Shadow & Smoke

Prologue

The tears had already dried down my cheeks as I stared out the window of the classroom. It was nearly five in the evening and most of the campus was deserted by then. It was a Tuesday so I was where I was supposed to be—in my after school tutoring.

Tutoring.

Yeah, that's what he called it.

The rain streaked the outside of the window and I couldn't help but notice the similarities to my cheeks from the tears I'd cried an hour prior. The classroom was silent now as I waited for him to return.

It was only a matter of time.

But minutes turned into hours and before I knew it, it was time for me to go home. And when the door finally opened again, it wasn't my biology teacher coming back, it was the janitor.

"Sorry, I thought the kids all left." He offered as he started working to sweep the classroom floor. "You might want to head on out of here, I heard there was an accident in with one of the teachers this afternoon."

What?

I turned to face the man and he could tell I wanted more information despite not asking for it.

"You didn't hear it from me but Mr. Klein fell down the stairs after last period."

My eyes grew wide in shock.

He hadn't shown up that day and he never missed one of our sessions. Now I knew why.

A small, brainwashed part of me concerned and worried. But the bigger part of me was relieved.

I was free.

But how?

It couldn't be a coincidence that Mr. Klein had fallen down the stairs after I had a dream of him being pushed. It couldn't be a coincidence that after the nightmares started that things in my real life would take a turn.

Some might say it was all coincidence but I never believed in that shit.