The bell on the door jingles as Ethan enters the shop. He glances around, seeing all of the merchandise one would expect to be found in a shop like this days before Halloween. Costumes of all sorts hang around the store, depicting superheroes, fantasy characters, animals, demons and a variety of other things Ethan can’t even identify.
“Can I help you?” The woman behind the counter asks in a friendly tone. She’s attractive, and looks to be in her mid-forties, with long brunette hair and a healthy amount of makeup. She also appears to have had a decent amount of cosmetic surgery, as Ethan notices her plump, pouty lips and signs of botox above her eyes.
He approaches the counter nervously. “Yeah, um, I was hoping I could rent one of those new Lyfelike costumes for a party this weekend?”
The woman frowns. “Hmm…I’m not sure if we have any left. Halloween is only a few days away. Let me check.”
The woman turns and walks into the back room.
Shit, I knew I shouldn’t have procrastinated, Ethan scolds himself.
Recent advances in special effects materials had led to substantial improvements in the quality of masks and disguises. The company Lyfelike had launched a line of utterly realistic costumes, which immediately grew into high demand. You could purchase one for a fairly exorbitant price, but since most people didn’t have any need to own one, they chose to rent at places like this.
The woman returns, carrying a box in her arms. “I’m sorry, but we only have one left” she says apologetically, setting the box on the counter.
Ethan looks down and his stomach drops.
BASIC B*TCH, the large glittery text reads. Fool your friends and family into thinking you’re a carefree stereotype!
Through the clear plastic window, he can see a crumpled, skin-coloured mask staring up at him with empty eye sockets and a gaping mouth. Even without opening the box, he can see that Lyfelike’s claims of realism are not exaggerated. The mask appears creepily realistic, with individual hairs sprouting from its scalp and an intricately detailed face.
“Uhh…I…I don’t think this one will work” Ethan stammers. “I can’t dress up as a girl.”
The woman gives him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, but we ran out of male costumes last week. They were really in demand, plus the factory had a shortage.”
Seeing the uncertain look on his face, she gives him a reassuring smile. “I know it might seem strange, but a ton of guys are doing it this year. Wearing a Lyfelike costume totally eliminates the whole ‘looking like a man in drag’ thing. You’ll look exactly like…Caitlin…here” she says, glancing at the label. “No one will be able to tell the difference.”
“I don’t know…” Ethan doubts. “People will still know it’s me inside her. And she looks kind of…slutty.”
He gestures to the image on the box, displaying the cute young woman wearing a pair of tight grey shorts that barely cover her heart-shaped rear. A body-hugging crop top hugs her torso, exposing a portion of her lightly tanned stomach.
She shrugs. “People will only know it’s you if you tell them. And like I said, I really don’t believe anyone will care. A lot of men are going to be parading around wearing female faces this Halloween, and vice versa. It’s going to be fun!” She counters enthusiastically.
“Hmm” Ethan murmurs. He looks up at the saleswoman’s smiling face. “You don’t have any other ones?”
She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, dear. I wish you had come in a week ago.” She pauses, then places a fingertip on her chin. “Well, I suppose that’s not entirely true. It doesn’t solve your dilemma, but you could wear this one.”
“Which one?” Ethan asks, confused.
To his surprise, she points at herself. “Me!” She bubbles cheerfully.
His eyes widen as she pinches her cheek and pulls, stretching it unnaturally away from the paler face beneath.
“Holy shit! You’re a costume?” Ethan gasps.
She giggles and releases her cheek. It snaps back into place and she massages it gently. In moments, it appears as though nothing had happened. “Yes, I am!” she replies “Pretty realistic, huh?”
He realizes his mouth has fallen open. “Incredible. They really aren’t lying in their advertisements. I had no idea.”
She laughs. “That’s what everyone says. I could tell you were totally fooled when you didn’t recognize me.”
His pulse quickens. “What…what are you talking about? Who are you?”
She grins wickedly and reaches around to the back of her head. He hears the sound of a zipper being pulled, then she grasps the top of her hair in her hand. She tugs downward, and Ethan stares in shock as her eye sockets suddenly snap away from the face beneath. Her cute nose and plump lips scrunch together before peeling away entirely with a noisy, rubbery sound. The mask flops down onto the “woman’s” chest, its long brown hair hanging down to the countertop.
“Hey, dummy!” the revealed imposter chuckles.
“Sarah!?” Ethan exclaims, as he sees her smiling face.
