“Your story will be one worth hearing,” says Gabe. “I admit, I did not know what to expect from the people of Starfields. You’re different.”

The light of the star lamps in the kitchen ceiling above us shines off his freckled nose and glints off his wavy dark brown hair. I gaze into his deep blue eyes. Eyes so blue that I’d say they are royal azure or dark azure…

“How am I different?” I ask softly.

“You took a blow to the face that would’ve felled any man, but you seem to be unscathed. Your full title could be Masked Maiden of Might.”

I smile with the lips of my mask. “That’s a mouthful. Now please tell me, do you want to be part of my story?”

But now the front doors opening and Mum comes into the kitchen.

Gabe stands and curtseys to her and starts talking in a way that’s more stiff and formal than he usually talks. “Well met, good lady. I am Gabrith of Coltbridge. Your good daughter has been making me feel welcome in your fair city. But now I must not impose on your hospitality further. I must be going.”

I link both my arms around one of his arms, feeling the firmness of his muscles. “Please answer my question, Gabe.”

“I humbly invite you to a picnic in the field of stars on Late Summer’s Day with my Coltbridge brothers in arms, Masked Maiden,” says Gabe, still in the stiff, formal voice.

“I humbly accept,” I reply in a poor imitation of the Coltbridge accent, looking up at him and narrowing my eyes.

“Great to have you here, dear,” says Mum, smiling up at him. “Welcome to Starfields.”

Gabe leaves somewhat hastily. Never mind. We can discuss this very thoroughly at the picnic. Late Summer’s Day is officially the last day of summer. It’s almost here.

“What a nice, handsome guy he is,” says Mum. “It’s wonderful you’re making new friends.”

“Friends? Yes, Mum. Sure.”

Am I wrong to wish for more?

00O00

“Gabe asked you out?” says Emma at lunch the next day, as we sit together at our usual table at the very lowest level of the cone shaped canteen.

“Asked me on a picnic along with the other Coltbridge guys,” I reply, picking at my food.

“The three hot guys from Coltbridge want you to go with them somewhere private,” says Emma, gazing at me and resting her hand on her chin. “They chose you over all the other girls.”

Chloe, a girl in Emma’s theatre class, is walking past. At that moment, she hears Emma and turns to us with a sneer. “She’s dreaming. She couldn’t even get their attention by wearing that stupid mask.”

But then Urorin, the stalwart bronze skinned Coltbridge guy comes ambling up to our table. “We have worked out a schedule. The three of us will pick you up at 8 AM sharp on Late Summer’s Day, Masked Maiden.”

He curtseys to us and leaves. Chloe scowls.

“Well look at that. The masked girl is attracting hot guys after all,” Emma chides her.

Don’t I wish? Oh my lucky stars, I hope, I hope…

00O00

This evening I’m going to confront Ulnula about the terms of our deal. Last time I complained that I cannot take the green mask off, but she sidetracked me. I admit, I shouldn’t be that easily sidetracked. I want control of my own face. I want to be able to show my face!

I feel a prickle of unease as I walk down the dingy alleyway again. The moon faces above the door look inscrutable…

I open the door and the sickly sweet smell of the place invades my nostrils. It’s dark, but I know what to expect. Lights flare up around me and Ulnula stands looking down at me, gazing with intense violet eyes through the holes of her own mask.

“And what news do you have to share, precious?” she asks. “What new properties has be mask revealed?”

“Well something else strange has happened,” I reply. “I got smashed in the face by a nutter with a metal ball, but even though my face and the mask got squished, they sprang but into shape almost immediately and I wasn’t actually hurt.”

“Then my work exceeds expectations,” says Ulnula, clasping her long fingered hands together.

“I still want to be able to take it off,” I begin.

Ulnula glares and starts talking over me: “If you renege on our deal, you lose the mask and the power it brings. Has the power not won you admiration already? Do you wish to lose that?”

“I … no …”

That strikes a cord. Would Gabe want to hang out with me if I didn’t have the mask? He was so impressed when I got right back up after having my face smashed in. And the Coltbridge guys are giving me titles that are all to do with the mask. What am I to do, except keep wearing the mask for now?

00O00

It’s Late Summer’s Day and my heart is going pitter patter with excitement. I pace around my room. What look shall I wear today? I want to shape my green face to look like Vroni – so that I look like her green doppelganger. But the guys have to be able to recognise me…

I stick the false eyebrows and eyelashes onto my green face and squeeze my nose a little bit. Just to make it a little longer. I squeeze my dark green lips to be a little plumper. Then just a little plumper still…

“Honey, your friends are here!”

