Sunlight and Gloom

Chapter 3

Minerva watched as Amber emerged from the locker room. She could tell Amber was hiding something. After being her friend since kindergarten, she thought Amber would tell her anything. But maybe this was beyond her. Maybe something really had changed over the summer. Minerva's thought disappeared after Mrs. Sasky's whistle brought the game back in play.

Minerva's phone buzzed as she walked home from school. She stopped and dug her phone out of her bag. It was a text from Amber.
      Can u come 2 my house after school?
      Minerva thought a moment before responding. U and I both have homework.
      We could do it together.
      I have to get home. Family stuff. It wasn't true, but Amber didn't know that.
      A few minutes passed. Minerva began to worry that Amber hadn't believed her. Finally, Amber replied simply, OK. C u tomorrow.
      Minerva put away her phone and kept walking. She knew should've met up with her, but they weren't exactly on speaking terms. She hated that Amber was keeping secrets. So she kept walking.

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      Amber was confused. Why was Minerva avoiding her? Family stuff. She hated doing things with her family. Why would she pass up an opportunity to hang out with her best friend? They had been in worse fights than the one they had had that morning.
      Her ankle was feeling much better. After putting some ice and pressure on it, the swelling had gone down. It was almost normal size now, and she could walk with little discomfort.
      She walked up the steps to her two-story house. It was light blue, and plenty big enough for the four of them. After she hung up her backpack, she took her homework to the kitchen table, where Cole was doing his homework as well. After a few minutes, her mom came into the room.
      "Oh, Amber! You're home! I have some exciting news! This weekend we're going to go see your grandpa up in South Dakota. He wants to take us to see Mt. Rushmore."
      Amber looked up from her math book. "You mean Grandpa Rick? We haven't seen him since he invited us up three years ago."
      "I know. Which is why this trip is so important. And, after we visit him, he's going to stay here with us."
      "What! Why?"
      "Well, after Grandma Betty died, Grandpa Rick has been living up there all by himself. It's not good for someone his age to be alone. So, we invited him to stay with us for awhile."
      "Oh." Amber returned to her homework. "I'll pack my bag later tonight."
      "Hey, Amber."
      "Yeah, Mom?"
      "Is that my eye shadow?"

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      Gloom crept out of her bedroom window. Finally, her parents had gone to sleep. She balanced on the window ledge before she grabbed the drainpipe and slid down. Her midnight black cape billowed behind her as she ran through the alleyway and headed toward the park. The park, headquarters of all her experiments and operations.
      When Gloom arrived, she saw her accomplice waiting under the slide and pulled her hood closer around her face. No one could know who she was, not even him.
"You're late," he stated. He peered into her face, trying, and failing, to decipher what she really looked like.
"Do you have a problem with that, Juan?" She studied his long face, tan and capped with shining black hair.
"No," he said quickly. She couldn't tell in the the dark, but she was sure she saw his face pale.
"Good. What made you call this 'urgent' meeting."
"This." Juan reached behind him and drew a box. He reached inside and pulled out a cloak. The black fabric waved in the slight breeze that crossed the grounds. She reached up and touched it, marveling at the smoothness of the cloth. She took it and examined every stitch. The golden design flowed down the cloak with beauty that she had not yet seen on any other choices that Juan had brought her. She was about to commend Juan, when she noticed what was missing.
"It doesn't have a hood."
"I-I was just thinking you could wear a mask, or-or go without one."
Gloom stood up tall, towering over Juan. "It needs a hood. Find one. And do it soon, it's almost time."
"If I may," he stammered, "our resources are almost exhausted. We need more money to complete the tasks you ask for."
"Fine. Tomorrow I'll add some cash to your fund. Get a hood," she threw the cloak at him, "and be ready for my command. This town is going down, and so is everyone in it."