The Book of Masks (Abridged)

In Which You Try to Wash Your Hands of It All

Previously, in "The Fake Book" : You picked up an old book in the used bookstore that promised to show how to make magical disguises. But it demanded a blood sacrifice—your blood!—which has freaked you out.

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THIS IS TOO WEIRD. You don't want to keep this creepy book, but it's pretty clear the bookstore isn't going to take it back from you. Maybe your best friend will buy it off you for a Coke.

"I'm going over to Caleb's," you holler at your mom as you dash by the kitchen. She hollers something back, but you're not paying attention.

You hop into your truck and are about to turn the key when you look over at your next door neighbor's house. Something caught your eye: Oh, it was a shadow in the lit window. Andrew must have just closed the curtains.

You pause. Andrew Gary is a really neat guy, a computer programmer in his mid-twenties, and you sometimes go over there just to shoot the breeze. He's not into the whole occult scene, but he might be interested in the book, since it's such an odd thing.

Or maybe--

You drum your fingers on the wheel of the truck as you think about the book, and how creepy it is.

Maybe you should just get rid of it totally. You picked it up only because you were looking for something to put in Mr. Walberg's time capsule. Burying it might be the best thing.