"Please take it off!" Rosemary cried.

"Wow. You really are scared by it," Kiran grinned, his face ugly and twisted in a way that made a chill run down Rosemary's spine. For the first time in a long while, she felt true fear. "It'll be perfect for scaring Ray. Could you hold onto my glasses for me?"

"No, you don't understand!" Rosemary cried as she took his glasses. "You have to take it off. It's no ordinary mask."

"I know. It's a terrifying one." Kiran grinned. "Even Ray would be scared by it."

"Listen to me!" Rosemary shrieked, unable to pull her gaze away from the hideous grin. Waves of fear washed over her, the emotion so unfamiliar to her that she was taken by surprise about it for a bit. "My mother put on a mask like that, once. And she couldn't take it off."

The grin faltered. "You're joking, right?"

"No!" insisted Rosemary. "It started to become part of her face. She started doing terrible things and speaking in a voice like yours. She managed to take it off eventually, but—"

"Just because you're scared by it, you don't have to make up stories," Kiran interrupted.

"It's not a story!" Rosemary shrieked, panic crossing her face. Kiran must've noticed the genuine panic in her eyes, because his voice softened.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes!" Rosemary insisted. "Just take it off. Please."

Kiran sighed, coming out as a low, husky breath. "Oh, fine. It's getting hot in here, anyway." He placed both hands at the bottom of the mask and tugged upwards, but it stayed stuck. He kept yanking it, gripping his hands all over the mask and at one point tugging the pointy ears, but it stayed stuck to his face.

"I told you!" Rosemary cried.

"It's just stuck," said Kiran. "I really want to take it off, though. I want to save it for Ray. Can you help me?"

Rosemary placed her hands on his mask and tried tugging up with all her might. Kiran cried out in pain.

"Stop, stop!" Rosemary loosened her hold. Kiran rubbed his mask.

"It feels like human skin," he said. "So warm..."

"Because it is human skin!" cried Rosemary. "It's not a mask. It's a real face."

"Do you have scissors or anything?" Kiran asked, ignoring her. "Oh, well, I might as well try to find Ray now. He'll totally freak out when he sees me wearing this mask!"

Rosemary followed him, panicking and wringing her hands. Why hadn't she stopped him from putting it on? Her blood rushed in her ears. How had her mother taken the mask off?

Kiran scared several people in the pen with his mask. They took one look at him and jumped and gasped in fright, some of them even screaming and running away. He didn't address any of them, though, determined to find his brother.

Ray was standing in front of a Landmine Pinball machine, eyeing the prizes carefully. He didn't want to be the one to activate the landmine. He turned and actually gasped when he saw Kiran. Then he burst out laughing.

"Pretty good costume, kid," he said, walking over and thumping his brother on the back. Kiran was clearly disappointed. "It almost scared me."

"It did scare you," insisted Kiran, disappointment in his voice. Rosemary almost felt sorry for him. "I heard you gasp..."

Ray laughed again, but Rosemary saw a flash of fear cross his face as he looked at his brother's hideous, deformed one. He was freaked out by it, whether he wanted to admit it or not. "It didn't fool me for an instant."

Suddenly, Kiran gave a loud, angry growl, his eyes narrowing at his brother. Ray jumped, actually looking scared now.

"Calm down, dude," he said, raising his hands. "It's a pretty good mask, but it didn't scare me."

Kiran started to approach him. Ray backed away, staring at him nervously. "Seriously, you can stop now."

"Stop it!" Rosemary cried, stepping towards him. Kiran turned his gaze towards her, his dark eyes narrowed at her. She gulped.

"Leave her alone," said Ray. "What did she do to you?"

"Ray, listen," pleaded Rosemary. "That's no ordinary mask. It's—"

"Yeah, I know," interrupted Ray. "It's a good mask, I'll admit. It'd scare a lot of people."

"It's evil!" Rosemary cried. "My mother had a mask like it. She put it on, and couldn't take it off. It attached to her face."

"No way," Ray scoffed.

"It's true," Rosemary insisted. "Your brother couldn't take it off, either. He tried to, but it was stuck to his face."

"Great story," said Ray sarcastically. He walked over to his brother and grabbed the sides of his head, causing him to growl angrily. "Let me prove you wrong."

