Chapter Ten

Despite all red flags within his mind, Levi showed up at the high school. He sat in his car with his hands glued to the steering wheel. He analyzed the side of the red stoned building. Was this who he was now? A conspiracy theorist? Levi was a homicide detective, and yet the only lead he could even get a whiff of was Queenie Lowe. Secret cultists, creepy teens, time that no longer made sense. He gripped the wheel tightly as he tried not to glance down at the file folder beside him. O’Shay had no idea he sat here. The only person who knew was Karla and that creepy teen Lulu. Karla warned him this would spiral out of control.

Levi gathered himself up, sure he would be screamed out of a high school or a lawsuit dropped into his mailbox. Finally, he stepped out of the car. He brought a notebook and a pen, his badge, and what little sense he had left with him.

The high school was three flat, long buildings, attached at the center by a round tall building made of mostly glass at the front. Red brick lined the three wings of the school. A large bird sat at the crest of the glass front center, made of sterling silver and red stripes. The school mascot was a ‘Harpy’ for Harperville, but the creature appeared more like an oversized hawk with a deadly glare.

He noticed a sign on the front doors: ‘All visitors to sign in at the office.’ An arrow pointed to the right. Levi let the glass door shut behind him as he headed toward the inner entrance. He spotted both Queenie and Lulu through the glass panes. Queenie slid into a seat at a table near the back of the cafeteria. Lulu spotted him back. She smirked devilishly as she shoveled a chip into her mouth. He hesitated. She sat up straight, her eyes slid from him back to Queenie. His hand reached the steel bar handle of the door; a chill ran up his spine.

Nothing could compare to how fast the lunchroom erupted into chaos with a single swing. He heard the crack of the tray across another student’s head, and he leapt through the doorway.

The office exploded in noise. Every single person in the office changed into a wild animal—teeth bared, guttural screams, bodies thrashed about as fists clashed with faces. A blow to his chest left Levi on the ground. He wheezed for air as a large man in gym attire wrestled a receptionist over his body. Levi barely separated the two before the woman yanked his locs. Nails caught his scalp and drew blood. She rammed his forehead into her desk. The coach, presumably by the large whistle and high school merch sweatshirt, yanked the woman off. He lifted her over his head with both hands. Levi barely caught her before the teacher tried to break her over his knee WWE style. Rewarded with claws in his face, Levi flipped her to the ground. He backed himself up against the door.

“Everybody! Freeze!” Levi flashed his badge to the whole office.

Screams pierced the roar of the office and drowned Levi’s commands out. Levi had exactly three seconds to assess the situation before he was ripped into the mob. He scanned the office and cafeteria swiftly. Queenie backed up against a pair of doors. She screeched at another student with a large knife. Then someone slammed his face into an office chair.

Levi kicked his attacker’s torso. He kicked and punched until he pinned them to the ground. He did not have enough zip ties or handcuffs to deal with all of them. Levi pulled back up to his feet. Twenty people fought to the death in the office.

“Will someone! Please tell me what is going on?” Levi bellowed.

Levi wanted to blink and find himself back in his car, the scene a horrific illusion. But as he slowly stepped to put his back to the cafeteria door, he found the image did not move. He faced a crowd with their attention glued to him, nostrils flared, and blood trickling from their lips. A man in a striped suit pulled a pair of scissors from his shoulder. The principal used a blood-soaked palm to slick back his salt-colored hair. Levi’s firearm pressed harder into his side. He kept his hands up before him softly.

“Look, just talk to me.” Levi tentatively slithered away.

Their attention drifted past him, and Levi twisted vertebrae by vertebrae to find the lunchroom in eerie silence. The teen with the knife dropped the weapon and screamed. In quick succession, every teen in the lunchroom spun toward the doors and shrieked. Queenie disappeared from sight. Levi burst out the office doors into the lunchroom.

An electric breaker hit across the whole school as the lights flickered aggressively around him. Levi’s hands found his ears as he stumbled forward, then fell to his knees. The vibration rattled his bones as the adults behind him joined the chorus around him. He watched, unable to move, as teary-eyed teens dropped like flies. Their eyes rolled back in their heads. On the floor covered in squished food pieces and drops of blood, Levi followed the movements of the adults. Possessed by the screams, every person in the building gave every ounce of air in their lungs then collapsed.

