Status: Work In Progress ^_^

Shaden Wars

Never Be the Same

Shortly after the incident outside, I rejoined Kate and Lily in Kate’s room. I didn’t tell them about the fox. I didn’t want to worry them. We agreed to give it a rest for the day, so we all decided to go our separate ways and get some rest.

As soon as I got back to the house I allowed myself to have a moment of reflection on what happened earlier. I turned off my car and slumped in the seat, staring a head at empty space.

“What’s happening to me?” I asked aloud. It was all so much. The visions, the amnesia, the fox…

I laid my head against the steering wheel, relishing the coolness on my fevered skin. I could hear the distant rattle of dishes in the kitchen as well as the occasional car driving by our house. Soon those sounds dulled to nothing as I focused on trying to remember.

I remembered the vision with the fox. I remember the woman. She told me to “end this”. End what?

She said “only I can save them”. But who am I saving? How can I?

I sighed heavily and sat up straight. I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror and saw that I looked really pale. I forced myself to smile.

“You know what, Rayne? This all might as well be one big nightmare. It’s not real. You’re not having really vivid visions or amnesia. You’re not crazy. You are 20 years old and you’re fine. Everything’s OK. Alright?” I asked myself. The girl in the mirror didn’t look convinced and I sighed again.

“It’ll be ok. Nothing’s changed. Before you know it, everything will be back to normal.”

On that note, I was about to exit the car when a flash of black caught my eye. I quickly snatched up the tablet feeling momentarily guilty about leaving it in the cold car. I did a quick check on it, but everything was fine. Tablet in tow, I got out of the car and went inside.

“How’d it go, honey?” Natalie asked immediately when she saw me. I dodged away from her and shrugged.

“How’d what go?”

“Seeing your friends and such? I saw Ian leave earlier I assume he was with you all as well?”

“Yeah. It was fine,” I mumbled. Natalie glanced at me and frowned.

“Are you feeling ok? You don’t look so good.”

“I’m just tired is all. It’s a bit chilly outside. Think I’m going to go lay down,” I said quickly before dashing up the stairs to avoid more questions. I entered my room and shut the door firmly behind me. Once safe inside I slumped against the door with a sigh. I reached out and flicked the lights on.

My room was the same as I had left it this morning. Nothing had changed. I mechanically went into my bathroom and took off my sweater. I winced as I glanced down at the scratches on my arms. They were covered in dried blood. I silently kicked myself for not cleaning them sooner, they were probably infected now.

I riffled through my medicine cabinet for some peroxide and bandages. Then I started the process of cleaning the wounds. I grit my teeth against the stinging and tried to put my mind elsewhere. Just then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I dug it out and saw I had a text message from an unknown number. Mildly curious I slowly read the message. And then read it again in shock.

~Now it kind of hurts my ego to know you haven’t taken full advantage of having my contact information, love~

I felt a slight flush work its way up my neck and I glanced around guiltily. I had forgotten about the phone trick Kyllian had pulled earlier. I momentarily entertained the idea of not replying, but was interrupted by another message.

~I know you’ve read my message so don’t think you can get away with ignoring me~

I looked at the screen shocked. I looked around again. Is he spying on me?

~I can call you if you prefer, dearie. Or maybe, what’s it called, facetime?~

I scoffed aloud at the prospect of facetiming Kyllian. Forgetting about my task of cleaning my cuts, I texted him back out of annoyance.

-What do you want, Kyllian?-

~Ah, no warm welcome? And I was so looking forward to calling you~

-Cut the crap, Kyllian. What do you want?-

A minute passed. Then two. I bit my lip and growled in frustration. Why am I encouraging this?
I quickly set my phone down and got back to cleaning my arms. Once I had finished I casually glanced at my phone. He still hadn’t replied.

“All bark and no bite?” I pondered aloud. I looked back at my reflection and glared at myself. “I don’t care either way.”

I grabbed my phone as I went back into my room and flopped down onto the bed. I hugged my pillow close to my body as I stared at the black screen. I was just about to throw it across the room when it dinged making me jump. I nervously read the message.

~What happened at PiPs?~

I was startled to realize I almost felt disappointed. So he just wanted to know about that, huh?

