Masked love

Chapter 13

After texting Nikita, Joseph went to pick out an outfit. As he search through his clothes, he thought about his ride home alone with Zeak.
*Flashback*
"So what's she going to text you about?" Zeak asked, while driving.
"None of your business. Take a right at the light." Joseph answered. Zeak drove up to the light and took a left. "I said a right."
"I think I'll just take you to my house and toughen you up, unless you want to answer my question." Zeak tested him.
"That's kidnapping. I could call the police." Joseph said quickly looking for his phone.
"If you had your phone. Even if I only lived on the street for a year, I learned a thing or two about pickpocketing." He said, holding up Joseph's phone. Joseph reached for it, but Zeak quickly put it in his pocket. "I've already taken Nikeet's number and your number from it, so you can have it back once you tell me what's going on."
Joseph sat back in his seat. "I invited her to join me and my family for skate night," he answered reluctantly.
"So, you're taking her out on a date that she doesn't know is a date. Nice, are you planning on making any moves?" Zeak said, making a u-turn at the nearest gas station.
"No. We're just going skating and probably eat dinner. It's not really a date, we're just hanging out." Joseph said with his arms crossed. "Can I get my phone back now? Turn into Fisherdale street, the address is 542 Fisherdale."
"Here's your phone, Squirrel." Zeak handed him his phone, as Zeak pulled up to his house. "Be careful with Nikeet, but don't be afraid to make moves. I see the way she looks at you. I'll leave her in your hands squirrel, don't make me regret it." Zeak said with a wave goodbye. Joseph nodded, he definitely wasn't planing on making Zeak regret his decision.

Joseph was dressed and ready to go. He ran down the hall to find his parents sitting in the living room. They were watching the tv with blank faces, but they appeared ready to go. His older sister started this tradition, but he made sure to continue it in honor of her memory. He turned off the TV and stood in front of the screen. His parents stared at him un-phased. "I invite my friend Nikita to join us tonight, just like you've been wanting me to, so I'm going to go pick her up. I'll meet you at the skating rink." He announced. His father nodded with some awareness, but his mother's face was blank, lost. "Just because she's gone doesn't mean we can't be a happy family anymore. She would want us to be happy. That's what I believe." He finished before leaving. With one last look at his mother's face, there was hope in her eyes, but a sad look on her face.
He got in his car. It was black with blue lighting streaks and only had two seats. He drove to Nikita's house remembering the way from the bus route. Her house looked empty as he pulled up. This was it, he thought with a silent gulp. He turned off his car and began to walk up to the door. He could hear a quiet sound of a sweet voice humming. A small black kitten with big purple eyes stopped him in his path. He knelt down, as it meowed loudly. "Are you lost little one?" He whispered to it, petting it's head.
"Shadow, where'd you go? You never stay still when I'm sketching." He heard her voice, but couldn't find her. He stood up slowly as the kitten ran to the tree in Nikita's yard. Its purple eyes stared up at the bush of the tree. "There you are. Joseph? I'm over here."
Joseph followed the kitten, watching the tree. He caught a small glimpse, before seeing her sitting up in the branches of the tree. "Nikita? What are you doing up there?" He asked as he approached the tree with a smile lighting up his face.
"I guess you could call this my hiding spot. I've been climbing this tree, since I was little." She said prepared to jump down. She pushed off the branch and landed on her feet. She was feeling nervous and quickly lost her balance.
Joseph caught her, holding her shoulders. "You ok?" He asked. She nodded standing up on her own. Joseph led her to his car and opened up the door. "After you." Nikita took her seat and he closed the door behind her. He sat in the diver's seat and drove off slowly. Nikita looked back at her home and wondered, what the warden would have in store for her when she returned.

