Shadow Light Page 2

  “We have to save our sister. We go to Mage Academy, and Natalie, our sister, goes to Supernatural Academy,” Josh expels.

  “I can’t tell our parents we let our little sister out of our sight,” James insists.

  “How long has she been missing?” I question.

  “Two days,” Josh says.

  “Maybe you can ask your boyfriend to get us out too,” James says.

  “I can ask,” I respond, grimacing. I’m uncertain that Kenneth can get me out, much less two other people.

  There is something dark happening on this campus and I plan to bust the case wide open.

  3

  A disgruntled voice slices through the air, shouting in rage. I can’t force my eyes open. A bad dream, I suppose. I reposition myself and continue sleeping. The voice sounds again. It’s not Grace’s voice. It’s a tenor voice, a male voice. A constant ache in my back and the scent of coffee forces me awake. I let out a yawn. I open my eyes only to realize I'm still alive and in fucking jail. I jump up. What the fuck? Damn, I’m still in here. The wild insults and vulgar language carry down the hall.

  “Officer,” I yell.

  I dart my gaze over to the twins. They are sleeping on the same bench. One is turns around from the sound of my yelling. I scan the surroundings, feeling pity for myself. How did I end up inside a cell with brick walls? I’m caged like a damn animal. Grandmother would turn in her grave if she knew.

  The guard comes striding toward the cell. I’m grateful it’s a female. Female guards are less aggressive than the male guards. Maybe she’ll have some pity for me and fetch me a decent meal. Something better than the slop they fed us last night. However, she brings plenty of sass with her.

  “I have to use the ladies’ room,” I bark.

  “There’s a toilet over there.” She points to the nasty toilet sitting in the corner.

  I'm sure as fuck not using that toilet. They haven’t cleaned it in so long it turned brown.

  “No, I won’t be using that bathroom. Besides, you have me in here with two boys.”

  She glances at the toilet and frowns in the disgust, then pulls the key from the ring on her hip and unlocks the bars. The clink of the bars opening gave me some hope. I don’t need to reenter the cage. My feet are stiff and numb, causing a sharp pain every time my feet pound into the concrete floor.

  The reality of the inhumane living conditions ignite sheer horrid within me. I have lived in some unimaginable living conditions, but nothing this filthy.

  “Here you go,” she says. The woman in her radiating. She hands me a small box. “They will bring you guys some breakfast soon.”

  “What time is it?” I ask while rifling through the box. A tooth brush, a face towel, a small bar of soap, and toothpaste. The sample size like you get at the hotels.

  “7:15.”

  “Thanks,” I say as I head to the bathroom. It’s Wednesday, I think. My first class starts at 9:30. I must be released soon.

  I get to the bathroom and a sigh of relief escapes my lips. It’s clean, with a fresh scent and a toilet free from stains. Must be the employees’ bathroom. I don’t understand why the prisoners’ cell is so nasty. But I guess if you go to prison no one cares how you live.

  I flip on the water. Steam dances from the sink. Piping hot water, just the way I like it. I run the water on the towel, then place it on my face. It brings tears to my eyes. How did I end up in jail? I flip a glance to the small window in the corner. I race over only to see the sun rising. The window is covered by bars on the outside. An icy chill moves down my back. There’s no way out.

  I finish my self-care and make my way back to the cell. The twins are awake now and eating breakfast. Someone had sat a tray for me on the bench I was sleeping on. This what they call breakfast. A patty of mystery meat that resembles cat food, toast with no jelly, and eggs. I have to eat something. Guess these eggs will be breakfast. I grab the plastic fork and take a bite. Damn, the eggs aren’t even real.

  I take a quick glance at the twins and notice that they are chowing down. As if this isn’t the worst food they have ever seen. Josh gives me a dangerous stare. He appears grim, as if he has bad news. My heart suddenly flickers. He wants to say something, but he doesn’t know how. I’m afraid of his thoughts. I don’t need any slanderous news. The twins have given me enough of a scandal for a lifetime.

  “What is it?” I ask. My mind won’t stop racing until I’m informed.

