When I was small, I had these very vivid dreams of being a great explorer, a hero, a pirate,even a knight. There I was, sailing across the vast oceans, and reaching out to touch the stars that hung in the midnight sky on the cold nights sailing the sea. Fighting in a great war and winning it, Living to tell the tale. Even discovering new lands. Every night I could swear I was there.
I could feel the warm summer breeze as we rode on horseback through the hills to fight in the crusades. The cold snow and disease that gripped us when we would try to make a colony for ourselves in the newly discovered Americas. The blood on my hands from people who I had slain as a pirate raiding the port towns, as well as the cold metal of gold and silver trinkets. The dreams of the past were always so much more vivid than the ones I would have if I had dreamed of future times. However, I always saw these shadows in my dreams. They had no one to come off of, but at least one always followed me.
My parents thought of it as an overactive imagination. No matter what I told them, they insisted it was a silly dream. There were no more land masses to find on the planet. I would speak of the pirates I traveled with and the battles I had fought in and won. They would laugh and shake their heads, saying how I watch too much television. I even tried to tell them of the shadows, But they never believed me.
They thought I was speaking of an imaginary friend, though it was never the case. These shadows, they scared me. I always saw the dark shadows of men and women seeping into the walls at the corner of my vision, I like to think that they were the makings of an over active mind. They gave me a chance to feel as if I lived the dreams I had. So many nights I would wake in a cold sweat from these dreams, only to see a shadow peering at me from the foot of my bed. Although as I would reach out it would vanish. I think it knew I could see it.
Unfortunately, as I grew I forgot... Like many of my dreams, I forgot about them. No longer did I see the shadows as the figures of men and women, But shadows that were caused by lights coming off the road at night.
So I forgot about them.
Until one night a few months back, something odd had happened.
I had just turned twenty, A young woman just trying to survive with her sad excuse for a job with the local convenience store that was hardly enough to get by, but with doing odd jobs here and there, I managed. It was a Wednesday, Id just left work around eight in the evening, the chilly fall air blew strong. A cold front had just passed through, and it felt lovely. You could smell the sea air blowing in off the water no more than a mile away. The moonlight just barely illuminated the parking lot, Enough for me to see my grey car. The damn thing seemed indestructible. Which was a good thing, I had a tenancy to hit turns at high speeds, and curbs soon became an enemy.
When I reached to my pocket to grab my keys the wind picked up, blowing my dark hair in my eyes and blinding me for a moment. One hand shot up to my eyes and tried to pull my hair away, but when I had, my heart jumped and I heard my keys hitting the pavement. I heard whispers again. Like those from my dreams long ago. I couldn't see much of anything as the wind blew my hair in my eyes yet again, and a different scent was carried in it. Instead of the comforting smell of the salty sea air,the smell of rot and decay wafted around me. I heard a creaking, followed by a sound similar to that of metal on metal. I finally got the hair out of my eyes and my heart dropped. Fear gripped me at the sight before me.
The shadows were around my car, and they were taking form. There were several of them, each shaped differently than I remembered as a child. And for the first time, I could swear one of them SAW me.
The largest one looked at me. Its white eyes bored into my soul. It seemed to turn its body as though it is about to come at me, though as soon as it blinked, it vanished. The others soon followed as the wind slowly died down. I stood still for a moment, a chill running up my spine. I knelt down to pick up my keys and dashed to the car, unlocking it and hopping inside at the speed of sound. I kept telling myself that they were not real, they never were.
I don't get genuinely scared easy, but for one of them to look at me...and seem to recognize me. It gave me the creeps. I suppose it scared me because of its eyes. I had never seen them before. Those cold white eyes. Its eyes were colder than the ice in a freezer on Pluto. It chilled me to the bone.
I turned on the car and silently went home, attempting to put the event past me.
And it worked. The next day went smoothly, no unnatural shadows, no whispers, nothing out of the ordinary. Except for a date I had very nearly forgotten about. Jeremy called me around one asking if we were still going to the bowling alley, that he hadn't heard back from me . I had a slight dull moment and proceeded to tell him I would be a little late, that I had just woken up around eleven. He replied that he would swing by around two and pick me up. Living no more than ten miles from the mall made an off day so much nicer.
