This choice: Abandon the trio; replace Dana • Go Back...Chapter #28Stepping In and Stepping Out by: rugal b.   Nothing is said between the two of you for a moment. The tension is palpable and making you a bit uncomfortable and you're not really sure if Dana will let you get out of this. Finally you decide to speak up, "Look, why don't you put on my mask." you tell her.
She eyes you queerly. "Your mask?" she asks.
You pick up the Yumi mask off the floor. "My mask. I made it when I first started figuring out the book that let me do this. Sort of like a testing bed I guess." you explain.
"And you want me to put this on?"
You hand the mask to her and reluctantly she takes it. "It's got all of my thoughts and feelings in it." you state, "I figure if you put it on you could get a sense of where I'm coming from." You pause and let a thoughtful look appear on your face. "Maybe you and me could switch off for a day like you and Sarah did."
Dana looks up at you still not sure how to take everything. "You want us to switch? Why? Don't you want to be in charge?" she asks.
"I want to share this with you guys." you tell her putting a bit of a wishful tone in your voice. "And I want the both of us to be on the same page."
"And you want us to do that... how?" Dana asks.
"Like I said, we switch for a day." you tell her, "We spend a day as one another and by the time we meet tomorrow we'll have a better idea of where the other is coming from and we can make a final decision then."
Dana's eyes look down at the mask for a moment and then back up at you. "There's more to it." she says, "Isn't there."
You put your hands on the ground behind you and lean back. "Sort of." you say and breath in deeply. "I really admire the relationship you and Sarah have. Mokichi's so moody when he's at home. Chiho's so quiet and studious. But you and Sarah are tight and I kind of want to experience that if only for a day."
Dana takes another look at the mask of Yumi that's resting in her hands. Another moment of silence falls over the room as she studies it and mulls over what to do. Finally, however, she speaks up. "I'll do it." she states, "For one day."
And as she slowly brings the mask to her face you push yourself back into a normal sitting position. "Thanks Dana." you say with a smile, "I know you'll be just fine with it.
* * * * *
You give yourself a quick look over in the rear view mirror one last time. Dana Pak's face peers back at you as if examining you and judging your actions. She most likely wasn't going to go along with any idea you had that much is certain now that you've settled into her for more than a quick demonstration of what the masks can do. It was an idea that made her uncomfortable, you knew that, but looking at it from her perspective is enough to stop you for a brief second as you realize just how futile your efforts probably would've been. You give it a little mental shrug however because what's done is done.
You look at the two masks still in your possession and sitting in the passenger seat of Dana's car, Sarah's and Joanna's; one golemized and the other not. You ponder walking in as one of them instead but decide against that as well. Maybe you'll give your partner in crime a show later but for now you flash a smile, gather things up, and exit the car eventually going to the fuck room and knocking. "Who is it?" comes a voice with a soft, slightly ethereal sound to it.
"It's me, open up!" you exclaim in response.
"'Me' who?"
You roll your eyes and groan, "God, it's me Will alright? Just let me in!"
A few seconds later the door opens to reveal Jelena who eyes you skeptically. "You're not Yumi."
"It's Dana, the older cousin." you state wearily as you shove your way past her into the loft and plop down on a pile of old gym mats. "I just texted you from Yumi's phone before I sent her off. I'm gonna need your number by the way." You notice a mask on the floor besides you and pick it up. "Who's this?" you ask as you turn it over to reveal the name "SIENNA JOAN GOLDMAN".
"Sienna Goldman." Jelena replies gliding over to your position, "Though I guess you just figured that out huh? She's the only one I've been able to recruit so far. Haven't had the chance to talk to Drea one on one and Fatima... is going to be a hard sell. She'll take some convincing."
"Tell me about it." you sigh and prop yourself up against the wall behind you, "That's why I'm here and not in Yumi."
"I thought you were just going to slap a mask on them if they gave you trouble?" Jelena asked.
"Well Sarah wasn't the problem. She was all for it." you say as you hold up Sarah's mask, "Hell she even got me her best friend." you tell her as you next hold up Joanna's, "But Dana... not so lucky there, kind of like Fatima. Ethics and whatnot." you say and snort, "Not that I can blame her I guess. Not when I'm looking at things from her perspective. But we're kind of in too deep at this point to just drop everything right?"
