Behind the mask

Chapter 4

Days passed by and things didn't go well for Jack. Every time he tried to talk to her, she would either snub him or walk away or end conversations almost immediately. Sometimes in the dinning hall, he would join her table and she would leave immediately. She avoided him in class and never replied any question he asked her. He was trying to be nice to her bit she felt he was so disturbing. She even avoided discussions that had to do with him group discussions he was involved in.

She sighed. It was yet another successful day of avoiding him. She decided she needed a walk. It was a chilly night and they just got back from night class. When she got to room she decided to  take a walk. When she got to room 12. She remembered her first day at school when she was walked there naked. She remembered how frightened she was when she heard someone yell after she knocked on the door. A smile settled on her face. She also remembered the look on Amber and Georgia's faces when they told her to hide. She remembered how fast she ran to the corridor beside the room and then she remembered the dark figure she saw behind the perforated wall. A frown settled on her face. The dark figure. She turned to the corridor to see if she would see it there again. Thankfully, she was in her pajamas.

When she got to the corridor she saw the dark figure behind the again. She thought she was hallucinating or it was on of her silly thoughts again. She had a stressful day and she needed to sleep. That was it. She was going to turn and leave when she realised she saw this figure the day she first got to the school and the figure ran to the boys hostel. It's true she had a stressful day but what about the first time she saw it. She thought she was just imagining things probably if she moved closer the wall, she would see clearly. So she walked to the wall to confirm if she was seeing correctly and as she moved closer the figure was getting clearer and clearer till she stood right in front of the wall. She closed her eyes.

"Emily, don't be stupid stop imagining things." She said to herself aloud. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes and she saw the figure still standing there.

"Maybe I should leave." She turned and was going when Jack kick himself in his mind.

"Say something." He said to himself. He also reminded himself that she must not recognise his voice.

"Wait." Emily stopped in her tracks as she heard the voice call out to her. Was she hallucinating or was that part of her crazy thoughts again? No, it couldn't be. A frown settled on her face. She turned back to look at the figure which was still there, glued to the spot. She walked slowly to the wall. When she stopped in front of the wall after a few seconds of staring and silence, she put her hand through the one of holes and touched his cloth to confirm if it was really someone. When her hand came in contact with the fabric, she gasped and widened her eyes in shock. She withdrew her hand immediately.

Although it was just a brush, Jack felt his heart beating aloud and fast. He couldn't stop her from touching him. He wanted her to touch him.

"Who are you?" She asked and he didn't reply.

"What is your name? Where are you from? What do you want here? Do you work here?" She asked again all at once.

No reply.

"Are you from the boys hostel?"

Still no response.

"You don't wanna answer my questions, right? Well, if you don't talk I'm gonna report you."

Jack was frightened at first but he started enjoying the scene when he saw her frightened look and when she started asking him questions. So the tough girl could be scared huh? He wished he could capture this moment and always tease her with it anytime she proved tough but he couldn't. So he would seize the moment to tease her.

Emily was so scared. This person did not say anything. Then she realised she could be talking to a ghost or a thief. No, it couldn't be a ghost. Ghosts were untouchable and invisible and they'd most probably wear white. Then he must be a thief.

"To who?" Jack replied.

"Oh! So you just decided to talk, right? Ofcourse you would when you heard I was gonna report you. You are here to steal right?"

Jack was taken aback. Steal? Ofcourse he would steal if he could. He would steal her heart the way she did.

"Who are you going to report me to?"

"I will report you to the authorities."

Jack chuckled. "Wouldn't that be a little too late?"

"Well, I'll report you to the hostel mistress tonight." She knew he could run away while she was gone but she didn't want to lost this battle of words to him.

Jack went silent for a few seconds. "Aren't you afraid I could shoot?" Emily felt chills running down her spine. Okay, she lost this already. She was so stupid she didn't think he could have been with a gun. Her mind pondered on what she could do for a few seconds. He was a thief then he was definitely here for something. She could ask him what he wanted and tell him she was going to get it and use that opportunity to set him up. Why didn't she think of that from the very beginning.

She took a deep breath. "Okay. What do you want?"

"I want you."

"What?"

"I want to see you here anytime I want." She didn't talk to him in the class so he was going to make her talk him here anytime he wanted.

Emily thought he was going to ask for something else. She didn't think he Would drag her into this.

"Well, I'm sorry but that can't be possible. It's ridiculous."

Jack went silent for a few seconds. "You know, I was here the other night...."

"And you saw me naked." She interrupted.

