The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

The Paranoid World of Prescott and Nolan

Previously: "Smash and Return" 

by Masktrix

“We should use the golem,” you say. “If we can get it to work, that means there’s three of us.”

Shelly suddenly backs away from you warily. “Hold on! How do I know you’re really who you say you are? Maybe you’re just trying to trick me to show you how to use it.”

“I’m the one with the Libra. I don’t need to trick you.”

She still doesn’t look convinced. You think. The masks create perfect replicas, but you can’t separate something from the mask. You learned that the hard way when you had to straighten Shelly’s damn hair; the strands just seemed to evaporate. You take a pair of scissors from the workbench and snip off a lock, handing it to her.

“There. Proof enough? Also, there’s no way evil-me could know what we talked about after you took the mask off. So only I know that you didn’t tell me you asked Cassie Harper on a date.”

“Uh, no I didn’t,” Shelly says. “I recognized her because pretty much half my clothes come from Thrifty Nifties. She was just in town, asked what we were doing and started talking to me, I mean you, a lot. So I said she could come too. It wasn’t a date.”

You doubt Cassie interpreted it that way, but you don’t say as much. Instead you hand Shelly the scissors. She pulls one of the trailing red strands over her shoulder and snips a good inch off. It doesn’t vanish as it falls to the floor.

“At least we know who we are. From now on, we both carry scissors and always check when we speak. Especially if I ask you about magic. Now, stock check. What do we have?”

“Everything that wasn’t out on the table or in the doohickey machine,” Shelly reports. “Ruth, Coach Acuna, two masks with bands we made, and one band we were going to use with the mask that was stolen.”

It’s not as much as you had, but more than enough to get to work. You start with the golem. You doubt the Ruth mask would work, given it’s just an appearance, and as the rest of your identity masks are gone, that leaves Coach Acuna. You think for a moment before draping a sheet over the body, then placing the mask on the creature. The golem sits up and stares wide-eyed. Shelly, for her part, bounces on her feet. Even though the morning’s ordeal has been terrifying, it’s hard to get over how freakin’ cool this was.

“Uh, do you speak?” you ask. Coach Acuna’s double looks at you.

“Yes.”

“Would you like some clothes?”

“Yes.”

Shelly grabs a bundle and throws them over. “Sorry, coach,” she says instinctively.

“That’s all right, Shelly. Are you OK? This must be pretty strange for you.”

Shelly doesn’t know how to reply as you both turn your back. The animated lump of soil and human debris dresses.

“So, what do I call you?” you ask.

“What would you like to call me?”

“Coach. No. Carmen. Carmen’s better. Is that OK?”

“Absolutely. You can call me Carmen, I don’t mind.”

“Do you remember anything about Wednesday night?”

Carmen laughs. “Like Pete?”

“Who’s Pete?” Shelly asks.

“Nevermind, Shelly,” Carmen says. “So, what are we doing here, Will?”

“We’re just working that out,” you reply. “Carmen, how does this work? Do you have to do whatever I tell you?”

“Well, I can try and help you with your drop shot, but… honestly, Will, there’s some things even practice won’t fix.” Sass from your monster. Nice.

“Hop on one leg,” Shelly says. Carmen looks at her.

“Shelly, I’m not your little monkey.”

You chew your lip. “Let’s try something more useful. We obviously can’t keep doing magic here, and we can’t move anywhere that Shelly or I know. So, Carmen, think like you’re a golem masquerading as a high school P.E. teacher. Where would you create a magic laboratory?”

“My house,” your golem replies. “I’d kill the original and take over her life. Then you could do what you wanted.”

“Wow, I never knew Coach was so insta-stabby,” Shelly says, clearly uncomfortable.

“Carmen Acuna would think I’m a demon, a vile agent of the devil set forth to destroy the lives of men. Murder isn’t a problem when you’re out to corrupt the world.”

You interject. “No murder. Let’s try this. Where does Carmen Acuna know that would work as a temporary lab?”