Mum’s calling.

I hug Mum goodbye.

“Have a good time,” she says.

I kiss her on the cheek and then hurry out of the front door into the morning sunshine. Urorin greets me there with a small curtsey. “A good morning to you, masked one.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I smile with the lips of my mask. “Hey buddy!”

Emenar’s standing nearby. He grins as he spots me and his black eyes sparkle. “Dressed specially for the occasion?”

As usual, I’m wearing my purple top with a hood and my green mask. Anyone could single me out in a crowd.

“Would you recognise me without my hood and my mask?” I touch my green cheek. “You’ve never seen my face underneath. If I took this off you’d never be able to spot me.”

Gabe is standing by his little car. At the sight of him my heart beats faster and I begin to breath harder through my nose. The touch of his hand when we last met left me aching with longing for more. And he never answered my question. When we were last together, I asked if he wanted to be part of my story. I took the trouble to phrase it in a cute imitation of the fancy way people in Coltbridge talk. I deserve an answer. Every time I see his face, I want to just stare and stare. His lips are so right for kissing, his freckled nose so right for booping with my finger, and his wavy dark brown hair so right for running my fingers through.

“H-Hey!” I grin up at him, my heart doing a little flutter. I hold out my arms for a hug.

“Masked Maiden,” he gives a curtsey in the Coltbridge style.

I thought we were past being formal? Last time he picked me up and held me close…

“You can hug me. That’s something we are allowed to do in Starfields.”

I’m holding out my arms.

“A true warrior is not touchy feely,” says Emenar with a snigger.

I ignore Emenar and look Gabe in the eyes.

Gabe puts his arms around me and I lean my head against his chest, drinking in the intoxicating scent of his body. When we break apart, Gabe’s cheeks are flushed with a faint rosy pink.

We can all fit in the little car, although it’s quite a tight fit, cos the guys from Coltbridge are big. Gabe and I are in the front and Urorin and Emenar are in the back. The little car takes the road out of the city centre and through the surrounding fields and farmland. On a car journey I like to watch the world go by, even though I know the area around Starfields well enough. I push back my hood and let the breeze caress my face, although I can’t feel it through my mask. I keep stealing sidelong glances at Gabe’s face. What is he thinking about as he stares fixedly at the winding road ahead?

“Are you used to being chauffeured about, masked one?” asks Emenar.

“Huh? Oh… no. So… Are you guys planning a trip back to Coltbridge?”

“It would be quite a trip,” says Emenar.

“We will return there,” says Gabe. “But we’re planning an adventure soon.”

“Cool!”

I want to ask what sort of adventure, but Urorin is interrupting.

“Let’s take a comfort break at the Snow Cone,” interjects Urorin.

The Snow Cone is an ice cream parlour. We take a detour and enter the little low building. It’s nice and cool inside.

I feel myself blushing behind my mask. “I-I don’t have any money,” I blurt out.

“If only we knew what it was like to be penniless,” says Emenar with a tone of mock sorrow. “But we cannot relate.”

“I’m getting them,” says Gabe firmly.

I don’t know whether to protest or not. It’s very kind of him, but a girl’s gotta have pride, right? What do I say?

Ms Wall, the owner, is a lady with a sprinkling of little tattoos across her nose and cheeks that resemble colourful sprinkles. Since she runs an ice cream parlour, that’s pretty neat. Oh my stars, there’s a glow in her cheeks and there’s a bulge around her midriff.

“Congratulations!” I grin at her.

Ms Wall smiles and touches her belly. “Thanks, hon.”

Urorin and Gabe are very pleased with the ice creams, and start curtseying and complementing her frozen goodies. Ms Wall blushes rather pinkly, but her sprinkle tattoos are still visible, every colour of the rainbow.

At that moment, a guy with thick curly hair struts in. “Give me chocolate cake and ginger beer, woman,” he says brusquely.

“Sir, you could address a lady with some courtesy,” says Gabe.

“’Tis true,” says Urorin.

“I’m so stinking rich I don’t have to,” says the guy.

Emenar smirks. “That settles that.”

Ms Wall hands the rude guy the cake and ginger beer. “Here’s a silver moon. Keep the change,” he says, handing her the silver coin.

“That’s Tobias Goldfeld,” says Ms Wall, when the guy has left. “His father’s the richest man in the county.

Oh yeah, now I remember. I saw the name Goldfeld in the paper.

I sit down at one of the little tables and beckon to Gabe to sit opposite me. I gaze up at his face, his deep blue eyes, his freckled nose and cheeks… I’ve been bursting to have another one-to-one chat with him. Oh my lucky stars, my heart is beating faster and my palms are sweaty.

