Noah went through the rest of the day alone. From going to class to class without speaking to Ryan, to Samantha actively avoiding him, and even ignoring the usual jeers from Owen and his cronies.
He sat in his final period class anxiously waiting for the final bell. He wasn't thinking about his teacher's lectures. He was thinking about his revenge. Finally, he knew how he was going to get Owen back. And he was excited. Noah thought about the last time he put on the mask he was going to wear.
...the last time he put on The Haunted Mask.
Six Years Ago...
Little Noah sat in his favorite pajamas and had been up later on Halloween watching different Halloween cartoon specials and waiting for his sister to get back to prank her back for scaring him earlier. The little six year old also wanted to put on that cool mask he saw his sister wearing.
He remembered it's long and protruding jagged fangs, it's sickly green color, it's big glowing yellow-orange eyes... - it was so cool!
He waited all night just to wear it once, even for a short second. Just to look cool for one night in his sister's mask - and maybe scare his panicky and scared sister one more time.
After sometime, Noah's time finally came. He heard his sister knock at the door. He quickly and excitedly rushed to the door and opened it to see a nervous and distressed Carly Beth holding the Haunted Mask. Noah's chance for trickery had come.
Noah began to look worried and began screaming. "Take off the mask! Take it off! You're so ugly-looking!"
"No! No!" cried Carly Beth in horror. "Oh no!"
Noah was trying his hardest not to laugh at his terrified sister, trying to keep up the act as she frantically searched for a mirror. When she finally saw her reflection, touching her face and running her fingers over her stubby nose, she smiled and sighed in relief. Noah began to chuckle and full-blown laughed at Carly Beth.
Carly Beth's smile faded into a frown, as she glared angrily at her laughing brother.
"Noah that wasn't funny!" she screeched at him. Noah was hysterical, but began to compose himself.
"It was only a joke, Carly Beth! Relax!" he replied back half-chuckling. "I can't believe you fell for that!"
"It was no joke to me!" Carly Beth exclaimed angrily.
Then Mrs. Caldwell appeared at the end of the hall, hearing the commotion and looking very concerned, but she immediately walked to and hugged Carly Beth. "Where have you been, Carly Beth? I expected you back an hour ago."
"Oh-uh, it's a long and weird story mom." Carly Beth replied nervously. Noah was curious too. He wondered if Carly Beth scared anyone with the mask. Maybe his sister liked to scare people too!
Mrs. Caldwell looked thoughtful. "Well since you're okay, let's just go have some hot cider I made for you, okay?"
Carly Beth obliged, and followed their mother into the kitchen, tossing the mask on a near table by the front door. Noah waited until they both were in the kitchen and talking - so they couldn't hear him. He crept to the table where Carly Beth threw the mask at.
And there it was. It truly was the coolest mask young Noah had ever seen! The sickly green skin, jagged fangs revealed from it's open dark-lipped mouth, yellow-orange glowing eyes...("So cool!") The mask looked and even felt different. It was very warm this time as he felt the texture of the mask. As he touched the skeletal-like nose it almost felt like the nose twitched a little.
Noah gasped and dropped the mask, it made a soft flapping noise as it hit the ground. And then to Noah's shock, it spoke to him.
"Noah. Noah Caldwell." the mask whispered in its throaty growly voice. This time it wasn't Carly Beth's altered voice. It sounded more beastly, more evil, and to Noah more cooler.
"You know my name?" the bewildered Noah said kneeling down by the mask. "You can talk?!"
"Yesssss." it hissed. "Put me on. I like you."
"You do?!" squeaked Noah excitedly. Not only was the mask cool-looking, but it could talk! Noah was so excited he could hardly stand it.
"Yes. It's time Noah. It's time." the Haunted Mask whispered. "Let's scare Carly Beth together."
Those were the magic words. Noah had a sly and mischievous grin form across his face. He picked up the now smiling Haunted Mask, and he slowly slid it down over his face. The smell inside was almost overwhelming to the young boy. On top of a sweaty smell from Carly Beth's perspiration, it had a smell of old newspapers. Old wet newspapers. But suddenly the smell was gone.
