Free Arson by Estevan Vega Page A

safety. Against aliens.”
    He grinned. “You believe in aliens?”
    â€œWhatever. Look, can I have it back?” she said, reaching. “The freak show’s over.”
    Arson handed it over and stepped away, giving her some room to gather herself. He couldn’t imagine why she would need a mask or why she wouldn’t let him see her face. In a society where most girls hid themselves behind thick gobs of makeup, she hid behind a creepy mask.
    â€œThank you,” Emery sighed. “Please don’t look at me.” She turned around, noticing that her clothes were completely ruined. The long skirt, which before the triumphantly stupid rescue had swung at her shins with wrinkled burgundy grace, was now torn in two different sections. Her shoes would surely take hours, if not days, to recoup from the underwater fiasco. Her shirt was covered in grass stains.
    As she turned around, she caught him staring at her again. “Quit it!”
    â€œMan, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
    â€œWell, sorry if rescue diving wasn’t on my agenda of stupid things to do today.”
    The girl’s slow and spooky breaths were almost haunting. “No one asked you to dive in and save me, whoever you are,” Arson replied, hawking a wad of sticky saliva into the dirt.
    â€œYou’re twisted, you know that? Someone tries to help you and you throw it back in their face. My mom was right.” Emery started pacing the spotty lawn, her feet squishing and sliding between wet socks. “All I wanted to do was come over here and cordially introduce myself to the alien.”
    Arson wiped the water from his face, but confusion remained. “What’s with this alien thing?”
    She sighed. “It’s just my family didn’t know you—I still don’t even know you—whatever. My mom and I were talking last night and…forget it. I’ve finally made contact; that’s all that matters.”
    He stared at her inquisitively. “Mission accomplished?”
    â€œIf you call ruining my clothes, losing my mask, and you staring at me like I’m the bearded lady  accomplished , then yes, it was a roaring success.”
    There was an amusing mystique about her. In all his life, people had been made up of the sweet and the sour, the beautiful and the ugly. But she was unpredictably unique, somewhere in between, somehow indefinable.
    â€œWhat’s your name?” Arson finally asked, shoulders shrugged.
    She paused briefly. “Emery. What’s yours?”
    â€œArson.”
    â€œArson? Okay, weird boy. Weird name. Guess it adds up.”
    Arson tilted his head. “Coming from the girl who wears a mask.”
    She didn’t say a word.
    â€œI’d invite you in,” he began, “but Grandma’s about to get up. She’s not exactly hard-pressed to meet new people. Usually I'm not either, but you  did  try to save my life or whatever.” He said it half-smirking.
    â€œEven though you weren’t really drowning,” she said, now showing how ashamed she was of it. “Next time I’ll just wait it out, read about your underwater tragedy in the obits.”
    Arson grinned. “Well, I gotta go.” As he stared at the cabin, he noticed Grandma’s shadow linger over the porch like a vulture in the valley.
    â€œYeah. We should get cleaned up,” Emery agreed, chilled by the old woman’s presence.
    â€œGuess I’ll see you around,” he called out halfway toward the cabin.
    A smile pulled her lips up against the flesh of the mask.
    Â 
    * * *
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    Grandma sat with prying eyes and disapproving lips as Arson walked in. “You’re getting awfully friendly with the new neighbor,” she said. Her words held him still. “Awfully friendly indeed.” A smug yawn stretched her wrinkly mouth, and her wrists tugged backward, yanking the fabric through the slit her fingers had