“Hey, I’ve been called worse,” Riley said with a snort. “Plus, I told you, invisibility powers rule.”
“If I’m so invisible, why can you see me?” Jamal asked, pushing his tray away. His appetite had fled, too.
“Because I know what it’s like to feel invisible,” Riley said, popping a chicken nugget in her mouth. “And at least you have a brother. I’m an only child, and it’s not very cool. Especially when your dad has to move for work, which means you have to move, too.”
“Yeah, that must be tough,” Jamal said, feeling something strange. A hopeful stirring in his chest. He risked a glance at Riley. Their eyes met, and she smiled. A genuine smile that made her eyes crinkle at the corners. Was this what it was like to have a friend?
A real one?
“Well, I’m hoping this time we stay here,” Riley went on. “My grandma lives out in the bayou. And my mama wants to be closer to her roots.”
“Wow, in the bayou?” Jamal said. “I didn’t realize anyone lived out there. I’ve just heard the old legends—the ones about the witches.”
“Boo!” Riley said, making him jump. “And she’s not a witch. Not in the way you’re thinking. Not like the Salem stuff. Let’s just say…Grandma is a bit different,” she said with a mysterious smile. “But I love her. Sometimes I think she might be my best friend.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Jamal said, wishing he’d had that kind of relationship with his grandmother. “Mine just died last month. We weren’t very close. But she did leave me this….”
He pulled the skull necklace out of his shirt. Riley’s eyes fixed on it—and widened. It was almost like she recognized it, like she’d seen the necklace before. He opened his mouth to ask her about it when raucous cheering broke out across the cafeteria.
“My fellow classmates,” Malik said, rising to his feet in an impromptu victory speech, “I want to thank you for the honor of being your class president next year.”
Applause broke out, followed by cheers of “Go, Malik!” and “Mr. President!”
Riley rose to her feet and joined the class in clapping for Malik. She was no longer paying attention to Jamal. This was what always happened. Soon enough, she’d forget that he existed.
Jamal just couldn’t stand it anymore, not after what he’d been through that day. “Sorry, but I’ve gotta go,” he said to Riley before dumping his tray and fleeing from the cafeteria.
Riley watched him leave with a strange expression on her face. So much for my chance at having an actual friend, Jamal thought. Why did his brother always ruin everything for him?
He pulled up his hoodie and hurried into the hall,
wishing he really could disappear. He was tempted to run away and skip school altogether. He could sneak out the back door and avoid the security guard this time. Gym class was his next period—and that meant he’d have to face Colton and his friends. It would be worse than the previous year’s awful wedgie incident.
As he continued down the hall, it seemed to grow darker and more shadowy. His heart began to pound. How could he be so stupid and wander off alone? Suddenly, his shadow started to move on its own. It grabbed for Jamal’s neck.
“Get off me!” he screamed, bolting down the hall. But unlike the earlier shadow monsters, he couldn’t run from his own shadow.
It followed him, reaching for his neck again.
There was no way to escape it. He felt the shadow fingers close around his throat. They pressed down, harder…harder…strangling him. Stars danced in his vision. He felt like he was about to pass out when—
He reached for the skull necklace and pulled it out.
“Help…me…please,” he choked out.
Suddenly, the necklace burst to life, igniting with red light.
The flare of light drowned out his shadow, making it vanish for a moment. The fingers disappeared from around his neck. He could breathe deeply. Swallowing oxygen like it was cool water, he dashed down the hall. He didn’t want to wait to see if the shadow would come back and attack him again. Next time might be worse.
He felt certain it was the shadow man’s doing. Dr. Facilier wanted that necklace, and he was willing to unleash those monsters on Jamal to get it.
“So, I’ve got some big news,” Malik announced once they were all seated around the dinner table and the steaming pot of jambalaya their father had made for dinner. Jamal’s mouth watered at the aroma of sausage, rice, chicken, and spices.
The table was set with a tablecloth and candles that cast flickering light. Malik set his new trumpet on the table, where it gleamed like it had been freshly polished. It was his most prized possession. He carried it around the house with him, filling their cramped space with its bright notes and only putting it away in the case under his bed when he went to sleep.
“Is it good news?” Mom asked with a slight trill in her voice. She clasped her hands together and gave him her undivided attention, her dark eyes dancing with excitement.
“Of course it’s good news,” Dad said with a chuckle, setting his newspaper aside. The front page warned of the hurricane in the Gulf. It was a category four storm and growing.