Page 8

Maggie Grey

Friday night lights. Best way to describe the feeling at Drew Collins right now. The Grounds were lit with lights and everyone was just busy trying to either rush towards the hall to grab a bite or head home for the weekend. This was my last time trying to call Bellamy before giving up, but the phone just went to voicemail once again.

“Every freaking time,” I muttered as I made my way through the old stadium. It was no longer off limits to students, and any trace of what happened to those girls were long gone. Once again, the bleachers and stands were free for students to sit and chill just to escape the school.

I adjusted my backpack on my back but paused when I saw Namir running his mouth. Shirtless, of course. He looked like he’d just finished working out but there was a girl standing before him all smiles with her track uniform on. Nothing but tight shorts and a matching maroon sports bra. Her body was covered in faded spots like faint birthmarks, and she laughed a little too loud for me. Her short pixie cut was cute and I’ll admit, she was a pretty girl, whatever the hell she was. Maybe some sort of dalmatian so they had some sort of common ground. I decided to post up behind the gate and just watch and listen.

“Yeah, I need to start stretching,” she said with her leg propped up on the metal bench, exposing her brown thigh. “You see this right here is where I pulled a muscle…”

As soon as I saw Namir lick his lips, his eyes darted nervously towards me before he awkwardly stepped back.

“Yeah, you gotta get right if you’re gonna bring home some wins…Society Hill is cool but these other schools? They’re outta here…”

“Oh, I know.” She laughed. “I’m probably gonna need extra practice, me and a few of the girls…If you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, I’ll see what Coach Moore is tryna do,” he said. The look in her eyes was obvious. She wanted extra HIM. Namir tilted his head up towards me.

“You ready?” The humor in his eyes was not lost on me.

“Are you ?” I asked, walking into the stadium. The girl without another word turned and grabbed her stuff.

“Hopefully, I’ll see you at the next practice, Namir,” she said. She walked right past me without so much as a word or glance at me. No respect, and she definitely didn’t see me as a threat. Luckily, neither did I when I saw her talking to him. Namir nervously scratched at his ear while grabbing the stray football to toss in the large bin.

“You’re shirtless, sweating, and you’re attractive. I get it,” I said with a shrug before calmly adding, “let me find out though…”

Namir started laughing until he realized I didn’t even crack a smile. Last thing I’d ever let happen was me crying over a man that didn’t think twice about hurting me and my feelings. Courtesy of my dad and the game he’d been giving me since my first crush. Eric Hanes, second grade. Blonde hair with blue eyes. Broke up with me by giving another girl his pencil, and I was devastated. The asshole . Never again. That and my dad always told me to never bring a white boy home so…there’s that.

“You ready?” He asked as he took my bag off my shoulder to place on his. I smelled the fresh scent of the shower gel he used as he pulled a crisp white t-shirt over his body. Probably took a shower in one of the locker rooms nearby and changed because damn it, he smelled good.

“Where are we staying tonight?” I asked as we walked together on The Grounds.

“I got that all taken care of… You said you wanted to learn the doors so I’m gonna teach you. ”

We ended up walking off The Grounds toward the parking lot before going past his truck as he studied his phone. I hadn’t said much since it seemed like he was concentrating. As we passed nosey teachers and professors watching us walk, I flipped my black hood over my head, and kept my head down until we made it to his truck.

“Alright,” He said before showing me his phone. It looked like a message board or discord chat full of profiles just randomly talking to one another. “This is one of the apps you can download to find a door.”

“Okaaay,” I said, still confused by all of it. They had apps now to go through secret doors? Why did it all still feel so secretive?

“But once you get the hang of it, you can kinda create your own.”

“These people are like hackers?” I asked.

“Something like that.” He moved his duffle bag aside that was already packed and waiting in the back seat. Tossing my bag next to it, he opened the passenger door for me to get in. “You’re fucking with time and different realities if you mess up but lately, the doors have been monitored both above and below. A lot of 'em have been dead doors.”

I waited for him to get in on his side before asking, “Because of the girls missing? ”

“Yep. So we’re going off the grid…far, far away from the school. Less eyes…Cut your phone off. You’re not gonna need it.”

