Arcadia Academy

The woman who pretended to be my Mum called again, the screen lit up like a spotlight in the night and the speakers blared. Why did she always have to call at the worst times? I quickly denied the call and Eric hissed at me.

“Damn it, Ryan, put your phone on silent!” Eric rattled the paperclip in the lock, and the door jerked. Denisha’s hand tightened around mine, and she chewed nervously on her thumbnail.

“There, done.” Eric opened the door.

Dust rose in the small hallway as we entered, and Denisha wrinkled her nose at the musty smell that hung around us. The ground floor was almost empty, and we searched all the kitchen cabinets, finding nothing but a jar with some green slimy stuff in it.

“Are you sure there’s a stash here?” Denisha asked, hugging herself. She looked small. I almost regretted tricking her into coming. And Eric too. But I needed Eric to get in, and Denisha hadn’t listened when I said she should stay home, she always wanted to hang out. Always.

“Of course there is,” I said, heading up the creaky staircase. “Tonight we’re gonna get rich.”

“Or high.” Eric raised his eyebrows at Denisha, who didn’t look impressed.

We entered a large room that might have once been a living room but now looked more like a drug den. We couldn’t have been the first ones to set foot in this house since it was abandoned.

“How long is this going to take?” Denisha grabbed my hoodie. “I have to get up early tomorrow. Maths test.”

Maths test? Shit, I had a test tomorrow too. But oh well, it’s not like I was going to pass that course anyway. It was just one of many to put on the “try again next year” pile. Unlike Denisha, I had no dreams of getting into university after school, I had more important things to worry about than education.

A thick armchair was thrown on the side, the back stained brown and the seat ripped open. Pieces of a small table were sticking out of an old fireplace that had blackened around the edges. Papers and trinkets were scattered across the floor, bookshelves and a dresser covered some of the dirty walls.

“I’ll check in here,” said Eric, walking into another room. Denisha stayed by the stairs, she wasn’t going to move willingly.

“Look in there,” I said, pointing to another door. It was best if I searched alone.

Denisha frowned and looked miserable. “Can’t I stay with you? This place is so creepy.”

“It’s just an old house, Deni.” I squeezed her hand and gave her a quick kiss. “And I’ll be right outside.”

She sighed and stomped away. Once she was gone, I went through the papers on the floor. I was looking for last names and pictures of people who had lived here but found nothing useful. I moved on to the bookshelves, checking for anything hidden or forgotten. Finally, I tackled the dresser, and by this point, I was sure of one thing - we weren’t gonna find anything valuable here. Not for Eric and Denisha anyway. What I was looking for wouldn’t interest them.

The dresser was full of junk, but I dug through it, hoping to find some gem, something that might tell me about my family.

“There ain’t shit in here,” Eric shouted, coming into the room. “Who told you this house had a stash?” He leaned against the doorframe. I made up a lie about a guy in my class mentioning it, Eric grumbled but disappeared into the other room again.

About ten minutes later, Denisha came back, her phone’s flashlight shining brightly. “There were a bunch of boxes and a wardrobe, but I guess we’re not looking for nasty old fur coats?”

I shielded my eyes and waved at her. “Turn that off!”

She looked confused but did as I said. “It was so dark in there, I couldn’t see.”

Of course it was a mistake to bring Denisha. She was about to say something when I hushed her. A faint sound came from outside. Wheels on gravel.

Running steps pounded on the floor.

“The bloody bizzies are here, we gotta go.” Eric pulled up the hood on his jacket and started down the stairs. I took a quick look out the window, and sure enough, a police car was heading towards the house. Denisha let out a pitiful sound and grabbed the railing.

“Come on, Ryan,” she hissed, “we need to get out.”

“Hold on!” I rummaged through the papers and junk. Trash. Just trash. Until. A photo album. I quickly flipped through it, but there were no names. I wouldn’t have time to look properly, so I stuffed it in my bag. Just as I did, I realized that Eric wasn’t heading downstairs anymore but was right behind me.

His eyes went to my bag. “Ryan, who lived in this house?”

“What are you talking about?” Shit. I avoided his eyes and tried to get past him. He grabbed my shoulder and shoved me against the wall.

“Answer!”

“Okay, okay! Some Martha or something,” I said, shaking my hair out of my eyes.

“Martha who?”

Double shit. “...Martha Acaida.”

The words sounded so weak. Eric put his head in his hands and groaned. I knew what he’d say before he said it, I’d heard it too many times, from too many people.

“Your parents are dead! There’s nothing to look for!”

“I know they’re alive.”

“Oh yeah? Did your visions tell you that?” Eric made air quotes.

Denisha came up behind him. “Visions? What’s he on about?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

“I thought you were taking those bloody pills?” Eric said.

“I am.”

I hadn’t been searching for them for years, but then I saw the name - Martha Acaida - so similar to mine - Ryan Acada. Some long-dead lady who had worked at the school once upon a time. Maybe, I had thought, maybe she could be someone in my family.

“Damn it, Ryan, you schizo, I can’t believe you dragged me here for your crap! Do you still think you’re a bloody wolf too? Wouldn’t surprise me.” Eric peeked out the window and cursed. “They’re coming inside.”

I flung the bag over my shoulder, and we ran down the stairs, turning a corner just as the front door flew open. Denisha whimpered.

“Mum’s gonna kill me,” she whispered, shaking her head so her cornrows bounced around her face. Mum, she always used that word, even though she didn’t have a real Mum.

I put a finger to my lips and sneaked into the next room. There was a backdoor, an exit. I was not gonna get caught by the police this time, not when they could nail me for breaking and entering. Before, they’d only caught me because my so called foster Mum had reported me missing.

Just as I was about to signal Eric and Denisha, my pocket vibrated - the ringtone blared between the walls.

If looks could kill, Erics eyes would’ve left med dead on the ground right there.

“Come on!” I ran.

An officer shouted something and pounding footsteps echoed through the house.

The door didn’t budge when I yanked the handle, so I kicked it open.

“Stop!” yelled the officer as Denisha and Eric rushed through the door.

Yeah, right.

I chuckled and ran out, stumbling through the dark garden. I was gonna get away this time.

Or so I thought.

The next second, something hit my back, and an electric shock jolted me, throwing me off balance. My head hit the cold wet grass, leaves stuck to my cheek, my fingers twitched. The last thing I saw was Eric forcing Denisha away, away from me.

And then I was alone.