It’s the perfect plan - a little guiltless payback on Julia’s behalf, since she won’t know a thing. And why not spook Jimmy as well by making him believe his mother’s wearing his aunt?
You still need to grab the pen, but you still have to deal with Vanessa’s offense. She’s not wrong in that Jimmy’s an unrepentant troublemaker (and a pervert) but he’s not a terrible person.
...Well, he can be a bit terrible (judging by the reason why you’re wearing Julia) but considering what his aunt just did, it seems to be a family thing.
First and foremost, you need a way to escape. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, asking what’s her response. You’ll need her snark for your first move. “It has left me valuable job experience, for one. Experience I can teach them.”
Then, a very stern look. “Why judge me for how I raised my kids? I’ve never judged you – and you know what you did.”
“Jules, I--”
“It’s all about you, isn’t it?” You’re surprised how quickly you can open up her tear ducts – not difficult, since she’s genuinely hurt. “I made a mistake that day, Nessie. I wanted to make it work, but I couldn’t. But that didn’t matter to you, because as long as I was free, your marriage would be threatened. ”
“Jules...”
“I tried to find support in my family, and the only one who cared was Brad. Not you, not Mom, not Dad – only after I showed them proof they believed in me, but that couldn’t move you.”
“Julie, listen. Dennis was really regretful. He knew he did wrong--”
“But only when I was about to divorce him, no? And I did give him a chance. But I’m no fool. I’ve never questioned your perfect life, Nessie. But I bet it mustn’t be perfect if you feel I can threaten it at any moment.”
You see the look in her eye and you realize just how powerful your acting was. It might have been Julia’s reaction if she had the courage to call Vanessa out – which means it technically wasn’t acting – but in the end, it was you. And you don’t regret calling her out – you only regret Julia couldn’t.
You must have crushed her, for as you sob, she opens her hands and hugs you. “Sorry, sis. I... I don’t know what to say.”
“Maybe that you’re sorry?” You refuse to hug her, choosing to twist the knife. “Danny and Clara are my nephews. Why wouldn’t I feel happy for their achievements? Clara worked hard for that scholarship – she deserves that and more. I’d be happy to be there tomorrow to celebrate everything, if it weren’t because--”
“Julie, I’m sorry!” You know her whiny response and her tight grip aren’t genuine. Oh, she’s hurt, you can tell, but that will last until she feels threatened. (And could it kill to know why that Brad’s so special?) “And I’m sorry about what I said to Jimmy and Heather – they're my nephews as well, and I’m worried about them.”
“It’s a bit too late to worry about them when they’re adults, isn’t it? At least Jimmy still has a chance.”
“And I’ll do everything to help him, alright? He’s my favorite nephew, after all.”
He’s your only nephew, Julia tells her inside your mind. You know you’ve always preferred Heather.
But you drown that thought with one of your own. Everything?
You grin, knowing this is your chance. “I’m glad to hear that. And I’m sorry that I went so hard on you – Brad was very insistent that he loves you, and I respect that. I wouldn’t do anything to ruin your marriage, Nessie.”
Said the impostor with a plastic smile, you tell yourself. (Or was it Julia? It was in her voice.)
As you confirm everything has been settled, you make your move. “Say, I want to show you something one of my dates gave me as a gift.”
“A gift?” You genuinely puzzle Vanessa with your claim. “What kind of gift?”
“Oh, you’ll see!” You step to your room, grabbing the case with the pens – but hiding the black one and the instructions. “I don’t know why Alan gave them to me, but I found them a nice touch.”
You give her the case, distracting her with the brown one. “They’re certainly weird,” she says as she observes them. She clicks one of them, pointing at nowhere, then observes further. “Where’s the point? I don’t see anything.”
You move aside, pointing the black pen behind her back. “Oh, dear! The wine must’ve gotten to you! Nessie, do you feel alright?”
“Yeah...! I...” Just then, you click the black pen, seeing how she deflates. The brown pen falls from her hand, prompting you to grab it first.
As you collect the pens on their case and lock the door tight, you scowl at Vanessa’s deflated skin. “Serves you right for treating missus Wilson like shit.” You heave her, feeling as her shoes fall, your hand falling on her rear. “Wow... Having a good life must be good for your body!”
