Darksun - Volume 1: Neco'ma

Chapter 9: 'I can see the Dead'

Over the course of several weeks before the summer months arrived, Eddie and Jake continue to hang out and had both undergone changes that several peers had noticed. 

 Jake's progress with his English literature class had improved thanks to Eddie's tutoring at home and at the library. Eddie's self-esteem had gotten better thanks to Jake taking him to a boxing gym to help take out all of his frustrations, which probably helped Eddie to open up a lot more than he ever had in years. 

 One night after an intense boxing session, the boys left the change rooms. Jake turned to Eddie, 'hey I'm gonna get the car around the entrance, do you mind waiting for me there for a minute?' 

'Yeah I don't mind, I'll see you at the entrance,' replied Eddie. 

 While Eddie waited for Jake to pick him up outside the gym, a mysterious girl of Latin decent appeared out of nowhere. Based on the way she dressed with her high heeled shoes and glamourous clothes, she looked like she was going to have the time of her life. 

 She calmly looked at Eddie, 'hey kid, do you want some gum? I don't really need it anymore.' 

'I'm sorry but no thanks, I don't take anything from strangers at night,' Eddie replied back politely. 

 'Oh okay, I'm really sorry to bother you,' she said softly as she walked passed Eddie. He felt bad for possibly being rude to the girl, and tried to reach out to her when suddenly, she had completely vanished, just as Jake arrived in his car. 'Eddie, are you ok? You looked like you've seen a ghost,' enquired Jake. 

 Jake drove Eddie back to his home in Lincoln Heights. Eddie kept thinking to himself, playing over what the girl had last said to him. Jake also had a lot to think about. In particular, he was beginning to rethink what he wanted to do after graduation, but wasn't sure how to act on it. He was especially concerned with how to tell his parents he was leaning away from law school. 

 'Hey Eddie, I'm letting you know that tomorrow morning I won't be able to pick you up for school. Apparently the coach wanted to see me as soon as possible, will you be ok without me for a few hours?' asked Jake.

 'Yeah that's fine with me, I'm sure I can handle Chad in the morning,' Eddie replied.

 'Ha! That's the spirit,' said Jake, realising that Eddie had come a long way since he had become friends with him.

The next day... 

 Eddie woke up in the early hours of the morning. He approached his parents in the kitchen, 'Buenos Dias, Mami y Papi.' 

 'Buenos Dias mi niño,' said Eddie's mother.

 'Did you have a good sleep Eduardo?' asked Eddie's father.

 'Ugh not much dad, it was fine in the beginning but then I woke up from a weird dream I can't put my finger on,' said Eddie. 

 Eddie had already got dressed for school as he wanted to go early since Jake wasn't going to pick him up. As he was about to leave he saw the newspaper his father was reading. On the cover, there was an article on a girl that had been found dead in the alleyways of Hollywood Boulevard. To Eddie's shock, he noticed that the photo was of the same girl he saw last night. 

'Dad what happened to this girl on the front page?' asked Eddie, he was clearly shaken up by what he had seen. 

 Alejandro observed the article and remembered what happened, 'ah I heard about this one, poor girl suffered a terrible fate. The policia found her downtown near the boxing gym you go to, the coroners determined that the girl was raped and strangled to death. Turns out had been dead for two days before anyone had found her. Oh pobrecita!'