Chapter 7

Trent couldn’t wait to get home and take off the costume. The day seemed to have flown by in a haze. He was in control but at the same time he wasn’t. He thoughts, his words, his actions were his but felt like they were someone else’s. He knew Arlyne had a heavy hand in everything. And it was great to feel that power over someone else, but to do what he did?

Trent cautiously enters his house. The last thing he wants is someone to see a strange girl walking in and not able to explain herself. What would she do? Say she was his boyfriend? Then what? But the house is quiet and the coast is clear. She up the stairs he goes, and up to his room. Thankfully he has his own bathroom. Thea wanted his room when they first moved into the house nearly seven years ago, but it was given to him. His parent thought a girl using the upstairs guest bathroom would keep it cleaner than a boy. Of course she complained for a while before finally giving up.

He slips into the bathroom, his eyes locking with the reflection the moment he steps in. “What the hell was that today?” he asks the reflection. But there isn’t an answer, just his glare starring right back at him. “Come on, I know you’re in there. Answer me or I swear I’ll tear this off and never use it again.”

There is a shimmer in the mirror that he nearly misses. It is the subtle change, the sign that the real Arlyne is with him. ‘What are you angry for?’ she asks unaffected by his anger.

“What am I angry for?” he repeats. “How about the fact I fucked a guy this morning, he fucking jazzed all in me and for some reason I kind of liked it.”

‘Then if you liked it, why are you complaining?’ she asks.

“Because I’m not supposed to like it,” he answers, dropping his eyes. “I mean, I’m not gay.”

‘Technically you weren’t even male when it happened,’ Arlyne says with a tilt of her head. ‘Besides, I know you enjoyed the power I gave you. You can have anyone you want now.’

Trent lifts his eyes. “I did like that feeling. For once I didn’t feel like an average student.”

‘Then stick with me and you can continue to feel that,’ the creature reasons. ‘You can take who you want, when you want. You can make them want you, make them do whatever you desire.’

“I don’t know how to,” he mutters. “Will you teach me?”

Arlyne smiles wickedly at him. ‘There is no need for me to teach you anything,’ she eventually says. ‘I will simply act as your conscience, that little voice in the back of your head.’

“I rather make the decisions on my own,” he retorts. “I don’t want to be controlled.”

‘It’s not control, it’s guidance,’ Arlyne counters. ‘I’m not in control, you are. I am merely there, hovering about your mind, ensuring the best outcome for you and me.’

“You?”

The creature nods slightly. ‘I have needs too. You do not know how long Volmor kept me packed away. So long I have gone without the touch of another.’

“How long has it been?” he asks, his curiosity growing.

‘That is a conversation for another time,’ Arlyne quickly answers. ‘You need to change. Somebody is home.’

Trent goes silent, trying to listen for a sign that she is right. And sure enough he can hear someone downstairs, the creak of the stairs. He quickly goes about pulling off the costume. When he looks up at the mirror, Arlyne has vanished. He darts from the bathroom and is just finishing up stuffing the costume under his bed when a knock raps at his door.

“Come in!” he calls, bouncing onto his bed.

To his surprise Thea steps into the room. “Hey,” she says.

“Hey,” he says back.

“I didn’t see you at school today,” she says, biting her lip. “Did you go?”

Trent shrugs. “Yeah I went, why wouldn’t I?”

Thea smiles at him. “I don’t know.” She gradually slips over to the chair in the corner and sits down. “Then I guess you had a chance to see the new girl.”

He feels his face heat up a little and tries to fight it. “Well ... I ah ... didn’t really see her. But I heard all about her.”

“Well I saw her,” Thea says. “She is pretty hot. Of course Christy and her gang were all over her.” This last part she says with disgust, as if there was something bad in her mouth. “I tell you, I don’t see what you see in that girl. She has got to be the most stuck up bitch at the school.”

“Christy isn’t all that bad,” Trent says defensively. “It’s probably her parent’s divorce.”

“Please, the girl is a tramp. No at home problem is the cause of it,” she imparts. “She’s got that little clique and thinks she is top dog.”

“Well, she kind of is,” Trent agrees.

Thea huffs. “Well, whatever. Christy isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”

“I know, you wanted to talk about the new girl,” he says, suppressing a smile. “Do you find her interesting?”

“I don’t know,” Thea answers, sitting back into the chair. “I mean, I was standing close to her in the lunch line and I just got this feeling that ... for some reason I just thought she could be a really cool person to hang with.”

“So then, why don’t you talk to her?” he offers.

“It’s probably too late for that,” she answers with a frown. “She sat at Christy’s table. That bitch already has her claws sunk into her.”

“I’d say give the new girl a try anyway,” Trent says, trying to sound optimistic. “Maybe she’s not like the others.”

“I’d be surprised if that were true,” she argues. “Even if she were that way, once Christy has her hooks in someone, they quickly change.”

“I doubt she’ll be another Wendy Montgomery,” he says with a shrug. “Not all girls are shallow like that.”

“Wendy was my best friend. She was the first friend I had when we moved here.” Thea shakes her head. She has the look like she is about to cry. “I’m not even sure I’d still be friends with my friends if Christy suddenly wanted me in her clique.”

“I doubt you’d be like that,” he says.

“I doubt I wouldn’t be,” she counters.

“So why are you coming to me about this?” Trent wonders. “You never want to talk to me about stuff like this.”

“I don’t know. I just figured I’d get your opinion on it.” She shifts forward in the seat. “None of my friends have anything good to say about the new girl. They’re like me thinking Christy has already polluted her mind. And I figure you’ll probably be the next horndog wanting her.”

“I’m not a horndog,” he says feeling insulted.

“Sure you’re not,” Thea says, sounding unconvincing as she stands up. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“I’m not a horndog,” Trent says angrily.

“You sure drool over Christy enough,” she counters with a malicious grin. “I’m surprised you don’t need a towel to clean up all that drool.”

Trent fights back the urge to say something else. It’s no use in arguing with his sister. They will just go on and on with no one winning the argument. Instead, he just watches her slip out the door. And with a huff, he mutters, “I’m not a horndog.”

Once again, when Arlyne steps through the door to the school, everyone turns to look at her. It feels good to be looked upon with envy and at this point, so early on, she is the most talked about in the school. She expects Christy and her clique to descend on her like piranhas in a feeding frenzy. Instead, Thane beats them to the punch.

“Hey there,” he says smoothly, sliding up alongside her. “I heard you got with Brad yesterday.”

Arlyne frowns at him. “So what if I did?”

He picks up on her slight irritation and throws his hands up in mock defense. “I got nothing against that. Did you hear he got suspended and lost his full ride to college because of it?”

Arlyne doesn’t show any sign of being shocked. She could care less one way or the other. “So you’re warning me so that I can be prepared when I’m called to the principal’s office or something?”

“I doubt it will come to that,” he says knowingly.

“You don’t think so?” she asks. “Or do you know so?”

“Word has it that someone saw him leaving the pool area, which was locked and off limits to students. When that person investigated, they found body fluids floating around in the hot tub,” he answers. “I’m sure they have sent them off to be tested, but Mr. Browning in the chemistry lab ran a little test on them already.”

“News spreads fast around her then,” she says coolly.

“I was there in the lab when Mr. Browning did it,” he says proudly.

“Spying on people is not a very nice thing to do,” Arlyne counters.

“I wasn’t spying,” he says defensively. “I’m head of the Chemistry Club. I was there assisting Mr. Browning.”

“I’m surprised you’re smart enough for that,” she says mustering as much sarcasm as she can. “But I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about you watching me fuck Brad.”