"Honey, I'm so relieved." Lucy kissed Kiran's head. "That must've been terrifying."

"Not as terrifying as being covered in that gunk was," Ray quipped.

Kiran ignored him. "I was so scared, Mom. It was a nightmare."

Lucy put her arm around him and stroked his dark hair as he whimpered. Ray rolled his eyes.

"It was great of you to save him, Ray," Lucy told him. "Very brave and selfless of you, jumping in front of him like that. I knew you cared about him. You should be grateful to your brother, Kiran."

"I know. His action was my symbol of love," said Kiran, smirking at his brother. "At least, that's what Rosemary said."

Ray scowled, feeling himself flushing. Did they have to call it that? "Yeah, yeah. Now I wish he hadn't." He groaned. "I still feel like I'm covered in that stuff after the shower. I wish I kept a little of it so I could pour it on you."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "You should've done that," she suggested mischievously. "That would've been a great idea. It would've been good material for scaring anyone."

"Yeah, but I was too eager to get the disgusting stuff of me," said Ray.

"Seriously, thank you, Ray," said Kiran. "You saved me. I was worried I'd be stuck that way forever. I thought I was turning into a monster."

"It's too early for that," Ray joked. Then he inwardly scolded himself, remembering Kiran didn't know.

Lucy frowned. "No it isn't. Your fangs are just starting to grow, aren't they, Ray?"

"Mom!" Ray hissed, looking alarmed at Kiran, who didn't look surprised.

"It's okay," Lucy assured. "He knows."

"He does?" Ray gasped.

"Uh, yeah," said Kiran sheepishly. "Mom told me. I was a little scared at first, well, a lot, but I still have a few years before my fangs start to grow. I'm younger than you, Ray."

"Woah," said Ray. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you know." To be honest, he was slightly disappointed. He wanted it to be a secret he and his mom shared that they kept from Kiran.

"Have your fangs grown in?" asked Kiran.

"They're still very blunt," said Ray, opening his mouth and feeling one of his front teeth. They were longer and larger than a regular person's, though nobody would notice when he smiled. "I don't think I could even bite into a hard piece of steak with them."

"I think they look cool," said Kiran. "My teeth are as dull as ever."

"Look on the bright side," Lucy told Kiran, trying to sound optimistic. "Now you have some kind of experience with becoming a monster. Think of it as practice."

"Practice? That's one way to put it," said Kiran, still feeling his face tentatively. He could still feel traces of the mask glued to his face. "Well, I hated it. I don't want to ever start becoming a monster if that's what it's like."

"My brother Randy felt the same way," Lucy recalled. "He was terrified of monsters, even though he was one. I loved to scare him."

"So does Ray," said Kiran, scowling at his brother.

"Well, when you become a monster, you'll have to change your face as well," Lucy pointed out. "Except you can choose when to, and can change back to your human face. I'll teach you when the time comes." She became serious. "Honey, if you'd like to go home, I wouldn't blame you."

Would you like to see it now, Kiran?"

Kiran looked hesitant. "I don't know..."

"Go on," Ray urged, looking at his brother maliciously. He was still a little annoyed about getting covered in toad vomit because of him, even though it was his own decision. "I've seen Mom transform several times before, and it was awesome."

Lucy smiled at him. "The first time I did, you burst into tears and wet your pants. I had to wash them and get you a new pair."

Ray blushed while his brother burst out laughing. "I was six! And you showed me without telling me, just to scare me."

"It worked, didn't it?" Lucy teased.

"No thanks, Mom," said Kiran. "I just finished being a monster."

"I bet you'll react the same way I did when I was six," Ray teased, poking him in the ribs.

Kiran scowled. "Fine. Oh, wait, but you can't. The other people in the hotel will hear—"

"I'll be very quiet," Lucy assured, her dark eyes glinting. "I've gotten very good at that. So has Randy."

"They'll notice," Kiran argued.

"How?" asked Lucy. "I'll lock the door."

"If they do notice, we're dead," said Kiran. "Maybe literally. You better not risk it."

Lucy sighed, seeing his argument. "Oh, I suppose you're right. I can't risk doing it in a crowded hotel."

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Ray, sticking his tongue out at Kiran. "You're just too scared to watch her transform. Admit it."

"He has a good reason to," admitted Lucy. "I'd be scared of someone else seeing me."