Felt like famous last words before my untimely demise. I looked at the screen, seeing notifications from the dead group chat before rolling my eyes. Yeah, whatever. I shut it off and placed it in the cup holder in the center. He wasn’t kidding when he said off the grid. I had no idea where we were driving to but it felt like a good hour ride of my stomach growling on a never ending back road. The school had long disappeared into the night. It was just his bright headlights leading the way until he came to a slow stop, pulling his truck on the side of the road before rolling carefully on the grass. There was absolutely nothing out here for miles in either direction. Not a single star in the sky, let alone a moon or cloud. Blindly, I got out as the cool air, having a snap of cold to it, hit my skin like a bad aftertaste.

“Come on,” he said, marching forward through the thick grass.

“Where are we?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets as he came to a stop. Right at our feet was a small wooden door with a latch, he picked it up and opened it, showing nothing but dirt and darkness.

“No.” I laughed. “If I didn’t know you, I would think you were trying to kill me and use my body for skin coats––– ”

“Nobody is trying to kill you,” he fussed with a shove towards the steps. It looked like a straight drop as I looked back at Namir. “Maggie…I’m right behind you.”

I took one step down before taking another step until I reached flat ground and Namir had closed the latch behind me, causing it to be pitch black. I heard him growl so low, I was expecting somebody to come out at any given moment.

“Is the growling in the dark necessary?” I snapped.

“Somebody was just here,” he muttered. Namir cut his flashlight on and showed a small wooden door that had all types of scratch marks on it. It looked like someone was trying to claw their way out of here but instead, Namir kept the light on the door.

“First thing,” he said. “You need to relax…Your mood can affect where you end up. You need to be confident when you travel through time, space, and energy, aight?”

I nodded.

“When you want to go somewhere…you find a door that’s ready or make a door specifically for traveling. This door is made specifically for traveling. It’s always gonna be ready. You knock three times to let the universe or realm know of your arrival. Wait for it to change co lors or wait until you see the light beneath it to show a sign of life… So go ahead and knock on it.”

I took a deep swallow before stretching my fist out to knock on the loose door three times.

“Be cool, baby,” he muttered, watching the door carefully.

“Where does it lead to?” I asked, seeing the light wave past our feet beneath the door frame.

“Open it and let’s go,” was all Namir said with a smirk.

I pulled the door back as I stepped out first, always feeling the need to close my eyes before hearing Namir telling me to step out. I opened my eyes to see we came out of a door that led outside of what looked like…a park? It was still dark out with hardly anyone outside, but the cold air definitely had a scent to it that smelled like a major city. The row of trees and large field of grass stretched all the way back. There were a few lit buildings in the distance but nothing obvious that gave it away.

“What is this…D…” I began to turn around. “C…”

My eyes shot straight up, bypassing Namir’s sneaky grin as I looked up. We were standing just outside of the Eiffel Tower. I clamped my mouth shut to keep from screaming before backing up to get a full view of the iron structure. We were right beneath the arch, and we just came out of the small building labeled caisse, ticket office. There were gates where lines were formed and even a fence where people weren’t allowed to cross to get close. It had to be well after midnight. Early hours of the morning, and the city was still well lit.

“This is real?” I asked, looking at Namir.

He nodded.

“We’re in Paris,” he said. “I can’t get you up there but that lock on that door is always loose.” He pointed to where we’d just came from, “we got lucky, considering this is usually blocked off… We don’t have to stay long but I know women think this place is romantic so…yeah…Just wanted you to see it.”

I felt like a kid when I nearly jumped in place before running over to wrap my arms around his neck. I didn’t even realize he only carried the duffle bag until it dropped on the ground at our feet.

“This is incredible!” I said in awe, looking up. “We’re literally underneath it! We’re underneath the Eiffel Tower! Have you seen anything more beautiful?!”

Namir simply stared down at me.

“I have,” he said, eyes never wavering until I met his gaze. He pulled my hoodie back, exposing my white hair and leaned down to kiss me. Just a single kiss on the lips. Nothing overly sensual or sexy. I could tell he didn’t want to overdo it for fear of shifting, which meant it was a high chance of it happening. He was being careful.

