Unmasked Read online

  Unmasked

  SHANNON YOUNGBLOOD

  Copyright

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue-Two Years Later

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Unmasked

  Copyright © 2019, Shannon Youngblood

  Editing by Sempronia Hobgood

  Cover Design by Anibet Castro at Creative Chaos Designs

  Self Publication Date June 2019

  https://www.shannonyoungblood.com

  All Rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The unauthorized reproduction of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher's permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Businesses, Places, Events, and Incidents are either products of the author's imagination, or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Published in the United States by Shannon Youngblood

  ISBN 978-0-359-72163-4

  Blurb

  Thank The Father

  The Father giveth and the Father taketh away.

  Thank The Master

  The Lord giveth and the Master taketh away.

  Thank The Faith

  The Faith giveth and the fire taketh away.

  In a society where men are superior and women belong at their feet, Master Zander and his slave, Phoenix, must find a way to navigate through the horrors they were born into.

  Three menacing tasks are all that separate Zander from his inheritance. Three gruesome tasks and Phoenix might finally be free. The question is can Phoenix complete them and keep her sanity in check? Can Zander play the part without unleashing the monster behind the mask?

  Will they rise from the ashes of their present and soar into the future, or will they both be engulfed by the flames of their past?

  There comes a point in every person’s life that they find themselves at a crossroad. A fork in the road. One direction leads them towards their destiny and the other leads them away. All the signs point towards the predetermined path. It’s lit up with giant glow signs and arrows, while the other path looms ahead, dark and dangerous, threatening the person with gloom and despair. I knew what my path was supposed to be. I knew which path I should have chosen, but instead I took a left and now, I fear, my life will never be the same again.

  Chapter 1

  Phoenix

  It was perfect. It was beautiful, and it was all mine. I took another long looming stare at the dress hanging from the velvet hanger. Gleaming silver winked back at me from every angle. I had been thinking about this dress for as long as I could remember, and tonight, I would get to wear it, finally. Most of the girls I knew had opted for giant ball gowns. Lace and tulle for as long as the eye could see, but that wasn’t in my vision. That wasn’t me. That wasn’t my dress.

  My dress was a chrome floor length stunner. Flaring out at the knees, it hugged my curves and accentuated every peak and valley on my body. The seamstress had called it a mermaid cut, and frankly, the description was spot on. I felt like I belonged in the ocean. One solitary strap garnished my right shoulder with tiny diamonds tracing a pattern down to my cleavage. I might not have been wearing a princess dress, but I was certainly going to look like a queen.

  I still had a few hours to go until it was time to get ready, but my nerves and my excitement got the better of me. I wanted that fabric hugging my body in the worst way, and frankly, I wanted it right now. I knew the night would fly far too quickly, gone in the blink of an eye, so I wanted to make every minute count.

  I stood, walking over to the dress with a purpose, gathering it in my hands. The silken texture was both light and durable, perfect for a night of frivolity and luxury. I intended on dancing every available second I could. It wasn’t every day you turned twenty-one and were invited into the community fold.

  Technically, it wasn’t my birthday. I had turned twenty-one almost three months ago. But the event I was attending only happened annually, and the year in which you turned that fateful age, was the year you received your invite. It wasn’t news to me though. It wasn’t news to anyone who grew up in our community.

  The masquerade ball was a rite of passage. Every man and woman, the year they came of age, was invited. None of us knew what to expect, but every one of us were excited nonetheless. I had heard rumors growing up about what happened when you arrived.

  Some said it was a glorious dance, a place most found their soulmates. While others said it was just another party and the young made it out to be far bigger than what it really was; I knew the latter couldn’t have been true. My dad had been preparing me for this all year, and I didn’t see him making a big fuss about something silly and frivolous. He was just as excited as I was.

  I sat down with the end of the dress clutched in my hands, and thought about my father. He was the highlight of my life. I was his only girl, and truth be told, he was cliché with me. He spoiled me rotten and he loved me with every ounce of his being. He was wrapped around my finger from the moment I was born. He said it himself, and I felt the same affection. My dad, Wayne Ainsworth, was a prestigious member in our society. He ran the weekly meetings and people respected and admired him. I didn’t exactly know what happened in the meetings he went to, but I knew he held power, and I hoped, that maybe one day I could follow in his footsteps.

  I used to ask him all the time what was discussed in those meetings but he always said the same thing, “Don’t worry my little flame, you’ll find your place soon enough.” I didn’t know what he meant, but I knew he was right. I would find my place and I had a gut feeling, tonight would be my jumping off point.

  “Phoenix, dear,” my mom called from the other room, her sarcastic tone sounded from down the hallway. “Are you in the changing room again?”

