The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

Of Hearts That Suffer

Previously: "Books and Bases" 

[Text by Nostrum]

You made a good first step. Natalie seems interested in the book, and while she seems a bit skeptical about it, she expressed interest in delving upon its secrets. Your heart races—no girl has expressed this kind of interest in something that’s yours.

But it’s that very thought that makes you stop. She told you that she’s not entirely interested in rumors, but this is a huge secret. Westside hiding a real magic book? What if, all of a sudden, you get a bunch of Eastman goons looking for it? You only made the mask, which isn’t exactly a world-breaking spell (and of which you know very little yourself), but you haven’t gone that far. What if they get too far? What if they unlock its secrets?

You feel hopeless, but something she said stirs you. You ever just meet someone and feel like you’re just kinda similar? That thought gnaws on you. She’s cute, and she seems to have noticed something in you that you haven’t, if she identifies it as something she has.

Maybe you don’t need the book to befriend her. It’s a nice way to break the ice, but you’d like to know her a bit better before you decide. "Maybe later," you say as you store the book. "So, um..."

You think of so many ways to relate to her, but your mind draws a blank. You wing it with the first thing that comes into mind. "So, how do you know the guys?"

"Who?"

"Y’know. The guys. The one on the comic book store. Christian and Howie and—"

She rolls her eyes. "I know Gillian, they know Gillian, I get to know them." You sigh silently, as you feel the question was stupid in the first place—they got a shared acquaintance.

But that leads you to a deeper answer. "Say, how did you end up in Eastman and Gillian in—?"

"Beats me. I guess because she lives closer?" She seems bothered by the answer, as if you had touched a nerve, but she leans on the back of a sideways table and vents. "Dad’s gotta go early to work and Eastman’s the closest, so I got enrolled there. He only needs to drop down 20th Street and that’s it."

"Where does your father work?"

"Some big company called Salopek."

Your eyes widen, like a deer looking into headlights. Is this what she means with that vibe? "My dad works at Salopek too!"

"Really?" she laughs. "Where?"

"Uh..." You never paid a lot of attention to your dad’s projects. "Stuff? He’s an engineer, so I guess design?"

"Probably you heard him speak of Henry Dawkins?"

"Not really. Heard your dad speak of Harris Prescott?"

She covers her face. "That means your dad’s basically my dad’s boss." She snickers from behind her hand. "Small town, small world, isn’t it?"

Your plan works. You’re eager to know more about her, so you try to dig in with a question, a palate-cleansing one if any. "What classes you're taking at Eastman?"

She lifts her eyebrow, amused. "Smooth question." She walks around, waving her hands. "Art, Creative Writing, Dance..."

"Dance?"

"Did some ballet ‘cos Mom wanted to. Mostly for an easy A."

"And the rest?"

She takes a pad from her bookbag, showing some of her drawings. Beyond the still-lives and anatomical drawings, you see some characters in capes and spandex, in many poses. You even see a little page she made, comic-book style (or is it manga-style? It seems like a blend of both.)

You notice something interesting in them. The page has three characters—the heroine, the damsel in distress and the villain. The first two seem a bit familiar to you, even if she hasn’t given them colors; the third, however, has all the style and trappings of an evil magician—a warlock of sorts.

You manage to get that glimpse before she notices you. She snaps the pad shut. "Trying to sharpen up my skills. Wanna be a comic book artist—writer, drawer, the likes. I’ve even taken Korean to read manhwa—it's like manga, but Korean obviously, and it has its own style." You feel the passion with which she speaks, giving you the impression you’ve started off with the right foot.

At least, until she turns that question back to you. "What about you?"

You shrug. "Bit of everything. Calculus, Sociology—Career Planning." You stress that last class, even though you don’t really pay a lot of attention to it. You quickly regret saying that, as Natalie seems to reel from it.

"I see... No fun classes?"

"I also take Film as Literature." Another class you feel could be an easy A, but you’ve noticed it’s a bit more than it seems.

"Really?" She points at the mask, which you left lying on a table. "Thought you’d be on an Arts & Crafts class." She grabs it again, rubbing her finger at it. "It’s really well made."

