chiaroscuro

9

I don't feel like talking to Emery and I don't know who Camrice is, so I start off with Lev. Last time I saw him was in Science.

When I get to the Science room, he's not there.

Of course he isn't, dumbass.

I sit through an entire period of boring ol' science. No philosophy this time.

"Excuse me, Camren," I say, walking over to their desk when class ends. "Do you know where Lev is?"

They raise an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It's for a, uh, research thing."

"He's usually with Emery, so just find her."

Of course he is. Of course.

The most logical thing would be to ask a bunch of angels. Y'know, like someone normal. Instead, I decide to stay up all night so Emery doesn't leave the room before I do.

At 4 something in the morning, Emery's phone rings. She goes to the bathroom, and about an hour later, she exits. She then proceeds to scroll on her phone.

I think I'm doing a good job pretending to sleep, to be honest. Relaxed, no exaggerated snores, eyes that look closed but are, in reality, a smidge open.

"Chiro, I know you're awake."

I try to stay calm.

NOPE. You can't see me. I'm sleeping. If I don't answer, she'll think I'm actually sleeping.

"Chiro."

I don't budge.

"CHIRO, I know you're not sleeping: that's not your normal sleep position."

Damn it.

I pretend to yawn and stretch my arms. Not pretend, actually, it's a real yawn. My body feels like a bean bag—not the ones in Science. "What time is it?"

Emery puts down her phone. "Why are you awake?"

"Uhh..."

Now's your chance to ask her! C'MON.

"I know you're a witness," I blurt out. "Of the murder. That was in the basement."

She rolls her eyes like I'm the last angel to figure that out. "Duh. That's how I was so sure Gray killed them. Logic just backed that up."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Ask Lev. Ask Camrice. They saw it too."

"Who's Camrice?"

"She's my—she's someone I know. A friend, kinda."

"How do I know they're not lying?"

"Look, I heard a noise in the middle of the night. I mean, the basement is under our dorm–"

"Wait, what?"

"–so I went down to investigate. Gray was there with a knife and blood on her hands. She ran away and I called the teachers."

"What about Lev and Camrice?"

"They'd just finished owl-watching. They bumped into me in the dorm hall and noticed the blood on my hands."

Owl-watching? Isn't that a part of the bird-watching class? Is owl-watching even a thing? And since when did Lev take owl-watching? Seems like a stretch.

After Emery finishes talking, I look through my backpack and flip through the black book.

Bird-watching: Observing different bird species. Will need to bring a notebook. Owl-watching forms need to be signed by the principal. Owl- watching starts at 8pm and ends at 10pm.

8 to 10. When did Emery say she bumped into them? Middle of the night? She might've meant she got woken up at night. Or maybe she did mean the middle of the night.

There's got to be more to the story.