See No Evil (Twisted Book 3)

by Jo Ho

  “Wait, was I right? Is there an actual bar?”

  Christian’s eyes lowered to the floor, skirting the issue as Marley focused her own eyes on him, pinning him in place. He sighed.

  “There’s a place Eric used to go. He had a snitch there.”

  Cassie blinked, trying to take it in.

  “Where is it?” Marley asked.

  “Southie. In the factory district.”

  “That’s still a decent-sized area…” Eve commented.

  “I don’t know the address, it’s just next to that frozen meat place.”

  Eve grinned suddenly, excitement blazing in her eyes. “So we’ll go there and see what leads we can dig up!”

  At her words, Christian shot up to his feet. Before he could speak, however, he blinked out, leaving nothing but empty space behind him. Marley had to bottle her irritation. When she wanted to see him, he would disappear. When she didn’t, he wouldn’t leave her alone. Why were boys, whether they were dead or not, so infuriating?

  “He’s gone. I didn’t hear what he wanted to say, but I think it sounds dangerous, especially since I’ve got classes in a minute.”

  “I don’t,” Cassie supplied in that small, shy voice of hers. “I can go with you Eve if you’d like?”

  Eve nodded, trying to hide her surprise. “Sure. I wasn’t planning on hitting the place on my own. It can’t be bad though can it? Not if Eric used to go there. Other than being immune to being killed by black magic, he didn’t have any powers to protect himself. We can just go see if we can find out who this snitch was. Maybe he’ll be able to help us.” She looked at Tyler. “Are you coming with us?”

  “I can’t,” Tyler said, her regret clear for all to see. “I have a meeting then more work scheduled. Are you sure it’s wise for just the two of you to go? Maybe you should wait until we can all make it.”

  “We’re only going to scope it out. At the first sign of trouble, we’ll get out of there. Besides, didn’t Christian say supernaturals weren’t supposed to mess with humans? In any case, I’ve got the best handle on my powers. If anything happens, I can deal with it. Plus I’ve got Cassie for backup.”

  Marley didn’t want to rain on her parade. She had some deep misgivings about the plan, but Eve was right. She was the most in command of her powers; Marley was sure she could take care of herself. It was Cassie she should be more worried about, reeking of insecurity as she did. What if they could smell fear?

  Seeing the concern, Eve rolled her eyes. “You know I’m the oldest here by several years, right? I’m not going to do anything stupid, so you can stop your worried looks. We’ll be fine.” Gesturing at Cassie, Eve headed off before Marley could reply. Moving her hair from her face, Marley shot Cassie another concerned look. Catching it, Cassie gave her a small smile.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll call if anything happens.”

  With that, the two of them hurried out of the library. Tyler dumped the book that was in her lap onto her ever-growing pile then stood up, tapping her foot on the ground. “I should get going too,” she said, sliding her bulging bag onto her shoulder, sagging visibly under the weight. Marley noticed two bottles of water inside.

  “That must weigh a ton to carry around. Do you want me to take one of those off you?” she offered.

  Tyler swung her shoulder away from Marley as if she didn’t want her to get close to the bag. “No, no. That’s fine. I just drink a lot,” she answered, trying to pass it off but Marley caught some of her edginess. She took in Tyler’s face, the too bright glare of her eyes, the dark circles ringing them.

  And that foot that kept on tapping nervously, beating a rhythm into the carpet.

  “Are you OK?” She finally asked. “You seem a little… wired.”

  Tyler waved off her comment with a hand. “You would be too after your third coffee of the day. I didn’t sleep well so I’m caffeinated up to my eyeballs. I’ve got to get going or I’ll be late for my meeting. See you later,” she said quickly, hurrying away.

  Marley watched her retreating back, trying to decide whether she bought her explanation or not. Finally, she decided it didn’t matter whether Tyler was hiding something from her or not as she didn’t have time for it. Grabbing her own bag, she started off before realizing that the books still lay in an untidy heap on the floor. Sighing, she picked them up and started putting them back onto the shelves, hoping she’d have enough time before her next class started.

