So yeah i pretty much finished this chapter now. I was going to wait till i had gotten into the last few words of chapter 3 before putting this up, but with all the stress atm of exams and, well, life, i thought it's only fair i release this chapter to keep you guys occupied for a while. Don't worry, i'll get down and working on this book asap! Thank you for the lovely comments :)

Chapter 2

Jenny felt the shadows clear from her mind as she sat up abruptly in her bed. The shocking sensation from seeing Julian so helpless hadn't quite left her body, and she continued to tremor as she fumbled for her bed-side light switch. Jenny stopped fumbling when she noticed the room wasn't dark. It glowed a faint green colour, similar to the shade of grass in spring, and seemed to be emanating from the far corner of her room. Except, that corner of her room was entirely enveloped in dark shadows.

Jenny rose from her bent position slowly and pushed herself up against her bed's headboard, reaching for the baseball bat she kept behind the bedside table. Time seemed to drag as she anxiously waited for something to happen. The uncomfortable silence roared in her ears, and she started to miss the frantic music of the arcade.

"Nice to see your grandfather again?" a voice sounded from deep within the darkness. It was delicate but menacing, like harsh wind over smooth metal. The Shadowman exited the shadows, moving gracefully towards her wardrobe and resting an arm against it. He eyed his prey lethargically, and pulled back his lips to reveal a perfect row of white teeth. Jenny inwardly shuddered.

"Mr Eric Evenson, a powerful sorcerer, now just a fading memory. Pity…" he talked as if reading an extract from a history book, one he found rather uninteresting, "People shouldn't mess with things they don't understand."

"He didn't mean any harm." Jenny didn't want to say anything to him, but seeing her grandfather again made her feel defensive, like there was still a way to bring him back to life, but squinting at this Shadowman in the dim glow of her bedroom, she knew realistically she would never see him again.

"Magic is harm, Jenny. Forbidden things are forbidden for a reason." He chuckled then, tossing an object effortlessly into the air and catching it in one fluid movement. Upon landing, Jenny saw that it was a small piece of wood with Rune carvings on its smooth surface. A Runestave. His eyes skimmed her once again, the hunger within them making her feel more and more like a piece of meat.

"What do you want from me?" Jenny whispered, clutching her arms with either hand. She wore a white string sleeve top with chequered red and pink pyjama bottoms, and the lack of protection made her feel awfully exposed and cold in his presence.

"I want to talk, is that so wrong?" He took another few steps towards her and leant his slender body against her window sill. In the moonlight seeping through her curtains, she could make out a plain black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and skinny black jeans that revealed long, muscular legs. He had jet black hair illuminated by the natural light from the window, and his eyes were bright neon green, exactly like the room's eerie green glow. Jenny noticed that he had heavy black eyelashes like Julian and a dagger tattoo on his left wrist, and around his neck he wore a chain with a single charm that, from where she sat, appeared to resemble a wolf. His expression was mocking and daring, ready to prance at her at any moment. He continued to play with the stave, turning it in his hand then tossing it skilfully into the other hand.

"I didn't think it was in your nature to just talk." Jenny edged further into the headboard. She knew it was wrong to talk back to him; it would be over much quicker if she just let him take her, but Jenny felt an old yet recognizable confidence in the centre of her chest, one that she had felt a few times around Julian when she believed she could take control of the situation. You foolish girl, Jenny thought to herself. The Shadowman chuckled briefly.

"I enjoy a decent conversation every now and then." He averted his attention to the Runestave, and Jenny watched his heavy eyelashes fall as if they were a great weight on his eyelids. She could make out three runes as he kept the Runestave still; Uruz, Isa, Nauthiz. The others weren't familiar to her, but it didn't matter. She already knew what they meant.

"I thought Julian was the youngest of his race." His eyes shot up to look at her, his face twisting into a smug expression. Jenny forgot to breathe for a second.

"'was', the keyword in such a presumption. You could say I'm the new improved replacement of your boyfriend." The Shadowman gestured towards his perfect physique, still smiling at her, this time more sweetly, "You may call me…Darien." Jenny swallowed uneasily. She knew that Julian had been an exception among his kind. Shadowmen wanted to kill her. They really wanted to kill her. But Darien would drag this out for as long as he was enjoying it.

