Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 �>�The Disguise by *Lady Lucia*

   The Disguise, Prologue

   Growing up, Avery Hastings had always loved games.

   Capture the Flag and Dodgeball at school, Freeze Tag and Manhunt around
the neighborhood, Sharks and Minnows at the pool, and everything in
between.

   Her small size and speed allowed her to hide well, to dart from place to
place, and to easily weave and dodge to avoid being tagged or hit by a
ball. Not that she was untouchable, of course, but it certainly gave her a
nice advantage more often than not.  Avery wasn -(TM)t a tomboy by any
means, but she was definitely one of the few girls in her neighborhood that
didn -(TM)t mind getting dirty.  While other young girls she knew would
enjoy tea parties and art projects, she and one or two other girls would
elect to play with all the neighborhood boys instead.

   To Avery, being outside was more fun.  Playing games was more fun.

   Then, everything changed.

   Avery didn -(TM)t quite know when, but it was somewhere around mid-late
middle school.  Little by little, interest in the games she had played her
whole life faded.

   The boys started to binge-play more mature video games; sometimes solo,
sometimes co-op.  She didn -(TM)t mind hanging out with the neighborhood
boys while they played, and she even tried her hand at a few, but using a
controller always felt awkward and ended up with her dying and them
laughing.  Not malicious laughter, of course.  Avery definitely took her
incompetence in stride, and she was always able to laugh at herself along
with them.  However, it didn -(TM)t change the fact that video games never
really grew on her, and she quickly became more of an observer than a
participant.

   The girls she was closest with got more into hanging out at the mall,
tanning and gossiping by the pool, and having sleepovers that honestly
paled in comparison to the co-ed sleepovers they all used to have.  No
outdoor games, no mountain of snacks, and rarely any boys.  To Avery, the
single gender dynamic was a lot less fun.  Frankly, watching the boys play
video games was preferable to some of the girl talk, but she -(TM)d never
openly admit that to anyone.

   And then, of course, the one co-ed game people DID want to play: Truth
or Dare.

   Ugh.

   It was just the worst.  How could anyone think such a game was fun? 
Since they had all known each other their whole lives, the Truths were
hardly worth asking.  And the Dares were either silly with some playful
embarrassment, or extreme enough that most people would just take a forfeit
instead.  Rarely a middle ground.  Fourteen--fifteen was too young of an
age for the more  -~adult -(TM) dares that would no doubt come in the
following years.

   Avery would force a smile and act like she was having fun until the game
was over, but it honestly just felt  -~meh -(TM) to her the entire time. 
Maybe Truth or Dare would be fun with a group of people that had all just
met, like at camp or something, but it just felt pointless with the
neighborhood crowd.  And yet, somehow, everyone else always wanted to play
time and time again.

   Which brings us to the summer between Avery -(TM)s freshman and
sophomore year of high school.

   On one not so special day, Avery was taking a nice long walk through the
nature lands adjacent to the neighborhood.  A handful of her friends were
out of town, and the others were all doing their own thing.  Rather than
stay cooped up inside, she decided to get some much needed fresh air.

   Avery hadn -(TM)t grown too much since middle school, and her nimble
size made her perfect to top pyramids as a JV cheerleader.  She would have
preferred soccer or softball for the sake of competition, but her closest
friends had wanted to be on the cheer squad.  Flips and tricks were fun and
all, but summer meant a much needed break from school and cheerleading. 
The perfect time to fall back on her old favorites  -" exploring nature,
climbing trees, and enjoying the warm sun.

   And then, on her way home, she saw it.  A large group of neighborhood
kids playing Manhunt.

   She would have recognized the game anywhere.  The captured kids grouped
in the base that took the form of a mailbox, a few kids guarding that base,
and the rest of them out searching for the remaining ones that were still
hiding and attempting to make it to the safe zone.  It was a bit strange
seeing the game happen in broad daylight, as Avery and her friends had
always played Manhunt at night when the hunters had flashlights and the
hunted could use the cover of night to move from place to place.

   From what she could tell, the group was comprised of 12 and 13 year old
neighbors.  She recognized some as little brothers and sisters of friends,
and the others were vaguely familiar simply from neighborhood events and
days at the pool.

   God, she wanted to join them SO badly.  Manhunt was one of her favorite
games growing up.

   Unfortunately, Avery was in high school.  No sane 15 year old would ask
a group of middle schoolers to be part of their game.  It would be all
kinds of weird.  Not only would she stick out like a sore thumb, but she
-(TM)d be mortified if one of her friends stumbled upon the game.

   As she gave the group a wide berth, lamenting her lost childhood, the
imaginary lightbulb over Avery -(TM)s head appeared.  It was absolutely
crazy.  Crazy and impulsive and absolutely absurd, but Avery suddenly found
herself running back towards her house nonetheless.  Maybe she could join
them after all, if she still had the courage to follow it through by the
time she made it back home.

   It was a bold idea.

   But if anyone could pull it off, Avery could.



   PART ONE

    -�Oh come on!  Where is it?? -�

   Avery found herself tearing through box after box in her parents -(TM)
storage room, searching for the needle in the haystack.  Why couldn -(TM)t
they just write full words?!  It would be so much easier that way. 
Instead, each box was labeled with one or two capital letters, sometimes
followed by a number.  An organizational system of which Avery wasn -(TM)t
privy to, leading her to blindly open one after another in attempt to find
what she needed.