Inwardly, his heart starts to beat faster. He’d had a crush on Sarah ever since they met a few months prior. His friend Travis told him recently that she loved Halloween, and if he was honest with himself, impressing her with an awesome costume was most of the reason why he was even at the shop in the first place.
She laughs. “I mentioned I starting working here to you last week! I wanted to pick up some hours to help pay for my study abroad next semester.”
He gazes wide-eyed at the floppy mass hanging from her neck. “I know, but, I just thought you weren’t working right now! Unbelievable.”
“My boss likes us to wear the merchandise to show people how real they are. This one is called “Suburban Housewife” she explains, poking the empty mask with a fake, painted fingernail. “Speaking of my boss, he also hates it when we take them off in front of customers. I should put it back on…”
Ethan watches as she tugs the mask back up over her face. It stretches across her own, and in moments, she’s smoothing out any wrinkles that had formed from the process. She reaches around the back of her head again and pulls up the zipper quickly, before fluffing the mask’s straight brown hair around her shoulders to cover it. Ethan is totally amazed at how the costume is able to so completely transform a pretty young woman into the middle-aged cougar.
“There!” She says, in a slightly deeper and breathier tone.
“That’s so crazy. What about your voice? How do you do that?”
She points to her neck. “There’s a voice changer built in. You’ll see when you put yours on.”
Ethan glances back down at Caitlin’s deflated face. “You really think I should go with this one?”
She nods enthusiastically. “I’m telling you, it will be so fun. You have to do it! Also, I hear Nick is going as Cat-woman. It’ll be hilarious!”
Despite her reassuring words, Ethan hesitates. He weighs the potential embarrassment of wearing such an unusual costume, versus Sarah’s insistence that he should.
He sighs. “Fine, I guess. If this is the only one you have.”
She smiles. “Great! Let’s get you squared away.”
He watches as she drops the box into a large plastic bag and explains some more about their policies. “So you’ll notice the suit comes with clothes attached. Those are glued on, and any attempt to remove them will void your rental agreement, and you’ll be responsible for purchasing the costume at retail price.”
He nods. “Yeah, I have no interest in dressing up as a naked chick.”
She leans in and smiles knowingly. “You’d be surprised. I’ve heard about what they have at the sex store on the other side of the highway…”
Ethan laughs. “Yeah, I can imagine.”
THREE DAYS LATER
Ethan stands in his room, gazing hesitantly down at his bed.
The deflated husk of a young woman lies on the mattress, its limbs spread widely. Its delicate face, crumpled grotesquely by its own weight, stares up at the ceiling through a mass of blondish-brown hair.
Nervously, Ethan grabs one of the suit’s empty wrists and lifts the flaccid arm up. It feels completely indistinguishable from real skin, and he shudders as his fingertips graze one of the hand’s painted fingernails.
Am I really going to put this thing on? He asks himself.
He lets go of the artificial limb and it flops softly back onto the bed. He pokes the hollow thigh, prodding at the soft padding intended to transform his slender frame into a distinctly feminine shape.
“Ugh” he whispers. “I can’t believe I got stuck with this one.”
His phone buzzes and he glances over to see a new text message.
Hey, you’re coming, right? You’d better not bail on us, it reads. His friends Travis and Mark are already at the party, having arrived early to stake their claim on the billiards table.
He sighs. Fuck. They are going to give me so much shit for this. But I suppose it’s better than going without a costume at all. And if Sarah thinks I should…
Minutes later, after heaving the hollow, skin-like suit over his body, he lifts the floppy mass hanging from his chest and examines Caitlin’s gaping face. I can’t believe I’m really doing this.
Not wanting to give himself any more time to chicken out, he lifts the mask and ducks his head inside. He quickly feels her lips encase his, as his nose and chin snap into their respective places. After a few moments, he opens his eyes and sees Caitlin’s slightly misaligned, distorted face staring back at him with a bewildered expression. He pinches the mask’s soft cheeks and stretches the fake skin into place until the eye sockets rest around his own. Finally, he reaches around his back and tugs up the tiny zipper, sealing himself inside the suit.
He regards himself in the mirror, in a state of total awe. A pretty, sporty-looking girl with slightly tangled hair looks back at him, wearing a fairly skimpy outfit. Conveniently, her face is already nicely made-up with some blush and mascara. Ethan takes a few steps in his new body, prodding at the suit’s busty chest. Caitlin’s breasts jiggle and bounce just like the real things.
