Death, Doom And Detention Part 26

She draped herself across the bench melodramatically. "I'm going to starve before the day is over."

"Dude, go eat."

"I don't want to be disloyal."

I stopped rummaging through my backpack. My lip gloss was gone. No doubt about it. "How is your eating disloyal?"

"Because then I would sit with all those people who want to kill you. It would look bad."

"Oh, good point. I wonder what's keeping Cameron."

She tried to raise her head off the bench but couldn't manage it. "I don't know."

"For heaven's sake, I'll go hit the vending machine."

She bolted upright. "Sweet. Bring me something colorful."

With a chuckle, I headed out in search of sustenance. My leaving the bench was hardly dangerous. There was absolutely no one crazy enough to be outside in the cold. Of course, I thought, halfway to the building, nephilim don't feel the cold. I wondered if the descendants of nephilim felt the cold.

I glanced around and decided to hurry. The vending machines lined the back wall of the main building. After picking an array of colorful foods, I started to head out-when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. No way. I kept walking. Better to ignore the hairs on the back of my neck than invite trouble.

A male voice echoed down the empty hall. "Hi."

I whirled around, but no one was there. Without looking away, I started backing toward the doors. Toward Brooke. Toward safety.

Or, well, toward a short chick with a killer glare.

"Is your name Lorelei?"

A yelp escaped me as I whirled around again, dropping a MoonPie and Brooke's chocolate milk.

The kid in front of me caught them both, one in each hand, then straightened to face me. I recognized the army jacket that was three sizes too big. It was the kid from the Clearing the other day, the one hiding in the trees. He looked about thirteen, with matted black hair under his hoodie and bloodshot eyes. Though he wasn't that tall, he seemed to tower over me. Perhaps it was the curious look in his gaze that held something corrupt, something dark.

"You should be careful." He stepped forward.

I stepped back. "I saw you at the Clearing the other day. Do you live here?" I took the milk and pie-ish-like substance from him. When he didn't say anything, I asked, "Are you hitting the vending machines too?" If he was programmed to kill me, best to play dumb. Pretend like all was right with the world and run the microsecond I got the chance.

"No. I just wanted to see you. Alone."

That sounded bad. "Um, okay." Speaking of alone, where the heck was Static Cling when I needed him? Easing toward the door, I asked, "So, what's your name?"

He fell in step beside me and grabbed the door when we reached it. "Noah."

I started to say it was nice to meet him, but he didn't open the door. He was actually holding it closed. Why did I get myself into these situations? I couldn't even go for a MoonPie alone? I smiled the most nonthreatening smile I could conjure. "Can you open the door, Noah?"

"No." The expression on his face startled me. It was almost apologetic. His hand around my throat startled me more. I dropped the contents in my arms and pushed, but he was much stronger than he looked. "You have to help me," he said.

"Okay," I squeaked out.

The door jerked open. I watched as Cameron grabbed Noah by the shirt collar and tossed him roughly outside. Noah rolled, but before he could even think about getting to his feet, Cameron slammed him against the brick wall. The few kids that were outside started to gather instantly.

Noah's eyes didn't register fear as he struggled against Cameron's rock-solid hold, but sadness.

I hurried to Cameron's side. "This is the kid from the Clearing the other day." Then I looked at Noah. "Noah, why did you grab me?"

"I-I need your help," he said.

"That's not a very nice way to ask for it," I said.

"Lor, really?" Cameron said.

"What?"

"Can you let me handle this?"

"Cameron, he's a kid."

Cameron looked back at him. "You're not a kid, are you?"

Noah's mouth thinned. "No. I just want to talk to Lorelei. She's in danger."

"And you came to warn her by grabbing her throat?"

I stepped closer. "What do you mean, you're not a kid? Are you a descendant?"

"A descendant?" He seemed almost repulsed by the idea. "No. I just want your help."

"Cameron," I said, "this is ridiculous. Let him go."

"What do you think, Noah? Should I let you go?"

He went still and a smile drifted across his handsome face. "Probably not."

"Why did you risk coming here?" Cameron asked him.

"To warn you," he said. "If you don't stop them, we're all going to die."

"Hey!" Coach Chavez was walking toward us, his strides aggressive.

"d.a.m.n it," Cameron said. He looked at Noah hurriedly. "Do you know when?"

