The Face Read online

  The Face

  R.L.STINE

  Bill Schmidt

  POCKET BOOKS

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  1996 Parachute Press, Inc.

  The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this “stripped book.”

  First Archway Paperback printing February 1996

  Have you read the latest FEAR STREET® books?

  DOUBLE DATE

  THE THRILL CLUB

  ONE EVIL SUMMER

  THE MIND READER

  WRONG NUMBER 2

  TRUTH OR DARE

  DEAD END

  FINAL GRADE

  SWITCHED

  COLLEGE WEEKEND

  THE STEPSISTER 2

  WHAT HOLLY HEARD

  by R.L. STINE

  Available from Archway Paperbacks

  Published by Pocket Books

  The Face …

  The player started to dribble. Lost the ball. I saw the angry scowl on his face.

  His face.

  No!

  He had the face—the face in my drawing!

  “It’s him!” I shrieked, grabbing for Adriana. “It’s him! It’s him!”

  Another Shadyside player turned. He had the face too!

  I stared at two more players.

  Stared at their wavy brown hair. Their turned-up noses. Their serious, dark eyes.

  They all had the face I’d been drawing.

  The face of the dead boy.

  And as they turned to stare back at me, their smiles faded. Their mouths twisted. Eyes bulged in horror.

  They all started to scream.

  And I screamed with them.

  Books by R. L. Stine

  Fear Street

  THE NEW GIRL

  THE SURPRISE PARTY

  THE OVERNIGHT

  MISSING

  THE WRONG NUMBER

  THE SLEEPWALKER

  HAUNTED

  HALLOWEEN PARTY

  THE STEPSISTER

  SKI WEEKEND

  THE FIRE GAME

  LIGHTS OUT

  THE SECRET BEDROOM

  THE KNIFE

  PROM QUEEN

  FIRST DATE

  THE BEST FRIEND

  THE CHEATER

  SUNBURN

  THE NEW BOY

  THE DARE

  BAD DREAMS

  DOUBLE DATE

  THE THRILL CLUB

  ONE EVIL SUMMER

  THE MIND READER

  WRONG NUMBER 2

  TRUTH OR DARE

  DEAD END

  FINAL GRADE

  SWITCHED

  COLLEGE WEEKEND

  THE STEPSISTER 2

  WHAT HOLLY HEARD

  THE FACE

  Fear Street Super Chillers

  PARTY SUMMER

  SILENT NIGHT

  GOODNIGHT KISS

  BROKEN HEARTS

  SILENT NIGHT 2

  THE DEAD LIFE GUARD

  CHEERLEADERS: THE NEW EVIL

  BAD MOONLIGHT

  The Fear Street Saga

  THE BETRAYAL

  THE SECRET

  THE BURNING

  Fear Street Cheerleaders

  THE FIRST EVIL

  THE SECOND EVIL

  THE THIRD EVIL

  99 Fear Street: The House of Evil

  THE FIRST HORROR

  THE SECOND HORROR

  THE THIRD HORROR

  The Cataluna Chronicles

  THE EVIL MOON

  THE DARK SECRET

  THE DEADLY FIRE

  Other Novels

  HOW I BROKE UP WITH ERNIE

  PHONE CALLS

  CURTAINS

  BROKEN DATE

  Available from ARCHWAY Paperbacks

  For orders other than by individual consumers, Archway Books grants a discount on the purchase of 10 or more copies of single titles for special markets or premium use. For further details, please write to the Vice-President of Special Markets, Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  For information on how individual consumers can place orders, please write to Mail Order Department, Paramount Publishing, 200 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ 07675.

  The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this “stripped book.”

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  AN ARCHWAY PAPERBACK Original

  An Archway Paperback published by

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  Copyright © 1996 by Parachute Press, Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-671-89428-5

  eISBN: 978-1-439-12157-3

  First Archway Paperback printing February 1996

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  FEAR STREET is a registered trademark of Parachute Press, Inc.

  AN ARCHWAY PAPERBACK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  Cover art by Bill Schmidt

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  IL 7+

  The Face

  prologue

  I had a dream that I was drawing a silver line.

  My sketch pad was propped against a white wall. And as I stared at the white paper, my hand moved slowly, steadily. And the line that I drew stretched across the page in silver.

  Gleaming silver.

  Cold silver.

  I drew another silver line. And then a circle.

  I pulled the page from the pad and smoothed my hand over the clean sheet beneath it. Then I started to draw another silver line.

  In the dream, I felt a chill as the silver line stretched over the page.

  I suddenly felt so cold.

  Silver is a cold color. Cold as metal. Gray as winter.

  Such a strange dream, I remember thinking in my dream.

  I knew I was dreaming. I knew I couldn’t really be drawing in such glittering silver.

  I started a new line. Straight and very slender. A fine, silver line.

  And as the line cut across the page, color seeped from it.

  The color red.

