I become anything. From the moment I crack a book on a subject, my hands and mind know how to perform it. No shake to the scalpel in my hands; no missing the beat of the music; no relaxing of perfect military posture.

            I become anyone. No longer Jarod, I am the person, experiencing his life, feeling her emotions, taking the actions he took. I have died; I have killed.

            Only a few times have I resisted the Pretend, when I feared that I would harden in the shape of what I became. But I’m versatile. I’m Jarod. The Pretender.