  The professor stood at the front of the room giving an uninteresting PowerPoint presentation that had already gone on for days it seemed. The room’s blinds were drawn so that the presentation, which was being projected from the back wall, could be easily seen, though unfortunately, the darkness only caused Marley to grow sleepy. She was a girl who liked a good eight hours of sleep at the best of times, so these recent sleep-deprived nights were playing havoc with her body. Blinking rapidly, she forced her eyes open, trying to ignore the sting of air that forced them to water.

  “What the hell are you doing here, you need to go after them!” came the voice she so badly did not want to hear.

  Christian stood on the chair next to her, hands on his hips, looking at her in disbelief. Sneaking a look around her, Marley lowered her voice into the tiniest of whispers.

  “Go away…”

  “How could you let them go on their own Marley? They have no idea what could be there!”

  “I can’t do anything about that right now,” Marley hissed between clenched teeth, desperately hoping that no one would hear her. “Besides, Eve knows what she’s doing.”

  “She absolutely does not know what she’s doing! None of you do! My God, just when I think you’re starting to get it, you go and do something even more stupid! You girls are worse than children!”

  Glaring at him, Marley rubbed her forehead, wishing she could drown him out. Just one day. Could she get through one afternoon of classes without Christian bothering her? Suddenly, she sat up straighter, remembering her pills. Reaching into her bag, she popped open the vial, and broke a pill in half. She didn’t need it for the rest of the day, just a few hours so she could have some quiet time. Taking out her bottle of water, she slid the pill into her mouth, washing it down. Christian was still ranting beside her, but his voice was starting to fade out. Marley grinned, thrilled to find a solution to one of her biggest problems.

  Smiling at him, she shot him a tiny wave. He looked confused until he caught the edge of a pill bottle poking out from her bag.

  “You haven’t! Not again!” he demanded.

  Marley didn’t have to answer him. She watched as he became more translucent until he faded away completely. Leaning back into her seat, Marley grinned.

  Alone again.

  Finally.

  Chapter 9

  Tyler arrived at the Financial Aid office with energy to burn.

  A flower of unease opened in her stomach at the lie she had told. She had only known her for a few days, but Tyler considered Marley a friend, so the lie felt disloyal. She swatted the discomfort away with a mental wave of her hand. She didn’t have the luxury of dealing with guilt on top of everything else. Reaching the office door, she rapped on it with her knuckles — much louder than she had intended. Inside, came a friendly female voice. “Come in.”

  Tyler turned the door handle, stepping inside. Behind a large wooden desk sat a woman in her fifties. Everything about her screamed order. From the immaculately pressed shirt to the hair pinned expertly into a bun and the papers stacked neatly in piles. A Newton’s Cradle sat on the desk, its swinging metal balls colliding with one another providing a relaxing sound.

  Plink, plink, plink…

  The woman typed into her computer, reading whatever information had flashed up on the screen then smiled at Tyler from behind wire-rimmed glasses, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. “Ms. Jones? Please take a seat.”

  Tyler closed the door behind her, sat down onto the chair holding her bag in her lap. Her hands clasped togeth
er instinctively, something she always did when waiting for important news. The woman smiled again.

  “My name’s Annabelle Bartlet, thank you for being on time for our meeting. You wouldn’t believe how many students aren’t.” Her glasses slid down her nose, her hand reached up automatically to push them back into place.

  “It’s important to be punctual,” Tyler said, silently urging the woman to give her the news. Her foot tapped on the carpeted floor as she found herself resisting the urge to pace the room.

  “Exactly. It shows respect,” Annabelle finished.

  Though she had only been there a few seconds, she couldn’t drag this out any longer. “So, has it come through?” Tyler blurted out, willing the woman to say yes. Annabelle typed into her computer, the keys clicking loudly as her eyes slid back to the screen. Tyler knew the answer the second her eyes turned sympathetic.

