THE TORMENTOR 2
THE MASKED
The Masked - Episode 5&6
( Where•are•you, Ixora? )
Book 2 in the Mindf+ck Trilogy
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The thrill that appeared in their eyes afterwards is unrivaled.
It's like their shoulder breaks spiked their bloodstream as their eyes mirrored.
Warren's dark ones stared at her equally dark ones from under her black veil, and the hate that built in his eyes immediately?
Heavy.
How dare she protect a fake?
Serena smiled on her spot. She knew Elsa would do a good job, and even if Warren suspects her as a fake, he'd never be able to guess Elsa is Ixora.
So far she stays under that mask.
"I'll kill you, and my shoulder? It'd be the last thing you'd ever break" Warren said.
"Kill me? Dry joke, don't try to go into comedy, you'd flop." Elsa replied, her lips moving sharply under her mask.
Warren let go of her and began going for Serena again, but it was Romeo who blocked him this time.
"Don't touch her" he muttered, and Warren almost broke him into two, but then he continued...
"They shouldn't have released you from rehab, you obviously aren't in your right senses. She came back one year after you framed and sent her to jail, and you already hurt her?"
"You do not want to anger the horsemen, we'd ruin you and your pieces won't be found" he said again, and Warren wanted to pull out his heart, but Capri held him back.
Ashton held him by the other side.
"Gee" Capri said.
"Keep it low" Ashton said, pulling Warren's shoulder bracket back.
Another crack sound came, resetting the dislocated bone which made Warren's jaws bolt up.
"To hell with you Warren Creed!!!" Serena shouted, and he smirked as he left with his friends.
Using that face? He'd make her regret it, and he'd find out whoever she is.
He followed the guys into their building, and Chicago slipped out of the crowd, following them secretly.
Romeo smiled, feeling much joy in the pit of his stomach.
Ixora hates Warren now? Well that's a win for him. At least, he'd have her all to himself in this timeline.
He walked back to Serena who's back to smiling, and he tried placing a kiss on her forehead, but she dodged it..
"I really have to go to class right now," she said.
"Sure, we'll see at lunch" he said, and she nodded before facing Elsa.
"Hang around, the guards will follow me to class" she told her with an eye roll, then she left with her guards.
Mykel's eyes followed her, and when she turned back, their eyes met.
She flashed him a smile, but Mykel stayed blank, so she focused back on her walk.
Romeo left with Mykel, Clover and Bronx, and the rest of the students began departing too with gists that'd surely last the whole of today.
Elsa is the last one standing in the park, and her eyes rolled under her veil as she visualized the whole school, looking for where to enter.
She entered a particular building where she saw a room which looks like a private musical room.
She raised her hand to her shoulder, pulling it to reset the bone which caused her to moan painfully.
"Shit, he didn't change" she muttered emptily, standing still for a while and zoning out on that spot.
She eventually looked around and sighted a black guitar on a table which she picked.
She began playing before she knew it.
--
[Off-limits Nest]
Warren picked up the arrow when he arrived, facing the wall and starting consecutive shots without stopping.
For twenty long minutes.
Capri and Ashton stood behind him, watching the venting in silence.
Capri has a small mug of coffee to his lips though.
Warren only stopped when every arrow in the bow met the wall, then he dropped the dow on the ground with a loud crash, his palms bleeding as a result of the shooting intensity.
"She came back after a year, and you're saying it's not...her?" Ashton said with pulled brows.
"I said it's not her!!" Warren faced them, kicking the glass table in front of him away.
It crashed to the wall and shattered, then Warren went ahead to punch the wall as his anger is starting to swell again.
"Is it because of the black hair?" Capri asked.
"No" Warren replied.
"The hate she now has for you?" Ashton asked.
"Fûck! No, I want her to hate me to death!" Warren replied.
"Doesn't she smell same?" Capri asked.
"She does" Warren seethed.
"Did you detect any sign of facial reconstructive surgery?" Ashton asked.
"No... damnit" Warren held his head with both hands
"Then why is it not her!?" Capri snapped.
"She's just not her!!!!" Warren growled, grabbing Capri by the neck with his two hands.
His eyes already turned bloodshot within that one minute, and his veins are mapping his neck and the back of his hands.
"She's not her. Even in my sleep, I'd know what Ixora looks like. She might have her face, but that's not her! I could close my fuckin eyes and still pick out Ixora from a million population!!" Warren yelled, his hold tightening on Capri's neck.