-Nothing. The manager didn’t give us any information.-

I shivered remembering the piercing dark eyes following me and the paintings depicting carnage.

~Damn. Alright, well you know how to get a hold of me should anything happen.~

I stared at the screen shocked. That’s it?

A sudden bout of anger filled me and I tossed my phone away.

“All that fuss, and that’s all he wanted? Fine, that’s fine. I didn’t want to talk to him anyway. I don’t even know why I told him anything!” I growled punching my pillow in frustration. Realizing how stupid I was reacting, I immediately stopped and glanced around. No one of course was there to see that, so I lay down and closed my eyes.

“Just go to sleep, Rayne. And when you wake up it will be as if none of this ever happened…”
And with that, I fell into what I’d hoped would be a deep dreamless sleep. Until, of course, the visions started.

Meanwhile…

~Lily

“Just go home already, would you? We’ve been searching for hours,” Kate groaned as she shut down her laptop.

“Yes, yes, I will. I just wanted to make sure we had covered all the bases, you know?” Lily replied. She yawned and stood up slowly.

“I don’t think it’s been all that productive,” Kate grumbled from her resting place amidst a pile of clothes. Lily rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Well, I feel better about it. I’ll go now,” she said while she pulled on her coat.

“Do you think we should have included Rayne in all this?” Kate asked quietly.

“She’s had enough trouble. Technically we all agreed to drop it. If she knew we spent hours trying to find out if Blue Moon Eclipses can cause amnesia I don’t think she’d be too happy.”

“Well, you wanted to drop it,” Kate remarked with a raised brow.

“I know, I know. I’m weird like that, always changing my mind at the drop of a hat,” Lily said sarcastically.

“They have a name for that, you know?” Kate barked. “Bipolar Disorder.”

“If anyone’s bipolar here, it would be you,” Lily countered. Kate huffed in agreement and flopped around on the bed until she was comfortable.

“Alright get out of here. It’s nap time.”

“Ok, ok. I’m going. See you later,” Lily said with a wave as she picked her way out of the room. She wandered down the hallway towards the front door. The sound of male voices made her pause outside of Ash’s room. She looked around sheepishly and then glanced in.

Ash and Ian were sitting in front of a large flat TV screen surrounded by crushed cans of Dr. Pepper. By the looks of it they were currently in a heated match on some multiplayer video game. Ian reached over and nudged Ash in the ribs with his elbow as he tried to gain the upper hand.

“Take that, you bastard!” Ash yelled as his fingers flew over the controller buttons. Ian chuckled and Lily felt her face heat up ever so slightly. He leaned forward and Lily watched wide eyed as his shirt hem rose, exposing his lower back. His tanned skin was smooth and she could see the muscle rippling beneath its surface. The desire to reach out and touch him was almost overwhelming.

Lily drew in a shallow breath and backed away from the door. Shaking her head, she quickly left the house. Once outside she took a deep breath of cold air and sighed. She raised her hands to her face and could feel the heat radiating off it.

“What’s wrong with me?” She asked to no one. She smiled unwillingly and walked to her car.

Once on the road, she noticed her gas tank was near empty.

“Damnit…”

She reluctantly pulled into a nearby Eagle Stop gas station. The wind had picked up and she gripped her coat around herself tightly as it tore at her in icy waves. Gas prices had lowered to $1.68 against all odds, so she knew it thankfully wouldn’t take very long to gas up her car. She rushed out and started the process.

While waiting for it to fill, Lily noticed a man walking slowly along the sidewalk near the station. He was dressed in ragged clothes that were full of holes and charred markings. He had his head hung low and his shoulders drooped so she couldn’t make out his features. He seemed like an older gentleman. She momentarily had the urge to run over and offer him help, but another gentleman was already heading towards him.

Lily watched as the man said something she couldn’t hear to the ragged man. He seemed tense and his posture was rigid. Suddenly he was yelling something while waving his arms around. Shocked, Lily could only stand there and watch as the ragged man punched the other guy in his jaw, knocking him onto the ground. She distantly recognized the little pinpricks of cold along her skin that told her it was beginning to rain.

