The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)

Flirting with Success

Previously: "Payday!" 

by Wordsmitty

You peel out of the parking lot and slip through traffic like a greased salamander around boulders. A siren blares behind as the black-and-white initiates its pursuit. Caleb's turning green, so you ease him over to lean out the window. Rule number one has always been "no puking in the car."

That would be stupid. There's no way you can escape a high performance cop car. Half the town's force will be heading this way from the all-points announcement of a runner in an old pickup leaving Monte Viso. You should just turn Caleb in. It's his phone anyway. They can't prove you did it. You can claim innocence. He just asked you to help today. You had no idea he was ...

"What oh fuck?" Caleb asks, bringing you back from a racing imagination, still nervously drumming fingers on the steering wheel.

"Um, that green SUV."

"Yeah?"

"Belongs to Alex's parents, the girl who bought the stuff for us."

"Bought the stuff for us?"

"How would you explain it?"

"I wouldn't. Too risky. Let's go. A cop and the parents. It's a trap to catch the crooks."

"What crooks? What trap? It's too obvious. If they want to catch us, they can trace your phone number."

"Oh, shit. I'm screwed. Should never have let you. Another lame-ass fuckup by Will "fuckup" Prescott. You've really fucked us now."

"We don't know that. It could all be coincidence. We need to scope it out and see what's happening before we panic."

"Panic? We're beyond panic. It's put-your-head-between-your-knees-and-kiss-your-ass-goodbye time. Where are you going?"

Caleb's too much of a freaked-out pussy. He's been antsy about the whole deal buying the stuff, and now he's worried about a cop and a parent. You've been in lots of situations worse than this and survived. Your instincts have always carried you ...

Wait. That's Alex's mind thinking. So was that potential car chase, evaluating options.

It's been her mind affecting you. She gave you the idea how to get stuff, and her memories guided you with the right information and how to set it all up. Her mind is now giving you the courage to get through this and succeed, using her experience from all those things she's done, and managed to come out, mostly, unscathed. This should be fine, too, if you let her guide you.

You wander towards the ticket booth then do a side step to look into the snack bar and picnic area. It's just normal kids doing what normal kids do late Sunday afternoon. A few are staring out at a cop talking to a guy that Alex's mind recognizes as her father. They're standing next to pile of rubble that you're sure used to be a windmill on the seventh hole. It's the same lady cop from the old elementary school, and she looks even hotter today. That's definitely not Alex's mind. They seem to be rather involved as they are taking notes, so you head back to the ticket booth to find Roxanne.

"Tornado hit the seventh hole?" you ask leaning on the counter as calm and confident as Alex herself would be. It seems that you're able to use or mingle any part of her mind and attitude for yourself, and right now you have no fear even as Will Prescott's emotions remain buried so you don't shake and sputter.

"Yeah, if you count it being some Eastman students who fell into it last night."

"That a parent of one of the kids over there? Trying to convince the cop not to press charges?"

"Nah. One of the"—she air quotes—"investors. Has to make an official police report for insurance purposes. He owns an insurance agency also. Likes to be hands-on when it comes to money, always tracking it. That's probably why he's kept the mountain of it he brought with him when he moved here."

"Must have been some really big guys to take out a windmill that size." You smile brightly at her.

"Eastman basketball team. They were horsing around when the new guys showed up. Blondie and Mr. Stoic. Joe kept badgering them for details on this girl they saw over in Acheson. The girl's brother and this other guy took offense and chased Joe under the windmill."

Your eyes and eyebrows had gone up. This sounds like the guys that were at the old school when you turned into that girl. Fortunately, Roxanne thinks your reaction is about the basketball player.

"I said he's a little crazy, and a lot dumb. There was a loud boom, and everything just crumbled. I guess they tripped or fell or something. Next thing you know, pile of pieces and bodies. Strange. You'd think it would just fall over."

"Quite the excitement. You're Roxanne, right?"

