Marilyn crooned into the microphone, her husky voice more like an old-school torch singer than an upstart pop princess. Of course, her voice didn’t earn her the standing ovation. This club catered to men easily impressed by a Barbie-doll figure poured into a crimson spandex gown with peek-a-boo slits. Applause and raucous shouts of “Encore!” followed Marilyn backstage.
“Good show tonight, honey.” Gil, the manager, winked at her as he sent on the strippers.
“Thanks,” Marilyn called over one bare shoulder as she closed the door to her dressing room. The gold clock on the shelf struck one. If he was coming, it would be soon. She hoped she wouldn’t have to come back tomorrow night, though Gil had promised her a job any time she wanted one.
Once behind the wooden screen, her skin warmed and shifted, absorbing the dress back into her body, leaving her naked. She wanted to get rid of the back-breaking figure, too, but she had to stay in character. Marilyn was the bait. She slid on a silk dressing gown, luxuriating in the feel of fabric against her skin.
At the makeup mirror, she stared at her reflection, ignoring the crack in the glass. Marilyn had golden hair rippling down her back in loose curls, full red lips, thick eyelashes, and a dimple in her left cheek. As she watched, her skin shifted and Jenny appeared–a girl-next-door type with freckles and too many teeth. Her features morphed again, and Brenda, a no-nonsense secretary with severe eyebrows, stared out from behind the glass.
Faces appeared more quickly. Rhonda, the waitress with a bad perm; Gina, a waifish model; Bridgette, every man’s fantasy of a Swedish masseuse; Echo, a goth with pale skin and bottle-black hair. Each woman had her own story reflected in her face, her body, her clothes. A million faces–she could blend in anywhere, but the one face she longed for stayed stubbornly shrouded.
She’d left home at fourteen, riding high on her new ability to be absolutely anything she’d ever dreamed of. Soon, she learned the right face could get her what she wanted faster if she buried her conscience in the suburbs with her old identity. Eventually, though, the lawless life lost its appeal, and she allowed the other side to recruit her.
Last year, she realized she couldn’t remember her real face. She hadn’t worn it since she was a teenager, and she’d hated it then. What would that face look like over a decade later?
There were faces she loved, of course. She was partial to Maddie, a redhead with translucent skin and green eyes, and used that face when she wasn’t on the job. Maddie had an apartment downtown and owned a convertible. Maddie had even visited her parents’ graves a few months ago. Until then, she hadn’t known they were dead, their house demolished for a new strip mall.
A loud knock brought back Marilyn’s glamorous face and wide doe eyes. “Come in.”
The man who entered stood over six feet tall. He wore a sports jacket, and didn’t have the stink of the club’s regular patrons. This was the guy they’d been waiting for–the one who could lead them to the funds behind the drug cartel. Marilyn had been constructed as the kind of woman this man couldn’t resist.
“When Gil told me to expect a visitor, I expected someone sleazier.” A sultry grin curved Marilyn’s kissable lips.
“I could try again. Maybe more product in my hair?” He ruffled his dark curls.
Marilyn turned away, reaching for a compact. Her knee bumped against the call button beneath the dressing table, signaling the retrieval squad. She just had to keep him occupied until they arrived.
After powdering her nose, Marilyn strolled to the tiny love seat and motioned for him to sit beside her. “What’s your name, handsome?” When he sat, Marilyn got her first good look at his face. There was something familiar about those greenish-brown eyes. She could almost picture them staring in disapproval after a failing grade.
“Luke.” He ran his thumb over her cheek. “You’re gorgeous, but you probably hear that a lot.”
Marilyn’s heart thudded in her chest. “Luke?” A name from the past, combined with those eyes and that nose–a nose that looked good on a man, but one a teenaged girl would hate. “As in… Luke Andrew Taylor?”
His eyes narrowed. “I haven’t used that name in years.” He leaped up. “Who do you work for?”
With her eyes, she devoured the brother she’d had no hope of finding, committing every detail to memory. Blue eyes darkened into a matching brown, her tiny nose lengthened, and her cheekbones became more pronounced. She grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let go. The heat increased, as if her malleable body sucked in his genetic code, resetting her to what would have been. Honey blonde curls tightened and darkened. The buxom figure slimmed, and her height shot up two inches.
