Dark Places

by Krista Cairn

  “Get you a drink, ladies?” the bartender asked. He was burly, like a heavy-set bouncer, but young. Simone wondered if he was old enough to drink, let alone serve.

  “Sorry.” She shook her head. He dropped a glass of water in front of each of them and went back to the book he was reading.

  Simone itched to hear what Mitch and the other man were talking about but both voices were subdued. A few minutes later, Mitch stood up and started walking out. Sliding off the bar stool, Simone hurried after him, followed closely by Jenna.

  Chapter 7 // Clear Day, Cloudy day

  “What did he say?” Simone whispered loudly as they walked back to the car.

  He held up another note, also with cut-out block letters glued on. Another address, time, and payment. This was starting to look like a scam. Simone stopped. “We should follow the guy that gave you the note. That will be a better lead than following this trail of breadcrumbs.”

  “I’ll do it,” Jenna volunteered.

  “Wait,” Mitch said. “It’s too dangerous. You have no idea what you’re heading into.”

  Jenna’s smirk looked like she was trying not to laugh but starting to fail. “I’ll be fine.

  You two go, follow that trail.” She tossed Simone the car keys and jogged back to the bar.

  “I’ll text you anything interesting.”

  Mitch stared after her, frowning. “I don’t understand. Does she have a death wish?”

  Simone pulled her lips in between her teeth, trying to not laugh. He didn’t know Jenna. He didn’t know she was practically a superhero. Maybe she needed a secret identity, a costume. She smirked and took his arm, turning him back to face the car to hide her amusement.

  “Don’t worry about her—she can handle things. Get in.” She hit the unlock button on the car’s remote.

  Simone’s phone started vibrating in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw Rene’s name displayed. Her gut clenched as she hit the answer button.

  “You’re my one call, kid. Let’s not waste it.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “They’ve decided that without a witness, I’m probably the aggressor in that situation.

  That Harold was provoked, and so on. He’s charging me with assault.”

  “And you need me to come in and say he’s lying?”

  “No, girl. I need you to get over to Carol’s. That’s twenty-four seven until I say otherwise, okay?”

  Simone paused, looking at Mitch. Would Jenna mind helping him while she disappeared? Probably not, but it felt a bit like she was abandoning him.

  “I can count on you, right?” Rene asked.

  Shoulders sagging, Simone sighed. “Yes, I’ll go.”

  “Now,” he said.

  “Yes, now. Fine.” She ended the call, wondering how to resolve this. Quickly she texted Jenna. She’d understand.

  ‘I have to do a Rene thing. Can you watch out for Mitch until I’m free?’

  ‘Sure,’ Jenna replied a moment later. ‘Where?’

  ‘Still at the car.’

  ‘I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.’

  Simone put her phone back in her pocket, hesitant to tell Mitch that she couldn’t stay and help.

  “Sorry, Mitch. René’s been arrested. He needs me to go somewhere for a while.

  Immediately. But don’t worry, Jenna says she’ll come and help out until I can get back.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t need backup. Just point me in the general direction I need to go.”

  He held out the note with the address on it.

  “Are you sure? This is starting to feel like a scam, or a trap. It couldn’t hurt to have someone there, if only to help you read the situation.”

  “Just point.”

  Simone looked at the address. At least it was in a slightly safer neighbourhood. She pointed northwest.

  “Hiking from here, it’ll take you about twenty minutes. Or I can drop you off on my way.” René wouldn’t know about this little detour. It was practically on the way. “Get in.”

  She quickly texted the address to Jenna, saying she was going to drop Mitch off there.

  When they pulled up in front of the building, she was a little surprised to find it was a community theatre house. The Ember City Arts Academy, to be precise. Closed due to renovations, a sign said.

  “Tell me this doesn’t look suspicious to you,” she said sarcastically. Sighing, she got out of the car.

  She looked over at Mitch and realized he was glowing. Brightly. So his was a defensive response, much like hers, for self-protection.