Levi stayed on his knees, hands wrapped around his ears. An inch at a time, he climbed to his trembling feet. He tripped over air into one of the walls of the lunchroom. A bruise formed over his forehead, and he tasted metal on his lip. Karla would be pissed. Levi stumbled forward until he found the girl with the knife. He put two fingers against her throat and waited. No pulse. Water seeped out of her glassy, soulless eyes.

“What the hell happened here?” He swallowed air greedily.

A pulse returned like a bomb went off within her. Her body wrenched and convulsed rapidly. Levi felt two hands on the sides of his jawline before he saw her move. She was pale, like even the sun avoided touching her skin, and sunken in. Her eyelids became purple blotches. Her eyes rolled forward and stared right through him.

“She has awakened him! The dreamer comes!” She shrieked, nose to nose with Levi.

Levi put one large palm to her face and shoved her down. Panic coursed through his veins. The girl lay against the ground, crumpled like a dropped doll, mouth ajar. Levi blinked, hard, but she stayed that way. They all did. They were not an illusion or a nightmare. His lip throbbed as the blood trickled down to the bottom of his gums. He coughed to clear his mouth but that only aggravated the wound more. Despite the weightlessness, he found his way to the next doors.

His hands were numb as the salty scent of the sea filled his nostrils. Levi stood as tall as he was capable. His biceps cried out in pain as he forced the handles to crank open. Slimy sweat crawled down his back. Lights flickered over his head. In the reflection of the windows, he could see all the teenagers, flat against the floor. The door opened.

A bubble popped. Sound returned to the school, lights flickered on steadily, and the cafeteria behind him returned to life. As he peeked behind him, he found a cafeteria full of crying, sputtering teens. They shuffled toward the hallways of the school. The staff herded them from folded tables and the messy floor of the cafeteria. Just to his left, a boot sat against the door abandoned. He picked it up.

Queenie stood against a wall, enveloped in Lulu’s arms, one shoe missing, and not on the ground screaming about a dreamer. Where did he even start?

“Um—” He hesitated as the lump grew in his throat. “I think this is yours.”

A tentative Queenie stumbled toward him. Levi held out the shoe and hoped beyond hope that she wouldn’t turn and beat him with it.

“Uh, thanks?” She responded with confusion etched into her features.

“I-I need you both to come with me.” He relaxed his shoulders, relieved she didn’t immediately take off. Then he caught sight of a pair of jade crystals glued to him.

Lulu stepped up closer to Queenie, a taunting smirk upon her lips. “Of course, Officer.” Lulu rolled her eyes, motioning at the badge on his belt.

Levi didn’t hide his badge, didn’t even try to shy away from her interest. It was better she knew. It would be harder to convince her he wasn’t lying if he hid his identity.

“Um, I don’t think I should.” Her hands trembled at her sides.

There was a moment where Levi wasn’t sure she would come with him. Then, just as she promised, Lulu said something to Queenie. Then two girls were following behind him. Levi shifted uncomfortably as they trudged across the lunchroom. Students watched every movement as he pulled out his badge and flashed it at the receptionist. Lingering behind the desk, bruises and cuts formed on her hands. He snatched the phone from her desk and dialed for the station.

“I’m still pissed about the desk,” He spat into the receiver.

“What?” The receptionist squawked. But the precinct had already picked up.

“I have a massive fight broken up at Harperville High, I need backup.” Levi clenched the receiver hard in his stronger hand.

“Now that’s not necessary for such a small food fight,” The principal laughed sheepishly from the corner of the office.

“Small food fight?” Levi scowled. “That was some food fight.”

“Yes, well, teenagers will be teenagers.” The receptionist fiddled with her pens.

The principal stopped as he rounded the corner. Queenie and Levi and the principal exchanged a glance. Levi held the phone to his ear, eyes narrowed like a hawk on the two of them. He had half a mind to march the whole school down to the precinct. But then Elise Walker appeared at the back of his mind, and he stopped. If he didn’t start getting answers, he might never get them.

Queenie cocked a brow at the principal who flitted away. Levi didn’t like how the principal was trying to brush things under the rug. But he was in no place to stop and arrest the whole office. He had been a victim; he needed backup to process everything.

“You should do as you see fit, Officer!” Nursing a wound on his shoulder, the principal disappeared.

“Thank you?” Levi ground his teeth, fingers ready to snap the plastic phone in half. The sound of the station filled the phone. “Hanson, just get a couple of people here, pronto. It’s Earlington.”

“Are you sure you want them to know you’re here, Officer?” Lulu elbowed his opposite side.

