Play at Soul's Edge

by Sophia Amador

“Evan something.”

  “Evan Merrill?” Chloe pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “Yeah, that was the guy that was killed! The police found drugs in his trailer. They think he was the ringleader of a drug cartel.” Her fingers flew over the phone. “You actually met the guy that night? Scary!”

  “He’s dead?” Elisa wrapped her arms around her stomach. “He didn’t seem like a drug dealer at all.” She paused, suddenly wondering exactly what a drug dealer would be like.

  “What else did he say?”

  “Not much. He just ordered us to leave.” She thought back over the confrontation. “At first I was afraid Adrian would get upset. He said something a little strange—at least I thought it was weird at the time.”

  “What? What did he say?”

  “Something like, ‘You’ll regret this.’ It sounded all ominous. I was worried there might be a fight.”

  “Yeah?”

  “But Adrian was really mature about the whole situation.” Elisa tilted her head. “Not like some other people at this school.”

  “You really like him, don’t you? Did he kiss you?”

  Elisa blushed but didn’t say anything. Her body felt light, as though it were bread slowly rising in a warm oven.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Elisa had to say something to distract Chloe. She did not want to be describing her kiss right here in school. “I was always kind of hoping that I could be with—” Her voice faded. “With Ben,” she whispered. “But Adrian—he’s always doing these little things for me, like holding doors open. I didn’t know people did that anymore.”

  “Ha! Chivalry is not dead!”

  “When he looks at me, I feel strange inside. When he held my hand, I didn’t want to let go. He said I was beautiful.”

  Chloe’s expression softened. “That just means he has eyes. Of course you’re beautiful.”

  The bell rang, and Chloe started. “Shit! I’m late for my test! Tell me everything at lunch!” She streaked off down the hall.

  Elisa’s first class had been temporarily moved to a new location since the regular classroom had gotten flooded. Apparently the school roof had some major leaks, but, of course, the budget didn’t stretch to fixing them. It didn’t cost as much to move students around. So she ended up late, running to the new room in one of the far wings. She wasn’t as familiar with this part of the school, so she had to check the room numbers as she ran. She stopped to catch her breath in front of a girls’ bathroom.

  This was an older, run-down wing. The building was so big, it was rumored that even the principal didn’t know where all the rooms were. Certainly the maintenance staff regularly got lost. It didn’t look like they knew their way here. Many of the windows were cracked, and leaks had left faded stains on the walls.

  Elisa needed to use the bathroom, so she pushed open the marked-up door. It smelled even worse than the one she usually used. Black spray paint crisscrossed the walls. Her shoes stuck to the floor, and a pile of used pads lay scattered against one wall.

  A hand grabbed her shoulder. Two girls, one blonde, one brunette, stood in a little nook she hadn’t seen at first.

  “What the fuck you think you’re doing?” The shorter, blonde girl bared her teeth, a metal spike glittering in her nose, and her two high ponytails of frizzy pale hair quivered.

  The dark-haired girl backed her up. Short, spiky brown hair topped a thin face, and her eyes glinted beneath thick eyeliner.

  Elisa’s heart battered her chest. She should step up to them and stare them down. They didn’t own the place. But instead she offered a weak smile and tried to be placating. “I really need to use the bathroom.”

  The blonde grunted. “Right. Invade our territory, try to pretend you’re innocent. That ain’t gonna work, bitch.” She raised her fist. “We gonna show you why you should stay the fuck out.”

  “I just wanted to use the bathroom. If you want me to go, I’ll go.” Elisa edged backwards toward the door.

  The girl hissed. “Don’t think you gonna get away, bitch. Debra, get behind her.”

  “Kim, let her go. It’s not worth it.”

  “She’s gotta be punished.”

  “We don’t need any more trouble.”

  “Shut up!” Kim shrieked as she rounded on Debra. “Who’s gonna know?”

  Before Elisa could move, Kim grabbed a handful of her hair and punched her in the face. The reek of alcohol gusted over Elisa and bright pain flared in her mouth. She tasted blood.

