The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

An Old Conspirator and a New Conspiracy

Previously: "The Mind of Marianne Matthias" 

"Christ, Will," Caleb grumbles. "You really are a fuck up."

Caleb Johansson has been your best friend for a very long time. But he has this habit of treating you as the idiot responsible when things to wrong.

Sometimes you're able to shrug it off by giving him the bird. But this isn't one of those times.

"Me?" you yell back at him. "I fucked things up?" The crowd of sophomores you tries to shush you, but you plow on. "Who's the shit-for-brains who pasted Gordon in the face with a mask? 'You have to switch places with him, Will'," you shriek. "'It's the only way he won't kill you'! Christ on a stick, Johansson! That's how this whole thing got started!"

He turns very red. "It was a great idea, Will, and if you'd listened to me instead of going around half-cocked you'd be—"

Some of the sophomores grab you when you fly at him like a bantam rooster. What were you thinking, that you wanted Caleb's help? You'll know better next time.

"Both of you need to shut up," Lindsay barks. To you she adds, "What did you find out about Evie?"

"First of all, tell me what this fuckface is doing here."

"We had to tell him what was going on. He got to talking to Bhodi—"

"'Cos you didn't tell me you changed back again!" Caleb yells.

"Because I was being held prisoner in a dungeon!"

"It wasn't a dungeon!" hollers Andy.

Lindsay looses a shrill whistle through her teeth. "Your friend tried talking to Bhodi," she says. "That's all. So we had to tell him what was going on. Then he wanted to come out to see you, and it seemed like a good idea—"

"'Cos he likes to gloat when I get in trouble!"

"I don't have to stay here!" Caleb turns to the door, but Lindsay pushes him onto the bed.

"No, you're staying!" she shouts. "You're one of the ones who caused this mess!"

"Prescott's the one who got up in your friend's grill! Bitch!" he adds when she punches him.

"Get off him!" you holler, and yank Lindsay off Caleb.

So, it's a real mess all the way around, but after a lot more yelling things finally settle down somewhat. There's one unexpected dividend to the fight: The way you went at Lindsay after she went at Caleb calms things between you and your best friend. It's a reminder that you've got something like a common enemy.

Once everyone is off a boil, you relate for the full company what you learned from Marianne Matthias's brain band. The facts are pretty straightforward, even though Dane's mom doesn't fully understand them. But:

Right after you put Evie inside the mask of Dane, his cousin Dwayne—that drug dealer who warned you that Chen would be coming to fuck you up—came to the trailer and told Marianne that he'd arranged to send Dane to a military school, and that he would be leaving that evening. Naturally, this freaked both "Dane" and his mom out, but when Dwayne explained that Dane was in a shitload of trouble, and that his own personal safety required him to go, his mom relented. Dwayne paid for everything, and put "Dane" on a commuter flight to Oregon.

"Could you call the school as his mom, get them to send Evie back out?" Lindsay asks.

"Who pays for the plane ticket? His mom hasn't got any money. I get the impression her nephew pays her and Dane's expenses. He'd have to pay for the ticket."

"What about using a mask of him?"

"But she had to sign the papers to put him in. Probably she's the only one who can get him out."

"So you'd need both?" Andy asks.

You make a face, and nod.

There's a silence. Then Lindsay says, in a hard voice, "You said you'd do anything to get Evie back, Will."

"I know," you sigh. "What are you doing about Evie until she gets back?"

"We're taking turns being her," says Paulina. "So you're not the only one making a sacrifice here."

You think you catch a furtive look on Andy's face, and you're sure you see Grant's eyes light up. Yeah, you bet the guys would be totally willing to help shoulder the burden of keeping Evie in circulation by sharing her mask. But you can also bet what Paulina and Lindsay and Melanie would have to say about that.

While you're wryly amusing yourself with these reflections, Joe pipes up. "We can help Will if he needs, like, someone else inside another mask," he says. He looks around, and Justin and Grant both nod.

"No, I'll help," says Caleb. "The moron's right, this is all partly my fault."

