Chasing Shadows (5 page)

“For hundreds of years, there have been few witches, vampires, werewolves, spirits, fairies, and other supernatural creatures walking the earth. No one really knows how they are created. Despite what a lot of myths and legends say, they are not turned into supernatural beings by others like them; they are created by some other outside force. Many believe that it is the work of God and his gods and goddesses. Others believe these beings possess a life force that few have. Some even say it is in the blood of those who are supernatural. The answer has never truly been found or discovered. You are the strangest kind of supernatural that has ever been. You are a mix of three, witch, vampire, and fairy combined into one. In your past lives, you may have been one of each at different times, but since you were always sickly, you never made it through the change. I believe it was your sister’s soul that created the complete mixture. What she did has never been done before, and there are repercussions. We will not fully know what they are until you are completely changed.” Clamora sounded tired and sad, but she continued anyway. “Your process is almost done. And, after tonight, your change will be complete. At dawn it will be extremely painful. Sebastian and I will be there, and we will try to do everything we can to take some of the pain away, but we won’t be able to take it all. For that, I am sorry.

“I am going to do a few preparations for dawn, and I need complete silence in my work area. So please, do not disturb or come looking for me. Sebastian will stay with you until the time comes when we will all meet in your room to allow for the finishing process. Do you understand?” She gave me a stern look, daring me to say no. So I simply nodded at her and watched her disappear through the door.

I sat there and stared into the dark gardens outside, silently mulling over what she had told me. The explanation was complete, or as complete as she wanted it to be for now, and it made some sense, in a strange, disorienting way. The longer and harder I thought about it, the more reality began to swim and scuttle into view. There were no others like me. I was special. And I was developing a crush on the wicked-looking Sebastian. A loud cough made me jump out of my seat, and my skin blushed crimson when I saw Sebastian leaning against the doorframe. He was easily six feet tall, his dark hair was disheveled and windblown, his green eyes were on fire with happiness and excitement, and his lips were plump, as if he had been chewing on them. His strong cheeks were slightly flushed, and the tip of his delectable nose was pink. Looking at him, I thought he seemed as if he just came back from a run or from kissing some amazingly beautiful woman. I shook my head and tried to push the jealousy out of my body and into the ground. When I finally looked at him again, he smiled and jerked his head to one side, signaling me to follow him.

We walked through a maze of hallways and stairs. It felt like Clamora’s house never ended. Eventually we entered an underground tunnel that seemed to go on forever. The tunnel was lit by lanterns, which cast eerie shadows on the walls. The ground beneath our feet was compacted dirt, and the walls felt like smooth rock. When I thought our underground trek was almost done, we came to a fork and Sebastian took the left one. My legs were getting tired and the muscles were screaming in pain. I knew part of it was from the achiness I’d felt when I woke up. After five minutes, we came to a wooden door that looked extremely old and terrifyingly heavy. Sebastian pulled the door open with no effort and smiled.

A soft glow of yellow light encompassed the room, making it bright and warm. I looked down and started picking at my split ends when I saw we were in a very intimate sitting room. The walls were painted a soft blue, a cozy fireplace sat in one corner, lush black carpet blanketed the floor, and a small beige loveseat sat in the center of the room. An open doorway on the west wall led into a small kitchen. Black and white tiles covered the floor, and white walls offset stainless steel appliances. The cabinets were cherry red, and the counters were black marble flecked with silver and gold. I noticed that even though the rooms seemed small, it was a very comfortable place. Everything was scaled to size and matched perfectly. Sebastian grabbed my hand and led me through the kitchen into a small hallway. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as he continued to hold my hand, making it impossible to pay attention to anything. Trying to focus on making my heart slow and calm down was a difficult task. He stopped walking for a moment, and I heard a door creak loudly. Pulling me into the room, he sighed and released my hand.

