Chapter #81The Battery Charger by: Seuzz   Your bones, your guts, your skin, they feel like they're full of bees: angry bees, excited bees, humming and buzzing and crawling throughout you. You tremble hard all over, gasping and writhing in Andrea's tight hold. Things inside you are trying to burst out. "What are you doing?" you squeal again.
And you suck in a sharp breath. You've been in this position before, and you remember it now, vividly.
It was a few years ago. You--Chelsea Cooper--had invited Andrea over to the house for swimming and talking. Andrea had been more coltish back then, more open. And you--Chelsea Cooper--had been more vulnerable, more insecure. You'd wound up in your bedroom, to talk about the things that girls just feeling their way through high school need to talk about. You'd opened up with her, talking about boys. You hadn't hooked up with Gordon yet, though you had your eyes on ambitious and aggressive ball player. But you weren't sure about him, or about boys in general. You talked about what they wanted, and about what you wanted. You were interested and excited, but fearful, and even a little disgusted. "I want someone," you'd said as you laid back on the bed. "Someone to hold me and take care of me." You'd cradled yourself in your arms. "Someone to talk to me and listen to me. Someone I can really be myself with."
Maybe you didn't say those exact words, but that's more or less what you meant.
And while staring up at the ceiling you'd felt a movement, and suddenly Andrea was next to you, her arms over you, and she'd put her face close to yours. It had seemed like a sisterly move, until you'd felt her lips at your neck. "What are you doing?" you'd softly gasped, but you hadn't fought her, you had embraced her, and your cheeks and noses touched and rubbed at each other, and your limbs had become entangled.
But it hadn't lasted long, and in a sudden panic you'd thrust her away, and stammered something incoherent. She had retreated, looking hurt, and you hadn't even said goodbye to each other when she'd quickly left. You'd ignored her at school after that, never speaking to each other, and you'd done your best to put the memory out of your mind.
But this, now, doesn't feel like love or affection. "What are you doing?"
And she releases you with a deep sigh, and sits up on her haunches. Her face is drawn and looks a little haggard. "Are you feeling better now?"
You scramble back against the wall. You are still vibrating all over, but without her touch it begins to die down. You are very alert, as you should be, for you feel adrenaline coursing all through you. "What the hell was--?"
"Trying to give you some energy back," she says. "That business with the sigils--" She glances over her shoulder at the glinting sheet metal. "We both know it really takes it out of you."
You swallow, and a numbness steals over you. But you don't feel sick or exhausted, like you did the times you worked on Frank and Joe. Tentatively, you get to your feet. You sway a little, but a sense of firmness returns to you. You rub your arms and bosom and hips. You feel almost as strong as you did before you performed the transformation spells that merged Aparijita's essentia and memories with Andrea's imago and substantia.
You nod. "Yeah. I feel ... okay."
"Good." She gets to her feet, and your eyes track appreciatively down her naked form. "That's one of my skills, Will. Giving others their strength back."
"Oh, right. Wow. I wish we'd had you around when-- Are you okay?"
"I will be. I just need to-- Is there a park or something nearby? I need a big place to recharge, someplace I can draw strength for myself without killing anything."
"I suppose we could find someplace," you say, though as you look at her you find yourself wishing you could take her in your arms and return some of your energy to her. "What about Andrea? And Aparijita? Is everything there, all hooked up? I was really failing toward the end."
"It's all here," she says with quiet confidence. "I am Andrea. I am Aparijita. And I am Will Prescott." A faint smile appears on her face. "I suppose Chelsea is thinking about picking up where we left off a few years ago?"
You feel yourself turning red. "I guess that's something for you and Chelsea to talk about when I'm not here with you guys," you mutter.
"Mm. Well, let's get dressed and go find some vegetation. Too bad it's winter already, it's much easier in the spring and summer."
"Should I leave? I mean, should I leave you and Chelsea to--?"
