The Masquerade

by Rae, Alexa

  "El?"

  I turned to my friend. "I'm sorry what?"

  Her eyes moved behind me, no doubt searching for whatever had occupied my attention. I forced a smile, waiting for her to answer, as though everything was all right and that man hadn't scared the crap out of me.

  "I was talking about the older couple." She said, sounding unsure of herself.

  "They make marriage look almost worthwhile." I said, after a moment of observing them closely in order to get my mind out of the state of panic the stranger managed to put me in. "They're one of the lucky ones."

  "Not every marriage fails, Ella." Shiloh scolded.

  My friends were very aware of my opinion about marriage, a pointless way to tie yourself to someone who will loose interest in you in only a matter of time. To back my theory I never heard of a marriage that truly stayed alive. My father left my mom when I was four. Hayley's dad lived in Charlotte just to get away from her mom. Shiloh's parents still lived in the same household, but whenever I saw them, they never spoke to each other directly. And every time her dad turned around, Shiloh's mom was flipping him off. And Adam, his parents were just strange. Normal just doesn't have a place anymore. Then again, who wanted normal?

  After everything my mom went through when my father, her "other half" or so she continues to say, left us, I swore to myself that I would never endure anything of the sort. I never wanted to be stuck in Shiloh's mother's position where I lived the rest of my life wishing my husband would leave for work. I didn't want to be forgotten by my husband like Hayley's mom. I absolutely feared losing the only man I would ever allow myself to trust, like my mom.

  After the dinner rush passed Shiloh and I were left alone to close the diner. I was in the middle of putting the silverware away when I heard the glass door in the front creak open, bringing with it a gust of wind.

  "Oh no! I don't think so. We're closed!" Shiloh shouted without looking away from her clean up routine.

  "Is there food?" Adam asked when he burst through the threshold. Hayley trailed in behind him.

  "We're in a restaurant, moron. Of course there's food." Haley said, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself past him.

  "Go home Hayley." Adam retorted. She paid him no attention. She slid over the counter behind the bar to our "screw up" stash.

  Shiloh threw her hands up in frustration. "I just cleaned that counter!"

  Hayley straightened; a frown on her face. "There's no food."

  "Ah ha!" Adam shouted, pointing at her in affirmation.

  I shrugged, smiling. "We got everything right today."

  "I'd like to keep that record by closing on time." Shiloh growled.

  Hayley pushed herself up on the countertop to sit, her legs dangling off the edge. "Learn to lock the door when you close, sweetheart." She winked at Shiloh before turning her attention back to the rest of us. "I still want food."

  "Kitchen is closed, dear." Shiloh remarked with a sigh of exasperation. Hayley stuck her tongue out in response.

  "You guys doing the zombie walk Saturday night?" Adam asked. Shiloh moved to stand next to him. He immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her snug against his side.

  "A bunch of people dressed as zombies running throughout the town on Halloween night." I broke into a grin. "We're definitely making an appearance."

  "It's going to be sick." Adam agreed.

  "Correction," I held up one hand. "It's going to be the most splendipidly wonderful thing that has ever happened in Covington."

  Hayley's dark eyebrows rose in amusement. "Splendipidly?"

  "It's a new word." I smiled.

  Shiloh nodded. "I'll call Merriam." I nodded in her direction approvingly.

  "So I'm guessing everyone knows about Friday night." We all turned to Adam at the sudden change of subject. He amended at the sight of our confused frowns, "The Masquerade, they're in Georgia again."

  "I didn't know they were playing in Georgia tomorrow." Shiloh frowned and turned to Hayley and I. "Did you hear anything?" Hayley shrugged. It took me a moment to realize I had sucked in a sharp breath that I was still holding. I exhaled and shook my head quickly.

  "It's The Masquerade. No one knows when or where they play until the last minute." Adam said. "I'd check for tickets, but that would be useless. They're already sold out."

  "How do they always manage to sell out within an hour of the announcement when no one knows they are coming? And, their best fans are the last to know?" Shiloh expressed with a sigh of disappointment. "That would have been an excellent kick off to start Halloween."

