“Okay, so tell me the plan again?” Julie asks her friend Ryan.

He smiles and rolls his eyes playfully. “This is like the fourth time.”

Julie grins back at him. “I know, but I want to make sure I have it right! And make sure we’re not missing anything.”

Ryan nods, setting down the bundle of clothes he’d been holding. “Okay, it’s simple. Molly is going to Donatello’s - that fancy Italian place - tonight with her boyfriend. I told Lucy and Rachel that we’re going to play a prank on Molly, to get her back for that one she pulled on us last month.”

Julie nods, recalling the details. Ryan, Lucy, Rachel and herself had been at their favourite spot in the woods drinking and smoking. Molly had disguised herself as some kind of environmental safety officer and had convinced them that they were trespassing. She’d added something about it being illegal to consume alcohol on private land, and that they’d be heavily fined. Naturally, they had all panicked and freaked out.

“Still can’t believe we fell for it” Julie says.

Ryan shrugs. “My brother made the mask. I think he and Molly have gone out a few times.”

Julie grins, remembering how convincing ‘Marie’, the forty-something redheaded officer, had been.

“Anyway, back to the plan” Ryan continues “Lucy and Rachel are definitely on board for some payback. I had my brother make masks of Molly’s parents, and they’re going to dress up as them and crash Molly’s night out. They’ve already thought up some ways they can embarrass her, like stories and stuff, but nothing too bad. Lucy said she can repurpose the body shapers from that restaurant prank we pulled on you, and Rachel doesn’t think it’ll take much effort for her to impersonate Molly’s mom.”

Julie’s grin grows wider. “Excellent. And that’s where we come in with all of this” she asserts, gesturing to all of the stuff on her bed.

“Exactly.”

The two of them chat about the remainder of the details, while arranging the various items.

After a few minutes, Julie giggles “Well, time to get ready.”

Ryan grins back at her. The pair had changed in front of each other many times before, so Ryan is perfectly comfortable stripping out of his shirt and jeans in front of her. Likewise, she has no issue undressing in front of him, leaving her in only a plain pair of cotton panties and matching bra.

But they’d never been fully nude with each other, so she’d set up a folding room divider next to the bed. She watches as Ryan lifts a large flesh-coloured bundle from the bed, before stepping behind the divider.

After he does so, she slides her underwear down her legs and grabs a smaller bundle of the same colour. It looks like a pair of shorts, and she quickly steps into the openings and tugs them up her legs. The garment is tight, and its padded shape has the effect of giving her moderately wider hips and a rounder behind. Otherwise, the soft, skin-coloured shorts are devoid of any other noticeable features.

She hears tugging and grunting sounds from behind the screen, and a couple minutes later, Ryan steps out with a big smile on his face.

His bundle was more of a full-body suit that has given his frame an unmistakably feminine shape. He now has broad hips, a slim waist, full ass and perky C-cup breasts. Like her shorts, the body he now wears is plain and, while the right colour and texture, doesn’t look much like real skin, at least in the torso area. The suit’s neckline ends just below his collarbone, where it tapers down thinly.

The suit’s limbs are different, and much more detailed. Julie can make out fine hairs and freckles on the arms, the freckles appearing to be in all the right spots.

Julie can’t help but giggle. “Now that’s something I never thought I’d see.”

Ryan laughs. “Same here. What do you think, is it close?”

She nods her head. “Oh yeah, looks just like her.”

“Awesome. I didn’t want to be too confident until I tried it on.”

The next few minutes are spent getting dressed. Julie slips on a pair of dark skinny jeans, a striped crop top, and black flats. Her chest is close enough to the right size to not need any adjustment. Her arms are also exposed, they were also similar enough to not need any changes.

Ryan moves a bit awkwardly as he adjusts to the body he’s wearing. He tugs on a plain pair of panties then steps into a flared black mini skirt, pulling it up the suit’s girlish legs. Julie has to pause to help him fasten the clasp of a strapless bra, smiling as she does so. He then pulls on a strapless floral top, which settles prettily onto the suit’s ample chest.

Of course, all the items of clothing are exact copies of those found in Lucy and Rachel’s closets.

After donning some additional jewellery, the two examine each other in a tall mirror. Julie places a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh at the bizarre sight of Ryan’s head sitting on top of Rachel’s well-dressed body.

“Damn, this is really going to work” Julie comments.

Ryan nods. “You bet it is.”

Not wanting to wait another moment, he grabs two more fleshy heaps from the bed and hands one to Julie. Smirking, they both look down at the crumpled, empty masks of their two friends. Julie touches her mask’s silky black hair, finding it to be a little tangled.

“Hm, I’ll definitely need to brush this out. It must have jostled around on the trip over.”

Ryan runs his fingers through the recreation of Rachel’s wavy brown locks. “Same here. You’ll definitely have to help with that” he says with a chuckle.