I gasped in amazement. The room was filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and sliding ladders accompanied the shelves. Five stairs led into a small reading area that was surrounded by windows and a small brick fireplace, with books stacked precariously on small end tables. Smiling, I took a small step toward the closest bookshelf and ran my fingers along the collection that sat there. Not one dust bunny was in the room, and I realized this was probably Sebastian’s favorite room—just as it was becoming mine. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Sebastian’s soft voice carried over to me and pulled me away from my thoughts.

“It’s absolutely amazing. How did you even get this room so full of books? And I’m not just talking the newer stuff from authors now, but the classic stuff too?” I couldn’t contain the awe in my voice and the pure excitement in my chest. I felt like a small child going into a candy store after getting tons of new toys.

“That’s a story for another day. Right now, I want to tell you a different story. Please, come sit down here with me.” His voice went soft and sweet as he looked into my eyes. He almost looked sad, so I felt compelled to obey his words.

I sat in one of the cushioned chairs next to Sebastian and smiled softly. A few moments passed in which we just stared at each other in complete silence. His eyes burned with a passion that seemed to have been dormant for thousands of years. Suddenly, the passion was gone and he was hiding behind a mask of indifference. Then he told his story.

“Many years ago there was a girl. Much like you, she was different from the rest of humankind. She could scare people with just a look and brighten the room with a smile. Her name was Amaryia Renea. She came from a long line of aristocrats, and her father was the most doting, concerned, and protective man anyone had ever seen. Amaryia had a twin sister named Lillyiah. People called her Lil or Lilla. Lillyiah was far fiercer; she delegated, demanded, and tortured men who wished to call her theirs. She was not one to be trifled with, and no man ever seemed to look past her beauty to what lay beyond, in her soul. Lillyiah was not a good person. Her soul may have been sweet and gentle before, but in that lifetime, it was wicked and dark. Sweet Amaryia was beautiful inside and out. And only one man saw that of her.” Sebastian had a sad, faraway look. He stared into the space around him before shaking his head and continuing his story. “Amaryia had taken a liking to him, but when the time came for him to ask her father’s permission for her hand in marriage, she fell ill.

“Her father took the man aside and told him if he didn’t want Amaryia any longer, he understood. But the man protested and said no one else would do. He wanted her for his wife, no matter what. So her father agreed to allow the marriage proposal to go on. Months went on and Amaryia got better, and they married. Her father made a small cottage for them at the edge of the property, and they decided to have children. Amaryia had begged the man to think about what could happen if she conceived and the child was born. She had always been sickly, and her sister Lillyiah always tried to help her. He understood what would happen and told her he was going to find a doctor who could heal her. The sweet Amaryia did not know that he was of supernatural beings and he knew a healer. She told him it was okay, and he left. Amaryia cried for days while he was gone, and when he finally returned a week later, she had fallen terribly ill again. The healer pulled the man aside and said there was nothing he could do for the girl and walked away. Amaryia’s husband fell to his knees and begged for help and mercy, but it was not granted right away.

“Amaryia fell asleep one day and never woke again. The man cursed the skies and everything else until the day of the funeral, when he found a small note in his pocket. When he read the words, he smiled with heartbreak. They were a promise that he hoped would come true in his lifetime. And it did.”

When he finally came back to the present, Sebastian smiled at me with such conviction and shyness that it made my heart ache.

“What did the note say?” I was scared to ask, but I had to know.

“That is another story for another time, little AubrieAnna.” Sebastian gave me a half smile, and my heart flopped around before finally settling in its correct place.

“I am not little. Well, not anymore anyway.” I fought the urge to stick my tongue out like a two-year-old and prayed that he wouldn’t notice my small struggle.

“Trust me when I say that to me you are. You are young and therefore you are little, little AubrieAnna.” He smiled a smile that dared me to argue, so I stuck my tongue straight out in pure defiance. His laugh filled the room and a sense of déjà vu washed over my skin, making me shudder. Sebastian must have thought that it meant I was cold, because he got up, walked to the fireplace, and lit a small fire that heated the room quickly.