   Finally!

   Nearly twenty boxes in, she found the stash of old clothes.   -�Gotcha!
-� Avery smiled, pilfering through the cardboard box more thoroughly than
she had done with the other ones.  She needed to be quick.  The group
outside could move somewhere else for a different activity or dissipate at
any moment, and then she would have gone through all this for nothing.

   Grabbing a few possible options, Avery raced from the basement up to her
bedroom.  She -(TM)d deal with the mess of boxes later, before her parents
got home.  In a flash, her clothes were removed and thrown into a messy
pile in the corner.  But, just before donning the disguise of sorts, Avery
caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror in just her undergarments.

   Bra.  Right.

   At fifteen years old, Avery would have loved to have seen more than the
barely existent curves she had developed.  She was just shy of 5'1" and her
hard bra cups honestly gave her more shape than the small A cups
underneath. Sure, that -(TM)s about how big she was a year or two ago as
well, but the point of dressing up was to look as different as possible.

   Ever the impulsive girl, she unclasped her bra and tossed it aside as
unceremoniously as the rest of her former outfit.  In its place, she put on
a sports bra that basically rendered her flat save for two little mounds.
Avery wasn -(TM)t self conscious about them, as it was the kind of bra that
she wore for cheerleading anyway.  Still, the decision to intentionally
hide her breasts in such a way made her blush a little bit, even in the
privacy of her own room.

   Next, the outfit.  Faded jean shorts that were a little frayed at the
ends, and a bubblegum pink shirt with a small butterfly printed in the
middle of the chest.  Clothes she hadn -(TM)t worn since she was twelve or
so.

   For once, Avery was grateful her parents kept so much random stuff. 
They weren -(TM)t hoarders, but the storage room in the basement always
made Avery roll her eyes.  Keeping old clothes rather than donating them,
in case some visiting cousin needed them or something.  Keeping old costume
pieces, because  -~you never know. -(TM) The boxes dedicated to each
holiday at least made sense, as they got annual use, but the rest of the
old toys, trinkets, and wardrobe pieces felt like a waste of space.  Well,
Avery saw things from her parents -(TM) perspective now, though the  -~just
in case -(TM) reason was a little outside a pragmatic use for her old
clothes.

   She did a quick once-over in the mirror, frowning a bit at her own
reflection.   -~Not good enough, -(TM) Avery thought to herself.  She still
looked too much like herself, even in old, immature clothes.

   Thinking quickly, she grabbed some hair ties and hastily braided her
hair into pigtails.  Then, just for good measure, removed her contacts and
put on glasses in their place.  Avery hated glasses.  Not because of the
aesthetic, but because keeping them in place while being active was
practically impossible.  Still, the girl that looked back at her was a lot
more convincing than before.  Short, flat, and styled just like a clich�(C)
tween girl.

   To anyone else, such a transformation might be a little embarrassing. 
But, despite being an up and coming cheerleader, Avery didn -(TM)t fit the
stereotype of being shallow or vain.  To her, this was actually kind of
cool.  She looked so different with braids and glasses, and maybe, just
maybe, they -(TM)d buy it.

   Just to really sell it, Avery grabbed an old pair of white and pink
sneakers from the back of her closet.  And, not wasting another second, she
ran back outside and towards the game.

   They were still there!

   As Avery approached, she realized that coming from the direction of her
own house might be too much of a giveaway.  Instead, she made that same
wide arc as she did on the way home, deciding to  -~accidentally -(TM)
stumble upon the game from the other side of the neighborhood.  Knowing how
to stay undetected, even when wearing pink, Avery appeared in the street a
few minutes later and began casually walking towards the group.

    -~Oh my God, what am I doing?! -(TM) Avery -(TM)s pulse increased a
little bit with every step, and her inner voice was screaming at herself to
turn around and abandon this crazy idea.  But her feet wouldn -(TM)t
listen. This was her favorite game!  So what if it was with a group of kids
she didn -(TM)t know?  Manhunt was still Manhunt, even if it wasn -(TM)t
with her usual group that had aged out of it.

   And then she was past the point of no return.

   A blonde girl began running towards her, until one of the guys by the
mailbox called after her.   -�Em, wait!  She -(TM)s not playing.  Keep
guarding the base! -�

   Obviously.  No one would casually walk up to the base in Manhunt, as the
game was all about sneaking and staying hidden before either running after
being found or purposely making a break for it at the last possible second.
It -(TM)s why Avery approached how she did, to not confuse anyone.  She was
just a girl passing by, and then coming to check things out.

    -�Actually . . . -� Avery said.  She went so far as to make her voice a
little lighter than usual, meeting the girl -(TM)s eyes.  Something told
her she -(TM)d have better luck with a fellow girl than with a boy.   -�. .
.  do you have room for one more? -�



   PART TWO

   Please buy it.  Please buy it.

   Avery internally crossed her fingers.  Part of her prayers were simply
due to her desire to play the long abandoned game, but there was also the
fact that half the tweens involved were younger siblings of some of her own
friends.  In her haste, Avery hadn -(TM)t thought about the inherent risk
involved.  How being recognized would potentially mean her high school
friends hearing about this.

