Chapter 95: The Fall Festival, Part Ten

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The Fall Festival, Part Ten

Chapter 95: The Fall Festival, Part Ten

Cyrus did not answer right away.

He adjusted the fox mask until it covered the upper half of his face again, making sure the edge sat low enough to hide his eyes. The movement felt clumsy now that Audra had already seen too much.

Could he tell her she had mistaken him for someone else?

Probably not.

Audra was unusual, but she was not so absentminded that she would forget what a person looked like after seeing his face directly. She had also said she had suspected something during their tutoring sessions, which meant she had been paying attention longer than he realized.

That was not reassuring.

Audra stood a few feet away in the half-darkened classroom, her pale festival costume still making her look too much like the thing that had frightened him in the auditorium. She had her hair caught around one finger, slowly winding a strand near her shoulder while she waited for him to say something.

"I noticed it during our tutoring sessions," she said. "I was not completely certain at first, but I am certain now."

"Is that so?" Cyrus asked.

"Would I make that up?"

Her tone stayed even, but she did not quite hold his attention when she said it. Her eyes shifted toward the window, then the door, then the loose edge of the curtain she had opened before leaving him alone.

Cyrus watched her carefully.

He had seen a similar habit before. Daphne sometimes toyed with her hair when she was trying to sound harmless after saying something that was clearly not harmless.

The comparison made his shoulders tighten.

If Audra started acting any more like Daphne, he might have to leave the fourth floor through a window.

For now, all he could do was protect what remained of his disguise.

"Please do not tell anyone," he said. "I would rather keep it private."

"I can keep it private," Audra replied.

There was a slight lift in her voice that made the answer sound more pleased than it should have.

Cyrus did not like that either.

He had expected her to ask why he hid his face, or whether he had been avoiding people on purpose, or why she had never seen him dressed differently outside school. Instead, Audra accepted the request with a calm expression and an answer that sounded almost too easy.

She knew something.

Not enough to expose him, perhaps. Still, enough to make him keep the fox mask firmly in place.

Audra studied him for another moment before speaking again.

"The festival seems lonely when you are by yourself," she said. "Do you think so too?"

Cyrus considered the question.

He had spent most of the morning alone, but he had not hated it. He had eaten what he wanted, wandered where he wanted, watched performances, tried a few games, and left whenever a classroom felt too crowded.

The problem was not being alone.

The problem was being too noticeable.

"It is all right when no one pays much attention," he said. "Then it is easier to enjoy."

Audra nodded slowly.

"That makes sense."

She reached for the fastenings of the white outer layer she had worn over her uniform.

Cyrus turned around immediately.

The movement came before he could think about it.

He had only caught the first motion of her hands at the front of the costume, but that was enough. Audra had a habit of doing things without warning, and he had already spent too much of the day getting startled by her.

Why was she taking off clothes in an empty classroom?

Was this another ring-related problem?

Had she decided the festival did not contain enough horror already?

Behind him, fabric shifted with a soft rustle.

The sound lasted only a few seconds.

Then footsteps crossed the classroom floor and stopped close behind him.

Something tugged lightly at his head.

Cyrus reached up at once, but the fox mask was already gone.

He turned.

Audra had removed the pale outer robe and folded it over one arm. Underneath, she wore her ordinary St. Alder uniform, neat and untouched except for the white ribbons still threaded through her hair. The costume had looked like one long white dress from a distance, but it had only been an outer layer.

The fox mask sat over Audra’s face now.

It covered her eyes and the bridge of her nose, leaving the lower half of her face visible. The narrow shape, the pointed ears, and the small painted details somehow suited her too well. It made her seem less distant, but more difficult to read.

"There," Audra said. "Would that make it less obvious?"

Cyrus looked from her uniform to the mask.

He had expected something stranger.

Instead, she had simply changed back into normal clothes and taken the mask so they would match.

That seemed almost normal.

Almost.

"My haunted-house shift starts later," he said.

"You can leave when it is time," Audra said. "There is no reason to rush before then."

Cyrus looked at the empty spot in her hand where the mask had been.

"That mask cost me five dollars."

Audra went quiet.

The pause was brief, but he noticed it.

"I will buy you another one," she said.

Her voice had gained a faint edge.

