Chapter Four

The crazy girl isn't waiting for me when I go through the crossover.

I shouldn't be, but I am worried.

Worried that she is harassing someone else, of course. She could call out another shadow. One who will not take this situation lightly. If she isn't here, where is she? Is she causing harm to someone? Did she completely lose her mind? Every night for the last month, this girl has been waiting for me. Yet tonight she isn't.

I despise how much it distracts me over the first few hours of my shift. Not a moment goes by where I don't expect my name to fall from her lips, calling for me like we are old friends. Maybe she is trying a new tactic. A sneak attack, perhaps? But she never shows. She never calls my name. The only thing I hear are the crickets, owls, and the breeze through the lush trees.

It's late into the night. My area is quiet. I haven't seen a single person since I started. That isn't abnormal. My area is relatively quiet, as the town has a small crime rate.

When I feel someone step into my zone, my senses go on high alert. They skyrocket when I feel it is a shadow and not a human.

I hurry away from the school and toward the thick part of the woods that will bring me to a road the humans drive their vehicles on. Once I reach the edge of the trees, I stop and find the shadow moving toward me. I recognize Jhai the moment I set eyes on him.

"What are you doing?" I hiss, bursting through the trees and stepping onto the sidewalk. The burn of the streetlights pulls my energy. "You have left your zone."

"I must speak with you," he urges, moving past me and into the woods.

I glance in the direction he came from before following him, wondering what could be so important that he's risking his title and possibly his life. We are not supposed to leave our zones for anything, not even if we're chasing an escaped darkling. There are protocols for that which require us to call in the henchmen by using an incantation. It is the only magic we have access to. One small incantation. After it is spoken, the henchmen come through the crossover and hunt the darklings themselves. They're trained hunters, fighting with more skill than the shadows have, and with permission to go where they need.

I turn on my heels and head after Jhai. I find him deep in the woods, leaning against a tree, his blank gaze straight ahead.

"You are worried. I can feel it," I say.

His gaze turns to me, and he nods. He pushes off the tree, moving to me and speaking in a low voice. "Not only because I have left my zone, but because of what I must tell you."

I tilt my head to the side, waiting for an explanation. The muscles in his jaw twitch, and a wave of unease washes over me. I take a step closer to him, carefully looking him over. Our chests brush, and I feel nothing from it.

"We are safe here. You can tell me whatever it is you need." I keep my voice low.

Jhai nods. "I must be quick, so I can get back to my post. You'll have questions, but there isn't time for me to answer them."

"Go on," I urge.

"I do not know the full extent of it, Vesperon. And I am only telling you because I have grown fond of you over the years." I nod. He is stalling, clearly nervous about what he has to say. Is it because he is worried if he can trust me, or because what he has to say may bring harm to him? "It's been a long time now, a few weeks before you became a Guardian of the Realm. I was told to monitor you. To make sure nothing strange was going on."

"Like a spy?"

He nods once, firmly. "I suppose, yes."

That isn't entirely odd. Shadows are particular about guardians and what they do in their spare time, so maybe this is a normal part of their process to ensure we are loyal. Guardians who fail or go rogue tend to do so within the first ten years of their duties being assigned to them.

"But that isn't the part that has me concerned," he continues. "As guardians, we are not allowed attachments, friends, you know. But we have made a connection to one another. I was asked to watch you, but that wasn't the only reason I've spent time with you. I hope you know that."

"I understand. There is more?" I want to shake him, beg him to keep going. My chest is aching as I wait for him to tell me what it is he needs to say, because I feel it is something big.

He nods again, holding my gaze. "There have been a few instances since I've known you that you have acted… oddly."

I frown. "Oddly? How so?"

"Confused. Speaking of feeling strange. Lapses in memories and time. Getting closer to me, then distant again. And this is all after the chief would speak with you privately. It's just… odd."

So, the way I've been feeling lately, it's happened before?

"Why are you telling me this now? If this has happened many times before…"

He shakes his head, then looks away, blinking.

"There was something different this time, something—"

A twig snaps not too far from us that has us both pausing and turning to it. We hold our breath as we listen, but there is no other sound. It is too quiet. You never want the woods to be too quiet.

"You should go," I whisper.

Jhai hesitates for a moment, then takes off quickly but quietly toward where he came. Hopefully he makes it to his zone without issue. I hate that he was not able to finish, but if he is caught here, he will be in trouble and then I may never know his concerns. I must be patient.

I steel my spine and head toward where I heard the twig snap, and am shocked when I find a shadow, one I do not recognize, wandering around as if he is looking for something.

This is not normal and has me on edge.

"Can I help you?" I call out, holding my head high and straightening my spine to my full height.

This stranger turns to me, eyes narrowed, but only for a split second before his face breaks into a friendly smile. Though, I do not believe it for a second.

"Chief sent me to check on you," he says casually.

Now that, I do believe. But why?

"Check on me? What for? This is hardly my first night."

"Of course not." The shadow moves toward me with sure steps. "He mentioned you weren't feeling well. After the accident, he wanted to make sure you were okay."

The accident… I'm curious to know more about this accident they've been speaking of. The one I cannot remember a thing about, and no one wants to talk about.

Convenient.

"It has been weeks. I'm fine," I say.

He nods, then looks around. "Lovely zone here. Quiet. Quaint."

"It is nice," I agree.

He continues to make small talk with me for quite some time. Small talk is not something I enjoy, but it has bought Jhai more time to return to his zone safely, so I am thankful for it. Unless, of course, this shadow already knew he was here, and it is why he showed up at all.

Or, it is possible this entire thing is a setup. It is clear to me now that there is something going on involving me. But what? Why? Jhaixl is tied in and has information. Important things he may never get to tell me, and things he may not want to tell me out of fear.

Or he is only telling me what they want him to tell me.

No one can be trusted.

I walk with the shadow to the crossover and watch him disappear through it when our pointless conversation dies off. I turn and walk to the edge of the trees, staring out into the park. It is empty.

Yet, the echo of that girl's voice lingers in my head, and something in the back of my brain tells me she has the answers I seek.