I stood from my computer chair and walked into the kitchen. Even though it was past noon, I still hadn't eaten yet. I can't eat first thing when I wake up, it always made me ill. So I simply microwaved some leftovers and ate while watching the news. Nothing new had happened lately except for a murder. When they showed a picture of the scene of the crime, I could have sworn one of the shadows near the trees had eyes and arms.
This sight kind of bothered me. It wasn't the idea of murder, no. It was the shadow. That damn shadow. I turned off the television and cleaned my dishes, soon deciding on a quick shower to help relax me. I go into the bathroom and turn the knobs on the shower, trying to get the right temperature before stepping in. Though... I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me.
I still saw that shadow from the picture. The shadows from my childhood were coming back. No...No...That's silly, it has to be something reflecting from the road, or someone dressed in black.. As soon as I was out of the shower I put on my jeans and t-shirt and covered up with a light jacket. I reached for the phone to shoot him a text, but no sooner did I open my phone, there was a knock on the door. Grabbing my bag I went to the door and just looked at it. My breath caught in my throat for a moment, through the small window on the door, I only saw a black silhouette. I held the knob for a moment before shaking the feeling and opening the simple white door.
There he was. I don't know why I expected a shadow to have knocked on my door. Jeremy was just standing there in a dark green hoodie with his headphones in. I smiled and hugged him, he returned the smile and put an arm around my waist. I closed the door to my apartment and he led me to his truck. Upon getting in I hear a slight whisper, reminding me of last night. It sends a shiver up my spine. He starts the truck and turns on the heat, but no matter how warm I got, that chill stayed at my back. Soon we had arrived at the mall, the bowling alley was relatively new, and took up a large area in the mall where an arcade was several years prior. It wasn't until after we had entered the bowling alley,got our shoes and payed for a game, that he turned to me. "Are you okay? You've had a shiver since I picked ya up. You ain't gettin sick on me are ya?" His voice was somewhat scratchy and he had a southern drawl. "Yeah, heh. I just can't seem to get warm is all." I smiled and picked up a ball, rolled it down the lane and started the game.
Damn it! I never was good with bowling. It didn't take long before he was beating me. Several strikes will do that to someone who throws nothing but gutter balls and the occasional spare. He laughed about it and I couldn't help but laugh too. I knew I had no luck with this, but It didn't really bother me. I still lost the game, and with that, it meant I bought us dinner. It started as a joke, but If I make a deal, I'll hold to it.
He sighed as I handed over a twenty to the cashier at the pizza place in the mall. "You know I will pay for you. Ma would kill me if she knew I wasn't payin for ya." He took a slice of the pizza and looked at me, slightly playing off a pouting face. "Yeah yeah, just eat the pizza ya goofball." I smiled and looked at him, but then my smile dropped. Behind him, no more than fifteen feet and hiding near a pillar in the food court, was a shadow. Its white eyes staring back at me. The stench of rot slightly tinged my nostrils. It didn't take long for me to lose my appetite.
Unfortunately, the date ended soon after. He decided to take me home. He said I had gone pale and started to shiver again. He was concerned I was catching a cold is all. I guess I should be thankful.
The next day was boring. I woke up, went to work, went home. The next few days were very much the same. Soon, I had just about forgotten the events that had occurred. As though it was a faint memory pushed to the back of my mind. I would lie in bed and peek out the window to watch the trees sway in the light nighttime breeze until sleep overtook me, but It wasn't very restful. I'd had the dream of me being a pirate again, but I was no captain.
They had just left me on an island out in the Caribbean I think it was. They had called me sick and twisted. The captain didn't mind when I had suggested he cut off an enemy's lips, cook them, and have the poor bloke eat them. I suppose even by their standards, that was too much. I remembered several things from this dream, but the most prominent was that I had just volunteered to be the one to keelhaul someone who would have killed our captain and started a mutiny.
