***
James pulled the beautiful black splinter of glass from the pile. From beneath it a second shard slid forward, released by the weight transfer. The piece sliced into his leg, leaving a small but deep cut. James held onto the black piece, although he wanted to drop it. With the menacing buzz of electricity not far away, Mal was still watching his every movement. James looked at the piece, thinking back to the car incident and what had happened the next day: how he’d been badly cut at school.