REND

“Your daughter?” I asked.

My eyes skimmed the shiny door—I had an oval face and homely cheeks, exuding a very caring aura, wreathed with curly brown locks. I did look like I could be related to Shades Lady. Our only differences were her wrinkles and strands of silver hair accenting her brown. To top it off, my illusion also wore a sundress with a similar design that could’ve been bought from the same store as hers. If someone saw us side by side, they’d think we were on a family vacation.

I had initially thought my Domino power conjured an illusion of someone the person I met would be attracted to, like what happened with Handsome Guy, ew, Jeffrey Nickelson. But that was soon debunked. I turned into Jeffrey when his Sidekicks—Whiny and Backup—came to fetch him.

Unless one or both of them got the hots for him?

I got more clues several minutes ago. I met a male cabin steward after leaving my room and a random kid separated from his parents on my way to the elevators. I became a lanky man with a patchy beard for the cabin steward, who said I looked like his best friend he hadn’t met since college. As for the kid, I checked my phone’s camera and saw I was a Santa-looking grandpa. The kid followed me with wide eyes, babbling about presents as I led him back to his parents.

Scratch out physical attraction as the criteria. Maybe I turned into somebody whom the other person would a hundred percent be open to talking to.

But why Jeffrey specifically for his Sidekicks? I bet I’d rather not know the answer. Still, I got some unbelievable good luck there, leading me straight to Big Marcy.

“Yes, your resemblance to my beloved Charmaine is uncanny.” Shades Lady nodded as she regarded me, the brim of her hat flopping up and down. She had a posh drawl. Then her eyes glazed over. “Or what I imagine her appearance would be today if she didn’t pass away all those years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I brought my hand to my mouth. This poor woman wanted to see her deceased daughter so badly that my powers granted her wish.

A few more floors and I’d be at my destination. Actually, Shades Lady would be alighting first. Could I leave her with some comforting thoughts of her daughter? It was a pleasant feeling to use my powers for good, even in a small way, like helping the lost boy earlier.

“Don’t be, dear.” She dabbed her eyes with a white handkerchief and adjusted her shades back in place. “I’m the one who should apologize for bothering you, a stranger, with such a matter.” She sighed deeply. “But as a mother, I can’t help but…”

“I completely understand,” I said. “And I’m not bothered. I’m sure your daughter was a charming woman. We might even be friends if we met.” I could only offer kind words.

“How pleasant of you to say that. You remind me more of my Charmaine. You even share her refreshing fashion sense.” Shades Lady sighed again, but this time with a slight smile. “If only she didn’t—”

Ding! The elevator lurched to a stop.

“They say fate works in mysterious ways,” I said, trying to sound wise. “Think of this as your daughter’s message of love from beyond.” I hoped it wasn’t insensitive of me to say that.

Her face hardened. Was I out of line? “I refrain from religious discussions,” she said, clearly miffed. “And even if the afterlife is real, my daughter won’t send me such a message. Not after—”

“Mother, there you are!” an annoyingly shrill voice blared. It belonged to a young woman, maybe around my age, standing outside the elevator. “Time’s ticking. Brother and I have plenty to discuss with you about…” Shades Lady’s other daughter shot me a venomous glare.

I stepped back in mild surprise. What the fuck was her problem? The daughter, with blonde hair bordering platinum, seaweed eyes, and a roundish face ending in a pointy chin, looked nothing like her mother or my illusion. But there was something familiar about her.

Was it her hair? Where had I seen her before?

“Who are you?” she demanded with a tone like she owned the ship.

I’m the ghost of your sister, I wanted to retort. Adumbrae, I was afraid of. But I could stand up to uncouth bitches just fine.

“Let us go, Yara dearest,” said Shades Lady before I could start a fight, stepping off the elevator and brushing past her daughter. The blonde bitch stared daggers at me one more time before clinking her heels away.

“Yara?” I muttered. “Such an uncommon name.”

Assuming she was somewhat wealthy and had a social media account—she did look the type—I might be able to find her online. I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that I had seen her somewhere important. And I wanted to check her Snippet posts to see if I was justified in hating her. Erind’s pettiness was also mine.

There was a ding, and the door closed.

A different reflection stared at me—my illusion had dissipated, and I could see my Domino self again. That was barely five seconds after parting ways with Shades Lady. Thrice now I confirmed that I switched back when out of sight. The same happened with the cabin steward and the lost boy from earlier.

But what about at the expensive bar? I changed from Jeffrey’s love of his life to Jeffrey himself while in view of the whole place. Was no one looking at me then?

I gazed at the security camera on the ceiling, wondering if someone was watching the screens and what they could have seen.

The next floor was my stop.

“I’m really doing this, aren’t I?” I checked the room numbers on the wall and followed the arrow.

I shuffled down the corridor, doors on my right and left, my heart beating thrice faster than my steps. Dario and Johann stayed in the same room. Next to theirs was Reo’s and Everett’s room. I took short strides to delay, hoping fate would intervene and derail my mission—rather, the mission Erind wanted me to do.

