Masks

Chapter One

I leaned my head against the car window feeling the vibrations of the movement of the car against my forehead. My eyes were focused down on an old hand held games console causing my motion sickness to flare but I wouldn't dare put it down. At least the music playing in my ears and the game in my hands was working to disguise the heavy silence and the unspoken words between my father and me. I wanted to ask how long it would be until we got there but I couldn't. It felt like a competition and I wouldn't give in to him.

I stole a glance at Dad in the corner of my eye. He was staring blankly ahead and his forehead, just before his receding hairline, shined with the light that spilled in through the windows. He sniffed moving to scratch at the outside of his nose and I snapped my head the other way refusing to admit that I was waiting for him to start talking, or yelling. Anything really.

I glared at nothing in particular. It was bad enough I was being dragged halfway across the country. Who moves to a small town in the middle of nowhere that no one even knew existed? Mum and Dad were fighting last week, as per usual. But apparently this time was different because they both suddenly decided that they couldn't bear to ever see each other's faces again. So I became Dad's possession. He only offered to take me so that he could have something over on Mum I was sure. I guess neither of us had expected that Mum would just let me go without a single word of disagreement. She may as well have packed my bags for me.

The music that played through my headphones cut off mid song lyric and I scrambled to pull my phone out of my pocket. The internet connection had vanished and even the phone signal was weak. I groaned looking between my phone and my dad. I couldn't bite back the anger in my voice.

"There's not even internet here, you're kidding me right? I'm all for some flipping country air Dad but no internet connection?"

"Don't be silly," he said his voice curt and tired. "I'm sure it'll come back when we get further into town. I find it hard to believe Dr Robinson wouldn't have an internet connection."

Dad had used the very Dr to excuse us moving across the country. Dad worked as a university professor back home and he'd heard of Dr Robinson working on some great theories. When he saw a paid internship advertised he just couldn't turn it down. Of course it helped that it was all the way here and Mum would be all the way back there.

"What's this Robinson guy doing anyway?"

"He was very vague," Dad admitted, "it's all rather top secret. Very cool don't you think."

"Sounds creepy to me," I muttered. "I bet he's some kind of mad scientist."

"It's a fresh start Avery. A fresh start away from everything."

"I get it," I snapped. I sunk back into the leather trying to ignore the pain it caused when it rubbed against my bare arms.

"So this house?" I asked trying to fake interest. "I get the big room right?"

"Only if you stop sulking" Dad frowned.

"Can't make any promises."

With every yard or so the sides of the road became more populated with tree's until we reached a point where tree's regularly lined the road. They sped by in a blur of colour. After coming across a sign reading 'Bantfell' we turned onto a smaller road. It lead into town and seemed to be the only road which did so.

The further into town we drove the more of it I began to see. It was small that was for sure. Not as small as a village but far smaller than your average town. It was clear it was pretty balanced, with a rather average equal distribution of concrete and grassy areas. I wanted to go home. I loved my old home, after all that's what it was, home. But this wasn't, this was a place where nobody knew me but everyone pretend and thought that they did. We drove past shops and houses, a river, a park and a school. The car came to a stop outside a fair sized three story house with rose bushes lined up the pathway. The path was slabbed up to the door which was large and bright and very red.