The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)

Pretender to the Phone

Previously: "Imposters at the Improv" 

"We can get rid of Seth." Your voice is shaking with desperation. "Like we got rid of Marc."

"But he's coming right back!" Jessica protests.

"Not if we text him now!"

"Shh!" Jessica frowns past you into the studio, and you turn to find Cindy casting an irritated look back at you. Jessica grabs you by the ear and yanks your face back around toward hers. "If Seth finds his girlfriend knocked cold on the floor," she growls, "and us standing over her—"

"So we'll lock her up in your workout room," you hiss. "That way he doesn't find her!"

Jessica gapes at you. Then she glances back into the studio.

"Fine," she spits as she hauls you by the elbow over to the next bay. "But you have to be the one on the phone, telling her boyfriend to haul his ass out of here. You know them better than me and Mike do!"

Almost you change your mind, but she's already pulling up the sliding door to the workout room. The light springs on. Just inside the doorway is a crate, off of which she twitches something. "Keep watch," she orders as she exits. "Yell if Seth starts coming back."

You wedge yourself in the unit doorway, to watch the far end of the corridor. Your heart pounds hard and your skin crawls with fear. You jump at a sudden quick, sharp cry from the other unit—sounding like surprise—and then a masculine voice shrieks, "Catch her!" followed by a curse. You glance back to see a pale-faced Eva Garner peering around the corner at you with wide eyes. "Coast clear," you assure her. She snarls at you, and disappears.

A moment later a short, a heavily laden parade shuffles into the hallway, consisting of beta-Mike and beta-Carlos carrying an unconscious Cindy Vredenburg between them, with Eva and Jessica offering half-hearted support. You step out of the way to let them pass. In the workout room there's a short, muttered conference before they lay the girl on the workout bench. Beta-Mike and Beta-Carlos cast black looks at you.

"Here." Jessica slaps a cell phone into your hand. "Get on it. If Seth comes back, we're blaming it all on you." She and the others start to leave.

"Wait, what do I do with her?" you squawk, nodding at Cindy.

"When the mask shows up on her face again, come get us," Jessica says. Eva adds, "Assuming Seth hasn't ripped your own face off and fed it to you." The quartet march from the bay, and with sulfurous mutterings Jessica yanks the door down with a clang, leaving you alone with Cindy.

And with her phone. With trembling fingers you open up her messaging app—thank God the phone itself was still unlocked—and search for Seth's number. Luckily, it's near the top.

Your mind is blank for a moment; then you remember what Cindy had said about her and Seth meeting up with Darren Green and a girl. Cold fear drapes you as you start to type a message.

U go meet darren n them, you thumb in. I get ride w Eva n J. Your heart somersaults into your throat as you hit "Send."

For a long frozen moment you stare at the screen, waiting for a reply. When none comes, right away, your ears start to prickle as you listen for footsteps in the hall. But it's no relief when a series of dots appears at the bottom of the screen, indicating that Seth is replying. If anything, you start to feel queasier.

Are they coming too?

Yes think so probly You almost throw up with fear as you send the reply.

Dots appear almost instantly. Then: Why not ride with me?

No room for all us.

No they drive them. You go with me.

You make a face as you feel your brain seize up. No better this way.

There's a long pause from the other end, and you pass the time—as a prickling nausea crawls up and down your gullet—by flicking backward to review earlier texts in the thread. You frown, knowing that there's something about them that bothers you. But not until a series of dots are showing again do you realize what it is. Cindy writes her texts in complete words and phrases, not the broken, rat-tat style you favor. The realization almost causes you to throw up in your panic.

This supposed to be double date not hen party, Seth says.

I want to talk to Eva and Jessica about this, you type. It feels like an agony. I want them to come.

During the long hiatus that follows, you quickly reread the earlier texts in the exchange. They set your pulse pounding, for they sketch an unhappy drama between Seth and Cindy over their nightly plans, with Seth pleading and cajoling Cindy into going on a double date with Darren Green and Sophie Van den Berg.

