This choice: Play the long game and become a child again-Choice 2 • Go Back...Chapter #79A Second Childhood by: imaj   "If you really think that's best," you tell Kali
"I do child," she replies. You'll literally be a child again now that you are going to take this approach. "There is one consideration we will have to be wary of though."
You frown at her. "There's more?"
"There is," Kali replies, spreading the palms of her hands wide. "It is difficult to explain properly, or perhaps difficult to understand fully. Remember when you decided that Glundandra would be perfect for being Chelsea?" You nod. "Well it is to do with her personality. You do make an excellent Glundandra, and an excellent Eldibria too for that matter, because Chelsea naturally gravitates to being in charge and she liked playing with people's emotions already. The ousiarchs are a perfect match for you. Just like Malacandra and Lurga make Frank dour and dull, and like Arbol and Viritrilbia made Joe dazzlingly witty" Frank groans and covers his eyes with the palm of his hand.
"I'm not sure I like the sound of this," you say.
"Well, assuming that you want to use your Glundandran and Eldibrian ousiarchs to join the Stellae as a child, you would have to find one who's personality is a match for those ousiarchs. Potentially a match, at least. Another advantage of becoming younger again is that people will not look too closely if your character changes somewhat, and that the onset of puberty can result in quite a change in an individual's nature indeed."
"Do we need to," you ask.
"Horoscopes," interrupts Frank flatly.
"Exactly," says Kali, clapping her hands together. "We use horoscopes to determine what ousiarchs you have. They are, in part, a test of personality. Or they possibly test your ousiarchs only, but your personality is an expression of that. Nash could explain it fully I suppose. Either way, it means we shall have to pick whoever you become carefully."
"Can we fake it," asks Frank.
Kali looks thoughtful. "To a certain extent. I would be able to make a convincing enough forgery that could show whoever Chelsea ends up as to be the Glundandran she wants to be, but what if Dad... I mean Charles wanted to check. The closer we are to matching personality and ousiarchs the better."
"I don't even know where to start," you complain.
"Well I have a few ideas that might work," replies Kali. "Let me think about it and get back to you."
*****
Keeping up with minutiae of your life as Chelsea, now that you know you are going to abandon it, seems to be a bit of a chore, but you go through the motions anyway. You tell your mother a little white lie about where you were last night when you get home. She doesn't believe it, you can see that much, but she doesn't challenge you. The you spend a good half hour taking a long relaxing bath that breathes life back into your exhausted body and wipes away the sense of dirtiness that seemed to accumulate overnight at the Strausslers.
You emerge from the en-suite bathroom in your bedroom thoroughly refreshed and ready to take on the task of maintaining your pre-eminence at Westside. Checking up on Jamie Bornholm's party is the first task there. You missed it because you were at the Straussler's, changing Joe into Kali. There won't be much fallout though, unless you count standing up Gordon, which you don't. Jamie simply isn't important enough for there to be a fuss about your absence.
You'd better repair the damage with Gordon first though. You pick up your cell and call him. He grunts monosyllabically as he answers. "Hi pookie," you say winsomely. No response. "I'm really sorry I missed you last night, but my Grandma over in Dury took ill yesterday and Mom insisted on packing us all in the car and driving out there." You improvise the lie, listening carefully for any response from Gordon. "And then the stupid battery on my stupid phone went and died on me. Oh Gordon," you sniffle. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault Chels," he replies. Sucker.
"I will so make it up to you pookie," you tell him, before adding in a low and breathy voice: "Tomorrow after school." On the other end of the line, Gordon chortles. "Oh shoot," you cuss. "Kendra's on the other line," you explain. "She'll want to talk to me about the party as well." You use the excuse to end the call with Gordon before he can say anything.
Kendra isn't really on the other line, of course, but you do need to talk to her so you call her next. "Hey girl," she says slyly when she answers the phone.
"Hey Kendra," you answer back. "I got your text. You've got something juicy for me?"
"The juiciest," she replies. You'd swear you can hear her smirk. "Sit down for this one Chels."
"You are awful Kendra," you say, hopping up and down. "Don't make me wait girl."
