"Don't look. Don't see. Close your eyes Daniel"
The voice was trembling. A man's voice tight with fear, soaked with sorrow. He held the little boys face in his rough hands, pressing his palm over the child's eyes as tears streaked down the boy's cheeks. Somewhere maybe, something was burning the air was thick, heavy and choking.
The boy tried to scream, but his voice was swallowed by the wind. Is shadow still just beyond them. Tall, crooked. It's limbs too long it's presence wrong. It raised some thing over it's head an axe, glinting red in the firelight.
The boy could only hear it.
Thud
A sickening sound. Flesh meeting wood. A grunt. A moan.
Silence
And then a whisper " you will remember me"
Then darkness
"YEARS PATHED"
In another part of town, far from the blood and the Shadows, a girl named Sarah sat on her bed, tying her shoelaces she didn't flinch when the voices downstairs got louder "you always blame me for everything!" "Because you never listen!"
Her parents were fighting again. Noisy, chaotic, and loud like always she didn't even look up she just zipped her school bag and slipped on her cardigan like was deaf to them.
"It didn't matter they will never noticed me anyway" she said to herself
She walked to school alone. No one offered her a ride. No one called her name.
At school, things weren't any better a local art sticky notes all over it again. "Weirdo. Witch. Why do you always draw scary things? No wonder nobody likes you"
Behind her rose and Ella snickered, pretending like they didn't know who did it.
But Rose knew.
During P.E, Ella "accidentally" tripped her in art class Rose made loud comments about Sarah's drawing twisted trees, empty fields, crows perched on wires. "What's wrong with you? Why can't you draw something normal" Rose whispered, fake smile Sarah didn't answer. She just stared at her paper happens to trembling slightly.
Later in the hallway she passed him the boy who made her stomach twist and are taught scatter. Kim. Tall, kind eyes, a soft smile, always surrounded by girls.
The eyes mate for half a second and Sarah looked away quickly, are face burned "he will never talked to someone like me" she thought.
She clutched her books tighter and walked faster, like maybe the floor would open up and swallow her whole. At home appearance was still fighting dinner was quiet nobody asked how did her day was. She went upstairs turned off the light and lay on her bed staring at the ceiling alone, empty and unseen
The ceiling fan spun slowly above her, making soft creaking noises light whispers she couldn't understand.
But suddenly..... She blinked. Is strange thought flickered in her mind her heart skipped. She start up slowly then grabbed a sketchbook from under her bed "oh my god I can't believe I'm thinking about this".
She sat at her decks. Happens to Hovered and for once..... She didn't draw trees or shadows or lonely roads with twisted birds she draw Kim Holly Williams. First is kind eyes then the curve of is jaw is best shoulder is chest the way is collarbones called like poetry. She wasn't even sure where the idea come from but it was soft, honest, strange and real. When she was done she looked at it for a long time then hug the sketchbook to her chest and fell into sleep. And then night for the first time in forever Sarah smiled in her sleep.
The next morning Sarah woke up with a strange feeling in her chest hope. She looked at her sketchbook the one with Kim drawing, smiled softly, then tackle it into the back of her wardrode a secret she could protect. Today, she felt like one of those fantasy girls from books mysterious, dreamy, strong. A girl with a secret crush a girl with her own world. At school, she opened her locked and again, found it litterd with mocking stickers. "CREEP". "LONER". "SHADOW GIRL".
Her chest tightened.... But she took a deep breath. " Not today " she said to herself even when Rose and Ella passed by, laughing louder then needed, whispering cruel jokes, Sarah said nothing and she still smiled. She saw him again Kim Holly Williams he wea talking to a girl near the library laughing, touching her arm. Gently. Something twisted inside Sarah. Was that his girlfriend? Was she prettier? Did he like her laugh better? She couldn't look away.
And some across the hall Rose nudged Ella " is she... Staring at Kim?" " She better not be," Ella whispered. "She's not even his type. She's nobody." But Sarah didn't hear them. She just quietly walked away. Why did it hurt? Why did I feel jealous? Why did he have to look so perfect with someone else? Later that day, during basketball practice, Kim was on the court. All the girls had gathered around, giggling, clappy, holding bottle of water like they were offering gold.
He was popular. Everyone wanted him Sarah stood at the very back. Behind the bleachers. In the shade. Just waiting. And she didn't notice that across the field Rose abd Ella were watching her "She's doing it again" Ella whispered, her voice thick with judgment. "Staring at him like she own him or something". Rose scoffed. "Pathetic does she already think someone like him would even look her way" Sarah didn't hear them but something made her skin crawl like the air shifted around her. She tightened her grip on the hoodie from the court, Kim glanced briefly towards the bleachers just for a second his eyes passed over Sarah like a Shadow and then he looked away. Sarah hearts did a slow heavy thump in her chest.