Shadows Ablaze

Chapter 7- Shyah

The car rolls into a lame excuse for a parking lot. I gaze up at the building, noting the crumbling and cracked cement walls and fallen stones that lay scattered on the ground. What a dump.

Rynn pushes herself out of the car, swaying side to side before she gains balance on her bad leg. She peeks back at me, still seated on the plush leather cushions. She grabs her black bag from the seat and heaves it to her side. "I got you this far because you wouldn't walk—"

"Yeah," I interrupt, my eyes darting around us as I step out from the interior of the car. "Do you know who I am? People like me don't walk around places like this. I'd get mugged." We are in the heart of downtown, which, if it isn't obvious from the deteriorating buildings, it is from the stench that prowls through the streets.

Rynn frowns, not even trying to hide her distaste for my words. "Well," she continues. "You are just going to love this next part."

I know she's being sarcastic because there is no way I could love anything that involves a building like this. I follow her to the entrance, waiting impatiently until someone opens the door for us. A small wooden plaque announces that this is Justice Haven Home for Boys.

My gaze darts around the narrow street. I hate standing in the open like this. I feel so vulnerable. My mind wanders back to my friends all discussing their shadow experiences. I wonder if any of them ever stepped foot this far downtown. I doubt it. They would have talked about it. They would have thrown a fit to their parents and immediately switched careers or, at the very least, mentors. Elites don't belong in areas like this. I don't belong in an area like this. So why did Rynn bring me here? Why are we at an orphanage?

I spot an older man crossing the street, his clothes tattered and discolored from constant use. He lifts his arm, coughing violently into the inside of his elbow. His entire body shakes, doing its best to remain upright. Once his torso goes still, finished with its display, his eyes lift, meeting mine. I look away quickly, hoping he didn't notice me staring.

Am I going to catch a disease here?

My stomach twists, punishing me for the thought. I'm reminded of the Skiddy woman who died in the lab. This is probably how she lived before her life was taken...

I pull the emergency break on that thought. Since when have I been sympathetic for the dirty Skiddies? Why am I thinking this way?

The orphanage door swings open, demanding my attention. A tall man hovers in the frame, peering down at Rynn and me. "Ms. Manokile," he says, dipping his head in greeting. "And..." His voice trails off as his eyes settle on me.

"Shyah," I introduce. In any other situation, I would shake his hand, but I'd rather not take the risk of touching whatever germs he has contracted by being here.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Mr. Dee. I'm the headmaster here at Justice Haven Home for Boys. We are glad you're here." Mr. Dee smiles, stepping to the side and revealing the beer gut that clings to his midsection. Rynn hobbles through the entrance with ease, accepting the unspoken invitation. Meanwhile, I have to force my legs to move, one step at a time. I want to scream. I want to tell her I don't want to be here. This whole experience makes me uncomfortable. But, as she told me previously, if I want to truly understand the nature of the project she's working on, I have to keep coming back. If I leave now, that only proves I'm unfit for this job. I will not let some natural-born push me around. I will not let her, or anyone else, scare me out of a career I want to be in. That I know I belong in. Even if she takes me to places that scare me.

I follow Rynn and Mr. Dee, doing my best to keep my eyes from straying. But it's hard to ignore the dust that hugs the trim along the walls and clusters in the corners of the halls. A boy emerges from a room in front of us, turning to approach us. His eyes look dark in the dim light but lighten into a blue as he grows closer. In the narrow passage, his presence seems larger than I would expect.