The man then claimed I was a woman as I began to gather the ropes for his punishment. He was correct. However, in that time a woman on a ship was cause for bad luck and it was said that a ship with a woman on it would meet demise. So they marooned me. I sat on a log on this little Island watching them sail off without me. A rather feminine shadow split from my own and began to speak to me in a language I didn't understand. Well, In the dream I seemed to understand quite well. As I watched I didn't understand a word of it though. We spoke and laughed. She had tried to cheer me up as it would seem. The shadow was my companion, And I felt comfortable with her, this much was clear.
My alarm went off and woke me from this dream. I wrote a bit of it down, making sure to note how the dream seemed almost lucid. It didn't take long for me to forget some of the finer details though.
A few weeks went by, and nothing new had happened. I had a few more dreams that were very vivid, and to my surprise, it was comforting seeing the scenes play out in my mind. Even if on one occasion I was awaiting trial as a witch in Salem. The shadows that were with me were different for each dream and I never seemed to have the same dream twice.
Things changed though.
A cold Friday night, the wind was blowing harshly. I was excited, it was almost time for me to get out of work, I was going to go to the movies with Jeremy. We were going to see a horror movie just after I got out of work. Horror had always been my favorite genre. The adrenaline was always great. And with Halloween coming up, what better time for it?
It was around eight in the evening when I had finally walked out to my car. There was no moon shining, and the parking lot was dark you could hardly see a thing. My heart skipped as the fear returned. The fear sparked to slight adrenaline as the same smell of rot and decay invaded my senses, and I heard it again.
The whispers.
I heard the whispers of a language I didn't know. It took all my willpower to not turn and go back to the building, though I was excited the fear inside still held me cradled like a child. I watched my car intently and slowly trudged towards it. Until I saw movement at the drivers side door. It turned and looked at me. Glowing white eyes piercing me. Its features becoming distinct. I could see a mouth with sharp yellowed teeth, and fingers extending towards me. It took a shambling step and without its mouth moving I heard a whisper. It was speaking things I couldn't understand. I stepped back a bit and backed into someone. Quickly, I turned to face whoever I had bumped into.
Another set of white eyes stared back at me. Its mouth slightly opened and it made a strange gurgling sound, was it laughing?
I looked up at it, and wanted to cry, I had such mixed emotions. Fear, anger, and excitement had their grasp on me. I knew what I saw before me was no illusion, it simply couldn't be. The shadows from my dreams were real. And they were here with me now. The tall shadowy figure stood before me, its finer features indistinguishable.
I could barely make out the place where its mouth would be. With its broad shoulders and deep voice it appeared to be male. It leaned forward and observed me for a moment. It soon reached its long spindly fingers out to me and placed a cold ethereal hand on my shoulder, it whispered lightly, "Ye...eess..Yo..u're...Rea...dy...". The shadow man then fell forward and through me to vanish into the abyss I now seemed to stand on. The smell penetrating me. While I had a strong stomach, this was too much. I bent forward and couldnt help but vomit at the putrid stench.
I heard a loud thud and turned to see the first shadow now on its knees and falling forward near my car. However, unlike the one that spoke to me, This one hit the ground.
The shadows fell off it in small tendrils, like snakes they slithered from his form. As the last touch of shadow moved away, a young man lied in place of the shadow figure. He looked completely unlike the creature that appeared before her earlier. He was about 5'9" or so and as pale as death himself, very nearly grey in skin color. He appeared to not have an ounce of body fat on him, It was as if he was anorexic, and he was also very naked. He groaned and pushed himself to his knees. His pupiless white as snow eyes looked back at me as I observed him. Longer black hair fell around his face and he lightly gnawed on his lower lip. He exhaled deeply and stretched his arms as deep, dark shadow snaked out from between his lips. More of the dark tendrils escaped him as he breathed for the moment. His eyes caught mine, and he sat there unmoving.
After a few moments had passed with us just staring at eachother, I took a step. As I slowly walked towards him, it was his turn to observe me. I watched him with caution while he just eyed me curiously. The last thing I needed was a naked shadow figure turned human to attack me in the parking lot of a 7-11.
