"I'm not going on one more ride," Kiran groaned, looking pale and terrified. "Please let's just get back to the hotel."

"Come on, we haven't even gone on any rollercoasters yet," said Ray.

"The rides were terrifying," said Kiran. "And so... dark." He shuddered. "I hate the dark. I can't see anything in it."

"That's what being dark means," Ray pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"You know what I mean," Kiran snapped. "It was pitch blackness. I felt so alone and vulnerable, like something was out to get me."

Ray laughed. "You really are a wimp."

"Am not!" Kiran protested hotly.

"Then why can't you handle the simplest of rides?" asked Ray.

"Simplest?" Kiran repeated in disbelief, punching him on the shoulder. "Just because you're a freak who likes being in the dark—"

"It's my last name, after all," Ray said with a smirk. Kiran groaned.

"I'm tired, anyway. Can we just get back to Stagger Inn?"

"You're scared of that place as well," Ray pointed out.

"Because it's also terrifying!" Kiran exclaimed. "With the creepy housekeeper, Linda..."

"I bet you're terrified of your own shadow, because it's too dark for you," Ray teased, clapping him on the back so hard that his glasses almost fell off.

Kiran punched him in the arm again before leaving. "Fine, get back to Stagger Inn," Ray called. "I'll enjoy the rides by myself. It'll probably be more fun that way, anyway."

His brother was such a jerk, Kiran thought. He had been excited to have a brother, even one that looked nothing like him. He was talkative and chatty by nature, eager to make friends. But he didn't realize how different having a sibling was from having a friend.

Kiran started to head back to the hotel, but couldn't quite remember where it was. All of the sights and scares in the park distracted him. He ended up wandering through Zombie Plaza. He was about to turn around when a certain shop caught his eye.

It was a shop with dozens of masks, each hideous, ghastly, and terrifying. He shuddered just looking at them. Some had ugly warts, others pointy teeth, others scaly horns. Kiran bet even Ray would be scared by some of them.

That was when an idea entered his mind. It would be so totally awesome if he could pay his brother back for being such a jerk. He had teased him about being scared of everything in the park all day long. It would be great if Kiran could scare him. And if Ray did scream and get scared, Kiran would never let him live it down. He'd tease his brother mercilessly, even worse than he teased him.

He stepped up to the shop, called Make a Face. All of the masks made him shudder, but one in particular caught his eye. It was a fading, ugly green color with bumpy skin, raised ears, a hideous open mouth with jagged fangs, and what really made him jump, the evil, twisted grin. When he saw it, he jumped a little and his heart started pounding. He couldn't bear looking at it. But he'd be willing to wear it if it scared his brother.

He stepped into the shop. "Hello," he said. "I was wondering if I could buy a mask?" He instantly felt really dumb. What else was he supposed to buy here? Ice cream?

An old, black-robed woman with greying black hair looked up at him, her face almost as hideous as the masks. Kiran felt mean for thinking it. "Of course. I am Morgana the Master Mask Maker." Try saying that five times fast, thought Kiran. "Which one would you like, young man?"

"Uh..." Kiran turned his gaze back to the one he had seen. He reached his hand out to point at it, and even tried to touch it, instantly drawing back when he felt the warm, leathery surface.

"Ah." Morgana nodded. "Very good choice. You have good taste. Although, I'm not sure that's a mask you really want to have."

"Why not?" Kiran demanded. "I want to use it to scare my brother. He's been such a jerk to me."

Morgana smiled. "Nevermind. I think it's the perfect mask for you. It'll certainly get the job done. It's scared everyone who sees someone wearing it."

"Really?" said Kiran.

"Everyone," Morgana insisted, turning serious. "Not a single person wasn't scared by it."

Something about the way she said that made Kiran uneasy, but mostly excited. "Great!" he said. "It'll scare my brother for sure."

As he paid and left the store, he almost dropped the mask, and not just because of its appearance. It felt so warm and realistic, so human-like. It felt like he was touching an actual person's face.

He stuffed it into his pocket, where it still felt strange. He shrugged off his uneasy feelings about its appearance and texture. It would scare Ray good, he thought. He was already freaked out by it, that was for sure.

First, he needed to practice wearing it. He found a mirror next to the Haunted Theatre and gazed into it. His hands shook as he took the mask out of his pocket, and as he unfolded it, the twisted face looked angrier, as if it didn't like being stuffed into his pocket. He raised it in front of the mirror, shuddering as the eyeholes seemed to bear into him. He was being ridiculous. He raised it over his head and, before he could hesitate, jammed it down onto his face.

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he no longer felt scared. He instead felt a surge of confidence. He really did look terrifying, he thought with a little giggle. The giggle scared him a little. It sounded so high-pitched and strange. He would scare Ray good, he thought with a smirk under his mask that was almost as scary as the mask's evil grin.

When he decided to take it off, though, it took a little while. It stuck stubbornly to his head as he tugged and pulled at it. Whatever material it was made from, it must be really strong. He kept pulling and pulling until he started to choke under the heavy mask. Then he managed to yank it off, gasping for air. He stared down at the mask, grinning, before stuffing it back into his pocket, ready to scare his brother.

There's a Ray in the Horrorland series who also likes scaring his brother in Horrorland.