by Leia Stone
“Go away.” I shook the brick at her, and she sighed, reaching into her pocket.
Pulling out a small white card, she laid it on the ground in front of her. “I just want to talk. About the things you’ve been seeing. Probably scary things.”
I paled, chills running the length of my entire body. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth in fear.
“But I can see my presence is causing you more anxiety, and that’s not what I want. Just call me, okay? Tomorrow?” Her voice was so kind, I felt myself growing confused.
“Just go!” I shouted.
She gave me a curt nod and then backed out of the alley and disappeared.
Holy hallucination hell.
I sighed in relief when I finally found myself alone. Walking over, I picked up the white card with a shaking hand.
There was a gold feather emblem on the front, and underneath was a phone number. No name, no other writing. My thoughts went to the dude in the train car, Jacob, and his wings. The feather on the card reminded me of them. I ran my fingers over the design, and it felt downy.
With a sigh, I walked to the end of the alley and hailed a cab. As he pulled away, I stared at the card, questioning my sanity, my life, my everything.
Did that just happen? Was the card even real? Was I losing touch with reality like Gran?
By the time we pulled up to my building, I decided I needed the cabbie to help me do a sanity check.
“Excuse me, sir. Can you see this? What’s on it?” I held up the card.
He took it, smiling. “Cool feather. This some kind of underground club invite?”
It was real.
Reaching out, I took it back before paying him, and left a generous tip. “Thanks.”
After letting myself into the apartment, I checked on Gran. She was sound asleep. I washed up and then made my way to the couch. Wrapping myself tightly in the blankets, I tried to go to sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes, visions of the guy’s green eyes from the diner, or the golden wings and swirling tattoos, swam in my mind, keeping me wide awake.
A new thought struck me then.
What if Gran wasn’t crazy? What if her rants about good and evil were real all along?
It was a long time before I slept.
CHAPTER
FOUR
I was paranoid for the rest of the week. How could I not be? I’d hallucinated on the subway two days in a row. Combine that with Gran’s strange ramblings about forces of light and dark, and the bizarre half-conversation I had with the guy from the diner, and I was barely sleeping. I’d put myself on a strict visual diet of cartoons and Animal Planet, but that didn’t help.
I hadn’t stepped back on the subway for a full seven days. As much as I hated it, I now took the bus to work. I had to switch lines three times, and it added an extra forty-five minutes to my commute, but it was worth it. I only had one scary instance this past week. I thought I saw another shadowy creature attached to the back of a woman on my way to pick up groceries two days ago. It was in broad daylight. She was going into a building, so I’d only snagged a glimpse of her, but it was enough for the icy fingers of fear to grip my heart and squeeze.
One thing you want to be when you travel the city is aware, but I’d started keeping my gaze fixed on the ground in front of me whenever I ventured out. I was also jumpy at work, and Stella and the other waitstaff had noticed. They shot me worried glances throughout my shifts. Yesterday, I’d dropped a tray full of food on a customer because I’d thought their eyes had flashed red, but when I was cleaning ketchup off the front of his shirt—as he was cussing me out—his eyes were a perfectly normal shade of mahogany brown.
Part of me feared I was losing my mind. If I could afford a therapist, I’d have already booked an appointment. The other part of me feared that I wasn’t, and everything I saw was somehow real. Both options were terrifying and kept me up at night.
I had to do something about this. I needed help, but I didn’t know who or where to go for answers.
I chewed my lip as I waited for my next order to come up. Reaching into my apron pocket, I absently brushed my fingers over the business card with the wing that Drea had given me. I’d started to do that for comfort a couple of days ago, and I’d almost worn a hole in it from repeated rubs. The card reminded me that those teenagers I’d met on the subway were real, and that frightened and reassured me.
I hadn’t worked up the guts to call the number yet, but this push and pull inside of me was ripping me apart. Was I seeing things, or was there more to this world than I’d ever known? I wanted to know the truth, but I also wasn’t ready.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled and a chill ran down my spine.
