The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

Operation Freaky Friday

Previously: "First Day Nerves" 

"How about we use these masks to do, like, some body swaps?"

The words come tumbling out of your mouth unbidden, like they are someone else's words, or like it's someone else's mouth that has attached itself to the front of your face. Your scalp prickles with embarrassment as everyone turns to look at you.

"So, like, um," you stammer. "We could make masks of two people, and then we could put them on each other, so that when, like, when they wake up it's like they've swapped bodies? And then we could watch to see how they act? What they do?"

They all stare at you until you wish the floor would open up to swallow you.

Maria sucks in her lower lip. "I think that sounds kind of cruel," she says.

Eva says, "Did you say 'cruel' or cool'?"

"Cruel."

"Oh. Because I think it sounds kind of cool."

"Me too," Jessica blurts out. She turns to you. "You mean like in Freaky Friday or one of those kinds of movies?"

"Yeah," Eva says before you an answer, and her face brightens. "Or like they're always doing in cartoons or Disney Channel sitcoms?" She turns to Maria. "We could find out how realistic those kinds of shows are!"

"We know how realistic they are," Maria retorts with a frown. "They're not."

"We don't know that."

Maria's eyes widen. "If we do this to people, they could panic and really hurt themselves!"

"Not if we're there to watch out for them."

"They'd panic," Maria insists. "They wouldn't know how to act as their new selves. No, it's too dangerous."

"So we put some memory strips into the masks," Eva says. "Like we've got. Yeah!" Her eyes widen with excitement. "We could see how they react in both cases! Because they wouldn't have the memories right away, right? And we could see how they— If they don't have the memories, how they try to get by. But then the next morning they'd have the memories and they'd be able to get along okay, and then—" She starts bouncing up and down. "Then we'd see what they'd do as their new selves when they've got total control of themselves!"

"I like it," Jessica declares. She grins at you.

Maria, looking harassed, looks over Cindy and Chelsea. "I'm all for it," Cindy says. "Can we do it with Seth?" Chelsea says nothing, but smiles at the ceiling with her eyes closed.

Maria pulls at her hair. ""God," she groans. "Okay. But we need to think really carefully about who we do it to. They have to be really grounded people, the kind who won't panic if—"

She takes a deep breath but doesn't finish the sentence.

* * * * *

Talk then shifts to possible candidates. Lots of names get tossed around, and there's a lot of squealing laughter (from Eva and Jessica mostly; but Maria hardly smiles) as proposed victims suffer proposed swaps. But no decisions are made before the party breaks up.

You walk out with Cindy. "Are you going to be getting into Seth's mask any time soon?" you ask her.

"Meh. Probably not. Not sure I really want to know that asshole from the inside out. Specially not if we wind up swapping him with someone else."

"So you'll be staying as Cindy?"

"Didn't say that either. Why?"

"Just wondering. Be kind of funny seeing Seth coming down the hall and knowing it's really you."

Cindy makes a face, then glances back over her shoulder toward the studio, where the others are still getting themselves together to leave.

"Bet you a box of donuts that Fairfax is gonna want us swapping out with people who can watch the fun," she says. "You know, all of us getting new betas and everything. So 'less it's some of the cheerleaders getting swapped around with each other, it's pro'ly not gonna be Cindy for me much longer." She grimaces.

Swapping cheerleaders around for each other. The idea sticks in your mind like a burr sticks to a sock.

* * * * *

The next morning: Yumi is bristling all over as she bursts into the library third-period and hurls her backpack onto the table in front of you. "Someone tell me it isn't really against the law to kill a cheerleader," she snarls.

You and Eva and Audrey and Rachel look up at her with surprise. Not because she's acting all charged up—Yumi is often popping off about something or other. But because—

"I thought you had Chemistry or something this period," you snap.

"So I'm skipping." She glares at Eva. "The fuck is wrong with Cindy these days?"

A furtive look skitters across Eva's face. "I don't know. What makes you think there's something—?"

"Why do you want to kill Cindy?" you interrupt.

