Author Note: I'm sorry for the slow update. I had to spend time with my family during the 4th of July weekend. I'm skipping to the 13th of the story to get to the interesting part. Instead, I will give off moments from out the week. But with that said, it's almost Claire's birthday. What will Jim get her for a present? What will her family think of him? What is the creature chasing Claire? Is it going to attack again? And what does it want? All of Claire's visions are going to catch up with her and it will be a rollercoaster ride. Think of this chapter as a diary entries from Claire.
I open my eyes to Mom's lullaby to find myself in the shadow realm again. I look and bounce around the rocks. Morgana is right. The shadow realm is peaceful and lets you think. No sound, no monsters, and no dangers to fight or run from. Well, except for the rocks flying around everywhere, since I have the shadow staff again, and thanks to Douxie's training, I can control them and protect myself.
I feel the heat and cold touch my back. I turn around. To my horror, I see Bellroc and Skrael showing off their demigod powers. I try to run away from them, but as I run, they start laughing and hissing that they will get me.
"No, please! Stop! Get away from ME!"
I gasp and open my eyes. Purple magic explodes throughout the room, making some things fall, and NotEnrique wakes up. Sometimes I can't move, and other times I sit up straight like a stick, but I'm always sweating, shaking, and panting for both.
"Sis! Sis! Are you alright?" I hear NotEnrique.
This is going on every night. I sleep, have nightmares about Bellroc and Skrael chasing me, and always wake up before they catch me. Sometimes I cry. Other times I just sit up or curl into a little ball on my bed, staring at a wall and praying it will be okay.
"Stop, stop, stop," I mumble, tears coating my eyes. I always feel a warm and comforting aura hug me from behind; it doesn't feel like human or troll hands, but I let them stay.
"Shhh! You are strong, my child."
This weekend and week have been a rollercoaster, to say the least. On Saturday, I came to Jim's house as promised to tell him what to bring to Huntington; a suitcase full of clothes, a toiletry bag, swimwear, and something fancy to wear on the 18th and 21st. They will be staying from the 13th and coming home on the 15th. During the week from the 16th to the 20th, they will come and spend a couple of hours there until they need to go home. The 21st will be the day of the ceremony. A day where I will be horror as the next holder of the necklace of Veronica (which I already am) and honor her and her mother's sacrifice by dancing, music, and food.
We all have the same schedule, and we're all excited. I did warn all of them and their parents about my family's racial issues, including Barbara Lake. I think I spent almost all day talking and biking, so I decided to have a sleepover with Mary, Darci, and Aja for the rest of the day. We had a blast! Having fun with pillow fights to gossiping about boys.
"Truth or dare, Claire?" Mary asks, smirking.
"Truth!" I reply.
"Have you ever become wet when kissing Jim?" She asks before everyone bursts out laughing.
I blush but nod my head childishly. "Yes. Yesterday actually." I admit and explain to the girls about the date Jim and I had yesterday, minus the Shadows Mephits and shadow figure chasing after us.
I haven't told anyone about the chase on Friday. I want to tell my parents, but whenever I try, I either chicken out or talk about something else.
"Where were you?" Dad asks with concern from last Friday. "Why are you home so late?"
"Sorry, Papa. Jim took me out for ice cream while watching the sunset, and we lost track of time." I half lie and smile at my parents.
Mom and Dad find it believable and smile sweetly. "How sweet!" Mom says softly. "But let us know if you'll be late like this again." She says sternly, making me sigh and chuckle.
Jim asks every day if I told them. We made a deal that if something escalates or I don't tell my parents before my birthday, Jim will tell them.
School is good, but my magic lessons have become... a bit complicated. My magic is only getting stronger and darker. I haven't told Douxie this; he thinks I'm just becoming a better sorceress, but I will admit, his apartment is getting too claustrophobic. On Monday, I tried to learn about creating fire after I asked Douxie to teach me, not telling him what happened to Jim and me. While he was skeptical, Douxie agreed. From Sunday to Wednesday, I tried my best to compose myself from exploding my magic as Douxie taught me the techniques and how to create a fireball. Not everything was terrible. Zoe sometimes joins us, making things more fun for me and embarrassing for Douxie. She always teases him, messing up his hair and casting tiny prank spells on him to make me laugh.
"So, are you two having fun, Douxie, or are you messing up your spells?" Zoe says sarcastically with a smirk after she uses her magic to make water fall on Douxie's head.
Me, Archie, and Nari laugh so hard we almost fall when Douxie's face turns red as a tomato.