"Yeah and I took pictures..." she gasped subconsciously. She never thought it would get complicated. "That's right. So if you dont show up or you tell anyone about me, I'll print a lot of copies of your naked body and everyone will see it all around the school." 

"What proof do you have? I don't believe you." She said trembling. 

"Fine, I'll proove it to you tomorrow when the whole school sees it." Emily's heart dropped. She gulped.

"Are youblackmailing me?" He did not reply. "What do you want from me?" She asked  after a few seconds of silence.

"You." He said in a whisper.

"What?" She asked. She could have sworn she heard him say "you".

"I don't want anything from you. I want you." Then she was sure she heard correctly.

"Cause you saw me naked, right?" He didn't reply. He wanted to say "no, it's cause I saw you and I love you and I always want to see you and talk to you" but he couldn't bring himself to say that. "So what if you come and I don't get in touch with you?"

"Then you get busted."

"C'mon."

The announcement for everyone to be in their beds went off. He turned to leave immediately. "Wait." Emily called out to him. He stopped in his tracks but did not look back. "Who are you?"

After a few seconds he said "call me MG." She was about to ask what that meant when he said again " mask guy." Like he could read her mind. Emily watched him leave just like the first time. She felt her eyes tearing up. What did she get herself into?

When she got back to her room Amber asked "Where have you been?"

"Just took a walk around." She replied. She wasn't sure if it was safe to tell Amber. She wasn't ready to have her nudes all around school. She wasn't even sure who he was.

                                                                  ~

When Jack got to his room he had already taken off his clothes. He was wearing only his underwear. He opened the door slowly and crept into the room.

"Where are you coming from?" Harley asked. He was still up and was wondering were Jack was? Jack froze. He assumed everyone was sleeping.

"Hanging around." He said and climbed on his bed. While on his bed, so many things raced through his mind. "Did she know I was gonna show up tonight? Does she go there every night? She's a very smart girl. I hope she fell for my trick." He never knew he would see her night. It was a coincidence and no one knew he went there that night. Not even his friends. Only Emily.

                                                               ~

The next day, Jack summoned all the courage he needed. The night before did alot of good and changed his life. He was no longer scared of her. When there was no teacher in the class, he tapped her chair. She turned back in response.

"How may I help you Mr Jack Dawson?" She said sarcastically.

"In many ways Miss Rose." He went with the flow.

"Oh really? Did you forget my surname already?" She teased.

"Do pardon my silliness miss Rose. I did forget your lovely surname ever since we boarded this ship."

"If I may ask, what ship Mr Dawson?"

"This ship we're in."

"I still don't know what ship you're talking about sir."

"Titanic."

"Oh? Titanic One or two?"

"Three."

"Which doesn't exist."

"It's coming soon."

"Oh! Really?"

"Yes. It's going to be me and you." He smiled sheepishly. Emily shook her head. This guy is so dumb.

"Ok."

"Okay?" Jack was suprised. Emily said ok. What did that mean? Was that a tiny glimpse of hope?

"No problem."

"No problem?" He asked again.

"Yeah sure."

"Seriously?"

"Yes but only in your dreams." Gosh, so she was just teasing him. "And if it ever sails, it's going to sink just like every other titanic did." 

From that moment, Jack started talking to her. Teasing her most of the time. Emily felt he was more annoying cause he was disturbing her.

That night, the mask guy went to their meeting point but they missed each other. Jack was late. Emily thought he wasn't going to come that night and when MG got there he thought she forgot, or she doesn't come out every night or she didn't want to come out. so, he left. Ofcourse, he didn't have any of her nudes and even if he did, he would never show anyone not to talk of the whole school.

Jack was scared of her again. As he walked into the class, he saw her. He became so scared. He walked up to her. 

"Emily, I have something important to tell you." He said.

"What's that?" She replied.

Then he fell on his knees. "Love me." The whole class was suprised.

"Ridiculous." She rose from her seat and stormed out of the class.

"Love me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He yelled.

"Jack, wake up. It's morning." Someone tapped him.

He opened his eyes. He was sweating profusely. "Gosh, what a weird dream." He said as he rose from his bed.

When he got to the class, he had a bouquet of flowers in his hand and when he passed by her table, he dropped the flowers on it without saying a word to her. There was a note in the flowers that said "good morning."  She took the bouquet and turned to him and raised a brow.

"Love me." He replied.

"What?" She tilted her head backwards. Was he nuts?

"Just kidding." He smiled. She rolled her eyes and turned to face her front.

She heard John say "Romeo and Juliet." but she didn't didn't acknowledge him. She would never be a Juliet to Jack's type of Romeo.