Subject Zero: CONFIDENTIAL (Short Stories)

Don't Look Away (7)

Part Seven: Light Up the Dark

October 31, 1982
8:30p.m.
Branch Side (Neighborhood)
Norwood, Maine

Third Person's POV
The jester, now known as Joker, was holding a three of diamonds card while standing next to Mizuki. Eiji has disappeared weeks ago, for some unknown reason.

The teenager in a wizard costume in front of the two of them laughed. "Hey, that is my card!"

His friend looked at the card and nodded. He was wearing a mime costume.

Joker gave a respectful bow then stood up straight. The mime looked closely at the Joker's eyes while smiling, and the teenager handed him the card.

The mime didn't see a pair of eyes through the seeing-holes, then looked at Mizuki, who was just eating a 3 Musketeers candy bar. He noticed there weren't any holes for her to see out of on her mask, only a hole in the middle of it.

The teenager, with a happy smile on his face, looked at his friend then back at Joker. "Hey, man, that was awesome! I really like magic."

On a bench further away was a pair of teenagers. One was wearing a pirate costume, and the other was wearing a Cat Woman costume.

     "Do you see those two over there?" asked the girl in the Cat Woman costume.

The boy in the pirate costume looked at Mizuki and Joker. "What? Are they, like, a small family of magicians?"

The girl nodded. "They seem to be. At least the guy is. And isn't the girl so adorable?"

Right after she said that, Mizuki looked over at the two of them. The girl smiled and waved, and when Mizuki hesitantly waved back, the boy noticed she had six fingers on her hands.

When the two teenagers that were with the jester and masked girl walked away, Joker looked at the teens on the bench.

     "I think they're cool," the girl said with a smile on her face.

     "Nance, the guy's probably, like, forty-years-old."

Joker waved at the two of them to go over to him and the masked girl.

The boy looked at the girl next to him, noticing she wanted to go over there. "You can't be serious, Nancy. Did you not here what I just said?"

The girl, Nancy, stood up and began walking towards them. Mizuki was eating her Halloween candy while Nancy walked up to Joker. The boy, Mark, got up and ran over to them.

Joker stood still, then suddenly held out his hand for her to shake. Nancy noticed he had six fingers on his hand, then she shook it and smiled.

     "Six-fingered handshake. It's a full finger friendlier than normal," giggled Nancy. "Nice addition to the costume."

Mark ran up next to Nancy, and Joker stopped shaking her hand. Mark held out his hand for him to shake, but the jester only hung his 'C'-cane onto Mark's wrist.

     "...Ah."

Nancy was simply smiling.

Joker then did the trick where he pulls a piece of candy from behind her ear. She clapped her hands, applauding him. He gave a respectful bow.