On Monday morning at Seacrest High, chatter filled the bustling hallways about Cain's mansion party. For those who had attended, it was the highlight of their young social lives so far. Even students who missed out listened jealously to secondhand accounts.
"Dawg, when Cain's pet anaconda Jahvis swallowed that whole goat, I almost pissed myself," laughed Andre, miming the grisly event. "That beast was living decor!"
Nearby, Sonita was swooning to her friends. "I swear Thomas was giving me bedroom eyes in the pool. Do yuh think him really into me?" She twirled a lock of hair anxiously. Her crush was clearly amplified by the intimate party environment.
"Anyone see where Sonia disappeared off to?" asked a concerned boy from her dance troupe. "We had choreo to plan this weekend but she never answered her phone after Cain's bash."
Overhearing it all, Devon just shook his head and kept moving down the hall silently. He felt like the only sober one amidst this intoxicating gossip. None of them had witnessed the evil truth lurking beneath those flashy festivities.
Arriving at his locker, Devon subtly watched Cain joking around with his usual entourage nearby. The cocky sprinter showed no hints anything was amiss after his secret drug dealing Friday night. Devon still had the vials stashed as proof, but what could he actually do?
In Home Room, Devon was only half listening as the teacher droned about upcoming assignments and deadlines. His gaze kept drifting discretely across the room to where Cain sat slouched in his desk with furrowed eyebrows as he stared intently at some glowing projection from his tablet. Devon wondered what schemes that devious mind was cooking up next.
When the dismissal bell rang, Devon headed off to history in a thoughtful daze. He had to be strategic in exposing Cain's misdeeds with the limited evidence in his sole possession. One misstep and the sprinter's wealthy father could silence everything with his corporate connections.
Just outside his next class, a pretty girl named Keisha approached Devon eagerly. "Yow D, I never got to say hey at Cain's epic party Friday night. Why yuh leave so early?" She twirled her hair flirtatiously.
"Uh yeah, wasn't really my scene," Devon responded vaguely, trying to inch past her advances. "I actually had early training the next morning, so couldn't stay long."
Keisha pouted in disappointment. "Aww really? Well I was keeping an eye out for yuh strong self. We coulda had some real fun together." She trailed a suggestive finger down Devon's arm before sashaying away.
Devon just shook his head. Clearly, the mansion gathering had stoked all kinds of lustful appetites. He wanted no part of the dizzy bubble. There were more important matters requiring his focus.
Throughout the day, similar encounters happened that further isolated Devon - classmates reminiscing eagerly about Cain's party while he kept silent; girls lamenting they had missed chances to catch Devon's eye that intoxicated night. The facade of excitement masking the ugly truth made him resent the celebrity sprinter even more.
After the final bell, Devon slowed his pace heading out the front gates. He deliberately let distance widen between himself and other lingering students until only one remained in sight ahead - Cain. Keeping discreetly back, Devon tailed the unsuspecting sprinter once off school grounds. He had to learn more about this nefarious plot.
Zigzagging between trees and fences along the sidewalk, Devon followed Cain's cocky stride towards the commercial district. He wondered where the devious teen was headed while classes were still ongoing for some. Nowhere innocent, Devon suspected.
Sure enough, passing shops and businesses, Cain eventually ventured down a deserted side road that led out towards Saint Thomas parish in the hilly interior. The shady path saw only scattered industrial traffic from nearby bauxite mines and farms. Ideal for discreet meetings. Devon increased his stealth, needing answers.
Minutes later, he watched Cain checking over his shoulder and deviating onto a gravel sideroad that disappeared into dense rainforest. This had to be linked to the drug deals. Devon pursued silently up into the verdant hills until he lost sight of his target amidst the thickening foliage.
Pausing to get his bearings, Devon suddenly heard faint shouts followed by screeching tires nearby. Darting ahead, he peered from behind a mossy boulder and gasped at the scene.
Cain was pinned face-first against a dark van parked off the gravel lane. Two powerfully built men in masks were trying to wrestle the struggling sprinter inside as he bucked and yelled.
"Get yuh rassclaat hands off! When mi father hear about this..." Cain's protests died abruptly as a third figure emerged from the treeline carrying a baseball bat. With a hard thwack over Cain's hooded head, the teen's body went limp. The mystery assailants callously tossed him into the back of the tinted van then peeled off, tires spitting gravel.
Shock paralyzed Devon momentarily. He just witnessed Cain getting forcibly abducted minutes after being followed into the shady wilderness. Was this related to the sprinter's illicit activities? It reeked of karmic justice, but Devon's principles objected to such brutal handling of anyone, even an immoral creep like Cain. He had to intervene before real harm came to the punk.
Sprinting from his hiding spot, Devon leapt and bounded up tree branches effortlessly. With trained dexterity, he swung swiftly through the leafy canopy to keep the departing van in sight. Using elastic Dread Webs fired from his locks, Devon traversed the treetops like an urban acrobat. He had trained hard to mimic Ras Nine's finesse in nature. Now those arduous lessons proved worthwhile.