Joseph drove causally with his hand resting on the shift. The radio was playing softly as they past familiar scenery. "So, how long has it been since you last went skating?" Joseph asked to break the silence.
"About four years. We didn't go very often either, what about you, how often do you go skating?" She asked glancing at him.
"We used to go every week thanks to my older sister. But now I'm lucky if we go once a month. It's been like that since..." He trailed off with his voice breaking. Nikita looked at him curiously, but saw the sad look on his face and decided not to ask. She looked down at his hand and saw it shaking slightly. She placed her hand over his, holding it gently. Joseph felt the warmth of her hand. He glanced at it and smiled slightly, as he pulled into the parking lot. He parked the car and saw his family's car parked a few spots away. A big building, decorated in black and purple colors, and pictures of roller skates, loomed over them. Joseph got out of the car and opened the door for Nikita. "I got to grab my skates from the trunk, and we'll rent you a pair inside." She nodded silently. He opened up his trunk and pulled out his skates. Then they walked into the large building hand in hand.
Inside, there was commotion everywhere. They approached the counter before the gate, "We're part of the Terrin party. I believe my parents have already paid for us." Joseph said causally. The lady nodded and stamped their wrists with purple ink, then pushed a button to open the gate. "My parents will probably want to meet you. Is that okay?" Joseph asked Nikita.
"Yea that's fine." Nikita answered nervously. She was trying to not worry about things, but her mind was wandering. He led her through the building, searching for his family.he found them. His mom was sitting still staring out at the people on the skating rink, while his father stood beside her with worried eyes. Nikita could recognize Joseph's parents from the traits of their son, his brown hair, the shape of his face, and his hazel eyes. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of them.
"This is Nikita. Nikita these are my parents." Joseph said, gesturing towards his parents.
His father offered his hand, "call me David."
Nikita shook his hand nervously. "Nice to meet you and thank you for letting me come." She said with her voice shaking slightly.
His father eyed Joseph's and Nikita's adjoined hands and smiled. "Anything to make my son happy. I hope you two have fun, but not too much. I would also like to invite you to join us for dinner afterwards at our house." He said.
"Thanks. I would love to join you, as long as I'm not intrud-"
"It's settled. Don't you think this is great, Cassandra ." David said, looking down at Joseph's mother.
She hadn't said a word. She stared blankly at the people skating, then she turned to look up at Nikita. Her face changed like she had seen a ghost. "Lucy is that you, how-" she uttered softly before being interrupted.
"It's not Lucy, mom. Luce's gone forever. This is my friend Nikita from school." Joseph said in a sad voice, and took his mother's hand. Cassandra looked at him with her eyes showing some signs of awareness. She nodded and then stared blankly at the people skating. Nikita looked at Joseph, searching for answers, but she saw that his face was saddened. Joseph sighed quietly and looked at his father. He was avoiding Nikita's eyes, since he didn't want to say anything else.
David sighed looking down at Cassandra, "I'm going to take her to do some mini golf out back. Perhaps that will get her back to her old self. You two have fun." He said, pulling his wife from her seat and leaving Joseph and Nikita alone.
"Let's go get your skates." Joseph said, retaining his sadness in his voice. He led Nikita over to the rental station, where they traded their shoes for skates. They sat side by side, putting on their skates. "Are you ready?" He asked, standing up with a small smile. Nikita looked up at him and wondered if this was his mask.
She nodded and he helped her to her feet. She was wobbly but she held onto his hands for support. He let go of one of her hands, and led her to the rink. Her legs shook, as the wheels touched the slick wooden surface. Joseph turned to watch her. She saw his smile, and wondered if he would laugh if she fell. Her hand nearly slipped from his grasp, before he tightened his grip. She was loosing her balance quickly. Joseph grabbed her other hand and skated backwards. "I won't let you fall, just make sure I don't run into anything." He said.
He trusted her so easily. Nikita wanted to do the same. "Okay, I'll do my best." She looked at him and past, as they skated around the circular ring. Soft blissful music filled the air. They went around the first turn and Nikita thought she was getting the hang of it. People were skating fast around her, and the rink quickly got crowded. One skater sped close by, almost tripping Nikita. She lost her balance, and fell forward. Joseph let go of her hands. She thought, This is it. He's going to let me fall, and prove that he's just like the others. She almost let a tear slip, as her eyes closed. Suddenly she felt a rough fabric against her cheek, as she landed in his warm chest. His arms gently wrapped around her waist. She looked up at him, as they stood still together.
"I told you that I wouldn't let you fall." He said with a small smile. "Are you ok?"
"Y-yea, thanks." She said, resting on the brakes of her skates. She leaned against Joseph, feeling safe in his arms. She could trust him, and she knew it.
"We should probably go somewhere less crowded. Do you want to go to the arcade?" He asked tentatively.
"Yea, that sounds like fun." Nikita answered, with more confidence. She stood on her own and looked toward the area to exit the skate rink, it seemed so far away. "It's going to be hard to get out of here though."
"Don't worry. I have an idea. Do you trust me?" He asked, taking ahold of her hands.
"Yes, I do," she answered truthfully. Joseph smiled, he had finally earned her trust.