“Jesus Christ, this is…” he begins, but midway through the sentence the voice changer activates “…fucking crazy” he finishes, his voice now substantially higher and breathier.
The girl’s hand shoots to her mouth in surprise. “Ohmygod” she gasps.
These costumes are way too realistic, the disguised Ethan thinks to himself. There’s nothing at all to suggest that the girl in the mirror isn’t who she appears to be.
He spends another few minutes exploring Caitlin’s form, amazed that her supple body is now his own. He then consults the small pamphlet that had fallen from the box. He grabs the included hair brush and follows the instructions on how to brush out her permanently-curled locks, then he slips in a pair of light blue disposable coloured contact lenses to complete the illusion.
He inspects himself in the mirror again, his heart hammering inside Caitlin’s swollen chest. The young woman in the reflection oozes sensuality, but the guy wearing her is filled with apprehension.
I can’t do this! If I go in just these clothes, people will know ‘Caitlin’ is probably just a Lyfelike costume, and then they’ll wonder who’s inside.
Panicking, and grateful that he’s the only one home, he rushes into his sister’s bedroom and opens her closet. After rummaging around, he finds what he’s looking for. Finally, a perk for being jobless after graduate school.
As a huge comic book nerd, his sister had gone as Wonder Woman last Halloween. The disguised Ethan quickly steps into the modernized dark red, blue and gold costume, which fully covers the basic girl’s shorts and tank top. Ethan’s sister is notably smaller than Caitlin, and the fake girl’s breasts strain tightly against the coloured fabric.
She slides her pink-painted toes into the red and gold boots, then slips the gauntlets over her tanned wrists. As a final touch, she dons the hero’s gold tiara, brushing back her wavy hair.
Ethan regards himself in the mirror once more. A youthful, somewhat scantily clad, portrayal of the Amazonian princess stares wide-eyed back at him. Feeling a bit more at ease, Ethan smiles with Caitlin’s charming prosthetic face.
Okay, this might actually be fun.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
“Where is this guy?” Travis asks, before sinking the #2 ball in the corner pocket. Loud music blares from the main floor, below the spacious loft area.
As he rounds the table to plan his next shot, Mark replies “No idea. He probably bailed. He said something to me the other day about not having a costume.”
A very pretty young woman wearing a Wonder Woman costume approaches the table, holding a red solo cup in her hand.
“What are you guys playing?” She asks, in a slightly ditzy tone.
“Um…eight ball” Travis answers, a little caught off guard.
The girl wraps her red, pouty lips around her straw and takes a long gulp of her drink. “That’s cool!” She bubbles. “Can I play?”
“Oh…uh…I mean, we’re in the middle of the game. But I guess you can take my next shot” Travis offers.
She gives him a big smile, and he notices how her bright blue eyes sparkle even in the dim lighting. “Thanks!” She says, accepting the cue from his hands.
The boys watch as she appraises the table. “So, are you stripes or solids?” She asks, causing their eyebrows to raise.
“Solids” Travis replies. “I was thinking of shooting for the…”
She holds her hand up to playfully cut him off. “Mhmm” she chuckles. “I’ve got this!”
They watch as she leans over the table, her chest jutting out provocatively over the surface, offering a nice view of her generous cleavage. Her costume’s skirt rides up her tanned legs, exposing the bottom of her rear. She lines up the tip of the cue against the white ball and draws it back with practised ease. She rams it forward with surprising force, striking with precision, sending the cue ball into the #6 ball, which then finds its home in a side pocket.
“Wow!” Travis exclaims. “Nice shot!”
She laughs, and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen in front of her face.
“Yeah, really nice!” Mark adds, checking his phone. “Man, where the hell is he?”
The girl looks curious. “Oh, are you guys waiting for someone?” She asks innocently, taking another sip of her drink.
“Yeah, our friend Ethan was supposed to be here an hour ago” Mark replies, typing on the screen.
He presses send and, in what must be a coincidence, they hear a chime from the girl’s purse. She pulls her phone out and then rolls her eyes. “Ugh, my friends can be so needy” she comments, typing a reply.
She sends the message, and Mark’s eyes widen as a reply from Ethan instantly pops up on his screen.
Right in front of you, dummy, it reads.
“Wha…what the hell?” Mark stammers. He looks up at Travis, then over at the girl. “Ethan?” He asks, incredulously.
