Hidden Shadows
Chapter Three
I went to sleep at like midnight. Afraid…., I was afraid of the thought that someone had been in my house. Why were they there? Maybe I was just going crazy? I probably left the window open before I left for school and didn't remember. I'll just leave it at that. I'd rather be crazy than have someone sneaking in and out of my house.
I heard the door creak open from downstairs and I jumped out of bed in a panic. Wow! I needed to stop watching so many scary movies. "Christina," my mother’s voice yelled. Good, it was only her. "Yeah," I said. "You left the T.V on down here," my mom said. "Sorry, I'll come turn it off," I said. I walked down the stairs and switched the T.V off and turned towards my mom. Her arms were crossed and she had a stern look on her face. Wonder what I did wrong this time? "Christina," my mom said. "Yeah," I replied. "I got a call from your school," my mom said briskly. So that's what this was about. "So," I muttered. "You know, I told you I would send you to boarding school if you couldn't stay out of trouble," my mom said. "Okay, go ahead. Send me to a school with a bunch of freaks," I yelled. "Fine, we'll fill out the forms tomorrow morning," my mom replied silently. Finally, I'd be free from her constant complaints.
I looked at the time and saw that it was about 4:00 in the morning. I wasn't even tired, maybe I should at least have a little fun before I left for who knows where. I waited till my mom closed the door to her room and then I slowly opened the window, went out of it, and closed it quietly behind me. Now I just had to think of something I could do at this early in the morning. Heather's parents weren't home this week, maybe I'd go there. I walked towards Heathers house, it was raining, and you could hear loud music coming from her living room. Great, she's just the type of person to have a party at this time, and not invite me. Oh well, I usually let myself in anyway. I opened the door and looked around. People were everywhere, some I didn't even know. I spotted Heather and walked towards her. "Hey Crissy, I thought your mom might have grounded you for life, so I didn't think you'd come," said Heather. "I snuck out," I whispered. "Nice," said Heather giving me a high five. "So who are all these people," I asked. "Just some people from other schools," Heather explained. "That's cool, so how about getting me a Pepsi," I said. "There at the table over there," Heather said. I walked towards the table and grabbed out a Pepsi and a bowl of chips. I found an empty table and sat down to eat. A few minutes passed and my chips were gone and my Pepsi can was half empty, I was starting to get bored. "Okay everyone, find a partner and were going to play a slow song for you," said the DJ. Yeah right, I'm just going to go ask some random guy to dance. There was a cute guy heading towards me at that moment. Blonde hair, sort of curly, blue eyes, muscular, you know the kind I'm talking about. "Hey, my names Conner," said Conner. "I'm Christina," I said. "Do you want to dance," asked Conner. "Sure," I replied. He grabbed my hand and led me out to where everyone was dancing. Breathe Carolina's, Hello Fascination blared through the stereo and I almost died, it was one of my favorite songs. "I love this song," I screamed over the noisy crowd of people. "Me too," yelled Conner. We started dancing and for a couple minutes I thought I actually found a new possible way to move on. The song ended and he gently placed a kiss on my lips. "That was fun," Conner said. "Yeah," I agreed. I looked around and saw Tina staring at me and then at Conner. "Hey cutie, want to dance," Tina asked Conner. "Sure babe," said Conner. They danced while I stood glaring at the both of them. How dare she come and take away the time of my life! A few minutes later they were kissing and it looked like my chance of another guy had been blown. Heather was making her way through the crowd and embraced me in a sisterly