"Don't let me run into anything." He winked his eye. He skated to the center, with Nikita following his lead. In the center there were very few people, who were skating together like couples would. He skated towards the exit, remembering the rink like the back of his hand. As they exited the center, they entered the storm of the sides. He pulled her closer to him, going slightly faster than before. "Just relax. I'll get us there." He said, calmly. Nikita nodded, trying to keep up with him. People sped by them like race cars on a race track. Joseph gradually slowed down as they reached the exit. The ground changed from from the slick wooden surface to rough dark carpet. They had made it through. Joseph let go of one hand and led her to a place to sit. They took off their skates and walked together to where they could trade their skates back in. There was a small line before reaching the counter. Nikita let out a deep breath, thankful that they got off the rink safely. "Maybe next time, I'll talk to the manager and see if we can skate after hours. At least until you get the hang of it. Adam is his son after all, so I don't think he'll have a problem with it." Joseph offered, seeing the relief on her face.
"That would be fun." She said quickly with a smile. In that instant, her mind thought about it. They would be in the building, basically alone, just the two of them. Her face heated up slightly. She wondered if that would really be okay.
Joseph looked at her strangely. "Nikita, are you okay? Your face is a little red."
"I-I'm fine." She said nervously, as she shook the thoughts out of her mind. He continued to look at her, worryingly. "Really, I am." She smiled assuringly, but her face was still red.
"Okay," he said, deciding to shrug it off. Then they reached the counter and traded their skates back for their shoes. After putting on their shoes, Joseph took Nikita hand and led her to arcade. They entered a large room with lots of machines. Nikita was amazed. Joseph went to the counter by the door and got a bag of tokens for each of them. "You pick first, then I'll pick. Some of the games give out tickets, so we'll see if we can get any prizes afterwards, okay?"
"Sounds good," she answered and then took a look at the all games standing before her. So many screens caught her eye, but one game stood out from the rest bringing back pleasant memories. It was a glass case filled a quarter way with different prizes, and a crane hand hanged from the top. She ran over to the machine, gently pulling Joseph behind her. She pressed her hand against the glass and looked at the different prizes, feeling like a kid again.
"The crane machine? It's probably the oldest game here." Joseph said.
"I used to play it all the time when I was younger, but I never won anything. My parents even convinced me that it was rigged, so I wouldn't waste all my tokens on one game." Nikita explained with an unintentional sad face.
"Would like me to win you something? I'm pretty good at these." Joseph asked, curiously.
Nikita looked him, "um if you want?" She tried to not make it a big deal.
"Would it make you happy?" He asked with a smile. She nodded in response. He walked up to the controls. There was simple joystick and drop button. He dispensed one coin, and bell-like music started playing. He moved the joystick carefully to aim the crane at its target below. He looked on almost all sides of the glass and over her head to position the crane perfectly. Nikita held her breath, as he press the button, and the crane dropped. The hand pulled up not one but two prizes and automatically dropped them in the prize slot. Joseph pulled out the prizes, and Nikita looked at him surprisingly. "One purple cat-backpack for you and a blue one for me." He proudly handed her the purple cat-backpack.
"Thank you." She said, hiding some enthusiasm. She slid the backpack on to show Joseph.
"It looks good on you." He smiled, slid on his backpack, and held Nikita's hand. "Now it's my turn to pick a game. This one is one of my favorites and this is the only place that has it." He began to lead her through the maze of machines. He found the one he was searching for, and walked up to the coin slot area. "We put our coins in here, then take a seat inside and put on the headgear. It's basically an inside rollercoaster." He explained.
"Sounds like fun." She replied. Joseph nodded, putting some coins in slot machine. A soft ding came from the machine.
He open the door, "after you." She stepped into the eclipsed vehicle that was slightly raised off the ground, and sat in the far seat. He sat down beside her and closed the door behind him. There was a screen in front of them with four choices showing. "Why don't you pick one?" He said putting on his headgear. She looked at the four paths, and touched the one that led into a spooky cave. The screen changed in response, becoming a solid blue with white text: Make sure to put on and secure the headgear and put on your seatbelt. Enjoy the ride! She put on the headgear and fasten her seatbelt, as she heard Joseph's click beside her. The headgear covered her eyes, and her vision made it seem like the screen was right in front of her. Then they were suddenly were at the top of a hill, and the ride began.
The roaring sound of the motor grew louder, as the vehicle seem to shoot forward. They flew down the tall hill towards the mountains, on tracks that looked old and rusty. Nikita held Joseph's hand tightly with slight fear. Wind was blowing past her face. The tracks led them into a dark cave. Then they were surrounded in darkness, as the vehicle slowed down. She loosen her grip on Joseph's hand. "You okay? We went kinda fast back there." Joseph asked slightly worried.
"Yeah. That wasn't so bad. It just surprised me mostly." She answered nervously.
"Well it's not over yet." He said. Almost on the cue, lights turned on to unveil the creepy, abandoned mineshaft before them. It picked up speed, taking quick turns, and flying down the hills. She tighten her grip, but Joseph laughed with joy beside her. The ride was thrilling, exciting, and it took all of her worries away. They flew past screeching bats, right into cobwebs, and over gaping holes. By the end, Nikita was laughing with the same glee as him.

