The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

The Wrong Things, Said

Previously: "The Power of Compound Interest" 

Karol Mathis has set aside four thousand in cash, but that leaves more than thirteen thousand more on the desk. He looks at you expectantly. "I need five hundred," you say.

He counts out five hundred in small bills and hands it to you. He again counts the remainder, and scrawls the amount—13,285—in bold numbers onto a bill pad like they use in cafes. He shows it to you, and you nod. "How much more will you be depositing?" he asks in a voice so soft you can barely hear it.

"Another two thousand, probably," you say.

"You're not growing the business," he says in a very off-hand way.

"I am," you protest. "I've spotted a seven hundred market I can go after. I just have to make sure it's actually there. Some of my regular guys might have to go a little short while I—"

"I'm not your board of directors, Chen," he says. "I don't want to know." He turns away in manner that tells you you've been dismissed.

So, now you don't have to worry about the real Chen getting his hands on a gigantic wad of cash, You've also disposed of all but four ounces of the monthly stash, and some of that will go to Evans tomorrow. You let out a huge sigh of relief as you get back into the Jeep.

* * * * *

That leaves you another hour for shopping for mask supplies before you have to be home for dinner. You barely slide in under the deadline, and Mrs. Chen's temper—already stretched past the breaking point by an argument with the nurse—isn't improved when you announce you have to head out to study with friends. "We've got a test coming up," you plead. "The material is kicking our asses—"

"Don't curse!" she shouts.

"We're all trying to figure it out."

She frowns fiercely. "I want to see your work when you get back. I don't want these boys wasting your time." Her eyebrows arch. "You are meeting with boys, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

"What happened to that cheerleader? Lin Pol?"

Christ! "It didn't work out, I told you."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!"

"Maybe that's why it wasn't a good date."

At last you manage to escape back to the elementary school. Caleb hunches his shoulders as you barrel in. "Did you have a look over the stuff for the next spell?" you ask.

"Yeah. It was a waste of time, you had it all translated good."

"Ha! Well, now that we know, go around tomorrow after school and pick the stuff up. In the meantime—" You set bags of mask supplies in front of him. "Take care of this, will you? I got homework to do."

"So do I."

"Not after tomorrow you won't. Well, not yours."

"Do you have to keep joking about it," he says as he empties the sacks. "Anyway, I'm not leaving Gardinhire in a hole. Physics and Stats," he adds when you ask him what the homework is.

"I can handle Stats for you. Maybe Physics too."

"You're kidding."

"I'm taking AP Stat now, you know. You're only taking—"

"Chen's taking AP Stat?" Caleb's eyebrows go up and down and side to side. "Oh right," he adds after a moment's thought. "Look at him."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means—"

Fortunately for Caleb, you're able to grab one of his arms before he can pull his eyelids sideways into slits. Doubtless he doesn't understand the enormous favor you've done by stopping him from making that gesture, for you'd be far more furious if he had succeeded in making it. As it is, he howls as you wrench his arm behind his back. "You think it's fucking genetics or something? Oh yeah, it's Chen, obviously he's a math whiz, probably a programming whiz too. Ain't no fucking way he can laid, though, 'cos—"

The anger swells mightily, but you catch yourself before it breaks over you, and release him. "Sorry man," you say in a trembling voice as your best friend turns hurt, resentful eyes on you. "The thing about these brain bands is— Well, part of what makes them such a perfect disguise is that the instincts sometimes don't wait for you before kicking in."

"I'm not so sure about that," Caleb says as he rubs his shoulder. "I didn't get carried away when I had your brain band on the other night, and I sure as hell didn't go out and molest any little girls when I had—"

"Ewww, don't talk about Leavey, okay? I dunno, maybe it's the combination of face and clothes and everything else. Look, lemme just do your homework for you, and we'll call it all good."

He grumbles but agrees. You get far enough that you're not in a hole when you get home, and can do the two hours of practice on the viola that Mrs. Chen did not forget you owed.