  A deep red seeped out from both sides of the silver line. Wet and glistening, the red spread over the page.

  The silver line cut into the paper.

  And the paper bled. The dark color spread, spread until it covered the white page.

  And I woke from the dream, woke up screaming.

  Why did I scream?

  It was just a silver line.

  Just a drawing of silver and red.

  Just a dream.

  So why did I scream?

  I don’t remember.

  I really don’t remember.

  chapter 1

  After the accident, I guess I went into shock.

  I lost a part of my memory. A piece of my past life just slipped away from me.

  I don’t remember anything about that week. Or the weeks that followed.

  I see last fall and the early
part of the winter as a dark blur. It’s like watching a dim reflection in the murky waters of a deep pond.

  I can see ripples. But I’m not sure of the faces. Or the movements of the dark, watery figures.

  What happened that week? That day?

  Why don’t I remember the accident?

  Dr. Sayles says my memory will return. One day the events of that week will come back, sharp and clear.

  Dr. Sayles tells me not to rush it. Sometimes I think he doesn’t want me to remember.

  Maybe it’s all too horrible. Maybe I’ll be sorry if I know the truth.

  Maybe I’m better off not remembering. Should I be thankful for the big hole in my memory?

  Dr. Sayles tells me to go on with my life. And I try to.

  But my friends aren’t quite the same.

  Sometimes I see Justine staring at me, her pale blue eyes narrowed. As if she’s studying me, trying to pry into my brain.

  Adriana is always telling me to take it easy. “Take it easy, Martha.” As if I’m sick. Some kind of invalid.

  Justine and Adriana seem so careful around me. They’re always exchanging glances that I’m not supposed to see. They always seem to be watching me so carefully.

  Watching for what?

  Watching for me to crack? Watching for poor Martha to crack open like an egg and all my insides come running out in a yellow goo?

  I’ve had strange thoughts since the accident last fall.

  I can’t help it.

  Dr. Sayles says it’s perfectly normal.

  That’s me. Martha Powell. Perfectly normal. I guess I look normal enough. I’m average height and I weigh about one-twenty. About right for a high school junior.

  I’m kind of preppy looking. I’m more J. Crew than grunge.

  I have blond hair, long and very straight. Olive eyes. Big and round. My best feature. And light freckles on my cheeks that make me look about twelve years old!

  I guess I have a nice smile. I don’t smile as much as I used to.

  But despite my weird thoughts, despite the holes in my brain, I guess I look okay.

  I’m not beautiful and dark and exotic looking like Adriana. And I’d love to have Justine’s thick tangles of red hair, her full red lips, and her round, pale blue eyes.

  But I look okay.

  At least Aaron thinks so.

  Good old Aaron. He’s been so loyal to me. So caring.

  I don’t know what I would do without him. I’m so lucky that I’ve been going with him for so long.

  Justine reminds me just how lucky I am nearly every day. She’s a good friend. But she doesn’t try to hide her jealousy.

  “Aaron is so great!” Justine gushed a few afternoons ago. “Check out that bod!”

  “Justine, give me a break,” I groaned.

  We were in the gym bleachers at Shadyside High, watching a wrestling match against Waynesbridge. Aaron isn’t exactly an all-state wrestler. He’s big and athletic looking. But he doesn’t work out as much as he should.

  The guy he was wrestling was short and heavy and hairy. He looked like a bear. He had Aaron down on the mat in some kind of arm hold.

  Aaron’s face was bright red. He didn’t look too happy.

  Justine gripped tangles of red hair in both hands. She had an intense expression, as if she were wrestling along with Aaron.

  Somehow Aaron spun out of his opponent’s armlock. He pulled the hairy guy down. They were both grunting, both red-faced now. Aaron pinned him and jumped to his feet.

  “Wow!” Justine cried, clapping hard. “Wow! Way to go, Aaron!”

  Aaron was breathing hard. Even from the bleachers, I could see the sweat pouring down his forehead, matting his brown hair.

  He helped pull his opponent up from the mat. Then he raised his head and flashed me a smile.

  I mean, I think he was smiling at me.

  Justine smiled and waved back, as if he were smiling at her!

  At least Justine is honest about it. She doesn’t try to hide how much she likes Aaron.

  She’s always flirting with him, even though he’s my boyfriend. He flirts back sometimes. You know. Kids around with her.

  But I don’t think he takes her seriously.

  As I said, he’s been so loyal to me. So wonderful.

  All of my friends have been wonderful.

  If only they wouldn’t walk on tiptoes around me. If only they wouldn’t be so careful of what they say.

  I know what they’re thinking about. I know what’s on their minds.

  They probably wonder if my memory has snapped back.

  But they’re afraid to ask.

  They won’t talk about that week last November. About the accident. They never talk about it in front of me.

  Maybe they don’t want to remember it, either.

  Maybe they think I’m the lucky one. Maybe they wish they could lose their memories too.

