The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

Safety First

Previously: "The Warlock and the Maiden" 

It's a dicey situation, but you put off Gillian as best you can. Which is hard, because she keeps trying to touch and tickle you.

* * * * *

Natalie texted you again at the start of last period, and again when classes got out, each time sounding more desperate. You ignored her because you weren't quite sure what you were going to do, but now, on your way out to the parking lot, you text her to stop panicking, that you're on your way.

She is waiting out front of the school, right at the corner where you turn into the front parking lot, and you haven't even brought the truck to a complete stop when she yanks the door open and leaps into the cab. "Oh, thank God you got here, Will!" she exclaims.

"What's the big deal, what—?"

"Have you seen Braydon or Gillian today?"

You feel yourself start, guiltily. "Um—"

"Oh God, you have!"

"Well, yeah, I've got Braydon for English—"

"You talk to either of them?"

"Why? Why're you—?"

"Just answer my question!"

You take a deep breath and confess that Gillian spent seventh period with you in the library, and you confess that she was being extra flirty and stuff. Like at the soccer fields last weekend, you tell her. You also confess that she wanted to hang out with you after school and ... maybe hit the Warehouse tonight? You grit your teeth and steel yourself against the expected explosion.

It comes, but not in the direction you were dreading.

"Oh my God!" Natalie gasps for about the tenth time. "She— We have to get back to the school! The basement!"

"What? Why?"

"Just hurry! Braydon's gonna be on his way there!"

"What?"

"I got together with Gillian yesterday and we talked. I wanted to clear the air between us a little. I mean, after yesterday— Or day before— Whenever. When you—" She sucks in a deep, ragged breath. "The day I got that mask of Braydon," she says in a very tight voice, "and you put it on and we had that talk. I just wanted to, you know, make sure that her and me were alright. I mean, that I could be alright with her going out with Braydon."

"Okay?"

"Well, we got to talking, and we got talking about you, because it's all over the place that you and me are together or something—"

"I had a couple of cheerleaders come talk to me about that at lunch today!"

"Well, dur! Alyssa and Tina and their big mouths! You know I'm really starting to regret ever being part of that thing with them, now that I get an idea what it's like to be on the other end of it."

"They're not so bad," you try to reassure her.

"Well, anyway! She wanted to— Don't slow down, you can beat it!" Her yell scares you into punching the accelerator, and you bust through a yellow light just as it is turning red. "But we were talking about you and we wound up down at your old elementary school, 'cos it's a nice place and it's where we meet to talk, you and me, I mean, and I just thought I'd show her—"

"You didn't show her the basement, did you?"

Now it's her turn to flinch. "Well—"

"Oh my God!"

"I didn't take her down into it, Will! Give me that much credit! But I did tell her that you have a clubhouse down there, that we have our own lock on the door."

"And you've got a key now!"

"I didn't use it and I didn't tell her I had one! I told her you had one, so I couldn't show it to her. But I did tell her about it."

You growl in the back of your throat. She's reminding you again of how reckless she can be. She gets an idea into her head and she runs off with it without thinking of the consequences.

But then you wonder— "So wait, what does this have to do with Braydon going out there?"

"Well, I don't know that he's out there, but— But didn't you tell me that Braydon talked to you about, um, what happened at the portables?"

"Yeah."

"And what'd you tell him?"

"I told him it was nothing."

"Well, what did he say? About getting cold-cocked and waking up—?"

"He didn't say nothing. He just asked me what that was about at the portables the other day, and I— I didn't know what to say to that, so I just said it was nothing and I changed my mind about talking to him about it."

"And he said?"

"He just said 'Okay' and went back to his seat. Class was about to start."

"And you didn't think that was weird? Him just dropping the subject like that?"

"Well ... he's weird."

"Oh! Will! You don't have any idea! It's when he gets that cool 'Yeah, whatever' attitude, that's when you need to expect a sucker punch! But he told Gillian about it, and while I was with her she asked me about how come you wanted to talk to Braydon out at the portables, and I just said, 'Well, you'll have to talk to Will about it' and she— Did she ask you about that when you were with her today?"

"No."

"Did she get ahold of your keys, try to get the—?"

You have to slap her hand away from the ignition as she lunges for your key chain. "No she didn't, Natalie. But I still don't get—"

"Well, I just got to thinking. Gillian knows about the basement, and Braydon is probably really ticked off at you about the portables thing—"

"That was you."

"He doesn't know that! But if she tells him about the basement, and she will, then I bet anything he's gonna try and go out there, just to snoop around if nothing else." She grabs your knee. "And you're telling me," she says, her voice rising to a shriek, "that Gillian came into the library with you today?"

"Yeah."

"How often does she do that?"

"Well, I sometimes see her in there, but we never talk."

"And she wanted to take you off someplace? Just the two of you? And maybe keep you out all night?"

A chill envelops your heart even before Natalie adds, "Like she was trying to lure you away while her 'hubby'—?"

You're already cruising down Twentieth at five miles over the speed limit, but you punch it to fifteen over. And when you make the turn onto Albion, you take it on two wheels.

* * * * *

There are a handful of cars parked in front of the community center, but Natalie tells you that none of them look like Braydon's. If he hightailed it straight over after leaving Westside, then he probably would have beat you handily. But that doesn't mean he isn't on his way over, or that he won't be over later. You agree with Natalie that you've got to get the stuff out of the basement before he ever has a chance or idea to go snooping down there.

You keep watch on the outside, loitering near the corner of the wing so you can see if Braydon or a security person comes wandering in your direction, while Natalie packs things up. She brings you a couple of bags, packed with masks, the book, and the tools you've been using, and you carry it back to your truck. When you meet her at the corner again, she's got bags packed with ingredients and clothes, which you carry back to the truck as well, dropping them with the others in the bed. She's waiting at the corner, wringing her hands and dancing from foot to foot, when you get back.

"I've been all through the basement, Will," she says as she grabs your hand, "but I know I'm missing something or forgot something."

"It'll be okay," you say as she tugs you back to the basement door.

"Yes, but I don't want to leave anything behind. Oh God, I'm so frazzled! You have to look in there and make sure I didn't forget anything!"

"I—"

"Please?" She shoves you down the stairs, and with a grimace you relent.

You've just reached the bottom of the interior stairs when you hear the basement door slam shut. You wheel, puzzled but paralyzed.

Then comes a scarier sound, that of the padlock being shut.

"Natalie!" you yell, when you can finally find your voice. "Natalie!" you holler as you glimpse her feet through the windows, as she scampers back the way you came.

* * * * *

You give her ten minutes to come back, figuring that she must have heard or seen something that frightened her, and then you text her, asking what's up. You get no reply. Twenty minutes after that, and you still have no reply. You test the door without luck, and you also test the windows, but they are all painted shut and there's no way you're going to try breaking the glass.

About an hour after you got locked in, you finally get a reply.

Text Gillian, Natalie says. Tell her to bring boltcutters to get u out. Then tell her to take her face off, u ASSHOLE.

"Oh my God, Will, I fucked up so bad," Natalie wails when she finally frees you. She is still wearing Gillian's clothes, but she has taken off the mask she wore to Westside today.

"What were you thinking?" you demand.

"I guess I wasn't!" she sobs.

Well, you can hash it out later. Right now you've got a different problem. Natalie got a text (on Gillian's phone) from Gillian (who still has Natalie's):

Ok guys me and braydon are ready to talk to u.

That's all for now.

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