Michelle Estrich? You really only have a vague idea who she is. You know she's a cheerleader and from the way you've heard Yumi and her friends talk before you'd guess that she's not particularly popular. "I can't say because I don't really know who she is," you state. "So tell me about her."
"If we had to describe her," Cindy says with a pause, "she's kind of nothing. Like she doesn't stand out. Not in looks or popularity or anything. Hell, nobody on the squad really gives her a second thought, although I guess doesn't try and reach out to anyone either. We all kinda wonder if she actually even has friends."
"And that's who you want me to be?"
"That probably all seems bad but in the context of what we're asking you to do, they're positives," explains Yumi. "Because it makes her a wildcard. See, we think she'd vote with Chelsea but we don't really know her so that's only an assumption."
"Not like we don't have good reason to think that though," adds Cindy. "She owes her spot on the squad to Chelsea so common sense would say that she'd vote for Chelsea on any no confidence vote if only to make sure she doesn't end up on Chelsea's bad side."
"But it's clear that Chelsea doesn't respect her and neither do Chelsea's friends," states Yumi. "So even if we think that she would vote or Chelsea, that doesn't mean it's certain, because she has to know how she's viewed. But I don't know if we actually could convince her to vote against Chelsea since either. Fortunately for us, we don't have to play fair."
"So if I did this then how long would I have to, uh, pretend to be her?"
"A couple of days? Maybe the week?" Yumi says with uncertainty. "It just depends on when or if we can convince the others to agree to hold a vote."
"Lin and the twins aren't going to know about this, by the way. This stays between us," states Cindy as she then gives Caleb a hard look, "got it?"
Caleb in turn gives her a look and then turns his attention to you. "You want my opinion? This is all kind of harebrained," he states. "At least you'll have the band if you're pretending to be Michelle but the real one won't have that benefit and she might freak out or get pissed. Things could be completely FUBAR for you by the time you're done."
"That's why you need to keep an eye on her. You know, since you're part of this whole plan and all now." Cindy tells him. You can feel the tension between the two of them. She then looks at you. "As for you, it'd probably be a good idea to get rid of anything incriminating from your phone—texts, search history and whatever—so she doesn't accidentally stumble onto it."
"Are you really going to do this?" Caleb asks with wariness.
You do have to agree with him in that this does seem kind of whacked out but they also do seem to have the general plot down pretty well and it's not that complicated. The possibility of what to do with your life afterwards is certainly something to give you pause... but then you think about the past day. It was so thrilling being Jenny. Not just looking like her but being her. The way she moved and talked, all of her little mannerisms, the way she thought, how she viewed others. You weren't simply pretending to be her, you were her and you kind of want the opportunity to experience something like it again. Because, you realize, it felt so different and yet natural as well. That Brittany girl would probably be impressed, you muse to yourself.
"Yeah, I am," you answer him. Then you turn back to the girls. "I'm in. I'll be Michelle."
"Great!" exclaims Cindy. "So you brought some masks right? Because we're going to need one."
"Yeah," you say as you look through the bag. You find the blank mask and with attached mind band and hand it over to them. "So when is this switch supposed to happen?"
"Whenever we can get Michelle somewhere so we can do it," Yumi answers as she takes it. "Anyway, I'll text you when we've got something. But thanks, we'll owe you big time Will."
"In fact," adds Cindy as she stands up, "consider the meal part of it; we'll pay. See? We're showing you that we're on the up and up and serious about this."
* * * * *
"You know, it really is a lot of bullshit if you ask me," Caleb says as the two of you head back down into the basement.
"I don't have to ask for your opinion about it," you sigh, "because you've been volunteering it ever since we left Milagro."
"Because this is stupid, Will," he argues. "There's way too many things that could go wrong. It's like with Keith but even worse."
"First, no way are Cindy and Yumi that stupid and reckless. Second, it's a bridge we'll cross if we get to it," you tell him as you set everything down but take the blank mask out of the bag. "But the best rewards always come with risk, right?"
"What reward?" he asks incredulously.
"Yumi said they'd owe me," you answer. "Like two of the hottest girls at school would owe me a favor."
"And you have no idea what it'd be."
"Maybe I'd get a date. You know, since I'd be the guy who slayed the terrible tyrant and all." You're only half-joking when you say it.
"I think you're grossly overestimating things," he says dismissively. "It'd probably just be another stupid dinner and a pat on the back for a job well done."
"The hell is your problem anyway? You've been acting like a dick all evening."
"Aside from the fact I just flat out don't like this? Gee, I don't know. Maybe because, I have to give up the mask I've never even gotten the chance to use because everyone else is just plowing ahead and doing whatever they want."
"That's what you're so pissed about?" you ask in disbelief. "I copied the fucking sigils, man! You should still be able to make stuff."
"We don't know that it'll work, you're only assuming that it's the sigils that are important and not, like the sigils and the book together."
"Then just try making a mask now," you implore him.
But he demures. "I'd rather just get this thing done first," he says as he motions towards the dirt.
So you tell him to get to work on that while you get things prepped for this whole undercover operation. He asks why you're making the mask now and you simply tell him it's better to be prepared since you have no idea when Yumi is going to contact you. It might even be later tonight! With annoyed resignation, Caleb starts getting to work on stuff for the spell ad as he does you decide to throw him a bone and tell him to take the Jenny mask home with him.
"What for?" he asks.
"Take a guess," you answer while giving him a knowing grin. Then you take the blank mask and raise it to your face.
* * * * *
"Here, remember what I told you," you say as you crack the door open enough to reach your arm through, handing a pile of your clothes as well as a brush and sealant to someone. A few moments later they knock on the door and a feminine hand reaches through to give you a different pile of clothing, a mask and the brush and sealant. "It'll be a few minutes so just, you know, work on trying to get her calm."
The door closes and you lock it. It's early Sunday afternoon and Yumi had texted you to tell you that she'd agreed to get Michelle to come out to her place with "some BS excuse" and that you needed to come over too. You'd made sure to explain to her how to copy Michelle and then headed over to the address that she gave you. Once you were there, Yumi quickly ushered you inside and to the bathroom which is where things stand now: you in Yumi's bathroom with Michelle's mask and her clothes. You remember what Cindy said yesterday and take the time to delete all of your texts with Yumi, any conversations between yourself and both Caleb and Keith over the last week and go into your browser to get rid of your recent history just to be extra safe. Then with no trepidation this time, you grab Michelle's mask and put it on.
A few minutes later and you're now getting dressed in her clothing and looking over yourself in the bathroom mirror. Michelle Estrich is not a great beauty like Chelsea or Cindy or Yumi but she's hardly ugly; in fact she's plenty attractive you consider. Her face is a little plain with her chin especially being longer and sharper than normal. But she has an athlete's build and especially nice legs with strong calves and thighs.
No, you mentally correct yourself, she doesn't have any of that; you do. If you're going to do this, if you're going to pull this off, then you can't simply be someone pretending to be Michelle Estrich, you need to believe that you are Michelle Estrich... or at least your own interpretation of her. The first step, then, is to not think of this as Michelle's body.
Yes, this is your body. This is you. Yumi invited you over to her place because she said that she had someone, a boy, that she was thinking of introducing you to and while you trust her as far as you can throw her, maybe she was looking to do right by you and start changing the relationship between the two of you. So she'd brought you to her house and up to her room and then... you'd blacked out and now you're here and you know the "boy" she's referring to is now in her room.
You smile as you put on the last of your clothes and then stop there and let Michelle's persona slip a bit. Because you'll need to be yourself—be Will—to finalize things with Yumi. You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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