Cyrus could not see her expression behind the mask, but he had a feeling she was annoyed that he cared more about the price than the gesture.

He had no intention of apologizing.

Five dollars was five dollars.

They returned to the third floor together.

The mask classroom remained busy, though the crowd had thinned now that the first rush of visitors had moved on to lunch. The younger student behind the counter looked less bored than before, probably because she had started making steady sales.

Audra walked directly to the display of fox masks.

Cyrus stayed beside her, his school disguise restored by lowered hair and the fact that he had no mask at all for the moment. Audra chose a second fox mask and held it up for comparison.

The new one had a slightly different painted pattern around the edges.

The first mask used narrow red lines near the cheeks. This one had darker markings and a small gold accent near one ear.

Audra paid before Cyrus could object.

Then she handed it to him.

"These work well together," she said.

Cyrus put the mask on.

It fit comfortably enough.

Audra did not wait for him to respond. She turned and walked back into the hallway, leaving him to follow behind her.

Two students in fox masks did not attract much attention during a festival full of costumes.

Audra should have been easy to recognize even with her face covered. Her posture, her hair, and the way people subtly moved out of her path gave her away. Yet the unknown boy beside her created just enough doubt that nobody seemed certain.

Maybe people thought she was someone who dressed similarly.

Maybe they assumed the mask hid another student with the same height and hair.

Cyrus did not care what they assumed.

The less anyone knew, the better.

Audra stopped at the dart booth before he could decide where to go next.

A student running the game handed her a bundle of darts after she paid for several rounds. Audra gave half of them to Cyrus without asking whether he wanted to play.

Cyrus accepted them anyway.

Free games were difficult to reject.

The targets hung at the far end of the classroom, painted with bright circles and decorative stars. Students stood behind a strip of tape on the floor, throwing darts in uneven bursts while their friends shouted advice that usually made things worse.

Audra threw first.

One dart landed near the outside ring.

The next missed the board completely.

Two more struck the target, though neither landed near the center. By the time she finished, only three darts had made it onto the board.

Cyrus watched in silence.

Audra turned toward him.

"What did you say?"

Cyrus had not realized he spoke aloud.

"I said the result was unfortunate," he replied.

The mask hid most of her face, but the angle of her head suggested she did not believe him.

Cyrus stepped forward for his turn.

His darts were not impressive, but every one of them struck the board. None hit the bullseye. A few landed in the middle rings, while the rest stayed close enough that he could at least claim competence.

He had done better than Audra.

That was enough.

Audra collected the empty dart container and handed it back to the student running the booth. Then she walked toward the door without making another comment.

Cyrus followed.

He kept wondering about the earlier mask.

Had it shifted while he watched the stage?

Had he touched it without realizing? Had the ring’s cold reaction made him move his hands strangely? His memory had gaps around the fourth-floor classroom, and the thought of not knowing how his disguise had failed irritated him more than the compliment itself.

He could not remember putting the mask above his forehead.

That did not mean it had not happened.

The festival was crowded, loud, and full of distractions. He could have adjusted it absentmindedly while walking, taken it off during the auditorium performance, or bumped it out of place when he stood too fast.

He did not like any of those answers.

Still, he had no better one.

Outside, Audra led him toward the food area on the athletic field.

Cyrus had barely reached the first row of booths when she returned with two soft-serve cones. She handed one to him before he could say he was full.

The cone was cold, sweet, and free.

Cyrus accepted it.

Audra’s fox mask tilted slightly when she turned her head toward him. Her eyes were hidden, but he could feel the expectation in the way she paused.

He took a bite.

The ice cream was good.

For a second, Cyrus felt awkward.

Audra had been strange all morning. She had frightened him in the auditorium, appeared in a locked classroom, somehow seen his face, and now walked beside him in a mask while buying him snacks.

Yet this part of it was almost ordinary.

She was not asking him questions. She was not pressing him to explain anything. She was simply sharing food and moving from booth to booth with him as though they were two students enjoying the festival.

Could Audra be normal when she wanted to be?

The possibility felt unfamiliar enough that Cyrus did not know how to respond.

He took another bite of the cone.

Free food had a way of making complicated situations easier to tolerate.

That was probably dangerous.

It was also delicious.

The two of them drifted through the festival for most of the morning.