Capri's eyes are already turning, but he's not making any attempt to remove Warren's hands.
"Fine, it's not...her." He managed to speak, but Warren still wouldn't let go, till Ashton intervened, tearing his hands off Capri's neck.
"It's not her? Fine!! Keep your insanity on a leash!!" He glared.
Warren went to the wall locker and got some Ecstacy pills, but before he could put them on his tongue, Ashton hit them away from him and gave him a punch on the face.
Warren groaned out.
"You wanna ruin your f+ckin life forever? Huh!!! You only just came out of rehab where nurses tried hard to keep you clean for a whole year, but if you go back to taking these pills, rehab won't undo it, you'd have to go to a psychiatric hospital you maniac! Because Ixora appeared suddenly from nowhere, you're losing your shit?" He said.
"And I said it's not her!!!! Not her!!!" Warren slammed his own head on the second glass table, and blood spilled out, wetting his face and entering his mouth to colour his teeth, giving him the look of death.
"F+ck..." Capri quickly held him from behind, so tight.
"Calm down, dude...calm the f+ck down!!" He shouted.
Warren obstinately broke free and stormed out of the Nest, meeting Chicago by the door.
She has been watching since the start.
"Partner in crime, I don't care if it's her or not, so far she has that face, she's bound to my wrath, starting from tonight's concert" she smiled.
"And...why should I believe the words of a lunatic who's already insane? You're not in your right senses" she continued.
Warren angrily pushed her out of the way, and she fell against the rails, laughing as he went down the stairs.
"He's so hot with that bloody face" her laughter went louder.
"Take care of this psycho" Ashton told Capri before leaving the the Nest too, so Chicago entered, habitually waving with two fingers.
"Hey, Capri Benson" she smiled.
"Hey, Carina Benson" Capri muttered furiously, taking a gun and giving her a shot on the back which made her laugh out loud.
"What are you doing here?" he muttered, lowering the gun as blood gushed out of Chicago's back, wetting her crop top.
"I'm like a tick, Capri. You can't get rid of me. I'm Warren's helper, I'm Romeo's karma, and I'm your own disease. Yes, I'm your disease, and till I kill you, you can't escape me, you can't!!!" She madly yelled.
--
[Biology Major]
The guards surrounding the class gave Serena the needed boldness that even if Elsa isn't here, she's safe.
The class is yet to start, and she's sitting in the front, but everyone kept their distance.
It's like no one wants to stay close to her, and she could hear their hate comments from the back.
"Ixora is shameless, I must say"
"Her mother is you know who"
"Why did the school allow her inside? A murderer in the midst of students?"
Tina and Monty are at the back of the class, and while Monty's face is buried in her phone, Tina looks pissed, glaring at Serena.
"Why is she back exactly?" She muttered, curving her lips with hate.
"I really don't wanna hate her, but if Romeo keeps worshiping her like this, I dunno what I might do" she muttered.
"Just calm down" Monty rubbed her chest.
"That's barely doing anything" Tina rolled eyes, and Monty chuckled.
"You've had a crush on Romeo since like forever, why not let it go?" She said.
"It's not just a crush, I love this dude" Tina replied, and Monty dropped her phone, pulling Tina's head to her own chest to coax her.
Serena was starting to feel alone on her seat, and it seems the lecturer isn't coming anytime soon, so she got her phone with plans to dial Stonia's line, but then someone sat beside her.
She looked up to see a girl with bangs in her hair, and a smiley face she doesn't remember seeing before.
"Hi, I'm Winter. I'm new here, we could be friends" Winter introduced.
The best way to handle this is making friends with Ixora and keeping her close. After all, she's Winter now, no one knows her as Evelyn.
"Hey, you don't look bad" Serena smiled, and Winter shook hands with her.
"Hey there!" Bethel settled on the other side, and Serena blinked, remembering Ixora and Bethel used to click well.
"Hey, Bethel" she smiled.
"I hope your case gets settled quickly with the government" Bethel said.
"It will, my parents aren't rich for nothing" Serena replied, and Bethel frowned.
Even Winter frowned.
Ixora would never say that. She never bragged about her parents wealth.
"Anyways, dad died. I guess Romeo didn't tell you" Bethel said.
"Mr. Ford died?" Serena said, faking surprise.
"Yeah, the shock from mum's death was too much, so he died of depression, it's his memorial today" Bethel replied.
"I'm so sorry" Serena said.
"It's fine, I'm fine. So...are you coming to the horsemen concert tonight?" Bethel asked.