The girl starts giggling uncontrollably, while Travis looks on in confusion. “What?” He inquires, looking back and forth between the two as if he’s the butt of a joke. “What are you talking about, Mark?”
Mark points at the giggling girl. “That’s Ethan!” He exclaims.
The girl wipes a tear of laughter from her eye. In an attempt to compose herself, she takes another sip, then looks Mark in the eyes. “Noooo…my name is Caitlin!” She replies with a big grin.
“Oh, bull…shit!” Mark states. “You’re wearing one of those new costumes, aren’t you?”
Caitlin’s grin grows wider. “Maybe…” she teases.
“Holy shit!” Travis gasps. “I had no idea!”
She looks over at him. “That’s kinda the point, buddy! Unfortunately, Caitlin was the only one left at the store” she explains, gesturing to her supple form.
Still in disbelief, Travis and Mark watch as she pinches her cheek and tugs. Her pouty lips and button nose pull away from Ethan’s, and her right eye socket stretches into a partially empty void.
“Unreal!” Travis exclaims.
Remembering the terms of the rental, Ethan decides to avoid playing with his costume any further, and gently eases the prosthetic face back into place.
“That’s so crazy, dude” Mark adds, appraising his flawlessly disguised friend.
“I know. It feels so weird to be transformed like this. This chick’s body is quite a handful, if you know what I mean…” the fake girl comments. She sets her drink down on the table and grabs her generous bust with her hands, squeezing and smirking playfully.
“Damn…” Travis whispers. “So why the Wonder Woman costume? Wasn’t that your sister’s?
Caitlin stops fondling herself and nods. “Yeah. I didn’t want it to be too obvious I was a Lyfelike, so I decided to put this on” she replies with a smile.
“Well, you’re not the only one in ‘drag’. Apparently, that’s Nick” Mark comments, pointing down to the dance floor.
The disguised Ethan looks down and sees a slender, dark haired woman in a tight-fitting black spandex costume grinding against another woman on the dance floor. He recognizes the other woman as Emma, Nick’s girlfriend.
Caitlin’s eyes widen. “Wow” she says. “Sarah mentioned he was going as Cat-woman. Emma’s cool with it, I guess?”
Mark laughs and nods. “Guess so. They look like they’ve been having fun. Maybe Emma has a Cat-woman fantasy.”
Caitlin rolls her eyes. “Or it could be just a costume. Like, I don’t have a ‘basic girl dressed up as Wonder Woman’ fantasy.”
“Suuuure, man. Whatever you say!” Travis jokes, slapping her on the shoulder.
“I’m serious!” The fake girl insists. “But I’ll admit, this costume does have some perks. Check this out.”
Travis and Mark watch as she walks along the railing towards another couple of guys. She stops next to them, immediately gaining their attention. She leans over and whispers something in one guy’s ear, then gives him a flirtatious smile. The guy blushes and nods, and she hands him her empty cup.
Ethan’s friends roll their eyes as the poor sucker ventures all the way downstairs, while Caitlin chats up the other guy. In two minutes, he returns with a refilled cup, which he hands to the person wearing Caitlin’s lovely face and body.
She smiles, accepting the drink. Then she whispers something else into the guy’s ear, before returning to Travis and Mark with a big grin on her face.
“See? Perks.” She chuckles, taking a sip.
“If by ‘perks’ you mean tricking guys into thinking they might get lucky, then yeah” Mark replies, rolling his eyes again. He looks over at the two guys, points at Caitlin and calls out “That’s a dude, by the way! Wearing a Lyfelike!”
He moves to grab Caitlin’s pretty face, but she slaps his hand away. “Asshole!” She fumes, with a look of - admittedly sexy - anger.
Travis laughs, then the three notice a commotion downstairs. A blonde-haired woman in a conservative outfit appears to be accosting Logan, whose parents own the extravagant home. She’s pointing her finger at him angrily, and she then looks over at the DJ and shouts something, and he lowers the volume immediately.
The three friends can now overhear her words.
“This is a violation of the homeowner’s association noise ordinance!” She fiercely states.
Logan holds his hands up in defence. “Listen ma’am, it’s only nine o’clock, and this has never been an issue before. The houses up here are far apart. You can barely hear anything outside!”
The woman is undeterred. “That’s beside the point. Turn off the music and send everyone home, or I’m calling the police!”
Logan looks around helplessly, seeking some support. He turns around to ask the DJ to back him up, and doesn’t notice the woman smirk and reach behind her neck.