Audra led more often than Cyrus did. She chose a game booth, then a classroom selling small crafts, then a table where students had set up a simple ring toss. Cyrus followed without complaint, partly because he had no plan of his own and partly because Audra kept paying before he could reach for his wallet.

By the time the lunch rush began, the field had emptied slightly.

Students who had spent the morning outside were heading into classrooms for food, performances, or air-conditioning. The track around the athletic field had become quieter, with only a few small groups passing through at a distance.

Audra guided Cyrus toward the open stretch.

They walked side by side for a while.

Cyrus could feel that she wanted to say something.

Her steps had slowed. Her hands rested at her sides. The easy rhythm of the morning seemed to have become more deliberate.

He stayed alert.

Audra looked out across the field before speaking.

"I have never really gotten to experience the festival like this," she said.

Cyrus listened.

"Sometimes my family had plans for me," Audra continued. "Other times, I could not go anywhere without people making it into a bigger problem than it needed to be. Eventually, it became easier to stay away from things."

Her voice was quieter than usual.

"I did not have many people I could walk around with either," she added. "So I stopped trying."

Cyrus did not interrupt.

The explanation sounded believable in pieces.

Audra came from money. People noticed her everywhere. At school, classmates watched her enter a room, listened when she spoke, and talked about her when she was not there. A normal festival could become uncomfortable if every stop turned into someone asking for a picture, a conversation, or a confession.

Still, something about the timing felt too neat.

Audra turned slightly toward him.

"Thank you for spending time with me today," she said. "Were you happy too?"

The question carried more weight than it should have.

Cyrus thought about the morning.

He had eaten cheap festival food, watched performances, bought a mask, played darts, and wandered through places he had never seen before. The festival was loud and full of people, but no one had forced him to stay in one place. No one had taken his phone, shut him in a room, or told him where he was allowed to stand.

He had enjoyed himself.

"That was fun," Cyrus said. "This is my first time experiencing a school festival like this. I am glad you came with me."

Audra’s posture shifted.

Cyrus did not wait to see her reaction.

He walked a few steps ahead, pretending to examine the track and the students crossing the field. The movement gave him distance without making the moment awkward.

Audra watched his back.

To her, the quick change of pace looked like embarrassment.

She had lowered her guard, spoken honestly, and given him a chance to answer. Cyrus had thanked her, admitted he enjoyed the day, and then hurried ahead as though he did not know what to do with the warmth in his own words.

The thought pleased her.

It also was not enough.

Audra’s fingers moved toward the chain at her collarbone.

She wanted to know whether Cyrus had truly meant it.

The glamourkin ring could answer that.

Before she could touch it, someone called her name from behind.

"Audra!"

The voice was low enough that Cyrus did not react.

Audra turned stiffly.

Gemma Rhodes stood farther down the track, moving toward them with a small bag in one hand. She had probably been looking for Audra since the festival began. Normally, the two of them would have spent at least part of the day together.

Audra glanced at Cyrus.

He had not turned around.

She lifted one hand and motioned for Gemma to stay where she was.

Gemma slowed.

Audra pointed subtly toward Cyrus.

Understanding crossed Gemma’s face.

Then she raised one fist in the air and gave Audra an exaggerated gesture of encouragement.

Cyrus kept facing forward.

The fox mask hid his expression, but he had heard enough.

Audra’s explanation had been polished. It had even contained enough truth to sound convincing. Yet Gemma’s reaction made the situation clearer.

At least half of it had been prepared.

Possibly all of it.

Cyrus did not care enough to expose the lie.

People told stories when they wanted something. He understood that much.

He only hoped she would not tell him another one tomorrow.

Gemma watched Audra and the masked boy from a distance.

Audra had ignored her first call, waved her off, and pointed toward a boy she clearly did not want Gemma interrupting. That alone was strange enough. Audra rarely let anyone stand this close unless she had a reason.

The boy wore a fox mask, dark school clothes, and nothing else that made him easy to identify.

Gemma could not place him.

She had spent most festival days beside Audra in past years.

This time, Audra had found someone else.

Gemma watched them for another moment before turning away.

Even the most untouchable girl at St. Alder had to let someone get close eventually.

Gemma wondered who the masked boy was.