"Diana Massey?" the elderly black gentleman asked, staring straight at me. He was taller than his partner, with deep brown skin, a wide nose, and deeply lined eyes. His hair was shaved close to his head and he had a salt and pepper goatee. He eyed me up and down before glancing at each person in my group.
"Yes?" I responded, gripping the straps of my backpack. The detectives flashed open their IDs to show me their badges.
"I'm Detective Thompson, this is Detective Johnson of Fairview police department," he continued, gesturing at his partner. The other man, Detective Johnson, was young with a sharp brow, hazel eyes, and a patchy-looking beard. His light brown hair was short and messy, much like his ill-fitting suit.
"What's going on?" I asked the pair, hoping they weren't here about Mr. Burke, but somehow I knew I would be wrong.
"Can we speak with you for a moment?" Thompson asked, pretty much ignoring everyone standing beside me.
"I-I guess, sure," I said as I stumbled over my words.
"What is this about?" Zola interjected. "Don't you need to speak to her with a parent present?"
The younger Johnson flipped open a notepad, glancing down at it before responding, his voice was a much higher pitch than I expected. "Diana Massey, age 19 correct? She is legally an adult."
"We just want to have a short conversation, alone, if you don't mind," Thompson said, nodding at the rest of our group to move over to the side. I shot a look at Casimir before remembering I was still mad at him and quickly cast my gaze elsewhere.
"We'll wait for you over here," Zola said loudly, eyeing both the cops before moving twenty or so feet down the sidewalk. Maayan, Azar, and Casimir followed her, each silent as they walked away. I could feel their worry and fear. Several groups of students walked out of the gate to head towards the train station, rubbernecking as they went. I wasn't looking forward to the rumors I would hear tomorrow.
"Ms. Massey, you were at the open house here at Royal Queen Academy this last Friday, correct?"
"Yes, I was there for the art show."
Johnson spoke next, referring back to his notes as he went. "Do you know a Mr. Tobias Burke?"
I froze for a moment because I didn't know if that was Mr. Burke's first name. "Do you mean Mr. Burke, my homeroom teacher?"
"Yes," Thompson said, his voice flat.
"Yes, I know him," I replied, growing more nervous. "Is this about his dis-, I mean, him quitting?" I stopped myself from saying 'disappearance', which would have been bad. As a regular student, as far as I knew, he had just up and quit teaching.
Thompson caught my slip up, his thick eyebrows raising slightly. "Do you know anything about that?"
"No, I barely know the man."
At least that was the truth.
"So you've never spent any time alone with him?" Thompson pushed.
"No, not really."
"'Not really'?"
"I mean, maybe once or twice when he had to talk to me about homework, I really can't recall," I declared, my voice rising slightly. "Are you asking all of the people in our homeroom these questions?" The detectives exchanged a look, apparently not thrilled that I had turned the tables on the Q and A.
"Were you ever alone with Mr. Burke on the night of the open house?" Johnson challenged his tone a bit more hostile. My heart skipped a beat and I worked hard to keep my face calm. I knew there was no way out of this now, especially if they might have possible video footage. I assumed they caught me and Mr. Burke walking away on the security cameras in the hallway, or else why would they be talking to me?
"Yes, he pulled me aside to speak with me about my painting in the art show," I confessed, which was only sorta true. The urge to blurt out, he attacked me and turned into a monster was tempting, but also foolish. Johnson scribbled furiously at my answer, I assume, writing it down.
"And then...?"
"And then we talked about art for a bit before I wanted to go back down to the show, but I never made it because I fainted."
There was a moment of silence, I could tell from the feelings they were projecting that they didn't believe me.
"You, fainted?" Johnson repeated, his voice incredulous.
I sniffed slightly. "I'm not in the best of health."
"What does that mean?" Detective Thompson pressed.
"I'd rather not discuss my medical history with you," I bit back, somewhat nasty.
That was apparently not the correct answer to give and I could feel their irritation and suspicion explode all around me.
Detective Johnson opened his mouth, his brow furrowed. "Look-"
"This will go a lot smoother for you if you just answer our questions honestly," Thompson said, cutting off his partner's possible outburst.
"I am being honest. Has something happened to Mr. Burke?" I pressed, knowing they had no body or actual witnesses to his death. I was tired of standing here, talking to these detectives. I just wanted to go home.
"His family has reported him missing," Detective Thompson answered, watching my reaction carefully. "We are following up on any leads."
My mouth dropped, surprised that they would follow up on his disappearance so quickly, but maybe the family was close. I placed my hand over my mouth, hoping the worry I felt for myself translated as worry for my teacher.
"That's terrible," I muttered. "They never said anything at school, except that he quit without notice. I wish I could tell you something, but we only talked for a few minutes before he left and I went home."
"You said earlier that you fainted? Did anyone help you? Who took you home?"
"My grandfather, he was near me when it happened."