Levi jumped as the phone clattered out of his hands. He snapped his hawk glare to the teenager, arm hooked with Queenie.

“I’m sorry, what?” Levi swallowed hard and corrected his posture.

“I asked if you were ready to talk to us?” She flashed a wolfish grin. Lulu nudged Queenie, who blinked hard. Then both their attentions returned to Levi.

“Yes, this way,” Levi put a finger to his busted lip; the throb returned with revenge.

“Let’s get this over with. I don’t want to waste more time on stupid people than I need to,” Queenie snarled under her breath as she ripped herself and Lulu on their respective heels.

Levi stood in shock as Queenie’s expression scrunched up with disgust. She motioned hard with a hand. Lulu beamed as her gaze darted between Queenie then to Levi.

“After you, Officer,” Lulu waved him in front of them.

“Detective.” Levi scowled.

“Apologies, Detective.” Lulu sauntered after him.

Levi led two teenagers into the glass encased office toward the back. It was obviously a meeting space, with a long chestnut table with six wheeled chairs and a shiny, used Keurig in the corner next to a fake plant. Levi closed the door behind them and settled into the closest chair. Lulu sat directly to the right of Queenie, an empty chair between the detective and teenager.

“Well, this was a fun morning.” Levi settled into the seat awkwardly. His scalp throbbed to the beat of his heart, and his lip and gums stung; cleaning himself up would be hell. He didn’t like to start anything off this way, but he didn’t have much of a choice. As soon as backup arrived, he would be pulled away. He still had a case to chase. Besides, he wasn’t ready to press charges until more cops arrived.

“We have different opinions on fun,” Queenie retorted without a breath. She glowered at him. Her body relax into the seat. She pinched her nose up in confusion. Then she wrung her hands around each other in her lap. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound that way.”

“You’ve had a rough day, you’re all right,” Levi whispered. He cleared his throat, trying not to swallow blood. His jacket scrunched audibly as he also sat back. “I would be upset, were I in your shoes; it would be disingenuous for me to expect you to do better.”

“Thanks.” Queenie loosened her shoulders into the back of her chair. Lulu’s hand snaked through her arms, and she lay her chin upon Queenie’s shoulder. Brilliant jade orbs glowed at him ominously. Levi softened his face.

“I wish I could say the police response system was this fast, but I was not actually in the area for a lunchroom brawl. I came here specifically to interview you.” Levi plopped his notebook onto the table with a pen, both hands folded into his lap softly.

“You’re a detective, homicide? Right?” Lulu cuddled closer to Queenie.

Levi nodded silently. Lulu’s game was still foreign to him, yet he found himself unable to do anything but play. He pulled out the folded picture from his jacket pocket. O’Shay allowed him to take a photo of the late Detective Lowe’s badge. Levi slid it across the table.

“Does this look familiar?” He studied her expression for any signs of recognition.

The ice that crawled over Queenie’s features sunk in and tensed her jawline. Her eyes narrowed sharply on the image. She calmed her palms in her lap then suddenly snatched up the puckered fabric of her jeans. “That’s my father’s badge.”

“It was found at the scene of a crime.” Levi slid closer to the table.

She jerked her knee up into the table hard. “He’s dead.”

“I know, which is why I’m here,” Levi soothed, patting the air down with gentle, open palms.

“Did O’Shay tell you that I had something to do with it?” Queenie’s fingers tugged at her jeans enough she lifted them off her ankles, exposing pink socks tucked into her dirtied boots.

Lulu shifted so she could snake an arm around Queenie’s torso. “Breathe, he’s just doing his job.”

“No! You’re just following orders, aren’t you? How many times are you all going to hunt me like a witch?” Queenie wrenched forward, her hand slapping against the table.

Just then, he saw an eye tumble out of the collar of her long sleeve. It was green, encased in a scaly exterior upon a soft leather chord. Then it blinked and Levi sputtered back to life.

“Queenie, I’m not here to accuse you of anything.” Levi eased backward from her.

“Did he tell you he tried to arrest my mother for other crimes? Did he tell you that my mother has to keep a dash cam on her vehicle to dispute dirty cops who say she was speeding on her way to work? Did he tell you she was a cop killer too?” Queenie nearly foamed at the mouth.

“No, he didn’t,” Levi whispered, his heart sank. “That’s why she wanted restraining orders.”

“Queenie,” Lulu breathed into Queenie’s ear and tugged her back into her seat.