When I finally stood, my muscles felt sore and achy, and I realized we had been sitting there just talking for hours. Sebastian looked out the window and sighed. After he stretched, he led me back through the hallway, into the kitchen, then out through the small sitting area and into the tunnels once more. The walk back to Clamora’s house seemed to take less time, and when we finally reached the door to her house my stomach let out a ferocious growl. I peeked at Sebastian to see if he noticed, and he did. He was smiling down at me and took me to the kitchen. He shuffled around in the large fridge until he came out with some sandwich ingredients. With his back turned to me, he began humming while throwing a sandwich together with a side of sliced fruit. Carefully he set a plate and some water in front of me, and I sat down on one of the four bar stools. I took a cautionary sniff of the sandwich and after deciding it was edible, I took a bite. My stomach growled again but with fervor, and I ate the sandwich faster than I should have. A few grapes rolled around on the plate and a plump raspberry came into view. Once I finished the fruit, I drank all of the water and watched as Sebastian cleaned up for me. He smiled at me and told me it was time to change the rest of the way. Fear caught in my chest, and I thought I was going to lose my lunch. I was thankful I didn’t when he promised that I would be okay.

The room I slept in was lit by white candles. Crystals lined the doorway and windowsill, a red rose was on each corner of the bed, and a broken arrow lay on the bedside table. Clamora stood in the center of a chalk circle on the floor, and she motioned for me to lie on the bed. I complied. My body shook with fear as I stared at the ceiling. Hundreds of what-ifs ran through my mind, and my stomach started churning with nervousness. I searched the room for Sebastian and watched as he joined Clamora in the circle, but before I could even ask about it, the first wave of excruciating pain shook my body. A claustrophobic feeling washed over me, and I had to gasp for air. Every nerve ending in my body was on fire, my muscles felt like they were being torn to pieces, and my bones felt like they were being smashed by sledgehammers. My teeth chattered as my body convulsed and my vision started going black. I knew I was going to pass out from pain or lack of oxygen. Either way, I was glad to be losing consciousness. Somewhere in the room I heard Sebastian yelling at Clamora, telling her she had to stop or I would die. Struggling, I fought against the darkness that was pulling me under. I wanted to make it through this change, I wanted to see Sebastian again, and I wanted to see what I could do when it was all over. Everything that I wanted to see and needed to do helped me hang on to the smallest bit of consciousness I had left. A small fetal noise escaped from my dry mouth as sweat rolled onto the sheets and my eyes started shaking. The pain felt like it would never end, when all of a sudden everything seemed to be stopping. My bones felt whole, my muscles strong, and my nerve endings were cooling to soft warmth. Then it all stopped. Oxygen filled my lungs, my teeth stopped chattering, and my eyesight cleared. I carefully sat up, looked down at my hands, and gasped.

My fingertips were glowing silver, and as I moved to look more closely at them, an itchy sensation crawled in between my shoulder blades. I swung my legs over the side of the bed to go find a mirror and noticed that the crystals had turned red, the four red roses were white, and the broken arrow was whole. A bright glow from the window caught my attention, and I glared at the rising sun. Dawn had passed, and my change was complete. When I was done glaring out the window, I turned to the door and quickly escaped to the bathroom. Keeping my head down, I took three deep breaths before finally looking into the mirror. What I saw stopped my heart and breath.

Purple irises with silver borders stared into the reflection. The veins in my neck and wrists were a mix of light silver and deep purples, my hair was still dark, but red and blue tints peeked out, and my skin was paler and more translucent. After staring at my reflection for a few minutes, the itchy sensation came back, so I pulled my hoodie up and craned my neck to see a small black symbol splayed out on my back. Swirls created multiple shapes; the longer I stared, the more I saw. There were a rose, wings, and a small crescent moon on the right side and a blazing sun on the left. I smiled at the tattoo that my change had given me. It was beautiful and unique, like me.