"Is that why you're doing this?" Jelena asks picking up Sarah's mask, "Because you think we can't go back?"
"A little I guess." you admit, "But I'm enjoying it. I'd rather be where I am now than go back to where I was. Don't put that one on by the way, it's golemized. If you want to be my little sister so bad I'll get another mask of her."
Jelena just snorts and puts the mask back down. "Still doesn't tell me why you just didn't slap your cousin's mask onto her so you didn't have to worry about it." she says.
"I don't know, I guess I figured if managing two girls was going to be this much of a pain then managing five people across two schools would be unbearable." you explain. "That's what I came here to talk to you about actually. I think I'm gonna drop James' group."
Jelena walks over to a cooler and grabs a beer out of it. "So you're going to give me control of Westside?" she asks opening it.
"I guess. You take Westside, I'll find two more people for Eastman." you tell her as you shake your head and decline her offer of a beer. "If you can't get Fatima or Andrea I'm sure you could get some people from James' group easy enough though. Or some unpopular girls or guys."
"And who are you gonna choose over there?" Jelena asks.
"I dunno." you say with a shrug, "I've got all weekend to think about it though.
* * * * *
Turns out you don't have quite as much time as you thought however as the next day, a Saturday, you're walking around the mall with Sarah when she suddenly stops you. "Hey, Dana? I... kind of screwed up." she says and when you look over at her you can see her cringing. Before you left to talk to Caleb last night you had told Sarah that Yumi decided to leave you in charge of things at Eastman and she'll just "check up" on you every so often.
"Screwed up how?" you ask her as you head off a bit away from the crowd, close to the restrooms, so it'll be harder for people to overhear.
"After I got the mask on Jo right? She woke up and wanted to know what happened and... I... kindatoldherI'msorryIdidn'tmeantobut--" the last few words come out as a damn near unintelligible bundle of sounds but you're able to make out what she's saying and reassuringly you put an arm around her.
"Sarah, calm down don't worry." you say trying to ease her worries, "Look, Yumi wanted three people doing this at Eastman okay? So if Joanna knows then we just bring her in."
You see Sarah's eyes light up at that. Having her best friend to do this with will hopefully calm her down and leave her a little less excitable. "Just one catch: I'm gonna need to get a new mask of you since Yumi's got ours. Consider it your punishment." With that matter settled you're ready to go back to window shopping when you suddenly hear two voices.
"--please just get out of my hair for once?" comes a smokier and sharper female voice.
"Not that you have much hair to begin with." says a male voice, much more teasing and laid back.
"Get fucked." says the girl.
"I do, plenty, but you know I want something more solid and based on understanding." replies the guy.
"The only understanding you're going to get is my fist and your goddamn arm." the girl shoots back. A few seconds later you hear a loud yelp from the guy that turns into laughter.
You look in the direction of the voices and have your suspicions confirmed when you see Chris Yves standing outside a music store not too far from where you are and looking more than a bit irritated and a smiling Adam Karter rubbing his arm. You're struck by an idea: you need a third person for Eastman. Originally you were just going to use one of Dana's friends or maybe David Johnson, he'd go along with anything Dana said out of a desire to be close to her, to help fill those voids. However Sarah's loose lips have made half of that task a moot point and now?
You try to stare in the direction of Chris and Adam without trying to be conspicuous. Why not use one of them instead? They'd be interesting and perhaps eager additions to what you've got going on. Chris, for all of her rough edge, has a heart of gold and desperately wants to promote more unity among the various social cliques. With her it's selling her on the ability to use the masks to experience different views, different lives, to better understand these groups and perhaps nudge them in the right direction. Karter, though, he's just a horn dog who will fuck anything with a vagina. With him it's just a matter of telling him he'll have access to POD, Pussy on Demand, with the masks, golems, and being able to fool around with any girl's body he wants. You can even dangle the carrot of Westside girls in front of him.
"Hey Sarah," you say to her grabbing her attention, "I've gotta use the bathroom so go on without me alright? We'll meet back up later." With a bit of reluctance she heads off and you're left looking over at Chris and Karter wondering which would be the better choice.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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