“H-hey! Stop!” She yelled as she started towards the struggling men. As she got closer, she saw that the ragged man’s face matched that of his clothes. His skin was leathery and scarred, but his eyes shone bright with almost madness. The other man was angrily trying to free himself from the ragged man’s hold, but the ragged man was too strong. He drew back his fist again and again, punching the other man. Lily felt dread pool in her stomach as she desperately tried to think of a way to stop him.

The sight of blood on the ragged man’s hands stopped her dead in her tracks. It was incredibly vivid against the dank colors of their surroundings. The rain, which had grown stronger cause the blood to fall in rivulets along the man’s hands. The other man groaned as the ragged man beat him, causing Lily to snap out of her trance.

“Stop! Get off of him!” She cried as she grabbed a hold of the ragged mans arm. He twisted towards her with a snarl and pushed her backwards. Lily gasped as she saw his eyes flash black before returning to normal. She crashed to the ground and felt the air leave her lungs. She gasped for air as she struggled to rise. The ragged man had turned his attention back to the other man.

“I told you to stop!” She screamed at the ragged man. She reached out for him, and then felt herself grab him around his torso. Except that she hadn’t in fact grabbed him. She stood stunned as she saw what was before her.

The rain had pooled into a large sphere of churning water surrounding the man’s midsection, holding him still. Lily’s hands began to shake uncontrollably in front of her. Despite the impossibilities of what she was witnessing, Lily felt a great drain from her energy. She was growing more and more exhausted by the second, and she knew that she couldn’t hold onto the ragged man for long.

She pushed with all of her strength, and the ragged man was sent hurtling away by the sphere of water. He was screeching a high pitched wine that made Lily’s ears ache, but she ignored it. The sphere dissipated and the ragged man fell to the ground in a heap. He coughed and sputtered as he chocked for air. Lily slowly looked down at her shaking hands.

“What did I do?” She whispered terrified. The ragged man struggled to his feet and shot her a look of pure malicious intent. Then with a grin he ran the other way, soon disappearing into the woods.

Lily turned and ran to the other man’s side. He was trying to sit up and coughed violently, sending a spray of blood against the pavement. The sight of his bloodied and bruised face made Lily’s stomach churn, but she pushed those feelings aside.

“Sir? Sir, I need you to come with me. Can you stand?” she asked hurriedly. She glanced around, but there was no sign that the ragged man would return. Still, she didn’t want to take any chances. The man nodded a weak confirmation, and Lily helped him stagger to his feet. Half-supporting him, she took him inside the gas station to a very alarmed looking cashier.

“You need to call for an ambulance,” she demanded. The cashier paled even more and ran off to get the phone. Lily gingerly set the man down against the counter. His wounds looked relatively severe, but not life threatening she noted with relief. She wasn’t sure how she could tell, but she knew.

“We’re going to get help for you. Everything will be fine,” she reassured him. The man wheezed and grasped Lily’s arm tightly.

“T-Thank you,” he gasped out with much effort. Lily felt a lump rise in her throat and she gently patted the man’s hand.

She stayed until the ambulance arrived to collect the man, whom she learned was named Rupert. Once she had given her statement, minus the floating water sphere, she remembered her own car sitting outside. She fixed up her car and then shakily got inside.

The rain had stopped soon after she and Rupert had entered the gas station, but Lily could still feel the raindrops on her skin. Her breath hitched as she stared at her hands. They looked the same as always. Pale, long fingers. Slightly faded scar running along the space between her index and middle finger. Her hands remained the same. And yet…

“That’s not possible,” she told herself. But it happened, her mind whispered. She looked out the window towards the space the sphere had been.

“How?” she choked out. “What’s happening to me?”

~Kate

After kicking Lily out, Kate became incredibly bored. She eventually got up from her ‘nap’. It didn’t really qualify because she was so restless she couldn’t rest. Her lack of sleep made her irritable, and so she went to seek out Ash in order to take her frustrations out on him. She stalked down the hallway and pushed open his door.

Then she was greeted by two pairs of eyes looking back at her expectantly. Kate felt heat rise up her face. She hadn’t realized Ian was still hanging around.