Someone is watching me.
Holding my breath, I scanned the diner. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The dinner rush was over, so there were only a couple of late-night regulars seated throughout the restaurant. None of them were looking my way, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
I glanced toward the windows, trying to see the street past the glare of the diner lights on the glass. I couldn’t make out much. The streetlamps that exploded last week still hadn’t been replaced, but as I squinted I caught something shift in the darkness outside. Taking a shallow breath, I focused on the dark shape, but still couldn’t see any details.
Drifting away from the order counter, I walked slowly toward the entrance. Like a moth drawn to a flame, I kept moving until my nose skimmed the glass door. Bracing my hands against the handle, I peered into the darkness.
There was definitely something on the other side of the street. It looked a little broader than a person, but maybe that was just the shadow playing tricks on me.
Could it be a homeless person? Maybe someone waiting for a ride-share? But what if it was something else altogether?
As I watched, darkness spread behind the form, stretching and unfurrowing in a way that reminded me a whole lot of Jacob’s wings, but these appendages were made of shadows and mist rather than solid golden feathers.
My heart pounded against my rib cage like it was trying to escape. I started to get lightheaded and dizzy, and so I sucked in a deep dredge of air.
One breath, two, three…
A hand landed in the middle of my back, and I screamed, backpedaling away from the door and smashing into the person behind me. We both went down in a heap of limbs.
“Tatum, geez. What has gotten into you?” Stella said as we untangled.
I pushed to my feet and snuck a quick look around the restaurant, mortified to see I’d captured the attention of every patron. Sal popped his head out from the kitchen and yelled, “Everything all right out there?”
“Yeah, we’re okay. Sorry,” I said as I reached a hand out and helped Stella to her feet. Sal shot me a frown, but then went back to the grill.
Stella’s brows were pleated as she brushed herself. A few wisps of her reddish-brown hair had been pulled from its topknot, framing her heart-shaped face and making her look a bit younger than her thirty-five years.
I grimaced. “I thought…” I snuck a glance at the street, but there was nothing there. “Sorry. I’m just a little jumpy.”
Pursing her lips, Stella planted her hands on her rounded hips. I knew that look. She’d slipped into mother mode. “You look pale. Are you feeling ill? Have you been eating enough?” Pity filled her gaze, softening her features and her tone. “Is it your gran? Is she getting worse?”
Stella was the only one who knew about Gran’s deteriorating memory.
“Actually, Gran has had a great couple of days,” I told her, and that was the truth. There were several times this past week that Gran had been lucid enough that I considered asking her about some of the things I’d seen, or her confusing ramblings. But I was too worried about sending her spiraling and losing what little time we had.
Stella sighed. “Then what’s going on with you, Tatum?”
I shook my head, a pang of guilt gnawing at
me for worrying her. “Really, it’s nothing,” I lied. “You just startled me. I’ve been watching too many scary movies.”
She tilted her head and narrowed her gaze, a clear sign she didn’t believe me. “Why don’t you take a fifteen-minute break. I’ll cover your table.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then thought better of it. Maybe I did need to take a breather. “That would be great. Thanks.”
There wasn’t a break room in the diner, only Sal’s office. He let us hang out in there if we wanted, but I needed a little fresh air to center myself. I walked past the kitchen and Sal’s office and pushed through the back exit into the alley behind the restaurant. Cigarette butts littered the ground, and there was a definite funk coming from the dumpster, but it was quiet, and most importantly, well lit.
I leaned against the brick wall, hardly feeling the rough texture at my back. The warm late-spring air feathered over me, and I sighed, pulling the white card out of my apron.
Just do it, Tatum. At this point, what do you have to lose?
Taking a deep breath, I shoved my hand into my back pocket and grabbed my cell. The screen was cracked, and I’d already used what little data I could afford for the month, but it still made and received calls.