    -�Yes!  Oh my God, yes, -� the blonde girl smiled.  She was an inch
taller than Avery, which was definitely a bonus at the moment,  -�Save me
from all these boys. -� With no hesitation at all, she grabbed Avery -(TM)s
hand and marched her over to the mailbox.   -�Mark, she -(TM)s on our team.
-�

   It worked.  Holy shit, it worked!

   Or did it?  The girl (Em?) only met Avery -(TM)s question with
enthusiasm, so she could have just been excited for any girl to be joining.
Maybe an older girl wanting to join spurred such enthusiasm.  Maybe Em
recognized her?  Maybe this was a terrible idea.  The thoughts raced
through Avery -(TM)s head as she was led over by her hand, a bit of
friendly contact that most people her age wouldn -(TM)t so boldly do with a
stranger.

    -�Do you know how to play? -� Mark asked.  He looked a little annoyed,
which in turn made Avery annoyed.  Typical boys.

   She scoffed.   -�Manhunt?  Of course I do. -�

    -�Whatever.  Guard the base with Emily, -� he said.  So far, it looked
like no one had made it safely back.  And how could they, with the sun
shining down on the surrounding area?  But it wasn -(TM)t Avery -(TM)s
place to judge the daytime choice.  She was happy just to play.

   Just like that, Mark was gone.  And Avery was in.

    -�I -(TM)m Emily, -� the girl said.  She offered her hand with a smile,
confirming once and for all that she didn -(TM)t know the disguised high
school girl standing before her.

    -�A- -� Avery got one syllable in before realizing the problem.  That
would be a dead giveaway! By some miracle, she managed to catch herself.  
-�-va.  Ava Lorde, -� she said,  -~borrowing -(TM) the last name of a girl
she knew from church.

    -�Nice to meet you, Ava Lorde!  Are you new? -�

    -�Just moved here last week, -� Avery lied.  This wasn -(TM)t part of
the plan, but piling on lies seemed like the best option in the moment.  
-�And just Ava is fine, -� she added, recognizing Emily -(TM)s teasing echo
of the full name.

    -�Ava, then.  Middle school? -�

    -�Just finished 6th grade. -�

    -�Me too!  Going to be at West Middle with us? -�

    -�I think so? -�

   It was a miracle Avery didn -(TM)t blush when claiming to be a rising
7th grader.  The disguise was one thing, but actually saying it out loud
and seeing Emily believe it without question was a tiny bit embarrassing.
Still, she managed to keep the voice and the lies up, going so far as to
sounding a bit uncertain as to the middle school -(TM)s name.  If she just
moved here, she wouldn -(TM)t know everything, and school wouldn -(TM)t be
the biggest priority at the beginning of summer anyway.

   And her lies worked.  Emily jumped right into a long-winded explanation
about the school.  How the schedule worked, some of the best areas,
cafeteria foods to avoid.  And, although Avery new every detail about West
Middle from having just  -~graduated -(TM) from there a year ago, she
listened with as much false curiosity and interest as she could muster.

   A girl two to three years her junior, taking on a guiding role.  It
-(TM)s not exactly what Avery signed up for, but the high of getting away
with her disguise offset the weirdness a little bit.  Thankfully, the wave
of information didn -(TM)t last forever.  Right as Emily launched into
details about the neighborhood, someone yelling down the road cut her off.

    -�Emily!  Runner! -�

   Sure enough, a boy burst out from the nearby woods a second later, with
another boy in hot pursuit.  It wasn -(TM)t Mark chasing, but it was
obviously someone else on the hunting team.  That -(TM)s right.  Manhunt!
Avery -(TM)s new blonde  -~friend -(TM) had distracted her from the whole
point of doing all this, but the boy sprinting towards their base snapped
her back to reality.   -~Oh, I -(TM)ve got this, -(TM) Avery thought to
herself.  Easy target.

   She tapped Emily -(TM)s shoulder with quick muttered instructions. 
Seconds later, they were putting the plan into action.  Avery could make a
pretty solid guess as to what the sprinting boy would do.  He was making a
beeline for the base, but he would either try to sidestep a tagging attempt
or maybe try to slide to avoid their hands.  Probably the former.

   Trusting Avery -(TM)s idea, Emily lunged forward to tag him.  The boy
pivoted to the left, narrowly avoiding her hand, and fell right into Avery
-(TM)s trap.  Before he could fully catch his balance from the turn, she
raced forward to tag him.  Without any momentum, he couldn -(TM)t pivot
again or find a burst of speed to escape, and she successfully tagged him
for the capture.

   Knowing how boys could be, she even kept her hand on his upper arm for a
few seconds.  It was all too easy for boys to say  -�No, you just got my
shirt! -� or some other bogus excuse, so Avery had learned long ago to 
-~secure -(TM) a tag to the point that they couldn -(TM)t talk their way
out of it.

    -�Yes, Ava!! -� Emily squealed.  She met the disguised high schooler
with a double-handed high five, giving a friendly clasp for a second in
victory and solidarity.   -�And you, -� she pointed to the tagged boy, 
-�Jail.  Go. -� It was playfully harsh in tone, and Avery appreciated the
girl taking charge before their teammate could.  Because girls can do
anything boys can.

