The next morning Andrea sat with her eyes closed. Tanner had offered to put his fledgling E skills to the test in an effort to make Andrea feel more comfortable in public. Andrea's body tingled, but she wasn't worried. She was excited about the prospect of what the results might be. Though it was a chore to focus on Tanner's voice as he explained what he was doing, Andrea managed to some degree.

"I'm putting you in an image. Consider it an extra layer of skin. I'm going to amp you up a little. When you open your eyes, you'll feel like you're in water, but don't panic, all right?" Tanner lowered his hands from Andrea's forehead. "Okay. Open your eyes."

Andrea blinked, and blinked again, but she could only see small blue orbs floating around her. "What is this?"

"It's the raw form of energy. People think E's are magic, but we aren't. We just play with energy a little bit. I'm going to change your hair color. You won't see it right away, but can you see when the orbs in front of your face change color?"

Andrea nodded and felt woozy. She made a mental note that she shouldn't move her head again.

"Yeah."

"I'm messing with the code," Tanner said. "It's a slow process at first, but with more practice I can get faster. Everybody else can do it instantly. I'm still new to it, so...please be patient with me."

Andrea waited and smiled. "I think you got it."

"Do you want a new hair color?"

"No. Just...let's just work on the body."

"Well, this image won't change anything; it will put you in a tangible layer of energy. It's kind of like a thought sent out, telling people what to see when they look at you. You'll be trapped in the image once you leave this place, so be careful you don't stay in it too long. It could exhaust you. Once you get home, please let it fall, all right?"

Excitement fueled Andrea's quickened breathing. "Explain it to me again."

"We're just giving off a false image."

"Will it trick everyone?"

"Everyone except some children. Adults often have a lot of expectations. If they want to see something, they'll make it real for themselves sometimes. Children don't often deal with impshit, so some kids can see through it, but I wouldn't worry too much about that."

"And it'll last all day?"

"It'll last for as long as you want it to, but I really recommend that you don't keep it on as you sleep. You could get stuck in the image—"

"What's so bad about that?"

"For E's, an image can get painful. I'm not sure about Assists though. I was just always told never to get stuck in one." Tanner sat back with a smile. "There. That should do it."

Andrea certainly didn't feel any different, but she stood and allowed herself to be guided to the threshold. The smooth surface of the door shined until she could see her own reflection.

When she held her stomach, she felt the pudge, but the picture-perfect body before her told a different story. She was lean—not only lean, but toned—and her body was evenly proportioned. After she turned to see that her devious butt looked quite moderate, if not boringly flat, she gave off an excited scream and hugged Tanner tight.

"I'm stunning!"

Tanner smiled and laughed as he returned the hug. "You were always stunning."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go somewhere."

The E's brown eyes widened. "Huh? Honest?"

"Yes. Of course! Let's go somewhere. Let's go see Gara and show her. Let's—let's go see your friends."

Tanner considered it and smiled. "How about a game?"

Andrea wasn't good at sports, so she hesitated. "I'm...I'm not a sports person."

"How did I know you were gonna say that? Is that a no then?"

"No. I mean yes. I mean no, it's not a no. It's a yes. Let's go."

***

Andrea didn't even recognize herself whenever she caught a glimpse in a reflective surface. She walked tall most of the day. Not many second glances came her way, and the ones that she did notice were usually accompanied by an appraising smile.

On some occasions, when she was alone, a man, or sometimes two men, approached, and she was flattered by their small talk. She'd never had small talk, really. Usually she was the one making the most effort for it. When she smiled at people, some winked back. When she asked for help, she was given that person's undivided attention. She felt that when she made a mistake everyone was more forgiving.

With those odds she felt less wary about picking up a bat in the open compound being used for baseball. The outside sport wasn't all that popular, although Tanner seemed taken by it. Chances to play the game were slim, but they were lucky to find some hobbyists willing to let them try.

Andrea struck out gloriously, but she still received several claps and whistles of encouragement. She should have felt good about it, but she didn't. Somehow she figured if she was beautiful, everything would work out, even sports.

Tanner met her with a look of sympathy as he took the bat. "What's wrong? You did your best."

"I just wish I could have done better."

"Nah, don't worry. Nobody cares. Look." Tanner pointed out onto the field, where even men from the opposing team gave her a smile and a T-for-triumph sign with their fingers. "It's all right. So...it's almost dinnertime. Do you want to go down to Training and sign up for some classes? Or at least take a look?"

Andrea was automatically set to say no, but then she looked down at her own perfect body and smiled. "Sure. Why not?"

It took an hour's walk to find a registration point close to their section. Tanner was so thrilled that he didn't care what classes Andrea signed up for. Andrea could think of no other reason why she'd gotten away with the selections she'd made.

Tanner narrowed his brow though. "Origami. Is that even a class?"