"Seth was there," she drawls. "But Cindy... wasn't. And that didn't stop Seth from disappearing for a while..." She trails off and leaves the sentence hanging in the air. She milks the pause for all it is worth. "... with Yumi."
"Oh my god," you squeal. "Are you sure?"
"Well I didn't go listening at any keyholes if that's what you are asking Chels, but they were both gone, both at the same time and came back together later."
"I feel so sorry for Cindy," you say. "I mean, we always told her Seth was bad for her, didn't we?" You suppress a snicker and you're pretty sure Kendra does the same. "And she's been so depressed since her sister died," you add. Sister. Why is that important. "I think we should totally be supportive tomorrow," you say. "Help her find someone new, someone more her style." This time you can't stop yourself sniggering. Kendra joins in. "Do you have any ideas?"
"I'll see if I can think of anyone," laughs Kendra.
With your petty little plans laid out, there's nothing really more to talk about with Kendra, so you bid her farewell and sit back down to think. Messing around with Cindy is nothing more than something to kill the time until you hear from Kali about potential candidates for your new identity. So why was there something in the phonecall with Kendra that seemed so important.
Ah, sister, you think. Didn't Monique say something about having a younger sister? You pick up the phone a third time and call Jon Straussler, since Kali never gave you a number. He picks up on the first ring. "Hi Jon, it's Chelsea. Who am I speaking to?"
"You mean the other two? No it's just me here." A golem then, you think.
"Is Kali Valentine still there?" He answers in the negative. "Or whoever Frank is being, your dad maybe? Never mind, I have a question for you: Does Monique have a younger sister?"
"Yeah, Angelique. She's like eleven or something."
"Perfect," you trill. "Tell your dad to ask Kali about her. As a possibility. He'll know what I mean."
"I know I don't really get what's going on here..." states the golem. "But I overheard him saying something about one of his accountant's step-daughter's being a possibility to Kali too."
Interesting. "Thanks, but make sure you talk to your dad. Or Frank, wherever he is." You end the call. You'll just have to wait for Kali to get back to you.
*****
Nothing happens for a couple of days.
Well, nothing about your next identity anyway. A lot happens at school. You manufacture a row with Gordon on Monday morning as he is driving you to school in his VW bug. It give you enough of an excuse to duck out of 'making it up to him' like you promised. By Tuesday though, Chelsea's impulses are nipping at you enough that you consider making up with him. You almost go up to the Fuck Room for a hot and steamy makeup sex session last period on Tuesday, but you manage to retain enough self control to suppress the impulse.
The Seth, Yumi and Cindy situation blows up spectacularly on Monday morning, even before you have a chance to intervene. Though Kendra comes up with the spectacular suggestion of Dalton Douglas - a minor bully and crony of Gordon's - as someone to try an push Cindy towards, you never get the chance as Cindy disappears from the school by Monday lunchtime. A pity, as Dalton would have been perfect for making her even more miserable.
Finally, just after school finishes on Tuesday Kali calls you. You wave off Kendra and Gloria before finding somewhere quiet to talk to her. "Took you long enough," you say sourly.
"I was investigating potential identities as we discussed on Sunday," replies Kali, her voice a little stiff.
"Did you find any?"
"I did. In fact I found two that would be suitable as a Glundandra and Eldibria combination. The first you know about already, as you suggested her child: Angelique Travers. I had Frank as Curt invite the entire Travers family to dinner at the Straussler home last night. I talked to Monique and her parents, as well as Angelique herself. She has something of the spoiled little princess to her, and I believe she would make a good match for you."
"And the other option," you ask Kali.
"One of the senior accountants at Curt Straussler's company has a troublesome step-daughter by his second marriage. Her name is Traci Small and she is fourteen and repeatedly getting into trouble at school. I approached her this afternoon in the guise of a child psychologist and found her to be quite manipulative. She would be the ideal 'troubled Eldibria' that we discussed. I should warn you again that you will receive a lot of scrutiny should you choose her."
"Or I could just wait for Malaika," you suggest.
"Or you could just wait for Malaika," echoes Kali   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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