You and he exchange a long glance. Despite the "moron" crack, he's got a twinkle in his eye. You can't fight down the half smile that comes onto your face, and he doesn't resist the one that comes onto his.

Lindsay snorts. "Okay, so that you're all now friends again, what do we need to do?"

* * * * *

After reasoning it all through, it doesn't take long to come up with a plan. You will need to get a mask of Marianne Matthias anyway, if you're going to imitate her voice on the phone or her face on Skype, if that's what it takes to get Dane out of the military school. And her face is probably the only one you can safely use to get close to Dwayne—and you'll likely need his face and mind both if you're going to get to any cash stashes he's got sitting around.

It's almost dinner time by now, but Lindsay insists on getting started as soon as possible. "As possible" proves to be "an hour later" since two masks that she took from the basement haven't been polished, and you have to do that first. Only then do you drive back with Joe and Caleb to the Matthiases' trailer.

This time, no one answers the door. Caleb is in favor of giving up and going home, but you've no place else to be—except an elementary school basement—so you look for inspiration on the brain band you already made of Dane's mom. After you revive, and after your two friends have shaken a little sobriety into your weed-addled brain, you "remember" that there's a key inside the flowerpot next to the stairs. With it, your trio lets yourselves inside. The place is empty, except for the disgusting mess of old packages, discarded clothes, moldy towels, saggy furniture, and ratty rugs. The stink of stale weed drifts in the air.

With Caleb and Joe propping you up, you lead them into her bedroom and grab up some clothes for the upcoming pretense: wormy pants, a blue t-shirt, a bra and some undergarments, and flip-flops. You camp out in Dane's bedroom, which is still piled up with his schoolwork and old clothes. Talk is clipped and meaningless—mostly variations on, "Oh, here's something even grosser than that thing we found before"—and after Joe and Caleb text dinner excuses to their respective parents, Joe goes out to get some burgers for the three of you. Caleb looks at you and shakes his head.

"Look, don't start that shit up again," you say. At least you think that's what you say. Your head feels like it's full of helium. "I didn't fuck anything up until— And I might be high, but I can still—" You make a weak fist.

"That's what I'm talking about," he says. "You're high. I can't believe this. You're all fucked up on weed, and you didn't even have to smoke any."

"It's 'cos Marianne was high when I—"

"I know how come." He shakes his head again. "But this is what it's like when Will Prescott is high. Christ, I'm glad you're not a stoner, man. It's a good look on Dane, but on you it's just—"

"Just what?" You are actually feeling very mellow, and your blood is too thick to really boil, but you know you should be offended by his words.

"I dunno, man. I'd look just as stupid, I bet."

"You bet?"

"Sure. Both of us, we're more sugar and caffeine junkies."

Mm. He is skinny, same as you. But now that he's mentioned it, you wonder what he would be like stoned. "You wanna try it? Because I can—" You fumble at your forehead.

He lets you humiliate yourself this way for a minute, then grabs your hands and pushes you back onto the bed. "Sure, you look like you're having fun. I'll give it a try." You close your eyes as his fingers grasp your forehead.

* * * * *

You come up out of a very relaxing sleep to find yourself sprawling on the bed of Dane Matthias with a passed-out Caleb next to you. You sit up hurriedly, and inch away. You smile when you think of a spaced-out Caleb coming to.

You barely have time for that thought, though, before Caleb's phone rings, and you answer. "Yeah?"

A pause. "Who's this? Will?"

"Joe?"

"Yeah, I'm out front. What's going on?"

"Nothing. We're just waiting. Why are you—?"

"Because there's a car out front, wasn't here when I left."

WTF? Then you hear a noise outside, from the living room. Someone moving around. The creak of sofa springs.

"Shit," you squeak. "She must have come home. Hang on."

You drop the phone and creep out the door for a peek. On the sofa is Marianne Matthias, with her eyes closed.

Perfect. You can get her face now.

You glance back at Caleb. An evil, delicious thought forms. And Caleb can play her for the part that comes next.

* To continue: "Bonding with Bhodi" 

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