Chapter 57

Celeste

I sprinted the last few meters towards home, my chest heaving and my breaths short.

Up ahead, the warm lights of home beckoned to me; but instead of being inviting, they felt like claws extending toward me. Jack was waiting inside, waiting to berate me for sneaking out. My trick hadn’t worked after all.

Was this one night of fun really going to be worth it?

In a last-minute decision, I flung my mask and the case containing my colored contact lenses into the bushes, ensuring it was well-hidden beneath the brambles.

It was a risk, but if Jack found those things on me, the situation would be a hundred times worse.

I carefully opened the front door, praying that Jack’s reprimanding wouldn’t be too bad.

The lights were blazing in the living room. I hesitated for a moment, knowing what awaited me inside, but there was no turning back now.

“Where the hell have you been?” Jack’s voice boomed as I stepped in, making me jump. My older brother stood there, arms crossed, his face a mask of fury.

I feigned innocence, but my racing heart betrayed me. “What do you mean?”

Jack pointed towards my room. “You really thought shoving some pillows under your blanket would fool me?” His tone dripped with disdain. “You’ve always been predictable, Celeste.”

“I just went for a walk,” I replied, trying to keep my tone even, my face neutral. Anything to avoid riling him further. The tense atmosphere between us was thick enough to slice with a knife.

Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow, glancing down at my outfit. “You expect me to believe you went walking in those?” He motioned to my tight leggings and slim-fitting jacket. “And since when did you own that jacket?”

I sighed in resignation. Lying was pointless, especially to Jack, who seemed to have an uncanny ability to see through any facade I put up. “I borrowed it from Fiona, alright? And for your information, I’ve started wearing leggings sometimes. They’re comfortable.”

My defense sounded weak even to my own ears.

His smirk was infuriating. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” he drawled mockingly, “I doubt anyone’s looking at you anyway. You’re probably the least attractive person in the neighborhood.”

His words felt like a slap in the face. My eyes stung with tears, the weight of his verbal blows never getting any lighter, no matter how many times I’d endured them before.

“You know, not everyone is as cruel as you,” I whispered, fighting to keep my voice steady. I turned, intending to retreat to the sanctuary of my room.

But Jack moved quickly, blocking my path to the stairs. “Where did you really go, Celeste?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

I hissed at him, fury and frustration replacing my previous hurt. “I’m almost twenty, Jack! I shouldn’t have to sneak out. You should just let me live my life!”

He stepped closer, leaning in, his face inches from mine. “I’ve noticed your strange behavior lately—sneaking out, those...” he motioned dismissively at my leggings, “clothes, losing weight, the makeup, the hair. You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”

The accusation hung in the air between us, thick and heavy.

My face flushed a deep red, a mix of embarrassment and anger. “No,” I replied defiantly, avoiding his gaze. “I’m not dating anyone.”

Jack's eyes darkened, his face hardening. “That had better be the truth,” he growled. “I’ve warned you about dating. Don’t think I won’t find out if you’re lying.”

Throwing caution to the wind, I shot back, “I know, I know. No dating until I’m twenty. But even if I were dating someone—and I’m not—what difference does it make if it’s now or a few months from now?”

My challenge hung in the space between us, the room filled with a palpable tension.

But Jack wouldn’t hear it. “Just tell me where you really went, Celeste,” he hissed. “I know you’re lying.”

I bit my lower lip, trying to quell the tears threatening to spill. “I just wanted a night out, Jack. I went to the hockey game with Fiona. What's the big deal?”

His gaze pierced into me, studying my every expression, every flicker in my eyes. It was a look that always unnerved me, making me feel like an open book.

“You’re walking on thin ice, Celeste,” he warned, his voice colder than the winter air outside. “This is strike two. You pull anything like this again, and you won’t like what happens next.”

Indignation welled up inside me. “Why do you always treat me like a prisoner, Jack? Like I’ve done something wrong when all I want is a bit of normalcy in my life?”

He approached me, his tall frame towering over mine. His voice softened, but his words remained firm. “I’m trying to protect you.”

I scoffed, frustration gnawing at me. “Protect me? From what? From life? From friends? From happiness?” I challenged, hoping for once he would provide a clear answer.

He simply shook his head, refusing to divulge more. “You wouldn’t understand. Not yet. Now go to your room.”

Feeling defeated, I made my way upstairs, slamming my bedroom door behind me. ‘

The room, bathed in soft moonlight, felt both familiar and suffocating. Jack’s overbearing ways had become a constant shadow, a dark cloud that seemed to follow me everywhere. I was tired of the mysteries, of the constant watchfulness, of the walls that felt like they were closing in on me.

I collapsed onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow, the weight of everything pressing down on me. But amid the swirl of emotions, a seed of determination took root.

Fiona’s proposition whirled around in my mind, tempting me.

I could do it. I could stay with her for a little while, work hard, and save up enough to afford rent. Maybe I could even save up enough to afford my own place, at least until next semester when I could get a dorm.

Maybe it was time to make a change, to step out of the confines of this house and Jack's obsessive protection. Perhaps, just perhaps, I could muster the courage to move out and carve a life for myself.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Matt.

“Hey, Rose. I hope you got home okay. Text back so I know you’re safe?”

I almost laughed out loud at that word. ‘Safe.’ As if I was ever truly safe here, stuck within the confines of a virtual prison created by my brother. And I had only made that prison all the more inescapable by creating my ‘Rose’ persona, instead of just being myself.

“I’m home. No scary monsters tonight,” I wrote back.

A moment later, a new text appeared. “Good,” it read. “I hope you think about things. I really do like you, Rose. I’m a monogamous sort of guy, and I’d like for us to be together. Mask and all.”

Matt’s text sent a tremble through my heart. To imagine that he was willing to be monogamous with me, a mystery girl who wore a mask all of the time… it was both endearing and terrifying.

If he found out who I truly was beneath the mask, would he still feel the same?

Or would he leave once he realized that I wasn’t actually the cool girl ‘Rose’, but rather Jack’s unattractive, weird little sister?