You step into Julia’s room, dropping Vanessa’s skin on the bed. You look at the mirror, at the delicate makeup you applied to Julia’s face, and sigh. Gonna have to remove it if I wanna put her on.
You take a facial wipe and scrape off all makeup. You intend to put on Vanessa Albright for the silliest reason – to prank Jimmy in the most devious way – and you don’t want to smudge her insides. Yet, as you strip off Julia’s skimpy clothing, your mind begins to think about the recent revelations.
If it weren’t for Vanessa, Jimmy’s father may have been someone different. Maybe you wouldn’t even know him at all.
The relief of taking off the waist cincher and the arduous process of putting on Vanessa’s skin – the discomfort of feeling your skin stretch until it almost splits makes it an ordeal, and the way her skin stretches to meet yours doesn’t help. – doesn't distract you from that idea. But after a while, you succeed.
Vanessa’s blond hair falls on your shoulders as you adjust her face. You look at her at the mirror in detail to see the resemblance – her face is chubbier and the skin around her eyes is smoother, but you can easily see Julia passing off as her with just a wig and a few pounds. And the shape of their body is so similar that you wonder. What if you wore Julia’s clothing with Vanessa’s body?
You immediately find an issue with her rear – Vanessa's is larger – but it still works, and you need to jam Julia’s falsies to fit her full support bra. Her legs, however, fit Julia’s knee-high boots almost perfectly, and the adjustments from the cincher make wearing her skirt a non-issue.
You, however, try to get one step further. You use Julia’s memories to apply the same makeup on Vanessa, until there’s no sign that it could be either of them. You wear Julia’s jewelry as well, and arrange Vanessa’s blonde hair into a bun.
Then, the final touches. What will happen if you have the minds of both sisters? You grab the brown pen, taking a deep breath.
Though, you lock the bedroom door first. You’ll need all the time you can have before you can reclaim control over your own thoughts...
--
“...no!” Jimmy wakes up, gasping. It’s his room, and you stand beside him, his nudity covered by his bedsheets, with a sly grin. He looks at you, frightened. “This isn’t a nightmare, isn’t it?”
“What nightmare, Jimmy?” You act confused, holding your laughter.
“It’s just a weird dream, Mom.” He looks at you again, mortified. “Why’re you dressed like that? And why did you change your hair to--?”
“You don’t recognize me?” You relax your grin, hiding the pen.
It takes him a few seconds to reboot. “Auntie Nessie?”
“How’s my favorite troublemaker?” you ask as you hug him, deliberately resting his cheek on your breasts.
“What’re you doin’ here?”
“Can’t I come and visit you?” you debate, trying to gaslight him. “I have a great set of news to tell you – I already told your mom, but I was hoping to tell Heather and you about it.”
“Heather...” He scurries, checking up inside his sheets. “Auntie Nessie, can you wait outside?” He blushes, shaking his head. “No, no! I, um... I need to put on something, but can you just turn around and wait for me?”
“Sure!” You turn around, cackling internally. Your clothes and jewelry should be enough to cover up everything, but you don’t really mind if he catches you.
“Alright...” You turn around, and you notice he’s staring at you warily. He’s wearing the same clothes as you met him, his bedsheet set aside into a small mound. He approaches you timidly, trying to avert his gaze from yours. “What were those news, auntie Nessie?”
“Oh, that Clara got the Pearson scholarship! I was gonna invite you guys to Oceanside to celebrate.”
He doubts you, clenching his fist. “Yeah, that doesn’t seem right.”
“What doesn’t seem right?” you say as you approach him, and he flinches.
“You’d never dress up that way. And yeah, you’d probably say that, but...” He looks at you with fear, ready to cry – but also ready to fight. “Is that really you, auntie Nessie?”
You hug him, and as your lips reach his ear, you taunt him with glee. “Only on the outside, my dear.” Then you step back, cackling maniacally.
Jimmy’s at your mercy. You could do anything you want to her – his mother and his aunt are at your mercy, and all you need to do is humiliate him. But is that going too far?
Wouldn’t that be the same as what Vanessa is doing? And your intention was to teach him a lesson – a lesson you’re pretty sure he’ll take to mind. What if you helped him by revealing an unfortunate truth?
And what better way than to have Vanessa Albright, his aunt, be the one that tells everything?
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