by Cole Gibsen
The girl rolled onto her side and let out a low groan as the guy slowly climbed to his feet. I had the satisfaction of seeing him brace a hand against the small of his back as he glanced in my direction. Hopefully, whatever injury I’d inflicted would slow him down enough for me to get away. As banged up as I was, retreat was my only option.
He held out his hand to the other ninja who waved it away before staggering to her feet.
I pressed my palms against the building and used them to guide myself up.
The girl took a step toward me and stopped. “I don’t understand it.” Her eyes darted up and down the sidewalk. “Where did she go?”
I frowned. Pretending not to see me was a ninja tactic I was not familiar with. What did they want me to do? Wave my arms and call them over?
The other ninja scanned the edges of the building, his gaze falling over my body with each pass. “I don’t know. She was right there.”
Seriously? Were we in junior high? What was the point of this game? Even though the sun was moments from disappearing into the horizon and I was draped in the shadow of the building I leaned against, there was no way they couldn’t see me.
The guy cursed under his breath. “The boss is going to be pissed she got away again.”
The girl cried out with frustration. “We had her!” She punched the air before pointing to the side of the building. “She couldn’t have gotten very far. I’ll check this side and you check the other.”
The guy nodded and they both trotted around their assigned corners.
“What the what?” I whispered. Why were they messing with me? I glanced around, waiting for them to jump out at me with a “Aha! Tricked you!” But they never did.
Something warm trickled down my neck followed by the sharp metallic smell of copper. Blood. I must have hit the wall harder than I thought. I used my hand to feel for the wound at the back of my head. When I found it, hot and burning beneath my fingertips, I brought my hand in front of my face to see how much blood stained my fingers. The only problem was, I didn’t see any blood.
I didn’t see anything at all.
A strangled sound escaped from my mouth as I choked on my own breath. It didn’t make sense. I was holding my hand in front of my face, therefore, I should see my hand in front of my face, but all I really saw was the empty street in front of me. I spun a circle, trying to catch a glimpse of my arms, my legs, my feet, my anything. But all I saw was the building next to me, the street in front of me, and the sidewalk beneath me.
I, on the other hand, wasn’t there.
28
My knees shook so hard they banged together. A wave of goose bumps spilled down my body and I fell back against the building.
What the hell?
The female ninja darted around the building and stopped in front of me. I pulled myself up straighter and clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp.
She froze and tilted her head to the side, listening.
I held my breath.
“Mike?” Her eyes scanned the shadows where I stood. “Did you hear something?”
The guy ninja, who I assumed was Mike, appeared seconds later from the opposite alley. “Did I hear what?”
“I don’t know, exactly. I just thought … ” She shook her head. “Never mind. Do you think she went inside?” She nodded to the building Whitley had disappeared inside.
Still holding my breath, I pressed myself harder against the wall, as if by pure force I could melt into the concrete, and took a giant step to my left. I had no idea how I had turned invisible, or how long I could keep it up. I wasn’t about to take any chances.
“Maybe,” Mike answered. “Let’s check it out.” He started for the street.
The girl followed him.
At that moment, my foot hit a chunk of concrete and sent it skittering across the sidewalk.
The girl froze with her foot hovered over the curb. “Wait.” She turned and walked a direct line straight for me.
Crap! A trickle of sweat slid down the length of my spine.
The ninja stopped inches from where I stood.
I turned my head so she wouldn’t feel the exhale of my breath.
“What are you doing?” Mike asked from across the street.
She didn’t answer him but continued to study the ground where I stood, her eyes sweeping over my toes.
My heart thundered inside my chest loud enough I was sure she heard it. My thighs burned from the exertion of holding still. Please, I silently willed my body, just a little bit longer.
She crouched down. “Blood.” She reached out and swiped the sidewalk with her finger. She brought her finger to her face and rubbed the crimson droplet between her thumb and forefinger. “Still warm.”
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Even though it was my blood, it was still nasty. The drops must have come from the kunai wound on my arm. My only guess was that my blood became visible after it fell from my body.
I glanced at my arm to make sure, but of course I didn’t see anything. But I could feel the warmth of something trickle down my forearm and fill the creases of my wrist.
Son of hibachi!
I pressed my arm against my shirt before any more of my blood appeared on the ground in front of them.
The girl stood. “She’s nearby. I can feel it. She has to be in the building.”
“Let’s go.” Mike motioned for her to follow with the wave of his arm, and the two disappeared inside the building across the street.
I counted to ten before I dared to exhale the breath knotted inside my lungs. Now what? I had maybe ten minutes for the ninja to search the building and realize I wasn’t inside. I needed to get the hell out of there.
Slowly, I stretched my arm in front of me. Just like before, I didn’t see anything but the street and sidewalk. An icy tremor nipped the back of my arms. What if I was stuck this way?
I kept my hand out and took another step forward, this time reaching beyond the edge of shadow cast by the building. And that’s when I saw them. Purple painted fingernails hovering above the ground on floating fingers. Gasping, I withdrew my hand back into the shadows where it disappeared.