If against Adumbrae, I could rip my mask off and let Erind handle it. But Erind wanted me front and center for this one; she transformed despite her intense dislike of Domino.

But could I fool Dario into trusting me? What information could I extract from him? My guts kept telling me I’d mess up.

Too nervous. I might puke!

Would anything even come out if I did? This was a different body from another dimension. It shouldn’t have anything in its stomach. But what if I eat at the buffet later? Could I vomit something out after eating?

Get a grip, Domino! All sorts of nonsense thoughts to distract myself.

“Why are you so scared?” I whispered, clenching my fists. I had gotten over my fear of being on the same ship as the 2Ms and Adumbrae. But that was mostly due to allying with Big Marcy and Ramon being nice rather than newfound courage. This was different.

I stood outside the door of Dario’s room. The hallway was empty.

“Guess I’ll just walk around until he comes out?” I asked the door. Standing here would be awkward. I shrugged and continued to the end of the corridor. Waiting was making this much worse.

Erind’s plan was stupid. That also meant I was stupid.

While Reo went for glass after glass at the bar yesterday evening—it was Deen’s treat—Dario only had one and a half, the second he nursed until the end of our meeting, not finishing it. Dario wanted to be in tip-top shape for this mission, even if his superhuman body should help him handle alcohol. I doubted the other guys could or would even bother waking up for our seven-thirty meeting, but Dario would undoubtedly be there. Dario had also asked about the gym on the ship when we boarded. He seemed the type to have an early morning workout before breakfast, and I was hoping to catch him alone.

Johann couldn’t mess things up by appearing first and ‘claiming my illusion slot’ because he also drank a lot last night, tying for second place with Everett. As an average human, Johann was likely still knocked out. Those idiots ran the bill quite high, thinking Deen was a walking credit card.

“I’m so ashamed of them,” I muttered as I reached the end of the corridor. I didn’t pass through the swinging double door to another part of the ship, turning around to walk back to Dario’s room.

I pictured Dario coming out, seeing me, the woman of his dreams, his long-lost brother, or his beloved uncle look-alike. Whatever it’d be, I’d approach him with the illusion I’d generate. Then I’d wing it from there. I had seen what my power was capable of and was confident I could be a great spy.

Okay, not so confident…

In all, the plan wasn’t really stupid. But my worrywart mind couldn’t relax.

What if Dario had already left? Was I too late? What if he decided to wait until the scheduled meeting to come out of his room? Or what if—Enough! I stomped my feet.

“Oops!” I peeked over my shoulder with squinted eyes. Still no one around. “Calm down, Domino. Calm down.” I knew perfectly well that I was just trying to find an excuse to abort the mission. If Erind were in my spot, she’d be complaining about boredom, not being scared.

I am Erind.

Like Erind, I should be unafraid.

I was going to add, ‘and brave,’ but Erind wasn’t exactly brave. Being brave meant having the mental strength to confront scary stuff. Erind didn’t think stuff were scary in the first place because of her wonky emotions—such a cheat.

Plus, she was strong. Anyone wouldn’t be scared of anything if they were as strong as her—another cheat. In comparison, I was as weak as a regular human girl. Subtract Dario’s powers and his fancy martial arts, and he could still hurt me if he realized I was an enemy. I should bring a weapon whenever I become Domino. A stun gun or something?

“What about a knife?” I suggested aloud. Did I have time to go to the buffet, steal a knife, and return here before Dario could leave? “I’m just making excuses ag—” A clicking sound broke the silence. The opening door made my heart stop—it was Dario’s room!

I should move forward to meet him. But part of me wanted to run away. What if I tripped up while talking to Dario and revealed myself? I couldn’t lie and lie like Erind! Indecision turned my feet into pillars. I could only look at the person stepping out of the room.

“Everett?” I whispered.

Sporting disheveled hair that looked like a black mop plopped on top of his head, Everett lumbered out of the room, stretching and yawning. He wore a fitting navy blue shirt, highlighting the sculpted muscles he worked hard for. I wanted to say he looked attractive, but I didn’t want to break the Girl Code with Deen, my bestest friend ever. Everett liked like Deen, so I shouldn’t think anything of him besides platonically, even if Deen didn’t care for him. Ouch.

But why did he come out of Dario’s room? Were they…?

The small shock unrooted me. I walked a few steps forward to check the room number. It was the room beside Dario’s. That explained it. Mistaking the boys for having a slumber party made me giggle. Warmth spread through my extremities; my fingers tingled in relief.

Everett stared at me as I approached, mouth gaping a bit. He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

Think fast! Continue walking or talk to him?

Executive decision! Abort the Dario mission and see what I could manage with Everett.

“Good morning,” I said, going for a neutral opening. I didn’t know what my new illusion was yet.

“Good morning, sir,” Everett replied respectfully, slightly bowing. The perplexed expression remained on his face.

Sir? I didn’t turn into a Deen-look-alike? Check my phone’s camera for my appearance? No. That’d ruin the flow of our conversation. All I could conclude was that I became an older guy resembling someone Everett knew, a similar situation to Shades Lady.

