Leave with the pens

A strange thought takes hold as you walk through the mall, toward the carpark and your – or at least your current body's – car. You play your part, acting as you think Phoebe would, looking at some rings and accessories in a display, and suddenly you're reminded of a lesson Miss Franklin gave last term. Franklin, who is right now having her wedding dress fitted somewhere above you (who has a bridal shop in a shopping mall?). If it weren't for her presence in the mall, and the rings, the thought would never have occurred to you.

Short, thin, with mousy brown hair constantly tied in a ponytail and thick glasses, Franklin always gives off a bookish, librarian vibe. She's apparently a bit more relaxed outside of school, but in front of a class she's only really passionate when teaching you about Greek history; the rest of the time she looks like she wants to hide. Franklin and rings... then it hits you. The Ring of Gyges.

You need to think. You straighten Phoebe's dress, tuck your handbag, pens inside, under your arm and head to the restrooms. There, pretending to touch up your makeup in the mirror, you try and remember the lesson. There are two others with you. In one corner a blonde college girl (she's wearing her college sweater) is talking animatedly to a friend on the phone. She's slightly chubby, and is constantly flicking at her short pixie crop hair; you guess she's just had it done. An attractive, severe-looking businesswoman, black hair swirling down onto a sharp Italian suit, is checking her handbag. She looks in her early 40s.

Gyges, you try and remember. He was a shepherd. He found a cave with a ring in it. So far so normal, but then he basically turned into Gollum. The ring let him turn invisible, and he used his power to seduce the queen, kill the king and seize the kingdom. The message in the story? Man is only moral when he can get caught. Power corrupts. Like the power Jimmy's given you, handing over the pens into your keeping. Maybe it hasn't corrupted him fully, you guess.

And now the pens are yours. You frown, contemplating your power, the pens' power, for a moment. Phoebe's perfect brow wrinkles too, squishing her – your – elegant, thin nose. Then another thought hits you, and Phoebe's lipstick-stained lips twist into a perfect, shocked O.

What if it isn't Jimmy? You never considered that before. Jimmy showed that he could be Elena and Jessica at the same time; why not a third suit? What if someone wanted you to have these pens, and has been masquerading as your prank-loving friend to get them to you? It would explain why you were virtually led on a tour of what the pens could do, and why he handed such power over so easily.

You stare deep into Phoebe's face, trying to think about what to do. You could continue out of the mall as Phoebe, of course; you know you could pass as her easily, and the idea of spending an evening playing at being her gives you a rush of excitement. But what if your helper isn't really Jimmy? Perhaps you should think about slipping back to the shop, perhaps even in a different skin, and tailing 'Madame Elena', or 'Jessica', or 'Jimmy', or whatever face they're wearing. The idea that your friend just happened to find these pens in his attic feels too convenient.

You finish your touch-up. The businesswoman and college girl are still there. And, just as you're wondering what to do, Miss Franklin - the cause of your dilemma - walks in too, laughing to herself about something one of her friends must have said.

“Time to make like Gyges,” you mutter. The question is, do you stay as Phoebe and enjoy your evening, or swap your disguise and tail 'Jimmy'?