The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

Becoming Will Prescott 2.0

Previously: "Turnabout Interrogator" 

by Masktrix

Find a guy, you tell Abi in your reply. You don't hesitate, either, before hitting "Send." You’re acutely conscious that, for the past couple of weeks, your experience under the masks has been solely feminine. It would be nice to have a dick again.

It would be nicer to have hard and steady nerves, too, and that seems like another argument for being a guy.

The text buzzes back almost immediately. Shame, thought you would pick a girl. Already had 1 lined up, would have been fun.

The world, you decide, has become a very confusing and mixed up place since a frightened freshman girl disguised as a panicked assistant coach careened into your life. Although, in truth, you’re not sure if it is your life anymore. Right now, you are that freshman girl, after all.

"So what’s the plan, boss?" the golemized Kristen (now Will Prescott) asks. "You think Abi’s going to come through, or do we need to start figuring out what happens when she double-crosses us?"

"What makes you think she’s going to do that?"

The golem looks at you incredulously. "Seriously? C’mon, dude. Stop thinking like Shelly."

You bridle. "It’s not like that! We’re playing on the same team! We have to if we’re going to beat these guys."

"If you say so, Shelly," the golem retorts. "All I know is that I’ve already had to haul your dumb ass out of Mutantville once, and I don’t want to do it again. You saw what that experience did to Ian."

Ian! Shit. "Hold that thought," you squeak (sounding just like Shelly). "I forgot I haven’t checked in on him. He’s probably freaking out." You pull out Shelly’s phone, sticking your tongue between your teeth as you try and work out what to say. You try and tap into Shelly’s thoughts about what would comfort Ian, but then you realize the last thing he wants is Michelle Nolan. You’ve got to be yourself.

Hey, this is Will. We are fixing this. Right now you + family are safe. Do not panic. You frown even as you send it. It’s stupid and kind of goofy – not to mention exactly the kind of message that will make a freshman panic. But at least it’s genuine, which is more than anything else you’ve given Ian in the past week.

Then you settle down and wait. "So," you say to your golem.

"So," it replies, looking awkwardly around the room, as unwilling to chat or do much of anything as you are. You blow out your cheeks, look down at Shelly’s phone and open up the YA novel she’s reading. The Moonlake Saga. Can a mortal boy ever love a fairy girl? the cover asks. You close the app again, uninterested. This is going to be a long wait.

***

"Who is he?" you ask Abi as you study the face of the boy who's lying tumbled in a heap on the basement floor. He's very unassuming, though the more you study him the more you see a passing similarity to— "Hey, wait a minute! Did you just go out and pick a guy who looks like me?"

The more you focus on him, the more he looks like your stunt double. He has your build – lanky and loose-limbed – and a similarly narrow face. Even his hair is a similar shade of straw-colored blonde, though chopped back a little shorter than you like to wear yours. But he's wearing a smart pair of chinos and a genuine leather bomber jacket – the kind of clothes you doubt you could afford even second-hand. OK, maybe you are his stunt double. You just hope he's smarter than he acted when Abi brought him in. He managed to get one question out – "Hey, you a volunteer too?" – before Abi slapped a mask onto his face. You caught him as he fell, though you couldn't do much more than cushion his fall as you collapsed under his weight.

"He doesn’t look anything like you," Abi retorts. She’s now dressed as though she’s come straight from a designer shoot, in a pair of skin-tight jeans that, while modest, make sure to show off every impeccable curve, and a cozy, oversized knitted top. "His nose is totally different and he’s not as cute."

Wait, you think. Did Abigail Steiner just call me cute? You cover your momentary embarrassment by pulling off Shelly's hoodie. "Well, I guess it's too late now," you say. "That’s the last of our masks until we make more, right?"

"Actually," Abi says as she pulls another mask out of the satchel, "this is the last mask we've got. I picked it up off Todd, so score one for us and minus a point for them. I think that's everything they were able to make before Kristen went and hid the book."

"Do you think she was trying to double-cross them?" you ask.

"I don't know, you're the one who talked to her. By the way, did she tell you how I got up close to her?" Abi gives you a very close look as she asks.

"No."

She breaks into a huge grin. "It was awesome. Easy and awesome. I just had to send a note saying I wanted to talk tennis, and she came running. I am the best player at school. Fuck, I'm the best player in this stinking county. I get coaches visiting all the time, and Kristen couldn't resist playing the tennis star to the hilt!"

"That was a smart play," you agree. "It gets us both back into your school to look around."

"I know! And the others are already going crazy." She snickers. "They're convinced you and Shelly are right in their midst. And we will be. They don't know I'm back to being myself, and as for Mark here—" She nudges him with her toe.

"What's so special about him?"

"His name’s Mark Pederson, and he’s Chris’s roommate."

Your legs almost buckle beneath you. "What? You want me to hide out in the same room as your boyfriend? With one of the guys hunting me down?"

"Of course! That's why I picked him! Think about it!" Abi says. "You’re going to have to share a room with someone anyway, and this way you'll be right under Chris’s nose, where he'll never suspect. I mean, Jesus fucking Christ, two people have already impersonated me and stuck their tongue down his throat, one of whom was a guy, and he still didn't pick up on it."

You must have still looked skeptical, for she walks over and cups you under the chin. "Stop. Worrying. And get out of that mask, pronto."

You comply with a grimace. Laying yourself out on the cold, hard floor, you grasp your face. But you can't resist giving Abi a parting shot before knocking yourself out.

"Oh, and I’ve played squash as you," you remind her. "Sorry to be the one to break it, but Kelsey Blankenship is better." You pull your face off before she can reply.

***

What the hell am I doing following Abigail Steiner into a basement? you groggily wonder. Nice one, Mark, thinking with your dick again. Although if she sucks me off at least it’ll be worth it. Ah, shit. There’s some other kids down here. It actually is some charity bullshit like she said.

"Wake up, Mark." You open your eyes to find Abi leaning over you, her hair draping into your face like a soft curtain. She smiles, lowers herself, and kisses you softly. "Hey there."

You return the kiss, feeling warm and tingly all over as you remember Mark’s afternoon. Abi came up looking for Chris to help her with some church table tennis league, then asked if you wanted to help. And, given you’ve had a raging hard-on for Abigail Steiner for years, of course you said yes. You were hoping for more. You've accidentally walked in on Abi and Chris twice, and after the second time, Abi made a point of coming over to tease that you should have asked if you could join in. Was she serious? God, you hoped so!

"Hey," you say, your voice trembling a little.

Abi pulls back and laughs. "You sound just like him." She stands up, and puts out a hand to help pull you upright. You find you’re fully clothed, save the jacket, and you wonder who dressed you. Your golem smiles sourly, and gives you a grudging thumbs up.

"Well," you grunt back, "I'd better sound like him if I'm going to be him."

You rifle deeper into his memories as you sit up. Fuck, he really is Will Prescott 2.0. You’ve got similar interests, similar levels of academic ability, similar difficulties with girls. If it wasn’t for the fact Mark is on a few sports teams – sport at Xavier’s is compulsory – and has massively more money, you could almost be interchangeable.

But Abi has said Mark is just a stepping stone to better people and places, so it doesn't much matter anyway. "So, the next step is to make more masks, right?" you say. "You did get the book back from Kristen’s little hiding place, didn't you?"

Abi grimaces.

"Actually, no," she says. "I was holding off telling you until we got back to Xavier’s. But—"

You wait with a sinking heart for her to finish the sentence. When she doesn't, you prod her with a "But what?"

"The book wasn't where you told me it would be. Are you sure Kristen gave you the right location?"

Next: "Making Your Mark" 

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