Blade and I are walking to the school. Blade took us there on his dirt bike but we parked it far away to avoid being seen. We’re both dressed head to toe in black. Blade out of style, me out of strategy. And a bit out of style black is a superior colour. 

“Let me ask you something”. Blade says. “Don’t you ever feel different from the other girls at Redwood”. 

I stutter surprised at the question “Um i don’t know. I kind of figured out how to close the gap that I have with some of those girls. Like money wise. I knew to associate myself with people that didn’t see the world like that. But With my family. I just kept myself away from all the fathers day and mother's day breakfasts. I used to rip up the chaperone notes. And  found ways around the projects about our families. Once a parent asked Bets why she looked so young and afterwards she looked so repulsed and hurried her kid away. Like my grandmother was poison. When we were little we were making mothers day cards so I made one for Bets and this kid told me I shouldn't do that cause I don't have a mum.  It took a couple of years but I realised that people were always going to have problems with the difference. I guess over time I kind of just accepted I'd never belong like that”. 

I never told anyone those things. Not even Bets. There's something about Blade. I feel like I can tell him anything, and he wont judge me or give me his opinion like everyone else i know. He’ll just listen. 

“Did you feel like that”? I ask 

“Well sometimes kids would pick on me for not having a mum. But there are a lot of single parents out there. I think it’s just because I live with my whole family or something. But I do feel distant sometimes”. He turns to me. He seems different. Like he’s pulled down a mask and I get to see the other Blade, the one I've only seen for a few seconds. “But weirdly around you  I don't feel that distant. I feel very here. Like I can say whatever and it’s fine.  And you’d get it”.

I smile and move closer to him. “Me too”. 

He laughs. Then suddenly Blade is back “You know if i saw us i’d have to” 

“Beat us up cause we’re dorks. Yeah, yeah”. I laugh. 

We jump the same fence that Blade did earlier today. And run out of lights way . “So where are we going”.  Blade whispers. 

“The library”. I reply. “We can search for clues and snake charmers meet there. 

When we reach the Library door. Blade swears under his breath then says. “It’s locked”. 

I pull a hairpin out my head and kneel to the door lock. I’ve been picking locks ever since Bets and I got shut out of the house when I was 13. Bets used to come home with various locks for me to try and pick. I get through this one no problem. I open the door just as Blade says “Well done agent, lets go ''.  

We search Mrs.Clinton's desk. We aren’t sure what we’re looking for exactly. But we get interrupted by voices. 

“She won’t be bothering us anymore”. I hear Maddie's voice say. 

“Are you sure” Sasha says 

“Yes, Now can I have my order”.Maddie asks 

I quickly press play on my phone camera to record this. It’ll be good for later. I hide behind the wall and Blade is behind me. His hands on my shoulder to pull me back at any minute. 

“You know Roxanne hardly passed me as the kid to just give up”. Said the girl who’s name I still don’t know. 

“Oh please”. Maddie shrugs “That girl is my bitch. She’ll do whatever I say”. 

Blades grip tightens on me. Like he knows i’ll do somthing stupid. 

“She works like two jobs, she’s clearly up for cash, I figured I would give her some charity”.  Maddie finishes 

White hot anger bubbles inside of me and I can feel it pouring off Blade too.

“You know what screw it, Go get her Tiger”. Blade says. 

“You Bitch I will mess you up right now. First here than in court”. 

I yell jumping out from my hiding spot. All the girls' faces go solid white.  Then Sashas turns red in anger. 

“You stupid girl you told us that you dealt with it” Sasha screams as Maria runs around trying to hide any crack. 

I roll my eyes “I have it all on video, I then sent that video to a friend who sent multiple emails of thiers. You darling Maddie. I’m going to let the snake charmers slide. But you. I’m going to say you asked me to meet up with you tonight and I caught you doing crack. I’ll say there’s no one else here.  Since they can’t take the statement of someone who’s high  and the drug stays in your system for three days so you’d test positive even if you haven't done any today. They’ll believe me. Bitch I'm going to ruin you”. 

I barely have time to finish my sentence when Maddie's fist makes contact with my face. My eye throbs in pain. I don’t even have time to centre myself when she punches me again. Making my lip bleed. She’s about to strike again when like a shining night, Blade comes out of nowhere. He grabs her shoulders and shoves her back. Maria and Sasha restrain her. 

