After what happened on Christmas Eve, Katelyn immediately cut off all communication with her friends. She couldn't bear to face her friends or even her boyfriend after getting caught in his living room.
But it wasn't all gloomy, Katelyn started to spend a lot of time with her family on Christmas and New Years Day. After spending so much time with the mask in the past few months, she completely neglected her family and it showed. But now, every time she knocked on her brother's door his eyes would light up and the two would end up playing games, building forts, or even reading short stories together before bedtime. Her parents were also happy that their daughter was finally leaving her room after doing gods no what in her musty bedroom over the last few months.
To Katelyn, this was the quality family time that she missed out on thanks to her masked adventures. All of her time spent with her family kept her distracted from any urges or temptations from her alter-ego... until an unexpected visitor came knocking on her door the day after New Years.
Katelyn's mother opened the door and saw Danny standing at their doorstep. Without any hesitation, she invited him in and brought him to their living room.
"Kat! Someone's here for you," her mom called for her daughter.
"Coming! Who is it..." She ran downstairs and froze in place when she saw Danny. He looked up at the staircase and gently waved at her.
Her mother walked between them with some hot chocolate and nudged her daughter downstairs. Katelyn slowly walked downstairs and picked a seat that was the furthest away from where Danny sat and looked away while Danny and Katelyn's mom talked with each other. When the topic of skiing came up, Katelyn's mom grew excited and asked if she could tag along.
"Mom, I didn't know you knew how to ski," Katelyn mumbled while continuing to slip her mug of hot chocolate.
"I don't know how to ski, but you mama here is a pro at snowboarding. Met your dad on a college trip to a resort," she mused as she recalled her younger years.
Katelyn and Danny both blushed; her mom was making an awkward conversation even more uncomfortable. Katelyn's mom, noticing the deafening silence in the room after she made her remark, excused herself from the room; leaving the two alone.
"So... you probably know why I'm here," Danny finally spoke up. "I just wanted to see if you were okay after... you know... last week." Katelyn turned and looked out the window; trying to ignore him until her mother came back.
"I tried to text you but you weren't replying. I didn't know if you got hurt or whatever after you left." Danny stuttered as he tried to explain himself. "And after you left, I kicked everyone out. Malcolm was still shaken after seeing..."
"A freak?" Katelyn coldly interrupted.
"N-no, you're not a freak," Danny scootched towards Katelyn. "Listen, I really enjoyed all the fun times we've had the past few months. You've been totally down to earth and nice. I'd hate to see us break up just because of one night. Please hear me out," he pleaded.
Katelyn started to feel really bad. On one hand, she needed time away from Danny and their friends to clear her mind after that night, but on the other hand she started to feel that maybe it wasn't fair for her to cut them off; perhaps she could have just cut off the mask instead.
She gave a heavy sigh and finally turned to her boyfriend. "I'm sorry too," she finally said. "I... just needed some time to think..."
"... for myself for once," she thought.
Danny lightened up and moved closer to her. "I understand," Danny said reassuringly. And reached for a hug. The two grabbed onto each other and just rocked back and forth; comforting each other.
After a few minutes, Danny broke the hug and said, "Let's keep that night our little secret."
She smiled but then asked, "what about Malcolm?"
"If that SOB says a peep to anyone at school, I'll make sure he gets a fistful before lunch," Danny confidently announced while making Katelyn giggle.
"Deal," Katelyn said while giving him a handshake.
"And by the way, could you... uh maybe bring your "makeup" again," Danny sheepishly asked; clearly signaling his infatuation for the green goddess. Katelyn glared at him.
"O-or maybe not..." Danny nervously muttered.
"We'll see lover boy," Katelyn replied as her mom came back into the room. Danny, now accomplished with convincing Katelyn to get back on good terms with him, quickly left her house.
After Danny left, Katelyn headed back upstairs where her alter-ego was back in her mirror; waiting for her after a week of being untouched.
"You're back," Katelyn said as she locked her door and approached her mirror.
"And you have haven't touched me in over a week," her alter-ego replied.
"You know exactly why. I don't trust you or that mask anymore after..." Katelyn started to say.
"Yeah yeah yeah, Christmas blah-blah-blah, I've heard the story before sister," her alter-ego mused as Katelyn opened her window and letting in a draft.
"If you know so much, then you know exactly what I'm going to do with you," she said after opening her lock box and pulling out the brother mask.
Katelyn, with a mask in one hand, vigorously tossed it out her window and into the cold foggy street. She then looked back at her mirror; Kandy was gone.
She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her window. Katelyn then flopped on her bed, mentally exhausted from her emotional heart-to-heart with Danny, and reached over to her bedside cabinet with the intent on getting her phone. But she felt something hard and wooden graze her finger tips, she turned to her side and saw the mask sitting ini front of her; her fingers were penetrating its hollow open mouth. She immediately freaked out and backed away from her bed.
"Gonna need a lot more to get rid of us than a simple window," a sultry voice whispered in Katelyn's ear.
She picked up the wretched mask and dropped it back into her lockbox. If throwing it out the window won't work, she'll have to try getting rid of it a different way. Maybe somewhere far-far away...
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What could Katelyn be scheming...
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