Hal lifted his chin with a finger. “There’s no need to be afraid. Tonight, I will remain by your side.”
His eyes darted through the door once more. “Promise.”
“I give you my word.”
Adam shuddered as his skin tingled. “Okay.” He pulled on the mask and wrapped the cloak around his shoulders. “How do I look?”
Hal tilted his head, then lifted the hood into place. “Positively frightful. Everyone will love it.” He extended his hand. “Shall we go?”
No one had offered to hold his hair-covered hand before. My hand isn’t smooth like his. What if he hates how it feels?
Hal smiled. “Tickles. Let’s go.”
Adam’s entire body shook with each step.
“One last thing.” Hal paused in the doorway. “This door,” he laid his hand on it. “Can only remain open until sunrise. After that, it will close and disappear until sundown next year. Do you understand?”
“Be back inside before the sun comes up, or I’ll be stuck outside. Got it.” Adam’s knees shook as he glanced at the Tracks. I don’t know if I can do this.
Hal squeezed his hand. “I’ll be all right. Come on, let’s get some treats.”
“Okay. Um — Hal…what’s a birthday?”
Chapter 2
Twelve
Adam froze as voices outside the garden walls grew louder.
“I’m telling you, I heard her say, there’s a beast behind these walls. One so hideous, people have died of fright, simply from glimpsing its face.”
He’d heard it too. In the whispers of those who hurried past the wall. Even with their low voices, he heard every word. Was it true? None had tested the theory. Sure, Hal had survived, but his magic protected him. What about everyone else?
“Well if he looks anything like you Dain, I can totally believe that.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re jealous, Andar. Everyone knows I’m way better looking than you, dear brother.”
“Says the guy who — Princess, what are you doing?”
Adam ducked behind the small hut and scrambled up the tree.
Princess?
“Andar, do you want to end up face down in a mud puddle?”
His high-pitched squeal hurt Adam’s ears. “You wouldn’t.”
“Call me Princess outside the palace walls one more time, and I will.”
“Whatever, Izy, but I don’t get it. If I had a sparkly title like — ”
“Andar,” Izy growled.
“ — Yours, I’d insist everyone call me it all day, every day.”
“That’s because you’re vain and pretentious, brother.”
Andar snorted. “Says the guy who has a complete meltdown if he finds even a speck of dust on his clothes.”
“I do not — ” Dain squeaked.
“Oh, will you two shut up.”
“Izy, I don’t think you should be doing that.”
“Doing what? Climbing a tree?”
“Yes, I mean think of your clothes and your hands. They’ll be all dirty. What if you get some on your face? What if someone sees? What if — ”
“You guys drag me here with tales of a supposed beast that lies behind these walls, and you don’t expect me to look?”
Andar gasped. “But the rumours…what if it’s true? What if you see him and you drop dead of fright?”
“Then I won’t have to listen to you two go on and on anymore. Besides, I’m certain we have a far different interpretation of what a ‘beast’ is supposed to look like. For most people around here, a bad hair day is sufficient to label someone beastly. I’ll take the chance.”
In a tree, on the other side of the wall, a head of golden hair appeared, with a face so beautiful, it hurt Adam to look. But he did. A hint of pink tinged her cheeks, and perfectly, straight white teeth bit down on a rose red lip. She wrapped one arm around the tree and pushed the hair from her face.
“Can you see it? Is it hideous?”
“Do you see the bodies? I hear it eats babies for breakfast.”
“I bet it smells.”
“Oh, I’m sure it does. Can you — ”
Izy glared. “Are you two actually this stupid, or do you have to work at it?”
Neither answered.
She climbed higher and peered into the garden. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”
Izy’s comment both puffed out Adam’s chest and heated his cheeks. Little else to do with his time, he’d spent many hours in the garden. Gus had scampered over the wall many times and brought new plants to grow, but the roses grew best.
“Beautiful?” Dain gasped. “How can it be beautiful? Beasts know nothing about being beautiful.”
“Why not? I know plenty of beautiful people who are utterly beastly, so why can’t the opposite be true?”
“Good grief, do you hear yourself? Izy, you need to come down, there’s something wrong with you?” Concern tinged Andar’s voice.
“I’ve never seen roses as perfect as these. They smell — ” Izy inhaled. “Divine. How I wish I could have just one.”
“Either you come down right now, or I’ll start calling you the ‘P’ word.” Dain threatened.
The threat stole her attention. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“You leave me no choice, Prin — ”
“Fine.” Izy grit her teeth and growled. “But you proved my point, Dain. You don’t have to look like a monster to be a beast.”
“Me?” Dain squealed. “What a perfectly horrid thing to say. I wish we’d never brought you here.”
“But you did,” Izy uttered the words under her breath, but Adam caught them all. With one last glance around the garden, she climbed down.
As her head disappeared from view, Adam scrambled down and climbed the tree pressed to the edge of the wall. Given the number of times he’d done it, he’d settled in place before Izy reached the ground.
She stalked towards Dain and shoved him hard.
Dain’s squealed, and Adam bit his lip to hold back his giggle.
“Don’t you ever threaten me again, understand?”
