The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

A Surprise Visitor

Previously: "The Alteration of Jeremy Richards" 

A feeling like a swarm of fire ants runs over your scalp. To have the Molester under your control, doing your bidding ... Hell, you could even be him whenever you felt like it ...

But then you shudder. "Dude, you're talking about killing him!" you exclaim.

"It's not killing. We checked out Jeremy, and he was still, like, alive, even inside that shell."

"That's almost worse! No--" You cut him off. "We did this thing once. We're not going to do it again."

Caleb grumbles, but something in his tone suggests he's glad you've put your foot down. It saves him the bother of being the "moral" one. "So, what are we gonna do?" he says, crossing his arms.

You suck on your lips and think. "What were you saying earlier, about Chelsea Cooper and them?"

"I was saying we could turn them into golems," he mutters, and you roll your eyes. "I guess we could go on to the next spell."

"Yeah, but hang on," you say, even though continuing in the book seems like a good idea. "Weren't we also talking earlier about how we could use these masks to impersonate people?"

"And we have," he snickers. "Poor Eva."

"Poor Eva, yeah," you reply with less mirth. You pull at your nose: an idea has begun to form. "Problem was, we couldn't figure out how to get the originals out of the way. Like, if you're pretending to be Seth Javits so you can get it on with Cindy, how do we keep the real Seth out of the way?"

"We turn him into a golem?"

"No, dumbass." You grin. "We got a way now. We got Jeremy. He could keep Seth busy while--"

But Caleb's eyes are already gleaming. "Fuck, yeah! We get Jeremy to lure the real Seth away--"

"We get a mask on him. And off--"

"We'll have to have some of his clothes--"

"Call up Cindy, and 'Bang'!"

You high-five each other.

* * * * *

The plan requires that you make up some new masks, which you do. You are grimacing over the prospect of polishing them when Caleb hits on the idea of using the golems. "That's what they basically are, you know," he says. "Slaves." After making up two more masks, you put Eva's mask on the first golem and order her to start polishing it up; she makes a face but complies, and you lock her in the basement to work through the night. The next morning, which is a Saturday, you rendezvous with the new and improved Jeremy and give him another mask with the same orders. But you're not above doing some work yourself; you make up another two masks for you and Caleb to polish, along with four new mind strips.

To your delight, you find that the golems, at your prodding, work very hard and very quickly. So even though you and Caleb are nowhere near finishing your pair of masks, by Sunday evening it is apparent that the fake Eva and Jeremy will have their masks ready to go Monday morning. "Take Seth out to the old elementary school after practice," you tell Jeremy when you meet him between classes so you can pick up his completed mask. "You know, where we, uh ... Where we jumped you." You feel your face redden at saying out loud what you did to your former friend

But the Jeremy-golem seems unfazed by it. "What if I can't get Seth to go with me?" he asks.

"Just get someone you know. Someone with a hot girlfriend, or who gets lots of action." You squirm in place; your cock is stirring with anticipation, and look back and forth over your shoulder. "It'd be awesome if you could get Gordon. I mean, my God, to get it on with Chelsea--"

"I'll do my best to be awesome," he grins back, and lopes away.

You're excited as you go off the other way, and quickly seek out Caleb to tell him of what you've planned. To your surprise and dismay, he explodes angrily. "Why the hell are you luring them out to the clubhouse?" he hisses, pulling you close by his locker. "We don't want to be connected to this!"

"But that's how we got Jeremy!"

"Because we were replacing him. Or, that's what we wound up doing. These guys, we're just copying them! Let Jeremy get the masks on and off them when we're not around. I don't want my face broken."

"He might need our help."

"The fucker's a head taller than each of us. How much help could we be?"

"So we should tell him not to take Seth out to the school?"

"Yes, that's what we should tell him," he acidly replies.

* * * * *

It's a little after four-thirty, and you and Caleb have just finished attaching the second mind band to the second mask, when the door to the clubhouse opens and Jeremy comes in. But he's not alone. Steve Patterson is with him.

Patterson is one of the biggest guys in school—both physically and socially. He is even taller than Jeremy, and a lot stronger, and he is one of the stars of the basketball squad. His social cachet is such that people admire him even though he is also one of the alpha bullies at the school. Even the Molester, you've heard, hides when Steve is cruising the hallways looking for trouble. Fortunately, you are so low on the pecking order that he has never paid any attention to you.

So your mouth goes slack and your limbs go numb when this triple-alpha jock comes into your secret clubhouse.

You glance over quickly at Caleb, who returns the same open-mouthed expression. Patterson stops at the top of the stairs and gazes coldly down on you and Caleb and the incongruously attendant Eva Garner. He sniffs. "The fuck is this?" he growls at Jeremy.

"Yeah, these are the guys I was telling you about," Jeremy says casually. "So, we ready for this?" It's not until he tilts his chin meaningfully in your direction that you realize he is talking to you. And then, without waiting for an answer, he throws his arms around Patterson and pins them to his sides.

"The fuck?" you exclaim, whipping around toward Caleb. "I thought you were going to tell Jeremy not to bring anyone here?"

"Me?!" Caleb explodes. "I told you, you fuckwit!"

"You said that 'we' needed to tell him, and I didn't see him, I thought that you--"

"By 'we' I meant you, moron, and oh God damn it!" Caleb cries as he scrambles to his feet. "We'll sort it out later!" He grabs up a mask and dashes over to the basketball players.

That's because Patterson, after a moment of bemusement, has come suddenly to life and begun to struggle. Even as Caleb scrambles over the concrete floor, Patterson twists out of Jeremy's arms and swings around with his elbow. With a sharp banging sound, his blow connects, and Jeremy's head ricochets sickeningly between Patterson's elbow, the wall, and then Patterson's fist. Richards slumps to the floor and doesn't move anymore.

"Oh, Christ, Will, help!" Caleb shouts as he tries to brake to a stop; his feet slide out from under him and he falls to his ass. He yelps inhumanly as Patterson kicks him in the crotch.

You and Patterson lock eyes. Could you possibly take him by yourself?

Next: "A Pair of Jokers" 

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