Lamuel bought me when I was young. But Ileoh tells me he isn't dead. Well, that took a huge shit on my birthday. And Yahoska is dead or missing. "It was a lot of blood in the hair salon. You think that whole thing was her?" inquiries Ileoh. "Aleigha... it was a lot of blood."
"Spilling humans or vamps is easy. If it was hers, than I got to find who. And remember Nila said something about The Name Game."
"But they aren't dealing with names. It seems to be bodies." I bat an eye, "Did you find something out?"
"It seems your brother is out the realm. He got his body back. Thankful just texted, about two hours ago Overworld time."
"How long has it been Underground time?"
"About six hours." Damn. I've been here a long time. I'm just looping areas, running back and forth. If anything, it's been longer than I estimated. "Ileoh, what should I do next?"
"Well, Deidre is back. We could go find Yahoska. Seems a bit evil to leave a woman to die."
I stomped my feet. "I don't care though!" I honestly do not care. I wish Mokiri was around. At least then I could release some stress. Ooo, thinking about it is making me hard. "Calm the fuck down. Jesus, Aleigha. Why don't you call her?" proposes Ileoh.
Because every time I fucking text her, her goddamn boyfriend picks up. If I have to go back to Virginia and rip out a nigga's heart. I will, I will fucking kill him. I know that fucking nigga is cheating on her anyway. I have all the fucking messages from when I was catfishing for clues. Dirty ass, shit stain, little motherfu---
"Aleigha! Your eyes are glowing." signals Ileoh. I try to disguise my anger. That's what Mokiri used to do, she used humor. Always smiling, her round face would make my day. I go through my phone and pull up a picture of her sitting on the couch, her long black hair in a pony draped over her right eye. At the same time, I'm thinking about all the times I took her to bed. She would be passed out. I'd pick her up and carry her to bed.
I haven't talked to my girl in a long time. "Call her you idiot!" shouts Ileoh. My thumb swipes the screen, another picture of her. She's wearing a yellow bikini and cape around her waist. I'm standing behind her, showing my fangs like I want to bite her neck. Mokiri is a tall woman, she's six-five and I'm six-seven.
I go to the messages and look at the last thing I sent her.
?? Above the Rest ??: Aloha pretty girl
?? Above the Rest ??: Happy birthday baby! I love you so much! ππ¦π
?? Above the Rest ??: You startin' to scare me...
?? Above the Rest ??: Thought you should know. I moved out of town. But don't worry I'm coming back. π Remember I love you Pretty Girl π₯°
?? Above the Rest ??: Hi baby
?? Above the Rest ??: It's August...
?? Above the Rest ??: It's September...
?? Above the Rest ??: Love you... Miss you...
?? Above the Rest ??: Ok it's been three goddamn years π
?? Above the Rest ??: I'm not finna lose my mind over you no more π€ͺπ
?? Above the Rest ??: I suck yo nasty period and this is how you do me? I could be a real Vamp and fuck a human and some Twilight ass shit pop off but here I am with yo ugly ass ππΉ
?? Above the Rest ??: I hope you die ππͺ
Wayside: Who is this?
?? Above the Rest ??: Excuse me!
?? Above the Rest ??: Yo fucking ratchet ass finally texted me back after seven fucking years and shit
?? Above the Rest ??: Wait... Wayside? Who is this?
Wayside: Wyleisha P. Gaines.
It's been five more years and I haven't texted Mokiri in a long time. Maybe her phone got stolen because I sure as hell don't know a Wyleisha. "Ileoh, what's the plan?"
"Go home. We don't need the book or the promised amulet. It's a waste of time." she says, "We've been here six hours, Aleigha. I'm starting to forget why we came."
Why can't I remember why? "Ok, let's check the school down here."
"Amalaric Thrallmaster? It's closed."
"So?"
"Jesus Christ," she groans, an animation of rolling eyes appears on the phone in green.
Amalaric is the closest thing to a magic school. Ghetto ass witches, vampires, wandering spirits looking to reclaim their school life. I've never attended Amalaric. The students dub it, The Album.
Wait--What am I saying? Amalaric is in Virginia, isn't it?
The building appears as a castle. Surrounded by a white brick wall holding a rectangle shape with the middle section rounded. Two towers on either side, a bridge between each connecting to the main square building. In the yard, two gargoyles, the mascot of the school. Hibazz and Agatal are past my height, I've never been here. I know of its existence through my mother.
Why do I keep saying I've never been here?
As I walk on the premises, the gargoyles' eyes glow red. "Halt!" they order. Their stone bodies fracture, as they come to life the rock decays onto the ground. "Who are you."
"Aleigha D. Omehia."
"Not a student!" Agatal spits, spreading her massive wings. "Turn back!"
"I just came to see the school. I'm a tourist." I jest. They growl at me. I could kill them both but that's bad luck. Old vampiric superstition.
"You don't belong here! Leave!" Hibazz shoos. "The school is off limits!"
"I know," I roll my eyes. The best course of action is not through the front. Magic and gargoyles don't work well thanks to Medusa. An old hood myth said Medusa had the coldest stare. The gargoyles came from her. As for marrying a gargoyle that was a soldier, I question that. If so, that would be the chief. "I left my--"
"You didn't leave anything!" snarls Hibazz. "The school is off limits."
"Leave, bug." I don't appreciate Agatal calling me a bug. She must catch a lot of bird shit on her back. "Whatever, bye pugs." Now I have to waste more time trying to get into the school. Jump over, yeah, that's a thought. I leave the premises and hide behind a nearby building. "Ileoh, gargoyles."
Why do I want to get into the school? That was never my first thought. What the fuck is wrong with me. My head feels weird.
"Scared of a few long dogs?" she titters. "No!" I bark. Gargoyles are plugged face demons as far as I'm concerned. "How do I get past the pugs?"
"Gargoyles come from the Goddess medusa. They have the ability to turn to stone."
"I didn't ask that google!"
"Then I have nothing to tell you. I'm trying to find a map of the school now. There are some emergency tunnels below. You might have to go through those." she says.
"Can I climb?"
"Absolutely not, Amalaric Thrallmaster has a barrier. The gargoyles are just there to play watchdog in case the barrier breaks."
"Has the barrier ever been broken?"
"Yes. 15 years ago, it's broken down twice."
"When was the most recent?"
"During the Uprising, at the time--" she stops and starts again, "No, it has been broken recently, much more recent."
"When, E?"
"It collapsed during your visit with Nila. It's already on the Brain Society website. Drunks evade The Master."
I start tapping furiously on my phone. Log in and instantly be given the top news of the week. Why didn't I see this before? "Aleigha, it was available but you ignored it. You were preoccupied." I don't like how she said it. As if she's been scheming. "This news is rather interesting. They believe the Drunks that attacked the school were conscious."
"Conscious?" I'm conscious. I haven't fed in a long time, again. I'm thirsting for something nasty. A conscious Drunk is not a complete monster yet. I'm surprised they didn't lunge at me looking at my pink eyes.
If conscious Drunks evaded the school, they could have been former students or current. But also, being conscious comes from being trained. My eyes aren't green yet, mama told us Green eyes meant two things. One, you used to be an addict and recovering from it. Two, It's a reaction to the medicine by the DOHRCC. "What happened Ileoh?"
"They stole a book from the library. It says Drunks evaded, taking at least 82 students in the raid. Most went directly to the library. At this moment the library is destroyed, they even have a picture of it." She lets me view the photo, the library is trashed. Broken bookshelves, blood pools, shattered windows, papers littered across the ground. "Why a book?"
The mention of the library is oddly specific.
"This book was located in the bottom chambers. It's one of your mother's bibles."