Chameleon (11 page)

“Do you remember the Vault of Enchantment?” I asked.

“How can I forget? It’s like half of the questions on our curator exam.”

“Oh yeah.” I leaned my weight on my right foot. “Do you remember how many of the items were stored here after the burglary?”

She shrieked, put her hands in her pocket, yanked out a tiny bottle, and sprayed me with dirty water. I blinked as the water streamed down my cheeks and painted black dots on my blouse. Just like the kids in Haven, she followed some sort of security precaution like spraying dirty water on a person’s face to make sure they were who they said they were.

“I’m not wearing
fairy glamour.” I wiped the water away from my face.

Fairy glamour was a spell that concealed
anything the spell caster wanted. It was simple magic that anyone in the habitat could buy and cast. The cheapest ones could be bought in any Five and Dime in any district. The more expensive ones were harder to find and emitted any illusion the buyer desired. People strolled around the habitat with glamour all the time. Some only hid pimples or ugly scars. Others used it to mask their entire identity. The only problem with glamour was that anything with lots of dirt and water could force it to evaporate. So if someone wore fairy glamour to hide their identity and it rained on them, all of the spell would wash away and reveal the person’s real image. Even worst for cheap fairy glamour all a person had to do was say six special words to break away the enchanted concealment, “What was hidden now is seen.” This was why people paid for Wiz and my services. My mimics didn’t wash away or evaporate due to water or dirt.

I wiped more water from my face. “Why did you do that?”

“I-I’m so sorry, Trinity.” She backed up. “It’s just you just asked me that question this morning and you’re acting all weird right now. Plus you’re wearing that outfit and I thought you had on something else. I had to follow protocol and spray you to make sure you weren’t an intruder.”

“I didn’t like my other suit so I changed.”
I wiped the side of my face with my jacket. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You know it’s protocol.” She bit her lip and shoved the bottle back into her pocket with a shaking hand.
“Does Mr. Accord have you doing something big? Is that why you’re asking these questions?”

“
Yes. Mr. Accord has me working on something major. Huge.”

“Well trust me. Everything is moved. I checked the inventory three times.”

I decided to just go for it and ask her, “Even the shadow stones are gone?”

“All of them. Goodness. I’m not that bad you know.” She inched back to the cart. “When The Great Hall was built I contacted the architect personally
and made sure all of the ancient stones were incorporated. We went through this already. Is Mr. Accord blaming me for something?”

The Great Hall?
The shadow stones are at the Great Hall.

“Well I just had to ask,” I said. “So the stones and everything else is there where it’s supposed to be?”

“Haven’t you been there?” she said with annoyance, and then quickly blushed and changed her tone. “Sorry. But the lost shipment wasn’t my fault. I typed in the purchase orders exactly like you told me. I don’t know why the boxes didn’t come.”

“I believe you.”

What shipment?

Pink shaded the points of her ears. “
The shipment wasn’t even full of important items.”
I bobbed my head.

“Is
Mr. Accord going to fire me?” Her violet eyes glistened with water.

“Well I’m making sure he doesn’t. After all, it wasn’t your fault. And everything
else has been done with no problem.” I displayed a weak smile. “Especially the shadow stones. He’s worried about those, for some crazy reason.”

“Why? They’re all at The Great Hall.” She shrugged. “And they’re not even the most important ones.
No one can even grab them they’re so high. You’d have to fly up there to get them.”

Fly? Were they inside the Great Hall or outside of
it? They were somewhere high.

Her phone rang. She pulled it out. “Hello?”

She raised her eyebrows and backed up. “Trinity?”

“Yes,” I said and realized to my dismay that she wasn’t talking to me.
She was talking into the phone.
Crap.
Trinity must have called her on the phone. I hadn’t anticipated that at all.

“But
. . .you’re in front of me.” She gazed at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. “Guards!”

I twisted around, raced down the hallway, and prayed for stairwells.

“Guards!” she screamed.