He rose to his feet and looked at me, not speaking a word. I stood no more than a foot away from him now, just looking at him. I had a few questions, but I didn't know if I was hallucinating or not. He inhaled sharply, the cold air seemed to freeze his lungs as he choked out his first words. "I know what you're thinking. 'How?' " He sighed and inhaled again "It takes a fair bit for one of us to manifest as a shadow in reality rather than the other realm. It takes so much more for a physical form to come of it. You're lucky, Blood Mage. The master chose me to guide you. " He spoke. Eyes staring at me cold as the bitter wind. His voice was firm and unyielding, but eerily quiet still. His voice carried an accent I couldn't place.
I looked him over again, slightly annoyed. This guy is a crazy...I thought to myself. I sighed and removed my jacket to hand it to him. "Put it on, You must be cold..." I said nearly as soft as he had spoken, and I thrust the jacket into his chest. He blinked a bit and quirked an eyebrow, but still put the jacket on. I walked to my car and unlocked it, the man followed me and went to the passengers side door. As I got in, so did he.
I decided to check my phone and shoot a text to Jeremy, only to find I had several missed calls a few texts. Another thing had occurred to me, that it was no longer eight in the evening but nearing two AM.
I guess the man next to me saw the confusion in my face. He leaned back into the seat and sighed. "The veil traps us. While in the veil time moves slowly, and the outside world passes us by." He has a hand up to a string on the jacket messing with it as he speaks.
I looked at him from the corner of my eyes and ground my teeth. It had been such a good day too... "Allright boy. Who...or better yet What the hell are you and what nonsense are you spouting. Blood Mage, The Master, and a Veil? Where do you live, I'll drop you off at home or at the local looney bin, Your pick." I turned and looked him in the eyes, Shoving the keys in the ignition and starting the car .
He kept a straight face. His head turned slowly and he looked back into my eyes, though his were completely white, I knew he was looking right at me. "My name was Equius, the name my prior master gave me. I'm a Shayde, We are servants of the Blood. When a shayde needs to manifest into a physical form, we trap ourselves and a surrounding area in a vortex. A freak occurence of our kind... My prior master asked for the others to send me to you to help you better understand your own kind and behave as a protector. We have been watching you, waiting for you to mature. Now that you have, and you could still see us..." He gnaws his lip for a moment thinking on his words. As if trying to choose. He inhaled sharply again and spoke " Well, let's just say that there are others who would have your kind killed, over and over again. You've been remembering your past,This much I know. You were reborn as it would appear. So, As of this moment, I am yours, mistress. You may give me a name more suited to your liking. As for my place of residence, wherever you go, I will follow. " He spoke softly, stating everything as if he had just said the sky as blue. His voice never rose above a whisper.
I sighed and smacked my forehead on the steering wheel. I turned on the heat in the car and the thought passed through my mind...oh my god he truly is nuts... "No, Really. Who are you?" I looked back at him and asked again. He appeared confused, and repeated himself. " As I said Mistress, You may rename me to your liking. I am a Shayde. I go where you go. My kind are servants to-"
"Will you just stop. Equius." I was getting irritated. Not only did I miss my date, I had some whackjob in the car with me. "Yes Ma'am." He nodded and replied quietly, and turned his head back to face out the front of the car.
"No. Don't call me Ma'am. My name is Jade." I sighed and thought to myself. I suppose I'll play this game for now. He's kinda cute...and...After all, he did just kinda appear out of a hallucination... How am I even sure he's real and I'm not just schizophrenic. Hallucinations can't hurt me…Right? I mean…He's not real. There's just no way.
" Yes, Miss Jade." He nodded, giving pause for a few seconds before adding in "Also..I am very real. " His eyes glowing ever so slightly as he stared out the windshield.
A shiver ran down my spine and I decided its time to leave. My foot pressed the gas and finally we left the parking lot of the 7-11, and headed down the dark road that lies ahead.
A/N: This started as an OC story though after having written some of it I decided it would make for an interesting homestuck fanfic. Please leave a review if you have any questions or comments or if you just liked it. Im on the fence about continuing this as it has been so long since I last updated it. Please expect that Jade will likely be very OOC as the ideas I have for this are very violent and gory.