Chapter 4: The Rules

They messed around with the coin until the sun went down, turning into each other and random celebrities, laughing, whooping, hollering and doing the kind of things one might imagine kids did when they found out that the impossible was suddenly possible, like ordering pizza online without your parents knowing. 

The first, of course, was trying to figure out how it actually worked. Questions like “where did it come from” and “who left it here” and “why does turning me into Wendy make me feel so strange about myself” were questions for later. The first thing they wanted to see was how far they could push it, and what was possible. Sitting in a little circle, they started to experiment.

“Hold on,” Wendy said. Matt knew it was the original because, well, he didn’t have the privilege of being the real Wendy, and Will had an unmistakable Will-ness about him. He had the energy of scuffed knees and a bloody nose. “So you two turned into me, right now, right?” Matt and Will looked at each other and nodded. “And you’re wearing my clothes.” Another nod. “Is there anything… in your pockets?” she asked, curious. Matt checked “his” pockets. There was a candy wrapper, some lint and a piece of paper. Will produced the same. 

“Wait,” Jacket said. “That’s… hold on.” She got out a pencil, took the piece of paper from Wendy and gave it to Franklin. “Think of a number and write it down!” Franklin did as he was told with a confused expression on his face. “Okay, put it in your pocket.” He did, while Jacket snatched the coin from Will’s hand. “Franklin!” She said as she flipped it. When it landed, Franklin looked at his own face. 

“That’s freaky as hell,” he mumbled, then got the piece of paper out of his pocket. Jacket-Franklin also retrieved the piece of paper. “Nine?” Franklin said. 

“Yup!” Jacket shouted victoriously, holding the piece of paper up. It clearly had the number written on there. Matt held out his hand to both of them, curious to see if both notes were identical, and, at a cursory glance, they were, down to the creases in the paper and the marks of the pencil. But then the one that Jacket-Franklin had put in his hand fell apart, like sand, blowing away in the wind. 

“So it copies stuff but you can’t get rid of it?” Mads said. “Boo, no infinite money.”

“But maybe,” Will said, taking the coin back and flipping it, “someone’s credit card? Heads.” He turned into John F. Kennedy, looked down at himself, then at his reflection in a small mirror Wendy produced for him, and laughed.

“I have a question,” Franklin said. “If it turns you into a copy of whoever’s name you just said, including what they’re wearing… why aren’t you, you know, dead? Like, JFK’s been dead for a while.”

“Oh shit, yeah, that’s a good point,” Matt said. “Hey, turn back for a second?” After a moment of fiddling with the coin, Will did as he was asked. Then Matt took it, and also turned into Will. “Damn this is weird.”

“Don’t get used to it, pipsqueak,” Will said. “You better go back to being shorter than me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Matt said. “But important question: do I have a black eye?” He touched his face and realized he hadn’t needed to ask. Even though the swelling had gone down significantly since that morning, it was still very sensitive. Franklin confirmed it. Wendy took out a little notebook and started writing, until she noticed people were looking. 

“I’m just… taking note. Like… if you turn into someone who’s dead you don’t die, but if you turn into someone who’s hurt you end up hurt.” She paused, then looked at Will. “When you turned into me, did your eye hurt?”

“No,” Will said, shaking his head and wincing. Turning back into himself had given him a headache. Matt knew because he had the same headache. He flipped the coin and called tails. 

“Okay,” Wendy said, tapping her notebook. “Maybe we should get the rules down, yeah?” She took the coin and handed it back to Jacket, who seemed a little reluctant, but turned back into the girl in the bright yellow outfit. 

“Rule number one,” Mads said, holding up a finger. “If you flip it and don’t call out a name, you turn into a random famous person.” They cocked their head. “Does that sound right? Who decides what’s famous?”

“There might be more to it than that,” Wendy said, “but let’s start with that.” Mads looked at the coin and flipped it a few times, sometimes turning into people Matt had never heard of and sometimes turning into a celebrity. 

