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Sooner or later, Colton would get Jamal alone. And then all bets would be off.
Jamal felt his stomach churn at that thought. He tried to push it from his mind and cheer himself up. Maybe walking home would clear his head and rid him of those worries for a while. Also, if there was one good thing in his life, it was the city where he lived. Despite the humidity and threat from hurricanes, he loved New Orleans—the parades, the food, the music, even the tourists who crowded the cobblestone streets in the French Quarter, who were always good for the people-watching that helped him create characters for his writing. There was no other place like it in the world.
He passed through Washington Square. As he walked by Tiana’s, the most delectable smells drifted from inside. Jamal’s mouth watered as he cut through the crowds, weaving down the busy streets. But even the vendors selling beignets and steaming cups of gumbo and musicians playing jazz music couldn’t brighten his mood.
With each step, more sweat dripped down his back and the skull necklace thumped against his chest. Demoralized and overheated, he rounded the next corner and cut through a back alley—where he bumped right into the bullies from school.
“Look, it’s Invisible Boy!” Colton sneered when he saw Jamal.
They were eating beignets, their lips dusted with powdered sugar.
“Where’s your big brother now?” Colton said, tossing his blond bangs out of his face and advancing on Jamal.
The bully clenched his fists.
Jamal tried to back away, but the other kids flanked Colton, blocking any escape route. He was trapped. He glanced around, but the alley was deserted. There was nobody nearby to help. Not that anyone would have noticed him anyway.
“He’s not here to protect you now,” Colton said. “Whatcha gonna do?”
“Look, I really don’t want any t-trouble—” Jamal stammered, scared. His back hit the brick wall. There was nowhere to run.
“You should’ve thought of that yesterday,” Colton growled, “and taken your punishment for making us lose.”
The other kids circled around, trapping Jamal. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, making his heart pound. Desperately, he reached into his shirt and pulled out the skull necklace. He thrust it up in front of Colton.
“Okay, do your thing!” Jamal muttered to the necklace. “Protect me!”
The skull dangled from his hands, swaying slightly. But nothing happened. The necklace didn’t glow. The
bullies burst out laughing. Colton most of all.
“Look, he’s wearing a necklace,” he said, doubling over with laughter.
But the necklace did one thing that helped—it distracted the bullies. While they were busy catching their breath, Jamal ducked around Colton and bolted down the alley. He ran as fast as he could, but he heard their pounding feet behind him.
Fortunately, he knew those streets like the back of his hand. He darted into the next alley, tore around the corner past street vendors and befuddled tourists, and ran into another alley. This one was darker and completely deserted. It snaked past the shop he’d seen from the bus the other day. The one with the creepy dolls in the window.
But he didn’t have time to worry about that. There was a large dumpster in the alleyway. It smelled like…bad things. Rotten things. Putrid things.
Jamal ducked behind it anyway and held his breath, pinching his nostrils shut. Sweat slicked his skin and dripped down his face, stinging his eyes. His feet sloshed into an oily, stinking puddle. He felt the water seeping into his sneakers.
Please, run past me, he thought in desperation. If there was ever a good time to be invisible, this was it.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the bullies bolted past the alley.
“Hey, where’d he go?” Colton yelled as they ran by. He sounded furious. “He’s gonna pay for this!”
Jamal’s stomach dropped. The next day at school would be even worse, but he would have to deal with that later. He held his breath and waited to make sure they were gone; then he crawled out from behind the dumpster.
Maybe Riley was right about invisibility powers being stronger, he thought. They did just save him—but at what cost? His shoes were soaked and stained black from that nasty puddle. His clothes were wet with sweat and smeared with grime from crouching behind the dumpster.
The necklace dangled uselessly from the chain around his neck. He ripped it off and held it up. The skull stared back at him.
“Protect me?” he sneered at it. “Yeah, right! Useless piece of junk. I’m not falling for that dumb trick again.”
He was about to toss it into the dumpster when suddenly the eye sockets flared with light again. Much brighter than before.
“What the…? Why now?” Jamal cried.
