Flash
Rebecca lowered the camera, then looked at herself and Elissa. "Well, at least we're still ourselves this time, girl."
"You said it, Becks," agreed Elissa. She looked around. "Although the mall changed again."
Rebecca looked around. If anything, that was an understatement. The floors, ceilings, and floors were a riot of colors and polka dots, stripes, and tie-dyed patterns. Circus calliope music was playing in the background. And of the mall staff, and most of the customers, were dressed like clowns. Even the latter who weren't, at least half, were wearing clown makeup or face paintings, or sporting clown noses. The stores were now selling various clown costumes, makeup, props, or novelties. The family they'd used for a test subject now consisted of a female auguste clown fully dressed, painting the faces of a cluster of 6-year-olds and a male whiteface tying balloon animals. The skanky looking teenage who'd been their first test subject was now a shabby looking hobo clown panhandling. At what had been a beauty salon, customers were going in as themselves, and coming out in full clown costume and makeup.
Rebecca picked up the camera. "Let's try again." She didn't hate or fear clowns but she did think they were annoying. 'Maybe we'll get that girly Mall again,' she thought.
"No, wait." One difference between Rebecca and Elissa was that Elissa didn't just like clowns-she WAS a clown. She had already developed three different clown personas, and performed with a local clown troupe at hospitals, nursing homes, and marched in parades. "Now's the time to settle the bet." A year ago, they two BFFs had made a bet on which of them would get their driver's license first-and Elissa won. As a result, Rebecca had agreed that she would join and perform with her friend's clown troupe, as humiliating as she found the idea.
"Do we have to do that now?" Rebecca pouted.
Elissa grinned and nodded. "I spent the last month developing that persona and designing that makeup and outfit for you. I only needed to order the items before you could start. Now though," she looked in the direction of the former beauty salon, now we can get you in character and you can start practicing tonight.
Sighing in defeat, Rebecca let Elissa walk her down to the salon. They walked in, and saw several clowns standing over customers, mostly women and children, in salon chairs applying clown makeup, then leading them to behind a curtain. Said customers would then emerge in full costume, wigs, and other accessories.
A plump whiteface clown waddled up to the girls. "So, what would you gals like?"
"I'm afraid it's just her," Elissa replied. She explained to the clown about the bet they had, and how they were now settling it, as two auguste girls led Rebecca to an empty chair. "I've already designed her face and figured what she should wear..."