The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

Masks and Attachments

Previously: "Operation Freaky Friday" 

An awkward silence settles over the room. Pinched glances are exchanged, but everyone hesitates to say anything.

Probably you should keep quiet. But just like last night, words come tumbling out of your mouth without your quite willing them to come.

"I still think we should switch Yumi and Chelsea," you say. "It's the classic kind of a body swap, right? Two people who can't stand each other have to live their lives as each other. And some good might come of it. Chelsea might learn to be a decent human being. And whatever problem Yumi's got—"

You shouldn't have been looking at Chelsea—at the guy who's pretending to be Chelsea—when you said she "might learn to be a decent human being." You probably shouldn't have been looking at her anyway, regardless of what you said.

For her eyes lock on you, and they start to burn. Her nostrils flare, and her jaw tightens.

Then in a single leap, she is on her feet and out the door.

For a shocked moment, no one says anything, and no one moves. Then, with only a quick, sidelong glance at you, Maria hurries after her.

And again, just like last night, you wish the floor would open up to swallow you.

No one says anything, and no one looks at you either. You'd love to break the silence, if only you had something to say. Instead, you swallow and swallow again, and your face burns, until you feel tears stinging the back of your eyeballs.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! You should have noticed how much Josiah liked being Chelsea Cooper, just from the way he stared at you when you first proposed the Yumi-Chelsea swap. Now he's furiously pissed off at you, and your idea is dead (so what was the point in even proposing it?) and everyone will probably hate you for ruining Josiah's happy fun-time. Stupid!

You cringe as Eva takes a deep breath and stretches her legs and leans back to address the ceiling.

"It would probably be a really good idea," she says, "to get Josiah out of that mask."

Jessica looks momentarily startled, then snorts, "No shit."

"I'm serious," Eva says.

"So am I. It can't be healthy."

You're too dumbstruck to say anything.

"It's probably a lot of fun being Chelsea," Cindy says. "He was having a lot of fun this morning, right?"

"Too much fun," says Jessica. "Yumi and Lin weren't the only ones that wanted to smack him."

"What did he do?" you croak.

"What Yumi was telling us all this morning." Eva gives you a quick, sharp look. "That's what he did."

"I mean ... Why'd he do it?"

Jessica stretches her legs. "I dunno," she says. "He goes in and out of character. Maybe Philip said something to him last night. Lately Chelsea's been more of a space cadet than Maria."

Talk continues in that vein for a little while, until you screw up the courage to timidly apologize for causing an issue. The others brush it off. "Don't worry about it, Will," Jessica says. "He can't be Chelsea forever, he might well give it up sooner rather than later."

But everyone falls quiet again when Maria returns. Chelsea isn't with her.

"Well," she sighs, "let's call a night, shall we?"

"What's with Josiah?" Jessica demands. "And what's the plan?"

"No plan, not yet. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," you say. "I shouldn't have pushed for—"

"Forget it, Will," Maria says. "It's not your fault." But she doesn't look pleased with you.

* * * * *

But you do worry about it all night, and the next morning you are still ill with worry. Before school you lurk in the small quad that nestles between the gym, the theater, and the main building while waiting for the cheerleaders to show up for morning practice. That's where Carson finds you when he comes loping in from the parking lot. "What are you doing out here, Ashton?" he demands when he sees you.

"Waiting for you and James. Where is James?" You peer past him toward the parking lot.

"Already in the library. So what do you want?"

"Want? Nothing. Why would I want anything, I'm just waiting for you guys, that's all."

"Uh huh." His eyebrows go up. "Is it about your birthday party?"

"No! I'm—"

The door to the school building opens, and Kendra Saunders and Gloria Rea come striding out. Chelsea's enforcers, you think. Chelsea's not with them, but at the sight of them all your courage deserts you.

"Well, come on, let's go find James," you squeak, and you grab and drag Carson along behind you.

So you don't catch up to any of your colleagues until third period, when you find Eva waiting just inside the library door. She gestures you over with a frantic wave of her hand.

