to hang out with him," Jessica cautions you, "but he can get you in places where the rest of us probably won't be able to help you."

The second is Ian Patton, an indie-style musician who like Roth is also a better fit with the rougher kinds of crowds.

The third is Michael Allen. "He's on the baseball team, you know," Jessica says, "so he can get you in with those guys, some of the better class of jocks. And he's going out with Catherine. Muskov, you know? You need to be hanging out at her place as much as you can anyway, which isn't hard, but if he's your beta it'll be like greased butter to get in."

"How soon do I need to pick someone?"

She shrugs. "We can get Marc anytime. Probably get any of the others by tonight too." She gives her boobs a surreptitious squeeze. "We got five sets of these we can dangle as bait.

"But if you want to take longer," she adds as you hesitate, "we can keep ourselves busy by rounding up our own second betas."

You don't want to be left behind, so her words galvanize you into a decision.

Next: Coming soon! Check back!

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