Ray tried yanking the mask off, pulling with all of his might, but only succeeded in angering Kiran. He growled and pushed him backwards so hard that he cried out. His eyes flashed as he stared at him.

"Cut it out!" Ray cried. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's changing him!" Rosemary cried. "The mask is controlling him."

Suddenly, Kiran moved forward towards his trembling brother, reached out his hands — and gripped them around Ray's throat, starting to strangle him as he choked and spluttered.

Rosemary jumped on Kiran's back and tried to wrestle him off Ray. He snarled and elbowed her in the face with a rib, causing her to cry out in pain and stumble backwards. Luckily, Ray seemed to be holding his own just fine. He kicked his brother in the chest with his knee and bit his hand. Kiran growled in outrage as Ray started wrestling with him. Despite the situation, Rosemary had to fight back a laugh. They looked like they were just wrestling normally, like brothers do.

Eventually, Kiran lost his confidence, and stared in shock and confusion at his brother, who had left multiple bruises on him. "What... what was that for?!"

Ray glared at him. "Maybe for attacking me like a wild animal?"

"I did that?" Kiran gasped. "Oh, god. I don't know what got into me."

"Don't play innocent!" snapped Ray. "What is wrong with you? Did you really have to go that far with trying to scare me?"

"No. I wouldn't do that," Kiran insisted. "I don't know what came over me. I really don't. I'm sorry, Ray."

"I know," Rosemary interrupted.

They turned to stare at her. "I told both of you," she said. "My mother had a mask like that, that took her over and made her do terrible things. She couldn't get it off, and it started to possess her. It started to become her face."

"Not this again," Ray groaned.

"Maybe it's true," said Kiran. "I really didn't feel like myself. I don't know why I attacked you, Ray."

"Yeah, right," Ray scoffed.

"Well, you hurt me more than I hurt you," Kiran griped, rubbing his wrists. "I think you drew blood."

"Cry me a river," snapped Ray. "Actually, maybe you're right. I don't think you'd attack me on purpose. You'd be too much of a wimp too."

"It's true!" Rosemary cried. "Kiran, you have to take the mask off. Now."

"Okay, okay," Kiran conceded, fear shining in his eyes. He reached for his mask and tried to tug it off, but it stayed on.

"Let me help," Ray suggested, a touch of malice shining in his eyes. He began tugging his brother's head as if he was trying to yank it off his shoulders.

"Ow! Let go, you jerk!" Kiran kicked him in the shin.

"You can't take it off," said Rosemary glumly. "My mother couldn't."

"What?" Kiran cried. "Am I stuck like this forever?"

"Well, there is one way to take it off," said Rosemary. She paused. "I can't remember!"

"You can't be serious," Kiran groaned. It sounded more like a growl.

"I can't remember how she took it off," said Rosemary.

"Well, that's just great," sniped Ray. "You're stuck with that hideous face forever? Then again, it's not much different from your regular face." Kiran kicked him again.

"This isn't a joke, guys," Rosemary insisted seriously. "Your brother is in serious trouble."

"I know," said Kiran. "He's in trouble as long as I get urges to strangle him. Then again, I usually do."

"I meant you," said Rosemary.

Ray stared at them, and then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Wait, let me guess. You two came up with this routine to scare me, right?"

"What?" Kiran demanded.

"That's what you were doing when you wandered off together," said Ray. "You showed her the mask you bought, and you came up with a plan to terrify me. You strangled me and made up some dumb story about the mask."

"That's a total lie!" Rosemary shrieked.

"I really can't take it off," Kiran insisted. "You tried to."

"You probably made it stick to you as well," said Ray. "Well, it's a good idea, I'll admit. But it won't fool me." He turned and walked out of the Play Pen.

Kiran scowled. "What a jerk! I wish I never met him."

"Well, don't worry. I'll help you," said Rosemary. "I need to get to my mom. She'll know what to do."

Suddenly, the feral glint shone in Kiran's eyes again, making Rosemary shudder. He was being taken over again. He started tearing through the Play Pen, intent on following his brother. Rosemary groaned before following him, hoping he didn't attack everyone in the park.