  James looks at me as if he was caught cheating on a test. Josh keeps his mouth sealed, but he is the one who is more assertive. Talking with them yesterday had given me a glimpse into their souls.

  Whatever news they have, I'm sure they are keeping quiet to spare my feelings.

  I have a soft spot for them both. Ok, maybe it’s more of a sexual desire. I can’t understand how I can imagine the twins sexually, the way I view Kenny. Sure, I see guys and think they're handsome. I’ve never wanted to know them on an intimate level. But it’s like I have known these men a lifetime. Their fears, how much they love their sister. We talked all night, nearly.

  “Josh, what is it?”

  “It’s your boyfriend.”

  “What about Kenny?” I question with a snarl.

  He looks up at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact. “Rumor has it he takes females to Prince.” He shoots me a sharp stare while pushing his tray aside. “To feed off.”

  I pause and give the stare of death. “That’s a damn lie. Kenny wouldn’t do anything like that.”

  Especially not to Shelly. “Who told you guys that?”

  “It’s just a rumor,” James explains. “Maybe there’s no truth to it.”

  The guard bangs on the bars. “Ronielle, Kenneth has requested you,” she says.

  I have mixed emotions. The twins and this horrendous rumor are giving me palpitations. A slight bit of doubt about Kenny invades my mind. I push that doubt deep to the back of my mind. I flick a glance at the twins.

  Then I follow the guard down the hall to another cell. Kenny's face fills with passion at the sight of me. All I see is a loving soul, someone I know who loves me. He’s not this monster everyone is painting him to be.

  The guard opens the cell, and I enter. The cell is filled with twenty people. Kenny gets special privileges here, but I’m not sure why.

  He places his lips on mine and gives me a hug. “You will be released within the hour. You must get to class, right?” He smiles.

  “Yeah, what about you?”

  “Don’t worry about me.” He kisses me on the forehead. “I’ll be out of here when it’s my time. But you…” He grimaces and the vein in his forehead protrudes. “Promise me you will leave this alone. It can only cause you harm.”

  The thought of him working with Prince swims through my head. I know him better than that. I won’t dare ask such a frivolous question.

  “One tiny request.”

  “Sure. Anything.”

  “Can you help the twins too?”

  “What? No. I can’t help everybody.”

  “But they’re in for a stupid reason: searching into the same case.” I gaze into his brown eyes. “Their sister is missing.”

  “Is that right? What happen to their sister?”

  “She was kidnapped.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. But I'm not making any promises.”

  I wrap my arms around him and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “Time is up,” the guards growls,

  “I’ll call you tonight,” Kenny says before I exit the cell.

  Finally, I’m free. I said I’d leave the case alone. Once this case is closed and Prince is in jail, I’ll stop snooping. But I need the help of the twins. With their help, we can take down Prince.

  4

  You would think that I would go straight to Prince’s house, curse him for being the asshole that he is. Maybe use my strength of being a witch to my advantage.

  He is a mage. He’s taller, bigger, and stronger. An
d I haven’t quite tapped into all the magic I have.

  I get home with enough time to shower and grab food from the cafeteria. I’ve already missed my first class, so I’ll go to Mortal Combat at noon. Mortal Combat is similar to gym class. It’s a physical class where you learn to defeat your opponent instead of doing jumping jacks. I have to get physically and mentally prepared if I plan to battle Prince again. Besides, the teacher doesn’t tolerate any slacking.

  Opening the door, I grimace and feel a faint tingle in my chest. I’m not sure if I’m anxious about entering or afraid that someone will attack me again. I replay the event in my head. They had done a good job at cleaning the blood. Only a faint brown stain is left on the carpet. Still, I can’t figure out how he escaped with no one seeing him. The headmaster had to see him racing from the room, holding his balls.

  My gaze trails the carpet to Grace’s desk, broken into several pieces. She must be angry because we broke her desk during the fight. But hell, I was fighting for my life.

