Changing Clothes: Rachel - Part Four

The back office is positively tiny, having been used solely by Rachel prior to the accidental creation of her helpful school-skipping granddaughter. The slender rectangular room is flanked to the right side with a long desk, an old LCD display and piles of papers yet to be filed sit resting atop the flimsy and disposable piece of furniture. A phone hangs on the back wall, the old device and it's aging yellow plastic having been mounted there decades ago only to never really get updated.

The seat is the only nice piece of furniture in the office, the large and extremely well padded black leather seat being comfortable enough to sleep in and large enough to not be constantly bumping into the armrests. The cushioning along the back careful contort the spine, providing support and promote good posture. Rachel had originally bought it to help with pain and discomfort brought on by sitting all day with her slouched back, however, more recently it had simply been training 'her granddaughter' to set with perfect posture and with her chest press outward.

Booting up the aging computer beneath the desk, the white plastic shell and the purple buttons showing a multitude of scuffs and scrapes along with a mounting layer of dust, the screen flickers to life. Crossing my legs daintily I spin to look at the screen, shuffling myself closer as I try to navigate the cramped pace of the back room. With undo speed I quickly begin to tap at the keys, logging into the account Rachel had set up after my first accidental day as her youngest granddaughter. Navigating the old system had become second nature in this body, my delicate digits quickly whipping the mouse around to open up a multitude of programs and webpages in preparation for the day.

"Alright" I chirp, brushing some of my long and wild hair behind my ear. "Time to get to work."

 

It barely takes twenty minutes for the boredom to set in, the papers on the desk quickly getting pilled up in order the order they were received or being filed away and the three emails inquiring about repairs to Rachel's various properties are quickly replied to.

Before long I'm left clicking my finger nails against the flimsy particle-board desk, my somewhat lengthy nails filling the room with a rhythmic clattering. I cross and uncross my legs, wriggling a little as I feel the knee high socks brush over one another and tease my smooth legs with their woolen fuzz. Absentmindedly I pat at my skirt, my hands brushing over the purple and yellow tartan fabric in search of a pocket.

"Damn..." I grumble, pursing my lips in frustration as I realize I left my phone back in the apartment. "... I'm sure I could just..." I begin to coo slyly, inching from my seat as I start to take my first of what was often many breaks.

Suddenly, the phone on the wall begins to ring as the room is filled with the sound of a dull and deeply electronic monotone chime. I jump with fright at the sound behind me, my hand daintily being held to my generous chest as I realize just what had spooked me.

"Holy shit..." I wheeze, inhaling deeply as I collapse back into the chair and run my free hand through my long and thick hair. "Scared the..." I begin to sigh, spinning in the seat slightly to grab the phone before chirping "Sunset Group, this is Lucin..."

"Ms Smith" groans a tired voice on the other end of the line, the dull and drained sounding middle-aged man cutting me off before I can finish. "It's good to hear from you, I just wish we could see you in class a little more often" the man weakly chuckles, trying to parse in some humor before his voice drops to a more serious tone. "And why aren't you in home room as we speak, if I may ask?"

"Uhhhhhh..." I muse dumbly, the wheels in my head spinning but failing to find purchase as I search for a response. I didn't know who this man even was, let alone how to answer the question. Swallowing hard I let out a nervous giggle of my own, my free hand twirling my hair on instinct as I begin to speak. "Sorry, but Nana really needed some help with..."

The man sighs a little, his breath distorting in the microphone of his phone and coming through as a painful buzz from the speaker. "Ms Smith, I'm..." he begins to state, pausing for a moment to take a deep breath before continuing as his voice grows softer and seemingly more compassionate. "I'm aware of your relationship with your grandmother, and it's very admirable to want to help loved ones. However, we will need to investigate your attendance record at this rate if..."

"Ummm..." I croak again, my mind racing at the thought of just what an investigation into a person that only exists in people's memories would turn up. "You don't need to do..."

"Well we very well just may have..." the man begin to grumble back, pausing momentarily yet again before changing tact. "Is your grandmother, Mrs Smith, available to have a little chat about your schooling? It may be beneficial if..."

"She's out at the moment" I chirp, my slightly husky voice crackling a little with nerves. "I can tell her you..."

"No need Ms Smith, we should have your grandmother's number on file... somewhere" the men mutters, the sound of moving paper and the sliding of a draw creeping in through the background. "I will discuss this absence with her, and we will have to see what can be done about further ones. Good day Ms Smith, I will let Mrs Hoffman know of your absence" the voice explains, not letting me get a word in edgewise before the line suddenly goes dead.