Caitlin’s eyes widen as she recognizes the telltale unzipping motion. The woman grabs the top of her blonde mane and yanks forward. Her lightly wrinkled skin warps and her eye sockets peel away, followed quickly by her nose and mouth. Then, her entire face snaps off with a rubbery sucking noise, revealing the flushed face of a young man.
Logan turns back around and takes a surprised step backwards when he sees the revealed imposter.
“Gotcha! I knew you’d fall for Karen!” The young man jeers, poking the empty husk hanging around his neck.
“You bastard!” Logan shouts, but with humour in his voice. He chases after the imposter, as "Karen’s" face and hair flap wildly about his neck.
At this point, Travis, Mark and Caitlin are all laughing hysterically.
“Oh man, that was a good one!” Mark chuckles, and the others both nod in agreement.
Out of the corner of her eye, Caitlin sees “Cat-Woman” crossing the dance floor, apparently intending to grab a beer from the kitchen. Caitlin smirks when a handsome-looking guy in a shirt and tie pulls up next to her and tries to chat her up. I bet Emma is loving this, Ethan muses, as the fake woman diplomatically turns down the man’s somewhat insistent advances.
The man moves on to another woman, and Caitlin rolls her eyes. This dude isn’t even wearing a costume, and he’s trying to pick up girls.
Straightening up, Caitlin says to her friends “All right, since you were an asshole and blew my cover, you can hold my drink while I go to the restroom.”
She hands him her cup and he replies “Oh yeah? How does that work in that…thing?”
She just rolls her eyes and walks away. She descends the staircase and walks towards the hall leading to the restroom, but then she takes a moment to stop and stare at a couple standing next to the kitchen island. Dressed up as Danny and Sandy from the classic 1978 film Grease, they’d apparently decided try a role reversal, and are currently taking a break from their costumes.
The man’s head sits atop an unmistakably feminine body wearing a red and white cheerleader’s uniform. A pale, deflated husk of a young woman’s face hangs from his neck, with crumpled red lips and curly, bright blonde hair held back by a matching red bow.
Likewise, the woman is sporting a bulkier frame and is wearing dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Smiling, she prods at the hollow cheek of a handsome man dangling from her neck, with slicked-back hair and bushy eyebrows.
It’s a brave new world, the fake Caitlin muses, proceeding to the restroom. I wonder how many people here aren’t who they seem.
She turns the corner, and unexpectedly runs straight into someone.
“Oh, sorry!” She blurts, looking up apologetically.
The man in the shirt and tie smirks down at her, with a hungry look in his dark, blue eyes.
“Don’t worry about it” he replies, in a confident baritone. “It would take a lot more than you to knock me over!”
Caitlin lets out an awkward laugh. “Yeah…sure” she says. Unable to help herself, she also adds “So, how come you don’t have a costume?”
He gives her a big smile. “It’s funny you should ask, because we’re actually perfect for each other!”
He unbuttons his white dress shirt and pulls the seam apart, revealing a large red “S” on his chest.
“Want to go fight some crime?” He quips.
Caitlin laughs again, looking away uncomfortably. Of course he’s fucking Superman, she thinks.
“Um…maybe some other time” she says. After an awkward pause, she continues “Well, excuse me.”
“I’ll have a beer waiting for you when you get back!” He replies, with a big smile.
Ethan groans behind Caitlin’s pretty prosthetic face, and finds his way into the restroom.
He does his business, taking a little extra time to carefully unzip and then close the flap in the suit’s groin area. Afterwards, he makes his way back towards the staircase.
As Caitlin passes by the kitchen, she sees a familiar, dark-haired woman leaning against the counter. The botox-filled eyebrows and pouty lips mark the stereotypical costume.
Eagerly, the disguised Ethan walks over to her and says “Hey, Sarah! I didn’t think you were going to make it!”
Surprisingly, the “woman” looks back at him with a look of confusion. “Sarah?” She asks. “I think you might have me confused with someone else…”
“Oh…um…sorry” Caitlin replies. Leaning forward and whispering, she continues “But, you’re a…Lyfelike…right?”
The woman gives her a knowing smile and wink. “I rented this thing yesterday. Cool, right?” She tosses a long lock of dark hair back behind her ear.
Caitlin gives a short laugh. “Yeah…totally. My bad.”
Disappointed, she returns to Mark and Travis, who are racking the balls for the start of a new game. But her stomach drops when she sees who’s joined them.