Andar rushed to help his brother from the ground. “What is wrong with you, Izy? Why would you do that?”
“The fact you have to ask me that only proves my point. You — ” A pink rosebud sailed past her nose and landed at her feet. Her head whipped in Adam’s direction, and he almost fell from the tree as he scooted backwards. Please don’t let her have seen me.
Izy bent and retrieved the rosebud. She caressed the velvet soft petals. Adam held his breath as she lifted it to her nose. She cocked her head and stared straight into where he hid.
“Thank you.” Without another word, Izy strode away.
Andar and a distressed Dain trailed after her.
Perhaps, Hal was right after all.
The door closed at sunrise the morning after his first Halloween, and Adam dared not hope, it might open again. As the sun fell the next Halloween, the door reappeared, as did Hal.
“Hal.”
“What’s up kid?”
“Before we cross the Tracks, can we go somewhere first?”
“Where ya thinking of going?”
He bit down on his lip. “Can you take me to see Rita?”
Hal frowned. “You sure you want to do that?”
Adam had considered the idea for an entire year, and the more he thought about it, the more it haunted him. After all these years, he needed to see her.
Hal released a heavy breath when he nodded. “Come on.”
In the dark, they’d slipped through the trees to the house where Rita lived.
A mix of emotions tugged inside his chest as he spied her through the window. She looks exactly the same. He’d expected to feel anger for the woman who’d abandoned him, but sadnes
s tightened his throat. It’s been eight years. Perhaps, she feels differently now. Maybe I can come home. A pair of blonde-haired boys joined her. His stomach plummeted as he watched her face light up to see them, the smile that crossed her face as they each hugged her in turn. A sob burned in his throat. She never smiled at me. Not ever.
“Who are they?”
“You don’t know?”
Adam shook his head. “Rita locked me in the garden when I was three years old. I remember her face, but not those two.”
Hal sighed. “Hate to be the one to break it to you kid, but those two, Andar and Dain — they’re your brothers.”
I have brothers? “So then Rita — ”
“Is your mother? Nah, but you do share the same father.” Hal’s eyes narrowed. “He’s the reason you’re in this mess.”
“And, my mother?”
Hal shrugged. “Never met her.”
Knives sliced Adam’s young heart in two. “She didn’t want me either. Nobody does.” He stole one more glance at the picture-perfect family before he fled to the safety of his hut inside the garden. No wonder she never wanted me. Rita was right, I’m a beast. If my own parents didn’t want me, how can I expect anyone else to? Tears streamed as he flung himself onto his bed.
Not long after, one side dipped. “Sorry, kid. None of this is your fault. I wish there was more I could do.”
“I wish you’d never opened that door.”
“Don’t be like that, kid. Hey, look at me.” Adam sniffed and met his gaze. “I know life sucks, but trust me, you are way better than either of those two losers. Prissy little mama’s boys, who fall apart if their clothes get dirty, or someone doesn’t notice how pretty their hair looks. They’ll never understand how much fun it is to climb a tree or dig in the garden, and they’d probably faint if they ever saw a rat.” Hal scratched Gus beneath his chin. “Even better, kids from the Right Side of the Tracks, don’t celebrate Halloween. They don’t get to dress up and go trick or treating. I’ve said it before — not everybody in this world is fixated on looks, but you’ll never meet any of them if you stay holed up in here.”
“Maybe not, but right now I don’t care.”
Hal ruffled his hair. “Fair enough. But if you change your mind, the door will stay open till sunrise.”
Right before the door disappeared the next morning, Hal appeared and handed him a large bag of treats. “Couldn’t have you missing out.” He stood and wandered to the door. “Catch you next year, kid.”
The memory faded and Adam descended from the tree. I just met a princess! Well sorta, and she wasn’t at all like I expected. He smiled so big it hurt. And Hal was right, my brothers are prissy idiots.
Chapter 3
Sixteen
The moon sat high in the sky as Adam stood with his friends around the bonfire. They’d finished trick or treating an hour or so ago, pockets stuffed with treats.
Yo, Wolfy, do you ever lose the mask?”
Adam smiled behind his mask. “Aw, what’s the matter, Fog? Not smart enough to figure it out?”
Fog drew on his cigarette and enveloped them in a cloud of fog-like smoke. “You’re not local, that’s for sure. There’s no one built like you around here.”
Actually, there is.
Adam pulled a treat from his pocket and pushed it through the wolf mask into his mouth. Year after year, he continued to wear the same mask.
“Hey, Wolfy. Isn’t that the same costume you wore last year? Didn’t your mother tell you it doesn’t hurt to change it up once in a while?”
Adam panicked to realise someone had recognised him.
“They call me, Fog.” He blew a cloud of smoke into the air. “For obvious reasons.”
Adam had coughed and waved the smoke from his face. “Clever.” His sarcastic tone hadn’t offended Fog, that or he hadn’t got it.
“So, some friends and I are meeting up at the bonfire later. Why don’t you join us?”
He’d started to refuse when Hal appeared beside him. “Sounds like fun. Better than hanging with an old guy like me all night.”
