Two Faced

The Devil Smiles Too

The three of them climbed the school gate, their legs shaky but alive with the need to escape. The air outside was colder than it had been inside, but none of them spoke.

Zoey quietly walked away from them,

“No, we’re gonna walk you home.” Reign spoke with shallow tone.

They walked Zoey home in silence. The distant sound of barking dogs and the occasional car passing by were the only things breaking the stillness.

When they reached Zoey’s house, she turned to the boys, her eyes determined despite the fear still lingering in their expressions.

“Be careful,” she said softly, her gaze lingering on Reign. Then, without another word, she disappeared behind the gate, leaving them standing in the street.

Reign wiped his face with his hand, trying to clear the exhaustion. He sigh, hopelessly said, “I’m tired.”

They both started walking again, Danrae noticed a small convenience store that was still lit up, Felicidad, a beacon in the night.

He told Reign to stop by in a subtle manner.

Reign, who had been unusually quiet, grabbed a can of soda from the fridge while Danrae picked up a snack.

“You and Zoey,” Danrae began, breaking the silence. Reign glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “There’s history there, isn’t there?”

Reign hesitated, then leaned against the counter, opening his soda. “Not really, I guess were just old acquaintance.” He said, his voice quieter than usual.

“Oh really, I thought there was something else. The way you looked at her, you might get misunderstood.” Danrae jokingly said.

Reign trailed off, staring at the bubbles rising to surface of his drink.

Misunderstood, huh.

“You, do you have a girlfriend or something like that?” Reign asked.

Danrae nodded, chewing thoughtfully on his snack.

“Yeah, she was pretty, not a girlfriend but more like a best friend in premium.” He laughed, but then smiled, his smile was genuine and pure.

His face lit up talking about this girl, a small, shy smile playing on his lips as he boastfully said the things they did like there was no tomorrow.

“Okay you can stop now. I'm getting jealous.” Reign said sarcastically.

Then, his smile faltered, the excitement draining from his eyes, leaving only a quiet sadness. A tear slid down his cheek as he looked down, his fingers trembling. A shallow smile flickered for a moment before fading, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

“It was Jhane.”

Reign froze, his eyes widened as the words Danrae said started to sink in. His mouth opened, then closed, struggling to find the right thing to say.

He reached out, “I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

Danrae wiped his tears, and then smile.

“It’s okay, that’s the reason why I’m so invested in this investigation. The truth is; I have a disorder, I have Dyslexia. Growing up I always had hard time with my pronunciation and reading difficult words. That’s also the reason why kids my age always bullied and avoided me, except Jhane. She was my special someone since I was just a kid, and it won’t change. I promised her that.”

Reign religiously listened.

“I’m not good with words but I can tell you this; we’re gonna catch who did this, it’s the only way I know that I can help.”

Before Danrae could respond, a familiar voice caught their attention.

Outside, their classmate, Guiller, a hardworking student, was standing by the store’s entrance, talking to someone.

Reign and Danrae exchanged a look, then moved closer to the glass door to get a better look.

It was Malachi.

The charming transfer student was leaning casually against the wall, his smile as disarming as ever.

He said something that made Guiller laugh nervously, but there was an edge to the interaction that neither Reign nor Danrae could ignore.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Danrae whispered, trying not to be obvious.

“Whatever it is, Guiller doesn’t look thrilled about it,” Reign replied, his voice low.

Guiller scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

Malachi’s smile remained, but there was something unnerving about the way he stood—too relaxed, too poised, as though he had already won an argument no one else could hear.

Reign couldn’t help but feel that same feeling of unease he’d felt since Malachi had joined their class. “We should leave,” he muttered, setting his drink on the counter without finishing it.

Danrae confused, “Why?” but still followed.

As they stepped outside, Malachi turned his head slightly, catching them by the corner of his eye.

His confident smile started to fade, eyes widened in disbelief. He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw.

Reign quickly broke eye contact and walked in the opposite direction, Danrae trailing behind him.

“What was that?” Danrae hissed as soon as they were out of earshot.

“I don’t know,” Reign said, his voice clipped. “But I still don’t trust him. Just think, all of this started when he transferred, the day he first attended our class the day we saw Jhane.”

Danrae frowned, glancing over his shoulder. Malachi and Guiller were gone, the store’s neon sign flickering above the now-empty street. “You think he’s involved? With… all of this?”

“I don’t know,” Reign admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “But something about him isn’t right. And did you see Guiller? He looked terrified.”

“Maybe we should’ve stayed to see what happened,” Danrae suggested.

Reign shook his head. “No. If Malachi noticed us, we wouldn’t have gotten anything useful. He’s... sharp. Too sharp."

After that conversation, the two went their separate ways.

“Malachi huh.” Danrae said to himself while walking alone.

But you said he was a good guy, right, Jhane? Who should I listen to?

Your words are useless now that your'e not here.

Oh Jhane, I miss you, The first person I had is also the first person I lost, how ironic.

I love you, wherever you are right now.

Tomorrow’s gonna be the last time I’ll see you, please rest in peace and leave this to me.

Goodbye, Mi Amor.

“The sky’s extra starry tonight, I hope tomorrow too.”