Fading Shadows

CHAPTER THREE

The Idea

Grace and Maddie walked home from their late afternoon MTH 101 class, tired, worn out, and—as always—hungry.

The day had been long, filled with equations, trigonometric identities, and an overwhelming amount of problems that neither of them had the energy to solve anymore. Even the usually chatty Maddie had been quiet during their last lecture, her head resting on the desk as she doodled on the corner of her notebook.

As they trudged along the familiar path back to their hostel, their stomachs ached in protest. The thought of food was enough to keep them moving, but there was a problem.

Their food was gone.

Since their unexpected cash-out at the party on Third Street, they hadn't lacked food. They had been careful, rationing each meal, making sure they didn’t finish everything too quickly. But no matter how much they tried to stretch what they had, the inevitable had happened.

Now, they were back to square one—broke and unsure of when their next proper meal would come.

The only thing left in their hostel was a single bowl of garri.

And neither of them was particularly excited about soaking it.

They dragged their feet, side by side, chatting about everything and nothing in particular.

The street was lively as usual. Students sat outside their hostels, laughing and discussing, some playing card games, others gossiping about the latest campus drama.

Grace barely paid attention, her thoughts occupied with how to get money for food.

Then, out of nowhere, Maddie gasped loudly, stopping in her tracks.

Grace, already used to her best friend’s dramatic outbursts, didn’t even flinch. She simply sighed, not bothering to stop walking.

"What now?" she asked in a bored tone. "Did you come up with another one of your genius ideas?"

Maddie rushed to her side, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "You don't have to sound so sarcastic, you haven't even heard it yet."

Grace shot her a knowing look. "I don't need to hear it to know it's going to be another stupid, unrealistic idea, Maddie."

Maddie placed a hand over her chest, feigning offense. "Wow. The disrespect. You wound me, Grace. You wound me."

"Maddie, be serious. What is it?"

"No, because this one is actually good. Trust me."

Grace raised a skeptical brow. "Maddie, I already know it’s not going to make sense."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Graceee, now you're just being mean. Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we could both be errand girls."

She said it with so much excitement that it took Grace a second to process.

"Huh?" Grace blinked. "What do you mean errand girls?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Maddie grinned. "We’ll run errands for people who are too busy or too lazy to do their own stuff. We get paid per task. Simple."

For once, Grace didn’t immediately dismiss the idea.

She tilted her head, considering it.

It was definitely Maddie’s best idea yet.

"You know," Grace said, rubbing her chin. "This actually doesn’t sound too bad. Tell me more."

Maddie beamed, practically bouncing on her feet as she started explaining.

They walked slower, discussing the logistics of their new plan. How much they would charge, who their potential customers could be, and ways to market themselves.

It was the first idea in a while that didn’t feel like a complete waste of time.

But just as they were getting excited, Grace noticed something.

A few people were staring at her.

At first, she thought it was just a coincidence, but as they moved through the street, more and more students nodded in her direction, some even smiling and greeting her by name.

It had been almost a month since the infamous party on Third Street, but the effects were still lingering.

Everywhere she went, people recognized her.

The girl who had danced like she owned the night.

The girl who had cashed out in the middle of the party.

A few guys called out her name, others threw in random nicknames. Every day, it seemed like there was a new one.

"Party Queen!" someone yelled.

"Dance Goddess!" another added.

She wasn’t sure what to make of the attention, but she decided not to overthink it.

She went with the flow.

She was polite to everyone who acknowledged her, offering small smiles and quick responses before moving along.

It wouldn’t last forever.

Soon, people would forget.

And when that time came, she would be just Grace again.

She was fine with that.

---

The Stranger

By the time they neared their hostel, the excitement from earlier had faded.

They had spent the last hour coming up with the perfect errand girl strategy, but now, reality was setting in.

They were hungry.

They had no money.

And the only thing waiting for them in their room was a sad, lonely bowl of garri.

They slowed their steps, neither of them in a rush to get back.

But then, something unexpected happened.

As they rounded the corner, Grace’s stomach dropped.

A tall figure stood outside their room, his arms crossed over his chest.

The dim glow from the hostel’s security light barely illuminated his face, but even from a distance, Grace could tell he wasn’t someone to mess with.

Maddie grabbed her arm. "Who is that?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Grace’s eyes narrowed. "Do I know?"

"He looks really scary. Should we turn back?" Maddie asked, gripping Grace tighter.

Before they could make a move, the figure spoke.

"There’ll be no need for that, ladies."

His voice was deep, smooth, and unsettlingly calm.

Maddie’s grip on Grace’s arm tightened.

Grace took a cautious step forward. She wasn’t the type to back down easily.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

The man let out a low chuckle, his face still partially hidden in the shadows.

"I'm your dream come true."

Maddie gasped. "Grace, we’re going to die."

Grace shot her an unimpressed look before turning back to the stranger.

"You want to try that again?" she asked, her tone sharper now.

The man finally stepped into the light, revealing his face.

He was young—early twenties, at most. His skin was smooth, his features sharp and well-defined. His black T-shirt fit snugly against his broad frame, and the way he carried himself screamed confidence.

There was something familiar about him, but Grace couldn’t place it.

"Relax," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I’m not here to hurt you."

"Then why are you standing outside our door like some horror movie villain?" Maddie shot back.

The man smirked. "I came with an opportunity."

Grace folded her arms. "What kind of opportunity?"

"One that involves money."

That caught their attention.

Maddie perked up instantly. "Keep talking."

The man chuckled. "How about we discuss this inside?"

Grace exchanged a look with Maddie.

It was risky.

Letting a stranger into their room was not part of their usual decision-making process.

But they were broke.

And right now, broke people didn’t have the luxury of being overly cautious.

Grace sighed.

"Fine."

She stepped past him, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

"But if you try anything funny," she warned, "I have no problem kicking you in places you won’t recover from."

The man laughed as he followed them inside.

"Noted."

As the door closed behind them, Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever happened next would change everything.