Unmasked (13 page)

“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, right?” Hera grinned. “I figure that we’ll give your friend a little taste of revenge.”

“You’re going to cut off her hair?” Noelle gasped.

Hera shrugged nodding as if considering the idea while Noelle began to drown in a little more regret.

“Maybe, but what fun is that? Besides this will probably be the style now that I’m wearing it. Every Extra is probably going to chop off his or her hair.”

Noelle suddenly realized that her original plan had horribly backfired. The campers didn’t see her prank as a victory, but a tragedy instead.

“Now,” Hera said clapping her hands together, “why don’t you pack up? It’s moving day, and I have plenty of space in my room.”

#

Noelle drew back in shock when Hera would not let her inflate the air mattress from Hera’s walk-in closet.

“There’s plenty of room, it’s a Queen sized bed…that is of course until they make room for you in the Supporting Character dormitories.”

Noelle couldn’t manage to count how many people plagued her with questions about the culprit until Hera had called them off.

“Come on,” Hera called at the door, “I hear there’s a party in the multipurpose room, and Blade managed to nab some liquor from the kitchen cabinets.”

At first, Noelle began to wonder why she had never heard of such a party, but then she remembered that Extras never got invited to such things.

Then again, she wasn’t an Extra anymore.

Music drowned the hallways as she entered while immediately a flurry of hands handed her a plastic cup with mysterious contents inside.

She swigged a sip, and discovered that she hated the taste of the drink more than anything and calmly set it down when no one was looking.

And then she saw a plethora of food gleaming on the table in front of her, and much to her surprise, Hera began stuffing her face as if she hadn’t seen food in ages.

Noelle also followed suit, but felt terribly sick after the fifth pumpkin cookie even though it tasted much better than the ones at campus. Hera quietly excused herself while dragging Noelle with her back to the room.

Hera escaped into the bathroom, when they entered, and recreated the same retching noises that Noelle had heard that very night.

Noelle grasped her stomach miserably considering how much food she had just consumed. Hera exited the bathroom looking terribly ill, but slightly satisfied.

Noelle stared at her enviously wishing every second to switch weights with her.

“Here,” Hera said dragging Noelle to the bathroom, “it’s not very hard to do. Another Main Character taught me how at camp. I usually do it four times a week, unless there are parties, of course.”

“Oh,” Noelle said politely, “that’s okay; I’d rather keep my food inside of me, thanks.”

Hera cast a disdainful look at Noelle’s stomach.

“Okay…” Hera said skeptically. “If you want to stay that way, I guess you Extras really don’t care what you look like. I mean, you’ll never be beautiful that way, but I guess you’re pretty on the inside, or whatever B.S. they tag along to make you guys feel happy.”

Noelle stared at Hera furiously and then back at her stomach not certain which to be angrier at.

She let out another sigh, and gave in.

“All right,” she said entering the bathroom and pulling her hair back, “but just this once.”

“It’s a funny thing,” Hera said, although Noelle didn’t quite hear. “That’s what they all seem to say.”

Then Hera shut the door.

Noelle awoke the next morning, her throat screaming out in pains from the burning in her esophagus.

She groped her throat as she rasped out in pain. Her roommate stirred as the sweat gleamed off of Hera’s forehead. She didn’t look well by any stretch.

The shortness of Hera’s breath sent chills down Noelle’s spine as she began to wonder if the same miserable symptoms would come to her soon after.

A little rush of wind gushed as an envelope slid under the door.

Hera stared at it with an exhausted expression and glanced at Noelle expectantly.

Noelle slid her feet on the floor and stood up way too fast. Her vision went nearly black and she grasped the wall for support. Eventually, though, after toddling her way over, she managed to swipe the letter off of the floor and collapse back onto the bed as she fingered the lettering that read her name.

The ripped open the side and slid the letter out of the envelope as she read.

Dear Noelle,

How are you? Sorry, but I heard that it takes a while for these letters to get to you. I have so much to say, but little time to do so. As you can guess, even though the office supplied more paper, well, Extras never really get their fair share do they?

First of all, I’m proud of both you and Bri. It’s horrifying to be thrown into a story so young in life, gosh; I don’t know why they expect us to face the real world so early on. They always tell us to grow up, but once we’re there we just live in a world full of regret wishing to return to our innocence.

I don’t know, maybe I’ve gone a little loopy from our winter training for Redemption. We lifted barbells that probably weigh more than the Main Character girl in your story. Times are changing fast here at campus, and I’m not sure it’s for the better. I imagine that things will change in your story too, scary things that I don’t want to even think about.

Never mind that though, I guess that we won’t have to worry about that for a while…the most important part of this letter is about why an ink spot spreads on whatever cloth you touch.