Even though Douxie taught me how to control my magic and make it my own, I feel I will still hurt someone. I try not to show it, making me feel exhausted, emotional, and distant. I feel more scared and trapped than last week and like I destroyed everything I gained. Every day, I wake up feeling worse and worse, hiding my problems from my parents, friends, and boyfriend. The anxiety worsens my situation, and I run away for a few minutes before slapping on a smile and looking over my shoulder. I fear the shadow figure will reappear, but I can't see it. No threatening notes, ambushes, or one looking into my window. It's like I'm going crazy again, but I can feel something dark and dangerous come. During the week, sometimes the weather changes depending on my mood. Sometimes, light bulbs blow, or things explode at school. I can't imagine how many light bulbs and glass Principal Uhl had to replace. Sometimes, I try to open up to my friends, but they're often busy preparing for my birthday, or I chicken out. On Tuesday, I woke up with my sclera dark; my irises dark purple, and my pupils pitch black. It reminds me of using my shadow magic too much. But it feels different, like a wolf. It takes a few minutes of constantly blinking to make my eyes turn to normal.
I think I can hold it in—scared, anxious, stressed, and a bit paranoid. I believe I can hide it and keep on a smile. Until-
"Hello there, Shadowdancer!"
I freeze and hold my breath, not daring to turn around or move. A hand touches my shoulder, and I shiver in terror. It feels...cold. Stone cold and hard. My heartbeat quickens.
"Are you scared?" I hear the deep and dark voice in my ear, giving me a chill.
"Who are you? Why are you chasing me?" I say as confidently as I can.
"The Arcane Order was right. You are brave." The voice hisses and laughs, making me tremble. "Don't worry. I'm a friend and here to give you a little message." It whispers.
"What is it?"
"A birth of a child in the middle of the 10th month of the year. Another wizard born 900 years later on the same day. Skin the color of golden sand, hair as dark as night, and eyes the color of cocoa beans. With the power between light and dark. The child, born out of the blood and magic from one of the two elders sorcerers of mankind's history. Holds a staff of shadows and emotion. They will either be the world's savior or doom. The choice is theirs to make." The voice says softly.
My eyes widen. I heard that before. Skrael said that to me when I was in pain in my dreams. After hearing it in my head for almost two weeks, it shakes me to the core. Born in the middle of the 10th month. October-between the dates of the 15th and 19th. My birthday is the 18th. Skin the color of golden sand, hair as dark as night, and eyes the color of cocoa beans. With the power between light and dark. My skin color, my hair color, my eye color. Holds a staff of shadows and emotion. The shadow staff, but the rest of the message I still don't get.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, clearing my throat and trembling a bit.
"Why don't you ask that little nature girl, Argante, and Merlin's errand boy? I hear you know them very well." The voice hisses and laughs.
My eyes widen more. Morgana, Nari and Douxie! What are they hiding from me?
"Oh, and by the way. Happy belated birthday! Did you like the present I gave you last week?"
My body shakes. The shadow staff and the note. "It was you." I raise my voice a bit.
"You're a smart girl." The voice laughs. "But you're not smart enough to stop the Order."
I blink and see the world in an apocalypse. I breathe and tear up as I see the world in fire and ice. I shake my head in disbelief, closing my eyes, but I feel pain in my stomach and head again and cry in pain and sadness.
"You did this! You will rebirth the world into a new." The voice laughs maniacally.
"No, no, no," I repeatedly repeat in denial.
"This is the way, Shadowdancer, and you are the savior of this new world." The voice whispers.
I start to hyperventilate and beg for this to stop. "No, no, NO!"
"NO!" I screamed as the ceiling of my bedroom came into view. I shot up like a stick, panting, whimpering, shaking, and my pajamas drenched in sweat. I find myself clutching my blanket, making my knuckles turn white. Tears coat my eyes. That was...no...it felt way too real to be a-.
"Claire! Claire!"
Oh no! What time is it, and how loud did I scream? I turn to my window and see it's still nighttime. I hear my bedroom door open, and I turn to see my parent's horrified faces.
"Claire, what's wrong?" NotEnrique asks, running to my nightstand. But I ignore him.
"Claire, are you ok!?" Mom asks frantically, rushing over to me and sitting on my bed. She tries to touch my hand, but I recoil. "Claire, why are you sweating?"
I look down and shake my head, biting my lip and holding my tears. It's okay; go back to sleep. I feel a hand grab my chin and gently lift my head.
"Claire, what's wrong?" Mom asks more calmly, with Dad kneeling next to her. Her face is full of worry, and her eyes are scared.
"I...it's..." I try to think of something to say that will make the situation better. Everything couldn't have been further from better or okay. I look into my parent's eyes, worried for me, wanting to understand what's wrong. I don't want them to go back to sleep; I wanted them right here with me more than ever before.
Suddenly, as if a wall had fallen, my face crumpled, and I sobbed heavily. I feel Mom pull me close to her chest, holding me. I feel Dad's hand stroking my hair. I sigh and take a deep breath as I hear Mom shush me soothingly, feeling safe and secure in my parent's embrace. But something still feels wrong from my nightmare, and I haven't told them.
"Mom, Dad."
"Yes, Claire." They reply sweetly and pull away from me, wanting to know what's wrong.
I gulp a lump in my throat and take a deep breath. "Remember last Friday when I told you guys why I was late coming home?" I ask shyly.
"Yes. Why?" Mom replies.
"Well... Where I was with Jim... That was true, but I lied about why I came home late." I answer, playing with my fingers.
