The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

The Toughest Girl Around

Previously: "The Master Planner" 

(by rugal)

"I'm sorry Mrs. Garner! I wasn't watching where I was going and--"

"Oh, Chelsea, don't worry about it," Mrs. Garner interrupts you with a warm smile. "I was in a bit of a rush myself so I'm sure I could've been paying better attention to my own surroundings. How are you enjoying the evening, by the way?"

"I'm really enjoying myself, thanks!" you chirp.

"Well, it's nice to see. I don't think you've been around since the beginning of the school year."

"You know how it is," you say with a bit of a forlorn edge to your voice. "Our schedules rarely line up. I didn't really expect that we'd be so busy as seniors."

Mrs. Garner offers you a sympathetic look. "It can be tough but I do hope we're able to see you a little more," she states before laughing. "Oh look at me, getting wistful and holding you up. You should be downstairs with the other girls."

"It's fine, I definitely hope to try and find some time to come around in the future," you reply sweetly. "Thanks for hosting us."

You turn as you hear the bathroom door opening and closing behind you. You have the blank mask in your purse and you consider using it on the Garners' mother but you quickly dismiss that thought. From Chelsea's few interactions with her, Mrs. Garner is a pleasant woman who's very charming and easy to like. For the first time in a few days you're able to separate your personality from Chelsea's just enough to be shocked: would she actually feel bad about victimizing Mrs. Garner like this?

Well maybe a bit but really it's more logistical. You'd have to wait for her come back out and then wait for the mask to copy her. It'd take too long and leave everyone wondering where you went or what youre doing so it'd just be way too much of a hassle.

So you head back down to the where everyone is gathered to rejoin the group. There is a bit of tepid sympathy directed your way and you give weak smiles and responses that eventually become livelier as the evening wears on. Talk eventually shifts from you and Gordon however to Hannah.

Very quickly you learn that Anita and Stephanie do not like Hannah. You'd known Anita had been having issues with her but knew nothing about Stephanie's. She doesn't go into the reasoning and while Chelsea is pretty observant Stephanie is guarded enough that you have trouble picking up just what her issue is. Anita, by contrast, is much easier to read: it's Hannah's attitude she doesn't like, specifically the way she's come in like a bulldozer.

Though you don't care too much the petty dramas of the soccer team it is a small fire that has the potential to spread so you'll need to address it down the road, probably once all of this business with "Gordon" and the marijuana is dealt with. It's that bit of future planning, in addition to them being tough athletes, that plays a part in your narrowing it down to the two of them. Both are also close to the Garners and so their identities might be useful down the road in winning them over to your side.

From there you quickly zero in on your target.

* * * * *

Your opportunity to grab Anita presents itself when things have died down a bit. The twins and Stephanie went off to their room for a bit to talk about something a little more privately leaving just yourself, Anita and Yumi. Then Yumi decided that she needed to use the bathroom so now it's down to the two of you. Even if you hadn't already made up your mind on her then it seems as if fate, if you wanted to believe in it, has.

"I didn't realize that Hannah was such a problem for you guys," you tell her in an attempt to break the ice. Not that you truly care to any large degree but you'll need to get her comfortable. Any attempt to spring the mask on her otherwise could be as disastrous as if you tried it on Patterson or Chen.

"I don't even know if she's trying to be," Anita replies. "She was battling for the captain position with Jenny Taylor last year and... do you know Jenny?"

"I know of her," you answer which is true. Anyone of any importance at Westside knows Jenny and her soccer captain boyfriend Kyle Lakewood. They're a power couple to match even Chlesea and Gordon which is why Chelsea, naturally, is glad that they go to different schools.