"It's tonight?" Serena gasped.
"Of course, bîtch. I can't wait to see my brother on stage again, and now that you're back, I wish you'd give him even a little bit of attention. He was crazy the whole time you were gone" Bethel said.
"Sure, I'll try my best" Serena replied with another fake smile.
To hell with Romeo, she's for Mykel, and she's going to the concert for Mykel only.
"Aren't you Winter? The new girl?" Bethel finally noticed her.
"Oh ... finally I got noticed. Of course" Winter smiled, and Bethel shook hands with her.
"We could be best friends, three of us" Serena said, and they had a group hug.
"Ew! Tasteless... I wanna barf" Tina said from her seat, and Monty laughed.
"Bethel, Ixora, and the new Winter? Bad combo" she said.
From the window, Warren stood menacingly, his dark eyes perched on Serena.
His muscles are clenched as he stared sickly at her.
--
[Amphitheater]
The low sounds of music poured into the room in slow waves as the gang did their final practice for tonight's concert.
It's the first concert for this semester, and they've gotta give their best.
Romeo was smiling as he stood in front of the standing microphone, singing the dirty words to his heart's content while Bronx and Clover backed him up.
Mykel is seated, playing the guitar silently and balancing the flow of music and his strings, hitting a higher note as Romeo went a higher tone...
Romeo: Spread that puxxy on my lips and watch me dance with my tongue...🎵🎵
Mykel smiled, his perfect dentition flashing as he stood, bending his knees to the guitar tunes. He's sweating so much, and it's same with Romeo since they're both the main.
The ending excitement intoxicated them so much that Mykel's guitar string got cut suddenly, and the music abruptly stopped.
"F+ck!" Bronx cussed.
"I'll get my second one" Mykel signed with his fingers, rushing out.
"When are we telling him about the main reason we formed this band? I'm tired of this porn music shit, bro." Clover spoke.
"Calm down, he might be mute but he's not daft" Romeo replied, still smiling.
"Eh..you're the happiest person alive cos you're sure Ixora is gonna attend the concert, and that's why you're giving it your all" Clover replied, and Romeo chuckled.
"I'm in love with this girl, you won't understand. But then...be prepared, I have a feeling Warren is gonna be a bastard at the concert" he said, his eyes hardening.
Bronx got a text, and he shifted aside to check. It's from the brotherhood.
• Tina Quinns and Monty Blair? Tonight.
He was palpitating hard as he pocketed his phone.
Ashton is by the top rail of the amphitheater, surveiling him like a camera.
He just knows someone is threatening Bronx, but who?
The cult?
--
[Mykel's Private Musical Room]
The closer Mykel got to the room, the louder he heard the sound of guitar coming from the room.
Who's inside his oom which has PRIVATE pasted in front of it?
Is the person blind?
He was asking himself that question till he entered and met the masked girl who fought Warren earlier.
She's playing effortlessly, and she didn't even notice his entrance.
He stood by the door, watching her every move—the way her hands moved on the guitar, the way her head moved to each string pull, the way her right leg counted the beats with her eyes.
She looks totally like the girl he met at the mill when he was young, but it's not her, is she?
The girl he met is the Ixora who just came back, but he didn't feel any magnetic pull towards her, so why is he feeling it towards this masked girl?
He cleared his throat, and that seemed to call Elsa's attention as she stopped playing and looked up.
"You don't own this room, do you?" She asked, but he kept mute.
"I guess you do" she said again, dropping the guitar. "Sorry for touching it, if it angers you"
She began walking out of the room, but then...
"I'm not angry, I'm just surprised you play exactly like me" he talked, and she stopped before turning back to him.
"You can actually speak?" She asked.
"I'm selectively mute, not completely mute. I chose to talk to you cos you play like a girl I met in a mill when I was young. I taught her guitar and scrabble actually, but I told her to keep the guitar lessons a secret, and she promised to never play the guitar till we meet again" he replied.
"Life-touching" Elsa touched her chest dramatically, and he smiled.
"You're dramatic, jewel eyes"
"Jewel eyes?" She blinked slowly under her veil.
"Yeah, I dunno why you're wearing a veil, but your eyes that I'm seeing? They're fuckin beautiful. Who taught you how to play the guitar?" He came closer.
"I dunno, I can just play" She said and then she walked cleanly out of the room.
"Your name!" Mykel went after her, but she's already gone.
He went back into the room, picking up a remote and turning on the biology classroom camera screen where he viewed Serena.
She's chatting and laughing with Winter and Bethel.