Both of my parents look at me with confusion and concern. "What do you mean, Claire?" Mom asks.
I take a deep breath. "We were ambushed." I gulp.
My parents blink and look more worried. "What?! By who?"
Before I could answer, we heard Enrique crying loudly in the hallway. Dad gets up and tells Mom to stay with me before walking to Enrique's room. Mom turns back to me, and her eyes plead for me to tell her.
"It... They-they were Shadow Mephits. Slimy and scary three-eyed monsters. They chased me and Jim all over town. We only got away because I created a portal in an alley. We escaped unscathed, but I saw something that had been haunting me for the last two weeks. A shadow. A tall, yellow-glowing-eyed, horned, and cold shadow. It appeared on a building in town; it appeared in my dreams. I even caught it stalking through my window." I cry, shaking. Mom gasps in shock, and her eyes widen.
"I had a nightmare about it just now, which is why I screamed," I mumble, pulling my legs to my chest.
"Oh, Claire, why didn't you tell me or both of us?" Mom asks sweetly, placing a hand on my knee.
"Because I was scared. Scared if I told you something and tried to either kill or capture me, that would be the end, and you wouldn't let me out of the house." I answered, and I finally moved to reach for my nightstand. NotEnrique sadly hands me the crumbled note, and I give it to Mom.
She takes it and turns on my lamp to read it. Her face becomes pale, and her hands start to tremble. She looks up at me, horrified. "When, where, and how did you get this?" She quietly demands.
"On the 3rd, with my shadow staff, on my bed, before I went to bed."
Mom gasps and looks on the verge of a heart attack. I don't blame her. This note is a threat, and the being who wrote this found a way to get into our house. Or, at least, my room. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier, Claire?" Mom says with so much worry and panic.
"You guys found out last week I have magical powers. Last Friday, I was at Hex Tech and found out I was probably born this way, and now something is after me that I have no idea what or who. I wanted to tell you, but I thought it was my imagination or it would just go away, but after two weeks of it not escalating, I felt panicked, scared, and confused. There was so much going on with this, my powers and my birthday coming up. I didn't know what to do or who to-"
Mom grabs me and pulls me into the biggest and tightest hug she has ever given me. She presses me so close to her chest. Her arms wrap around my back, and she doesn't let go. "Shhh, shhh, it's ok, Claire. It's alright." She says soothingly.
There is a strange warm feeling about the hug. Mom's bare skin is often cold, but that didn't stop me from hugging her when I was younger, but this is like she's radiating heat from her skin to mine. I spare no moment and hug her in return, burying my face in her shoulder. I cry softly and close my eyes. Mom hears my whimpering and continues to silence me while stroking my hair. I peek out and see Dad looking scared and sad.
I regain my composure and relax. Mom releases her grip and pulls away. Dad walks forward and knees down next to Mom.
Mom cups my chin, and I look at her. "Claire, we're so sorry. I understand how scared you are. I'm scared, too, and worried about your safety, but we won't lock you up at home. I'm just glad that you told me." She says softly. She leans in and kisses me on the forehead.
I smile and wipe my eyes. NotEnrique walks up to me and hugs me before crawling back to the pillowed bench and returning to sleep.
Dad gives me a tissue to blow my stuffy nose. "We will always be here for you, Claire. I won't let anyone take my little princess away." He says softly, rubbing my back.
"Thanks, Papá!" I cry softly and hug him. He wraps his arms around me and returns the hug.
After a few moments, we let go, and Mom sighs. "Come on, Claire. You need to get some more sleep. It's 3:00 PM, and you have a big day ahead." She says calmly.
I nod my head.
Dad kisses me on the head. "Sleep well, my sweet girl." He says before walking out the door and to his and Mom's bedroom.
"Can you stay here?" I ask Mom timidly. "In case the nightmares or anything comes back."
Mom looks at me for a moment but smiles and nods. "Of course, sweetie." She says sweetly and sits on the edge of the bed. "I'll use all my mom's strength to ensure no more nightmares and tears tonight."
I smile and lie down to get comfortable. "Can you please sing me the lullaby you used to when I was little?" I beg, hoping I will hear Mom sing the song I've listened to in my head for two weeks.
Instead of declining, Mom smiles wider. "Of course."
I close my eyes and drift to sleep as I hear Mom's soft voice sing our family's lullaby.
"Sleep, I'll be here as you dream; no matter where you are, I'll be in your heart; even when this night pass, I'm always thinking of you; I love you, my sweet baby; there is magic flowing inside of you." I hear her sing before I lose hearing of the outside world and fall into a dreamless sleep.
Author Note: This was a hard chapter to write. I just want to jump to the good part of the story but there are stuff in the week you should know. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and that why it took so long. I also wanted to give light to the relationship of Ophelia and Claire. I know they didn't have a good relationship in Trollhunters, but Claire needs all the support she needs. Even from her own parents.
Also, what do you think Jim will get Claire for her birthday? Let me know what you guess is. I like to know. Please review.