“Sorry, I’m really bad with names. I bet you don’t remember mine either.” It would make her feel a hell of a lot better if he didn’t. She caught sight of the teacher scowling over at them; the guy dressed in white now up and ready to fight.
“Your name, maybe not, but no one could forget your face.”
She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Oh, that was bad. Really bad.”
He laughed too, not breaking eye contact as he said, “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d bite that kind of line.”
“Because it was terrible.”
The teacher walked over to them, scowling as he tapped Thornton’s friend on the shoulder. “The fight’s starting again.”
“I thought classes had been cancelled for the day?”
The teacher looked at her, his dark eyes intense. Damn, was there really any need for that? “Who are you?” he asked instead of answering her question.
She could see Thornton’s friend watching her, waiting for her to give them her name. “I’m…. I’m new here. I was thinking of taking up this class.”
The teacher reached and took her arm, lightly squeezing it.
“What the hell?” Jaycen pulled her arm back and stepped back. “Are you a teacher here? Not sure teachers can touch you.”
“The class is called Defence & Attack; I’m the head of the department here. You can call me Drake. What you can’t do is join any of my classes.”
“What? Why?”
Thornton’s friend whistled and looked uncomfortable.
“Because you’re too weak. Only the strong get in my class.” He turned back to Thornton’s friend. “José, are you going to fight or is this point going to James?”
“José!” Jaycen beamed. “That’s your name.”
José shook his head, amused. “Guess I’ll see you later, little nymphet.”
She watched him walk back to the guy waiting. José looked great, tanned skin, thick, black hair and wide shoulders. He was tall, not as tall as Thornton, but maybe six-feet or so.
She watched the two guys get in position; the guy in white crouched slightly, his arms held out, ready to grab José, while José just stood straight, his fingers moving very slightly. The rest of his body was still.
“Is there some place you need to be? My fighters don’t need the distraction,” Drake said, not looking at her, his eyes now on his fighters as he barked the word, “Go.”
Both the guys sprang into action, tugging at each other, hitting and kicking. Nothing Jaycen couldn’t do.
“I’m stronger than I look,” she offered as she tore her eyes away from the fight. It fascinated her, how they moved, how they hit. It was as if she could see the power behind each punch, the force behind every hit. Growing up she’d been to a lot of martial arts classes, karate, judo, you name it she’d done it. But none of those compared to this.
“I’m sure you think so,” Drake drawled back. “Put more power into it guys. Go for it.”
“Maybe, I could….”
Drake spun around, his arms folded across his broad chest. “Stop talking.”
Jaycen’s mouth clamped shut.
“You have no muscle; it would be unwise to let any of my fighters near you. They’d break you like a twig.”
Jaycen’s back straightened, her lips turning up at the corners a little. “Put me against one of them. Then, we’ll see who gets broken.” Just as she said the words, the guy dressed in white flew across the field, landing with a thud.
Okay, maybe she couldn’t do that just yet, but surely she’d learn it? Wasn’t that what school was for?
“I’m not in the mood to see teenage girls cry, so I’ll pass.”
“Well, that’s sexist,” she deadpanned.
“Look, I get that this looks cool to you.” He gestured behind them to where José was helping the other guy off the ground. “But it’s more than that. It’s not just a class but a way of being. It takes discipline, something you lack. It takes strength, something you do not have, and lastly it takes power.”
Jaycen cocked her head to the side. “Surely someone’s strength and power is the same thing?”
“Leave. Now.” Drake turned away from her, and shouted, “Two laps of the field, guys. Go now.”
They both grumbled, the one in white throwing Jaycen a dirty look while José smiled.
How was that her fault? The teacher had been rude to her first. She had just been standing there.
“If he didn’t want people watching he should have gone inside,” she grumbled, needing to just say the words.
“I heard that.”
She jumped at Drake’s raised voice, picking up her speed as she walked away. Did the guy have super-hearing? She didn’t dare speak again until she reached the library building. Just in case he somehow heard her and tracked her down. He seemed like the kind of guy who would make her do fifty sit-ups, just because. She could still see José across the campus as he ran around the field, the other guy way behind him at this point. Running. Now, that had never been her strong point. But again, she could learn. She was pretty sure Usain Bolt hadn’t run out of his mother when she gave birth to him. He had learnt to run, just like she was going to. Even if it was just to give Drake the bird as she passed his guys.
She walked into the library with a smile on her face, imagining his face as she sprinted past them.
“Now, that is something we don’t see very often.”
A soft, female voice broke her from her daydream. A small, smiling woman now stood in front of Jaycen, a pile of books in her arms. “Not a lot of people look happy at the library.”
Jaycen wasn’t smiling because she was in a library; she doubted if anyone had ever smiled because they were in a library. Apart from the woman who stood in front of her who was beaming, “You’re smiling,” she pointed out, dropping her bag on the floor, and leaning on a nearby desk. She hated to admit it, but Drake had been spot on about her fitness. She was in bad shape, and lugging around a heavy bag full of books really wasn’t helping.
“I have to smile, I work here. My day would be pretty dull if I didn’t.”
