Little Spark

25 - Blown Cover

We have a new math teacher on Monday. When he tells us Ms. Davison won't be back, murmurs break out across the classroom. To my right someone whispers, "I hear she went crazy and tried to run over a student."

"Yeah, now she's missing. They found her car with two holes in the trunk," comes the reply.

I remember the eyes—and the hideous mole—of the person in the rearview and smack my forehead. Ms. Davison. Of course.

Candis tosses a nervous look over her shoulder at me, and then we both look at Von. He's copying down the new teacher's name in his notebook, blissfully unaware of the things we've just heard.

After class, we find Luca in the hall on the verge of busting like a bad pimple. "Geez, guys! You told me things got a little interesting on Saturday, but you didn't mention a teacher trying to murder you!"

Candis peeks back into the classroom to make sure Von is still talking to the new teacher. "The details were abstruse," she says. "We had no idea it was Ms. Davison! Do you think she knew about our... talents?"

"Well, if she followed you guys from the church, something had to be up," I whisper. "She definitely tried to run me over, so maybe she did know. Although, from the way she always looked at Von—"

"He's coming!" Candis says. "We'll talk later." Candis intercepts Von before he reaches us, and they disappear down the hall. Luca and I head in the opposite direction.

"I wish you'd been there, Luc," I say. "It all happened so fast."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm working on this project, and Saturday is the only time I can really dig into it without getting caught. Anyway, I'm glad you guys are alright...."

She stops walking, and her voice trails off. I follow her gaze down the hall to where Duff has the archetypal 'nerdy freshman'—thin, wiry frame, stooped posture, absurdly thick glasses—pinned to the wall. I watch in horror as he roots through the kid's pockets and then flips his book bag, littering the hallway with its contents. Melany and Lylah both cackle with delight.

Fury pulses in my fingertips and the light directly overhead flickers.

"Bliss, don't," Luca urges from beside me. "You have no idea what you're up against."

"I can't just stand here and watch that neanderthal pick on a kid because he's weaker, Luca. We're supposed to stand for what's right, aren't we?" Hitching my bag higher on my shoulder, I make a beeline for Duff. She grabs for my arm, but I yank it free.

As if sensing my approach, he turns and looks at me. A wicked smile wends up into his cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Melany grin too. It may be a terror-induced illusion, but I could swear the sharp lines that denote the separation of their bodies from their surroundings have blurred into shadow.

Reign walks out of the hallway behind them. The moment we make eye contact, his brow furrows. He appraises my face then looks over at Duff, who still has the boy held in place with a forearm but is staring me down, silently daring me to come closer. Reign turns his attention back to me, and for a moment, time stands still.

Luca tugs my arm. "Come on, Bliss," she says. "Only a few minutes to the bell and you need to get your books." There's a quiet urgency in her tone, and the hand she has on my arm trembles.

Reign's overly loud voice slices through the invisible storm cloud brewing over the hallway. "Alright, you brute, you've had your fun. Let him go before we all end up in trouble."

My head swivels of its own accord, and I watch in amazement as Duff releases the boy and walks off with the Lylah and Melany. Reign waits a few seconds for them to disappear, then stoops down to gather the boy's books, setting them in a stack at his feet. He looks up at me and winks.