Behind Her Mask

Chapter One

Reed took in a shaky breath as she slammed her bedroom door shut and leaned back against it.

She was going to die.

She locked her door and decided to slip out of her ruined slate blue dress before she started to hyperventilate and feel like it was crushing her ribs. She pulled on the nightgown she'd set out earlier and covered her head with her hands before sitting down on her bed.

Warren Young, her next door neighbor, was going to kill her.

It had all started at the dance.

"Welcome to the Masquerade!" A fellow student told her cheerfully. "Can I see your ticket?" Reed nodded and pulled the small plastic mask-shaped token from her wallet and handed it to the girl. She smiled and looked at the number marked on the mask before looking at the list of students. "Reed Jamison?" The girl asked.

"Yes," Reed told the girl. She shifted uncomfortably.

She honestly didn't know why she came to the Masquerade. She wouldn't have anyone to dance with, or talk to, so it was honestly a waste of money.

"Well, have a good time at the dance, Reed!" The girl said, handing the token back. Reed nodded and put it back in her wallet before walking into the gym where the dance was. It was amazing how the dance committee could transform the ugly gymnasium into a place that actually looked nice for the dance - the fact that they'd done so on limited funds was even more amazing. Springfield High was terrible at fund-raising.

The gym was decorated with silver and gold balloons and matching streamers, with panels of silver and gold fabric from the home-ec department covering the ugly sickly green walls.

Reed was dressed up rather nicely, wearing a knee length slate blue dress and black heels, but she wasn't dressed to attract attention.

She liked it that way.

After standing around for a while, and dancing a little, Reed started to feel the harsh tickle of thirst in the back of her throat. She walked over to the concessions table and poured herself a cup of the punch being served before turning to walk back to her corner.

She should've watched where she was turning.

Her death could've been avoided if she'd actually paid attention to where she was going for once in her life.

She'd turned and bumped into Warren Young, sloshing their drinks down both their fronts.

Instantly she'd felt her pulse race up.

Oh God. Oh God. Why'd she have to bump into him of all people?

She could feel her green eyes widen as she looked up into his hazel eyes. He was glaring at her. He looked like he was trying to think of where he would hide her body. Probably in a lake or a field, or a ditch somewhere. Maybe chopped up into little pieces.

"O-Oh. God, I am so sorry," Reed said quickly. She immediately reached for a napkin to give him but found that there were none at the table. "I'm sorry," She squeaked out again. He kept staring at her, even though his eyes had lost their glare. "I'm- I gotta go," She said. And with those words, Reed walked as fast as she could out of the gymnasium and out of the school.

She'd even walked the fifteen minutes to her house in heels.

Her mother had thought she was crazy for leaving a whole hour and a half before the dance was over, and for looking so disheveled. Of course, when Reed told her she didn't want to talk about it, she'd let it be.

She didn't want her mother knowing she was going to die a most violent and horrific death.

Warren Young was scary. He was violent. He was also her next door neighbor.

"Okay, I can take classes online, I can have the teachers," Reed took in another deep breath. "I can have the teachers send me work. I'll never leave the house again. I'll pay people to pick up my groceries when I'm older. I'll start an online business for money. If I stay in my house, he won't kill me."

"So, why exactly am I going to kill you?"

Her mother had let her murderer into the house.

Her mother had let her murderer into her room.