“Look again but don’t look too long,” Kathy said.
Jioni peeked inside the hallway and pointed her flashlight forward. There was a shadow—not someone’s shadow—but a figure that resembled one. She carefully moved the flashlight up and pointed it at its head—it was a Tenebris: It had no visible mouth, a blackish-gray body, with five fuchsia eyes that glowed. Its arms, shoulders, and legs were branch-like, which expanded and contracted. Otherwise, it stood motionless, and Jioni couldn’t tell if it was looking at her.
She juggled the flashlight as she searched for the off switch, then lowered it.
“Jioni, you were staring too long,” Kathy whispered once more. She swallowed hard. “Is that a Tenebris?”
“It couldn’t be, is it?”
“It is. I’ve never seen one before, but I’m sure that thing isn’t human.”
“I mean, it could be a human,” Jioni said. “There’s no Tenebris in this city.”
“Then go wave and greet them if you’re so sure.”
Jioni frowned. She then paused and weighed her options. The first day was almost over, and she wasted her time coming there. She thought about her lack of Geocreds, the brochure, and helping Hippie Girl out—even if that last point wasn’t as crucial.
Surely one Tenebris couldn’t be scarier than prison.