  But I don’t think I’m so lucky. Because the questions are driving me crazy.

  What happened that night?

  How horrible was it?

  And why was I the one who went into shock?

  chapter 2

  I pressed my cheek against Aaron’s shoulder. I liked the smell of his aftershave. Cool and sweet.

  The first time he used it, I laughed at him. He only shaves about twice a week. But he splashes on the aftershave every day.

  After a while I started to like it.

  I raised my head and kissed him.

  We had to be fast. We were sitting on the green leather couch in Aaron’s den, and his little brother Jake was lurking about. If Jake saw us kissing, he’d probably wake up the whole house. That’s the kind of kid he is. Your basic brat.

  The TV was on. One of the Lethal Weapon movies. I like Mel Gibson. I think Aaron looks a little like him. Aaron has the same wavy brown hair and the same twinkling blue eyes.

  But we weren’t paying any attention to the movie. Aaron had his arm around my shoulders, and we were trying to sneak in a few kisses before Jake came bursting in.

  Watching a dark-haired actress on the screen, I found myself suddenly thinking about Adriana.

  “I’m kind of worried about Adriana,” I confided.

  Aaron grunted.

  We kissed.

  I heard footsteps behind us.

  “Jake—is that you?” Aaron called, glancing back over his shoulder to the den doorway.

  I heard giggling out in the hall. Jake is a major giggler.

  “Get lost,” Aaron ordered him.

  “Make me.” Jake’s favorite reply.

  “Okay. I will!” Aaron jumped up from the couch and started to the door. I heard another giggle. Then Jake’s heavy footsteps as he ran away.

  “Aaron was kissing Martha! Aaron was kissing Martha!” Jake chanted.

  Shaking his head, Aaron dropped back beside me on the couch. On the TV screen a powerful explosion sent a building toppling to the ground.

  Aaron grabbed a handful of nacho chips from the bowl beside him. He offered me the bowl. I waved it away.

  “Adriana has gotten so skinny,” I continued. “I’m really worried about her.”

  “Yeah. I know,” Aaron replied with a mouthful of chips.

  I sighed. “You know, I think the accident affected Adriana more than anyone.”

  Aaron swallowed. He kept his eyes on the TV screen. He didn’t like it when I brought up the accident.

  “She’s lost so much weight,” I repeated. “And did you see the dark circles around her eyes?”

  “She’s always had those,” Aaron insisted, reaching for more chips.

  “No way,” I told him. “She had to go to a doctor because she can’t sleep at night.”

  “Probably out partying,” Aaron joked.

  I gave his shoulder a hard shove. “Shut up.”

  He shrugged and kept his eyes on Mel Gibson.

  That’s what Aaron always does when I try to bring up anything serious, anything about the accident. He makes a joke
.

  He refuses to discuss it. I can see his whole body tense up. It makes him so uncomfortable.

  Which drives me crazy. I’m dying to discuss it. I need to discuss it.

  Also, I’m really worried about Adriana.

  “Her grades are really suffering,” I continued. “She didn’t even make honor roll this term.”

  Aaron grunted in reply.

  “You know that Adriana likes to be perfect,” I reminded him. “You know how competitive she is. I know it must really upset her. She got a C in Spanish! Do you believe it? That’s her easiest course!”

  Aaron shook his head. “She’s messed up,” he murmured.

  He slid his arm around my shoulders. I snuggled against him, thinking about Adriana. When I kissed him, his lips tasted like nacho chips.

  The movie ended on the TV. The credits rolled across the screen.

  “Did you talk to her?” Aaron asked.

  “Huh?” I didn’t know what he meant.

  “Did you talk to Adriana? About losing weight and everything?”

  I sighed. “You know Adriana,” I said, squeezing Aaron’s hand. “I tried. But she refuses to talk to me about it. She won’t discuss any of her problems with me.”

  Aaron frowned. “I thought you two were such close friends.”

  “We are,” I insisted. “But Adriana never wants to talk about herself. Instead, she’s always worrying about me. Always trying to cheer me up. Always trying to help me. Whenever I try to bring up anything serious with her, she just tells me everything will be fine.”

  Aaron nodded. He reached for the chips, then changed his mind. A serious expression settled over his handsome face. He locked his blue eyes on mine. “Everything will be fine,” he said softly.

  I nodded.

  That’s what all my friends kept telling me.

  We kissed again. His lips still tasted salty. I didn’t want him to pull away. I wanted the kiss to last forever.

  But we heard giggling behind us. “I’m telling!” Jake declared.

  Aaron jumped up to chase him away again.

  I could hear them running down the hall, giggling and shouting.

  I settled back on the couch, shut my eyes, and thought about Adriana.

  Justine and Aaron had pretty much returned to normal. Why was Adriana so much more troubled than they?

  Why had that night affected Adriana more than any of us?

  Of course, I couldn’t answer the question. I still had no memory of anything that had happened.

  But I was determined to learn the answers.