“Do you need something, sis?” Ash asked flippantly. Kate looked at him startled by the question. Why had I come in here again? She asked herself dazed.

“No, just bored,” she admitted. Ash huffed, and Ian shrugged as they turned back to their game. Offended by their rebuff, Kate boldly strode into the room and sat down between them.

“Whoa, whoa. Kate, it’s game time,” Ash protested.

“So? Ian doesn’t mind, do you?” she asked turning her gaze up towards Ian. Ian met her eyes and she felt her cheeks flame when a small smile curved his lips.

“Nah, I don’t care.”

“See, it’s settled then,” Kate replied to Ash smugly. He rolled his eyes and grumbled something about annoying little sisters, but Kate had mastered the art of toning him out.

“What are your plans for the day?” She asked Ian. He frowned in thought for a minute before shrugging again.

“I don’t really have a plan.”

“Oh, I see,” Kate said quietly.

“We’re going to have a bros night,” Ash announced. Kate and Ian both looked at him skeptically.

“Are we?” Ian asked. Kate could hear the amused tone in his voice, and she smiled.

“Indeed we are. Complete with video games, movies, and booze!”

“Not so much the alcohol,” Ian said automatically. He is always so responsible, Kate thought to herself.

“Oh you party pooper. We could make it a group thing. Invite the other girls. I’m sure we could all use the break,” Ash said. Ian’s eyes became troubled as his thoughts drifted to darker places.

“You’re probably right.”

“Of course I am,” Ash replied.

“Well, I’m not sure the others will be able to make it. They’re probably exhausted,” Kate added.

“You’re not?” Ian asked suddenly. Kate glanced at him and quickly looked away from his concerned gaze.

“Me? I’m fine. Completely.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Ash mumbled. Kate smacked his arm and he glared at her.

“I am!” she protested. And it was true. She felt better then she had in weeks. She felt like she could run a marathon if she wanted to.

“I believe it,” Ian said, turning his attention back on the game. Kate let her eyes travel over him slowly. The sunlight from the window made his hair reflect almost golden and slight stubble could be seen along his jaw. She blinked and quickly looked away, realizing she had been staring.

“Well, as fun as this has been, I’m going to take my leave of you all now,” she remarked lightly as she stood up. Ash mumbled an affirmative, and Ian gave her a small smile. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest as she smiled back. Before she was tempted to stay, Kate left the room.

“Now what am I going to do?” she asked under her breath. “Oh, I will go mess with Monte.”
Kate didn’t particularly like cats. She never had. But she could admit that they had their sweet moments. However, for some reason the little stray that her mother had rescued hated her. So she took every opportunity she could to mess with him.

Kate walked outside and looked around.

“Here, Monte! Here kitty kitty!” she called sweetly. She heard the tinkling before she saw him round the corner of the house. He was more puffed up than usual, and he approached her warily.

“Hey there, devil cat. Come entertain me,” she said teasingly. Monte didn’t look amused as he strode right past her and lay down on the bench on their porch. Kate scoffed as he ignored her presence completely.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” she said as she took a step towards him. Monte looked up at her and growled. Kate paused confused. Usually he didn’t react this strongly.

“What’s your problem, huh?” she asked offended. Monte hissed and retreated further back on the bench. Kate frowned and advanced on him anyway. The closer she got the more Monte hissed, until she finally stopped in front of him.

“Seriously, cat. What is your deal?” she asked as he swiped his claw at her. “Monte?”

Kate looked up and saw her reflection within the glass windows behind the bench. And then she cried out in shock.

Her teeth had elongated slightly so that her canines were very noticeable. Her hair was up in a ponytail; therefore she could see that her ears now came to sharp points. Her nails had grown several inches long, where they resembled more closely with animal claws. But the worst part was her eyes. Her eyes glowed steady amber, with large slit pupils within them. She could see remarkably well. She could see every detail of herself. Every terrifying change that had taken place.

She blinked her eyes, hoping it was some sort of hallucination, but when she looked back. The beast stared right back at her.

Then she screamed.
♠ ♠ ♠
Please ignore the typos :D
Thanks for reading!