Hesitant, Andrea met his gaze and took the diskette back in an attempt to change the selection.

Tanner was quick to stop her. "No, it's okay. I forgot that Yules are big on paper. Just take whatever makes you feel comfortable. We can go from there. Try a few more, all right?"

Even though Tanner insisted, Andrea hadn't selected any combat classes or anything that involved weapons. Only one class, the music class, required a grade; the rest were all just to keep her busy. Andrea had expected to get an earful about choosing useless classes, but she didn't see even a hint of disappointment in Tanner's radiant eyes.

"We're on our way!" Tanner exclaimed with a smile as he raised his hands up. "You can find something you like, and I won't feel so guilty with you being at home alone all the time. I'll put in some more part-time hours."

Andrea smiled at first, but that smile became shaky. "But you work a lot already. And with you getting the E training in the mornings, I hardly see you."

"Yeah, but after just a few more weeks we can get you that shower, and I can slow down a bit. For now," Tanner grinned, turning to do a backflip, "I'm just glad to know you're feeling better."

***

Tanner introduced Andrea to something called shadowing the next day. She was instructed to hold out her hand, and Tanner hovered his palm above it. The E was a novice because it took a lot of effort on his part to get it right.

"Just hold still. I think I've got it."

Her hand move below Tanner's as if held by a string and Andrea gaped. "How are you doing that?"

"It's our link. You can move me, and I can move you. I just got trained for it. It's a bit exhausting, but I figured we can try it at the baseball game today. What do you think?"

Andrea's eyes widened with doubt, but she smiled. "Really? So you'd...you'd shadow with me or whatever?"

"And you can hit it, yes. All you need are some baby steps."

Later that day Andrea landed her first hit, albeit shadowed, and grinned with excitement. Unfamiliar with all things pertaining to sports, she didn't even know she was supposed to run until someone pushed her from behind and got her moving. She ran right past first base, unaware that there was even a second. The leader of the group called to her from third, and for the first time in her life, she scored a point at something.

Tanner waited for her by the large doors leading out to the tunnel. They hugged, and Tanner said, "I've got some extra credits. We can celebrate. What do you think? And I've got a surprise for you."

"Andrea!"

Hearing her name called from the crowd, Andrea looked back to her temporary teammates and turned to Tanner again.

"They invited me to eat with them tonight. Figured I'd stay around here to practice for a bit and head home after dinner."

"Oh." Tanner nodded. "All right. But...but what about your classes?"

Andrea shrugged. "It's just one day. Come on."

"Yeah. I guess." Tanner wasn't so fortunate as to have the time off. Regardless, the E waited, maybe expecting an invitation to go along, and when Andrea didn't offer, he shrugged. "Well, I'll take an extra shift since you're busy. I'll see you tonight then."

Though riddled with guilt, Andrea concluded that for one night she'd like to see how the other side lived. Preferably without a tall E conscience who had a tendency to attract attention and point out her follies. The look in Tanner's brown eyes, his supportive attitude, and confident smile made Andrea hate herself all over again.

"Yeah. I'll see you," Andrea muttered.

Her E's black hair was growing in now, and as Tanner smiled and walked away, Andrea watched his retreat. At one time she and Tanner had been on the same footing. Andrea had been powerless as a noblewoman and Tanner powerless as an E. All that was gone now, and the recalibration was lackluster. The very size of Tanner was impressive, and although he was a treat to watch, Andrea didn't look for long. Instead she sized herself up and turned to make her way to the small group of waiting people.

Just for one night—just for a moment—she wanted to forget who she was. She wanted to feel good about herself.

***

Andrea felt uneasy in a crowd, so she intentionally fell in step behind the group of people, so rambunctious that their laughter echoed throughout the tunnel.

Tanner had given her a diskette with credits for lunch, but it wasn't much. As the group walked on and she fell behind, she started to wonder if Tanner had managed to put in the week's allotment or just the day's. She thought maybe she could just not order anything at the restaurant, or wherever they were going, and save costs that way.

She felt like a phony being with these people. Try as she might, she couldn't laugh as hard as they did. She wasn't as driven, and she was constantly in fear of being discovered and ousted like the loser she was. She decided to force herself to think positively.

The new Andrea was positive. Sure, she was a phony, but she was a phony who looked the part. They had invited her. She wasn't the one making all the effort; two of the more handsome men had all but begged her to come. Surely there was no harm in being someone else, at least for a little while.

A hand brushing hers caught her off guard, and she flinched. She wasn't quite sure where the man had come from. Andrea knew his name was James. James had the storybook heartthrob look that made Andrea hesitant to even make eye contact.

She pulled her hand away, but she apologized as the man colored in embarrassment.

"Hey, I'm...sorry about the guys. They're just a bunch of knuckleheads. We didn't mean to leave you back here like this."

Andrea opened her mouth to answer, but she only managed a nod, her head still hung low.