Noah got up and immediately looked in the front room mirror.
"Cool!" cried Noah happily. But Noah's voice was altered. He had a young high-pitched sounding voice normally, but now his voice made him sound older. It was deeper and throaty. Very much more gruff and raspy.
Noah felt like it was Christmas Day instead of Halloween night as he wore the mask. He burst into the kitchen and caught both Mrs. Caldwell and Carly Beth off-guard.
"Hey Carly Beth! Look at me! How do I look in your mask?" he called excitedly in his new deep voice. Carly Beth gasped and put one hand over her mouth in shock.
"Noah!" snapped Mrs. Caldwell. "Carly Beth, what is that?!"
Carly Beth slammed her mug down, nearly breaking it and stepped forward while Noah began dancing and taunting Carly Beth. He scared her again.
"I gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!" he taunted in his deep throaty voice.
"Noah, listen to me very carefully." Carly Beth said gravely. "You gotta take that mask off, it's evil!"
"You guys-" Mrs. Caldwell started, but the phone rang and cut her off. "Oh I gotta get that, it's your dad. He's delayed in Chicago." She quickly hurried off to the phone, leaving Carly Beth with Noah.
"Noah, please!" pleaded Carly Beth.
Noah's gleeful smirk through the mask faded into a frown. As if a light was switched from bright to dark. And to her horror, Carly Beth saw the mask shrink just a bit on Noah's head.
"You would want that!" shouted Noah suddenly. "You never share anything with me!"
"I'm trying to help you, stupid!" snapped Carly Beth. "That's not really a mask!"
"You're the one who's stupid! If it's not a mask, what is it then? A banana?!" sneered Noah. His voice sounding more angry, more gruff.
"See that's not even you, Noah! You don't joke like that!" she spat at him. "It's trying to take over your face! It's trying to take over YOU!"
For a split second, Noah eyes widened. She had a point. That didn't feel like him saying that. "Carly Beth what's going-" he started in his normal voice. But the Haunted Mask took over again, it felt hot this time.
"You're just jealous that I look scarier in this than you do! And I'm scarier than you when I'm only six!" he growled in the deep throaty rasp of a voice.
Carly Beth was about to snap back at Noah. But she calmed down. "Noah, I'm going to take the mask off your face." she said calmly, walking towards him slowly with her hands out. Noah found his body tensing up and his stance lowering.
"Bad move." he growled. Suddenly, Noah pounced on his sister. Carly Beth was caught off guard by his attack as he pounced on top her. He was trying to hard to bite her as his jaw was snapping like a mad pit bull's. But he was being pushed back by Carly Beth as she was trying to keep him back by pushing his shoulders.
"Get off of me, Noah!" cried Carly Beth on the linoleum as she struggled with her brother. "This isn't you!"
Noah didn't care, he still tried hard to bite her. Then Carly Beth rolled and made Noah lose his balance and grip. She then scrambled to her feet quicker than Noah as he was still getting up from the kitchen floor.
"Sorry Noah." she said sadly with a guilty look. Noah looked on in shock as she held one foot back and kicked him in the stomach, hard.
"Oooooh!" he called out in his new voice. Noah felt enraged but he couldn't stand up from being so hurt. Carly Beth ran out of the kitchen frantically. Was she running away? Was she running to get Mom? He found out as soon as he finally stood up.
Enraged he growled loudly and charged out of the kitchen looking around trying to find Carly Beth. Noah felt hot. He was going to make her pay for trying to take the mask back.
He stormed angrily into the living room - no Carly Beth.
He stormed up the stairs into her own room - no Carly Beth.
He then had an idea, but it truly was ridiculous to think of. He stormed into his own room and there she was waiting for Noah and sitting at the edge of his bed, holding a worn out teddy bear and a large pair of orange scissors. It was an old and brown furry teddy bear that had seen better days.
