The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

The Other Girl Who Played with Magic

Previously: "Of Masks and X-Men, Part 2" 

by Masktrix

You don’t even hesitate. In a moment you grab the nearest defensive weapon you can find – which happens to be Kristen’s softball bat – and begin to swing it at the apparent intruder on the floor. Kristen, wearing the Will mask, shields her head as you strike, your hair going wild as the bat strikes the side of the desk, then the side of the bed, swooping inches from Will’s ducking and diving.

“Who the fuck are you, you goddamn fucking pervert!” You scream, amazed at how thrilling Abi’s mind finds this unexpected diversion. Smash them like a pinata. Break a bone.

“I’m Kristen! Abi! Abi stop, I’m Kristen!”

“Why are you in her clothes, you fucking creep! Are you getting off dressing up as a girl? Are these the only clothes that fit you in this school, you sick fuck?”

You keep swinging, occasionally striking an arm, creating havoc in the room. For her part, Kristen starts a monologue of secrets she’s told Abi. It’s virtually a personal life history, and with each anecdote or example of your current persona’s vindictive streak, you let the bat slow.

“How do you know all of that?” you ask, the chaos subsiding, your hair in your eyes from the unexpected exertion. Given the commotion, it’s unsurprising that others might rush to the scene. Fortunately, the first is Vee. She takes one look at the carnage strewn across her dorm room.

“Who the hell is that?”

“Vee, go block the corridor. Tell anyone from B dorm who overheard it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Who is that?”

“Vee. Go and block the corridor.”

Your right hand does as she is ordered. You prod the door shut with the bat and then Abigail Steiner, weapon in hand, advances on the quaking, terrified Will Prescott. You push aside the debris: books, a laptop, bedding and a soft toy. Once you’re standing over him and he’s fully backed against the wall, you take a deep breath and regain your composure, flicking your hair out of your eyes.

“Speak.”

“I know! I know this sounds crazy! But, Abi, it’s me. It’s Kristen. And I’ve turned into a boy.”

“Bullshit.”

“I swear! I just put one of the masks on. Everything went dark, and when I woke up I was a boy.”

“That’s the dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”

Will nods. “I know. That’s why you’ve got to believe me.”

***

You’re sat on Vee’s bed while she stands guard at the door, now closed and locked. Across the room, a complete wreck, is Kristen Wright-Wallace in the body of Will Prescott. For some reason she hasn’t got your memories and is struggling to pull out even basic facts about you. So far she’s managed that she’s Will Prescott and from Saratoga Falls. Every time she comes up with a new fact, you’ve tried to push that she’s really this ‘Will’ in a psychotic episode and demand to know how and why he got here. At no point do you, or Vee, ask what’s been done with the real Kristen. At no point do you tell anyone to go and tell Todd he can stop waiting for you in the dark.

“So, you took one of the batch and, because you can’t handle your shit, thought it’d be funny to put on one of Todd’s stupid masks. You fainted, woke up, and now you’ve grown a cock and lost 100 pounds.” It’s nowhere near that amount but Abi is feeling vindictive today.

“Basically.”

“Well, take the mask off, then.”

“I tried, I don’t know how. I can’t feel it on my head, it’s not like it comes off without the magic words.”

“So now we’ve got magic masks and magic words. You see, Kristen, if that’s who you really are, this isn’t difficult. Say the words.”

“I can’t remember them!”

“Jesus Christ. You’ve finally done something right in your life, and all you need to do is remember a stupid phrase. Maybe we can get it off another way. Vee, do you still have that Swiss army knife?”

“WAIT! I’m trying.” Will grips his head, “I think it’s something like…”

And suddenly a mask appears, the body of Kristen Wallace-Wright collapsing back into her bed with a thump. Vee leaps back against the door in shock, while you casually shift your legs as Kristen’s body rolls off the cot and face-plants onto the carpet.

“Holy shit,” Vee says. You bite your bottom lip and nod, stepping over the body to pick up one of the other masks.

“Interesting. I wonder what this one does,” you say, casually tossing it in your palm before you slam it on Vee’s unprepared face. She crumples to the floor and begins the process of metamorphosis into Shelly Nolan.

You flick your hair and take a seat among the strewn bodies and wrecked dorm room.

Vee and Kristen are perfect for a coven. They’re unflinchingly loyal to Abigail Steiner who, it just so happens, is now you. If you keep up the masquerade of pretending to be Abi, even if you wear different masks, you have yourself several pawns in your goal of rescuing Shelly, and the run of St Francis Xavier’s, the perfect hideout for magic. Of course, ‘Abi’ isn’t supposed to have the book, so you’ll have to pretend to steal it from ‘Will and Shelly’ – currently both golems under your control. You could vanish for half a day and claim to have tricked them yourself, coming back with the Libra – that would ensure you always keep hold of it. And Abi is pretty good with languages, so you can fake being able to decipher whatever spells you need with ease.

But dispatching Vee and Kristen to trick ‘Will and Shelly’ might be a better route. You can brief your golems on how you want them to fake being fooled, and you’re certain Vee and Kristen will return the book to you – their leader, Abigail Steiner – without incident. You just need to get the book out of Abi’s room and to the golems before the theft occurs.

Next: "What Chance Have You Got Against a Tie and Crest?" 

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