  She needed to do something. Say something. Fight back. Elisa lifted her hand. But all she could remember was her mother shrieking, the same smell of alcohol on her breath. “Don’t move! Don’t talk! Good girls shouldn’t fight.” Instead of attacking, Elisa froze. Her mother screamed in her face, that horrible alcoholic stench filling her brain.

  Kim laughed, and shoved her so hard she fell to the floor. “Stupid little bitch. Can’t even fight. Lessee, what next?”

  The brunette tugged at Kim’s arm. “That’s enough! Just let her go.”

  Kim shrugged her off. “I’m only starting.”

  Elisa gathered her legs under her. No matter what her mother said, she was going to fight back.

  The bathroom door crashed against the wall, and the whole room shook. A tall guy appeared in the doorway, arms bulging with muscle under a denim vest. The one who’d been fighting with Ben in the lunchroom.

  “Mario!” gasped Kim. “You ain’t s’posed to be here!”

  “I heard you two bitches all the way down the hall.” He took in the scene: Elisa kneeling on the floor, blood on her face, and Kim’s fierce grip on her hair. “Having some fun when nobody’s watching?”

  He took two quick steps forward and slammed his fist hard into Kim’s jaw. She was thrown violently against the wall, landing with a smack and sliding down into the dirty pads. Debra, wheeling around, tried to attack Mario from behind, but he swung his arm almost casually to the side and knocked her into the other wall, where she lay stunned. Kim struggled to lift herself up on her elbows. Blood streamed from her lips.

  “You bastard! The Captain’s gonna get you!” she spat, wiping her mouth with her fist. “I’m his… princess, and you can’t hurt me! He’ll kill you!”

  “As if the Captain would do anything for a shithead like you. What’s wrong with you? Are you too drunk or too stupid to remember our orders?”

  He rounded on Elisa. “And you, dumbass, are you really stupid enough to enter our territory without permission?”

  She pressed her elbows into her sides. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  He rolled his eyes. “What’s with all the dipshit idiots today? All right.” He grabbed Elisa roughly by the arm and dragged her to the door. “Time for a lesson, bitch. See that mark?” He pointed to a symbol, three concentric diamonds sprayed on the door with black paint. “That means it’s Tenebras territory and you should stay out. You know who we are, right?”

  Elisa nodded, not trusting her voice.

  “Good.” Mario propped himself against the wall, one hand on his hip. “We own this school. You stay out of our way, you’ll be okay. But if you cross us…” He drew his finger across his throat. “Get it?”

  Terrified, Elisa nodded again.

  “Get the fuck out of here.” He folded his arms. “Keep your mouth shut or you’ll be in a fuckload of trouble.”

  “I won’t say a word to anyone,” she promised. She dusted off her clothes, grabbed her backpack, and ran into the hall.

  She decided it would be better to skip class and go directly to the health center.

  “What happened to you, dear?” the volunteer asked as she examined Elisa’s mouth and teeth for damage.

  “I ran into a bathroom door,” she explained, eyes downcast.

  The woman lifted an eyebrow. But she swabbed Elisa’s face and daubed disinfectant on her cut lip. “There. No permanent harm done. Just some lacerations and a little bruising. You’ll have to be careful what you eat for a
couple of days, but you should heal quickly.” She unlocked a medicine cabinet and shook two acetaminophen tablets into her hand.

  “Here.” She filled a paper cup with water from the sink. “Take these for the pain and swelling.” Elisa obediently swallowed the pills. “Do you have more at home?”

  Elisa shook her head. Her mother didn’t believe in medicine. The woman opened another drawer. She poured a few tablets into a tiny cardboard pillbox. “You can take two more every four to six hours.”

  Elisa nodded her thanks and slipped away to class. The halls were uncharacteristically silent, only a few students with hall passes ambling through. As she rounded a corner near her classroom, a boy loomed out of a hallway.

  She jumped backwards, still shell-shocked from her experience. Then she recognized him. “Ben! You startled me.”

