Taking one look at her photo on her phone told her what the mask was capable of, her face was there in the photo but not in the photo at the same time. She was a ghost, seen but not saw. After taking the mask off and gently setting it back on the table, she walked out of the workshop looking at the photo of herself, it was amazing how her photo looked present but ghostly.
Azalea looked up from her phone, scanning the room for Chandu, "Chandu, thank you for the mask, it is very pretty."
He grunted in acknowledgment, not bothering to turn around from his chair. She walked across the floor over to him swiftly.
"Why did you make me the mask? It seems to...I feel that I do not deserve such a mask."
She was answered with silence, the room seemed to feel constricting and was giving her claustrophobia.
She turned around to go back to the workshop remembering what he had told her what her job was. Being ignored in the silence made her feel uncomfortable, even in the well-lit room of chaos called the workshop.
The rest of her shift was silent, except for her organizating the stack of orders and repairs.
She spent hours lifting random bones, tusks, crystals, bags with ominous contents, glass jars with floating organs, and powders. The workshop had taken a turn for improvement, going from a chaotic mess to being well organized. She put together what appeared to be all of the scraps in a bin by his workbench.
According to the contract, even though she never read it she could recite all of the contents of it, midnight was when her shift was over. Paying attention to the time, as midnight approach she prepared to go home. Having not disturbed Chandu the whole time, she turned to him to wish him a good night.
As she looked at him, she felt scared he was staring at her, "Ha-Have a good night."
"Don't forget to wear your mask, I don't want to lose my only apprentice to any of those prideful hunters. It will stop them from noticing you. See you tomorrow."
He leaned back into his chair seeming to be taking a nap. 'Had I just seen the miracle of instantly falling asleep?'
Turning back to the workbench, she walked over with much more ease then she earlier had, and put on the mask after grabbing it off of the workbench. She walked out of the workshop, realizing she did not know how to close it. She would ask Chandu tomorrow when she was done with class.
Azalea approached the door to leave, she remembered to put on her mask before leaving, and gently opened the door to not make any noise.
A soft rustling noise was heard as she turned from the door to leave, maybe she had woken him up on accident. She would be quieter next time when leaving.
Walking past the receptionist, who made no motion to acknowledge her existence, Azalea realized how effective the mask actually was. She made for the exit not wanting to push her luck, and just the same, made the quiet walk back to the dormitory in the middle of the night.
Shadows cast from flickering lights, a cold breeze blew in, and noises from wild animals gave the walk back a haunted depiction. It brought forward to her mind all of the ominous feelings from watching horror movies with her family.
Sometime after the Hunter's Association disappeared from view, she took her mask off holding it out in front of her face with her hands, and a wave of insecurity came crashing over her.
There were eyes dozens of them turning towards her, she couldn't see them but felt them.
Even when she turned her head to get a look around her she saw nothing, yet her instincts were telling her she was in danger. In the wind, she thought she had heard a low murmur of voices, and the sound of crunching debris from an alley heading towards her.
Azalea kept walking in the direction of the dormitory, desperately adjusting the straps and positioning the mask on her face, tightening it down till it felt like her nose would fall off.
Th feeling went away instantly as if she had never existed to begin with. She touched the string bracelet on her wrist wishing for it to protect her, and with a new purpose she calmly but shakily walked directly to the dormitory, stopping for nothing.
Finally seeing the dormitory doors, she ran up swiping her card for the doors to unlock and enter.
Closing the glass doors behind her she walked over to the stairwell to climb to her room on the fourth floor. She had started to hyperventilate but pushed herself to keep going. Nothing would deter her from reaching her room.
Climbing star by stair, floor by floor, until the fourth floor came into view and she walked until her door was next.
With shaking hands grabbing the knob she turned her hand to open he door and walk through.
Only her side of the rom had sign of a living being, telling her she had yet to be assigned a roommate.
Closing the door behind her she collapsed to the floor leaning her back against the door, she was going to die. If she had stayed or was never given the mask she would have died.
She had not been alone and who ever else had been there, was out for blood.
Crawling to her bed, she covered her head with a blanket as if it would save her from the peering eyes. Only then did she feel safe enough to take off the mask. It may have been made to help her deal with hunters, but now it was helping her survive from the mysteries of the dark.
Tossing and turning, slowly overcoming he near death experience, sleep took her eventually.
A feeling of descending into blackness, and opening her eyes to a pristine busy white room she had remembered all to well.
A female nurse shook her shoulder, "Ma'am, visitors are not allowed over here."