"Um, yeah," she offers looking at you suspiciously. "Oh! You must be the pickup for Alex."

"Right, if you're not too busy. Where should I collect it and when do you get off?" You can't believe that you flirted like that. She's decent looking, and Alex knows she's not attached, but what are you doing letting Alex's daring take over?

She chuckles but doesn't answer the last. "It's in the red hatchback on the other side of that green SUV." She points. "It's unlocked. I gotta stay here."

"Oh. OK. Do you need a receipt or anything?" Where did that stupid thing come from.

She laughs. "Did Alex tell you to say that? Sounds just like something she would do. What's she doing with all this stuff anyway?"

"Secret project, like everything else she does. I have no idea either. She just said make sure no one mentions it to anyone or even to her. She wants to think no one knows, and she'd be pissed at whoever let anything out. I'm suppose to leave it all at a clandestine drop spot and vacate the place, never to look back. You know how she is."

"Yeah. How do you know Alex, and can you tell me your name, or is that secret, too?"

"Name's Will." You reach out a friendly hand with your best smile. "The rest is a secret. Maybe for, later?" Damn Alex's mind got you doing it again.

As she lets go, she adds, "Not tonight, but you've got my number."

"Thanks for helping." You wink at her and can't help smiling as you saunter back to the parking lot, hoping Caleb hasn't soiled your truck along with his pants.

* * * *

You've stashed everything in the bowels of the theater where no one will find, and it really smells of bowels amplified. You think about ordering some gas masks, but decide against it. Besides it would take too long, and Caleb insists that you stop. No more taking chances.

With the new lights, you were able to find a staircase behind a door or the side of the stage that lead down to a set of small rooms under the stage. They were empty except for a little junk and lots of dust, but perfect with a couple still containing storage cupboards. They might have been dressing rooms when the place was first built as a vaudeville house. The door down took a bit to pry open and could easily be wedged shut for security. If someone did go down, the junk was piled in front of the cupboard. No one would find it without a lot of work and choking on the stench.

It was getting late and a school night, so you and Caleb lock up and head home. Since Caleb will be working again after school at Salopek, you and Caleb agree that you will find a couple fans to help clear the air in the new 'lab,' which sounded better to Caleb than hideout like you were criminals. Actually, you can get a couple from home since fall has cooled things down and they were put away in the garage until next summer.

You'll go in to school tomorrow as yourselves. Your task while Caleb works is to make another mask and mind thingie to replace his that you accidentally used on Sarah and Alex. Caleb did offer to help on your homework since you managed to salvage all the supplies, and that's good because you've really let it slide and need to get going on schoolwork before your dad grounds you and no more magic.

Or do you? Alex is really bright, and you can keep her mind in through classes and tests. No one would know just as long as you don't start scribbling in her handwriting. You’ve also not dug into her memories. Other than being a perverted peeping Tom, you should check what she was doing at the theater the night she surprised you. Hopefully, she won't be back.

Alex also knows some about the girl you first copied, enough that the story Roxanne told you about the windmill sort of makes sense. "Blondie" and "Mr. Stoic" must be Joe and Frank Durras, two brothers who showed up at Eastman at the start of the year and joined the basketball team. "The girl" they were asking about is probably Sarah White, and it was probably her brother, the coach, and Shawn Gregory that chased Joe under the windmill. It bothers you a little that the Eastman team is still hung up about the "girl" (you) that they saw at the old elementary school. But the "Alex" part of your brain is more interested in the implication that Shawn is dating the coach's freshman sister. That is pretty juicy.

Maybe that's why you start thinking that you might be able to get enough info to impersonate this Sarah person. You're friends with Yumi Saito, so that should be easy to setup to talk to her. Since (according to Jenny Ashton) she has a cousin at Eastman, that could enable you to arrange something where you could get to Sarah and get her mind so you'd have a full disguise. Actually, you wonder if you should try on the mask plus Alex's memories so you can act more like a girl.

Did I just really think that?

Next: "A Day in the Life" 

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