Will You Be My Maestro?

Chapter 4: I Do Not Like To Lose

     We all stared at the place on the floor where the Maestro was only seconds ago. I heard the kids sniffling and I wanted to go and comfort them, but I felt as if I couldn't move.

     He was gone. I wanted to tell myself otherwise, but I knew that it was the truth. Father was the first to look away.

     "Good riddance," he muttered, "let's go." He walked past me and pushed through the crowd of townspeople, but none of them followed him.

     He looked back and saw that we weren't moving, making him walk up to me and grab my wrist, just as he had done on the way to this mansion. "Let's go."

     The adults began to slowly follow, pulling their children along with them, though the kids and I looked back, just waiting for the Maestro to jump out from behind the curtains and yell, "I fooled you, didn't I" but nothing happened. 

     Dad pulled me roughly, sending pain coursing up my arm. "Let's go!" he repeated. He tugged me toward the large doors, intending to leave and not look back. He reached for the handle, muttering, "I showed that freak."

     However, when he went to open the doors, they flew open, causing us both to be thrown back onto the floor. Immediately, the grip on my wrist disappeared. There was a giant head in the door way. The giant head of a very familiar man. His face was not his own; it had a few minor adjustments. Maybe more than a few; it looked as if he were wearing a Halloween mask. His teeth were sharp and his face was wrinkled, yet it was easy to tell by the ridiculous voice that he used that it was him. It was the Maestro.

     My head pounded painfully; I had hit it against the floor when I fell. My father yelled, terrified out of his wits, which didn't help the pain any. I looked up and saw him running away from the doors. He pushed through the crowd, falling but immediately getting up, before bolting it across the room, jumping through the window.

     I stared at the window in both surprise and happiness. The Maestro had won the game. My attention was taken off the window when I saw a pale hand outstretched to me.

     I accepted it and the Maestro helped me to my feet. I stared into his eyes, seeing that they were back to how I remembered them; warm and kind. Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him. I half expected to go straight through him, but I didn't. His arms wrapped themselves around my waist as he hugged me back.

     "I thought you were gone," I mumbled into his soft black hair. I felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

     "There is one thing you should know about me, dear Elizabeth; I do not like to lose," he answered softly, a smile clear in his voice.

     I pulled back and saw that I was right; he was smiling his heart-warming smile, revealing his pearly white teeth. We released each other and I step back, wanting to see that he was fully back to normal. He put his hand on the doorway as the townspeople all looked toward him, shocked to see him standing there. He walked towards them with me following behind.

     He smiled at them, asking, "Did I scare you?" the townspeople smiled and reluctantly agreed. They all started speaking, saying things such as which part scared them the most, but one comment stuck out the most.

     "He ain't bothering nobody, you know, you got your thang," one of them spoke, looking around at the huge room, as if seeing it for the first time.

     "But did we have a good time here?" the Maestro asked, clasping his hands together, not letting the smile fall from his beautiful pink lips. It became silent. "Hello!" he nearly yelled. The people thought about it, then started to agree. He started chuckling, happy that they had had fun.

     Suddenly, I felt as if there was something behind me. I stepped forward so I was right beside the Maestro. The smiles that once graced the lips of the townspeople were no where in sight. It didn't go unnoticed.

     "What?" the Maestro asked, "what?" They all looked behind us and Thomas's mom pointed at something. Slowly, we both turned around.

     Both of us shrieked as we saw a skeleton face looking back at us. It lowered to reveal Luke's smiling face. He was sitting on Thomas's shoulders, wearing the Maestro's black cloak.

     "Did I scare you?" he asked. I smiled at him, chuckling.

     "Yeah," I confessed.

     "No," the Maestro claimed, "well, maybe. How about that; maybe." I could hear the two kids quietly say "yes!"

     The Maestro laughed and helped Luke off of Thomas's shoulders. 

     "Excuse me," Andrew said, grabbing our attention, "excuse me, yeah, um," he contorted his face, "is this scary?" he reached for his face before pulling on it. The sight was horrific!

     I burried my face into the Maestro's shoulder, as I screamed along with all the others, the only exception being the man that was now holding me tightly.