Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin(8)

"I was told what it was going to be like beforehand, but I had no concept of the reality of it all until I was actually in there."

"Believe me, I've been booked for some crazier things than what was going on in there."

Elizabeth and Arthur listened to this exchange, their curiosity so aroused that now there was surely no turning back from their mission, and they approached the two strangers.

"Excuse me," Elizabeth said, "my friend and I would like to get into that party. Can we buy your masks off of you?"

"You want to go to that party?" the woman asked skeptically.

"Yes," Elizabeth said emphatically.

"But they're only kids!" the man admonished.

"We're both eighteen," Arthur corrected.

"Well, that's still too young for this party," the woman informed him.

"What, is there drinking? Arthur and I can both hold our liquor. And we walked here, so we can't drive drunk," Elizabeth persisted.

"If it were just drinking, we wouldn't be all that concerned," the woman laughed. "Trust me, you don't know what you two would be getting yourselves into in there. It's an adult party."

"We ARE adults," Arthur corrected.

"No, kid...that's not what I meant---"

"I've changed my mind," the man said. "Let's just give them our masks. No charge. The password to get in is Mastodon. This should be a good learning experience for them."

The woman sighed and relented. If it wasn't them, these kids would just find some other way to get in. Besides, it would be a good way for their eighteen year old selves to learn that actions have consequences. They handed their masks over to Elizabeth and Arthur, headed to their car, and drove off without looking back.

Elizabeth held her mask in her hand. It was a silver colored eye mask. It was bordered by silver lace and had pearly beads lining the eyeholes. On the right side of the mask, glued to the edge, was a small plume of gray feathers. She tied it to her head thinking that she couldn't have found a better mask to go with her little black dress.

Arthur's was a full face mask. Elizabeth guessed the word to describe it might be "venetian". It was red with gold trim lining the eyes and bordering the mask. A design that looked like golden flower stems was painted on the cheeks, chin, and forehead. He had never been to a masquerade before, and he had visions of himself wearing the mask, twirling Elizabeth around a ball room, and dipping her almost to the floor. Tonight, he could be a different person. This mask could turn him into her debonair, enchanting Romeo. Tonight, he would say goodbye to Arthur. He tied the mask's two gold silk ribbons behind his head and followed Elizabeth up to the mini-mansion.

Aaron's house was even more impressive up close and personal. It was almost like a smaller version of the White House. They had no clue how many rooms were inside, but both were excited about possibly being the only neighbors to find out.

Once they reached the doorway, Elizabeth had a feeling she was being watched. She wondered if it was paranoia because she knew she was about to do something dishonest. Then she realized it wasn't just paranoia. She noticed a largely built man in full face mask lounging on a swinging bench not far off to their left. He seemed to be looking right at her. For a moment, she locked eyes with him. And then she looked away. The man's outfit looked dark and foreboding. He wore a black, untucked, silk shirt that hung loosely on him. He had on black slacks and black dress shoes. But it was his mask that gave her the chills. The two eye holes, like large fox eyes, appeared villainous to her. The wide, jagged sides were like extended bat wings. Glued on twigs gave the resemblance of bones sustaining the wings. And then there was the mouth area. A brown, painted slit of a mouth and two red fangs painted onto them. Elizabeth had never seen such a demonic mask in her life. And it looked handmade, so she wondered about the nature of the man who wore it and possibly even designed it.

"Password?" the bouncer asked.

"Mastodon," Arthur responded.

The two teenagers walked into the house and were thrown into darkness. The house looked to be about three stories tall, and they could barely see except for the occasional flashes of light and accompanying shouts of, "You're out!" She could hear people banging, shouting, and shutting doors. They're playing flashlight tag? Elizabeth thought perplexed. She couldn't believe it. What was so adult about playing flashlight tag? Shouldn't they even be ashamed? The last time she played flashlight tag, she was twelve years old and at a slumber party. It was also her last before Austin whisked her off to experience the world.

Before Elizabeth could reminisce more about her lost childhood, a flashlight beam suddenly caught her straight in the face mask. "You're out!" a large man bellowed. Elizabeth gulped as the man advanced towards her. He was not tall, but he was large. Elizabeth stared at his chest. She thought of Aaron's big chest, but it wasn't like this guy. He was more like barrel chested. She imagined his chest having been replaced by a wine barrel from a local winery. He quickly grabbed her arm and led her to a room. He opened the door and flashed the light inside. It was empty. He gestured for her to enter. Elizabeth was suddenly filled with fear. She was almost in hysterics. She suddenly discerned the different noises she heard in the house. The banging was like a bed banging against the walls. The shouting was more like moaning. The doors, vigorously being shut, precluded her from being privy to the antics going on behind them. And then there was the woman who gave her the mask. What had she said about the party? It was an "adult party." Elizabeth lost all control as the realization of what she had just walked into dawned on her. She was in a strange house. No one but Arthur knew where she was. And a large man, far bigger than herself, wanted her to walk into a dark, lonely bedroom with him. Most likely, he would be shutting the door behind them. She yanked away her arm from the man's grasp, opened up her purse, and drew out a knife. The man immediately jerked back. And then she could literally feel his anger. He advanced on her. Elizabeth would have stabbed him had it not been for a sudden shout of "Stop!" and all the lights suddenly flashing on. The man quickly backed away from her. The lights flashed down on Elizabeth and her knife. It was held threateningly in her grip as she looked around. But no one was looking at her. They were looking at where the voice had come from: the front door.