James took her by the hand and pulled her to a stop. The gentle action lit her up. Andrea flushed. Her face warmed, and the gentle tap on her chin drew her gaze to meet James's blue eyes.

When James interlocked their fingers, Andrea saw his smile and managed to give one in return.

In an instant Tanner's face flashed before Andrea's eyes. She focused on their hands again and twisted out of James's grip.

"Sorry," James said. "Guess you've got someone, huh?"

Andrea meant to answer, but she didn't really know what to say.

"So what's a noblewoman like yourself doing down here with us thugs anyway?" James asked.

"Wh-what?"

Her stammered words brought a smile to James's face. "Your accent. You sound so sweet. What you doing down here?"

Andrea forced herself to exhale. "Just thought I'd make some friends. That's all."

The small talk was much easier than Andrea had thought. James was ready and eager to brag about anything Andrea asked. Andrea figured out early that the trick was to not talk about herself. Deflecting the questions had started out as a defensive mechanism, but it became apparent that it could be a lot more. This was easy—too easy.

"Hey, Jimmy!"

James colored when he heard one voice above the rest. He hesitated to yell back, and the voice called out again, "Jimmy, stop making kissy-face and hurry the hell up already."

James grumbled as he turned to Andrea, his face red. "Sorry about Ed. He's such a lowlife. If you don't wanna go in there with everybody, we can go somewhere else—someplace quiet."

Andrea felt more confident when she looked at the crowd and saw them waiting.

"Fine, you can gaw-ro stay out here," called Ed. "Just send Andrea in. She's who everybody wants to talk to anyway."

Andrea chuckled. She took in James's sandy blond hair and blue eyes, and her stomach tightened. When the man took hold of her hand that time, she didn't pull away.

She regretted that a moment later when James leaned in to whisper by her ear.

"So do you have a boyfriend or something?"

Andrea's eyes widened because the man's right hand came to rest on her waist.

"Will he mind if I'm close to you like this?"

Andrea closed her eyes and tried to ease away. She told herself she wasn't fast enough, but that was impshit. James's face had stubble. The rough and coarse feel of it made Andrea gasp. "He—"

When James's lips caught her, Andrea heard the cheering of the crowd. Her heart pounded, and she only resisted for a split-second before opening her mouth to receive the man's tongue. Tanner never used tongue, nor did he ever kiss Andrea so furiously that she melted with a moan.

Tanner wasn't the worst kisser in the Colony, but he was reserved, as if every kiss he gave Andrea were accompanied by a polite apology. James's kiss was hungry. His hot tongue was invasive and unapologetic. It had a raw need that Andrea hadn't felt with Tanner. As soon as the kiss ended and Andrea found that James's hands were between her legs, her stomach dropped.

"By the Colony, you're so gaw-ro pretty," James gushed as his lips traveled down Andrea's neck and back up to her ear. "You're so gaw-ro beautiful. Why would you waste time with us? Or with me? You're just so gaw-ro beautiful."

"Hey," someone called.

The voice closing in drew Andrea's focus, and she pressed herself back against the wall, James's hands still on her as he turned to see the other players coming.

"Hey!" one growled. "Get your gaw-ro hands off."

Andrea flinched when Ed shoved James back, and the man recoiled.

"Calm the hell down, little brother." James managed a weak chuckle as he reached for Andrea and pulled her on. "She was outta your league anyway. Let's go get a good seat."

That evening Andrea entered the tunnel alone, feeling the worst she'd ever felt in her life. She wore a constant frown, a scowl that hadn't faded all night. The kiss was bad. And it was worse because it was good. When she set foot into that tunnel, she did so with the intention of going home to Tanner and confessing what had happened. Tanner had forgiven her one kiss; he could forgive this one, too. Andrea decided she would be more forceful, more demanding with the E. She'd stop letting Tanner give her a polite hug like they were siblings and strip her down and pick her up naked, as if they were long-lost lovers. The hot and cold was not only frustrating and confusing—it was exhausting.

Andrea just needed to teach him. She'd go home, confess to Tanner, ask for forgiveness, and they'd move forward. She could teach Tanner about what she wanted. What she needed. She could confess to feeling flattered by James's attention instead of disgusted. Maybe she wouldn't mention how proud she had felt when James spoke the loudest, drank the most, and put Andrea on display like he'd won a prize. And Andrea had felt like a prize.

When she heard her name in the tunnel, she turned to look back to Ed, who hurried to catch up. The man had something in his hand, and as he closed the space between them, Andrea saw the diskette.

"Hey, you forgot this. Andrea, wait up."

Due to bad experiences under the influence, Andrea hadn't drunk anything. She couldn't even use alcohol as an excuse for being so damn careless. With each step she tried to think of what she'd tell her E. She was walking home sober at least, but she couldn't say the same for Ed.