“You want to walk around for–––”

I barely heard him finish when I took off towards the grassy center of the park, constantly looking back to make sure it was still there. With my hands in the air, I laughed and spun around while Namir grabbed the bag and took his time walking. Only stopping when he picked his head up to smell the air, following a particular scent trail.

“ What’s fifty grand to a mothafucka like me, can you please remind meeeee ?!” I shouted, quoting the Jay Z and Kanye West song. “ Ball so hard! This shit weird !”

I spun around as my hair pulled itself out of the loose ponytail like white curly waves. I stopped in mid laughter as I flipped the strands back from my face, getting a peek at Namir. I watched him slip something in his duffle bag before coming to sit down on the grass with his knees propped up against his arms. Making himself comfortable, he stared up at me with content.

“You know we’re in Paris?” I laughed. “Paris!”

“I know,” he said calmly. I began dancing again, letting my arms wildly move about until I stretched out towards the Eiffel Tower like I wanted to hold it. Turning around, I watched his eyes follow my every move as I ran up to him, gripping his knees and began to obnoxiously rap the lyrics again.

“ What’s fifty grand to a mothafucka like me can you please remind meeeee ?! Huh, Namir!? What is it?! Because I’m where ?! In Paris, bitch …and without a passport!”

“Maggie?”

“Hmmm?” I bopped with my body, moving from side to side, still gripping his knees in a playful manner. I wonder if he can dance ?

“Maggie?”

“What?”

Without giving him a chance, I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, taking full control this time. Maybe I was feeling a little bold when I pulled back with a lick of my lips only to place another light kiss on his mouth.

“Thank you for not putting me in the middle of the ocean this time,” I said. He smirked, lips stretching into a grin against mine. Namir suddenly turned around to watch a few people walking, almost clumsily staggering underneath the row of lamp posts in the distance. They were most likely drunk.

“You ready?”

“I am,” I said, feeling giddy. “This was absolutely perfect…”

“Yeah?” Namir said distractedly while looking at his phone. He suddenly looked up as the sound of a police siren went off in the distance. Even that sounded so vastly different from back home.

“Are there any…mythical beings here in France?” I asked as Namir continued to smell the air. His nose twitched and his chest pumped up with each inhale as he closed his eyes.

“Yeah but they’re not as open as we are…”

“But y'all aren’t,” I said before thinking. “Y'all really just separated yourselves from the rest of the society.”

“Exactly,” he retorted before grabbing my arm. “They haven’t done that here yet. London has a huge Underground. Not as big as ours but they have one. You said you wanna learn how to move through the doors, another one just opened up.”

“How do you know that?!” I shouted, trying to run alongside him as we cut through the grassy media that trailed the Eiffel Tower.

“Sometimes, you can hear it! Look for any door.”

“Hear what?!”

Namir laughed, finding humor in the fact that I didn’t know what the hell was happening. I just knew the pace of this night suddenly picked up when we came up on a hidden door on the side of one of historic buildings with a cute coffee shop on the corner. It boasted a view of the La Tour Eiffel and aside from the piles of trash on the street, the heavy scent of cigarette smoke laid thick in the night air .

“You see it?” Namir said, pointing to the side door. There was a small light gliding across. “Hurry and knock on it.”

“But how do you know where it leads to?”

“Think of it like roads…constantly changing direction. I don’t know where this leads to but if we don’t take it, we’ll have to wait for another to open up. It’s all based on time and who is on the other side moving…Now, go. Hurry up.”

I ran up to the door, almost tripping over the curb as I knocked three times before pushing my way through. Namir came up right behind me with his hand on my back and gently shoved me forward into the dirt alleyway as the sound of music, people yelling out, and the smell of everything from spices to meat surrounded us.

“Come on,” Namir said. “We gotta be quick.”

I took his outstretched hand and followed him through the rows of vendors and booths, passing up some of the richest skin and features you’d ever see. I knew we were somewhere in Africa, I just didn’t know what country but seeing men gather around a small table eating rice, women passing by with baskets carrying fruit on top of their heads, and children running wild with a soccer ball, just did something for me.

“Where are we?” I asked, following him close. He turned the corner, passing up more stalls where we saw men making sandals and women weaving baskets. I heard a radio going on about a particular game while seeing a basket full of water wrapped in plastic bags for sale.