"He's just scared of watching you," insisted Ray. "Too much of a wimp."

Lucy became serious. "Honey, if you want to go home now, I'd understand," she told Kiran. "I don't think I'd want to stay in a place like this if something like that happened to me. I understand if it's too scary for you—"

"No!" Kiran interrupted, though Ray could tell he wanted to do just that. He almost felt guilty about making him feel pressured to stay. Almost. "No, it's okay, Mom. I'm staying."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked uncertainly. "You really don't have to—"

"I'm sure," insisted Kiran, though he looked anything but sure."

"Well, if you say so," said Lucy.

"Wow. I thought you'd be too much of a wimp to stay," teased Ray.

"Well, I'm not!" bragged Kiran.

"Ray, stop calling your brother a wimp," Lucy chided gently, though she couldn't help a slight smile from crossing her face. "Then again, I sound like a complete hypocrite when I say that."

"I will when he stops acting like one," said Ray.

"So much for your symbol of love," muttered Kiran.

"I should've let you take the gun," said Ray.

"Boys!" Lucy scolded, shaking her head. "You're worse than me and Randy."

"I can't believe it!" Carly Beth shrieked.

"Carly Beth, it's fine," assured Steve, placing his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "We got off the mask, and the kid's fine. Actually, I think his brother is more shaken up."

"I still can't believe it," Carly Beth moaned, her face pale. "The mask, in this park? I never wanted to see that thing again."

"It's okay, Mom." James wrapped his arms around her mother's legs, trying to comfort her. He was as terrified as she was hearing the story. Carly Beth placed a hand on his head.

"Remember when you put it on willingly, to save the kids?" Steve reminded. "And your symbol of love were carrots you brought for some horses?"

"Don't remind me," Carly Beth groaned.

"You think you had it bad?" Steve griped. "At least you didn't put on a mask that made you start acting like a frail, weak old man. That was truly horrifying."

"It's your own fault for stealing it from the mask shop and putting it on after I warned you not to," Carly Beth retorted, shoving him. Rosemary grinned. She could tell they had used to date.

"Rosie was so brave," said Steve, making Rosemary blush. "She took lead and told everyone to remain calm."

"Of course," said Carly Beth, running her hand through her daughter's hair. "I knew you would, Rosie."

"I was scared," Rosemary admitted. "I didn't think I'd ever see the mask that you once put on, Mom. It was terrifying."

"You mean you were actually scared of something for once?" James griped, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up," snapped Rosemary. "You'd be scared too."

"I would," James admitted. "I'm glad we left."

"Well, I'm not," said Rosemary. "I was so scared when we couldn't find you, Mom."

"At least I was there," Steve pointed out. "Then again, I didn't do much. It was Rosie who remembered how to take off the mask, even if it was after it had been taken off."

Carly Beth looked at him incredulously. "You didn't remember?"

"My mask didn't require a symbol of love," Steve pointed out.

Ashley whimpered, burying her head into her dad's shoulder. She had been crying silently the entire time. Rosemary hadn't noticed much.

"Poor Ashley," Carly Beth muttered. "It's okay, honey. Everything's alright now."

She tried to put a hand on the girl's shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "Ashley didn't like all the chaos and panic, even if she was wearing headphones," Steve explained.

"Why are you even here, Uncle Steve?" asked Rosemary. "I didn't know you were coming to this place too."

"That's so cool!" James exclaimed. "If I had known you were coming, I'd be more excited to go."

"You mean you were too scared to before," Rosemary teased. James shoved her.

"Yes, why are you here, Steve?" Carly Beth asked.

"I found posters about the place, and I was interested," explained Steve, jiggling Ashley up and down. "It sounded awesome. Her mom is in Japan, visiting her relatives. Ashley doesn't like planes, and I didn't want to get a babysitter like last time, so I decided to stay home with her. I decided to bring her with me. Anyway, I need to toughen her up so she doesn't end up a scaredy cat like you," Steve joked. Carly Beth punched him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have," Rosemary noted, looking at the little girl concernedly. "She doesn't seem too cut out for places like this."

"She likes theme parks," Steve insisted. "She just doesn't like the crowds. And the noise. And the scares. And all the people. And—"

"Doesn't sound like she likes them much," Carly Beth quipped.

"Well, I let her stay home on trick or treat night," Steve pointed out. "She does like the food, and some of the rides. I never let her leave my sight."