Adam narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. “But what about — ”
Hal brought his face to his. “Kid, you’ll be fine. Besides, it’s your birthday. Just remember the rules, okay?” Like he could ever forget them. Hal clapped his shoulder. “You boys have fun.” He wandered off before Adam could object.
Fog jerked his thumb after Hal. “That your old man?”
“More like my fairy godfather,” Adam muttered.
“Your what?”
Adam cleared his throat. “Godfather. Hal’s my godfather. I don’t have any parents, so Hal takes care of me.”
“Shit, sorry, that’s rough.” Fog laid an arm across his shoulders. “But at least you got him, right?” He squeezed Adam’s shoulder. “Did I hear him say it was your birthday?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
“Man, that’s awesome. Come on. Let’s go find the others. They’re gonna freak.”
Four years later they were still friends.
“Stuffin’ your face would be so much easier without that thing. Let me — ” Fog reached for his mask, but Adam leaned back and smacked his hand away.
“When you figure it out, I’ll take it off.” He straightened his hood. “It’s the principle of the thing now. Four years and counting.”
Fog puffed on his cigarette and blew it in his direction. “Whatever. You’re probably the Beast. Rumour has it he comes out of hiding every Halloween because it’s the only time he can show his face without people going ballistic. It’s that it? Are you the Beast?” He burst into laughter and the others seated around the fire joined in.
Adam forced himself to offer a casual shrug. “If I were the Beast, why would I need a mask?”
“Because you’re so butt ugly, your true face is scarier than any mask ever made. If not for the mask, we’d come after you with pitchforks and flaming torches.” Fog howled with laughter and slapped Adam’s back. “Oh, come on dude, it’s funny.”
But it isn’t. The dark hid how bad Adam’s hand shook as he sipped his drink. No matter how much time passed, nor how close he and Fog had grown, Adam knew he’d never take off the mask.
“Look, I don’t think you’re the Beast. That freak wouldn’t spend his one night of freedom sitting by the fire having a drink with his mates, he’d be off stealing women and children or some shit.” Fog cast Adam a sideways glance. “Just as long as you’re not one of those pretty boys from Right Side of the Tracks, we’re good. Though the fact you’re wearing a damn flower every time I see you, I gotta wonder.”
It wasn’t any damn flower, it was a rose. A pink rose.
“It masks the stench of your cancer sticks. You know those things will kill you?” Adam stood. I’m done with Halloween.
Fog’s cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth as he clamped his hands over his heart. “Babe, I didn’t know you cared.”
Adam smiled despite his discomfort. “Yeah, well — ”
“Excuse me.”
Adam’s heart thundered in his chest. It can’t be. It had been four years since he’d heard that voice. The voice of an angel that had captured the heart of a young boy, and never let go. A voice he’d convinced himself he’d never hear it again
Izy.
Adam stood dressed and ready when the door opened. For three months he’d waited for Izy to return, but she hadn’t. Though he couldn’t say why he wanted — no — needed to see her again. Now was his chance. He almost knocked Hal off his feet as he barrelled through the opening.
Hal snagged his arm. “Damn, kid. Where’s the fire?”
“I need to get to the palace.”
Hal dragged him back into the garden. “Whoa there. You can’t go to the palace.”
“Sure, I can.” Adam checked his ge
ar. “I’ve got my mask, I’ll blend in. No one will recognise me.”
“There is no such thing as ‘blending in’ on the Right Side of the Tracks. I told you, there is no Halloween.”
He pointed towards the lights which blazed in the distance. “Then what’s that? I hear, people and music, like a party.”
“Kid, that’s the Harvest Ball. The one night the Haves pretend they’re royalty. They wear costumes of kings and queens. Of fairy princesses and delicate swans. And everyone is so obsessed with how they look, you couldn’t pay them to cover their faces. I’m sorry, kid.”
An invisible hand squeezed Adam’s heart, and his bottom lip quivered as he fell to his knees. I’m so stupid.
Hal squatted. “Hey, it’s Halloween, and you know what that means.” He pulled a gift from behind him. “Happy birthday, kid.”
He held the gift on his lap but didn’t bother to open it. “Thanks.”
“Gee, such enthusiasm.” Hal tossed the gift aside and pulled Adam to his feet. “Come, on.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Well, I need a wingman and kid — you’re it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince people to give you treats as an adult? It was tricks all round for Halloween last year. This year I want treats, so buck up, and let’s go.” Hal grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
Adam had tried to fight back a smile but failed.
“That’s my boy.”
Time passed. Adam managed to push Izy from his mind, at least while he was awake. Asleep was another matter, but he’d accepted she was nothing more than a childhood fantasy. A pretence that was easy to maintain given he’d never seen her again. Until now.
“Well, hello. What have we here?” Adam fought the urge not to growl as Fog jumped up and raked his eyes over Izy. “Where’d you come from darlin’?”
“Oh — I — ”
A voice piped up from one of the others. “With her red hood, and basket…she looks like she’s on her way to Granny’s.”
Fog joined the laughter around the fire. “Little Red, and Wolfy, how perfect.” He beckoned her closer. “Come join us. I’m Fog, this is Wolfy — ”
Tricks or Treats: An Anthology for Charity Page 19