Shadow

You Burnt My Fajitas

The next morning was eventful, to say the least.

When Cameron woke up to find Cole in the kitchen eating breakfast, she immediately got a spoon and started beating the crap out of him. I just stood and watched, a smile tugging at my lips. I wasn't going to stop him from getting what he deserved, even if he did deserve worse than being smacked across the face with a silver spoon.

"You traitor!" Cameron screamed. She hit him again and Cole tried to get away from her. "You killed him! You killed him!"

"Cameron!"

"Don't talk to me, you monster! Just shut up and take the beating!" After one more smack in the face, Cole grabbed her arms and crossed them in front of her. She just kneed him in the crotch, tears collecting at the corners of her eyes.

Cole groaned in pain. "Cameron, just listen to me. I didn't . . . I didn't know he was your friend. I didn't know he was Kiera's brother. I didn't mean for him to die, or get hurt even."

"Oh, so you were just using him as bait?" Cameron shrieked. She turned to me. "How can you stand being in the same house as a murderer?"

I picked Cameron up fireman style and took her upstairs to her room. I got her to calm down a little and I talked with her, explaining to her everything that Cole had told me last night. Her tears turned to occasional sniffs until she just wanted to be alone.

As I walked out of her room, I swallowed back my own tears. Cameron didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be abandoned. She didn't deserve to have her one and only friend killed while she could do nothing about it. She didn't deserve to live off of trash and stolen money in the alleys of Cryptic City.

She didn't deserve to have to live in the same house as her sworn enemy.

When I got downstairs, I found Jase standing by the front door. "I'm guessing this is a bad time?"

I sighed. "Yeah, well, some—"

Cole walked out of the kitchen with a bottle of orange juice. "Hey, Jase."

Jase nodded stiffly. "Cole." He turned to me. "You ready?"

Jase had been giving me rides to school the past week or so. I didn't know if it was because he felt guilty somehow or if he suddenly felt like being my best friend, but I took his offer. "Yeah, just let me—"

"Wait a second," Cole interrupted, yet again. He looked between Jase and me, eyes narrowed. "Are you guys . . . a thing?"

"So what if we are?" I blurted out. Yikes. Not your best move, Kiera.

Jase choked on air. "Umm, we should get going."

Cole blanched, his face paling slightly. "You—you're really with him?"

"What's wrong with Jase?" I defended.

"Nothing, I just . . ." He trailed off, staring at me sadly. "Jase could you give me a ride as well?"

He shrugged. "Sure. The more the merrier."

Or in this case, the more the scarier.

After leaving a note on the counter for Cameron, we all jumped into Jase's car and started towards school. I sat shotgun with Cole in the back and Jase, obviously, was driving. The awkward tension was thick. I could almost see it. Way to go, Kiera. You try to play hard to get and you just ruin things even more. I turned on the radio.

Good morning, Cryptic City! Shout out to the rest of you up at this ungodly hour of the morning, and also to my boss for giving me a raise. Thanks, Paul. But let's talk about the real gossip. Word on the street about the final battle between our very own Shadow and her arch rival Blaze is that they both—