  “I saw you in the hall bleeding, and that bastard Fonseca leaving from the same direction.” He eyed the bandage on her chin. “Did he hurt you?”

  Just what she needed, more people involved in her problems. “No, he didn’t do anything. I just, uh, ran into a bathroom door and hurt my mouth.” She pointed at the bandage. “It didn’t really hurt, but I went to the health center.” She didn’t meet his eyes. She was a terrible liar.

  “You ran into a bathroom door with your mouth?”

  “Yeah,” she mumbled. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” She gave an embarrassed laugh that sounded fake even to her.

  Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “All right. But if Fonseca or anybody else bothers you, you let me know, right?”

  He stepped away from the wall to let her pass. Something terrifying lurked in his eyes.

  Ben

  Ben frowned. Something was off about Elisa’s story. That bastard Mario Fonseca always seemed to be around whenever something bad was going down. But because of his connections, he got away with everything. Ben seemed to be the only one who noticed Fonseca’s crap.

  The other day, Ben had been coming home from the store, striding along mostly deserted streets on the sleepy Sunday afternoon. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of movement. Fonseca and Ron Hundley were sneaking into the bushes near an apartment building. Ben crossed the street to follow them, but by the time he reached the building, they were gone. He prowled around the area for a few more minutes, but couldn’t find any trace of them, so finally he gave up and went home. All at once, he realized it had been Elisa’s apartment building.

  When he’d seen Fonseca coming out of the corridor after Elisa had been injured, he’d been surprised at the incredible blaze of anger that had risen in his chest. Was the bastard targeting Elisa in some way? The next time he saw Fonseca, he was going to goddamn well piece him. Just for the hell of it.

  Elisa’s face stayed in his mind. Irritated, he shrugged it off. She was an acquaintance, nothing more. He didn’t have time to get interested in girls right now; he was busy writing scholarship applications so he could get the hell out of this lousy neighborhood. He needed to stay focused.

  Elisa

  Adrian was waiting for Elisa at her locker after school. Something leaped in her chest when she saw him leaning against the wall.

  “Hi!” she said cheerily.

  His eyes narrowed when he saw the bandage on her chin. “What happened to you?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing.” She was getting tired of her own story by now. “I ran into a bathroom door.”

  “Really?”

  “Nobody seems to believe me,” she said with an annoyed expression.

  “It is a rather lame excuse.” Adrian smiled at her exasperation. But to her relief, he didn’t pursue it further. “I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go out to dinner on Friday.”

  She pulled her books out of her backpack and shoved them into her locker. Her friends had advised her at lunchtime to tell Adrian she was busy the next time he asked her out, so he didn’t think she was easy.

  Sumiko had said, hand on her hip, “Girl, you don’t want to look like you’re thirsting.”

  Chloe added, “No one likes a girl who’s always available. No matter how horndogs you are, you gotta play it cool.”

  “Both of you, shut up! You’re disgusting!”

  Elisa slammed the locker shut. Now that Adrian was standing here asking her, she found the idea of playing such a game repulsive. But it was hard to go against Sumiko’s advice.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I’m busy. I’ve got to, uh, do homework, you see, and it’s a really long assignment.”

  He leaned into her, his face inches from hers. “Homework?” he whispered. “Really?” He was standing so close, too close. That gorgeous face filled Elisa’s vision and she smelled his spicy cologne, and all she wanted was to fall into his arms and ravish his mouth. Her legs felt weak, and her eyes fluttered.

  No. Not in the middle of the hallway in broad daylight.

  She swallowed. What were they talking about again?

  He straightened, smirking. “I suppose it’s no problem. We’ll just have to see what we can do about your… homework. I’ll come by your apartment and pick you up at six.”

  “What?” Hadn’t she said no?

  Heading off, he called over his shoulder, “And don’t forget drama club on Wednesday!”

  Mario

  Mario sat half-dozing in the back row of English class, ignoring the teacher going on about subordinate clauses. He yawned ostentatiously. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t stupid. He just had an utter lack of interest in anything that didn’t translate into immediate advantage on the streets. All he needed to know about language was how to trash talk his opponents in a fight.

