Imposter

2

Ekaterina had been a 'drifter' for some time - no purpose, no job, no summonings. So when the magical currents carried her to a girl's bedroom, she was shocked and surprised and very, very rusty. She had forgotten how mortals reacted to strange beings in their bedrooms, and when this girl with the terrible clothes and ratty hair almost screamed, Ekat was surprised. What? Wasn't this normal?

"Alright there girlie?" Flicking a hand towards the doors and windows to sound proof them, Ekat was rather proud of herself for remembering that step. "Stops the nosy ones from hearing," she explained to the shell shocked teen. "Hi there, I'm Ekaterina, Ekat for short, professional stunt double replacement who lives the client's horrid lives for them - don't worry, I'm trained!"

Hoping to the stars that she had not said it wrong like the time in England, when she had called herself a 'professional pub doctor', Ekat grinned cheerfully.

The girl finally started breathing again and looked at Ekat with such confusion she had to reach up and touch her hair, hoping she hadn't worn her sister's horrid polka dotted shiny colour changing bow tie instead of her plain one, Ekat tried her human version of the kindly smile.

"So terms and conditions," she pulled a sheet of paper out of thin air, "pen for you to sign," she pulled out a pen, "oops not that pen. That one has my best silver ink, use this one instead." She tossed the pen into the air, and another one took its place. "Introduction sheet," she pulled that out, "and my poo number." She pulled out a pad of paper.

The girl stared.

Ekat frowned. What did she get wrong? Had she pronounced 'introduction' wrong? No, she didn't think so... Aha! She smiled bashfully. "By poo number, I mean, of course, phone."

Shoving them all into the girl's hands, Ekat twirled around the room like a ballerina. "Ooh is that the newest Harry Potter book? Ooh I forgot that you humans like to use those... Flat thingies that are hot! Eyelash thingies! Wee! Little roller coaster!"

"Please stop it!"

Ekat stopped and turned to the girl on the bed, feeling dejected and turned down, no longer bubbly and happy. What was wrong? Was she going too fast? Did she not explain properly? "Oh my stars I'm sorry I haven't told you what I specialise in - I help girls in horrid high schools and build up their lives again up the social ladder, and I give back their lives when it's all great. Payment, really, nothing, just a recommendation sheet for me, great service, good fun, etc, and telling them that I would make a great mermaid! That's what I want to be when I finish my service, they get the best part of the deal cause they get to swim and dolphins and everything and no work."

The girl stared.

Ekat pouted. "I'm sorry, am I going too fast? Are you okay? I swear I'm genuine, I love mermaids. Please...?"

The girl's forehead creased into a frown. "Mermaids are real?"

Ekat nodded fervently. "If I'm real, why can't a mermaid be?"

That seemed to convince the girl, and she reached out a hand. "I'm Caitlin."

Ekat cocked her head and tentatively reached out to take the hand (at least she thought that was right! Humans were weird), "I'm Ekaterina! I already told you that, I'm sorry, I'm actually Ekat, but I'm Ekaterina too, but call me Ekat. My parents thought they were so cool because there was a human Russian spy called Ekaterina and they wanted me to apply to be a human but they were told there wasn't a war on anymore but by then I was used to Ekat. So that's what I am. Ekat, I mean."

"Slow down," Caitlin was holding her head in her hands, and Ekat winced. "I'm sorry, it happens all the time I swear I'll - stop." Slapping her own mouth and grabbing some paper, she wrote down 'Do you want to start? I'll shift into you?'

Signing the sheet and nodding tentatively, Caitlin smiled encouragingly, and Ekat took a deep breath, remembering the girl before her, and closing her eyes, a bright light covered her, before falling away like stardust to reveal... Caitlin.

"Wow," the two said at the same time. "This is weird... I feel... Calm... Like, wow Caitlin, you're a calm one aren't you?" Ekat was talking slowly but she had the 'Ekat touch' - she sat confidently, and she had an attitude about her that Caitlin never had. In her life.

"When I'm you, you can't be seen, like technically you aren't there. I can see and feel you, and you can see through my eyes and live through my eyes, but really, no one will catch two of us there together." Ekat spoke clearly, and she stood up to stretch, appraising herself in the mirror. "You have nice legs, Caitlin. The hair... Why do you straighten it? I'll buy some coconut oil and you just wait and see how your hair looks on Monday. The clothes.... Sorry, but tonight we need to plan some... Better combinations. What look are you for? Classy? Casual? Sporty? Floaty? Comfy? Never mind, it's definitely comfy. Hm you have some nice clothes, you just wear them all wrong, girlie." Spinning and sitting on the floor, reverting to her Ekat form with her floaty silver hair and angelic features, she touched the side of Caitlin's head. "Ooh boyfriend cool! Noah, hm, nice name! And pretty one too! Oh... That Sally girl... I mean Shannon...Well well this will be a challenge, fun!"

Twirling around again and relishing in the future with a pretty boyfriend, Ekat had to remind herself that it wasn't her life she was living... It was Caitlin's. And all of a sudden, she wasn't so happy anymore. It was really no fun being a replacement because she was always that - a replacement.

"Ekat?" Caitlin's voice called tentatively and Ekat instantly smiled. "Nothing, this will be awesome!

~~~~

"This with that." Ekat pointed confidently to a blue off the shoulder sweater with a black tank top, along with white ripped jeans and a snug pair of high boots. "Trust me."

"It shows my shoulders," Caitlin muttered.

"That's what the tank top's for, they see your/my shoulders but the straps are there, so... It's gonna look good, trust me girlie."

~~~~

"Hey Cait," Noah's British accent and eyes bore right into Ekat's soul as she stared into his eyes, captivated, but professionalism quickly took over and she smiled sweetly. "Hi Noah, how was footy practice?"

"Awesome," he put an arm around her shoulders and Ekat smiled sweetly, the way Caitlin always did. "I'm sorry for not getting on the bus home with you yesterday, did you get home alright?"

"Yeah, Nate picked me up." Ekat sat on the bus seat, legs swinging.

"You look good," Noah smiled gently at her, "I like this look."

"Really?" Ekat looked up happily, glad for the approval, and in her room, Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief, heart clenching as the bus arrived and praying that Shannon didn't trip Ekat.

She didn't, because Ekat greeted her warmly, like an old friend. "Hi Shannon I gave Nate your number."

Noah looked at her funny and Shannon too, but the latter's face quickly broke into a grin. "Really? Let me check if he called me he must have," whipping out her phone, Shannon's face quickly fell. "And I found the paper in the bin," Ekat informed the crestfallen girl, before smiling and continuing to a seat that was not the usual and as Noah sat beside her, she put on her best worried face. "Nate told me to say that, is it okay? I mean, I don't want to be rude, but that really felt nice."

Noah was grinning at her. "You are something, Cait."

So are you.