Author's notes: Hello everyone, and welcome to my first fic on ff.n. I hope you enjoy it. =) I just want to say a few things to start it off. Firstly, the usual disclaimers apply-I am in no way affiliated with L.J Smith and I don't own any of the original characters or the idea of the Forbidden Game series. The plotline of this story is mine, but the premise is hers. Secondly: This is only the prologue, I haven't had a chance yet to transfer the rest of the chapters onto my computer, but in total there should be three or four. And, lastly: You know, I found this story surprisingly difficult to write. When you write fanfiction based on a certain author or book, you have to make a decision: Emulate the authors style or use your own? I've settled on a sort of mix between these two options. I love Smith's writing, but I have no idea what she would do with these characters if they were actually in the position I've placed them in. She created them, and so only she knows how to write them perfectly. I've tried to portray them as realistically as I know how in my own way. I find that whenever I try to copy an author's style, even one which I admire, I fall short considerably, because no matter what I do, I cannot become that author. And so, keeping this in mind, go ahead and read...and please tell me what you think of my attempt. ^_^

Thank you,

Damaskus

(Ps: Yes, I realize that the title of this fic is also the name of a song by Oasis, but seriously, I didn't know that until a friend told me AFTER this was finished. Strange, huh? *Smile*)


Cast No shadow

Prologue

May 2nd

Dee sat straight up in bed, awoken by a harsh clanging sound. The initial disorientation that comes with sudden consciousness lasted only for a moment. Within a second she was on her feet, perfectly balanced, alert and ready to fight whatever was lurking in the shadows of her room. Instinctively, She spun towards the source of the clanging, prepared to pounce...

...and froze as she realized that the noise was only the ringing of the phone.

Blood pounding in her ears, Dee remained poised and tense for another five seconds before this knowledge fully sunk in.

It's only the phone. It's only the phone. No intruder. Relax.

Finally, she exhaled the breath she had been holding and relaxed from the fighting stance. She let the adrenaline fade from her body before crossing the few feet to her nightstand and picking up the phone in mid-ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dee?" Came the voice on the other end. "It's Audrey." Audrey's normally calm and smooth speech was strained with anxiety. Dee knew something was up before she asked.

"What's wrong, Aud? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but I'm not sure about everyone else."

Dee clenched the phone cord with her hand. "What do you mean?"

"It's Jenny."

Oh no. Dee's stomach dropped.

"She's gone missing, except we think we have a pretty good idea of where she went. Look, I know you have classes today, but do you think you could get over here?" Audrey's voice sounded like it was on the edge of breaking.

"Where are you?"

"At Jenny's house."

Dee glanced at her alarm clock. The glowing neon digits stood out in the dark, reading 5:00 AM.

"I'll be down by 6:00."

"Thanks, Dee." Some of the tension left Audrey's voice.

"No problem, tiger. You just hang in there. See you soon."

Dee waited for the click on Audrey's end, and then hung up. She threw some clothes on and grabbed her wallet on the way out the door. No one noticed the sleek, panther like figure leaving the dorm in the gloomy pre-dawn light. There was no trace of the barbaric grin that usually lit her features as she pulled her jeep out of the parking lot and onto the highway. She was too worried for that. Some kinds of danger were fun, but not this kind.

Dee floored the accelerator.

Here I come, Sunshine.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elsewhere

...The vortex was all around Jenny now, swirling and pulling with deadly force. Screaming winds ripped at her clothes and whipped her hair around her face, tangling the golden strands. Jenny felt like she was being torn, shattered, into a million pieces. Eyes, so many pairs of eyes, shining like shards of deadly jagged glass, stared out at her from the darkness. The creatures of the shadows grasped at her limbs, their clawed hands digging into her flesh and trying to invade her mind. Fear, primal and ancient, vibrated in Jenny's bones and set her body on edge. In another couple of moments, she would lose her sense of identity completely, surrendering herself to the darkness and the things that dwelled within it.

She was close to her goal, but so tired of struggling. How easy it would be to give in, to be swept away by the whirling storm.

But she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself. She could almost hear his voice, a whisper cutting through the void.

"Nothing really dies..."

A chilling thought occurred to her.

If I die, who will remember you?

Jenny tightened her grip on the Runestave. If I let it go, I let him go, she thought fiercely. Flashes of green and blue lightening illuminated the spidery glyphs that covered its length. Fighting against the invisible hands that restrained her every movement, she pulled it closer. She located the spot where there was a small gap in the writing and adjusted the hand that gripped the knife. The eerie light glinted off the obsidian blade and made it shine with power.

The Shadow hands yanked more insistently at Jenny, trying to pull her into the vortex with them. The wind swelled up to a gale force and all she could hear was the wailing off the elements, tugging at her, dragging her, swallowing her whole. The fury of the Shadow Men roared with intensity.

Time seemed to slow. Jenny raised the knife...

"Nothing really dies," she murmured.

...and slashed the Runstave.

The Shadow Men howled.

The next thing she knew, there was a burst of blinding light and then silence.