Burning in the Shadows

Chapter one: It's a mad world


'Isn' that supp'sed ta be written with a 'c' not a 'k'?'

*huff*

'I'm jus' sayin'...'

*growl*

'Well, aren't ya in a mood t'day.'

"…"

'So when do ya think he'll let ya go? Last time ya were here for two hours.'

"Will you shut up already!" Quietly hissed a blond haired girl.

'Nope – annoyin' is one of my many, manyspecialties.' The girl could have sworn it actually grinned at her.

"Miss Woods? Is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?" Her teacher – a man in his mid forties - asked from behind his desk. The said girl looked around the empty classroom because she and the English teacher were the only occupants in it.

"Seriously? " She asked in what resembled annoyance.

"Don' aggravate 'im. Ah don't wanna spend more time here – it's boring." But the girl ignored it and continued to stare at her teacher.

"I'm sure that the essay you're writing could easily be stretched from 1000 to 2000 words, Miss Woods." The teacher crossed his arms. The girl opened her mouth to snort out a response but got rudely interrupted.

"Please, for da love of Primus, don' answer that!"

"Don't call me Miss Woods – that's my mom. It makes me feel old." She heard a snorting sound, "It's Amber." Amber said leaning in her chair.

"Sparklin', ya can't even begin ta comprehendth' definition of old."

In that moment the bell rang and that was all Amber needed to gather her things and bolt as fast as she could through the door, giving her teacher a simple 'See ya'.

"Finally outta that place. Ah don' care what others think – detention is just like serving brig time – unimaginably boring."

The blond girl quickened her pace and soon left the school grounds. Luckily, she lived close. Amber unlocked the front door to the house and stepped inside. The TV could be heard playing some sort of a cartoon show.

"Hey squirt, I'm home." Amber called and entered the living room, where a 10 year old was drowsing on the couch.

"Hey sis'." He looked at the clock on the wall, "So, what did you do this time?" The boy asked and returned his gaze to the TV.

"Eh, no big deal – bubble gummed the head cheerleader's hair."

'An' purposely flooded the halls.'

Amber's mood suddenly darkened.

"I'm going to my room. Are Mom and Robert back, Alex?"

"Mom's working at the shop, but Dad got home early – I think he's in the garage, tinkering with his old records or something." Alexander shrugged, clearly wanting to pay more attention to the TV.

Amber went upstairs to her room and from there, strait to her bathroom to take a shower. It was the only time she did have piece. After a long shower, Amber emerged dripping wet .

'So, yer ignoring me.Again.' It was not a question.

Amber went to her drawer to search for clothes.

'That tactic so far hasn't work, so why repeat it'

The girl closed her drawer little more roughly, causing her possessions on top of it to shake.

"That sounds like something he would say, don't you think?" Amber finally spoke to him and not at him.

'So ya have been listening.' Again, Amber had the feeling that he was smirking.

"Hard not to, with you bragging about him most of the time." She started dressing.

'Well, when ya haven't spoken to someone – anyone - in four Earth years, ya kinda leech on to the first thing that could actually hear ya.' When Amber didn't respond he continued speaking, but this time his tone turned more serious.

'So when are ya going to help me go back to them?' At this, the girl turned sharply to look at him.

"I'm not obligated to help you – at all. For all I can understand, you're a glowing blue orb of light that's probably a part of my imagination." Amber narrowed her eyes at the light that was hovering over her desk.

'There we go with that again . Ah'm very much real.'

"And very much dead." Amber immediately regretted saying those words, "Sorry." She muttered actually feeling bad. " You know what I mean"

"It's alright sparkling. For all I care ya could insult me as long as I get to talk to some one. I've told you before – my species is one that is in need of constant socialization, otherwise we'll go insane."

She wanted to protest about the title of 'sparkling' (he had explained a lot of terms to Amber) but considering their life span and her age, she pretty much fitted that description. Being 13 Amber actually often got confused as a kid.

"But what about your, uhh, what was it? Bonded? You said he spends most of his time in his office doing boring reports, not socializing with anyone."

'He doesn' need it that much. It's in his programmin' an' plus, as SIC, he has enough communication with others on daily basis.'By this point Amber was brushing her hair while the light was glowing brightly in front of her.

After a slightly unconformable silence the girl put down the brush and looked at the light.

"Why don't you just pass on?" Amber asked in a quiet voice. It was not the first time she asked that. The light didn't answer at first and Amber thought that he wasn't going to answer her at all.

'Because Ah promised Ah would never leave without him. Plus, he needs me now more than ever.' He answered, floating close to her face. Amber resisted the urge to gently reach out and caress him. That didn't explain much – it actually made her slightly more confused.

"Even if I agree to help you, I wouldn't know how. First, there's the fact that you may be just a fragment of my imagination and that I'm insane. And even if you were real, what am I supposed to do?"

'Ah've spent the last half an year with ya. For my species, that is a very little fragment of time, so I'm still not too late to help him and during that time, I've come to realize that you are more than capable of helping me.'

At this, Amber snorted."For an intergalactic-alien-space-robot, you sure are sappy."

'...You'll get along wonderfully with the twins I told ya about.' She was about to reply when suddenly there was knock on her door and Robert peaked in.

"Got called from your school today." At this Amber narrowed her eyes. She knew where this was going.

"And yet another reason for you to ship me off to boarding school." She crossed her arms, the light hovering over her head, but the human adult in the room couldn't see it.

"You can't keep this up. What's next? Bailing you out of jail?" Amber glared at her feet. "Listen here Missy, because you have only a couple of years left until you reach majority, I'm putting up with your attitude. If I get one more call, there will be consequences."

Amber wasn't afraid. Robert had never abused her in any physical kind of way. Even if he was a complete jerk most of the time, he was not an abusive one.

"You're to stay in your room until further notice." And with that, Robert left.

"He's not the only one who can't wait for me be eighteen." Amber muttered. She as well wanted to leave. There was nothing she hated more than staying in place where you were clearly unwanted.

'If he's not ya'r biological sire why does he live with ya'r carier?'The light went to hover next to some pictures on the wall of Amber and her biological father.

Amber wasn't in the mood to explain old wounds. She went to her bed and and flopped down, closing her eyes. If she was going crazy, she might as well take advantage of it.

"Could...could you sing to me again...Jazz?" She asked in a more quieter voice. And not long after, a song could be heard in the quietness on the room. Amber smiled gently, knowing she was the only one who could hear it.


Reviews are very much welcomed.

TBC...