AN: Well hello, and welcome to chapter one of Shadows In The Light, i just want to thank you for reading. Well lets get to it, shall we?:
Chapter 1: Shadows
"Freak!" Someone yelled as I walked down the hall.
I had been called a freak many times, along with other things, and each time it felt like a slap to the face.
There are many reasons I could be called a freak. Like the way I dress, clad black and neon, or the way I distance myself from everyone else. Or it could be the fact that I can control the shadows around me.
I mean, it could be any of those things. But I had a feeling that this time, it was for the shadow thing.
Ever since I could remember, I've had the ability to manipulate shadows. It was as natural to me as breathing. But everyone else around me couldn't seem to except that.
I kept walking, ignoring the people staring at, or insulting me. I usually blent into the crowd, but today I wanted to stand out, and not be ashamed of who I was. It was my last day of school anyway.
So this morning, I collected the shadows in the corner of my room, and wrapped them together until they formed a bow. Then I placed the bow in my hair and went off to school.
Now I was regretting the decision. But I consoled myself by reminding myself that tomorrow I would be shipped of to Aburn Academy, to try and harness my "special" power. It would be torture.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling that the school day was over, and I could go home and finish packing. When I exited the school, I turned around and looked at the school. I would miss it. At that thought I almost fell to the ground laughing, "Good riddance." I mumbled under my breath, and I headed off to the bus.
When I got home, I went straight to my room, waving a quick 'Hi' to my mom as I passed the kitchen.
When I finally reached my room, I collapsed on the bed. The familiar smell and texture of my pillow was comforting, and helped sooth me.
I looked around my room. My drawers were open and cleared of there contence. My closet was empty except for a few empty hangers.
Everything that owned was either packed in the several trunks outside my door, or sitting in boxes gathering dust in storage.
I sighed. Why did I have to go off to some fancy school? My powers were fine just the way they were.
I sighed again, this was the exact argument I'd had with my mother two months ago, and as you can tell, it didn't work. She told me that I needed to go to this school, and needed help with my powers. This was just her way of saying that she needed to get her freak of a daughter out of her house.
And like a good little freak, I obliged. What a horrible decision I made.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. The sun was setting outside my window, casting little shadows behind the bumps of the drywall. I focused on one shadow, and it turned into a cat. I looked at another and it turned into duck. I laughed.
And for the rest of the night, I sat on my bed and turned the shadows around me into living things. And for awhile I forgot about the troubles in my world, and lost myself in the shadows that I controll.
Finally my mind started to wonder, and I felt my lids become slack above my eyes. Soon I fell under, and drifted to sleep, awaiting peaceful dreams, and forgetting the torture that would await me in the morning.
"Sai, Sai! Get up!" my mom yelled through my door.
"Ugh... five more minutes." I groaned, as I rolled to my side.
"No now! If you dont get up, you'll miss class."
Thats an idea... I thought to myself sarcasticaly. "Ok, ok, I'm up." I said sitting up.
I heard her footsteps as she walked away, and I was tempted to go back to sleep. I shrugged my shoulders and layed back down.
"Sai Shade, If you go back to sleep, so help me." Mom threatened from the kitchen.
And like that I was up.
I winced as my feet touched the cold floor. "Stupid concrete.." I mumbled as grabbed the clothes I set out for today, and headed to the bathroom.
I looked in the mirror, and sighed. My straight black hair fell to my shoulders, and my grey eyes stood out against my pale skin. I was nothing special.
I turned around and turned on the tap. Then I stripped down, and commenced with getting ready.
After I was showered, dried my hair, brushed my hair and teeth, and clothed, I looked at myself again in the mirror. I had put my hair in low pigtails with neon rainbow hair-ties to match my shirt and knee-socks. I had a black sweater over my rainbow striped shirt, and a black skirt to match, on my feet were a pair of black converse.
I looked myself over. Somthing was missing. "Aha!" I said snapping my fingers. I needed a bow.
I looked around the bathroom for a decent shadow, I ended up using the shadow under the sink. I plucked it from its place, and watched as a new shadow slowly filled it. Then I took the shadow in my hand and shaped it into a bow. When it was finished, I placed it on my head, and fused it in place.
I was as ready as i'd ever be, so I went off to find my mother.
Mom was sitting at the kitchen table sipping her coffee. She looked up as I entered the room. We looked alike, with our black hair and pale skin, but my mother had dark green eyes, while I had my fathers grey ones.
"You ready?" she asked as I sat down next to her.
I nodded, and wrapped her in a hug. She was all I had, sinse father died.
"Oh, Sai." she said returning the hug.
"I love you." I told her. It was muffled by her shoulder so it sounded like "I wuf ooo."
She laughed. "I love you too. Now lets get going, before you miss class."
I sighed, and we both stood up. "Ok, I'm ready." I said with determination in my voice. "Lets go." and we headed to the school.
Starlight Academy was a mansion, located on a hill, six miles from town. We pulled up the drive, to the security booth. We showed him my school ID and orientaion pass, and he let us through.
We parked the car, then headed up the path to the main door. I looked up, and on the roof were stone gargoils. I smiled, things like that seemed comforting. When we reached the doors, we knocked on the large wooden door. A frail old woman answered the door.
"Yes?" she asked bitterly.
"Hello, we're the Shades, my daughter Sai is starting today." my mother said polietly.
The old woman sneered. "Right this way." She said, still bitter. "We'll send Thomas to retrieve your things." She told us.
We followed the woman through the hallways of the Academy, to a large flight of stairs. "Go up the stairs, and to the end of the hall, the mistress is waiting." she said. Then she turned, and walked back the way we came.
"Thank you. " my mother called to her retrieting figure. "Now lets go, we wouldnt want to keep her waiting." mother told me.
Once we were at the top, I paused. It was beautiful. There were two wooden pillars carved with intricate designs on either side of the door. I went to touch one, when the door creaked open.
"Come in." a voice called from inside.
My mother and I looked at eachother, then pushed the door open wider and went in.
The room was just as I had pictured a headmasters office. Old-fashioned wallpaper adorned the walls, and many bookshelves, filled to the brim, were in front of it. In the center was a large mahogany desk, and behind it was a woman. She was of medium build, and looked about fifty. She had glasses, and her hair was pulled into a tight bun. she was wearing a womans pantsuit.
"Hello, you must be the Shades." She said to us. "I am Mrs. Kint. I am the headmistress of Aburn Academy." she said with a slight smile.
"Hi, yes we're the Shades. Im Linda, and this is my daughter Saint Ann," she said motioning to me.
"Sai." I corrected her.
"Well welcome to Aburn Academy Sai." Mrs. Kint told me. "I think you'll fit right in here." she said. "Well now that introductions are done, we better get you into a uniform and off to class." She said, and clapped her hands. "Nina!" she called, and a girl walked in.
She was about my height and age, with blond hair and terquoise eyes. "Yes Mrs. Kint?" she asked.
"Ah, yes. Nina, this is your new room-mate Sai Shades. Sai, this is Nina Watch."
"How do you do." Nina said to me.
"Hi." I said timidly waving.
"Well Nina, can you show Sai to your room to get her a uniform. Oh, and you will be the one to show her around campus." Mrs. Kint said to her.
"Yes Mrs. Kint." Nina said. "This way." she said to me, motioning towards the door.
I gave my mom one last hug, then followed Nina out of the room. This was going to be a long day.