'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ t h e  m a s k .ᐟ
chapter eleven. ▌ 𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻 𝟺 𝙼𝙴.

it was their time, their time to catch him. it was no doubt ghostface wouldn't be here.

one of the popular frat boys, trey, had sent a message out to everyone he knew, spreading the word, saying a killer wouldnt stop him.

he also mentioned the killer should stop by. only if they dared to.

an hour before the party, trey had posted a video to his story—half shirtless, high on something, cocky grin smeared across his face.

👻 / TREY'S VIDEO . . .
"yo, ghostface? yeah, i'm talking to you! come to my motherfuckin' party. see what happens. i dare you. we got eyes, cameras, guns. you try anything, and you'll be the next joke on tiktok. you're not scary. you're pathetic."

he'd dropped the address right after. everyone had seen it. everybody was there. pogues. kooks. tourists. outsiders. even the people too scared to admit they wanted to be close to danger.

music rattled the windows like a heartbeat trying to break out. bodies spilled across the front lawn, red solo cups littered the stairs,and the smell of sweat, beer, and bad intentions clung to the summer air.

daisy stepped out of rafe's jeep, her heels clicking on the pavement. she wore a black silk dress, the neckline dipped low and the hem cut high. a thin gold chain glinted against her collarbone. her lips, were painted red.

"this is a mistake," rafe muttered from beside her, his jaw locked, hand twitching near the waistband of his jeans where he'd tucked a weapon he wouldn't admit to carrying.

"that's what makes it fun," daisy replied smoothly, brushing past him.

inside, the party was a hurricane. the hallway  smelled like swear and cheap liquor. people danced under cheap strobe lights, a speaker system thumping loud enough to shake the chandeliers. someone was already throwing up on the marble floor.

pope and kiara were near the kitchen island. eyes peeled. john b and jj patrolled the edges, scanning every hallway. finn leaned against the railing of the upstairs landing, watching the crowd.

but daisy was the flame in the center of it all.

she made her way through the living room like she belonged to no one and everyone all at once. laughter followed her. stares. whispers. but her mind was somewhere else—eyes scanning shadows. corners. doorways.

daisy played her part. a little too well.

she laughed at jokes too loud, touched arms and leaned in too close, her eyes sparkled with something other than joy—danger.

rafe never strayed more than three feet from her. every time another guy even breathed near her, he stepped in just slightly. just enough. a silent warning. he didn't speak much. he didn't need to.

daisy could feel the weight of his gaze pressing between her shoulder blades like a knife. she liked it a little too much.

just then, her phone buzzed again in her hand. she looked down.

unknown number
you look stunning.
red really is your color.
but the party hasn't started yet :(

daisy's stomach twisted—not with fear, but adrenaline. she glanced over her shoulder, noticing rafe.

she turned, holding her phone out for him to see.

his jaw clenched, taking the phone from her placing it in his back pocket. "they're here."

daisy glanced around, making eye contact with kiara and pope, she did the signal she was told to do, they gave her a nod in response before they scurried off.

her attention was shifted as she saw people gathering outside, trey was clearly drunk. he was being loud and stupid.

he stood on the elevated balcony above the pool, holding a bottle of fireball in one hand, his phone in the other, shouting into the party below.

"where's this ghost freak?" he yelled, laughing as the crowd responded with a mix of cheers and boos.

someone handed him a mask—cheap plastic, dollar-store ghostface. he put it on and flipped off the cameras. "look, i'm him now! what, you scared?"

a few tourists below laughed. they were recording, egging him on.

then a second figure stepped onto the deck. the same mask and same robe.

except this one wasn't cheap plastic.

a hush fell across the upper balcony as the real ghostface stood there, silhouetted by the pool lights behind him.

for one full second, people thought it was part of the act. a setup. a prank.

a group of drunk tourists laughed, one brunette girl pointed, "dude that's so good! who hired the actor?!"

her boyfriend raised his phone, took a picture. the flash lit the scene up—trey and ghostface, just feet apart.and trey, cocky and stupid, stumbled closer, still filming. "yo, this is sick. say something creepy for the camera, man—go viral with me."

ghostface tilted their head.

then the knife slid into trey's stomach.

one clean, brutal motion.

a pause and then—the sound of the knife being pulled out harshly.

blood poured, warm and fast, splattering across the deck. trey's phone slipped from his hand, hitting the wood with a clack as he dropped to his knees.

he blinked up, lips trembling like he couldn't figure out if this was a joke or not.

the blade came up again.

this time, into his chest.

the brunette girl watching from below screamed—a high, broken sound. her phone slipped from her fingers. her scream set off a chain reaction.

people screamed. drinks hit the floor. someone tripped over a cooler trying to run. the entire crowd erupted into a frenzy.

daisy froze on the staircase, her hand gripping the red solo cup, so tightly her knuckles whitened. "it's him," she whispered. "he came."

