Chasing Shadow (Shadow Puppeteer) (8 page)

“Don’t say anything else,” Memphis said.

He picked up the swab and held it over a lit burner. The fire rushed down the stick destroying all evidence. He tossed the stub away and grabbed the slide, dumping it into the sink and pouring chemicals over it. I was overwhelmed by his desire to hide my injury.

“I’ve seen case studies like this before, but these studies have a way of quickly disappearing.” His voice lowered further. “Don’t tell anyone where you got these cuts.”

“Will they heal on their own or do I need to see a doctor?” I asked. The very thought made even the scratches on my chest and thighs ache. Luckily they didn’t look nearly as bad as the cut on my wrist.

“You got this cut last night and you’re still alive. I wouldn’t go to a regulated physician with this,” he said. At my blank stare, he continued. “Belen, you’re not human.”

Laughter burst from my throat. “What?”

Memphis wasn’t laughing. In fact, he looked sympathetic. I stopped laughing. I believed that something roamed alongside the human population, but I didn’t believe I was one of them. The encyclopedia said that certain creatures could change a human into them. I swayed back against the counter.

“Something that looked dead attacked me. Does that mean I’m a zombie?”

Memphis snorted. “No, of course not. Do you even know what zombies are?” He didn’t wait for an answer that. “No, you’re not a zombie. I don’t know what you are, but you aren’t human and you aren’t a zombie. If you were human, this infection would have killed you last night.”

Did I believe him? Maybe the liquid was just now making its way to my heart. I was sweating around the aches. This was how I pictured a snake bite killing an animal.

“How can I suddenly not be human?” I swayed into the free seat and watched Memphis walk across the room, grab his backpack and return.

“You were never human,” Memphis said.

He was so matter of fact that I wanted to shake him. How could he say these things to me and without feeling? The air suddenly felt hot and it was making me sweat profusely.

Memphis moved slowly, pulling a plastic bag from his backpack and placing all the tiny objects within it on the counter. When I saw the needle and string, I knew his plans. I pressed my feet into the ground, trying to stabilize myself. It didn’t look like there was enough flesh for the stitches to work.

The gel stung as he rubbed it along the outer part of my wound. A few seconds later, the skin around it went numb. It was the first relief I had all day.

“Do you have something in that bag that could numb the rest of my body?”

Memphis didn’t answer as he strung the needle and I looked away. I’m not a coward with needles; I just don’t like watching myself get sewn up. It was another scar on the uneven canvas of my skin. I winced at every tug of the string.

A quick glance was all I needed to know I still didn’t want to watch the process, so I looked up at him. Just behind his ear was a pentagram. It was small, about the size of my thumb, but I knew what it meant from reading the Daily Dark. My attention fell to his backpack where it laid partially open, exposing white fabric. My heart leaped. The paper knew very little about Diablo. He worked for himself.

“Memphis—” I stopped when his blue eyes locked with mine. I lowered my shields enough to feel his anxiety. He wasn’t dangerous, but I obviously made him uncomfortable.

He licked his lips. “I’m done.”

I nodded, casting another glance at his bag. The slightest movement and I could accidently kick it over. It would give me a chance to see what he carried inside, but was that fair? He sewed me up.

That might be Memphis we saw scaling the tower.

“Just be careful who you trust,” Memphis said.

Was that a warning? All this was jumbling in my sleep deprived head. Before I could say I needed aspirin, Memphis pressed pills into my palm. I stared at them for a moment, unsure if I should take them.

“It’s a mild pain reliever,” he said.

There were a lot of reasons to trust Memphis, so I popped them in my mouth and swallowed them dry. My throat muscles hurt, but what didn’t at the moment.

“I heard Diablo released prisoners last night,” I said.

His nimble fingers stalled over the bandage he placed on my wrist. Within a second, he was back in action, wrapping it with gauze.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? Diablo is a loner, yet he rescued Berserkers from the asylum. Why would he help them?” My pulse said this was a dangerous game I was playing.

Memphis remained silent until the gauze was in place, then he turned to look at me.

“Eventually we all need to choose a side and he’s never been alone,” he said.