  “It’s fine. Thanks for the ride.” He got out of the car and, without looking back, walked to the front door.

  She watched as he went. It was locked, like she’d expected, so he went around to the right, continuing until he was out of sight. For a moment she was torn. This would probably be another short meeting, like the other one, and he was probably safe because of his lighting ability. What should she call that? She called her own incorporeal state ‘ghosting,’ but he did the opposite. She’d have to test this later.

  If nothing else, he could blind them and run. In his own way, was he also incorporeal?

  How else could anyone contain light? Basically, he stopped being human—like her.

  She caught a motion out of the corner of her eye and looked. Jenna had arrived.

  Simone got out of the car and pointed around to the side where Mitch had disappeared.

  Maybe she should have warned Jenna about Mitch. A sense of urgency filled her.

  Jogging after Jenna, she saw the door shut just as she rounded the corner.

  Inside, the hallway was dark except for a light glow she saw in the distance. She jogged lightly towards it, trying to keep her steps soft. She could see Jenna’s outline just ahead of her.

  “Jenna,” she called out quietly, hoping no one else would hear.

  Jenna didn’t hear her, or if she did, it didn’t slow her down. Voices coming from the end of the hallway were getting louder, agitated. Jenna paused at the entrance the light was coming from, long enough for Simone to catch up.

  “Can you fight?” Jenna whispered. “There are seven of them.”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never needed to.” She thought about what had happened between her and Mitch in the room with Sid’s body. The second she and Mitch made contact, all the rules changed. She couldn’t make him phase out like she did her courier packages.

  Then again, she’d never tried it on a person. “There is something I should tell you, before you go in.”

  Looking at Mitch, Simone knew his mutation would soon be obvious, but she had to warn Jenna about the extent they could go to. It was entirely possible that someday, and with practice, the light could be so intense it could act as a sun flare. Obviously, that wouldn’t be today. She was calmed by that thought. She really didn’t want to kill anyone.

  They just had to find Mitch’s sister.

  “He has the ability to gather light. I have the ability to dissipate it. If we really need to, when he gets really ‘bright’, I can grab his arm and, well, let’s just say it’s better for you to be on this side of the wall at that point.”

  “So, you actually need to stay as far from him as possible.”

  “Yes. Or he’ll lose every opportunity to find his sister.” Looking in, she realized they were standing on a small stage.

  “Okay. So, you run pretty good. Can you lure a few of them away?” Jenna asked.

  Simone nodded. “That won’t be hard.” She knew exactly where to go. Into the dark, to the unlit auditorium entrance. Only the center spotlight was on.

  One of them swung a punch at Mitch, but it was in too wide an arc to be taken seriously. Mitch leaned back and easily avoided it. The problem there was, he got brighter.

  That was their goal here, Simone suddenly realized. This wasn’t about his sister at all.

  Another one picked up a folding chair and tossed it his way, hitting him on
the back and falling away. The stage lights flickered and again he became brighter. Jenna walked out, whistling, like she’d just wandered in to find a shortcut.

  “Get off the stage,” the tall man in the middle called out. “This is a rehearsal.”

  Jenna laughed. “I’m sure it is. But I can’t tell what play you’re working on.”

  Simone slipped in along the edge, in the shadows, waiting for Jenna’s cue.

  The tall man signalled one of the thuggish guys on the edge of the group, and he turned and headed for Jenna.

  “No need to get rough,” she said. “I’m actually here to talk to Mitch. It’ll just take a minute.”

  The thug reached out to grab her arm, but she grabbed his instead, twisting it behind his back. With little care for the pain he was in, the man continued turning the direction the twist moved him in and he broke her grasp, pulling her a little off-balance.

  Instead of falling or staggering, Jenna used that momentum to do a flip, feet up over her head, landing just outside the group.

  Simone took that as her cue and stepped into the light. “No manners with this crew.”

