This choice: Have Lynch target Maddy's friends • Go Back...Chapter #47Final Places by: Seuzz   "You can get Tina Branson," you tell Lynch as you seal up David's mask.
His face falls. "Did you just pull that name out of your ass?"
"More or less. But she's one of the names on the list."
"Gimme another?"
"Sure. Natalie Dawkins. Lisa Rickover. Mandy Simpson--"
"I can't get close to them, not as Johnson!"
"Then we should go ahead and turn you into a golem."
His face twists in fear and anger. "You're doing this on purpose!"
"Of course I am. It's a test, like Patterson would give you, and you better not flunk it." You hand him David's mask. "Figure out a way to use this face to get close to them. But you can take tonight off, and go hang out with other new friends," you add, twisting the knife.
He mutters long and loudly under his breath before putting the mask on. You ignore him and concentrate on sealing up Joanna's mask so you can put it on Maddy.
* * * * *
After all those vibrating nerves you'd suffered while waiting for people to show up, you actually have to wait an inordinately long time for Joe and Maddy to appear. So long that you have to stick your head into the bedroom and bathroom both to tell their occupants to continue sitting tight.
When Joe and Maddy finally do show up, you bother with just enough small talk to cover the hijacking. "Maddy, you look adorable. Joe, how about you give her a hug for me?" She squeals as he puts his arms around her--and then you put her mask to her face so you can recharge it with her latest memories. "The fuck took you guys so long?" you demand as she sinks against Joe.
"She was busy with her friends," Joe says as he hoists her up and carries her over to the sofa.
"Is your charm as rusty your basketball skills? You couldn't get her away?"
"I was busy with her friends too." He grins. "And you said we had to be careful that people didn't run into each other out here."
Well, it finally ends with you getting one mask out of Maddy and Joanna's onto her; the golem isn't pleased with having to change in the living room, until you and Joe exit. You take Maddy's mask and clothes into the bedroom. "Finally," Carrie gasps, as though you haven't been doing a huge favor for her. While she's unconscious, you hustle the new David and Joanna Johnson out the door.
"Think you could deal with Maddy for me?" you groan at Joe as you collapse onto the sofa. "I'm so sick of girls."
"You must be feverish," he retorts. "I'd be in there helping her change if it was up to me."
"So why aren't you in there now?"
He stares, then hops to the bedroom faster than he was moving at basketball practice.
He's in there for almost fifteen minutes, and he and the new Maddy are looking quite flushed when they emerge. "Your brother is so adorable," the girl says. "I don't understand why he isn't taken." Joe grins over her shoulder and puts an arm around her waist. She reaches up and behind to ruffle the hair over his ear.
"My brother knows he's cute, and that's why he won't let himself be taken," you dryly reply. "He likes having lots of girlfriends."
"Then it's too bad I can't be lots of girls," Carrie replies.
You'd rather expected her to be very excited and silly and girlish in her new guise--a lot like Joanna was being as the old Carrie--and are surprised at how arch and mature she is acting. You are even more pleased at the opening she has given you.
"You know, there's no reason you can't be more than one girl," you tell her.
"What do you mean? Oh. You mean, I can switch back and forth being myself and being Carrie." She sniffs and shrugs.
"Yes, like that. But why limit yourself to two? We can arrange for you to be up to five."
That catches her attention, so much so that it robs her of speech.
"Absolutely," you continue. "Think of them as spare homes. You can have five people, and switch among them whenever you want. Joe would like that. One girlfriend with five different faces."
Joe grins.
"Who could I be?" Carrie asks breathlessly.
You shrug. "Give us a list. Ten names. We'll pick from them. Give 'em to Joe tomorrow." You'd prefer not to deal with her if you don't have to.
Later that night Ian passes along a mask of Straussler to you, along with a credit card he snagged off the richest kid in town. You give him Kyle Lakewood and Jenny Taylor as his next acquisitions.
That's it for the day.
Not until the trick-or-treaters start showing up do you remember that today, with all the mask-switching and body-jacking, was also Halloween.
