Test out the other pens

Whilst it would be simpler to just put on Gabrielle's skin, you realise that since you're on the run, it would be a lot easier if you figured out what the other pens could do. After all, they could have abilities which would make it a lot easier for you to hide from your unknown pursuers. You pull the red, white and blue pens from your pocket and examine them. Other than the colour, there's little difference between them and the other two pens you've been using already. Just making a choice at random, you pick the blue pen and press the button while aimed at Gabrielle's skin.

Suddenly your brain is filled with memories. Not Gabrielle's, but Lucy's. Flashes, no it wouldn't be accurate to call them flashes. Clear memories of her life fill her mind starting from the most recent ones. You remember her talking to her bestie Marie in the carpark while bitching about your boyfriend Vincent. You remember her first kiss with her high school sweetheart Jason. You remember her disdain that she feels when she looks at her chubby body in the mirror. It all floods into your mind. What hasn't seemed to come is her personality, but the brown pen gives you an instinct on how to act like the person you're wearing. The addition of these memories would make your impersonation basically flawless unless you slipped up.

So that's the blue pen, a pen that gives you the memories of whoever you're already wearing. You hold the red pen in your hands and are about to try it when there's a knock on the door. Startled, you put the pens away in Gabrielle's clutch and grab at the back of your Lucy head. Pulling her face away from yours, strip quickly out of her clothes and body as you hear a woman's voice complaining to a guard that the bathroom door is locked.

Soon, you are naked again and its somewhat disconcerting to feel all your male parts after spending so long as women today. You don't have time to use the brown pen on Gabrielle so you set to work putting on her body. You step into her skin as your body is sculpted into a fine lithe specimen of female kind. Your torso shrinks into a curvy but slim form and your breasts, while not huge enough to be an inconvenience, are still sizable enough that you knew many of the males were checking out Gabrielle in the gallery. Finally, the head piece goes on and you check out your reflection in mirror and admire her stunning beauty. In any other circumstance, you would find the excitement of slipping into her life to be incredibly arousing but considering your circumstances, you refrain from doing anything unnecessary.

You squeeze into her tight dress and don her clothes before dressing Lucy into her own clothes. Just before the door opens, you manage to zap Lucy, hide the black pen in your new clutch and press the button on the blue pen which gives you Gabrielle's (her friends call her Gabby) memories. A guard and a dumb looking socialite enter the bathroom as you exclaim. You explain that your friend suddenly collapsed on the floor and you have no idea why the door was locked. Neither of the two are suspicious as Lucy wakes up dazzled and confused at her whereabouts. After all, the last thing she remembers is talking to her friend in a parking lot.

As Gabrielle, you excuse yourself after Lucy has been moved to a first aid room still babbling and confused and leave the museum in your Renault. Your new memories tell you that your family is rich and that you've been spoilt senseless by their wealth. Unlike most college students, you have your own private apartment not far from college and no roommate to disturb you. It's big and well furnished and it doesn't take long for you to get there and collapse on the couch exhausted. Before long, you've fallen asleep from all the stress and excitement of the day.

****

You wake up to the sunlight shining across your face. The presence of long brown hair confuses you a little but then you remember that you're still wearing Gabby's skin from last night. Sitting up groggily, you sweep your sleek hair out of your face before heading to the bathroom for a shower, your memories telling you that you're running out of shampoo and should probably go pick some up. The shower is divine, you slept all night in your make up (although in your opinion Gabrielle doesn't really need it) and didn't clean up before going to sleep. As the warm water caresses your lovely body, you resist the urge to explore your new form as you remember this isn't really the time or place since you're on the run.

You dress in some comfortable trackies and head out to the dining room to think. As you prepare a light breakfast (Gabrielle's body needs to stay in shape after all), you think about your options. While you would probably enjoy being this young French woman at any other time, your memories tell you that she has a flight at the end of the week. Semester break is coming up and you have a ticket back to Paris on Sunday to see your parents. Today is Tuesday, so you still have to survive the rest of the week without being caught. Besides, there's no guarantees that the shadowy organisation that you're on the run from doesn't already know you've taken Gabrielle's life or that their reach doesn't extend to France. If there really was a group people who could live other people's lives, there's always a chance that they've replaced important figures in other countries as well. There's just no way to be sure for now.

Gabrielle's memories also tell you that she has one last exam to sit on Thursday before she can fly out. You would feel terrible making her fail this test especially since you can tell that she genuinely liked you when you interacted at the gallery. Besides, you do plan to stay as her for a while despite your pangs of guilt.