hug. "She's not a good friend, we don't need her, and anyway I think someone wants to dance with you," said Heather. I looked next to her and that Russ kid was there. Oh gosh! He was actually decent looking. What didn't I see in him before that I saw now? Maybe it was his eyes. No longer covered in sunglasses, his eyes were icy silver. "Yo Crissy, are you here," Russ asked waving his hand in my face. I snapped out of my gaze. "Uh yeah, let’s dance," I replied. I grabbed a spot next to Tina and Conner and shot her a glare. I'll show her that I'm not a person to mess with. "What do you even see in that Conner dude," asked Russ, interrupting my thoughts. "Nothing anymore, I've got my eyes on someone else," I replied. The song finally started and we began to dance. Slow and softly, our feet stepped slowly to the beat of the music. I didn't know what the song was called but I didn't care. It was beautiful. It fit the moment. I loved every minute of it. "Fireflies”, by Owl City, if you were wondering what it is called," Russ whispered slowly and then began singing along. His voice was soft and amazing. It was odd how he knew what I was thinking, but maybe I had a confused look on my face. I do tend to look confused a lot. "You have an amazing voice," I told Russ. "Sing with me," Russ told me. I fell in with the music singing quietly, our voices blending together. Even though I had never heard the song before, I was singing it word for word. It’s like I've known it all my life. I looked around the room, it was empty. We weren't even at Heather's house anymore. "Russ, I don't remember leaving," I whispered. "Yet we never left," Russ laughed. "This isn't Heathers house," I said in a confused voice. "Look around," Russ said. I looked in every direction. There was emptiness. Yet familiarity was fading into my memory. The walls had the same detail of Heather's living room and the same window shades were still up yet they were caked in dust. "How is this happening?" I asked Russ. "I can make you see whatever you want, and anything you don't want," Russ said. I couldn't really believe any of this but it was kind of hard not to with everyone just poofing into thin air. “Can you change the future,” I asked Russ. “Yes,” Russ stated. “That’s amazing,” I shouted. “Be quiet! The others might hear you,” Russ snapped. “There’s more,” I said silently. “Of course there is you idiot,” I heard Tina’s familiar voice coming from in back of me. “Stay away from her,” Russ warned. “I’m not that dangerous," Tina hissed. I looked at her and saw the sharpness in her eyes and the colors were changing from her normal brown to a piercing red. "What's wrong with her," I asked Russ. "She's always been like this," Russ said. “Of course when she's not looking," Tina said. I always knew that there was something wrong with her but I could never figure out what it was. "It's too bad she's the same way," Tina said sympathetically. "Whoa! Did she just say what I think she said," I asked. It couldn't be true. I couldn't be one of them. "Yes. You're one of us," Russ whispered.
I heard the door creak open from downstairs and I jumped out of bed in a panic. Wow! I needed to stop watching so many scary movies. "Christina," my mother’s voice yelled. Good, it was only her. "Yeah," I said. "You left the T.V on down here," my mom said. "Sorry, I'll come turn it off," I said. I walked down the stairs and switched the T.V off and turned towards my mom. Her arms were crossed and she had a stern look on her face. Wonder what I did wrong this time? "Christina," my mom said. "Yeah," I replied. "I got a call from your school," my mom said briskly. So that's what this was about. "So," I muttered. "You know, I told you I would send you to boarding school if you couldn't stay out of trouble," my mom said. "Okay, go ahead. Send me to a school with a bunch of freaks," I yelled. "Fine, we'll fill out the forms tomorrow morning," my mom replied silently. Finally, I'd be free from her constant complaints.