  "At least you got to see them last year," Adam grumbled.

  "Well shit." Hayley groaned. I swallowed, while the knot in my stomach twisted. The Masquerade would be in the same state as us. Ben would be less than forty-five minutes away from me. After all this time, I still thought about him as though it happened yesterday. It stung, knowing I was going to miss my chance of seeing him again.

  I never told anyone about that night. The news of Davey's death spread throughout the town the next morning. Hayley and Shiloh kept my secret safe. I managed to convince them that what happened with him didn't change the fact that he was still dead. The last thing I wanted was another reason for everyone to consider me the girl with continuous issues.

  I had nightmares following that night, revealing what would have happened if Davey hadn't been interrupted. My demons in the darkest shadows of my mind taunted me, telling me every night I was weak, pathetic, and incapable of outliving my past. It was only until a few months ago that I managed to tell them to go fuck themselves. My nightmares never ceased, but the incessant dream of the monster eating me alive stopped when the dream of Davey took over. I still had the dream some nights, but now I was strong enough to not let it control me.

  I hadn't heard much from Eli since last his visit at my house that night. As the months went on, I didn't think much of him either. Although our conversation still haunted me. He knew the man who saved me, killed Davey. I was protecting him. In Eli's mind, that made me the enemy. No longer the victim. The entire evil scenario had been turned around, my attempted rape forgotten.

  The thought of Ben often stirred something within me. It was a mixture of curiosity and allure. I knew fear should have been lying beneath the surface as well, but when Ben came to my mind I was far from fear. I wanted to see him again. Was it the danger or something else? I wanted to set those emotions on fire and discover where they would lead me and for that reason I hoped to never find him. I don't like feeling that way for anyone. Once you fall, you become vulnerable, and open to the heartbreak that will eventually prevail.

  For that reason, I never told my friends who saved me that night. Ben was the secret that I would keep with me for the rest of my life. After all...who would believe that a rock star saved me?

  "Okay well, we will just have to find something else to occupy our time that night." Shiloh said, her voice pulling me from my thoughts.

  "Tomorrow is Devil's Night." Hayley winked.

  I groaned remembering my work schedule. "I work until nine tomorrow." On the night before Halloween, or Devil's Night, our town usually had a celebration in the square. The roads were blocked off so the party could flood into the streets. There was always a live band in the middle of the square. Everyone, including townies and people from other parts of the state, stayed out and partied until midnight. Covington really lived up to its high expectations in October.

  "We won't party too hard without you." Adam promised.

  Shiloh rolled her eyes at Adam's remark. We were the troublemakers, not partiers. "Come meet us in the square after your shift."

  "Definitely," I told her smiling. It bothered me that we were missing The Masquerade, but Devil's Night would be a fun substitution. Covington to the rescue, again.

  I looked around the restaurant for a final inspection. Shiloh and I always did a marvelous clean up job. "I think we can lock up, Shi."

  "Let's blow this joint." Ad
am moved towards the door, but stopped short and looked over his shoulder to Hayley. "I don't mean that literally."

  Her eyes tightened. "Do you want a ride home?"

  One of his eyebrows rose, "Interesting choice of words."

  She rolled her eyes. "You're such an ass Adam." Hayley crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell me you're sorry or I'm not taking you home."

  Adam shook his head like a five year old with his bottom lip stuck out. "No!" He ran to the door, pulled it open, and called over his shoulder. "Thugs don't apologize!"

  I bit down on my lip to suppress my laughter when the door slammed shut. Hayley turned to Shiloh. "Honestly, what do you see in him?"

  Shiloh grabbed her wallet. "He's my dork."

  "That, he is." I smiled.

  "Yeah, among other things" Hayley muttered, sliding off the counter.

  We left the diner together after Shiloh locked the doors. Adam was perched on top of Hayley's black BMW parked by the curb in the square. Hayley threatened she would cut off his genitals if he scratched her car. Shiloh intervened quickly by saying she needed those to keep the relationship going. I just wanted to vomit.

  "Gross, please no more!" I laughed, my hands at my ears, while I shook my head.

