Hidden Shadows
Chapter One
I was so tired. The week had dragged on and on and with all the homework I had I never had time for the precious sleep that I could have obviously used. Add on my parents constant complaints it was like I got an hour of sleep a day. I mean, literally, it's always "Christina, do your homework", "Christina, how many times have I told you to clean your room". It’s like their lifelong goal is to torment me. Why can't they complain about my brother? He's the one who comes home at two in the morning and sleeps in till like 4:00 and his room is even worse than mine, I mean come on people, I'm pretty sure he still has a dead rat on his floor that's been there for three months. Gross! I dragged myself down the stairs and went into the bathroom to fix myself up before I went to school. Wow, did I look horrible! There were dark circles under my eyes and my hair looked like it hadn't been combed in weeks. I grabbed my brush from the drawer and managed to get through all the knots and tangles and then I fixed it up with my straightener. Now that my hair was all set I didn't feel as disgusting. I put on some makeup and ran upstairs to get dressed. I grabbed an old volleyball t-shirt and a pair of shorts and threw them on, I was already five minutes late for school. It's not like I cared though. I didn't want to go to school looking like I did. I ran downstairs and grabbed the keys to my car and left to the dreaded place I called school.
When I pulled up in my Porsche all my friends who must have ditched class crowded around me nodding in approval of the car I got last week. My BFF Tina grabbed the door and opened it up for me. How nice of her. "You look happy to be here," said Tina. "I'm overjoyed," I said sarcastically. "What's wrong," Tina asked. "I’m so tired," I replied. "Sucks to be you," Tina said. She is absolutely right about that. "So, did you hear that Joey's dating Amanda Black now," Tina said. Like that's something she's been dying to tell me. "That's good for him," I muttered. Joey Reed, the most popular guy in school is dating the co-captain of the cheerleading squad after dumping the captain, yours truly, in front of the whole school. That's something I really wanted to hear. "C'mon Crissy, he's so last week and it's time to move on to this week," said my other friend Heather. "Your right, I should just get over the guy I dated for two years," I said sullenly. "Great, cause this cute guy is checking you out over there," Tina whispered, glancing in that direction. She was right about one part, there was a guy watching me. The cute part was what she was wrong about, maybe creepy but not cute. He was definitely not my type. He had black hair that covered his eyes that were hidden under sunglasses and a plain white t-shirt with ripped jeans. He was kind of scary. She can have him. "That's creepy," I told her. "Fine then, it's your loss," Tina muttered as she stalked off.
"What's her problem, a voice that made me jump asked. I turned around a there he was. Now that's weird, just a minute ago he was sitting along the school and now he was standing next to me in the parking lot. Talk about fast. "I-I don't know, just a little grumpy maybe," I stuttered. He laughed and then set his hand on my shoulder. Heat ran through my skin. "The names Russ," he said. "I'm Christina," I replied. "Cool name," said Russ. Wow! That was the first time someone’s said that to me. "Thanks, you too," I said. "Thanks," he mumbled. A long silence broke through and he just stared at the ground while I thought of what I should say to him. "Well, I'll see you around," I said, slowly walking away. "Oh, okay, bye," said Russ. I got into the school and it was lunch time, my favorite part of the day. I was starved and the encounter with Russ made me all queasy inside and hot on the outside. It was like he had stuck his hand in a fire.
I saw Heather across the cafeteria and I waved her over. "Hi, what took you so long," Heather asked. "That Russ kid was talking to me," I said. "Oh, how did that turn out," asked Heather. "Weird he touched my shoulder and his hand was burning," I said. "Maybe he's not human," Heather joked. Heather was deeply into that kind of stuff. Like vampires and ghosts, the stuff that scares little kids. "I guess I need to watch out then," I said sarcastically. "Unless you don't want to," said Heather. "I’m sorry; I'd rather not be by him. Something’s weird about him," I replied. "Tina thinks your overreacting," Heather said. "Of course she does, it's her life to get me to date the guy of her dreams, since her parents won't let her date yet," I said. "It's not her fault," said Heather pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I have to answer this," Heather said, waving goodbye. I waved goodbye and turned around. Whack! There she was. Amanda Black, just the person I wanted to run right into. "Hola, Crissy!" said Amanda in her annoying high pitched squeal of a voice. "Hi," I said acting like I was so glad to see her. "What's been up with you lately," asked Amanda. "Nothing much," I replied. Keep conversation with the enemy as short as possible that’s my number one rule of life. "I should probably go get the work I missed while I was gone," I said. "Okay, Joey's probably waiting for me," said Amanda cheerfully. Geez! I just wanted to smack that girl so much and I did. Well I didn't exactly slap her it was more like a punch but she deserved it. Amanda wasn't going to just take it though and she knocked me in the cheekbone. "That the best you got," I taunted. She swung her other fist at me and I ducked. "Missed," I hissed and hit her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. A cough came from in back of me. I turned around and came face to face with Principal Turner. "Is that all ladies," said Principal Turner. I kicked Amanda in the shin and then nodded my head. "Christina Lewis, you know how long I'm going to have suspend you for don't you," said Principal Turner. "Two days, it not like it's the first I'm getting suspended for fighting," I said. "Wrong, ten days first you skip half of school and then relentlessly beat a fellow classmate, that’s considered assault and I could have called the cops," Principal Turner explained. "That's not fair, she hit me too," I complained. It wouldn't work though, Amanda was his stepdaughter and he always let her have her way. "It was for self-defense, she had a reason to," Principal Turner stated. "Whatever," I said and I walked out of the cafeteria and left the school.
