The Book of Masks (Abridged)

More Mask Fun

CALEB IS STILL WEARING THE JEREMY DISGUISE when you step down into the old school basement, which doubles or even triples your anger somehow. You're mad at him and you're mad at Jeremy and you're mad at the fact that he went out in public and actually fooled you for most of the afternoon into thinking he was Richards. "Okay, you can take it off now," you snarl.

"In good time," he replies. "First, let's check it out." From the pockets of his track pants he pulls out a flat, flexible metal strip. "Jesum Crow," he says as he examines it. "Would you look at that?"

It looks like it's made of silver, but it's very thin and flexible. Delicate, rune-like marks have been chiseled into its surface. But the really odd thing about it is the Roman script that seems to float above it: LISA ROXANNA YARBOROUGH, it says.

"You making friendship bracelets for her now?" you fume.

Caleb sighs. "No, it's the next spell, you dickhead. I made it last night, and I got close enough to her this afternoon that I could use it on her."

"What is it?"

"That's why I wanted to come back here." He pulls the grimoire out of the backpack sitting on a nearby table. "I borrowed this last night. Hope you don't mind." He opens the book to the most recent page and presses the strip of metal to it. And with that, the page easily turns. He looks at the reverse with keen interest and laughs. "Not much here, and it doesn't take much Latin to translate. 'To know someone's mind,' or something like that, I'm sure."

You look over his shoulder. Sure enough, there is but a single sentence on the page. "What does it mean?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it means what I thought all along it was going to do." His smile is so smug you'd love to punch him. "I took the book home after you got all pissy with me. I did the translation, picked up supplies, then got to work. It took all night, 'cos I had to carve those runes in them, but I made two of them." From his pocket he takes another strip, much like the first, but this one without any ethereal Roman script floating over it. "I knew you were going to make an ass of yourself this afternoon, and figured I'd have a better chance of stopping you if I showed up as Richards. Which I did."

"Where'd you get the clothes?" You don't much want to recall the afternoon's events.

"The thrift shop on the other side of the mall. Anyway, I got next to Lisa, and after the lights went down I just reached around and pressed one of the strips against her forehead. I think she must've passed out for a bit, but when she started moving again, that's when I picked that fight with you. So, you know, we could get out of there."

"And fuck up my plans for Geoff," you mutter.

Caleb waves his hand. "You never had a chance there anyway. But unless I miss my guess—" He holds up the metal strip. "We just scored ourselves a copy of Lisa's thoughts and memories."

You swallow.

"I bet it works just like the masks," he continues. "Just put this over your forehead, and you'll know everything that she knows." He holds it out to you.

It's hugely tempting. You could learn everything about Lisa. Not only why she dumped you, but what she really thought of you, and what she really thinks of Geoff ...

And it's that last thought that makes you flinch.

"Yeah, it's a real invasion of privacy," Caleb says softly.

"It's not that," you say. "Maybe it should be, but it's not." Haltingly, you try to explain your reluctance to test out the band. Caleb listens sympathetically, and nods.

"I think I get it," he says. "Basically, she's already inside your head. And you don't want her getting in any deeper."

Glumly, you hang your head. Maybe it's just better to let go of her, to let Geoff have her. Besides—

You feel a twinge of quickening interest as you look up at the fake Jeremy Richards.

Besides, you've got other possibilities to explore.

* * * * *

The next spell, which the two of you fall on eagerly, looks quite easy. Basically, it looks like a way of melding one of the mind-reading bands with a sealed mask, so that a wearer could assume both the appearance and the memories of the person being imitated. You could perform the spell tonight—you have all the materials on hand. The trouble is that you have two different items: a mask of Jeremy Richards and the mind of Lisa Yarborough.

"Well, don't forget we have a blank mask and a blank mind-band," Caleb says. We could use the mask to copy Lisa, and then have a full copy of her. If that would make you happy." You punch him, not hard, but not lightly either. "Okay, we use the blank mind-band on Richards."

"How do we get close to him after yesterday?"

Caleb chews on his lip. "We'd need to get hold of someone else first."

"Who?"

"I dunno." He fingers the blank mask. "Maybe that other person should be the person we try it out with. Maybe we should use both our blanks on some third person."

You both ponder the matter silently, and then both of you speak almost at once.

"Eva Garner." "Jessica Garner."

Eva and Jessica are the two members of a set of triplets (Marc Garner is their brother), and are two of the popular girls: cheerleaders, blonde and busty. Jessica wears her hair short and Eva wears hers long, but otherwise they're very hard to tell apart. Both are at the center of lots of social activity, which in theory should make it somewhat easy to close to one of them, and would make it easy to use one to get close to others at the school.