The two glance at each other, then slip their hands into the open necks of the masks. The next few moments are spent pulling, stretching and grunting as they tug the masks over their heads. Finally, they slide into place, the facial features aligning precisely with those underneath.

Julie opens her eyes and sees Lucy starting back at her in the mirror. Her mouth falls open in amazement, and she turns to see a nearly flawless Rachel smiling back at her.

The two disguised friends spent a few moments subtly adjusting each other’s masks, ensuring their perfection. Then, the new Lucy brushes out her friend’s hair, smoothing out all the tangles and knots before doing the same to hers. They use a special concealer to cover up the already barely-noticeable seams, then apply some light makeup to their new faces. Finally, they carefully apply coloured contact lenses and hollow dental pieces to complete the illusion.

Ryan speaks first, prodding his new Rachel face in wonder. “Incredible” he murmurs.

“Last touch!” Julie says happily. She reaches her hand out and gently cups her friend’s neck, pressing at a certain spot.

Ryan feels a mild tingle, which quickly vanishes. “Thanks!” He giggles, in a perfect recreation of Rachel’s light tone.

Julie presses the same spot on her own neck. “No problem!” She replies in Lucy’s voice. “Are you ready to go?”

“Totally” the fake Rachel says with a big smile.

ONE HOUR LATER

The real Lucy sits in the passenger seat of Rachel’s car, with the vanity mirror pulled down. She examines her face in the mirror, which looks very different from her own. Paul Wilson’s serious-looking face gazes back at her, as she prods the mask with very masculine, and slightly rougher hands.

She pinches near the mouth, stretching the lower lip away from hers. She releases it and it snaps back into place, looking once again like nothing is amiss.

“Stop messing with it, Lucy!” The woman next to her scolds. “It looks perfect. You’re just going to damage it.”

Lucy glances over at Mary Wilson and smiles. “You really do sound like Molly’s mom” she jokes in a baritone voice.

“Mary” rolls her eyes. “Come on, let’s go” she says, brushing a perfectly curled lock of blonde hair back behind her ear.

FIVE MINUTES LATER

Molly and her boyfriend Adam are taking the first sip of their drinks when Molly looks up quickly.

“Oh, crap…” she mutters.

Adam turns and sees her parents walking over towards them, led by a hostess. They appear to be dressed up. Her dad is wearing a suit jacket and tie, and her mom has on an elegant navy dress.

“What are you guys doing here?” Molly challenges when they arrive, a hint of frustration in her voice.

The couple take their seats at the table directly next to them as the hostess leaves.

Mary smiles sweetly. “It’s our date night!” She replies. “I didn’t realize you’d be here too.”

“But…do you have to sit right here?”

Her father shrugs casually. “The hostess gave us the table. I think they are preparing to push some of those other ones together for a party” he comments, focusing on the menu in front of him.

A little exasperated, Molly doesn’t see a way out of her dilemma. “Oh…fine…I guess.”

Her boyfriend Adam has so far managed to stay out of it. But when it looks like they’re going to be stuck there for dinner, he says “Nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.”

Mary smiles at him. “You too, Adam! Sorry to crash your party like this.”

Politely, he replies “No worries.”

Molly shoots him an apologetic look from across the table as the waitress comes over. Her parents order cocktails, then the her dad turns and comments to them “This is actually nice, isn’t it? We haven’t eaten together in a while.”

His wife places her hand on his. “It is! Is there anything new with you, Adam?” She hums, showing off her sparkling smile.

Adam replies, describing how things have been going at his new job, while Molly painfully looks on.

“That’s very good to hear” her father says approvingly. “Sounds like the beginnings of a promising career. Glad to see Molly’s found someone responsible and intelligent, unlike her other boyfriends” he finishes with a wink.

“Dad!” Molly splutters. “Really?”

“Oh, come now” he scoffs. “We’ll all be a family some day, we can talk about things.”

Molly’s mouth falls open, appalled. Mary just smiles and nods cheerfully.

For the next ten minutes - the longest of Molly’s life - her parents comment on their relationship and share stories of their own. In the middle of sharing a far too personal anecdote, Molly notices her friends Lucy and Rachel walking past the bar.

She waves a little frantically at them, looking for a rescue. Or at least a way of watering down her parents’ presence.

Rachel sees her and waves back, and the two ladies make their way over to the table.

“Hey, everyone!” Rachel greets them cheerfully. “Family dinner?”

Molly is too focused on her friends to noticed the startled looks on her parents’ faces. Her mom’s hand squeezes her father’s tightly as her face forms a strained smile.

“Yeah, an unplanned one…” Molly replies. She looks at her parents, who quickly compose themselves.

“Oh, well we won’t intrude!” Rachel says politely.