Did that mean Diablo was male, or was Memphis projecting his gender on the white demon that showed up a great deal more around these parts?

What if I was a demon? Being nonhuman could cover a broad aspect of creatures.

My direct question was on the verge of my lips, but when he pulled off his gloves and ran a hand through his hair, I saw a great deal of tiredness. If he was Diablo, he had his own reasons. If not, then he was just a follower.

The bell rang, saving us from further awkwardness. I lowered my sleeve while he pushed everything back into his baggie and shoved it into his backpack.

I caught myself in the doorway and leaned back in. “Thanks, Memphis.”

If he heard me, he didn’t acknowledge it.

Students poured into the halls, some heading to second period lunch, while others came up the staircase for their noon classes. I fought against the crowd and was pushed against the rail. Time literally stopped with Rex’s hand on my hip. Paper was pushed into the rim of my skirt, then he was gone.

Heat blazed my cheeks as I put my hand over the spot with the piece of paper so it wouldn’t slip out. Rex disappeared up the stairs and I followed the aggressive rush of students heading downstairs. The lunch crowd was lingering, making it difficult to reach the bathroom.

“What’s going on Raggedy?” Amber cut me off in the hallway.

Feeling smug, I tried to pass her as she grabbed my bad arm, yanking me back. The pain wasn’t as sharp with the numbing gel, but it was uncomfortable.

“I’m talking to you,” she said.

I shoved her back with my good arm.

“Back off,” I hissed. After the orange soda, I really wasn’t in the mood and Starr wasn’t present to talk me down.

She caught my shoulders and swung me hard against the lockers. The metal vibrated my bones, jarring my spine and making my head ache. My vision swam, but I kept Amber in focus. She wasn’t going to make a fool of me twice in one day.

“Stay away from Rex.”

“Trust me, the asshole’s all yours.”

It took a lot more to intimidate me. The warning bell rang, but the students weren’t about to miss this fight.

“If I catch you flirting with him, I’ll make a coat out of your skin,” she threatened.

“I’m not the one flirting,” I said.

Anger twisted her face. She pulled me forward and slammed me back against the locker with more force. The pain doubled. Heat flared over my skin. I was stuck between vomiting or fainting.

“Break it up. Detention to everyone who isn’t in class after the last bell,” Viddie’s voice roared over the quiet crowd.

Amber released me. “Watch your back, slut.”

Without the strength of her holding me upright, I swayed back into the locker. The students broke up quickly, allowing the principal to approach.

“I’m willing to let this pass today, now go to your class Miss McKnight,” Viddie said.

“Going,” I said over my shoulder.

The first step I took, I knew the note was no longer on me. My pulse raced into my throat. I glanced around the floor, but there was no slip of paper lying on the tile.

“Class, Miss McKnight,” he said again.

“I’m going,” I repeated.

T
he end of the day couldn’t come soon enough. All I wanted to do was sleep.

I opened my locker and noticed the folded sheet of paper on top of my books. The printed letter said: this one is for you.

The steady buzz of voices and clatter of lockers was interrupted by a scream. Students jostled about searching for the source, which ended with all eyes on Amber. She stood in from of her locker looking like a drowned rat. I should have known better than to stare and I really shouldn’t have laughed.

Amber’s eyes locked on me. I shoved the letter back in my locker. I’d be guilty by association anyway.

“Fight! Fight!” The crowd began chanting.

A few well-placed strides put Amber in my face ready to throw punches. I squared my shoulders and braced my feet, ready to defend myself. She was fast. I pivoted and backed out of her reach. Her fist slammed into the locker just over my head, denting the metal inward like something heavier than a cheerleader’s hand had crushed it.

I blocked the punch, catching her extended arm and shoving it outward. The vibration of that hit rattled my bones. It felt like I was fighting under water. My movements were stunted and slow. I couldn’t keep this up for long.

The crowd closed in giving me very little room to maneuver. I dodged another hit, which put my back against the locker. She caught the collar of my shirt and I dug my nails into her wrist. I braced for a blow that never came. A much larger hand caught her fist and pulled her back.

