“Bestie!!” You feel Cassie’s nude body tightly hugging yours, her breasts squished with yours. (You feel that Cassie must hate clothes, and if society wasn’t so anal about nudism, she’d embrace it.) “Congrats!”
You hug her back, and for good reason. You’re free from your binds.
That doesn’t mean you’re entirely free. For one, you know you’re wearing a skin (and a woman’s one at that). You’re still at one of the rooms – you easily recognize them. And you’re naked, lacking any clothes.
But you’re no longer bound by ropes, or at the bed. You’re standing, hugging your only friend in this ordeal. You just woke up, of course, after last time’s job. (You could say “yesterday” but you no longer know how long it’s been.)
You were still bound, dealing with a “client” as sleazy as the others, but you never saw Tessa as happy with the results. That’s when she told you the news. “I want you to attend a client tomorrow. You’ll wait for him at the living room.”
It took you a while to register it, but when you asked if that meant you were free, she laughed. “In a way. I’ll let you move around the house, of course. But if you try to get out the door?” She points at your body and grins. “I will know.”
“Why are you letting me off the ropes, then?”
“Because what you did with Bergman was a work of wonder.”
It wasn’t that difficult. The moment the bastard said you had “the prettiest doe eyes I’ve ever seen”, you fluttered them like butterflies. He suffered from the same weakness as the rest – a taste for nubile, underage girls that could be their daughters.
But when he bragged about his connections to one of the aldermen, you figured you could make him talk. And you were right. The moron never realized he was being filmed, recorded, spilling his ties with the city government while showing his depravity.
By the end, you were bruised, battered, yet not humiliated. Perhaps it was not the daring and righteous thing to do, but his confession will ultimately sink him – even if it’s currently in Tessa’s hands. It was a terrible humiliation, but a small victory nonetheless.
It was this stunt which, you feel, led to Tessa making that decision. And thus, here you stand, free from your bonds, but not from your predicament. You must still work for her – serve her, rather – and help her with her plans.
But you’re still sore about that, and because of it... “I don’t feel like celebrating.”
“Why not? You’re telling me you want to stay on that bed? I mean – if it’s that comfy, you do you, but--”
“That’s not what I meant!” you whine. “I’m not exactly free.”
“If I can stretch my legs after being trapped in there for...” You see her pause, then shake her head. “You get the idea.”
“Cassie?” You feel bad to abuse of her freely-given friendship – or your newfound persuasion skills – but you know she knows. “You wouldn’t lie to me, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course not! But--”
“And you wouldn’t hold anything from me, would you?”
You see her wince, stepping back. “Uh... no.”
“How long have I been here?” You grab her hands and stare her at the eye. “I know I’ve been here for a long time. Maybe two weeks, but since I was forced to sleep--”
You see her squirm. “Uh... you’re...” She snaps her hands back, flinching. “A... bit off.”
“How off I am?” You see her stay silent, forcing you to pressure her. “Cassie? You told me you wouldn’t--”
That breaks her. “Alright, alright! I said I wouldn’t hold anything from you, but I don’t wanna hold you back! ‘Cos I know that, if I tell you that you’re off by at least twice that time.”
“At least?”
“You’ve been here for more than a month, alright!? And I know that’s gonna shock you--” (And she’s not lying – a whole month!?) “--and that means the next question you’re gonna ask is whether your mom-dad has been here, and since I can’t lie, but I know you’re not gonna like the answer--”
“I’m not gonna like you holding that info for me, so come clean. What’s up with Dad?”
She moves away, mumbling. “I’unno.”
“Cassie?”
“I don’t know! Like, I haven’t seen her, Mom doesn’t wanna tell me, Barbie doesn’t know a thing, and I dunno what’s your phone number, so I can’t call ‘em!”
“I can tell you.” But do you want to?
“Look - I know this sounds bad, but maybe it isn’t? No news is good news, don’t you think?”
“You’re still hiding something from me. I know it.”
“Bestie, I wouldn’t! I know you wanna know about your family, but I don’t know a thing! And I know that if you ask Mom, she might not tell you, so I figured--”
“Alright, Cassie.” You grab her chin, rub it tenderly, and smile. “It’s alright. No need to worry.”
