Some are clothed.

Some are garbed with an invisible fabric far stronger and harder to unveil than a mask. She always believed that every human being possessed a hidden countenance shrouded in something elastic that does not necessarily show what you want to see but adapts to what's supposed to be. Perhaps that's what made it dangerous. Because, unlike a mask, it cannot be simply taken off.

***

Alyssa Miller, the jaded girl of Maple crossing. That's what the town's people called her. She has always been a curious person. But her tumultuous curiosity was not a fit for the small town she lived in. The town and its culture were insufferable, she found that they lacked the challenge to meet her everyday need for knowledge. Every passing day to her felt like she was in a stupor. Everything was stagnant. Every day the inhabitants of the selfish and corrupted town scrambled, reiterating their daily lives of the never-ending schedule of someone else's time. They murmured and spoke to one another forcing nonessential laughs and retaining unwanted relationships that had limited mutual benefit to either party. Like the lowest of pests in a much larger hive of activity, blinding, stumbling through life, insisting such monotony was the pinnacle of living and the peak of understanding. Truly, it voted the onlookers-like herself-to near extremes as she watched, observing the meaningless lives of those that roamed around her. There were much waste and excess use of things in every household too. What a pathetic town to live in; that was her everyday mantra.

To live in such bliss that normalcy seemed to offer was the end to a joke and a state of death to one such as her. She spent her days walking through life with no honest need to exert herself to any cause beyond the mundane cycle of endlessly seeking some sort of fulfillment before her age ripened and finally have the independence and power to leave.

She has achieved all possible awards that their school had to offer. Joined every town activity and any available association for teens but nothing lit her up. Well, those observations held value and meaning up until a week ago. Because the monotony of her everyday life crashed like the waves from a dark storm. It appears that the community was like still water and only needed a light stone thrown to create a ripple, a disturbance to have its inhabitants fall into chaos.

She predicted it would happen. She was never one to believe in fairy tales. She had seen everything unfold from the moment those corpses were unearthed. She was, after all, a part of the gullible public where persuasion is easily achieved even without attempt. When one cried wolf, the others would follow, and soon it wouldn't be just a wolf but a pack of them. Like a herd of ostrich, the community ate anything that was fed to them. Ignorance, oh how she loathed ignorance.

"Come out!"

"Face your crimes!"

"I hope you die, you lying bitch!"

The voices started a few days ago. The people never seemed to tire from protesting in front of her house. Alyssa sat on a stool in front of her vanity mirror. Slowly she reached for her comb and brushed her long locks. She never kept her hair in a high ponytail whenever she went out, but not on that day. It's not that she chose to tie it. It was more a need. A petulant desire on her part to showcase her scratches, wounds, and swelling of her left cheek.

She knew make-up wasn't enough to hide them, so why bother? Why not come out and show the town's people what they have done?

"Get a life! Get out of my porch!"

She couldn't help but grimace when she heard her mother's voice. Those lines had been her lyric since the day the protest began. Soon her father would...

A shot was fired!

Soon her father would fire a shot. But it wouldn't be enough to stop the shrew of a neighbor they had. That woman would stand on their doorstep if need be even when the others had scurried away. Why would that woman risk her life and face the muzzle of a gun? The answer was simple. Her name is Martha Dougherty and her hate for Alyssa was bone-deep.

Once her hair was done she left her chair and dressed in the suit her mother prepared the night before. The clothing was a three-piece suit. Perfect for someone about to present herself inside a courthouse. It didn't take long for her to finish dressing up. She was about to put on her high heels when she heard a scuffle outside. So she left her full-length mirror and walked toward her window. Drawing open the curtain, the sun met her face. It was never sunny in Tarika but that day was different. Perhaps, even the heavens thought it should shed some light on the people; joining the glee of finding the corpses of what they deemed to be an answer to an event that broke some souls. A few people from their town had been in darkness for the past four years; mind, body, and soul withered by a grim incident that rocked their small town.

She squinted her eyes as she watched her father argue with their neighbor. As usual, he had to drag that woman out of their porch. Mrs. Dougherty was such a character. She hated her and her family even before the finding of the corpses. She would purposely erect the trellis of her garden close to the window of their home and allow those wretched vined vegetables of hers to climb through their window sill.

Three knocks and Alyssa left the window. She opened her door and there, the worried face of her mother greeted her.

"Are you ready, love?"

Alyssa produced a wry smile and then bobbed her head.

Her mother stared at her lovingly, eyes puffy and haunted. She looked like she aged ten years in a matter of days. When those human remains were found, the town's people immediately raided their houses and dragged Alyssa out.

