A-Mazing

Happy Halloween! It's time, it's time! Time for some little Halloween truffles, a few two-fers.

All credit for characters and setting to the amazing Stephenie Meyer, of course. She creates, I play.

Thanks to GeezerWench for the prompts and my amazing beta, EdwardsMate4Ever.

A-Mazing – Chapter 1

Bella hated mazes. And what the heck? Why would they have one out here in Forks, Washington?

But she had to hand it to the organizers, primarily a group of enterprising guys from several of the local high schools. This maze was different. It had been constructed out of…lots of stuff. It was unique.

This maze wasn't made of corn rows like the autumn mazes of the Midwest or hedge rows like the permanent mazes from mansions and hotels (as in the movie The Shining). Here, ropes hung with blankets or sheets had been strung between trees in parts of the maze, and various materials such as boxes and old furniture had been hauled in to build the walls in other places. Or, at least, as much she could see as she drove up. Utilizing trees was smart. They were one thing Forks had a lot of on the edge of the city.

Bella shivered as she got out of the car, remembering how Angela had talked her into coming out here during lunch hour that day. "I'll probably fall on my face in there. You know, trip over a root or something," Bella had grumbled.

"It'll be fun, "Angela said. "Please? I don't want to go alone."

Angela and Eric had been on the skids for the past few week, which meant Bella got more Angela time, though she felt bad for the reason.

When she pulled into the turnoff from Bogachiel Way, back in the Forks boonies, she was greeted by a hand-lettered sign that read: "A-Mazing Maze. $5. Fund Raiser for Forks High School Band."

Well, so be it. At least this fund raiser didn't involve buying candy, a turkey, or getting a lousy car wash.

As soon as she got out, Bella slipped on the wet grass. She grabbed onto the side of her truck and barely escaped falling on her butt. The rain had let up, but the ground was still slippery. What was it going to be like inside those temporary walls? She could picture herself bringing down the blanket walls of each section as she passed and grabbed on to keep her balance.

She exhaled and squared her shoulders. How bad could a maze be? She'd find Angela, go through it, and leave.

Bella saw Mr. Weber's car alongside of the road but didn't see Angela. She was running late, so maybe Angela had gone in without her. Shrugging her shoulders against the cold, she got in line.

Bella didn't know any of the kids immediately ahead of her in line, but she joked with a red-head directly in front of her about leaving a string to find her way out. The girl replied, "Why would you want to leave?"

Okay then. No chattering in line.

Every group waited five minutes for their turn to enter the maze. Bella saw flasks and cans of beer being pulled from deep within bulky winter jackets and consumed, easing the wait time.

The thought of drinking a cold beer made her feel cold. She shivered again, pulling up her hood and stamping her feet a few times to warm up.

Finally, it was her turn to go in. Once inside, she had to admit it was kind of fun. Whoever had set up the maze had been creative. There were also mini-pumpkins that could be decorated for $1 donation in a basket. The guests were adding to the fun, leaving notes for one another. There were scrawled sayings, "Ryan, take three lefts and a right," etc. pinned to the blanket walls, using paper, markers and clothespins left in a box by the entrance.

She left a note for Angela, saying, "Angie, sorry I was late. Went in at 6:15 – B."

Bella followed the directions about "three lefts and a right" and found an overstuffed chair under an awning. Two jack-o-lanterns stood in front of the chair. One had a happy face made with round circles, the other a scary face, made with triangles and a slash for a mouth. Plopping down on the seat, Bella quickly learned the awning hadn't been enough to keep out the Forks drizzle. The cushion was damp. Now she had a wet butt. Yuck.

Bella sat for another moment anyway, wondering if Angela would pass by. She heard the next group coming in, two guys and a girl.

"Hi," she said to them.

"Looking for company?" one of the guys asked.

"Not supposed to sit alone, loser," the girl hissed as she walked past, clutching the tall guy's hand.

"Leave her alone," her escort said. "She's got enough trouble, obviously."

They snickered and ran off as she got up, wondering if her coat would cover her wet rear end.

