Chapter Twelve
Ishuffled behind Kate through the narrow aisles of the costume shop, my trainers squeaking against the old wooden floor. The musty scent of aged fabric drifted through the racks of old costumes, and I ran my fingers gently over the different fabrics.
”Come on, Paige,” Kate said for the fourth time, her voice a mix of excitement and exasperation as she rifled through a rack of vampire capes and sequined gowns. ”It”ll be fun.”
”Maybe for you,” I muttered, my fingers trailing over a row of masks, the smooth plastic cold to the touch. ”I”d rather curl up with a good rom com. Something... normal.”
”Normal is boring,” she shot back, wedging a witch”s hat onto her head. Her eyes sparkled mischievously under the brim. ”You need some excitement.”
”Excitement isn”t really my thing.” A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of being surrounded by masked strangers, the anonymity of it all unsettling. I’d definitely had enough of masks lately, and a masquerade ball was the last thing I wanted to go to. I already saw skull masks in the shadows everywhere I turned, and I wasn’t sure they were all my imagination. But the idea of seeing Tristan again, well, that was definitely enticing.
Kate sighed as she replaced the hat. “Paige, you haven’t been out in two weeks. All you do is paint and then sit at home doing nothing every single night. What’s going on with you? What are you so afraid of?”
”Watching TV is not fear, it”s relaxation.”
”Relaxation, my ass. You”re hiding.” She skewered me with a pointed look. ”From life, from people, from—”
”From what?” I snapped.
”From everything. But that”s not living, Paige. It”s existing. We’ve got one year left of university before we have to go and act like real grownups. Don’t you want to explore a little? To really push your boundaries and see what you’re capable of?”
I pushed my irritation away. I hadn’t been sleeping well and I wasn’t about to take it out on Kate. She did mean well, I knew that. And she was kind of right.
“I already am,” I admitted. “I spent my whole life being groomed by my mother to be some rich man’s trophy wife. Taken to every exercise class, workout schedules, my diet controlled, the way I dressed or wore my hair, who I was allowed to be friends with. I was like a doll in a box, Kate. Now I’m finally here, out of her clutches and I can actually live the way I want to, dress how I want to. But it’s still new to me and I’m still learning how to be free.”
Kate grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “That must have been awful, and I’m so glad you’re getting to pursue your passion and finally make your own way. I just don’t want you to trap yourself in another box because you’re afraid. You’re my friend and there’s more to you than sitting at home every night. Besides, you can’t ditch Tristan now, you’ll humiliate him. ”
I smiled at her, knowing she had a good point, but I still felt unnerved at the idea of the ball.
“I’ll think about it,” I promised her.
”Thinking means yes. You”re coming.” Kate grinned.
”We”ll see. Either way, we still need to find you a costume.”
Kate looped her arm through mine, pulling me further into the labyrinth of costumes, and I let her, glad she’d dropped the question of me coming for now. We meandered through the aisles, fabric rustling softly under our fingertips. The air was thick with the musk of mothballs and aged leather. I flicked through one rack as Kate looked through another.
“I’m surprised your secret admirer hasn’t asked you to the ball already,” Kate said slyly, peeking at me between two costumes.
”Secret admirer?” I echoed, feeling a jolt of alarm at her words. I stopped searching the racks to stare at her. ”What are you talking about?”
Kate laughed. ”The guy who”s been sending you those black roses. You”ve received, like, two huge bouquets at the dorm and a single stem every day in your art room.”
I stared at her. “Who told you about the ones in the art room?”
Kate shrugged. “That assistant David mentioned it when I called by yesterday to meet you for lunch. I think he was angling to find out if you have a boyfriend. He didn’t look impressed that it was a secret admirer.”
My stomach churned at the mention of the roses and a prickling sensation crawled up my spine. ”Those aren”t from a secret admirer, Kate. They”re creepy and weird, and I think they”re meant to freak me out.”
“Really? Cause they are beautiful and they look expensive. It’s really romantic when you think about it.”
I fingered the edge of a black plastic vampire cape ”Kate, I don”t think it”s sweet or romantic. It feels more like a sick joke.”
