Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything that clearly doesn't belong to me. The idea for this isn't even mine!
A/N: This was inspired by a lovely piece of work by Ariel(link on my profile!).
Chapter 1
Presence
No one would have thought danger to lurk in the shadows of their small village. They knew each other well, no stranger going unnoticed. Any visitor or new comer was greeted with welcoming words and watchful eyes. They lived peacefully and strove to stay without worry.
But one in the community felt an unseen presence. It followed her more often than not on her daily travels. Her treks about the village, wanderings into the woods, and her visits to her grandmother at each new moon. It wasn't smothering or overpowering, it was just... there. Watching. But not at all times. There had been the occasional day where no gaze was felt, even a stretch of a few days. She'd only told few of her unease, but she soon gave up on such efforts. No one believed her and nothing ever came of this odd... guest.
The new moon was soon to be here and the small girl decided it due time to see her grandmother again.
"Rachel, dear, please be careful," her father asked of her, as usual.
"Of course I will. You have nothing to worry about." Reaching up, she gave him a hug before another concerned voice brought a sigh from her.
"I still wish you'd let one of us come with you."
"Papa, I've made this same trip since I was a small child. You're both getting silly in your old age," her tone was teasing but also reassuring. Her father's always fretted over her. "Besides, if you were to come with me, how would Gramama and I speak freely about you two?"
Two low chuckles and she was pulled into another hug, this one for her Papa, and ushered out of their home with her customary red hood. Basket of prepared goodies(most of which she'd probably be forced to eat during her visit) in hand, Rachel set out on the familiar path.
A fine frost covered the ground, a sure sign of early snow, and the sky darkened more quickly than she would have liked. Her fathers and their incessant need to badger her about being safe only lead to a darkened travel. A soft, affectionate shake of her head was given to the thought of her parents.
Mist ghosting pass her lips, Rachel kept her pace steady and even. No sound rang out but she was alerted to another presence. Her footsteps didn't falter but her senses perked up. She had given up searching for the entity long ago, but she always became fully aware of herself and her surroundings a the first "appearance". Having grown accustomed to the presence, Rachel almost felt as though she were walking with someone. A comfortable silence between two companions. She no longer feared the other. She remained curious, though.
Something felt different now. It was a subtle change, she almost missed it, but the presence seemed... closer. It felt as though it were making a decision. As delusional as that made her sound, Rachel knew it to be right.
A blink of her eyes, a figure on the path, a skipped heartbeat, and Rachel was holding her breath. She stood still, eyes fixed on the figure cast in shadow not ten yards from her. This surely wasn't who had been following her... Could she finally be meeting the one who had been following for near a year now?
She forced herself to breath, trying to gain some sensibility. Why jump to conclusions? Why not greet the figure like she would any other stranger on her travels?
Because she knew this wasn't a mere stranger. She knew.
Grip tightening on the handle of her basket, she waited anxiously for the other to speak or draw closer. She'd envisioned meeting her follower, how she'd confront them and demand to know why she was followed. How she'd listen to their answer(she'd never admit to dreaming up a wildly romantic reasoning) and she'd ask to get to know them. They've seemingly grown so close already, why not actually learn of each other? But now that the occasion was at hand, Rachel found herself floundering. Words and actions escaped her.
"What's wrong, Little One? You're usually so loud and wordy." The voice was low and seemed kin to liquid. It sounded clearly next to her ear as though a whisper, yet the figure still stood a distance away.
She was shaking.
"Trembling now?" The figure stepped from the shadows and Rachel's mind went reeling. Long dark hair, warm and smooth skin, piercing eyes, and very feminine features of face a body. The woman was stunning. She did not fit in any setting near her small, humble village. This creature belonged in a castle in the more revered of positions. She was sure. The fair figure, slowly approaching her, must be a royalty. "Cold?" the voice was back. "Frightened?" It was dropping lower, seemingly dragging Rachel with it, her knees weakening. Why for? She felt lightened from the surprising turn of events. Events so surreal to her that it was cause enough for weak knees in her mind.
The woman now stood where, if her arms weren't so stiff, she could reach out and graze the lush fabric of that was the others' dark cloak. "Excited?" Rachel watched the fine eyebrow raise as the corner of her mouth followed.
Rachel let out a breath.
"So quiet, Little One. I hope I haven't broken you." The voice was taunting, almost harsh.
Gaping up at the stranger who wasn't quite a stranger, Rachel's brow furrowed as she fought for words.
The woman hummed, eyes seemed to caress a flushed cheek. "I've been following you for some time now." Her head quirked to the side. "Though I think you know that. All those glances over your shoulder and quickened footsteps in the beginning. The slight change in your posture when I come to watch. Yes. I think you knew."
"Who are you?" The quiet and cracked voice did not sound like her own, but it sounded the question she'd meant to ask.
"Your shadow," she purred. The vibrations of her voice seemed to send a ripple through Rachel but she fought to hide it. It wasn't wise to allow another to see how one was affected. She appeared caught though, as the smirk grew and voice deepened. "That is, essentially, what I've become. But I'm looking to change that." The woman swooped in close, heat radiating off her skin and her breath dancing along Rachel's cheek. "How about you, Red?"