“Sorry.” Queenie exhaled, hands trembling. A frosty anger devoured her features, leaving Queenie sharp and jagged.

“He’s obviously just trying to do his job.” Lulu flicked a mischievous smirk his way as she lay her cheek against Queenie’s shoulder.

“You’re the new detective, right? The one who took his desk?” Queenie peeked up from her lap.

“Yes, I am.” Levi fiddled with his notebook absent mindedly.

“Where are you from?” Queenie interrogated him while she crossed a leg over the other.

“Wait, I was under the impression I came here to interview you.” Levi grimaced jokingly, exaggerating his face to ease the tension in the room.

She was like a volcano one moment, then a frozen tundra the next. A live wire underneath all the box hair dye.

“You thought.” Lulu eyed him up and down.

“I’m from Jacksonville. I moved to Harperville to find a safer job, to be quite honest.” Levi gave up a small sliver, hoping it would be enough bait to catch her.

“Good luck with that.” Lulu rubbed circles into Queenie’s forearm.

“What about you two? Where are you two from?” Levi asked, flipping to a new page in his notebook. It didn’t matter, as there were no notes in it to hide.

“Out of town.” Lulu stole a glimpse back into the office.

“I don’t remember.” Queenie spoke in a monotone as her attention steadied over him.

“You don’t remember where you lived before Harperville?”

“Nope.” Queenie blinked with no twinge in her features.

“What can you tell me about your father?”

Her cheeks twitched. Queenie was unable to hide the mixture of disgust and anguish upon her features. She danced between seething anger, her powerful volcano from earlier, to a frozen sadness that welled tears in her vision. She settled upon a combo of disgust and disinterest as she glanced away from Levi finally.

“I don’t remember him,” She sighed.

“You don’t remember him or don’t want to talk about him?” Levi tapped the tip of his pen against the paper.

“Therapist says I suppress his memory, all of it. Everything that happened in the Before,” Queenie rolled her eyes, waving her hand flippantly.

Lulu’s expression contorted. Concern and confusion played all over her features. She pushed herself as much between Levi and Queenie as she could in her seat.

Queenie spared her one glance before returning her gaze to Levi. “And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“The Before?” Levi stopped mid-word in his nose.

“I’m out. Lulu, we should get to class.” Queenie muttered.

Lulu flashed Levi a wicked leer as she lumbered to her feet. Queenie collected herself. Levi could see the small sliver of a chance he had getting answers about to walk out.

Then his lips moved of their own accord. “I never wanted to come talk to you, but I have no leads except a video of you walking up the same dock the victims were dragged to, and your friend here told me you had a video of the same dead guys from earlier that day.”

Lulu’s jade orbs flashed red. “You son of a—”

“Lulu?” Queenie furrowed her brows, “You told him about the video? About me?”

Levi glared at Lulu with expectation. “You said you’d help me get Queenie to talk to me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lulu crossed her arms. “I clearly told you not to come here.”

“Now you’re lying to my face?” Levi snapped as he stood up.

“Not my fault you can’t remember anything straight. Seems this whole town is seeing things and hearing things. You’ve got a couple of wires mixed up in there.” Lulu cocked her head. Her stare bore holes through his skull as Levi settled back down in his seat.

“What do you know about that?” Levi reeled back.

“See! I told you! Queenie, he’s losing it just like everyone else, he only remembers what he wants.” Lulu slithered to stand between both of them.

“Lulu, go on ahead, you don’t want to be late to class.” Queenie sat back in her seat.

“What?” Lulu scowled deeply.

“I’ll see you at last bell; I’m pretty sure we’re walking home,” Queenie whispered as she stared up to Lulu with a teary vision. “We can talk on the way home.”

Lulu spared Levi a deadly glare before she stomped out in her combat boots. The windows of the room rattled hard as the door slammed behind her. She stormed directly out of the office into the cafeteria empty of all life. The bell rang overhead but there were no students to rush by the windows. Not a soul was in the office except the two of them; even the receptionist had left. There were no officers in the building yet. His stomach clenched up uncomfortably as he realized they were alone.

The cavern returned to his memory. As if he could see the damp stone surrounding him. Queenie’s eyeless, soulless corpse stared through him. However, as Levi returned to table, the illusion lifted. The real Queenie remained. The same teenager he whisked out of the dark hallway— shoulders sunken down, stare downcast, skin pale everywhere except the bruise along her neck and the gash on her arm.

“Sorry to break the news to you.” He grimaced.

