"This feels so much better," you mutter to yourself as you quickly run hands over Coach Acuna's body. Not that Gail's body felt bad but by this point the Coach's is far more comfortable... and equally comforting and discomforting. Comforting because there's a familiarity that you now associate with wearing it, discomforting because it's the mask that started this whole mess that turned Shelly Nolan into a statue and landed you in a situation you're not totally comfortable with in an attempt to help her.
And you do make sure to insist to yourself, as you put on the tracksuit and other clothing that's been stashed here for Coach Acuna's mask, that you're only helping Vee to help Shelly. You barely want to admit to yourself that you're as concerned with saving your own ass and you certainly don't believe you actually care about what Vee wants. This is a partnership of convenience and nothing else. The first step of course is getting the mask onto the right person to get close to Alex and fortunately as you're finding out now that you're in her mask, Coach Acuna gives you an easy in.
As it turns out the Coach and the Santos family attend the same church and through that attendance have become good friends. So Coach Acuna swinging by the Santos residence for a chat would in no way be out of the ordinary. And that's just what you plan on doing as you take the smartphone Vee left you and shoot a text to your golem doppelganger telling him to get the truck running because you're coming out.
You'd had to contact him to get a ride over to the church as though Vee left you with money it was all in cash so you had no way to Uber over and once you're back outside you say nothing but tell him to head to an address that, on his phone's map app, points to a neighborhood off of Filmore.
"So what are doing?" he finally asks being the first to break the ice.
"I already told you, going to that address," you answer.
"Okay but I mean what's the point?"
You grunt. "None of your business and it's better if you're not totally clued in anyway," you tell him as you stare out the window. "Just drive there and stay in the truck until I tell you to leave. No, wait," you interrupt yourself, "actually just take off after dropping me off. It's easier that way."
"Well I think that it'd probably be easier if I knew what was going on!" he exclaims with a slight whine in his voice.
"It's for my safety as much as it is yours so zip it," you tell him in frustration.
The ride out to the Santos home is silent the rest of the way.
* * * * *
You knock on the door and wait. It's a minute or two before you hear a lock click and the door swings open. What greets you is a girl with an oversized sweater and a thick bob parted and divided neatly between her natural black and a lighter shade of purple. And though looking a little bleary her face -- with its button nose, large lips, thick eyebrows and mischievous eyes -- is as cute as it seemed in the pictures you'd looked at.
That bleary face soon turns to one of surprise.
"Coach!" she exclaims sharply. "Wasn't expecting you."
"Well, you know," you shrug, "I was just in the area and figured I'd drop in and say hi." You give the girl a warm smile. "Are your parents around?"
"Out," she says with a slow hesitation. "It's a late lunch thing. I think. Sorry."
"Oh no, don't worry about it," you reassure her. "Actually I was wanting to talk to you. Mind if I come in for a minute?"
"Uh, sure?" the girl says as she steps aside to let you in, closing the door behind her. "So what did you w--"
She never gets a chance to finish completing that thought before you've smashed the mask into her face. But you have no idea when Isabel's parents are going to be back so no way can you wait and do a transfer here. Instead you figure that it's best to do it in the girl's room. Unfortunately that girl is currently passed out on the floor of her living room. Thankfully Coach Acuna's taken some safety courses and, though it takes a bit of work because she's complete dead weight, you're able to get her in a fireman's carry position, get her into her room, dump her on her bed and lock the door as you wait for the mask to reappear.
* * * * *
"Oh god, oh lord, please..." The golem that looks like Kristen Wright-Wallace is practically hyperventilating. "D-don't... don't do anything to me! Please!"
"Like what?" you say and though you only move to sit on the bed the golem still flinches.
"I... I don't know," she says with terrified exasperation. "Hit me or... or capture me? Kill me?" Her eyes widen when she says that. "Oh god no, please don't kill me!"
"I'm not going to kill you," you sigh as you grab the clothing that Vee had used when smuggling you out and toss it at her. "I just want you to put that on and then get out of my sight."
Kristen looks at the clothing first with an element of disgust but when she looks and sees you glaring at her it disappears and, with a look of fear, slips it on. She's quiet, outside of whimpering, for moment before she gets up to leave. "Wait," you call out to her causing her to stop with a start. Slowly she turns around to face you.
"Y-yeah?" she asks nervously.
"Where do you think you are?"
She looks at you for moment and then looks around the room, a look of confusion on her face. In defeat her shoulders slump as she looks back at you. "I don't know," she admits. "It doesn't look familiar."
"Good, that's what I was hoping," you reply. "What about me?"
"You don't look familiar either."
"I mean who do you think I am? Who do you think I really am?"
"Who are..." Kristen stops herself and you see the gears in her head start to spin. Who could you really be she wonders. It seems to come to her as you see her face light up. "Will? You're... are you Will?"
"Got it one go," you state.
That seems to cause a new sense of panic for her. "Ohgodohgodohgod, Will! I'm... I'm sorry! It wasn't... it wasn't me doing that stuff to you," she pleads. "It was Abi! The mask of her! It was influencing me to do all that and.. and.."
"Look, look," you say with annoyance as you raise a hand, "I'm not about to do anything to you, I just wanted you to know that I've switched."
"Why? Is that who you're going to be?"
"No," you tell her, "and I'm not going to tell you either. But I know what's going on with Vee and I'm on her side so I want you to tell her that I've switched. I'll get in touch with her about the specifics later."
"Why not just tell me?" asks Kristen.
You grunt. "Because I've noticed an exploit in Vee's program," you answer, "so I want to keep things largely between me and her. Anyone else, even you, and this could become very bad." With that you fish out the money you have left and practically toss it at her. "I called a cab before you showed up and it should be here right about now. Take it, get out of here. Go back to St. Xavier's and talk to Vee. Just make yourself as scarce as possible as fast as possible."
Kristen gulps but doesn't argue and instead nods and practically dashes out the front door. You quickly close it and make sure it's locked. Then you lay back onto the bed and pull off Coach Acuna's mask.
* * * * *
You put on the finishing touches by taking the small little black necklace -- almost a choker but not really big enough for that -- with the equally tiny crescent moon that hangs from it and placing it around your neck as you head out the door. It was something you picked up for cheap but it's a cute little accessory that you like a lot and find it works with most of your outfits.
Although your fashion sense is a little more eccentric as currently you're wearing an oversized striped sweater that looks like your dear abuela's couch over a pair of ratty old jeans fashioned into short jean shorts by hacking off most everything below the pockets and a pair of high top Chucks it works for you. You tingle a little bit as the late afternoon autumn air is starting to get just a little crisp and you like the way that it feels on your bare thighs.
The thought of it and how nice it feels actually makes you giggle a little bit while you wait for Alex to arrive since she'd messaged you a few minutes ago saying that she was on her way.
Yeah, you don't have the style of Rae Caldwell but that's okay because you're not trying to be Rae, you're trying to be you... or rather you're trying to be her: Isabel Maria Santos León. Izzy, as the girl prefers to be known. You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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