More Mysteries

"Wake up Mr. Akuda!" Samanosuke's teacher yelled.

He had fallen asleep again in Chinese Language class.

"Ok," he reasoned, "I have a headache. Could you keep it down?"

Damn it! A dream within a dream again!

He had been having the same dream. He would dream about the red-haired girl, go outside, his shadow would move, he would jump in the pond, and fight a weird water creature.

"Nice one Suke!" His best friend Sakura and Toya whispered at the same time.

"This is the eighth time this week Mr. Akuda! I warned you and I'm sorry but your going to the principal's office!"

He was getting tired of the old-geezer yelling in his face constantly and telling him to wake up and complaining about failing his class even though he maintained a perfect score and never missed one question on all his assignments. All that started happening around the accident... the migraines, the constant drowsiness, perfect Chinese, and the weird meaningless dreams.

"Are you listening to me Mr. Akuda? You're going to the principal's office! You refuse to comprehend that–"

"Ok. I'll go if you stop talking. Your voice annoys me."

He sluggishly walked out of the classroom and walked down the hall to the office that he had come to so many times since the accident. As he turned the final corner, his head split with pain. He couldn't control the sudden rush of pain so he crumpled to the floor and writhed.

What's going on? What's happening to me? He could barely think over the excruciated discomfort that squirmed around inside his head. I can answer that. He looked up as the pain suddenly subsided and he didn't see anyone. He looked around the corner and the nearby empty classroom before he realized the answer came from inside his head. He turned around and before he could think more about the strange encounter, he bumped head-first into the school principal, Mrs. Wakaden.

"Follow me this way please Mr. Samanosuke Akuda." She said.

As he walked into the office, he could smell the familiar scent of the lilac candle that she always burned in her office. Mrs. Wakaden was an older woman in her mid-thirties with brown hair and circular glasses. She was small, roughly five foot six, but her authority didn't lack intimidation. She was very nice and wore a melancholic expression on her face that could soothe the even toughest of men. She was always fair, but when it came down to it, she had no sympathy for anyone and would issue terrifying punishments. Once, making a student clean the long hallways with a toothpick and cotton ball for a mop!

Her room was plain white with frames of degrees hanging on the walls, three file cabinets in the corner, and a large wooden desk that was kept clean from dust and disorganization.

"So what's happening now, Suke?" She said. She had come on with a first name basis with him after his hundredth or so time going to the office.

"I fell asleep again."

"That's no excuse. You are supposed to start your medication that helps your sleeping problem. I fear the accident..."

"That has nothing to do with it!" he yelled. Even as the words escaped his mouth he knew it was a lie. He hated to talk about it with other people. After what happened everyone looked at him skeptically. Even his friends Sakura and Toya stared at him with misunderstanding.

"Even so. I'm sorry, but I am going to have to involve your mom in this and I am going to have to start taking more drastic–"

Suke...

"...I can't believe that you could fall asleep during any class. I have maintained almost a perfect reputation until you came along and ruined all I've done to keep this school clean, well-cared for, and delinquent free. This is unheard on in all of my Jonan years–"

Suke...

"... I am going to call your mother and tell her everything. You falling asleep in class and all the other little disruptions that you-"

SAMANOSUKE!

"WHAT!" His sudden outburst alarmed her. The voice inside his head was so overwhelming that he excused himself and left the room running at full speed sown the hallway and down the stairs. He could hear Mrs. Wakaden screaming for him to come back. But he couldn't. The voice beckoned him.

He ran down the long entrance hallway and down the front steps of Jonan High School. He took a sharp right and followed the sidewalk till he came to a small alley between the soccer field wall and the main building. It was extremely dark. Intuitively, he looked down at his shadow and held his breath as he saw it vibrate and waver. Then, he sensed someone looking at him. The hairs on this neck began to stand rigid like statues. He held a defense pose that belied his frightened emotions. He was about to run, when out of the dark, a disembodied voice spoke.

"Finally we meet Shade Walker." As the last word was spoken, a short girl, appearing to be about fifteen years old, and with bluish-black hair walked out of the shadows. Her head was bent toward the ground. The first thing that he noticed was that she had no shadow! Then the other thing that bothered him presented itself as she raised her head. He gazed in horror as he stared straight into two eyes... white as chalk...