   Unlike games like Capture the Flag, there was no escaping from Jail in
Manhunt.  The only way to win was to get the majority of your team on base.
Once you were out, you were out.  The captured boy went to sit on the porch
of the same property used for the mailbox base, and their dark haired
teammate gave a nod of approval.   -�Ava, huh?  I -(TM)m Will. -� Unlike
Emily -(TM)s polite offer for a handshake earlier, he just offered his fist
for a bump.

   Avery accepted the gesture with a confident smile.  She was fooling
Danielle -(TM)s younger brother.  The siblings had strikingly similar dark
hair, and Avery had been to Danielle -(TM)s house countless times.  While
Will didn -(TM)t hang out with the high school girls, he had definitely
seen Avery in passing.  Yet there was no flicker of recognition.   -�Do we
really need two guarding the base? -� Avery asked.   -�It -(TM)s a little
cheap, isn -(TM)t it? -�

    -�You want to hunt? -� he asked.  It was difficult to tell whether the
skeptical tone was due to her being a girl, or due to her asking to swap
roles in the middle of the game.

   Either way, she couldn -(TM)t help herself.  It was too fun to mess with
boys.

    -�Emily and I want to hunt, -� Avery said,  -�Why don -(TM)t you take a
turn on base for a bit, Will? -�

   If she had just enjoyed the game without stirring things up, she would
have been fine.  In her haste to show Will that girls were just as
competent as boys, Avery failed to think about the fact that he was
Danielle -(TM)s little brother.  And what kinds of similarities they might
have.

   Avery didn -(TM)t know it yet, but she really should have just kept her
mouth shut.



   PART THREE

   It took a little bit of back and forth, but Avery managed to convince
Will.

   It helped that she was a high school girl masquerading as a tween.  Some
of his little arguments may have flummoxed Emily if Emily had made such a
bold suggestion, but Avery knew how to handle the not so subtly rude boy
who thought that girls were only good for guarding the base.  All it took
was a wager  -" if she and Emily didn -(TM)t catch anyone, they -(TM)d
accept base duty for the rest of the summer.  But if they crushed it, as
she suspected they would, he and the other boys had to give them fair
hunting turns moving forward instead.

   In typical boy fashion, he agreed.

   Because, as Avery knew from years and years of experience from being
around neighborhood boys growing up, it wasn -(TM)t in the average boy
-(TM)s nature to back down from a direct challenge.

   Emily looked a little nervous as she and Avery left Will by the mailbox.
If Avery had to guess, it was less about being afraid of losing the bet,
and more about rocking the boat.  In Emily -(TM)s defense, Avery realized
that she did kind of sweep in and shake things up pretty quickly, but it
was just in her competitive nature to do so.  And she would never apologize
for standing up for another girl.

   Thankfully, her new blonde friend was the perfect partner in crime.  As
they searched, Avery shared Manhunt strategies from her  -~old
neighborhood, -(TM) deciding that the best way to lie was to just tell most
of the truth with a few subtle changes.  She saw a bit of her younger self
in Emily, which made Avery all the more interested in giving her an edge.

   And, sure enough, they caught nearly half the other team thanks to her
experience.  Avery knew some of the best spots to hide on the block, and
some of the not so great spots as well.  Selfishly, she kept quiet about
her mental process, not even wanting Emily to know her favorites.  Avery
had earned that knowledge, and wouldn -(TM)t so easily hand it out. 
Instead, she just searched with her eagle eye and in depth knowledge of the
neighborhood and taught Emily some chasing tactics along the way.  If you
had two people working in sync, it was a lot easier to cut someone off and
catch them.

   Emily was a quick learner, and always ecstatic when she or Avery tagged
someone.  Their other team members did their fair share as well, of course.
Avery was a little bitter that one boy slipped through her and Emily -(TM)s
grasp and ended up being tagged by Will instead, but they were still
successful enough by the end that the sexist boy wouldn -(TM)t have a leg
to stand on.

   Only one person on the other team had made it back to the base, meaning
the hunters definitely won.  Emily took the initiative to introduce  -�Ava
-� to everyone, but no one lingered on it for too long.  They were all too
interested in swapping roles and starting a new round.

   Surprisingly, Will seemed to be in better spirits by the time they were
all splitting off again.  He praised her for all the captures, and even
offered for her to join him and another boy, Colin, in one of their
favorite hiding spots.  She wasn -(TM)t too keen on splitting up with
Emily, but her new blonde friend was quick to say  -�It -(TM)s fine, I
-(TM)ll head this way with Josh! -�

   Less boat rocking, naturally.

   Avery followed the two boys through the trees to a less urban area just
off the cul-de-sac that she was well acquainted with.  She decided to let
the boys take charge.  These boys certainly hadn't earned her tricks and
spots, so she would follow their lead for now.  If it was a horrible plan,
she could always strike off on her own.

   Will led her to the nearby creek, stopping near the edge and glancing
back to make sure no one on the other team was cheating by following them.
Then he turned to her and crossed his arms.

    -�Hey, Ava? -� Will asked.   -�You any good at climbing? -�

   Please.  It's exactly what she was doing earlier that day, and taller
trees at that.  And for years and years prior.   -�Probably better than
you, -� Avery rolled her eyes.  Her high school self wouldn -(TM)t be so
cocky about such things, but she had settled into her younger role a bit.