  “I’m sorry, dear. It hasn’t.”

  Tyler’s heart started a dance inside her chest. What was the hold-up?

  “Why? What’s the problem?” she asked, hating how desperate her voice sounded.

  “There might not be one necessarily, however, I see that you applied for your Financial Aid very close to the deadline,” Annabelle replied, crosschecking her facts on the screen. “Sometimes, that does delay things. It’s the admin work you see. It’s why we always encourage students to apply for this as soon as they are accepted into a college.”

  “I didn’t apply early because I… well, I was under the impression that my family had money so I wouldn’t qualify for it but then, our circumstances changed…” She trailed off, eyes flicking down to the floor. Her family had been rich, at least that is what they had led her to believe. The truth was a much harder pill to swallow. She felt a tremor of resentment for how her parents had hidden the truth from her which immediately morphed into crushing guilt. They were doing the best they could, they couldn’t have known this would happen. If only they were here. If only this was all just one big bad dream. She’d swap all the money in the world if she could be with them again.

  “I’m sorry, dear. Can your parents help?” Annabelle asked innocently.

  “No.” Tyler didn’t want to go into her whole sorry story for fear that she would become even more upset. “I just got a job though, I started yesterday.”

  Annabelle smiled again, pleased. “Well isn’t that productive of you? I’m sure your parents must be very proud of the way you are handling things.”

  Tyler knew she didn’t mean it. The woman wasn’t to know they had died. If only she would stop bringing them up every damn second! Feeling her pain and anger grow, the air became charged with tension. The balls on the Newton’s Cradle started speeding up even though no one had touched them.

  Plink, plink, plink…

  Annabelle frowned, training her focus on the metal balls as they flew faster and faster, gathering momentum.

  “That’s strange…” she uttered, watching as the balls swung harder, crashing into each other with such force that she winced. Knowing she was causing it, Tyler fought to regain her composure. Realizing that the balls had only started moving like that when she felt resentful, she tried to calm her emotions but she knew she didn’t have a handle on them. The balls were crashing into each other now, so hard that Annabelle backed away from the desk.

  Plink.

  Plink.

  PLINK!

  Suddenly the metal balls EXPLODED sending steel shards every which way. Tyler ducked quickly as a shard whistled through the air where her face had been only moments before. Annabelle wasn’t so lucky as a shard caught the edge of her brow, slicing into her face. She yelped, jumping back as blood welled in the corner of her eye. Horrified, Tyler reached into her bag, pulling out a tissue that she offered her.

  “You’ve been cut,” Tyler mumbled, hating herself for harming a woman who had only been trying to help. Annabelle took the tissue from her, dabbing at the wound. Blood seeped into the paper, staining it red.

  “I’d better go and see the nurse,” Annabelle stuttered, shock turning her eyes dull. She left, leaving Tyler staring at the wickedly sharp metal shards that were now embedded in the walls.

  Chapter 10

  The walk to work went past in a blur.

  Overwhelmed with guilt, Tyler had fought to keep her emotions as calm as possible, realizing that they were partly what caused her powers to materialize. Christian had been right when he’d said that Eve’s animals came to protect her whenever she felt threatened. It seemed her own power came into play if she felt anything too strongly.

  Annabelle’s face flashed up in her mind. Her shock, the cut… and her blood. With it came the memory of the lab class, when she could have hurt the students too.

  One thing was becoming crystal clear: their powers could do serious damage if they weren’t careful.

  Arriving at the market, Tyler changed into her staff uniform, glad that William wasn’t there to see her. She wasn’t sure she could take the weird vibes he gave off on top of what she was already feeling. The last thing she needed was for something unnatural to happen here. As she folded up her clothes, putting them away into a locker, a wave of tiredness came over her.

  No! She couldn’t afford to slack off now, not when she’d just gotten to work!