  Uh-Oh, I thought. She didn’t sound too happy about that. She hated when I sat in here. Come to think of it she hated most things I did.

  Unlike my father, Patricia Ainsworth was not so fond of her daughter. Ever since I could remember I had been the bane of her existence. There were never words of love spoken to me, and she never treated me with any sort of compassion or motherly instinct. She did her duties and kept me clean, clothed, and fed by way of maids and butlers, but the less she could be around me, the better.

  As a child, I remembered just wanting my mom to love me, but now, at twenty-one, I had resigned myself to knowing I was just her little mistake. It hurt for many years, and even now, in this time that she should be excited for her little girl to grow up, it hurt that she didn’t even seem to care.

  “Phoenix Marie Ainsworth. How many times have I fucking told you that you shouldn’t be holding silk like that? You’ll wrinkle and ruin it,” she screeched, pulling the fabric from my hand gently and holding it up to her face,
caressing her cheek softly. “You don’t deserve to wear finery like this.”

  Her comment was under her breath, but every syllable was like a sharp knife to the chest. She cared more about the fabric of the dress rather than her own flesh and blood. I shook it off. This wasn’t new territory. This was familiar and known. I didn’t intend on letting her know that she could get to me.

  “I’m sorry mother,” I stated, standing and walking towards the door. I had no desire to be in her presence any longer and I’m sure she felt the same way.

  “Don’t think for one instant I believe that apology. Just because you’re of age now doesn’t mean I won’t punish you for your insolence little girl.”

  “Yes ma’am,” I nodded, walking out and towards my room.

  My mother’s favorite hobby was belittling me. It was a craft she had fine-tuned over the course of twenty-one years, and one she had gotten quite good at. I wondered where she had learned it from. She never knew her parents, and it definitely didn’t come from my father.

  I flopped down on my bed and let my mind wander towards the upcoming evening. I may not be able to look at my dress until it was firmly in place, encompassing my body, but I could start getting ready for everything else that was to go with it. First thing I needed was a shower. I had done that early this morning when I had gotten back from my run, but this shower was the primping shower whereas that one had been a get clean shower. Any girl with half a mind knew there were different kinds of showers.

  Stepping onto the heated tiles of my personal ensuite bathroom, I curled my toes at the warmth radiating up from the floor. It wasn’t a luxury I needed, and it certainly wasn’t one I had asked for, but my father had once again spoiled me with it when he built this house. My mother had thrown a tantrum that a girl of eight had no need for such luxuries, but my dad wouldn’t hear anything more on the subject. I smiled again; Daddy’s little girl.

  The rest of my room was just as lavish; a king bed, a closet the size of a dorm apartment, and a bay window with a bench that I could sit on and stare outside into the backyard. In the bathroom, my bathtub was massive and could fit five grown adults and my separate shower was just as large. These were just a few of the amenities he had gifted me with. To say I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth was an understatement. It had been platinum.

  The water from the multiple shower jets plummeted down onto my ivory skin. Goosebumps raised on my flesh and a tendril of my natural jet black hair fell loose framing my face. My breathing was ragged in excitement, and my overly large for my age breasts heaved with the pulse. This was the day I had waited for, for so long. This was it, and I was ready to walk down the path of my destiny. I was ready to join our society. I was ready to become a woman.

  I looked in the mirror propped up in my shower and grinned. I looked exactly like my father. My pale skin, black hair and dark blue, almost gray eyes were the spitting image of him. Most people in the regular world assumed I dyed my hair, but I hadn’t. It was all natural just like him. My mom had blond hair and blue eyes, and the only thing I got from her was her ample bust size. I didn’t complain though, the boys seemed to like it.

  Picking up my shaving cream and razor, I lathered up my smooth legs and ran over them with the triple blades. I didn’t really need to do it since I had shaved yesterday, but my hope was that shaving would waste enough time until the lady doing my hair, makeup, and nails arrived. After my legs were finished I made a quick swipe to my pits and my lady bits and laughed at myself for calling them lady bits. My maid growing up had always called them that.

  “Miss Phoenix,” she had said, “When you bathe, you must always remember to wash your tits, pits, and lady bits.”

  I thought of her fondly and often. My mother had gotten rid of her when I turned eighteen, claiming I didn’t need a maid anymore, I was an adult. She was right of course, I didn’t, but I still loved Serena like the mother I had always wished for. I had cried deeply when she walked out the door on her last day, and I hadn’t seen her again.

  To the world I was technically an adult. I could vote, I could smoke, I could do almost everything besides gamble, but in our small society, I wouldn’t be an adult for three more years, and now I had lost the lady who had more or less raised me.