”Come on, Paige,” Kate scoffed, rifling through a rack of witch hats. ”Who would want to scare you? You”re the least offensive person at Blackvellyn.”
”That”s why it”s so weird. These roses, the single ones in the art room... It”s like someone is taunting me.”
”Taunting?”
”Watching,” I corrected. ”There’s been a few times, when I’ve walked home from the art room, it’s felt like someone was watching me, following me.”
“That guy with the skull mask?”
I nodded. “I’ve seen him a couple of times, but I’ve seen others in that costume around campus too, and I don’t know… it might be a coincidence. I just… it made me feel unsafe. it’s why I started leaving before sunset.”
”Paige, that”s... yeah, creepy. But you think it”s the guy buying you expensive flowers that’s the one following you? Not Tristan? Does he ever leave a note?”
“It’s not Tristan,” I said. “He sent me flowers the other day, and he sent me sunflowers. I don’t know if they’re the same person, it just feels like too much of a coincidence,” I said, pulling out a Wonderwoman costume. “How about this? This is sexy?”
Kate shook her head. “Closer, but not dark enough. Think Morticia or Elvira or some kind of dark goddess that will consume your soul.”
I shook my head, grinning. “You’re twisted, but ok.” I put the costume back on the rail. “The roses don’t come with notes, but I have had letters… oh, here… dark goddess?” I held up a slinky black number with a slit up one side and Kate’s eyes lit up.
“Could be! Let’s go try it on, then we’ll find one for you.”
I rolled my eyes and followed her over to the changing rooms. I sat on the single chair outside, leaning back and closing my eyes as she pulled the pink curtain across.
“So, tell me about these letters,” Kate called through the curtain.
I sat up and glanced over at where the shop owner was bustling about restocking. There were several empty looking racks, and I assumed many students had come through already, getting their costumes in plenty of time for the ball tonight. Kate had left it till the last minute as usual, but in fairness, she was hot and could make a bin bag look sexy.
I sighed. “They come every couple of days, slid under the door at night. I find them in the morning when I head out for breakfast.”
“Oh, that is creepy! He’s actually hand delivering them? Standing outside our bedroom doors while we’re sleeping and… urgh. You have to tell someone Paige.”
“I told the night watchman,” I said. “The first night I was followed home, and the second and third times. I asked the day watchman about the letters but he knew nothing. They think it”s a Halloween prank by some ex-boyfriend.”
“I suppose that’s plausible.”
“Not really, I’ve never dated anyone.”
Kate stuck her head around the curtain, a look of shock on her face. “Anyone? Like, ever?”
“Like ever,” I confirmed. “My mother didn’t let me date. She wanted me pure for my future snobby husband. Urgh, I swear if arranged marriages were legal in this country, she’d have found some way to marry me off to some ancient decrepit millionaire with status. She loves the idea of Tristan.”
Kate shook her head and disappeared again. “But you’re twenty two,” she said, her voice muffled by fabric. “You can’t get married now. And I don’t see Tristan Blackwood as the marriage type.” She stuck her head back out and reached for a nearby carousel covered in feather boas, dragging three back through the curtain and disappearing again.
”I know, I know...” I said, reclining back onto the chair again. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and I had that feeling again. Like someone was watching. But I pushed it away and focused back on our conversation. ”But between classes, my art projects and all these weird things happening, I don”t really have time to think about dating. I should tell Tristan I’m not interested.”
There was a pause and then Kate’s muffled voice broke through the silence. ”Well, you need to make time. Everyone needs a little romance in their life.”
”Yeah, I’m a hallmark heroine” I muttered, not really convinced. ”Right now, I”d just like a little less creepy skull mask stalker horror slasher film in my life.”
Kate laughed, and pushed the curtain aside. “What do you think?” she asked, coming out into the shop. She turned slowly, and I shook my head. The dress could have been made for her. It looked like some old wedding dress, dyed black and torn, with faded fabric roses, and Kate had found a blood red feather boa to set it off.
“Perfect,” I said. Kate gave her appearance a stern look in the mirror.
