The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

Turnabout Interrogator

Previously: "A View from the Sidelines" 

by Masktrix

It’s a strange reversal of the situation you faced only two days ago. It feels like a lifetime. A mere day in a prison and you broke. Once this is over, once everything is back to normal, you can take time to recover. But are things ever going to return to normal? You have to wonder, as you order the Acuna golem down on the floor and use Shelly’s knowledge from summer camp to tie her up against the table tennis table. It’s what you keep telling yourself, but it feels more like a lie with each repetition.

“Nice and fast?” you ask the golem. Acuna nods.

“I don't think I can get out of this, boss," she says, "and I imagine I’m stronger than this girl.”

So you remove the golem’s mask. The form of Kristen Wright-Wallace appears, bound and unconscious. You look at her. She really isn’t that fat; a little overweight, perhaps, but it’s mostly just around her jowls and thighs, puppy fat that could melt off easily. And yet the endless bullying and torment she’s gone through at Xavier’s from Abi drove her to identity theft and, almost, murder. You tilt her head up and poke her cheeks. Being stuck as her wouldn’t have been so bad – but you weren’t about to let Vee Macklin control your life forever.

You lean back against the workbench. You could have sworn things looked different when you headed to the bakery – a few items seem to have moved, and the tarp over Shelly isn’t in the same place – but it might just be good ol’ fashioned paranoia. You check your phone while you wait, sending a message to Shelly’s mom that, yes, you’re still in town and yes, you had lunch. Then, just for the hell of it, you bombard Helen with emojis until Kristen begins to stir.

“Wake up, Abi,” you tell her. “Well, ex-Abi. Back to the minor league, now.”

Kristen’s eyes go wild, and she instinctively tries to reach up to her face, only for the bonds to restrain her. She looks down to her chest. Then up at you, her eyes wide with utter panic.

“Oh shit! Please! Please, Shelly, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do what I did to Will! I’m sorry! Don’t hurt me!” She starts blubbing incoherently, unable to hold it back.

Of course, she assumes I’m Shelly. She must think I’m the one that grabbed her.

You fold your arms.“Kristen! Hey! Quiet!”

“Please, I’m sorry! I tried to tell Vee to let Will go! It was all Vee, I just went along with it! I tried to tell her to stop, but he worked out it was me under the Abi mask. Vee was the one who said not to feed him! She was worried that he’d try and tell them we’d replaced her, and… and she wanted to do like, a good cop, bad cop thing! She thought she could learn more that way, like where you were hiding!”

You have no idea whether she’s telling the truth or not. But Abi warned you Vee was smart; maybe she was playing a bigger game than you anticipated. Either way, you need to get through the bullshit quickly. “Kristen!” you snap, as much as Shelly can actually snap; it’s more an impudent squeak. “C’mon, freakin’ calm down!”

“Look, Shelly. I know what this must be tough for you. You’re, new to high school, right? It must be real confusing for you, what’s going on and everything with some older kids. It’s confusing for me too! But we can look after you much better than Will can. You remember, when you told him about the book, and he started pretending he was some master wizard? I was him for a little bit. I know he was using you. Just let me go, and we can fix all of this.”

You stare back at her, and fold your arms tighter. “Right now I just want you to answer some questions, OK?”

“Sure, Shelly. Sure,” she takes a deep breath, trying to get rid of the blubbing tears. “That’s fair. I mean, you caught me, right? You caught me. Hook, line, sinker. I never suspected he was you. You’re smart, Shelly. You outsmarted us! We were so busy looking for you we never realized the rock things still followed Will. I know you’re patient, you must have been to stay hidden like that! We want you on our side.”

“Shut up!” you snap again, letting Shelly’s eyebrows knit in genuine frustration. It’s not an emotion she experiences often, unless you mess with her friends. “Kristen, I can just use a mind band on you,” you lie. You don’t have one. “I want to do this the easy way. So take a breath or something. I just want to know what you did with the book. Where is it?”

“The book? Right! Right, the book! Of course. Sure. Uh, I moved it! After the dorm sweep. When I realized you had the masks, I knew you were close so I moved it.”

I had the masks? What does that mean? What the fuck has been going on at Xavier’s? But you just tuck that little nugget back for now. Once you're at Xaviers, with Abi, maybe it will start to make sense. For now, it doesn’t really matter.

“To where? Where’s the book, Kristen?” You narrow your eyes.

“The library!” she exclaims. “I put the book in the library, OK? I slipped a dust jacket over it. The Real Tam O'Shanter: The Folklore of Ayrshire. It’s on the main wall, just down by the pokers next to the fireplace! All right?”

“Are you sure?” You try and give Shelly’s hardest stare. Kristen tries to give you a placating smile.

“I promise, Shelly. I promise. That’s where you’ll find it. Just… just let me go. I’m sorry. I’m telling you, it’s all Vee. I was always all Vee. I can help you. I can protect you from her. And from Will. Do you really think he’s on your side? You barely know him. Let me―” Kristen’s still pleading as you place the golemized Will mask on her, and watch her head sag and droop even as it turns into your head.

“Fuck,” you say, a word that sounds beyond ridiculous in Shelly’s voice. You have no idea how much of Kristen’s blathering was true, but you doubt you’re going to get much beyond what she’s said. And so you crane back your head, twist a knot in your long, red hair and pull out your goofy, Ravenclaw-themed phone.

The Will golem, Kristen safe underneath, comes to life as you send Abi details of where the book’s hidden. And then you get back to waiting.

“You’re Shelly again, boss?” the new Will asks. “What the fuck did I miss?”

You blow out your cheeks. “Man, I don’t even know where to begin.”

You relay the events of the past day to your golem, then sit back and wait. Shelly’s mom sends you numerous texts reminding you to get home by 7pm, but you keep blowing her off with lame excuses, then send a few messages to Helen, asking her to cover for you. Fortunately, it soon emerges it you won’t have to be stuck as Shelly that long after all. A little after 5pm, you get another text from Abi. You still have no idea what’s going on at St. X – but she seems to have been busy.

Got a choice of people you can be. Guy or girl? This isn't permanent or final for you. It's so you can look around and pick someone yourself. Give me answer and I'll bring them to town with stuff so you can make switch.

You weren’t sure about Abigail Steiner, but she’s been an incredibly effective ally, transforming your fortunes in a mere six hours. Now, you scratch Shelly’s nose and ponder the decision. You’d quite like to get back a sense of normalcy, and being a guy at least puts you in the right gender.

But, you have to admit, being a girl could have benefits. You’ve enjoyed being Carmen, Abi and Ruth (although you hate being Shelly). And maybe you should ask Abi if she can score you a disguise as a faculty member. That could give you a whole new dimension as you tie up the loose ends: Todd Baldwin, Chris Fiore and Davina Macklin …

Next: "Becoming Will Prescott 2.0" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 2)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)"