Denial

"Now why don't we show what is under that mask?"

A sinister sounding voice. It was young, but lifeless. It sent chills through her spine. If she could have shivered she would've. Her arms were bound behind her back and thick ropes kept her tied tightly to a chair. It creaked with each subtle move she tried to make. Her eyes were covered with multiple layers of black lace. It left her vision obscured as she searched for a face. All she could see was a pair of golden glowing eyes and a toothy grin.

"No peeking," it cooed in her ear as the glowing eyes disappeared from sight.

Her breath grew ragged and uneven. Her chest felt hollow and her face numb. The chair fell back and she crashed to the ground, her vision dazed and fading to black for a few moments as she hit the hard floors. There was a laughter ringing in her ears, it was pure delight that grew from her pain. Her mouth opened to let out a painful gasp. The ropes dug into her skin as she twisted and pulled.

"Now now."

The voice was like silk, smoothly reaching her ears. Two hands had grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back up and the black lace began to slip. She desperately tried to nudge it further down. The continuous sound of lifeless giggles rang in her ears. The hands still remained on her shoulders, but she could tell the figure was behind her.  The giggles had changed so slowly she did not notice the voice was now humming a cheerful tune. Layer by layer the black lace fell before she could make out a person in front of her. She did not recognize the face and with quick slender fingers the final layer of lace was pulled away.

A horrified scream echoed from her throat. It pierced through the air as she realized the face she was looking at was her own. Scars ran over her cheeks in every direction, leaving her face misshapen and ill looking. The mirror cracked as she took in her appearance, making her scream louder at the horrifying reflection.

The figure laughed again. "Why don't we see what you're hiding!"

Such a cheerful voice. It cut through her thoughts of panic and she stopped screaming. Voices filled her head. It was her own voice, shrill laughs and mocking tones all filling her mind as she was forced to listen to the lies her lips had told. She screamed, louder every moment to cover the sound of her own voice. Her denial grew louder and thin fingers gripped harder onto her shoulder.

The screaming was muffled and turned to choking sounds as the figure behind her quickly shoved their hand in her mouth, pulling back the sides and forcing her to smile.

"Come now, why don't we see how you really look," it laughed with delight.

Claw like fingers pierced into her skin and she screamed in pain. She felt as well as watched her face being pulled back, the skin peeling away as though it were paper. Underneath her skin was black and rotten. It fell apart as the figure continued to pull away at her face. It giggled with delight, scratching and clawing until the ugly and rotten girl underneath was revealed.

"How ugly you really are!" It mocked with sinister laughter.

The binding ropes fell and the girl was pushed  from the chair. She fell roughly on her knees and her face hit against the mirror, cracking it's delicate surface even more. Her reflection was warped even further as she pressed her hands against the glass. "This isn't me! No! This isn't me!" Her voice echoed in her head as she screamed, clawing at her own face as if to reveal another layer underneath. 

Promise

"Hey, hey. Remember what we promised one another when we were kids?"

He looked forward and into the small clearing in the woods. A run down shack that was falling apart. It rested near a small stream and gurgled and lapped at the grassy banks. It was hot, the middle of summer, and the afternoon sun beat down on the back of his neck. The familiar song of summer ran in his ears. Cicadas chirped and called out to one another, the water splashed and ran its course, small animals rustled through the grass and climbed the trees. A deep feeling of nostalgia hit its course and he closed his eyes, plunging into a pool of memories from when he was young.

"Hey, don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!"

A smile fell on his lips and surfaced again, blinking a few times and walking towards the little shack. Inside still looked the same. Two old chairs sat across from one another, an old wooden table between them. There were words carved into the wood, but the years of weather made it difficult to read. He ran his fingers gently over the letters.

Let's write out a message to one another so we can come back and see them when you return.

There was a laugh that bubbled from inside him, but it wasn't enough for him to make a sound. He just breathed through his nose heavily and looked around. It had been a long time and things changed, but it still felt the same. It felt like home, a warmth he could not describe that enveloped his body. He closed his eyes and allowed it to wash over him again. He could smell the flowers, the trees, the rushing creek, and the sweet candies, sodas, and chips that had always been hidden to plunge into later on in the day. He could hear the background music of the video games that he use to play when he was younger.

Snapping back from the memories he searched the floor. His eyes were sharp and filled with desperation. The smile left his lips and he fell onto his hands and knees, running his hand across the ground until finding what he was looking for. The ground was crumbling away and he could easily push aside the dirt. Sweeping it away with his hands he found a small box still buried underneath the ground. It was left in the same position as it had been when it was buried. No one had found it and no one had moved it.

"Hey, let's read them together, okay?"

Inside the box were two pieces of paper and small object wrapped awfully in newspaper. The handwriting was scribbled messily down on the paper and it had faded with time, making it difficult to read. There was not much on either pieces of paper, but he read them both slowly. His expression changing carefully. It was gentle and soft. His lips pulled into a faint smile, but his eyes were full of pain. They began to water and the tears built. He couldn't barely finish reading the papers before he placed both on the floor.

"No peeking! It's a surprise!"

He didn't remember this being put in the box. He picked it up and carefully unwrapped the paper. Inside was a crudely made key chain. It looked like it was carved and he examined it further, laughing at its appearance. As he turned it in his hands, he saw that his name was carved into it as well and his laughing died down a bit and he felt his chest tighten. It was almost like it couldn't breathe and he clutched the small present tightly in his hand. His appearance crumbled as he lost his composure. He cried loudly and choked on his breaths.

As quickly as he lost his composure it was regained. The cries died down and the tears were wiped away.

"Hey, hey!"

The voice kept echoing in his head. He picked himself up, taking along the box and its contents. Outside it was still the same. The summer sun was bright, the creek kept moving, and the cicadas kept crying.

"I'm sorry, I almost forgot," he finally said with a little laugh.

"Hey, hey.. Thanks for remembering."