It took three tries to type the number in correctly because my hands were shaking so badly. With a hard swallow, I hit “send” before I could second guess myself.
The phone rang twice, and then the line picked up, triggering an automated voice message. “Thank you for calling Lumen Academy. If you’d like to speak to the front desk, please press one. To reach a member of the faculty, please press two. To report demonic activity in your precinct, please press three. To be connected with…”
A buzzing started in my ears, and I didn’t even register the rest of the options.
Demonic activity?
Nope. So. Much. Nope.
I ended the call and almost dropped my phone when I tried to jam it back in my pocket. Calling that number was such a bad idea. This wasn’t happening.
I slid to the ground, planting my butt on the dirty asphalt and not caring a lick that I was getting all sorts of gunk on my jeans and probably making my cell’s cracked screen worse.
One minute leaked into five, and then ten. My breath came out in short rasps, and I knew I was on the verge of a panic attack. As I neared the end of my fifteen-minute break, I wasn’t in any better shape than when I walked out into the alley.
Groaning, I shoved to my feet. I was about to head back inside when a voice sounded behind me.
“Hey!” The voice was feminine and familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. With my hand on the door, I turned to glance over my shoulder.
Drea, the girl from the subway, strode into the light. She was out of breath, her wild brown curls windblown; a fine layer of sweat glistened on her forehead.
“Oh good. I caught you. Give me a second,” she said as she bent over to collect herself. Glowing tattoos appeared on her arms and started to swirl but disappeared quickly. When she straightened, she looked rejuvenated.
What the…?
I white-knuckled the door handle, wanting to go screaming into the diner, but also needing answers I was starting to worry only she could give me.
“How did you find me?” I demanded to know.
“Your phone call,” she said. “Our dispatch tracked your location.”
Dispatch? “You tracked me?”
“Yeah. We were a couple of miles away, and I figured running here would be quicker than a cab.”
“We?”
“Geez, Drea,” said another voice from beyond the ring of light. “Did you have to take off like that?” The pretty blue-eyed brunette girl from the subway joined Drea a moment later. The smaller, black-haired girl, the guy in a hoodie, and Jacob followed in her wake.
My anxiety skyrocketed.
Seeing my distress, Drea took a step forward and softened her voice. “We’re here to help you. I promise. I’m Drea,” she said, pointing at her own chest. “This is Skye…” She pointed to the brunette. “Marlow…” The girl with the sword tattoo waved. “Dash…” The hooded guy just grunted and nodded his head. She finally indicated the golden wing guy. “…and Jacob. We’re Lumens. Do you know what that means?”
I shook my head, not feeling capable of words at this point.
“I still can’t believe it,” Skye said as she flipped her sleek ponytail over her shoulder and gave me a once-over. “How is it possible she was missed?”
“If her sight just kicked in, it explains the spike in energy we registered a week back,” Marlow added, glancing down at some sort of device in her hand.
I had no idea what they were talking about, and I seriously wanted to run back inside, but my body wouldn’t let me. I stood there frozen, listening.
Drea held up her hands. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We’ll get her back to the academy and they can do a lineage test and figure out—”
Lineage test? Nah-ah. I was out.
Lurching backward, I yanked open the diner door, ready to bolt back to the relative safety of the diner.
“Wait!” Drea called, but I ignored her.
Arms banded around my waist when I was already halfway over the threshold. I was yanked backward and up into the air. In a blink, my feet dangled at least ten feet off the ground, and a shriek tore from my throat.
What just happened?
Survival instinct kicked in. I thrashed. Freeing an arm, I jabbed my elbow up and it connected with my captor’s face. I heard the satisfying crunch of bone, and a muttered curse, but the hold around my middle didn’t loosen. If anything, it restricted even more.
“Get down here, Jacob!” Drea demanded from below. “You’re just scaring her even more.”
Oh no. Winged boy had me.
I’m flying!