Thompson was silent as he stared at me, Johnson made a grunting noise as he scribbled a few more notes. I turned to look over at my friends, all waiting patiently at the other side of the gate. I could tell from Casimir's face that he could hear everything, thanks to his advanced hearing. Thompson made a coughing noise, trying to focus my attention back on them.
I glanced between the two detectives before asking, "Can I leave now? I have to get home."
They seemed reluctant to let me leave but I guess they were out of questions. I wondered again about the security footage, perhaps it didn't show grandpa or Casimir so they would be safe. Thompson pulled a business card from his pocket, handing it to me.
"If you think of anything, please give us a call," he said, placing the card in my outstretched hand.
"We may have some more questions," Detective Johnson spat out, flipping his notepad closed with a flourish.
"Of course," I responded, nodding my head.
The pair quickly turned on their heels, walking briskly down the street to a grey sedan. As I watched them pull away I let out a ragged breath. My friends returned to my side as soon as the cops had left.
"What did they want?!" Zola exclaimed, her expression full of concern. I hesitated to answer, but it would be unfair to leave Zola hanging after she waited so long.
"They asked me about Mr. Burke," I replied. "Apparently he's gone missing."
"What?!" Zola gasped.
"Why ask you?" Maayan chimed in, tilting their head curiously. I was impressed by their acting ability. I groaned audibly as I thought about my response.
"I guess someone saw us walking together at the open house," I reasoned. I knew about the security footage but the detective hadn't mentioned it when they talked to me.
Zola's phone chirped and she jumped to answer it. From the look on her face, it must be her mom. She smiled brightly as she answered, her voice pitching up an octave as she greeted the caller.
"Hi, Mom! One moment please," she said, muting the phone briefly. She looked at me, her face suddenly serious. "Call or text me later, don't forget!"
I nodded, trying not to chuckle as she turned her phone back on, talking sweetly to her mother as she headed toward the train station. Zola's mom was overprotective at times and had been known to get very upset if Zola didn't answer her phone.
We followed behind Zola, hearing small snippets of her conversation as we entered the train station. I was lost in my own thoughts, worried about what those detectives would find out if they kept digging. The group parted ways at the station, Casimir and I headed back to Mandeville and the others in the direction of the student dorms.
Casimir seemed impatient on the train ride home, glancing around from time to time as if looking for an opportunity to speak privately with me. Sadly the train was crowded and not a great place to discuss secret Terra business or possibly argue about dates. Our bike ride home also proved to be a terrible chance to chat as we ran into almost everyone I knew in town, each wanting to say their hellos. Once we cleared downtown I pedaled aggressively to get to the farmhouse, jumping off my bike and up the stairs to the house in the hopes that I would make it to my room before Casimir could catch me, but that was a pipe dream.
"Diana, wait for a second," he called out as I stomped up the stairs. I pretended not to hear him but found myself face to face with the young man in a matter of seconds once inside.
"No fair, using your super-speed," I complained, pulling off my coat to hang it up.
"You're mad aren't you? Is it about Mr. Burke or the date?" Casimir asked, also putting up his coat. I was about to make a dash for my room when Azar and Maayan came in from the kitchen.
"Oh, you got a date also?" Azar asked. He was pulling off his necktie, his shirt already completely untucked.
"How did you even get here so fast?!" I sputtered, throwing up my hands.
Maayan bounded past Azar, wrapping me in a hug. "Magic portals!"
"Just make sure no one sees you," Casimir said, his voice stern. Azar said something in Terrarish and Casimir rolled his eyes in response. My plans to escape were thwarted by the fairy clinging to my arm. I steadied myself as Casimir approached me, his face serious. "Diana, please listen."
I huffed at his request. "I'm listening."
"What's wrong?" Maayan asked, glancing between the two of us. "Did the police people scare you?"
"Well, it wasn't pleasant, that's for sure," I admitted. "I had to lie to them, of course."
"What, you wanted to tell them that your teacher was a wraith who attacked you? Enjoy the loony bin," Azar scoffed, he had begun to pull out an okashi but the angry look on my face made him reconsider and he tucked his snack back in his pocket.
"I'm not an idiot," I retorted. "It just doesn't feel good to lie, especially to the police. I'm anxious about what they might find out."
"So why are you taking it out on Casimir?" Azar asked.
I felt my face flush red in embarrassment at the Fire Elemental's accusation. "I'm not mad at him for the Mr. Burke thing," I insisted. "Although, I don't like that we had to kill him. I was wondering why we couldn't just remove the wraith instead." There was a tense silence in the room and a moment where nobody wanted to meet my eyes. I threw up my hands in defeat. "Let me guess, there is no way to do that."
"No," Casimir said plainly. "Mr. Burke was too corrupted, the shadow wraith had been inside him too long."
"The Fallen rarely leave a host willingly," Maayan lamented, a sad look on their face. "And if they leave the body there is no way to catch them here on Earth, they just escape to the shadow realm."