“No, it’s okay!” Molly replies quickly. “We’d love for you to join us, right?”

She looks over at her parents, who seem a bit speechless. Finally, her dad says “Oh…sure, of course”. He glances at his wife, as if looking for her approval.

Mary nods curtly, smiling. “Nice to see you, ladies” she says with an edge.

“You too!” Lucy chirps. Molly suggests pushing all three tables together, and Adam and her dad do so.

Molly’s mom looks Lucy directly in the eyes and asks “What brings you two here?”

Lucy smiles kindly back at her, meeting her gaze. “Oh, you know, girl’s night out! We were planning on grabbing a quick bite here before hitting the bars. They have a DJ at The Red Lounge tonight and you know how I like to dance!”

Molly doesn’t notice her father’s eyes narrow as he stares at the cheerful Lucy.

“Mhmm” Rachel grins. “We bought some new dresses at the mall today. They were on sale. We’re going to change back at my place in between.”

She looks over at Molly and says with sincerity “Sorry we didn’t invite you, but we knew it was date night.”

Molly shakes her head, once again missing the daggers her mother is staring at Rachel. “Oh, no worries. Next time!”

The group eventually orders their meals. Lucy and Rachel seem quite talkative, sharing details about their lives that Molly is a bit surprised to hear said in front of her parents, who have gotten noticeably quieter.

“Anyway, let’s just say I was sore the next day” Rachel says with a wink.

Adam’s cheeks flush and Molly’s eyes widen. “Rachel! I think maybe you should keep that on the DL…” she says to her friend.

Her mom looks over at Rachel. “I agree. That wasn’t a very appropriate thing to say at dinner, dear” she chides, taking another sip of her martini.

Molly wonders what number cocktail she’s on.

“Sorry, sorry” Rachel says. “That must have been the alcohol talking.”

After an awkward pause, Lucy addresses Molly’s dad “So, Mr. Wilson. How are things with your company?”

Molly notices him seem to falter uncharacteristically. “Oh…well…things are going well. We had a very profitable quarter, actually. Thank you for asking” he replies briefly.

Lucy smiles. “Oh, that’s good! I can’t imagine working in finance, crunching numbers all day. Math was never really my strong suit, know what I mean?” She jokes.

Paul nods curtly, downing the rest of his drink in only gulp.

Their dinner arrives, and the awkward conversation continues. Molly decides it’s the most uncomfortable meal of her life.

Mercifully, and somewhat surprisingly, her parents decline to order dessert and politely say their goodbyes.

“Are you guys sure you don’t want anything? The chocolate cake sounds amazing” Rachel offers in a sweet voice.

“No, we should get going. Unfortunately, I have to get up early” Paul replies brusquely.

“Aw, okay” Rachel says with a small pout. Molly shoots her a look before saying goodbye to her parents.

Lucy looks down at her phone, apparently reading a text. “Actually, we’ll head out too. We should let you two enjoy your dessert alone after having to eat with all of us.”

Molly nods appreciatively. “Thanks. Ugh, that was so weird how my parents just showed up here.”

Rachel nods back. “Totally. I hope that never happens to me!”

The group laughs. Lucy and Rachel pay their bill and depart.

After they leave, Adam remarks “Well…that was an odd experience.”

Molly’s eyes narrow. “Yes…it was.”

MINUTES LATER

The phony Lucy and Rachel exit the restaurant, giggling like school girls.

Rachel cackles “Oh man, did you see the looks on their faces when we showed up? That was priceless.”

Lucy laughs louder. “Hi-larious. That story you told was so bad. I bet Rachel was so red underneath her mask.”

They walk back to Ryan’s car and their laughter eventually subsides.

“So, was that Lucy who texted you?” The fake Rachel asks.

“Uh huh. Look.”

The brunette glances at her phone and reads: MY PLACE. NOW.

The two disguised friends break into laughter again as they reach the car.

SOON AFTER

“Paul and Mary Wilson” sit on the couch in Lucy’s living room. Paul had loosened his tie and removed his suit jacket, while Mary pours herself another glass of wine, her blonde hair now a bit dishevelled.

“Can you believe them?” The fake mother says, slurring her words slightly. “They put on masks of us, Lucy!”

“I can’t believe it.” Her friend replies with a smirk. “It feels a bit hypocritical to be mad though. They really got us.”

Mary just rolls her eyes. “This is different” she argues, prodding her prosthetic face and brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. “It’s not okay to disguise ourselves as each other!”

Before the real Lucy can reply, there is a knock on the door. The fake Mary walks over and opens it, revealing the two imposters standing in the hallway.

“Oh, hello” she snarls.

“Hi Mrs. Wilson!” Rachel says cheerfully. She glances in the apartment and looks over at Paul. “Hi Mr. Wilson! What are you two doing here?”

“Oh, get inside. Before the neighbours see you” the phony mother orders.