Jaycen watched her walk over to a nearby table and put down the books. She didn’t look old enough to be a librarian. She had to be in her mid-to-late twenties, at best.
“I bet your day is dull anyway.” She laughed, eyeing the glass walls, and pine bookshelves. A few students were seated, their heads deep in books. “Normally, old ladies work in libraries. Old ladies who make it their mission to hunt you down if you accidently forget you have a book out.”
Now, it was the librarians turn to laugh. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
She shuddered at the memory of a librarian who still gave her nightmares. It may have been five-years-ago, but that woman was still the only person who Jaycen feared. She still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she had actually been a woman. If so, she had definitely been a close relative to the wrestler Hulk Hogan, because they had looked almost identical.
“I’ve had a few run-ins,” she shared, skipping over the part of the story where the scary librarian had chased her out of the school because of a few overdue books, which had been a complete overreaction. The woman may have been large but boy could she run. Jaycen had stuck to Googling after that.
The librarian just smiled at her as she sorted the books in front of her into two piles. “Is there anything I can help you with now?”
“Yes, yes there is.” Her hand went to her pocket, where her phone sat heavy with Perry’s picture, but she didn’t get it out. Instead, she smiled and asked, “Is there a section for magical animals? Or beasts maybe? Or maybe, I don’t know, monsters?”
The librarian’s shoulder shook with silent laughter. “I’m not sure about monsters but aisle four is where you could find animals. You could start there.”
It wasn’t what she had hoped for, but it was definitely something. “Thank you, Miss….” She searched for a name badge, or something that would give her the li
brarian’s name.
“My name’s Iris, and you’re welcome.”
Jaycen sped down the aisle of books, with no idea what she was looking for. Just knowing that if she didn’t find something, the monster could strike again.
Chapter 11
Jaycen’s alarm rang out. She pulled the covers closer to her, reaching one arm out to turn off the alarm. It was too early. She didn’t know what she had been thinking the night before. Her alarm rang out again. It seemed that "night-time Jaycen" knew that "morning Jaycen" wouldn’t want to get out of bed, and she had been right. She reached out again turning off the alarm, this time throwing the sheets back. Her phone flashed six, zero, three in white numbers. She rubbed her eyes and groaned; she’d been asleep for three hours. Her eyes still stung like she hadn’t slept at all. Finally, she sat up. Books lay covering the floor in front of her. Most of them open, others just discarded when she’d realised they didn’t have the answers she was looking for. In fact, none of them had the answers she was looking for. It turned out monsters of any kind didn’t exist. Which sucked, because now she had no leads. It also meant that she couldn’t go to Benedict with her findings. But while she was busy trying to find monsters, she was slacking on her actual studies. So today she was getting up early and training; at least then she would be ready for the physical part of the exam. She pulled out her phone and typed a quick message to her mother, reminding her that the bills would be going out of her bank account tomorrow and that Jaycen had recorded the most recent season of Master Chef before she had left, just in case her mother wanted to watch it. Jaycen in fact knew her mother would want to watch it, but that she’d also forget when it was on.
She tossed the phone onto her bed and pulled on a jacket and zipped it up high as she headed out the door. The corridors were completely empty, every other student fast asleep in their bed.
The cold air hit her even before she opened the main door. The cold just solidified that yes, this was a very bad idea. She probably would have turned back and gone to bed, if it wasn’t for the image of Drake looking down at her. Oh no, she couldn’t go back. She needed to prove Drake wrong and pass her test.
Then, Jaycen plugged in her headphones and started her jog off slowly, her muscles protesting every movement. She pushed through the pain and the aches, eventually falling into a steady pace. She was kind of starting to enjoy it when her body was jerked back by a strong grip on her arm. She freaked out, her body reacting even before her mind had caught up with what was happening. She hit the person holding her as hard as she could.
“What the hell.” Thornton stumbled backwards, one of his hands rubbing the place on his arm that Jaycen had just hit. She took out her ear buds.
“Are you okay?”
He looked amused at her question but nodded.
“Good.” She nodded. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. I could have really hurt you.” Though, she was being completely serious, Thornton laughed.
“Think I would have been okay.”
Jaycen wanted to hit that smile off his face. Why didn’t anyone believe she could fight? Did she walk with a limp that she was unaware of?
“You’re ruining my running time; what’s up?” She checked her watch, acting as if it told her something about her running. It didn’t. It was just a normal watch, but she saw runners do that all the time, checking their heartbeats and stuff.
“Do you run every morning?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Oh yeah, every morning.” She tried to control her heavy breathing with more words. “It clears my head. Lets me, ugh, lets me think clearly.” She was dying, and in desperate need of water. She made a mental note to bring a bottle next time. She was full on panting now, her tongue feeling like the Sahara.
“Yeah, looks like it.” He motioned with his head and started jogging again, a lot slower than what she had been doing.
“So, I take it you’re joining me,” she noted, jogging up and falling in beside him.
“You can run on your own if you want.”
That idea actually sounded quite good. She really didn’t want Thornton to see her sweaty and out of breath. Vain? Maybe. Did it matter? Hell no.