“So Gabe, tell me about your family. I’ve met Elmaya your little sister, and Lilyanya your mother. Do you have more family in Coltbridge right now?”

“I have five older brothers, but they are not in Starfields. They are all grown up and lead their own lives. Mother had Maya after she remarried.”

Gabe has five older brothers? Cool! I bet they’re all as handsome as he is. I feel thrilled just thinking about them.

I smile with the lips of my mask. “I’d love to meet them all.”

“We’re having a family reunion, for our mother. All her sons with her again.”

I reach across the table and touch his hand, just brushing his hand with the tips of my fingers. “I’d love to meet all your family.”

“Well of course, my brothers have to agree on a date between them. Who knows when it will be. Um…” Gabe scratches his freckled nose and glances over at the table where Emenar and Urorin are sitting.

I stroke the back of his hand with my fingers. “Please look at me.”

He meets my gaze. We gaze into each other’s eyes.

“How do you feel about introducing me to your family?” I ask bluntly.

“I – I feel great about it, masked one,” says Gabe.

“Well good, cos I can’t wait to meet them all. It must be cool to have a large family. My family is just mum and me.”

“Having a large family has its ups and downs.”

I’m thinking about Lilyanya, Gabe’s mother. She started having her family rather young. She must have had her six sons quickly, one after the other.

“I’d like to have six very handsome sons,” I say, gazing into Gabe’s eyes. “Wouldn’t you?”

Oops, did I say that out loud?

“The Masked Maiden has made her wants and needs very clear!” says Emenar. He’s pointing at me. I bet I’m blushing underneath my green mask. Gabe’s freckled nose and cheeks are flushing a beautiful rosy pink. He looks all the more kissable like that.

“Give the masked one an answer, Gabe old chum,” says Emenar. “Will you fall in with her wishes?”

“Hush Emenar. ‘Tis none of your business,” scolds Urorin.

“Yeah Emenar. Mind your own business.” I’m trying to act nonchalant, but my heart is beating faster. Oh my lucky stars, why did I ask him if he wanted to have six handsome sons?

Back in the car I keep talking, trying to diffuse any tension. I tell them about the countryside and the starry fields.

“Starfields is called starfields cos there are fields of star flowers and other cool plants all around. They’re really pretty. Tell me how it compares to the countryside around Coltbridge. You just have to watch out for the hoverbulls. They’re like bulls with no legs that float around.”

At the end of our journey, we step into a vast field of blue grey grass filled with flowers all the colours of the stars so that it resembles the sky on a clear night.

“Let’s race, slow coach,” says Emernar to Urorin, and they dash off over the field.

Gabe points at a towering jubbly tree at the far corner of the field. “I bet I can climb to the very top.”

“No, that’s dangerous.”

“Catch me then and stop me, masked one.”

Gabe dashes across the field and I dash after him. But of course my legs are shorter, so I’m way behind, even though I’m panting and sweating and my face is very hot underneath my mask. Gabe’s already shinnied some way up the tree.

I beckon to him. “Gabe. Come down. Come down now.”

“I was just getting you a gift.”

“That’s wonderful, but come down now.”

Gabe plucks one of the heart shaped pink jubbly fruits and shinnies down the tree with slightly alarming speed.

“For us.” He breaks open the fruit on the trunk, revealing the pinkish goo inside. We sit down on a grassy bank and he gives me half. Then he touches his finger to the goo in the fruit and then touches the tip of my nose.

“Let me do the same for you, cutie.”

I touch my finger into the squishy fruit and reach up to touch his freckled nose.

The pinkish goo is smeared on his pretty nose. “Can you reciprocate this?”

“Huh? What?” I’m puzzled.

Then Gabe starts tickling me. I’m really ticklish, so my arms and legs flail about and I’m helpless with laughter. When he lets me up I fling my arms around his shoulders. I’m all out of breath again and really sweaty and my heart’s beating fast. Our faces are so close I’m breathing into his nostrils. Ohh, I’m feeling so tingly…

“You got me.”

“I’m full of surprises, masked one.”

I hold him tight. “Well I’ve got you now. It’s time I gave you a title. Mine are all about my mask, so yours can be about your cute face.”

They say a face without freckles is like a sky without stars. Stars…

That’s it!

“I’ll call you Starlord.”

“Starlord? I like it. You’re very imaginative.”

I hold him tight, still breathing hard through my nose and my heart is beating fast. “You’re so cute. Your kids will be adorable too.”

Will he take the hint? Or should I just ask? Will he be my boyfriend?