"So, did you find that nightmare as much fun as I did?" his tone dropped to a sinister level. Jenny stared at him in bewildered horror. Her mind lingered on the image of those sad blue eyes, the serene face of her once joyful grandfather, and the theme park that had been home to her fondest childhood memories. She couldn't even fathom how any of those images could be linked to the word 'fun'.

"That isn't how I'd describe it" she spat the words out with steady, growing rage, feeling adrenaline pour into her blood stream and fill her with a strength that lifted her from the bed. She didn't know what she was planning to do, but Jenny was already up and advancing a step toward him, carrying the bat firmly in her hand. Darien bowed politely, and just before she could move an inch closer, he straightened himself and held up the Runestave.

"Remember what this is?" He enquired audaciously. She watched him twist his wrists, revealing it's every angle to her, and she sunk back onto the edge of her bed. The anger drained from her body as rapidly as it had consumed her.

"It's not only a Runestave Jenny. It's my Runestave, and it only has one name on it." She had deduced this some moments ago, and knew he could only have it for the worst of reasons.

"Why do you have that?" she breathed.

"I like to think of it as my welcoming present. It's like human babies and their toys. Every new born baby gets a toy to play with, sometimes one that is handed down to them by their ancestors." Jenny watched him incessantly twirl the Runestave in his hand, proudly showing off his 'new toy'. She considered the consequences of attempting to take it from him and run, losing an arm perhaps? Or maybe her life? Jenny clenched her teeth and looked down at her sweating hands, she couldn't bear to watch him play with the stave like it were nothing more than a tennis ball any longer.

"It's a universal fact that any new born organism needs to be entertained. After all, what's existence without a little fun?" He laughed lightly again. Jenny dug her nails into her palms and closed her eyes. His laugh always sent a wave of menace down her spine.

"What do you want me to do?"

Darien seemed faintly taken aback, and his tone changed once again to sound angelically innocent. "What makes you think I want you to do anything for me?"

"I'm used to this sort of taunting, Darien. You are hinting to me that you want something in exchange for Julian's Runestave, more specifically some sort of sick, twisted game." The words came out of her mouth rather unsteadily. She'd known it was coming, and felt the turmoil in her stomach as she pronounced the last three words. Darien laughed, lashes drooping again before searching her eyes.

"Very good. Very good. Not as dumb as I originally believed. And without even mentioning the word game." He applauded her condescendingly for a while, then crossed his arms to his chest and tilted his head to the side.

"I'm assuming you recall the basic rules?" Darien eyed her expectantly, tapping one of his arms with long, lean fingers. Jenny nodded and mentally listed them; original players must play the chosen game, through a series of clues and riddles, they must get to the end to win, if they reach the end they…. The last time Jenny had played a Shadowman's game, she had been his prize and her prize had been freedom for herself and her friends.

"And you'll let Julian free if I win?" Jenny enquired. Darien lifted his head from it's tilted position and grinned.

"You want to discuss the stakes?"

"I'm taking it there a little different to the other games." Jenny felt numb and exhausted, the energy she'd possessed moments ago had been drained from her veins, and all that was left was a powerless prey waiting to be pounced on. He wants to eat me her mind told her, he wants to feed on me.

"You presumed correctly. I will grant you Julian's freedom and return him to you. If you win." She watched his grin widen, enjoying her withering reaction to his last sentence.

"And when I win, I get you." Jenny forced eye contact with him again. Darien spoke the words so softly she nearly didn't hear them, and she wasn't certain she had the correct interpretation of 'getting her' in her mind. His lime green eyes appeared to glimmer, a gesture that reminded Jenny of Cosette's eyes whenever she hid in the darkness ready to pounce.

"Of course, not in the pathetic human way. A Shadowman's got to eat." His pupils seemed to dilate slightly, and Jenny immediately looked away, squeezing her eyes shut once again. "And quite frankly, I'm famished..."