The door shuts and the two fake Wilsons gaze at their doppelgängers, who are now each wearing a tight black dress and more makeup.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Mary challenges.

Lucy appears momentarily confused. “It’s like we said, we’re going dancing” she replies sweetly.

“Oh, please” the Paul Wilson imposter interrupts. “I’ll admit you were very clever, but it’s time to take those costumes off. Seeing you wearing my face is so weird.”

The fake ladies pout. “Aw, come on!” Rachel pleads.

Lucy adds “Yeah, Ryan didn’t bring any other clothes. We won’t go dancing, but we have to leave here wearing these.”

Mary observes the phony Rachel intently, her anger subsiding. Stepping forward, she nudges a lock of the familiar wavy brown hair. “Damn, you look just like me. Are are you wearing some kind of suit?”

“Mhmm” her imposter nods happily. “Head to toe.” She spins around, giving the real Rachel a full view.

The phony Wilsons glance at each other and both smile. “Alright, you got us. Well done” Mary says. “But we’ll get you back!”

The ladies giggle, high-fiving each other.

Paul adopts a stern expression. “All right, ladies” he says with authority. “I mean it. Go straight home and get out of those outfits.”

Lucy and Rachel drop back into character as well. “Fine, Mr. Wilson” Rachel says, her shoulders slumping. “We’ll see you later.”

Mary opens the apartment door again and ushers them into the hall. As they depart, she overhears the fake Rachel ask her friend “So, how hard do you think it will be to dance in these heels?”

“Oh, no you don’t! I’m warning you!” The fake version of Molly’s mom chides, waving her finger at the laughing imposters.

She closes the door and walks over to her “husband”, who’s now standing next to the counter. She looks at him mischievously and takes another long sip of wine.

“So” she begins, placing a hand on his chest. “Did I ever tell you that I used to have a huge crush on Molly’s dad?”

Paul just rolls his eyes. “Yeah, at least four or five times” he replies gruffly.

The fake Mary’s hand drops down to his groin, gently squeezing the sizable bulge underneath the fabric.

“Oh, stop it” the disguised Lucy scolds. “You’re drunk, and in case you don’t remember, I’ve never had a thing for Molly’s mom.”

Mary pouts as Paul unbuttons his shirt and reaches inside. He lifts the flap of fake skin and pulls. The real Rachel watches his face wrinkle and distort as he tugs, before finally popping off with a loud squelch. The revealed Lucy drops the empty mask onto the counter with a thump.

“Spoilsport” the fake Mary whines.

Reluctantly, she slips her own fingers underneath the silky dress’s neckline and finds her own seam. Lucy grins as Mary’s features crumple upwards grotesquely before snapping off with a noisy rubbery sound.

Rachel sighs as she tosses the mask on to the couch, where it lands in a heap of fleshy material and blonde hair.

“Let’s get out of these” Lucy says, walking back towards her bedroom. “You can sleep over, and in the morning we can start thinking about our revenge.”

EPILOGUE

Molly sits on Lucy’s couch, mouth agape as she stares at the masks on the coffee table in front of her.

“I knew it!” She exclaims, reaching for the mask of her mother. Her friends sit around the room, all smiling proudly.

She inspects the mask with a mixture of amazement and unease. “Wow, it fooled me completely. I thought it was really my mom. Which one of you was wearing it?”

Rachel raises her hand. “How’d I do?”

“I mean, looking back, there were definitely clues you weren’t her. But in the moment I had no idea.”

She drops the mask and it flops down onto the wooden surface.

Molly looks over at Lucy and Rachel. “They really turned the tables on you, didn’t they?” She asks, pointing to Ryan and Julie.

“Yeah, they sure did” Lucy replies, nodding her head.

Molly picks up the mask of Rachel, examining it as she had with her mother’s face. “Crazy. I can’t believe you guys really went for it. Impersonating them. Especially you, Ryan!”

Ryan laughs. “I looked good, right? It’s amazing what a little padding and the right outfit will do.”

He lifts the Rachel mask from Molly’s hands and holds it up by its hair.

“Ew, stop” the real Rachel snorts. “It’s bad enough I have to imagine you strolling around inside a copy of my body.”

Ryan smirks back at her. Swiftly, he lifts it up over his head as the others look on, rolling their collective eyes.

“Oh, come on” Rachel groans.

In moments, Ryan is squeezing his new face, working its mouth and nose. He presses on the neck and addresses his twin.

“Hey there, sis” he bubbles with one of Rachel’s trademark laughs.

Julie and Lucy can’t help but laugh along, but Rachel doesn’t appear amused.

“Ha, ha” she snaps. “You know, Julie told me this was mostly your idea. You’re in for some very big payback, my friend.”

The imposter grins wickedly back at her with her own face. “Bring it on.”