***

You bring in the stuff from the car, carrying it down rickety wooden steps into a space that reeks of damp and tetanus. You have to admit, this is a cool location. It didn’t take long for Shelly to convince her mom it was good for her to get out of the house for a few hours, and while Carmen took the jogging track back to the main road, you packed up your belongings and relocated. You had to leave the industrial buffer behind, but security is paramount.

“This is such a cool place,” Shelly says. “I mean, totally freakin’ creepy and thematic, and really, really wrong. But wrong in an awesome way. A sort of taboo kind of way. I feel like a cool kid. Like Addison Ricci or Austin Ritter.” You tune out of her babble and look around in the dim light. Once you got past the offer of casual murder, Carmen came up with a great idea. Aside from some dusty tables of some kind shoved in a corner, you have a small, gloomy basement to yourself.

“I can make a copy of the key for you both before I return the set,” Carmen says. “And don’t worry, I don’t think anyone except me has been down here for months.”

Carmen Acuna’s connection to her church is close. So close that she agreed to be in charge of its youth sports outreach program… a program she soon found comprised of two broken table tennis tables, one chewed table tennis bat, and a deflated basketball. Every year the church holds a charity drive to try and reignite the program, but every year the money gets put into different projects instead. As such, the church storage space is completely unused.

Within an hour, you’re set up and back in business. Now you have a suspect to interview.

***

Ian Cowdray, surprisingly, comes to talk at Shelly’s request. He ambles in to the Kauldron with an almost casual air, taking a seat where the previous meeting was held. “What’s up, Shell?” he asks.

Shelly Nolan greets him with all the enthusiasm of a parole board. She looks at him seriously, direct in the eye, and reels off a handful of facts about his life to convince him it’s her. “Ian. This is about the thing.”

“I figured. It’s been all you’ve talked to me about in a week.” He’s surly, like a wounded animal or a kid who found out his superhero is just special effects.

“Ian, I’m sorry I didn’t get you out of detention. My life’s been freakin’ crazy lately. And this is new, and hard, and super-awesome and super-scary at the same time. And Will…”

“Shell, you gotta stop trusting this senior kid. We don’t know him. You saw what the seniors did to Erin. I know she ain’t the sharpest tool but they don’t have our best interest at heart. Where is he, anyway? Off doin’ magic?”

Shelly gestures to the far end of the Kauldron, where Coach Acuna seems to be sitting enjoying a herbal tea. “Ian, this is important. Have you told anyone about what I can do? Especially your cousin.”

Ian looks awkward for a second, eyes fixed on the apparent coach. Shelly rises, crosses the table, and sits down next to him.

“Please, Ian. I know you want me safe.” Eventually he caves.

“No. I didn’t tell anyone. I wanted to, after you left me like that. But I know how Rich can be. I’ve seen him demolish kids. Like, bam bam bam. I just wanted you safe is all.” He sighs. “I just wish I’d never given you that thing. I know you love it, but it ain’t natural what it can do. You’re right, I was only half-in your group ‘cause I was scared – both for you and of you, a little. And Prescott. I’ve been thinking about it all. I just want both of us out.”

He sounds sincere, and Shelly instinctively hugs her friend, heads together. Ian closes his eyes and sighs.

It’s at that point you lean over from behind and slap the mind band on his head, before going back to the beaten paperback you’ve been pretending to read. Nobody notices, least of all the barista busy making your chai latte. A few moments later, he calls your name.

“Order for Ruth?”

***

“I told you we could trust Ian,” Shelly says, once you’re all back at the church and the mind band is on. “He didn’t tell anyone. Also OH MY GOSH he is totally in crushing on me. Which is, just… what. WHAT? I did not want to know that.” She’s turned bright red, shielding herself from the world by ducking her head in her cardigan.

“Shelly, focus,” you say. “We have no idea who broke into the shop. Two total strangers have those masks. We need to hide out until we can track them down. Find new identities, then solve this. We can’t rely on any masks we’ve used before.”

Shelly stops flapping around and nods. Both of you will need to be replaced by golems and find new disguises so you can evade – and track down – the real culprits. You can start work on that tomorrow. But, right now, you’ve only got one golem. Until you can make another, one of you will have to brave staying as Will or Shelly.

Next: "The Girl Who Played with Magic" 

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