Chapter 26
They were back to Monday morning once again. They were all cranky from the party and Hazel was in the worst mood of them all, closely followed by Lewis. They all sat at the table in silence and that was the way everyone wanted it to stay. It was like that for about ten minutes until Harold came in. He didn't like it this quiet, so he thought he would say something.
"The Girl in the Mask hasn't struck for a few months now has she?" He said collecting empty plates. Everyone looked at him. Roan's heart began racing. Did they think it was her? Had she made it obvious? She had completely forgotten about that. "It's just been in the paper lately."
"Mm I noticed that. Good riddance, if she showed up here....well she wouldn't live very long."
"I don't get what she has done wrong." Liam said.
"Not showed her face, kept secrets and suddenly disappear. Next thing she'll be in this very house." Lewis stared at Roan and she swallowed.
"It's ok Roan, he's joking." Jake said.
"I know."
"You've gone a little pale, r u ok?" He asked her.
"Fine, I just need to...to freshen up, that's all." She said quickly getting up. She ran upstairs and shut herself in her room. She had to do something, then she had the most perfect idea. It would work, it had to otherwise she could be in big trouble. She went back downstairs and Liam was in the hall waiting for her.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"I am now." She said taking his hand. They then disappeared. When they reappeared they kept their hands together and walked to the arts rooms. They were both finishing off big paintings and Roan used this time to fully plan what she was going to do and when she would be sneaking out. She knew she wouldn't be able to sneak out until third lesson. She knew at this time Hazel would have gone home, Jake would be in science and Liam would be in Maths. So she would have free time, which she would normally spend either back at the house or in the library. Hazel would think she was at the library and the boys would think she was at home. It worked both ways. She wasn't sure where she was going to go yet. She was going to do two missions if she could and wouldn't go too far from the town.
"Roan are you sure you're ok? I mean you look as if your plotting something." He said.
"What?" She asked. "Don't be silly, I'm fine honestly." She lied.
"All right, I'll stop fussing then, but if there was something wrong you would tell me wouldn't you?" He asked. She nodded.
"Course I would!" She said. Liam seemed to relax a little and he got on with his work. She bit her lip as she painted round the eyes of the girl on her work and then moved onto the butterflies surrounding her and then the green field she sat in. It was one of her best.
She was in her English next, which she was in only with Faye. She wasn't very sociable at all and Faye was also getting worried about her friend.
"Are you all right today Roan? "She asked.
"Why do people keep asking me that? I'm fine!" She said.
"Ok I was just asking! You just look a bit pale and worried." She said.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired." She answered. Faye just nodded and got her head down back to work. Roan watched the clock and willed time to speed up. She wanted to get out and fast. She carried on with her work and finally the bell went. She packed up her things and walked with Faye to the 6th form block. When they got there the boys were sat waiting for them. Roan sat down next to Liam and he put his arm round her waist and she moved closer to him. Faye and Will sat far apart from each other awkwardly. All Roan and Liam could do was smile to themselves. Now, she had twenty minutes before she had to leave.
"I'm going to the library first, but then I'm going home for third lesson, so I will see you in maths." She told Liam. He nodded and before she knew it the bell went. They got up and she slipped her hand in Liam's and they interlocked fingers. He dropped her at the library and she went in. Once he had gone she came straight back out again. She went round the back of the building to the front, unaware that both Liam and Jake had noticed her. Liam wondered why she had lied to him and wondered where on earth she was going. Liam quickly used telepathy to his brother.
"I don't know where Roan is going, she said she would be in the library before she went home. She doesn't look to be going home either. She wouldn't go this way." Liam told Jake.
"Maybe she decided to go into town instead." Jake said trying to shut him out.
"Something had been bugging her all day, we should follow her just to check." Liam said.
"Fine because its you. What should be the excuse?" Jake asked.
"Dentist." Liam said. Jake then shut his brother off and both boys left the classroom.
By now Roan had run all the way up the hill, seeing as she couldn't do the click trick, and was putting on the black jeans, green top and leather jacket she wore as the girl in the mask. She stuffed the mask under her top and ran back downstairs.
Liam and Jake were in the training room watching through a gap between the door and its frame. They watched her disappear out the front door. They watched her climb into her car from the window.
"We'll have to do the click trick when she's stopped." Jake said. Liam nodded and they went into the dining room to wait.
Roan was out of town within five minutes and going along a road into the next village. She knew it wasn't far, but she didn't have long. Within ten minutes she was there and she just hoped she would get lucky. She did. She noticed a girl slightly younger then herself running from three Hunters. She had long auburn hair that flapped in her face. The Hunters looked fresh and brand new. Roan climbed out of the car and put on her mask. She made sure her sword was at her side and then she ran.
Liam and Jake had appeared by her car and knew that she was already running off somewhere. Liam picked up her trail and began to follow. There was a little stream that ran at the edge of the town and Liam and Jake were still onto her. That's when they saw something they didn't expect. They slowed to a walk and made there way towards a group of people.
"Hunters." Liam spat.
"And the girl in the mask." Jake said. They completely forgot about Roan and just watched.
Roan hadn't seen either of them behind her as she stood in between the four people.
"Look." She said in a voice a slightly different tone to her own. "Just leave each other alone and we don't have a problem." Roan said.
"Try telling them that." The girl snapped.
"Says you!" One of the boys laughed. The girl then leapt forward and shoved passed Roan and leapt on the boy. Roan used the sword and the girls body burst into dust.
"Go before I kill you too." She growled at the hunters. Scared out of their wits the three ran as fast as their legs would carry them. Roan sighed and turned around shrinking her blade when she saw the boys. "Damn." She sighed.
