Fortune Favors the Bold

12

Kalani sat on the floor of the basement's open space, her mind empty as she blinked at the white ground in front of her. Mason was dead. They'd placed his body alongside Alaska's and all moved to the basement for a meeting she could barely think clearly throughout.

A gentle arm slipped around her shoulders, the familiar warmth of Assad's body moving closer to her. "Are you okay?" He whispered, leaning forward to look at her through the hair that fell over her face. Her braids were only an idea that no longer neatly sat in her hair.

She lifted her head to meet his gaze but didn't answer. Kalani may not have known but the hollowness of her eyes conveyed just how not okay she was.

He nodded, lifting one hand to brush her hair back and tug her closer. Tamara was sitting beside them, delicately rubbing Kalani's back with nothing to say. She simply exchanged a heartbroken expression with the boy who sat on the other side of the girl between them.

"Well?" Junfeng asked as two pairs of shoes clicked on the ground, approaching all of them. With everyone else already present, it was clear that only Not-Castiel and Chidi after they had taken Mason's body to its place. Assad would have gone with him, but he thought staying with Kalani was more important.

There was a silence when neither of them responded to his poorly phrased question. Not-Castiel only raised a challenging eyebrow.

"What was it? Murder or suicide?" Junfeng asked again, not happy that he had to clarify the question he thought was already clear enough.

"I mean," Not-Castiel's tone was bored. He thought the question was stupid. "We found him hanging, so what do you think?"

"Don't answer my question with another question."

"Don't ask dumb questions."

Aurora stepped forward to interrupt the interaction between both boys before it could escalate further. "So, he did it himself?" She asked quietly, hugging her body where she stood. "I can't believe it... the poor thing. He was so young and- this."

Chidi nodded. "Yeah, he killed himself."

Kalani flinched.

"The killer must be really happy, now. The kid technically did him a favor by offing himself first," Junfeng grumbled. Assad shot a murderous glare toward the boy who only continued. "Unless he was the killer."

"Why would he be the killer? He was sixteen," Tamara frowned.

Junfeng shrugged. "It would explain his death. I mean, what kind of fool would do such a thing to themselves?"

Kalani finally looked up at him. "The depressed kind."

"What does he have to be depressed for? We're all stuck in the same situation, but you don't see us hanging ourselves?"

"Junfeng, stop-," Aurora tried to speak.

Kalani pushed Assad off and stood up. "Mason wasn't the killer. He was just... afraid, but that doesn't make him the criminal who murdered Alaska and Hiromi."

Chidi nodded in agreement, stepping away from Not-Castiel and to Kalani's side. "Kalani's right. Mason was just a kid, but he wasn't the killer." They turned to look at each other at the same time. It was a curious sight to see them taking the same side. But, unbeknownst to Kalani, they weren't on the same side at all. "She was," Chidi turned to her, crossing her arms.

Assad stood up quickly to come to her defense.

"What?" Kalani asked.

Chidi shrugged. "You're the killer. It only makes sense."