A bang sounded
behind me. I checked and saw her slam her hand against a big red button.
Dang it.
The alarm button wasn’t in the blueprints. Ringing sounded. I shoved through a metal door and glanced over my shoulder. She didn’t launch anything at me so maybe she didn’t possess any power. My feet stomped down the gray steps. The sound echoed in the stair well.
Hurry.
A bell rang over and over. I shifted back into my form, banged my knee as I rounded a corner, and slung off my shoes. My breasts popped out of my chest and pressed against my shirt. Trinity’s tan flesh merged to pale white skin. I touched my hair. My bushy strands returned. I became shorter and slimmer. The penis vanished. I was back to my normal image.

One more flight.

A door opened below. I slowed down, wiped my forehead, and breathed.
Relax.

The tall guard heaved his long frame upstairs. “You see anyone
strange around here?”

“A
red headed woman bumped into me and didn’t say sorry.” I gestured to the second level. “Then she went through there.”

   Panting, he grumbled and ran up. I bust out of the door.
The other guard wasn’t there. However, Fin was in the lobby and pointing a gun at the elevator with trembling hands.

“What are you doing?” I wagged my hands as I rushed her way. “Get rid of the gun.”

She tucked it back in her pants. “I heard the alarm from out in the alley. I figured you needed me to come in and blast you out of here.”

Oh goddess. She’s going to kill
somebody.

Chapter 11

Haven’s silhouette emerged with the moonlight. Dusk just arrived.
The moon balanced in the dark violet sky and hung right over the habitat’s caged ceiling. Haven was somewhat quiet for now. The music would come later. A lot of the kids played in bands or helped out with them in some way, so many bands were allowed to play in Haven. Currently, boys and girls climbed the buildings with their brick climbers. They were all over each building’s side, making their way up. A click clacking sounded all over the area while they all traveled up to their perspective tops like hundreds of ants crawling up a crumb of food. Shango only knew where they’d been today and what they’d been doing. I hoped some made it to school, but doubted it.

Campfires lounged on all five roofs, roasting rat meat and whatever
else the tribes could muster. Some of the roofs smelled delicious. With others I covered my nose with my hand. Fin and I tiptoed along the ledge of Alpha Omega’s roof.

“I think it’s stupid yo
u won’t tell me what’s going on.” Fin pouted.

“Ask Wiz to tell you.” I jumped down the roof.
He’s barely letting me know anything, anyway.

“We may need you.”
I combed my fingers through my hair and placed the bushel into a haphazard ponytail.

The Stones are at The Great Hall
and somewhere high.

All we had to do was figure out where they were and how to get them. I’d already left a message with Eight at the library, asking if he could get me stuff on
the Great Hall. He was willing to help me as usual. I promised to make it up to him, maybe hang out with him at the arcade. I know he wanted a date, but I wasn’t really ready for that with him. Wiz still crowded my mind. Once I got him out of my head, I could give someone else a try.

“So I can stay in your room tonight?” Fin asked.

“Definitely.”

“Will Sasha be there?”

“Yeah. I’m probably just going to let her stay for a while. She does clean and cook.”

“Um. . .do you think Stan will be around?” Fin asked. “Rich said he saw him at Cinnamon’s Meat Shack today.”

Oh goddess I forgot that Fin had a crush on him.

I stifled a laugh. “Stan will probably be on a date with some girl.”

Fin’s smile dropped into a frown. I hated doing it, but there was no way Fin could continue to like Stan.

“He’s pretty serious about this girl he is dating now.”
I moved through the crowds of kids that waited in line for dinner. In the far back, Rich stirred something in a pot and then poured red liquid into coffee cups.

“Oh no. Get down.”
Fin grabbed my shoulder and yanked me to the hard, rocky surface.

“What?”

“I’m hiding from Big Head.”
Fin did some weird kneel crawl walk behind the crowd.

I
followed. “Should I assume Big Head is Rich?”

“Yes.”

A funk lingered in the air. It smelled like dirty clothes and unwashed children. I’d have to ask Wiz to talk to Rich and Tami. They slacked on enforcing hygiene and every time people stopped washing, we all became sick. There was nothing worse than a roof full of ill kids, and on top of that, when I was ill I couldn’t shift.

“Why are you hiding from him again? Is he still being a butthead
to you?” I rose as we arrived at the roof door that led to Wiz’s apartment. Young kids giggled while they poked a sleeping teen while he slept.