* * * * *
Come Monday, your recruits seem scarce on the ground, and after third period you go looking for Joe, to see if he has gotten any names from Maddy. To your chagrin, he's not in the classroom he's supposed to be in. Instead, he's sitting in your second-period English class, slouching in one of the desks, staring vacantly at the chalkboard with a dazed expression on his face. "Looking for me?" you ask.
He looks at you blankly. "No. I'm waiting for class to start."
"I thought you had social studies second period."
"I do. See, here's my homework." He shows you a piece of paper. It has the names of ten girls on it. You snatch it from him.
"If you have social studies this period, what are you doing here in Katz's classroom?"
"I have Katz for class," he says defensively.
Snickers break out from the students around him; now you notice that they've been watching you and Joe with mirthful expressions. You pinch the bridge of your nose.
"Joe," you say in a loud voice, "do you have Katz for English third period?"
His mouth drops, and he looks around wildly. "Shit, I gotta get outta here!" He scrambles at his books and stumbles to his feet. "Can you turn that in for me, Frank," he asks, pointing to his "homework." "Thanks!" He runs out the room.
Chortles break out. You slip the paper into your own books and take the vacated seat.
* * * * *
Third period is a Spanish class, which means you will have to deal with Maddy. She is engrossed in her cell phone as you enter, but she glances up as you come in the doorway, and breaks into a huge grin. "Come sit next me, Frank?" She pats the desk behind her.
You slide in with a fake smile. "You're looking chipper."
Her grin is so wide it's frightening. She turns and actually lifts her breasts so they rest on the back of the chair. "How about we get together after school? Just you and me?"
"And Joe?" you ask warily (and wearily).
"And Joe," she says agreeably.
"Then it wouldn't just be you and me."
"Would you rather it just be you and me?"
"It doesn't matter, Maddy. If you want to get together--" Her cell phone makes a noise, and she whips it back into view. She gasps as she reads the message. "An earthquake over in E wing?" you ask dryly.
"Practically," she says breathlessly. "Oh my God, this switch--!"
"Shh!" Now she has to be excited.
She daintily covers her mouth with her hand. "I mean, it was just in time," she says in a harsh whisper. "Have you heard about David Johnson?"
Your heart does a somersault. "No. What?"
She leans forward. "He's decided to come out of the closet," she says gleefully.
You blink slowly, and then bolt from your chair.
* * * * *
Luckily, you know he has Mr. Howard's History class. From the doorway you beckon at David; he shakes his head. You beckon again, and he slowly gets out of his desk and comes over. You put your arm around his neck and lead him out into the hallway. You pat his shoulder encouragingly. "Is David really gay," you ask him in a low voice.
"Hell, no," he snorts.
"Then why are you fucking things up for him by coming out of the closet? Is Jason Lynch gay?"
"I'm trying to get to Tina," he mutters back.
"Does Tina have a thing for gay guys?"
"No. Well, I dunno." He continues over your interruption. "But they like gossip, right? So I went to her, said I wanted to talk to her about something important. Telling her I was a fag-- I mean, that David Johnson is a faggot seemed like a good ice breaker."
"Telling a girl she looks nice is a good ice breaker. Asking if she has Cussler for History is a good ice breaker. Telling her that you're gay--"
"But with these girls--"
"--is a really fucked up thing to do."
"It got me in," he says triumphantly.
You pause. "You got a mask of her?"
"Well, no."
"Then you didn't get in."
"But I'm supposed to get together with her and Alyssa and them, so they can figure out how to help me break the news to the rest of the school, my parents, the people at church--"
"The news has already broken!" You double your pace and march him out a side door, where you slam him up against a wall. "Maddy Caron knows! Maddy Caron--" You take a deep breath. "Maddy Caron, at least since yesterday afternoon, has major self-control issues. You might as well call up The New York Times as tell her that David Johnson is gay!"
"The Times doesn't care."
You punch the wall next to his head. "I mean you've just broadcast it all over the school!"
"So?"
Maybe if you got "Maddy" to move quickly on her friends you could cap this bone-headed play that Lynch has set up.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author