Superman smiles down at her, holding a beer in each hand. “Told you I’d have a drink for you” he says, with a wink, his arm extending towards her. “Plus, you and I are quite the pair” he adds, gesturing to his costume. He’d discarded the dress clothes and was now wearing only the classic suit and cape.
“O-oh, uhhh…” she stammers awkwardly.
“We didn’t think you’d mind, Caitlin. Brad can be our fourth for the next game” Travis smirks, looking over at her while chalking the end of his due.
Oh, NOW these jerks want to keep my secret, Ethan lightly fumes.
Not wanting to reveal himself as a man in disguise, Ethan accepts the beer and takes a long sip. Then, Caitlin gives a halfhearted smile and says “Thanks for the beer.”
Brad’s pearly white smile grows wider. “My pleasure.”
Caitlin hadn’t gotten a good look at him when they ran into each other, but now she can see that the Superman costume is appropriate. The man has dark, perfectly styled hair and a handsome face, with a chiseled jaw and flawless skin. His body fills out the signature outfit just like the real hero, with a strong and muscular frame.
Mark pulls back on his cue and rams it forward to break, snapping Caitlin out of her reverie.
She accepts a cue from the still-smiling Brad, and the game commences.
The two pairs go back-and-forth for several turns, with Brad apparently taking on the self-appointed role of Caitlin’s billiards coach, offering many unsolicited pointers. Travis and Mark both chuckle, while the fake girl merely rolls her eyes.
But on one of her shots, Brad stands directly next to her, pointing at the ball he thinks she should strike. His body presses into hers, and his hand subtly grazes the side of her breast.
Even though the sensation is dulled from all of the suit’s padding, the move annoys her. She stands up and frowns. “Dude. I know how to play” she scolds.
Brad smiles and holds his hands up in apology. “Okay, okay. Just trying to help.”
Caitlin returns to the table, takes her shot, and misses.
“Fuck” she mutters, frustrated.
“It’s all right, sweetheart” Brad says. “It takes a bit of practise.”
Fuming, Caitlin wordlessly hands him the cue. The game continues, with Brad unfortunately sinking most of their shots.
He sends the last one home and jeers “Game over, fellas!” With a big grin.
Despite their victory, Caitlin mutters “I need another drink” and heads downstairs.
She finds her way into the kitchen and pours herself a beer, noticing several pairs of eyes glancing at her while she does so. She turns, then groans as she sees Brad entering the room from behind her.
He grins and says “Good game, partner!” Leaning forward, he gently touches her elbow and adds “What do you say we go dance?”
Gracefully, the fake girl pulls her arm away and replies “Sorry, Brad. I’m really not interested.”
Behind her pretty face, Ethan hates how his borrowed voice sounds soft and wavering.
Brad gives her another one of his charming smiles and states “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun! You and I will look really good together.”
She shakes her head and brushes past him. “Seriously, dude. Take a hint.” She says.
Caitlin spends a few minutes wandering the extravagant mansion. She opens the door to one room, finding herself in a large study, complete with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a stone fireplace. Damn, Logan’s family does well, she thinks. She shuts the door behind her, intending to use the room as a temporary reprieve from the insistent Brad.
She walks along the wall, inspecting the countless leather-bound books, when the door opens and her adversary enters.
“Fancy meeting you here!” He grins, stepping inside.
Oh, fuck this, I’m just going to tell him, the disguised Ethan decides.
Brad’s eyes run up and down Caitlin’s supple body. “So, what’s it going to take to get you to dance with me?” He asks.
“Listen, dude. This isn’t what you think - “ Caitlin begins. But then, Brad starts laughing.
Confused, the fake girl’s eyes widen as Brad pinches his cheeks between his fingers. He pulls, and his skin stretches unnaturally.
“I’m jest meshing wif you!” He says, his words muffled by the distortion of his face, now clearly revealed to be nothing but another utterly lifelike mask.
“Wha…what!?” Caitlin gasps.
She watches, stunned, as “Brad” reaches around to the back of his neck and fumbles around. Then, the handsome young man tugs the top of his head forward. His eye sockets snap away, followed quickly by his nose, cheeks and lips. His strong jaw separates, becoming loose and hollow. With a loud squelch, his entire, deflated face flops down onto his barrel chest.
Sarah’s grinning face sits atop “Brad’s” muscular body.
