Beyond The Mask Book Novels & Stories

The tailor has listened to our exchange, and he disappears for a few moments before returning with everything Zayden described. ‘I hear it’s a masquerade ball?’ he smiles. ‘It is indeed. Do you have masks?’ I ask him. ‘Yes, I have masks,’ he says as he retrieves a bundle for us to look through. I choose a black mask that covers all of my forehead and my nose. It covers enough of my face that no one will be able to recognize me. Zayden comes out of another room to show us his outfit. He looks amazing. ‘Alright. We will take those, and he will need boots,’ I say, looking at his bare feet.

All three of them slipped on carnival like face masks, the very colorful ones with even more colorful feathers at the end. “What is going on?” I ask, this time looking from person to person. “Want to find out?” Abed asks from behind the mask, he blinked at me through the eye hole, I stared at him, even with the mask, he was as beautiful as they came. I swallow, and nod. Abed stretched out his hand, in it was another mask, staring at it for a second longer, I take it, turning it over in my hands, I notice it is not the disposable type, and it had the word SUNFLOWER engraved on it.

I would have to go unnoticed. With a heavy sigh, I pushed the covers off and sat up, reaching for the bag. I pulled out the invitation card and looked at it. As I traced the letters with my finger, something else tumbled out of the bag—a mask. I blinked, stunned at what just happened. It was a lovely mask that only covered the eyes, black with silver embroidery. Its edges were lined with tiny, sparkling beads. And then, another surprise: a dress, folded neatly at the bottom of the bag. How had I not seen it before?

The Masquerade mask was Harriet's special mask, a white snake mask with one eye hole on the right side. "Actually, this is my mother's mask," said Harriet quietly. She then smiled and held up another mask box. Harriet showed it to Liam who was still furrowing his brows at her previous words and opened the box. Another white mask appeared in their vision. It was a white wolf mask with golden stripes around its eyes. Harriet smiled proudly showing the mask design. It was the one she ordered yesterday, which turned out to be perfect and ready at just the right time. "This is for me?" Liam asked.

she grumbled. When the patient, nerves already frayed, heard the word "mother" again, he quieted suddenly. He gave a despairing smile and sprinted toward the edge of the roof. The crowd began murmuring again. "How could she mention his mother? She should know that the patient's issues stem from his mother. How could she not know that?" "Shit! He's going to jump—" Then, their voices shifted to gasps of amazement. "Dr. Seville was so brave! Oh, my god!"

Baka ako naman ang masaktan ng magaang kamay ni Athelia! Dinadaldal lang ako ni Athelia habang kumakain kami. Ena was back in her own dimension again, with a book on her hand. Kumakain siya ngunit hindi mabitawan ang librong bagong bili. Hindi naman alam ang pakiramdam ng nagbabasa nang ganiyan ngunit kaya naming maging considerate kaya hindi kami manggugulo. Nag-uusap lang kami tungkol sa school hanggang sa kung saan-saan na napadpad ang usapan.

"I’ll come back. When I can stand beside you without hiding. When I can look you in the eye and know that what we have is real." "And until then, I’m supposed to pretend you didn’t mean anything to me?" She smiled sadly. "No. Just remember me kindly. That’s all I ask." They stood in silence, the garden swaying softly around them. "You know," Ethan said finally, trying to lighten the mood, "I always wondered if the mask was hiding some hideous deformity or if you were just trying to look mysterious." She laughed through her tears. "Maybe both. I do have a slightly crooked nose."

"I hope you get that in your head too." Before I could speak up, the teacher walked into the class, making me suppress my emotions. With a heavy heart, I opened my note book and tried to ignore the fact that Sean's next to me. If he thinks he is the only one that can mask their pain, then he's wrong. Two can play this game. ****

As I told him everything, he grew tense and took out all the weapons. "I have a bad feeling they're probably after us," he said. "No matter what, we need to leave as soon as possible. Our teacher said he'll handle everything—clean identities, a safe return, and a place where we can stay hidden while continuing our work. But you need to understand what that means. You'll never be able to live as your original self again." "It doesn't matter. A name is just a label. I only want to live openly under the sun someday."

I hated the lights, the glass, and the very idea that people could stroll into this store casually and walk out with clothes worth more than what my mother’s surgery would cost. My world wasn’t silk. My world was peeling paint and whispers in the dark. It was instant noodles, thrift-store coats, my brother’s laughter, my glass, my tears, and my mother’s cough echoing in the night. Then my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, careful not to drop it in a puddle. The cracked screen lit up with a message from my landlord: Rent due tomorrow, and no excuses this time. The words were blunt, but their weight crushed me.