What Lies Behind the Mask

Chapter 5

Masky felt EJ place a hand on his shoulder, and then, they were gone. Within the blink of an eye, they had been transported into a different wooded area, quite a long ways away from their previous location. When they arrived, he looked down at the young girl he held in his arms. She couldn't have been more than a few years younger than him, yet she had a look of maturity about her brought on by years of coping with something that had weighed her down heavily. Her long, lustrous hair fell behind his arm, cascading downwards as if someone were pouring heated silver into a mold. Her fair skin was only visible on her face and hands, as every other part of her body was covered by her dark clothing. Masky thought about her when they were in her home and in the forest, and shivered when her eyes caught his. The ashen irises seemed to bore into his soul; seeing beyond the mask he wore, and looking into his dark eyes. Her fierce gaze made his heart beat a little faster, and her sharp words were a knife in his chest. Masky recalled her younger sister calling her name in the forest. Siren, he thought.

Eyeless Jack had been watching him the entire time. He watched Masky look at the girl he carried, and interrupted him. "He Masky, you ok?"

Masky looked over at him, startled. "Huh? What do you mean?"

EJ rolled his eyes. "I know that it gets difficult for you to teleport when you're carrying a lot of extra weight with you. Are you feeling ok?"

Masky shook his head. "Oh, oh, right." He hadn't really thought about his condition. He did feel a little weak and light-headed. His heartbeat was quicker than normal, and he limbs were starting to tremble, which EJ noticed immediately. He sighed.

"Masky, you shouldn't push yourself so hard. You could've taken us one at a time, you know. Or a at least not gone so far in one trip." He walked over to him, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Here, give her to me. You need to take it easy for a while."

Masky reluctantly handed her body over to him, and put his hands on his knees, bending over. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was. Eyeless Jack grinned at his friend. "See? I told you that you were tired. I really hope that this girl isn't gonna control your life all the time." he laughed.

Masky shook his head, annoyed. "Oh please, as if I would really ever even associate with her unless I had orders to. If it wasn't for Mr. Slender, I wouldn't have anything to do with her." Once again, EJ chuckled.

"Whatever you say," he muttered under his breath. They began to walk through the woods, silent and thoughtful. EJ looked at the girl he carried and realized why Masky had been staring so intently. She was, by any standard, very beautiful. Silvery, light hair contrasting her dark, stormy eyes, fair, pale skin, and ruby lips that looked soft to the touch. He blushed when the idea crossed his mind. His mind wandered to her body resting against his own. Her thin form occasionally jostling against him when he walked over a fallen tree, a stone, or a hill made his cheek flush brighter with blood flow. He smiled softly, remembering how she had fought to protect her sister and the ones she loved. EJ felt a pang in his heart as he wondered if maybe she'd come to care for him like that. He shook off that thought and looked over at Masky, who was watching his feet as he walked, clearly deep in thought. A rueful smile met his lips as he watched his close friend of many years. Things are about to become very interesting, he thought.

Masky, too, was still thinking about the girl in his companion's arms. The outspoken introvert who he had been following for many years, in her dreams and, most recently, in reality. The passionate way she spoke, the radiant glow of her beauty, the suspiciousness she held for everyone and everything except for her dear sister. He grimaced. It's such a shame that the thing she loves the most will keep her here, he thought. He smiled sadistically. Oh well, all's fair in love and war. He hated the fact that she was coming with them, hated that everyone thought that she would be a fun pet. Masky didn't want her to be there at all. His life among his fellow proxies had been happy and enjoyable ever since Slender showed him his hidden talent when it came to murder. And Masky enjoyed what he did and who he lived with, until now that is. With her there, things were sure to change in the household. Everyone would be fawning over her, and just acting stupid overall since this would be the first female in the house in quite some time. She was only going to cause trouble, be stubborn, and make his life miserable. "Stupid girl," he said under his breath.