𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝑀𝐼𝑁𝐷， 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 5

𝐨𝐧𝐞.

     MAREN CAMERON woke up at two thirty in the morning to an aggravating sound, her phone ringing. she rolled over and grabbed her cell phone. she had three missed calls from amber freeman, one of, if not maren's best friend. maren didn't really like her friends that much, so amber was probably the closest person to her.

     she quickly noticed her cell phone wasn't what was ringing. it was the landline in the other room. she groaned before pulling her duvet off of her.

     she stumbled down the hallway, groggy from being half asleep, and annoyed at whoever was calling her at this time. she got to the landline in the guest bedroom and put it to her ear.

     "hello, maren." a creepy voice that maren knew all too well said. maren rolled her eyes. "listen asshole. you're like the fifth person to call this month. it's not funny to get a laugh out of someone's trauma!" maren said into the phone at a slightly higher volume than she intended to.

      "oh? is this funny to you maren? actually i have something to ask you." the voice of ghostface said into the phone.

      "i bet i can guess. what's my favorite scary movie? hmm probably the one where you stop calling." maren said, hanging up the phone. there was a pause and it rang again. she ignored it and started walking back to her bedroom.

     it rang again and maren let out a sigh of annoyance turning into rage. she stormed back into the guest bedroom and picked up the phone.

     "i swear to god if you keep calling i'm gonna call the police." maren yelled.

    "oh don't be so dramatic maren. the police won't have time to get to you after i slice you up just like i did to your mother!" ghostface yelled. maren hung up the phone and ran out of the guest room, but was stopped as ghostface jumped out from maren's bedroom, blocking her path. "fuck you!" maren screamed, kicking them in the knee cap. she ran past him and down the stairs.
 
     as she got down the stairs a second killer popped out and pushed maren to the ground. maren felt a sharp pain in her abdomen as the killer slung a knife into maren's exposed stomach. she couldn't scream, she felt herself slipping away as she reached for the killer's mask in her final moments. she came face to face with jill roberts, her mother's murderer. the second killer came down the stairway, and just as maren felt herself dying, the other killer took off their mask to reveal leighton cameron, maren's mother.

     maren gasped as she woke up to her cell phone ringing. she sat up in bed, clutching her chest as she panted out of fear. it was almost five thirty in the morning. maren answered the phone. "amber?" maren said into the phone.

     "hey mare. i just wanted you to know that tara was attacked last night. she needs surgery but she's going to be okay." amber said, barely audible.

     "you didn't kill her?" maren questioned. amber scoffed. "no. no. i know you'd kill me yourself if i let your precious girlfriend die." amber sounded almost amused at the idea of maren's sweet spot for tara.

     "good, and just so you know, if you lay another finger on her, i won't hesitate." maren said coldly.

     "god mare. you sound ridiculous. "if i can't have her no one can" much?"

      it was true. no one made maren feel more complete than tara. she was the only person who could make tara feel anything other than cold, blinded rage.

     "goodnight amber." maren said sarcastically, hanging up the phone before amber could get another word out.

     maren has always been well, not entirely okay. her mothers death affected her in a way she can't even describe. it's like every single person who brings up her mom, or even bothers maren slightly, she can see herself stabbing them repeatedly and watching the light drain out of their eyes. it was anger. her primary emotion. nothing could bring back her mom, so why should anyone else deserve to live?

    

     AN ANNOUNCEMENT declared that classes were canceled for the rest of the day as maren walked across the courtyard and took a seat next to amber, immediately pulling out her phone to see if she can hear anything about tara.

     amber snatched maren's phone out of her hand. "tara's fine mare, don't worry." amber said, trying to cheer up maren, but it didn't work. maren didn't feel guilty about tara getting attacked. it was part of a plan, and they had to stick to it. "you're right."

     maren tuned out the rest of the conversation. she didn't tune back in either. she was completely checked out, but her friends didn't really seem to care, or even notice.

      "The press still isn't saying ghostface." mindy says. mindy meeks-martin, daughter of martha meeks and is probably maren's cousin in a different universe. 

     "mom doesn't want to cause a panic." wes explains. maren winces. wes hicks. son of judy hicks. the worst person maren has ever met. judy was there the night leighton was murdered. she couldn't stop jill from stabbing maren's mom seventeen times. so, in maren's eyes, she's the person to kill. wes is fine. he's sweet and all, but his kindness just doesn't sit well with maren. sure, wes thinks they're good friends because of the way maren acts around him. nice and normal is like her default, but it's just the person she lets everyone see. nice and normal left about ten years ago.

     "it'll get out. it always gets out by the second of third killing." mindy explains.

     "jesus mindy! there wasn't a first killing. tara's alive." amber exclaims.

     "hm. i mean, she could still die." mindy shrugged her shoulders.

     suddenly being completely checked out was looking so much better than actually paying attention. maren filled with rage, as she felt her cheeks get hot and her surroundings disappear. she wanted to end mindy right there. who could say something like that about tara?maren calmed down as she thought. oh yeah, she could. she could want tara dead. it was part of her agenda.

     "you know what? fuck you mindy! tara's gonna be fine. this isn't one of your stupid fucking movies." maren said before grabbing her bag and storming off.

     "hey she didn't mean anything by it!" she heard mindy's twin brother chad yell. maren didn't look back. "fuck you too!" chad was too much of an alpha bro for her anyways.

     maren heard footsteps behind her. she turned around to see wes following her. "do you need something?" she asked. wes shook his head.

     "no. sorry. i was just gonna ask if you're okay. i mean, with tara being your girlfriend and all. you have to be pretty upset." wes said genuinely. wes has always had a crush on tara, but maren got there first. she could tell wes still liked her at the way she struggled to even say the word girlfriend.

     "yeah. i am." she said bluntly. stop. keep up the act. "actually i'm on my way to the hospital right now if you want to come?" maren offered, given him a sweet (and completely fake) smile.

     maren felt as though she was always wearing a mask. she wasn't a kind person. the maren she lets everyone see doesn't exist. there is no true version of her. every version is tainted. there's a glass wall in between her and everyone person she meets. she felt numb and emotionless most of the time and it was a part of her she had learned to accept. she couldn't let wes see that mask slip, and she could never let tara. ever.

     wes didn't notice her slightly off putting behavior. "for sure. i'll just go grab everyone else and i'll meet you over there." wes smiled, in which maren returned.

     god, she couldn't wait to kill him.

    

 

authors note: yeah, so maren's a little bit insane. she makes for a good ghostface though. i thought it would be interesting to see a scream movie through a ghostface's perspective, since that's never really been done before except for jason but he doesn't really count. also her and tara are so incredibly cute together.

published march 22nd, 2023