I looked at the time and saw that it was about 4:00 in the morning. I wasn't even tired, maybe I should at least have a little fun before I left for who knows where. I waited till my mom closed the door to her room and then I slowly opened the window, went out of it, and closed it quietly behind me. Now I just had to think of something I could do at this early in the morning. Heather's parents weren't home this week, maybe I'd go there. I walked towards Heathers house, it was raining, and you could hear loud music coming from her living room. Great, she's just the type of person to have a party at this time, and not invite me. Oh well, I usually let myself in anyway. I opened the door and looked around. People were everywhere, some I didn't even know. I spotted Heather and walked towards her. "Hey Crissy, I thought your mom might have grounded you for life, so I didn't think you'd come," said Heather. "I snuck out," I whispered. "Nice," said Heather giving me a high five. "So who are all these people," I asked. "Just some people from other schools," Heather explained. "That's cool, so how about getting me a Pepsi," I said. "There at the table over there," Heather said. I walked towards the table and grabbed out a Pepsi and a bowl of chips. I found an empty table and sat down to eat. A few minutes passed and my chips were gone and my Pepsi can was half empty, I was starting to get bored. "Okay everyone, find a partner and were going to play a slow song for you," said the DJ. Yeah right, I'm just going to go ask some random guy to dance. There was a cute guy heading towards me at that moment. Blonde hair, sort of curly, blue eyes, muscular, you know the kind I'm talking about. "Hey, my names Conner," said Conner. "I'm Christina," I said. "Do you want to dance," asked Conner. "Sure," I replied. He grabbed my hand and led me out to where everyone was dancing. Breathe Carolina's, Hello Fascination blared through the stereo and I almost died, it was one of my favorite songs. "I love this song," I screamed over the noisy crowd of people. "Me too," yelled Conner. We started dancing and for a couple minutes I thought I actually found a new possible way to move on. The song ended and he gently placed a kiss on my lips. "That was fun," Conner said. "Yeah," I agreed. I looked around and saw Tina staring at me and then at Conner. "Hey cutie, want to dance," Tina asked Conner. "Sure babe," said Conner. They danced while I stood glaring at the both of them. How dare she come and take away the time of my life! A few minutes later they were kissing and it looked like my chance of another guy had been blown. Heather was making her way through the crowd and embraced me in a sisterly hug. "She's not a good friend, we don't need her, and anyway I think someone wants to dance with you," said Heather. I looked next to her and that Russ kid was there. Oh gosh! He was actually decent looking. What didn't I see in him before that I saw now? Maybe it was his eyes. No longer covered in sunglasses, his eyes were icy silver. "Yo Crissy, are you here," Russ asked waving his hand in my face. I snapped out of my gaze. "Uh yeah, let’s dance," I replied. I grabbed a spot next to Tina and Conner and shot her a glare. I'll show her that I'm not a person to mess with. "What do you even see in that Conner dude," asked Russ, interrupting my thoughts. "Nothing anymore, I've got my eyes on someone else," I replied. The song finally started and we began to dance. Slow and softly, our feet stepped slowly to the beat of the music. I didn't know what the song was called but I didn't care. It was beautiful. It fit the moment. I loved every minute of it. "Fireflies”, by Owl City, if you were wondering what it is called," Russ whispered slowly and then began singing along. His voice was soft and amazing. It was odd how he knew what I was thinking, but maybe I had a confused look on my face. I do tend to look confused a lot. "You have an amazing voice," I told Russ. "Sing with me," Russ told me. I fell in with the music singing quietly, our voices blending together. Even though I had never heard the song before, I was singing it word for word. It’s like I've known it all my life. I looked around the room, it was empty. We weren't even at Heather's house anymore. "Russ, I don't remember leaving," I whispered. "Yet we never left," Russ laughed. "This isn't Heathers house," I said in a confused voice. "Look around," Russ said. I looked in every direction. There was emptiness. Yet familiarity was fading into my memory. The walls had the same detail of Heather's living room and the same window shades were still up yet they were caked in dust. "How is this happening?" I asked Russ. "I can make you see whatever you want, and anything you don't want," Russ said. I couldn't really believe any of this but it was kind of hard not to with everyone just poofing into thin air. “Can you change the future,” I asked Russ. “Yes,” Russ stated. “That’s amazing,” I shouted. “Be quiet! The others might hear you,” Russ snapped. “There’s more,” I said silently. “Of course there is you idiot,” I heard Tina’s familiar voice coming from in back of me. “Stay away from her,” Russ warned. “I’m not that dangerous," Tina hissed. I looked at her and saw the sharpness in her eyes and the colors were changing from her normal brown to a piercing red. "What's wrong with her," I asked Russ. "She's always been like this," Russ said. “Of course when she's not looking," Tina said. I always knew that there was something wrong with her but I could never figure out what it was. "It's too bad she's the same way," Tina said sympathetically. "Whoa! Did she just say what I think she said," I asked. It couldn't be true. I couldn't be one of them. "Yes. You're one of us," Russ whispered.