Chapter One: The Shadows

The morning sun shone through the blinds and a ray of light beamed on Alex’s sleeping figure. She groaned and stirred, half awake yet more asleep than anything else. She was dreading the moment when she would have to arise from her soft bed and get ready for the strenuous day ahead of her. Ryan then appeared in her doorway.

“You better get up before mom sends Sunny to see if you’re ready,” he said in his sweet gentle voice.

He knew I hated school, but he also knew I disliked it when Sunny came in and started to yell at me that I was useless, too slow, and a let down. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it hurt my heart more than when other people said it.

I forced myself to open my eyes, rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling. Ryan still looked at me, worry gleaming in his eyes.

“Are you okay, Lex?” he spoke, his words caring, soft and filled with love. ‘Lex’ was the nickname Ryan had given me when he was a toddler. For some reason, it had stuck and he had called my Lex ever since.

Noticing he was still there and that I hadn’t answered his question, I said, “Yeah, I’m fine Ryan.”

It was a lie, he and I both knew that.

I guess I just held on to the hope that, if I said everything was fine, that they would go away and that somehow people would like me, that somehow I wouldn’t hate myself, that somehow everything would be alright. He stared at me his round dark blue eyes seeming to peering into my inner thoughts. Instead of arguing he nodded in understanding, Ryan was the kinda person who knew how I thought and felt.

Sitting up, I stretched and yawned, I looked towards the doorway but Ryan had already left, probably to do some more studying before he went to school. He was that type of kid who always had his homework done 2 weeks before the due date, and who loved tests. I got dressed in my usual mauve shirt, which made my black hair more vivid, and a black leather jacket that brought out the color of my deep green eyes.

Suddenly I heard whispers, not the kind of whispers you would normally think of, but the kind of whispers that haunt your nightmares. They echoed around in my head bouncing around and sending a chill down my spine. Silhouettes of dark figures started to enclose around my reflection in the mirror, my clone started to tilt her head to the side, her eyes shone bright green and a sickly smile spread across her face. I stared, a chill up my spine, to anyone that this had occurred to the first time they would probably been screaming their heads off, but this was normal for me, even if I still feel afraid everytime I see them.

But no sound came out, then just as quickly as the shadows came, they left.

I stared into the mirror. It was normal, but still I couldn’t bare to look at it. Regaining my senses, I grabbed up my black and mauve backpack from where it had been slumped on the floor. I snatched a stack of completed homework from my desk, which was littered with eraser dust, and stuffed it inside the bag. Just before flinging it over my shoulder, I reached for my bookcase, pulling out The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Pausing at my enormous bookcase, I pulled out ‘The Edgar Allan Poe Collection’ by Livingsworth. Reading to me was one of the very few comforts in my life. I dashed down the 13 steps down to the first floor and nearly tripped over Sunny who was coming up the stairs.

“Watch where you’re going useless brat!” the words themselves did not hurt, but the truthfulness of them stung worse than if she had stabbed me with a dagger. My heart hurt, but I wasn’t going to show her that she affected me.

“Sorry,” I said ducking my head, she scoffed and continued upstairs her bleach blonde hair bouncing with each step.

Sunny was beautiful, and sometimes I envied her. Sunny was, popular, well liked, and well loved, the opposite of me. I continued down the stairs and was about to go out the front door on the way to school when Ryan blocked the door. Without a word he grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen. This would be a surprise to anyone who knew him because he wasn’t the strongest person in the world, but then again I didn’t weigh much I was light as a feather. He let go of my hands and shoved a bowl of cereal into them.

“Eat.” he ordered sitting down at the table and pouring himself a bowl, I looked at the food in disgust.

Ryan knew I had an eating disorder, and he was the only person who knew or even noticed. The kids at school kept telling me I was ugly and overweight, I don’t like to admit I have an eating disorder, but I do whether admit it or not. They were right after all, I am ugly, and overweight. Nobody cared if I was struggling with life, if other people did notice they didn’t say anything to me about it, which wasn’t saying that much since the only people who talked to me at school were the bullies, always taunting me and insulting me, and my best friends, the only people who were nice to me besides Ryan and my parents. Even the teachers didn’t like me! My silence and weird personality didn’t draw people closer to me, after all, introverts usually aren’t liked by many people.

