Two Truths and a Liar

XXVII • Tell me!

Harley

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There were five sets of eyes set on what was going on in the room since before we'd entered: Jenna's, Leon's, my own, the wide terrified gaze and fingertips up against the small window of the door, and the pale white orbs suspended unwaveringly against a tall grey outline in the corner of the room.

My insides toppled over each other. We stood watching, the jock called Elijah's breath fogging up the glass and our own coming quiet as if afraid to make a sound.

Leon's backwards step crackled a loose piece of paper under the sole of his shoe, jolting himself a few inches off the ground. My own body tensed, frozen in place, locked to the creature in the corner breathing silence like that was all it was made of.

"Calm down,"

Jenna held the Skeplar out, shedding enough light over the room to somewhat illuminate the grey shadow. It whisped and wavered, flickering in and out of being as the wall behind ate away through it, its translucent body quivering in the water-like glow.

"What is that thing?"

My own voice surprised me. The form didn't react, though my barking words cut the silence in an echoing fear. Anticipating.

"It's just a shade, they don't do any harm," She moved to the wall beside the door, giving the lightswitch a few forceful clicks which did nothing for the lights. "The only spirits we have to worry about are the Iracundus. They're the restless ones..."

She locked eyes with the face in the window and glared, then shoved the table out of the way and let Elijah crash into the room, out of breath and wild eyed, thrashing as he fell but fixed on the thing in the corner. Jenna stepped over him and held open the door for the both of us.

"Coming?"

Leon worked his way through the table rows, an over-calm expression spread over him as if he were holding his fear under, trying not to look at the shade and almost failing to stay composed. Even if I'd wanted to deny it, I felt the same way, and wiping the rest of the crusted blood from my face I followed him, joints aching.

We'd finally broken Elijah's attention from the shadows.

"Wait!"

He scrambled to his feet, taking hold of the hood of my sweatshirt just before I'd made it out the door. The neck hit my throat, and I fell back with a gasp.

Leon and Jenna turned, and flicking their gaze from him to me watches me struggle to break from his grip, and give up when he didn't let go.

His fingers clenched around the cloth, twisted with a bit of my hair that forced me to crane my neck to the ceiling from the pain. I gritted my teeth and waited.

"Let him go!"

He yanked back again, and I felt the breath leave me and my anger rise. Why was it always me?

Elijah's voice trembled when he spoke.

"Not until you tell me what's going on," A step and he was in the doorway, facing the hall. The open door letting light fall into the lab. "Tell me or I'll..."

His look of panic met my wincing one.

"You'll what,"

"I'll uh..."

Jenna pursed her lips, and Leon tensed. They didn't move, though I knew he couldn't do much that they couldn't stop. Even from a distance Leon towered over him, and Jenna's fists alone held the power to end anything before it started. Elijah pulled back again, other hand tightening around my arm.

"Do you want to die?"

I could feel him quaking.

"What could you do anyway?" He barked, straightening himself like he'd intimidate the born killer with his height.

Jenna shoved the Skeplar into Leon's arms and in two strides she was inches away. I let a smile creep over as Elijah drew back.

"Get away!"

I leaned to the side. In one motion, one blink of an eye and no change falling over Jenna, her hand shot out and struck the side of his neck, with the smallest sound of a crack. His grasp slipped, and with a groan his eyes rolled back and I watched him crumple. I rubbed my throat and stepped over him into the hall.

"Is he...?"

Leon leaned over to stare shocked at the heap, no sign of breath stirring him. Jenna snatched the Skeplar from him and headed off, holding it in the air to cast strange shadows over the path ahead, without a reply.

As if forgetting how to move, we watched her go.

"You okay?"

Leon seemed to be never any less than concerned, attention dashing between my shocked stare, gaze glued to the carpet, and Elijah's heaping mass behind us. I looked up and met his eyes, his eyebrows pulled up in a constant state of surprise like two sideways apostrophes. Like it was his job to worry.

"I'm fine,"

He seemed to remember we had to follow and sparing another glance at Elijah, then back to the hall, he gave me a nudge and we rushed to catch up.

"You sure? I should have stepped in..."

I couldn't hold his gaze, my hands hid themselves in my pockets. Somehow I couldn't feel annoyed with him. "Thanks, don't worry about it."

"It was my fault that he did that,"

"What?"

"Yeah, if I hadn't been here he wouldn't have taken so much notice to us and then-"

A laugh almost escaped me. "What? No! None of that was your fault," I shook my head in disbelief, as we caught up to Jenna. "You blame yourself for too much, dude,"

A flash of a smile, but he didn't believe me all the same. I could see it in the way his shoulders stayed dropped, the way he flicked his gaze over to Jenna to deflect any response. But something caught our attention just then, and held it there. The tool in her hands vibrated frantically, flashing blue and bright red in her cupped hands and letting off a nervous buzzing sound.

"We're close,"

She stared ahead, and we all met at a glass door at the end of the hall leading out into the snowy land outside. A group gathered on the hill of freshman were the only students out of doors, circled around a test tube and a bored looking teacher droning on, the kids shivering in the cold, and whispering among themselves as we left the school and found their attention. A shove. A swung open door. Sky hitting our cheeks with a rush of cold, and the crunching snow underneath.

They seemed to recognize us, by the look of wonder that lit their faces like wildfire. One especially, half hidden under the darkness cast by a green Mindcraft hoodie. The glint of red like drops of blood over the snow, and as their eyes fell over us, growing round and frightened and very, very inhuman. Jenna took another look at the Skeplar, which had taken on a burning crimson, then up at the green-clad figure across a snow covered lawn.

"There you are," She whispered, just before a hiss escaped it, and a pair of short legs carried it dashing from the group into the parking lot beyond.

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AN: Hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know what you thought. Love ya