"We've got business to discuss, don't we?" she says, and starts pulling dry clothes out of her bag. "You should be around for that, right?"
* * * * *
You wind up in the Sutton Wilderness, the state nature preserve on the outskirts of town, tramping slowly up and down trails as Andrea runs her hands over the brush; the plants seem to droop a little as she passes. "Is Andrea going to work for you?" you ask her. "I had a hard time coming up with--"
"I remember what you said," she replies. "You were wearing Aparijita's mask at the time." She shrugs. "She works as well as anyone at Westside would. It's all very silly out there." She casts an amused, sidelong look at you. "Andrea thinks it's all very silly too. Even the people who come out to the house she thinks are rather silly. Will Prescott was out there a few days ago."
"Really?" you squeak. The thought of your scrawny doppelganger at Andrea Varnsworth's house leaves you agog.
"Yes. He came out with Dane Matthias. That's the kind of person he's been hanging out with. Speaking of Dane, I can get him for Joe. I can get people for Chelsea, too. Would she be interested in Charles Hartlein?"
Chelsea has pondered that gossipy queen as an acquisition, but you don't answer on her behalf. "Do you think what we're doing is silly?"
"Yes. But it makes sense. You're very young, Will. All this is very new to you. It's very new, period. I'm sure no one has ever used that book this way before."
"I'm not really sure what to do with it," you admit. "I mean, this all started--"
"I know exactly how it started," she says. "The five of us understand each other perfectly. We're trying to keep safe from some very dangerous people."
"Are we going to be safe?"
She shrugs. "As long as we keep hidden. These are good hiding places. Though a different school in another city very far away would have been better."
"I just feel like I need to practice, and want to be someplace familiar."
She waves you to be silent. "I told you that we understand each other. And I want you to understand that you should follow my advice."
"And what's your advice now?" you cautiously ask.
She doesn't answer immediately. "You're going to make yourself a new face, right? Maybe you should get that taken care of. It'll be easier for you, now that I'm here."
"I'm waiting for Joe to get my new documents ready. And to get things set up at school."
"Then let's go see him. You know where Mr. Hagerman lives?"
* * * * *
Andrea finishes re-energizing herself on the return to the car, but you have to make a change of positions before going out to the teacher's apartment, which is in a modest but tasteful complex on the far side of town. Chelsea has to return to playing Kim Walsh's part, so Andrea picks you up in your own body at Straussler's. She eyes you closely as you get into the car. "I can see the changes," she says. "Your golem is still very goofy. You're looking a little more--"
"A little more what?" you ask when she trails off.
"A little more not-goofy," she says, and doesn't expand.
Joe is at his new place, and he grins broadly as you and Andrea step inside. "Are we all gonna get together for a pow-wow," he asks. "Now that we've got a full complement?" He reaches out to touch Andrea, but she pulls away.
"I still need to get my new face," you tell him. "How are you coming?"
"I just need a picture to finish up the photo IDs," he says. "I talked to Sagansky yesterday. The paperwork he needs will take a few days to be processed, but you could go in to school tomorrow if you want. I also reserved an efficiency apartment in this complex for you. Unless you want to, uh--" He grins raffishly over the implied invitation to share his space, and maybe his bed.
"I'll take the efficiency. Can Straussler carry my expenses?"
"Of course. Though maybe you'll want to find a part-time job, just to keep things looking natural."
"I'll think about it." You glance around, feeling the pinch of the approaching change. "If you need the photo, I guess we should go ahead and-- We'd have to go back up to the school." You look over at Andrea.
"I'd like to use the powder room first," she says, and disappears through the doorway that Joe indicates.
When she's gone, he looks keenly at you. "Have you been inside her yet?" he quietly asks.
"No. She's spooky, and I've been nervous about asking."
"I guess I should be glad that you want to ask. But maybe you should. She seems very--" He searches for the right word. "Very masterful. Even more than Chelsea."   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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