Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 5 - Arisa

Hino Matsunaga managed to brush off my question about the rooftop and he seemed to be influencing others' to do the same. The more he meddled, the more curious I became. If there was one thing I could confidentially say about him it was that his smile was misleading. When I ran into him during second period, I jokingly told him to stop stalking me. He forced a grin before going to find his seat.He didn't say anything to me after that, which was more eerie and unnerving than his warnings to stay away from the rooftop.

Paulie, one of the eager faces from first period, invited me to lunch after second period. It was a chance to back out of the whole rooftop operation but that would mean conceding to Hino's sketchy demands.

"I'll pass for today," I told Paulie.

"You can't say no to the bagel shop," Paulie replied sharply.

"It's just not condoned," Krish, the other friendly face from first period added. He was Paulie's best friend and looked out for her in ways a brother would his little sister.

"I'm sorry but I really can't," I said.

"Why not?" Paulie complained.

"Well, for starters, the school uniform put a big dent in my savings."

"You mean your parents' savings?" Krish offered.

I shook my head. "No, mine."

He was outraged. He didn't have to believe me but I did insist on paying for the school uniform myself. It wasn't that mom couldn't afford to, I just wanted to help out. Plus, I had to do something with the money I got from babysitting last year. Mom wanted me to have two sets of uniforms for rotation, but I only had enough to pay for one, so she covered the cost of the other. I was hoping to blend in on my first day, but unfortunately, the delivery was delayed.

"Maybe she's poor," Krish whispered to Paulie as I walked off. "Oh my god. Did she get in on a scholarship?"

"Would that be so terrible?" Paulie asked.

I turned into the corridor and followed Hino Masunaga to the best of my ability. I was able to keep up with him from the second floor to the third, but somewhere along the way, he was dragged into a classroom to speak with a teacher. I didn't know if my mother, who was a criminal lawyer, would be proud or disappointed by my persistence. She always said my curiosity was going to land me in deep waters one day. I knew that and yet I couldn't fight my natural instincts. Ever since I was a kid, I always did things people disapproved of, and was often called out for being reckless.

I was left waiting out in the hall for about fifteen minutes. The longer I loitered, the more attention I drew to myself—and to think I accused Hino of being a stalker. I looked down and cursed my wardrobe, it made me stand out like a sore thumb. I was ready to return to familiar surroundings when I heard a couple of boys talking by the lockers behind me.

"What are you going to do this time?" one inquired, his voice oddly high-pitched.

"Talk to Loyal," the other replied. "I can't fail that class. Any class. I already messaged him for answers."

Loyal? Loyal. I knew that name. Where did I know that name from?

"How do you casually text that guy?" the first boy asked. "He scares the crap out of me! Seriously, I'm terrified of him."

"He can't catch you lying via text, and if you don't want a trip to the rooftop, just pay the guy for his services."

"What about his right hand man?"

"Khaleel Abdul?"

My body shuddered on its own accord, like hearing those names somehow told me everything I needed to know. I pulled the folded paper plane out of my jeans and checked the acceptance letter to see who the ivy league school had addressed. Yup, there it was, clear as day. Loyal Wilson. He was the one in charge? Not Hino? And who was this Khaleel Abdul? How many people were in on this?

If Loyal was smart enough to get accepted into a prestigious university then it made sense for him to be a tutor, but something told me there was more to it. He seemed to be getting paid by the students for his services. If they missed payments then Khaleel punished them on the rooftop? How exactly?

"Excuse me," I interrupted the boys' conversation. They were older but somehow meeker. One of them twitched away, like he had just been caught talking badly about someone he shouldn't.

"Can you direct me to the rooftop?" I asked.

My question added to their spooked expression. Then the boy with the lower register slowly pointed over my shoulders. "Third stairway from your left," he answered.

"Thanks," I said, pressing on.

A couple seconds later, I stood in front of a stairway at the end of the third floor. There was a big grey door waiting for me at the top and a short hallway dimly lit by a dusty window. I tried my luck with the door first but it refused to budge. I moved down the dark hall and peered out the rectangular window. If I could push it open then I might be able to squeeze through and force my way outside. My eyes scanned the open space. The majority of it was covered with gravel while other parts were claimed by tiles. It looked like a sound structure but it wasn't a suitable place for students. Not with the open ledge and guardless railings.

I straightened my shoulders and tried to open the window anyway.