"What did you kill her for, she's on your side!" Jake shouted.
"Is she? I don't think she is, not when she's attacking them like that. You want peace so do something about it. I'm trying to!" She said.
"Hey, don't speak to us like that, we have problems to deal with first." Jake said.
"Like what?" Roan asked.
"Unmasking you." Liam answered.
"You'll have to catch me first." She said.
"There's two of us against one of you." Jake pointed out. Roan shrugged and legged it down the stream. The boys ran after her. She ran over a bridge and into some fields. She leapt over walls and hedges keeping her pace. After what felt like forever Liam changed into the wolf and jumped high into the air. He landed on her back and she hit the ground hard. Liam rolled off her and changed back. She turned onto her back and crawled away, but she was winded. She had been beaten for the first time.
"Who are you?" Liam asked.
"Not telling." She said in her normal voice.
"Wait you sound like..."
Roan tore off the mask and shook her head moving her hair out of her face.
"Roan." She finished. "Hello isn't it great to be here. Sat in the middle of a field having being leapt on by a massive wolf, winded and unmasked." She said.
"Roan I can't believe you..." Liam said.
"Lied. Your not the only one that can do that you know." She said.
"But you're the girl in the mask." Liam said.
"We have to tell the others." Jake said.
"What a friend you are." Roan said.
"I'm not the one killing my own kind!" Jake said.
"Well I'm not the one that's sitting back and doing nothing. I give them a choice remember. You know I do that Jake, seeing as I have saved you once before. Have you already forgotten that." She said. Liam got Roan to her feet and grabbed hold of her. They went back to the car and got inside it. They were all a little tired now.
"Drive us home Roan and we will decide what we do with you there." Jake said.
"Why don't you drive seeing as I'm your prisoner." She chucked Liam the keys and he got into the drivers seat.
"Get in the back." Jake told her. She did as she was asked and got in. Jake quickly climbed in after her to keep her still and Liam drove off.
They sat in a deadly silence, Roan was staring out of the window crossing her arms, Liam concentrated on the road and Jake sat awkwardly waiting for someone to speak. Eventually he could take it no longer.
"Will someone please say something?" He asked.
"What is there to say?" Roan asked.
"Why you didn't tell us? You could've trusted us!" Liam said.
"And what would you have done? What would your dad have done? You would have done exactly what you are doing now. Telling everyone who I am and then asking me a bunch of questions." She said. "Believe me, I'm not the bad guy."
"I know your not, but if you had told me... I wouldn't have said anything." Liam said.
"That's true." Jake said.
"Look I'm sorry OK! I thought no one was doing anything about the fighting, so I thought I would make peace and not take sides!"
"This changes nothing Roan. We have to tell Lewis." Jake said.
"But..." She protested. Liam shrugged.
"You should've told me, I thought you hated liars."
"I do, I don't think myself clever from doing this you know. I had to hide it from you because I knew what you would do. And I was right." She said. They left the conversation there, but they were at least nearly home. They came to the bottom of the hill and drove straight up. The gates opened for them at the top and Liam parked the car. Jake got out and held Roan by the arm and led her inside. When all three of them were in, everyone was assembled in the dining room already. Roan was sat at the head of the dining table and her hands were bound along with her feet.
"What's all this about then?" Darren asked.
"You are looking at the girl in the mask." Jake said. Roan looked away from them all.
"No way!" Lewis laughed. Roan shot him a cold look and Liam handed him the mask. Hazel stared at her.
"How did you keep this a secret? I will never know. There will be consequences Roan." She said.
"Yes there will be. Chuck her in the cells and she will be executed." Lewis said.
"What?" Roan shouted along with Liam.
"That is a stupid idea!" Liam added.
"Why because you care about her means you wont put our safety fist. She lied to you Liam!" Darren said.
"And I lied to her. Having the girl in the mask on our side could be a good thing. We can say we caught her and persuaded her. We have an advantage, why should we throw that away?" Liam asked. Lewis tapped his fingers on his lips.
"That is very true. You're lucky Roan, very lucky." Lewis snarled getting up from the table and sweeping through the door. Darren rolled his eyes and followed his boss out. Jake untied Roan who ran straight up to her room.
"Man I never saw her being it." Hazel said to her brothers.
"Me neither. I thought I knew her." Liam said.
"You can't trust anyone, especially girls like Roan." Jake said.
"Don't Jake, I trust Roan, I just don't like her lying to me, but now we're even. I'm going to go and see her." He said. We he had gone Hazel looked at Jake.
"He is so in love with her. Don't worry about it Jake, he won't accept her being a bad guy. Anyway, she will be useful and not just because she has the skills...because she makes Liam more vulnerable." She said.
"I'm sure there is something he isn't telling us." Jake sighed. Hazel shrugged.
"It will come out of him in time." She told him.
"I hope your right."
Roan sat on the edge of her bed with her hands squashed in between her knees. When someone knocked on the door, she didn't reply. Liam waited a minute or so before entering.
"Never said you could come in." She snapped.
"Roan please. I'm sorry OK, but what you have been doing is serious. Your as bad as the Hunters with what you've been doing." He said. She tensed at his last sentence and it was because it was true, it was real.
"Look I know, but no one left me much option. Anyway you have an advantage with me being here anyway, so there are no problems are there?" She said.
"I know, but at least we're even now." He said. Roan nodded.
"We are." She said.
"No more secrets now then. Tell each other everything?" He said. Roan nodded and got up and took the hug he offered her. She bit her lip as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Another lie...were they going to stop?