Shift
ElectricCircuslover: This story is a year old today. I've been tinkering with it for months now. I'm just glad it's finished.
Shadow sat in his room with his brother, Andy, stacking a deck of playing cards into little houses next to their bunk out of boredom. Every so often the calm wind from the window centered in Shadow's bottom bunk would blow the cards down, but that was only part of the game.
"Do you think much about the future Shadow? Like, if you are going to join the Galactic Armada? I know I am when I'm done with my schooling," Andy smiled, having the wind blow down his little stack of cards down, all spades and clubs, "The law could really benefit with your capabilities and you could make a great living with Gloria."
Shadow didn't reply as his stack narrow stack of hearts fell to the ground due to the slight breeze from the window.
"Well, it's something to think about. One of these days, when I turn eighteen next year, I'm going into the force make a difference in the world-"
The picture of the room shifted like a memory into a different scene between Shadow and Stitchie fighting.
The blue B-X struggled to breath as Shadow's massive hand grasped onto Stitchie's throat, suffering with heavy bleeding as his lower left arm sat on the wood floor.
"Now you see how it feels to be beaten down to nothing. Do you feel the pain I've felt every day? You don't, you never will," Shadow snarled, his voiced sounded very deep as he rammed Stitchie through Jumba's desk, "You thought you could spend your graduation beating me up but I while I was isolating myself from the whole family, I was changing. Oh yes, I was changing and I'll show you what change can REALLY do to person, in which this family relentlessly impeded on me," he smiled maliciously, having his mutated eyes all over his body started opening up and spikes became even more lethal due to the tentacles, "I'll show you…" he said silently, wrapping Stitchie in spiked tentacles.
"I'm sorry, Shadow. I'll never do it again," Stitchie begged, but his pleas were only replied by complete brutality.
Shadow slammed has large spiked tail through, Stitchie, but made sure he didn't pierce his heart. The massive black B-X with red eyes and spikes all over his body snarled and coiled his long black tail around the blue born experiment like a spiked anaconda, crushing him to a pulp before slamming him repeatedly down into the ground before letting go.
"You are only an insect compared to me and will no longer be feared. No longer will I stay pacified nor care for the life of others. You and this family brought this change to me and made me realize this pathetic life I lead was one I should've left years ago. I have no family. I have no one but myself and I have you to thank for that realization," Shadow laughed, piercing his older brother with the spikes and lifting him up to his black alligator-like face, "Zeloura daunch exiote" (love doesn't exist) he snarled and slammed his brother into the ground, crushing him with his left foot before leaving the room.
The scene changed again to a young Shadow trying to open the door during the night.
His little paws tried turning the doorknob as darkness swallowed the little black B-X. His clear blue tears hidden tears hidden in the dark, only illuminated when close to the bright red eyes with no black or white dots for pupils.
"Please help me, mommy. The clown is going to eat me," Shadow cried, struggling to open the door.
Evil laughter made itself present the room, filling Shadow in a catatonic fear inside. He struggled harder to escape, screaming and pounding on the door in hopes someone would notice and come to his aid.
His closet door opened with toys falling out in a pile on the wood floor next to Shadow's bottom bunk.
"Come out and play...Shadow…Come out and play…Shadow…" a high pitched voice called in the closet, fallowing with a giggle.
Shadow backed against the door, shaking in fear as he stared at the toys under the direct moonlight.
"Don't you want to play with us, Boogles, Shadow? We can take you to a wonderful world…" it whispered from the closet, "We have a wonderful place only you can enjoy…An extraordinary residence where fantasy can be reality and the average is no longer the new norm. Come play with us, Shadow," it laughed quietly.
After the silence, something out of the darkness of the closet fell down the pile of toys with a smile still on its color face.
Shadow stared at it with a mortified look on his face while he stared at the little clown figure sitting on the pile of toys under the moonlight.
"Come out and play…" it twisted its head three hundred sixty degrees while says so, still sitting down on the toys.
It was a size of a DVD case with bright colors on every part of its body. It wore a bright red clown suit with rainbow spots all over its body with small blue feet in resemblance to clown shoes. His hands looked liked 'Mickey Mouse' gloves and his face looked eerie with the red thin smile on his face and big blue blobs over his black beady eyes on his glass face. It wore a red 'sandman' hat with blue spots all over it and a pink fuzzy ball hanging at the end of it on top of its bald head.