“Are you okay?” Blade says with genuine concern. Kneeling to the ground where I am. “Yeah” I say, “Hurts a bit but i’m fine”.  

“Yeah you’re tough” He says smiling. 

“Wait Blade Apollo”. Says the girl. 

Blade appears to have recognised the face swearing curses under his breath 

“Jessica,” Blade says bitterly. So that's her name. 

“How do you two know each other”? I ask confused 

“Jessica” Blade begins grimly “Is my ex-girlfriend”. 

Wow. “Your ex-girlfriend” I repeat trying not to laugh.  

“Yeah, Bladey and I were a thing until I went to Redwood”. Bladey? What kind of a nickname is that 

“Jessica i didn’t like it when you called me Bladey then and i find it just as repulsive now”. Blade says. We are so on the same wavelength here. 

“Bladey dumped me because he didn’t want to date a Redwood girl,” Jessica says, annoyed. “But here you are helping one out. Hypocrite”. 

Blade steps in front of me slightly. Like he’s trying to protect me. 

“That's none of your business. We’re just here to answer some questions about Rachel”. He says. 

“No” Sasha decides 

I shrug “Ok well i’m sure you won’t mind the video i took of this drug stuff going to the cops office. You were worried that you wouldn’t be given a fair trial. I can make sure you don’t. Fight me”.

 I added that last part because I was pissed off about Maddie  punching me and it still really hurts. 

I can tell Sasha wants to fight against this. But she knows that the only way to get out of this alive is to do as I say. “Fine”. She mumbles. 

“Ok first question. You said that the Snake charmers were involved in Rachel's case in ways Maddie couldn’t imagine. That’s pretty vague considering Maddie  has the creativity of a depressed Mule”. Blade starts laughing as do Sasha, Maria and Jessica. Maddie on the other hand does not share their sense of humour and lunges for me again. 

Blade pulls me back. “Hey you keep that Rabid coke-headed Bratz doll the hell away from us”. He comments. 

“Well anyway’s By that were you talking about when The snake charmers were dealing Rachel Ritilian or the fact that your gang was there the night she went missing”? 

“How did you know we were there”? Sasha asks 

“I swung and missed”. I explain. 

“Well both”. When someone we have ties to goes missing it’s always unnerving. Our biggest worry as a ring is that they overdose and leave connections to us. We pass down the secret to make sure to find and destroy any evidence that links back to us”. 

“We’re sorry if that wasn’t the big climax you were hoping for but it’s the truth”. Says a voice. We all turn to see a girl. She looks about thirty or so. With dark blue hair with silver streaks. Her eyes were brown and her skin quite fair. “Who are you?” I ask timidly. “I’m Tasmin. I’m part of the cleaning crew but I also get paid a substantial amount to sneak drugs into the school”. 

This Tasmin chick had quite a lot of cake on her  face for a working cleaner. But maybe that was just her.  

“Why would you tell her that?” Maria yells. 

Tassmin shrugs “Come on we’re going down anyways”. 

“Yeah, but some of us aren’t going down that far”. Maria hisses. 

Tasim acknowledges what Maria was saying and shuts up.  I wonder what she meant though? 

I finish typing some stuff into my phone before speaking. “Ok, my next question. That night Rachel went missing. Were there any snake charmers there  that looked somewhat like Rachel in a school uniform”. 

Sasha's face scrunched up. “No. Snake charmers and their customers never meet  up in uniform. We have to wear something, black, something, blue, something colourful and something white”. 

I look around. This checks out. All the girls here. Except Tasmin who is wearing a cleaners uniform. Have all of those things on their outfit.

“So whoever that was wasn’t a snake charmer or Rachel”. Blade says, running a hand down his face. 

“But they were A Redwood girl”. I respond 

 Jessica's face twists into a snobby expression. “Now will you please delete that video and never speak about us again”. 

I press some buttons and show her the video is truly gone from my phone. 

Maddie still looks like she’d want to murder me. Which only makes me wonder. Who else at Redwood would kill to protect themselves? Whoelse needed to?