The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)

Retrieval Mission

Previously: "Not the Girl He Thinks You Are" 

by Wordsmitty

You're tempted to let Robert go over, then notify the cops that someone broke the police tape, let him get picked up, and suffer the heat from Dad. Bust those other little suckers' asses also for spoiling your secret "operation," as Caleb called it. Fortunately, it only takes a couple seconds for your brain to scream an alarm. All your stuff is still there.

Well, not all. Caleb had kept the book so you can start over, but Robert's liable to recognize some things as yours. You need to recover them before he does, so you continue to dissuade him.

"If they keep going over there," you tell him, "folks will think you all must be involved and you'll get arrested, too."

"We're not stupid like the idiot they saw half naked running from the vending machine."

"You guys should go see a movie or something."

"You paying?"

"Don't you guys have money?"

"Maybe, but real life is better."

"Maybe I should tell Dad that you're going to break into a crime scene with some of your no-count friends?"

"Asshole, and I'll tell him about the porn that ..."

".. you keep under your mattress which is where he'll find it by the time he looks. You'll only see any electronics when you're sitting with Dad in his office. Be doing your homework there, too."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll go over to Shawn's first then to meet up, and I can have his parents call and vouch I'm there."

"Better do that then," you taunt as you walk away. "And don't use my bike, or I will tell."

"You never ride it any more anyway. Fuck you!"

"Sorry but you'll have to do that with one of your boyfriends."

It'll be at least thirty minutes before he can get to the Stephano's and then for all of them to make it to the old elementary school. You grab you phone and keys from your room, and the new mask for good measure. Maybe you had better ditch all this stuff with Caleb or find a place for it. Caleb is right that you gotta be careful and not leave it around.

* * * *

There's no police or guards or anyone outside as you slowly drive past, but the basement door appears to be closed. You hope it isn't locked. Or maybe you do—that would keep Robert and his friends out. But it would also keep you from getting in, and it could mean the staff has cleared out your stuff. Best case is that your things are safe for now, and you can try to get them some other time. Either way, you won't know until you check.

Caleb hasn't answered the text you sent before you left, but Robert is on his way, so you don't delay, and drive around to park in the main lot. There's a bunch of cars parked there, so your own truck doesn't stand out. As you jump out, a flash of blue from the passenger side catches your eye. The sun is bouncing off the mask that had slid out from under the seat where you stashed it. You start to push it back under, then change your mind and stick it under your shirt: If there's someone in the basement, like before, you can use it to knock them out.

Music and voices float from the community center as you circle back around to the basement door. It's an exercise class, and you see lots of gray hair through the windows. Fortunately, they are all looking the other way. Time's just a little after the hour, so they probably just started. The street is empty except a few overflow cars, and so is the playground. You angle downslope into the building's afternoon shadow. There's no lock on the door, but someone has tried to tie up the yellow strands of tape to useless effect.

The ceiling is booming with the bass of the exercise music, and sun streams in one window. It hits a chair in the middle of the floor, like an interrogatory spotlight, giving you the creeps. You wonder who put the chair there.

As you go round some filing cabinets, you freeze at a sound from deeper inside the basement. You peek around: There is someone there gathering up your stuff! It looks like a man about your size with curly hair, but then you thought that girl you copied was a guy in the dark down here. Good thing you brought that mask again!

Quietly you tip-toe forward even though the music can cover stomping up behind him. Carefully, you fumble the mask out as it starts to slide down into your pants, getting it palmed and ready. As you slowly move closer to knock him out, the music suddenly stops, the sunbeam fades, he looks at the ceiling, and your heart pauses for a moment.

* * * *

Having filled the bag with anything incriminating, you push it out a window in the back away from the door. Now you just have to retrieve the mask off his face and exit the same way. You'd propped a chair against the door in case Robert and friends had shown up and to discourage anyone else as well. So far there's been no one, but you don't want to chance going out that way. There's bushes at that window giving you cover, even maybe enough to leave the bag and pick up later, after dark. Whoever this is will take the fall for it all.

Sucker shouldn't have messed with our operation. This will show Caleb I'm not a dumbass fuckup, you think.

* * * *

"Shuuush. Quiet," you whisper, putting a hand over his mouth as he moans and starts muttering. Then he flails before his eyes pop open to see you.

"WHFFT TAH FAHK!"

At least he stops swinging his arms and kicking. He just glares at you, pushing your arm away.

"How was I to know? You didn't answer my text, so I had to take action before someone recognized some of this stuff!"

"I sent you a text that said stay away. I had it covered!" Caleb hisses as he gets up. "I was driving a few blocks away when I got your text, so I told the people up there I was here to pick up the stuff to donate like had been arranged. This lady didn't know anything and was busy trying to setup the senior aerobics class and get the ancient boom-box to work. I showed her how, and she was so grateful she just handed me the keys. I was going to show her what it was before I left."

"Ah oh."

"What do you mean, "Ah oh?""

"I, um, packed it in the bag and pushed it out the window, except for the chemicals and stuff."

"Great. Well, maybe I can take those and tell them I'll dump it somewhere safe."

"Yeah, about that."

"Now what?"

"I, sorta, poured them out around. Distributed the evidence, so to speak."

Caleb frowns before rolling his eyes and heading to the door. "You are a real, class one dumbass."

* * * *

Safely at Caleb's, in the garage, you find out why he was driving around and why you never got the text. He was out picking up the supplies needed for the next spell, and he managed not to hit send. When he looked, it was still waiting on his phone. At least you came away unscathed. Well, except for the scratch down your back from the window since Caleb made you go out that way because you shouldn't be seen coming out with him, and then he put the center's lock on the door.

"Maybe I should have left you on the floor of the basement as that girl," you tell him.

"Maybe you should have used it to squeeze out the window without getting hurt, or are her boobs too big to get through?"

"They're not. You can put it back on and find out." You hold the mask out to him.

"Why don't you? Show me how you played with yourself and then tried to get that guy to drive you somewhere private before you chickened out. Or did you?" He wiggles his eyebrows.

"Fuck you."

"Now you're talking. Put it on, and you can find out whether it's really so much better on the other side."

"Like you have experience to make that happen. More likely you'd demonstrate how guys always explode too early and she'd never reach climax."

"How about you do it to yourself then? Or have you already had a few practice sessions and don't know how to do it either?"

"I told you. I walked outside and got caught."

"So the first thing you did after getting into a girl's body is to walk outside? That sounds even more sick than checking it out."

"I checked it out!" His eyebrows go up. "Not like that, but I verified I had boobs and there was nothing left down below."

"How long did that take? Did it make you pass out again?" he chuckles.

"What would you do? We have the mask. You wanna roll around with your fingers up her cunt?"

"Don't you?"

Of course you do. Every guy does, except maybe those that don't. You just hadn't had time or opportunity, and you don't want to do it in front of Caleb, or, heaven forbid, with Caleb.

You think back to how it felt in her body. It was weird and the same all mixed together. Until you moved and saw your hands, you didn't really notice a difference. First was the weight and movement on your chest and that your shoes were too big, and then no pressure from your underwear holding your stuff. One quick grope of your chest and touching your crotch opening before you walked outside was all. You still aren't sure what drove you to do that.

"Yo, Will. Quit drooling and put it on, or do you want to work this next spell?"

"Huh. Oh, yeah. We can do that."

Next: "The Boy With Your Brain" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 1)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)"