But you’re deceiving her. You’re confused. Your dad said he’d do everything to rescue you, but it’s been a month (over a month?) and there are no news from him.
Judging by how Tessa “convinced” you to work for her – a forced punishment for killing a bastard, trying to gaslight you into being your fault, then sleeping with you as a “reward” – you're afraid your dad has been equally convinced. Perhaps not punished – just arm-twisted – but still gratified.
But what if it’s something else? What if your dad, knowing you also betrayed him, decided to forget about you?
--
Being free from the bonds doesn’t help. The client you had to attend is a pig, just like the others. You still had to sleep with him at the end – demeaning you, though he liked your teasing. You’re nothing to him. And, sadly, he’s a nobody, which means you can’t “buy” your way away from the slut you portray.
No. The slut you are. The slut she made you be.
It’s hard to enjoy being her when realizing your grim reality. A shame, since she’s pretty – short, messy black hair, sharp features and a wide, devilish grin. She’s slim, with subtle curves but not the kind you’d have otherwise dreamt of. If she had a couple less pounds of fat in her body, she’d be ready for a supermodel life. Maybe she was training to be a supermodel. Maybe she wasn’t.
You can’t know, because you lack her memories. (You often get zapped with a second pen shortly after waking up, giving you their memories.) You inspired yourself in Gabby, the second skin you wore – a girl in her twenties looking like she’s 16 – for your acting, but you gave her your own spin, giving her a tomboy attitude.
You take solace in the fact you’re not hearing her. It’s horrifying to feel their confusion as yours; it’s impossible not to detach from their muddled cries when you also suffer. Though you can talk to them (like you would to an imaginary person), it’s not like it does anything. They’re not the real deal.
At least, if you’re to believe Tessa. She has a pen that lets you create clones – like she showed you back then. She claims she copied some of the most beautiful women in the city. And – judging by Cassie – she can awaken them. They’re not suffering the torment you do.
But maybe – just maybe – they do. It’s not like Tessa’s giving you enough reasons to believe that’s the case. She’s shown the slimmest regard for humanity. Why would she extend that to them?
Your only solace is in having Cassie on your side. You’ve pondered the idea, and now that you know she’s on her way, you’ll propose it to her – right after gorging on some Thai food she brought. “Cassie?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember that conversation we had? About me escaping?”
She stops eating, gulps the contents on her mouth, and nods. “Why? You’re planning to do it?”
“Pretty much.”
“You know Mom told you she’d know wherever you are.”
“I think I know how.” You rub your back, close to an unreachable, itchy spot. “She must’ve put something on my own skin, under this one.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I can feel it.”
“Hmm...” She stands up, checking your back. “Strange. I can’t see it. But...” She immediately takes her phone, fiddling with it. “Subcutaneous RFID tag.”
You know what an RFID tag is – it's what AirTags use – but you’re surprised Cassie knows about them. “How do you know about them?”
“Girl, I’m not dumb. I only act like one.” She checks your back again, sucking a lungful of air. “I think she added it to you while zapped. I couldn’t take it off without zapping you again.”
“But if you could...” She turns to meet you, and you look at her eyes. “Would you?”
She meets your gaze, gripping your shoulder. “Is that what you want?”
“I need to know,” you tell her. “Dad hasn’t come to visit me. I don’t know how long your mom’ll keep me here. And... I don’t like what I’m doing.”
She hunches, wide-legged. You notice her poise is no longer like Cassie. “Neither do I.”
“What?”
“I mean – I don’t like what Mom’s making you do. But I know she’s not happy with me. I’m no idiot like everyone thinks.”
“But, if you leave--”
She seals your lips, looking at you with mad confidence. “Dickie? She’s acting like my mom, but she’s not – fake or real. As long as I could feel comfortable living with her, it was fine. But you’re my bestie – and I won’t let my bestie be used in that way.”
“Then, that means...?”
“You want out? I’ll follow you. I don’t care. I already have all I want with me – my body, my memories...” She grasps your hands tightly and smiles. “My bestie.”
You’re glad Cassie’s on your side. But you don’t want to risk it. You don’t want her to suffer. It doesn’t have to be her burden to bear. But without her help, you might not be able to survive.
And it doesn’t have to be today. As long as Tessa suspects nothing, you can bide your time.
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