By Elicia Johnson
People think we hide in the shadows, but they’re wrong. This is the space between light and dark. The Enemy said dark is light to him, but this is neither and no one reigns here.
I peered through the gossamer layer of light into the room, where the body lay, to watch chaos unfold.
What is she doing here? One of the residents of the ancient house was already in the room. She ripped papers off a desk and stuffed them in her bag.
There was something strange about all those students with their modern contraptions and science experiments inside walls of ancient stone—so discordant, even though I’d seen the epochs roll by one after another. But then, the human world had turned into a hodgepodge of eras—ancient and modern, knowledge without reason, development without art. There was no one thing to define this age. Yet, what a great time to bring humans to their demise.
The girl’s brunette mop disappeared into the foyer. She didn’t even notice my work! She must be nearly blind—even with those thick glasses—to miss a dead tutor on the floor.
A shrill scream sent me into a panic. At first, I thought I’d absentmindedly stepped through the veil and been seen. But no, a third-year student with a flair for the dramatic had found my dead scientist. I rubbed my hands together. Ooh, here we go.
Footsteps thundered from every corner of the mansion and then havoc ensued. Absolutely delicious. There were gasps and screams and questions. Three different people declared what should be done first.
A fourth-year called the City Council. I giggled unheard in my refuge. They’re my favorite. Blind guides, as the Enemy himself called them.
Residents formed a circle at a respectful distance from the body while projections regarding the cause of Dr. Mezzell’s death began, quietly at first.
Shot? Stabbed? There were no visible wounds or even blood.
Was he really… dead? A medical student confirmed.
What about poison?
Half of them began wandering around the room looking for evidence. One of the bossy ones commanded everyone not to touch anything.
“Papers are missing from his desk,” a young man in a smart blazer spoke up. Curls towered over his forehead, gelled into sculpture-like perfection. He was gallant, eloquent, and incredibly useful.
“And how do you know that?” the bossy girl asked, hand on hip.
“Because he tutored me a couple of hours ago, and they were here then.”
“Two hours ago? He could have taken them anywhere.”
“Could have. But wouldn’t.” He returned to examining the desk.
“Well, look at that. Spark seems to have sparked an idea.” Bossy-girl teased, garnering a mix of snickers and eyerolls.
“But, why wouldn’t he?” a sheepish first-year asked.
Spark straightened up and tugged his blazer into place, pausing to enjoy his position of importance. “Because, they explained his discovery and contained detailed plans for his invention.”
A wave of murmurs about the missing report circled the room.
“What report is missing?” The Brunette with thick glasses wove through her housemates. “What’s going on?”
Late are we, sticky fingers? She was shaping up to be the perfect suspect. Almost too easy.
“It’s Dr. Mezzell.” Spark answered with authority “He’s–”
Just then, she broke through the ring of on-lookers and caught sight of the body. “Oh!” she exclaimed weakly and promptly fainted.
What in heaven! How am I going to pin a murder on you if you can’t remain conscious?
I moved closer, still veiled between dark and light of course. It doesn’t matter if you pin it on her. Whatever happens, someone innocent will take the blame. Worst-case scenario: the Council’s geniuses call it an accident due to an experiment gone wrong. That would really fray my tail.
“Kytt! Wake up!” Spark said. He elevated her torso, alternately fanning and tapping her cheek to wake her.
Her eyes fluttered, fluttered again, and then opened. They were two different colors, one blue and one green, accentuated by her thick lenses. More importantly–they were looking straight at me.
I double-checked that I was still hiding, shrinking further into the neitherness.
Without taking her eyes from me, she let Spark help her up. I edged toward the door, and she followed resolutely.
“Kytt? Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down,” Spark called heroically after her, but his housemates drew him back to the problem of the body.
She followed me as I backed into the foyer. Sirens wailed in the street.
Kytt spoke low and deliberately. “They may not be able to arrest you. But I know who can, and I’ll hold you here until he comes.”
She reached forward; eyes narrowed; nose wrinkled under the bridge of her glasses. The coloration of her hand blinked repeatedly–colored, grayscale, fuzzy, focused–as it drew closer.
Run. Light, dark, anywhere. But I couldn’t. I was frozen in the neitherness.
She bit her lip, and her hand slipped through the light between us. She grabbed the hair at the nape of my neck.
“I think I’ll sit down if you don’t mind.” She dragged me toward the foyer bench and sat with me at her feet like some invisible domesticated beast.
The minutes crawled by. The police came and began their interviews without taking a second glance at her. All the while, I remained powerless under her grasp. It all spelled trouble.
From the doorway, a voice like distant thunder asked, “You okay, Kytt, my dear?”
I writhed. That voice! It burned me from the inside out. But the girl never let up for a second. The Enemy. She’s his.
“Yes, but Dr. Mezzell. He’s–”
“I know. I’ve been getting him settled. You’ve been very brave, Kytt. I’ll take it from here.”
He wrapped one arm around the girl and stretched the other toward me. Immobilized by his enchantment, I strained against the invisible binds. It was no use. To be bound by the Enemy was to be bound for all time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I liked this story! I really want to see what happens next. The author did a great job of luring me into the story.
The creepy mood and POV really drives this compelling story!
Creepy, lyrical, compelling. Kept me reading, wondering what would happen. I like it!
The space between light and dark is called the Neitherness? I thought it was called “The Twilight Zone.”
Great work…and I take it that you’re a fan of CS Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters.”
Nice atmospherics!
Oh my gosh–wow! The haunted feel and the voice of the storyteller drew me in. Than
Thank you for writing this and sharing it!