The Masquerade (10 page)

I looked over my shoulder. He was closer. I could see the sinister smile on his face of gore. When he caught my gaze his smile grew, one side of his smile continued to widen, his skin stretching until it ripped open.
My stomach churned. A scream, I didn't recognize as my own, left my mouth. With wide eyes, I faced forward and ran faster.

I didn't know what I saw, but I knew I couldn't let him get
me. I couldn't think. I had to keep running. I could see a clearing in the distance and the shadows of decrepit headstones. I pushed past the trees that stood in my way, the palms of my hands bearing cuts when they scraped across the bark. I ignored the pain as I reached the edge of the forest.

An old, rusted, rod iron fence prevented direct access to the graveyard. I barely stopped to hesitate before I climbed over it. One of the sharp spikes, stripped of the black paint caught my thigh, ripped through
my jeans, and tore my flesh as I fell over the other side. I cried out, feeling the pain sear in my leg while I lay on the ground. My head snapped up, upon hearing heavy footsteps. The man ran up to the gate. The wind carried the
shrill of my scream. His hands gripped the iron fence as he prepared to jump over.

"God, just leave me alone!" I shouted at him.

I gripped the needles of grass with my shaking hands and pulled myself up. I stumbled as I ran through the graveyard of abandoned souls.
I could hear his footsteps behind me again. My body was numb, the fear rising within me.

I jumped over a small headstone that stood in my way. When my feet hit the ground, my left foot landed on a stone. My foot twisted
sideways. The pain seared through my thigh. My attention lost focus on the path in front of me and before I had the chance to look at my leg, my foot caught the end of a marker dug into the dirt. I was airborne for a split second before
my body tumbled to the ground. My hands caught the fall as they dug into the dry, prickly brush on the ground. The stinging pain numbed my palms.

I flipped over on my backside and found the man in front of
me. He leaned down. I shut my eyes and turned my face to the side. A cry left my lips, in full preparation for him to grab me.

I heard a soft noise, like leaves that scrape against gravel when the wind carries them. I waited. I remained untouched, but my eyes stayed
closed. My body was shaking. I gasped for air in short breaths that pained me when I inhaled.

Through the continued silence, I found courage to open my eyes. When I opened them, I was alone. I snapped upright, my eyes wide. The
moving sparks immediately clouded my perception as I rose too quickly. My head spun from the rush as I attempted to scan the darkness. He had vanished.

But I wasn't alone. I could feel someone's eyes on me. I
froze as the panic seeped through my bloodstream. I noticed the shadow from the corner of my eye. I quickly snapped my head the direction.

A hand flew to my mouth to muffle my scream.

"Comfortable?" He asked me, his dark eyebrows
arched in amusement.

My mouth fell open, but coherent sentences were impossible. His scorching blue eyes connected with mine. He turned his head to the side, his gaze following the length of my body. A chunk of black hair fell into his
face, covering part of one eye. He leaned with his lower back against a headstone. He was the same as I remembered him. He wore a zip up jacket, jeans resting low on his hips, and worn combat boots. I continued to stare at him in surprise and
confusion, trying to let it sink in that the rock star who saved my life last year, was standing a couple feet away from me.

I swallowed, finally coming to my senses. "How," I shook my head, remembering the man who was after me. My eyes scanned the
graveyard for him, but found nothing. His absence left a haunting aura over the solitary gravestones, left to guard forgotten souls.

My mind was clouded with incoherency, but I tried to form a
complete sentence. "Where did he go?"

Ben's dark eyebrows moved together. "Who?"

"The man chasing me," I said breathlessly. "Where did he go?"

"I didn't see anyone." He nodded his head,
motioning to me. "I just saw you fall."

"I fell, but he was right behind me. He was right there." I pointed in front of me, my arm shaking when I tried to raise it.
I pulled it back and wrapped my arms around myself to suppress the tremors. "How could you have missed him?"

He shrugged. "I didn't see him."

"But," I stopped.

My gaze fell to the ground. For a split second I wondered if I had imagined the entire thing in my mind. No, I wasn't psychotic. There was someone, and for whatever reason, I knew he was going to hurt me. I couldn't explain how he disappeared or how Ben managed to take his place.

Waiting for me to continue, he brought the cigarette he held between his fingers up to his mouth and took a drag. The smoldering tip ignited for a brief moment before he pulled it away and exhaled. Smoke swirled into the
night air. I watched him, my nose scrunching as the stench of ash wavered over to me. I hadn't noticed the smell before now. The smell of cigarette smoke was strong. Surely, I would have noticed it when I was running.

"How long have you been standing there?"

His eyes flashed to mine. "Why?" I pressed my lips together. I asked the first question. A small, almost nonexistent smile appeared when he realized I was waiting for him to respond. "I've been
here all night."

