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“Hey, Jamal, still in there?” Colton called through the curtain. “Who ya talking to? Your own shadow?” He chuckled, not realizing how close that was to the truth.
It took Jamal a moment to find his voice. “Uh, no one…just myself.”
Colton laughed. “Listen, your fan club is waiting outside the locker room. There’s a bunch of people who still need your autograph for their yearbooks.”
“Oh, right,” Jamal said. “Uh…tell them I’ll be right out.”
No one would believe him if he tried to explain that the previous day he’d had a brother who then turned into a shadow. They’d just think he was crazy. He waited for Colton’s footsteps to fade away as Colton headed out of the locker room. Then he turned back to his shadow brother.
“C’mon, Malik, we have to sneak out of here before they see us.”
Quickly, Jamal yanked the shower curtain back. His heart hammered while he scanned the locker room for any signs of Colton or the other kids. “Follow me….”
r /> “Uh, not like I have a choice,” Malik rasped. “I am a shadow. That’s what we do. We follow people.”
Despite his panic, Jamal felt a smirk creep over his lips. His brother always had that effect on him. He had the ability to make him laugh and lighten the situation, no matter how dire. Jamal remembered when their house flooded and they had to move out and share a bedroom. Malik was the one who had joked about it.
“Hey, at least we get to spend more time together now, right?” he said, surveying their much smaller room, stuffed with two twin beds.
“Ha, you actually want to spend more time with me?” Jamal said, feeling self-conscious around his popular brother. He flopped down onto his bed. “What about your fan club?”
“Very funny,” Malik said with a laugh, but then he turned more serious. Their eyes met. “And of course I do. You’re my only brother—and best friend. And that’s forever, Little J.”
Remembering that made Jamal feel even worse. I’ll find a way to make this right, he thought with regret. I promise.
As quietly as possible, Jamal crept through the locker room. Malik slipped under the shower curtain and flowed over the concrete floor after him. The locker room was deserted, fortunately. Jamal quickly slipped back into his street clothes, then headed for the back exit that led outside. The locker room was dark and shadowy. Jamal kept his eyes on the shadows, watching for any unusual movement or sign that Dr. Facilier was around. But nothing moved—except him and his shadow brother.
Suddenly, he heard Colton’s voice again. Jamal froze and ducked behind the nearest row of lockers, crouching down to hide.
“Yo, Jamal…you coming?” Colton yelled.
“Just one more minute,” Jamal called out.
“Okay,” Colton said. “But you’re gonna be late for next period if you don’t hurry up.”
Jamal waited for his footsteps to fade, then turned to Malik. “Come on. This way,” he hissed to his shadow brother, pushing open the exit door. “Before anyone sees us.”
Bright sunlight flooded through the doorframe, falling over the deserted locker room. Jamal blinked hard, then hurried out onto the athletic field. His brother flowed over the freshly mowed grass and stuck close to him like…well…like a shadow. Overhead, the sun beat down on them, making Malik’s shadow darker and more defined.
Jamal ducked behind the field house, where they stored the sports equipment. Malik followed, and reached his shadowy hands out toward Jamal as if for help, but they passed through him. Malik couldn’t touch his brother.
“Little J, you have to help me,” Malik rasped, throwing his hands down in frustration. “I don’t know what happened to me. This morning, I woke up like this. I’ve been following you around all day, trying to get your attention. Nobody can see or hear me—except for you.”
Jamal felt another stab. He’d been so wrapped up in being popular and having everyone clamor for his autograph that he hadn’t noticed his poor brother trying to get his attention. That explained the strange shadow he kept seeing and whispers he’d been hearing all day.
It was my poor cursed brother—cursed because of me.
“Malik, I-I’m so sorry,” Jamal stammered. “It’s all my fault.”
“Your fault?” Malik rasped in surprise. “But how’s that possible?”
“Well, it’s a long story,” Jamal confessed. “But I guess I’ve always been jealous of you….” He trailed off, the words drying up in his throat and turning into dust.
“Jealous…of me?” Malik said, taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“Everything always comes so easily to you,” Jamal said, pacing around. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “You’re the most popular and best at everything. Just look at the yearbook. I guess I just wanted to know what that felt like for a change.”
“Wait, you wanted to be like me?” Malik said in his creepy shadow voice. “But why would you want something like that? I know we’re twins, but it’s okay that we’re different.”
