This choice: Unexpected translation help. • Go Back... After cleaning up and having something to eat, you decide to give Lisa a call and see if she can help again. After all, she's been impressed that you have a "project," and she did say to call and that she'd make it up for your gallantry last evening rescuing her and Cassie.
"Hey, Lisa. How are things today?"
"Busy, Will. How 'bout you?"
"Good, I'm, a, working more on that project and could use some help on more translation. Any chance we could get together?"
"Oh, gee, I'd like to, Will, but," she says and disappointment starts welling up in you. "Mom's drafted me into helping on this charity thing today and this evening ..." She pauses, and you can guess what that means.
"Oh, OK," you mutter unable to hide your frustration. "It's gotta be another date with Mansfield. If only I could break that up." you think before she comes back.
"I'm sorry, Will, but I can get you help on the translation." Before you can try anything, she puts you into hold. It's half a minute later when she comes back.
"Will, I got Cassie on the other line. She's also great on old Latin and willing to help you right now. Just let me conference her in."
"Damn. Is Lisa trying to set me up or something, like last night and brush me off?"
"Cassie? Will? You both on?"
"Yeah," you say without any enthusiasm.
"Hey, Will. Good to hear from you, and thanks again for last night. We really got trapped and I don't know what we'd have done since Geoff wouldn't ..."
Lisa cuts her off. "Cassie, you can help Will with some Latin translation he's doing on an outside project, right?"
"Oh, yeah, Be glad to. Last semester I was able to translate the whole final essay perfectly and got an A+. Actually surprised, myself, but it seems I have this real knack for it. Can't seem to learn any other languages or speak well in them. Really blew that French oral last year, and I swear I didn't know that that pronunciation was, a, like, pornographic, really. I ..."
"Can you meet with Will today?" Lisa cuts off her rambling again.
"Sure. When? I can come now, or actually, I can't come. I don't have a car today, but if you want to come over, ... or go somewhere and work on it. Dad's doing some painting so the place smells a bit. Working Latin is like a game, and it'd be fun to be with you, Will. ... I mean to help on translation."
"OK, Cassie. What say I come by in about half an hour?"
"That will work perfectly. I'll grab a couple references and just be waiting by the door. It's such a nice day, maybe we can sit in the park. Anywhere other than the stuffy library with its ...."
"Cassie, Will, I gotta go," Lisa cuts her off one more time.
"Thanks, Lisa." you say trying to sound sincere. "Maybe we can talk later, OK?" you plead.
"Yeah, Will. Call me. Bye."
"Bye, Lisa. I'll be ..." Cassie inserts but Lisa fortunately disconnects the conference call before Cassie rattles off a sixty word goodbye.
* * *
Wanting to get the translation of the new spell and be free of Cassie as soon as possible, you went straight there and picked her up but were not about to show her the book or work on this in a public area like the park or library. Her house did smell of awful paint, and you'd never hear the end of it from your family if you took Cassie home. That didn't leave you many choices. The obvious one would be the clubhouse in the old elementary school basement, but you didn't want Cassie to accidentally start spouting off about it or stumble onto some of the things there, and she could get the wrong impression of your intentions, too. That really left just one place: Caleb's house.
"I thought you said we'd meet after you got help and had the translation. And why do you have Cassie doing it?" Caleb whispers to you in the living room while Cassie is working in the kitchen with the phrases you copied from the Libras and her reference books plus a laptop.
"Lisa was busy and conferenced Cassie before I could stop her. It's just until she finishes. Besides, where else could I take her and be safe from others finding out?" you explain quietly.
"I guess," he says tossing you the other game controller.
The game quickly takes all your attention with both of you getting really involved in kicking each others virtual ass for a couple hours and eventually forgetting about Cassie being there. As Caleb starts trashing your minions and carving up your stockpiles of treasure, you start hearing a soft voice giving you tips to stay ahead of Caleb's hoards. You're too focused to do anything but follow, and soon they prove very beneficial until you completely wipe him out.
"Damn. How'd you do that, dude?" he cries as he tosses his controller down.
"Secret weapon," comes Cassie's voice from behind as she puts her hands on your shoulders which makes you jerk around to see her cute smile and wink.
"Ha - how'd you know that?" you stutter in amazement.
Cassie hops over the couch and slides down against you with just one word, "Brothers."
"Huh?" you ask as she takes the controller from your hand.
"I got two brothers who think it's fun to pick on their sister. I studied and tried this when they weren't around until I beat their pants off, literally, in a bet. They don't pick on me as much now," she explains as she starts whizzing through a new game as you and Caleb watch with mouths open.
"Wow. You're something else," you admit as she moves through two levels in no time.
"Yeah. It's sort of like with Latin. I seem to have a knack for it."
The mention of Latin brings back why she's really here, and you ask, "So, you got it all?"
"Most of it," she says not lifting her concentration as she takes out a five bar interceptor and jumps ahead through a secret tunnel to the next level. "Some phrases come out more in double meanings like they were done to confuse. Perhaps they'd make sense in context, though it's almost like they are parts of a formula or riddle or something."
Caleb and you return stares hoping she hasn't figured out more than you want her to know, then you both go to the kitchen to check it out.
"Dude, you don't think she ..." Caleb starts again with a whisper as you look at Cassie's translation while she continues the game.
"Nah. I only gave her part and made sure I mixed them up, but this looks very interesting. We just need to match these back together with the Libras in the right order."
"So, what exactly is this project you're working on?" Cassie calls from the other room.
"Some science thing." Caleb calls back when you can't find a good lie.
"Oh, like turning lead to gold or making people invisible?"
"Yeah. Mysteries lost with Atlantis," Caleb chuckles and motions for you to get Cassie and take her home.
* * *
You manage to whisk Cassie out leaving Caleb to put the new spell together and give you call when he has it. When you get back to her house, it still smells of paint, so you offer to take Cassie to dinner partly in return for her help. It's during this that you find yourself really enjoying her company even if she does jabber endlessly at times. That seems to be part of her cuteness, and you start thinking about her in a completely different way. You're considering spending the evening with her when your cell goes off. As you take it, Cassie excuses herself to the restroom, and you remember that you were going to call Lisa but she'd probably be with that jerk Mansfield. Maybe you should interrupt, after this call.
"Dude, one of the ingredients for this spell is a human," Caleb immediately tells you.
"Cool, what does it do?"
"Doesn't say. It just uses some of the muck people dirt, fuel and a master's hair but with a person.
"Maybe it turns them into something that can assimilate people like a mask. You just touch them and, ZAP! you're inside them and in control."
"Hm," Caleb ponders on the phone. "Maybe, or it could make them a slave like the golem."
"So, you want to try it tonight or do you need to polish some more?"
"I've finished the mask and good with polishing for now. But who do we use as the human ingredient?"
Just then Cassie comes back and slides back into the booth.
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