The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

Senior Secrets

Previously: "His Brother's Keeper" 

"I'll go back to Westside," you say. "You sound like you want Eastman to yourself."

"No, it's not that," Patterson says as he continues to work. "I just want you to leave these guys to me. There are a lot of good possibilities at Eastman, and I'll be scoring some for us." Still, you demur, and he sighs. "It would be easier if you stuck around as Jessica," he says, "but okay, I'll handle it. Call your double and get him out here."

"Doesn't he have to do what you say?" you ask.

That draws an exasperated glance.

"Don't be so pissy, Prescott. You'll find a couple of blank masks in the cupboard back at the VIP room. The combination is 41-3-32. Make another copy of yourself, and when we get together on Monday we'll rig it up so only you can use it. Then we'll get rid of the old one."

"Will you be letting me use the book?"

His mouth tightens. "I'll be keeping it with me. There's lots of stuff in it I need to study."

"What have you been doing all this time?"

Now his expression is icy. "Just call your dipshit duplicate and get him out here."

* * * * *

It's a complicated set of changeovers that ensues, but when it's done, you're back in your own skin and clothes, even though Jessica is still trapped under a mask that copies you.

"I'll go off and let Jessica out," the Joe-disguised Patterson says. "I'll get that mask back to you tomorrow, but you'll have to hide it or destroy it, even though it won't be any use except to anyone but me."

"A pretty good reason to get rid of it," you mumble under your breath.

He seems to catch your meaning if not your words.

"We're equals now, Prescott," he snaps. "Don't give me a reason to keep treating you like a foot soldier." You shrug and kick at the ground. "If you want something to do, go help Tilley with Yumi. Or go get together with Johansson. You'll find him at Javits's."

"What do you mean?" you ask.

"I told you," he sighs. "Johansson finished his jobs up yesterday. He's senior. He's pretending to be Javits. Get him to explain things to you, since you're being so stupid."

* * * * *

It's early evening by now, and you feel breathless, harried, worn out, and confused. Mostly, you'd just like to go home. But you want to get this "senior level" business sorted out, and you know you won't be able to relax until you do. You call Caleb's phone. "Where are you?" you ask.

"Home."

"Are you sure you're not at Seth Javits's house?"

There's a long pause. "Who says I'd be out there?"

"Patterson. He says you're off pretending to be Javits."

Caleb sighs. "Well, yes, technically. You don't know how weird it is to say that."

A shiver runs up your spine. "So, the guy I'm talking to now is a golem?"

Another long pause. "I guess," he grumbles, "and thanks for reminding me."

"Just being clear on things. Do you have Javits's phone number?" He gives it to you. "Thanks. See you at school tomorrow?"

"Depends. It might be a golem you send to sit next to me in first period."

You hang up without replying, which is rude, but it's just a golem. You call Javits. The phone rings a while, before he answers with a guarded but impatient "Yeah?"

"Hey man, I'm looking for Caleb Johansson. Is he there?"

These conversations are going to get tedious, what with all the silences that meet your questions. "Why the fuck are you looking for that homo here?" Seth asks.

"Don't bullshit me. You're talking to a senior member of the body swappers' club."

"Patterson?" he says, choking a little.

You briefly cover the phone with your hand as you laugh. "Yeah, sure. I need to talk to you. Can you turn loose?"

"Give me thirty minutes?"

"Okay. Meet me out at the old elementary school by Prescott's house."

* * * * *

"Fuck you," Seth snarls after you've confessed. "I had to send Cindy home!"

"What's the big deal? You can have her any time you want now, right?"

"Not like in the mood she was in. We were really getting affectionate, and she wasn't holding back for once."

"There'll be other times," you sigh. "Patterson said I should talk to you about all this senior level stuff."

He glowers at you. Seth Javits isn't a big guy, but he's taller than you, and has big shoulders. When he puts his hands on his hips you have the definite impression it would hurt if he hit you. "Fine," he snaps. "What do you want to know?"

"Where's the real Javits?"

"Under a mask, pretending to be me."

"But he doesn't know it, right? Because there's some special goop inside his mask?"

"You got it, so why do I have to explain it to you?"