 

My heart races, cold sweat building across my skin as my teenage body freaks out. My breath grows short and sharp, my teeth biting at my lower lip as I try to think about what to do. For a moment I consider racing upstairs, getting to my phone in my apartment before the man could call 'Nana'. However, as the thought of going to my apartment hits me I can't help but giggle.

"Oh shit..." I sigh, leaning back in the heavily padded seat as I feel my body refuse to calm down at the thought of getting in trouble for skipping school. "It's not like it matters, come on..." I pant with a shuddering breath, inhaling deeply in an attempt to soothe myself.

"Mrs Smith?" comes a familiar voice from the short hallway beyond the back office. "I'm sorry but..." Gracie calls as she rounds the corner, pausing as she sees me sitting in the seat. Her head, once hung low as though in apology or contrition, suddenly springs up as she smirks at me with a broad grin. "Playing hooky Luc?" she chuckles, giving me a wink before looking down at her freshly cleaned apron with a sigh. "Wish I could fucking... Don't tell your Nan I said 'Fuck' in front of you... twice."

I can't help but giggle at the whiplash the goth girl in the doorway is racing through, my hand covering my mouth as I fail to stifle my feminine laughter.

"It's okay Ms Wilson" I chuckle, uncrossing my legs and kicking my feet playfully beneath the seat.

"Urrrrrgh... please, never ever call me Ms anything" she groans back, wincing at the formality of it all. "Makes me feel way to adult, I'm not down for that this early in the morning and without a coffee."

"Fine..." I coo, poking out my tongue a little before swiveling to face the computer screen. "So Gracie, is this about being late with your rent?" I chirp merrily, watching out of the corner of my eye as she smiles weakly at me.

"You know about..." she begins to mutter back, only for me to cut her off.

"Yup, Nana told me to make..."

"She's the one that told... shit..." Gracie wheezes, rubbing the bridge of her very red nose before adjusting her nose piercing subtly. "So... how screwed am I Luc?" she asks with an awkward chuckle, kicking at the floor lightly with one of her large heavy combat boots.

"Well..." I begin to muse, placing a hand under my chin as I ponder something. A smirk spreads across my lips, my mind being cast back to the times I had been late with my rent and had to front up in front of the very business-like Mrs Smith. "When can you pay it?" I ask with a bright smile, opening up her account in the property management system.

"Uh..." she begins to mutter dumbly, her jaw falling open for a moment. "Like... next week? It's payday and then after that we split the tips and...

"I'm just going to put it down for... next... fortnight..." I chime, quickly changing the account from being overdue before shifting the due date for weeks down the track. "Is that okay?" I ask, raising my eyebrows as the goth stares at me dumbly.

"Uh... yeah... I mean..." she stammers, shaking her head a little as if to rattle her thoughts back into place. "Holy shit, thanks Luc I owe you one" she blurts out, flashing me a wide toothy grin. "You ever need a fake ID or like some booze or something just..." she begins to state, pausing for a moment as she backs up a little into the hallway. "Just don't tell.."

"Nana? Don't worry" I giggle, my face twisting into a sly grin. "Have fun at work" I chirp, knowing just how annoying it would sound coming from my current form. I watch as Gracie deflates a little, her hands brushing out her apron.

"Sure... Fun..." she groans, giving me a wave before turning to leave. "Have a good one Luc" she chirps, wandering away as I find myself suddenly left alone with my boredom once again.

Emails trickle in one by one, hour by hour. The aging computer is sadly of little help with the mounting boredom, the decades old hardware struggling to even open most modern websites let alone play a video or movie while I wait for Rachel to return or for some interesting emails or calls to come in. Thankfully, after a few more hours the phone suddenly rouses me from my dull and dreary state. Snatching up the phone I practically sing into the phone "Sunse..." only to be cut short by the cooing voice on the other end.

"Graaandma, have I told you..." Emily, my temporary cousin chimes with a saccharine sweet voice before stopping herself. "Oh it's just you, is Rachel around?" she grumbles, her voice carrying with it some small amount of disdain as she speaks to the youngest member of her family.

"She went out" I chirp sweetly, listening with glee as the bitchy redhead groans loudly on the other end of the phone.

"For fucks sake... well she's not answering her phone" she states, the sound of a car engine coming in over the background of the call. "Look, can I borrow like... five hundred bucks?" she asks, her tone not even seeming to care about the amount or how much it really was. "Fucking scalped tickets and..."

"I can't, sorry Em..." I coo softly, relishing being able to annoy her as I listen with glee as she groans.

"And why not? What are you spending your money..."she begins to snap back, only to get cut off by me with a giggle.

