September 2000

I was masquerading as someone else, hidden inconspicuously within the skin of a high-school girl. I was pretending. Walking with my schoolmate, a young blonde girl, on the sunny campus grounds I was very aware that she regarded me unquestioningly as a peer. There was a thrilling element to this ruse, and I was quite interested to see how far I could take it. I spotted another girl across the yard and knew her as a friend of the girl I was being. She would be my test subject then. I joined her, and together the two of us strolled casually. I listened as she made small talk, recounting sundry mundanities as friends do. And I played the role. But at the same time I couldn't help but entertain the notion of telling her my secret. How would she react? How would anyone react? In a way such a revelation defeated the purpose - I knew that. But what of the thrill? In the end I found that possibility far more compelling than keeping silent. There's no thrill in keeping secrets, I thought as she regarded my facade. And so it came time for the unveiling. We sat on a grassy hill among other loose clusters of students. "Jen," I said to her, "pretend that we're playing a game now. Tell me, who do you see when you look at me?" She considered for a moment, and then answered seriously, "You are Sandy. I've known you since grade two." She went on, listing various details before I stopped her. "What if I told you," I said, barely able to contain my glee, "that I wasn't Sandy?" The class bell clamored across the grounds then, and people began to move back to the building. I sensed that the purity of the moment was gone, and let go the hope of witnessing a satisfying response. As we headed back we were rejoined by the young blonde girl. I'd managed to befriend her in my short time here, though the girl I was being didn't know her at all. I looked at both girls then and laughed, "Oh great, now I have to tell the both of you?" I looked at my watch. 1:49 PM. There wasn't much time. I quickly demonstrated my powers by causing the other students to hallucinate, and with a ripple, the campus was instantly overrun with floating metallic spheres.