The Book of Masks (Vol. 5)

A Door is Slammed in Your Face

Previously: "In Which You Tell Umeko Everything" 

(Written by imaj)

Umeko cocks her head slightly and stares at you. Stares through you.

“That’s…. just sick Will.” She says venomously. “Stop it. Take it off. Whatever you do to end this, do it.”

Carefully, you remove the mask, placing it on your desk. Within seconds you are you again. The anger passes from Umeko’s face and is replaced by a look of concern.

“This thing is wrong Will,” she says softly. “You have to see that, don’t you. It… It stole my face. Anyone could wear that thing and my own mother would not be able to tell the difference.”

She pauses for a second. You find yourself unable to look her in the eye, instead staring at the ground in shame

“Evil,” she says firmly. “That’s the only word for it, evil. You’re my cousin and I care for you. I don’t want to see you hurt by this.”

Umeko walks to the door, pausing briefly to say one last thing before she leaves.

“Get rid of it, I don’t care how, but get rid of it before I have to tell Aunt Martha and Uncle Harris”

*****

Well, that could have gone better, you think to yourself later. Dinner was a total disaster. Umeko spent most of the time glaring at you and your parents noticed the change in her disposition. Uncle Scott and Aunt Mary had been polite afterwards, but left quickly.

Enduring a twenty minute talk with your father about how important it is to get on with family was the icing on the cake.

The only silver lining is that afterwards your parents were more than happy to let you retreat to your room alone. That’s where you are now. Sitting at your desk, staring at the wall and thinking over Umeko’s words.

She’s right, you think. The kind of power that the book has couldn’t ever be thought of as “good”. You should get rid of it, sell it, maybe even to that Blackwell creep. Everything can go back to the way it was before.

Safe.

And yet, a small part of you wants something more. An escape from the tedious, dull routine of small town life. The book is the gateway to something new and exciting. Surely you can’t throw that away.

Fuck her, you decide. You can hide the book and materials in the basement of the old abandoned elementary school a couple of blocks away. That way it looks like you’ve done as Umeko asked but can keep exploring the spells of the book.
Your gaze falls on the Umeko mask you abandoned earlier.

That isn’t going to be much use to you now she knows you have it. You reach for your translation notes from the first spell and begin anew.

*****

You moved the new mask, the book and materials to the abandoned elementary school basement in the dead of night. With the rest of your family gone to bed, it was easy enough to pack everything away and sneak out. The lock you had added was intact and the basement seemed exactly as you had left it months ago. As a last precaution you hid everything behind a pile of old desks.

With hindsight, this seems to have been a wise move. It’s Monday morning. You’ve just stepped outside your home and spotted the unfamiliar looking car parked outside your house.

The man standing beside it is anything but unfamiliar. Aubrey Blackwell, still wearing cheap clothes, smiles an insincere smile as he spots you.

“Good morning young Will,“ he says, falling into step beside you as you walk to school. “I was in the vicinity and I thought I’d stop by and see if you had perchance decided to rethink my offer.”

Perchance? Faggot, you think.

“I have on my very person at this moment one thousand dollars which I will give you in exchange for your book. That’s quite the finder’s fee for you, no?”

You walk on in silence for a moment before stopping and turning to face the collector. It’s a tempting offer, and at least you would be able tell Umeko the truth.

Next: "Your Turn to Slam a Door Shut" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 5)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 5)"