  Grabbing the loofah from it’s holder, I lathered it up and began absentmindedly rubbing it across my firm torso and then between my legs. I wanted to be extra clean for tonight. I didn’t know why I felt the way that I did, only that I knew if I was going to meet my future husband, I should smell like sunshine and freshly mowed grass, not four day old tuna fish.

  As I normally do when I’m not doing anything important, I began to think about the society I lived in. It was full of secrets, like Pandora’s Box. I couldn’t wait to open it and see what was inside. Growing up, my father had always told me that we were special. Earth and its population had destroyed what once was, and it was our duty to restore it to its glory. I didn’t know what he had meant, and I still didn’t, but I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to be the hero of my generation. I wanted to represent the human race with dignity and pride.

  “Phoenix? Are you in here my little flame?” My dad called out.

  “I’m just finishing up, Daddy. I’ll be right out,” I yelled to him, finishing my lather and rinsing my body quickly. I didn’t want to keep him waiting.

  “Alright sweetheart. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

  I had wanted to stay under the heat a bit longer, but it seemed like there was something my dad needed, and whatever Daddy wanted, Daddy got.

  After a quick towel dry, I donned my robe and opened the bathroom door, watching as the steam rolled out above our heads. The cool air hit my skin and goosebumps raised up on my arms once more. It was getting colder outside and soon it would be sweater weather.

  “There’s my beautiful girl,” my dad smiled, placing his hands on my shoulders and kissing me on the cheek. “Come sit here with me, my little flame, there is much to discuss before tonight.”

  I giggled. I may have been older now, but he always knew how to make me feel like his little princess. I imagined, in his eyes, I was still a little girl who needed her daddy for everything. It wasn’t true anymore, but who was I to shatter his image.

  “I’m so excited for this evening, Daddy,” I squealed, jumping on the bed and crossing my legs in front of me. I watched as his smile dropped for just a split second before he righted himself. I considered asking him if he was alright, but my infectious demeanor took hold on him as he grabbed my hands and gave me a look that screamed pure unadulterated excitement.

  “Phoenix,” he said, giving my hands a little squeeze. “Tonight is a big night.”

  “I know, Daddy,” I smiled back at him, we had been talking about it for ages

  “Yes, yes. I know you’re excited, but there are some things we need to go over before you start getting ready. I need you to really pay attention and take in what I am saying. Okay my love?” He said, his voice taking on a sterner than normal tone.

  I felt my eyebrows furrow, but I nodded my head in agreement.

  “Now, as I’ve told you before, tonight is the night where you are declared an adult in the eyes of our society. You will be treated as such going forward, and you will be expected to perform your duties for us as they are assigned, without question or complaint.”

  He placed a finger to my lips to halt the oncoming questions he knew I would have. “Please my dear girl, let me finish everything I need to tell you and then you can ask any questions you might have, alright?”

  “Yes Daddy,” I responded and smiled at him to continue.

  “Good girl. Now, there are a lot of people in this world that will say what we do here is wrong. That our society is morally and ethically inhuman, but it wasn’t long ago when everyone else did the exact same things we still do today.”

  I’m sure my face held a hint of confusion, because he chuckled at me and then continued his speech.


  “I know, right now it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I promise you, over the course of our discussion, the masquerade ball tonight and the next several months, it will all make sense.

  “You may have heard rumors about what will take place tonight, but I don’t want you to go into this with zero knowledge or what’s worse, incorrect knowledge. There are some people who don’t believe we should share the details of the evening with our daughters, but I don’t believe that it is productive to have you go in blind. Please keep an open mind for what I am about to tell you.”

  I nodded at him again and squeezed his hand.

  “The society we belong to is called The Faith. We practice a sort of pseudo-religion. Our motto is, Please the Father, Please the Husband, Please the Faith. Do you know what a patriarchy is my little flame?”

  I squinted, trying to remember where I had heard that word before. “The word rings a bell Daddy, but I can’t say that I know what it is.”

  “That’s alright, Phoenix, I will explain it to you. The patriarchy, by definition, means a system or society in which the father, is the head of the family.”

  “Which you are,” I nodded, confused. My father ran the household and everyone in it. It wasn’t any secret. My brain started running around in circles I didn’t understand.

  “Yes, I am. In our family, I am the Master. Once you are wed, your husband will be your Master, and in The Faith, we have a High Master who governs us all. Are you following so far?”

  Master? What an odd word to use, I thought.

  “Yes,” I nodded, “I get it. But what does that have to do with tonight?”

  “I’m getting there, Miss impatient,” he winked and gave me a reassuring smile. “As a woman, your duties are to care for your Master, lay with and bear children for your Master, and ultimately be his foundation and his rock.