Prologue

It's dark and cold. Wet air clung to her clothes and made them hug her body closely. This was one of the first times she would admit it; she was scared.

Shaken to her core by just an owl hoo-ing, she almost peed herself. Pulling together with a single deep breath, she continued walking.

Wet hair clung to the sides of her face, covered in both sweat and mist.

One second everything was quiet, the next, something snapped behind her. Turning around with a gasp she squinted into the dark mist, trying to make something out from beneath the twigs and thorns, but failed miserably.

Turning back around she continued her stride, all the while wondering if this had really been such a great idea to begin with.

Something moved in the low bushes beside her, as if walking on her side. Maybe crawling. Just thinking about what it could possibly be made her squirm and shiver. This was the Dark Forest; it hosted all scary things you could imagine. And right now, some pretty scary things crossed her mind.

Keeping her attention on the narrow path, she cast repeated looks into the bushes, fearing what she might catch. A hairy leg, a red set of eyes, a big gap of sharp teeth. She really didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't help it. It was useless trying to resist.

Urging her steps, she managed to make all too much sound, but the blood pulsing through the veins inside her ear made her oblivious to it.

She was so very afraid.

Somewhere before her she could her the sound again. Singing between the trees, it was a melody of freedom, happiness and peace. It promised all she yearned for and she couldn't resist the urge to look for it. It had been about fifteen minutes since she'd manages to sneak out of the castle and she'd started regretting each and every one of them.

Surrounded by naked trees, moss, ghostly figures and mist, it was truly a scene from a nightmare. Only this was real, and if she dare scream, she wouldn't wake up. She'd be attacked.

As she walked she could feel their presence around her. She had always been able to do that; sense things. That was why she had always been able to trick people into believing she had some sort of psychic ability. She'd never had.

Feeling as if walking to her own funeral, she finally stopped. In front of her a light hovered, making the details of the trees visible. It was that she had come for. That was why she was here.

Sighing of relief, she walked up to it, pushing between the trees just to stop, a shocked gasp stuck in her throat. This was nothing like peace, happiness or freedom. This wasn't anything good.

Captured by the dread that was now surrounding her, trying to suffocate her; enter her body. She wasn't able to move. She just stood still, staring at the light which had proved not to be that, but instead some sort of shadow. It was hovering in the air, appearing as if watching her. Swallowing she regained her ability to move, turned around and tried to run. Only to be blocked by a concrete wall.

Her breathing heavy and ragged, she turned back around, only to widen her eyes. This wasn't a Dementor, believe it or not. This was something different all together. This had to be a Shadow.

But she had been told that was just something invented to scare children. It couldn't be real.

Before her eyes the shadow descended the ground, as it did, three more walls rose around her, capturing her.

Never before had she been bothered with even the slightest of claustrophobia, but now, as the concrete walls held her captive, she could almost see them moving, pushing her and the Shadow closer, forcing her to touch it.

As her skin brushed against the transparent layers of glowing black, covering the shadow, she could feel something being sucked out of her. A scattered head wouldn't let her decide what it actually was, but left her knowing it was something important, something that made up the most of her. Something she priced.

Gasping of the awful sensation, she was frozen, her body not obeying. All she could do was face the area where she could feel the Shadows gaze on her. And as she watched it, it started to take shape. Some of the blurriness disappeared, leaving her staring at the outlines of a strong jaw, a grinning mouth, a straight nose and a mesmerizing set of black eyes. As her eyes made contact with those eyes she realized what it was that was leaving her.

Her power.

Feeling the losing sensation of her powers leaving her skin, her body started to give up on her. Her legs buckled, her arms were heavy and then... her body went limp.

The Shadow smiled as it watched the body of the girl fall to the ground. Her skin was pale, her eyes had radiated fear, but now they were empty. Her mouth slightly parted as if she had tried to say something. How it loved the feeling of her inside its body.

It hadn't so much fed of her power but as her essence. Its very existence had sucked it out of her, crumbling her personality, memories and everything else that made her herself. When the staff at the school found her, she'd be nothing more than a shell, missing every piece of her that put together her person. She'd be able to talk, see and smell, even touch, but none of those senses would pull her memories to the surface. Her memories now belonged to the Shadow.

It took a couple of minutes to grieve for the girl. She really had lost every piece of her own puzzle. And unlike the Shadow, she would never be able to put them back together. She would truly be a Shadow. A visible one, though, and only that made the Shadows non-existing regrets crumble. It had not been given the mercy of sight that it had given this girl. She should be thankful.

The Shadow turned and strode out of the concrete walls, making them fall to dust as it had no longer any use of them. It had never been a mean person and thus, it would let the girl be found. It even alerted the school so that she wouldn't be eaten.

As it left the girl behind it could even hear them, searching voices, trying to find some sort of life between the naked trees. They would be shocked at their awaiting discovery.

Laughing evilly, the Shadow dissolved, only to return the next time one of the girls discovered the power that rested inside them and unlocked the source to it. Then it would belong to the Shadow.