"Ashley?" Rosemary asked, using her soft, gentle voice that she reserved for the little girl. She had a soft spot for her.

"She can't hear you," Steve reminded, gently taking off her headphones. Ashley raised her head and looked straight at Rosemary, her eyes widening.

"Hi, Ashley," said Rosemary, smiling at her.

"You never talk to me like that," James muttered.

Ashley smiled a little too, an adorable, shy smile that made Rosemary melt. "Rosie!" Ashley seemed to have a soft spot for her as well.

"Don't be scared," Rosemary assured. "It's alright now. We got rid of the bad guy."

"Rosie, Rosie," Ashley repeated, giggling a little.

"I think your name is one of her favorite words," Steve quipped.

"She doesn't talk much, does she?" said Carly Beth.

"She's autistic, so yeah," said Steve, jiggling her up and down again. Rosemary nodded. She knew that Ashley was autistic.

"I'm glad the headphones I gave you were a help," said Carly Beth.

"They really are," Steve said. "Thanks for giving me them, Carly Beth."

"No problem," said Carly Beth. "I just saw them on sale and knew she'd like them. What are friends for?"

"Yeah, friends," said Steve, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I was ever into you."

"You two should get back together," Rosemary suggested, only half jokingly. "Then Ashley would be my stepsister. She's so cute." Though she wouldn't admit it, she was secretly slightly relieved that Ashley was also half Asian. They would look more like sisters that way.

"I think you like her more than me," James pouted.

"You're right," Rosemary joked, causing him to cross his arms.

"No way," Carly Beth told her. "I wouldn't get back with him if you paid me. He's so annoying."

"It takes one to know one," retorted Steve, though Rosemary and James could tell he was joking. They all laughed.

"Wow. What a cool story," said Janessa, listening in awe as Sheena finished recounting the latest story about her and her brother's underwater adventures.

Selena rolled her eyes. "You've got a great imagination."

"Selena!" Janessa scolded her sister. "Don't be so rude. Do you really think Ms. Deep would lie like this?"

"I wouldn't," assured Sheena. "Believe me, I wouldn't. My brother always teased me about having no imagination. I couldn't make up a story like that if I tried."

"Oh, yeah. Dad's always saying you're a bore with no imagination," said Sam. "I think he has too much."

"You've got that right," scoffed Sheena.

"Sorry," apologized Selena. "I just can't believe it. It sounds so unbelievable."

"I know," Sheena agreed. "But it's true."

"Is it really that unbelievable?" Janessa asked her sister. "Remember the stories our mom told us, that she insisted was true? You believed them, didn't you?"

"What stories?" asked Sam curiously. Sheena was staring at them, intrigued.

Selena hesitated. They had promised their mother they wouldn't tell anyone about her encounters with Slappy. But she probably didn't know there were other people with similar incredible, spooky experiences as her. They'd probably believe a story about an evil ventriloquist dummy.

"We promised Mom we wouldn't tell," said Janessa firmly.

"I don't think she'd mind," Selena pointed out. "They just told us stories about similar terrifying things happening to them."

"You've got a point," Janessa admitted.

"What? What did your mom tell you?" asked Sheena, staring intently at them. "Please, tell us. Did she also meet incredible creatures underwater?"

"No. She isn't a marine biologist," said Selena. "But she also apparently had encounters with crazy, supernatural events happening, that no one would believe her about."

"Woah. About what?" asked Sam. "Tell us. It'd be a nice change from the nonstop stories I hear my dad tell."

"It's about a ventriloquist dummy," said Janessa. "An evil ventriloquist dummy."

"Not as crazy as evil fish," muttered Sheena.

"Go on," Sam urged.

Before she could, Billy and Sari returned, looking out of breath and panicked, but also relieved.

"Mom! Dad!" Sam ran up to Sari and hugged her, followed by his dad. "Are you okay? Did everything work out alright? Where's Alyssa? Did you help that boy?"

"Calm down, Sammy," Billy instructed, hugging him back. "Everything's fine. We managed to get that awful mask off, and Kiran's fine."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Sheena exclaimed.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "So everything's fine?"

"Yeah, he has his normal face back," said Sari. "We were all so relieved. He looks much better with his normal face."

"I would think so," quipped Sheena.

"Oh, good!" Selena exclaimed. "Where is he, though?"

