Tell No One

Chapter 10

When Kiera walked in the next day, the school was abuzz with talk of the fire. As Kiera walked to class, the hallways were clogged up with people talking about the fire- the second fire this month. A few people were crying- Kiera wondered whether she had killed a friend, a relative, a parent. But, in feeling that pang of guilt, Kiera reminded herself- they weren't really gone. Simply, they had been moved. Death isn't permanent. 
The authorities had called it arson- the media called them a pyromaniac. The local news ran headlines- "Will your house be next?". Kiera rolled her eyes, but could not quite shake the weight of her actions. Even if Ramatee was tampering, Kiera had decided early on that her actions were hers, and so were the consequences.

As she made her way through the crowds, no-one glared at her, or even so much as glanced her way. In fact, it was quite the opposite- people ignored her, too engrossed in their own conversations to even acknowledge her. She thought about if suddenly, everyone knew she was the one who burned down the church, and that house- she'd probably be lynched. 
But, as it stood, they didn't know. And if Kiera had anything to say about it, they wouldn't.

She reached Shelia, Darren and Alana, standing by the locker and chatting. Alana shouted out a friendly hey when she arrived, and Darren gave her a polite smile. Shelia however, turned her a watchful eye, suspicion held on her face as she gave Kiera a once over. She did not smile.

"You ready Kiera?" Alana gave Kiera an impish grin, her bubbly attitude breaking the slight tension between Kiera and Shelia.

Kiera relaxed. "Yeah sure. Let's go."
"Well, see you guys later." Darren grabbed Shelia by the elbow, pulling them to their next lesson. Kiera walked with Alana to their next class. Kiera took the opportunity to probe.

"So... Alana. Did you hear about the fire?"

"Hm? The church that burnt down? Yeah, it's a real tragedy. But, you know-life goes on." Kiera was surprised by her lack of empathy. Usually, Alana was quite sensitive.

"Besides. We're all going to die at some point. The only difference is that their names were in the paper." Kiera felt like she had been slapped in the face. Alana.... Alana wouldn't say things like that. Alana doesn't say things like that. 
A beat of silence passed.
"Why do you say that?" Kiera's voice carried a note of bewilderment. Alana shrugged, disinterested now. She wouldn't look at Kiera and instead stared straight ahead.

The rest of their walk was in silence.

***

Kiera had told the others to go ahead. Honesty, she didn't want to go "Grab coffee". But, for the sake Alana, she would go. She'd been so wrapped up in what was going on with her life that she had neglected her friends. In the grand scheme of things, friendships held next to no value in this world, but Kiera felt like she owed Alana. No, it wasn't like that; it was more of a loyalty. Through thick and thin, Alana had been there for her. She could at least attempt the same.

Finishing off her paperwork, Kiera realised the time was far behind when she was meant to be there. Grabbing her stuff, she made her way to the cafe.

As always, it was raining, the sky once more an overcast grey. And she'd forgotten her umbrella. The earthy scent of petrichor suffused the air, new rain giving the streets a fresh feel. Keeping to the edge of the buildings, Kiera sheltered from the rain as much as she could. It wasn't heavy by any means, but the light drizzle was enough to be socked by if she stood out in it too long. Coming to the doorway, Kiera gratefully stepped into the heat ad warmth of Magnolia Cafe, a pleasant little cafe. Straight away she saw her friends, seated round a table in the back most corner. One wall of the cafe was one giant mirror, an illusion of space that alleviated the claustrophobic feel of so much furniture in one place. Kiera tracked her image idly in her peripheral vision, bemused.

"Hey guys sorry I'm late." Everyone muttered something along the lines of not minding she was behind. Pulling out the last remaining chair. Kiera nonchalantly stared at the mirror, letting the conversation wash over her. It was particularly busy today, the rain ushering people to take cover wherever they can. Kiera supposed she was lucky that her friends were her to save a seat, otherwise, she might have been one of the ones that had to take a coffee "to-go" too. Kiera stared at the mirror, not engaged with her friends but enjoying watching the cafe's patrons. What was going on in their lives? Kiera allowed her mind to wander, day dreaming. The bitter but pleasant smell of coffee beans infused the air, settling the coffee shop into an enveloped sense of easy-going and comfortability. As Kiera stared off, passive and relaxed, a shape in the mirror caught her eye. Focusing, Kiera sat upright in her chair, pulling herself from her slouched position so fast her friends shot her weird looks.

"Hey, are you..." Alana started talking but wasn't really listening. Looking in the mirror, Kiera watched as a mass of shadow grabbed a coffee from the counter. It looked like a solid of darkness, a virtual silhouette swathed in seething tendrils of shade. Whipping round in her chair, she watched as a man dressed in a trench coat took his coffee, a polite smile on his face as he talked to the barista. She laughed, and Kiera could see genuine happiness in his eyes as he smiled back. Kiera, still disbelieving, turned back round to the mirror. She caught her fiends staring at her like she was insane, but yes- yes, there it was- his reflection was blacked out, voided. Kiera watched as he turned to leave, eyes nothing more than glimmers of light in the billowing darkness. He was heavy set, maybe only a few inches taller than Kiera. His clothes weren't outlined; instead, he appeared as only a reflection of his body, although his undulating contours prevented any details of being spotted. Kiera watched in fascination until she realised he was leaving. Twisting back rounds to her friends, who were now looking at her incredulously, she abruptly stood up, scraping her chair across the floor as she did so.

"I uh, I just remembered I had to..to... I have to leave." Kiera honestly didn't care about what her friends thought of her at this point. She just had to see. Grabbing her bag, she didn't wait for a reply as she sprinted out the crowded shop to chase that shadow.