John Dandy Boys Club

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Art of Masquerade and the Joneus Nexus

Imagine walking down a hall that's completely wrapped and covered by mirrors from ceiling to the walls. Take that and add a sense of dominant yet sensual energy that flows from all around.

That's the Hall of Mirrors, the cordoned-off section of the Westley Manor as the father-son duo alongside Hector, Wyatt, and Tre'Von led me, my uncle, and the Thompson father-son duo through the place in question. "Wow," I managed to say despite me being full of energy that left my body tensing and relaxing. "This is where the magic begins?"

"More than you know, Vion," Brian intoned as the two of us stopped at a mirrored door. "This is your personal space for your transformation and only you have full access to it. No one else save for one of the maids who clean the place."

From out of nowhere, a keypad appeared. "Tap in an eight-numbered code," he instructed.

Thinking for a moment, I chose my parents' wedding anniversary before the keypad glowed green and the door opened to reveal my designated room. Once I stepped in, my eyes went wide at how my room was exactly the same way as the hallway was: the ceiling and floors covered in mirrors save for a lone door that likely led to a restroom. Stepping inside, I felt my workout clothes disappear, leaving me down to a pair of black spandex briefs. "What the-"

"Easy, Vion," Brian intoned as his clothes and shoes disappeared and he was down to his briefs as well. "This is all part of the Joneus Nexus, the same power that now flows within you."

I believe it.

Before I could even talk, I felt my body being jolted with an electric charge before going stiff yet I felt no fear.

"Masqueraise," I found myself saying in a dominant voice before a bright blue light filled the room. "Joneus ascend!"

I soon got into a T pose while facing the walled mirrors, watching myself transform before my very eyes. My briefs turned bright blue while a pair of form-fitting flesh-colored tights covered my legs, a pair of knee-length boots appearing on my feet. A skin-tight shirt in blue with silver detailing that contoured the sides wrapped formed as a belt with a silver crystal center wrapped around my waist. A pair of gloves and a wrist communicator appeared soon after.

Taking notice of my face, I soon noticed a mask forming around my eyes that would change my eye color from the usual brown to a deep blue. My head was soon covered in a skullcap that would compliment the mask. The final change came when my mouth and nose was soon covered by a simple guard.

The changes completed, I soon got out of the T-pose and found myself saying in a distorted voice, "Son of Joneus, Keeper of truth."

"Excellent," Brian said, grinning widely.

Before I knew it, my mask was soon gone and I was smiling down at my outfit just as Brian was soon dressed in a silver-and-black ensemble while his dad (now in white and gold), Uncle Donnie (in red), De'Andre (in black and white) and Mr. Thompson (in cyan and black) came inside with Hector (in green and gold), Wyatt (red and silver), and Tre'Von (in black and yellow) following suit. "This is something else," I stated.

"I'll bet it is," De'Andre said, glancing at his uniform. "I know that this isn't something to take lightly about."

"It's not, young man," Uncle Donnie reminded him. "What else is part of this?"

"The master of masculine disguise," Mr. Westley commented. "As a Son of Joneus, you'll be able to disguise yourselves as any male to avoid arousing suspicion." He snapped his fingers twice and everyone gasped as he soon became the perfect clone of me.

"No way," Mr. Thompson breathed. "Is it that easy?"

"You might be surprised," Tre'Von noted as he soon transformed into the French president. "What do you think, mes amis?"

"And you sound just like him," Uncle Donnie gasped.

Tre'Von gave him a presidential smile. "Give it a try," he urged.

I shrugged my shoulders as I snapped my fingers and let myself transform into a perfect version of Tom Brady while Uncle Donnie became Quintarrus and De'Andre became Brian (which earned some jibes and remarks) and Mr. Thompson transformed into Mr. Westley (ditto) before we all turned back into our normal states.

Five minutes later, we were leaving the Hall of Mirrors, all of us now dressed in jeans and T-shirts. "You know that this means a lot now that we're part of this brotherhood, right?" Uncle Donnie asked me and De'Andre. "Even more so, given that Kenya's coming here to seek revenge for ruining her plans."

I nodded. "And this also means that everything has changed so much for us all," I replied. "Kenya believed that I wasn't meant for all of this." I gestured at the manor and all the trappings. "She wanted me to remain loyal to her while making me feel useless with every hateful word that she said. And despite me now remembering very little about the past, I know that she'll not rest until someone puts her away for good."

"And this means that we need to be mindful of how we're now gifted with all these powers and opportunities," De'Andre added. "We have bigger responsibilities and duties to be part of something bigger than what we originally thought. If anything, we have to step up and do our part to make things better and brighter for all mankind."

"Exactly," Mr. Westley replied. "Brotherhood. Youth. Masculinity. All part of being a Son of Joneus and a John Dandy man," he commented. "As we prepare for what's to come, it might be best to enlist your new Guardians and let them know what things are like here. Not only that, these new Guardians consists of Mr. Talbot, Ms. Fordham, Tahira, Felicity, Damon, Quinarrus, Chasity, Mona Booker, and the rest of De'Andre's family. But most of all, I am entrusting one new Guardian and his family with the title of 'Keeper of the Keys' as they will be the ones to maintain PR campaigns and ensure that our Joneus personas are kept out of the public eye."

My eyes went wide, realizing who he meant. "You mean," I began.

"Exactly," Brian commented, nodding his head. "De'Marquez Houlton and his family will indeed play a giant part for what's to come. They, alongside everyone else, are en-route to the manor as we speak save for Miss Erskine since she's still down with the flu, though she will be informed when she is back in full health."

I nodded. "Then let's prepare ourselves," I replied. "And it might be best to show them so they can understand the full seriousness of what's going on."

"Capital idea," Mr. Westley replied. "Now, lunch will be ready as we'll need to prepare the guests with what will be a momentuous day for everyone."

That was the truth. I had a strong feeling that things were not going to be the same ever again!

Coming up, everyone's getting hyped up for the planned beautillion while our new Guardians get ready for a visit to the Westley manor! You ain't seen nothing yet!

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