“It has potential,” she said. “Yes. Definitely potential. but I’ll need to get home soon to work on it. We’ve only got a few hours till the ball and there’s hair and makeup too. You need to go find something while I’m getting changed.”
I stood back up, but hesitated. “Kate, I really don’t feel up to going, not with all this going on… and what if he delivers another letter while we’re out? Or we get followed again?”
”Got any on you?” she asked, backing out of the changing room, arms full of black tulle.
“Um, yes, I have a couple in my bag…”
“Show me,” she ordered, dumping the dress next to the chair. I reached into my bag and removed the bundle of red envelopes. I handed them over, watching as Kate’s eyes narrowed while she read the letters through twice.
”Jesus, Paige,” she muttered, scanning the looping, almost elegant handwriting. ”These are straight-up ominous.”
I shrugged, trying to mask the shudder that ran down my spine. ”I told campus security. They think it”s some dumb prank.”
”Prank?” Kate scoffed, her gaze flicking up to meet mine. ”This is next-level creepy. They can”t just brush this off.”
“Well, they did. Three times. As soon as I mentioned being followed by a guy in a skull mask, they backed off. It was almost as though they were afraid to pursue it further, though they just kept telling me not to take it seriously and that it would be over after Halloween. I”m assuming it”s some malicious prank those reaper guys play on some unsuspecting new student every year, but it’s working. I feel totally freaked out, and I always feel like someone is watching me.”
Kate stood up and handed me the letters. I tucked them back into my bag.
“Ok, that settles it. you are coming tonight, because I am not leaving you alone in the dorm room with some psycho around.”
“Kate, there’s the nightwatchman and…”
“The nightwatchman who doesn’t see the guy in the skull mask sliding creepy letters under your door in the middle of the night? The one the guy sneaks past every time he does that? that watchman?”
“Good point.” I sighed. “Fine, I’ll come, and I’ll wear a costume, but nothing too… much. Last time I went to a costume party, my mother made me go as Maire Antoinette, and I want something less constricting.” And something I could run in, I added silently in my head.
Kate nodded, her face lighting up at my agreement. “Deal.” She reached out, grabbing a hanger with a dramatic flourish, pulling a witch”s costume, complete with a pointed hat and black tulle skirts, off the rail. Without a word, she grabbed another—a gothic vampire dress —and steered me towards the changing rooms, her determination a palpable force.
”Come on,” she said. ”We”re not letting whoever this is win by scaring you into hiding. You need a costume, and we”re going to find one that makes you feel good. And that makes Tristan salivate like a starving dog shown a ribeye.”
The changing room was cramped, the mirror speckled with age. Kate handed me the vampire one first, the fabric cool and slippery between my fingers. I pulled it on, but the fabric was scratchy and uncomfortable.
”Try the witch,” Kate insisted, thrusting the costume into my arms.
The dress hugged my body in a flattering way, but there was too much tulle and it looked similar to Kate’s costume, only with a witch’s hat. I shook my head and pulled it off.
”Better,” Kate said, appraising me with a nod. ”But we”ll keep looking until we find the one that makes you feel powerful. Untouchable.”
”Untouchable,” I echoed. “I like the sound of that.”
She smiled at me. ”Good. And don’t worry about tonight. We”ll stick together. And hey, maybe Tristan will prove to be your knight in shining armour.”
”Or the grim reaper in a skull mask.”
“Or a handsome prince who’ll whisk you away on the dancefloor and romance you till you swoon, and then give you the best sex you’ll ever have.”
I laughed. “If only,” I said, reaching out to flip through another rail.
A shadow fell across my face and I gasped, jerking my hand back, my heart racing, but it was only the shop owner.
“I’m awfully sorry if I scared you,” he said. “It was just, you’ve been in here a while and I thought you might be struggling. I had a couple of new things come in this morning and I’ve just got round to unpacking them. Might I suggest this?” He held up a white ancient Greek style dress, the gold accessories shimmering under the store”s fluorescent lights. ”No one else has worn it before.”
My breath caught as I ran my fingers over the smooth fabric. It was elegant yet simple, soft and yielding. The gold mask, with intricate detailing, promised anonymity. I loved it.