  After I iron my uniform and get dressed, I head down to the cafeteria. Approaching the cafeteria makes me get a sinking sensation in my chest. I always got weird stares. Now the stares are death stares. Students I’ve never met walk past me, frowning for no good reason. I’m sure I’ve done nothing to these strangers.

  I hold my head up and continue walking to the grille area, even though I feel like a cast member on survivor and I’m on the island alone.

  After I get a burrito, I locate Grace sitting at a table with two girls. I scurry over to the table. At least there is someone here who will speak to me.

  I slide my tray on the table and set my backpack on the floor. The two girls that Grace was talking to give me a dirty sneer. “Is this your roommate?” one girl says, her oversized lips popping. She pushes a few strands of her green hair behind her ear. She has tattoos galore. There’s even one in the center of her neck: an eyeball. Don’t know what that means. Stupid tattoo, if you ask me. The other girl with blonde hair, named Journey, is the ringleader.

  She and her friends are the mean girl crew. I don’t know why Grace would associate herself with them. I won’t give her the satisfaction to assume she intimidates me. Because she doesn’t. I’ll whip her ass here in this cafeteria and won’t think twice about it.

  Grace flips a glance my way. “Yeah, she’s my roommate,” she says in a low tone. It seems as if she is ashamed to say I’m her roommate.

  She doesn’t give me a warm welcome home, doesn’t ask ‘How was the awful night you spent on a hard, cold, steel-ass bench?’ Instead, she gives me a glare as if she assumes I’m guilty. It’s the same glare the headmaster and that thick-ass officer gave me. I expected more from Grace. I don’t give two fucks about what the mean girls think. Grace is better than that.

  Blonde barbie and her flunky stand and excuse themselves from the table. I’m delighted. I didn’t come here to see those bitches, anyway. I’m more concern that Grace is giving me the cold shoulder.

  “Grace, please get your frustration off your chest,” I grunt.

  Her face turns an apple red. She sighs, but she knows I’m serious. “Ronnie, I have a ton of questions. This isn’t the appropriate place.”

  “You realize I was fighting for my life?” Squaring my shoulders, I move back. I need to see her face. Her facial expression would help me gauge her feelings.

  Small frown lines cross her face as she speaks. “Everyone is saying that Kenny killed your friend Shelly,” she barks.

  “You know that’s not true.”

  Her disbelief quickly fills the cramped space. It’s apparent that she doesn’t believe me. My heart hammers in my chest as I realize she isn’t my friend either.

  “The rumors are that you helped. Now you're trying to frame Prince.” Her eyes bulge as she awaits a response.

  I jerk my head back and stall for a second. “What, are you crazy? You can’t believe that. Prince killed Shelly and several other girls. Is anybody saying that?” I growl in a sassy, witch sort of way. My body temperature is skyrocketing with anger.

  “So, what happened in the room?” Her stare pierces through my face. “It’s a mess. My desk is broken and there was blood everywhere.” She rests her chin on her palm.

  “Prince attacked me in the room.”

  “No one saw him. The rumor is that the headmaster had you arrested after he witnessed a pool of blood.”

  Now my voice is elevated. “I was bleeding. I’m out of jail. They had the wrong person.” I suppress an eye-roll, tapping my hand on my lap.

  I’m sick and tired of all the rumors. Either she is with me or she ain’t. But I’m not going to keep explaining shit to anybody.

  “I don’t know. This is enormous. Too much to digest.” She throws her hands up. “Everyone on campus dislikes you right now. Prince has many friends here. He can make your life a living hell. I only have a few more semesters. I don’t need to be associated with this shit,” she hisses.

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I requested a new roommate.”

  “Grace, I have no other friends here.”

  I hoped Grace would always be in my corner. But at the first sign of danger, she hops ship. What kind of friend is she? She only cares about herself.

  “Grace, if someone hurt you, I would risk my life trying to find justice for you.”

  “No matter what you do, it will not bring Shelly back. She’s gone.” She shrugs as if Shelly was an old piece of furniture.

  “I know that. But I will sleep a lot easier knowing the right person is in prison for her murder.”

  “Be honest with yourself. Are you doing this because the killer is loose? Or is it out of guilt?”