Ten days off school, that's not torture, it's a miracle. I hopped in my car and drove home. As I was pulling up into my driveway I noticed the lights were on in my house. My brother was at school right now and my parents were working. Maybe my mom got off early. I opened the door to my house and looked around. No one was home. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. A rerun of Pretty Little Liars was on, the one I hadn't seen yet so I decided to watch it. I got up to pop a bag of popcorn, but stopped, a loud crash came from down the hall in my room. I ran to my room and looked around. My favorite vase that my grandmother had given to me was on the floor in shattered bits. Oh great! My glance averted to my window. It was open. Someone was in my house and went out the window. I popped my head out the window and looked outside. There were no tracks leading from my house and no evidence that anyone was here. Somebody was though, I just know it. But who was it?
When I pulled up in my Porsche all my friends who must have ditched class crowded around me nodding in approval of the car I got last week. My BFF Tina grabbed the door and opened it up for me. How nice of her. "You look happy to be here," said Tina. "I'm overjoyed," I said sarcastically. "What's wrong," Tina asked. "I’m so tired," I replied. "Sucks to be you," Tina said. She is absolutely right about that. "So, did you hear that Joey's dating Amanda Black now," Tina said. Like that's something she's been dying to tell me. "That's good for him," I muttered. Joey Reed, the most popular guy in school is dating the co-captain of the cheerleading squad after dumping the captain, yours truly, in front of the whole school. That's something I really wanted to hear. "C'mon Crissy, he's so last week and it's time to move on to this week," said my other friend Heather. "Your right, I should just get over the guy I dated for two years," I said sullenly. "Great, cause this cute guy is checking you out over there," Tina whispered, glancing in that direction. She was right about one part, there was a guy watching me. The cute part was what she was wrong about, maybe creepy but not cute. He was definitely not my type. He had black hair that covered his eyes that were hidden under sunglasses and a plain white t-shirt with ripped jeans. He was kind of scary. She can have him. "That's creepy," I told her. "Fine then, it's your loss," Tina muttered as she stalked off.
"What's her problem, a voice that made me jump asked. I turned around a there he was. Now that's weird, just a minute ago he was sitting along the school and now he was standing next to me in the parking lot. Talk about fast. "I-I don't know, just a little grumpy maybe," I stuttered. He laughed and then set his hand on my shoulder. Heat ran through my skin. "The names Russ," he said. "I'm Christina," I replied. "Cool name," said Russ. Wow! That was the first time someone’s said that to me. "Thanks, you too," I said. "Thanks," he mumbled. A long silence broke through and he just stared at the ground while I thought of what I should say to him. "Well, I'll see you around," I said, slowly walking away. "Oh, okay, bye," said Russ. I got into the school and it was lunch time, my favorite part of the day. I was starved and the encounter with Russ made me all queasy inside and hot on the outside. It was like he had stuck his hand in a fire.
I saw Heather across the cafeteria and I waved her over. "Hi, what took you so long," Heather asked. "That Russ kid was talking to me," I said. "Oh, how did that turn out," asked Heather. "Weird he touched my shoulder and his hand was burning," I said. "Maybe he's not human," Heather joked. Heather was deeply into that kind of stuff. Like vampires and ghosts, the stuff that scares little kids. "I guess I need to watch out then," I said sarcastically. "Unless you don't want to," said Heather. "I’m sorry; I'd rather not be by him. Something’s weird about him," I replied. "Tina thinks your overreacting," Heather said. "Of course she does, it's her life to get me to date the guy of her dreams, since her parents won't let her date yet," I said. "It's not her fault," said Heather pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I have to answer this," Heather said, waving goodbye. I waved goodbye and turned around. Whack! There she was. Amanda Black, just the person I wanted to run right into. "Hola, Crissy!" said Amanda in her annoying high pitched squeal of a voice. "Hi," I said acting like I was so glad to see her. "What's been up with you lately," asked Amanda. "Nothing much," I replied. Keep conversation with the enemy as short as possible that’s my number one rule of life. "I should probably go get the work I missed while I was gone," I said. "Okay, Joey's probably waiting for me," said Amanda cheerfully. Geez! I just wanted to smack that girl so much and I did. Well I didn't exactly slap her it was more like a punch but she deserved it. Amanda wasn't going to just take it though and she knocked me in the cheekbone. "That the best you got," I taunted. She swung her other fist at me and I ducked. "Missed," I hissed and hit her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. A cough came from in back of me. I turned around and came face to face with Principal Turner. "Is that all ladies," said Principal Turner. I kicked Amanda in the shin and then nodded my head. "Christina Lewis, you know how long I'm going to have suspend you for don't you," said Principal Turner. "Two days, it not like it's the first I'm getting suspended for fighting," I said. "Wrong, ten days first you skip half of school and then relentlessly beat a fellow classmate, that’s considered assault and I could have called the cops," Principal Turner explained. "That's not fair, she hit me too," I complained. It wouldn't work though, Amanda was his stepdaughter and he always let her have her way. "It was for self-defense, she had a reason to," Principal Turner stated. "Whatever," I said and I walked out of the cafeteria and left the school.
Ten days off school, that's not torture, it's a miracle. I hopped in my car and drove home. As I was pulling up into my driveway I noticed the lights were on in my house. My brother was at school right now and my parents were working. Maybe my mom got off early. I opened the door to my house and looked around. No one was home. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. A rerun of Pretty Little Liars was on, the one I hadn't seen yet so I decided to watch it. I got up to pop a bag of popcorn, but stopped, a loud crash came from down the hall in my room. I ran to my room and looked around. My favorite vase that my grandmother had given to me was on the floor in shattered bits. Oh great! My glance averted to my window. It was open. Someone was in my house and went out the window. I popped my head out the window and looked outside. There were no tracks leading from my house and no evidence that anyone was here. Somebody was though, I just know it. But who was it?