Playing it safe? There's no such thing

You sit on your bed silently for a moment, a dozen thoughts running through your mind per second. All of this information is a lot to take in and you aren't really sure what to make of it. In your hands are clenched a number of differently coloured pens - black, brown, white, blue and yellow. You only know what the yellow one does because of your mysterious 'guardian angel' - supposedly it should shield you from being worn by channeling a feedback pulse through an attacker's pen, stunning them temporarily. Despite all your reservations, you decide to zap yourself with it. As you feel a warm tingling sensation flow through your body, you lament the fact that your guardian angel neglected to tell you what the other coloured pens could do. If you want to survive, you're obviously going to have to test them yourself and figure out all their powers.

You bite your lip in frustration when you realise what you must do. In order to fight back, you're going to have to use these pens just like the enemy has done so to countless others and yourself. The thought of having to wear other people makes you sick to the stomach and you feel a painful tightness in your chest as you imagine your skin being worn. You fall to the ground and begin hyperventilating as the reality of the situation catches up with you. Shortly afterwards, you pass out.

*****

As you stir, you hear the sound of voices outside your room. The fogginess that hangs over you makes it difficult to recognise but it sounds like your mother is downstairs shouting to someone upstairs. The last thing you hear is "Yes Aunty" before your door opens.

The door opens with a thud. "Jessieeee!" squeals the intruder as she thunders in. You recognise her as your obnoxious 21 year old cousin who you finally remember was visiting from out of town. She sees you sprawled on the ground and raises an quizzical eyebrow.

"What? The bed isn't good enough for you eh?" she snarks as she sits down on your bed.

You sigh. Hannah can be annoying in the best of times and you really weren't in the mood.

"Aww what's got you down sport?" she says as she patted your head affectionately, "Or is it because you don't know who to trust."

A shiver runs down your spine as you look at Hannah and see her pointing the black pen right at your face. "This was almost too easy," she says with a malicious smile on her face as she presses down on the button. You watch as the pen discharges some sort of electricity and Hannah convulses on your bed.

You don't have much time. Snatching the pen from her fingers, you point it back at your attacker and return the favour. She collapses into an empty skin on your bed before you quickly move through your house zapping everyone into empty piles of skins whilst whispering quiet apologies to your mother and sister. This was the break you were looking for. A 'person' on whom to test the pens on without the guilt of using them on an innocent person.