  Without waiting for a signal, two of the men in the group ran her way. Immediately, Simone ran for the seating area and jumped off the stage. Her landing was a little harder than she’d expected, causing her to stagger, but her forward momentum carried her into the shadows.

  A few more feet and she’d be untouchable. It wouldn’t buy Jenna much time, but hopefully it was enough.

  Simone stopped and looked at the stage, not surprised to see three men already down and Mitch joining in the fight. One of the men chasing her reached out, but his hand passed straight through her. A look of terror crossed his face, then confusion.

  “Ghosts, right?” she said, chuckling. “What can you do?”

  Both men stood, frozen, staring. Simone jogged away, along the wall, staying in the dark.

  Jenna had things well in hand on the stage when suddenly every light in the room came on. The stage lights seemed brighter than they should be, as though someone had swapped the bulbs out for something more powerful.

  Mitch couldn’t stop himself. The light flooded into him, making him groan in pain.

  “Run!” he screamed, looking her way.

  Solid now, Simone had no way out. The two guys chasing her were intent on catching her again. Mitch was a blaze of light now.

  “Jenna, get out. Run!” Simone yelled as she headed for the stage. There was only one option she could see: contact. She had to get hold of Mitch’s arm. If they could blind the others, she could get him out of here.

  Before his captors could understand what she was doing, Simone ran up to Mitch, but waited until the last minute to grab his wrist. Intense pain flooded her, but she stayed focused, absorbing as much as she thought she could. Then with a scream, she pushed it out, around them.

  The room itself shook with the impact. A wide ring along the center of the walls had peeled, leaving a black scorch mark. What about their attackers? She looked around. They were gone, but they couldn’t have survived this. They’d probably been pushed off the stage, down to where she couldn’t see them.

  She looked at Mitch. His eyes were shut, but he was vertical. Staring out across the seats, she saw five other people sitting, apparently there to observe Mitch’s reactions. They weren’t moving.

  Sudden sickness hit Simone and she dragged Mitch to the stage exit. She couldn’t look. Wouldn’t look. As she left, she heard someone clapping. It had to be her imagination.

  No one could have survived that blast.

  Chapter 8 // Because I’m Crazy

  “He’s still in some form of shock,” Jenna said as she and Simone stood to one side while Mitch sat on the couch.

  “Shouldn’t we get him to a hospital?” Her apartment had been the closest place to take him, but he just stared into space. It didn’t seem like the greatest idea.

  “I’m not sure having him sit under all those bright hospital lights would be a good idea,” Jenna said.

  “So, maybe he needs dark?”

  “Explain to me what is going on. Once I understand, I can make a recommendation.

  I’m good at triage, but this is new to me.”

  “Yeah, welcome to the club.” How would she explain this? She didn’t even know how it started, or what was happening. Her mutation had been sudden, and was unchanging until about a year ago. Shortly after she started working as a night courier, she started changing again. Her abilities became stronger, more pronounced, and unpredictable. “Mitch suspects scientific foul play. That we were part of an experiment on the general public.”

  Jenna sat quiet for a moment, then reached out and patted Simone’s shoulder twice.

  “Today seem to validate that conclusion. Tell me more about this mutation.”

  “Since I feel better in the dark, maybe he’d feel better in the light?”

  “Or maybe light is what he needs a break from. You know the building shook, right?

  I haven’t checked Twitter, but I’ll bet someone noticed.”

  “I thought that was my imagination.”

  “Um, he’s starting to glow again.” Jenna reached out and took Simone’s hand and placed it on one of Mitch’s hands. “Keep him level, if you can. If that doesn’t help, then we can try dark.”

  Suddenly Simone remembered she was supposed to be watching over Carol. “Can you help me move him? I need to get to the café. René was arrested and this might take a while. I can keep an eye on him in the back room there. There are no windows, so it will be easier to control the light.”