Bella could hear the sound of laughter and the occasional sound of a beer can's fizz as it was opened from all around her. Everybody was having a good time. Except her.

Where was Angela?

She decided to give it five more minutes. She walked along, making her way down the makeshift hallways lined with comforters, sheets, and cardboard. There were jack-o-lanterns at about every third turn.

Someone had put a lot of work into this maze, carving all those jack-o-lanterns. Too bad it was still light outside so the candles weren't lit. It would have been nice to see details of the intricate carvings.

As she walked, Bella could hear rustlings, scrapings, and occasionally the weird feeling that someone or something had moved past too quickly for her to see.

The organizers must have found some kind of special effects. She looked up in the branches for the equipment but couldn't see anything. It was getting darker. Aside from the rustlings, she hadn't heard voices in a few minutes. How far had she come?

She yelled out, "Hey. Anyone nearby?"

No answer. Just the drip of water from the trees.

She pulled a barrette from her hair and clipped it to a red blanket. She could swear she had seen this tree before. Then she heard whispers and a spooky giggle nearby. It was reassuring to know she wasn't alone. Right?

At the next turn, the jack-o-lantern was lit. It displayed a scene of a witch flying across a full moon.

Bella decided enough was enough. She was going to just walk out in a straight line. She lifted a purple quilt just like the one in her bedroom and found a rock wall. No cheating in this row, I guess.

Wait. Where was this wall? She didn't remember a stone wall back in this area. She poked at it. No moss so it must be new.

Oh well. That's what you get for not hiking the area.

She followed the maze a few more turns. No barrette on a red blanket, but more lit jack-o-lanterns. This time, a Frankenstein face and a scary cat.

After a few more turns, she saw the barrette on a branch, right at eye level where she couldn't miss it.

Someone was messing with her. "That's not funny," Bella yelled. "Alright you meatheads, joke's over. Cut it out." Who was doing this? Mike or Tyler?

At the next fork in the maze, the maze wall next to the tree was made of boxes. She shoved aside the soggy cardboard and stumbled backward in fear. Behind it was that same stack of rocks as a few minutes ago.

The rocks hadn't been behind cardboard before. They had been behind a purple comforter. Who could have moved them without her hearing?

Bella felt her stomach churn with fear and started running, which was hard in the growing darkness. She stumbled and kept her balance by clutching at tree trunks and branches. Thank heavens for gloves and thick jeans or she would have cut herself fifteen times by now. She had that same feeling that someone or something had flashed by her two or three more times. She screamed when she felt something cold touch her.

But she didn't see anyone. Just felt a breeze and smelled a scent. A nice scent, actually. Someone who'd been in here before her had been wearing a great aftershave.

She turned another corner and there it was. That chair she had sat in at the beginning of the maze. Or one that looked like it. They must be from a living room set.

I need to catch my breath and decide on a plan. She lowered herself into the chair gingerly and reached into her coat pocket for her phone. Charlie would put an end to this in no time.

But her hands found nothing. No phone? She patted both her pockets then stood up and patted her jeans. Tearing off her gloves, she probed her pockets again and again, tears forming in her eyes from frustration. How long had she been out here? Not long enough for him to worry about her, she was sure.

"Hello?" she called out into the twilight. Her quavering voice didn't sound very strong.

"Yes?" said a male voice.

"Over here," she said with relief.

The blanket with the rocks behind it was lifted and a face surrounded by a shaggy mane of blond hair appeared from behind it.

"Need assistance?" he asked with a drawl.

Jasper. It was Jasper from school. One of the doctor's kids. He was all right, surely.

Xxxx

So, thank you for reading! I'll be posting the next chapter soon. Anybody wanna wander into this A-Mazing Maze with Bella?

Please leave a review. Reviews keep my jack-o-lantern smiling! I'll send a preview of the next chapter to all reviewers.

I started posting a Halloween Halloween, the Movie, Twilight Style last night. It will be updated daily through Halloween. It's a wacky take-off on Halloween (the original movie). Anybody remember that one? Check it out!