“What?!” Sunny screeched.

“I understand,” he said, ignoring her. “I haven’t been the best brother. Should have protected you more from all the bullshit.”

“Chukwu . . . it’s not . . .”

“Listen, Sunny, okay? Don’t get close to these Red Shark guys. Work whatever it is you want to work from far away. The Red Sharks will kill you. They’ve killed before. You saw what they did to me, and that was just to become part of them! And don’t expect me to go back to see if whatever you’ve done worked. Put it behind you.”

“Just . . . sit tight,” Sunny said.

“I plan to. And why’d you have to tell Chichi?! You want her to think I’m some sort of weakling? Look, call me in a few days, all right? By then I’ll know more about my plans.”

When he hung up, Sunny looked for Chichi and realized she was no longer in the hut. She went out the back door and found Chichi sitting on a mat reading outside. “I think I know what we should do.” She laughed. “If we do it right, the worst punishment we’ll get is a warning.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“We’ll set Murks on them,” Chichi said. “Sasha and I have had to read up on these as second levelers. Anatov didn’t spend much time on them, but it doesn’t take much for Sasha and me.” She grinned. Chichi’s and Sasha’s photographic memories were exactly what got them into so much trouble.

“What are Murks? Are they dangerous?”

“Of course they are. What do you think we need for these guys? Fluffy pink talking bunnies? Murks look like tiny bats and dwell in pools of darkness—under a fallen tree in a lake, beneath houses, under beds, whatever. They are physical world–dwelling spirits so they can’t be crushed and suffocated. Normally if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone, but what makes Leopard People interested in Murks is that they can be weaponized.”

“What, you pack them in a gun or something?”

Chichi giggled. “No, no. You get them in the right mood, and they will do whatever mischief you ask them to do, especially when it comes to harming others. Murks have ‘murky souls,’ that’s how they got their name. Give me a day or so to read up a bit more on them. Just follow my lead. I know exactly what to do.”

12

MURKED

Sunny and Chichi lay on their bellies peeking through a bush beside a palm tree. They wore black pants and black sweatshirts with hoods they’d bought from Leopard Knocks.

It had taken one day to find them. Chichi had merely used Adebayo’s full name in a dowsing charm she’d read about in a German book of juju. It took fifteen minutes for the funky train to get them to campus one night later, when the Red Sharks were set to meet and discuss what to do about Chukwu. Then Sunny and Chichi simply followed them into the bush. Once in, it had been easy enough to creep up on them, for they were singing and clapping. Sunny couldn’t understand the words to the song, but Chichi could.