”Paige, you have to try this on,” Kate insisted.
”Yes,” I said, more to the dress than to the owner or to Kate. I took the outfit from the shop owner, and headed toward the changing rooms. I slipped out of my clothes and into the dress. The fabric flowed over my body, and it fit as if it had been made for me. The gold accessories—a belt, a bracelet, and the mask—added the final luxurious touch.
”Wow,” Kate breathed when I stepped out. ”You look...like a goddess.”
A blush warmed my cheeks beneath the golden mask. Despite myself, a flicker of excitement ignited deep within me, a spark threatening to grow into a flame.
”Really?” I asked tentatively, turning to catch my reflection in the mirror. For a moment, I didn”t recognize the woman staring back at me. She seemed strong, untouchable, her eyes alight with something I thought I”d lost. Untouchable.
”Definitely. Tristan is going to be speechless.” Kate”s smile was infectious, and I found myself returning it genuinely.
”Thank you,” I murmured, more to the stranger in the reflection than to anyone else.
”Stunning,” the shop owner agreed. ”Absolutely stunning.”
”Thank you,” I said.
”Tell you what,” he started. ”There”s no charge for the dress.”
I frowned. “Oh, I couldn’t-”
“No charge,” he said, shaking his head.
”Really?” Kate raised an eyebrow, echoing my scepticism.
”No rental charge,” he affirmed. ”But I would appreciate something small in return.”
”What”s that?” I asked, my guard inching up.
”Would you mind if I took a quick picture of you in it? For promotional purposes.” He gestured towards a camera perched on the counter. “You can keep the mask on, so no one will know who you are.”
I hesitated, the familiar unease creeping back in, but he was right. With the mask on, no one would know it was me. I nodded, and he beamed at me.
”Okay,” I relented, ”just a quick one.”
”Excellent!” he grabbed the camera. “If you could just stand there, perfect.”
I posed by the mirror, the gold mask hiding my face, but not the rapid beat of my heart. Kate gave me a thumbs-up from behind the shop owner.
”Beautiful,” he murmured, snapping a few photos. ”That”s all we need.”
”Let”s wrap this up for you,” he said with a smile, setting the camera down. ”You”ll be the talk of the ball.”
I followed Kate to the counter, watching as he wrapped up the costumes in tissue paper. Kate grinned at me. ”Look at you, all excited now,” she teased, nudging me with her elbow.
A hesitant smile tugged at my lips. ”Maybe a little.”
”Good! Because you”re going to slay at this ball.”
”Here we are,” the shop owner said, passing us our costumes. ”All set for a night of mystery and allure.”
”Thank you,” I said, more genuine this time.
”Goodbye, ladies. Do enjoy your evening,” he waved as we stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight.
The cool autumn wind brushed against my skin. I clutched the costume tighter, excitement mingling with a hint of apprehension. Kate could be right, and all this could be a stupid prank, or some secret admirer thinking he was being romantic, but my fear still lingered underneath. Either way, with my gorgeous costume, I was determined to go out and have fun tonight, maybe even do as Kate said and push my boundaries a little. Maybe with Tristan. We’d had coffee a couple of times since the afternoon he’d kissed me, and he always drove me home. He’d never once asked to come in though, kissing me goodbye like a gentleman, and while I’d liked that about him, maybe I was ready for more. For some reason, my mind wandered back to the club a couple of weeks ago and my tattooed rescuer. Nate Carver. Even the memory of his arms around me had my heart skipping a beat and I found myself wondering if, and maybe even hoping, that he would be at the ball tonight.
Stop it, Paige, I reprimanded myself. You shouldn’t be thinking about Nate when you’re dating his housemate. What the hell was wrong with me?
”Let”s grab some coffee,” Kate suggested, and I nodded. Blackvellyn wasn’t a big town really, but it was big enough, and on a Saturday afternoon, the streets were busy. We wove through the crowd towards the cafe Tristan always took me to, but after a couple of minutes, I froze. Kate noticed I wasn’t next to her, and turned back around.