Shadow felt a sharp spike of fear in his spine as he stared deeply at the twisted face of the Boogle. It just stood there…Smiling as it stared at Shadow intensely with its glass eyes glowing green.
"Come out and plaaaaaaay, Shadow," it laughed, quickly extending its hands towards Shadow.
The black B-X pounded on the door in hope that someone would hear him but no one came to his aid.
Shadow cried as the hands wrapped around him and started dragging him to the Boogle.
He pressed his claws against the floor, shredding the wood as his claws dragged across it. The Boogle walked into the dark closet as it pulled Shadow. When it disappeared inside the small room full of toys, Shadow went flying into the closet with the door closing behind him.
The scene changed into Gantu's ship.
"You're going to pay for this, blood brother, Shadow," Shade snarled, having his body ripped apart from Shadow, "You should've been a good brother and stayed put inside my mind, but you couldn't stand cooped up in that dark room," he fully separated from Shadow, spraying blood all over the metal floor.
Shade and Shadow's body quickly regenerated the missing halves of their bodies, feeling intense pain during the whole ordeal.
Shade started kicking Shadow, kicking his hurt side without letting up, "This is why I wanted my own body .This is why you are the weakest link in my plans. Now, get back in my mind before I really put a-" Shade was interrupted when Shadow spat acid on his eyes.
Shade screamed in pain as the acid started eating his face.
Shadow got on his feet and tackled Shade, punching him repeatedly in the face.
"I will not let you harm anyone else on this island," Shadow snarled, slamming another fist into Shade's face.
Shade snarled and sank through the floor using his powers. Shadow growled, looking everywhere in Gantu's ship. He was going to release Andy and Stitchie off the wall in their capsules, but Shade ripped through the metal floor below Shadow.
The evil split personality threw a ball of black energy down at Shadow as he suspended himself in the air with his fleshy demon wings.
Shadow dodged the attack and returned fire with a breath of fire. Shade flew around the ship, dodging the fire from Shadow's mouth.
He zipped around the flames and slammed Shadow through the ground. Shadow felt his body crush against each wall in Gantu's ship, feeling intense pain in his back while being rammed through the metal walls and flooring. Using his strength, he shifted his body around and ended up slamming Shade through a computer console.
Shadow put his paws on Shade's face, releasing a blue crystal light around his evil twin.
"You won't hurt anyone else. We will be-" Shadow was cut off when Shade kicked him off, stopping the fusing process.
Shade snarled and launching himself through the ceiling like a rocket.
"Have it your way," Shadow grumbled, transforming into his second form.
The scene changed once more to Shadow sitting at the park on a swing set.
"Mom always told me that 'We are no different from the humans. Our family talks, humans talk. We walk upright, they walk upright. We are just small people trying to fit in this world,' but sometimes it really isn't enough for me. I don't want to ignore her words and forget how meaningful they are, but look at my paws and compare it to a human hand. I only have four fingers with claws while the humans have five fingers with short finger nails. Our feet don't match as they are flat with claws on bottoms as the human foot takes on the form of a shoe with big peanut-shaped toe fallowed by smaller rounded toes. I have long ears and a funny round nose as the human ears are small and round while the nose is small and has pointed shape to it. I don't know why this bothers me a lot, Mom. This is a dumb question to you, but have you ever dreamed of being human?" he sighed, lowering his ears as Shadow faced his doll.
He sat on a swing set, talking to his doll while looking at his brothers and sisters play on the merry-go-round.
"Silence only beckons answers. Answers that I wish could be heard from your mouth. I dream about becoming human and taking on a human lifestyle. This body can't really do that without a disguise. Even we are not disguised right now, how do my siblings and I know that a we're not being judged right now. Stitchie and Andy look so happy with the other kids. Spring looks like she's going to blow chunks and Berrie is talking to a human girl on the bench next to the merry-go-round. How am I supposed to think good thoughts when these humans have treated us poorly? Okay, spray painting the principal's car wasn't a smart move on our part or taking you to school to talk to isn't such a wise choice but aside from that, how do I know these humans won't backstab us? I mean, look at the mix races and us. People of ethnic group are treated poorly by racial discrimination in any country. We aliens, well, us 'special' classes are looked at as freaks. Is that all I am? A freak? What am I? Discrimination and freaks…How is one supposed to live a normal life when whites slander people of a different color and race? How do whites live knowing they are looked at as savages? Blacks are looked at as pot heads, Mexicans are looked at as border hoppers, and everyone is blaming one another for every crisis in a country. We aliens don't judge one another with such prejudges. How come humans do?" Shadow paused, looking up at the cloudless blue sky.
