Unmasked Beauty

Kidnapped.

Nikki woke up in a dark room. She couldn't see anything. A figure was to the right of her, but she couldn't see that either. Suddenly a bright light came on, and Nikki realized she was in some sort of cellar. Next to her lay a figure, unrecognizable at the moment. Rubbing her head, she groaned and sat up. "Where am I?" Nikki looked around squinting, trying to make out her dark surroundings. All of a sudden, daylight filtered through a door, and she could clearly see the person next to her. Josh.

Nikki gasped as she whipped her head to the new figure in the door. Rebecca walked in, wearing the mask. "What's happening?" Nikki was confused at this point, rather than scared. Well," Rebecca began, making her way slowly down the stairs. "You're clueless." "I needed someone to pass the mask on to." "Only that way I'll have my real face back." She turned to look at Josh, who hadn't said a word. "Now, you'll wait here." She used her hands and gestured around the empty room. "I have business to attend to." It took Nikki some time to grasp the information, but when she finally did, her heart started pounding in her chest, like a thousand marching bands had begun their song.

With that Rebecca began to ascent up the stairs, smirking as she harshly slammed and locked the door behind them. Josh looked devasted. "I'm so sorry..." he said bleakly. She made me bring you here." His eyes were pleading and his forehead was crinkled into many worried lines. "If I didn't, she threatened to find a way to pass the mask on to me." "I don't even know why I listened to her, I panicked.." He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, avoiding her gaze.

Nikki was still a bit angry at the boy's weakness, but she sighed and shrugged. "You didn't help either of us, it's going onto me now." She leaned her back on the wall, defeated. "That won't happen." Josh put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We just need a plan.."
*****************************
The door to the cellar  opened and Rebecca came down the stairs with another rope. Nikki and Josh stood up. Everything seemed to go in slow motion from there.

Rebecca lunged at Nikki with the rope grabbing her hands. Josh was faster however, and pulled Nikki away. They raced up the creaky stairs, desperate to open the door. Quickly reaching the top, she began to unlatch the small opening, relieved. After attempting to push up the door, Nikki soon began to realize that it was stuck. "No!" She whispered, teeth gritted, pounding on the wood.

Josh was already up, ready to help her. All of a sudden, Nikki felt a hand clasp around her leg. She screamed a bloodcurling scream as she was dragged back down the basement stairs, straight into Rebecca's trap. She wrapped the rope tightly around Nikki's waist. For a 14 year old, she was sharp on her feet. "Help!" Nikki tried to kick back, missing Rebecca each time she sadly attempted.

Rebecca grinned as Nikki panted, trying to get away. Josh nodded at her, and she knew he had their plan in his head, ready to pounce. Nikki's heart beat rapidly as Rebecca slowly removed the mask, paining Nikki to look at her ghoulish face. It was now reddish, becoming more gruesome as each day past.

Nikki prayed this plan would work out. Rebecca grasped Nikki's face in her hands. Nikki finched at their ice-cold touch. She began bringing the mask closer, and as she prepared to put it on Nikki's face.

At that moment Josh ran over and grabbed the mask right out of Rebecca's hand. She turned in surprise, and lunged at him. He managed to get halfway up the stairs before Rebecca caught him with her razor sharp nails.

Pinning him to thr wall, she fastened the mask to his face. At that moment, Rebecca fell to the floor, panting. "No!" Nikki shrieked, and struggled against the ropes. Using a nearby piece of sharp wood, she found a way to loosen them. Running, she knelt down by Josh.

"What did you do?!" Her friend lay lifeless, mask slowly blending in, and starting to resemble his real face. Rebecca looked at Nikki, clueless. "What happened?" She asked. "Are you kidding?" Nikki shouted, annoyed and scared for Josh. "You've been a physco for the past 10 minutes, not to mention this is all your fault!" She continued shouting as Rebecca's face just got more and more dumbfounded.

"I don't remember anything after that strange night.." Then she glanced at Josh. "Josh?" "That horrible mask..." "What's going on?" So Nikki told her everything quickly, occasionally glancing at the boy, still unmoving. When Nikki finished her explanation, Rebecca looked horrified.

"I did all that?"Rebecca held her head and began to cry. "Rebecca it wasn't your fault." "You couldn't control it." She quickly tried to empathize, but was still worr

Giving her best friend a quick hug, they both looked at Josh. "Oh no!" "What if he turned into a monster under the mask too?" Rebecca whispered. "I guess we're about to find out." Nikki replied.

She reached over slowly, and pulled the mask from his face. They both gasped as they started at his scarred face. "Josh!" "I am so sorry!" "If there was a way to bring you back we would!!" She said as Josh got up slowly.

"Nikkki.." he said in a low raspy voice. Nikki's heart did a double take. Nikki gasped and backed up. She was against a wall. Josh prepared to put the mask on Nikki's face. She looked around, cornered. Rebecca was on the floor, the powers of the mask must have done it.

Josh grabbed Nikki's face with his claws. She cried as the mask was fixed upon her face.********************************

Her tears glistened under the mask. Nikki heard voices. The mask was lifted off her face. "Nikki!" Rebecca. "Oh, no!" Nikki couldn't think straight. Her head was spinning.

So she began to cry. Tears wetted her face and ran down her shriveled cheeks. All of a sudden she began to feel like herself again. She could think and see clearly.

She looked at Josh and Rebecca, who were gazing in astonishment. "Y-your face!" Rebecca said. "It's back to normal!" Said Josh with joy. Nikki collapsed on the floor even more. "What?" She asked.

Josh stabilized her and helped her up. "Why didn't the mask effect you for long?" Asked Rebecca. Nikki was dumbfounded. Until she realized it. "My tears..." she said. "I've got it!" Nikki said.

"The mask makes you see all evil in the world, makes you feel vain, naive, and full of yourself." "Only one emotion." "Selfishness." "So when another emotion takes over, it deprives the mask of its main powers, evil!" Rebecca joined in." "I felt sadness, and despair." "My tears." "Well, I think it's time to get rid of the mask, once and for all."

Rebecca picked it up and smashed it to the ground. It shattered, glowing red for a second, then dissapearing alltogether.****************************************
It's been a while since the mask was destroyed, and the three kids became even better friends. Mostly, no one thought of the mask. Josh and Nikki began to date, Rebecca had no problem with it.

One day, they were walking Rebecca home, when they came across something at the edge of the riverbank. A little shard of something. Rebecca picked it up, examining it. "What's that?" She asked. "No idea." Replied Josh.

"Ooh, Rebecca, what's that on your neck?" Nikki pointed to a scar on her neck. "That wasn't there before." Rebecca looked confused. Suddenly she became glassy eyed. "I'm not pretty!" She wailed. Nikki snuck a look at Josh.

"Jeez Rebecca, it's only a scratch, we'll clean it up." "But, I'll never be pretty.." Rebecca's voice dropped to a low whisper. Josh and Nikki looked at each other again, puzzled. "I need..." Rebecca began. "What do you need?" Nikki asked.

Goosebumps crawled up her arm like a thousand tiny needles. Rebecca's last sentence was so low Nikki had to get close to hear. "My mask...."

A/N: This is an old book of mine, and the editing process is always in motion. Please comment constructive criticism if you see any issues! Forthe few people who DO see this, comment what kind of book you would like me to write in the future!