The chanting gave way to moans of disappointment. It took a moment for the both of us to realize someone else got involved. She tried to jerk free from Rex’s hold, but he wouldn’t let her go.

“This is between us,” Amber said.

Rex held her close enough that the whisper should have been private, but I heard it anyway. “Don’t draw attention to us.”

“We both want the same thing, so don’t think I’m about to bow down to you.” Her voice was equally low.

Teachers were pushing through the crowd and students started drifting away.

“You—” She pointed a finger at me. “You better watch your back, whore!”

Rex pushed her towards her locker, a little rougher than he’d ever been with me.

This time when Rex whispered to her, it was too low to hear. I held my breath, waiting for him to jerk around and say something equally as mincing to me, but he didn’t. Amber gave me one last stare, before walking away. I didn’t get a chance to tell him I’d lost his note. I’d have to see what he wanted tonight.

Starr pushed through the crowd with my duffle bag in her hands.

“Amber deserved that,” she said.

Despite Amber’s absence, my adrenaline remained high. There would be repercussions. She wasn’t going to let it go.

“Yeah, but she’s blaming me for something I didn’t do.”

Since there was nothing I need in my locker, I didn’t bother trying to peel back the badly dented metal. A small spark of fear rushed through me. I’ve been in fights, but no one had a punch that could twist metal like Amber had.

Starr shrugged. “A little humility is good for her.”

We past some guys from the poetry club who were dressed in black. If I was part of their crowd maybe I’d see their individuality. At the moment it wasn’t happening, though Bert caught my attention with the black eyeliner on his eyelids.

“Is Bert wearing eyeliner? Does that follow World Congress regulations?”

“Stop staring at Bert,” Starr said. She grabbed my arm and dragged me outside. It felt good to be out of the school, but I expected a patroller to be at the entrance waiting for me. “Can you believe what happened to Amber? Bert saw everything from where he was standing. He said the soda blasted like cannons.”

“How did she get sprayed to begin with?” I asked.

Starr skipped just ahead of me. “I caught the tail end, but these cans were stacked in her locker and when she opened the door, the tabs flew open and soda exploded right in her face. She never saw it coming.”

I tried to picture what she said and couldn’t. There was just no possible way. The physics just wouldn’t pan out like that.

“Someone out there must really hate me.” I tried not to groan, but it slipped out.

Starr’s laugh sounded forced. “No, not at all. Someone’s got your back.”

“Yes, well, now she thinks I’m responsible, which clearly didn’t solve the problem,” I said.

She shrugged, looking disappointed. I wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear so I didn’t respond as we climbed into her golf cart. With the pain relievers wearing off, my tailbone was once again killing me and the bucket seats didn’t help.

“I found a rave in town,” Starr confided, none too quietly.

“Don’t you think the rave scene is getting a little dangerous?” I asked.

We stopped at a red light and I glanced over to the street performer. Day and night, he was always there. A thrill slid through me at his bravery. It was a matter of time, but World Congress would pick him up.

“Earth to Belen, did you hear a thing I said?”

The lethargy I felt didn’t wane as I turned my gaze to her.

“So are you interested in going to the rave tomorrow or not?” Starr asked.

This was obviously the question I missed earlier. Her obsession with the rave worried me. I couldn’t handle another rave. I needed a safe quiet place to figure things out.

“Can you just drop me off at the tree house and let me think about it?”

“Do you think the tree house is still there? We haven’t been there for years. Anyway, can’t you decide now? I want to go,” Starr said. She turned on the dirt path heading into the forest.

“It’s not a good idea, Starr. Last night was too intense,” I said.

Starr sat straighter and didn’t look happy. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on? This morning, you’re wet and covered in grass with a duffle and then a patroller pulls you into a private conference. Instead of going home, you want to go to a tree house we haven’t visited in years.”

I knew Starr was going to eventually pull herself out of her self-absorbed world and question me. I just didn’t think it’d be today. It’s not that Starr’s stupid, it’s just that she had this way of ignoring everything that didn’t directly involve her. That was one of the reasons I held off telling her anything, but I’ve never seen her this serious in the past