Will is picking through the nearly deserted Finance section on the third floor of the city library.
I can’t believe I let Emma talk me into taking graduate classes, he thinks.
“Make more money, they said” he grumbles to himself. “It won’t be that bad, they said.”
He finds the book he’s looking for, and drops it into his backpack with the others. Eager to get out of the boring hellscape of textbooks, he walks down the narrow aisle into the wider walkway.
He’s about to head towards the main staircase, when he notices a slender woman with long, crimson hair reaching up towards a top shelf in the History section. She appears to struggle, and as she glances around for a step stool, he catches her eye.
Oh, no shit, he thinks. It’s Ms. Roberts.
It had been over five years, but he recognizes his former teacher easily. It’s not a face he was likely to forget, after all those countless hours in class, daydreaming about her pretty smile and the way her butt looked in her trademark pencil skirts.
“Will!” She says cheerfully, apparently recognizing him as well. “Fancy seeing you here!”
“Hey, Ms. Roberts” he replies, walking over to her.
She laughs. “You graduated, what, five years ago? I think you can call me Alison. It’s nice to see you!”
Will grins shyly back at her. “Yeah, nice to see you, too…Alison. Can I give you a hand?” He asks, gesturing to the shelf.
She gives him one of her classic, pearly white smiles. Jokingly, she extends her arm up towards the shelf, in another failed attempt. “I’d appreciate that. Having a bit of trouble here” she says.
As she’d stretched out, her shirt had ridden up, exposing a small flower tattoo on the pale side of her abdomen. Will swallows, thinking about the time he’d first noticed the marking on Casual Friday, when she’d attempted to pull down the projector screen wearing a t-shirt that was one size too small.
“Uh, no problem” he replies. “Which one do you need?”
She points at a thick, green volume, and he reaches up to retrieve it.
“My hero!” She chirps with a smile, getting him to laugh. She picks up another couple of textbooks from the table next to the shelf, apparently hers as well.
“My pleasure” he replies. “Wow, this thing weighs a ton. You’re not just here to do some light reading, I see.”
She swats at his arm playfully. “Oh my God, your puns always were the worst” she says. “But unfortunately, no. I’m taking some classes at the University to get my Masters degree. I’m here working on a research paper.”
“Oh, cool. I’m actually thinking about doing the same. Finance.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “Good for you! You always were a great student” she acknowledges.
Will feels himself blush a little. He glances down at her bag and sees it full of other hefty textbooks. “Seems like you have quite a day ahead of you.”
She nods. “Yeah, it's going to be a fun one. I actually signed up for one of those private work rooms over there” she says, pointing. “I can never quite focus at home. Too many distractions.”
“Huh, I didn’t know they had those. That’s actually not a bad idea. My roommate can be pretty loud.”
“They’re pretty great. Want to come check it out?” She asks.
“Oh…uh, sure. Actually, I can grab those if you want” he offers, gesturing to the books in her hands. “Seems like you have enough to carry.”
She beams at him with another big smile. “You’re a sweetheart. Thanks.” She replies, handing them over.
They walk together, eventually arriving at what looks like a small office, with a simple desk and chair. There’s a small couch, some utilitarian shelves on the wall, and the room itself has a large window that provides a nice view of the street below.
“Huh” Will says. “Not bad! I’ll think about reserving one of these next time I really need to hunker down.”
She lifts her canvas bag up onto the desk. She turns and points to the one book remaining in his hands. “You’re welcome to hang out and work here. I wouldn’t mind a little company” she offers with a smile.
“Oh…um…thanks Ms. - I mean, Alison - but I actually have to get going. It was really nice seeing you though.”
She looks a little disappointed. “I understand” she replies. Then, much to his surprise, she reaches a delicate hand out and places it over his. “Thank you so much for your help.”
Her thumb rubs his wrist gently and he feels his brain momentarily short-circuit, as she looks up at him with her sparkling, green eyes and a coy smile.
He opens his mouth to stammer out that he has a girlfriend, when she bites her lip and then continues “I do have to confess, while I did reserve the room, I wasn’t planning to stay today. But now that you’re here, I was hoping…well, anyway, I hope you’ll forgive the charade.”
