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“The election results are in,” Mrs. Perkins said, clutching them in her hand. She stared at the class through her huge glasses. “Please congratulate your new class president…Malik!”
Jamal sank down in his desk while all the other kids broke into thunderous applause.
Malik stood up and launched into a victory speech, where he promised better snack machines in the cafeteria and more pizza pep rallies before basketball games.
Jamal knew he should be thrilled for his brother. Malik loved him and always supported him, even saving him from Colton and the gym class bullies. But all he felt was jealousy eating away at his heart. Combined with the guilt, it was even worse.
After announcing the other officers, Mrs. Perkins flicked off the lights and projected their lesson, casting the classroom into darkness. Jamal squinted in the dim light. Her shadow fell across the class…and then, suddenly, it moved.
The arms transformed into spindly, ghostly claws.
They reached for Jamal’s neck…and the necklace.
“No, don’t hurt me!” Jamal shrieked, leaping up and jumping back from the shadow. Under his shirt, the necklace flared with reddish light and singed his chest.
Everyone in class turned to stare at him.
“Look, he’s scared of his own shadow!” Colton cracked.
The whole class broke into jeering laughter. A spitball smacked Jamal square in the forehead. It stuck, then slid wetly down his cheek.
Mrs. Perkins flicked on the lights, causing the shadow to vanish.
“Jamal…is everything okay?” she asked. Her forehead crinkled in concern.
“Uh, yeah…sorry,” he muttered, sliding back behind his desk.
When the bell rang, Jamal darted into the hall, slipping by his brother. The fan club clamored around Malik, congratulating him on his victory. Jamal knew he should join them, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Especially not after what had happened in class. Instead, he shrank into the shadows creeping down the hallway. But then it happened again: the shadows moved.
They transformed into spectral shapes, reaching for his neck.
Even his own shadow turned on him.
Sharp teeth.
Spindly arms.
Jagged claws.
The skull necklace under his shirt was glowing again. Jamal bolted down the hall, away from the monstrous shadows. But they chased after him, stretching down the hall with dark claws. They clung to the crevices and cracks in the corners, where the light didn’t reach fully.
The shadow monsters were gaining on him.
Adrenaline coursing through him, Jamal cut around the corner. The skull necklace flared brighter. He thought about hiding in the janitor’s closet or the bathroom, but that would make it worse. It was darker in there. Instead, he ran for the exit, bolting past the security guard, who yelled, “Hey, kid, get back here!”
But Jamal didn’t care; he had to get away from the shadows.
He burst outside into the bright sunlight. Only then did the shadow monsters vanish. The second they hit the threshold of the door where sunlight fell, they evaporated like smoke.
The security guard chased after him, snagging his arm and yanking him back toward the school. “Wait, d-didn’t you see them?” Jamal stammered. “I-I can’t go back there.”
The security guard frowned at him. His sweat-stained uniform stuck to his pudgy frame. “See what?” he growled, narrowing his eyes.
“The shadows…They were chasing me,” Jamal managed. “I swear it.”
“Nice try, kiddo,” he said with a chuckle. “What I saw was you trying to skip school. You’re lucky I’m just giving you a warning this time. Next time, it’s straight to detention.”
Jamal stared back into the school, his heart hammering in his chest. Sweat poured down his face. But there were no shadow monsters waiting to get him. The hallway looked completely normal. Stranger yet, the security guard hadn’t been able to see them.