  Reaching into her bag, Tyler pulled out her water bottle, quickly gulping down half of what remained of her solution. She was rewarded with an instant burst of energy that picked her right up. Straightening her back, she locked the locker and left for the shop floor to find her team manager, a skinny guy in his twenties called George.

  George was one of those rigid types who had started work here in his teens, working his way up the chain. Though it had taken him eight years to get promoted, he lauded his position over the team, but only when William wasn’t around. Tyler knew who he was within moments of meeting him during her induction. He had looked down his nose at her as if she wasn’t worthy of his time. He stood at the end of the pet food aisle now, squinting at the paperwork in his hands. On her approach, his eyes slid up from the sheet.

  “Finally. I wondered if you were bothering to show up today,” he exclaimed. Though she’d shown up on time, Tyler didn’t answer. Apparently, George liked to reprimand people even if they hadn’t done anything wrong. He handed her a price gun and the sheet of paper he had been scrutinizing, gesturing at several crates of cat food stacked into a pile on the floor.

  “We’re having a sale on this brand of food this week. The prices are different for each type, whether dried, wet or bundles. Check the list on the sheet, price accordingly, then stack the food onto the shelves, making sure the labels are front-facing. I know you have only just started, but even you should be able to do this without any incident, what with being a student and all.”

  Tyler took items from him without comment. There wasn’t really anything she could say to him really that wouldn’t garner a warning or worse. On top of his general unpleasantness, it seemed George had an issue with students too. What joy. It looked like she wasn’t going to like any of her superiors in this place. Then again, she wasn’t here to make friends. Scanning the price list, she set the correct price into the gun. Grabbing a can of cat food, she stuck the label on, then set it on the shelf, front-facing like she had been warned. Fuelled by the second dose of her brew, she worked fast, pricing then stacking quickly. In no time at all it seemed, she had completed the top shelf. One of the floor assistants tossed an annoyed look her way.

  “Slow your roll new girl. There’s no point in showing the rest of us up. No one’s impressed and you won’t get paid any more for it,” she hissed at her.

  Startled by the comment, Tyler watched as the whip-thin girl crossing the shop floor to the household cleaners section where she was compiling her own discounted display. Deciding she had had enough of people telling her what she could and couldn’t do today, Tyler narrowed her eyes, focusing back on the job at hand. She’d show this girl and George. She’d do her job faster tha
n they could handle.

  Burning with energy, she went at her job with a zest she hadn’t felt in a long while.

  Chapter 11

  Gray clouds obscured the mid-afternoon sun as Eve and Cassie arrived outside their location.

  It was a nondescript place, nestled between two factories including “REAL MEATS”, the frozen meat place Christian had mentioned, and which they had Googled easily enough. Still, the place would have been easy to miss if not for the obvious security guard standing outside a steel door.

  The girls stared at him, confused. By the sound of things, they had thought the snitch would be standing around, not hidden inside a mysterious building behind a big steel door and an even bigger bouncer.

  He wasn’t dressed like the usual bouncers found in the bars and clubs across the city. They wore pressed suits with polished shoes that shined. This guy was dressed in jeans and a jacket. It was only his rigid posture, the way his shrewd eyes cooly accessed the area that revealed his true purpose. No neon sign blazed above the door, and from where they were standing, they couldn’t hear any music either.

  If this was a club of some kind, it was pretty disappointing.

  Still, Cassie practically reeked of excitement, asking questions a mile a minute the entire journey here until Eve had had to tell her to calm down, though she was clearly still filled with excitement.

  Cassie was super excited at being Eve’s wingman. Of all the girls, Eve was the one she had spent the least amount of time with. Though she didn’t look like the girls Cassie usually admired, she knew that under the layers of makeup, Eve was as good-looking as Marley. More than that, she had a mysterious air about her that Cassie found intriguing. Eve was literally the coolest person she had ever met. She didn’t care about being popular or looking like anyone else. She didn’t seem to care about money. She did her own thing. In Cassie’s world, she based so much of her self-worth on how others made her feel that Eve was like a goddess. One she wanted badly to impress.