Masks Always Fall

Chapter 31

I glanced up from my homework as Zahara fidgeted with her shirt from her spot next to me on my bed at the group home. We had hung out here most weekends since becoming friends, finding comfort in each other's company amid chaos of this place.

"Do you think we'll be able to get costumes for Halloween?" Zahara asked hopeful yet dubious, already expecting disappointment. Her enthusiasm made me smile, even as reality threatened to dampen her spirit.

Sighing, I replied gently, "Probably not. I don't think that's in the group home budget, sadly." It pained me to burst her bubble, yet I remained pragmatic having learned hopes here often led to hurt.

Zahara's face fell, and I longed to restore some childlike joy in her world, if only for a moment. An idea sparked, and I continued casually, "But you know, we're pretty crafty. I'm sure between the two of us, we can scrounge up something cute yet cheap."

Her eyes lit up, grasping this thread of possibility. "You think? What kind of costumes we could make?" Her grin dissolved lingering gloom, uplifting my own mood in its radiance.

"Let's put our heads together!" I affirmed, pushing aside homework to brainstorm with her instead.

Zahara's face lit up. "I know! We can make dinosaur costumes out of cardboard boxes!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Before I could agree to the clever idea, Mikayla appeared in the doorway with a snort of derision. "Halloween is for children," she sneered. "Oh wait, I forgot. Zahara is a baby."

Zahara shrank back at the mean-spirited taunt, that familiar glow of joy snuffed out. Anger flared within me at this bully who seemed to feed on crushing innocence.

"There's no age limit on imagination, Mikayla," I replied evenly, meeting her scowl with a calm yet steely gaze. "But I understand why you might think otherwise, considering your apparent lack of creativity or heart."

My steady facade nearly faltered as Mikayla abruptly loomed into my space, her minty breath hitting my skin. I held my ground even as every instinct told me to recoil from this bully invading my personal space.

"I am getting really tired of you," she gritted through bared teeth, a feral glint in her eyes sending alarm through my veins. But I refused to show weakness, meeting her gaze calmly once more.

All went still for a protracted moment, the air electrified yet frozen. Then finally she backed away with a sneer, satisfied to have unsettled me if only for an instant.

As ever, control slipped from her grasp the moment it was relinquished. I let out a discreet breath, shoulders relaxing their tension as distance grew between us once more.

Turning back to Zahara, I offered an assuring smile. "Now, where were we...?" Her bright eyes begged distraction from dark shadows dimming our sanctuary.

As Zahara began excitedly explaining her cardboard box dino costume idea, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Hoping for a message from Julianne asking to hang out, I slipped it out to check.

But the number was unrecognizable. My heart plummeted as I unlocked the screen to read the chilling words: "Emma... it's mom. Call me."

Suddenly I couldn't breathe. My whole body froze, paralyzed in panic and disbelief. This couldn't be happening, not now, not after so long with no contact.

With trembling fingers, I re-read the text over and over, searching desperately for meaning or reason behind this unexpected summons from my past. All the buried fears, doubts and memories came flooding back in a crippling wave.

I wanted to shove the phone away, to blockade this threatening breach in the walls I'd worked so hard to erect. But some primal need for answers held me captive in the agony of that gaze, heart pounding so fiercely I thought it may actually tear me apart.