Seth: Hey, I told Darren and Sophie we'd meet them for supper at La Cocina, okay? Cindy: Thanks for making plans without me. Seth: I thought we were going to La Cocina anyway. Cindy: I thought just us. Why Darren and Sophie? Ew. Seth: Darren wants wingman/couple. Cindy: Double ew. No. Seth: It's all set up. Cindy: So unset it. Or go without me. Seth: You like Darren. Cindy: I don't like Sophie and I don't want to be wing couple. Tell him to take Steve and his whore for tonight. Seth: It's just dinner. Cindy: Give me an iou then Seth: Ok. Iou. Cindy: Pick me up 5:30 but I'm not getting dressed up.

You glance back at Cindy, in her t-shirt and sweat pants. You certainly didn't get dressed up, you think.

With this background, you feel a tiny bit more confident when Seth finally replies: Come out here and let's talk about it?

Nothing to talk about Seth, you reply while holding your breath. I changed my mind staying here with Eva and Jessica. Go be Darrens wingman yourself.

But almost as soon as you sent it, you know you've miscalculated. Then you and me go someplace by ourselves I done here. I want be with you not Darren and Sophie ew, you quickly add.

Another long pause. Can you come out and we talk about it?

Busy now with these guys. You should go I'll get them drop me off meet you later.

What do I do while I wait?

With growing confidence you write: Go meet Darren and Sophie. Tell them I'm coming but have to change first. Will get them to drop me off. Then you and me go off just us. After sending it, you scroll frantically back to find some favorite emojis of Cindy's, and append—though it almost makes you throw up again—some kissing and heart emojis.

Okay I'll do that, he replies after a long silence. But this cancels iou. You reply with a thumb's up and a Love you see you later.

You are almost faint from terror and anxiety as you let the phone drop from your numb hand. After a few fearful moments, you raise the door to the bay, and trot down the corridor to peer out. There are two white trucks visible through the glass door, and it takes you a moment to realize that if one is definitely yours, the other must be Seth's. You sweat and twitch as you watch. But at last a rumble comes from one of the trucks, and it backs out, turns around, and prowls slowly off. Your knees are weak and trembling as you run back to the studio with news that Seth has gone.

But you don't tell them that you basically promised—in Cindy's guise—to hook up with him later.

* * * * *

The sequel is surprisingly easy and fast. Eva and Jessica, after pushing the betas out of the workout room, pull Cindy's clothes off her, giving you a splendid view of her alabaster-naked body. Hardly a minute or two later, a blue mask, glowing like a piece of the sky, appears on her face, and they twitch off it. From a workout bag Jessica produces a plastic tub which she opens and dips a brush into, and paints the inner surface of the mask with a syrupy goo; Eva cuts a bit of hair off the side of your head, and drops half of it into the mask. Jessica then flicks a cigarette lighter into the mess, releasing a quick-burning flame and a waft of smoke. "Now let's get your mask ready," Eva says.

"Ready how?" you warily ask.

"To put on Cindy," Jessica says as Eva walks out the door. "You don't want her walking around while you're pretending to be her, do you?"

"I know that. But I mean, what do you need to get my mask ready?"

It turns out they do the same thing to your mask as they did to Cindy's: painting it with some goop, dropping the rest of that hank of hair into it, and setting it ablaze. Jessica smirks at you as she lays the mask onto Cindy.

And a moment later, almost between blinks, Cindy has vanished, and sprawling where she had been lies a lanky, flat-chested teenage boy with bony arms and legs, a patch of wiry hair in the center of his chest, and a shock of dirty blonde hair atop his head. He opens his eyes, blinks, and sits up. His eyes widen as they lock onto you. "Holy fuck!" he exclaims.

You'd say the same thing in his place. Because, in a sense, he is in your place. He's the spitting image of ... you!

"Will Prescott," says Jessica, "say hello to beta-Will Prescott. He'll be you from now on. Or until you're ready to be yourself again."

"As if," Eva says with a roll of her eyes.

Next: "Your Two Faces" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 1)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)"