Chapter 3 – Opening Encounters

"Cheers to the beginning of the season tomorrow!" Alice and I clink our glasses together.

We're spending the night in our apartment with drinks. Tomorrow is opening night of Field of Screams. It's only mid-September so opening day doesn't really mean much. October is the big month. Rose should be here soon to celebrate too.

We gossip about school and our ideas for opening night makeup. Alice is doing Wasteland makeup so more zombies and people fending against the elements type of makeup.

"Just don't get overwhelmed with how many people will be flying in and out of there. It's nuts. The end of the night, all the actors will be running off adrenaline and be rowdy. It's not uncommon for actors to try to scare each other before removing their costumes and makeup."

I sure hope I am not one of their victims. "Good to know."

Rose shows up about any hour later with a bottle of wine and a gift bag. "Alice told me it was your birthday last week so happy late birthday, Bella."

We all make ourselves comfortable in the living once again. Alice presses me to open my gift from Rose which I finally do. It's two t-shirts with the Field of Screams logo on the front and it's warning on the back. There's also a 'coupon' inside for me and Alice to get a free haircut, coloring, and style at her salon.

"Thanks, Rose." I give her a hug.

"After the season's over, you two deserve some feminine pampering. Especially if Emmett and Edward annoy you." She pauses, a guilt look overtaking her face. "Liz may or may not show up here later. I didn't invite her. Emmett casually mentioned to her about our girls' night and was hinting he may have given her the address. Feel free to refuse to let her in."

Both Alice and I brush her off. "Don't worry. The more the merrier, am I right?"

About fifteen minutes later, there's a knock on the door. I get up and open it to find a woman who looks to be about my age, maybe a little older. Her light brown hair is fashioned in a high pony tail that makes her like she means business and her light blue eyes judge me with an arched eyebrow.

"Are you Alice?"

"No, I'm Bella. You're Liz?"

"The one and only Liz Cullen at your service." She gives a little bow. "I come bearing gifts if you'll graciously allow me in your premise." I'm so focused on her appearance that I fail to take into account the gift bag and the bottle of Jack Daniels in her hands.

"By all means." I wave her in.

"Bitch, Liz is here and ready to turn this shit up!" she exclaims, throwing her occupied hands up into the air.

I look at Alice with wide eyes, wondering if Liz has already had some sips of Jack.

With introductions out of the way and Jack popped open, Liz is telling Alice and I all about herself. She's not involved in operations, but helps with social media and spreading gossip around it.

"Oh!" she remembers mid drink, placing her glass on the table, "before I forget, here's a little gift from the devil himself."

"The devil himself?" I question, removing the tissue paper then screaming myself and tossing the bag on the ground. "Fuck!" I don't need to know who the devil himself is.

"What?" Rose and Alice question. Rose picks up the bag while Alice observes intently.

They both laugh then. The item in question is a creepy ass doll that's bloody and looks possessed. Rose has the audacity to place it in the middle of all of us. Then there's a fake brain which wouldn't be too bad, but it has an awful smell to it. I didn't even see the four mini pumpkins that are the last items in the bag because of the doll.

"Aw, he's so sweet!" Alice gushes, caressing one of the pumpkins like it's the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Sweet? He gave me a doll that's going to give me nightmares and a smelly brain!" I counter exasperated. I've never met this man yet he's playing games.

"But he also gave you little pumpkins! They're going to look so cute on the windowsill!"

"Alice!" All she sees are the pumpkins, not the implied message he's trying to send me.

"You two might as well be two school children on the playground and he's pulling your pigtails," Rose comments, slipping me a piece of paper.

There's messy handwriting on it, but it's obvious who's it is.

Hello,

I'm assuming you've guessed who the presents are from if Liz didn't already open her big mouth. Just remember, scary, terrifying, piss your pants horrified. Everyone's praised you yet I've never seen you in person or your work. Rose better look like she's on her last breath, only hanging on for the next victim to step foot in her house so she and her demon children can feast on their flesh.

Until tomorrow, Pumpkin.

"The nerve of him. I am going to find him tomorrow and wring his little-"

I am interrupted by a pair of hands grabbing my face and smashing their Jack ridden lips on mine. Who the fuck is kissing me to shut me up?

When she finally pulls back, I find Liz looking smug. I don't know what to say.