"Yeah, and then they are just free to ruin someone else's life," Azar added.
"So let me get this straight, if a wraith possesses you, unless it leaves willingly, it's just a death sentence. Sounds fantastic," I surmised, a touch of sarcasm to my voice.
"Not really," Maayan pouted.
Azar shook his head, he seemed too tired to explain sarcasm again to the fairy. He turned to go into the kitchen, pulling out a soda from the fridge to sip from before returning to our conversation. I glanced longingly towards my door, wanting to be alone with my thoughts just for a moment. I jumped slightly when I realized Casimir had inched closer toward me, staring intently.
"You still seem upset."
No duh, I thought silently. It was childish but I was avoiding eye contact with the young man, my thoughts returning to the idea of his date with Elizabeth.
"Is she mad about the date?" Azar asked bluntly, taking a swig from his soda.
Casimir threw a glare at the Fire Elemental before looking back at me. "Please understand that this so-called date is just a cover so I can get into the Crescent Club without being spotted, hopefully."
"Cover?" I repeated, confused.
"Follow me please," he said, walking past me and up the stairs to the loft.
I heard Azar groan slightly as I moved to follow. "Oh man, you're gonna show her the board? Such a bad idea."
I was curious about what 'the board' meant as we all climbed the stairs and walked into Casimir's room. There was a large piece of fabric tacked to the wall, which I thought was just decorative, but Casimir pulled it down carefully to reveal a large cork board covered in notes, photos, and bits of strings connecting all of the groups together. It looked like one of those story walls a reporter would have in a movie, I was wondering if that was where he got the idea from.
"What is all of this?" I asked, moving closer to read a few notes. Some of the newspaper clippings were about the increase in drug overdoses in town.
"Remember when I told you that the Dark King had been trying to expand his empire over on Earth?"
"Sorta," I mumbled. Casimir and Grandpa had dumped a lot of information on me when I found out about Terra and their secret war against the current King and his dark minions.
"Well, best we can tell they have been experimenting on ways to mind control humans using a drug they have been developing for years."
"Wait, mind control? Like what you talked about before?"
Casimir looked over at the board, his face growing dour.
Azar walked closer to the board scanning it up and down as he spoke. "Maya and I have been exploring the city and we think the drugs are being dealt in a number of locations, the biggest being this club." He pointed at a news clipping announcing the opening of the Crescent Club.
"There might even be some of the Dark Prince's minions working there!" Maya piped in, rocking back and forth on their feet.
"Might be?" I asked.
"Well, I'm not sure what they look like," Maayan admitted.
"Me either," Azar sighed, sitting down in the armchair by the wall. "Only Casimir and Enki have seen them face to face."
"And they would recognize Master Enki in a heartbeat," Casimir explained. "I've changed a little since I last saw all of them but I was wary about going alone."
I stared at the board, trying to read some of the notes but finding them written in another language entirely. I looked over at Casimir, my eyebrows arched slightly.
"So you're only going on this date so you can check out this club?"
"Correct."
"Why couldn't I go with you?" I asked. "If this is so important, why wait until someone asks you?"
"It's much too dangerous for you to go, I would never take you there," Casimir said flatly.
Azar laughed at the idea. "Might as well walk through a portal to Terra and say 'here I am, kidnap me'," he chuckled.
"Okay, I get it, jeez," I grumbled, crossing my arms across my chest. "But that is only if the Dark Prince's people are there, right?"
"I wouldn't want to take the risk," Casimir replied.
"No way, no how," Maya added.
I had to stop myself from laughing. "But you'll risk Elizabeth? That's kinda harsh."
Casimir shuffled slightly, looking embarrassed at the thought. "I would make sure nothing happened to her."
"Well, you shouldn't because she is a terrible person," I said, not quite under my breath. "Which reminds me, I need to text Zola."
I began to walk away when Casimir called out nervously. "So, you understand right? It's not a real date."
I bit my lip, Casimir looked so worried about what I thought, I felt kinda bad for freaking him out earlier. "Look, you're allowed to date whomever you want," I began, my face going red as I said it. "I just have a hang-up regarding Elizabeth, that's all. She just gets under my skin."
"That sounds painful," Maya muttered, staring wide-eyed at me.
"It's just an expression," I explained. "It means she irritates me."
Maya thought about it for a moment before smiling. "Oh, I see."
I turned my attention back to Casimir, who seemed flummoxed by my prior comment. "So yes, please feel free to go on any dates you want. I'm sorry for overreacting."
Azar grinned evilly at Casimir, "Tsow chotsoursouti yek tol tsoutwout art kout ae. Im chutke lersem tsi wotwi metkoumii rerikit."
His words caused the young man to go red all over and Maya to cover their mouth in shock. I glared over at the Fire Elemental, shaking my head as I made my way to the door.
"One of these days I'm going to learn to speak this language of yours and you won't be able to talk behind my back anymore!" I threatened.
"Good luck with that," Azar replied tartly.