You see, to the others, it just looks like you tinted your shirt slightly, so they might have asked you because of the contrast, but there’s a reason why you, Bri, and I can see it.

I don’t know if Bri told you yet, but she can see the masks too. The mendum hit her right before she left for the story. She tried to keep quiet, though, because she noticed the amount of commotion it brought when you pointed out that people were wearing it.

Well, it turns out that you can see other things too such as a Lapsi, plural for Lapsus, and the ink spots. The thing is, everyone that I’ve met has had it, the ink spot, I mean, not the mendum; I think that it has something to do with going against the Author’s plan.

I know that there was definitely a part of my life where I wanted my own plan for my story and I did whatever it took to make it happen. I was a horrifying person actually; you really would have hated me. It’s really strange, us I mean. We’re the most complex beings the Author ever created, yet we’re the most miserable.

The funny thing, though, whenever someone comes back to him, the ink spot goes away. It always does, and that is the most astonishing thing. I know that you’re frustrated with the Author, and now it seems like he’s trying to ruin your story, but just trust me, it will save you a lot of pain in the long run…

Well it looks like I’ve run out of paper, but if anything strange happens in your story, write to me immediately! Weird stuff’s been happening; even mention of a battle, but rumors will be rumors. Though, I’m sure there will always a happy ending to the end of the Author’s story, but I have the most horrible feeling that things are going to be quite dreadful before they get any better.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Lacey

Noelle slid the note on the floor having no intention of reading it again anytime soon. Eventually, she stirred again and managed to convince Hera to wake up as well, but her exhausted roommate still looked terribly sick.

Nevertheless, Hera strolled over to the closet and had the clothes mold into a very tight fitting jeans and tank. She threw a patronizing glance at Noelle’s clothes before fashioning a slightly bigger outfit out of black cloth.

She handed Noelle the clothes weakly, but Noelle refused.

“I think I’ll stick with my t-shirt, thanks,”

Hera frowned, “Come on, Saint, your white tee has already darkened to gray; you might as well just go a few shades darker.”

Noelle nearly jumped at the sound of the humiliating nickname.

“Blade talks about you all the time,” Hera continued observing Noelle’s expression of great dislike. “I think that you shouldn’t be so judgmental. He’s hot, and let’s face it hon’, if you’re going around in some baggy tee, you aren’t going to have many options.”

Noelle snatched the clothes and hurried into the bathroom to slip them on.

She exited the bathroom feeling slightly uncomfortable about how the clothes corseted her body so tightly that she could barely breathe. Plus when she glanced down, her stomach still had rolls of fat now fully accentuated by the shirt.

“It’s all right,” Hera threw a dismissive wave. “I met a Main Character at camp who said that she was like that when she first entered. She managed to drop down four sizes after several bathroom sessions.”

Noelle clutched her throat as it anticipated a burning sensation once more. The last thing she wanted to do was throw up again.

“We won’t do it tonight,” Hera added as Noelle breathed a sigh of relief. “Although, we do need to fix your face... No offense, but I’m sure that none of the Supporting Characters have as much acne as that.”

Feeling almost immediate offense, Noelle shielded her face, but Hera dragged her to the bed, and heaved a very heavy bag onto the mattress.

She pulled out several metal utensils, which appeared to be torturing devices, but Hera assured Noelle that they were simply brushes needed to apply make-up, although Noelle wasn’t quite too sure about the eyelash curler.

“I’m such a good friend,” Hera muttered as she applied the fifth layer of who-knows-what onto Noelle’s face. “Most people who would call themselves friends would let you go out with your face like it was before, but I’m nicer than that.”

“Nice” wasn’t exactly how Noelle would put it. In fact, she would put quite the opposite. When she pictured “nice” she pictured Bri, which made her drown in more guilt, which she was grateful that Hera was hiding with another layer of foundation.

Perhaps Hera was just brutally honest. She needed friends like that, right? How come Bri or Lacey let her walk out of the cabin that day with no make-up on or a very worn down tee? Maybe if she had looked more appealing, she would have done well in tryouts.

But she was a Supporting Character now, maybe even a small main part, and she did it all on her own.

“Now,” Hera massaged her hands together shaking off some sparkly dust from a layer of eye make-up, “let’s see how nice you –”

She was interrupted by a scream in the hallway which caused Noelle to sprint out in curiosity.

She collided with Bri as her friend began muttering incoherently. Suddenly she stopped and stared at Noelle in astonishment.

Noelle half took this as disgust, “What’s wrong?” she hid her face behind her hands.

“Have you seen yourself in a mirror this morning?” Bri asked, alarmed.

“For you information, I spent a good hour on her make up, and she looks fine,” Hera’s voice snapped from the doorway as Noelle’s heart sank. Hera thought that Bri had shaved her hair clean off, and she expected a full wave of fury to collide into her former friend, Bri.