“Rule number two,” Jacket said, “if you call out the name of someone who’s alive, you look exactly like they do in that moment, including what they’re wearing.” She was grinning ear to ear. “Or maybe like, including what they have on them at that moment.” Wendy nodded and wrote it all down. “Wait, can you turn into someone who’s dead on purpose?” Mads obliged. 

“Teddy Roosevelt!” they said. The coin landed, and—

Nothing happened. “So no dead people,” Jacket said. “Not on purpose, anyway. Does that make it rule two point five?” Wendy nodded in concentration and wrote it down.

“Rule number three,” Matt said. “If you turn into someone who used the coin, you turn into what they look like, not what they look like ‘underneath’.” He caught their eye. “What? How would you put it. ‘Pre-coining’? ‘Before-changing’? ‘Pre-transition’?” Shaking his head, he looked at the coin after Mads put it in his hand. He was looking at his — well, Wendy’s — fingers just as much. There was an elegance he wished he had, there. 

“Rule number four,” Franklin said, “if you give someone something that you got from flipping, it falls apart. After a couple of seconds.” He picked up a rock and weighed it in his hand before tossing it at a wall and hitting it perfectly in a spot that had been marked with some chalk. “I wonder if there’s enough time to throw something. Could be useful, you know?” Matt nodded to himself. 

“Rule five,” Will said. “Calling ‘tails’ turns you back into who you were before.” 

“What happens if you call your own name?” Mads asked. “Do you turn back into your old self or does nothing happen?” Everyone shrugged. It didn’t really matter all that much, since tails was guaranteed to give the desired outcome. 

“Is that it?” Wendy said. “I’m sure there’s more. Like how does it select who to turn you into when you call heads? Is there a limit to how long you can stay changed? What if you change into someone who’s pregnant? What happens to the baby? What if you, like, lose a hand?”

“Fuck, that’s morbid, Wendy!” Franklin said. 

“Hey, hold on,” Matt said, “I have a really cool idea. He took the coin and the other piece of paper. He put the paper in his pocket. “Jacket!” He said as he flipped the coin. A few seconds later Will looked exactly like her, digging around in the pockets. “Nothing!” He said triumphantly, then flipped again. “Tails.” The coin landed, Will went into his pocket again, and retrieved the paper. “Ta-dah! Perfect hiding spot.”

“Ooooh,” Mads said, “I hadn’t even thought of that.” The phone in their pocket rang, and they answered it quickly, taking a few steps away from the others. 

“Bit young for a phone, aren’t they?” Franklin asked. 

Wendy nodded. “Their parents live just outside of town. I imagine it’s for keeping tabs.”

“You’re making me not want a phone,” Will said. “Ugh.”

“You don’t have a phone?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Haven’t needed one. Who am I going to call, Wendy Two over here? He lives right next door. Also we live in the middle of nowhere, the odds are like fifty-fifty it’d be easier to just toss the thing at his window. Besides, it’s not like Mom can afford it.” The last sentence hadn’t had the same flippant tone, just one of tired resignation.

“Eh, who needs phones anyway,” Matt said as Mads rejoined them. 

“Okay, I gotta go! Mom and Dad would freak out if I was late again.” They flipped the coin, called tails, and turned back into the wiry creature they’d been before. “Do we wanna hang out again tomorrow? Before class?”

“Sounds good,” Franklin said with a reassuring smile. He leaned back on his elbows. “7:45 work for everyone?” After a little chorus and nods, he got up, gave Mads a pat on the back, and walked them to the edge of the construction site. When he’d first seen the boy, he hadn’t been able to really trust Franklin. Come on, he wore a varsity for Christ’s sakes. But seeing him like this, his arm around the younger kid’s shoulders and probably giving some kind of sage advice, it was hard not to like him. He looked ready to fight to protect Mads.

“He has that effect on people,” Wendy said, shaking Matt out of his daydream. 