“What the what?” I whispered. After taking a moment to calm my racing heart, I decided to try again. This time, I reached my entire hand past the shadows and, just like before, a hand appeared under the streetlight, floating as if by magic.
“Gross,” I muttered. This was a really sick special effect. If only I could figure out how it worked or why. Obviously, the shadows had something to do with it, but beyond that, I had no idea how I’d done it or if I’d be able to do it again.
I stretched my arm farther, marveling at the way my skin appeared to grow out of the darkness itself when I heard the sound of the door opening across the street. With a gasp, I jerked my arm back into the shadows and flattened myself against the building as the two ninja emerged from the building. They glanced in both directions before hopping over the stair rail and jogging down the street.
I watched them until they disappeared from view. Only then did I take off running in the opposite direction.
29
Samurai training tip #152: Jeans were not made for jogging.
If only the ninja could schedule their attacks with me ahead of time, I could dress appropriately.
I huffed and picked up speed as I ran to my condo. A few people lounged on the concrete steps of crumbling buildings. They eyed me curiously as I passed and, aside from a couple of catcalls and lewd gestures, left me alone—which was good because I’d met my quota for altercations that evening.
My mind still reeled over the invisibility incident. But I couldn’t really mull it over as I darted through side streets and alleyways. I focused soley on getting home alive.
I jumped over a broken chunk of asphalt and paused to catch my breath. So far, no ni
nja. But that didn’t mean anything. After the elevator incident, it was pretty obvious they knew where I lived—not the most comforting thought in the world. At least I had my danger premonitions … well, when they worked.
I jogged the rest of the way to my building and climbed the twelve flights of stairs to my condo. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against it to catch my breath.
Debbie looked up from the take-out menus she and Jason studied at the kitchen bar. She frowned, pinching a line above the bridge of her nose. “Why is it, Rileigh, that every time you come home lately, you look like you’ve been involved in a street fight?”
“Not a street fight—that implies gang members or thugs.” I strode past her to the refrigerator where I snagged a bottle of water and took a long drink. After swallowing nearly half the bottle in one gulp, I screwed the cap back on and looked at her. “I was jumped by ninja.”
Jason stiffened, his hand crumpling the pizza menu he held.
Debbie snorted. “Very funny.”
I shrugged. “Well, if the whole ninja-fighting thing doesn’t work out for me, at least I have a career in comedy to pursue.”
Debbie rolled her eyes and handed me a Charlie Gitto’s Italian menu. “But seriously, how did you get so banged up? That cut on your arm looks serious.”
“It’s not. I fell off my skateboard—I’ll live.” I handed the menu back. “Order me the toasted ravioli, please. I need to shower.”
Debbie reached for the cordless phone. “Okay. But let Jason take a look at those cuts. He is a doctor.”
If only she knew the half of it. I sighed and motioned Dr. Wendell to follow me. “Come on, Doctor.”
He frowned but followed me into my room. After he’d shut the door, he whirled on me. “What happened to you? Were you really attacked by ninja? Again?”
“Yup.” I opened my dresser and began rooting through the folded clothes until they were nice and rumpled. Only then did I find the sweatpants I’d been looking for.
He groaned and bit onto the edge of his thumbnail. “This is no good. After the attack on Kim’s dojo, the Network doubled their efforts to track down them down, but the ninja stay one step ahead.”
I folded my arms. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”
His eyes widened and he dropped his hand. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Are you okay?” He held out his hand, and when I didn’t move he added, “Come on, Rileigh. Be a sport. I just need to examine your wounds to make sure you’re okay.”
I made a face. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I’m fine.”
“But your arm—”
“I know how to open a bottle of peroxide.”
He sighed and held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, fine. But we need to figure out what to do about the ninja.”
“We?” I dropped my hands to my side. “Haven’t you heard? I’m no longer a samurai. There is no we.”
Dr. Wendell shifted uncomfortable. “Yes, well. Kim did mention he thought that was for the best.”
Anger churned inside of me. My hands tightened into fists. “Then don’t pretend I’m still on the team or that I give a crap about your efforts and what things you need to figure out. Call Kim. Isn’t that his job?”
His gaze dropped to his feet. “Yes, well, he’s been a little preoccupied.”
I barked out an angry laugh. I could only imagine all the ways Sumi was keeping him distracted. “Oh, really? Because I hadn’t noticed. I mean, he promised to take care of the ninja and—spoiler alert—they’re still trying to kill me. Make sure you tell him I really appreciate the absolutely nothing he’s done.” I smiled and gave a double thumbs-up.
He frowned. “It’s not like that. I promise you, Rileigh, the other samurai and I are doing the best we can to deal with Kim’s current situation and the ninja. I know it may not seem like it to you, but we’re all in this together.”