She suffered a few abrasions on her body but the majority of the injuries were concentrated on her face. She could have suffered worst but her mother threw herself in front of those people and managed to save her from them but that resulted in numerous injuries for her mom too. There was no respite given to them since then.

Alyssa's eyes lingered on her mother's arm. Black and blue discolorations reminded her of her mother's struggle to prevent the town's people from hitting her further.

Their ignorance-in some weird way-gave her bliss, but not until it affected the ones she loved.

"Don't look at it, hon. Don't look at anyone or anything. You will get through this. I'm here with you and so are your father and siblings. Come now. The detective who will escort us to the courthouse had arrived. Let's not keep him waiting."

She had nothing to reply to that. So Alyssa kept her mouth shut and followed her mother downstairs.

When they got there, her father was by the door. A shadow was upon his face, an expression that defied none of what he felt inside. To his side stood her two brothers. Both, worried and lacked sleep. They too had been the target of the neighbors, especially the kids their age. It was only yesterday when their father decided to confine both her siblings inside the house, deeming it necessary since the other kids had begun physically assaulting them.

Because of that, her father begged the town's sheriff for help and was given two police officers to guard them against the public but to Alyssa, it felt more like they were guarding her for the public. She was in their eyes-a monster that should be caged.

When they finally stepped out of the house. The street was like a gallery of open letters. Men, women, and even children were there, hands carrying protest posters and giant cardboards with the most creative words that Alyssa never thought could have possibly come from their heads. The tedious way they lived their lives and their lack of love for knowledge were a testament to that.

Dragging her eyes around their front lawn, her sight met the sturdy back of Detective Howe. He was busy pacifying the crowd of people who returned after her father went inside. She heard him plead with them, explaining that the court will decide on the truth.

She couldn't help but chuckle. There was no explaining when it came to the town's people. They were the majority, the crowd, the judges, and what they wielded a few days ago was a weaponized ignorance. Believable, because there were spoken by many and by those in power.

When her mother guided her towards their car, the crowd roared. The people were blind and compliant sheep lining up to slaughter her with empty eyes and uncaring behavior that made their charade of empathy and unity laughable. Their bitter tongues and jaded minds were a blissful sight to her. They were finally alive.

They called her many things which were supposed to anger her but it weirdly gave her excitement-it felt like an alluring drug. She balled her fist and threw a glance at the first spectator she saw-a man by the name of Elmer Flannigan. There was a scowl on him but she answered it with a smile. He was about to utter a word to her but her hand was suddenly grabbed from the side and she was pulled away from her mom. Her father and siblings who were a step behind weren't able to immediately react. She was thrown in the middle of a crowd that had around ten people.

Instantly, she was attacked. A kick on the back of her leg caused her to fall to the ground. The people didn't waste time. Multiple feet landed on her shoulders, stomach, legs, and face.

She was near passing out when a gunshot was fired and halted the assault. Somewhere above her, she heard the rough voice of Detective Howe yelling profanities at the people. Promising them a few days in jail if they refused to cease. And just like that, they stopped.

It was her father who took her arm and pulled her up, murmuring words of apology for his lack of immediate response.

"Call the judge or anyone from the courthouse! I need to get my daughter to the hospital!" The tone her father used was foreign to her. He was never a violent person nor had he raised a voice to anyone before the previous week. But perhaps, there was a necessity to change in light of their recent circumstance.

"I don't think that is allowed."

"Detective. I was told that you're here to ensure that Alyssa arrived unscathed in court. Take responsibility for your incompetence."

Weird, her father had never shown such courage before. How could everything change in a matter of days?

"Alyssa?"

"Alyssa, can you hear me?"

Her father's tone was truly foreign. She knew she needed to assure him that she was alright. But her thoughts at that moment were occupied. She was in pain. The town's people were too much. Yes, they seem to be getting what they wanted since four years ago. But it didn't matter to her though, because she had something that they never did, do, and ever will. A dubious smile crept over her lips as her father wiped the blood that trickled down her cheek. Things looked grim for her, yes. The recent events were painful for her family, yes. But above it all, a little electric spike of excitement was awakened inside her, crawling down her spine which caused a thrill. It felt like a challenge.

She should've been angry.

She should've felt offended.

She should've felt like crying.

But she did not. She was... Intrigued.

When finally she was on her feet-back leaning on her father's chest, she caught the eye of the city detective. He was staring at her-eyes filled with an unreadable expression. He probably thought they'd never meet again. She smiled at him and he frowned. Perhaps, it wouldn't be so bad to join their poetic cry for justice. There were, after all, a few characters that could further turn the idiocy that surrounded her entertaining.