This choice: Use the mask on Charlotte Dahl • Go Back... To be honest with yourself you're not quite sure how you'd get either Gwen or Lucy. Well that's not totally true, you do have an immediate thought as to how you could get Gwen but it's a convoluted and roundabout plan that would involve getting one of the Alphas -- that is the girls in the sorority -- first and then using her to get Gwen. But that's an unwieldy and frankly unfeasible plan for a number of reasons chief among them being that you don't know when you could even do it.
The Alphas might be customers but that doesn't mean they're necessarily friends. Sure Lina might see some of them at a party or they might cross one another in the hall and it's not like she or they hate or disparage one another. College may have its own drama and rivalries but thankfully it's nothing like high school after all. So realistically the only time you could grab one would be when one of them comes around to buy and it's not like you know when that'll be since their buying habits aren't on any kind of fixed schedule. Some times you're surprised at how fast they can go through what they purchase, some times they can stretch it out.
So Gwen is off the table you think and Lucy? Well you're rooming with someone who does work with her but it's not like they're particularly friendly with one another either and like with Gwen your current identity has never had anything to do with her. Neither of them are even customers so you can't just wait for one of them to swing by and buy something. They're both non-starters as far as you're concerned which really only leaves one option.
Well two actually. "Hey, how long is that whatever you're making gonna be?" you call out to the kitchen.
"Maybe another five minutes?" Melody calls back. "I thought you didn't like this."
"I'm hungry enough that I can choke it down," you reply. "Love ya, wifey."
"Uh huh."
Despite how high strung Melody can be Lina actually gets along with her pretty well. She can't get her to smoke but Lina can get her to at least laugh and open up a bit and she has to admit that Melody can be a pretty good cook, especially when making real food and not this tofu crap. But that's probably about what was left in the kitchen to make and Melody hasn't had a chance to do the shopping yet. Still, while she is an option you still don't think Sydney would like being her all that much.
So you take out your phone and shoot a text off to K.C.
think u can get charlotte over to ur place tmrw?
It takes a few minutes but you get a response back: sure
So you send a text to Umeko relaying to her that K.C. is going to try and get Charlotte out to the house tomorrow. She tells you that Umeko doesn't really have much of anything going on so she'll stay in the mask and grab her then. All in all, you crow to yourself, things continue to go pretty smoothly. Your mood is such that once Melody tells you she's done you don't even have to really force down the tofu.
* * * * *
You don't have to worry much from that point on. Mary Johnson swings by the apartment not long after you eat to buy a quad off of you and you manage to score a cool fifty bucks. She tells you that Allison might be coming by for the weekend as well. A few more girls stop by too and by the end of the night you head to bed content that you've done reasonably well for yourself.
The next morning you only have one class which you only half pay attention to as it's one that Lina herself doesn't find particularly interesting and then it's on to her part time job -- as a barista at Starbucks -- for a midday shift. It's not the most exciting thing and truth be told Lina's not the biggest fan of having to work, not when most of her income comes from her "side business". But she does like that both Connor Hutchinson and Justin Carr work there.
She's a year older but like them she too attended Westside and would see them at school hanging around guys whose name she doesn't remember but who you recognize as being Carson Ioeger and James Lamont. But largely she knew them from going to the some of the same parties and occasionally she and her friends would hang out with them and some of their other friends. She remembers them as being smart (and smart-asses) with a mischievous streak. The kind of thing she finds fun.
Truth be told she's always found the shaggy-haired Connor kind of cute so she enjoys the fact that now they get to be coworkers and pick up from where they left off though she's balked at trying to progress things even though she's pretty sure he'd take her out if she asked.
So overall it's another nice and easy day as Lina by the time you get off of work. You feel like you could get used to it and as you pull up to K.C.'s place you're starting to think that maybe she'd make a nice full time identity. Especially when Sydney, not Umeko or Zoe but the real girl herself, greets you with a nice smooch once she answers the door. She informs you that Zoe let her in and is back in her room and that the two of them are waiting for K.C.: Zoe so they can practice and her because, well...
So you sit and chat for a few minutes and then you hear voices and the door opens. In walks K.C. but with her is another young woman; blonde and pretty with clear blue eyes, a large tattoo on her left arm and another on the inside of her right forearm.
"Oh! K.C. you didn't tell me you had guests over," she says. Her voice is soft with a very noticeable English accent.
"When don't I?" K.C. responds. "Anyway these are just some friends and such," she says she points out you and Sydney. "Guys, this is Charlotte. The chick that's spent the last few weeks pestering me about the festival."
"Well I don't think I've been pestering exactly," Charlotte mutters defensively. "But I am glad you agreed to do it all the same. Pleasure to meet you all by the way."
"Pleasure's all our's," you respond as Sydney, quick as a flash, jumps up and smashes the mask on Charlotte's face.
You and K.C. head outside though don't say much of anything until the front door opens about twenty minutes later. Umeko's out first and greets you followed by an unsteady looking Charlotte. "Everything go off well?" you ask.
"Yeah, except for, you know, the issue I have compared to you," she answers and you have to do a double take. Sure the voice still sounds soft and silky smooth but...
"Yeah, I noticed. The accent's totally gone," K.C. says for you.
"Well duh," Charlotte responds. "I mean all that stuff is mental and if I don't have that then, you know, I'm not going to stand out here and do a bad one." With that she grabs K.C. by the arm. "Anyway I'll just hang out with her for a bit. Watch them practice. We'll drop Umeko off at her place too and by tomorrow everything will be fine right?"
"Yeah sure," you responds.
"Right. Thanks for the help then, Will, but I'll see you tomorrow."
* * * * *
Not having any classes on a Thursday you're at work in the morning (Connor and Justin, to your disappointment, don't work mornings) when you feel your phone go off in your pocket. You have to wait until your break before you can actually check it however and it's a message from an unknown number. Though thankfully the sender gives away their identity right off the bat.
hey this is sydney. still in char's mask.
but we need to talk.
real important.
can you meet for lunch?
You say that you can and after a brief back and forth you eventually decide on Besandwiched. Sydney's looking for something a little quieter and you know, well Lina knows, well enough that people tend to prefer going there in the evening on account of the more occult and mystical atmosphere of the cafe not really fitting well for afternoon meals. You then work the rest of your shift and once it ends bid goodbye to your coworkers and head off to where you're supposed to meet.
You step into Besandwiched and find Charlotte sitting by herself at a table in the back corner. She looks jumpy and nervous like she's expecting someone to jump out at her from around a corner. You want to go over and yell "Boo!" to get at her but decide that's probably not a good idea. "What's up?" you ask as you take a seat. "You okay? You look spooked."
"I do? Christ! Well I am so I can't help it," she says. She didn't have it yesterday since Sydney had none of her mind but now that you can hear it you like the way her accent combines with her soft voice. "Anyway, you know how it takes me like a night's sleep to get all the memories and whatnot right?"
You nod.
"Well yeah, I've got Charlotte's and..." she stops to take a deep breath. "Look Will, I want you to listen to me and listen good, okay? MacGregor and the music festival? Charlotte? None of them are what we thought they were." You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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