“Ooh! Hold that, please,” I call, and scurry across the lobby.
He stares into his phone as he holds the door open for me. “Thanks,” I say breathlessly. “I’m here to see my cousin . . .” I begin my story, but he’s already halfway across the lobby floor, heading straight for the front door. As the doors slide closed, I punch the button for the fifth floor and wonder if Janine and the other Sekhem are already here. I didn’t have enough money for a cab and the busses were running their usual rush-hour-slow, so it took longer than I’d hoped to get here.
The hallway is quiet and deserted as the elevator doors open—I must have beaten them here anyway. I stop, looking at the numbers on the doors. In my mind, I hadn’t gotten any further than this; I figured I’d get to the lab and watch as the Sekhem dealt with Veronique. I didn’t count on being here all by myself. I turn back to the elevator, thinking that they can’t be very far behind, when I see my reflection in the brushed metal doors. I look small and young, like someone who’s lost in a much bigger world. Except that I don’t feel like that person anymore. I feel like someone who needs to start making things happen. To show Janine and the Sekhem that I’m not just some Shewi who needs their help to do everything.
I turn and face the empty hallway again. There are nothing but identical doors on each side, marching toward a window that looks out over the bay. Veronique’s lab number means that her room must be down toward the end. As I take a few cautious steps in that direction, I start to think about what I’m going to say when I get there. What the hell were you thinking? seems like a good place to start, but I’m going to have to trust myself this time. I’ll figure something out.
Two rooms down from the end of the hallway, the door that matches Veronique’s number is open just a crack. It’s too small to see through, so I push it with my finger and it inches open a little farther. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I take a deep breath to try to calm down.
“Hello? Veronique?” I call, pushing the door open all the way. I don’t see anyone, but the lab is completely trashed. Papers and broken glass litter every surface; two stools have been overturned, and another one is lying on a black countertop. Entire drawers have been pulled out and emptied onto the floor. It feels like the room is still in motion—as if the papers have just finished fluttering to the floor. I jump back, scared that someone might still be here, but a quick glance around tells me the lab is empty. I take a few cautious steps into the room, glass crunching under my feet even though I’m trying to avoid messing anything up. The Sekhem sure worked fast—they must have been in and out before I even got off the bus. I wonder if they found what they were looking for. And if they took Veronique with them.
I peek around the island in the middle of the room and see a pool of reddish-brown blood on the floor. She must have put up a hell of a fight. How did they get her out of here without anyone seeing them?
I hear footsteps pounding down the hallway, and for a split second a jolt of fear races through my body—they must have come back for something. Janine told me to stay out of this. What are the Sekhem going to do when they find me here? Before I can react, the door is thrust open, and I don’t know who is more surprised, me or Griffon.
He takes just a second to recover at the sight of me, standing in the middle of the mess. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. I think the Sekhem had to take things further than Janine thought; there’s a ton of blood on the other side of this counter.”
Griffon grabs my arm and pulls me back toward the open door. For an instant I get a sense that he wants to protect me. It makes me both irritated and grateful. “This wasn’t the Sekhem,” he says, his voice rising with alarm. “I’m the first one here—everyone else is coming up behind me.”
I feel a shiver run down my back. “You mean this was someone else? Who? Nobody else knows.”
He takes in the room at a glance. “We don’t know who else Veronique told. She’s insane—she might have talked about this to almost anyone.” Griffon runs his hand over his newly short hair with a pained expression on his face.
I can sense his anxiety. “What do you mean?”
“If you’re right, and Rayne transitioned—”
“I am right,” I insist.
Griffon ignores my interruption. “Then this might be a very big deal.” He looks down at my hands. “Did you touch anything?”
I shake my head. “Just the door. I got here just a few seconds before you did.”
That seems to calm him some. “Good. That’s good.”
“Shouldn’t we call 911 or something?”
“No.” Griffon looks at me like I’m stupid. “We’ll handle this ourselves. The university won’t even know that anything was wrong by the time we leave tonight.” He looks back down the empty hallway. “You should go before everyone gets here.”
“I don’t want to go. This is as much about me as it is about you.”
Griffon looks surprised. “It’s just easier if you stay out of this.”
“But what about Veronique? What if they found what they were looking for?”
“We have people all over—we’ll be able to figure out who did this. And to stop what she’s created from getting into the wrong hands.” He hesitates. “Look, Cole, it’s just better for everyone if you stay invisible for now. Once you’re in the Sehkem, there’s no turning back. You need this time to transition and develop your skills. That’s what I’m trying to give you—more time. Now quit being so stubborn and take it.”
I’m about to protest when I stop. I can see the truth behind his words and how intensely he believes in them. He’s trying to do this for me. “Okay. For now. But . . .” I’m about to ask him to call me when I remember where we are, who we are to each other now. “Make sure Janine calls me.”
“I will.” He looks relieved. “Now go.”
I run back down the hall and push the elevator button. The one on the left opens almost immediately and I get in, pushing the button for the ground floor. Before the doors can close, I hear the other elevator ding and a rush of footsteps as people get off. I push myself into the corner as I see the backs of several men rush down the hall. Just before the sliding doors meet, Giselle stops in midstride as if I’d shouted at her and turns to look directly at me. I catch my breath as the elevator jerks and starts down, my reflection barely recognizable in the metal doors.
“Staying in tonight?” Mom asks as she passes my doorway.
I look up from my laptop. “Yeah. I’m tired.”
She leans against the doorframe. “It’s been a tough couple of days, hasn’t it?”
I laugh, thinking about how much she doesn’t know. How much she’ll never know. “I haven’t been sleeping much.”
“Well, now that Rayne’s on the mend, that should get better. Do you have any lessons tomorrow?”
“Not until eleven,” I say.
“Good, you can sleep in. I’m going to go watch the late news if you want to come sit with me.”