  “I’d heard about Rene. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” She looked at the windows. “And yeah, your curtains are a little beaten up.”

  And if Neil comes home, this would be awkward, Simone thought. “Did Karen tell you Neil is back?” she asked.

  Jenna smiled. “I’ll warn you now, I’ve never seen her crush so hard on a guy. Neil must have changed a lot while he was away. Where is he staying?”

  “Here.” She smiled.

  “Oh!” Jenna stood up, her complexion going red. “So, let’s get you guys over to the café.” “It’s nothing like that. He just needs a place to crash until he gets his feet under him.”

  “Are you sure?” Jenna’s voice had a subtle, teasing tone.

  Simone laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. Why would there suddenly be something between us, just because he’s been gone for a year and a half?”

  “You know what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder.”

  “Can we talk about this another time, maybe?”

  “Well, Karen will be relieved.” Jenna leaned over and waved a hand in front of Mitch’s eyes. “Can you see my hand, Mitch?”

  He nodded slowly.

  “Oh, thank God!” Simone’s relief was sudden and exhilarating. He was getting better.

  Maybe all he needed was time.

  “We’re going to the café. You can recover better there, we think,” Jenna said.

  He nodded and stood, moving slowly.

  “Do you have a painkiller or two?” he asked. “And a glass of water. I’m so dry.”

  “Sure!” Simone raced over to the kitchen and returned with the largest lidded cup she had, filled to the top. “Bring it. We can refill at the café.” She handed him a couple painkillers. “You’re not allergic, are you?”

  He smiled softly as he shook his head.

  “Okay.” Simone took one of his hands. “This way.”

  As they stepped outside, Simone was struck by how late it was. The moon was up and the sun was just easing its way under the horizon. This had to have been the longest day ever.

  ***

  Mitch settled into an oversized padded chair in the back office of the café with a relieved sigh.

  “I’ll be nearby if you need me,” Simone said. “Lights on or off?”

  “Off, please.” He closed his eyes and leaned back.

  She turned the dimmer until it s
witched off but hesitated before drawing the door shut. She’d leave it open, just an inch, in case he called. He was improving. He’d be better soon, she was sure. And hopefully they’d never need to do that again.

  Jenna waited at a nearby table. Simone got them a coffee each before sitting down.

  “Oh, wait, you don’t drink coffee, do you?” she said.

  Jenna shook her head. “That’s okay, I need to leave. Kyun will suspect I’ve fallen off the planet by now.” She reached out and patted one of Simone’s hands. “Are you going to be okay? You’re not the kind who normally… well, who meets things head-on, you know?”

  Simone shrugged. “I’ll find out in my dreams. Maybe I’ll get lucky and forget it ever happened.”

  “It might be best if you did.” Jenna stood up. “Call me if you need to talk, or whatever.”

  As Jenna left, Carol came over and sat down, taking the coffee Jenna had left into her own hands.

  “So, why are we hiding a full-grown man in the back room?” She leaned forward with a conspiratorial look on her face. “Is he in some sort of trouble?”

  Simone nearly choked on her coffee. “Actually, sort of. Jenna helped him out of a jam, and he just needs to stay away from his apartment tonight.”

  “Ah, that does happen. Our Jenna sure finds herself in the strangest situations, eh?”

  She took a deep drink of the coffee. “He can stay until closing, but you’ll have to find him another hideout after that. Sorry, sweetie. Rules are rules for a reason.”

  “I know, Carol. Thanks. Can I help you clean up?”

  Carol nodded. “We’ll call it a trade, then. Take him some food.”

  “Good idea,” Simone agreed, suddenly aware of just how hungry she was, too.

  She gathered four ham and cheese biscuits, cut them in half, and filled them with a few cheese slices. That would have to do, unless Carol had something left over in the soup station. Lifting the lid, she saw there was quite a bit of chili left. No sense letting it go to waste, she decided, as she took two large soup bowls off a nearby shelf.