   To his credit, Will didn -(TM)t make any snide response to her bragging.
Instead, he just pointed out one or two potential spots within view.  If
all three of them were within sight of each other, it would be easier to
make a unified charge towards the base once no one was searching where they
were.  For once, Avery actually agreed with the boy.  She was about to
designate the tree that looked better for both climbing and hiding.  But
she never got the chance.

   All of a sudden, Will roughly shoved her by the shoulders.

   Little did she know, Colin had stealthily crouched down behind her while
she had been distracted by Will pointing out potential hiding spots.  In
the classic  -~tabletop -(TM) pose on his hands and knees, Colin was the
perfect obstacle to make it impossible for her to find her balance.

   Avery tumbled backwards over the crouching boy and, in the least
graceful way possible, fell right into the creek.



   PART FOUR

   I fell backwards with wide eyes, but there was no clich�(C) girly scream
piercing the woods.  Will -(TM)s shove was surprising, sure, but it was the
sudden lack of balance and backwards toppling that confused and shocked me
enough to render me speechless.  Until I landed in the water.

   My tailbone hit the shallow creek bottom and I sharply gasped at the
jolt of pain, and then the other sensations followed.  Cold water soaked
through my jean shorts and underwear alike, and I felt it creeping up the
hem of my old pink shirt as well.

   Will was the first to laugh, as he was the one who got the full show. 
Surprised expression, arms flailing a bit, and then a satisfying *splash*
as I hit the water.  Colin was quick to hop up and join in the revelry,
both boys high five-ing at a tabletop that was way more mean than the
normal version just designed to knock someone over as a joke.   -�You
looked a little hot, -� Will finally said, smirking down at me,  -�Feel
better now? -�

   I scrambled to get out of the water, scowling in annoyance, but the
expression didn -(TM)t last.  Seconds after I got to my feet, my underwear,
shorts, and the base of my pink shirt clinging to my skin, the water found
a new target.  I felt my socks and shoes alike being flooded with water as
I hastily stood up without thinking where I was putting my feet in the
process.

   Lightly grimacing at the additional annoyance of wet clothes, I willed
my scowl back into place.  Of course, the glasses and pigtails undermined
the intended intensity, but I had forgotten about all of that in the heat
of the moment.  To Colin and Will, I just looked like an agitated tween.

    -�Most boys ask a girl out when they think she -(TM)s hot, -� I
retorted.  Thankfully, I still had the advantage of age, which gave me an
edge when it came to wit.  Granted, this wasn -(TM)t my best, but I had to
say something.   -�Except for those who flirt like kindergarteners. -�

    -�You -(TM)re not my type, Glasses.  Trust me, -� Will chuckled,  -�But
if you ask him really nicely, Colin might give you a kiss. -�

    -�Hey! -� Colin exclaimed.  He was still laughing along with Will, but
a light shade of pink adorned his face when he was roped into things. 
Unlike Will, Colin didn -(TM)t have an older sister who numbed him to
little jabs like that and accidentally  -~trained -(TM) him for quick back
and forth interactions over the years.   -�No, thanks, -� he said, unable
to come up with anything more clever.

   Before I could really give the boys a piece of my mind, a new voice cut
through the awkward pause after Colin -(TM)s reply.   -�Hey!  What -(TM)s
going on here?! -�

   It was Danielle!!

   I was already a little flushed from being shoved into the creek and
subsequently soaked from the stomach down, but I could actually feel the
heat rapidly rising to my face as one of my cheerleading friends approached
us.   -~Oh my God, no! -(TM) I thought to herself.  Shit.  I was SO busted!
How was I going to explain this?!

   Danielle wasn -(TM)t alone, either.  Her boyfriend was hanging back, no
doubt leaving his girlfriend to deal with the scene by the creek.

   Oh.  That -(TM)s why they were out here.  Danielle wasn -(TM)t normally
the type to take walks in the woods, but she was definitely the type to do
other risky things out in the middle of nature.

    -�What the fuck, Will? -� Danielle began.  Clearly she had no qualms
swearing in front of her middle school brother.  She pointed directly at
me.  -�Did you push her into the water? -�

    -�Dani, we -(TM)re in the middle of a game! -�

    -�Did.  You.  Push.  Her? -�

    -�No.  She fell. -� Will lied.

   For the first time since she arrived, Danielle actually looked at me. 
Before, she seemed more focused on the wet clothes and her smirking
brother. After clearly not believing Will -(TM)s lie, Danielle gave me a
once over from my wet shoes all the way up to my face.  It was easy to
notice the puzzled look on her face when she met my eyes, but I was holding
onto the hope that my disguise would hold up.  Pigtails.  Glasses.  No
make-up, though I barely wore any make-up most days anyway.

   Maybe I would look familiar, but she wouldn -(TM)t be able to place it?
That was the prayer.

    -�Did he push you? -� Danielle asked, point blank.  Her curious
expression faded and took on the more no-nonsense form I was used to seeing
when she was dealing with bitchy girls at school, and apparently obnoxious
little brothers as well.

   I hesitated.

   What should I say?  I mean, Will deserved to be chewed out for what he
did to me, but I was about to do that myself.  Getting Danielle to do it
for me was, honestly, a little lame.  Plus snitches get stitches.  While I
wasn -(TM)t planning on being a permanent peer to Will and Emily and the
others, I also wasn -(TM)t the type of girl to tattle, then or now.  I
could fight my own battles.