But instead, Hera offered a sugary sweet expression with a hint of hunger to destroy Bri in any way possible.

“It’s not that…” Bri began. “I don’t want to freak you out Noelle, well, never mind. I guess that you can see yourself in a mirror later, I’m sure that Hera did a great job, but there’s something else that I needed to tell you.”

Hera did something unexpected as she crossed her arms as if waiting for Bri to give her “confession” about slicing off her hair.

“There’s a Lapsus in the hallway. No, more than one, I saw five today, and one of them went into the Principal’s office.”

“What are you talking about?” Hera asked condescendingly, somewhat disappointed that she didn’t receive an immediate apology.

“Wouldn’t the principal have screamed when she saw one?” Noelle asked over Hera’s voice, completely forgetting that only some people could see the Lapsi.

“I mean, I did when I saw it exit her office coming towards my direction,” Bri said trembling at the thought of it, “But the principal seemed fine afterwards. She just excited the office with a packet full of papers bundled in her arms like nothing happened. I still feel chills. Noelle, this is scary stuff.”

“It’s a wonder how you didn’t end up in the Fantasy category,” Hera muttered before entering their room and slamming the door shut.

Bri stared at Noelle expectantly, waiting for her to follow her, but Noelle cast a longing glance at the room. What she desperately needed was more sleep. Although, she had difficulty portraying these emotions through the layers of make-up caking on her face.

“All right,” Noelle sighed, “but make it quick. I hear that they’re going to give us the plot twist sometime soon today, and I need to find out if I’m a Main or Supporting Character.”

Bri nodded and paced at Elm-speed down the hallway as Noelle struggled to keep up in her new 8-inch heels that Hera lent her.

“Speaking of,” Bri began curiously, “I know that you probably get this question a lot, but who cut off Hera’s hair? Did she report them to the authorities? I heard that a few Extras sliced their hair with the shears that she found so that they could craft a wig for Hera.”

Noelle didn’t have the heart to tell Bri the truth.

Such news would shatter Bri’s little heart.

“You seem different,” Bri nodded. “I hear that the beds are woven with pure gold, but I imagine that it’s really exciting in a Main Character dormitory. I’m very happy for you, Noelle.”

For some odd reason Noelle doubted this. She believed that Bri simply wanted to flatter her to earn herself a spot in the Main Character dorm. And why would she ever let Bri have the chance?

A very sickening feeling overcame Noelle.

Maybe it’s from throwing up,
she thought, but something seemed off, terribly off once again. Suddenly she understood the misery that Lacey spoke of. No matter how hard she tried to shove the regret away, it seemed to haunt her forever.

Will my conscience ever be clean?
She wondered as it dawned upon her that she would probably encounter more struggles because of her deed. Perhaps no one would ever find out, but would the guilt eat her alive?

Maybe if I push down long enough, I’ll be able to forget.

A chill crawled down Noelle’s spine as she began to feel a sense of awfulness rush upon her much like it did in the principal’s office the other day.

On the other hand, she felt a rousing sense of curiosity, though it was not over-ridden by the sense that something was overpowering her.

Suddenly a dark figure in the form of a shadow stood but a few yards away down the corridor. Streams of hallucinations, like heat upon a hot car wavering in silence, cascaded down its body. Noelle stood paralyzed when suddenly the Lapsus began racing toward them.

“Neither life nor death…” screamed Bri in a very ferocious voice compared to her normal nature. “Or any powers can separate me from the love of the Author.”

The shadow let out a scream and faded away as a stream of light seemed to pierce the middle of it and expand until completely consuming the creature.

“How did you –” Noelle began.

“Quoted the Author’s words,” Bri explained with a relieved smile planted on her face. “It’s a good thing that we can see them, because often times, others can’t. In fact, I think that it’s their main goal, also, to convince us that they don’t exist.

“Things unseen are capable of causing great damage, because people never really, well, see them coming,” Bri explained enthusiastically as if describing the score of a football game. “On another note, you should probably check your reflection in a mirror. I’m afraid that you won’t like what you will see.”

Noelle wanted to wipe clean her face of all the binding make up as the corseting clothes made her breath even shorter now that her heartbeat resumed the pace of a race horse.

Instead, she paraded down to her room, struggling to grow unaccustomed to the high heels and she clasped the cold metal of the doorknob knowing that only two nights before she had done the same to destroy the beauty of her roommate.

She entered and found Hera nearly stiff as a board as sweat began pouring down her face transforming her make-up to make her look like a raccoon.

“Hera,” Noelle cried, “do you want me to call the nurse?”

Hera shook her head feebly, “It just happens sometimes, these symptoms, I mean. The nurse would try to tell me to eat more, but I just can’t,” she said with tears sparkling in her eyes.