Janet and I—along with Alvin—made it to the back of the building where we first entered the lab. The night air was heaven from the hell we endured, but nothing was more satisfying than seeing Ray’s minivan stationed nearby.

“Hurry up and get in,” he urged as fragments of the building exploded out to the vicinity.

“This is the end,” Alvin voiced, standing still amid the flames to watch his utopia crumble. “There is nothing left in this world for me.”

“Alvin, you can redeem yourself,” I told him. “But you need to put this place behind you and come with us.”

“Aliyah, we need to get in the car,” Janet insisted. “There’s nothing we can do for him.”

“She is correct,” Alvin stated. “Go, Miss Dawn. Prove to me there’s another way to make the world a better place.”

I looked at Alvin one last time before hopping in the vehicle with Janet. Ray drove away from the calamity and sped down the road to civilization.

Did we win? If so, why did I feel so empty? Like nothing was gained and so much was lost.

What happens next?

“We just blew up a secret base for an evil organization that my mother works for,” Ray celebrated behind the wheel. “If that doesn’t scream badass, I don’t know what does. We’re freakin’ awesome.”

“Says the person who wanted us to be ninjas and go in there quietly,” Janet muttered.

Ray sucked his teeth. “I heard that, but whatever. All that matters is we won and we had a night to remember. We’re heroes.”

I wanted to share his enthusiasm, but the feeling of victory was absent from my heart. Tyler and Valeria were missing, and I had no idea if they even made it out.

“So, what now?” Ray asked. “When the higher members of Obsidian find out what went down, do you think they’re gonna be looking for you two?”

“Let them come,” Janet answered, resting her head on the window. “And Aliyah, I appreciate you trying to keep my emotions in check, but you need to understand that we both have our own way of handling a situation. When I find the hitman who actually killed my parents, I advise you to stay as far away from me as possible, ‘cause I can’t say what I’ll do to anyone who tries to stop me from killing him. Including you.”

She was dead serious. The fire in her eyes was proof enough. I said nothing in response and turned my head to look out of the window. With the city lights coming into view, I pondered the fate of Valeria and Tyler. The rest of the ride was silent until the vibration of my cell phone took me out of my reverie.

“Hello?” The number was private. “Who is this?”

“Grant. I had to block my number in case your phone was confiscated. Are you safe and able to meet me at a secure location?”

“Y-yeah, I can meet you.” My words got the attention of Janet and Ray. “Where do you wanna link up?”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Come to my apartment in Riverdale. I’ll send you the full address shortly.”

The call ended. I sat up in my seat and said to Ray, “Hey, we’re making a stop somewhere.”

“Shouldn’t I bring you two to the hospital instead?”

“I’m fine,” both Janet and I spat. “Let’s go.”

☾☼☽

Upon our arrival, Grant could be seen standing outside of a brownstone apartment with a cigarette in his mouth. The area was quiet and vacant, which is what you’d expect at five in the morning.

Ray parked his minivan across the street from the apartment and observed Grant from the car window. “I don’t know, y’all. This seems sketchy as hell.”

“Yeah, like going to a stranger’s address on a creepy letter,” I joked, getting out of the vehicle.

Grant put out the cigarette and dusted off his black suit as I approached and said, “It’s a little early for a date, don’t you think?” I prayed he got my sarcasm.

“Sorry, I’m not interested in younger women.” Ugh, of course he took me seriously. “I called you here because this is one of the few places Obsidian doesn’t have eyes.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because there’s never been any Dreamer activity in this neighborhood, and most members of Obsidian are probably still recovering from Alvin’s spell. Nice job, by the way. You and your team did good. You kids even went out with a bang.”

My brow raised in confusion. “Hold up, how do you know what happened?”

“I saw the burning building on my way there and decided to turn back after I got in touch with you. Can you tell me the whereabouts of Alvin Steinberg?”

“I honestly don’t know. He escaped with us, but he didn’t get in the car. Hell, I don’t even know where my friends are.”

“I see. This is unfortunate. Not only is Alvin MIA, but there are Dreamers on the loose who know about Obsidian. Some of them I’m certain are Black Mask members.”

“So what are we gonna do?” I inquired, leaning on the iron bars outside of the apartment. “It’s obvious the Black Mask are the ones we need to go after, and my friends are out there somewhere as well. I need to find them.”

“A search party should be deployed tomorrow to find the escaped Dreamers, so there’s a chance your friends will be found with them. I’ll contact you immediately if they are. As for the Black Mask, leave them to Obsidian for now. The cult is an elusive, crafty group that makes Alvin’s scheme for power look like a joke. Therefore, any investigation on them is out of your hands. Just focus on keeping the Bronx safe from local Dreamers and graduating high school. I’m rooting for you, kid.”

“Um, thanks, but don’t call me a kid.”

He chuckled. “Alright, partner.” He looked up at the sky and exhaled. “You know, hundreds of people in this city are going to be manifesting their desires tomorrow. I feel it’s only a matter of time before this crazy curse spreads outside of New York. Something has to be done before it’s too late.”

I nodded. “I’m gonna find a way to break the curse. You have my word.” We looked up at the sky together before I asked him, “Speaking of which, you never told me why you have such a strong desire for knowing the truth. Are you finally gonna tell me, partner?”

He half-smiled. “Let’s just say, it’s because of my line of work.” He walked to the entrance door of the apartment building before speaking again. “I think you and your friends should head home before school starts. I look forward to working with you again, Aliyah. Until then.”

I watched him step inside before hopping back in Ray’s minivan, who stared at me with the widest eyes ever. He was so into all this.

“So? What happened?” he asked.

“Well, there’s gonna be a search team sent out by Obsidian to find everyone who escaped from the lab. So, it’s possible Tyler and Valeria can still be found. Grant will contact me as soon as he hears anything, though I don’t know what the higher members of Obsidian would do to my friends. Like, who knows what other crazy person in power works there. But hey, at least I’ll know they’re alive, right?”

“Right,” Ray sympathized with excitement. “Man, this was a crazy night. I’m ready to get my ass in the bed and sleep for days.”

“Me too,” Janet agreed.

The three of us reflected on the events that transpired as Ray drove down the long, narrow street. Although I was unsure of my friends’ whereabouts and what was to come next, a smile crept across my face. With the shackles created by Alvin now gone, a heavy weight had been lifted off my heart.