“An exciting night you have with a lady friend?” I said, pointing at his hair, then nodding to the door ajar behind him. Reo snoring sounded like a cranky old engine.

“Lady friend?” Everett looked over his shoulder. “I’m sleeping with a guy…” Then he understood. “No, no, nothing of the sort happened between us! My roommate is a guy. That’s it! We were just plastered last night. That’s why I look like this.” He closed the door and hurried to comb his hair with his fingers.

“Rare to see young lads like you on a cruise,” I said. “It’s usually older people like me frequenting trips like these. Or kids for carnival-type cruises. Don’t lads like you prefer exciting adventures?” I almost burst out laughing at saying ‘lads.’ “What about skydiving? Or surfing, perhaps?”

“I don’t do those things, sir. They cost too much.” Everett scratched the back of his head. “A friend paid for my ticket. And I like it here. I bet there’ll be some… unwanted excitement on this cruise.” He mumbled that last sentence as if chewing his tongue, staring off to the left. He caught himself and shook his head. “Uh, we’re having a great time with the drinks!” He laughed forcefully.

“The wine selection on this ship is quite extensive,” I said, despite knowing squat about those. “I’m on my way to the buffet. Are you going there too?”

“Uh… later.” He glanced back at his room. “I was just going to stretch my legs and breathe the fresh ocean air while waiting for my friend to wake up. We’ll have breakfast together with our group.”

“Ah, several friends,” I said, nodding. “You should cherish them. May this cruise prove a memorable bonding experience for all of you.” Was I overselling the respectable adult part?

He snorted. “It’s going to be memorable, alright.”

“You can grab a cup of coffee from the restaurant and return to your friend. A coffee a day after getting piss drunk, that’s what I always say!”

Then I walked on, gesturing for him to follow in a bid to pressure him. He’d find it hard to deny my invitation this way. I also relied on my illusion to pull him. I needed to get him away from here in case the others came out of their rooms. I swear I wasn’t doing this to avoid Dario.

“Yeah, I can do with coffee,” Everett said. I heard his heavy footsteps.

I quickly looked at my phone’s camera—I was a middle-aged man with Mediterranean features. The parts of my hair unclaimed by grayness matched my black eyes. A pair of round glasses sat on my narrow nose. I tilted my phone down, just enough that I could still peek at it, and checked my clothes—a simple collared shirt and shorts that seemed expensive. I took one last look at my face before Everett reached my side.

I had the same olive skin as Everett, maybe a shade darker, and a few similar features too, but nothing concrete to conclude he brought forth the illusion of a relative. Could be a family friend? In any case, what should I talk about with him? I wasn’t sure what I planned to do here.

“It’s peaceful at this time,” I said, gesturing at the empty hallway. “People start showing up at around seven. The breakfast crowd doesn’t go into full swing until eight—usually the case for buffets in hotels and the like—so I wake up early to eat. When you’re at my age, you value peace.”

“I can’t say I’ve eaten in buffets much, sir,” said Everett.

Fuck, the conversation is coming to a dead-end. “It’s only in my latter years that I’ve experienced such luxuries,” I said. “In my early twenties, I barely scraped by as an assistant to a local mechanic back in my hometown in rural Utah. We got this small workshop and a few customers. Eventually, I moved to Salt Lake and opened my own shop.”

“And it became successful?”

“At first, yes. Then financial troubles came. Economic downturn, you know? I had to close my business. Spent a couple of months living in my car until I found a job at this company run by the Nickelsons. Have you heard of them? They’re one of the prominent families in Utah.”

Bullshit stories kept on spilling out of my mouth. My fears were unfounded; I had no problems lying to people once I started. Somehow, it was fun making up stories. I did feel guilty lying to Everett; I was putting that on record. But there was no harm done really, was there? Like I was lying to get to know him better, but we already knew each other. And I’m definitely not running away from Dario.

Ultimately, it was like nothing happened other than I’d leave Everett with a fond memory of a lovely gentleman he met during the cruise.

Also, I didn’t know anything about Everett, did I? He tried to kill me at Sanders Mall, but that was because he was trying to save Myra.

I should get to know him better. He was a conflicted soul like me, trying his best to survive the world of Corebrings and Adumbrae. Better than me, actually. He was fighting for good.

What was I fighting for?

While we rode the elevator, I told Everett how I rose through the ranks of the Nickelsons’ company and eventually helped them establish their solar power business. I recalled everything Jeffrey told me, weaving it into my own tale. It made me happy to… lie. I am lying.

Literally wearing another person’s face was way better than whatever Erind usually did. It was as if a kid’s toy suddenly came to life! Wait, that’s a stupid analogy. That’d be scary for the kid.

“Amazing, sir,” Everett said. “I hope I could be like you.”

“I’m sure you could do it,” I said. “If an immigrant like me, who started from nothing, can make it, then so can you.” Time to pry into Everett’s life. I recalled him mention his grandparents were immigrants. I could start by making common ground, matching it with a rags-to-riches story that most people admire.

“Really, sir? Which country did you come from?”

Fuck. I sucked at geography.