His eyes widen. Oh my God, he thinks.
ONE MONTH EARLIER
Will and Rachel collapse back onto the bed, naked and panting. He rolls onto his back and she cuddles up next to him, brushing strands of dark hair out of the way.
“Mmmm” she purrs, stroking his chest. “You sure know how to treat a girl.”
He laughs. “I’m glad you think so. You’re not so bad yourself, Rachel.” He lifts the bed sheet and admires the pale, supple body underneath.
She giggles, then speaks in a slightly lower, still very feminine, tone. “So, was that everything you’d hoped for?” She asks, playfully.
He grins and nods, stroking her soft cheek gently with his fingers. “That was really hot. Thanks for indulging me, babe” he replies. “I still can’t believe this face isn’t real.”
She chuckles again. “Well, then this is really going to freak you out.”
She scratches her nails just above her collarbone, revealing a tapered flap of pale “skin”. She tugs it upwards, the fake flesh stretching until her delicate chin snaps away and folds into her still-grinning lips. Those, too, then separate, along with her freckled cheeks and button nose. Her eye sockets peel away, becoming vacant holes. Finally, with a rubbery squelch, her entire pretty face and hair come off in a heap, landing on the bed sheet with a thump.
Rachel’s crumpled face gapes through a mass of tangled dark hair, as the revealed Emma sits up in bed and hefts the utterly lifelike mask into her lap.
“Incredible” Will gawks, amazed once again by the transformation, staring down at the hollow face.
Emma pinches the mask’s cheeks in her fingers, shaking it gently to clear its hair from its face.
“Yeah, she’s pretty cute, right?” She says, admiring her creation. Her breasts poke out from the edge of the blanket but, of course, they aren’t really hers at all. They’re just another prosthetic piece of the fictional girl’s curvy form.
She sticks her hand up into the open neck, supporting the top of the head from the inside. She brushes more hair out of the way, and Rachel’s empty face gapes at the wide-eyed Will. She pokes at the tiny nose, scrunching it inwards and giggling.
“Very cute” Will agrees. Pausing to inspect the mask further, he then turns to her and asks “So…what was that comment before about ‘showing me who else you can become’?”
She smiles and glances away. “Oh…you know. Rachel here isn’t the only person I’ve worn outside the workshop.”
Will raises an eyebrow. “Really? Like, you’ve gone out wearing another mask like this before?”
She gives him a coy look. “Mayyybe.”
He laughs. “Oh, come on, then! Who?”
Now it’s her turn to laugh. She tosses the Rachel mask to the end of the bed and turns to her boyfriend. “That’s my little secret for now. But maybe I’ll put on another face and introduce myself to you one day, when you least expect it.” She teases with a wink.
“Oh, it’s going to be like that, huh?” He asks, swatting her shoulder. “How will I know it’s really you?”
She pauses to think. “Well, maybe I don’t want you to know” she replies with a smirk.
“Come on, please?” He implores. “I don’t like surprises!”
She looks at him sternly. “And how do you know I haven’t already done it?”
His mouth drops open in bewilderment, and he frantically searches his memory for any recent, strange encounters.
But then Emma bursts out giggling, and places her hand on top of his arm. “Don’t worry, I haven’t. But I could” She says, with a mischievous look.
Will sighs in relief. “All right then, how will I know?”
She places a finger tip on her chin. “I suppose we could have a secret code word” she offers.
“Oh, that’s good! What should it be?” He asks excitedly.
She thinks for a moment. “How about…charade?”
NOW
This…this is Emma?! He thinks, staring at the woman in front of him, his mind racing.
“Oh…I, uh…” he falters “…I suppose I could stay for a little while…”
Alison gives him a sultry, knowing look and then leans forward. She places one finger on the open door and pushes it closed, while pressing her body gently into his. He smells the scent of an unfamiliar perfume, briefly wondering if this was all a misunderstanding.
But then, as the door clicks closed, she looks up at him, and he recognizes the mischievous glint in her bright, green eyes.