“Huh?” he said, feigning ignorance, badly. “Who has what effect? I was spacing out.”

“Sure you were,” Wendy said with that kind of smile that wasn’t a smile but more like the idea of a smile. Smile-flavored LaCroix. “And no, I’m not dating him, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I wasn’t but thanks for volunteering that information,” Matt said quietly. 

“Is he always this much of a blusher?” Jacket asked Will, who seemed to be enjoying himself. The two of them scooted closer together for the sole purpose, it seemed, of torturing Matt, Jacket crouching with her hands leaning on her knees. “Or is it only when pretty girls point out that he’s staring at pretty guys. Because, like, it’s a very specific situation, but for some reason I feel like this isn’t the first time…”

“You know,” Will said, thoughtfully stroking his chin, “Matt’s always been kinda blushy around both of those, so I do think I could have seen this coming. On the other hand, this is a particularly—”

“I’m right here,” Matt growled, which didn’t have the intended effect considering he was still using Wendy’s voice. “I can hear you.”

“I think that was kind of the idea, my good bitch,” Will said. 

“So… if he’s always like this around pretty guys,” Jacket said, “then why doesn’t he do that around you?” She gave him an innocent look and Matt came to the impossible conclusion that she wasn’t trying to fluster Will at all, she was just like that.

“Uh, no,” the boy said, shaking his head. “First of all, I’m not pretty, I’m cool as hell, and second, it’s not like that. We’re, uh, not like that.” Wendy made a very soft noise that could have been a snort or just her exhaling a little bit. Will rolled his eyes. “Alright, motherfucker, if you gotta know: I guess I am Like That but we —“ he pointed between himself and Will, “— aren’t like that.” 

“Oh, shame,” Jacket said, pouting a little bit. “You’re cute.” Now it was Will’s turn to blush. This was the first time Matt had ever seen a girl have that effect on him, and it was very strange seeing him get strangely demure, instead of cocky and arrogant. “Anyway!” Jacket said, standing upright and stretching her legs. “I gotta be off. I’ll see you losers tomorrow!” She swaggered away, but not before turning around and winking at Will, who froze just long enough for Matt to notice. 

Wendy got up too after putting her notes away. The coin was on the ground in between the three of them. “I can take it if you like,” she said. “It’s safe at my place. My parents are out of town on a conference this week and the cleaning lady never goes into my room without asking.”

“Works for me,” Matt said as he got up. “Just make sure to bring it tomorrow!” He paused for a second. “It was really cool hanging out with you. You and Franklin both. I didn’t know you were cool.”

“Well, same goes for you,” she said with that facial expression that made Matt wonder if she was actually smiling or not. He waved and turned to leave, when her voice cut through the air. “Matt.” He stopped and turned around. She was holding up the coin, eyebrows raised. “You’re still me.”

“Oh,” he said. “I forgot.” He looked at the coin for a few seconds before finally flipping it. Tails.

“That’s alright,” Wendy said. “You can mess around with it more tomorrow.”

“Oh. Oh no.” Will said. “Fuck.” They looked at him. “We have a test tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Matt said. “That’s why I’ve been studying this week instead of hanging out. What, did you think my parents never let me leave the house?”

“Well, first of all, yes,” Will said, “they hate me and don’t trust you. And two, you’re a nerd. And three: none of that helps me!”

“What’s the test on?” Wendy asked innocently. 

“Literature,” Will groaned. “I hate literature.”

“Well, if you could read—“ Matt joked before ducking away from a swing aimed at his head with a cackle. “It’s fine,” he said. “You’ve failed tests before.”

“Ugh, Mom would lose her shit, though. With detention, I’m already on thin ice.”

“Well,” Wendy said, “bring it up tomorrow morning.” She gave the coin to Matt. “We’ve got something up our sleeve now, might as well make use of it.”

Elamimax

Sometimes you just gotta write what you would do yourself, yknow?

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