***
They continued to hangout in the arcade, having fun until finally it was time to head to Joseph's house for dinner. After Joseph's father told them to meet them back at the house, Joseph drove with Nikita beside him. This time his arm laid on the back of her seat around her shoulders. "Come to think about it, you haven't seen my house at all. Although I've never been inside, I've at least seen your house from the outside. I'm going to have to give you a whole tour."
"Yea." She said with a curious smile. The radio played softly during the short ride.

As they pulled into his driveway, Joseph took a look at Nikita's face. She was smiling and staring at his house in amazement. His house was small and scenic with nature all around it. It had a welcoming, cabin feel to it. "I was almost worried that I wouldn't see a smile like that on your face." He said cheerfully. She blushed slightly, almost wanting to hide her face. "Well let's begin the tour." He got out of the car and opened her door to let her out. He held her hand to lead her into his house. Walking through the front door, they entered the first room. It was a large living room with several chairs, two couches, and a tv above the fireplace. The living room connected to the kitchen with only a small bar separating the two rooms. Joseph's father was in the kitchen cleaning some dishes and getting ready to fix dinner, while his mother stared blankly at the tv.
David waved at her from the kitchen, "What would you like to have for dinner? Since you're the guest you get to chose." He called out. They took their shoes off at the entrance.
"Umm how about spaghetti?" She answered. Spaghetti was her mother's specialty, and her favorite dinner dish.
"Perfect. Be prepared to have the best spaghetti your taste buds have ever tasted." David said excitedly. Joseph began to led her down the hall past the kitchen, while shaking his head at his father.
"I'm going to show her the rest of the house, dad. Then we'll probably hangout in my room until dinner is ready." Joseph called out.
"Make sure you keep your door open, if you don't want to loose a hand." His father said, seriously. Joseph replied with a simple yeah, yeah. However Nikita couldn't help but take him seriously. She wondered if all dads were as brutal as hers, but she sorta doubted they were. He held Nikita's hand, walking down the hallway before stopping at her door. His smile and happiness disappeared, only to be replaced with sadness. Nikita stared at him with worry. This was a different Joseph then the cheerful one she knew. She looked at the door. It looked like a normal white door with a golden plaque that read Lucinda. Her hand lingered toward the door handle, as she wondered who Lucinda was.
"Don't, don't open it." He said sadly, making her hand stop. "That was my older sister's room. I was ten at the time
and she was fifteen. She always looked older though and was constantly tired." Her last words replayed in his head, "I'm sorry, Joseph. I'm not strong enough." He placed his hand over his face to hide his tears. "I watched helplessly as she jumped off the roof." Before she realized what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around him. They stayed there silently, letting the rain pass.

Side note: if there are at least three votes on this chapter I'll draw a picture of Nikita and Joseph together and put it at the top of the chapter.