"Yeah, well..." You try to take it from her, and she drops it. It clatters on the table, and you back off. "Sorry about that."

"It’s..." Her reaction is as awkward as yours. "It’s alright." You fear this is it—that it’s all over, that she’ll rush the stairs and you’ll never see her, that she’ll call the police and claim you tried to take advantage of her—and your heart races.

But she doesn’t seem to mind, and takes it cooler than you imagined. She even helps you cool down, which you silently appreciate. "I like it."

"It... It was nothing, really." You feel tempted to tell her again, but you feel you haven’t clicked with her yet. "Something I did on a whim."

"Love to see it when you’re finished." You see her explore your old hideout with a detective’s eye. "What did you do here, anyways?"

—

Telling her about the times Caleb, Keith and you tried to taste whiskey in this place led a bit deeper. You told her you were friends with two cheerleaders—Lin Pol and Yumi Saito, who of course she knows—and some AP students—Carson, James and Paul. She told you about her other friends besides the Westside nerds, such as Kelly Trask and Genevieve Blake, from the Eastman school newspaper, amongst other names. You’re surprised she’s well-connected—dare you say popular?—which makes you feel uneasy.

Her next question goes straight to the kidneys. "You’re with someone?"

You're not, but you really wish she hadn't asked that question. You were with Lisa, of course, but you’re unsure of how she’ll react if you tell her you got dumped by her. A little white lie doesn’t hurt, of course, particularly if it’s coated with a heap of truth. "Was. Last summer. This girl called Lisa—"

She gasps. "Rickover?"

"No. Uh... Lisa Yarborough. But, y’know... She wasn’t what I was looking for. Different worlds, different interests."

"Makes it sound like she was boring."

"Uh..." You couldn’t say, since you still feel hurt that Lisa dumped you all over. "Not...necessarily, but I figured it wasn’t my thing and we decided to split."

"So, you’re open."

"Pretty much." You feel yourself digging a deeper hole for yourself, but you can’t back off.

"She’s just as boring," she replies, out of the blue. "I mean—probably not what you’re looking for. Besides, she’s taken."

Well, she’s right for one. Lisa was already taken by Geoff Mansfield, another AP student and a jerk in your eyes. But it’s impossible that Natalie’s talking about her, if she heard from her recently. And of course, it was in reaction to what you said about Lisa in the first place. So, who’s she talking about?

Then it clicks. She means Gillian.

"I mean, sure. Wonder what happened with Brandon...?"

"Maybe he got bored of being her ‘hubby’," she says, dripping caustic sarcasm with each letter. "I don’t see what she sees in him."

"Me neither, but... Maybe that’s what interests her?"

Natalie scoffs. "Sounds like you know her."

"Not exactly."

"And him? You know about Braydon?"

"As much as everyone else. That he’s a lot into the occult and that stuff."

"I thought you’d know him better, since you mentioned him." She points at your bookbag. "Plus, it feels like he’d know better about that book of yours. If it was the real deal." She turns away from you, sighing. "What does Gilly see in him?"

Those words echo fiercely in your mind. What do people see in those that can’t offer them what they need? You thought you had it figured out with Lisa, but all of a sudden, she dropped you, only to go with a jerk.

"Delp doesn’t even care about comic books. I don’t think he even cares about games. I think he’s just confused and thinks D&D’s a way to learn more about the occult. Gilly doesn’t even like it that much; it’s like she follows him just because..."

There’s a lot of angry venting, and you can’t help but feel she’s a kindred spirit. Lisa wasn’t a money-grubber or an attention seeker. She liked walks at the park, or just hanging out together. Now, she doesn’t even give you the time of day, preferring to be with preppies rather than...

Then again, it’s not the same between them. Natalie and Gillian are still friends, and still talk to each other. Maybe she’s just jealous? Why would she be jealous?

You feel like calling her on her bullshit—at least she still has a friend. Except... Maybe she feels she no longer has a friend. Maybe she needs a friend, and that’s why she gave those signs. Kindred spirits? Maybe she saw in you what she’s suffering. Maybe it’s a call for aid.

And that could probably blossom into something else...

Next: "The Games That Girls Play" 

*
"Table of Contents (Vol. 4)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)"