    -�No, -� I lied as well, in that false light voice,  -�I tripped. -�

   Will managed to keep it cool, but I could see the surprise on Colin
-(TM)s face at my response.

    -�Hmm, -� Danielle huffed a little at my response.  It clearly wasn
-(TM)t the answer she expected, and I couldn -(TM)t tell whether or not she
believed my version of what happened.  Either way, I wasn -(TM)t prepared
for what she said next.   -�Well, either way, you can -(TM)t be running
around in wet clothes.  Come with me, blondie, and I -(TM)ll find you a
change of clothes at my place. -�

   My heart skipped a beat at the suggestion.  That was a terrible idea. 
Every second spent near Danielle was another second she might recognize me.
If she hadn -(TM)t recognized me already.  I still couldn't tell.  Was this
her attempt to save me from this situation?  Or did my exterior appearance
actually fool her?  I searched her face for a flicker of emotion that would
give away whether or not she was just trying to help out a tween girl vs.
her squad mate.

   Nothing.  I couldn -(TM)t tell a damn thing.

    -�Umm, no, it -(TM)s fine, -� I replied.  I fiddled with one of the
pigtails as I glanced up at her.  Danielle only had an inch or two on me,
but it felt like a lot more in the moment, even if she wasn -(TM)t being
particularly demanding.   -�Like Will said, we -(TM)re in the middle of a
game. -�

    -�Nonsense.  My house is super close, and those kinds of shorts will
totally make you chafe if you wear them too long like that.  Will, just
have everyone come over after the game if we're not back by then. -�

   Now that it seemed like Will had avoided getting in trouble, he had that
some look of annoyance as when I suggested we swap Manhunt roles.   -�We
were going to go to Mark -(TM)s place- -�

    -�I don -(TM)t care.  Invite everyone to our place.  I -(TM)ll even pay
for pizza for all of you.  Fair? -�

    -�Fine, -� he said.  While he tried to play it cool, it was obvious
that the offer was what did it.  Free pizza would be enough to convince
everyone without any trouble.

   As usual, Danielle knew all the right buttons to push.  She and I weren
-(TM)t super close any more, but I -(TM)ve known her my entire life.  As a
kid, she had a few simple tricks.  As a teenager, she had honed and
mastered those tricks.  It -(TM)s a bit hard to explain.  It -(TM)s not
that Danielle is manipulative.  It -(TM)s more that she -(TM)s very tit for
tat.  When she wanted something, she could always find the perfect exchange
for it, and it took her less time to come up with those trade ideas than it
would take someone to snap their fingers.

   Back in grade school, Danielle really wanted a girl -(TM)s pretty pink
pencil, and she decided to offer up her favorite eraser just to get the
writing utensil she -(TM)d been coveting.  Innocent and fair exchanges like
that snowballed all the way a solid example from last summer.

   When another girl had an eye on her current boyfriend, back before they
were dating, Danielle offered to teach the girl all the necessary skills to
be a cheerleader.  Danielle got her boy, the girl got a spot on the team
despite not starting in 8th grade like the rest of us did.  Both girls were
happy, thanks to Danielle -(TM)s quick thinking.

   And, in this instance, she wanted Will to invite his friends over, and
offered free pizza to secure his cooperation.  No demanding, no
threatening, no clich�(C) older sister tactics to make Will listen to her.
Just something he wanted, in exchange for something he would do in return.
Fair.  Totally fair.  And SO quick, like always.  I had forgotten how
immediate her ideas were, and it was actually a little nostalgic seeing her
in action after growing apart over the last year or two.

   Danielle -(TM)s focus on her younger brother didn -(TM)t last long. 
Since he agreed, it was my turn to face her directness all over again.

    -�What -(TM)s your name, blondie? -�

   I didn -(TM)t want to.   -~Ava -(TM) was SO close to  -~Avery, -(TM) but
it -(TM)s not like I could swap aliases now.  Will and Colin already knew
me by the fake one I had scrambled to come up with earlier.  So I just
prayed, and replied with  -�Ava. -�

    -�Nice to meet you, Ava.  I -(TM)m Danielle.  This idiot -(TM)s older
brother, -� she said, nodding her head towards Will and ignoring his
muttered expletive in response to her offhand insult,  -�Now then . . . -�

   Oh my God.  Was she about to use her tricks on me?  It -(TM)s not like
she had never done so before, for little things, but it was going to be
different if she thought I was someone else.  Right?

    -�. . .  I -(TM)m sorry you tripped, and that -(TM)s a really cute
outfit, -� she said, clearly building to something,  -�Tell you what.  I
have a bunch of old athletic gear at home from when I was younger.  Like,
really nice stuff.  If you -(TM)ll let a fellow girl help you out, I
-(TM)ll let you keep the new outfit.  And take a bonus one of your choice!
-�

   Yep.  She could sway anyone.

   Honestly, it was actually more effective on me than she realized.  Her
family was wealthy, more wealthy than my middle class household, and I had
always been fond of her expensive wardrobe.  Especially her athletic
selections, considering how sporty I -(TM)ve always been.  She might have
grown a little taller and curvier since thirteen, but I was more or less
the same size.  Which meant those amazing colors and designs stuffed in the
back of her closet or in a corner of her basement would still fit me
perfectly.

