25
Lily, Cael, James and Maggie planted themselves in Charley’s bedroom, prepared to practice what Maggie called ‘their magic acts’. They’d all agreed to the dry run. Luckily for Charley, she would remain as is and with James, double-check everyone’s copy.
“You’re not going to whine about it, are you?” Lily tapped her toe and gave Cael her best spoil-sport look.
“No.”
Charley stifled her laugh. “Let’s get started.”
Maggie got first dibs.
Arms outstretched, Charley turned in a circle. Since Maggie had been around the least amount of time, she’d get the most chance to touch and feel for realism.
They didn’t always have direct access. Charley once had to play the first lady to a former President and came up with her form based on photos and descriptions alone. She’d succeeded… at least with what people could see. Underneath, she’d fudged every curve and line.
Maggie hemmed and hawed, oohed and ahhed as she ran her gaze up and down Charley’s form. She ran her hands along the length of Charley’s outstretched arms, down her sides, and all the way to her feet, which Charley’d left bare. They didn’t know how much the folks they’d meet knew about her and didn’t want to take any chances with a replica who didn’t match down to the last freckle.
Maggie’s fingers threaded themselves through Charley’s-her palms against them.
Charley tried not to move. She held her breath as long as she could, let Maggie touch without a second thought.
When Maggie placed her palms on either side of Charley’s head, she still held firm but suspected Maggie’s ploy to tease the guys. She inched closer to her as their clothes ruffled against each other. Charley stared into her eyes, which Maggie let turn their natural state, and waited. Her lips parted as she drew closer, and her smile grew as she leaned in.
Charley didn’t move.
Maggie tilted her head right, shifted to the left, and kept her bright red lips no more than a few millimeters from Charley’s.
A chill ran up Charley’s spine.
“Oh, come on!” Cael broke the sexual tension that filled the room.
Maggie puckered her lips, eased forward and added a quick peck at the side of Charley’s lips.
Cael groaned from his spot on the side stool. He’d straightened from his leaned-over, elbows-on-knee, half crouch when Maggie started her little dance.
“That would have been too easy, Cael,” Maggie said. “Okay, give me a sec.” Maggie closed her eyes and let her hands lay at her sides, palms out. She tilted her head back and shook her hair before she stood straight again.
Charley didn’t like to see any of them change. Facial features contorted, limbs trembled, and in many cases, the change looked more like a convulsion than the sweet, spring-like renewal that Maggie displayed. Legs one inch longer, cheek bones less prominent, hair turned black, eyes turned to chocolate brown.
Charley stared at herself, though no mirror stood before her.
“How’d I do?” Maggie asked when she finished and turned her head to each of them.
“You look like me,” Charley said.
“I concur.” James had Maggie twirl under his extended hand. “You forgot a freckle, though. Right cheek, center.”
Maggie added it, and James pronounced her complete.
“Cael’s turn.” Maggie smirked as she shook the new curls that hung from her head.
“Lily first,” Cael said. “I’m the true last resort.”
“Chicken,” Maggie said.
“Fine,” Cael said, but Lily stopped him with a wave.
“Me first. I already know what you look like, so I’m going to do this and come back. Wait here.” Lily escaped into Charley’s bathroom.
“You can shift somewhere else, too, if you want, Cael,” Charley said.
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
Lily came back out with a slight misstep as her body wavered from fatigue. She, too, looked like Charley. The only discrepancy lay in the tips of her hair which had begun to change back to her own natural shade of blonde. “Dammit! I am so not good at this.”
“You convinced me.” Cael stood from his stool. As James had done for Maggie, he walked to Lily and raised her hand for a twirl. “You look great.”
The Lily-Charley smiled at Cael-a smile only Lily could make.
“Okay, Master Cael, s’your turn to pony up.” Maggie turned back to her previous form. Unlike Lily, a relative youngster, Maggie could transform within a short span of time without visible burnout.
“Told you she was talented,” Charley said to James, thumbing a hand at Maggie.
Cael opted for the more private method, too. He’d have to lose quite a number of inches and would lose his drawers in the process.
When he walked back in, he, too, looked just like Charley, and the towel he’d wrapped around his body made Charley wonder.
“Did you do all of the change?” She grinned at him.
He hung his head. “Yes.”
“Can we see?” Maggie clapped her hands and stalked toward him.
“No!” He barked in Charley’s voice, wrapped his arms around the towel.
Maggie as herself, Lily with half blonde, half black hair, and Charley laughed until her sides hurt. When Cael started to walk back to the bathroom, Charley stopped him.
“Wait.” One hand at her mouth, the other pressed into her side while she continued to giggle. “James needs to twirl and inspect you.”
“I think not.” James raised his hands as if Cael were a hot coal. “I’m not touching him.”
The women laughed even harder.
“What’s so funny?” Stuart asked as he walked in. “Whoa! Three Charleys.”
“Who’s who?” James asked.
Stuart stood near the door, his eyes tracked to each of the three of them, still in proper form. “Hair girl is Lily. Umm… I’m going with towel as Cael, and since Maggie looks like Maggie, the one standing in the clothes Charley had on earlier today is Charley.”
Charley smiled. “Right you are.”
“Puzzles are my specialty.” Stuart tapped his forehead. “Except that was too easy. You guys ready to get wired?”
“I am,” Charley said. “Don’t know about the rest of them.”
“I’m going to change,” Cael said.
“You can wire me anytime.” Maggie’s sensuality came through her tone.
“Ah, no, I don’t think so. Monster Man over there would eat me alive. She’s all yours, man,” Stuart said to James.
When nine o’clock rolled around and no one heard from Wyatt, Charley began to worry. She sat with Lily at the kitchen bar, swung her legs, tapped her fingers, and checked and rechecked her watch.
Cael and James had already headed out with Maggie. Lily hung back to wait with Charley for Wyatt. They’d agreed to rendezvous with the detectives at an old lumber yard across from the park. In dark, unmarked vehicles, they could pass through undetected and lay in wait. The van James kept stored for undercover purposes had been prepped and stocked with the necessary equipment.