"Why me?" Jenny murmured, fighting back the urge to swing the bat still glued to her palm at him. She wanted to hurt him, more than she had ever wanted to hurt anyone, or anything else before, but she wouldn't dare try. She would never stand a chance against someone who possessed the ability to use magic against her. Darien seemed irritated by her interruption to his dramatic threat, but remained calm and collected, allowing the fierce anger boiling in the core of his eyes to melt away.

"Isn't it obvious, Jenny?" he sighed impatiently, "What better a way to goad Julian?"

She realised the simplicity of such a vindictive plan. Darien was only using Jenny to torment his Shadowman prisoner. Darien had an evil that was unlike that of his ancestors, one that was purposely created to punish their defective betrayer, and Jenny was just a mere torturing tool.

The image of Julian trapped in the fortune telling box seemed even more real now; unable to move, unable to save his helpless Jenny from this erratic predator. The ultimate punishment for someone so used to power and control was to take it all away from them and force them to watch the damage unfold.

Jenny tightened her grip on the bat. If he infuriated her anymore, she knew she wouldn't hesitate to hurl her weapon right into his perfect little face. Jenny felt a whirlwind of hate, fear and anger suddenly clouding up her brain, and had the reckless urge to act on impulse. Clenching her free hand, she bit her bottom lip and watched him lean towards her through narrowed eyes.

"I think I'll be taking this from you," Darien pulled the bat from her grasp before she could react and smiled politely, "I don't particularly trust a hormonal teenage girl with a bat." He traced a rune onto the bat, the same one Julian had used in the last game to provide a light source in the dark cave, and she watched in shock as the bat burst into flames, falling to the floor in a pile of dull grey ash.

"Now, moving on?" Darien flicked a piece of ash off his jeans and shot Jenny another menacing grin before wandering to her full length mirror by her bed-side table. Jenny sighed dejectedly, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Please don't include my friends in this, make the game between you and me" The gang had gone their separate ways since the last game, and the idea of yet another mentally corrupting challenge that would surely aim to turn them against each other was too much to think about. Especially with Tom, who had very recently found a new girlfriend and left his old life behind. Darien ignored her for a while, conceitedly admiring his appearance before looking towards her with an expression that chased all hope away.

"Rule one, Jenny, all original players are involved. At least, that's what Julian agreed." Darien tossed the Runestave in the air and caught it again, not once looking away from Jenny. His enjoyment wasn't wavering, and Jenny's battle between fear and protective anger was making her feel very tired. Just do what you need to do and go Jenny thought sleepily.

"But I like to bend the rules a little, so I'm engaging few special guests in this game. You do not have to worry about the game becoming predictable and tedious like Julian's." Jenny started to protest, but Darien was already moving on from the topic.

"But please, cease the negotiations, it's almost morning now and you don't even have your first clue."

"First clue to what?" She could hear the instability in her voice; his mind games were frustrating and tiresome, and Jenny felt her eyelids fighting to stay open enough to look concentrated.

"Excellent question." Darien clicked his fingers, and in an instant he was gone. Everything was gone.

Jenny sat up in her bed and strained her eyes to see in the overwhelming sunlight. The room was bright and free of evil Shadowmen and eerie glows. Jenny sighed in relief. I was just having a seriously weird, and horrible dream she reassured herself, but as she leaned over to check the positioning of her bat, she noticed the empty space where it had once been, and the small pile of ash on her floor. Her alarm began to play its high-pitched jingle, and she read 10.30.a.m on its screen.

"Jenny, we're making pancakes down here!" Mrs Thornton called up the stairs.

"I'll be down soon!" Jenny pulled the covers off her body and walked to the window, meaning to draw the curtains slightly, but as she approached the window sill she caught sight of a piece of yellow tinted paper leaning against her window. Its corners were burnt slightly, and its centre were four lines of beautiful black calligraphy. She read each word carefully, immediately recognising the riddle format:

I'm big and inviting, yet so out of place,

I'm lost in a desolate, forgotten space,

I'm full of such wonders, including the key,

That you need to find to set your friends free.

"Here we go again." Jenny sighed despondently, folding the piece of paper neatly and slipping it into the back pocket of her jeans before joining the rest of the Thornton's downstairs.