"Take one more step, and I'll cut it!" she threatened, trying to sound menacing while shaking it angrily. But something strange happened. Noah began to look worried and the expression showed through on the mask.
"Wait Carly Beth!" he pleaded in his normal tone. "Don't do it!"
"You love this teddy bear, right?" she asked, demandingly. Noah got on his knees.
"Yes! Yes I do!" he pleaded with her. "Don't hurt him!"
Carly Beth then smiled a slick grin of triumph. "Catch."
She threw the teddy bear at Noah. Immediately, Noah picked up the teddy bear and brought close to his face and began to hug it tightly. It was at that point Carly Beth charged him and grabbed onto the mask's ears and cheeks. She pulled hard at the mask, determined to get it off her brother. It was much tougher to take off of Noah's face than her own. Gripping tightly with final tug, she finally snatched the mask right off her brother's face which caused both Caldwells to stagger back. She looked up and once again saw Noah's bright face. Relieved, Carly Beth then threw the mask at Noah's closet.
Both sat on Noah's floor looking dazed and confused. Noah was the first to speak. "Wha-how? How did it you get it off, Carly Beth? It felt like it stuck to my face."
"The teddy bear was a symbol of love, Noah." she explained calmly. "Remember, when Uncle Bryan came over with his dog, and it ripped it apart two years ago?"
Noah looked puzzled. "Yeah..." he said scratching his head.
"And remember how mom stitched it back together?" asked Carly Beth.
"Yeah?" Noah said again still very much puzzled.
"Oh, Noah." groaned Carly Beth. "When she surprised you with it, what did she say?"
"She put Mikey back together because..." he started but immediately an idea flashed through Noah's mind and his jaw dropped.
"She loves you." Carly Beth finished. "That's your symbol of love. It takes a strong symbol of love to remove the mask."
"Oh..." breathed Noah. His expression was blank.
Carly Beth then stood up and yawned. "I'm going to bed, Noah. We can talk about this another time. I need some space for right now.".
She snatched up the Haunted Mask and left a confused Noah sitting on his bedroom floor. In seconds, he heard Carly Beth's door slam shut in anger. Little Noah didn't know what to think anymore. He felt very conflicted. In his mind, he pulled a big prank on Carly Beth and managed to scare her. But he didn't like the anger he displayed to her.
He didn't like how he almost hurt his sister, because of a prank. The feeling of guilt racked the little boy. That anger, his anger, almost hurt his sister. Noah didn't know what to say or do. He remembered that his teachers always expressed to apologize for wrong-doings. But his sister didn't want to hear it. So he simply went back downstairs to watch TV. Hoping that the right words would come when he and Carly Beth could talk, on Halloween that now both Noah and Carly Beth would never forget.
Present Day
Twelve-year-old Noah sat in his room on his bed staring across at the metal case on his desk that contained The Haunted Mask. The same metal case Carly Beth gave to him to look after while she went to college.
"Maybe there's another way." Noah said aloud. "Maybe I could just tell Mrs. Armbruster." And then a familiar voice spoke out. A cold throaty growl of a voice.
"No." the voice growled, sounding muffled. "They must pay, Noah. It's time, again. It's time."
"I shouldn't do it. It's too risky." Noah reasoned.
"What he did to you, was risky too. Let's make him pay. It's time." the voice demanded darkly.
At that, Noah finally made up his mind.
"You're right." agreed Noah, frowning. "Owen is toast. It IS time."
He walked over to the metal case, and slowly twisted the numbers around on the locks until both were on the number code: 092. Noah pushed each lock switch on both sides and opened the case. And there staring back at him was the grinning visage of the Haunted Mask. Still it's sickly green color, and piercing orange glowing eyes, as if it didn't age a day in that case since the last time it came out six years ago.
Noah was transfixed by how monstrous, how beastly a mask - a face, could look. He had to admit to himself, it truly was the coolest and scariest mask he had ever seen. The same giddy feeling he felt six years prior, was present once more.