"Quick, before Rachel and Audrey get here," she mutters. "We're all set for that switch like you were talking about. Except— Don't you have first-period choir or something with Deanna Showalter?"

"Yes, why? Wait." You clutch her arm. "Is Josiah going along with—?"

She brushes you off. "Yes. Or Philip talked him into it, one way or another. Got a text a little while ago." She glances past you, and pulls up close. "Josiah will give up Chelsea, but you've got to get Deanna for him. That's who he wants for his next beta."

"Deanna?" You make a face. "I can't stand that— I wouldn't be convincing trying to talk to her."

"Well, someone's got to, 'cos Josiah—"

"Help me out, man." You grab Eva again. "You and Jessica hang out with her, don't you? I've heard you, or them, talking about her—"

"Alright, but you owe us. We'll talk about it at lunch."

"In front of Carson and—?"

"Shh!" She pulls you over to a table as the door opens behind you. "Me and Jessica were ready to kill Marc this morning," she announces in a loud voice for the benefit of Rachel and Audrey, who have just come in.

Then she's off talking about her brother, giving you no time to wonder why Josiah would suddenly be willing to switch a goddess-bombshell like Chelsea Cooper for a second-rate gossip queen like Deanna Showalter.

* * * * *

But Eva doesn't show up at lunch, and neither does your replacement. You try wheedling some news about "Will" out of Caleb, but he says he hasn't got anything to tell you. The whole thing gives you a nasty itch, like a rash. You switched with Jenny in order to help your beta out, but it's like he's avoiding you or something, and you wind yourself into a temper by the time lunch is over, and decide to make it a point to confront your substitute after school.

But that's when Maria and the other catch up to you.

* * * * *

"We need you to get together with Yumi," Maria tells you. You're in the A-wing girls' restroom, and she's touching up her makeup. (Jenny doesn't wear any makeup worth touching up, so you're playing with some water in the sink instead.) You have the place to yourselves, for the school has mostly cleared out. "Like, tonight if you can. Anyway, the sooner the better."

"What for?"

"I'm getting to that, Will. You'll have to stop by the storage complex before then. Make it around eight. We'll have a mask and memory strip for you to pick up."

"For copying Yumi?"

"That's right. You—"

"I don't know if I can get out to see her after eight."

Maria's brow darkens. "Tomorrow, then," she sighs. "Whatever works for you. But you'll also need to get some clothes of hers. Something loose fitting, like sweat pants, that you can get in and out of quickly."

"Me? Why am I going to be putting them on?"

Maria puts down her mascara and gives you a direct look.

"You're being awfully excitable, Will," she says. "You won't have to put them on. I meant 'you' in the generic sense of 'someone'. Clothes that someone can get in and out of—"

"Alright, alright, jeez. So loose-fitting clothes and a mask and memory thing. Off of Yumi."

"Right. The mask will knock her out and you should be able to rifle her clothes then."

"If the mask knocks her out, what'll I say when—?" You break off as Maria's frown deepens into a glare. "Never mind, I'll figure out something to say. Or will I have to say anything? Is that when we switch her and Chelsea?"

"No. That will be for later. The clothes and the mask are just the first step. We're going to do this very carefully and logically, and that means preparing ahead of time. Probably we won't be able to make the switch until this weekend. But the sooner we get the pieces together, the sooner we can do it."

"What happens after I get the mask and clothes?"

"Bring them out to the studio."

"And then?"

Maria puts her things away. "And then hang loose and listen for your name."

* * * * *

You text Yumi after supper, and she says it'll be okay for you to come over later. At the same time you've been texting your beta, badgering him for news. But he says there isn't any. You wonder if you're going to have to take him in hand.

Maybe it's this close juxtaposition that gives you the wild idea: You could set yourself up to date Yumi. But it wouldn't be Yumi, it would really be Chelsea, because the switch would have happened by then. How awesome would it be to set yourself up with Chelsea—in Yumi's body—as your girlfriend?

Next: "Teases for Two" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 4)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)"