"Let go, Lusk." The coach pushed Cameron off him.

"He was threatening Lorelei," Cameron said as he let go, and Coach Chavez seemed to calm.

He looked at me. "Did he touch you?"

"No, he just got mad at me."

"Then you need to file a statement with the counselor. She'll know what to do from there. You," he said, looking at Noah, "need to be someplace else." Thankfully, he didn't realize Noah wasn't a student.

Noah headed off, but he turned back and said, "Soon."

Coach Chavez offered him a warning expression, then pointed in the opposite direction of the school. "You too. Go."

"Can I get my things?" I pointed inside.

"Hurry."

I rushed in and gathered the snacks I'd bought, then burst out the door and hurried away. While Cameron's walk was more like a saunter, unhurried, thoughtful, he caught up to me in only a few steps.

"What was that about?" I asked, looking over my shoulder to make sure Coach Chavez was leaving.

Cameron plucked the MoonPie out of my hands. Then he went for the chocolate milk, and I yanked it back from him.

"Dude, Brooke likes her chocolate milk. Take it and you're risking my life. Just where the heck have you been?"

He stuffed half the MoonPie in his mouth. "I was eating. I thought you were supposed to stay on the bench. You said you weren't hungry."

"I wasn't." When he looked at the contents of my arms doubtfully, I added, "I am now. What was that about? Who was that?"

"Noah, apparently."

"You don't know him?" When he shook his head, I asked, "Then what is going on?"

"He's possessed."

I stopped and stared up at him. "What? You mean, like, with a demon?"

He put his free hand in a pocket. "No, Lor. Not like you. He's possessed like Brooke was when her parents first brought her to Riley's Switch, to your grandparents. He's possessed by a rogue spirit. And he must know things if he came here seeking our help."

I started forward again. "Then we have to help him. That poor kid."

"That's just it," Cameron said. "I don't think we were talking to the kid."

DETENTION.

"Nutrition bars?" Brooke moaned as I walked up to her. "Granola? What the heck is up with that?" She grabbed one out of my hand and pointed accusingly. "That machine has Cheetos. I've seen them. Orange. Crunchy. How am I supposed to live on this stuff?" I plopped down beside her and let her get it out of her system. After a rant that lasted two whole minutes, she opened the nutrition bar and took a bite. "Strawberry. Yum."

I sat on the bench beside her in a trance. "You will not believe what just happened."

"Is that a MoonPie wrapper?" She finally spotted the evidence in Cameron's hand.

"N-no."

I handed over her milk before Cameron lost a leg.

"Oh, yes. Milk from my favorite color of cows: brown."

"Brooke, seriously, you will not believe-"

"I was starving," she said. "I'm surprised you didn't have to revive me. You took, like, forever."

Ashlee and Glitch walked up then, Ash's eyes darting around furtively. "Did that kid try to hurt you?"

"What?" Brooke's gaze bounced back and forth between Ashlee and me. "Who? What happened?" She finally realized I was taken aback. "Lor," she said, putting a hand on mine, "what happened?"

"That boy from the Clearing. He's possessed."

"What boy?" she asked. "That kid in the army jacket?"

I nodded and told her the whole story of what just happened.

"So, what does that mean?" she asked, as clearly disturbed by the idea as I. "Cameron?"

"It means he won't live much longer with that thing inside him."

I gasped.

"And it means he knows something. I'll have to see if the sheriff can find him. Before Vincent does."

I glanced up in surprise. "Vincent?"

"Did you see his reaction when you mentioned the descendants? There's no love lost. Did you find an address on Vincent?" he asked Ashlee.

"I'm sorry," she said, clearly disappointed. "I couldn't get his file. The cabinets were locked today because Mrs. Terry is out sick."

"Oh, c.r.a.p." I stuffed wrappers in my pockets when I saw Mr. Davis walking toward us. I had no idea why. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

I was so hoping this day would be incident-free.

He turned his big mustache-covered head toward Ashlee. "Ms. Southern, would you mind giving us a minute?"

"Oh," she said in surprise. "Not at all. I'll see you later," she said to Glitch.

He eyed her a long moment. "Oh-kay."

Maybe he was getting a clue. He turned back to us and shrugged.

"We can do this out here, or I can take you into my office one by one," Mr. Davis said, his expression grave. "I'm fine with either, but I want to know what happened yesterday."