The scene changed again to Shadow screaming in pain in his room.
"What is happening to me?" Shadow screamed, having eyes all over his body open up.
His body started growing larger and larger with fur dropping off his body. He transformed into his true form with lower part of his face ripping open that strongly resembled a spade suit from a deck of cards. All his fur dropped off his scaly body while his body expanded while becoming longer. Shadow's tail split into three ends with a needle at the very tip of each end. Tentacles sprouted out from Shadow's back with his large spikes whipping around on the tips of each tentacle.
Shadow screamed and slammed his body into the door. The door cracked when he slammed his body into it once more. He began to grow in size and length as more arms grew from his sides. Shadow slammed the door again, busting it down.
Angel's face changed to shock and fear as Shadow crawled through the narrow pathways. She shrieked as Shadow wrapped in a black web. He quickly moved through the narrow walk way and ran though the living room with his half siblings staring at him in shock. The mutated beast snarled and rammed through the door leading outside.
"Go…hunt…dig…home…" Shadow struggled to say the words as he ran into the jungle.
Shadow roared mightily and began digging with his mole-like claws.
The scene shifted again to Shadow and Andy stacking cards in their room.
"You would be unstoppable Shadow," Andy's said in a deep voice.
Blood seeped through the walls, splashing against Shadow and Andy's face but didn't flinch.
"I will do mother proud and join the Alliance because I want to make her happy," Shadow smiled in a deep voice.
The cards were drenched in blood but acted as if nothing was hitting them.
Blood filled up the entire room before the picture began to shift again.
The house was burning down as the family stood outside and watched under a dark night.
"I can't take it anymore. I have to save her!" Shadow shouted, getting ready to dart to the burning house.
Before he could get any further, his mother grabbed him by the wings and held him back.
"No, Shadow! Your father is getting, Spring. It'll be okay," Angel hugged him tight, crying over his shoulder.
"I'll help too!" Shadow shouted, vanishing from his mother's arms.
Shadow reappeared in the living room. Everything was falling down due to the fire.
"SPRING! SPRING! WHERE ARE YOU!" he shouted, going into the hallway.
Before Shadow could walk up the short amount of stairs, the ceiling feel down on Shadow, pinning him to the ground as fire started catching him on fire.
Shadow tried to use his powers but they didn't want to work. He was stuck under the fiery debris.
He looked up and found Andy with blood dripping from his eyes.
"Why did you make me go on a vacation?" Andy said quietly, walking down the stairs.
"Help me, Andy. My powers won't work," Shadow cried.
"Why did you make me go on a vacation?" He repeated, having his eyes and mouth shine with a bright light.
The scene began changing once more to Shadow and Angel talking on the porch with Shadow in his true form.
"Shadow, what is wrong?" Angel frowned, walking to her large pitch black son.
"Nothing is wrong, mom. I'm talking to myself again. I'll be leaving this planet in a few days," Shadow replied, not paying attention to his mother.
"I really hope you're making the right choice. I worry a lot about you and due to recent events I've been like a train derailing to grand central station. Please, Shadow, tell me what is wrong. I'm begging you to tell me what is bothering you. I love you so much and I don't want anyone to take you away because you're too different from us. I must know, what is going on in your mind," Angel shed a tear.
"Mom, I know you're hurting but I've reached my limit on how much ignorance I can tolerate in this family. Look, you are the only thing that I care about anymore. Not, Andy or Berrie, but you. I gave this family a try and for eighteen years I've been ridiculed, shunned, and frowned upon because of what I am. I know what I did to you in a previous life. I know what happened and I regret everything I did to you, but this family sees me as the same monster that hurt you in your dreams. You must understand that leaving the nest is a good move for me. I'm thinking about joining the Galactic Alliance if it makes you happy. I want to use my powers to do some good in the world. Apparently, this island is too overpopulated for my abilities. It would be a waste mother," Shadow grabbed his mother and hugged her, trying her best to not poke her with his venomous spikes.