I sat down next to Ryan and ate slowly. I wasn’t even half way finished I put down the bowl. Ryan looked at me with worry but wordlessly picked up the bowl and poured the contents into the sink.

Together we walked out of the house and started on the 5 block walk to school. As we neared the school, the first bell rang, Ryan, who was never late, started running to the school, I on the other hand just walked and entered the adjoining highschool and slowly maneuvered my way through the groups of people. I passed the goths, barbies, players.

“Hey Alex,” someone called. Looking over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Autumn trying to catch up to me.

Autumn’s face changed to one of distaste and warning, then I looked in front of me again, too late. I crashed into someone, we stumbled to the ground and I hit my head on the hard concrete floor, things became dizzy but I managed to sit up. Blinking a few times I looked at to whom I had bumped into, then my blood froze.

Zori Clamora, the bully of our school, had already picked herself up and was now glaring at me like she wanted to kill me, her green eyes bore into mine. I shakily got to my feet, people around us had backed up and I saw Sunny behind Zori, a satisfied smirk on her lips. I looked at Zori again, she had gotten over the shock of being knocked over and now was advancing towards me.

“I’m going to kill you useless freak!” she growled.

She lunged for my neck and I could feel her body slam into mine. It hurt, it hurt so badly, I wanted to cry and curl up into a ball of anger and depression. She balled her fist and the force of her hit punched my in the lip. The anger I held was forced to lock itself up into a chamber deep within my soul. Punch after punch was hurled at me and punch after punch more anger flared up inside. Zori was relentless as she started to kick my in the side. Tears silently rolled down my pale skin and the bitter taste of blood seeped through my torn lips. The warning bell came, a relief, a break from suffering. Zori stood up and smirked then she walked away. My lip was swollen as well as my eye. Autumn knelt down, crying histerically.”I’m so stupid, I’m the worst friend in the world! I let my best friend be beaten up by Zori and I could of done something!” she sobbed her shoulders shaking. I smiled faintly, at least Autumn cared. Pain surged through my body and I had to chuckle when I said “At least I am alive.” To be honest death seemed like a comfort, death seemed, peaceful and good compared to this wretched life I lived. I rose to my feet barely managing to hold my ground. Autumn demanded that I go to the nurse. But I couldn’t, the pain, in someway or another, felt good. “No we better get to class,” I mumbled. She stared at me worry in her eye. I avoided her gaze and walked to class. We got to Biology and just barely managed to sit down milliseconds before the tardy bell rang. Mr. Fornicuff came into the room with a bundle of papers in his hand, which could only mean one thing.

“Congratulations everybody! Today is a pop quiz!” he said as he handed out papers, Mr. Fornicuff was the type of teacher who thought that kids should like school, tests, and especially Biology, the students groaned.

Mr. Fornicuff seemed not to notice. “You have exactly one hour to complete this quiz,” he said cheerfully.

I looked at the paper and my attitude changed slightly, these questions weren’t to bad. It read:

Living organisms exhibit all of the following attributes except:

* They all contain DNA.

* They are all able to move from one place to another.

* They all sense and respond to changes in their environment.

* They are all able to reproduce.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Thirty minutes passed and I was finally done, I strolled to Mr. Fornicuff’s desk and handed him my quiz. I could feel my classmates eyes on me as I sat back down in my seat, probably wondering why I looked like a wreck. Minutes dragged by and student by student handed in there quizzes. The bell rang and people started crowding around the door, after everyone had gone, I stood up and walked towards the door, entering the hallway I was met with crowds of people, the smell of cologne filled my nostrils making me sneeze.

I spotted Micah Winser, the flirt in school and girl crazy, not that he ever noticed me of course, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Micah was rude and selfish, and annoying, he tried to act cool but he looked like a fool to me.

I walked to my math class and found a note on the door saying “Math Class Cancelled Due To Death In Family”, it was sad that there was a death, but at least there was no math class. Going to my locker I put my math book back inside and gathered the books I needed for my next class. I looked at my black phone and started texting with Autumn, she was in class but, as usual, being the shy, unnoticeable girl she was, she got away with a lot of things.