"Mhm, well Jenny's real good and Hannah's just about as good," she continues. "So she's already coming here with an ego a tnd then she lands Marc as a boyfriend and it's like... that's what's so frustrating with her. All the talent in the world and--"

She's cut off by a mask being jammed in her face. Thankfully she was absorbed enough in what she was saying, plus the fact you're hidden by the low lighting and heavy shadows of dusk, to never see it coming. You wait impatiately as the mask does its thing checking for any sign of any of the other girls coming back. Thankfully, however, by the time they have made it back the mask is back in your purse, a fresh copy of Anita Nuevo's face and mind copied directly onto it.

* * * * *

You're jolted awake by cold tile and quickly, though groggily, push yourself up to your feet. You're in a bathroom and... this isn't the Garners' bathroom. It's certainly not your bathroom either. This bathroom is big, bright and fancy. It's a bathroom that belongs to... you think hard and only one name comes to mind.

Chelsea Cooper.

You were talking to her about Hannah and then you passed out. Now you're waking up here. But why would you be in Chelsea's bathroom, of all places? You barely even know the girl so it's not like she'd invite you to her house. So what happened?

Then it starts to come back to you, your head beginning to clear from the fog. It's because you're not really Anita Ines Nuevo Ruiz (you can't help to think that the name is a mouthful), but you're really... Chelsea Cooper? No, of course not. But even without her mind thingamajig, you feel that you can draw on her personality easy enough; like a method actor who's mastered a role.

However you didn't put on Anita's mask to pontificate about things like that but rather to get used to the idea of being Anita. You don't intend to be her for long, merely long enough to do what you need to do, but Anita's body is not Chelsea's. It's shaped different. It feels different. You'll need to thus be comfortable inside of it if you want to do what you plan on doing without screwing up.

So what is Anita Nuevo's body like? In a word, strong. You look to the mirror above the sink and study yourself. Your skin is very tan, your eyes squint with an intense hardness. Your hair, a deep chocolate color, is thick and wavy and falls past your shoulders. Anita is not an unattractive girl, not even close, but she's certainly not one of the great beauties of Westside like Chelsea is.

She's only a smidge taller but is much stockier and brawnier. Her shoulders are broad, her arms and legs strong. Could you fight off someone like Chen if things went south? You're not sure but with Anita's body you certainly feel like you'd at least stand a chance.

And with her personality? You close your eyes and allow yourself to sink into it.

Fucking Hannah, is the first thought that comes to your mind. If she learned to take a step back then everything would be fine. But she has to start trouble, has to start saying how she should be captain and rallying support. That's why I want to wring her neck even if Stephanie thinks humiliating her would be better.

Her thoughts come fast and hard. No nonsense and no minced words. If Anita could get away with it she'd kick Hannah off the team in a heartbeat but she's too good so it'd likely just cause problems with the rest of her clique and that'd be a real problem.

Tara Weston, her biggest toadie, is probably the best goalie in the county. Then there's Gabriela Costa who's never gotten along with Anita and has probably been looking for any excuse to dump her. As for Katrina Schwarz... Anita can at least respect her for doing it out of a belief in Hannah giving a stronger chance to win than out of crass self-interest. Katrina also does a lot of work with the JV team of which Anita's cousin is co-captain.

That said, she's not one to allow herself to be pushed around and if this goofy shit Stephanie's cooking up actually can scare off Hannah...

You brace yourself against the sink as you allow Anita's thoughts to wash over you. Yeah, you made the right choice because she doesn't play around and she's strong enough to back it up. You now feel much better about your chances of being successful in your ambush.

* * * * *

It's late morning and you're standing by the entrance of gym dressed in a loose t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Right now, you've got three main suspects regarding the theft: Steve Patterson, Jason Lynch and Gary Chen. The one at the top of your list is who you intend to use the band on. From Chelsea's phone you'll send a message saying Anita told her last night that she wants to talk to them and that you're setting up a meeting at the school gym.

So now you've got a decision to make. You nor Chelsea nor Anita are gamblers by nature but you'll have to take a risk all the same. The question is, who do you take that risk on?

That's all for now.

*
"Table of Contents (Vol. 2)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)"