  “Guilt for what?” I squint.

  “Because she was there with you.” She wagged her finger in my face. “You got so drunk that you don’t remember what happened. Or you want Kenny out of jail? Even though you are uncertain that Kenny did it. You were sloppy drunk, remember?”

  I feel two feet tall, as if Mother scorned me for stealing candy. She stands from the table and grabs her tray. “I’ll catch you later.”

  I grind my teeth. I’m so angry I could have slapped the shit out of Grace. How could she question me? I was drunk and I feel guilty enough without her rubbing it in my face.

  Was she being a friend, trying to give me a reality check? I’m going crazy wracking my brains for every little detail of that night. I get snippets here and there. One person stands out: Prince. I’m sure Shelly was talking with him that night. That doesn’t prove murder, but the nightmares I have tell me the truth. It was Prince, and no one can change my mind.

  I snatch my backpack from the floor, leaving my tray on the table. I’ve lost my fucking appetite.

  5

  Sighing, I think about my next class. I despise Mortal Combat class; it’s physically draining. But I must pass or else they will ship me back home. I’m not sure which one is worse: the slum I grew up in or being framed for a crime I didn’t commit.

  Sweat clings to the nape of my neck as I change into my gym clothes: burgundy shorts and a grey t-shirt with Ash Academy written across the front. The uniform is cringe-worthy, but it’s clean. I’ve learned to appreciate everyone wearing the same clothes. No one will tease me about my rags.

  The locker room is filled with a bunch of half-naked females, some showering, others get changed for class. Whispering catches my attention. I turn my gaze and see Jennifer and Whitney. Their sneaky stares my way tells me I’m the topic of chatter. Staring at them, I don’t blink, letting them know I'm onto them.

  If they have shit to say, there’s no point in whispering. Whitney shouldn’t gossip about anyone. Everyone has been gossiping about her hair, saying it’s a weave. She lies and tells everyone it’s her natural hair.

  The fire burns within me and I can no longer hold my tongue. All day, filthy stares have taunted me. “You have something to say?” I question as my flaming gaze trails them from head to toe.
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  Jennifer snickers, covering her mouth, trying to hide her crooked teeth.

  "Nothing to say to you," Whitney says in a low growl.

  I slam my locker in anger, wiping the smile from Jennifer’s face. I storm out to the gym floor. I remind myself that I don’t need any more trouble.

  The teacher, Mr. Moore, comes out with shorts pulled up past his belly button and socks that reach his knees. I don’t know why he dresses so weirdly. He has never seen a mirror, I suppose.

  He instructs us on exercises. We begin our warm-up before drills. Although I'm extremely fatigued, I participate. It helps force last night out of my head. The situation only makes me angry.

  Meanwhile, the twins’ faces keep popping into my head. I love Kenny, but for some unknown reason, I keep lusting over both of the twins.

  Mr. Moore blows his whistle. I let out a huff. Finally, we are done with these exercises.

  “I will pair you each up with an opponent. Ladies, it is mind over matter,” Mr. Moore exclaims. He walks back to the bleachers and takes a seat. He is not more in shape than a couch potato. “You should control the battle with your hands and mind. Save the magic for an actual battle.”

  Sluggishly, I strut over to the rack and grab my boxing gloves. Again, the whispering sounds behind me. This time I hear my name.

  I pivot around and my gaze lands on Jennifer and Whitney. The bitches are going too far. I put my hand to my ear. “Did you say something?”

  “We know you helped Kenny kill your friend. “

  “You don't know shit. Stop running your mouth while your ahead.”

  “Why do you have such an attitude with us? We’re just reporting what everyone on campus is saying,” Whitney says as she throws her hand on her hip.

  “I don’t want your fucking reports. Leave me alone,” I warn.

  “Jennifer and Ronielle to the center mat, please.” Mr. Moore yells.

  She better shut the fuck up before we make it to the mat or her ass is grass and I'm the lawn mower.

  “Damn, he wants me to battle the evil killer,” Jennifer mumbles.