THUM THUM THUM THUM THUM THUM
Storming upstairs, Mason walks down the elongated and dark halls, never wanting to turn any of the other lights off out of forced habit.
Outside of Mason's home, up on the second floor and above a lone tree sitting in front of the left half of the home, a light turns on.
"Oh."
Melody chimes, humming away the minutes outside her friend's home. Waiting patiently down the street until Mason got into his door, Melody came back to make sure he wasn't needing anything else. Finding Mason's home cold and dark, Melody couldn't even be sure he stayed home, maybe dropping off his book bag and leaving again. Deciding to wait and see, rewarded with the bedroom light flicking off and casting a shadow of Mason sitting on his bed.
"Oh, Mason. How can I help?"
She quietly speaks to herself, warming her hand with her breath.
Upstairs, Mason flicks his light on and sits at his bed's edge, looking off into nothing. Across from his bed, the roof starts to slope down, and literally only a dark corner of the room shades the bottom. Hearing again the taunting words from Mr. Gentus back at school.
"this Breck character, I hear he's your school's strongest."
"Shut up!"
Mason shouts, kicking his feet out ahead of him, leaning back on the bed.
Downstairs, Melody can hear a muffled yell, then a deep thump. Mason's shadow tells her that he threw something.
"Oh no,"
Speaking aloud, then,
"Should I ring the bell? What do I say?"
Melody tries to come up with a plan, something nonchalant so it doesn't seem invasive.
Back upstairs, Mason has thrown his pillow over at the dresser across from his bed, which knocks back into the wall. The continued motion of the throw knocks loose a picture frame at the top of the dresser, and the picture falls.
KAK
Mason falls back on his bed, sprawling out and releasing a stream of hot air.
"Pheeeeeew."
Mason closes his eyes for a moment.
"I'll get stronger, Dameon."
Mason opens his eyes now, alight with a red tingeing flame at the edges of his iris.
"I will."
Mason kicks his feet off the bed and into the air, using the full momentum to yank himself forward.
"Hup!"
Mason lands on his feet, looking around his half-cleaned and half-dirty room.
Melody still sits outside, wondering what to do and when,
"Oh… Should I?"
Wondering if she can walk up to the door and invite herself in.
"I could help him with his paper!"
Melody steps off the street curb towards Mason's home, determined.
Upstairs now, Mason walks across his room and reaches for the top of the dresser where he heard something fall.
"What was-?"
Mason stops, grabbing the picture frame, knowing full well what's underneath it.
Krikk
A halting creak cries from the floor beneath him.
"Oh."
Mason remembers, which steals the breath from his throat. He lets his fingertips drag across the red wooden frame, a horrible paint job he did in class as a younger boy. He breathes in shallowly but exhales for much longer.
"Haaaaaaaaaagh."
Mason slowly lets his breath calm.
"I'm not strong enough yet, Dameon…"
Melody stops in her tracks. She can hear these thoughts. Clearer than ever before.
Mason's words almost feel warm in her head as if his voice is right in her ear.
"Mason?"
She utters, cupping her mouth with a light fist.
Mason pulls up his old frame and photo, looking at it with wet eyes. Melody can feel this now too.
"-But, I promise…"
Mason finishes the thought in his heart. Putting the photo back upright and placing it at the center of his dresser-top. Shown here is Mason's entrance ceremony to Masquerade, just the year before. He's stood in line with a few other students, Sam right next to him. The photo is a zoomed-in shot from the crowd around the student masses, where parents can view it.
Melody is now walking away, bouncing down the street as she ever would.
"You can do it, Mason."
Shining glistens of light follow behind Melody, trailing all the way to her eyes.
Melody, Mason, and Sam prepare themselves for what their second year of Masquerade has in store for them. Unsure of what the future holds.
Continued in PART THIRTY-ONE…