In seconds, their lips meet, tongues intertwining. Will reaches around, squeezing her heart-shaped rear as his lifts her up onto the desk. She wraps her legs around his waist as their kissing intensifies, his mind lost in one of his earliest sexual fantasies.
His back stiffens as he feels her slide her slender hand down into the waistline of his jeans. She wraps her fingers around him, squeezing gently. Breaking off the kiss, coming up for air, she pulls his head down and whispers into his ear, breathing heavily.
“You know” she purrs “I used to notice the way you’d look at me in class. I’m sure you’ve thought about the things you’d do to me, haven’t you?”
He can only groan in acknowledgement, as she starts to gently stroke him.
Her lips curl into a devilish smile as she whispers “Well? Show me.”
He kisses her again, and she quickly unbuttons his jeans and tugs them down his legs, along with his underwear. In response, he grabs her waist and lifts her off of the desk, spinning her around.
“Oh, so strong” she says, biting her lower lip.
Quickly, roughly, he pulls her leggings down her thighs, taking her lacy black thong with them. She gasps as he slides his fingers between her legs.
He whispers into her ear “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s been thinking about this…”
She can only let out a soft moan in agreement, as she spreads her legs wider for him.
Holy fuck, he thinks, gazing down hungrily at the half-naked beauty sprawled in front of him. She looks so real…
He runs his fingers up her fiery red hair, gripping the back of her head. She groans desperately as he presses her chest down into the desk’s hard surface. And, when he slowly eases himself inside her, she lets out a loud, primal gasp.
Quickly, he covers her mouth with his hand and leans over, growling into her ear “Shhh, Ms. Roberts. We don’t want to get in trouble…”
Her entire body shudders in ecstasy, and despite his attempt to quiet her, soft cries of pleasure can still be heard through the thin wooden door.
TEN MINUTES LATER
Will sits back onto the small couch, zipping up and buttoning his pants. He looks up at the redheaded woman as she pulls her underwear up her legs, still feeling a sense of surreal disbelief.
She smoothes out her leggings and wipes her face, brushing her hair back behind her ears.
“That was…” Will begins, unable to form the words.
She gives him a coy smile and bites her lower lip, moaning in agreement. “It really was” she says. “But, we can keep this just between us, right? You’re no longer a student, of course, but this kind of thing is definitely frowned upon…”
Is she really going to remain in character after…that? Will wonders.
“Oh, yeah, definitely” he affirms, deciding to play along.
She leans down and plants a tender kiss on his lips, then gives him a happy, satisfied smile.
“Maybe we can do this again sometime” she purrs, tenderly stroking his cheek.
“Yeah, I’d…like that” he replies with a grin.
She stands up straight and glances at the door. “Why don’t you leave first. It’s probably best if we’re not seen together. Especially if someone…heard” she says, with a knowing look.
He laughs. “Fair enough” he agrees, standing up from the couch. He places his hand on the side of her face. “Until next time.”
She kisses the inside of his palm and nods, then gives him a wicked smirk.
He opens the door and steps out into the rows of shelves, closing it softly behind him.
As he makes his way down the staircase to the main floor, he struggles with a sense of incredulity and doubt.
I can’t believe that actually happened, he thinks. I mean, that was HER. But it was Emma wearing a disguise to look like her? What if I fucked up?
Despite the overwhelming odds, he finds himself wandering down a panicked train of thought. But then, his phone buzzes in his pocket, and he looks down to read the screen. A simple text from Emma, containing only a kissing emoji.
He smiles. I have the best girlfriend in the world.
LATER THAT NIGHT
Will lets himself into Emma’s apartment and calls out “Hey babe, I’m here!”
She replies from her bedroom. “Just getting dressed! I’ll be right out.”
He tosses his keys on her counter and flops down onto her couch, a big smile still plastered on his face from his time with “Ms. Roberts”.
After a minute, his girlfriend walks into the room, wearing a comfortable pair of shorts and a navy sweatshirt. She falls onto the cushion next to him, laying her arm across the back of the couch.
“So, what did you do today?” She asks with a smile.
He laughs, placing a hand on her bare thigh. “Well, I had quite an interesting experience at the library…” he replies.
