Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin Read Online Free Page B

to that party?" the woman asked skeptically.
    "Yes,"
Elizabeth said emphatically.
    "But
they're only kids!" the man admonished.
    "We're
both eighteen," Arthur corrected.
    "Well,
that's still too young for this party," the woman informed him.
    "What,
is there drinking? Arthur and I can both hold our liquor. And we walked here,
so we can't drive drunk," Elizabeth persisted.
    "If
it were just drinking, we wouldn't be all that concerned," the woman
laughed. "Trust me, you don't know what you two would be getting
yourselves into in there. It's an adult party."
    "We
ARE adults," Arthur corrected.
    "No,
kid...that's not what I meant---"
    "I've
changed my mind," the man said. "Let's just give them our masks. No
charge. The password to get in is Mastodon. This should be a good learning
experience for them."
    The
woman sighed and relented. If it wasn't them, these kids would just find some
other way to get in. Besides, it would be a good way for their eighteen year
old selves to learn that actions have consequences. They handed their masks
over to Elizabeth and Arthur, headed to their car, and drove off without
looking back.
    Elizabeth
held her mask in her hand. It was a silver colored eye mask. It was bordered by
silver lace and had pearly beads lining the eyeholes. On the right side of the
mask, glued to the edge, was a small plume of gray feathers. She tied it to her
head thinking that she couldn't have found a better mask to go with her little
black dress.
    Arthur's
was a full face mask. Elizabeth guessed the word to describe it might be
"venetian". It was red with gold trim lining the eyes and bordering
the mask. A design that looked like golden flower stems was painted on the
cheeks, chin, and forehead. He had never been to a masquerade before, and he
had visions of himself wearing the mask, twirling Elizabeth around a ball room,
and dipping her almost to the floor. Tonight, he could be a different person.
This mask could turn him into her debonair, enchanting Romeo. Tonight, he would
say goodbye to Arthur. He tied the mask's two gold silk ribbons behind his head
and followed Elizabeth up to the mini-mansion.
    Aaron's
house was even more impressive up close and personal. It was almost like a
smaller version of the White House. They had no clue how many rooms were
inside, but both were excited about possibly being the only neighbors to find out.
    Once
they reached the doorway, Elizabeth had a feeling she was being watched. She
wondered if it was paranoia because she knew she was about to do something
dishonest. Then she realized it wasn't just paranoia. She noticed a largely
built man in full face mask lounging on a swinging bench not far off to their
left. He seemed to be looking right at her. For a moment, she locked eyes with
him. And then she looked away. The man's outfit looked dark and foreboding. He
wore a black, untucked, silk shirt that hung loosely on him. He had on black
slacks and black dress shoes. But it was his mask that gave her the chills. The
two eye holes, like large fox eyes, appeared villainous to her. The wide,
jagged sides were like extended bat wings. Glued on twigs gave the resemblance
of bones sustaining the wings.   And then
there was the mouth area. A brown, painted slit of a mouth and two red fangs
painted onto them. Elizabeth had never seen such a demonic mask in her life.
And it looked handmade, so she wondered about the nature of the man who wore it
and possibly even designed it.
    "Password?"
the bouncer asked.
    "Mastodon,"
Arthur responded.
    The
two teenagers walked into the house and were thrown into darkness. The house
looked to be about three stories tall, and they could barely see except for the
occasional flashes of light and accompanying shouts of, "You're out!"
She could hear people banging, shouting, and shutting doors. They're playing
flashlight tag? Elizabeth thought perplexed. She couldn't believe it. What was
so adult about playing flashlight tag? Shouldn't they even be ashamed? The