Peek-A-Boo, I See YOU!

“Oh, come on now. It’s just a harmless little–”

“Nope.” “No.” The maestro of the Gamer Club kept trying to shake us down. See, that was the reason why I never wanted to come here. He forced a game. I would escape using disenchanting magic. He’d make a more elaborate one. Rinse and repeat. Every interaction marred my soul and wore me out, so I wanted to leave as soon as possible. Asa seemed to agree too – she was already on her way out.

“Tch. Guess you leave me no choice.” The maestro pulled out his phone, using his grubby fingers to dial a single number before holding it up to his misshapen ears. I had no idea who he was planning to call, especially a person on speed dial to such a grotesque creature, and I didn’t care. Asa was at the door, so I quickly followed behind.

“What do you want?” A cold voice resounded through the speakerphone. The laced hostility was solely directed at the maestro, but it stopped both of us too. We knew that voice very well, and unfortunately, it was the only person who had any semblance of control over us.

“Hey Niya. Aren’t I allowed to have a friendly chat?”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Wait, wait, wait! I have an offer that you can’t refuse, one involving your two committee members that have come to visit.”

The silence was deafening as the seconds ticked by. The tension was high, especially for the maestro. Smelly sweat glistened down the sides of his face, waiting for Niya’s answer. It seemed even he had a hard time convincing her for anything.

“...I’m listening.” The moment those words came, the maestro let out a disgusting grin. Then, he took the phone off speaker and held it up to his ear. He spoke in a hushed whisper, preventing us from hearing without wind magic – something we couldn’t use yet. I gave Asa a questioning look, but she was just as lost. Isn’t this annoying…

After about five minutes of negotiations, the maestro tossed his phone over to Asa, which she promptly allowed to fall to the ground. “Hey! You’re paying for that if it’s broken! Niya wants to talk to you.”

Asa gave a grimace, but she reluctantly lowered her head to the floor, making sure to stay at least a foot away. She didn’t speak the entire time, but her expression deepened with each second.

Then, she finally let out an annoyed sigh before standing back up. “Fine, I accept.”

A brief ‘huh?’ escaped my mouth. “But why?”

“Reasons.”

“And what reasons would those be?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she smirked, though her ire was still directed at the maestro.

“Then, in the spirit of Halloween, let’s play a game of Peek-A-Boo. Both participants must attempt to make the other participant react to another person’s hidden face. If you manage to elicit a fearful reaction, you win. Does that sound good to you?”

“Yes, I agree to the terms,” Asa answered.

“Then, the contract is sealed.” The darkness seemed to grow as mana passed through the area. Two glowing white eyes appeared in the background, staring through open fingers. “This will be your opponent. Now, let the game begin!”

All at once, the hidden figure revealed itself: a giant buff man in a terrifying clown suit. He seemed to tower over the clubroom as his lower back touched the ceiling, forcing him to lean downwards. In the span of a second, Asa was pinned against the wall, so fast I didn’t even see him move. At least with Asa I knew something was coming, but this was something else entirely.

“PEEK-A-BOO!” The clown gleefully laughed with an almost nauseating expression. Even I would retreat from something so… disturbing.

“Put your hand down, Heston. Don’t bother.” I had prepared to cast disenchanting magic subconsciously, but Asa was scared one bit. Instead, she was…

“It’s my turn now.”

At once, she uncorked a potion from her side pouch. The scent wafted through the room: a pungent floral one. It made me woozy from this distance.

The clown, near the center of the smell, stumbled in a daze. He tried to cover up his nose, but it didn’t do any good. With its overpowering fragrance, you would need another potion to nullify it. If not that, a hermetic seal to trap it in one location.

With each step forward, the clown staggered backwards. The fear dotting his expression made it obvious we had won, but I wouldn’t dare interrupt. Asa was thoroughly pissed, and she was releasing her anger all at once.

Then, she covered her face with her hands, and the clown jumped.

“Peek–

“A–

“Boo.” As soon as she opened her hands, I saw the most beautiful smile – one that could destroy a person to their very core.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!” The clown shrieked and ran away, breaking down the closest wall to escape. Only the maestro remained, his eyes also vacant, staring with evident terror. Asa approached the man and held out her hand.

“My prize, please.”