“Life as it may see or seem is but a dream within a dream. Well this must be a dream because I’m talking to an angel!” a smooth creamy voice said, I looked up startled and saw Micah there leaning on a locker.

He had seen the saying on my phone case I know, but something about the rich notes in his voice made me blush. I looked down trying to hide my blush, I didn’t say anything though.

“Heaven is a long way from here beautiful angel. What are you doing next to my locker?” he said again.

“If I was an angel I couldn’t be next to you because wherever you go is hell,” I wanted to say, but I didn’t.

He lifted my chin with his index finger so that I had no other option but to stare into his ocean eyes. I squirmed and started to feel uncomfortable, “I have to get to class. But I want you to sit with me and my friends at lunch, okay?” he said.

I knew his friends were popular and I knew that even sitting with them would raise my social standing, but I couldn’t sit with them and leave my real friends alone.

“No.” I said definitely staring him directly in the eye, he frowned and dropped his hand, he snorted with distaste, it was clear that he had never been shut down like that.

He marched off, he was angry, but I honestly was glad of my doings. I looked at my phone and saw that I still had 25 minutes till my next class. I decided that I would get my books and look for Avery Goolsby, my other best friend. Closing my locker, I started off to the courtyard, where he normally spent his time either sleeping or procrastinating. I found him under a tree with his eyes closed, crumbled papers lie around him. Picking one of them up I uncrumbled it, it read:

Dear You,

I know I’m not the smartest, I know I’m not the cutest.

I know you could do better.

You probably think I’m a pest.

But I can’t help the love I store inside,

Your hair is dark as night, and eyes as green as the trees.

In you someday I hope to confide.

And ever after you to be by my side.

I was wondering who he could possibly be talking about, he had never told me he had a crush, when the paper was snatched from my hands.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, Avery had apparently woken up while I had been concentrating on the note. He looked embarrassed and nervous, so I decided to change the subject. Of course I wanted to know who he liked but, I’d wait to bother him about it at lunch time.

“So did your class with Mrs. Gingle cancel too?” I asked, my math teacher, was Mr. Gingle so I logically thought that Mrs. Gingle would be gone too.

“Yeah she was out for the day,” he said, regaining his composure.

The school bell rang and Avery and I waved each other good-bye as we headed to class. My History class was next, next to poetry, history was by far my favorite class. As I took my seat I saw Autumn sit down on the other side of the class, she must have transferred over, I thought. She had hated her last history teacher, Mrs. Korma. We waited for our teacher, Mr. LeMae, somehow instead of the teachers always waiting on us, we were always waiting on them.

I looked past the rows of seats and say Ethan LeMae sitting at the very front. I knew that Ethan was older then everybody in the class, and in fact he was the oldest in the school! I looked over to the door and waited with everyone else, ten minutes passed and the kids started to get restless.

Then I heard footsteps, but they sounded strange, almost like they were echoing in my head. I saw the door creak open, but instead of it being Mr. LeMae, an eerie dark shadow seeped in through the door, under it over it, enclosing around the door. A smell like burning rubber filled the air and I started to cough, the dark shadows circled the classroom. I looked around, my eyes wide with fear, nobody else was seeing the disaster that was happening. One of the shadows was lurking nearer and nearer to the front of the room, it circled Ethan, who was completely unaware of what was happening.

I was hyperventilating, there were so many shadows, to many creeping over desks, enclosing over people. A shadow turned to me and creeped towards me, I was shaking uncontrollably. It was coming closer, I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t.

“Alex! Alex! Alex!” it chanted, the voice started to echo around my head, I shut my eyes tight.

But then the voice changed, it sounded like…

“Autumn?”

I opened my eyes, I was sweating and trembling. Autumn was in front of me and a few of the students who had not been talking were looking at me. I put my elbows on my smooth wooden desk and clutched my head. I tried to push the horrifying scene from my head, but I kept seeing the shadow creatures swarming around the classroom. I was still shaking when Mr. LeMae came into the classroom five minutes later, I was so shaken that I couldn’t pay attention to the lesson. Nothing was abnormal during class, Ethan kept shifting in his seat and disrupting class but that was normal. As the bell ended for lunch I walked out of the classroom in a daze, I heard Autumn calling me to wait, but I didn’t.

