Dark Blue

Chapter 1: The Stranger

Dominique and I were walking home after the first day of school. It was one of those cloudless sunny days in Washington that makes you think the world might be okay after all. If not perfect forever, then just for a little while at least. Of course, I'd be proven horribly, terrifyingly wrong a thousand times over the next year, and it all started with that afternoon.

I already can't stand Mr. Albert," I said after Dominique finally stopped talking about how Derrick sat next to her at lunch and all the things he said, and how she needed a map because she got lost in his eyes. She and I had Mr. Albert together for third period Bio.

"Oh em gee, Cindy," Dominique looked at me like I'd just validated her entire existence. "He was all like, he said, 'Leandra, put that lipstick away,'" she continued, making her voice go deep at first before it broke into a high-pitched squeal at the end. She had changed her hairstyle over the summer, tight rows of braids that somehow accentuated her high cheekbones and drew my attention to her big brown eyes.

"His face was gettin' all red and stuff," I laughed, gathering my long brown hair into a high ponytail. Mr. Albert and I were probably going to be enemies. Sometimes you can just tell from day one that you and a teacher aren't going to get along.

"And then he tripped over Max's backpack! Oh my god, classic," Dominique cackled.

"And who has a last name that could be a first? I hate that," I added.

We walked for a little bit more without saying much. If Dominique was feeling anything like me, she was worn out. The first day was always hell. The school was about a half-mile from our houses. We lived in the same development, but Dominique lived in one of the new houses they just built at the far end. Our house is closest to the main road, and I think it was there before developments were even a thing.

"Yo, don't look now, but there is a guy behind us."

I ignored her advice and turned my head just slightly, enough to catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye.

The man was wearing a pink t-shirt that hung below his waist, and those weird old-dude sneakers that are all black and boxy. He wasn't as old as Mr. Albert though, probably close to my dad's age. He was carrying a jar of peanut butter, one of the cheap kinds my mother gets at the grocery store. And the creepiest thing. The creepiest thing was that he was just dipping two fingers into it, bringing globs of it into his mouth and sucking for a little on his fingers after.

"Ew, what the—" was all I could manage as I turned back and hunched forward. We weren't completely alone. We'd already gotten out of the wood-lined street that led back to Harbor High. There was a row of houses on the opposite side of the street now. We were only two blocks away from the street that led to our development. Besides, Dominique had a cellphone. I didn't because my mom said that I'd have to wait until I could get a job and buy my own. I knew the real answer, though. We were poor.

"Let's just keep walking. It's probably some homeless guy from down at the waterfront who's just wandering around. You know, like they do," Dominique said casually. She had gotten her iPhone out but was holding it loose at her side, for now.

I didn't realize that I had started walking faster until I tripped on a loose piece of blacktop at the edge of the road. As I was falling, I had this terrible vision of the stranger behind us dragging me by the legs into the woods. My knee smacked into the pavement and I could feel the little stones from the loose gravel digging into my hands as I threw them out to catch myself.

Dominique was standing over me in an instant, half looking back at the peanut butter weirdo. The next thing I knew, she was pulling me up by my backpack straps.