The Darkness comes hunted

Chapter Fifteen: Dark Past

It was a cold, gray day in late September. The weather had changed overnight when a returning wind brought a granite sky and a muzzling rain with it. Although it was now only a little after two o’clock in the afternoon, the pallor of a winter evening seemed to have closed upon the hills, cloaking them in mist.

Back in the Mayor’s Office, his phone line rang. It was Betty.

"This is the Mayor, who am I speaking to?" Mayor Blossom asked.

"Hi, Mr. Mayor, this is Betty Wheeler…Mason’s best friend."

"Yeah, I remember you. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I’m calling because it’s Mason’s birthday next Monday…and I wanted to see if maybe you could stop by for half an hour at Cole’s house. We’re going to give Mason a surprise party there, and maybe you could join us for dinner."

Betty spoke in a soft voice that seemed to have a unique effect on making people do what she asked. She hoped the Mayor would agree to come, for Mason’s sake.

"Does he know you’re calling me?" The Mayor asked.

"No, but I thought maybe I’d surprise him," she smiled.

"Ah…man, there’s nothing that Mason likes less than surprises…especially on his birthday. The kid’s never even had a party."

"What? Never? I thought he always went to the movies with the players from the football team every year." Betty asked, surprised.

"That’s a lie. He always stays at home, playing video games in his room, and eating pizza with us every single year. He doesn’t have any friends, Betty. He’s a loner."

"But why don’t you throw him a birthday party, Mr. Mayor?" Betty asked curiously.

"We threw him a birthday party once when he was 14 years old. He told me he invited all his classmates to come, but sadly nobody showed up that night. He was so hurt and disappointed…and since that day, he has never asked for a birthday party ever again." The Mayor choked, tears welling up in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks like rivulets.

"But this year, can you please, at least stop by and have dinner with us for once, please? He would love to see you, Mr. Mayor. You’re like a father to him."

"No, I don’t think it’s a good idea. The best gift that I could give to Mason would be to stay the hell away from him. He doesn’t need me to ruin his birthday. But I appreciate the call, Betty." The Mayor hung up, and Betty put down the phone, shocked by what the Mayor had just told her."

Later in the cafeteria, Cole couldn’t keep his eyes away from Cheryl, who sat two tables across from him, while everyone else was busy discussing Mason’s surprise birthday plan.

"Anyway, enough about my drama, Betty, you were saying something…about Mason’s birthday?" Jimmy asked Betty, who sat next to him.

Overhearing Jimmy and Betty talking about Mason’s birthday, Valentina got up from her lunch and stormed over to sit at Betty’s table, squeezing in between Betty and Jimmy.

"I heard you guys talking about my precious Mason’s birthday…tell me when and where, I will happily come and throw him the biggest party he ever had in his entire life," Valentina said, strolling in from behind.

"No, Valentina, no big party, we just want to give him a quaint gathering, inner-circle friends only, that’s all," Betty said, eyeing Valentina suspiciously.

"It sounds pathetic, but okay, I can live with that. I will do anything for my Mason," Valentina said, her eyes widening with excitement and love for Mason.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I just got off the phone with Mason’s dad, the Mayor, and he told me…Mason never had a proper birthday party, but let’s have one for him…like, a low-key surprise party." Cole nodded, confirming the story was true, but his eyes couldn’t look away from Cheryl.

"Didn’t Cole say Mason always went to the movies with Nathan’s gang every year on his birthday?" Jimmy asked.

"His dad said that was a lie, he always stayed at his house every year on his birthday," Betty replied.

"Mason said he didn’t like birthday parties," Cole added.

"Everybody says that nobody means it," Jimmy said again.

"Okay, now ignore the negativity… Betty, you know me, I’m Valentina Prescott of all people, any excuse to throw a party and wear a cute party dress, I will do it in a heartbeat." Valentina said, still smiling in excitement.

"Okay, fine, my dad’s away anyway, we can do it at my house. I think we could all have a good time after what happened to our town," Cole said, smiling a bit, but still worried in his heart.

"Now you’re talking my language, it’s going to be a great night for us all." Valentina said, her pulse racing with excitement.

After school was over, Betty and Valentina decided to take a detour to the Mayor’s Office at Townhall. Their goal was to try to convince Mason’s dad to come to the birthday party.

In the Mayor’s office, the door was open. Walking in were the Mayor and his assistant, talking about some project in town. He glanced to the side and saw Betty and Valentina sitting in guest chairs, waiting for him in the office.

"Mr. Mayor, Betty and I didn’t mean to ambush you or anything…and I know you’re a busy man, but Betty and I still wish you could come over to Cole’s house, stop by for a minute…and I bet it would mean so much to Mason if you came," Valentina asked, this was the first time Valentina ever asked someone from her heart to do something that didn’t benefit her.

"Man, your girl doesn’t quit, does she?"

"Rarely, if ever," Betty added with a smile.

The Mayor smiled, he was touched by their gesture.

"We really want to do something special for him…and you being there, that would be special." Valentina made prayer hands and flashed him her enormous, uncontrolled smile.

"Let me see what I can do," he smiled. "Now get out of my office, you two, I have a lot of work to finish." He eyed the two young ladies and pointed at the door, asking them to leave.

Valentina and Betty shared a smile of excitement while leaving the office and heading back to Valentina’s car.

Back at the Prescott manor, Valentina opened the door, ready to go upstairs and take a long shower after a long, hot day at school, but got stopped midway by her father, who was sitting in the living room, waiting for her.

"Hey, Valentina, how was school today?" Mr. Prescott asked.

"It was great, Dad, I’m going to go upstairs now, the outside is so damn hot right now," Valentina replied."

"Can you wait, I have something to talk to you about?"

"What is it now, Dad?"

"I just had a terrific meeting with Mr. Merrick…who agrees that our family should be the head manager of his new research facility that is being built here right now in Lakewood," Mr. Prescott said.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Valentina asked, tilting her head with narrowed eyes.

"Because this summer break, after the facility is fully operational, I want you to go there and study with Dr. Sheldon. He will be the head researcher there, and you will be his protégé…not a lot of people have a chance to be taught by Dr. Sheldon, the best scientist this country has to offer." Mr. Prescott explained, his eyes filled with excitement.

"That’s great, Dad, really looking forward to studying with him, but can I go to my room now? I have something really important to do," Valentina asked again, resting her hand on her palm, peeking out between the fingers, even slipping so her head may accidentally hit the table, and knocking her boredom out of her head in the process.

"What are you working on? Maybe I can help?" Mr. Prescott was curious as hell because his daughter never considered anything important in her entire life.

"It’s just a list of supplies for Mason’s birthday party," Valentina replied.

"Mason? You are really falling for this Blossom boy, aren’t you?" Mr. Prescott said, sliding over to sit next to his daughter in the process.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, what do you have on your mind, honey?"

"When you and mom started dating…did you tell her everything about yourself?"

"I sure did, and I wish I hadn’t…I shared things with your mother, my secrets, fears, doubts…and she ended up using them against me." Mr. Prescott said, looking back and regretting the decision he made in the past.

"What secrets, Dad?" Valentina asked, really interested in listening to her dad’s love story.

"Let’s just say that there are things about myself that I struggle with, and I should not let anybody know about them."

"I trust Mason, Dad."

"Of course you do, and you should…but just not with everything." Mr. Prescott warned his daughter, finishing telling his story. He kissed Valentina on the cheek and proceeded to walk upstairs to his room, leaving Valentina still sitting at the living room table, thinking about what her father had just told her.