"Nana looks after it, I don't think I even have a bank card" I chime, lying only a little to make the point more frustrating. Rachel had gotten her favorite granddaughter a new bank account and card to go along with it, she just often kept it with her since the revelation of Lucinda's true nature.

"Are you... No, of course Grandma would be babying her favorite little..." Emily snaps, the horn going off in her car as her voice is drowned out. "Never mind, just... I'll talk with her later."

"Okay!" I chirp giddily, keeping up the bright and bubbly energy out of spite. "Bye bye Emil..." I begin to continue only to be caught with the sound of my short-term cousin hanging up suddenly.

"I find... lieve! Are you...you can't seem to..." snaps a voice from the lobby, the familiar growl of my aging landlord turned temporary grandmother barking at someone from beyond the hallway leading to the back office.

Leaping up from my seat, my chest jiggling softly in my shirt and my powerful legs tensing beneath me I quickly creep out into the hall as I listen out in an attempt to get some understanding to the conversation.

"No... no you look here Mr Rowan" Rachel hisses, her tone sending shivers down my spine as I remember being on the receiving end of that sort of tongue lashing when I had first worn this body. "I'm sure you're aware of how much I have donated to your institution. When Emily was enrolled I donated to the library fund. When Annabelle was enrolled I donated the buses your damned sports teams use. When both of them struggled I donated so you could refit the dorms with new heating and cooling. And when they wanted your recommendation for college I donated to make sure that stupid statute could be put in on the lawn!" she shouts, her voice echoing down the hall as I peak my head out around the corner.

Rachel stands in the lobby, her weather hand clutching a phone to her ear while the other carries a rather fancy looking dark green bag made of glossy and thick card stock that bulges slightly at the base. Beyond the lobby, out on the street, I spot a black taxi cab idling by the curb right in front of the door.

"I have a god damn plaque with my name on it in your damned theater, and I can't even remember what I paid for... donated to you in order to earn that. However, when it comes to my one granddaughter who got into your institution on her own merit you can't seem to find her records" she snaps, stomping her foot for emphasis as a sly grin begins to form on her wrinkled face. "You know her grades, don't tell me you've forgotten such a bright young thing, and she's only missed a day or two in order to help her poor frail grandmother. Are you so monstrous? So cruel that... Is this some sort of shakedown? Punishing a poor young woman in order to bleed more donations from..."

Her sly grin slow shifts to a gleeful smile, her voice silencing as the person on the phone talks to her for a moment while she merely allows them to say their piece.

"Well thank you Mr Rowan" she coos warmly, the change in tone giving me a moment of whiplash as she looks down at a small gold watch on her wrist. "I am quiet busy, but if you could send me through her academic and attendance records so I can review that you haven't made any mistakes within the next day or so I would be most apprecia... No no, thank you for your time. I appreciate your attentiveness with me little..." she states, shifting over between thoughts as the person on the phone tries to get a word or two in over her.

Finally spotting me she wiggles the bag at me, coaxing me over as she squeals. "Luci!" she cries, finishing her sentence in the phone call with her shout of excitement at seeing me. She doesn't say another word into the phone, simply tapping the screen as she ends the call before placing it into her pocket.

"Uh... Nana?" I mutter, mincing out nervously as I lean down to get closer to her eye level. "Who was..."

"Nobody" she chuckles, waving at the question dismissively before holding out the bag for me. "Nobody of importance anyway. Look, what do you think of..." she begins to ask, my jaw dropping as I begin to wriggle with excitement at the sight of what lays in the bag.

A set of very dark gray slim cut trousers rests folded neatly at the bottom of the bag, the legs seemingly sized almost perfectly for my own long and fit limbs. Atop the pants sits a deep castleton green turtleneck sweater, a cute black swing coat sitting bundled next to the two stacked items. Two tidy and lavish looking boxes rest atop it all, a subtle jingle coming from within the all white facade.

"I... I..." I stammer, my heart racing as I wriggle in place excitedly. My mouth hangs open, eliciting a chuckle from the older woman as she begins to shuffle towards the stairs up.

"Oh don't stand there with you mouth agape, are you trying to catch flies?" she coos, obviously enjoying my reaction to some degree. "Come on, it's time to..." she begins to state, not even getting halfway through her thought as I bound up the stairs.

"Thank you!" I cry back, rounding the corner and up further flights of stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" she calls out, causing me to nearly topple over myself as I grind to a halt mid-stride up the steps.

"To... uh... get changed?" I stammer, skipping back down the stairs a few steps at a time. "I mean, I just assumed that..."

"You'll have plenty of time to get changed" Rachel states cocking an eyebrow. "I just need to get something for Victoria. You can wait in the taxi, we have a long trip ahead of us."