He stared at her for so many minutes, his eyes still.
The first and last time he saw Ixora was when they met in the mill at young ages.
His mafia dad had to fly him out of the country to Germany where he has been staying since then.
And he has been keeping his eyes on her from Germany, having all her life tab in hand, so he knows her life chapters, word for word.
When he came back to Cali last year, his purpose was to find her, but then she went missing in jail, and now this imposter came back as her?
"That's not Ixora, who's she?" He smartly muttered as he stared at Serena on screen.
The ringing of his phone jerked him, and he retrieved it to see 'Gramps Madden' on screen.
He swiped green.
--
[Satan's Heirs Hideaway]
Warren is in front of his systems, pressing every button press-able and hitting every hit-able wall as he tried to turn on Ixora's life cameras, but they're refusing to come back on.
The last time he checked them was before he went to rehab last year, and even when he came back yesterday, he spent all day and night in the abandoned church, so he hasn't really checked.
What's really going on?
Why are the cameras not coming on? Are they destroyed?
Falsus was flapping it's wings around the room, unable to say anything about the situation too.
The bird just watched it's owner running mad in front of the cameras, and it got to a point where Warren began smashing the laptops one by one, destroying them all when they wouldn't come on.
His head feels empty, and the hollowness was wheezing as he threw everything around before screaming out crazily, holding his head with two hands.
A small glass aquarium is by the wall of the room, containing a Betta fish which he had bought to replace the one he killed—Splash
Even the fish stayed still in the glass, looking at him with big eyes.
Ashton is by the door, watching frustratingly too.
"Konstant has to come back to handle his shit at this rate" he said, dialling Konstantin's line.
--
[Commissioner's Office]
The meeting with the commissioner and his comrades plus the government officials is just ending.
Even the senator was in attendance, and it was tough.
The looks on Stonia and Rafael's face said it all as they came out of the FBI.
The government is insisting that Ixora must go complete her jail term, but the parents aren't ready to do that.
The meeting got rescheduled for tomorrow, and the argument and appeal will continue there.
Stonia and Rafael drove off in the same car.
"Ixora is not stepping prison anymore. They wanna arrest? They should arrest me" Stonia said anxiously, her thumb trembling.
Rafael took that thumb and rubbed it, and she spared him a short glance.
"I'll do my best, so calm down" he said.
Stonia sighed, resting back.
When they got back to her mansion, Rafael even went as far as escorting her to her room, putting her to bed after making her take some propolis.
"When is my baby coming back from campus?" She asked.
"The guards said she's currently at Dr. Fat's office in Crescent Hospital, I should probably go say thanks to the doctor too" Rafael replied.
"Let's go together" Stonia started getting up from bed, but Rafael pushed her back gently.
"No. I'll do it alone, just rest" he said gently, and she shut her eyes tiredly.
He covered her well and exited the room.
He was already walking out of the house when something came to his mind.
He went to Ixora's room and took the brush she used on her hair this morning.
He got two strands of hair from it and pocketed them, then he left the house.
--
[Crescent Hospital, Dr. Fat's office]
"I can't believe everyone fell for our plant, thinking I'm actually Ixora? Especially aunt Stonia. I can't count how many kisses I received from her this morning. So this is what Ixora enjoyed? I'm on the ninth cloud" Serena said, parading the office.
Dr. Fat who's seated on his swivel smiled.
"I'm the first doctor to ever try this out, so Warren wouldn't have any idea. He suspects you're not Ixora, but he'd never detect surgery, so I bet he's going crazy right now" he said.
Serena came back to sit.
"And the loveliest part? I have two friends already. Winter and Bethel...I love those bitches, and I have a boy I'm already in love with,my Mykel" she grinned.
"It's expected, Serena. You're carrying an expensive face" Dr. Fat chuckled.
"But...why did you insist on not destroying Ixora's face? She still has her real face under that mask and I'm scared for real. We changed her eye color, soaked her in camphor to mess with her body scent, we altered her voice then carved her brows and tanned the uncovered part of her face. You didn't even allow me cut her hair, she's on fuckin wig! Are you sure the hypnosis is strong enough to keep her hidden forever? I'm too anxious" she said.
"Don't you trust me?" Dr. Fat leaned forward.
"Of course I do"
"Then relax, we can't ruin her face just yet, it'd be useful for you when your face will need future patches" he replied, and she nodded.
"Fine, I get it"
Serena left the office eventually, and she was escorted back to the park where Elsa is waiting with the rest of the guards.