"Then you would have seen or at least heard the man who was chasing me."

He shook his head. "Sorry."

I exhaled in frustration. He had to have seen him. I tried
to picture that man in my head. He wore incredible face paint to resemble any zombie I'd seen in the movies. His clothes were clean and neat, unlike most of the other teenagers dressed as monsters in ripped, ketchup stained shirts.
Suddenly, the image of his torn mouth flooded back into my conscious. My eyes widened.

"His face." I murmured, lost in my thoughts. My fingers came to my lips at the memory. "There was blood. His mouth ripped
just like paper." My eyes flashed back to Ben. His eyes were on me. I felt as though he was memorizing every detail in my face. "I'm not crazy."

He smirked. "I never said you were."

"But you're thinking it." I said.

His smirk turned into a small, barely-there smile. "I'm actually thinking about how pretty you look, all damsel in distress like."

Despite the cold, my cheeks warmed at the compliment. I
turned my face under the heat of his gaze. When I heard the sound of leaves scrunching against the grass, I looked up and found he moved to stand directly in front of me. He snuffed the cigarette against the headstone next to him and
tossed it to the ground. He held out his opposite hand to me.

"Are you okay?"

I stared at him, without moving. "There was someone after me."

"I know."

"You do?"

He nodded, his eyes sincere. "The look in your eyes. Something frightened you."

"I wasn't scared."

"Were you the one I heard? Who screamed?"

"For help."

"Right." His hand remained open for me. I allowed my hand to grasp his and he immediately brought me to my feet. The absence of
strain when he pulled me up made me gasp. He did it effortlessly, as though I had been blown to my feet by the wind.

"Wow." I commented, feeling everything in my head rush forward.

A half of a smile grew on his lips in response. The beauty
in his face was heart wrenching. He was incredibly attractive. It didn't take much to wonder why millions of girls fantasized over him. I found myself entranced by his smile until my mind started to waver when I shifted my feet.
My head grew heavy. I exhaled once, hoping that would ease some of the nausea that swept over me.

His expression fell. "Are you okay?" I wanted to respond, but my focus on his face blurred. His smoldering blue eyes searched my
face for an answer. The intensity of his gaze took my breath away.

And then I fell.

I can't recall what happened in the next moment, but when I opened my eyes I became highly aware of the soft touch on my face. My vision
focused on his eyes, strikingly blue and moving over my in concern. When I realized it was his hand that gently held the side of my face, I noticed that I wasn't on the ground, not entirely. His arms cradled me, my upper body held up,
my head supported by his bicep. I couldn't remember the past couple moments to answer the rising questions I had. Did I really faint? How long had I been under? Why was he still holding me?

When his blue eyes met mine, his fingers caressed the skin
on my cheek gently. "You blacked out for a second." He turned his head to the side. "How do you feel?"

I nodded slowly, remembering everything that happened before
I blacked out. The memory of my mom scolding me for skipping dinner resurfaced. My hand came to my forehead and my eyes closed briefly.

"I forgot to eat." I groaned.

I heard him laugh and my eyes snapped open. "That's
dangerous."

"Careful," I muttered, trying to push myself up to a sitting position. "Your sarcasm is showing." He continued to hold me, watching me carefully as though I was planning on fainting again.

"That wasn't sarcasm, Bell." He said as he helped me to my feet. His hands held on to each of my arms to hold me steady, while my hands rested on his biceps for support, among other things.

"That's not my name." I frowned, looking up at him.

Something ignited in his eyes when my gaze connected with his. "I know."

We stared at each other for a moment. His presence varied
from the Ben I'd come in contact with last year. He was still guarded, a cloud of darkness still remained around him, but his face changed. It was softer. The thoughts of last year made me wonder if he remembered last year the way I had, or if he even remembered it at all.

I dropped my hands from his arms. My cheeks burned with embarrassment when I realized I hadn't let go of him. "I guess I should get back. My friends will worry."

He looked over his shoulder to the woods and then to me.
"Do you really want to go back in there?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not afraid if that's what you're suggesting."

He raised his hands up, palm facing outwards. "My
motives aren't to offend you."

"Then what are your motives?"

One of his eyebrows rose. A sly smile surfaced and his eyes dropped. Something in my chest tightened due to the heat of his gaze and I
suddenly found it difficult to breathe. My teeth dug into my bottom lip to suppress the smile that was beginning to form underneath the implications of his expression.

"To keep you safe."

My eyes flashed to his. "Why should I give you that honor?" I asked him innocently, with a smile.

He laughed and motioned to the street. "Can I walk you home."

"Ben Sloane wants to walk me home. Would it be
inappropriate to a fangirl?"

He frowned. "You didn't strike me as the type."