Glancing over my shoulder, I could see his feathered wings flapping to keep us airborne. That’s when I went berserk, attacking Jacob like a feral cat.
I had one arm and two legs free, and that was enough for me. Swinging and kicking wildly, I mostly connected with air, but occasionally clipped one of his body parts. Twisting, I managed to rotate in his embrace, which gave me more leverage and a better range of motion.
“I was only trying to stop—” Jacob’s words cut off when I kneed him in the groin.
His arms instantly loosened, and I slipped from his grasp. I clearly didn’t think this through. Even though we weren’t more than a story off the ground, the fall was going to hurt and possibly break a bone or two.
The light bulb in the alley exploded, raining down a shower of sparks as I fell, plunging us into darkness. I hardly had a moment to brace for impact before strong arms wrapped around me, stopping my fall. The air was forced from my lungs, but besides that, I was unharmed.
I blinked and looked up into a pair of vibrant green eyes, lit by the few light bulbs that had yet to shatter.
It was him. The maybe-British rude guy from last week.
“You,” I said, the weight of accusation heavy in my voice.
His eyes were hard, just shy of unfriendly, as he swept his gaze over my face. He set me on my feet and then stepped in front of me.
The alley was now dim but not completely dark. I looked around the guy to see the others getting to their feet. Had rude-guy somehow blasted them all to the ground?
“Gage,” Jacob spat, and took a hostile step forward. “What are you doing here?”
The guy in the hoodie, Dash, moved quickly in front of Jacob, placing two hands on his chest to stop him.
“Not worth it,” Dash said, his voice a low rumble that echoed off the brick alleyway walls. I realized with a start that that was the first time he’d spoken in my presence.
Jacob sneered at Gage over Dash’s shoulder and then flexed his wings in an obvious show of aggression. The hard look on his face said that he and my would-be-rescuer were far from friendly with each other.
Gage. I looked over at him. The n
ame fit him. It was strong and unique.
In front of me, Gage rolled his shoulders and then darkness sprang from his back, forming two giant wings made of shadow and smoke that were nothing like Jacob’s. Black as night and closer to bat wings than birds’, the ends touched the brick walls on either side of us.
Holy mother of all things scary.
I gasped, putting a few extra feet between us.
Hearing my retreat, Gage glanced over his shoulder and pinned me with a hard stare.
The look was serious enough to freeze me in my tracks. When he was satisfied I wasn’t going to bolt, he turned back to the others.
“You want to rumble, Jakey? Because if so, I’m ready.” Cracking his neck, Gage squared up and arched his shadow wings in the same aggressive manner Jacob had.
I didn’t mean to notice, but Gage’s wings were definitely bigger than Jacob’s. Not that size mattered.
“Don’t be stupid,” Jacob spat. “You’re outnumbered. We’d take you down in under five seconds.”
Gage glared at the group and then chuckled. “Nah. I like these odds. I’d be happy to take you all out… again.”
Dash turned, facing Gage. He stepped out of Jacob’s way and crossed his arms over his chest. With the lights blown out and that dang hood up, I still couldn’t see what he looked like.
Drea moved forward, pushing between Jacob and Dash. “Okay, guys, take it down a notch. We’re not here to fight. This is neutral territory. We’re just trying to help Tatum.”
The breath caught in my throat. How did she know my name?
Gage turned his head so he could see me from his periphery. “Were these four helping you?” he asked.
“I… um… ” My heartbeat was intense before, but now it raged. “No?”
“There you have it.” I couldn’t see his face when he looked back to the others, but I could hear the smirk in his words. “Besides, there is no need to help her. She’s a Shade, just like her mother. So she’s under my jurisdiction.”
Chills ran the length of my entire body. My mother?
Drea sighed as Skye and Marlow exchanged a glance.
Pearlescent tattoos appeared on Jacob’s arms, brightening the air around him. “No. She has a choice, and you will let her choose,” he growled.