"Noah Caldwell." the Haunted Mask spoke to him in its gruff voice, grinning it's hideous toothy grin at him revealing it's jagged fangs. "Old friend."
Noah was immediately shaken at the Mask's smile, but he composed himself. "I'm going to wear you again tonight. Something I have to do, okay?" he said, trying to sound brave. But he knew what the mask was capable of when the wearer had it on.
"Oh yessss." hissed the Mask. "Owen must pay. He WILL pay."
Noah summoned courage and looked serious. "But only for tonight. Are we clear?"
The Haunted Mask's grin faltered a bit, but it smiled it's toothy grin once more. "Yessss. Put me on."
"I'm gonna sneak you out in my backpack and I'm going to wear you at my friend, Ryan's house. Okay?"
The Haunted Mask only went lifeless in his hand. Noah smirked a sly grin. It felt a little good knowing he had the ultimate tool for revenge in his hand. One that he knew would get his bully back tenfold for what he's done to him.
Noah made sure to put on clothes he was never seen in before, just in case Owen spots him and he could land in deeper trouble. Noah put on a black turtle neck sweater, with all black jeans, followed by an old pair of his dad's black boots he snagged from the closet when came in the house from school. He then got his backpack and carefully placed the mask inside trying not to fold it, since technically to Noah, it was a living thing that could feel pain.
He rushed through the house, and ran out the back door while his mom was on the phone having a lengthy conversation with Mr. Caldwell - waving a quick goodbye.
Noah didn't have to walk too far to Ryan's house. Ryan only lives a block further than Noah, and in good time, he was at his friend's sky blue and white house. As he approached he saw Ryan sitting on the couch in the living room while waiting for him, through their big bay window. He had a mischievous idea as he approached the yard.
Noah stopped at the door and opened his backpack and saw The Haunted Mask grinning back up at him.
"It's time?" The Haunted Mask growled as it stared back at Noah flashing it's teeth.
"It's time." Noah replied. He grabbed the mask carefully and once more slipped the mask down over his face. The aroma inside was once again almost overwhelming for him. But like the last time it faded away. Noah felt the mask with his hands as it rested on his face.
"Cool." Noah growled in his new voice. It was much deeper as expected. Just like how it was six years prior. Noah's voice was now a throaty and raspy tone. Much deeper. As if he had a monstrous version of his dad's voice.
But then something strange happened. The Haunted Mask spoke through Noah!
"Ready?" Noah asked himself in an even gruff and harsher tone than what he just had.
"Woah!" he said shockingly in his normal tone. "You can do that?!"
His expression changed into a slick one. "When I have something to say." he responded to himself.
"Well let's not do that in front of Ryan. He'll think we're a psychopath." Noah told himself now looking annoyed.
"Okay." the Mask agreed through Noah. "Let's work together."
"That sounds much better." Noah spoke once again in the less throaty voice he had before his conversation with himself.
Noah then walked up to the door and knocked for Ryan, he then ran and hid behind a bush by the door, trying not to laugh. Ryan was the first to answer the door, as he was the closest to it - no Noah. Then, Ryan stepped out of the house holding two trick-or-treat bags and wearing a t-shirt and jeans that were stained with fake blood, while wearing a hockey mask.
"Noah?" he called looking around. No answer. Just as he turned around to head back in his house thinking that was a prank, Noah pounced from behind the bushes letting out a roar that was so loud and monstrous, it caught Ryan by complete surprise and his friend tripped backwards and landed in the grass with a thud. His friend's reaction was hard to tell through the hockey mask but with how wide Ryan's eyes were, he knew he scared him. Noah laughed and laughed.
"Oh man! You were so scared!" Noah laughed in his deep gruff voice. Now he was rolling in the grass, completely hysterical.
Ryan dusted himself off, annoyed. Through the deep voice he recognized the laugh.
"N-Noah! Is that you!" Ryan snarled, sounding very annoyed. Noah got up and then regained his composure.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist." Noah said half-chuckling. "So, what do you think of my new face?"
A/N: Any and all criticism is accepted! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!