Excerpt: The Masquerade Game

I sucked in a growl, but then released a squeak as I spotted a slumped figure midway down the hall. It wasn’t in front of my door, was i – ? Yes it was. Of course it was. Frustration made my head ache all over again.

As I drew closer, I realized it wasn’t an adult – or it was a midget if it was. I sped up and discovered a kid, about ten years old, wrapped up in a scarf and jacket and hat that seemed to have come out of the closet several weeks too early. Pink, puffy cheeks poked out from under his beanie hat.

“Kid?” I called, a little fearfully. All I needed now was to be blamed for the murder of a dead kid. No, that’s not very nice, but it’s just the facts. If he was dead, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I’d feel bad, but all it’d be is a headache for the next while as cops investigated and interrogated me. “Kid?”

I was still a few feet away when he sat up, blinking. His arms couldn’t go down to his sides for the puffiness of his coat. His face twisted in discontent.

“Are you Helen?” he demanded as I halted in front of him.

“Yeah. Who are you?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

He fumbled to get up and attempted to reach into his pocket; instead, he spun around a bit, trying to reach it with the opposite hand. After a moment, he stopped and pressed his arm down as far as he could, and finally reached the pocket. He pulled out an envelope and passed it to me, then began to pace the hall, sliding his feet as if he were ice skating on the carpet.

I tore open the envelope and read the letter.

I read it again, making sure I was reading it right.

Then again, as if I could change what it said.

And finally, a few more times just for good measure.

“Lady, you read slow,” the kid complained, wandering around me. “It’s kind of hot. Can we go inside now?”

I stared at him and back at the letter.

“This has to be some kind of mistake,” I said numbly.

He sighed. “That’s what everyone says.” He paced some more, seemingly unfazed.

My shoulders drooped. “I can’t – this isn’t – but they just suspended me! They can’t even trust me with a criminal, how can they trust me with an apprentice? You have got to be kidding me.”

He walked past me again. “Nope.”

I half-sighed, half-sobbed, leaning into the door. After a moment, I pulled together my wits and fumbled with my keys to open the door. I dropped them twice and it was all I could do to not kick down the door. I finally forced my hand to remain steady and put the key in, turned, and pushed the door open with my hip.

“Well,” I said as he waddled in, “here you go, uh – ” I glanced at the paper. “Johnathan. Your new home. I guess.”

I closed the door and leaned on it once more.

Someone, somewhere was having a really big laugh.