The words made my breath catch in my throat.
Screem kept his eyes locked on us. “Bella’s evil is so intense, she will stop at nothing,” he said.
Huh? BELLA’S evil?
“The magic of the masks is too powerful to be in her hands,” he continued. “You do not know who you are working for. You think you are collecting the masks for good.”
“I — I don’t understand,” I stammered. “Are you saying —”
“Bella is evil,” Screem said. “She is the one who made your house disappear. Not me. She made your house and parents disappear to trick you into helping her.”
My mouth dropped open. Bella told us it was Screem who took away our house. Was Screem telling the truth? Was Bella the evil one?
“This terrible game has to stop,” Screem said. “You are not the first people Bella has tortured like this. Some have not been as lucky as you.”
The wind ruffled his white hair. His purple robe glowed under the moonlight.
I glanced at Peter. He was shivering. I don’t think he was cold. He was shivering from Screem’s words.
“You can make it all stop now,” Screem continued. “You have to believe me.”
Believe. Believe. Believe.
The word stuck in my head.
Should we believe him? Should we?
Suddenly, I remembered Bella’s warning as we were leaving her house.
Screem is the best liar on earth.
It’s almost impossible not to believe him.
Whatever you do, do not believe what he tells you. Do not fall for his lies.
“Don’t believe him,” I whispered to Peter.
I turned to Screem. “Bella warned us you are a liar,” I said.
Screem shook the skull mask in his fist. “Listen to me carefully,” he said. “Her real name isn’t Bella. It’s Belladonna. Do you know what that is?”
I repeated the name in my mind. “I’ve heard of it,” I said.
“Belladonna,” Screem said. “Sometimes it’s called deadly nightshade. It’s a poison. She is a poison.”
I knew he was lying.
I pressed my hands against my waist. “If you are on the side of good,” I said, “why did you make it so dangerous for Peter and me to take the masks?”
“Yeah,” Peter said. He took a few steps toward Screem. “You tried to kill us each time. So why should we believe that you are on the side of good?”
“You were working for Belladonna,” Screem replied. “I couldn’t just let you walk away with the masks. I had to try to stop you. I had no choice.”
“You’re lying to us,” Peter said. He raised his arms in a karate position.
“I don’t care what you think,” Screem said. “If you don’t want to believe the truth, that’s fine with me.”
He stretched out a hand and moved toward us rapidly. “Just give me the three masks. Now! “
I stumbled back. But Peter held his ground.
Screem dove forward, his hand outstretched to tear the masks off our faces.
Peter uttered a cry. He leaped sideways into the air — and tried to land a two-footed karate kick to Screem’s knees.
Peter missed.
His shoes kicked at nothing but air.
Screem grabbed Peter by the ankles.
He tugged him hard. Lost his balance — and they both toppled into the open grave.