Life-Taking Stone

The makeup artist puppet wielded her makeup tools with an air of domineering skillfulness. Yet it wasn't so much skill as it felt like modifying some sort of program—tweaking Alexander's external appearance. 

At his core, he still felt like Alexander; he could even feel the dampness of his clothes clinging to his skin. But to the external observer—and even to the touch—he had been completely transformed. 

The texture of one's own skin feels inherently different from the touch of another's, yet as Alexander touched himself, it was as if he were touching another person entirely. It was bizarre, unsettling.

"What's going on?" The splash made by Alexander's hand drew the immediate attention of Susannah and Linda. In an instant, the two playful ghostly women shot forth like bolts of lightning, appearing on the other side of the rockery.