She giggles. “Oh, really?”
He laughs again and then says “Babe. That was like, so fucking hot. What made you…I mean, how did you…?”
She grins at him with a devilish twinkle in her eyes. “I knew you’d enjoy it” she replies. “Once you admitted your little crush on ‘Ms. Roberts’, I couldn’t help myself.”
He lets out a big, contented sigh. “Yeah, I definitely enjoyed it. That's an understatement. You caught me totally by surprise. I mean, you used her voice, and she had her tattoo…?”
Emma laughs. “Practice, my dear. Just practice. And the photos on her Facebook page from her trip to Maui were very useful.”
“Unbelievable” he whispers. He looks at his girlfriend with a new sense of wonderment, suddenly realizing the power she possesses. She could become practically anyone, and how could he ever see through the ruse?
“So…” he continues. “Can I see her?”
She smiles. “I thought you’d ask that” she replies, taking him by the hand. “Come on.”
She leads him back into her bedroom, and as they walk through the doorway, he lets out a bewildered gasp.
Alison Roberts’ deflated husk of a body lies on her mattress, face up, with its hollow arms and legs splayed across the comforter. On the side of the crumpled torso, he can make out the - now distorted - tattoo he’d recognized earlier. He also notices a pattern of freckles on the inside of her left leg, as well as a light brown birthmark underneath her right breast. He approaches the bed and lifts the suit’s limp arm, marvelling at the level of detail Emma had included.
He glances over at her vanity table and jumps a little at the sight of Alison’s disembodied, vacant face staring at him with parted lips and empty eyes. Her flowing crimson hair falls around her face elegantly, running down across the flat wooden surface.
“Oh my God” he murmurs, looking at Emma in awe.
She smiles proudly, enjoying his astonished reaction. “I am pretty pleased with how she turned out” she admits.
“Yeah, you should be” he replies, letting the floppy limb drop back down to the bed. He turns back to her and asks “How…how many of these things do you have?”
She grins, that knowing look of mischief returning to her face. “That’s my little secret” she says.
He smiles back at her, and points to a closed door just outside her bedroom. “Would that room I’ve never been allowed inside have something to do with it?”
Emma giggles. “Mayyybe” she replies, but then she adopts a more serious expression. “Look, I don’t mean to keep secrets, I just…like to keep my work private. I hope that doesn’t upset you.”
He shakes his head. “No, and I’ll try not to pry. It’s just…these masks you make are so incredible. So lifelike. It’s hard for me not to be curious.”
She nods appreciatively, looking a bit relieved. “Thanks, babe.” She pauses for a moment and then continues, with a smile “You know, I did make you something.”
His eyes widen. “Seriously?”
“Well, remember when I took that mold of your face a few weeks ago, showing you how the process works? I…used it.”
His heart starts to beat faster. “You made a mask using my face?”
“Well, not a mask of your face. But I made something using it, just as sort of a gag, thinking you might get a kick out of it.”
His curiosity piqued, he asks “Well, can I see it?”
She clasps her hands together excitedly. “Okay! Just, sit down in the chair and close your eyes” she says, pointing. “And don’t open them. I want it to be a surprise!”
He smiles and obeys, dropping into the comfortable chair in front of her vanity table. He closes his eyes, listening as the mysterious door opens behind him. After a few moments, it closes again, and he senses Emma returning to her bedroom.
“Keep your eyes closed!” She chirps, setting something down on the table in front of him.
He feels her stretching something over the top of his head, and before he can ask, she explains “This is just a wig cap. Your hair is pretty short, but it will help with the fit.”
He feels his pulse quicken. She’s really going to put one of her masks on me.
Sure enough, she places her hands on the side of his head, and he feels an odd sensation of something smooth and rubbery sliding down on top of him. The material presses against his forehead, nose and cheeks as it stretches into place, guided by Emma’s expert fingertips. He feels his chin suddenly snap into place, as a pair of foreign lips encase his own.
Holy shit, this is so fucking strange, he thinks.
She places her palms on his new face, tugging it into position, before making some more delicate, finer adjustments with her fingertips.