"Because I wanna know if this is what the whole 'senior level' means. Down at the junior level, we could only sneak around as other people, and couldn't get caught. Are you saying now that we can actually ... replace them. With ourselves?"

"Yeah. You get your mask back from Patterson, and it'll have this stuff in it—"

"What kind of stuff?"

"The way he explained it to me, it's like a portable golem. It's like this shell made of the same stuff that golems are made of. You put it inside a mask, and then when you put the mask on someone, that shell closes around them and turns them into a golem. Then the mask disguises them as some other person. But because they're a golem, they don't know where they are. And they're under the control of whoever made that golem shell. Or something." He shrugs impatiently. "Patterson used some of my hair when he put the shell inside my mask. I guess that's how come the fake me has to be my slave."

"What happens if you take the mask off them? Do they stay a golem?"

"No, it's not like what we did to Richards. They go back to being themselves. Except they don't remember anything. The stuff they were doing while they were in a mask, I mean." He snaps his fingers at you. "Remember when you put on Richards' mask, and you didn't remember anything after I got it off you? It's like that for them."

You shiver a little at the memory, then scratch your cheek thoughtfully. "So, you get to be Javits for as long as you want?"

"Now you got it. Are we done here?"

"Is Javits's mask, like, your property? You own it?"

"No, it belongs to the team. We can share it, it doesn't have any of that shit in it. I picked Javits because, you know, Cindy. Also, you get to use any of the masks that anyone makes. Except, you know, the ones that are copies of other people. Why didn't Patterson explain any of this to you?"

"He was busy with other things. I helped him out this afternoon, helped him get a couple of Eastman people. I guess we'll have a club meeting tomorrow, and there's gonna be some changes. I think he's moving over there."

Seth stares. "Sweet!" he exclaims.

But then his face falls. "Except that'll leave us alone with Black and Lynch."

"Maybe they'll go off with Patterson." You suck a cheek in, and gnaw on it. "I wish I knew what was going to happen next."

"What happens next is that you get yourself a new face, a new identity." He waggles his eyebrows. "Cindy is available."

You flip him off. "I need to make a mask of myself first."

"Didn't Patterson set you up?"

"No. I'll probably have to wait until tomorrow afternoon."

He groans. "Then why don't you go home and let me get back to Cindy?"

* * * * *

Monday. "So what the fuck happened to you yesterday?" Keith's shrill voice is almost a scream as he punches your locker door with his fist. It's just before first period. "Where the fuck were you?" You keep your composure; you knew this scene would be coming. "I waited and I called and I waited and I called, and you never even called me back!"

"Patterson grabbed me for another job."

That catches him short, but only for a moment. "And how long did it fucking take, that you couldn't call me when you were done?"

"Late. Two jobs and then clean up."

He pales. "Christ, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you later. Maybe at the club meeting."

"And what kind of club would have you fuckers as members?" Tilley freezes at the sound of Seth Javits' voice. "Been too long since we've hung out, Tilley," he continues as he grabs Keith. "Let's talk." He winks at you as he drags the hapless Keith through the crowded halls.

* * * * *

Instead of meeting Keith at lunch, you go up into the VIP room and look through the cabinets. There are nearly a dozen masks to pick from: Eva and Jessica Garner; Lisa and Geoff; Anthony Kirk and Cindy Vredenburg; Laurent Delacroix and Kendra Saunders and Cassie Harper; Karl Hennepin and Maria Vasquez (the last two a surprise). There are also masks of Keith and Jason Lynch, but those are off limits.

While you're staring at the choices, your phone rings. "The fuck are you?" Keith shrilly demands when you pick up.

"The cafeteria." It is like a cafeteria of choices before you.

"The fuck are you eating in there for? I'm stuck here with this robot copy of Johansson, and it's freaking me out!"

"So go eat with Carson and them."

"He'll just follow me out to them."

"He'll follow if you come find me. Deal with it." You hang up, and ignore the rings when Keith tries calling back.

Who to be? Well, it depends on what you want, doesn't it?

For a start, do you want to continue hanging out close to Keith and Caleb (and the other club members) still? Or do you want to put some distance between you and them?

* To keep close to your friends: "New Bosses" 
* To get some distance: "New Bosses, Practically the Same as the Old Bosses" 

*
"Table of Contents (Vol. 3)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)"