She was grinning from ear to ear till got back in her car.
Elsa tried entering with her, but Serena closed the door.
"Trek, and meet us at Sunny boutique. I'll be shopping there for tonight's concert" she proudly said, then she drove off with her guards, leaving Elsa standing there.
Elsa inserted her hands in her jacket pocket, slanting her head slightly before whipping around.
She was smirking as she entered the hospital, making her way to Dr. Fat's office.
She kicked the door open with her boot, and Dr. Fat stood from his desk.
When their eyes met, they smiled.
—Last Year—
The prison guards did a clean job of injecting Ixora in prison that night, paralyzing and kidnapping her.
Dr. Fat's guys were already waiting to collect her outside the prison walls, and that same night, she was thrown into the ship to Manchester.
The ship arrived at Manchester next morning, and from Manchester, they got on the flight to Beijing in China.
Ixora was a walking dead throughout.
She knew they were on a flight, but she has no idea what it is as she's too deeply paralyzed.
Till they landed in Beijing.
Dr. Fat was already waiting with Serena to receive her, and she was taken to a safehouse where the surgery happened.
Serena got her fake face, and when Serena was still recovering, Dr. Fat proceeded to the next part; Wiping her memories and hypnotizing her.
Ixora was tied to a chair, and that gave her a deja Vu of what Matron did to her.
She wasn't gonna let that happen again...she needs to do something.
"How much did Serena pay you for all of these?" She weakly asked, and Dr. Fat stopped the injection he was about to give her.
"Much more than you'd ever imagine" he replied.
"And she got it all from my parents" Ixora said.
"Lies, her late father was rich, she payed me from the trust fund he left her" Dr. Fat replied, wiping her neck with wet cotton and getting ready to inject her with the hypnosis liquor.
"Her late father was my mum's brother, and I can bluntly tell you that my mum is the only rich person in the Martinez family. When Serena's father was still alive, he begged for funds from my mother everytime" Ixora looked up.
"What's your bone of contention?" Dr. Fat sat, dropping the syringe.
"If she could steal that much from my parents to pay you, then think of about how much I'll pay you as the real daughter...I have three black cards, and just one of it will feed you for the rest of your life" Ixora replied, breathing heavily.
Dr. Fat shifted closer.
"Sounds juicy" he whispered, and she forced a smile.
"You only have to pretend that you wiped my memories, and that you've hypnotized me, and I'll act like it. I'm tired of the Ixora name too, I need peace. Let her carry my face, i'm willing to be her maid for now, but on one condition " she said.
"What?" Dr. Fat asked interestedly.
"I value this face, don't destroy it. Just find a way to make her believe you don't have to destroy my face, and I promise to do everything according to plan. I'm a great actress" she said.
"She's not only planning to make you her maid, she has plans to hire a trainer who'd train you. She wants to make you her bodyguard too, a loyal bodyguard who'd die for her" Dr. Fat explained.
"I don't care, I'll take it... just...stick with me" Ixora swallowed saliva.
"What's the pay?" Dr. Fat held her shoulders.
"Two of my black cards will be yours when all of these is over. Draw a contract and I'll sign right now" Ixora replied, and Dr. Fat laughed, massaging her shoulders.
"You want me to deceive Serena?"
"You can't?" She replied.
"I'd do anything for money, Ixora" he replied, leaning to her ear.
"Deal" he whispered.
—Present Time—
"Welcome, Ixora" Dr. Fat smiled.
Elsa rolled eyes and entered his VVIP lab where she got rid of her mask, boy clothes and wig
She changed into bum shorts and singlet, sighing as she flaunted her blonde hair.
"I need to stay this way for fifteen minutes at least, I miss this face" she muttered, admiring her hips for a while before rushing out of the room.
Getting back to the office, there are already several meals waiting for her on a separate table.
Rice, pasta, macaroni, steak, porridge, soup, meats....beef, chicken, pork,...even snacks.
It's a full table.
She actually messaged Dr. Fat to order everything before they came, as if she knew Serena would tell her to trek.
"Serena will never allow me to eat in her parents house" she chuckled sarcastically. "So I need to fill my stomach. Gosh, I'm starving"
She rolled her hair into a messy bun and sat down with a sarcastic look, ready to devour.
"Enjoy, Young Miss" Dr. Fat gestured.
Elsa placed her right leg on the table, and Dr. Fat turned on the AC for her as she began eating, tearing chicken into her smart mouth like a thief.
🌚
TBC.
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