"The family doesn't hate you, Shadow. It never has but I understand why it is you want to leave. Please, do come back when you feel overwhelmed. I will always accept you. I love you as if you were still a pup," Angel wiped her tears, "I look at your baby pictures a lot now. You've grown up a lot and I can't say if you have matured enough to be called an adult. I think this is a very mature move on your side that you chose to think your life through before being rash. I know one day I have to be greeted with harsh realization that you're not a pup anymore. I've been with you all your life and to see you go away just breaks my heart. Promise me that you will visit me often," Angel cried into Shadow's chest.
"Why did you do it, Shadow?" Angel's voice changed to Andy's voice.
The scene began to melt and bubble like cheese in hot oven. It changed to a Shadow vision when he was a baby.
"You!" Stitch pointed at the baby Shadow, "I don't have to like you because your mother is my wife. You're a bastard and one day you'll get your just reward Shadow Stitch. You hear me? You'll pay dearly what you did to Angel!" He yelled, putting his hands on Shadow's throat.
"I'll kill you for what you did to her!" Stitch snarled, tightly choking Shadow.
Shadow tried to cry but his little neck was being squeezed to a pulp.
"You think you'll live again. I'll put a stop to it. Everyone sees you as a new being but I still see you as a monster, Shadow Stitch"
The scene turned black and was replaced with a different picture.
"I can't stand it, Danny. The voices won't leave me alone. They keep telling me to do bad things. Then the images…Oh god the images are haunting. I'm thinking things that shouldn't exist in my life. Then there's you. You're not even real," Shadow slammed his face into a pillow on his bed.
Danny crossed her arms and tapped her right foot, "I am, too , real and you have to come at some point in your life to accept me for what I am. I'm here to stay. Deal with it," she grumbled, sitting on a chair next to Shadow's bed.
"If you're so real, how come no one can see you but me? You have some sort of magical powers that make you visible to certain people? Another thing, you don't have a scent. Everyone in this house has a particular scent whether it's perfume or BO and I'm not smelling, or anyone in fact, has noticed your scent in the air. So what is it going to be? Real or mirage?" Shadow sat up.
"That's because…Hmm, it's the way I was made. I was born in the reflection of the ocean. Reflections don't have scents. I don't know but I'm real for sure. I don't know why I don't have a scent. Don't ask me that. I don't know, okay? You think I have all the answers when I don't. Just deal with the fact I'm here?"
Shadow growled, "Here, catch this pillow," he threw it, having it go through her with half of it jutting out her stomach, "Check and mate, Danny."
"This doesn't prove anything, Shadow. It just means things go though me and that's it. Once I grab this pillow and hit you with it, I'll show you," Danny complained, feebly having her hands go through the pillow.
"I'll be an adult by the time you even remotely move that pillow. Until then, I'm going to think about Sparkle in a dirty way," Shadow smiled with his tongue hanging out.
"You disgust me," Danny hopped off the chair and began leaving the room, "Enjoy masturbating to a girl who's probably cheating on you for Stitchie," Danny walked through the door.
The scene changed to Shadow stabbing Andy with knife. Andy laid down on the floor and cried.
"How can you do this to me, Shadow? I loved you. I though you loved me?" Andy coughed up blood.
"I'm taking you on that vacation you've always wanted," Shadow smiled, stabbing Andy once more.
"What are you talking about? I never wanted to take a vacation?"
Shadow frowned and dropped the knife, "The voices in my head told me you wanted to go on a lovely vacation. I'm convinced that you wanted to go on a vacation."
Andy coughed up purple blood and tried to say something but Death had his way on the B-X.
"Now you're on your vacation," Shadow whispered.
"Shadow…What have you done?" Angel rushed over to the lifeless Andy.
"I was sending him on the vacation, mom. Andy's voice in my head told me he wanted to go on a vacation so I listened to him. Am I in trouble?" Shadow frowned.
Everything turned black and Shadow focused on what was happening to him, as he was strapped up in a chair with his paws and feet strapped tightly to the chair.
Angel was crying as she held a big needle with green liquid inside it.
"I'm sorry it has come to this, Shadow. I still love you very much but I have to do this," she cried as Angel slowly approached Shadow who wore a orange jumpsuit.
"Will Andy ever come back from his vacation?" Shadow said has the needle pierced his skin.
"Yes, Andy will come back from his vacation," Angel cried.
Shadow died quietly with a smile on his face
ElectricCircuslover: The whole story was Shadow's memories shifting in his mind before he snapped out of his subconscious. Just to clear that up.