"I'm a girl, so I fall under that
type."

His eyes fell lower. "I'm very aware of your gender."

I swallowed hoping to conceal the enticed emotions bubbling inside me. "Okay, lets just go." I caught the smirk on his face when
I turned and headed for the entrance to the abandoned cemetery. I walked slowly at first, my head still felt heavy, but I could walk. I just needed food. My stomach churned at the thought. I hadn't realized how hungry I was.

In the distance I could see the baseball field that hadn't
actually held a tournament in years. Like the cemetery, it too was forgotten. Next to the field, there was a street lined with houses that I could follow to get to my neighborhood.

"My house isn't too far, ten minutes max."

He looked at me sideways, pondered something for a moment, shook his head and looked forward. I tried to ignore his presence, but I didn't want to walk in silence. In the silence, there came intense thought, in which I
processed last year's events. The identity of the murderer who killed Davey had never been discovered. Eli still swore it was the person who saved me that night and I had begun to fall under the same conclusion. But now that he was
right beside me, those accusations seemed preposterous.

"Where'd you go?" My thoughts snapped like a rubber band at the sound of his deep voice. I looked up at him. He smiled. It was vague, but the tightening in my chest returned with warmth that shielded me
from the cold October air.

"I have a lot on my mind." I explained.

"Like?"

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. "I don't
think so."

"Ouch."

I gave a coy smile and adjusted my gaze forward. We found the back road and now walked along the sidewalk. "Do you hang out in graveyards, often?"

"I find them comforting."

I thought of my brother. I visited his gravesite often. It was the only place I felt safe, knowing he rested in peace. There was something about a graveyard that brought a mixture of relief and dread to the living. I
found a sense of sanctity in them.

"I know what you mean."

"Really?" I could feel the curiosity of his gaze burning into me, but I refused to look up. I didn't want the crimson flush in
my cheeks to give me away. I simply shrugged.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" I looked up, briefly, and looked forward again.

"Questions can be dangerous for someone like me."

I frowned and cast a sideways glance to him. "Humor me?" He stared down at me, waiting. "What are you doing here? I mean, why are you still here? Huge bands usually go from one city to the next after
each show."

He smirked. "Do you want the truth?"

"No, I'd actually prefer if you lied." I said in all seriousness until the smile broke into my expression. He laughed. His gaze
fell down, connecting with mine. I sucked in a breath and it caught in my throat. I had to look away because my cheeks were beginning to warm underneath his eyes again. I had a habit of blushing...a lot.

"You."

It took me a moment to process the single word. "What?"

"I stayed for you." He said.

I could feel his crystal blue orbs searching for mine. I tried to ignore the feeling in my stomach, twisting into knots. He was kidding.
He had to be. Guys like him didn't go for small town girls like me. This was his way of boosting his confidence by getting a satisfying reaction from me. I had to play it off.

"Is that a line?" I turned to him, casually
flipping my hair over my shoulder with a nod of my head.

He pressed his lips together. The path of light, cast by the street lamp we walked by, caught the silver ring pierced through the side of
his bottom lip. I eyed it for a moment, before moving my stare to his eyes. They were struck with amusement. I wondered if he was walking me home just for the entertainment of my presence.

"You think it is?" He asked me.

I ignored his question. "Why are you here?"

"Do you always ask questions you already know the answers to? You must be a pleasure in class."

I turned to him, my eyes narrowed. "Only when the given
answer is bullshit?"

"
Bullshit
?" He repeated, laughing. I could tell I was entertaining him now. The sound of my phone ringing reminded me of my
friends back in the field. It had been over thirty minutes since the game started. They must have been worried.

"Oh crap," I said and pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket. Ben watched me, a smirk on his face. I pressed 'accept' and put
the phone to my ear.

Hayley's voice shouted through the phone. "Where the hell are you?"

"Hayley, I'm so sorry!"

"You left me hanging when the fucksteak tackled
me,"

I heard Adam shout in the background, "
Excuse me?
"

Hayley snarled something away from the receiver before she directed her attention back to the call, "And then you suddenly just
disappear. We thought you were hurt, but you sound perfectly fine to me."

"I'm sorry. After Adam tagged you someone else chased me into the woods. We ended up running too far and we couldn't find our way
back." I explained. "We ended up cutting through the graveyard and by the time we got to the road I was so tired I just wanted to go home." Ben was watching me from the corner of his eyes, a smug look on his face. "He's walking me home now."

I cast a glance up at Ben. He was looking forward, but the smirk was still evident on his face. I rolled my eyes. I didn't like lying, but I couldn't tell them what happened or that a rock star was walking me home
instead. It dawned on me that the secret I kept was beginning to gain weight. Not only was I keeping the identity of my savior last year a secret, now I was lying to them about knowing him at all.