“Leave him alone.
He’s trying to sleep.” Fin displayed a deadly sneer. All the kids scattered, tripping over themselves to escape.

“You’re so scary.”
I chuckled and opened the door. A cleaning fluid odor hit me. Christmas lights hung on the ceiling. It was a rainbow color that sparkled down on anyone that walked through. Rich had strung them up for the kids two years ago and decided to leave them up after the holidays.

The door closed behind us.
Fin ceased from walking and jumped in front of me. “If I ask you something, would you answer me and keep it secret?”

“Sure.” I hoped this had nothing to do with Stan.

“Has Rich ever tried to kiss you?”

I cringed. “No way.
I would bite him if he did.”

“
You would. Why?” Fin raised her eyebrows. “You think Rich is ugly or something?”

“No.
Rich is hot. He has a hot body.” I shook my head. “I just think of him. . .differently, like a buddy.”

“Okay.” She returned to heading to Wiz’s door. I grabbed her before she touched his doorknob. Jazz
music drifted from Wiz’s apartment.

“Why
did you ask me that? Did he kiss you?” I grinned.

She scanned the hallway. “Yes.
When I slept over your apartment last night we were watching a late movie. Sasha went out and once she left, he told me I was pretty, leaned in, and kissed me.”

“And?”

“I punched him in his face.”

Laughter fled my lips.
“Because you didn’t want him to kiss you?”

She waited for a minute and quirked her eyebrows into an odd expression. “I don’t know yet. Maybe.
I figured he tried that on all the girls. I just wanted to make a point.”

“Did you at least like the kiss?”

“Yes.” She twisted her lips to the side. “But I’m not sure if Rich is someone I want to kiss again.”

At least while Stan is around?
I had to do something about Stan.

“So what
are you going to do? You’re just going to hide from him?” I twisted Wiz’s doorknob. It didn’t yield. It was locked.

“Yeah. I’m just going to hang out where he’s not for a while, until he stops being weird.” She waved me away, traced her fingers around the outer surface of the knob, and turned it with no problem.

“The door was locked. How did you do that?”

“Do what?” She winked and opened the door.

She has magic. I bet. She snatched that badge and hair too fast. Plus she put it all in my pocket without me realizing it.
I should’ve guessed it earlier today when she seized the badge without raising her hand. I wondered what else she could do.

“Come on.” Fin stepped inside.

The jazz music blared down the small hallway of Wiz’s studio apartment. A trumpet sang a sad melody as a piano sounded within the background. Wiz played this song a lot. It was called Sun and Moon. He had to be home since he never kept his stereo on when he left. Dim lighting blanketed the hallway. I’d never seen it so dark. He always kept all the lights on. Standing near the front door, I peered toward the entrance to Wiz’s studio. The whole apartment was a decent size. It had a long hallway that led to the main space where Wiz decorated it with a sofa bed and coffee table. The room was the entire size of my whole hotel room. A big bathroom with a bathtub and shower was on the other side of the main area. Yet, for some reason, even in the main room the lights were shut off.

Weird. Why would he sit in the dark, listening to music?
Something is wrong.

I grabbed
Fin’s arm. “Get your gun out.”

The gun materialized in
Fin’s hands in seconds.

Definitely magic did that.

“Step in with me,” I whispered. “I’m going to turn on the light. You see a stranger, shoot. Especially one with red scales.”

“Got you.” Fin held the gun out, but thankfully didn’t point it in my direction. I had no idea if she could even aim that thing.
I guess we’ll see now.
We turned the corner into the room Wiz used as living room during the day and bedroom at night. The music sounded even louder from here. I switched on the light and gasped.

An horrific
image fled to my eyes within seconds. My heart broke into pieces. Wiz lay naked on top of an unclothed Destiny. Her legs were spread apart and he moved in and out between them. They hadn’t even realized the light was on as they writhed, ground into each other, and moaned. My stomach collapsed into itself. Sweat coated her bouncing breasts and his bare back.
Naked. Both of them and having sex.
A battered screech left my lips.