“Ghana,” Namir said as he stepped inside the covered market. “Those are where the artisans stay and make their stuff before coming here to sell it.” He pointed to the booths.

“My brotha!? My brotha! Come!” one called out, coaxing Namir to see his shop.

“What are you looking for in particular?” I asked, following behind him as we delved deeper into the market.

“I’m looking for another door but…”

He turned off but I stopped at the row of beads hanging down like drapes. The woman smiled as she waved for me to come.

“Come, Mama Moon,” she said as she walked around the corner. “I know who you are…I’ll give you something special.”

I stepped up to the market, almost feeling like I was back at The Underground but this…this was the real deal. This was the blueprint. This woman measured my stomach before taking a row of all white waist beads against my skin.

“Only show for him,” she said with a nudge towards Namir. I didn’t have to look back to know she was talking about him or to know he was standing right behind me. I just watched as she grabbed another set of white beads with tiny crystals in between to decorate my stomach. She looked around, sharp eyes searching her surroundings before bringing me closer into her stall.

“We are not allowed to do magic here,” she whispered. She took a snap of her fingers, producing the tiniest flick of flame appeared between the tips of her fingers to burn the rope, bounding the waist beads to my body. “These only come off when you…”

She playfully grazed her hand over her belly to signify pregnancy. I shook my head as she nodded.

“Yes… You will change the world. You will give birth to a new world,” she said with a gentle touch of my chin. “No money. I don’t need it. You are a blessing just being here…”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, taking the bait.

Before she could answer, we heard shouting and screaming as everyone poked their heads out of their booths to see police dressed like the military, dragging a bald man out by his feet. He was clawing at the ground, pleading in a different language before his body began to shift. His face stretched out and his body curved as he went from two to four legs. The dark spotted fur looked like pin needles as his teeth stretched all the way to the back, snarling and growling before erratically laughing until another uniformed man stuck something sharp in its neck, knocking the hyena out cold.

“Mama Moon…” the woman let out in a hushed whisper as she began to close everything up in a panic. “You need to go.”

I stepped backwards, down from her stall as I looked for Namir, seeing he was running towards me with another hidden item he stuffed in his bag. He had a small, plastic bubble shaped pack of water in his hand when he bit the corner and began to drink.

“She’s saying we have to go,” I told him. “We need to–––”

“Find another door,” he finished. “Go back to where we came from…”

I led the way, hoping to not get lost in the market until I saw a man pointing for us to go straight back. Back into the small shacks where things were being made and ready to sell. It felt so invasive, moving through their space while passing up men playing some sort of game with small wooden balls landing in holes. There were men making bags, as I heard the sawing and the slapping of leather.

Another place looked to be a kitchen for people to grab something to eat while others were seen sleeping comfortably in the darkest part of their shanty holds. It was nothing but rows of tin roofs and curtains draping down while others had doors and windows carved out. We weren’t able to find a working door but I didn’t care because just behind the market was the beach. Beautiful rushing waves came up along the coast where the sun left for the western part of the world.

“This is absolutely beautiful,” I said in awe before a couple of kids came running by with a soccer ball, dirt covering most of their feet and sandals as Namir quickly jumped in the game.

“Namir?!” I laughed, watching the kids chase after him down the shore. I watched him kick the ball up with the back of his foot before balancing it on his shoe. Damn, was he able to play soccer too? His arm waved in the air for me to follow, so I slowly made my way down, shoes holding up nicely against the sand as Namir continued to tease and taunt the boys by keeping the soccer ball. He suddenly picked up his foot one last time and tossed it with a bounce on his heel as they rushed to catch it with their bodies.

“They told me where another door is,” he said as he grabbed my arm. “We gotta move quick. I forgot they don’t allow magic here.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Just how it is,” he said as he jogged. “You see it? Right there? ”

He pointed towards a small booth that was covered like someone usually sets up out there to sell their wares but when Namir pulled back the curtain, we saw a man sleeping on a stool. His eyes burst open, gasping into his scream before Namir stepped inside. I kept close, practically glued to his back until everything went pitch black. Only for just a second before I heard a loud chanting sound. Namir flipped the hanging blanket back as we stepped into another busy market only this time, it was quiet. People were moving around and squeezing through the narrow paths, but the prayer chanting throughout the air was all you could hear.