   She was also clearly pulling on her old knowledge of neighborhood games,
as jean shorts weren -(TM)t the best choice anyway for Manhunt anyway, even
when dry.  I knew that, of course.  Normally, I would have worn neutral
colors to blend in with the environment, and something a little more
comfortable for running in the heat.  But my impulsive plan was focused on
disguising myself, not finding an ideal outfit for the game.  Danielle,
however, took that element into account when making her offer.

    -�It -(TM)s fine, really, -� I said.  Trying to resist, but already
feeling the oh so familiar tug of temptation.   -�I was probably going to
head home in a game or two anyway. -�

    -�Three outfits, -� Danielle smiled, holding up three fingers,  -�Come
on, Ava, it -(TM)ll be quick!  Worst case, you go straight home with some
nice new clothes, right? -�

   I couldn -(TM)t resist.  All my teenage life, I had to deal with generic
athletic clothes from department stores and thrift shops, depending on
whether my parents were buying it or I was using my allowance.  I barely
saw Danielle outside of cheerleading any more anyway.  Once I was Avery
again, I could wear the new outfits without much risk.  And, if asked, I
could just say I found them at a brand name thrift store or something.

    -�Okay, -� I nodded.  Besides, she had a point.  Running around in wet
clothes wouldn -(TM)t be super comfortable.  And, like she said, and like I
secretly knew, her house was really close.  It would only take a few
minutes, and I -(TM)d be back to the game.  Leaning into my false identity,
I decided to play up my ignorance of the neighborhood layout.   -�Which
way? -�

   Mistake.  Huge mistake.

   I just didn -(TM)t realize it yet.



   PART FIVE

   Just like that, Danielle was taking me to her house.

   Before we left, she gave Will one more reminder to head home after this
game.  And to text her how many people were coming over, so she could get
the pizza order started.  It only dawned on me after agreeing to come with
her that the change of location was for MY benefit.  So I -(TM)d still be
with the group after getting changed, rather than all of them disappearing
to Mark -(TM)s house in my absence.

   Such a tactic pretty heavily implied that Danielle didn -(TM)t recognize
me, which put my mind at ease.  But, at the same time, I felt a little
guilty.  If Manhunt was over, I -(TM)d have no reason to stick around.  I
was just going to take Danielle -(TM)s clothes and go, meaning she wasted a
pizza order on me.  At least I could justify that such an expense wouldn
-(TM)t make the slightest dent in her bank account.  Well, in her parents
-(TM) bank account.

   And, if I had to guess, the game would be over sooner rather than later.
This particular round, at least.  Will and Colin didn -(TM)t have much time
left to hide.

   After dismissing her brother and his friend, Danielle gave her boyfriend
a quick kiss and sent him on his way as well.  Guess they had done all they
sought out to do in the woods and, based on where he was headed, he had
walked over from his neighborhood to meet her rather than getting dropped
off.  Smart.  No questions or suspicion from parents.

   It was a pretty short walk to Danielle -(TM)s place, and I went through
the same little interrogation I went through with Emily.  It was both
easier and more difficult the second time through.  The lies flowed more
naturally, but my heart skipped a beat basically every time she glanced in
my direction throughout the walk.  As  -~Ava, -(TM) I told my squad mate
how I just moved here and how I stumbled upon the game with the other
neighborhood kids and asked if I could join.  Nothing about my age or how I
would be attending West Middle, and she thankfully didn -(TM)t prompt
anything about that.

   Instead, she just gave me some tips about the neighborhood.  Best spots
at the pool, shortcuts from here to there, and cranky neighbors to avoid.
Just when I was starting to relax about my little masquerade, Danielle hit
me with something entirely unexpected as we approached her familiar house.
-�You can use my private bathroom to shower up, Ava.  I -(TM)ll go find
those clothes in the meantime. -�

   Wait, what?

   A shower?  That wasn -(TM)t part of the deal.  The only reason I agreed
to follow her instead of going home to get out of my wet clothes was
because she insisted it would be quick.  Well, the free outfits too, of
course, but it still wasn -(TM)t my intention to drag this out.

    -�Umm, that -(TM)s okay, -� I replied.  Surely she wasn -(TM)t serious.

   Apparently she was.   -�Ava, that creek water is disgusting.  You
definitely need to wash up.  Besides, don -(TM)t you want to be squeaky
clean before your crush gets here?  I saw the way you were looking at Will.
-�

   Will?!  Danielle -(TM)s younger brother?  The sexist boy who pushed me
into the creek?  He was two years my junior!  Though I guess she didn
-(TM)t know that.  The surprise on my face must have been obvious, because
Danielle just laughed in response.   -�Oh my God, I -(TM)m kidding!  He
-(TM)s a total brat.  I would know best, right?  Honestly, I'd be a little
worried about you if you actually liked him. -�

    -�Mm hmm.  Don -(TM)t worry, he -(TM)s not my type, -� I replied, Will
-(TM)s annoying words still echoing in my head from my frustration earlier.
Hopefully my little fake laugh sold Danielle on my agreement to her words
without bothering her.  It -(TM)s always tricky insulting someone -(TM)s
sibling after they do so themselves.  I -(TM)m an only child, but I -(TM)ve
witnessed the weird balance siblings have of caring for each other while
still being at odds all the time.

