First preparations are neccesary

Allie steered Elena’s body into the driveway of the familiar house, parking the car smoothly. Inside Elena's mind, Allie felt a massive surge of adrenaline. She was about to walk right into enemy territory. Leo knew the Neural Sync helmet had been stolen from his bag at school, and he was undoubtedly on high alert. If he saw Elena acting completely normal, he might not suspect that she was currently being piloted by a brand-new user.

"Just play it cool, act like Elena, and he won't suspect a thing," Allie reminded herself, forcing Elena's muscles to relax into a casual, comfortable stride.

Elena unlocked the front door and walked into the quiet house, heading straight for the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Just as she set the glass down, Leo stepped into the room. He looked incredibly tense, his eyes wide and bloodshot, scanning the kitchen frantically.

"Elena!" Leo said, his voice sharp and demanding. He marched right up to her, his gaze dropping straight to her neck, trying to see if there was any glitch in the invisible, sub-dermal chip. "Where have you been? Did you see anyone touching my backpack at school today? Someone stole something incredibly important from me."

Allie didn't hesitate. She perfectly simulated Elena’s classic, soft, and slightly confused sisterly demeanor. Elena blinked naturally, tilting her head with a look of genuine innocence.

"What? No, Leo, I didn't see anyone near your bag," Elena said, her voice sounding perfectly gentle and calm. "I was in the library or in class all day. What did you lose? You look like you haven't slept at all."

Leo stared intensely into her eyes, looking for that glassy, vacant standby look he had seen the night before. But Allie’s calibration was airtight; Elena’s eyes blinked perfectly, and her expression was filled with nothing but mild, sisterly concern. He couldn't see any evidence of a remote user.

"Nothing. Never mind," Leo muttered, running a frustrated hand through his hair and stepping back. He looked completely defeated. He knew the tech was out there, but as he stared at his completely normal sister, he had absolutely no idea that Allie was currently sitting in her own bedroom at home, wearing the heavy chrome helmet and completely inhabiting Elena's mind.

Elena gave a small, innocent shrug. "Okay. Well, I'm going to my room to get ready. I have a date with Julian at nine, so please don't bother me."

With that perfect parting shot, Allie navigated Elena smoothly up the stairs and into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She had completely fooled Leo. Now, she had exactly three hours left to prepare Elena's body for the ultimate, teasing date with Julian.

Inside Elena’s bedroom, Allie was having the absolute time of her life. The total lockdown on Elena's nervous system meant Allie felt every single thing Elena’s body experienced. She steered Elena straight to the wardrobe and pulled open the doors, eager to raid the collection.

"Let’s see what we’re working with, bitch," Allie thought with a wicked chuckle.

She used Elena's hands to pull out clothes that the real Elena would normally think were way too bold. Allie made her strip down and try on tight crop tops, short skirts, and layered mesh shirts. Because of the Neural Sync, the heightened sensory pleasure was dialed to the max. Every time the soft cotton, sleek silk, or tight nylon slid over Elena's skin, a wave of pure physical satisfaction buzzed right back into Allie’s actual brain under the helmet.

To push the limits, Allie stood Elena in front of her full-length mirror and forced her into wildly embarrassing, over-the-top poses. She made Elena do dramatic runway walks, strike goofy anime poses, twist around into awkward high-fashion stretches, and blow ridiculous, exaggerated kisses to her own reflection. Elena’s face wore a teasing, mischievous grin that belonged entirely to Allie, completely overriding her usual shy nature.

After laughing through Elena's lips at the mirror display, Allie decided it was time for some real ammunition. She navigated Elena's body over to the desk, pulled open the bottom drawer, and retrieved a hidden, leather-bound book—Elena's private diary. At the same time, she unlocked Elena’s smartphone.

Sitting comfortably on the bed in Elena's frame, Allie began flipping through the pages and scrolling through old text threads. It didn't take long to find exactly what she was looking for.

Elena had written pages and pages of agonizingly detailed, embarrassing entries about Julian. She had drafted fake text messages she never sent, written down his class schedule, and even admitted in one entry that she had accidentally stared at him so hard in the cafeteria once that she tripped over a trash can and hid in the bathroom for an hour out of pure shame. On her phone, her search history was filled with things like "how to tell a guy you like him" and "what to wear on a first coffee date."

Allie burst into a confident, loud laugh using Elena's vocal cords. "Oh, this is gold," Allie thought, a dangerous plan forming in her mind. "Julian is going to find out exactly how obsessed you are, Elena... but I’m going to make you tell him yourself."

With the clock ticking closer to 9:00 PM, Allie had all the secrets she needed to make this date completely unforgettable.