He hears her start to giggle uncontrollably. “Okay, you can open your eyes!” she manages to say.
He does so, and gasps. His hand immediately flies to his cheek, as if he needs to reassure himself that he isn’t dreaming.
Will recognizes the round, homely face immediately. The slightly chubby chin, nicotine-induced wrinkles, frizzy brown hair and naturally frowning lips. Emma had turned him into a perfect copy of her rather obnoxious neighbour, Mrs. Howard.
She bursts out laughing at seeing the look of pure confusion and astonishment on his - now her - face.
“What the hell!” Will exclaims, watching as the woman in the mirror voices his surprise for him. He prods at his new face in disbelief, stroking the pale skin and running his fingers through the mask’s coarse hair.
Stifling her laughter, Emma says “You do such a good impression of her, I couldn’t resist!”
Will opens and closes his mouth, then scrunches his new face into a stern look of disapproval. Mrs. Howard’s reflection replicates the motion perfectly.
“See, just like that!” Emma bubbles, brushing Will’s new hair with her fingers. “Do the voice!”
Will clears his throat and, in his best imitation of the middle-aged matron, says “Emma, you really need to keep the television volume down after 9 o’clock. Don’t make me bring this up with the landlord!”
Emma explodes into laughter, and Will can’t help but join her. It’s completely ridiculous, seeing himself wearing a different face and attempting to impersonate someone else. Particularly this someone else.
“You didn’t make me a whole suit, did you?” He inquires, still fixated on his reflection.
She grins. “No, I didn’t think it would be worth that much effort. But I can, if you want…”
He laughs. “I don’t think I want the experience of looking down and seeing a pair of saggy boobs. I’ll pass.”
She giggles. “Well, if you change your mind…”
They spend a few more minutes joking around, then Emma helps will take off the mask. With a loud, rubbery schlorp, it falls onto the wooden table, crumpled under its own weight.
Will turns it so it’s face up, admiring Emma’s work. “I know I’ve said this before, but this is incredible, babe.”
She beams. “Thanks! Now, come on, I’m starving. Pizza?”
Will follows her into the living room, taking one last look at the deflated husk of his former teacher, and recent lover.
THE NEXT DAY
Emma walks down the hall and pauses outside the mysterious door. She takes a small key from her pocket and unlocks it, stepping inside and closing it behind her.
A crowd of empty, gaping faces welcome her expectantly, and she glances over them with a proud grin.
She had yet to reveal the extent of her hobby to Will, but the truth of the matter was that she rarely went a day without putting on one of her creations. Sometimes she’d simply lounge around her apartment, wearing a different persona. Other times, she’d venture out into the world, relishing in the notion that no one could see through her elaborate disguise.
She approaches a shelf and strokes her fingers through a luxurious mane of soft brown hair. She smiles, remembering how she’d worn this glamorous, charming face to a coffee shop the week before, blending in with the early afternoon rush of well-dressed business people. She’d worn a stylish, dark grey pantsuit, and no one had been able to tell that the attractive, thirty-something woman typing on her laptop was not at all what she appeared to be.
Emma looks over at her workbench, admiring her latest work. Another, half-finished mask sits on its stand, staring at her with vacant eyes. The elegant, feminine face is pale and its skin is flawless, with notably Slavic features giving it a bold and imposing appearance. Straight, dark hair drapes down its left side, but the other half remains bald. Next to it on the table lies a neatly arranged bundle of identical strands, waiting to be inserted to complete the utterly lifelike disguise.
She walks in front of her gallery of faces, deciding who to become. So many choices, so many personas. She’d even indulged herself a few times, creating masks she’d hesitate to wear in public due to their…notoriety.
She picks up such a mask, this one of a gorgeous woman with loose blonde curls, prominent cheekbones and full, pink lips. She runs her fingers over its lightly tanned skin, feeling the cute, raised freckle just above the bridge of its nose, between its vacant eyes.
“I’m still bummed they didn’t go through with Most Wanted” Emma murmurs, setting the mask back onto the shelf.
She steps back and places a fingertip underneath her chin. “Now…who should I be today?”