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What his father didn’t say was that when it came to Malik, it was always good news. He wouldn’t have said the same thing if it was about his other son. Jamal sank lower in his seat, his stomach churning unhappily. He wasn’t hungry anymore.
The shadow man was right, he thought with a frown. His parents did prefer his brother.
“I won the election!” Malik said, throwing his hands up.
Their parents clapped for him while he prattled on excitedly about his ambitious plans for the next school year. Even though he loved jambalaya, Jamal picked at the food on his plate.
“This calls for ice cream,” Mom said, clearing their plates and parading over to the freezer. “Chocolate, your favorite!”
She brought them all bowls, but Jamal didn’t want ice cream. That was how bad he felt. He pushed it around, watching it melt. He kept glancing at the corners of the room, which were dimly lit and full of shadows. Were they going to come to life and try to strangle him?
Every time one of them moved, he practically jumped out of his seat. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He bolted out of his chair and ran to the light switch, flicking it on.
Bright light flooded the dining room. Everyone stopped eating ice cream and turned to stare at him.
“Whatcha trying to do?” Dad said with a frown. “Burn everyone’s eyes up?”
“B-but…the shadows…” Jamal stammered, realizing how crazy he sounded. “It was really dark—”
“Son, you don’t need a spotlight to eat ice cream,” Dad said. “Now turn that off and sit your butt down.”
* * *
Jamal wanted to fall asleep, but the shadows in the dark bedroom kept him awake. He wished he could sleep with the light on, but when he had suggested it, Malik had just teased him. “Wait, are you afraid of the dark? Sheesh, don’t be such a baby.”
“Uh, I just like…a little light,” Jamal said, feeling silly. His cheeks burned with shame. “You know, so I don’t trip going to the bathroom.”
“Man, no wonder Colton and his friends pick on you so much,” Malik said, stashing his trumpet in the case, flipping the clasps shut, and sliding it under his bed. “Little J, you gotta grow up already. You know, I won’t always be around to protect you.”
That had settled it. Jamal kept the lights off. He didn’t want to act like a baby in front of his brother, but Malik didn’t understand what was happening to him. Jamal wished he could tell his brother the truth, but Malik wouldn’t understand. Or worse yet, wouldn’t believe him.
Jamal felt completely alone. Everything was always so easy for his brother. Why couldn’t Malik understand that it was different for Jamal?
He tried to sleep, but he kept glancing at the shadows cast around the dark bedroom, certain they were going to attack. Frustrated, he reached for the necklace under his shirt.
“You’ll protect me, right?” he whispered to the skull.
The dark eye sockets stared back at him but didn’t offer an answer. Right when Jamal was about to drift off to sleep, he heard a strange noise coming from inside the closet.
Thump.
What was that? He bolted upright in bed, clutching for the necklace. The skull’s eye sockets lit up with reddish light. They cast a steady glow over the room, driving back the shadows. They lit the way to the closet door. Jamal stared at it, straining to listen for the noise.
But it was silent.
He relaxed slightly. I must be hearing things, he thought.
But then it happened again.
Thump.
And that time the closet door rattled. Something was in there.
“Hey, did you hear that?” Jamal whispered to Malik, who was tucked in his bed, snoring away. “Wake up!”
But Malik just flipped over, mumbled something like “Shut up” in his sleep, and buried his head in the pillow.
Right, I don’t need his help, Jamal reminded himself. He needed to handle this on his own. His brother wouldn’t always be around to protect him.