“Lisa?” Luke stammered.
She staggered to the mirror. Staring back was plain thirty-year-old Lisa Jean Taylor.
“Where have you been?” His ragged question pulled her away from the mirror. “We thought you were dead!”
“Go!” Lisa pushed Luke toward the door. “Run and never come back.”
The door burst open and the squad rushed in. Before Lisa could protest, they trussed Luke and carted him away. Her handler, Jack, came in afterward, his prominent jaw working overtime on his ever-present piece of gum.
“Good work, Maddie.” The gum cracked on the last word. Then he took in her appearance and frowned. “I thought you were going with the busty bombshell. That body looks too plain for this guy.”
Lisa sank down on the couch, unable to move.
Jack shook his head. “Guess you knew best. You got the bastard, that’s the important thing. Get out of here, and take a week off on us. Consider it a reward for a job well done.”
Erin M. Kinch lives and writes in Fort Worth, Texas, where she shares her home with her husband and a rambunctious golden retriever. Her short fiction has appeared in various print and online publications, including “Allegory,” “A Thousand Faces,” “Electric Spec,” and “Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic.” For more information about Erin”s stories, visit her blog at www.erinmkinch.com.
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20 Responses to “A MILLION FACES • by Erin M Kinch”
Comments
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October 25th, 2008 at 12:48 am
That was shiny, Erin! Good concept and strong presentation. Gave it a five.
October 25th, 2008 at 3:53 am
I loved this. Wasn’t expecting the ending at all
Gave it a 5
October 25th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Wonderful!
October 25th, 2008 at 5:23 am
[...] at 6:22 am by stephaniescarborough Talented friend Erin has a story up today at Every Day Fiction—“A Million Faces.” This story totally rocked my socks, and it’ll probably rock yours as [...]
October 25th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Brilliant end and very well told. Terrific, Erin!
October 25th, 2008 at 7:01 am
This story was abosultly wonderful. I really didn’t expect where it was going. Five out of five for me.
October 25th, 2008 at 7:44 am
A week off for trashing your brother eh? That’s some set of people she hangs with. I’d love to know what happens to her and did he somehow get away from them and…oh!
October 25th, 2008 at 8:13 am
[...] an especially good morning today, because my flash piece, “A Million Faces,” is the story-of-the-day over at Every Day Fiction. If you haven’t read that story yet [...]
October 25th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Oh! I loved this one and wanted more. I would love to see this fleshed into a novel. I’m hooked!
October 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am
So… Does she go completely rogue and rescue her brother?
(I think so.)
Great story, Erin. I love it. Kept me rapt.
October 25th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Loved it! The ending surprised me. Great writing.
October 25th, 2008 at 11:21 am
They say brevity is the soul of wit. When you do it right it sure can be, but it also left me craving more. Wonderful!
(And boy am I glad her true face isn’t blue, scaly and nude — that’s just so unnecessary.)
October 25th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
to be honest at first i was bored stiff and just as i was about to stop, it picked up.
in the end in became a defiantly intersting story, and worth reading. However, i really think it could do with a better first half…but to be honest thats just my opinion, i might not be in the mood or not into this kind of story…your better than i am so i trust your judgement.
Glad i finished it anyhow
October 27th, 2008 at 5:12 am
Awesomeness. I too want more. I’d love to see more shorts from this storyline. I love the ending.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Good work!
October 27th, 2008 at 7:24 am
[...] A Million Faces Filed under: Uncategorized — Alexander Burns @ 10:24 am Friend Erin has a new story up over at Every Day Fiction. Read! [...]
October 27th, 2008 at 8:10 am
That was a great story and as mentioned, could make a fantastic novel.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
This was unique and totally unexpected. WELL DONE!
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I really, really loved this one. I think you should run with at least this concept, if not the character. More stories about this please! Or a whole novel, anything really.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
[...] “A Million Faces” is back on the top 10 list of all time over at Every Day Fiction. (This is my shape-shifter [...]