The Masked Man

Chapter One

1996

The steaming water from her shower had fogged up the mirror over the sink; Anne took her hand over it and wiped the haze away. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel with a pink bath robe that fell just above her knees. She was fixing her eyebrows, giving them more of an arch. Her stereo was playing Third Eye Blind and she would occasionally sing along, Semi-Charmed Life was the big hit now. But she enjoyed all of the songs.

"Ouch." Anne squealed. "Enough of that." She cleaned up the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. They weren't anything pretty, she wore her bathrobe with a tank top that had a small bow and sport shorts. Her hair was almost dry by the time she went through the hall to get a cup of water in the kitchen. She took her hair out of the towel and tossed it into the bathroom on the floor.

Her parents were on vacation for their twentieth wedding anniversary in Vermont. They would arrive back in town tomorrow around noon, they were leaving early in the morning to miss awful traffic in New York. This gave Anne the house to herself.

School had ended about two weeks ago, she graduated as valedictorian and was going to be starting school at Binghamton University. Her family was so proud of her, they had a vast graduation party after the ceremony. Most of their guests were family members and only a handful were friends from school.

Anne was actually popular, mostly because she was so pretty and sweet to everyone. Whether it was the teachers or classmates, they all had something nice to say about her. She didn't go to many parties, she was too busy working for her grade but every once in a while she went to show her face and let loose a bit. She also had a boyfriend for a few months; he was popular from his athletics and good looks. Her now ex, Mike, wasn't only cute but intellectual, he was going to start at John Jay Criminal Justice College in a few weeks.

Anne broke up with him in the middle of senior year. She wasn't heartbroken; she was mature for her age and knew it was only a crush not love. Mike still spoke to her; he didn't take it the wrong way either. They even went to prom together. They were voted to be the cutest couple in their year book even after they broke up. Every once in a while Mike would ask why they couldn't just date; they did everything as a couple would be doing. Anne sometimes thought maybe she could give it a try, nothing would really change.

A knock came from the front door; Anne jumped and looked at the time. The small wall clock ticked, it was only seven thirty. The sun was still setting behind some clouds, turning the sky orange. Anne turned on the porch light as she held her glass of water and looked out the window to see who it may be. She opened the door and smiled at Mike.

"Hi, Mike." She leaned her head on the door with a slight smile as she looked up at him. Mike was about a half foot taller than Anne. He wore a white T-shirt and jean shorts on with his old, beat up sneakers. His hair was a golden brown; it had some length to it but not too long like most guys did in their grade.

"Hey, I didn't know if you wanted to come to a party tonight." Anne thought for a moment. "Come on, Anne. It'll be fun." Mike wasn't pushy, he was sweet. He only wanted to spend time with Anne before they went their separate ways.

"I don't know, Mike..." She had plans already... plans to start her packing for college.

"Just for an hour or two, I promise. It's down by the lake; there will be a nice fire." Anne loved sitting by a fire, it was relaxing to her. It was also where her and Mike had their first kiss.

"Okay, sounds like fun." She stepped aside and let Mike in, he smiled widely. "Just sit and relax, I'll be right back." Mike sat down and picked up the remote to check what was on TV. He stopped at Sabrina the Teenage Witch for a moment then clicked the button to change the channel; his little sister liked that show and he had to watch it with her when he had to babysit.