  A freshman entered the class and timidly handed the teacher a note. Mario found it hard to believe he could have ever been that young.

  The teacher read it. “Mario Fonseca,” she said, “you are to go to the principal’s office at once.” She clearly disapproved of him and his behavior, but frankly, Mario felt the same about her. To him, it was a mark of achievement to be a thorn in the side of the school administration.

  Mario got up with a swagger. One of his friends in the back row muttered, and Mario retorted, “Don’t get jealous that I’m so important the principal asks my advice now.” His friend sniggered.

  The tiny freshman escorted him to the principal’s office without saying a word. Mario spent the walk looming over the kid and enjoying his obvious terror. He wondered idly what transgression he had been caught at this time. There were so many it was hard to keep track.

  But when the door opened and Mario walked in, the person sitting behind the principal’s desk was not old man Robson, but Adrian Salas. He lounged in the high-backed leather chair, a faint smile on his face. He had removed his glasses, and his expression of serene arrogance was very different from that of the quiet, straight-A student his teachers knew. An aura of power and command seemed to surround him. Mario glanced over his shoulder to see Cesar Peralta closing the door and Rory Fong leaning against the wall.

  Mario swallowed. This wasn’t good. Mario had never been summoned to the office this way before. He rarely even met with Adrian outside of gang territory, and if he did, he was supposed to pretend he didn’t know him. They were expected to move in completely different social circles, where Adrian would never associate with the likes of him. But now, the mask was off, and Adrian was in his other persona, that of the feared “Captain” of Tenebras, the absolute ruler of one of the most powerful gangs in the city, and the man who held Mario’s and many other lives in the palm of his hand. Although Mario had utterly no concerns about Robson’s opinion of him, it was a completely different story with Adrian. His heart raced. Could Adrian have learned what he was doing? Mario had heard all the stories of people who’d crossed him and never been seen again. The space between his shoulder blades prickled as he stood with his back to Peralta and Fong, both of whom were very good with a knife.

  He approached the desk. “You wanted to see me?” he asked, schooling the t
one of his voice to deference.

  “Yes.” Adrian’s voice was composed, giving no clue as to the state of his mind. “Please sit down, Mario.”

  As Mario settled himself, Adrian spoke with his trademark politeness. “Thank you for coming. I have a few questions for you.”

  Sweat broke out on Mario’s forehead and he forced himself to appear calm. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I understand you had an… encounter with Elisa Gallardo yesterday morning.”

  Mario was puzzled. He didn’t recognize the name, and he cast his memory over what had happened that morning but drew a blank. Adrian’s eyes narrowed. He tossed a small photograph in front of Mario. “This girl.”

  Mario picked up the photo. The girl’s face was angled toward the camera, gazing over her shoulder and laughing. She had huge, dark eyes, and masses of auburn hair falling over her shoulder. His heart chilled. It was the girl he had met in the bathroom yesterday, the girl Kim and Debra had been beating up. What was Adrian’s interest in the fight? Had Kim made good on her threat to tattle to Adrian? It would be surprising if Adrian cared; he never had before when Mario or one of the other Blades disciplined lower-ranking members of the gang. Or was this girl really a rival gang member encroaching on their territory, rather than the innocent civilian he had taken her for? In that case, he would be in big trouble.

  He took a deep breath, and tried to order the events in his mind so he could describe them.

  “OK. I heard a racket coming from the bathroom on the first floor at the far end of building three, so I went to check it out. I saw Kim and Debra beating up this girl, who said she had walked into the bathroom by accident. I told them to stop.” He took a breath. Adrian’s face continued to be neutral. “In my opinion, Kim was just looking for someone to have some fun with. She was too wasted to remember your orders. This girl was just clueless and had walked in by mistake. She didn’t even recognize our mark on the door. I showed it to her, warned her to keep her mouth shut, and she left. I gave Kim and Debra a little lesson; then I left.”