Chapter #13Direct confrontation by: Unknown “And what if I do neither?” Lucy's voice trills through the air, full of menace as you level the pen at Elena's form. The fortune teller's body turns around, a look of both amusement and surprise on her face.
“I'll call you back,” she says to the phone, ending the call and placing her hands on her mature hips. Her eyes narrow as she appraises you, a look of mild amusement playing on her lips. For a moment the world turns silent, the only noise your nervous breath and Elena's hoop earrings, swinging like wind chimes.
Then the palmist's hands, with their dramatic nails, begin to clap slowly. “Oh,” Elena's voice plays over the vowel. “Very good. Very good indeed. We picked a good candidate in you. You're smarter than you look; at least, you're smarter than that face you're wearing looks. So stay smart, and don't do that.”
“I'll do it,” you say, shaking a little. Adrenaline is coursing through Lucy's frame now. At least the imposter didn't even pretend he was Jimmy or Jessica or anyone else you know. No obfuscation, just business.
Elena's face smiles. “I really wouldn't. Honestly, David? You've made a mistake. The end result was going to be the same, but you've just missed a night of passion pretending to be that pretty young thing you left as. Nice choice of skin, by the way. I'd never have suspected her. Where did you switch? And are you still wearing Phoebe underneath?”
“The toilets, and I let her go. She has a life! You can't just treat people like this!”
Elena raises a quizzical eye. “No? Who's going to stop us? David, you have no idea how deep this goes. What the point of it is. The pen you're holding right now? Just the start. It's a cliché, David, but this really is about saving the world.”
“Bullshit. It's about getting your kicks being someone else.”
Your interruption brings a shake of the head. “A perk, not the point. Get in the car and I'll explain it all. I'd rather not discuss this in a carpark; Elena's robes aren't exactly the warmest choice of clothing, and I don't want anyone overhearing our little chat. Think about what anyone would see if they came upon us. Some chubby college girl pointing a pen at a fortune teller? It's going to look strange, isn't it? Might raise suspicions.”
You shoot furtive looks to the left and right. Elena's completely in control, while you feel as though your world is crashing down. You're in way over your head and you know it.
“Why should I trust you?”
“You don't have a choice. Think about it, David. You turn me into a skin, you'll never get any answers. What are you going to do, keep Elena's skin in your wardrobe? Throw it away and effectively kill her? Wear her, and abandon your own life? Let me go, or hold me hostage? You're out of options. And what are you going to do when the others come for you? You know there's more of us, you heard my call. One day you'll come home and your mom, or your dad, or your sister, is going to be someone else. Maybe they're already someone else. You didn't think of that, did you? Maybe we've been watching you for weeks, assessing you. Maybe one of us is under the skin of that tomboy friend of yours, Trish. You have no idea, do you?”
You thrust the pen out, trying to look threatening. Elena laughs.
“You're wearing a different face, but your fear's still all over it. If you shoot me now, you're going to be on the run for the rest of your life. You'll never be able to go home. You'll never get any answers. You'll be hunted for the rest of your days by an unseen force who can literally be anyone.”
“So can I.”
“Not as well as we can. Do you think it stops with two pens? Really, David? Don't you think we'd start a beginner with training wheels, first?”
Elena takes a step forward, hand out, beckoning for the pen. “And don't you think we'd protect ourselves against being turned into skins ourselves, somehow? So give me the pen and let's talk. Trust me, you're being recruited for something with a higher purpose. It's a great honor, one worth accepting.”
Elena's contradicting herself, her story shifting as fluidly as her appearance today. Already she's been three people, and none of them the true identity underneath. You're not getting answers, just hypotheticals. Your family has or hasn't been replaced. The pen will or won't work. The truth is you have no idea, but the questions have sent your thoughts into a tailspin. Lucy's flabby arms are trembling now.
It's fear.
Fear of just what this shadowy organization could do. There doesn't seem to be a limit.
You've only got two choices: You could go for the shot and spend the rest of your life in hiding. Elena's conversation has already betrayed the fact she has another pen: how else would she have restored Jimmy? If your pen really is just 'training wheels', you can steal her version of this 'C-Set'. You'd have to abandon your old life, though; either leave town and spend your life pretending to be other people, or live in hiding nearby as someone else, watching over your friends and family, never sure if it's really them.
That's assuming the pen works on your opponent. Firing it could be a death sentence.
Alternatively, you can drop the pen and accept Elena's offer. That way your family and friends would be safe and you'd get all the answers you could want. You're being recruited for something, which is both exciting and enticing; you'd enter a world that very few know about. But you also feel like you'd be making a pact with the Devil, entering into some unknown agreement for an unknown purpose. It's unlikely you'd get to stay in your current life.
Then there's the morality of it. Stealing someone's body and identity is the ultimate intrusion, and turning them into a costume permanently is, in effect, murder. It's clear that's what this organization is all about. Can it be justified? Where do you draw the line?
Whether you fire or not, your world is never going to be the same again. | Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
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