* * * * *

The next day dawns earlier than it ought to, thanks to a screaming fit from the old man. He's so bad—so physically argumentative—that he leaves no time for any of the family to get into a bad mood over him. In fact, his fit is so bad that both the Chens send you out to school early, even before they've finally dealt with him. You've a gnawing sickness in your stomach, for you wonder if they're preparing to do something to him that they don't want you to see.

You restock your hiding place in the library, then hunker down next to B wing with a cigarette to await customers. Your spot gives you an unobstructed view of the portables, so you can see quite clearly when Steve Patterson rounds into view, hustling a victim toward them.

That's funky, you think. Oh, not that Patterson should be taking a victim there, but he's not in pre-class basketball practice.

Then you notice the victim. It's Dane Matthias.

You shoot to your feet and toss the unfinished cigarette away. You remember Patterson threatening you when you were under Dane's mask. Has the new Dane unwittingly crossed the line Patterson drew with you?

They disappear around a corner; you move carefully around to get them back into view.

Patterson has Dane pressed against a wall. His back is to you, but Dane is turned in your direction, and even at this distance you can read the smoldering fury on his face.

He shifts to one side in a way that you recognize, but that Patterson won't. Time seems to slow: you jump forward, running toward the pair, but it's like your feet are caught in a mire. You've only take a few steps when Dane sucker punches Patterson.

The ballplayer staggers, surprised, and Dane follows with more blows. But Matthias isn't as strong as he needs to be, and Patterson is very big and sturdy. Matthias needs to push him to the ground, but he fails.

Then you're between them. You throw your entire body against Matthias, knocking him back against the wall, and with two fast, hard blows you double him over. Then you get behind him and get his arms locked. You feel the blows through Matthias as Patterson delivers them.

Then he steps back. "Get the fuck outta here, Chen," the ballplayer says.

"You sure?" you jeer. "Looks to me like you need some help."

"This is between me and him," says Patterson coldly. "You better hope I don't have to come looking for you."

You shrug as you release Matthias, who slips to the ground. "I'll be around the corner if you need rescuing again." You strut past Patterson, half-expecting a blow as you pass. But it doesn't come.

You watch from the edge of the first portable as Patterson leans back in over Matthias. By his face the latter still has a lot of fight in him, but he's too hurt to do anything. You can't hear any words that get exchanged, but you're sure Patterson is threatening Dane, the way he threatened you last week.

It disquiets you: Last week Patterson was warning Dane to keep away from Gordon, apparently under the impression that Dane had been getting Gordon high. Of course the captain of the basketball team won't have sobered up: it's still Dane under a mask of Gordon. So is Patterson just taking out his frustrations on the guy he blames for Gordon's sudden goofiness?

Or did he catch Dane talking to Gordon?

That's the possibility that chills you. "Gordon" tried talking to you when you were still wearing Dane's mask; it seems likely he tried talking to "Dane" after you'd moved on to Chen. If they're comparing notes ...

If Gary Chen realizes he's not the only one who thinks he's suffered a body swap ...

You're pulled out of these thoughts as Patterson strides past you. He doesn't say anything, or even look in your direction.

You look at Matthias, who is sitting on the grass, back against the wall of the portable. His face is drawn, but there's a smirk on it as he stares back at you.

You walk up to him, shaking your head. "Fuckin' stupid of you, Matthias, gettin' Patterson pissed at you. Dude don't take shit."

Dane just stares at you from under hooded lids. "How'd you do it, fucker?" he asks in a soft voice.

"Do what?"

"You know what. You're doin' pretty good, got everyone fooled, it looks like. Almost had me goin'. But there's gotta be, like, better assholes you can do it to."

A chill settles over you. So much for making him think he's just gone crazy. But there's no way you can confess anything to him. "Lay off the loco weed, Matthias. It's making you loco."

Next: "Deeper Holes" 

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