  Hayley pulled open the car door, slid in the driver's side, and turned the car on. Immediately, a song I recognized by Memphis May Fire, burst through the loud speakers. She rolled the windows down and jumped out of the car. I grinned and began to sway along to the band's cover of the pop song, "Grenade."

  Adam leapt off the car, singing along to the words, and began to throw his head back and forth. The girls danced around the car screaming along to the words. I knew my cue. I jumped onto the sidewalk where my body was illuminated by the street lamp behind me.

  "I'd catch a grenade for ya." I sang over Matty Mullins voice, a grin on my face.

  "Throw my head on a blade for ya," Adam tried to sing, pointing at Shiloh, who was on the opposite end of the car.

  "I'd jump in front of a train for ya," she added, blushing.

  "You know I'd do anything for ya," Hayley finished.

  "Oh, I would go through all this pain. Take a bullet straight through my brain. Yes, I would die for you baby. But you won't do the same." I sang along, extending the notes.

  Hayley cheered. A young couple walking out of a restaurant across the street from us, stared, their eyes narrowed. It was too much noise for ten o'clock at night, but by the time anyone made a noise complaint we'd be long gone.

  I waved to them and they turned their up noses in another direction. I jumped up on the park bench, and sang to my friends as if they were an audience of a thousand. I swayed, my hands on my hips, to the beat of the music. "Black, black, black and blue, beat me till I'm numb. Tell the devil I said hey when you get back to where you're from."

  Shiloh finished the verse in my pause. I jumped off the bench, my legs bent to the side for a brief moment while in the air, before I landed and ran to the side of the car to dance with Hayley. We all sang along to the song, trying to imitate Matty's screams after the end of each verse. Adam found his way to the other side of the car and caught me in a twirl. He took my hands and spun me around again. I laughed and danced with him for the chorus.

  I spun around and stepped away from Adam to finish the song. "But darling I'd still catch a grenade for ya" I sang louder, hitting the higher notes that I'd practiced in my room.

  I flipped my head to the side and prepared to sing the rest of the chorus, when something caught my eye. I turned so I could get a better look at the figure I saw. Across the street someone stood, their hands shoved in the pockets of their jeans. He was kept hidden by the shadows, but I could see the outline of his body, the darker color of his hair, and the confidence of his posture. In the distance, I could feel his eyes on me. My smile slowly fell, my head tilted to the side in curiosity as I stared back.

  "Ella," I heard Shiloh sing following the end of the song. I looked over my shoulder to her. "What are you doing?"

  "Oh," I said, my attention moving back to the man across the street. But when I looked back, the sidewalk was empty. I frowned, my eyes searching the empty street for the man, but he was gone. "Nothing, I thought I saw something." I muttered and turned back to my friends. They all stared at me in concern. I smiled in response, ignoring my stomach that began to tighten.

  Adam pretended to gasp, "Slender man?"

  I laughed and played along. "I knew he looked familiar!"

  He mocked a scream in response before Hayley snapped at him and told him to shut it. I looked back over my shoulder, hoping to see the stranger again, but the sidewalk was empty. For a slight second I hoped it was Ben. He had a habit of disappearing into thin air. But I knew better. Ben was a memory and that was what he would remain.

  Twelve

  It was just after nine when the commotion started. Customers quickly paid and fled the restaurant to participate in the festivities outside. Every time the door swung open, the shrill of girls' screams and adults' laughter, fused by alcohol, filtered into the room. It was like New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I found myself continuously sneaking looks out the window to discover the source of the noise. The town went crazy every year on Devil's Night, but this year seemed different. The excitement was vibrant, the noise was louder, and the chill in the air was prominent.

  I had just untied the black apron around my waist when Ava came over to me, holding a tray stacked with dirty plates. "Pretty crazy tonight, isn't it?"

  I nodded. The pounding of drums hummed into the bar. My attention immediately cast to the front windows, but I only found the sight of hundreds of people standing in front of the stage that was built on the side of the square, furthest to the restaurant. The fast strumming of electric guitars sliced into the drums. I couldn't place the familiarity of the beat, but I didn't have to. The door to the restaurant swung open, Hayley and Shiloh practically flung themselves through.