"At the hotel with his brother and mom," said Billy. "They're helping him recover from the shock. I think they also plan to sue the Monster Police."

"Huh? Why?" asked Sam.

"Nevermind," said Sari, grinning. "I don't think they'd be successful, anyway."

"Where's Alyssa?" asked Sam, looking around for his cousin.

"Oh, she's enjoying the park with her new friend," said Billy with a smirk. "She really likes that girl, Rosetta or something."

"Rosemary," Sam corrected, grinning.

"Yeah, her," said Billy. "Well, she really seems to like her, so she decided to spend some time with her."

"What happened?" asked Selena curiously. "How did you get the mask off?"

Billy and Sari recounted to them the events, at first horrifying, and then relieving. They looked scared when hearing how Rosemary's mom wasn't at the hotel, but let out sighs of relief when hearing how the mask was taken off.

"Apparently, the only way to take it off was with a symbol of love," said Billy. "And it was brotherly love that did it."

"Aw, how sweet," cooed Janessa.

"I don't think his brother agreed," smirked Sari. "He was annoyed by being sprayed with that vomit."

Selena laughed. "That must've been funny. Gross, but funny."

"It was," Billy agreed. "Though we were terrified at first. We thought he had really been shot."

"It just sounds gross to me," said Sheena, wrinkling her nose.

"Rosemary sounds really brave," said Sam. "No wonder Alyssa likes her." He made a mental note to tease her relentlessly about it later. Served her right for teasing him so much.

"I think she's got a little crush," smirked Sari.

"Wow, really?" asked Janessa curiously. "I didn't know your cousin liked girls."

"She had a bunch of crushes on them when she was younger," said Sam. "Of course, I teased her about all of them."

"You really shouldn't," Sari scolded half-heartedly, but she couldn't take the smirk off her face.

"She's got good taste in girls, that's for sure," said Billy. "Rosemary seems brave, and she's very pretty."

"Alyssa must be driving her up the wall right about now," joked Sam. "She certainly drives me up the wall."

"You were so brave," Alyssa complimented, staring at Rosemary with unconcealed admiration in her widened eyes. "Taking charge like that."

Rosemary blushed, making her cheeks even rosier than usual. "Oh, it was nothing. Someone had to take the lead."

"You'd think it'd be an adult," Alyssa pointed out. "Are you always so brave?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said Rosemary. "People say I'm unscare-able, especially my brother. They can never scare me on Halloween, though they never stop trying."

"People say the same thing about me," said Alyssa. "I bet I'm even more fearless than you."

"Oh, yeah?" Rosemary raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that. Nobody's more fearless than me. At least, that's what everyone says."

"Nobody's more fearless than me," Alyssa retorted. "Know how tough I am? I like it when the teacher scratches the chalk across the board."

Rosemary gasped. "No way."

"Yes," said Alyssa, grinning.

"That's not brave. That's just stupid," declared Rosemary. "And masochistic."

"Big word," Alyssa teased. "You know what, why don't we test to see who's braver? Like, a competition."

"Huh? How do we do that?" Rosemary asked.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Did you seriously ask that? We're in a park all about being scared."

"Oh, right," said Rosemary, looking around the park and spotting several little kids screaming after stepping off a ride. She was surprised her mother had let her go back to try out the rides after what happened, but supposed she trusted her after hearing about how she had bravely taken the lead. "Which ride should we go on, then?"

"We'll both try the same rides, and the one who screams the least is the most fearless," declared Alyssa. "It'll be fun."

"The least?" Rosemary scoffed. "I won't scream at all. Well, I do scream, but only because it's fun."

"Yeah right," said Alyssa. "You'll probably be crying and ready to pass out like my cousin was after trying the Bottomless Canoe Ride."

"You'll cry just from seeing the rides," Rosemary retorted. It was a pleasant change from her brother, who was too scared to go on any ride.

"Oh, yeah? Bring it on," Alyssa urged, stepping right up to her, her dark eyes flashing. Rosemary felt her heart begin to race. She stared back with determination at the other girl. She had a feeling her heart would race more when they tried out the rides together, though not from the fear.

I got the "I like it when the teacher scratches the chalk" from a certain book. One of two autistic characters. I'm autistic, and Goosebumps is my special interest. I'm so obsessed with it, even though I lost interest for a while. Romance between a black girl and Asian girl, I love it.