"go, go!" jj's voice barked through the hallway. "get everyone out—trey's dead, the killer's in the house!"

"we're on it," pope replied from the kitchen.

rafe was already beside daisy, hand at her waist. "we're leaving. now."

"no," she replied, eyes locked on the deck where the blood was still dripping. "they aren't not finished."

and she was right.

"and we don't need you being next!" rafe grumbled, grabbed her wrist firmly.

they hadn't even reached the front door before the second body was discovered. it looked like she'd been pushed down the stairs.

a girl. natalie. she'd been trying to hide in the upstairs guest bedroom. her arms were splayed, blood soaking through her white tube top. throat slit, and taped to her chest was a piece of paper.

SHE SCREAMED TOO LOUD.

kiara appearing behind them, "that is horrible." she covered her mouth. pope turned away, bile rising in his throat.

"this is more than a message," finn spoke from the doorway, voice cold and shaking. "they're escalating. they want panic. blood. a performance."

"well they sure got it," john b muttered, peering down the hall. "but why her?" his eyes flickered to natalie.

no one answered.

teens were still running, some crying, some filming. sirens hadn't even been called yet. the pogues scattered into their positions.

"he's not picking randoms," daisy muttered, voice hard. "he's picking locations where we are. he wants us to see it."

"no,daisy" rafe growled beside her, grabbing her arm. "he wants you."

jj was the first to move, bolting upstairs, the front door was locked, but daisy didn't move.

"why are you standing here?" rafe snarled, pulling her to the side, "this isn't the part where you get brave."

"this is the part," she snapped. "they're escalating. they're showing off. they want a reaction. and if we run—they win."

rafe stared at her like she was both the most beautiful and most maddening thing he'd ever seen. "you're going to get yourself killed."

"you'd never let that happen," she replied, "would you?"

before rafe could answer, her phone buzzed again. rafe pulled it out, considering it was still in his back pocket.

unknown number
2 down.
one more to go.
don't worry, princess.
i'm saving the best for last.

"we're getting you out of here—"

"wait," daisy whispered. her eyes focused down the hallway, "they're here," she breathed. "rafe—there."

the chase began.

rafe had pulled the weapon from his waistband, making daisy widen her eyes, due to the fact she didn't even know it was there.

ghostface darted through the mansion, black robes trailing behind like smoke. rafe chased them, gun in hand, screaming for the figure to stop. finn was suddenly right behind him, a pocket knife in his hand.

rafe and finn lost ghostface after seeing a window open, the curtains blowing. he had escaped.

and then—a scream.

not far. the boys ran to the sound. daisy had caught up to them, as the boys ran out the front door which had been broke down, the rest of the pogues following behind them.

on the driveway, a third body.

owen samuels. a kook—a shiver  went down daisys spine as she realised who it was. he had been asking too many questions about the shelby family. even  once cornered daisy at a beach house party and asked her if her dad "did mob stuff."

his throat had been slit with such force his blood painted the driveway like graffiti. something had been carved into his chest.

a single word:
PRINCESS.

"fuck," jj breathed, glancing to daisy, "this is a message. this is for you."

daisy turned and stumbled away, bile rising in her throat. rafe followed instantly, grabbing her before she fell. his arms were around her in a second, tight and shaking.

"he's playing with me," she whispered into rafe's chest. "he knows what he's doing."

"we all know what he's doing," rafe growled, holding her like she was the last thing keeping him sane. "he's obsessed."

"what if..." daisy's voice broke slightly. "what if it's someone we trust?"

rafe didn't answer. he just held her tighter.

daisy and rafe went in his jeep, she was now staying at his estate due to his house having high security.

finn was reluctant at first, but he knew daisy would be safe.

later, in rafe's room, she sat on the edge of his bed, barefoot and shaking. the silk dress was gone, replaced with one of his oversized hoodies.

rafe stood at the window, staring into the trees like he could will ghostface to "you didn't run away when you saw ghostface down the hallway.."

"i wanted to see what they would do."

rafe shook his head. "you scare me."

"good," daisy murmured. "maybe you should be scared."

he crouched down in front of her, staring at her with something dark behind his eyes. "you think i'm the one behind this."

"i think—" her voice was barely above a whisper, "that you want me enough you'd kill for me."

she meant it as a joke at first, like she didn't mean to blurt it out, but rafe didn't answer, and didn't deny it either.

she leaned in, close enough to taste his breath. "would you?"

his voice came out low, honest and twisted. "yes."

outside, the wind howled again.

"good," she said. "let's see what else you'll do."

RAFESDOLLYS NOTES
this chapter was nearly 2000 words omg... ( 1800+ words ) 😨

i hope you guys didn't abandon this book💔💔 i had such writers block...

i was gonna make daisy the killer atp.. ??????? 👀..... 😅..... 🫢....

( not proof read, sorry for any errors )