The Academy: Detective Stories - Part II

Chapter 19. Upside Down

Jackie didn't see any dreams. She just floated in the fog, lulled by the whisper of the waves coming from the lake. She kept her hand on her belly, and the crystal pulsed there, keeping the dangerous truth. How many days did she have before it would leave her body? As she remembered from the anatomy course, she had a day, maybe two.

She chuckled. Her mother loved to repeat that the truth always finds its way out, and damn, she was right. At the end of this summer, Jackie wrote her a letter, for the first time after she ran from home, just to let her know that she was alive and well. Only if her poor mother knew where she was right now.

The fog around her dispersed and her mother's face was revealed. Her eyes were full of tears. "Write a letter," she said. "Please."

Jackie nodded. The letter. Only if she had a chance to write it to her – to lay the inks on a smooth paper and inhale its fragrant smell.

When Jackie opened her eyes, the sky above was tender grey. The whisper of the waves didn't disappear. Now the fresh breeze touched her puffy face. She blinked and sat up.

Her hands were tied with the power blocking cuffs. They blocked the magic channels and didn't let the felons use the spells against the guardians. And now she was on the other side of this reality - a lawbreaker in the criminal world.

"Wake up and shine," Trevor said.

He stood two steps away from her. The waitress, a woman who Jackie met last night, stood near him. Her eyes gave her a sad look.

"Shine yourself," Jackie replied.

Trevor chuckled. "You always had a good sense of humor."

"You too."

He approached and leaned over her. "Names, Jackie. I need the names of people who are helping you."

She took a deep breath, letting her detective thinking work. Trevor still didn't know about her friends, which meant Walter didn't work for him. Trevor lied to her last night, manipulating her fears – he just knew about her trust issues and made her doubt her team. And she was foolish enough to let him play with her. It should never happen again.

"What if I don't tell you?" Jackie asked.

He raised his hand. "Isn't it obvious? I'll kill you."

Jackie looked around. The building of the club was nearby. They were on a rocky lakeshore somewhere at the outskirts, the last place her friends would check when they would realize she was gone. Of course, if someone was going to look for her, considering how she said goodbye to Howard.

Trevor coughed in his fist, attracting her attention.

"If you were going to kill me, why am I still alive?" she asked.

He glanced at the waitress. "We decided to get the information first."

Jackie's heart trembled. She had the same Gift as Elisa. Her eyes shone with the violet sparkles of electricity.

"You didn't deserve my tips," Jackie said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just business, nothing personal."

Jackie shifted her gaze to Trevor. "Do you really have time to torture me? What would you do at work – take a day off? Call in sick?"

"It's none of your business."

She kept pushing. "And the traces?! I left some traces, so the guardians will be here any moment."

"You lie," he said. "I see it. No one would come for you."