Wiz’s hand had been clutching one of her nipples. It now rose fro
m her breast. He slowly turned his face toward a shaking me and a gun pointing Fin. I froze when his brightened eyes focused on mine. His mouth dropped open.

A pained expression spread across his face. “
Cameo?”

“I hate you,
” I blurted it out, and shouldn’t have. He wasn’t mine. We weren’t together, but still something stabbed at my heart. It could have been shock, horror, or embarrassment, but I backed away as he jumped off of Destiny and attempted to cover himself.

Fin
nudged my elbow. “I’ll shoot her if you want me to. I kind of think Wiz deserves a bullet too.”

“N-no.”
I quickly twisted around, hurried down the hallway, and raced out of the apartment.
I must look so stupid but I don’t care. I have to get out of here.

“Cameo, wait!” Wiz called back.

Tears spilled from my eyes and wet my face. My scales burst from my skin and I couldn’t yank them back inside of me. My legs burned. I increased my speed, pushing through the roof’s entrance, bumping through kids, and searching for the closest place to jump. I had to escape, flee, and break free. I had to get away, fast, into a place where no one could see me cry, where all pain evaporated soon as I stepped into the space. If I had wings, I would have flew. If I had speed, I would have been a blur of white light, zooming by all in the area. But I was only me, and so I rushed out of there on wobbly legs, covered in scales and tears.

“Cameo, wait. Please!” Wiz screamed.

Wait for what? Does he want to take a picture of how stupid I look?

The last thing I wanted was to be near him. Whispers rose around me as I stepped onto a ledge and leapt to another building roof. A neutral one
, without any kids on it. All of a sudden boys and girls began laughing and hooting. I glanced over my shoulder. Wiz stumbled out with a plaid sheet wrapped around his waist.
Any other time I would’ve ogled him, swooned, and salivated out the mouth. Now the image made my chest cave in with pain. I longed for him so much it ached even though he didn’t want me, even though he’d just been on top of Destiny, a girl who wasn’t his worth and would never value him like me.

I hate you, Wiz.

“Damn it, Cameo. Just give me a minute.” Wiz stepped up on the other building’s ledge, a few feet across from me.

“Leave me alone!”
I hurried across the ledge I was on and searched for another roof. My vision blurred. I wiped away my tears and decided to run to the roof on the right. A boom banged behind me.

Wiz
seized my shoulders with shaking hands and held me to him. “Just let me explain.”   

Now all I desired was to knee him in that special area he’d been using on Destiny.
I struggled to get out of his hold. His body felt warm and hard with muscle. I hated myself immediately for noticing and enjoying him next to me.

“What?” I caught my breath and roughly swiped at my tears.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me. Just go back to Destiny.”

I struggled to free myself.
Cool drops fell from the sky. A few hit my skin. It was that light pitter-patter right before the storm.

“Stop moving, Cameo.” He turned me around, faced me
, and continued to grip my arms. “Let’s talk, please. I don’t like you being upset.”

“
Fine.” A rush of wind blew past up, ruffling his hair and lifting up my ponytail. “We can talk just stop touching me.”

A growl boomed from h
is throat. He bore his fangs and released me. “I can’t touch you now?”

“Don’t growl at me!
You have someone else to touch.” I inched back from him and turned to see most of the kids on all the roofs gazing at us. Thankfully they couldn’t hear what we were saying. The rain began to pick up a little. Wiz advanced. Raising my hands, I edged back some more as he stepped toward me again.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to have sex with her?” I asked.

“No. When we were all at Cinnamon’s I said Destiny and I weren’t having sex.” He moved my way and I put more distance between us. “Why do you keep moving away from me?”

“
Because you are getting too close. So now you and Destiny are having sex?” I took a few more steps back. He scooted forward. It looked like we were doing some awkward dance on the roof. My shirt rippled as a gust of cold air blew by.

“
It was just a moment of weakness tonight.” He tightened the sheet around his waist. “She came over to my room. I had no idea she was coming. And I just did—”

“I don’t care wh
y you did it. It’s none of my business.”

“
You want me to never see her again?” He leaned his head to the side. His eyes glowed brighter. “I’ll do whatever you want.”