"I don't, I want to kill Chelsea," Yumi says, "and I thought Cindy did too. Hey." She nods at Audrey and Rachel. "At least, once upon a time she did. These days—"

"It's her and Seth," Eva bursts in. "She's all distracted on account of him and—"

"Fuck him. And fuck her too if she can't— God, Eva!" Yumi rounds on her friend, who is turning very pink. "And when did you become such a chicken-shitted—?"

"We can go," Audrey says, and she pulls her books toward her. Rachel, after a second's confusion, starts to follow.

"Sit. Stay," Yumi orders, and they freeze. "I feel like having an audience."

And then she launches into a breathless, red-faced account of the terror that Chelsea Cooper inflicted on the other cheerleaders just that morning—insults and catty comments, threats, the vindictive imposition of exercises in punishment for failures at routines, shrieks of outrage over those same failures, and a hurricane of furious tears as she accused the other members of the squad of purposefully sabotaging their chances at a state or even a regional championship, just to spite Chelsea during her one shot at captaining a cheerleading team.

It's a shocking recital, and it becomes more shocking as you think back to last night at the storage complex, and to that same Chelsea hugging herself and squeezing her boobs and smiling vacantly as her arch-enemy Cindy Vredenburg stroked and played idly with her hair.

"It wasn't that bad," Eva grumbles when Yumi has run out of outrage.

"That's what Cindy told me last period!" Yumi fumes. "Which is why I'm asking , what's wrong with her? Time was, she was the one trying to talk everyone into dumping Chelsea curbside. Without her, who have we got?"

It could be you, you find yourself thinking.

* * * * *

Chelsea, you can't help but notice, is giving you a very steady and very hostile look after you finish presenting your case for swapping her with Yumi Saito. Of course, you wouldn't be swapping this version of Chelsea Cooper—who is really Josiah Shank—and Yumi. But Josiah would have to give up being Chelsea in order for your proposal to work.

So maybe (you reflect as you settle back against the chilly concrete wall of Carlos's studio) you should have proposed something else.

And maybe Fairfax is thinking the same thing, for Maria's comment on your suggestion—"Interesting"—is only lukewarm. "Other ideas?" he asks the room.

Cindy raises her hand. "Seth and someone else."

"Who?"

"Don't give a fuck."

Maria sighs. "You have to suggest some—"

"Carson Ioeger," you blurt out.

"Works for me," says Cindy.

"Why Carson?" Maria asks.

"He's always giving Seth shit," you say, "and Seth is always giving him shit. They could get to know what it's like to be on the receiving end of each other's shit. And, um, Jenny and Cindy"—you glance at Keith—"are perfectly positioned for watching how they react."

"Okay. Any other ideas?" Maria fixes a keen eye on Eva and Jessica, who are giggling and smirking. "Yes?"

"Marc and Hannah," Jessica says, and bursts into the giggles. She clutches her sister.

Maria frowns. "That's his girlfriend, isn't it?"

"That's what makes it perfect," Eva gasps as she clutches Jessica back.

"No."

"What? But—"

"It's too weird. It can be Marc and someone else or Hannah and someone else, but—"

"That's no fair! You can't just veto our—!"

So an argument breaks out, which you stay out of. The long and short of it is that Mike and Carlos settle for proposing a swap between Marc Garner and Stephanie Wyatt. The latter is an old friend of the Garner siblings, and she was once a soccer player, so maybe it would be interesting to see them adapt as each other.

"Do you have any ideas?" you ask Maria when that much is settled. "Or you?" you ask Chelsea.

The latter only closes her eyes and purses her lips. But Maria says, "I was thinking of Charles Hartlein and Cody Schaefer."

Now it's your turn to frown. You only know Cody from Jenny's second-period AP Constitutional Law class. He's a well-spoken preppy type who reminds you of Geoff Mansfield but without the smarm. Why Philip wants to swap him with the gay drama student you can't guess.

To push for swapping Yumi and Chelsea: "Masks and Attachments" 
To brainstorm some other ideas: "The World Smashers" 

*
"Table of Contents (Vol. 4)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)"