“Come on,” Namir said, taking my arm before sliding down to grab my hand.

I followed him through the tight spaces, passing stalls filled with beautiful rugs stacked so high, there was no way humanly possible to grab it without a ladder. Some spots actually had doors where you heard laughter and smelled the spices and meat whiffling through the air. The shouting in Arabic, the music, and covered women with their eyes darting towards us, I wondered if we were in the Middle East. That was until I heard the same thing we heard back in Ghana.

“My brotha! My African brotha, come! I see what you are! ”

Namir ignored him as his nose went in the air before turning the corner. I followed like a child lost in wonderland, looking all around in awe while being dragged by the hand. Eventually I stopped on my own to take a peek inside an herb and spice shop. The man immediately hopped up with his hands shoved in his jeans as he stepped around me, allowing me to look at the tall shelves of herbs. He was short with a head full of dark curls. I saw one of the t-shirts hanging up on display against the back wall with Welcome to Morocco on the front, just above their national flag.

“Anything you want for tea, we have it,” he said with a flat tone and a bobble of his head. “Whatever you want, we have it.”

“No thank you,” I said, trying to step back out but the man became persistent.

“No, come…Tell me what you want. I see your eyes, look, you want something. Just tell me–––”

“I’m good.” I waved my hand before looking around. I started off down the narrow path again, passing up vendors sitting on the ground showing off the jewelry to another selling traditional clothes for men on one side and women on the other. It was night time but the markets were alive and busy with people from everywhere. There was even a man in the back corner of another alley way of buildings selling a stack of books on top of a random chair.

“You ready? ”

I turned back to see Namir slipping something else in his bag, always just catching a hint of whatever was in his hand before he zipped up the duffle bag.

“For another door, right?” I asked.

“Nah…not yet. I wanna grab something to eat.”

I smiled at the same time my stomach twisted itself into knots in response. I followed Namir, keeping close behind him until my hand slipped around his thick arm with a loose grip. We were careful not to bump into anyone as we pressed forward on our way out, and others were going deeper into the market, ready to get lost. The night air began to fill with music. While hearing clapping and the smell of smoke, we came up to the opening of the markets.

We didn’t truly realize how massive this place was until we were standing in the middle of the night square. Namir stood in line for some sort of meat skewers while I watched a woman dancing, moving her hips to the drums as she raised her hands in the air. Her face was covered with a scarf and the only bit of skin showing were her feet and a slither of her stomach. Everything else was draped in black in loose fabric as her hips bounced from side to side. Some of the local men walked by with judgement passing down on her while the tourists with pale faces, blonde hair, and backpacks, stood around as they pulled out their money .

She was doing it for them.

I found myself moving my hips, trying to recreate the thirteen-year-old middle school girl that stood in her bathroom mirror, trying to roll her belly button to Goodies by Ciara. It wasn’t until I felt Namir come up behind me with two skewers held out as he pressed his hips against me.

“Nah, keep going.” He laughed.

I looked back at him with a laugh as he wrapped his arm around my neck as I took the meat stick to try for myself. It’s one of those surreal moments where you take in everything. The woman belly dancing to the snake charmer, to the horses waiting to carry tourists, and cafes and deli spots lined up just outside of what I now learned to be the souks. A maze of over hundreds, maybe even a thousand sellers and stalls that you could get lost in for hours and Namir just…I don’t know. This was overwhelming in the best way possible. I turned around within his hold to face him, ready to tease him as usual when I saw something catch my eye. I picked myself up on my toes to look over his shoulder and see one of the cafe doors had a bright light all around it.

“Another door!” I blurted out. Namir turned around. He snatched the last chicken off the stick before taking my hand. “Namir?!” I laughed, almost dropping my food. Whatever was left, I managed to toss it in the trash as we rushed on the other side of the busy market square. We bypassed vendors with their kiosks and the random snake charmer and afrobeats playing over the Arabic and French chatter. Namir stepped off to throw away his spare napkins while I went and knocked on the door three times. I was getting used to moving from place to place. Waiting until I felt him come up behind me, I quickly opened the door and stepped inside.