Chapter Six

            "What was that?"  Will asked as the two sought refuge under the florescent lights of the store.

            Allison buried her face in Will's chest, wishing she could deny the truth of her betrayal.

            "It was him . . ." She said, the words catching in her throat.  "Prasant,"

            "Prasant?"  Will asked, perplexed.

            "Yes, my tutor."  Allison uttered, the pain evident in her voice.

            "Your tutor?  You mean, the voice in the dressing room?"  The connection was beginning to dawn on Will.

            "Yes!  Oh Will, it's all so dreadful; I don't know what to think anymore!  It's as if I've lost all reason."

            "Don't worry; on my honor, I will never let any harm come to you."  Will said, wrapping his arms around her.

            They held each other for a tender moment before Allison pushed away.  "We mustn't linger, so long as he's here, we'll never be safe."

            The two walked slowly but cautiously towards the front doors amidst the mass exodus of employees who were leaving for the night.    Allison's heart felt as if it were splitting in two as she exited through the doors, but the only emotion she truly understood was the need to escape the confusion and uncertainties that seemed to plague her within the walls of TJ Maxx.  By merely walking through the doorway, pressed closely to Will, she knew she was choosing her fate.  Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to push away the true question; was it really with Will that her future lie?

            As the crowd emerged through the doors and began to disperse onto the sidewalk, a wretched laugh full of hatred and demented pleasure came from the heavens.  All turned to look upwards to see one corner of the massive, illuminated TJ Maxx sign suddenly give way.  Before anyone could react, the sign swung down with a painful moan, tearing the remaining corner from the façade of the building.

            Instinctively, Will threw himself at Allison, pressing her firmly against a column with his body as the huge sign came crashing downwards.  In a moment of blind confusion and horror, all one was able to make out was the terrified cries of the employees and a furious explosion which threw electrical sparks about as if they were fireworks on New Years Day.

            After several moments, Will opened his eyes only to find Allison had vanished from beneath him!  Stepping backwards, and nearly stumbling over a large piece of the now shattered letters of the sign, Will looked about, aghast.

            "Allison!"  He cried, "Not again!"

            The distorted music pulsed thickly in the air like a heart beat with no decipherable point of origin.  Only a moment before, Allison had been wrapped safely in Will's arms, but now she found herself enveloped in inky blackness.

            "Allison," The voice of Prasant spoke from very near.

            She jumped when an arm wound itself around her shoulders and a deathly cold hand took hold of her own.  She was forced to swallow the lump that now rose in her throat as she was led downwards through the darkness.

            "Will!"  Tiffany shouted.  She picked her way through the wreckage towards Will, who was searching in vain for Allison.

            "Will, I know where they are."  She grabbed him by the arm.

            He turned to face her, desperation etched deep in his features.  "Then you must tell me!"

            "No, follow me, I'll take you there."

            Tiffany headed for the doorway, but Will did not follow.

            "How can I trust you?"

            Tiffany glanced over her shoulder and then made her way back to Will's side.

            "It was when I was first employed here," She began in a hushed voice.  "I followed him into the dressing room-he had a secrete entrance into the store rooms through a mirror-"         

            "The mirror!"  Will exclaimed, his hand moving towards his nose.

            Tiffany nodded.  "Yes, but I saw too much . . . It's fortunate that I even escaped!"

            "Then you will help me?"  Will pressed.

            "I cannot stand by and watch any more injustice by the monster's hand- come, I'll take you to her."

             Allison's body trembled violently, though from what it was impossible to tell.  She was overcome by powerful, yet utterly confusing emotions. 

            "Don't be frightened, Allison."  Prasant took her hand as they stepped lightly into the boat on the still lake.  His voice was calm and soft, a far cry from the horrible laughter she had heard only moments before.

            Once they crossed the lake and entered his domain, Prasant turned to face Allison.  His eyes gazed sadly at her through his mask.

            "I could have given you anything. . ."  He began.

            "Prasant, forgive me, I-"

            "No, there's no need to apologize.  I understand completely.  Your heart belongs to another."

            Allison dropped her head, trying to fight back her tears.

            "How happy we could have made each other!  Oh, the music we could have shared . . . Don't you see Allison?  You and I are perfect for one another!  I knew this from the first moment I saw you, the forlorn beauty at the cash register.  As I taught you all the secretes of the dressing room, I knew that we must be together!"  Prasant stepped towards Allison, his hands locked together as if pleading.

            "I'm tired of all this," He gestured widely to his surroundings.  "I want to live like a normal man, I want someone to love and to be loved in return.  Alas, Allison, I want a girlfriend!"

            Allison shook her head in frustrated puzzlement.  "Oh Prasant, if only I could make you see!"

            "But my dear, I see all quite plainly- you choose to flirt with that pompous Canadian pimp rather then be with the one who truly loves you!" 

            "That's not it at all-"

            "Oh no?  I saw the way you two gazed lovingly into each other's eyes . . . the way you tenderly caressed one another .  . A thing I shall never know, due to this!"  Prasant ripped away his mask and pulled Allison close to his face.  "But how can one honestly blame you?  Would you not rather be with a seductive foreigner than this grotesque carcass?"  Prasant wailed.

            "Stop!"  Allison exclaimed suddenly, stepping back.  "You claim to possess all the ugliness of Quasimodo, but you look just as normal as the next person!  I don't understand what it is that possesses you to think you are so hideous!  Listen to me when I say you are HOT!"

            Prasant grasped his chest in agony.  "How you mock me!  In all my nineteen years I've never known the true love of a woman!  What, other than this horrid face, could cause me to be neglected in such a sad and lonely manner?"

            Allison stifled a scream while clutching at the sides of her head in frustration.  "Look in the mirror for God's sake!  Can't you see how attractive you are?"  Allison's tone softened.  "Do you think I would lie to you?  You're skin, it's so beautiful and dark . . ."

            "A nauseating shade . . ."

            "You're arms, like a god's!"

            "Thin and weak . . ."

            "Oh Prasant, you're just so . . . perfect-" Allison stopped as it suddenly became evident to her that all she said was, in fact, her true feelings.  She bit her lip as she felt her heart swell.  It was no longer possible to ignore her deep, and until this moment, unknown longings.

            She took a step towards him, reaching out her hand.  She was no longer blinded by her fear or confusion.  She knew what she wanted.

            Just then the door of the secrete lair was flung open.  The two whirled around to see Will standing there, sopping wet and gasping for breath.