”Paige, you okay?”
I turned around, looking through the crowd, scanning the faces for the skull mask, I suddenly felt sure would be there. I was being stupid, wasn’t i? Even the Reapers wouldn’t be so brazen as to wear their stupid costumes around the actual town.
“Paige?”” Kate was standing next to me again, her hand slipping through my arm.
”Feels like we”re being watched,” I murmured, scanning the faces that swirled around us.
”Probably just your nerves after everything that”s happened.” She tried to sound reassuring, but the tension in her frame betrayed her.
”Maybe.” I couldn”t shake the feeling.
”Look, let”s just get to the coffee shop. We’ll be ok there,” she coaxed.
”Okay.” But as we continued toward the coffee shop, I couldn”t ignore the prickling sensation on the back of my neck. Someone was following us—I was sure of it. My heart raced, the steady thump-thump echoing in my ears.
We made our way down the street. Kate chattered about lattes and pumpkin spice, but I was too preoccupied to listen, scanning every shadow, every alleyway for a glint of bone.
”Seriously, Paige, you”re freaking me out with all this looking over your shoulder,” Kate said.
”Sorry. it’s just… it feels like he”s here, just out of sight.” I glanced behind us again, but the faces were just normal shoppers.
”Who?” She frowned, following my gaze to the empty spaces behind us.
”The guy in the skull mask,” I admitted, feeling ridiculous even as the words left my lips.
”Paige, there”s nobody—” Her reassurance cut short as I turned back around and collided with a hard body.
”Sorry, sorry!” A familiar voice washed over me.
”David?”
”Hey,” he said, steadying me with a gentle touch. ”You alright?”
”Y-yeah,” I managed. ”Just... didn”t see you.”
”Clearly.” David chuckled, though his eyes held a hint of concern. ”Headed to the coffee shop?”
”Trying to,” Kate interjected.
“Oh, are those costumes?” he asked, noticing the dress bags.
”Uh, yeah,” I stumbled over my words, still caught off guard. ”For the Halloween Ball tonight.”
”Is that right? You’re going? Sounds like quite the event. Maybe I”ll swing by,” he mused, thumbing at the strap of his messenger bag. ”See how you all clean up.”
”Wouldn”t miss seeing you out of those tweed jackets,” Kate teased.
David smiled. “Oh, I don’t know if I’d come in costume. It is for the students after all. A night of intrigue and mystery, of mayhem. Time to lower your inhibitions and do things that scare you.”
His eyes rested on mine then dropped down over my body, and I shifted uncomfortably.
“Or get drunk and dance to Thriller,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
He looked back up at me. “Or that,” he laughed, and inhaled deeply. I was so on edge, I was imagining crazy things now. David might not be my professor, but he wasn’t far off. He was university staff and he wouldn’t hit on a student.
”Well, either way, have a great night and take care,” David said with a warm smile. He raised a hand in farewell before blending back into the bustling street, disappearing as quickly as he had arrived.
The noise from the high street fell away as Kate yanked me by the elbow, ushering me through the coffee shop”s door. The scent of roasted beans and cinnamon rushed to greet us, but it did little to soothe my jitters.
”Okay, spill it,” Kate demanded, her eyes gleaming with mischief as she let the door swing shut behind us. ”He totally has a thing for you.”
”Who, David? No way, he”s just being friendly.”
”Paige, come on.” Kate raised her eyebrows. ”The way he looks at you? It”s not just ”friendly”.”
”David? Crushing on me?” I shook my head and laughed. “He works at the art department.”
“You’re not the slightest bit curious?” she asked.
“No, I’m really not.”
“Such a good girl,” Kate teased.
I laughed again and shook my head. “Nope, but I want to date a guy that gives me butterflies, you know? And David, I don’t know… there’s just no…”
“Spark?”
“Exactly. Now, can we please get a coffee before I collapse from caffeine withdrawal?”
Kate grinned, but as we joined the queue for the barista, my mind drifted back to the nightclub and a pair of tattooed arms that sent the butterflies dancing all over again and a certain blonde billionaire who’s smile set my body aflame.