I wanted to be alone. I needed to be alone.

I went to the one place I knew no one would follow me, the weirdo table. The ‘Weirdo Table’ was were the people who didn’t have friends sat, the table was sticky and gooey, it looked and smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned for years. I sat down, careful not to sit on molded left over food, and a spilled orange Gatorade that was dripping down the cold metal bench. I pulled out my Edgar Allan Poe Collections and read to myself “Deep into that darkness peering,

Long I stood there wondering fearing

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal

Ever dared to dream before”

I sat there pondering the meaning of the words, I closed my eyes imagining peering into an abyss of darkness. I opened my eyes, to find that what I had imagined, had come true, there I was, alone, and peering into darkness. I stared, it was quiet, not a peaceful quiet but a terrifying quiet. Looking down, I saw a mist, like a gray cloud on a black sky, then I dreamed what no mortal ever dared to dream before.

***

The clouds hung low on the gray late afternoon sky, and I knew it was going to rain. I loved the rain. It was almost like the sky sympathized and mourned over the evilness of the world, each raindrop symbolizing a person’s sin.

I felt a cold peck on my cheek and looked up; rain poured from the sky within minutes, but I stood there just looking at the sky and thinking about life. From a distance I heard a boy cry out in a shrill voice.

“Lex! Lex!” I looked over my shoulder and saw Ryan running up to me, his navy blue slicker blowing in the bitter wind.

I waiting till he caught up to me. The smile on his face was wider than one of the cheshire cats. This meant he had, yet again, scored 100% on one of his tests or quizzes. Ryan did exceedingly well in school and was two grades higher than everyone his age. He saw the look on my face and immediately frowned.

“Are you okay Lex?” he asked, his voice was wavering and his eyes were filled with deep concern.

I looked up letting the rain splatter over my face. Out of all the people I should trust with my secret it would be him but... I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to worry. I shook my head as if trying to shake away bad thoughts. I tried my best to smile. I was glad it was raining. It concealed my tears.

“I’m fine.” I managed to choke out.

Ryan looked at me, and did something he normally never did.

He hugged me.

I was taken by surprise, on the few occasions he had hugged me was on my birthday or Christmas. I squeezed him tightly and let go. He looked into my eyes. I saw how teary-eyed his eyes were and looked away. I didn’t want him to be sad. I didn’t want anyone to be sad, especially if the reason was me.

“Let's go home”, I managed to say, he nodded and we started off in the rain, brother and sister side by side.

Opening the door the most delectable scent met us. Ryan raced into the kitchen. I smiled. I knew what the smell meant: food, not that I would eat any, but still it filled the house with a nice and cozy appeal. Blake, Sunny, and Dad were watching football in the living room, as I passed the door Sunny looked up at me and a flash of hate spread over her facial features. I knew it was just a matter of time before she trapped me and started yelling at me, I trudged up the dirty carpeted stairs and into my dimly lighted room, the shades had been closed, and the room in general gave off an eerie feeling. I flopped down on my plum colored bed and stared at the ceiling. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to a noise outside my bedroom door. It was pitch black and the only source of light was the silver full moon peering in at my window. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and cautiously, silently, creeped to the door. I opened it a crack and looked out. What I heard were hushed whispers, and footsteps. I saw red eyes peering out at me in the darkness, and a strong wind coming from nowhere flung my bedroom door all the way open. I looked behind me trying to go back into my room, but it was an empty black hole, just a hole and nothing more. I sank down in the corner and shut my eyes tightly, it was just a dream, that was all it was. If I closed my eyes I would wake up. I opened my eyes to find a black demon-like figure standing before me, it looked like it was made of a dense smoke and its red eyes were bloodshot. It enclosed around me and my skin began to tingle, I looked down at my hands, they were black and misty just like the demon! Looked up again, it was my room, but something was different about me. I glanced to the right, where I kept my mirror. I was met with a pair of red eyes gazing at me, but the eyes looked just as frightened as I was. I moved, it moved. It wasn’t another demon, it was something even more horrific and terrifying. It was me.