  "Ella!" Hayley shrieked when she saw me. I grabbed my keys off the counter and rushed towards her. She opened her mouth, but the words refused to follow. Her chest heaved as though they had been running while her wide eyes sparked with excitement. My hands found her shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

  "What's wrong, Hail?"

  Shiloh spoke first. "The Masquerade is playing in the square!" My hands fell from Hayley's shoulders as I turned to face Shiloh, my face frozen in shock. "Can you hear them? They're here! They're actually here, in Covington." Shiloh was no longer with us. In her place, a squealing fan girl, with the inability to form coherent sentences.

  I looked at Hayley. She nodded to confirm Shiloh's statement. "They're seriously right outside. They just started their first song." Her eyes flickered to the keys in my hand. "And it looks like your shift just ended." A grin broke into my expression. I could only nod in response.

  I called over my shoulder, reminded Ava my shift had ended, pulled my jacket off the coat rack, and darted outside. I shoved my arms through the sleeves as the chill in the air pinched my cheeks. The loud, pulsating music burst into my eardrums as I walked through the glass door. My heart palpated in my chest as the excitement and thrill rushed through my veins. Together, we pushed and shoved through the crowd to find our way to the stage. I recognized the song playing, along with the deep, raspy voice that carried over the audience.

  Ben.

  The massive crowd swarming the square screamed and cheered for the band. I looked up, my eyes able to make out figures on stage, and nothing more. I needed to get close enough to see him. He wouldn't see me in the packed crowd, but that didn't concern me. As long as I saw him, I would be reminded that the past was real.

  Unlike their usual concerts, people weren't glued together. There was space between each body, not much, but enough. Not one person attempted to mosh so there was no difficulty in making our way to the front. We were just a couple feet from the stage when we stopped. Shiloh stood next to Adam, their hands already intertwined. I stood between Ad
am and Hayley. There were teenagers who stood in front of us, with their arms up, hands thrashing to the beat. Adam, Hayley, and Shiloh did the same, but I could only sway, unable to make much movement, my mind elsewhere.

  My eyes found Ben. In spite of the chill, warmth spread underneath my skin, while I felt something unwrap within me. He stood in the middle of the stage, his piercing eyes wandered over the audience, absorbing the energy that the crowd released. A half smile touched his lips. I held my breath, feeling the excitement drill within me as I watched him.

  He suddenly darted to the middle of the stage, crouched down, the microphone to his mouth and belted, "Oh, I will never let go again!" The chorus led into the next verse. The crowd danced and sang along to the lyrics. The songs were from their latest album. It was the first song in the history of their music career that didn't contain one scream.

  "It haunts me, down to my bones!" His deep voice had this shattering effect in me, the pieces struggling to come together again. His presence, his voice, his smile, all left me unhinged. "I know we're all alone."

  He placed the microphone in its stand, in the middle of the stage. He stepped back and waited while Cam played his guitar solo. Ben's head turned to the side, his eyes on the crowd. When I realized I was staring for too long his eyes moved up and met mine.

  His head stilled. His dark eyes locked with mine. He remained frozen as he watched me. The intensity of his stare struck me, penetrating my soul. I swallowed and reminded myself that breathing was necessary. He continued to stare without moving until Cam finished his solo. Ben abruptly dropped his eyes. The fire I felt under his gaze that burned within me, faded and I felt the chill of the night air seep beneath the surface of my skin again.

  I felt the pressure of Adam's gaze. I looked up at him. One of his eyebrows rose. I shrugged my shoulders as a response. He smirked and turned his attention back to the band. I looked at both girls, but they didn't seem to notice the brief encounter of my gaze with Ben's.

  Ben didn't look at me again for the rest of their performance. When he moved to the side of the stage I was closest to his eyes purposely moved over my head. Somehow, I knew he was trying not to look at me. My stomach churned, the disappointment wavering around me. I tried not to care, to think of the other Masquerade members, but thoughts always went back to Ben.