“I’ll do another lap and then go in.” Even as she said the words, she wasn’t sure if she was even capable of another lap; her legs were like jelly.
“Whatever works for you.”
They fell into a comfortable silence. Jaycen was concentrating on her breathing, and she had no idea what Thornton was doing. Admiring the scenery, maybe?
“The car crash wasn’t in the news, nothing in the newspapers, nothing online,” he said, filling the silence as if he had read her mind.
It took her a minute to work out what he was talking about. “Wasn’t it?” Her breathing was now very heavy again, her chest burning.
“Nope. Two days and still nothing. It’s odd.”
If she was honest, Jaycen hadn’t thought about checking the news. “That’s weird.” They rounded the corner of the field and Jaycen could see students starting to show. She would need to go soon and shower. Then again, there was the option of showing up to class looking like a homeless person. Would that really be so bad if it meant she could nap for ten minutes before her classes started?
“Yeah. I just expected something to be said about it. Even Benedict, he knows a lot of guys from the police department, but he’s not said a word.”
Jaycen stopped, her body hunched over as she gasped for breath. Oh, the burn was real. “You think he knows?”
Thornton was unfazed by the run; he wasn’t even sweating. Jaycen didn’t think it was normal.
“I don’t know.”
“Why haven’t you just told him?” It was the question that had been nagging her most of the nights since they’d snuck out.
He seemed to think about her question. “Tell him that I broke the school rules by letting a minor leave the grounds? Not just letting her but actually driving her? And then, letting her get attacked by a knife-wielding homeless man? Then to top it all off, for a car to be driven into the building that we were in, almost killing us. I’m not sure he’d take it that well.”
With her breathing more under control Jaycen stood up. “First of all, I turn eighteen in three weeks, so please, less of the minor stuff, okay? Secondly, you didn’t let me do anything. You just tagged along for the ride. So, don’t be freaked; you won’t get in trouble. I promise. I’ll tell them it was all my idea, well, because it was.”
He frowned at her, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m not worried I’ll get in trouble. But what we did was stupid and dangerous.”
“We could tell him about the knife?”
“Benedict knows that the killers used a knife. He’s seen the bodies. As of right now, all we have to tell him is that the attackers lost the blade; a homeless guy found it, and the attackers wanted it back. That’s about it.”
True, Jaycen conceded, the monster that Perry had drawn coming to mind. "Do you believe in monsters?" The question was out of her mouth before she could really process what she was asking. Or, how crazy it sounded.
"Monsters?" Clearly confused he scrunched up his face, "I guess when I was younger, maybe. Why?"
Again, not the answer Jaycen wanted. Her mind drifted to the cuts on Perry’s legs, and how she saw him being attacked by thin air. How did she even begin to explain that?
"So, that’s it? You're not going to explain a question like that?"
She contemplated what to say next. She could easily lie and sound sane. But what was the point? Out of everyone, Thornton knew the most about the attacks, and the homeless man, and his hallucinations.
"Perry was attacked by something."
"I heard that; probably the same beast that attacked Amy. A bear, maybe. Or maybe, he did it to himself,” he quickly added.
She shook her head. "No, I was there remember. He was being attacked but… I couldn’t see what was attacking him.” She paused as Thornton’s
face screwed up in confusion. “He drew a picture of it, too. I have it in my dorm; it's a monster. A full on, scary-ass monster. He knows what he saw, and so do I."
His eyes widened once he realised she wasn’t telling a joke.
"So, he drew a picture of a monster that was, what? Invisible?”
She nodded, clenching her teeth in frustration. "Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you happened. I didn’t see the monster, but I saw what it was doing to him, I saw the marks on his body as he was attacked. But Perry saw it, and I saw the fear in his eyes. It was real. Apart from the small fact that monsters don't exist." She dug her hands in her jacket pockets and kicked the dirt. She knew one hundred percent that Perry was telling the truth, even if he was now starting to question it. She couldn't explain how she knew, but she did. Maybe, it had been the fear in his eyes? Something not even the best of actors could make up. Even knowing that, even with her seeing with her own eyes, she had to admit that it just sounded crazy. There was no way she could go to Benedict with it. Then, Jaycen remembered what Perry told her. “Did you tell Perry that you had spoken to me?”
Thornton looked confused. “I spoke to the kid yesterday, after we saw you with him. Benedict was there so I didn’t do much talking. Why?”
So, the younger guy who Perry had spoken about wasn’t Thornton. Who the hell was it?
“He said he had spoken to a guy, a young guy. I thought it was you,” she said, her mind racing with the possibilities. There weren’t many. Maybe it was an intruder?
Thornton thought about it for a second. “A few guys from the Cure have been in; it was probably one of them.”
Maybe not an intruder then, she thought, nodding. “Oh, okay. Perry told me a lot, about the monster and stuff, he said someone told him to keep quiet, to not tell anyone what he saw. That’s messed up.”
"Yeah, probably someone from the Cure, they wouldn’t want that kind of thing getting out. Because monsters don't exist," he stated. His eyes now serious and intense as he gazed at her. "But the fact that it happened on the same night that the homeless guy saw a beast? On the same night that Amy was murdered? It's definitely something."
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