chiaroscuro

8

One week later

I wake up to shouting and...more shouting.

What the hell?

I turn around to ask Emery what in the actual hell is going on, until I realize she's not here.

Not surprised.

Probably with Lev doing something that I don't wanna think about.

I walk down the dorm hallway and follow the noise. It leads me to the front doors of the Academy, which reminds me–I haven't been outside in days.

The first thing I see is Cotton, cuz of his hair. He's yelling, "One at a time, please," but no one listens. If anything, they're getting louder.

Caz is next to him, bragging to a couple of angels. "Oh, yeah, I fight all the time–no you can't see my six pack–"

There's a car parked behind them–a car with blue and red lights. I can see the top of someone's head–iridescent hair, like a night sky.

Gray.

I can hardly breathe.

What–no–it can't–

"Chiro!" a voice yells. Caz flies over to me and slaps my back. "Still got those itty-bitty wings of yours, I see."

"Caz, leave him alone," Cotton scolds, but I don't think Caz can hear him over the crowd.

I stare at the car while Caz rambles on. Gray looks so alone. I wonder how it feels to be alone in a police car with everyone yelling outside. I've never gotten arrested, might put that on my mental bucket list–or maybe it's a bucket bucket list now that I've already died.

"..hello? Hello?" Caz waves his hand in front of my face. I snap back to the present.

"Oh, sorry," I mumble. "Just tired."

"That's alright." Caz laughs. "As I was saying, you should've seen Cotton after you left for the Academy, researching and shit–"

"What happened?" I can't take his rambling any longer. My heart's pounding, my ears straining towards the crowd's jumbled voices.

"What? Oh, he was researching you and your soul."

"No, I mean the crowd."

And Gray.

"Just people raging and complaining. I can't blame them–if I found out someone I knew was dead I would rage too."

Dead?

My stomach suddenly feels squeamish.

Yes, dead, it was Gray, and you know it. Don't avoid the truth.

"Yeah," Caz continues like it's no big deal, "three bodies found in the basement. I thought they told you? I guess not. Anyway these angels are complaining about how the security needs to get an upgrade and asking where the bodies will go. Classified stuff."

I stare at the back of the police car. Gray's head turns around and her eyes catch mine. I quickly turn away.

"How do you know it was Gray?"

Caz scoffs. "Investigation, duh."

I roll my eyes. "I haven't seen any investigation around the school."

Caz considers this. He opens his mouth, then closes it.

"Between you and me," he says in a serious voice, "the investigation crew isn't the best. Not to brag but we don't even have one. No one really wants a job that involves death after they're dead. Even if it is just investigation."

"Then how–"

"Gut feeling. Witnesses. We have to catch someone or the angels in Heaven won't be satisfied. There's a calculated 45% chance we're right. Rounds to 50, which is good enough for the Higher Angels, who are total assholes, by the way. Cotton has the HUGEST crush on Priscilla, I'm starting to think that's the only reason he wants to join, but–"

"Uh, gotta go," I say as the bell rings. The convo's ended but my interest has only increased.

"Just one more question," I add just as Caz turns to leave. "Who were the witnesses?"

"Lev, Camrice and, uh...I think her name was Emerald. She's with Lev, if you know what I mean."

Emery. Emery was a witness. Why didn't she tell me? That night, when she said she knew Gray was the murderer, why didn't she tell me she was a witness?

Looks like I have some research to do.