"Little stiff there, sweetie. Also," she closes my mouth which was apparently open, "don't have that hanging open tomorrow night. I know a lot of the guys would love to stick something in your pretty little mouth. Put all that anger into your work tomorrow and piss Eddie off." She resumes drinking her Jack like she didn't just kiss me.

I look over to Alice who looks just as surprised as me. Rose looks neutral and unphased.

"I forgot to mention that Liz gets a little crazy when she drinks whiskey."

I slide the rest of my Jack away, letting Liz's words sink into my brain the rest of the night.

*Field of Screams*

"Did your mother even tell you if you stuck to a face too long it'd stick?"

"Not now, Rose."

"Well, you've had this disgruntled look on your face ever since you came in and the whole time you've done my makeup. When Liz said to put your anger into your work, she didn't mean your face."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, but the look on your face doesn't suit you. Don't let Edward physically see how he's affected you. Let my face show it."

"Well," I step away from Rose, finished with her makeup, "you look like the epitome of a dead Greek goddess on her wedding day."

She looks at herself in the hand mirror, doing several of her scare impressions. "I'll be making full grown men cry tonight. If I don't, someone else in my home surely will. It's a shame you haven't volunteered here before this year. I'm definitely having the media team get pictures and video of me this year for promotion whether Edward likes it or not."

The fact that she will be fighting to have my work posted on social media and marketing campaigns gives me a great boost of confidence.

"There's my deadly bride!" Emmett hollers, coming over to us. He looks terrifying too in his bloody tux. "Awesome job, Bella! Edward's too busy prepping for the night, but we'll be sure to give him a scare or two before we come back."

Prepping takes place from three to five-thirty and gates open at five-thirty. Since Field of Screams doesn't close the ticket booth until eleven and guests usually aren't gone until midnight at the earliest, makeup volunteers are free to remain on the premise and enjoy the attractions themselves or leave. We just need to be back here by eleven to prepare for the flurry of actors running through to return costumes and get their makeup removed properly.

Alice and I head out to have dinner. The experience so far hasn't been terrible to me, but it wouldn't surprise me if Rose, Emmett, or even Alice try to scare me some point this season. I know for sure I'll be scaring myself a few times because I'll catch the glimpse of someone out of the corner of my eye, look at that person, and jump because of their makeup and costume. I already caught a glimpse of some of the actors in full costume and makeup tonight, and I certainly do not please to be in any enclosed space with any of them in character.

Back on location, Alice and I are prepping our respective areas. It's not too hard to hear the intermingling of terrified screams from the barn. I shake my head as chills run down my back.

The actors that run in the open area, entrance, and food court begin trickling in. To funnel people out as quickly as possible, once the ticket booth closes, they have a closing order for the attractions so one by one, they close. That results in those from the Asylum come in. For closing, the actors are less restricted in what makeup artist they can go to so long as it's not something extravagant that only the artist who did it can get it off safely.

I look around, but none of the actors seem interested in me helping them so I sit in my chair and twiddle my thumbs. I see Alice gossiping with a guy with burn makeup on and looking like Freddy Kruger without the razors. Nobody wants the newbie which makes me a little sad.

I'm so engrossed with watching Alice and Kruger talking that I'm startled when something huge pokes me in the chest. I nearly fling myself out of my chair. I look to the adjacent chair to find a man and find my heart beginning to beat in trepidation.

Before me is a man who looks like Wolverine's been through him. His eyes look like they're crying blood and his makeup is flawless to look like there's rotting fleshing hanging from his face. There's a hockey mask flipped up on his head and an axe that could rival Thor's hammer in his hand.

"Gonna help me here?" he questions, raising an eyebrow that makes the fake flesh move and honestly makes me want to vomit.

"Of course," I mumble, getting up out of my chair.

Silently, I begin to remove the makeup from his face. I have the left half of his face done when he begins to look familiar, like I've seen him before, but I don't really know many of the actors besides Emmett and Rose. They introduced me to some of the veterans, but none of them really stuck out.

"Hey, Baby Bells!" I hear him before I see him. He sneaks up from behind me and forces me into a headlock right in the middle of me working on the man. I briefly see the man just shake his head so I'm guessing Emmett does this on a regular basis to people. "I see you've finally met the elusive asstwat that is my brother, Edward."

My eyes widen, and I look at Edward. He has a damn smirk on his face which looks more malevolent with his half and half face.

Oh fuck.

Posted: September 18, 2020

And...he's here!