“I’m not mad at Lulu,” Queenie breathed, “I’m a little upset, but it is because of my experience with cops, not hers. She had no reason to hide the truth from you.”

“But she did know your apprehension with homicide detectives.” Levi tried to laugh but it fell short.

“Are you here to play devil’s advocate with my love life or are you here to ask me about the dead guys at the bottom of Rainbow cove?” Queenie snapped. With a blink, she sighed and shook her head, but said nothing.

“My apologies; it is not my place. But for what it’s worth, she’s kind of a creepy cookie.” Levi leaned forward in his seat.

“I kinda like it.”

“Wait? Rainbow Cove? They were fished out of the docks? Queenie… What happened that day? At Rainbow Cove?” Levi slid the notebook before him.

Queenie cracked her knuckles and settled into the back of the seat. “I was filming a video for my YouTube channel. The ice-bucket challenge, but like I was also kind of mixing it with the polar plunge, you know? But when I jumped off the cliff, there were these cloaked people at the bottom. They all had, like, torches and knives. When I hit the water, I blacked out. I don’t know what happened next. I don’t even remember getting home. But the video craps out right before I hit the water so I don’t even have evidence to share. Just that the weird cult guys were there. They were yelling something at me, then I woke up in my bed. I thought it was a dream, until I rewatched my GoPro. I don’t know how they got to the docks.” She pursed her lips. She folded her hands in her lap and chewed on her inner cheek, avoiding him.

Levi let his notepad set down against the table as he peered over at Queenie. “You crawled out at the docks, and walked home, dripping wet. Did no one else see you that night? Did your mother not notice you getting home late? The dock video of you was time stamped at just past midnight; when did you tape the video?”

Queenie paled as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She scanned for something, then she swallowed hard and put her phone down on the table and slid it toward him. It was a text message conversation.

‘Hell yeah I’m down. You ready? Be there in 10!

Lemme put on my costume lol!

You wear the onsie, you will 100% drown

I’m like a cockroach, i can’t die

I’ve killed a roach before!

…I’mma die >=/

Here!’

Seen at 5:15.

“It only takes twelve minutes to get to the cove from my house. So, I probably jumped about sixish, maybe earlier.” She licked her lips nervously.

Levi slid her phone back. Queenie cupped it in her hand; a small trickle of tears fell down her cheeks as she searched her phone for a long moment. She locked the screen and put it away with a hard swallow.

“Who was your friend? The one who was there with you?” Levi adjusted his tone and softened himself. He didn’t want to scare her the second she started talking.

“Tonya.” Queenie flopped back into her seat. “But she won’t even speak to me, not after…”

Both fell silent as they peered out to the cafeteria. He knew instantly who the teenager that came at Queenie with a knife was without having to ask. With an exhale, he closed his notebook and tucked it away in his jacket.

“I will need to see that video.” He cracked his neck as best he could.

“I can’t bring it to the station.” She fiddled with her jeans again.

“I would rather you didn’t. You’re not exactly welcome there.”

“Come by my house, before seven. My mom won’t be home.” Queenie pushed against the table so that she sat away from it.

“Doesn’t your mother work for the middle school?” Levi crossed his arms.

“Yeah, which is where she will hide until the last moment possible.” Queenie refused to explain as she stood up.

Levi jumped to his feet and pushed a card into Queenie’s hand. She blinked with confusion as she stared at the business card.

“Call me, if you ever get in trouble, I mean ever,” Levi blurted out.

She peeked up at him in shock and confusion before she slid both her phone and the card into her pocket. “Thanks.”

“And, if it makes any difference, O’Shay is sorry.” Levi moved so she could step around him.

“It doesn’t.” Queenie ducked out of the office.

She treaded through the office in slow, calculated steps, a palm over her wound. Then he collected up his notepad and pen. He followed after her toward the entrance to the office. He stopped as Queenie spun in the doorway.

“But I’m glad they finally have one detective who isn’t a total,” she trailed off with a weak laugh.

“Ass?” Levi slapped a hand over his mouth only to drop it a second later. “You didn’t hear me say that.”

But Queenie beamed as she stepped back into the cafeteria. “Didn’t hear a word.”

Levi smiled softly as Queenie hugged herself. She stood taller than before. He could only imagine Marigold at Queenie’s age, and the kind of hell she would raise. What could he do to keep this girl safe?

“Where the fuck is my back up?” He huffed. He snatched up the receptionist phone a second time.