“Oh, totally.” I waved a hand dismissively. “I got kicked off the team and the other samurai are giving me the cold shoulder, leaving me to fight the ninja by myself. If that’s not teamwork, I don’t know what is.”
Dr. Wendell looked confused. “Wait, the other samurai aren’t speaking to you?”
“As if you didn’t know.” I flopped onto my bed.
“That doesn’t sound right—”
“It’s because of Kim,” I interrupted. “He said he had to cut ties with me. I’m pretty sure that meant the other samurai had to do the same.” Why else would Braden and Michelle have completely ignored me this morning?
He chewed on his bottom lip.
“Don’t believe me?” I pulled out my cell phone, put it on speaker, and dialed Michelle’s number. After it went to voicemail, I hung up and dialed Braden’s number. When the same thing happened, I dialed Drew’s. When his voicemail picked up, I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed. “I rest my case.”
Dr. Wendell opened his mouth, but I cut him off.
“It’s okay. I can’t really blame them for not wanting to get involved in the breakup.” Okay. That was a lie. I thought we were friends and couldn’t help but feel hurt they wouldn’t even talk to me. Breakup or not, friends just didn’t abandon friends—unless we hadn’t been as close as I’d thought. “Anyway, I’m doing just fine on my own. I found out who’s behind the ninja attacks.”
His head jerked upright, his eyes wide. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
I shrugged. “I just found out. I mean, I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t for sure until I saw him for myself.”
“Who?”
“Whitley.”
Dr. Wendell’s face relaxed and he scoffed. “But that’s impossible. Whitley’s dead.”
“That’s what I thought too. But I can promise you he’s alive and probably pretty pissed I left him to die in the fire.”
He crossed his arms. “You’re telling me you actually saw Whitley. In the flesh?”
“Yup. I saw him go into a vacant building on Page right before the ninja showed up and attacked me.”
Dr. Wendell blinked several times, looking like he might have trouble processing this latest information. Finally, he looked up at me. “Grab your jacket. You’re taking me there.”
“Seriously?” I whined. “I’ve already been in one fight today. I really just want to take a shower, eat dinner, and pass out. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”
“Would a samurai really let something like this wait until tomorrow?”
I scowled at him. “You’re forgetting—I’m not a samurai anymore.”
He marched over to my closet, snagged a fleece jacket from a hanger, and threw it at me. “That’s a load of bullshit and you know it. You can no more stop being a samurai than you can stop your heart from beating. So stop whining, man up, and let’s go take care of this.”
I stared at him, open-mouthed, until the shock of his words wore off. If it was a different situation, I would have told him exactly where he could shove his orders. But as much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. A samurai wouldn’t sit back and relax while an enemy lurked nearby. But that didn’t mean I had to like it. “Fine. Geez.” I pulled my jacket on and stood. “Let’s go. I hope you enjoy getting your ass kicked.”
He looked at me one long moment before speaking. “I’ll be fine.”
I laughed. “Oh really? Think your black belt has prepared you for a ninja fight?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But I’m with you. I don’t need any more protection than that.”
Dammit. Why did he have to say something like that? I could feel the scowl melt off my face. “C’mon.” I marched out the door with him in tow before he got the idea that his proclamation of trust actually meant something to me.
I only hoped he was right.
30
You’re positive you saw him come here?” Dr. Wendell asked me for what had to be th
e hundredth time. Using a flashlight to guide us, he led the way through the vacant building where the only sign of life was an empty room littered with fast-food wrappers and a smelly old sleeping bag.
“Yes.” I wrinkled my nose and pushed aside a McDonald’s hamburger wrapper with my foot. After I’d cleaned the cuts on my head and arm, we’d told my mom that Dr. Wendell was taking me to the hospital for a couple of stitches.
“It looks like the only one who’s been staying here is a homeless person.”
I looked up from the pyramid of Quarter Pounder boxes stacked by the sleeping bag. “So you’re saying you don’t believe Whitley was here?”
“No, no.” Dr. Wendell swept the flashlight in the corner just in time for me to see something small and furry skitter away.
I shuddered. “Well, he was.”
“I’m not arguing with you, Rileigh. I’m just wondering why Whitley would have been in a place such as this.”
He had a point. When I dated Whitley, he drove a BMW and wore designer-label clothing. This wasn’t the kind of place he’d want to hang around. “The ninja said something about meeting him here. Maybe this was his secret meeting place?”
“Maybe.” Dr. Wendell shrugged. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me why he’d go through so much trouble.”
“He’s Whitley.” I shook my head. “He’s a reincarnated super villain who’s into rituals and sacrifice. In case you didn’t get the memo, he’s psycho.”
“You’re right, of course.” He nodded and waved his flashlight at the door. “Ready to go? I think we’ve given this place a thorough sweep and found all we’re going to.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I kicked another bag across the room just for good measure, and the empty spot left behind revealed a business card. “Huh.” I bent down and picked up the card. The moonlight filtering in through the shattered windows didn’t allow enough light to make out the words.