    -�Give him a few years and he might mature, -� she shrugged.  As usual,
Danielle was hard to read, but my reply seemed to be safe.  Unfortunately,
that didn -(TM)t save me from what led us to the current topic.   -�But
really, you should hop in the shower.  You don -(TM)t have to get your hair
wet or anything.  Just clean off that creek water.  And armpits, if you
-(TM)ve been running around! -�

   At that, I blushed a little.   -�I- -�

    -�Don -(TM)t worry, it connects to my room!  The others won -(TM)t
bother you if they get back early.  Tell you what, Ava.  I -(TM)ll even
throw in a fourth outfit for your trouble.  How -(TM)s that sound? -�

   As if anything I could say would make a difference.  Danielle is one of
the most pushy girls I -(TM)ve ever met.  Maybe I could fight back if she
knew who I really was, but arguing as a fake tween was going to be
impossible.  And, at this point, I was determined to keep my cover intact.
Plus another free outfit didn -(TM)t hurt.   -�Okay, -� I reluctantly
agreed.  I -(TM)ve never been the kind of girl who likes long showers
anyway, and the point about my hair really stood out.  If it was just a
quick scrub, I could be in and out in two minutes.

   And that was that.

   Danielle whisked me up to her room, one that was way too big for your
average fifteen year old girl.  Or average child for that matter, as I had
been in this room countless times while growing up.  It was nearly twice
the size of mine, and had always been a point of both awe and jealousy
amongst me and some of the other girls.  Perfect for sleepovers, which
certainly helped Danielle maintain her popularity by being a frequent host.

   She got me all set up in the bathroom, going so far as to turn on the
water for me in the fancy standing shower to what she knew to be a good
temperature.  A fresh, plush towel and matching hand towel, permission to
use any of the hygiene and styling products strewn about the bathroom;
enough for a small army, and the go-ahead to take my time if I -(TM)d like.
Danielle -(TM)s younger brother and his friends wouldn -(TM)t dare enter
her room, which made the private bathroom extra private because of the
second door between me and them.

   It wasn -(TM)t really a concern to begin with, as I doubted the tween
crowd would go so far for a prank.  Then again, Will was Danielle -(TM)s
brother.  Best to be safe, I guess.

   Per Danielle -(TM)s suggestion, I tossed my damp, creek clothes down the
laundry chute once she left to give me some privacy, and I stepped into the
shower.  Initially, I was planning on a very short shower, basically just
enough to satisfy Danielle -(TM)s insistence about cleaning the creek water
off my body.  But I couldn -(TM)t help myself.  I hadn -(TM)t used a
standing shower in forever.

   The marble and frosted glass felt more classy than my tub and shower
curtain back home, but the main draw was the shower head.  Perfect water
pressure coming from above me like rain; not too hard, not too soft.  I
quickly gave up on keeping my hair dry like originally intended, as
standing underneath the shower head made avoiding the water basically
impossible.  Danielle had a hair dryer in the bathroom, so I wasn -(TM)t
too worried.  Taking my sweet time, I scrubbed myself clean, realizing
halfway through that I was pretty much stuck naked until Danielle came back
with clothes for me anyway.  Might as well condition with one of my friend
-(TM)s expensive products.

   Thankfully, I wasn -(TM)t stranded for too long.  Halfway through my
conditioning, the bathroom door opened.  My heart skipped a beat for a
second simply because I'm not used to anyone barging in on me when I'm in
the shower, but it was just Danielle.  I couldn -(TM)t help but blush a
little when I saw her blurry form on the other side of the frosted glass,
realizing that I was a naked blur from her perspective.   -�Hey, Ava, I
left something for you out here!  I'll be out in my room whenever you're
done.  No rush! -�

   And then she left as quickly as she arrived.  Letting out a sigh of
relief, I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair and enjoyed the hot water
and the steamy shower for another few minutes before finally turning the
water off.  I was SO refreshed.  While my home showers were way shorter in
comparison, I could see this exquisite bathroom making it an every day
temptation if I lived here.  Letting out a contented sigh in the
surrounding steam, I cracked the shower door to grab that plush towel.

   It wasn -(TM)t there.

   Did Danielle accidentally take mine when she came in a few minutes ago?
Ugh, I was going to have to use hers instead.  A little awkward using
another girl -(TM)s towel, but what choice did I have?  Pushing the shower
door open wider, a quick scan revealed that there was nothing for me in the
bathroom.  No regular towels, no hand towels, no clothes.  Nothing.  What
the hell?!  Danielle was just here, and she said she was leaving me with
something to wear.

   Did Will convince her to prank me?  No, the Danielle I knew wouldn
-(TM)t help a boy prank a girl like that.

   Then I saw it.  Danielle said she was going to leave something for me,
and apparently she wasn -(TM)t lying.  It just wasn -(TM)t what I expected.
A single index card sat in the middle of the marble bathroom floor.  The
bright purple ink immediately identified it as a Danielle note, and I took
a tentative step out of the shower to grab it.  Darting back behind the
frosted glass just in case the fellow cheerleader decided to barge into the
bathroom, I closed the shower door again and glanced down at the card.

   Upon reading the message, my breath caught in my throat, and I could
feel the heat rushing to my face.

   Three simple words, turning one of those little worst case scenarios
from earlier into more of a reality:

    -�Nice try, Avery. -