She chuckles “This is the second time you didn’t recognize me, you know…”
Caitlin’s pretty pink lips have parted in shock. “Oh my God!” She exclaims, causing Sarah to laugh even harder. “I thought this was the only costume you had left!” She gestures to herself.
“They delivered this one yesterday!” Sarah explains, as Brad’s empty face hangs from her neck. She holds it up proudly, and the disguised Ethan gazes into it’s vacant eyes. “I thought it would be perfect. We’re actually a matching set!”
She reaches around to her back pocket and pulls out her phone. After unlocking it, she turns it around and shows Caitlin a picture. In a brightly coloured box with the label “BASIC D*CK!”, Caitlin can see the empty, crumpled husk of “Brad” through the transparent window.
“Fuck me, I should have known” Ethan says in his borrowed voice.
Sarah laughs. “Sorry for the ruse, but I really wanted to get in character. This guy does look like kind of a douche, right?” She asks, poking the mask’s soft, floppy cheek.
Caitlin can’t help but giggle. “I mean, yeah. You really played the role well.”
Sarah smiles. “Thanks! I can’t believe you borrowed your sister’s Wonder Woman costume. I mean, that’s perfect.”
The disguised Ethan smiles. “It is a funny coincidence, Superman.”
Sarah laughs and, after a brief pause, continues “So…will you dance with me now?”
Ethan hesitates. “Oh…um…I’m not sure…”
Sarah gently touches his elbow with her larger, stronger-looking hand. “Come on, we’ll really get into character, like we did in drama club. It’ll be so fun. Remember how we great we used to be together?” she insists. Then, she leans in and plants a soft kiss on the side of his cheek. Ethan feels himself blushing furiously behind Caitlin’s tanned prosthetic face.
“Uh…okay, I guess that sounds fun” the fake girl says.
Sarah beams. “Awesome! Let me just put Brad back on…”
She grasps the mask by its dark brown hair and tugs it back up over her head. Wide-eyed, Caitlin watches as Brad’s masculine features stretch and settle over Sarah’s face. In just moments, it encases her completely, transforming her once again into the smirking, confident man. She pulls up the zipper, sealing herself inside.
“So, you ready to dance, babe?” The fake man asks with a confident grin.
Amazed at her sudden shift into character, Ethan resolves himself to do the same. I’ve got this, he thinks. Time for Caitlin to have a little fun.
She gives Brad a big, pearly white smile. “Totally!” She replies, brushing her hair back behind her ear and letting him take her by the hand. “Let me just, like, check my costume.”
She moves in front of a decorative mirror, smoothing out her dark blue skirt. She fixes her slightly tilted tiara, then gives her accomplice another grin. “Ready!” She chirps.
Minutes later, she finds herself on the dance floor, gyrating her body to the sounds of the music. Brad’s hands grip her waist firmly, as he presses himself against her. With the knowledge that it’s really Sarah inside the handsome hero, as well as the consumption of more than a few beers, Ethan actually finds that he’s enjoying himself. And, he notices that many pairs of eyes keep glancing over at Caitlin’s sensuous form.
Brad turns her around, and his hand slips down her back to her shapely rear. “You’re so hot, babe” he says, squeezing her. Before she can react, he leans in and kisses her pink, pouty lips. Caught totally off guard, she finds herself returning the kiss for a long moment, before pulling back.
Brad smirks and looks a little embarrassed. “Sorry…” he murmurs. “Got carried away.”
Surprisingly, Caitlin gives him a flirtatious smile, then bites her lower lip. She leans in and whispers teasingly into his ear “Easy there, Clark. You’ll have to wait until later. Come on, I want another drink.”
She takes the lasso from her hip and, with a big, playful smile, wraps it around his waist before he can react. He laughs as she leads him over to the kitchen, using her elbow to gently nudge people from their path.
“Excuse me, pardon me” she announces as they move. “Come on, people, we all knew this would happen one day. Diana would totally be the dom in this relationship.” Her comment elicits some laughs and whistles.
She and the captive Clark Kent reach the counter, and she unties him with a giggle.
“Very funny, Caitlin” he laughs.
“Ohmigod I’m having so much fun” she chirps, grabbing a couple of beers.
Then, Travis pulls up next to her at the counter, with an incredulous expression. “Dude, what the hell are you doing? Did you just make out with this guy?” He asks.
Oh, let him wonder, the disguised Ethan thinks with a smile.
Caitlin giggles. “Um, what?” She replies. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”
Gracefully, she takes her partner’s hand and guides him back to the dance floor.